Disclaimer: Harry Potter is owned by JK Rowling et al. Any characters or locations you recognise are the intellectual property of these individuals and corporations. I make no money from the writing of this story.
Please accept my sincerest apologies for the delay in posting this chapter. It has been a difficult chapter to write plus I signed up for a couple of fests which work to strict deadlines so I have been writing those lately. Watch my account for those to be posted at a later date. Chapters for this story will be coming much more frequently now, I promise.
THANK YOU to everyone who has left a review. I am glad you like the story.
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Chapter VII
"Oh, Harry, he is gorgeous!" Hermione gushed almost as soon as she entered the beautiful French chateau that Harry and Gabrielle called home. Harry could not keep the grin off his face as he handed his son off to his best friend. Hermione immediately turned all her attention onto the baby now cradled in her arms. "Yes you are, you are the most beautiful baby in the whole wide world," she said in an overly-exaggerated sweet voice. For his part, Jacques stared at this new woman as though she had two heads. When she did not give up on the gushing compliments, he stretched and yawned, then drifted off to sleep. "I bored him to sleep," Hermione said ruefully.
Harry laughed. "That's because he's comfortable with you, he knows he's being held by his Godmother."
Hermione's eyes widened and she cradled the baby even closer. "Harry, don't say things like that when I'm holding your child!" she admonished. "How can I jump on you screaming when there's a sleeping baby in my arms?"
"Why do you think I waited until now to tell you?" Harry asked.
"I am honoured," she said, bending to place a kiss on Jacques' head. "I would have thought Fleur would be the first choice."
"No, Gabrielle and I both agreed from the beginning that it would be you," Harry said. "You're my family." Hermione merely smiled at him, vowing to hug the stuffing out of her best friend as soon as her arms were free—which might be for about five minutes at the end of her visit. Until then she wanted to keep this beautiful baby in her arms.
"So where is Gabrielle anyway?" she asked.
"Asleep," Harry said. "She wanted to greet you but she's exhausted. I knew you'd understand."
"Of course I do," Hermione said. "I'll do as much around here as she needs for the next couple of days."
"We only need you to relax," Harry said firmly. "Kreacher is here and Apolline and Henri are in and out several times a day and, well, we're expecting Fleur and Victoire at any time. I'm sorry, I couldn't tell her not to come and I was being selfish wanting to see you as well," he admitted.
Hermione smiled. "It's fine, Harry. I never had an issue with Fleur; we were allies in that family. I miss her and I miss Victoire—I look forward to seeing both of them." Just as she said that, the floo activated and Fleur and her daughter, Victoire, stepped out.
"Tante 'Ermione," Victoire squealed as soon as she recognised the witch on the sofa.
"Victoire, tu dois être tranquille autour du bébé," Fleur admonished the child.
"Je suis désolé, Maman," Victoire said contritely.
Hermione handed Jacques back to Harry very carefully before standing to embrace Victoire and Fleur. Both women were crying a mixture of joyful and sad tears as they saw each other for the first time in nearly two months. Victoire, unsure of why her mother and aunt were crying, moved over to Harry and leaned against his leg.
"Why is Maman and Tante 'Ermione crying, Oncle 'Arry?" she asked.
"They are just happy to see each other," Harry explained.
"Oh, should I cry too?" she asked.
Harry looked at her in amusement. "Why do you ask?"
"I'm happy to see Tante 'Ermione and you, should I cry?" Victoire asked innocently.
"You only need to cry if you want to, Cherie," Harry said. "Why don't you say hello to your cousin?" Harry helped the little girl climb up onto the sofa next to him and showed the baby to her. She began speaking to him in her curious mixture of English and French having been brought up with both languages. Harry thought he should get used to it as Jacques was likely to turn out the exact same way.
"I 'ave missed you," Fleur said softly as she hugged Hermione tightly.
"I've missed you too," Hermione said.
"You left me all alone with those witches," Fleur said reproachfully.
"It couldn't be helped, I had to leave," Hermione said.
"What 'appened? And do not give me the same merde as Ron tried to feed us. The truth," Fleur said firmly.
Hermione's eyes strayed to Victoire who was splitting her attention between them and Jacques. "It is not for little ears," she whispered. "And I will tell you because I believe you need to know the truth since you are my friend. But it is one of those things that is between us only; no Weasleys."
Fleur accepted Hermione's deferment for now. The pair of them held many secrets between them, confident in the knowledge they could each confide in the other with no whisper ever getting back to Molly about the imperfections of her sons.
"In the meantime, I believe I owe Mademoiselle Victoire at least three stories!" Hermione said brightly.
Victoire cheered and ran to the bookcase where she knew her Tante Gabrielle kept an array of children's books. She picked up as many as she could carry and brought them back to the couch. She quickly clambered up and snuggled in beside Hermione. "Babbity Rabbity first, Tante," she instructed. Hermione opened The Tales of Beedle the Bard and began to read.
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Severus stood in front of the full length mirror on the back of his bedroom door and surveyed his appearance. In years past his wardrobe had been hanger after hanger of plain, white shirts, black waistcoats, black frock coats, black trousers and black cloaks. These days, although black was still prominent, there were many different styles and colours interspersed amongst the clothes in his cupboard.
He frowned as he took in his reflection. He looked much more like the man he had left behind than he cared for. Having learned from experience, he knew he drew less attention if he dressed as he always had when entering the Wizarding World than if he wore his now more-familiar clothes. It was as though donning his all-black ensemble triggered something within him, a long-buried ability to blend in with the shadows, to project an aura of unapproachability. It was not often that he slipped back into this persona, but today part of his business was taking him to Gringotts and so it was to his advantage to act as he always had. For effect, he occluded his mind, his expression shutting off and his eyes taking on that unfathomable look that made people think he could see straight through them.
'A sleepless night is coming,' he thought with a wry smirk. It was unavoidable but he knew, again from experience, that in the event he was recognised, many an amateur Legilimancer would have a go at testing his shields given half an opportunity. The strength and speed with which Severus could still throw them out of his mind filled him with self-pride, even if the doctor within him was remorseful at the headache this would cause the perpetrator. An internal war waged within him whereby one part of him felt the would-be assailant deserved everything he or she got whilst another was preparing to owl a headache reliever to the unfortunate witch or wizard. With a final nod at himself, Severus went downstairs and activated his little-used floo.
He stepped out of the large fireplace at the Leaky Cauldron and looked around. His arrival barely caused a stir, just as he liked it. With a terse nod to the barman, he exited the pub into the small courtyard and tapped the brick to reveal the entry into Diagon Alley. He strode swiftly down the cobblestone street, past the street vendors and the familiar shops to an elegant restaurant where he was due to meet a friend. Normally he would avoid such a public meeting place but as he and his friend both had business in London that day it made sense for them to catch up in the city.
A subtle chime sounded as he entered and an elf appeared immediately to take his cloak. Severus tapped the guest book with his wand, a discreet security measure that allowed the restaurant to know exactly who had been in their establishment and when. It was also a useful tool for the more nefarious characters who wished to establish an alibi but the owners never enquired into the personal affairs of their patrons. A mere moment after the host greeted him, the chime sounded again and Lucius Malfoy entered. The same elf took his cloak and he and Severus shook hands. They followed the Maître d' through the tables to the back corner that they favoured. After placing orders for drinks and confirming their preferred dishes were still on the menu, they both relaxed back and began to peruse their fellow diners.
Lucius provided some running commentary on the various people they could see until Severus voiced surprise at seeing Ronald Weasley sitting at a table on the other side of the room. He was dining with another male, something that was rather innocuous on the face of it, but knowing what Severus knew, it was rather telling.
Lucius followed his gaze. "Would you ever have imagined a Weasley being able to afford an establishment like this?" he asked derisively.
"Clearly Quidditch stardom transcends a name," Severus pointed out.
His companion scoffed. "The only reason he retains his starting position is due to being the only remaining accessible member of the Golden Trio," Lucius said.
Severus feigned surprise. "Oh? Has something happened to Hermione Granger?" he asked.
Lucius gave him a baleful glare. "Do not play dumb with me, old boy, it does not become you."
"I do not know what you are talking about," Severus said in clipped tones.
"If you're not playing dumb then you underestimate me. I am not sure which is worse." Lucius paused to take a sip of his wine. "Do you believe me to be unaware of the joint names on the lease of your business premises?"
Severus' eyes widened momentarily but that was the only indication that what his friend said had surprised him. His surprise immediately turned to suspicion. "And why, pray tell, would you even have had reason to investigate who I might share business space with?"
"Merely looking out for your interests, my friend," Lucius said cagily.
"My interests?" Severus asked skeptically.
"You have done much for my family. I simply wish to ensure you suffer no unnecessary hardship as you pursue this Muggle lifestyle you seem so set on," Lucius said acerbically.
"Even if you are aware of the names on the lease, how can you be sure they have any connection to Hermione Granger?" Severus pressed. Lucius sighed and shook his head, refusing to dignify Severus' question with a verbal response. Severus grudgingly acknowledged that Lucius' information would be accurate and detailed. He supposed the fact that the other man had never acted on it meant he did not perceive Hermione as any kind of threat or nuisance that should be silenced. He did wish to know what the Wizarding World in general made of her escape though. "What do you know of Hermione's situation?" he asked.
Lucius was as masterful at schooling his expression as Severus was. He did not miss that Severus had referred to the girl as 'Hermione' and not 'Miss Granger' as would be his normal habit when referring to a former, female student of his. "I know she appears to have fallen off the face of the earth," Lucius began. "I know the Ministry cut her loose with an extremely generous payout following the introduction of the reform bill she wrote."
"It is common knowledge she wrote that?" Severus asked, sitting back slightly as his entrée was placed in front of him.
"It is not hard to identify her fingerprints all over that document. If Tryppe-Brynne had have presented that legislation in front of the full panel he would never have gotten away with claiming the credit as he did. He chose his day carefully, got his undeserved accolades and is now paying the price." Lucius paused, sampling the delectable salmon mousse he had ordered and enjoying watching his friend pretend he was not bursting with curiosity to find out more. He smirked slightly before continuing his narration. "After Granger decamped she was soon followed by Finch-Fletchley, Green and Chapman. Moore is only still there through some form of misguided loyalty to Amos Diggory but Diggory has reassigned him. Tryppe-Brynne is now floundering with three fresh Hogwarts graduates, all of whom are there through connections and none of whom know or care what they are doing. I don't suppose Granger is interested in returning?" he asked casually.
Severus could not contain his inelegant snort of amusement. "Not likely," he muttered.
"What intrigues me is why she would have left everything behind as she did over such a trifling matter. It was a matter of days before Tryppe-Brynne's deception came to light. She would have easily found herself placed onto another project or into another department. Shacklebolt was a bit hasty in my opinion," Lucius commented.
"I am surprised to hear you defend a Muggle-born so passionately, Lucius. For you anyway," Severus said.
"I have learned over the years that she is a worthy adversary. I rather miss the little spitfire at some of the committee meetings I attend that she was also involved with. The others are much too easily intimidated," Lucius said. "What was it really that caused her to defect?"
"Defect is a rather harsh word," Severus said. "By that logic you must assume I did the same thing."
Lucius swallowed the bite he had taken before answering, "As you did, old boy, as you did; defected from one of the world's most civilised societies to slum around as a glorified Medi-wizard to Muggles. Exposing yourself to those diseases and filth, tsk tsk, I don't know why I still associate with you." His smirk and the gleam in his eye was the evidence that he was in fact teasing his friend. Severus just grunted as he lifted his glass to his lips. "And you have not answered my question."
"I do not recall you actually asking a question, you merely stated an intrigue," Severus said with a smirk.
Lucius narrowed his eyes. "Why did Miss Granger return to her parents with her tail between her legs?" he asked maliciously.
With a simple look, Severus conveyed to his friend that he did not appreciate his question or tone. Their battle of wills was quickly and silently called to a truce. Severus looked over to the table where Weasley sat and jerked his chin up slightly.
"Weasley?" Lucius asked. "There has been no whisper of a scandal, what could he have done?" he asked. He refrained from speculating that perhaps Granger had overreacted to something.
"Look down," Severus instructed.
Lucius did as asked, letting his gaze fall from the two men's faces down under the table they were sitting at. One had to look closely but once seen, it was unmistakable and not easily forgotten. Lucius' eyebrows rose infinitesimally. The man prided himself on keeping his emotions in check—that action on anyone else would have passed for mild surprise. On Lucius, it was akin to downright shock. "They are playing footsies," he hissed with utter distaste. Not for the action per se, more for the public location since Weasley was obviously trying to keep a rather large secret.
"Whence why Hermione has returned to her parents," Severus said.
"She discovered him?" Lucius asked just to be certain.
"In bed with someone," Severus confirmed.
Lucius finished his entrée in silence; digesting the information he had just been given along with his food. "And now the two of you are… close?" he asked casually. Severus was very careful to give nothing away. In doing so he seemed to confirm Lucius' suspicion. "I suppose she is rather your type," he commented.
"My type?" Severus repeated.
"Yes—Muggleborn, highly intelligent, pretty in a way…stubborn, opinionated. You could not run more to type if you tried."
Severus bristled. "Hermione is nothing like Lily beyond the few superficial characteristics you have mentioned," he hissed. "She is also loyal, loving and, most importantly, forgiving. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and—" he abruptly cut himself off, realising the vocal diarrhoea he was spouting was only cementing his friend's words. 'I really need to sharpen my verbal sparring skills,' he thought. Unfortunately Lucius was the only one who could generally match wits with him when it came to subtlety and innuendo.
"You are getting soft, old boy," Lucius accused. "You're sweet on her!"
"Yes," Severus confirmed reluctantly. "We have been seeing a lot of each other and we are in a relationship."
Lucius sighed theatrically. "A Muggleborn is better than an actual Muggle I suppose," he conceded. "And as Muggleborns go she is probably the most suitable. How likely is it that I will run into her?"
"I will leave that choice to her," Severus replied. "Given you usually turn up without warning it is highly likely you will come into contact with her. Although it does take you a couple of hours to gain entrance," he said thoughtfully, ignoring the scowl on his friend's face. "Knowing her though, I believe she would rather enjoy the show you provide. Plus I think it would be rather amusing to watch her cut you down to size." Hermione had told him about some of the very committee meetings that Lucius had mentioned when he told her the story about the blond wizard trying to break his wards. Lucius shifted slightly in his chair, silently confirming to Severus that Hermione's descriptions of the confrontations were right on the money.
"What are you doing with the knowledge about Weasley's proclivities?" Lucius asked.
"Waiting for the moment the knowledge needs to become public," Severus replied. "I know Potter has already threatened him but I see no reason for Weasley to even be aware he is still on my radar."
"Ray-dar?" Lucius repeated in confusion.
Severus barely concealed his mischievous smirk. "Radar: an ingenious device that exactly tracks Muggle movement and intent. I, of course, have adapted mine to include witches and wizards. All I have to do is say the name of the person I want and their general location appears on a special screen. Once the machine has zeroed in on their exact position, a small tweak and I am fully aware of their intentions."
Lucius looked around as though searching for something that was possibly being used to identify him. "There are times when I am glad I am still in your good books, Severus. Is there a counter-spell?" he asked seriously.
"Not as such," Severus said gravely. "However you should ensure you eat some form of sweet preserves every day. They are the best thing to counter it."
"You know I don't have much of a sweet tooth," Lucius said, wrinkling his nose. "How are they effective?"
"No one rightly knows, but they jam up the signals something fierce."
Lucius just nodded thoughtfully. Severus congratulated himself on setting back Lucius' rehabilitation a little bit further. As he glanced surreptitiously across the room to Weasley again, he was surprised to see his companion hand him a key. When Weasley took it, he delivered a definite caress to the other man's fingers. Again, one had to know the background to understand the gesture but Severus was beginning to think that Weasley would not need to do anything to make Potter out him publicly—the redhead was likely to inadvertently do it himself!
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Hermione entered the formal sitting room in Harry's chateau after tucking Victoire into bed and reading her another story. Gabrielle had insisted that with both her and Harry's sisters there, they had to have a formal celebration that evening. Apolline and Henri Delacour had eaten with them as well but had departed immediately after dinner, promising to return the following morning. As soon as Hermione laid eyes on Fleur when she came in the room, she knew the time had come to bring everyone up to date with what was happening with her.
She accepted a glass of white wine from Harry before she sat down. No sooner had she gotten comfortable than Fleur demanded, "What 'appened?"
Hermione sighed. "You have to swear you won't tell anyone," she said firmly. "My position was made clear, so was Harry's."
Fleur looked between them. "Of course I will say nothing," she promised.
"He cheated on me," Hermione announced.
"I knew it!" Fleur muttered. She ran off a string of curses in her native tongue that had all three of her companions smiling. "'e is not worthy of you. 'Oo was the slut 'e was with?" she asked.
Hermione hung her head so Harry took the opportunity to answer for her. "It was a wizard," he said.
Fleur's eyebrows soared on her forehead. "A wizard!?" she repeated incredulously. The others all nodded. "That is a surprise."
"Please, make sure you say nothing to anyone," Hermione said again. "We told him we would make it public if he disparaged me but he hasn't so we should keep up our end of the bargain."
Fleur promised again to keep the secret. "But what else 'appened? Why did you leave your job as well?" Hermione filled her in on the happenings of that horrible day and soon found herself in the comforting embrace of her friend. "My poor, poor Cherie. You 'elped her?" she demanded of Harry.
"You know I did," he said, a slightly affronted tone in his voice. "She went to her parents and they called me. I arranged for Kingsley to accept her notice effective immediately and secured her financially. I also got all her stuff from Grimmauld Place. Speaking of Grimmauld Place, I do have something to add to all the drama. I served Ron with notice two days ago."
"What for?" Hermione and Fleur asked in unison.
"He has not paid rent since you left. He ignored my first letter and when I floo called he seemed to be under the impression that he lived at my house rent-free. Why would he think that, Hermione?" Harry asked pointedly.
"Just because it appears Ron has no honour, it doesn't mean I don't. I paid the rent on Grimmauld; it was well within my capabilities," Hermione said primly.
"Did you not ask for money from him?" Gabrielle asked.
"He usually paid when we went out places and he was in charge of shopping. He thought those were our only expenses and he was providing a living as a man should. It made sense to me as we were outlaying a similar amount each month. I might have mentioned something about rent in the beginning but he told me not to worry about it. I just started paying it and continued doing so. Perhaps I should have said something when I left," she said innocently. Fleur and Gabrielle both smirked. "Anyway, why didn't he just start paying you? He can easily afford it."
"As I said, he thought I shouldn't be charging rent to my best friends. I told him I might have considered it if you were still living there but since you weren't, Ron could cough up the dough. He still refused so he has another five days to vacate my house. Do you want to rent it again?" Harry asked with a grin. It was a semi-serious offer. He was more than happy for Hermione to return to the house, but he would not charge her for it. He was dying to know how she was faring now and this seemed like a good way to find out.
"No, thank you," Hermione said firmly. "I have created a very nice little niche for myself in White Swan and at this stage I can only see myself leaving Mum and Dad's for one location."
"'Ave you found a cute cottage?" Gabrielle asked.
"In a way," Hermione said with a little, wistful smile. The other two witches exchanged knowing looks.
"'Oo is 'e?" Gabrielle demanded.
"Just someone in the village," Hermione hedged.
"Tell us everything," Fleur said. Harry rolled his eyes, leaned his head against the back of the sofa and pretended to snore. Gabrielle shushed him and leant forward to hear Hermione's gossip.
"Well, he is tall, dark hair, dark eyes and the most sinful voice you have ever heard," she said. The two French girls giggled. "He is the local doctor and works in the same building as Mum and Dad." Harry perked up when he heard the word 'doctor'.
"Is it 'ard to 'ide your magic from 'im?" Gabrielle asked curiously. She had often wondered this about witches and wizards who began relationships with Muggles but she had never been close enough to anyone to ask about it before.
Hermione sighed. She had hoped to ease into this more smoothly but she could see the conversation was probably going to escalate quickly. "No, not at all; he is a wizard," she said in resignation.
Three voices immediately called out, "Who is he?"
"Severus Snape."
Harry's eyes fairly goggled. Hermione was not sure she had ever seen him look so surprised—and given some of the things they had encountered since they had met, that was saying something. Fleur, too, looked surprised, having heard tales of the man since becoming close to the Weasleys and Harry. Gabrielle was the one to speak. "The spy?" she asked.
"Yes," Hermione confirmed, thankful that at least one of them appeared to take the news well.
"He was our teacher!" Harry declared.
"Really, Harry? I never realised," Hermione said sarcastically.
"He's… he's… old!" Harry further argued.
"He's forty five, Harry. He is still in his prime. Besides, you're the first person who's mentioned anything about an age difference," Hermione said.
"How many people know?" Harry asked.
"My parents, obviously, his family, my friends… most of the village, really," Hermione replied.
"And is he, you know, all right with you?" he asked.
Hermione smiled bemusedly. "All right?" she repeated. "What do you mean?"
"Well, is he normal or is he all… Snape?"
Hermione laughed while Fleur and Gabrielle both rolled their eyes. "He doesn't go around insulting me at every turn if that's what you're asking, Harry. How long do you think our relationship would have lasted if that was the case? He is not above teasing me when the situation arises and he takes teasing from me in return quite well."
"I don't understand, though," Harry said. "When your parents moved to White Swan we checked it out and there were no magical people living close by."
"When they moved in that was correct; we didn't check for Muggle relatives of magical people though. Severus' aunt on his father's side lived there until she died and her husband and son still live in the village. When Severus finished his medical degree the old doctor was ready to retire so Severus moved to the village to be near his family. That was about two-and-a-bit years ago. He didn't want the broader magical population knowing where he was so he asked Mum and Dad to keep his identity secret. I only ever heard him referred to as 'the doctor' before I saw him again," Hermione explained.
"And is your relationship with 'im going well?" Fleur asked.
"Yes, he is so supportive of me. You would not believe the things I've been doing," her eyes shone as she told her old friends about her new life. "I'm doing a bit of volunteer work, I'm learning to cook, I've made some fabulous new friends and I have a new profession."
"A job?" Harry asked.
"Not a job as such, I am collaborating with an historian and we're writing a book," Hermione replied.
Harry's face broke into a smile. "That is brilliant, Hermione," he said sincerely. "And you're happy with Snape?" he asked.
"Yes, Harry, I'm very happy with Severus," she stressed his name.
"Oh, I'm not even going there," Harry said matter-of-factly.
"I must admit I'm surprised you are so accepting of this," Hermione said skeptically. "I expected you to rant and rave for a good hour before you came around."
"I have a newborn baby, Hermione, I'm too tired to rant and rave for an extended period of time." They all laughed. "I respect the man, you know that. I have little to no desire to spend a lot of time in his company, but he saved my life multiple times. And I spent way too many years not listening to the good sense coming out of your mouth; if you say he is a good man and you are happy with him then that's all I care about."
Hermione looked over at Fleur. "Our little boy is all grown up," she gushed.
"It is true," Fleur agreed. "Tell me more about your new friends." The quartet sat late into the night, catching up on everything since the last time they had seen each other.
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Harry has taken Hermione's news well, I know. I tried several different scenarios but he always came off looking and sounding like a prat and it was almost parodic. Apologies again for the delay in posting this chapter but I hope you like the other offerings I have written in the meantime. They will be posted soon.
