Chapter Sixteen

Later that night, Harry had come back to their rooms with them for a night cap, and Severus poured some wine into their glasses.

Hermione asked, "Are you okay, Harry? You've been very quiet all evening."

"I'm fine. It was strange seeing Dumbledore. Portrait lore is a very odd thing, isn't it?"

"Yes," Severus agreed, "very odd."

"He seems to have all of Albus' memories and knowledge. It's like he's really there. He was able to answer questions I'd never asked before." Harry took a sip of his wine and stared into the fire. "But, I saw Albus in the place between life and death."

Hermione stared at Severus a moment, her face worried.

"I think the portraits are a part of the memory of the castle. It witnessed and heard a lot of things of which we have no clue. The painting appears magically after a headmaster's death. It's sort of like a Muggle computer, recording and storing hundreds of years of data that can be fed back through the portrait. It knows the headmaster so well it can make them so real..."

"Or it might house their soul," Hermione said.

Severus said, "I hardly think that's correct." He sat near Hermione.

"Did you ask Albus what he thinks he is?" Hermione asked Harry.

"I should have. But it didn't occur to me. He apologized for not explaining so many things ahead of time. He reiterated what you said about the innocence. But how innocent was I? I killed a man with my bare hands at age eleven. No one ever talked to me about it, not after those first few weeks." As tears started to run down his face, Hermione threw Severus a worried look, and he nodded at her then at Harry.

She went and got on her knees and put her arms around him and let him cry.

Severus got up and put a hand on Harry's shoulder. "I was very unhappy when Dumbledore decided to leave you with your aunt. That woman hated me. I feared she would abuse you, and she did. But we both had to agree that the blood magic there in the house would keep you safer than anywhere else. It was a hard decision for him to make, Harry. I argued that you might become a bitter man who might want revenge, but he said we had to take the chance. He said that he believed you would have your mother's temperament and be a loving child no matter what. He was right. Looking back, there was no other choice."

Harry scrubbed at his tears with the back of his hand and nodded. "Well, it all turned out okay, didn't it? You had to suffer many things as well, sir. I will never complain about my childhood. Tom's gone and that's all that matters." He hugged Hermione tightly, then pushed her gently away. They got to their feet. "Thank you, Severus. I'm going to go to bed. This place makes me feel like a child again. It's exhausting," he said, trying to make excuses for his tears.

"Perhaps, it's time to shed the tears we were denied when we were younger. There's no shame in tears, Harry. We are all friends and we shared the past. Each of us a part of one whole puzzle," Severus told the younger man.

Harry looked up at the tall man. "I think the worst injustice from this whole thing is that I was denied your council and friendship."

Severus felt tears burn his eyes. "I should have been more like a father. Yes, Tom stole a lot from all of us." He pulled the young man into a quick, tight hug then set him back upright and stepped back. Reaching out, he pulled Hermione close.

"I could use the council of a father now and then, sir," Harry told him, suddenly. He seemed to suddenly register the words and just who he had spoken them to. His eyes widened in mortification, and he hastily backpedaled. "I'm sorry that's ... I'd best go." He turned to leave, but Severus' voice stopped him.

"I would be honored, Harry," Severus said in a low voice.

Harry turned, his eyes wide behind his customary round-framed spectacles. "My mother would be very happy for us both," he said, then he went through the door without turning back.

Severus sagged against Hermione. "I'm exhausted again," he said. "Why is it that the feelings are bubbling out like water and I can't stop them? I can barely manage a weak shield."

Hermione walked him into their room, and they undressed and crawled into bed. "I imagine it's because so many things are changing for you. Being in love," she said with a grin. "Having to deal with Albus again and now Harry, for you it's only been a few months since that final battle for your life. While you were in that bed, time stood still for you. There was no living. Maybe the poisons weakened your ability to make the shields. You lived behind them so long, and they aren't necessary anymore. You must have had a million tears hidden behind them from the abuse as a child to the horror your life was here as an adult. I love you, Severus; your tears are not a weakness to me. Let it all go. Let that burden that you've carried for so long alone be shared."

Severus pulled her to his chest, holding her tightly. "I am so glad you came for me," he said before the tears came and she held him as he cried himself to sleep.

******

Harry left the next morning to go back to his family. Hermione and Severus saw him to the gates of the grounds and then walked back slowly.

"We should go away for a few weeks. Some high mountain air would do us good," Severus suggested to Hermione as they walked.

"That sounds nice, but first you need to come meet my parents," she reminded him. She had mentioned it several times. It was now a month since he had been rescued, and her mother had written quite an anxious letter, asking her to come.

Severus groaned. "What if they hate me, think I'm too old or have too much baggage for their little princess?"

Hermione laughed. "They already know who you are, and my mother knew I was falling in love before I even found you. They just want me to be happy, Severus. You make me happier than I've ever been, and they will see that."

He sighed. "Alright, let's get it over with then. We can go this weekend."

Hermione reached up, standing on her toes to give him a kiss. "Thank you, Severus."

"What will I have to talk to them about? They are Mu...." He stopped abruptly, obviously embarrassed by his near-faux pas. "I'm sorry."

Hermione gave off a tinkling laughter. "It's okay. I call them Muggles too. I'd say just listen to my dad; he loves to talk. If you really want to make him happy, ask him what he does and be willing to listen to a long spiel about all kinds of Muggle dentistry. He is a doctor, and he does use a variety of medications. He might be interested in comparing your potions to his meds."

"You know I couldn't give him anything complicated," Severus pointed out. "Sometimes I think it's a travesty that we have things that would be a miracle to Muggles, like Skele-Gro."

Hermione sighed. "I know. I've thought about that for years. Why couldn't we market some of these things?"

"You know Muggles require years of research data to accompany their medications, and we don't have the time. We do put magic into some of them."

Hermione nodded, taking his arm, and they continued back to the castle.

******

Friday night they Apparated into Hermione's parents' backyard. Severus was visibly nervous, and if it were not so serious for him, Hermione would have laughed at him.

Severus moved away from Hermione and was looking around with interest at the small back yard. It seemed crowded with flora, but in the twilight, he could not see it all too well. They had been delayed by Pomona, who had wanted to clarify a few wedding details.

The light came on when Hermione stepped closer to the back door, and within seconds, a woman opened the door and cried out, "Hermione, darling." Hermione was engulfed in a tight hug.

The woman, who looked like an older version of Hermione, turned to Severus.

Hermione slipped her hand into his and drew him closer. "Mum, this is Severus."

Mrs. Granger tentatively stretched out her hand, uncertain as to how to greet the man, before deciding to throw all caution to the wind and reach out with both arms.

Surprised, Severus stepped into her quick welcome hug. "Mrs. Granger, it's nice to meet you," he said as she stepped back and gave him an uncertain smile.

Hermione was smiling up at him proudly, so he knew he had responded correctly.

"It's nice to meet you, Severus. I have been part of the drama of your rescue from quite the beginning," she told him.

"I am grateful for the support you gave Hermione, Mrs. Granger."

"Severus, you're going to be family; call me Margret."

He looked toward the door. "Where is Mr. Granger, Margret?"

"Yeah, Mum, where is Dad?" Hermione asked, a bit of nerves creeping into her voice.

"He got an emergency call from the office. Mr. Blackstone's boy fell off his bike and knocked his teeth loose. His father's a good friend," she told Severus. "So, he wanted to check the boy over. It shouldn't be too long. He asked me to beg your forgiveness. He really did want to be here."

"Patients come first," Severus said. "I quite understand." He saw Hermione give her mother a quizzical look.

"Really, darling, he's with a patient. Why don't you come in? I have tea waiting. You might need to warm the pot for me, Hermione. Now, don't fret about Dad. He's quite looking forward to meeting you, Severus," Margret said reassuringly.

Severus could not help his sudden thought, As much as I would be to see Tom, again. He felt Hermione's laughter and remembered she had been wearing the pendant inside her blouse for moral support tonight. They had become so used to each other's thoughts they would forget. He gave her a smirk as they went through the kitchen into a nice, cozy sitting room.

Hermione and Severus took the couch, and Margaret waited for Hermione to re-warm the teapot with her wand. Then she set about placing cups on saucers and serving the tea.

Severus took the cup and took a sip. "It's very good, thank you. My favorite."

"Well, Hermione wanted you to enjoy your visit. I dare say it's Harris's favorite too, so I always have it around." She served them small pieces of pound cake on china plates.

"You're looking well, Severus. I would have been happy to help if you had been able to come here." She took her cup and sat in one of the two chairs opposite the couch.

"Hermione took excellent care of me, though I'm sure it would have been comfortable here," he assured her.

Margret chuckled. "A kind word from a future son-in-law. But, I am glad you are at Hogwarts. I know they have protections there, and I always feel sad that we can't spend as much time with Hermione, but I know she is safe there."

"Hermione is a hero in our world. You shouldn't fear for her safety," Severus tried to assure her.

Margret looked him in the eye. "Until the next megalomaniac comes along," she said pointedly. "Power of any kind can warp a person's soul, and you all have a great deal of power we 'Muggles' can't even dream of."

"There's always a chance, but it will be many years before someone tries again. We have new magic in place to detect the use of Dark Arts. I dare say anyone with aspirations in that direction will find it rather difficult to rise above the cell they will find themselves in Azkaban."

Margaret smiled. "Well, from what I've learned of you, you are the best and safest knight for my daughter."

Severus allowed a small chuckle to escape. "Hardly a knight," he said in self-deprecation.

The front door opened, and they all glanced up to see a thin man come in. He pulled the hat off his head and placed it on a coat rack. Then he shrugged out of a white coat and hung it below the hat.

He stepped from the small foyer into the sitting room. "I'm so sorry I'm late." Hermione had come to him, and he hugged her tightly. "You're looking very healthy, my girl, better than the last time you were here." He kept an arm about Hermione.

Severus had stood when Hermione's father had entered the room. The man stretched out his hand and shook Severus' quite firmly. He was maybe 5'9", slightly balding, and had very kind eyes wrinkled with laughter. "Welcome to our home, Severus."

"Thank you, sir." Severus said, stepping back. "You have a nice home."

"Harris, Severus, no need to stand on formalities here. You're going to be family after all."

Severus returned to the couch with Hermione. "I do appreciate your willingness to accept me. Do you not wish to question me as to my fitness as a future husband for your daughter?" Severus asked candidly.

Harris sat and took a sip of his tea. "I trust my daughter. And even I can see how happy she is. I have not seen her look so fit and healthy since before she went to your school. That business with Weasley, well, I might have thrashed him myself if I'd known how to find him. I can't say I like the situation Hermione came into from the very start there at Hogwarts. I guess it was because we didn't know most of it that we allowed her to stay.

"She gave us a full accounting after the war. It was after they all thought you were lost, and it included a great deal about you, Severus. I'm only her dad, but I could tell how much she admired you, even back then. Then she decided to become a Potions master..." He stopped to take a sip of his tea. "I also read the full synopsis from your magical historian, Herald Bandwagon. You gave a lot of yourself to help Harry, Hermione and even Ron survive. Your action in getting the sword of Gryffindor to them was paramount to their survival." He reached out to take Margret's hand next to him. "Margret and I are very grateful to have our daughter with us. We understand what she did for us was out of fear for our lives and our safety. It's time we let the past all go and look forward to the future with Hermione and with you, Severus."

Hermione was looking at her dad with an open mouth; she had never heard him say so much in one span of a few minutes. "Thanks, Dad."

"Well, you're my little princess, aren't you?" He smiled at his daughter warmly.

Hermione's hand tightened on Severus', and he could feel her warm tears sting at her eyes. "Always, Daddy."

Severus stiffened at the word, always.

Hermione gasped in her mind, I'm sorry!

No, it's okay. 'Always' has a new meaning now, Hermione. I will love you always and forever.

Always and forever. I like that. She hugged his arm tightly, then realized both her parents were watching them curiously.

Her mum finally asked, "That mental thing?"

"Yes, sorry, Mum. Severus was just telling me how much he loves me."

Her mother smiled. "Well, that's nice." She wore a look on her face, as if she was not quite sure what to make of their connection, though. "I know we've had a bit of tea, but are you hungry? I have a roast in the oven that should be done in an hour. In the meantime, if you'd like, you can go up and get settled into your room. It's the big guestroom with the bath, Hermione; I didn't think you'd want to try and share the twin bed in your room."

Hermione blushed. "You don't mind?" She looked from her mother's face back to her father's.

Mr. Granger coughed a bit but said stoically, "You're a grown woman, and we know you haven't been out of each other's sight much since you found Severus, Hermione. Far be it from us to try to force you to hide from us that you share a bed."

Severus said, "Thank you, Harris, Margret. I appreciate your understanding. I would relish a bit of a nap before dinner. Travel still has an adverse effect on me."

"As does meeting the future in-laws I expect," Mr. Granger said with a mischievous smile.

"Yes," Severus drawled, giving the man an answering smirk.

"You should have no fear here, Severus. We want what's best for our daughter," Harris said. "With the strong connection you have formed together, I can tell she would never be happy with anyone else, and we are just grateful you return her feelings."

Margret chimed in, "I knew Hermione was falling in love weeks before she found you. I was so worried that you might not feel the same way...that perhaps she was reading your signs of gratefulness at being rescued as more than it was. I am quite happy to see that you care for her."

Severus drew Hermione close. "When I love, I love with all my heart," he said with emotion. "I used to think I would never have love returned to me, and now that it is, I can't imagine ever loving someone more than I love your daughter." He gave Hermione a small nudge. "Can we go to our room for a while?" he asked softly. "I really do need to lie down."

Hermione nodded. "Severus, are you feeling poorly?" she asked.

Come on, he urged her silently.

Hermione glanced over at her mum. "Will you call us when dinner is ready?" She could tell her parents were as concerned as she was. After her parents had given their assurance that they would let the couple know when it was time to eat, Hermione guided Severus up the nearby stairs and down the hall.

The room was warm and inviting, and when the door closed behind them, a ragged sigh escaped Severus. "Merlin, I am a weak man," he said huskily. Tears were leaking out of his eyes, and he scrubbed at them with a balled up fist.

Hermione felt him sag, and she struggled to get him to the bed. "Severus, what's wrong?" Her voice was full of concern.

"I didn't expect such kindness. I thought I would have to fight for you, lay out a case for why we should be together."

Hermione stood between his knees and cradled his face against her breasts. "Silly man," she said with such kindness and relief. "They will love you because you love me. They saw what Ron's rejection did to me. They just want to know that you will not do that as well, that you accept me as I am. They know that already by seeing you and me together. I would not have been this happy if we had the same issues between us. Now, lay back, my love, and sleep a little."

They crawled into the bed, and Hermione held him till he slept. As she stroked his hair, she prayed he would begin to understand the way of kindness and compassion. That he would grow strong in accepting kindness and love from people and not feel so overwhelmed. She knew that the potions he was on, in the combination he had taken them at first, also lowered his abilities to maintain his shield. But, soon he would be free of the side effects and would be able to rebuild those shields if necessary. She hoped he did not find it necessary. He was so affected by people's love; he had been so deprived for so long he was not able to accept it well. It confused him and made him emotional, which she knew he detested. It was a weakness to him. She hoped to prove as time went by that it was a strength, stronger than anything else in this world. Look what love had done for Harry. It had brought him through adversity after adversity whole, well and in victory over the strongest Dark Wizard to live in their world. She let herself fall asleep.

*******

"Hermione?" There was a soft knock at the door. Hermione opened her eyes to find the space in the bed beside her empty, and then she distantly heard the toilet flush.

"Yes, Mum. We'll be down in a few minutes," she called through the closed door. She stretched and crawled from the bed as the door to the loo opened. Severus, who was already dressed for dinner in dark pants and a white button-down shirt, appeared in the doorway and crossed the room to take her hand and draw her from the bed.

"Mum was here; it's time for dinner. Let me use the loo, and we'll go down together."

Severus nodded and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. "I am starving," he said with a slight grin.

"Well, I'll hurry then," she told him as she grabbed her bag and wand and hurried through the door of the bathroom, shutting it behind her. In five minutes she was ready; she came out wearing a different skirt and a soft warm pullover. Her hair was in soft ringlets falling to her mid back.

"You look lovely, Hermione." When he held out his arm, she linked her arm in his, and they went out the door and headed toward the dining room downstairs.

Margret was just setting a basket of rolls on the table when she heard them and looked up. "Did you get some rest?" she asked kindly.

Severus said, "Yes, thank you, it was very refreshing. I sometimes forget I am still not fully recovered. The Apparition must have affected me."

Hermione and Margret shared a look. Neither woman believed that but allowed him to think they did to save the frail male ego.

Harris entered the room, carrying a bottle of wine. "This will top the meal off nicely I think," he said, setting it down on the table. "Please, sit. I'm going for the roast."

Severus held out a chair for Hermione's mother and then for Hermione before taking his own seat. Harris appeared just before he sat and placed the big roast on the table on a metal trivet. He then took his seat. Harris held out his hand to Hermione; she took it, and then she threaded her fingers in Severus' hand. He looked perplexed a moment, then Margaret reached for him, and he found his other hand clasped in hers as she took her husband's other hand, completing the circle. Harris began to pray, and Severus bowed his head. Memories began flooding him: he was a small child, maybe four, his mum and dad had a hold of his tiny hands as his father said a prayer of thanks. He had forgotten that the man had prayed...even that his dad had been kind before he had discovered what his mum was.

"Lord, we thank you for this food..." Harris was saying, "We thank you for bringing Hermione home and for our future son-in-law, Severus. May you bless them both as they go forward in their lives together. Amen."

Margaret squeezed both the hands she was holding and let go. Hermione, having felt Severus' train of thought, held on hard, hoping he was not overwhelmed again. But this time, it made him feel good to know that he had a memory worth keeping of his family. Maybe being part of this one would not be so bad.

Harris was passing the rolls, and he took one, releasing Hermione's hand so he could pass the basket to her. "These smell wonderful, Margaret," Severus said.

Hermione chimed in, "Grandmother's recipe. I really need to start learning how to cook. We won't be spending summers at Hogwarts every year."

Severus smiled at her. "This would be a good place to start."

Harris laughed. "It will be quite a feat if you can get that one to put down her books long enough to learn to cook."

Severus looked at the man. "Well, Potions is a great deal of 'cooking' really, and I have learned a thing or two about cooking quick meals. I will make sure she learns a few of my tricks. You can make a mean stew in a cauldron."

"I bet you can," Harris agreed as he stood and began to slice the roast. He served pieces of the meat onto each person's plate before taking his seat again. "Please, eat."

They all tucked into their food with relish.

*****

Later, as they sat in the living room, nursing small whiskey glasses in their hands, Hermione told them about her search for Severus and how she had managed to get him out of the hospital. Her mother sat with her hand at her throat, gasping here and there, her eyes wide.

Harris laughed at his wife. "She's a witch, Margaret," he reminded her. "She would have easily put them all to sleep, but I agree it was exciting to hear." He yawned. "Forgive me. It was a long day at the office, and I know travel has tired you both out. Why don't we set breakfast at 10am tomorrow, and we can decide from there what we will do for the day."

He stood and took his wife's hand, pulling her to her feet. "Good night, Severus and Hermione. I'm very happy you came."

"Goodnight," they both chimed as Hermione's mother and father dropped kisses on the top of their daughter's head and gave Severus a pat on the shoulder.

They watched as her parents went down the hall past the kitchen to their bedroom at the back of the house.

"Do you want to go to bed?" Hermione asked.

Severus shook his head. "Can we sit here for a little while?" The fire was warming him quite nicely. Even though it was summer, the nights were rather cool.

Hermione smiled and snuggled into his arms. "It was a good day, wasn't it?"

"Yes," he said quietly. "A very good day." He tilted her chin up to kiss her.

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