AN: Thank you all so much for the support! It is very deeply appreciated!
I'll be an even better spy than Severus Snape could ever hope to be!
Sirius stormed down Diagon Alley, not bothering to avoid the pedestrians scattered about. What good was the ability to walk through someone if you dodged them?
How hard could spying be? Despite what everyone in the afterlife says, Severus Snape was not that special. If he can spy then so can I!
Sirius stopped in front of a store. This was the place he was to meet Hermione, though how he knew that was unclear. Afterlife intuition he supposed.
Looking up, he read the overhead sign.
Paradisio Books
Sirius hummed. He'd never heard of this store. Then again judging from the building's fresh coat of white paint and the unchipped letters on the sign it was a new establishment.
"That dunderhead!"
A woman plowed through Sirius. He opened his mouth to shout at her, only to remember that he could not interact with anyone. Frown deepening, he straightened his white robe.
She grabbed a key from her pants pocket and flung open the door. Still grumbling under her breath she stormed inside.
Sirius blinked. That couldn't have been her. Sure, the hair was bushy enough to be hers, and her voice was the same. Still, her pissy attitude rivaled Severus'.
Could that really be Hermione?
Sirius darted into the store and took his place behind a dustless bookshelf.
"Of all the times to be late on a delivery, he picked today?" The woman threw up her hands. "Why not? It isn't as if that book isn't destined to fly off the shelves!"
His eyes grew. It was Hermione all right. Although she had grown into her body, there were lines from where her scowl had been etched upon her face. Her eyes were much harder as well, as if she had discarded any hope of optimism.
What had gone wrong?
The door behind him chimed.
"Oh good, you're here," Hermione began. "I need to make a few floo calls, so please run the register while I'm gone."
"Yes," the other woman replied, unfazed by her employer's attitude.
Hermione went into a back room and slammed the door. Sirius followed.
Hermione threw her coat onto a black padded chair. Then she began to brew a cup of coffee on a device he had never seen before. She tapped her feet as she waited, still muttering obscenities under her breath.
Piles of parchments cluttered her desk. While there was a white cup for the quills, a few were strewn around about. Still, the edge of a calendar hung over the edge.
March 2006.
His eyes grew. I've been dead a few months short of a decade? It feels as if I've been dead for a century. If I've only been dead for a decade though, I'm not even a tenth of the way through my purgatory sentence!
Before Sirius could meditate on the situation further, he heard a hiss. Hermione shut off the machine before taking a sip of coffee. After inhaling the aroma, she took a deep breath.
For a moment Sirius wondered what it would be like to drink again. Coffee had never been his favorite beverage, but he missed tasting anything. Come to think of it, he missed touching anything. So many times he'd taken his body for granted. Even in the afterlife, he hadn't considered the implications of being disembodied. Within the stark space of purgatory there was little to experience other than sight and sound. Being on earth again reminded him of all that he had once loved, and what he was beginning to miss.
"Mr. Wilson?"
Sirius startled.
An ashen head appeared on the other end of the fireplace. "Oh Ms. Granger. How great to see you again."
"It is great to see you again, though I wish the circumstances were more pleasant."
"What's wrong?"
"There's a shipment which seems to have been lost."
He sighed.
"Why hasn't Snape" Scoundrel or Saint come in yet?"
"We told you, demand is great. It's been difficult to ship it out to all the bookstores which need it."
"Do you realize how foolish I will look if I do not have that book in stock tomorrow?"
"It should come in by the end of the week…"
"By then people will have already bought it," Hermione emphasize the last phrase, "At other stores."
"I'm sorry Ms. Granger, but I can only print so many copies."
"And I'm sure Rita Skeeter had no influence on where you shipped the books."
Mr. Wilson swallowed.
"I thought you were more professional than this."
"She's the author of the book. I thought she should have some say in which stores receive it."
"Tell me, does she pay you a small fortune each month to have books in stock?"
"No."
"Then when can I have my shipment of books?"
"I suppose I can redirect some of the shipments from the bigger stores to give you fifty copies."
"Make it seventy-five and I will be satisfied."
"Seventy-five it is then."
"Thank you," Hermione took a sip of coffee. "I truly do appreciate your cooperation."
"I appreciate your business."
"May I ask for one more thing."
"Yes?"
The edge was gone from her voice. "Do you have the latest edition of The Advanced Healers Guide to Potions?"
"It won't come out for another week, but if you want I can sell you fifty copies."
"I will only need twenty for my store, at least at first. Still, my customers would appreciate having it in stock."
"I am happy to help you in any way I can."
"I know. Thank you."
With that, the floo died.
Hermione exhaled before taking another sip of coffee. Then she returned to her desk and turned her attention to the documents on her desk.
Sirius made a fist. Of course they would write a book on Severus Snape! Nobody remembered him, but they were crawling all over themselves to read about Severus Snape! Why was he so amazing anyway? Granted, knowing Rita Skeeter, the book would more than likely belong in the fiction aisle. No doubt she would accentuate his worst aspects of Severus' life and make him out to be the git he was. The book could forever tarnish Snape's not so great name.
Sirius smirked. Perhaps there was justice in the universe after all.
Interrupting Sirius' thoughts was a knock on the door.
Sirius glanced up at a clock on the wall. His eyes grew. How could I almost be noon?
Hermione glanced up from the parchment she'd been signing. "Who is it?"
"The Easter bunny."
Hermione set her quill into her ink pot. "It's a little early for egg hunting."
"Maybe, but it's never too early for chocolate."
Hermione laughed and opened the door. "True."
The person on the other side of the door embraced her. "Beatrice said you weren't having the best day."
"You know how it is, Harry. I hate Rita Skeeter yet the store loses its reputation if I don't sell her latest book. It's just another day in my life."
Harry put a hand on her shoulder. "I can only imagine your frustration."
Sirius glow intensified as he stared at his former godson. He wore an auror's uniform, his badge displayed above his heart. Gone was the awkwardness of adolescence. In its place was a muscular man who carried himself with dignity.
If Sirius could have embraced him, he would have.
"It's life anyway." Hermione sighed. "What do you need?"
"Luna and I just finished lunch. I have a few minutes before my shift starts so I decided to drop in and say hi."
"Slacker." She gave him a playful punch on the shoulder.
"Workaholic." Harry glanced at her desk.
"I'm not a workaholic, just always busy."
"Shouldn't you be taking a lunch break right about now?"
"Who says I haven't already?"
"There isn't so much as a crumb on your desk, nor do I see any food discarded in the trash can."
"I don't like eating at my desk and I incinerate my food."
"Since when?"
"Since today."
Harry furrowed his eyebrows.
"I'll eat soon."
"How soon is soon?"
"When I get around to it."
"Which means not until nine tonight."
"That isn't true. I will find time to eat eventually."
"That time is now." Harry reached into his coat pocket and enlarged a bag.
Hermione's voice softened. "You didn't have to get anything for me."
"Of course I did. How could I go to L'Italia without picking up one of your favorite sausage flatbeds?"
Hermione took the bag from him. "Thank you so much. I just wish I had the time to enjoy it."
"Of course you have the time."
She pointed to her desk. "Do you not see how many orders I have to make out and fill?"
"Between your project and the store you're running yourself ragged. You need to take some time for yourself and eat."
"I will."
"You'll eat now."
Hermione sat. "Will you force feed me if I refuse?"
"I will." It was difficult to tell if he was teasing.
She removed the food from it's package. "It's still warm."
"I ordered it right before we left."
"You really didn't need to do any of this for me."
"Someone needs to take care of you when you get like this. If it isn't me then who will it be?"
"I can take care of myself."
"Which is why you were planning to skip lunch."
She undid the wrapper over the food.
"That being said," his voice was quieter. "How is your dad doing?"
"Better," she looked up at him. "They think he'll be well enough to leave the hospital sometime this week."
"I'm glad to hear it."
"Me too. He gave us quite a scare."
"He did."
She stared at her food.
"If you need anything at all, please call me. I will do whatever I can."
"You've already done more than enough."
"I don't know about that." His grin returned. "That being said, eat lunch every once in a while. You're useless to us when you're hungry."
"Useless?" There was a spark in her eyes. "How dare you call me useless."
"Okay, maybe useless is a bad word, but you aren't at your best."
"I'm always at my very best because I am the very best."
"Yes," He answered. "You are."
She leapt up and embraced him. "Thank you again for the lunch. I'll pay you back when I next go to the bank to pick up some galleons, or we can go out to lunch sometime, my treat."
Harry returned the embrace. "Even if I choose to go to Burger World."
She moaned.
"Okay, no Burger World."
"No, we can do Burger World." Hermione replied. "Just don't expect me to have anything more than a salad."
"Deal." Harry glanced at a clock. "Sadly, my shift begins in five minutes. Hang in there and remember, if you need anything…"
"I'll call you."
"Great." He gave her one last hug. "Take care of yourself."
"Take care of yourself." She waved. "And tell Luna I said hi."
"Will do." Harry exited the room.
Sirius' glow was a warm yellow as he watched his godson leave.
Harry had turned into the kind of man he could be proud of.