Chapter Five

AN: My undying thanks to my wonderful beta, Lariope.

Severus stood alongside Hermione at Platform 9 and 3/4 and wondered where the years had gone. The Hogwarts Express was preparing to steal his son away, and he didn't know if he would be able to survive the ache in his heart that had been growing steadily larger.

Every purchase they'd made in Diagon Alley had drawn this moment closer, and Severus had found himself wishing for a Time-Turner. He'd missed the first year of Andrew's life, and while he no longer held any ire towards Hermione for those absent memories, Severus wanted that year back, and he wanted it now. Unfortunately, this particular wish...like the majority of others he'd had during his life...didn't come true.

All too soon, the train left the station, and Severus watched Hermione wipe the tears off her face. "I still say we could have continued to train him at home," he said stiffly after swallowing the large lump in his throat.

It was an old argument between the two of them, and Hermione sighed as she shook her head. "Andy needs more than us, Severus. He needs to make more friends, have fun, and play Quidditch if he wants." Hermione's voice had wavered slightly, but it steadied as she added, "Hogwarts can give him all that along with the education he needs."

Severus snorted. "He has the whole of the Weasley and Potter spawn as friends; how many more does he need?"

Hermione turned a watery smile toward him and said, "As much as I'd love to stand here and have one of our snappy little arguments, I have to report to work. I'm going out for dinner this evening, so you're on your own."

As they turned to exit the platform he asked, "Dinner with Miranda, again?"

Hermione shook her head. "No, Miranda is otherwise engaged this evening."

"Who, then?"

Snape wasn't quite sure, but he thought Hermione's face took on a bit of a flush before she said, "If you must know, Dennis over in Acquisitions. It might cheer me up to have dinner and possibly take in a movie."

Being stopped dead in his tracks reminded Severus of the time he'd followed her from the park in Australia, when she'd dropped the bombshell that she hadn't told her parents anything about the father of her child. "You're... going on a date?" he asked with an incredulous note in his voice.

Hermione turned to face him with a lightly raised brow. "Do you have a problem with that?"

"What about all the folderol you've spouted over the years about the possible psychological damage to Andrew if he gets attached to some wizard and it doesn't work out?" he asked with a touch of outrage.

"Andy is eleven years old now," Hermione said as she took a few steps back in his direction. "He's going to be spending most of his time at Hogwarts." She dropped her eyes to her hands, which were twisting the strap of her purse, before she finally met his gaze again. "I don't want to spend the rest of my life alone, Severus," she added in a soft tone. "Now, I really must get to work."

Severus watched in stunned silence as she turned and walked in the direction of Diagon Alley. After a few moments he followed in her footsteps. Once in the alley, he glanced in the direction of Gringotts, where even now Dennis could be greeting her.

When Hermione had settled on Arithmancy as her chosen calling, he'd been content to have her apprentice with Septima Vector. When it led to a job offer at Gringotts, Severus had been instrumental in obtaining a fair contract for her, without Hermione having to repay a third of the damages done during the great dragon escape. It had been underhanded...and completely unfair to the Goblins...but what good was having a friend like Lucius Malfoy if you couldn't use his influence now and then? The mere threat that Malfoy would withdraw all his money was enough to have the Goblins forgive the entire debt. Lucius' price had been minor in comparison, and Severus was very close to perfecting the potion that would allow his old friend to eat as many little cakes as he desired and only gain a few ounces. There were only a few nasty little side effects that were proving quite stubborn.

Severus wore a scowl when he turned away from the view of the bank and strode toward his apothecary. He couldn't, and wouldn't, change any of that, but he was damned if he'd let some dunderhead named Dennis break up his family. For the second time in less than ten minutes, Snape braked to a halt. "Bloody hell," he whispered to himself and turned to look at the bank again. With the threat of other wizards in the equation, Severus was being forced to acknowledge that Andrew wasn't the only person he loved.

Instead of being euphoric, this infuriated him to a degree he hadn't felt in years. The door of his shop suffered a crack in its frame after he slammed it shut. Stephan, the current daytime clerk, jumped, hastily grabbed a fragile vial that threatened to roll toward the floor and asked, "Is something the matter, Mister Snape?"

"No, nothing is wrong that a bit of clear-headed thinking won't cure," he growled. "I'm going upstairs. Catastrophes only, understood?"

"Yes, sir," Stephan said and went back to stocking the shelves.

Stomping his way upstairs, Severus shoved open the door to his old flat. Hermione had suggested he rent it out after he'd purchased the two-flat they currently lived in, but there were times when he needed the solitude and the freedom to pace. And pace he did. He also kicked an empty box that lay in his path, taking great pleasure in the task after visualizing it being the arse of a wizard named Dennis. When the box had been completely destroyed, he walked to one of the front windows, opened it, leaned out, and found Gringotts.

"'I don't want to spend the rest of my life alone, Severus,'" he mimicked in as high a voice as his deep tones could manage. "She's got Andrew, me, her parents, her bloody best friends, and any number of acquaintances that visit at all hours of the day and night when she's home, so how in the bloody, blue blazes could she consider herself alone?" he thundered into the crisp morning air.

Glancing down, he noticed an open-mouth matron gazing up at him in surprise. "Hasn't anyone ever told you it's very rude to listen to private conversations?" Severus said with a sneer in his voice as well as on his face before he slammed the window shut.

He turned away from the window and braced his back against the wall. Slowly, he slid down until he was sitting on the dusty wooden floor. He liked the way his life had turned out, and while Severus realized exactly what Hermione was saying, it threatened to disturb the status quo. "Bloody, buggering hell," he muttered after dropping his head back against the wall and tapping it a few times. "She can't; it'll ruin everything."

Severus' anger slowly ebbed away and was replaced with melancholy. He knew he'd never be able to stomach living next door to Hermione if she married another wizard. Rising from the floor, Severus dusted off the seat of his trousers and started meandering through the flat. He was checking for any damage, trying to decide if it would do once more, or if he should start somewhere else fresh when he happened to open a closet door. It was partly filled with shrunken boxes, and he didn't remember putting them there.

After unshrinking a few, Severus' brows knitted together over what he found. They contained Andrew's baby things, clothing included, that he'd thought Hermione had disposed of over the years. "Why would she keep these? Does she want another child?" A horrified look crossed his face. "With...with Dennis?" Quickly re-shrinking the boxes and stuffing them back in the closet, Severus strode from the flat and back down to his office in the shop where he scratched out a hasty note to see if Lucius could spare him an hour.

********

If a Malfoy were to pout...which they most assuredly didn't...Lucius' countenance would have passed muster. "Are you positive you've tried all the different varieties of the shrivelfig? There is that new one that Longbottom presented last month at the Herbologists' Conference."

Severus raised an eyebrow in Malfoy's direction and said, "If you'd like to spend the majority of your day in the loo after taking a dose made with Longbottom's shrivelfig, I'll whip you up a batch immediately."

Lucius wrinkled his nose and shook his head. "But the shrivelfig does counter the... whatever it was that was causing the other difficulties?"

Severus rolled his eyes and nodded. "It does. The amount and where it needs to be added in the brewing process has yet to be determined."

"How soon do you anticipate having it perfected?" Lucius asked eagerly.

Severus...who had been waiting for just such an opening...said, "Normally, approximately a month to run all the steps and test the results, but something happened this morning that requires my immediate attention, and I have no idea when I'll be able to get back to experimental brewing." He sighed melodramatically and took a sip of tea.

Lucius' eyes narrowed slightly, and...being well versed in the Slytherin world of give and take...nodded. "Would I, in any capacity, be able to assist you with the happenings of this morning to free up your time?"

Severus briefly considered continuing the charade, but decided the hours were ticking by too quickly. "A Gringotts employee, by the name of Dennis, in Acquisitions needs to be banished to a branch that's not within easy Apparating distance before this evening."

Lucius' eyebrows lifted in a faint show of surprise. Whether it was over the quickly given answer or the request was unknown. "Banished or eliminated?"

Severus wrestled with his conscience for a moment and relented. "Banished...under the guise of a promotion and raise...but he has to be en route to the new location before close of business today."

Lucius rose and walked to the back of his study and sat down at the desk that had its back to the glass doors. Drawing a piece of magically enhanced parchment that was reserved for business transactions from a drawer, he quickly scratched out a few paragraphs. He paused and brushed the tip of the quill over his lips. An inquiring look was sent in Severus' direction and he asked, "Might this Dennis person have a surname, in the event there is more than one in Acquisitions?"

A scowl crossed Severus' face before he rose and walked to the front of Malfoy's desk. Leaning down, he placed both hands on the desk and stated, "He'll be the twit that has a da–an appointment with Hermione Granger this evening."

A small smirk lifted the corner of Lucius' mouth as he returned to penning the letter to Gringotts Chief Goblin. "It's about bloody time," he muttered.

Severus straightened and glared at Lucius. "It's about bloody time for what?"

After sealing the letter with a glob of the special wax and seal he always used so the recipient would know in all certainty that the directive was actually from him, Lucius summoned an elf and directed it to deliver the missive. Leaning back in his chair, Lucius folded his hands across his still flat stomach and sent a lazy smile in Severus' direction. "Tell me, old friend, are you anticipating the nuptials to take place around Christmas? If you are, you'd best arrange to use one of those wedding planners that are in such vogue now-a-days. They take care of all the endless boring details that go on behind the scenes."

An almost gobsmacked expression flittered over Snape's face before he drew his brows together in a frown. "I dislike jests at my expense, Lucius."

"I'm not jesting," Lucius replied. "When Narcissa was organizing Draco's wedding, she vowed she never would have survived if it wasn't for... Helen? No, I think it was Hannah," he said with a slight frown, and then he shrugged before adding, "It might have been Heloise. I'm sure Narcissa still has her information and would be more than happy to contact her for you."

Lucius rose, crossed the room, and opened the drinks cupboard. "I know it's a bit early in the day, but we must have a small celebration. Let me see... brandy, isn't it?" he asked and then picked out two snifters. "I think you'll enjoy this one. My father put away a number of cases almost seventy-five years ago, and it's aged very, very well," Lucius said as he poured a good measure into each glass. Turning he held one out to Severus. "Come, come, old man. After all, it's not every day I wait upon you hand and foot."

Slowly, as if sensing a trap, Severus drew closer to Malfoy and took the proffered snifter. He rolled the liquid around in the bottom heavy glass before taking a delicate sniff. "I'm not quite sure you know what you're blathering on about, but far be it from me to refuse such an exquisite example."

Malfoy's chin dropped a trifle while one of his eyebrows rose. "I may impart information, structure inquires in pursuit of the same, and occasionally indulge in harmless gossip with my wife, but I never blather, Severus." He turned, drew two cigars from the humidor that sat just inside the cabinet, and motioned for the other wizard to follow him to the outside terrace where a table and two chairs waited. "This brandy deserves an equally good cigar, but Narcissa does fuss about the smell that manages to permeate every corner."

After they had smoked a third of the cigars and consumed half of the brandy in silence, Lucius angled his head in Severus' direction. "If it's not going to be around the holidays, when will it be? I must make sure my schedule is clear so Narcissa and I can attend." Lucius blinked and then leaned forward with a look of horror on his face. "You're not going to go before a magistrate or be foolish enough to elope are you?"

Severus pursed his lips and then opened them to take a sip from his glass. "There isn't going to be a wedding of any kind, Lucius."

Lucius looked taken aback for a moment, and then frowned. "Have you left it too long, then, and she's fallen out of love with you?"

"We are talking about the same witch...Hermione Granger...not that Spellworthy person I fired ages ago, correct?" Severus questioned.

"Who's Spellworthy? Some tart you kept on the side? No wonder the poor girl's thrown you over. You should wait at least five years after the wedding to even contemplate having an affair, let alone flaunt it in the woman's face. At least that's what my grandfather always advised. I've never been tempted," Lucius advised with a smug expression on his face. He drew on his cigar and contemplated the remaining length before blowing the smoke into the air. A small snort had his attention being pulled back in Severus' direction, and he admitted, "Or brave enough to face Narcissa's wrath."

"And you're back to blathering," Severus muttered.

Lucius sent a slightly puzzled look toward Severus. "You honestly don't know? My word, you don't, do you?" Leaving his cigar in the silver tray on the table, Lucius rose and stroked his chin. "The master spy who's so unaware of what goes on around him that he tosses the love of a good woman away." He turned and faced his guest again, still stroking his chin. "Perhaps you're too close to the situation to have grasped all the nuances. Yes... that makes sense."

"I wish something at some point in your dissertation would!" Severus snarled. "You're telling me that Hermione Granger is in love with me? What did she do, confess it to one of her friends, and it made the gossip circuit to Narcissa and finally to you?"

"Not to my knowledge, old man," Lucius stated before he took his seat and his cigar again. After taking a small sip of brandy he added, "I came to this conclusion after watching her watch you all these years."

"She... she watches me?" Severus asked.

"About as much as you do her when she's not looking," Lucius said.

"That much?"

"At least."

Severus rose, finished off his brandy, and snuffed out the cigar. "I need to make some arrangements, Lucius. Thank you for your assistance."

A smug Lucius watched his old friend disappear into the depths of the house. He was positive Severus was hurrying home, and while he would have loved to have been the proverbial fly on the wall, he wasn't quite as positive he wanted to be in the way of Hermione's rage when she found out what had happened to Dennis in Acquisitions.

-~*~-

AN: I'm going to address this issue now, because I know there will be those of you that want to see the nine years I've skipped over. In my head, those nine years were extremely busy years, but a bit boring to read (and write) about. Hermione and Severus, more concerned about giving Andrew a stable home life than anything else, didn't date other witches or wizards, so there are no jealous scenes or horrific disagreements.

Their home is an ordinary two-flat, which made it extremely easy for both of them to have quality parenting time with Andrew. After the first few weeks, Hermione and Severus made it a habit for all three of them to have dinner together in the evening.

Hermione decided on Arithmancy, apprenticed with Vector at Hogwarts, and still managed to make it home to Andrew every evening. Kreacher still minded Andrew, even when the Potter spawn started showing up, as Harry and Ginny (who decided to stay home with her brood) were glad to have him pop over to Hermione's home as it kept him busy and happy. Severus hired another assistant, not as capable as Hermione (which he would never admit, of course), and the apothecary continues to flourish.