Long Night
Hermione had appeared in the driveway of her home; she quickly moved to the shadows and surveyed the area, looking for Harry. Suddenly a hand touched her arm; Hermione almost yelled if it wasn't for the quick silencio that was placed on her by the culprit; her eyes widened in recognition when Harry appeared before her, having removed his invincibility cloak.
"Sorry, Hermione didn't mean to startle you..." He removed the spell as he trailed off in a whisper, Hermione smiled consolingly.
"It's okay Harry, anything?" She quizzed him immediately, even though she knew now the imposter would only leave the next day, Harry shook his head regretfully.
"No, he is still watching telly and drinking beer... and as always - you are right, that's not Snape; he just doesn't sit like Snape does. I'm sorry... you'd think after everything I'd have learned by now to just listen to you the first time. What about you? What did you find?"
Hermione sighed, time to divulge.
"Well, Severus made sure to have a witness to the meeting, unknown to the perpetrators of course. He informed me of the events..." Hermione took a deep breath, she felt very emotional, all the stress catching up to her, she guessed the pregnancy hormones played a role. "He saw the imposter Snape with Lucretia; he identified her positively with the photograph copy I showed him. She stunned my husband and aparated away with him. The witness heard her giving the imposter instructions that he must make sure not to make me suspicious - which he failed abysmally in - and that he must report to her at the hunting lodge tomorrow when I'm at work."
Hermione blinked, she felt the sting of unshed tears, she was really feeling frantic with worry about her husband. Harry frowned while listening to the account; he seemed to be deep in thought, deciding on a course of action.
"Hermione, I'm going to use Snape as the bait so to say to get Lucretia, as for this... I'll assign a watch duty to the imposter and protection to you. We might finally catch Lucretia Avery in something concrete thanks to Snape!"
Harry seemed ecstatic with the thought, as well as worried at the same time; yet Hermione frowned, then in a low menacing voice, she drawled.
"Harry Potter... If anything happens to my husband in this bait game... I will hold you responsible. In fact, if any harm befalls him, I swear I will maim anyone involved. I do not care about my vows to the ministry... If my husband dies..."
She trailed off, the threat hanging heavy between them in the silence of the night. Harry seemed shocked, and then he seemed deep in thought, looking at her earnestly.
"I won't let harm come to him, you have my word - Hermione tell me... Uhm... Are you in love with Snape?" She felt herself going pale, she knew she had promised herself a full analysing of her feelings for her husband later, yet, now that Harry had put the words out there...
Was she in love with her husband?
Her brow furrowed as memories and feelings rolled through her mind, her fourteen-year-old self in third year, sitting in potions class staring dreamily at the dark potions professor while letting his silky sinful voice lull her into a trance-like state.
Her seventeen-year-old self in sixth year smelling parchment in the Amortentia, the smell she loved but also knew was the smell she identified so strongly with her snarky potions professor.
Always trying to protect him to Harry when Harry was convinced he was a spy, her eighteen-year-old self, outside the shrieking shack, feeling absolute desolation as she heard Nagini attacking him. Every instinct wanting to go inside to save him, protect him!
The heartbreak she felt as she watched him die, giving his memories to Harry, knowing there was so much more to the Potions Professor. Then the pride as she watched the memories in the pensieve, seeing that he had never been on Voldemort's side, realising he was in truth the biggest hero of them all!
Then that urgency... That feeling that made her go to him, that sense that somehow called her to him, knowing he was still alive. What was that extra sense? That connection? Then the absolute relieve when she realised he was alive. The emotion and that same connection prompting her to stay by his side during his recovery.
Her memories then took her to more recent times, their engagement and marriage.
She remembered how it was natural to share her seats with him that day of the test, his smell overtaking her senses, his proximity sending shivers through her body, her eyes continuously seeking him out. The almost relief she felt when the hat called out his name as if she was glad that he was her preferred match, the acceptance of the situation she immediately embraced.
Her preference for his company, making him take her out to dinner, proudly showing him off as her match, knowing there is no greater man in her opinion than Severus Snape.
She smiled very slightly at the thought of his arm always interlocking with hers when they walk in public, his hand being held out to help pull her up on certain occasions, his own seeming preference for her company.
The times he would quietly come from his lab to see where she was; and remark impassively that she was not reading down in the lab while he was still working as if it was merely an observation, but she knew he was hinting at her company.
How he had replaced his normal shampoo and started to wash his hair with that certain herbal shampoo she liked, how he would know she had a hard day at work and in his usual blunt manner, tell her to read and he will take care of nightly routine chores. The times his heated obsidian eyes would lock with hers and she would know that whatever they were doing were going to have to wait, how he would stalk to her and push her up against the wall, how he would kiss her till her senses left her completely, how he tasted...
Harry watched in silence as the myriad of emotions raced across his friend's face, he saw when the moment came to that realisation set in, the smile that formed, and at the same time the uncertainty that entered her eyes.
"Yes... Yes, I believe I love my husband Harry."
SSHG
Lucretia was cutting open his shirt, right down the front centre, and then she pushed it aside, revealing his chest and stomach. Severus shuddered, the air was cold, there was no fire in the grate, and the only small window revealed it was snowing.
Lucretia stared down at his bared stomach, a malicious smile on her face.
Then the flogger was trailed down from his neck to his stomach, where she flicked it hard; this time the sharp pain was felt prominently, and Severus twitched involuntary, gasping in his breath, he knew the mark would stand out harshly from his pale skin. She laughed, almost maniacally, reminding him eerily of Bellatrix.
"Severus... I'm going to have such fun with you... You'll be my new favourite toy..."
His throat constricted, yet his face remained impassive, he will never show weakness. "As you will Lucretia..."
She seemed angered then at his lack of emotion or reaction, a dark sneer forming, she hit him then over his chest with the flogger, three times!
"Tomorrow Gustav will report... I'm sure he'll update you on the mudblood you married; maybe he'll have taken her tonight...over and over again... Maybe she enjoyed it so much that she screamed out in pleasure ... How would you like that Severus?"
He felt bile rise at the thought of someone else taking his wife, his body shivered in anger, at that moment he knew he would truly kill this witch and her accomplice, without remorse, without thought. His eyes narrowed at her, black pitiless eyes full of loathing and absolute rage; Lucretia stepped back in a moment of almost fear, then she steeled herself and stepped back forward.
"Hate me yet Severus ... If not... You will."
Then Lucretia turned around and promptly left the room, the light turning off also, darkness enveloping him.
SSHG
Hermione had entered her house, having bidden Harry goodnight as well as having assured him that she would handle the imposter barely a minute earlier. She walked softly to the den; the imposter was dozing on the couch, the television still on and a dozen empty beer bottles on the ground next to the couch. She thought quickly, he would wake up easily, and she'd prefer to avoid the whole scenario of sex with this stranger in her husband's body.
Hermione turned and quietly made her way down to the lab, once there she went to the finished stock potions cabinet, she shuffled through the bottles, then she got it.
Sleeping draught.
Hermione smiled, almost evilly; she quickly went back up and made her way to the kitchen, at the fridge she took out another beer, opened it and poured the sleeping draught. Walking back casually to the den while pretending to drink the beer, making a lot of noise and as she hoped, he had awakened by the time she stepped inside.
Hermione smirked inside of herself, she was playing along, he wouldn't know how she normally acted since he obviously had no idea how her husband acted normally. He glared at her.
"What are you doing with my beer?"
Hermione feigned innocence and raised her brows quizzically. "I'm sorry dear... I was a bit thirsty... I haven't drunk any yet... Here..."
She quickly handed him the beer, acting nervous and unsure, this imposter obviously wanted her scared and subordinately. He sneered and grabbed the bottle from her, then without hesitation started gulping it down while turning his attention back on the sitcom on the television.
"Go upstairs, I'll be there shortly. Be naked Mrs Snape." He spoke heatedly, yet his eyes not leaving the telly, Hermione shuddered but kept her voice submissively sweet.
"Of course dear... Come up when you're ready."
Hermione watched as he started to blink tiredly, his body slumping more heavily down on the couch. She smiled satisfactorily and headed to bed; safe in the knowledge the imposter would only be a problem again the next morning.
SSHG
Severus shivered in cold, every pore of his being screaming out in protest; he was sure his skin was blue by now, his lips were pursing together, trying to keep his teeth from chattering. He was thinking of his wife, was she safe? Was the imposter claiming her as he lay there at this very moment? He grunted silently.
It was going to be a cold, dark and long night for Severus Snape.
SSHG
Hermione lay in her bed, under their warm duvet and covers; she was wide awake, wondering where her husband was, was he warm? Was he well? She knew he was alive, she somehow felt that. Yet, she could not feel comforted, she was lonely and the bed felt empty, she wanted, no needed, her husband with her again. Hermione sighed.
It was going to be a hard, lonely and long night for her.