A/N: I wasn't going to post this until tomorrow but... *shrug* Here you are!

Chapter Eleven

Hermione spent the following few days recovering from her ordeal with Dobby. She now understood that it was more than work for house-elves. They viewed themselves as a part of their family, taking care of the silly humans who clearly couldn't manage on their own.

She had started to write a separate chapter just on the elves, making sure to include that there were things people could do to let them know they were appreciated in ways that wouldn't offend them—like she had so, so often. She made it a point to ask Minerva about offering some home items and sweets and such for the elves as well. Everyone knew how much Winky liked her Butterbeer.

Most of her time was taken up with her writing, but she did make sure she had a bit of a break each day to relax and enjoy the snow around the castle, though it was cold enough she generally enjoyed it from inside. The Christmas decorations were always something to look forward to, as well as the food and the fact that students would be gone for a bit, leaving the library to Hermione once again.

Currently Hermione was back in her room after a morning of writing and taking a bit of a walk. She was attempting to tackle a different task that her usual intellectual pursuits.

Stuffing her new dress into her closet.

It wasn't going well.

It had hung from a hanger on the door for a day or two but she was afraid someone would come in and see it. It was time for it to go into the closet.

After much trial and error, she gave up and Flooed Minerva, asking for her expertise.

"With what, my dear?"

"Just come and see," said Hermione, humiliated that she couldn't solve such a simple issue.

Minerva picked up the hem of her robes and gracefully came through the fireplace, immediately oohing and ahhing over the sight of the hard-to-miss dress. "Is this your Godmother dress?" she asked.

Hermione nodded.

"Where did you find it? Did it show up here?"

Hermione's lips pursed. "It was in Professor Snape's room."

"In Severus's! Oh my. Did he find it?" asked Minerva with a hand held to her heart in shock.

"No, I did. I was in there helping Dobby clean, learning about the house-elves."

"For your book?"

"Yes, for the book, and Dobby wished people would understand more about the elves. You know I've always been curious, so I followed him for a day and helped him tidy up the professors' rooms. Apparently, it's against their code to clean your own. So, I was in there, I saw the dress, Dobby informed me it was mine, and now I can't even get it into the closet."

"Did he see it?"

"No." Hermione shook her head. "It was a close call though. I was trying it on when we heard him coming back. Dobby quickly changed it into a tea towel before the professor saw me."

Minerva tittered. "That must have been dreadful. And he didn't have a heart attack at the sight of you? I'm sure that's something Severus doesn't see often unless Sybil's been dipping into the sherry. Here, let me see what I can do with the dress."

She thought over what Hermione had told her while trying her magic on the outfit. She had found the dress in Severu's room? That seemed awfully significant. There was some lore about Godmothers and their dresses. Each was tailored specifically to the witch, and she didn't find the dress until she was considered an official Godmother. Well, she would be recognized as one the first time she wore it in public. Whether she announced it or not, the magic would. From then on, she would not be able to put down the mantle of Godmother until her death. Anyone she married would have to be approved of by the magic. It was an interesting and complex process.

And to find the dress in a man's quarters? Minerva pondered if the magic already telling her something.

Well if it was, she would let them figure it out on their own. No use making them run in opposite directions when it seemed they were becoming friends.

After several failed spells to, and the combined physical efforts of the two women which resulted in much huffing and puffing it was determined that the dress wouldn't be transfigured in any way. Neither would the closet. One would simply not fit into the other using magic nor might. The women finally just gave up and put it in the room next to Hermione's.

Hermione had actually broken into a sweat fighting with the fabric. After seeing Minerva off, she decided to go on a coin hunt, partially to run her irritated hands in the cool water. She only had a few coins left in her purse and none of them were calling to her. Her research was going well, and she was enjoying it, but not as much as she thought she would. Her mind kept wandering off. It wandered off wondering who had a wish to be fulfilled and what it would be; she was an awfully curious person after all. It wandered off whenever a person walked past, imagining what they could be wishing. It wandered off picturing Severus's face when he had walked in and found her in nothing but a towel.

It really liked wandering back there. She'd like to repeat that again sometime, perhaps, but under slightly different circumstances.

She was smiling as she sat on her knees and kneeled over the fountain's edge, running her hands over the top layer of coins. Who knew how many coins were in the fountain? She knew ones that were fulfilled disappeared, but what if the person passed away? Could a person only have one wish at a time, or in their life? Hermione was always burning with questions.

She picked up a few Sickles and let them drop one by one into the water and listened to the sound they made. Holding on to the last one, she turned it so the sun glinted off the metal, allowing her to catch the name.

Crookshanks the Magnificent.

Oh, you have got to be kidding. She had to fulfill a wish for her icat/i? She began to question if creatures could cast wishes but she had already had a wish from a house-elf, hadn't she? With a groan, she sat back to read.

I wish to become further acquainted with the cute tabby.

"Thanks for being vague, Crooks," she thought. That only narrowed it down to every cat he had ever come across. And she couldn't believe she was actually considering doing this, but it was the one that had caught her attention.

The irritated part of her was wondering if she should just start calling out "Here, Kitty, Kitty," but she knew she needed some kind of systematic plan. What was she supposed to do? Hold a Feline mixer party?

She went back into her room and waited for Crookshanks to come back for his nightly meal. When he finally decided to show himself, she made him a plate and sat beside him to chat.

"So. You think you've found yourself a lady friend."

He ignored her.

"You know you're fixed, right?"

Still no answer from the cat as he continued to eat.

"And Crookshanks the Magnificent? Really?"

This finally earned a response as he purred louder, seemingly to be pleased by her calling him by his full title.

"I found your wish," she finally stated abruptly. This caused him to stop purring immediately and look at her. "The one about finding the tabby."

"Merow?" Crookshanks answered with a flick of his tail. Hermione knew he didn't understand everything she said, but he seemed to comprehend most of it.

"My thoughts too. And apparently, someone in the cosmos thinks it would be funny if I had to fulfill your wish. Of course, it's not like you can give me a description, but you were able to make a wish appear so you must really like her. Is it a her?"

He hissed at her.

"I'll take that as a yes then. Let me compile a list of known pets in the castle and around town, okay?"

She knew Flitwick had a cat. And Mrs Norris, of course. She was pretty sure Minerva had one as well, and there were always a few around the greenhouse and Hagrid's hut. Who knew if he went all the way to Hogsmead. Blasted feline.

Gathering up Crookshanks, she headed out to the greenhouses first since that was where there was a higher concentration of cats. Once outside, she clipped his leash. She had found out early that he would walk with her when he wanted to, being of a higher intelligence than most cats. He liked to be with her, and she rewarded him afterward with a treat or play time. It was cold, being December, but the day lacked the biting cold that could come across the Highlands. A thick jacket was enough for her needs as she followed the worn path through the snow.

As she arrived, it was easy to see the cat tracks leading in and away from each greenhouse. The cats liked to hide underneath the tables of plants and Sprout allowed it since they kept the mice, who were also tried to sneak in, away from the plants and seeds.

Hermione called to the cats in the greenhouse and shook a few of Crookshanks's favorite treats on the ground. Soon, the word spread and the swish of happy tales could be seen emerging from dark corners and coming in from the other green houses. When they appeared to be all gathered, she unclipped her half-Kneazle and let him socialize and play. None of them appeared to be the cat in question, but he still enjoyed all of his fellow feline friends gathered together. Hermione cast lumos and allowed them to chase the beam of her wand, careful not to disturb the plants.

Soon after, it was time for them to return to the castle and settle in for the evening. It was getting late and quite dark as they walked the path up to the main doors. She helped gather a few straggling students, nodding at Severus as he came towards her, then smiling as he passed. He looked cute all bundled in wool on his way to walk the perimeter. Not that she was going to tell him that. Ever.

Severus wore a skeptical look as he watched Hermione lead her cat up to the castle but the cat seemed fairly compliant. He greeted her back as she passed him before sticking his hands deep in his pockets with a smile. He was always a little cold, having been anemic most of his life, like were most of the kids in his neighborhood. But Hermione looked warm with a rosy glow in her cheeks and fur trimmed jacket, and somehow, that made him feel warmer as well.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a lone student straggler, hurrying in before curfew and giving him a strange and wary look after seeing the expression on the professor's face. A smile from Professor Snape was possibly one of the most terrifying things he had seen.

"Cauldwell!" Snape snapped. "Quit gaping and get inside!"

The student picked up the pace, feeling a bit better.

Hermione didn't have much luck over the next few days. Crooks and Flitwick's cat, Willow, had quite a friendship, but she didn't seem to be the tabby he had in mind. Hagrid's cat, it turned out, was a boy. He hissed at Crookshanks without coming near, thinking that he was a rival for his territory. Crooks just gave him a defiant flip of the tail and pranced off in the snow towards the Billywigs Hagrid kept in a jar in the window.

She was sure Minerva had a cat, but she never could find her. Mrs Norris seemed to be everywhere they were when they went walking through the castle. Hermione didn't have to put him on a leash inside; he would just trot beside her like a spaniel. Mrs Norris liked to come rub up against Crooks, or she would pounce at them from around the corner. When they saw her with Mr. Filch, she would always walk a few steps ahead of him, as though distancing herself.

Hermione wasn't very good with Kneazles, but she thought Mrs Norris might be carrying a torch for her Crooks. It didn't seem to be returned however, which was a shame. There could only be so many cats of their caliber in the castle, but it seemed he had his eye on a different one.

The next day, they just walked around aimlessly, hoping to find the right one. They traipsed around to the kitchens, and the trophy hall, and down into the dungeons. Hermione was just waiting for this so-called good luck to kick in. Things were supposed to just fall into place for her, right? Was she a Godmother, or wasn't she?

"Oh! Excuse me," Hermione said as she almost collided with the master of the dungeons himself.

"What are you doing down here?" he asked puzzled, then looked down. "And with your cat again."

"Mrrow," Crooks told him, put out. Why shouldn't he be with his mistress?

"He doesn't mean anything by it," Hermione told her cat, giving him a pet. To Severus, she answered, "Well, you know he is half-Kneazle and quite intelligent."

Crooks purred louder again.

"Of course only you would have to have an above-average familiar," he murmured which she chose to ignore.

"It seems he has a friend, a lady friend, that he made an acquaintance with and now he can't find her. We've been all over the castle and around the grounds outdoors but can't find her, so we're taking a stroll to see if she can be found."

"So, let me see if I understand you correctly. You are trying to find a piece of tail…for your cat?"

"It isn't like that!" she huffed. "Crookshanks has been—"

"MEROW!"

"Well, I'm sorry, Crooks, it's true. It's better for you in the long run and we won't add to the population! Crooks has been fixed, so it's not like that."

"Sorry, mate," he said to the cat apologetically. "But he is half-Kneazle. Maybe it isn't for repro—Merlin's titties, Hermione. I am not going to stand in the hallway and discuss your cat's sex life." Severus motioned for them to follow him, chagrined.

After leading them to his room around the corner, Hermione filled him in on what they had found so far and what she thought they were looking for.

"I think I may know the cat you are referring to. She prowls through this way on occasion, but it's typically rather late. Would you be willing to meet here this evening, say, one hour to midnight?"

Hermione agreed to his strange request. This must be her luck making itself known.

Plus, she got to spend a little more time with Severus.

That evening, she came down to his room wearing a comfy set of pajamas. It was rather late, after all, and it was nothing improper. Severus said nothing as he admitted her into his rooms.

"I'll go see if I can find her. Just make yourselves comfortable. I should be back shortly."

He left the room, and Hermione sighed to herself. She wished she had some excuse to see him more often, but she really didn't. Setting her cat down, she went into Severus's room, curling up on the bed to wait. Hermione took the book off the table beside what was clearly his favorite armchair, turning it over to see if it was something she would care to read.

As she did so, a photograph that was his bookmark fell out of the pages. Hermione turned it over to find a photograph of a young woman sitting by the Black Lake. Her back was to the photographer as the woman sat reading very intently, her long chestnut hair blowing a bit in the subtle breeze.

She was quite pretty, Hermione thought. This almost looked like one of the photos Colin took while he was obsessed with Harry. But that would be silly because then the photo would be of her…

She had no time to get a closer look at the woman, who was about to turn her head as Severus came back through the door with a cat who was not pleased. The gray tabby was clawing at his jacket and long, stringy hair in her valiant attempt at freedom.

Hermione shoved the photo back into the book as Crookshanks came out of the bedroom at full gallop.

"Mmmerowerow?" asked Crooks as Severus let the other feline go. She bristled a bit as he sniffed around her, then bolted out of the room with the orange Kneazle on her heels.

"Crookshanks!" Hermione called, but it was pointless. He wasn't going to return until he was ready. She asked Severus, "How did you know which cat it was?"

"Lucky guess," he told her vaguely. "That one comes out late at night. It would make sense that you haven't seen her."

"Oh, that must be the Headmistress's cat!" Hermione said. "I figured she had one but I haven't seen her before. She's very pretty. Almost looks like Minerva's Animagus form. Well, I hope they can make friends."

"Me too," said Severus. "Me too."

They chatted for a while until another of Hermione's huge yawns had her begging her pardons. Severus saw her to the door, his hand resting briefly at the small of her back as he admired the close cut of her Muggle pajamas.

Later that evening, Severus stood in his own pajamas, ready for bed. As part of his evening ritual, he pressed a small stone in the wall near his armoire. The section pulled back, revealing a small alcove with a large standing mirror inside. He stood in front of the mirror, his face reflecting the confusion he saw. Before the fall of Voldemort, he always saw the same thing. Long, red hair, and smiling, green eyes.

But after, it was different. That image was gone, and the fog in the mirror just swirled and swirled, never coalescing into a recognizable form.

Bits and pieces were starting to glimmer into focus, but nothing made sense so far. Every evening, he stood in the same spot, watching for anything new. Tonight, perhaps a glint of gold? Maybe it was tawny. Maybe it was nothing.

"SEVERUS!" came a loud shriek from his now blasting fireplace. "I HAVE ALMOST BEEN ASSAULTED BY AN OVEREAGER TOMCAT, AND YOU HAVE SOME EXPLAINING TO DO!"

He gave a throaty laugh as the panel closed shut. "Coming, Minerva."