Is there rainbow colored powder all over this chapter? No? Must be just me then. Ran a ColorVibe 5k this morning and I'm still sneezing rainbows! Oh well, as long as the chapter gets out, right? Now we get to see some aftermath of the attack, and the plot thickens...

10

Hermione was dreaming. She was dreaming about what had happened earlier, but there was no fear this time. She didn't hear the ugly words the men in the shop said to her. All she heard was Severus' voice.

"If you ever attempt to lay a hand on my wife again," he was snarling. She realized it was the only time he'd ever called her his wife and meant it in all respects of the word. "She is mine," he growled The words sent a shiver through her. It wasn't fear, it was excitement. The way he called her his wasn't about property or ownership. He was laying claim to her, letting everyone know what she was to him, what she meant to him. It made her feel treasured and precious. The dream changed.

"Hush, little one. I'm here. I won't let anyone hurt you. I swear it." He said the words so sweetly that Hermione ached inside. He wanted to protect her, to care for her. Then it changed again, and this time he was licking his lower lip and savoring the taste of her on him. "Exquisite," he said in that made for sex voice. A slow fire built inside of Hermione and then began to burn out of control. It was so intense that it woke her up. She throbbed between her legs and pressed them together seeking relief. It didn't help nearly enough. It was right then that Hermione decided to do something bold and daring. Something wicked and wonderful. She decided that she was going to seduce her husband. Soon.

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Severus looked up from his letters when Hermione stepped into the door way of his study. He flashed her a smile and beckoned her inside. Hermione sat down in the smaller chair next to his desk and pulled her legs up under her.

"I think we need to talk about something," she said carefully.

"Alright," Severus said slowly. He watched her and wondered what she could be thinking. Did she regret their kiss? His stomach dropped.

"You asked me earlier what I was doing in that shop." When she opened her mouth to start her next sentence, Severus held up a hand to stop her.

"Don't, Hermione. I am not your keeper. You aren't required to tell me the places you go or what you do there. I was being stupid and rude. You don't have to answer to me."

"Severus, please, just let me finish. This is...sort of embarrassing for me." She took a breath and Severus watched her, waiting. "Well that shop, its a potion shop. And I was going to ask you to make the potion I need, only I didn't know how to bring it up, because its a...woman thing...and I- we haven't talked about that kind of thing and I know it makes a lot of men uncomfortable and, well, I was there to buy a contraception potion," she finished in a rush. Severus stared at her in shock. "Not for the contraceptive part," she added quickly. "For the...well for the other things it does." She flushed crimson and fidgeted in her seat. Severus tried to catch her eyes but she kept them resolutely on the floor. He couldn't help the chuckle that escaped him. Her head snapped up and she stared at him. It turned into a full laugh. Hermione's color was returning to normal but she was still uncomfortable, and now she was unsure, not able to understand why he was laughing. He stood and walked over to her. His hand stroked her cheek lightly.

"What kind of potion were you taking before?" he asked lightly, still chuckling. Hermione mumbled the name of it and flushed again. Severus turned and went to the back of the study. There was a door that she knew led to his personal stock of potions. He returned a moment later and handed her a small bottle. Hermione looked at it and saw to her surprise it was the exact potion she'd been taking. Her hand closed around the bottle reflexively and Severus resumed his seat.

"I fail to see what's so funny," Hermione finally said. Severus looked at her and shook his head.

"You went all the way to that shop in London, you were nearly attacked and could have been killed. All over a potion I had sitting in my store room. And you didn't ask me to make it because you were uncomfortable. Hermione, I am nearly forty years old. I'm well aware of how female anatomy functions. I am not uncomfortable about your body's needs. You could have asked me to go down to the local Witch's Supply and pick you up sanitary items and I would have done it for you if you needed. I'm not some fumbling boy who will get flustered at the first mention of your menses." Hermione flushed again, this time because she should have known better. Severus was always so collected, so unflappable. She could have avoided the whole situation earlier if she'd just come to him first. Finally she chuckled with him.

"I'm an idiot," she said lightly between laughing.

"No, Hermione, you're not." He leaned close to her and brushed his thumb over the corner of her mouth. "You're a very proper, slightly shy young woman. Lets just learn from this and put it behind us. Don't be afraid to come to me about anything at all, Hermione. I mean that. I want to provide for you- whatever you need." His words warmed her so much that her toes curled. She smiled at him and felt the blossom of emotion for him grow even larger.

"Thank you, Severus."

"You are very welcome," he said seriously. Hermione rose from the chair and was almost to the door when she stopped and turned.

"Sev?"

"Yes?"

"Why did you have a contraceptive potion in your store room?" She bit her lip, hoping she wasn't overstepping her bounds, and hoping even more that it wasn't something he'd brewed for an ex lover.

"I may be retired from teaching, but I still have to make a living. I occasionally make and sell certain difficult potions. Under a pseudonym, of course."

"I didn't know that," Hermione said, surprised. Severus lifted one finger to his lips and made a 'shoosh' noise.

"Neither does anyone else."

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The days continued to pass uneventfully and they happily kept on with their regular routine. One thing did change after the incident in the potion shop, though. Hermione's nightly kisses became more than a simple peck on the cheek. They were still small and innocent, but each night they deepened slightly. The sexual tension between them grew, which was exactly the way Hermione wanted it.

Severus pushed himself harder than ever to find the reason for the birth problems. Not because he was suddenly in a rush to end his marriage to Hermione, but because a small, insidious voice in his head whispered to him that if he never found the reason, then he would never have to let Hermione go. And he absolutely would not stop looking for a way to get the law repealed just because he wanted to keep her. It wasn't fair to her, and it wasn't fair to the other Muggleborns who were suffering. Hermione had told him that Alice, a
woman she'd become friends with, had been forced to marry the bastard that had tried to attack her. He wouldn't be hurting Alice any time soon, but how many other women were at the mercy of brutes like him? Severus couldn't turn a blind eye to their suffering, no matter how cold he thought himself to be.

And he cared too much for Hermione to force her to stay with him if there was a chance of giving her freedom back to her.

Each night, each lingering kiss, made that care he felt for her more sharp and poignant. He couldn't ignore it any more. He wanted to see her face first thing in the morning. He craved her opinion on everything. He was bitterly jealous of anything that she'd shared with others before him, even that twit Weasley. He longed for the feel of her body against his in the evenings. His fantasies burned out of control and he'd stopped trying to get them out of his head by putting them into the Adfectus.

Even when he was holed up in his study working, his mind would drift to her. He would be reading some obscure passage about blood diseases and suddenly find himself thinking of the way she smiled when she was reading something she enjoyed. The quirk of her rose colored lips, the curve of her cheek... Then he would force himself back to his work, trying to find the connection he was so certain was just under his nose between the births and the blood. And a few hours later he would be distracted again, this time thinking about some witty remark she'd made and how much he admired her intelligence.

A week after her incident in the potion shop, they were reading on the couch, Hermione curled up under his arm. It was Saturday morning and they had foregone their usual trip to the bakery because neither of them wanted to eat breakfast outside with rain pouring down so hard you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. Instead they'd shared their usual morning cup of tea and Hermione made toast with marmalade for them to munch on.

Severus was reading an old book on curses when he sat up so abruptly that Hermione dropped the piece of toast she was about to bite into and ended up with marmalade on her chin. She looked around wide eyed, then furrowed her brow at Severus, oblivious to the marmalade beard she was sporting.

"Severus? Something wrong?"

"Yes! No! Not something wrong, but something. I think I may have found it...the connection...but how to track it down..." He started muttering to himself, which Hermione knew he only did when his thoughts were coming faster than his mouth could articulate them. She smiled at his excitement. Suddenly he stopped and concentrated for a moment. "Yes...in Abbots office...there might be something in that book..." He turned to Hermione. "I need to go to the ministry as soon as possible."

"Well there's usually a few people still in the offices on Saturday mornings doing extra work. I'm sure there is someone around who could let you in right now if you need." Severus was up before she'd even finished talking. He summoned his robes and was striding to the door in an instant. Then he stopped and turned back, uncertainty marring his brow as he looked at Hermione. She was still on the couch and still had marmalade on her chin. "Go on, Sev, don't worry about me. It sounds like you're on a roll." She smiled at him indulgently. Severus took two long strides and was back at her side. He knelt down in front of her and gently wiped away the marmalade with his thumb. He gave her a little half smile and licked it clean, then kissed her forehead and rose.

He apparated from the flat and landed just outside the door to the department of Magical Law Enforcement. After flagging down a passing worker, he let himself into Abbot's office and started rummaging through the shelves. He'd seen it here somewhere... There! A small, innocent looking book sat on the very end of the shelf. In faded gold letters, the words Blood Curses was spelled down the binding. He pulled it off the shelf, sat in Abbot's chair, and started to read.

Hermione snuggled back up on the couch and tried to read again. She found that her concentration was utterly lost. Half of her was desperately curious about what connection Severus had made and why he'd run off to the ministry on a Saturday morning. The other half of her kept thinking about the way he'd licked the marmalade off of his thumb just before he'd left. Much to her libido's disappointment, it was taking longer than she'd expected to seduce her husband. After that first real kiss, she'd thought he would give her a few days to make sure she was over the shock and then make his move. But though she'd given him increasingly sensual kisses before bed each night, he still hadn't done anything more. Was it her inexperience that gave him pause? Did he know just how innocent she was? Or was it her ? Surely he liked her. He'd given her so many beautiful compliments, and Severus Snape wasn't a man prone to idle flattery. Had she misread his feelings?

She resolved to try harder from then on. It was possible that he was just being polite, some holdover from his teaching days making him hesitate. She would show him in no uncertain terms that she wanted him. Then if he still turned her down she would know for sure. She only hoped that she could get her point across without acting like a total slattern and embarrassing herself.

Giving up on the book she'd been trying to read, Hermione went back to her room and searched her closet. She didn't have anything that was very sexy. It was mostly professional outfits for work, and casual outfits for everything else. Practicality was her middle name. Usually she was proud of that...but it wasn't doing her any favors in this situation. She knew that Severus had liked the white and red sundress she'd worn a few weeks ago...didn't she have a single dress that was more than passably pretty?!

After searching high and low, she realized in utter disgust that her closet hadn't a single item that could be deemed sexy. Irritated beyond belief, she took the white and red sundress out and looked at it appraising. It certainly wasn't winning any beauty pageants...but maybe if she made some minor alterations... Magical alterations had never been her specialty, but Hermione made it a point to have at least a basic knowledge of every spell. She bit her lip in indecision and tried to decide what to do first. The neckline a little lower? The hem a little higher? How much could she reduce the fabric without looking like she belonged on the street corner picking up Johns? She decided to start simple, by making it more form fitting. After a few minutes of tentative spells, she had what she thought would be passable as an appealing dress. Part of her wished she could consult Ginny, who was her expert in all things feminine, but somehow Hermione didn't think Ginny would appreciate being called in to aid her in attempting to seduce their old potions professor.

With the dress done, she dug a pair of heeled sandals out and slipped them on. They weren't stilettos by any stretch of the imagination, but they had at least a few inches of height and added that certain allure that high heels never failed to produce. After that, she went into the bathroom and stared at herself in the mirror. All she could see was a too pale face, big but plain brown eyes, small lips and of course, wild curly brown hair. Before she let herself get too discouraged, she remembered the sketch she'd found in the study. Was that truly how Severus saw her eyes? Did he find her beautiful? The same face she was staring so despondently at? It seemed impossible, but Hermione reminded herself that she, more than anyone else in the world, was her own worst critic. She'd been called pretty before. She certainly wasn'tugly. Just a little plain. And with a little make up...maybe?

She dug the small box out from under the counter that held all of her "feminine" -and therefore rarely used- items. After eying the contents rather dubiously, she picked up blush and started to work.

Twenty minutes later she'd put on, washed off, put back on, washed back off, and then finally put makeup back on again. She'd found what she thought was a very pretty balance between carnival clown slut and nunnery modest. Her hair was now pulled back away from her face in a small clip. It was out of her eyes, but the length of it hung down her back in slightly subdued curls. It had gotten long since she'd moved in with Severus, and after he'd run his hands through it several dozen times she decided he probably liked it that length. All in all, between the dress, the heels, the makeup and her hair, she felt rather glamorous. Of course she'd never in a thousand years be willing to submit herself to such an arduous routine every morning, but the results were worthy of the effort on special occasions. And this certainly counted as a special occasion. After all, it wasn't every day you seduced your ex teacher-current husband-future lover.

She checked the time. He'd been gone for two hours. How much longer would it take for him to finish at the ministry? Hermione made herself a cup of tea to calm her nerves, remembering to put a charm on the mug so that her lipstick wouldn't rub off on its rim. Then she sat, waiting impatiently, for Severus to return.

Severus left the Ministry, but didn't apparate back to the flat. He went to a pub that he knew served his kind. Men like him. Dangerous, dark and in need of privacy. The bartender didn't even notice when he slid into a corner chair. He did notice the galleon that Severus slid at him.

"Firewhiskey," he ordered. With a nod, the barkeep poured him a shot, eyed the galleon, and left the bottle on the counter. Severus took the first shot and didn't even grimace when it burned down his throat. He poured a second one. It spread warmth in his chest. By the third shot he could appreciate the subtle cinnamon flavor to the whiskey and could feel the alcohol dancing along his veins. He poured the fourth shot and reflected on his failures in life. He hadn't saved Lily. He hadn't saved Dumbledore. He hadn't defeated Voldermort. He hadn't even died when he was supposed to. And now he was failing yet again. After all the work he'd done, all the research, all the time spent pouring over books that might have the answer... He'd found it. Only to realize that since he couldn't trace its source, he couldn't prove it. An untraceable blood curse.

With no proof, and no cure in sight, there was no way the ministry would repeal the law based on what he'd found. What was he supposed to do now? Give up? No, he had never been a quitter. But the curse was untraceable. There was nothing more he could do. How was he supposed to go home to Hermione and tell her he'd failed? That she would be stuck in their sham of a marriage with him? That the Muggleborns everywhere would never get their rights back? The whiskey was helping dull the pangs of disappointment, but not enough. Worse, there was a part of him that was relieved. Relieved! That he wouldn't have to give her up. She was his to keep forever. What kind of sick bastard was he that deep down he was celebrating his failure because it forced a beautiful young woman to stay in his home and in his life? He was disgusted with himself. He took another shot, and then another. Maybe the answer to all of his problems would be at the bottom of this bottle...

dun dun dunnnnnn...Ok, so I usually don't beg quite so shamlessly for reviews **cough bullshit cough** buuuut...the next chapter is HUGE on plot. I can only hint at what happens, but lets just say, when Sev gets home, all hell breaks loose. It is totally awesome, if I do say so myself. So...you want it on Wednesday? Leave me one of those precious reviews and I'll make sure to put it up in a few days so you don't have to wait quite so long to see what happens! Aaaand on that note, the audiobook chapter is also up on you tube so go check that out as well : )

Happy Reading!