"Hermione, Severus. What are you two doing here so early again? Didn't you get enough from us old people the last two weeks?" asked Jean Granger jokingly upon seeing her daughter and her daughter's boyfriend. 

"Just in case you forgot. I am barely younger than you,  so unless you would want to insult me and by that your husband and yourself, I wouldn't say that you are old," said Severus, smirking at the elder of the Granger women. 

"How often do I have to tell you? You are not old, Sev. Dumbledore was old, Minerva and Filius are old, Poppy too, but you are by far younger than them. You. Are. Not. Old." 

She poked her pointer finger into his chest with each syllable. 

He held up his hands in surrender. 

A chuckle was to be heard from somewhere behind them. In the doorway stood Hermione's father, saying: "Come in and sit down. I don't want to have to dispose of a grown man's body because he and my daughter were fighting about whether he's old or not." 

He laughed and led them into the living room.

Shortly thereafter, they were comfortably seated on the two couches, each of them with a steaming mug of tea in hand. 

Jean asked: "Now, why have you come back here that early?" 

"OK, this is a tad bit mad, but here it goes," whispered Hermione. 

"Last night, Severus and I found a boy in one of the lavatories during our patrol. He was muttering glamour charms. I talked to him and after a bit of persuading, he told me that he was being abused at home because of his magical abilities. I brought him to the hospital wing where Poppy checked him. When we went to see how he was doing just a few minutes ago, she quickly took us aside to tell us just how often and badly he was injured.
She even had to break a few bones again in order for them to be able to heal properly. We want to take him away from his family, but we need someone who can take him in, because the orphanage is no solution for a fifteen-year-old - and I somehow thought that maybe you could take him in over the holidays so that he doesn't have to go back to his family?" she explained the boy's situation with her voice growing smaller and smaller, and she glanced at her parents rather insecurely. 

Jean and Peter Granger exchanged concerned and appalled looks before Jean answered. "To have a bit more life within these walls once in a while wouldn't hurt, I suppose. As long as the boy is fine with living above a kindergarten and with an old married couple, he is most welcome here." 

Severus gently took a hold of Hermione's hand to reassure her and one could easily see that she relaxed as soon as her mother's words sunk in. 

"Thank you. Would you mind coming to the castle in the near future to settle everything?" asked Severus and soon after this topic was discussed, the two couples fell into a pleasant chatter.

++++++

"Minerva, we found someone who would be willing to take Blake in," greeted Hermione only shortly after leaving Hogsmeade together with Severus. 

The older witch looked up completely baffled. "How?" was everything she was able to say at that moment, looking back and forth between her cubs. 

Yes, even though Severus was a Slytherin, she always thought him to be one of her cubs, he was different from the rest of the Slytherins, didn't really fit in at all.

"We found people who would gladly take him in over the holidays, should he agree, that is," said Hermione, still not telling everything. 

"What she wants to say is that we just came back from Hogsmeade and her parents said, I quote, "To have a bit more life within these walls once in a while wouldn't hurt." They will come here in the near future to talk to you and Blake," explained Severus. 

Minerva's face lit up like a Christmas tree at hearing that. 

"That's wonderful news! Do you want to tell him or shall I?"

The unlikely couple looked each other in the eye and Hermione answered: "Severus and I are going to go on a walk later, so we can stop by and talk to him if that's okay with you?" 

She smiled and grabbed his hand, squeezing it slightly because she knew how uncomfortable he was with this topic. 

"Of course. But before that, we will go and eat something first."

The older woman clad in her emerald green robes ushered them out of the office and into the Great Hall for dinner.

+++

After dinner, they went to the infirmary to talk to Blake before taking a walk on Hogwarts grounds. Once in the infirmary, they went to see Poppy in her office. 

"Good evening, Poppy. Is Blake awake yet?" asked Severus. 

"Yes, he woke up around an hour ago or so. You can go see him if you'd like," answered the grey-haired witch, scribbling away on a piece of parchment. 

They nodded at her and went inside the curtained area and conjured two chairs to sit beside his bed. 

"Good evening, Professor Granger, Professor Snape, sir," said the teen weakly. 

"Good evening, Blake. How are you feeling?" asked Hermione, concern clearly evident in her voice. 

"Well, I've certainly been better, but I am making a good recovery and Madame Pomfrey said that I may be able to leave on Friday." 

He smiled at them. 

"That's great to hear. Listen, Blake, we spoke to Professor McGonagall, and she already contacted the ministry to make sure that you don't have to go back to your relatives. The minister sees only one possibility, namely to find you a family you can stay with during the holidays, so we went out and asked some really nice people whether they could help, and they said that as long as you are fine they would gladly take you in," said Severus, taking the boy's hand in his. 

Blake, however, just sat there completely shocked by two things. One would be the possibility of another family to stay with - and two his old headmaster's gesture. Although Hermione and Severus already had been living in the castle for more than 5 months, and he had seen them occasionally, he still wasn't used to Severus' drastic change in behaviour. He still saw that cruel and sarcastic and mean man that was a death eater, accused of multiple crimes and the man that was the unfair headmaster, who supposedly got killed in the battle. 

That was four years ago, but the young Ravenclaw still had rather lively memories of Snape's time of being headmaster. 

The man who was sitting right next to him was only looking like the man Blake knew him to be, but had such a different behaviour it nearly scared the fifteen-year-old. He wondered whether the near-death or the young beautiful woman next to him made the man change so drastically. 

After a while of letting the words sink in, the Ravenclaw answered: "Who would be willing to take me in?"

His expression was sad and hopeless as he was remembering all the things his uncle and mother yelled at him only a few days ago. 

Hermione just sighed answering that, as Severus was swept up in some old memories of his childhood, which came to the front of his mind at the boy's behaviour and choice of words. 

"Blake, my parents just bought a big house in Hogsmeade. There would be enough space for you and they wouldn't mind someone over the course of the holidays as they are a bit lonely. I have not lived with them for at least five years, and they still have not got used to them being alone. My mom already told me that they were thinking of adopting another child when I was about 14 or 15, but back then they hadn't had enough time because of their work. Now, they have their work at home and have much more relaxed lives, so it would only be a matter of time before they will adopt a child in need, and they would love to help you. 

When you are released, and only if you want, we can arrange for them to meet you. You would make them happy, trust me." 

Hermione tried to get through to him, and he nodded at her, thinking about what she just told him. 

"Hermione, it's getting late, and we should let him rest. See you soon, and try to rest a bit before running about again. Trust me, I know what I'm talking about," said Severus, letting go of the boy's hand. 

He gracefully stood and helped Hermione doing the same. She smiled at Blake one last time before Hermione and Severus left the hospital wing and went to their chambers in the dungeons.

Back down in the comfort of their chambers, they changed into more comfortable clothes and settled down on the couch with their books to read in comfortable silence until late that night. 

At least Severus did. When he finally decided it was time for them to go to bed, he found the woman next to him already in a deep slumber. He put away her book, carefully marking her page and swept her up in his arms, carrying her to their bed.