Chapter 4 - The Continuation Of A Very Long Evening And Night

A/N:  It's all Rowling's, except what you don't recognize.

My heartfelt thanks to my beta Ramos for her patient and thought-provoking help.

Remus Lupin and Hermione Granger found themselves in a tiny living room.  It had a low ceiling, worn rug and dilapidated but cozy-looking couch.  Lupin took out his wand and made a few improvements to the décor, including a bar complete with brandy and brandy glasses.

A huge ginger cat leaped out and landed on Hermione's shoulders.  "Crookshanks!"  She buried her face into his fur.  "I've missed you so much."  She was rewarded with a loud purr.

Suddenly Dobby the house elf was there as well.  "Professor Lupin and Miss Granger.  Dobby is honored to be seeing to your needs."

"It's good to see you, Dobby.  I don't know if we will need anything.  Hermione?"

"Oh, yes.  I need my clothing, some books, oh, and most importantly -- parchment and quills."

"Dobby is pleased to tell you that everything you have requested is already upstairs and waiting."

Hermione practically squealed with pleasure and went running up the stairs.

"Hermione?"

"Yes, Professor?"

"Will you be alright now?  And do call me Remus."

Hermione ran back down the stairs gave Lupin a fierce hug and said, "Everything's going to be fine now.  I'm sure of it."  She scurried back up, finding her room right at the top of the stairs.

Hermione sat at her desk and thoughtfully played with her quill.  She was happy, but her nerves were wired so tightly she thought she'd explode.  She took a parchment and penned a note to Harry.  It came out badly.  She tried again.  Better, but still.  And then finally:

"Dear Harry,

I'm really, really sorry about putting you through all this worry.  I had a bad case of nerves from studying too much.  I'm fine now and shall see you after graduation.  Maybe we can all stay at The Burrow together?

Love,

Hermione"

It was short, it was sweet and it was a complete lie, but she'd hoped it would be enough to gain his forgiveness.  She wrote the same in slightly different variations to Ron, Ginny, Hagrid and her parents.  She then felt a bit better in spite of the falsehoods.  Then she brought her herself back to the real need that had continued to well up in her and nudge her throughout the past weeks.  What she had come to think of as 'The Event' screamed out to be recorded.  She began to write and even after ten feet of parchment it was still was not complete.  Around 3 AM, she finally went to bed.  For the first time in a fortnight, she finally relaxed.  She'd captured as much as she could remember about the experience.  Now, maybe it would finally leave her alone and she could get on with things.  She felt sad because there was so much she had forgotten, but this was a good as it could get.

Hermione slipped out of her clothes and into her nightgown.  She fell asleep with a sigh and Crookshanks at her back.

&&&

 After Hermione went upstairs, Lupin went to the bar and poured himself a generous glass of brandy.  With a casual flick of his wand, the fire was lit.  He had forgotten how cold Hogsmeade was compared to the southern part of England where he'd been living.

Staring into the flames, he thought about Viola.  The wizarding world was a small place and yet he hadn't seen her in over twelve years.  Then last week there she was in Diagon Alley, sitting by herself at Fortescue's eating a large coffee and caramel knickerbocker glory.  She'd looked up at him and smiled.  And he was lost.  He sat down, asked how she was, and it was as if the intervening years had never happened.  She said that she was waiting for her friend, Quinn.  But after finishing her frozen confection, she told him that maybe he wasn't going to show up after all.

Lupin had offered to walk her wherever she needed to go.  He knew that she didn't get around too well in London, mostly because she refused to use a cane.  The locator and warding spells she relied upon were totally inadequate to the task of getting around a large city.  Lupin feared that one day a lorry'd hit her as she confidently jaywalked across the street. 

She said that she didn't have anywhere in particular to go and so they walked.  They spent most of their time in Hyde Park.  She loved being where there were things she could see such as flowers, grass and trees.    Just like old times, she adored watching the energies of growing things.  She had told him that indeed different flowers had different personalities all of their own.  They walked along the Thames, listening to the sounds of the river.  He took her to a sidewalk bistro for dinner.  They had talked and walked for hours.  He offered to walk her home and discovered that she was still in her old flat.  He took her upstairs.  And they made love.  Just like that, just like old times.

That day, he realized that he still loved her and had never stopped loving her.  There had been a few women along the way, but considering that werewolves were shunned in general and he'd had to stay on the move so much, he never really had the chance to fall in love with anyone else.  Besides, Viola was different.  There, that was an understatement.  Call her unique, bizarre, brilliant, whatever; there was no one else that could possibly take her place.  He'd been an idiot for leaving her. 

In addition, she was also the only woman who could witness his transformation and live.  James and Sirius in their animagus forms had often helped him during his moon cycles.  Their presence calmed him and made his less violent.  But with Viola, he was actually tame and docile while in his cursed form.

And he had thrown it all away out of pride, hurt pride from her family's attitude toward him.  He was older now, wiser and humble.  He'd take on a room full of dementors if she'd only agree to be with him.

Lupin came to his feet when he heard a knock on the door.  He took out his wand.  "Who's there?"

"Hooch."

"And Mr. Hooch."

Lupin threw open the door.

"Sirius?  Sirius, what are you doing here?"

Hooch and Black came in arm in arm. 

"Well, Remus old friend.  You'll be the first to know.  My pardon has come through and it's official - I'm a free man." Black then kissed Hooch.  "And you can be the first to congratulate us, we're getting married."

Hooch blushed.

"Isn't she beautiful?"

"Yes, she is." Lupin leaned over and gave her a peck on the cheek.  "There for good luck.  Come over and sit on the couch.  Brandy anyone?"

"No thanks, Lupin."  Hooch's voice was as gruff as ever.  "We've probably had a bit too much all ready, especially since we are doing this favor for the Headmaster."

Lupin thought that Hooch might actually be a stabilizing influence on his canine friend.  She certainly did have the air of a dog trainer about her.  Then again, he should talk; Viola had the same talent for taming wild lupins.

"So, Lupin, Dumbledore told me that you managed to capture Snape's little runaway."  Hooch leaned forward, her golden eyes bright with speculation.

"Well, no.  It was the work of an associate of mine, a Miss Iolanthe."

Black groaned.  "Not her again.  Didn't she disappear on you last week?  Take my word on it -- she's bad news.  I told Rolanda about what happened and she knows something about that family."

"Right.  A cousin of mine had some business dealings with an Iolanthe.  Things didn't go well and he wound up in the middle of a maze, which took him three weeks to get out of.  Three weeks of living off of wobbleberries and badbug nuts and drinking out of pitcher plants.  Eeeew.  When he got out, he complained to the Ministry of Magic and they said that they had no jurisdiction over those with fairy blood and to just steer clear in future.  He said the Iolanthe clan aren't just above the law, they're invisible to it."

"Yes.  Well, I've met the family and I wouldn't argue that."  Lupin was beginning to feel the old grievance come back.  "A greater bunch of scoundrels and snobs, I've never met.  But Viola's different; she's done contract work for the ministry for years.  She's a straight arrow."

"Well, she wasn't that straight last week.  What did you tell me?  You spent five days trying to break all the confusion spells laid over her home and office.  Owls were getting lost for days.  You found yourself flooing to Outer Mongolia.  And some chappy kept answering the mugglephone and threatening to break your neck."  Black looked for confirmation.

"Sirius, I have a theory about that. I don't think it was Viola's doing.  Anyway, it won't happen again.  I put a very strong trace charm on her.   I don't think the other spells will be able to affect it."

"Your little charm up against fairy magic?  I wouldn't take any bets," snorted Black.

"It's an old and very strong one.  I'd read about it in a resource book on combating fairy magics and so far it's holding up.  I placed it on her when we were kissing."

"Oh, kissing were you?  That reminds me."  Hooch's eyes sparkled.  She leaned over and Black kissed her, and kissed her, and kissed her and….

"Oh, get a room!" Lupin said with some annoyance. "Okay, both of you take it upstairs and use a silencing spell.  We don't want Ms. Granger getting a course in sex ed. 1001."

"Hmm.  From what the boys at Slytherin are saying, she already has from Snape."  Hooch said cattily.

"Rolanda Hooch, I'm sure you know better than to believe anything those boys are saying."

"Hmmm.  Frankly, knowing Severus as I do, yes, I doubt anything happened.  But he had been flapping around making a spectacle of himself over her disappearance.  And where there's smoke…."

"Ye Gods, Rolanda.  You're going to wither my cock for the rest of the night, talking about Snape and sex in the same breath."  Black looked anything but withered.  "Let's go upstairs now before I'm totally put off."

They all said their goodnights and Lupin returned to silent contemplation of the fire.  At the sound of springs creaking, he ran up the stairs and knocked on their door.  "Silencing spell, you lovesick kneazles."

Things went quiet and Lupin decided to turn in.

&&&

"What do you mean, you won't tell me where she is?  I helped find her.  You put me under Veratiserum to prove to McGonagall there was nothing going on.  And you won't let me talk to her?  This is absurd."  Snape was beside himself with fury.

"Sorry, Severus.  But those are the terms of her return.  She wants nothing to do with you.  I suppose all those years of your yelling at the students have come back to bite you on the backside."  Dumbledore tried to look compassionate, but the twinkling eyes betrayed his amusement.  "Maybe you could owl her and apologize after her NEWTs."

"Apologize?  I did nothing but saved her miserable life.  And look what she's done to me.  My reputation is in ruins!"  Snape thundered.

Dumbledore lost it with a huge guffaw.  "Oh come now!  You sound like some wronged virgin in a melodrama.  Surely it can't be that bad?"

"You most certainly know it is.  I'm now considered some sort of Don Juan by the entire house of Slytherin.  I'm being propositioned by Ravenclaw seventh years, male and female.  Everyone has chosen to put Miss Granger's bunking it into the worst possible light.  And it is so unfair.  Professor Flitwick was the last to see her before she left and yet no one's casting aspersions on his character."  Severus opened a fresh bottle of Old Ogden's and with shaking hands poured a large tumbler full.

"Well, do not let me keep you from your celebrations.  We are all most relieved that Miss Granger has come to no harm and will indeed be able to sit her exams."  Dumbledore clapped Snape on the shoulder and left.

Snape drank for another hour before crawling into bed half dressed.  Lying there, Snape reviewed how his life had turned into this joke of silent desperation.  He knew the exact day, hour and minute of when his world went careening out of control:

It was not during the seven-day battle with Voldemort last March.  Nor was it when Voldemort fell and Snape was captured and tortured for 3 days by a ranting, half-mad Lucius Malfoy.  It wasn't even when he underwent the ignominy of being rescued by Sirius Black in his animagus form.  It wasn't when the papers kept insisting it was Potter alone who had saved the day instead of a group effort.  Nor when Snape received the Order of Merlin third class (after twenty years of behind the scenes effort) only because Potter had threatened to boycott the ceremony if Snape wasn't given at least some sort of acknowledgement.

No, the moment when all hell broke loose in Snape's universe was at the first full staff meeting after Voldemort's fall.  The meeting had not even opened when Madame Hooch stood up and said,

"All right, I have an announcement before we get started.  I've packed my bags and I'm moving out of the castle, today.  I'm going to live at Rosemerta's.  I'll still be the Quidditch mistress, but I'm not getting any younger and I want a sex life."

There was dead silence in the staff room.  And then Hagrid cleared his throat.  All eyes turned towards him.

"Well, er yup, I have a little announcement of my own.  I've found a goblin willing to take care of me animals while I head over ter Paris next week.  It seems things are going well between Olympe and me and if it all continues, well I just might not be back.  Yer all of course invited to the weddin'."

Hagrid sat down and, oddly enough, it was at that point that Madam Trelawney started to cry.

Then Minerva stood and spoke.

"Actually, I was going to save this for later, but as you know Albus is still recuperating from the battle and well, -- I'm sick and tired of never getting a vacation with him.  It's been fifty years since we've been able to take a holiday together so I've booked a wizard's world cruise leaving end of August.  It's a slow boat to China and we will be out of reach for at least three years.  Don't even try to find us because Prof. Flitwick has kindly created a charm that will make us untraceable.  Thank you."

Snape was getting a very sick feeling in the pit of his stomach.  But still the exodus did not end.  Trelawney's sobs were escalating to wails.  Madam Pomfrey had decided to resume work as a midwife and was heading to Zanzibar as a volunteer.  Prof. Vector announced an early retirement.  And then, from the back of the room, Filch coughed twice and came up.  Red faced, he stopped in front of Prof. Sprout's chair and got down on one knee.  He removed a small box from his threadbare jacket.

"I'd like everyone to bear witness to this now.  My little mourning lily, my sproutikins, it's been thirty years of you and me together, thirty wonderful years.  I never offered to marry you because I'm only a squib, but if you'll have me."  Here he stopped because his voice caught.  "I'd be the luckiest man on this planet."

"Oh Argus," sobbed Sprout.  "Yes, my dear, dear man, you were worth the wait."  And they embraced in one of the longest open-mouthed kisses Hogwarts had ever seen.

That was the day of Snape's damnation.  And, if he had lost control of himself and kissed the palm of Hermione's hand, well, he felt it was quite justified, because since that day, that one horrid, horrid day, Snape had not had one moment of peace in his dungeon.  There were job searches to be done for not one, but five faculty positions.  Snape had helped Minerva until Dumbledore was back on his feet; however, Snape would be acting Headmaster in the next year while someone else held down his potions job.  And he had to find a replacement for both the Gryffindor and Slytherin's heads of house as well.  Of course, there was the replacement of the medi-witch.  That was seven placements he had to fill, (no -- eight he kept forgetting the DADA replacement needed), while attempting to maintain some sanity and control over his own classes filled with over-exuberant students who believed that somehow the death of Voldemort was an reason to totally skive off.  He was sleeping a scant four hours a night.  After the Granger girl ran away, he found that his hands kept shaking. 

Snape was tempted for a moment to have a physical release of his tension before sleep.  But then he thought, why bother? And he fell into an uneasy doze.

A/N:  Please R&R.

A big thank you to my reviewers: Giova, Witch Lisa, Sara, DarkFire, Evanescence, Ezmerelda, Rosemerta, c_fleurbleue, Elysia, Hecate Silvermoon, Risi, Axial, Semicharmed, Azure, Free Bird.  I really appreciate your comments and support!

I'm sorry if this took a while to update.  I have another WIP that I've also been working on.