Chapter 63

A/N: Things really are starting to let loose. It is going to be a rush to the moment of another separation for Hermione and Severus. Please review! Thanks again to WriterMerrin for her hard work!

***

Hermione kept her eye on Rosmerta. Nothing seemed to be strange or out of the ordinary with the innkeeper. It was confusing. All the evidence pointed to her and Malfoy. Perhaps when Katie got out of St. Mungo's she could fill in the gaps. Hermione was positive that Katie must have fought like hell to throw off being Imperiused and that would account for her odd behavior.

A few days after the new term began, Ginny came out of the castle, calling out for her.

Hermione waved her hand to her, and the two witches met a distance away from the gates. Ginny was breathing hard, and her red hair was whipping around her face.

"I just can't do this anymore, Hermione!" she said as her voice shook with emotion. "Harry is edgy all the time, and Dumbledore, he's constantly taking Harry out of Hogwarts, and he's seeing these memories. Now, Harry has to get something from Slughorn and it's not working, and then on top of it, he's obsessed that Malfoy is up to something!

"Hermione, I hate Dumbledore. I know I shouldn't say it, but I hate him. He's a manipulative bastard for doing this to Harry. He is putting more pressure on him than he can handle. He's about to lose it, Hermione. I don't know what to do or say. Ron and I aren't any help. Hermione, if only you were with us. You always could get Harry to see the larger picture and get him to think logically. He's just so fucking emotional and bloody-minded, I just want to scream!" she shouted.

She stood still, panting, and wiped her tears away angrily. "Sorry, Hermione. I'm sure my troubles are total crap compared to your life..."

"Don't do that, Ginny," Hermione said to her firmly as she wrapped an arm around the redhead. "Don't minimize what you are going through. You are having a hard time of it. Let's see where I can help, okay?"

"Thanks," said Ginny as Hermione pulled her into a hug.

Ginny took a cleansing breath and began. "On top of what I told you, Dumbledore is pressuring Harry to make peace with you, which he is adamant on not doing. And I am afraid it's all my fault!"

Hermione frowned. "Why should it be your fault? Harry is the one acting... oh!"

Ginny's eyes watered up and she sniffled her nose. "I did it, Hermione," she confessed. "I took the book, and Harry is just so angry! He won't confide with me at all."

Hermione thought for a moment. "Who has Harry been confiding in?" she asked.

Ginny snorted. "Ron...as if he could help get what Dumbledore wants. So, now Ron is going to help him, how pathetic! All Ron does anymore is go off shagging Lavender. He's totally disinterested. I think half the time what Harry tells him just goes over his head."

Hermione placed her hands on Ginny's shoulders. "This is not your fault. Harry never should have had that book. What you did was the best thing you could have done for him. You know that, right?"

"Of course, I do," she replied. "But he is so angry! I think he knows I took it, and now he's punishing me for it."

Hermione hugged her friend. "Have Ron meet me, Ginny. You know my schedule and when I do my circuits. Just extricate him from Lavender for a bit where I can talk to him."

"You think Ron will tell you?" she asked. "I'm scared every minute Ron will cave and tell Harry what I did. He helped me to steal it. He had to do it when Harry was sleeping at night. Then he handed it off for me to hide."

"Where is the book, Ginny?" Hermione whispered.

Ginny's brown eyes looked pained. Hermione felt horrible doing this to her.

"It's in the Room of Requirement. I needed a place where I could hide it and no one would know how to find it. So, just ask, "I need a place to hide something, somewhere secret.'"

Hermione released her breath. "Thank you, Ginny. Now, just let Severus and me handle this. The more time passes, the less Harry will be angry about the book. It's like he's going through a withdrawal of sorts."

Ginny shook her head. "I knew there had to be some sort of curse on it." She looked at Hermione and said, "Are you sure you want to deal with all this?"

"I'm positive, Ginny. If it's as bad as you say, Ron will be MORE than happy to hand off the problem to someone else. Besides, you're right. Ron couldn't possibly help him with what is really going on...just swear to me that you won't breathe a word to anyone...not even Ron! I will talk to him and ease his mind."

"Thank you, Hermione!" Ginny said as she threw her arms around her neck.

***

The following day, Ron skulked about the castle walls, looking guilty and scared.

"Get a grip, Ronald," Hermione said as she approached him. "What's going on with Harry?"

"Look," he whispered. "You can't understand this, Hermione. Harry is almost off his nut. He's talking about crazy stuff like...Horcruxes and rubbish like that. I don't know why Harry is involved with all this, but Dumbledore's got him all in a fit. 'Make up with Hermione,' 'Get a memory from Slughorn about the Horcruxes'...it's bloody mental, this is!"

"How bad did things get with the Prince?" she asked off-handedly.

"That ruddy book! Carried it with him every damned day, he did. It's a good thing Ginny and I nicked it before anything really bad happened. He'd started with that new spell Langlock,the one I told you that glues the tongue to the roof of a person's mouth. It's funny as hell, but bloody dangerous. A person could choke to death if he did it when someone had anything in their mouth."

Hermione's spirits fell. It was obvious that Ron felt like a traitor, even though he was glad the book was gone.

"Ron, please try not to punish yourself. You were being a good friend by helping Ginny get that book away from him. Trust me...it would only have brought spells that are more dangerous for him to use on people. I wish I could help him, but I know he wants no part with me. But if Harry ever says anything that makes you think he might need help, I'm here to help," she offered.

"But, what about these Horcrux things?" he asked while looking around anxiously.

"Professor Snape and I know somewhat about these things, so I need you to ease your mind. Just listen for names of objects, like a cup, crown, or a locket, and don't say a word to Harry. Tell Professor Snape or me as soon as you can. Understand?"

"Okay, sure," Ron said. "Thanks, Hermione, you're probably right. If anyone can help Harry, it'll be you. Okay, see you!"

"Bye," she replied as she watched Ron walk off with a spring in his step and looking relieved. She wished she could feel that way again. She doubted she ever would.

***

Hedwig came in the early morning with a note from Harry, asking to meet her. Hermione wrote back, accepting his offer of an olive branch and prepared to meet him after lunch for a butterbeer.

"Hey, Hermione," he said nervously as he gripped the chair in front of him.

"Harry!" she welcomed him warmly. "Please, sit down." Hermione decided to get into small talk. "So, anything interesting at school?"

"Apparition lessons," he said blandly. "Hannah Abbot Splinched herself on the first day. Since then nothing much has been interesting. We're starting to get pretty frustrated."

"Is Willy Twycross still teaching?" she asked, feeling strained as she spoke.

"Yeah," Harry said, sounding surprised. "He looks so pale and wispy, like he's done way too many Apparitions."

Hermione laughed. "He looked that way twenty years ago. I shudder to think what he looks like now." Inside, Hermione kicked herself over bringing up her past.

They grew quiet, and Hermione took a breath. "Harry, I want you to know that I believe you about Draco," she whispered.

"You do?" he asked, wide-eyed.

"Oh, yeah, I'm trying to get as much information as I can. The Aurors are aware, and I just want you to focus on what Dumbledore needs you to do. If you need help figuring things out, I'm here for you."

"Interesting," Harry replied. "Nothing to say about the prince, or the book?"

Hermione could feel his hostility invade her. "What do you want me to say, Harry? I am trying to salvage something we once had. I want you to realize I am on your side! I care about you, and I care enough to put aside my personal feelings to support you."

"No!" he snapped. "I knew it was a mistake coming here. You pretend to care, but all you care about is that book! So, wanting to see how I'm doing without it?" Harry stood up, and Hermione could feel a rush of something magical emanating from him. "You think for one minute I don't think you were behind my book disappearing?"

Hermione inhaled through her mouth and tried to get her mind focused. "I don't want to talk about the book, Harry. There is something far more dastardly happening here. I know you are spending a lot of time with Dumbledore, and trust me; I want to help you succeed. You must be under a great deal of pressure."

"Save the speech on how your heart bleeds for me, Hermione," he spat as he turned to leave.

He stormed out of the pub, and Hermione rested her head in her hands. Damn and blast! How could I have mucked it up so badly? She jumped up and followed him outside.

"Harry!" she called out to him. "When have I ever let you down? What have I done to place your life in danger? Why can't you trust me?"

Harry strode to her. He was mere inches from her face. "You dared to speak of MY godfather as if he were muck under your boots! How can you expect me to trust you if you can lie about him so easily? He was our friend!"

Hermione kept her voice calm as she replied, "You have a very bad record of trusting the very people you shouldn't and distrusting those you should. Nothing is ever what it seems, Harry."

Harry crossed his arms in front of him. "What exactly are you trying to say here, Mrs. Snape?"

Hermione didn't take the bait. "What I am telling you, Harry, is that your perception of good and evil in people is warped. You thought Snape was trying to kill you during our first year, and you entrusted yourself to a Death Eater masquerading as an ex-Auror and professor. He lured you into his trust, and when he had you alone in his lair, he was a hair's breath from killing you."

"I don't have to listen to this," he sneered.

"Oh, but you will, Harry," she insisted. "There are people like the Malfoys, who are so easy to read. They aren't good people. You knew that from the start. The moment you met Draco, you knew he was not a person to befriend. But somewhere along the way, Harry, you have lost your ability to read people. You see only what you want to see. Sirius was your godfather, and you loved him. Well, I can tell you as an eyewitness that Sirius used your mother, your father, and Snape for his own selfish ends. Sirius wanted Snape dead. He hated him with a hatred that cannot be quantified. I don't know why. The hate was there before I came along. However, he knew about Severus and me. He knew it and hated it. We were always fighting. He acted so creepy...leering at me, saying suggestive things...even after Severus and I were married."

"Sirius can't be what you said. He was so lonely. He had been alone for so long. He had nobody!" Harry argued.

"Just because a person is sad and lonely does not a good person make," she said firmly. "But I want you to rethink your feelings about Snape. Quirrell told you himself, Harry. Severus Snape does seem the type. Severus isn't exactly what one expects to be a gentleman. He's rude, contemptuous, insensitive, and overall, a real bastard. However, remember your Shakespeare, Harry. 'The prince of darkness is a gentleman.'"

***

It was the first of March and Ron's seventeenth birthday. According to wizarding law, he was now officially a man. Hermione planned to go see him since she knew the Hogsmeade trip was now canceled due to what had happened to Katie Bell.

Hermione got her present for Ron that she had wrapped ahead of time. It was a new Quidditch broom cleaning kit...the best on the market. She knew he'd go wild for it.

She slowly made her way up to the castle, and as she made her way towards Gryffindor Tower, Minerva stopped her.

"Oh, Hermione!" she said in alarm. "You need to come to the infirmary straight away. Ron Weasley was poisoned early this morning." Hermione didn't say another word. She ran up the stairs to the infirmary and dashed inside. There were Fred, George, Harry, Ginny, and Lavender surrounding him.

"What happened?" she demanded.

Lavender burst into tears, and Ginny rolled her eyes and cuffed Harry upside the head when he shot Lavender a look of pure loathing. He obediently followed his witch, and the three of them stood whispering about the events.

"If Harry hadn't thought of the Bezoar..." choked Ginny.

"Will he be all right?" asked Hermione.

"Yes," Ginny said. "He'll need to spend time in the infirmary for a week and take essence of rue. Otherwise he'll be just fine."

"This is eerie," said Hermione as she looked off into the distance.

"Who would want to kill Ron of all people?" Ginny whispered.

"I don't think this is the work of someone trying to off Ron," Hermione said darkly.

"Well, it's certainly not the work of a friend!" Ginny quipped.

"What are you saying, Hermione?" Harry asked.

"I'm saying that I think this incident and the incident with the necklace have something in common," she answered.

"I need to speak with Horace," she said abruptly and left swiftly for the dungeons.

***

Horace was pacing the room; he was nervous and jittery. "Horace?" Hermione called out to him.

"Oh, Mrs. Snape! Do come in. Dreadful morning. Absolutely ghastly!" he raved.

"I don't know if you are aware, but I am working in the Auror Department now," she said with authority.

"Oh, dear!" he shouted. "I had nothing to do with trying to poison that poor lad!' he said in terror.

"Horace, I know, I know," Hermione said reassuringly. "I just need to ask you some questions. Now, concerning the oak-natured mead. Was this drink something you had purchased?"

"No! I was given it to gift Dumbledore for a Happy Christmas. However, it slipped my mind...thank goodness," he muttered.

"Who gave it to you, Horace?"

"Madam Rosmerta. She said she always gives Albus mead for Christmas," he said defensively.

"Thank you, Horace, that'll be all for now," she said as she patted his beefy shoulder.

Hermione was convinced. Madam Rosmerta was under the Imperius, and the caster had to be someone who wanted Dumbledore dead. Someone who wanted it done so badly they didn't care who got killed or injured in the process. So, the culprit couldn't be a seasoned killer. He's trying and failing. Now, who fit all of those descriptions? There could only be one: Draco Malfoy.

***

Hermione walked down the corridor to their quarters by the Defense classroom and told Severus her theory. He was tired. He looked so weary. She hadn't seen him since the holidays, and in the last two months he had grown terribly thin and drawn.

"Severus," she said as she knelt in front of him. "I'm worried about you," she whispered.

He waved his hand. "It can't be helped. Everything has been set in motion. It's all a matter of time now. Potter must retrieve that memory from Slughorn; then the process can begin. It won't be long now, Hermione; then I will be forever lost to you," he said softly.

"Stop it!" she snapped. "Now buck up and start helping me! We have to find that Diadem and the book. Ginny stole it, and you and I need to find it!"

"I'll try, Hermione," he said quietly. "Please come for Easter, even if for one day. Please," he whispered.

"I will," she promised. "Now, you eat and get your strength up, or you'll be getting nothing from me," she said as she smiled at him.

He flicked his wand and locked the door. He pulled Hermione close. "Let me feel your breasts against me, Hermione," he whispered.

Hermione took off her robe, unbuttoned her shirt, and unhooked her bra. He forced her legs to straddle him, and he nuzzled her cleavage with his nose. He breathed and sighed as he rested his cheek on her bare chest. Hermione stroked his hair and made a soft shushing noise to calm his nerves.

"Remember, Severus," she whispered. "Even if the world forsakes you, I will never. I am yours, forever."

He released a flood of tears, and she felt them against her naked skin. He was sobbing in anguish, and she could do nothing but give him her body. She had been there before, holding his head in her lap while he cried out his rage and heartache over loosing Lily. She would be there again.

***

"Tonks," Hermione said as she stepped outside for Guard duty. "I will be spending the night with my husband. I will be there for our morning meeting, but I think that we need to choose an alternate place. The Three Broomsticks is not safe."

"Do you know what you are doing, Hermione?" she asked gravely.

Hermione looked at her solemnly. "My husband is in severe distress, and he needs me, even if just for the night; I cannot abandon him now. We'll decide from the Three Broomsticks where to go."

She went back into the castle and waited for Severus to return from his classes. She had the house-elves bring down a variety of dishes she knew he liked, and after taking a shower, she drew a lavender bath. All Severus needed was to be comforted, fed, and pampered the way only a wife could. She decanted a bottle of wine and lit the candles in the bath. She took out one of her thin, iridescent nightgowns and waited for Severus.

When he came in the door, he looked at Hermione in complete shock. "What are you doing here?" he whispered.

Hermione padded softly to him and took him by the hand, leading him towards the bathroom. "My husband needed me," she said quietly. "So I am here tonight to care for him. You are weary and undernourished. You desperately need to be soothed, and I know how to alleviate your worries. So, let me be your wife tonight," she whispered as she placed his wedding ring on his finger.

He looked at her left hand and smiled that she was already wearing hers. He placed his hands on her shoulders and slid them down her full breasts to her narrow waist. He knelt on the floor and wrapped his arms around her hips and legs.

"You are a goddess," he choked out as he cried. "I don't deserve you."

Hermione knelt on the floor with him. She began to slowly remove his clothes, and he looked at her face and touched her hair, winding a curl around his finger. He allowed her to lead him into a warm bath with a soothing smell of lavender to calm him. She helped him ease into the water, and he groaned in pleasure as the heat began to work its magic. Hermione poured a glass of wine, gave him a sip, and took a sip for herself.

He continued to watch her, wide-eyed, like the boy he had been who was so alone and afraid in a world too complex for him to handle. She gently washed his hair and the rest of his body. The water soon was soaking her gown, causing the material to cling to her nakedness. When he had relaxed enough in the water, and drank enough wine to make his mind fuzzy, Hermione knew it was time to get him moving. She held out a fluffy towel to dry him and was unfazed by the erection that had grown from her nurturing of his body.

She placed a bathrobe on him and led him to the bed. She cast a drying charm on her gown, noting the groan of disappointment that came from her husband. She motioned him to lie prone on the bed after taking off his robe. She straddled his hips, poured warming and cooling oil in one hand, and liberally applied it to his back. She massaged his shoulders and upper arms, and then focused on his back, making sure each vertebra was attended to. He moaned and murmured his approval as she reached each spot that was worn and hurting. She moved to his buttocks and his thighs, calves and feet. Then she helped turn over and gave him more wine to drink. He pushed the glass away firmly and instead drank from her lips. The glass fell onto the rug, and she watched as his fingers dragged down the straps of her gown and urged her with a lift of his hips for her to remove it. She was in shock as he pulled her down underneath him and manually wrapped her legs around his waist. He continued to kiss and taste her mouth as he placed her hands on her breasts and made her massage the excess oil onto herself. He then removed her hands and replaced them with his own.

He kneaded and stroked her full mounds slowly as she grasped the pillow above her head. She felt so tender inside her core...so moist and pliable as he continued to touch her.

Finally, he entered her and closed his eyes with a look of indescribable joy on his face.

"After all these years, I am still overwhelmed how your body comforts me," he whispered. It was fast, so fast, it couldn't have lasted more than a minute.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "You felt as if you were melting around me."

"Shh," she said, and she brought him food. "Eat!" she ordered. "Or I'll be forced to feed you like a baby and make you say 'all gone'!" she said playfully.

He ate a healthy portion and looked up at Hermione pleadingly. She took mercy on him and banished the plate. He snuggled under the covers and Hermione tucked him in. He grabbed her and pleaded, "Don't leave me!"

"Of course not!" she chided him. She went to her side of the bed and slipped in with him. In a heartbeat, he was holding her against him, his head resting on her soft breasts. She turned off the lights and placed her wand on the bedside table. When she returned to embrace her husband, his mouth found a nipple, and he began to suckle and play with it until he fell fast asleep.

***

In the morning, she was alone in bed. She jumped up thinking she had overslept, but the clock said she still had an hour before breakfast and the morning meeting in Hogsmeade. She went to find Severus, and he was dressed, groomed, and grading papers as he took his morning tea and toast.

He looked a bit better, but when Hermione approached him, he said in an icy voice, "I would rather not speak of last night, Hermione."

His tone was so formal, even a bit hostile. Hermione was angry. "What has happened to make you so distant from me?" she asked. "We shared something very intimate, and I am still feeling the effects of our togetherness. Aren't you?"

Severus sighed and said, "Yes, I feel it only too keenly. That's why I can't talk about it. Perhaps later, but now it is too emotional for me. I allowed myself to be vulnerable in ways I hadn't allowed myself since I was a child. I must be strong and retain my control."

Hermione walked past him and got ready for the day. As she dressed, she couldn't stop the tears from overflowing. She said a hasty goodbye to Severus and left as quickly as she could. She felt confused and hurt. She had never felt so close to him as she had last night.

***

She reached the Three Broomsticks in time, forced herself to smile as if her heart wasn't aching, and found Tonks sitting alone. "Hey," Hermione said. "What's gotten you so glum?"

"Haven't heard from Remus in a really long time," she whispered. "There were more werewolf attacks, I know he's with that animal, Fenrir Greyback. I have to report to Dumbledore. I can't go on like this, not knowing if he's okay or not." She began to sob now, and Hermione could smell the firewhisky on her.

"Rosmerta," she called out. "Coffee, black, and lots of it. Some dry toast as well."

She rubbed Tonks' back as she urged her to drink the coffee.

"Ta, Hermione," she said. "I'm just a fucking mess, aren't I? No bloke, nothing except me job."

"I'll make sure I get news about Remus, don't worry," she promised her.

"You will?" she asked teary-eyed.

"I shall do my very best."

The young Auror started to perk up a bit just in time for the lads to come downstairs and join them for a spot of breakfast.

"Hey," Tonks whispered as she stood to meet them before they sat down. "We need to go somewhere else secure and talk. It's not safe here."

Dawlish looked hard at Tonks. "Hog's Head?" he suggested. Tonks shook her head. "Not safe, nowhere in Hogsmeade is safe," she mouthed.

Gawain looked concerned. "Fine, we'll Floo to the Ministry and talk in our own place. Let's go."

***

Once safely inside the Auror Department, Gawain led them to an interrogation room and closed the door. "Look," he said to Tonks. "I don't like leaving Hogsmeade unattended. So this had best be good."

Tonks stepped aside and let Hermione come forward. "It has come to my attention that Madam Rosmerta may be under the Imperius Curse."

"What makes you say that?" asked Proudfoot.

Hermione continued. "I went to question Horace Slughorn after Ron Weasley had been poisoned. He told me he had been given that very bottle by Madam Rosmerta specifically to give to Dumbledore."

"Doesn't prove that she knew it was poisoned," replied Gawain.

"But this isn't the first time someone nearly died from taking something out of that establishment. According to Katie Bell's friend, Leanne Katie went to the bathroom at the Three Broomsticks with the package containing the cursed necklace. Leanne said she was acting strangely and refused to tell her how it came into her possession...the rest you know.

"I would hate to think Rosmerta would be doing these things on purpose, and I don't think she is. Someone is orchestrating these attempts on Dumbledore's life. I also know that Voldemort has marked Albus for death and that someone has been ordered to do it."

"Who is this person?" asked Tonks.

"I can't tell you. But I will say this: Draco Malfoy was in the Three Broomsticks the very day Katie Bell was cursed, and he was speaking with Madam Rosmerta very suspiciously. I was outside patrolling, but I swear I thought he slipped her a package. Now, that necklace was seen by Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley at Borgin and Burkes just before the start of the fall term, and Draco was in that store talking about that exact necklace."

"Fuck me sideways," breathed Savage.

Gawain rubbed his face. "Brilliant. Just what we bloody well need."

Proudfoot remained undeterred. "Still doesn't prove Rosmerta's under the Imperius. Maybe she's in on it. Should we round her up?"

"NO!" shouted Hermione. "We have to wait and keep a sharp eye on Malfoy and Rosmerta during the rest of the school year. If Draco is the one, then he will make his move before the end of term...according to my source."

"Well, we're staying at the Three Broomsticks. I'll speak with Dumbledore as soon as I can. All of you keep your eyes peeled, understand?" Gawain demanded. "That means you keep everything tight at ALL times. I just heard from the Wizengamot that Mundungus Fletcher was sent off to Azkaban for attempting to impersonate an Inferi during a burglary. If it wasn't so damn pathetic, I might be tempted to laugh. Therefore, no one skives off any work. Snape...that means you. Your husband will have to just manage alone, without your charms. Understand?"

"Yes, sir," she replied quietly. "Can I owl him? He was hoping I could come for one day during Easter."

"Owl him, and let him know you won't be coming. No more training, and no more jaunts outside Hogsmeade. Hogsmeade and Hogwarts is where you will remain for the rest of the year...outside, guarding it. Understood?" he asked, looking at each of them hard in the eye.

"Yes, sir," they all said.

***

They all returned to Hogwarts to their assigned duties. The next couple of weeks went without any incidents...save Harry's Quidditch accident that sent him to the infirmary with a cracked skull. Then one day Hermione saw Harry walking alone by the lake. They saw each other while Hermione was walking her circuit around the castle. She hoped he would come to her, but he ignored her presence and walked father away, his back rigid and unyielding.

***

The quote is from Shakespeare's King Lear.