You are My Home

Chapter 5

The crowded safe house was not as crowded anymore after most of them left for doing some missions leaving Hermione, Severus, Mrs. Wood, Cho and Dumbledore who was still unconscious. Severus was much stronger now that he could walk around the house. Sometimes they all still thought that their eyes were deceiving them every time they saw him cradling his son in the big armchair in the living room. The once cold professor had changed.

"Stop smothering him. He'll be spoiled," said Hermione to him before giving him a quick kiss on the lip when he was holding his son at the dining table.

"I'm not," he said flatly, "You're burning the soup."

"Oops," she quickly turned off the stove, and paid attention to the other pot.

"Merlin, woman, you're destroying our dinner."

"Oh shut up!" she said still doing something to her other pot that started to give weird smell.

Severus sniffed and frowned. He gave few minutes then he placed his son into the bassinet and walked to Hermione. He took a glance to the pot and frowned to her. In returned, he found that she was crying.

"I'm sorry, I can't cook." She cried harder, "I was trying to help, so Cho could have rest. But I'm good for nothing."

His heart clenched immediately, seeing her broke down. 

"Hermione, my dear," he turned off all the stove and pulled her to his arms. 

She sniffed into his chest, making his white shirt wet.

"Cooking is just not your thing. You're also tired. You just had a baby three days ago."

She lifted her face and looked at him. She found he was sincere with his words. He then guided her to the chair next to bassinet. "Now, just sit here, watch over our son. I'll cook."

She smiled immediately and sat down, "Okay, I love your food. I actually missed it."

He got down on his knees that they were on the same height and left his hands on her waist, "If you want, I can cook for you every day."

She grinned and felt unease, "No, I can't ask you to do that."

"But I want to. Hermione, I love you. Maybe more than you ever know. And I know that this is not how I should treat you. I mean, I'm not a good man, you're pregnant and I didn't even know. I'm so lucky that I was there when Nicholas was born, but still, you have done a lot for me." It was a rare thing that he could honestly say words from his heart, without screening and without calculating. But Hermione's daze face confused him. "Hermione?" 

She shook her head and asked, "You love me?"

He palmed both of her cheeks and smiled to her, "Of course. I know I never said it, but  I've showed it with my gestures. I'm a horrible man, but I won't ever sleep with you if I don't have any feelings for you. I respect you and will never take advantage of you."

She smiled back, "I should've known. You're a good man, Severus."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are."

"No..."

"Yes. And if you dare say 'no' one more time, I will hex you, Severus."

He chuckled, knowing how fierce she could be, "Alright. I try my best to be a good man." He stood up and pet the top of her head. "Now, sit nicely here and learn from the master."

She chuckled watching her husband throw away most of her cooking and he started all over.

"This is very delicious," Cho said after finishing her second serve.

"I never knew you can cook this good, Hermione," Madeline said, complimenting what she thought was the chef.

Hermione laughed out loud and said, "I didn't cook this."

"Ahhh," Cho knowingly nodded her head, "Happy to hear you say that. I still remember the last time you cooked, even Ron couldn't eat it."

Then they all laughed.

"Thank you Severus," Madeline said, "But you shouldn't have. You still need to rest."

"I'm fine, Madeline. Tonight  I will go out and search for the ingredients. Later tonight I shall start brewing the potion for Albus."

"No," Madeline said firmly. She was much too concern on his condition.

"I'm fine, Madeline." He said firmer, causing Hermione's hand moved to his, silently asking him not to get angry.

That action caused him to turn to her, "She means well, Sev. Let me go with you."

"I will not let you go deeper in forbidden forest. It's a dangerous place and you need to take care of our son," he said in a warm pleading tone causing her hard to rile up with his implied meaning.

"I can go," Cho said, "It's not my first either. I have gone to find ingredients there myself for several times. Although previously, Ron was always there with me. And I can help you to search for the ingredients as well."

Severus turned and stared deeply to her causing her shivered a bit. This snarky professor still frightened her even after these few years. 

"Very well, I think that's the middle ground that can make everyone happy."

After dinner, Severus went to the laboratory, making a list for things he needed to find later that night. Cho was holding their baby and realized she didn't know the baby's name yet.

"What's his name, Hermione?"

They were sitting side by side on the two seats sofa in the living room. "Nicholas Severus Snape." She said proudly. She then gave a kiss to his little hand, and the little boy was smiling to his mommy saying unintelligent words.

"Nicholas," Cho called him.

"I asked Severus to name him." Hermione said, "I know that we're not married. I just want him to have his last name. He's his son after all." She explained as if Cho was questioning it. "We love each other, and that's the most important,... I think..."

"You want him to propose?" Cho whispered.

"Desperately." She said, followed by chuckles from both ladies, "How needy I am."

"You're not. It's every girl's dream, to be proposed by the men that we love, I guess. I mean, that's my dream. Maybe in time, Hermione. He changed a lot you know."

They laughed out loud, attracting little Nicholas to laugh out loud as well. 

"That's the most beautiful sound I ever heard," Hermione said commenting her son's giggle.

"It is," Severus said, while standing near the hallway.

He walked and took his son from Cho and gave him a kiss on his forehead before giving him to Hermione and gave a quick kiss to Hermione's lip.

"We have to go now." He said to Cho, and both of them walked away deeper inside the Forbidden Forest.