"What?!" Hermione asked Harry pointedly, her voice offended and completely in denial.

"He's alive, Hermione, aurors found him, Kingsley summoned me and told me that he was completely healthy. He was trying to get into Grimmauld Place, but the alarms went off because he didn't know we changed them. Kingsley is speaking with him in the Minister's office."

"I want to go," she decided immediately.

Harry shook his head and held Hermione from reaching her wand in the back of her dress.

"You can't yet, he's talking to the minister and I'm not allowed to let any of us go until he's done. Kingsley will send for me again when he's finished."

"But why?"

Harry gave her a straight face meaning he didn't know anymore than what he'd just told her.

"Hermione, that's great," Ginny said reminding the two of her presence. Harry smiled and held her gently.

"Yeah, the-"

"No. He can't know, he regrettably even wanted to... There's no way he is even going to discuss continuing our relationship let alone want to help me raise a child," Hermione told them knowledgeably. She knew her lover, and when they'd created the child, it was Hermione who'd almost seduced him into it. She had been with him since sixth year, but they'd played well, even in front of each other like when Ron had been poisoned.

"Hermione didn't you say he loved you?"

"But he left, I was left alone after that night." She shuddered at the thought of the note she received.

In smaller words, it said that as much as he loved her and thanked her for the love she showed him, things had to happen, things she couldn't know about and never would. Horrible things. It was safer for her and him to let what they had die.

"Because it wasn't safe," Harry argued. She tried to ignore him, but he was right. He was very right.

That still didn't mean he ever wanted children, but of course they'd never talked about it. When Dumbledore had died, she had gotten a letter explaining the whole thing, the whole story. Well, not the parts about his double-agent work, but how simply how Dumbledore had told him to do it.

"I hate this so much! It hurts, Harry, it hurts so much and all I want is to be in his arms! Yet I know I can't be because the moment he finds out..." She couldn't even finish her thoughts.

"Come on, we'll apparate to the ministry and wait there."

Hermione nodded, tears in her eyes as she bit her bottom lip and took Harry and Ginny's arm. With a quick pop, the three of them were gone from the party with no explanation.

So, outside the minister's office, the three awaited him and comforted a rigid Hermione. She was shaking as she bit at her nails or bottom lip, whatever her teeth chose. The anxiety she exhibited was gnawing at her very patience, and Ginny kept throwing worried glances at Harry's way because she only got worse.

He felt bad for yelling at her earlier, but when he tried to apologize she nearly growled out that she understood his apprehension as Snape was the closest connection to his parents. He had a right to be weary about the whole situation.

Suddenly, the door clicked open, and the Minister for Magic came through the door, a dark figure following.

"Ah, Harry you got my message, I see."

"I did, and I brought Ginny and Hermione as well," he said with a smile that Kingsley brought out in everyone.

The amiable man had glanced back when he heard the figure's breath hitch behind him.

"I believe they're here to see you, Severus," the man said as he gestured to the group of young adults.

Hermione hadn't looked up, she was crouched over herself in her gown, her elbows on her knees and face in her hands as she tried gathering her conscience.

"Well, I'll leave you to it," Kingsley said and took his guard with him back into his office.

"Professor," Harry greeted first, holding his hand out to the man who looked like he'd been through hell. If he wasn't skinny before, he was now, and his eyes were dark, age clearly taking to his features. His hair was as normal as ever, the black locks falling almost over his face but not quite.

"Mr. Potter, Miss Weasley," he said and then looked at the figure in the chair, "Hermione."

The word seemed to freeze time as he breathed it out, the very sight of even a little of her making him smile for a sheer moment.

"Professor," Ginny greeted as well taking her eyes and following the man's gaze. It ended at the brunette who was wiping her eyes free of tears.

"We'll leave you be," Ginny added, nearly pulling Harry from the room with force enough to rip a quaffle in half.

"Professor Snape," Hermione said, still not entirely meeting his gaze.

"Hermione, stop this nonsense at once," he scolded her far more harshly than he wished to. She looked scared out of her mind, her dress falling over her from the end of her ribs down. The top was tight, bringing out her upper body. She looked positively beautiful even as tears fell from her eyes.

"What nonsense, sir?" She asked with hesitancy. "I'm being formal, isn't this what you want?"

The man in front of her shook his head and furrowed his eyebrows.

"Is it what you want?"

"No! I want to be in your arms and never let you go, but how can this be real? I feel like I'm living a dream and at any second reality will come crashing down, and I'll wake up in the Burrow like I always do."

Snape scoffed and moved closer to his lover, taking her hand despite her gasp and attempt to pull away.

"You want substantial proof this is real?"

She nodded, but with agreement she didn't expect him to kiss her lips, moving her teeth from her bottom lip and replacing them with his own teeth. He bit down, harder than he normally would have and caused Hermione to yelp in pain, but she continued to try and kiss him nonetheless.

"You can't feel pain in dreams, Hermione," he scolded her as he pulled away ignoring her want to kiss him.

She opened her eyes, looking right into his blackened ones, her heart hammering in her chest from that tingle she got every time he kissed her. Her body was shaking still, but she hardly cared as her hands grasped his face and pulled him in for another kiss to relieve her of the pain and hopefully grasp an apology from the man. He kissed her deeply, pressing her against him as she tangled one of her hands into his hair. He let her, too, as it had been forever since the couple had faceted their relationship. It had been four months ago....

"Hermione?"

"Yeah?" She replied lazily as her eyes fluttered closed at their closeness.

"How have you been?"

She nearly laughed, blowing air through her nose at an attempt, but she decided against it.

"Horrible without you. I've had to go to those galas with various wizards, Severus, it's been awful."

"You're mine," he growled into her neck as he placed kisses on the bare skin. She cherished the feeling he sent down her spine, and the wonderful feeling of wind running over that little spot just at enough down to make her feel positively wonderful.

"I thought you were dead; you led me to believe you were dead."

"I'm sorry," he muttered hopelessly. Hermione could tell he didn't think she would forgive him, but how wrong her lover was.

"I forgive you, just please don't make me think you are dead ever again," she said with a tiny bit of a laugh. On a more serious note, she continued to speak to him about the happenings leaving out one little detail. "People are moving on, and they're discovering they have attraction to those they never thought possible. Malfoy is currently dating Luna Lovegood," Hermione said definitively.

"Really?" Snape said with his normal drawl, "She was always exceptionally pretty and genuinely kind."

Hermione took a double-take at his statement, she never knew he thought of her like that. The kind thought that is, Luna was always a very beautiful person. Even Hermione could admit that.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Snape chuckled and kissed Hermione quiet as he lifted her into his arms and placed himself in a chair with her on top of him.

"It means that Draco is lucky, but I'm even luckier." Kissing her plainly, Hermione escaped without him seeing the blush so very evident on her pale cheeks.

"Do you want to go back to that gala with me on your arm?" Snape asked her after a few minutes. "I'm sure it's not the most alluring of proposals, but..."

"I'd love that," she assured.

In a few moments, four of them were apperating back to the ballroom where the gala was being held. Harry and Ginny went first, and then Hermione waited a few minutes before she and Snape entered the room arm-in-arm.

{2/4}