Summary: The Apothecary opens.
A/N: Bonus chappie! I feel like I want to finish uploading this this week, so enjoy this entry. Good times ahead! Thanks for reading and commenting.
Chapter 36
Two weeks later, everything was ready and the shop had its grand opening. Severus wasn't a fan of tinkling bells, so he set a ward to alert him whenever someone came into the store. That way if he was alone in the back, he would know someone was there, and he could attend to them. Dumbledore had let all of his apprentices attend the opening. Severus was glad, because the shop was quite full, and they were all able to help customers find what they were looking for.
Xavier Horwith came into the shop at that moment. Severus grinned at him and extended his hand which was shaken vigorously.
"Mr. Snape, this is brilliant," Horwith said.
"Thank you, sir. I appreciate your help in getting me started here. I want to show you something."
The wizard grinned at Severus and nodded. Severus turned and led him over to the side wall. Above this section was a sign that read The Xavier Horwith New Brew Section.
"Well, would you look at that!" Xavier exclaimed. "You didn't need to do that, Severus."
Severus shrugged. "I wanted to honor you in some way after your incredibly generous gift. Now your name will always be associated with something innovative here in the shop."
The man hugged Severus, causing him to blush. "Thank you." He pulled back and looked around the rest of the shop.
"Everything looks great. May you have much success."
Severus smiled as his hand was shaken again. He nodded at Mr. Horwith. "Thank you, sir."
It was close to closing time when Hermione came in, beaming from ear to ear.
"Welcome to Enchanted Elixirs," Severus said as she came up to him.
"Oh, Severus, there are a lot of people here!"
"Yes, it's been steady like this all day. Everyone has been expressing how happy they are to have an Apothecary in Hogsmeade now. I think things are going to go well."
"It's amazing how many people are here!"
"I don't expect it to be busy like this consistently. Once the initial interest wanes, I think it will be steady, though."
"I'm so glad there's so much interest!"
He smiled at her and closed the gap, kissing her on the cheek.
"We need to celebrate once the shop closes," he whispered into her ear.
She chuckled. "Sounds amazing," she whispered back.
Severus pulled away, his grin even wider.
"How were classes?" he asked her.
"Fine, fine. The catchup classes for the older students are going well."
"I'm glad."
At that point, a customer came up, and Severus was taken away, advising on what type of dreamless sleep the person should buy. He'd created lighter versions for those who needed to use it more than occasionally.
Hermione watched him as he worked. Despite Severus being a man who kept to himself, he seemed to open up with the other wizard as he described the differences between the two potions. He seemed to be in his element.
The door opened again and Ron strode in.
"Oy, Snape, this place is great!" he exclaimed as he hugged his friend and slapped his back in congratulations.
"I wasn't expecting you to stop by," Severus said with a grin.
Ron shrugged. "I want you to know I support you." He moved in closer to Severus. "There are a lot of people here."
Severus nodded. "It's been like this all day," Severus whispered.
"Fantastic! Harry sends his regards. He is tracking down someone so couldn't come by. Ginny and Lavender send their love, of course."
Hermione meandered up to them.
"How is Lavender?"
"Stressed," he said with a chuckle. "With the wedding next week, she's up to her eyeballs in plans. Ultimately, she's happy as a clam; this is her element."
"I'm glad. We're looking forward to it," Hermione said.
"Speaking of which, Severus, did you arrange to pick up your dress robes?"
"As your best man, I have it all under control. I will pick them up the night before the ceremony."
"Sounds good. I mean, you've got a lot going on here. I just wanted to make sure you remembered."
"One's best friend doesn't marry every day, you know. I could hardly forget."
Ron grinned at him.
"It's sweet that you're having two best men, Ron."
"Honestly, Hermione, I couldn't choose one over the other. I love both of you louts."
"Don't let Harry hear you calling him a lout," Hermione said as she put her arm around him. "When Harry marries, do you think he'll do the same?"
Severus shrugged. "I doubt it. Potter and I like one another well enough, but his true love is Ron."
Ron burst out laughing. "That's true. We definitely have that… special bond." Ron waggled his eyebrows.
"Well, at least you decided to have a month between your two wedding dates," Hermione said.
"Ginny and Lavender would have killed each other if we had decided to do it any closer, but Harry can't wait. If you ask me, they should have just eloped months ago, but Mum would have skinned them alive if they did."
"I can imagine," Hermione mused.
Severus nodded in agreement.
"And on that note, I should be going. We are finalizing the flowers for the ceremony, and I need to meet Lavender at the flower shop in a couple of minutes."
Severus nodded at Ron. "Thanks for coming by. I appreciate it."
"Yeah, I'll probably be back soon. I always need potions for work."
Hermione hugged him soundly. He left them to the customers once again. There was about five minutes before closing, and there were already fewer people in the shop.
The man who Severus had helped earlier finally decided which potion he wanted, and brought his purchase up to be paid for. By the time he was rung up and headed for the door, he was the last person in the store to leave. Severus locked the door behind him. Turning back to his ten apprentices and Hermione, he smirked at all of them.
"Thank you all," he said briefly.
Everyone started talking at once. The students were all excited about how many customers they'd had. Severus let them chatter away for a minute or so before he raised his hand to silence them.
"It truly has been a remarkable day, and I couldn't have done it without any of you. Thank you all for being here and supporting the customers as we went through the day. I think that we can go to your regular schedules starting tomorrow. We should have a steady clientele, but I don't think they will storm the apothecary again."
Everyone mumbled agreement. Each student came up to Severus and shook his hand before leaving the store.
"Thanks, Mr. Snape," Scarlett Edwards said as she shook his hand.
All the others did the same, and soon they were all gone, and Severus was locking the door again.
"It's odd being called Mr. Snape," he remarked to Hermione.
"Well, Mr. Snape…"
Hermione came up to him and put her arms around his neck. Her hand came up and pushed his hair out of his eyes.
"You are their boss and the owner of this fine establishment. You should get used to being called that."
He leaned in and kissed her.
"I'm sure I'll get used to it eventually. I just feel old."
"Well, you are, what? Forty-something?"
He scowled at her. "I'm nineteen, just like you."
"Except for the fact that you were born in 1960."
"Which makes me under forty if you do the math."
She grinned at him. "It's fun to rile you up, Severus."
"Cheeky witch."
She shook her head at him before leaning up and kissing him on the cheek.
"You looked so comfortable today. I was wondering if you'd feel insecure with so many people around that you'd have to interact with, but from what I saw, you were very at ease."
Severus looked off into the distance, concentrating on something out the window. "You know… I wondered if I would get annoyed with customers. You know me… I'm not very patient with ineptness. But having worked in Matilda's shop, I was ready for silly questions, which did come. The opportunity to educate and explain how things work is enticing. People seem to pay attention and want to know what I have to say. It's somewhat of a heady feeling."
"I'm glad you feel at ease."
His eyes returned to hers. "Now, are you ready to celebrate?"
She nodded enthusiastically.
"Would you mind if we returned home to dress up a little?" he asked.
"No, that sounds like fun."
He led her to the Fireplace, and they flooed to their home. After a little while, they were both dressed elegantly, Hermione wearing a navy blue dress with a black flowered lace overlay. Severus had chosen a gray suitcoat and pants with a black cravat and white shirt underneath.
Hermoine looked over at him. "You look incredibly sexy, love," she said.
He grinned at her. "Thank you. You, however, are magnificent. I've never seen a more beautiful woman in my life."
Hermione reddened, and Severus enjoyed her shyness. He leaned down and kissed her cheek. Extending his arm, he let her wrap hers around it.
"Ready?" he asked.
"Absolutely."
They Apparated to London, and Severus led them down Diagon Alley to a side street. They went a block or so down it, holding hands as they walked.
"Oh, are we going to the Gilded Wand?" Hermione asked as they continued down the lane.
"Oh, you figured it out," Severus said drolly.
Hermione shook his arm. "That's a five cauldron restaurant. Severus, I'm so excited!"
He turned and flashed a smile at her. "I'm glad you're excited. I'm looking forward to it as well."
They turned the corner and came to the restaurant hidden away from the main wizarding area. Strolling up to the entrance, Severus held the door for Hermione as she slipped through, quickly followed by him. They went up to the Maitre-d'.
"We have a reservation for seven p.m.," Severus said.
They were soon seated. They studied the menu and decided on their meals. The waiter came by and took their order, leaving them to themselves with a bottle of champagne.
Severus picked up his flute and offered a toast.
"To great new beginnings," he said.
Hermione touched her glass to his and repeated his toast.
They both drank to the future. Severus put down his glass and excused himself.
"I need the loo."
Hermione nodded. Severus rose. Instead of heading to the loo, he started out that way, then made a beeline for their waiter. He spoke with him in hushed tones and soon returned to the table, smiling at Hermione.
"I missed you," she said with a smirk.
"I came back as quickly as I could," he replied with his own smirk.
Soon the waiter had returned and placed their appetizer in the center of the table. They had chosen a crab cake appetizer to share. They each took one of the cakes over to their own plates. Hermione took a bite first and her eyes grew wide. Severus tried it, and he almost groaned.
"Oh, that's wonderful," he mused.
Hermione nodded as she took another bite. They ate without further words because they were enjoying the crab cakes too much. They had no sooner finished when the waiter came back with their entrees.
Severus had chosen lamb chops, and Hermione got the duck. Once again, they gushed over how wonderful everything was.
"Severus, this is so much fun. Thank you for bringing me here."
"I felt it would be a good place to celebrate everything."
They toasted again and sipped their champagne.
"I'm so excited for you, Severus. I think the Apothecary will be a huge success."
"I do hope so. It seems like it was needed. Most people expressed that they had been waiting for something like this for years." He then lifted his glass again. "A toast to you, Hermione. Success in your teaching."
"Thank you! Things seem to be going well. The students seem to like me but respect me, too."
Severus nodded. "That's important."
Soon, they had finished their entrees and the waiter had whisked away their plates.
"I have a confession to make. When I said I was going to the loo, I actually asked our waiter to bring out something special for dessert," Severus said.
"Oh really? What did you order?"
"It's a surprise."
At that point, the surprise came out and was placed on the table. Hermione's eyes shot to Severus once she'd seen the dessert.
He'd ordered a slice of chocolate decadence cake to share. Above it floated his engagement ring. Severus waved his wand and cast a Notice-me-Not charm before rising from his chair and kneeling in front of Hermione.
"I've wanted to ask you this for a very long time, but I wanted us to be back home before I did. Hermione, I will love you forever. Will you marry me?"
Tears were streaming down her face. She grasped Severus' hand in hers and squeezed it.
"Of course, I'll marry you, Severus. I love you so much!"
Leaning up, he captured her lips. His heart soared as he lavished her with his affection. Pulling back, he waved his wand at the ring, and it sailed into his hand. He grasped Hermione's hand and slipped the ring on her finger. She pulled her hand away and waved her fingers a little as she gazed at the ring.
"This is so beautiful, Severus. I love the sapphire. It's so gorgeous."
"It has been in the Prince family for generations. It has passed down to the male members of the family for them to bestow upon their betrothed."
"I'm honored to wear it."
Severus pulled her to him and hugged her. Pulling back, he blinked away the tears that were forming in his eyes.
"Merlin, Hermione, if I hadn't come forward to this time, we would have never met. You're everything to me. Thank you for wanting me and wanting to be with me."
Hermione's hands surrounded Severus' face.
"I will always want to be with you, Severus Snape. You are my perfect match, and I'm so thrilled you traveled to your future so we could meet each other."
Leaning in again, he kissed her affectionately.
"Soon, we will be husband and wife," he murmured.
"That will be the happiest day of my life."
"Mine too."
Standing, he took her hand and looked at his ring on her finger. A sense of happiness and fulfillment made his heart want to explode. Returning to his seat, he gave her a heated look. He extended his hand, and she placed it in his, squeezing it.
"Thank you for supporting me in everything, Hermione. I can't wait to see what our future brings."
"Whatever it is will be spectacular."
A/N: Only an epilogue left.