Through Tinted Windows

Chapter 15

I wasn't honest

I tried to philosophize

Only too late did I see I wore Nietzsche's eyes

Now that I step back to see

I haven't been me

And all my love

Excerpt from: Nietzsche's Eyes

Performed by: Paula Cole

------------~~~~~~~ o ~~~~~~~------------

When Hermione came through, the first sight she saw was that of Severus looming over her, a dark scowl heavy on his eyebrows. She noticed him heave a sigh of what she knew was relief at the sight of her gaining her consciousness again. She smiled weakly up at him but it quickly faded from her face as the memory of what she saw flooded into her again. She sprang up, almost banging her forehead against his in the process and searched the premises. She noted that they were in her apartment bedroom, away from the gruesome sight of the bloody body. She turned to Severus with sunken eyes, a haunted look on her face.

"She's dead," she stated in a low voice. "But it's not Meg."

Severus almost rolled his eyes. "Yes..." he said slowly. "Your muggle friend has black hair, whereas this woman here has... blonde... a great contrast if you ask me."

She shook her head. "I know that what I just said was like stating the obvious. I was just saying it out loud to remind myself that my friend is okay..."

He immediately felt sorry about what he said, but made no move to apologize for it, knowing it would be a waste of breath. She had the last word on that matter and that was what counted. He glanced at the bedroom door uncertainly. He didn't want Hermione to see the body again, but to be able to collect evidence as to why she was there at the apartment meant that she would have to come with him. Damn auctioneers, he thought bemusedly, pursing his lips together. If he was given the freedom to move about as he damn well pleased, he would do all in his power to prevent her from seeing the body.

He looked back at Hermione, who now was staring at the door, her face pale, but determined. "Severus," she called. "We need to go in there. I need to find out why she's here."

Knowing that once her mind was set as it was then, there was no turning back. He nodded, though still quite doubtfully, and moved to help her up. Her body was still shaky and leaned heavily against him, making him want to demand she stay in the bedroom while he did the investigating. He bit his tongue, however, knowing it was no use. Slowly they made their way to the door and upon opening it, he felt Hermione's body stiffen and press harder to him. He knew what such a sight could be for a woman who has already been traumatized before by the sight of her own cousin's ripped carcass splayed across a broken table.

Who said war is fair?

She tried to take a deep breath, only to choke as the smell of rotting flesh invaded her nostrils. She gagged slightly and Severus pushed her face into his side so that her nose was protected from the putrid scent. Muttering a small spell, he created a small shell that kept them from inhaling the nauseating air.

"You can breath now," he murmured, stroking Hermione's hair absently as he watched the body with a dark scowl. "Don't worry. I placed a charm so that we don't have to inhale the putrid smell anymore."

She pulled away from him tentatively and tested it for herself, finding that she no longer smelled the rot. She set her eyes on the black material clothing Severus's chest and noticed her hand clenched there. She had come to depend on him. This was not very Granger-like of her, something that would shame her parents. Hardening her will, she peered at the body again and this time saw it as a scientific specimen, the detachment from it reassuring. She leaned over to take a look at the face and examined the wound that was made on her forehead.

"Hmm... entry wound but no exit wound. The color of her body indicates the length in which she's been dead, which I believe is probably already for a day by the bluish bloated quality. Just by looking at the expression on the face, this bullet injury came after she died. The shot was probably to make sure she wasn't just bluffing her death."

"Observant," he noted, admiring her ability to hold herself together. "And she speaks investigator. I wonder what other hidden talents this woman has."

She glanced at him from the side of her eye and gave a working smile. "I get it from the show." He gave her a blank look. "CSI... Crime Scene Investigation the one by Jerry Bruckheimer... oh, that's right, you don't watch the television."

"Care to explain that certain muggle device to me? It seems rather intriguing as you get your concepts from it."

"You can't be serious."

"Do you honestly think I'm lying, Miss Granger?" he asked in his snappish professor way that actually elicited a genuine smile from her.

She looked back at the body. "One of these days I'll make you sit with me while I watch all my favorite shows. Don't worry; they aren't sappy, melodramatic types."

The mention of 'sap' caused him to blanch - if that was even possible, considering his already-pale complexion. The two went on in silence, prodding certain parts of her body that was bruised. When Hermione took a little step closer, the sound of crunching glass caught her attention. Squatting down, she examined the shards closely, noting that some were larger than others, giving her an idea of what it had originally created.

At that point, she noted that the liquid that had been saturated into the carpet was not only blood but some other thick congealed substance. The consistency of it, although diluted in quite a bit of blood reminded her of a certain potion she had created when she was still a student at Hogwarts.

"Polyjuice Potion," Severus said out loud, jolting her.

She turned her head to look at him and her eyes widened. "Yes! That's it! That's what it is! Severus, you're a genius!"

"Yes, well, you're not named 'Potions Master' for gardening achievements, now are you?" he retorted dryly, smiling in his usual sarcastic self.

She merely rolled her eyes at his reaction. I guess we can't take all of that cynicism away from someone, she thought amusedly as she brought herself back to a standing position. Her mind took a quick turn to a different tangent after that particular thought as reasons behind the Polyjuice Potion came into play. Considering that Krum was virtually the only one who knew where she was - only Merlin knows how he found out - so the only possibility of this girl actually getting to the cottage was through him or the one who provided the maniac with the information.

She weighed out the possibilities and found that Krum was the greater of both evils; that he was the one who sent this poor innocent girl disguised as her best friend to the cottage in order to break Severus and her up - all though it was a doomed mission from the beginning - and was the one that killed her. The part she couldn't understand was the fact that there was a bullet hole. Wizards never used such methods to kill - that she knew. Usually it would be a curse of sorts that stunned the nerves and burned them instantly thus causing immediate death.

Sighing, she grappled Severus's arm and pulled herself up. Hermione moved away from him at that moment and picked up the telephone from its cradle and began to punch in numbers. Severus - who was immune to the sight of cadavers, merely stepped over it to get to her as if it was merely a piece of furniture and watched in interest as she used the device. At that point, she allowed her emotions to run free and almost instantly, her legs gave way and she fell hard on to the couch, her skin changing back to its pallid complexion. The Potions Master was instantly at her side and was about to berate her when she held up a hand and refused to look at him. He scowled at her, but the sound emanating from the muggle device diverted his attention once again.

"You've reached the London Police Headquarters. How may I help you?" A muffled voice of a middle-aged woman came through and Hermione could feel the panic start to flow once again.

"Uh, yes, uhm.. This is H - Hermione Grang - Granger," she stammered stupidly and paused, her mind going oddly blank.

The woman on the other end waited patiently for a moment before asking, "And what is the problem Miss Granger?"

"Someone was shot in my apartment. I just got back and - and there she was in the middle of the room. It looks like she's been there for quite some time. I don't know what to do."

There was a stifled murmuring of two people on the other line, which indicated to Hermione that she was telling the others of the case. "We'll send our officers right over," the woman on the line reassured her. "May I please have the address?"

Hermione gave it quickly and she put the phone off right after the woman reassured her the second time. She turned to Severus, who looked at her curiously. "Severus," she started shakily. "I need you to lift the odorless charm. It will seem to conspicuous if the officers do not smell anything from the body."

"It's only charmed on the both of us, Hermione," he informed. "I don't want you passing out again like you did a while back. Having you knocked out was a frightening experience from the start. I won't have it happening again."

She smiled weakly at him and bit her lip, as she stared at the front door. She pulled and tugged her fingers as she waited fearfully while he scowled down at her. After what seemed like an eternity to her, there was an authoritative knock on the door and two policemen entered the home pistols ready to shoot. Upon seeing the couple - both pale and worried, they withdrew their guns and nodded their heads. Another group of policemen came in and began to scour the apartment while two went to the body and began to place it in a black body bag while a man with a camera took pictures of the spot where the body was. They worked efficiently and silently while two men approached Hermione and Severus.

"Are you Miss Granger?" one of the officers asked. She merely nodded.

"And who is this fellow with you?" the other officer questioned, looking at him suspiciously. To his comrade, he whispered - although quite loudly so everyone could hear, "He looks like a suspect to me, Thompson."

"This is Professor Severus Snape; he was with me before I discovered the body. He had nothing to do with the murder, I assure you," she told them, a delicate frown on her face as she stood up unsteadily to her feet.

Severus, in turn, came up behind her and put a possessive hand on her shoulder, glaring hotly at the two men. Clearing his throat, the first officer - he was a burly short man with a brown moustache - tipped his head again in apology for the statement of the other officer and took another turn. "Excuse him, sir. He's still new at the job. That aside, do you know the victim by any chance?"

She shook her head. "Am I supposed to?"

"Not particularly. We're merely trying to get enough information to create a sound investigation here, Miss. Now, do you have any enemies of any sort? Rivals at work or old boyfriends?"

She pursed her lips. "Yes, I do," she murmured.

"Could we have his name? He might be a potential suspect to this case."

"I'm afraid that he's an impostor," Severus cut in smoothly, his voice just as regal as he wanted to sound. "He used a fake name during his relationship with her and he never told his true identity."

"And how do you know this?" the burly officer asked.

"She told me on a distant occasion," he lied, not showing that he was not telling the truth. "I'm her - father's friend."

Hermione glared at him but said nothing, not wanting to get him in hot water. The officers seemed to by the fib and wrote their finds on a piece of paper. They questioned them some more and soon after, the two were escorted outside of the building where the policemen reassured her that they would find evidence to point to the murderer - one way or another. The two were let off and they walked a block away from where the apartment was before they found a shadowed nook where they could Apparate back to the cottage. They entered the living room and Severus collapsed onto the settee, sighing tiredly as he flung his arm over his eyes. Hermione did not do such a thing, however, and folded her arms angrily as she stared at him. Feeling the heat of her glare, he glanced at her from under his arm.

"What is it?"

"My 'father's friend'?" she asked incredulously. "My 'father's friend'? Severus, what were you thinking? Are you so ashamed of our relationship? Did last night mean anything to you at all or was it merely a 'great shag'?"

"It's hard to explain to an individual - muggle or wizard - of a relationship that has a young girl and a man fit to be with her mother. Do you know what kind of looks you would get? Have you any idea what others would say?"

"But -" she began to protest.

"No," he interrupted, sitting up and holding a hand to stop her. "I will not spoil your reputation because you do not deserve the disgusted glares and the awful letters. I will not have it. Sometime, Hermione; somewhere, we just have to be content with stealing glances, somehow... content with saying nothing..." He approached her and placed his long fingers on her cheek, caressing her face lovingly, though her eyes were downcast. "Although deep inside it hurts, we know that our love like love; it's what it is. It's what we've got. Our love will have to wait, however; until that sometime; somewhere."

She was silent for a moment, unable to even look at him. Quite suddenly, she through her hands around him and hugged him closely, not wanting to let him go. "At least reassure me when we are alone," she pleaded into the dark material covering his upper body. "I can't stand the thought of having to always play a charade in front of everyone."

He wove his hands around and squeezed her, an actual smile gracing his face. "Of course, dearest one. Always..."

She moved back just far enough to be able to pull his head down to give him a sound kiss on the mouth. The jolting sound that ensued from the fireplace had them jumping apart. Once again, there was Dumbledore in his usual cheery demeanor. "Hello, children; I assume you have figured out what the jumble was?"

Only the Headmaster had the ability to place both Hermione and Severus on seemingly the same age fragment. The way he called them children, it seemed like they were both eleven years old! Severus glowered at the old wizard, irritated that he would come at such an untimely manner. Hermione merely blushed, feeling like she was caught venturing out in the halls of Hogwarts after hours.

"Yes, Professor Dumbledore," she answered quickly. "I believe I know who the culprit is. We mentioned his name just earlier. You recall Viktor Krum, do you not?"

"Of course, I do remember the both of you saying the name a while back. Wasn't he the boy from your third year from... Durmstrang? He was the seeker for Bulgaria if I may rely on my memory for such information." He emitted a little chuckle and he waved a plate of lemon drops. He offered some to the two, but they politely declined, not really understanding why he had such a fetish for a simple sweet.

"Well, we believe that he may be the one who sent the girl over," Severus informed in his formal manner. "I don't know of anyone else who would have known of Hermione's location apart from him and you, sir. Considering that you had clearly indicated you were innocent of the deed, we now point our fingers in his direction. There is no other possible way."

The headmaster nodded, absorbing this information, but giving a delicate frown. "I don't understand how the young fellow could have found his way here. And what business did he have with the two of you anyhow?"

"He was my ex-boyfriend, sir," Hermione told in a hard voice. "He - uhm - he tried assaulting me half a year ago, but I sent him away. I believe he's on a mission to have me all to himself. And sir, I don't know how he found his way here. I know, though, that he is a resourceful individual and can find a lot of information quick. Perhaps he used his contacts to find me."

"That is a possibility. However, the chance of that happening is one to a million. The auctioneers made sure that the location of each couple would not be revealed to others in order for the conditions to actually be able to work. Are you implying the one of the employees to the Enchanted Corporation told this young man about your whereabouts?"

"I assume as much, yes."

"Wouldn't you think that the employee would set him up as a contestant instead and then make sure that the other men had no chance to be picked by you?"

There was a moment of silence as all three began to mull over this prospect. It did seem quite odd if they took that standpoint. The thought of ever picking Krum caused Hermione to shiver, a movement that Severus caught and scowled over. He didn't like seeing her feeling negatively and the vibes he got from her screamed such. Thinking to comfort her, he placed a friendly hand over her shoulder and rubbed her arm to calm her nerves. It worked like a charm and she gained her composure once again.

Dumbledore watched silently, still new to the idea that Severus was actually loosening up - allowing others to break through his cold façade. It was nice to see that finally, he had succumbed to the inevitable fate of loving and being loved by another.

"Well, I think that the two of you should stick together at all times," Dumbledore announced.

Severus rolled his eyes. "I believe you failed to notice that such a decision was already made for us." He gave a sarcastic smile while Hermione hid her amused grin.

"Hmm, and I was hoping that this experience would take away all that disdain that you keep using in your speech. I guess some things never change," Dumbledore sighed though his eyes twinkled in inward laughter.

"What you see is what you shall receive," he replied through clenched teeth. "Hermione knows that and she accepts it. Now, it's time that the rest of you learned to accept it as well."

"Oh, do not worry, dear boy, I already have," he replied cheerfully. "I just merely entertained the thought of you actually wearing colors less monochrome than your usual wardrobe and you softening up to the students as well."

"That will be the day when baby mandrakes sing lullabies," the potions master muttered under his breath, but Dumbledore heard and laughed out loud.

"You never fail to amuse me, even if it is cynicism that spits out of that tight line that you call a mouth." Popping one last lemon drop into his mouth, he set his chin regally in the air and the headmaster nodded his head. "I best be off at the moment. Do tell me what happens later. I wish to know that the two of you are still safe and sound."

Almost immediately after he said that, he back towards the hearth and flooed his way out of the cottage. Hermione laid her head on Severus's arm as she reflected thoughtfully on everything. The shock over the dead body was over and all that was left of it was pity for the girl who died. She was certainly relieved that Meg was not harmed but there were so many questions she wanted answered. How could anyone give her whereabouts to a stranger that looked so evil and vicious? The possibilities were endless. She couldn't stand the thought that he was still out to get her and he would do everything in his power to get her away from there.

Severus, on the other hand, was more resolved than ever to kill the bastard. He didn't care who gave him their location - not at the moment anyway. He was more concerned with the fact that this guy tried to take her away, killed someone innocent in the process and was still at large somewhere behind the walls the protected them. He could imagine so many endings to his life and he still wasn't sure which one would be the most torturous. He smirked inwardly at the thought of using all of the hexes at while keeping him alive while he inflicted all of them.

How Voldemort of me if I should do such a thing.

His attention shifted to her and, sensing the tension rising in her, Severus decided that what she needed then was something to get her mind off of it. He swept her off her feet, causing her to let out a squeak of surprise and her arms flew up around his neck, clinging fearfully. He walked swiftly towards his chambers and upon entering, kicked the door shut behind him. He walked to the bathroom and set her on her feet to get the water to fill the tub. Hermione was about to protest that she didn't need any special attention, but it was muffled behind the kiss he sealed onto her lips. Her objection transformed into a moan and she was drawing him close when an insistent banging of the front door broke them apart.

Severus growled in an animalistic manner and stormed out the bathroom as Hermione stopped the flow of the water. She hurried to follow his long steps and was able to stick herself to his side when he went to the door. To be sure that it was safe to open it, he willed the door to become transparent and what he saw caused him to stiffen along with Hermione who also buried her face in Severus's side. Another angry knock reverberated through the two.

"I know you're in there, Hermione! Let me in before I become really mad!" the voice commanded furiously.

It was the voice that belonged to Viktor Krum.