Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I'm snagging a few of JKR's characters for a bit of fun.

Thanks go to ladyinthecloak for the beta read and for being such a good friend.

Hermione opened her eyes and stretched out slowly before suddenly remembering where she was and what had happened. She turned over to find the bed empty and his spot cold. How long had she been sleeping? Where had he gone?

"Severus?" He wasn't in the room, and through the small crack in the door, she noticed that he wasn't on the couch either. Being unable to Disapparate without her, she knew he was there somewhere. Shite! she thought.

She sat up and realized she was still naked, but as far as she could tell, her body had been magically cleaned and tucked under the cool sheet. Her clothes were nowhere to be seen. "Great. Now... how do I get out of here without him seeing me naked?" she muttered, sliding her legs down to the floor. "Oh." He'd laid out her new nightgown for her on the chair next to the bed.

How thoughtful. She quickly slid the gown on for the first time, enjoying the feel against her bare flesh. "Definitely worth the money." Taking a deep breath, she decided to try not to make things awkward for them. What she'd done was nearly inexcusable. What had she been thinking to barge in like that...crashing down that woman's door...and the way she'd just taken him home? She didn't even want to think about the slap to his face! She'd had no right. God, what he must have thought!

A sly smile graced her lips as she thought of where all that had led. It had all happened so quickly, but she didn't regret any of it. It had been the most intense and best sex she'd ever had. When he'd brought her to his bed and showed her his vulnerable side, she felt the stirring of other emotions. She could love this man...this sour grouch...if he would let her, and that thought made her insides tingle.

"I must be mad," she said, peeking out of the opened doorway. She could tell that he was in the kitchen, so she made her way towards him, ready to face up to what she'd done. I hope he's not too weird about things.

"Hey," she said softly, gazing at the clock and seeing it was already past noon.

He turned to face her, and there was nothing about his expression that made her feel uncomfortable. He seemed to be looking at her no differently than he had that morning before they'd left to go out. After a moment, he said, "I thought you'd sleep all day."

"I did think about staying in bed," she said, feeling her cheeks blush, "but I supposed, though, that I needed to be up."

"You've had a few owls this morning. I've put the mail on the counter, just there."

"And just what are you up to?" she asked with a big grin, noticing the nearly prepared meal spread out on the counter.

"I was bored since the potion is only simmering. I... couldn't sleep for too long, so I thought maybe I could make lunch for a change."

She stretched. "I am hungry." There was a small silence. "I'll go get a shower and join you after?"

"All right," he said quietly with a nod, turning back to the stove.

On the way out of the room, she saw that he'd fed Crooks, and this more than anything warmed her. Things would be all right, and it seemed that they could both approach this new phase of their 'relationship' as mature adults.

"Hermione?" he called after her.

"Yes?" She turned and found him clutching the doorway, an uncertain expression on his face.

"It's nearly done. If you want to wait on your shower..."

"Are you sure?" she asked. When he said nothing, she pointed to her nightgown. "I don't want you to feel... uncomfortable." As she said the words, her cheeks flushed anew. And now I sound liked a damn berk!

At this he flashed her a small, unsteady smile. "I think we're a little past that now, aren't we?"

"I'd say so." She followed him back into the kitchen. "Anything I can do?"

"You could set the table while I finish this."

"Done." After she set out their plates, she asked, "What do you want to drink?"

"Whatever you'd like."

"I made some lemonade last night...the kind with real lemons like my Aunt Helga from Ramstein taught me to make. It's... really quite good. Would you like to try some?"

"Certainly." He busied himself with the food and placed the pots on the table while she poured their drinks.

After he seated himself, she reached over and began to fix his plate for him, handing it to him and then starting on hers. "There's something I wanted to talk to you about." She heard a small sigh and looked up, but she didn't notice a change in his expression. Was he dreading that she might bring up their sex? "When I was in that store this morning, there were two old blokes reading the Prophet. Do you know what Harry's done?"

Severus smirked, seemingly relieved, and nodded towards the counter with the mail. "I took the liberty of reading the morning's edition. I'm surprised Potter has it in him to take on the Minister like this...so openly. Only someone... someone like Dumbledore would have the gall to do so."

"I think, Severus, that you just gave Harry a compliment."

"Hmph," he said noncommittally. "Dumbledore was quite dotty at times, wasn't he? Look where all that courage got him."

"Yes," she said softly, "he helped to save the world."

Severus didn't reply, suddenly becoming infatuated with the new potatoes on his plate.

"I'm sorry. I know that subject is probably hard for you."

"There are many things that aren't easy for me," he said quietly, still looking down.

Knowing she should change the subject, she asked, "So, what do you think of this potion? All okay?"

"We'll find out this evening, won't we?"

"So soon? I thought it had another day."

"I've gone over the calculations again, and it seems that I was wrong in the length of time required for it to cure. Do you think the Weasleys would welcome us to try tonight?"

"Yes, I know they would," she said happily. "Oh, this is such good news! We'll never be able to repay you, will we?"

"Your beast was harassing me for breakfast earlier, so I obliged him."

"I noticed. Thank you." After tasting the roasted chicken, she exclaimed, "This is really good."

"And did you really expect anything less?" he asked dryly.

"I suppose not. You are good at everything you do, aren't you? I... oh!" She realized what she'd just insinuated and hated the heat she felt rising from her throat to her face.

"Ah, a compliment indeed," he said before sipping on his lemonade, eyes not leaving hers. "It's good," he lifted his glass, "so I suppose you're good at all you do as well."

Hermione grinned and sheepishly said, "Thank you."

Lunch was filled with pleasant small talk, mostly about potions he'd created, and once they were done eating, they cleaned the table together and placed the leftovers in containers to be refrigerated. Things were much more pleasant than Hermione could have imagined. There was none of the strain or animosity she'd first feared upon waking.

"I've updated my notes on the potion. Would you like to go up and see?"

"Sure. Oh, let me see what this is. Looks like it's from the Ministry." There was a crisp, ivory envelope with the Ministry's official seal on the back. "Blighters better not be trying to force me back before..." she muttered, trailing off as she read the letter.

Dear Miss Hermione J. Granger,

Ministry of Magic

"It's like they want me to testify against whatever Harry says." She passed the letter to him. "What do you think?"

"I think that I hate having to go back there. I've had enough of the blasted Ministry and their fake trials."

"This is a chance to right those wrongs," she said, placing a hand on his arm.

"Possibly."

"I wish I knew what was expected of me. I think I should owl Harry and let him know. He's got a lot to fill me in on anyway."

"Very well. I can show you my notes later," he said crisply and walked towards the door that led to the attic.

"No, it's all right. I expect he's eating lunch now anyway with the Weasleys. I'd like to read over what you've got if you don't mind. That way when I owl him, I can include something from you and our possible visit to the Burrow this evening."

He nodded and beckoned for her to precede him up the stairway.

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

Molly Weasley opened the door excitedly. "Hermione! Severus! Come in, come in." She grabbed them both and hugged them like a woman who hadn't seen her children in months. "So good of you to be here. Arthur, Harry! There're here!"

"Hello," Arthur said from behind his plump wife. He held out a hand to Severus, who was trying to smooth down his disheveled hair after Molly's embraces.

"Arthur," he said with a nod, shaking his hand. He then turned to face the other person in the room. "Potter."

"Snape," Harry greeted.

Hermione smiled and closed the door behind them. "Hope you don't mind us coming before dinner like this, but we didn't want to do this too late."

"Nonsense! We've plenty and would love for you to share our meal," Mrs. Weasley offered.

"Meatballs," Arthur said with grin. "Best round these parts, I'm sure of it."

"Maybe," Hermione said, looking up to Severus, whose gaze was still locked with Harry's.

"You can decide," he said coolly, finally turning to face her.

"Uh, let's go up first. That's more important, I think."

"Indeed." He pulled a large phial from his pocket. "I would like to administer this to Ginevra."

"I'll go with you," Harry said immediately.

"Harry dear, I think I'll be the one to go in with Severus. She'll likely need some privacy," Molly said kindly, inching closer to Severus as if ready to grab him and pull him forward.

Harry nodded and watched as Severus and Molly left the room, Arthur trailing behind, obviously bent on not being left out. Hermione touched Harry's arm. "All right?"

"Nervous."

"Me too." She hugged him tightly and placed her head on his shoulder. "It's got to work. You've no idea how brilliant Severus is. I think he could figure out anything given the time and resources." She pulled back and smiled up at him. "She'll be fine."

His eyes had narrowed slightly, but then, he breathed out a sigh. "I think so, too. About her being fine, that is." He flashed a small smile. "And I guess I'll have to admit Snape's brilliant if this works."

"How are things at Grimmauld Place?" She couldn't bring herself to ask directly about Ron and Pansy, but the lack of their presence seemed to indicate that something wasn't right at their house. "Are you and Ron having a row? Why is he not here?"

"No, nothing like that. I just didn't want them here, ya know? We fought over who should be here. I won." He shrugged. "I think I should be. In fact," he stepped away from her and continued in a suddenly angry voice, "I shouldn't be bloody stuck down here. I should be up there, too."

"I can only imagine what you're feeling." She pulled his hand into hers and guided him towards the table. "Let's sneak some of this food while they're up there. We don't know how long they'll be."

"What's he going to do?"

"Actually, she's got to drink some of it, and then some of it needs to be rubbed into her skin."

"Where?" he snapped.

"Does it matter? I'm sure that's why Molly wanted privacy!"

He shook his head. "I'm sorry."

"Sit. I'll fix a bowl."

"I don't think I could eat just now, Hermione."

She sat down with a thump. "To be honest, I can't either. My stomach's in knots!"

"Speaking of knots, what did you do to your hair?" he asked, arching an eyebrow. "New style?"

"Harry Potter! Are you taking the Mickey? I'll have you know that your hair isn't exactly tidy either."

He snorted. "But yours looks like you've been rolling round on the floor or something."

She blushed profusely. Rolled against the wall early this morning if you must know. "I had a nap this morning and spent the afternoon in the attic with Severus, reading over his journals of notes and discussing what could be tweaked if something didn't work this round, thank you very much. When we realized the time, we rushed over."

"Oi, so defensive! It's not like I thought you were really rolling around on the floor with..." His mouth gaped open, and he sat back so hard, his chair scooted backwards a little. "Hermione, no!"

"Sorry?" she asked uncertainly. What was he on about?

His mouth shut tightly, and his head turned to gaze at the quiet stairway as if debating on running for them.

"Harry? What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Look at me." His green glare took her by surprise. "I... Are you angry with me?"

"No."

"Then why do you look like you want to hex me?"

"Not you."

"Then who?"

"Myself," he said, bringing his hands up to cover his face.

Hermione stood, a little confused, and moved to his side of the table, putting her arms around him. "Harry, I love you, and while I might be a bit bossy or irate at times, I hope you know that I appreciate all you've done for this world. If anyone deserves some peace, it's you. Please stop blaming yourself for all that's gone on. It's not your fault."

He turned and gave her an incredulous look before snorting and standing up. "There's so many things I could say right now, but you're right. Ginny comes first."

"I'm nervous about tomorrow. What could they want with me? What do they think I could tell them that would possibly help their case?" she asked.

"I don't know, but no matter what happens, just be honest. I've nothing to hide."

"Neither do I," she said firmly. "Is Ron going to be there?"

"Yes, he was also sent a summons, as were Pansy and Daphne."

Her brow furrowed. "Odd. Wonder what that's all about then."

"I'd planned on asking you all to come anyway." He grinned. "We'll beat them at their own game. I know we will."

Footsteps alerted them to someone's presence. They turned to see Severus descending the stairs. "Potter, Molly would like you to go up."

"Any change?" Hermione asked, bolting up.

"Nothing major. Her eyes blinked a few times and then closed. It may be a while. I've given them instructions."

Harry nodded. "I'm going up. I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Everything all right here?" he asked suspiciously.

"Yeah, he's a bit stressed and tensed up."

"I see."

"Would you like me to fix you something to eat now?"

He smirked. "I remember Molly's meatballs. The one time I was coaxed into staying at headquarters for a meal, I regretted it later."

"They are spicy, aren't they?" Hermione said with a laugh. She lowered her voice and asked, "Severus, what do you think about Ginny?"

"I feel positive about it." He gave her a small smile. "As it seeps into her pores and is passed through her body, she should start healing from the inside out. The time it takes will be up to her, I suppose."

"Should we stay here to monitor? Perhaps to take notes? We'd know what to expect when we treated the others that way."

"That won't be necessary. Molly has volunteered to mark down changes and the times for us, which will be a big help."

"Oh, here's someone now," she said, moving towards the stairway. "All right?" she asked when she saw Harry.

"Yeah." His smile was broad. "She clenched one of her hands just now. We're going to be up here a while, so... want to come up?"

"We'll just be going," Hermione said. "It's been an, uh, eventful day. Should I meet with you in the morning before going to the Ministry, Harry?"

"Maybe come round to Grimmauld Place at seven? I can show you what I'll be discussing, and we can see if I've missed any angles."

"Sounds good." She smiled and held up a hand in farewell. "We'll leave you to it then."

"Er... thank you, Snape," Harry said.

"It's nothing," was the reply.

Once they were outside at the Apparition point, Hermione pulled Snape into an embrace and squeezed tightly, unable to stop a few tears from spilling. "Thank you so much."

His arms surrounded her, and he squeezed her back in return. "Regardless of what people may think, I find it pleasing to conquer problems and to have my work help others."

She laid her head on his shoulder and Disapparated them to her flat. Once there, she reluctantly let go of him. "I don't know if you're keen on leftovers, but I quite liked what you made for lunch, so would you mind terribly if I heated that up for us?"

"Not at all. Do you need me to do something?"

Grinning, Hermione said, "You can set the table and pour something for us to drink."

"Wine tonight?"

"All right," she agreed, leading the way to the kitchen.

Dinner passed pleasantly, both talking excitedly of the possibilities of the potion and other types of potions that could be made from it. After the kitchen was cleaned and the dishes put away, Hermione stretched slightly.

"I'm going to go have that shower finally," she said. "I... I had a lovely day today."

"Considering its start?" he asked bluntly.

"About that... I had no right to just barge in there and..."

"I shouldn't have done that...misleading you about what I'd intended. I think your anger was justified."

She smiled. "I appreciate that." There was so much more she wanted to discuss and to ask, but she felt that the time wasn't exactly right. When he made no move to say anything else, she quickly went to her room to get her nightclothes so that she could take a shower.

When she got out, he was waiting at the door, mostly blocking her exit. "I'll take one now as well," he said.

"I think I've left some warm water for you," she replied, waiting for him to move. When he didn't, she asked, "Did you need something?"

"Are you going to bed, or will you still be up for a while?"

Hermione's heart started beating more quickly. "I thought I might read for a little while."

"All right. I won't be long," he said, stepping aside to let her pass.

After she heard him turn on the water, she sat on the couch and held her book in front of her. She couldn't do anything to focus on the words, as her mind reeled with the implication of what he'd said. He wanted to spend more time with her. Did he expect more sex? Did she? Perhaps he'd decided to talk more about what had happened between them.

What do I want? she asked herself honestly. If she told herself the truth, she'd have to admit that having a relationship with him would be her choice. She wanted to know all of him...past included. She wanted him to know her completely. They were quite alike and had proven that, although they could be hotheads, things could be pleasant between them...conversation-wise, work-wise, and sexually.

What does he want? she wondered. It was obvious that his past was still very much part of his life and heart. Could she breach that? Would he let her in and give her a place of her own? Did he only want sex, or had he also enjoyed the time they'd shared? Fear gripped her suddenly; what if he intended to tell her that a repeat of what they'd done could never happen?

She frowned, uncertain how she felt about that. And then it hit her. What the bloody hell am I doing? He's so much older than I am, and there's just so much I don't know about him. He's nothing like Ron. Ron. What if she'd tossed aside the one chance for someone to really love her when she'd let Ron go? What if this was all a mistake?

"Is your book uninteresting?" asked Severus.

Hermione looked up to find him leaning against the doorjamb, shirtless, head tilted sideways with his hair still wet from its washing. "I can't concentrate," she admitted, tossing it aside. "Maybe something good is on the telly."

"Or maybe," he said, stepping away from the bathroom door and backing towards his, "there is something better in here." He extended his hand in invitation.

Without thinking of the consequences or listening to any of the thoughts in her mind, Hermione stood and went to him, placing her hand in his and allowing him to pull her into his darkened room. Crookshanks meowed and tried to follow them, only to have Severus close the door.

"Not this time, cat," he said, amusement lacing his voice.

Hermione felt herself trembling slightly, but the moment he drew her to him for a kiss, all nervousness fled. Nothing that felt so right could be wrong.

Southern's Notes: I'd hoped to get this out to you before Christmas. Season's Greetings to everyone. When I wrote this chapter, I'd decided long ago that I wanted a different "morning after." None of the awkwardness or long discussions. Just something... I dunno, normal. Hope you liked it.