Hermione heard the bell ringing at the door signaling a customer was coming or going. Since she'd just opened not long ago and this was the first time she heard the bell, it was obviously someone coming in. She knew she needed to put the book away, but it was so … pretty. She paged through it gingerly. Working here allowed her to look through books all that she wanted, but she was careful in doing so. No one wanted to buy a used book at new book prices.

She should get up to the counter and register, or at least see if the customer needed help. It was a Saturday and the day was starting a bit on the chilly side so she hadn't been expecting someone almost as soon as she opened. She was being paid to work not stare at books all day! Well, in theory, the owner knew of her love of books so wouldn't be shocked by her behaviour.

"Hermione? Is that really you?"

Hermione closed the book she was paging through, feeling a little guilty at being caught and more than a little surprised to hear someone call her name. People from campus didn't usually gravitate toward this part of town, which was how she'd found it. Looking to get away from people she saw every day. University students were about all of the people she knew in town. She looked up after setting the book back on the shelf with a soft sigh.

A sigh because it would be a frivolous purchase if she did buy it. She already had a copy, but this was a variant cover of an anniversary release and she was deciding whether she wanted to splurge just for a bit of different artwork on the front and back covers.

This wasn't the first time she'd paged through the book, and she doubted it would be the last until she made her decision (which really meant giving into temptation and buying it). Even at a discounted price due to her position with both the store and its owner it was still hard to justify spending so much on a book she already owned a copy of.

This was the reason she kept looking at it and putting it back. He, of course, had already told her just to take it, but that wasn't right. He wasn't in business to give her books, and it was a bad precedent to set with someone like her. She'd take them all then!

The drawback to working in a bookstore, she was always tempted.

Always.

It was like a curse. Some people collected shoes. She collected books.

"Oh Morgana, Hermione Granger, it is you!"

Well, no that wasn't legally true anymore and hadn't been for two months now. She wasn't going to rush into telling these two that, though.

"Susan! And Justin," she said, eyes going from one to the other. It took her a minute to remember Justin's name.

Of all the people she ever expected to run into here in muggle Liverpool when she was trying very hard to avoid the wizarding world, these two were as close to last on her list as she could get. The fact that she was in the very back of the store and they'd spotted her was quite an accomplishment. She had hardly even been open for the day for fifteen minutes.

What were the odds? What were the odds that they'd come in on a Saturday while she was working as opposed to a weekday when she was in class?

What were they even doing in Liverpool? What were they doing in this store? What were they doing together?

Why were they here! They were going to ruin everything! She didn't know about Justin, last she knew he stopped going to Hogwarts. There was little chance Susan Bones wasn't going to go back to wizarding London and tell people she'd seen Hermione Granger working at a bookstore.

And wouldn't that just be the type of thing that people like the Malfoys and Goyles would salivate over. Hermione Granger having to resort to selling books. She could just picture Draco's sneer as that information processed in his bigoted brain.

Except.

While a half-blood, Susan had never struck Hermione as thinking she was better than anyone.

So, there was the possibility that she could get out of this. Maybe she could kindly ask that Susan say nothing. They weren't friends at Hogwarts exactly, but they'd gotten along well enough. At least Hermione thought so. Enough she hoped that would be sufficient to get the witch to say nothing for now.

Focusing her attention on the couple in front of her. They were looking at her curiously, probably assuming they were seeing things. She had to admit that they looked good. Healthy. She was glad to see that. So many people after the war did not look good and were not healthy.

And they were quite together, too, it seemed.

From the sizable ring on Susan's left ring finger they were more than just together in Liverpool. Hermione couldn't stop the feeling of not jealousy really but she could admit to a bit of envy that coursed through her.

Especially given her current situation. Yes, she had a ring but it wasn't given out of love even if it was a bit nicer than Susan's as far as size and arrangement went. In fact until the other day she'd had just a plain gold band. It had taken him this long to give her the ring he'd told her he needed to locate amongst his things. She'd truthfully assumed he'd either forgotten or didn't intend to give her the ring he'd mentioned at all. She hadn't particularly cared, a wedding ring was a wedding ring in her opinion. It wasn't as if she was an aristocrat who sat with her girlfriends and compared things like that.

It had seemed important to him for some reason.

She'd lost touch with them both after the war as was the case with, well, everyone really. She'd been allowed to sit her NEWTs while everyone else had moved on to their chosen positions. Once that had been accomplished she had then basically fled to the muggle world.

Fled might be too strong of a word. She wasn't escaping. She had every intention of returning once she completed her schooling and everything. It was just too raw, too fresh to go to university and do magical things.

She hadn't wanted to work for the Ministry and she didn't think she had anything that qualified to be a professor. The headmistress had said she had just the position for her. Hermione just didn't want to get trapped into teaching without pursuing her options. Yet anyway. Sadly, other than the Ministry or Hogwarts. There wasn't much else for an eighteen year old to do in the magical world really. So, she'd come here intent on furthering her education so that she could do something more than just the Ministry or be a professor in the magical world.

There had to be more to being magical than those two options in life. There just had to be.

She knew Justin had left before the final battle, but had come back for it. She imagined he finished his education in the muggle world. She had no idea about Susan. She didn't think that was awful. There were so many people to think about! 

Did she have her family home? Were any of her family still alive? She remembered her aunt died while they were at Hogwarts. Fifth or sixth year? She couldn't remember. Hermione was kind of ashamed she hadn't bothered to find things like this out. Until she thought about the fact that she was a little busy most of the time she was at Hogwarts. It wasn't as if she didn't get to know others in lieu of washing her hair or painting her nails.

"How are you?"

"Good," Susan said, smiling a little too brightly Hermione thought.

Hermione couldn't ever remember smiling like that. Her school years prior to Hogwarts hadn't been great and once she got to Hogwarts well, she'd been knee deep first in feeling lonely and as if she'd never fit in anywhere. She went from that right into trying to keep Harry out of trouble, Voldemort, and horcruxes. Oh, she had moments of pleasure and happiness, for sure, but not the type that Susan was clearly under the influence of at the moment.

"You can ask what we're doing here, that's okay," Justin said with a wry smile.

"Okay," she said. "I'll ask then. What are you doing in Liverpool?" She almost said at my bookstore, but it wasn't hers. Well, technically she supposed it was but she'd never lay claim to it.

"Taking in the sights," he said. "I'm a big Beatles fan. Well, Dad is a big Beatles fan and brainwashed me. I'm sure you know how that goes."

"Ah," she said with a knowing nod. "Doctor Who was my dad's thing to brainwash me about when I was little. He was pretty mad when it went off the air." She paused, thinking a moment on that. "God, that was before I got to Hogwarts. So, ten years ago?"

Justin nodded knowingly, obviously familiar with Doctor Who.

Hermione had to admit it was refreshing to mention Doctor Who, or The Beatles, to a wizard who understood the reference. The one time she'd tried to explain Doctor Who to Harry and Ron it had ended up sounding very much like an Abbott and Costello skit (who neither were familiar with either) so she'd given up. Harry, it seemed, had some recollection of the TARDIS but not much more than that about the show. It had actually impressed her, given his treatment by the Dursleys, that he even knew the TARDIS.

"So, are you actually looking for books?"

"Well, I thought I'd look around to see if there was anything here that I can't find elsewhere. It would be a good Christmas present for my dad."

"Well, the owner does have very particular tastes in books," she said. "He also happens to like classic rock and obviously knows Beatles fans will come here so there just may be. Or we may be able to order one if you have a title in mind. I'm sure he'd ship it to you even."

He wouldn't be happy about shipping it to this particular customer she was pretty sure, but he'd do it if it meant getting the sale.

"Good to know. Do you work here then?"

She chuckled softly. She saw the look in his eye. He was judging her. She, the brightest witch of her age and Harry Potter's best friend, was relegated to working retail in muggle Liverpool. She liked Justin, he was nice, but she couldn't imagine that he'd ever be caught dead working retail.

Born with a silver spoon in his mouth.

At least, unlike Draco, he wasn't a prick.

It didn't mean he wasn't judgmental, though, and that there were things that he thought were beneath him. Her parents did well, so some might think it was wrong of her to judge but her parents taught her that work was work. And this wasn't her last stop on the job ladder. This was just the first rung, something she needed to do while going to school.

"Good assumption, just weekends and weekdays around my class schedule. You know, have to buy those outrageously priced textbooks," she said with a slight shrug.

Her parents financial situation was above average before she'd sent them off to Australia, but not to the point of Justin's. At least that was the impression she had anyway. For all she knew he was a blowhard who couldn't rub two knuts together, but she didn't think that was the case.

She knew Justin didn't know about having to work to ensure a roof was kept over his head. She suspected Susan probably did, and wondered if that wasn't the reason behind their engagement. In Hermione's experience with people like Draco and Sirius, as much as she hated to think it because it was completely against how she'd been raised, purebloods and more than a few half-bloods tended to not want to have to work for their money.

She hated being so pessimistic, especially knowing nothing about their relationship.

She was a realist, though. And yet, maybe they were truly in love.

Being a realist didn't mean that she believed there was no such thing as love. She hoped there was or the world was kind of doomed. She'd spent seven years fighting hate. It was time for love to prevail.

It wasn't her business why they were getting married, so she should just assume they'd reconnected and fallen in love. That was what they fought for, after all. So that Justin could marry a witch without fear of blowback.

Susan's eyes dropped to the ring on Hermione's left ring finger. It was obviously old, ornate, and expensive. If circumstances were different Hermione would have kind of enjoyed the look of envy on Susan's face. Not that she was shallow or vindictive, she really wasn't.

Hermione just had very little experience with people being envious of her over anything but her academic achievements.

"Are you planning on working in the muggle world full-time then?" Justin asked, his arm tugging Susan a little closer to him. It was sweet actually. Not possessive from what she could tell anyway. He just clearly seemed to want to touch his witch.

She sighed a bit, admittedly a little envious. Maybe one day she'd be that witch, too? They'd get to the point where they were no longer getting to know one another and adjusting to living with someone else. They'd get comfortable with their situation and one another.

Wouldn't they?

They had to! He wouldn't have made the offer if he didn't at least plan on trying. Would he have?

"I'm actually going to university. Studying to be a psychologist. Then I'm hoping to open a practice where I can service both muggle and wizarding London and possibly consult with St. Mungo's before I can open my own wizarding practice."

"I think that's a great idea," Justin said while Susan was notably confused by Hermione's chosen career path.

"Psychologists are kind of doctors, but for the mind. Mental health and what not," Justin explained to Susan. She nodded, clearly getting it now.

"Oh, well, yes, I can't think of anyone else to bring such a thing to the wizarding world and have it be accepted."

"Thank you, I sure hope so."

Hermione wasn't sure if Susan was sincere or not, but she sure truly hoped she was. More than that, though, she hoped the witch was right. She knew old-school wizards and witches like the Malfoys and Weasleys wouldn't understand and would likely scoff at her efforts and the very idea of unloading their thoughts and feelings on an essential stranger.

It was what led to her breaking up with Ron. He didn't think what she was doing was as important as having more Weasleys. He also didn't understand why anyone would use the type of services she wanted to make a career of providing.

Susan, on the other hand, likely would understand since Hermione thought most of her family had been wiped out between both wars. Ron, other than Fred of course, had gotten off quite well in comparison. Yes, she knew Mrs. Weasley lost her brothers, but Ron was so little he didn't even remember them. She wasn't sure either that using Mrs. Weasley as the norm for the grief process was a good gauge either.

Not that it wasn't still a loss. Of course it was. Ron had no recollection of his uncles since he was so young when they died. Hermione wasn't sure Ginny had ever met them. George lost his twin. Hell, she missed Fred and couldn't imagine how his parents and siblings were feeling. It was different, though. They still had other family members. Susan did not.

Sure, she wanted children. One day. They were not all that she wanted from life, though. She wanted someone who would not just support her work but encourage it. She wanted someone who would be faithful to her probably most of all. Ron couldn't understand the former want and seemed incapable of adhering to her desires regarding the latter.

"So you and Ron," Justin asked, gesturing to her left hand and the adornment there that indicated she was someone's wife.

Funny thing, Severus had only found the ring a couple of days ago. He'd told her when he'd given her the plain gold band the day they married that he had a different one for her but wasn't entirely sure where it was since it had been his mother's. How or why his mother had it since her family had disowned her he didn't seem to know.

"Broke up shortly after the final battle," she said.

Susan's eyes drifted to Hermione's ring finger again. The final battle had been only a year and a half ago.

"No," she said simply to Susan's unasked question.

Susan's eyes widened a bit and Hermione imagined what the other witch was thinking. She didn't waste any time finding someone other than Ron if she met someone within the past year and a half and was already married.

Just wait until they found out who her husband was!

She knew what Ron would think. And say. He would not be kind. To her or her husband. He'd accuse her of being the one who had been unfaithful. Hardly. They weren't even officially a couple!

Despite knowing without a doubt that they were not involved while she was a student he'd say something mean spirited about her grades being earned on her back instead of through hard work. It was part of the reason she stayed away.

Really she, Hermione Jean Granger, the brightest witch of her age, was in this position because she'd been presented with a deal that she just couldn't see how she could turn down. There was quite a process in getting her parents declared dead since she'd changed their names. That was on the way to being done now, thankfully.

Getting financial aid of any kind based on their income had been … difficult. Not to mention her academic records were sketchy-seeming since she'd left the magical world and hadn't been back to get Headmistress McGonagall, or anyone else for that matter, to help her.

She thought she was going to have to drop out before she even began. She could afford classes and books, but room and board was too expensive. She'd left her advisor's office in tears after they'd crunched the numbers together. She hadn't prayed in a very long time and felt guilty for doing it then because she'd been taught praying wasn't a gumball machine where you put a prayer in expecting to get something to come out immediately. She had gone to the church she'd attended as a child and did it anyway.

It was a result of those prayers though that she'd stumbled into this bookstore, and its owner, the next day. At least she liked to think so because she'd never been in the vicinity of the bookstore before then. She normally didn't venture away from the university campus. She really had no reason to. Something had made her, though. She wanted to get away, see if there was anything she could find to help her.

She'd seen the display in the window as she passed by and was drawn in. She still hadn't asked him if he'd bespelled the display somehow to get people to come in. She preferred to think it wasn't his influence and something else entirely at work.

She'd taken it as a sign.

He'd taken it as an invasion of the privacy he deeply craved, earned with years worth of blood, sweat, and tears, and viciously protected. She couldn't blame him for that.

She'd talked him into letting her work for him. Certainly she'd be better at dealing with customers and computers than he was, and her being there would free him up to buy the rare and coveted texts he prided himself on stocking.

Or whatever it was Severus Snape wanted to do with some free time. Brewing was in there she'd known.

She wasn't earning a huge wage, but he had given her more than she could fathom someone who'd once upon a time disliked her giving her.

For her future.

Their flat was above the store, which was right along the Mersey not far from the University of Liverpool campus.

And here they were. Living a somewhat normal life. It wasn't an arranged marriage, but it was one of convenience. She liked to think they were slowly becoming friends, though.

Only her husband knew the truth and only he ever would. He'd offered her a deal, she'd taken it. Some would say she prostituted herself, but she didn't see it that way. He hadn't even really kissed her let alone expected sex from her. She hadn't figured out exactly what he got out of their deal other than the potential for an heir once she was established in her career.

An heir.

One.

He didn't want a half dozen or more. He wanted one. Of course that would mean at some point they'd have to share a bed, but she'd cross that bridge when it came. The idea today was less … unfathomable than it had been two months ago when she'd initially agreed.

She hadn't found the idea offensive or anything. He probably thought that she would or had. Not so. She wouldn't have agreed if she had. He just seemed … above such things. He wasn't totally human in her eyes at the time. He was slowly becoming so, though.

When she was established in her career suggested, too, that he was willing to wait a few years. That certainly wasn't selling her body, or her soul.

In exchange for the potential of an heir he assisted her with payments for school, gave her room and board, and employed her so she had pocket money of her own. The only thing he requested out of her was fidelity.

That was easy to give as paper-only or not he was her husband and she would never betray that. She wouldn't insult him in that way. He'd been through enough, and she didn't even know all of it! He hadn't asked for a wand oath or anything, just took her at her word that if she said she'd be faithful she would be.

She wasn't built that way and he seemed to know that. She suspected that was the reason he'd made her the offer he had. She couldn't see him making it to anyone else. Hadn't she proven to be faithful by standing by Harry through all of his shenanigans for six years?

"And you two?"

"Well, Susan and I ran into each other at one of the memorial services in the spring."

Hermione nodded. It made sense. Justin was a pretty good person overall and Susan was, too. He wasn't a pure or even half-blood, but he was from a well-off family so probably was accustomed to many of the nicer things Susan was.

"I'm working at the Ministry," Susan said. "Entry level but hopefully that won't last long."

"They'd be a fool to let you sit too long," Hermione said sincerely. She didn't get to know Susan real well, but she hadn't stood out as being someone like Pansy or Lavender. Dunderheads as her husband would call them. They'd gotten along for the most part when their paths crossed.

"And I'm, like you, a university student. I am living with my parents for the time being."

"It's so fascinating," Susan gushed, beaming at Justin.

"The muggle world can be that," Hermione admitted.

"I felt the same way when I first went to Diagon Alley," Justin said.

"Me, too! My parents and I couldn't believe it," Hermione said.

She imagined the excitement she saw in Justin's eyes thinking of the memory of her first encounter matched her own.

She wasn't mad at the wizarding world. She didn't want to abandon it forever. She just wanted to have her life in order before she returned completely because when she decided to, the shit would probably hit the fan. She wanted to be ready to get to work.

"Right? Within our grasp the entire time."

"It is rather impressive that the two worlds are kept apart."

Justin nodded.

"So, are you just here for the weekend?"

"Yes. I just happened to see your store and thought I'd stop in. I know stores like this one are the ones that have the good stuff."

"I know he tries," she said.

"Well, we'll browse for a bit. Maybe we can have dinner or something while we're in town?"

"I'd have to check my schedule."

"Your husband, too, of course," Justin said. "I have to admit if it's not Ron I'm curious."

"Um, well," Hermione said.

Something told her the store hours or her studying weren't going to deter them. If they were vacationing they'd say they could meet for breakfast or a post-dinner nightcap later in the evening.

Crap.

Did he want to go public with their marriage like this? Because if Justin and Susan found out. Well, sooner or later they'd tell someone who would tell someone else.

And so on.

It wasn't as if it was a secret, exactly. He introduced her to patrons and work associates as his wife. Those people weren't magical people. He may tell people his wife helps with his brewing, but as far as she knew he'd never told any of those magical customers exactly who his wife was.

****

He stood on the other side of the storeroom door, sighing softly. He hadn't sworn her to secrecy or anything. Even he knew making the offer of marriage but suggesting she couldn't tell anyone would not be received well. He wasn't a complete dolt despite what many thought about him when it came to social endeavours. They had married the muggle way at a courthouse not in the wizarding world for a reason. She would know that as she wasn't a dolt either.

He knew that he was the reason for her hesitancy in accepting the dinner invitation. He hadn't exactly gone to any effort to show her off. He talked about her, of course. She'd seemed okay with that, though. He didn't see her rushing off to introduce him to those she knew at university either. Neither wanted to be in the Daily Prophet again anytime soon.

Why he actually went through with marrying her when she shockingly said she would accept his offer he still couldn't say. He should have said it was a joke, he'd still assist her with her school finances, and they could find some way for her to pay him back later once she was established. She was obviously determined to pursue this career path. He found listening to her ideas that she had a valid thought process. He suddenly found himself alive long after what he believed his expiration date to have been.

She'd needed help, he'd needed a clerk. The potential for an heir. Well, in truth, he'd never hold her to that. When her schooling was finished and she'd started on her career he'd give her an out. She had agreed, though, without any apparent revulsion at the thought of being in the position to produce an heir with him. She wasn't a naive chit either and knew very well what producing an heir would entail.

He was no closer at forty to having an heir than twenty years ago. He'd be hard-pressed to have a more suitable woman to bear him a child when it got down to it. She was intelligent and not frivolous. She was grounded and he knew when she agreed to his condition of fidelity that she meant it and would not break that commitment.

She'd looked so distraught when he'd seen her initially that he'd gone against everything that was normal for him and offered her tea.

And an objective, non-judgmental ear.

Lord, how she'd talked.

Endlessly.

He'd managed to escape being a Death Eater with only one death on his soul. That of his only friend. Someone who'd forced him to do it for the greater good. Supposedly. Severus could admit it had worked, but he couldn't help but think there had to have been a better way. He hadn't come up with an alternative, and it frankly didn't matter after the fact.

Listening to her go on and on (and on), though, had made him question his sanity and wisdom in … extending himself as much as he had. He'd listened, though, he was proficient at that by now.

She'd come back a couple of days later and offered herself as his clerk on a part-time basis so she could save for a flat that would be appropriate yet affordable for a young single woman in muggle Liverpool.

She had money, he knew. Between an inheritance from her parents' due to their deaths (despite her efforts to hide them) and the stipend from her Order of Merlin, First Class she wasn't destitute. The fact that she wanted to work despite that means had impressed him.

He'd come to find out when they ironed out their agreement that she was still working on getting her parents declared deceased. It wasn't as easy as it should have been since they were living under an assumed name and hadn't named her in any of those documents.

She'd undersold her worth (and he didn't mean financial worth either) and he knew he was going to hire her as soon as she mentioned the possibility of being his employee at the wage she'd mentioned.

He'd sweetened the pot, though, by offering her room and board. In addition to the flat above the store, the building had a basement. Currently, it housed his lab for the potions business he did on the side. With her as his employee he could focus more on his brewing, expand his reach which he very much looked forward to doing. If need be, he could do some remodeling so the basement was habitable as a second domicile yet still retaining its obvious business appearance if he chose to move on from this venture one day.

She'd left, beaming at him. He hadn't understood the reaction. No one beamed at him.

A few days of them working together and he realized that she wasn't nearly as tedious or annoying as he'd believed her to be as a student. She had good ideas on how to organize the store and knew more about things like the muggle Internet than he likely ever would.

He broached the subject of marriage, to give her a name (not that there was anything wrong with her own) and assistance with her schooling. He had expected her to say no. He'd assumed she'd laugh at him, truthfully.

Who in their right mind would want to marry him, after all? Especially a witch not yet twenty with her whole future ahead of her. Even for monetary reasons.

She'd said yes, though, after thinking about it for a day or so.

There had been no tension or uncomfortableness between them as she thought over what her decision to his question would be. They both went about their days as they normally did. One would be hard-pressed to tell she was thinking about a decision that could affect the rest of her life.

And his.

They were married in a civil ceremony the day after her decision (which as it turned out was her birthday, but he hadn't known that until later). Two days later they went to the church she'd been raised with and the priest who had baptized her sanctified their marriage.

Just like that he had a wife, something he certainly never saw himself being able to lay claim to.

Fact of the matter was, two months into this arrangement he'd grown more than just rather fond of the witch on the other side of the door who now carried his name. She'd wormed her way into his life to the point he couldn't go to sleep until she was home from campus on those evenings she stayed late.

It wasn't out of fear that she was doing things she shouldn't be either. That would be easy to do. There were no doubt younger as well as loads more personable and attractive options available to her. Yet, she'd promised fidelity, hadn't batted an eyelash or flinched at the audacity of his expecting it from her.

So, no it wasn't fear she was engaging in activities she shouldn't be so soon into their nuptials.

He was concerned.

Worried.

He cared.

Things he swore never to feel again. And if he were being truthful, very different from what he had experienced with Lily.

So, did he present himself to Miss Bones and Mr. Finch-Fletchley as her husband? Or as her boss?

Neither had any desire to go into the wizarding world for the time being so they hadn't really discussed what they'd say, who'd they tell. The chances of meeting anyone who knew them from that world were really quite slim. What were the odds someone would show up in Liverpool at his small bookstore along the Mersey?

Or so Severus had thought.

Evidently, the odds were pretty good.

Who knew?

Of course Finch-Fletchley's father was a Beatles fan and would pass that love onto him who'd decide to spend a weekend with his fiancee here.

His wife seemed rather oblivious to his growing feelings for her. He chalked that up to her being busy working and attending school full-time. He didn't work her like a dog. He was more than lenient with the hours she manned the store. Her education was far more important than him not having to deal with customers for an extra hour or two a day.

Would his former students, and her former classmates, recognize his feelings? Would she be embarrassed to have him publicly make a claim on her in such a fashion?

Get a hold of yourself, Man.

You were a spy, survived two wars, and rounds of torture including the cruciatus curse. You can face two former students and convince them that you and your on-paper-only wife are more than that. After all, how pathetic would it be for them to find that out after what Potter shouted from the rooftops about you and your pathetic love life prior to the fall of the Dark Lord that you couldn't even get a wife in the proper way?

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to get himself under control and into his store owner persona. Thinking about Potter would not do that.

Of course it wasn't much of a persona. He was, in fact, a store owner. Two if one wanted to get technical even if his potions business was only mail-order.

For now.

He pulled open the door and walked out, eyeing the couple who had their backs to him so weren't aware of his presence yet. His eyes fell on her and she looked panicked.

Beautiful to his eyes, but panicked.

About him?

"Mrs. Snape. Are you in need of assistance?"

She didn't look upset.

That was good.

"You may be able to help. You remember Justin, Severus. He's looking for something regarding The Beatles he won't find anywhere else."

"Ah," Severus said with a slight nod of his head. If it was information about The Beatles the young wizard wanted, Severus would provide it happily.

"A fan of The Fab Four, Mr. Finch-Fletchley?"

"Yes, Professor," he said. "I mean, my dad is and I guess therefore I am."

"That is often the way it works. I will gladly show you a couple of texts that may interest you, or your father. However, I am not your professor any longer."

"Right, sure, Mr. Snape. Habit," he said, following Severus.

"You're married to Severus Snape," Susan said none too quietly because Severus heard her quite clearly. Perhaps it was years of trying to glean anything from conversations around him. Or the witch was just not subtle at all.

"I am," Hermione said. "Susan, you work at the Ministry. Justin seems to be in the muggle world. We're kind of…"

"I get it. You don't want the Daily Prophet to get wind."

"Exactly! I mean, he's my husband, but we'd prefer to do things in our own time. We're just trying to take some time we both need. You know? He almost died. I spent a year on the run. I want to finish my education and then we'll decide when we want to return. When we do, we'll decide when the timing is right. Together."

"I'd say you're obviously doing something right," she said with a knowing smirk and a saucy tone that made her meaning clear.

"Miss Bones," Severus said quickly. "Don't be crude."

"Sorry, Mr. Snape," she said, looking properly chastised. "I'm sorry, Hermione, I wasn't trying to be. I'm glad you found someone. I know it wasn't easy. I don't know what that year was like, I can imagine."

"No," she said simply "You really can't. I know you at Hogwarts had your own issues. I'm not saying ours were worse."

He scoffed silently at that. Of course her issues were worse. Hogwarts at least had heat, warm beds, and proper food.

"Were you and Snape…"

"It's Mr. Snape, and no, of course not!"

Severus and Miss Bones' fiance returned to them. The younger wizard had two texts regarding The Beatles he was going to purchase. Severus knew whether they were for his father or if he ended up keeping them he'd be happy with his purchases.

"She found and helped care for me while I healed, Miss Bones. And the rest they say," he said, sliding an arm around Hermione's waist. "Is history." He leaned down, kissing the top of her head.

"And the future it would seem," Justin said.

"How fun. Congratulations, Sir," Miss Bones said.

"Mr. Snape will be fine. Or if you'd still like to join us for a meal, Severus would do."

"Really? Yes," she said. "We'd love to," her wizard said, overlapping with her comment.

Hermione glanced up at him, clearly surprised by his agreement to eat with them.

"The store, Severus?"

"I can put a closed sign on the door very easily."

"If you're sure."

"Maybe we could talk them into a muggle film as well. You deserve a break from studying for an evening."

"Yes! There's a movie starring Drew Barrymore and David Arquette that looks really funny," Justin said. "Susan's never been."

"Sure," Hermione said, staring at Severus as if he'd grown a second head.

He supposed he should up his wooing game a bit if he ever hoped for their marriage to become a true one in every sense of the word. He realized they'd never even had an actual date. Mentally he chided himself. They were both so busy it was easy to put it off.

"Are they a couple in it?" his wife asked. "She does a lot of romantic comedies lately it seems."

Susan looked as confused by the question as Severus was sure he did.

"I don't know," the other wizard said with a chuckle. So whatever he said must have been amusing. "I guess we'll find out. Should we meet you here?"

"That would be fine. Our quarters are upstairs," Severus said, hoping admitting to such wasn't a mistake.

"Say six o'clock?" Justin said.

"Great," Hermione said, offering the other couple a smile.

She ran her thumb along the band of her wedding ring. It was a nervous habit she had much like biting her lower lip. He often wondered what was going through her mind when she did either of these things. It was something he wanted to get to the bottom of.

One of many somethings about his witch he wanted to get to the bottom of. Literally and figuratively as it so happened.

"I came up to see if you had those invoices for me," he said as he followed the other three to the counter so Hermione could check them out.

"Oh, yes," Hermione said. She found the invoices in question and gave them to him.

"Thank you, Hermione," he said, kissing her politely before taking said invoices from her so that he could return to his lab. He had a raven he used for deliveries and living on the water as they did no one paid much attention to birds flying around or where they went. "Prepare a sign to put on the door with our early closing time."

"Absolutely," she said, looking rather amazed that he was really doing this.

Truthfully, he was a little amazed himself. He couldn't deny, though, that spending some time with others from the magical world knowing it didn't mean being back in it with both feet held appeal to him. And the happy look on her face did, too. She deserved a break.

"Great, time to make Huginn earn his keep," he said. "See you later then, Miss Bones and Mr. Finch-Fletchley. Mrs. Snape," he said, bowing his head before taking his leave through the door that led to a hallway. The stairs to his left would lead to their quarters upstairs and his lab downstairs. The storage area and small office for the store was back here, too.

"He brews downstairs," she said by way of explanation once he'd left.

"Ah. He seems different," Susan said.

"Different?" Hermione said.

"Yes! First of all, he called you Hermione and he kissed you!"

"Well, he is my husband, Susan. He's more than allowed to do both."

God, she wished he'd do more than both! He'd been more than kind and generous so she hadn't pushed her luck, but the more time they spent together she wanted to truly be his wife. Or at least start on the path of that happening. That would mean kissing, wouldn't it?

"Thank you, Hermione," Justin said when she gave him his purchases.

"Thank you. See you guys in a couple of hours."

"We'll be here," Justin said.

"You'll love muggle movies, Susan," Hermione said.

"I've enjoyed most everything Justin has shown me about your world."

Hermione smiled a little at that. She watched them leave, sighing softly. She spun her wedding ring around on her finger with the thumb and index fingers of her right hand. Would they tell anyone? Would Susan let it slip to someone at the Ministry? No one knew exactly where she was right now. Harry knew she was in muggle Britain attending university. She wanted it to stay that way for now.

She'd written to him, of course, told him that she needed time. She sent a letter every two to three months or so just letting him know that she was, in fact, alive and well. She assumed he passed the information along to whoever else might be concerned and that Ronald would realize by the fact that she wrote to Harry and only Harry that she had moved on.

Her right hand dropped from her ring to her abdomen, rubbing lightly. She'd see the wizarding world again in fifteen or so years if nothing else assuming she got pregnant right away. She had to admit the idea of having a child with someone as brilliant as Severus was about as ideal as it could get for her. The possibilities for that child were pretty outstanding as far as she was concerned. She knew Severus wouldn't begrudge him or her a magical education when that time came.

Story ©Susan Matthews/APCKRFAN/PhantomRoses.com