The Ties that Lead to Trust

Chapter 38~ Changing Positions

By the next morning, Hermione felt remarkably improved. She had woken early and slipped downstairs for a hot cup of tea while watching the sun rise over the tree line from the back step of the house. The light glinted off the glass of the greenhouse and shimmered on the dewy leaves of the plants in the garden. It was still quite cool, but the day felt very alive to her somehow, full of possibilities. From her place on the step, she could hear the stairs creak as Severus descended and moved towards the kitchen, and smiled when she heard his confused voice call out. “Hermione?”

“I’m out on the back step,” she called back and listened to the footsteps approach from the hallway inside.

The door gave a low groan as Severus pushed it open and looked out. “Hermione? What are you doing?”

She twisted around to look at him. “Enjoying the sunrise. Care to join me?”

“Give me a moment to fetch some tea and I might be persuaded,” he replied and ducked back inside the house.

When he returned, cup in hand, he sat down wordlessly beside her and looked out into the growing daylight. The small shapes of swallows could be seen rising above and dipping below the silhouette of the trees. Faint sounds of birdsong drifted in on a small puff of wind that was just enough to rustle the grass around them. For a time they simply sipped their tea, savouring the picturesque scene unfolding before them. Their hands twined together, cool from the morning air, and Hermione leaned her head onto his shoulder.

Her voice barely a whisper, she said, “It’s almost too perfect to be real.”

He nodded beside her. “I had no notion that mornings here could be so exquisite. You’ve made an excellent discovery.”

“Are you ready to face everyone at Hogwarts today?” she queried.

“I could ask you the same,” he responded.

Hermione shrugged. “I suppose you could, but it’s you who will be the centre of attention, not me. It’s your party after all.”

“I told Albus not to make a fuss over this,” he grumbled.

“And since when does that make any difference?” her voice quivered with mirth as she spoke.

“It never has, I suppose,” Severus sighed and moved his arm around Hermione’s shoulders. The dawn was rapidly growing and it was soon time to begin the day as there were plenty of things still yet to be done.
*********

After a busy morning in Hogsmeade, Hermione sat away from the main crowd at the party observing the Hogwarts staff milling about in conversation. Despite Severus’ grumbling, the affair was quite tasteful and he appeared to be not only tolerating it, but actually enjoying himself. There was a light lunch consisting mostly of finger foods and from her vantage point everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. Small clusters of teachers chatted amiably to each other in an almost liquid state of movement as people shifted from one conversation to another without appearing to lose the thread of discussion in any one group.

Severus himself was having a rather animated discussion with Pomona Sprout about something, but from this distance she couldn’t be sure if it was about plants for potions or the statistics from the Quidditch league this summer. He was smiling, she observed, quite unconscious of it, and by all accounts was as pleasant as any had seen him in recent memory.

For a while she sat unnoticed, taking it all in, but Professor Flitwick caught sight of her and came away to sit with her. He smiled brightly at her, “Quite an excellent event, I must say. I don’t think I’ve ever seen our boy Severus this social.”

Hermione smiled back. “I’m glad to see he is enjoying himself.”

“And you, my dear, sitting off in the corner. You should be enjoying yourself as well,” he said, nudging her arm.

“Oh, I am Professor. I’ve never been the life of the party. Besides, this is for Severus, not me,” she replied politely.

“I suppose it is, but I’m sure everyone wants to wish you well also,” he remarked, “and don’t bother with the ‘Professor’ anymore. Call me Filius. After all, you are less a student than a colleague now.”

She gave a small chuckle at that. “I wouldn’t go that far just yet. I haven’t even started my apprenticeship.”

“I’m so thrilled old Winston bent a little and took you on. He’s a hard taskmaster but is full of brilliant ideas,” Filius commented, taking a sip of his drink.

Hermione took a sip of her own drink and gave a bit of a smile. “I only hope I’m up for the challenge.”

“You married Severus. Therein is a challenge if ever I heard one. Now tell me about this house you two have been fixing up. Did the charm for the pipes go as anticipated?” he inquired.

Hermione chatted pleasantly with her former Charms professor about the house and inconsequential events during the renovations. Filius was his usual enthusiastic self while listening and commenting here and there with ideas they might try. After a time, though, she could tell he was fidgeting as if he wanted to move on to another conversation, or perhaps bring her along to one.

“Well, I suppose I’ve rambled enough to you about the house. You should have a chance to chat with some of the others,” she commented amiably.

Flitwick made no move to leave, but leaned in close. “I don’t know how to approach this without being crass, so I guess I’ll just say it. Some of the staff were trying to think of something we might get you as a bit of a housewarming, but, well Pomona knew you needed plants for a greenhouse, but the rest of us really didn’t have any notion. Severus has been very closed during his time here, and few begrudge him that anymore. Anyway, I’m not so old as to have forgotten what it was like starting out in life, working on an apprenticeship and everything. I know you don’t lack for much but a few of us collected a little something for you to have as your own.”

In his extended hand was a small metallic green drawstring bag. She looked at it quizzically. “What is it?”

He set it in her hand and wrapped her fingers around it. “It’s a moke-skin money bag with a bit of a collection inside for you.”

“I can’t accept this,” she said, her eyes widening and head shaking as she tried to give it back.

Filius shook his head and clasped his hands over hers. “We all know Severus has more than enough for both of you to live comfortably. This, however, is for you to spend at your own discretion on anything you wish. You have three years of difficult study ahead of you before you earn a Master title and can begin your own work. Think of this as an occasional lunch at the Leaky Cauldron or a nice new quill you wanted without needing to ask for finances.”

She continued to shake. “I... I just...”

“Keep it. Just promise to think of Hogwarts when you use it,” he released her hands while smiling broadly.

“I... well... Thank you. It came up when we initially were looking at houses, but I hadn’t thought much about money and finances since. I’m not very good at this, but thank you. I appreciate it,” she struggled to express herself.

“I do hope you’ll keep in touch Hermione. I’m always interested to hear what Winston is busy with,” he stood and offered a hand.

Hermione tucked the pouch into a pocket of her robes and took the extended hand. “I will.”

On the way up to the table to top up their drinks, Albus motioned to get everyone’s attention. The chatter in the room subsided and everyone looked at the headmaster in anticipation, save Severus who looked at him with trepidation. “Well my friends and colleagues, it seems we are once again presented with the parting of a fine professor whose position will be difficult to fill. Though few students will admit it openly, it is the most demanding teachers we tend to learn the most from. I would like to congratulate Severus for nearly twenty years of hard work at this school, wish him the best of success in his new position with St Mungo’s, and luck in all his future endeavours.”

There was a smattering of applause and congratulations from around the room. Severus received this with a nod and a small smile while shaking the headmaster’s hand. He looked around the room and straightened himself to speak. “I know few of you well, despite spending so many years here. And I know I have not been easy to work with. With hindsight being what it is, I would have done better with a bit more effort on my part. Hogwarts has been more of a home to me than any other place I have lived until now, and now that I come to it, I am somewhat sad to leave. I hope some of us can, perhaps, keep in contact. For myself, I will try a little harder. I would like to thank Albus for several second chances and even for some of his damn meddling.”

There was a small chuckle in the room and everyone clapped politely. Some raised their glasses, but slowly the gathering began to dissipate. With the luncheon and summer term officially over, most were preparing to leave for their own summer break. Severus noticed Hermione standing with Filius and made his way towards them. The Charms professor made his goodbyes and moved across the room to farewell the rest. Slipping an arm around her waist, he gave a squeeze. “Did you enjoy yourself?”

“Not as much as you did. It was a good get together,” she answered grinning up at him.

Severus startled several people nearby when he dropped a small kiss on her cheek. “Yes, but now I’m ready to go home.”

Hermione nodded. “I’ll just go with Minerva to pick up Crookshanks and we can go. As soon as he sees the basket he’ll pitch a fit. I really wish he were easier to travel with.”

Severus quirked an eyebrow. “And just how long will he be irate?”

“That depends. Usually four or five days,” she shrugged.

He nodded. “Just in time for your parents to visit.”
*********

Crookshanks was surprisingly quick to forgive the unsettling magical travel and only hid under the sofa for a couple days. This may have been because everything in the house shifted a great deal as they unpacked, but the glaring eyes had disappeared from their hiding place and the large ginger cat began a thorough inspection of the house and property. Occasionally Hermione noted his comings and goings and it seemed that the systematic investigation had proved fruitful. Severus was less than pleased to see the feline devouring a slightly mangled rodent on the kitchen floor but conceded that at least his lab would be free of pests.

The pleasant weather usually drove Hermione outside by late afternoon to spend time in the garden, but today it had been far too nice to spend any time inside. Her parents would be arriving the next day and she felt compelled to tidy up the lane way and front flower beds. The back plot was now well tended and full of vegetables, herbs and hardier magical plants, but the front of the house looked distinctly ignored. She spent the better part of the morning weeding and pruning the rosebush, trying to decide if she should get some marigolds to temporarily fill in space or wait until she had time to look for what she wanted. It was past time to put in bedding out plants, so perhaps the garden this summer was a loss. It was odd that she felt concerned about having a well kept flower bed, particularly since they had only just moved in. She supposed this was likely due, at least in part, to the neighbourhood she had grown up in. Though pleasant enough, it was a community of some status and well kept front gardens were expected. Her mother had never particularly cared for gardening as a recreational activity and only planted the simplest things to care for. A few blooming shrubs, some bulbs and a tray of annuals were all that she had the patience for, and often it was Hermione who had done the watering and weeding in the summer months. Before starting at Hogwarts, Hermione had tried to persuade her mother to plant a couple rose bushes, but was turned down with the excuse that they were too much effort. Her mother wasn’t lazy, she just preferred to enjoy flowers rather than cultivate them.

Ultimately, Hermione decided, it was her mother that was at the root of her worries about the front beds. She knew intellectually that her parents couldn’t care less about the state of the greenery, but it was almost ingrained that a good home had a nice front garden. It was anyone’s first impression of the house and in turn lead to assumptions regarding the people who lived in it. She knew she was being silly, but she wanted her mother and, with a large amount of luck, her father to approve of the house. The flowers would likely have little if any impact on her parents’ approval, but she always put her best effort into everything she did and this was no different.

Once the weeds had been pulled from the beds and her best efforts made on the couch grass encroaching at the edges, she moved on to the wind break. Though it should have been done in the spring, there were dead limbs that needed pruning. Working her way along the rowan trees with well aimed severing charms, she amassed a fair pile of branches and had built up a sweat as she hauled them over by one of the small sheds on the west side of the house. By noon, the sun was sweltering and she gave up on gardening and flopped down under the shade of the elm tree, praying for a breeze to bring some relief. Instead of a breeze, however, her relief came in the form of a glass of iced tea appearing in front of her from above. Looking up, Hermione smiled. “Thank you. It’s really starting to heat up out here today.”

Severus conjured a high backed bench seat and sat down in the shade. “I had planned on taking care of the trees myself, but it looks as if you have beaten me to it. How much is there still to be done?”

“About a half dozen trees on the east side. I’d also like to clean up the drive a bit. Trim the grass. I can’t think of anything else pressing at the moment,” she said while moving up to sit beside him on the bench.

“You do know they are coming to see you. Neither of your parents strike me as the sort that are concerned about how profusely your begonias bloom,” he commented sarcastically.

Hermione sighed, “There aren’t any begonias here. I don’t even like begonias,” she shook her head, “ I realize they aren’t expecting miracles, especially mum, but I doubt they can help passing judgement on the place. I really don’t want to disappoint my dad any more than I already have.”

“This is really important to you,” he stated.

She nodded. “It shouldn’t be. I know. I’ve more than enough to worry about... but for some reason it is important. I want to look competent. I want you to look good. I like this place, and I want them to know that too.”

He rubbed the space between her shoulders with the palm of his hand, enjoying the touch, but noticing she was damp from her morning’s exertions. They didn’t speak for a while, and when Severus opened his mouth to speak again a bell sounded. He stood up quickly, drawing his wand and moving to stand within the trees of the windbreak. Hermione’s heart rate tripled as she drew her wand as well and backed towards the house, still not entirely confident in the security of the wards. When she reached the steps, she climbed backwards up to the door, now having a clear view of the drive.

Coming up the lane was a person on horseback, and another horse with a smaller individual, probably a child, shifting nervously out at the road. The adult rider, now close enough to identify as a woman, motioned to the smaller black horse at the end of the drive, but though the horse seemed eager to move forward it continued to shuffle in place. There was a high pitched squeal of disgust from the person in the saddle, and it became apparent that the second rider was a female child.

Severus discreetly tucked his wand into the sleeve of his robes and moved out of the cover of the rowan trees, striding towards the woman on the chestnut horse. Taking several deep breaths, Hermione allowed her mind to rationalize what was happening and concluded that the woman on the horse must be a Muggle, quite probably someone from the area stopping in to say hello. She hadn’t yet met anyone in the area since she had kept to the security of the house and not yet ventured out into the Muggle town. As he approached, Severus extended his hand up to the woman on horseback who swung her leg over and hopped to the ground to take it. Mimicking Severus’ actions, Hermione tucked her wand up her sleeve and slowly started walking toward the woman and the horse.

When she neared, the woman extended a very tanned, calloused hand. “Beth Winters. I’m your neighbour to the west.”

Forcing her apprehension down, Hermione took the offered hand. “Pleased to meet you.”

“This is my wife, Hermione,” Severus said, slipping a hand into Hermione’s free one. “We have been meaning to come by and introduce ourselves, but it’s been a rather busy few weeks.”

Beth smiled and nodded in understanding. “I know how moving is. My Katie has been pestering me endlessly to come and meet you. I can’t believe she is being so shy now.” Turning she called, “Come on Katie.”

“I can’t mum! I’m stuck in something. It’s all yucky like a spider web!” the girl called back.

Her mother shook her head and mumbled. “Silly girl. Most of the time she’s trying to catch the spiders.”

Hermione looked past the chestnut horse and noticed how the black horse kept skittering about at the drive, wanting to move ahead and being held back, but not by the reins. Glancing quickly at Severus, who gave a small squeeze to her hand, she said, “I’ll go see what the problem is.”

When she was close to the girl and the horse, she felt the now familiar sensation of heavier air that indicated the edge of the security border. Taking a deep breath, she began to move through it, then stopped abruptly. Her eyebrows raised as she looked at the girl, but she smiled. “Hello there, Katie. I’m Hermione.”

The girl smiled back a bit nervously, “Hi.”

Hermione patted the horse and asked, “Does this fellow have a name?”

“Domino,” Katie said quietly.

Moving in front of the horse, she patted its neck and slipped her wand from its hiding place, curious to see if her idea would work. She mumbled greetings to the animal and tapped the girl’s boot with her wand, mumbling, “Congnoscre.”

The horse moved forward a few steps with no problem and Katie wiped at her face. “Don’t think Domino likes sticky things. Neither do I.”

Hermione smiled at the girl and passed back into the comfort of the secured area, pleased, surprised and confused. Her mind was buzzing with a million thoughts. The border was only supposed to restrict access to witches and wizards. Severus had specifically told her that Muggles should be able to pass unhindered. The girl’s mother had encountered no difficulties in travelling up the lane. If that were the case, either the perimeter ward was malfunctioning, or the girl was...

Hermione smiled a bit shakily as she came up to her new neighbour, suddenly noticing that Severus was wearing grey work robes. Beth hadn’t commented on them, as best she could tell, but it was probably a startling sight to one unused to the fashions of the wizarding world. Katie, it seemed, had most definitely noticed. In a conspiratorial whisper she asked, “Does he always wear dresses?” then after a moment she realized she who she was speaking to and muttered, “Sorry.”

Trying mightily to hold back any trace of a smile, Hermione ignored the question and asked the girl, “How old are you?”

“I’m eleven years, one day and thirteen hours old,” Katie said smiling.

“Well then, happy birthday. It’s not everyday you turn eleven,” she said, grinning back.

Katie nodded. “But it isn’t much fun having a birthday in the summer. All my friends from school are off on holidays and we can’t go anywhere because of the farm and I can’t have a party because no one is here. Mum made me a cake yesterday, though, and you’ll never guess what happened at dinner. We made it into a picnic and then an-”

“-Katie dear, that’s enough. I’m sure you don’t need to share the story with everyone. We’ve just met after all,” her mother said with mild reprove and a look of embarrassment.

“But Mum, I haven’t had anyone to tell yet, and I’ve already met him,” she said pointing to Severus.

The girl slid off the horse and landed on the lane with a solid thump. She approached Severus and said with exaggerated politeness, “Pleased to meet you again, sir. Did you have a good school year?”

Both Hermione and Beth seemed surprised by her question, but Severus only nodded. “Indeed. It was satisfactory. Yourself?”

The girl wrinkled her nose slightly, but said, “I passed everything, but my teacher wants me to be in an extra credit math group next year. I don’t think it is fair. I did well in maths. Why should I have to do extra work?”

Severus chuckled slightly in his throat, “Being smart doesn’t mean it’s easy.”

“What do you mean?” she asked, looking mildly indignant.

“You’ll understand when you’re older,” he answered, then asked Beth, “Can I offer you a drink?”

“We wouldn’t want to impose. I know how unsettling a move can be,” she said.

Hermione shook her head. “Don’t worry. You are the first visitors we’ve had. What would you like?”

Darting into the house, Hermione made more iced tea, pleased to be able to use a cooling charm to make the ice cubes. It was the conjuring of seating under the elm tree she was unable to do, but shrugged it off and decided to blame it on moving. When she arrived outside, the horses were unbridled and turned out to graze in the shade. Severus was seated with Beth on the bench seat discussing the horses, and Katie was laying on her stomach on the grass, appearing to be tracking the movement of some insect.

After handing out the glasses, Hermione joined the girl on the grass, trying to think of a way to find out if the girl had magical ability. Unsure of how to begin she simply said, “So tell me your birthday story. I don’t mind listening.”

Beth Winters stopped her conversation with Severus and seemed unsure about allowing the story to be told. Katie ignored the sudden silence and plunged into her story. “Well yesterday, we finished the haying early, and mum made a special picnic dinner so we could go eat down by the creek. We had carrot cake, because it’s my favourite, and it was really good too. Brian doesn’t like carrot cake, so I got to have an extra big piece. Anyway, this owl flies up to us and sits down in front of me with something on his foot. I thought perhaps he had been hurt or something. I find lots of animals like that and they let me take care of them, but this bird had a letter tied to his foot addressed to me! I untied the string from his leg and he just takes a bite of my cake and flies away. Mum thinks it was all a big joke or something though.”

“Oh?” Hermione asked, trying not to sound excited.

Katie was shaking her head. “The letter was addressed to Katie Winters, Bend in the Creek, Old Curry Farm, Gothland, Yorkshire. That was really odd, but the letter was funny too. It said it was from a hog school for witches or something. It sounded kinda silly. What would witches want with pigs anyway?”

With a quick glance up at Severus, Hermione could tell he was barely able to contain his mirth at the description of Hogwarts from the girl’s story. Beside him, Beth looked rather embarrassed by her daughter’s tale. Giving the girl a sincere smile, Hermione stood up and offered her hand. “That’s an interesting story Katie. I think perhaps you should come into the house. There’s some interesting things in there you might like to see.”

*********

Meeting her neighbours and discovering the surprising news that the girl next door was a Muggle-born witch had been a pleasant diversion for an afternoon, but Hermione felt the familiar anxious knot return to her stomach shortly after Beth and Katie had returned home. This morning it had been difficult to settle on any activity, being both anxious and excited about her parents’ visit. Since there was not yet any furniture in the front sitting room, she had given up on watching for them and tried to put away books in the library. She was certain there was a charm to make the process more efficient, but it was nice to place each volume by hand, mentally noting where each was shelved. Severus was working in the room as well, placing books by hand, not for busy work but for more practical reasons. Many of his reference books were old and he took pride in caring for them properly. The laboratory in the basement was largely completed, but he only kept a small shelf for common reference works and journals there. Hermione was pleased most of his books would stay in the library for her own curiosity’s sake. Her own books were much fewer in number, but still satisfying to see lined up on the shelves.

Due to the unsettling experience of the attack and the looming shadow of the trial, Hermione was somewhat reluctant to have her parents visit her sanctuary. She had decided to only tell her father she had been roughed up by Draco and provide him with information about the trial with regards to the damage done to her grandmother. Part of her felt guilty, falling into old patterns of partial truths, but she was tempting fate enough by bringing him within a fisted arm’s reach of Severus. She had delayed their arrival an additional week than she intended because of her worry over the state of the house. Her parents could have booked a room in town, but she wanted to be able to put them up herself. She and Severus had managed to outfit a guest room, albeit Spartanly, and the kitchen now had an icebox and well stocked cupboards. The fact that none of their dishes matched would have to sit for the time being.

The sound of gravel crunching under car tires caused Hermione to drop the book she was shelving in the library and propel herself towards the front door. On her way out of the room, she thought she heard the distinct sound of Severus’ low chuckle, but ignored it and flung open the front door to greet her parents. The slightly cautious look on her mother’s face vanished when she saw her daughter at the front door and was relieved they had found the right house.

Emily Granger stepped out of the car and made her way up to the house smiling broadly. “There you are darling. I’m so glad we’ve made it.”

Hermione smiled back and came down the steps in her bare feet to envelop her mother in a hug. “I hope the drive wasn’t too bad. I had thought you would arrive a little earlier, but I haven’t travelled by car much at all in this area.”

Her mother accepted the embrace and spoke in a low voice, “We would have been here a couple hours ago, but Greg saw an old house done up as a museum and we were there for ages. I hope you hadn’t counted on us for lunch.”

“No, no. How was the drive?” she asked expectantly as she released her grasp.

The older woman smiled. “It’s really lovely around here. I can see why you chose it, and this house,” she looked beyond her daughter at the building. “You two must have been very busy already.”

Greg had made his way from the car after a brief glance around and opened his arms to his daughter. “Charming countryside here ‘pea. I hope you aren’t going to keep us working the whole time. I’d like to have a look around the area.”

“Daddy,” she squeezed him back, “you aren’t here to work. I thought you two were on holiday.”

He laughed, “And here I thought family was supposed to be cheap labour.”

“Oh Dad. Let me get your bags and we can go inside,” Hermione giggled and began to walk tentatively across the rough gravel path.

“Where are your shoes?” her dad asked in a slightly disapproving manner, noticing her halting gait.

She grinned sheepishly over her shoulder while mentally cringing, “Inside.”

Hermione levitated her parents’ suitcases from the boot of the car into the house and they followed her inside. She set them down in the front entry and moved towards the kitchen to make tea only to notice Severus already had the tray ready. She gave him a questioning look for a moment. “The library?”

“I think so. You can conjure us some extra furniture,” he said gesturing down the hall then turned to her parents. “Good afternoon Emily, Mr Granger. I’m pleased to see you have arrived.”

Emily smiled warmly at him, while Greg only nodded stiffly, and they moved down the hall.

Tea in the library had been uncomfortable, and the following tour around the house and property more so. Hermione could tell that her father had been trying exceedingly hard to remain polite with Severus, but the tension between the two was tangible. Her mother kept sending her exasperated glances but would say nothing directly to either. Under more normal circumstances, Hermione would have looked forward to staying up late catching up with her family after so long apart; however all seemed in favour of turning in early.

Hermione was not sure of what had transpired between her parents overnight, but the following morning some of the oppressive tension was relieved. Breakfast had been entirely civil and Mr Granger had volunteered a comical anecdote from work to the morning chatter. However, as Hermione climbed into the passenger seat of the car with her mother, she wasn’t entirely sure leaving the two men behind was a wise decision, nor was she certain she wanted to leave the house at all.

“Mum, are you sure you don’t want Dad to come along?” she asked, her nervousness betrayed in her tone.

Mrs Granger snorted indelicately and started the engine. “He promised he would not throw any punches and I’m sure Severus can control the urge as well.”

“I’m not so certain,” Hermione mumbled.

“Perhaps. Regardless, they will either have yelled themselves hoarse or come to some sort of an understanding by the time we get back. Either way, it’s far better than this silent posturing,” her mother said shrugging her shoulders and turning around in the drive.

Hermione glanced back at the house as her mother guided the car down the lane. “I should have waited another week perhaps. The house will probably be finished by then.”

“And deny me the pleasure of antiquing with you? Come along, we will have a fantastic time doing a bit of shopping and sight seeing, find some nice furnishings for your house and not have to listen to the men bicker over their differences. They can argue and I can spoil you rotten. It sounds like a perfect day,” she gave her daughter an eager, if slightly mischievous, grin.

Hermione’s brow furrowed a bit. “Mum, Severus gave me some-”

“Don’t be silly, Hermione. Consider it a graduation present, belated wedding present, housewarming gift or whatever you wish. We haven’t had a big shopping trip together in ages,” her mother said with a cheerful titter. “You need a girls day out.”

Then they pulled out on the road and the subject was left behind them with the dust cloud at the fence row. Hermione felt a shiver of apprehension as she left behind the safe haven of her home and its protections, but did her best to quell the misgivings and have a good time.

It turned out to be far better than Hermione had envisioned. Soon enough they were trundling down pastoral country roads and nipping into small towns here and there along the way. Within very short order she had forgotten entirely about the armed confrontation back at the house and savoured the outing. They spent a busy morning driving here and there and stopped in at every small shop with antiques and curiosities. Her mother seemed to have a limitless supply of energy, but by one in the afternoon Hermione felt her energy wane. It was a great relief when they stopped in at a pub for a brief lunch, but Mrs Granger’s vigour seemed refreshed and they bustled off for a busy afternoon.

By the time they arrived at the familiar winding road to the farmhouse, both women were tired. The backseat and the boot of the car were filled with the day’s ‘booty’ and both were laughing heartily.

“I still say that man at the first shop we went to after lunch was the most comical. Us poor helpless women couldn’t possibly load the car ourselves,” Emily Granger said while chuckling merrily.

Hermione sighed on a laugh. “It’s not so good I had to use magic on him to get him to leave us alone. He must have thought we were barmy to believe that sideboard would fit in the backseat. You are going to get me in trouble with the Ministry. I thought parents were supposed to be the responsible ones.”

Her mother continued to snicker as she took them around the last sharp bend before the drive. “There is no rule in the book saying that, dear. Besides, they aren’t my neighbours, they’re yours.”

“I suppose you’re right. Is that why Dad was being so difficult yesterday? Because he isn’t on his own turf?” she asked, remembering for the first time in hours the state of unresolved conflict she had left that morning.

The woman beside her nodded. “He had wound himself up quite a bit on the drive over. I don’t think he is as cross as he was back at Christmas, but it is your house. He doesn’t have any say here. It isn’t the easiest change for him to make.”

Looking apprehensively up the road she could just see the house, her house, peaking out from behind the trees and let out a breath. It was still standing at least. “I felt about four years old when he scolded me about not wearing shoes yesterday. I almost went to put some on just because of the look he gave me. I don’t think I’m making this change very gracefully either.”

Turning up the lane, they pulled up to the house and stopped the car. For a moment they sat, not quite ready to move just yet. Mrs Granger looked for a long moment at the house and then at her only child. “I know what it is like to have a disapproving father and under the circumstances I thought it prudent to be the peacekeeper. Though Severus and I have corresponded a fair bit over the past few months and I’ll admit I like him well enough, that doesn’t make it easy for me. You have always brought such big changes to our lives, and as parents it’s your father’s and my job to adapt to them despite how much we want to control them. From what I’ve learned of Severus, this is a big change for him as well. He must be disconcerted, dropping suddenly into the middle of a family like ours. We all need some time to shift into our new places in life, even you.”

“Oh mum,” Hermione said sniffling and leaning over to hug her mother, “You know I love you and Dad so much.”

“We know that, but it’s always nice to be reminded,” Emily said patting her daughter’s back.

They held each other for a long while but were disturbed when they heard the front door open. A deep velvet voice said, “Well it seems the ladies have returned.”

Hermione looked up to see her father and Severus standing side by side. Neither appeared to be sporting black eyes. In fact, they both appeared to be in a relatively good mood. Her father descended the steps and peered into the backseat while she and her mother got out of the car. He tutted softly, “Goodness you two must have been busy today. I’m sure what’s back here isn’t doll furniture. I think I’m quite glad that I was left behind. Don’t you agree, Severus?”

“Definitely,” Severus agreed, moving in for a closer inspection himself, then lifted a quizzical brow. “Enjoyed yourselves did you?”

Hermione grinned at him. “Undoubtedly. Yourself?”

“Somewhat. I will enjoy this evening much more when I trounce my opponent in a rematch,” he replied giving a less than truly menacing glare at her father.

“I wouldn’t be so confident in that victory. Your memory is terribly short if you’ve forgotten the mistake you made this afternoon,” her father quipped.

She glanced between the two for a moment. They must have been playing chess. Most of the unpleasant tension appeared to have abated, with an air of friendly competition between the two taking animosity’s place. Hermione gave a smile to them both. “I hope you can hold off for a bit. A couple extra pairs of hands would be useful in unloading the car.”

Together, everyone helped move items from the car to the front sitting room. The chess rematch was postponed and after dinner they all spent time picking through and exploring the treasures that had been discovered. The discomfort and tension between everyone had eased away and they passed the evening happily together. For a moment Hermione stood back and watched the interaction while thinking about the things her mother had said. Such a big role change took some time to get used to. This was her home now, and even though she knew there would always be a place for her with her parents it wouldn’t be the same. Last summer she had accepted that her place with her parents wasn’t what it had been. She couldn’t go back to the home of her youth. Looking around the room, Hermione no longer felt the sharp sting of that loss.

Severus was laughing about something, sharing his amusement with her parents. She moved over to join them again and gave her husband a kiss on the cheek. For a moment the awkwardness returned and laughter faded, but he returned a small peck on her cheek, sat her beside him on the large chesterfield and struck up the conversation again. Greg Granger visibly settled in his chair with a barely perceptible nod of acceptance with a slight lifting of the corners of his mouth in what might have been approval. With that, Hermione sensed the months of silent standoff with her father were over.
*********

Three days later, Severus stood with Hermione on the doorstep sheltered from the rain, watching the Granger car disappear from sight as it pulled out of the drive and around the corner. He wasn’t entirely certain whether he was relieved to see them go or mildly disappointed to lose his new chess opponent. Hermione could play a decent game, but Greg Granger, and in truth Emily as well, was invigorating to play. It had been a diversion initially, attempting to find a common ground to prevent grievous bodily injury the day they had been left at the house. It had taken a supreme force of will to pursue any form of interaction instead of retreating to his lab and leaving his father-in-law to entertain himself in the library. The day had seemed interminable initially, but after twenty minutes of tense silence punctuated by rustling newspapers and slurps of coffee they had each set down their respective reading materials and simply said to each other, “This is ridiculous.”

The frank conversation that followed had aired the anger and irritation of both, and though Severus knew they would likely never get on particularly well, the hostility was gone. Ultimately, Greg Granger was a reasonable individual who knew when it was time to concede defeat on a battle. Years of concessions and tactical moves had taught Severus as well, and he allowed his animosity to ease. It was mostly because it was important to Hermione that he made the effort, but there was a small part of himself that was pleased her father hadn’t trusted him initially. It was the righteous anger befitting a parent. He was glad Hermione had that in her life, not the anger, but the love and concern that drove the anger and hostility he had faced. He was very used to being disliked by all manner of individuals. One more wouldn’t matter, save for the fact that it was someone he should get on with.

After a few moments, Hermione turned away from the road and wrapped her arms around him. She whispered, “Thank you.”

Severus put his own arms around her and returned the embrace. “Silly girl.”

She looked up at him, and he tried to give her his sarcastic sneer, but somehow it didn’t have it’s old edge. “I have a deeply ingrained survival instinct.”

For a moment, she looked at him, then started to vibrate in his arms. First with internal laughter, then Hermione started to laugh in earnest. Severus’ mouth twisted into a smile and he began to chuckle with her. It felt good to laugh with her, here on the front step of their house on a damp summer morning. When their mirth subsided, she asked, “What happened anyway? If you and dad came to blows, you did a good job of patching yourselves up before we got back.”

“Civilized men have no need for crude measures,” he said, shaking his head.

Hermione gave an undignified snort of disbelief. “Your point being?”

“Isn’t it sufficient that your father and I have come to an understanding?”

“No.”

He raised an eyebrow. “And why is that?”

“Because I’m curious,” she stated.

“Insufferable,” he quipped with a smile.

A small chuckle rose again and she shook her head. “Git.”

“So good to know that affection hasn’t addled your powers of perception,” he returned.

“And for some reason I love you,” she said, tightening her arms around him.

Severus leaned down and kissed her smiling lips affectionately, shivering slightly when the tip of her tongue traced the crease of his lips. Opening to her, he caressed the inside of her mouth with his own tongue, closing his eyes to savour the experience. He could taste the slight bitterness of her tea mingled with the delicate sweetness of the melon she had eaten for breakfast. Raising his hands , he cupped her face and softly stroked the smooth skin of her cheek with his thumb. The moment was fleeting, however, and he pulled away with a small feeling of disappointment. She looked up at him with a warm sparkle in her eye, her lips moist and smiling. He smiled back. “There’s nothing you feel is urgent today, is there?”

“No, not really,” she answered with a quizzical look.

“I think it’s your turn to choose a book. Today looks like a good day to spend in the library,” he suggested.

She nodded and followed him into the house, settling into the leather couch with a contented hum. As she began to read, he closed his eyes and listened to her voice, but did not pay any attention to the words she was reading. Perhaps his comment on survival instincts hadn’t been so much teasing as truth. Survive? Yes, he could do that well enough, but for a long time it had been difficult for him to be content, let alone happy. Even if he hadn’t come to a workable middle ground with her father, he would have endured Greg Granger’s existence in his life as much as need be. Opening his eyes again, he watched Hermione’s lips move as she read, her tongue occasionally darting out to swipe away the dryness. Right beside him was an excellent reason for tolerating even the worst of company. Leaning down, he caught her off guard and drew her into a breath taking kiss, enjoying the moment.
*********