Survivor

Chapter 22 - An Unanswerable Question.

A rather dramatic turn of events indeed! H.x

Severus sipped is his breakfast coffee, two hours earlier than he would usually divulge, just for something to do. The sun hadn't risen yet, the only light in his crowded living room-come-library came from the dying embers in the hearth.

Hermione and Severus had gone to bed the night prior with innocent intentions of getting an early night. The hubub of the trial had been exhausting for both of them. Yet Severus lay there, listening to Hermione drift off to sleep, waiting for his own peace to come. It never did. After 2 hours of enduring the sandman's teasing, Severus decided to get up, for fear of disturbing Hermione with his tossing and turning. 

Lucius's trial had been a kick in the balls for both himself and Hermione, but it was a blow that he suspected they had both expected. Severus had known that the chance of Malfoy's charges being dropped was slim to none, but it was still a shot to the chest when The Minister had announced his sentence. Narcissa's cries would haunt Severus's dreams for nights to come (provided he did actually get to sleep). 

What haunted Severus more, was the thought of what would happen to Hermione after he was inevitably sentenced to a life in prison. He would tell her to move on. Severus knew better than most what it was like to spend a lifetime in love with someone who was unattainable. He couldn't imagine Hermione suffering for him as he had done with Lily. However, Severus hypothesized that the impossible witch was unlikely to give up on him - she had a soft spot for sorry-cases. She was his little bleeding-heart Gryffindor and he wouldn't change her for the world. 

He wanted to leave her everything he had. It was an immensely sad truth that there was no one else Severus could give it to. Perhaps Draco, but Lucius had ensured his son's financial security. No, Hermione would benefit from the gift of his assets more. He didn't particularly care what she did with his house and money, he wouldn't be around to see it. 

Severus knew he was thinking himself into a migraine, but was unable to stop. 

____

Hermione greeted Severus sleepily, when she finally rose just after 9. There was still sleep in her eyes and the imprint of the pillow on her face. She shot him an accusatory glare. "Good Morning. You haven't slept have you?"

Severus was still sat in his arm chair by the fire, drowning in his ponderings when she had emerged through the living room door. He avoided her eye, the same way he used to avoid Minerva's gaze when he was in trouble at school. "No." 

"Severus-" Hermione began with a warning tone in her voice.

"I don't want to talk about it." Severus dismissed her, rising from his chair and taking his empty coffee mug into the kitchen. Hermione followed.

"Is this about yesterday?" She insisted, clearly having ignored Severus's previous comment. 

"Hermione, I said I don't want to talk about it." He groaned, beginning to get irritated. 

The witch huffed. "Fine." 

Severus hadn't made breakfast for Hermione, like he had become so accustomed to doing since she had been taken into his care. Instead, she stretched on her tip-toes to reach the lonely box of cereal that he kept on the top shelf of the cupboard. He didn't attempt to help her, instead he watched as her T-shirt rose to reveal her lower-back. 

"I'm going to Diagon alley." Severus announced. 

Hermione whipped her head round with a smile, her hand digging deep into the box of cereal she had retrieved. "Brilliant, we can go to Flourish and Blotts. I wanted to get-"