Chapter 27! And I hopehopehope I'll be able to post more really, really soon! I will do my absolute best!

Disclaimer: ain't mine, yo!

-o-

Chapter 27 - How Did You Not Know?

Hermione was sitting at a table in the Main Hall the next day, lost in thought.

"Lady Granger," a quiet voice said. "Hermione."

It took Hermione a moment to recognise the voice, but had identified it as Carlisle Venece's voice, so looked up with a smile. "Carlisle," she replied softly. "Would you like to sit down?"

He nodded and sat down. "My father - my father and my mother - they are well. Cured. Healthy."

Hermione gave him a happy smile. "I'm so glad to hear that!"

"I am happy as well," Carlisle replied, "and forever in your debt."

Hermione couldn't help rolling her eyes. "What is it with people and the 'forever in your debt'? No, you are most certainly not forever in my debt. I gave you a potion, Carlisle, not a miracle."

"I believe the healers would disagree with you, as they are falling over each other, trying to figure out how one potion could cure such an illness," Lord Venece said, giving her an amused look. But then his expression went back to the humble, awestruck one again. "You saved my parents…and me. You saved my life. I owe you my life, Lady Granger."

"Get over yourself, Lord Venece," Hermione replied, trying not to roll her eyes again. "You owe me nothing. Let it go. I will be happy as long as you keep my secrets."

"I will not betray your trust, Hermione Granger," the man said quietly. "I swear."

She gave him another happy smile. "Good. I'm glad."

"What are you?" Lord Venece asked, cocking his head. "A mage? A rogue?"

Hermione shook her head. "It's complicated. I'm a…different kind of mage, perhaps? I'm a witch. A very different kind of witch. But I would like to avoid a public display of my abilities, thus, I pose as a rogue. I'm really glad you were out of sight for the nobles, so they didn't see my shield, and the dagger bouncing off. Anyway, even if I believe you when you say you will keep my secrets, cannot tell you more. I'm just…different."

He sighed. "I understand."

Hermione gave him a small smile. "Good. Now, to what do I owe the honour of your visit? Other than the conversation that just happened, I mean?"

"My parents are well, and do not need me at this point. Thus, I am here to see if there is anything I can do to help. The world is on the verge of chaos, I realise this more and more, and I also realise that the Inquisition is what will save us. So here I am." His expression grew rather wicked as her continued. "Not to mention that I am here to convince you to marry me."

Hermione raised an eyebrow, but then got side-tracked as Solas came out of his room further down the hall, walking towards the exit.

"I see," Carlisle said, and Hermione gave him a puzzled look. "Someone else has already captured your heart, reading your expression." Hermione blushed, and he smiled as he shook his head. "I can only hope I will find someone, someday, who will look at me in the same way you look at him. He is a lucky man. I hope he knows just how lucky he is."

"Oh, I don't know," Hermione said softly as she gazed at Solas exiting the Main Hall. "I might just be the luckiest one in this equation."

-o-

'Doom Upon All the World' was the next major quest. The final quest. And said quest was not something one could enable. They just had to wait.

Hermione had realised at some point that with every quest enabled, the conversation at the war table came with it, just as in the game. Thus, Hermione had to be present at every war table meeting. She would recognise the conversation right away, the one where Corypheus attacked Skyhold minutes later.

She almost wished he would just attack. The waiting was driving her insane.

At least the encounter with Flemeth in the Fade would happen before the attack, so she could relax – attempt to relax – for now.

-o-

Cullen's blood had been clean for almost four months now, and Hermione had, in fact, begun hoping that it was true. That he was cured. They had, however, decided to wait with revealing it to the world. They would probably not make it known to the public until after Corypheus was defeated. The world was already chaotic as it was, and a cure for Lyrium addiction would cause quite the fuss, after all.

-o-

Solas and Hermione were in the War Room, waiting for the rest to arrive, and Hermione sighed as she sat down on the table – making sure there were no mission markers first – and sighed. "The final 'quest' is called Doom Upon All the World. I hate waiting for something called Doom Upon All the World."

Solas chuckled as he came over to her, and she hooked her feet behind his knees, pulling him closer. He gladly obliged, and gave her a soft kiss before gazing at her. "It's rather melodramatic, is it not?"

Hermione chuckled as well. "Indeed."

-o-

They were rather busy – Hermione still sitting on the table with her feet hooked behind Solas' legs – at least Hermione's brain was rather busy, because Solas was kissing her. Not one of those passionate, burning kisses that could quite possibly result in her being on her back on the table, but soft and gentle, brushing his hands through her hair, cupping her cheek, generally rocking her world in a way that only The Dread Wolf was able to do.

She was completely lost in the kiss. Completely.

Until…someone cleared their throat.

"I swear," Hermione murmured as Solas leaned his forehead against hers, "if that is Dorian again, I will hex him."

"It is Dorian, vhenan," Solas murmured back, "he is, however, not alone."

"Oh, shit," Hermione whispered, "it's everyone, isn't it?"

"Yes."

"Lovely."

"Would you like us to come back?" Dorian asked, obviously amused. "Or are you able to keep your…hands off each other until we are done with the War Council?"

Hermione braced herself as Solas moved, and she was faced with – well – too many people.

Dorian, Cassandra, Varric, Cullen, Leliana, and Josephine.

Dorian was clearly amused, so was Varric. The rest looked…shocked? Surprised?

They didn't know? How the hell did they not know? Hermione thought as she tried her best to not blush. She failed. Horribly. "We were…waiting, and then…"

"The Dread Wolf decided to ravish you on the War Table?"

Hermione blushed even deeper, causing Dorian to grin wickedly at her.

"Well," Solas said in a way that made Hermione's skin tingle. His tone of voice was so…deep…sensual, and yet; sassy. "Perhaps…if given the time."

Hermione swore even Cullen questioned his sexuality for a brief moment from the sound of Solas' voice. Josephine's breath hitched, Cassandra stared at Solas – her lips slightly parted – Leliana was looking at him with glittery intrigue, Dorian was…well, undressing The Dread Wolf with his eyes, more or less, and Varric? Varric was amused.

"You knew about this?" Leliana asked Dorian after an eternity and a day. "Did the rest of you know?"

Dorian looked at Leliana for a moment. "How did you not know?"

Leliana looked at Solas and Hermione with a perplexed expression. "I did not know. How long have this been going on?"

"Since Adamant, Nightingale," Varric quipped. "Honestly, you call yourself a spymaster?"

"Since Adamant? But that is months ago."

"I rest my case, spymaster."

Leliana narrowed her eyes at Varric before turning to the rest. "Did you know?"

Cullen and Cassandra shook their heads, and Josephine…well, Josephine was too busy looking at Solas like she had never seen him before.

That's Solas for you, Hermione thought. She had thought Solas was utterly boring during her first playthrough, but then she learned he was The Dread Wolf, and then she romanced him.

And damn! The Dread Wolf was an experience. When he flipped his 'smooth-switch' Hermione couldn't breathe, more or less.

Are you suggesting I'm graceful?

No. I am declaring it. It was not a subject for debate.

Hermione had literally groaned, shouted a bit, thrown a pillow at the wall, yelled at Solas on the TV, and then moaned. Literally. His voice, his… everything made it completely impossible to not be affected.

Basically, Hermione had no trouble understanding just what was going through Josephine's head right now.

This is like when she saw Iron Bull naked,she thought, studying Josephine's expression.It's exactly like when she saw Iron Bull.

It probably didn't help that Solas had the smoothest smooth-switch in world history, but he was also a god. Literally. An ancient, elven god, legendary bad-boy-trickster-god. The Dread Wolf.

The Dread Wolf. If that didn't suggest that Solas had a primal, animalistic side to him, Hermione didn't know what would.

I wonder if she knows he is a literal wolf. That he shifts into a huge, black wolf with piercing blue eyes, Hermione thought. That he growls in a way that causes goosebumps on every inch of your body. That he howls at the moon, and that his eyes still sparkle when he shifts back to elf-form.

It was perhaps better if she never found out.

"I was not aware we would cause such a spectacle," Solas said – in elven – and Hermione wondered if Josephine was on the verge of a heart-attack. "Nor was I aware that they were not aware."

Hermione gave him an amused look. "Neither did I," Hermione replied in elven. "But, ma'harel, you should probably turn off your smooth-switch, and stop speaking elven."

"Why?"

"You are giving our ambassador a heart-attack."

Solas looked slightly confused for a moment, but then he noticed Josephine's expression, and a wicked spark lit up his eyes.

"She does not understand elven, does she?" he said in his smoothest voice yet, causing even Hermione's skin to tingle. "But, yes, you are probably right, vhenan."

"You are cheating," Dorian said, raising an eyebrow. "Also, you are being rude. Rude. What did you just chat about?"

Hermione raised an eyebrow as well. "I told Solas to turn off his smooth-switch before Josephine has a heart-attack."

Dorian looked at Solas with a mirthful expression. "Who knew The Dread Wolf would be the one to take smooth sass to a whole new level."

Solas narrowed his eyebrows in that utterly sexy way, and smirked wickedly at Dorian, causing the Tevinter mage to freeze up for a moment, and Josephine to sigh.

Hermione rolled her eyes as she jumped down from the table. "Solas, turn off your smooth-switch and turn down that sass, will you? And Josephine – Josephine – wake up!"

It took a few minutes, but eventually they were gathered around the War Table, discussing actual war-stuff.

Even if Josephine glanced at Solas rather frequently.