Coming Home

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Ronnie and the plot. The rest belongs to the lovely JK Rowling!

semperputus: I decided to go ahead and update tonight!! Yay!! I\'m so glad you are still reading!

destiny black: That song was so hot when what\'s-his-name sang it in Moulin Rouge. I liked the song before, but after, well, let\'s just say it tops my list of all time faves. I\'ll email you the original if you want...

ladyevilfaerie: This one is a bit longer. Thanks for the review!!

Hermione forgot the moment and picked up her son. She got him a bottle and fed him. Severus watched her with the child and that clenching sensation in his chest he’d been feeling lessen over the last few months completely disappeared. He knew what had happened and though he felt very good, he denied it. I want to bed her because she’s the closest thing I have to Harry, he chided himself. She’s turning her attentions to me because she misses Ron.

When Ronnie was full, she lay him back down and returned her attentions to Severus. “That…that shouldn’t have happened,” she said more to herself than to him.

He touched her arm. “Why should it not have?” he found himself asking.

Hermione was uncomfortable and couldn’t bring her eyes to meet Snape’s. “It’s a disservice to Harry and Ron,” she whispered.

He tried to pull her close, but she did not want him to hold her. He stepped forward and put his arms around the young woman. “I think they would both be happy knowing that we have found a way to love another and still keep their memories alive.”

“Love?” she asked.

“Yes, Hermione, I’ve come to love you in the time we’ve spent together. Love you like I did Harry.”

The young woman went pale and pulled away. “I…I …I…” She almost fell trying to get away from Snape.

A noise pulled Hermione out of her reverie with a jerk. She laughed at what her reaction had been and went in search of the noise.

She recognized that noise as retching. Someone in her chambers was violently ill. She headed straight for the bathroom and found the sound coming from the master bathroom. Severus was knelt over the toilet throwing his guts up. She reached down and held his hair back for him and the contents of his stomach made its way back up. When he was done, she put a cold wet cloth on his throat and forehead and he rinsed his mouth out with a glass of water.

“What has made you so violently ill?” she asked alarmed.

Though he was paler than usual, he smiled, “Nerves.”

He lay down on the bed hoping to quell the nausea that was threatening to send him back to the bathroom. She sat beside him. “Nerves?”

“It’s 10 days until the ball. I\'ll be like this every evening, I’m sure.”

Hermione laughed despite herself. “Are you kidding? Nerves?”

His face flushed red and he spoke to her through gritted teeth. “Yes, when I get especially nervous, I get sick.”

She’d upset him, so that was good, he didn’t have time to be nervous if he was angry. “I’ll make you a nausea potion, and maybe one to relax. When I get done, I’ll come in here and help you rid your body of some of that nervous energy.”

Hermione was true to her word. In half an hour, she’d returned. He was lying on the bed and had frozen the cloth to give him longer lasting cool than just the water. She gave him a small cup of the draught she’d made. He made a face as he took the first sip. “Gah! This tastes like shit! What’s in this? Why didn’t you make my usual draught?”

Hermione pushed the cup back to his lips. “Yes, love, this does taste like crap, but it’s a lot more potent than your usual draught. And, it can be rubbed on your body to help eliminate the stress and heal your nerves from the outside.”

He sighed and took the rest of the drink in one gulp. It threatened to come right back up, but he managed not to vomit on the bed somehow. She disrobed him as he struggled to keep his stomach contents down. “Roll over, Love.”

He lay on his stomach, and Hermione gave him a deep tissue massage with the bad tasting drink. She used acupressure that she’d learned in the muggle world. She also used a massage technique that she’d learned from Madame Pomfrey. It was not long until Severus was fast asleep. She continued to work down his body until she finished. He slept through the night without so much as moving.

Hermione left her husband sleeping and closed the door to the room. “Ronnie,” she called.

“Do you want to help me put up the Yule tree?”

Ronnie’s eyes grew to at least the size of Dobbie’s when she asked. “Really Mum? I’d love to help you!”

They retrieved the tree from the back room and Ronnie helped her gather all of the decorations. Hermione was tempted to just flick her wand and do it the easy way, but she did not want to deprive her son of the tradition that she had as a child. They worked for two hours putting the tree up and adding the garland and poinsettias. She put sprigs of mistletoe and holly berries in it. There were silver and gold candles sitting all over the tree. Finally, Hermione and Ronnie were completely finished, except for the angel on top. “Mum, are we going to put the top on it?” Ronnie asked screwing up his face.

“We aren’t love, your Uncle Severus is. The tradition at your Gram and Gramp’s is that Mum and the children put the tree up and decorate it and Dad comes in and puts the topper on it. We can do something else, though.”

The little boy’s eyes lit up. “What else can we do Mum?”

“We can finish decorating the house.” With that, Hermione flicked her wand and beautiful holly garland appeared above the hearth and over the doors. Red and gold bows adorned the corners of each. Silver candles stood proudly atop the fire place and on every counter.

Ronnie looked around in awe. “Mum it’s beautiful! Can we get Uncle Severus up so he can top the tree? Please?”

“No love, he’s sick right now and needs his sleep. I’ll get you up and he can do it in the morning.”

She and her son began getting ready for bed. She put Ronnie to sleep and looked at herself in her mirror. I’m getting really big, she thought as she joined Severus in the bed. He was still laying on his stomach and the towels had completely melted under him causing a big wet spot on his pillow.

The next morning, instead of his usual tea, Hermione fixed Severus a peppermint, chamomile, and lavender mix herbal tea. “Love, are you feeling better?”

Severus grunted in reply. His face was buried in his pillow and his hair was damp from the cloths still under him. “Severus, it’s time for you to get up.”

He groaned like a child. “I know you don’t want to get up, but you have a class to teach today.”

He rolled over and looked at his wife holding a mug of steaming tea. “What did you do to me last night?” he asked groggily. “I still don’t feel like moving this morning.”

She laughed. “I gave you a massage to get rid of your nerves and you went right to sleep. Now, drink this tea. It’s a relaxing tea and it’s got peppermint in it, too, for your nausea.”

He pushed the cup away and got up. “After the working over I got last night from you, I don’t think I’ll have to worry about my nerves until later.”

He jumped in the shower and got dressed. As he did, Hermione roused Ronnie and they waited patiently for Severus to come into the sitting room. When he did, Ronnie held the angel he’d been holding anxiously over his head at his \'uncle\'. “It’s tradition,” is all that he said.

Severus put the angel on the top of the tree and stood back. He smiled at Hermione and pointed his wand at the tree. Suddenly, light snowflakes were falling around it and all of the candles were lit. “It’s beautiful,” he commented to them as he walked out of the door to go to class.

A/N: There\'s only 2 more chaperts left after this one my readers!! Maybe little Snape will make her way into this world?!?!