Hermione reached her hand over to Ron's side of the bed, and to her surprise, it was empty. Still feeling groggy, Hermione sat up slowly.
"Ron?" she asked softly. She listened, and heard the shower running. Hermione curled back up into a ball and drifted back into sleep.
Then someone was shaking her shoulders. "Mione?" Ron asked.
Hermione rubber her eyes and looked at Ron, who was sitting next to her. He was already dressed in his training robes.
"Mmm," Hermione moaned, and leaned on her husband's shoulder. "What time is it?"
"Six in the morning," Ron whispered in her hair.
Hermione flopped back down on her back. "Then why in the world are we up?"
"I forgot to tell you something last night," Ron said guiltily.
She sighed, and sat back up. "What?" she asked simply.
"We're going on a retreat," Ron said excitedly. "We're going up to Mongolia for five days."
Hermione brought her knees up to her chest. "No spouses, I suppose."
"I'm sorry, love," Ron said, stroking her cheek. "I should have told you last night."
"That's fine, Ron," Hermione said. "I know you can be forgetful."
Ron bit his lip, a sign Hermione knew well. That meant he was trying to decide if he wanted to say something or keep quiet.
"I was thinking, love. Would you like to go back to England?" Ron asked. "I'm not going to be here, and we're leaving two days after I get back."
Hermione thought about that. It would be nice to sleep in her own bed. She might actually be able to sleep. She desperately needed to get a good night's sleep. But at the same time, she may never make it back to China.
"Say something, Mione Mine," Ron said.
She looked up quickly, into his eyes. During their years together at Hogwarts, Ron started calling her "Mione Mine." He hadn't called her that in years.
"I think I'd like to stay here," Hermione said finally. "There's still so much that I'd like to see."
Ron looked a little taken aback. "If you're sure…"
Hermione thought of the Imperial Palace and the Great Wall of China, with it's secret door that only wizards could open. If Ron was leaving for that long, she could possibly stay over night. "I'll stay."
"Right then," Ron said. He gave Hermione a quick kiss and jumped off of the bed. "I'll see you in five days, love."
"Be careful!" Hermione shouted after him.
Ron turned around and grinned. "I always am!" he said, smiling. Then he turned around quickly and left the room.
Hermione hugged her knees, then stood up to have a cigarette.
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"Everyone here!" Professor Xu said excitedly. "We are ready for the lecture."
Severus nodded, and took a deep breath. He tried not to admit it to himself, but he was nervous. Lecturing in front of Hogwarts students were one thing, but lecturing to college students who would know their potions work was different.
"May I meet the translator?" Severus asked. There were a few translations he wanted to go over.
"She's already in lecture hall!" Professor Xu said brightly. "Wait here. I will introduce you."
He nodded and walked towards the door, adjusting his collar. Glancing down at the papers in front of him, he decided he was ready as he would ever be.
He tried to listen to the introduction but it was spoken in rapid Chinese. He heard his name, and wondered if that was his queue. Severus took two steps, and realized the professor wasn't done speaking yet.
Severus stopped and waited. Finally, there was a definite pause in the professor's speech. He stepped out onto the lecture floor and settled himself behind the podium.
"Good morning," he said briskly. "I am Professor Severus Snape, Potions Master at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizarding in Britain. I have –"
The translator cut him off. She spoke quickly. It took Severus a moment to realize she was done.
"I have been at Hogwarts for twenty-two years, teaching potions the entire time. Today –"
Again, she started speaking without warning. Severus held onto the podium and took a deep breath. He hated being interrupted.
"Today we will be working on a restorative potion to disable the effects of prolonged exposure to the Cruciatus Curse." Severus paused, giving the translator a moment to do her job. However, she did not pick up the cue, and stayed silent.
"This is a potion of my own design. It was tested successfully during the Great Battle against Lord Voldemort," Severus said. He shuddered as he said the name. Five years, he had been free, finally a man of his own will, instead of a puppet, and Voldemort's name still made Severus fearful.
As the translator started speaking, Severus thought back to the potion he never expected to test in battle. A picture of Neville Longbottom, twitching violently on the ground came into his mind. Bella Lestrange had cursed him for a good twenty minutes before she was killed. Severus had run to the boy's side, and saw that he would meet the same fate as his parents.
However, once the war was over, Severus was able to perfect the potion, a potion that he had been working on for years. The potion worked on Neville, and he regained his sanity. Everyone was hoping that it would work for his parents as well, but it was much too late for them.
The translator coughed discreetly, causing Severus to snap back to attention. "Please take out the instructions that should have been given to you when you came in…"
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Hermione walked down the Huang District, hugging her midsection for warmth. The Huang District was the Chinese version of Diagon Alley. She had a list of things she would like to buy today. And then she wanted to go the wizarding hospital.
She had been an employee of the Ministry of Magic, in the Apparation Test Center, as a trainer, since she graduated Hogwarts. Hermione knew full well that many people were disappointed that the 'girl wonder' of Hogwarts hadn't gone out and gotten a more prestigious job.
But she was simply biding her time. After the Final Battle, after losing Harry, finding the perfect career didn't seem as important anymore. In typical Hermione fashion, she researched every possible career available to her with her skills. She had recently settled on becoming a Healer.
Chinese Healing methods were famous all over the world. Hermione wanted to soak up as much information as she could during this trip. She was pleased that she was so excited to learn. That drive had disappeared for a while.
A few hours later, her arms were full of packages. She had found souvenirs for both hers and Ron's family. A dress in the window of a robe shop caught her eye. It had been five years since Hermione had worn a dress, due to the large, ugly scar on her left leg that she had received during the Final Battle. She didn't even wear a dress for her wedding.
But this dress was different. It looked like it would fall mid-calf, which would cover up the scar. The dress was made of a lovely looking light blue silk, with a high collar. Hermione bit her lower lip, trying to decide if she wanted to try it on.
Finally, the dress won out, and Hermione went into the shop. After a few attempts of trying to make the cashier understand what she wanted, a different clerk came out from the back room. Luckily, she spoke a little English, and Hermione was given the dress to try on.
She was shown the small fitting room. Hermione forced herself to take a deep breath, and not feel scared by the enclosed space. Quickly, she shed her clothes, and tried on the light blue dress.
It was a little in the behind, but other than that, it fit well. Hermione turned and tried to get a better look. She smiled, realizing that she felt pretty for the first time in a long time.
She stared at herself for almost five minutes. Without thinking, she stuck out her belly, imagining herself with a baby. Ron had started talking about starting a family over the last few months. And every time, Hermione had to bite back the words, "You need to have sex to have a baby." Hermione was practical; she knew it was just as much her fault that they rarely slept together anymore. She stopped reaching for him a while ago.
In a way, she'd like to have a baby, just to end Molly Weasley's constant hints and speculations. "Hermione doesn't feel well? Could it be the oldest reason in the book?" "I wonder when I'll have another grandchild?"
But Hermione wasn't ready for a child, even if Ron thought he was. A child would be a shrine to her and Ron's relationship. A shrine she didn't know she wanted to build.
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Snape left the lecture hall in a huff. It had not gone nearly as well as he had hoped. The students that understood English had done fine. Their potions turned out very well. However, the students who had been listening to the translator did very shoddy. One even managed a contained explosion in her cauldron. Severus had visions of Neville Longbottom in class all over again.
"Professor Snape!" a voice called out behind him. Severus stopped and sighed. All he wanted to do was go back to the hotel and have a drink.
He slowly turned around and saw that it was Professor Xu that was calling him. "Yes, Professor?" he asked.
"Very good lecture," she said breathlessly. He wondered if she had ran to catch up with him.
"Thank you," he said with a nod of his head.
"Important work. My brother was hit with that curse," Professor Xu said softly. "Not hard enough to do big damage, but his memory not so good now."
"How was he hit with that?" Severus asked. He regretted it immediately. Severus hoped that Professor Xu wouldn't take that as an invitation to start a long conversation.
"Fighting Xie Lu," Professor Xu told him. "Very bad Chinese wizard."
"What does his name mean?" Severus asked quietly.
"Rough translation is 'Evil Way.' He gave himself the name," Professor Xu said.
Somehow, in all his years fighting Voldemort, it never dawned on him that there were dark wizards all over the world, all wanting the same thing.
He tried to think of something to say when Professor Xu gave him a sad smile. "Bad memories," she said softly, patting his arm. "I see you tomorrow."
Fighting off memories from the Final Battle, Severus headed back to the hotel to find that drink.