10 Years After
folder
Harry Potter › Het - Male/Female › Snape/Hermione
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
22
Views:
7,027
Reviews:
114
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
Harry Potter › Het - Male/Female › Snape/Hermione
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
22
Views:
7,027
Reviews:
114
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
Chapter 5
10 Years After
Chapter 5
Disclaimer: I own nothing of what you’re about to read, with the possible exception of the plot, although I’m sure it’s been done before. The places, characters, etc. belong to JK Rowling. Thanks.
Corforinu, Greece: March 27, 2008, morning; the beach.
Hermione looked up and into a pair of vivid green eyes behind round glasses.
“Don’t you have someplace to be, somewhere important, Harry?” she asked, a bitter tone entering her voice.
“This is itanttant, too, Hermione. This is us.”
“Is there an us anymore?”
“Of course there is. We’re married. We have a future. Children waiting for us somewhere.”
“Harry, have ver ver talked about having children?”
“No, I just assumed you wanted them, too.”
“And have we ever talked about me giving up my research?”
“I just assumed that you would after you got pregnant.”
“And did you think to discuss this tour with me before you agreed to it?”
“I assumed…”
“That just it, Harry, you assume everything,” interrupted Hermione, “you assume, but you don’t know. You never bother to find out.”
“Don’t you want kids?”
“Yes, just not right now, not even in a few years. I have time, Harry. We have time. We’ve barely been a couple, and you want to forgo being a couple to concentrate on preparing us to be a group. That’s not fair to me, to our marriage, to us. You assumed that I would give up my research. Do you even remotely understand how important my career is to me?”
“It’s just a job, ‘Mione.”
“It is NOT just a job. I NEED this Harry. I need what I do. I love being in a lab researching. I love imparting knowledge to the next generation of witches and wizards. I couldn’t give that up. I wouldn’t give that up. Not now, and more than likely not even after having children. I can help people through my research.”
“You can help vampires and werewolves. How practical is that?”
“Can you see the bigger picture? It’s blood related, Harry. If I can isolate the component in the blood that causes the mutation that leads to those conditions, there’s no end to the diseases and illness that can could possibly be cured. Muggle diseases, wizarding diseases. This is important research Harry and you just don’t fucking get it. You never did. You know, Harry, even in school, you didn’t understand me. You never understood how important my books and my studies were to me. Oh, you appreciated how my knowledge could help you and Ron, could get you out of the scrapes you got into, but you never understood how much of me was buried in those books and parchments. And you know what? You still don’t. I doubt if you ever will.”
“I’ve taken you for granted…” he said quietly.
“No,” countered Hermione, “you’ve never really taken the time to get to know me. First there was Voldemort. Then Quidditch. Now the National Team. It’s always been something else.”
“Well, I’m listening now,” he said earnestly.
“To be honest, Harry, I’m thinking that it might be a little too little, a little too late.”
“Please don’t say that, Hermione.”
“What time do you need to be back.”
“In about 2 hours.”
“There’s my answer. Harry, we can’t even begin to fix things in 2 hours. I need some time and some space. Can you give me that?”
Harry looked her in the eyes and slowly nodded, “If I have to, I can.”
“Thank you. Now, you should go. There’s a Quidditch team waiting for you.”
“We’ll talk when I get back?”
“Yes. We will,” Hermione watched her husband stand up and walk to the apparition point, “Harry, you never once asked me if there was somebody else.”
Harry laughed, “of course there isn’t, ‘Mione. I know that. I’ll see you in a few weeks.”
Hermione watched as he disapparated from Corforinu. She shook her head and whispered, “and there was someone else, too. You would never have noticed.”
Hermione got up and headed back to her villa.
Corforinueeceeece: March 27, 2008, evening; Cosimo’s Café.
Hermione sat in the small café drinking retsina and thinking about her marriage. Clearly, there were problems. Harry didn’t even know her. And she probably didn’t know Harry, either. They had married because it seemed to be the thing to do. They were friends, and Hermione truly thought that she would eventually fall in love with him. That day never came. She loved Harry, but there was no passion involved. There never was. The thought made her sad. She glanced around the café and caught her breath. At a table in the far corner sat a man, a tall raven haired man. With a slight grin, he lifted his glass to Hermione. Legs shaking, she stood up and walked over to his table.
“What brings you to Corforinu, Severus?” she asked.
“Work, primarily.”
“Did you know I was here?”
“Not until this morning,” he replied, “I’ve been here for a few days gathering some potions ingredients and taking a bit of a holiday.”
“This was supposed to be a second honeymoon for Harry and I…” she began.
“Supposed to be?”
“Didn’t work ouat wat way.”
“Where is the boy wonder?” asked Severus, looking around.
“Gone. Along with any hope for my marriage.”
“Did he find out about our night together?” asked Severus tentatively.
“No, he didn’t.”
“Do you regret it, Hermione?”
“Not one bit, Severus, do you?”
Severus took her hand and kissed it, “I don’t regret a thing. For a few hours, I enjoyed the company of a beautiful intelligent woman. What more could a man ask for?”
Hermione smiled at Severus. He still held her hand, and she was finding that she did not wish for him to let it go. She wanted to get to know him better, and not just in the bedroom, even though that was indeed pleasurable.
“And for a few hours, I enjoyed the company of a mysterious dark haired stranger. I never really knew you, Severus, never knew anything about what kind of a man you are. I never even thought of you as a ‘man’ before that night. You were just my potions master and my mentor.”
“And now?”
“Now I know you’re every inch a man. A man I want to know better.”
“Do you mean that?” he asked, gazing into her eyes.
“Of course I do.”
“Shall we start by getting away from the retsina and taking a walk?”
“I would absolutely love that,” she replied, smiling at him.
Hermione stood up, took his hand, and with a nod to the waiter they the the café.
“Right,” said Hermione, “I’m assuming you know Cosimo?”
“Why yes, yes I do. And your tab has been paid.”
“You’re good Severus.”
“I know.”
They walked hand in hand down to the water’s edge, not saying a word. The moon hung full over the water as the waves gently lapped the shore. Severus conjured up a blanket and the two sat down, kicking off their footwear. Hermione leaned against Severus and he placed an arm around her.
“It’s so peaceful,” remarked Severus, “the whole wizarding world is so peaceful now.”
“Do you ever miss the excitement?”
“The skulking about, the spying, the torture, the never ending sessions with Madame Crucio? No, I don’t miss it at all,” replied Severus with a wry grin.
“You were so…unpleasant when I was in school,” said Hermione, hesitantly.
“Yes I was,” he replied, “I had my reasons, just as you had your reasons to constantly need to prove yourself.”
“Was I really that annoying in school?”
“Only when you spoke,” said Severus.
“Bastard.”
“I knew both my parents, Professor Granger, flawed as they were.”
“So you didn’t have a happy childhood?”
“Hardly,” he snorted, “my father was a dominating controlling man and my mother was a doormat. Beatings were commonplace and she never did a thing about it. I doubt there was anything I could have done to please my father and I wasn’t about to die trying.”
“Are your parents still alive?”
“My mother is, I think. He put her in St Mungo’s with a well placed Cruciatus curse when she failed to remain 10 steps behind him. I still pay the bills, so she’d better still be alive.”
“You don’t visit her?”
“I have no reason to. She let him beat me for the smallest of ‘infractions’. Breathing too loudly, not scoring perfectly on an exam, not looking up when he walked into a room. And she sat there and watched.”
“Maybe she was afraid…”
“Imagine how I felt.”
Hermione reached up and brushed a lock of hair out of his eyes, noticing the glistening of tears in his eyes. Without saying another word, she gently kissed him on the cheek. Severus pulled her a bit closer.
“Will you allow yourself to heal, Severus?” asked Hermione.
“Will you help me?” he whispered back.
“If you’ll let me.”
Severus nodded almost imperceptibly and stared out at the water. Hermione rested her head against his shoulder and gently stroked his arm as the water gently rose over the shore.
Chapter 5
Disclaimer: I own nothing of what you’re about to read, with the possible exception of the plot, although I’m sure it’s been done before. The places, characters, etc. belong to JK Rowling. Thanks.
Corforinu, Greece: March 27, 2008, morning; the beach.
Hermione looked up and into a pair of vivid green eyes behind round glasses.
“Don’t you have someplace to be, somewhere important, Harry?” she asked, a bitter tone entering her voice.
“This is itanttant, too, Hermione. This is us.”
“Is there an us anymore?”
“Of course there is. We’re married. We have a future. Children waiting for us somewhere.”
“Harry, have ver ver talked about having children?”
“No, I just assumed you wanted them, too.”
“And have we ever talked about me giving up my research?”
“I just assumed that you would after you got pregnant.”
“And did you think to discuss this tour with me before you agreed to it?”
“I assumed…”
“That just it, Harry, you assume everything,” interrupted Hermione, “you assume, but you don’t know. You never bother to find out.”
“Don’t you want kids?”
“Yes, just not right now, not even in a few years. I have time, Harry. We have time. We’ve barely been a couple, and you want to forgo being a couple to concentrate on preparing us to be a group. That’s not fair to me, to our marriage, to us. You assumed that I would give up my research. Do you even remotely understand how important my career is to me?”
“It’s just a job, ‘Mione.”
“It is NOT just a job. I NEED this Harry. I need what I do. I love being in a lab researching. I love imparting knowledge to the next generation of witches and wizards. I couldn’t give that up. I wouldn’t give that up. Not now, and more than likely not even after having children. I can help people through my research.”
“You can help vampires and werewolves. How practical is that?”
“Can you see the bigger picture? It’s blood related, Harry. If I can isolate the component in the blood that causes the mutation that leads to those conditions, there’s no end to the diseases and illness that can could possibly be cured. Muggle diseases, wizarding diseases. This is important research Harry and you just don’t fucking get it. You never did. You know, Harry, even in school, you didn’t understand me. You never understood how important my books and my studies were to me. Oh, you appreciated how my knowledge could help you and Ron, could get you out of the scrapes you got into, but you never understood how much of me was buried in those books and parchments. And you know what? You still don’t. I doubt if you ever will.”
“I’ve taken you for granted…” he said quietly.
“No,” countered Hermione, “you’ve never really taken the time to get to know me. First there was Voldemort. Then Quidditch. Now the National Team. It’s always been something else.”
“Well, I’m listening now,” he said earnestly.
“To be honest, Harry, I’m thinking that it might be a little too little, a little too late.”
“Please don’t say that, Hermione.”
“What time do you need to be back.”
“In about 2 hours.”
“There’s my answer. Harry, we can’t even begin to fix things in 2 hours. I need some time and some space. Can you give me that?”
Harry looked her in the eyes and slowly nodded, “If I have to, I can.”
“Thank you. Now, you should go. There’s a Quidditch team waiting for you.”
“We’ll talk when I get back?”
“Yes. We will,” Hermione watched her husband stand up and walk to the apparition point, “Harry, you never once asked me if there was somebody else.”
Harry laughed, “of course there isn’t, ‘Mione. I know that. I’ll see you in a few weeks.”
Hermione watched as he disapparated from Corforinu. She shook her head and whispered, “and there was someone else, too. You would never have noticed.”
Hermione got up and headed back to her villa.
Corforinueeceeece: March 27, 2008, evening; Cosimo’s Café.
Hermione sat in the small café drinking retsina and thinking about her marriage. Clearly, there were problems. Harry didn’t even know her. And she probably didn’t know Harry, either. They had married because it seemed to be the thing to do. They were friends, and Hermione truly thought that she would eventually fall in love with him. That day never came. She loved Harry, but there was no passion involved. There never was. The thought made her sad. She glanced around the café and caught her breath. At a table in the far corner sat a man, a tall raven haired man. With a slight grin, he lifted his glass to Hermione. Legs shaking, she stood up and walked over to his table.
“What brings you to Corforinu, Severus?” she asked.
“Work, primarily.”
“Did you know I was here?”
“Not until this morning,” he replied, “I’ve been here for a few days gathering some potions ingredients and taking a bit of a holiday.”
“This was supposed to be a second honeymoon for Harry and I…” she began.
“Supposed to be?”
“Didn’t work ouat wat way.”
“Where is the boy wonder?” asked Severus, looking around.
“Gone. Along with any hope for my marriage.”
“Did he find out about our night together?” asked Severus tentatively.
“No, he didn’t.”
“Do you regret it, Hermione?”
“Not one bit, Severus, do you?”
Severus took her hand and kissed it, “I don’t regret a thing. For a few hours, I enjoyed the company of a beautiful intelligent woman. What more could a man ask for?”
Hermione smiled at Severus. He still held her hand, and she was finding that she did not wish for him to let it go. She wanted to get to know him better, and not just in the bedroom, even though that was indeed pleasurable.
“And for a few hours, I enjoyed the company of a mysterious dark haired stranger. I never really knew you, Severus, never knew anything about what kind of a man you are. I never even thought of you as a ‘man’ before that night. You were just my potions master and my mentor.”
“And now?”
“Now I know you’re every inch a man. A man I want to know better.”
“Do you mean that?” he asked, gazing into her eyes.
“Of course I do.”
“Shall we start by getting away from the retsina and taking a walk?”
“I would absolutely love that,” she replied, smiling at him.
Hermione stood up, took his hand, and with a nod to the waiter they the the café.
“Right,” said Hermione, “I’m assuming you know Cosimo?”
“Why yes, yes I do. And your tab has been paid.”
“You’re good Severus.”
“I know.”
They walked hand in hand down to the water’s edge, not saying a word. The moon hung full over the water as the waves gently lapped the shore. Severus conjured up a blanket and the two sat down, kicking off their footwear. Hermione leaned against Severus and he placed an arm around her.
“It’s so peaceful,” remarked Severus, “the whole wizarding world is so peaceful now.”
“Do you ever miss the excitement?”
“The skulking about, the spying, the torture, the never ending sessions with Madame Crucio? No, I don’t miss it at all,” replied Severus with a wry grin.
“You were so…unpleasant when I was in school,” said Hermione, hesitantly.
“Yes I was,” he replied, “I had my reasons, just as you had your reasons to constantly need to prove yourself.”
“Was I really that annoying in school?”
“Only when you spoke,” said Severus.
“Bastard.”
“I knew both my parents, Professor Granger, flawed as they were.”
“So you didn’t have a happy childhood?”
“Hardly,” he snorted, “my father was a dominating controlling man and my mother was a doormat. Beatings were commonplace and she never did a thing about it. I doubt there was anything I could have done to please my father and I wasn’t about to die trying.”
“Are your parents still alive?”
“My mother is, I think. He put her in St Mungo’s with a well placed Cruciatus curse when she failed to remain 10 steps behind him. I still pay the bills, so she’d better still be alive.”
“You don’t visit her?”
“I have no reason to. She let him beat me for the smallest of ‘infractions’. Breathing too loudly, not scoring perfectly on an exam, not looking up when he walked into a room. And she sat there and watched.”
“Maybe she was afraid…”
“Imagine how I felt.”
Hermione reached up and brushed a lock of hair out of his eyes, noticing the glistening of tears in his eyes. Without saying another word, she gently kissed him on the cheek. Severus pulled her a bit closer.
“Will you allow yourself to heal, Severus?” asked Hermione.
“Will you help me?” he whispered back.
“If you’ll let me.”
Severus nodded almost imperceptibly and stared out at the water. Hermione rested her head against his shoulder and gently stroked his arm as the water gently rose over the shore.