A light knock came to the door that led to their quarters. Only two people were able to see the door, Ginny was already at her house so Hermione knew it was Odette before opening it.

"Happy Christmas, Miss Milward."

"Happy Christmas, Madam Snape. Headmaster Snape," she called, noticing Severus behind Hermione.

"Thank you, Miss Milward, same to you," he said.

"Could you do me a favor, Miss Milward?"

"Sure," she said.

"I was hoping you'd be kind enough to carry the gift we bought for Mrs. Weasley. You can give it to her for me," she said.

"Of course," Odette said, smiling brightly.

"Great. That way I can side-along with you without having to hang onto anything but you."

"Oh, I suppose, yes."

"Do you know much about the Weasleys?"

"No, ma'am," she said.

"Well, as an only child myself, I assure you that their house takes a bit of getting used to. It's quite … busy."

Severus snorted behind her. "That's one way of putting it, my sweet," he said.

"Funny, I hadn't thought about it until just now but we're all only children. Harry is, too, but where Severus and I seem to like things a bit more on the quiet side he seems to love the commotion. So, don't worry if it's a bit overwhelming, it is for us, too," she said.

"Thank you."

They made their way to the gates, the three of them together.

"Are you sure you're comfortable with Madam Snape apparating with you," Severus asked.

"Yes, Sir," she replied without hesitation.

"As you should be," he replied.

Hermione rolled her eyes a bit, offering her arm to Odette to take so that she could get them to The Burrow. Severus was right behind them.

Hermione couldn't help but think what a sight they made. Where the Weasley's all had red hair, Severus had black hair and eyes, Hermione brown hair and eyes, and Odette very blonde hair (not quite as shocking as Draco's but close) with eyes so dark green they almost looked brown but weren't.

"What are you thinking about," Severus leaned toward her, whispering in her ear.

"Babies," she said softly.

"Sorry?"

She laughed softly at the brief look of panic and befuddlement that crossed his face. "Just wondering what our babies will look like."

"Is that your way of telling me something?"

"No. I just realized how different the three of us are, about to go into a house where other than the guests they all have red hair."

"Ah," he said with a slight nod. "Did you come to any conclusions?"

"Not really. I'd love for one to have your eyes, though," she said.

His eyes darkened slightly at that and she smiled at the response her words evoked in him.

"Hopefully in a boy so his wife can see the same things in his eyes that I see in yours."

"You are too kind, Witch."

"I speak the truth."

"Mayhaps," he said.

They were welcomed into the house by Percy, which shocked Hermione. She wasn't expecting him to be here. She was glad he was, though.

"Hermione," he said politely.

"Hello Percy," she said, inclining her head in response.

"Happy Christmas, Headmaster," he said then.

"Mr. Weasley," Severus said. "This is Odette Milward, our guest this evening."

"Welcome," he said, letting them in.

The house was already bustling. It seemed they were the last to arrive. Harry approached them somewhat cautiously Hermione observed.

"Hermione," he said, offering her a hug which she returned happily.

"Happy Christmas, Harry," she said, kissing his cheek.

"Happy Christmas. Hello, Headmaster," Harry said, offering his hand to Severus. Severus took it after a moment's hesitation and a slight tightening of his mouth.

"Happy Christmas, Mr. Potter," he said.

"And you must be Odette," Harry said, turning his attention to their guest. "I'm Harry," he said.

"I know," she said and then blushed profusely.

"Right, I guess you do. Happy Christmas, Odette."

"Happy Christmas, Mr. Potter."

"Harry, please," he said.

"I think outside of class you can call me Hermione," she offered.

"Thank you," Odette said.

Ginny joined them, sliding her arm through Harry's.

"Hey, Hermione, Headmaster. And Odette, right?"

"Yes."

"I'm Ginny. We're glad to have you here."

"Thanks for having me."

"The more the merrier," she said, gesturing her arms wide. "As you can tell."

"These are all your brothers?"

"All the ones with red hair anyway. Except the oldest one, he's my dad."

"I see," she said, seeming to take it all in.

Ginny pointed everyone out, including Fleur and a few others who were here because like Odette they had nowhere else to be.

"Is your mom in the kitchen, Gin?"

"Where else?"

"Odette and I are going to say hello to her," Hermione offered. Severus looked a little panic stricken. She brushed a kiss along his cheek. "We'll be but a minute."

He grunted softly in response.

"You could, you know, talk to Harry."

He rolled his eyes slightly, but after looking around the room seemed to settle on Harry being his best option. Hermione smirked a bit at that.

"He is my best friend."

"I'm aware," he murmured, kissing her. "Off with you so you return sooner rather than later."

"Yes, my wizard," she quipped.

She found Mrs. Weasley in the kitchen, busily overseeing everything.

"Oh, Hermione, dear, so good to see you! Happy Christmas."

"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley, Happy Christmas," she said, accepting the woman's hug happily. Mrs. Weasley was the closest thing she had to a mum anymore.

"This is Odette Milward," she said.

"Thank you for having me, Mrs. Weasley,"

"Oh, our pleasure, Dear. Happy Christmas."

"Um, this is for you," she said, handing her the small gift they'd gotten her.

"Thank you," she said, opening it and gasping slightly at the orchid seeds Hermione had picked out earlier in the week.

Mrs. Weasley hugged her again and then hugged Odette.

"So kind of you, thank you," she said. "Maybe you can come help me plant them when the weather turns nice enough."

"I'd love that," Hermione said.

"Good. Both of you would be welcome, of course. Now, please send Ginny and Fleur in and maybe you can encourage everyone to start making their way to the tables."

"Sure," Hermione said.

"Would you like to help us, Odette?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

Odette looked at Hermione. "It's up to you."

"I didn't ask Hermione because she got enough of cooking and cleaning while they were on the run for a while I imagine. Now next year, she'll be in here, too. She needs to prepare for her own children, but you're welcome in here if you'd like to."

Hermione blushed at Mrs. Weasley's mention of children. She would have to learn she knew that. She'd never really helped her parents with Christmas dinner beyond stirring gravy or whatever. She'd done all right for her, Harry, and Ron while they were on the run but in a tent and cooking fish, rabbits, and squirrels caught while already starving made it kind of hard to judge how she'd do under normal conditions. She knew how to cook decently enough the muggle way. She wasn't completely clueless. It was just a big meal like this for a ton of people all who would like and dislike different things. That was what she didn't know.

"Sure," she said.

Hermione nodded slightly and went out to find Ginny and Fleur before directing everyone to take their seats.

"Save Odette and me a seat, please," she said to Harry, Ron, Luna, and Severus.

Severus rolled his eyes. "As if I want to sit next to anyone else."

"And they say romance is dead," she said with a light laugh.

"That's not what I meant!"

"I'd pressure you to tell me what you do mean, but I know these types of functions aren't your thing. So, have a seat, save two for us and thank you for being here with me."

He nodded, returning his attention to Harry, Ron, and Luna. Were they talking? She hoped so and hoped that Harry wasn't peppering her husband for information about his mother. Her eyes drifted to Ron and Luna for a second, wondering if they were dating. She knew Ron was interested, she wasn't sure if Luna was. She'd have to find out one of these days. A girls' night was definitely in order. She'd stayed connected with Ginny, but it was an effort as busy as she was and she'd sadly let her friendship with Luna drift a bit. Seeing her again tonight made her realize she needed to fix that. There were only so many hours in a day!

Harry sat next to Severus with Hermione on his other side and Odette next to her. Hermione thought dinner went very well. Odette didn't seem uncomfortable surrounded by a bunch of boisterous Gryffindors at least.

It was very late when they made their way back to Hogwarts, bellies full and souls feeling fulfilled. Severus and Hermione walked Odette to the entrance to Slytherin's common room.

"Thank you," she said, hugging Hermione.

"You're welcome, Happy Christmas," Hermione said.

Odette moved from Hermione to Severus, hugging him, too. He clearly didn't know what to do and Hermione ducked her head to hide her amusement.

"Sleep well, Miss Milward," Severus said.

"You, too," she said, drawing away and darting into her common room once she said the password.

"What was that?" he asked once the wall was sealed off again.

"A hug by an appreciative student?"

"That cannot be done!"

"Severus, no one saw you. There's no one here! She's not going to run around telling people she hugged you. She was just appreciative. You should have seen her in the kitchen with Mrs. Weasley, Fleur, and Ginny. She was shy, but she clearly enjoyed being with them."

"I'm glad," he said.

She bumped up against him with her hip before sliding her arm through his. "Happy Christmas, Severus," she said.

"Happy Christmas, Wife," he replied.

"Oh, and by the way," she said. "The next time you want to know what kind of dresses I like, just ask me instead of sending me to go shopping with Draco."

"I thought you had a decent time with my godson."

"I did, but that was rather devious of you."

"What? He merely mentioned to the clerk that your husband might be interested in the gowns you did not choose as Christmas gifts."

"They're too much, Severus."

"I think they're not enough."

He hadn't just gotten her the dresses she'd liked but hadn't chosen while out shopping with Draco, but shoes, too. Her gift of a few nice cravats and a stickpin with his monogram on it seemed rather cheap compared to what he'd gotten her. It wasn't a contest, but using Draco was sneaky!

"It was very Slytherin of you."

"Yes, well," he said.

Sunday after Christmas came and Odette and Hermione left for London after an early breakfast. Severus made sure that she had more than enough muggle money, which she was appreciative of because she hadn't had any reason to carry muggle money in months.

First they apparated to her backyard. She hadn't been to the house in weeks. She should talk to Severus as to whether she should sell it. Again, like spending time with Luna there were just so many hours in a day when she was essentially studying for two masteries and her NEWTs. It certainly wasn't harming anything holding onto the house for now, but it was an expense she really didn't need. She unlocked the door, letting Odette pass through.

"Where are we?"

"The house I grew up in," she said. "I thought you might like to see a muggle home."

"Where are your parents?"

"It's a long story, but they're in Australia and likely won't be back."

"I'm sorry."

"Thank you. They're all right, though, that is what matters most."

She showed her all of the different rooms, ending up in the living room so she could show her how a turntable worked with electricity and connected to a stereo. Instead of Severus' classic rock Hermione played her some Spice Girls, Elton John, and George Michael. She wasn't up on current music anymore, she wasn't sure she had anything more current than 1992 now that she thought about it. Funny what being busy and then on the run will do as far as that. She showed her the difference between records, cassettes, and CDs. Odette seemed amazed, which Hermione found kind of amusing.

After Hermione's house they went shopping at a mall. They saw a Spice Girls T-shirt that Odette liked and Hermione bought it for her with a chuckle. She could just imagine what he'd say when Severus saw it. The Spice Girls were not very Slytherin and the shirt was rather … bright. They had a late lunch after getting manicures before they went to see a movie. A movie about witches seemed like fate or something so they'd chosen Practical Magic. Popcorn, Slushies, and candy were bought as well. There was no way she could introduce someone to muggle movies without giving them the whole experience.

They both got a kick out of the movie and the depiction of witches. Hermione had seen Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman before and liked them, which was one of the things that swayed her toward the film.

When they left the theatre, Odette looked back at the marquee.

"All of those titles are different movies?"

"Yes," Hermione said.

"And that's normal?"

"Oh, yes, there are new movies coming out every week. Some months are busier than others, but Christmastime is usually a busy time."

"That was fun."

"I'm so glad!"

"Thank you!"

"You're welcome. Would you like to come with me again sometime?"

"Really?"

"There's plenty I could show you! There's museums, muggle art and such. There's football, it's what muggles are crazy about like Wizards are Quidditch."

"I'd love it. I was expecting," she shrugged. "I was expecting it all to be so dumb and backwards. And rude."

"Well, people can be all of those things, regardless of their background."

"You're right," she said.

They found a spot they could apparate from back to Hogwarts. As if he knew they were on their way back, Severus was waiting for them at the gate.

"Ladies," he said.

"Hi," Hermione said, kissing him lightly.

"Hi Headmaster," Odette said.

"How was muggle London?"

"It was really fun!"

"Was it?"

"It was. I got my nails done," Odette said, sliding her mittens off to show Severus her well-manicured and prettily polished nails.

"Very nice," he said with a slight nod. "Did you get your nails done, Madam Snape?"

"I did," she said, smiling.

"What do I have to do to see yours then?"

"Just ask," she said, sliding her mittens off to show him her nails. Odette had chosen green polish (of course) because she could and Hermione assured her she had remover when she decided she no longer wanted green nails. Hermione had chosen more of a wine color. It was darker than she usually wore, but she had to admit it was nice.

Her husband took hold of her left hand with his and examined it closely, grazing a nail with the pad of his thumb before bringing her hand to his lips for a kiss.

"Lovely," he said.

"Thank you," she said with a blush.

It was only then Hermione noticed Odette staring at their hands. She realized then that Severus had taken her left hand with his own so their marks were glowing.

"Have you heard of soul marks?" Hermione asked.

She nodded simply, still staring.

"I hadn't, understandable I guess, being muggleborn."

"Did you know?"

"Not until recently, no."

"I knew she was here but not who she was until she was injured once and I had to aid in healing her. I assure you, Miss Milward, she was never anything more than my student until after she'd left Hogwarts."

"Oh, I know, she already told me as much."

Severus' eyebrow arched up at that.

"Can I," she asked, gesturing with her hand to theirs.

"They don't feel any different," Hermione assured her, "but you can."

She touched their hands. Hermione knew Severus was not overly comfortable with that turn of events, but he let her.

"No one knows?" Odette asked.

"A few do, but not many. We've managed to keep it out of the Prophet."

"That is so cool," she said.

"Which part? That we're soulmates or that we've managed to keep it from being public?"

"Both!"

Hermione laughed softly.

"I won't tell anyone either."

"Thank you, Miss Milward," Severus said.

He released Hermione's hand then, letting her put her mittens back on. She slid her arm through his then as they made their way back to the castle.

"What else did you do?"

Odette filled him in on their day, including the movie.

"A movie about witches, really?"

"It seemed appropriate," Hermione shrugged. Severus chuckled at that. "And Rizzo from Grease was in it!"

"Who?"

Hermione frowned. "I thought you'd know Grease, the movie."

"I'm sorry. Well, you were missed."

"I'm sure," Hermione said.

Severus glanced at her then, meeting her eyes.

I will demonstrate before dinner just how much if you'd like.

It's my lucky day then.

She knew she was blushing and hoped Odette would chalk it up to the air.

Story ©Susan Matthews/APCKRFAN/PhantomRoses.com