"Severus, what is it with the two of you?" inquired the headmistress of Hogwarts. "

What do you mean by 'the two of you'?" growled Severus Snape, obviously still in a rather foul mood.

"Well, you and Miss Granger of course. Who else would I be talking about?"

The potions master rolled his eyes, huffed and returned to the task of eating his chicken without answering her. The elderly Scottish witch next to him began drumming her fingers on the tabletop, slowly but surely getting impatient with her younger colleague.

It was very obvious that she was still waiting for him to answer her question but he just carried on eating as if there wasn't anything in the world bothering him other than his students as per usual. She began drumming her fingers on the tabletop getting more impatient by the minute.

"Severus." Her voice was very low and threatening now and it brought Severus to turn and look at her.

"Fine, what do you want to know?" Asked a clearly annoyed Severus Snape putting his cutlery away.

"Watch your tongue, young man, " reprimanded a stern Minerva McGonagall.

"Sure, Professor. Now on with it. What is it that you want to know that urgently?" He was clearly annoyed and his already foul mood got fouler and fouler.

"I simply want to know what is going on with the two of you. One minute you seemed all cosy, not really leaving her quarters and the other minute it's like 5 metres of ice separating the both of you; you're not even talking to each other."

"I already told you this morning what happened and originally I wanted to apologize for my rather rude behaviour yesterday but she didn't bother to come neither to breakfast nor to her first lessons. When she finally did she didn't even apologize for being late and so I decided that I wouldn't let her monitor me but instead had her clean the cupboards and correct some assignments. That's all that is to it. Now, if you please. I'd like to enjoy my free afternoon now."

He got up and strode out of the great hall with his cloak characteristically billowing behind him. He went down the stairs to the dungeons to change into something less formal and then went up and out to the lake.

There at the shore of the lake was the tree he still cursed, even after all these years. Nevertheless, he liked to come here and just sit there watching out at the lake and think. It helped him clear his mind gazing into the pitch-black depths and that's what he was doing. He sat there, his back against the tree and his arms folded across his chest simply staring out at the lake. With time his eyelids became heavier and only shortly thereafter he fell into a light slumber.

"Severus? Are you here?" Severus woke up to a female voice calling for him. A bit disoriented he looked around straightening his posture slightly. "Severus?" Asked the voice again and so he decided to look around the tree that hid him from plain sight. As soon as he saw who it was he sank back down and kept on ignoring the young, formerly bushy-haired woman walking towards him.

"Here you are. I've been looking for you for quite a while now."

Hermione came to a halt right next to him. He didn't answer her, kept his eyes shut and blatantly ignored her and so she sat down on the grass staring out at the lake.

"What's up, Severus? You've been acting strangely." This statement finally got him to acknowledge her presence.

"So I've been acting strange you say? Wow, how very observant you are, Miss Granger. I am honestly impressed. Now, if you don't mind, I came here to spend some time on my own."

His tone was icy which sent a shiver down her spine.

"Severus, just what exactly did I do that's got you that annoyed?"

His already dark eyes darkened showing the first signs of anger as he turned to look at her.

"You really need to ask?"

"I wouldn't if I knew the answer."

She cocked an eyebrow at him but he just looked away and out into the depths of the lake again.

"How would you feel if you woke up, wanting to check on the person you know who suffers from extreme nightmares and has their most intense dreams in the early morning hours but when you want to check on them you find them gone. You start searching for them near their rooms, cannot find them but also can't search further because of two babies you have to have a watchful eye on and so you just sit there, waiting for them to come back for hours. Then they don't even bother to turn up for breakfast and the first two lessons and when they finally do turn up they say nothing close to an apology or at least an explanation. How would you feel if a person you came to know better and would even consider something of a friend was missing and for all you know they could be dangling off the astronomy tower and you can't go and search for them. How would you feel?"

He looked at his speechless apprentice whose jaw was slightly slacked. When she didn't answer he just stood up and turned to walk away.

"Fine. So be it." and with that, he strode away.

+++++++++

"Minerva, I came to collect the little pests." Severus Snape dusted himself off after stepping out of the fireplace.

"Ah, Severus. I take that Hermione has found you?"

"Indeed, that she has. If she turns up here just tell her that I have the children and that she doesn't need to bother with thinking about them. I'll care for them alone as I already managed quite fine on my own."  He bent down and picked Harry and Draco up.

"What is the matter with you two? Why wouldn't you tell her that yourself; you're living together as far as I know?"

"I'll be moving back into my own quarters. You don't need to know my reasoning, just take it as it is. If you would excuse us now, I've got some things to move." With a curt nod, he turned and used the floo to get to Hermione's rooms again. The headmistress was left there, staring after the younger man obviously quite puzzled.

Meanwhile, Severus magicked his and the children's clothes into his chambers along with their cribs and toys. Once he did that he walked with them in his arms into his rooms.

Once there he placed their cribs in his bedroom and put their clothing into two empty drawers. His living area even got a little play area for them, a bit like the one he made in his office that morning. The boys immediately went there and started building with the toy bricks again and so Severus sat down at his work table at the far end of his living room and continued correcting some fifth-year assignments until there was a knock at his door.