Leon sat in his leather high back armchair, enjoying the warmth from the fireplace, his hand absent-mindedly swirled the amber liquid inside the crystal glass. Memories of his past flooded his mind, consuming him in another world all together, until the creaking of the heavy door behind him swung open to his private study. The musky sent of old books and aftershave wafted through his senses, making him aware of Jarrad's presence. Taking another sip from the glass, he savored the deep burning feeling at the back of his throat, before his gaze found his right hand man.
"Sir, I saw her. She was at the ball tonight." Jarred stared gleefully at Leon, feeling pride swelling deep within him. "She was glorious!" Jarred was moved by the sight of her. She was utterly breath taking as he watched her gracefully glide down the stairs. He felt that cupid had finally struck him dead with his arrow.
"Show me." He rasped in a dark manner. He was never one to roughly seek the answers he wanted from Jarred, the pitiful man always offered it willing. Tonight was the first, he pushed into the younger man's mind with a vengeance. Leon watched the images he forced Jarred to play for him, reliving the sight of her in her glorious green evening gown, the way her curves and womanly scent seemed to call to him the way it did centuries before. As he exited the younger mans mind, Jarred fell into a crumbled heap on the floor, shivering and moaning from the assault his mind had undergone. Leon had never been so forceful and he trembled from the sheer power his mentor held. Leon rose to his full height, "Get out, now!" Jarred scrambled away on all fours, the door magically slamming shut of it's own accord behind him.
Leon threw the crystal into the fire, enjoying the sound as it shattered. His Fangs rang down in anger and lust. He had waited more than a century for the bitch to resurface. He loved her and loathed her for leaving him, for making the most powerful vampire in the world to grovel for her affection, for her love. He had given her everything and she took it and threw it all away. He never forgave her for it. His love and hatred for her had pushed him to the brink of madness, yet he had found a way to cope with it. He created a business and pushed the limits, he could walk during the day for heaven sakes, he was immortal, he was invincible.
The images of her in her gown beguiled him greatly and he grasped his member, trying to stroke it in hopes that this time he could achieve some type of release, yet, knowing he never could. That was part of his curse since she died, he could never find release until he found the woman he loved and she gave herself willingly to him. Leon hated the woman with the liquid brown eyes and the wild curls of her electric brown hair, he wanted to taste her once more. To bury his cock deep within her as he finally came from the century long weight, but he loved her still the same. For she was gentle and endearing and back before then, she had loved him no matter what he had become.
What Severus could not fathom was the fact that for every sin he had tried to atone for, it seemed that the Gods were not satisfied. He didn't sleep after leaving The Gallery, and even though he was pointed towards the door when they had arrived to Hermione's residence, there were still so many questions. So instead of leaving, he toured around the silent house. It was almost like ridding a bike, lurking around like a cat, trying to find any information that he could happily stumble into. Yet, there was not a trace of any real value for the shite he was now dragged into. The only thing he could find was that this vixen of an ex-student lived in an expensive looking home, with expensive taste that screamed 'Do Not Touch Anything' everywhere. So when he found the library he sat behind a large grey desk that had a clear view of the staircase landing that met in the foyer. He would wait, for how ever long it took for the girl to wake.
Hermione awoke the next morning, trying to rub the kinks out of her neck as she descended her main staircase. Stifling a yawn, her body tensed when she felt eyes on her.
"Finally decided to grace me with your presence?" came an impatient sneer. Hermione relaxed at the sound of the voice, knowing exactly who it was.
"I thought I pointed out the door, last night." Disregarding him, she moved away from the stairs. She did not care for the fact that she only wore a light camisole and silk bottoms, she was just thankful that she had always been one of those people who wore a bra to bed and washed and brushed their teeth before stepping foot out of her bedchambers.
"Well I thought I would see how well The Gallery pays you. I must say you get a far better pay cut than I ever did."
"I was not aware you got paid more than outside of your professor's salary."
"Not by Albus, Merlin no, the Dark Lord paid me quite handsomely though."
"How kind of him to do such a thing. I have no salary. Coffee or tea, I presume you'll be staying." She began her trek down a hallway that led into the kitchen.
"Well it was the least he could do, with all the killing and such. Tea." He followed her.
"Why of course." She muttered sarcastically, rolling her eyes to exaggerate her annoyance. Hermione was not truly a morning person and liked to have her hour of peace and quiet as she ready herself for the day.
They entered the long kitchen, walls painted in a summer orange with blonde wooded cabinets that hung stylishly on the wall. The long breakfast table was a light weathered blue table that sat 6 people in matching high back seats. She opened a cupboard that house all of her tea supplies, such as the kettle, large grey colored mugs and many different tealeaves that she acquired from all over the world. She took great pride in the many different flavors she had.
Severus leaned against the counter, never trusting to have his back facing someone or open spaces. He liked to see everything and though he didn't wish to admit it aloud, she was quite the sight to watch, especially as she arched forward and he could see the outline of her globe shaped breasts. Quickly remembering their conversation he interjected, "What do you mean you have no salary? I find it hard that you could afford such a lavishing place such as this with no pay."
"Ever the observant one, Severus." Hermione set the kettle on the stove; ignoring the raised eyebrow he gave her. She knew it was easier to heat it up with a quick spell, but she preferred the muggle method better.
"I did not give you leave to address me in a familiar way."
"I did not give you leave to spend the night in my home, but yet here you are." She gave a fake smile and he did nothing but disregard her.
"You are avoiding the question Miss. Granger."
"And you are invading my privacy. You were told you would be contacted when need be and yet here you are badgering me on how much I get paid."
"You dragged me into this." The room grew with great tension as he spoke. "I wanted nothing to do with this life ever again, I paid my dues and now I am to be dragged in to someone else's war that I want no part of! So enlighten me since I am dealing with everything so willingly." His voice was dripping with sarcasm and resentment. He was pissed, he simply wanted to live out the rest of his life peacefully and out of the general publics eye.
"Fine."
"See, now was that so hard?"
"I have no salary. Simply a muggle credit card with a key number that has no limit and a key to a vault in Gringrotts that is over filling. So in a sense I am rich beyond belief, yet the money is not truly mine. The Gallery pays for everything to make my life accommodating, paying for my ever desire and every whim as long as I do my job right. Is that satisfactory?"
"Interesting. Why did you take the job?"
"Something to do." She set two mugs on the table, trying to avoid the '21 questions' game he felt compelled to play. She began to pour the hot water into the separate mugs before setting the jars of cream and sugar down next to the mugs.
"What do you know so far?" He questioned moving to take a seat as she sat down.
"So far, a man has exploded into dust that was triggered by a name and that he works for a company tcalled Air Liquide. The Vice President seems a very important figure that my team is currently digging around and you are going to be brought in to help them because of the knowledge you posses."
"I guess fear of a name does increase fear of the thing itself." Hermione narrowed her eyes at him. That was something of her motto that she never really spoke to anyone else about except the Malfoy's. 'Did Dumbledore relent the same message to him as well?' She wondered.
"Miss. Granger, I am a spy and it was my duty to watch every step you three made."
"You were not present that day. I would have noticed."
Severus snorted at that. He was too good for anyone to notice him, especially for a mere child to know. "I know everything Miss. Granger. I remember in your 2nd year the very day you started to brew the polyjuice potion. In Moaning Myrtles bathroom, I knew it was you who stole from my storeroom and I knew what your plans were and when you planed to execute them."
"Why didn't you report me, it was finally your chance to get us expelled."
"What good would that had done? Your 12-year-old selves out in the world trying to defend yourselves from a monster, in honesty I simply wanted to see if you could do it. If you could brew everything completely right and to my utter dismay and surprise you did. You proved me wrong and right."
"Oh, and how was that?"
"You proved me wrong by being the youngest person I know to brew something that advanced, correctly and you proved me right, because I knew I had taught you something that the others could not grasp yet."
"You taught me to hate you, to fear you, yet at the same time to respect you and to push harder so that one day I might gain your approval."
"Ah, so the truth comes out. You threw your life away to become a spy, because you wanted to prove me wrong, well Miss. Granger, try. Prove me wrong that this was something you wanted, that you were gifted with and not some foolish romantic dream that would one day win you a chance in my bed."
"I never wanted a chance in your bed, or a reward, just acknowledgement, some sense that you were proud of me."
"Is that not a reward?"
"In a sense no, but also yes. You wish me to prove you wrong then I shall gladly do so."
"When you were 17 you were the butt of quite an awful prank that ended in you calling the woman you loved and called a friend, a mudblood, forever pushing her away from your grasp. You join the Death Eaters two months later when you could not receive her acceptance of your apologies, believing that you had joined the superior ranks. When you had learned of the prophecy that would seal her fate, you pleaded to Dumbledore to save her in exchange for your servitude and knowledge. You were placed in Hogwarts as a professor for the means to gain information for Voldemort and to be able to report to Dumbledore with ease. She died and it set you into quiet the rage that you no longer even trusted Dumbledore. You are younger than you seem and act, yet the things you have seen have caused you to shut others out and have grown bitter."
"Well that's good and all, but tell me something that you have not read in the press or have overheard from some order meeting. This information about me means absolutely nothing."
"When you lie your face is completely impassive as if you are bored with what you are saying. When you are telling the truth you raise your left eyebrow, a warning to anyone who dare questions you. When you're sad you are extremely quiet, giving the impression that you are livid with something and when you are truly angry you clench your fists tightly, I think without even realizing it. When you are scared you give out sarcastic comments and practically rip people's heads off for breathing the same air as you. When someone brings up a good point, or when another is right, you give some sort of nonchalant comment and move on or change the topic completely. I think I know you pretty well." The room went quite as he sat and stared at her. He was taken aback, but Hermione could not really tell since he sat staring at her as if she were an inbreed insect.
"And what about when I am happy?"
"I have never known you to be happy, nor have I ever seen you when that has occurred. Is my assessment satisfactory? Can you now give me leave to do my job, Professor, or do you need more proof."
"This is satisfactory for now. What is this name that triggered the death of John Taddio."
"Leon. Leon is the name. The Gallery deals with both the muggle world and magical, I spy for both sides and we have looked up every possible lead dating back to 300 years. We haven't been able to come up with anything yet."
"So I guess I'll be taking the lead on this assignment? Figures, I always have to do things myself."
"You really are the biggest pain in the arse in the entire world. I am the lead in this assignment you are an informant, you report to me."
"I am my own master, and the information I give you will be your only lead, be careful how you treat me, I am all you have." Hermione understanding the warning simply nodded her head. This was a delicate matter; she could not afford to lose anything if she did not even know what she was going up against. They sat quietly for a bit, silently reflected on their thoughts as they wondered what the next course of action should be.
The doorbell rang, causing them to both jump from the unexpected noise. Hermione groped for her wand that was sticking out of the waistband of her pajamas, feeling the familiar polished wand, she walked to the front door, sensing Severus following close behind.
"Yes?" Her voice rang out so the who ever was on the other side could hear.
"Oi' is me again! Package for a Miss. 'ermione Granger!" Hermione followed her routine precaution of staying behind the door and peeking out the window. Nodding at Severus to put his wand away she pulled her shirt over hers and opened the door. The package was outstretched in his arms and he seemed to still be gawking at her until his mouth snapped shut from the sight of the dark imposing figure behind her.
"This bloke be botherin' you?" Hermione shut the door on his face without answering him, and side stepped Severus to make her way back to her morning tea.
Severus was slightly taken aback by her cold greeting to the stranger and indifference but his opinion quickly changed when his person was being inquired upon, 'Nosy little shit, ain't he?' He followed her back into the kitchen, curious as to what the package contained. He watched as she opened the brown box, watching as she pulled a note out along with a square looking device. He later found it to be called a cell phone, which after a while knew how to work with very diligently.
McGregor sat at his desk, doing something he would rather be caught dead doing before someone else could see him. Sitting behind his desk, day dreaming the day away. He completely missed the knock on his door but was lucky enough to pull out of his reverie as the door swung open.
"Lincoln! What happened to you last night, I couldn't find you anywhere!" Came a female voice.
"Jenny! I'm sorry sis, I got carried away." McGregor shot up from his chair to help his sister steady herself into one of the cushion ones he kept for her in the office. The woman was 8 months pregnant and as huge as ever, yet she still ran around London as if she was the size 10 she normally was.
"Thank you Linc! I brought you some food and the paper from both worlds, I thought you would like that!" Jenny smiled lovingly to her older brother. Being the boy that he always was, he dug in and began chomping on his greasy lunch.
Jenny, who was used to seeing such a display, simply chose to look the other way as she told her brother of the new news on her pregnancy and a large amount of trivial things. "Linc, I hope you don't mind, but John and I, well we've come up with a name for the little guy and well, we'd like to name him Lincoln Robert. After you and Dad of course!" McGregor swallowed his lump of chewed food and gave his sister one of his rare winning smiles.
"Oh, Jenny! I'd be honored to share my name with my first-born Nephew! Have you told dad yet? Mum, is going to be so delighted with your choice!" He took the moment to listen to her answer, when he picked up whichever paper seemed to be sitting on top. Unfolding it, he noticed that it was the Wizarding one first and opened it up to its full front page as he took a large bite of his food. The title seemed to draw his attention,
" Wizarding Worlds Golden Trio Together Again"
McGregor had heard all about the golden trio from his sister and knew what the Harry bloke looked like, so when his eyes scanned the three charmed sepia photo's he knew who the dark haired one was and vaguely who the other bloke was. What really caught him off guard was the woman who seemed to shine and glitter in the photo itself. That was when he noticed who it was and began choking violently on his lunch.
Jenny, who had been chatting away, instantly grabbed her wand at the choking sound and pointed it at the now blue-faced man. "Really Lincoln! What has gotten into you, you daft man?" The contents in his throat were banished into the trash and he began gasping for air, looking like a human puffer fish.
"Who is this woman?" He shoved the paper into his sister's annoyed face, after he had recomposed himself.
"That is Hermione Granger!" Jenny sighed with appreciation. She should have known that that was the cause to her brother's distress. Hermione Granger was the most beautiful and classy witch there was. Most powerful too, of all the men and women of the Wizarding world, after the world, she was like a goddess on earth. Jenny envied the life Hermione lived, quiet and secluded from the public eye, yet important and talked about in everything and anything that was done to improve the Wizarding world. Jenny told her brother all of this and that was when she caught that look of pure adoration on his face, the one her husband always gave her since they first met at Hogwarts.
"Jenny, I think I'm in love with a witch!" He seemed to be resting his head on the edge of his desk, almost admitting defeat that he had lost the girl he only just met last night.
A/N: Hello everyone hope those of you who do like the story, are enjoying it. I enjoy writing it. please leave a review to let me know if you are like this story or not. I will post more chapters soon!