Deep Bruises of War (Finnished)

Epilogue

Only when they arrived to the top of Astronomic Tower, she found the courage to look at him.

"I wish you could stay" she said.

"I could. But I don't want to."

"That's a pity."

He smirked.

"I assume, you are amused by my sentiment towards you, Severus but I'm really going to miss you. After all, I worked as your parrot for last nine months." She forced herself to smile, but managed only a pale, rather sad grimace.

"Believe me, Granger, I'm also tired of all inconveniences caused by our cooperation."

She snorted and shook her head.

"It was not cynical, Severus. I genuinely cherished our work together. I learned so much from you and your help... with my... problems was... invaluable."

He didn't say anything to that, only stared into the darkness beneath him.

"Where are you heading?"

"Do you really thought I will tell you?"

She shrugged.

"Maybe I did."

She heard a wheezing sound and looked at him, suddenly alarmed. But he was only laughing.

This son of a bitch was laughing.

"You, of all people?" He asked.

"Yes" she drawled. "Me, of all people. I considered you a friend. A real one, Severus maybe even..."

"Maybe even what?" She felt his dark eyes on her face, so she looked away.

"Never you mind." She snapped.

He laughed again.

"If I told you where I'm going to spend the rest of my life, you would probably haunt the grounds of my castle every summer and winter break, or wouldn't you?"

She mumbled something indistinctly.

"I beg your pardon?"

"I said that probably you would be right!"

"Oh, there is no reason to yell at me, Miss Granger."

She gave him a look, snorted and then, eventually, laughed shortly.
"I hope you'll finally find some peace, Severus. Merlin knows, that from all people in the world, you deserve it the most."

"You are still naïve as hell, Granger."

She shrugged again.

"Maybe I am."

"It's not a maybe."

"Or MAYBE you are far more bitter than I am."

They stood there in silence, watching the first July storm form over the Forbidden Forest.

"I'll send you a postcard, so you can add it to your collection." He said half-mockingly.

Hermione came closer, took his cold hand in hers and squeezed it softly.

"I would really appreciate that."

Then she hesitated. There was another question on her mind, one she had asked him long ago.

"So what do you feel now in the matter of love, Severus?" He was standing so still, staring at the horizon, that she wasn't even sure if he was listening. "Do you continually consider yourself unworthy of it all?"

He didn't answer for a while, so Hermione waited patiently. There was no Dark Lord to fight, no horkruxes to find, no more lives to save, except their own. They had all the time in the world.