Chapter Two - Explanations and Revelations.

Chapter Two – Explanations and Revelations.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Potterverse; it all belongs to JK Rowling and Co. No money is made, nor is any required.

I must also thank two wonderful people. First sc010f, thank you for alpha reading this chapter. Secondly, thank you so much to Subversa, for whipping this chapter into the beautiful shiny piece that it is. I appreciate all your hard work. You are something really special. I hope all goes well with your studying.

Severus pulled Hermione to his side, surreptitiously breathing in her subtle perfume: a scent he had developed for her as a Valentine’s Day gift. It was a distinct mix of jasmine, vanilla orchid, and neroli with a subtle hint of sandalwood. Turning to the drinks table, Severus Summoned the decanter of Ogden’s Finest Firewhisky and two crystal tumblers.

After pouring two generous glasses of Ogden’s Finest, Severus turned to Hermione, lifting her chin from his chest and looking into her deep amber eyes as he offered her one of the glasses of Firewhisky.

“Minerva, as you know, asked me to join her in her office once lessons were completed as she had something important to discuss with me.” Severus slowly caressed the side of Hermione’s face as he continued to speak “She has received an urgent missive from The Potion Masters' Research Guild. I, too, received a similar communication. To cut a long story short, Horace Slughorn has had to withdraw at short notice from next week’s conference in Paris because of unforeseen circumstances.”

“But... we’ve already discussed this,” Hermione whispered as tears began to appear.

“Hush, my little nymph,” Severus soothed. “Yes, we did talk this through. Yes, we did agree that I would not go this year, especially given Monday’s significance. However, with Horace unable to attend and with it being such short notice, they have asked if I would present the findings of Neville’s and my research with the Wolfsbane Potion.”

Severus loved Hermione dearly, with a purity that had been lacking with Lily. He had even come to realise he had not truly loved Lily. Yes, he had been infatuated, but it was a far cry from the feelings he had for his little nymph. She had progressively and persistently broken down the carefully constructed barriers he had erected over his years as a double agent. In fact, her persistence had occupied most of the six months he had spent recuperating, first in St Mungo’s and finally in the hospital wing at Hogwarts, under Poppy’s close supervision.

Hermione had been the one to return to him as he lay prone on the floor of the Shrieking Shack; it had been she who had found the vial of anti-venom on the chain around his neck, and she who had summoned both Poppy and the St Mungo’s Healer to aid Severus. She had borne the brunt of his bad moods, depression and anger whilst he had made slow, steady progress.

Against all the odds, the insufferable, impertinent little nymph had worn him down and forced him to open up to his feelings about everything that had happened, something that not even Albus had managed to achieve in all the years he had known Severus. Slowly but surely, a grudging friendship had progressed to respect, then to desire and finally to mutual, unassailable love. It had taken Severus by surprise how elated he had felt when Hermione had rushed to his side to open her NEWTs results letter, how he had been the one with whom she had shared drinks when she had been accepted as an apprentice by the same Potions master who had trained him, and how much pride he felt when she had gained her Mistress status, ahead of schedule.

“Hush my dear; I long to be nowhere but by your side this coming Monday. It would be very remiss of me to miss our first anniversary and celebrate it apart from you; I would not be able to bear that.” Looking deeply into her eyes he sighed. “However, it would also be an accomplishment to present the paper to a group of my peers.”

“Severus, I know how much the research means to both you and Neville, and I wouldn’t want to stand in your way. I suppose we could always celebrate later in the week.”

Hermione was only too well aware of how much the research meant to both Severus and Neville. Both had developed a budding friendship with Remus during the run up to the last great battle against Tom Riddle. When Hermione had told Severus that Remus had been left for dead, the fear and sorrow that had shown in Severus’ face had nearly been her undoing. So many times as she had filled Severus in on what had happened after Nagini bit him, she had had cause to hold her breath and hope that her information would not cause a relapse.

Remus had barely survived the war, and he and his son, Teddy, mourned the loss of Tonks daily. Remus was reminded of Tonks whenever Teddy demonstrated his Metamorphmagus tendencies. It had been a huge relief to Severus when Remus had visited him once he was transferred back to Hogwarts. However, Remus was leaner and bore more scars than Severus cared to remember. Gone was the prejudice that had blighted their schoolboy days, to be replaced by shared interests and a longing to preserve their current uneasy peace. The Potters had, to Severus’ relief, offered Remus and Teddy the attic area of Grimmauld Place after it was transformed into a spacious living area. Ginny embraced her role as Teddy’s surrogate mother with the gusto and bravery that was associated with the Weasley family, and Remus had somewhere safe to transform into a werewolf when there was a full moon.

Pulling his impulsive Gryffindor as close as he possible could, Severus planted a soothing kiss on her tense lips. “Oh, my little nymph, I thought my life would be simpler after the war.” He sighed into her hair and stroked her cheek with his right thumb. “My research is important to me, and I want to present the findings of the improvements we’ve seen in the side effects of the Wolfsbane Potion. I am loathe to miss our special day, though; I want us to celebrate together.” He pulled back a bit to look into her face. “What about coming with me? I’m sure Draco could cover Monday’s classes for us.”

Hermione seemed to ponder Severus’s offer for her to join him. Before she could answer, he rose from the settee and offered his hand to her. He led her through to the dinning area where Hermione had laid the table for their evening meal.

“Come, it is getting late; we should eat.” Severus pulled Hermione’s chair out for her before sitting across the table from her.

In the blink of an eye, Winky appeared with the starter, and the two began to eat. Together, they consumed their meal in near silence, broken only by stilted conversation. Severus appreciated the effort she had invested and began to wonder what had prompted her to prepare such a feast.

Once sated, the pair retired to sit before the fireplace.

Swallowing audibly, Hermione embraced all of her Gryffindor courage and grabbed the moment to bestow her news upon her unsuspecting husband. “Severus, I know we still have much to discuss about the offer that has been extended to you, but I have news of my own, which I hope will thrill you.”

“Come now, woman, what is it you need to say?” Severus drawled lazily as sleep attempted to claim him.

“We discussed, did we not, the prospect of having a family?”

“Indeed we did. What of it?” Severus stirred from his partial slumber. Rubbing his face with the palms of his hands he turned to face Hermione.

“We agreed to let nature take its own course, to leave it to Nimue. Well I have news for you, my dear. I saw Poppy earlier today and...” Hermione paused, unsure of how Severus would respond.

“Come now, my little nymph, I am tired; it has been a long day. I wish to get out of these clothes and settle in between the bed sheets with my little lioness.” His hand idly caressed Hermione’s unclothed arm.

“Severus, I’m pregnant!” Hermione blurted.

With a start, Severus jerked the hand that was drowsily rubbing Hermione’s arm. “What did you just say?”