AN: Thank you for all the support! It is very deeply appreciated!
"Of course Harry got the idea for Dumbledore's Army from a chocolate frog wrapper," Hermione slumped into Severus' kitchen chair and put her head into her hands. "I suppose I was just sitting somewhere in the background, plotting new ways to trap reporters in jars."
"At least in that scenario, you were doing something productive," Severus poured the piña colada mix from the blender into a blue poco grande glass.
"True," Hermione looked up. "Most people probably think that I was sitting in the background, fawning over Ron, writing love letters to Viktor, or thinking of new ways to seduce Harry. Rita must think I miss the days of Viktor and Harry arguing over me, and spend my spare time pining for one of them to call my beautiful again. She probably thinks I'm as pathetic now as I was then."
"First of all, you were never pathetic. Second, you aren't the only one she's accused of being unable to let go of a lost love. According to her, I am still fawning over Lily. I only moved to Vegas because there's nothing here to remind me of her." He set the glass before her.
"Rita's a ridiculous twat."
"That is a mild way of putting it."
She stirred her straw in her drink. "You put extra rum in tonight, right?"
"I did," He poured the concoction in the blender into a red poco grande glass.
"Thank you, I'll need it," she sat up straighter and glanced at the glass. "I may need more than one glass tonight too."
"I can do that, though would not recommend drinking too much," He strolled over to the table with a glass in hand. "We do have work in the morning. The last thing I would want is for you not to be at your best, leading you to regret spending time with me."
"I'll never regret spending time with you."
"You would be the only one to say that."
"Other people are dunderheads."
"Indeed."
"You aren't wrong about me pacing myself though. I suppose taking a sick day isn't an option if we want to remain in business," She put the drink in her hand.
"As much as I would love a day off, I do enjoy making a profit. It allows me to buy higher end rums," Severus raised his glass.
"I am pleased with your ability to buy higher end rums," she raised her glass.
"As am I. To obnoxious reporters and no days off in sight." He began.
"Cheers," she deadpanned.
Their glasses clinked together before they both took a gulp of their drink. Some of the tension left Hermione's muscles as the sweetness of the drink enraptured her taste buds.
"As I said, I only know what Ricardo told me. I refuse to patronize that rag, so I cannot give you all the specifics of the article," Severus continued.
"Poor Ricardo wading through that drivel trying to understand European politics better," Hermione shook her head. "If only he'd chosen a less headache inducing major. He may be able to read some actual international news."
"He was fortunate to have another major which would allow him to make money, although his useless degree has helped him understand certain things about my habits."
"I wouldn't call a history degree useless."
"Why not? It didn't help him get a job."
"Yes, but it did teach him how to speak to you about British politics. He knows what he can and cannot bring up if he wants to remain on your good side."
"True."
"Also, he can see through Rita's lies."
"Very true, which I appreciate."
"All that being said," Hermione glanced at her drink. "It's odd that I've never met him."
"Not necessarily," he took a sip of his drink. "He usually leaves just as you're finishing up opening the store."
"Yes, I'm a bit busy in the mornings, so I can't visit you as much as I'd like." She scratched the table, "Perhaps I'll come in early one morning to meet Ricardo. I hate not knowing someone I hear so much about."
"I would be amenable to introducing you to him," Severus answered. "His husband sometimes joins him. He is a pleasant man as well."
"Why doesn't he always come in?"
"Joseph is a drag queen. From what I understand he makes a good living from it," he answered. "Because of his profession, he works at nights and is sleeps in the morning."
"How long have they been together?"
"It's been five years at least," Severus replied. "They are a sweet couple who are completely devoted to each other."
"I'm happy for them then," She stirred her piña colada. "It must be nice to have someone like that in your life."
"Someone like what?"
"Someone who loves you for who you are, who accepts you without question, and who understands you better than you understand yourself. I wouldn't mind having someone in my life like that."
"I'm sure one day you will have someone in your life like that."
"So far, you are the closest person who has met those qualifications," she didn't know why the idea of Severus at her side for the rest of her life warmed her chest. It must be the rum. He did put in an extra shot just for her, so it made sense she'd become intoxicated sooner. Best to keep her wits about her, lest she do something stupid like suggest they play strip poker.
For a moment, she wondered how Severus appeared without clothing, and why that image was exciting her like nothing else ever had.
"I'm sure other people accept you as you are," he continued.
"I thought they did anyway," her voice became softer, the image of Severus without clothes expelled from her mind. "Though I wonder how much Rita twisted Harry's words when he said he got the idea from a chocolate frog wrapper. I would like to think he wouldn't say that. Part of me holds out hope that he doesn't hate me enough to say such a thing."
"I'd like to think the entire article was one misquote after another," he took a sip.
"I'm not so sure," she shook her head. "Not after the things he said before I left."
"Potters are all dunderheads."
"Perhaps they are."
"I know they are," his voice was stronger. "Harry was always too much like his father for his own good."
"I remember being upset when you first said that. Turns out, you were the only one who was willing to admit the truth." She took a sip of her piña colada.
"You deserve so much better than friends who abandon you at your lowest point, and to be playing poker every night with a greasy git."
"I'm quite fine playing poker every night with a gentleman who was kind enough to show me around Vegas when I was looking for a new start."
"Why does everyone mistake Ginevra's extortion for kindness?" There was a gleam in Severus' eyes. "If I didn't help you, Ginevra would have screamed at me every day until I greeted you on the street. Worse, she may haven taken up her mother's hobby of sending howlers and sent them to me until I agreed to buy you a pizza."
"I wouldn't have worried about Ginny' howlers. Now my howlers are a different story."
"Yours?" He raised an eyebrow.
"Indeed," she smirked.
"Why would you have ever sent a howler?"
"Politicians only listen to the loudest voices. How else do you think I was able to get people to look at my house elf bills?"
"Would you care to share what a typical Hermione howler sounded like?"
She cleared her throat and stood,Then, she pointed to the sky. "KINGSLEY SHACKLEBOLT! IF YOU DO NOT READ MY PROPOSAL RIGHT THIS MINUTE THEN I WILL TELL EVERYONE ABOUT HOW YOU SHAMELESSLY FLIRT WITH DELIA DURING WORK HOURS! I AM SURE YOUR FIANCE WILL BE RIVETED BY THE TALES OF YOU TAKING HENRIETTA OUT TO CINA ROMANTICA ON ALL YOUR LUNCH BREAKS! MY BILL WILL BE PUT ON THE COMMITTEE FLOOR, WHETHER YOU SUPPORT IT OR NOT! ALSO, YOUR BREATH IS AS ATROCIOUS AS A KNEAZLE AFTER DEVOURING A CAN OF TUNA! CROOKSHANKS HAD BETTER DENTAL HYGIENE THAN YOU! SEE ME SO YOU CAN SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT WITH MY PARENTS! NOBODY NEEDS DENTAL WORK MORE THAN YOU!"
"I must say I am impressed," Severus purred. "Extortion and promoting your parents' business. That is quite unique and impressive."
"Thank you." She sat. "There's a reason people argued that I was a Slytherin in disguise."
"You truly are, and you have such amazing business sense. You are an impressive woman."
"Thank you," she blushed as her heart fluttered. Damn this rum must be getting to her if she thought Severus was the sexiest man she'd ever seen. Why didn't she care?
"Still, the insult wasn't quite as biting as it could be," he noted. "I would have said something along the lines of, 'banal, boring bureaucrat.'"
"Ooh, nice alliteration."
"Thank you," he answered. "If you ever need to send a howler, let me know. I've heard enough to them to know what is effective and what is not."
"I will keep you in mind. Knowing my luck, I'll need to write one sooner rather than later to one of Rita's oh so willing contributors," she took another gulp of her drink.
"Perhaps we could create one together and send it to every reporter in Britain. They do want a statement from us after all."
"True," Hermione hummed. "Between my ire and your creativity, we could send quite the message."
"Would you like to get started tonight?"
"We can brainstorm a few ideas," She reached into her pockets and grabbed out her wand and a small bag. "Though we shouldn't do it on a empty stomach."
"But we just ate Indian take out."
"Yes, but we didn't have dessert," she put a bag on the table and touched it with her wand. It grew into a full bag of 400 Dum Dum suckers.
"Now that would make a fine dessert," he admitted. "I would like a piña colada flavored one."
"Pina colada?"
He nodded as he sipped his drink.
She cocked her head. "Isn't it redundant to have a piña colada sucker with a piña colada?"
"Actually, it enhances the flavor of both."
"You speak as if you've had experience with this."
"Sadly I do. One banker forced me to take a sucker with me after I finished depositing a check. I was desperate for her to stop talking, so I decided to eat it as I sipped on a piña colada."
"I thought suckers were too difficult to floss out, meaning you avoided them."
"I may have been on my second drink when I threw that inhibition to the wind."
"Sure, you were so drunk you ate a sucker."
"Exactly."
She opened the bag and shifted it to him. "Take whichever one you want."
He reached in and grabbed a piña colada sucker.
"Speaking of going to banks and other such places," Hermione took out a cotton candy sucker. "I will not be able to attend our blackjack game on Friday. I have an engagement."
"I do as well."
"You do?"
"Indeed, I've been called upon to socialize," he scowled. "I hate socializing."
"This I know, despite the fact that you socialize just fine with me." She unwrapped her sucker before sticking it in her mouth.
"I don't consider what we do socializing," he answered. "We are two people who know each other and enjoy a good card game. I am not alone amongst strangers when I am with you."
"I feel the same way."
"We are a partnership, and one which functions quite well in my opinion."
"Partnership is a good word for what we have, and we do function quite well together," she stuck the sucker in her mouth, wondering how deep this partnership could someday run, and whether that extra shot of rum was such a wise idea. The urge to ask him to play strip poker and satisfy her desire to see him shirtless was driving her to distraction.
What the hell was wrong with her?
"I do not enjoy conversing with strangers, especially when I do not know if they are there to meet me, or to gawk at an ex-Death Eater turned double agent," he continued, oblivious to the want welling inside her.
"Don't remind me," she groaned, suppressing her desires. "The gawkers will be out in full force with these articles running."
"Unfortunately."
"Nobody has come by the apothecary yet, have they?"
"Not yet anyway."
"My store has been free of reporters too."
"If they ever harass you," his eyes softened. "Feel free to cross the street and take refuge in my back closet. I will ensure you remain safe until I can expel them from your store."
"You'd do that for me?" She smiled.
"I would do that in the name of keeping Wilde Avenue free of gawkers."
"For the record, I will make the same offer to you."
"Thank you," he gave her a small grin.
"Speaking of Wilde Avenue," she pulled out her sucker. "You weren't wearing a cape when I came over during my lunch break. Was there a reason for that?"
"My cape is being used in collateral in a bet."
"I thought you didn't gamble with anyone other than me."
"Yes, but the stakes for winning this bet were too great to ignore. I would've been a fool to pass up this bet."
"What was the bet?"
"I can get through Friday's social event without hexing everyone in sight. I bet I could do it. The other person bet I could not."
"And if you win and nobody gets hexed?"
His eyes glistened. "Then everyone gets a good show."
Hermione stared at him, wondering what kind of show he was going to put on. Then, she settled on allowing his words to remain a mystery. If anyone had the right to have a little mystery, it was Severus Snape. Besides, she liked his little bit of mystery.
It was one of the many reasons she cared for him more than she cared for anyone else.
I may have had a piña colada Dum Dum for my birthday last Tuesday. Couldn't help but indulge in one!
