Chapter 30

Severus made his rounds and met up with Hermione for dinner in the main hall. They talked to Poppy and Minerva. They asked about having their bonding at Hogwarts. Both women were happy they wanted to marry there in a Bonding Ceremony.

As they walked back to their rooms that night, Severus noticed Hermione was extremely quiet.

Severus asked, "Why the thoughtful silence? Don't you like what we talked about tonight?"

She smiled up at him. "Yes, only..." She let her voice trail off.

"Only what?" he asked.

"I want to have Ginny help, and that would mean Molly helping, too. I know she's getting on in years, but she's still a bundle of energy. I always thought of her as my mother, too. I spent a lot of time at their house when I was young."

He stopped her and turned her toward him, bending low so he could peer in her face. "Then ask her, Hermione. It doesn't matter to me that she's 'the git's' mother. If you're close, ask her."

Hermione giggled. It always made her laugh when he called Ron a git, and Severus knew it. She had to agree with him this time, though. Ron was a git. It still hurt that he'd come to help after she'd been kidnapped but had left before actually saying hello.

"Are you sure you wouldn't mind?" she asked again.

He slipped an arm around her shoulders, and they continued down the hall. "No, not at all. You might find this hard to believe, but Molly supported me a lot when I was coming and going from 12 Grimmauld Place. We got to be friends in a quiet sort of nonconversational way. She always made sure there was a plate of dinner ready for me when I'd come dragging in. It was very much appreciated."

Hermione nodded. "Severus?"

"Yes." He knew what was coming.

"When are we going to talk to Dumbledore?"

He sighed. "I don't know, soon. I'm just not ready."

She didn't answer but tightened her hold on his waist.

******

They managed to get to the cottage early in the evening on Saturday. The Portkey travel wasn't too bad, and Hermione was happy to see the little house again. It was a bit different with Poppy in charge of her home, but it was relaxing and quite pleasant.

They had a wonderful dinner of roast and vegetables followed by a plum pudding that was to die for. The wine was delicious. They settled with their goblets in the living room.

"That was wonderful, Poppy," Hermione said as she sat down and rubbed a hand over her stomach. "I ate way too much." She tucked her feet up under her and leaned into Severus.

Poppy sat and picked up some knitting by her chair. "I'm glad you enjoyed it. I love to cook, but I don't often get a chance to entertain."

Severus sat and smiled; he felt so content. When he was a teen, he'd had fantasies of sitting here with his wife and visiting with Poppy. He was amazed the dream had actually come true.

Poppy asked, as she started to knit, "Hermione, what have you imagined for your wedding?" The needles in her hands were flying.

Hermione said, "I honestly hadn't thought about it much. Maybe we could have it on the open land between the castle and the lake. I guess there should be a trellis with flowers and vines. We could have some sort of magical creature, like fairies, fluttering in and out."

"Sounds rather...Muggle," Severus droned.

Hermione laced her fingers with his. "I suppose it is. I was raised as a Muggle for my first 11 years. Little girls have their own fantasies." She was a bit disheartened.

Severus gathered her closer. "I did not mean to sound as if it wasn't nice. I'd marry you sitting on a unicorn if that's what you wanted. Your plan sounds fine with me. You're the love of my life. If you want to be flamboyant, please go all out."

Hermione giggled. "Then I want a circus with acrobats flying over us or...hey...a Quidditch game, going on over head. We'll get George to fling some fireworks over our heads as he rides by on a broom."

Severus groaned and then caught the teasing look in her eye.

Hermione smirked at him. "Be careful what you say; you might have to live through it."

Poppy was laughing at the frightened look on Severus' face.

"I'm going to keep my mouth shut from here on out. But please...not Quidditch." He shuddered as he told the women, who laughing good-naturedly.

"But I want you to let me know what you'd like, too, Severus." Her voice was a little whiny. "It is your magical bonding too," she said adamantly.

Severus nearly let his eyes roll up in his head but stopped himself. Planning a wedding often got emotional...he knew that from just listening to people over the years.

"Hermione." He dragged her into his lap. "Please, I'm a simple man. All I want to do is bond with the most beautiful woman on the planet." He kissed her soundly as Poppy watched with amusement.

Poppy said, "Why don't you go take a walk on the beach and talk about it. It's a warm night, and you should take advantage of it. You can have my room. The guest room will be fine for me. If I'm asleep when you get back, I'll see you for breakfast at 9:00."

Severus asked, "Are you sure? We came here to visit."

"Quite sure," she said. "I wanted you two, mostly, to get away from the castle and have a little time with each other. You're exhausted from working with Scorpius. The night air will do you good."

Severus nodded. "I guess I am a bit." He pulled Hermione to her feet and stood, lacing his fingers in hers.

Poppy picked up her remote control. "I'm going to watch a movie. I love Muggle TV."

Hermione laughed. She and Severus bent simultaneously and each kissed one of the old woman's cheeks. "Good night, Poppy," they said as they wandered out of the room.

Hermione was wearing a sundress, and she kicked her shoes off on the porch. She grabbed Severus' hand, and they ran to the water's edge and played a bit, dodging the waves and each other.

"You make me feel like a boy again," he said as he captured her and kissed her soundly.

"I know what you mean. This may as well be a Hogwarts seventh-year. Severus, what would you have done if I'd come to your office and sat on your lap that year?"

"I like to think I'd have dumped you on the floor and taken every point Gryffindor had."

He clutched her to him, remembering that last year when she had gone off with Potter and Weasley. There had been an unexplained emptiness.

"Truth is, I would have held on to you for dear life. I was so certain I was going to die. I knew the end was very close, and I really didn't expect to live through the final battle. I had few expectations for future life. I'd had no female comfort for many years, and I think I would have welcomed it no matter how wrong it might have been."

He felt tears on his face as he admitted his shortcomings and the sadness that had been his life.

Hermione clutched him to her and held him as he cried. As strong and fearless as he was, she knew he had hurts that ran deep inside, and she was proud to be the one he told his secrets to.

When she thought he was done with his grief, she whispered, "The thought of sitting in your lap, as you were then, makes me so hot, Severus. You can't imagine how much I wanted you. When we were out there in that tent away from everyone, even civilization, I spent a lot of nights with the Muffliato charm around me, pleasuring myself with your face in my mind and your hands on my body. I wanted to hear you cry my name. I wanted to feel you thrust yourself into me, and I wanted to bury my hands in your greasy hair." She groaned, pressing herself against him.

Severus groaned, too, as he went with her, picturing her fantasies. He tried to speak, but his need for her was too great.

"I want you, now, my wife," he finally managed.

She grabbed his hand, and they ran up the beach to a rocky area. Severus pulled his wand out and warded the area. They fell to the sand and stripped their clothes off as their hands explored each other and their mouths bruised each other with deep kisses.

Their bodies melded and became one. They cried each other's names into the starry night as they climaxed. Severus lay there holding her against his body; he used his wand to transfigure a blanket from his shirt. They watched the night sky and talked about their bonding.

******

Hermione woke first the next morning and stretched, admiring the sunshine that came from the window and fell across the bed in a warm, bright streak. She ran her hands through Severus' hair. His cheek was against her breast, and he was curled into her side. One of his thick, hairy arms was around her waist. She ran the other hand over his arms, feeling his strong muscles and the soft, warm hair that tickled her skin when he moved.

He turned his face slightly and latched onto her breast, teasing the tip with his tongue.

"Good morning, husband," Hermione whispered with amusement.

"Goomrrrning," he said against her breast.

"Breakfast is ready!" A call came from outside their door.

Severus groaned and pulled away. "Come on, get your robe on. We will make up for that interruption tonight when we get home." He grinned as he sat on the edge of the bed and pulled pajama bottoms on.

Hermione smiled as she was pushing her mass of bushy hair back over her shoulder. She swung her legs over her side of the bed and pulled a robe from the floor and slipped it on. She stood and pulled her hair from under the collar and then tied the belt at her waist.

"Maybe we should put more clothes on."

Severus stood. "It's Poppy, and she's used to having me half dressed at breakfast." He grabbed her hand. "Come on."

Hermione couldn't imagine the secret life Severus had had with Poppy Pomfrey, but she was grateful to the woman for giving him affection and taking care of him when he had needed someone so badly.

They found Poppy had fixed a huge pile of blueberry pancakes. There was bacon, sausage, and streusel, as well as soft-boiled eggs in little cups.

Hermione, who was still trying to smooth down her errant hair, exclaimed, "There's enough to feed an army, Poppy. It looks wonderful."

"Thank you," she said with a blush. "Now you tuck in. I can make more."

Severus held Hermione's chair. As she sat, he pushed it forward for her. He did the same with Poppy, who was pleased that he was still comfortable enough with her around to come to breakfast half dressed. She could tell where nearly all of the scars on his chest had come from; it was a roadmap to his life.

The scars at his neck still bothered her. He didn't seem to mind her gaze. He took his seat and attacked the pile of pancakes with a fork. Stabbing four of them, he placed them on his plate.

Hermione watched him as he slathered them with fresh butter and poured dark purple syrup over them. His face was bright with anticipation. She glanced at Poppy and saw the woman was looking at him with such motherly affection that it made her eyes tear, and she thought of her own mother. She quickly blinked away the tears that filled her eyes. She would not spoil his enjoyment or her chance to watch him interact with his 'mother.'

"This is wonderful, Poppy," he said as he stuffed more blueberry pancakes into his mouth. "There were times when I dreamed of these pancakes after I fled Hogwarts."

"You always knew where home was," Poppy said.

He stopped eating and reached out and covered her hand with his. "Yes, I did. Those few times we had a chance to visit here kept me going."

"You came here? After you killed Dumbledore?" Hermione asked.

Severus stopped mid bite and looked at her. The subject was still hard for him to hear, out loud. He heard Poppy take in a slow, deep breath. But he only saw relief in Hermione's eyes.

"I was hoping you had someone to comfort you. It took me some time to realize he'd asked you to do it. It was the only thing that made sense," she said, reaching out to squeeze his hand. "I'm glad you were here for him, Poppy."

Poppy smiled, letting her breath out. This woman really did love him with all her heart. It did not matter to her that Severus had been forced to kill his friend and mentor. She got up and gave Hermione a tight hug.

"You just proved to me that you are the very best wife for my son." She went back to take her seat, filling her own plate with food. "Now tell me all about the plans you decided on, and I will let you know how I can help."

They spent the morning discussing the plans, and Poppy made lists.

******

When they all returned to Hogwarts that afternoon, Hermione and Severus found a very anxious Albus and Scorpius camped out by the door to their classroom. They had a parchment with their theory on it. Their faces were so hopeful when they saw the couple coming toward the door that Hermione hadn't the heart to tell them to go away.

Severus gave her a kiss on the cheek and said, "I'll take our bags to our rooms, and I'll join you in a few minutes." He gave her a 'be careful' look.

She nodded and then placed a hand on each boy's back and pushed them into the room. Severus went to the supply closet and on through to their rooms. He didn't think he had anything to worry about, especially with Albus there. They weren't actually brewing anything. He would continue to watch Scorpius, but he had seen such a change in the boy in the last week. His face was no longer guarded, and he laughed and joked. Some of the other kids were starting to talk to him. Severus was so encouraged that he thought Scorpius would never again be the mean-spirited boy Lucius had created.

He found Hermione and the boys sitting at her desk. They were pointing to the paper they had written and were explaining the gist of their potion. Hermione looked up at Severus. "It's an amazing plan, Severus. They did a ton of work this weekend."

Severus pulled up a stool from one of the student desks and sat next to Albus. "Let's see what you have here. He picked up the parchment and looked at the title; his eyebrow arched high. "A scar vanishing potion, that's what you want to create? Many Potion Masters have worked toward that goal for centuries. It's a huge chunk to bite off. Are you sure you want to try this?" His hand went up to touch the scars on his neck, unconsciously.

Scorpius said, "Yes, sir. I already have some ideas. There are existing potions that will resurface a person's face, like a Muggle face-lift, but they have proven ineffective with deep scars. It only improves the surface of them slightly. Many of our people are scared from the war. If we could help them remove the scars on the outside, maybe we can help them on the inside, as well."

Severus looked at the boys with pride. But he found he could not speak; he was too touched. He knew he would love to have the scars on his neck gone. They made it hard to forget every time the tissue pulled at him or they itched.

Hermione took their attention away from him, so he could collect himself. "It's a huge undertaking, but you will learn a lot about potions, and that is the ultimate goal with this assignment. It will help you learn whether you wish to continue a career with potions after school is over. This is good work." She stood. "Why don't you go off to dinner. We can talk more about this tomorrow after class."

Severus had recovered his voice. "Come to my office tomorrow after school, and we will go over your theory and see what it is you would like to try first."

The boys stood and said, "Thank you, sir, madam." They turned and ran. They jostled each other as they passed through the room, laughing with excitement.

Hermione turned to Severus. "Are you okay?"

Severus nodded. "Imagine if two boys accomplish what many have set out to do, myself included."

"Do you think it's possible, Severus?" she asked, slipping her arms around his waist.

"I'm beginning to think anything is possible," he said, looking down at her contentedly. "Anything's possible with love."

Lisa, you did such a super job on the last chapter. Thank you so much. Betas are worth their weight in gold.

Beck and Angela, thank you for reading and commenting on the story.