Purpose and Promise

Thank you to everyone who followed and enjoyed my SSHG Winter 2008 Exchange piece. Your kind words and reviews have meant the world to me. This is the final chapter.

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Original Prompt: Snape still has some lingering side effects from Nagini's bite. One of them is that he loses his voice easily and often. He and Hermione are having a conversation, when his voice goes out at a very bad/frustrating/dangerous moment. What are they talking about? Why are they even having a conversation? It's all up to you!

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Standing inside the door to the tower roof, Severus helped Hermione bundle up in her cloak and scarf and then wrapped his own around him. Taking her by the hand, he led her through the door and into the bitter cold of a fall night in the Scottish Highlands. Once they were on the roof, Severus stepped behind Hermione to give her a full view of the tower roof. He was not disappointed by her reaction as Hermione exclaimed, "Oh my, Severus, how beautiful!"

Several feet in front of them and surrounded by softly falling snow and the black velvet night was the result of Severus' hard work over the past few days. Using a time-extended charm, Severus had created a magical barrier to the outside elements. It appeared as though a room, built of glass walls, had been placed in the middle of the tower roof. Inside the room a soft golden light suffused everything in a warm glow. It reminded Hermione of the enchanting effects Flitwick produced for holiday festivities.

Few knew that Flitwick often called on Severus for another pair of hands. Severus didn't want students to know he was proficient at Charms, and that he could create such decorative fancies. He flat out refused to help on Valentine's Day. Yet the fact remained that Severus possessed a good eye for creating attractive, understated environments when he deemed it necessary to do so. Tonight he had done the best he could.

Severus showed Hermione through the entrance to their dining area. It was fairly spacious because Severus wanted to leave enough room for dancing after dinner. The area was comfortably warm due to his skills at Warming Charms. Heating an area so large and against the strong outdoor elements took a lot of energy and would require him to renew the charm periodically.

Severus laid their cloaks over a spare chair as Hermione took in the environment. Plants in the room had a decidedly tropical feel, including a few small palms and Hermione's favorite flowering plant. "Gardenias!" she exclaimed. Potter had told Severus of her fondness for the flower. They reminded her of holidays spent in Spain when she had lived in Athens. "Did Neville help you find these?" she asked.

"I have my own sources," Severus replied rather curtly as his voice cracked yet again.

Candles lit the dining table and were placed artfully on tables grouped with comfortable chairs around the room's perimeter, but the golden light of the room seemed infused into the very air. Real fairies flitted between the plants and the floral arrangements, including a bowl of floating gardenias and candles on the table. As a boy, Severus found he had a talent for coaxing fairies out of their natural environs. It had been his tradition to present Lily with a flower adorned with a live fairy on special occasions. He wasn't about to tell Hermione that he was the one responsible for acquiring the fairies Flitwick used for the Yule Balls.

Winky had scoured the castle and provided for every request Severus had made to furnish a romantic space for dining. The linen, china, crystal and other accoutrements were more suited for Malfoy Manor than Spinner's End, but nothing was ostentatious. To complete the mood, Severus borrowed a charmed music box from Flitwick. It played soft, romantic classical pieces, including composers Potter believed Hermione favored. Severus touched the box with his wand tip, and the music began.

Hermione had moved to stand next to Severus at the table. "Thank you for all of this. It is so beautiful. I'm speechless." Hermione grasped Severus' arm and rose up on her toes to place a kiss on his cheek. Severus was sure he was the one blushing this time, but it gave him great pleasure to know she was pleased by his efforts.

"Would you like a glass of champagne?" Severus offered Hermione. As he spoke, a bottle of champagne appeared on the table in a silver ice bucket, accompanied by two glasses.

"That sounds wonderful," Hermione answered. She accepted the glass of champagne and the seat Severus pulled out for her. Then they turned to the serious business of dinner.

Potter had confirmed Severus' notion that Hermione enjoyed French cuisine. "Not that fancy 'Haute Cuisine', but more like you find in smaller towns. She spent a lot of vacations with her parents on the French coasts, both in the north and south," Potter had informed him.

Severus had worked with Winky over the menu and didn't want to push the boundaries of the elf's abilities. He sought to keep the menu simple. They began with a selection of hors d'oeuvres while they enjoyed Malfoy's champagne, including an onion, nicoise olive and goat cheese tart and smoked salmon with capers. This was followed by a seafood stew, quite like bouillabaisse, accompanied by a white wine from Bordeaux that Malfoy had declared "my new discovery" to Severus. The main course consisted of a roasted duck breast in a garlic and walnut sauce, served with seasonal greens and truffle vinaigrette, accompanied by a cabernet sauvignon.

Hermione kept up the conversation throughout dinner with an enthusiastic discourse about her latest project. "It has really been providence how it has all come together. I take it you heard how Harry, Ron and I visited Luna's father when we were trying to solve the Horcrux and Hallow conundrum Dumbledore left us?"

Severus nodded in agreement. Over the years, Potter had managed to regale him with many of the highlights from his year of hunting Voldemort's Horcruxes. Severus' interest in these tales was greater than he would ever let on, at least to Potter. Dumbledore had essentially kept Severus in the dark regarding the Horcruxes, while at the same time expecting complete, blind cooperation in the role Dumbledore assigned him. Severus still found fascination with any information that filled in what Dumbledore had withheld. It gave him a sense of finally seeing the big picture.

Of course, he had plenty of other reasons to know about the trio's visit to Xenophilius Lovegood's home. The official report had only listed Potter and Hermione's presence, as the Ministry had failed to capture Undesirable Number One once again. Failure on that scale was unacceptable in those days and meant heads rolled, quite figuratively.

Hermione continued to explain her project. "When the subject of 'The Tale of the Three Brothers' was brought up, and I shared the book Dumbledore had left me with Xenophilius Lovegood, he remarked about the book being an original version. That comment literally niggled about in my brain for years. We had so many more priorities that I couldn't pursue a matter of purely academic interest at that time. Finally, I took a serious look at the current version of 'The Tales of Beedle the Bard' sold at Flourish and Blotts, and I was amazed at how the original stories had changed! I began to research the changes, starting with identifying a timeline for when the tales were republished. I had to work backwards, but I think I've determined each publication.

"Then Madam Pince helped me hunt down a copy from each reprint. That's when it got really interesting. I could compare and find what was changed in each story and when. It became a real education in the evolution of social norms in wizarding culture through the centuries. That alone is a great start for an interesting historical perspective, but I've been detoured, so to speak, for the present time.

"Minerva offered to loan me Dumbledore's personal commentary on the tales. His paper was found along with the book, but it was considered a separate article and passed on to become the property of Hogwarts with all his other papers, while the book went to me. I must say, if I'd found any scrap of evidence that Dumbledore had placed information pertinent to Harry's quest in his paper, I would have personally summoned Rufus Scrimgeour back through the Veil to have a go at him." Hermione's fierce diatribe made Severus flinch in mock sympathy, eliciting a laugh from Hermione. "Don't fear for Mr. Scrimgeour, I've found no such thing.

"One idea led to another, though, and I decided to send out letters of inquiry to wizarding publishers. I still had my translations from the ancient runes of the original text and now I had Dumbledore's commentary on the tales. I thought there might be a market for these two things combined. I'm still getting over the shock at how receptive my idea was deemed to be. There has even been a bit of a bidding war over the publishing rights."

Severus was already aware of most of this news. Hermione kept him abreast of all her pet projects, but he had never heard her relate this tale from start to finish. Her enthusiasm was infectious. "When does the gold begin to flow your way?" Severus teased. He was pleased that there was just a minimum of crackling heard in his voice.

Hermione shifted her full attention on Severus as she asked, "Did your mother share any of Beedle's tales with you during your childhood?"

Severus nodded his head and replied, "So did her mother, on the rare occasion we visited the Prince home."

This was the only time Hermione remembered Severus expanding on any information about his family. Her knowledge of his family came primarily from Harry and Minerva, and it was extremely limited. She sensed a feeling of heaviness in his reply and wanted to avoid any negative memories clouding their star-strewn night. So she moved the conversation back to her project.

"Currently, I'm reviewing my early translation of 'The Warlock's Hairy Heart.' Compared to Beedle's other tales, I find this story quite gruesome. In fact, it's rather macabre. Don't you think so, Severus?"

Severus gave a soft snort and a nod to Hermione's question, but it was the twinkle in his eye along with a playful smirk that held Hermione's attention.

"You don't fool me a bit, Severus. I know what you're thinking," Hermione accused as she pointed a finger at him.

"Become a Legilimens, have you?" Snape didn't care how he sounded at the moment. Hermione's conviction that she knew the source of his amusement seemed absurdly funny for some reason.

"You're very funny, ha, ha. No, I haven't become a Legilimens, as you are fully aware, but I clearly remember your reign of terror during my own student years," Hermione retorted.

"Me?" Snape indicated with further amusement at Hermione's indignation.

"Yes, and you know exactly what I'm getting at. You were the 'Bat of the Dungeons'. You ruled the students by use of fear and were the subject of endless speculation about your powers. From Vampire to Inferi, I bet I heard every possible explanation for the extraordinary powers and Dark Magic you were rumored to wield. So, of course I also heard rumors of the Hairy Heart you kept in one of the unused dungeons. I seem to remember connecting this story to Luna, which makes perfect sense now. Not knowing Beedle's tales, I didn't understand the reference, but it was sufficiently odd enough for me to remember hearing it said."

Hermione seemed to have finished with her outburst for the moment, and Severus had worked through his amusement. The music that had accompanied their dinner had ended sometime without their notice, but now the quiet gave voice to a feeling of tension. Hermione met Severus eyes' with hers, but found their intensity was almost painful. She had to look away and found her gaze drawn to the floating gardenias in the middle of the table.

"So what did you believe, Hermione?" Severus finally whispered. His quiet, honest question broke the tension, and Hermione raised her eyes to meet his again with a confident smile.

"I always knew that those tall tales were just silly. You are an extremely talented wizard, highly intelligent and possessing extraordinary skills. You are uncommonly brave and loyal to the end. You accepted the role of protector, which placed you in peril most of the time, at least after Voldemort's return, but in the end you are just as mortal as the rest of us. You always had my respect and admiration. Even when you behaved like a right bastard, I still admired your skill and abilities."

Leaning toward Severus, Hermione placed a hand over his on the table top and whispered in a conspiratorial manner. "I know you have a heart. It is not hairy, and it isn't kept in an unused room in the dungeons. It has been wounded, like all human hearts, but it is whole and it resides here in your chest." Hermione leaned further toward Severus and laid her palm flat on his coat to indicate the location of said heart. Then, straightening back up, she had the temerity to add, "I'll even venture that your heart is just as fair as the one belonging to the maiden in the tale."

This last remark earned her a raised eyebrow and the word, "Insolence," muttered under Severus breath.

Hermione's declarations had touched Severus' heart, and he felt a bit in awe of her and the emotions she stirred in him. For several moments they were able to hold each other's gaze without the usual fear or shyness that crept in at such times. Non-verbal communication flowed between them, and they both understood that their relationship had reached a new depth.

Remembering Potter's words about how much Hermione enjoyed dancing and wanting to feel see how she felt in his arms, Severus pulled out his wand and tapped the enchanted music box to resume its classical selections. The opening notes of Tchaikovsky's "Waltz of the Flowers" from the Nutcracker Suite began to float through the air.

On hearing the first notes of that magical waltz, Severus rose from the table and held out a hand to Hermione. Words were unnecessary to convey this invitation. Taking his hand, Hermione and Severus began to waltz a slow circuit around the boundaries of the Charmed space with the twinkling stars of the heavens above them. After a few turns around the dance area, Severus slowed their steps until they were doing little more than swaying in place together.

Hermione rested her head on his shoulder, and Severus heard her give a small sigh of contentment. He realized that holding Hermione like that felt both excitingly new, yet comfortably familiar. Most of all, it just felt right. He raised his hand from the small of her back and fulfilled his desire to bury his fingers in her hair. It felt soft and springy, like a little cloud of silk, and he wanted to bury his face in it as well.

Raising her face so that she could look directly into his eyes, Hermione inquired, "Didn't you say we could have dessert downstairs, Severus, in your suite?"

"I did." Severus's cracked voice had a gruff quality to it. He was thankful, given the circumstances, that it wasn't making any undignified squeaking sound. "There is a dark chocolate mousse waiting on us, courtesy of Winky, as well as a lovely cognac. Despite the benefits of Warming Charms, I believe, with the fire in my suite, it will be much warmer there." This was the most Severus had said in one go all evening, and he couldn't help a small smirk as he realized how Hermione could interpret the double meaning about his warmer quarters.

Hermione felt herself warm and realized that she was blushing yet again at Severus. She just couldn't help it when he looked at her like that. Even if his voice was hoarse and cracked, lacking its usual velvet caress, his words and their cadence, along with those black, black eyes, still made her toes curl. She returned his smirk with one of her own.

Severus felt his heart skip a beat when Hermione looked at him like that. He couldn't let this moment pass. He slowly lowered his face to hers, watching closely to judge Hermione's reaction to his obvious intent. Stopping a hair's breath away from her face, Severus hesitated, wanting to be sure that his kiss would be welcome. Ever the Gryffindor, Hermione closed the distance and initiated the kiss. At first soft and sweet, their kiss quickly heated and became more passionate. Once again, Severus was struck with how right this felt, and when they broke apart they were each a little breathless.

"Let's go," Hermione urged. Taking Severus by the hand, she headed toward the boundary of their enchanted dining room so they could leave the top of the Astronomy Tower and begin the long trek down to the dungeons.

"One moment," Severus paused as he grabbed up their cloaks. "It is still snowing out there," he indicated and swept Hermione's cloak over her shoulders. Then slinging his own on, he pulled Hermione close again and gave her another kiss, both gentle and sweet. "Now we're ready," Severus proclaimed.

Crossing the magical barrier that had kept the outside elements at bay, Severus and Hermione were hit with a blast of icy air as snowflakes fell on their winter cloaks. It was just a short distance to the tower door, and they were able to escape through and close the bitter cold behind them. However, it was still quite chilly at this level, and the thoughts of a warm fire beckoned them both.

With Severus in the lead, they descended the staircase with Hermione's arm tucked close to his side. Severus slowed his pace to ensure that Hermione felt comfortable and safe on the long, steep decline, while at the same time his mind was on fire with thoughts.

Here and now was his chance at another new beginning, an unexpected chapter in his life. Surviving the war had been nothing short of a miracle. When he had returned to Hogwarts with a new purpose, one of his own making and no longer a servant to the plans of others, he thought that was the reason for his survival.

Yet for all his success with moving Slytherin House along a new path, Severus had continued to live a life where his past still ruled his actions, actions that had kept him alone. Now he asked himself, "Why?"

When Harry and Hermione had brought those cursed memories to him at Malfoy Manor all those years ago, he had chosen to destroy them. He had yearned to be free from them; free to create a new path for his life. In many ways, he had succeeded, and now it was time to move even further away from his past. It was time to give his heart to another. Lily had not been the guardian of his heart for a decade now, yet his fears had still kept him from action, fears of hurt, pain and rejection.

Could he, Severus Snape, take this chance, this unexpected chance at finding love and happiness with another, with Hermione? Minerva's words echoed in his ears: "Severus, Hermione is nothing like Lily Potter." The full truth of those words finally hit him, and he felt as if a final weight had been lifted from his heart.

Seeing that they had reached the bottom of the stairs and were going to head out into a main castle corridor, Severus pulled Hermione to the side and stepped into an alcove, obscured by a medieval tapestry. Here, he gathered her close and kissed her with a great deal more passion then before.

When they finally pulled apart, a breathless and wide-eyed Hermione exclaimed, "Who are you and what have you done with Severus Snape?"

This earned her enthusiastic, if raspy, laughter. "My answer depends on whether you mean that as a complaint, or a compliment," Severus replied with humor.

"Well, if you are indeed Severus Snape, then you have no complaints from me," answered Hermione as she rubbed a corner of his wool lapel between her thumb and forefingers. "If you are an imposter, then I insist you free the real Severus, after you give him a few lessons."

Hermione was again rewarded with Severus' laughter and the suggestion that they continue on their way. Their cheerful banter continued as they wound their way down to the dungeons, and Severus made a point of stopping for a bit of snogging in the more discreet corners and alcoves along their path. After all, he had new memories to make with the new guardian of his heart.

The End