AN: Wow! Hard to believe this is the second to last chapter! Only the epilogue is left. It should be posted on Thursday, though I can't make any promises. By next Tuesday it should be up though.
Huge HUGE thank you for all your support! You all brighten my day!
After a lifetime of trying not to poke his eye out, Severus was uncomfortable with the idea of a contact. Poppy made it sound painless enough, and Hermione assured him muggles used contacts every day with no issue. Everything sounded so simple when he was in the infirmary. How hard could it be to touch one's own body? Putting in a contact couldn't be more complicated than brewing a Felix Felicis, right?
Turns out, the only thing more difficult than putting in this blasted contact was not engaging in strenuous activity when Hermione was lying in his arms. Cuddling her was satisfying for the moment, but the woman knew how to arouse him with one look and a few loving words. Never could he have believed that a beautiful woman would look in his direction, but he thanked whichever deity was listening that Hermione had agreed to give him a chance. It would take a lifetime to demonstrate how much he loved her, a length of time he was more than happy to spend with her.
At long last, the contact was in his eye. He blinked, hoping there wasn't an air bubble or an eye lash which would fall in and cause pain. The last thing he wanted was to repeat this process of reinserting it.
"Severus?"
"Yes," his heart fluttered at the sound of her voice.
"Is your contact in yet?"
"It is."
"Good," she paused. "Could you come here?"
"Certainly." His muscles tensed.
"Good, because breakfast is almost ready." Hermione's tone was neutral, which usually meant there were several emotions fighting for dominance. For someone so decisive, it was unnerving to hear her speak in such a manner.
At least she wasn't alone anymore. Somehow, they'd work through whatever was bothering her. Whatever she needed, Severus was more than happy to provide.
He strolled into the kitchen. At his place was two pancakes, with strawberries on the side. Maple syrup was at the center of the table, but his attention was dominated by the letter in her hand.
"What is it?" He asked.
"The results of Minerva's job search." She moved her walker to the side before sitting down beside him.
"Have you read it?" He leaned forward.
"No," she admitted. "I wanted you to be with me when I did."
"I see," he hummed.
"It wouldn't be right to open it without you. This affects you as much as it does me."
"It does?"
"Yes," she replied. "If I don't get this job, there's nothing keeping us at Hogwarts anymore. We can go wherever we'd like."
"Like Arizona?"
"Yes, anywhere like that."
"And if you do get the job?"
"If I do get the job," she took a deep breath. "We need to decide if we want to stay."
"Whatever happens, I want, no need, to be with you. I'll follow you wherever you want to go"
"I know, and I never want to leave your side. I also know Minerva hasn't treated either of us well," Hermione swallowed. "Should we continue to tolerate it?"
"If you don't get the job I will write my resignation letter after breakfast and have it delivered to her office by noon."
"Are you sure you want to throw away your career like that?"
"It isn't throwing away my career, but starting over at a place where my partner feels appreciated and valued."
She kept her eyes on him.
"You deserve to have your talents acknowledged and to be given the credit you deserve. I refuse to be employed at any place which does not do that," he continued.
"What will we do then?"
"With a few loans, I'll have enough money to open an apothecary. You can begin applying for jobs at a university, perhaps obtain a position in Arizona where there is no rain."
"Arizona sounds lovely."
"We can quit today regardless of your job," he began. "If you want to venture out on your own, I will go with you."
"Just like that?"
"Yes, unless," he cast his eyes downward. "You do not want me with you."
"I must not have made myself clear earlier," She took his hand. "I want, need, and would love to have you with me every step of the way."
"Thank you," he took her hand. "I feel the same towards you."
"I know." She pressed her lips against his.
He held her closer to his body, hoping his body could express the depth of his love, something words could never convey.
She broke away and took another look at the letter. "I want us to make a decision with the best information available, something we cannot do unless I open this letter."
"Agreed." He took her hand and kissed it.
She gave him a small smile before releasing his hand and opening the seal. Severus' heart pounded as she read the parchment. At first, it was difficult to discern her expression, but a smile covered her face.
"You got the job," Severus relaxed.
"Yes," tears came to her eyes as her smile widened. "They said I was one of the best candidates they'd ever seen, and have offered me a raise to take the position!"
"That's wonderful!"
"It is!"
He embraced her anew. He spoke into her ear, "I knew you could do it. I knew if anyone could do it, then it would be you."
"Thank you for having faith in me. You had faith in me even when I doubted myself."
"There's nobody I have more faith in than you."
"Thank you," she choked.
"From the joy you've just expressed," he broke away from her. "I take it you want to stay."
"I," she took a shaky breath. "I don't know."
He quirked an eyebrow.
"As I said, Minerva put us through hell with her manipulations. I do not believe she appreciates either of us, at least not the way she should."
"You deserve to have someone who treats you with respect."
"So do you."
"Thank you." He kissed her cheek.
"I won't allow you to be in a place where you are disrespected. Still," She took another look at her acceptance letter. "This is huge, and not only for me. The disabled have been denied entry into Hogwarts. We've all been hidden away from the Wizarding world, denied access into buildings and academic fields. Everyone counts us out regardless of our capabilities. It's so hard for any of us to break into any field. Against all the odds, I did it. I'm not sure I can do it again."
"Of course you can," Severus argued.
"Perhaps, but I'll have a better chance of success if I have a known body of work," Hermione mused aloud. "I can brag about these spells all I want, but until a university sees them, until the results of my spells are published, then I won't have a chance of being hired not only because I'm disabled, but also because I'm an unknown quantity."
"But if you already have the DADA job here, you have some credibility in publishing papers," he replied.
"Yes," she placed the letter on the table. "But I'm not the only one in this relationship. You get a say too. Do you want to stay?"
"Yes."
"You do?"
"Yes, for all the reasons you do," he replied. "I want your career to have the best trajectory possible. Everyone must start somewhere. Why not Hogwarts? It's as good a starting place as any."
"My thoughts exactly," she answered. "But if you want to open that apothecary in Arizona, we can do it now. There may be a long-distance commute, and a timezone change, but we'll make it work."
"No, I want to be with you, and getting loans will set us back financially," he replied. "I want us to have the best start possible, which means we don't spend days apart. It's going to be easier to save money if we're here."
"When do you think you'll have enough funds to open your apothecary?"
"I'll have them in five years."
"Five years," she tapped the table. "That will give me enough time to get established. I'll have a body of work behind me, one which a university will have no choice but to acknowledge."
"Then do you propose you take this job and reconsider remaining here after five years?"
"We'll have a five year plan," she beamed. "We'll save our money and assess our working environment. If work becomes untenable or something else comes up, we'll reassess, together."
"I love that idea." He embraced her. "I only have one condition."
"What?" She asked.
"You move in with me this summer."
"This summer?"
"Yes," he backed away with her until they could look at each other eyes. "I don't want to spend another day without you. With magic, it won't be difficult to make my house handicapped accessible. Granted it may take a week, but you'll be with your parents then. The second I'm done, I want you to move in with me."
"I can't say I'll miss sharing a bathroom with my parents during the summer," Hermione mused.
"Indeed, and I apologize if you believe I'm moving too quickly. I know we haven't been romantically involved for long, but we are friends, and I have spent most of my free time in your quarters."
"This doesn't feel fast at all. You've been living with me since your injury. You spent most of your spare time here while we were friends."
"And you haven't killed me for leaving my books lying around yet."
"Yet being the operative word."
He chuckled.
"I would love to move in with you," she replied. "If you'd like help with making things accessible, I can stop by and explain what needs to be done."
"Over the weekend we can visit Spinner's End and you can do just that."
"And in five years, we can sell the place for something nicer."
"That would be amazing." He relaxed.
"This is real then?" Her eyes glistened. "We are moving in together with a five year plan?"
"I believe so."
"And I'm taking this job?" Her smile widened.
"If that is what you want," he matched her expression. "You've done it. You've made your dreams come true."
"No," she gestured for him to come closer. "We made my dreams come true. Soon, we will make all our dreams come true."
"That we will." He approached her and brushed his lips against hers. She held him closer and deepened the kiss, knowing the rest of their lives began at that moment.