-ANGELS OBLIQUELY
CHAPTER 3
It wasn't difficult to track Duane Billings. A gregarious man, he was everywhere, talking to everyone. Going to meetings after meetings, from Ministry people to other influential figures in the wizarding world, as well as in the muggle world.
I could tell right away where Hermione had gotten the habit of smoking. Duane was always holding a cigarette as if he already woke up in the morning holding one.
I had been following him for almost a week, and hadn't found anything incriminating. That is until the Thursday before my meeting with Hermione.
Duane walked into a pub in Diagon Alley. I tried to blend in the middle of the crowded pub, watching him from a table in the back. And it wasn't long before his involvement with dark side was confirmed. Lucius Malfoy entered the pub and headed to Duane's table. Both talked for half an hour before they exchanged handshakes and left.
I couldn't hear what they said for I wouldn't risk being seen by Malfoy, but it seemed rather serious by the expression on their faces.
Somehow I had the feeling that the Dark Lord didn't quite yet know about their involvement. Knowing Malfoy, I was certain he was planning a way to get the merit of acquiring the secret potion all by himself. That would explain no mention of any of it during the meetings.
And if my theory was right, that would also explain the explosion that killed fifty muggles in that famous cafe in London. Everyone thought it was one of the Dark Lord's attacks, but he and the rest of the death eaters were as puzzled as the muggles themselves. Except of course, for Malfoy.
This could be just a simple test to prove the power of the potion and it all made sense, considering that the muggle police hadn't found any trace of explosives or traces of any kind of material that would cause such destruction.
Now all I needed was to find out more about Hermione. While I believed she was truthful about her husband, she wasn't completely truthful about herself. It was for that reason that I decided to arrive an hour earlier at the club, that would give me the chance to observe her without being seen.
Judging by the empty match box and the way she referred to the place, she was probably a regular. So I would be able to watch her behavior and interaction with the crowd.
Not to attract attention, I got dressed into a black suit and tied my hair back, hiding my face partially with a hat. I was hoping that my choice in muggle attire wasn't too far off, and to my relief, entering the smokey night club, I was glad to find that almost every male present was wearing similar clothes.
I sat at the bar and ordered a whiskey. I drank it in one shot and it went burning down my throat. I instinctively shivered as I've always despised muggle alcoholic beverages, but that would have to do.
The place was very dark and a jazz band played in the little squared stage. The costumers varied from sleazy looking guys to women of doubtful reputation. On my left a woman in a green see-through dress, slapped and pushed her drunk companion, leaving him on the floor, while a group of men sitting at a near table, were grabbing and squeezing every waitress that walked by. I was appalled as to why Hermione would ever set foot in a place like this, and it was making my suspicions about her increase rapidly.
The song the band was playing came to an end and they thanked the audience for being there, although no one seemed to be paying much attention. The lights dimmed and one circular spot of light shone on the red curtain behind the stage.
The crowd stopped talking and stared at the stage in anticipation. The band started playing a slow tune as the curtains opened to a woman standing with her back to the audience, who broke into unison cheer. Some men stood up and whistled.
My curiosity started to peak, as this whole experience was getting to be very unusual for me. This kind of entertainment was not what wizards were used to.
The woman's curves were beautifully revealed by the tightness of her sleek black dress and I was suddenly as entranced as the rest of the men present. Her hair was tied up, leaving only little curls falling down her long neck. I know I was supposed to be looking out for Hermione, but I couldn't take my eyes off of that beautiful creature.
Her hands snaked down to her hips and she started to move slowly at the sound of the music playing. When it was her cue to start singing, she turned to face everyone with those big brown eyes.....
My jaw literarily dropped as I realized the beautiful woman standing in front of the microphone was none other than Hermione. Her soft voice filled the room in an intensity, that not even the smoke and cheap perfume could compete with.
I watched, hidden in the shadows, as she descended the stage and walked around the tables, singing smoothly.
" I put a spell on you
Because you're mine
You better stop
The things you're doin'
I said "watch out!"
'Cause you know I ain't lying
No I ain't lying!
I ain't gonna take it
none of your foolin' around
No no no...
I can't take it baby, baby
when you put me down
So I put a spell on you
Because you're mine
All right! "
The man in the saxophone started playing deeply while Hermione walked back to the stage and at the end of the sax solo, she sang the last part of the song slower, finishing it with her eyes closed.
"I put a spell on you..... 'cause you're mine...."
I couldn't move; the buzz of the crowd was merely a whisper, for I was at loss to what I had just witnessed. This couldn't be the insufferable know- it-all that used to annoy me for seven years. And why? Why was she doing this?
I couldn't know if I was more shocked with the fact that she was doing this or the fact that Hermione was actually sexy. I pushed the last thought away and tried to focus on her strange behavior. After all, to some level, this was work and I had to be professional about it.
A man in a light brown suit moved to the stage and helped her down. He held her by the waist and they both headed for the bar. I quickly turned my back to them leaning on the counter. The man asked for the usual and in minutes they went to a table near the stage. I watched as they both acted very intimate and it was obvious they knew each other really well. Their conversation started to get heated and I could hear them shouting at each other. It was hard to make their words, but I felt it was time to cut in, when the man grabbed her arm and lifted his hand to hit her.
In seconds I was there holding his wrist midway through. I would have hexed him, but we were in a muggle club. The man looked surprised, but not as surprised as Hermione did.
The man tried to yank his arm off my grip, but I was considerably stronger and taller.
"Let go of me! This is none of your business!" The man hissed.
I tightened the grip and he groaned in pain. "Oh on the contrary, this is very much my business and I intend to know every detail of what's going on here!"
"You're early, Severus, " Hermione said in a whisper.
"I believe I'm right on time, if you ask me," I said, "You should thank me for that!"
"Who is this?" The man asked Hermione, looking furious.
Hermione looked at the man, unsure of what to say. So I let go of his arm and started pulling Hermione's hand, so we could leave that awful place. The man tried to follow us, ready to start a fight when I turned and shot him my best glare. He stopped on his tracks and backed away slowly. When I saw there was no more danger for that coward to follow, I turned to leave.
It wasn't until we were blocks away from the place that I stopped to look at her. She looked embarrassed and uneasy, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. I wanted to yell at her for lying to me and demand an explanation, but I couldn't. Looking at her vulnerable face only made it worse. I took a deep breath and said, "Are you going to tell me the whole story now?"
She looked up at me and nodded, not quite meeting my eyes.
"Ok let's go, you can tell me everything over coffee."
I put my hand on her shoulder and we walked in silence to the nearest coffee shop.
.........................................................................................................................................................................
A/N : Thanks to Happynutcase, Redone, Electryone and EvieBlack for you wonderful reviews, I'm glad you all think I've created the right atmosphere. That's what I was going for .
CHAPTER 3
It wasn't difficult to track Duane Billings. A gregarious man, he was everywhere, talking to everyone. Going to meetings after meetings, from Ministry people to other influential figures in the wizarding world, as well as in the muggle world.
I could tell right away where Hermione had gotten the habit of smoking. Duane was always holding a cigarette as if he already woke up in the morning holding one.
I had been following him for almost a week, and hadn't found anything incriminating. That is until the Thursday before my meeting with Hermione.
Duane walked into a pub in Diagon Alley. I tried to blend in the middle of the crowded pub, watching him from a table in the back. And it wasn't long before his involvement with dark side was confirmed. Lucius Malfoy entered the pub and headed to Duane's table. Both talked for half an hour before they exchanged handshakes and left.
I couldn't hear what they said for I wouldn't risk being seen by Malfoy, but it seemed rather serious by the expression on their faces.
Somehow I had the feeling that the Dark Lord didn't quite yet know about their involvement. Knowing Malfoy, I was certain he was planning a way to get the merit of acquiring the secret potion all by himself. That would explain no mention of any of it during the meetings.
And if my theory was right, that would also explain the explosion that killed fifty muggles in that famous cafe in London. Everyone thought it was one of the Dark Lord's attacks, but he and the rest of the death eaters were as puzzled as the muggles themselves. Except of course, for Malfoy.
This could be just a simple test to prove the power of the potion and it all made sense, considering that the muggle police hadn't found any trace of explosives or traces of any kind of material that would cause such destruction.
Now all I needed was to find out more about Hermione. While I believed she was truthful about her husband, she wasn't completely truthful about herself. It was for that reason that I decided to arrive an hour earlier at the club, that would give me the chance to observe her without being seen.
Judging by the empty match box and the way she referred to the place, she was probably a regular. So I would be able to watch her behavior and interaction with the crowd.
Not to attract attention, I got dressed into a black suit and tied my hair back, hiding my face partially with a hat. I was hoping that my choice in muggle attire wasn't too far off, and to my relief, entering the smokey night club, I was glad to find that almost every male present was wearing similar clothes.
I sat at the bar and ordered a whiskey. I drank it in one shot and it went burning down my throat. I instinctively shivered as I've always despised muggle alcoholic beverages, but that would have to do.
The place was very dark and a jazz band played in the little squared stage. The costumers varied from sleazy looking guys to women of doubtful reputation. On my left a woman in a green see-through dress, slapped and pushed her drunk companion, leaving him on the floor, while a group of men sitting at a near table, were grabbing and squeezing every waitress that walked by. I was appalled as to why Hermione would ever set foot in a place like this, and it was making my suspicions about her increase rapidly.
The song the band was playing came to an end and they thanked the audience for being there, although no one seemed to be paying much attention. The lights dimmed and one circular spot of light shone on the red curtain behind the stage.
The crowd stopped talking and stared at the stage in anticipation. The band started playing a slow tune as the curtains opened to a woman standing with her back to the audience, who broke into unison cheer. Some men stood up and whistled.
My curiosity started to peak, as this whole experience was getting to be very unusual for me. This kind of entertainment was not what wizards were used to.
The woman's curves were beautifully revealed by the tightness of her sleek black dress and I was suddenly as entranced as the rest of the men present. Her hair was tied up, leaving only little curls falling down her long neck. I know I was supposed to be looking out for Hermione, but I couldn't take my eyes off of that beautiful creature.
Her hands snaked down to her hips and she started to move slowly at the sound of the music playing. When it was her cue to start singing, she turned to face everyone with those big brown eyes.....
My jaw literarily dropped as I realized the beautiful woman standing in front of the microphone was none other than Hermione. Her soft voice filled the room in an intensity, that not even the smoke and cheap perfume could compete with.
I watched, hidden in the shadows, as she descended the stage and walked around the tables, singing smoothly.
" I put a spell on you
Because you're mine
You better stop
The things you're doin'
I said "watch out!"
'Cause you know I ain't lying
No I ain't lying!
I ain't gonna take it
none of your foolin' around
No no no...
I can't take it baby, baby
when you put me down
So I put a spell on you
Because you're mine
All right! "
The man in the saxophone started playing deeply while Hermione walked back to the stage and at the end of the sax solo, she sang the last part of the song slower, finishing it with her eyes closed.
"I put a spell on you..... 'cause you're mine...."
I couldn't move; the buzz of the crowd was merely a whisper, for I was at loss to what I had just witnessed. This couldn't be the insufferable know- it-all that used to annoy me for seven years. And why? Why was she doing this?
I couldn't know if I was more shocked with the fact that she was doing this or the fact that Hermione was actually sexy. I pushed the last thought away and tried to focus on her strange behavior. After all, to some level, this was work and I had to be professional about it.
A man in a light brown suit moved to the stage and helped her down. He held her by the waist and they both headed for the bar. I quickly turned my back to them leaning on the counter. The man asked for the usual and in minutes they went to a table near the stage. I watched as they both acted very intimate and it was obvious they knew each other really well. Their conversation started to get heated and I could hear them shouting at each other. It was hard to make their words, but I felt it was time to cut in, when the man grabbed her arm and lifted his hand to hit her.
In seconds I was there holding his wrist midway through. I would have hexed him, but we were in a muggle club. The man looked surprised, but not as surprised as Hermione did.
The man tried to yank his arm off my grip, but I was considerably stronger and taller.
"Let go of me! This is none of your business!" The man hissed.
I tightened the grip and he groaned in pain. "Oh on the contrary, this is very much my business and I intend to know every detail of what's going on here!"
"You're early, Severus, " Hermione said in a whisper.
"I believe I'm right on time, if you ask me," I said, "You should thank me for that!"
"Who is this?" The man asked Hermione, looking furious.
Hermione looked at the man, unsure of what to say. So I let go of his arm and started pulling Hermione's hand, so we could leave that awful place. The man tried to follow us, ready to start a fight when I turned and shot him my best glare. He stopped on his tracks and backed away slowly. When I saw there was no more danger for that coward to follow, I turned to leave.
It wasn't until we were blocks away from the place that I stopped to look at her. She looked embarrassed and uneasy, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. I wanted to yell at her for lying to me and demand an explanation, but I couldn't. Looking at her vulnerable face only made it worse. I took a deep breath and said, "Are you going to tell me the whole story now?"
She looked up at me and nodded, not quite meeting my eyes.
"Ok let's go, you can tell me everything over coffee."
I put my hand on her shoulder and we walked in silence to the nearest coffee shop.
.........................................................................................................................................................................
A/N : Thanks to Happynutcase, Redone, Electryone and EvieBlack for you wonderful reviews, I'm glad you all think I've created the right atmosphere. That's what I was going for .