A Likely Story

Chapter 13 of A Likely Story

In the end, it wasn't anything she said that brought Severus out of the nasty mood Harry had cursed him with. On the final day of her hiatus from school, she arrived in his room to take care of his bandages. He'd barely spoken since Harry's outburst, conversing with Harry only once, when he'd come to apologize. It had been fairly convincing, and Severus found himself telling the boy he understood. When the door had closed behind him, Hermione had resumed her massage of his shoulder, now almost entirely healed, before leaning over the bed to kiss him. It occurred to him that this was his cheese, but he shook the thought from his head and kissed her back greedily. If all it took was accepting an apology from Potter, he decided that he was still getting a bargain.

Hermione finished her first year at the top of her class in all three of her majors, as everyone had expected, and in spite of a two week lapse in studying. She was issued no fewer than four invitations for summer internships, all of which she politely declined. There were several unpleasant things that needed doing this summer, and she couldn't put them off any longer. She spent a week in France, delivering a photo album, which Moody had salvaged from her parents' ruined home, to her aunt and cousins. She looked in on her father's side of the family also: Two uncles and a Grandmother whom she had not seen since before she started Hogwarts. She took them several important items as well. The garage had been untouched, and her father's cherry apple red Corvette had been in storage all this time. She knew her Uncle Gerald should have it.

But the worst occasion she was faced with was the unexpected one. News from the Order's spy had come concerning a possible breach in security at the Ministry that Voldemort would be sure to take advantage of. Moody, Tonks and Arthur were taking turns working late in their offices, making periodic trips past the office in question. It happened on Moody's watch.

He called for backup, and nearly everyone at Order Headquarters responded, with only Severus and Molly staying behind. Ginny and Hermione were the first to find him, and by then the Death Eaters had vanished. They both gasped and turned away from the sight of him, each shielding her eyes with the other's shoulder. He was lying at an odd angle in a puddle of something that looked too thick to be just blood.

From a corridor nearby they heard someone swear, then a whisper. "You weren't supposed to see that. I'm sorry." Ginny let go of Hermione instantly and whirled on the spot. But there was nothing to see. Behind them they heard Arthur, Mundungus and Bill, and called to them, keeping their eyes averted as the men shrouded the body for transport back to Headquarters. The funeral was by far the most difficult part of the summer, and Hermione was glad to get back to school in September.

She was excited because now that her prerequisites were out of the way, she'd be completing her potions mastery this year, with help from Minerva's time turner. Aside from her continuing correspondence with Severus, there was a single other bright spot waiting to reveal itself at Geneva.

"VICTOR?" Hermione called, straining her neck to look across the cafeteria. Sure enough the boy turned, a smile breaking over his face as he hurried toward her.

"Herm-own-ine! I'd heard you were going to school here, but I didn't think I'd find you so quickly! How've you been?" Hermione grinned as he mispronounced her name yet again, and began to tell him a very edited version of her life for the past year and a half. They'd sort of lost touch after she'd graduated, which was mostly her fault, and she apologized for it. He waved it off good-naturedly.

She asked him what brought him to Geneva, and he managed to get halfway through the story of a run in with two bludgers before a group of nearby girls realized who he must be. "Here we go again," Hermione whispered as they approached.

"Oh no! Look, we'll catch up later, okay?" he said quickly, trying to stand before they could get to him. Hermione shook her head and laughed. He made it about three paces before he was surrounded. Some things never changed. She remembered when they'd first met, in the library at Hogwarts.

"You aren't really impressed with me, are you?"
he'd asked, parking himself in the chair in front of her.

"I saw you at the World Cup. You flew well," she
answered noncommittally. She kept her nose firmly
in her book.

"But you do not chase me like these others, why?"
he asked, gesturing to the giggling girls who'd just
entered.

Hermione threw her book to the table in
exasperation. "Honestly! How's anyone supposed
to work with all that going on! Just sign their book
bags, will you, and leave so I can study!" she huffed.
He looked offended for a moment, then chuckled quietly.

"I wish I could find someone for this damned Yule
ball who wouldn't spend the whole night acting like
that." The girls were now peeping at him from
behind a bookcase. He rolled his eyes.

"Good luck," she'd responded, picking up her book
again firmly to let him know that they were done talking.
And from then on, he'd been in the library all the
time, waiting for another chance to ask her.

She knew he'd asked her because she was the only girl in the school who wasn't behaving like a starving puppy every time he entered the room, but she hadn't minded. Even if they would obviously never date, she'd made a good friend that night. She grinned to herself, watching as the groupie girls led him away. It would be nice to have a friend on campus. She certainly hadn't had time to make any last year!

Severus, out of a job, and feeling less himself with each passing moment, dominated Albus' time for half a day, convincing him that Geneva was safe, and he ought to be allowed to visit Hermione and Warrington. He appeared, unannounced, in her dormitory one evening, anxious to see her, since it had been nearly a month. Unfortunately she was not present. Then, when he'd found a butterbeer in the refrigerator and a book to read, she appeared in front of him, tucking her time turner back into her robes. She looked startled for only a moment before she let out an excited laugh and threw herself into his arms. He only just had time to set down the butterbeer. He kissed her lingeringly, conscious of her hands trailing down his back.

"Albus is going to drag you home by your ear," she said quietly when he pulled away. "And if Warrington finds out you're in my dorm, there'll REALLY be hell to pay." The aged professor had seemingly taken it upon himself to be sure that Severus was treating her right. He kept her behind after nearly every class, on the pretense of asking after Minerva. But she knew what he was really after. Of course, she couldn't know it, but in Warrington's opinion, Severus should have been visiting Hermione's dormitory long before now.

"They are both aware of my present location," he offered with a smirk, running a hand through her hair. When his fingers got stuck at the nape of her neck, he left them there, making an odd tingle run down her spine. She lifted her lips to his again, all thoughts of the essay she'd come back in time to write flying out of her head.

"How long can you stay?" she asked breathlessly. She got no response, as, instead of pulling away when the kiss ended, Severus had lowered his head to her neck, nuzzling underneath her hair and trailing kisses down to her collarbone. It was an activity he'd taken up over the summer that she found both relaxing and tantalizing. She noticed that today he was trying for tantalizing as his other hand dropped from her waist to a lower position. He was just congratulating himself on his good fortune when she pushed him away, gently but insistently.

"Why don't we sit down?" She sounded nervous and he narrowed his eyes at her momentarily before taking her hand and leading her to the very short couch that served as the only seating in the room. It wasn't that he was trying to seduce her, really. Only that it had a been a month since they'd done more than write letters, and he wanted nothing but to hold her and kiss her. When he leaned toward her again, she stopped him with a firm hand on his cheek.

Hermione kept him at arm's length for a moment, so that when she removed her hand he'd stay there. He seemed to understand her intent if not her reasoning, and made no further move to kiss her. "What is it?" he asked, worry suddenly flooding his thoughts. Hermione, however, was thinking fast about how she could word this without sounding like an absolute prude. Most importantly, she didn't want him to be reminded of Harry's original conjecture on his intentions.

After a tense moment of silence, she decided on, "We're already beyond my limited experience." It sounded to her mind like something a Slytherin would say. Sure enough, when she got up the nerve to meet his gaze he was looking at her with understanding that didn't quite cover up the desire in his eyes.

"I didn't realize," he responded carefully, weighing his options. He had not expected a girl with almost as many male friends as she had IQ points (which was really saying something) to have left Hogwarts a virgin. He thought about it a moment before he decided that he really had no options. Perhaps his hand on her rear had offended her. "Would you like me to go?" he asked, his voice betraying his despondency more than he would have liked. He scolded himself mentally. He'd been a spy for years. Now he couldn't even hide his own self-loathing from a Gryffindor!

"No, of course not!" she exclaimed immediately. When he looked up at her, his eyes full of hope, she stuttered, "I just - I wanted you to know, so you wouldn't expect - because I'm really just not ready to - "

He put two fingers quickly over her lips, an amused smile tugging at the corners of his own. It seemed he couldn't help but showcase his emotions for all to see these days. There was a slight pang of regret at that, but he brushed it away. If he wanted her to love him, he would have to show her who he was. They'd agreed on that. "I don't expect," he whispered, "but I can't tell you I don't want."

In answer she grasped his hand in her own, bringing his palm to her lips to kiss. "I can't say that I don't want either," she responded in true Slytherin style. "But I'm not ready yet." They spent the rest of the evening talking of other things, and when the time came for him to return to Headquarters, she kissed him passionately, making sure he knew that she wasn't rejecting him. She got her point across quite well, and he went home happier than he'd been since his burns had healed.

He wasn't able to visit every weekend, being occupied in the new lab Albus had helped him set up in the basement of Grimmauld Place. He found that he felt quite at home there, as it really was as much a dungeon as his lab at Hogwarts. Sadly enough, it had probably seen more of traditional dungeon usage. He spent his time producing an anti-venom for Nagini's poison, and stocking up on the antidotes for the poisons he'd once made for the Dark Lord. When he did visit, he couldn't help but be impressed by the quantity of information Hermione seemed to be absorbing. She'd elected, after her first year, to concentrate on only one major at a time, so she was taking three levels of potions classes at once. And in addition to discussing her classes, she frequently asked him about the articles he'd begun to publish in the last few months, which meant she was reading most of the current periodicals as well as her textbooks. There was little doubt that she would be one of the foremost research Potions Masters of her generation.

In mid-December he was summoned to the Headmaster's office at Hogwarts. This request came as something of a surprise, since Albus had been careful to keep him out of the castle since the incident with Travers. When he arrived, he was concerned to see the Headmaster seated at his desk looking remarkably old as his eyes followed a pacing man in unmistakable Death Eater robes.

"Albus? Draco? What's happened?" he asked immediately. Draco Malfoy, more agitated than Severus had ever seen him, spun on the spot and came forward to shake his hand.

"Uncle. There's been a - Well, we have a problem." Draco looked to the Headmaster for confirmation. The old man looked away, his face full of what Severus could only interpret as self-disgust. He raised an eyebrow and turned back to Draco.

"On the Headmaster's last trip to the Ministry, someone slipped him Veritaserum in the form of a lemon drop. I think Grimmauld Place has been compromised. It would be wise to move everyone out of there, or else cast another Fidelius Charm."

"You THINK?" Severus asked quietly.

"The Dark Lord is jubilant. He showed us the lemon drops. I came immediately and Professor Dumbledore was able to confirm that someone had offered him one. That's all he remembers, which seems to indicate a memory charm." Draco looked contrite. Gathering information wasn't easy, but he was anxious to prove that he could do it as well as Severus had. Particularly when speaking to the man himself.

Severus swore vehemently. "We've got to alert the Weasleys and Lupin. They'll need to - "

"That has been accomplished already, Severus," the Headmaster said quietly. "Voldemort is under the impression that he can attack at his leisure. He will wait until Harry is present, I think, to attempt it. Naturally Harry has already been told not to return to Headquarters." His voice sounded ancient, suddenly. "Our next order of business is to get you ensconced safely at Snape Manor. I assume the family House Elves have cared for the place in your absence?"

Blinking twice, Severus sank into a chair. "I can't go back there," he whispered, oblivious to Draco's sympathetic glance. He'd told the Headmaster the same thing about Malfoy Manor not two years previous. There were just too many memories.

"I'm afraid it is the only option. We've got a family in Surrey who've agreed to house Remus, and the Weasleys will be moving in with Neville Longbottom and his Grandmother. Their home is large enough to accommodate the whole family."

"I can't go to Longbottom's either," Severus snapped in mock anger. He expected some glimmer of humor from Albus for that, but got nothing but a long-suffering sigh.

"Naturally," Dumbledore replied wearily.

Severus spent the next hour hurriedly packing up his laboratory. As soon as he was finished, though it was nearly 11:00pm, he flooed Hermione to let her know what was going on.

In her dormitory, the flames went green, and Severus' head appeared. It was dark, as he'd expected. He'd just made up his mind to step through and look for her in her bedroom, reasoning that this was important enough to wake her up for, when he heard it.

His eyes focused on the loveseat across the room, and he saw the silhouette of an unmistakable face. Krum. Krum's current activity was unmistakable as well, as the girl beneath him moaned contentedly. Severus couldn't see her, but he didn't need to. He pulled his head back out of the fireplace, trying to contain his fury. They could discuss it in the morning. Because this time, he wasn't going to silently back away. Oh no. If she wanted to know how he felt, he was bloody well going to tell her.

It was nearly half an hour later when Hermione arrived in the Headmaster's office, having been summoned to address the issue of the information leak. Draco was long gone, his identity still being carefully guarded. He, Albus, and Severus had all been grateful that no one had asked Albus if he had another spy. But the incident only solidified their belief that the fewer people who knew, the better.

"I've discussed it with Severus, and I think it would be best if he went to Snape Manor under a Fidelius Charm. It would make sense for you to be his secret keeper, since Geneva is so well protected," Albus began without preamble. Hermione set down the huge bag of books she'd brought with her. The school owl had found her in the library, and she'd apparated directly to Hogsmeade.

She didn't hesitate to agree to be his secret keeper, and Albus gave her instructions on how to apparate onto the grounds of Severus' family estate. She promised to be there first thing in the morning, yawning unashamedly in the middle of her sentence, which made Albus laugh for the first time all day.

"Go home, get some sleep. Once the charm is performed, please check in with me to be sure I cannot remember where he is." He never mentioned to her that part of the reason it was necessary was his own fault. He didn't want to know, so that if he made the mistake again, he couldn't cause any more difficulty.

She headed home gratefully, using his floo. She tip-toed to her room, knowing that Victor was probably already asleep. She grinned to herself, thinking of his now-uninhabitable dorm room across campus.

Four days previous, several seniors, in a fit of rebellion against end of term tests, had set off a string of strategically placed dungbombs. It was a prank worthy of the twins, and the entire third floor of Victor's dormitory had to be fumigated. She'd agreed to let him crash with her, with the stipulation that there were to be no groupie girls invading her dorm.

Her grin faded as she passed the couch and glanced at his sleeping form. He wasn't alone. 'Ick!' was the first thought that came to her mind. She shook her head and went to bed anyway. She could deal with it in the morning.