Thanks to kizzy7 for being such a lovely cheerleader and a fab beta.

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Severus stepped out of his Floo with a bitter taste in his mouth and a smirk on his lips. The rolls of parchment in his hand held the Ministry seal, applied firmly by the Minister himself. The meeting had been brief but necessary, the final step towards freedom for a man who had never known what freedom really felt like.

Hermione stepped from the kitchen and leaned against the chipped white gloss paint on the doorjamb. She had changed into her Muggle clothes for their journey, faded blue denim jeans and a white t-shirt under a pale blue cotton cardigan. They didn't completely hide her slight frame but they did draw less attention to her weight loss. Her hair was already starting to regain its lustre, and it hung in long, wavy lengths around her shoulders. Severus was confident she would be back to full health in the coming months, and he looked forward to seeing her new curves.

'Done?' she asked him with a quirk of an eyebrow.

'Almost,' he replied. Turning, he stripped off in front of the fireplace, and piece by piece he threw his uniform of black into the flames. He stood and watched his past life reduced to embers, sighing slightly as Hermione wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her soft cheek against his skin. With an sharp exhalation, Severus turned to her and tipped her chin with a gentle finger, dipping his head to kiss her softly. They smiled at the same time, and Hermione giggled as she felt the stirrings of Severus's cock against her leg.

'Later,' Severus chuckled, addressing his comment more to his own appendage than to the willing witch in his arms. Reluctantly letting go, Severus walked to the threadbare armchair and lifted the neatly folded clothes that had been laid out for him. Raising his eyes at Hermione, he laughed out loud and then proceeded to don the pale blue cotton shirt and faded blue denim jeans she had acquired for him. He shook his head, still chuckling. He looked down at himself and then back at Hermione, looking her up and down pointedly. He wasn't sure if he felt flattered or offended that she had staked her claim by making them wear matching outfits. Hermione stared back at him guilelessly.

'What?' she asked, her voice innocent. However, she wasn't able to hide the twinkle in her eye as she appraised his frame in his new clothes and grinned sheepishly as Severus laughed again.

'It's time.' Severus gestured to Hermione to follow him, and they walked together into the back garden. Severus didn't look at anything but Hermione as they wrapped their arms around each other. He had already said a painful goodbye to his precious plants, and it was a necessary separation. To bring them with him would be to bring reminders of a past he no longer needed or wanted.

Neither of them looked back as Severus twisted on the spot and Disapparated them both to a new life.

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The first thing Hermione noticed was the heat of the sun on her hair. Turning out of Severus's firm hold, she looked around herself in awe. There were mountains to the left that dipped down to a green valley edged with trees. Where the ground disappeared in the near distance, a blue sea dazzled like azure, tempting her to dip her toes in at the water's edge. Hermione turned around, and a green meadow spread before her and shimmered lightly with a haze that wasn't just created by the heat of the sun. Severus grinned down at her a little.

'It's Secret Kept. Between us,' he added. He started to walk towards the meadow, and Hermione fell into step beside him and slipped her hand into his. After a five-minute walk, Severus stopped abruptly and bent to Hermione's ear.

'La Nostra Casa,' he whispered, flicking his wand gently. As the house appeared before them, Hermione smiled broadly. It was perfect, as she knew it would be. White stucco walls with pale green shuttered windows were offset by window boxes of trailing pelargonuims in bright, cheery red, but she didn't have time to admire them for too long as Severus pulled her up the steps to the front door.

Inside, the house was airy and bright but devoid of any furniture or décor. It was clean, and the floors were tiled with genuine terracotta, but other than that, no time had been spent to make the place liveable. Hermione turned to Severus with the question on her lips, but he pre-empted her.

'I do gardens and Potions labs,' he explained. 'I have no skill with interiors.' He smiled at her indulgently as he watched the penny drop.

'Oh,' she gasped, looking at the rooms with renewed interest. After a moment, she turned with yet another question hovering on the tip of her tongue. Severus nodded and then sighed as he rolled his eyes.

'I should have known. Come on,' he murmured, although it was clear he was amused. Hermione followed him eagerly, her heart starting to beat a little faster. Across the wide entrance hall, Severus pushed open the door that sat neatly under the curved stairway, stepping back for Hermione to walk inside.

The lab was exquisite. A long workbench dominated the room, and along each side were bottles and cauldrons of various sizes. The myriad of ingredients stacked against the back wall was dazzling, and Severus chuckled as Hermione walked around the room. He didn't think her eyes could get any wider.

'It's incredible,' she breathed.

'I like it too,' he murmured. Hermione was suddenly reminded of his presence and turned her eyes to where he stood.

'Thank you for bringing me here,' she said earnestly.

Severus snorted and stood upright, but he said nothing. Looking at Hermione askance, he walked over to what appeared to be a blank wall beside the cauldron shelf. He murmured something that Hermione didn't catch, and the wall shimmered and vanished, leaving a doorway open and a flicker of dappled sunlight creeping onto the floor of the lab. Severus paused and ran his hand down the clean lines of the door frame, resting his forehead for a brief second. Taking a deep breath, he turned to face Hermione with a look as close to apprehension as she had ever seen him wear.

'What is it?' Hermione asked him quietly. She felt the tightrope of their new found relationship wobbling slightly, and she was scared to put a foot wrong in case they fell and couldn't climb back up again. She waited at Severus seemingly tried to find something to say. He ran his tongue over his lips slightly and closed his eyes, swallowing a little.

'I took a gamble,' he said finally. 'I built this in the hope that...well, go and look.' He gestured half-heartedly with his hand and watched with baited breath as Hermione waked slowly towards the door.

As she stepped inside the room, Hermione could feel her lower lip trembling. She bit it, resolving that today was not a day for tears and she had shed enough already in this lifetime. But the room was magnificent.

Rows of shelves lined the walls, leading to a vaulted ceiling that supported a huge chandelier. It wasn't fancy, just large enough to house enough candles to light the room at night. At the far end of the room, two large glass-panelled doors led out onto a patio, and beyond it was a garden that looked like it had just been dug over. Sunlight spilled into the room but didn't hit the shelves. The room had been constructed to protect the books it would hold and provide a comfortable space to read them in. As Hermione gazed around her, realisation hit her and her resolve crumbled as she saw Severus watching her hopefully.

'You built this for me,' she stated incredulously, and fat tears started to run down her face. Severus walked towards her slowly, searching her face for his answer but asking the question anyway.

'Do you like it?'

Hermione threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him close, burying her head against his shoulder and laughing with joy.

'Like it?' she almost shouted. 'I love it!' She kissed him forcefully on the lips as he started to grin, and as she pulled back, she smiled softly and stroked his cheek.

'I love you, Severus,' she said.

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