Chapter 2

Severus closed his eyes, pushing his fists into his sockets until he felt a dull pressure. Even then he couldn't get the image from his head; Hermione, near tears in anger, frustration, and humiliation. His body was practically vibrating from the want to go and comfort her. But he fixed his feet into his room's floor, forcing his body to comply to the weak logic speaking part of his brain.

His fingers opened to dig his nails into the skin around his eye sockets. He wanted to wrap the young witch in his arms, to kiss away every tear, to hold her until she couldn't remember not being wrapped in his arms. But he couldn't. He wouldn't. He shouldn't.

She was nearly twenty years his senior, with a full and bright future in front of her. Granted she couldn't see it at the moment but Severus knew she had a future. One that did not need nor include a solemn, stoic old potions master. She needed someone who could empathize, one who could give warmth, one who could still feel.

There were parts of Severus that seemed to have died and their corpses left behind in the memory. A part of him died when Lily died, when he was cradling her in his arms, sobbing over her cold body. A part had died when he'd been forced to kill Dumbledore, when he'd had to meet the gaze of his teacher, friend, confident, and had to throw the hated green curse.

Severus' very soul felt hacked at, ragged and tired. There were moments when he never bought he would be able to feel again. Some days dragged by in black and white, nothing seeming to touch him, nothing able to break the ice that had seeped into his very being. He unconsciously dropped a hand to graze his fingertips across the numerous silver scars lining the inside of his elbow.

But then he'd woken from his death to find a beautiful, warrior angel gazing down at him with liquid fire eyes. She'd known his full name, it had smoothed over her pouting lips. Her hands had been kind and gentle. Something had begun to melt that day of his death.

He had felt the trickle of ice melting from his heart several times while in his angel's presence. But she had a whole lifetime in front of her. Who was he to stand in her way, to trap her to his broken person? He couldn't do that to his aingeal.

He kept repeating the matra in his head until his heart began to slow. Once he was sure he was calm, he stood and silently exited his room, descended the stairs, and entered the library. He leaned his tall, lithe body against the doorframe, crossing his arms across his chest, and slinging an ankle over the other.

Hermione sat before the fireplace, books spread out in a circle, each propped open to a page. She clutched a quill in her hand while balancing a Muggle notebook on her thigh. Still the skirt and button up shirt she had left in, her crossed legs pulled her skirt up her creamy thighs. If he lay on the floor, Severus was sure he would catch a glimpse of his angel's undergarments.

With a silent snarl to himself, the dark haired man shook the thoughts from his head.

"Hermione," his voice was quiet and slightly husky.

The young woman lifted her head. Her wild, luciuous curls had been pulled into a messy bun at the top of her head. While absorbed by her studying, several strands had escaped the hair tie and had fallen to frame her face. Severus' chest squeezed at the beauty before him.

"Oh! Hello Severus. I was just-!" She gestured sheepishly. All he had to do was arch a dark eyebrow. With a sigh she slumped in defeat. "Am I just wasting my life?" The weariness in her voice struck a cord in his chest.

Pushing off the doorway, the lithe man gracefully stepped around the spread books. Kneeling down, Severus' large, long-fingered hands removed the quill clutched in her hand as well as the notebook balancing on her thigh. Setting them among the array of books, he took her smaller hands and pulled Hermione to her feet. Their eyes locked.

Severus was almost a foot taller than the young woman, his lean, graceful body held itself with a confident, everwatchful air. Hermione's eyes gazed at his face, taking in the cut of his cheekbones, the sharp nose, the hypnotizing dark eyes. A coil of warmth slid its way into her lower stomach, expanding to filled her chest.

A small smile pulled at Severus' lips, lips Hermione wanted desperately to touch. She mentally shook herself.

"You are not wasting your life." Severus released her hand to tuck a loose curl behind her ear. His hand brushed her cheek before retreating her hand. "Besides, it's good to ask life weighing questions when you've had a full nights sleep. Come on, it's time you sleep."

Indecision crossed Hermione's face and she turned to glance at the books she had arranged. "But I was just starting to find a link..." She dropped off. A deep, exhausted sigh blew from between her lips. Her eyes closed. "And then there will be another link and another. It doesn't matter anyway. They won't pass the legislation, they haven't before and they certainly won't after tonight."

Her voice broke and a sob escaped her throat. Her hands began shaking in Severus' hold. Cautiously, giving Hermione plenty of opportunities to pull away, Severus wrapped her in his arms. Her face pressed against his chest, his strong arms wrapped around her shaking shoulders. There was a hesitation before Hermione wrapped her own arms around the man's waist.

"You what they said tonight, after I had ripped into them about purposely leaving me out of meetings? Head board member Lord Cravington told me 'Oh my dear, you must be on your monthly. We won't take this rage to heart. You go home and rest and when you feel better I'm sure we'll all laugh about this. Hormones can be crazy things, my wife has taught me.'" She shook her head against Severus' firm chest. "How can people like that be married let alone elected? I can't even yell at them! There's nothing I can do. I'm just swinging at empty air."

The dams finally broke and all her tears came pouring out. Her entire body quivered as she sobbed into his chest, her fingers clutching at the fabric of his shirt. Severus rested his forehead against the top of her head, gently swaying back and forth, his arms tightening around her shaking body.

It did not matter to Severus how long it took before her sobs quieted into shiffles. He kept rocking back and forth until her breathing steadied. When he finally looked down at the girl cradled in his arms, her eyes were closed, breathing even as she slept against his chest.

Severus smiled, leaned forward, and pressed his lips to her forehead. His eyes closed in bliss, his lips lingering in a sweet kiss. "Come on, Aingeal. Let's get you to bed." Slipping his arm to behind her knees, Severus lifted the woman into his arms. Her head shifted to rest against his shoulder, several curls falling over her relaxed face.

Silently, the dark haired man carried the young woman up the stairs and down the hall towards her room. With a flick of his hand, the door swung open. Ever so carefully Severus walked to the giant bed pushed against the wall. Pausing at the edge, the dark haired man pressed his forehead against Hermione's. His eyes closed at he took in the gentle lull of her breathing. Ever so gentle, Severus lowered the girl onto the gigantic bed. Shifting her head to the pillow, she let out a little sigh, curling her arms around the pillow and turning away from his body.

Relaseing her legs, his fingers curled around her comforter and pulled it over her shoulders. Hovering for a moment, Severus finally pulled himself away from her, quietly closing the door behind him.