Author Notes: Hey, Potterheads, I just wanted to apologize. I'm so sorry I've been away so long. I've had a few deaths in the family, and between that strain of grief and the state of how everything has been lately, I couldn't write. However, I hope to get back into it and try my hardest to get back into a routine. Thank you again.
As with moments strung together, time is but an illusion.
Hermione sipped her glass while rolling her eyes and crossed her legs. "You cannot be serious," she laughed. "Him? I don't believe it."
Draco Malfoy smirked and nudged the werewolf next to him. "Well, he's a bloody dunderhead," the pale wizard snorted.
Hermione turned to the brunette witch next to her and arched an eyebrow. "You really dated him back in school?"
"Well, yes, actually. Draco was too loud for me. I preferred Blaise then," Astoria smiled and shrugged.
Hermione laughed again and scrunched her nose at the partially embarrassed Blaise. It was an evening like any other for the last six months. They would spend time on the weekends having dinners and enjoying a bit of normalcy. Things grew… normal. Well, as normal as the world could be.
Draco ran a hand over his beard and cleared his throat. "So, I have to give you decent credit for the bill passed, Granger. Pretty stellar of you."
Hermione shifted in her seat before setting down her wine glass. "It makes sense. Too long have we segregated werewolves from their families, keeping their condition a different part of their life. Zabini has been a lifesaver as far as helping with the agenda for the lessons. We have so many werewolves in need. Far more than before the last war," Hermione paused and winced.
"Thank you, Greyback and his fucking followers," Blaise growled.
"Yes," Hermione sighed. "But we have to do better. We have to evolve to help everyone. Not just the pure or the average, but all of our people. If we fail with werewolves, we have failed to apply change."
Astoria knitted her eyebrows together and pointed at Hermione. "You really never told us where this drive to help lycanthropy came to you."
Hermione licked her lips and glanced over at Blaise. "Well," she sighed.
Zabini groaned and waved his hand. "She was working in the Magical Creatures department, and I asked her to lunch and told her what happened. I was visiting a few cousins in the french countryside, and my idiot family decided to go to one of our estates," he paused and drained his glass.
"The pack in particular that traveled through our property was one of Greyback's old followers and wanted to rebuild what he had started at the war. The beast convinced many of the packs during the war to convert others. Convert, that's the word they used. They were the last pack actively seeking to collect pack members, and I happened to have been in the wrong portion of the estate at the wrong time. I was bit, but they didn't have time to abduct me because they were being tracked," Blaise twitched his nose and gestured to Hermione.
"After he explained his plight, I knew something had to be done. He needed help. He needed my help. I spent months scouring for texts at work in the archives, looking for remedies for his issues and symptoms, only to realize there wasn't any support that a werewolf could receive from our ministry," Hermione declared with a puff of breath.
"So the witch decides to change everything about the department by proposing a new branch dedicated to werewolves," Blaise smirked and nodded. "We've been working together ever since. Her being the senior staff member who educated the first advocates on her trial and error and me being the test subject on new remedies."
Draco raised his glass and grinned. "Well, at least your stubborn nature came in handy, Granger."
Astoria rolled her eyes and touched Hermione's shoulder. "That's a very courageous thing to do. You've dedicated so much to others who just needed help by no fault of their own."
"Thank you," Hermione mumbled and breathed. "It hasn't always been easy, but all we can do is try, correct?"
Zabini checked his watch and groaned. "Granger, it's eight-thirty."
Hermione gasped and nodded. "I can't believe it, how the time flies."
"You gotta do what again?" Draco inquired with a grimace.
Blaise snorted as he stood up and rolled his shoulders. "Well, she volunteered to get her arse up at the crack of dawn and take Potter's kids to visit Andromeda's grandson."
Hermione huffed as she climbed from the sofa and straightened her dress. "I will have you know, Harry and Ginny deserve a break every once and awhile. Teddy will be going back to Hogwarts next weekend, so I wanted to see him before then. It's a grand time to spend with the children."
"You mean they want some time to shag it out to build that Potter quidditch team," Zabini snorted.
Draco twitched his nose. "The world doesn't need that."
"Speak for yourself," Hermione replied with a smirk.
Blaise patted Draco's shoulder and moved to Astoria, and kissed her cheek. "Always a pleasure," he declared.
Draco stood up and waved Hermione over and grinned. "Come on, Granger. I know you want to; you sappy Gryffindors love to hug."
Hermione giggled as she shook her head and embraced Draco. "You're still a vile cockroach," she murmured.
"And you're still a swotty know-it-all," he chuckled before pulling away.
Hermione kissed Draco's cheek before moving to Astoria and repeating her actions. "Thank you for being so warm and kind."
"Always for you, Hermione. You're a beautiful witch inside and out," Astoria voiced as she touched her face.
Blaise touched Hermione's back when she stood and waved to the Malfoys before they exited together. While walking through the entrance hall, Hermione beamed over at the werewolf and tucked closer. It was a silent language they developed over the last few months. Blaise exhaled and stroked her hair.
"When are you going to come over, Granger?" Zabini questioned as they left the manor.
Hermione snorted. "Likely never, dunderhead. I don't need to catch any diseases from your newest venture."
Blaise groaned as they traveled down the darkened path. "You know that isn't true," he smiled.
She coiled her arm around his waist as they reached the end of the path. "It likely is."
Their banter, a usual for them, was swiftly ended at the pop of someone in front of them. Hermione tightened her hold on Blaise's side as the tall figure approached with a cold expression. When was the last time they saw each other?
"Good evening, Zabini, Miss Granger," Severus declared as he straightened his robes.
"Evening, Snape," Blaise replied.
Hermione couldn't find her tongue. She dropped her vision, and Severus Snape glided by them. Hermione chanced a glance behind her to see that Severus had thought of the same at that moment. It caused a churning in her stomach, and she shifted her vision forward once again.
"Let's go," Hermione whispered.
Zabini exhaled and caressed the witch's curls once again. "Alright, Hermione. You likely need a nightcap before bed."
"Yes, let's go back to my flat," she mumbled, and they crossed the property line.
The stalky werewolf was held hostage at the entrance to the manor, standing in the dark. He stared at the black door and noted the grains before reaching for the knocker. Broken promises were never a sound thing to dwell on.
Monday was uneventful, and Hermione flipped through files of different colors and hummed. She caressed the newest portrait of Teddy on her desk next to the Potters and smiled. Her lovely family surrounded her. She was a wolf of the virtues of family.
Whistling interrupted her humming, and Blaise walked into the room. "Why, hello, Gorgeous," he teased and flopped down on the chair across from her.
Hermione rolled her eyes and tapped the files before handing them to him. "How was your weekend?"
"Oh, you know, droll and boring. Mother wanted to have Sunday tea," he groaned and flipped through the paperwork.
"I'm glad she's proud of you, Zabini," Hermione nodded. "You needed closure."
"How's your French coming along?" He questioned while glancing down at the pages.
Hermione groaned and twitched her nose. "Mon français fait encore défaut."
Blaise grinned and winked at her. "It's better. Learning a new language to occupy your free time is a great way to keep busy."
Hermione breathed before relaxing in her chair. "Yes, well, it's better than the alternative."
"Knock, knock," Harry declared as he peered into the room.
The witch waved him inside and beamed. "Ah, Harry, prompt as usual."
Blaise closed the file and pulled out an orange one from the bottom. "So, Potter, how's it going today?"
Harry relaxed in the chair next to him and rolled his shoulders. "It's alright. Gin and the kids are going to the Burrow tomorrow night. What about you two? How's it going?"
Hermione waved her hand and rolled her eyes. "Usual, Harry. The weekend was great, and it was nice to see Teddy for a bit."
"You two planning on spending the full moon together?" Harry asked with an arched eyebrow.
Zabini laughed and scrubbed his face. "Potter, I've been asking her for years, and she still says no."
"Seriously, Zabini, you don't need me. Your advocate is doing well from your reports," Hermione smirked.
This was all a distraction, wasn't it? Hermione smiled through it but knew that their conversation was about to become difficult. Blaise subtly reached over and shut the office door. The topic waned, and Harry sat up while fixing his glasses.
"So, how's Professor Stuffy fuck doing?" Blaise smiled over at Harry.
Harry cleared his throat and rolled his neck. "Well, he's doing alright. As I reported two weeks ago, he's been over for dinner once a week, and he even visited Narcissa on Friday."
"We saw him on our way out," Zabini nodded.
Hermione reached for Severus's file from Blaise and began to make notes. "How's his temperament?"
"Decent," Harry hummed. "He's stopped arguing with me and has been instructing Ron on how to make calming draughts. The bloke is a little better at potions now than in Hogwarts," he laughed and shifted.
Hermione scribbled and twitched her nose.
Zabini glanced over at Hermione before returning to Harry. "Has he been shagging anyone?"
"Not me," Harry laughed with an awkward shudder. "No one else that I know of. He's been quite amused with reading and searching for a cure."
Hermione stifled her smile at the attempt he was making to lighten the conversation. "Glad to see he's been keeping it in his trousers around you, Harry."
Blaise grinned with wicked delight. "You handsome Gryffindor. I'd have trouble not taking you to drinks," he winked.
Harry snorted and exhaled. "But there's a problem."
"Oh?" Hermione asked.
"Yes," Harry stopped and scratched his chin. "He's been returning to old behaviors. He's not eating well, and he tells me he isn't sleeping much."
Hermione didn't glance up as she wrote. "Has he still been smoking?"
"No, he stopped when he returned to Hogwarts," Harry declared. "Is that a bad thing?"
"Yeah, mate," Zabini exhaled. "He has a few obsessive personality issues, and his wolf embraces it. As despicable as it sounds, it's a quick fix to restlessness and frustrations. He's not eating because he's tired, and he's not sleeping because he's restless. The first couple of years, I smoked like a bloody Chinese Fireball."
"Is he drinking?" Hermione questioned.
"Yeah, a bit more than usual," Harry agreed. "He's been a bit down."
"Tell him to stop being a bloody whinging baby and take care of himself," Hermione snapped and pressed her fingers to her lips.
"Merlin, Hermione," Harry huffed.
"I'm sorry," she mumbled.
Blaise shook his head and waved at her. "Don't worry about her, Potter. She's going through her own shite. She still hasn't taken my advice to sleep with some bloke to let off a little steam."
Harry glanced between them and raised his eyebrows. "Aren't you two, a, er, thing?"
"What?" Hermione spat.
"Severus told me you two left Malfoy's close together, and she smelt like you," Harry admitted and rubbed the back of his neck.
Hermione breathed and closed her eyes. "No, Harry, I've just been having difficulty for the last half a year, and Zabini has been assisting me."
"I wouldn't mind, but she says no," Blaise said and set the other folders down on the desk.
"As for Severus Snape," Hermione said in a stern tone. "Do you see any warning signs?"
"Just what I mentioned. I think he's doing well otherwise. He also asked when the next dinner was at the Burrow so he could come."
Hermione tightened her lips and nodded before writing on his file and closing it. "Excellent, Harry. You're doing well with him. Do you have any questions?"
"Are you going to go to dinner next weekend?" Harry inquired as he gazed down and drew a circle with his finger on the arm of the chair.
"I meant do you have any questions regarding Severus," Hermione clarified.
Harry puffed and met her vision. "Hermione, it's been six months."
"Harry, we aren't going to have a heart to heart now," Hermione snapped.
"Hermione, but just listen," Harry tried again.
Hermione groaned. "Harry, I said to drop it."
"Hermione, he just wants to see you," Harry huffed.
"And as I've told you for the last three months, he's the last person I want to see! I've just started to get back on track, and I won't allow him to drag me into his gravitational pull just to toss me back into the ether," Hermione declared with a tight expression.
Zabini rocked his head. "She's making a good call, Potter. He'll never bite her, and she'll always be miserable. Their best bet is just to avoid each other when they can."
"I just don't understand," Harry shook his head.
Hermione covered her face and breathed.
"Potter, what you're asking is the equal of asking a drunk to sit in a pub every night and not drink. They're horrible for each other because Severus Snape will never agree to cement their bond. That causes things like negative emotions of possession, aggression, and lack of control to mix with his already dominant personality. What you're asking her to do is just short of breaking herself for his benefit," Blaise explained.
Hermione pulled her fingers from her face and noted Harry's sunken expression. "Alright," Harry sighed. "I won't ask again, Hermione."
"Thank you," Hermione murmured.
Blaise reached over and patted Harry's shoulder. "You're doing well, mate. Keep up the good work."
"It's easier than Hermione said," he smiled. "Severus has really taken to leaning on me when he needs to."
"Good, Harry," Hermione curled her lips and bobbed her head.
"I'll see you at dinner tonight?" Harry asked.
"Yes," Hermione agreed.
Harry took his leave with waves and goodbyes, shutting the door behind him. Hermione slumped in a chair and unbuttoned her coat. Zabini shifted and waited for the tension to release in the room.
"Would you like to come over tonight?" Hermione asked and glanced at him.
Blaise blinked and tilted his head. "The full moon is tomorrow."
"Just to read with me a bit? I'd rather not be alone," she confessed and exhaled.
"Yes, I could do that. We won't be shagging, though, Granger. You're too frustrated from the last conversation, and I don't want to deal with the backlash of a rough shagging before I have to get furry tomorrow."
Hermione smiled and nodded. "Agreed."
"But next week, I'd be tempted," he smiled.
Hermione groaned and rolled her eyes. "The moment passed. Why don't you see if Michael is out there waiting?"
Blaise stood up and shook his head. "You miserable witch, Granger. All this foreplay is pissing me off," he grinned before reaching for the knob.
She sat up and glanced at the window with a heavy heart. It was so difficult to move on, but she had to try. It was the only way to survive Severus Snape.