Perseus Evans

Perseus Evans

As she sank into the over-size bathtub, the jets on low, she mused at how much Snape's personal bathroom reminded her of an evening at the beach, watching the sun set. The floor was a dusky marble, like sand under a red sun, and the walls were dark steel-blue; the ceiling, however, had been charmed to show the sky, just like at Hogwarts. She could not help but wonder if Snape ever came here to relax, but as a flash of Snape's image passed through her mind, she laughed. Severus Snape probably spent as little time as possible in a bathroom.

Insolent little girl, the Snape voice said.

"I know, I know. Teaching these past few months has taught me that standing over a cauldron all day can do damage to one's locks. Thank Merlin for cleansing charms," Hermione responded.

As she sank deeper into the bubbling water, enjoying the heat that made her muscles relax as she rested, she could not help but think of Severus, of how his home did not seem to fit the man she thought she knew; of course, therein was the key. She thought she knew him, but how could she when she had only seen glimpses of a façade that he kept in place because of Voldemort?

"Ugh! That horrible, miserable..."

The witch glared hotly at her friend. "He is not evil."

She remembered her words to her best friends as if it were yesterday; she had repeated them enough, so it was not like she would forget them anytime soon. And no matter what or how many sacrifices Snape seemed to make, most of them usually at a huge personal risk, her friends seemed to think he was loyal to Voldemort. And of course, he had seemed to prove her wrong when Harry had watched the man raise his wand, point it at Dumbledore's chest and let loose the curse that had claimed so many others before the Headmaster.

Luckily for her friends, they knew better than to ever tell her "I told you so", even in roundabout ways.

Even after so many years, she could feel the pain of betrayal as if it were as open as a fresh wound. That pain, however, was eclipsed intensely by the agony of watching Severus disappear in a cloud of black. She watched it in her mind over and over again; there was not a day that went by that she didn't see the mix of black and purple strike his chest and the enormous cloud engulf him; nor could she forget the boom that left an eternal ringing in her mind.

Closing her eyes and fighting desperately for control, she settled completely into the hot, swirling water, and called for Marigold to bring her tea and a book. She was only slightly surprised when a bath tray instantly appeared over the tub...a teapot, cup and a large tome sitting atop the surface.

The book instantly caught her attention, looking old and dusty, and she turned it to read the title and the author's name on the spine. Fatum Incantare. Perseus Evans.

Hermione started so violently that she had to grab the book to keep it from falling into the water, and that is when she noticed... Perseus Evans.

Severus Snape.

Hermione brusquely dropped the books on Lucius's desk, glaring. "Did you know?" When he blinked up at her, apparently shocked by her aggressive behavior, she shoved the tomes toward him. "Did you know that Severus Snape wrote these books, Lucius?"

As soon as she realized who the writer really was, she had called for Marigold to bring her fresh robes and immediately charmed herself dry, dressed and traveled by Floo straight to Lucius' office.

Now, the older Malfoy glanced down to look at the writing on the spine, and closed his eyes. "Yes, Hermione. I did."

"Were you going to tell me?" she demanded angrily. "Were you ever going to mention that Severus wrote these? Were you?" Oh she was furious, angrier than she could ever remember being, and the normally aristocratic man seemed to wilt slightly under her rage.

"Not until you asked me, no." Lucius sighed and turned weary eyes up to the girl. "Severus did not want me to tell you that he had written those books; he did not want you to know everything about his past. The only reason he left those books in your possession was so that in time, when you were ready, you could save him."

"Save him?" she questioned, angry and dumbstruck. "Save him? He's dead! Severus Snape is dead!" She paced furiously around the room. "What is this? Is it some kind of sick joke that you two created before he died to see if he could final drive me to the edge of my sanity?"

"Hermione, I am only telling you what I know." Lucius leaned back in his chair and gave her an apologetic shrug. "I have no answers for you, and for that I am sorry."

The witch felt tears welling in her eyes, and with a slow nod, turned to leave, pausing only when Lucius' voice stopped her.

"He was very impressed by you, Hermione," the man said with conviction. "Despite everything he said and did, despite the harsh mask he showed to everyone, he could be a very caring and gentle man. He cared about his students more than they could ever imagine, and he deeply enjoyed having you as a student, because you actually cared about what you were learning, because you had a genuine interest. And even though he never showed it to you, you had his approval all along. You always did, Hermione.

"Severus did not have many regrets in his life, only three: joining the Death Eaters and Voldemort, Dumbledore..." it was here that he gave her a small, sad smile... "and you. He regretted never telling you how proud he was of you, of the woman you were becoming. He would still be proud of you."

Tears spilled from the witch's eyes and down her cheeks as she turned to face the man she had been angry with only moments before. "Really?" She felt like a foolish child for asking, but could not stop herself and was pleased when the blond nodded.

"He cared about you, Hermione; he regretted you as well, but was also grateful for you. You were one of the few things in Severus' life that could make him smile."

Feeling a little better, the Gryffindor opened the door and made to leave, stopping once again at Lucius' question.

"Out of curiosity, Hermione, when was the last time you restocked your supply of ingredients?"

The woman was stunned by the curious questioned and threw the Slytherin a surprised glance. "It's been a while, and they are running low. I need some more Dragon's Breath, but I doubt Neville and Harry would be too thrilled with me going into the forest again."

Lucius nodded. "I would not go alone at night, but perhaps you can go one afternoon on a weekend. You don't want to run out."

Hermione returned his smile. "Thank you. I will probably go this Saturday." She nibbled her lip, her grin sliding into a frown. "Lucius, are the faculty quite sure that Athair is not dangerous?"

The wizard nodded. "We have never had any problems with him. I know your first meeting with him was probably terrifying..." he chuckled at the face the young woman made... "however, he is very territorial about the forest; it is where he lives and he probably wasn't expecting a "newcomer" to be wandering around in his home. He might bellow and screech, but he would never hurt you. I promise. Athair's bellow is worse than his bite."

Hermione chuckled softly. "That kind of reminds me of Severus."