First of all, I have to admit that I am not a native speaker, so there might be a few mistakes, but if you were so kind as to write me a message to tell me of them, I would immediately correct them.

Disclaimer: All figures belong to Joanne K. Rowling and I don't earn my money with these stories.

Mudblood

"Hermione?"

"Yes, Severus?"

"Why do you never wear a T-shirt?"

"What?" She stared at her partner, then laughed. "Of course I wear T-shirts."

"Not since the war."

"This is now three years ago."

"So?"

"So what?"

"So, why do you never wear T-shirts?"

"What do you want, Severus?"

"In our two months' relationship I just never saw you wearing anything but long-sleeve. I can understand that you want to take it slowly but it just confuses me when you put my arm off whenever I try to go under your shirt."

She blushed. "I didn't know you noticed that."

"Yeah," he sighed. "Well, you did it very gently but still…"

There was an uncomfortable silence until Severus walked over to Hermione and took her in his arms. "My dear," he tried to reason with her. "Why don't you want me to see your skin?"

"Because I'm ashamed," she whispered and started to cry into his chest.

He held her firmly and caressed her back. "Please, Hermione, I am your man now, which means that you don't have to be ashamed of anything in front of me. I love you – just as you are."

She thought for a moment about his words, then nodded and looked at him. Wordless she lifted her left arm and slowly pulled back the sleeve of her pullover. There was enough light from the candles in the room – so the scar was clearly visible. Mudblood.

Severus gasped. "What happened?" he whispered.

And Hermione told him. About Malfoy Manor and about Bellatrix… She cried heavily so they sat down on the couch and he put his arms around her.

After she had finished they remained silent for a while, both captured in their thoughts...

When Hermione fell asleep he lifted her into his arms and brought her to their shared bed. "I love you," he whispered and kissed her forehead.

"I love you, too," she mumbled back and slept with a smile on her face.

As he watched her sleeping so peacefully he suddenly started to get very angry. Who could do something as cruel as torturing his Hermione? Well, Bellatrix was already dead thanks to Molly Weasley, but there was someone else on whom he could take his anger out – his so called best friend!

Determined he stepped out of the bedroom, out of the castle, out of the protection walls of Hogwarts – and apparated to Malfoy Manor. With every step he took towards the gloomy house his fury only rose until he was breathing heavily when he rang the bell at the front door.

A house elf opened. "What can Hanny do for you, sir?" he asked with a bow.

"I want to see your master!"

"Very well," the house elf said and Severus stepped into the entrance hall.

"Severus!" Lucius greeted in that moment. He had come through the door on the left and was now walking towards Severus to shake his hand. "How good to see y-" He couldn't say more, for in that moment Severus had punched him in the face and he fell backwards on the floor with a probably broken nose.

"This is for what you did to the one woman I love," Severus then declared and stormed out of the house to quickly go back to his Hermione.

THE END.