Disclaimer: All characters belong to JK Rowling and sadly, I am not she. If I was, Severus would be alive, Lily would not have been the love of his life and Hermione would have been and they would have had tonnes of kids which would then lead onto a Severus/Hermione mini series!lol
Only the plot belongs to me. It will be moving into a B story now – plenty romance still so do not worry but now Hermione and Severus will be going to hunt a deatheater.
Note: writing in italics below are internal thoughts of the characters/letter content.
Please review: it is appreciated. I'd appreciate more in the way of reviews so I know if you guys like what I am doing, or indeed if you have any ideas that you would like me to consider writing into the plot. Not compliant at all to the books, so please don't feel the need to point it out. You're reading a Severus/Hermione ship…that is not in any way compliant to begin with so if you don't like the things I invent or twist within the story to suit my plot, please move on to some other story. I appreciate constructive criticism, I know that my stories will not be perfect but I can only try my best and hope it pleases. I am only human after all.
As with all my fics this will be rated M – just a wee warning in advance.
"Minerva, you cannot just break into Severus's cubicle...Hermione is with him." Remus whispered sharply.
"I don't understand what is taking them so long, they have been in there for over 30 minutes. Surely the potion does not take this long to begin to take effect!" Minerva retorted as she walked towards Severus's bed.
Remus rolled his eyes and sighed in frustration at Minerva's ignorance.
He stood in front of her holding his hands out in a 'halt' gesture.
"Minnie, think...why would perhaps Severus and Hermione, who we know have been secretly in love with one another for years, be taking a while to surface from the cubicle?" He looked at Minerva hoping she would catch on.
Minerva stared at him blankly, brow creased in confusion.
"Merlin, woman you are supposed to be intelligent." Remus said fondly. "Perhaps Severus and Hermione are getting to know one another after all this time, if you catch my drift?"
Minerva's eyebrows shot up in realisation, "You...you mean they are, getting stuck into each other? In the middle of the infirmary!" She almost shouted in outrage.
"I would say it is more likely that Severus will be getting stuck into Hermione but who are you to judge Minerva. You forget your late husband was hardly secretive about your sexual exploits in your younger days. I dare say there is not a classroom or work station in this school that has not seen some action from you two." Remus was chuckling now.
The Headmistress had the decency to look slightly ashamed but the twinkle in her eyes also showed that she was reminicing. Remus felt himself shudder at the thought.
"What say we go and fetch a cup of tea with Poppy until the lovers surface?"
"A cup of tea? My boy after making me remember those times, I'll be in need of a firewhiskey." Minerva cackled.
"Oh please do be quiet Minnie. I have enough nightmares as it is."
Hermione lay on Severus's chest, breathing in his glorious, unique scent. Severus stoked her soft, beautiful hair with one hand while the other drew lazy circles on her shoulder. They were in their own little world, made for two.
"As much as I do not want to break this blissful and surprisingly comfortable silence…I take it you figured out it was Bellatrix?" Severus asked.
Hermione snorted, "Of course. I am not the Brains of Gryffindor for nout. She, as you no doubt guessed, tried to kill me while you were incapacitated. Turns out she was my cat, Seraphina. No one knew she was an animagi."
Severus squeezed her tighter to him, "I guess that lovely cut on your lip was a gift from her?"
She raised her head and kissed him lightly on the lips.
"Yes she did. But I knocked the fucker out for the sheer audacity. I never knew I had such strength in me Severus. She was on the top of me trying to kill me and I just snapped. She tried to kill me and the man I loved. I just exploded…I could let her win. I couldn't lose you, Severus. You mean everything to me and I plan on telling you every day for the rest of my life, that I love you and will never take your for granted."
"As if Bellatrix would ever be a match for my little fire cracker! Her plan was rather admiral but in usual Bella style…she went in all guns blazing and got herself caught. Although if she had not carried out her attack on me. I think it would have been a long time before I told you how I felt about you. I never truly thought you would return my feelings." He said finally.
Hermione smiled, "How could I not? I have been in love with you for a long time."
"I cannot understand how. I was horrid to you for so long. If it hadn't been for Albus, I would have never believed…" He stopped his sentence short.
Hermione sat up and looked at him curiously, "Albus? What does Albus have to do with this?"
Lie, lie… like a filthy dog! A voice in his head argued.
Don't start your relationship off on a lie! His better side added.
"Um…well while I was asleep, Albus sort of came to me in a vision and convinced me that you loved me too." He said uneasily.
"Huh…isn't that strange? He came to me in a dream just before I gave the potion to you and showed me that you were in love with me." Hermione added, the cogs in her head spinning overtime.
"Do you think it was…"
"Real?" Hermione finished for him.
"Yes. We both know that Albus is conniving enough to infest our dreams to get his own bloody way and push us together." Severus drawled.
Hermione smiled, "Well if it was real…we are both forever indebted to him."
Severus rolled his eyes in jest, "Oh Merlin save us. That is the last thing the old coot needs…more people bloody indebted to him. I reckon that him bring you to me is payback for all the shit I had to do for the war effort."
"Was it worth it?" Hermione asked with a grin.
"Oh it was worth it. So much so that I would fight a thousand wars if it means that I get to spend the rest of my life with you, my love."
In the distance sat the portrait of Albus, wiping his sweating brow with a smirk, "Phew. That could have gone a lot worse."
It was some time later before Severus and Hermione left the sanctuary of the enclosed hospital bed, much to the slight annoyance of Minerva and Poppy. Remus merely smirked and shook Severus's hand.
"It's about bloody time you sly dog!" He whispered to Severus.
Severus raised his eyebrow in innocent, "Remus, my friend I have no idea what you are howling on about."
Remus rolled his eyes, "Sure, break out the werewolf jokes now that you're awake sleeping beauty. Nice to have you back mate."
Hermione watched the exchange between the two and smiled, she always enjoyed the playful banter the two sprouted in each other's company.
"Oh would you two please stop your carry on! We have more important matters to speak of." Minerva chided half heartedly.
She turned to Hermione like a hyper teenager, " So did he kiss you? Are you finally together?"
The whole group, including Severus, chuckled at Minerva's behaviour.
"I can confirm, you old cat, that Hermione and I are finally in a relationship." Severus said proudly as he slid an arm around his love's waist.
Poppy and Minerva clapped their hands like nursery children and squealed with glee. Hermione and Severus shared a smile, relieved that all the people who mattered to them the most were happy for them. Remus's expression had turned serious as he stared into thin air, Severus noticed.
"What is wrong old friend? Are you going to break into the 'if you hurt Hermione, I will turn you into an alley cat' talk?" Severus said trying to lighten the mood.
Remus seemed to snap back into reality at the sound of Severus's baritone voice, "Hmm? Oh, I am sorry mate, I was in a world of my own. I can't help but think…never mind, just me being stupid. Me over thinking everything as usual."
Severus stepped forward, intrigued by his friends train of thought.
"No, Remus…go on."
"Well it's just Bellatrix, she just doesn't seem smart enough to put together such a plan on her own. I mean, I remember how shit she was at Potions while we were at school. Even Draught of the Living Death…she couldn't grasp it. It just made me think. What if she wasn't acting on her own accord? How many more Deatheaters are still out there? How many Deatheater sympathisers roam the streets of Hogsmeade or even walk through the grounds of Hogwarts? We have always known that we didn't catch them all, we just never thought they would be brazen enough to appear again." Remus was pacing the floor now as the other four look on at him, listening intently.
Hermione sat up straighter, feeling her stomach coil violently at the thought of there being more Deatheaters roaming the streets. She was not naïve enough that she was not already aware of that but she never thought they would be stupid enough to surface publicly again. She looked at Severus, his face deep in thought, her heart missed a beat as she thought of the danger he could be in if the Deatheaters were going to rise again.
"I do not think there were many unaccounted for. The only ones they suspected dead without evidence of bodies were Lucius, Bella and Antonin." Severus said, his voice dreamy in deep thought.
Hermione's body stiffened suddenly and Severus turned to her. He noticed her hand move just under her left breast, he raised an eyebrow in question but she shook her head and gave him a look that said 'I'll tell you later.'
"Perhaps we should give Harry and Ronald an owl, have them check out your theory Remus?" Minerva added helpfully.
"It's probably nothing, but you bring up a good point Remus. I would sleep better if we at least raised your concerns with the aurors." Poppy interjected.
"Then it is agreed…we speak to the Aurors." Severus said finally. "Now if you will all excuse me, I believe Hermione and I have some conversations to have and some…other things to catch up on. As you all know we have danced around one another for far too long and I believe in not wasting a minute more."
He smiled at Hermione and hugged her close, "Come love, time to play catch up."
"Good night all." Hermione smiled at the group.
"Good night? It's three o'clock in the afternoon!" Minerva said, oblivious to what Hermione and Severus were going to be up to.
"Ah Minerva, you are completely too innocent for your own good." Remus chuckled. His smile faded as he thought back to his worries about the Deatheater situation.
As he and Minerva left the infirmary, Poppy laid a hand on his forearm, "Don't worry yourself with this Remus. You must keep well rested, for your own sake and for Teddy's."
Remus smiled kindly at the older witch and hoped that his hunch was wrong.
Three files lay on the dark mahogany desk next to a large glass of fire whiskey and a copy of the Daily Prophet. The paper had a picture of Bellatrix being dragged into Azkaban while she awaits her trial for the attempted murder of Severus Snape, Remus Lupin and Hermione Granger.
The person behind the desk spun in his chair and lazily flipped open a file, gazing over the contents.
"Hermione Granger, Severus Snape and Remus Lupin…what a merry band of warriors you are proving to be." The man mumbled to himself.
He methodically lay each file on top of the other, stacking them neatly before he roared an almighty roar and stabbed a dagger straight through the middle of the stack.
"I'll kill every last fucking one of you!" He seethed.
"A filthy fucking mudblood, a half blood traitor and a fucking disgusting half breed? I will wipe the lot of you out…I will succeed where that imbecile Bellatrix failed…I will be victorious!"
a/n: am I mean for leaving a cliffie? As I said at the top of the chapter, this is now going to go into a small B story. Do not fret there will be naked Severus and romance aplenty. Please review and I will make it worth your while! Thanks for all the support, Jenni.