Hermione pays her Debt

Severus walked into the bedroom and found Hermione fast asleep, her hair mussed around her head as if she had a huge, fluffy cat sleeping on her pillow. As he stared down at her, his stomach flipped over and his heart felt huge. He hadn’t thought it possible to love someone as much as he loved her, and yet he did. And he felt more in love with her each day. He swallowed a little and tried hard not to let his emotions overwhelm him. They had a long weekend ahead of them and he would need his wits about him. He sat down beside her and shook her shoulder gently.



‘Wake up, witch, its almost time to go,’ he murmured softly.



‘Mmmm, Severus,’ Hermione smiled without opening her eyes, ‘I was just dreaming about you,’



‘You need to get up,’ he said, smiling down at her.



Hermione opened her eyes and looked up at him, pushing her hair from her face. She sat up in bed, and the covers fell down, revealing her tiny pyjama top with its neon stripes and spaghetti straps, her breasts pushed forward slightly and her nipples showing through the fabric.



‘Where are we going, then? You haven’t even told me what I need to do yet,’ she mumbled, a little sleepily.



‘It’s a surprise, but I think you will like it,’ he smiled, patting her knee a little bit. ‘Come on.’



Severus walked over to his sock drawer and removed the small holdall and the reinforced box. It was a precaution so it didn’t get damaged during transit, and he slipped it into the pocket of his long jacket. He pointed his wand at the holdall and it grew to normal size. Opening it, he took out a carrier bag, checked the contents and handed it to Hermione.



‘For you,’ he smiled softly, ‘you can wear them to travel in.’



Hermione beamed at him, ‘Oh, Severus, a gift? How nice of you, but it isn’t my birthday until next week.’



‘I am aware of that. This is not your birthday gift, however, this is just a gift because I love you,’ he grinned a little shyly.



Hermione thrust her hand into the bag and pulled out a whole outfit of clothes. She smiled and leapt from the bed, hugging Severus tightly and kissing him on the lips tenderly.



‘Thank you,’ she looked into his eyes and stroked his cheek with her fingers gently.



Severus looked at her with a face full of mixed emotions, then smiled softly at her.



‘You deserve it,’ he whispered, ‘now, try them on.’



Hermione lifted each item and smiled. Navy linen trousers, with a white linen top and a loose knit navy cardigan, complete with strappy tan sandals and jewellery to match.



‘I should shower first,’ she murmured.



‘No time, we need to leave. I’ll meet you by the Floo; you can shower when we get there,’ Severus glanced at the clock on his chest of drawers, ‘ ten minutes Hermione. Don’t worry, I have packed everything you could need.’



Hermione nodded, and Severus relaxed as he saw her pull off her pyjama top without question, and dress in her new clothes.



He grabbed the holdall and walked through to the lounge. He did a mental checklist to make sure he really had thought of everything, and turned, smiling, as Hermione walked towards him.



‘I hope it’s warmer where we’re going,’ she shivered a little, ‘and I hope there is food. I’m starving.’



‘You look lovely,’ he murmured, as he looked her up and down.



‘You have really good taste,’ Hermione smiled and twirled around, ‘and its all a perfect fit.’



Severus smirked a little and made a cupping action with his hands. ‘I know what size you are,’ he chuckled, and Hermione giggled at him.



He held his hand out to her and she took it gently.



‘Let’s go,’ he whispered.



They stepped into the Floo, and Severus said ‘Hogs Head’ as he threw the Floo powder firmly.



When they stepped out at the other end, Hermione looked at him sideways and frowned a little.



‘I thought we were going somewhere better than Hogsmeade,’ she muttered under her breath. Severus heard her and laughed.



‘We are, but we can’t get there by Floo, so I had to arrange a Portkey, which is just beyond the village. Trust me,’ he squeezed her hand tightly as they walked from the Hogs Head.



Hermione stiffened slightly, and Severus glanced around to see what had changed. A little further down the street, he could see Ronald Wesley and his second wife Lavender, and two of their four children. There had been very little communication between Hermione and her old friends since her divorce from Ron, and he knew it caused her a certain amount of pain.



‘Keep your head held high, Miss Granger,’ Severus intoned, as they walked hand in hand.



Hermione flashed him a grin and visibly straightened her spine as the small family came closer. To Severus’s surprise, Hermione slowed down a little.



‘Hello Ron, Lavender,’ she nodded at them politely, ‘lovely day, isn’t it?’



Ron glared at her, but Lavender smiled benignly, ‘Yes, isn’t it, Hermione, Professor Snape,’ she nodded at them both as they carried on walking.



Severus could hear Ron muttering ‘what did you speak to them for?’ and Lavender replying ‘because they will be teaching our children, Ronald, and we don’t want them to be singled out, that’s why.’ He smirked and marvelled at Lavender Weasley’s astute observations.



‘Are you all right?’ he murmured softly, and he felt Hermione let out a breath she had been holding, as they reached the village boundary.



‘I am now,’ she said softly.



‘Good. There’s the portkey,’ Severus motioned to an old newspaper that sat on a park bench near the side of the path, and they walked towards it quickly. After a few moments, it started to glow blue, and they held each other’s hands as they touched it. The familiar feeling of being sucked from one space to another engulfed them, and they span into nothingness.



They could feel the sun on their faces before they landed, and the tang of the sea hit their nostrils. Severus straightened out the suit he was wearing, lifted the holdall and held his hand to Hermione. She had her eyes closed tightly, she hated travelling by Portkey, and he knew she was still trying to get her balance. He walked over to her and took her hand in his.



‘Open your eyes,’ he laughed at her. She did as he told her, and gasped as she looked around herself.



‘We’re in Italy?’ she said in awe.



‘Well done,’ he murmured.



‘Why?’ she asked him slowly, suspicion on her face.



‘You’ll see,’ he smiled, ‘come on, the hotel is down here.’



They walked down the small promenade, watching the blue sea lapping the shoreline gently, until they came to a small, pure white granite building. There were no outward signs that it was a hotel, and the foyer was lined with cool marble from floor to ceiling and adorned with plants and carefully displayed gilt edged works of art.



A small man, dressed in a perfectly pressed white linen suit, white shirt and a sky blue tie, walked towards them with his hand outstretched.



‘Our special guests, welcome, welcome,’ he dazzled them with his smile and shook their hands, and Hermione looked at Severus with a small smile playing around her lips.



‘Antonio,’ Severus smiled and shook his hand warmly, ‘I would like you to meet Miss Granger,’



‘Ahhhh, she is beautiful, yes, Mr Snape, you were not wrong,’ he beamed at her, and to her surprise, planted a chaste kiss on the back of her hand.



‘Is everything?’ Severus asked him quietly.



Antonio turned his gaze back to Severus and murmured, ‘Naturally, as you specified, Sir,’



‘We’ll go to our suite, then,’ Severus smiled his thanks and his shoulders relaxed a little.



‘Breakfast is on your balcony, just call if you require anything else,’ Antonio smiled and nodded, then slipped away as Hermione turned to Severus with her hand son her hips.



‘Will you please tell me what this is all about?’ she demanded, her lips pursed.



‘All in good time,’ Severus smirked at her, ‘you hate secrets, don’t you?’ he laughed.



‘Yes I bloody well do, Severus Snape, and you know it. Tell me, or I refuse to go anywhere with you,’ Hermione almost stomped her foot.



‘Come with me, and I promise I will tell you,’ he countered, his eyebrow arching sexily.



They stared each other out for a moment, but Severus was always so much better at it than Hermione, and he grinned at her as she gave in with a scowl and took the hand he was holding out.



‘I hate you,’ she muttered, as they walked towards the marble staircase.



‘No, you don’t,’ Severus replied gently, and he caught her eye and winked at her.



Hermione giggled, ‘No, I don’t.’



They walked up the stairs, and then along a large hallway lined with huge wooden doors. At the end of the corridor, Severus stopped, murmured a password and the door beside them opened. He motioned to Hermione to go in, and started to chuckle as she gasped loudly.



The suite was huge and contained a large bedroom, with a King sized bed covered in silky bed linen in a pale cream and duck-egg blue design. The walls were covered in fabric panels, duck egg blue shot silk, and edged with cream and gold architrave. Leading from the bedroom was a bathroom with a sunken bath, a double shower and two wash hand basins, all in white marble with gold fittings. Next to the bedroom was a large sitting room with two regency sofas in the same fabric as the wall panels, and beyond that, two French doors that opened onto a wide balcony overlooking the seafront. On the balcony was a wrought iron table and two chairs, the table set with white and gold crockery, a bottle of champagne and breakfast for two.



Hermione turned to Severus with tears in her eyes.



‘This was what you wanted me for? To have breakfast with you in Italy?’ she smiled at him.



‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ he grinned, ‘there’s much more to it than just breakfast. You did see the bed, I assume?’



Hermione laughed and walked up to him, wrapping her arms around his waist. Severus held her close, and kissed her deeply.



‘Let’s eat,’ he smiled at her, leading her out onto the balcony. He held her chair out to her, and she sat down slowly, taking in the view. Severus poured her some champagne and taking a hibiscus flower from the table display, he dropped it into her glass softly. Hermione watched mesmerised as the petals opened wider and gave the glass a red tinge.



‘Red and Gold, for my personal Gryffindor,’ he whispered as he handed it to her.



Hermione took it from him and smiled, overwhelmed, then glanced down at her place setting. A small envelope was propped up beside her coffee cup, and she lifted it.



‘This is addressed to me?’ she asked him as she looked at his angular handwriting.



‘Best to open it, then,’ he said softly, not lifting his gaze from her face.



Hermione opened the envelope carefully and pulled out the card inside. It was professionally printed on thick, cream card, and edged with red and gold along one side, and silver and green along the other.



‘It’s a Wedding Invitation,’ she furrowed her brow slightly.



‘Whom do you know that is getting married?’ he asked her softly.



Hermione flipped over the card, then looked up at him. ‘It doesn’t say,’ she said.



Severus lifted his wand and tapped the edge of the card, which started to fill with writing.



Hermione started to read, then laughed a little, and then started to cry.



‘Whom do you know that is getting married?’ Severus asked her again.



Hermione looked up and smiled at him.



‘We are,’ she whispered.







*****

Oh.... *sniff*... I love a happy ending. As Narcissa\'s Sister told me once. Damn right!