Severus stared at the doorway for much longer than was necessary. He was sure he could have been knocked over with a feather at the sight of Hermione Granger on his doorstep, with his son standing next to her.

Did she know?

She couldn't possibly. She wouldn't have just left if she did. So he returned to the thought that she couldn't know.

Except she was an incredibly bright and intuitive witch. Then again, she'd been working at the store downstairs for a year, or more, and hadn't sought him out before now. He knew Austin interacted with the witch several times a weekend. His son was rather enamoured with Miss Harmony.

Ironic.

Severus being Severus assumed Miss Harmony was an insipid college drop-out who couldn't do more than work weekends at a corner store with her life. When Austin had mentioned not long ago that Miss Harmony was a police officer for her real job (his words, not Severus') he'd vowed not to be so judgmental. He knew police officers earned a rather low wage despite the danger they were in constantly.

Then his son had mentioned seeing Miss Harmony use magic about a month or so ago. Severus had explained to his son that it was important he not tell anyone, even Miss Harmony, that he knew. While the war was over and the Dark Lord had been defeated there were still witches and wizards who chose to live anonymously among muggles for fear another Dark Lord would follow in his wake.

Not a crazy fear considering how old fashioned and slow to accept change the wizarding world was at times. While people like Lucius Malfoy claimed to have seen the light during the Dark Lord's second reign, many did not. Many never would. If his duplicity had not been made known he imagined many would have looked to him to be that next Dark Lord. He and Dumbledore had never talked about how far Severus should go with it if Voldemort was to die. As it happened, the Department of Magical Law Enforcement did their job rather capably this go-around it seemed. Most of the known Death Eaters had been captured, or perished in the final battle. There were some followers still around, he was confident in that. That was why he cautioned his son, and why they lived the way they did.

There was a time he'd been content to roll over and die if he was found out. Now, that was no longer the case. He had a son, someone besides himself he was responsible for. He no longer wished to just survive. He wanted to live. Granted, he hadn't been doing much of that exactly, but he liked to think he was still getting his feet about the fact he had  a life to live. And being a single parent was a busy endeavor. He couldn't imagine Lucius being as hands on with Draco as he chose to be with Austin.

Lucius made him think of Bellatrix, and as crazy as the witch was, Severus could acknowledge she'd done one good thing before being killed by Molly Weasley.

Austin was that one good thing.

Even if it had taken Severus months to admit that was true. He'd never expected nor wanted to be a father, but barring casting his son aside to be raised worse than Harry Potter had been he'd had no choice. The woman who had carried him had no living relatives, Bellatrix had ensured that was true. He wasn't sure relatives would have taken him anyway given how he came to be and that the woman had just been a vessel. Severus obviously had no one either.

He'd dreamt of, envisioned, seeing Miss Granger … Hermione again post-war. He'd gone over in his head what he'd tell her. Seven years post-war and he, Severus Snape, still had not come up with the words that would be sufficient to explain the situation to her. And to tell her that he had grown fond of her the months after the war's end she'd spent in his company.

She showed up at his doorstep and he said nothing important. Had not told her facts she had the right to know. He hadn't even offered her tea. He had, in fact, insulted her, though, suggesting as she noticed that she looked less than her best. He shook his head as he wandlessly closed the door long after she'd left, warding it as he usually did for the both of them to be in for the evening.

It had been a month and while Austin mentioned his friend Harmony so Severus knew that she was still working downstairs he hadn't seen her. She hadn't come back to his quarters or made any attempt to contact him.

And why should she? He was her former potion's professor who had been more than a little rude to her when she'd testified on his behalf in front of the Wizengamot. She did anyway despite his protests and had sat in his private room at St. Mungo's for weeks caring for and reading to him because the medical staff still wanted to treat him like a Death Eater.

He'd felt … Dirty, because he had known by this time what Bellatrix had succeeded in doing. (She was crazy, he was allowed to believe most of her crazy ideas would not work.)

Eventually, she'd sat her NEWTs and disappeared from the wizarding world for the most part. The Daily Prophet posted sightings of her with Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley at first. These days it seemed to be just her with Harry Potter, which led to him wondering if they were together. An item. Though the Prophet hadn't insinuated that and that rag surely would if there was even an inkling it was true. They were often seen together, but no one seemed to know what they were doing with their lives. He certainly had no idea what she was doing after achieving the best NEWT scores since his own. (He had no doubt she would have exceeded his scores if she hadn't spent the months prior to sitting them on the run, fighting a war, and then aiding with the legal cleanup after said war's end.)

He'd presumed she'd returned to the muggle world much as he'd done. It was necessary for him. He considered it a waste for her, but realized it might have been necessary for her as well. He couldn't say why he'd settled in this area, an area he knew subconsciously she was more than just a little familiar with. Her parents' dental practice hadn't been far from here. Her childhood home, well the lot that home formerly stood on, wasn't too far from here either. There was a new home there now, he knew, but he suspected she didn't view it as being her home any longer. Maybe he'd hoped she'd end up somewhere familiar and their paths would cross.

Maybe.

In truth, he just wanted to go somewhere he'd be less likely to be found. Who in the hell would look for him in Granger's neck of the woods?

He had an apothecary in Hogsmeade, but he rarely set foot in it. He had capable people to run it so all he had to do was brew and fulfill the orders. He'd shied away from Diagon Alley, not wanting to risk being seen when he did have to go into the store. The likelihood of Skeeter or one of her underlings spotting him in Hogsmeade were far less than they were in Diagon Alley. Eventually, he'd like to expand with a second location into Diagon Alley, but for now he was doing more than sufficiently fine to provide for the things he and Austin needed.

So, a month later and he hadn't seen her since the night she'd shown up at his door looking very much as if she'd been beaten.

And all he'd done was offer her a healing potion that he hadn't even thought of himself. His six-year-old son had.

Even now he scoffed at the thought. Some gentleman he was. He should have offered to look at her cheek at the very least.

How had she gotten into police work anyway? Why was she working at the store downstairs? Why was she still Miss Granger?

He looked at his reflection after he'd finished shaving and readying for the day. He thought he looked … better than he had seven years ago. His hair had hints of grey in it now, but acting as a double spy for twenty years he thought greying in his forties wasn't unreasonable. Otherwise, he was healthily trim and fit. His skin looked healthy, barring the scars and blemishes caused by his servitude. He'd even been attentive to his teeth, correcting and whitening them. Not to the extent they looked fake, but for the first time in his life he had someone he didn't want to be ashamed of his appearance.

His bullying, though over twenty years ago, was still fresh in his mind so he hadn't wanted to give Austin any disadvantages from the get go. He even tried to dress … stylishly.

He made his way downstairs and to the store, sighing softly as he pushed the door open. Few knew he owned the store along with the rest of the building and charged the Bowdens very little rent. He didn't want anyone on the second floor. One day, maybe, but for now he didn't need the income. The neighborhood needed a safe place people could go to get the necessities they needed. Children in the neighborhood needed a place they knew was safe they could converge or just come and buy some candy or crisps after school.

There were a few customers there. He browsed, watching and listening as Hermione assisted the others without any difficulty. One buying some cigarettes appeared to be flirting with her. She appeared to be aware but not interested.

"Hello, Severus," she said as he stepped up behind cigarette-buying man.

"Hermione," he said with a polite nod of his head. "I see you have healed."

"Oh, yes," she said, hand going instinctively to her cheek. There was still a small blemish there, but from the looks of it there would be no lasting scar.

"You know him?" Cigarette-buying man said to Hermione.

"I do," she said.

Cigarette-buying man glared at Severus who merely smirked in return.

"Have a nice day," she said, handing him his change. He turned his attention back to her and took it.

"Thanks," he said, winking in her direction. It did not have the desired effect on her.

"I don't think I've ever seen you in here," she said, glancing at him with a tilt of her head as if she was thinking.

"You are correct."

She regarded him then, clearly realizing he had nothing in front of him to buy. Here goes nothing. There was no one else in the store now, but that could change.

"Would you like to have tea when you're done?"

"I," she said, eyes wide. He'd clearly startled her. "Sure."

"You can enter, just place your hand on the knob. It will let you in. I'll likely be in my lab. It will be the only closed door."

"Does Austin bother you when you're brewing?"

"No."

"I suppose his mother keeps him occupied."

He sighed heavily.

Gryffindors.

Of course she'd mention the mother.

Again.

"It is a long and rather … magical story, but there is no mother."

"I see," she said. "Well, I can't deny I'm not curious about your home."

"Is that the only reason you're agreeing?"

She shrugged, glancing at her hands clutched together in front of her on the counter. Was she embarrassed? Afraid of him? He couldn't tell. He was very out of practice when it came to reading people, and she wasn't a student anymore. Despite his surly attitude they had some pleasant discussions while she sat with him. He assumed she'd found them to be as well. He thought he recognized reciprocated interest, though it had never been directed at him before in his life. He had nipped that in the bud, though. If wishes were horses, well, they weren't for him. She was not for him.

She looked up finally and he saw sincerity in her eyes. "It would be nice to catch up with you as well."

"It would," he agreed. "I look forward to seeing you after closing then. I'm sure Austin will be down at some point."

"What is he doing now?"

"He was watching a cartoon, do not ask me which one, and eating cereal."

"Has he started reading Chronicles yet?"

"He has. I think his teacher, as smart as she knows him to be, may have gotten a little ahead of his comprehension. He'll read a page or two and then ask me to read it to him before bed. We usually go over the page or two he's already tried to read and we sound out the words together. Defining them, too, of course. I don't mind reading to him, though, so it works fine."

"I was surprised she would gift him such a book, but he does seem quite smart."

"They wanted him to skip a grade, but I did not think that would be wise so early. Intelligence isn't all they learn in primary school. There are social skills and such, too, that I think are important."

"I agree," she said. "I think so young, yes, it could prove a detriment rather than a positive."

"That was my thinking. I realize my experience was a while ago and times have changed, but he already has the disadvantage of no mother in the picture. I don't want to make him a freak on top of everything else and I know how intelligent people can be viewed."

"That is understandable and very insightful," she said.

She didn't seem to be teasing or anything, which relieved him. He'd thought long and hard about it, but he just thought the cons outweighed the pros of making such a jump. She no doubt understood, too, how intelligent people could be seen as freaks.

"Well, I'll leave you to your work. I know the Bowdens are rather lax with you, but I still don't want to monopolize your time. Have a good day."

"You, too, Severus. Do I need to bring anything?"

"Yourself. If there's a preferred biscuit you have, but I have plenty," he said, gesturing to the aisle containing just that.

"Okay," she said.

He returned upstairs then, finding Austin exactly where he'd left him. He walked to him, settling his hand over the boy's head. He sighed heavily. This right here was the one good thing he had out of his life. The conversation later could change that. Could change everything.

"When your cartoon is over, please ensure your room is picked up."

"Why?" his son asked.

"Hermione is coming up for tea after she's finished working."

"Miss Harmony?"

"Yes," he said with a smile. "I think you're the only one who could get away with calling her that."

"She's pretty," he said.

"She is," Severus agreed.

He hadn't always thought so, but of course she was eleven when he'd first seen her. He hadn't even noticed his opinion had changed about her attractiveness until she was no longer sitting beside his bed while he was healing. Somewhere along the line during that time she'd changed from being bothersome to instead rather fetching.

He'd missed her.

Until he thought on the fact that she would hate him.

That prevented him from seeking the witch out.

She had grown into a very attractive witch. However she came to be in law enforcement it had obviously given her a sense of confidence that she hadn't perfected before now. He no longer saw the eager look of someone wanting to impress in her eyes.

Of course he'd only seen her for a handful of minutes over the span of a month for the first time in almost seven years. So maybe he was wrong, but he didn't think so.

"She likes to read, too."

"She does," Severus agreed, knowing that was true. He doubted any amount of time would change that about her. "She's offered to take you to the library with her one day after school."

"Really?" he asked, obviously getting excited at that thought and Severus couldn't help but chuckle. He loved Austin's enthusiasm at learning. Anything. Everything. He'd been shocked he'd grabbed the correct potion for Hermione last month. As if he'd known she would only want the healing, not any pain reliever.

"Really. That interests you?"

"Yes!"

Severus had never taken him to the local library because the one at his school had to this point been satisfactory. He was six not sixteen, he could still have the same book read to him a dozen times and not grow tired of it. (Severus could grow very tired of it, of course.)

"Okay, then, I will see when she can take you. Do not pester Miss Hermione. She's a busy woman."

"Witch."

"Austin. We have talked about this. You should not have given her that potion."

"But Dad, I knew!"

"I know you did," Severus said. Severus thought there was a good chance his son could know quite a few things about Hermione without realizing he did. "You still have to be cautious. Not all witches and wizards living in the muggle world want attention drawn to them. Not all think it's safe."

He rolled his eyes, and Severus had to stifle the smirk. He could see her perfectly in that eye roll. He'd seen her do it several times at Potter and Weasley in particular. To see that eye roll in eyes that were more like his in color was odd.

To say the least.

"One day, you'll read the history books and know. Until then, people are men and women only. I know you know that there are witches and wizards, but unless someone tells you that they are you are not to bring it to their, or anyone else's, attention."

Austin seemed to think on this as he grew quiet. He nodded slightly, but Severus suspected this was going to be a long-standing argument with his son. He was stubborn, and he knew precisely where he got that trait from.

"Did Miss Harmony fight in the war?"

"She did. She is a hero."

"Like you?"

"No, different from me. She was a hero because she chose to be. She stayed loyal to her friend, her best friend, despite the fact she could have gone home at any time and been safe. As a result, we won. Even after she acted heroically, testifying at many trials."

"Oh," he said. "So, she was best friends with Harry Potter."

Severus had told him about the war but refrained from getting too in depth. He knew his father was considered a war hero and that Harry was the main focus of the story, but Severus had not gone into detail. One day when he was older he'd have no choice. Before he got on the Hogwarts Express he'd have to tell him.

Five short years from now.

He sighed.

Would he be the only one seeing him off on the Hogwarts Express on that September morning? He couldn't help but be curious. Especially now.

And hope.

For the first time in his life he truly felt hope.

If she didn't hex or hate him after they were done talking tonight.

Story ©Susan Matthews/APCKRFAN/PhantomRoses.com