Come the Maëlstrom
Chapter Thirty One
There was something infinitely pleasing about waking up next to a warm body. It was one of the things that Harry missed since he'd come back from Spain. He sighed deeply and snuggled in closer. The sleeping body beside him gave a slight snort and shifted, spooning up against him. He reached for Lucius' arm and snaked it over his waist.
"Is there some reason why you squirm about so much?" came Lucius' sleep rough voice.
"Trying to get warm and comfortable." Harry replied easily. "Why? What does it matter?"
"As it woke me up, it matters," Lucius grumbled.
Harry laughed. "Are you grumpy because we didn't have sex last night."
"…… Of course not; just because you looked perfectly delectable last night when you came in didn't mean I didn't want to bed you in any manner whatsoever. I'm so glad all we did was talk until we fell asleep; that was the next best thing even though we could have done that later on."
Harry rolled onto his stomach and laughed into the pillow. True, Lucius did have a pretty high sex drive; it was, in all likelihood, higher than Harry's was. And that entire reply smacked of sarcasm, but it also struck him as funny.
"I had to practically beat you back just so I could take a shower," Harry laughed. "I'm starting to think you're horny all the time."
"No. I do sleep."
Harry arched an eyebrow before he snickered as he snuggled in closer to Lucius. "Why don't you just go back to sleep then?"
"If you don't wake me up again," Lucius muttered. "I believe I will."
Harry smiled as he watched Lucius' eyes close once more. He closed his own eyes, listening to Lucius' breathing become slow and steady; this, he would always remember.
"It would probably still have the same effect if you didn't use frogspawn."
"Perhaps; but with such a volatile potion, it's better to not experiment."
Hermione frowned, absentmindedly wrapping a curl between her fingers. "If you modify the potion for a less potent version, you might be able to extrapolate results."
"Modification can render some potions useless, which makes it futile in the long run." Severus said with a light shrug.
"True, but some modification must have been done in order to further the field of potions. Can you honestly say that it would be at its current state now if someone didn't fiddle with already known potions?"
"I can't refute that, but I have no desire to inadvertently end my life to satisfy my curiosity."
A soft smile came to Hermione's face, which left Severus a bit puzzled. He had invited her out to lunch in the hopes of making up for the fiasco of a dinner date that they had a bit ago. Merlin knew it hadn't been easy finding the time. Hermione was either at Gringotts, preparing for her job or running around doing a myriad of errands. But she had made the time for him. And so far it was going splendidly, even if they were doing pretty much the same thing as last time: becoming engrossed in conversation and slowly eating their meal. It seemed that graduating from Hogwarts had done even more for Hermione's intelligence; she questioned everything and expected nothing less than a decent answer. Severus definitely respected that; he had met plenty of women who would simply agree with his every word. Hermione frequently questioned him and wouldn't let an issue lie if she had definite opinions on it. He sat there watching her and realised that he actually liked that quality about her, found it endearing. Which was a bit ironic since Valerian possessed that same quality and irked the hell out of him. Of course, unlike Valerian, Hermione was far from condescending about it.
"I certainly wouldn't want that either," Hermione finally pronounced. "Besides, who would properly terrorise all the potions students at Hogwarts?"
Severus couldn't help but smile slightly at that dry sardonic tone in her voice. "That's the only way to reach uppity little eleven year olds and arrogant seventeen year olds."
"I have no doubt," Hermione laughed. "I know you're not the same kind of teacher as say, McGongall or Lupin."
"At least someone recognises that." Severus grumbled.
"Did you think I was going to say something sanctimonious?" Hermione shook her head. "You may be harsh, but you have the student's best interest at heart."
"Not everything is as easy as Hogwarts."
"No, it's not," Hermione mused. "But I think what I experienced there, in terms of teaching staff, was very useful. You encounter some people who are nice, mean, two-faced; that prepares you for the working world."
Severus nodded his head; he'd found the same thing as well when he graduated. Though he didn't have a two-faced teacher like Umbridge. "And we all know that I am not a nice man."
"Most definitely not." Hermione agreed with a smirk. "Though I don't think anything at Hogwarts could prepare me for working with goblins."
Severus opened his mouth to reply when a shadow fell over their table. He looked up, expecting to see their waiter. When he found himself looking at a young man clad in green robes and a nervous expression on his face, he scowled up at him.
"Go away; as you can tell I'm busy." Severus said curtly.
He really didn't want another interruption during his date. And the good mood he was in was rapidly ebbing away.
"I know Sir, and I am terribly sorry but –"
"What part of go away did you fail to understand, you dunce? Shall I say it slower so your tiny brain can comprehend the full meaning of the words as a whole?" Severus retorted in a tight voice. He felt marginally better when Hermione gave a quiet snicker.
"This is for you." The man managed as he practically throwing a sealed envelope onto Severus' plate before fleeing.
Severus watched the wizard's retreating back with a sneer before he shifted his gaze to the envelope momentarily. He slipped it from the table and into his pocket with an expression of irritation. If he had been dealing with a rash man with too much backbone, the date would have been another fiasco.
"How refreshing to see that you haven't lost your touch," Hermione smiled.
"You assume that I would forget something as crucial as driving off people."
"I haven't been in one of your classes since fifth year," Hermione mused for a moment. "Though if the horror stories I got from Ginny were any indication, I should have expected that."
"Indeed," Severus watched her for a moment, choosing to fiddle with his fork. "Was there a reason why you chose to not continue with potions?"
"It didn't fit into my plans. Granted it was fascinating, but I needed at least a N.E.W.T in advanced aritmancy and abstract predictions as well as predictive numerology. There were so many prerequisites from sixth year for N.E.W.T courses, that I had no room for potions. And after third year… no, not doing that again." Hermione shrugged. "Maybe I'll see about furthering my knowledge in that field once I become settled into my job. It certainly wouldn't hurt to know."
"Indeed," Severus mused. "There are very effective means to silence nattering fools."
"Are you suggesting that I poison someone?" she asked with an arched eyebrow.
"Of course not. I'm simply informing you of a manner in which to still overactive tongues," a slight smirk came to his face. "And that is hardly a crime."
"Hardly. And it doesn't require a great amount of skill?"
"Potter could brew it. You could easily brew it in your sleep."
"I do believe that is one of the most flattering things you've ever said to me." Hermione mused. "Even if it was at Harry's expense."
"Yes, we all know flattery is one of my strong suits," Severus snorted sardonically. "I simply stated a very true fact."
"And your brutal honesty is well known." She smiled before she paused and looked at her watch. "What time did you say that you had a class to teach?"
"One thirty." Severus replied.
"And it's one fifteen already," Hermione looked crestfallen for a moment. "If you don't have a lot of marking tonight, maybe we could continue this conversation over dinner?"
Severus watched as Hermione smiled at him, as if she knew he would already say yes. "That is an excellent idea. I'm sure I could arrange something, so we wouldn't be loitering longer than we should be in a restaurant."
"Dinner in your chambers?" Hermione sounded momentarily surprised.
"If you would be so kind as to agree…" Severus trailed off meaningfully; he couldn't see her passing him up on this offer.
"That would be lovely," she said a moment later. Then a smug smirk came to her face. "Maybe we should get going now. I know you wouldn't want to be late and that waiter's been skulking over there for the past forty minutes with a glower on his face."
Severus watched as she tilted her head slightly in the direction of the waiter. Her neck stretched, presenting a gentle curve that he found himself hard pressed to tear his eyes away from. When Hermione looked back at him, he simply arched an eyebrow in question. She nodded her head and he left a few Sickles on the table. He rose from the table, offering his arm. She took it, leaving a few Sickles on the table to match his. Severus looked back, feeling smug in his assumption that Hermione would want to pay for her own. True it was a date, but Hermione's more modern sensibilities might be offended if he paid for it all. Besides, he could always do that on a special date.
"It's too bad this had to be put on hold," Hermione sighed as they stepped out into the somewhat empty walkway. "I really do enjoy spending time with you Severus."
"Likewise." Severus replied quietly, loud enough for only her to hear.
Hermione made a content sound and moved in a bit closer to Snape. He found his hold on her hand tightening a bit and a soft smile coming to his face unbidden. Hermione's feet stopped suddenly, and he looked down at her in concern.
"Is something wrong?" he asked.
"Do that again please." She asked softly.
"Do what?"
"Smile."
Severus blinked in bemusement for a moment, eyes darting around for a moment; the street was sufficiently empty of people. He looked back at her and did his best to smile again. Hermione's lips twisted into a grin that was irrepressible.
"Not the same, but endearing nonetheless."
And with that she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him gently on the lips. Severus felt the smile come back unbidden. For the first time in his life, a woman kissed him of her own free will, because she had wanted to. That was a very big difference from him kissing a woman whom didn't bother to hide the fact that he repulsed her. He looked at Hermione for a long moment and before he knew it, he had leaned in once more and was kissing her, hands cupping her face, right in the middle of the walkway.
The small thoroughly traditional part of his brain was having a fit, as such overt and crass things were not done in public. The rest of his brain was happily telling the traditional part, in rather concise terms, to fuck off.
The kiss was slow this time, tongues exploring languidly, while all the senses were savoured to the fullest. He could feel the softness of her lips, the way her tongue played across his. Her skin was soft, with wisps of her hair brushing again his fingers. The scent of green apple wafted from her hair but her mouth tasted of pineapple, evidence of the dessert she had been slowly making her way through. Her hands slid around his arm, as if clinging to him for support. When they finally broke off, Hermione stood there with a blissful expression on her face, eyes closed. She opened them slowly and licked her lips.
"Mmmm, pesto." She said with a somewhat goofy smile coming to her face.
Suddenly Severus wished he didn't have that one class to teach and that the evening would hurry and come.
"Um, I'm looking for Ron Weasley?"
The receptionist behind the desk didn't even look up at Harry. "He's out on the pitch."
Harry nodded his thanks and quickly hurried out to the pitch before the girl looked up. He hadn't made it out of bed before noon, no thanks to Lucius. By the time he realised that he absolutely had to get to the bathroom to get ready, his knees felt like jelly and he wobbled and weaved to the bathroom. The entire morning seemed lost in a blur of orgasms; between him and Lucius, they wouldn't be having sex again for at least a week. Merlin knew his ass was sore and he had to cast a few spells in order to walk without looking funny.
When he'd finally gotten dressed, he'd popped back into the bedroom, and explained to Lucius where he was going. Lucius had wanted to know why, but Harry had to ask him to wait until he got back. If he explained it, he would definitely be late. He was almost lured back to bed when Lucius gave him a smouldering kiss goodbye and Harry had found himself hard pressed to leave.
But he'd managed it. Hopefully Ron wouldn't be too mad at him for showing up unannounced. When he stepped out onto the pitch, he saw a cluster of people standing around one person. It looked like the Cannons were practising. He looked around until he spied Ron's bright red hair off to the end, near a set of goal hoops. He jogged his way over, Ron eventually waving to him. When he plunked himself down on the grass, he found Ron was eating his lunch.
"What are you doing here?" Ron asked before taking a huge bite of his sandwich.
"I came to see you. I know you have lunch now. Remember when we went to the pub? What we discussed?"
"Wait, about Ginny, or about that story you told me?" Ron paused and shuddered.
"About Ginny."
"Yeah, what about that?"
"What do you say we go and pay Percy a visit?"
Ron stared at Harry for a moment before he swallowed his bite of food quickly. "Genius! Hang on a sec!"
And with that, Ron scrambled up from where he was sitting and raced over to the Quidditch team. Harry watched as heads turned a lot, and there was a lot gesturing. It took a few minutes before Ron raced back over.
"All right, we're good to go. They said to take as much time as I need, but I'll have to make it up."
"Not a problem, hopefully it won't take too long." Harry said as he rose as well.
They walked across the pitch back into the atrium. Harry was glad for the fact that no one seemed to recognise him. Of course, that could be the bangs falling into his face. Or the black baseball cap that he'd bought and was now wearing. Ron went into the fireplace first and Harry followed right behind him. When they arrived at the Ministry lobby, they quickly checked in their wands and hurried up to Percy's office. When they walked in, there was a secretary who seemed buried under a literal pile of flapping memos and parchment.
"Do you boys want something?" she asked in exasperation, looking up at them.
"Yeah, I want to see my brother." Ron said easily.
"You'll have to wait. He's in a meeting with some delegates from the vampires at the moment," the lady said absently as she dug around for something. "The moment he's done, I'll hold his appointments so you can see him."
Ron and Harry nodded their heads and sat down, flipping idly through some magazines that were sitting on a table. They were looking at copies of Quidditch Today and discussing the Cannons' early draft that was approaching. They were in the middle of arguing why the Cannons captain was calling for a new Seeker when the door to Percy's office opened.
"I'm glad we were able to come to a mutually satisfying agreement." Percy appeared in the doorway.
"Likewise," a cloaked person followed after Percy; judging from the voice, it was probably a man. "This is the first step towards a unifying peace between wizardkind and vampires."
Harry watched as two more figures came out behind the first one, and they stood there for a few minutes just chattering. He glanced at Ron to find him grinning. He couldn't help but smile in response; Ron seemed nothing less than proud of Percy now.
"If there's any problem, just send an owl or drop by. I'll see to it myself." Percy said with a polite smile.
The main vampire bowed, followed by the others, before turning to leave. That was when he paused, finally noticing Harry and Ron. The cloaked figure walked up to him without making a single noise. Harry didn't say anything, just watching. When the person came to a stop in front of him, he looked up expectantly. There was a very pale face but he didn't notice that. It seemed like the eyes were on fire, an unnatural blue contrasted by such pale, pale skin.
"Harry Potter," the vampire said before bowing as well.
Harry stood there completely stunned as the other vampire came up and did the exact same thing. So far as he knew, vampires didn't bow to just anyone. When they bowed to Percy, that he could understand. Why they were bowing to him exactly, he had no clue. He could feel a steady flush coming to his face. When the last one came up to him, and bowed, it felt like this one was staring at him too intently.
"Harry Potter," the feminine voice was soft as she extended her hand.
Harry knew about this too. She wanted him to kiss her hand. It would be considered rude if he didn't. However, he also knew that Veelas and vampires weren't on the friendliest of terms; a few nasty blood feuds could do that. And if he went back home, smelling the least bit of a vampire on any part of him, Merlin only who knew how Lucius would react, however subconsciously it would be. He wouldn't even have to open his mouth to get himself into a whack of trouble. His best bet would be to take her hand and bow; damage control could come later on.
He was thankfully spared from this as the woman cocked her head suddenly, nostrils flaring slightly. Then she dropped her hand.
"My apologies, I did not realise. I have been ill of late and my sense of smell is affected." She said politely, though Harry thought he detected a disappointed note in there.
"That's all right," Harry said.
"My congratulations to your mate on his exemplary selection." The woman bowed once more.
Harry felt a massive surge of relief as he bowed back and the woman went to join her companions and leave the office.
"All right, that was definitely odd." Ron said. "What was she talking about Harry?"
"How am I supposed to know?" Harry replied with a shrug. "I wasn't even expecting the whole bowing thing."
"You are Harry Potter after all; you're infamous in more circles that you know." Percy said, gesturing to his office.
Harry and Ron went in and Percy closed the door firmly. They settled down in their seats and Percy had some drinks and sandwiches sent up.
"I hope you don't mind. I'm only having lunch now," he explained as he went for tuna salad.
"That's all right. I had my lunch break interrupted as well," Ron explained. "Harry came to see me and he said we should come and see you."
"What for?" Percy asked before he took a bite of his sandwich.
"Well, you know the whole situation with Ginny, right?" Ron took a deep breath as Percy nodded his head. "We need your help."
Percy raised his eyebrows as he continued to chew. "You know, I can't give you direct access to certain things; it would be a breach of protocol."
"No, you don't have to do anything big. It's Octavia that I want to know about."
"A background check?" Percy asked.
"That's exactly it," Harry said. "It just seems like she popped up out of nowhere. I can't recall Alicia talking about a sister."
"Alicia?"
"She was in my DADA class, and one of the few Millers at the school," Harry explained. "I can't remember any other one saying something about a sibling named Octavia."
"I really think something being done to Ginny," Ron said, shifting forward on his seat. "Don't you think she's been acting odd?"
"I'll admit it's different for her, but it could just be… undue influences." Percy finally said. "Do you have any other evidence than that?"
"No," Ron said shaking his head. "That's why we need your help."
"Well, I can't do that, even if you did have sufficient evidence. But while I can't do that, I can recommend some non-Ministry affiliated people that have done excellent work in this sort of field. You just want to do a background check, right?" Percy said before he stuck the sandwich in his mouth and reached for a piece of parchment and a quill.
"For now, yeah." Harry said. "If it turns out there's something fishy going on, we'll have to do something else."
"Like find the services of bounty hunter?" Percy removed the sandwich from his mouth. "The Ministry certainly can't give you the help of an Auror. But if the situation is serious enough, it will be passed onto the Aurors."
"That'll work too." Ron said.
Percy smiled and stuck the sandwich back in his mouth as he scribbled something else on the parchment. When he finished, he laid down his quill and handed it to Ron, taking another bite from his sandwich.
"Morgan Hunter?" Ron read from the parchment.
"She's the best bounty hunter out there at the moment." Percy explained.
"And what about Jaime Carter?"
"One of the best investigative wizards out there," Percy sighed. "If my hands weren't so tied down, I could do a lot more but that's the best I can do."
"This is great actually; Gin won't be able to accuse you of siding against her. I mean, you're not supposed to do stuff like this. And we all know how much you follow the rules to the letter."
Percy blinked and then laughed. "That's right. I daresay you're learning to scheme awfully well."
Ron's face went red but he gave a small grin and held up the list. "Thanks."
"No problem. Why don't you two stay and have lunch with me? I have about a million other things to do but they can wait for a bit."
"Sure, that'd be great. You don't have anything to do Harry?"
"No, not really." Harry said, reaching for a sandwich.
"Excellent," Percy said. "So Ron, planning to move back into the house sometime soon? Mum's been firecalling me saying that Ginny's gone back to school now and that she missed having you around."
"Yeah, I'll probably head back tonight. I'll have some overtime to pull at the pitch. It's been murder what with those early tryouts the Cannons are having. You wouldn't believe how some of them mess it up. Unbelievable!"
He sat back in his seat, listening as Ron and Percy started talking about Quidditch. It was great to see that Percy wasn't so uptight anymore, and had learned to relax. He chewed on his sandwich, realising that Lucius was still at home, probably bored out of his mind. He would have to do something nice for him tonight. If he remembered correctly, there was a small community theatre by their house that was showing some play by Shakespeare. And there was a little restaurant in the same area he had been meaning to go to for the longest time.
He paused for a moment, realising he'd been thinking of the apartment as theirs. A momentary smile came to his face and he took a big bite of his sandwich. After all that was happening, it was only appropriate that they have their first real date together.