Summary: The move to Hogsmeade.
A/N: I will be at Leaky Con next weekend, so either I will remember to post on Wednesday, or you'll get a new chapter the following week. If you're there, too, come say hi! I'll be with the lady on stilts dressed as Olympe Maxime. Thanks for reading!
Chapter 34
Severus opened the door to their room at the Three Broomsticks and let Hermione pass through. He followed quickly, placing the box with their furniture on the side table by the door and moving to the bed. The couple removed their suitcases from their pockets and enlarged them on the bed.
"Okay," Hermione said. "I think we're good here. We can unpack later. Let's go figure out where we can live."
Severus smirked at her.
"Let's see what Rosemerta knows about renting a flat in this town."
Hermione nodded, and they left their room, quickly descending to the pub.
"Hi, Rosemerta," Severus called out as they approached the bar.
"It's so nice to see you two back here. I can't say it enough."
"Thanks," Hermione said.
"We're looking to settle in the area," Severus explained. "What do you know of flats for sale or rent?"
"Hmm, I know several places are available, but I'm unsure where. Your best bet is to go to see Jeffrey Boils. He owns Boils Realty."
Hermione gave her a curious look. "Where's that? I don't remember ever seeing it."
"There's a Notice-Me-Not charm on it for students. It's between Honeydukes and Zonkos," Rosemerta advised.
"Is there any trick to seeing it now that we're not students?" Severus asked.
"No, it's visible to anyone who has graduated. Clever charmwork, that."
"Indeed," Severus agreed. "Thanks, Rosie."
"Anytime." She pointed at the two of them. "You let me know if you need anything, all right?"
"Of course," Severus said with a bow of his head.
They left the Inn and quickly found the Realty shop, entered, and looked around.
A tall man with long dark hair and a goatee rose from his seat behind his desk and rushed up to them.
"Good afternoon! I'm Jeffrey. What kind of home can I find for you?"
"I'm Severus Snape," he said as he took the other man's extended hand and shook it. "This is Hermione Granger. We were looking for something probably small. A flat or something. Also, do you do retail rentals?" Severus asked.
"Oh, you two are war heroes. There's no need to introduce yourselves. As for retail rentals, yes, I can show you properties. I have one or two shops available right now."
"Excellent. I am looking to open an Apothecary."
Jeffrey looked excited. "Oh, we really need one of those. We haven't had one for years! I have just the place for you. It has a nice backspace that you can use for brewing, and the front is easily set up for whatever you want there."
Severus looked over at Hermione, silently asking if she wanted to look at the shop first. She nodded at him.
"Let's take a look at that, and then you can show us what you have in a one or two-bedroom flat."
"Perfect!" Jeffrey said. "Let me just lock up, and we'll be on our way."
He moved up to the door and flipped over the sign to say, "Sellin' Stuff" and opened it so they could pass through. Once they were all out of the shop, he waved his wand, locking the door. Turning back to Hermione and Severus, he asked what they wanted to do.
"We can Apparate or walk. It's at the end of High Street."
"Oh, let's walk," Hermione said.
"Lovely."
Jeffery led the way chattering as they went.
"So, even though the store is at the end of the street, there's a lot of foot traffic because people are always going to Dervish and Banges, and you have similar customers–those who are looking to increase their magical abilities."
They had come upon the shop, and Jeffrey took out a skeleton key and put it in the lock. He tapped his wand on it and the door swung open.
"Feel free to look around. I'll be out here if you have any questions," Jeffery advised.
They nodded at him and entered the store. The front area was spacious and large enough for an apothecary. They headed to the back.
"Oh, Severus, this is really big. It would work wonderfully as a lab."
Severus nodded. "Yes, I can use that walled-off area as an ingredient closet and have tables out here for brewing. Over there we can have supplies, maybe add some shelving to the walls."
Hermione closed the distance between them and whispered to him.
"It's perfect, Severus. We definitely should take it."
He nodded. "Yes, I agree. Let's see how much it is to rent."
They moved back to the storefront. Severus pointed at the walls.
"We can have shelving all throughout here and then some small tables and fixtures throughout to show off certain brews."
"Your own creations," Hermione mused.
"Yes."
They meandered outside.
"What is the rent on this?" Severus asked.
"Five hundred galleons a month."
"Well, it's nice, but do you really think it's worth that?" Severus countered.
"It's the perfect location for what you're looking for, Mr. Snape."
"Yes, but can you reduce the rent at all? How about $450 a month?"
Jeffery's lips formed a line. "I can't go that low, but I can counteroffer for $470."
"Done."
"Excellent. I'll get the paperwork going. I'll need the first and last month's rent for a deposit."
They shook on it before Hermione piped in.
"Now, what about a flat?"
"Well, there is one above this shop if you're interested."
Hermione glared at Severus, then grinned at Boils. "Let's take a look, I guess!"
Severus smirked at her as Jeffery led them behind the store to a staircase that led up to a second floor.
"Go on ahead. The door unlocks with the front store. You can change that once you take possession of the property."
They ascended the stairs and were soon in the flat.
"It's cute," Hermione said as they walked around. "The second bedroom can serve as an office."
Severus nodded. "And the guest area." He walked around the flat. "The kitchen area is small."
"It is, but it will do if we decide to take this."
"I thought you didn't want a flat above the store."
Hermione shrugged. "I know, but I'm keeping an open mind. It works if we decide we want it."
"You, Hermione Granger, are amazing. Thank you for being open to considering this."
His arms wrapped around her, and he kissed her lovingly. They broke apart after a little bit and headed back to Jeffery.
"How much is this?"
"Two hundred seventy-five galleons a month."
"We will definitely consider it," Severus said.
"What else do you have available?" Hermione asked.
They looked at several other locations, but nothing seemed to fit what they were looking for. Hermione looked at Severus.
"Maybe we should take the flat above the store?"
Jeffrey broke in then. "I do have something that I think you may like, but it is more than the locations we've been looking at," Jeffery stated.
"Let's see it," Severus said.
"We'll need to Apparate. It's near the edge of town."
"All right," Severus said.
Jeffery extended both arms. The couple each took hold of one. They spun in tandem and appeared in front of a small row house.
"This has two floors. It's a two up two down." He went up the stairs, placed his skeleton key in the lock, and tapped his wand on it.
Severus and Hermione passed through the door and looked around.
"Oh, Severus, this is beautiful."
"I like it too."
They walked through the front room and into the dining area and kitchen.
"I like that it's open," Hermione mused.
Severus nodded. "Yes, if we entertain, we can see everyone."
They headed upstairs.
"Oh, look, a bay window!" Hermione exclaimed.
"I take it you like those?"
"Oh, Severus, it's the perfect place to curl up and read."
"Actually, that sounds nice, but I am too tall to fit there comfortably."
Hermione pushed him toward the window. "Just try it. It's bigger than it looks."
Severus moved forward and sat down on the cushioned seating area in the bay of the window. He swung his legs up and found he fit better than he thought.
"Hmm, not bad."
"See, you fit fine."
"It's pretty comfortable," Severus admitted.
He got up, and they looked at the bathroom and the other bedroom. Severus noticed Hermione's eyes light up as they went through the home, and he knew this was the one she wanted. He was happy with it as well.
"Shall we see how much this is?" he asked her.
She nodded, and they headed downstairs.
"How much is this one?"
"You can rent it for three hundred eighty Galleons a month. Or you can buy it for fifty thousand Galleons."
Severus looked back at the house. "Is there a rent-to-own option, where we can pay rent and eventually buy it?"
"I can ask the owners if they'll agree to that."
"Could you give us a minute?" Severus asked.
"Of course," Jeffery offered and walked down the street a ways.
"We should buy it, Severus. If we rent, they could sell it out from under us."
"I agree with your logic, but we don't have money to buy a house right now."
Hermione bit her lip. "That's true. I don't know what to do."
"Would you really want to own this?" Severus asked.
"Absolutely. It's perfect and so charming."
"Well, when you put it that way. But we still can't afford to buy it now. I think we'll have to see if they'll do a rent-to-own kind of thing or just rent and maybe save up and buy it when we can if they still want to sell it."
Hermione nodded tentatively.
"Come," Severus directed. "Let's see what we can do."
They walked up to Jeffery, who looked at them with anticipation.
"We will take it for rental. We can't afford to buy a house at this juncture. But if you would ask about renting to own, that would be appreciated."
"I'll get the paperwork set up for the store and will have an answer on the home tomorrow."
"Thank you, Jeffery," Severus said.
They shook hands and Hermione and Severus walked back to town to see just how long it might take from the house.
"Hopefully everything will work out," Hermione mused as they walked. "I wasn't expecting to find something that fit us so well."
"Me neither. Especially with the shop. It was a long shot that anything was available, and this building is perfect for an apothecary."
Hermione nodded as she grasped Severus' hand and squeezed it.
"It's exactly what you need."
Severus was quiet for a bit before saying anything else. "Maybe I'll speak with Dumbledore and see if there are any seventh-years who would like to work in the shop with me."
"That's a wonderful idea, Severus. I'm sure there would be a couple of students with a keen interest in potions that could benefit from something like that."
Severus nodded. He turned to Hermione and grinned at her.
"I'm starting to get excited about all of this. Being on my own, creating potions… it's truly something I've wanted to do since my mum showed me how to brew for the first time."
"What did she teach you to make?"
"Burn-healing paste. She'd burned herself on the stove and had only a tiny bit that didn't cover the entire burn, so needed to brew more." He smirked at the memory. "She made sure Dad was at work and wouldn't find out. She put the cauldron on the stove and lit the fire underneath. She turned to me then and said, 'I'm going to show you how to make that burn paste.' She pointed to the small jar on the table and looked at me very seriously, telling me how important it was to be careful around potions. She warned me that frivolity could end in death when brewing. She instilled in me how important it was to know what I was doing and to follow directions. Then she said, 'Once you have gotten the basics down and know how things react to one another, then you can start experimenting.' I took it all in, determined to learn all I could."
"How old were you?"
"I couldn't have been more than seven. She instilled a love for potions in me that has remained to this day… and she taught me how to experiment safely." He sighed, hesitating a moment before continuing. "I wish she were still here."
Hermione took her hand from Severus' and grasped his arm. "I'm sorry she's gone, love. I wish things had been different. I bet she would be so proud of you."
Severus blushed and looked straight ahead. "I hope so."
She squeezed his arm, causing him to look over at her. "I know she would be."
He smiled at her then. "She would, wouldn't she?"
Hermione nodded.
"Thank you for always making me see things clearly."
She shrugged. "That's what a partner is for, Severus. You do much the same for me."
He stopped and leaned down to kiss her tenderly. "I can't tell you how excited I am to start this adventure with you."
"Me too! I can't wait to see how both of our careers progress."
The next day, Jeffery had the papers for the shop drawn up and had sent an owl to let Severus and Hermione know when to come by. They were now sitting in front of his desk, and Severus was signing the lease. Hermione followed after.
"As for the house, the owners are willing to have a rent-to-own model, but would like you to purchase it within two years."
Hermione looked at Severus. "I think we can agree on that." Looking back at Jeffery, she asked, "What if we decide not to, or the two years pass and we're still renting?"
"They will sell the property. You'll have to find somewhere else to live. They did say they'd give you ample warning so that you could move when necessary."
"That seems fair. What do you think, Severus?"
"Right now, I can't see anything wrong with that plan. It will give us time to learn more about the home and be able to make a good decision as to whether to buy it or not."
Hermione nodded.
"Let's do it then," she said, excitement tinging her voice.
Severus grinned at her before looking at Jeffery, who produced another contract. Within half an hour, they had signed everything and paid the deposits on both locations. They now possessed two sets of keys, one for the shop, and the other for their new home.
"Where to first?" Severus asked as he held the keys up, one set in each hand.
"The row house…. Actually, let's go back to the Three Broomsticks and get our stuff and then go to the row house."
"Your wish is my command," Severus said as he held his arm out for Hermione.
She grasped it, and they spun away, appearing in their room at the pub. They packed up what little they had unpacked, shrunk their luggage, and picked up the box with their other belongings. They checked out of the inn and walked over to their new home.
It didn't take too long for them to reach the row house and head into it. Severus put the box with their furnishings in the corner and opened it up.
"Well, let's figure out where we want everything," he said.
Hermione looked around the room. "Oh, Severus, I love this house! I'm so glad we found it. It's perfect for us."
Severus went over to Hermione and hugged her. "I am very fond of it as well. I'm glad we are going to spend the next part of our lives here."
Hermione leaned back and kissed him. "I love you."
"And I adore you."
Hermione smiled at him, and leaned in, hugging him tightly. Pulling back, she sighed.
"Okay. Everything isn't going to unpack itself," she said.
"Well, it could," Severus said cheekily.
She laughed. "I think we'll need to determine where everything is going instead of letting each piece pick its own place."
"Clever witch."
They spent the next hour arranging all the furniture. Once everything was to their liking, Severus flicked his wand and enlarged everything. With another flick at the box, the books that had been in there emerged and took their places on the bookshelves.
Severus and Hermione looked around.
"I think we're done," Severus mused.
"We are. Everything looks good."
"Good? It all looks great!" Severus chastised with a grin.
"Fine, it all looks great." She shook her head at him.
"Come here."
Hermione moved up to Severus. His arms went around her, and he kissed her passionately.
"Welcome to our new home," he murmured between kisses.
Pulling back, she smiled at him before capturing his lips again. He enjoyed her thoroughly as she showered him with affection. They forgot everything around them as they were immersed in one another.
She pulled back from him finally, giving him a saucy grin.
"Do you know what we need to do now?" she asked.
He arched a brow in question.
"Start christening our new home."
He smirked at her, his eyes having a hungry gleam in them. "Bedroom or kitchen?"
"Well, we've never done it on the kitchen table… at least it's been a long while... and in a different country."
"Then let's get to work," he said as he pulled her toward the kitchen area.