Chapter Five

Hermione woke to find Severus propped on one elbow, apparently having watched her as she slept. She smiled sleepily before rolling into his body and hiding her face against his shoulder. "This isn't supposed to be weird." Her words were muffled by his skin and her hair.

Severus chuckled and tucked his arms around her, running one hand down her bare back. "Well, I'd rather prefer that it was. It's not everyday that I wake up with a former student in my bed, and I'd rather that you not have a great deal of experience waking up with ex-professors."

She laughed and lightly slapped his side. "I guess it's something that we have to get used to together." She untucked her head and softly kissed his neck. "And as much as I'd like to start with that now, I told Neville I would be there first thing this morning." Reluctantly, she rolled away from him. "What are your plans for the day?" she asked as she climbed from his bed and began to hunt for her clothes.

Following their first kiss the night before, they'd decided to take things slow. After ten minutes of increasingly passionate embraces, they'd decided they had gone quite slow enough and relocated their journey of discovery to Severus' bed. In their enthusiasm, they had scattered clothes the length and breadth of the room.

"I thought I'd go ahead and work on my CV." Severus reclined against the pillow with his hands behind his head, enjoying himself as he watched her move around his room. "I don't expect it will do any good, but if it will keep me in your good graces," he playfully leered at her as she cast a Cleansing Charm before stepping into her knickers, "I'm willing to send it off, but I have to make a few changes to it first."

"Like what?" Hermione asked, sliding her arms into her robe.

"For instance, I thought it might be best if I left off the part that says 'Minion to Dark Lord 1978-1998.' What do you think?" he drawled.

Hermione's hands stilled on her buttons, and she lifted her head to see him smirking at her. She wondered if that look was always going to make her want him as much as it did right now. She crossed to his side of the bed, raking her eyes down his body to where the sheets were tented.

When she spoke, her breathy voice belied her nonchalance. "As much as I'd like to stay and help you, I've really got to go, or I'm going to be late."

She leaned over to kiss him, then shrieked when Severus pulled her down, rolling her underneath him. "You can't give me a look like that and expect me to just let you walk out of here," he growled, using one hand to unbutton the robes she'd just put on, kissing each new expanse of flesh that he uncovered. "Besides, Mr. Longbottom always struck me as the patient type."

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Hermione was late, but found that Severus was right and Neville didn't mind.

"We're just doing paperwork today, Hermione." Neville smiled at her absently while he searched his desk for something, although how he expected to find anything on the cluttered surface was beyond her. Already, she could feel her fingers itching to start organizing everything. "It wasn't something that couldn't wait if you were busy."

Hermione blushed and looked away, pretending to study the complete lack of décor in the utilitarian office. She wondered if Neville suspected why she was late, and his next words confirmed that he did.

"Especially if you were busy convincing Professor Snape that he should apply for the position." Neville laughed when she ducked her head. "Luna mentioned that she thought things were going in that direction. I'm happy for you, both of you." Finally finding what he was searching for, he pushed a file across the desk toward her. "I think all the right forms are in there." He rose and came around the desk. "If you'd like, though, I can give you a tour of the facility before you get started on them."

Hermione agreed eagerly and followed him to the door. "You know, Neville, you've never told me what made you think of Severus for the Potions position in the first place. Surely there are other potions experts you could have hired?"

Neville sighed as he opened the door and gestured her through. "There are, and I think that I've heard from every one of them in the last two weeks. They may all be brilliant, but I know what Professor Snape is capable of." Neville escorted her down the hallway to what would be her office. "My latest strain of Mandrake, grafted with a derivative of Lavender, then cross bred with Belladonna, has shown remarkable potential in the application of potions, particularly potions designed to help reverse the devastating effects of long-term exposure to the Cruciatus Curse." His voice grew more excited. "You know how much it would mean to me to find a cure for my parents, or even something that would allow them a better quality of life."

Hermione laid her hand on his arm and squeezed gently as they stood at a large picture window overlooking a multitude of greenhouses.

"Somewhere out there lies the cure for them." He gestured out the window before leading her to a flight of stairs, which descended below ground.

"Unfortunately, you know that I don't excel at potions." He forestalled Hermione's protest with a grin. "Oh, I do well enough when I've got a set of guidelines to go by, and when I'm not terrified."

Hermione laughed at his self-deprecating humour, looking around in fascination as he showed her a state-of-the-art potions lab.

"But I don't have that innate sixth-sense to create new potions. I could spend the rest of my life working on it, but what purpose would that serve? I may not be brilliant at many things, but I've always excelled at knowing the right people to ask for help."

He playfully jostled Hermione with his shoulder, directing her through a long tunnel, containing the habitats for his varieties that preferred a subterranean environment. He stopped to point out his Devil's Snare that had proven to be especially useful as a deterrent to household pests, once its violent tendencies had been dampened by a graft of Sneezewort.

"I probably should have thought of Professor Snape right away, but instead I spent weeks rolling the problem around my head, until suddenly I remembered that potions book of Harry's from sixth year. It would have been difficult to forget the rows that you two got into over that old thing."

Hermione scowled at him as he guided her through a door at the end of the tunnel and into the bright sunlight.

"If Professor Snape's adjustments to basic potions could cause Harry to surpass you, then I knew he must be incredibly skilled ... innovatively skilled." Neville snickered at Hermione's expression as they walked past the rows of greenhouses, the air redolent with the loamy scent of rich soil and thriving vegetation.

Hermione took a deep breath as they walked back in the direction of the administration building, enjoying the feel of the sun on her shoulders and the aroma of grass and fresh air. She couldn't help but be reminded of a time when she took such simple pleasures for granted. Neville looked over at her with a sad smile. "It always makes me think of Professor Sprout," he said, a wave of his hand indicating the greenhouses surrounded by neat rows of herbs and flowering plants.

"She would be so proud of what you have done here." Hermione patted his arm as she walked through the door he was holding open for her.

"Yes, I think she would." Neville passed a hand over his eyes and sighed. "What were we talking about?"

"You were telling me what made you think of Severus for the position."

"Oh! Yeah, well, you know everything after that. I came to you with my ridiculous plan to place that advertisement and have you encourage him to apply. Now my desk is groaning under the flood of applications I receive daily, and I wish that I'd listened to you and just asked him." He gestured to his desk as they re-entered his office. "Between the applications and the offers to buy my wonder plants, I didn't think I'd ever be able to get back to my greenhouses." He turned to her and grasped her hands. "Thank Merlin you're here now!"

Hermione laughed and rolled her eyes at his theatrics before pulling a hand free and pointing to his window where a familiar owl was waiting patiently. "If that's what I think it is, you might as well go ahead and give me a raise."

Neville halted midway to the window and turned back toward her, his eyes widening as her words sunk in. He spun back to the window and flung it open, nearly dislodging the owl in his haste. He quickly relieved the owl of its burden, pausing only long enough to offer it a treat before tearing open the envelope. A huge grin spread across his face as he scanned the cover letter and CV. Rubbing his hands together, he let loose with a laugh that sounded vaguely like an evil chipmunk.

"It worked!" He crowed, bolting around the desk and spinning Hermione into an impromptu waltz. "I'm brilliant! You're brilliant!" He dropped her into a dramatic dip before lifting her up and hugging her tightly. "I know Professor Snape can do it." Neville whispered into her hair, his voice breaking. "If there is anyone in the world who can realize the full potential of my hybrids, who can find a cure for my parents, it's him. And my scheme would never have worked without you."

Hermione grinned at him until his words hit her. Severus indulged her bossy ways, but he was not at all fond of being manipulated. She was suddenly overcome with a sense of dread. Now that everything was coming together, was she destined to lose the happiness that she had just found?

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Hermione had a headache when she arrived at her flat late in the afternoon. Despite her enjoyable visit with Neville and the thrill of challenge she felt about her new job, she hadn't been able to put her worries aside. All day, variations on possible scenarios had run through her head, very few of them good. She knew she was going to have to tell Severus the truth, and she didn't have high hopes for his reaction. She hoped the application of a headache potion, along with a warm bath, would help clear her mind before she went to see him.

Unfortunately, all of that would have to wait, as her flat was already occupied when she arrived home.

Harry practically accosted her as she came through the door, and he had clearly had too much coffee. "Where have you been?" he demanded, wrapping her in a hug that lifted her feet from the ground. "I've been waiting here for hours!"

Struggling free from his exuberant grasp, she dropped her huge shoulder bag to the ground and leaned wearily against the door. "Harry, I'm not really up to a visit right now." She rubbed one hand on the back of her neck and the other on her forehead, trying to ease the insistent ache.

Instantly contrite, Harry ushered her to the couch. "Are you alright?" he asked, brushing aside her hand to massage her shoulders and neck gently.

Hermione sighed and leaned into his hands. "I've done something really stupid, Harry. And now I don't know how to fix it."

Harry continued easing her muscle aches and listened silently as she explained her dilemma.

When she finished, he turned her to face him. "You know I'm not thrilled with the idea of you and Snape." He couldn't help but pull a face at the idea and then yelp when Hermione pinched his arm. "But you've made it abundantly clear that you can take care of yourself and that there are areas of your life you won't tolerate my 'saving-people-thing.'" He rubbed the offended arm and grinned at her. "In every way that's important, Hermione, you're my family, and I'd do anything for you. Even if it means accepting that the person who makes you happy is Snape. So I'm going to give you some advice. Just tell him the truth. From everything you've told me and what little I've seen, he's a different person than he used to be. If he deserves you, the way you think he does, then he'll understand that you were only trying to make him happy." Harry reached out and tugged gently on a lock on her hair, his voice taking on a mischievous, insinuating tenor. "And if he doesn't, you can just shag him into submission." He jumped up from the couch and danced away as Hermione laughingly tried to pinch him again.

"Thank you, Harry." She rose from the couch and hugged him. "You can't imagine how often I remember the day you became my friend. I think it was one of the best days of my life." Squeezing him a little tighter, she swallowed back the unexpected tears clogging her throat.

For a long moment, the two were caught up in memories, and then it was Hermione's turn to tease. "Of course, there was a period of time, oh, five years or so ago, that I was wishing I'd never heard your name." She squealed and squirmed away when he tried to tickle her, but he let her escape unscathed.

"As much fun as this is," she said over her shoulder as she entered the kitchen, "was there a reason you were waiting here to ambush me?"

"Oh! I almost forgot!" Harry followed her into the kitchen and waited while she swallowed a bottle of headache potion. When she turned back to him, eyebrows raised in question, she could almost see him vibrating with excitement. "I have officially solved my first case!" He pumped his fist triumphantly.

Hermione's mouth dropped open. "But I thought that I was your first case?"

"You were! I've already solved it!" Harry grinned at her.

Blinking at him owlishly, Hermione held up a hand. "Wait a minute. I didn't Floo you until last night. It hasn't even been 24-hours. How could you have solved it already?"

Harry's face fell. "Actually, that part isn't really all that impressive." Summoning a bottle of water from Hermione's refrigerator, he took a seat at the kitchen table and began explaining. "Do you remember the line in the editorial about Floo records having been made available?" He waited for Hermione to nod before going on. "Well, those aren't a matter of public record, so I didn't have a lot of hope of finding anything. But I went to the Floo Regulation Office on the off chance that someone might have come in asking for information or something. I was all prepared to ask the hard questions, but it turned out that I didn't even have to ask the easy questions," he looked vaguely disappointed. "You'll never guess who the head clerk of the Floo Regulation Office is."

Hermione just shrugged, shaking her head and dropping into the chair across from him.

"Marietta Edgecombe. It seems that not many people are willing to hire someone with the word 'sneak' permanently tattooed on their forehead. So after Hogwarts, Madam Edgecombe was the only person willing to hire Marietta. Apparently she is still pretty ticked off at you. Actually," he paused and took a swig of water, "I think it's gotten worse. She didn't even try to deny it. All I had to do was walk into the office and lean on the counter; she was rather eager to tell me all about how unfair it was that you had been so successful while she was going to be stuck in the Floo Regulation Office for the rest of her life. Then she laid out her whole plan to me, how she was going to go about making you pay for what you had done to her." He shook his head. "It was sad, Hermione, and more than a little scary. She felt that she was entirely justified in what she had planned."

Hermione sat back in her chair, with her hands over her mouth. "Sweet Nimue!" Swamped with guilt, she leaned forward, putting her elbows on the table and cradling her head in her hands. "What do you think I should do?"

Harry reached across the table to rub his hand on her arm. "You don't have to do anything. I left the Floo Regulation Office and went straight down to MLE. My Pensieved testimony, combined with the report that Snape made, was enough for them to immediately issue a warrant for her arrest."

"A warrant for her arrest!" Hermione shook her head in negation. "No, Harry. What she did was wrong, and I won't go so far as to say that her actions were justified, but they are understandable. Thanks to me, she's permanently disfigured, and I wasn't ever punished for it. I thought I was so clever coming up with that hex," her voice was filled with self-loathing, "but I never thought out the consequences of my actions. It was an awful, vicious thing to do. Especially when you consider that she had no real choice in the matter. Her mother worked for the Ministry, and her first loyalty was to her family." Hermione sighed sadly. "Just as Draco Malfoy's was in sixth year."

"We've had this discussion," Harry shrugged. "We were fighting a war, and the Ministry was sitting on its arse. At that point they were as much our enemy as Voldemort. There's no shame in what you did, Hermione, even if you are too tender-hearted to accept that. After all," he shot a sly glance at her, "I've never seen you suffer a crisis of conscience over Umbridge."

She smiled briefly at his reminder; she'd never had a single moment of guilt for her decision to take Umbridge to the centaurs.

"Well, I guess the final decision to press charges will ultimately lie with you." Harry tilted his head back to drain the bottle, then wiped his hand across his mouth. "But from the way Snape was acting, I'd say you're going to have a fight on your hands convincing him to let her off the hook."

Hermione stopped him then, her brain having been a little slow to process everything Harry had said. "When you said Severus filed a report with the MLE, do you mean he owled them about it?"

"No." Harry shook his head and grinned. "I was there when he came in, robes swirling, scowl firmly in place and demanding to talk to Kingsley. I think it gave some people a pretty big shock." Banishing his water bottle, Harry stood and stretched.

"I've got to be honest with you, Hermione. I think Marietta's gone 'round the twist. Maybe she doesn't need to be in Azkaban. But it's obvious that she needs help. Perhaps you could suggest that in exchange for not pressing charges, she has to seek help from St. Mungo's."

Glancing at the clock, Harry hurriedly tucked his chair in. "I didn't realize what time it was, Ginny and I have an appointment with the caterer tonight." Rubbing his stomach, he grinned at her. "We're having a tasting. Man, I love this wedding planning stuff!" He leaned down and kissed her cheek before heading out of the kitchen "Floo me later and let me know how it goes with Snape and what you decide to do about Marietta."

Hermione waved goodbye to Harry, vaguely recognizing the sound of the Floo activating as he left. There was one thought whirling around in her mind, making her almost dizzy with elation, and suppressing any other consideration. Severus had faced the wizarding world for her, without her cajoling or nagging or even asking him; he'd gone to the MLE to file a report because he wanted her to be safe.

Forgetting all about her headache, a decision about Marietta, and any hopes for a warm bath, Hermione rushed to the Floo.

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Severus barely had a chance to register the green flash of flames before he had a lapful of Hermione. Tilting her head, Severus saw that her eyes were shimmering with tears. "Hermione?" He was alarmed when the tears spilled over and tracked down her cheeks. "What happened?"

"There's something I have to tell you." Hermione shifted off of his lap and moved to sit beside him, taking one of his hands in hers. "I need you to promise me that you'll let me finish before you say anything."

A wary look on his face, he nodded, not sure what to expect.

Taking a deep breath, she met his eyes. "I love you." She pressed a finger to his lips when his expression cleared and he started to speak. "I hope you know that I would never do anything intentionally to hurt you."

Assuming that head movements were acceptable, Severus nodded again.

Hermione took another deep breath before blurting, "Oh Merlin! I'm just going to say it. Aliank Hybrid Ltd. is Neville's company. He wanted you for the research and development position, but was afraid that you would turn him down." Hermione's heart raced, and she was a little light-headed from a combination of nerves and adrenaline. "He placed the advertisement in the Prophet with the intention of me showing it to you and encouraging you to apply for it. I know how you feel about being manipulated, all those years of being jerked about by Dumbledore and Voldemort, but I promise you, I was only thinking of your happiness."

Her voice shook as she raced through her explanation, her eyes searching his impassive face for some clue to his reaction. "I knew how much you hated the job at the Ministry and that you would love being in charge of your own laboratory, given free rein to develop potions and do research. I urged Neville to come to you directly, but he refused." Hermione stopped for breath, a beseeching expression on her face. "Please say something!"

"Have you finished then?" he drawled, one eyebrow raised. "I seem to recall you asking me not to say anything until you had, and I just wanted to be sure."

Hermione nodded, her bottom lip drawn between her teeth in an effort to stop herself from pleading for forgiveness. She would save that for later in case she needed it.

Severus reached up and cupped her cheek. "Did you honestly think I would apply for a position without knowing a bit about the company? I didn't immediately make the connection last night when you said that Mr. Longbottom's company grew hybrid magical plants." His gaze dropped to her lips. "I had more pressing matters to attend to." He drew her forward and gently kissed her before continuing. "This morning, while I was watching you sleep, it occurred to me that the focus of Aliank Hybrid Ltd. is also magical hybrid plants. As that is not a field teeming with competition, it was easy to make the jump from Mr. Longbottom to Aliank. It's a combination of his parent's names, Alice and Frank."

Hermione pulled away, feeling vaguely confused. "You're not angry? I deceived you!"

"I can be if you want me to." Severus smirked at her. "I've heard tell that make-up shagging is something to look forward to." He chuckled at the mixture of shock and amusement on her face. "Hermione, I might have been angry had I arrived for an interview to find that you had kept me in the dark, but it is clear that your intentions were good. Not good in the way Dumbledore's were, as in, for the greater good, but good for me. You're good for me."

She sagged against his shoulder in relief. "I've been sick with nerves today. It didn't really strike me what I had been a party to until your owl arrived and Neville started crowing about how his brilliant scheme had worked." Hermione's laugh was still slightly hysterical. "I think it was the word 'scheme' that made me ill. Well, that and Neville's cackling with glee." Hermione shuddered delicately. "You have no idea how disturbing that was. Perhaps you can pull something from Professor Snape bag of tricks to get Neville back in line."

Severus chuckled, more than a little amused at her description of a triumphant Neville Longbottom. Perhaps the intervening years since Hogwarts had given the boy a backbone. "First, we'll have to see how the interview goes. Perhaps it wouldn't be the best idea to terrify my prospective employer."

Hermione leaned back and smiled widely at him. "There's not going to be an interview. Neville has been turning down applications for the position left and right. You were the only person he ever wanted for the job. I think we can expect an owl at any moment, bearing an offer of employment. With a ridiculously generous salary, I might add."

Severus threw back his head and laughed before wrapping his arms around her. In his wildest imaginings, he could never have predicted the future that now lay before him, working for Neville Longbottom and involved with Hermione Granger. What had this world come to? He tucked Hermione more firmly into his arms, dropping a kiss on her head and listening to her hum in contentment.

"And, Hermione, about that other thing? I love you too."

Finis