A/N: Everything recognisable belongs to JKR

Why, why did she do it? Why did she tell them?

Hermione couldn't fathom her choice at the time, but she certainly had the opportunity to think about it now. She supposed she was a bit frustrated on Severus' behalf. He seemed to get along in the muggle world just fine - after all, the continued presence of fresh fruit and cheese in his tiny refrigerator was testament to that. However, despite his protestations that he wanted nothing to do with wizarding society, he seemed to have trouble giving it up. If he ever wanted to fully become a wizard again, he would be forced to re-enter wizarding society, especially if he wanted to start up his potions service. She had grown tired of him sending her back to shops over sub-par ingredients - she was raised to be too polite, too nice, to kick up much of a fuss over the issues that he had - surely that was something that he could do himself. And what was this about him telling her she wasn't his mother? If he didn't want her to take care of him or work on his behalf, then he certainly would have to make a better effort of doing it for himself!

It was selfishness on her part as well. She was inconveniently well-known in the wizarding world. How would she ever continue any sort of association with him without his existence being known? It wouldn't be long before she would be questioned about her whereabouts or followed and someone nosy like Rita Skeeter would oust him anyway. There were charms and enchantments on his house, but someone would put Cokeworth in context and put two and two together, especially with so many front-page Daily Prophet articles about his upbringing in the days after the Battle of Hogwarts. She had Harry to thank for that, too.

But wasn't that being a bit unfair to him? Yes, it would have been better to let him make the decision on his own, but she wanted to think of it as giving him a little nudge in the right direction. After all, she only shared the news with members of the Order, and it was important that the people closest to the ones in power were the first to know so that they could put the right protections in place for him - just in case he was uncovered.

Although she thought all this out, Hermione didn't know what to do with herself back at Grimmauld Place. If she stayed in her room, all she kept thinking about was the look on his face as he brandished Harry's letter at her. If she left her room, Harry and Ron kept trying to ask her questions about Snape to which she kept replying "I don't know" and "I haven't asked him" (Mr. Weasley, thankfully, spotted her growing agitation and suggested they stop pestering her). She found that she couldn't leave the house, either. When she was out, all she could think about was the possibility, however slim it may be, that if he decided to forgive her and showed up at Grimmauld Place, that she would miss him. She had no place to be comfortable anymore. The only place where her mind would be at rest would be a small shelf-lined front parlor in Cokeworth, but she highly doubted she would ever see it again. She had tried to write him so many letters of apology for letting his secret slip, but the words never seemed to make it onto the page in the right way. The bin in her room was full of crumpled bits of parchment scribbled with words of apology and the remains of quills broken in frustration.

She had gone back in time for two years to give herself an opportunity to heal and recover, and she felt like she was back at square one. Antsy, moody, agitated, and she didn't quite know what to do with herself. She decided to try to brew the potion from what she remembered from Snape's notebook, and she was fairly certain that she had the mix of ingredients right, but it would be a few days before she found out. That filled her time for a while, at least, though by the time evening rolled around, she was almost inconsolable and her eyes were often swollen with the tears she shed when she exhausted herself enough to fall asleep.

She did find her bright spot, though. At least she had found out the missing ingredient from him and the trip to the past wasn't for naught. She set her sights on returning to Australia to try the potion on her parents, and though she wasn't exactly sure it would work, it was certainly worth a try. If it didn't, well, he couldn't really be angry at her if she wrote to him and asked him for the exact instructions for the potion, could he?

It was nearly a fortnight later when Hermione felt she had the right potion brewing. It changed colours in just the right way, it emitted plumes of coloured vapour in the same way the other experimental potions did, and it didn't give out any telltale signs of being toxic. She still hadn't heard anything from Severus, and by now she didn't really expect to, so she made plans to return to Australia in a few days time. She stayed up incredibly late that evening, turning over every possible scenario she could think of with her parents. It was a welcome distraction from her recent pastime.

She was woken around midday by the sound of intense conversation coming from downstairs. It wasn't an uncommon occurrence - Ron and George often got into heated discussions over merchandise when the elder Weasley popped around, and Mrs. Weasley wasn't afraid to have a go at Ron for leaving his socks lying about. But there was something different about this - there was a tone there that she had been aching to hear. She hoped she wasn't imagining it -

Hermione jumped out of bed, and began to pull on her nearest set of clothing, anxiously attempting to finger-comb her hair in between straightening her collar and pulling on socks.. It was only when she was done changing that she noticed something on top of her bedside table: a small cluster of moly, their white leaves sparkling against the dark stems. She would bet anything that Dobo had made a stealthy appearance in her room again.

If he was here, and there was moly on her bedside table, then that surely meant something - something, didn't it?

Hermione stilled and cast an amplification charm on the doorway to distinguish the conversation downstairs. She could barely hear anything over the sound of her own heart pounding in her ears, so she took several deep breaths in an effort to calm herself.

Her charm wasn't strong enough to make out the words, but she could definitely make out the voices. There were Mr. Weasley's warm tones, and Harry's slightly higher, intense ones. Kingsley Shacklebolt's deep baritone. And there, Severus' voice, which she could make out in the pauses between the other voices, slick and cool, and full of purpose.

She grabbed the small cluster of flowers and made her way slowly down the stairs, fully aware that he would be listening for her. Her heart started pounding in her chest again, and though she wanted to race into the kitchen, she tried to enter in her usual nonchalant way, though she was sure that it looked very awkward.

"Ah, Hermione! There you are," Mr. Weasley greeted her warmly. "Molly was just about to go upstairs and wake you. Look who's here," he motioned towards Snape.

"Oh, hello," she replied. Severus inclined his head toward her, his eyes on the bunch of flowers she was holding. "I just came down to find a vase for these," she explained. "Good afternoon, Kingsley."

Kingsley greeted her, but restarted the conversation again as soon as she turned her back. Hermione reached into a cupboard and removed a small urn which she filled with water and placed the flowers in. She could feel Severus' eyes on her, although he was currently engaged in the conversation.

"People are a lot more forgiving of the dead than they are of the living, Kingsley," she heard him say.

"I can assure you that there will be no Rita Skeeter exclusives, no press releases, no big fanfares. The ministry will make an announcement if there needs to be one -" Kingsley started, but he was quickly cut off by Severus.

"And make me a target for all the surviving followers of the Dark Lord?"

Harry jumped in. "More and more are being arrested every day. You won't have to worry. We can hide you."

Hermione grabbed a mug and seated herself at the table before helping herself to the pot of tea that sat in the middle of the group. She took quiet sips as she listened to the debate, reaching out every so often to stroke the petals of the flowers that had been gifted to her.

"I assure you that my house and myself are already well hidden," Snape gave Harry a pointed look. She could tell that he was trying not to roll his eyes at the younger man's comment.

"Hermione found it," Harry responded, grinning at her.

Hermione blushed, taking a sip of her tea to try to hide it.

"Miss Granger found my home by following a careful trail that Dumbledore himself laid out for her," Snape lied smoothly. "Something that I can assure you he has already been spoken to about." So, it sounded as though he had been to Hogwarts. She had hoped he would visit - Minerva had written to him several times requesting a chat, and she knew that he had wanted a few words with Dumbledore. He had tried to convince her at one point to find another of his portraits for him, but she declined.

Mr. Weasley chose this opportunity to chime in. "I think you should do what you want to do, Severus. You gave more than enough of yourself to the cause, and you are fully within your rights to live your life the way you wish to now."

Snape inclined his head at Arthur in thanks. Hermione felt a surge of warmth for Mr. Weasley, thankful he was voicing her sentiments.

"What are your plans, Severus?" Kingsley asked.

"I believe I am going to open my own potions brewery. It was my plan before I joined the war."

"You'll need ministry approvals for that. I can help with that paperwork to keep it quiet," Kingsley responded.

Hermione watched Snape while they continued their conversation. It was odd to see him interacting so… well, amiably with people now. While he wasn't exactly pleasant, he didn't have the same amount of acid that he used to carry with him - in his demeanor and his words. If something that was patently obvious to him was said, he responded simply rather than pointing out how ridiculous the remark was. While his stares contained the same intensity, they no longer challenged or belittled. She couldn't resist a small smile coming to her lips when the Order of Merlin was brought up and he respectfully declined. When Harry brought it up once more, he ignored the comment, but turned to the younger man.

"There is one thing, I would like from you, Potter. My memories." There wasn't quite venom in his voice when he spoke to Harry, but there was certainly something of an edge to it. Though they hadn't discussed it explicitly, she had guessed that he hadn't been happy about some of his deepest secrets being shouted to everybody who was present at the Battle of Hogwarts.

"Those are actually in the possession of the Ministry, now, Severus," Kingsley interjected. "They were taken during a survey of the school after the Battle. I can arrange their return for you."

Snape inclined his head toward him.

Mrs. Weasley bustled into the kitchen, carrying a load of table linens. Hermione noticed that her movements were stiff and she was clearly avoiding looking at Severus. There was still a good amount of animosity toward him on her part, despite Harry's testimony. Hermione had overheard her arguments with Mr. Weasley about it in the kitchen several times over the past two weeks. "When are you leaving, Hermione, dear?" she asked.

The attention in the room focused on her now, and Hermione could see Severus clench his fist out of the corner of her eye.

She could feel heat rise to her face again from the attention. "Day after tomorrow, I think. I should pack, though, and I need to do some cleaning. It was nice seeing everybody," she nodded at them all before grabbing the vase and leaving the room amidst the wishes for good luck. As much as she wanted to stay, she felt like the tension between her and Severus was too thick for it to go unnoticed by the others, and she didn't want there to be any awkward conversations with the others present. She noticed that he did not say anything to her as she left the room.

Hermione, now safely back in her room, couldn't stop herself from pacing. Should she try to see him again, or would that be encroaching too much on his privacy? She had already excused herself, so it would just look odd if she went back downstairs again, and there wasn't really anywhere else to go - she would just be hovering awkwardly in the entry. She finally crossed the first floor landing into the drawing room, hoping that the bookshelf would provide her with some distraction, but it didn't. She kept finding herself crossing to the windows overlooking the square and watching for his departure. After this happened a few times, she moved back over to the bookcase and seated herself firmly at the base of it, dragging one of the heavier tomes into her lap.

And then came a light scratching sound at the door. Her breath caught in her throat. That was not the sound of Harry - he would have just barged in, and while it might be Mrs. Weasley or Kingsley or any number of people, they would have knocked or called out to her.

The door opened slowly, silently, and Severus stole into the room, closing the door quickly behind him.

They stared at one another for a moment. There was something about his gaze - Hermione's heartbeat quickened under it. She thought of the bunch of moly now sitting on her bedside table, sparkling away.

"Would you like me to come with you?" he asked. His hand was clenched once again.

"I'm not sure you could do that, considering you don't want people to know you're alive just yet," she replied, giving him a soft smile as she closed the book on her lap.

Snape pulled an iridescent bundle from under his cloak. "Potter gave me use of it."

As much as she wanted him to join her, as much as she wanted to say yes, yes, please, she knew he couldn't. "As much as I would appreciate it, Severus, I don't think it's a wise idea. You're still recovering, and too many things could happen that would jeopardize your wishes."

He nodded, and they stared at one another in silence for a moment, Hermione from the floor and Severus from his spot near the door. "I…" he hesitated, trying to gather his words. "I apologize for my outburst. I want the freedom to make my own decisions now," he said, taking a step toward her. "I hope you understand how much that upset me."

She nodded. "I don't think I'll ever forget. I'm sorry, too. I was wrong. I just - Harry so wished over the past few months to be able to speak to you, and the words were out of my mouth before I realised -"

He held up his hand, cutting her off. "I have come to a conclusion about something," he stated. "Despite… despite the life I have led, despite my life being what it has been over the last six months, I cannot remember a time where I have ever felt so," his lip curled in a small smile at his next words "personally fulfilled. I don't know what I would have done had you not appeared at my door," he admitted.

Hermione's nails were digging into the book that she held in her hands. She was fairly certain that if it could talk, it would be screaming right now. Her head was screaming, her heart was screaming, and she feared that she would not hear his next words for the pounding in her ears.

"If you still…," he stopped, seemed to rethink his start, then began again. "I have said before that I am a changed man, Miss Granger - Hermione. For me, much time has passed between us. I understand that for you, the past was just weeks ago… but I admit that my thoughts the last few weeks have been with you. I understand that we cannot quite pick up where we left off, but I am amenable to exploring the changes between us if you are not completely opposed to it."

Hermione had to remind herself to breathe. It eased the sound of her heart beating, and she thought it would be a good idea to continue to do so.

Severus knelt down on the floor next to her. "I also wasn't completely joking when I said I wished you to work under me. Well, not under me, but beside me. With your approval, I am going to sell the memory potion to St. Mungo's. If you would consider it, I would very much like you to consider becoming my business partner. I have finished decorating the second bedroom upstairs to accommodate a potions lab."

"Have you told Kingsley this plan?" she asked. There were a million things she wanted to ask, a million things she wanted to say, but she needed to think them out first.

He shook his head. "You heard me tell him the bare bones earlier, but I wanted to ask you first."

Hermione reached out and took his hands in her own, giving them a mild squeeze before she responded. "When I return from Australia, I will give you your answer."

She could tell from the tightness around his eyes that it was not the answer that he hoped for, but it was not an outright rejection, either. Severus nodded, releasing a breath of his own.

"I'm not saying that to be cruel," she supplied. "I've had a lot of time to think over these past weeks - I mean, I know you have, too, but I would rather you be sure as well. I realised that tracking you down was a bit selfish of me, especially knowing you wanted privacy. That's something that I will never really have, Severus. I've been an object of the press since the age of fourteen, and with everything that's happened with Harry… it's difficult for me to have a quiet trip into Diagon Alley. And not only that, the Ministry will always be asking me for things…" she trailed off.

Snape nodded at her thoughtfully. Rather than responding, he reached into his robes and withdrew a bottle, holding it out to her. "I brewed the potion for you. You could depart right now if you wanted to. You just need to add a bit of your hair."

She took it and fell into him, her arms wrapping around him in a hug. His own eased around her, pulling her into him. She relaxed into his embrace, savoring the feel of it after so long without it. She could feel his chin resting on top of her head and his fingers tangle themselves into her hair.

"Safe travels, Hermione," he whispered.

"Thank you, Severus."

Hermione withdrew from his embrace and he helped her stand. She escorted him down the stairs into the entryway. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Harry come out of the kitchen to watch them.

"Do you have everything you need?" Severus asked.

"Yes - I'll write to you if I think of anything."

He nodded. He reached his good arm out slightly, and it looked as though he was going to reach for her again, but his eyes flicked over her shoulder and he seemed to think better of it. He opened the door and left with a swirl of his robes. Hermione stood at the door for a moment, watching his dark figure disappear from behind the glass.

"Hermione?" Harry asked. There was an unasked question there.

"It's alright, Harry. He was giving me some last minute instructions on the potion. I didn't think it was a good idea for him to come with me."

"Oh, right," he said, but watched her for a moment longer. "He spoke very highly of you. He was almost personable. It's a big change from our schooldays."

"Where's Ron?" she asked.

"With George. They've reopened Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. It's keeping George distracted."

Hermione nodded. "We should all have a game of Exploding Snap before I go, just like old times."

The next few days passed quickly, and though it took half a day to apparate to Australia, by early evening she had tracked down her parents and dosed them with the potion with the help of a discreet confundus charm.

"Hermione, darling, what are we doing here?" Her mother blinked, almost as though waking from a long sleep.

Her mother's response was like music to her ears - the morning after a long, dark night. She couldn't help jumping out of her seat and holding her, bewildered though her mother was.

Her father's eyes focused out the window when he held his daughter. "We're not in England."

"No, you're not," she explained, withdrawing and taking her seat again. "Mum, Dad… Things got very serious in England." She spent the next few hours explaining, patiently answering her parents questions about altering their memories, their move to Australia, and how she spent her year with Harry and Ron on the run. She explained how she had trouble reversing the memory charm, and how she gained assistance from one of her professors who perfected the potion for her.

It took a few hours, but her parents' memories of their last year in Australia eventually settled in alongside their long-term memories. She was very much surprised by their reaction. She expected them to be upset for altering their memories, and though they were, they were very understanding that she wanted them kept safe, especially after they heard about some of the casualties.

"I arranged it so your house in England was sold," Hermione explained. "That's how you've been living here."

She was a bit shocked that her parents didn't immediately want to return to England. "We're quite enjoying life here," her mum explained. "We have lovely friends that we have garden parties with every month, your father is in a hobby railroad club, and I have salsa every week. It's much more fun and relaxing than our lives back home. I think a forced retirement is suiting us."

"And, after all, it's just a plane ride away. And you have your instant travel, don't you?" Her dad asked.

She took a few days to rest and spend time with her parents. It had taken a few hours to apparate to Australia, as she had to stop at check-points along the way to make sure she hadn't splinched herself accidentally, and she didn't fancy having a trip back so quickly.

In between having tea with her mother's friends and her father showing off his model railroad setup, she thought about Severus. It was difficult not to. She had spent the last few months of her life in the seventies preparing herself for the end of their relationship: after all, she didn't know if he would survive, and she didn't know how he would react to her when he saw her again. It had been odd, at least for her, to go from having such an intense relationship with Snape before he was the cruel potions master, who was young and unmarked and full of hope for the future, to seeing him once again, new lines on his face, his outlook on life much changed.

Did she want to give him another try? Did she want to be with the Severus who had lived nearly twenty years without her? And who knows what decision he'd make after she reminded him of her status in the Wizarding World. Maybe she'd return and he'd just ask her to forget everything.

She missed him. She missed him terribly. Even when they were together, when she was in his house with him, she missed the easiness of their time, she missed the casual touchings and embraces. And, after having grown used to him, she missed the feel of his body against hers and the things he had made her feel in the quiet of the evenings.

Hermione had only had a few romantic relationships so far in her life, but the one with him - the year together and life in their little flat still made her feel more complete than any one she had had before. She had seen more and more glimmers of this life with him over the past few weeks and she had dared to hope that maybe someday they would find some ground to stand on together.

She already knew the decision that she would make before she left England. She wanted to work alongside him again, she wanted to learn from him, and if he wanted to try, she wanted to try, too. She wanted to help him face this new future and hoped that he would help her do the same.

When Hermione decided to head back to England, she was shedding tears of happiness rather than heartache. "You must come visit again, soon - you've not found a job yet, have you? Surely they will allow you to rest for some time before expecting you to -" Her mother babbled. Hermione nodded her promises to return, hugged and kissed her parents soundly, and with a crack, apparated to the next check-in point on her way back to England.

Rather than apparating straight to Grimmauld Place from France, she apparated to Cokeworth. Her luggage felt heavy on her arm, but she wanted to see Severus. She knocked, and was pleased to see his dark form through the glass before he opened the door for her. His face was hesitant, expectant, and questioning.

"It worked," she smiled at him.

"I'm pleased for you." His face actually broke into a genuine smile. "Please come in."

He took her bag from her and set it down near the door while she began to explain her parents life in Australia.

"After all that - after all that worry - after all that guilt - they were having the time of their lives! Sure, I didn't see it, but what stranger is going to tell an alarm saleswoman about their salsa nights and their weekend barbeques? They didn't even want me to stay too long - it was going to interfere with their social life! They're going to wait a few more months and see if they want to move back to England. I think after things have truly calmed down from the war."

He nodded, setting a cup of tea before her. "It makes sense. It's going to be a few more months - maybe even a few years - before things settle down. If they need any sort of help, do let me know."

His small talk was disconcerting - Snape didn't make small talk. While she sipped her tea, he asked her about the weather in Australia and about the things she did.

"You said you had a potions workroom now - would you like to show it to me?" Hermione asked when she was finished, setting her mug aside.

He nodded and motioned for her to follow him upstairs. "It doesn't have everything I would like yet, of course, but it will do to help start the business."

When they entered, it was reminiscent of the makeshift lab he had at the school. One wall was lined with cauldrons of all shapes and sizes. Another was lined with shelves of potions ingredients. The same dragonhide gloves and apron she was used to were hanging next to the door. He had enchanted some windows into the wall to allow some light into the room.

"This is where Peter Pettigrew lived when he was assigned to me," Snape explained. "I wanted to eliminate all traces of him. I think it looks infinitely better." Ah, that explained the anger she had witnessed. It must have been absolute hell for him to live in such close proximity to the person who betrayed Lily Potter without any way to punish him for his actions.

"Can we discuss my contract for employment?" she asked. "I mean, if you're still offering it."

He did a double take. "Of course."

"At least 35 days of holiday per year. I'll work bank holidays in lieu." Hermione ticked one of the fingers on her left hand.

He smirked at her. "Granted."

"Salary negotiable with contracts I obtain," she said, ticking off another finger.

"Of course. I believe I should be consulted for the more complicated brewing requests, though."

"Agreed."

"Anything else?" he asked.

"We will have at least one night together a week, away from potions and the lab where we do not discuss work at all," she ticked off the third finger she had been holding and smiled up at him.

There was a sharp intake of breath and his eyes dilated. His hand reached out toward her but he seemed to think better of it, clenching his fist and withdrawing it instead.

"Is that your answer?" he asked.

"Yes, Severus. I want to try." She took a step toward him. "That is, if you'll have me."

A look of sheer relief passed over his face. He held his arms out toward her and she filled them immediately, an embrace reminiscent of her first evening back from the past. It was different, though. This was him, all of him, truly him, and he held her in a way which he did not allow himself to do previously.

"Yes. Yes, of course I'll have you, Hermione Granger, annoying and troublesome as you may be," he whispered to her. She felt his lips press against the top of her head and they remained like that for a few moments.

"What happened while I was gone?" she asked, withdrawing from his embrace and grabbing his hands instead. He rubbed his thumb gently over her wrist.

"Shacklebolt has located and suppressed something Rita Skeeter is trying to get printed. Apparently it's titled 'Severus Snape: Scoundrel or Saint?' She's kicking up quite a fuss, and, I think, drawing more attention to me than I hoped."

"I may be able to solve that for you."

"Everyone has been trying to solve the problem of Rita Skeeter for years. I know you helped save the wizarding world, but I think that this is one battle that may not be able to be won."

She squeezed his hand. "Rita Skeeter is an unregistered animagus. I held her hostage and blackmailed her in my fourth and fifth year at Hogwarts."

He stared at her for a moment, his lips curling into the most menacing smile she had seen before he broke into a laugh, a real laugh, the richest laugh she had heard escape from his lips in the longest while. "I would have worried that I rubbed off on you, if it hadn't happened well before we met."

"Would you like to see?" she asked, smirking.

"Yes please." He let her arrange herself so he could look into her eyes. "Legilimens.".

There was Rita Skeeter interviewing Harry, she was speaking to Viktor and brushed a beetle out of her hair, she noticed a beetle on a windowsill, conjured a jar quickly, and captured her. There she was with Rita, her wand pointed at her, threatening to turn her into the ministry if she wrote anything more negative on Harry or herself, there was Snape reading her vile words out loud in potions class, there she was meeting with her in Hogsmeade, and Snape withdrew, breaking into peals of laughter once more.

"I will pass that on to Kingsley, if you don't mind."

"Consider it a gift."

He pulled her into an embrace once more.

Hermione met each day with a newfound energy. She arrived at Spinner's End promptly at nine o'clock every morning and brewed with Severus. He spent most of his time making sure that she maintained the habits he had taught her in the past. She found that she was doing a majority of the work, but she didn't mind. His arm was not quite up to stirring for lengthy amounts of time and he did not quite have the strength needed to pulverise some of the ingredients into powders quite yet. She returned to Grimmauld Place in the evenings when the day had met its natural conclusion: whenever she was due back for dinner, or Severus started to get a bit cantankerous.

The business applications went through easily as Kingsley promised, and it wasn't long before a few curious patrons began owling orders to them. Hermione was especially pleased one day to find Neville's name on one of the orders. When she showed Severus, he rolled his eyes.

"Another thing to be indebted to Potter for," he sighed, but there was no real venom behind the statement. "No doubt he let it slip who's behind Septima Solutions."

It was a long process. Severus had his good and bad days, just as Hermione had hers. They were both patient, though, and knew that the scars the other bore required time and patience and love to heal.

It did not take long for Severus to become something of his old self again. Yes, he was still acerbic and sarcastic. If he was unhappy with someone or something, he could cut them down with a swipe of his tongue (or pen, in most cases). However, whenever they were together, he almost turned into a teenager again. He was hesitant and considerate and kind. Where he failed, he attempted recompense.

He allowed Hermione to flourish as well. Most of their potions advancements were attributed to her. He negotiated the sale of the memory potion to St. Mungo's with the express condition that they be the only potions supplier for it, and published a paper in Potions Today under a pseudonym praising Hermione as the mind behind it. And, as he promised, he brewed the more complex requests and allowed her to brew the simpler ones (with his amendments of course), allowing her to experiment and research during the rest of her time.

They worked together like a well-oiled machine. Hermione was very familiar with his habits, the way he liked things sliced and juiced and prepared them just so for the day. He supplied her with cups of tea and conversation, often requesting gossip in their down time. They gathered potions ingredients on the weekends, fresh if possible, and at least once monthly, Hermione went to visit her parents who had decided Australia suited them after all.

Mr. Weasley did not take long to catch on that there was more than met the eye when it came to Severus Snape and Hermione Granger, and was instrumental in quelling any sort of discomfort or anger coming from Mrs. Weasley, Ron and Harry. Severus had begun to make appearances at Grimmauld Place more and more often - sometimes in the evenings to collect Hermione for their night out, sometimes on the weekend so they could spend a day away and continue working their way through her Guide of Magical Britain. Though they were not affectionate when others were around, there were small touches that bespoke a comfort with one another that couldn't be concealed.

"I had dinner with Arthur Weasley last night," Severus said nonchalantly one day.

"Oh?" she asked, prompting him to continue. While not terribly unusual, she didn't think she had ever seen the two interact outside of Grimmauld Place.

"Yes. He asked me what my intentions were where you were concerned. We shared a very nice bottle of elf wine. We spoke about that bloody snake."

Hermione felt her face flood with heat. "What did you say?" she choked out.

"It wouldn't be long before I locked you up in my dungeon and that I had some particularly nasty testing I wanted to do. I also added that anything wicked I intended on doing had already been done."

She gasped. "You didn't!"

"Of course not. I told him I felt a great amount of affection toward you. And that I was enjoying our working relationship, and that you yourself indicated to me that my attentions were not unwelcome."

Hermione threw a rag covered in slime at him.

"Although the latter part of my initial statement has been true," he said, smirking and ducking as she threw another rag at him.

Ron refused to speak to her for weeks after he caught the pair sharing a kiss in the entry of Grimmauld Place. Harry, thankfully, though slightly uncomfortable at the thought as he previously was under the impression that Snape would always be in love with his mother, shrugged it off. "Does he treat you well?" he asked.

"Better than anything," Hermione answered.

"Then I hope you're happy."

"But still - if it's causing too much upset here with Ron and Mrs. Weasley - I don't mind moving out, Harry."

Harry shook his head at her proposal. "This is my house, and I've offered you a place to live. I'm happy for you to be here, and if they're not, then they can find somewhere else to go," he said.

Hermione hugged him and at the next available opportunity, supplied him with a vial of her memory of the defense club his parents had participated in. Severus had helped her edit herself out of her memory - hopefully more successfully than Slughorn. She explained that she had tracked down someone who went to school with them and thought it would be lovely for him to have, and Harry seemed quite touched at the gesture. She was very pleased when, after viewing it, he did not come to her with accusatory statements about her presence, and was pleased Severus' editing had worked.

And so their life carried on peacefully, or relatively peacefully. Hermione could see that being confined to the house for too long was beginning to get to Severus. There were only so many times he could borrow the invisibility cloak from Harry to visit Minerva at Hogwarts. There were only so many places in muggle London they could go before it bordered on magical London, and he still wasn't ready to reveal himself to the public.

Until he noticed the ingredients she was procuring were becoming a bit shoddy - at least by his standards.

"Are you ready?" Hermione asked. She was seated on his bed, watching him dress before a full-length mirror.

"Of course," Severus replied, but she could tell he wasn't quite. He was fussing over his appearance far more than normal. He had checked the buttons at the front of his robes at least four times now, and made sure that the scars on his neck were covered at least three.

"You know, we don't have to do this. We could have another day out. Brighton was lovely last week, and I'd quite like to visit Leeds Castle -"

"No. We're doing it today."

Hermione grabbed her beaded bag and headed downstairs to wait by the door. It was another five minutes before he joined her. "Do you want to apparate, or shall I?" she asked.

"You - my muscles - I don't want you to get splinched." He put his arm around her and she clung to him with a familiarity that spoke of doing this numerous times now, and with a twist, they appeared in the small yard behind the Leaky Cauldron.

"Would you like to have a drink first?" she offered, but he was already shaking his head.

"No. I would like to get this over with."

She tapped her wand to the brick and it opened up onto the high street.

The other shoppers did not take much notice of them at first, but as they passed the owl post office, Hermione began to hear titterings behind them. "Was that -?"

"No, couldn't be -"

"But -"

They were moving so quickly now that it was difficult to catch more than a word or two, but when Hermione stopped to look behind them as they made their way into the apothecary, she saw more than a handful of shoppers staring after them curiously. With the way that Severus was striding up the road, his robes billowing behind him, it would be difficult for anyone who attended Hogwarts in the last two decades to not recognise him.

The ringing of the shop bell announced their arrival, and despite the business of the street outside, there were only two or three patrons inside.

Severus approached the counter confidently where there was a man of a respectable age serving a customer.

When he saw Severus, his eyes widened.

"C-c-can I help you, sir?"

Severus withdrew his hand from his robe pocket and deposited a bottle heavily on the counter. Some liquid sloshed out with the force.

"You, sir, are selling inferior products." The severity of the tone sent a shiver down Hermione's spine. It had taken months, but he had finally regained the silky deadliness that reminded her of her schooldays.

The man redded at this announcement and rose to defend his wares. The other patrons had all turned to observe the exchange. "I apologise if you're unhappy, but I assure you that we only sell the highest quality -"

"If you did, you would be selling full billywigs, not ones with the sting missing. I'm sure as a potions supplier that you're aware that the sting is the most potent part of a billywig." Snape stuck his fingers into the jar and withdrew one of the offending insects, holding it up to the man's face.

"I can assure you that all our ingredients are prepared to standard, and I apologise if -"

"Your ingredients do not seem to be prepared to any standard that is suitable for brewing anything stronger than a headache tonic."

"I'm sure you just received one faulty billywig, the ingredients are all -"

"I've been watching your products deteriorate for weeks now. Beetle eyes with carapaces still attached. Hairs missing the follicles. If you do not improve your wares, I will be taking my business elsewhere, and I will ensure that the students of Hogwarts will be doing the same," Snape cut him off.

The man opened his till and pulled out a few Galleons, dropping them onto the counter in front of Snape. "My apologies, sir."

Severus let the billiwig fall and pocketed the coins before nodding and turning to exit.

"Shall we?" he asked Hermione.

Hermione shot the proprietor an apologetic smile as she exited the door behind him.

But Severus had not completely exited the shop. He had stopped abruptly and Hermione had knocked into the back of him. She stepped to the side.

A crowd had gathered around the entrance to the shop, and they were staring at Severus. The street had gone quiet with the exception of the odd pop and bang from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. Hermione could feel the tension radiating off of him.

It was almost a full minute before a woman stepped forward. "Professor Snape, my grandson told me how you saved him from the Carrows - thank you." She grabbed for his hand, clasping it between her own and shaking it.

"Yes, thank you," a man came forward now and wrapped his arm around the woman.

"May I buy you a drink, sir?" An old wizard stepped forward. "My family were saved in a raid - you tipped them off, we know now -"

"Still Death Eater scum," spat one woman at the back. Though she knew Severus could handle anything himself, Hermione clenched her wand in the case that it turned nasty.

"You have room to speak, Beryl," said another witch. "Didn't you report your neighbors for being muggleborn?"

The offending woman turned a bright shade of pink and stormed away.

More people came forward, expressing their appreciation and Severus' head was nodding so much in acknowledgement that Hermione was surprised he hadn't gone dizzy. She saw his left hand inching behind him, his fingers open, searching, and immediately joined it with her own. His grip was immediate and tight.

She stepped forward. "Thank you, everyone, but we really must be going - Mister Snape is still recovering - as are we all - and really, he thanks you so much." She looped her arm through his and could swear she saw the flash of a camera before she pushed their way through the small crowd. Only a few people followed them on their way back to a safe apparition point.

"Did you want to go anywhere else?" she asked, but he shook his head.

"Home," Severus choked out, wrapping his good arm around her, and with a twist they were back at Spinner's End.

He spent the rest of the afternoon in the workroom upstairs, though she noticed later that evening that his Order of Merlin, First Class had been placed on the mantelpiece.

It was indeed a camera that Hermione had seen, and their photo was on the front page of the Daily Prophet the next day, declaring him alive but "recovering", pulling from Hermione's short statement. It was also the first public announcement of their association, and Severus took great delight in reading the paper's questions out loud.

"What do you think, Granger?" he asked. "Have I taken you 'under my wing' as it says here? Are you turning to me for guidance in the wake of your friends' absence? Am I using you to bolster my image?"

She leaned over to kiss his cheek as she handed him a mug of tea. "Definitely."

It was a number of months before they felt fully comfortable as a couple again. It happened one evening around Christmas as they had finished their brewing for the day. After closing the lab door behind them, rather than heading downstairs as usual, Hermione grabbed Severus' hand and led him to the door opened to his bedroom. And, just as before, there was far more giggling and breathless chuckles than she expected, especially at his age, but it was thoroughly enjoyed by both of them nonetheless. Afterwards, she traced the scars he had gained since their last encounter, taking special care around his neck. He traced her scars again and she finally explained the circumstances under which they were gained. He kissed them all just as he did before and she returned the favor.

It was about a year after that when they were closing the lab down for Christmas that their circumstances changed yet again. Hermione had been sure that she had cleaned her workstation thoroughly but small items kept appearing. Hermione had a strong suspicion that Severus was magicking them from his table to hers, but did her best to keep her patience and clean them and put them away when she finally came across a small parcel addressed to her.

"When did this arrive?" she asked, holding it up to him in question.

He made some sort of noncommittal grunt, his usual noise when he was too busy concentrating on something to answer her question.

She opened it to find a velvet box, and despite her heart beating faster, calmly opened it to find a delicate opal ring inside, the pearly stone reflecting light in the same way that moly flowers do.

"Severus?" she asked, though she could feel his eyes on her. "I thought we were going to wait until Christmas morning to open gifts." She looked up at him and noticed that his skin had gone paler than usual.

He shook his head. "This one comes with a question attached. Will you marry me, Hermione?" he asked.

She nodded her assent, her throat choking with emotion and tears filling her eyes, and he held her, peppering her with kisses until she stopped crying long enough to share a real kiss with him. They were pleased that Harry and Ginny had become engaged as well as it overshadowed their news.

Hermione and Severus wed quietly in a little church at the end of the worker's cottages in Cokeworth. The wedding was attended by the bride's parents and one of her best friends, and the groom's closest friends, Minerva McGonagall and an amiable Mr. Weasley. Mrs. Weasley and Ron were too busy with preparations for Ginny's wedding to attend.

And life carried on and their potions business grew. Severus expanded into publishing revised editions of Hogwarts textbooks and his own recipes for simple potions, and co-authored books with his wife about the effect of simple charms and spells on potions.

And they lived in bliss and continued to live.

A/N: Thank you thank you thank you thank you to everyone who has joined/followed me on this journey over the past year. I finished writing this about a year ago and let it sit on my hard drive for months before my friend encouraged me to post it, and I'm really pleased that you all have enjoyed it. I hope the ending lived up to your expectations.

I do have a "companion" piece to this that I wrote as a thank you to my friend who read the first draft and encouraged me to keep writing. I won't attach it to this as it is a stand-alone piece, but in my head it serves as a bit of an epilogue for my story, so if you're interested, do keep an eye out for it. I should have it posted in the next few days.

If there are any glaring errors in the story, please do let me know and I will correct them as soon as possible.

Stay safe, everyone xx