Epilogue

A Pressing Ending

The snow fell gently on the small garden, well except where the warming charms were. Severus was in the bathroom changing, while Hermione stared out the window looking out over the trellis that was decorated for the day. She knew she had a lot to do today and wasting time daydreaming out the window was the last thing she should be doing. She was about to return to her tasks, when she felt the strong arms of her wizard envelope her waist and his lips searched out her neck. She let her head fall to the opposite side, allowing him access the her neck as he made her insides start to turn into jelly. After a few more moments, she carefully removed herself from his embrace and turned to face him. "Now, you know I don't have time for that. I still need to get ready."

"You do realize, we don't have to do all this? It's not like anyone expected it."

"Be that as it may. This is what I want. And this IS what you need."

"I need?"

"Yes, you are constantly waiting for the pin to drop." She put her arms around his neck so he could look her in the eye. "And no matter how hard I try to convince you otherwise. You still fret over it."

"Woman, I do NOT fret." His voice sounded menacing, but she knew he wasn't angry, more amused with her choice of word. She waved him off.

"I planned this to happen, because you need something more tangible. And this is the most permanent way to do just that."

"It's not that I'm waiting for the disaster to occur. I believe it's more like I haven't had this kind of good fortune and I feel wary that it may not be real."

"Would you care for me to pinch you, to see if you are dreaming?" She gives him an evil smirk and moves one hand down to pinch him on his bottom. He growled at her.

"That was absolutely unnecessary. I should pay you back, in kind." But before he could get her, she squealed with glee and dashed away. Just making it into the bathroom and warded it shut.

"If you are good boy and make it through this whole ordeal with less than a dozen eye rolls, then maybe I'll let you repay my generosity." She wasn't a hundred percent sure but she thought she heard him say "little minx." Before he left the bedroom. She sat on the toilet and took a few moments to calm herself. Despite the fact that she calmly explained her reasoning to Severus. It didn't mean that she was filled with jitters herself.

After a few cleansing breaths, Hermione took out the box of magical makeup and its instructions. Never being one to do all this girlish pampering, she needed all the help she could get. She did everything, in the precise order and manner the instructions said. After she was done, she realized it looked alright. Not perfect, but decided not to dwell, when she heard a soft tapping on the door.

"Hermione." The soft voice said. She couldn't help but smile at the familiar voice and opened the door.

"Good Day, Miss Luna." Her mysterious friend smiled, then frowned

"I see you are as hopeless as I imagined." Hermione frowned slightly at Luna's honest appraisal.

"Is it that bad?"

"No. Just far too ordinary for today's festivities." She bullied past Hermione into the bathroom and started to look at the items from the box. "Well, no wonder. These items are far too plain. She started digging in a bag, that Hermione hadn't noticed earlier. Luna produced several magic make up tools and leaned forward to start working. Hermione flinched. "Is there something wrong?" Luna asked with a slight head tilt.

She didn't want to hurt her friend's feelings. "I am not sure your style will work on me, that's all."

Luna chuckled softly. "You have my word, that I wouldn't dare turn you into anything other than the radiant witch that you are." She gestured to Hermione asking if she could continue. And she nodded in approval.

An hour later, the magic makeup was on and the pair decided on taming her curls into soft ringlets. When Hermione looked at the finished product, she was beside herself. "Wow." She breathed.

"All that was done is enhanced what was already there." Luna leaned in and gave her a small hug from her left side with her arm around Hermione's waist.

Hermione turned, "Thank you for your help, Luna."

Luna just waved her hand. "It was nothing. I knew you would try to do just enough, and I wanted you to be more." Hermione smirked at the riddle like way she spoke. "Do you need help getting into your gown?"

"Not really. But I find your company soothing. So can you stay?" Luna face light up.

"Of course. Are you feeling like there is a team of Thestrals are flying in your belly?"Hermione laughed and began to relax again. She reached into her wardrobe and pulled out the long cream colored chiffon gown. The long white sleeves, were tight fitting in contrast to the layered skirt. She mindfully pulled the dress up and Luna help button the bodice. "You look a garden fairy." There was an sweet awe in her voice.

"Thank you." Hermione said softly.

"No, thank you for allowing me to be present while you transformed from the bookworm to the glorious intellectual butterfly before me." Hermione always loved the poetic way Luna saw the world.

"Would you do me the honor and giving us a toast at the reception?" Luna simply nodded.

Xoxoxo

"Severus, my dear boy. Don't you just cut a dashing figure in your formals?"

"I don't believe I require your appraisal." Severus turned to look at his oldest friend. A friend that had gone through almost as much hell as he had and somehow managed to piece his life back together. Much like he was attempting to do now. "And who allowed you access to my den, Lucius?"

"No one allowed it, I simply wandered in. You seem to be slipping in your charm work, now that you are a man of leisure."

"How dare you?" Severus replied. Lucius simple laughed at his friend. "I am still very capable and will have no problem hexing you."

"Aww but how would that go over, with the little woman? I am sure she would quite hard up if Aurors came to take you away, today of all days." Lucius replied haughtily.

"No one would dare miss you." He said in harshness that hide the absurdity of their conversation.

"As it were, I think you'll forgive my transgression, when I hand you my gift."

"Gift?"

"Well its more of repayment of sorts." Lucius hands Severus a bottle Ogden's finest. "I would think you would want to take the edge off before."

"Do you see me as some nervous Ned?" Severus was trying to maintain his stoic persona, but even he was not immune to the jumble of nerves that seemed to be gathered in his belly.

"Yes. I don't believe I've ever seen you so off kilter." There was an air of truth in his comical observation. Lucius walked over to where he located Severus' liquor cabinet was and pulled out a couple of glasses and poured each a drink. "To take the edge off." Then he raised his glass. "To my dearest friend, whom has seen all of life's worst, to have found something pure and wonderful to help him heal those old wounds."

"I'll drink to that." He said simply and tapped his glass with Lucius and drank the contents. "I believe one more will do the trick."

Xoxoxo

Hermione decided that after two years of living and working together, for their apothecary. That she wished to deepen their relationship. Despite the many protests they had received from their friends. They (well Hermione) had managed to sway them to understand that she wasn't going to change her mind. That she loved Severus, but even after winning over some of their harshest critics, she continued to get annoyed with the way Severus would be worried to plan for their future.

The suggestion of marriage was lost. Seeing as he had a terrible association with it, from his parents. When the suggestion of bonding came up, he couldn't find fault. He had seen the affects of it with Lucius and Narcissa. But was wary, seeing as he was so sure that after a while Hermione would see she made a mistake, strapping her soul and magic to him forever. She assured him, constantly that she wouldn't regret this or her decision to be with only him. But it fell on death ears, until the pair of them stood in front of Minerva, whom graciously accepted the responsibility to do the ceremony.

As Minerva said the rite, Hermione and Severus summoned their magic and souls to bind together in a brilliant show of light. They closed the ceremony, with promises to one another. And in a rather overzealous muggle fashion sealed it with a kiss.

Severus surprised the entire guest list, by tearing up, only slightly after Hermione removed herself from the onslaught of her kiss. His heart filled with all her love and devotion, it was more then he had ever known. He couldn't believe the depth her love and broke his hard shell. She was all his now. No one could take her or the wonderful feelings she was sharing with him, away.

He wanted to hate himself for his past and the other girls. But he couldn't bring himself to, because if it wasn't for that terrible decision, she wouldn't have come to his door. He wouldn't have everything she gave him. A future, a career and a family. With that thought he welled up.

Xoxoxo

The reception was lively and Hermione had managed to pull Severus out onto the dance. "You have been a very good boy. Only four eye rolls."

"Three." He corrected

"No, four. Lucius speech, Harry's congratulations, Luna's toast; to which I was surprised there was only one and just recently when you saw McGonagall reach for her 4th glass of port."

"Hn." Was all he replied.

"Are you at least having a good time?" Her eyes were pleading

"I enjoy being in your company. I do wish that this fiasco was completed. So that I can finally have you all to myself." Tone of his voice turned darker as he spoke, a lusty look taking place in his eyes, that made Hermione shudder.

"You will have a lifetime with me. You can wait another hour or so." She said breathlessly

"I don't believe I will be able to wait much longer than that." He lowered his head to the hollow of her neck and in between kisses, he said. "I cannot get over just how gorgeous you look, it's driving me mad." Hermione closed her eyes before anyone could see them roll back into her head and stifled the moan that threatened to escape her lips.

"P-please, Sever-us. Be-have for a little lon-ger." Her words broken with the small feeling of arousal that was starting to course through her body. He pulled away.

"I just wanted you to be in a similar position as I. So that this evening will be brought to a swift end." She blushed at his comment. He purposely was working her up, so that she didn't draw the party out longer. She stepped away from him and made her way toward her parents and the Weasleys.

"Hello dear." Her mother said

"Is there something you need, 'Mione?"Molly asked. Hermione could feel the blush start to grow deeper.

"I think we are getting close to the end." She tried to sound as normal as possible. The two older females, started to laugh with a knowing look in their face.

"Yes, I'm sure it." Hermione's Mom stated

"I am surprised, Snape has lasted this long. He's been staring at you as if you were a piece of meat and he the hungry dog." Then both women started laughing again. "No worries dear we will signal your departure and take care of the clean up."

"Return back to him, love." Hermione gave them both a hug and trotted back to her partner.

"So when do we want to start the pool?"Molly said with a giggle. Hermione's mom shook her head comically.

Hermione returned to Severus' arm and told him that they could leave soon. He gave her a wolfish grin and once they bid their quick farewell, he gathered her and the beaded bag and they apparted away.

Xoxoxo

The rain was pounding hard against window that overlooked the glen. Hermione was spread across Severus' chest. He had awoken after one of their vigorous love making sessions and watched her sleep peacefully. He sat there stroking her wild mane, contemplating how he had managed to continually make incredibly stupid and sometimes life threatening decisions, and yet he found himself the luckiest man alive. He smiled to himself, when his quiet interlude was interrupted.

"What are you thinking about?" She asks sleep still evident in her voice.

"How lucky I am." She gives him a lazy smile.

"There is no other man in the world who deserves happiness like you do." He was a bout to correct her, when she placed her index finger over his lips. "You have given everything there is to give and now you deserve it returned to you. I promise, Severus Snape. That for the rest of my life I will continue to reward you for all the sacrifices you gave for our world."

"I'd rather like that." He kisses her hair.

"Better than that order of Merlin?"

"One thousand percent." He said with a smirk. He watched as his life mate left the bed and strolled to the restroom naked.

"I'm going to shower and then go looking for something to eat. I don't know about you, but I'm famished." Severus looked at his lovely lover and felt a pang of a different kind of hunger and made for the bathroom. Some shower sex, was in order before eating. He grabs her from behind and begins to nuzzle at her neck. She moans loudly as his hands begin to roam over her naked body. "You are insatiable."

"So it seems." He says as flicks his finger over her nipple. Hermione arches she repeated the act over and over. Causing her to notice as his other hand had traversed from her hip toward her mound. Only realizing when his palm rubbed against her. She gasped loudly. "And it seems you are just as eager."

Hermione then pulled him into the stall and kisses him passionately. "I'm always eager for you. Now are you going to ravish me or not?" She asks as she wraps a leg around his hip and grinds against his erection. His only response was lifting her other leg and thrusts deeply into her.

Xoxoxo

"I am thoroughly enjoying our honeymoon." Severus says as he helps Hermione wash her back.

"Is it the copious amount of sex?"

"It's a part, albeit a big part. But I never considered I'd ever have a woman that would willing want to spend her life with me, so the thought of a holiday to celebrate the newfound commitment seemed completely arbitrary to me. But, I can now truly understand why the tradition continues." She turns to face him with a playful smile on her face.

"Because of the copious amounts of sex?"

"You minx." He says chuckles. "No, because it's time to spend basking in each other's attention and spend it remembering why you wanted to spend the rest of your life with that person. And to celebrate the next big stage of our lives." He lets out a small chuckle. "I sound like some lovestruck fool." Hermione smiles widely and gives him a soft kiss. "I suppose I am one, aren't I?"

"I sure hope so."

"I don't think I would have any chance against it. I can't believe I'm going to say this. But I'm completely taken with you. Dare I say, smitten."

"And I'm completely obsessed with you." She pulled him close. "If I wasn't becoming all prune-y I could stay here with you forever. But I really am hungry."

"Then we shall need to remedy that." He watched as she wrapped a towel around her body and walked back into the bedroom. He thought to himself I can get use to this.

A/N: Well that completes this one. I want thank you all for reading and enjoying this little story. I am currently working on another Hermione/Snape that I should begin posting soon.