Severus went downstairs to check on the boys and found them eating the veal and drinking the wine. Everything looked back to normal. He looked at the boys, accusingly, and they just shrugged. He turned around to get back to Hermione and Harry caught his arm.

"Is she okay," he asked searching Severus' eyes.

"She will be, Harry, she will be. I am serious though, I don't care where I am you get your patronus to me and I will come immediately. This is NOT to happen again. I am serious."

Harry lowered his head, "You're absolutely right, I just never knew how to get through to her."

Severus patted his arm and left them to eat. He walked slowly back upstairs. She had changed into pajamas and had moved over to give him some room but had promptly fallen back asleep. He slipped into his room to put on his pajamas, as well, and cleaned his teeth and went back to Hermione's room. He slid in next to her and pulled her toward him. She jerked at first and when she realized it was Severus had relaxed and shimmied over next to him and laid her head on his chest. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. They both lay awake for a bit just listening to each other breathe. Severus said a spell to dim the lights after he heard Hermione's breathing even out and she was asleep.

A few hours passed and Hermione started talking in her sleep, it had woken Severus up. She started flailing and repeatedly saying no, pleading with her nightmare version of Ron to stop. He pulled her tightly to him and repeated in her ear over and over, "You are Hermione Jean Granger, you are home and you are safe, no one can hurt you. You are safe. Relax my love." After the third or fourth time she relaxed again in his arms, took a deep breath and her breath evened out again. Severus cast a silencing spell over himself and cried for her. He had cried for Lily, but this, this was raw and real and instead of holding a dead body in his arms, it was a real live hurting body. In both cases, he felt responsible, but this, this felt completely different. As much as he thought he loved Lily, it could not compare the love he felt for this witch. After a while he finally got himself together, cancelled the spell, and fell back asleep.

The next morning he woke up to her sliding her fingers up and down his arm and his chest. At least she wasn't freaking out. He realized, though, that any more of her touching his bare skin might end up with him feeling embarrassed, so he slid out of bed and stretched. She giggled.

He looked down. "Fuck, I'm sorry Hermione."

"It's alright, you are only human. I probably shouldn't have been teasing, I apologize Severus."

He walked over and kissed her cheek and then excused himself from the room.

Severus showered and went back to his room. She was sitting at his desk. She was up and dressed and was twirling around in his chair waiting for him. He was in nothing but a towel, he knew she wanted to talk but he wanted to at least be dressed first.

"Severus, I want to talk."

"I can see that, but can I get dressed first?"

"Sure, go ahead."

His eyes went from her to the door and back again.

"Honestly, Severus, it's probably nothing I've never seen before."

He rolled his eyes; her "vulgarity" was back. He knew she was strong, so she didn't need to put on an act for him. Her vulgarity was her façade, her shell, her thick-skin; it made her one of the guys, and it was supposed to make her appear less broken. Whatever it did, while it was a bit of a turn on, in this instance it was just annoying.

"Hermione, I would rather not have you see me naked until I can properly see you naked. It's only fair." Severus smirked, if she was going to use her Gryffindor stubbornness, then he would use his Slytherin cunning to tease her a bit.

"You have seen me naked," she countered eyebrow raised.

"That is hardly an example, it was an accident!"

"Well, it's only fair."

Severus scoffed, he did not know just whether to play along with the teasing or to tell her to leave straight away. Well, he sighed to himself, here goes nothin'.

He dropped the towel, surprising her for once, and her jaw dropped to the floor and she started blushing profusely.

"I…um…Severus, um… wow."

"Cat got your tongue, Hermione," he said sarcastically.

"I, should go, I can come back."

"Not so smart now, are you."

She laughed nervously and slipped out the door. Severus got dressed in record speed and went to open the door to let her back in and she fell from leaning against it. He laughed but noticed she was breathing hard. It was curious to Severus.

He helped Hermione up and she adjusted herself and tried furiously to control her breathing.

"So, Hermione, what did you want to talk about?"

She walked over to the chair and sat back down. He stood in front of her, waiting.

"Well, Severus, I was wondering if you planned to stay here in Wizarding Britain."

He cocked his head to the side, he had not shared his previous plans with anyone yet so it was surprising she would ask. He was wondering how much he should share. He didn't want it to come out wrong so he thought on it for a moment before speaking.

"I had a plan when I left Azkaban, I did have a plan to leave here and move and well, pretty much what I am doing now to make a living. I was going to sell Spinner's End and use that money to leave." He treaded carefully, hoping he didn't offend her.

"So, you had plans before, before I said anything."

"Well, plans change, Hermione," Severus said as he walked over to the window.

"I want to leave."

Severus whipped around, shocked as hell.

"I beg your pardon, I'm not sure I heard you correctly."

"Severus, I have a savings, an inheritance, let's use it to move."

"Hermione, you have a job here, a life, what about the boys?"

"Severus, we're a family, where we go they will surely follow and as for my job, I fulfilled one of my biggest dreams; helping people. I mean it didn't pan out in the best way obviously, but I've built an entire department that helps those who have been a victim of violence and I have people who trained well enough to run it. I planned for this day, also, Severus. I did not know if it would turn out exactly how I wished but it has and I am ready. Do you have any idea what my degree is actually in, Severus?"

Severus was at a loss. "What, Hermione?"

"Potions, Severus. I fulfilled the requirements of my degree several months before you were released from Azkaban. I only need one more thing to become a potions mistress."

"A potion's master to apprentice with," he answered quietly.

"I had hoped it would be you, if you'd accept, but I will understand if you cannot."

Severus smirked at her, still trying to make sense of everything.

"Severus, love, I know your plan was not to stay here and if you would have me I would follow you anywhere."

"Anywhere," he repeated.

She got up off the chair and joined him on the bed. "I want to take things slow, but I want to be with you until the end of time."

He looked into her amber colored eyes once again, "anywhere," he repeated again.

She chuckled, "Anywhere, you big dunderhead, now kiss me."

He kissed her deeply and she fully accepted it.

She jumped up and Severus thought something was wrong.

"Race you to the kitchen, I'm famished."

She left the room. He shook his head. Who would've thought in a million years my life would end up this way? He asked himself, baffled once again.

He joined her in the kitchen, where the boys had already dug into their breakfast. He rolled his eyes. "Do we really want to invite these two idiots along?"

She laughed.

"Where are we going Severus," his godson asked, thankfully his mouth was not full.

"Have you boys ever been to Canada? I thought somewhere remote, but not the frozen tundra, somewhere near a lake, perhaps a cabin, or two, so I can get away from you two from time to time."

It wasn't the most conventional or normal family but it was Severus' family. He had come to love the boys as his own, just as Hermione did. Severus was actually looking forward to the future and he knew he wouldn't have to face it alone.

"How does it sound?" Severus asked.

"Anywhere, love, will be home for us as long as we're together." The boys concurred.

Sorry about the lack of updates for the last month or two. Life really got in the way and then I just couldn't bring myself to update. I write about true love between Hermione and Severus, because I wish for a love like that, but quite frankly, I don't think it exists the way it exists in my imagination. I think my marriage is coming to an end. I cannot be what he wants me to be and he doesn't deserve someone who doesn't love him completely. Alas, here is the end of Home, there is/was supposed to be a sequel but we shall see.

Thank you all for the follows and reviews. I love writing (though I suck at editing) and it means a lot for there to be people out there that like it. Thank you!