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A/N: Yay, another update! Woo hoo!

I want to thank all of you for your support. The reviews especially touch me deeply. I cant even believe how many people add this to their favorites and alerts all the time, so thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

As for this chapter I do hope you enjoy it. I could keep talking, but well, it can get annoying sometimes.

Read Enjoy. Love to you all.

.lily

The Eradico Draught was classified as a dangerously dark potion and it was highly illegal to brew, sell, or possess. The potion, which was restricted by the Ministry of Magic, was also highly volatile to brew and very few Potions Masters in the world would find the price worth the risks of the complex and explosive potion.

Severus Snape was not most Potions Masters and he found his new contract with the Ministry was quite worth the risks involved.

The early morning owl from Kingsley had been a surprise. That much was absolutely certain.

The tapping on the window, while an annoyance while he was brewing, wasn't uncommon in a business where Severus did quite a bit of owl orders. He had set a perch outside the window when he'd first opened deciding quickly that the hassle was worth it if it meant the damned birds stopped pecking and flapping incessantly at the window until he had reached a stage in brewing where he could afford the interruption. The owl itself hadn't been a surprise but the seal and contents had been.

Severus stared at the familiar print and azure wax seal with the image of a lynx he knew to belong to Kingsley Shacklebolt. He worried that there were more problems ahead for Hermione regarding her use of Bella's wand. Nothing else made sense, not when they were due to see each other the next day at the Weasley's, a prospect he secretly found himself looking forward too.

Carefully he used one of the sharpened blades from his workbench to break the seal and unfurl the scroll. He was relieved more than he'd expected to be that the missive was not regarding Hermione.

Master Severus Snape,

After careful consideration and lengthy deliberation I have, in conjunction with the Wizengamot, come to a difficult decision regarding the prisoners of Azkaban Prison.

Since the removal of the Dementors it has been, most unfortunately, a trying task for our Aurors to maintain control over the Prison. I regret to inform you that conditions are not favorable to any who are there, regardless of which side of the bars they reside. I am more than upset to announce that three deaths, two of prisoners, and one that of a young prison guard, have been reported along with the escape of one interred wizard.

It is for this reason that we, The Wizengamot, and the Ministry of Magic, have decided that extreme measures are to be taken in order to ensure the safety of our populous.

Please find attached order for the Eradico Draught.

The Ministry of Magic thanks you for your assistance and discretion in this matter.

All billing may be forwarded to Glada Goodnips. Dept. Of Ministerial Finances and Acquisitions.

Regards,

Kingsley Shacklebolt

Minister for Magic

Only once before had he been asked to brew the Eradico Draught, and he had nearly been killed when the cauldron he was using at the time reacted with the brew and caused an explosion so grand Severus had been thrown through the wall of the work room he had been provided; earning himself head trauma, several broken ribs, and a rather large gash in his left thigh near down to his femur.

Luckily Voldemort had chosen to give up on the potion, deciding it was simply easier to kill his opponents than attempt to poison them with a draught that may well kill his Potions Master and spy to brew.

Severus was no longer an overly eager young potions prodigy. He no longer rushed to prove himself. He had long since learned that potions texts should almost never be taken at face value.

Potioneers were prideful and secretive when it came to their discoveries and advancements. Texts were often written in such a way that a Potions Master could receive accolades and count the Galleons as they came in while ensuring that others who attempted to brew their potions would be unable to see the same level of effectiveness.

Severus knew this wouldn't be a task to rush into. He needed to research. There was, he was sure, a rather dark potions text in his library that had the Eradico Draught in it. He would need several other references and texts to perfect the recipe.

As he worked to brew the Wolfsbane one corner of his mind was busily cataloguing all the books he would need to take home with him that afternoon. Various dark potions texts, a few of his Herbology texts, and his Arithmancy book would all need to be taken home with him that afternoon.

Home, it sounded so nice. Was that what Hermione's childhood home was? Was it his home now? He knew it was what he wanted. It was what he had wanted for some time, but had tried to deny to himself. Severus had finally let himself admit, if only in his head, that he had been dreaming of a future with the honey eyed witch. It only took finding her broken, bloodied and violated for him to stop denying his feelings.

Severus was lost in his thoughts of Hermione and home while still managing to allot the required focus on the Wolfsbane in front of him. He however never heard the chimes signaling someone had taken down his admittedly weak wards and entered the Apothecary. The rapid click, click, clicking of heels never registered as he patiently stirred in a perfect pinwheel motion, watching the simmering amber liquid thinking how much it reminded him of the gold flecks in Hermione's eyes when the sun hit them just right. Severus was so absorbed in his thoughts and his potion that he never even heard the door to his lab creak open. It was the exasperated, shrill voice of his old colleague and friend that finally managed to break his concentration.

"Oh Severus, good, I am happy I was able to catch you here. I hadn't been sure you would be in, but then again you always did work far too much," Minerva started, and Severus could practically hear her head shaking at him as he tried to regain his focus on the potion so that he did not lose count of his stirs.

It probably wasn't a very good idea to have let his mind wander so much while he was brewing, even if he knew the steps to the damned Wolfsbane by heart now. Between his concentration on that, and his meandering thoughts about Hermione and the Eradico Draught he was caught off guard. Severus Snape was never caught off guard. He was going soft, he was sure of it. Something would have to be done about that.

"…and I really had been hoping that you would understand. I know that I wasn't fair to either of you, but the similarities, and really the girl needs more time Severus," she went on. He honestly hadn't been paying attention to what she was saying. The old biddy was getting on his last frayed nerve and if she didn't know after twenty years that he abhorred being interrupted during brewing then she didn't deserve his attention. He would gladly kick her out, friend or not, as soon as he had stirred twelve more rotations.

Twelve, eleven, ten…he thought as he stirred, waiting for the potion to darken to a deep mahogany shade.

"…you might remember you know. I am certain you were old enough then. I do hope that she understands…" Minerva was still going on about something, though he was hardly registering her words.

Seven, six, five…

"…but perhaps I have been rather rash in my judgments. Although you do have to understand…" she kept going, her voice boring into his head as saw the potion begin to darken.

Three, two, one. The potion was the perfect shade of mahogany for the stage of brewing and would need to simmer for another two hours on a low flame before he moved on to the next step of the process. He silently waved his hand at the flame under the cauldron and lowered slightly before setting the stirring rod on a small tray with other tools he would need to wash up.

Slowly he lifted his head to look up at Minerva. She was certainly more disheveled than he remembered her being in all the time he had known her. Her hat was askew and there were crinkles in the sides of her robes that made it appear as if she had been clenching the fabric in her fists for some time. Her face was rather pale and her overall presence just seemed so much less austere that usual. She was still talking at him, oblivious to the fact that he had not been listening to her. The woman could honestly be dreadfully annoying at the best of times as far as Severus was concerned.

"Minerva, if you do not cease your prattle I shall be forced to dock points from Gryffindor, the likes of which could not be made up by your house in the next two terms," he ground out through clenched teeth, rather enjoying the way her eyes bugged out a little at the unexpected interruption to her little diatribe on whatever had her in such a huff. "Now certainly you realize that this is, in fact, a private business. One that is currently closed, and had I been a lesser brewer your unannounced presence in this lab could have resulted in, at best, the ruination of this month's Wolfsbane batch, and at worst, the whole place to burn down when the damned cauldron exploded. What in Merlin's name are you doing here?" he asked her roughly.

Her hand went to her chest, as the severity of what could have happened caught up to her. She had been so focused on the fact that she had to get Hermione to forgive her, to understand why she was so worried, that she had completely neglected to think about her actions. Still, even realizing that she shouldn't have barged in like that, without so much as sending an owl to him she couldn't seem to think of a proper apology. "You do realize that you can no longer take House Points, do you not, Severus?" was somehow the only thing to make it out of her mouth.

Severus would have laughed at her if he wasn't so completely perturbed by the intrusion. "Would you please just tell me what you want and then be on your way," he intoned dispassionately. "I do not have all day to pontificate whatever ridiculous notions you have about my life, or Hermione's for that matter. Say what you came to say and leave me in peace so that I might finish my work in time for dinner."

Minerva just stared at him as if trying to suddenly figure him out. Forget that she had known him for most of his life. Suddenly he was a puzzle to her.

After a moment Minerva slowly slipped her hand into her pocket. When she pulled it out it was holding a yellowing wizards portrait of a young woman. "I am sorry for the intrusion Severus, but Albus thought that if you knew the truth you might understand, and that you could perhaps speak with Hermione for me. I really do care for the girl; like a daughter, and for you, you great brooding bat," she started, taking a deep breath before presenting the worn photo to Severus. "I didn't mean to barge in like this, but I couldn't stand the way I left things with Hermione and I thought that if you knew, you could explain it to her."

Severus took the photo from her and stared at the image of a young woman, perhaps a year or two younger than Hermione was now, laughing and smiling at the camera in front of an old cottage home with horses galloping in the distance. The girl was beautiful and lacking the darkness that she exuded when Severus had known her. What Minerva was doing with a picture of a long dead Death Eater he did not know. Moira Rosier had been Bella's best friend. They were two halves of the same twisted and decayed coin. Both women had been excruciatingly beautiful and favorites among the Death Eaters, and the Dark Lord himself. Part of their popularity was due to their husbands' willingness to share. Part of it had been because each woman was equally gleeful in her malicious destruction of others. Moira had died during the same minor battle that killed Molly's brothers, Fabian and Gideon Prewett. The Dark Lord had been most displeased with the mission due to her loss. Severus had been lucky to have not been in the ranks of Death Eaters on that mission that night. Each who had returned was punished brutally for their failure to protect their own, especially one so favored by their Master as Moira had been. Evan Rosier had been beside himself in his grief and had been over zealous with his use of Cruciatus that night.

"Moira," her name was but a whisper on his lips as he thought about what this picture had to do with Hermione. Where had Minerva gotten it? It was obviously taken before she had been taken under Bellatrix's blackened wing. The girl in the picture looked care free and bright. She wasn't the hollowed and scarred Death Eater he had known. Her hair was a shining mass of brassy waves and her eyes were a serene hazel color that reflected the laughter pouring out of her. It was her eyes. Severus knew well that you could often see someone's parents in their eyes, and looking now, it was hard to miss the link. "She was…" he started, but Minerva's quiet words cut him off.

"Moira was my daughter. Yes," her breathing was labored as she spoke, attempting to reign in her emotions. "Before she met a Wizard by the name of Rosier, my daughter was a bright and promising Witch. She was exceedingly gifted in Charms. Evan Rosier was a good looking, wealthy, young Wizard when she met him at a conference she was attending on advancements in her chosen field. She was entranced by him, obsessed to the point that all else was lost to her." Minerva was trying to hold back the tears in her eyes as she remembered what it was like as a parent to watch her only child lose herself to such an obsessive love. "The rest of the world ceased to have color or meaning when he was gone, and when he was there she could see nothing but him. She waited by the floo day in and out for his call. She would write him letters endlessly. She loved him so passionately that she had no room for other pursuits. At the time we lived in a small town in Scotland, and she was Apprenticing under a very accomplished Charms Master. She wanted to teach. But Rosier was living in London, and they had little time together. The distance was tearing her apart more and more as time wore on. She was growing more and more withdrawn. She stopped her Apprenticeship because she couldn't focus," Minerva told him sadly. Severus was trying to reconcile the vicious laughter of the woman he knew with the bright woman in the picture as he listened.

Severus, with as much tact as ever, spoke. "She never did have much focus when I knew her."

Minerva just huffed. "She did once. She was so young, only eighteen when they met. She was only nineteen when I came to an empty house and note hastily scribbled on the table in the hall. She had left everything to be with him. They had eloped." Minerva pulled a handkerchief from one of her pockets and dabbed her eyes to hide any traces of the tears that had begun to well. "It was devastating to lose her like that. She seemed to live for nothing but him. In the few letters I would get from her he was all she spoke of. She had given up her Charms research. She never even asked after her horses, and she had loved them like they were her children. She gave up everything for that man," she told him shakily.

Severus let her tell her story, starting to think that he could understand why she had been reacting the way she had, as he knew how this tale would end.

Minerva's weak grasp on her composure was crumbling as she got to the crux of her story. "The next and last time I saw my daughter, she had already taken the mark. It was the first time I had seen one in person. Voldemort wasn't a more than a whisper in Northern Scotland then, but an old friend of my late husband was vocal in his opposition. He needed someone to take over his post in Transfigurations and when he came to me with the offer, I saw it as a chance to keep others from falling into madness as my own child had. Albus gave me his post and was quick to recruit me to his cause. The only times I caught glimpses of my daughter she was standing across from me with a dark glint in her eye and a horridly harsh laugh on her lips as she shot curses at my friends and colleagues. I no longer recognized her for what she had become. She wasn't the young woman I had raised. Her obsession with Rosier and her need for him to love her changed her. I was so disgusted with what she had let herself become that I turned my back on her. When she died I refused to claim the body, and of course the Death Eaters wouldn't claim her, afraid to be seen as what they were while they claimed one of their own. Instead she was buried as a nameless corpse in an unmarked grave." Minerva was trembling as the memories washed over her, repressed for decades as she struggled to keep her charges on a path towards the light.

Severus took a deep breath and ran a hand through his raven locks. He had rarely seen Minerva look so tormented. Angry, arrogant, stern, protective, they were only some of the adjectives that immediately came to mind, along with annoying, aggravating, grating, and tiresome. Tormented was not a word he had often attached to her though. But he understood now. He could see the similarities. Both women had been vibrant in their youth. They were both stars academically, and could have been anything they had wanted if it weren't for the men they had chosen and the wars they had fought. But Moira Rosier was not Hermione. And Severus Snape was not the monster that had led Hermione astray.

He didn't want her to keep thinking that Hermione was Moira, or headed down a similar path. "This is not the same Minerva. Hermione would most certainly never hurt anyone, or take pleasure in it. Your daughter was Bellatrix Lestrange's best friend. She was cruel in her own right, and despite your teaching she fully believed in her Lord's rhetoric. I realize she was your child, but it is the truth. She is nothing like Hermione. It's high time you stop comparing the two," his voice was harsh and clipped, and as he saw a tear escape the confines of his old friend's eye he knew he had struck home. He wasn't out to upset her necessarily, though after what she had put Hermione through he certainly thought she deserved no less, but he was not going to sit by while she compared the woman he loved to a nutter of Death Eater. He wasn't entirely pleased with her depiction of his character either. "Furthermore, after all these years I am tired of being painted the loyal Death Eater vermin. And you of all people certainly should know me better than that. I know that last year was truly awful. But we have had those discussions and you know why there was no other way. When I took my mark I was young too, but unlike your daughter I saw the error of my ways shortly after signing up to follow that mad man to hell. I never enjoyed Muggle baiting, or torturing children. I never enjoyed the revels. Moira was a perfect little Death Eater up until she died. I am sorry. She was your daughter, you loved her. I know that. But do not punish Hermione because of who your daughter was," he managed to restrain from simply shouting at her, honestly somewhat saddened by the revelations of his old friend he hoped that she would finally see that her reasons were shite. She had been being horrible to a woman she claimed to love, and acting as if he were truly the man he had pretended to be that year he was trapped as Headmaster.

Minerva's anguish was clear on her face as she listened to him explain to her, and it was clear shame in her voice as she spoke, "I know that Hermione isn't my daughter, but I care for her as one. I watched her grow and mature into a talented Witch and a beautiful woman. I know she isn't Moira. She isn't, but I can see the darkness that has managed to settle in her," she put up a hand to cut off any protests he might have. "Do not deny it Severus. It is there. It is not something that just anyone could see, but it's something I have seen it before, in my own daughter. With Hermione I pretended it wasn't there, but then I saw her with you, and it was so easy to remember the sight of my own child standing next to a Death Eater. It was easier to blame you for what I saw in her. I didn't want to think that I had failed another child and lost her innocence to war."

Part of Severus wanted to say something, to defend Hermione, and rip the woman before him to shreds, but Minerva was right. There was a darkness there that went deeper than the atrocities she had faced. It was a darkness born of what she had done. Before he could even think of an appropriate response to Minerva's words she was speaking again.

"I just wanted to protect my cub. I know," she faltered, looking as if she was facing an inner battle. "Severus, I know that you are not Evan Rosier. But I cannot help but see the similarities, I never have. You can be caustic and cruel, even to those of us you called friends over the years. You don't exactly exude softness and compassion."

Severus was more than ready to cut her off now. She still apparently had no clue who he truly was, and with Hermione, everything was different. He was ready to lambast her for her assumptions, bus again she gave him no chance.

"I see now that perhaps there are some who see a different side to you, and that perhaps if I would stop to see past the surface I might see it as well. Maybe she will listen to you. You can explain it to her. I was wrong to compare her to Moira. I just do not wish to lose her as well Severus," her words were pleading as she spoke them. "I should let you get back to your brewing. I am sorry for interrupting you while you were working." With that she turned and was gone, never giving him the opportunity to respond.

Severus was stunned. The picture of Moira had completely thrown him. He hadn't known what to think. Usually, in the past, he had always been up to a verbal sparring match with Minerva. But this wasn't fun. He wasn't sure what to think.

The whole day had been a draining and it was hardly past three in the afternoon. Between the rough start that morning with Hermione, and the request from the ministry, brewing the Wolfsbane, and now Minerva's visit, Severus actually found himself wanting to do nothing more than go home and laugh with Hermione and the Lovegood chit.

Severus still had work to do finishing the next stage of the Wolfsbane before it was ready to be left overnight to simmer lightly, and he needed to finish gathering his research materials on the Eradico Draught. He even considered that it might actually be a fun research project to work on with Hermione as a part of her Apprenticeship.

When he was finally finished with his work several hours later Severus was more than happy to leave for home.

He stopped on the way to pick up simple fish and chips from a local hole in the wall place that he remembered passing by a few days before. The smell of battered and fried fish was intoxicating and the perfect simple comfort food he thought that both he and Hermione could use after another long day in a very long week. He only hoped that Lovegood liked cod.

When he pushed the back door open with his foot he was met with the sounds of laughter coming from the other room and wasn't sure whether to groan or smile. He had certainly had enough of the gossipy, frivolous chatter of young women in his time as a Hogwarts professor, but the sound of laughter on Hermione's lips was beautiful. It was the sound of hope.

Quietly he shut the door behind him and began setting the table. He wasn't sure what Lovegood might want to drink but he grabbed a bottle of the Blood Orange Soda he knew Hermione was growing to favor and some juice as well. When everything was set out he decided to see what the girls were laughing so raucously about, and let them know there was food.

Pushing open the door into the living room Severus could see little else but the girls' feet waving about in the air as they lounged on pillows before the fire laughing and talking about gods knows what. He almost felt bad intruding, he knew that Hermione had been all but cut off from her friends in the recent years with her marriage to Weasley and he wanted her to be able to relax and forget some of her worries for a little while. He knew she had enough of them.

After watching for a few minutes, and starting to feel like an old lecherous pervert when he realized he was paying far too much attention to the way Hermione's dress bunched around her thighs as her legs kicked back and forth in the air, he cleared his throat to alert the girls to his presence.

Hermione, who was facing away from him, turned around and gave him a big smile before pushing herself up off the ground and then reaching down to help her blonde friend stand.

Luna, once on her feet skipped around the couch to stand in front of Severus. "Why hello there Professor," she greeted him happily. "I had been wondering how long you might stand in the doorway admiring Hermione's bum before you bothered to say hello. Though I suppose you haven't actually said hello as of yet, which is rather rude, you do know." She smiled brightly at him even as his eyes flashed dangerously and he looked like he might choke. "The food smells delicious. I am rather hungry."

Severus had no clue how to respond to that. He certainly couldn't deny that he had been admiring Hermione's backside, and she was right about his poor etiquette, but surely he shouldn't let her talk to him that way. Then again, it was Loony Luna Lovegood; the girl was as bonkers as she was bright. "Lovegood," he decided to say with a nod of his head as she ducked past him into the kitchen.

Severus shook his head at her antics and looked up to see Hermione blushing and smiling at him from across the room, still standing on the other side of the couch where she was picking up cushions. "I suppose Severus, that you have lost your touch. I mean, if young girls are no longer afraid of you so much that they would dare comment on your poor manners," she said laughingly as she finally made her way to him, kissing him in the cheek.

Severus smirked and cocked his eyebrow at her. "That one," he said, nodding his head towards the kitchen and the woman currently tinkering around in cupboards, "has never been intimidated by me, or even slightly wary of speaking her mind. Whatever is on her mind. I often found in my years teaching her that I wished she would. Though I will admit, her lack of a filter makes her amusing at times," he drawled before pulling Hermione against him to give her a real kiss, relishing in the feel of her small body against his and her small soft lips gliding so smoothly against his.

Her breasts, he could tell, were well engorged and in need of being expressed. They felt like solid ripened melons against his chest, and as much as he wished to explore the train of thought they were inspiring he knew she needed to escape and express her milk before long. "Darling, why don't you go in the other room and pump? I am sure you need to by now. I do believe that those are fuller every time I see you lately. Not that I particularly mind that, obviously," he told her, his voice smooth and alluring, causing Hermione's eyes to flutter closed momentarily as a shudder went down her spine.

"Actually Severus," she started as she pulled away and looked up brightly at his beautiful deep purple eyes as they seemed to devour her, "I'm just going to do it while we eat if you don't mind terribly. I am rather starving now, and Luna and I have been talking about it. She is rather enthused about seeing it. She's never seen a 'nursing robot' before and she is very much looking forward to it."

'Nursing robot' earned her a snort of laughter from Severus. When Luna had first described her breast pump as such Hermione had broken down in such a hysteric fit of laughter that she nearly wet her pants.

Severus couldn't even think of a reasonable response to that. It seemed to be a common problem with him of late. What was with women making him forget how to properly speak? Instead he simply shook his head and led the way into the kitchen where Luna was still digging around looking for gods knew what.

Severus stalked slowly behind her until he was towering above her bent form. "Is there something I can assist you with Lovegood?" he asked in his practiced Professor voice.

Luna didn't even pause in her search. "Oh, why no thank you Professor. I was thinking of getting you a house warming gift now that you seem to be settling here for now, and well, it would be terribly rude to get you something you already owned. I see there's nothing here to repel Nargles though. I think that is probably the best idea, truly," she explained as she straightened up and headed towards the table. "There's a little gloss on your lip. Did you know?"

Severus, to his credit, simply wiped his hands roughly over his face. He grabbed Hermione's breast pump for her off the rack on the counter and took it around the table to where Hermione was sitting next to her friend trying not to laugh at his obvious discomfort. This was going to be more of a challenge than entertaining George.

Hermione took the pump gratefully from Severus. She was starting to get sore. "Thank you Severus. The food smells wonderful, by the way. What would I do without you I wonder?" she asked as she smiled up at him.

Severus hummed low as he looked at Hermione's truly grateful face.

Luna, who was sitting on the other side of Hermione, was peering around to get a better look at the breast pump, seeming to be completely unbothered by the tender moment happening between her friend and their old Professor. "Oooh, is that the nursing robot? I was expecting it to have teeth. Or little hands at least. Are you going to do it now? Can I watch? How does it work?" she kept firing questions out at Hermione who was biting her lips to keep from laughing.

Severus had to turn away and walk to his seat on the other side of the table to keep himself from bursting out in laughter himself. He had to admit that from a Wizarding standpoint, hell from any standpoint, that contraption was bizarre and amazing. He could easily remember his own awe the first time he saw Hermione use it. Though it wouldn't do to let himself get too enthralled by the sight of Hermione's breasts, not at the dinner table when Lovegood would easily be able to see the look in his eyes, and have enough brass to call him on it. Her perceptiveness was at the same time one of her better and worst qualities.

Hermione was still trying not to laugh as she better explained the workings of the 'nursing robot' to the airy blonde beside her. She was explaining the charms she had come up with to help her be a little more comfortable and free her hands so that she could eat or read easily while she was expressing her milk. Luna was listening with rapt attention to Hermione's explanations, asking what different things did and where she put the milk when she was through with it.

For a few minutes the small group ate and discussed the ins and outs of breast milk. It was perhaps the most bizarre meal Severus Snape had ever had, and he had certainly been through some very odd meals.

When Hermione had finished pumping and stored her milk she returned to the table and turned the conversation away from her breasts. "So Severus, Luna has been telling me about some of her travels. She found some extraordinary plant life in the mountains out in Australia when she was there. Of course, that wasn't all she found, but she did say she brought back some great specimens," Hermione said, trying to steer the conversation to topics that all of them could discuss. She knew Severus would be excited about the prospect of new potions ingredients.

Just as she expected, Severus cocked an eyebrow and considered Luna carefully for a moment. It was always possible that she had found some great plant life with excellent potential in potions. It was also entirely possible that she was barmy. "You stumbled across some rare ingredients while traveling abroad, have you Lovegood?" he asked skeptically.

Luna just beamed at him happily, her eyes drifting dazedly as she remembered something fondly. "Oh yes, Reanne and I took a lovely horseback ride through the mountain side and stopped to picnic near a waterfall. She was rather busy licking honey off my thighs, and as I tossed my head to the side I couldn't help but notice the most beautiful glowing flower just barely submerged near the water's edge. Of course, at the time, I thought it was just the orgasm making me think it was glowing, but afterwards it was still glowing so I collected it. We ended up finding quite a few if you would like some. They still haven't stopped glowing. It's quite remarkable," she explained, not even noticing that Severus seemed to have turned a rather sickly shade and was trying not to choke on his cod.

Hermione was going to die of laughter. She was sure of it. She should have known that bringing up Australia would be a bad idea. Neville had hardly made it through lunch. Luna hardly had a single story that didn't include sexual escapades with her beautiful lover. "Luna," she wheezed between laughter. "I don't, I don't think," she kept trying to get the words out but she was laughing so hard at Severus' obvious shock and discomfort, "I just don't think that Severus needs to hear everything about how you found the flowers."

Severus, who finally seemed to have dislodged the fish from his windpipe, was pinching the bridge of his nose. "Please, for the love of Merlin, leave the sordid details out of it, if you don't mind. I do not have any desire to think of you engaged in carnal acts while collecting potions ingredients."

Hermione wanted to tell Luna that perhaps she should leave the parts about Reanne out of the story, but she couldn't stop laughing long enough to get the words out, and really, Severus was so cute when he was flustered.

Luna just tilted her head and considered him for a moment before talking again, making Severus almost wish to be back dealing with Minerva. "Well honestly Professor, I hadn't pictured you as a prude. I mean, I even told Hermione today that I thought you must be an excellent lover. You do exude so much power and confidence. And well, that voice of yours is the stuff of Hogwarts legend really," she kept going on, completely oblivious to the growing discomfort on Severus' face. "Besides, if I were to leave out the parts about the sex, it wouldn't be much of a story really. I found the best plant and animal life when I was flat on my back. Who would have guessed? Perhaps you and Hermione should try it sometime sir, it truly puts the world in a new perspective when you are naked, lying in the wet grass, with your lover doing absolutely lovely things to your body. I think it opens the mind. It helps that Wrackspurts are scared of the moaning, I think," she went on as Severus smashed his head into the table and Hermione threw hers back, laughing more than she had in a very long time.

"I am glad you think this is amusing, Hermione," he said gruffly, his face still down on the table. "Please, please tell me you were not discussing my sexual prowess over lunch with Longbottom."

With Hermione still lost to a fit of giggles, there was no one to respond but Luna. "Oh, no, no Professor. I did try to get his opinion, but he really didn't seem to want to talk about your sexual side. Boys can be funny that way. Hermione is lucky to have found you I think."

Hermione finally managed to catch a breath and slow her laughter enough so that she could talk. "Oh, oh my. Severus, Severus? Really, it's fine. There was some speculation, but I wouldn't have called it a conversation. Mostly it was Neville reacting in much the same way you are," she explained, still breathing heavily after all her gales of laughter.

Her reassurance didn't seem to be of much help as Severus replied, "Oh help me, I am being compared to a Longbottom."

The rest of the meal passed in much the same way, with Severus thoroughly wishing he had stayed in his lab to work on his research, but alternately pleased to be able to witness Hermione's lighter mood. Luna, for all her lack of tact, was a breath of fresh air. Severus had to admit more than once that she was actually incredibly bright about certain things, and even if he wasn't happy to hear about her methods, he could not argue that she had indeed found some amazing samples on her trips. He of course, never would admit that out loud in her presence. She might have been tempted to tell more stories.

As the night wore on Severus told Hermione and Luna about his encounter with Minerva, glossing over it as much as possible, silently promising to tell Hermione more about it later when they could talk privately.

The three stayed up chatting well into the night about a wide array of topics and Severus found himself arguing one point rather heatedly with the young blonde about the possible uses for Snorkack parts in potions. Why he was arguing about imagined creatures imagined potions properties he wasn't sure, but he couldn't deny that it was in fact rather stimulating conversation.

Eventually they all turned in for the night, none of them wanting to miss the spectacle at the Weasley's the next day.

As Severus held Hermione close to him that night, softly kissing the skin behind her ear, he couldn't help but wonder for the hundredth time how this had so easily become his life, his home, his joy.

A/N: So, what did you think? I certainly hope you all enjoyed it. Reviews are a balm to my broken heart.

Next up is Sunday with the Weasleys! And we will have a few unexpected quests drop in. It should be great fun! I cant wait, really I cant. I've been planning this for so long. I'm excited are you?

Review Review Review. I love you all! Really, really I do!

.lily