Disclaimer:- I neither earn nor own anything from this story except my plot. Harry Potter and his world are the intellectual property of JK Rowling and her associates.

oOo

A/N:- Thank you to LadyWinterlight for her beta work on this chapter, and thank you all for your reviews and alerts. I appreciate every one. I should warn that there is a minor character death in this chapter.

oOo

Chapter Fifteen – All Clear

Severus Floo'd home from Auror headquarters, as he was certain he would have splinched himself trying to apparate. A horrid, gut churning thought had occurred to him at the end of his meeting with Kingsley. What if his witches had been affected—especially little Alice—in some way by this hideous writhing evil, and as soon as he walked out into the downstairs sitting room he was running upstairs.

Hermione heard him and smiled that he was home, but when he sprinted by their shared study without even acknowledging her and continued on towards the bedroom end of the hallway she was confused and she called to him. "Severus?" To her further confusion he ignored her. She ran out into the hallway now fearing that something was wrong. "Severus?" she repeated, seeing him disappearing through Alice's bedroom door.

To her astonishment when she arrived at the foot of Alice's cot he was leaning over their daughter with his wand out, and he was casting revealing spells over their sleeping toddler.

"What's wrong?" Hermione whispered urgently.

He finished what he was doing before he turned to her and wiped at the tears trickling over his cheeks.

Hermione stood there, uncertain of what to make of things. "Severus?" she whispered, desperate not to wake Alice, especially if something was wrong, but beyond curious as to what was happening.

Severus glanced at Alice once more and Hermione then found herself being bundled from Alice's room, her husband turning before he shut the door and casting more protection charms over the little girl. Then he turned his wand to her, but she was losing her temper with him.

"Severus Snape, stop that this instant and tell me what's happened. Now!" she demanded.

He glared at her. "Hermione, I need to know you're not tainted," and he steadfastly finished casting over her.

Hermione finally recognised the spells. She gasped, her voice useless as repercussions of what he might have been searching for hit her mind.

Severus finally sighed when every one of his diagnostics came up clear, and finally he pulled Hermione to him and broke down. "There's nothing wrong," he cried, "you're both clear of any taint."

Hermione held him for some moments and allowed him to recover, but then she realised that he was shaking, and she led him to their bedroom. She sat him on the bed and called Shotsie. "Could you bring Severus a glass of brandy, please?" she asked, and then sat beside him. She could plainly see now that something very out of the ordinary was troubling him.

The elf was back in a flash, carrying the glass full of amber coloured liquid. "Thank you," Hermione told her taking the glass, and watching the little elf leaving once more. She clasped Severus' hand and waited for him to look at her. "Here, love," she murmured.

Severus took the glass shakily and downed the whole in three gulps. "Thank you," he murmured, placing the glass down. He pulled her to him again, his head buried in the crook of her neck.

She allowed this for some moments, but then said, "So, are you going to tell me what happened now?"

Finally, Severus took a long breath, and he started telling her of his morning, and when he'd finished, her mouth was gaping and she completely understood why he'd acted as he had when he'd returned, even though she was still a little annoyed.

Inhaling deeply, she attempted to let go of her anger because she knew he had her best interests at heart, and she said, "Severus, it's all right," and she sighed. "We're all safe," she told him emphatically.

"I'm sorry, dearest, I just needed to make certain that you were both untainted. I didn't mean to scare you, love."

Hermione tightened her arms around him. "No, thank you for doing it," and she kissed him. "I love you," she told him.

He smiled, as her hand stroked his cheek. "And I you," and he glanced at the clock. "When did Alice go down for her nap?" he asked, seeming to recover somewhat.

"It was about eleven-thirty, why?" she asked, matching the cheeky smile that had just arrived on his face.

"Well, Madam Snape," he replied, laying her down on their bed. "I believe that we're on a promise of as much intimacy as possible until we know you're pregnant. Therefore, we should have at least half an hour before our daughter wakes."

Hermione laughed. "True, that is true," and she pulled his head down and captured his smirking lips with hers.

As they kissed, Severus' hands worked to undo the tiny pearl buttons on Hermione's blouse, and his mind was still working a million miles an hour after the morning he'd just put in. Right this moment, he was desperate to feel his lovely wife around him, touch her, to revisit that normalcy which only a few hours ago had seemed pure contentment. He knew it still was, but events of the morning had unsettled him. It was like he had forgotten that evil such as that still existed out there, and he'd never have thought that he'd have felt secure enough to drop his guard so very much.

Having bared her breasts, he started traversing her skirt. "I need to feel you," he murmured urgently between kisses.

Her breath was suddenly coming in pants at his declaration, and she held his head as his mouth journeyed around her jaw and down to her breasts, and she sighed as his fingers sank into her waiting heat. "Then have me, I am yours."

Severus had never felt anything was as urgent as joining his wife's flesh with his in this instant, and he continued to tease her with his fingers as his other hand fumbled with opening his trousers.

Her underwear became the next casualty, but she laughed breathily as he ripped it from her body, and she wriggled until she wrapped her legs around his waist. "Take me," she urged.

He entered her in a smooth movement, and they both stilled, sighing. Then he slowly withdrew and drove into her again just as slowly.

Hermione shuddered as she felt his smoothness impale her. She recognised how each inch of it stretched her deliciously, and how absolutely wonderful it felt. He was delicious, and she groaned, "Move, love," to him.

He chuckled darkly, knowing what he was doing to her; he withdrew and pushed in stronger this time, starting to drive her wild as her arms and legs curled around him.

xox

While the Snapes were having their private time, at St. Mungos Harry Potter suddenly bolted from his bed and towards the door. He ran, laughing uncontrollably, and there was magic arcing out of him in every direction. Finally he stopped in front a window and that was where the carers caught up with him, and he smiled manically at them. There was a kind of shield of magic around him, and he screamed, "I hate you! Hate her… Bitch… Wasted years!"

He may have been cornered by carers but they couldn't get near him because his shield seemed to repel every spell they shot at it. They could see that the man behind the shield was rambling on, but they couldn't do a thing.

"Mister Potter!" one particularly brave healer tried.

Harry just sneered and the magic around him increased. He looked at the closed window as he shot a spell at himself.

Those surrounding Harry gasped as he shook with something like an electric shock, and something curled up out of him. He incinerated it and then laughed wildly.

The same healer asked, "What are you doing?"

"Getting rid of a gift from my wife," Harry answered as rationally as if he were simply speaking of the weather, but he spat the word 'wife' so distastefully, that it was all too obvious that he hated her.

"What gift?" the healer, a witch with a tight blonde bun, square-framed spectacles and a caring disposition asked.

"She bound it to me… I h-had no choice. It made me do things… things I can't remember well now… But things..." and he went silent for a time, watching them all. "Don't come near me, I'm done… It made me hurt people… My friend, 'Mione… I wanted her… wanted her," he whispered softer. "But she wasn't interested in me in more than a friendly way… Did things, took her…" he shook his head wildly. "Don't remember… but she must be all right… heard that she married Snape and that they'd had a kid. Snape! Bastard… Hate him too."

Those around him listened to the dribble sprouting from his mouth, and the same brave healer whose name was Helen, tried, "Just let us help you, Mister Potter."

Harry kept shaking his head. "No! Done for," he yelled. He was silent for a time, but then started again. "Then I met Abby," and he sighed. "Thought I'd found someone who understood... Didn't care that she'd been going out with Shacklebolt… She listened," he said vehemently. "Willingly fucked me…" He exhaled a long breath. "Then discovered that the bitch knew all about it and had decided to use us. She'd disapproved of Hermione, but Abby was a pureblood."

"You say use, what was she planning to use her for?" the healer asked, trying to draw him out until they could work out how to help him.

"She was the source, none of our children were suitable, and 'Mione was a mudblood so she was no use, but there was no stigma on Abby carrying a child that could be groomed for her purpose." He paused once more, but then started talking again before anyone could interrupt. It was like he was trying to confess.

"The problem was that when Abby came back from her mission she'd been just as insane as my bloody wife was. She was obviously believing what the bitch was spinning her… All the rituals… dangerous stuff. The problem was that Abby tried to play her, saying that she'd give her the baby but then that we were going… I was leaving. Ginny had flown into one of her rages and tried to teach Abby that she couldn't do that…" he shrugged. "But something happened and… buggered if I know what…" He gave them all one last desperate look seeing reinforcements arriving on the ward, and he shouted, "No one come near me!" Without warning he crashed backwards, launching himself through the window.

They were on the fourth floor of the building and he landed on the long spikes of the security fence of the property next door. It made quite a grisly sight, and he was dead before anyone could reach him.

xox

The task of retrieving Harry Potter's body fell to the Aurors who were literally swarming the ward soon after the accident. A young Auror had been left on duty to guard Harry, but he'd been taken by surprise by the suddenness of Harry's flight. However, he'd also followed procedure and summoned assistance, even if it had arrived too late.

Everyone was questioned about the incident, and memory evidence of what he'd said was taken. Kingsley and John then had to wade through it all and piece it together, a job that they expected would take them the rest of the day and most of the night.

As they were working through it, an elderly witch from the DMLE arrived and handed Kingsley some documents. Kingsley had asked her to organise adoption papers for the unborn child that Abigail was currently carrying. "All you need to do is have her sign them," she told him.

"Thank you," Kingsley replied, placing the papers in his robe pocket. He saw John glance at him and he said, "Personal paper," and the other Auror nodded and left it at that.

xox

Unaware of what had happened at St. Mungos, Hermione walked out of the Floo and into the headmistress' office behind Severus, who was carrying Alice, and she stopped dead. "Luna!" she cried, overjoyed to see the friend she'd not seen for years. She walked forward and pulled her into a hug. "What are you doing here?"

Luna smiled in that serene way of hers and returned the hug. "The boys and I have come home," she stated.

Hermione glanced around, but could not see Luna's boys or her husband, and in her usual clairvoyant fashion Luna answered Hermione's unasked question. "Lorcan and Lysander are with Daddy at present, but Rolf…" she paused. "Rolf isn't coming, unfortunately he fell foul of a chimaera in Greece last year."

"Oh, Luna, I'm so sorry," Hermione gasped. "I didn't know. Why didn't you write?"

Luna shrugged. "Just couldn't… We miss him terribly, but he died doing what he loves best, and isn't that a good thing?" she stated quietly, and then looked at little Alice curled against Severus' shoulder. "Is this your daughter? She's adorable," she cooed, and then smiled at Severus. "Hello, Sir, you have a beautiful family."

"Severus returned her smile. "Yes… Yes I do," and he accepted Hermione under his arm and squeezed her to his side. He kissed Alice's head before handing her to Hermione. "I will go visit Pomona and leave you ladies to your birthday planning," he said, also kissing Hermione's cheek.

Hermione grinned at him. "Okay, love. But is Pomona going to know that you've visited her?"

Severus chuckled. "Only if she sees me," and he smirked and walked out and onto the spiral staircase.

As soon as they thought he was out of earshot the tinkling of female laughter echoed around the office.

"Oh, he's such a Slytherin," Minerva said.

Hermione smiled. "He certainly is," and then she thought back to how terribly protective he'd been when he'd come home that morning, and her smile grew. "Of course, this stays in this room, but he truly is a wonderful, wonderful man."

"Yes, you're such a good match," Luna told her, a dreamy smile on her face. She sat down and gestured to Hermione to sit next to her. Alice sat between for some moments, but the turned and slipped down to demand that Minerva pick her up.

"Nanny Nerva, up," she cried, reaching up for her grandmother.

Of course, Minerva smiled and picked her up, saying to her, "So, Poppet, what would you like for your birthday?"

"I wants Noddy," Alice answered immediately.

"A unicorn foal cannot come and live with us, Alice, my love," Hermione said gently, leaning across and taking Alice's hand. "Noddy needs his mother and father, just like you would be sad without Daddy and me."

Alice nodded, her raven curls flapping around her head, and she scurried back over to Hermione. "Yes, Mummy," she said as Hermione picked her back up. She sat there in deep thought for a moment, but then sat straight up. "Then I'll have a dragon instead," she pronounced.

"Oh, Alice, honey," Hermione cried, hugging her daughter tightly.

"You have a unicorn herd?" Luna asked. "Do you have thestrals too?"

"Come to think of it, I'm not sure," Hermione answered, looking up from her hug with Alice. "We have a wood for sure, but I've only ever been to the edge," and she smiled. "Now I'm better, though, perhaps Severus and I can go for walks into the woods sometimes."

"Better? Why what happened?" Luna asked.

Hermione sighed. "It's a long story, we'll have to catch up sometime… Sometime soon," and as she said it, Poppy turned up.

"We were wondering if you'd got lost," Minerva said, cackling to her friend.

"Jenkins," was all the matron said.

Minerva laughed. "What was it this time?" she asked.

"Bertie Botts, up the nose… Apparently a dare from Beazley… The little lad had twelve of them lodged up there," and she shook her head.

"Twelve!" everyone cried in unison.

"Oh, my goodness," Hermione said, covering Alice's ears, like just by hearing about the stunt she'd try it.

Luna took this as her cue to leave. "Well, I best allow you ladies to get to your lunch, I only stopped by to ask if I could visit the thestrals," she stated, getting up. Then she turned to Hermione. "But I would like to catch up very soon."

"Yes, me too," Hermione said. "I know, you and the boys can come to Alice's birthday party next weekend. I'll send you an invitation. Where are you staying?"

"We're at Daddy's… that's the other reason we've come home, Daddy's not well."

"Oh, that's no good, then please only come if you're able. Your father is also very welcome."

Luna smiled. "It will be fine," she assured Hermione, and all but skipped towards the door. "Have a nice lunch, ladies," and she was gone.

xox

It wasn't until the next morning that the world as a whole learned of Harry Potter's death, and Severus read the article to Hermione over breakfast. Of course, The Daily Prophet's version was nothing like what had actually happened, and it left them wondering what actually had.

"It's got to be linked somehow to what happened yesterday, hasn't it?" Hermione said disbelievingly. She was feeling very guilty because as soon as she'd heard that her nightmare was over, she was terribly relieved. One of Hermione's greatest fears had always been meeting Harry and or Ginny and having them somehow putting two and two together and realising that Alice… She couldn't even finish that thought. No, I shouldn't feel guilty, and besides, Alice is now mine and Severus' daughter. Any magic tests will reflect that fact. Harry bloody Potter and all his nastiness has nothing to do with things anymore. However, even after rationalising it in her mind her lip slipped between her teeth and she slid her chair closer to Alice.

Severus noticed her chewing on her lip and he put the newspaper down. "Talk to me," he told her.

Hermione sighed. "I know it's stupid, but I feel…" and she chewed softly on her lip, but didn't quite know what to say.

"Guilty for being glad he's dead?" Severus answered perceptively.

Hermione nodded. "And I should be feeling sorry for the poor children," she told him earnestly.

"Children?" he asked, uncertain what she meant.

"The Potter children," Hermione whispered.

He reached out and took her hand. "Well, you shouldn't, they have support, and I'll wager that where they are now is preferable to where they were with their parents." He squeezed her hand. "In many ways, death is the easiest way out for the…" but he didn't finish that sentence. Pulling her up by her hand, he guided her to his knee. "I think after Alice's birthday it might be time for us to treat ourselves to a trip away," he stated, changing the subject.

Smiling, Hermione linked their fingers more securely and leant up against him. "Where?" she demanded excitedly.

"As far away from England as possible, I think," he told her, but then he sighed too. "Hermione?"

"Yes, love?"

"As much as I hate to admit it, Hogwarts has looked after me… us very well, and yesterday when I visited it, I started to wonder if it might be time for me to allow Minerva to retire. What would you say to us moving to Hogwarts when she's ready to relinquish the reins?" he asked tentatively.

She smiled, remembering what Minerva had told her only a few days ago about being grateful for her time as headmistress. "I would say, discuss it with Minerva so she knows that when she's ready that you're there to take over."

Severus returned her smile, and watched as she disentangled their hands and got up to wipe Alice's face clean before lifting her out of her high-chair. "Yes, you're right, that's a prudent plan. I'll speak to her on Saturday."

xox

Saturday came up before Hermione was truly ready for their first big celebration since their very private wedding, but as she fiddled with the last of the balloons and streamers she smiled at Alice playing with the lifelike dragon toy they'd bought her for her birthday. She was sitting in her new pink party dress with Minerva, and the latter was charming the toy to walk, and roar, and puff smoke, which was being met with squeals of excitement from Alice.

They'd decided if they were potentially extending their family that perhaps it was not the right time to introduce a live pet for Alice to take care of, knowing that it would fall to them to care for it, so they reluctantly put that plan off until the next year and settled on the very life-like charmable dragon toy instead. Besides, Argus had recently rescued a little terrier that had been abandoned and although Mrs Norris was less than pleased about the development he decided to keep the dog, and the little creature already adored Alice.

As Hermione thought this, Argus came around the corner with the dog, a fairly scruffy looking Jack Russell bounding along ahead of him. She instantly inserted herself between Alice and her new toy dragon, bared her teeth and informed the dragon in no uncertain terms that she was Alice's protector.

Seeing this, Minerva cackled and finished the game, lifting the dragon to safety before Molly—the name Argus had given the dog—tore Alice's new toy to bits. Besides, it was time for the guests to start arriving. The headmistress offered Alice her hand, as she said, "Molly thinks a lot of you, Poppet," and she laughed, catching Hermione's eye as they walked towards her.

Argus called the dog back to himself, and shook his head at her while Mrs Norris curled around his feet, hissing at Molly. The little dog gave a few tentative barks but decided that tackling the wily old feline was a really bad idea and skittered away. The old man just laughed at them both. "You'll be having to get on, you two," he muttered and delivered the last few of the seats to the patio that were stored in the barn.

"Thank you, Mister Filch," Hermione said, smiling. She looked around; all appeared to be ready. Like most small children, Alice did not have very many people her own age coming to her party. Scorpius Malfoy was closest in age, and Hermione was trying not to think about the fact that Draco had all but pleaded with Severus to allow his mother to come too. Hermione was glad that it wasn't Lucius as well, but still, she felt she was wildly allergic to both senior Malfoys. She exhaled, and then inhaled sharply as arms wound around her middle.

"Don't be nervous," Severus whispered into her ear after kissing her temple. He was aware that she was uncertain about Narcissa Malfoy being asked to come, but she had consented to it, and he'd made very certain that he'd questioned her soundly on the matter before he'd allowed Draco to add his mother to their guest list. Still, at the beginning of the week when they'd talked about it was very different from now, moments before it happened. "She's not a monster, you know," he murmured.

Hermione relaxed back into the offered warmth of his arms and looked around at him. "Yes, I know," she told him in a sighing breath. "But it's just one more step into public life, isn't it?"

"Sweetheart, you are in a very stable position now, there is nothing tenuous anymore. You are the one able to dictate how people treat you now, and I believe that you will find Narcissa very much on the back foot and eager to please."

"I hope so," Hermione murmured, but then snorted. "I'm still glad that Lucius was too scared to accompany them, especially with all the talk of new dark magic."

Severus nuzzled into her shoulder and whispered, "And it may be true that I emphasised that a little too much when I last spoke to him," and he chuckled softly.

His decadent laugh, coupled with the fact that he had been protecting her from something she was not ready for yet, crackled over her nerve endings, caressing them, encasing them, and leaving her pliable and limp with need in his arms, and she groaned. "It would not do to abandon our party ready garden and search some moments of privacy just now, would it?" she said softly, rocking her backside back into his groin to make her meaning blatant.

He pushed back discreetly, but then distanced himself from her nether regions. "As much as I would enjoy a stolen moment with my beautiful wife, the wards have just informed me that several of our guests are traversing the pathway to the front doors as we speak," and he kissed her neck. "However, tonight once we're alone, then I will enjoy you completely at our leisure," he promised her.

"Then I look forward to that," Hermione replied, smiling up at him and stealing one last kiss before they were inundated with their guests.