The Grass is Always Greener...

They aren't mine; I'm just playing with them! As always, this one's dedicated to inna_chy, without whom Always would never have been born. Read, enjoy, and review!

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CHAPTER 6: The Grass is Always Greener...

S. Snape

Severus rolled the parchment tightly, sealed it, and fastened it securely to the outstretched leg of the owl on the window ledge. He stroked the owl's feathers and looked directly into its eyes. "Take this to Potter's flat in Diagon Alley, Titan. I'm sure both of the dunderheads will be there," he said, holding his arm out of the window and watching the owl fly off into the distance.

Latching the window and warding it securely, Severus turned and surveyed the rest of the sitting room. The other windows in the room were shut, locked, and warded. He needed to check the one above the sink in the kitchen and make sure that all the perishable items in the refrigerator had been packed for the journey to the country. The windows in Hermione's room needed to be warded, as did the one in his own room, but Severus could wait until they were ready to leave to do those. Hermione was having a bit of a lie in back in his room. They had packed her things the night before, leaving a suitcase and her traveling clothes lying on her bed. Severus' own suitcase was next to hers.

Severus checked the kitchen, pouring what little milk was left into two glasses for himself and Hermione, and went to wake her. It was nearing ten o'clock, and he wanted to make sure she had something to eat before they Apparated to the country. He paused at the door of his bedroom and, leaning against the doorframe, smiled at the vision in front of him. Hermione lay curled beneath the blankets, her short curls pulled over her shoulder, in his white dress shirt. She was smiling softly, one hand resting beneath her cheek and the other clutching the sheet to her chest. One shapely leg peeked out from the edge of the blanket.

Smiling, he walked into his room and slipped beneath the blankets on his side of the bed, toeing off his shoes as he did. Hermione stirred slightly as the bed shifted and rolled onto her back. Severus propped himself up on his elbow and watched her as she slept, her smile melting his heart. He brushed a curl behind her ear and let his fingertips feather over her face softly.

"Mmm," she hummed, waking and turning her face into his touch. She held his hand against her face. "You're spoiling me, Severus."

"How on earth am I doing that, love?" he asked, his voice dipping low and trailing over her like silk. He peppered her face with kisses, his warm breath making her shiver. His fingers linked with hers as he pulled her over to him and held her soft curves against him.

Hermione sought his lips with hers as her heart swelled with the simple gesture of holding hands with him. Their entwined hands rested between them as Severus held her tightly with the arm wrapped beneath her. She could feel the beat of his heart as easily as she could her own, the soft thump thump beneath her cheek and soothing her completely. When Severus pulled away to press gentle kisses to the tip of her nose and her forehead, Hermione snuggled against him, letting her head rest in the crook of his neck.

"Waking up to this every morning and having you with me every day," she murmured, smiling against his warm skin. "You've done so much for me, Severus. You've sacrificed... goodness! Do you realize you have been living here with me for six months?"

Severus smirked and chuckled warmly. "Yes, and the last two months have been very satisfying," he replied, stroking her back languidly.

Blushing terribly, Hermione was suddenly aware of the fact that their hips were pressed together firmly. She mumbled something against his shoulder and tried to burrow deeper into the warmth radiating from him.

"What was that, Hermione? I didn't quite catch that last bit." He was still smirking when she pulled back a bit in order to answer him clearly.

"Yes," she said, her voice dropping low as she traced kisses over his jaw. "They most certainly have."

He allowed them a few moments of impassioned snogging before groaning and pulling away from her. "As much as I am enjoying this, love, if we do not get up now, we will not be arriving in the country until tomorrow afternoon." He kissed her sweetly on the tip of her nose. "Now, I'll conjure up a quick breakfast for you before I finish locking and warding the windows." He climbed out of the bed and held out his hand to lead her to the kitchen. "I have owled Potter and Weasley to let them know where we will be, although I have requested that they not contact us unless it is an emergency."

Severus pulled out a chair for her at the kitchen table and guided her down into it. He waved his wand over the table and a plate of bacon, eggs, and toast appeared. He placed the cold glass of milk beside her plate and summoned a fork from the cabinet. "Here you are, love," he murmured, bending so that his mouth was next to her ear. He smirked at the shiver that traveled down her spine. "I'm going to finish warding the windows, and then we'll be on our way."

~~~HG~~SS~~HG~~SS~~HG~~SS~~HG~~SS~~HG~~SS~~HG~~SS~~HG~~SS~~~

The clean, crisp smell of late summer in the country washed over Hermione as she regained her bearings, leaning against Severus' side after the Side-Along Apparation. She had only resumed using her wand a few weeks ago, and, even then, she only used magic for small things. As much as she had grown in confidence...excelling in her aptitude with Braille, honing her ability to "see" with her other senses...she didn't quite trust her magic just yet. Severus was being terribly patient with her, helping her remember charms and spells she hadn't used in nearly eight years. He was confident that she would be back to her old self sooner or later. And she had the faith in his faith in her that it would be so.

A soft, warm breeze blew through her curls, bringing with it the sweet smell of flowers. Hermione turned around in circles, taking in the sound of leaves and grass rustling with the breeze, the scent of wildflowers, the feel of the sun and the wind on her face. She smiled, her blank cinnamon and honey eyes darting toward the bright blue sky, as Severus slipped his hand into her own. They stood there; she letting the sun beat down on her upturned face, he watching the light reflected in her eyes, for a long moment before she spoke.

"Where are we, Severus? What does it look like?" she asked breathlessly.

Severus drew her hand to his lips and kissed it softly. "Minerva has allowed us the use of her country home for the week, love. It is just inside Scotland. Our dear Deputy Headmistress has quite an affinity for the country. She has planted wildflowers all around the house, and there is a tree that shadows the front room. You can see mountains in the distance, so far away that they seem to blend with the sky." He drew her back against him, wrapping his arms around her and resting his chin on the top of her head. "I wish you could see it, love. You could weep at the beauty of it, Hermione. It reminds me of the view of Hogwarts from beside the lake, with the mountains rising around it, the turrets and battlements standing out against the sky."

Hermione's breath caught when she heard him sniffle. She turned in his arms and brought her hands up to his face, surprised to find the wetness streaking down his cheeks. "Oh, Severus," she whispered, feeling tears stinging her own eyes. She wrapped her arms around him, pressing her cheek against his chest. "What's the matter, darling?"

He held her tightly, bowing his head against the tears slipping from his ebony eyes. He smiled despite the tears as he thought of how wonderful the young woman in his arms was. "I am going to fix this, Hermione. Even if it takes the rest of my life, I am going to make sure that you see again. No one else is going to have to go through this, to have to see someone they love deal with this pain and... what?"

Hermione had pulled back to turn her face up to him. Her brow was furrowed in question as her lips curled into a smile. She kissed his cheeks and his lips, tasting the salty remainder of his tears. "You really do love me don't you, Severus?" she whispered, hugging him tightly with her cheek pressed against his.

Severus hugged her, lifting her off the ground and chuckling despite the tears still clouding his eyes. He peppered kisses over her face and smiled. "More than anything, Hermione."

~~~HG~~SS~~HG~~SS~~HG~~SS~~HG~~SS~~HG~~SS~~HG~~SS~~HG~~SS~~~

Harry Potter smiled faintly as he dropped into his favorite armchair, a friendly brown barn owl sitting on his shoulder and a parchment in his hand. "Hey, Ron, you'll never guess what I just found out!" he called over his shoulder.

Ron Weasley poked his head out of the kitchen door, a bit of mustard smudged on the corner of his mouth. "What's that?" the redhead replied, carrying a plate of sandwiches into the sitting room of the flat the two shared. He nodded his head at the parchment in his best friend's hand.

"Letter from Snape. He sent it by Hermione's owl." Harry gestured to the barn owl on his shoulder. "Says here, and I quote, 'I shall be escorting Miss Granger to the country for some much needed time away from London. If you need to contact either of us in case of emergency...'"

"WHAT!" Ron yelled, his sandwich stopping halfway to his mouth. "That git took 'Mione away from London! What in the bloody hell would she let him do that for?"

Harry looked at him with a smirk, trying desperately hard to not burst out laughing. He swiped at his cheek in the same spot where mustard still stood out on Ron's, his smirk breaking into a grin when his friend angrily wiped his face. "Because she loves him, dolt. You really are thick, you know that?"

"Thick? I think you've finally done it. I think you've gone mental, mate. 'Mione couldn't possibly love Snape. She's got better taste than that and you know it." Ron's ears went red from anger as he snatched the parchment away from Harry and read it for himself. "Give me a quill, we'll put a stop to this right now. He's going to bring her back and leave her the hell alone!"

The barn owl flew off of Harry's shoulder as he shot up from his chair and started in on Ron. "You won't do anything of the sort, Ronald Weasley! You're not going to make Hermione choose between Snape and us; it's not fair to her. And I'll not lose one of my best friends because you never grew a set and asked her out!"

Ron looked up at Harry with wide eyes, his jaw dropping nearly to the floor. "Well... that's... you've totally missed the point!"

"Maybe, but I forbid you to ruin this for her. And if you do, I'll tell your mum!"

"Ouch, that's below the belt. That hurt."

Notes from The Mistress: Sorry it took so long for the update; I've been very busy with Real Life. Ugh. I thought it was time for a bit of comic relief, and who better to provide that than our favorite Weasley! Hope you enjoyed, and please review!