Chapter Six

Disclaimer: Not mine, alas.

'I have loved none but you. Unjust I may have been, weak and resentful I have been, but never inconstant.'

Jane Austen, Persuasion

Clíona's revelation had him all out of sorts. He couldn't focus on his potions, on his notes, on his work. So he did the only thing that could ameliorate his situation. He Summoned Hermione.

He sat next to her on the couch as she came to, and she turned away from him the minute she realised he was there.

'I don't want to talk to you,' she said, laying her head down on the armrest, tucking her feet under her, breaking all physical contact.

He bent his head. 'It was you last night.'

'It was me ... is me,' she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

'I am sorry, Hermione,' he said, willing her to meet his gaze. 'I do not expect you to accept my apology, but the agony I feel is ... acute.'

She looked up at him, eyes guileless. She swallowed hard. 'Do you ...'

He took her in his arms, unable to stop himself, and he sighed as he felt her lean into his embrace. 'I love you,' he said, his voice cracking. 'Merlin help me, I love you.'

She looked up at him, her eyes tender, and she started to cry. 'I love you, too,' she said, and he nearly shook with relief.

They held each other for a few long, precious moments before she broke the silence.

'How much Summoning Draught can you give me without risking overexposure?'

'Why do you ask?' he murmured against her hair, certain he knew the answer but desiring to hear it from her lips.

'I want to stay with you today.'

He held her tighter to him. 'We can do that. We'll have to take breaks in between but ...'

Then she kissed him, and he thought no more.

*

He leaned against the doorframe of his office, his hand in a pocket, watching over her as she rested on the couch.

Hermione was taking a break; immediately after Clíona had surfaced, Severus gave her a light sleeping potion so as to provide her...and himself...with a little respite. She looked so peaceful lying there, cocooned in a blanket even though it was the middle of summer. She should be waking up soon.

They were taking risks, and both of them knew it. To Summon her so frequently, to douse her with so many potions in a day...but then, time was running short. They knew that, too, though it went unsaid, and Severus was hard pressed to fault himself for wanting time together ... just in case.

He had to prepare himself for the possibility, even as he worked to find a cure. Cian had found nothing of use, had even gone outside the Ministry for assistance.

Severus checked the time and grimaced. She would be arriving soon. He could have shot Cian for going to their boss, who in turn went to her, but at this point, Severus would have bargained with the Devil himself if it meant buying more time.

This came pretty damn close.

He walked out the door just as she Apparated onto the beach. He could read the disappointment in her form when she saw him...disappointment that he'd been expecting her, perhaps? She was tall, lithe, and poised; her shoulders slackened only briefly before returning to their rigid posture. She wore a tailored grey pantsuit, and her heels clicked in spite of the fact that she was walking on sand. He was certain they were charmed to withstand the deadliest of terrains.

He kept his arms folded across his chest as she arrived on his doorstep. 'Livia.'

Her mouth was set somewhere between amusement and disdain, and he didn't know which he'd prefer. 'You're a hard person to find, Severus,' Livia said.

'Why are you here?' he asked.

'Because your boss asked me to be, but I would have found you regardless. If you and Hermione had taken a lovers' holiday, she would have called in. Far more believable that something ill has befallen her. Presumably you had something to do with it?' she asked.

'What do you want with her?' he asked.

'She's one of my most trusted employees.'

'Are you calling on your brother while you're in this corner of the world?'

Livia actually huffed. 'What on earth would I want with that snivelling bastard?'

'He is your twin.' A smirk twitched at Severus' lips.

'Blood isn't everything, contrary to his opinion.'

'Which he has since renounced,' Severus reminded her.

She pursed her lips. 'Our name is rubbish in this country, thanks to him.'

'And here I'd have thought you'd be proud of him for striking out on his own.'

'We never stoop to actually involve ourselves in politics,' she said.

'You just police them?'

She raised an eyebrow. 'This has been fun, but now I really need to see Hermione.' She paused. 'Please.'

He laughed at the 'please.' 'If you can break the wards on the house,' he said and went inside to pour himself a glass of wine.

He had some pride, after all.

Five minutes later, Livia walked through the front door, Severus still nursing his wine.

She quirked an eyebrow. 'You knew I'd break the wards. Oh,' she said, chuckling, 'you set special ones just for me. How ... thoughtful.'

He smirked into his glass, if such a thing was possible. Her skill almost surpassed his own.

Almost.

Hermione...Clíona...chose this moment to walk into the room.

'Ah, Severus, I'm so glad you're enjoying the tea. And you are?' Clíona's eyes rolled back in her head. 'Ah. The witch's boss.'

Severus didn't take his eyes off Livia. He knew she'd seen just about everything one could see, but she was stiff almost to the point of shock. He watched as Clíona casually asked Livia about her travels, about the business...about her daughter.

Severus snorted into his drink, and Livia glared at him. So, she'd had a child since he'd seen her last? Fascinating. Hermione must be close to her boss if she was privy to that bit of information. Lucius certainly didn't know that his twin sister had a child.

'May I?' Livia asked, and Severus nodded. She waved a wand and froze Clíona in her tracks.

'I'm almost impressed that you asked,' Severus said, leaning back in his chair.

'Well, I am in your house,' Livia said.

'Didn't stop you from breaking in.'

'At your invitation. So,' she continued, 'it seems as if Hermione is being possessed by a spirit, but I'll go out on a limb and wager that it's an immortal.'

Severus explained the situation in brief, and Livia laughed. 'So she is in this predicament because of you. The Queen of the Banshees...quite the catch, Snape. I take it you've been working over the last week to free her?'

He nodded and resisted a biting comment.

'I know of an item that may help,' Livia said. 'I'll need a day or so to look into it.'

'Hurry,' Severus said quietly, staring at the floor. 'Clíona is getting stronger.'

'I will do my best. You're not the only one who cares for Hermione.'

'Are you capable of such feeling?' Snape asked, goading her.

'Just because you don't trust me...'

'One does not kidnap a potential employee in order to interview him at wandpoint,' Severus said, flexing his hand.

She chuckled. 'In the old days, we'd never have been able to get the drop on you.'

'I'm sure you meant that as a compliment.'

'Of course.' She walked out the door without further ado, and Clíona unfroze, at last, and looked around, seemingly unfazed that Livia had disappeared.

'I'm assuming she wants to help. She won't be able to, you know. The witch is weak, and I am strong, so strong with desire for you...'

He flicked his hand and Silenced her. One would think that centuries would have taught her subtlety.

*

Severus and Hermione did not talk at dinner, but they touched. They sat right next to each other, thighs brushing, feet tangling, hands being caressed, then grasped, then caressed some more. His kisses were light on her shoulder, and when she rested her hand on his thigh, he almost came undone.

They took their wine glasses out onto the beach to watch the sunset. They sat on the sand and the tide reached for their feet, and Severus thought it the most perfect evening they'd ever shared.

He leaned down to nuzzle the crook of her neck, and she leaned away from him.

'What is it?' he murmured, wrapping an arm around her. 'What's this?' He wiped a stray tear from her cheek.

'If she takes me, Severus,' Hermione said.

He stared at the sea. 'You cannot ask me that. You will not ask me that.'

'But I must.'

He shook, the weight of the entire week crashing down on him, the reality that tomorrow would be their last day crushing him. Despair burrowed into the quiet places, the corners of his mind where he'd cherished hope, and he began to weep...cry, like a man possessed, dear gods, what must she think of him?

But then he felt warmth on all sides wrap around him slowly, her skin like a cocoon, her fingers threading through his hair, her touch anchoring him to reality...to her.

'Severus,' she said, her lips brushing his ear. 'I ask out of mercy.'

'I've heard those words before.'

'Mercy for you,' she finished.

He looked at her and found that he did not mind when she wiped at his tears. 'I will not ask you to watch the woman you love be overtaken by a vengeful bitch. Clíona ... she wants you, you have no idea how badly. I am not asking you to kill me. I am asking you to kill her. I do not want her to torment you.'

'I would be looking at you as I do so,' he said.

She leaned her head on his shoulder, and he pulled her close.

'Our bodies are dust, Severus,' she said, her lips brushing against his arm as she spoke. 'I don't know much, but I do know that. I know you can't kill a person and force them from this earth without them leaving a mark, leaving their essence in people they love. And I know that you know that, too.'

He thought of Lily and knew she'd intended him to do so.

'He killed her, but she never left her son,' Hermione murmured, as though reading his thoughts.

He buried his face in her hair, and they lay down on the blanket. 'Hermione,' he murmured, hooking a leg around hers. 'I cannot bear to lose you.'

'If you think this is easier for me, you're kidding yourself.'

He wrapped his arms tightly around her, and they lay there until Clíona returned.