9 Mar 1999

Hermione made her way to Professor McGonagall's office with Harry, Ron and Ginny. Harry'd had another one of his private lessons with Dumbledore the day before and they had been too busy to discuss what he'd found out the night before. He had started to tell them when Ginny cut him off and reminded him that the common room was no place to discuss such things. She'd recommended they go to their Head of House's office since Snape and Draco could travel there by Floo and not be seen and they all agreed that McGonagall should be included in the discussion about possible Horcruxes.

They had sent McGonagall a message on the Sickle and as soon as they knocked on her office door they were ushered in to see that Severus and Draco were already waiting for them.

"What is it you wanted to meet about, Mr Potter," McGonagall asked before sending a tin of biscuits around the room.

"I met with Dumbledore last night," Harry explained. "We watched more memories of Voldemort. The Headmaster thinks he may have made a Horcrux out of Hufflepuff's cup and has hidden it somewhere."

"He is still telling you about the Horcruxes? I thought he wouldn't after your last meeting with him."

Harry shrugged. "I thought so too, but he hasn't brought it up and is almost acting like it never happened. I told him we were still working towards a common goal so maybe he wants to act as if nothing has changed?"

"Or he's gone round the bend and can't remember," Ron said. "He was always a little barmy. Brilliant but mental."

"It is concerning," McGonagall mentioned. "We'll need to keep a closer eye on him, Severus. He's been leaving the school more and more."

Severus nodded. "I agree. For now, we need to be focused on what he told you. The Dark Lord made a Horcrux out of Hufflepuff's cup but we don't know where it is. We already know that Harry is one, the diary, diadem, and ring are already destroyed."

Hermione pulled out her notebook and began to jot down his mental list. "With the piece that is left in the Dark Lord, that leaves three that we need to find. Presumably something of Slytherin's and Gryffindor, and maybe something from his childhood?"

"The sword of Gryffindor is the only relic from Godric so I don't think so," McGonagall added. "But maybe something from before school."

Ginny shook her head. "There is nothing. His diary was the only thing from his childhood he would have used. We talked a little bit about his upbringing and he had no attachments from growing up in the orphanage. What about his snake?"

"His snake? Why do you think that, Miss Weasley?"

"For a man that is supposed to be incapable of love, as Dumbledore says, he is awfully attached to it. Plus, Harry is a Horcrux. Last year when my dad was bitten, Harry wasn't in Voldemort's mind, he was in the snake's mind. What if he could see it because they both contain a piece of Voldemort's soul? What if that's why Harry can access his mind and why Voldemort is so close to his pet?"

"He does have an unnatural amount of control over her," Severus added. "And he does seem to have a very strong bond with her, deeper than I've seen with most familiars. I think Miss Weasley might be correct."

Hermione added Nagini to the list. "It will be easy enough to check over the Easter holiday. She is typically at Malfoy Manor if he is there."

"We can't kill her though," Draco said. "He'll know and then we'll all be exposed. "

"There will come a time where we'll have a clash with the Death Eaters," Severus told them, not for the first time. "We will need to have all Horcruxes destroyed by then so he is mortal. I think we can leave Nagini until that time. But we need to confirm that she is in fact carrying a piece of his soul."

"Hermione and I will do that over Easter. So that leaves Hufflepuff's cup and something of Slytherin's. I haven't heard of any relics, have you?" Draco asked Severus.

He shook his head and Hermione wracked her brain trying to think of any mention of a Slytherin artefact as the room around her began to talk more. There was a portrait of him in Hogwarts: A History as well as the statue of him in the Chamber of Secrets, but nothing was with him in either place. It could be something small like the ring had been, but she'd have to check again to see if she noticed anything.

"... think he might have left something in Albania?" Ron was asking when she pulled herself from her thoughts.

"I don't think so," Severus answered him. "He'd want to keep them close. Especially since I'm sure he knows about the destruction of his diary."

13 Mar 1999

Severus pulled Hermione into his arms as he woke up. He knew it wasn't smart to keep letting her sleep in his bed, but she'd snuck into his chambers around five and crawled into bed with him. He didn't have the heart or the desire to tell her to leave. Dumbledore was away from the castle again so they had been having meetings with various members of Phoenix Reborn in his absence. With him gone, the control of the wards shifted to Minerva and she was more than happy to open a Floo connection between her office and the Burrow to allow people to attend.

The night before Bill Weasley and his fiance Fleur Delacour had come through with Molly and Arthur. Hermione had commented that after the events of her and Harry's refusal to join the Order, Molly and her future daughter-in-law seemed to be getting along better, even if the blonde was refusing to get married during a war. He hoped that was true. Not that he gave a rat's spleen about the dynamics of the witches' relationships, but he wanted there to be as little internal fighting in their group as possible. They all needed to trust each other and be able to work together.

"Morning, Severus," Hermione said, yawning loudly. "Can we stay in bed all day?"

"Unfortunately, we have a lot to do," Severus told her. "Draco and Ginny are working on the cabinet, Harry and Ron are in detention with Filch all day today and I was hoping you'd help me work in my lab today."

"I can't believe they got detention from Filch for sneaking into the kitchens. Harry has an invisibility cloak and a map of the school. How do you leave them both behind?"

"Because they are both hungry teenage boys. Two things that make it hard to think intelligently. If Miss Weasley had been there I doubt Potter would have been able to find anything but his zipper."

Hermione laughed, causing her to vibrate against him. "You noticed the way he looks at her too?"

"Everyone but Ronald has noticed. You should hear the way Minerva talks about them. I think she'll have a stroke when they finally get together." Even though she couldn't see him, she knew he rolled his eyes.

Before she could respond, a chime echoed through his chambers. He muttered under his breath and told her to not leave his bedroom. Summoning his dressing gown, he pulled it on as he shut his bedroom door and made his way to the entrance to his suite. He cast a breath-freshening charm then opened the door.

"Good Morning, Severus," Minerva said. "I won't stay long because I know you're busy. The Ministry has asked that a representative meet with them today. Normally I would go, but since Dumbledore is gone, I am in charge. Fillius is already busy with a special project for his seventh years, so you're next in line."

"Can't Pomona go?" Severus asked.

"Normally I would say yes, but she and Sprout are out of the castle today since there isn't any Quidditch. I believe it's their anniversary."

"Fine. What time?"

She handed him a letter on official Ministry parchment. "Noon. All the details are in here. Thank you."

"My pleasure," he said sarcastically before closing the door. Fucking Ministry.

Walking across his chambers, he read the letter and let out a few words that would have made a sailor blush. When he opened the door to his bedroom, Hermione was fully dressed, wand in hand.

"What happened?" she asked, searching his body. Her eyes zeroed in on the letter.

"Our plans for today will have to wait," he told her. "I have to meet with the world's biggest cunt at the Ministry."

"Who?"

"Umbridge. Evidently, she has something important to discuss with members of staff but refuses to step onto Hogwarts grounds. I am assuming it has something to do with the Centaur herd."

"That hag is still working at the Ministry?" Hermione cried out. "How is that possible? Plus, it's been almost three years since I led her into the forest."

"I'm assuming Fudge swept everything that happened at Hogwarts that year under the rug so Scrimegeour has no idea."

Hermione began to mutter under her breath about the Senior Undersecretary and Severus left her to it as he moved towards his bathroom to get ready for the day. He did not like Umbridge and was not looking forward to meeting with her. She had spent her year as a professor hitting on him and trying to slip him love potions. If he had to hear that flirtatious laugh of hers again, he might vomit.

He was just opening his shampoo bottle when the door to his shower opened and Hermione slipped in. He pushed all thoughts of the ugly toad from his mind as he took his witch in his arms. Everything else could wait when she was with him.

Severus stepped off the lifts and walked down the silent hallway of the highest floor of the Ministry. Sunshine was streaming in through the magical windows in opposition to the storm he knew was raging in London. He hoped the meeting would end quickly so he could get back to Scotland. He had a lot he wanted to work on in his lab, and he was missing a whole day with Hermione, something he never liked.

The desks, which during the work week housed the assistants to the senior members of the Ministry, were all empty and he looked around before spotting a partly opened door to his right. Walking closer, he saw Umbridge's name on the brass plaque affixed to it. Taking a deep break, he knocked quietly.

The door was magicked open and Dolores Umbridge stood from her desk and rushed over to greet him.

"Severus!" she cried out, reaching out to shake his hand, which he ignored. "How sweet of you to come and see me at work. Are you finally going to take me up on that offer of a drink? I have a few things here that might interest you."

He sneered at her. "There is nothing in this office that will inter–" he cut off. He'd taken a step back from her when he felt a heat press against his ankle. The bracelet must have been over his sock because there is no way he would have missed the way it was burning into his skin. He lowered his voice and stepped towards her. "On second thought, Dolores, a drink sounds wonderful."

Her mouth fell open before she turned and moved towards her drink cart in the corner. Whilst she was making them, his eyes scanned the office. He tried walking around to see if his bracelet would heat up more, but the room was so small that it didn't make a difference no matter where he was.

Umbridge carried their drinks to the table that sat between two armchairs in the far corner. He followed her and took the seat across from her. She sat down then leaned forward to pick her glass back up. As she did so, her blouse — the top four buttons undone — gaped open and a heavy locket swung forward.

He'd seen that locket before in the portrait of Salazar Slytherin that hung in the small library attached to the Slytherin common room. He'd never thought anything of it. But he'd recognize that emerald-encrusted snake anywhere. Pulling his wand from his sleeve he cast a quick Stunner, knocking her unconscious. He leaned forward and grabbed her drink before she dropped it and set it back on the table.

Reaching behind her, he unclasped the locket before tapping it with his wand and duplicating it. He fastened the fake one around her neck and put the original into his pocket, being careful to only touch the chain and not the locket itself. He would destroy it as soon as he returned to Hogwarts. He entered her mind — moving past her fantasies of the two of them in bed as quickly as possible — and prompted her to show him how she came to have to locket in her possession.

He saw her approach Mungundus Fletcher in Knockturn Alley and try to fine him for selling goods without a permit. He'd reached into his coat for his money bag and the locket fell out. She'd taken one look at it and said she wouldn't file any official complaints if she could have it. Memory after memory flashed before his eyes of her stroking the jewellery and talking to it whilst she lay in bed at night.

The fact that she had grown attached to the soul inside the locket concerned him. He knew from Ginny's experience with the diary that baring your soul to a Horcrux made it stronger. He was not looking forward to how this one would react to its demise.

He left her mind and sat down in his chair again. Lifting his wand again, he cast an Obliviation Charm, erasing any memory Umbridge might have of him Stunning her or entering her mind before tucking his wand back into his sleeve. Waving his hand, he wandlessly removed the Stunner and then picked up his drink, sniffing it. Lust potion.

"How have you been, Severus?" Dolores asked, picking up her drink as if no time had passed.

"Incredibly busy and my time is short today. What is it you wanted to speak to the Hogwarts staff about?" He kept his tone short and business-like as he sat the laced drink back on the table.

"Drink up and we can talk about it in time."

"I am in a hurry."

Her face fell and she pouted before standing up and moving to her desk. She handed him a pink piece of parchment that smelled like rotting flowers. He turned up his nose at the offending scent but took the document.

"I would like to go over everything listed in front of you," she began. "As you can see from the first item–"

Severus cut her off, unwilling to stay in her office any longer. "It appears you have called me here to go over something that could have been owled to the school. I will look this over with the Headmaster and Professor McGonagall and we will get back to you at our earliest convenience."

He stood and made his way towards her office door, ignoring her pleas to return and drink with her. He'd drink something she made when hell froze over.

Severus wasn't able to get Mr Potter and Mr Weasley out of detention with Mr Filch, but the caretaker had allowed him to speak with Harry for a few moments. He told the boy about getting the Horcrux and showed him the locket. When he explained where it had come from, Harry recognised it as once being in Grimmauld Place but they hadn't been able to open it so they binned it.

"Kreacher must have pulled it out of the rubbish and saved it," Harry explained. "He did that a few times." He reached out and hovered his finger over the necklace. "I can feel this one. It's more powerful than the others." It seemed to vibrate as his finger moved closer, a faint rattling coming from inside. "You'll have to open it. I can teach you how."

"I am perfectly capable of opening a locket, Mr Potter," Severus sneered. Insolent little shite.

Harry rolled his eyes. "I'm aware of that. But it will only open with Parseltongue. I can feel it urging me to command it to do something."

"After your detention, you will come straight to my–"

"I can't do it," Harry said quickly, cutting him off. "I don't know what will happen, but it can't be me. Whatever part of his soul is in there is not happy with my presence. It has to be you."

Severus put the locket back in his pocket and placed a silencing charm around it, just in case. "Teach me how to say open in Parseltongue."

After sending them a message on their Skickles, Hermione and Draco joined him in the Room of Requirement. If the locket reacted in a similar way to the diadem, he didn't want to face it alone. He was hoping the room would keep him safe, but he didn't want to chance being injured and no one knowing unless the room alerted Dobby like it had for Hermione.

He wasn't sure how much venom to use. The diadem had taken two, but he didn't know if the earlier Horcruxes, the ones with larger soul-fragments, would require more. And there was no way of knowing what order the Dark Lord had created them after the diary and the ring. He had placed six drops into a small phial so if something happened they wouldn't ruin too much venom.

"What do you think it will do?" Draco asked quietly as Severus laid the locket on a small stone table the room had provided.

"Hopefully it doesn't drop water on us again. I don't fancy being wet," Hermione answered.

"My experiences with you leads me to believe that is a lie. I happen to know you enjoy being wet."

Severus snorted in amusement as Hermione's mouth dropped open in shock at Draco's blatant reference to their sexual history. He wasn't wrong about her; she enjoyed sex and always wanted it.

"If you two are done, we can get rid of this thing," he told them, his voice light with mirth still.

"Sorry, Severus." Hermione wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed a kiss to his chin. "We're ready."

They backed up a few feet, leaving Severus to stand by the locket alone. He uncapped the phial of venom and filled the eyedropper. Holding it over the necklace, he spoke the strange hissing noises Potter had taught him earlier. The locket began to shake and bounce on the table so he cast a sticking charm on it and hissed his command again.

Just as he was about to give up and go pull Harry from detention — the wrath of Filch be damned — the locket slowly opened and an eye appeared in each of the glass windows inside. They weren't the red snake-like eyes of the Dark Lord as he knew him now, but the dark brown he had known when he joined the Death Eaters.

Not hesitating, he squeezed the eyedropper, putting one drop on each side. The windows seemed to turn hazy but nothing else happened. Before he could release more, a loud scream began to emanate from the locket and he heard Hermione yell at him to add more venom. Blocking out the voice that was now telling him he was nothing more than a worthless piece of rubbish from Cokeworth, he emptied the dropper onto the locket.

The glass shattered and he felt Draco and Hermione pull him back as a powerful shockwave of Dark Magic slammed into them, knocking them to the ground. He had never felt anything like it before and it was reacting with his Dark Mark sending wave after wave of lust through his blood. It was like the spell Voldemort used to reward his followers amplified by one hundred. It was more powerful than the necklace that had cursed Miss Bell in October. His cock was rock hard in an instant and he could hear Hermione whimpering beside him.

"Please, Severus! I need you to fuck me!" she begged.

Their clothes were gone and he wasn't sure if it was the room, his own magic or one of his companions, but it didn't matter. All that matter was fucking the witch next to him. He crawled over to her and settled between her thighs, absentmindedly thankful that the floor of the room had turned as soft as a mattress. As soon as the head of his dick touched her folds he knew he didn't need to prepare her; she was wetter than she had ever been and he plunged in.

Her moans filled the room and the only sound louder was the sound of Draco muttering about not having anyone to fuck. Reaching behind himself, Severus wandlessly cast the charms to ready his body without having to wait.

"Draco," he groaned out, "I'm ready for you. Don't go gently. And you won't come until I tell you you can."

"Yes, sir!" Draco practically yelled as he positioned himself behind Severus and forced him down.

He stilled his thrusts inside Hermione, much to her obvious displeasure. It wasn't until Draco began to slide into him that she realised what was happening.

"Is… Is he... fucking you?" she choked out and he nodded. "Oh gods! Fuck that's hot."

The feel of Draco's thick cock stretching him and pressing against his prostate was enough to make his eyes roll back in his head and he began to slowly move in and out of Hermione. He pressed his lips against her ear and switched between kissing her and telling her all the filthy things he wanted to do with her. She was writhing beneath him, her cunt spasming with each dirty vision.

"Let me enter your mind, little witch," he implored.

At her breathy yes, he pulled back enough to see her eyes and entered her mind. He could see what she was seeing and was shocked to find the ceiling in the room had turned into a mirror. The look on her face was pure ecstasy and he moaned at the way Draco looked, on his knees, ploughing into him.

'So fucking sexy, Severus," she said in her head. "I want this again! Please tell me I can have it. That you'll join me with other men."

An image flashed in her mind of her in her dorm room, fucking her cunt with her fingers before he was pulled into her fantasies. The image was semi-transparent and he was still able to see her pleasuring herself on her bed.

He watched from a distance as the two of them were together in a large room, surrounded by couples having sex. He laid down on a mattress and she lowered herself onto his cock before people began to surround them. He felt someone enter her arse, their cock rubbing against his own, and then she opened her mouth to take another. There were hands on her breasts, tugging on her nipples. Fingers entered his arse and he loved that she wasn't put off by him being with men occasionally.

"Is that what you want?" he spoke into her mind. "Do you want to be fucked, to be used by countless people? Do you want to watch me fuck other men?"

"Please!"

The fantasy ended as she came on her bed and he pulled from her mind. The pleasure he was feeling was overwhelming and it was hard to concentrate enough to keep the spell going. Draco was grunting behind him and he knew neither of them would last much longer.

"Please let me come, Severus!" Draco was begging over and over again.

"Come!" he commanded. "Now!"

Draco roared as his hot release filled Severus' ass. He couldn't hold on any longer and emptied himself into Hermione as her cunt clenched down around him. It was almost painful and he relished in the way it felt.

They collapsed in a tangle of limbs and he pushed Draco's boney elbow out of his ribs. His cock was still hard and once he caught his breath he wanted to go again. He lazily cast a cleaning charm over them and Hermione snuggled into his side before crawling over him and settling between him and Draco.

14 Mar 1999

Severus awoke the next morning between Hermione and Draco in a bed the room had created. They'd spent the entire night in various positions, fucking each other until they couldn't come anymore, and his entire body was aching. He wasn't ready to share Hermione with someone the way Lucius and Narcissa played — new partners whenever it struck their fancy — but he had enjoyed seeing her with someone else.

He had already talked to Lucius about doing an Ostara ritual but he hadn't planned on joining in. But after seeing Hermione with Draco the night before, he wanted to be there. He'd seen her and Lucius before, but he hadn't known it was her and had been far away. This time she wouldn't just be with Lucius either. He and Draco would be there and the four of them would be enjoying each other and improving their chances of winning the war.

Getting out of the bed, he made his way into the bathroom that had appeared during the night and started getting ready for the day. He called Dobby and requested enough potions for all of them before stepping into the shower. He had a long day coming up and after taking the potions he was no longer sore. In fact, he felt better than he had in years. Knowing that they were closer to ending the war and that he had a powerful witch at his side, he couldn't help but think that life was pretty good at the moment.

A/N: Thank you all so much for the birthday wishes! It made my day so much brighter - especially because my own mother forgot my birthday. (But on the plus side, I can tease her about it for the rest of our lives, so silver lining!)

Also- Holy Forking Shark Shite! This story is officially over 100,000 words posted! My longest ever! And we still have 40,000 to go!