Miranda Parks woke to see black eyes boring into her. She looked at the rest of the face and blanched when she saw it was Severus Snape staring at her. They had moved her to a back room that had been used for storage. She was sitting on a chair and bound. Harry and Jake were there also.

"Now Mrs. Parks you can simply confess to the recent murders or I can administer veritaserum with the approval of the head Auror and minister. What will it be?" Severus asked calmly.

"Go to hell muggle lover."

Severus smirked, "Well yes actually I have been but find myself more interested in a muggleborn recently. Why? Why did you kill all those people and attempt to kill Arthur Weasley?" After he had administered the antidote to polyjuice he examined the liquid in Arthurs glass, it was Firewhiskey, laced with arsenic. The hair decoration was not an ice pick but a knitting needle that was sharpened.

"I'm not talking to you."

"Then perhaps you will talk to your husband and son, they are here. We sent aurors to bring them to the gala. Oh and the young woman you impersonated is fine, she is also here. Aurors were sent to Miss Howells home and found her bound and gagged. Imagine her co workers surprise when Amanda Howell turned into you." Severus looked at Harry who nodded and went to bring the woman's husband and son into the room.

Stefan Parks had seen better days; the man looked like he had been in shock. His son was just as shocked but also looked angry.

"Mother please say they are wrong, say that you did not do this." Gordon begged her.

Miranda just stared at him.

"Miranda please, did you do this?" Stefan asked.

"You idiot man, this is all your fault, if you had not been caught I would still have my place in society." She answered with venom dripping from her mouth.

"Miranda you know why I had to do it, it was wrong yes but we were deep in debt. Gordon was going to marry Tolliver's daughter and we needed money, the lifestyle you liked was expensive. We were going to be ruined financially."

"Gordon was going to marry into money Stefan, we would have been fine. If it wasn't for that muggle loving idiot Briggs we would have been fine. He just had to expand to the muggle market and he had to give them the best product along with that French woman and that Stokes man. They all created those products that Briggs sold to the muggles. He should have cared that much for his own kind." Miranda ranted.

"So you killed him mother? You killed him and the others because you lost your social status? I lost the woman I loved, who I thought loved me. It wasn't until I met Amanda that I realized what love and acceptance is. She's helping me move on, and you nearly ruined that for me by attacking her." Gordon felt a small hand on his shoulder and turned to see Amanda Howell. She gave him a small encouraging smile.

"I can see you shooting Stokes, and stabbing Madame LeCarre but how did you strangle Briggs, he was much larger than you?" Jake asked.

"I surprised him with a body bind and then strangled him. After he died I released the bind." Severus could not get over how cold she was when she was explaining how she took a man's life.

"Oh Miranda what have you done?" Stefan Parks collapsed in a chair and his son and Amanda Howell went to comfort him.

"Mrs. Parks you are under arrest for the murders of Alton Briggs, Nathan Stokes, Olivia LeCarre, and Gilbert Stills, and the attempted murder of Arthur Weasley." Harry officially had aurors take Mrs. Parks to the holding cells until morning when she would be moved to Azkaban to await her trial.

Stefan Parks lowered his face in his hands, he was distraught and then said "I drove her to murder."

"No father you didn't, she is insane. You were forced to do what you did because of her extravagance. What you did was wrong but you are not responsible for her madness."

Gordon parks then turned to Severus, "When can I take my father home?"

Severus told him he could go now and asked two aurors to take them there. He, Harry and Jake then returned to the ballroom where the gala was in full swing. Severus allowed Harry and Jake to regale the others with the story; he walked right up to Hermione and pulled her onto the dance floor.

"How much longer until we can make our leave?" Severus asked her nuzzling her neck.

Hermione giggled, "Severus you missed the main course, aren't you hungry?"

He raised his eyebrow at her, "Not for food love but I suppose I may need sustenance to perform the way I would like tonight so maybe we'll stay a little longer."

Oh god Hermione thought; her mind was wandering to all kinds of possibilities.

"Your dinner is under stasis, go and eat. Harry and Jake are already there." She said pointing towards their table.

Severus, Harry and Jake ate their dinner while everyone else was having dessert. The gala was almost over and a crisis was diverted. All Severus wanted was to get out of there before the press got wind of the capture. He'll answer their questions when he was ready, and he wasn't going to be ready until Monday because he had plans for tonight and all day tomorrow. He leaned close to Hermione and whispered in her ear.

"I'm ready to leave when you are love. I have a surprise for you."

Her curiosity peaked Hermione smiled and said she was ready. They said their good nights and when Harry said see you at home; Severus answered, "Not tonight," and then escorted Hermione out of the ballroom.

Hermione wondered what he meant by that statement and was more confused when he took the muggle exit to leave the ministry.

"Severus, where are we going?"

"Home," was all he said.

"You said we weren't going home tonight, Severus Snape what is going on?" She stopped and looked at him and squealed when he pulled her close to him. They were in a hallway that linked the two ministries for the night. Aurors were at the door and trying to ignore the couple.

"Close your eyes."

"Why?" She asked.

"You little know-it-all just do it. Close. Your. Eyes."

She huffed and then closed her eyes and felt the familiar pull of apparition. When the spinning stopped he chuckled and told her she could open her eyes. They were in his living room, his newly furnished living room.

"When did you do this?"

"This morning when I said I had things to take care of. Most of the furniture I had shrunken from my apartment in the states. I had to buy a few things. It's not done but it is functional."

"Did you furnish all the rooms Severus?" She asked and headed for the bedroom door.

Hermione almost made it to the door when strong arms picked her up bridal style, "Allow me."

He opened the door wandlessly and Hermione gasped when she saw the room. The furniture was in dark cherry. There was a large four poster bed draped in green and silver. There were candles lit on the fireplace. An ice bucket was next to the bed and champagne was chilling, Hermione assumed there was a stasis charm on the ice. There was also a tray of strawberries on the bedside table. Severus dropped her on the bed and smirked.

"You look like an early Christmas gift," referring to her red dress against the green bed clothes.

"Are you going to unwrap me?"

He kneeled on the bed and crawled over her, "With pleasure."

"You know it's only been a week." She said looking into his eyes.

"Are we moving too fast? We can wait if you want to." he sounded worried.

"No Severus, this feels right. I meant it has only been a week and I'm falling for you."

"Well you did say you are a woman who knows what she wants. So what do you want now Hermione?"

"I want you to unwrap me."

"With pleasure," He started kissing her. He lay on his back and pulled her on top of him and reached behind her for the dresses zipper and then pulled it down. He then rolled her over and began trailing kisses down to her jaw, then her neck, and subsequently each patch of skin he revealed as he lowered the bodice of her gown. She was not wearing a bra and he gave her breasts immediate attention.

Hermione arched her back when Severus took a rosy nipple in his hot mouth. She ran her hands through his hair as his tongue licked and sucked on the bud while his hand was kneading the other breast. He looked up at her after hearing her moan and smirked. He then began lowering the dress more and paid attention to the valley between her breasts, the area just below them and eventually her navel. He breathed in her arousal and groaned when he lowered the dress even more to reveal the red lace of her knickers. He stroked her through the lace and enjoyed the moans she was making. He then removed her knickers and tasted her essence for the first time.

Hermione had never felt anything as incredible as the stroke of Severus's tongue. He did everything right, with his mouth and his fingers he brought her to the most satisfying orgasm she had ever had. She lay there coming down from that high to find him undressing at the side of the bed. She knew he had a fit body but what she saw made her lick her lips, she saw him glance at the champagne.

"Later we'll play; right now I need to feel you around me." He simply stated and then joined her again on the bed where he covered her with his body and swiftly entered her. Hermione couldn't even think anymore, the sensations she was feeling were indescribable. Never had sex felt like this, this was beyond anything she could imagine. Her entire body was on fire, her skin sensitive to his touch.

He had wanted to make love to her slowly but his need for her was too much. He kissed her as he found the right rhythm, using her moans to guide him. When he felt her tighten around him he knew he could let himself go, together they came yelling each other's name.

Breathing heavily he rolled onto his back bringing her with him. She snuggled into his arms and looked into his dark eyes.

"Rest love because I am not done with you yet, I have plans for that champagne." He said smiling wickedly.

All she could do was grin; this was going to be a long but satisfying night.