XXV

AN: Huge thanks to Keladry and Sun for their awesome betaing skills as well as their patience.

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Hermione woke up in bed the next morning with a hairy arm wrapped around her. She blinked for a moment, confused and not sure why she was confused until she remembered that she'd fallen asleep on the couch. Alone.

She shifted a little and the arm tightened reflexively. She turned to look at the man beside her just in time to see him opening his eyes to squint at her.

"Good morning," she said.

"Mmm, is it?" he croaked.

She was about to say that it was obviously morning, but he took that moment to stretch, pushing his hands against the headboard as he reached out tautly.

She was shocked at how decidedly attractive he looked.

As he relaxed, draping his arm over her again, he quirked a half-smile and looked at her expectantly.

"What?"

"I'm awaiting your answer."

"Excuse me?"

He sighed in what she hoped was mock exasperation. "Is it a good morning?"

She smiled at him bemusedly until he narrowed his eyes in impatience.

"I'm sorry, darling, but I just woke up. My mind isn't quite up to par yet. What are we talking about?"

She was surprised how much his mien changed at the word 'darling,' as his glare faded into a soft smile. It didn't make him any less infuriating, though.

"It's a simple question, my dear. Is it a good morning?"

"When I said it, it seemed to be, although I must admit that 'good' isn't what I'm feeling at the moment."

"Oh?" he asked, moving his hand slightly so it rubbed against the side of her breast. "And what are you feeling?" he purred.

She didn't bother to repress her huff of frustration.

"Why did you ask me whether it was a good morning, Severus? Did you have a purpose behind the question, or are you just trying to start the Hermione-baiting early?"

He smiled fully and leaned in to kiss her cheek. It did nothing to soften her mood, only confirming her suspicion that he was purposely riling her up.

"Ah, finally the correct question. I asked for three reasons, my dear."

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath in to keep her frustration from exhibiting itself. Of course he had been waiting for the proper question. Of course he would tease her mercilessly. Of course his mind would be up to speed before hers. It all made perfect sense – he was still a bastard, after all.

"First, I asked because often people say it is a good morning, afternoon or evening just to be polite. It is a minor fiction and a necessary one for the most part, but I would prefer you not perpetrate even such a minor falsehood on me."

Hermione's eyes popped open in indignation, but before she could open her mouth to object, he placed a finger on her lips and said forcefully, "Second, in the recent past you have had mixed reactions to my coming into your room without your express permission, and it may have been a gross miscalculation of mine to assume that your invitation to come by last night meant it was alright to join you in bed, especially when you weren't even in the bed in question.

"Which brings me to the third point. I have reason to doubt that it may be a good morning for you." He removed his finger from her lips, which were in no danger of venting at the moment, and cupped her cheek.

"When I came by last night, I found you curled up on the couch looking like you had cried yourself to sleep. I was concerned."

Any anger that had remained melted away. Hermione's breath caught at her conflicting emotions. She was overwhelmed with the care and love Severus offered, but also with the grief she'd felt last night. Tears forced their way to her eyes, and she blinked hastily.

"Oh, Severus," she sniffed and hid her face in his chest. His arms came around her, gently holding her as she quietly cried. It felt good.

It didn't take long for her emotions to settle, but she kept her head hidden as she asked, "I'm assuming you saw the letter?"

"I should be outraged that you think I'd pry into your private correspondences," he replied in a dry tone while stroking her hair.

"I'll take that as a yes, then," she said, earning her an amused snort.

"As I said, I was concerned."

She hugged him briefly and then glanced up at him. He was looking at her with disconcertingly soft eyes, though they seemed rather sad at the moment.

She smiled at him reassuringly. "Your concern is appreciated. And I must say, last night, all I wanted was to be held by you, even if that is terribly selfish."

He looked at her intensely for a long moment and then raised his head to kiss her. The kiss was awkward until he rolled them over, his body heavy on hers. She groaned as he smoothed one hand down her torso, feeling her pulse speed up.

"Severus, as good as this feels," she gasped as his fingers found a very pleasurable spot indeed, "I don't think I could stand to be late to class again."

He didn't stop, though. In fact, she could feel him smirking as he kissed her neck.

"We have plenty of time."

She wanted to shake her head in denial, but was too busy shuddering as he sucked on her nipple.

"Ah, god, that's good! But... but..."

"I assure you, Hermione," he breathed as he moved back up her body, "you won't be late today."

"What makes today so very different from yesterday?"

"Today..." he said, smirking down at her as he positioned himself between her legs, "I don't have to make amends."

As pleasure took over, one corner of her mind noted that he was being careful he wouldn't have anything to apologize for afterward, either.

XXX

The week slipped by in a rather pleasant manner. Classes caught her interest again, especially her extracurricular classes with Professor Dumbledore, and she found her thirst for knowledge was finally returning.

The time spent with Severus, however, was the highlight of each day. They spent each morning together, most often from having spent the night together, and continued to exit the Great Hall every evening, arm in arm.

The student population had stopped noticing or whispering, and, except for the occasional wary glance from first year Hufflepuffs, everyone now seemed content to just accept them as another strange fact of Hogwarts life.

The only downside was the decidedly cold looks she and Severus garnered from Professor Vector, but Hermione found it rather easy to ignore them, knowing Professor Vector wasn't worth the energy.

She and Severus were both looking forward to Saturday morning, where they could laze in each other's company without any outside schedule to consider. They had made plans to have a nice relaxing lie in, then bathe, take a nap and, after lunch, maybe go into the Forbidden Forest for some potions ingredients Severus wanted. Unfortunately, it wasn't until Friday afternoon that Hermione realized she did have a commitment to consider.

She bit her lip as she walked up to the Slytherin table at dinner, hoping Teddy would be amenable to a slight delay. She and Severus could put off the majority of their activities until Sunday, but he had rounds Sunday morning, so Saturday was their only chance for a lie-in together.

Most of the Slytherins eyed her impassively as she approached Teddy, though Draco and Pansy immediately got up and moved to the other end of the table. Hermione smiled apologetically at Teddy and Blaise for interrupting their conversation.

"Hi, Teddy, Zabini," she said, acknowledging Blaise, who nodded back before politely turning his attention to his plate. "Teddy, I was wondering if we could start our study session a little later than normal tomorrow?"

Teddy kept the polite smile on his face, but something about it looked off. He certainly didn't look as friendly as she was used to.

"Why am I not surprised? I'm not the only one who's noticed you and the professor have given up on breakfast lately."

Hermione stared at Teddy, hurt at his snide tone. "Yes, well... Severus and I have taken to having our morning tea together. Our schedules don't allow much private time together, after all."

Teddy's smile wavered, but when it came back, it was apologetic. "Of course. Spending time with your husband would be paramount, wouldn't it?"

"Well, until NEWTs get closer, it is, yes," she joked.

Teddy smiled fully. "Yes. NEWTs take precedence over everything, though."

"Except possibly breathing."

"Yeah, it would be difficult to achieve optimum results without the occasional breath or two."

Hermione giggled, and Teddy relaxed into a true smile.

"So can we delay until lunchtime, please?" Hermione asked hopefully.

Teddy sighed as if in resignation. "I guess I just have to accept that I'm not the most important man in your life." He grinned. "After lunch it is."

"Thank you!" Hermione said, giving him a quick hug. "I'm looking forward to it!"

Teddy smiled but looked uncomfortable. Hermione realized the whole table was looking at them, though their eyes were flickering up to the head table where Severus sat. She rolled her eyes, but looked up to acknowledge Severus with a smile. He raised his eyebrow questioningly but otherwise didn't seem perturbed in the least. She knew him well enough to know he probably wouldn't show it if he were upset.

She shrugged and turned back to the table of Slytherins, who were trying to figure out what had just been communicated. She smiled at them, then at Teddy, who still looked uncomfortable, and finally said goodbye.

When she got back to the Gryffindor table, Harry and Ginny gave her a curious look, but before they could say anything, Seamus asked, "What was all that about?"

Hermione smiled ruefully. "There are some things I will not miss about life in a bottle."

"Eh?" Seamus asked, playing dumb. "What bottle?"

She rolled her eyes, but laughed as he winked playfully.

"Careful, Seamus," Ginny warned, "Professor Snape is watching you."

Seamus immediately straightened in his seat, distancing himself from Hermione. Harry, Ginny and Hermione all laughed, though Hermione quickly glanced over her shoulder to see if Severus was looking. As he appeared to be in deep conversation with Flitwick, she knew they'd just been giving Seamus the mickey. When she looked back, they were giving her amused looks as well, and she knew Seamus wasn't alone.

She grinned back and filled her plate.

XXX

Hermione swore that Severus had planned his arrival to coincide precisely with her swallowing the last bite of dinner and not a second later.

"Finished?" he asked, looming over her shoulder.

She nodded as she took one final sip of her pumpkin juice. She then gathered her bookbag and took his outstretched hand, smiling when his fingers wrapped around hers. His face didn't react at all, it never did, but his thumb brushed over the top of her hand in a gentle caress.

In keeping with their pattern, they left the Great Hall without saying anything. Once they were out of hearing range, though, Severus asked, "Your display with Mr. Nott tonight was quite the spectacle."

Hermione snorted. "Yes. Friendly hugs are so very scandalous."

"Some people might not interpret it as just a friendly hug."

"Some people can go bugger themselves for all I care."

"Such language, Ms. Granger," Severus said tonelessly.

Hermione stopped and looked up at Severus to gauge his mood. "Severus, let me say first that if you are included in those people you're speculating about, jealousy is not attractive. Not to me, anyway. It's an insult to my character and, in this case, my intelligence. And second, if you want to know what Teddy and I were talking about, just ask, would you?"

Severus snorted. "No, you needn't repeat that particular lecture, my dear. But you do take all the fun out of conversing with these demands for plain-speak."

Hermione chuckled. "Yes, well, what do you expect from a Gryffindor?"

He smirked and raised her hand to his lips. "Much less than what you provide."

Hermione blushed despite herself. "Yes, well..." she stammered, flustered at such a blatant compliment.

"Erm, as for your non-question, I had forgotten that Teddy and I have a study session scheduled for tomorrow morning, and I wanted to see if he would be willing to postpone it till after lunch. Speaking of which, could we postpone the harvesting till Sunday after your rounds?"

Severus smirked and kissed her hand again. "Since keeping you all to myself might be regarded as an act of jealousy, I have no objections."

"You're most kind, sir," Hermione responded dryly.

His lips rose in a shockingly good imitation of Lucius Malfoy's haughtiest smile. "I know."

The resemblance was a little too canny for her, and she slapped him lightly on the arm, saying, "Stop it or I'll have nightmares again."

It was supposed to have been a joke, but Severus dropped the act so quickly, she knew he'd taken her seriously.

"Well, we can't have that," he said gravely. "Those are even worse for our sex life than your headaches."

She smacked his arm playfully again, and they resumed walking, heading, as usual, for her room. It wasn't until they were in her corridor that she realized they had been spending all of their spare time in her quarters. That struck her as rather unfair.

"Severus, is there a reason why we're spending all our free time in my rooms?"

He gave her an odd look. "I... I am not an exhibitionist by nature, Hermione."

Surprised laughter burbled out of Hermione before she could stop it, and soon she found herself leaning against the corridor wall, trying to catch her breath.

"I'm... I'm sorry, Sev'rus," she laughed as she caught sight of his stony face. Taking a few deep breaths, she regained enough control to add, "I'm not laughing at you, I promise. It's just that was the furthest thing from my mind. You surprised me."

The stony look didn't budge, and her urge to laugh died. She took his hand in hers, and though he didn't pull away, he also did not cooperate.

Deciding that privacy was the best option, even if he did react violently, she pulled him along to her room. She felt his hesitation when she crossed the threshold, but another gentle tug from her brought him in.

She closed the door behind her, never looking away from Severus, afraid that if she lost sight of him, he'd either disappear through the Floo or change into Mr. Hyde. Neither was a particularly productive option.

"Severus," she said as soon as she heard the door snick shut, "I'm sorry if I offended you by laughing. I swear I was laughing at the dichotomy of our thought processes, not at you."

His expression didn't thaw, though he raised one eyebrow.

"I was thinking of how we've only been using my rooms since we've become intimate and how that isn't necessarily fair to you, as your rooms are your home, although I could see that maybe you don't want to bring me there either for fear that the rooms hold bad memories of me or just because they're your rooms and you don't really want me invading your space because I do know you're a private man, and I swear the thought of exhibitionism never entered my head although I can't say that I wasn't thinking about us being together, being intimate that is, because of course I was thinking about that because it's always close to the top of my mind when we're alone together and..."

"Stop!" Severus said with a chuckle, raising his hands in defeat. "I give up!"

Hermione bit her lip to keep any more words coming out, though it looked as though the effort stained her cheeks red.

"Sorry," she mumbled. "Nervous habit."

Severus laughed outright at that and stepped forward, wrapping his arms around her. "I know, my dear. I know. But you really must learn to breathe when babbling."

She snorted good-naturedly and leaned forward to rest her head against his chest.

"You're not angry?"

"It's disturbingly difficult to be angry at you when you're being so defensive."

"Disturbingly?"

"Yes. I rather thought I was immune to all things cute."

"You're saying I'm cute when I'm defensive?"

"Like a puppy."

Hermione smiled into his chest, deciding to have a little fun. "Are you calling me a bitch?"

He tensed, and she could almost hear his mind working. She looked up and was rewarded with the sight of Severus looking truly flustered.

She took pity on him and chuckled. "Well, you're cute when you're flustered."

He took a step back, looking affronted. "Madam! You are perilously close to using forbidden words!"

She caught the glint in his eyes and took a risk. "Like 'sweet'? 'Nice'? 'Charming'? 'Sennnnsssssssitive'?"

He growled and advanced on her. Her stomach clenched in fear as she realized she'd lost on her gamble. She backed away from him, but he was too quick. With one lunge, he grabbed her, picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder.

"You leave me no choice but to show you how ill-suited those words are, wench," he said, tickling her bum with his free hand.

Hermione released her breath in a peal of relieved laughter at his playfulness. He continued tickling her, stopping only to toss her onto the bed, and even then, it was only a momentary break before he was kneeling over her, his hands finding all her ticklish spots.

"Mercy! Mercy!"

He stopped tickling her, but his grin was positively feral.

"And why should I give you mercy after such an affront to my character?"

Still panting, Hermione smiled up at him mischievously. "Because you're too nice to torture me like this?"

The only warning he gave her was the broadening of his grin. Her resultant shriek of laughter wasn't quite loud enough to pierce the innate Silencing Spells, but it was close.

XXX

As Hermione walked down the stairs to the library the next afternoon, she realized she was grinning absently at everyone and everything. And she didn't care. She was feeling good, and it wouldn't bother her at all if everyone in the entire world knew it.

She was refraining from singing from the rooftops only because she knew that she'd lose points for breaking perfectly sensible rules. Well, that and she didn't want to inflict her voice upon any would-be listeners.

But even without singing, she was fully able to convey her newfound happiness. Only the weight of her bookbag was hindering her from a full-out skipping spree, but even so, there was a definite bounce to her step.

When she saw Teddy sitting at their table, books already open before him, she was overcome with a contented glow. Life was good indeed.

"May I join you?" she asked with a smile as she sat down across from him.

Teddy looked up and instantly mirrored back all her good humor. "I saved that space especially for you, my lady."

She beamed at him. "Thank you. I'm honored you didn't just give up on me and coerce the nearest Ravenclaw over."

Teddy dropped his smile, looking affronted. "I would never do that!" Hermione quirked her head, not sure what to say when he continued: "Why coerce when flattery works so much better?"

Hermione laughed in relief and nodded.

"Yes, flattery does work rather well, especially on us swots."

"Speaking of which, you're looking particularly nice today, my lady."

She snorted and rolled her eyes. "There's no need to flatter me, silly. I'm already here!"

"I'm not flattering you, just stating the truth."

Hermione blushed, despite herself. "Fact or fiction, you'd better stop it. If anyone overheard you, they might think you were trying to seduce me or something."

"Oh, everyone is already convinced I'm madly in love with you, so there wouldn't be anything fresh to report."

"Yes, well, not everyone believes that rot. Besides, it makes me uncomfortable." She smiled broadly to try and make a joke out of the truth. "I fear I can only handle one seductive Slytherin at a time."

Teddy's brows rose. He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again with a bemused expression.

Hermione watched with amusement.

"Yes, it may be hard to believe, but Severus is quite seductive when he wants to be. And lately..." She looked at her wedding ring, smiling contentedly.

When she looked up, she found Teddy watching her with shrewd expression. His grin was still in place, but it looked different, strained. It looked like his expression from the night before.

Hermione sighed. "Sorry. I know the thought of Severus and sex is an odd and repulsive one to most."

Teddy straightened in his seat and blinked. His posture was still stiff, but his face relaxed into his former genial mien. "I'm just surprised you mentioned it, that's all. You've been rather mum about your relationship, up till now..."

"Ah. Yes, well..." Hermione shrugged, barely repressing a brilliant smile. "I guess I'm finally getting used to being in a relationship again. It also helps not being quite so intimidated by him, you know. There are still some things I'm never going to talk about because they are private, but now that I'm getting to know Severus a bit better, I can better sense where his and our boundaries are and, well..." Hermione stopped and bit her lip, realizing she was starting to babble defensively again.

"Erm, Transfiguration first?"

Teddy nodded slowly, then turned his attention to the pile of books at his side. Hermione released her lip to smile fondly at him, then dug into her bag for her book.

XXX

"Question."

Hermione marked her place and looked up at Teddy. "Yes?"

"These..." he looked down at his textbook, "compact discs. Professor Burbage showed us one in class, and I don't understand how it works. How can Muggles store music in there without magic?"

Hermione grimaced. "Erm, I'm actually not that clear on the process. I know that information, whether it's music or data, is recorded on the discs by burning it on, but honestly, it's a bit mysterious to me as well. All laser technology is a bit beyond my scope of Muggle knowledge."

"Laser technology? You mean those red light pointers?" Teddy asked, looking very confused.

Hermione grinned and was about to explain that there was a bit more to lasers than making pointers when she felt a tap on her shoulder. Turning, she found Harry and Ginny grinning at her and Teddy.

"What class deals with lasers?" Harry asked curiously.

"Muggle studies, of course. Although it sounds like they aren't covering the full scope of the subject."

"Have they shown Star Wars?" Harry asked Teddy.

Teddy just looked back at Harry blankly until Hermione pointed out, again, that Muggle technology didn't work at Hogwarts. "Honestly, Harry, how many times do I have to tell you to read Hogwarts: A History?"

He beamed down at her and gave her shoulders a friendly squeeze. "Why should I when I have you here?"

She tried to scowl at him, but her lips kept twitching. She finally settled on patting his hand fondly.

Ginny took advantage of the quiet moment to stick out a roll of parchment, saying, "By the way, we are officially here as messengers. Your husband bade us give this to you."

Hermione raised her brows at the odd language and Ginny giggled.

"No, he did not say that, but his tone was so... arch that I thought I ought to pass along the tone as well as the note."

"He probably wanted to make sure no one mistook him for a student passing notes," Harry joked.

Everyone snorted, though Hermione felt guilty laughing at Severus' expense. Shaking her head, she took the note. Opening it, she read:

Dear Hermione,

I just received news from a contact that one of my potions ingredients sources has received a shipment of Abernathian Horehound spleen. As you should know by now, this is an incredibly rare ingredient, and every potion master in Europe will be clamoring for the stock. Therefore, I must leave now to ensure I get my share. I will probably not be back for dinner.

I would say that I will be thinking of you while I'm gone, but as Abernathian Horehound spleen is absolutely foul smelling stuff, I think you might agree it would be best if you're absent from my mind till I've bottled it properly.

Yours,

Severus

Hermione smiled wryly, but shrugged off any disappointment she felt. Not having Severus around meant more time to study, guilt and distraction free.

She looked up to find all three of her friends looking at her expectantly. She looked back just as expectantly.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "So? Is he taking you to some swanky restaurant for dinner?"

"Or has he buggered off and left you with just a note?" Harry added, not quite jokingly.

It was Hermione's turn to roll her eyes. "Neither. He's gone out to get a rare ingredient and won't be back for supper. That's all."

Harry feigned disappointment for all of two seconds before saying, "Speaking of dinner, want to walk with us?" Hermione and Teddy both nodded. "We should go; they'll be serving any minute now."

Ginny eyed Harry warily. "You aren't channeling Ron, are you?"

Harry grinned crookedly. "Nah. I'm channeling my inner teenager." He paused. "Oh right! I am a teenager!"

Both Ginny and Hermione swatted him, but let him lead them out of the library to the Great Hall without much of a fuss.

XXX

"The library is closing," Madam Pince said, eyeing Hermione suspiciously, even as she gave Teddy an encouraging nod.

"Already?" Teddy said with some surprise. "How time flies when reading tomes."

Madam Pince smiled fondly at him, then left them to pack up their things for the night.

"It still astonishes me how different Madam Pince is with you compared to just about everyone else. I know you said she prefers Slytherins, but I don't think she treats most of them as well as she treats you."

Teddy smirked. "I pride myself on choosing my friends carefully and making enemies even more carefully. It is never a good idea to be on a librarian's bad side, so I have applied myself in wooing Madam Pince's good opinion of me."

"And the only reason you've succeeded when I've failed is because you happen to be in Slytherin?"

"Well, that, and I'm also a charming young man."

Hermione snickered. "Right. I imagine if I tried flirting with her I wouldn't get nearly the same reaction."

Teddy's face split into a grin. "You never know. She might prefer girls."

Hermione laughed outright. "Based on observational evidence, I think we can eliminate that option. Besides, even if it were likely, I'm not in a position to try currying her favor that way."

Teddy shrugged in agreement and picked up his bag. "May I walk you home tonight?"

Hermione smiled fondly at him. "I would like that very much, thank you!"

She noticed his arm twitched as he waited for her to join him, almost as if he wanted to offer his arm, but then had thought better of it.

"It's the least I can do, my lady."

Hermione rolled her eyes, but grabbed his arm on the way out. They walked arm in arm through the library doors, but then Teddy turned toward Gryffindor tower and she didn't. Teddy rammed into her shoulder, knocking her off balance. She stumbled to the side, and as their arms were still linked, she brought him with her. They each tried to keep their footing, circling around each other in an impromptu dance of sorts, and only as they were on their way down did they think to let go of one another.

Landing hard on their bums, they both winced, looked at each other and burst out laughing.

"What just happened?" Teddy asked.

"I think we were literally going at cross purposes."

Teddy snickered. "I suppose it's my fault for assuming that you wanted to take the direct path home?"

Hermione blushed. "Oh. I suppose I should have mentioned sooner that I wanted to go see how Severus did. I assume he's back by now."

"Ah." A flicker of something crossed Teddy's face, but it was gone before Hermione could interpret it. He smiled at her and replied, "Yes, you should have said sooner, as that's far more convenient for me!"

She laughed. "Yes, and it's all about you, isn't it?"

"Of course! You don't think I take your wishes into consideration, do you?"

Hermione beamed at him, then moved to get up. Teddy managed to get up a little faster and offered his hand as he did so.

"I don't know if I should accept your help," she joked.

"You were the one who offered your arm, my lady," he said as he pulled her up. "The fault lies not with me!"

She giggled. "You're right. I should know by now that it's a woman's duty to follow the man's lead, not the other way around."

Teddy gave her an odd look, but didn't say anything.

"Sorry. Inside joke. I don't actually believe that."

Teddy nodded bemusedly. "Right. You've never seemed that type."

"Meaning I'm a bossy cow?"

Teddy looked very awkward. "Um..."

Hermione laughed. "It's okay. I've accepted my role's title. Harpy, shrew, bossy cow, what-have-you. They're all just envious people's ways of saying that I am a natural leader."

Teddy smiled. "That's as fair a way of looking at it as any, I suppose."

"Glad you agree." Hermione smiled, then led the way to the grand staircase. They descended in comfortable silence, though the comfort level became a bit strained when they were stopped on the first floor landing as the stairs decided to go off elsewhere.

They stood there awkwardly for a few moments until Teddy asked, "So, what was the ingredient Professor Snape was after?"

Hermione quickly catalogued any reasons why she shouldn't tell him, but found there weren't any. "Abernathian Horehound spleen."

Teddy's brows went up. "Really? Wow. No wonder he blew you off."

Hermione looked at him in surprised umbrage, but before she could voice her displeasure, she noticed him grinning.

"Yes, well, I have NEWTs and he has spleens. Everyone should have a hobby."

Teddy laughed out loud and Hermione smiled, relishing the sound; not many people found her sense of humor amusing. She thought it rather funny that the two who instinctively got it were both Slytherins. And Ginny.

The staircase came back, and they descended, Teddy still chuckling. As they crossed the Entrance Hall, Teddy asked, "So what should our hobbies be after NEWTs?"

"Getting jobs, I should think."

"What do you want to do?"

Hermione let out a puff of breath. "I'm still not sure, but I'm leaning towards law. I want to do something where I can really make a difference."

"Even if that means working at the Ministry?"

"Mm. Well, change has to start somewhere."

"True, and they say that real change can only occur from within."

Hermione looked at Teddy. "Where'd you hear that?"

"Muggle Studies."

"Ah. It certainly didn't sound like something the Wizarding world would come up with."

Teddy smirked. "No. Why change yourself when you can hex those around you?"

Hermione laughed along with Teddy, though somewhat uneasily. It was a bit too close to the truth.

"It sounds like you're getting a lot from your Muggle Studies course."

"Yeah," he said with a defiant shrug. "There's a lot to be said for Muggle ingenuity. Did you know that Damocles Belby credits the creation of the Wolfsbane Potion to his interest in Muggle forensics?"

Hermione shuddered and nodded. "Yes, I read something about that," she said coolly.

"But don't you think combining Muggle and magic has the potential to produce amazing advancements?"

Hermione nodded, but uneasily.

"Why do you seem so reluctant?"

Hermione sighed. "It's just... The Wizarding world, or some within it, are fascinated with 'Muggle ingenuity,' as you put it, but at the same time, there's a paternalistic air about the whole thing. An 'Oh, look what the clever Muggles have done! Aren't they bright?' type thing. Wizards still tend to think they are of a superior race to Muggles rather than just people with different needs and necessities.

"The Wizarding world is reluctant to change mostly because, as you pointed out, there hasn't been a need for it. After all, what was Voldemort banking on but the ingrained resistance to the change that Muggle-borns bring with them."

"I think there was a bit more to the war than that."

"Well, yes, of course there was. Voldemort was a power-hungry homicidal psychopath, but still. He got his power through the systemic belief that Muggles are inferior when really, Muggles are just different."

"I don't understand. Why should the societal attitude toward Muggles be a reason against trying to get better magic through Muggle thought processes?"

Hermione closed her eyes and pursed her lips.

"I'm not saying that we shouldn't use whatever we morally can to advance magic. I'm just saying that we need to be careful, as a society, to make sure we see Muggles as a people, not as a resource."

Teddy hummed in thoughtful agreement. "I can see what you mean, but that wasn't where I was going."

"I do know that. It's just... Belby is a great example of a wizard from a wizarding family, wizarding ethos and wizarding morals who took something Muggles do and, really, perverted it. He wouldn't have made his discovery if he hadn't thought that werewolves are just beasts rather than cursed people. He would never have thought it okay to capture a person then kill and dissect it while it was in wolf form. That would have been murder. Instead, it was just pest control."

"But werewolves aren't people when they transform."

"Yes they are! They are cursed people! When you kill a werewolf, they change back into their human form because that's what they are inside!"

Teddy raised his hands in defeat and backed away from her. "Okay, okay, they're people. You win."

Hermione rolled her eyes but calmed down.

"I didn't realize you were a werewolf activist."

"I almost married Remus Lupin, didn't I?"

He chuckled. "So you did, but you looked terribly relieved to get a different groom."

Hermione smiled wryly. "Yes, well, that had little to do with Remus being a werewolf."

Teddy's brows crept up. "Did you fancy the professor already?"

Hermione swatted his arm. "No! Not really, anyway. He was just better than Remus at that point."

Just then, a door a few feet ahead of them opened, and out came Severus. All three of them started, though surprisingly it was Hermione who recovered first.

"Severus!" she cried and ran forward to hug him. Severus opened his arms reflexively, but his body was stiff against hers as she hugged him.

"Is everything all right, Hermione?"

She let go of him enough to look up at his face. "Of course everything's all right. I'm just happy to see you."

He pushed her away from him, holding her at arm's length, examining her with a mischievous eye.

"Mr. Nott didn't curse you, did he?"

Hermione pulled away and swatted him. "Don't be an arse." She then turned to say good night to Teddy only to find him standing there with a bemused expression.

"Thank you for the company today, Teddy." Another flicker of something crossed his face, and on an impulse, she ran over and gave him a hug. He stood stock still, receiving the hug just as Harry and Ron had early in their friendship. She giggled and backed away, shaking her head.

"You are such a boy," she teased, eliciting a small grin from him. "Now you better run to your room before my big, bad husband is overcome in a jealous rage."

She heard Severus snort as Teddy's eyes darted over to him. He must have been reassured by what he saw, however, because he immediately grinned back at Hermione.

"'Twas a pleasure as always, my lady," he said, giving her a courtly bow. "Should you need your Teddy again, you have but to call."

She laughed and he left with a flourish. Hermione turned to face Severus, slightly nervous to see whether he was indeed in a jealous rage or not. She hoped he wasn't, as she didn't know what she might do to him if he were.

Fortunately, his mood seemed mild enough.

"He isn't cuckolding me, is he?" Severus asked without bite.

"Of course not! How can you even suggest that?" she replied lightly.

"I just wanted to make sure. But now that's cleared up, perhaps we can take our evening stroll?"

She took his proffered arm and turned him in the direction of his quarters. He balked.

"Your rooms are the other way, my dear."

"I know that, darling. I was hoping you might invite me to yours, seeing as they are much closer."

Severus raised an eyebrow, but turned toward his room.

"Any particular reason you want to go to my place, besides the proximity?"

"Remember my defensive ramble from last night?" Severus nodded, his lips quirking up slightly. "Well, in it I believe I told you how I don't think it's fair to you that we only use my rooms. Assuming, of course, that you don't object to sharing your space with me, that is."

They reached his door and he pulled her into his arms.

"You are my wife. You are always welcome in my home, wherever that may be. Come as you please."

She stood up on tiptoe and kissed him. "Thank you, Severus. And know that you are welcome in my home, wherever that is, as well. Anytime."

He whispered the password for the wards and opened the door.

"Welcome back to this humble abode, my dear."

And, before she had time to react, he swept her off her feet and carried her over the threshold.