At the Shore of The Heart

Edward motioned to Hermione, and they walked to the edge of the room.

‘Okay if I leave you to it? He won’t talk to me; there was never any love lost. You might have more luck.’ He frowned a little as he spoke.

‘That’s fine. I’ll see you later?’ She smiled softly at him, and his eyes crinkled at the corners as he grinned briefly.

‘Yes, of course,’ he said.

Hermione turned towards the bed and pondered her approach. She wondered if he had seen her or recognised her. Ten years was a long time, and he had changed himself. His hair was shorter, for one thing, and his frame was wider than she remembered. He looked healthier, although his face was showing the trials of his wife’s illness that was certain. Deciding to treat him in exactly the same way as any other relative, Hermione smoothed the front of her uniform and walked over to the bed.

‘I need to take some details, if that’s okay?’ she said quietly.

‘There is nothing to say. My wife is dying. It is your duty to make the process as easy as possible, am I right?’ he murmured, not taking his eyes from Lucy’s face.

Hermione sighed. His tone hadn’t changed, that was obvious.

‘Why didn’t you bring her sooner, sir?’ Hermione didn’t know how else to address him. ‘She might have been saved.’

Severus Snape took a deep breath and raised his eyes to hers. He considered her for a moment, his gaze taking in her neat appearance and her calm face, and he decided to tell her the truth.

‘Her illness was far more advanced than we realised when we initially sought treatment,’ he murmured,’ but in addition…’ he raised his eyes to hers and held her gaze meaningfully. Hermione gasped softly and realised he wanted to use Legilimency to tell her something privately. She dropped her defences and let him in.

‘In addition…’ he continued, his voice brushing her mind softly, ‘Lucy has no idea who I really am. She knows nothing of this world.’

Hermione felt her eyes filling slightly as she felt his pain, then the gentle brush as he left her mind. She stared into his dark eyes sadly and nodded in understanding.


*******


Hermione opened the door of her small house and smiled down at Crookshanks softly.

‘Guess who I saw today, Crooks?’ she murmured. He looked up at her and his whiskers twitched slightly, his gaze steady. He didn’t really care, he just wanted something to eat, but he humoured her and rubbed himself up against her legs gently.

‘Professor Snape,’ she said in response, ‘can you believe it?’ Hermione bent and scratched his head absently.

There was a knock at the door and Hermione opened it with a smile.

‘Hey,’ she said warmly as Edward stepped inside.

‘Hello,’ he grinned and bent his head to hers. He kissed her, softly, then more deeply, and Hermione relaxed against him with a contented sigh. They broke away, smiling at each other, and Edward lifted his hand. He was holding a paper takeaway bag and a bottle of wine.

‘Thank god I don’t need to cook,’ Hermione said brightly, and walked ahead of him into her kitchen.

‘How did it go?’ Edward asked her as he folded his lithe frame into a chair and started to open the wine.

‘It was hard. I feel so sad for him, you know,’ Hermione bit her lip and took plates form the cupboard.

‘He’s changed a bit, actually. Still looks like a miserable arse, though,’ he murmured.

‘He probably is, but at the moment, he’s also a grieving spouse and I will treat him accordingly. I never had a problem with him, really. And he did help us to win the war, after all.’ Hermione took spoons out of the drawer and sat opposite Edward.

‘Can’t imagine Snape in love,’ Edward smiled a little quizzically as if trying to picture the image in his head.

Hermione thought back to the sight of Severus Snape stroking his wife’s face with his hand softly, and sighed.

‘I can,’ she murmured, ‘ because he definitely is in love with his wife.’


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