~ Chapter 9 ~

Severus chuckled to himself as he watched Hermione open and close her mouth at the sight of the library. Books flew over their heads while numerous people strolled along the walkways carrying books.

They'd been granted access to the locked part of the library within the city of Excalibur under strict instructions to not give the key to anyone else. Apparently, there are books inside that are better kept away from the public eye — according to Merlin.

"Can we live here?" Hermione turned to look at him with a grin.

Severus glanced down at her overloaded bag. They'd stopped off at the scholars building so Hermione could pass on the information she'd collected. He'd been ready to leave soon after, but Hermione somehow managed to talk the elderly man into giving her more work.

"Certainly not," he said. "I'd never see you again if we lived here."

"Is that your subtle way of saying that you'd miss me?" Severus scoffed in response as they came to a stop outside the large door. "What do you think is inside?"

"You are full of questions today," he turned the key in the lock and the door opened with a creak.

"I love asking questions, it's how I learn new things," she followed behind him and shut the door.

Torches burst to life with an orange glare, revealing the small office space covered in large tomes. Severus had been expecting an extravagant room, not some place that resembled his old office at Hogwarts.

"This is slightly underwhelming," she said. "However, at least there's less things to go through."

"I suppose," he headed over to the desk not aware of Hermione's eyes following him. "Merlin said that this room is best to be kept a secret. I wonder what's hiding in here—" he froze when her breath touched his neck.

Hermione stood behind him with a wicked smile, and he quickly turned to stop her from pressing against his back. "What?"

"Nothing," she tilted her head. "We're rather alone here."

"Which justifies you getting too close—" her lips pressed against his cheek and she pulled away with a smirk.

"No, but it justifies a kiss."

Severus glanced down at her lips then back into her eyes. After their talk about becoming lovers not much had changed between them. However, there was an odd tension that formed in the silences they shared. They were yet to kiss properly since Merlin's revelation about Voldemort, Godric and Salazar — they'd been very busy exploring the castle.

At least she hasn't had anymore visions. He hated seeing her in such a state, so he was glad they both got a break from it all.

He wasn't sure why he did it but he lifted up his hand to cup her cheek. She relaxed against his touch and stared back at him with eyes that sparkled in the firelight. The way she looked at him reminded him that he actually had someone in his life that cared about him. Whatever Hermione felt towards him was different to the way anyone else had ever felt in his presence.

I suppose some people would call it love, but I doubt that's how she feels.

Severus slowly moved his lips to her own and kissed her gently. The feather-like touch didn't last long and he pulled away to stare into her frustrated eyes. "I'm sorry," he wasn't sure why he apologised, but she seemed angry from the kiss and he didn't understand why.

I thought she wanted this.

Her eyes narrowed as she grabbed his face and brought their lips crashing together. Severus stilled in shock for a brief moment, but eventually relaxed against her touch. She kissed him with such ferocity that he didn't have chance to gather his thoughts.

Severus soon took control of the kiss by nudging apart her lips with his tongue, then he laced his arm around her waist and pulled her body against his. Her hands fell from his face and came to rest on his chest, and Severus was sure she could feel his heart hammering against his ribcage.

Something foreign ignited inside of him and before he could stop himself, he walked her back into the desk and lifted her onto the top. They pulled away briefly to breathe and Severus went to stop, but she quickly brought their lips back together. There were many liberties he wished to take with her, however, none of them were ones that were going to happen in a dusty office.

Although, it seemed Hermione had other ideas. Her hands wandered to his waist and she pulled his shirt from his trousers, and Severus separated their lips and rested his forehead against hers. "Not here," he whispered.

Her brows furrowed. "Why?"

"We came here for a reason, and this wasn't it," he said. "I also had other plans for this to happen in a more clean environment."

"Plans?" she said with a smirk. "I didn't know you thought about this type of thing."

"I always think about that type of thing when you are around."

Hermione's grin widened as she hopped down from the desk. "That's good to know," she picked up a nearby book. "Let's see if we can find anything about souls disappearing then."

They spent the rest of their morning flipping through old pages and coming up empty-handed. Severus hadn't expected to find anything of use to them since Merlin and Albus had both, undoubtedly, scoured the books for answers themselves. He had no idea what they should be looking for, and perhaps the soul disappearances were just a lapse in the magic that created this place. However, it was too much of a coincidence that such famous names had disappeared.

Severus smiled as Hermione linked her arm with his as they walked up the concrete stairs that led to the golden castle. A warmth laced around his heart once more and he found himself content with the situation he'd found himself in. He'd give anything for Hermione to stop having painful visions, but he couldn't help the feeling of joy she brought him all the time. I've never experienced anything like it before, not even when I fancied myself in love with Lily.

"Yes?" Hermione looked up at him with curious eyes and his smile disappeared.

"I didn't say anything," he said, and the happiness disappeared from her face as she looked over her shoulder at the beautiful city of Excalibur.

Her arm slid from his and she turned to stare at the bustling scenery below them. "Are you sure?"

"Positive," he said. "Hermione, how often do you hear this voice?"

She seemed reluctant to give him an honest answer, but she eventually sighed. "The last time was when we found Dobby."

Severus placed his hand at the small of her back. "What does this voice sound like?"

"It's a husky voice," she said. "Sometimes I think it's a man but other times it sounds feminine."

He watched numerous expressions flutter over her face, and he found himself unable to offer her words of comfort. Something as bizarre as hearing voices was beyond his realm of expertises, but he did know that it wasn't normal, especially for a non-seer.

"It only ever says my name…" Hermione turned to him with a sad smile. "Why me?"

Severus reached up and brushed his thumb along her cheekbone. "I wish I could give you an answer, Hermione."

She moved into his embrace and he kissed the top of her head. He didn't know how to alleviate her distress, but he'd do anything to let her know that she wasn't alone through all of this.

"We'll figure this out," he said. "There has to be a reason for the things that are happening to you."

"What if we don't find one?"

"We will."

…

Severus took in a deep breath and flashed Lily a fake smile. He wasn't doing it to be rude but his mind and eyes were too busy focusing on Hermione. He watched Sirius talk to Hermione by the fountain. They'd bumped into the pair while walking through the large garden to clear Hermione's head, and just as he thought he'd cheered her up, along came the annoying mut to ruin his mood.

"You're making it too obvious," Lily nudged his arm. "He's only talking to her."

"It still gives him the opportunity to poison her mind!" He snapped impulsively.

Lily's eyes widened. "I didn't know you were this self-conscious?"

"I'm not," he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Then what's the problem?"

"Nothing."

Yes, he was annoyed by Sirius' appearance, but he was mainly worried about Hermione. Life in Heaven is supposed to be peaceful yet she's plagued by some mysterious force.

"Severus, what is it?" Lily blocked his sight of Sirius and Hermione. "I'm not stupid, something's wrong."

He managed to stop himself from snapping back a hurtful remark, instead he settled on glaring at her. "It's something personal, Lily."

"Oh, and you can't tell me?"

"We aren't friends anymore."

She inhaled sharply. "That's a mean thing to say."

"We weren't friends when you died, and it's exactly the same way now," Severus unfolded his arms and ignored the voice in his head telling him to stop. "We're acquaintances at the most, and right now, I've got better things to be doing."

Severus headed over to the fountain and grabbed Hermione's hand. She jumped in surprise then smiled at him. "What's wrong?"

"We should go and talk to Albus," he said, sending Sirius a sharp look.

"She's not your property," Sirius tried to put himself between them but Severus gave him a rough push.

"Severus!" Lily yelled. "Don't take your frustration out on him."

"You should let her spend some time with other people instead of hovering over her like some old pervert," Sirius clearly wanted a reaction from Severus, and just as he was about to give him one, Hermione kicked the mut hard in the shin causing him to collapse on the ground in pain.

"Don't be so vulgar!" Hermione hovered over him. "What's going on between Severus and I is consensual — and none of your business!"

A crack entered the garden and they all turned to see Albus smirking near the rose bushes. "I hope you're all getting along."

"Something like that," Severus muttered.

"Merlin wishes to speak to you all," Albus said.

All of us? Severus couldn't decide whether that was a good sign. He glanced at Hermione who gave him a perplexed look then walked alongside him as they headed towards Merlin's observatory

They arrived to find James sat at the long table. He pulled out a chair for Lily, causing Severus to curl his lip at the supposedly sweet sight. He wasn't sure how he felt about James yet.

Merlin didn't seem interested in their arrival. The elderly man gazed at the glowing orb in awe, making Severus wish he could know what the man saw whenever he looked into it.

Severus stiffened in the chair when Hermione's breath touched his ear. "Don't tell them about the voice," she whispered and he pinned her with a serious look.

"I wouldn't do that," he replied deeply, and her small hand grabbed his under the table.

Severus squeezed her fingers tightly then turned his attention to Merlin. "I assume we were requested for a reason?"

Merlin chuckled. "Always the smart one."

Sirius scoffed. "The greasy git isn't smart."

"What did we talk about?" Lily muttered to him, and Severus was surprised to see James staring Sirius down.

Merlin sat down at the head of the table and adjusted his blue robes. "Godric Gryffindor and Salazar Slytherin's souls didn't make it to Heaven."

The trio across from Severus were taken aback by the statement. "What?" Lily asked. "Where are they then?"

"Shouldn't Salazar be in Hell," Sirius glared at Severus briefly. "He is the founder of Slytherin after all."

"There are plenty of Gryffindors in Hell," Merlin brushed off Sirius' snarky attitude, and carried on telling the rest of the story. "Thankfully, Helga Hufflepuff and Rowena Ravenclaw made it."

"Do you know where they are?" Hermione asked.

"I do," Merlin sighed. "However, they don't like to talk to me."

"What did you do?"

Merlin narrowed his eyes at Lily. "Why do you assume I did something wrong?"

"I've been here long enough to know you offend people," she waved her wand to fill a glass with water. "So, what did you do?"

Albus chuckled behind his cup of tea and Severus rolled his eyes. Whatever he did is just going to hinder any communication with them. He wanted to get to the bottom of these odd occurrence in Heaven, not get caught up in other people's dramas.

"Rowena Ravenclaw is Merlin's wife," Albus smirked at them all and Merlin huffed in response.

"Wife?" James chuckled. "Or ex-wife?"

"We're still married to one another," Merlin sat up straight. "However, we've been on a fifty year break."

It was Hermione who pushed for more information. "After you?"

"I lied to her about Godric and Salazar. Helga and Rowena believed that the pair wished to go travelling on their own instead of staying with them. I told them both the truth that they never arrived here; she flung me out of our house and told me never to appear before her again."

James and Sirius laughed at the perplexed look on Merlin's face. It's like he doesn't know he did something wrong.

"The reason why I asked you all here today is that I've noticed something different about the magic here. I've always been the only person who could bend and shape the aura as I pleased, but I can sense that someone is making changes to it. These changes may be subtle, nonetheless, nobody else should be able to do it."

Severus tightened his hold on Hermione's hand. She glanced his way with a small smile that eased the annoyance stirring inside of him. Would they ever get a break? The idea of an afterlife hadn't appealed to him until he'd arrived, and now someone or something wished to change that.

"Tell them the rest," Severus said, and everyone turned to him.

"The rest?" Merlin furrowed his brows in confusion.

"Voldemort's soul has gone missing."

The trio opposite him gasped in shock. He could see the fear and sadness on Lily's face as she realised her son's sacrifices had been for nothing. Little did she know that her son was fighting a different type of battle back home.

"Voldemort!" James snapped. "Why didn't you tell us this? He's a danger to society!"

"We know that," Severus muttered, receiving a glare from his nemesis.

"Let's try to keep a calm mind about all of this," Albus said. "An immediate answer isn't in sight, so Merlin and I have decided to form a small council to help solve this mystery."

"Yes," Merlin got to his feet. "I would like you to do some research of your own. I've heard great things from Albus about all of you, and I believe that somehow we can discover the truth behind all of this—"

"Delilah Hetifield."

Everyone turned to look at Hermione. She glanced around in confusion. "What's wrong?" She asked. "What is it?"

Albus leaned over his chair to inspect her. "Who's Delilah Hetifield?"

She shrugged. "I'm not sure. Why do you ask?"

"You just said her name," Severus said, and Hermione shook her head at him.

"No I didn't."

"Hermione, you just said her name," Sirius added. "We all heard you."

Severus got to his feet pulling Hermione up with him. "I'm going to take her for a walk," he led Hermione from the room and guided her back to their quarters. He quickly shut the door behind them and turned to look at Hermione's confused face.

"What happened?"

"I have no idea!" She exclaimed. "I didn't say anything."

"Hermione you said a random name quite confidently," he explained. "How can you not remember?"

"I just don't!" She snapped. "I have no idea what's going on!"

She paced in front of the fireplace and he could see the anger on her face. He didn't blame her for feeling so out of place; there wasn't much comfort he could offer her if she didn't even know what came over her.

Severus walked over and placed his hands on her shoulders. She glanced up at him with a sad look on her face and he finally realised what to do. Ever so slowly, he lowered his lips to her own and kissed her. When he pulled away, she stared back at him in surprise, then a small smile curled her lips.

"What was that for?"

"I was hoping it would calm you down," he whispered. "But now I feel silly."

"No," she reached up and brushed her fingertips along his jawline. "It worked."

Hermione pulled his mouth back to hers in a heated kiss, and Severus immediately laced an arm around her waist to bring her body closer to his. A hum resonated from her throat as she rested her hands on his chest which caused a familiar warmth to consume his heart.

The pair moved towards the sofa and kept their lips joined while they found a comfortable position. He'd never fascinated about ways he could kiss a woman, nor who said woman would be, but kissing Hermione in such a tender way seemed to tick all the boxes for him.

Kissing never occurred during his flimsy one-night stands; all of the women had been loyal to Voldemort or being paid for their deed. Hermione didn't fit into any of those categories, which meant this whole thing was a mystery to him.

Severus felt her fingers against his abdomen, then his mind seemed to catch up with him. The minx has already made quick work of undoing the buttons of his shirt. Hadn't he only just lowered her onto the sofa?

He quickly pulled away to stare at her annoyed face. The sight made him chuckle.

"What's so funny?"

"You're acting like a rambunctious teenager."

She smiled up at him. "It's not my fault," she poked his nose. "You're just irresistible."

Severus got off her with a scoff. "Now you've killed the mood."

Hermione sat up and rested her chin on his shoulder while he did up his buttons. "I'm being serious."

"Come on, we should get something to eat," Severus got to his feet. "We need to have a talk about the things you've been hearing as well."

Hermione frowned. "Do we have to?"

"Unfortunately it's the only way we can get to the bottom of it," he extended his hand which she took with a sigh. "If you want we can go and visit that damned house-elf?"

Hermione leant against him with a smile. "I'd like that very much."