Chapter Thirteen

It was lunchtime by the time Severus re-entered the Castle. He reluctantly made his way to the Great Hall. Kisses would have to wait for later, he supposed. Catching sight of Hermione already at the table, he strode the length of the room. He still garnered a good deal of silent awe from the students when he came into contact with them. He wondered if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

Hermione came running just then, and the room and all its occupants were forgotten as she flung herself at him and he caught her up and swung her around, his mouth descending on hers in a steamy kiss.

Minerva was watching; she frowned at first and then smiled when the room erupted in clapping.

Severus and Hermione stood staring lovingly at each other for a moment before both blushed and hurried to their chairs.

Minerva stood up and asked aloud, "Professor Snape and Professor Granger, do you wish to enlighten us as to what that was all about?"

Severus stood and drew Hermione to her feet. "That was a kiss for this beautiful woman who has agreed to be my wife."

Minerva's eyes suddenly became misty–she had not been expecting that.

"Congratulations," she said sincerely. More cheers and clapping erupted, and Severus realized most of these students did not know him from before or had been very young then. His being a 'hero' from the war was all they knew. He turned himself and Hermione toward the students and bowed slightly.

Minerva took her place at the podium. "I think this calls for a celebration. We will have an unscheduled Saturday trip to Hogsmeade." There was a thunderous cheer. "Plus, there will be a special lunch for those who do not have permission to go." There was a small group of cheers from the students who had been disappointed about not having an outing to the village to look forward to. "Now, I also want to announce that Professor Snape will take over the Arithmancy class for the remainder of the year. He will help you prepare for your OWLs or NEWTs. Professor Snape is well qualified to teach this subject, though he has never done it before. He is a Potions master and a Defense Against the Dark Arts specialist. I believe you will find his teaching quite illuminating."

There was clapping from students and staff, the loudest being Filius while Trelawney seemed quite lost.

After lunch had been eaten, Pomona came to give Hermione a hug; then she took Severus' hand and placed a small box in it. "This was my mother's, and I want to pass it down to my son. I did wear it for a number of years before coming here. It's not good to have rings when you're in the dirt so much. And I do love my dirt," she said with a grin.

Severus and Hermione laughed. Severus opened the box, and Hermione gasped. Inside was a perfect one-carat princess-cut ruby flanked by two quarter-carat diamonds.

"It's beautiful. A blood stone for a blood-bonded couple. It couldn't be more perfect," Hermione whispered in awe.

Severus asked Pomona, "Mum, are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes, very sure, Sev. It would make me very proud to have Hermione wear it," she said.

Hermione gave the rotund witch a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you, I will be very proud to wear it."

Severus hugged his honorary mother, holding her tight for an extra moment longer.

Pomona sniffed when she was let go and produced the handkerchief that Severus had given her earlier. It was already smudged with dirt. Severus chuckled as she wiped her eyes with it, leaving a small smudge under one eye.

Hermione watched, pleased as he tenderly rubbed the smudge with his thumb. There was so much to this man she still did not know, and so much she looked forward to sharing with him.

He slipped the little box into his pocket. "Hey, aren't you going to put that on my finger?" Hermione asked in mock consternation.

"Not yet, I don't think so. Maybe we need to have that romantic dinner."

Sprout exclaimed, "Oh, I know just the place. You'll need to wait a few days and then come down. Friday night would be perfect; come to greenhouse five."

Severus started to protest, as he wanted to plan it himself, but he knew to trust Pomona. She was one of the few who had never let him down. "Alright, is Friday seven o'clock okay with you?" he asked.

"Perfect," she said, turning to leave. Calling back, she reminded them again. "Seven o'clock Friday, greenhouse five–don't forget."

Severus watched her waddle away and thought how lucky he had been to pick a greenhouse to cry in when he had been eleven. He fingered the little box in his pocket and drew Hermione close. "She called you a gem earlier, but she doesn't realize how much of one she is herself."

Hermione hugged him close. "We will have to remind her on many occasions. I hope one day you will tell me more about your relationship with her."

Severus drew Hermione along as they left the Great Hall. "Remind me." He walked her back to her classroom. A few students were milling about outside it, waiting for her. He gave her a kiss on the forehead. "I will see you later for dinner. I'm going to check in with Filius and see where his lesson plans are and, if I get up the courage, Sybill," he said with a small grimace.

"Courage?" Hermione asked as she opened the door to her room, and the students went ahead.

"She can never keep her hands off me." He shuddered.

Hermione giggled. "I would love to see that. Who knows? With a makeover, she might look quite nice."

Severus gave her one of his withering looks and left her giggling even harder.

*****

Severus spent several hours in the Arithmancy room. He looked over the curriculum and checked on the students' progress. He observed a couple of the classes. He noted that the students under Filius were progressing well and had a good grasp of the material, but those under Sybill's direction were floundering. He knew he would have to crack down on them. He also knew he no longer wanted to be the most feared teacher at Hogwarts. In his heart, he felt the Severus Snape before the war was not who he really was. It had been a cover for his spy work. He could now relax with these new students. For once in his career, he looked forward to being in a classroom again.

He wondered about the DADA professor, who she was, and if she planned to stay next year. Arithmancy was really tantamount to weighing and measuring out formulas, so the work was not difficult for him, but he really had no desire to do it for the rest of his career. Minerva had not ventured to ask him about his desire to stay there the next year. What would he do if he were not working here?

The public might know about him quite soon. He was sure some of the students had already sent letters home.

Potter... what would he say to the man? How would they greet each other? He had no desire to go back to the animosity they had had, and he wondered if Potter was over it. He would have to ask Hermione. It was time she told her friends about him and quite soon, he thought.

*****

Later that night as they lay in their bed, Hermione asked, "Pomona's ring–is it really alright, Severus? Did you have something from your own mum?"

"It's perfect," he said as he ran his fingers over her arm. He turned to hover half over her and kissed her. "I do have a ring of my mother's, but it's a plain gold band, more suited to a wedding ring than an engagement ring. My parents didn't have a lot of money."

"Then they will go very well together," Hermione said, returning the kiss, her fingers slipping into his hair to draw him closer, one arm and hand around his back.

"You don't mind that they aren't new? I could..." he suggested.

"No. I love that they are from both your mums. My mum gave me a pair of diamond studs that were hers. I think they will all go perfect together."

Severus leaned in to kiss her neck and his hand slipped under her to draw her closer.

"Good," he murmured against her neck. He began kissing a trail lower on her body.

Hermione gasped when he sucked in a rose-colored nipple, and she let her senses take over as he made love to her and she to him.

******

All too soon it was Friday. In the last three days, Hermione and Severus had worked hard with their various classes. They had also agreed that the pendant/blood-bond connection was a little too distracting during their teaching hours, and they had slowly weaned themselves off it over the last few days. Hermione caressed it only a few times each hour to keep that connection. They missed each other terribly, but they found that spending time alone also brought the privacy they needed to each think about the other, without over-stimulating their partner. Hermione was continually amused that Severus thought about her sexually quite often on the spur of the moment. It was quite distracting.

His response was, "What? I'm a man."

Hermione loved to tease him during some of those hours when she had a free period by sending him visual aids–especially during the times when she knew he was occupied. He would often Occlude her from his mind, causing laughter to erupt from her. It never made her angry when he did this; she understood she was playing a risqué game with him, and there were times it would be completely inappropriate for him to have a physical reaction to her stimulating scenarios. Coupled with the emotion of love he would flow back down their bond to her before leaving, the Occlusion did not bother her.

So when Friday night came, they were well primed for some major romance and knew the night would end with making love. It was a weekend, and they were also excused from Hogsmeade duty.

Pomona sent them a note instructing them to dress formally for their dinner. They took her order to heart, dressing in their finest. Hermione emerged from the bathroom after completing her preparations and was stunned at the sight of her fiancé. He looked magnificent in his finest dress robes.

Severus turned when he sensed her behind him, and his jaw dropped when he laid eyes on her. Hermione was dressed in a long, blue evening gown. The front of the dress was cut daringly low, the straps covering her delectable breasts continuing up and around her neck to hold the dress in place. As she moved, he could catch glimpses of the rosy sides of her breasts. The shimmery blue fabric hugged her curves enticingly until it reached her hips where the skirt of the dress flared out slightly to make it easier for her to walk. Severus could just see her toes peeking out from the hem of her gown, encased in matching blue sandals. Her arms were bare, and she was free of any adornments, only her hair, that riotous mass of curls he loved so much, was styled to complete her beauty.

Earlier, they had agreed she should leave off the pendant this evening. They would make this night memorable without the aid of the bond. Neither was sure how that would feel, but they were willing to try.

He came and took her hands. "You're beautiful." He kissed her and drew her closer.

She put her arms about his neck. "You look amazing, Severus. If you had come to the dances in that outfit, the girls would have swooned all over you."

"I doubt it, but you know I never had any desire for a student, Hermione, not once. It would have been very inappropriate."

"I know," she said, caressing his long, black hair as he bent to kiss one of her bare shoulders. Giggling at the tickling sensation she felt when his lips trailed to her arm, she continued, "One thing I know about you, you always had our best interest at heart. Come on, let's go. Pomona will be quite disappointed if we don't show up."

He sighed and took her arm. "You're right. I am curious as to what she has planned. I'm sure it will be nice; she's really very artsy, so I wouldn't expect it to be crazy like something Molly Weasley would perhaps do."

Hermione's brow creased at the mention of a Weasley.

"I'm sorry," he said as he opened the door for her.

"It's okay, I guess when I was a kid I always thought she would be my mother-in-law one day. Thank goodness, Severus," she told him as they climbed the dungeon steps, "it didn't work out. I am so deliriously happy with you, you can't imagine."

He smiled warmly down at her. "As I am with you." They came to the big door; there were a few students about who stood gawking at them. Severus nudged her; he bowed and she curtsied and applause broke out. More kids came running to see what was happening. Then they spied Minerva and Poppy watching from the door of the Great Hall. Severus grumbled, "I didn't know we were going to be putting on a show." Hermione giggled again. He had thought once to ask her if she was twelve when she did that, but it made him happy to hear it so he had kept his mouth shut.

They exited the castle, the big door closing behind them. Thankfully, they realized no one else was about. Arm-in-arm, they companionably wandered down the path toward the greenhouses. Severus could see a strange glow coming from greenhouse five.

The door opened of its own accord, and Pomona stood inside in a set of shimmery robes. "Welcome to my own fairly land," she said. "Don't worry; I'm only here for a few minutes."

Hermione and Severus each gave her a hug before looking around. The glow was from thousands of pale pink, glowing roses.

Hermione gasped and clutched Pomona's hand. "Oh my, look at your creation! They are just beautiful!" She gave the woman a hug.

"They truly are a wonder, Mum," Severus complimented.

Pomona blushed, "I have been working on them for years. They only bloom one night a year; the timing could not be better."

"But surely you want to stay and see them," Hermione exclaimed.

"No, no. I can come back later once the two of you have finished. They will be blooming until dawn. I'm very happy to have you enjoy them on this special night. Tomorrow's Saturday; I won't have to be up till noon. Sev, you have it, don't you?"

Severus smiled and patted his lapel pocket. "Yes, it's safe in here."

Pomona nodded, a little misty eyed. "Well, then I will leave you to enjoy. The house-elves have prepared a fine meal, and you stay as long as you want. Send me a Patronus when you're leaving." She gave them a hug each and, with a whirl, exited the greenhouse.

Hermione blinked her eyes. "I never spent much time thinking about Professor Sprout when I was a kid. Herbology was interesting and all. She was gruff and earthy and..." She let her voice fade out, hoping she hadn't offended Severus.

"Dirty...," he finished for her. He smiled and leaned to kiss her, showing her he had no problem with her observation. "Maybe that's what attracted me to her. I was always grubby and dirty as a child. I roamed the streets and the filthy river, just to stay out of my dad's way. He was not a kind man. But that's a sad story for another time. Let's go see what dinner looks like."

As they walked down the path, the roses drew back, making more room for them.

Hermione drew closer to Severus, and he laughed. "They aren't going to eat you."

"Where I was raised, plants don't move fast enough to be seen. I saw a movie once about this big plant that ate people. I was eight, and it scared the heck out of me," she told him. Despite the years that had passed, things in the magical world could still unsettle her at times.

He reminded her, "You have your knight in black amour here to save you."

She smiled warmly up at him. "Yes I do, don't I?"

"Notwithstanding the fact that you are a witch and quite adapt at defending yourself," he pointed out.

"That reminds me, Severus. I want to ask you if you would give me private lessons in wandless magic. I do know some. Maybe even continue my Legilimency training and start some Occlumency."

"I think that can be arranged," he said with a smile. He looked forward to teaching her some new skills.

The last of the roses parted, and Hermione gasped at the beautiful sight. There was a dining table surrounded by trellises of the beautiful roses that formed a canopy over the table. The chairs were ornate and quite formal with high backs. There was a candelabra lighting the space and small fairy lights floating around the roses. Covered silver trays and plates of fine porcelain were set on the table. There was a wine bottle chilling in ice and two finely crafted, etched, tall-stemmed glass goblets.

Severus curiously lifted the cloche on the biggest tray and discovered filet mignon and lobster tails. Another cloche held vegetables sautéed in garlic and butter. There was a dinner salad with colorful greens and flower petals, and for dessert, a chocolate mousse, which Hermione dipped her finger in and sucked off the creamy confection. "Oh my gosh, that's divine," she said.

Hermione dipped her finger in the mousse again, and this time teased Severus by spreading it on the edge of his lower lip. She was rewarded with a smolderingly sexy look as his tongue slipped out to taste it. Then he snapped forward taking her finger into his mouth and sucking the rest of the mousse off without taking his eyes off her.

He did miss the mental link, but he was finding it was very nice to actually be able talk to each other without the mental traffic of thoughts accompanying the words.

As if on cue, soft music began to play, and Severus took Hermione's hand, whirling her close to him as he started to dance.

"You know how to dance?" she asked a little breathlessly.

"Of course, Minerva taught here too when I was a student. She always prepared us for the Yule Ball. Later it came in handy when Tom would have his..." He stopped. "Another story for another time. I want to stay positive this evening."

They danced awhile, and Hermione reveled at the feel of his body swaying against hers and the velvety touch of his lips on her forehead now and then. Even the warmth of his breath made her want him.

Finally he said, "Let's eat. I have many plans for tonight, and most of them are going to take place in the privacy of our room."

Hermione smiled sexily up at him. "Promise?" Her voice was deep and sultry.

"Definitely," was all he said as he drew her to her chair. He pulled it out and said, "My lady."

Hermione giggled at his formality and took her seat.

Severus swept around to his chair before leaning in and moving the candelabra away from the center of the table so he could see her. He served Hermione first, then himself. They ate while they talked again about the beautiful flowers and what it must have taken for Pomona to have created this rare and beautiful species.

"She has a real gift. I think I will come down more often and gather the items I use with her. I usually just send a note by owl and the ingredients arrive by house-elf," Hermione commented.

"She would like that, Hermione. She is very creative and has such an affinity for her plants. You might be surprised what they do for her. I've seen them dance, sing... even walk to another pot."

"I'd like to see that. Is it magic or breeding?"

"A little of both, I think," he replied. "Pomona has magic in her hands."

"Enough to soothe a little boy's hurt feelings? Make a wound feel better?" she ventured.

"Yes, I don't know what I would have done without Pomona and Poppy's healing abilities all these years." Hermione reached out to cover one of his hands, and he entwined his fingers with hers. He always loved the feel of her small, delicate fingers in his long, thin ones.

"I wish I had known you had such a backup system. I did worry about you once I realized you were in the Order. Dumbledore wouldn't have let you in if he hadn't trusted you with his..." She stopped.

"He did, that's the horror of it. But I have a new peace about it since we saw him the other day. He seemed quite genuinely happy to see me, and I will go talk to him soon. I have missed him and those damnable twinkling blue eyes."

Hermione chuckled at his description. They ate their food, talking mostly about it and the various herbs that had been used to flavor it. The salad with vinaigrette was sweet and rather unusual with the flower petals but quite good. The lobster tails were tender, and there was a butter and garlic sauce to accompany them. When they got to the dessert, Hermione stood and came around to Severus and asked him to push his chair back. She climbed into his lap, and he held her securely with one arm around her waist. She fed him his chocolate mousse, alternating a bite for her and a bite for him, a finger full at time. He did not think he had ever had such a fine dessert. They kissed a lot in between bites. When his hand started to roam, Hermione stalled him. "Isn't there something else you want to ask me before we get to the real dessert?" she reminded him.

Severus nodded. "Yes, there is." He put her on her feet, and he stood and drew her to the center of the little dancing area, and then to Hermione's pleasure he dropped to one knee, pulled the little box from his inside pocket and asked, "Hermione, will you marry me?"

Despite the fact that she knew this was coming, she still felt tears sting her eyes. The adoring look in his eyes warmed her to her toes. She grabbed his hands and pulled him to his feet. "Yes, Severus, I will marry you." She threw herself at him, grabbing him around his neck, and he lifted her, pulling her body against his. He twirled her around as they kissed, finally setting her back on her feet. The soft music began to play again, and they danced closely for awhile. Their bodies moved against each other sensuously. Severus finally reached a point where he could wait no longer; he had to have this woman. With a loving glance about the beautiful greenhouse of magnificent flowers, they wandered slowly through and out the door toward the castle.

Severus pulled out his wand, sending his Patronus off to Pomona, informing her the greenhouse was free for her use once again. He noticed that it flew into Minerva's study window.

"The ladies must be having a gossip fest tonight," he said with a smirk. "I imagine we are a huge part of that discussion. They probably have the wedding planned." They glanced again to see Poppy, Minerva and Pomona waving at them from the window.

Hermione giggled and waved, and Severus gave the ladies a smirk. He imagined he could hear them laugh even from their position on the ground.

"Come, I have something to show you." He took her hand, and they ran toward a small garden near the rear of the castle.

---

I have a host of ladies who are trying to help me beta. Becky, thank you for your first read through. Suzanne, thank you for the second read through, and Brit pick. Zee, thank you for checking the chapter. Merrin, thank you for your beta work, you're the best. Also, nagandsev thank you for your TPP beta help. All these ladies get me through this process. Thank you all so much.