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Who Are They Now? COMPLETE	By : Snapes_Slave Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Snape/Hermione Views: 9101 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I own no part of the Harry Potter universe, That honor lies solely with Madame Rowling herself, nor do I own any part of Funny Girl or its music. I make no money from this story.

Chapter List
- 13
- 14
- 15
DISCLAIMER: Guys, this gets so old... but (depressing as it is...) I do not own Harry Potter or Funny Girl, and I don't make any money off this story.

Severus had waited outside the dressing room door and watched as her family had left, all of them with smiles on their faces. He took a steadying breath and knocked lightly on the door, steeling himself for what was to come.
"Come in." She said. He could hear the smile in her voice. He stepped in and stopped. His eyes connected with hers and held. He saw the emotions flash across her face; happiness, confusion, dejection, despondency, heartsickness, sorrow and melancholy. Her eyes lowered to the floor before he stepped closer and pulled her gaze back up with a finger under her chin. His thumb slowly swept over her lower lip and jawline as he finally addressed her.
"Brava. You were absolutely breathtaking. I knew you would be, but you even surprised me. Truly lovely." He whispered. She shuddered slightly as he finished. The curse was trying to come out, even more so now with the last two words he'd uttered.
"Thank you for coming tonight. I'm glad you liked it... You know... I could never have done this without you." She said, fighting the curse.
"I've brought you something. But I wonder if we could perhaps get some coffee or something? It would be best if we could sit and talk a bit privately." Severus murmured, his eyes trained on the lips he so wanted to take, thumb still caressing gently.
"Yes." She said on a breath. His eyes came back up to hers, noting the desire and passionate fire burning just beneath their depths. His hand trailed down her arm to hold her hand, bringing it to his lips.
"Get changed and I'll be waiting outside the door when you're ready." She nodded her head dazedly as he left.

She hurriedly scrubbed the heavy stage makeup off her face and changed into a light wrap dress very much like the one she had worn on their first date. She smiled at herself in the mirror, only now realizing what her subconscious mind had done as she had packed her bag before coming to the theatre. She must have wanted to feel close to him, to be reminded of him. She knew it was true.
She turned off the lights around her mirror and flipped the switch as she pulled the door open to leave.
"Ready?" Severus asked her quietly. She could see the hope holding in his eyes and she smiled sweetly and returned it.
"Yes. Where are we off to?" She asked.
"No idea actually." Severus chuckled lightly. "I suppose we can just walk a bit and stop at the first place that's opened." He gave a sideways smile.
"That sounds fine." She told him. They walked side by side, down the street for a few blocks before spotting a lit storefront. It was dingy looking and could use a thorough cleaning, but neither of them were very particular. As Severus opened the door, ushering Hermione in ahead of himself, she realized that they were holding hands and she had no clue when that had happened, though she certainly wasn't complaining about it. Severus pulled out a chair and helped her sit before taking his seat in the chair across from her.
"So what is all this about?" Hermione asked, her voice hushed and unsure.
"I've found it." He said simply.
"F-found what exactly?" She stuttered, not wanting to get her hopes up.
"The curse. And the cure." Severus told her, grabbing her hand on the table top and squeezing encouragingly.
"It's called the Altius Pulchritudinem curse." He told her, voice low, not wanting anyone nearby to hear. Before she could answer, a waitress came over and brought coffee for the two. They nodded in thanks and waited for her to leave.
"The deeper beauty curse? I've never heard of it. But how-"
"It's very old, love. And hasn't had a documented case in centuries, which is why no one thought of it. It's quite old and doesn't serve much purpose, really." Severus explained.
"But-but why? Who would do that? What does the curse do exactly?" She said more to herself than to him.
"I believe Bellatrix was the one to put it on you. Why? Well, Bellatrix has never been loved. Sure, she was married, but it was a pureblooded arranged marriage of convenience. There was never any love lost between Bellatrix and Rodolphus. Bellatrix fancied herself in love with the Dark Lord, but as we all know, he was incapable of the feeling. He treated her as a toy or pet that would do his bidding mindlessly. She was once a beautiful woman with many admirers but no one had ever truly loved her. Once she was sent to Azkaban, she changed. She was scarred, mentally as well as physically, and lost those admirers. I think that she saw the potential in you to be so very powerful, to be kind and loving, to be brilliant beyond compare, and she took it as an insult. That you, a lowly mudblood, should be more talented and strong than she, a pureblood. She took it as a personal offense and decided to... Let's say, even the score, as it were. The purpose of this curse was to make you unlovable. Once someone sees the scars, they are made to hate and resent you and to find you ugly and disgusting. Once someone has seen them, both parties will begin to act differently, lashing out at the other to mutually sabotage the relationship. It's a good thing that you have lived with the glamors on, or else your friends would have succumbed to the curse as well." It explained so much of what had happened, so much of how she had been feeling. She had tried to ignore the voices, but the pull had been so strong.
"The blade she used on you was dipped in a potion, which means that it was the scars that were cursed, not you. It's why they only began to heal when we... When I began to fall in love with you." He said, his voice just barely more than a whisper. "Dumbledore always said that love was the greatest power of all. The old coot was right. As our feelings grew for one another, the curse was weakened and allowed the scars to heal. But I assume they have regressed some? Since we... Split?" He asked in hushed tones.
"Yes. But not completely." She said shyly.
"What do you mean, not completely?" He queried.
"Well... It only took me a few days after everything happened to realize that you weren't lying, that it was the curse making us act that way. And I realized... That I truly love you. I suppose I always have, but not the same way. I had loved you as someone from the outside looking in, as a respected teacher and master in my field, but it wasn't until after everything that I knew for certain that... I was... in love with you." She confessed, her slightly teary eyes finally looking up into his, a shy smile turning her full lips. Severus cleared his throat, swallowing thickly with emotion. He pulled something from his pocket and placed it carefully on the table between them.
"This is your answer. All you need do is rub this into your scars and the curse will lift and they will heal. Do it at night so that you may rest afterwards. It will be very taxing on your body for everything to be put to rights. But once you wake, you will feel the weight lifted from your soul." She held his gaze, her eyes questioning. She had openly admitted to loving him and had hoped that he would do the same.
Perhaps that's why he looked away and cleared his throat. He doesn't actually love me. He never said as much, but he acted so... Sweetly. But then again what did you expect from a man that was getting in your knickers on a regular basis. Of course he was sweet. I was just the attractive former student nearly half his age that he used to hate. Of course he was sweet. He had to be to get what he wanted from me. Gods I feel like such a blind fool.
She picked up the vile in her delicate fingers and looked at it closely. It was a beautiful potion. A lovely peach color with shimmering opal struck through it, catching the light as it turned. She raised her weepy eyes to his and bit her trembling lower lip before speaking.
"Thank you for finding the answer Severus. I'm afraid I never would have on my own." She said, her broken voice cracking the slightest bit. She rose from the table and made to leave, before he caught her hand in his and stood before her a full head and a half taller, catching her gaze in his chest before she tilted her head back to see his face.
"Hermione, please don't listen to that voice in your head. It lies. I... I've never said those words... To anyone before. I've never called anyone love before or had anyone call me that either. Not until you. I do feel that. Trust in me that I do, but saying it is just... So very hard. It's why I am unable to break the curse myself without a potion. It's just too much pressure right now. But please believe me when I say that I do Hermione. Gods, I do." He professed just before his lips claimed hers in a searing kiss, releasing all the pent up emotions from the past two weeks apart. His lips claimed every bit of sadness and despair that had run through her since the curse was set in motion. He marked her very soul as his lips moved over hers. Their bodies stayed just a hairsbreadth apart and he pulled back slightly, brushing a curling strand of hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear.
"Break the curse, love. Break it and I will find you, all over again, and make you fall, just as you have made me." He whispered against her lips. She stood there, trembling, eyes closed, and heart racing, when she heard the bell above the door jingle, signaling his departure.
He loved her. He... Loved her! But the curse was so strong within her mind. She knew she would be miserable without him and would be heartbroken, hopeless and melancholy for the rest of her life if she didn't take the potion, but that voice in her head was just so seductive when it told her not to take it...

A/N
So that's what the curse does? Wow. Crazy. Lol. Well, only one more chapter to go and then an epilogue maybe? Anyone have any opinions on it? Do we want to see them a little farther down the line? And if so, is there anything special we want to see? Any special scenes or lines/phrases we would like to read?

DRAGON'SMISTRESS- I'm glad you like it. I was a bit unsure about the speed of everything actually... I usually like a little slower build up/slow burn kind of fics with them (that just seems a bit more fitting really) but I knew what I wanted to happen with them so it seemed ok to move a bit faster this time.

HARRYGINNY4EVA- As always, boosting my ego with your reviews! I was glad she was performing in my story because we all know how Hermione is and she would never sacrifice her work over a breakup. Performing means you have to, at a minimum, take care of eating and drinking pretty well to stay in good enough condition to do what is necessary. I won't lie, I'm not even sure that Rita deserves another mention... perhaps just in conversation... hmm. Anything you're hoping to see in a (possible) epilogue?
- 13
- 14
- 15
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Who Are They Now? *COMPLETE*

Who Are They Now? COMPLETE