AFTERWARDS

They stood in front of the fireplace in Severus’s quarters, wrapped around each other, their tongues and lips intertwined. Severus pulled away gently and smiled down at her.



‘You don’t know how much I have missed that.’



‘Oh, I do know… as much as I have.’ Hermione smiled up at him. ‘So… where’s my surprise?’ She teased him.



‘Ah… not here. We need to floo somewhere.’ He took some floo powder and looked at her. ‘Hold on to me, my love..’ They stepped into the fireplace and Severus shouted ‘Hogsmede.’



They arrived in the Hogs Head and stepped out of the fireplace, brushing themselves down.



‘Hogsmede?’ Hermione looked at him.



He smiled at her. ‘You’ll see!’ He was starting to enjoy himself. He took her hand and they walked out of the pub and into the main street. Hermione shivered and Severus took off his robes, wrapping them around her. ‘It’s not far.’



He walked her down a small lane and around the corner and Hermione gasped as she recognised where they were. They were stood looking at the small house where she had hidden with Severus and nursed him back to life. It looked different, as if someone had cared it for. The windows were clean and the exterior had been painted. Severus looked at her and smiled a little before pulling her towards the door and opening it.



Severus stepped inside and pulled her with him, flicking his wand. Small lights lit the room and Hermione gasped.



The house was beautiful. Someone had cleaned it, decorated it and furnished it. Where Severus’s make shift bed had been sat a table with two chairs, a bottle of Firewhisky with two glasses and a candle giving out a small glow.



Hermione turned to look at him, her eyes bright. ‘Did you do this?’



He smiled. ‘With a bit of help from Kreacher. Come and sit… there are more surprises before the night is out…’ He pulled out a chair and poured two large measures of Firewhisky before sitting down and clinking his glass against hers.



‘I remember the last time we drank Firewhisky together…’ Hermione smiled at him. ‘I hope I get more than a kiss this time…’



‘I would say that was definite, wouldn’t you?’ He arched an eyebrow. He wanted to take her there and then but he had other things to deal with first.



Hermione sipped her Firewhisky and looked around the room. A sofa like her own was in front of the fireplace, flowers were on a table in the window and she could se a small kitchen through a door at one end of the room.



‘Who lives here now, Severus?’ She asked.



‘Well, that depends. If you agree to marry me, we will both live here. If you say no, I will be here on my own.’ He raised his glass and chuckled as her jaw fell and her eyes filled with tears.



Severus pulled her to her feet and looked into her soft face. ’Marry me, Hermione… I don’t ever want to be without you.’



‘Oh Severus.. Yes…’ Tears started to fall down her face as he kissed her deeply, his tongue gently probing her mouth as she gasped against him. Hermione pushed her crotch into his hardness and he pulled away gently.



‘Patience my love. I have another surprise.’ He smiled at her and poured more Firewhisky into her glass. ‘Let me show you around while we wait…’ He took her hand. Hermione’s head was swimming.



‘What are we waiting for?’



‘I told you…it’s a surprise. Come and have a look at the bedroom…you can imagine what it will be like later when I’m making love to you on the bed in there…’ He grinned at her and she blushed delicately before punching him on the arm.



Severus took his time showing Hermione around the house and as they walked back down the stairs, there was a gentle knock on the door. Severus smiled at her and took her glass from her hand. ‘That’s for you…’ He said softly.



Hermione looked at him sideways and walked to the door, opening it.



Hermione screamed, a strangled sob escaping her lips, her hands flying to her mouth.



‘Mum!!! Dad!!!’



She burst into sobs as her parents threw their arms around their daughter and hugged her half to death, all of them crying tears of joy and starting to talk at once.



Severus watched from the stairs and smiled to himself. It had taken him the best part of a year to track them down and the past 3 weeks helping to restore their memories and filling them in on what had really been happening in the world. Their memories had been altered for so long, it had been a very complicated process and he couldn’t tell Hermione until it was complete. Seeing the look of joy on her face, he knew it was worth it.



Hermione dragged her parents into the house and closed the door, hugging them over and over again. She couldn’t believe it. She turned to look at Severus and smiled.



‘Did you do this?’ She whispered.



‘With a bit of help..’ He nodded.



Hermione walked over to where he was standing and took his hand in hers.



’Thank you…’ It was heartfelt and he felt a lump in his throat. He wiped a tear from his eye and kissed her gently on her cheek.



‘Anything for you…’ He whispered back and she smiled at him.







*****



ahh bless. I\'m sure you all knew where he\'d gone....