Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Hermione, Severus, and a cloaked Harry made their way through the Ministry. They'd had no problem getting through security, except that the clerk made some rude comment about Severus, making Hermione want to hex him where he stood. She controlled herself and ordered Severus to follow. He jerkily came after her.

Surprisingly, when they entered the lift, they found it empty. Not even an interoffice memo was floating about. Hermione glanced over at Severus, whose face was almost as blank as when he'd been under the Hollowing Spell.

"I really can't stand to see you like that," Hermione commented.

"It's just for a few minutes," Harry said from beneath his cloak.

"Still..."

Severus' hand snaked silently to hers. He grasped her and squeezed her hand in comfort. His face made no change whatsoever, even though the elevator was still empty. He was the living embodiment of Constant Vigilance if Hermione had ever seen one.

The lift stopped and several people hustled into it. Arthur Weasley was one of them. He glanced at Hermione and her charge.

"It's a shame they did that to him," Arthur muttered to Hermione.

"Yes, it is," Hermione agreed. "I'm hoping to have it reversed."

"Do you think there's a chance at all?" Arthur asked curiously.

"I'm going to speak with Umbridge right now. My hopes aren't high, but it's worth a try."

The lift doors opened again, and Arthur nodded to her. "Good luck, Hermione," he said as he exited and went his way.

At the next stop, the trio exited the lift and made their way to Umbridge's office. Hermione rapped on the door.

"Come in!" came a high-pitched voice from inside the room.

Hermione opened the door and led Severus through it. Umbridge's expression at seeing the two was one of curiosity. She'd almost forgotten about Snape with all of the important things she had to deal with at the Ministry.

"Miss Granger, what can I do for you?" Umbridge said in a clipped tone.

Hermione had closed the door and led Severus to her desk by this time. She leaned nearer to the pink witch and smiled.

"I want you to change Severus back to what he was."

Dolores gave Hermione her most sugary grin. "I'm afraid I can't do that. His punishment is for life."

Suddenly, Severus sprung into action. He rounded the desk and had a grasp of Umbridge's hideous pink robes in an instant. Dolores' eyes grew wide as she began to sputter.

"I want all charges dropped," he snarled at her. "You will go to Shacklebolt and tell him that I am innocent. Tell him you found new evidence that proves that Dumbledore ordered me to kill him. Then you will convince him to drop all charges, is that understood?"

Umbridge looked livid. Her eyes were narrowed, her mouth set in a small pucker. "You can't tell the Ministry what to do, Severus Snape. You'll be back in Azkaban before the night is over!"

Severus' wand slipped into his hand. No one had thought to look for a wand on a zombie, so it had been easy to smuggle into the Ministry. With a small flick, Umbridge's body began to shake uncontrollably. Severus didn't hold the punishment very long. After a few moments, Dolores stilled, but the pain that had coursed through her body left her gasping. Severus sneered at her.

"Should I turn her nose into that of a pig's, Hermione? Or maybe she'd just like to have a pig's tail. She so loves the color pink."

Hermione tittered. "You will tell no one of our visit, Madam Umbridge." She walked over to one of the office walls and removed a stack of plates from their nails. Turning back to Umbridge, she continued. "If you say anything, these dishes will be destroyed."

Umbridge's eyes went wide. "You... you wouldn't hurt my little ones, would you?"

Hermione lifted one up and gazed at the fluffy black kitten in the plate. It hissed at her. "I wouldn't dream of hurting your precious pets, Dolores, but remember, accidents do happen. You will let us walk out of here without being bothered, and then I will send one these precious kitties back to you by owl. When charges have been dropped against Severus, you will receive your other precious darlings. Do we have an agreement?"

Severus dug his wand into Umbridge's neck. An evil sneer graced his face. The older witch nodded furiously.

"Just don't hurt them!" she shouted.

Hermione shrunk the plates and placed them into her pocket. She looked up to Umbridge and gave her a smile.

The wand poked farther into her neck. "Just remember your part of the bargain. Go to the Minister and proclaim my innocence."

"I will, I will, just get my pets back to me!"

Severus withdrew his wand and quickly went back around the desk. In an instant, Hermione and he were leaving the office and closing the door behind them. Severus immediately became a zombie once again as they began their exit from the Ministry.

"Hurry up!" Hermione scolded. "Walk faster you waste of a Death Eater," she ordered for show.

Severus began to jerk faster. Before they knew it, they had traveled by lift, collected Hermione's wand, and exited the building. Hermione embraced Severus and spun around. They Disapparated to safety.

Appearing back in Hermione's apartment, Hermione did not let go of Severus, but pulled him close instead.

"I'm so glad that worked!" she murmured into his robes.

His arms came up around her, and he calmed her as he stroked her back. "I told you I would be fine."

"Still, I don't think I've ever been so nervous about anything."

Severus kissed the top of her head. "Let's hope it was worthwhile and Potter gets a lead."

Hermione pulled away from Severus and looked into his eyes. "Come on, we have work to do."

Severus nodded, and they separated and headed for the table, where they were to prepare the return package for Umbridge.

Harry quietly sat down in a chair near the wall. He adjusted his robes and readied himself for what he assumed would be a bit of a wait. He almost laughed out loud as he watched Umbridge fall apart.

First she got up and ran to the empty wall, rubbing it with her hands and whining a bit. Then she stepped back and began to chew on her nails.

"I'll get you back, my darlings!" she cried as she returned to her desk and pulled out a parchment and a pink-feathered quill. She scribbled a quick owl before summoning her bird. She attached the note to the owl's leg and sent it off. She sat down and began to drum her fingers on the table.

"I'll get you, my pretty, and your evil Death Eater too!" she squawked.

Harry almost lost it then. He clamped a hand over his mouth and stifled the giggles. Little did Umbridge know that she had somewhat quoted a Muggle movie, nor did she realize just how much she resembled the witch who had uttered a similar phrase. His body trembled with the unreleased laughter as he bit the inside of his cheek to give him enough pain to still himself. This was not the time to fall apart. He summoned all of his Auror training and willfully silenced himself. He continued to watch Umbridge as she impatiently awaited the answer to her owl.

An owl finally came, but it wasn't the one she was expecting. This one belonged to Hermione. It carried a small parcel. Dolores ripped it from the bird's talons and shoo'd the owl away. She grasped the paper and ripped it off her precious plate. She looked down at her pet to ensure it was all right.

"Oh! What have they done? What have they done?" Umbridge cried.

Harry could stand it no more. He rose silently and moved behind Umbridge to see what Hermione had wreaked on her beloved pet. Again, he could barely stifle his mirth. Hermione had transfigured the kitten into a hairless wonder. The cat wailed at Umbridge, its head bedecked with a clown hat and a green ribbon tied around its hairless tail.

Umbridge scurried around to find her wand. "Finite Incantatem!" she cried, but nothing happened. "Oh!" she wailed and pulled the plate to her bosom, hugging it for dear life. "Oh! You look hideous!"

It was then that she noticed a small note attached to the bottom of the plate. She ripped it off and quickly unfolded it.

The charm will last for 24 hours and then your precious kitty will be restored to her fluffy self. This is just a warning not to double-cross us.

Dolores crinkled the paper and threw it into the trash. She placed her precious kitty face-down on the desk. She'd check on her later.

Finally, her owl soared through the door and landed on Umbridge's desk. Her hands shakily undid the message. She read it quickly and gave a great sigh. Rising from her desk, she grabbed her cloak...the loveliest shade of pink known to her...and was off. Harry was right behind her.

Severus and Hermione settled themselves into Hermione's couch for the long wait. Severus put an arm around her and pulled her close.

"So, I'm a waste of a Death Eater, am I?" Severus asked teasingly.

Hermione stiffened, not recognizing the mirth in his tone. "I was just acting, Severus, so people wouldn't wonder about you."

Severus pushed her away from him. "I think that you believe what you said."

Hermione's mouth gaped open. "Of course I don't!" she cried.

Severus quirked an eyebrow at her. "I don't know whether I should believe you or not. Is there some way you could prove to me that you don't think I'm a waste?"

"Severus... what..."

"Certainly, you could think of something that would convince me?"

Hermione gave him an exasperated look. "Well, I'm sure I could think of something."

"Such as..."

Hermione gave him a smug look. "Let's see," she said as she tapped her finger on her chin. "What could convince you that I don't think you're a waste?" She tapped her chin some more and pretended to be deep in thought.

"I thought you were the brightest witch of your age, certainly you can come up with a simple thing to prove yourself."

Hermione kept tapping away at her chin, drawing out the entire episode. Severus grumbled in frustration. She glanced sideways at him and watched him begin to frown.

"Now, don't pout," she ordered before pulling him toward her and placing a quick kiss on his lips.

"That's all you have?" he said with disappointment in his voice.

"Well, I might be able to muster a bit more enthusiasm." Winding her arms around Severus' neck, Hermione pulled him in again, this time lingering over his lips for quite a while. Finally, she pulled away and gave him a questioning look.

"All right, I believe you," he murmured. His eyes scanned her face, taking in everything about it.

"How long do you think this will take?" Hermione asked.

Severus thought a moment as he ran his fingers through Hermione's hair. "I believe she'll alert Lestrange right away. He'll be desperate to meet with her. It shouldn't take too long."

"So, we shouldn't get used to sitting here like this?" Hermione asked innocently.

"I think we have a little wait ahead of us."

"I was hoping you'd say that." She scooted off the couch for a moment, eliciting a cry of protest from Severus.

His displeasure was quickly abated when Hermione sat in his lap. His frown turned into a smirk as she settled herself into him and pulled him to her. He forgot all else as her soft, enticing lips closed in on his. Could heaven be any more perfect? He was sure that it couldn't. Easing back into the couch, he caressed her back and claimed her lips for his own.

Harry paused in the place where Dolores Umbridge had Disapparated. He waved his wand over the spot for a few seconds until a swift light jumped to his wand. Smiling to himself, he lifted his wand and turned on the spot, still covered in his Invisibility Cloak.