When the war ended Severus Snape did not go back to Hogwarts.
This at the outset was because he spent many months recuperating in St Mungo's from the wounds he received from that blasted snake. He could not recall much from that day, but had been told that after the dust had settled and the bodies had been counted someone realized he was missing. Apparently the Granger girl had been beside herself at the thought of his body being left behind and so had gathered together a group of her compatriots to go retrieve it.
Clever witch that she was, when the group arrived at the Shack she noticed that he was not dead after all. Luckily for him by the time she convinced the rest of the dunderheads of this fact and apparated him to St Mungo's, most of those others who had been injured had already been stabilized and full attention was given to his condition.
He had been pestered for the first couple of weeks by well wishers and those who felt the need to apologize. His name was cleared and an Order of Merlin was bestowed, however he skipped the ceremony, claiming a bad headache. The scar on his throat would never heal properly, and so he was released from the hospital, ostensibly a healthy man but lacking any visible signs of such.
Sitting alone in Spinner's End his first night out of St Mungo's he cleared himself mentally of any further obligation to Hogwarts or Dumbledore. Instead, he decided that he would live his life as he chose.
He quietly began to purchase companies. Weasley Wizard Wheezes was an easy acquisition. Over time he slowly built a conglomerate of magical companies. His calculated view of life, which had saved him countless times back in his spying days, was now focused on conquering the business world.
As an added bonus, many of his current employees were former students, and so he was able to continue his pastime of making their lives hell. He was considered to be a firm and intimidating boss, but not quite as cruel as back in his Hogwarts days.
Before he knew it five years had passed since he had begun his project. His businesses now were the most successful and formidable in all of England.
He now had his sights set on the Continent.
-
Hermione had faltered after the Final Battle. Sure, at first there had been plenty to do. There were people to take care of, awards to be given and received, and accounts to be written. But after the first few months, when the dust settled, she realized she had no idea what to do next. All of her formative years, since she had been eleven years old, had been focused on staying alive long enough to help Harry kill Voldemort. Harry was now in Auror training and busy with Ginny.
Ron had taken over his brother's position at Weasley Wizard Wheezes. She knew she was hopelessly in love with him, but he was using his new fame to hook up with every witch in England. They met up once a week for dinner, and these dinners were all the kept Hermione going, though it hurt her terribly to hear his stories of being adored by the masses. With his usual amount of insight, Ron seemed to be completely oblivious to her feelings for him.
A year after the battle the Ministry put on a ball to celebrate the anniversary, and Hermione was required to attend, however uninspired she felt to get dressed up and dance. Her only consolation was that she was seated next to Professor Mc Gonagall. During the meal Hermione could feel her former mentor's penetrating stare. Although she had done her best to seem happy and content, she knew McGonagall could tell she was anything but.
'My dear, have you managed to find any employment?' McGonagall quietly asked.
'No, but not for lack of trying,' Hermione responded. 'To be honest, I simply haven't found anything that interests me.'
'What if I told you that I know of the perfect placement?' Hermione's eyes lit up a bit. 'I know for a fact that a new company is looking for a research assistant, working with experimental potions.'
They quickly discussed details, and Hermione promised to owl her CV to the address McGonagall gave her the very next morning.
-
A/N: New story that I'm working on, based loosely on 'Sabrina' the 1954 movie starring Audrey Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart and William Holden. Uploads will be weekly, I hope you enjoy!