8

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter; I make no money here.

Many thanks to my beta dreamy_dragon73 for all her help; she makes it all readable.

It seemed to Hermione that over the next couple of weeks she never went more than two or three days without running into Severus...or him stopping by her home. She'd thought that the first visit was merely something of a fluke; that he had stopped by just to satisfy his curiosity as to whether or not she was some kind of lush after her drunken display.

But that did not seem to be the case. Over the course of the next month, his visits occurred with a gradual increase in frequency until he was there, not only on a daily basis, but several times a day. Sometimes he came by in the evening for dinner, sometimes later at night for a glass of wine and some conversation. Sometimes after the lunch crowd cleared out when he was on his way home, he stopped for tea, or sometimes in the morning when he was on his way to the pub he'd stop in for coffee. Sometimes he stopped by, and they just sat in companionable silence, each reading a book or magazine article. After the first few weeks, he also began inviting her to his home as well. Knowing that she did not enjoy cooking and he did, he often invited her for dinner or lunch or just for tea.

He seemed to simply enjoy her companionship, and she wondered if he had been starving for company, or if it was because they had a shared past. Maybe, he just liked being around another magical being after living amongst Muggles for so long.

After several weeks of Severus's companionship, she found herself somewhat at loose ends when he announced that he needed to go away for a few days to take care of some personal business. Suddenly, her little home seemed very empty; she felt bereft for some reason. She hadn't been bothered by being alone before, in fact she had reveled in her solitude. She wandered about from room to room but couldn't seem to find anything to occupy her mind. She spent more time in Clonbur, bothering Paddy at the pub, walking the country trails or haunting the small local gift shop that carried a nice selection of books. Before Severus had inched his way into her consciousness, she hadn't felt so needy and alone.

Hermione found herself inexplicably drawn to Maeve's sewing room. All the unfinished bits and scraps of fabric seemed to call to her; it was like a puzzle begging to be solved. She discovered the unfinished quilt when unfolded was beautiful...more than beautiful even, it fascinated her. Shades of greens and purples from pale to dark, in different patterns and textures. They were arranged artfully in tiny scraps with even tinier stitches to form a gorgeous star-burst, and the surrounding parts of the quilt had a feathery type pattern stitched into the solid white fabric. She felt like she was somehow closer to the old lady in that room, almost as if she could feel her in there.

Hermione Apparated to a library in Galway to look for books on quilting. She started checking out on-line resources of informational books on the history and how-to of the craft. She found herself wanting to, needing to, complete Maeve's last project, but she didn't want it to be ruined by an amateurish effort on her part. She could probably have incorporated magic into the finishing, but that seemed wrong somehow and an offense to all of her aunt's hard work.

She started by using the simplest how-to book and making a simple quilt block out of some of the scrap fabric. Hermione had no idea if she would be able to master it; the craftiest thing she had ever done to date was knit hats and socks for house-elves who didn't want them. The first block, while not nearly as intricate a design as Maeve's final quilt, was not that bad. So she made another and another and another. Soon, she had twelve blocks, each in a different pattern but all with similar colors; thus her first 'sampler quilt' was born. And the beginning of her newest obsession... err... project.

~**~

The personal business Severus was on actually consisted of 'the meeting of the minds' he had discussed briefly with Potter... er... Harry. They met with their co-conspirators at number 12, Grimmauld Place, which Harry still owned and maintained, although he and Ginny did not live there. They had settled into a comfortable home in Godric's Hollow. Harry had chosen that location as it somehow made him feel closer to his parents and his 'heritage'. Ginny had agreed because it gave her more of a feeling of independence and autonomy than if they'd settled near the Burrow or even at Grimmauld Place, where her mother had ruled domestically during the days it was occupied by the Order.

Severus, Harry and Draco were the only ones who knew the depth of the wounds Theo had inflicted upon Hermione, but didn't think it necessary to reveal all the brutal details to the rest. Just the fact that he was behaving in a cruel and hurtful manner and deserved to be taught a lesson was enough.

Ron and George were both more than willing to join the cause, anxious to avenge Hermione. Draco was more than happy to assist with the plotting, but as Hermione's attorney he needed to be extremely careful of being linked to any activity that might incriminate him. This also applied to Harry, Ron and Blaise as Aurors. Neville happily joined the group. Besides wanting to hurt Nott for what he'd done to Hermione, he'd been a bit bored in the years since the war and felt this akin to their adventures as part of the DA.

A surprise addition to their group was Gregory Goyle, who had come with Neville. Greg's sister, Gwendolyn, was a teacher at Hogwarts and was now Neville's fiancée. Through this relationship, Neville had gotten to know Greg pretty well and knew that Greg felt he owed Hermione a great deal.

Neville explained. "You all know Greg spent two years in Azkaban for his involvement during that last year in the Young Death Eaters' group. But what you don't know is that when he got out he was down on his luck, nowhere to live, no job...he was destitute, living on the streets."

Draco came forward and clapped him on the back. "Greg, you should have come to me; I would have gladly helped you."

"That's right, man," agreed Blaise. "We have to stick together, you know."

"Awww... guys. I was embarrassed, I guess. I didn't want anyone to know how bad things were. I tried hard to find a job but no one wanted to hire me because of my past. I'd fallen about as low as anyone can go when Granger found me behind a sandwich shop in Diagon Alley." Greg hung his head in shame. "I was going through the garbage cans, looking for food."

There was silence in the group; no one knew what to say. "Those days are done now, G," Neville assured his future brother-in-law.

"Thanks to Hermione," replied Greg. "She saw me there and came over and talked to me. She tried to get me to go inside with her, but I wouldn't. I'd been sleeping in alleys, my clothes were dirty, I just couldn't go in. She told me to stay there, and said if I didn't she'd hunt me down and hex me," he said with a grin. "She's one scary witch!"

"Oi, I've been saying that for years, mate," agreed Ron.

"She came out with a sack of sandwiches and gave me enough money for a room. Told me to get cleaned up because she was taking me on a job interview the next day. She even bought me new robes to wear.

"I got the job but I couldn't keep it. The other workers didn't like me because of me being an ex-Death Eater; they did things to make me look bad and set me up to get in trouble. But Hermione wouldn't give up on me; she talked to Professor McGonagall and got me Hagrid's old job as Keeper of the Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts. He moved to France, you know, to marry Madame Maxime, and the new Care of Magical Creatures teacher didn't want to do that part of the job. I love my job. After two years of being cooped up in Azkaban I really appreciate being outside, working with my hands. "

"Did you know about any of this?" Ron asked Harry.

"Not a clue," replied Harry.

"She told me not to mention it, said that she wasn't doing it for recognition, it was just the right thing to do. It made me feel real bad about the way we used to treat her back at school."

"He knows all about the shit that Nott pulled on Hermione. I figured if anyone deserved to be in on all this it's Greg," explained Neville.

"I want to help," said Greg defensively, as if afraid they would send him away.

"Your assistance is most appreciated, Mr. Goyle," assured Severus.

And so the conspiracy was born. A true blend of Gryffindor/Slytherin co-operation. First, they determined that they had to find someone to run for the post of Minister of Magic against Nott. They all felt the obvious choice was Harry. As the hero of the wizarding world, The Boy Who Lived Twice, he was assured to win the election. Nott wouldn't even have a chance against Harry.

Harry had other ideas. He didn't want to be Minister...not now, not ever. As much as he loved Hermione and wanted to get Nott, he refused the challenge.

Surprisingly, the next suggestion came from Severus. "Mr. Longbottom would be an excellent choice."

Knowing Snape's opinion of Neville while a student at Hogwarts, the entire group merely stared at him in disbelief. Neville himself was shocked at the suggestion. "Me?" he squeaked. "Why on earth would you think that?"

Severus studied him seriously. "Because, Neville, you are a well respected member of the Hogwarts staff; you are at the top of your field. I may have been living in the Muggle world for the past eight years, but I have kept up with the professional journals. I've read your articles in The Herbologist Monthly regarding your theories and how they apply to growing more potent potions ingredients.

"You come from a well known Pureblood background, not that I am purporting that the candidate must be a Pureblood, mind you. Your parents were heroes of the First Voldemort War. At the final battle you did something few others have ever dared and lived to tell the tale. You stood up to the Dark Lord; you openly defied him. Aside from Harry, I think you would be the next best candidate."

"I'm flattered, sir. But like Harry, it is an honor that I must decline. I'm happy doing what I do; I really have no interest in politics."

They tossed out and eliminated a few names before Ron spoke. "I think we've all been overlooking another obvious choice."

The entire crowd looked at him expectantly. "Well, Snape, of course." He turned to look at the man in question. "Certainly you see it, don't you, Severus? Other than Harry, you are probably the most notable hero. You'd be a sure winner."

"Are you insane! I killed Albus Dumbledore. They would never elect me."

Harry answered first. "I think they would, Severus. I tried to tell you before, but I don't think you really believed me: in our world you are a hero. You left by choice, but you could return in glory. People would vote for you; you'd win by a landslide."

Everyone started talking at once before Draco finally got everyone's attention by pounding his glass on the table. "Listen, everyone. We can't all talk at once. I think the main question is not whether or not Severus would win, but rather whether he would even want to. He left the wizarding world for a reason; he'd spent years doing the bidding of two masters, he wanted a simpler life, and he's found that." Turning to Severus, he laid a hand on his shoulder and said, "Severus, I agree. There's not one iota of doubt in my mind that you could win against Nott. But is that the life you want? To be Minister of Magic, constantly in the public eye, at the beck and call of the populace?"

"Honestly, no. I've no interest in the glory or politics. So we are back to square one."

Finally, Greg spoke up. "I don't think it can be anyone in this room."

All eyes turned to him. "Don't you see, it can't be anyone directly involved in our plan. Otherwise, there's always the chance it could get out, and then there'd be a big scandal."

They all nodded, of course he was right.

"I think... Oh, never mind," Greg said. He knew that usually people didn't want to hear what he had to say. He'd never been very smart.

"No, Greg," said Blaise to his former housemate. "Say what you think. So far you're the only one of us who's come up with a good point."

"Well... I think a really good candidate would be Mr. Weasley. Ron and George's dad I mean. He's worked at the Ministry for years, so he's already in politics in a way, I guess. Plus, he fought against V.. Vol.. Voldemort, his whole family did, with the Order of the Phoenix. His son-in-law is Harry Potter, who would, of course, campaign for him. He'd have the support of Headmistress McGonagall as well as a lot of the other teachers at Hogwarts."

They were all looking at him like they couldn't believe it. "I'm sorry," he said. "I should have just kept my mouth shut."

"No, mate!" exclaimed George as he clapped Goyle on the back. "That's brilliant, that is!"

"Do you think he'd do it?" asked Blaise.

"I think maybe," replied Ron. "If we present it the right way. He can't be any part of the rest of this though, Greg's right about that. I mean Dad knows what happened to Hermione with Nott, so it would be natural that we would want to thwart his bid for Minister, just based on principle, knowing what a slimy bastard Nott is. But he can't know about anything else we plan to do to get revenge on Nott. If my father agrees to run it has to be on his own merits and not as any part of the rest of this."

"Agreed, that's a given," said Draco. "Let's proceed with this part of the plan first. Our first priority is to find a candidate to oppose Nott. Once we're sure of that, we'll start working on our 'expose Theo Nott as the piece of crap that he really is' campaign."

The group agreed, and so ended the first 'meeting of the minds'.

tbc

AN:

To see Aunt Maeve's unfinished quilt go here: http://s588.photobucket.com/albums/ss323/madeleone/quilt%20pics/quilt2.jpg

And Hermione's sampler quilt: http://www.somersetpatchwork.com.au/patterns/l-cottage-sampler.jpg

And if you just want to drool over gorgeous hand crafted quilts go here: http://www.amishcountrylanes.com/Pages/hs4436.shtml?AppPatchCombo

go to the top of the list on the left hand side and click on tour. You will be able to view over 1000 beautiful quilts.