Chapter 26

A/N: Thank you all for your support and kind words! They meant more than you could realize. Again, thanks to my betas, luvsev and WriterMerrin!

***

The fall term ended with no more incidents to mar the holidays. Sirius Black was sent to Azkaban so fast it made Hermione concerned about the wizarding justice system. She argued with Severus over it during their first Christmas.

She was putting some cheery decorations up on the mantle place as she expressed her opinion. "Severus, I just do not understand how Fudge could get Barty Crouch to forgo a trial and send him straight to Azkaban. I, for one would like to know how it came to be that Sirius betrayed the truest friend he ever had!" she said hotly as Severus sat at his personal desk grading final exams.

Severus laid down his quill. "Hermione, I for one am just glad he is off the streets. There were too many witnesses, far too much scandal. Then there was the way he reacted when they took him in. The man had gone round the twist. Completely insane! I've told Albus my belief that Black was no Death Eater. However, I could not be conclusive. You know the Dark Lord never allowed us to know who all his Death Eaters were," Severus replied as he picked up his quill and returned to marking essays.

"I do not wish to ruin our first Christmas together with these maudlin thoughts," he murmured as he remained hunched over his desk scribbling furiously. He lifted his eyes up to meet hers and whispered, "I have something for you."

Hermione smiled, and her frustration dissipated. She walked over from the fireplace while Severus drew out a box from his desk and patted his lap for her to sit. Hermione giggled and tentatively obliged. He grabbed her and pulled her close to him. He gave her the box, and she grinned as she opened it slowly. She could tell by the shape what it was. It was a simple gold ring with a rope design embedded with emeralds. It was simple and elegant, and there was no way she could accept.

She tried to leave his lap, but he held her firmly to him. "Hermione," he said, the hurt evident in his voice. "We made oaths...vows to each other. You told me you would always be with me. I want you to marry me. We have lived nearly a lifetime together. I love you," he said simply.

She held the ring in her hand as she tried hard not to cry. "Severus, there is no way on earth the Ministry would allow us to marry. Your trial is coming up, the future is so uncertain!" she whispered urgently.

He held her hands tightly in his own as he looked into her eyes. "That is why I want us to have things settled between us. I know this is the wrong time, the worst timing, in fact, but I cannot go on with my life on hold. I need to know you will be mine for always. I need you, Hermione. I've loved you for so long. I loved you as a friend, and then I loved you as a boy loves a girl. Now I am a man wanting to love you as a woman, to be with me, stand by me, please!" he begged as he pressed his forehead against hers.

"Yes, Severus," she replied slowly. "I will stand by you, no matter what. I will love you, always. I will marry you as soon as we are able."

He closed his eyes briefly and took the ring, sliding it over her finger. "Let me take you to bed, Hermione. We have so much to make up for," he whispered. "I have another surprise for you, too.

He led her into the bedroom. Hermione noticed a phonograph was sitting on a table by the corner. Severus grinned widely as he took out a record, and Hermione smiled in return. She knew what it was.

She walked over to him as music filled the air. He drew her into his arms while the music played. She listened to the words as if she had never heard them before. He held her close to him, and she held onto him tightly. The words meant something so very different today than they had all those years ago when they sat in that little record booth, sharing their first kiss.

Some things are meant to be...

It was true; she could not help falling in love with him. She would love him no matter what came to pass. Her life was his, and his was hers. Would her staying, though, be "a sin?" Were they rushing into something blindly? Was Hermione thinking clearly about not meddling with time or was this just the natural course of their feelings? After all, they had been through hell and found each other on the other side. She would have to trust that love, trust that they were meant to be...no matter what.

For I can't help falling in love with you...

The record ended, and they slowly let go of each other.

"I never would have thought you an Elvis fan," she commented lightly as he turned off the phonograph.

He laughed. "Well, Elvis was big when I was born. The Beatles even hailed him as a great musician. His music was popular with the young, married couples that had grown-up and courted listening to his music. There was a nice lady I used to go visit down the street when my parents would fight too loudly. I would run down to her house, and she played this song and others of his. She was a big fan. I always associated his music with love, safety, and warmth."

He was toying with the phonograph as he spoke. Severus had always been a tactile person. He needed to keep his hands busy whenever he discussed something difficult. Hermione slowly stood up from the bed where she had been sitting and snuggled into him.

"I think it's lovely. Do you have any more records?" she asked.

"As a matter of fact, I do. Do you like Elvis?"

Hermione laughed. Elvis was more her father's music. It was so strange to hear Severus talking about him. Yet, she had grown up listening to her fair share of "The King's" music.

"Yeah!" she said. "After all, he is an icon," she replied. "That's the real test, isn't it? The man's been dead for four years, and he's still revered!"

Hermione laughed. "You know, you'd rather be suited for Johnny Cash, you know? The 'Man in Black'?"

"Don't know him," Severus replied.

"Don't ever tell a soul!" he said in a threatening voice while he looked at her jovially. "If the Slytherins ever knew I listened to Muggle music, it could blow my whole cover!"

Hermione started to slowly take off her clothes. "What is your cover?" she asked innocently.

Severus stretched out on their bed and said smugly with his hands behind his head, "I am the bastard of the dungeons. I favor my house over all the others. I generally hold all non-Slytherins in contempt and rule my classes with an iron fist and a sharp tongue. I've made many girls cry, and I am generally hated. But it's not me, Hermione. You know the real me.

"I think you are the only one who knows the real me," he said sadly.

Hermione slipped naked under the covers and snuggled to him. "Come here, you. Isn't it wonderful that in this room, you do not have to pretend? I love you and care about you deeply. I always have, even before I loved you," she admitted.

Severus stood to take off his clothes as she watched him, and pulled back the covers. He climbed in and nestled on top of her. "I had known it was you all those times I had those terrible dreams. You would hold my hand and speak soothingly to me. Hermione, no one has ever thought me special enough to have such caring." He kissed her tenderly on her face, her cheeks, eyes, nose and lips.

Hermione sighed in relaxation and spread her legs as she lay underneath him. "Come into me, Severus. I don't think I shall ever tire of you being inside me," she whispered.

He slowly made love to her. "I can't believe you are going to be my wife!" he said happily as he started to pick up the pace.

Hermione groaned as she kissed him passionately on the lips. "I already am, Severus."

He looked deeply into her eyes. The black pools of desire were there as he began to thrust earnestly into her. She had always wondered what would happen if she dove in and lost herself?

She gave in and let his gaze take over. She felt his eyes burning into her. "You're mine, Hermione," he said urgently. "All of you belongs to me, just as all I am is yours. You have the power to destroy me or raise me up. I don't care about my pride. You are everything!" he panted as he moved jerkily inside her.

She began to cry out softly as he started to bring her to orgasm. "I'll never tire of that! Tell me, love. Tell me you love me!" he pleaded.

She exploded as she screamed, "I – yes – oh, Severus! Don't stop, don't stop...I love you. Take me...I'm all yours. Oh, God!"

He looked happy and peaceful as he emptied into her. Later, he leaned over and smoothed her hair from her flushed face. "Do you think you would like to have children one day?" he asked timidly.

"Yes, one day, I would," she replied.

He lowered his face towards her, kissing her lightly as he continued to stroke her hair away from her face and said, "We can tell our children all about how we met, were friends, fell in love, and it will be a proper love story," he said longingly as he nuzzled her nose with his own.

Hermione looked at him. She could tell by the look on his face that he wanted so badly to erase the ugliness which he had been born into. He wanted to make a life with her.

Hermione smiled and closed her eyes. He was so happy...so content. She couldn't bear taking that away from him. It made her ill to think of ruining this moment. She knew Severus. He had to have thought obsessively about proposing before asking her. He had made everything so special for them. She didn't want to keep the truth of herself from him, but she just wanted some more time. She didn't want to think about tomorrow. It would be painful enough when he found out the truth.

***

Hermione kept her presence in the wizarding world low-key. She helped Severus with his Potions classes, grading papers, helping him brew potions for Madam Pomfrey. Severus was so happy; she didn't think she had ever seen him as happy as he had been during the past six months.

A lot of work at the Ministry also kept the Order humming along. Dumbledore was gone nearly every day as trial after trial came and went. Many were sent to Azkaban, yet the worst of the lot; the Lestrange brothers and Bellatrix Black Lestrange were still on the loose. No one knew where they were hiding, and until they were found, no one in the Order dared to come out of hiding.

Remus came one day to Hogwarts to see Hermione. She was shocked to see him. She could see the beginnings of the Professor Lupin she had met all those years ago. Severus wasn't happy to see him, and he sat in a corner and sulked during the whole visit.

"Hermione, we all missed you!" he said happily. "We had no way of knowing where you were or if you'd come back..."

"...I'm sorry, Remus. It needed to be this way," she said as she poured them tea. "I'm back, though, and will help the Order in whatever way I can," she promised.

"I have some questions, though," she asked tentatively. "Did Lily ever say anything about me?"

Remus sat back in his chair and blew out a breath as he glanced warily at Severus.

He looked at his cup of tea hard and furrowed his brow. "Everyone had something to say about you, Hermione. None of it was very good. Sirius, Lily and Peter had been the angriest. Lily had been so furious we couldn't even mention your name in her presence for the longest time. She had declared you were dead to her, and she was convinced that you had joined You-Know-Who to be with Severus."

Severus snorted from his corner of the room.

"Very mature, Severus," Hermione shot at him. "Honestly!"

"Well, what do you expect?" he spat. "Lily was never the forgiving type nor was she ever the understanding type either!"

Hermione pursed her lips. "Lily and I were close, Remus. We were quite close at one time. I can understand her reaction to my departure," she said quietly. "Tell me, though, Remus, was she happy with James?"

Remus looked at her questioningly. After a while of searching her face, he said, "Yes, Hermione. They married soon after leaving Hogwarts. They had never expected to conceive during a war, but these things sometimes cannot be helped."

He laughed and said, "What was really funny was the day before Lily found out she was pregnant, Alice and Frank had found out they were expecting. They were wrecks: Frank and James. You know, I think it had been the pregnancies that started to pull James and Sirius apart." His face grew sad after that.

He leaned and placed his arms on his knees. "You see, Sirius never got over losing Marlene. They had to wait so long before they could be together with her being a year behind, but when she came to Fenwick's where the Order was hiding in those days, there was a week where no one bothered them. They went off, and sometimes Sirius would resurface for food and wine and take it off with him. We all knew they were shagging like bunnies, but no one cared. We never knew how long we had left to really enjoy life.

"Then, after training, we all started going out there and fighting the Death Eaters. James and Lily had already faced You-Know-Who twice before and narrowly escaped. Marlene was spectacular. She went out there with Sirius, and the two of them were unstoppable! Then, word came that Marlene's mother was dying. It had been a trap, of course. They were all killed: Marlene, her parents, brother, and sister. It was terrible."

"What happened to Sirius?" she whispered.

Remus shrugged. "James, Peter, and I went and got him drunk...I mean, he was blotto for a fortnight. Then Moody took him in hand and said he was done mourning, and the best thing he could do was to avenge Marlene and kick ass. So, he did. He took lots of risks, too. James by then was so concerned about Lily, she was four months along and starting to show. So was Alice...there was a lot of fear, but Sirius would drag James to come out with him, and together they did a lot of damage. It was the two of them out there, just like old times, but James' wasn't into it anymore."

"It's hard to think that Sirius was really in league with You-Know-Who," Hermione said soberly.

Remus put down his teacup. "I don't care who says that. I won't believe it. I can't believe it. Something must have happened to make it look like Sirius betrayed James and Lily. I mean, Peter? Who'd want to kill Peter? He was just a sweet, scared kid half the time."

"But, James, did he ever talk about me?" she asked quietly.

Severus perked up from his corner and strode over to her. "Why would Potter want to talk about you?" he snarled.

"Easy, Severus," said Remus.

Hermione looked at Severus defiantly. "He showed me kindness at times, times where he would be the last person I would have ever thought would be nice to me. You know how I got to the Astronomy Tower the night Lily broke off your friendship? Well, it had been James who lent me his Invisibility Cloak."

Severus and Remus both gasped. "Really?" asked Remus with a grin. Severus growled low in his throat.

"Yes," she said stoutly. "James was a good person. Sure, he could be a prat at times, but he loved Lily, and he cared about your feelings, Severus Snape, when Lily couldn't have been arsed!"

Remus smiled. "James never thought the worst of you like the others. Neither did Mary MacDonald. They kept faith with you, Hermione, when there was no reason to. I did as well. I only wish they all could be here to see how wrong they had been."

He sat back in his chair again and said, "After Lily had Harry, she really changed. She was still silly and funny, but she let go of a lot. She actually started to talk about you, Severus, and the old days when the three of you were friends."

Hermione was becoming emotional. She didn't want to talk about Lily anymore.

***

When Remus left, she walked him out towards the Apparition line. He looked at Hermione oddly and said slowly, "Hermione, I probably shouldn't say this, but I think I should because Lily is gone now, and there is no other way for you to know how she felt at in the end." He stopped walking and turned to face her.

"She told me about the two of you. She told me everything. She felt a lot of guilt over the fact that the two of you never reconciled. I don't think she ever got there with Severus, but I think she'd want you to know that you were right. After Harry was born, she and James became closer than I had ever seen them before. She really fell in love with him. I just thought you should know that she didn't die hating you for rejecting her."

Hermione felt the tears prick her eyes. "Thank you, Remus. Thank you for understanding something so complicated. I loved Lily, I just didn't love her the way she had wanted me to," she said stiffly.

"It's okay, Hermione. And don't worry, I will never tell Severus, not that he wants to ever talk with me, anyway!" he said with a smile.

Hermione laughed as she embraced her friend good-bye.

***

"Hermione, wake up!" Severus hissed.

"What?" she answered groggily.

"They've been caught...the Lestranges!" he whispered as he dressed.

"All three of them?" she asked incredulously.

"Yes, and that's not all; Moody's got Barty Crouch's son in custody with them!"

Hermione jumped out of bed and hurriedly threw on jeans and a jumper. Things had certainly been going crazy these days. First Karkaroff had been found hiding in Eastern Europe, then Evan Rosier had been found and cornered by Moody...that had been bad. Rosier had taken a chunk off of Moody's nose before he had died. Hermione was slipping her feet into her trainers when the fireplace roared into green flames. Dumbledore's face came through.

"I apologize for the intrusion. Severus, you need to go to St. Mungo's immediately! Hermione, I want to see you in my office now."

Hermione looked at Severus. She then began to wrap her hair into a ponytail. "He sounds really angry," she said anxiously.

Severus didn't say a word, but went immediately out to Apparate to St. Mungo's. Hermione went to see Albus and wasn't even done closing the door before he started railing at her.

"How could you keep this from me?" he raged.

Hermione wasn't even fully awake yet. "What are you talking about?" she shouted back at him.

"The Longbottoms!" he shouted. "When Moody apprehended the Lestranges, they were already inside the Longbottoms' house. Frank and Alice had been tortured with the Cruciatus Curse. They might have been tortured into insanity! Why didn't you warn me?"

Hermione closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. "I told you, Albus, that I didn't know all the answers. I didn't know about the Longbottoms! I knew that Neville would be raised by his Grandmother, but I never knew the details behind it."

Dumbledore sank into his chair. His face was ashen. "So there is no hope for them?" he whispered. "Severus will not be able to save them?"

"I don't know!" Hermione shouted. "How many bloody times do I have to say I don't know? This is just so frustrating! I just want to scream!" she yelled.

"I am sorry, Hermione," Albus said sadly. "Obviously, this was a part of fate. Destiny has dictated this outcome. But, please, Hermione, is it over?"

"I hope so, Albus," she whispered. "I hope so."

***

Later that morning, the Order convened in Dumbledore's office awaiting news from Severus. He returned miserable and in shock. "I am sad to report that the Longbottoms' condition is permanent. There is nothing that can be done."

Moody, Minerva, Kingsley, and Albus sat in stunned silence. Finally Minerva spoke through her tears. "What will happen to Neville, Albus?" she asked shakily.

Albus sighed. "Neville has been taken in by Frank's mother, Augusta, and his Uncle Algie. He will be raised by them."

"Oh, Albus!" said Minerva distastefully. "Augusta Longbottom is a horrid woman. She will turn that little boy into a frightened child scared of his own shadow."

"It is what it must be, Minerva," Albus said resignedly. "We now must turn our attentions to other matters. The discovery of Bart Crouch's son as a Death Eater, partly responsible for the insanity of the Longbottoms, will destroy Crouch's career. There has been much talk over him replacing Millicent as Minister. The Ministry is bothering me yet again to take over as Minister of Magic."

"Will you take the position, Albus?" asked Moody gruffly.

"No. Nothing short of a major calamity will make me give up my position as Headmaster of Hogwarts...especially now. Whoever becomes Minister now will need the full support of powerful people behind him. As Chief Warlock, I must be prepared to be heavily involved politically and help find a suitable Minister if the public rallies for it."

"There is talk about Cornelius Fudge," said Kingsley.

"Well, he did, after all, handle that whole debacle after Sirius Black killed all those Muggles and Peter Pettigrew! What do you think, Albus?" Minerva asked.

Albus pondered the question and said, "Well, Cornelius is a politician, first and foremost. He will work very hard to make sure the wheels of normalcy run smoothly. I seem to recall an American I once knew years ago; he spoke of a time in his country called, 'The Era of Good Feelings.' I think that will be the sentiment the wizarding community would want from their Minister. If there are no serious objections to his ascension, then I will not stand in his way. Nevertheless, I still have my concerns. Besides, I have much faith in Millicent Bagnold."

"What are those concerns, headmaster?" Severus asked.

"Well," he said as he examined his fingernails. "Cornelius has always been a bit power hungry, and it concerns me that he will gloss over certain difficulties if they prove to be too hard to handle. And there will always be a situation that will be too difficult to handle in regards to diplomacy. Sometimes you have to get your hands dirty to sort out the good from the bad. Fudge doesn't seem the type to be keen on doing that," he said wryly.

Hermione kept silent. She knew for a fact that Cornelius Fudge would become the next Minister of Magic, but did not want to say anything.

***

Hermione was starting to grow restless. As the trials dragged on, the Daily Prophet was full of all the latest news on each of the trials. Hermione and Severus waited to see if he would be able to escape the clutches of Azkaban. They were thoroughly enjoying one another as if every minute counted. The closer they came to the end of the school year, Hermione found Severus was becoming increasingly amorous. There probably wasn't a private alcove inside the castle where he had not ravished her. He spoke more and more about marriage, but Hermione insisted they still had to wait out the political fallout, not to mention the fact Azkaban was still hanging over his head.

So, while they waited, news came out that Millicent Bagnold would keep her position as Minister of Magic, and things began to settle down. Fudge was still considered to be in line for Minister one day, but for now, he was content on working his way towards the post. Severus and Hermione waited as Albus conferred with the Wizengamot over whether Severus would have to stand trial.

It had been during the last month of term that Severus had been ordered to appear before the Wizengamot. Albus had insisted Hermione remain behind, which had frightened her, but when he returned that evening, she had held him at tightly as possible, sobbing uncontrollably. It was now over. There was nothing now to stop them from marrying. As wonderful as it seemed, it also pulled at Hermione's conscience. She would have to tell him the truth. Severus shocked Hermione with a surprise trip to the French Riviera for a vacation that summer. She was ecstatic. She had tried to find out how the research was going with the development of the Time-Turner before their departure, but with no answers. She wanted to know when she could have the choice too stay or return. It did not escape her notice that in less than a decade, little Hermione Granger would be coming to Hogwarts. Time was closing in on itself. Yes, a vacation would do her a world of good.