AN: Thanks for all your support and lovely reviews!

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

"Hermione can we please take a break? That's the third dig we've visited today and we just arrived in the morning I'm really hungry and Elena is grumpy. Please!"

"But Severus there isn't enough time to see everything," Hermione whined.

"I'll promise we can always come back to Crete again. Maybe in the summer, for two even three weeks. So we could also go swimming and you can see the things you won't have time for now."

"Really? That would be brilliant," she squealed and threw her arms around him.

"Can we go to the magical village of Crete too, then? I know you wanted to relax properly and that's only possible in the muggle world if it's the two of us, since there always will be somebody who would recognise either you or me. But please next time?" She asked with puppy eyes.

"Alright. But please can we now go sit on the beach and take a break until dinner?"

"Sure."

"Man you're worse than me, when it comes to your thirst for knowledge," he grumbled.

"I'm sorry, but somehow I feel so much more alive than I felt the last two years," she said, suddenly stretching out her arms and twirling around her face lifted towards the sun and her eyes closed.

Severus smiled and sighed in relief, having the feeling that she made a huge step towards being her old self again. They made their way to the beach holding hands, where they settled on a blanket, looking out on the sea.

"I love the sea. I wish Hogwarts was at the seaside," Severus mumbled.

"Didn't know that," she said simply.

"You know your daughter is shovelling sand in her mouth," Hermione said looking at Elena and laughing.

Severus glanced down at his daughter, tilted his head and said, "I'm just afraid she might eat all of the sand and we wil be left with no beach to sit on."

"How can you be so calm about that?" she wondered.

"It's just sand, it won't do her any harm. And she looks quite happy don't you think," he laughed looking at his daughter, who had her mouth full of sand and sand in both of her fists.

"Sorry but I can't watch," she tried to open Elena's fists to get rid of the sand and after that she tried to get the sand out of her mouth, by then Elena was really worked up and started crying.

"Well okay then, have it your way mini dungeon bat," Hermione grumbling let her go and Elena happily started shovelling sand back in her mouth.

Severus laughed loudly, pulling Hermione closer, "I love that you care so much about her."

He started kissing her softly, quickly the kiss deepened and they soon were lying on the beach snogging, Elena happily sitting between them eating sand.

After about half an hour and the need for some air later, they broke apart, sitting up. Elena had started to let sand trickle down on Severus leg.

"Wow look the sun is about to set," Hermione said smiling, but shivering. Glancing around Severus accioed one of his jumpers out of his briefcase and handed it to Hermione.

"Thanks," she said pulling it over her head, scooting closer to Severus and leaning onto him, when all of a sudden Elena stopped burying her father's leg in sand and leaned onto Hermione, who's eyes grew wide whispering, "She has never done that before."

Severus, who didn't dare to think about what the future would hold for him, answered with a hoarse whisper, not really trusting his own voice, "She loves you! Just like I do. I love you Hermione!"

"Severus … wow… I … I love you too, Severus."

A tear was running down his face, when he mumbled, "I'm so happy. You make me so happy, Hermione."

After the sun had set, they checked into their hotel, which was a small family-run place.

"Are you sure you want to share a room," he asked.

"I'm sure Severus, love."

His heart swelled, when he heard her addressing him, like she just did. Once in the room, Severus fed Elena, settled her for the night and put her in the pushchair covering her with a blanket. As soon as they were on the street again, walking to a small tavern, she fell asleep.

"I admire how you make it seem so easy being a dad," she said honestly.

"Thank you! That was a very nice compliment. It is not always as easy as it looks though," he replied.

"I can imagine."

Their conversation about parenthood carried them all through dinner and on the way back to their hotel.

"Do you want to use the bathroom first," he asked politely and slightly uncomfortable.

"That would be nice thank you," she answered gathering some of her things and went to the bathroom.

Meanwhile Severus gently peeled Elena out of the pushchair, put her in the travel-cot and changed into his black pyjama bottoms. When Hermione came back out of the bathroom ten minutes later, she wore a simple but stunning black silky night gown. His admiring looks followed her until she crawled under the covers.

Once he came back from the bathroom he slid into bed next to her, when she suddenly started speaking.

"Severus, will … I … Nothing forget it," she stammered blushing fiercely.

"What did you want to say my girl?" he smiled and stroked over her cheek encouragingly.

She cast her eyes down and mumbled, "Will … will you … sleep with me," she asked her blush deepening.

"As in… " his voice trailed off. She nodded not daring to look up.

He gently placed two fingers underneath her chin and tilted her head upwards to look in her eyes.

"If you really want it I would feel very honoured. Are you sure you want it, Hermione?"

"I'm sure. I love you. I want you."

Her confession made him shudder. With a few flicks of his wand he conjured a screen between their bed and Elena's cot, cast a Silencing charm around the bed and murmured a contraceptive spell. He lay back on his side facing her.

"Hermione my girl," he said softly and trailed his finger-tips along her bare arm. She tensed, causing him to stop.

"Shh, Hermione relax. I won't hurt you I promise. And if it's too much for you, just tell me and we'll stop."

"I'm just nervous. I don't want to mess up. You seem so experienced."

"Do I?"

He chuckled amused, "Actually I'm not at all. Before Sophia there was only one other woman and that was when I was quite young, eighteen to be exact. So please don't worry I'm nervous too."

Encouraged by his confession she scooted closer and started kissing him …

She woke up the next morning in the arms of a lightly snoring Severus. Hermione grinned and thinking back to the events of last night a slight blush crept over her face. She closed her eyes again and revelled in the feeling of lying in the arms of a handsome wizard, her handsome wizard. Severus slightly stirred and suddenly sneezed violently, making her jump and Elena wake up.

"Curls everywhere," he mumbled feverishly scratching his nose. Hermione lifted Elena out of her cot and placed her between them.

"Have you had a good night sweetheart?" Hermione asked.

"That I did," Severus grinned mischievously.

"I know you did, my love. I was talking to Elena," she smiled.

"What do you want to do today?" he asked.

"I would love to see the Lasithi Plateau, or Spili, it's a mountain village or Agios Nikolaos a small town with …"

"…a freshwater lake right at the seaside," he finished her sentence smiling.

"I love that it will never get boring with you," he kissed her temple.

They decided on Agios Nikolaos and were walking through the small town, while Severus explained to her everything he knew about the town. After a couple of minutes she chuckled and said," Interesting…"

"…but you already know, I guess," he grinned.

"Should we go and get some coffee?"

"I would like that," she grabbed his hand and pulled him towards a little café overlooking both, the sea and the lake that was now a harbour and not freshwater anymore. They were sitting in comfortable silence for half an hour, when she quietly said to him, "I like to sit in silence with you."

He smiled replying, "Me too."

Once they had finished their coffee they were meandering around the promenade. Hermione stopped at a rack with leather bracelets and looked at them.

"Found something you like?" Severus asked snaking his arms around her waist from behind and peeking over her shoulder.

"This one. What do you think?" She asked.

"I like it. It's simple, but very nice. May I get it for you?"

"But Severus you are already paying for the whole holiday."

"So? Please let me get it for you." She nodded. He entangled the bracelet and two others that looked exactly the same from the rack and went to pay for them. When he came back he tied one of them to Hermione's wrist and discretely charmed one of them much smaller and the other one slightly bigger.

He tied the smaller one carefully to Elena's wrist, causing Hermione to whisper with a chocked up voice, "That's a really nice idea. May I?"

And she helped Severus tie the third bracelet to his wrist.

"You know what this holiday is missing?" she asked grinning.

"No."

"Hang on," she said and vanished in a shop.

Severus crouched down to Elena in her pushchair and whispered, "Wouldn't it be nice to have her in our family? What do you think, Elena?"

The little girl smiled and tried to grab his nose.

"Aww! That's so sweet. Let me take a picture," Hermione said waving a disposable camera in her hand, she just purchased. Severus smiled and kissed Elena's cheek.

They walked along the quay wall, their fingers intertwined and Severus pushing Elena with one hand.

"Thanks for taking me along to your holiday. I'm enjoying myself very much."

"I'm glad you came," he said. Passing a fisherman sitting on a chair mending one of his nets, Severus asked, "Excuse me Sir, do you speak any English?"

The fisherman looked up smiling, "A bit!"

"Can you maybe take a picture of us?" Severus asked.

The fisherman nodded, got up and took a picture of them.

"You have a nice family Sir. A beautiful wife," the fisherman winked at Hermione, who blushed.

"I know she is gorgeous, isn't she," Severus replied, who didn't object to Hermione being addressed as his wife, but simply snaked his arm around her waist, pulled her closer and kissed her cheek.

"And your daughter is lovely too. She looks very much like you Sir. Maybe your next child will look like your wife, " the fisherman said.

Hermione held her breath awaiting Severus reply.

"I hope so," Severus simply said.

Hermione gasped very audibly and Severus chuckled in amusement saying, "Thank you for taking our picture. Have a good day, Sir."

AN: So Agios Nikolaos is an actual place on the greek island of Crete. Check it out it's gorgeous!