Home Sweet Home

Disclaimer: It's not my creation, but I do enjoy manipulating things. No money for me though. Enjoy.

A big thanks goes to my beta, Charmed_Nay, and to my friends over at Potter_Place.

Hermione held him as tightly as she could without him realizing that she'd missed him. His scent and the feel of him were welcome. All the anger that had been building threatened to fade away, but she had to keep her wits about her. She had to show him that he couldn't treat her like a child. How dare he punish her by not coming to see her? The moment they were settled into their new location, he moved away from her as if a lingering touch would harm him. On many levels this disappointed her, however, it made what she had to do much easier.

She opened her mouth to give some scathing remark when she noticed their surroundings. They were in a small room, void of all furniture, slats lining the walls. It could be an airing cupboard. She wasn't certain. The smell was of stale air and dust. She immediately recognized it from that first night that he'd taken her from Grimmauld Place when Dumbledore had ordered them to flee. They'd Apparated to an alley first, then to this room, and then to the dreadful place they'd slept at. Curiosity kept her silent. She could see that the room was supposed to be used as a storage place or to do the wash in. Her parents had a room such as this back home.

Following him into a small kitchen, she watched as he lit the lamp hanging from the ceiling. The dark paint upon the walls was peeling and chipping. The refrigerator was slightly rusted about the handles, and the stove had seen better days. She thought the bar that separated the kitchen from the tiny dining area was quaint. She imagined sitting there with her books scattered about as she did her schoolwork. Both rooms had two large windows, but they were heavily draped with mismatched curtains. There was a door that he passed by, not bothering to explain where it led, and he stopped in front of another. "This is one loo."

She nodded and followed him out of the dining area. They were in a small foyer where the front entrance to the home must be. It lacked any charming features, giving visitors the impression that company was not welcome or expected. Across from them was a small room, a sitting room, where he quickly lit a lamp of candles that hung from the ceiling. The walls were completely filled with shelves of books, only a curtained window and a grate remained untouched by books. The furniture...an old couch, armchair, and table...was old yet not uninviting. She would definitely make use of the room. "Read any of these books that you'd like," he said quietly. "Though I suggest you take extra care with those on the top shelves."

"Thanks," she replied, hoping he'd elaborate. He didn't though, and she found herself following him past a darkened room to another room further down the hall.

"This is the bedroom," he said, opening the door and charming the candles to light. She walked in before him and gasped. There were more shelves of books here, a desk, a medium-sized bed flanked by two nightstands, and a couple of old wardrobes. "You can place your trunk at the foot of the bed and stow your clothing in the wardrobe near the window." He turned around to point to the closed door across the hall. That is the second loo, and it's the one I would recommend you use, as it is the only one that will give you hot water for bathing."

"Is this your house?" Hermione asked incredulously, shock evident in her voice. She regretted the question immediately when she took note of his narrowed eyes and stiff posture.

"Yes," he answered curtly. "Is there a problem with it? Not good enough for you?"

"Of course it is. Don't be silly," she said in irritation. "I only meant that I didn't imagine you to live in a place so..." Her voice trailed away.

"Unattractive? Unkempt? Ugly?" he asked angrily. "You should be glad to have a safe place to stay until the danger passes."

"That's not what I meant!" she yelled hotly. "I was going to say that I didn't expect you to live in a place so Muggle!" She gestured around. "Yes, it's a little dirty, but I'm not an idiot. I know you live at Hogwarts for ten months each year and have for about sixteen years or so. It's just more humble than I would have imagined."

He gave her a mocking smile. "Pray tell, Hermione, what type of home did you picture me in?"

She swallowed. "I suppose I imagined you in a quaint manor house with house-elves running about. A house that was completely magic...not partially Muggle!"

He snorted. "Ah, to be so lucky. Not everyone was born with their pockets laden with Galleons."

"But you're so arrogant! I only assumed from your demeanor that you were..."

"Like the Malfoys?"

"Yes," she answered honestly. "Exactly right."

"Well, I assure you, my dear, that my childhood was nothing like Lucius' was." A smirk played upon his lips. "I'll bet you thought me to be a pure-blood wizard. Did you not?"

Hermione nodded. "I did." She opened her mouth to say something else, but she shut it. What could she say? Was he not a pureblood? She'd never been more wrong about anything in her life. "I never knew about this." She indicated her surroundings.

"Why would I want people to know?" he asked in annoyance. "That's a part of my life that I care not to remember. I've worked hard to change the way people see me." He unfastened his cloak and placed it on the chair in front of the desk. "You think that I am proud that my father was a Muggle?" He spat the word as if saying it dirtied his mouth.

"There is nothing wrong with Muggles," Hermione hollered suddenly, face contorting with anger. "My parents are Muggles, and they are good people. How dare you think that they are worthless? It's not their fault that they weren't born into magic!"

"They are still inferior to wizards. Admit it!" he said, moving forward until he stood in front of her.

"I will not!" she bit out. When he placed a hand upon her shoulder, she stepped back. "Don't touch me! My Muggle filth might taint you!"

His eyes narrowed again. "We really must talk about this childish behavior of yours."

"Childish! Childish?" She stormed past him to get her things in order, trying to ignore his presence. I'm not bloody childish. I'll show him. I'll just not talk to him.

He finally spoke after a long moment. His voice was quiet. "Some may be better than others. I wouldn't know." She heard his retreat, and with a snap of the closing door, he was gone.

Hermione felt guilty suddenly. What had he experienced at the hands of his father? Were there no other family members that he'd known? Were they all horrible? Horrible was the only conclusion she could come to. Something occurred to her suddenly. He hadn't spoken of his mother. Was she a Muggle also? Was Severus Snape not so very different from her? No, his mother must have been a witch, or he'd have shown contempt for her, too. She shook her head, disappointed in herself. That row was not the one she wanted to have. She wanted to talk about the horrible way he'd treated her over the last few days. "That will have to wait until later," she said aloud.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Severus went to the only retreat he'd ever had. In the sitting area, hidden on the wall behind the couch, there was a secret door. He moved through there quickly, not wanting her to find it. Up the stairs, he crept into the waiting darkness. He didn't need any light to find his way across the large room to the closed window. He'd always remember the room as if it were part of him. Once there, he opened the heavy curtains and looked out. The sky was darkening quickly. His property was only slightly larger than the others on his street, being at the end of the street and having a vast valley behind it. Looming above him slightly to the right in all its greatness was the large mill chimney. To the left, he could make out the cobbled street and one of the other dilapidated houses that mirrored his own. Straight-ahead, though, was the expanse of wilderness that he'd taken to frequenting when he was a child. Not wanting to be lost in unwanted memories, he spun around and flicked his wand to light the lamps.

This had been the most horrifying place to be when he was a small child. There used to be nothing but darkness, fear, and fantasies here. When he was older and could wield his magic, he'd learnt to make the most of things. Now, he had a private laboratory and a personal stock of ingredients to use as he wished. This was also where he kept his more personal items...dark books, things from his mother's family, and other items. Severus sat in his chair to think about things.

Many questions were coming to mind. Why did he bring her to his home? What must she think of him knowing about his lineage? When would she start acting more like a woman? Women wouldn't give in to the urge to yell. She was eighteen. It wasn't that long since women were already running houses at that age. He could not deny that things had changed in recent years. He supposed he could point out that Narcissa Malfoy was married off at sixteen to Lucius. His parents wanted to ensure that the Blacks wouldn't align with another family. It had been hard to find other families in the country with unmixed blood. She did her duty to her family and her husband whilst still attending school. Now, she was a fine, proud woman that ran their household and looked over the family business since Lucius could no longer do so.

Of course to point this out to Hermione would be to point out that he admires one of her enemies. Would she ever accept the fact that he truly did like the Malfoys? Lucius was one of the first people to make him feel accepted in the Wizarding world. It had been one of his proudest moments when a seventh year student had asked him to sit with him at the Slytherin table. They'd been friends since. Shaking those thoughts away, he allowed the other feeling to come back to him. It was embarrassment. She'd looked at his house with her nose crinkled in distaste. He'd simply been thinking of getting her alone and hadn't thought about what she might think of his home. Damn! Why did I bring her here? I should have fought to keep her hidden away at Hogwarts!

"I was being selfish," he murmured. It wasn't as if he didn't have money. He had a good bit saved and waiting for him in his vault. He hadn't needed all that much over the years, aside from fine clothing and personal things. Things that allowed him to exude an air of superiority. It never occurred to him that he might want to restore his home. The neighborhood had once been fine and thriving when the mill was working, but once it was shut down, most of the people moved away, leaving their unaffordable and unsold homes to waste away. Others remained and just simply let their homes age, not caring how they looked. It wasn't like he had many guests anyway. He'd not try to improve the place to impress her. If she didn't like it, so be it.

Smirking, he wondered how she'd feel when he joined her in bed? He hadn't told her, but the room he'd directed her to had always been his room since childhood. That wasn't about to change either. The other bedroom was sealed. He didn't care to enter it, and he'd not allow her to either. That had been his parents' room.

Molly had said that she'd already eaten, so he didn't have to worry about fixing dinner. He'd come earlier in the day to place the appropriate spells on the appliances so that they would work. He hoped she would approve of the supplies that he'd purchased. He was uncertain as to what her favorites were. He'd also made sure that the temperature spells and bathroom spells still worked. The bedcovers and sheets were clean. He'd thought to see to them. Just shows where my mind is.

The last few days had been torture for him. He'd wanted so badly to slip over to Grimmauld Place, but he wanted to give her time to get over her little tantrum. It appeared that he hadn't stayed away long enough. She was still quite petulant. He'd hoped that she'd be so glad to see him that she'd not pester him with those questions again. She'd have to learn to just accept things without explanation. To explain all of his actions would be dangerous for the both of them. When he'd seen her coming down the stairs, he'd nearly smiled, but he was able to look away from her. That had been hard for him. He'd missed her. The classes had gone on like before; of course there was whispering about the removal of certain students and the deaths, but aside from that, things were normal. "Normal. Ha!" he said to himself. He found that he missed her incessant hand raising and questioning. It looked odd to not see her or her friends at the Gryffindor table.

After he'd gotten his thoughts together, he made his way back downstairs. Extinguishing the candles as he checked that the wards were in place, he finally made his way to his room. The door was closed and locked, but he was able to unlock it easy enough. She was lying in the bed under the bedcover reading one of his books.

"Oh," she exclaimed. "What are you doing in here?"

"I hope you don't mind if I have a little sleep tonight? I've had a long day."

"H-here?" she asked uncertainly, looking from the bed to him and back.

He knew what she was thinking. The bed wasn't all that large, and they'd likely touch at some point during the night. That's right. Be afraid. "This is my room," he said blandly. Without looking at her again, though he could hear her stuttering behind him, he went to his wardrobe and pulled out a long nightshirt. Without a care for modesty, he disrobed and pulled on his sleeping attire. As if nothing was amiss, he placed his wand on the nightstand, slipped into bed, and turned on his side, not facing her. "Extinguish that light when you are done," he said casually.

"But you are sleeping with me!"

"I will be soon enough if you keep your mouth shut," he said forcefully. "Goodnight now."

He heard the book slam shut and placed on the nightstand on her side. The room was shrouded in darkness in the next instant. It wasn't long before she spoke. "I can't believe you are sharing a bed with me."

"Not in every sense, Hermione. Go to sleep," he said, trying to sound annoyed. He was truly amused. She'd not moved to get comfortable. "You might need to lie down in order to do so." The bed shifted slightly, and he could tell that she was as far away from him as she could be.

"Surely there must be another bedroom. What of the couch?"

"You will be here where I can protect you should someone happen to come for you," he said.

"This is inappropriate!" she huffed.

After all they'd done together, she was worried about something being inappropriate? That made him turn over quickly. He pulled her closer to him and climbed atop her, pinning her body to the bed with his, lips finding hers. The kiss was short, harsh, and forceful, but she accepted it nonetheless. In fact, she was breathless and moaned in frustration as he pulled away and moved to lie beside her. To his surprise, she turned to him and placed her lips back against his, opening her mouth in invitation. He accepted and kissed her thoroughly, desire building. She pulled his hand down to slide beneath her knickers, pressing his fingers against her sex.

He tried to pull back, but she kept his hand there firmly. The eager breathing and moaning that was escaping into his mouth were turning him on. What the fuck has come over her? I only meant to scare her. She pressed against the palm of his hand, and he knew what she was silently asking. She wanted him to stroke her there. She wanted release. When she realized that she needn't fear his hand abandoning her, she removed her hand and tried to touch him. He brushed her hand away by shifting his body to lie partially over hers for easier access. His tongue moved against hers in the same firm, quick rhythm of his fingers. She crushed her face against his, clawed at his shoulders, and ground into his hand. Finally, her muffled cries and pants came to a peak. Knowing she'd been fulfilled, he ended their kiss and turned away from her in disgust. Fucking hell!

"That was inappropriate," he said, furious that he'd lost control, for letting her use him. "Go to sleep." He wanted more, but he'd not allow it. Not yet. To his surprise, she remained silent. He turned on his back to see if she'd say anything, but she didn't. Severus eventually fell asleep still waiting for her to say something, but no words ever came.

The next morning dawned, and Severus was pleased that she was holding him. He'd turned away from her at some point during the night, and she'd thrown an arm about his waist and slipped a leg between his. Although he hated to move from her embrace, he moved away from her after only a moment's enjoyment. He pulled some fresh clothes out and went to have a quick bath before starting his day. He couldn't resist bringing a hand down to soothe his morning erection. Thoughts of her, as always, guided him to climax. This time, however, he was remembering her jerky movements and cries from the night before. Feeling much more relaxed, he left the room and was assaulted with the smell of cooking breakfast. Had he been in the bath for that long?

Gliding into the kitchen, he found Hermione sitting at the bar, two plates and glasses set out in front of her. She was reading a book whilst the sausages cooked and the toast buttered itself. A flick of her wand had the juice container filling the two glasses. Her hair was pulled up into an elastic so that only one long tail hung down her back. She had changed into some comfortable clothing.

"Don't you have any eggs?" she asked, nose still in her book. He hadn't realized that she'd noticed him.

"I forgot to get some," he murmured, realizing he'd never thought to get any eggs or coffee. Damn. She simply nodded and continued to ignore him. He turned and left the room to get his cloak. When he went back to the kitchen, he said, "I shan't be long."

"What?" she asked incredulously, pointing to his plate, now filled with toast and sausages. "You didn't even eat!"

"I am going to get some eggs."

"That can wait," she said, pushing the plate forward. "Sit with me."

He took his cloak off and sat with her, eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Why are you being so nice today? What do you want?" A tsking noise was his only reply. She began eating, so he followed suit. Interestingly enough, he enjoyed the feel of eating breakfast with her. Alone. Just the two of them. Like a couple.

"Just trying to get things back to good," she said thickly. "Eat."

They ate in comfortable silence. When he finished, he placed his dishes in the sink and sat back down, shamelessly watching her as she ate. She chewed her food and drank her juice, reading all the while. Finally, she was finished and sent her dishes to the sink to join his. When she looked at him questioningly, he asked, "Are things back to good?"

"Depends."

"On?"

"On you answering a couple of things."

"Such as?"

"What do you want with me? Is there something more for us?"

He blinked. Here we go again. Thinking carefully first, he asked, "Do you plan on it?"

"Well, I'd hoped that we could be something more. I have feelings for you. It's not just what you do to me. It's how I feel when I'm around you and even more how I feel when I'm not around you." She bit her lip as she thought for a moment. "I don't like how it feels when you are mad at me."

He nodded. "I told you before that I will not let you go, so I suppose that means that my intentions are for something long-term."

"When I graduate, you'll allow me to live with you?"

"You mean to say that you would want to live here in my dirty house?"

"Oh, come off it, Severus," she said icily. "Your house doesn't matter to me. There is nothing wrong with it that time, magic, and money can't fix." She waved her hand through the room. "Why, only a few simple swishes and flicks of my wand saw the kitchen cleaned spotless. Did you not even notice?"

He looked around suddenly. He hadn't noticed. It was true, however, that the layer of dust lining the cabinets and counters were gone. The rusty spots on the refrigerator had been restored. The curtains above the sink were parted, and he could see that the glass had been cleaned. "It looks nice." It was nearly true. There were a lot of things that could be changed. He'd do that whenever he could.

"Thanks," she said, smiling again. "Now, for the other question..." She paused uncertainly. "Will you answer it?"

"I would want you to live in no other place," he said simply.

"Are we going to see only each other from this time forward?" she asked, looking away.

"There is no other that I want," he replied evenly, thinking of Narcissa's offer. It was true. As tempting as that had been, he'd known that there was only one witch for him.

"I don't want Ron or anyone else...only you," she said. "I just wanted to be certain. I wouldn't want anyone to be unfaithful to me... not again."

"Do you trust me?

"Yes, you know that I do." That said, she reached over to squeeze his hand. "Just because I ask questions, doesn't mean I don't trust you. I just want to know things. I want to know everything...anything. What have you been doing these last few days?"

He continued to hold her hand as he said, "I've been looking for Lucius and Draco. The Dark Lord isn't pleased with either of them. For his own reasons, he has plans for Miss Weasley. Draco was supposed to befriend her and keep her out of things until his Master called for her. I feel that he has become enamored with her or developed a conscience."

"Why didn't you tell Dumbledore about this? About everything?" she asked angrily.

"He knows. There isn't much that he doesn't know."

"Oh," she said, losing her fervor. She'd pretty much known what he'd said, but to her, it likely seemed that Dumbledore would have tried to stop it.

"I do not know what Lucius wants, but in my opinion, I think Draco knows. He likely fought between loyalty to his father and to the Dark Lord. In the end, he decided to take his own path."

Hermione nodded. "As will you?"

Taken aback, Severus withdrew his hand from hers. "I would ask that you stop questioning my loyalty. Just know that no matter what happens, you shall be safe, as will I."

"What is Pansy doing at Grimmauld Place?" she asked bluntly.

Severus snorted. "The Dark Lord has taken her father hostage. It seems he was to be a part of Lucius' plan."

"How? He was never proven to be a Death Eater or to have taken part in activities."

"Some people help us without showing public support...money and connections go a long way. You will learn that one day. Parkinson had those, and for as long as I could remember, he and Lucius had an arrangement that their heirs would wed. When Parkinson refused to help Lucius without the Dark Lord's consent, Lucius broke the agreement and threatened Parkinson's wife and daughter, Pansy." He could see the shock on her face. "That's right. When his wife met a most unfortunate accident, we assumed it was Lucius' doing. We thought they'd had a falling out over something trivial. We didn't know, not until now, that Parkinson had refused Lucius' request."

"What request?"

"He won't say...or can't. The Dark Lord is... working with him to learn what we need to know."

"Is he going to kill him after?"

"I don't know," he said honestly. "It is likely. When Parkinson entrusted his daughter and belongings to Dumbledore's care, he sealed his fate. I believe it is he that has been pushing Pansy to try to land Weasley. Weasley is so close to Potter, he would be a safe choice to keep her alive." He held up a hand. "I don't want you fretting over her feelings for your friend. That is their problem to work out."

"I wonder where Ginny is and what she is thinking," Hermione said, changing the subject completely. "For her to not accept Lupin's invitation to chat that day... It means her feelings were changing already, even though she sent that letter to him. I could almost feel that she was torn between Malfoy and Lupin. She chose to leave that day. I thought it was because Tonks was there. I think she made her decision."

"As do I."

"What happened to the Death Eater you captured?"

"Goyle's father. He's dead." He shook his head. "I didn't do it. Don't look at me that way."

Sheepishly, she looked away. "Sorry."

"But I would have," he intoned darkly. "For you." That was added after a moment's silence.

"You really are possessive, aren't you?"

"Yes."

"Well, so am I then!" He chuckled in amusement. "I wouldn't kill someone for looking at you, but I might want to scratch her eyes out!"

He raised an eyebrow. "Understandable." It would be amusing to see her attempt to scratch Narcissa's eyes out. He had to hide his amused smirk before she noticed.

"Don't you see? If you feel that strongly about me and wanting me in your life, you might love me." Her voice had dropped to a whisper.

He decided to allow her to have her delusions. "Perhaps. For now, let us simply assume that's what it is and not mention it for awhile. Agreed?"

"Fair enough."

"Has Lupin and Miss Weasley ever been intimate? Be honest."

"Not that I know of. She said he used to hold her after Dean was killed and listen to all she said, but she was frustrated that he never really did anything else. She would have."

Severus shook his head in disgust. "Lupin," he spat. "A Malfoy is a much more worthy partner. She should be glad that he would even..." His voice trailed away as her eyes narrowed. "Is there anything else that you want to discuss?"

"Do you really not know anything about why Goyle was killed? About those others with Lucius?"

"No."

"Why were you angry last night? After... that?"

He enjoyed her flush. It served her right. She had acted like a regular wanton. "I don't want our relationship to go that far just yet. I was shocked at your behavior, and I was disappointed that I allowed it." He looked at her firmly. "It won't be repeated."

"I don't know why I did it. When you kissed me, just everything I'd been feeling had built up, and I needed it. It's almost as if I thought it would help."

"That is an acceptable answer. I've felt that way before." He enjoyed the jealous glint in her eyes.

"What made you tell me all of this?"

Startled, Severus wondered. He had told her a lot more than he'd intended. "I simply wanted to establish a new level in our relationship. There. That ought to please her. She doesn't miss much though. I told her much more than I'd intended.

She stood up and moved around to stand by him. He didn't move as she leant forward to kiss his temple. "How about we clean this house up together? There is quite a lot of dust." She nodded to one of the doors in the dining area. "I cleaned the loo already. You were taking too long in the other, so I washed up in there."

"Cold water?"

"Extremely."

For the remainder of the day, they worked together to put the house in order. She threw out many bags of trash and expired items. When they were finished, it looked like a completely different home. The furnishings could do with replacing or reinforcing, but other than that, everything was clean. They'd even opened some windows to air out the place. When she'd asked about the locked door, he told her it had been sealed for years and would remain that way. She didn't question him, which he appreciated greatly.

They'd only had sandwiches and crisps for lunch, so when evening came upon them, they decided to have something solid. Together they prepared the meal, having only one slight incident of miscommunication, which resulted in flour being blown about the room. The mess was easily cleaned, and their meal was eaten quickly. They each bathed and decided to read passages from her book together in bed.

Severus put the book aside, extinguished the candlelight, and slid further beneath the bedcovers to wrap himself around Hermione. He could feel her shaking slightly and knew she was probably worried that something more would happen. Even after her bold move the night before, she was still an innocent beneath the action. He placed a kiss upon her head, then her cheek. This caused her to turn slightly. He found her lips and chastely kissed them.

"Sleep well, my dear," he whispered.

"You also."

He noted that she stopped trembling after that, apparently comfortable with the situation. He would have another full day with her the next day, but after that, he'd be away from her most of the time. She'd have to stay either here at the house alone all day, warded for safety of course, or she'd have to sneak to the castle with him. He decided to talk to her to see what she preferred. He supposed that he could have the Floo opened, accessible only from his quarters there to his sitting room.

It was amazing that only the night before, they'd been having a row. Much had changed over the course of the day. Hermione, away from school and her friends, was quite the woman he'd thought her to be. She knew much of running a home and of companionship. In that instant, Severus knew that he'd made the right decision of choosing her. She'd be his for always.

Sleep was welcome, but he didn't get much of it. There was a light tapping at his window. Cautiously, wand at the ready, Severus crept forward to see who was there. A quick peek through the curtain showed him the form of Lucius Malfoy. From the wards he had on the windows, he could see out, but nobody could see anything inside, aside from light. He tapped on the window once to let Lucius know he had seen him and would go to the backdoor. It's what they'd done for years. Severus looked to Hermione's sleeping form and was glad that she hadn't awakened. Pulling a bathrobe over his nightshirt, he left the room, locking it from the outside so that she couldn't venture out. He wondered how Lucius had known he was home. "Only one way to find out," he muttered as he moved through his house to the back entrance.

Southern's Notes: Finally, Lucius appears again. We will find out exactly what he's been up to in the next chapter. Hermione and Severus made up quickly enough, but there was really no need to draw out the anger. I think, though he won't admit it, that she won this round. He ended up telling her most of what he didn't want to say. He did leave some things out, but by working with her, things are much more productive and easier for them both. I'm going to have a section in the next chapter from Draco's POV. That should prove interesting. I should update again on Thursday.