Severus was impressed. If he didn't know any better, he'd think the witch had set this bathroom up entirely to his specifications. However, he was beginning to realise their tastes might just be more aligned than expected. Around the oversized clawfoot tub in which he now lay, were shelves displaying all manner of jars and bottles of potions and lotions. Not the tacky, muggle fair, but rather exquisitely crafted custom brews. Severus had already noted seventeen bottles whose contents he wished to discuss with his former pupil. Clearly she had improved from simply not being a dunderhead at potions, but to being an artful brewer in her own right. The fact he could not identify the ingredients of those few bottles astounded and impressed him.
Gracefully extricating himself from the tub, Severus cast a silent drying spell over himself with a flourish of his hand, and headed for the door which he now knew led to the guest room - his room. Stretching out luxuriously, feeling completely at ease and relaxed as he exited the bathroom, he stopped dead in the open doorway. Looking across at him from the other doorway was Hermione.
Without missing a beat, and keeping her eyes respectfully above his shoulders, Hermione calmly broke the silence. "Apologies Severus, I didn't hear you get out. I was just coming to leave some towels at the door." She walked over and held large, fluffy white towels out towards him, still maintaining respectful eye contact. Wordlessly, he accepted the towels, wrapping the larger around his body.
"Erm, thank you… and apologies, Miss Granger." He winced as he said the last part, realising too late that it was far more awkward now that he had re-established the old dynamic between them.
"It's fine, Severus" she enunciated pointedly, "it's nothing I haven't seen before". At the shocked look on his face, she explained carefully further. "I always took the greatest steps to preserve your dignity, rather I refer to my role as a healer." She paused, chewing her lip for a moment before deciding to add one more thought. "I should probably make you aware, however, that for the first few years I did tend to your scars with various ointments so had to expose some areas."
Severus struggled with the balance of being grateful for Hermione taking on the role of caring for him, which he realised could not have been how she saw her life going, and the indignity of her knowing what lay under his towel and robes. Alas, the bathing potions and lotions had relaxed him far too much and he was in a far better mood than he would have perhaps liked.
"Thank you for caring for me, Hermione" he forced out, "it cannot have been easy on you, so I will withhold my concerns about what that entailed".
"I appreciate your restraint, but I hope it is some comfort that you only have such newer scars on your neck and torso. And it was Poppy who investigated other areas to check you over fully, not me."
Severus indeed relaxed at this. Poppy had been tending him for his whole life - she had certainly seen more than her fair share of his body.
In an attempt to dissolve the awkwardness, Hermione flicked her wrist at Severus. He froze, staring into her eyes in fear. With a small smile, she glanced down at his towel, and following her gaze he noticed she had charmed it into a rich Slytherin green.
"Later, when you're dressed, we can discuss how else we can make you feel more at home, if you'd like."
Severus' heart warmed, but he wasn't sure how to respond to this. The only home he'd known was Hogwarts, but it now dawned on him that his rooms would not have been kept for him. He felt a lump rise in his throat, swallowing hard and looking at the floor. Hermione noticed and in two strides was near to him, hovering a guiding hand behind him as she gestured towards a smart wardrobe with the other. Both of them noticed with some surprise, that this closeness felt nothing shy of comfortable and familiar.
"I'm sorry if I upset you, but rest assured this is your home for as long as you want or need. I'd not know what else to do with these rooms by now anyway!" Hermione's heart broke seeing how Severus was battling with his emotions, slouched in such a vulnerable way. She rapidly formulated a plan in her mind to bring back the relaxed, almost happy man she'd seen moments before. But for now, she allowed Severus to proceed to the wardrobe, and granting the man some peace, headed out the door.
Much to the shock of Severus, the armoire boasted quite an array of clothing - and upon inspection, all of it was in his size. 'That clever witch' he thought gratefully, browsing through the options. His first instinct was to grab the black highly buttoned uniform he'd worn everyday throughout his career. However he hesitated, noticing the wider selection of other clothes which were surprisingly palatable to him, and decided it might be time to leave that old world behind. Besides, Hermione was in muggle clothes so perhaps he should reflect her level of dress?
Selecting a delectably soft dark green jumper, paired with a black shirt, well-tailored black chinos, and some stylish dragon hide brogues, Severus moved to the drawers in the hopes of - yes - underwear. He fleetingly cringed at the idea that Hermione had selected undergarments for him, however grateful to have any at all, plucked out a black pair of boxers and green socks, tugging them on with the sense of a fresh start.
Once dressed and groomed to his liking, feeling better about himself than he had in years, he headed out onto the landing. Before reaching the stairs, he noticed the door to another room ajar and could hear movement through it. A small clearing of his throat and the door swung open wider, gestured magically by it's occupant.
"Severus!" Hermione's mirror reflection exclaimed from where she sat at a beautiful antique dressing table. Continuing with her hair styling as she continued, "I take it you found clothes to your liking? They look good on you, I'm so glad!"
Severus was taken aback at this compliment, and choosing to avoid addressing it entirely he instead replied, "Thank you, Hermione. I thought perhaps a change away from the old… what was it your trio called me, 'bat of the dungeons', would do well as a fresh start."
Hermione blushed, ducking her head down as she picked out jewellery from a drawer before her. Severus found this, along with this very natural, homey interaction between them unnervingly sweet.
"I'm sorry we called you that, although if you recall you did have much worse names for us… That being said, I certainly wouldn't call you such a thing anymore."
"Nor I you, Miss Granger - Hermione. I likewise apologise for the terms I threw towards you and Mr Potter. Although largely it was a part of the pretence of my spy identity, I most surely leant too far into the character at times."
Hermione's hands slowly fell from where she put her earrings in, feeling like some small amount of trauma from the name calling of her youth being healed. She warmly smiled back at Severus, and his heart too felt slightly lighter for it.
"Here, would you mind please helping me with my necklace? I'm afraid I never get to wear the ones with clasps anymore unless there's someone around to help me, which is rare unless Minerva or Poppy stop by!"
Severus quirked his eyebrow in query, however deciding it was the least he could do, stepped forward to help. It felt very alien to him, being invited to be so close to a woman and for such an intimate task; yet at the same time, it felt so normal with Hermione. Severus tucked that away for further thought later into the box of similar thoughts he'd had today. As he placed the necklace around her neck, his hand glanced across the neckline of her top, dislodging it slightly and revealing a rune tattooed on her shoulder.
"If you don't mind me saying, Hermione, I am intrigued by the rune I see on your shoulder."
She blushed, moving to tug her top back over the rune just as he released the clasped necklace.
"It's a healing rune of my own devising. The muscles of my shoulder were torn during the Battle, and although later healed they never quite regained the strength and range of motion from before. The movement cannot yet be helped, hence the help with my necklace, however the strength is drawn from this rune which in turn draws from my magic reserves."
Severus stood still, shocked. It had not occurred to him that the witch might be holding her own wounds from the war, although in retrospect it seemed obvious that most would not have made it through unscathed. Somewhere around that feeling was also a sense of intense pride and intrigue - Hermione must be far more than 'a healer of sorts', and he was determined to find out more. To have mastered runes in such a way where others had failed was truly the sign of a powerful, intelligent witch.
"Anyway, enough about the past. I was wondering if you would like to go out for a meal tonight, to celebrate the return of the great war hero, Severus Snape?" Her eyes glittered mockingly, as she rose from the vanity stool to face him.
"War hero? Who the hell has termed me such a thing?" Severus sneered, although inside of him somewhere a feeling of relief stirred. Perhaps he had finally found a world which did not hate him for actions required by his spy lords?
"Well if you'd rather not, I'm sure I can take on a whole meal by myself, however the bottle of muggle wine might be a bit much." Hermione happily toyed, walking across the room to fetch her heels. Only now Severus realised she was dressed rather stunningly for the occasion, in a green velvet dress with gold snakes on the collar; sheer black hosiery which accentuated her matured, toned legs perfectly; and now slick black leather heels. Her hair was in a sleek undo with curled tendrils dropping stylishly here and there to frame a tastefully made up and contoured face. Maturity had certainly done this witch very, very well indeed.
Decidedly comfortable with Hermione by now, and emboldened with the knowledge that she had dressed up so beautifully, and in his beloved colours, for a meal with him - to celebrate him - Severus chose to compliment the witch as his soul begged him to.
"How could I possibly pass up such a lovely offer, from a witch turned out as elegantly as yourself?" Satisfied at the blush that heated Hermione's cheeks, Severus offered her his arm chivalrously as they left the room. At the top of the stairs, Hermione halted them in front of a full length mirror.
"We are quite the Slytherin pairing, are we not!" Hermione said, waving towards the mirror with her wand. "Smile, Severus!" The wizard turned to Hermione with a quizzical expression, warmed by the idea that they were for tonight a 'pairing' as she'd put it. A flash from the mirror immediately changed his focus, and from the mirror's edge appeared a strip of photo paper, the exact dimensions scaled down of the mirror. Hermione reached forwards chuckling warmly to herself, as she shook the paper a few times, watching the photo develop.
"I thought a picture for posterity, of your first evening re-born, would be in order! You look lost in thought there Severus, pray tell what's on your mind?" Hermione turned to him, smiling kindly and presenting their picture.
"I just… You'll probably scoff at this, but I just can't remember the last time I was included in a grouping, a 'pairing' as you said, rather than just being… Snape."
Hermione's heart melted, and her smile grew only warmer leaning towards him, she placed a hand on his arm. "You won't have to worry about being lonesome again, Severus, unless you so wish it. The wizarding community are practically queuing up to make, or re-make, your acquaintance!"
Severus, in an attempt to lighten the situation, responded; "In that case, Hermione, it sounds like you are getting in on the ground floor of what promises to be a future fraught with friendships for this old git. Lucky witch!"
Hermione's musical laugh evoked a broad grin from Severus, and he joined in with the merriment. Gods it felt good to be so at ease with somebody, to share in jokes with them. It hadn't been since Lily that a human interaction had felt so natural and positive.
"Oh Severus, you've just made the next thing I must say seem suddenly very selfish!"
"Oh?"
"As you'll recall, until after your de-brief, you are highly recommended to keep a low presence in and minimal engagement with the wizarding community. We'll be largely avoiding this by visiting a lovely muggle restaurant for the evening, however there is always the chance that those of our world will pop up. As such, I'd appreciate if you'd agree to a glamour?"
"Keeping me all to yourself, I see." Severus smirked down at Hermione, or rather across as she was practically his height in those heels.
"Oh shush, are you okay with a glamour or not?"
"Glamour away, Miss Granger."
Hermione tapped her wand across their heads and Severus watched in the mirror to see what the shimmering curtain falling across them would reveal. Hermione's hair turned a deep auburn shade, her eyes brightening into a vibrant green, her body becoming less toned, and her facial features softening. Severus found the glamour somewhat familiar, although he couldn't quite place why - distracted before much further thought by his own features changing. His hair receded to a far shorter cut, retaining an element of weight in a slightly swept, more traditionally boyish style. The colour warmed to a deep brown, which his eye colour changed to match. His skin tone warmed slightly, and his body plumped out a small amount, to that resembling a healthy father figure.
Without comment on their glamours, Hermione swept down the stairs, commenting over her shoulder, "off we go then!".