Chapter 7

Thank you all so much for the wonderful reviews. I really appreciate them. This story has been through a number of betas but is now mostly corrected by Lisa; she is doing an amazing job. Thanks also to the TPP ladies who work so hard to get these chapters validated.

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Hermione woke, feeling warm and comfortable. When she opened her eyes, she saw dark curtains. She wondered where she was as she scrambled to her knees. She peeked through the curtains and saw Severus stoking the fire across the room.

Oh! It wasn't a dream, she thought to herself. She really had found him. She felt her cheeks flame as she remembered falling asleep on his lap. How had he gotten her into his bed?

She slipped her legs over the edge of the bed and ran her fingers through her hair, trying to smooth it down a bit. She tugged the nightshirt into place before drawing back the curtains. Smiling, she called to him, "Good morning, Severus. Why did you give me your bed? I would have been perfectly comfortable on the sofa."

He'd stood up straight and turned toward her with a smile. "The sofa is hardly worthy of a lady. That wouldn’t have been very gentlemanly of me.”

"That's a new aspect of you," she said with a smile.

He turned away, feeling his ears heat up. He couldn't remember when he'd last been embarrassed.

Hermione smiled inwardly, delighted at the discoveries she was making. He looked quite handsome, even though his life had been hard here. He'd somehow relaxed—maybe because the stress he'd suffered at Voldemort's hands was gone. His face was no longer creased with anger. He looked years younger despite his injuries.

Hermione knew he was only about 42. He'd have to be if he was the same age as Harry's parents.

He turned, recovered, and asked, "Do you want some breakfast?"

"I'll go get dressed." She was a bit self-conscious about her bare feet and legs.

As if reading her mind, he teased, "Your feet are very becoming."

It was her turn to blush, and she realized she could easily care for this man. Astonishing herself, she realized she already did—and always had. No matter how hateful he had been, she'd always admired his brilliance and the sacrifices he’d made for the Order.

"Be careful," Hermione found herself saying. "You may find your silver tongue getting you into trouble."

The odd rattle came from his throat, and Hermione giggled with him.

"I would like some breakfast. What do you have?"

"Porridge and coffee," he said apologetically.

"That sounds good, Severus. I'll be right out."

She hurried to dress and joined him at the table. They ate in silence for a little while, and then Hermione asked him if, in his wanderings about the castle, he’d seen any clothing she might be able to use. “I have little money saved and need several changes of clothing if I’m going to stay here and not return home,” she explained.

"I haven't really searched the Slytherin dorms. I really didn't want to go there alone. There should be little damage down there, as the lower parts of the castle are less affected. You should be able to find something down there."

"Why have you avoided it?"

"I cared for a lot of those students. I was hard on them because I wanted them to be the best they could be. I think more of my students died on the day of the final battle than in any other house. And many are in Azkaban. They followed their parents, and many were Death Eaters." He spat bitterly, "Lives were ruined by that egomaniac. Brilliant minds were wasted."

Hermione went to him and put her hand on his shoulder. "I can go there alone if you don't want to come."

"No, I'm not letting you out of my sight," Severus said vehemently.

"Are you afraid I'll run away and leave you?" she asked, smiling.

"No. Well, maybe," he confessed.

"Severus, I will not leave you except to go to Hogsmeade to send the message and get supplies. I will come back. That's a promise. I'm in this for the long run. You just try getting rid of me."

Severus saw her honesty and believed her proclamation. He nodded, not trusting himself to speak.

The uncharacteristic emotions that had run rampant in him the last 16 or so hours surprised him. Yet, he had admitted to himself that his barriers had been down for months; his abilities to resurrect them seemed gone. This openness with Hermione was a gift to him. He never remembered feeling so vulnerable, yet content, in his life. He realized she was watching his face, and he shook the contemplativeness away.

"Let me get my cloak. I think I have one you can use as well. It's warmer than the Muggle jacket you had on. It's rather cold in the castle."

They pulled on cloaks and set off to forage in the dorms. When the door to Snape's rooms closed behind them, they felt the chill of the tomb and shivered from the cold and emptiness. Hermione hadn’t been able to see much the night before, another reason she'd come at night. Now the gray light filtered through, showing missing windows and roofs. Tears stung at her eyes.

Severus could feel her trembling and covered her hand with his own. "It takes some getting used to."

Snape led her down the hall, past the Potions classroom and into a corridor she'd never seen before. They went down a flight of stone stairs and came to a blank wall. Snape took out his wand and tapped the wall, and the stones slid away, revealing a doorway. Hermione slipped her arm through his for courage, and they stepped into the darkened common room.

"Lumos," Snape said. The tip of his wand shot light into the room and created a soft glow over the room. The common room was huge. There was some damage from falling stones from the ceiling, but for the most part, it seemed undisturbed. There were chairs by the fireplace with pillows and throws. There were game tables with chess games still in play.

Hermione released Severus's arm. "I can find the girls' dorm if you'd rather not see it."

"No, I will come. There may be a few snakes roaming the rooms. Slytherins kept them as pets. I've seen a few of them in other parts of the castle. They keep the rats down and don't seem to be in a hurry to leave here."

Hermione nodded, glancing around anxiously, and turned toward the stairs.

Hermione was struck by the riches of the bed trappings in the girls' dorm. Not only were the bed curtains the finest velvet, but they were trimmed with gold thread and designs. "It's beautiful," she said, touching one of the four-poster beds. The rich, red wood curled like a snake up into the velvet curtains. The headboards were intricately carved. Very few Slytherins were poor.

Severus said, "If you like, I could magically enlarge my quarters to make a room for you, and we could move one of these beds in for you."

She smiled. "I'd love that Severus, but let's wait a bit and see what we can do for you first."

Severus wondered privately if this meant she did not want to stay for a long period of time.

She saw the self-doubt and uncertainty in his eyes. She came and gave him a hug, holding onto him a little longer than was necessary. "I promised I would not leave you until you could go with me."

"Leave these walls?" he said. "This is my home."

"You can't stay here forever. We don't have to go to a city. We can find a small house in the country—a place we can walk in the sun. Severus, this is a tomb. Please at least think about it."