Chapter 7

Disclaimer: The world of Harry Potter belongs to JKR. I only take them out to play.

A/N: Many thanks to my wonderful betas Lariope and Ladyinthecloak.

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CHAPTER 7

"I could ask you the same question," Hermione sighed as she removed her hands from his bare flesh and sat next to him on the workbench.

Without lifting his head, Severus turned his pillowed head to look at her with obsidian eyes too tired, at this moment, to hide the emotions that were swirling in their black depths. He quirked one eyebrow, in inquiry to her statement, encouraging her to continue her train of thought.

"Never did I ever imagine that I would be sitting in my parents' basement brewing potions with Severus Snape, one of the most accomplished Potions masters in Great Britain." She shook her head in confusion as she continued. "Two months ago I thought you and the Headmaster were both dead and now..." She trailed off, not knowing what to say.

Severus shifted in his seat, finally raising his head to look her in the eye. "And now?"

"And now so much has changed."

"Hermione, can you tell me why you agreed to this, why you agreed to help the Headmaster and me of all people?" Severus asked.

"Well, isn't it obvious?" she asked in exasperation. Did he really not understand what had really changed?

"One would assume it is your natural Gryffindor instincts that have lead you down this path," he drawled in his best Professor Snape sneering tones. "Yet, that truly does not explain why we find ourselves in our current situation." Severus could not bring himself to outright say, that doesn't explain why I find myself wanting you and to be touched by you on more than a physical level, which is what he was thinking. To say so would be just too Gryffindor to bear. He hoped that he could lead her to revealing what her motivations were, but the girl...no, woman...had become much more contained than he remembered from the days she had spent in his classroom. No longer was she the hand-waving little girl, seeking approval from all authority figures. She had matured, and Severus was very much drawn to the woman she had become.

In exasperation, Hermione stood from the bench and began pacing the room. Severus' eyes tracked her progress. Finally, she stopped whirling to face him. "This has nothing to do with house loyalties or characteristics! This goes beyond who is going to win the bloody House cup!" Sitting back down beside him, she tried to calm her emotions to continue. "Haven't we gotten beyond the 'you scary Potions professor, me the know-it-all with all the answers' thing? I don't have all of the answers. Merlin, I don't even know all of the questions!"

Severus had never seen the Gryffindor so unsettled, and with a sigh he relented, "I do not have the answers either, and what concerns me is I want to find out what they are."

Hermione realized this was the closest he would come to admitting an interest, but she could not resist pushing the point, "We are not talking about potions, are we?"

Leaning forward, Severus gently grasped her head between his hands, her curls twinning themselves about his fingers, and softly laid his lips upon hers, hesitating only slightly in case she were to pull away. She did not. Gradually, he felt her lips softening to his own, encouraging him to deepen the kiss. In relief, he felt her arms come up to wrap around his shoulders as his tongue sought entry. It was surreal; neither attempted to over-power the other. Instead, it was a languid exploration. When air became a necessity, they pulled back from one another, both wearing matching expressions of awareness. Not wanting the moment to end, but knowing the potion needed tending, Severus took Hermione's hand in his, helping her up so they could get back to work.

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They had reached a stumbling block. Severus had every confidence that the alterations made to the Wolfsbane Potion would be successful. After years of brewing, he had developed an instinct where potions and innovation were concerned, but he did not want to risk the Headmaster's life on the chance that this time he could be wrong. The law of averages was against them. What they needed was another werewolf to test the potion on first. Severus did not like the idea of having Albus endure another transformation, but he liked even less the thought that a flaw in his and Hermione's experimentation could cause his death. He brought this thought to Hermione's attention, "I wish that we knew of another werewolf that would be willing to be a test subject; if only Lupin had survived the war."

Startled, Hermione looked up, "What do you mean, if only he had survived the war?"

"Well, with his affection for Albus and his own affliction, I am sure that he would have been willing to test the potion first, obviously." Severus sneered. They had been getting on rather well, and he did not wish to cause an argument, but he thought sometimes for someone so bright she was rather dense. Must be all the time spent with dunderheads like Potter and Weasley, Severus thought to himself.

"But, Severus, Remus did not die in the war. He is alive and well, living in Godric's Hollows with Tonks and Teddy," Hermione stated, rather surprised he did not know this already.

"What? I read in the Prophet that both he and Tonks had perished," Severus replied with a look of incredulity on his face.

"Well, there is your answer." If it were not so sad, Hermione would have laughed. "Since when do you believe everything that rag prints? In truth, the Light lost very few to the Dark Lord and his minions."

"I think that, perhaps, you, Albus and I should have a talk about the results of the war. We both thought Remus had been lost," Severus whispered; the tone of relief in his voice could not be mistaken. "Do you think that he would be willing to come here?"

"I am not sure; he has kept pretty much to himself since the end of the war, but it is worth a try." Hermione thought aloud, "I think it would be best if I go in person and alone, but I am going to have to tell him what has been going on, and I have not even mentioned anything to Harry and Ron."

It was a reflection of how anxious Severus was to have the potion tested that he did not even argue with Hermione's assessment of the situation. An owl was sent and plans were made for Hermione to Apparate to Godric's Hollow in the morning. They both decided it would be best not to mention anything to the Headmaster until it was determined whether or not Remus would be willing to participate in the testing of the potion. For this reason, they held off their discussion of the war.

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A soft pop announced Hermione's arrival at the cemetery where Harry's parents were buried. It was only a short walk from the Potter mansion and the only place she could think of to have Remus meet her. She wanted to be able to talk to him privately before bringing Tonks into the mix--if Remus agreed. She looked at the marble monument Harry had commissioned when the war was over. He had wanted to honor the sacrifice his parents both had made in saving him and ultimately the whole of the Wizarding world. It read, In Loving Memory of James and Lily Potter; You Did Not Die In Vain; below each name was the year of birth and death. Harry had made both her and Ron promise, before the final confrontation, if anything happened to him he would be laid to rest here with his parents. She was sure this would still be his wish, but was glad she was not looking at the resting place of her friend, now.

"Hermione, what is so secretive that you could not just come to the house?" Remus startled Hermione with his arrival, as she was lost in thought.

Whirling around reflexively at the first sound, wand drawn, Hermione dropped her arm to her side when she saw Remus' arms up in a posture of peace, chuckling, "Sorry about that...reflex."

"No need to apologize." Remus used his raised arms to give Hermione a hug of welcome, which she readily reciprocated; anything to collect her thoughts on how she was going to ask Remus for his help and deliver him the shock of a lifetime.

Stepping back, Hermione began to wring her hands in agitation. Just how do you tell someone that their mentor is alive, a werewolf, and dying, but you may have found the cure by working with the man that had supposedly killed him?

"Remus, I do apologize for the secrecy, but what I have to tell you must be handled delicately and with caution." Hermione continued to hedge as she struggled to find the words to tell him of the Headmaster's plight. Would it be best to just blurt it out? Or would it be better to build up to it gradually? From the look on her former professor and friend's face, she decided to just leap in with both feet. "I need you to come with me; I think it would be best to show you rather than to try and explain."

"Can you at least tell me where we will be going?" Remus questioned. It was not that he did not trust Hermione, but her nervousness was disconcerting.

"It really would be easier to explain once we get there. Would you mind allowing me to Side-Along Apparate us?" Hermione requested with a pleading tone to her voice.

A bemused expression on his face, Remus held out his arm in acceptance. She would Apparate them to wherever they would be going.

With a grateful smile, Hermione linked her arm with his to Disapparate them to the back garden of her parents' home. Once there, she turned to him, again apprehensive of what she would be revealing to Remus. "I hope that you can keep an open mind about what you are about to learn." With no further hesitation, Hermione led him into the kitchen where Severus was sitting at the table drinking a cup of tea.

"Severus! Is it really you? How did you survive?" The apparent joy in Remus' voice caught both Hermione and Severus by surprise.

At the first sound of his name, the former Death Eater turned spy had jolted to his feet, wand ready to defend. Realizing there was no threat, Severus lowered his wand.

"Lupin, I take it Miss Granger has informed you of our research and the need of your assistance," Severus began.

"Actually, no, Severus, I decided it would be better if I brought Remus here to explain things," interrupted Hermione.

Raising his brow, Severus once again graced the werewolf with his piercing gaze, not willing to admit to his curiosity as to why the man was so pleased to see him if he did not know of the potential of a cure.

Seeming to understand both Hermione and Severus must be puzzled by his exuberance where the survival of his supposed sworn enemy's survival was concerned, Remus decided to explain. "I know you think I would have wished you dead, Severus, but you are not the only one to whom Albus confided. I know he had hopes you would survive the war, and I know he made you vow to protect Draco's soul," Remus explained. "I do not hold you responsible for his death. It was cruel of him to ask such a thing of you."

Realizing the Headmaster had once again laid the groundwork to protect him from Azkaban should anything go wrong, Severus was relieved by the old man's forethought. This would make things easier to explain. "Indeed, I am relieved you are aware of the Headmaster's plan; however, I believe he left out a few details."

It was at this moment the Headmaster decided to make an appearance in the kitchen. "Remus, it is so good to see you!" Albus greeted the man he considered: friend, colleague, and now, kindred spirit.

Stunned, speechless, the former Defense Against the Dark Arts professor appeared to have been struck by Petrificus Totalus.

At the man's stunned expression, Albus turned to the room's other two inhabitants. "Severus, Hermione, did you not tell him I live?"

There was nothing else to be done; at this befuddled pronouncement by the Headmaster, both the taciturn man and the nervous girl burst out in laughter, falling into each other's arms. It was many minutes before calm once again reigned in the kitchen, and all could be discussed rationally.

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"If I understand correctly, you want me to test the modified Wolfsbane Potion for ill effect before it is administered to Albus," Remus summarized once he had been briefed on all that had transpired since the fateful night at Hogwarts. "I would be honored."

"No, absolutely not; I will not allow you to put Remus' life in jeopardy," the Headmaster interjected.

"Albus, this is not up for discussion," snarled the Potions master. "Either you allow someone else to test the potion first, or it will not be used at all! Lupin is the only reasonable option, as he is a member of the Order."

"You would allow me to die rather than test the potion myself?"

"I will not have innocent hands sullied with your death. If I prevent you from ingesting the cure, then, yes, you will eventually die. I do not wish this to happen, Albus, you know, but I cannot permit the chance your unwitting death would cause harm to another's soul."

It finally dawned on Hermione why Severus did not want Albus to test the potion. It was because she had helped to brew it. More, it was her theory they were testing. Did Severus really think it would matter if it were the Headmaster or Remus? If either man perished from this potion, her soul, as he put it, would be impacted. So would his own. Hermione knew there was no love lost between the two younger wizards, but she did not believe Severus would be unaffected should anything happen to Remus. She wondered, though, if Albus were to perish from the potion would he blame her? It was this thought that brought Hermione back to the conversation.

"Headmaster, I think Professor Snape has a point. Remus has suffered much longer with Lycanthropy and would be better able to evaluate the effects of the potion," Hermione interjected into the argument in full swing.

Severus looked at her with gratitude in his eyes. This was one argument Albus could not refute. Scientifically, it was more appropriate for Lupin to test the potion. "I have to agree, Albus; Remus will be able to provide us with his impressions as to whether the potion requires any adjustments." Severus hastened to support Hermione's theorem before the older wizard could speak.

"I agree as well, Albus; who better to test this than a werewolf who has been transforming monthly for over three decades?" Remus reiterated.

With the majority vote in, there was nothing to be said. Dumbledore knew Severus would not back down. He would simply destroy the potion and never try again. As much as he did not wish to jeopardize anyone else's life, Albus knew the potion would free many to a better life if they were successful. "Very well, I cannot fight all of you. Remus will test the potion."

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It was easier than anyone anticipated for Remus to be at the Granger house for the full moon. Since he and Tonks had settled at Godric's Hollow, he had left each month before the full moon and returned after. He would not place his family in jeopardy, and since Severus' death, he had not found anyone he trusted to brew the Wolfsbane Potion for him. Each month he had suffered through the transformation, warded inside the Shrieking Shack. If he arrived early, he was able to ward the building himself and un-ward it when he returned to himself. Silently, Remus prayed to every deity he knew for this potion to be successful. He knew if anyone were capable of finding the cure, it would be Severus Snape, but he could not help but wonder why Hermione supported his testing of the potion over the Headmaster's.

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On the eve of the full moon, Severus approached Remus in the master bedroom he was sharing with Albus. The Grangers' house was not overly large, and this was the best accommodation available both in space and the ability to monitor the werewolves during transformation.

"Lupin, Albus will be in a dreamless sleep from this evening through the transformation. Upon waking, he will have transformed, but will be able to communicate through a form of Legilimency. He actually projects his thoughts into the minds of those with whom he wishes to communicate," Severus explained.

Nodding, Remus acknowledged the information, but he was lost in his own thoughts. He had spent the better part of the afternoon with Albus and was already aware of what to expect. What he had not anticipated was the information the Headmaster felt compelled to share regarding the relationship between the acerbic Potions master and Miss Hermione Granger. Apparently, they were much more than student and teacher or research partners. According to Albus, he had observed them on more than one occasion sharing confidences and affectionate touches. The Headmaster felt certain there had been at least one instance of a physical intimacy. This knowledge disturbed Remus more than he was willing to admit. It was not as if he felt anything for Hermione other than friendship, but she was his friend, and he did not want to see the young woman hurt. A relationship with Snape could only mean pain. Hadn't he already watched Lily suffer? He could not sit back and allow the same fate for Hermione.

"Severus, what is going on between you and young Miss Granger?"

At the Gryffindor's blunt question, Severus visibly straightened and his eyes narrowed. "I do not see as if this is any of your business; suffice it to say we have collaborated on the potion you will be taking this evening."

"She is my friend, and I do not wish to see her hurt, no offense."

"Why would you presume that I would or could hurt Miss Granger?"

"Your track record speaks for itself. I watched you hurt Lily, and she never would have married James had you not turned her away with your cruelty. I will not see you do the same to Hermione and have you dispose of her when she no longer suits your purpose."

Severus' in-drawn breath was audible as his nostrils flared in anger. How dare the werewolf and his impertinence? "I did not force Lily to choose Potter! You know not of what you speak, you and your interfering friends. Do you know why I joined the Dark Lord? As for Miss Granger, you will not speak of her again!" With a billowing of his robes, Severus left Lupin, shocked to the core.

Had the school-boy pranks of their youth truly led Severus to Voldemort? He had always been a nasty piece of work in school, but honestly, he had been provoked time and time again. Remus had a lot to think about.

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Severus was in the lab when Hermione returned from purchasing the supplies they would need during the full-moon cycle. It was not practical for either of them to be absent during and directly following the transformations. He was not, as she had anticipated, though, going over the calculations for the potions. Instead, she found him sitting in the dark. "What is going on, Severus? Why are you down here in the dark? Has something happened to the Headmaster?" Hermione asked as she crossed the room to stand before him.

"No, Albus is fine and resting peacefully."

"Then, I must ask again what has drawn you down to your dungeons?"

"Is it too much that I may seek some peace and quiet from the ever present Gryffindors in this house?" Severus snarled.

Hermione was taken aback by his venomous response. It had been weeks since he had turned on her so. They had been getting along, finding joy in each other's company, and she did not know what to make of the sudden shift in his mood toward her. "Very well; I will be in the kitchen if you wish to work." She turned to leave the way she had come.

"Hermione, stop," Severus held out his hand for hers. "Please do not go. I should not have snapped at you. I am out of sorts. Lupin and I had a confrontation earlier, and he made me realize some things I did not wish to face."

The desolation in Severus' voice stopped Hermione more than the words themselves. He sounded so tired and weary; her heart already belonged to him, and she could not hurt him further by leaving him when he was so vulnerable. Though their relationship had progressed, it was not common for him to reveal so much through words, actions or tone. She turned back to where he still sat in the corner of darkness, approaching him as one might a wounded animal, with caution and care. When Hermione reached his side, she gently placed her hand upon his shoulder, always rigid with pride; he now sat with his shoulders hunched as if protecting himself from the next blow.

When he felt her hand upon his shoulder, he sagged in relief. She had not left him. His hateful words had not driven her away, as they had another. He turned into her warmth, burying his head against her stomach, his arms holding her like a vice.

Hermione might not have understood what had driven Severus to hold her as if he feared her leaving, but instinctively, she sought to comfort. She gently stroked his head, shoulders and back as if he were a small child, and gradually, the tension left his body. Though he did not let go, the desperation seemed to abate, and Hermione could once again draw breath comfortably. She murmured softly, "What is it, Severus? What has you in such a state?"

He answered her question with one of his own. "Why are you here?"

"I assume you mean with you, not in the literal sense of my location or working with you on the potion?" Hermione asked as she continued to stroke his hair.

Severus nodded his head against her body, afraid his voice may reveal the fear he felt at her answer.

"Before I answer you, and make no mistake I will, I wish for you to look at me." With these words Hermione extricated herself from Severus' arms, holding his hands in her own as she sat down beside him.

Severus reluctantly raised his head, though he allowed his hair to curtain his features from her view. Gently, Hermione brushed the hair back from his face, holding his cheek in her palm. "Do you trust in me enough to know I will tell you the truth, or do you wish for me to take Veritaserum?"

Wide eyed at her offer to lay her soul bare to him, Severus found his voice, "That is not necessary."

"I am glad to hear that, though I would have done so if you requested because I want no misunderstandings," Hermione stated matter-of-factly. "I am here, sitting in the dark, on the basement floor for one reason, and one reason only... I love you."