Achievements and Failures

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o 57 o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Achievements and Failures

~S~

The first few weeks of January were busy for Severus, both with administration duties and his own personal research. Not that he'd had much time for the latter. He and Reginald were at a complete standstill until they discovered which seed was needed for the Médusa Potion. So for the time being, when he did have the time, he concentrated on the Wolfsbane Potion, well, his version of the lycanthropy concoction. The copious amount of notes he'd taken when Lupin had been in residence, as well as all the times he'd brewed the Wolfsbane Potion on Dumbledore's request, provided him with several theoretical options.

The other matter concerning him was Hermione. Although Hermione was now living with him in the Headmaster's Tower, it seemed the most he saw of her was still at meals and either after her curfew or late in the evening before they both retired to bed. He definitely knew why she spent so much time in the library, having taught N.E.W.T. level Potions to seventh-years all but four years of his adult life and being very familiar with the added workload heaped up on the graduating class. But he truly felt she had taken on too much this term, and lately he'd noticed her diminished appetite, the dark circles under her eyes, how hard she pushed herself with her schooling and N.E.W.T. projects, how enervated she was around curfew and how exhausted she was as she climbed into bed, and more than once he'd been tempted to slip her a Sleeping Draught. During most nights, he'd simply held her as Aideen's melodious trilling soothed the couple to sleep, and he'd darkened the windows on the weekends so she'd lie in, which sometimes irritated her.

He glanced at the clock. Two-sixteen. She'd be in Arithmancy right now, and she had a revision break before dinner – as did Ginevra, so he knew that she and Ginevra would use the time in their lab in the dungeons or in the Revision Hall with the other seventh-year Gryffindor girls.

He'd begun to take particular notice of Hermione's schedule, marking on his calendar in code the times she spent brewing, revising and working on her N.E.W.T. projects, and since she was frequently with Ginevra, he'd made note of her schedule as well. He'd also spoken to Mispy regarding Hermione's eating habits, and encouraged the elf to make sure that the elves placed the more nutritious foods closer to his fiancée in the Great Hall, especially the protein rich foods, and to bring nutritious snacks for her to nibble on in the evenings. He knew that the elves had taken the task seriously; he already had three complaints from Madam Pince this week that a house-elf had slipped Hermione nuts and dried fruit in the library one afternoon, Marmite on Irish brown bread another and celery filled with hummus the next. However, instead of scolding the house-elves, he'd thanked them and encouraged them to be far more discreet in the future.

He looked up from his desk as Aideen trilled to something flying by his window. He'd made Aideen a perch for his office so she could be near him while he worked. She was nearly fully grown. She had begun to molt mid January, losing her secondary downy coat for the plumage of a juvenile phoenix. At this stage of development, her plumage was less striking – muted darker shades compared to the striking colors that it would be once she reached full maturity. Aideen's juvenile golden brown head feathers would get progressively lighter until her first flight. However, when the phoenix neared its burning day, the head feathers would fade to a dirty gray just before the phoenix achieved ignition. Phoenixes fascinated him, and he hoped he'd see it; that was if he was fortunate enough to have her remain with him after her homage flight for her sire.

Severus knew that Aideen would start testing her wings in March, and she'd take her first flight shortly after. He estimated, by her growth rate, that she'd fly off to the ancient city of Heliopolis by the end of March, taking the egg created from the myrrh of her nest and the ashes of Fawkes' final cremation to the temple of the sun god in the Old Magical City or the Magical Middle Kingdom of Heliopolis. Fawkes' egg would then be shelved in the ancient room behind the alter, in a place of honor with those of his ancestors, and Aideen would then be free to choose to return or to remain free, flying from Assyria, Arabia or the Granges and even China.

It saddened him to think she might leave. But he was accustomed to disappointments.

As if reading his thoughts, Aideen began to sing softly, her simple tune lifting his spirits. He nodded to her and smiled, his gaze dropping to the framed picture on his desk that had been taken the night of the Ministry's Christmas party before he resumed his correspondences. Maybe, just maybe, the fates would be kind to him for the second time in his life.

~H~

Hermione sat in the library with her friends, the companionable quiet interrupted by page turning, scratching of their quills and the soft tinkling sound of quill tips being dipped into inkwells. Since moving in with Severus, Hermione hadn't seen as much of her friends, Alestra, Wendlynne, Veronica and Sunita as she used to, outside of lessons and at meal times, and she missed the carefree banter and the friendly discussions they'd had, so it was nice when they could sit in the library or Revision Hall together and revise.

However, that didn't deter Wendlynne and Veronica from keeping Hermione abreast with all the latest news on their personal lives or from inquiring about hers. Veronica had told her that she and Jeremy Watson had recently called it off and that she'd been seeing Dresden Penwalter instead, and that Sunita was with Jack Chen. Wendlynne said that Alestra was still seeing Thornton Bronte and it looked like their relationship was getting very serious. "Engagement serious," she'd admitted with a huge grin. "I don't think he'll wait until June to ask for her father's blessing – not that he will say no. The Bronte's are well off and a very well respected family."

"Certainly they'd wait until they leave school?" Hermione whispered in surprise.

"No, not everyone does," Veronica whispered, her eyes alight with happiness for her friend. "Although, they usually have to wait six months to a year for a proper engagement period. I heard he'd asked his grandmother for the ring."

Hermione turned to look at Thornton sitting across the library with Blake, Lawrence, Jeremy and Eduardo Delgado. Blake's brow creased as he checked something in his book, and he looked up, seeing her. She smiled slightly as he tipped his quill in her direction with a minute nod of his head before turning his attention back on his book. She still partnered with Blake in Ancient Runes and Lawrence in Arithmancy, and they'd become friends, well, friendly over the course of the year.

Ginny returned from the Charms section and sat into her chair next to Hermione, dropping an arm load of books on the table in front of her. Across the table, Wendlynne glanced at Luna who had stopped writing to look up dreamily at the oak beams in the ceiling, and Wendlynne followed her gaze for a second, before shaking her head and resuming writing her essay, which made Veronica chuckle softly.

Jack Sloper waved to Hermione and Ginny in greeting as he walked by their table to join his friends, Bryan Randell, Wilberforce Wevernthrall and Ernie Coppersmith, and Veronica looked up, turning in her seat to wave back at him as well.

Hermione set down her quill and put her elbows on the table, rubbing her temples. The calculations simply would not agree with her previous work. She rechecked her maths, going over each equation, not finding her error. She considered walking over and asking Lawrence if he would give it a once over, but decided to wait and ask Professor Vector instead.

"Not working?" Ginny asked softly so as not to disturb those around them.

Hermione shook her head. "I kept getting the same results, so I thought I'd try a different approach. But that's not working out properly."

"What's not working?" Luna asked, still intrigued by something in the ceiling.

Looking up at her friend across the table, Hermione's mouth stretched into a weary smile. "It's the calculations for my N.E.W.T. Transfiguration project."

Luna cocked her head slightly, twirling her quill as she regarded Hermione. "What is your project?"

"Transmutation of an inanimate object to an animate object," she said with a deep sigh. "We're focusing on trying to change a rock into a dog. Not just an animated dog, a real dog."

"The spells we learn in school only show us how to transfigure an animal into an object, like a hedgehog into a pin cushion or a tortoise into a teapot, although I thought changing a pot into a clock was fun," Luna said with a giggle, then immediately became thoughtful again. "But that's not the same thing, is it? Professor McGonagall has been showing us how to transfigure a chair or a rock into an animated resemblance of an animal to use as a distraction to escape. But the rock resumes its shape immediately after, doesn't it? It's not really an animate object."

Hermione shook her head, agreeing, "No, it's not."

"My Aunt Shaylee and Aunt Aenya took me to a mass once, and I ate a cracker."

Luna's pronouncement was surprising. "You took communion?" Hermione asked, thinking that only Catholics were allowed to accept communion during mass.

"Is that what it's called?" Luna asked and then pressed on, apparently not needing an answer. "The priest said the cracker was the body of Christ, but it tasted like a cracker. I looked it up. They believe that the cracker is transmuted into the actual body by a blessing. I think it's something like Transubstantiation in Alchemy."

Both Ginny and Hermione gaped at Luna in astounded disbelief. "Luna, you're brilliant!" Hermione said, jumping up to go to the Alchemy section with Ginny following right behind her.

~*~

That night after dinner, Ginny sat on a desk in the room the girls used as their own potions lab, reading from Transubstantiation in Alchemy as she waited for the timer to indicate it was time to do the next step for her three Kibitzer Potions. She looked up when Hermione set down her stirring rod and began marking notes on her parchment. "Do you think it could work?" Ginny asked. "I know you said that the Arithmancy calculations for Penhallow's fifth principal exception to Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration don't work, but we're talking about using the Torrick's Alchemic principle in Transfiguration." Torrick's Inner Alchemical: Esoteric Transubstantiation Initiation described the religious definitions.

"He called it the 'accident' in theological parlance and talks about the essence of the substance's transformation happening, but not the appearance of the object changing. Give me a second," Hermione said and finished her note on the differences of the Dingus Potion's color and consistency with that of the description in her Advanced Potion Making. She checked the directions again: After the six crushed dried Dingalan sandcrabs, stir nine times clockwise, done, and let simmer fifteen minutes – okay. She set her timer and turned as she looked up. "We just have to devise a way to do both; change the essence of the object as it transforms as well was the appearance. I still believe that we have to create an accidental transference of magic to the item itself, making it a magical animate object."

"As I understand it, external transmutation in Alchemy is transforming one physical substance into another physical substance such as turning base metals into the noble metals such as gold or silver," Ginny said. Hermione thought she had a pretty good grasp of the concepts even though she didn't take the course.

"Alchemy focuses on the kind of phase shift in which a physical substance is transformed into another – albeit upgraded – physical substance. But I like the comments made about the theory in Inner Alchemical, which deals with transubstantiation of elements," Hermione said. She knew she was close, so close, but it still eluded her. "If it can work with basic elements, why not with more complex objects?"

"You don't think we've come far enough using charms to give the characteristics to the object after transfiguring it?" Ginny asked.

Hermione shrugged. "I know that Professor McGonagall is really impressed with the improvement we've made to the transfiguration of an inanimate object to a fully animated object, but it's still only an animated figure. Although it's great that it holds its shape instead of changing back immediately afterward. It's like being that close," she said, holding up her hand with her thumb and index finger an inch apart, "and yet not there at all." She sat down and crossed her arms, thinking.

"At least we've already been given credit for that improvement," Ginny said with a smile. "All we have to do is report our findings for validation – except that Luna and Wendlynne have already duplicated it, didn't they? So, in a sense, it's been validated. And Alestra, Jack and Ernie said they'd try it too. So if they can demonstrate it for Professor McGonagall as well, she only has to sign off on Luna's and Wendlynne's validation and indicate that the others have replicated it as well, and we will be published! Again!" She straightened her arms as she squeezed her hands together, making her shoulder hitch. "Imagine, me – I mean us – published. I can hardly believe it."

Both girls turned when the door to the room opened. "Severus!" Hermione exclaimed as he walked in, delighted to see him. "What a nice surprise."

"I came to see how you are progressing," he said, walking up to the first work table. He peered into the cauldrons cooling on the rack, nodding in approval at each of the nine potions they'd finished so far today on the table: the six batches of the Lachrymose Draughts, which they'd both finished three each, and Ginny's three batches of Dingus Potion. The six batches of Luculent Potions they'd brewed earlier during their revision break and right through lunch were bottled and ready to be marked by Professor Reynolds as well. Hermione's three Dingus Potions were still simmering, needing only ten minutes before they too would be set to the side, and she could start in on the Banville's Insouciance Concoction. Hermione checked her watch; she still had just enough time to finish them before curfew.

"You're still brewing three at a time, I see," he said finally, turning to face them.

"It's just as easy to brew three cauldrons as it is to do one," Hermione said, walking over to him.

He shook his head. "No, Hermione, it isn't. Most cannot master the advanced skill necessary for the timing, and their ingredient preparation becomes too sloppy to achieve an acceptable result."

She looked at him in confusion, even though he'd just given them a compliment of sorts, and he chuffed a laugh at her. "Most students can barely manage one cauldron at a time, let alone two – even while working in pairs. But both of you have been doing what's only taught to protégés during a journeyman level apprenticeship. More impressive is the fact you've mastered the ability on your own and without close instructional supervision while developing the skill." Ginny sat up straighter, and Hermione smiled in delight, both pleased by the comment they took to be a huge compliment. "You do know that you don't have to validate every potion in my book?"

"Yes," Hermione drawled out slowly as Ginny said, "That's the goal."

He laughed, a deep, hearty laugh. "Reginald said you were trying to, but I didn't believe him until I saw his list of the ones you've completed." He turned to Ginny. "If you wanted to, Ginevra, I would be happy to extend to you an apprenticeship over the summer. I'm sure Hermione would love to continue working with you, if you chose to accept."

"Oh my gosh, really? You never accept apprentices!" Ginny exclaimed. "I know that Penelope Pentwater's brother wanted to..." She paused at his raised eyebrow. "Yes. Yes, of course I want to."

"Good. I'll fill out the forms tonight and outline my expiations and provisions. Think of what conditions you feel are necessary, if any, and give them to me, and I'll draft a suitable contract," he said and turned to Hermione, who was setting up three more cauldrons on her work table. "How much longer will you be?"

She was touched by the tone of concern in his voice. "I wanted to start the Banville's Insouciance Concoction now," Hermione said, turning to face him and saw the minute relaxing of his mouth, almost a moue of disappointment. "I could just brew some Kibitzer Potions – that only takes an hour and a half." She'd only be a few steps behind Ginny if she started now, and Ginny already had the ingredients out on her worktable. This way they'd have the validation on the Kibitzer Potion completed tonight – well tomorrow after Professor Reginald signed off on it.

"I'll oversee your brewing," he said, taking his robe off as he walked to the cloak stand to hang it up.

Ginny's eyebrows went up as her eyes widened, and Hermione shrugged. Normally Severus made brief visits when he checked on their progress, making cursory glances at their work and nods of approval. High praise indeed, coming from him. He would then bid Ginny a good evening and comment with a soft smile that he'd see Hermione later when she returned to their rooms. He rarely, if ever, stayed to observe them, trusting their brewing skills as much as Professor Reynolds did, although their professor's visits were always much longer.

Hermione set to work, oddly comfortable under Severus' observant gaze, especially after having him watch her for six years as his student. His pose was more relaxed than he'd been in his classroom, and when alone with her and Ginny, he was less reserved, more like the wizard she'd come to know.

Ginny hopped up when her timer went off. She peered into the first cauldron of Kibitzer Potion and nodded in satisfaction. She picked up her knife and one of her honking daffodil bulbs. "If you keep the point of your blade down, it will be easier to make your slices even, and you'll be able to slice it faster," Severus said, peering over her shoulder.

Ginny cocked her head and did as directed, smiling as the blade sliced through her bulb. "Thank you," she said, already picking up her second bulb.

He placed a hand on her wrist. "The bulb has to go in immediately after slicing. They dry quickly, and the interaction to the ingredients in your cauldron will be better if the cut edges are moist."

Ginny set down her knife and did as told. She smiled as she stirred, pleased with the reaction. "Wow, thanks," she said, then quickly resumed cutting the second bulb.

Severus watched her do the same step for the second batch, and his lip curved when Ginny gently dropped the slices in. He then turned his attention to Hermione. He watched both of them closely, but never hovered over their shoulder, and he was less cynical and detached, seemingly more interested in their techniques and gave them small pointers as they progressed. When Ginny finished her potion, she lowered her flame and settled at the desk she'd been using to finish reading on the chapter she'd started in Transubstantiation in Alchemy.

"Severus?" Ginny asked when he sat on the edge of another desk.

"Yes," he replied without turning his head from watching Hermione slice her sawfly larvae.

"How did you come up with the substitution of the honking daffodil bulbs in the Dingus Potions and the Raillery Elixir for the daffodil bulbs we normally use in our Potions lessons?" she asked, and he glanced at her quickly. "I mean, you were our age, weren't you, when you wrote that in your Potions book?"

"I was in my fourth year, actually. That book was my mother's, so it was in my trunk when I started school. In fact my school trunk had once been my uncle's, so it contained quite a few of his books as well. I had a friend in school who loved Potions as much as I did, and we'd experiment together." He paused, looking around. "In an old potions lab not unlike this one."

Hermione knew he was speaking about Lily, but remained quiet, listening intently while still focusing on her potions.

"The common daffodil works fine, but the magical quality of the honking variety enhanced the potion," he explained. "So I tried it on several potions to see what would happen. Mostly the results were unfavorable, except in potions that affect speech."

Hermione understood why it might work so well in potions that affected speech in some way or another since honking daffodils were considered 'vocal' nose makers.

"I wanted to brew the Flibbertigibbet Elixir to use on a... friend, and I didn't have a daffodil in my potions kit, but remembered that there were honking daffodils in the greenhouses," he continued, smirking smugly at Hermione's stunned expression. "I discovered that it worked quite well in the Kibitzer Potion as well. I slipped that one to Pettigrew at lunch. Retaliation and it worked very well. So I tried exchanging the bulb in the Dingus Potions and the Raillery Elixir. It did not work well in the Circumlocution Draught or Luculent Potion."

"How did you discover the technique of using the flat side of the blade to squash the sopophorous beans instead of cutting them?" Ginny asked, watching Hermione pick up her Miraculotuberum, a caudex-forming succulent from Canada.

"Hermione, use a Bubble-Head Charm before slicing," Severus suggested and then cast his own charm. Ginny quickly cast the charm on herself and then on Hermione, since her wand was in her bag across the room. "I wish you'd told us that before I sliced mine," she said, her voice muffled by her bubble as she watched Hermione slice the large bulb. "I hated the bitter taste that formed in my mouth and the sulfurous smell excluding from the plant is awful."

Severus shrugged as he watched Hermione. "Every student should experience it at least once," he said with a smirk.

Hermione rolled her eyes, dicing the slices of the bulb as Ginny asked, "And the wriggling tubers from the snargaluff pods? How did you come up with the idea to add that to the Spattergroit Potion after the flysucker moss?"

"I discovered that snargaluff tubers enhance the moss quite by coincidence in my seventh year," he said, but there was an edge to his voice. "There was an... accident in the classroom. Someone thought it would be funny... My partner and I were both ahead of the others, and I'd just finished stirring the moss into my potion when my potion had become contaminated with some of the tubers. However, the potion settled in the cauldron, and the color hue became more vibrant, so I urged my partner to use some of the tubers on my worktable in hers – both of our potions turned out exceptionally well, but until lately, my discovery hasn't been validated, even though it can cure the early to mid-stages of spattergroit."

For some reason Hermione immediately thought of James Potter or Sirius Black, and said the names softly to herself as she measured out four ounces the diced bulb into each of her potions.

"Yes," Severus said, his tone suddenly sounding curt. Hermione turned to look at him, but his expression had become carefully guarded. "Well, you seem to have things well under control here," he said abruptly.

Ginny ended her charm. "Wait," she called out.

"You are almost done," he said coolly, and Hermione wondered why he'd become upset, unless he felt embarrassed about having admitted to the harassment he'd endured as a student. "Bottle up your samples and leave them on the table. Reginald will check them in the morning."

Ginny removed Hermione's charm as she walked up to him. "Thank you, Severus, for the help."

"You're welcome," he replied, and his posture relaxed somewhat. He looked over at Hermione. "Come up soon."

She nodded, seeing a momentary flicker in his dark eyes, almost a pleading look, before his expression became neutral again. "I will. Right after we clean up in here," she promised.

His lips quirked into a small smile. He glanced down at Ginny, who was pointedly examining the color of their potions on the other worktable across the room, then looked at Hermione lovingly. His hand lifted, almost as if he was about to touch her, but then it dropped to his side. "Don't be long," he said softly.

"I won't," she replied, smiling up at him. He nodded and turned away, and she watched him, still smiling, as he swept from the room.

"Maybe I should've given you some privacy," Ginny said, smiling knowingly at her.

Hermione shook her head. "No, it's all right. He doesn't like public demonstrations of affection."

"As long as he's affectionate enough in private, I suppose its okay. Although... that was a fairly affectionate moment between you two, especially for him," Ginny teased, making Hermione blush. "I have to admit, he was quite personable, tonight." Ginny's expression became serious. "You don't suppose the prankster in his Potions lesson was Harry's father, do you?"

"Or Sirius Black," Hermione admitted. "I know they were not fond of each other back then."

"Fond? About as fond of each other as Harry is – was toward Malfoy," Ginny stated. "Well, when they were in school. Its different now, isn't it? They are almost... well, more than just cordial toward each other but not quite friends yet either. I was surprised when we were invited to play Quidditch over the holiday."

"I was glad you came," Hermione said, turning back to finish her potion.

~*~

When Hermione entered the sitting room, Severus was standing by the window with a mug in his hand, gazing outside into the distance. She walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head on his back.

"Are you finished for the night?" he asked softly without turning around.

Hermione nodded and felt him place his free hand over hers. "Yes, for the most part."

"What more did you need to do tonight?" he asked, his tone sounding tired.

She smiled. Maybe she could put off her school work for one evening. She had been diligent enough in her homework that it wouldn't put her too far behind. Besides they hadn't had any real time together lately, what with her projects and the extra homework her teachers had heaped on them to prepare the seventh-years for their N.E.W.T.s. "Nothing that can't wait until tomorrow." She felt him relax and knew that was what he'd wanted her to say. "I wanted to thank you for offering an apprenticeship to Ginny and me," she said, and he turned to face her. "I'm so looking forward..." she started to say, but the words died at the look on his face.

"Ginevra, Hermione. It's not customary to take your wife on as an apprentice." He seemed to pause as she took in what he was implying. "I – you and I will have many opportunities to brew together if that is what you wish, but I had thought, considering your obvious gifts in Transfiguration, Charms and Arithmancy, you'd want to apprentice to either Minerva or Septima."

"But not with you," she said, disappointed. Her eyes dropped down to his buttons, and she exhaled deeply.

He tipped her head up to look at him. "It's not that I wouldn't give you an apprenticeship – it's not appropriate – not formally. However, informally, I had no intention of excluding you," he said, and her disappointment immediately faded. "My offer to Ginevra must follow a certain formality, so that my intentions are quite clear and above reproach, both for myself and for her sake."

That she understood, considering all the gossip she and Severus had endured in the last year, he'd want to make sure there were no misunderstandings.

"You, on the other hand, I may take advantage of in any way you'll allow me to," he said in his most silky drawl as he leaned down and then kissed her.

"And what way might that be?" she asked as she wrapped her arms around him again.

"Minx," he breathed heavily, his mouth claiming hers. Hermione closed her eyes, lost in the moment, as he deepened the kiss. His tongue teased hers; she teased his back. He nipped at her lip; she rose up to her toes to kiss him ardently. His hand moved to cup her jaw, and her school robe fell off her shoulders. She felt heady from his kisses and swooned slightly in his arms as his hands clasped her jumper and began edging it upward.

She broke away long enough to raise her arms, allowing him to pull it off her. "We always seem to wear too much clothing," she complained, trying to unfasten his buttons quickly.

Suddenly a ripple feeling slid down her front, and his and her buttons all unfastened with a swish of his finger. "You really have to teach me that one," she said, pushing his coat and shirt off his body, inhaling at the sight of his bare chest and the sudden realization that his trousers had unfastened as well.

"Really?" he purred with a teasing glint in his dark eyes as he peeled her blouse and let it fall on the floor. "And have you undress me at will?"

"Naturally," she said, sliding her fingers into the waistband of his pants and trying to push them down. "Why not?"

Her skirt dropped to her ankles. "Impertinent witch," he said, backing her up. His wand flew to his hand, and he made a swish with it aimed at the coffee table, making it widen and elongate considerably, significantly larger than her old dorm bed.

Hermione shook her head, saying, "No, the sofa; it's softer."

He scowled at her, then with a swish and a reverse flip of his wand, he made the rug slip out from under the table and transform into the large, very thick and plushy lamb wool rug like he'd made before. "Better?" he asked as the rug settled on the table.

"It'll do," she replied, gripping his bottom.

He growled as his mouth claimed hers again and proceeded to back her up again to his makeshift pallet. However, when Hermione's bumped the table, he paused, cupping her face with his hands and looking deep into her eyes. The intensity of his gaze sent shivers through her, but he bent slightly and lifted her up, placing her gently on the makeshift bed. "You are so beautiful," he said, his voice thick with lust. His gaze followed his hands as they roamed down her body in soft caresses that inflamed her desire for him and sent more chills through her. She watched him as he examined her. He lowered his head and placed a soft kiss to her abdomen, then gently removed her knickers, staring at her with an intense desire as she opened her legs to him. He leaned over her, hands on either side of her hips and inclined his head to her groin.

He stroked her slowly with his tongue, then made small circles on her clit, causing her to jolt at the sensation. "Please..." she moaned.

"Please what," he purred against her clit, increasing the feelings tenfold with the vibration of his voice.

"I need you," she gasped. "Please..."

He moved up her body, making small kisses and nips on her skin, then unfastened her bra with his teeth. "Beg," he said, taking one nipple in his mouth.

"I am – aren't I?" she gasped as he switched breasts and flicked her nipple with his talented tongue.

"Open wider," he said and sucked on her nipple as she complied, bending her legs and letting her knees fall as wide as she could. His fingers caressed her, feeling the moisture between her legs, and she felt his tip rub at her entrance. "Yes?"

"Gods, Yes! Now," she cried out, whimpering as he slid in, backed off and pushed into her a little farther. "Severus, in, please, in..."

His slow thrusts and long withdrawing stokes became a sensual rhythmic dance. Hermione's knees closed on either side of his hips, making it easier to move with him as she undulated under him, tightening her hips as he pulled back and trying to push up into him as he plunged into her. His breath like hers was ragged, her heart was beating rapidly, and still he continued. He leaned down on one elbow and kissed her softly as he pulled her leg up over his hip. The angle of his body shifted with this new position, and it increased her pleasure. The build toward her own orgasm began to finally come, slowly, a thrumming increase that tauntingly promised but refused to come. She moved more aggressively, kissing his chin, stroking his body, anything to spur him on. He increased the tempo of his movements gradually, and she cried out needing more, wanting more. As if provoked by her need, her determination to quicken their pace, the pulsing in her increased, surging outward slowly and wider through her abdomen, filling her core. "Gods... yes, please... oh. Severusss," she gasped out between breaths.

"Come for me," he said softly. "Come with me."

"I can't," she mewled back; she so was close but unable to reach it.

"Don't think – let it go," he said, plunging into her harder but maintaining the slower, long withdrawals. She moaned, inhaled deeply. "That's it, stop thinking about it," he said. He jerked, his movements losing the rhythm. "Come, Hermione."

She was about to say I can't, but she was, a water-like running release that seemed to pour from her, growing tighter as it surged downward. "Yes, ah... Yes," he grunted, "I can't... Hermione, I – I'm going to come," between thrusts.

He gripped her hip, holding her tightly, and grunted, exhaling as he dove into her, pushing to bury his penis as deeply as he could in quick thrusts. She cried out, gasping as the strokes raked his pubic hairs on her clit and his penis hit a spot inside her that sent shocks through her and shivers to her spine.

His head dropped to her shoulder as his breathing slowed to normal. She ran her fingers down his back, smiling at the feel of sweat on his skin. "You're sweaty," she stated, feeling a drop fall on her nose.

"So are you," he said, shifting his weight and letting her close her legs. She still throbbed, still could feel the phantom sensations of him inside her. "Are you sleepy?" he asked.

She shook her head.

"No?" he asked, lying down and wrapping his arm around her.

"No," she replied, closing her eyes in peaceful bliss.

Neither of them noticed when Mispy, shaking her head at the pair, skillfully stuck a pillow under their heads with a snap of her fingers, then covered them with blankets and tucked them in on the makeshift bed.

~S~

Severus had woken up that morning dreading the day ahead. Not only was it a Hogsmeade weekend – it was also Valentine's Day. Both Lucius and Narcissa had sent him letters the previous week, offering advice if he should need it, but he'd politely declined, well, he was a bit more direct in his response to Lucius' offer. Severus had spent a week considering what to get Hermione and knew that something would be expected of him, some suitable token that expressed his affection for her. He'd scoffed at the idea of flowers, candy or jewelry, the typical tokens of affection, and he hadn't wanted to give her another book, even though he had gone to the bookshop anyway. Instead, he'd taken Lucius' suggestion of buying her something intimate and ordered a nice night slip and dressing robe from Persephone's Secrets in a creamy peach color that would look good with Hermione's skin tone and that he was looking forward to seeing her wear. Not that she'd have it on for long. He had also asked Narcissa to suggest a fragrance from her line of perfumes, remembering that Hermione had commented on Narcissa's perfumery business and her greenhouses. Both had arrived that morning, thankfully in his office – not in the Great Hall, but he had yet to give them to her since Hermione had wanted an early start in the village.

He'd known why Hermione wanted to go to Hogsmeade; apparently her friend, Kazimir, would be there, and Hermione was eager to see him. Severus had been annoyed that morning that she'd taken an unusual amount of care with her appearance, wearing a soft green jumper over snug fitting black jeans and calf-length black boots and her persimmon scarf and gloves. The mere sight of her derrière in those jeans tucked into her black boots set his own blood afire. But since there had been considerable snowfall this week, she was wearing her plain black cloak as well, so the Bulgarian would not be seeing Hermione's perfect bottom in those snug Muggle jeans.

He was actually looking forward to spending the afternoon shopping with her considering that, with the exception of the confectioners and Gladrags, they liked the same shops, and unlike the last Hogsmeade weekend, he'd have her to himself. Both Luna Longbottom and Ginevra had requested overnight privileges to spend the weekend with their wizards, and Severus had approved the requests, knowing that if Ginevra was in Hogsmeade with Harry all weekend, he'd have more time with Hermione. The only hindrance to his plans was how much time Hermione would want to spend with her Bulgarian friend.

He pocketed his black birch wand with the phoenix feather core in his halter because the wand still felt more intrinsically friendly and supple than his original wand, and considering the amount of use he'd had with it working on the Médusa Potion, it admittedly felt stronger as well. 'Black birch, twelve and three quarters, strong yet supple. The phoenix feather core is from Dumbledore's own familiar, given to me just before he died,' he remembered Ollivander telling him with a mysterious smile the day he'd purchased it.

Many of the students were congregating in the Entrance Hall, giving their names to either Professor McGonagall or Professor Flitwick before leaving to walk down to Hogsmeade when Severus escorted Hermione down the stairs. Two of Hermione's friends, Miss Warwick and Miss Jameson, greeted Hermione warmly in the Entrance Hall, each wishing her and Severus good day before they walked away with Mr. Penwalter and Mr. Randlall through the huge oak doors. Her other friend, Miss Blackpoole had been granted leave to go with Mr. Bronte to visit one of his elderly relatives, and Minerva suspected that the couple would be engaged shortly, if the rumors were true.

The walk from the castle was pleasant. A thick layer of snow covered the ground, but the sun was out, and the sky was clear. As they walked to the village, Hermione eagerly talked with him about her Transfiguration project and the difficulty she'd been having. He knew from conversations with Septima that Hermione had made huge strides in Arithmancy with her calculations for the project; and she would be published for disproving Penhallow's fifth principal exception to Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration, something that would make quite a stir among those in the field of Transfiguration. Nevertheless, he knew that Hermione's frustration in her work steamed from the fact she was trying to do something impossible, and she hated admitting failure.

It had been arranged to have increased security in the village. Aaron Brodes and Maurice Duncan were standing sentinel outside the school gates with Hagrid, and Aurors Fairley and MacNaughton were watching the students enter the village at the Hogsmeade station. Fairley nodded to Severus in greeting as he and Hermione walked by. But Severus had expected a stronger Auror presence in the village; instead there were mostly the trainees and their instructors standing sentinel. Auror Raphael Sparks and his trainees, Cho Chang and Imelda Drake stood outside of Honeydukes, and from where he stood Severus could see Hayward Blume and Ronald were standing between Gladrags and Scrivenshaft's with Auror Darrel Cattouse and Seamus Finnigan.

"Severus, what's wrong?" Hermione asked.

He turned to look at her, but his gaze stopped when he saw Harry with Ginevra talking to Neville and Luna Longbottom before they disappeared into Zonkos. "Nothing of import," he said, wondering if there would be more Aurors near the Hog's Head or the Three Broomsticks.

"You're frowning," she said, drawing his attention again.

"Remembering something," he said, not intending for it to sound so dismissive. He tried smiling at her and hoped it didn't look strained. "Where to first?"

She cocked her head and naturally pointed to Honeydukes. "Lead the way," he said, hoping he sounded jovial enough. He scanned the street. He couldn't tell if there were any Aurors at the end of the street or not.

After Honeydukes, they perused the items for sale in Timothy's Tinkers. Timothy and Mary Tingley were new to the village, and he had opened his business to sell or repair pots, kettles, pans and cauldrons as well as having a few tankards and pewter bowls displayed in the window. Hermione expressed a desire to go to Scrivenshaft's next and then the bookshop. "When are you expecting to meet your friend, the Bulgarian?" he asked, opening the door as they exited the Tinker's.

"At lunch," Hermione said, turning to wait for him since he held the door open for two elderly ladies to enter. "He said that he and Tatiana will be here at noon. He wanted to meet up at the Three Broomsticks. You don't mind, do you?"

"No," he said, although he wanted to tell her he did in fact mind, but she placed her hand on his arm and leaned into him, smiling happily, which gave him a sense of reassurance. They proceeded casually down the street, stopping occasionally to peer at a window. But halfway through the village, a large, red firework exploded up in the air, followed by another and a third. A small group of students, mostly fourth-years, stepped out from between two of the shops, walking in front of Seymour Wilkes. Severus drew his wand, but Wilkes simply sneered at him from behind the students, who stood facing Severus with blank expressions on their faces and glassy eyes, effectively blocking Severus from making a clean shot.

Two more groups of students, this time hustled out of the shops by shopkeepers and shop assistants, moved into the street, mulling about confused, blocking Severus from dealing with Wilkes. He shouted, "Get out of the way," as Hermione yelled, "Move - find cover!" and the students tried to run back into the shops, slipping and sliding on the icy walkways, but the shop workers stood in the doorways of their shops, staring blankly ahead, prevented them from gaining entrance. Wilkes fired at Severus, and he blocked the spell. Wilkes fired again, and Severus easily defended himself and Hermione from the spells but reluctantly fired each time he had the slightest opportunity of a clean shot, not wanting to hit the students. From the corner of his eye Severus could see that all the shops were evicting their customers, and most of the people filing into the street loitered about in confusion, some arguing with the shop personnel to let them back in.

Within the confusion, two more faces Severus recognized materialized in the crowd: Edward Scunthorpe was smirking maliciously at Severus, and Phillip Selwyn was leering at Hermione, both with their wands drawn. Selwyn sent up a shrilly whistling flare from his wand, and suddenly all the shopkeepers drew their wands, firing spells randomly into the crowd. Pandemonium broke out as the terrified students began screaming and crying, running for any available cover, only to be herded back into the street by the shop personnel, as the few adult shoppers in the village scrambled for cover as well. Many of the terrified students simply squatted together in the icy street, huddling together in groups with their arms over their heads and around each other.

Severus saw Maurice Geissler, normally a reserved wizard Severus knew, who provided two scholarships a year for Slytherin students, was firing spells recklessly at the terrified students, and further down the street, Justin Ferkel, a fishmonger from the wharf in Newport, moved cautiously down the street in Harry and Ginevra's direction. Ronald and Auror Blume were trying desperately to gain an advantage against the Hackney brothers, Tyrone and Thomas, shoving students and a rotund witch out of their way, and Ezekiel Stroup and Gordon Pikes were fighting with Finnigan and two seventh-year students, Delgado and Watson as Cattouse and Messrs. Peaks and Coppersmith tried to subdue a shop assistant from Scrivenshaft's who was firing widely and out of control. As Severus tried to find a way out for the students while defending them from Wilkes' attack, Cho and Auror Sparks rushed forward, engaging Edward Scunthorpe and Phillip Selwyn in a wandfight. All around Severus students cowered in clusters, while others students continued to scramble for cover, running in circles, trapped within the battle.

Several of the older students were attempting to immobilize or hex the shopkeepers, trying to get them to move, but several of them ended up victims of the shopkeepers and fell to the ground. Severus backed up and tripped over a student, Byron Stewart, who was staring up with blank eyes, and was hit in the shoulder by a hex. However, Severus' defensive charm had knocked Wilkes into a stone wall, impacting his head on the bricks with a sickening crack, and the wizard fell to the ground out cold, although Severus had hit two of the students shielding him with the blast as well.

Behind him, Hermione went down on her knees by Imelda Drake, who was lying face down in the icy mud. Hermione's shield charm wavered, and she fired spell after spell at the wizard in the doorway of a shop across the street while seventh-years, Randell and Wevernthrall fired spells at the shops as well, but Severus couldn't tell if Hermione had been hit or not.

Suddenly, Devon Runcorn appeared in the side of the street, his wand aimed at Hermione, but Severus was too busy trying to stop one of the shop assistants from Zonkos and a seamstress from Gladrags from hexing students uncontrollably to be able to do anything for Hermione. However, she was protecting herself with shield charms that kept fluctuating under the onslaught of Runcorn's and a clerk's curses. Down the street, Severus could see Harry and Ginevra approaching, their wands drawn, as the Longbottoms fought Phillip Brixton and the wizard from the post office, who likewise seemed to firing spells indiscriminately at anything that moved.

A large clusters of terrified students huddled in the street trying to shield themselves, but mostly their wands were shooting sparks, and a few of the ones at the edges of the group had apparently fallen. Severus hoped none of the students were dead.

"Hermione, get back," Harry shouted.

A lucky shot from Blake Blume's wand caused the Gladrags seamstress to fall face down, and Mr. Carlin, one of Hermione's revision partners, fired on the shop assistants from Zonkos. Severus took aim at Runcorn, ready to fire a nasty curse at the wizard for attacking Hermione, but his spell collided with Harry's causing a huge spell blast that knocked several people to the ground, including Hermione. Harry turned in surprise as Severus took aim again, but he didn't have a clean shot at Runcorn, who was successfully making Hermione back away across the street with the onslaught of his spells.

Severus was ready to cast the Impediment Curse at the pair, hoping to hit Runcorn, but suddenly Harry looked at Severus with a wild look in his eyes, and the boy took aim at him. Already in mid cast, the incantation, "Impedimenta," forming from his mouth, Severus reacted, his wand flicking at Harry as Harry shouted, "Expelliarmus." The spells jetted forth from their wands, and in one split second, Severus knew what Harry was about as the wand cores connected, although how Harry knew of his wand surprised him, unless Hermione or Ginevra had mentioned it to him – but seeing Ginevra nodding as if pleased, he quickly realized it had been her.

Severus' wand vibrated with the intensity of the magical force, producing a bright, fiery gold beam that rose up, creating a fiery arch between them with large beads of light that began to travel through the connection. Without knowing why, since he'd neither experienced nor seen this phenomenon first hand, Severus mentally pushed at the beads, focusing his will to keep them away, fighting the intense vibration in his wand and arm, and the beads began to collect at the center. The next second, the center of the beam flared, then divided, creating arches and splinters that bent to the ground and crisscrossed around, forming a blazing cage that surrounded everyone in the street.

Within the cage, the frightened students ducked and covered their heads with their arms, many of them also shielding cowering classmates and friends with their bodies. The students caught on the outside, crouched tightly against the walls of the shops in small groups.

On the perimeters, several of the Death Eaters froze, gaping at the sight. But the Aurors on the outside of the cage, who were more focused on saving the innocent victims, took advantage of the distraction and all fired at once, making several of the Death Eaters and shopkeepers fall to the ground.

Harry yelled, "Break it! Severus, break it now," and Severus gathered his will, and – seeing Harry do the same – he forcibly pulled his wand up, and the connection broke, shattering the fiery cage with a resounding static pulse that sent those standing on the outside falling to the ground.

As Severus regained his breath, he and the Aurors and Auror trainees quickly gained their feet and started to subdue the remaining shopkeepers and shop assistants.

"Where's Phillip Selwyn?" Auror Sparks asked, looking around.

"He vanished," Mr. Carlin stated, pointing at the spot he'd last seen the wizard. "Looked like he used a Portkey."

Aurors Fairley and Brodes both cast the Portkey Detection Spell. Three funnel-shaped lights appeared that sunk in on themselves as they faded while two more small glowing points faded quickly. "Three."

"Five," Blume said and pointed to one of the vanishing points, "That was one of the Hackeny twins."

"And that one was Ferkle, I believe," Harry stated, indicating the vanishing third spot. "I remember him from the Green Afanc."

Aaron Brodes cast the Renuverating Charm on Auror Duncan as Auror Fairley checked on the shopkeepers that had fallen at Honeydukes while MacNaughton checked the shop assistant across the street. "Imperiused," Severus heard Sparkes say to Auror Blume and Ronald on his right.

"This one too," Blume said as Cho, Ronald and Finnigan checked on the students in the street, but Severus was scanning every face in the street, searching the crowds with a growing sense of panic.

"Where is Hermione?" Severus shouted, a rising sense of dread clawing at him as he turned around, looking for her, seeing Kazimir, Harry and Ginevra come running up to him with anxious looks of their own.

~ T B C ~>

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o0o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Author's notes:

I know, I know. But it got too long, and I had to stop somewhere! Okay, not really; but you have to know we'll find out what happened in the next chapter, right?

I want to thank Arabellabloodgood, my alpha-reader, to Proulxes for adding a bit of British flare to my chapter, and my beta, FrankQ, for giving this a read and helping me clean up all my mistakes. I really appreciate it very much.