Truce

A/N: If this was a movie this first scene would be cut; it is simply to satisfy an incorrigible little itchy muse, and... because I thought it was a funny idea. This is the last chapter. I don't own it, I just play with it. Charmed Force is my beta... neener neener...

Severus had made a pretty penny after the war by brewing and distributing the Wolfsbane potion under the alias S&R Potions. His primary salesman in all this was also his first client. Severus would be nowhere without the R in the equation. Many people, even werewolves, as if they had any room to talk, were cagey when it came to Severus Snape and would have been wary to actually buy anything he had brewed. So it was that Remus Lupin became his number one associate. Remus had just arrived to pick up the week's batch of Wolfsbane to be distributed to the local apothecaries.

The door to Severus' office flew open. "Severus! How's it going, mate?"

Severus rolled his eyes. "Do come in, Remus. Have a seat and I'll get the potions." Severus stood from where he had been seated behind his desk as Remus took a seat in front of the desk.

"No rush, Severus, I have a while before Tonks expects me home, and the potions don't actually need to be delivered until tomorrow. I was just out in Hogsmeade picking up some sweets for Tonks' ridiculous cravings and decided to drop by early. Uh, Severus, what is that?" he asked, pointing to the white box. Severus stopped and turned to face Remus. "That? That, my friend is a little gift from Miss Hermione Granger, bane of my existence."

"Oh, that's right. I heard she had come back here to teach, uh, what's it, Muggle Studies? A perfectly good waste of perfectly good talent if you ask me," he said. Severus snorted.

Remus continued, "I would have thought she'd be a Healer at St. Mungo's or something by now." Severus nodded his agreement.

"I, too, found it a strange occurrence, but perhaps Miss Granger's talent, as you call it, extends less deeply than we thought."

"Oh, come now, Severus. There's no mistaking she's brilliant. She always was."

Severus turned and went into the storeroom off his office.

"A mind to rival your own, I'd say," Remus continued louder. "Perhaps we could use her help here, as an assistant to aid you in the brewing process. You're busy enough as it is it with all your classes and other duties. I'm sure you could use the help. "

Remus could hear banging and muttering coming from the storeroom.

"Really, though, Severus, think on it. We could up our inventory, perhaps even extend as far as distributing to St. Mungo's, or an Owl-Order service. Think about it! You might not even have to teach anymore."

There was a loud bang and "Bloody monkey..."

"Severus? Everything alright."

"Humph" was all the response he got.

"Alright," Remus said warily. He sat deep in thought for a moment as Severus returned, scowling, from the storeroom carrying a large box.

"Seriously though, mate" Remus began again, leaning forward in his seat towards Severus, "Think about all the people out there who were affected by Greyback's gang during the war. There's no way to keep track of how many cases there are. The Ministry has only begun to scratch the surface, and the idea of a registry scares some people. These folks prefer anonymity to having to be registered and tagged like a pet. There is still a huge prejudice against them, innocent victims though most of them are. We could help them preserve their privacy and dignity."

Severus stood there with a box full of potions, deep in thought. "Perhaps, Remus, you have a good idea. I would not be adverse to helping more of these victims–" He was interrupted by the box, which gleefully began it's tune. Click Here For Music By Warren Zevon.

"Severus, what in the world is that?" Remus asked, gobsmacked.

"That, my friend is, apparently, an iPod, a Muggle music device lovingly bestowed upon myself by an irate Miss Granger." He set the box of potions on his desk and sighed. Then the verse began.

I saw a werewolf with a Chinese menu in his hand

Remus sat with his mouth hanging open, looking back and forth between the man and his Muggle music box.

Walking through the streets of Soho in the rain

He was looking for a place called Lee Ho Fook's

Going to get a big dish of beef chow mein

Ah-oo, Werewolves of London

Suddenly Remus burst out laughing, though to Severus it sounded more like a bark. Severus just shook his head.

"Severus, that's bloody brilliant! Har Har!"

"I'm glad you are enjoying it, Remus." Severus sat down in his chair, propped his black booted feet up on his desk, crossed his arms and scowled.

"You say this was Hermione's doing then?"

"Yes, Miss Granger was the master mind behind this lovely little charm," Severus replied and pursed his lips.

"Really? Har! That's brilliant. We have to use her, mate. She's a genius. Can you turn it on and off at will? What other songs does it play? Not that I don't terribly mind this one. Damn, Tonks would love this!"

"I shall inform Miss Granger of your approval; however, we will not be needing her assistance. I am perfectly capable of brewing without an assistant, and if I did require one she would be my last choice."

"Come, Severus..."

"No, Remus, I will not discuss it further. As I said, if I require assistance, I will find it elsewhere," Severus practically yelled.

"Alright, Severus." Remus shook his head, exasperated. "Just promise me that you will think about it. We really could help a lot of people, you know." Remus stood as the singing ended and picked up the box of potions. "Think about it and we'll talk again later."

Remus looked up at the box one last time and chuckled, shaking his head. "Brilliant." He began to walk to the door, stopped, and turned, "Severus, you know, those three – Hermione and Ron and Harry – they saw a lot of dreadful things during the war. They were never really given a chance to have a normal adolescence, any of them. Perhaps the reason why Hermione chose to come back here and teach has more to do with a desire to recapture what she lost than a lack of talent."

Severus glanced up at his old friend. They shared a moment of understanding before Remus turned and left Severus to his musing and his music.

(End Music.)

Severus sat at his desk Monday evening grading essays and enjoying the silence when suddenly, his silence was interrupted.

Click Here For Music By Depeche Mode.

Severus sighed deeply and put down his quill. He sat there for a moment staring into the empty classroom, hands splayed on his desk. He decided to just listen to what the box had to say. He hadn't been thinking about anything terribly interesting and was curious to hear what the box would play. It was a catchy beat. Briefly he thought he might not mind keeping the box around permanently. If, that is, there was a way of controlling it's timing and emissions. He found the beat of this particular song quite appealing and the tone of the man's voice wasn't unpleasant.

Words like violence

Break the silence

Come crashing in

Into my little world

Painful to me

Pierce right through me

Can't you understand

Oh my little girl

All I ever wanted

All I ever needed

Is here in my arms

Words are very unnecessary

They can only do harm

The words captivated him and he took a deep breath and lowered his head. Suddenly there was a gentle knock at the door. Figures, he thought, when I finally find a moment of peace, someone decides to interrupt.

"Enter," he barked. Hermione had stood outside the door listening to the song being played, immediately recognizing it. How appropriate, she thought wryly as she took a deep breath, opened the door and quietly entered.

Severus sat back in his chair and crossed his arms, watching as Hermione entered the classroom. As much as Severus wanted to hex the woman, he decided to sit and hear what she had to say.

Hermione walked up to his desk, feeling oddly like a first year that'd been sentenced to detention.

"Severus," she began. But she didn't know exactly what to say. She didn't know exactly what she could do to make up for the humiliation and trouble she had caused him.

"I..." she stopped and took a deep breath, looking into his dark eyes. "Severus..."

Words are meaningless and forgettable

"Yes, that is my name, we have well established that fact. Did you have something else you wanted to say, or are you just going to keep telling me something I already know?" He continued to sit there, arms crossed and scowling.

"Fact is, Severus, I don't know exactly what to say. I am sorry. That's all I really came down here to say but I can't help thinking that's not enough. I know that this charm has been a nuisance. I just..." she trailed off. She lowered her head and looked down at the fingernail that she had been worrying since she entered the room.

Severus looked down at the fingernail as well, at her small hands, then at her slender wrists. Then up her arms, covered by a dark green jumper. Her delicate, pale neck. His gaze made its way up to her lowered eyes. Damn, he thought, she plays this game well.

"Hermione..." he started, and she looked up suddenly. It startled him. The expectant look she was giving him was making this more difficult than he had intended it to be when he first spoke her name. He took a deep breath.

"Hermione..." he tried again, and she began a small smile.

"Yes, Severus, that is my name." She stepped closer to his desk.

"That'll be enough cheek from you, Miss," he said as he stood and walked around to the front of his desk. There was no venom in his words.

He crossed to stand in front of his desk. He was mere inches from her. She looked up into his eyes, those dark eyes that she felt she could drown in. "Severus, I..."

All I ever wanted, all I ever needed

Is here in my arms

"Yes?"

"I..." she said breathily moving closer, looking at his chest and raising one hand to place on it.

"Hermione," he stopped her. "Tell me one thing."

"Yes, Severus?" she answered, looking back up at him.

"Who was that man you were with on Saturday?"

"Wh–what?"

"The older gentleman you were with at the Hog's Head, who was he? Tell me, does your persuasion always run to older men?"

"What!?"

"Do you enjoy playing the tease?"

"Severus!"

"You certainly were entertaining the notion that I was worth toying with the night I came to your door. Answer this, if my students hadn't shown up, would you have stopped me? Or would you have led me on, thinking that we might have had something?"

"I–"

"I am too old for games, Hermione. I have never played games and I don't intend to now."

"It was my FATHER, Severus!"

"You expect me to believe... wait, what? Your father?"

"Yes," she said completely exasperated. "He came to visit so we could celebrate my appointment here at Hogwarts."

"Oh."

"Oh, indeed, you big prat. Honestly, do you think so little of me? And since when I have I belonged only to you anyway?" Her hands were on her hips, and Severus could see she was on a roll. "I give you a few come hither glances in the hall and you are ready to claim me as–"

He shut her up the best way he could, all things considered. He grabbed her shoulders and attacked her lips with his. Yet, she still continued moving her lips and mumbling against his. She hadn't quite finished what she had to say.

"Mmmph. Mmph. Mmmmmmmm."

(End Music.) Eventually he convinced her. She allowed him to deepen the kiss. Slowly his hands moved down away from her shoulders to her hands, which he took and brought up around his neck. She was putty in his arms. He slid his hands back down to her shoulders, then one hand down to the small of her back, the other caressing her neck. The room was silent. The song had ended when he kissed her. Now the only sounds were Hermione's little moans, which, quite frankly, were driving Severus mad. She finally decided to move more than her lips and brought both hands up to tangle in his hair, scraping his scalp, which produced what could only be described as a purr from Severus. She smiled into his kiss. Slowly, he pulled away from her, eliciting a little unhappy whimper from Hermione. "Bastard," she said.

"Is that for ending the kiss or for starting it?"

"Both," she answered and grabbed the back of his head and brought him back to her eager lips.

The box began to play quietly.

Click Here For Music By The Beatles.

Severus moved his ministrations to her neck and was busy working on a particularly tasty piece of flesh just along her jaw line when she said, "Oooh, I love this song."

"Me too," he said and set his mouth back to work.

"You what?" she asked, startled, moving her face to look at him.

"Hermione, I was enjoying that."

"What did you say?"

"I said, me too. Now, come back here." He began nipping at her collarbone.

"Severus, you know who this is?" He stopped undoing her buttons to look at her.

"Of course, silly woman, everyone knows who the Beatles are."

"Oh. Well, I just... oh, Severus. That's so good." He was now busy burying his face in her cleavage and massaging her bum with his hands.

"You do realize that we just agreed on a song. Mmmm, so nice."

"Mmhmm."

"Severus," she whispered.

Reluctantly, he raised his head to look in her eyes.

"See, I really do have good taste in music."

He held her close and chuckled softly into her hair. In the back of his mind, Severus Snape rolled his eyes.

The End!