What Makes You Different Makes You Beautiful

Disclaimer: I don't own them, I'm just letting them out to play. Much thanks to inna_chy for talking me into writing this sequel. Hope you all enjoy!

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CHAPTER 7: What Makes You Different Makes You Beautiful

Hermione sat by the window of the country house, the warm sun hitting her face as the sounds of Severus working within the house filled her ears. He had transfigured Minerva's receiving room into a makeshift lab and had spent several hours there in the last two days. She smiled to herself as she heard bottles clanking together and the frustrated groan that signaled his latest experiment had failed. Crookshanks trotted by, his bell softly tinkling as he crossed the front room and disappeared further into the house.

"Everything okay in there, love?" she called, smiling when she heard glass shattering against the wall and a door slamming angrily. His footsteps were heavy as he stalked down the hall toward the front room.

The vision that met his eyes when he came through the doorway was enough to knock the breath out of him. The sun flowed through the window, illuminating her so that she looked as if she were glowing from within. Her eyes were fixed on a point on the wall above his head and a smile was stretched over her lips. She looked so content and so beautiful that he felt all of his frustration of failed experiments drain out of him. He crossed the room and pulled a low stool over to the window next to her.

"Useless, Hermione," he sighed, leaning over to rest his head in her lap. Her soft fingers combed through his hair, soothing him almost to sleep. With each failed attempt at a potion to restore her sight he would find himself practically bowing at her feet with shame and humiliation that he could not keep his promise. And yet, it was as if she didn't care that he had failed again. She accepted him with love and open arms, her warmth ready to banish his frustration and her unconditional affection for him proof that he was all she needed. "I am nearly at a loss. I have no idea where to go from here."

She bent forward and kissed his hair softly. "Then let it go for today, Severus. You can only do so much. Perhaps we could go out for a while, it's nice today." She smiled and melted his heart.

He could tell she missed their daily walks in the city, even though they had only been in the country for two days. He realized he had been so consumed with finding a cure for the curse that blinded her that he ignored her while he was experimenting. It was a nice day out, for now at least. There were dark, heavy thunderclouds on the horizon. They would get a storm before night fell.

"Maybe we can go out tomorrow, Hermione. It actually looks as if it could rain soon." His chest constricted painfully at the downcast look on her face. He sat up straight and took both of her hands in his. Severus looked around the room for a moment until his eyes settled on the Muggle radio in the corner. He smiled and reached up to stroke her hair. "Dance with me, dearest."

Hermione's face brightened with a wide smile as Severus waved his hand and music filled the room. He stood and offered his hand to her with a bow she could not see. He kissed her knuckles softly as she blushed and joined him. Severus guided her to the middle of the front room, the furniture flying back against the walls at the flick of his wrist, and bowed to her again. He took her left hand in his right and gathered her close with his left arm around her waist.

The music from a Muggle station wafted around them, wrapping them together as if to bind them against the world of hurts and misunderstanding that lay outside the door of the little cottage. Hermione leaned against him, her head resting on his shoulder as the comforting smell of him filled her senses. He held their entwined hands over his heart as they danced, his voice unconsciously joining in with the radio. Warmth spread through him when he heard her sigh and felt her curl her fingers in the fabric of his shirt.

"Hermione," he whispered as the song faded into the next. "I hope to never disappoint you, no matter how long our time together may be."

She knew what he meant. He was terrified of failing to cure her, of not being able to keep his promise to her. For a man who was so guarding of his honor and pride, failing her would be devastating. She could feel his hopelessness and frustration every time she held him after a misdirected experiment. She held him tighter and turned her hand until she could lace her fingers with his.

"I'll stay as long as you'll have me, Severus," she murmured, not quite willing to leave the warmth of being burrowed in his arms. "And I don't care if you beg on the streets or go back to teaching or end up Minister of Magic. Nothing you do could ever disappoint me. You've given up seven years of your life for me. You quit your job at Hogwarts and left your home to take care of me. I could never ask any more of you than what you've already given me."

He kissed her softly then, a jolt of certainty running through him as he held her close. He could not see his life without her now, not after seven years of watching over her as she slept and months of holding her against him at night. She sighed as he pressed light kisses over her brow and snuggled further into his warmth. There was nothing that could stop her from loving him, even if he didn't find the cure for her blindness. If being without sight for the rest of her life was the price she had to pay for having him at her side, she would pay it in abundance.

"I do love you, Severus. You know that don't you?" She was suddenly afraid that he wanted to leave, not only the country but her as well. If he had decided it was a lost cause...

Severus felt her body go rigid in his arms. He kissed her forehead and her hair again and squeezed her hand in reassurance. "I could never forget that, love," he murmured. "You are the first thing I think of when I wake up and the last thing I think of when I go to bed. And most often, you are the last thing I see and feel as well." The arm holding her to his chest slipped down her back in a soft caress, over the curve of her arse to rest on the soft swell of her hip.

"Don't ever think I do not care for you, Hermione. There is nothing in this world that means more to me than you." Severus left her with no doubts with a tender kiss. "I. Love. You. No matter what. Always remember that."

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

Hermione was asleep, and Severus was on a bit of an experimental spree in the lab. He had awoken in the middle of the night with a stroke of inspiration and couldn't get back to sleep because he was afraid he would forget about it. So there he was at three in the morning, standing over a cauldron with his teaching robes thrown over his lounge pants and his hair pulled back with Hermione's elastic. His notebook lay open on the table next to his cauldron, a Dicto Quill poised above the parchment and taking notes when he spoke.

The cauldron hissed violently, and, for a moment, Severus thought it was going to explode. "Potential for combustion with the assimilation of the Daucus carota into the synthetic organic base. Must be added cautiously, no more than one to two grams at a time. Once the Daucus carota is fully absorbed into the base, let sit on low flame for," he checked the clock on the wall, "one hour."

He summoned a stool and perched beside the table, reading over the notes he had been making. The potion seemed stable, at least until the addition of the last ingredient. It was so obvious that it pained him that he didn't think of it before. Who knew, if the Fates were kind, Hermione might be seeing his face this evening for the first time in seven and a half years.

Notes from The Mistress: Please don't chase me down because I'm a tease!!! I beg of you, be merciful with the torch-wielding mob!!! Somehow this one feels as if it's winding down, although I'm not sure how much longer it will go on. Suggestions and criticisms are welcomed, as I write for you guys and am always striving to become a better writer. See you on the next one!