Hogsmeade

A/N: A small squick warning for the first part.

******

He carefully filled his syringe with the bubbling black fluid, noting with satisfaction how it writhed in the cauldron. A particularly potent batch, then. Good.

He sat on the couch next to his sweet, renewing the modified Stasis charm on her corpse. He wished he knew a better spell to prevent putrefaction. She grimaced at him in her frozen death mask.

"Sweet, it's done," he drawled lovingly, grazing his fingers lightly against the cold, decrepit flesh of her arm. "Tomorrow. I promise. Tomorrow."

He leaned over and kissed her sweetly on her open mouth, ignoring the putrid smell.

"I love you so much."

He whispered her name into the dark and freed his aching erection from his robes. He remembered when she was young and alive, how she would suck him off whilst he reminisced about killing Mudbloods and the cool, powerful feeling his Death Eater mask produced.

"Yes," he slurred as he cupped his balls. His eyes were closed and his breath was heavy. He reached over and grabbed her hand. It felt cold beneath his warmth.

He guided her hand over to his upright cock and closed their joined fingers over his hardened flesh. Her hand, cool and lifeless, felt delicious against him.

He quickly found a rhythm, pumping painfully hard and groaning aloud in the dark. He came with force to thoughts of Hermione's eyes growing dim with death.

He gently wiped his semen from her hand. The flesh under his ejaculate had warmed slightly, and he smiled.

"You're coming back to me," he whispered. "You're coming back."

******

Hermione grinned and threw her arms around Severus, noting how he automatically stiffened in her embrace.

"Well," she said, looking up at him. "What is it?"

"I am not completely certain, but I believe your Angel has created a very... unique base." He took a deep breath. "I believe he is capturing souls."

Hermione stared at him blankly. "What?"

Severus nodded his head. "Souls, Miss Granger. Though I can't imagine what he wants with them."

She still didn't understand. "Souls? His base is..."

"No, Miss Granger. The purpose of this potion is to harvest souls. He does so by utilizing Dementors' essence... Extraordinary. I read of this possibility over ten years ago, though I... never imagined that it was possible."

Hermione cocked her head. "Dementors' essence? I had no idea..."

"Yes. He must have created a spell to capture the essence of the Dementor for his potion."

A chill ran through her. What could a mortal man possibly want with human souls?

"How did you come to this conclusion, Severus?"

He gestured towards her. "Your insightful comments about Kissing, followed by a spell, a variation of 'Expecto Patronum.' It alerts you to the presence of Dementors. The rising smoke you saw signified their presence."

Thoughts ran swiftly through Hermione's head. He would have to have fairly regular access to Dementors. That would mean Azkaban. She would have to check with the Department of Mysteries as well for the specific locations of all banished Dementors. She felt a thrill. Surely, they could catch him now.

Exhilarated, she threw her arms around him again. "This is such a relief, Severus. I'll need to tell Solomon immediately and let Des know tomorrow. She was so frustrated when all of her own tests yielded nothing."

He tentatively squeezed her back and rested his head atop her own. "I'll write up a report, if you like."

"That would be wonderful. And Severus?"

"I know that you will hear this from no one else, but... thank you."

He shrugged. "You know I only did this for you, Hermione." His voice was quiet, and Hermione thought that it trembled.

******

Hermione rapped anxiously on Solomon's door. Once she heard his gruff voice telling her to enter, she breathed deeply and opened the door.

"Granger," he said, nodding his head in greeting. He was pacing in front of the charmed windows in his office. Magical Maintenance had apparently decided on stormy weather, and the wind howled through the trees, and the rain pounded the windows.

"Sir," she replied. "I have a report for you." She handed him Severus' work, and Solomon took the papers from her quickly.

"Well, sir? What do you think?" She shifted uncertainly before her boss, her heart inexplicably pounding as Solomon perused Severus' hastily written report. It was as if she didn't know how to act around him anymore. She felt guilty.

Solomon rubbed his eyes before answering. "I think that we are going to finally catch this son of a bitch, Granger. And again, we have you to thank."

She blushed. "Not me, sir. Severus."

Solomon's eyes flashed at the mention of Severus' name. "Snape does not deserve thanks of any kind."

Hermione said nothing, afraid of revealing her true feelings for Severus.

"I'll send this out immediately, Granger. I bet we'll have him before morning. There can't be too many potions experts with continuous access to Dementors."

"Of course, sir. Do you need me to do anything else?"

He shook his head. "You've done more than enough. You've put your very soul on the line here, Granger. I will forever be ashamed that I asked you to do such a thing."

She leaned over his desk and placed her hand over his, squeezing gently while meeting his eyes in a level gaze. "My soul is still my own, Solomon."

"And I thank the gods for that," he growled. "I've arranged to take Snape back early tomorrow. I'll be at your flat at seven. I'll undo the Constrictus once he's behind bars again."

She nodded and tried to appear relieved, but she was afraid she didn't manage. Was she so painfully transparent in her desires?

With a final squeeze, Hermione stood up to leave. Solomon regarded her carefully.

"You will be okay tonight, Hermione?"

She managed a smile, though her heart was constricting agonizingly in her chest. "I'll be fine, sir. Just one more night."

Hermione turned to walk out the door but slowed as she again heard Solomon's gruff voice.

"You're a damn good agent, Granger. And a damn good woman. I hope you know that you deserve better than him."

"Thank you, sir," she whispered. She left his office quickly, before the guilt lodged deeply in her throat dissolved into tears.

******

Hermione wandered aimlessly around Hogsmeade, absentmindedly kicking the fallen leaves scattered across the cobblestones. She didn't want to go home. She was just so sick of her life that she simultaneously wanted to cry and scream. Loudly.

She had never been one to shake her fist at the heavens or curse the gods above for their cruel, cruel tricks, but she was sorely tempted. Surely this situation was not her fault. And she certainly had done nothing to deserve it.

"Nothing too serious anyway," she said out loud, causing a couple slowly meandering down the street to stare openly at her. She glared back at them. It was all she could do to stop herself from breaking down in the streets of Hogsmeade.

Perhaps worse than anything, she had woken this morning next to Severus and finally understood what had been missing in her life. This morning, she chose him, and since that moment, a weight, a burden that she had been carrying for seven long years, had disappeared. Right or wrong, what did it matter? What mattered was that it felt good to lie in bed next to him, to hear his steady breathing when she awoke.

She was utterly exhausted with second-guessing herself. She was a Gryffindor, known for courage and bravery, and right now she was cowering from her own feelings.

A complicated situation produces complication, she thought bitterly, and she emitted a short bark of laughter. Hermione felt a bit of madness touch the fringes of her soul, and she shuddered. This was not what she wanted from life. This had never been part of the plan.

Since the War, her plan had included working until she was too shattered too think about how empty her life had become. The plan involved promotions, medals, pay-raises. An endless supply of take-away meals at a table for one.

It had certainly never included Severus Snape.

She had not been prepared when he so abruptly entered her life again. She had not been ready to face him and the painful memories he brought with him.

It seemed that her life came down to this one dilemma. Of all of the decisions she had ever made...sneaking out with Harry and Ron under the Invisibility cloak, her fifth-year foray into the Ministry of Magic, Obliviating herself from her parents' minds, kissing her professor wantonly in the dungeons of Hogwarts...this was it. This was going to determine who she was and what she wanted.

"Our choices make us who we are," she mumbled. "Dumbledore always said so."

And so, who was she, really? Books, cleverness, memorisation, hand-raising, work...this is what she did. But who was she?

Hermione sighed. An identity crisis at the age of twenty-four, brought on by an arrogant, rude, and prickly ex-professor, was definitely not in the plan.

As Lavender Brown-ish as it sounded, it really came down to what she wanted and what she should want. A simple matter of heart versus mind, really.

She snorted. If only it were simple. If only a slow walk around Hogsmeade could whisper her the answer.

"Hermione! Oi! 'Mione!"

The voice was loud and insistent, and so Hermione, annoyed that her ethical musings had been interrupted, managed to plaster a fake grin on her face and turned around to greet her former best friend.

"Ron!" she exclaimed. "How are you? It's been ages!"

The red-head grinned goofily in return. "Since last Christmas, actually. I saw you through the windows of the Three Broomsticks. You should come join us. Luna and the kids would love to see you."

She shrugged. "Oh, I don't know. I've got work..."

Ron grinned again and looped his arm through hers. "No, you don't. We never see you anymore, and we miss you. I miss you, 'Mione."

His eyes were so sincere that she melted a bit on the inside.

"Oh, fine. I'll come in for a quick Butterbeer, but then I have to go."

"Awesome!" he said cheerily. "So, how have you been? How's work? How's your flat? And Crookshanks?"

"Ron, slow down," she said with a laugh. "It hasn't been that long!"

"Almost a year," he protested. "You should see Gabriella. She's grown so much. And you haven't even seen Harry since he was just a baby!"

Hermione felt a twinge of something that felt much like jealousy. Ron and Luna had married almost immediately after the War and settled happily into married life. They had three children...Hannah was six, Gabriella four, and Harry must be going on two by now. They were expecting their fourth in just a couple months. Hermione received Christmas cards from them every year, and she always put the pictures of the happily waving family on her refrigerator. She looked at it every morning and told herself it was not a reminder of what she didn't have.

When they reached the Three Broomsticks, Ron gallantly held the door open, and Hermione entered rather reluctantly. She spied a pregnant Luna surrounded by her three children in a corner booth. They were all sipping pumpkin juice, and the domestic tableau absurdly touched Hermione.

Ron put his hand on the small of her back, guiding her to their table.

"Aunt 'Mione! Aunt 'Mione!" Gabriella shrieked as she threw her arms around Hermione. Hannah gestured at her to bend down, and placed a warm kiss on Hermione's cheek.

"We miss you, Auntie," she said shyly.

"Oh, I missed you too," Hermione said, her eyes slightly damp from unshed tears. She would never understand why she had distanced herself from the Weasley family. She loved them all.

Harry had grown quite a bit since she last saw him. He was almost the spitting image of his father, and Hermione rather thought that his namesake would approve.

"Hello, Hermione," Luna stated dreamily, her hand absentmindedly stroking Gabriella's long strawberry blonde hair.

"Luna," Hermione said brightly, truly happy to see the Ravenclaw witch. There was simply something about Luna that dissipated bad moods and foul tempers. She suspected that was why Ron had married her.

Hermione settled into the booth across from Luna and the children. Ron went up to the bar to fetch two Butterbeers and three more pumpkin juices.

"So," Luna said. "How come you never visit anymore?" Her eyes were wide and unblinking, and Hermione had the distinct feeling that Luna would simply know if she was lying.

"Oh!" said Hermione, shifting nervously in her seat. "I've been on this case at work. I'm afraid I don't have much free time."

Luna smiled serenly. "Oh, Hermione. I don't believe that, but we do miss you."

Hermione nodded. "I've missed you too."

The blonde Ravenclaw suddenly reached across the table and laced her fingers with Hermione's, squeezing gently.

"Whatever it is that is bothering you so, Hermione, it will work itself out. You just have to let it go."

As if in response, Harry gurgled in his chair, spilling his pumpkin juice over the table.

Luna smiled happily and cleaned the mess with a wave of her wand, tucking the smooth expanse of wood firmly behind her ear when she was done.

Ron returned bearing drinks. "Here we are. I brought you another juice, love. Here. Hannah, stop pulling your sister's hair. When Gab gets bigger, she's going to fight back, you know."

"Thanks, Ron," Hermione said as he placed a Butterbeer before her and settled into the seat next to her.

"Well," he said as he reached across the table and gently pried Hannah's fingers from her sister's hair. "How have you been, 'Mione?"

"Fine. Just fine."

"I've heard that before," he said, grinning.

"Well it's true."

Luna adjusted Harry's bib and wiped juice from his face. "Ron heard that Professor Snape was staying with you," she said matter-of-factly. As if she were discussing the weather or some other similarly mudane topic, and not the crux of Hermione's pitiful life.

"Where did you hear that, Ron?" she asked, her calm voice belying her rapidly beating heart. It was as if she couldn't even escape Severus here, in the relative quiet obscurity of the Three Broomsticks.

"My dad. He said he heard it from Auror Grayson. He's your partner, right? So I figured that it had to be true." He took a sip of his Butterbeer, his eyes never leaving her face.

"Henry told your dad that!" she exclaimed, and for the second time that day, she felt a burning anger towards her partner. Images shot through her head...she imagined him telling everyone within earshot in some petty attempt at revenge.

"So it's true then?" Ron asked, his voice trembling with rage. Luna looked at her husband pointedly.

"Oh, Ronald, do calm down," she said in her light, wispy voice, and Hermione was surprised to see Ron blanch and then nod his head.

"Sorry, love," he whispered across the table, and Luna patted him affectionately on the hand.

They both turned back to Hermione, questions written plainly across their faces. Hermione sighed.

"He is staying with me until tomorrow morning. It's for a case. I'm afraid I really can't give any details," she said, happy that her voice did not tremble.

"He hasn't... hurt you, has he?" Ron asked.

"No, Ron. He's done nothing. Really, it hasn't been that bad."

Ron's eyes narrowed and Luna's widened.

"Hermione," Luna said. "Be careful around him. And know that there are many people in this world who love you, if you would just let them."

Hermione looked down into her untouched Butterbeer, feeling inexplicably ashamed of herself.

"I really should go now," she whispered sadly into her beverage.

Despite Luna's look of sorrow, Ron's uncertainty, and the girls' clingy hugs, Hermione left, resignedly Apparating home. She still did not know what she was going to do.

******

Severus waited impatiently on the uncomfortable couch in her sitting room. The day had been particularly exhilarating, but the night promised to be more so. Though she had never explicitly told him what she intended for tonight, her warm looks and coquettish smiles explained all. He only hoped that this last visit to her boss would not leave her with additional tedious moral dilemmas. He sighed. Working through complicated ethical conundrums was not his idea of foreplay.

No, he would rather have her aggressive and domineering. He would rather have her take her frustrations physically out on him. Mmmm, yes. Delicious.

It was Severus Snape's last night of freedom, and he was going to enjoy it.

******

A/N: As always, thanks to my lovely betas, mgm86 and reets67, and the hard-working TPP admins. Thanks to reviewers as well! Next up, Severus explains himself....