Inside

Epilogue: The Journey to Hogwarts

Hermione's POV

"Professor Granger," Severus whispered in my ear, coming up behind me and wrapping his arms around my stomach and pulling me against his chest. The train had not yet started on its way to Hogwarts and I stood looking out the window, seeing it all through different eyes.

I smiled and closed my eyes, hugging his arms over me. "Professor Snape," I whispered back, leaning my head against his shoulder.

"Are you nervous?" he asked softly, and I opened my eyes and looked back at him.

"No," I told him, shaking my head. "I'm not."

"It will be your first year teaching," he reminded me, and I twisted around in his arms to face him. "I remember my first year, I was just short of a wreck."

I shook my head. "No," I told him, running my hand over his head. "I'm not. I have you, and as long as I have you I can do anything – wreck free and easily." He smiled down at me and leaned his lips to my forehead. I closed my eyes and leaned into his touch, sighing softly at the feeling. "I love you," I whispered, looking up at him.

"And I you," he told me, bending down and pressing his lips against mine. We kissed for long moments, holding each other and drinking each other in.

As he pulled his lips away from mine he slid his arms away from me; taking my hand into his and pulling me over to sit. I curled up beside him as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders, and I nuzzled my head into his shoulder. Our hands still clasped, he leaned his face into mine and kissed me again.

The familiar sound of the train whistling filled my ears, and I felt as the train slowly inched forward, picking up speed as it pulled forward. Thinking I was being subtle, the nervousness I had been concealing over the past few months kicked in, and I felt my body tense. Severus leaned his head down and rested it against mine and ran his thumb across the top of my hand. I relaxed in the silence that came with holding each other, and before I knew it I had all but forgotten about my nerves.

"Here we go," I sighed, and curled my fingers against his. He pulled his head away from mine and looked down at me as I looked out the window – the blur of green passing by quickly. I looked up at him, and smiled.

"I don't think your students will give you too much trouble," he told me, running his hand through my hair. I looked at him questioningly, and he went on. "You have Professor Snape wrapped around your little finger, Professor Granger, and I don't think that is any small degree of a secret."

"Huh," I mused. "And here I have gotten it wrong this whole time… I thought Professor Snape had Professor Granger wrapped around his little finger. I guess I can live in ignorance, though." Smiling, I leaned my lips up to kiss him.

"Found them!" Harry's voice hollered, forcing me to pull my lips back before they even had a chance to brush against Severus's. "Think just because you're a teacher now means you get to dodge your old school-day pals?" he asked, pulling Ginny in by the hand as he tossed a small suitcase on the shelf above the seats. "Come on guys! I've found them!" he hollered back, sticking his head out the door.

"About bloody time!" Ron said as he and Lavender shuffled their way into the compartment. "Hey, do you guys think the snack trolley will be out soon? I'm starved."

"Ronald, you just ate three sandwiches and two banana muffins," Ginny told him while shaking her head and taking a seat beside Harry, across from Severus and I. "Not to mention the two bowls of oatmeal this morning, and the bowl of fruit and left over soup from last night. And the rest of the crackers."

"Well yeah," Ron agreed, pulling Lavender onto his lap. "When you put it like that you make it sound like a bad thing."

"I'm not saying it's a bad thing," Ginny told him. "I'm only saying you're a pig," she said it so seriously, so matter-of-factly that the lot of us, Ron included, couldn't help but burst into laughter. Even Severus was laughing.

"Better get used to this, Severus. As long as you've got Hermione it's a package deal," Harry told him. "You get her, you get all of us."

I smiled and looked up at Severus, I alone could recognize the mischievous look in his eyes. "That goes both ways, Mister Potter," he told him, and Harry swallowed and leaned back in his seat. It took all I had to not start laughing. "Ten points from Gryffindor if you call me anything but Professor Snape, or sir, from now on."

"Yes sir," Harry nodded, and looked over at me. "He's… he's not always like this, is he, Hermione?"

"Always," I told him, and looked up at Severus and kissed him. "And that's Professor Granger, to you, young man."

He let out a laugh. "Yeah, good one, Hermione."

"No?" I asked him. "Then perhaps a detention will be better served to convince you of my seriousness."

"Oh, no…" Ron groaned, and Harry's face paled.

"Guys!" I laughed. "I am only joking!" the two breathed a sigh of relief, and Ginny and Lavender, smiling and shaking their heads in the boys ignorance, looked at me knowingly.

"You, Professor Granger," Severus said, running his hand down the length of my face. "Are going to have far too much fun with this."

"Absolutely," I nodded, and pulled my lips up to his.

THE END