The First Summer and Summer Series

(In reply to why they didn\'t use a silencing charm on the bed-they were so randy they didn\'t think of it ;-) Actually there is an even bigger \"Why didn\'t they...\" question that comes up later in this part of the series. It caused quite a flurry of emails when the fic first posted. I simply claim Author\'s Privilege. And I don\'t mind questions! Thanks for reading! ~Kronae)


Christmas Eve day was busy. They visited with various aunts, uncles and cousins. Severus felt his head spinning from meeting so many people. All of them were muggles and few, if any, were aware of him and Hermione being different. They all seemed to accept him, although he felt some raised eyebrows, no doubt due to the age difference. Her father continued to refer to Severus as ‘Hermione’s friend’ but Severus was amused to hear Hermione amending the phrase to ‘my partner’ every chance she got.

They spent Christmas Eve at church which Severus found fascinating. He had actually attended a church service once before, as an assignment for a muggle studies class, but it had been nothing like this. The Grangers were high church. There were candles and incense and music. The bishop was there in his robes. It was surprisingly magical...if a bit muggle-y.

“Intriguing,” he commented to Hermione, as he analyzed the worship. “You can see elements of old magic in it. It would be interesting to trace all the traditions back and find the connections.”

“Are you some sort of pagan?” Mr. Granger asked overhearing his comments.

“Agnostic,” Severus replied diplomatically.

“That might be a little difficult with the vicar if there’s to be a wedding later,” Mr. Granger answered.

Severus was surprised. Wedding? That was his secret fantasy, to have Hermione as his wife. But they had never used the term ‘marriage’ when talking about their future together. He glanced at Hermione to see how she reacted to her father‘s words. It looked as though she hadn’t heard. Would she, if he asked her? He sighed and put the thought away until a later date. She needed to finish school first anyway.


Once home, the Grangers deposited their wraps and prepared to exchange gifts. Hermione grabbed Severus under the mistletoe and kissed him lustily while her father’s back was turned. She was delighted to receive a communi-charm from him. It was a small crystal orb on a chain to be worn around the neck. Severus had a matching one. Whenever one of them was in great need of the other, it would glow.

“That’s so sweet!” Hermione crooned.

“I meant for it to be practical,” Severus growled, turning red under her father’s stare. “No more Strigae attacks please.”

Hermione presented Severus with an ancient book of potions he had been looking for for years.

“Where did you find it?” he asked in awe.

“Julie, Ginny and I scoured every bookstore in London for the last two months. I finally got a lead on a private collector who was willing to sell.”

“Thank you, Hermione. You’ll never know how much I appreciate this.”

More mundane muggle gifts were exchanged between the other family members. Then Hermione’s mother stood up yawning.

“I think I’ll say goodnight if you don’t mind, it’s been a very long day.”

“You go on to bed dear,” Mr. Granger commented, “I imagine Hermione’s tired too. I have some very old scotch in my study if you’d care to join me for a nightcap, Severus.”

The significance of his statement was not lost on anyone. It wasn’t an offer, it was an order.

“That would be agreeable,” Severus conceded. Both Hermione and her mother shot him looks of pity.


Mr. Granger poured Severus a generous portion of the whiskey, took his own glass and sat down in his armchair. His study was warm and comfortable. There was a fire in the grate and the two men watched it burn in silence for some time.

Mr. Granger broke the silence finally. “I have a hard time, sometimes, realizing that Hermione is an adult.”

“She’s grown into a very beautiful woman,” Severus admitted.

“I don’t like your relationship,” Mr. Granger stated bluntly.

Severus took a swallow from the glass before answering, “I’m aware of that.”

“I imagine you are.” Suddenly, Mr. Granger chuckled. “I apologize for my rudeness during these past few days. I wish she had told me...”

“So do I!”

“It’s where her youth shows.”

“I agree.”

The glasses slowly emptied while the fire burned down.

“I love Hermione,” Severus announced, breaking the silence. “I would do anything for your daughter’s happiness, including leave her if necessary. But that’s not what she wants.”

“She’s too young to know what she wants,” her father growled.

“I used to think so,” he admitted, “But the longer we’re together the more convinced I am that she does know her own mind. I‘ve never pushed her, in fact, just the opposite.”

Mr. Granger sighed, “But I want her to finish school.”

“So do I.”

Mr. Granger refilled the glasses. “Do you golf?”

Severus raised an eyebrow, “No, why do you ask?”

“I always wanted a son-in-law to golf with. Care to learn?”

He shrugged. “I have no objection, but are you sure I’m going to be a son-in-law? Hermione might not have me. I haven‘t asked her yet.”

“You haven’t? But I thought I understood...I thought she said...” Mr. Granger tried to remember just what she had said.

The door to the study opened and Mrs. Granger came in. “It’s getting late. Or rather it’s getting early because it’s already two in the morning. Don’t you think you ought to get to bed?”

Severus bade the Grangers goodnight and retreated to the guestroom. What HAD Hermione said to her father? His comments about a future wedding at the church and then the assumption that he would soon be a son-in-law; it was as though she had told him they were already engaged. Did that mean she was willing to marry him or had she simply been trying to convince her father that their relationship was legitimate? Should he ask her what it meant? Or maybe he should just ask her.


Hermione breathed a sigh of relief when Boxing morning rolled around and she and Severus prepared to return to Hogwarts. Severus had refused to tell her what he and her father had discussed early Christmas morning. Whatever it was, they must have come to an understanding because Christmas Day had come and gone without incident. She knew he was fed up with the charade though. He found muggle clothes uncomfortable and some things, like watching television, were just incomprehensible to him.

“It’s two dimensional,” he complained.

It was Hermione who finally suggested that they dress in their wizards robes on that last day to travel back home.

“You don’t think they’ll find me intimidating?” Severus scowled, remembering her letter.

“Not now,” she replied. And she sincerely hoped they wouldn’t but it was time for her parents to see him as he really was.

So it was a bit of a shock for poor Mr. Granger when Severus walked out of the guest room that morning in all his wizard glory, flowing hair, billowing black robes and all. The sedate looking business man in an Italian suit had turned into a dark gothic deity.

“My god, he looks like Dracula!” Mr. Granger muttered to his wife.

Mrs. Granger grinned at her husband. She knew what her daughter saw, “Much better than Dracula, dear, much better. Perhaps you need to be a woman to appreciate it.”

They assembled in the entry to say their goodbyes. Hermione was dressed in her dark wine coloured robes and gold jewelry. Her hair was flowing down her back. Severus helped her don her heavy cloak. As the Grangers looked at their daughter and her lover, a medieval vision, they recognized that their little girl had grown up. And she belonged to another world.

“Well Severus,” Mr. Granger extended his hand. “It was nice to meet you. I have no doubt we’ll be seeing more of you in the future.”

“I‘m sure we will,” Severus replied. “I hope we can have that game of golf one day.”

“What game of golf?” Hermione asked. “You don’t play!”

“Come along, Hermione,” Severus said. “Time to go.”


“It is sooo nice to be back home!” Hermione breathed when they shut the door of the dungeons behind them.

Severus threw down his case. “That was one of the worst ordeals of my entire life, not even discounting the night I took the dark mark! I think your father is finally resigned to me however.”

“I noticed he was almost pleasant to you yesterday,” Hermione smiled. She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his waist. “Thank you. I know it wasn’t easy.”

“That reminds me,” he said slowly, putting his arms around her shoulders and gazing down into her eyes, “we need to talk.”

“Do we?” The tone of his voice made her nervous.

“Yes. Your father mentioned that he anticipates me being his son-in-law one day...”

There was a long pause that made Hermione even more nervous.

Severus was trying to think of a good way to sound out her feelings on the subject. “What do you think about it?”

She swallowed, not sure how to answer. “I think that I would very much like you to be my father’s son-in-law one day.”

Severus sighed with relief and kissed her passionately; a long powerful kiss that nearly made her swoon.

“Was that a proposal?” she asked when she got her breath back.

He smiled his silkiest smile, “Not yet, but it will be. You won’t have to ask when I really propose to you.”

He kissed her again then swung her up in his arms and carried her into their bedroom. There were no distractions now that they were back in their own bed chamber and he had something to prove. They made loud passionate love all night long and skipped breakfast in the morning for more.