AN:I updated chapter 24 so you might want to check that out before reading this . Thank you all so much for supporting this fic and for all of your reviews, pms, favorites, and follows. Although I will never be finished writing for SS/HG, this little fic is finished...for now. I hope I was able to accomplish the things I set out to do, a believable romance between SS and HG that didn't happen overnight, fraught with real life happening along the way. There are still a few plot points I want to fix, as well. Thank you again for reading and reviewing!

Chapter 25 Epilogue

"Care for a friendly wager?" She heard Neville Longbottom ask of Severus, as the first years came into the Great Hall, their nervous faces fascinated by the floating candles as they followed Deputy Headmistress Vector between the long tables.

"Depends on the terms, Professor Longbottom." Severus replied, placing his hand on Hermione's as their son walked with the first years. Samuel always stood out amongst his peers because he was so tall for his age.

"I wager chaperoning duties for all Hogsmeade visits that Samuel will be in Hufflepuff." Severus immediately sneered, wondering how he could have possibly produced a child who could even be thought to be sorted into Hufflepuff. Though he didn't normally buy into house rivalries, he couldn't imagine his child being in Hufflepuff, even if Samuel was kindhearted and loyal to a fault.

"I cannot take that wager as headmaster, but you might make it with Professor Granger, here." Hermione snapped to both of them, rolling her eyes and waving at Evie, sitting with her classmates in Ravenclaw, her long dark hair plaited by Severus merely minutes before coming to the hall to welcome new students.

"I refuse after I lost over Lily, who knew Harry and Ginny would have two kids so completely unlike them?" They snickered looking over to Lily and Albus Potter, in Ravenclaw and Slytherin respectively. Severus had admitted as soon as Albus was sorted that he was proud his godson had been placed in Slytherin, his friendship with Scorpius Malfoy had only grown over the years. It was Lily Potter that had truly surprised them, but then again she and Evie had always been incredibly creative and intelligent.

As Vector moved the stool and sorting hat, she called out names and cheers rebounded from the stone walls until finally, Samuel was called, walking confidently to the stool, his curly dark hair and pale skin made him look far more a Snape than a Granger, but in his behavior, he never showed a hint of malice or cunning, he was far too kind and empathetic than Severus had ever thought to be in his entire existence. The hat was mulling things over, but it went on longer than any of them thought it would. Neville and Patrick thought for sure it would place him in Hufflepuff instantly, but even they eyed him oddly, then Severus and Hermione who looked concerned. Finally, she heard her son's voice say something, as though arguing with the hat; she knew his voice in defence easily, he and his sister didn't fight often but when they did it was like watching a fencing match. They never raised their voices, simply sparred like she and Severus had always sparred. Considering this, she wondered if that was why the hat was having trouble placing him.

When Samuel John was born, he never cried and it took hours before he made any sound, he simply stared at them with his large, dark eyes, and his first smile was saved for Evie who doted over him more than anyone else. And though he had never been cunning or conspiratory, he was exceptionally quick witted. Glancing over to Evie, Hermione shrugged her shoulders and waited with everyone else, images of his early life flashing through her mind. Finally, the hat hummed loudly, a sound she'd never heard from it and looked down at her watch, it had been ten minutes.

"Severus, what if it's a true hat stall?" Hermione leaned over, never thinking for a moment that their son would be such a strange fit. She could see hints of Samuel's curls at the base of his neck as the hat continued to mull things over. In her mind, she could smell that exposed spot, the line between his hair and shirt collar, the musky smell his father also bore. She wanted to reach for him and pull him close, as she had so often when he was small and wanted her affection.

"His decision will override the hat's in that case, unless he's that unsure which seems unlike him." As soon as he finished his sentence, he heard Samuel's voice, rising for the first time in his entire life to levels that he and Hermione had never heard. Vector turned to them, red-faced and suddenly, as though all the air went out of the room, the floating candles all extinguished, a great whirling noise filled the hall, and the hat roared, "Slytherin". Shocking everyone, especially his parents who were still in awe of the raw magic shown, reminding Hermione of the moment when she'd convinced Stieg to give life another chance with her raw energy. Immediately removing the hat, Vector watched as Samuel went to the Slytherin table, sitting immediately next to his cousins Albus and Scorpius, looking to his parents.

"Perhaps we've underestimated our son all these years, Severus." Hermione clapped for Samuel and waved to him as he finally looked up; she saw the determination on his face. Severus replied, but Hermione didn't hear him. After dinner and Severus' speech to the students, she caught up with Evie and Lily, both full of delicious food.

"Can you believe Sam is a Slytherin? I almost choked on my pumpkin juice." Lily said suddenly as Hermione looked over to her son, smiling with Albus and Scorpius, and thought perhaps he would be just fine in Slytherin, though she worried he wasn't quite as ambitious as his housemates, he was definitely resourceful. Finally, when the girls walked off to their common room, Hermione made it over to her son.

"I'm so proud of you, Samuel." She said, putting her arm around his shoulders and squeezing him.

"I know it took a while, but the hat kept throwing different ideas out, like I could be in Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff, I thought I wanted Hufflepuff, but then it started arguing and I kept giving examples of people I knew who could've fit in many different houses, anyway, I guess I'm more like Dad than I thought." He turned his sharp chin towards her, almost as tall as she was now, and she saw that same drive and desire to prove himself that she'd in Severus so often. They had been so clearly wrong about Samuel.

"What are you worried about?" Hermione asked suddenly, seeing a hint of fear in his eyes, much like she'd seen when he was small and they were traveling or flying.

"I won't fit in...I didn't feel like I fit in anywhere, really." As though summoned, Severus appeared at their side, hearing the tail end of what he said.

"Your mother is an amalgamation of all the houses and like her you would fit in any of them, now go to your common room and unpack, Alby and Scorpius are waiting at the doors." Samuel nodded, hugging Hermione tightly and tell her he loved her, and then moving away from them, his father's words settling in his brain like tea at the bottom of a cup. Hermione knew she'd have to check in on him again before long, but she let him go. Since he'd been placed in Slytherin, she knew hanging out with his mum for too long would do him no favors. When he reached Albus and Scorpius, they ran off much like she, Harry, and Ron had after they'd become friends; she was thankful he'd have them at least to introduce him to the house, even if they were years ahead of him.

"We've tea with Stieg, meet me at the gates? I fancy a walk after this evening." Hermione placed her hand on Severus' arm, waving to a few professors as they retreated to their quarters for the evening.

"Yes, let me make sure the students have made to their common rooms and I'll meet you." Winking slightly at him, Hermione left the Great Hall and walked to their quarters, enlarged to accommodate their two children who were now housed in quarters for their respective houses, she knew it would be an adjustment for her not seeing them as often, but they did eat lunch together most days and on the weekends they stayed in their old rooms. Grabbing her light sweater, she met Patrick and Violet at the gates, their son, Sean, who was six, told her all about some dragons Stieg had shown him in Romania over the summer. It made her wish Samuel was still so small. He'd loved, still loved, Stieg so much when he was small, hanging on his every word. When they'd waited for fifteen minutes, Hermione decided to leave without him and they walked, finding Stieg incredibly happy to see them as the door opened. Draco was pouring everyone wine as she and the Davenports came through. Although she was used to seeing him every Sunday, Hermione was surprised to find Draco in Stieg's kitchen.

"You'll never believe it, but Samuel is a Slytherin." Patrick called out from the kitchen, eventually carrying a tray into the sitting room. Hermione hugged Stieg tightly and kissed both his cheeks.

"I'll be damned, a Slytherin. Well, that shouldn't really surprise us, he's inherited your resourcefulness and wit, Severus' logical mind, who knows, maybe he's more cunning that we all thought." Hermione sat next to him on the sofa, enjoying the familiarity of his comforting arm around her shoulders. In the years since they'd made their first acquaintance, Stieg had truly become a father to her and a grandfather to her children.

"Evie gave me this letter for you, as though she didn't see you yesterday." Hermione reached into her charmed bag and pulled the letter, heavy parchment and an appropriate seal.

"Ah, yes, she and I have been exchanging riddles, so she must've solved mine. Clever girl, but we always knew she would be." Stieg's bright blue eyes sparkled as he spoke of Evie, his only granddaughter.

"Well, she loves her Bunic dearly." Sean looked over to her as she said the Romanian word for grandfather and began singing a Romanian folk song Stieg must've taught him.

"Where is Severus?" Stieg finally, but though as on cue, Severus walked through the door looking quite annoyed.

"Problems already?" Hermione heard Stieg ask as she stood to kiss her husband, finally free from the many eyes of their students.

"I had a guest who couldn't wait." Severus responded as Teddy came in through the door with Victoire Weasley, his new wife. Hermione immediately released Severus and hugged them both, Stieg joined them in their hugs, Teddy had become a fixture in his life as well.

"What brings you all to Scotland?" Patrick asked, helping Sean with a puzzle at the table.

"I've been offered a job here, but we couldn't get back before this evening." Teddy's hazel eyes sparkled like his father's had.

"Severus?" Hermione looked to her husband who had kept it all a secret.

"Welcome our new Charms professor, officially ending the terrible streak of fools who've held it since Filius officially retired."

"This is fantastic news! Evie and Samuel will be so excited...speaking of, did Severus tell you?" Hermione pulled Teddy into the sitting room, locking her arm in his.

"What?" Teddy poured some wine for he and Victoire, as he looked at Hermione incredulously.

"Samuel was sorted in Slytherin." Severus said before Hermione could, pouring the rest of them wine from the exquisite glasses set Stieg used on Sundays.

"Impossible, I thought he was Hufflepuff for sure." Incredibly, Teddy's hair turned green as he thought about it.

"It took ten minutes for the hat to make a decision, I thought Vector was going to have a heart attack." Hermione laughed as she thought about it, about her son sitting calmly though with clear intent as the hat mulled over the choices.

"So Victoire, what will you be doing?" Hermione looked to the blonde beauty, a Weasley but a Delacour all the same.

"I'll be finishing my training with Madame Pomfrey since she is retiring next year and then the headmaster has offered me her position." Severus immediately nodded to Hermione, who looked shocked. The remainder of the evening passed in pleasant conversation and comfortable catching up, which Hermione enjoyed though she wished her children were with her.

"Draco, did they finally fire that horrible secretary of yours, what was his name, Bluffton? Bullard?" Hermione sipped her wine and looked around the table at the charming and odd family they'd created for themselves.

"Yes, finally. I only had to write him up six times. And it was Brighton, Granger. You used to have a good memory, being married to this old codger has ruined you." Severus scowled at his godson and then possessively put an arm around Hermione.

"You should be thankful she talks to you at all after snubbing that girl she set you up with." Severus retorted.

"She was a troll." Draco countered, trying to temper his words in front of Sean, though all the adults were having a nice laugh.

"See if I set you up again, she was no worse than Millicent Bulstrode or Pansy Parkinson, and you dated both of them." Hermione countered, her determined brow meeting an equally ardent one.

"I don't recall dating either of those trolls. But if I have, I guess that makes sense as to your choice...now the lovely tart...erm…lady Ronald Weasley introduced me to last week, well we'll see about her." It made them laugh again, especially when little Sean asked his father what tart meant. They ate between pleasant conversation and jokes, all catching up after a few missed Sundays due to family vacations. Every now and then Hermione thought of her son and his adjustment to being a student at Hogwarts and not just the child of the potions master and headmaster, hoping his cousins and friends were helping him settle in.

Later, when Hermione and Severus left the G and T, where they both spent many evenings as things at the store were always busy and potions in high demand, Hermione curled her arm into his, thankful he was able to make it to Stieg's. Looking towards the castle, she wondered how much longer he would be headmaster before it was time to step down and live freely, but she didn't ask, instead she thought about Evie and Samuel, the children they'd produced in their thirteen, almost fourteen year marriage. It hadn't been fraught with the tumult of their early years together, indecision and misunderstanding, but there had been tense times when they were learning to balance two children, especially ones close in age. Samuel had been a complete surprise arriving four months after Evie's first birthday, shocking Hermione far more than Severus. It had been the first time in their marriage that she'd been truly afraid to tell him something, as they'd already discussed waiting to have another child until Evie was older and their life had calmed, but Samuel came regardless of their intentions.

In that moment, she recalled walking into their office where Severus was feeding Evie at the table, she was just over ten months old, her hair still growing wildly and Severus completely wrapped around her finger. She'd just come from Poppy who had confirmed her suspicions quite easily with a spell, just hours after Albus' fourth birthday party where the smell of Severus' after shave had caused her to vomit. Taking a seat next to Evie's enchanted chair, Hermione pushed a few curls from her daughter's face and then met Severus' gaze.

"How was Poppy?"

"Good, it was busy up there, I guess the Weasley's new chocolates induce vomit so rapidly Poppy ran out of beds." Hermione fidgeted with her sleeve and then smiled at Evie, who was babbling and singing, a tune Hermione often sang to her.

"Hermione?" Slicing some strawberries, Severus' raised brow caught her off guard, it had been tucked away for a while but not she could barely look at him. Rising, she went to washroom and washed her face, wiping it dry with a hand towel and imaging what it was going to be like having a baby in June, being heavily pregnant through exams. Shuddering, she started to cry, she felt the stress of caring for Evie, being back in the classroom, making sure things at the G and T were going well, and trying to keep things less stressful for Severus. Suddenly, his arms were around her and then he turned her, running his hands up and down her sides.

"What has you so troubled?" He asked, wiping a tear from her cheek as it fell.

"Severus, I…" But she lost the words, so she took his hands and put them on her stomach, which had really just returned to the size it had been before Evie was born. "I know we said we'd wait, but I guess fate has other plans for us." It finally sank in and she saw his grin, the curl of his lip a surprise.

"Then we are greatly blessed, Hermione. When are we to become parents of two?"

"June, near James' birthday." He kissed her ardently, his lips crushing hers in happiness.

"Quite possibly the best news I could hear today." He whispered against her, confusing Hermione greatly.

"Really?" Pushing some hair behind her ears, Severus kissed her again, nibbling her lips and pecking her cheeks.

"I thought you were sick again or worse." She folded into him, then heard the clinking of a spoon, realizing Evie was still in the office. "Winky is with her, don't worry." And she didn't, instead she kissed her husband again and thought of their daughter and the new life they'd created.

Back on the walk to Hogwarts, Hermione wiped away a tear.

"What has you so emotional?"

"Just thinking about Samuel, when I found out we were expecting. You never fail to surprise me, Severus, even now with Teddy. Thank you." She stopped him, holding the collar of his frock coat and buttons beneath her hands, and stepping on her toes. "Even after almost fourteen years of marriage, I can't get enough of this." His arms came to her waist and he agreed, they were certainly as compatible as they'd ever been, their chemistry still strong- he knew they were lucky, especially that time had not withered away their affections.

"Let's go in before we freeze." She finally said, after they'd stood that way long enough for Patrick and Violet to catch up. Once in their quarters, Hermione stretched on their sofa, her legs across Severus' lap as he read through post and she through material for her first lessons. Although she missed their children, whenever she looked over to Severus she was reminded of the capable hands they were in. As if sensing her eyes, he looked over to her, a gentle smile crossed his mouth extending to his eyes, then he tickled her foot as if they were teenagers, causing her to laugh so hard she almost fell from the sofa, but he was quick to catch her, kissing her before going back to his letters. All the years she'd struggled with her grief, letting go of those they'd lost in the war, her parents, knowing that people she loved like Teddy Lupin had to grow up without their parents, seemed to melt away when she snuggled up to her husband on the sofa where they'd spent years learning more about each other and learning to love unconditionally. When she looked at Teddy, she no longer thought sadly of his parents, people she'd loved dearly, being gone instead she saw how they'd all enveloped him in love and raised him with an honest admiration and knowledge of his parents. His childhood had been nothing like Harry's and even though the extended family they'd created wasn't perfect, it was better than any family Hermione or Severus had ever known. Their children had adopted grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, they would never had known otherwise, and by extension, Hermione never lost her empathy and belief that the majority of people could be redeemed. For his part, Severus had finally learned to let people into his life, his son and daughter teaching him more about unconditional love than he could've ever learned from his wife, even if she tried harder than any other human being he'd known in his life. All in all, they had been able to build a life together mostly free of the early fears and miscommunications of their lives together, even if she still pushed too hard sometimes and he sniped at her without cause.

If someone had told her when she first arrived at Hogwarts six years after the final battle that she'd eventually marry the headmaster, become a Potions Master, cure lycanthropy and have two children, she wouldn't have believed them, but looking over at Severus, she was certainly glad it had all happened that she got to spend her life with him, even when he was being cantankerous or foul, he was her curmudgeon and she his insufferable know-it-all, unwilling to settle for anything but the best she could give him.

AN2: I don't normally explain the names of my story, but for this one I feel like I need to. The perfect drug refers to the healing and time needed for HG and SS to move on, in reality I don't know if SS could ever really live a normal life after everything he went through and did. He is redeemable, to me and in my mind to HG. She seems to me a fearless, compassionate woman and that is why she surrounds herself with those she feels the need to "save"; in essence, HG is the perfect drug for those people. Obviously I created Stieg, but he was meant to be a tool to show HG's belief in redemption; I guess I failed in that for some of you but in my mind, he became to important to her to let go. I hope that clears some things up for those of you who had questions.