Chapter 29

A/N: Thanks to my betas, luvsev and WriterMerrin. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Severus and Hermione will have some time alone before they have to be separated.

***

19 September 1982 came around, and Severus claimed he didn't know if he should be celebrating Hermione's twenty-third birthday or her third.

"Don't be an arse!" she bit at him. The staff at Hogwarts had been let in on the situation of Hermione's real identity and where she had come from, and she decided to undergo a change for the new school year. She was going to be Jessica Irving, a past student, now assistant to Professor Snape and Headmaster Dumbledore.

"You will have to alter your appearance, Hermione," Dumbledore warned her.

"So, after all the hard work, I am to be put away?" she asked angrily as she stood in the middle of the headmaster's office.

"Well, I am sure Minerva would be more than pleased to hand off some of her Deputy Headmistress duties to you. You also can assist Professor Snape. You can even work towards an apprenticeship. Your skills need not deteriorate because we are waiting for you to return to your own time."

Hermione fiddled with the little whirling objects on his shelves. "No word from Horatius?" she asked hopefully.

"No," he replied. "I am sure it won't be long now."

Hermione sighed as she paced the room. "I don't want to leave, Albus...but I don't like languishing in a life that can't be fully mine! I want to be married, have babies. I want to do this right with Severus. I love him."

"I know, Hermione," he replied. "We'll just have to do the best we can."

***

The years passed, and 1984 came upon them. Severus and Hermione were still under the false relationship in public of professor and assistant. Jessica Irving kept herself low-key since Bill Weasley and Charlie Weasley were students at the time. It was so odd to see them as little boys. She had never met them before and had only seen them through pictures Ron had shown them after their trip to Egypt the day before she had arrived. She was glad they didn't know her. It made things so much easier that way.

She worked hard as Dumbledore's assistant and as Severus' partner in the lab. He had worked so hard at the De-Aging Potion that the preliminary tests on the nifflers and rats showed he was making great progress. Soon, he told her, he would have it perfected, and then when the Time-Turner was ready, she could leave.

In November of 1984, Horatius sent an urgent owl to Dumbledore in the middle of the night. The Time-Turner had been glowing and morphing at an incredible rate. The last few hours had been amazing to watch. Now, it had cooled down and was ready to be analyzed for its properties. For this, he wanted Dumbledore present when he checked it.

Severus and Hermione had been awakened as soon as Albus had received the owl and read it. At first, the couple stared at the headmaster in disbelief. Then after he left to go to the Ministry of Magic to meet Horatius there, Severus sat down on their bed and cried.

Hermione knelt in front of him and held his head, trying to comfort him as best she could.

"Nine years. Nine years before I can know you again, before I can have you with me." He looked up at her. "How will I live without you? How will I be able to be your teacher and not want to be with you, to kiss you, to make love to you?"

"Severus, you won't," she said flatly. "All you will see is a little girl, and you won't find that appealing. But one day, when I grow up and become a woman, I will return to you and come back to our bed where I belong."

Severus toyed with her engagement ring on her finger. "You will have to either leave it behind or hide it," he said sadly.

He grabbed her arms and said, "Come back to Spinner's End with me, just one more time. Make love to me, and stay with me there before you have to leave," he whispered.

"You've always wanted to shag me in that bed!" she said as she laughed.

He groaned as he spread her legs, forcing her to straddle him. She felt his hardness against her inner thigh. Their coupling was hard and fast. They slept soundly and in the morning received the news that Hermione had waited to hear for more than a decade.

***

Horatius told Dumbledore the Time-Tuner was finished. It had modified itself to take Hermione into the future. It was an amazing piece of magic, and of course, he could not find the words to explain why magic had found a way.

Hermione would never forget the day that everything was set for her return. It was 30 November 1984. She and Severus had a quiet dinner together and spent most of the night making love and talking about their plans. Severus leaned over Hermione as she lay supine on their bed. He stroked her body as slowly as he could, as if he were trying to imprint her body onto his memory forever.

"I want us to have a Christmas together at Spinner's End. Dumbledore said he would lend me a couple of house-elves to clean and prepare the house to be habitable. We'll get a tree and presents. We can go out dancing and celebrate New Year's. Then afterward, we will return and prepare the potion and..." He stopped talking.

"I would love to spend Christmas with you, Severus." Hermione whispered.

Severus stroked back her hair and kissed her softly on her lips. "I want to make it very special. I want it to sustain me for the next six years before I see your sweet face again," he whispered.

"Me too," she replied.

***

Spinner's End from the outside looked gloomy and dilapidated, as always, yet the inside practically shone from the deep cleaning the house-elves had done. Severus watched her as she went around looking at the rooms. Hermione, sensing he was trailing her a few steps behind, smiled, knowing he wanted to see her reactions to the old, familiar rooms.

She went to open the door to her old bedroom, the room she had stayed in for three summers, and looked at the bed where Severus had first declared his feelings for her. She went and touched the crisp white sheets on the bed and closed her eyes, remembering how the sheets felt against her skin when Severus had climbed in with her, pleading for a kiss.

She felt Severus wrap his arms around her waist and burrow his head in her neck. She felt her nipples harden as a shiver of anticipation rose up inside her. She turned to face him, and they kissed. Soon they were in that bed, just big enough to make love in, and Hermione felt herself melting in desire as she watched the man she loved worship every inch of her body.

"I had asked you for a kiss, Hermione, and you refused me then," he murmured in her ear.

She cupped his face in her hands and said, "Now you can do that and much more," she replied softly as she pulled him in for a kiss.

Soon, he was slowly edging inside her; she was so wet she could scarcely feel herself around him. As he moved, she grew frustrated.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I'm so open, I've never been so randy before; there isn't any friction for me!" she complained.

"Believe me, it'll be fine," he whispered as he found her nub and spread her wetness around it. Soon, she was tensing and gasping; her orgasm was coming fast. As she came, he pushed himself inside her and furiously slammed into her over and over again. As soon as she recovered from her first orgasm, Severus was bringing her towards her second. She was clenching and unclenching around him as she began to chant his name.

"Yes!" he shouted as he came inside her.

Still, he continued to please her until he was soft inside her body. Hermione ran her hand down the back of his head, feeling his hair under her hands. He lay on top of her, and they snoozed for a while before getting up to enjoy some cocoa and discover what other surprises lay in store for them by the house-elves.

***

The kitchen larder was bursting with the most delectable food. Meat pies, puddings, various cakes and cheeses filled up all the spaces, which had always been bare. Then there was a Christmas goose and turkey. Hermione's mouth salivated over the sauces that filled up the room. They would want for nothing. The elves had done well.

However, by far the most impressive item was the Christmas tree that the elves had brought over and decorated. There were fairy lights and tiny, white candles waiting to be lit on Christmas Eve. The sitting room had been dusted, and the book-lined walls gleamed in their polished leather. The old, rickety furniture had been charmed and expanded to accommodate a cozy environment. Severus had been most impressed with the fireplace which he claimed hadn't been cleaned since 1945.

Hermione laughed as she watched her Scrooge frown and scowl his way through all the finery and luxury.

"This is not my house!" he declared. "It's been magicked to death, and it is far too sentimental. No one experiences the holidays like this," he sneered.

Hermione smiled brightly as she set herself upon one of the comfy chintz sofa chairs. She tucked her feet underneath her and said, "I love it! It reminds me of my favorite book when I was a little girl."

Severus shot her a pained look.

Hermione reached out her arms and silently beckoned him to her. They easily fit into the oversized chair, and she cozied up to him.

"I seem to recall that you wanted this to be a Christmas to remember always, something that you could hold onto and recall while we are apart," she reminded him softly.

His scowl fell from his face, and he turned to her and said, "I could never give you this. These are things only the Malfoys could do. It seems like torture to enjoy something that could never be a reality."

Hermione laid her head on his shoulder. "This Christmas is about us, my darling. It doesn't matter what we have or don't. I don't care. You are all I am thinking of and wanting. Let's enjoy the beautiful gift of these things and let me tell you about my book."

Severus gave a snort. "Books. You always had your nose stuck in book," he said teasingly.

Hermione batted her eyes. "Why, Severus! I never knew you noticed."

He looked at her with smoldering eyes as he captured a curl between his fingers. "I noticed. I may not have seen you as I do now, but I always noticed you, Hermione," he whispered.

"When did you really see me for the first time?" she whispered.

"The night you came and comforted me after Lily left me. You held me as I cried, and you never chided me or made me feel stupid for being weak."

"You weren't weak!" she fairly shouted. "You were in extreme emotional distress!"

Severus smiled and kissed her lips tenderly. "I loved how you held me, making me feel so safe and cared for. I thought, 'She really is a wonderful person.' And I love you now, for getting angry for how I was treated."

He pulled her into his lap and said, "Then you came here and worked on my mother's vegetable garden. You were hot and laid in the sun. I remember standing over you, watching you rest there. I looked at the freckles on your nose and could see where the sweat on your chest made your shirt stick to your breasts. I knew I wanted you, not just for a time, but for always. Still I had to get Lily completely out of my system. You came and followed me there to where I was sitting watching her house. You silently sat with me, like a fellow comrade. You never said a word, and that gesture spoke volumes. You fell asleep, and I watched you. I wanted to make love to you then," he said shyly.

Hermione finished for him. "Instead, you stole away into my room, begging for a kiss."

"I wanted more than kisses, Hermione, but I didn't want to rush anything. You were so good and kind. I wanted to cherish what was unfolding in front of us."

Hermione felt her breath growing shallow. "If we don't stop, we'll be shagging in front of the fireplace. Then you'll really feel like a cliché," she said saucily.

He gathered her into his arms and laid her down on the rug in front of the fire. "I don't think I would mind, just this once," he said huskily as he began to kiss her throat, hovering over her.

***

Christmas Eve came far too quickly. The days had been full of happiness, snowball fights, dragging out the old wooden washtub and washing up in the melted snow, cleaned and heated. There had been nothing more intimate to Hermione than washing Severus hair and then having him wash hers.

"Do you think you will ever put in indoor plumbing?" she asked.

"No," he said as he poured water over her soapy hair. "At least not unless you want to live here with me. But, why would you?' he said dryly.

She leaned back her head, looking at him upside down. "Kiss me," she ordered.

He kissed her and ran his hands down her throat to grasp her soapy breasts peeking out of the water. Hermione squealed. He laughed heartily then.

Later, after they had a lovely Christmas Eve dinner, Severus lounged on the couch, watching Hermione in her fluffy white robe and wet curls light the candles on the tree.

"Are you sure you don't want to participate?" she asked him. "You're staring at me. Am I doing it wrong?"

She looked over at him as he chuckled. "No, he said as he adjusted his pose to lie more comfortably on the couch. "I love watching you like this. I can imagine a decade or two from now, you and our little ones doing this every Christmas."

She smiled and lit the next candle.

"You want this life? Me, marriage, babies?" she asked. "I thought you didn't believe a life like this could be possible for you?"

"Of course!" he said in irritation. "If it weren't for the fact that you happen to not belong in this timeline, we'd have been married and most likely you would be pregnant with my child," he snapped.

Hermione flickered her eyes towards him as she lit another candle. "How many babies do you want with me? she asked.

"Ten," he said in a serious tone.

Hermione gasped. "I will not give birth to ten children, thank you very much!"

Severus laughed raucously. Hermione smiled in spite of herself. "So seriously," she said as she lit the last candle. "How many babies?"

"Come here," he asked softly.

She slowly made her way towards him, and he bit his lower lip as he reached to slide his hand up the back of her calf and reached to her thigh. Hermione closed her eyes and moaned in approval. He pulled her to him and made her sit on his lap.

"I want," he said languorously, "just to make a life with you. I want to have as many children as pleases us, and I want to make you never regret you chose me to be your husband."

Hermione put her arms around his neck and kissed him gently. "Always want me, Severus. Never stop wanting me to be the one at your side," she whispered as she kissed him slowly.

They savored and held on to each other, watching the lights flicker on the lovely tree. After Hermione had drifted to sleep on his chest, Severus picked up his wand and, with a flick, blew out all the candles. Hermione in her sleep snuggled close and nuzzled Severus as her hair decorated his chest.

***

The morning came and woke them; the light shining off of the snow forced them awake. Hermione squealed as she jumped off Severus, diving into the presents under the tree. Severus looked at her and shook his head.

"I need coffee," he said.

Hermione waited patiently until he returned. He sat on the couch and nursed his coffee watching his fiancée tear into her present from him.

"Hogwarts, a History?" she said, laughing, as she looked at him.

"You love that book. I want you to have that and know it was from me each time you recite to Mr. Harry Potter and Mr. Neville Longbottom from it," he said as he rolled his eyes.

"Actually, it's Harry and Ron," she said offhandedly. Then she clamped her hand over her mouth. "I shouldn't have said that!" she said, upset with herself.

"If I had a knut for every time I heard Hagrid say those very words," he muttered as he swallowed the dregs of his coffee.

Hermione laughed. "That's right, Hagrid does say that a lot," she said.

"So, who is 'Ron'"? he asked as he set his cup down on the table.

"Well," she said as she played with the book's binding. "His name is Ronald Weasley, the youngest son of Arthur and Molly Weasley."

"Ah," he said in recognition. "Yes, he's about two years old or so. I recall Minerva mentioning another couple of Weasleys in that damn book of hers."

Hermione wanted desperately to change the conversation. She took out her present, sat down on the couch next to him and gave it over.

"What did you get me?" he asked suspiciously.

"Open it!" she urged him.

He carefully opened it, and when he saw what it was, his eyes watered at the sight. "It's beautiful," he whispered.

He took it out of its box and read the inscription. "Love does not know time."

"Put it on, Severus...or do you want me to?" she asked.

"You do it," he said strangely, as if there was a lump in his throat.

Hermione took the wide golden band and slipped it over the finger of his left hand. She kissed it after she had put it into place and looked up into his eyes. "Never forget me, and never doubt my love," she said as she leaned in to kiss him.

"I don't know what to say," he whispered. "It's perfect. How is it that you are so perfect?" he asked as he searched her face.

Hermione blushed. "I'm not perfect, Severus. It's just that I'm perfect for you, just like you are perfect for me," she whispered softly as she toyed with her robe.

***

"Okay, Severus. I went to the record store and got some stacks of wax for us to dance to before we go out into public again!" she said cheerily one day as she blew in from the outside.

Hermione and Severus had decided to go bring 1985 in with a bang, so to prepare, she went and told Severus to pull out the record player and they were going to practice dancing.

They had a grand time, dancing and laughing to the all the popular Muggle songs. Then Hermione pulled out an Elton John record.

"He's a wizard!" exclaimed Severus.

"What?" said Hermione. "If he's a wizard, then why haven't I heard about it?"

Severus pulled out his best sneer. "It's not my fault that your education is lacking,"

Hermione smacked him. "You are terrible; you really had me going for a second. Now where have you heard Elton John before?"

"Please, Hermione, I am a half-blood. I remember listening to 'Your Song', 'Tiny Dancer,' and 'Rocket Man' when I was a boy, before you came along in the early seventies. So what is this one?" he asked as he picked up the jacket.

"All the clerk said was that it was a huge hit this year. I think he thought I was a bit barmy for not knowing what it was!" she said as she began to laugh.

She put it on the turntable and the music began to play.

Don't wish it away

They call it the blues.

Hermione and Severus stood there just listening and not moving a muscle as the lyrics drove straight into their hearts. When it was over, Severus reached out for her and held her to him as she cried.

***

They were determined to have a good time for New Year's. After all, the following day, the second, they were returning to Hogwarts. Hermione would take the potion, and Horatius would guide her in working the modified Time-Turner. For Hermione, it would be only a blink of an eye, and she would be right back where she had originated. For Severus, though, it would be a grueling and lonely five and a half years before he would see her again. Then another two years before they could be together.

They Apparated to London and danced through the fast and happy songs and cried and held on to each other though the sad ones. One song touched Hermione deeply, more than the others that night. It was a haunting song that made her want to suspend time and stay in that moment forever.

Its so hard to get old without a cause

Do you really want to live forever, forever and ever

It really hit her then at that moment, dancing in Severus' strong arms, just how much she was losing. He would suffer her absence, but she would lose his youth. When she saw him again she would be thirteen, and he would be thirty-three. It wasn't so terrible; he wouldn't be old, yet he would have lived years without her. Would he forget? Would time make the passion and desire fade? She remembered what Horatius said, "Love knows no time," and held on tighter to him. She would hold him to her as tightly as she could until she could no longer...

When the clock struck twelve, they kissed. Hermione put all of her love into her kiss, hoping Severus would know just how much she loved him and would never want anyone else, ever...no matter what the future brought their way.

***

A/N: Song #1 - I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues. Music by Elton John and Davey Johnstone. Lyrics by Bernie Taupin.

Song #2 - Forever Young by Alphaville