THE PERFECT DAY

by Severusgirlx



He had never doubted her bravery. Whether it was facing Death Eaters and monsters during her school years, or putting her life on the line in the final battle, he'd always - despite his bitter attitude - held a grudging admiration for her determination and bravery.

Then years later when she had taken him on in marriage, this reluctant admission had turned to utter devotion and love. And as he'd watched her give birth to their three children, with each delivery posing its own complications, he'd held her hand, encouraged her throughout, and cursed his selfish desires that had culminated in such suffering.

Now he was helping her prepare for what must be the bravest thing she would ever do, and his love for her clutched at his heart. She had given him everything he could have wished for, and more. She had been the key to his happiness. Everything that was worth anything in his life had been gained from the moment he'd admitted his love for her, and she for him.

She was everything.

He tucked the rug around her legs. "Comfortable?"

She smiled at him. "Yes, thank you."

He looked at her, trying to see her thoughts behind the faded, yet still beautiful brown eyes. "Are you sure you're ready for this?"

"Severus, we've been through this..."

He patted her hand indulgently. "I know. Excuse an old wizard for fussing."

Moving to the back of the chair, he took hold of the handles and began wheeling his wife into the garden where their family awaited.

The trestle tables were lined end-to-end in the orchard, and their (paid!) house-elves had set them with a wonderful lunch. Around the tables, glasses of wine already in their hands, stood the family. As the couple approached, the family opened from their group and came forward.

"Hello, Mum - that's a pretty top you're wearing." Helena, their oldest, came forward to kiss Hermione.

"Father hasn't got that chair to fly yet, I see," laughed Albi, their youngest child and only son.

Hermione laughed. "Judging from our past successes with flying, I think that's a jolly good thing, don't you?" She accepted Albi's kiss on the cheek.

Severus' heart lurched. Her voice was so thin and wavery, and he'd noticed her hand shift in a vain attempt to rise and touch Albi's arm. If this afternoon hadn't been her own idea, her own wish, he would never have allowed it.

"How are you, Mum?" Emily was there, looking with concern into her mother's eyes, then glancing at Severus with unspoken questions in her eyes. Emily was a mediwitch and more attuned to her mother's illness than her brother and sister.

"Oh, how you fuss," said Hermione. "I'm as well as ever I am."

Next came the wife and husbands, who greeted their parents-in-law in much the same way.

"Shall we eat?" Severus was determined that this afternoon should be perfect and yet as swift as decently possible.

The adults settled themselves and Severus pushed Hermione's chair to the head of the table.

Helena rang a little silver bell. "KIDS!"

A squawking, whooping gang of children, ranging from seven to fourteen, came crashing out from the glade. There were five in all, and the youngest one came rushing up to Hermione with an enthusiasm that made Severus lean forward and catch him.

"Not so fast!" he barked, as he restrained the youngster from climbing up onto the wheel of the chair. Severus had mellowed in his attitude over the years, if only towards his family. The tone had been unintentionally stern in his concern for his wife's safety. The child reddened and bowed his head. The others gathered round.

"Hello, my angels." Hermione smiled. "Never mind Grandpa, he swallowed a wasp for breakfast. Have you been having fun?"

"Yes," said Bertie, bursting with news. "Giles jinxed Cynthia into a tree and we all saw her knickers!"

"SHUT UP!" screamed eight-year-old Cynthia, red with indignation. "Mum! Tell him!"

Emily got up from her chair. "Come on, let's all sit down and eat this wonderful lunch. Look, everyone has their favourite food."

The family sat and there was much chattering from the grandchildren until Dora, the eldest grandchild, looked up.

"Who are the other two places for, Grandma?"

"Harry and Ginny, of course," Albi answered for his mother.

"They warned they might be late, and told us to start without them," added Severus. The years had done little to smooth the animosity between Severus and Harry. However, in recent months they had come to bury their differences in concern for Hermione's health.

"Oh great!" yelled Giles. "That means James and Ron will be here."

The grandchildren were especially keen on Harry and Ginny's two youngest children. Now young men, James and Ron tended to indulge the smaller boys in games that were strictly too old for them, and in that respect, the youngsters regarded them as heroes.

Before anyone could reply, there was a loud crack from the direction of the great oak, and the Potters appeared, arms wrapped around each other as they Apparated together.

"Sorry. We got here as soon as we could." Ginny, still vibrant and red-haired, embraced Hermione and then looked into her face, her hand caressing her hair. "How are you?"

Hermione smiled yet another smile and nodded. "I'm well, thank you. Harry, you never get any older."

It was true. In the matter of blood, Harry obviously had his father's wizard blood. His messy hair was barely touched by grey, and there were hardly any lines on his face at all. At seventy-five, he looked middle-aged.

Harry grinned and bent to kiss Hermione. "You look gorgeous." He turned to Severus and held out his hand. "Happy anniversary."

Severus shook the hand with a 'thank you', if only for Hermione's sake.

"Where're Ron and James?" wailed the younger boys.

"Oh, they're off with their girlfriends," said Ginny, tousling Giles' hair. "They'll see you all next time. They sent you a gift, though. You can have it after lunch."

With everyone present and seated, they ate.

Severus took a small portion of everything he knew Hermione liked, cut it up before him, mashed it, then raised a forkful to her mouth.

"See to yourself now," she said, after the third mouthful. He dabbed the corners of her mouth with a napkin and settled to his own lunch, only to resume feeding her after a few minutes.

In a while she shook her head, indicating she'd had her fill.

"Mum, you've hardly eaten," said Emily, who'd been watching her father feed her mother.

"We had a big breakfast," said Hermione. "And you know my appetite isn't what it used to be."

Emily again looked at her father, but Severus avoided her gaze and instead witnessed a worried exchange between Harry and Ginny.

As the meal came to a close, Albi stood, clinking a spoon on the edge of his glass, demanding silence.

"I think, as the son and heir..."

There was jeering from his two sisters, and Helena threw a bread roll at him. Everyone laughed.

"OK," he continued, laughing himself. "One of the sons and heirs..." Everyone laughed again. "I'd like to propose a toast to Father and Mum. I want to thank them for being such wonderful parents, and congratulate Mum on putting up with Father for forty-five years. I don't know how she's done it. To Father and Mum!"

Everyone raised their glasses.

Severus looked at Hermione, but her eyes were travelling around the table, as though performing a personality check on each of the guests. When her eyes had done the rounds and came to rest on Severus, she took a breath.

"'How have I done it?'" she said, gazing at him all the while. "The day I realised I loved your father was the happiest day of my life."

"What about when you met Uncle Harry?" chirruped Giles, who gained a lot of kudos at school from knowing the great Harry Potter. Everyone laughed.

"I think Harry will forgive me...?" Hermione smiled.

Harry bowed his agreement, grinning broadly.

"It took a long time to acknowledge our feelings," Hermione continued, her voice very thin and trembling, "but marrying Severus was the key to a lifetime of happiness. For out of our love came our family - Helena, Emily, Albi." She looked at each of her children in turn. "Who I love more than life itself. And our dear, darling grandchildren, who have brightened our days and filled us with pride. Harry - who has remained my very dear friend since we were eleven, and Ginny who has become a sister to me." Hermione paused, whether through emotion or weakness, or both. "And dear Ron, whose company we still sorely miss after so many years. I wanted my dear ones, who I love so much, to be around me when I tell you, Severus - you have been my love, my friend, my protector and - dare I say - teacher."

Everyone laughed.

"Through thick and thin, good and bad, you have been by my side. I want to tell you how very much I love you, and thank you with all my heart for allowing me to share your life these past forty-five years."

There was hasty dabbing of eyes from the guests, but Hermione was gazing at Severus, and it was his eyes that shone with emotion.

He rose from his chair, leaned across and kissed her so very, very gently on the lips. There was a collective 'ahhhh' from the guests, and then applause.

"I need to go now," she whispered, as his face lingered close to hers. He nodded and turned to the family, informing them that their mother needed to rest.

In the past year or two, since their mother's illness, the family had got used to these abrupt departures, and quickly gathered themselves to say goodbye.

When Emily came to kiss them, she grasped her father's arm. "What's going on?" she whispered to him, her face creased with concern.

"Your mother is merely tired," he told her. "You know it doesn't take much, and this has been a big day for her." He returned her gaze, silently telling her there was nothing to worry about.

"You don't have to do this, you know," she told him. "You can have help. You're not expected to look after her when she's this dependent..."

"Pardon me," he cut in, "but I was under the impression I had promised to do so in my marriage vows."

Emily's eyes glistened as she stretched up to kiss her father goodbye.
__________

Alone now, Severus helped Hermione to the toilet, then cleaned her teeth, removed her make-up and undressed her before lifting her into bed and making her comfortable.

"Will you read to me?"

Her voice was barely a whisper now. He bit down on his emotions like he'd never done before.

"Just let me go to the bathroom..."

When he returned, he settled himself next to her in the bed.

"It was a perfect day," she whispered.

"Yes. Yes it was." He stroked her hair and swallowed a tidal wave of emotion as he looked at her poor weak body, and trusting face. Silently, and not for the first time, he cursed the blood that had given her a Muggle illness; a Muggle life-span.

"What are you going to read?"

"One of your favourites."

"You sound funny," she said, sleepily. "Have you got something in your mouth?"

"Just some meat stuck between my teeth. Now..." He opened Hogwarts, a History and began to read.

Every now and then he would glance up from the page to look at her, as her eyes fluttered in and out of sleep. He had just begun chapter two when he heard, "Severus!"

It was a whimper - the tiniest of cries.

In an instant he'd thrown aside the book and gathered her to him, holding her, burying his face in her hair to kiss her head, trying desperately to transfer his own strength to her, until he felt her body slacken and become heavy in his arms.

"Hermione!" he cried, his voice thick with pain - but she could not hear him. She had gone.

His grief lasted but a few moments. As his heart broke, so did the small capsule he had tucked away in his cheek. His teeth came down to crush it. The poison flooded through his veins, and in a breath, he too was gone.

_____________

"We look so peaceful," she said, as they stood hand-in-hand at the foot of the bed, gazing down at the Severus and Hermione huddled beneath the sheets. "It was very naughty of you to follow so soon."

Severus turned to look at the Hermione standing beside him. She was as young, beautiful and healthy as the day he had married her. "When have you ever known me to behave well?" he smirked. "Come."

Together they walked from the room.


The end
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A/N - Inspired by Linda and Paul McCartney's 'last perfect day' before Linda died of cancer, and the film The Ghost and Mrs. Muir.