The sun shone brightly through the giant windows in Severus' master bedroom on Boxing Day. He replayed the events of Christmas Day in his head over and over again: the pendant, the ring, the corset. He glanced over at the woman sleeping peacefully next to him. He sat up quietly to take a peek at her hand, and noticed the ring still maintained its red glow. Severus was unsure why it took so long to see the illumination, but the answer no longer meant much to him now that he had seen it. He laid in bed and stared at the ceiling, listening to the slow breaths of Hermione. It was hard to believe their week was almost at an end. He cherished the time they spent together, and would certainly miss seeing her each hour of the day.

Over the past few days, Severus became painfully aware that he did not have a clue about many of the hardships Hermione had faced during the War, and truthfully, he never once considered asking about them. He figured if her past was important to their relationship, then she would share them on her terms. Just the same, Severus had already made a silent vow with himself that he would only share the bare minimum of his past. That was something he needn't trouble her with.

Severus frowned. His past. His past was forever causing problems for his future, and he found it hard to believe it had not yet interfered with this relationship. Maybe it was because they understood many of the pains each had suffered at the hands of the Dark Lord, or maybe it was because they were intellectually similar. Regardless, sometimes it felt like a struggle to maintain a sense of normalcy without triggering an episode of anger or grief. The focus Severus had to consistently maintain over the past four months had been excruciating. He did not mind it, of course, but he did wonder what toll it could take on the future of their relationship. To be constantly guarded could not end well. Severus struggled with those thoughts. He hated to admit that he still felt a sense of uncertainty being in a relationship despite having told Hermione he would always be honest with her. Focus. Severus closed his eyes. He remembered the curious statement Hermione made last night while eating dinner.

"I need to stop drinking before I lose my focus."

Severus opened his eyes. What an odd statement to make, he thought. Why would she be concerned about losing her focus? Severus turn to watch the sleeping woman, who stirred at his movement. She turned over to face him, her right arm sprawled out in front of her. Severus blinked. The ring stared at him, almost tauntingly. There was no more red. He touched it gently, which prompted Hermione to open her eyes. She smiled sleepily, and then slowly closed her eyes.

Severus sighed. He turned to the nightstand on his left and glanced at his pendant. Much of the red was gone, but as soon as he brushed his fingers over the stone, that red fire returned. He knew physical contact with the stone enacted much of its properties, but he knew little else about the magic of the stone. At this point, the only pattern he identified was that Hermione's stone seemed to show its red when she was sleeping. Severus mulled over that thought for just a minute before he snapped his head towards the woman. Focus. Sleep. This woman is guarded. He looked once more at the ring: green. Severus thought about his next action for just a second, so as not to lose his nerve.

"Specialis revelio," he whispered. Within seconds, Severus saw a faint white illumination cover Hermione's body. A protective charm. Severus crossed his arms. Hermione had been using a protective charm this entire time to shield her from whatever it was she thought she needed shielding from. Of course, she couldn't lose her focus, she needed it to maintain the spell. Severus didn't know how to feel at this moment. Anger, sadness, frustration- they all crossed his mind, but one seemed to stick the most in his mind: betrayal. They had made promises to one another that they would always be honest. Hermione had said things that made him feel as if he was the only person she trusted. She claimed to love him. What kind of love is this? Severus scoffed to himself. If there was anything Severus was good at, it was being cold and he knew if he wasn't careful, he would push her away with that part of his personality. But how could he pretend everything was fine when he knew that she was hiding from him? There was no easy answer to this predicament, in fact, there was no answer at all. There was no way he could confront her because then he'd have to admit he used magic on her without consent. And if he was cold to her, she would probably feel worse than she clearly does now. Well, Severus, what did you expect? Someone to actually trust a former Death Eater? Maybe this is moving too fast, he wondered. There was little doubt in his mind that anyone with knowledge of their relationship would agree with that. Truthfully, he agreed with that. He wanted the physical aspect of their relationship to come when they had built a relationship based on emotional trust and respect. If it wasn't for Hermione's first move, he never would have dared bringing sex into their relationship so soon. He cared about the long term too much. Maybe I care about the long term more than she does… he wondered silently. They never actually ever discussed the long term in a serous manner. He told her that any major change in his life would be permanent at this point, but she seemed to be fine with that. Then again, she had also been guarding herself. Severus groaned in frustration. Nothing ever seemed to stay simple for him. Sighing, as if acknowledging defeat, he got out of bed and made his way downstairs.

Hermione opened her eyes. She stretched her arms over her head and smiled at the bright sun. There were some days she couldn't believe she ever took sleeping in a bed for granted. Being on the run during the War had many downsides, and sleeping in a tent was one of them. She looked at the empty spot next to her and frowned. She was getting used to early mornings spent together in bed, and found she missed his presence more than usual. She sat up, and placed a large pillow in her lap. Her hands rested naturally on the top, each facet of her ring catching the bright sun. She touched the sharp corners of the stone gently. It really was the most amazing gift she had ever received. She never would have admitted it, but she was quite shocked Severus decided to go with a ring. While not a big jewelry wearer, she figured she would eventually wear a ring. That ring. Maybe. Someday. Truthfully, Hermione had never really thought about marriage most because at one point in her life she wasn't sure she would be alive to be married. In fact, she never considered it again until Severus. She knew it was much too early to even think about it, but the mere thought that she could spend the rest of her life with someone like him made her worries disappear. Hermione had not forgotten about the challenges they would face once they revealed their relationship to the outside world, but she took comfort knowing they would face them together.

The smell of fresh coffee disrupted her thoughts. She smiled again, hopped out of bed and made her way downstairs. When she reached the bottom of the stair case, she stopped. Severus was standing in the kitchen, staring out the window. She could tell he was deep in thought. So many times, she wished desperately to know what went through his mind during these moments he had. Without thinking, a thought crossed her mind. I wish, just once, I knew what he was thinking. Instantaneously, her hand went to her mouth as Severus turned to stare at her. Of course, he could feel the magic, she chided herself, silently.

"I'm sorry, Severus," she spoke softly. "I promise, it just slipped. You know I would never use magic on you."

Severus could see the fear in her eyes. "I was thinking about the future of our relationship," he said, briskly. There was little emotion in his voice. Hermione winced. She watched him move to the counter and pick up an envelope.

"This arrived for you just this morning," he wandlessly sent the letter across the room to where Hermione remained on the stairs. "Thanks," she whispered. She knew there was something bothering him, but she also knew that it was best to leave him alone. She opened the letter:

Hermione-

I hope this letter finds you well. I was really hoping you would reconsider coming out here for a day before school starts up again. There is something I have to talk about with you in person. Let me know.

-Ginny

Hermione descended down the last few steps and into the kitchen. She placed the letter on the counter and walked toward Severus tentatively. Not wanting to increase his agitation, she gently put her hand on his forearm and mustered a soft, "Good morning, Severus." Without looking at her, Severus gave her a curt, "good morning." Hermione quietly made her way to the coffee pot and poured herself a mug full. She walked back to Severus and stood next to him. Hermione and Severus stood in tense silence for what seemed like an eternity. The silence was only disrupted by a small barn owl tapping furiously at the window near the front door. The bird startled Hermione, who then realized it was Ginny waiting for a response. Unsure of what that day was to bring, she wrote a short reply:

Ginny-

I'll be there tomorrow.

-Hermione

Hermione neatly folded her note, opened the door, and gave it to the small owl. Unsure of how to handle the tension in the room, she slipped on her boots and stepped outside.

It was cold for December. Bitter, really. The type of cold that burns your nose after only a few minutes. The snow was just beginning to stick to the ground, and was only lightly falling. Hermione spotted a small bench in the distance and made her way in its direction. She allowed herself to feel the bitterness without the help of a warming charm. There was something about a cold winter morning that made her reminisce of her old life. The life with her parents. Her mum's favorite part of the winter was a brisk, snowy morning and a hot coffee. Hermione allowed herself a small smile, as a tear fell from her eye. She wiped its remnants, and sat on the bench.

Severus' castle was miles from another house, so her view was vacant land and snowy trees in the distance ahead of her. She wondered if life would be any different if her parents were still around. Would they have convinced her to take a ministry job? Would she have returned to Hogwarts? Would they have approved of Severus? Severus. Hermione lowered her face into her hands. What have I done? He was different this morning. Something in him changed overnight, and she had no idea what it was. He was, cold. She shuddered at the thought. The warmth he had provided her with felt like distant memory. She hugged herself tightly, feeling the ring press into the side of her arm. For some reason the sensation made her feel strangely alone. Why would he give me such a gift if he didn't think his feelings were real? Hermione was convinced Severus' feelings were fading, or he was beginning to question them.

"I was thinking about the future of our relationship."

She replayed his earlier words in her mind and what they meant. What possibly could have made him question their relationship? Hermione wracked her brain trying to recall even the slightest thing that would give her a clue as to the reasoning behind his current state. She could think of nothing, so she stopped and watched the snow collect on a nearby pine tree.

After several minutes, she was startled by the feeling of cashmere. Severus stood behind her silently, wrapping her in a blanket. "I do not think you wish to become ill before returning to school," he drawled. He placed a hand on her cheek, "Hermione, you're freezing." He muttered a warming charm over her, and took a seat beside her. After what seemed like ages, Hermione broke the silence.

"Severus, if this isn't what you want, please don't allow yourself to feel obligated to stay with me." Her words were as sharp as the frigid air. "I'm not stupid, I know there is something that is bothering you. I won't make you tell me what it is, but if you're already thinking about the future of our relationship, you should at least be honest with me." Despite feeling the effects of the warming charm, she pulled the blanket tighter around her. She looked up at Severus. His face seemed emotionless, which caused her to lose hope in the conversation. Wordlessly, Severus reached for her right hand, and fingered the ring between his fingers. He looked down at it and closed his eyes. Frustrated, Hermione pulled her hand away from his grasp. His silence was making her angry, especially when she knew she had done nothing wrong. She stood up and started to walk back to the castle. She made it a few steps before she stopped and turned back toward Severus. "Because you're so keen on thinking about our relationship, you should also think about how you should communicate those thoughts with me." Severus continued to stare straight ahead. With a huff, Hermione turned back around and made her way into the castle.

Left on the bench, Severus reached into his pocket and pulled out the pendant. Despite the coldness he felt, and as hard as he tried to will it away, there was no denying the fact that the stone was glowing as brightly as ever. He gently put it around his neck and tucked it into his sweater. He rose and slowly returned to the castle to confront Hermione.