Love is Blind

Chapter 29

Two weeks had passed
since Halloween and Hermione’s recovery was progressing by leaps and bounds.
Yesterday was the final day of the second part of the potion regimen. The first
potion had succeeded in thinning out the scar tissue enough that not only could
Hermione tell the difference between light and dark, but could also make out
blurred figures through the thin skin. Hermione had used the second potion for
a week and the skin had thickened up and the muscle structure under her eyelids
was now close to normal.

Today, Severus would be
applying the third potion, which would separate the top and bottom eyelids. Due
to the lack of muscle control, Hermione would not be able to blink until after
at least a week of treatment with the fourth and final potion, which wouldn’t
start until the beginning of December.

Severud Hed Hermione’s
treatment regiment mapped out except for the fourth potion. This potion was the
most crucial and the most unpredictable. They were unsure how long the final
treatment span would last. They knew that it would need to be applied for at
least a week, beyond that was guessing. Neither Severus nor Hermione were fond
of guessing.

Hermione was anxiously
awaiting tonight’s treatment. Severus would meet her for dinner and then they
would go to her rooms, where he would apply the salve and read to her. Hermione
loved her treatments, just because Severus would read to her. She couldn’t wait
and was trying to pass the afternoon by revising their research on lycanthropy
and the cure.

Her afternoon was interrupted
by the rustle of wings outside the window of the lab. She walked over and let
the bird in. With a shrill caw the bird dropped a letter in Hermione’s hand,
nibbled her finger affectionately and flew out the window. Hermione knhat hat
the bird was not an owl, but a raven. There were only two people in the world
that she knew owned a raven, and that would be Draco and Ginny.

Hermione smiled as she
opened the parchment. It had been so long since she had heard from Ginny and
she wanted to thank her for her ‘donation’ to Severus’ stores. She even thought
about telling Ginny what happened during the final battle. Her friend knew that
Draco had saved her, but neither Ginny nor her husband knew how extreme the
repercussions of Lucius’ torture actually were.

Using the Audious
Stone, Hermione was able to listen to her friend’s letter…



Dear Hermione,

I know I haven’t
written in ages, and I apologize. I have missed you so much. I wanted to let
you know that Draco and I will be visiting Hogwarts next week for Severus’
birthday. It’s an annual tradition between Draco and his godfather. I hope I
can see you while we are there. If I am assumcorrcorrectly, you may even be
joining us for dinner.

Draco had heard that
Severus was seriously involved with someone, and when Severus needed an
ingredient for his stores he seemed rather jovial. I don’t think I had ever seen the man smile, until then. Really, he
was!

I also heard from
Ron that Severus has been helping you since the accident. I have gotten to know
Severus rather well through Draco, and it seems odd for him to be helping
anyone. So if I am as smart as I think I am, I am deducing that Severus and you…
Am I correct? I hope so. You would be good for him and vice versa.

I can’t wait to see
you. Have the tea ready, because we are going to talk. I have missed our late
night talks and I think we have a lot to catch up on. I will see you next week.

Love, Ginny



Hermione was ecstatic.
She had missed Ginny. Being at University buried in research tended to hinder the
time she would have been able to spend with her friends. And then working with
Severus for Remus’ cure, time was of the essence and she seemed to have none.
Hermione started planning all the things she wanted to do while Ginny was here,
but then something tugged slightly at her brain - something that Ginny had
said. They would be visiting for Severus’ birthday. Hermione immediately
started panicking. This was the man she loved, the man she was going to marry
and she didn’t even know when his birthday was. When was it? What would she get
him? What would he want?

Hermione put her papers
away and ventured quickly through the halls to Albus’ office. “Mike and Ike’s,”
she said to the gargoyle and he stepped aside to let her through. She
hesitantly knocked on the heavy oak door and it creaked open.

“Hermione, my dear. To
what do I owe this visit?” the headmaster asked her as he helped guide her to a
chair and conjured a cup of tea for her.

“Ginny and Draco are
coming for Severus’ birthday next week. I didn’t even know his birthday was
coming up. Albus I need help.”

Albus chuckled at her
franticness. “Hermione, I am certain that Severus would like nothing more than
to forget his birthday every year. But, between myself and his godson, I doubt
he ever will. I don’t think very many people have been given such privileged
information, but I am sure that your lack of knowledge was merely an oversight.”
Albus knew that Severus hated birthdays, or
any holiday for that matter. His hatred, Albus assumed, was based mainly on his
unhappy childhood and his many years of self-loathing and depression. Now that
Severus had a reason to live, namely the woman sitting in the chair across from
the headmaster, he may open up to the pleasantries of giving and celebration
associated with such occasions.

Hermione doubted that
her lack of knowledge was just an oversight. Severus had always been a bitter
man, with no reason to celebrate. He wasn’t used to it. She strongly hoped she
could change that.

“How old will he be
Albus?”

“Forty-three.”

“When?”

“Thursday, the 20th.”

Hermione sipped her
tea, and figured that she had just over nine days until Severus’ birthday. She
absently started going through possible gifts and was suddenly brought out of
her pondering when the headmaster cleared his throat, and Hermione had realized
that she had missed what Albus had been saying.

“My dear, I am sure
that Severus would be happy with a pair of socks if they were from you.” A puzzled
expression came over Hermione’s face. Albus laughed out loud.

“I’m sorry Hermione. It
is an inside joke between Severus and I. You see, my favorite thing in the
world is a nice pair of warm socks. I would love to get socks for every
birthday and Christmas. Severus, on the other hand, is as as enthusiastic.
Minerva and I bought him some socks one Christmas, just to see what he would
do. He took the bright red reindeer-covered socks and immediately threw them
into the fire. He didn’t even stay to watch them burn.” Albus smiled. “It was
the reaction I was expecting. However, I did get something else more
appropriate for our illustrious potions master… a book.”

Hermione smiled and
sniggered at the image of Severus brooding over a pair of socks. She briefly
wondered if he would do the same with a pair of socks from her. She blushed as
she thought of giving Severus socks by walking in dressed only in said socks.
An even better image came to mind of Severus dressed in only a pair of socks.
She quickly shook that thought out of her head. She
always wondered if the headmaster could read minds, by the sound of his slight chuckle
he probably could.

The two friends and
colleagues sat for over an hour talking, laughing and just enjoying each other’s
company. Hermione had left the headmaster’s office when the final bell rang and
went to meet Severus for dinner, her treatment, and maybe some fun afterwards.

Over the next few days,
Hermione continued to act oblivious in regards to Severus’ birthday. If he
wouldn’t let her in on it, she would surprise him with a present anyway. She
had thought extensively about a gift for the man who seemed to own every book
in creation. Albus gave her an idea and she had contacted a friend that worked
in the procurement of rare literature. She was able to find an original copy of Severus’ first publication. He had
written a paper on the use of potions to counteract the effects of dark magic,
and was published in Ars Alchema. He wrote it when he was still a
seventh year at Hogwarts. Hermione hadn’t published her first work until at
least a year had passed at University.

Hermione wondered if he
would like it. Albus had mentioned that most of Severus’ collection of
periodicals was burned when his pas wes were killed. She hoped that Severus would appreciate the gesture. Most
people didn’t even know that he had written this piece. Severus could not
openly publish anything about working against dark magic when he was an active
death eater. Therefore, he had published his first few works under the
pseudonym Devin Sampera. Albus was the only tha that knew who Devin Sampera
really was, and has passed it on to Hermione. She smiled as she imagined the
pleasant shock on Severus’ face when he opened his present
to see a mint condition copy of Ars Alchema from April 1977,
featuring “Potions and the Dark” by Devin Sampera. She really hoped she
was right.

During dinner, Hermione
sat next to Severus, happily discussing their days when they heard the door to
the Great Hall open. She heard a rush of footfalls running toward the head
table and was suddenly wrapped in someone’s excited arms.

“Hi Ginny.”



*A/N - I would like
to apologize for the delay in posting. I hit a roadblock and then my husband
had surgery on his shoulder. I have finally come back to the real world and
will hopefully be updating again shortly. Thank you for all the wonderful
reviews and thank you to snapesbbwlover for being my beta for that last
few chapters.