Life and Its Mysteries

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Chapter 18

Hermione’s eyes slowly opened as she had just awakened. She yawned and stretched slightly and rolled onto her side. As her sight came into focus, a smile had come across her lips as she saw what was in front of her.

There lay Severus on his back, with his head turned towards her, snoring softly. Tobi was lying on his chest, tummy down, with his head tucked underneath Severus’s chin. It too was faced towards her.

Both father and son were sleeping peacefully right next to her. It was a sight she thought that she would never see before, but only could dream of. Now, there they both were, right in front of her. It made her heart swell with happiness as she was starting to get all teary eyed.

Reaching out, she softly touched her son’s head, running her fingers through is soft hair. Next, her hand moved up to Severus’s cheek. Her fingers ran across it a few times, liking the feel of the stubble that had grown over night.

“Mmm…” Severus groaned sleepily as he shifted and opened his eyes.

“Good morning,” Hermione sniffled at him.

“Morning,” Severus said with a frown. “Crying still?” His voice was silent like Hermione’s, not wanting to awaken Tobi.

Hermione shook her head. “Happy tears this time Sev. How did Tobi get into bed?”

“He had a nightmare last night, crying his eyes out. I don’t know exactly what monsters he was talking about, but apparently, he didn’t want to sleep alone anymore.”

“Monsters?” Hermione questioned. And then it hit her, and occurred to her what it could have possibly meant. “I suppose it’s my monsters at work then. He’s never had any nightmares about anything.”

“That’s what I also thought about last night,” he informed her. “I want you to quit your job right away.”

“And then what?” she snapped back.

Hermione snapping, led to Tobi to whine and then open his eyes. “Mummy?” he said in his small voice.

“Sorry pumpkin,” Hermione said softly, feeling guilty for causing him to wake up.

“Daddy?” Tobi said as he moved to look up at Severus.

“Hey big guy,” Severus said with a small smile.

“Me hungwy Mummy,” Tobi yawned as he rubbed his eyes.

“And what do you want for breakfast?” she asked, right after she kissed his cheek. “Pancakes?”

Tobi’s eyes widened with a smile. “With peanut butter, and chocochips! Extwa!”

“Okay then. Why don’t you ask Daddy here to take you to the bathroom and help you get cleaned up?”

Tobi slid off Severus and the bed quickly. He grabbed his hand and pulled on him as hard as his little body could. “Huwwy Daddy, me need to wee-wee.”

“Very well then,” Severus said as he sat up from the bed. As he was being pulled out of the bedroom by Tobi, he glared at Hermione. Their conversation was far from over.

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Hermione placed another two pancakes on the top of the pancake stack that she had near the stove top. She was angry pretty much, as her teeth gritted against each other, as she poured more mix into the frying pan. She felt as if Severus was already butting and pocking into her life all too much. And it wasn’t right for him to do so.

“I’m telling you Hermione, quit your job,” Severus said firmly as he walked into the kitchen.

Hermione looked over her shoulder. Tobi wasn’t with him, and could hear him playing in his room. She shook her head and continued on the task of cooking breakfast.

“Hermione!” Severus growled as he stood right next to her.

“I need to have a job Severus, or are you forgetting that. I have a son to support, bills to pay for and other things to deal with.”

“Do you really have to feel as if you can save the world woman?! First Voldemort and then you chasing around other criminals left and right.”

“I happen to like my job very much, and I’m good at it. You have no right telling me what to do!”

“What about Tobias, huh Hermione? Are you forgetting about him?”

“Fuck you Severus!” Hermione hissed at him. “My son is my life, and you should damn well know that.”

“And then what happens when the monsters come and get to you?” he countered back. “What happens when they kill you as well? Have you thought about that? Bill’s death was already hard on our son, what more yours when it comes to that?”

Hermione shook her head and dropped the spatula. She knew her job was dangerous, and she had been hurt more than once on some occasion, leaving her in the hospital bed. No matter how safe and cautious she was, Severus was correct. There still was that possibility of her being able to die in the line of duty. “I do what I do because it makes the world a better place to be for my son whenever I catch some arse and place him behind bars,” she said softly. “I do it all for Tobi.”

“Resign,” Severus told her. “There are other jobs in the world in which you can make the world a better place. You can become a potions researcher such as myself and try to come up with new potions and save lives, discovering cures for incurable illnesses. Please Petal…” he pleaded. “You can move back with me to England, or I can move here. There is no need for you to work if you don’t want to. I can support us all.”

Hermione looked up at Severus, seeing all the love he had for her in his soft black eyes. Saving the world wasn’t the number one item on the top of her list. The number item at the top was spending the rest of her life with that man that she loved—Severus. “I like to go back to England, but I like it here in New York as well.”

With a nod, and a step forward, Severus spoke. “We can keep this apartment of yours or move to a bigger one. We can come here for vacations if you want, you may visit your friends and whatever else more.”

Hermione nodded. New York had become a part of her life, and most of all Tobi’s. She couldn’t just leave it all behind.

“So you’ll quit your job?”

“Yes, I’ll drop by the office and tell the guys tomorrow.”

“Thank Merlin,” Severus sighed with relief as he pulled Hermione in his arms. “I can’t lose you, now that I have you. I love you so much.”

“I love you too,” Hermione said as her head rested on his chest.

Suddenly, Severus pulled away from her. “Give me a second,” he said as he ran out of the kitchen.

Hermione frowned at Severus’s actions. What was he up to? They were having such a nice moment together and he had to put it on hold for some reason.

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“Damn! Where is that ring?” Severus asked himself as he rummaged through his luggage bag. He knew he packed the diamond ring in it just before leaving Hogwarts. His hand then felt the velvet box, which he pulled out right away.

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“Severus, what’s with you?” Hermione asked right after Severus had announced his return.

Severus didn’t say anything, until he got himself down on one knee right in front of Hermione. “Hermione, I was supposed to ask you this five years ago, for obvious reasons, it didn’t happen.”

Hermione’s heart stopped beating for a moment when he saw Severus open a velvet box, showing the most beautiful ring she had ever seen. She couldn’t believe what was happening. Was Severus proposing or was it all just a dream?

“Marry me Hermione. Marry me and make me the happiest man alive. I still share your dreams, and I want them to become a reality. I want to spend the rest of my life with you and raise a family with you. I will love you and Tobi like there’s no tomorrow. If you want more children, I’d be more than happy to have more. I know it’s been a five year delay… Marry me?”

Tears of joy started to run down Hermione’s cheeks as she looked down at Severus. She was in shock and couldn’t answer or move.

“Okay, this might not be the proposal you dreamt of,” Severus said as he took hold of her hand. “I’ll make it up to you. I just thought this was the best time as ever.”

“No,” Hermione let out a small chuckle.

“No?” Severus gulped. She was turning down his proposal? She didn’t want to marry him anymore? Maybe his lateness of five years was five years late altogether. “You-you don’t want to marry me?”

“No Sev. This was proposal was better than I had ever imagined. And yes,” she nodded, “yes, I will marry you.”

Severus smiled from cheek to cheek. It was rare to see him smile that widely. He slipped the ring on Hermione’s finger and then stood up, pulling her into his arms, as he captured her lips. He never felt so much happiness in his entire life.

“Do you want more kids?” Hermione asked against his lips.

“Only if you want to,” he answered, kissing her again.

“And you’ll marry me even though I will limp down the aisle?”

“I’ll carry you if I have to,” he answered before capturing her lips with his again.

“Eeew!” Tobi said as he walked into the kitchen. He immediately he saw his Mummy and Daddy kissing, stopping to a halt before he reached the small kitchen island. He put his little hands on his mouth, scrunching his face in disgust.

Right away, Severus and Hermione pulled away, both their lips swollen.

Tobi pointed a finger at Severus and then said, “Daddy gave Mummy cooties!”

“Cooties!” Severus growled. “I’ll show you cooties!” he said as he started to run after his squealing son out the kitchen.

Hermione laughed to herself as she grabbed the spatula. She continued on with the cooking, not really caring about the burnt pancakes that she had forgotten in the frying pan. All her dreams before were quickly becoming reality.

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AN – Some more drama and laughs. Finally, Severus proposed and Hermione didn’t fall asleep this time around. Cooties! LOL! Review!