A/N: A collection of one shots/ficlets/drabbles whatever you want to call them set in the Harry Potter universe. Length varies. Various pairings.

If you spot grammar and spelling mistakes please PM me.

Disclaimer:None of the characters are mine, they belong to the genius of JKR and the various publishers, actors, producers and such associated with the books and movies. No money making intended.

1. Sea of wonders

Severus Snape x Hermione Granger

Originally written as a gift for Disilusionist9

Note on names: I chose them quite deliberately Severa is I think the right female version of Severus in Latin or something but I liked it because it reminded me of the Russian Vera which means believe or faith I thought it fitting in this case. Harmon is a variation on Herman which means army man or warrior, again I thought it fitting.

"I am all in a sea of wonders. I doubt; I fear; I think strange things, which I dare not confess to my own soul."

― Bram Stoker, Dracula

'Which one?'

Severa Snape didn't turn around.

She was watching the lights flicker on one by one below her sitting on the windowsill and letting the wind pick up her hair. It was going to rain soon; she could smell it in the air already. A group of people on bikes passed by talking loudly and almost, almost colliding with an oncoming motorcycle that swayed aside just in time. One of the bikers whooped, another one laughed the sound of it raspy and deep but clear.

Amsterdam was preparing for the night.

Above her Patrick, her upstairs neighbour, opened a window his blond head sticking out momentarily before disappearing again. Severa heard him move around and then the silence was broken once more, this time by a radio.

She smirked, Mick Jagger with his songs of war of course.

'You know it would be really helpful if you at least looked at me.'

She had been in this city for four years.

She didn't choose it consciously she just wanted to get out. Go far away from Hogwarts and perhaps Amsterdam chose her because of that. It wasn't the most remote place she could have ended up at and yet as far as magic was concerned, it was like night and day. Which was what she had been going for anyway.

'Sev'

' Don't call me that' she snapped still without turning her eyes away from the now rainy street. 'I heard you the first two times.'

The first two years had been fine. She settled down. Stopped waking up in the night from her own screams, found a job.

But these past few ones...These past two years she had spent allowing. Allowing Harmon (But mam we're not supposed to do werewolves yet, we're due to start hinkypunks...) Granger into her house, into her home, into her thoughts, into her bed and eventually unsurprisingly, into her heart.

She didn't even know how she could have been this stupid.

Twice.

(and it was supposed to be Lily wasn't it? What happened to your promises? What happened to your words?)

She looked at him. He was standing in the middle of the room holding up two suits on hangers wearing his usual baggy pants and shivering, goose bumps running up his arms that bathed in the golden orange of setting sunlight.

'I am freezing' he said 'Is it raining? Can you close that window?'

'Put that red one on you can combine it with your Gryffindor tie that will go over well' she grumbled.

His face fell. He blinked and pulled a curl behind his ear biting his lip in the process. He looked the way she imagined a god might look and she had to grip the railing of the window with both hands to prevent herself from rushing to him, shaking him, kissing him, begging him not to leave.

But of course he was leaving. It was inevitable and she had let him in too far, allowed him to hurt her.

What else was he supposed to do but leave?

'It's Potter and Weasley not a bloody job interview. You're making a fool of yourself.' She turned back to her rain outside the window.

'You are probably right' he said. She heard the strain in his voice and looked away from the wet street below just enough to be able to see him walking away from her from the corner of her eye. He walked quickly his head bowed and the suits thrown over his shoulder like a multi-coloured sack of flour. Then he stopped.

'You know what? No. This is not just 'Potter and Weasley' he turned back to face her again and this time, Severa turned to look at him fully. He had dropped the suits and was standing, hands balled into fists and eyes blazing. She remembered the last time she had seen him like that, they were arguing she couldn't for the life of her remember what about

('You ned to see someone about those headaches!'

'What's it to you?')

and she suddenly looked at him standing in the hallway just like he was now, fists balled and eyes like fire and love had crashed into her like a curtain falling at the end of a play. It had been all she felt, it had always been all she felt.

'These are my friends that I have not seen for a very long time, for years and this is dealing with Draco Malfoy, Draco Malfoy who I haven't seen since Hogwarts where –need I remind you- I slapped him and this is dealing with Lavender Brown who according to Harry still hates me for' he made quotation marks in the air with his fingers, his hair flying out every which way 'for coming between her and her true love!'

'Well that last part is true' Severa commented drily. He glared at her before turning around and walking away again. The door of their bedroom slammed.

She sighed and stood reluctantly from her window. Harmon always told her not to sit that way (You'll fall...at least take off those heels...).

Why do I put up with him?

Opening the door to their bedroom she saw Harmon sitting on the bed staring into space, his eyes red rimmed. She walked back picked up the suits that were still on the ground and started hanging them neatly back in the closet.

'You should just wear what you usually wear' she said to the inside of the closet 'They are your friends.'

'I am scared' it came out in a hoarse halve whisper as if the words were forced from him squeezed out of his throat by a vicious hand. You shouldn't think that.

'I picked up on the subtle hints' she smirked.

'Took you long enough' he grumbled and hit himself with a warming charm 'What if...what if we have nothing in common anymore?'

'Then it is better to know that now rather than-' she broke off. What was she going to say anyway? Having friends wasn't exactly her area of expertise.

'Rather than what?'

'Nothing.' She pushed her hair back from her face 'A clean break is better than dragging out something that does not work anymore' she offered finally knowing how peculiarly close this was coming to hurt, to that thing inside her that still hurt even now when he covered her heart so completely.

'You run the risk of irreversible damage. If you see that there is not much more in common, at least you can part as friends.' It sounded so easy she thought, hypocrite.

' I don't want to part' he said standing and starting to dig through his shirts. She sat on the bed watching him, fighting contentment. She had watched him dress so often in the past month it had become habit. But she needed to remember that what she was watching now was different. He would return to his friends who would –rightfully- remind him of all the things that she was. His old teacher, the one they all hated and feared, a Death Eater, a bully. They would remind him of what she had done to the Longbottom boy, to Potter. And he would go.

She closed her eyes for a moment and stretched on the bed. The past could not be changed and she had no willingness or strength to change the future so why not enjoy the moment as it was she thought. For now he was here, pulling on a shirt backwards then changing it the right way with a quick glance at her as if he expected teasing. For now he was here and he still needed something from her.

'I know that you don't want to but sometimes these things are inevitable. People change' she said.

Or change back. She had gotten too comfortable. They both had gotten too comfortable. Of course his friends were going to return. Take him back to the life that he was supposed to lead. Studying and laughing and meeting people. Not being cooked up with her in this unfurnished apartment talking endlessly of things that were long gone (dead). That happened before he was even born.

'You'll be fine.' She said again kicking against a cushion with her foot and planting her heel deep in the centre as if she was stabbing the thing. It made her feel better somehow. 'I think Draco will be more uncomfortable he is the odd one out in your group now.'

'You still think it is my group?' he asked looking at the floor and biting his lip again.

'If you get dressed and go you'll find out' she said.

'What if it isn't? My group? Anymore what then?'

'You make a new one I guess. I don't know.'

'That is not very reassuring' he sat on the bed next to her.

'No it is not.' She answered watching him. 'Do you want me to come with you?' she really didn't feel like it. She wanted to lie here for a couple of hours until his smell would die in the room than stand pack up her things and move on. There was no way she was staying in this house waiting for him not to return. She needed to stop thinking this way it was becoming a bore. But her need, her need for him was so complete in that moment that there was no way to escape that feeling. It had always been like that with her. All consuming or nothing at all. And she thought she had been careful not to get consumed again.

'I think that might push the situation from awkward to-'

'Disaster?'

'I was going to say complicated.' He rolled his eyes at her and bent to tie his shoelaces. 'You are welcome to come if you want to though.'

'About as much as I want to be stabbed.'

'That is exactly how I feel about it' he said sitting up again, excitement in his voice' as if there is this wall full of knives coming towards me and I can't do anything but wait for them all to stab me over and over.'

She frowned. She knew that feeling. If he was this worried about it...She had thought...mainly about herself. She sat up and kissed his shoulder ignoring his raised eyebrows.

'That's not going to happen. You kept in touch with Potter didn't you?'

'I did.' He said smiling at her. She pulled her arms around him, it was uncomfortable sitting like this but she did it anyway, he was warm and here and if she could make him see that she cared it was worth getting back pain over.

'But Ron-' he said leaning against her.

'Will act the complete fool he is. And you will look through that and see something worthwhile like you always do. Now, you do need to get going if you still want to' she said releasing him. He stood, started pacing, looked at her than sat back down.

'Well at least I have a home to come back to' he said smiling. She blinked. He couldn't mean...what she thought he meant could he?

Home. It was an apt description of what he meant to her. Warmth and light and something, something entirely hers.

'Can we compromise can I text you or sent you a patronus or something if it is horrible and you come get me? Severa? You ok?'

'Ye...yes of course you can' she said swallowing hard. 'Of course you can.'

'Well than' he stood stretched then walked over to her and kissed her. 'I guess I am going to do this.'

She smiled at him and watched as he walked around between bedroom and hallway putting on a scarf and jacket he waved the plain brown scarf at her and stuck his tongue out 'Be good.'

'Very funny' she sat up her back cracking audibly.

'Let me know how it went either way will you?'

He stopped, keys clanging melodically in one hand, the other on the doorframe.

'I will if you want me too.'

'I want you too.'

He smiled, nodded, waved at her and left. She stood up and walked to the windowsill ignoring the silence pressing in on her. The apartment felt like a museum dedicated to him to his clothes, his smell his stupid ginger cat that was staring at her with it's yellow eyes in accusation. As if letting him go had been a choice she made. She stared out of the window placing her head against the glass and saw Harmon walk out, bend over his bicycle to unlock it. She imagined with sudden glee the way his friends were going to look at him when they saw him biking in those impossible crooked streets.

If he looks up he is mine she thought wistfully. If he looks up he is mine.

She closed her eyes and held her breath.