"What's got your wand in a knot?" Hermione plopped herself down next to Severus at breakfast.

He was scowling so wholeheartedly he didn't even acknowledge her, there was a palpable aura of anger in the air around him and tension was evident in every line of his body. Hermione shot a questioning glance at Neville.

"Sybil." Neville said quietly, looking at Severus with a nervous expression on his face. "She announced to the Hall that he's ... er ... surrounded by darkness."

"And what did you say?" Hermione asked Severus, keeping her tone deliberately light. "'No shit, Sherlock, I'm wearing all black, I have black hair and dark eyes and I'm borderline homicidal until I've had a coffee?'"

The scowl on Severus' face disappeared as he turned to look at her incredulously.

"What's 'no shit Sherlock' mean?" Neville asked.

"Oh, it's a muggle thing." Hermione smiled. "Sherlock's from a book, he's a fictional Detective, very observant, notices tiny little details that most people miss and uses them to make incredible deductions to solve mysterious crimes. 'No shit, Sherlock' is a slightly rude way of telling someone they're stating the obvious."

"No shit, Sherlock." Neville said again. "I like that."

"I'm going to have to find a way to add Sherlock Holmes to the Muggle Studies curriculum, aren't I?" Hermione asked Severus.

"I think you are." He said softly, finally relaxing.

"I can I attend?" Neville asked, and Hermione and Severus smiled at each other.

"Can I take you to the movies someday?"

The mid November chill helped to keep Hermione's blush at bay as she did her best to keep looking nonchalant. It was Sunday and they were out at Dumbledore's grave, bundled up in layers as the rain lashed against the edges of the protective bubble Severus had put up around them. She was loathe to admit it, but rain-repelling charms were still a bit of a challenge for her, so she had been relieved when Severus had cast them unprompted at the first signs of the weather turning.

"Pardon?" He turned to look at her, incomprehension clear on his pale face.

"The movies." Hermione said casually. "Like, lets go to the cinema someday and watch a film."

Severus continued to stare at her, a furrow in his brow, his dark eyes searching her face.

"Have you ever been to the cinema, Severus?"

"Once." He answered evasively. "When I was still a child."

"With your parents?"

"No." He sighed and looked down at the ground. "My parents weren't the sort of people who would have ever considered something so ... frivolous."

"Who did you go with, then?"

"A friend's parents took me with them."

"Lily's parents?" Hermione asked, before she could stop herself.

"Yes." Severus glanced briefly at her face, his expression unreadable.

"What did you see?" Hermione kept her tone light and casual. She had felt an irrational stab of jealousy at this new revelation, but she wanted Severus to be able to talk about Lily, and she wanted to be able to handle his past with her in a healthy way.

"The Godfather."

"A classic." Hermione supressed her giggle at the slightly insane image of young Severus at the cinema watching The Godfather with two middle class elderly muggles. "What did you think? Did you enjoy it?"

"It was incredible." A hint of a smile lifted Severus' thin mouth. "We had an old black and white television at home, but it was incomparable to that experience. I remember thinking muggles had created their own type of magic."

"Exactly!" Hermione agreed enthusiastically. "It's so captivating! Wilma and I will be taking the muggle studies classes to the cinema at the end of the year, I literally can't wait."

"What about the muggleborns?"

"They'll be coming too, they can help us manage the shell-shocked purebloods."

"The Slytherins like Muggle Studies."

"They do?!" Hermione asked excitedly.

"Yes." Severus smirked at her enthusiasm, his face softening.

"I really hoped they would! But I was worried some of them would be resistant."

"Some of them are." Severus said. "Particularly in the older years, but most of them really enjoy the classes. The 1st and 2nd years rarely shut up about them. I'm sure they will drive their parents slightly mad when they return home for the holidays."

"Hah!" Hermione beamed. "And the best bit is their parents won't dare discourage them for fear of being seen as a sympathizer of You-Know-Who!"

"That's true." Severus' lips lifted into a smile. "And so manipulative of you. You have a real edge, don't you?"

"Maybe." Hermione blushed, still smiling. "But I mostly only use it for good."

"We should all be thankful for that."

"Yes you should." Hermione bit her lip. "I'm so happy the Slytherins are enjoying the classes, I can hardly believe it."

"It helps they're aware of the mood post-war." Severus said evenly. "And that they have such a competent teacher, and a truly inspiring syllabus."

Hermione felt her mouth drop open in shock at such a blatant compliment, before it spilt into a grin so wide it almost hurt.

"For Merlin's sake." Severus grumbled. "If you smile any wider you'll rip your face open."

"Oh be quiet." Hermione bit back. "That's probably the nicest thing you've ever said to me, give me a minute to be happy about it."

"I was complimenting Minerva." Severus smirked. "I have no idea why you're behaving in such a way."

"Severus Snape! You know damn well I-"

Severus' deep, warm laughter danced in the air around them.

"You've dodged the question." Hermione could feel her pulse racing. "The cinema is not quite the same as ancient magic and beautiful woodland and unicorns, but it's always been magical to me. It used to be a big part of my life, my parents always loved film. So, please can I take you to the cinema someday?"

"Very well." Severus said seriously, his cheeks just slightly pink.

"Very well." Hermione drawled, imitating his silken drawl to the best of her abilities.

Severus only raised an eyebrow in response. She did her best to copy that too, but she could feel she wasn't even close, and when the Potions Master broke his stern expression to chuckle, she joined in, feeling disproportionately pleased with herself.

"I want Harry to ask me to marry him." Ginny announced, flopping down onto Hermione's sofa with a dramatic sigh. "But I don't want to ask him to ask me to marry him."

"Okay." Hermione said slowly.

It was a Saturday and Ginny's patronus had pulled her out of bed unexpectedly. The redhead didn't usually come by unannounced.

"You could ask him to marry you."

"Absolutely not." Ginny said indignantly.

"Why not?" Hermione asked. "There's nothing wrong with the woman asking the man to marry her."

"I know there isn't!" Ginny replied. "But I want Harry to ask me! I want a big, grand romantic gesture and I want him to ask me to marry him."

"Okay." Hermione said again. "That's all fair enough, but it's not like you, Gin. Where is this coming from? I didn't think you were in any rush to get married."

"I wasn't!"

Unexpectedly, Ginny burst into tears, covering her face with her hands. Hermione blinked in surprise, before pulling herself together and gathering her best friend into a hug.

"What's happened?" She asked. "Did Harry do something? Do I need to kill him? Is it time to call Luna and get her to poke his eyes?"

Ginny laughed wetly into Hermione's shoulder.

"No." She said finally, blowing her nose into a tissue Hermione had summoned. "He hasn't done anything. That's the problem."

"Tell me more."

"I'm still a total mess!" Ginny shouted. "A total mess! I'm angry, I'm volatile, I have nightmares, I can barely look my family in the eyes some days, they're all as bad as I am if not worse and he's absolutely bloody fine!"

"Ginny, it's completely normal for you to still be struggling with everything that happened, there's no shame in it. I still have bad days too."

"But he's fine, Hermione! He sleeps well and he's doing well at work and he's ... he's happy!"

"And this means you have to get married?"

"I can't lose him too." Tears leaked down Ginny's pretty face, her pale skin was turning red and blotchy. "I can't."

"You're feeling insecure." Hermione said. "That's the issue."

"Yes! How could I not be?! I'm snappy and sensitive and up and down and jumpy and crying and-"

"Ginny." Hermione interrupted. "You don't know that he's fine. He might not be reacting to the trauma in the same way as you, but that doesn't mean he's fine. There's every chance he's having a hard time too and doesn't want to burden you with it. Does he have any idea how much you're struggling right now?"

"No." Ginny said quietly, and Hermione squeezed her hands.

"I can't seriously believe he's perfectly fine, especially with his track record of being a moody git. And if he is fine right now, that doesn't mean he won't also struggle at times as well. Good phases and bad phases, remember? For everyone. And if this was the other way round, would you have any issue supporting Harry while he was having a rough time?"

"No." Ginny sniffed.

"Exactly. Would it make you love him any less?"

"Of course not."

"Well there you go." Hermione smiled slightly. "It sounds like you just need to have a really honest conversation with him, tell him you're struggling at the minute, tell him it's making you feel insecure and tell him how best he can support you."

"But I don't know how best he can support me!" Ginny said, her voice rising. "I don't know what I need!"

"You need reassurance." Hermione said firmly. "You need kindness and patience and the space and security to get through this, which you will. You need to just talk to Harry."

"Okay." Ginny nodded. "Okay. I will when he gets home this evening."

"Promise?"

"Yes I promise."

"Good." Hermione hugged her again. "You also look like you haven't slept. Do you want a mid morning nap? Then we could go into London for some lunch and girl talk and shopping? I still need more stuff to make this place homey."

"Muggle London?" Ginny asked, already slipping off her shoes and heading towards Hermione's bedroom. "Can we go to the charity shops?"

"That was my plan." Hermione smiled as the redhead got into bed. "Are you still seeing Dr Prewett?"

"Every week."

"Good. You're going to be okay, Ginny, you know that right? Harry adores you."

"Yeah." Ginny yawned. "Thank you."

"Mione?"

Hermione paused at the door.

"Can you stay in here while I sleep?"

"Of course." Hermione answered. "Let me just get my marking."

"Sybil's been drinking." Hermione said quietly to Severus at lunch. "I can smell it."

"Sybil's always drinking." Severus replied dismissively.

"She's been doing better this year." Hermione fiddled with her knife. "Do you think we should tell Minerva?"

"Minerva will be aware." Severus glanced over at her in between a mouthful of pie. "There's little that goes on in this school that the Head isn't aware of."

"How is that?" Hermione asked interestedly. "It makes reference to it in Hogwarts: A History, but it doesn't give any sort of indication as to how."

"Hogwarts will always have its secrets." Severus smirked. "It's certainly not my place to divulge them."

"You really enjoy annoying me, don't you?" Hermione sighed.

"Don't flatter yourself." Severus smirked wider. "It provides me minimal entertainment at best."

"Oh well I'm so sorry my annoyance isn't more entertaining!" Hermione snapped, although she was amused despite herself.

"The more annoyed you are, the better it is for me." Severus' thin lips lifted into a smile. "If you carry on being in such a snit I might actually find this mealtime tolerable."

"For fucks sake." Hermione sighed. "You're impossible."

"And you're insufferable."

Hermione opened her mouth to bite back, but Sybil knocked over her glass of what was supposed to be pumpkin juice, and the disruption reminded Hermione why she had started talking to Severus in the first place.

"Do you think I should check in on her?" She asked the Potions Master.

"Whatever for?" Severus asked. "The two of you are hardly close, she will only deny it and become defensive and angry. Stop being such a bleeding heart, she's not your problem."

"I can't help but feel sorry for her!" Hermione said indignantly. "Addiction is very difficult. And she may be lousy teacher, but she is a true Seer, and she fought alongside us in the final battle. A crystal ball to the head is a surprisingly effective method of attack."

"Is that what she did?!" Severus asked, his black eyes glinting. "Who did she hit?!"

"Greyback." Hermione said, feeling a shiver run over her. "She knocked him out cold, stopped his attack on Lavender. She probably hit some of the others too but we had to move on, that's all I saw of it."

"I had no idea she had such flare."

"Mmmm." Hermione took a deep breath and forced herself to remain in the present. "I suppose there's not much I can do to help her though, is there?"

"No." Severus confirmed. "She has people around her to support her. You can't get involved in absolutely everything, all of the time."

Hermione scowled, but took the rebuke, it was something Dr Prewett had brought up with her before.

"Your memories." Hermione handed the little vial of silvery, swirling strands back to Severus, out at Dumbledore's grave.

"That was quick."

It had been just under a month since he had asked her. November was drawing to a close, the wind was bitterly cold, and the two of them were wrapped up in cloaks and scarves. It was their second winter sitting out here together, week after week, and Hermione felt oddly nostalgic about the whole thing.

"Yes." Hermione replied. "Apparently Harry has even more influence at the Ministry than either of us realised."

"I suppose he did technically save the world." Severus scowled. "Arrogant little shit."

"S-Severus!" Hermione spluttered, laughing. "That's unfair in so many ways I don't even know where to start!"

"Don't bother starting then." Severus advised, smiling slightly. "Thank you for getting these back."

"It's nothing." Hermione said dismissively. "They should have been given back to you in the first place. There are copies of them still on file at the Ministry, but those are the originals. And the copies are carefully guarded and warded, just so you know. There's only 2 people who have access to them and if anyone else breaches the defences and takes them, they'll self destruct."

Severus nodded, he rolled the vial between his long fingers, frowning at it slightly, before stowing it in his robes.

"Will it be difficult for you, putting those back in your head?"

"I don't know." Severus said slowly. "Physically it's as easy as blinking, but ... it might be ... uncomfortable ... in other ways."

"If..." Hermione hesitated. "If you'd like me to be around when you do it, I'm very happy to be."

"Who do you think you are?!" Severus snapped, scowling. "Potter's not the only one who's arrogant."

Hermione opened her mouth to reply, her cheeks burning, but Severus spoke again before she had the chance.

"Wait." He snapped. "Give me a moment."

Sighing, he bent his head slightly and pinched the bridge of his nose, looking unnerved.

"That was uncalled for." He said eventually. "I just..."

"It's okay." Hermione said softly. "I didn't mean to presume you would want me there, only that it would be okay with me if you did, that's all."

"I know." Severus sighed. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Impulsively, Hermione reached out and placed her hand over his. She had to suppress a gasp when his fingers wrapped around hers and held on tight. It was so unlike him.

They spent the rest of the afternoon in silence, as the wind blew through the rust coloured trees and the light faded, before heading back to the castle in time for dinner.

Later that evening, Hermione found herself restless. The was an anxious sort of energy flowing through her, and she couldn't work out why. She was up to date on her marking, she'd run through her lesson plans for the week, she'd replied to Luna's letter detailing her travels in America and spent some time playing with and fussing Crookshanks. Sighing, Hermione decided to try and walk it off. It wasn't her night to patrol, and it was still a little before curfew, but she liked walking the corridors. Something about the stone and the firelight and the old magic was soothing.

Ginny had written a week ago to tell her she'd had a very constructive talk with Harry and was starting to feel a little better, and they would be catching up again soon before the next monthly meeting of the strays. This month they were going to have a Chinese and watch Sherlock Holmes. Hermione smiled to herself, they were such an odd but wholesome little group. Inevitably, her thoughts turned to Severus. They were becoming closer, bit by bit, step by step. And he seemed disinclined to push her away, at least at the moment. He was trying, in his own way, and she was so grateful for it. The fact that he had recently started to feel comfortable enough to wind her up was surely a big step forward, and he was becoming more used to her touch as well. The way her body reacted to him was also changing. She was finding it a little easier to control her blushes and relax around him, but she often found herself unconsciously leaning towards him and had to make herself pull away. She was also ... a shiver of pleasure and excitement ran up her spine. Smiling slightly to herself, Hermione carried on walking. She was certainly becoming more and more attracted to him. Thoughts of his hands on her had stayed with her since that day in the forest, and increasingly her mind wanted to wonder when they were together. The way he had opened up to her on Halloween also meant so much to her. The way he had grabbed her hand and pulled it up to his heart ... He trusted her. He really ... he really did like her.

A crack abruptly disrupted her train of thought. Barely giving her a moment to gather herself, Alf grabbed her hand, and together they vanished.

Hermione tried to blink off the travel sickness of elf-led side apparition and the disorientation of suddenly being at the end of the Potions corridor.

"Doors are unlocked, Miss." Alf whispered. "Hurry!"

And he disappeared with another crack.

Heart racing, Hermione dashed down to Severus' office door and threw it open, running straight through to the door to his quarters, barging in as quick as she could. For a few suspended seconds, her eyes darted around the room, trying to figure out what was happening.

There was a pensieve by the coffee table, the liquid within rippling and casting an odd, silvery light around the room. And there, balled up in the corner, was the slumped form of Severus Snape.

"Severus?"

His back was to the wall, his knees drawn up to his chest and his arms wrapped protectively around himself. He hadn't immediately responded to her voice, so Hermione slowly walked closer.

"Severus."

"No." He moaned, hiding his face in his hands. "Go!"

"No." Hermione said, keeping her voice firm but quiet. "I won't. What's happened?"

"I don't want you to see me like this!" He shouted, his face red and twisted. "GO!"

"Severus." Hermione dropped to her knees before him. "I'm not going anywhere, I'm sorry."

This close, she could see the tremors running over his body, and as he lifted his head to glare at her, something sharp and jagged pierced her heart as she saw the tear tracks on his face.

"You're INSUFFERABLE!" He shouted. "YOU'RE ANNOYING AND ARROGANT AND ENTITLED AND I DON'T WANT YOU HERE!"

"But I am here." Hermione said softly. "I'm already here and I won't be scared away. You'll only regret being horrible to me and you know it."

Severus leant the side of his head against the wall, his hair hiding his face from her.

"Take a big deep breath." She instructed, and hid her surprise as the dark man before her immediately obeyed. "Good. And another."

Again, he did as she instructed. Instinctively, Hermione reached out to touch his arm.

"DON'T!" He screamed, throwing himself back against the the wall like a trapped animal. "DON'T TOUCH ME!"

"Okay!" Hermione sat back onto her bottom, hands held up in supplication and gave him some space. "Okay. I won't touch you. Will you tell me what happened, Severus? Did you put the memories back?"

Severus groaned and curled in on himself even further, putting his head against his knees. Hermione frowned and gave herself a moment to try and figure this out. It made sense that getting the memories back in full would cause some emotional pain, but this seemed like quite an extreme reaction, especially considering Halloween had shown quite clearly that he still remembered Lily and the pain of losing her only too well.

Eventually conceding defeat, Hermione shuffled closer to Severus until they were sitting side by side, though she took care not to touch him.

"I'm going to just sit here with you for a while." She said finally, trying to ignore the way his tense body was still trembling and how badly she wanted to touch him. "I don't understand exactly what's happening here, but you're obviously in a lot of pain, so I'm going to stay with you until it's bearable again. If it takes all night, that's fine with me."

The silence felt oppressive, the only noises came from Severus' shallow, gasping breaths.

"You will get through this." Hermione said firmly. "And if you want to tell me, or talk it through or anything else, you just let me know, okay? Anything you want to say is okay. I won't judge you or be cross or unkind."

Fiddling with the hem of her cloak for a moment, Hermione visualised the warmest, softest, most comforting blanket she could imagine and conjured it into being.

"I'm going to put a blanket around your shoulders." She told him, before gently draping him in the heavy fabric, resisting the temptation to let her hands linger.

Time went on, and she kept herself still and silent and close, surreptitiously watching Severus from the corner of her eye. She watched his body gradually calm, though he kept his face hidden from her and remained curled up and distant.

Eventually, Hermione decided he seemed calm enough for a little contact, and slowly closed the space between them, dropping her head to rest against his arm.

"Is this okay?" She asked him softly, pleased he made a vague noise of assent.

She allowed time to pass like this, waiting for Severus to relax again before she spoke.

"Tell me?" She asked eventually. "Please tell me, Severus?"

"I don't know how." He whispered.

"You replaced the memories?" Hermione prompted, trying not to get frustrated when Severus only nodded. "And what happened? Why has it upset you like this?"

"I ... I can't." Severus replied, his voice was quiet and raw and reminded Hermione of a frightened child.

"Please try, Severus." She said softly, her voice gentle. "It will help."

"It ... it d-didn't ... fix it!"

"Fix what?" It was so strange seeing him struggle to articulate.

"It still feels hollow."

"Your memories of Lily? They still feel one-dimensional?"

"Because they are."

"What do you mean?"

Silence settled again and Hermione wasn't sure Severus would resume talking. This was obviously causing him immense pain, and as much as she wanted to be able to help, she was scared of pushing too far and causing more damage.

"They still feel hollow, because they are hollow, don't you see?" Severus' voice was somewhere between a whisper and a moan. He seemed utterly defeated. "It was hollow, it was one-dimensional, it was shallow. I ... I thought the memories would make it feel like ... like something ... again, but they can't make it something it ... it wasn't. All these years, I clung to her memory, I clung to the memory of what we had, of how much I l-loved her. And it ... it was nothing."

Severus body began to shake slightly again, this time with silent, supressed sobs.

"It wasn't nothing." Hermione said softly, shifting to put a hand on his back, and wishing she could pull him into her arms. "You were friends, best friends. I know it wasn't the relationship you wanted to have with her, but it wasn't nothing. You introduced her to the wizarding world! You were her link to it, back at home."

"Yes." Severus conceded, though he sounded just as distressed. "But I ... I was n-never truly myself around her. I ... knew I wasn't good enough for h-her. I n-never let her see the dark, broken parts of my psyche. I k-knew she could never truly accept me. And even seeing o-only the best b-bits I could offer her ... she still wouldn't have-" Severus make a choked sound halfway between a sob and a laugh. "She wouldn't have sat on the floor with me all - all night - because I was upset."

"You were children." Hermione said uncomfortably, trying to ignore the pain that was beating through her chest. "It was a child's friendship. You meant a lot to her, Severus. And you ... you can't judge a child against an adult."

"Think of the ... the things you did f-for Potter during your time at H-Hogwarts." Severus said miserably. "She .. liked me ... well enough ... until I g-got too Dark. Until oour lives became destined for such different p-paths. But I don't think she ever t-truly knew me ... and if she had ... she wouldn't have l-liked me much at all, even back then."

Severus buried his face in his hands.

"So you're upset because you wish your friendship with Lily had been ... deeper? Is that it?" Hermione asked.

"NO!" Severus shouted, scrambling to his feet with none of his usual grace and turning to face her. "I'm upset because the deepest and most meaningful relationship I have ever had in the entirety of my miserable life up until now was nothing! How pathetic do you have to be to cling onto s-something so shallow for your whole life?! A child's friendship, as you said! That is all I have had, all this time!"

Hermione stood too, and took a good look at Severus. He was standing in front her, shoulders back, teeth bared and panting. His face was red and tear stained, his eyes bloodshot. If his friendship with Lily really had been superficial, this was as real as it got. Hermione took two steps forward to stand toe to toe with him. She took one more look into his anguished face, then put her arms around his neck, closing the distance between them as she pulled him into a tight hug. She had expected, shock, tension, anger, even to be thrown bodily away from him, but instead, Severus' arms came crashing around her and he held her so tightly he nearly lifted her from the floor. Pressed together like this, she could feel the juddering, shaking breaths he was taking as he tried not to cry, she could feel the length of his body pressed against her, and the beat of his heart through his robes. For what felt like a lifetime, she simply held him.

"It wasn't nothing." She told him softly. "Maybe she didn't truly know you, but you guys were friends for years. Those shared times, those happy memories mean something. They matter. And you certainly knew her, and you loved her. Your feelings aren't shallow or one-dimensional. Love doesn't mean less if it isn't reciprocated, and holding onto something important to you, something good while you were going through so much suffering isn't pathetic, it's sensible. Her memory has helped you through so much and inspired you to do so much good. That isn't nothing."

Severus didn't answer her, but his hold on her seemed to tighten as he took in what she said. They remained pressed together as Severus' body finally started to calm.

"You've had an incredibly difficult, incredibly lonely life. But you've survived it, you've overcome it all. Pathetic is the absolute last word I would use to describe you. And I've used a few less than flattering ones."

Severus made a slightly wet noise of humour, and finally pulled away and gave her a look of uncertainty. He had finally calmed and seemed more himself, but he looked absolutely exhausted and totally drained.

"You're tired." She said softly. "Bedtime, Severus."

To her surprise, he merely nodded and headed to his bedroom, leaving the door open. Giving herself a moment to regain her composure and appropriately steel herself, Hermione followed, and was unsurprised to find him sitting on the bed with his head in his hands. Kneeling silently, she undid his boots and eased them off his feet, trying to ignore the obvious intimacy of all of this. When she dared look up at his face, she was alarmed to see that he appeared to be near tears again. Hermione stood and indulged herself by conjuring a damp washcloth and using it to gently wipe his face, starting with one cheek, then the other, then his eyes as they fluttered closed.

"I'm going to make you a herbal tea." Hermione said softly. "Get changed into your pyjamas and I'll bring it in.

As she turned to leave he grabbed her hand, but didn't meet her eyes as she turned back to him.

"Thank you for being ... more." He said, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Thank you for letting me." She replied, briefly covering his hand with her own before she withdrew, pulling the door closed behind her.

Standing in his little kitchenette waiting for the kettle to boil, Hermione covered her face with her hands briefly, giving herself a moment to try and find some balance. Too much had happened for her to process right now. And she was so tired. The best thing she could do was to make sure Severus knew everything was okay, and the world wasn't going to end because he had been vulnerable.

"I have tea." She announced at his door. "Are you decent?"

"Yes." Came the defensive, sullen response from within.

Hermione walked in and put the tea on his bedside table, before sitting next to him on the bed.

"Is there anything you want to talk about?" She asked softly. "Anything bothering you or worrying you? Or would you just like me to leave you be so you can sleep?"

"I think I just need to sleep." Severus said, his voice just as gentle.

Hermione had to firmly steer her mind away from all the connotations of being in his bedroom with him, of talking in hushed, low voices.

"Would you like a vial of Dreamless Sleep?"

"No." Severus replied, his tone suddenly much more severe.

"Okay." Hermione said lightly. "Fair enough. Get into bed then."

"I don't need to be put to bed." Severus grumbled. "I'm not a child. You're being-"

"Insufferable?" Hermione asked, smiling as she stood. "I'm so good at that, aren't I?"

"You are."

"Mmm." She agreed. "Okay, well straight into bed and to sleep once I close the door okay? And I'm sleeping on the sofa tonight, so no walking about naked first thing either."

"As if I would!" Severus shouted indignantly. "I don't go about-"

But he cut himself off as Hermione laughed, looking utterly derailed.

"You manage to wind me up all the time." She smiled. "I'm allowed to occasionally pay you back. Besides, you wouldn't actually hear any complaints from me." With a smirk that felt almost ridiculously suggestive, Hermione gave his shoulder an affectionate squeeze and made her exit, pleased they'd managed to end such a difficult evening on such a good note.

Hermione woke at exactly 6:50 the following morning with a strange sense of deja vu. She had moved the penseive to one side and warded it before she had conjured a blanket and fallen into an exhausted sleep still fully dressed. Monday mornings were always pretty savage, but judging by how thoroughly rotten she felt, she couldn't have had more than a few hours sleep. Grumbling to herself, Hermione made her way to the bathroom to relieve herself and splash her face with cold water in an attempt to feel more alive.

"Morning." She murmured to Severus as she emerged. "Can I ask the elves for coffee before I go? I'm not sure I'll make it back to my rooms otherwise."

"Fine."

Nodding absently, Hermione flopped back down onto the sofa as the sounds of the shower running reached her. She supressed a groan. Of course Severus would have to be naked in the next room, never mind that they were his rooms, it was so inconsiderate of him. And he had been wearing a newer looking nightshirt, long and dark grey, his hair ruffled from sleep, his neck and some of the top of his chest exposed.

"Alf." Hermione snapped, then immediately softened as the nervous looking little creature appeared before her. "Two coffees please. And you did well last night, thank you. I'll talk to Severus and make sure he isn't angry."

"Thank you, Miss. Alf knows Alf did right, but the Master will be angry. Alf will take it." Alf squeaked, looking determined. "The Master is needing the Miss."

"Maybe don't say that to him." Hermione smiled. "I don't think he'd appreciate it."

With a nod of agreement, Alf vanished, and a few moments later, coffee appeared on the table before her.

"I don't think I even want to know how you came to be on such good terms with my elf." Severus said sourly, emerging from the bathroom in his long black dressing gown.

"No, don't ask." Hermione smiled. "But you're not to punish him, is that clear? He cares about you and he's looking out for you and you are not to punish him or forbid him from acting in the same way again."

"Merlin, you are so fucking bossy." Severus grumbled, taking a swig of his coffee. He was bleary eyed and grouchy in a way that was unfortunately all too endearing. "He deliberately and directly disobeyed me."

"Not exactly." Hermione countered. "And besides, he did right by you, when's the last time you can say that about someone?"

"For sucks sake." Severus groaned. "I can't have a rogue elf!"

"He's not rogue, he's clever." Hermione said indignantly. "And has he ever gone against what you've said where it hasn't been the right thing to do? Has he ever not had your best interests at heart? Has he not-"

"Fine! Fine!" Severus interrupted. "But if he starts interfering in other things I'm putting my foot down. Now be quiet, I'm borderline homicidal before I've had my morning coffee on a good day and this is most certainly not a good day."

"Deal." Hermione smiled, relieved that Severus still seemed much himself, despite the intimacy of last night.

I hope you like this one, it was really hard to write and I'm still not quite sure about it, but I can't keep fiddling around with it forever. The next one is better ;)