Javoher - Moon Chaser

With a small pop! Severus Snape Apparated into the alley next to twelve, Grimmauld Place. Straightening his cloak, he mounted the steps and knocked on the door. Kreacher opened it immediately.

'Miss is telling Kreacher to wait by the door,' grumbled Kreacher under his breath as he shut the door behind Severus and took his cloak. 'Miss is saying she and the Professor have important work.'

'That's right,' Severus replied. 'And I must be getting on with it. Where is Miss Granger?'

'Basement, sir,' said Kreacher as he led Severus down the hall and to the kitchen, still grumbling. He opened the door to the basement at the back wall and pungent steam billowed through it.

Severus entered the house's potions lab, immediately seeing his young friend. 'Miss Granger,' he called.

Hermione straightened up in surprise. 'Oh, good, you're here! I just finished preparing the second base as you asked, and the ingredients are ready.' She gestured to the worktable behind her, where slabs of marble and wood held several shredded and diced herbs and plants.

'Excellent,' Severus grunted and pulled out the jar of Herbal Dei. Placing it upon the table with the other ingredients, he then inspected her work.

The steam and smoke from the fires wafted towards the vents in the back wall. Hermione was dressed in a loose sleeveless shirt and loose pants, her hair bound on top of her head, curls escaping their clips, sweat beading on her brow. Severus made a concentrated effort not to look at how the material clung to her as she watched him closely and asked several questions, to which he did her the honor of giving her decent answers.

Finally he was satisfied. 'It'll do, Miss Granger,' he said. 'Now we begin the trickier part.'

'I thought you said it wouldn't be hard!' Hermione replied.

'It isn't, if you're a Potions master,' Severus said with a smirk. 'Start with the first base. Bring the diced weeds from the bottom of the Serpentine, then thin the Glumbumble parts with the pure alcohol.'

And with that, they bent to their work.

Hours later, the brew in the cauldron glowed in a violet haze, surrounded by a yellow stasis charm. Sweat poured down Hermione's back, causing her shirt to stick. Severus had spent the last hour doing his level best to avoid looking at her long, curved back and her rounded hips below it; his temper was frayed from the strain.

'That is enough for now,' he snapped at Hermione. She looked at him in surprise. 'The brew must cool for a day before we can bottle it. Potter's house-elf can take care of the cauldrons.'

'Then I'm for tea and sandwiches,' Hermione replied cheerfully. She ascended the stairs, Severus on her heels. Gratefully they emerged into the cooler kitchen. Severus sat while Hermione efficiently took food from the larder and put the kettle on with a flick of her wand.

'What's this?' asked Hermione absently when she'd sat down and dug in. She picked up the roll of parchment from under the pile of post. 'Why, it's from Luna!' she exclaimed. Avidly she read through as Severus watched her from behind a lock of hair. Her face fell at the end, and she sighed.

'Her...er, Miss Granger? Is something amiss?' he asked.

'You remember Luna Lovegood, I assume?' she explained. 'The Ravenclaw who kept losing her shoes?'

'Indelibly,' Severus replied dryly. 'Is she well?'

'Yes, but she's very concerned about her father. She fears this time he simply can't repair the thing. He's just convinced they could expand their readership to what it was before the war if they could just get it working properly. Thing is, it was second-hand when they bought it many years ago, and the repairs they made after the house blew up just aren't holding like they need to.' Hermione stopped as Severus looked at her in amazement. She returned his look tremulously, her lower lip caught in her teeth. 'I don't suppose... that is, it would be terribly presumptuous of me, but... do you think you could...?'

'Could I do what?' asked Severus, trying manfully to mask his impatience. 'You haven't even told me what 'it' is.'

'Could you help the Lovegoods to repair their printing press?' asked Hermione in a rush. 'I know it's a lot to ask, but The Quibbler was such a big help to us when no one else would believe Harry. Do at least say you'll think about it, Mr. Snape?' Her big brown eyes held a spark of hope.

Severus put down his tea. Of course he would help; it was what he did these days, and especially when looked at in that way by this witch. It was just that Xenophilius Lovegood was a man to be taken in small doses.

'You may tell Miss Lovegood that I will be there at ten o'clock tomorrow morning, if it is convenient,' he said finally.

'Oh, Severus! Thank you!' cried Hermione, and she launched herself out of her chair at him. Severus grunted in surprise to find warm arms around his neck, a feminine body pressed against him, and a delicate scent in his nose. He decided that he was not averse to this proceeding.

'Right, well then,' murmured Hermione as she disengaged herself, spots of color high on her cheekbones. 'I do beg your pardon, Mr. Snape, I was a little overwhelmed.'

'Not at all, Miss Granger,' Severus replied with as much nonchalance as he could muster. 'Now if you'll excuse me, I do have other matters to attend to before I visit the Lovegoods.'

'Of course, Mr. Snape,' said Hermione politely, her eyes gleaming with good humor. 'So I'll see you day after tomorrow?'

'Yes, yes, I'll be here,' Severus replied. And with that he took his leave, quite pleased that he had spent a day with Hermione Granger's undivided attention.

At precisely ten o'clock the next morning, Severus appeared at the bottom of the hill where the Lovegoods resided. A pretty gate opened to a lane with flowers on either side which wound up and away from a stream. A short walk later, Severus knocked on the bright green door.

Luna answered promptly. 'Professor!' she said with her dreamy smile. 'We're so happy to see you.'

'Good morning, Miss Lovegood,' Severus replied stiffly. 'Did Miss Granger inform you of my intended visit today?'

'Oh yes, we got her owl this morning,' Luna said. 'It's so very kind of you to take time to look at our little problem, especially when you've got so much to do for Neville's parents.'

'Indeed,' replied Snape.

Suddenly there was a clattering from above, causing the walls to creak and shudder. Then a loud BOOM! restored peace for a mere moment before thick, black smoke began to curl through the cracks in the ceiling as a loud exclamation resounded from upstairs.

'Oh dear,' said Luna with a sigh, opening the windows with a practiced flick of her wand. 'My father was trying a new oiling charm this morning to keep the rolls of parchment from grinding together. Doesn't seem to be working. I told him I think there are doxies in it, so I'm making more doxycide.' She went to the bottom of the stairs and shouted up them, 'Daddy! Professor Snape's here!'

Boots made noise over their heads, then Xenophilius Lovegood stomped down the stairs. 'Ah, Snape!' he cried, extending his hand cheerfully. 'Just the man we need. My Luna told me her friends would ask your assistance.'

'Mr. Lovegood,' Snape replied. 'My pleasure. What seems to be the trouble?'

'It's the blessed printing press. It took a beating when Death Eaters attacked the house that one time Luna's friends came to call. I tried to put it back together, but it didn't work quite properly. Been limping along ever since. And now, it's giving up the ghost.' Shaking his head, Xenophilious turned and led the way up the stairs.

At the top was the machine, belching black smoke as a groan came from its depths. The parchment roller jerked back and forth, trying to roll forward and failing miserably. Severus bent to examine it as the movable type chattered. 'Well, let's get to it then,' he said and lifted his wand.

In no time he and Xenophilius had the covers off. The gears were examined and twisted, the excess oil was Evanesco'ed, the belts tested and repaired. Severus cast several Revealing charms on the inner springs and found the Perpetual Motion spells on the shafts had frayed as well. The two of them cast new spells, lubricated joints, replaced drums, and cleaned up the ink wells.

Finally, four hours and twelve Cushioning Charms later, the machine was ready. Xenophilius raised his wand and cried, 'Ennervate!' With a hum, the printing press came back to life. The giant roll of parchment fed through one end, the magical metal quills made the words appear on the page, the cutters cut and the folders folded. Shortly, a stack of newspapers began to grow at the end of the line.

'Well, that looks to be in working order now,' said Severus thoughtfully, checking a level on the container of Occam's Everlasting Oil.

'Too right it is,' said Xenophilius, pleased as punch. 'Can't thank you enough. Don't know what we would have done otherwise.'

Severus nodded his head. 'My pleasure, Xenophilius.'

'You'll receive your copy of The Quibbler by post in the morning,' said Xenophilius, his eyes on the machine and his wild white hair bobbing in time with the rollers. 'Free of charge, of course.' He gave the stack of newspapers a brilliant smile.

'I... look forward to it,' replied Snape. 'Now since that machine is in proper form, I'd better get going.'

And with that they descended the stairs, Luna showing him out the door with a happy wave.

The next morning Severus was feeling a little overwhelmed. Arthur Weasley had sent him notes about the continuing remodel of his house, Neville Longbottom had sent him updates on his parents' condition, Andromeda Tonks had sent him messages from Teddy Lupin and letters of her own, and Draco demanded weekly correspondence. By the time he arrived at Grimmauld Place, he was in a temper.

'Now what is it?' asked Hermione after she'd settled him in the library with his usual cuppa.

'I had a lot of post to attend to this morning, is all,' Severus groused into his cup.

'Then I have just the thing to cheer you up,' said Hermione brightly. 'The potion is in perfect order, according to the books.'

'Hmh,' grunted Severus. 'I'll be the judge of that.' They descended to the potions lab. Indeed the cauldron was just the right temperature, and the potion inside had darkened to a medicinal shade of violet-black. He poured it into the bottles and sealed the glass stoppers.

'This should do it,' he said. 'I'm off to St. Mungo's.'

Hermione looked at him. 'I can't thank you...WE can't thank you enough,' she said softly. 'Neville, Luna, the Weasleys, Tonks's mum... their lives are better because of you.' She smiled at him. 'And you have the generosity to accompany me to a Muggle wedding.'

'A-a wedding?' echoed Severus. Her eyes were big and brown, and he was drowning in them. 'Yes, of course I'll go to a wedding with you.'

'Next Saturday, then,' Hermione said. 'At four o'clock.'

It wasn't until much later, at St. Mungo's watching Neville and the nurse administer the potions to the Longbottoms, that he began to wonder what he'd got himself into.

A/N: Words used: Doxycide, Glumbumble Parts, The Serpentine, stream.

Many thanks to writermerrin and her extreme patience with my fumbles, and the team for great suggestions.

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