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Chapter 14

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March 21, 2000

The first thing they did when they got to Severus' flat was withdraw their memories and floo the vials of evidence over to the Auror's office. The look of shock on Potter's face when Severus' head appeared in the fireplace demanding he start an investigation was sheer perfection. Horror, confusion and obstinance all rolled into one imperfect sneer. Potter had assured them the Aurors would look into the incident and warned them they'd probably get a visit from an Auror sometime over the next couple days. As if they couldn't have figured that out on their own.

The second thing they did was get the firewhiskey down from its well-warded hiding place above the fridge and pour themselves generous mugs full of the stuff. Hermione had taken a seat on the couch while Severus settled himself against the stone wall beside the fireplace, letting it warm him through as he stretched his legs out across the living room.

A half hour later, fortified by alcohol and surrounded by a dozen surreptitiously cast shielding charms, Severus finally told Hermione how they'd escaped. Her reaction was not quite what he'd expected.

"You had better be joking, Severus Snape," she said, pointing an accusing finger at him even as she evacuated her spot on the couch.

Severus watched the witch pacing back and forth across his living room with the sort of wariness that used to be reserved for Albus and Albus alone. It wasn't often that people surprised him but here was Hermione, once again surprising him. He'd expected screaming. Outrage. Perhaps a few smashed glasses, a demand to never see her again and a dramatic exit. From what he recalled of Hermione's school years, she had a hot temper and some very creative spins on age old spells. So he was definitely prepared for the worst of that to come out.

But this witch… he swallowed nervously as Hermione stopped in the middle of the floor, turned to look at him with one hand on her hip and the other holding tight to her own mug of firewhiskey, shook her head then resumed pacing. This witch was calm. Deadly calm. Hermione was practically vibrating with the amount of energy she was exerting to keep from exploding at him. That level of control was something Severus had only ever witnessed in himself and seeing it on her was nerve-wracking to say the least.

The thought that she was stunning in her quiet fury drifted through his mind and he shoved it back, hard, and took a sip of whiskey.

"Would you have preferred to burn to death?" he asked as casually as he could manage.

She glared at him and he couldn't be sure if the fire in her eyes was reflection or manifestation. "Of course not."

"Then I don't see what the problem is."

"You apparated us Into The Ground," she snarled, carefully drawing out the last three words. She wanted to make sure he knew what she was upset about. "You didn't know what could have happened. We could have died."

"We were already dead," he reasoned. "The worst that could have happened is we'd have been crushed instead of barbequed."

With a huff, Hermione flopped onto his couch. It was a miracle the firewhiskey didn't spill. "You should have at least warned me."

Severus rolled his eyes. He knew exactly what would have happened if he'd told her he was planning on apparating into the floor of the Forbidden Forest.

"Yes," he drawled, sarcasm dripping into his voice like venom. "Because we had so much time to hold a summit on the pros and cons of apparating into the ground. How many seconds do you think it would have taken the fiendfyre to render us into ash?"

He glared at her and Hermione held his gaze in a silent standoff. He knew the instant she let go of her wrath by the way her pupils dilated, but she made him wait an extra minute before her body relaxed in the universal slump that meant "I give in". She slipped off his couch and onto the ground, her legs parallel to his as she stared into the fire and drained her mug in one giant gulp. Severus couldn't help but arch an eyebrow at that. Who knew Hermione could drink like a pro?

Even as she silently summoned the bottle from where he'd left it on the mantle, Hermione bopped his leg with her foot. "Thank you for saving us."

"You're welcome," he replied.

Hermione dipped her chin and tilted her lips up. Severus managed to return her small smile as they made nice. He held his glass out for a refill. Once she topped him off, he leaned back against the stone and closed his eyes.

They were silent for a bit, each caught up in their thoughts. Severus was hoping the Aurors would stumble across the arseholes who were desecrating nature and put an end to the investigation before it even began. Unfortunately, he knew that was just about as likely as the Weasley's not procreating. Whoever was burning the sites was hours ahead of the MLE. On top of that, he doubted there was any evidence for the Aurors to trace. Fiendfyre was effective like that. Unless they could find a match for the man he and Hermione had seen, the Aurors were likely at a dead end. Severus growled at that though. The bastards deserved to rot in Azkaban for all the damage they'd done.

"How did you even know to try it?" Hermione asked, interrupting his ire.

Clearly she was still caught up on his apparation trick. Arching one eyebrow, Severus asked the obvious. "Do you ward your floors?"

Her mouth popped open into a pretty little O. Surprise turned to bemusement and she shook her head. "No."

He smirked. "No one ever does. That's why apparating down worked."

"Are your floors warded?"

"My liquor stash is warded, do you think I would forget my floors?"

She grinned at him and he found himself responding with his own smile, broader and less tentative. "I guess I'll be expanding my wards tomorrow," she said.

"Hmmm," he agreed.

It was oddly intimate, sitting on the floor facing one another with the fire crackling behind him. But it wasn't uncomfortable. That thought alone may have been terrifying if Severus hadn't just faced down fiendfyre and almost gotten them crushed by the weight of the earth. Literally. But for once he was content with the tenuous comradery that had been forged between them. He savored the quiet sounds of her breathing and the press of her leg against his and the warm pulse of whiskey in his gut.

"I'm sorry about that day in the park."

The words had been said so quietly, Severus wasn't sure Hermione meant to speak them out loud. He opened his eyes halfway and watched her. Staring at the ground, she picked at a loose strand in the rug and appeared every bit as hesitant as her words suggested she was.

"I should be the one apologizing," he said. Just as quietly. "I was… angry. And I took it out on you."

"You had every right to be angry. I can't even imagine what you must have felt when you realized Sassa was gone." Hermione lowered her head further and a curtain of hair fell over her face, hiding it from his view. Her next words were tentative. "I was worried for her and I'm not anybody to your kids."

Severus had suffered slicing hexes that didn't cut as deep as those words did. You are not their mother. Typical Severus, feeling hurt and lashing out at anybody and everybody who dared try to help. It was worse because Hermione hadn't even known anything was wrong. The last time she'd seen him he'd had to pry himself away from her before he took her against the door like a randy sixth year. Then he was all but ripping her head off for being excited about Sassa's magic. He wouldn't blame her if she thought he was bipolar or something.

Patting Hermione's shin, he waited until she looked up at him and lowered his occlumency shields entirely. Hermione deserved the truth. And she deserved to know it was the truth. She gasped, recognizing his openness, and leaned ever so slightly towards him.

"I wasn't angry because Sassa was gone," he said quietly. The urge to lower his gaze or slam his shields back up was strong but he fought through it. "Well, I was, but that's not why I lashed out at you."

"Severus," she whispered. "You don't have to."

He swallowed. "I do. You feel it, don't you? This thing between us?"

"Yes."

A ghost of a smile crossed his lips. That one word was filled with yearning and sadness and wariness all at the same time. Slowly, Severus stood and crossed the distance to the couch. He drew Hermione up onto the cushion next to him, his thumb stroking the pulse point in her wrist before he pulled away and put as much distance between them as the couch would allow. She curled her legs beneath her, looking soft and vulnerable as she patiently waited for him to say more.

"I was angry because I found out that our attraction–this thing between us–is probably magically compelled. I was trying to push you away." Severus watched her reaction carefully as he said the words, wanting to make sure she understood what he was saying.

"You're not talking about the imperius are you?" Hermione furrowed her brow.

"No."

He could almost hear her thinking it through. Hermione's gaze swept across the room, lingering on the bookshelf and the photos of the kids before returning to him. She nodded, as if deciding something, and folded her hands in her lap.

"Magical adoptions are performed with oath magic, aren't they?" she asked.

"Yes." He almost added more but what was he supposed to say? I swore to my children that I would find them a mother and apparently you're it. Or, I can't fall in love with you because I would never be sure it's real and not just a byproduct of the oath bond. Even in his own mind it sounded stupid.

Fortunately Hermione was an intelligent witch. She didn't need him to walk her through it; she did it for herself, thinking out loud as she put what he had said and what he hadn't together. "I'm woefully underread on the subject of oath bonds but I'm assuming the usual adoption oaths include both parents. And since you're not married and their mother is gone or… something. You must have adapted the oath to suit your situation?"

At his nod of agreement, Hermione smiled grimly. She seemed to sink further into her corner of the couch even as she met his gaze dead on. "You believe the oath has created a compulsion between us. To fulfill the requirements for a mother."

It was a statement but Severus responded anyway. "Yes."

Nothing could have prepared him for the look of devastation that crossed Hermione's face. In all his time spent brooding about his sucky lot in life, it hadn't occurred to him that Hermione would be just as upset as he was. Severus could have slapped himself for not realizing it. Then again, everything with Hermione was new territory. How could he have anticipated that she felt the same when he'd never had a relationship where his feelings were reciprocated?

"I'm sorry." The words were inadequate but there was nothing else he could think to say.

Hermione turned her face away, staring into the fire so as not to have to look at him. Her trembling jaw and the single tear that slipped down her cheek were his undoing and, before he even knew what he was doing, Severus bridged the space between them and brushed her tear away. That action only served to shatter her control and Hermione bit her lip as a sob escaped her.

"It's not fair," she whispered.

Wrapping his arms around her, Severus pulled her against his chest. He set his chin atop her curls and closed his eyes. Her visible anguish was a mirror of his own and he hated that the damned oath had caused her that kind of pain.

"I'm sorry you got dragged into this," he said.

"No." Hermione planted a hand on his chest, pushing away from him. He let her go willingly, surprised when she merely used the distance to look him dead in the eyes. Her face was splotched red from crying but she had a look of fierce determination on under the tears. "It's not fair to you, Severus. All your life you've been bound by one thing or another. Dumbledore, Voldemort, Lily… Even your children are the result of a magical oath. It's not fair that you can't even have this–" She pressed her lips to his, closing her eyes for half a second before she withdrew. It was far too brief, far too quick, for him to have memorized the feel of her and Severus had to fight not to pull her back down and kiss her until they both forgot what they were talking about. Resist he did, though, and Hermione continued. "–without knowing it's real. You deserve everything. Love, joy, family, everything. And you deserve to never have to wonder about it."

She curled herself back onto his chest and Severus held her tightly. No one had ever been so upset on his behalf before. Especially not after he'd pushed them away. And no one had understood, not even Lucius, why he couldn't allow himself to be bound by magic again. But here was a woman who liked him, who he could see himself having a future with, acknowledging that he deserved to live life outside of binding magic. Even if it meant that life was without her.

He closed his eyes and leaned back into the corner of the couch, rearranging their bodies until his legs were stretched out across the cushions and Hermione was pressed fully against his side, her cheek resting above his heart. When this night was over, they would have to let go of one another. He knew that. Because if he held onto her longer than this night, he would never let her go. And he would always wonder if it was real or not. And at some point that wondering would turn into resentment and ruin them. So for now, he held Hermione and memorized the feel of her and let himself dream of a life where this was real and not some magic compulsion. And tomorrow he'd let her go.

"I think I could have loved you," Hermione whispered against his neck. "In time. I think we would have had something amazing. You and me, Calder and Sassa."

Pressing a ghost of a kiss against her curls, Severus cried his own silent tears as she continued to soak his shirt with hers. "I could have loved you, too."

They settled into silence, their breathing evening out as the adrenaline of the evening faded and left them with nothing except exhaustion and the remnants of what could have been. The fire was nothing but embers and Severus was half asleep when Hermione mumbled something into his shirt.

"Hmmm?" he asked, too tired to form an actual word.

"I should have gone into arithmancy," she murmured.

"Why?" he asked, groping around the back of the couch until he found the blanket that had always lived there. He pulled it over them both and buried his nose in her curls.

"So we could see if this is real or not," she mumbled.

"S'not too late to get a second mastery," he reminded her, too tired to comprehend the meaning of their conversation.

"Mmmm," she sighed and snuggled further against him. "Maybe t'morrow."

"Tomorrow," he agreed.

Severus was warm. Actually, he was more than warm, he was boiling. It felt like he had a personal furnace laying on his chest. Pawing the blanket off and spelling the nearest window opened, he breathed a sigh of relief as the cool night air hit his face. That was better.

Tilting his body to the side, he pressed the furnace against the back of the couch and wrapped himself around her warmth. It was still too dark to be morning. And he was too comfy to move. He couldn't remember sleeping this well in years. No, more than years, he'd never slept this well. The warm furnace snuggled deeper into his chest and he caught a whiff of soil and spice and vanilla before sleep dulled his senses. Too comfy indeed.

Severus startled awake. Something was wrong. He didn't move a single muscle, keeping his eyes closed and his arms wrapped around the soft body that was pressed against every inch of him as he tried to figure out just what was causing his feeling of wrongness. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up and he realized, with a bit of trepidation, that someone was staring at him.

Wrapping himself further around the woman to protect her from any spells that might come their way, Severus curled his lip and pulled out his most authoritative voice. The one that used to make Longbottom wet his pants in Potions class.

"Leave or I will make you wish you had."

A familiar chuckle was the intruder's response. "And miss out on your awkward morning after conversation? I think not."

"Lucius," Severus growled, carefully clutching the witch–who he now realized was a soundly sleeping Hermione–to his chest as he turned over onto his back. She followed willingly, clinging to his heat and murmuring sleepily as she buried her face deeper into the hollow between his shoulder and neck. "What are you doing here?"

Lucius, sitting in the leather armchair with a self-satisfied smirk on his face, arched a perfect eyebrow at Severus. "Watching you two cuddle."

"Pervert."

"You're lucky your children aren't as observant as I am this early in the morning."

"Shit." Severus jolted upright, startling Hermione who jumped away from him so fast he might have been a horcrux. "Where are they?"

"Severus?" Hermione's voice was drugged with sleep and she blinked at him. "Everything okay?"

"Good morning, Miss Granger," Lucius drawled charmingly. "Did you sleep well?"

If he himself hadn't been mortified by the position they'd been discovered in, Severus may have found the way Hermione's eyes widened at the sound of Lucius' voice comical. Unfortunately, he was just as shocked by the abrupt wake up call as she was. So he kept his humor to himself and kindly brushed her rampaging curls behind her ears. His assistance did nothing to improve her tousled state.

"Lucius brought the children home." It was a blessing that Severus' voice didn't crack when he said it. It sounded like far too intimate statement for who they were to one another.

"Oh." Hermione looked dumbfounded for a moment, her eyes half-glazed over as she stared at Severus. He watched, enthralled, as her brain caught up to the conversation and confusion melted into a congenial expression. Turning to face the smirking Lucius, Hermione rolled her shoulders as if preparing for battle.

When she spoke, she managed to sound as polished as a pureblood at a ball despite her dishevelled appearance. "It's nice to see you, Mister Malfoy. I trust your evening with Calder and Sassa went well?"

Lucius smiled like the cat who cornered the canary and he snagged Hermione's hand to brush a kiss over her palm. "Nowhere near as lovely as yours, I'm sure."

Severus coughed, choking on the insinuation. But Hermione rolled with it, a dark scowl marring her face as she plucked her hand from Lucius' and crossed her arms.

"If you consider almost getting burned to death and nearly suffocating beneath the weight of who knows how much earth–" Oh good, she was still not over that. "–lovely, then yes. Your evening probably didn't come anywhere close to ours."

"Severus?" Lucius' smile dropped and he narrowed his eyes.

Taking a leaf from Hermione's book, Severus met Lucius' gaze and muttered, "Ostendimens."

He pushed his memories from the previous night into Lucius' mind, making sure to include the face of the attacker they had seen and the runes he was drawing. Severus stopped the memory flow after he had successfully apparated them away from danger but before he had groped every part of Hermione's person to make sure he hadn't splinched her, or worse. He certainly did not need Lucius seeing that. If he thought them waking up together, fully clothed on the couch was scandalous, their mutual exploration of the other's person would certainly give the blond the wrong idea.

"Salazar's beard," Lucius said, shaking himself to clear the after effects of the spell.

"You don't recognize him?" Severus asked.

Lucius shook his head. "I would tell you if I did. What the hell were they doing?"

Hermione met Severus' gaze and he dipped his chin. She had seen more of the damage; she would explain it better.

She licked her lips and nodded. "They destroyed every harvesting spot I went to. At least twenty, probably more. Everywhere a person would go to collect full moon harvestables is gone."

"And the increased harvestables?" Lucius asked.

"Gone," Severus said. "All of it. Fiendfyre."

"Cersei's tits," Lucius cursed.

"And we still don't know who was behind that," Hermione added. "Not that it matters anymore. It will take decades for those areas to recover. And who knows if they'll ever have the same–Oh my god!"

"What?" Severus and Lucius asked at the same time.

Hermione jumped up from the couch and started pacing, her hands on top of her head as she muttered to herself. Every now and again she would shake her head or wave a hand in the air, but she seemed oblivious to her audience of wizards. Severus strained to hear what she was saying but caught only snippets.

"That would explain why… and then they'll control–but who could have those resources? No. No! It couldn't be him. But… And why would he want–"

Lucius tried to penetrate her muttering. "Hermione, dear, do you mind sharing with the class?"

"It's no use," Severus said. "We just have to wait her epiphany out."

He settled back into the chair, fully prepared to do just that as Lucius looked on with a somewhat gobsmacked look on his face. It was times like these, Severus thought, that made a man wish they had a camera around. If he could just capture that open-mouthed, unfocused-eyed look on Lucius' face, he'd actually send out Christmas cards this year. Draco would find it hilarious.

"Miss Her-mine-Y?" Severus recognized his son's bleary morning voice.

Stopping so fast she almost tripped over herself, Hermione smiled down at Calder. "Good morning, Calder. Did you have fun with your Uncle Lucius last night?"

With one hand wrapped around an old, battered lion toy and the other clinging to his plaid baby blanket, Calder nodded. "Up?"

Hermione scooped him up as easily as if she'd been picking up kids all her life and Severus thought his expression might just match Lucius' as she resumed her pacing. As Calder nestled into her shoulder, she whispered a soft muffliato over him and turned to face Severus and Lucius.

"Supply and demand," she said.

"Excuse me?" Severus asked but Lucius got a very Slytherin look on his face and muttered, "Of course."

"When you buy strawberries in the summer, they cost like, two pounds per kilo, right?" Hermione explained. "But if you want fresh strawberries in the winter, you're going to pay out the nostril for them because only a handful of greenhouses grow them. Supply and demand."

Her point smacked into Severus like a bludger. "Someone's trying to corner the market on fluxweed."

"And dittany and midnight orchids and moly flower… and whatever other harvestables typically grow in those fields," Hermione agreed.

"It's genius," Lucius drawled.

"It's insanity," Severus corrected. "Whoever is doing this torched Centaur territory."

"That's why I can't believe it," Hermione muttered, running her hands through her hair.

"Believe what?" Severus asked.

Lucius caught on a lot quicker. "She knows who did it, don't you?"

Hermione slumped back onto the couch, Calder fast asleep against her shoulder as she nodded. She looked absolutely defeated and Severus had to stop himself from pulling her back against his chest. It wouldn't do either of them any favors.

"I suspect," Hermione corrected. "But I really hope I'm wrong. I just... can't see him doing something like this."

"Who?" Severus asked.

"The only person in Britain who has enough fluxweed and dittany on hand to supply every apothecary for years," Hermione said. Her gaze sought Severus' out, her eyes moist with unshed tears. "Neville Longbottom."

It was a damned good thing Hermione had placed the muffliato over his son because Severus' response was loud and rude. And it was nowhere near as bad as the curse that escaped Lucius' lips.

Hermione pursed her lips in a way that reminded Severus of Minerva and nodded. "My thoughts, exactly."

"We need to confront him," Lucius said.

"I know," Hermione agreed. "But I need a shower and about three gallons of tea before we do it."

Standing, Hermione passed Calder to Severus. As she withdrew, she stroked Calder's hair and bopped his nose gently before meeting Severus' gaze.

"Sorry," she murmured. "I know you don't want me to– with them."

He caught her hand as she withdrew and shook his head. "Just because we can't… I mean they might like… shite. What I'm trying to say is my kids like you. And it's okay for you to like them, too. Just because we can't pursue anything doesn't mean you can't be in their lives."

Her lip trembled and she murmured a quiet, "thank you," before standing. Raising her voice to include Lucius, Hermione nodded and said, "Why don't you meet me at the apothecary in two hours? We can confront Neville then."

Severus nodded but Lucius frowned. "Shouldn't we call the Aurors?" the blond asked.

"No," Hermione said. "Not yet. I need to know before I get Harry involved. He won't be able to separate out his feelings."

"And you can?" Lucius inquired.

Tilting her chin up, Hermione looked down her nose at Lucius. "Of course. Would you mind escorting me to the front of the store, Mister Malfoy? I think a walk would help clear my mind."

"It would be my pleasure. And please, my dear, call me Lucius."

"Hermione, then. Thank you."

Severus hid his smile behind Calder's head as Lucius was caught under her spell just like that. Standing, he accio'd Hermione's coat and helped her into it, whispering spells that tamed her hair a little more so it wouldn't look like she was walking home after a night with a man. Severus swallowed hard at that image. It was exactly what she was doing but it was also so much more innocent.

Smiling gallantly, Lucius offered Hermione his arm and escorted her to the staircase, all the while talking about some mundane something or other that had Hermione giggling. Calder stirred against Severus' chest and he nosed his son's hair.

"You awake yet?" he asked.

"U'fortunally," Calder said in his best imitation of Severus' voice.

Severus laughed, tickling Calder's sides as he stood up. "Me too, Cal. Why don't we go wake your sister up and see if she wants some chocolate pancakes for breakfast."

It never got old how fast his kids could wake up when they heard the words "chocolate pancakes". Calder squirmed out of Severus' hold and darted down the hallway, yelling for his sister the entire time. Laughing, Severus trailed in his wake.

"Sassa wake up! Wake up, we gonna have chocklat pancakes! Sassa!"

Thank you so much for reading. I hope you're still enjoying this story. I know things look pretty bleak for our couple but the kids are still cute and I did mark this as a romance so...

Anyways. As always, thank you to everyone who has reviewed, followed and favorited this story. You guys rock my world. We're nearing the last leg of it (probably 6-ish chapters left, depending on edits) and I can't wait to get all of it out to you. That said, my quarter finals are coming up in two weeks so I'm not sure if I'll have enough time to edit and post at my usual pace until those are over. I'm hoping I can successfully juggle everything but as a notorious procrastinator... well, I have a lot to do before the end of classes.

Blessings and Chocolate Pancakes for you all.