Unhappy Birthday Invitation

Draco and Caroline married in a small but lavish ceremony at Malfoy Manor two weeks after the trip to the Sirens' cliff. A week after that, Ginny gave birth to a baby boy named James Sirius Potter. Harry was thrilled with his new son.

Despite all of the additional excitement, Severus and Hermione continued to work on the potion together. Hermione referred to Severus as a dear friend, and Severus didn't argue this label. It seemed to be a good sign that despite the way she chose to label their relationship, she allowed some affectionate behaviors that would suggest something a bit more intimate.

Severus stared down at the mixture in his cauldron with a frustrated scowl. It was an obvious failure. Hermione peered into the cauldron when she saw his expression and gave a quiet sigh. "Well we had to try it," she said in resignation. "Now we know that it doesn't work. We'll just move on."

"Nothing works," Severus growled.

"Something will work," Hermione said firmly. She smiled sympathetically when he sat down on the stool with a weary sigh. "If anyone can figure this out, it's you and I."

Severus rolled his eyes, but reached over and caught hold of her waist, pulling her to him. He stood back up, looking down at her seriously. Without a word he lowered his mouth to hers. His hands cupped her face gently, drawing her closer. Her hands rested against his chest for a moment and then she slowly raised them to tangle in his hair. Encouraged by her obvious enjoyment, Severus deepened the kiss, his tongue exploring her mouth slowly. Her soft moan made him press closer to her body, completely aroused.

Hermione gasped and pulled away, her pupils dilated and her lips a bit puffy. She took a hasty step back. "I should get going," she said in a rush. She went through the door and it slammed behind her.

Severus shook his head and then noticed Cadence sitting in front of the door and staring up at the handle expectantly. "It seems that she was a bit distracted," he said to the kitten with an amused smirk. "Would you like to go after her now? Or do you want to stay with me and we can go see her later?"

With any other cat, Severus would have felt like an idiot for speaking to an animal as if he expected a response. Cadence looked at the door and then back at Severus. She stood and trotted to Severus, sitting down between his feet, apparently content to visit with Severus for a while longer.

Hermione stopped just outside her quarters, realizing that she had left Cadence behind. She sighed in frustration. She had considered taking dinner in her own quarters to avoid seeing him again that day. Now, she was forced to eat in the Great Hall or risk Severus coming to her private rooms to bring Cadence back to her.

"Contemplating life's mysteries?" asked a feminine voice just behind her.

Hermione whirled around to find Caroline and Draco standing just behind her. "You startled me," Hermione said with a blush.

"That's obvious," Draco said with a smirk. "You're not usually so easy to surprise. I know only one man that can make you this flustered." He chuckled as she blushed even more.

"Oh this should be good," Caroline said, rising her eyebrows and smiling.

Hermione groaned. "Come inside," she said miserably.

Draco and Caroline sat down on Hermione's couch and looked at her expectantly as she paced and wrung her hands anxiously. "What did he do?" Draco asked, doing his best not to laugh.

Hermione sat down on chair and covered her face with her hands. After a moment she met their eyes reluctantly. "He kissed me," she muttered.

"And?" Caroline asked impatiently. She laughed at Hermione's wide eyed expression. "He kisses you all the time," Caroline commented. "We all know that. I take it this was a little different."

Hermione nodded. "It was intense," she said quietly. "He's never kissed me like that before. And he was..." She blushed, refusing to finish her statement.

Caroline frowned. "He was... What?" she asked. "Pushy? Forceful?"

"Aroused?" Draco suggested with a wicked smirk. When Hermione nodded mutely, he laughed. "Granger, you're not a first year. I can guarantee that he's aroused most of the time when he kisses you. He's a man."

"I guess it was just the first time it was obvious to you," Caroline said, offering Hermione a sympathetic smile. "But you're not a child. You're an adult. You had to expect such a reaction."

Hermione shifted uncomfortably and Caroline sighed, rolling her eyes. "I know you say that you two are just friends," Caroline said, "but it's clear that Severus is having trouble seeing you that way. In fact, I think you want more than that too." She smiled again and added "It's fine if you don't feel ready to be more to Severus. He's obviously willing to take his time."

"You might want to stop running away from him though," Draco said laughing.

Hermione smiled slightly, feeling a little better. She felt so guilty for running off on Severus. He had been such a good friend to her and kissing him had been amazing. She just wasn't sure she could stand it if they tried to be together and it ended badly. It could ruin their friendship. She wasn't ready to trust him that much. She told herself that they couldn't afford more distractions while they were working on such an important potion. However, her rationalizations were beginning to sound like flimsy excuses, even to herself.

When it was time for dinner, Hermione gathered her courage and went to the Great Hall. Severus was waiting just inside the massive double doors wearing an amused smirk. Cadence was perched on one of his shoulders, rubbing her face against his cheek and purring. "I had wondered if you were going to come to dinner," Severus commented. "You left so quickly earlier." He gave her a pointed look.

"It was just a bit too warm," Hermione muttered. "I needed to go for a walk."

"I can imagine," Severus retorted. He resisted the urge to laugh when he saw her blush in embarrassment. "Let us hope that that temperature in the Great Hall is more to your liking." Moving slowly and watching for signs of resistance, he leaned closer and kissed her lips briefly. When he pulled back, he was gratified by the shy smile she gave him. He handed Cadence to her and led her to the large round table that was being used instead of the Head Table.

Minerva McGonagall nearly choked on her pumpkin juice when she looked up from her meal to see Severus leading Hermione to the table with his hand resting on her lower back. "What did I miss?" she hissed in Caroline's ear.

Caroline frowned in confusion until she saw that Minerva was staring wide eyed at Severus and Hermione. She grinned at the headmistress and said "That has been interesting to watch."

Minerva watched Severus curiously, amazed by what she saw. He still scowled and sneered when he found someone irritating. He wasn't particularly social. Except for when it came to Hermione. To her, he was very polite. He still spoke with a great deal of sarcasm, but it wasn't aimed to offend her; Instead she laughed or made a sarcastic comment of her own. Most shocking of all were the gentle casual touches to Hermione's arms, face or hair. Minerva turned back to Caroline, seeing Caroline's knowing smirk.

"Are they... intimate?" Minerva asked in a hushed tone.

Caroline giggled. "No," she said softly. "He's kissed her several times though. Andy has been having a fit trying to get them together." At Minerva's questioning look she added "Hermione has been resistant to the idea. She's afraid of damaging their friendship. Severus was apparently much easier to convince." Minerva shook her head in amazement.

#$%

Harry unrolled the scroll that an owl had delivered that morning. He had put off reading it when he saw the Ministry seal on it. At Ginny's urging he read it, but he regretted it immediately. He groaned, tossing the scroll onto the table.

"What is it?" Ginny said, her gaze never leaving her infant son as she gently stroked his cheek with her finger.

"They're having a birthday celebration," Harry said, rolling his eyes.

"They do that every year," Hermione reminded him, rolling her eyes. "They're still so grateful to you Harry. This is their way of thanking you since you won't let them make you the minister of magic." Ginny nodded her agreement and moved to put James in his crib.

"And who doesn't like a nice party?" Caroline asked. After a pause she added "Besides Severus." She giggled when Severus scowled irritably at her.

"I hate being thrown into the spotlight like that," Harry grumbled. "They're even trying to get some performers to play."

"Who are they trying to get?" Neville asked curiously.

"We can hook them up with the Chimeras," Andy suggested. He looked over and saw Caroline clutching Draco's hand tightly. "What is it?" he asked.

"I got a letter from the ministry," Caroline said, standing and walking to one of the windows in Harry and Ginny's quarters. "I didn't read it because I was on my way to come here. I have a feeling I know what it is."

"You're the best performers," Andy said with a shrug. "Why wouldn't they want the best?"

"What if they were put up to it?" Caroline asked fearfully. "What if Grant had one of his guys suggest it to get us out in the open?"

Draco frowned and walked over to his wife, gathering her in his arms. "Don't panic," he said quietly. "Let me contact my father and see if we should be concerned." He kissed her quickly and then hurried away. Andy followed him out, intent on getting to Sam and Jenna. Caroline would feel better if she had her sisters with her.

"Just stay calm," Hermione said gently. "Everything will be fine."

Unfortunately, Caroline had been correct. Lucius Malfoy confirmed that Grant had one of his men connected with the Ministry, and that the Freemans' had been presented as the perfect performers for Harry Potter's birthday celebration. Lucius explained that the plan was for his men to get Caroline away from the others and bring her to Grant.

"So, let's make a plan of our own," Harry said, pacing the room restlessly.

Minerva had been summoned to join in on the meeting. Her eyes followed Harry's path back and forth. "Do you have anything in mind?" she asked him.

"We can't let them perform," Andy said, looking at the others.

The room was silent for several moments, everyone lost in their thoughts. Hermione looked up and met Harry's eyes, her brow furrowed in thought. "Maybe they should perform," she said slowly.

"Are you mental?" Ron asked in disbelief. "Were you not listening?"

Hermione shot Ron a furious glare, silencing him. "Of course I was listening you idiot," she hissed, making Severus smirk. "Caroline is the target, so she will not sing."

"If I'm not there, they'll just go after one of my sisters," Caroline objected.

"We could replace you," Hermione said patiently. "Have someone take your place on the stage. Then, we can set up an attack of our own."

"We could heavily guard the decoy," Harry said thoughtfully. "We'll ambush them first."

"Who the bloody hell is going to willingly be the vampire target?" Ron asked throwing up his hands in exasperation.

"I'll do it," Hermione said steadily. The others looked at her in surprise. "I'm the obvious choice. I can work with Sam and Jenna to make it seem convincing on the stage. Then I'll move to a pre-determined location, luring the vampires right to you."

"No," Severus said, sounding angry.

"This is a way for us to get the upper hand," Hermione said firmly.

"It's dangerous," he snapped.

"Obviously," she retorted hotly.

Severus stood up, striding to stand in front of her. He was scowling furiously. "I will not allow you to do this," he snarled. "You are being an idiot."

"I don't need your permission Severus!" she shouted. "I'll do what needs to be done."

"You could die!" he shouted back.

"You could stop being a bastard," she retorted. "You could help me train."

Severus growled in frustration. After a moment, he jerked Hermione toward him roughly. He grabbed hold of her face with both hands and claimed her lips in a searing kiss. Hermione couldn't seem to stop herself from returning his passionate kiss.

Just as abruptly Severus pulled away from her, his expression still furious. "I will not help you kill yourself," he snarled at her. He turned and stormed out of the room, the door slamming loudly behind him.

Hermione looked around, seeing that everyone was looking at her with shock and amazement. Harry and Ron were at her side in an instant as her eyes filled with tears. "He's worried Hermione," Harry said gently.

"I know," Hermione said, swiping at her tears. "But it doesn't change what I need to do."

# $%

"Confidence is key," Jenna said seriously. "You're talented. Own it."

The Great Hall was set up for Hermione to practice with the Sirens. The rest of the Guardians were there to show their support. Severus had even joined them, but he remained aloof and spoke very little.

Hermione sighed. She took a deep breath and moved to get into position. Andy had insisted that they really put on a show, choreography included. It wasn't elaborate, but the point was to make Hermione appear to be completely in sync with Sam and Jenna.

"I'm not much of a dancer," Hermione said frowning.

"Don't think of it as dancing," Andy said helpfully. "Think of it as movement with precision."

"How clever," Sam said, rolling her eyes. "Come on Hermione. Try it again."

Andy nodded in approval and then moved toward Severus. He leaned against the wall, looking at Severus seriously. "You made her cry," he informed the surly potions master.

"She's being an idiot," Severus grumbled.

"No, she's being a Guardian," Andy argued. "She's being a brave young woman. She's being Hermione." He watched Hermione for a moment and then looked back at Severus. "I know you're worried that she won't survive this. It scare the hell out of me too. So let's make sure that she does survive. We'll watch her and be ready to kick ass." Andy paused and then added "She's nervous, but she needs to be able to hold it together. Be there for her. Don't let her go into this thinking you hate her."

Severus sighed heavily. He hated everything about this plan. The thought of Hermione being a direct target for a lunatic vampire made him feel ill.