Disclaimer:- I neither own nor own anything from this story. My plot is my own but the world of Harry Potter is the intellectual property of JK Rowling and associates.

oOo

A/N:- Well, here we are, dear friends. This is the end of our tale. I am very sad to see this one ending. Thank you to all for your comments, reviews and thoughts throughout. A big thank you must go to my beta, Golden Asp, she is a talented woman. However, before I finish I would just like to add a little note about the last scene. Severus gives Hermione an eternity ring, I do not mean this to be confusing for anyone, but I realised when my beta questioned it that perhaps eternity rings are something that people do not do anymore. An eternity ring is a third ring that is wore with the engagement and wedding rings, and it used to be a common present given to a wife when she had just had her first child by her husband. I guess it is rather out of date now, but that is what makes it so perfect for the Victorian wizarding world, so I've been very stubborn and not changed it. :D I hope this clears up any confusion.

Chapter Thirty-five – Towards The Future

It was very close to the end of second term when The Daily Prophet had a headline that made many people look twice. Marriage breakups were not a common thing in the wizarding world, and it caused a scandal when Harry Potter took his children and disappeared. Of course, Ginny played the abandoned wife beautifully, and Bill told Hermione and Severus that Molly was apoplectic, but Hermione secretly cheered her ex-friend's braveness and wondered if her fears about his children had been founded.

She was pleased to see him doing the right things, but nobody around her seemed to understand what had happened; why he'd taken such drastic action. However, there were some who suspected the truth, and one Muggle forensic dentist who knew absolutely, but didn't realise. David Granger had met Harry Potter, completely by accident,in the park across from Grimmauld Place, without realising the significance of it.

They only knew one another as Harry and David, but they'd started talking as they'd watched the two little boys playing, and eventually Harry had told the older man how desperately unhappy he was, and why.

David had immediately told him that he must do what he felt was right for his children. "I stayed with an abusive woman for many years to protect my daughter," he'd said. "The laws were different then, and I knew under the law that until my daughter was an adult her mother would be given custody of her."

"Is everything all right now?" Harry had asked, shocked.

David had smiled. "Yes, she's positively blooming now, she's getting married to a wonderful man in a week and her mother is gone. We have no idea where she is."

"That's great," Harry had replied, unaware that they were talking about Hermione. He sat back watching his sons and thought about his hated position with the British wizarding public. Ginny had made certain that he was seen as a bit of a demi-god for his deeds during the war, and she'd wrangled every bit of publicity and monetary gain out of the ministry for Harry's 'suffering', but all he had wanted was a quiet life with his wife and children. Then—and not for the first time—he considered how he had been manipulated into a marriage before he was even out of school, and what his boys' lives might be like if he stayed in England. Finally he'd asked, "Would you have stayed if you could have hidden yourself and your daughter so no one could find you?"

The answer was immediate. "No, I would have taken her and gone," but then David had sighed. "But the law takes a dim view on that, Harry."

Harry had smiled enigmatically. "That's true, but I think I might just have that covered." He'd looked to the boys on the play-centre. "Come on, Jimmy, Albie, it's time for dinner guys." As the boys had run back to him, Harry had turned to David. "Good bye, David, and thank you."

"You're welcome, son," and rising he'd bid the little family goodbye, wondering if he would see them again as he sauntered back towards the park gate. He also wondered what the young man had meant, not even suspecting that he was a wizard, let alone the former friend of his daughter.

xox

The Muggle wedding of Hermione and Severus was being held in the same park that Hermione had first admitted part of her troubles to Severus that chilly November day last year. The service was taking place in front of the lake with its willow trees now in full leaf and the waterlilies in beautiful bloom. The ducks and swans watched on as Hermione processed down the path towards Severus, who was waiting with Draco and the celebrant under the arch of the willow trees by the edge of the lake.

They had decide on a simple affair, but as Severus watched Emily and Isabella walking towards them in their pretty pink bridesmaid dresses and then the vision of Hermione on David's arm in a simple gown of cotton and lace his heart felt like it was going to burst with happiness.

Her glorious hair was caught up loosely; she had flowers threaded in it, and a wispy veil floating around her head in the breeze. He thought she looked more beautiful than anything he had ever seen, and it all made him think of how much he loved seeing that hair all wild and crowning her face like a halo as she lay under him writhing in pleasure as he thrust into her body. This thought brought a rather pointed opinion from another region of his anatomy, and he smiled thinking of the two weeks they were about to spend alone in their home in Umbria.

As he'd been thinking of all the places he was planning to have her naked and impaled on him, she arrived at his side.

Hermione smiled at him, seeing the wicked mischief visible in his eyes. She knew that look. However, her thoughts travelled back what seemed like an eon ago (but in reality was less than a year) and she thanked whatever had given her the courage to come back to Hogwarts when nothing else in her life was working.

"I love you," she whispered to Severus as she turned to face him on the instruction of the wedding celebrant.

"And I you," he replied, giving her one of the little half smiles that made his eyes flash with passion and made her stomach flip.

All their friends were gathered around them. Albus, Minerva, Hagrid, Neville and Luna from Hogwarts, and Draco, who was best man, as well as Gabrielle, little Luca, and Narcissa from Paris. Bill and Fleur were also present and were standing with Fletcher, Lydia and Hestia Blair.

Hermione and Severus' dinner with the Blairs weeks ago had seen them reciprocating and the quartet of adults soon becoming friends. To be certain, as wedding parties go it was a small one, and neither Hermione nor Severus could think of having it any other way.

Once the short ceremony was over, they were all going to Paris in one of the gilded coaches of Beauxbatons pulled by Madam Maxime's Abraxan horses; Draco had arrange it for them. He had also arranged the wedding reception at Maxus, a wizarding reception house near Beauxbaton.

xox

It had all been wonderful, but the wedding ceremony was merely a pleasant memory now as Hermione lay back on the desk and gave into the pleasure pulsing through her. It was one of their favourite positions, and Severus always made certain that she was not injured by the hardness of the wood against her back while she lay on whatever desk they were using as a support for their amorous activities. Mind you, there had been many papers sacrificed in order for them to enjoy their current round of love making in the library.

The house in Umbria was perfect. They were now a week into their honeymoon, and they were both completely content. The portraits and house elves had learned very quickly that the pair were very affectionate and they were in the habit of being free with each other all over the house. It hadn't bothered them; they simply went somewhere else, leaving their new owners to explore as they wished.

Severus grinned as he watched Hermione's mouth form a perfect 'o', and then heard her vocalise her feelings in a deep groan as the ball of tension within her snapped and every nerve ending fired electricity through her system as she came. Then he doubled his efforts to find his own release, and he did what he always did, he started babbling nonsense words as pleasure scorched through him and he came with a roar.

He collapsed onto her and she welcomed him, kissing his sweaty neck and crooning softly to him. This session of self-expression had come upon them as many others had. They had been working together in the library when Severus' nearness had gotten the best of Hermione. It also happened the other way around too, Severus would sometimes just growl and pull her to him.

"I love that we can do whatever we want any time we want," Hermione breathed, once they'd recovered from their exertions.

"Mmm," Severus replied lazily, lifting himself up on his elbows to brush her hair away from her face with his hands. "I love you."

Hermione smiled. "And I love you," and she wiggled her hips, indicating that she was ready for another go.

"Insatiable witch," he laughed.

"Your insatiable witch," she corrected.

"Yes, mine," he repeated, and claimed her lips in a heated kiss.

They were both so relaxed, with not a care in the world. Everything was right with them, it had all resolved. The problem of the English house was gone, but only after Severus had raided the library and the Potions garden. Pomona had allocated him a glasshouse and a plot of land where he could grow his garden until the family decided where their permanent home would be. Of course, he was in no doubt that the sneaky little witch would take many cutting while he was not watching, but he didn't mind.

They were not planning to leave Hogwarts again, but it had only taken Severus a moment to decide that he never wanted his family anywhere near the English Prince estate that he, Draco and Bill had gone to inspect the day after his and Hermione's first dinner with Fletcher and Lydia Blair.

Not only was it a dark monstrosity like Number Twelve Grimmauld Place had been when it was Order headquarters, but it had an all pervading stench of bigotry and evil about it. Then Bill had directed his attention to the dungeons still complete with the skeletal remains of what Severus supposed had been caught in the Muggle traps outside the walls.

There was no way that he could have ever lived there, so he spent the remainder of that weekend perusing the library and transferring anything that he and Hermione did not already have in their own library to the Gringotts vaults for later cataloguing. Once this was done, he and Draco went back and burned the place to the ground. The Fiendfyre spell broke all magical wards and consumed all previous spell work, and once the deed was complete it had neutralised the Muggle traps along with everything else.

He then sold the land to Gringotts for them to dispose of as they saw fit. Gringotts were not only bankers, but they were also brokers. He originally directed Gremble to be on the lookout for a suitable estate for his family, but had told him they were in no hurry. After all, they had this house in Umbria, and it had the same atmosphere as their London house, and he wouldn't have worried about another house; the London townhouse would have been perfect if there were not two Weasleys they wanted nothing to do with just up the road.

Once Harry and his boys had disappeared, Ginny had allowed her useless brother Ron to move in with her, and Severus wanted Hermione as far away from that idiot as possible, so he quietly put David on his guard against the redheads and was making mental plans to move his father-in-law into the house here in Umbria and buy a small house for him in Africa and set up a Floo link. Severus had tested David Granger and found a small amount of latent magic within him, and it would be enough for him to use a Floo system, and indeed see Hogwarts if he so wished.

In fact, David and the girls were due here at the end of the week to spend the last weekend of the holidays with them before the Snapes went back to Hogwarts for the last term of the year and David went back to Africa and the dig he'd left to come to their wedding, so Severus could discuss it all with him then.

xox

Severus, Hermione and the girls settled into family life at Hogwarts, and they made the estate in Umbria their summer home. Once David was settled into his house in Africa and could Floo between it and Umbria they also sold the London townhouse. Miffy came to Umbria, and the house was transformed into a Muggle dwelling by specialists at Gringotts. Once this was done, it became a family home, just like most of the other's up and down the street.

Both Hermione and Severus decided that they didn't need another English house, so they told Gremble to stop looking; they had all the residences that they needed. They were happy, and loved being at Hogwarts now. They both could have retired and just done research and development, but it was their choice to keep teaching, even when they decided to add to their family.

Hermione finished her Potions apprenticeship with a rather more grandfatherly Albus Dumbledore than he had been as a headmaster. He basically just indorsed her progress, ticking the boxes while he sat back and allowed her to work with Severus as she'd wanted to, while he treated Isabella and Emily like little princess', spoiling them rotten.

Hermione achieved her goal of making a salve that would cure a cursed mark, even long after her own—thanks to Severus and Albus—had been cured the hard way. They used part of their family fortune to market it, and it was now a staple curse cure at St. Mungos, and many other magical hospitals around the world.

It was then that her mind started to focus on having a family with Severus, and the day after she witnessed Isabella being sorted into Slytherin house, with her Severus beside her, and their adopted family all waiting in the sitting room, she gave birth to their son, Sebastian.

Severus carefully took his son from Margaret Entwhistle as soon as she'd finished cleaning and dressing the infant. The jolly matron giving him careful instructions on how to hold the baby. The Potions master found his son mesmerizing, and he greeted him silently and reverently.

"Severus, I bet everyone else is eager to see him, take him and show them, love," Hermione's tired voice said from the bed.

Severus glanced at his wife, and nodded, so while the matron made Hermione clean and comfortable he took Sabastian into the sitting room for their family to see.

Emily and Isabella had been waiting since Hermione had had to cancel her second class of the day when her waters had broken. So, they were there with a proud David who Emily had Floo-called, and Minerva and Albus were also waiting with them as extra honorary grandparents.

Everyone stood around Severus as he proudly said, "May I introduce Sabastian David Snape."

"Oh Severus, lad, he's a bonnie babe," Minerva gushed.

"Yes, dear boy, a wonderful addition to the Snape family," Albus added.

"David?" David whispered. "He's second name is David, oh my lord," a very emotional David stated. He stroked the little boy's head. "A grandson to add to our family. Look girls."

"He is beautiful," Emily stated solemnly.

"When can I hold him?" Isabella wanted to know.

"Hermione will help you later, Izzie," Severus told her. "I think I better get our little man back to mum."

So with the blessings of everyone present, Severus walked carefully back into their bedroom, he was still having trouble taking his dark eyes off the almost black, unseeing eyes of his son. He smiled at Hermione, now sitting up against the pillows of their bed, and he handed her their son. "I am the luckiest wizard on earth," he whispered to her, placing a kiss on her forehead.

"And I the luckiest witch," she told him glancing from Severus down to Sabastian. "Hello, little man, welcome to the Snape family." As she said it, she felt Severus sit beside her and put an arm around her, and she turned to him and kissed him. "I love you," she murmured against his lips.

"And I you," he replied, before he frowned, saying, "Although, I'm not certain I want you to experience that sort of pain again."

"It wasn't so bad," she replied, glancing down at Sabastian again.

"No? All I remember is your threat to part me from my genitalia not half an hour ago," Severus replied quite seriously.

They heard Margaret Entwhistle snort, and Hermione laughed softly. "Yes, sorry about that," she said meekly. "I would never have gone through with it," and she laughed at the look on his face.

"Believe me, I've heard that many times," the matron added. "Well. I think that's everything. Are you comfortable, Hermione?"

"Yes, thank you, matron… and thank you."

"Tosh, it was nothing, you did all the hard work, dear. Now I'll be on my way, if you need anything, or have any questions though, just holla."

They watched the matron collect her things and walk out the door. "Will do," Hermione called after her.

Once they were alone, Severus smiled. "However, whether we have more of not, I do wish to thank you. Since you came into my life five years ago, you've healed all the hurt I've ever experienced. You married me, provided me with pleasures I never thought I experience, and now you've given me a son," and he pulled at ring box from his coat pocket. "I believe it is customary for a husband to gift his wife with something meaningful at the first of their first child." He slid a ring from padded box. Please accept this eternity ring, as a symbol of my enduring love and regard for you. You are my wife, and you mean everything to me."

Hermione gasped, and tears welled in her eyes. "It is my honour to be your wife, Sev, and you mean everything to me too," she replied. "I love you," and she sealed her lips over his. They kissed for some time until a squalling grizzle brought their attention back to Sabastian, and they both laughed at the scowl on his face. "Oh, look at that, Sev, he'll give you some serious competition for best scowl later on. I think he might be hungry."

Severus chuckled. "My scowl I don't mind, but I hope he has your nose."

Hermione knew that even after all this time, Severus was still touchy about his magnificent nose. "Nonsense, I love your nose," she told him as she attached Sabastian for his first feed. "There is not one thing I would change about you."

"Nor I you."

They were both fixed on Sabastian greedily feeding as they talked quietly, but their conversation came to an end when Emily knocked on the door.

"May we come in too?" she asked, Isabella standing beside her.

"Of course," Hermione said.

"The five of us are a family," Severus told them.

"Yes, come and talk to us while your brother has his dinner," Hermione added, and she watched as Isabella snuggled up beside Severus. They had always had a special bond, and Emily curled her legs up under her, watching the baby closely. It constantly surprised her to think that Emily would be seventeen next birthday. She had grown into a very pretty young witch, and had been going steady with Armand Delacour since she was fourteen. Hermione was so proud of both of her adopted daughters.

"He is so beautiful," Emily whispered.

"He certainly is," Hermione replied, her eyes locked with him as he fed. As she watched Sabastian, her heart was so full to brimming for the four people around her, she had never thought that her life would be this full, and she realised that she had everything she could ever want.

~~~FINIS~~~

Note:- So, dear reader, here is where we leave the family to live out their days. Thank you again for reading and sharing this journey with me.

Happy Christmas to you all.
One Red Shoe. xx