AN: Thanks, you guys, for all your support, for reviewing, favoriting and following!

As always I don't own Harry Potter and don't make any profit.

When Severus arrived at his quarters, with Elena still asleep in his arms, Hermione had fallen asleep on the sofa.

Severus put his daughter in her cot and softly kissed her cheek.

"Sleep tight, my baby," he whispered and then turned his attention to his guest. He summoned a blanket with his wand and gently covered her with it. When he crouched down in front of her and looked at her sleeping, he noticed that her cheeks were not pale anymore, but already a bit rosy. Severus carefully brushed her hair out of her face, revealing her really long and black eyelashes and her slightly opened mouth. Softly stroking over her cheek with his thumb, made her sigh in her sleep and snuggle into the blanket. He quietly got up, poured himself some firewhisky and sat down to read a bit before going to bed.

Severus woke up, to the quiet mewing of his daughter.

"Are you hungry, sweetie," he cooed, with his voice hoarsely from sleeping.

"I'll be back in a minute with your bottle."

He slowly got up dragging his feet to the kitchenette and prepared her bottle. It took him longer than normally, so when he came back, Elena was about to start her murderous scream, she sometimes did, when he wasn't fast enough. But he quickly picked her up, settled himself on the bed and watched her drink greedily her black eyes transfixed on his'. He smiled down on her, loving these quiet moments at night, were it was just the two of them. That was when he could be the man, he once was, loving and devoted , before life messed him up. Elena sleepily closed her eyes, a drop of formula running down her chin she smiled satisfied and was back to sleep.

"I don't know what I would do without you," he whispered and wiped away a stray tear, that escaped his eye. He settled Elena back in her cot and himself in his bed, quickly dozing off again.

Severus woke up again about two hours later, by soft moans and mumbled, "You can't be hungry again."

When he looked into the cot, he saw his daughter sound asleep, leaving him confused. But suddenly he remembered his guest and hurried into the living room, finding Hermione moaning, whimpering, tossing and turning on the couch. He once again crouched down in front of her and pushing a strand of hair, that clung to her sweaty face, out of it. As soon as he touched her, she started screaming, startling him and prompting him to fall over backwards. He quickly cast a silencing charm, so Elena wouldn't wake up.

"Hermione, wake up! Wake up!" he slightly shook her.

"Mum?" she croaked. "

No Hermione, it's me Severus," he said quietly.

"Mum," she said again and burst into tears.

"I'm sorry Hermione. I'm so sorry," he whispered in her ear and she let herself fall into his arms.

After a couple of minutes he got up to make her some more chamomile tea.

"Did I scream? I hope I didn't wake up Elena," she said.

"Don't worry I cast a Silencing charm. I didn't know you had nightmares. Did you have any when I stayed at your place?"

She nodded. He was about to ask, why he never noticed them, when it dawned on him.

"Silencing Charm?" He asked. She nodded again.

"Why didn't you say anything?" He asked.

"What change would it have made?" She asked in return.

"I don't know. I would have realised, that you're going through a difficult time. I could have told you, that I've got nightmares too."

"You do?" she looked astonished.

He nodded.

"What about?"

"Being crucioed by him or Bellatrix. Failing to help Potter. Me Killing Albus. Me having to watch first years being tortured and not being able to do anything about it. Somebody hurting Elena and me having to watch…" he broke off, not trusting his voice anymore.

She slowly reached out and touched his arm, "I'm sorry I didn't know."

He was amazed how comforting her hand felt on his arm.

He covered her small hand, with his big one and shook his head, "You don't have to worry about me. But I'm really worrying about you."

"I'm fine," she gave him an obviously forced smile.

No you're not, he thought to himself, but didn't want to argue.

"Tell me what you're dreaming about."

"Being tortured by Bellatrix, which actually happened, but I also dream about things that didn't happened, about Ron and Harry being tortured to insanity like Neville's parents, you being killed by Voldemort…"

"Me?" he asked gobsmacked. She nodded.

"I should really get going. It's almost morning and I have to work today."

"Please stay for breakfast," he said.

She sighed, "Why?"

"Because you need something to eat before you start work. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day," he lectured her.

"Yes Dad," she huffed. He burst out with laughter, making her smile. Elena started crying in the next room.

"Okay I'm staying for breakfast, but only so I can spend time with Elena," she said and left for Severus' bedroom to get Elena.

He was stunned by how naturally she just got Elena and how naturally it felt for him.

"Hi sweetie, I haven't seen you for ages. Your nasty dad was keeping me away from you. Yes he was! Yes he was!" Hermione cooed while looking daggers at Severus.

"I'm sorry again," he said rolling his eyes.

"Breakfast won't be for another hour, do you want to sleep some more?"

"No, otherwise I will be so tired, I won't be able to get up."

"So what do you want to do?"

"Can I just sit here and have a cuddle with Elena?" she smiled shyly at him.

"That's fine can I offer you anything?"

"Will you sit with me?"

"Certainly," he said and sat down next to her. "So tell me what you do about your nightmares?" she asked curiously.

"When I have an 'Elena nightmare' I normally take her out of her cot and have a long cuddle, I know that's pretty selfish, but it helps. Sometimes I have a week full of nightmares, that normally leaves me exhausted, so then I usually confide in a friend. The friend being Minerva," he confessed.

"I didn't know you two were so close."

"Well we have been colleagues for a very long time and somewhere along the way became friends, except for that one year. Since I came back our friendship has deepened and she also became sort of the mother I never had," Severus blushed.

"Wow, that sounds great. I'm happy for you."

Suddenly the fire in the fire-place flared up green, "May I come through?" Minerva's head asked sitting in the fire.

Severus sighed and smiled, "By all means come through."

Minerva's head vanished and a moment later she stepped through the fire into Severus' living room.

"Good morning you three!" Minerva smiled at them, looking like a little family.

"It's good to see you Hermione. How are you doing?"

"I'm fine," Hermione smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes.

Minerva exchanged a concerned look with Severus, unnoticed by Hermione, who was occupied with Elena again.

"I'm actually here to invite you to breakfast at the Great Hall. Severus told me yesterday, when he picked up Elena, that you came back here, so I thought you might want to have breakfast," Minerva smiled at her former student.

"May I suggest that you floo to Minerva's quarter to go down with her, so nobody will get suspicious. I don't want you to be in any more danger than you are already, given that Lucius and his blokes saw us together. I don't want other Slytherins to think there is something going on between us and hurt you just to get back at me." Severus said.

"They would more likely want to hurt me cause I'm a mudblood …"

"Don't say that word," Severus hissed.

"It is just a word Severus …"

"A word that destroyed everything," he mumbled.

"It is just a word and I know who I am and what I am worth," she said holding her head up with pride and her eyes for a split second showing that old sparkle.

"That's my brave Gryffindor girl. But still I will accompany you down to the Great Hall. Just come through, whenever you're ready," she patted Hermione's shoulder and left the same way she came. "

Can I please take a shower, I feel a bit disgusting."

"Sure, no problem. Let me show you everything."

When Minerva entered the Great Hall, accompanied by famous Hermione Granger there was a big commotion, students started whispering, the Gryffindor table erupted in cheers and some hands pulled her to her old house table to sit down. Severus who watched what was going on from the head table gave an amused chuckle.

"It's nice having her back, isn't it?" Minerva stated.

"Well not everybody thinks so, " Severus replied jerking his head towards his own house table. His eyes grew cold, watching some Slytherins who were whispering animatedly and sending hateful stares towards Hermione.

"We need to keep her safe," he whispered to Minerva. The headmistress was amazed seeing a fearful expression in his eyes, even when it was only for a split second.

"I promise we will. But we also need to help her find back to herself. She only seems to be a hollow shell of herself at the moment."

Severus sighed and covered his eyes with one hand.

"Don't worry I'm sure we will be able to help her. I think she likes you."

"I hope she does, we're friends," Severus said, like a young boy, proudly puffing out his chest. Minerva burst into laughter, having to wipe away some tears, she was laughing so hard.

"Oh shut up," he huffed.

"I would love to say good bye before she leaves, but it can't be in public," he growled with a look at the Slytherin table.

"Well, meet us in my quarters in half an hour."

"You can just floo from here to your work or home. Good bye, Hermione! I've got to go. My first lesson starts in five minutes."

"Thanks Minerva!" The two witches hugged each other and Minerva left for her first lesson.

"I'm glad I still have the chance to say good bye to you. You're quite popular I noticed," Severus grinned.

"It's weird isn't it?" she said.

"No it's not, it's normal. You are a hero!"

"I certainly don't feel like one," she replied.

"How do you feel?"

"I feel fine," she lied. He raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything.

"I wondered if you would want to go shopping with me, Elena needs some new clothes. I could really use your help. Say on Saturday in the afternoon," Severus said.

"That could be fun," she said not very enthusiastically.

"Well that's settled then. Please take care of you and don't forget I'm your friend," he said.

"I won't, but I'm not sure about you," she grumbled.

"I promise I'll be there for you," he hugged her, with one arm, holding Elena on his other arm.

"So I see you on Saturday. Good bye Severus," she gave him a small smile.

"Bye Hermione!"

Hermione was waiting at King's Cross Station, where they had agreed to meet. Severus saw her from a distance and sighed, she stood there with slumped shoulders and a sad expression on her face. When she recognized Severus, her features lightened up, making Severus' heart clench. He usually hadn't such an effect on people, it was normally quite the contrary.

"Hello Severus," she smiled.

"Hello Hermione," he said pulling her into a hug.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, expecting her to say 'Fine', as usual.

"To be honest, I feel broken and vulnerable," she said, her lip trembling and her eyes filling with tears.

Severus quickly pulled her back into the hug and sighed relieved, thinking 'Finally, you admitting you're not quite your old self. Finally I can really be there for you.'

But he just said, "What happened?"

"They fired me at the bookstore. They said, they couldn't afford an employee anymore, but I'm not sure that's true. The shop is actually doing fine."

"But you'll be fine. You have enough money, so you don't need to take any job you're offered, you can take your pick," he gently stroked over her cheek.

"I know, it's not that. I just loved my job, it wasn't exciting and adventurous, but it was my safe haven."

"Come on let's get your mind off it. You have to choose some clothes for Elena, I'm crap at that." She chuckled through her tears.

"Why didn't you bring her along?"

"I hate shopping, I truly do and shopping with a baby I hate even more. But you are happy to come along afterwards and have a cuddle."

After they finished their shopping they sat in a café, keeping their conversation on light topics. Hermione lazily overlooked the street and smiled. Severus tilted his head and looked at his friend with affection.

"Why are you smiling," he wondered.

"I just love watching people. I love sitting somewhere and just watch people passing by. And sometimes I ask myself where they are coming from and what they do. Look at that girl over there, look at her eyes, they are really sad, she seems to be lonely."

"She reminds me of you Hermione," Severus said quietly.

Hermione shrugged her shoulders, not saying anything but a tear, that ran along her nose said it all.

"Maybe it's time to find a new job, get to know new people, make some friends. Don't let that bloody war, still dictate your life."

Hermione looked at him bewildered, "How can you say something like that, after what happened to you in those two wars? They ruined your life."

"Sorry Hermione, I have to correct you there, simply because it's only partly true. First of all my life is not ruined. I'm quite content at the moment. I had my ups and downs in life, and there were mainly downs, true. But a big part of that was my own doing. I called Lily the M-word. I took the dark mark. That's when it's all started and went spiralling down from there."

Hermione looked at him awestruck, "I wouldn't have thought you see it that way. I would have … er," she didn't finish the sentence, but kept searching for something in his features.

"What?"

"I would have thought you pity yourself," she said timidly.

"I did for some time. But I'm forty years old now. I'm past that point."

"But you lost the love of your life," Hermione looked at him with wide eyes.

"Lily?"

She nodded.

"Unfortunately I have to say I have never found the love of my life. Oh wait that's not true, Elena is the love of my life. But Lily I don't know what she is now. We started off as friends and she was my first love and maybe the only one, but does that make her the love of my life. Doesn't the love of your life have to love you back? I mean in the same way. And doesn't the love of your life forgive you if you make a mistake. I didn't call her the M-word all the time, I said that once Hermione. Once! And she just dropped me, that's not what friends do."

"I guess not," she replied.

"So if I'm not being depressed, you have no right to be," he said earnestly.

"WHAT?"

"Shh, Hermione! Calm down, I'm only teasing. Look at yourself you're 21 years old. You are good-looking and you used to be the brightest witch of your age. Don't let it go to waste, just because some maniac, destroyed parts of your life."

There was a couple of minutes of silence between them, he broke by asking, "So do you want to have dinner at my quarters and have a cuddle with Elena?"

"Sure why not."

"You have to work on your enthusiasm," he said sarcastically.

AN: So she lost her job. I'm sure you all know where she is gonna get a new one!