Thank you all for your kind words about my cat. It was a rough day, and his littermate, Fred, is still in mourning; he wakes me around 3ish every morning with a mournful meow and won't stop until I allow him to cuddle. It's easier said than done because he is a bit frantic at first, and I'm a bit sleepy!

I was able to get this chapter written and most of the next chapter, so you'll not have long to wait for chapter eight. I don't foresee this being a terribly long story.

I've got a new story in the works as well and am doggedly working on several old plot bunnies. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Sadly, it's Snape and Granger-less, but it's needed.

JKR owns the Potter Universe.


Alexis Hannaford leant forward in the mirror to double check her make-up. She smiled in satisfaction, not just because her face was flawless, but because of the article she had read in the Prophet earlier that morning over her tea.

Her lunches with that hag, Skeeter, were quite fruitful regardless that the bug had the worst table manners she'd ever seen. With a few well-placed half-truths, Skeeter was off like a rabbit, creating stories about Granger and Snape that would sell papers in droves and sway opinions.

The latest article had detailed the Granger's past relationships and how it was conjectured that perhaps she had had one with Draco Malfoy; after all, her return from Australia seemed sudden and her taking over the potions department at his company seemed equally sudden. There was a secondary article detailing the accident at Malfoy Industries and how it was Granger's recipe that the injured men had been brewing.

With a smug smile, she turned away from the mirror and looked at the dress she had laid out on the bed. It was acromantula silk, dyed to the deepest ice blue imaginable. She had worn it once on a date with Snape and he had loved the colour, or so he said; she was certain he hadn't gotten past the display of her breasts that her décolletage offered.

Alexis had chosen Severus as her gateway back into London wizarding society when she returned from Italy after the war. He was ripe for the choosing, having just been cleared of all charges during his trial. It appeared that he was enjoying the attention of several attractive women—all with varying shades of red hair—if the photos on the society pages were any indication. She decided to stake her claim at the Ministry's MidSummer Ball and was successful.

Severus had been dashing, kind, and attentive and they dated for several months. Her biggest disappointment, however, was that no matter how much she hinted, he would not bed her. She had heard he was an excellent lover and very attentive. She had also heard that he was adventurous and willing to explore many tastes, and she had several tastes that definitely wanted exploring. Thinking that his reticence was because she was not a red head, she had used a spell to turn her hair red before a date and on that particular night, they had nearly done the deed, with her on her knees about to perform fellatio when he 'remembered', at the last minute, that he had a particular brew on that needed attention.

Alexis snorted. If the rumours she had heard were true, he was a demon during fellatio, so why he suddenly stopped her progress was anyone's guess.

Regardless, in an attempt to further tempt him, she continued to spell her hair red, but their regular dates had petered out and stopped altogether within a few months. It was the day when she went to his shop in an effort to persuade him to go out again, that she found the reason why.

Hermione Granger.

Alexis really had no grudge against the woman except for the fact that she was a heroine of the war and because of that, seemed to attract only the most attractive—or unattractive in Snape's case—of men, and was a Mudblood. She didn't give a flying fuck that she got the department head position over Kane. That man was a creep and definitely wanted in Alexis' knickers, but he was perfect to further her plans. Once his part in her scheme was done, he'd be dropped as well.

She had no real interest in Snape anymore, but damned if she'd let a Mudblood like Granger have him either. Spritzing on some perfume, she grabbed her bag and went to the Apparition point of her flat block. She had another luncheon with Skeeter and had a plans for a new article brewing in her mind. Brewing. She giggled at her own double entendre, considering whom she was dealing with.

Rita Skeeter stumbled through the doors of Le Chaise, late for her meeting with Alexis Hannaford. She straightened her glasses, which perpetually meandered off kilter of their own accord, and glanced around, looking for her luncheon companion.

She had begun to look forward to these little planning sessions, especially when they did not include that cretin, Kane. Rita had to admit she was smitten with Alexis, who in her eyes was a vivacious, lovely woman. The two giggled like school girls during their meetings, often irritating Kane to no end, but at the end, their plotting and planning became wonderful stories for her paper.

Rita could not wait to take Granger and Snape down. Granger because of what happened after the Tri-Wizard tournament and Snape, who successfully sued Skeeter for her biography about him. She had lost a great deal of money because part of her sentencing was to return all proceeds from the sales of the book to the War Orphans Home. She wasn't skint, but she wasn't comfortable by any means.

Spotting Alexis at a table near the back, she made her way over. "Alexis! So good to see you!" Rita gushed.

"You saw me last week, Rita. Try not to act as though I've been gone for weeks," Alexis replied blandly.

In a fluster, Rita sat and settled her pocketbook on the empty chair beside her. She reached for her dicto-quill, but Alexis stopped her.

"You'll not need that yet, my dear," said Alexis. "We shall eat, then talk."

"Where's your paramour?" Rita sneered.

"Watch your mouth, lady. I'll drop this whole thing if you insinuate anything else…or print anything else for that matter."

Rita put her hands up placatingly. "Relax, relax…we're on the same team here."

Their server stopped by the table and both ordered drinks, opting to peruse the menu until Kane showed up.

"What do you know about the accident at Malfoy Industries?" asked Alexis.

"Malfoy put out a press release, but will not put out any other details other than their doing an internal investigation. I've written a piece for the Prophet, but I had to make a few conjectures here and there. If you ask me, they're stalling while they come up with a cover story that will absolve any party involved."

"That is what I suspect as well. Perhaps you can do some dig-well, finally!" Alexis nodded toward the door. "There's Kane; we'll get our answers now."

Alexis waved the man over and accepted his kiss on the cheek as he sat down. He only nodded to Rita. "Good afternoon ladies!" he said jovially.

"You're in a good mood," said Alexis. "Something lucky happen?"

Kane laughed heartily. "Indeed it has! I finished my investigation at MI, and it seems that Miss Hermione Granger may have a few questions to answer that may not leave her in the best of lights!"

Rita sat up straight. "Oh, really? Care to give an exclusive?"

Kane laughed again and waved the server over, giving his order for champagne—a very expensive year, although he had no plans to pay for it—and sending him away again. "I certainly can't give an exclusive, Rita, as you well know. However, a well-placed source never sent you wrong, eh?"

Rita giggled maliciously. "My well-placed sources have served me well over the years."

Alexis cut in, "Why don't we order and let our well-placed source tell the story, hmm?"

The champagne arrived as she finished speaking, and she beckoned the server to pour it. Once the drinks were handed around, they each gave their order and then toasted the occasion.

Kane put his drink down and began his tale. "Granger has begun to step out for lunch these days—"

"More than likely to see Snape," sneered Alexis.

"Precisely," answered Kane. "So, when she leaves, I try to gain access to her office. The girl could ward heaven itself, but I finally managed to break through the other day; she has been a bit distracted lately and so it was rather easy one day to slip in. I don't think she's even noticed yet!"

Rita added, "And we all know with whom she's been distracted. Wonder if they've shagged?"

Alexis snorted into her champagne. "I doubt it. He would't even go to bed with me, and I all but stripped naked in front of him once."

"Do you think she's his beard?" asked Rita. "That may work well into my next article," she added, tapping her finger against her lip.

"Nah," answered Kane. "Word around is that Snape has a long line of very well-satisfied witches. Wonder why he didn't want to sleep with you?" he asked Alexis. "I bet you're a tasty morsel in bed."

Kane yelped when Alexis sent a stinging hex his way. "Let's get back on topic, shall we?" she stated archly.

Rubbing his shoulder, Kane continued his story. "She's been working on several new brews, and I found one that was due to be brewed the next day. I read the recipe; it was brilliant. I hate the bitch…I haven't got a tenth of the finesse for potions she has, so, I had to make her look a bit less brilliant, eh? That's our plan, idn't it? I changed a very common but very important rune with just one quill stroke and," he paused to use his hands to mimic an explosion. "Boom! It's just too bad the blokes who were brewing got injured, but that too will work into our plan, doncha' think?"

Alexis finished chewing her bite of chicken and said, "Yes, well if a few folks get a bit damaged along the way to our ultimate goal, it can't be helped. It would help stir up anti-Granger sentiment though if we could stir up some sympathy for the workers…you know, 'it's all Granger's fault' weeping wives, that sort of thing. And it may just help keep us from suspicion. We just need to be careful we don't get anyone killed."

"But that, too, may help our cause," said Kane.

"I won't go that far," said Alexis. "Take the pair down, but don't get anyone killed."

Rita hummed in agreement and asked, "Do you think Draco Malfoy will cover this up? Protect her?"

"Probably," said Kane. "He's gone as soft as the other former followers of the Dark Lord."

"Shhh!" both women protested.

"We certainly don't want anyone suspecting we are followers of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named," Alexis whispered fiercely. "Nor do we want anyone suspecting us of Snape and Granger's downfall."

"Hear, hear," agreed Rita.

"Rita," began Alexis, "what information do we have on Snape that we can use to come between the pair of them? Any old loves, aside from me, of course, still pining? Wanting revenge? Is there a love child anywhere?"

Rita took a long drink of her champagne. "You know…I do seem to remember that the one Black sister, the one who went to Azkaban—"

"Bellatrix," said Kane.

"Yes, her. There was a rumour that she and Snape hooked up when he was younger. Then she disappeared for a while. Do you know anything, Kane?"

Kane was quiet a moment. "I was not within the inner circle in the early days, and neither was Snape. However, I do remember that Bellatrix seemed to take a shine to him, regardless of the fact she was married. More than likely, she was ordered by the Dark Lord to seduce him in an effort to court him to the Dark Ways. Not many months later, Bella was sent away on a 'mission' on behalf the Dark Lord. When she returned, seven months later, she was even darker and more looney than ever. One night, her husband was raging drunk, staggering through the manor, yelling about his bitch of a wife, something about the Dark Lord and babies."

"So you think," began Rita excitedly, "that Snape fathered a child from Bella? Oh that is perfect. That will surely cause trouble for them!"

Alexis agreed. "It is perfect, isn't it? And just the thing to begin the end. Can you do a trouble in paradise article? Something along the lines of her causing the explosion and then another explosion of sorts about a love child?"

Rita dove her for acid green quill and sucked on the tip. "You just wait until I send you the proofs!"

With that, Kane stood. "It's been nice, ladies. Can't wait to read the article; I'll give you an exclusive about the reaction at work, Rita!" He sauntered away.

"Of course he leaves before the bill comes," said Alexis. "And he ordered the most expensive champagne."

"Oh, don't you worry about that," chuckled Rita. "I managed to relieve him of his Wizarding Bank Card as he sat down. Idiot really ought to buy a wallet."