Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Adjustment	By : MariaTeresaQuintanar Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Snape/Hermione Views: 22820 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 3
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I do not make any money from the writing or posting of this story.

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And good day to everyone! Wow here it is Friday already! Thanks to everyone (meaning all of you readers) out there for making posting this story so great. Without you, I'd still be reading these little tales to myself. And trust me, that's no fun at all. Please if you could, review! Now on to the story!

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Chapter Twenty-one

            The next morning was proving to be a very busy one in deed. To keep Lucius’s mind off what was to come, Hermione came up with the notion to keep him going through the paces by testing out different spells that would get him around the house without aid. Draco would be sent out to fetch not only Headmaster Black’s portrait, but to see if there was one of his mother within his family’s vault and to retrieve it as well.

            “Why can’t you do it?” Draco demanded when Hermione inquired if he could do it for her.

            She looked at him flatly. “I don’t know if you’re lazy or ignorant or both.”

            “I’m not your servant!” he sneered at her.

            Much to his surprise, Hermione burst out into peels of laughter that had him looking on in bewilderment. When Severus came over with Lucius in tow, none of them knew what to make of why she was laughing with such abandonment.

            She looked over to Severus. “He wants me to be the one to go to Gringotts!” Hermione wiped away tears. Turning towards Draco, she railed, “I helped to break into the bank, we destroyed over half the building and they are still attempting to bill Harry, Ron and myself for a dragon they are even now accusing us of stealing despite the fact we cleared it up with the Wizengamot. Do you honestly think they’ll let me within a foot of the doorway to the vaults let alone yours?” She chuckled again. “Of all the idiocy, but thanks. I needed the laugh.”

            “Even ten years later?” Draco inquired.

            “Say what you will about the Goblins one thing will always remain true—they have a very staggeringly long memory,” Hermione said, wishing she had a drink as she thought about her last painful encounter at the financial institution the month before.

            “Oh they most definitely do at that,” Lucius sighed, sitting down. “They won’t let her near the vaults. That is a given.”

            Resigning himself to the tasks, Draco left. Severus sat down, looking over to Hermione as he asked, “And what am I to do?”

            “Allow Lucius to get around the house on his own from this moment on.” She placed a hand on the blonde’s shoulder, assuring him, “Never fear. The elves are on alert and will intercede to take care of your safety if need be.” Lucius relaxed at those words. Turning to Severus, she said, “Do you know what kind of protection spell you’re going to be using yet?”

            “I have a few in mind,” he told her, watching as she looked over her own to do list. “You still haven’t said…”

            “I need someone to bounce ideas off of,” she murmured. “Privately, of course.” She flicked a look over to Lucius. “When he’s busy getting from one room to another, will be soon enough.”

            “Trying to make sure that I don’t hear what you have planned for me?” Lucius sneered.

            “I’d be the first one to have you in the meeting, but you might not like what you hear and then there is the fact that we have to figure out a way to get you to a muggle doctor to do the testing I mentioned to you before.”

            “I refuse!” he exclaimed.

            “You refuse? Absolutely so?” she queried.

            “Absolutely.”

            “Okay, but something tells me that you aren’t going to like plan B any better than plan A.”

            “And that would…” Severus hit him with a full body binding spell, making him topple over to the ground.

            Going over to Lucius, she leaned over telling him, “Now I want you to remember it was your idea not to go with plan A. If you don’t like plan B, you only have yourself to put blame on, Lord Malfoy.”

            “Why did you have me putting the body bind on him?” asked Severus, who was watching Hermione magically moving his friend to a more comfortable location.

            “Because you’re nicer than I am,” she said only to have Severus scoff. “I would have made him look like a Smurf as well.” Hermione paused. “There is still enough time…”

            “Just do the testing,” Severus cut her off. “And no changing his hair lavender or shaving him bald.”

            “There goes all the fun,” she said wryly. “I best get on with it before I get anymore notions that will only cause me trouble.”

***

            Hermione did the testing quickly and soon left to study the results. Severus turned to Lucius who was sitting with his arms crossed over his chest, looking as if he was getting ready for a fight. He went over to sit across from him and waited.

            “Must you have hexed me so?”

            “Do you or do you not want to know what happened and how to reverse it if possible?”

            “Of course!” he exclaimed.

            “Then why in the name of Merlin have you been making it impossible to do anything about it?”

            Lucius said nothing, but frowned slightly in thought.

            “You won’t give your memory of what happened, chances are you won’t allow me to into your mind to look for myself…”

            “No!” he snapped. “There is no way I’m allowing you into my mind now!”

            Glaring at him, Severus kept going with, “You won’t go back to St. Mungos or to a muggle doctor and you’ve been acting like a first rate ass from word one.” Lucius snorted at this, which only gained Severus’s ire all the more. “I’ve been your friend for well over twenty years and you have exceeded even myself in my chosen field of unholy sourness and unpleasant demeanor.” When Lucius said nothing, the potion master muttered, “I’ve heard of being a man of contradictions, but this is ridiculous.”

            Lucius’s head dropped slightly, his face pensive as he spoke. “It was bad enough when the war ended.” His hands went tight on his tea cup. He set it down on the table to avoid breaking it. “My family had been lowered to the point of pity and I was without a wand. But I served my time at Azkaban and have done my best to lift my family’s name out of the mud. It took years, but finally I was getting us back onto our feet. But this, Severus, this…it’s totally beyond my scope.”

            Severus sighed, “I’ve heard it stated that pride goes before the fall.” When Lucius said nothing, he added, “You’ve asked for help in the past. Why not now?”

            Lucius’s lips went tight and said nothing.

            “You gain nothing by not asking for the help,” he said to him. “In fact you look like a right fool. And let me inform you, you’ve never been as much before.”

            Rolling his eyes, the regal blond said, “Be a fool or fodder for pity? It appears I lose in either case.”

            “You are as far from pitiful as one can get,” Severus stated. “You’re still a Malfoy for whatever it’s worth. That name still carries weight. Pull yourself out of this mess and you just might prove it.”

            “With assistance I suppose?”

            “There’s not another way to do so, my friend,” he replied.

            Sighing heavily, he submitted, “Fine. I will do whatever it is that needs to be done.”

***

            “Well?” Hermione looked up from the texts she was taking notes from to Severus standing in the doorway. “What have you found out so far?”

            “I have it narrowed down to three things, but even so until I know what happened…” He lifted up a vial with a silvery liquid like memory swirling around in its container. “Merlin!” She jumped up and rushed over to him. “How did you do it?”

            “I’m a Slytherin. I have my ways,” he murmured, as she took the memory from him.

            “I’d jump you right this minute if I didn’t have this to look through. Rain check?”

            “But of course,” he purred, making a shiver go through her.

            “Your voice should be outlawed,” she muttered. “Do you have a pensive we can use?”

            Severus provided a small portable pensive, meaning that it didn’t weigh half a ton and wasn’t sealed in place. The supposedly small stone bowl was at least 140 kilos and as portable as anything that could be pushed from place to place via a strong spell or well muscled person. Hermione poured the memory into the stone bowl, looking over to Severus.

            “Are you coming with me?” she asked, sounding as if she had a few trepidations.

            “Yes,” he answered, taking her hand into his own. Lacing his fingers through hers, he kissed the back of it as he looked deeply into her eyes.

            Smiling at him, she went to tiptoe and kissed his mouth lightly. It was a nonsexual touch, but filled with so much emotion that it made him catch his breath. Her other hand caressed his face, cupping his cheek.

            Stepping back, she sighed, “Let’s get this over with so we can have some alone time today.” And both went in.

TBC...

***

There you go another chapter away! We're getting close now. Can you feel it? Review to let me know what you think is going on. I'd love to know your theories.

Time once again for Famous Last Words: Movie Edition! The answers to the last quote are "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels", as said by Janet Colgate AKA The Jackal (Glenne Headly), and directed by Frank Oz. This very funny film is a must see if you haven't done so already. A free movie weekend at your favorite movie theater along with all you want to grab from the snack bar goes to genesismom who knew all the answers! A chocolate smoothie goes out to moodysavage (You only misspelled it by one letter. Don't be so tough on yourself!), scifiaunt, and LydiaLovegood for knowing the movie! If I missed you, I'm sorry.

Time for the next quote! (Sung) "Eyes, hair, face, image. All must be preserved. Still life displayed forever. No less than she deserved." Okay, the men that sing this part aren't any of the main characters in this modern day biographical opera. So if you can tell me who sang (the character/actor) just before this small, yet ever important group, that will be close enough. Here's a freebee for you, that last line recalled just how eerily perfectly preserved this woman was made after her death--something anyone who went to eat with her husband and his third wife even years after her passing can attest to. Yes, she was set out on display in their dining room. Uh, that must have made for awkward dining to say the least. There you go! Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.
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