Brunch at Malfoy Manor was different than what Severus had expected. Narcissa was the same engaging host as always, but the family was much more relaxed than they had ever been. Astoria had grown up to be a wonderful young woman and Severus loved watching her interact with Scorpius. Unlike the elder Malfoys, Draco and Astoria raised him with almost no help from the elves and Severus was pleased to see how well they were doing.

Most things in the world had stayed the same during the time he was gone. One thing that had changed dramatically was Lucius Malfoy. They had exchanged a few letters since his return, but Severus was still expecting the old Lucius when they met in person. While still impeccably dressed and intimidating looking (to people who weren't Severus Snape), he had mellowed out. Speaking to Severus in his private study, he explained how he had worked with Ministry mandated Muggle trained therapists to help him become more tolerant and control his anger.

"My choices and hatred for others almost killed my son and my wife," Lucius said. "I needed to change, and luckily the Ministry decided to give me the opportunity instead of sending me to Azkaban."

"I am happy for you, Lucius," Severus said. "How are you and Narcissa doing? Has she forgiven you for the events of the war and your involvement?"

Even though Bellatrix always accused Severus of having a crush on Narcissa, he had never seen her that way. To him, Narcissa was the sister he never had. Her happiness was something he always looked out for. He knew that she had suffered greatly the year the Dark Lord lived at the manor.

"She has. After I was in therapy for about a year, we started going to a marriage counselor to help repair the damage I had done." Lucius took a sip of his tea. "We also had family therapy with Draco. Honestly Severus, we are closer than we have ever been."

"I am very pleased for you, Lucius."

"And you, Severus? I see you went on a date with Hermione Granger and then you were spotted out together again. Anything you would like to share?"

"I am staying with her until I buy a new place. She lets me brew in her lab and use her potion ingredients."

"And in exchange for living with her and using her lab, you take her on dates?" Lucius gave him a look that clearly said 'stop lying to me and yourself'. "How very magnanimous of you."

"You are not my therapist, Lucius," Severus growled. "I don't need to talk to you about my feelings."

"So you admit to having feelings then?"

"Fine. Yes I have feelings for her. How could I not? She is intelligent, fun, and easy to be around." Severus sighed just thinking about Hermione. She was everything he had ever wanted in a partner.

"Not to mention gorgeous."

"Who is gorgeous?" Narcissa asked as she walked into the room.

"Hermione," Lucius answered. "Severus likes her."

"Oh, Severus. That is wonderful," Narcissa gushed. "She is perfect for you. Do you need help wooing her?"

"I will let you know, but I think I am doing alright on my own."

Most people in the world assumed Narcissa was a trophy wife; only there to look good and toe the line. One reason Severus enjoyed her company so much was because she was actually very smart, and very witty. Her skills in Herbology were rivaled only by Professor Sprout, and possibly Neville Longbottom. Severus stayed and talked to Lucius and Narcissa for a few hours until it was time to return to Hermione.

"Narcissa, you must come and see Hermione's gardens. I have never seen such perfect potion ingredients," Severus told her as she walked him to the Floo.

"I would love to come and see them." She took the paper containing Hermione's address. "Maybe she would like to have tea with me and Astoria sometime. Astoria is still great at potions and would love to see the lab she has. We have been meaning to re-do the one here for her."

"I will talk to Hermione and have her send you and owl. Now, what did you think of your soap?"

Narcissa had loved her soap, and shared it with Astoria and they both gave him rave reviews, promising to buy some bars as soon as they were on the market. Draco had shared his with Lucius who was also impressed with the quality. Narcissa handed him a piece of parchment with their thoughts on the soaps before he left. Encouraged by the support of his friends, he left their house and went to the lab to make more.


Arriving home, Severus had received an owl with positive feedback from the Potters. Severus went down to the lab and created one more custom soap. Even though it made him slightly sick, he colored the soap purple and added lavender and vanilla. Gathering all the inventory he had made, he took the soap to Lavender's shop.

She instantly fell in love with the color and scent of her own custom soap. After reading the personal recommendations from such high profile people, she agreed to stock his products. They went through the different scents he had already created and, after sniffing each one and gushing over them, she took his entire inventory.

Handing over his stock, he rolled his eyes at her marketing ideas. She planned on putting little cards with each person's review next to the soap and naming them after their scents. He thought it was absolutely ridiculous, but knew it would help them sell.

Agreeing to her terms of a 60/40 split in his favour, he left her shop feeling good. Having something to do, even if it was selling soaps to a overexcited Gryffindor, gave him purpose.


Severus had just come into the kitchen to have lunch with Hermione on Friday when an owl tapped on the window. He had been in the lab since sunrise completing the potions for the Lupin House. Letting the bird in, Hermione watched as Severus opened his letter frowning.

"Bad news?" she asked.

"Not at all," Severus replied. "It's from Lavender. She has already sold out of all the soap I gave her and would like me to send her more as soon as possible."

"That's excellent news. I am done working for the day, would you like my help in the lab?"

Hermione was still researching Morgan le Fey's tome, but had reached an end of her current research and didn't want to start something new before the weekend.

"I would love your help. I still have one more potion to finish before I can send everything over to Lupin House. Would you mind brewing it so I can work on the soap?"

"That works for me," she said as she sat the salad she had been preparing on the table. "We'll head down as soon as we're done eating."


Severus started two large cauldrons of his soap base while he surreptitiously watched Hermione brew the healing potion for the werewolf cubs. He had to admit that Lucius was right, Hermione was gorgeous. Severus found her attractive all the time, but there was something about seeing her in the lab he designed brewing beside him.

Hermione was wearing a pair of tight muggle jeans that showed off her pert arse but what was really catching his attention was her neck. She had pulled her wild curls into a loose mess of a bun on the top of her head and small curls had escaped to lay on her neck. It took every ounce of strength Severus had to keep stirring his base and not walk behind Hermione to kiss that deliecible neck. As she turned to place the next ingredient into her cauldron, Severus noticed a shiny, white scar that ran horizontal under her chin.

"How did you get that scar?" Severus asked.

"What scar?" Hermione had more than her share of scars from her teenage years, plus a few more she had earned as an Unspeakable.

Her favorite scar was a small one on the middle toe of her left foot. She had been wearing sandals when visiting Hagrid with Harry one day and one of his niffers had tried to bite her toe ring off. It had hurt when he clamped down, but even to her, the sight of the niffler hanging from her toe was hilarious.

"The one on your neck."

"That one was from Bellatrix Lestrange."

"When?"

"The night Harry, Ron and I were captured and taken to Malfoy Manor. I assume you heard about that."

"I heard you were captured and escaped, but I didn't hear anything about what happened to you."

"Once the snatchers brought us to the manor, Bellatrix and Lucius were determining which of them would call Voldemort. Lucius was about to touch his mark when Bellatrix noticed one of the snatchers holding the sword of Gryffindor.

"Since it was supposed to be in the Lestrange vault- thank you for bringing it to us, by the way- Bellatrix told Lucius to wait. She decided to 'question' me because I was a Mudblood. Long story short, she used the Cruciatus curse on me until I passed out. Harry and Ron tried to rescue me, but Bellatrix held her knife to my throat and pressed into me a little too hard when the boys hesitated too long for her liking.

"Obviously we escaped and I recovered from the curses. But there was nothing Fleur could do to stop the cut from healing." Hermione shrugged. The scar was not noticeable and she hardly thought about it anymore. "Bellatrix probably cursed the blade so they left scars. Seems like something she would do."

Severus listened to her story in shock. Voldemort had visited Hogwarts the morning after Hermione and her friends had escaped Malfoy Manor in order to retrieve the Elder Wand from Dumbledore's grave and had told him Draco and Bellatrix had lost their wands, but said nothing of the events leading up to it. Severus knew first hand how powerful Bellatrix was when using the Cruciatus curse on someone. He had been on the receiving end of that curse more than once in his lifetime, and Bella's was more painful than even the Dark Lord.

"How many times?" Severus asked.

"How many times what?" Hermione inquired.

"How many times did she curse you?"

"I tried to keep track. I'm not sure why, I think my mind was just trying to think about anything to not focus on the pain. I was up to nine when I passed out."

"Nine? Merlin, Hermione. I'm surprised you're not in St Mungos sharing a room with the Longbottoms."

"I probably would be if the boys hadn't rescued me."

Hermione turned back to work on the potion, and while Severus was making his soap, his mind was still on the story Hermione had just told him. He had always known Hermione was stronger than she looked. Hell, the girl was attacked by a troll her first year and didn't let it slow her down. But to be tortured by the craziest witch that ever lived and be able to talk so calmly about it was something else.

Severus sighed. If he wasn't careful, he was going to be in danger of falling in love with the woman across from him.


Having loaded all the new bars of soap into the borrowed messenger bag, Severus and Hermione Apparated to Diagon Alley. Remembering that Parvati was likely to be around, they walked near each other, but not too close. Hermione would have loved to grab Severus' arm while they walked, but she didn't want people to know how she felt about the man next to her. Too much of her life had been splashed across the papers as it was.

"The fuck?" They had just walked towards Lavender's shop when Severus stopped, cursing.

"Oh, that is brilliant," Hermione giggled.

"That is not brilliant. That is horrifying," Snape snapped at her. "Of all the things she could have called it."

Lavender had placed a large poster in her window. It had the picture of Severus smiling at Hermione from the paper, but she had cut Hermione out, so it looked like he was smiling at passersby. She had printed an advert for his soap on the poster above his picture.

NOW SELLING: PRINCE CHARMING CREATIONS