Alright, the summer so far has been chaotic, but I got a new job which I seat at a desk and can type--plus! So, next is to up date a new chapter for my Labyrinth fanfic before the next chapter for this story is posted. Thank all of you for your support and readings, and I love reading the reviews~

Chapter 10

Hermione woke feeling like absolute shite and saw the sun had barely risen. Her body felt weak, her head was pounding. Her first thoughts were "what happened?" and those thoughts were quickly followed by "who is lying next to me?" because in her memory reel she hadn't gotten to the part yet of Ron—and then she did and then she lifted her painfully heavy head to look to the side of her and saw.

She saw Severus Snape was lying beside her, his arm was draped over her middle and his face was tucked close to her back, burying in her hair. His hair was covering his face and mixed with hers but she could feel his rhythmic breathing on her back still and felt oddly soothed.

Looking down at the rest of him, she saw that he had chosen to sleep on top of the covers, and was still fully clothed, minus his shoes. Hermione felt a slight pang of sadness for him, that he would sacrifice his life right now to take care of her—a mere student of his years ago.

And then the realization that he was a lonely man with practically no friends in the world left to help him hit her. She wondered if pretending to be dead was at all better than being dead.

Hermione let her head softly fall back onto the pillow and closed her eyes. She inhaled deeply and smelt what the Professor smelt of and let his potion ingredient self drift her off back into slumber.

When Hermione awoke again, she could tell straight away that Severus Snape was not beside her. She pushed the blanket aside and looked at the small brass dresser clock and saw it was 11:20 in the morning.

She rose, and had to pause, gathering her senses about her. She felt dizzy and unsure, and sat back down on the bed before trying again. Her legs were not working properly and her head seemed to be playing a mean game with her, making everything jump out of her reach right when she thought she was there.

Hermione made her way down her stairs, noticing that the attic stairs were pulled up and wondered if Severus had gone back to his half for the day. She sat on the top step and scooted slowly down each stair until she reached the bottom, then rose again, leaning on the wall. She made her way to the kitchen and found it cold, and unwelcoming. She half expected Severus to be in there, putting on the kettle or something foolish, but finding he wasn't made her a little sad.

When her eyes fell upon the refrigerator, her stomach decided to remind her she was hungry, but upon opening the thing, nothing was in there. She had to go shopping.

Or, she could see what Severus had.

The attic was shut though. She didn't have an owl, and owling was silly for right next door, but she didn't feel like walking outside to get inside. She could floo. She would floo. So Hermione went to her fireplace, and with a bit of floo powder Snape had provided, threw some floo in the fireplace to put her head in and ask if she could come over.

Severus had woke up slightly disturbed with himself. He had never spent the night in which he woke the next morning with a woman. He was comfy, but before he realized who he was snuggling deeper into—if that word is appropriate—he found himself with a problem he had thought he hadn't suffered from much anymore.

Fortunately, he had his pants on to contain himself. He carefully backed away from the sleeping girl to not disturb her and fled up the attic stairs, and sealed it off. He would return later if she hadn't woken yet. He hurried out of the room with his mind whispering faintly that he was engaging in the walk of shame, yet he told himself nothing happened—so there was no shame; but the sneaky, quiet exit before a woman woke still made one feel like it.

While he was washing and dressing he thought of the mess the girl had gotten herself into—with the silly Wizarding laws she had married into and knew nothing of. He thought of his trapped mother and he felt the anger well over him, and he threw his shampoo against the bathtub basin so he slid out across the floor. He stepped from behind the curtain and retrieved it, catching his reflection in the slightly foggy mirror.

He saw his body, and saw it wasn't as spidery as years before—he was sleeping normal patterns now, and the stress he wasn't suffering from allowed him to keep his food down him longer without rushing to the restroom to vomit or have diarrhea. The scares around his body were numerous, but his fingers found the one on his throat and traced the familiar path over once more. Whenever he shaved traditionally he traced it—preferring the feel of the blade on his skin and thinking that he and only he would end it—not some bloody snake.

Severus was shivering so he finished showering and washing his hair. He decided that he would make a brunch since Hermione wasn't up yet and had no food of her own-he had to take her shopping or she would eat from his meager supplies until she got that new wand, which reminded him. He needed to send Cavet to visit Malfoy.

As Severus was heading downstairs he heard a voice from his living room, which caused him first to slink along the wall, with wand drawn. Then when the voice called again he realized who it was and tucked the wand away before entering the living room.

"Hermione, I see you are awake now." He simply stated. He didn't say anymore for fear of his tongue saying the wrong thing. He was looking at Hermione's head, and under her eyes were dark moons, her hair was sticking in every direction and her she looked aged. Then, her eyes were bloodshot.

"Yeah. I wanted to ask if you had anything to eat, I'm starving."

"Course, come over, I forgot to stock you up." Hermione was over in a moment and he pointed towards the kitchen in which Hermione padded over barefoot and raided his pantry until she found bread. She toasted it and ate it with some marmite.

Eventually, Severus broke the silence. "I'm going to send Cavet to ask Malfoy to ask an old friend of his if it would be at all possible to acquire a new underground wand for you."

She swallowed, "There's no way I could possibly afford one."

"Don't worry about costs. I'll take it out of apprenticeship fees if anything."

Hermione stared at him, skeptical before answering further, "I didn't know I accrued fees…"

"Just go with it, Ms. Granger. Your wand is useless. You can't break it either—"

"Why?"
"If you feel liked being traceable, be my quest. Just give me forewarning so I can pack first."

Hermione sighed, and finished her toast then silent. "Alright," she finally agreed. "When?"

"Are you feeling well enough today to travel?"

"Yeah, I think so. A bit sore, but bearable."

"Good. Then go dress and meet me outside of this address," he scribbled onto a scrap piece of parchment an address, "in two hours. I have business to see first and owl Malfoy."

Severus left her sitting at his table and headed upstairs to free himself of her presence. He was beginning to feel somewhat drawn to her, like a magnet, just wanting to be physically near when he knew he shouldn't. He sat on his bed until he heard her push her chair out and the legs grind on the wood floor. He rose then, sent Cavet out and lay on his bed for the next hour and half.

When Severus woke he swept to his wardrobe and opened up one of the multitude of drawers which opened to more drawers and he withdrew two small bottled vials. One of which he pocketed. He then opened another and in those he removed two more vials, in which he pocketed one of that one to. He then opened one, removed a silver hair and opened the other vial to drop it in. Then, he swirled it, and swigged it.

He was so accustomed to the change that while he walked out of the room, a few shivers down his spine, he was another man. He was a silver, grayed haired man of the same stature but much more appealing to the eye. He passed a mirror, checked his face and smirked. Checking his watch, he hurried down the stairs, accio-ed his robes and apparated to met his neighbor.

When he arrived he saw Hermione pacing around nervous in a muggle village, in normal clothing. She spun around when she heard Severus approach and looked at him with narrowed eyes, with a hand on her pocket. He didn't walk like Severus, nor looked liked him. Instead was this graying, slightly average man with no distinguishing characteristics besides his receding hair line. Hermione just narrowed her eyes even more.

Smart girl, thought Severus, but not fast enough.

"Granger," he whispered as he got near, but kept walking so she had to follow, "we are heading to that bookstore. Here," he slid into her hands the vials from his robe, "I need to pick up a package. Go to the back, there's a restroom. Take it."

Hermione noticed the familiar vial liquid, "Oh no. No no no. I'm not taking this rubbish anymore when we could just allusion ourselves and—"

Severus abruptly stopped, stared at her and leaned into her ear, brushing a strand of hair aside, "You will take that potion. I made it myself, unlike you, who didn't put nausea aids in. This will not make you ill, and you will not turn into a cat. However, I must say, I heard you made a good Bellatrix."

Hermione made a small noise of surprise. How did he know about that? Any of that? Severus continued walking and then held the door open. He approached the desk which had no attendant at it, so Hermione quickly swept away to the back. The tinkling of the bell alerted someone in the back to a customer so the backroom suddenly had the noise of a scratchy metal chair moving.

A scrawny little man scuttled over with a limp and a smile as he recognized Severus's façade.

"Mr. Upton—my good man, been a while since your order came in. Really, I'm older than you but even I have a phone…" he trailed off as he bent down to retrieve the package under the desk.

As Severus was tapping his fingers on the counter he heard Hermione approach him. He turned around and saw Hermione was now slightly taller than her norm, and was still a brunette, but with a short bob which brushed her jaw line and was straight and her eyes were blue. Her features were slightly different, like the spatter of freckles across her nose and cheeks and then the thin lips. Nothing super drastic but she was unnoticeable.

Severus merely nodded his approvable and turned around again. She looked slightly older than what she was, but again, his mind snarked at him that she was still young enough to be his daughter.

And that, he decided was what they would pretend to be on their trip today.

Severus was passed a brown paper wrapped parcel and with a curt nod turned sharply and left Hermione to follow in his wake out the door.

Once the glass door banged shut and Hermione had caught up to the long legged man, she asked him where they were going.

"To the Malfoy's summer home," Severus simply said as he had tucked the parcel closely under his arm. He was not going to reduce it in the Muggle vision.

"I don't know where we are—but why are we going—"

"You, madam, are in need of a wand, yes? And as such, we are on our way to procure one. Really, madam, keep up or I can find a new assistant—"

"Look here, you! I knew we were to get that, but first why at his place? And second you weren't even looking for an assistant—"

Severus stopped abruptly and turned to stare at Hermione with a look that would turn milk sour. He readjusted his parcel before answering. "We are heading there because one, he is a friend; two, because he knows a wand maker on the black market and will be able to take us there; three, Draco Malfoy is wanting to talk to you and four, the last, and certainly not least, I have this parcel to drop off. Does that satisfy your annoyingly nosy mind?"

Hermione just huffed and at that they kept walking. A silence had fallen between them of which Severus was itching to ask a question himself of her and at last couldn't hold it in. It would appear to him that they were well suited in their inability to let go the unknown.

"Ms. Granger, why did you marry Mr. Weasley?"

Hermione only briefly had a hitch in her step and Severus heard the suck of breath she made but she carried on like nothing was said for only a moment before answering. " I'm not sure if I said this before or not, but I suppose it was out of familiarity. He asked me, and I never wanted to hurt him, ever, so I said yes. Why shouldn't I? I couldn't see anything else in the future and we were so caught up in the moment, I suppose. We almost died and after seven years of pent up emotions and not knowing if we would return the next year—well, it seemed logical to keep the team together and not split it up. Harry with Ginny, and Ron with me."

She was quiet once more.

"The Know-It-All didn't plan past marital bliss?"

"I had an idea but it didn't fit into the Wizarding world very well. So, I had a job and still I'm not—"

"—satisfied?" Severus finished.

"Yes."

"I know how that is. Well, being that you are now on the run from your husband and Aurors, and with a wizard believed to be deceased, making illicit potions to a provider with more questionable morals than you can shake a wand at—I think that your quest for satisfaction might be achievable."

"Severus?"

"Hmm."

"Are you satisfied with the life you have now?" Severus didn't know how to answer that one. Hermione saw the flood of emotions which stirred behind his eyes and didn't press him for an answer.

The Malfoy's summer home was on the outskirts of town with not much of a garden or land actually. It was a newer building with dark red bricks and young ivy starting up the walls still hugging the trellises. The door knob was well polished and the gate which they had passed through didn't squeak but it did shimmer with a shield letting Snape know that for all outward appearance, this was the right place.

Before Hermione and Severus reached the door, a scrawny and shrew looking elf with a dingy pillowcase was holding the door open. Hermione had stared at the creature trying to decide if she recognized this one and did not. This one hissed at them with downturned pointy ears and left hunched over. The door shut automatically and Hermione heard a door opened and quick steps approached.

Severus pinned Hermione's arm to his side and together they were met by the impeccable Mrs. Malfoy.

"I believe Lucius was expecting you two. This way, Draco is with him," she was already heading back where she came from before she had finished speaking leaving Severus to drag Hermione after. Hermione watched as her long blond hair seemed to sway around her hips and was slightly envious when she saw Severus' eyes trained to her bottom. Even Ron never watched her like that; oh, she saw how boys would go lust-eyed when Lavender or some other girl was around who through themselves after any moving object with a stick to ride and was disgusted at the display. She often thought something was wrong with her, but the slutty-ness just wasn't in her, or she decided she hadn't found anyone worth it yet. The thing is all men want a fun romp around with a quick, wham bam, thank you ma'am, but when they decide they want to marry, they want someone they know is the complete opposite of that, because they know that they have to watch and worry about their dolly bird flying the coup for better air. That realization made Hermione grind her teeth and turn her thoughts away from Ron and Severus, after all, they were just men with pricks anyways.

Narcissca opened the door and closed it behind them and left them alone with their hosts.