𝙻𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚜 𝙸𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚝𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚍 II SS/HG ✔️

Departure

The two approached the front gate.

"Your last chance to come to your senses," Severus rasped.

"Again, you don't have to come if you don't want."

He rubbed his throat. Her eyebrows lost a bit of the sassy tilt. She was anxious.

"People. Don't like me."

Hermione moved the cat-carrier to her other hand. "Well, they don't even know you, yet. So that's a plus."

"Aren't I as old as they are?"

She chuckled a bit. "No."

He rubbed his throat again. Once the muscles had restitched themselves, he was left with a tingle in his throat like constant heartburn.

"And how likely are they," he began, "to approve of you not only—having married your professor—but then postponing the divorce?"

"I'll deal with it," she snipped. "If you plan on sticking around. If not, then never mind."

"You didn't sign the annulment." His voice was like Crookshanks clawing their bedpost.

Hermione stopped on one side of the gate and he stopped on the other. "Do you want to stop being married, yes or no?"

"Do you think I like that you're stuck with me?" he snapped. "I want you around—if you want to be around."

"Maybe you didn't notice, but I do want to be around." She hitched her purse higher on her shoulder. "That's why I stay here dealing with an even crankier you than usual."

If he had been 'crankier' than usual, he either didn't notice or had blocked it out of his memory. Severus stepped out of the castle grounds for the first time in two months.

Severus thrust a letter at her. She huffed but took it to read who it was from. He watched her eyes widen with each line.

Severus's old master said his firm would be happy to expand upon her knowledge after a 'cursory test,' of course. To that, Severus could agree. Arsenius Jigger waived the N.E.W.T. requirement, citing 'unforeseen destruction of the testing site.' Much like the Aurory, Slug and Jigger Apothecary counted defeating the Dark Lord as the highest possible mark.

Her test was in one month.

"This seems like just as much a test of you as it is for me," Hermione said when she finished.

"Yes, Jigger is…particular."

"Oh is he?" she laughed and tucked the letter into her bedraggled blue purse. "Coming from you, I'm starting to get nervous."

She held out her arm. Severus looped his hand at the crook of her elbow. "You have a way with particular Potions Masters."

Hermione shook her head with a grin then closed her eyes. As she focused on her parents' home, she Disapparated them to London. Crookshanks began to yowl before their feet regained solid ground.

Bollocks, Severus thought when they Apparated into the back garden. Even with the tall wooden fence, Severus could tell this was a…nice area.

The Grangers' garden had wilted, with no one to tend the bushes, and the grass was overgrown. The two-story house was modest but with comfortable trappings even on the back patio.

Hermione's hand immediately jumped to her mouth to chew her fingernails. "Oh dear, I'll have to fix this before they—if they—want to come back."

Severus put his fingertips on her knuckles and slowly lowered her hand.

Hermione turned up her nose with a 'hmph!' and flounced over to the back door. Crookshanks' claws lanced through the metal door of his crate.

"What manner of curses are on this house?" Severus asked before he took a step closer.