Disclaimer: Still not mine, you'd know if it was, my nametag would read J.K. Rowling and I'd be sharing a sherry with her Majesty the Queen!
A/N: Thanks to my darling beta, Fredrika, for her insight and help when I'm lost.
On a more personal note, I'll be working less now, so I should logically be writing more. Thanks for bearing with my late updates, I know it's bothersome...
Chapter 19: A semblance of peace.
"Lupin! Did you really think I'd let you spirit Hermione off without a say? I warned you there'd be consequences!" Severus spat as soon as the door was open, keeping the witch who had opened him protectively behind his back. He looked nothing more than an enraged bull but that didn't stop the Gryffindor wizard from standing his ground. Even when the angry man whipped out his short ebony wand and pointed it straight at him.
"Severus, this is none of your concern. Hermione is a smart, independent woman who can make her own choices." Remus answered calmly, although she could see a hint of anger lurking behind his eyes as he crossed his arms across his chest.
"And Hermione is right here and can speak for herself, thank you very much." She added, not bothering to cover her annoyance as she pushed past the tall, black-clad man, forcing his wand down on her way, to stand beside Remus again. She took the hand of the man she had unknowingly fallen in love with and squeezed it reassuringly, earning a snarl from Severus.
"You don't get it, Hermione! He is being an old, lecherous pervert." The Slytherin spat, pointing at Remus. "He's twice your age, he could be...ugh! He could be your father, Hermione! He should know better."
The witch looked Remus over with an amused expression. The Gryffindor didn't look anything like her dad, or any father she had ever met for that matter. Lifting the werewolf curse seemed to have given him back his youth and he barely looked thirty. She raised an eyebrow at Severus after her perusal of the now blushing Remus, conveying what she meant.
"He's taking advantage of you, Hermione. I only want to help you… to protect you." The Slytherin now said pleadingly, breaking her heart a little. He was being sincere, anyone could see that. She felt a twinge of guilt at being angry because Severus was being overprotective. It was actually… cute of him, in a snarly, scowling sort of way. But she couldn't let him disparage the man she had come to love either.
"Severus, you know very well Remus is not like that. And nobody would ever dare take advantage of me if they don't wish to be hexed beyond recognition. Just ask Edgecombe. Or McLaggen." She said reasonably.
Severus did smirk a little then at the memory, even though he tried hiding it, and the tension in the room eased a little.
"Besides, you're too late, Severus." She added in a teasing tone. "I mean, I did spend the whole night here, alone, with this sexy beast of a man…"
"Enough!" The dour man snapped."Lupin…" He growled again, but was interrupted by the witch's giggles.
"Oh, come on, Severus! Honestly! What do you think happened? We just fell asleep on the couch when the Pepper-Up wore off."
"And it's not any business of yours." Remus grumbled sullenly again, huffing exasperatedly.
"If Hermione is being preyed on by a former teacher of hers, it bloody well is." Severus answered snidely, knowing it was a low-blow and not caring one bit.
Remus blushed at the insinuation.
"I-I would never..." Remus stuttered.
"Of course you wouldn't, love. Severus is just kidding. Right, Severus?" Hermione said in a menacing tone as she narrowed her eyes at the Slytherin.
The man only snorted derisively but kept his peace, for now. Hermione was the most stubborn witch he had ever met, but he was sure she'd come around soon, now that the war was over.
"Did you really come all the way here to lecture me about who I'm allowed to date?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Date? DATE?" Severus started again before taking a deep steadying breath. "No. No, I just thought I'd kill two birds with one stone. Since you and Lupin saw fit to disappear and leave me in the hands of all those Weasleys, I was charged by Molly to invite you to her celebration party tonight. Apparently, 'everyone will be there and it will be absolutely delightful.'" Severus answered, finishing his tirade in a high-pitched falsetto as he tried to imitate the Weasley matriarch but failing miserably, sending the two Gryffindors into peals of laughter.
Despite Severus' mocking tones, the party was just as Molly had described it: packed full of just about everyone who was anyone in the Order, Hogwarts and the ministry as well as all the Weasley relatives, which resulted in a sea of red-headed guests milling about.
It was also tastefully decorated with gigantic colourful balloons and flowers, as well as small Weasley Wizarding Wheezes fireworks buzzing around aimlessly, turning the burrow and its illuminated garden into a rainbow pandemonium that would have put Dumbledore's gaudy robes to shame.
Hermione and Remus arrived together with a very sullen Severus tucked between them to prevent him from escaping. The Slytherin had thought that by being the messenger he could escape from attending the party, but that was without counting on Hermione's pleading puppy eyes and Remus' Marauder heritage stating that if it made Snape unhappy, then it was worth the trouble.
As soon as they were spotted, the trio had to suffer through a thunderous welcome of applause, well-wishes and hugs. It was hard to endure for the bookish and recluse Gryffindors who weren't used to all the attention, and it was hell for Severus who just despised everyone on principle.
"I hope Potter got it worse." Severus snarled and his two friends had to agree. They had been instrumental in taking Voldemort down, whereas Harry had dealt the killing curse. Surely, the poor Boy-Who-Lived was now lying around somewhere in agony with his bones crushed from all the well-meaning hugs, handshakes, pats, kisses… Hermione was considering summoning a giant hamster ball just to regain some personal space, but she kept a smile plastered on her face as she tried reaching the house itself to thank their host for the invitation. After what seemed an eternity of struggling against the current of the happy guests, they finally reached the beaming Mrs Weasley, leaning tipsily against her husband.
"Mr Weasley, Mrs Weasley, thank you for having us tonight." She said politely, as she had been taught by her parents.
"Although I don't think you would have noticed our absence." Remus added more cheekily, taking in the crowd packed into the Burrow.
"Nonsense, nonsense. You're our guests of honour!" The motherly matriarch answered amiably with a very slight slur. "And call me Molly. I must have told you a thousand times. HARRY!" The plump witch suddenly shouted, whirling around and startling them all. "Hermy- Hermoneenee- Harrymone… Damnit! Your friend's here, Harry!" Mrs Weasley finished, betraying the fact she was much drunker than she looked. Arthur looked apologetically at them and ushered his wife into the kitchen for a much needed cup of coffee.
Harry arrived from seemingly nowhere and urgently pushed the lot of them up the staircase. The wooden steps were ancient, creaky and very worn, scaring off most of the guests who had entertained the idea of seeking less crowded areas. He led them all the way to the room the twins had shared and that were still packed with crates and boxes of experimental Wheezes. Severus eyed them warily, having seem too much of the blasted things disrupt his classes already, usually from explosions.
"What-" She started asking but stopped just as soon, surprised at Harry's disheveled state. His haunted look reminded her of Sirius when he had come out of Azkaban.
"You have to help me! Please! I'm begging you!" He cried out, looking at each of them in turn.
Severus smirked, his dream come true as he witnessed a Potter finally begging him for something. If only he did so on his knees, he might even consider it…
Remus tried soothing the young man down, like he would a wounded wild animal and offered him some chocolate he fished out of his pocket. After a few minutes of gentle coaxing, they were able to get a somewhat coherent explanation out of him.
"They're everywhere! They won't let me sleep. And the women! Those witches are evil! Spiking my food and lacing my drinks with love potions. Evil, I tell you. And the owls... I can't escape the owls… their tap-tap-tap on the window panes... it's driving me insane! Tap-tap-tap, tap-tap-tap-" Harry lamented, tapping the side of his head as he spoke.
The trio shared a glance. It looked like the wizarding world's hero was clearly losing it.
"What do you want us to do, Harry?" Hermione finally asked in a soft voice after her two friends had nodded for her to do so. "I'm afraid we can't go around stunning owls and witches left and right, but maybe if you stayed hidden under the fidelius a little longer...?"
She knew Harry hated being stashed away under that charm but it was the obvious answer. The messy head shaked frantically.
"I asked Dumbledore to take it down as soon as we got back. I've always hated that charm and I thought it was a good idea, before-" He didn't get to finish his sentence as an owl started rapping its beak incessantly against the window, making everyone jump in surprise. Remus quickly strode to the window, throwing it open to shoo the beast away, returning with a vicious gash on his hand.
"Yeah, I see what you mean, Harry." The ex-werewolf stated angrily, tying a handkerchief tightly around the wound. He'd forgotten for an instant he was just human now. Before, as a werewolf, owls just took one whiff of him before fleeing for their lives. "If they're all like that, I understand why you're so jumpy."
"Can't Albus just cast the fidelius again?" Severus pointed out, annoyed.
"He said he wouldn't do it for such a 'petty' reason and that I'd have to deal with the attention sooner or later anyway." Harry replied dejectedly.
At this the WARTs founders fumed. Who was being 'petty' now?
"What do you suggest then, Harry?" She asked, feeling her best friend of several years had something in mind and was just reluctant to ask for a favour.
"I-" The dishevelled young man hesitated, flustered. "It was you who got the job done, really, in the end. If you give an interview to the Daily Prophet to say what really happened, they'd stop harassing me!"
"And start harassing us? What a brilliant plan, Potter." Severus sneered.
"But it's the truth!" Harry wailed, ruffling his hair nervously, inadvertently drawing the trio's attention to the words still visible on the back of the young man's hand "I must not tell lies."
They looked at one another nervously. Hermione had not liked the attention she had gotten from the press and Rita Skeeter in particular in her fourth year and would rather avoid any publicity, but she hadn't thought it would be this hard on Harry. It seemed unfair, as such, to let him bear all the credit for Voldemort's removal.
"What about Neville and Luna?" She asked.
"Oh, they said they'd follow your lead and didn't care either way. They're-"
Tap-tap-tap. Tap-tap-tap.
Harry jumped nervously while Severus went to shoo the bird away. However he came back unscathed and wearing an evil grin, but no one dared ask what had become of the owl.
"I guess it could be amusing." The Potions Master announced as he returned. "Besides, it could be useful if I ever need owl parts for my brewing."
"Well, if even Severus is in…" Remus chuckled, and Hermione agreed. "Shall we look for Neville and Luna then?"
"That's what I had been about to say, they're right here actually. Er...Neville?" Harry called tentatively in the direction of an an enormous crate.
Neville's head popped out from behind it, his hair sticking out and his shirt half unbuttoned."
"Whadisit?" He said dreamily with half-lidded eyes.
"Longbottom!" Severus bellowed. "Wipe that ridiculous smile from your face and come here immediately."
Luna chose that moment to peek above the crate and no one missed her mussed up hair and lace bra sticking out.
"And make sure Miss Lovegood is presentable for Merlin's sake!" Severus bellowed.
Once the team was assembled, and mostly dressed, Harry had the unfortunate task of announcing who would be conducting the interview.
"You've got to be kidding me! Harry! Skeeter?!" Hermione exclaimed, aghast. "That woman will bring you more problems than solutions."
"No! You can still blackmail her, Hermione. Or threaten her with a jar or something." Harry implored, earning her curious stares from the two older men who hadn't heard of this particular tale yet. "Besides, we don't have a choice. The ministry sacked the previous editor of the Prophet for collaborating with a terrorist organization and Rita Skeeter had seniority to take over the post."
"What has the world come to." She said desperately. She couldn't believe she was willingly going to give an interview to that evil gossip of a woman.
"Shall I tell her to come up then?" Harry asked pleadingly, although his puppy-eyes were ruined by the dark rings below them.
"Now?!" Hermione shrieked before taking a deep calming breath. "Oh, whatever. Might as well get it over with."
And so, they spend their evening in the most unexpected way as they retold their adventure of the night they had bottled up the darkest wizard of their age. True to her word, Rita Skeeter was sweetly polite, did not use one of her infamous Quick-Quote quills and sat as far away from Hermione as possible, only insisting once to have separate "private" interviews, an idea that was quickly nipped in the bud after a raised eyebrow from both Hermione and Severus.
"Now, all I need is a group photo of our heroes together. I'm thinking two-pages centerfold. Every witch and wizard in the country will have it spello-taped to their bedroom wall." The journalist continued with a far off look in her eyes, making wide gestures with her hands to emphasize just how great her vision was. The general groan she earned in response was pointedly ignored however, so they shuffled to their feet in the less crowded space in the room. Hermione, who was quite short, felt very self-conscious between the two tall ex-professors who had rushed to her side, each hoping to push the other away. Harry chuckled before realizing Neville and Luna were amorously clinging to each other and pouted at being left out. The resulting picture that appeared in the Daily Prophet the next day was more humorous than heroic, but it turned out Rita had been right -for once- and there wasn't a single home in the whole of wizarding Britain where the moving image wasn't framed or spello-taped next to the family photos.
"Do you think we can skive off now?" Hermione asked tiredly, once Rita Skeeter had left with her photographer. Trying to keep the woman in check with subtle threats had drained what little energy she had regained since fighting Voldemort.
"I'd like to see someone try to stop me." Severus muttered in response before sweeping out of the room with his black robes billowing behind him like a brewing storm.
"I have got to learn how to do that." Neville said.
"I think he'd make you pay royalties for it though." Remus chuckled.
They entered the living-room and were once more assaulted, in a friendly way, by all the guests. Hermione was pulled apart from the group by a strong pair of arms.
"Ginny!" She exclaimed happily. She hadn't seen the red-head since her rescue. "How are you doing?"
Her friend motioned that she couldn't hear her over the din of conversations and music, and beckoned for her to follow her outside. Hermione nodded and looked for Remus on her way out to tell him she would be right back. At the back-door, she finally spotted the handsome wizard talking animatedly to Molly and Ginny and hoped he wasn't being badgered by the matriarch again about dating a younger witch.
Wait...Ginny? But she's right here… Hermione realized too late the predicament she was in and had just enough time to face a smirking not-Ginny before feeling the Imperius taking control of her mind.
Hermione was securely tied to a wooden chair in a dank dark place by the time the imperius curse wore off. Her mind still felt fuzzy and muddled, so she wasn't sure of where she was. She wished, not for the first time, that she could fight the mind-controlling curse like Harry could. She squinted in the obscurity and discovered Tonks looming before her, an easy feat when your prisoner was tied down.
"Tonks, you don't have to do this. Everything is over. Voldemort has been vanquished." The Gryffindor in her tried to plead with the young auror. From what she had gathered, the metamorphmagus was not herself because she was suffering from acute stress disorder. Well, she could sympathize with that, and would even be relieved that the witch she had once thought of as a friend was not a psychopathic paranoiac bitch. "Kingsley has been looking for you. We want to help you."
"Oh, really?" Her captor sneered, her cold eyes narrowed at her.
A shudder ran down her spine as Hermione realised for the first time there was effectively Black-blood running through Tonks' veins as she looked very much like her aunts in that instant. Unfortunately, she resembled more her crazy aunt Bellatrix than her snobbish aunt Narcissa. Hermione didn't know what to do. She was exhausted from the events of these last days, having expended her magic beyond her limits and, as far as she could tell, she didn't have her wand and no one knew where or with who she was. For the first time in her life, she had no inkling of an idea to get her out of a bad situation, and Merlin knew she had often found herself in near-death scenarios with Harry as a best-friend for so many years. Hermione shrieked in surprised and strained against the ropes binding her when she felt the sharp pain of a stinging hex hit her left shoulder.
"Tell me what you did to Remus!" Tonks demanded, before firing another stinger just below the first.
"What? Nothing!" Hermione wasn't entirely sure what the metamorphmagus meant, but it obviously wasn't the answer she was waiting for since another stinger landed next to the others. The Gryffindor clenched her teeth at the pain, refusing to cry out. Her skin and muscled still prickled from the hexes.
"Tell me, you slut. What did you use? Love Potions? The imperius?" Tonks said in disgust and fired another two stinging hexes nearer her chest.
"No! I would never…" But she was interrupted by another hit, near her heart.
"You know," The auror stated matter-of-factly. "Very few people know this but repetitive use of the very simple stinging hex can numb muscles to the point that they'll stop working entirely. It would be a shame if someone was inadvertently hit too often in the heart."
Hermione's eyes widened in surprise and fright as Tonks hit her right in the heart with the stinging hex.
"To think first years can use this spell. Now, why don't you tell me what you used on Remus?"
"But I didn't… I didn't use anything, Tonks. You have to believe me. We just fell in love." Hermione pleaded.
"Don't fuck with me!" The furious witch yelled, cursing her several more times.
Hermione felt the prickling of the hexes rippling across her chest and in her left shoulder, wondering how much more it would take before the numbness would start slowing her heart.
A/N 2: Come on, 'fess up everyone: Who totally forgot Tonks was still out there?