Summary: Death Eater doings and spending time together.
A/N: Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoy this.
Chapter 9
Hermione and Severus continued to grow closer as the days and weeks went on. They didn't announce their relationship publicly. It wasn't that they couldn't or hadn't wanted to. They just wanted the privacy that not announcing it to the world would bring. Neither of them had any desire to answer a million questions.
Hermione smiled at Severus as he approached her desk after class.
"I cannot meet today to brew," he advised. "I have somewhere else I need to be."
Hermione waved her wand, closing the door.
"What's up?" she asked.
Severus cast a Muffliato before speaking.
"Lucius is bringing several of us to meet the Dark Lord."
She raised a brow. "Are you taking the Mark?"
Severus shook his head. "No, it's more of an introduction so we will gain interest and want to join the Death Eaters even more after we graduate."
Hermione gave him a worried look. "Be careful, Severus. Voldemort casts Unforgivables at will."
"I don't think there is any danger. I doubt he would curse anyone. At least not us or anyone in front of us. Most people would run the other way if they saw that. He wants to entice us, not drive us away."
"That's true, but you are unique. You have an ulterior motive. Be careful not to let Voldemort find that out, or he won't hesitate to curse or even kill you, no matter who are witnesses."
"You're right, of course. I will be sure to use Occlumency so he won't know anything."
He leaned over and kissed her sweetly. He placed his forehead on hers.
"I will see you tomorrow."
"Come by when you're back tonight, please. I will be worried all night if I don't know you're safe."
He smirked at her. "Don't fret. I will be fine."
"Please?"
He nodded. "Of course."
"Thank you, Severus."
oooOOOooo
Hermione sat in her reading chair, worrying her lip almost to the point that it was bleeding. It was ten at night, and Severus hadn't come by yet. Her mind was running rampant with all sorts of scenarios where Severus would be hurt. She stood up and went over to the fireplace. She was being ridiculous. He would be perfectly fine. He was the greatest Occlumens in the world, even at his young age. He'd been working with Dumbledore and the old man had even said so.
She stared into the flames and tried to calm herself by concentrating on her breathing. It helped her to empty her mind, which was good, but she was still nervous.
Finally, there was a knock at her door. She rushed over and threw it open, finding Severus standing there smirking at her. She threw her arms around him.
"I was so worried, and all you can do is smirk at me like you're up to something!"
He chuckled as his arms wrapped around her. "I am unharmed."
"Thank Merlin."
She pulled away and grasped his hand, pulling him into her quarters.
"Tell me all about what happened," she said.
He drew her over to the sofa, and they settled in.
"So, Lucius had a Portkey for us. It was Black, Avery, Mulciber, and me."
"Wait, Sirius went with you?"
"Merlin, no. Regulus Black came."
Hermione frowned, realizing this was the start of the end for Regulus.
"We appeared in a field. I'm not even sure where it was. Evidently, the Dark Mark can direct the Death Eaters to wherever the Dark Lord wants them to appear. He simply touches his Dark Mark, and the rest Apparate to where he is. Masterful bit of magic, that."
"Yes, if it hadn't come from a maniac."
"True, there's that." He chuckled.
"Anyway, we were introduced to the main leaders, then the Dark Lord took us aside and spoke with us."
"What's he like now? He was pretty scary in my day."
"He's… very odd looking. He has dark curly hair, and his eyes are red. His features are… I want to say snake-like."
"Does he have a nose?"
Severus gave her a curious look. "Of course, he has a nose! He's not an octopus!"
Hermoine chuckled. "When he resurrects, because of all the Dark Magic, he is much more snakelike than he is now. He basically has no nose. Just two nostril slits. He lost all his hair, too."
"That must be hard to look at with a straight face."
"I'm sure the fear of being Avada'd is compelling enough for people not to snicker when they see him."
"Good point."
"So, what did Voldemort say to you all?"
"He introduced himself, as if he needed to. Looking back, he was pretty haughty. He explained what they were trying to accomplish… greater power for Wizards. The ability to be recognized even by Muggles, and respected. He also talked about partnership and the ability to be someone important. It was all very coercive."
"Are you going to join?" Hermione asked with an arched brow.
"You know I am." He grinned at her. "But for all the wrong reasons. At least according to the Dark Lord."
"Did he try to read your mind?"
"I felt him enter it. I showed him what I thought would be the best thing for him to see. Me wanting power and being the Dark Lord's private Potioneer."
"That must have intrigued him."
"Indeed. He asked me to stay behind after he was done with everyone else. He asked me about my potions prowess. I told him I was at the top of my class and about the apprenticeship I was doing with you. He asked what I wanted to do with it. I told him that I wanted to create new potions and be a respected Potioneer, and that's when he asked if I would like to be his private brewer. I, of course, gushed at the possibility."
"He used your thoughts to get right to you, didn't he?"
"Definitely. The good thing about that, though, is I may not have to join in raids as much as everyone else. I heard some of the Death Eaters chatting about their recent attacks."
His eyes met Hermione's. "I don't know if I can attack people like they do, Hermione. They torture them, and sometimes kill them."
"Hopefully, you'll never have to do that, Severus."
"Hopefully, I can change the future enough that I won't have to kill Dumbledore, either."
"That would be ideal. I know that you never quite got over doing that, even as a portrait."
"I can imagine. He is a mentor, and I respect him."
"You also formed a close friendship with him over the years as an adult."
"I will do all I can to drive the future differently. I hope that things will be quite different when you return to your present."
Hermione squeezed Severus' arm. "I look forward to seeing what you do. Just be careful, okay?"
"I will. I plan to be alive when you return."
"Perfect," she said as she leaned in and kissed him.
oooOOOooo
A few weeks had gone by. The updated Skele-gro had gone through all the trials and was now ready to be marketed.
Hermione and Professor Slughorn accompanied Severus and Lily to the Coalition of Potioneers to get approval for their new potion. They entered a conference room where seven Potioneers sat around a table. They were directed to the four seats left and settled in.
Lily opened their presentation.
"Severus Snape and I have been under the tutelage of Professors Hermione Granger and Horace Slughorn. Together we developed an updated Skele-gro that is painless and works in a quarter of the time to regrow bones."
Severus passed out the write-up they had developed.
He took over the presentation. "You will see here that the potion has been tested on animals with broken bones, and with the oversight of our mentors, was applied to three Hogwarts students who were involved in a Quidditch accident, breaking an arm, a lower leg, and a rib respectively. After the Skele-gro was administered, the broken leg was repaired in two hours, the arm in an hour, and the rib in thirty minutes."
His eyes moved around the room as the Potioneers reviewed the data. Glinda Holcrum asked a question.
"So, according to your calculations, the thickest bone in the body… the femur… should take three hours to heal with your updated brew?"
"That's right, Madam Holcrum," Lily replied. "We also estimate that a finger bone or any small bone would take fifteen minutes."
"Miraculous," David Bleaker muttered under his breath, but the visitors heard him.
The Head Potioneer, Stanley Cooper, looked at the two students. "This is impressive work. If you would give us fifteen minutes or so to review your data, we will have a response for you."
Severus bowed his head as Lily smiled and said thank you to the group. Hermione silently stood and led them out of the room with Slughorn at the back. She turned to them once the door had closed behind them.
"That was well done, both of you. I'll be incredibly surprised if they don't approve this upgrade. It will be written up in Potions Weekly and you both will be famous."
Severus shook his head. "I doubt I will ever be famous."
Hermione arched a brow at him. He arched one right back, causing her to shake her head and chuckle.
"Now, Mr. Snape, don't be silly. You will be well known throughout our world for this creation," Slughorn said.
Hermione ignored him. "Anyway, I have no doubt that it will be approved."
They were summoned back after fifteen minutes and took their seats. Mr. Cooper began speaking.
"We have reviewed your documentation and taken a vote. The Coalition of Potioneers has voted unanimously to accept this potion and begin manufacturing it immediately. The recipe will be published in Potions Weekly, and you will be reimbursed five thousand Galleons each with royalties of three percent for each vial sold."
Severus and Lily exchanged glances quickly and turned back to Master Cooper.
"Done," Lily advised.
Everyone stood and shook Severus' and Lily's hands. They were soon on their way, both excited by the way the meeting had gone.
"Five thousand Galleons," Severus marveled. "I can do a lot with that towards becoming a Potioneer."
"I'm not sure what I'm going to do with mine. Maybe I'll invest in your Apothecary when you open it, Sev."
He chuckled. "I'll take your money."
"Now we just need to get your Elixir of Remembrance finished. Maybe you can get another five thousand Galleons," Hermione mused.
"That would be amazing."
oooOOOooo
Hermione entered Dumbledore's office.
"Hello, Headmaster."
"Ah, Hermione, have a seat, please. I wanted to give you an update on the Time-Turner. After a difficult six months of trial and error, I am anticipating it being ready in two weeks."
"Oh!"
"You are still anxious to get back to your time, aren't you?"
"Yes, yes, of course. I've just been here so long that I've grown accustomed to everything. Leaving will be hard."
"And we will miss you."
"Will I be able to use it right away once it's done?"
"Yes, of course."
Hermione was quiet for a minute.
"May I ask you something, Albus?"
"Go ahead, Hermione."
"It's about Severus. He told me he's going to spy for you. Do you think he'll be okay?"
"There's no guarantee, but he is willing to fight for our side. I believe I have you to thank for that from whatever it was you told him."
"He made up his own mind. I just told him what would happen in my timeline."
"You care for him a great deal, I can see," Dumbledore said with a twinkling of his eye.
"Please, sir. Don't meddle."
"Me? Meddle? Why Hermione, I would never! I'm just happy to see that you are both happy."
She arched her brow at him. "We are, and we intend to stay that way."
"He will miss you greatly when you go."
Hermione sighed and looked away. "I know. I will miss him as well."
"But you will be reunited almost instantly when you reach your time."
"Well, I hope so. Will you look after him, sir? Being a spy is dangerous, and I fear he will be discovered and killed."
"I will do my best," Dumbledore promised.
She regarded him skeptically, wondering if she should get a wand oath. It was probably overkill, but she also understood the wizard only did what furthered his cause. She let the matter drop.
"You will alert me when the Time-Turner is ready?"
"Yes, we will do it in the evening, so we can return you privately."
"Is it alright if Severus comes along?"
"Only to witness you leave," Dumbledore said with a chuckle. "I need him here to help with the war."
Hermione nodded, secretly thinking it would be amazing if he could just go with her, despite knowing that could never be.
"I know. I want to say goodbye as close to leaving as possible."
"Of course, Hermione. Let him know what's going on, and get prepared for your departure."
Hermione rose. "Thank you, Albus. I appreciate you putting all this time into figuring out how to get me home."
"You're welcome. It's been a pleasure having you here."
oooOOOooo
That evening, after Lily had left and all the potions had been bottled and put away, Hermione bit her lip as Severus approached her. He arched a brow.
"Why do you look nervous?" he asked.
"I spoke with Professor Dumbledore this afternoon. He'll be done with the Time-Turner in two weeks."
"Oh." Severus' brows knit together, and he paused. "Can you stay longer?"
"He seems to think I should leave as soon as it's ready."
"I see."
"Severus… If I could stay here forever with you, I definitely would. But I can't, and postponing my departure would just make leaving all the harder."
He sighed. "I know you are right, but I don't want you to go just yet."
She frowned. "Me neither."
He came up to her and knelt down next to her chair. His eyes searched her face as if he wanted to remember everything he could see.
"At least we know our timeline, and we can take advantage of it," he told her.
She nodded emphatically. "I want to spend as much time with you as possible."
"You cannot assign any essays these last two weeks. They take you forever to grade."
She chuckled. "Okay. No essays. Everyone will be ecstatic not to have anything to write for two weeks."
His hand came up and caressed her cheek. "I wish… No, I'm not going to be petulant. We will enjoy ourselves these next two weeks so I can have some good memories for the future."
A tear escaped Hermione's eye.
"No, no, don't do that," he said as he wiped it away.
Leaning up, he kissed her passionately.
"I will kiss you like that constantly until you leave," he said.
She smiled at that. "I will enjoy every minute of it."
He kissed her again, drinking in every part of her. Her stomach fluttered as he showered her with his affection. She wanted to have them be like this forever. Her heart broke as she thought of all the time he'd spend without her, and how she would come back to a much older Severus Snape.
They were both on the same wavelength because he pulled back and frowned at her.
"You will return to your time, and I will be old and ugly, and you won't want to have anything to do with me."
"Hey… hey, don't even think that. I already know what you look like in the future, and I will never think you ugly or too old for me."
He searched her eyes, looking for the truth. She gave a slight nod, giving him permission to enter her mind. He didn't spend long in her thoughts. She had pushed her feelings for his older self to the forefront. Pulling back, he looked at her with wide eyes.
"I didn't think you would want me…"
"I will always want you."
He smiled then, and it dazzled her. Sighing, she promised she'd make the best of these last two weeks with Severus, no matter what.