Chapter 78 ~ The Consensus

After lunch, Hermione, Ginny and Susan tested the house for tell-tale signs of Dark Magic while the wizards brought in Snape's things. Mostly, these items consisted of his books, his lab equipment and boxes of ingredients. The books were brought into the drawing room and the equipment carefully transported to the cellar. Ron and Harry were transporting the boxes from the porch to the cellar entrance outside the house, then Draco and Blaise brought them down the cellar stairs and Snape carefully put them in the areas he wanted.

Blaise grumbled about his not knowing he'd be used as the "help."

"Servants should be doing this," he said, frowning as he levitated a large box directed to him from Draco at the top of the stairs, down the rest of the way to Snape. "Don't you have servants?"

"No. I didn't want them," Snape replied from the bottom of the stairs, catching the box with magic and setting it to the side.

Draco looked incredulous at this. He didn't want servants?

He realized Snape had grown up poor, but he had been given the opportunity to have servants and turned it down? That meant he would have to cook and clean for himself. Then he realized Hermione would be here. She'd probably do that for him. Witches were good for something other than shagging after all.

Hermione would have hexed Draco back to King's Cross if she knew that the little, pampered prat thought she'd be a house frau for Severus. Sure, she would do some of the cooking and cleaning, but so would Snape. She was here to learn and improve just as much as he was.

Snape winced as he heard Ron curse and the sound of glass breaking.

"Ron, you clumsy oaf!" Draco said with disgust as Ron stood up and brushed himself off.

"Oi, I'm all right," he said. "Just took a misstep."

He had stepped on a loose shoelace dangling from his trainer and tripped, dropping the box he was levitating. Harry was laughing from the porch.

Snape just shook his head at Weasley's clumsiness, although he wasn't angry. He'd be able to repair any broken glassware and they were moving a lot of boxes.

He wondered how Hermione was doing.

None of the wizards were aware of the pair of sharp blue eyes watching them work their magic from between the copse of trees.

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Hermione, Ginny and Susan moved from room to room, their wands carefully covering every inch of space as they investigated closets, bathrooms, cabinets and every recessed area as they tested for Dark magic.

"Will they even register?" Ginny asked as she rose from her knees after checking under a bed.

"I don't know, Ginny, but I'm not getting any indication of any Dark magic ever being here. There is usually some residual negative energy left behind," Hermione replied with a slight frown.

"Maybe—maybe it was all imagination," Susan said. "Maybe Crowley just believed he summoned forces. Could he see them?"

"In a manner of speaking—not clearly. They were shadowy. But he had a method of identifying their physical presences. He built a terrace and covered it with fine sand from the Loch. The forces supposedly left footprints."

"Well, that was convenient," Susan said with a smile that showed she was starting not to believe there had ever been anything sinister at Boleskine House except what was in the Muggle imagination.

"That's where he summoned them, I think. He kept them in that area with drawn circles they couldn't cross. I'm not sure if they were pentagrams, but something similar," Hermione informed her.

"So, we definitely need to check the terrace," Ginny said, heading out of the door and down the entrance hall to the drawing room. A door had been constructed and opened on the north, and a stone terrace. The door was closed and locked securely.

Hermione and Susan followed Ginny in, and they stood looking at the heavy door.

"This room was where he performed his rituals and out there is the terrace. Supposedly, he summoned both good and evil forces and they kind of marched around in a procession. The demons came because they wanted to overcome him, so he used himself as a lure."

"Well, let's see if any of them hung about. Alohamora!" Ginny said, unlocking the door and pushing it open. There was an unassuming enclosed terrace made of stone. Again, there was nothing dark they could sense as they carefully tested the area.

"No. Nothing here," Ginny said, turning to Hermione. "Looks like we came here for nothing. There's nothing evil in Boleskine House."

"But there were so many reports," Hermione said uncertainly. "Not everyone could have made them up."

She hated being uncertain about anything.

"It's not a waste. It's a beautiful house. So, we don't have to banish demons. We can still help set up everything and enjoy being here," Susan said to Hermione. "I'm thrilled to be here. It's still an adventure to me and I'm glad you asked me to come."

Hermione smiled at Susan. She really was a good egg and knew how to find the good side of things. No wonder Ron liked her so much.

"Still, it would have been cool to face something—different," Ginny said wistfully as they left the room.

"I bet your mum will be happy about this," Susan said to her. "She was so worried Ron would be spirited away."

"Yeah, she would be."

The witches left the room without closing the terrace doors back. They didn't see the slight, shadowy forms that momentarily materialized and milled about excitedly before fading out.

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"So, I'm afraid there's no evidence of Dark forces here," Hermione told everyone as they sat around the kitchen island eating sandwiches and drinking milk. "We're sorry to have brought you all here for nothing."

Ron looked at Hermione.

"What do you mean 'For nothing?' This place is great, Hermione. I'll be glad to hang about a few days, help Sev set up and just have a bit of R&R. What about you, Harry?"

Harry nodded enthusiastically.

"I'm not ready to leave, are you, Ginny?" he asked his girlfriend.

Blaise's dark eyes shifted toward her.

"No. Not yet. All we'd do is hang around the Burrow if we went home. Here we can do what we want."

"I'm definitely staying. I was shocked Mum and Dad let me come. I'm not in a hurry to go home," Susan added.

Everyone looked at Draco and Blaise. Draco looked very disappointed.

"I was hoping to face off with a few demons," he said somewhat dejectedly. "I wanted to—to face a challenge."

"Well, hang about a bit. I could ambush you a few times. That'll keep you on your toes," Ron offered, his blue eyes narrowed a bit.

"I could summon demons for you, Draco," Blaise said soberly. "You can face them."

Everyone looked at him. That was definitely Dark magic and Hermione said so.

Blaise looked at her coldly.

"I'm a Dark wizard, Granger. Doing Dark magic is second nature for me. Don't act like I'm doing anything out of character. I'm a Slytherin, not a Gryffindor, remember? Draco came here to face demons. If I can help him, I will. Unless Snape objects—"

Snape looked at Blaise, then Draco, who looked a bit hopeful. Why not? If Blaise could summon demons, he could banish them as well. And there was plenty of space to practice without getting in anyone's way.

"I have no problem with it, Blaise, as long as you don't do it in Boleskine House itself. If it is demon-free, I want to keep it that way," Snape said as Hermione frowned at him and Draco smiled broadly.

Blaise nodded somberly, and Ginny's eyes flicked toward him for a moment, then away. Summoning demons was a dangerous business. Blaise was an arse, but he was courageous.

Blaise suddenly looked at Harry.

"Care to come along, Potter? For support?" he asked him, sounding as if he expected him to say no. But he had a reason for asking.

"Well, I was going to take Ginny for a walk around the grounds—" he started to say.

"That sounds exciting," Blaise said, mirth in his eyes as he turned them on Ginny, who reddened. She was thinking of how he said Harry was boring.

"No. No, he'll go. We'll both go," she said quickly. "Right, Harry?"

Harry blinked at her.

"If you want to, Ginny," he acquiesced.

What a bloody wimp, Blaise thought.

"Well, Susan and I are going to explore the area in our Animagus forms," Ron announced, starting on his sixth sandwich. The girls had eaten two apiece and the wizards, only three.

"Ron, you certainly are hungry. Hungrier than usual," Susan observed.

"I know," he said around the sandwich. "I can't help myself. They just taste so good—"

"What are your plans tonight, Severus?" Harry asked him.

The wizard looked at Hermione intensely.

"I had hoped Hermione would go flying with me," he said softly.

Hermione blushed.

"Of course I will," she replied. "The Master of Boleskine House needs to familiarize himself with his domain."

"The Master," Snape purred at her suggestively. "I like the sound of that."

Everyone went a little quiet at the blatant sexuality in Snape's remark and Hermione turned crimson and grabbed her cold milk, drinking down a large amount of it. Susan rose and collected the empty platters and plates. Hermione quickly hopped up to help her.

Blaise stood up.

"It's getting dark. We should go now and find a place to practice," he said. Draco rose eagerly. Harry and Ginny also stood up.

"So, let's go," Ginny said. There was challenge in her voice as she looked at Blaise, who smirked at her, then turned and led the way out of the kitchen.

Hermione and Susan washed and dried the dishes and put them away, then Ron and Susan left, leaving Snape alone in the kitchen with Hermione. She looked at him.

"I really was hoping there were demons, here, Severus. It would have been exciting to try and banish them, doubly so because they were a product of Muggle magic. I planned to document the entire thing," she told him.

"I wouldn't have expected any less, Hermione," he said softly. "But I hope you aren't too disappointed. We have another, more pressing purpose for being here. Potions."

"Yes. You're right of course, but that would have been a real feather in my cap, documenting demons summoned by a Muggle. I'm so good at gathering groundbreaking information. Few can do it like I can," she said.

Snape listened to her boast, a bit surprised.

"Yes—you are good at it," he said slowly.

"The best," she replied a bit sharply.

He didn't answer that. There were many good researchers in the wizarding world. He frowned slightly. She sounded pompous. Hermione always sounded confident about her abilities, but never like this. Maybe she just didn't realize how arrogant she sounded this time. He decided to leave it alone. Everyone had their moments.

"Are you ready to go flying?" he asked her.

"Yes."

"Good. Just let me go get my broom."

"Your—your broom?"

"Yes, my broom."

Hermione looked a bit disturbed. Why did he want to take his Firebolt?

"But, we always fly with you as a Gryffin," she told him.

"I know, Hermione," he said, rising and walking up to her. He took both her hands in his, then kissed her lips softly and quickly.

"But, as a Gryffin, I can't hold you," he said softly, "and I want to hold you tonight when we fly. You'll let me do that, won't you?"

Hermione looked up at him and gave him a smile. Flying under the moon in his arms would be wonderful, even if it was on a broomstick.

"Of course I will," she said.

"Good. Just let me get my Firebolt," he said, exiting the kitchen.

Hermione sat back down on one of the stools and waited.

From the furthermost right corner of the kitchen, she was quietly being observed

If we are delicate with our influence, eventually everything she does, she'll feel is genius—

An evil chuckle rippled the ethers in response

--whether it is or not.

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"I still can't believe you gave Blaise permission to summon demons here, Severus," Hermione said as she rested against him. They were lazily flying low over the grounds.

"You seem to forget, I summoned a demon with you before," he said softly.

"Well, that was different," Hermione said, frowning.

"Why? Because it was me and you? There's no difference. We aren't special, Hermione. Others have the right to take chances as well. It's not as if Blaise is going to send the demons after us—"

"I wouldn't put it past him. He's just so—so dark," she said. "If he had it in for one of us, there's no telling what he could do."

"He doesn't have it 'in' for any of us, Hermione. Stop being so paranoid and enjoy the night—and me. This is our first night at Boleskin. It's—special. No more Blaise."

Snape's arms tightened around her as he gained altitude, Hermione leaning back against him. She wasn't as scared now. Flying with him in his Gryffin form had desensitized her concerning heights, although she preferred the safety of the saddle to sitting side-saddle on a slender broomstick. But she trusted Severus, and he held her gently and firmly as if he'd never let her go.

After a minute or two, Snape said, "Isn't that a barn?"

Yes, they could make it out in the waning moonlight. A very large barn. Snape circled overhead a few times, then landed before the building, letting Hermione off then reducing and pocketing his broom. Catching hold of Hermione's hand, he pulled open one of the large doors and led her inside. He lit the tip of his wand and looked around.

"Oh, Severus—should we be in here?"

"I'm the current Master of Boleskine House, aren't I? This barn is part of my domain," Snape replied. He saw a lantern hanging on a beam and retrieved it, lighting it with the tip of his wand and turning up the flame so it gave a warm glow.

There were tools, riggings, barrels, stalls and other items here, but no animals. It seemed the barn was used for general storage. In the center of it was a huge pile of fresh, sweet-smelling hay. Snape looked at it, and then back at Hermione.

He smiled lasciviously.

"The Master of the Manor wants a tumble in the hay," he said to Hermione.

"In the hay? Severus, it'll get in my hair and everything," she said reluctantly.

"It's much better than sand," he replied, pulling her into a kiss and falling into the hay with her.

A/N: The "everything she does is genius" is a paraphrasing of a quote I'd read someplace. I'll try and find it to credit it later. Busy day with the double-lunged duo aka the Twins. They're tag teaming grandma again. I change, feed and put one down to sleep and the other wakes up. I know it's an "evil baby" conspiracy. Lol. They turned 3 months on the 29th. I need to get some batteries and upload pics. Dante is HUGE. Shante's so tiny and cute. Anyway, thanks for reading.