Southern Witch 69 — Black Hole Chaser

Thanks go to debjunk for beta reading this!

Severus arched an eyebrow and then widened his eyes in surprise. "Hermione!" he called out triumphantly. "Come quick!" A moment later, the clicking of her shoes against the tile of her kitchen could be heard.

"What is it?" she asked anxiously.

The appreciative smile on his face faltered as he saw Potter follow her into the room. He'd momentarily forgotten the boy was still there briefing her on what he knew of the unfruitful search for Corner. "Glumbumble parts."

Hermione cocked her head to the side. "I don't follow."

Impatiently, Severus gestured to the potion and said, "When they are mixed with the berry of a belladonna plant and the yolk of occamy eggs, a revitalizing agent is produced. Look at the difference in these glumbumbles." He pointed to the dead insects they'd been using as test subjects. "This one was in the same condition as that one, but then..."

"Oh my God," Hermione said, sitting in a nearby chair. "You've done it, Severus! I never thought about belladonna berries."

"I thought the Fiendfyre destroyed the lot?" Potter asked.

"Doesn't mean he didn't procure some before the fire," Severus said rather snidely.

"And these berries are harvested in autumn," Hermione said, nodding. "So, that's what the occamy eggs were used for." She grinned. "How in the world did you figure in the glumbumble parts?"

"It's actually the fluid it secretes." He shrugged. "This one still had some inside...I hadn't collected it all...and when I pushed down on its thorax to add the occamy yolk and berry solution I'd prepared for the experiment, it dripped out. Just as I did so, I had an epiphany and remembered something Slughorn once mentioned. The change began immediately." He snorted. "It's safe to say that the person behind this does not suffer from triskaidekaphobia. The required anti-clockwise stir count? It's thirteen, not twelve as we'd thought."

Hermione beamed brightly, stood up to hug him, and then turned to Potter to do the same. "I've got to inform Croaker!" She set about sending a Patronus when Potter sat down in the chair she'd vacated.

"Thanks for your help on this."

Severus simply nodded.

"I've wanted to be an Auror for a long time."

"Yes, I remember."

"Yeah, you said I'd never become one."

"Is there a point, Potter?"

"No, just trying to think of something to say. And failing." The boy shook his head. "I wish Tonks were still alive. She would have loved this kind of thing. She was excited to think we might work together one day." Potter sighed. "I was just talking to Kingsley earlier, and he said that he would have offered Lupin a job. You know how brilliant that would have been? He could have..." His words trailed away as melancholy filled his expression.

Severus wasn't sure what the boy wanted him to say, so he remained silent, his eyes moving over to Hermione's form as she walked back to them.

"Poor Lupin," she commented. "As far as Tonks, just think what her mentor would have done with all this. He would have been in his element!"

"Moody," Severus said with a sneer.

"Was a good man," Harry interjected.

"Was a man who didn't know his boundaries," Severus said, but then added, "but a good man all the same I suppose."

"Tonks took his death so hard," Hermione said, remembering the night Moody had been killed. She'd shed many shocked tears as well.

"Yeah, I hear Croaker mourned for a long time, too," Harry said.

"Indeed?" Severus asked.

Hermione touched his hand briefly. "Moody trained him, helped him get an education after his family was murdered I believe. There's a portrait of Moody in his office, along with some others...his lost family, if I'm not mistaken."

"I wish I could have buried more than his eye," Harry said softly, looking at his watch. "Ah, anyway, I've got to get ready for tonight. Kingsley wants a word with me before I go. They want as many Aurors as possible at the lineament to help the Unspeakables." He gave them a lopsided grin. "I get to ride on my broom tonight to look down for anything suspicious."

"Ever the broom rider!" Hermione quipped. "I'll see you in a few hours then, all right?"

Thinking of the full moon, which was set to rise shortly, Severus said, "Bad moon rising."

Everyone remained silent for a moment, each lost in thought, before Hermione walked Potter to the door. When she came back, she walked right up to Severus and said, "You've been quiet."

"I've been working...you know how important it was for us to figure out the steps of the potion we were missing. And now only a few drops of this can be added to the antidote... just in case our perpetrator is successful." He proceeded to do just that, looking smug with his success.

"About the other day..."

"In the storeroom?"

"Yes." Her voice had become breathless.

"Do you... Would you like to explore that a little more?" he asked boldly. He'd wanted to broach the subject before now, but no time had seemed quite right.

"I want that, Severus," she admitted softly, stepping forward and lifting her hands to his face before tiptoeing up to brush her lips against his. The kiss was light and exploring before one of them moaned...Severus?...and then it became quite intense.

Hermione's hands moved of their own volition and buried themselves in Severus' hair as if afraid he might try to escape. The pounding heart in her chest gave way to tingling in her stomach as their tongues tangled and tasted. When Severus ended the kiss, he didn't pull away from her, instead moving his mouth to her neck, nipping and laving until he found the sensitive spot just behind her earlobe.

"Oh, God, yes," she murmured, craning her neck to give him more access. She then realized that they'd moved away from the table he'd been experimenting on and were now pressed against the nearest wall. When she felt his hard erection press against her stomach, heat flooded her veins as if setting her on fire with want. How could a man provoke such feelings by simply using his mouth? What would it be like if he also used his hands or did more than press his glorious hardness against her body?

"Hermione," he whispered suddenly.

She was uncertain what he'd meant to convey, but her name sounded like a lifeline for a drowning man. Or, perhaps, was he asking her a question? Moving her roaming hands back up to his face...they'd found their way down to his back and arse...Hermione looked into the black depths of his eyes, trying to read them. Deciding that if he'd asked a question, he deserved an answer.

"Yes," she said softly, a small smile gracing her lips.

Decision made, he gifted her with a smile in return and lowered his lips back to hers, one of his hands ghosting over a breast before coming to rest on her waist. However, the moment was not meant to last. Croaker's voice filled the room.

"Granger! I've got Corner! He's at the lineament. The base of the second mountain on the northern side has a bloody cave! I've alerted the others! Bring Snape and be careful!"

Hermione's head cleared instantly. What had she been thinking? Stunned, she looked over in the direction of Croaker's Patronus and saw wisps of smoky light vanishing.

"Finally!" she said, pushing Severus back.

"Where is the nearest checkpoint to the mountain he's talking about?" he asked, composing himself and snatching up a phial of the antidote he'd just completed.

"It's right near there. I wonder how we didn't find the cave after all this time searching?" Frustration laced her words.

"It's a huge lineament, for one. Enchantments, for another," he said, stating the obvious and smirking at her.

She swatted at his arm playfully before grasping him firmly. "I'll Side-Along with you." With a loud crack, they Apparated to the checkpoint nearest the mountain that held the cave opening.

"Where's the Auror on duty?" she wondered, looking around.

"He's probably gone to help Croaker. I can't wait to get my hands on Corner and his accomplice. They need to be incinerated!"

"Either you're out for blood or you've a fondness for malapropism. Don't you mean incarcerated?"

"The bastards nearly killed us...you...in that fire!" His expression turned dark as he thought back to that night. Then he pointed behind Hermione. "Look! An unearthed trail. Follow it!" Severus said, sprinting off with his wand drawn.

Hermione did the same, brushing past shrubs, ducking under branches, and jumping over a small stream. Finally, they were at a partially concealed cave. "We probably passed by here at least once," Hermione said in disappointment.

"It's not the easiest terrain to navigate; besides, there's no time for that now," Severus said, blasting the rocks and dried branches out of the way. "Just be glad we've finally found the little prick who's been, up until now, as slippery as the banks of The Serpentine! I shall go first."

"Severus..." Before she could voice her objection, he'd already ducked through the entrance. She did the same, wand at the ready. "It's so dark. Ugh... it stinks. It smells like that maggoty haggis at Nearly Headless Nick's Death Day party... mixed with Doxycide."

"Definitely not pleasant, and I wonder if...blahwoo arfnom! Waaggfff!"

"Sorry? What are you saying?" Hermione saw the terror on Snape's face before she could make sense of his tongue-tied words. Her eyes moved to the direction his were set on, and she gasped.

Slowly striding toward them was none other than Albus Dumbledore...sort of. His body seemed to be made of dust. "Murderer," he said, extending a finger towards Severus.

Severus' wand clanked to the ground and ropes appeared from the darkness, binding him and slamming him against the wall. All the while he tried to speak but could only mumble unintelligently.

Hermione pointed her wand at Dumbledore's figure. "Headmaster? What are you...he didn't murder you! How could you say that?" She was breathing heavily and debating on which hex to use when someone said, "Lumos!"

The cave lit up as a fire in its center roared to life and several candles flamed brightly.

"Unspeakable Croaker!" she called out happily. "It's Dumbledore Corner's trying to bring back! And Severus! He's been hexed or something. I think..." She looked around, taking in everything. "Where's Michael?" When her boss said nothing, and only glared at Snape, she asked again, "Where's Corner?"

The smirk he gave her sent chills through her body. Something was quite wrong.

The words we used this week are: Triskaidekaphobia, Malapropism, Maggoty Haggis, Doxycide, Glumbumble Parts, The Serpentine, and Stream.

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