Chapter 3

AN: Many thanks to my super, wonderful betas, Clairvoyant and SoftObsidian. Also, many thanks to pythia_delphi for the awesome prompts.

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

"Severus, what just happened?" asked Ron warily.

"You really don't want to know," replied Severus. "Good god, she packs quite a wallop for such a little thing. But she was absolutely glorious, wasn't she?" he said as he rubbed his cheek. Then, he turned to Ron and ordered, "Cast a numbing charm on my face. It still stings like hell."

As Ron raised his wand, he stumbled back a bit.

"Wait a second, are you drunk? Don't point your wand at me if you're drunk, Weasley. I don't trust you that much. Here..." Reaching into a pocket on the inside of his robes, he produced a small vial of Sobering Potion. Even though he was no longer a Potions master by profession, he was still always prepared. "Take this before you do it."

Ron reached for the potion just as Severus snatched it back. "Hold on. If I sober you up, you'll probably feel compelled to strike me even harder than she did."

Ron's eyes narrowed as he looked at his partner uneasily. "I really don't like the sound of this, Severus. You'd best tell me exactly what's going on. Let's grab a table that's more private, and we can cast a Muffliato. Aberforth, give us a couple firewhiskys, would ya?"

"How are you going to fix my face if you're going to continue drinking?"

"Honestly, Severus, for your own safety, I'm getting the idea that I really shouldn't be sober to hear this story. You're just going to have to just suck it up and live with it; I have a feeling you probably deserved it."

"You're probably right," he replied glumly, grabbing the bottle from Aberforth and taking it to the table.

"You asked her to do what!" shouted Ron a few moments later. He nearly overturned the table as he jumped to his feet and confronted Severus. "Damn it all, Snape. You were right...I think I am going to have to hit you. How could you say something like that to Hermione, to any woman?"

"Well, I didn't know it was Granger at the time, now did I? I only saw her from behind, and her arse was calling to me. She was all alone; you were nowhere in sight, so I figured... a good-looking witch... alone at the Hog's Head... she must be looking for companionship. In fact, I actually thought she might be the kind of witch who would require payment for her services, but she looked like she was worth any cost. I wanted that arse."

Ron considered for a minute before he commented, "All right, I can see that, I guess. But dear Merlin, Severus, you can't just be popping up to any random witch in a bar and saying things like that. You're lucky she only slapped you; she could have hexed your bollocks off and deservedly so." Ron then smirked as he sat back down and asked, "So... when her arse was calling to you, what exactly was it saying?"

Severus took a sip of his firewhisky, propping his elbow on the table, and stared off into nowhere as he considered the question. "I'm sure I heard, 'Touch me, Severus... squeeze me... kiss me... spank me, Severus.'"

"Stop, stop! This is my friend you're perving over. It's just not right," said Ron with a shudder, but he choked back a laugh at the same time.

"Not right for you, of course not; you're a happily married man. But she's perfect for me. Dear Merlin, she's marvelous! She finally grew into her hair, or learned to tame it, at least, and she turned out to be quite good looking. Plus, I know she's clever, organized, extremely intelligent. We could have real conversations about things I'm actually interested in. Do you know the last witch I was seeing thought that a two hour discussion on whether to wear the black shoes or the silver ones constituted an intelligent exchange? I'm tired of going out with war-hero groupies or fortune hunters or bimbos or one-night stands. Granger is like the answer to my prayers, and I didn't even know I was looking for an answer. And sweet Salazar, that arse!" Suddenly a thought occurred to him, and he grabbed the front of Ron's shirt. "She's single... Weasley... Ron, please tell me she's single, or else I may have to kill someone."

"Severus, I've never seen you like this before..."

"Is. She. Single?" he demanded.

"Yes, yes. She's single, as far as I know, at least she didn't mention that she was seeing anyone, and I think she would have said something if she were. But I don't think this is a very good idea at all, Severus. There's an even bigger problem than her not being single."

"It doesn't matter; whatever it is, I can deal with it. She's perfect for me."

"Ummmm... Severus, this is a pretty big problem."

"What on earth could be so important?" snapped Severus.

"She's made it quite clear she doesn't like you. Actually, she doesn't like you a lot. In fact, I don't understand it because I've never known Hermione to hate anyone other than Voldemort and maybe Umbridge. I'm sorry to say this, Severus, but I'm pretty sure that she hates you."

~*~

Hermione Apparated outside the wards of Malfoy Manor and walked up the long drive. She could have arrived directly into the family entrance...she had permission to...but she needed the time to get her bearings. She shut the door and wandered over to sit dejectedly on the bottom step of the grand staircase. Ten years she'd been gone, and his opinions clearly had not changed; his actions showed the truth of that.

Cissy discovered her there a few minutes later. "Hermione dear, is something wrong? You look upset. What's happened?" her friend asked in concern.

Hermione grimaced and replied, "Cissy, I'm sorry, I didn't meant to disturb you. I just had a rather upsetting encounter; I was accosted in a bar in Hogsmeade."

"Oh my, are you sure you're all right?" asked Cissy, drawing her up off the step to lead her into the rose salon. "Sit here by the fire, dear, and I'll have Tweeny bring us some tea."

"I'm fine, Cissy, no harm, really," Hermione responded in a subdued tone. "I was just embarrassed and insulted."

"Tell me what happened."

"After we had dinner at the Three Broomsticks, Ron and I wandered over to the Hog's Head for a couple of drinks. Ron went to the loo, and I was standing at the bar alone, talking to Aberforth. Then without any warning, this bastard rubbed up against me, felt up my arse and whispered several lewd comments in my ear," explained Hermione. Her hands shook a bit as she took the tea that Narcissa offered her. "I was so furious, and I smacked him right across the face as hard as I could. I told him to keep his hands off of me, and I left. I didn't even say goodbye to Ron."

"Oh, my goodness, that's dreadful. We should report this cretin to the Aurors. It's simply not right that a lady should be assaulted, especially in a public place."

"Well, I doubt that would do much good. It was the Hog's Head, after all, and that sort of behavior is likely the norm there; it's not the most polite place, you know. Plus, this particular cretin, while not an Auror himself, does work closely with them, so I seriously doubt they would censure one of their own."

"Well, that makes it even worse; for a public servant to behave in such a brutish manner is simply unacceptable. At the very least, you should report his actions to his supervisor," suggested Cissy.

"It wouldn't matter. They aren't going to do anything to Snape..."

"Severus? It was Severus who assaulted you? Are you sure? Well, I guess that's a silly question, isn't it? You would recognize Severus, of course you would. Oh, Hermione, that really doesn't sound like him at all. For all his rough upbringing, he has better manners than most purebloods I know. And I do know for a fact that Severus Snape knows the proper way to treat a lady. I simply don't understand why he would act this way. What is wrong with the man?" asked Narcissa.

She looked up as Hermione stood to go up to her room. The look on Hermione's face was something between hurt and sadness.

Hermione replied, "Well, it's rather obvious, isn't it? He doesn't consider me a lady."

~*~

Ron and Severus spent well over an hour drinking and debating the pros and cons of Severus pursuing Hermione. Ron was highly doubtful of the idea and tried to discourage his friend from his wild plan. Severus, however, seemed convinced that he could overcome all odds.

Ron snorted. "You're going to get yourself hexed, and that's a damned sure fact."

"Pffffffft... shows what you know," insisted Snape confidently, gesturing drunkenly. "I'm sure Granger wouldn't hex me."

"Maybe your Granger wouldn't, Severus, but mine would without a second thought," said Ron with a chuckle.

Suddenly a thought occurred to him. "Shit! Hermione! She was pretty tipsy when she left here. I should have made sure she got home okay. I hope she didn't splinch herself." Looking a bit panicked, Ron asked Abe if he could use his Floo to make a call.

As Ron was kneeling on the hearth, Severus meandered over, thinking he'd best check, too. He arrived just in time to hear a house-elf reply, "The Master Malfoy is not beings home right now, but Mistress is in."

"All right," agreed Ron. "Let me speak with your mistress then."

Severus leaned heavily on his shoulder and asked, "Why are you calling Malfoy Manor?"

"Get off, Snape... You're going to push me right through the Floo," complained Ron.

Just then, Narcissa Malfoy appeared in the Floo. "Mr. Weasley? Is there some sort of problem?"

"No, ma'am, I just wanted to make sure that Hermione got home all right. She was a bit upset when she left here, and I was worried about her Apparating safely."

"Hermione is fine, Mr. Weasley. She arrived home some time ago and has already retired for the evening. While she was, as you say, a bit upset, she was all in one piece." Peering through the Floo she asked, "Is that Severus Snape behind you there? Could I have a word with him, do you think?"

Ron grabbed Severus as he attempted to lunge away and pushed him close to the Floo. "Hello, Narcissa, I'd heard you were back. Lovely to see you after all this time," responded Severus nervously.

"Severus, I'd like a word with you, but I'd rather not have this discussion through the Floo. Could you please come to the Manor to see me? Tomorrow would be perfect, around ten." She didn't even give him a chance to accept or decline, just assumed he would respond to her summons. "Wonderful, I'll see you then, Severus." She closed the Floo connection without another word.

"Excellent, Weasley, your inability to skilfully lie has landed me into trouble." snapped Severus. Then, after a moment's reflection, he added, "And why is Granger staying at the Manor, of all places?"

"First, I haven't got you into anything, Snape. You got yourself in it, hanging over my shoulder like that. If you hadn't been eavesdropping on my Floo call, Mrs. Malfoy never would have seen you there. And next, don't you read the papers at all anymore? Hermione is at the Manor because she's been working with good ol' Lucy for the past five and whatever years, and she has somehow become great friends with both Lucius and Narcissa. She's staying with them while she looks for a place of her own."

"Well, shit, damn and double damn! Now I'm stuck going to the Manor tomorrow; there's no way out of it. Granger probably told her what happened, and now Narcissa's going to rip me a new arsehole," moaned Severus.

Ron looked at his partner with curiosity. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were scared of the woman, Severus."

"Are you insane? Of course I am. Merlin, I'd almost rather face the Dark Lord himself. That woman scares the shit out of me!"

~*~

Severus arrived at Malfoy Manor promptly the next morning for his meeting with Narcissa, only to find himself detained at the gate.

"What is the meaning of this, Mr. Zabini?" he sneered at his former student.

"Sorry, Professor, standard procedure. You aren't on my list, so I'll have to check with Mrs. Malfoy before I can let you pass." Blaise summoned a house-elf and sent a message to Narcissa.

"Why, pray tell, is the Ministry paying highly ranked Aurors to be guard dogs for the Malfoys? If security is needed, why not send someone from the MLE? Why send a full-fledged Auror? Is there some imminent danger?"

"I'm not at liberty to say, Professor..."

"Drop the title, Zabini. I am no longer your, or anyone else's, professor, nor have I been for quite some time. Plus, I have a higher security clearance than you can even begin to imagine. And since you are rather new to the Auror squad, you probably haven't realized that I am technically your superior. So, I ask again: Why are you here?"

"Sorry, sir, I know you aren't a professor anymore. I still think of you that way, though; I can't help it. At any rate, I'm not at liberty to discuss my assignment here, even with you. You'll have to ask Harry or the Minister yourself about that."

"Don't think I won't, Zabini," he growled. He was both pleased and disappointed that he hadn't been able to bully any information out of Zabini. Pleased because it meant the man was doing his job, even willing to stand up to his former mentor and Head of Slytherin House, and disappointed not to get the information he wanted.

Just then, the house-elf returned, confirming that Severus was indeed expected. Blaise motioned him through the gates.

"Aren't you going to check to make certain that I'm really Severus Snape and not someone using Polyjuice Potion?" he questioned.

"Not necessary, sir. Once I let you through this checkpoint, the wards just before the house are set to allow approved visitors only. If you were, by chance, an imposter, I dare say you wouldn't like the results," Blaise explained with a grim smile.

Once at the house, Severus was ushered into a sunny room which had a view of the famous Malfoy rose gardens. He stood, staring out at the sea of flowers, and wondered what he was doing here.

Narcissa entered and greeted him warmly. "Severus, it's so good to see you after all these years. You're well, I hope?" she asked as she kissed his cheek and hugged him lightly.

"I am, and you?" he replied, a bit leery that she seemed so cordial, but he knew how Narcissa worked. She would lull him into a sense of complacency, and then she would strike.

"Good... Wonderful, in fact. It feels so good to be home. I missed it dreadfully, but I didn't realize how much until we came back; isn't that strange? Our travels were lovely, the years abroad an adventure, but I am ever so happy to be back."

Severus was surprised at her openness, yet he knew it was wise to be a bit wary. "And to what do I owe the honor of this meeting, Narcissa? Was there a reason for your summons?"

Narcissa smiled knowingly. "Really, Severus, have you ever known me to issue a summons without cause? Will you join me on the terrace? It's such a lovely morning, and I'll have Tweeny bring us tea."

After a good half hour of sipping tea, nibbling the excellent biscuits and the little cakes the Malfoy house-elves were famous for, and making small talk that was in reality a careful interrogation, Narcissa finally got to the point. "I understand you ran into Hermione in Hogsmeade last evening, Severus."

She studied him closely, which made him extremely nervous. He wanted to jump up and scream his guilt. Yes, it was me. I was a complete ass; I made a fool of myself and probably ruined any chance I might have had with the girl. Instead, he spoke calmly. "It was a case of mistaken identity, nothing more," he claimed, trying to brush it off. "I only saw her from behind, and I thought she was someone else. I made some inappropriate remarks, and I am ashamed to say I may have manhandled her a bit. Before I could apologize, she slapped me and left. That's really all that happened."

"Really, Severus, is that all there was to it?" Narcissa sat back and stared at him, one finger tapping at her lips as she contemplated. "You see, I'm baffled because the Hermione I have come to know would be incensed at the treatment you describe, enraged, furious. Yet the Hermione who came home last night was much more subdued. Can you explain that to me, Severus?"

"I have no idea what to tell you, Narcissa," he replied, truly bewildered by her question. What was she getting at?

Narcissa's eyes narrowed. "So, you're sure... that you and she... there's never been..." She finally sighed heavily, "I just thought, perhaps... oh, ye gods, never mind."

Was he sure of what, he wondered. What was she implying? Before he could ask her, she continued in a completely different direction.

"I'm sure that many people will find the Malfoy family's closeness with Hermione strange, considering our history. However, she and Lucius have worked together for nearly six years, against their own wishes in the beginning, and they have come to know each other very well. She has become like a part of my family; in truth she is like a daughter to me. A much-loved daughter, Severus, and I will not have her hurt. I thought that perhaps there was something in your past that might have affected her, for it's clear that just the mention of you upsets her greatly."

Narcissa continued to study him closely. If he weren't an expert at Occlumency, he might have been worried, although he could detect no invasion. She just continued to stare, as if doing so would reveal great secrets. When no response was forthcoming from him, she continued, "Tread lightly here, Severus. For if you do hurt her, you will answer to me. I realize it won't always be practical since you work in the same offices and you have mutual friends, but I suggest you stay away from Hermione as much as possible."

Severus stared at the woman in disbelief. This was why she had called him here? To warn him off like a clucking mother hen, as if he were some errant schoolboy. Well, to hell with that! He'd just discovered something the night before that he wanted, truly wanted for the first time in years.

He did something he rarely did: threw back his head and laughed loudly. "Oh, Narcissa, believe me when I say this: I have absolutely no desire to hurt Granger, quite the opposite, in fact. I was being honest when I said the incident last night was mistaken identity; I would have approached her in an entirely different manner had I known who she was. But if you think warning me off is going to stop me from pursuing her, let me tell you, it has only piqued my interest. Not you, nor Lucius, not even Voldemort, were the bastard still alive, could deter me from my goal once my mind is made up."

Getting up to leave, he said, "Oh, don't bother to get up, my dear; I'll see myself out. But since you have proclaimed yourself Granger's surrogate mother, I have a feeling you will be seeing more of me in the very near future. Good-bye, Narcissa."

He strode back through the drawing room, leaving Narcissa staring open mouthed at his departure. Just as he was crossing the foyer to exit the manor, he caught sight of Hermione coming down the staircase, and he paused.

She saw him at the very same moment. "You!" she cried. "How dare you show your face here after your actions last night?" She fairly flew down the rest of the stairs toward him and raised her hand as if to slap him again.

Better prepared this morning, and half expecting such a response from her, he grabbed both her hands before she could strike him and lightly shoved her back against the wall, her hands pinned by his at her shoulders.

"Now, Granger, before you get yourself all worked into a tizzy, allow me to tell you that I came here to apologize." This was a complete lie, as he'd come there not to apologize, but at Narcissa's summons. But of course, Granger didn't need to know that. "I am truly sorry for that little scene last night. You see, I had no idea it was your gorgeous arse I was ogling and later fondling, and I am sorry if I insulted you."

"If you insulted me? Is that what you call an apology, you prat? If so, it is a piss-poor one, indeed." His fingers caressed her wrist just over her pulse point, and Severus could feel her heart rate increase. She actually stood quite passively before him; his grip on her hands was slack, and she could have pulled out of his grasp with little difficulty, but she didn't even attempt it. That should have been a warning to him.

"My, my. Such language and from such a pretty mouth," he teased. She tensed, and somehow, in that instant, he sensed her intent and jumped back with his lower body, still holding on to her hands just as she jerked her knee upwards to where his groin had been a fraction of a second before. "Uh, uh, uh. That's not very nice."

"You aren't very nice," she responded as she glared at him with narrowed eyes. And yet she still didn't make any attempt to get away. He watched her closely, and he would almost swear she was trying not to smile.

"Granger, I swear, I'm honestly trying to apologize here. Why must you make it so difficult? I will let you go, if you'll just listen to me, okay?" Severus leaned in slightly, but only after he wandlessly cast a sticking charm on her trainers, just to be on the safe side, so she couldn't lift her feet to get her knee anywhere near his bits. He was so close to her now he could feel her body heat and see the pulse beating at her throat. He sniffed deeply, his nose inadvertently grazing her neck and pulling an almost inaudible sound from her; it was half gasp and half moan and so sexy he went half hard at the sound. "Umm... you smell like sunshine."

Hermione muttered, "How can you expect me to take you seriously? You claim that you want to apologize for manhandling me last night, and yet, here you are doing it all over again."

"I assure you, this time it's purely a matter of self-preservation. You certainly don't expect me to just stand here and let you slap me again, do you? " he asked her. "I'm going to let go now...so don't hit me. All right, Granger? Don't hit..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Hermione managed to get her right foot out of her shoe, and her knee very nearly struck its target; however, he again anticipated her and managed to turn enough so that her knee struck his hip rather than his groin. Still, it was hard enough to draw a grunt of pain from him.

"Shit! Next time I must remember to not only stick your shoes to the floor but your feet to your shoes. Damnation, Granger. That's going to bruise," he mumbled as he let her hands go.

"Good," she snapped. "I hope it does, you bloody jackass. And there isn't going to be a next time."

"Severus, what is the meaning of this?" demanded Narcissa, standing in the hallway outside the drawing room, her wand in hand.

Hermione answered, "It's quite all right, Cissy. Apparently, just another little misunderstanding. Mr. Snape is leaving now."

Leaning closer again, he whispered softly, "I am leaving, Granger, but we're not finished."

Before she could ask him what he meant by that, he sauntered off, leaving the two women staring after him in disbelief.

~*~

"Just what the hell was that all about? Why was he even here?" demanded Hermione, minutes later, seated on the terrace while Cissy poured her tea.

"Well, that was my fault, I'm afraid," Cissy admitted with a slight grimace. "You see, your friend Ronald Floo-called last night to make sure that you had arrived home safely, and when I saw Severus there with him, I asked him to come around this morning. I rather insisted, actually, didn't really give him a choice."

"But why?" asked Hermione, dumbfounded. "Why would you do that?"

"Well, Hermione, his actions just didn't make sense to me; it just didn't sound like the Severus I recall. I wanted to find out what he was up to. He claimed he mistook you for someone else, and he did admit he acted rudely. I warned him not to bother you anymore. I told him he'd answer to me if he did."

"Oh, Cissy, that's so sweet of you," said Hermione, touched by her friend's concern. "Well, I expect that I've seen the last of him then. If he's been warned off by Narcissa Malfoy, he wouldn't dare bother me after that. I just don't understand why he felt compelled to stage that little scene in the hallway then."

"Oh, dear, Hermione, you don't understand. Severus doesn't plan to stay away at all. In fact I believe that he made his intentions quite clear. He plans to pursue you."

TBC