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And They Didn\'t Live Happily Ever After	By : ElizabethStump Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Snape/Hermione Views: 90306 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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"And They Didn't Live Happily Ever After"

Chapter One Hundred Fourteen
"Some Enchanted Evening: Take Two"

Disclaimer:
I disclaim this, I wrote for you once upon a fic
Rowling owns this, the copywrite proves it's her own original work
Yet I know it's true that characters are so much fun to write
But if I know you, I know what you'll do
You'll read Harry Potter, the way you did once upon a book

A/N: Disclaimer a parody of "Once Upon a Dream," Lyrics from "Sleeping Beauty."
Written by Sammy Fain and Jack Lawrence.
To help set the tone of this chapter, please read while listening to waltzes.

============

Severus yanked on the front of his new dress robes, courtesy of Lavender, who had called in a favor. Madam Mandel sent some house-elves over Saturday morning and made the robes in time for the Malfoys' party that evening. The robes were very nice, the wool-and-silk blend fabric a bit lighter in weight than his usual woolen clothing, and the cut was a smidgen more fashion-forward than he would have picked for himself, but they were very flattering.

"Severus? Could you help me with the necklace clasp?" Hermione asked as she finished putting on her lipstick.

"Certainly." Severus strode over to the bathroom where he found her smoothing a curl that had come askew from her carefully styled coiffure that showed off her natural curls to their most complimentary, courtesy of the hairdresser Lavender sent over to the flat to help Hermione. Holding the multiple strands of pearls he gave her for Valentine's Day, Severus secured the clasp before letting his fingers delicately caress the top of her mostly-bare shoulders, which were only covered by a few thin strips of fabric.

Severus pulled one tendril loose and set it to rest along the side of her neck. Hermione smiled back at him in the mirror's reflection, remembering how his eye was always drawn to her neck if there was a wisp calling his attention.

Hermione and Severus had stayed in the flat all day, finally having a chance to talk and catch up, finding comfort in each other's presence. They had not made love yet. There had been little time, though they had been inseparable since Severus' return to England.

Severus never left Hermione's bedside while at St. Mungo's. After she finally awakened, Severus had still slept in the chair beside her bed all night, even with the Auror guarding her hospital room all night long. Friday, after she was discharged in the morning, was spent with various hearings and proceedings, including the trial and conviction of Padma Patil where she was sent to Azkaban permanently. This was immediately followed by the custody hearing for Parvati's son Devlin, which was awarded to Lavender and Ron; Severus and Hermione had briefly attended the hearing before Hermione's own hearing in front of the conclave.

Saturday they spent recovering from far too much drinking at Niles'. During the day, Hermione described to Severus her journey while unconscious. Upon hearing her description of the woman who met her and turned her around, Severus suspected his wife Gabrielle had saved Hermione from joining the land of the dead.

With rapt attention, he listened to Hermione's description of the mountain she climbed. She told him of the exquisite manna-like waters from which she drank, and how it seemed to revitalize her and fill her with joy. Her experiences made perfect sense when Severus told her of how Zhubanysh had helped him guide Hermione back from death.

As much as hearing each other's tales brought them yet closer, they did not consummate their rejoining. For both of them, it seemed that they needed this moment of quiet tenderness and restful spiritual healing.

It was Severus' gentle touch of Hermione's shoulders after securing the clasp of her pearl necklace that the flare of desire once again sparked between them.

Admiring her in that dress that was unmistakably Slytherin green, he suggested, "Are you sure you're up to this evening? It has been a rather harrowing few days, followed by much to do to prepare you coming back to Hawaii with me tomorrow. Nearly rambling into the valley of death is not what one could call a leisurely stroll. Perhaps it would be best if we stayed home and rested." His finger trailed up the side of her neck and caressed the shell of her ear.

Severus was rewarded with a sigh and the tilting of her neck in invitation. Obliging, he leant down and kissed the nape of her neck.

"Rest is hardly what we'd do if we stayed at home," she insinuated with a come-hither glance in the mirror.

Looking at each other in the reflection, both finally felt the call to join together.

Hermione's brow furrowed. It figured when they were both ready they had other obligations. Reading Severus' mind, she said, "Unfortunately, we're not in Hawaii; here, punctuality is a matter of courteousness, as well as required. I think if we show up nearly two hours late, it would be noticed and not a sign of proper etiquette."

"Damn propriety and etiquette, and the hell with punctuality," he said playfully as he wrapped his arms around her from behind, resting his chin upon her shoulder as they shared a smoldering gaze in the mirror.

"And miss the chance to be announced as a couple? Despite our names being linked in the papers for months, it will shock most of high society in attendance as well as many of my former in-laws who will be there. I wouldn't dream of missing it." Hermione smugly gloated. "Besides, I have to show off what a handsome wizard I landed myself."

Severus snorted, "Handsome? Hardly."

"A little sun, a bit of exercise, a well-trimmed beard, a vast reduction in the amount of stress in your life," she said, but the last item listed was met with a quirk of Severus' brow , given their rather stressful week, "and you clean up quite nicely. Doesn't matter; I think you are very attractive, and all those other witches in Malu Palekaiko seemed to think so, too."

Hermione spun around and adjusted Severus' red silken cravat; it matched the red ribbon holding his hair back into an elegant queue that reminded Hermione of some paintings from the 1700's. "Besides, everyone will be in shock because of you wearing Gryffindor red. It will be worth the wait to get me home tonight where you can ravish me properly without having to worry about my hair and make-up being mussed." It pleased her to no end that Severus had voluntarily requested his cravat be made with red silk as a symbolic gesture to match Hermione's own color choice.

"Heaven forbid decorum, should the band strike up a tango. Lascivious just might accurately describe our dancing for once," he joshed, recalling the phrase used in the Daily Prophet article that described how they danced on New Year's Eve.

Malfoy Manor was decorated in the grandest of splendor. While the Malfoy family home in Malu Palekaiko was modest and understated, adopting some of the Zen-like qualities of the Japanese style, Malfoy Manor was extravagant befitting an old family renowned for wealth and prestige. Hermione could definitely pick out where the Malfoy sense of style influenced the design and building of the Grand Royal Supper Club, with the gilded column capitals, use of mirrors to reflect light from the candle sconces, and semiprecious stone used to accent and decorate the walls.

Standing at the top of the stairs, Hermione and Severus stood side by side. Hermione's right arm rested gently upon Severus' in a manner befitting a time long ago.

"MADAME HERMIONE WEASLEY AND SEVERUS SNAPE, POTIONS MASTER!" the herald called out in a loud booming voice.

While the band on the dais at the far end of the ballroom played on, most of the guests at the ball stopped talking immediately, their heads swiveling in unison to view the infamous couple descend the stairs.

The lovers were a picture of elegance and refinement as they descended the grand staircase together.

Once they reached the base of the stairs, conversation among the party-goers resumed with a flurry. As the couple made their way across the floor to greet their hosts, they kept their heads held high as Hermione's lips were graced with a sublime smile, and Severus' mien exuded the air of a wizard not to be trifled with. Eyes darted towards them, as hushed whispers and sotto-voce comments rippled through the crowd as they passed. Hermione was keenly reminded of the film scene from "My Fair Lady" where rumor of Miss Doolittle's royal Hungarian lineage meandered through the crowd as she tangoed by.

"Named as godparents and not even married," one scandalized witch hissed under her breath.

As Hermione and Severus reached their hosts, the couples bowed and curtsied to each other as custom dictated for such affairs. Once that was done, they greeted each other as old friends.

Draco was looking rather elegant in his own formal dress robes of a dark gray. Ginny wore a matte silk dress with silver beaded fringe along the bottom edge, a style that was reminiscent of the 1930's; the silk was a slightly lighter silvery-gray to match her husband's eyes. Of course Ginny was dripping in diamonds set in platinum, wearing a Malfoy family heirloom necklace designed during the Edwardian era.

Hermione bent over slightly and stroked the cheek of little Libra in the wide bassinet that held the Malfoy triplets. It was easy to tell the twin girls apart from one another as Libra had the faintest dusting of platinum blond hair while her otherwise identical twin, Phoenix, had a fine down of pale strawberry blonde hair coming in. Sebastian was blond like his father.

Ginny and Draco has been introducing their children to British wizarding society as the guests filed in during the evening; no one except for the closest of trusted friends and family they were still on good terms with were allowed to touch the Malfoy progeny. What with recent events, there were always at least two house-elves standing guard by the children at all times to help protect them. The elves were in addition to the swarm of Aurors that mingled undercover at the party, making sure no one else sought to bring old grudges to bear at such a grand event.

"May I?" asked Hermione, looking at little Libra who would not let go of her finger.

With a nod of their parents' heads, Hermione reached down and picked up Libra, along with a burp cloth she placed over her shoulder.

As Hermione looked adoringly at her goddaughter held in her arms, Severus felt his heart swell. It didn't take much for him to imagine their own children in her arms some day. His reverie was cut short when Phoenix began to fuss, not caring to be separated from her sister, especially when Libra was getting some additional affection when Phoenix was not. Severus reached down and picked up his goddaughter, expertly placing a cloth on his shoulder; he'd become quite familiar with the concept and viscosity of spit-up over the past month.

There was the briefest exchange of glances between Hermione and Severus before a shy smile crept upon Hermione's lips.

"One day," was all that Severus said as he patted Phoenix's back gently and ran a hand up and down her back to comfort her. Then they both put their goddaughters back into the bassinet next to their sleeping brother, who snoozed happily away amidst the bustle of the party.

"Hopefully not too long?" Draco added to their exchange.

"Let me finish my apprenticeship first. No sense putting the carriage before the thestral," Hermione said. She was not bothered by Draco's question about children since it was meant not to nag, but made in hope of their experiencing their own joy of children together some day.

"Yes, first things first," Severus said as he tucked Hermione's hand in his arm. There was also a wedding and much-deserved honeymoon to take care of before such things were considered.

They bid adieu to their friends before beginning to mingle amongst the crowd.

Over near the band they found Mounga. He had been invited last-minute to the party since he had made the trip all the way there and back once more, with his wife along the second time.

"I can now see where Draco and Ginny had all that money to donate for the school," Mounga mused aloud as his eyes drank in the grandeur of the newly-restored residence. Draco and Ginny had offered lodging at the manor to the Finau family and an additional guest during their brief stay.

"Yes, but if it wasn't for Hermione's tireless work to clear our names, it would still be a derelict dwelling with the vines slowly reclaiming it," Severus asserted with pride, glancing down at his love who looked up at him fondly. "Since rumors of what happened in Malfoy Manor still abounded after the war, few wanted to purchase it, so it sat unsold, an asset on the Ministry books until restored to its rightful owner."

"Who is taking care of Iakona and Kaimi?" Hermione asked. She'd noticed Akela and Tristan, who had also been invited, provided they could make the brief visit without endangering their study schedule for their upcoming exams.

"Halulu and Greg are employing Kaimi's babysitting skills while she and her brother stay over at their place until we get back. And cat-sitting skills," the large wizard added with a knowing look, since Severus had left without making any arrangements for Katrina and Veronica, the calico kitten Hermione insisted they keep from Katrina's litter. Following Severus' gaze, Mounga glanced over and beamed with pride as his eldest daughter moved about and socialized with British wizarding society; she looked like a Polynesian princess in her fanciest Hawaiian-style dress robes, escorted by her beau. He enjoyed seeing his daughter's radiant face as if she was drifting through a fairy tale.

"She seems to be quite adept at charming British society, for an American," Severus said, having told Mounga of British wizarding society's general contempt for Americans, some considering them to be uneducated, couthless slobs. It was not meant as a slight towards his adopted niece, but as praise that she was able to deftly overcome some ingrained preconceived prejudices with her grace and wit, given her young age.

"I can hear it now," Mounga grumbled, "'Can I summer at the Malfoys' and take a Potions apprenticeship in England, Papa?'"

"Too few mistresses here in England, and don't let her study under a master unless he's Dobmeir's age or older – if that," he drawled. Severus' warning was heavily laced with implied innuendo. "And unless you don't mind the idea of Royston Bentwick as a possible son-in-law, which I would heavily object to, then I suggest she stay the course and study under Hermione back home."

"If you'll excuse us, there are some people we need to speak with," Hermione said with a growing smile.

Following her line of vision to another area in the crowd, Severus spotted who'd caught her eye and escorted her over.

"Mum, Dad," Hermione greeted her parents. "I'm so glad you made it."

"Dr. and Dr. Granger," Severus greeted her parents with a genteel nod of his head.

"Severus, please. We're not in the office, and considering all things, please address us by our first names," Wendy insisted as she went over and greeted him with the briefest of kisses, but not directly on his cheek.

"I know we have had little chance to talk, though I must admit we've had more time to meet with you than we did with Ron before the wedding," Wallace said, somewhat uncomfortable of bringing up the topic of Hermione's first husband as he shook Severus' hand. "And while Hermione is a grown woman who can make her own choices, I must ask: are there any long-term plans?" he asked as delicately as possible without outright asking if Severus was going to "make an honest witch of her."

Hermione refrained from rolling her eyes, but given that in less than twenty-four hours she was leaving England for good, now was as good a time as any for her parents to grill Severus regarding their relationship, even with Hermione having filled them in on some aspects.

Sensing Hermione's discomfort and seeking to assure her parents, Severus volunteered, "Had Hermione finished her apprenticeship, I assure you that you would be addressing me as your son-in-law by now. But Hermione has indicated her apprenticeship comes first, something I understand and am willing to wait for." He lifted Hermione's hand and kissed the top of it, which made Hermione duck her head and blush given Severus' charming romantic gesture in front of her parents.

"A wise decision," Wendy chimed in. "I had a few friends at university who dropped out once they married."

There was a nod of agreement between the four of them.

"You're wearing a lovely dress this evening, Wendy," Severus complimented her. "I can see where Hermione gets her good fashion sense, since she has not adopted the silly custom in the wizarding world of wearing a Quidditch hoop about her ankles, unlike others," he dryly remarked as their eyes cast about at the many witches wearing large flouncing hooped skirts.

"Oh, but it does make it seem like a costumed ball held by one of those period recreation groups I see listed in the Times or posted on the Internet," Wendy sighed a bit dreamily.

Hermione was about to tell her parents that they weren't costumes, but that fashion moved forward very, very slowly in the wizarding world. Even her own dress was reminiscent of something an elegant screen siren in the 1950's would wear to the Oscars, and still it was considered to be rather avant-garde by wizarding society.

"I wish you could both stay in England a bit longer so that we could have a chance to know each other better before you both leave, Severus," Wallace said with a bit of melancholy.

"As do I," Severus diplomatically lied, "but I already canceled four days of intensive tutoring for exams that will affect the potential careers of dozens of students on the island. Now I must now make up that time, but luckily I can do it with Hermione's help, as she has offered to tutor next week as well. And then there is the matter that I will not leave England without Hermione. The sooner she is in Malu Palekaiko and granted sanctuary, the sooner we can all be assured of her safety."

It felt strange to Hermione that her parents and Severus were speaking more about her future plans than herself, but she had rarely been comfortable about speaking to her parents about many aspects of the wizarding world, despite their open-mindedness.

"Then I hope we'll have a chance to spend some time visiting before the wedding," Wendy said, but quickly amended with, "that is, if there are accommodations close by in town."

"Nonsense," Hermione finally spoke up, "there is plenty of room at the house." That comment garnered a fleeting glance between her and Severus, which her parents caught.

"Well, we would not wish to intrude on a young couple in their house, so that is a detail we can sort out later," Wallace tactfully intervened, noting the potential conflict looming.

Before anything else could be said, Christine and Tim approached the small group.

"I'm so glad Draco and Ginny were kind enough to have a couple nurseries set up here at their manor, so we could check on Auberon during the evening instead of having to arrange a sitter," Christine said with a sigh, just coming back from nursing her son.

Tim reached over and plucked two glasses of champagne from a nearby floating tray and handed one to his wife. "Such a grand affair," he noted with admiration. "And the house-elves were very nice to us Muggles too, as they were charmed with the idea of watching a Muggle baby. I guess it's quite the novelty."

Yes, when the Drs. Grangers and the Taylors were introduced, the fact that Muggles were invited to a wizarding event – in Malfoy Manor, no less – it had caused as much as stir as when Hermione and Severus were announced.

"Given that Ginny invited all her family, and her six brothers have... nearly twenty children between them all, not including the triplets," Hermione guessed. She was unable to tally all their names quickly in her head at the moment. She knew that that number would be going up soon since Charlie and Angelina were expecting again; she'd seen the pregnant witch as they crossed the floor earlier. At the request of Arthur, Charlie seemed to put his particular grudges with his sister and her husband aside for the sake of family harmony, and had agreed to come along with Percy and his wife.

Everyone in the group rolled their eyes. They kept comments about the amazing breeding Weasley women to themselves, especially given the fact that Ginny had given birth to triplets. Also, there were a great number of Weasleys milling about who could overhear them at any moment.

When Hermione spotted Fred and George, she promised she would speak to her parents again before the end of the night, but she had an urgent matter to discuss with some old friends before she could leave tomorrow.

"Well, well, well. The terror of the dungeons and the bossy know-it-all came after all," George ribbed them lightly, which earned a sneer from their former professor. "No, really, we're glad you came to save the day there, Snape. Hermione comes up with some brilliant ideas. We would have hated to have lost someone as inventive as her. She's too bright a witch to lose," he praised her in earnest, which earned a nod of agreement from Severus.

"Speaking of brilliance, is that your handiwork we spotted earlier on Niles Goggins and Jack Braxton earlier this evening?" Fred asked with great curiosity.

"Me?" Hermione feigned with false innocence. "No, not entirely me. Severus helped, the brilliant darling he is in his own right," she chirped sweetly as she gave Severus a slightly mischievous smile.

"Care to tell us how you did it?" Fred asked, leaning forward.

"Only if you promise that no matter how many Galleons either one of them throw at you, you do not provide them with the antidote," Severus said with a smug grin.

"Done," the twins said simultaneously.

As Niles passed them, casting a penitent glance towards Hermione and Severus, George twitched his wand. This caused Nile's hat to fly off his head and expose the word "TWAT" on the back of his skull, where the hair had been removed in the shape of the four letters. No amount of hair growth potions or spells could make the hair grow back, much to Niles' distress. Braxton had also suffered the same fate that night, but with a worse four-letter word; it caused him to attend the party while wearing a turban that the twins had removed twice so far.

Niles used his wand to Summon his hat back. There were a few snickers from those nearby who had caught sight of Niles Goggins' new haircut. A mix of bemused and shocked glances were cast from some other nearby spectators before the wizard was able to cover his head up once more, using another sticking charm to keep his hat on.

"Is it permanent?" George asked.

"Hopefully within the year it will grow back, but given it is an experimental formula, we'll just have to see," Hermione remarked with a blasé attitude. "There is one item I would love to have your feedback on, regarding an idea I had," she proposed. Hermione spoke as she observed Royston Bentwick sauntering about with a drink in his hands, grabbing some of the hors d'oeuvres off of a floating tray before shoving them in his gob.

"What did you have in mind?" the twins asked, keenly curious as they followed her gaze.

"Let's just say when I come back in about a year's time to become certified as a Potions mistress, I want it to be something that will be remembered for a long, long time," Hermione said, imagining the tales that would be told for decades to come of the revenge of Hermione on Royston. The ill-humored potioneer deserved it for the humiliating grilling he'd put her and Severus through for his own petty grudge; so it should be something that would be remembered for more than just thirteen years.

"Ice-cold revenge, my favorite," George crooned with glee.

As Hermione and Fred talked, George turned to Severus. "Got any more of those lovely get-away ideas, like that tropical rendezvous? That has been quite the hit, and we're seeking new ideas to develop more of those."

Severus thoughtfully put his hand to his chin as if deeply pondering possibilities, before he replied, "Hmm, wasn't there something you mentioned about Hawaiian dungeons featuring racks made with bamboo and coconuts?"

George burst out laughing and slapped Severus on the back, exclaiming, "Hermione is right, you do have a sense of humor after all."

It was a good thing Severus did not have a drink in his hand, otherwise he would have spilled it all over Hermione. But then again, it would have been the perfect excuse to momentarily slip Hermione out of her dress while the house-elves cleaned it for her. Severus knew many secluded places in the manor they could have secreted themselves away in, but alas, it was proving far harder to slip away with his lover due to so many people she wanted to speak to before leaving tomorrow.

As Hermione and Severus strolled through the crowd that kept giving the couple curious stares, they spotted Harry and Zhubanysh, but Harry was busy pretending to blend in while working. He was in Auror mode. Hermione and Severus spoke with Mrs. Potter for a while as Harry's eyes kept scanning the crowd.

Mingling, they eventually came upon Lavender and Hermione's ex-husband. Hermione and Lavender began discussing the various things they needed to settle and resolve before her departure the next day.

"Weasley," Severus said with a particular drawl of dislike, deciding to make idle chatter to feign politeness while the two witches discussed business.

"Snape," Ron said in turn, no longer intimidated by his former professor. "Please let me, for the thousandth time, express my deepest gratitude for your saving my wife, my sister, and Hermione." Technically it was Mounga and Harry who had saved them all, but Severus' sacrifice, had the cavalry not arrived in time, would have ensured they still lived because of his bargain to offer himself for their safety.

Severus looked over the wizard he'd once loathed and still did not particularly care for, but he was gracious enough to accept his thanks. He extended his hands and they shook in a rather perfunctory fashion with no warmth between them.

"While I may not have been a good husband to Hermione," Ron began, and was met with a penetrating glare from Severus, at which Ron had the timidity to blush slightly with embarrassment, "I know that her next husband will take far greater care of her than I did."

Severus accepted Ron's half-apology with a nod of his head, indicating with a steely look at Hermione's ex that he would indeed take far better care of Hermione than Ron did, and more.

To fill the void of silence, Ron casually observed, "I don't see Viktor and Anne. I would have thought given their standing in society they would have been invited."

Ron was oblivious, but Severus and Hermione both caught the fleeting moment where Lavender collected herself. They improvised, "Well, Anne is probably home with morning sickness, just as Harry and Zhubanysh had to miss Anne and Viktor's wedding when she was pregnant." Rumors in the gossip rags had recently leaked her condition.

Of course Draco did not invite the Krums, especially given Anne and Severus' history. The potential for possible embarrassment was too great. Hermione had not informed Severus she was aware of their past business arrangement and saw no benefit in informing him of her knowledge, though she did mention the Krums had protected her from the mutinous mob when she returned in January.

As all the guests had arrived and ample time had been given for drinks, food, and conversation, the band struck up a musical introduction to indicate that the dancing portion of the evening was about to begin.

The dancing area in front of the band, laid with highly polished wooden parquet flooring, cleared of guests as Draco and Ginny stood in the middle of the floor, ready to begin the festivities with an opening waltz.

As Severus watched their hosts take to the floor, it amazed him how similar Draco looked to his father, with much the same build but none of the cold dispassion and arrogance. Instead this was a wizard who was radiating with warmth and hospitality, but with still the same grace and regal carriage. Severus felt quite proud of Draco, for whom he had acted as a mentor and eventually became friends with. Draco had turned from an arrogant, petulant, narrow-minded spoilt brat into a wizard who was admired by the Malu Palekaiko community. He was now what Muggles would call "a decent human being," or, as Jerry called him, "a mensch." And while Draco had credited his happiness in life to Severus saving him from a fate worse than death had he never fallen in love with Ginny, his wife and mother of their children, Severus had to admit that Draco was largely responsible for reuniting him and Hermione, and for that he was eternally grateful to his friend.

The band struck up a song and began to play "Donauwellen," the waltz that was played during the hosts' first dance as husband and wife during the impromptu wedding reception held by the town. The couple moved back and forth before beginning to turn.

Hermione, having seen the memories of Ginny and Draco's wedding in Severus' Pensieve, sighed aloud with great sentiment. She was moved by the symbolism of this song being chosen, and leaned her head against Severus' shoulder feeling rather nostalgic.

"Shall we join our hosts on the floor, Madam?" Severus asked simply, as the edge of the dance floor was too crowded with spectators for him to formally bow.

Hermione set her hand atop Severus' and let him lead her to the floor where he placed his hand gently at her waist and held her right hand as if it were a delicate china cup. They moved back and forth, to and fro for a few measures, before they began to spin about.

With their addition to the dance floor, others stepped out and began dancing in a swirling of colors from the multitude of brightly colored formal dress robes and gowns worn for the evening.

Three songs later, the band began playing a tango. Wearing large hoop skirts was not conducive to dancing the tango in, and even those who sported a bustle found the dance too demanding in the heavy and slightly constrictive dresses. This meant there were few couples who danced the tango on the floor, and Severus and Hermione certainly stood out among the few who danced to the music. The flash of Hermione's thigh and the top of her stockings as she wrapped a leg around Severus' certainly garnered more fuel for hearsay about their infamous affair. It seemed as they tangoed that they were almost taking perverse delight in stunning the crowd, shattering long-held perceptions of Severus as a gelid and asexual being. Their smoky stares and lingering glances as they danced with barely restrained passion were observed by all who stood agog as the couple's obvious desire for one another played out to the staccato beats and sweeping strains of the tango melody.

A few songs later a reel was called. Four long rows of dancers lined up. It was a song with a lot of Scottish flare and was a dance very similar to Strip the Willow, but instead of locking arms, people crossed wands above their heads. Hermione laughed gaily when it was her and Severus' turn to dance along the long line, briefly spinning with other partners down the row before returning to dance around each other with wands touching above their heads. Hermione's joy was so contagious even Severus could not refrain from the moment infecting him, and he smiled and laughed a bit.

They danced and danced until Hermione's feet were sore. Then they took a break and applied a potion to address her feet so they could dance some more. There were offers by those close to Hermione she trusted to dance with her, and even a few requests by witches to dance with Severus, but they both declined, with the exception of dancing a reel which required brief interaction with other partners. Severus was unwilling to let Hermione out of his sight or grasp until they were in Malu Palekaiko and she had been granted sanctuary. Even when she had to use the toilet, he stood guard by the door until she came out to join him by his side once more.

Taking a brief respite from dancing, they walked out onto the terrace to view the gardens in the moonlight à la belle étoile. It was much chillier in England than in Malu Palekaiko. When the breeze picked up, Hermione momentarily shivered. Severus immediately removed his long coat and draped it about her shoulders to keep her warm.

"Thank you," she breathed, reveling in the scent of Severus enveloping her, amplified by the faint hint of Haunt cologne he was wearing. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply while leaning into him. "I have missed your scent," she murmured aloud to herself, but also for Severus' benefit.

There was so many things he'd missed about her, he could not even begin to list them, but her scent was one of them as well.

They stared out at the gardens lit by the gibbous moon that was so large, it was hard to tell if it was not already a full moon.

The rows of white roses, white tulips, and white peonies caught all the silvery light in their glory, making the gardens look otherworldly in their perfect splendor. The delicate scent of the peonies and roses gently perfumed the air.

As the strains of the music drifted out into the night, they stood in silence, feeling at peace in this perfect moment they shared.

Unable to stand it any longer, Severus swept Hermione up in his arms and kissed her soundly. He could no longer hold back the passion that had been slowly building inside of him all evening since he'd clasped the pearls about her neck, the necklace that now pressed against his chest as he held her tight.

Hermione felt as if she had drunk directly from the spring of Severus' love, her head dizzy and spinning. She could no longer feel her feet beneath her, feeling swept up in the spontaneous moment of their emblazoned kiss.

This was what love was. This was without a doubt what was meant to be. They both looked forward to the many years that lay ahead of them, facing life together side by side.

As their kiss finally drew to a close, Hermione sighed dreamily. Opening her eyes, she saw the moonlight glinting off of Severus' hair. The silvery light made his skin glow with a cool, pale blue light on one side of his face, while the warmth of candlelight from the party spilling out into the night cast the other side in warm colors. The lighting perfectly showed the two sides of Severus she knew so intimately and loved – the dry, cool intellectual who stimulated her mind, and the man with burning passion inside who consumed her whole with his touch. She reached up and kissed Severus, cupping his cheeks in his hands they way he had done to her many a time.

Severus reveled in the sensation of Hermione kissing him back with the same passion. His own sense of time and gravity momentarily faltered as his head spun. He was not drunk on champagne, but on the love he felt in Hermione's kiss, and that made him sigh deeply with satisfaction.

They smiled at each other, ready to finally call it a night and go back to her flat for one last night in London. Then they were going home, to their home that awaited them in a faraway land where, as she once sung to him in Russian, "love reigns, where peace reigns. Where there is no suffering, where war was behind them."

As Hermione offered Severus his coat back now that they were back inside, passing through the party, they nodded their heads toward Bill and Fleur, who nodded back. They had talked earlier in the evening, as Bill mentioned that he might swing by Malu Palekaiko since he had a business trip to the Gringotts branch in Tokyo he had to make soon.

Luna Longbottom came up to the couple and wished Hermione well on her trip abroad. While Severus knew Neville, who stood fidgeting next to his wife, was in no way a rival for Hermione's affections, especially with the Longbottoms being newlyweds, Severus could not bring himself to warm up to the younger wizard who'd shagged Hermione once while they were parted. There was a spark of jealous dislike in the Potions master's eye that made Neville quail slightly. Severus was very gracious to Luna, however, thanking her for reporting the truth after their interview, a rarity in journalism he noted. Luna and Hermione made promises to send the periodic albatross and to meet up when she came back to England the following year.

Walking toward where their hosts were chatting with guests, Severus and Hermione almost bumped directly into Arthur and Molly.

"Severus!" Arthur said jovially as he shook the fellow Order member's hand. "I'm so glad Hermione was able to clear your name."

"And thank you for being there to protect Hermione from the unruly mob when she returned after the New Year," Severus responded in kind.

"Yes, thank you, Arthur," Hermione added her thanks.

There was an awkward moment, as Molly sniffed disdainfully at Hermione, glancing at her sideways as if to not look directly at her. The matriarch's large hooped skirt rustled as she raised and lowered her shoulders in a non-verbal attempt to express the displeasure of being in the company of her ex-daughter-in-law. "Still not married and without children?" she asked stiffly.

"Molly," Arthur warned her.

Hermione was tempted to go into detail about how she and Severus would be living together out of wedlock and had not even bothered to get engaged – just to nettle and goad her – but instead was inspired to take a different course of action.

Turning to her lover, she smiled placidly as she began saying in fluid Spanish, "This woman has a new daughter-in-law happy to breed with my ex-husband, yet still acts as if I have personally attacked her and deprived her of yet more grandchildren. Thank God I am no longer married into this family and thank goodness for Ginny and Draco's sanity they don't live in England where she can harangue them into madness."

Glancing at Molly briefly at her reaction, he replied to Hermione in the same Castillian accent he used when pretending to be Eduardo, "My sweet darling, do not fuss. Take joy in the fact that you will probably never have to lay eyes on this harpy made manifest. Instead feel pity for her poor husband who has unwittingly bound himself to her. He has many more decades to go in which to endure her, while this evening is probably your last."

To both Hermione and Severus' satisfaction, Molly began to twitch.

"Molly?" Arthur asked with great concern, noticing his wife looking rather peaked and pale, her eyes glazing over.

"Perhaps she exhausted herself with all the excitement," Severus said with false sincerity that seemed quite believable, suppressing a malicious grin.

Arthur thanked him for his concern and began guiding his wife towards a nearby couch, thinking she was having another relapse.

"You have such a vengeful streak that I must make you an honorary Slytherin," Severus said quietly under his breath as they made their way through the party once more towards their hosts.

"Considering that you are often the epitome of what a Slytherin is thought to be, I consider that a great compliment," she accepted his remark with pride. "Resourceful, cunning, ambitious – all admirable traits."

Hermione had told him earlier in the day that he made a great Gryffindor with all his own brave, noble, and selfless acts over the years, especially in light of offering himself to save her, but he had taken her compliment with much less aplomb.

"It is time we made our farewells," Severus announced to their hosts.

"The night is still young," Draco said, sorry to see his friends leave.

"True, but we have a morning Portkey." Severus clasped Draco's hand as they said goodbye.

"We should be returning no later than Wednesday," Ginny replied, informing her friends of their own plans to return home soon. "Given recent events, Draco and I will be closing the house up for longer than we anticipated, and so there are some matters we must address."

They all quietly reflected in somberness that the lingering scars of the war had removed the possibility of them coming back to England even twice a year. Only time would tell when wizarding society in Britain would move on and it would be safe for the Malfoy family. Draco would allow his family to return only without the threat of harm looming over their heads.

"Then we look forward to you coming over to our home Sunday for dinner, at the usual time," Severus concluded, suggesting the pleasant idea of normal domesticity to look forward to before they parted.

Walking towards the cloak room, they found Albert sitting in a chair by the balcony surveying the scene below him. He had a glass of brandy in his hand, looking serenely happy and far drunker than earlier in the evening when they spoke.

Spying the exiting couple, he held out his hand to talk one last time that night before they parted. "Children, children, children," he called to them with the lazy flopping of his hand and a rosy glow about his cheeks and nose.

Severus did not care to be addressed in such a manner, but the wizard was old enough to be his grandfather, and he knew it was meant with endearment.

"I don't know if I will have the legs to see you off tomorrow," Albert said with a distinct slur, "but in case I don't, let me say a few things." Pointing a wavering finger at Severus as if trying to find the right wizard between the two in his field of vision, he said, "Next time you pick a nom de plume, alter your handwriting more so it's not so recognizable, and avoid using those particular phrases that only you would use." His fingers moved about freely as if he was playing some invisible musical instrument.

Weaving in his chair as he turned to look at Hermione, Albert addressed her in as stern a tone as he could muster, given how deep into his cups he was, "And you, young lady! Never had I had an apprentice as wonderful as you." He nearly sniffed and shed a tear at the great swelling of affection he felt toward his now former apprentice. "Merrrrrrrlin, am I so glad Severus could help me get out of that contract with Trevor Sprog." Hermione did not correct Albert's error regarding Trevor's last name. Upon mentioning of the topic, Albert swiveled his head and said, "And oh yes, thanks for that little favor, old boy." Returning to his wobbly train of thought that was in danger of derailment, he fuzzily focused on Hermione once more. "No working yourself to the point of collapsing anymore. Should you need to be hospitalized from over-exhaustion, I hope it's because you've been fucking each other's brains out to the point of blissful lassi-ssitude." He paused to hiccup momentarily before adding, "Again," referring to the way Hermione looked after coming back from her recent two-day Valentine's Day trip.

The addition of that last comment sent Hermione into a fit of blushing so severe it crept all the way down to her chest.

"We shall take your wise advice to heart, rest assured," said Severus with as much dignity as he could muster given the adjuration they both received. He was thankful the music from the band was too loud for others to have casually overheard the exchange.

"Yes, goodnight," Hermione muttered feebly. The lovers absquatulated with haste.

Upon arriving, Marf was there to greet them and take their cloaks. The poor house-elf had been wracked with guilt that he'd not been at the flat when Padma had attacked his mistress, employer, former master, and their friends. It took quite a lot of convincing from Hermione that none of it was Marf's fault and that she was the one who had suggested Marf go over to Malfoy Manor to help earlier that week. She reminded Marf that Padma timed her attack so that there would be no one around to help. Since then, Marf had been nearly underfoot the entire time, unwilling to let his mistress out of his sight, much like Severus had been.

"Thank you, Marf. You can retire for the night since I am here to make sure your mistress is safe until our departure tomorrow. If you could wake us around seven, that would be appreciated," Severus asked politely, being used now to addressing free elves in Malu Palekaiko with more courtesy.

Marf bowed deeply before disappearing with a shimmer.

Along one wall of the flat were many boxes of Hermione's books and housewares she was bringing with her. The rest was to be boxed in the morning, to be packed in her charmed trunk.

Marf had made sure there was a warm fire merrily burning, awaiting Hermione's return from the ball with Severus.

Now alone, Hermione turned to see Severus' silhouette back-lit by the dancing flames in the fireplace. Her heart and her loins sang with want for this wizard before her. Before Severus could suggest a snifter of brandy to relax, before he would slowly and gently seduce Hermione by the fire, she advanced on him and kissed him.

When Hermione awoke from her coma, she had been so happy to see Severus. With the halo of light around his head dazzling her, she had been too relieved to be upset with Severus. But once her strength began to return quickly, she was secretly angry with her lover. She had wanted to wail and pound on his chest with her fists that if he had a death wish, then he should not mercilessly tease her with the promise of a long life together. With the knowledge that Draco had imparted to her in confidence of Severus' brief dance with lunacy to kill himself in some mad plot to save her, and now this latest offering of himself to let Padma kill him to spare her and the others, Hermione was furious that he would welcome death so easily. After she had a chance over the next few days to silently mull over what had happened, she found she could not remain angry at Severus, for he did what he viewed as the only course of action to save them all from harm, and possibly death, with his sacrifice. And in his madness last summer, she could not fault him, for he wasn't in his right mind. Given her own willingness to traipse so readily to death's door without certainty of Severus' demise, she knew she could not fault Severus for all that he had done. She silently forgave him, though there was nothing to forgive.

It was when she finished her mental absolution of Severus that her carnal desires returned as they were getting ready for the ball.

The entirety of the evening seemed like one tortuously prolonged bout of foreplay between them. The trailing of his fingers as he clasped the pearls about her neck as the night began, the soft caress of his finger in a circular motion at the crook of her elbow when no one noticed, the possessive placement of his hands upon her as they tangoed, the subtle pressure of his hand upon her lower back as he guided her as they weaved through the crowds at the ball – all of these touches had slowly built the fire that now blazed hotly inside of her and now demanded to be quenched.

Her hands gripping his lapels tightly, she advanced on him until, her lips firmly on his, her tongue invaded his mouth as if she would sack and plunder him that night.

Severus shuffled backwards until the back of his calves hit the settee, and he plopped down rather inelegantly, bracing himself just in time.

Gazing up at her, he saw her need for him plainly written on her face. Pure love, searing lust, and unfettered desire were all discernible in the way she pinned him in place with her stare. Severus was unable to move.

Hermione stood above him, feeling the thrill of her seductive powers coursing through her as seen in the awestruck look Severus was giving her. She reached up and undid the zipper of her dress. With deliberate slowness, Hermione pushed the straps of her dress off her shoulders, one after the other.

Severus sat there feeling like a fool, unable to do nothing more than gaze at the vision before him, but this was the Hermione he'd hoped to bring forth with his training from the beginning of their affair: a confident temptress capable of paralyzing him with her sensuality. His mouth hung open and his breaths became shallow and quick. His erection was straining against his trousers, awakened by Hermione's sudden and commanding kiss. He wanted to reach up and caress her waist through the silk of her dress, but he could not find the ability to move. Dumbly he watched as she teasingly undid her zipper and sensuously pulled the straps aside to let the sheath of silk slip from her body, revealing her to be wearing only dark green lacy knickers, stockings, and her heels. Her wand was still secured in a loop on the side of her stockings until she suggestively removed it from its holster and casually tossed it on the settee next to Severus.

Hermione kept her pearls on, the multiple strands rolling across her skin with the longest strands swaying back and forth across her breasts. Severus watched each subtle movement. He was hypnotized as the ropes of pearls caressed her skin as if to tease her nipples, lightly brushing against them, as she began removing her knickers.

Thumbs hooked along the sides, she pushed the scraps of lace and silk past her hips until they fell and landed atop of her dress that was puddled on the floor.

With one fluid movement, she stepped away from her clothes and straddled Severus, who was still fully clothed.

The light of the fire flickered across her face, allowing Severus to see how large and dilated her pupils were, as if her own eyes had changed to match his own. He felt as if her eyes could swallow him whole, and he was transfixed by them. His hands tentatively reached up and stroked her ribs, skating along her skin until he gently cupped her breasts. The pearls clacked as Severus' hand moved, his thumb reaching to brush across her peaks that were already firm, casting shadows across her areolas.

Kneeling with her face above his, Hermione wended her fingers into his hair, her lips now parted as she breathed heavily, the anticipation becoming close to unbearable for her. Hermione could feel the throbbing between her legs grow ever more insistent like a steady bass drum that pounded away in time with her heart. With the removal of her knickers, she could tell she was already ready for him, as the cool air met her sodden curls. She could rarely recall the ache between her legs pulsing as badly as that moment. Severus' hands on her breasts were making her ability to draw out the moment excruciating, yet all the more delicious.

Removing one hand from his hair, Hermione placed it between her legs and dragged a single finger between her labia, coating it with her slickness. She then gently smeared her wetness on Severus' lower lip, her finger making a small circular motion while she recited in Japanese,

"The ripe peach is split
Juice dribbling down your chin
Devour with relish"

Severus knew every haiku in the erotic Japanese book she gave him. This was one of her own. Its symbolism so sexually charged, so lusciously suggestive and blatantly lustful, he could not help but be aroused she had written something like this for him, an amatory invitation for him to consume her whole. His licked her finger, drawing it slightly into his mouth, his tongue teasing the tip as he had various parts of her body before, giving a silent promise of things to come. He savored the sweet musky taste of her and felt his own heart thumping loudly against his chest in his own building anticipation.

As she lowered his mouth on his, the spark was lit.

Suddenly Severus' hands clutched at her possessively as one arm wound around her waist and the other to her hair, to pull her as close to him as possible.

Hermione's hands quickly snaked down his body and began blindly yanking and undoing knots and clasps, not caring if she popped buttons or ripped fabric.

Sensing the urgency of the moment, Severus hastily yanked at his trousers, shoving them down. He was reluctant to let go of Hermione, but also too eager to wait until he could enter her.

His coat and shirt undone, trousers and underpants only shoved halfway down his thighs, Hermione grabbed Severus' hot and rigid member. She felt it briefly twitch from her touch, before she positioned him and without any preparation impaled herself on him in one swift moment.

Both simultaneously threw their heads back at the overwhelming sensation. Hermione cried out, welcoming the feeling of him in her once more, as sudden as it was. Had her body not been so ready, it would have been painful, and his entrance into her nearly was, but only because she was aching so badly it was a release to finally have him inside of her once again.

Severus let out a loud moan of delight. While usually much quieter than Hermione when they made love, the quick thrust of Hermione's encasing him in her snug warmth was too much for even him. He shut his eyes tight and wrapped his arms around her tighter, locking his arms around her waist as he proceeded to help Hermione as she began to rise and fall, impaling herself on his length with a fury that demanded gratification.

One of Hermione's hands was braced on the back of the settee, clutching at the Chippendale wooden carving that ran along the top of the back, while her other arm crushed Severus' head to her bosom.

Severus grunted and groaned each time he was fully sunk into Hermione. He used his arms to push her down before helping to left her up in conjunction to her legwork.

His unreserved shouts of ecstasy were coupled with Hermione screaming in perfect time with him. Each time she was fully seated upon Severus' cock, feeling it fill and stretch her so satisfactorily it made her want to cry, she exhaled with shouts of joy. And when she rose up, feeling Severus' member stroke her just so as he withdrew, she inhaled with a gasp.

The tension of their bodies pressed together, the pearls tugged and twisted around Hermione's neck.

Hermione was so highly aroused before they even began that it did not take much for her to feel the climax rapidly building inside of her. She did not even need stimulation of her clit, as she normally did, in order to reach orgasm. Between the long evening together, her already heightened desire, and their many months apart, Hermione quickly felt herself so close.

As her head began to loll back and the pitch of her screams hit as high a note as she could wail, her arm around Severus' head began to slacken.

Severus took this moment to hold on to her as tight as possible and push her down onto him as he thrust up from underneath, slamming into her deeper.

As one of the strands of pearls broke, Hermione shattered. She instantly felt whole with Severus once again.

Lurching forward, her eyes shut tight, Hermione's mouth hung open as she let a low and guttural bellow issue forth as Severus pushed himself into Hermione with desperation from underneath as he felt her body quake and shudder. Neither of them noticed the sounds of the pearls that had slipped off the silk cordage roll off the settee and fall like rain on the wooden floor with small plunking and plinking noises, bouncing and rolling away.

Seeing her so lost in rapture, he joined her and called her name out as he gave one last great thrust. He spilled himself into her. His hips gently continued rocking back and forth on the settee, milking the last of his orgasm as Hermione slumped bonelessly against him.

It was a short union, but it was perfect in its simplicity. So much intense emotion and consuming passion in such a fleeting moment as the hottest fire consumed most briefly, but brightly.

While holding her tenderly, he felt her chest rise and fall rapidly, and heard a great shuddering gasp. She was crying, but these were the tears he was happy to see come from her, the only tears he looked forward to. Hermione lifted her tear-streaked face from his shoulder and smiled at him with uncontainable elation.

No matter how many times she had cried from joy because of him, it humbled him. Wiping away a few tracks of tears from her cheek with a thumb, he said with great reverence, "You are my everything."

This only made Hermione cry more and laugh as she stroked the sweaty tendrils of hair away from his face before she lovingly kissed his brow.

"As are you, mi corazón," she sighed dreamily as her hands stroked his face before resting back against his chest.

Severus wrapped his arms around her once more protectively and stroked her back with a loving touch.

After removing themselves from the settee and fixing the broken strand of pearls with a swish of Severus' wand, Hermione spelled their clothes to hang in the closet to be packed away in the morning. Then they quickly settled into bed.

As they both drifted off with dreams of a future together, the two ghosts were off in the kitchen having a celebratory glass of champagne. Well, it was not real champagne, but merely a spectral manifestation in the shape of a champagne flute they each held in their hands.

'To Hermione and Severus! May they finally get on with their lives together in peace,' the vision of Albus said as he clinked glasses with Hagrid.

As Hagrid began to sip his own glass, he slowly morphed into a vision of Minerva. 'And about time, too!'

Albus' form began changing into Remus, faltering a bit before reasserting its form to resemble Albus once more, but with short hair as the werewolf once sported. His form was vacillating between the two since both Hermione and Severus were in the next room influencing his final shape as their minds began slipping towards dream states.

'It is a pity we could not have been of help during that whole incident,' Albus lamented with regret.

'Yes, but neither of us could latch on to any person in Padma's mind who could have swayed her from her course of action. Her mind was an absolute mess. What a jumble of madness, poor dear.'

Albus shook his head with regret. 'It would have been easier if the new tenants on the third floor were home at the time. We could have alerted them, and they might have been able to get help faster.'

'Ah, but Padma had planned for such an instance and had all those mirrors she planted all over the Ministry, so she might have mistaken it that Severus tipped them off and then Hermione might have been killed,' Minerva reminded him as she stroked the great black beard that spouted from her face as she morphed back into Hagrid.

'Well, it will be interesting to see if our next tenants will be as entertaining as these two have been.' Remus said with a twinkle in his eye, as he looked over his half-moon spectacles. The ones downstairs are as boring as plain porridge.' he complained sullenly.

'Hey, you forget that Draco and Ginny were quite an interesting pair as well. From what I can read of Severus' mind, Draco never told him about his own so-called mental manifestations of his dear Aunt Andromeda. Draco was so torn up when his Aunt Bellatrix killed her during the war. He felt guilty he could not publicly mourn Andromeda and had to pretend to revel in her death. Fortunately, that was an easy memory to pick from his brain. But you, you got to play Albus for both Severus and Draco.'

Albus/Remus nodded, noting it was easy to pretend to be one person for two people, both of them having very similar impressions of the Headmaster. 'Do you think they'll ever figure out that we're linked to those charmed bed curtains?'

'You'd think after they tried remodeling the third floor flat and the bed curtains kept popping back up they would have figured out something was amiss,' Minerva/Hagrid snorted.

'Well, Lavender did say she would wait to remodel this flat after Hermione left, so they might start getting a clue finally. That and that we're tied to each other and can't be separated, dear sister.'

Minerva/Hagrid rolled her beetle black eyes, noting with some gratitude, 'At least we didn't wind up in a Muggle's house where they would try to exorcise us, dear brother. That would be a bother to be stuck in limbo, that is if they even knew what they were doing in the first place.'

Jackson and Jillian, the ghosts of the once great Leto twins, seers and diviners extraordinaire, both raised their amorphous glasses and toasted once more.

Little did they realize when they created cloth to read auras and minds – when they imbued moonstone and their own blood into a richly woven silk and woolen tapestry – that it would bind their souls to the threads for eternity. But they figured that life in such an eternal state provided great amusement over the couple centuries, versus being stuck in an afterlife with other dead people. The living were far more entertaining with their daily triumphs and tribulations, with all the highs and lows. It seemed that Severus and Hermione were not the only ones who had inadvertently discovered some form of powerful and unknown magic resulting in unforeseen consequences.

The ghosts of the Leto twins just hoped the next flat occupants weren't going to be as hard to read as Hermione was. It had taken almost three months before being able to figure out who they should impersonate after filtering through the memories in her head as she slept.

==============

A/N: And now you know that they weren't manifestation of their minds, but indeed ghosts who could change shape and impersonate others. Still, the Leto twins are very special ghosts.

Thank you to my wonderful betas, JuneW and thegreyladies. My betas really do a phenomenal job of improving the writing and flow of my story, so please do give much thanks to my betas too, when reviewing.

And you can view the fan art of Hermione and Severus descending the stairs, by dokinana (http://dokinana.deviantart.com/), commissioned by me, here: http://atdlhea-betz.tumblr.com/post/157281150665/hermione-severus-at-the-malfoy-party-by
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And They Didn\'t Live Happily Ever After