Chapter 74: Living Conformations
{A/N: Here's Another Update...late post sorry for the mistakes if I missed anything...}
My Thanks To All My Readers And Reviewers...Enjoy-S.S
Unknown Location, Unknown World...
Amber eyes flew open as Hermione caught sight of her husband standing over her with a wand gripped firmly between his long pale fingers. The movement had been so swift that she missed it entirely. One moment she heard the beginnings of the killing curse ready to take her life and the next, the thunderous baritone drawl of her enraged husband as he channeled his magic into an explosive shock wave that sent Bellatrix crashing into stone wall. The emotionally numb Mrs. Hermione Snape heard only the familiar bellow of her husband's spell as it resonated through her ears.
"EXPELLIAMUS!" shouted Snape as he aimed his wife's wand at his former lover.
Bellatrix flew across the room and into a far wall. Lucius smirked as he scrambled to his feet wiping his bloodied lip as he did.
"Fucking try to control me..." muttered Snape.
He turned his attention to his trembling wife as weary amber eyes met cold obsidian.
"Hermione." he said making his way over toward her.
The amber eyed witch backed away from him the memory of his kiss with Bellatrix making her blood boil.
Snape was not to be deterred as he backed the witch into a nearby corner. She glared at him murderously with each step forward he took. Before he could grab a hold of her, Hermione stepped back and punched the Potions Professor in his abnormally large nose. Snape lunged forward and pinned the irate witch against the wall.
The familiar scent of jasmine flooded his senses and he crushed his pale lips into her soft pink ones.
Tears streamed down the supple cheeks of Hermione Snape as she tried in vain to fight the urge to lean into his kiss. It had been so long since she had known what it felt like. She could only imagine what it had been like for him. Snape had been pleased when Hermione started to give in to his gesture. His face hurt from the scuffle with Lucius and her subsequent blow to his nose but the kiss more than made up for it all.
It had been a truly awe inspiring thing to have her small frame pressed against him after all those years of separation.
"Hermione." he said amazed that this was even happening.
She looked up at him as the tears continued to stream down her cheeks.
"Severus." she said absently stroking his bare pale chest.
He pulled her into his embrace not at all wishing to let her go. The sound of his heart beating wildly in his chest was music to Hermione's ears as she let him wrap his arms around her. It was an amazing thing for a young woman such as herself to have gone through so much for so long and still retain that innocence from her youth.
"I'd hate to break up this most joyous reunion...but I believe we should get going...you know in case the harpy decides to stir." said Lucius with a pleased look upon his face.
Snape chuckled a bit having missed Lucius' wicked sense of humor.
"I believe you're right." he said in agreement. "Mrs. Snape?"
Hermione simply nodded not at all wishing to leave her husband's arms for fear that this would all be a dream that she would be forced to awaken from. Together Lucius Malfoy, Hermione and Snape left the lair of Bellatrix and ventured to Malfoy Manor. The apparent shock of the snarky git's return had not worn away just yet. Lucius could only imagine what Narcissa was going to say about all this.
The Sitting Room, Malfoy Manor, Wizarding World...
Draco had been pacing rather impatiently across the hardwood floor near the fireplace of his parents sitting room. His father had sent a message to him telling him to round the family up and meet him at the Manor. Narcissa fiddled with her fingers straightening her dress again and again in a bid to lessen the creases. Pansy sat with Scorpius and a glass of fine red wine to settle her nerves. Phaeron had been quietly going over the gathered facts about his father in his mind.
His apparent murder at the hands of some high ranking official had been cause for concern. Not only were there liberties taken with the law, but the murder was proven to be unjustly so. He had read that his father grew up at Spinner's End in Cokeworth, England. His mother had promised to show him the place on her off day, but they had been swamped with responsibility for quite some time.
"Why do we have to wait so long?" asked Scorpius. "What's taking Grandfather so long?"
"He'll be here shortly." replied Draco. "He says what he has to tell us is an urgent matter to be kept in the family."
"Well he is taking his sweet time about it." said Pansy taking a sip from her wine glass.
No sooner had she said that, the floo activated catching everyone's attention. Silence filled the sitting room and Draco ceased his pacing as everyone watched for Lucius to arrive.
The first out of the floo had indeed been Lucius Malfoy with a happy smile plastered across his pale face. His wife moved to question the meaning of his so called news when he held up his hand. Everyone continued to watch the floo as Hermione Granger-Snape entered Malfoy manor behind him.
Phaeron got to his feet and attempted to greet his mother when he saw the floo flare up a third time. Everyone looked from Lucius and Hermione back to the fireplace as the emerald flames brought forth another. Collective gasps filled the room as the ebony clad Potions Professor entered Malfoy manor for the first time in eleven years.
"S-Severus?" said Narcissa in disbelief.
"U-Uncle Sev?" said Draco stunned.
"F-Father?" said Phaeron in awe.
"Professor Snape?" said Pansy not trusting herself due to the wine.
Snape treated them all to a cocky half smirk as he basked in their shocked expressions.
More tears streamed down Hermione supple cheeks when she watched Phaeron make his way over toward his father.
Obsidian eyes met obsidian as Phaeron mentally sized up his father for the first time in the flesh.
They had the same pale flesh, dark eyes, and lengthy raven hair.
"F-Father?" he said unsure of what to make of this new development.
"Phaeron." said Snape noting just how big the boy had gotten over the years.
The raven haired young wizard ran over toward his father and hugged him tightly. Snape had not normally been one to show affection on such a level but considering his lack of any human contact for the last eleven years he allowed it. Even going so far as to briefly squeeze the boy back. It was the first time he had even held his son in his arms, not even having the privilege when Phaeron was a baby.
Draco glared rather murderously at Snape.
His rage had been evident for all to see. The Junior Malfoy had not believed this "impostor" to be the real Severus Snape. He had been more than a little hurt that his father would bring said "impostor" home and allow him to claim himself to be his own young brother.
"Who are you really?" asked the embittered Malfoy. "My uncle died eleven years ago."
Snape looked at Draco. He recalled all too well the boy's efforts to save him that fateful day and knew his loss must have hit his godson hard.
"Must I prove myself to you Mr. Malfoy?" he asked willing to humor the boy who had become a man in his absence.
"If you're my uncle then what's my middle name?" asked Draco warming up his series of test questions.
"Lucius." replied Snape effortlessly.
"What's my father's middle name?" asked Draco annoyed he had gotten the question right.
"Abraxas." replied Snape. "He was named for his father as you are for him."
Sensing where this line of questioning was headed via Draco's mind, Snape continued.
"You hate strawberries, your first thought when Pansy told you she was pregnant was to name the child after me, You are terrible with counter spells or at least you were until the end of the second wizarding war." said Snape impressively so. "In Hogwarts you thought it would be a good idea to play a practical joke on Miss Granger enlarging her teeth...a joke I myself found amusing..."
Hermione narrowed her eyes at Snape. She didn't think it was funny to have Draco enlarge her teeth and then have her git future husband comment that he didn't see any difference.
"In third year she took to punching you in the face...an amusing gesture when you really think about it..." said Snape. "When your mother was pregnant with you she use to crave toffee nut bars...when you were born you were so pale your father use to joke about me siring you instead of him."
Draco couldn't believe what he was hearing. There was no way this guy could be his uncle Severus but he knew things about him that only the real Severus Snape would know.
"Do I need to bring up your childhood crush on my wife being the reason for your constant need to agitate her back when you both were children to convince you of who I am?" asked Snape in a very Slytherin manner.
Draco narrowed his eyes at Snape for revealing his oldest secret to everyone including Hermione.
"Only you would be so bold Uncle." he said bitterly.
Snape had been surprised when Draco stepped forward and embraced him as Lucius would have. It still amazed the Potions Master to see how much Draco had changed over the past eleven years. He was much more serious and protective, especially of Phaeron and Hermione. Even going so far as to be defensive of his former Professor's memory.
Narcissa had gotten up off the sofa and ventured over toward him. She too had tears in her dark eyes as she stepped toward him. It only took her seconds to embrace him as well stunned that he had indeed been alive and in one peace. She had seen the condition he had been in after Harry Potter cursed him at the Fortress of Solitude.
"Welcome home Severus." she said.
"You are a vision of beauty as always Narcissa." said Snape in a charming tone he often used with her.
Hermione had been all smiles when Snape made his way over toward her. Phaeron couldn't believe what was happening. His father was alive and once again reunited with him and his mother.
Lucius had been pleased to have his "little brother" back, but he worried about what would happen if Harry Potter or the other members of the Order Of Phoenix knew he was alive. There was no way that he was going to let them right off what was done to Severus eleven years prior to ease their conscience nor was he about to let Potter finish the job and find a way to kill him here and now.
The Governor of Hogwarts declared that Severus' return should be kept in the family. He also meant to ensure that his little brother took on the identity of a muggle in order to keep the wizarding world ignorant of his presence. With Hermione living in muggle London, it was a simple matter of disguising Severus and keeping him from all things pertaining to the wizarding world.
Hermione had agreed with Lucius' plan. She had lost her husband once due to his duty to the wizarding world and she was not about to lose him again.
Later...
The Snape Residence, Muggle London, England...
It was quite a late night when Hermione, Severus, and Phaeron reached her flat. Phaeron had been so exhausted that he had fallen asleep at The Malfoys' manor. Snape picked the sleeping boy up and carried him through the floo. Hermione followed as they made their way inside her flat. It had been a very strange and eventful day to say the least but she was more than pleased with the initial out come. Her family had once again been whole with Severus alive and fully restored.
The Potions Master put his son to bed, a task that had not been very easy with Phaeron waking up every few seconds in a bid to keep whatever dream this had been from ending. Severus had to convince him that all was well every time the boy's eyes sprang open in his attempt to fight his sleep. Hermione watched as Phaeron gripped his father's hand and drifted back off unable to fight off his exhaustion much longer.
She gently kiss the sleeping boy's forehead and both she and her husband made their way out of the room.
Snape took Hermione by the hand and led her into her own bedroom.
"I do believe I was issued something of a challenge by a certain bushy haired know it all." he said with a cocky smirk.
"Were you?" she asked in mock forgetfulness. "I may have issued a challenge to a certain arrogant Slytherin git."
"Insufferable know-it-all." said Snape in his best Professor tone.
"Bat of the dungeons." replied Hermione.
"Bucktooth Granger." he countered.
"Snivellus Greasy." she fired back.
"Miss Granger." he said.
"Professor Snape." she said.
Within seconds her soft pink lips crashed into his pale ones. Their hearts racing at the anticipation of being together again after all this time. Tears had begun to swell in Hermione's eyes. She had dreamed of this moment for so long. Agonized over his loss for eleven years and now...now he was finally home where he belonged.
"I love you Mrs. Snape." said Severus gripping her tight as if his life depended on it.
"And I love you Mr. Snape." replied Hermione wrapping her arms around his neck.
He lifted her off the ground with ease and carried her into the bedroom kicking the door closed behind them. Severus Snape was home at last with his wife and son. He had hoped Hermione had done a decent job of shopping while she had the chance, he had no intention of letting her out of the house or their bed for quite some time. To be fair he had been out of action for the past eleven years.