7. Valentine's Day and the Arrival of Owls 8. Of All The Gin Joints...

7. Valentine's Day and the Arrival Of Owls.

It was just before six in the morning, and Valentine Passiflora entered her back room, her lips set in a thin line of determination. She had so much to organise today. Four of her recent clients had surfaced as soul mates, and although she knew with one couple it would be fairly plain sailing, the other two.... She shook her head ruefully. She would have her work cut out with them.

Walking over to her altar, she unwrapped her fortune cards from the purple silk scarf she kept them in and put the scarf around her neck for safekeeping. Taking the first couple, she placed their name cards in front of her mirror side by side. She waved her wand quickly and lit the two candles. Lifting a small pot of sage, she sprinkled two pinches into the flames and watched as they crackled, and the aroma began to fill her nostrils. She murmured a few words and tapped her fortune cards with the tip of her wand. Three cards lifted themselves from the pack and fell, face upwards.

Valentine looked at the cards thoughtfully and then smiled. This was going to be easy. The garden, heart, and ring cards told her everything she needed to know, and with a little planning, there would be a very happy occasion within the next six months. She sighed deeply. She loved pink and fluffy, and this couple were definitely going to be that.

Wrapping the cards back in her silk scarf, Valentine replaced the candles with new ones, cast a cleansing spell over her altar, and started her ritual all over again.

This time, she placed the second couples' cards in front of the mirror, sprinkled her sage, and murmured her spell. With her wand tap, four cards leapt from the pack, and her eyes widened. That didn't happen very often, but given the complex nature of this joining, she thought perhaps it made sense. As the cards fell, Valentine frowned.

The bear and the coffin signified the end of a friendship, and then the tree, signifying learning and growth, next to the heart, which was self-explanatory. Valentine was a little reassured, but she had no idea where to go with this match. She closed her eyes a little and murmured again. She began having a conversation, and to the uninitiated, it would have seemed she was talking to herself. At the end of her muttering, she opened her eyes and tapped the cards again. Two further cards fell out. A man and a woman. Valentine's eyes widened, and she started to laugh, a low chuckle in the pit of her stomach.

'Oh, my goodness...' Valentine started to blush furiously. She blew out the candles and wrapped up her cards. This was going to be interesting, if nothing else.

*****

Valentine put down the Muggle telephone in her office and ticked a small notation on the parchment in front of her. It had taken her no time at all to organise her first couple, and their owls were on their way already. The second couple, however. Now that had taken some sorting out.

She prided herself on planning unforgettable first dates for her couples. Her first match, Sylvia and Horatio Smythe, had shared an interest in fishing, so she had organised a weekend on a boat, complete with champagne, a delicious picnic, and a house-elf with sea legs to serve them. When they had returned, they explained they had actually not got around to doing any fishing, but that was okay. Their honeymoon would be a chance to catch up on that. Valentine had been thrilled, and it had gone on from there.

The Muggle telephone rang again. She answered it quickly, laughed a little into the phone, and put it down with a satisfied click. Summoning two owls, Valentine scribbled her instructions quickly onto a piece of parchment, duplicated it with her wand, and wound the two tightly, attaching them to a leg of each owl. She opened the top floor window and released the owls, watching them as they faded into the distance. Closing the window, she looked at her clock. It was almost 5 pm. But at least it was done.

Valentine closed up her office, locked and warded the door, and when she stepped out onto the still-bustling street, she pondered her latest couple for a few moments. She had an uneasy feeling she was heading for choppy waters, particularly with him. Oh, well. She would just have to deal with that when it happened.

****

Hermione and Ginny were sitting at her kitchen table, about to dig into the huge bowl of pasta between them, when Valentine's owl arrived and tapped politely at Hermione's window.

'Sorry, Gin, dig in while I get this...' Hermione stood to open the window. The small, grey owl hooted at her softly, and she removed the parchment, gave the owl a treat, and sent it on its way.

Returning to the table, Hermione put the scrolled parchment down next to her and took a huge ladleful of pasta and spooned it onto her plate. She was feeling ravenous.

'You going to open that?' Ginny looked at her, her fork paused before her mouth.

Hermione shrugged. 'In a minute I will.'

'But it's from her, isn't it?' Ginny probed a little. Hermione had shared her quest for a life partner with her friend because she had no one else to talk to about it. Ginny thought Hermione was being fussy. Surely one of her nineteen dates should have been successful?

Hermione ate three mouthfuls before she looked up at Ginny again.

'This is serious, Ginny. Valentine Passiflora doesn't just give you dates with hopeless losers. She uses her magic to match you with your soul mate. Soul mate!' She emphasised the point with the bit of garlic bread in her hand.

Ginny sighed. 'What if she's a fake?'

Hermione shook her head. 'No, she's not. She gives all of her clients a list of previous couples, and you can contact them to check her out. I spoke to five couples Ginny, and they are all still together and happy and don't regret it one bit. She's no fraud.'

'What about all of us other couples then, who haven't been to Valentine bloody Passiflora?' Ginny was a little irked. 'Are you saying that Harry and I aren't soul mates and probably won't be happy forever?'

'Don't be silly!' Hermione looked at her friend incredulously. 'You and Harry are the happiest, most meant-to-be couple I know! I think you probably are soul mates, but you found each other. You didn't need any help with it. Not like me.'

Ginny softened a little. A guilty part of her felt bad for Hermione. They didn't see each other very often because, well, she never had anything new to say, and anyway, Ginny liked being with Harry. It was awkward.

'Open it, Hermione. Let's see if she has good news for you!' Ginny beamed at her friend, and Hermione smiled back, relieved.

'Okay!' She laughed and grabbed the parchment, unrolling it and spreading it out on the table in front of her. Ginny watched as her friend put her hand to her mouth as she read.

'Well?' Ginny prompted her. 'What does she say?'

'She says my soul mate has been revealed to her. She's arranged for us to meet at the weekend,' Hermione whispered.

'This weekend?' Ginny looked at her.

'Yes... oh, gods, that's only three days away...' Hermione went pale.

'Where this weekend? The whole weekend, or just dinner on Saturday night?' Ginny was starting to get excited for her.

'She doesn't say where, but I have to bring an overnight bag. She has arranged a Portkey to take me to him.' Hermione lifted the parchment and re-read it, her hand trembling slightly. 'I'm not to mention it to anyone. You won't tell Harry, will you, Ginny? Please?'

'Of course not!' Ginny had more interesting things to do with Harry than talking about Hermione's love life. 'What if you don't like him? What if he's ugly?' Ginny was grinning at her now.

'Stop it, Ginny!' Hermione giggled. 'It is ridiculous, isn't it? But, if he's my soul mate, I suppose I'll have to at least try.'

'You had better tell me everything on Monday!' Ginny demanded.

'Maybe not everything...' Hermione murmured, and as their eyes met, they collapsed into giggles.

****

Severus was reading his parchment with more detachment than Hermione. He wasn't one for butterflies in the stomach and roses around the door romance. He did hope the woman wasn't boring, but then he assumed if they were truly soul mates, she wouldn't be. Severus had more faith in Valentine's magic than Ginny Potter, and he trusted that if his soul mate had indeed been revealed to her, then his soul mate she most certainly was.

It was intriguing to him, and he wondered what she would look like. If Severus had been looking for sex, then looks would have been of paramount importance. He liked large breasts. Real or fake wasn't an issue, as long as he could rest his cock between them occasionally. He liked rounded bottoms too, and pussies that were pretty, their clits visible so he didn't have to search too much. He also liked full lips, should he decide that kissing was appropriate. Given that he most recent encounters were with whores, there had been no female lips against his for some years.

Severus folded his parchment and placed it in his inside pocket, patting it slowly. The weekend would tell all, he had no doubt.

*****

Hermione was in the lab. She had taken her robes off and was in her Muggle jeans and a white t-shirt, her hair tied back from her face as she read and then re-read her notes.

Severus had closed the shop and was puzzled. She was usually getting ready to leave by now.

'I have closed the shop, Hermione,' he murmured, not wishing to startle her.

He had been using her given name since their argument. It seemed appropriate. Hermione hadn't plucked up the courage to call him Severus yet, but he had encouraged her to do so.

'I heard you. I just wanted to finish looking through this. It's the idea I had. I never did get a chance to tell you, actually...' Hermione looked at him and smiled. 'If you have the time?' She held her notes out to him.

Severus smirked. 'Always the student?' he teased her. 'Don't tell me you still want my approval?'

'Well, I never did get it in class. Sir,' Hermione held his gaze, and he could see the truth there.

'It would have unprofessional of me to show favouritism, Hermione. Surely you understood that?' He frowned at her slightly.

'I was young, impressionable, and my favourite teacher made me feel that my best was never quite good enough. No, I don't think I did understand, Severus.' Hermione pulled her gaze from his and handed him her notes, walking past him to make some coffee.

Severus turned his head and watched her for a moment. Of course she hadn't understood; why would she? He looked down at her notes, her familiar handwriting pulling him back to the classroom. He felt as if he were marking her homework. He sat as he became absorbed in his reading, his hand automatically wrapping around the coffee she handed him as she waited for him to comment. His eyes went wide, and he glanced up at her, nodding a little. His eyes went down again, and he flicked over the parchment quickly, pouring over her formula with interest.

'Incredible...' he whispered and then looked up at her, her eyes bright and her face split in a wide smile. 'Is it too late to award points to my favourite pupil for excellence?' He smiled at her softly.

'Do you think it will work? I just thought... Well, the article said they were in the planning stages, but we could be ahead of them. If we got the patent, we could be the exclusive wholesalers... It would be ironic, don't you think? Severus Snape, selling bezoar extract? And the money... Well, we could extend, you know... make the lab bigger, perhaps. Even employ more staff...' Hermione paused.

Severus was chuckling at her, his eyes glittering as he watched her.

'Yes... I do think it will work. You are a bloody clever witch, Hermione.' He smiled warmly at her, and she grinned back.

'I always have been. Don't tell me you haven't understood that?' she said, giggling at him.

'Touché.' Severus nodded a little ruefully and looked back down at her notes.

'Did you get an owl, sir? From Valentine?' Hermione didn't know where the question had come from, but the atmosphere was relaxed, and she was interested.

Severus's eyes flicked up abruptly. He was searching her face for some sign she may be mocking him, but just saw open curiosity.

'I did, as a matter of fact,' he murmured, and then without stopping himself, he asked, 'did you?'

Hermione smiled at him. 'I did.'

'Good news, I take it?' he murmured softly, watching as her eyes brightened and her lips softened into a dreamy smile.

'Good news.' She nodded. 'You?'

'I hope so,' he murmured.

8. Of All The Gin Joints...

Hermione could hardly sleep on the Friday before her date. She lay in bed, watching shadows caused by car lights as they passed. Not only was she excited and nervous about meeting her soul mate, she had also started working on the Bezoar project with Severus.

She thought about today in the lab and realised that they had worked well together. Severus was methodical, and they had discussed in intricate detail each aspect of the process before finally acting on it, noting the positive and negative reactions. His movements had been graceful, almost fluid as he added the various compounds. His eyes had stayed alert to the changes within the cauldron, waiting for the optimum moment. Hermione sighed deeply. She felt she would always be in awe of his skills and ability and could never tire of watching him work.

Restlessly, she plumped up her pillow and pushed her curly head into it, forcing her eyes to close and her mind to still until she fell into a fitful sleep.

****

Severus was reading and drinking Firewhisky. He often found himself like this, drinking in his chair in front of the fire. It could have been a night like any other, but it wasn't. He couldn't concentrate, and his thoughts were a jumble he couldn't fit together.

Tomorrow, he would meet his soul mate, and he had cold feet. In the space of the last few hours, he had convinced himself that Valentine Passiflora was a charlatan of the first order and had used her straight talking manner to hoodwink him into believing she knew her stuff.

How could he-Severus Snape, ex-Potions master, ex-Death Eater, surly, sullen and sulky, not to mention snarky and sarcastic, with very little in the way of a bedside manner–how could he possible merit having a soul mate? It was too preposterous for words. Why would any woman who was worth anything look at him as a potential life partner, one half to make a whole? Severus was seriously regretting not cancelling his third appointment.

In addition to his plague of self-doubt, Severus found himself thinking about Hermione more than was usual. Working on the Bezoar elixir had excited her, and her enthusiasm was contagious. He smiled as he remembered her relief when he had told her the first stage was complete and looked to have been a success. Her amber eyes had been bright, her mouth turned up a little smugly. Over the course of the afternoon, her hair had escaped the elastic band it had been tied in and had hung in long, curled lengths around her face. She had to hook it behind her ears, and more than once he had caught himself watching her as she did so.

He was aware he had become fond of her, and he hoped her weekend was all she hoped it would be. Because he had a feeling his would be a farce.

****

Late on Saturday afternoon, Hermione was walking along the busy street where Valentine had her office. Following her instructions, however, Hermione walked passed the door and into the 'phone box just adjacent to it,' her holdall clutched tightly in her sweaty hand.

She was early and took the opportunity to check her appearance in the glass door. Her hair was glossy and smooth, and she was wearing a little more make-up than usual. She was wearing her cream linen Capri pants and pale blue, gypsy top. She had teamed this with her gold, strappy sandals and her denim jacket. Not knowing where she was going had made her wardrobe decisions even harder, so she had packed an evening dress and a warm fleece, plus her jeans and trainers, just in case.

A two-pence coin started to glow blue on the shelf beside the 'phone,' and Hermione nervously touched it with her finger. The familiar and thoroughly unpleasant feeling of being pulled from behind her navel hit her, and she felt herself spinning and falling for quite some time until she fell gracefully, feet first, onto a wide expanse of lawn.

Hermione was a little disorientated and took a deep breath, looking out onto a vista of formal gardens as far as her eye could see. She heard a pop and turned around quickly. A house-elf stood formally, his hands clasped in front of himself, and he bowed slowly.

'You must be Miss Granger.' His voice was old and gravely, but his diction perfect.

Hermione smiled. 'That's me. And you are?'

'Hopkins, ma'am, here to serve.' He bowed again, and Hermione grinned as she saw his greying hair, smoothed and slicked across the top of his head tidily.

'Nice to meet you, Hopkins. Do you know what I'm meant to do now?' She smiled at him as he straightened himself.

'Indeed, ma'am, if you would follow me to your room. Dinner will be served in your private dining room in precisely one hour.' Hopkins stepped forward and took Hermione's bag, shrinking it so he could carry it comfortably, and she walked after him, her eyes curious.

As they walked across the lawn and around a line of topiary conifers, Hermione gasped. Previously hidden from her view was a large manor house with a Georgian frontage, the door flanked with two pillars of yellow stone. It was stunning. The interior didn't disappoint her either, and her room was actually a suite of rooms---a double bedroom with an en-suite bathroom, tiled from floor to ceiling in pale marble with gold fittings, and to her delight, a dining area set in a window recess and a large lounge with a huge marble fireplace. To Hermione's delight, a full library, containing both Muggle and magical reading material, could be accessed from her lounge. Only one room appeared to be locked, and she assumed it was a cupboard. Hermione glanced at the clock and went to run herself a bath, her stomach doing back flips. In an hour she would meet him, and she couldn't wait.

****

Severus was dressed in a new suit he had purchased for the weekend. The jacket was black and long, almost a tailcoat but with squared edges. His shirt was white and crisp, and he decided to forego his tie. Since his encounter with Nagini, anything too constricting around his neck was decidedly uncomfortable. He fastened his Slytherin cufflinks, checked his appearance a little in the mirror, and smoothed his hair with his hands. A lump formed in his throat as his eyes lingered on his own face. A face only a mother could love, he grimaced. He closed his eyes and swallowed, hoping there was Firewhisky in the dining room. He opened the door leading into the lounge and walked through into the dining area. His heart stopped. She was there.

Standing with a glass of champagne in her hand was a slim, chestnut-haired beauty. Her back was to him as she looked out of the window, and his gaze lingered on her red, satin dress, its scooped back skimming the top of her hips and hanging softly over her rounded buttocks. Her hair was pinned on her head to one side, revealing a slim and graceful neck. Severus could just make out the side of her face, her smooth, peachy skin and her soft mouth as she went to sip her champagne. Severus's mouth went dry. Gods, she was beautiful. Part of him wanted to turn and walk away. She would be so shocked to see what Valentine had matched her with. But instead, he found courage he would have attributed more to a Gryffindor and stepped towards her.

'Good evening,' he murmured.

Hermione turned and smiled at him widely.

'Hello, Severus,' she said softly.

A/N: The cards that Valentine was using are Fortune Cards by Titania; you can buy them at most New Age shops etc.