Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11

Disclaimer: Mine... in my dreams, maybe.

A/N: Ladyinthecloak and Lariope are the best betas an author could ask for. They have my undying gratitude, as always.

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The late afternoon sun was shining through the gossamer shades, which is what ultimately woke Hermione. Rolling over to find a comfortable position in which to drift back off to sleep...she had been having the most fabulous dream...she encountered a body next to her in the bed. Cautiously opening her eyes, she found herself staring into the black depths of none other than Severus Snape's eyes. Hmm... maybe it wasn't all a dream. Smiling, she brushed hair that she had no hopes of controlling out of her face. "Good morning," she mumbled, hoping to block the worst of her breath.

"Afternoon, or perhaps evening, might be a more appropriate greeting given the position of the sun," he replied with a trace of a smile gracing his lips and eyes.

Hermione could not ever recall seeing Severus so... well, mellow was the only word for it. "Indeed, we seemed to have slept the day away."

"Mmmm... I can think of what I would like to do with the evening," he replied as he leaned over, giving her a lingering kiss.

All it took was the brush of his lips on hers to awaken her passion as she returned the kiss in kind.

Severus continued his exploration of her mouth and continued to her jaw, finding a particularly sensitive spot just behind her earlobe.

"If you continue like this, you are going to have me howling at the moon," she sighed.

At the words howling at the moon, Severus paused in mid nibble on her earlobe. They both jumped out of bed as though they had been burned.

How could I have forgotten Remus and the potion? Hermione thought to herself as she rummaged through her closet for clothing to throw on. When she caught a glimpse of Severus hastily buttoning the shirt he had worn the night before, she realized just how she could have forgotten. Who would have thought he had been hiding that body beneath all those layers? she thought on a sigh.

Severus, too, was berating himself; he had meant to check on Albus after making sure the potion had prevented Lupin from transforming. How could I have been so absent minded? Just then he saw Hermione bend over to place one leg into a pair of black lacy knickers. How indeed? She is positively lovely.

In only moments both were headed down the stairs. Both stopped in their tracks when they heard voices from the kitchen. The house was not under the Fidelius Charm, so both drew their wands, not knowing who was in the kitchen.

Hermione was the first to recognize Remus' chuckling and then... was that the Headmaster?

With his wand still drawn, Severus pushed open the swinging door to the kitchen, keeping Hermione shielded with his body. When he saw Lupin and Albus sitting at the table over a pot of tea, he visibly relaxed and entered...Hermione close behind him. Both casually stowed their wands before either of the other men had noticed their presence.

At the sound of the door swinging closed, Remus looked up, noticing the pair in the doorway. "Ahhh... I see the two of you managed to get some rest; settle in for a cuppa," he stated, flicking his wand, which had been lying on the counter, to bring two more cups to the table.

Albus, too, looked over at the pair, his eyes twinkling madly as he noticed both seemed more disheveled than one would expect after a night of rest. "Severus, Remus tells me the potion was a complete success."

Caught off guard by the two men, Severus replied in his typical brusque fashion, "I would not go so far as to say a complete success, as he did require an additional dosing in the early morning hours, but transformation was prevented."

"Come now, Severus," chided Albus. "You must be quite pleased. I know I, for one, am looking forward to not having to endure another full moon in the manner of the last few months."

Severus could not deny he, too, was looking forward to being able to prevent the transformations Albus had endured. Being able to prevent the monthly transformation, he hoped, would buy him the time to find an actual cure for lycanthropy. The potion was, in his mind, merely a stopgap, but indeed an important step toward his ultimate goal of an actual cure.

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It was early evening, and the four were just finishing a late supper around the kitchen table when a jet black owl tapped on the kitchen window.

"Oh, it's Prince!" exclaimed Hermione. "I wonder what Harry is wanting?"

"Prince?" Severus queried with a raised eyebrow.

"Well... yes." She appeared to stall.

How was she to tell him that though Harry still disliked the man for all he had done in school, he had felt honor-bound to name his new familiar after him? Harry had searched for more than a month before finding an owl that was pure black. It wasn't until he had found the owl and purchased it that he confided in Ron and herself his intent to honor the Potions master's memory by naming the bird after him. Hermione found it rather endearing, but was not sure how Severus would feel about it.

"You see, after Hedwig was killed, Harry needed a new owl, and, well..." Hermione trailed off again as the Headmaster began to chuckle.

"It appears, Severus, you have been given a great honor." Albus chuckled as he realized what Harry had done. "Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived, if you will, has named his new familiar after you posthumously."

At Dumbledore's jovial pronouncement, Hermione's cheeks flushed as she nodded her confirmation, for she, too, was now laughing and unable to respond otherwise.

When realization hit the other two men at the table, Remus, too, burst out in laughter as Severus sputtered with indignation.

When quiet once more graced the kitchen, Severus drawlingly inquired, "Why would I consider this to be an honor?" And laughter burst forth once more in the kitchen. After so many stress-filled weeks, it felt good to laugh amongst friends.

When all was once again calm, the Headmaster collected himself to address the delicate matter of himself and Severus reentering the wizarding world. "Now that a cure has been found, I do believe it is time we look toward letting others know we are alive and hale," Albus stated without a twinkle present in his crystal blue eyes.

This brought the other occupants of the dimly-lit kitchen to attention. It appeared no one had thought ahead to the future and what it would mean once a cure had been found.

Albus would most assuredly wish to return to Hogwarts, and Severus...what would he wish to do now that he was free with no master to answer to? Hermione thought to herself. Would he wish to remain at Hogwarts as well or strike out on his own? He had certainly never appeared happy to be a teacher.

As no one else appeared to be ready to voice an opinion, Hermione took a shuddering breath. "I think perhaps it would be best to get the Order together first. This way we will have collective support. Severus' name was cleared after his death, but there is no telling what the reaction will be once people find out he is alive."

"Too true, Miss Granger," Albus agreed. "It is one thing to proclaim a man a hero in death, but that same man could be persecuted for the same actions in life."

"Professor," Remus hesitated as he glanced toward Albus, "Headmistress McGonagall, I think, would be the best place to start. She would be able to contact the others."

Deciding they would surely over-think themselves, Hermione decided on the spot to contact the Headmistress immediately. Glancing at the clock, she saw it was just shy of nine and knew the Headmistress would not have retired for the evening. "I think I should pop over to Hogwarts immediately and bring her here."

After a bit of arguing, the men agreed it would indeed be best to get the ball rolling, and Minerva would be the best person to know how to announce to all there were two fewer losses on the side of the Light.

Hermione stood and walked to Severus' side. She refused to be ashamed of her love for this man and thus would not hide it from her friends...and leaned over to kiss him farewell.

Taken by surprise, the embarrassed man could do nothing but succumb to the kiss as a healthy color rose to his face. It was not as passionate as those they had shared the night before, or rather that morning; yet, it still left no doubt in the other men's eyes as to the nature of their relationship.

With a beaming smile, Hermione turned on the spot to Apparate to the gates of Hogwarts.

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Once outside the gates of Hogwarts, Hermione cast her Patronus to send a message to the Headmistress. She was not surprised to note her Patronus had changed shape from the gamboling otter of her school days, but she crafted her message to Minerva with care, as she was sure there would be many questions forthcoming.

In no time at all, Hermione saw a lantern bobbing its way across the grounds, held aloft by Professor McGonagall.

"Miss Granger, to what do I owe this late-night visit? Why has your Patronus changed?" Minerva asked in rapid fire as she stowed her wand, once she ascertained it was indeed Hermione at the front gates.

"I am sorry for the late hour, Professor, but all will be explained," Hermione apologized, not addressing the latter question directly. "Did you come prepared to Apparate as I asked?"

"I have advised Professor Flitwick I will be away from the grounds, but I must ask what this is all about," the Headmistress stated in frustration.

"Professor, I know this all seems rather peculiar, and I would like nothing more than to be able to explain it, but if you will please just trust me...seeing is definitely easier to believe." Hermione implored her former Head of House.

"Very well, Miss Granger," Professor McGonagall sighed. "I trust you will be Apparating the both of us to this mystery location."

"Yes, madam," Hermione replied and did not waste another moment reaching out to take the older witch's arm to side-along-Apparate.

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Remus Lupin met the two ladies in the back garden and led them to the house.

The Headmistress was surprised to see Remus, as she was well aware of his habit of secluding himself during the full moon phase. The older woman looked to the sky and noted she had not been mistaken. The full moon had been the night before, and Lupin should have been sleeping off the after effects of a brutal transformation without Wolfsbane.

"Remus, how can this be?"

With a quick glance, Lupin chastised the younger witch for not preparing the older witch as he reached out to steady her steps in her shock.

"Minerva, I apologize; I thought you would have at least been told of my presence," the wizard replied as he continued to look at Hermione.

Hermione shrugged her shoulders. "One explanation would have only led to more questions. I thought it best to bring everything out at once."

Now, seeing the Headmistress' shock, she remembered the four Stunners she had suffered at the end of Hermione's fifth year and wondered if she had been correct.

Remus, thinking the same thing, took Minvera's arm as they walked up to the house. "Minerva, please, prepare yourself for a shock."

Looking between her two former students, she knew their thoughts. She may have been hit with four Stunners, but she was not a Pygmy Puff and refused to be coddled. "As long as you do not intend to tell me Lord Voldemort is once again resurrected, I shall survive," she huffed as she shook off Remus' hand and entered the dimly-lit kitchen.

A startled gasp and a thump were the next things to be heard.

Hermione and Remus entered the kitchen to find Severus already at the Headmistress' side, checking her over before casting Rennervate. He glared sharply up at the both of them.

"Severus, we tried to warn her..." Hermione began, only to be interrupted by a moan as Minerva regained consciousness.

"Explain yourselves this instant...all of you!" Minerva shouted as she brushed herself off, looking around the room to see not only her deceased colleague, but the man whose shoes she felt she would never adequately fill.

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Several hours later, Hermione and Severus were walking up to her Transfigured bedroom.

"I know it was a shock to her, but honestly, Severus, I could not find the words to tell her. Especially after my Patronus had changed," Hermione implored him to understand.

"Your Patronus changed?" He quirked his eyebrow at her. "You did not mention this.'

"Well, yes, instead of the otter, when I cast the spell, a panther appeared," Hermione explained.

"Do you know why your Patronus has changed form?"

"I remember Tonks' changed when she accepted her love for Remus, but I still am not sure why mine was a panther. Your Patronus was a doe..." She replied, trailing off.

"Yes, the Patronus I sent to Potter in the Forest of Dean was a doe, but when I first learned to cast the Patronus Charm, my original form was a panther," Severus explained.

At this remark, Hermione started to giggle.

"What do you find so amusing?"

"Severus, do you truly and honestly love me?" Hermione asked between fits of giggles.

At this question, he gathered the young woman in his arms and kissed her with all of the passion he had held in check throughout the evening. With his arms wrapped around her, he silently cast his Patronus and spelled his message to the ghostly figure.

"You know that I do."

As his lips were busy, at the moment, it startled Hermione to hear her lover's voice from behind her. Turning around, she saw a gamboling otter floating above the carpet.