Part 4. Consequences
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Autumn 1980
Saturday, late August
Much like Regulus had predicted, Lord Black moved quickly once he'd vetted Fidelma's background. The Fawleys weren't open supporters of the Dark Lord but considering that they'd planned to marry their daughter off to one of the fiercest Death Eaters they were definitely not opposed to his politics. They, too, didn't have much choice in the matter, once Lord Black had made his decision. Their engagement was announced in the Prophet as if it had happened months ago, and Lord Black even managed to make several other prominent members of society confirm the long-standing relationship of Miss Fawley to Regulus Black.
Regulus and Fidelma were married the Saturday a mere three weeks after the encounter with Lord Black, in a lavish affair planned by the groom's parents who must have called in favours from half the Wizarding world. Neither Hermione nor Severus were invited, of course, but there were several articles in the Prophet the following day. They looked tense and serious in the photos, one with him swirling her around on the dance floor, another with the couple talking to some older wizards, but the article spoke of the well-matching couple and how bright their future children would be.
With the newest Black couple having officially moved into the summer residence, Hermione definitely needed to find somewhere else to meet with the Augurey Association. In the meantime she simply had to find other means of contacting her friends and associates. Phineas kept her company in the evenings, letting her know what went on at Hogwarts and also at other locations via the other portraits. She met Evie and Hestia for lunch one workday and scheduled some time after work with Amelia. Kingsley was a bit more difficult since she didn't quite know him and didn't want to give him the wrong impression, but Amelia invited him over to the office when Hermione visited. He talked about the Aurory and the raids they were being sent on. There seemed to be a leak somewhere providing information about their planned arrests to the Death Eaters. Kingsley suspected some of the older Aurors but it was hard to pinpoint who it might be.
The Order was difficult to manage in a different way. She tried to go to meetings to make herself known to the others, but found it very challenging. Moody still didn't trust her and the Marauders were cocky and rather insufferable in their belief that they were invincible and irresistible to anyone of the female persuasion. Several of the others were nice though. Frank Longbottom was helpful and kind, Emmeline Vance had a sharp wit that made even Sirius shut up, and the Prewett twins were funny in a way similar to Fred and George although with less entrepreneurial drive.
Hermione's stomach clenched every time she spoke to them. In her original time, all of them were dead. Could she save them this time? Was it enough, the way she'd already changed the timeline?
~oo~oo~oo~oo~
There were slightly fewer theatrical cloak-and-dagger manoeuvres when Hermione readied herself to meet with the Order again the day after Regulus' wedding. Albus had accepted her request to meet and sent her a note with a location. Once she arrived, Remus met up with her and Apparated her first to a secluded beach in what looked like Wales and then to the garden outside the Order headquarters. Hermione got a glimpse of a small church and a street where some people dressed in Wizarding clothes sauntered past, but then the door opened and Dedalus Diggle ushered them inside.
The cottage had definitely been magically expanded, although there were no clues as to who owned it. The cramped hallway opened up to a large sitting room to the left where the Order was gathered around a large dining table. Albus had not yet arrived, and Hermione wasn't sure what the topic of the evening was to be, but she had a bullet-point list in her notebook with things to discuss and a diary Horcrux to destroy. She had a vial of Severus' potion in her bag but needed some wands to help with the Patronus charms. It felt almost anticlimactic, to be yet another step closer to their goal without having to fight dragons, basilisks, tents or giant snakes.
Moody pulled her aside just as Frank Longbottom arrived. He ushered her into a small chamber, shutting the door behind them before turning to glower at Hermione, arms crossed. She still thought he looked strange without his eye and leg. Or, to be technically correct, with them. He hadn't lost them yet, after all.
"I don't trust you, girl. You come here with your secrets and your plots and expect me to just buy into it all. Are you in league with You-Know-Who, trying to lull me into believing you?"
"No! I told you I'm on your side here!"
Moody leaned forward, placing his hands on the desk in front of her. "Then why aren't you doing anything to help us?"
Hermione glared at him, arms crossed. "Why do you think I'm not? I've given more for this cause than you'll ever know." My whole life, she didn't say.
She whipped her wand out and unlocked the door with a nonverbal spell, too annoyed to even notice he'd used a much stronger version than usual. She stomped through the hallway and flung the door to the sitting room open with as much flair as Professor Snape used to do in class. The conversations abruptly stopped. Professor Dumbledore still hadn't arrived, for some reason. She still couldn't quite bear to call him Albus, it just felt wrong.
"Apparently some people here still think I have to prove my worth to the Order. Well, I have something to show you," she announced to the room in general, casting a dark glare at Moody who sneaked in behind her, still scowling. She pulled open her bag to find the diary and her notes, wanting to make sure she didn't miss anything. "I've asked some of you for help with similar objects before so you will know what it's about."
People were still coming and going, not really worried about discipline or timeliness. Frank and Remus were listening, as was Emmeline Vance.
"Pay attention!" Hermione snapped at Sirius who was still whispering something to James.
The dark-haired wizard turned on his best smile, meant to melt the knees of any unsuspecting witch, but Hermione merely glared at him until the smile dropped and he sat down.
Before she could get any further, however, the door to the cottage slammed open.
"Help!"
One of the Prewett brothers appeared in the doorway, his cloak all bloodied and dirty, supported by Marlene McKinnon who also must have been in the fighting, her clothes marred by dirt and blood spatter. Chaos erupted, everyone moving to the door, shouting questions at each other without listening to the answer. The other Prewett twin was carried inside, as well as a third man Hermione didn't recognise with all the blood and spell damage.
"They got Benjy! It was Bella and Crouch and Lestrange!"
Hermione overheard snippets of conversations, making it clear that the Order team had been guarding the home of a Muggle sympathiser when they were visited by the Lestranges.
It didn't look good, that much was obvious. The Prewett twin was at least moaning and breathing on his own but the other man was still and bloody. Emmeline Vance was there, calling for someone to clear a room and for someone else to prepare bandages and potions.
"Get them to St Mungo's!"
Emmeline held up a hand. "Benjy Fenwick is gone. Rest in peace, Benjy. You were a good wizard." She conjured up a white sheet to put over the mangled body of a wizard who was apparently beyond help, and then wiped her forehead with her sleeve. "Dorcas! Check the potions, I don't know what we have on hand. Elph, help me get Fabian into the small parlour."
With a bit of direction the chaos soon turned into focus. Gideon Prewett was given a bandage for the gash in his temple and a cup of tea, and Fabian was dosed with potions and cleaned up. He'd have to endure a night with Skele-Gro, but he would live. Benjy Fenwick's body, on the other hand, was left in a quiet room guarded by Elphias Doge while the others returned to the meeting.
"You were saying?" Moody looked right at her, raising an eyebrow.
The room fell silent again. Hermione took a deep breath and was about to bring out the latest Horcrux when the outer door opened yet again.
"… trying to find out," a thin, reedy voice was saying. "Is Prongs back yet?"
Something about the voice made her teeth itch. "Who's that?" Hermione quietly asked Remus who was seated next to her.
"Wormtail… er I mean Peter," he answered.
Hermione felt her blood turn to ice. "Don't trust him!" she whispered sharply before returning all her notes to her bag with a flick of her wand. Not wasting any time she all but ran from the room into the back of the house. Luckily there was a kitchen entrance, and it wasn't warded against people leaving. With a quick Alohomora she sneaked out the back, Disillusioned herself and cautiously made her way through the overgrown garden to get outside the Anti-Apparition wards.
It was with a heavy heart she returned to Spinner's End for the evening.
The Order couldn't be trusted, the Headmaster still hadn't cared to remove Pettigrew, and she still had to dispose of the diary Horcrux. She hadn't seen Severus for over a week, with him trying to finalise everything for the Mastery examination, and her longing for him felt like a physical hole in her chest where her heart should be. It was all on her, to fix this whole mess.
Crookshanks sidled up to her, his tail flicking lazily against her shin. He rubbed himself against her legs, purring when she scratched his back. With a meow the half-Kneazle jumped up next to her on the couch, demanding attention and pets and then putting a paw against her thigh as if to tell her something.
With a sigh she got up to make a cup of tea and get back to plotting. Crookshanks was on her side, after all. She had allies, and friends. And Severus.
~oo~oo~oo~oo~
Tuesday, early September
The Workshop
Severus found himself insanely busy as the day for his Mastery presentation approached. He had needed to cram nearly a year's worth of learning into a few short months, not helped by the way his Master never bothered with teaching and instead expected his Apprentices to manage his business for him. He didn't have time to go back to Spinner's End after the rather scary dentist incident, instead spending most of his time studying in his cramped bedroom or working on his presentation. He missed Hermione but there was no way he'd be able to focus if she was in the same room, and luckily she understood. They kept in touch via her notebook, for the most part, writing about anything from plans for the future, disposal of Horcruxes and Death Eater activities to rather steamy texts late at night, trying to make up for physical contact with written words. It made him aching and frustrated but at least it seemed she shared his feelings, which also made him all warm inside.
In some ways it was a relief to be forced to go through it early. He wouldn't have to put up with Pyrites' whims and wishes for much longer, or the cramped Apprentice quarters. He'd packed his things already and kept them warded in his room, certain that Pyrites would try to steal whatever he left behind. The Dark Lord had thankfully left him alone for most of the summer and not requiring his presence on raids, something he suspected would changed after he finished his Mastery.
The Potions Guild was located in Bath, in an old temple made to look like a dilapidated theatre to Muggles and outsiders. Only members of the Guild, or people with an official Invitation, could see and enter the building. Severus had received his invitation two weeks in advance and kept it in Menace's cage for extra protection. Hermione had asked if she could come to the presentation but there was no way for him as an applicant to bring a non-member, something he was only partially sad about. For some reason he felt he would have been extra nervous knowing she was in the audience. She had grumbled but accepted although not before forcing him to agree to go out for dinner with her afterwards.
~oo~oo~oo~oo~
It was time. He straightened his robes for the final time and opened the window to let Menace out. The bird cawed at him and flew upwards in a slow spiral, heading for Spinner's End. Severus suspected Menace was as relieved as he himself was to be rid of Pyrites. Making sure he had left nothing behind, he took his bundle of shrunken things and opened the invitation scroll.
"Severus Snape," he stated clearly and placed the tip of his wand at the sigil. It glowed brightly and the Portkey activated, whisking him away to the Guild. He landed in an atrium area with dark wood columns lining the central Apparition courtyard, and several doors leading to various parts of the building. A rather ugly statue of an old wizard in front of a cauldron stood in a corner of the paved courtyard, the cauldron simmering with something vaguely blue. Severus suspected it was tied to some of the wards around the building to help stave off intruders.
A white-haired wizard approached, clutching a parchment. "Severus Snape?" At Severus' answering nod, he gestured at him to follow and walked to one set of doors which opened automatically as they approached. "Good, good. We will begin with the test, then the presentation. I've heard a lot about you, young man. Do your best."
The doors led to a large room where several brewing stations were set up. Large shelves along the wall held ingredients and various tools, with three Masters seated behind a table opposite the brewing stations. There were no windows to bring in light, which was often a sensible precaution for many potions, but the room was lit by a multitude of magical oil lamps suspended from the ceiling and burning in various colours.
The tests were easy enough. The five potions he was to brew — Ever-Lasting Elixir, Oculus Potion, Essence of Insanity, Strong Hiccoughing Solution, and Quodpot Solution — were relatively straightforward although they were all finicky in their own right, with the Hiccoughing Solution requiring stirring every three minutes and the Ever-Lasting actually needing three hands to be brewed properly according to the standard recipe. Luckily he'd figured out some alterations to them already. He triple-checked all cauldrons, tools and ingredients and got to work, finishing with time to spare thanks to the alterations although one of the Masters, a wizened old wizard by the name of Winikus, needed some convincing to accept the end result. Severus had to threaten him to try the Hiccoughing Solution himself before he backed off.
The white-haired wizard who had greeted him entered the room to show him across the corridor to the main lecture hall, where the presentation part would be held. He was given a short break to refresh himself before going inside, not seeing the point with drawing it out.
He presented the Mood-Lifting Potion he had been working on and an alteration to Pepper-Up he'd cobbled together in his nonexistent spare time, one which removed the steam coming from the ears. The former was already patented but the latter was new. He could present unpublished potions to the Guild but would have to file for a patent within a week in order not to lose the rights to the brew, but at least this way Pyrites would never have any rights to it.
The Guild Masters were clearly impressed, all but Pyrites who stood in a corner, scowling. Severus didn't care, though. His Master had been more of a hindrance than help during his Apprenticeship, trying to get as much work out of him as he could, while carefully guarding all the secrets of the trade.
To his surprise Vulchanov was there in the rather sparse audience, standing quietly at the back. He nodded at Severus and slipped out while the Masters debated.
Finally it was all over.
"Severus Snape, step forward," the white-haired wizard said. He'd changed to a set of expensive-looking robes, black with gold and silver brocade in a rather garish mortar-and-pestle pattern, and wore a heavy locket with an iron cauldron lined with diamonds. "I, Phineas Bourne, Prime Brewer, hereby declare Severus Snape to be a Master in the craft of Potion-making. You are hereby authorised to craft and sell potions in all capacities and to take on your own Apprentices after five years in the profession."
Severus managed to stop his eyebrows from hiking up into his hairline when he heard the name, but it was close. Phineas Bourne was a legend in the field, the author of Moste Potente Potions and several other books and articles that had been instrumental in his own learning of the craft. He hadn't been actively publishing anything in at least a decade, however, and Severus had assumed the wizard had retired, at minimum.
Luckily he wasn't expected to say anything more. He signed his Mastery scroll, received the Guild pin and shook hands with a few of those who had assessed his work. It felt almost anticlimactic, after such a long period of preparation the actual testing. Finally he had earned the title Master of Potions, an accomplishment no one could take away from him.
~oo~oo~oo~oo~
Taking a deep breath he walked outside, blinking in the sharp autumn sunlight, only to be ambushed by a diminutive witch with bushy hair who flung herself at him. He staggered backwards, catching her in a hug before carefully putting her down on her feet again. She looked radiant, her hair in a frizzy halo around her head. She wore a Muggle cardigan and pale blue jeans that had seen better days and looked absolutely perfect.
"Did you pass? Of course you did, didn't you? Oh you have the pin! Congratulations, Severus! I'm so proud of you!"
Before he knew what happened she grabbed him by the hair and pulled him down for a rather thorough kiss.
"Let's go, I've found a restaurant nearby." She nestled her hand in the crook of his elbow and steered him away from the Guild.
The restaurant was small, Muggle and Italian, and Severus couldn't care less. There was a menu and a white candle on the table. He ordered something recommended by the waiter, preferring to focus on the witch opposite. She blushed under his gaze and something inside his chest swelled almost to bursting again.
"How did it go?"
Their food arrived. It was excellent, but he didn't really notice the taste. As long as she was there, he'd eat anything. Well, perhaps not oysters. There were limits, after all.
He shrugged. "Well enough." As they ate he told her about the potions he had to brew and the presentation. "I did see someone there, though. Vulchanov. He was at the workshop with me but got his Potioneer title earlier this year and is definitely not a willing sympathiser. I think I should meet up with him."
Hermione nodded. "Sounds good. Do you want dessert?" She'd finished her pasta dish and he was nearly done with his lamb.
Putting down his fork he reached across the table for her hand. She bit her lip as she placed hers in his. Small, warm and without calluses, and just perfect. "Only you, Hermione. Shall we?"
She blushed fiercely but nodded. The waiter came, the bill was settled and finally they were back at Spinner's End. It was odd to think that the place had gone from a place of his nightmares to something that seemed strangely like home, from her presence alone.
As soon as the door closed behind them she pounced again, causing him to stagger backwards before he caught his balance. Her lips crashed on his and all he could think of, all he could care about, was her. She tasted of the cheap house red they'd ordered. Smooth skin under his hands, and the heat of her against his body. He managed to Apparate them to the bedroom almost without noticing, ending up on his back with her on top of him, her mad hair like a halo cascading down around his head. There was nothing else in the world but her, nothing else he rather wanted to do but to make her scream with pleasure, no one, nothing else mattered. Their clothes disappeared somewhere with a wave of his hand. She protested but it turned into a moan when he palmed one of her tits, the shape perfect for his hand. He flipped them over so that she was on her back, completely at his perusal, and she pulled him down for another kiss.
There was something he'd heard about, first only in derisive terms in the Slytherin dorms but then confirmed by Lucius Malfoy wearing a very satisfied smirk when he'd gone to the elder wizard for advice earlier that summer. He shuffled down the bed a bit, to better taste her skin, swirling his tongue around her nipple. Sweet. Her nipple was a hard pebble in his mouth and her scent made his chest ache. She arched her back and moaned at him, a hand fisting in his hair.
"I want to try something," he murmured against her skin, shuffling further down, hoping he wasn't about to make a fool of himself.
"Um you don't have to…" She sounded hesitant, a hand in his hair as if to stop him.
"I know that," he snapped and continued his path.
His nose and mouth and tongue started tracing patterns on her skin, along her stomach, and then down her inner thigh, nudging her legs further apart. She smelled musky, but sweet. Not bad. She had trimmed her hair down a bit, he noticed, especially down the sides. It looked neat, and glistening wet. His heart swelled with the understanding, it was all for him. She wanted him, no one else.
Taking a deep breath he dove in, first nudging her lips apart with his nose and then following with his tongue. It was better than expected and her reaction was nothing short of perfect. She gasped his name and thrust her pelvis in his face, as if to ask him to continue. He tried to emulate what had worked with his fingers, this time with his tongue, and to gauge her reactions. The position was excellent for exploratory research, after all. Wetting a finger in her juices he slowly inserted it, then another, and set up the rhythm she seemed to like. She met his fingers with her hips, making it easy to focus on her little nub.
It didn't take long until shattered around him with a wordless wail, clamping down on his fingers. He didn't let up until she twitched and feebly tried to remove his head with a hand in his hair, and then shuffled up to lie beside her, her juices still on his chin. His cock was rock hard already, apparently it approved.
"Good?" He didn't want to presume.
She nodded and kissed him, a hand reaching down to stroke him. He groaned at the contact, thrusting into her fist.
"Want you," she insisted, pushing him on his back. She straddled him and sank down, making both of them groan, and then started moving, finding a rhythm with some help from his hands on her hips. Her tits bounced in a very enticing way, her hair falling down around her face when she put her arms on the bed by his shoulders to steady herself.
She fit perfectly around him but something inside him hurt when looking at her. It was too much, too perfect. Too good. "Hermione."
He flipped them again, needing more, to hear her come apart around him, to give her all he had to give. "Rub yourself, Hermione, oh yes there's a good girl, come for me love."
She did with a wail, her body tensing under him, pulling him along. Bliss. He kept it up until he was completely spent and then flopped down in a graceless heap beside her, still joined by his deflating cock.
"I love you, Severus."
Yes. Everything was just as it was supposed to be. He raised his head to kiss her gently. "Love you." It was getting easier and easier to say it, to admit it out loud.
~oo~oo~oo~oo~
The Dark Lord called on him a few days later. The Mark took him to Avery Hall where the Inner Circle were busy in a meeting while the lesser Death Eaters were left to mill haphazardly in the ballroom and adjoining drawing room. Severus wasn't invited to the meeting, but he noticed Lucius had been called into the room for the first time.
Severus wondered idly how the Dark Lord's place of residence was decided, if the Pure-blood Lords had some sort of schedule for having a Dark Lord as a guest or if they drew straws to find out who'd be the unlucky winner this month. He snatched a champagne flute from a passing elf to hide a smirk.
Avery and Mulciber approached, looking shifty. He hadn't seen much of his former supposed friends of late. They were busy as well, with work and being good little Death Eaters, so it wasn't as if they had contacted him either.
"Got anything interesting for us, Snape?" Mulciber leaned in close enough for Severus to smell his stale breath.
Severus frowned. "Like what?"
"You're a brewer now, aren't you? Got anything interesting for us to try?"
Raising an eyebrow, he nodded at them. "I'll see what I can do, gentlemen."
He could think of several things he wanted to give them, slow-acting poison and several potions with interesting effects, but the idea of plying them with drugs definitely had merit.
The doors to the study slammed open and the Dark Lord entered, flanked by Bellatrix and a few of the senior Knights. He raised a hand, imperiously, to silence the crowd. It was barely necessary. Everyone stilled, looking at him.
"Brothers, friends. Tonight we are here to celebrate and to imagine a world where Muggles are no longer a threat. The Wizarding world will bow to us, and the Muggles will know their place. We are closer than ever to reaching our goal, where you will help rule under me and make this vision come true."
The others cheered and nodded as the Dark Lord spoke at length about his ideas and ideals. Severus tried to blend in, to look suitably impressed without drawing attention to himself. It was becoming harder and harder to strike the right balance of subservience and forwardness, to make himself useful without becoming a target. Not being useful could be dangerous, too.
Later that evening he stood leaning against a side cabinet with a nearly untouched tumbler of Firewhisky in hand, when the one person he most of all didn't want to see sidled up to him. Well, she rated in the top three, definitely.
"So, ickle Sevvy, I heard you have a girlfriend now? Does she know… about us?" Bellatrix circled him, hips swaying. Her cleavage was almost low enough for her nipples to show, and she thrust her tits out at him to exaggerate the effect. Her robes were black, the outer robes almost swirling around her like smoke.
Severus froze. Where had she heard that?
Bellatrix leaned closer, poking his chest with a finger before dragging it down the front of his robes. "She even picked you up after your tests, I heard, like a school boy and his mummy. Perhaps we should go visit her, to see what kind of girl is delusional enough to shack up with you?"
Severus tried his best to look bored. "That won't be necessary Bella." He shifted sideways, out of reach for her questing finger.
The Dark Lord sauntered over to them. "What is this, Severus? You have found someone?"
Bellatrix sidled up to him, batting her eyelashes. "Sevvy has a toy and he's not willing to share." She pouted dramatically. "Isn't that rude of him?"
The Dark Lord grabbed hold of Severus' chin, staring into his eyes. "You haven't said anything, Severus?"
"I didn't think it worthy of your attention, my Lord."
Memories started swirling in front of Severus' eyes. Hermione in the kitchen, making breakfast. Hermione reading a book on his couch. Hermione smiling at him as if she meant it. Glimpses of Hermione's smooth skin and breathless moans as she's writhing under him in bed.
He staggered backwards when the Dark Lord finally released his grasp on his chin, blinking to try to clear away the dark spots swimming in his vision. He felt a headache blooming up and tried to remember if he had his specially brewed Headache Potion in stock. Luckily the Dark Lord had lost interest before he got too deep, and Severus had managed to hide anything of importance. He tried to quell the relief that bloomed up inside him, not wanting to give the Dark Lord any reason to question him again.
The Dark Lord looked at him sharply. "She's dressed like a Muggle. She's not one of them, is she?"
"No, my Lord. Half-blood." He didn't dare to breathe.
The Dark Lord nodded at him, clearly losing interest. "Very well. You may keep her, she doesn't seem important." He glanced down at Bellatrix, a smile started to form on his lips. It didn't look very pleasant. "Bella, my dear. Have you lost your husband already?"
Severus had to steady himself with a hand on the wall. It had been close, so very close.
Bellatrix pouted, rubbing a hand over the Dark Lord's chest and up to his shoulder. "My loyalty is to you, my Lord. As you well know."
The Dark Lord raised an eyebrow at her. "Go to my rooms, witch. I'll deal with you soon." With a wink of his hand he gestured at Severus to follow him to the Lord's study, a smaller room across the main hallway. Several bookshelves lined the walls, filled with books, scrolls and parchment.
The Dark Lord took a seat behind the large mahogany desk, leaning back as if he owned the place, while Severus took a seat on a rather uncomfortable wooden chair in front of the desk. He pushed down all thoughts of disobedience and unease, filling his mind with loyalty and reverence.
"You did well, as I expected. You may wonder why I requested that you speed up your Apprenticeship?"
Severus bowed his head. It felt safer than talking and let him avoid eye contact. The Dark Lord leaned forward a little, still studying him.
"I need to have a reliable brewer available, and your old Master is not as quick to fulfil my requests any longer. Don't think I didn't notice it was you who brewed Veritaserum for me. Are you interested in running your own business?" The older wizard steepled his hands in front of him, eyeing Severus calmly.
That question felt loaded in more ways than one. Severus hesitated, trying to word his answer carefully. "I might, but I'd like to go in a different direction than Master Pyrites. His potions are crude and unrefined, much like his customers. He can have them. I'd rather start up something new, perhaps with a few research contracts and some bulk work for apothecaries."
The Dark Lord was silent as if to draw out further comment, but Severus refrained from filling the silence. He tried to focus on nothing but potions, ideas for the future and for his research.
Finally the Dark Lord nodded. "I see. So you wouldn't be interested in taking over his business, I take it. Very well. You could use the Lestrange manor if you need room. I will provide you an advance to buy ingredients and tools, and a list of potions I request."
Severus bowed his head again. "Certainly, my Lord. If I may, I will ask Lucius if I might stay at Malfoy Manor if needed. I already have some equipment in the cellar from earlier."
The Dark Lord fell silent, eyebrow raised, before nodding. "Very well. Just stay away from Abraxas, I know the old man has some peculiar ideas. I expect you to work hard to serve me, Severus."
"Of course. Thank you, my Lord."
"And that girl of yours? Make sure to bring her to the next event."
The Dark Lord rose and strode out of the room, leaving Severus behind to calm his racing heart.
~oo~oo~oo~oo~
Friday, early September
Hermione thought it had been fun, in a strange way, to figure out how to get the Prophet to print something without the chief editor's approval. Hestia had met up with her for lunch and plotting as they called it several times over the past few weeks, mainly sandwiches bought to go and inhaled at Hermione's desk at Gringotts. Regulus couldn't get away without inciting suspicion but the linked notebooks meant they could still plot together.
They'd agreed to give Skeeter a day to write the article, considering the usually late hours of the raids, which also gave them a time slot where they could set everything up as needed after knowing Rita was in place. Regulus and Hestia would set the article and print it, bribing or Confunding the rest of the staff as needed. Severus had supplied a slightly dubious potion for the chief editor's coffee that would ensure he was out of commission for the day.
The Prewett twins had also said they would ensure the Prophet got sent enough letters to make Cuffe want to continue the stories by Skeeter. If he felt public opinion wanted the articles, perhaps he could be swayed. They had also promised to arrange protection for Rita before any of the Death Eaters tried taking her out in retaliation.
~oo~oo~oo~oo~
Just as Hermione was about to leave Gringotts for the weekend, it was time. She got word from both Severus and Regulus that they were being called to a raid. After an initial burst of panic Hermione got down to business, making sure she had everything she needed and Apparating to the clearing outside Hogsmeade where they were supposed to meet. She sent off a message to Skeeter on the fake Galleon and tried to keep herself from fidgeting while she waited for the others.
Regulus arrived first, in full Death Eater gear. Hermione gasped at the sight, at first fearing it was another Death Eater who was about to attack, but then he pulled up his mask and nodded a bit shyly at her. She gestured at him to put the mask back again before Rita showed up. He looked sinister and menacing, giving her flashbacks to the Death Eaters during the Ministry raid, when she had been a terrified sixteen year old who had no idea what she was about to face after following Harry down a rabbit trail of wrong conclusions.
"Will you be okay with the delay?"
Regulus nodded. "Should be. Most people need some time to get there. Sometimes it hurts to be last, though."
Hermione bit her lip, wishing time to both go faster and slow down. Would it work? Luckily, Skeeter showed up only five minutes later, glaring at her but then also shying back when she noticed the Death Eater. They didn't want to let her know his identity, just in case.
Hermione didn't waste any more time on niceties. "Shift, it's time to go."
The reporter frowned but nodded and soon a beetle buzzed in the air instead.
"Stay close to him, alright? Don't get seen by anyone."
The beetle buzzed irritably and hid in Regulus' hood, and they were off. Hermione waved halfheartedly, hoping fervently that everything would go well.
