The afternoon came and Hermione and Severus ventured to the quidditch field with Harry and Draco, both carrying school brooms, trailing behind.

While the boys went down to the pitch, Hermione and Severus took their seats in the teacher's lounge. Once there, Severus quickly put a heating charm over the two of them.

For a few minutes, they just sat there watching the two teens fly on their brooms and throw a quaffle trying to make it next to impossible for the other to catch it but nevertheless they always managed somehow.

"They seem to get on just fine with the weights of the last years lifted off of them. It makes one wonder what could have been, doesn't it?" said Hermione watching them have fun together.

A small smile graced Severus' lips as he slowly nodded.

"Who knows? Maybe it was always meant to turn out like this? I, for one, quite enjoy it and I guess you're right in assuming they do too."

He looked over at her as she smiled more to herself contemplating his words.

"What was it that Poppy wanted this morning?"

"She was desperate in getting me to talk to her."

The way Severus emphasized the last word Hermione knew that his opinion on the woman calling herself his long-lost mother hadn't really changed a bit.

"What is so important? Couldn't they just wait until she was released?"

"She wanted me to understand that she is indeed Eileen Prince and thus my mother. I now know that it is very likely that she really is her, but I won't just revert to my 5-year-old self and call her mother. As I told her, she may be Eileen Prince, but my mother died long ago. "

He stared off into the distance, seemingly lost in thought while Hermione averted her attention back to the two teens for a few seconds.

"What else did she say? Other than the apologies I am sure she said, I mean." asked the brunette witch scooting a bit closer to him as she was freezing despite the heating charm he cast earlier.

"Nothing much, really. She just told me where her wrongdoings affected me and made this whole thing turn out as it did. She even apologized for taking the only chance at having Lily I had from me. I don't think that she understood my response to that."

Hermione looked at him, uncertain what to make out of this statement just as he continued to talk.

"I was caught off guard when she said that - I didn't expect her to bring Lily up out of all the people she could have chosen. She feels sorry for robbing my beloved Lily from me. 

She likes to wallow in self-pity, and she likes to pity others, especially me nowadays it seems. I was never someone wanting the pity of others, and she knows that. I told her that I loved the Lily I befriended at the age of 9, the innocent child. But I was blinded and didn't notice just how much she changed over the years."

Hermione had to admit that she felt a bit uneasy hearing him talk about Lily. He looked towards Harry and Draco, and she knew that he was thinking of how similar Harry and Lily were as children.

"Nevertheless I realized something during that conversation," said Severus reinforcing the heating charm.

Hermione turned and looked questioningly at him.

"What might that be?"

"No matter what others might think of it, you should always go with what feels best for you. This means there will be no more running away for me. There will be nothing left standing in my way. It is long due that I start to make something out of my life. For nearly two decades I was a spy and risked my life dozens of times. Now it is my time to be free and live life the way I want."

He turned to look at her, the dazed look from earlier now completely gone. His eyes shone with a light she had never seen before, and he seemed to be more alive than ever. She had to admit that he even looked happy to her. Before she could enquire further, he silenced her by talking himself.

"I want to be honest with you even if I'm risking everything I have right now. What I want to say is that I love you. Yes, I said I didn't when the rumours after the Halloween ball arose, but at that time it was my sense of self-preservation that kicked in. I love you and that won't change."

He turned away and looked at the teens because deep down he feared her rejection.

"Why now, Severus? Why didn't you tell me back then?"

She was happy, sad, slightly mad and oh so confused. Rarely has anyone ever managed to confuse Hermione Granger as much as Severus Snape did all the time she's been living with him.

"Why not then? That's a good question. Maybe because I was afraid? 

Yes, I was afraid. Afraid of what would happen, what would change. I wanted things to stay the way they were as it was the first time in my whole life that I enjoyed it. I wanted to preserve that happiness and joy that you, Harry and Draco brought me. 

I risked everything for two decades. Just once I wanted to play things safe, but during the conversation with my mother, it dawned on me. There are things in life that are worth taking any risk. I just needed to work out which ones that include. It seems I have always chosen the wrong one. Please tell me that you are the first right choice I made in life, Hermione."

She looked him in the eyes and knew that what he said was true. Hermione had enjoyed every minute of them living together, too. He had shown her facets of him that no one else would ever know and for that, she was so grateful. 

He was a wholly different man, at least when around her. He was kind and caring, witty and fun and always knew how to solve tricky situations. He kept cool outwardly and never really showed his feelings or thoughts with people other than her, really, and she felt honoured he deemed her worthy of knowing the real Severus.