A/N: It was time I put this story to rest, do here is the Final Chapter.

Sorry it took me so long and please enjoy it!

Everything could have been peaceful for a few days if people knew how to keep their fucking mouths shut. The first day of their return had started well enough. They had sneaked into the castle in the dead of night and made it to his chambers unimpeded. Hermione categorically refused to take a guest room, even one nearby his own, and he knew that he would only make her angry by insisting. It would be quite hypocritical in any case. Who did he think he was going to fool? It was obvious he and Hermione were more than friends. It wasn't just the way she walked close to him, touched him casually, or looked at him with those adoring and trusting eyes, but she made absolutely no effort to hide it, to anyone. It was almost as if she was proud of loving him. Him. He wouldn't be surprised if she climbed on the astronomy tower tomorrow to shout it from the rooftops too.

He didn't go out of his way to hide it either and as Potter had pointed out, his expression changed without his consent when he looked at her. Try as he might, it was impossible to keep a scowl on his face when he saw her.

So he had to be brave and face it: Minerva was going to transfigure him into a gnat and step on him, or maybe a mouse so she could play with him for a while in her animagus form. It was inevitable. Which is why he was quite certain the insistent knocking at his door so early the next morning had to belong to the headmistress. Voldy was barking frantically at it too, which only gave credence to his theory as the magical dog would no doubt be able to sniff out a magical cat even through a warded door. In any case, all the ruckus woke both of them up.

Severus stood in his bathrobe in front of the door, took a deep breath and opened it. A redheaded witch with too much energy fidgeted there, her fist raised, ready to pound the door down once more.

"Miss-" he was going to call her Weasley out of habit, but caught himself just in time and corrected himself. "Mrs Potter."

Hard not to make that sound like an insult, but the witch just rolled her eyes, switching her latest spawn from one hip to the other.

"Professor Snape. I need to see Hermione. It's rather urgent."

He raised an eyebrow. They'd been back in the country only a few hours. Literally. What sort of emergency could have arisen so soon? He watched over her shoulder to glimpse bags floating in the air behind her, displaying logos from Mrs Malkin's, Sleekeazy and others he didn't know but which looked rather feminine.

"Please tell me this is not a wardrobe related emergency. Because I have poisons on hand and I will use them."

The cheeky woman had the audacity to snort in his face and walk pass him as if he'd given her leave to enter his quarters. However, Hermione seemed overjoyed to see her and threw herself towards her with open arms before realizing she had a baby in her arms. She stopped in her tracks and stared at the brat.

"Little Harry," she said.

"Yes. I think I finally mastered the gemini spell," the she-Potter chuckled. "I'd let you hold him but we're in a hurry."

Severus' ears perked.

"I know you just got here but it's already madness in the Ministry and Diagon Alley. Someone's blabbed about seeing you and now everyone is looking for you, and by everyone I mean EVERYONE. The Minister and anyone who's anyone in the government, reporters and fans… Oh, Merlin. There will be a riot if this goes on much longer. And the rumours circulating already are the craziest pile of dragon dung!"

Her voice tapered off, ending in a high-pitch sigh and Severus took the opportunity to interrupt her.

"And what, pray tell, do you propose we do?"

He hoped she had a reason for barging in here and had not come all the way just to spread the gossip all the way up to Hogwarts. The redhead looked at him like he was an idiot. He was going to poison the little chit. With mild food poisoning. He wasn't a total monster.

"Isn't it obvious? You have to be ahead of the race! Take control of the situation before they steamroll Hermione with hearsay and lies, or ambush her with questions. And believe me, they can be ruthless. They haven't had a scoop to gnaw at since Harry's affair with Krum and they're ravenous, so feed them before they tear her apart."

Severus wanted to object, but she looked like she actually knew what she was on about. He wanted to protect Hermione, shield her from it all, but he also knew it might make matters worse and that she wouldn't be left alone until those vultures got what they wanted. In the end, it wasn't his decision to make, so he looked to Hermione for her decision.

"I can do it," she said confidently.

"They will ask you horrible things if they can," Severus warned. "Try to trip you up, embarrass you, lie… they'll do anything for a scoop. Remember that man in the restaurant in Romania who followed you into the loos?"

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"No biting ears off even if they deserve it. I think I'll manage if I can have breakfast first."

"Perfect!" the she-Potter said brightly. "I already invited the Lovegoods, Lavender and Lee to sit front row. They'll serve as a buffer in case things get ugly. Don't hesitate to call on them, they're all good reporters if a bit… specialized."

To say he was surprised would be an understatement. That was practically Slytherin thinking.

"Minny is setting up the Great Hall. Which reminds me, Professor, she isn't very happy with you. You'd better go up there to help her out."

Severus cursed and dashed for the bathroom to make himself presentable. When he came out, their guest was trying to convince Hermione to try on periwinkle coloured robes which made his eyes water, but most colours that weren't black had that effect on him. Without thinking, he gave Hermione a quick peck on the cheek before exiting his quarters. Only when he was halfway up to the Great Hall did he realize what he'd done, in front of a witness. Two, if you counted the drooling little Potter clone. He groaned. He really was getting soft. Mushy even. Positively Hufflepuff. He would have to watch himself or he could kiss his reputation goodbye too, and then teaching would become only more infernal than it already was.

"Severus!" Minerva called out when she saw him.

She didn't look mad at all. This called for caution. It wasn't normal behavior for a Gryffindor.

"Minerva."

"Oh! So you do remember me. I was afraid you'd been inflicted with the very same memory loss as Hermione's. It's the only logical explanation I could muster for your utter lack of warning as to your return and half the wizarding world inviting themselves over when they learned you two had sneaked into the castle in the dead of night like two misbehaving students playing hooky, but apparently, I was wrong."

Severus grimaced. He knew it wouldn't be that easy, so he tried apologizing immediately, but she cut him off before he'd even opened his mouth.

"Because I love nothing best than to learn from a house-elf that my Potions Master has returned with his wifey, right before being assaulted by a flock of owls demanding if it's true Miss Granger is hiding at Hogwarts. Then the Minister himself floo called me to ask why he hadn't been kept informed when I've been asking myself that very same question all morning in between ducking owls and setting up a ruddy press meeting."

Severus tried interrupting her once more, but she wasn't finished.

"And all that while I'm still in my bathrobe and haven't even had a cup of bloody TEA!"

It was true her robes were a bit off, so she must have transfigured her bathrobe into clothes. Risky. But she was finally out of breath, a bit red in the face, so he seized the opportunity to speak up.

"I'm sorry, Minerva. We arrived quite late. I didn't want to… make a fuss."

She made a strange choking sound that might have been a chuckle. Maybe she wasn't all that angry. Maybe she had just needed to vent. Severus held in a hopeful breath that he wouldn't have to endure the wrath of a righteous Gryffindor.

"Only you would call bringing Hermione back a fuss," she huffed then looked at him with moist eyes. "Is it true? She is healed?"

Severus froze in horror at the tears collecting around her eyes, searching for a way to escape down her face and he nodded curtly before finding something to do lest he find himself in the unenviable position of having to comfort her. If he wanted to walk around handing tissues to the faint hearted, he would have been a Hufflepuff. Magicking chairs around the raised stage Minerva had already rid of the staff table, Severus made sure to conjure them as uncomfortable as possible. The trick was all in the angles, distorting them to force people to hunch awkwardly as they sat. He made an exception for the front row where their allies in the press would be sitting, but it had nothing to do with being nice, it was for Hermione.

As the members of the press, and it was a term he used loosely, even with the glaring and enjoyable absence of one Rita Skeeter, Severus waited up on the stage with Minerva, Potter and Draco. It appeared that while his wife had come to prep Hermione, Potter had gone knocking on Malfoy Manor's doors, almost giving Lucius a heart attack from what Draco had told him. The second since their return, because Draco had quite startled his father with his scorpion patronus. Severus should have thought of fetching Draco himself given his role in Hermione's recovery, and he was hating that he felt he owed more and more to the Potter family.

Draco's presence on the stage was already drawing a lot of pointed fingers and whispers that he didn't even seem to notice while Potter talked his ear off about something. Quidditch? What else could he possibly have to speak about that would interest Draco? He would never understand how those two had become friends.

However, the general interest shifted when Peeves floated in, cackling a new song as he banged two pans together.

"Here she comes, here she comes,

Granger's no Rotter,

But no thanks to Potter.

Think she's dead?

Then think again,

Or she'll eat your ear,

But all in good fun."

He disappeared through the wall, his pans falling with a loud clatter on the flagstones. Severus rolled his eyes and even Minerva had a tightness to her face he hadn't seen in a while. Maybe they could finally exorcise the blasted poltergeist after this. Everyone's eyes went from the front of the room to the back again where Hermione had just entered, looking like she was pausing for effect, Ginny Potter standing behind her with a hand over her mouth and her shoulders shaking before she shimmied past and sat with her brat on one of his unoccupied skewed chairs.

As small as Hermione was, she seemed to be doing a fine job at looking down her nose at everyone before flouncing towards the stage, her purple robes such a deep shade they appeared almost black. Severus wondered if she'd been hit by a confundus charm before she stood front and middle and flashed the press a dazzling smile.

The room finally snapped out of their trance and flashes went off alongside raised hands, excited chatter, and her name called every other second.

Hermione grinned wider and Severus finally realized what was going on: in order to deal with the press, Hermione was channeling her inner Lockhart, and doing a fine job of it so far.

"Thank you for coming," she said, her voice loud and clear, although the irony was lost on no one that she had never issued them any invitation. "I can only imagine how many questions you have for me, but to alleviate your concerns, I will tell you my story as it should be known."

Severus bit back a snort. She'd always been more of a Slytherin than he suspected, but even her audience would pick up on her sarcasm at this rate.

"I was critically hurt during the Final Battle, on these very grounds, and I lost my identity for many years. I was lucky Severus Snape," she paused to smile at him, extending a hand to introduce him as if he hadn't been to school with half the people here and taught the other half, but he gave a small bow to play along. "Found me in the Forbidden Forest and brought me back to my friends and family. My recovery was long and complex, and it would not have been possible without newly minted healer at St Mungo's, Draco Malfoy."

She turned to him and applauded, the room following suit soon after, even if it was rather hesitant as the Malfoy name was still not one readily accepted post war.

"Many others helped me along the way. I'm very grateful to have such friends at my sides. Harry, of course, Hagrid, Minerva, Madam Pomfrey, Viktor… and all my old friends I can't wait to get reacquainted to. Now… I'll be taking questions. Do make an effort not to ask stupid ones."

The switch was so abrupt, nobody reacted at first. Hermione had thoroughly wrong-footed a whole profession. She finally pointed to a witch at random who had raised a hesitant hand.

"Toriel Bullstrode for the Marvelously Magical Magazine. You mean to tell us you spent all these years in the Forbidden Forest?"

Hermione nodded.

"With centaurs and giant spiders and werewolves?"

And nodded again.

"On your own?"

Hermione smiled sweetly so he didn't expect her next reply.

"Is there a point to your inane questions, Miss Bullstrode, or do you just enjoy stating the obvious?"

The witch sputtered indignantly while the rest of her competition tittered more or less openly.

"Yes, er, that is, aren't you angry? That your friends left you for dead in that dreadful place?"

"Of course not. They had no way of knowing I was there. I might as well hold a grudge against the rain for making my hair frizzy. Next question?"

A familiar looking young woman with scars across her face raised her arm. She was in the front row so Hermione wasn't fairing as well as she was projecting if she was choosing to switch to a safe question. It had to be very stressful after all.

"Lavender Brown with Witch Weekly. Hull Hermione," she added with a hesitant smile. "I was wondering what you intend to do now that you've returned?"

"Finish my studies, of course."

The room at large chuckled. It was such a very typical answer from the witch.

"I never had a chance to pass my NEWTs, but I'm going to need a lot of tutelage first since my injury caused quite a lot of memory loss, including all of Professor Binns' History of Magic lessons."

Another laugh despite what she'd just revealed. She was good at playing the crowd like a fiddle.

"It's also going to take me a lot of effort to convince Severus to marry me. But after that, I absolutely want to work to better the treatment of magical creatures. Their integration and respect is absolutely necessary to construct a society that doesn't waver into chaos at the slightest nudge. Together, we are stronger."

There was another stunned silence as she paused, followed by whispers, as if no one was quite sure they had heard what she had just said. Severus too thought he might have imagined it. When he'd pictured her shouting her love from the top of the astronomy tower, he hadn't thought it would actually come to pass and this was worse. So much worse. Soon after, a flurry of raised hands shook in the air and he didn't know what he should do. Should he stand by her? Stay out and not do anything? Deny any knowledge of their upcoming engagement? His preference was to edge off the dais unnoticed, slip into the shadows and out of view, but he wasn't a coward and many eyes were already staring at him despite his glare.

"By Severus, do you mean Professor Snape?" a wizard asked boldly without being invited to speak.

"Yes. And by marry, I do mean as in a wedding, not that I'm aware there's any other sort. You'll be duly notified when he accepts."

Some wizards glanced back at him as if to say he was crazy for not accepting on the spot, but personally this was the first he'd heard of it. What the hell was she playing at? A prickle at the back of his head made him look around, only to be met by Minerva's stone cold gaze. She was going to turn him into Haggis for this. He might not survive to see Hermione walking down the aisle. Scratch that, he might not even live long enough to walk out of the Great Hall one last time. Severus turned around when the din in the room died down once more, waiting for what next catastrophe was about to hit him on the nose.

The Lovegood girl raised her hand and stood.

"Luna Lovegood for the Quibbler. Hello, Hermione. It's nice to see you again. Will you be taking the Snorkacks under your wing too? They're endangered already and only have a small sanctuary in Sweden."

"It certainly sounds as if they could use my help," she said, but looked more uncertain, wondering no doubt if Snorkacks existed and she didn't remember, or if they were just another mythical creature the Lovegoods loved so much. But the blond girl smiled at Hermione's answer and sat back down, apparently satisfied.

The questions kept coming in, a few wizards in the front rows from medical journals were even directed at Draco. Severus wondered who had invited them. He glanced at Potter, but the man had mastered the look of innocence long before he'd graduated. Draco for his part drew out his answers in excruciating detail to give Hermione time to gather her wits, and the press less time to ask invasive questions.

When had everyone turned into such consummate Slytherins all of a sudden? Not that he minded. It was nice not to be surrounded by a bunch of dunderheads for once. Finally, Minerva walked up to Hermione and thanked everyone for taking the time out of their oh-so-precious day to attend their impromptu press conference, effectively dismissing the gathered reporters and their waving hands. A couple last flashes blinded them and after a few protests, the crowd started to trickle out. Hermione rushed back towards him, and he thought it adorable at first, until she stopped to stand in front of him, like the time she had stepped between him and a werewolf.

"What's the meaning of this, Severus Snape?"

"Severus, a word."

Worse than werewolves, the Weasley matriarch and the castle's lioness had cornered him. A low growl came from deep within Hermione as she spread her arms out protectively in front of him. The two witches stopped mid rant to stare at her.

"Hermione dear," Mrs Weasley crooned. "We only mean to protect you."

"I don't need protecting. I could defeat everyone here on my own without breaking a sweat."

Minerva raised her brow and Severus nodded at her questioning glance. After the way he'd seen her fight the albino vampire, when she didn't even have access to her magic, he really believed she could beat anyone who crossed her.

"I meant your heart, dear. I've always known you were a formidable witch, but as Harry proved, power is nothing when it comes to love. What you said, about you and Severus-"

"I will marry Severus."

"Severus? When did this happen?" Minerva demanded.

Severed would never do something as ungraceful as shrugging, so he waved off her question instead.

"As far as I'm aware, I was informed the same moment you were. Hermione and I have been growing closer, but I would never take advantage of her."

Hermione growled.

"No one could. She's not the Hermione you knew, nor the bare-foot from the Forbidden Forest. She's…" Perfect crossed his mind before he squashed the sappy thought with ruthless abandon. He searched for the right words to express his feelings and glanced at the two idiot duo Potter and Draco goofing off. "She's her own witch, powerful and strong-willed. She's the Alpha of our pack."

Minerva raised her brow at him and he quirked his lips, because what else could he do but be grateful he was even a part of it.

"I guess you have no choice," Minerva said.

"Minnie!"

"Oh, come on, Molly. As if you and Arthur don't have a few years age gap."

"But that's not the same!"

Minerva didn't even deign to answer such a blatant double-standard and put an arm around the red-head's shoulder instead to lead her away. Severus was astonished the headmistress had been swayed so easily to their side, but grew worried when he heard a snippet of their whispering.

"Just think Molly, you get to plan another wedding."

Dear Merlin, was it too late to grab Hermione and run away for the hills? It was tempting. He would be happy just the two of them, but looking at all those who had lingered behind, surrounding the witch that had finally made him grow a heart, he knew he would never deprive her of all that love and companionship, not even if they were a bunch of dunderheads and Gryffindors.