The stroppy Malfoy elf at the Manor tilts his head as if appraising me before nodding sharply and directing me to Narcissa's South parlour. After a while the door opens again.

"Severus?" Lady Malfoy is calm and collected as always but clearly didn't expect to see me.

"Narcissa." I nod at her and she restrains her curiosity with the practised effortlessness of Pure-blood high society breeding.

We sit, an elf comes in with mulled cider and cake, and I explain the problem. I do skim over some details, but include what Augusta had mentioned and what Miss Lovegood said.

"I didn't expect her to tell you about the Coven," Narcissa remarks. She is about to say something when her husband enters the room.

"Oh, hello Lucius." She rises graciously and kisses his cheek.

"I didn't expect you, Severus," the blond aristocrat says with an incline of his head and a tilt of an eyebrow that clearly means What are you doing here, talking with my wife without informing me?

I incline my head in response. "An urgent matter where I needed a witch's input."

Lucius stills and looks at me, then he grins suddenly and relaxes. "Ah, so you've found someone? Excellent! Who is it, anyone I should know?"

"What, no!" The very thought is horrifying, and yet I keep seeing flashes of the Hair-ologist in my mind. Hermione. Granger. Gods, I'm a mess.

Lucius is undeterred and starts questioning me, and I try to parry and deflect. He's too good at this game.

Narcissa comes up to me and places a dainty hand on my bicep. "Severus, there is no time. In your heart you know what to do. Go, now, before it's too late. Lucius, stop taunting the poor man, he doesn't know it yet."

Heart? I gave mine up long ago. In my experience that organ has only led to misery and pain, serving twenty years under two masters. I'm quite sure I couldn't handle it again. Nonetheless, I take my leave, heading for the Apparition point beyond the gates.

Once I'm past the gates I stop for a moment and close my eyes after making sure no one is nearby. I'm usually quite attuned to my intuition but sometimes that voice gets drowned out by obligations and guilt. The old tales that Lovegood alluded to, what were they? I recall a few stories my Ma used to tell me as a boy, about young witches asleep in towers and losing slippers and what have you. They never seemed based in reality, but might there be something to them? The old Arthurian tales, about swords in stones and holy quests, don't seem applicable either.

After a while I am not much closer to a solution but I'm filled with a sense of urgency. I need to go, now.

I Apparate to the alley again and immediately sense that something is wrong. The storefront is dark, deserted. Has she left already? I'll never find her if she manages to escape. Casting a Homenum Revelio I do see there is someone at the back of the building, however.

Her wards are tricky and won't let me in, not until I take out the brass disc and place it against the doorframe. The disc heats up in my hand and the door opens. It is dark, I have to cast a Lumos to see anything. The room is bare, all her potions and salves gone, as is the chair and counter.

She comes out from the inner room, not looking overly happy, her arms crossed in front of her. "I thought I told you to leave, Master Brennus."

I move closer, stopping one step away from her. "Please, hear me out. This is important."

She thinks for a while and then nods, once. "Fine. You have fifteen minutes, I have a train to catch."

Suddenly I do know, what I have to do and say to potentially break this geas. It is terrifying. "Ever since I first stepped inside this door my life has been completely changed, in ways I couldn't imagine. Business is almost too much these days, my research is humming along, and all of a sudden I have customers again."

She nods at that, impatiently, and gestures at me to continue.

I take another deep breath. "It's not just that, however. You have been on my mind ever since that day, driving me mad with the need to figure out what happened to you. I have talked to enough people to work it out, and I am quite sure I know the next step although there are still some pieces missing." I pause, looking at her, but her expression doesn't change. I barrel on. "I have to tell you some things, though. If this works, there is a strong chance you'll resent me for what I will do. You knew me before. I was your teacher, and not one you particularly liked. You would never have consented to this, and I would never have allowed it."

Bleak despair grows ever stronger, the knowledge that she will hate me for what I have to do to save her, to break this geas. I have to bare myself to her in a way I haven't, ever, since Lily. I force it down, though. It is not important. Breaking this geas and saving her is important. Her leaving me, hating me afterwards isn't. "With that said, I must ask, do you want me to help you? Do you trust me to not hurt you?"

Even though she cannot see me, her large brown eyes are fixed on my face. She thinks for a long time, and then nods slowly. "Yes. Severus. I have always trusted you, I think."

I have to close my eyes, my name on her tongue is giving me goosebumps again, and take a deep breath to steady myself. Her scent fills my nostrils, jasmine and vanilla and something else, deeper. "Do I have your consent to try to break the geas?"

"I already said so, didn't I? I trust you, Severus." A soft smile makes it clear she isn't too annoyed with my persistence.

I move closer to her and put a hand on her upper arm so as to not frighten her with sudden movements. The most frightening about this is how much I want it, how badly I want her not to shy away and look at me with hateful eyes, even if I know it is unlikely. At least I will have this memory. This close to her the difference in size between us is obvious, with her only reaching to my chin.

Suddenly the words are easy to find. "You are Hermione Jean Granger, witch, and my former student. You are the reason I stand here today, when you saved me in the Shrieking Shack from death by snake, and again later when you cleared my name in front of the Wizengamot. You are the reason behind Harry Potter's success, both when he managed to stop the Dark Lord and afterwards. You are currently my reason for existing. Use my memories of you to bring your own back."

I lower my face to hers, letting my hand on her shoulder slide behind her neck, not pushing, only for support. Gently I capture her lips with my own. Well, my intention is for it to be gentle, chaste. Almost immediately she gasps and deepens the kiss, and I couldn't let go even if I wanted to. My feelings for her are laid bare, obvious to myself as they must be to her, but she doesn't stop. Magic surges up around and against us, swirling faster and faster, tugging at my hair and clothes as well as hers. I pull her closer and still don't let go, and feel her hands creep up my back, holding me equally close. The intensity builds, pulling magic and emotion from me, from her, into the swirling vortex until it explodes outward in a blinding nova.

She breaks the kiss and looks at me, now with seeing eyes that meet my gaze. She looks flushed and thoroughly ravaged, her hair is a mess, her cheeks flushed and her lips deliciously plump. "Severus...? Professor Snape?"

I stiffen and try to disentangle myself from her, knowing very well what is to come and I cannot take yet another rejection. "Miss Granger. I apologise, this was the only way to break the geas."

Shaking her head she doesn't let go, instead she pulls me tighter and burrows her head under my chin. "No. Don't. Do you really want to give up on me now?"

With a sigh I relent and let my arms encircle her again. She feels wonderful in my arms. "I had assumed you didn't want your ex-Professor to kiss you, especially not the Dungeon Bat."

"Don't assume so much. I know what you feel. I felt it."

To my surprise she tangles her hands in my hair again and pull my head down, claiming my mouth in another kiss. I resist for half a moment before my brain catches up and I meet her, giving myself over to her mouth and questing tongue. It is marvellous, exhilarating, and completely terrifying.

I don't have time to think as we are interrupted by the sound of someone coughing nearby, in a very blatant way. We break apart, and somehow Lovegood has made it inside the shop.

"Good job, Professor," she says. She's not alone but I cannot quite see who is behind her.

Hermione gasps and pulls the blonde witch into a hug, squealing high-pitched nonsense I cannot make out. I'm quite certain there are tears involved. To my surprise, Potter and Mrs Potter step out behind Lovegood. He looks pale and dishevelled, while she looks rather fierce.

"Professor, all of a sudden I just knew… I had to come here." He moves closer to Lovegood. "Hermione?"

She does the same as with Lovegood, and falls into his arms. I am distracted by Lovegood and Mrs Potter, who both drag me over to a corner.

"The geas is lifted but you have to work fast to catch those responsible," Lovegood says. "Do you have any leads?"

I had almost forgotten about that. "Three witches are involved but I only have one name," I say slowly. "Molly Weasley."

Mrs Potter gasps. "Figures. She's always had it in for Hermione for some reason. Can you go with Harry to confront her then? Luna and I can look after Hermione."

"Go to the shop then," I tell Lovegood who nods.

Potter and Hermione break apart, finally, and Potter is debriefed by his wife. Hermione looks at me again and smiles. I want to take her in my arms again but not with an audience. "Will you go with Miss Lovegood to my shop and wait there? Your location here isn't safe any longer."

She agrees. The others help her pack the last of her things, and soon we are ready to leave. She breaks free from the group and pounces on me again, however, hugging me tight.

"You will come back to me? You're not abandoning me? We'll talk later?" she asks against my buttons.

"I'll come back to you, you have my word," I tell her.

She smiles and reaches up on her toes to press a kiss on my cheek, before going back to the witches. I watch them leave, before Potter and I take off for the Burrow.