Hermione and Severus stepped through the fireplace in their chambers at Hogwarts and brushed the soot from their robes. Severus let out an exhausted sound as he dropped onto the couch in front of a stack of scrolls that still needed to be graded.
"I will sincerely be glad when school lets out for the holidays and we won't have to travel back and forth." Severus reached for the stack of scrolls.
"I'll remember that when you're bickering with your mother." Hermione smirked.
Severus winced.
"I'm more than capable of grading a stack of First Year scrolls." Hermione said softly. "Go to bed."
"You make me feel like an old man, you know." Severus leaned his head back on the couch and took a deep breath. Hermione noticed the curve of his eyelashes resting on his face as his eyes closed and thought he didn't look too old to her.
"Well, go to bed, grandpa. You have to get up early tomorrow."
Severus snorted at her. "Fine. I surrender. Off to bed I go."
Severus groaned as he forced himself to stand. Hermione gave his bottom a pat as he turned toward his bedroom. "I'll make you feel like a young man later."
He turned and smiled at her wearily. "I'll be looking forward to it."
Severus walked into his room and his door quietly closed behind him.
"Emicoatus." Hermione heard a meow and a thump as Crookshanks jumped off the bed to greet her as she walked into her room. "Hello Crookshanks."
Hermione reached down to pet the large orange long haired cat as he wound his way around her legs. "I missed you too."
Crookshanks jumped back onto the large canopied bed and meowed expectantly as Hermione changed into her fuzzy pajamas. He purred deeply and kneaded his paws into her thick blue comforter.
"Not quite, sweetie," Hermione reached out to scratch behind Crookshanks' ears. "I have to play student teacher."
Crookshanks settled his head down and sighed deeply.
Hermione waved her wand and enchanted her robe and slippers with a warming spell before slipping them on and padding back to the sitting room, tying her hair back as she walked.
She had just settled on the couch and was reaching for the first scroll when green flames leapt up in the small fireplace.
"I hope I'm not disturbing you at this late hour." Dumbledore looked at Hermione's pajamas.
"Not at all." Hermione smiled wearily. "Come in."
Dumbledore climbed through the fireplace and joined Hermione on the couch. "He has you grading papers for him now?" He raised an eyebrow at her.
"I offered." Hermione waved her hand at the table. "He looked exhausted."
"Thank you for taking all of this so well." Dumbledore looked at Hermione seriously.
"It's the chance of a lifetime and I'm glad to be able to help." Hermione said. She pulled her wand out of her robe pocket and waved it at the tea set in the corner. It began steaming momentarily and she served herself and the headmaster tea.
"How did negotiations go?"
"The Brotherhood wants their whales back." Hermione shrugged. "As well as an information exchange and observation time with the pendant."
Dumbledore nodded and blew on his tea. "And what did they offer?"
"The languages of Light and Dark, Fire and Stone. And the Amazons stars back."
"Really?" Dumbledore sounded mildly surprised. "They must really want their hands on that stone."
Hermione's hand instinctively went to the leather pouch around her neck. "Why would you say that?"
"They've been keeping those languages secret since before wizards had an organized community. Those secrets are older than Hogwarts."
"The Brotherhood is older than Hogwarts?"
"The Brotherhood has always been."
Hermione shivered. What was Viktor a part of? "I thought they were a private school. Like a university."
"Not quite. More like a society for privileged families. You must be born of certain bloodlines to be able to be considered for membership, although there are tests and ordeals one may put oneself through to prove worthiness."
"What happens if you fail?"
"I would imagine death. No one has ever been seen afterwards if they failed a trial. I suppose they could be simply transformed into something non-human or simply enslaved."
Hermione felt the blood drain from her face.
The door to Severus room opened and Severus slunk out wearing his fluffy yellow robe. Dumbledore didn't bat an eye.
"Good evening, Severus. I hope we were not too loud."
"Not at all, Headmaster."
"You should go back to bed, Severus. Thank you for the tea and conversation at this late hour," Dumbledore said apologetically to Hermione. "We really should all be going to bed. Severus, take the day off. Your students will be thrilled."
Severus gave the headmaster a sour look as the old man retreated into the fireplace.
Hermione giggled. "He's right, you know."
"About me needing a day off or my students being thrilled?" Severus drew his arms around her.
"Probably both." She snuggled into his arms and inhaled deeply.
"So, you had this theory about how to recapture my youth?" Severus dipped his head down and caught her earlobe in his lips.
"I may have a few ideas." Hermione lightly kissed his shoulder.
He reached down and cupped her buttocks in his hands. Her hands wound their way up his chest, over his shoulders, sliding over his jaw line to finally meet each other, entangled in his hair.
Severus flicked his wrist and his wand snapped into his hand from up his robe sleeve. With a gentle wave he magicked their clothes off.
Hermione burst out laughing.
"Do I please you, wife?"
"Completely." Hermione sighed and kissed him. She savored the feeling of their lips together.
They heard a sniffle and they both turned sharply to look at Helga's mirror.
To their horror, Helga was in her mirror and she wasn't alone. The Fat Lady and Sir Cadogen were with her.
Hermione squeaked in terror and scrambled for her robes, which thankfully, were nearby on the floor.
Helga was wiping a tear from her eye and the Fat Lady had a hand over her heart and was smiling at them. Sir Cadogen was beaming and he winked at Severus lasciviously.
"What on earth are you doing?!" Severus thundered.
"Well, we were going to play cards, but we found ourselves confronted with… quite the display." Helga tittered.
"Good lord." Hermione groaned from the floor. She had her robes tucked up under her arms, shielding her from the mirror but giving Severus a clear view of her bottom.
It was quite a charming bottom. He took a moment to admire it.
"Severus!"
"What?" Severus looked at his wife.
"Cover the mirror!"
Severus looked at both his hands cupped over his lap, then back at her. "You have to be joking."
"You have nothing to be ashamed of dear." The Fat Lady volunteered. "It looks as if you have quite the little friend."
Sir Cadogen roared. Hermione looked scandalized. Both other ladies laughed, and Severus turned red.
"Come ladies," Sir Cadogen took both their arms. "I know of a quiet painting in the charms classroom where we can play cards in a field of daises on a bright spring day."
Both ladies consented and waved at Hermione as they stepped out of view in the mirror.
It didn't take much convincing to coax Hermione into her room. Severus entered her swiftly and roughly and she cried out, but pushed back against him.
Hermione felt her climax rise quickly, intensified by the feeling of Severus fingers digging into her hips. She screamed his name.
"Again." Severus started biting her shoulder and grinding into her. "Love me again."
"Forever, I swear." Hermione cried out as she climaxed again.
Severus pounded into her for a few moments more before she felt him tense. She wrapped her arms around him and whispered his name as he cried out hers.
He collapsed on her, great breaths heaving in his chest and sweat on his forehead.
She stroked his damp black hair and smiled pleasantly.
His breathing slowed. He nuzzled her neck, kissing her earlobe and settling his head on her shoulder.
She sighed contentedly. She wondered if Severus was half as comfortable as she was.
Then he snored.
Loudly.
With his nose wedged firmly in her ear.
Dear Lord, that answered that question. Hermione struggled to get out from under him.
Severus made a discontent sound and started awake.
"I'm awake!"
"Then that was just an air drill, was it?" Hermione shook her head as she sat up. She put a finger in her ear and wiggled it.
"Could have been. Perhaps you fell asleep and dreamed it."
"I certainly didn't dream the ringing in my ears."
"A physical response to psychological trauma. Not unheard of."
"Nice try."
"I really am exhausted. I'm sorry."
Hermione laughed. "I know. Gods, you're funny."
"Are you staying?"
"I think Crookshanks can enjoy spreading out tonight." Hermione grinned at her husband. "Let me put you to bed."
"Really? To actually sleep this time?"
Hermione sighed and kissed Severus on the forehead. "To actually sleep this time."
0
McGonagall looked out over the Great Hall during breakfast, trying not to stare at the empty chairs Hermione and Severus normally occupied. Albus was late as well and that made her nervous.
Hagrid lumbered up to the table and into a seat near McGonagall. She tried not to appear nervous, but he was nearly wringing his hands.
"Anything yet?"
"No." McGonagall said firmly. "And even if there was, breakfast in the Great Hall is hardly the place to be discussing it."
"Dinner at Mr. Potter's tomorrow would be a much better location." Dumbledore's voice came from behind them.
McGonagall turned and gave Dumbledore a withering look. "Sleeping in?"
"It was such a beautiful morning I decided to take a walk in the gardens. It gave me a chance to try out a personal warming charm I read about in the Antarctic edition of Rugged Wizard."
McGonagall looked at the enchanted ceiling of the Great Hall and saw the blustering snow was still falling at great speed.
"Nice to see you're still alive." Hagrid turned his attention back to his breakfast as soon as he realized Dumbledore was at ease and all must have gone well. "I expect it worked well enough."
"Better after the Gravitational Distortion Charm cancelled out the wind." Dumbledore smiled as he took his place near McGonagall.
She stared at him, her lips in a tight, straight line. He patted her shoulder reassuringly.
She relaxed. Everything must have gone well.
Or at least well enough that it could wait to discuss later.