Ginny had gotten into the habit of sending rather hot Howlers. Harry Potter was racing to get home after receiving a particularly scalding one right after the Minister Kingsley dashed out of the room on urgent business. He was already shaken up from the sudden earthquake in London, and now was happy to release all that pent up energy into something deliciously soft and warm. Namely-his wife.
The moment he popped in through the door, Ginny's hands were all over him.
"C'm here, I missed you," she said, pinning him against the wall and sending shivers up and down him spine with her kisses.
"Not as much as I have. Kingsley has-"
"Shhh." She took him by the tie and pulled him towards their bedroom, the tease. "I don't want to hear that name."
"Are you sure you can do that when you're, you know..." He looked at her belly.
Ginny laughed. "I'm sure."
If the baby's fine, then why not. Harry chuckled. He was thrown on the bed and Ginny disappeared into the bathroom wagging her fingers, "don't move."
Harry wouldn't. He sat back, taking off his Auror robes and shirt and tossing them aside. He had his pants to his ankles when a knock roused him.
Bloody Merlin. He could pretend nobody was home. Harry froze. The knock became more urgent. The golden sign on Harry's Auror robes glowed bright red.
What an inconvenient time to get summoned by the minister. Harry groaned.
He snuck to the door, managing to magically dress himself as he walked. Magic was the best and the worst of things.
"Minister? What can I do you-"
"Potter. Out."
Harry swallowed and stepped out into the night. "Yes sir?"
"We will take a little walk."
Harry swallowed. He didn't like the sound of that.
He wished he could just wish the Minister away, but alas, it must have been an emergency. Kingsley never visited him after hours.
-x-x-x-
It was a dark and cold night and a thin blanket of snow covered the rooftops.
Harry rented a flat in a rather nice part of Wizarding London for himself and Ginny. It wasn't far from a strip of very pleasant little specialty shops and cafes and had a nearby Portkey for visiting the in laws at the Burrow. He and Kingsley settled down at the table of a late night coffee shop called 'The Coffee Snake'.
Kingsley held up the menu, slowly reading through the contents. It was an incredibly short menu. Harry wished the discussion would also be short.
"Harry," he began rather informally, "Thank you for taking time out of your evening to be here."
Harry smiled briefly. He wished he could opt out of such a pleasure, but alas...the boss calls. He was not half a fool to be oblivious to the reason he was called. Both him and Hermione had failed to produce any sort of follow-up on the missing Love Spell case despite numerous attempts to locate it at Gringotts. He figured if he could just get on with it, maybe he'd be in bed sooner rather than later.
"Any update on the case?"
Kingsley lowered the menu slightly. "Funny you should ask. I was just given recent news on sighting of an Unregistered Spirit in the area of Cokeworth."
Harry nodded. "Cokeworth is a small town."
"It is. And coincidentally the residence of one of our well-known colleagues."
Harry nodded again, growing cold. "Hermione must have been hot on the case then. Burning the midnight oil."
"That is what I want you to find out," Kingsley put the menu on the table. "Perhaps there is more information at the Granger and Snape residence than previously thought."
"I don't think Hermione would keep any secrets from the Ministry," Harry said firmly. "Whatever it was, must have been a mistake. Maybe one of those fans that keep following Snape-"
"I have credited sources that tell me there indeed has been a sighting of unusual activity that involves both Severus Snape and Miss Astoria Greengrass at Spinner's End. I trust that due to the delicacy of the case, you will be able to approach the situation with a level of professionalism and objectivity." Kingsley's tone was very stern. "Tell me what you find and I may be able to offer my own help to you, need be."
Harry swallowed. He didn't like the sound of that. "If I knew of anything, you'd be the first to know."
"Good."
A young and tired waitress came to take their orders. Kingsley met her eye, the witch instantly bowing her head and smiling.
"My dear, have you been working here long?"
"Couple of months, Minister."
"They treat you well?"
"Can't complain." The witch blushed. "So hard to find any kind of job these days. I'm happy with what I've got."
Kingsley nodded. "You see? The poor thing. It would be a shame to lose one's job at a time like this. Say, do you have any children of your own?"
"No sir."
"Well, all the better for you. No coffee for me tonight. But my friend," he shot Harry a glance. "Might need a double Pepper-up in his. Work calls, you know. Cheery-o."
Kingsley excused himself, whistling, and made his way up to the Portkey.
The waitress fiddled with her quill and notepad. "Anything for you?"
"No thanks," Harry said grimly, leaving a tip for taking up too much of the waitress' time.
Harry took the long way home, kicking up rocks and snow as he did. As if Kingsley would stoop so low as to threaten their first-born.
Spying on his best friend Hermione? What sort of sources could possibly have told him she was hiding something illegal in her home? Harry was going to find that out. But first, he needed a long rest.
-x-x-x-
"Breakfast?"
Severus settled down at the dining table, the ginger beast glaring at him as smells of bacon and eggs wafted through the kitchen. Hermione appeared in an oversized shirt with two steaming plates before her and placed one on Severus' place. There was a pot of coffee too, floating over to his mug and pouring him a generous helping.
Severus stirred in six sugars, Crookshanks counting the spoonful's as they came, then picked up a piece of bacon and fed it to the Kneazle. Hissing, the creature nibbled it down and disappeared to a spot on a high shelf where it began to groom itself.
"Thought I'd start off the day on a good note," Hermione said, sitting. He was aware that under the table, the shirt had probably rode up her thighs so far that you could practically see..
"Very well," he managed, choking on a forkful of eggs. She tipped her head down, focusing on twirling her bacon and stuffing it in her mouth. They ate in silence, trying hard not to meet each others' eye or recall any of last night's argument in the process.
Severus did in fact sleep shoddily, despite being in his own bed. He was kept awake by a series of dreams-dreams about the witch who had now so kindly cooked him a peace offering. Let's just say, she wasn't cooking for him then.
"I've been thinking about the Summoning," Hermione began. "If I could talk to her, to Malva, maybe it would be a different face."
"And if she insists you help free her?"
"Every curse can be broken," Hermione said, pulling back her hair. "Maybe she has conditions."
"We won't waste any time then."
He finished the last bit on his plate at the same time as her, and rose to take the plates back, but she was much quicker.
"I am expert at a Cleansing Charm," he reminded her.
"As am I-"
"I insist."
They found themselves at the sink, hands full with plates and mugs and cutlery, standing dangerously close to each other. Practically breathing down each others' throats. His pulled the items into his own grasp, but her stubborn self pulled the items back .
He narrowed his eyes. "Granger. Let go this instant before I resort to... stronger methods."
"It's just dishes."
He released his grasp, sending her up against the sink. "Have it your way."
Not knowing who had started, but Severus found his lips melting into Hermione's. Her breath, jagged and raspy as the kiss broke. His own chest rapidly caving in.
"Severus?" she whispered.
"Yesss."
"Severus Snape! Yoohoo!"
A giant, blinding flash sent them both ducking under the counters. What in bloody Merlin's name was that? Hermione rolled her eyes. "Of course. The wards around Spinner's End must have disappeared after you've been detained."
"Don't remind me," he growled.
A loud knock on the door was the next step.
"I'll talk to them."
"If they assume we are not home-"
"That's not a half bad idea."
Harry Potter's voice rose above the rest, clearly chiding the reporters and shooing them away (something about private property and such). "Hermione? You in?" he called.
Bile rose in Severus' throat. He was expert at knowing when situation were bound to go South, and this particular instance was just that. It made the hairs on the back of his arms stand straight.
"Tell him to go," he hissed.
"What?" Hermione cried. "He's my friend!"
"He is an Auror."
"You're suggesting? Oh...no. Harry would never suspect us in anything."
"I will be upstairs-"
"Severus!"
And with that, off he was.
-x-x-x-
Severus Snape would be the one wizard whose hunches she could completely trust. But Harry? Harry was her best friend and partner! Surely he wouldn't suspect her...after all this time.
She looked through the peephole. "Harry?"
"Err, Mione, everyone's gone."
She opened the door a crack, sticking her head through. "I was just about to get dressed."
He eyed her bare legs, went white and cleared his throat. "Can I come in-"
"-no. We're in the middle of something."
"Do you have any coffee?" Before she could stop him, Harry had pushed his way inside and was standing in the room, glaring everywhere. "Where's Snape."
"Err, probably taking a shower."
"Hm. About that coffee."
Harry had gone into the kitchen, snooping about the containers and bags. A cold feeling in Hermione's fingers and toes spread throughout her body. What if Severus had been right?
"Here, come sit." Hermione Summoned the coffee pot and two mugs. "I'll just get some trousers on. Be down soon. Shake of a lamb's tail."
Harry took a long sip of his coffee and watched her until she disappeared up the stairs and into the bedroom. Back against the door, she stared at Severus.
The bath, she mouthed to him.
With the water rustling behind them, Severus glared at the bed, where the suspicious pentacle was drawn.
-x-x-x-
Ob-viously he was correct in his assumptions. But there was no time for blame now. The proverbial clock was ticking.
Severus glared at the door, which Hermione had bolted shut behind her with a Locking Spell. Potter was still downstairs, but it would only be a matter of time before he appeared demanding to speak with them.
"We can't admit it to him," Hermione said. The most sober of all statements that she'd made since the morning begun.
"No." Severus closed his eyes, running a series of potential solutions through his mind. "I can side-along with you to the Portkey."
"And what about that?" Hermione pointed to the pentacle, then her eyes lit up. With a nearby book off the shelf, she opens it up and casts, Geminio, creating an exact copy of the pentacle on the cover.
With anouther Obliteration charm, she wipes the pentacle clear from the floor, replacing it with a series of trunks with metal clasps.
It's brilliant, and Severus nods in approval.
The door shakes. "Mione? Everything alright?"
Hermione takes his hand, mouthing a sorry to Harry, she closes her eyes and the two Apparate out of Spinner's End.
They're on the street by the Portkey by the time Severus opens his eyes. Hitting the ground running, they make their way to the old shovel in the middle of a petunia patch, grab hold on it and Severus thinks of the location.
Holding tightly, the shovel lifts the two in the air, spinning both around in a wild tornado fashion.
They're going to a place Hermione doesn't know of...can't know of. It's a place Severus himself swore he'd stay away from. Yet dire situations called for dire circumstances.
The world faded before them and when it reappeared, they landed on a plush valley of moss and miniature purple flowers. In the distance, the peaks of hazy blue mountains and a forest of pines appeared from the fog. Nothing but the rustle of the wind and the bone-chilling cold greeted them.
Hermione took out her wand, Obliviating the Portkey shovel altogether.
They would be safe, for now.
It was colder than expected. Wand out, Hermione attempted to transfigure her clothes into something warmer, but her wand spluttered magic sparks and refused to listen.
"Where to?" she asked.
He looked about and began to walk. "Follow my lead."
-x-x-x-
"Is this one of your old meeting places?" Hermione asked when the two stopped hiking long enough to settle by a gurgling stream.
Severus had dipped his hands into the running water, washing it over his face and neck and taking a second handful to drink.
"Drink."
She knelt down, sipping the cold mountain water. Birds called in the distance and the wind rustled around them.
"Wolfsbane," she said. "This is neutral territory."
"The meeting spot," he said. "Grounds here absorb all traces of magic: wiccan and supernatural."
"That explains it."
He slipped his house-coat from his shoulders, offering it to her. "The Yaxley cottage lays some ways north. An hour's walk, I presume."
If she wasn't wearing house slippers and no trousers, Hermione would have found the walk more bearable. Still, this was better than spending the next some nights in the Ministry's cells or worse...Azkaban.
One foot after anouther, she followed after Severus' long strides up the valley towards Yaxley's cottage, hoping that neither Yaxley nor any other one of Severus' suspicious friends would be there as well. She was also hoping for a hot fire and a spot of lunch. The book with the pentagram was slipped into the house coat.
Hermione and Severus were off.
-x-x-x-
By the time the cottage appeared in sight, Severus was sure his companion's feet had gone numb and fallen off. She of course, made no sign of being inconvenienced even the slightest, taking two shorter strides after his one long one.
"Here we are," he muttered as she leaned against the doorframe, wiping a layer of cold sweat off her forehead. Small strands of her curly hair pressed against her skin, her lips wet and her chest rising quickly.
The cottage was made of dark cherry wood and stone. The door, overgrown with a series of vines, held the crest of the raven on the front. The Yaxley emblem.
He hoped the key still worked. Raising his forearm to the raven, he held still and the bird's eyes began to move, scanning the Dark Mark. Satisfied, it cawed, pecked the door thrice and it opened.
Coughing, the entered the cottage. A thick layer of dust covered every item of furniture within: from the long sofa and chairs to the dining table and the fireplace.
He hadn't been back here since he was a lad, and he and the young Death Eaters would gather here to drink with the other newly initiated wolves and vampires. Those were the good times, when joining the Dark Lord was only just an excuse to gather. In those days, not much killing had been done. Threatening-yes, but nothing to the extent of the horrors of war.
"Help me," Hermione called out, shoving thick pieces of wood into the fireplace. A few old issues of the Daily Prophet went in as well.
Severus looked about the edge of the pit, finding the flint lighter. Still there. Smiling, he knelt down and flicked sparks onto the wood and paper, setting a small flame into motion.
They sat there for quiet moments, rubbing their hands together and blowing gently on the flame to help it grow.
"What are you smiling about?" she asked, slipping the coat from her shoulders.
"Simpler times." The flames cast long shadows on the floor between them, images of horses and bears in the flames dancing on the hardwood. "The lads and I would spend our weekends here."
"Think there's anything in the stores?"
They checked together, finding bits of jerky and canned vegetables. The werewolves often brought their kill over and the boys stored it away. As for canned goods, Severus and Lucius had raided the Muggle stores after dark. Of course, all those products had gone bad a decade ago. But the meat was good-wolves were known for their curing.
"We'll forage tomorrow," he said, taking a big bite of his jerky. "However-"
Yes, there was the small garden out back. His garden. Old Lucius laughed at him for starting it all those years ago, but look at who was laughing now? They managed to find some carrots and herbs and a handful of berries on the trees. Severus dug up some potatoes and leeks as well.
"Potage," Hermione said as they lay their findings out on the counter and began to dice and peel.
That was a nice word for it. Severus remembered his pa calling it the 'paycheck gruel'. His mam would cook it for him on days when the money was low and it involved all the bits from the garden and whatever they hadn't eaten that week. He despised it then, but now was happily thanking dear Eileen Snape for her resourcefulness.
Now what never went bad was the Firewhiskey, and there was still plenty of it in the stores. They cracked open a bottle, pouring it between them into metal mugs.
Hermione winced, downing the booze and shook her head. "That's not Broomsticks."
He chuckled. "Indeed. Rosmerta's stores are more clarified. You'll never find a stronger one than this."
They ate and drank to their fill, warming their feet by the fire. It was all so juvenile, so silly, them sitting like that in the mountains without a care in the world while Potter and the entire Auror unit was hot on their tracks.
"I'm just going to have a lie in," Hermione said, fishing the book out of the coat pocket and laying it flat on her chest. "Think we have an hour."
"Certainly." Severus picked up the book, examining the pentagram on the front while Hermione crawled up on the sofa and curled up on the dusty cushion.
One fine moment, and she was fast asleep.
-x-x-x-
"Yes Draco," Astoria mumbled as the blond wizard tapped his fingers on her desk.
"You always know it's me."
"It always is you."
"Good to hear," he said with a chuckle. "I wouldn't want any other wizard around these grounds unless he wanted to know where to find the Herbology books."
"Do you think the Snape's are alright?" she asked, "I keep thinking something awful might have happened to them."
"My dove, I'm sure Uncle Severus is just fine," Draco said.
He had to be. Death Eaters always ended up on top.
A/N: Back at the writing block! Severus and Hermione are deep in doo-doo here with Harry hot on their tracks. The Minister is...err...a bit harsh in his methods. Hopefully the two can figure out how to get back to their own time before anything terrible can happen!