AN: Thank you for all the support! It is very deeply appreciated!

Hermione felt the shift in her wards before she heard the click of her front door. She suppressed a groan. Why did people insist upon visiting her when she appeared as if she'd been trampled by a hippogriff? Crying did nothing to improve one's coloring, and a long pity party full of tossing and turning did little to tame one's hair. Why did she always look like a woman incapable of caring for herself?

"Hermione?"

She could pretend to be asleep. He may leave her alone then. Still, when she heard his footsteps approach, she looked towards him. Even if he didn't love her, she needed to see him, let him know she wanted him in her life. Their eyes met, hers with unshed tears, his soft with concern.

Part of her wanted to beg him to kiss her, strip her of her clothing, and make love to her until their bodies expressed what neither dared to speak aloud. Well, it was more like all of her wanted him in that moment. More than anything, she wanted to feel his lips crashing into hers, hear him whisper words of adoration into her ear, and see the expression of love in his eyes. For one night, she wanted to pretend she was desirable, to pretend he loved her, even if it would kill her to watch him walk away the next morning, leaving her for another woman's arms.

How could she be so depressed, so in pain, and so aroused at the same time?

"Are you well?" Severus' voice was soft, as if speaking would shatter the moment.

"Yes," a painful leg spasm brought her back to reality, the one where she and Severus were only friends. "I'm feeling better than I did earlier this afternoon."

"You do not appear to be doing better."

She deflated and diverted her eyes from him. Just as she suspected, he thought she was hideous. Her body was too disheveled to be desirable. Thinking he would see her as beautiful was a fool's dream.

"You look like you need someone to speak to," he continued.

"I'll be fine," she glanced at him.

"You do not appear fine."

"Well, I am fine."

"Do you want me to stay here? If you want to be left alone I will respect it. Still, I know you well enough to know something is bothering you. Usually, when you feel this way, you want to talk. If that is the case now, I am here."

She considered sending him away, and spending the rest of the night facing her loneliness alone. Still, she needed him. Even as a friend, she needed him tonight, and couldn't entertain the thought of allowing him to leave.

Sensing her need for him, he gestured for her to allow him to sit beside her. She moved her legs and allowed him to take his place.

"Why did you leave lunch so abruptly?" He asked.

"I told you," she massaged her shaking leg, "my leg was in pain, and I needed to rest."

"While your leg may have been in pain, that does not explain why you left so quickly."

"What do you mean?"

"I know how you behave when your leg is in pain. You do not flee and appear as your heart is being ripped from your chest."

"I was emotional today. Quite a bit happened, and it all came crashing down on me at once."

"I can understand that. The incident at Flourish and Potts was horrendous."

"That was upsetting but," she curled the toes of her right foot. "It's nothing I haven't dealt with, and I won't deal with again."

"Then what was the matter? You were fine until," he paused. "Judith appeared."

"So she is Judith now," Hermione muttered.

"For the moment, anyway."

"What does that mean? Is she changing her name?"

"No, but if I had my way, she would remain Ms. Turner."

"Then why isn't she?"

"I grew tired of her telling me to call her Judith, hence I call her by her first name."

"It's a beautiful first name," she stopped rubbing her leg. "It sounds beautiful when you say it."

"It is an acceptable name, but I do not like when casual acquaintances demand to use my first name, and demand I do the same to them. It's much more intimate than I would like at this stage of a relationship."

""I think Judith wants to be intimate with you in ways that do not merely involve using your name."

"How could she want anything more?" He shrugged. "We barely know each other."

"Some women experience attraction quickly. They see a man and," she made a fist. "Snatch him up."

"There is little to snatch up. Everything between us is casual."

"Does she know that?"

"Yes, I told her that at lunch," he frowned. "Several times."

"Does she accept that?" She leaned closer to him.

"If she does not then we have no further need to contact each other."

"If that's the case you will need to go on more horrendous blind dates," her voice was quiet. "Judith is by far the most agreeable woman you've met so far. Other than Sybil, I haven't seen the other dates. Still, I'd imagine she is the most beautiful of them."

"I will never demean her appearance, but she is not the kind of woman who would keep my attention for long," he answered.

"I don't think she knows that. If anything, she sees you as a challenge."

"Then her delusion will only harm her."

"How? She's a fascinating woman. How could you not want her on some level?"

"Because our lifestyles are incompatible," he noted.

She bit her lip.

"Could you see me in a suit at a fancy New York City ball, surrounding by droning business people talking about things I care nothing about?" He shuddered. "If I wanted that, I would have agreed to work for Lucius when he asked me to do so."

"Wait," Hermione winced from the pain in her leg. "You almost worked for Lucius?"

"Indeed I did," he scooted closer to her. "Three years ago, he was diversifying his business into medical potions. He asked me if I wanted to be the head researcher. I considered it, but realized it would involve more networking than I cared to do."

"I'll bet you regret that decision now."

"I haven't regretted it for a second. Life at Hogwarts with you is more pleasurable than being paraded around the world as Lucius' trick pony. I'd rather be with you than any droning, dull businessman."

"Wait," she raised an eyebrow. "You think being with me is more pleasurable than making millions of galleons with Lucius?"

"Infinitely so." He gave her that genuine smile which melted her heart.

"For what it's worth," she relaxed. "Life with you is infinitely better than life without you."

"That point is debatable."

"Careful," she grinned. "I tend to win our debates."

"You do?" There was a spark in his eyes.

"Yes."

"When have you won anything against me?"

"First, there's the fact you take care of washing your own clothes instead of depending on the house elves for everything. It took time to persuade you that it was the proper course of action, but I did."

"That has less to do with you winning and more with you wearing me down."

"That's one way of winning a debate."

"Fine, but you still haven't talked me out of eating a kilogram of bubblegum jellybeans over the course of a week."

"Don't tell me you bought more when I left."

"You were not there to stop me." He pulled out his bag, which appeared to be a kilogram and a half rather than one kilogram.

"Oh Merlin," she groaned.

He took a bubblegum jellybean and offered it to her. She shook her head. "I don't see how you can eat those things."

"It's quite simple." He popped one into his mouth and smirked.

She couldn't help but smile.

"There's more where that came from."

"I don't need bubblegum jellybeans."

"Who said I got you more jellybeans?" He pulled out a chocolate cauldron and handed it to her. After continuing to rummage through the bag, he gave her a box of honeyduke chocolate as well. "I may have accidentally bought too much chocolate. You may have my excess."

"Thank you," her chest warmed.

"You could use some sustenance too. I doubt you've had dinner yet."

"I haven't had any dinner, but chocolate counts as a meal, correct?"

"Tonight," he purred. "So long as you don't tell your dentist parents you've indulged, I see no issue with a chocolate dinner."

"I won't say anything if you don't."

"My lips are sealed."

She opened her box, the weight of her hunger sinking in. Crying took more energy than she had anticipated. Best to replenish her strength, lest she faint in Severus' arms.

"Now that I've bribed you with chocolate," his smile faded. "Why did you leave so abruptly?"

"I," she took a deep breath. "I was feeling inferior."

"Inferior?"

"Yes," she slumped. "All day, I'd been struggling to maneuver down the streets and enduring the looks people gave me. Then, I overheard how the owner of one of my favorite stores no longer wants me inside. It was exhausting to say the least."

He hummed before putting another jellybean in his mouth.

"When I saw Judith," Hermione turned her eyes downward. "She reminded me of everything I wasn't. Her posture, her appearance, it was all so perfect."

"I highly doubt she is perfect. Everyone has at least one flaw."

"Perhaps but her one flaw isn't immediately obvious."

"That does not mean it does not exist." He reached his hand into his bag.

"True, but," she pulled out a chocolate. "Did you notice that she looks a little like the way Harry described Lily?"

"Lily," His hand stopped mid grab.

"Yes, her hair is somewhat red, and her eyes were green," she stared at the chocolate. "That must have made her attractive in her own right, especially for you."

He twisted his lips.

She glanced up. His expression was the one he had when determining the specifics of a complex potion. What she wouldn't have given for legillimency at that moment, just to know what was in his mind.

"I think that's why Minerva chose her, she's your type," she continued.

"My type," he muttered, his expression now blank.

Her stomach sank. Of course reminding him of Lily would upset him. How could it not? She was reminding him of the dead love of his life, another perfect woman who made Hermione appear like the disheveled mess she was. When would she learn to shut her mouth?

"I haven't thought about loving Lily in three years," his voice was quiet.

"What?" She bit her lower lip.

"I haven't thought about loving her in three years" his voice was stronger. "My life was once built around atoning for the wrongs I'd committed against her, but now she is isn't worth dwelling upon. I think of her as a sweet friend, but if she barged into this room, I can safely say I'd have no interest in her."

"You probably didn't appreciate me bringing her up then."

"No," he grabbed more jellybeans. "It is nice to know how far I've come."

"It is?"

"Indeed it is. At one point she was my whole world, but now I have fully moved on." He glanced at his jellybeans. "I thought the moment would be bigger though. I thought one day I'd wake up and realize I was no longer in love with her. There would be a grand moment where I would feel the weight of the world off my shoulders. That did not occur though. This was subtle, unnoticeable, until now."

"I did not mean to ruin your moment."

"You did not, because now I can celebrate with bubblegum jellybeans."

"There's no better way to celebrate than with candy, even if they are too sweet for most people's taste," she answered.

"Indeed there is no better way, and they are perfect for my taste." He continued eating them.

In silence, she ate her box of chocolates. The crumbs would be in her bed, but she couldn't find it in herself to care. After the day she had, she deserved a few moments to relax, to take pleasure in Severus' company. Even if he would never love her, he was with her now. She should be happy with what she had with him instead of yearning for more.

"Do you think I should stop seeing Ms. Turner?" He asked.

She looked at him.

"Do you think I am being too cruel to her in continuing to interact with her?" He asked.

"I think," she bit the inside of her cheek. "I think you need to watch your back around her. Rosmerta doesn't trust her, and I'm not sure I do either."

"Rosmerta doesn't trust her?"

"Yes, she told me dating you was personal for her."

"I would think every date is personal to the person on it."

"Yes, but this was different," Hermione warned. "She seems to think there's some kind of sinister plot."

"That is odd," Severus answered. "Rosmerta was enthralled with Ms. Turner during our first date."

The word "date" was more painful than the jolt going up her leg.

"Why did she change her opinion?" He asked, oblivious to the change in her expression.

"I do not know, but I think you need to be careful," she replied.

"Did she say anything to you which upset you?"

"Not directly."

"But…"

"But?"

"But something about her upsets you, and it goes deeper than her being able to walk. What is it?"

Hermione wrung her hands. How could she separate her emotions from the doubts Rosmerta planted in her head? Were they both going crazy, or was there danger?

"What are you not telling me?" His voice was stronger. "Why do you not want me to interact with Judith? What is it about her you do not approve of?"

Hermione swallowed.

"Do you never want me to see her again?" His voice bordered on pleading. "If you say the word I will end things with her. Do you wish for me never to see her again?"

Before she had a chance to speak, an owl tapped on the window.

"Could you please get it?" She shook. "If it isn't too much of a burden for you."

"It is no burden at all." He set aside the jellybeans and strolled to the window. Then he opened it, admitting a familiar looking owl inside.

"Oh Merlin," her stomach twisted as the bird landed before her.

"What do you think Minerva wants?" He asked.

"I don't know," she shook. "I think it may be about the job."

"I'm sure it is a letter saying you can move on in the process."

"How certain are you of that?"

"Call it a spy's intuition." He winked.

"You," she unwrapped the letter from the owl. "You didn't bias the process in favor of me, did you?"

"All I did was tell her you could fly. What she did with that information is unknown to anyone other than her."

"Oh Merlin," she unfurled the letter and braced herself for the worst.

Upon the first reading, the words were surreal. The second reading was no less unreal. By the time she read it a third time, the message sank into her. Minerva's words took on a life of their own, a life of hope and validation, one where Hermione would be seen as a person, and not as a trembling leg.

"Well?" Severus asked.

"We did it," she handed the letter to him. "I am moving on in the process."

"Of course you are," his lips curled upwards. "You are the best candidate she has ever interviewed for any position. Even at her most stubborn, Minerva knows that."

"I just, how can it be real?" Hermione's heart began to race as she grinned. "I've wanted this for so long, and now that it's happening…"

Before she could think better of it, she flung herself into Severus' arms. "We did it! We got the demonstration!"

"No, he pressed her against him. "You got the demonstration."

"But you helped me. And we did it!" She broke away and cheered. "We did it!"

"Indeed you did." His eyes glistened.

Hermione looked at Severus. Even if he didn't love her, he was in her life. They may have a long road ahead of them when it came to getting her job, but they would do it. Somehow, together, they would make their dreams come true.

In the end, a true partner was more important than anything else she could ever ask for.