Chapter 15: Blow Up

"Ginevra Molly Potter," Hermione said through clenched teeth. "I have known you for over three decades, and never once have I felt like I wanted to erase your existence off the face of this planet as I do now. When you are done wallowing in whatever cesspool of depravity your brain is marinating in you can pick yourself off the floor, pull your head out of your bleeding arse, and find the door."

The infuriated witch gave Ginny a look straight out of the Snape Handbook of Glares Against Humanity and stormed out of the room with Prince and Pyre clinging to her shoulders as they exuded flames from their bodies.

Severus Snape looked up from his writing desk in the next room as the cloud of fury that was his wife stormed by him and disappeared out the exit portal. He closed his eyes as his mind explored the bond between he and his wife. Rage resonated down the chords of their bond. Rage and… disgust. The two phoenix chicks peeped at him from the desk and his hand curled around them automatically, transferring them to the small nesting box nearby. They settled, but their eyes watched him with avian concern. His pale hands soothed the young birds as his dark eyes flicked towards the door and the room where Hermione had left their strangely offensive guest.

Standing to his full height, he walked towards the living room where Ginny and Hermione had been discussing plans for Ron's wedding. The girl, and Severus had a hard time viewing her as anything but a girl at the moment, was sprawled on the rug of their living room floor as if she were making snow angels, obviously intoxicated beyond belief. Snape made a silent thankful prayer thanking the Gods that Hermione never drank anything more intoxicating than butter beer, and butter beer was about as intoxicating as lemonade.

"Hermione and Ron sitting in a tree," Ginny spewed. "K. I. S. S. I. N. G.!"

Severus' lip curled up in disgust. She wasn't only intoxicated. She was completely off her rocker. "Mrs. Potter," he growled. "Kindly explain what you said to my wife?"

Ginevra blew air out between her teeth. "Wife? Aahahahaha!" she cackled. "That's a good one, Snape! Shhhh. I'll tell you a secret. She's in love with my brother!" The intoxicated witch pounded the floor with her fists in laughter. "No way, ew!" she continued to spew. "She'd never marry you, the greasy dungeon git. You're too old. That's so funny!" She cackled hysterically. She picked up a brownie from the plate near her and stuffed it into her mouth.

So many things could have been said at that point, yet Severus found himself using every control over himself he had in order to not strangle the living daylights out of the witch who seemed to have reverted into a pre-pubescent girl with the manners of a drunken monkey.

Severus' eyes narrowed as he tested a hypothesis. "Miss Weasley!" he snapped, reverting to treating her like a second year student. "How old are you?"

"Pssshh," Ginny laughed. "I'm twelve and a half, obviously, and you're ancient."

"What have you been drinking, Miss Weasley?" Severus demanded.

"Not telling," Ginny giggled. "Not telling!"

Severus pinched the bridge of his nose. It seemed like she was digressing into an even more immature state of mind, if that was even possible. His eyes laid upon the plate of half eaten brownies, and he accio'ed the remnants towards himself.

"Hey! Those are mine!" Ginny complained. "I'm telling!"

Severus' lips curled up in a characteristic sneer. "By all means, Miss Weasley. Do."

Ginny screwed her face up into an unattractive pout and she turned her head to ignore him.

The flames in the fireplace in the next room flared to life. "Hermione!" a male voice yelled.

Severus took the plate of suspicious brownies with him into the next room.

"Hermione is not here at the moment," Severus snapped as he threw the tray of brownies on the desk. "What do you need?"

George's face came through the floo. "It's an emergency, Severus," George explained. "I think my sister took my batch of custom brownies for my joke shop client. I have to tell her and Hermione before they accidentally eat one!"

Severus' dark eyes managed to become even darker. "Too late, Mr. Weasley," he growled. "Your sister is already intoxicated."

"Oh no," George moaned. "Did Hermione eat them too?"

"I do not believe so," Severus replied. "I believe your sister took the damage for the team."

George's face seemed relieved in the green flames of the floo. "May I floo in, Sir? I have the antidote here."

"Might as well," Snape answered without a change in expression. "It will save the trouble of carrying her to the hospital wing."

George's face paled and he pulled his head out of the floo. A few seconds later he stumbled through the fireplace with a vial in his hand. "I'm sorry, Professor. I set them out to cool after making them and went out with dad for dinner. I had no idea mom had set aside a batch of brownies for Ginny as well."

Severus shook his head and pointed to the next room, waving his hand in a go forth gesture.

George hurried into the next room.

"Sis," George gushed. "Here you need to drink this."

"Ew, no," Ginny's voice replied. "Fred, why are you so old looking?"

"It's George, sis, come on now, you need to drink this!"

"No, ew, gross," Ginny sputtered, apparently being force fed the antidote. "Eugh."

There was a blissful silence after that, and Severus took in a deep breath. He eyed the plate of doctored brownies and shook his head.

George came back into the room with Ginny draped over his shoulder. "She'll be okay when she wakes up," George said with a sigh. "Did she do anything really offensive?"

Severus arched a brow. "Nothing I have not heard before… however, I believe she will have a lot of explaining to do to my wife," he said lowly.

George Weasley managed to pale even more. "Please tell her I'm sorry. I'll explain everything when I get back from Liverpool."

Severus handed George his plate of brownies. "Try not to let them out of your sight this time."

George took the remaining brownies with an apologetic face. He threw floo powder into the fireplace and yelled, "Burrow."

Snape watched George Weasley lug his intoxicated sister through the floo network and disappear. He wasn't sure what was going to be more traumatic for the male Weasley.: his sister's wrath, Hermione's, or his mother's once she figured out what happened…

As for wrath, it was probably time for him to find and placate his angry wife. He knew she would feel concern for her old friend once she realized Ginny was under the influence of one of George's pranks, but a part of him wondered what Ginny could have said that would have angered his wife so greatly that she'd storm out of the quarters like a sudden summer squall.

Taking a deep breath, he strode out of the living quarters to hunt for his wife.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"She said… what?" Severus' voice was laden with disbelief. Prince and Pyre startled in their laps, giving quizzical chirps.

Hermione leaned against him, burrowing her head into the layers of his robe. Severus pulled her closer, enfolding her with his arm and outer robe. "She said I was just prude and wanted to shack up with an older man so I wouldn't have to face my responsibility for kissing her brother. She said I was just afraid I'd actually like being shagged by a real full-blooded wizard."

Severus gently combed her hair with his hand. "Had you stayed, you would have probably become suspicious as I did. She… got progressively worse and more infantile as time went on. I do not fault you, however, for not doing so."

"I've never been so appalled by something that spewed forth from her mouth, Severus. I've known her since… well you know how long. She had never said anything like that. Even in jest," Hermione rubbed the area between her eyes with her fingers. It was like stumbling across a part of someone you've known for years and suddenly discovered they were…"

"Death Eaters?" Severus said with a sardonic half-smile.

Hermione let out her breath and bonked her head against her husband. "You know what I mean," she groused.

The corner of his mouth twitched. His black eyes met hers with amusement and sympathy. "It wasn't her, Hermione. Whatever Mr. Weasley put in that concoction did not enhance what was inside of her. It put things there that were never there to begin with. If anything this should go into the book of reasons I do not think people who could never pass my N.E.W.T. level class ever be allowed to craft potions without someone who can."

Hermione let out her breath slowly. "I know. It just… really got to me."

He looked into her eyes and stared at her appraisingly.

Hermione gazed back at him curiously. "What?"

"Your rage on my behalf was touching," he confessed.

Hermione let out her breath and touched his cheek, running her finger down the line of his nose. "You are important to me. I can take insults. You do not deserve them."

Severus pressed his lips to her forehead. "Nor," he whispered. "Do you." His dark eyes met hers and a ghost of a smile touched his mouth. "In this case, however, the insults were not Ms. Potter's true thoughts."

"Severus," Hermione said softly. "Are you actually defending my friend?"

His lip curled with distaste. "I am simply noting the effects of the horribly brewed elixir that Mr. Weasley concocted."

"Hrm," Hermione noted. She snuggled into his side, pressing her nose into his robe. "You are right, though. Some people shouldn't be allowed to brew without supervision."

"Sometimes no amount of supervision on Earth will help a person," Severus replied dryly.

Hermione coughed, thinking of poor Neville. "Thank you, Severus."

"Whatever for?"

"I can always talk to you and feel better after." Hermione covered his hand in hers, weaving her fingers with his. His fingers twitched, curling around her fingers, sharing his warmth.

"Excluding about six years where I was the bane of your student existence," Severus said with a low chuckle.

Hermione tilted her head back and laughed. "Save that, yes." She rubbed the back of his hand with her fingers, tracing the veins crossing under his skin. "Sometimes, I wish I could have been your friend back then, Severus. Someone who could have been there for you when so many things in your life were horrible. I could have been your closet friend that no one knew about. Helped you with potions… insinuated myself into your library."

Severus snorted. "I would never have managed to pry your person off my book collection once you saw it. I would have found you curled up on my chamber floor draped over multiple books you couldn't decide which one to read first."

Hermione grinned at him. "It would have been so nice to have someone to talk to about… everything. Hypothesize… theorize. Even random speculation with someone who thought further ahead than the next Quidditch game."

Severus grasped her fingers and held them. "Ever wonder what would have changed if we had?"

"How so?" Hermione tilted her head.

"What if we had become friends earlier on? Would you have filed me away like Ronald Weasley and Harry Potter at the end of the war? Dear friends… but nothing more," Severus speculated. "Would you have moved on to some job in the Ministry instead of coming back to Hogwarts? Would I have always been your teacher or your friend across a line you could never cross?"

"So many what ifs," Hermione said with a deep intake of breath. "So many paths we could have taken to get here, yet did not. So many more we could have taken that would have made what we have now impossible."

She shooed Prince off his lap and sprawled across it. The dislodged phoenix chirped curiously and hopped over to nestle between Severus' ankles. "As I said so long ago… right here actually… I am glad I am at this time and this place here with you, my best friend… who I cannot imagine my life without."

Hermione murmured as Severus stroked her hair as she lay across his lap.

"I am glad you are here with me," he rumbled softly. "It is enough to know you are in my here and my now. The past is, thankfully, no longer the only present I see myself in." He laid his hand upon the name of her neck and massaged it gently.

Hermione rolled over and stared up at his face. She smiled up at him warmly. "George may not have a future once Ginny realizes what happened. Woe if Molly finds out… when rather. More like when."

Severus' dark eyes flickered as the corner of his mouth twitched upward. "A fitting punishment I do not see myself improving on."

Hermione chortled, tracing the buttons of his waistcoat with her fingers. "Sadist," she snickered.

"Mmm," he replied.

"I guess I should thank Ginny for being an intoxicated idiot, even if it was potion infused brownies that caused it," Hermione said, pulling his robe over herself like a blanket.

"Oh?" Severus inclined his head as he watched his wife attempt to assimilate his robes into herself.

"We haven't been able to sit up here and talk in quite some time," she answered. Prince and Pyre warbled agreement, hopping onto the rampart wall and cuddling up to each other before launching themselves off the wall to glide into the thermals.

"Severus?" Hermione's voice changed slightly as a new thought came to her.

"Hrm?" He replied.

"What if those capsules running around the school are like those brownies?" Hermione speculated. "Created for one purpose and ending up doing something completely unforeseeable?"

"Pure idiocy versus malicious intent?" Severus asked, eyebrow raised.

"It could explain why there hasn't been any actions of either remorse or menace since Miss Baylor ended up in the infirmary. Rose was saying no one save James and Scorpius came to visit her, save family and faculty. At first I thought it was because word hadn't spread, but then I remembered gossip travels faster than a greased Kneazle in Hogwarts."

"Ignorance is a horrible instigator," he replied, curling his lip in disgust.

Hermione touched the corner of his mouth with her index finger. "Your disdain is so attractive," she sassed.

The potion master narrowed his eyes, but there was no heat in his glare. "You know my feelings on dunderheads who try to blow up our classroom with their ignorance and laziness. Such feelings are not limited to the class."

"It's worse, isn't it?" she replied softly. "At least in the classroom you can attempt to push sense into the offender. Once they leave here, they can use their cauldrons as horribly and dangerously as they desire with no worry of being dressed down by an irate teacher."

"Until they find themselves in St. Mungo's with bark for skin and leaves growing out of their arse," Severus said with a scowl.

"That one was a right classic case of horrible," Hermione agreed with a nod. "At least he wasn't one of our ex-students. Astoria said it took them weeks to figure out how to get the man un-barkified. The leaves were an entirely different matter."

Severus shook his head. "George Weasley, however, was one of mine, and you can see how well that turned out."

"He's a menace to whatever he puts his mind to," Hermione chuckled. "I hardly see his exploits as a reflection of your teachings. I will, however, wish to interrogate the man about what he was thinking when he created a potion to both intoxicate someone and revert their minds into such stunning examples of immaturity and rudeness."

"Probably something on the lines of 'Elixir of Youth! One sip and you'll be feeling younger! Party like you haven't in years!' or some other such nonsense," Severus sniffed and shook his head.

Hermione made a face. "Eugh. On a positive note… he did have an antidote, so we didn't have to restrain her in the hospital wing next to our daughter as we tried to brew her something?"

Severus rolled his eyes. "Small favors." He pulled out a book from his robes and summoned a light to hover over the pages.

Hermione smiled and lay comfortably against his lap, staring up at the sky as he began to read.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"I swear to Merlin mum made these this morning!" Ginny groveled as she handed Hermione the plate of brownies and shortbread cookies. "I watched her the entire time as we talked about George!"

Hermione eyed the plate of baked goods with lingering suspicion, silently and wandlessly probing the cookies for residual magical traces. Prince and Pyre craned their necks out from their perches and pecked Ginny on the rump multiple times.

"Ah!" Ginny cried, rubbing her sore posterior and moving out of the way of the punishing beaks. She turned her eyes to Hermione and flinched. Hermione's eyes were dark as the shields of her occulomency hid both her memories and her emotions behind an impassive expression that had becomes synonymous with both of the elder Snapes. At that moment, Ginny would have given anything to bring back the smiling face of her best friend.

Ginny slouched, sensing that her friend was more paranoid that usual. "'Mione… I'm so sorry about what I said. I really am. Please don't think it's what I really think. I couldn't bear it if you thought I really believed that of you."

"So," Hermione said slowly. "You remember what you said?" Her voice was soft and carefully controlled.

"Unfortunately," Ginny admitted. "I'm not proud of it."

At that moment a blur of black robes and pale skin entered the room. Hermione's face changed in an instant, warming as her son plowed into her with a hug.

"Mmmgoodmorningmff mum," Julius hugged his mother as he stuffed a bagel with cream cheese in his mouth. He grinned at her sheepishly, knowing he wasn't showing the epitome of good manners. "Hello, Aunt Ginny," he added after his mouth was no longer full.

"Did you thank your grandmother for the bagels and cream cheese, my son?" Hermione asked with an amused expression.

"Of course, mother," Julius said with a lift of his chin and a sparkle in his eyes. "Wobble took my thank you note and flew off with it already."

"She just sent those this morning," Hermione noted, arching her brow at Julius. "How is it that you knew they were waiting here when most of Hogwarts is still asleep?"

Julius looked skyward with a smile. A guilty peep came from Julius' black hair.

"What a little tattle-tale," Hermione said, tapping the black beak sticking out of his hair. The young phoenix stuck her head out of Julius' hair and looked at Hermione with wide appeasing eyes. Hermione schooled her face into impassiveness as she stroked the little bird under the chin and then used her fingers to tickle her under her wings. Ember peeped, flapping her wings in excitement and gave her a warble that sounded like bubbles being blown in milk.

Julius grinned at his mother as her face cracked into a smile. "She sent pictures into my head this time, mum!"

Hermione smiled proudly. "That is very good, Julius. It figures she would send her first mental image of food."

Julius beamed and chuckled, breaking off a piece of his bagel for the young chick. Ember gulped it down enthusiastically.

"Julius, would you please take your sister a couple of the bagels and cream cheese? I doubt she has the little feathered spy network working in her favor," Hermione grinned.

Julius grinned. "Sure, mum! She likes the garlicky ones that make your breath smell for hours. She can have them!"

Hermione stifled a laugh. "You had better have left a poppy seed one for myself and your father, young man, or there will be words."

Julius flushed. "There are two left for you and father," he placated.

"Hmm," Hermione said, arching a brow, having no doubt that there would only be two left for herself and her husband.

Julius eyed the plate of brownies and shortbread cookies. "Ooo! From Grandma Weasley? May I have one?"

Hermione chuckled, glad she had checked them for magical residue before her son had found them. "You may."

Julius plucked a brownie off the stack and took a bite happily. "Nana's brownies are the best way to start the day!"

"Don't let my father or mother catch you eating brownies for breakfast, Julius. I will never live it down," Hermione scolded.

Julius gave her his best halo look. "I would never be caught partaking of tooth decay in front of Grandma and Grandma Granger," he announced proudly.

"Mmmhmm," Hermione said in reply, ruffling her son's black hair with a gentle tussle. "Is Hagrid taking your class out into the forest today?"

"Yes, mum," Julius said with a nod.

"You have fun out there today," she said with a nod. "Please give my best to Firenze."

"I will," Julius nodded emphatically. "Mother?"

"Hmm?"

"May I take Ember with me today in the forest?"

Hermione eyed the young phoenix chick, who was trying her best to puff up and look ready for anything. "You may. Be careful out there today."

"Always, mum," Julius said with an uplift of his chin.

"Off with you," Hermione said with a grin. "Get some more food into you other than bagels and brownies as well."

Julius hugged his mother. "I will! Goodbye, Aunt Ginny. Please tell Nana her brownies are the best," he said and dashed out the door, robes whipping behind him.

Hermione turned her head to eye Prince. The phoenix chirruped sweetly as she approached and fed him one of his favorite gooseberries. She closed her eyes a moment and then opened them. Prince touched his beak to her chin and launched off his perch and followed in the wake of her son's exit. Hermione gave Pyre a fig, and the female phoenix gulped it down and rubbed her head against Hermione's cheek before following after her mate.

"I'm lucky to get more than a grunt from James or Albus in the mornings when they come back on breaks," Ginny complained. "How is it that your children are not only up at the crack of dawn with a smile, but also have have manners and the ability to speak the Queen's English?"

"I blame Severus," Hermione said matter-of-factly. "You know I wasn't a bonified early morning riser when I was their age, even though my parents say when I was really young, I was up with the birds. I still blame Severus."

Ginny looked horrified at the idea of blaming good manners and cheerfulness on Severus Snape.

"And what are you blaming me for, wife?" Severus' deep rumble broke into the room as the dark wizard flowed into the room like water. He had a poppy seed bagel slathered in cream cheese in his hand.

"Our progeny's early morning rising habits," Hermione answered.

Severus lifted a brow and closed the distance between them. His lips lowered to hers and they shared a chaste good morning kiss. He took a bite of the bagel and fluidly held it up to Hermione's face.

Hermione smiled and took a shared bite out of his bagel. His eyes flickered with amusement as his thumb gently wiped the cover of her mouth to clear off a smear of cream cheese.

"Good morning, Ms. Potter," Severus rumbled absently, as if commenting on the weather in Spain. "I trust you are recovered from your intoxicated relapse into childhood?"

Ginny blushed fiercely, turning her head away. "Yes, sir. I apologize for any trouble I may have caused you."

Severus' dark eyes flicked to the side to stare at her. "It is not I that requires the apology," he said softly, in a tone that spoke of all the things he would have done to her had she still been a student.

Severus pressed his nose to Hermione's neck and inhaled softly. "I will be in Minerva's office if you have need of me," he said softly. "Or if you need help… hiding the body." Severus' voice did not waver and his expression remained as expressionless as ever. His eyes flicked towards Ginevra and alighted upon her face long enough to cause Ginny to gulp and avert her eyes.

Hermione touched his cheek with her fingers and gently traced the line of his jaw. "I will see you at breakfast, yes?"

"Indeed," he replied, turning on his heels and gliding out of the room towards the exit portal.

After Severus left, Hermione moved over to the chair by the fireplace and sat in it, gesturing for Ginny to take the opposite seat. "So," she said with a sniff. "Tell me about what George was planning on doing with that wondrous concoction."

Ginny looked uncomfortable. "Apparently it was a custom order from a wizard in Liverpool. George didn't know much, save that it was for a 'party of wizards that need to get out more' and he was willing to compensate him greatly for his time. The client gave him the recipe for the potion and the antidote and requested that it put in some typical party food."

Hermione's gaze darkened somewhat. "And why would a wizard from Liverpool go all the way to London's Diagon Alley and seek out George to do a custom potion order?"

Ginny shook her head. "George has been getting custom orders a lot from many different places now that his new advertising has gone through. This was just one of many he was doing. Mostly custom joke potions that turn your hair odd colors or flavor beans that jump around when you want to pick one up."

Hermione sighed. "I realize George does his business where he can get it, but I'm not sure that one will be good, even in jest. Besides… why was he baking them at the Burrow instead of, oh I don't know, his own house?"

Ginny waved her hands. "I don't know, 'Mione," she said. "I'm angry with him too you know. And I really am sorry for that garbage I spewed out at you."

Hermione rubbed her temple with her fingers with a sigh. "I forgive you, Ginny. It was just very… hurtful. You're the last person I expected that kind of rubbish to come from."

Ginny shook her head. "I don't either, really, and I said it."

Hermione's eyebrows furrowed. "If it will make you say such horrible things, Ginny, what will it do to someone else? I hope George is ready for the repercussions of that particular tidbit."

Ginny shook her head. "He seemed rattled, Hermione, but he did sign a contract as well. About all he can do is not work with that particular client again." Ginny looked at Hermione. "Haven't you or Professor Snape ever made potions for someone else that could be considered dangerous?"

Hermione sighed softly as Ginny danced around Severus' first name yet again in a habitual dance that both she and her husband were guilty of. Technically, Hermione was also Professor Snape, so the irony was never lost on every time it happened. At least, and sometimes Hermione thought of it as at the very least, the use of his title was in respect instead of fear induced cowering of a twelve year old anymore. It was better than the past use of his last name spit out like a curse, which was thankfully in the past.

"Very few potions that we brew are not dangerous, Ginny," Hermione replied. "All of them are capable of being abused. Even the burn salve, which is not dangerous when used for that purpose, is not something you want to accidentally eat. We had a student attempt to heal a burn in their mouth using the standard burn paste. He swallowed some of it and didn't leave the loo for the entire weekend until some members of his House got him to the hospital wing."

Ginny looked at Hermione with horror plastered across her face, and she turned her head to look at the floor shortly after.

Hermione intentionally broke eye contact with Ginny slightly before Ginny herself turned away, having unconsciously picked up on Ginny's desire to both throttle her brother for putting strain on her friendship with Hermione and her equal desire to defend her brother's actions for the good of his business.

Hermione pondered if Weasley family loyalty was ingrained, and it didn't seem to matter how bad things got. Sometimes, Hermione noticed, their loyalty defied all sense of reason. It was almost as if the family was a giant singular organism and the family members were just pieces of that greater whole. Then again, Hermione mused, Molly was as the heart of the family, and she had no problem at all chewing out her children or her husband when they erred something awful. Maybe Ginny's conflicted opinion on George's horrible potion spiked brownies was just Ginny being Ginny.

Hermione's thoughts screeched to a halt. "Ginny. I need you to go see Madam Pomfrey and have her scan you right away." She stood abruptly and gave Ginny a look that brokered no refusal.

Ginny stood up, looking very confused. "What's the matter?"

Hermione's eyes had darkened, taking her emotional expression with it. "George gave you an antidote for the potion he created. A liquid potion that had already been crafted."

Ginny just looked at Hermione with incomprehension.

Hermione sighed at her friend, shooing her in front of her. "When George put the potion into the brownies and baked them, it changed the potion from what it was into something different. The antidote may not have countered everything. It's a miracle it worked at all. Go!"

Ginny paled and rushed out the door.

Hermione grabbed a quill from the nearby desk and a piece of parchment and hurriedly wrote out a note to George.

George,

Your potion has been changed when you baked them into the brownies. Your antidote may not have cured everything. I am having Ginny goto see Poppy and see if there are unseen problems. For the love of Merlin, do not give your client the remaining botched brownies.

Hermione

She rolled up the parchment and quickly poured wax on the edge and smashed her half of the normally dual seal into the cooling wax. A soft hoot came from an owl as it flew into the room as if sensing her need. It was Mother, bless her, coming to her aide when Prince and Pyre were off keeping an eye on Julius.

Mother hooted and rubbed her beak against Hermione's fingers as she tied the note to her leg. Hermione stroked the owl tenderly between the eyes and offered her a treat from the desk. The owl swallowed it happily, making it disappear within seconds.

Hermione closed her eyes and sent Mother the mental picture of George. The owl hooted, spread her wings, and flew off.

Hermione hurried out the door an rushed down the corridor and up the stairs to the main floor. The moment she hit the outer halls, she transformed, her great wings unfurling as they carried her up and out of the courtyard and into the sky towards the hospital wing.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Severus placed a hand on Hermione's shoulder as she sat vigil over both the bed of her sleeping daughter and her unconscious friend. Hermione looked up at him with relief, leaning into his touch with a tired smile.

"Dare I even ask?" Severus rumbled softly.

Hermione pulled him down to her level, forcing him to squat down by her chair. She placed her head to his.

Severus pulled away a minute later, weariness written on his face.

"Poppy says she'll be okay. She had her drink a few detox potions of various kinds and managed to reverse the effects of the damage she was doing to her liver. She's on a sleeping draught right now to keep her body focused on healing," Hermione sighed wearily. "Poppy said to give her a few days to insure she doesn't hamper her own recovery."

Severus nodded. "The woman is a healing miracle worker in her own right," he said.

Hermione smiled a little.

"It was good you thought of that in time, Hermione," Severus reassured his wife. "I will admit that the thought did not occur to me once the antidote was administered and Mrs. Potter showed up this morning looking well."

Hermione shook her head. "I almost didn't see the connection either until I remembered that George's client gave him the recipe and the antidote requesting it be put into a party food. George just happened to pick brownies, which required the extra cooking step."

"So, if he had put it into the punch like a twelve-year-old causing mischief at the Winter Dance, it would probably have the effect the client had truly intended," Severus replied with a sigh. "This is why potions should never be considered safe enough for casual mischief."

"I tend to agree, at least in this case," Hermione said with a shake of her head. "All of this goes down before we have even had breakfast, Severus. I am afraid of what is going to happen after breakfast."

Severus stood up and pulled his wife to her feet. "Let us at least enjoy breakfast together before whatever other catastrophe falls upon us."

"Julius is out in the Forbidden Forest with Hagrid today," Hermione replied, linking her arm with his. "I sent Prince and Pyre to keep watch over him."

Severus rolled his eyes. "Probably wise, knowing Hagrid's tendency to be an unintentional trouble magnet."

"He'll be fine, Severus," Hermione chuckled as they left the hospital wing together.

"Hrm," Severus grunted, keeping his eyes forward as they walked. "Would it be too much to ask for a peaceful remainder of the day?"

Hermione patted his arm with her hand. "Minerva is coming back today."

"Glorious," he replied with a roll of his eyes.

"See? The day is better already," Hermione smiled up at Severus with warmth in her eyes.

Severus made no verbal reply, but his hand moved to cover hers and squeezed it gently.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

A/N: This chapter was was inspired by one of my professors stating (after a student speculated "what happens if someone slipped hashish into the brownies and you didn't know it" in regards to unscheduled drug testing) that "if you were hanging out with friends that put hashish in the brownies and not tell you, why were they even friends with them to begin with?"