Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

The Headmaster's Wife	By : Mrs_HH Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Snape/Hermione Views: 96752 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 23
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 36
- 37
- 38
Aftermath

Minerva McGonagall loved Saturday mornings. Even during term it was the one time of the week that she would sit undisturbed in her chambers for a couple of hours with a pot of Lapsang Souchong, reading the Daily Prophet and absentmindedly stroking Milo, her cat, whom invariably sat curled upon her lap.

This Saturday was like every other except that she was sat with a pot of Darjeeling, reading the Daily Prophet, stroking Leo, Hermione's white half-kneazle kitten in the master bedroom of Snape Manor. Another major difference was that Minerva was not alone, although her companion was less than talkative at the moment.

To those who had not attended the Ministry Ball the previous evening...and frankly, that was most of the wizarding world of the United Kingdom...the front page of theProphet would have come as quite a shock.

Since the end of the war...or at least since the end of the trials...the headlines had been rather banal, but this morning readers were greeted with:

Ministry Honours Ceremony Descends Into Wand Fight

Rogue Death Eaters or organised threat?

Exclusive: Hottest New Celebrity Couple Make It Official

The Golden Girl and The Dark Saviour discuss their newfound relationship

Exclusive: Hogwarts On The Front Line

"No new threats will rise from Hogwarts"

Severus Snape discusses his vision for Hogwarts

Alecto Carrow Dead: Suspect Held

Should they be punished or praised?

Murder! Prostitute's Body Discovered In Knockturn Alley

The Mystery surrounding who killed her

Celebrity News: The Golden Trio Become The Golden Duo

Where did it all go wrong for Ronald Weasley?

Fire At The Shrieking Shack

Local residents shocked as blaze destroys iconic building.

Of course, having stayed at Snape Manor overnight and having heard all of the comings and goings, she knew the real stories behind the headlines.

Harry and Winky had delivered Hermione safely to the master bedroom of Snape Manor only for the sight that awaited them to send her into a complete panic.

Severus was lying face down and shirtless on the bed as Lucius, sans coat, was trying to heal him; his face, hair, and sleeves were stained with his friend's blood. Apparating had caused the wounds that Draco healed to reopen, and Lucius was never so grateful for Severus teaching him anything in his life. In the months leading up to the final battle, Severus knew that his most vicious of spells was not as exclusively used as it had been in the past and insisted that Lucius know the healing incantation...just in case. He'd also taught it to Draco after his own run in with the curse.

Poppy was trying to push Severus slightly onto his side with Lucius' help so she could administer more blood replenisher and pain potion, when he incoherently mumbled something. But before Poppy could question what he said, Hermione had grabbed the vials from the Matron's hands, pushed her out of the way, and climbed onto the bed.

Harry looked on with concern for Hermione as she took Severus' hand, stroked his hair and kissed his forehead desperately. She seemed almost possessed by her need to protect and care for him.

"I'm here, love. I'm not going anywhere, I promise, but you need to take these potions. Can you roll over slightly so I can give you them?" She whispered to him as her lips touched skin.

Poppy tried not to look affronted as she could see how upset Hermione was, but she still had a duty of care to her patient, and looked at Harry and Lucius for some clue as to how to deal with the young witch.

Lucius tried to speak to Hermione but was silenced by her glare, and Harry just shrugged. But then he saw Severus himself wrap his hand around Hermione's wrist, pulling her down so that her ear was next to his lips, and with great difficulty he told her to calm down.

Everyone tried not to show that the look of shock on Hermione's face was quite amusing, but they also couldn't help but to feel moved when Severus kissed the back of her hand and forced out a shaky, "Thank you, though."

Upon their arrival at the Manor, both Minerva and Narcissa had found their way to sit at Severus' bedside, but after a couple of hours they followed Harry and Lucius to join Draco and Luna in the drawing room, leaving the injured but recovering wizard in the capable hands of Poppy and Hermione.

It was shortly after this that the tremors started in Severus' left arm. With the aid of a cushioning charm, he was now lying on his back, and Hermione had just finished wiping away the fine sheen of sweat that covered his skin when he unconsciously grabbed his left arm.

If it had merely been shaking things wouldn't have been so bad, but the grimace on his face indicated that he was in agony. Poppy looked on with concern as she knew she was unable to administer more pain potion, so she decided to do some old-fashioned healing.

"Hermione, go and run a warm bath...not too hot, mind. We don't want Lucius' hard work going to waste," the school matron ordered tersely before informing Severus, who was now only wearing his boxers, of her plan. "Severus, we're going to get you into the bath to try and help the tremors. Can you walk or shall I levitate you?" asked Poppy calmly.

"I'm not an invalid!" Severus snapped.

Poppy sighed. "And so the snapping begins," she snarked as she helped Severus gingerly to his feet before calling to Hermione, "You'll be pleased to know he snapped at me. He's getting better, dear."

She walked him to the bathroom where Hermione, who was still in her blood-stained evening gown, was testing the temperature of the water. Luckily it was a sunken bath, so he just had to step down into it, and Poppy was surprised when Hermione, dress and all, got into the bath with him.

The dried blood which had stained her dress was now leeching into the water and she sat down behind him to protect his back from the hard marble. Hermione wound her arms around his torso, holding him gently as she stroked her thumbs against his skin.

"Take this," Poppy snipped at Severus as she held a vial out to him.

The headmaster tilted his head questioningly at the matron, and was rewarded with a terse, "It's muscle relaxant, man, not poison."

Severus took the vial shakily in his right hand but he was still weak, and Hermione put a steadying hand on his so that he could drink the potion whilst Poppy began to massage his arm.

"It would be much easier if I could massage your shoulder, but..."

"Oh of course, because he really asked for this to happen, didn't he?!" Hermione snapped.

"'Mione...Poppy didn't mean...it...like that," Severus forced out as another wave of pain hit him. He then looked at Poppy and requested for her to leave them for a moment.

Poppy nodded reluctantly but knew that Hermione would take care of him...no one would dare doubt that now.

Once they were alone, Severus closed his eyes and leant back into Hermione. She could feel him relax against her, and the tremor eased slightly. She buried her face into the crook of his neck, not speaking. They stayed like this for a few moments before Severus whispered, "Come round here."

He felt her cast a cushioning and warming charm on his back so it would not make contact with the side of the bath. Hermione then moved to his side and laid her head on his chest as he wrapped his right arm around her. He pulled her in as tightly as he could, an act which caused the sob she had been holding in to come out.

"Shh, it's alright. I'm alright," he reassured her, his voice laden with emotion as he moved his hand up to stroke her hair. "I'm so sorry," he whispered, "I should have been there; I would have been there if it hadn't been for Kingsley holding me up. Do you know what happened after I was hit? I just know there was a lot of screaming and shouting."

Hermione shook her head. "There was a huge fight, but all I really know was what happened to Ronald as I was with you from the moment you Apparated in to the moment Lucius brought you here. I picked up on a few things but..."

"What happened to Weasley, then?" Severus asked with a mix of curiosity and trepidation..

Hermione looked at him sheepishly. "Minerva managed to body bind him. They seemed to be doing that to everyone they brought down. Then once Lucius brought you here, I lost it. I put my wand away, levitated him and threw him back against the wall. I don't know how badly injured he was, though. I know the wall will need repairing."

"You did that wandlessly and non-verbally?" Severus enquired.

Hermione sighed deeply before replying. "I'm afraid so."

"No wonder your magic is still pulsing. Starting next week we are going to find a way to better control your magic," he stated before suggesting gently, "I think you need to take a calming and sleeping draught, love."

"No, I need to look after—"

Severus huffed lightly. "I think between Poppy, Minerva and Narcissa—"

"No! Severus, I need to—"

But Severus moved his left hand as best he could to silence her. "I will feel so much better knowing that you are calm and rested. Ignoring what happened to me, you were threatened by a man who you once counted as one of your best friends."

Hermione sighed but remained silent. She was just content to lie fully clothed in the bath next to Severus, letting her fingers trace his scars, as well as new patterns, on his stomach. And Severus was just as content to let her.

Eventually, though, Hermione spoke. "That woman Ron was with...everyone keeps saying she was Polyjuiced. And I keep hearing Alecto Carrow's name being mentioned. I think it was her."

"Do you know what happened to her?" Severus asked pensively.

Hermione kissed his chest, and whispered, "She's dead."

Severus closed his eyes. The woman had made his life, and that of his students, hell; he had witnessed her carrying out acts of violence and depravity with a sickening smile upon her face, and he took a moment to relish the feeling of relief and, dare he say it, jubilation, engulfing him as Hermione informed him of her demise.

He was only pulled out of his reverie as Hermione continued, "Narcissa said Pius would be here as soon as he could. He'll know what's happened."

"One would hope," Severus snarked before grimacing in pain.

Hermione pushed herself up slightly. "What can I do?"

"Can you massage my upper arm, please?" he asked her sheepishly.

Hermione straddled his lap to give herself better access to his arm, and she knew he must be getting better as she felt a slight twitch in his boxers. She tried to ignore it but was then aware as she worked on his arm, that her left breast suddenly felt cold as Severus' other hand pushed the fabric of her dress aside.

"You're feeling better, then?" She mused.

Severus chuckled deeply. "A little," he admitted as he managed to manoeuvre himself so that her nipple was now between his lips.

"Poppy is next door," Hermione hissed.

"And?"

"Don't start something you're not able to finish," she warned him before adding teasingly, "I would rather deny you; that way you'll have an incentive to get better quicker."

Severus huffed like an overgrown child and flicked water at her. "Spoil sport!"

"It's called tough love," Hermione informed him playfully.

He narrowed his eyes and considered her. There she was in a bloodstained designer evening gown which was hitched up to her waist. Her hair and makeup were no longer immaculate, and she looked stressed and tired. And yet he had to admit that as Hermione's warm hands massaged his arm, and bantered with him playfully, she had never looked more beautiful to him.

Severus also knew that she was right, and he was in danger of starting something that the twitch in his boxers couldn't complete, but in order to save face, he purred, "Well in that case, give me a kiss, and help me out of this bath," before adding, "And for fuck's sake, take that dress off!"

Shortly after this, Poppy gave Severus a strong sleeping draught, and as he was about to slip into unconsciousness, Pius Thicknesse found himself walking up the drive of Snape Manor, deep in thought. The only disruption to his contemplations came as he was greeted by one of the Auror detail, who had been assigned to Snape Manor.

From the moment Hermione walked towards Ron Weasley during the wand fight, Pius knew the thicker of the rogue wands were easy pickings for the Aurors. Everyone seemed so engrossed in what Hermione was doing or so in awe of her raw power that the fighting virtually stopped, and the Aurors merely mopped up the idiots that stood there gawping. The clever ones, however, used the distraction to escape.

When Harry returned from the Shrieking Shack, he had given Pius a brief report of Severus' findings when he looked into Ron's memories, and what he witnessed personally seemed to concur with these findings. What Pius knew was he had fifteen prisoners in the holding cells, two dead bodies, and one prisoner at St Mungo's under Auror guard. If his initial assumptions were correct it meant that at least ten of these rogue wands, including Dolohov, had escaped.

Several worries now crossed Pius' mind. The first was that Yaxley, the cleverest of Voldemort's thugs, was out for revenge, and was capable of attracting and mobilising followers. And he knew that the revenge wasn't just confined to Severus, but also included Lucius and himself.

His second worry was that Hermione had very publicly displayed her quite considerable magical abilities. Ordinarily the power of a witch or wizard wouldn't bother Pius, but he was concerned that this would put her even further into the firing line with Yaxley, or whoever it was that was really behind everything, because not only was she Severus' partner, but she was now a legitimate threat in her own right.

His final worry concerned the Minister for Magic. He couldn't believe the nerve of the man, and Pius was sure that Shacklebolt had either been corrupted by his newfound power as Minister, even if he was still technically only acting Minister for Magic, or he was being coerced by some external force...and Pius himself could sympathise with that...or Shacklebolt was just a total twat. And what annoyed Pius more than anything was that at this moment in time, he couldn't work out which one it was.

Pius had just returned from the holding cells and was stood in the middle of the reception room pondering all of this, in between taking reports from his Aurors, when Kingsley Shacklebolt suddenly appeared to, as he put it, 'make sure Pius was dealing with the aftermath of the incident appropriately'.

Although Pius felt somewhat suspicious of Kingsley's disappearance during the fight, he pushed that to the back of his mind and greeted Kingsley as anyone who was concerned for someone's wellbeing would. "Thank Merlin, you are safe, Minister. When I heard you could not be found I—"

"Ah," Kingsley interrupted, "When we felt the Anti-Apparition wards come down we Disapparated to my residence, leaving an Auror behind to advise when the coast was clear. I apologise for worrying you. Your Aurors said it was going against your instructions, but I felt it wise for me to be completely removed. I hope you will bear this in mind and not discipline them too harshly."

Pius sighed and shook his head. "The contingency was there for a reason, Sir, and you, of all people, should know what can happen when plans are disregarded."

"Again, my apologies, Pius," Kingsley told him before adding, "However, upon my return, I was apprised of the situation; is there anything you would like to discuss with me?"

Pius confirmed that there was indeed much to discuss but soon the two wizards were at loggerheads over how the prisoners should be treated. Pius wanted Veritaserum interrogations to try and get to the bottom of their plot as quickly as possible, together with the severest of custodial sentences to swiftly trample on any lingering threat. But Shacklebolt disagreed.

"I have already called an emergency session of the Wizengamot," Kingsley informed him, "And they are currently voting on my recommendation that all those arrested are summarily given six months in Azkaban for colluding with known enemies of the state, except for Ron Weasley, who should only receive four months as he was most likely coerced. Surely you of all people, Pius, can appreciate the difficulties of being placed under the Imperius?"

"He arrived with Alecto Carrow," Pius groused.

Kingsley sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Yes, but we don't know whether he knew it was her, and I believe a short stay in Azkaban will help clear his head. We need to set an example."

"But what if we can prove he knew who she was?" Pius asked through gritted teeth.

The Minister considered this for a moment. "Well if you can find evidence then we would need to review his sentence. Being Imperiused means he cannot be interrogated by Veritaserum, so we would need to employ Snape to look via Legilimency. But I don't think either of them is up to that at the moment."

"So is there any news on Weasley's condition?" Pius enquired, hoping that his injuries were not life threatening, for Hermione's sake more than anything.

Kingsley nodded. "St Mungo's confirmed that he has a severe concussion and bruising, but he will be fine in a few days. One thing's for sure: his Quidditch career is over. Rumour has it Wimbourne have terminated his contract."

"So do I need to speak to Hermione about this?" Pius asked nervously.

Kingsley looked at Pius as if he'd suddenly grown two heads. "Don't be ridiculous! She was understandably upset. One cannot be held responsible for a magical outburst, and the Weasley's do not wish to press charges. After all, the poor girl and her partner had just had their lives threatened. How is the Headmaster, by the way?" Kingsley asked distractedly.

"All I know is that Lord Black healed his wounds quite admirably before Lord Malfoy Apparated them to Snape Manor," Pius informed the Minister simply.

"Yes," Kingsley mused, "And how is Lord Malfoy taking the fact that you are dating his wife?"

Pius looked at him incredulously. "We have not discussed it, but there is no animosity between us, and I fail to see what relevance this has with the matter at hand."

"I am merely concerned for the well being of my employees," Kingsley stated, sounding almost hurt at Pius' tone.

Pius composed himself and said, "Well I thank you for your concern, but...wait a minute! You said the Weasley's do not wish to press charges. You'd already discussed the possibility with them? When did you ask them that?"

Shacklebolt's attention was drawn by an Auror running into the room and speaking with one of the Senior Aurors before both men left urgently. As he watched them leave, he remembered Pius' question.

"Oh yes, I have just returned from The Burrow. I thought I should be the one to inform the family that Bill was to be arrested for the murder of Alecto Carrow," Kingsley answered nonchalantly.

Pius wasn't sure if he heard Kingsley right, but then he realised he had. "You've what?!" Pius exclaimed.

"Just because Bill is on our side doesn't mean he can just kill someone. We must be seen to—"

Pius snorted. "Oh let me guess, 'we must be seen to set an example'. But she was a known Death Eater, and an Azkaban escapee. She was firing all sorts of spells, and Bill threw a spell that would normally severely injure but not kill. He did not Avada her."

"Even so, he acted with malice aforethought..."

Pius couldn't believe he was hearing this. "He didn't intend to kill her, though, and on that basis why aren't we bringing Neville Longbottom in for deflecting an Avada and killing someone?"

Shacklebolt's voice was calm and steady as he offered an explanation. "Because he deflected a spell to save a life. Bill cast the spell—"

Pius ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. "That was not meant to kill her—"

"But it did," Kingsley stated emphatically, "And we must be seen acting with all due process."

"How? By stringing him up? Anyway, as Head of Magical Law Enforcement why wasn't I advised of this course of action?" Pius growled.

The Minister just shrugged, and stated, "Consider yourself advised."

Pius was close to seething but drew on all his self control. "If this is your will, Minister, you will have to excuse me so I can go organise an Auror detail, and arrest him personally. It is the least I can..."

"No need. The Aurors have already been dispatched," Shacklebolt informed Pius coolly.

Pius was furious now. "Would you like my resignation in writing or will you accept it verbally?"

"I will not accept it either way," Kingsley told him, batting away the question with his hand. "I need you, Pius. I just felt that you had enough on your plate, and as I know the family personally, I should be the one to tell them. I gave Bill time to be with Fleur rather than just ripping him away from her in her condition. I think you are overreacting."

Although Pius conceded that it was easier on Fleur this way, he disagreed that he was overreacting just as much as he disagreed with Bill's arrest. But just as he was about to protest, both men were approached by a very out of breath Auror.

He went to speak, but Pius held up his hand to stop him. "Auror Philips, take a moment to catch your breath, man."

Philips managed to choke out a 'thank you' before composing himself. "I'm sorry to interrupt you, but a prostitute was found murdered in a hotel room in Knockturn Alley. Been there a couple of days by the look of her."

Pius sighed deeply. This was all he needed. Murders in the wizarding world were not commonplace so when there was one, all hell tended to break loose.

"Very well, Philips. Find Savage and get him to..."

"It was Senior Auror Savage who sent me, Sir. You need to see this," Philips informed him as he handed over a photograph.

Pius froze as he looked at the image in his hand. If it hadn't been for the spider running across the floor, he could have mistaken this for a Muggle photograph. He certainly wasn't mistaken about who this poor girl was.

Kingsley could tell by Pius' face that something was wrong. "Problem?"

Pius handed him the photograph, and the Minister stood there blinking at it for a moment. It wasn't the sight of the girl that troubled him, but the prospect of who potentially murdered her.

"I want you to personally investigate this, Pius. I want Severus to read his mind and prove he didn't do this," Kingsley commanded but then added with a more shaky voice, "He might be impetuous, but this is cold-blooded and methodical. He isn't capable of that."

With that, he handed the photograph back to Pius, and turned on his heel leaving the Head of Magical Law Enforcement looking at the dead body of Alexandra Carson.

And so as Pius went over his conversation with Shacklebolt in his head, he finally reached the main front door of Snape Manor, greeted the two Aurors who were guarding it, and knocked on the door wearily. As much as his mind was whirring, he was exhausted. All he wanted to do was collapse into his bed and sleep all weekend, but he had two wizards to save from a life in Azkaban before he could rest easily.

He was relieved when the door was opened, and the house keeper, Mrs Hopkins stated simply. "Ah, Mr Thicknesse. I believe a large brandy is in order."

Mrs Hopkins wasn't wrong.

"Darling, you look awful!" Narcissa exclaimed, rushing up from her seat to greet Pius as he walked into the drawing room. She wrapped her arms around him, and for a moment he was quite happy to forget about the world, but instead was soon brought out of his reverie as Mrs Hopkins thrust a very large brandy into his hand.

Pius looked around the room and noted that Narcissa and Minerva had obviously been sharing a pot of tea; Harry was fast asleep in a large leather wingback chair, and Luna was lying across Draco and Lucius.

"Can I get anyone anything else before I retire?" Mrs Hopkins asked as she walked towards the door.

"You have done more than enough," Minerva told her gently. "Please, dear, go to your bed. We will call on the house-elves if we need anything else."

Mrs Hopkins nodded. "Very well, Professor. The guest rooms have been made up, and breakfast will be available from eight o'clock."

As the door closed, everyone turned their attention to Pius.

"So what's the gossip?" Lucius asked as he tapped Luna's legs to make her move them so he could stand up.

Pius gulped his brandy down in one swallow, and with a hoarse voice growled, "Can you believe that fucker Shacklebolt completely undermined me? He called an emergency session of the Wizengamot without my knowledge to pass sentence on those we caught. They're all getting six months, apart from Weasley who is only getting four months unless, of course, he did kill that prostitute."

"What!?" Draco choked out as the sip of drink he had just taken nearly went down the wrong way.

"The girl Alecto was Polyjuiced as was a prostitute. She's been found dead," Pius stated, pinching the bridge of his nose before adding, "And I've been told that Severus has to interrogate Weasley by Legilimency."

"Oh, he'll be delighted," Lucius snarked but then looked at Pius and said knowingly, "I doubt Severus will find anything."

"My thoughts exactly," Pius agreed.

"Poor Molly and Arthur," Minerva whispered, shaking her head.

Pius huffed. "Oh that's not the end of it. Bill Weasley's been arrested for murdering Alecto."

"That's absurd!" Lucius exclaimed. "On what basis?"

Pius shrugged. "To set an example it would seem."

Lucius picked up his coat and strode towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Narcissa enquired, confused by Lucius' sudden tenacity.

Without turning Lucius told her, "I'm going to see Ignatius."

"Why are you seeing your lawyer at this time of night?" Draco yawned.

Lucius stopped in his tracks. "Because this is a travesty, and Bill will need a bloody good lawyer. Shacklebolt can't be allowed to do this just because he's running scared from the likes of Arthur Weasley."

Looking at Narcissa, Minerva wondered if she knew what he was talking about. Narcissa just shrugged, but tellingly Pius remained impassive.

Lucius headed for the door again, but just as he opened it Pius announced, "Oh and to cap my evening off, the Shrieking Shack went up in flames tonight."

Lucius remained impassive, and merely commented, "The place always was a death trap."

"Lucius!" blurted out a weary Arthur Weasley as he opened the door. "What brings you here?"

"I apologise for calling upon you at this unholy hour, but may I introduce my lawyer, Ignatius Walpole? He will be representing William."

Of course, Ignatius' reputation went before him, and Arthur looked shocked and confused as to why one of the most successful and expensive lawyers in the wizarding world was stood on his doorstep.

"Mr Weasley," Ignatius held out his hand to the stunned wizard. "A pleasure to meet you and I can assure you, I will have your son back within the bosom of his family by the afternoon," he informed Arthur confidently.

"And how is Mrs Weasley?" Lucius asked calmly. But that was just a front; on the inside he was shaking.

Arthur looked surprised by the question. "Which one?"

"Well, both, but more especially your daughter-in-law," Lucius stated, desperately trying not to blurt out, Where is she? I need to see her.

"We put her to bed, but the girl is sobbing her heart out," Arthur told him sadly.

"Perhaps it would be possible for me to inform her personally of Ignatius' involvement in William's case. It may provide her with some peace of mind," Lucius drawled smoothly.

Arthur nodded, still trying to take in the fact that Lucius Malfoy and his lawyer were on his doorstep offering assistance to his son at three o'clock in the morning. "Third floor, right hand door."

Lucius bowed his head courteously before Ignatius said cheerfully, "Now, Mr Weasley, I would very much like to understand your son within the family dynamic. May I speak with them?"

Again Arthur nodded, and led the lawyer into the sitting room where Molly, George and Angelina, Ginny and Blaise were. Even Percy had managed to make an appearance after his diplomatic office in France had been informed of events at the Ministry that night.

Lucius walked up the first flight of stairs, and then bounded up the other two flights to reach Fleur's room on the third floor. He knocked softly, but when there was no reply he opened the door slowly to see his soulmate, illuminated by a single candle on the bedside table, lying in the centre of the bed in a foetal position with her back facing him.

He walked over to the bed, unsure whether to stand, sit or lay down next to her. After a moment's consideration, he whispered her name before sitting on the bed and gently coaxed her to turn over.

Her eyes were red raw, and her hair was soaked with tears.

"Oh sweetheart," he whispered as he stroked the strands of wet hair away from her face.

"Lucius, zey 'ave arrested Bill for..." She couldn't bring herself to say it as she sat up and wrapped her arms around him.

"I know," Lucius sighed before adding, "but I have appointed my lawyer to represent him. I told Ignatius everything that I saw, and he does not believe the ministry has a case. He fully expects him to be home with you by tomorrow afternoon."

"You would do zat for him?" Fleur asked Lucius, sniffing loudly. He handed her his handkerchief so she could blow her nose.

"I have done it for you," and, splaying his hand over her belly, he added, "she needs her father as much as you need your husband."

Fleur sighed deeply as her lip quivered. "But I need..."

"Please don't say it," Lucius implored, but Fleur grabbed hold of his hand in hers and turning it over, kissed his palm.

Lucius felt the sigh escape, betraying his emotions.

"I need you," she whispered against his skin. The feel of her warm breath made Lucius shiver.

"And I you," he reassured her; placing his hand over hers before adding sincerely, "but your happiness is paramount, and no matter how we feel about each other, Bill does makes you happy. And you are having a child together. I cannot, for once in my life, be selfish. You will always have my protection, but it will always be from afar. Bill is a good man, and a bloody lucky one, too.

"Now rest, my darling," Lucius advised her gently as he stroked her cheek softly, marvelling in the feel of her skin.

"Stay with me," Fleur asked pleadingly.

Lucius was completely conflicted. He wanted to scoop her up and take her to Malfoy Manor, place her in his bed and hold her all night, never letting her go and to hell with everyone else. But he knew it to be an impossible wish, and yet he could not just walk away from her when he knew she was hurting so much.

"Just until you are asleep," he murmured and indicated that she should turn over so he could lay behind her.

Lucius pulled her body to his and gently placed a kiss on her neck as his fingers traced patterns across her belly. He heard Fleur sniffle and placed his lips just behind her ear before whispering, "Everything will be alright, I promise."

Then Fleur said the one thing he didn't want to hear. "I love you."

The blond wizard was frozen. Oh how he wanted to tell her; oh how he wanted to turn her over and show her, but he couldn't. Where was the old Lucius Malfoy when he needed him? He could not reply but nuzzled her neck and let the closeness of his body soothe her. Before long he noticed her body relax, her breathing evening out and he realised she was asleep.

Then and only then could he respond to her. Only when she was asleep could he breathe in the scent of the witch he so desperately wanted and needed to be his, and whispered, "I love you, too."

Although Harry would never admit it to anybody since their year of traipsing around the countryside and living in a tent, he had difficulty sleeping in unfamiliar places for the first time.

He knew he had fallen asleep in the drawing room and kept waking up to hear snippets of conversation before drifting back to sleep, and he vaguely remembered Luna and Draco eventually escorting him up to bed. But although that bed was incredibly comfortable, and he was sure he would get used to sleeping over at Snape Manor, it was still a strange bed, in an unfamiliar place, and so he woke up every hour on the hour, or whenever he heard the slightest strange noise.

At six o'clock, he gave up on sleep, and found himself in the now empty drawing room when Missy arrived with The Daily Prophet.

Harry picked up the paper and was about to ask Missy for some tea as he quickly scanned the front page, when his eyes were immediately drawn to a picture of a blonde woman which accompanied the headlines:

Murder! Prostitute's Body Discovered In Knockturn Alley

The Mystery surrounding who killed her

Missy was about to ask Harry if she could be of assistance, but he was already half way up the stairs, running towards Hermione and Severus' bedroom.

Harry wasn't really thinking about the sight that would greet him as he slowly opened to the door to the master bedroom. He assumed Hermione would be asleep as Lucius had said he'd given her a vial of Sleeping Potion to take but he saw it still on the bedside table.

Instead, Hermione was lying on her side, propped up on her elbow, stroking Severus' hair. Harry could see Severus' back, which was covered in sweat.

"What are you doing in here?" Hermione hissed.

Harry looked over at Severus. "Should he be sweating like that?"

"Poppy said it's fine," she told him quietly as Harry pointed to the headline which had caught his attention.

"Ron's a suspect," he whispered.

Hermione snatched the paper from him to read the article, and whispered, "Poor Molly and Arthur."

Harry nodded, and then asked if she'd heard about Bill. Hermione shook her head, and by the time Harry told her about everything, they had both come to the same conclusion. They would go to The Burrow as soon as possible to offer their moral support.

Hermione asked Harry to go and ask Minerva to sit with Severus whilst they went to check on their adoptive parents.

Once he was gone, Hermione wiped the sweat away from Severus' body before whispering, "I won't be long. I'm going to The Burrow for a couple of hours. Minerva will be staying with you."

She didn't know if he could hear her, but she pushed his hair behind his ear and kissed his forehead, whispering, "I love you," before she got dressed, and waited for Minerva.

There was a time when both Harry and Hermione would have arrived at The Burrow and felt comfortable enough to walk straight into the house. But now it just didn't feel right, so instead they stood at the front door and knocked.

Despite every light in the house being turned on, no one came to the door for several minutes. Harry and Hermione stood on the porch rocking on their heels, both wrapping their arms tightly about themselves to keep out the late September morning chill, while looking nervously at one another. Hermione jerked her head towards the door to encourage Harry to knock again, but just as he was about to, an extremely weary-looking Ginny slowly opened the door.

Ginny looked at the two visitors, and within the blink of an eye she instinctively threw herself into Harry's arms.

Harry let out a muffled "Oomph" as she crashed into him and whimpered, "Oh Harry, it's horrible."

His immediate instinct was to wrap his arms around Ginny, hold her close, and stroke her hair, but he wasn't terribly au fait with the etiquette of dealing with an upset recently ex-girlfriend and looked pleadingly at Hermione for guidance. For some reason, he didn't find her shrug to be that helpful. Rolling his eyes he did what he always did, and went with his gut instinct even if it was sometimes catastrophically wrong.

As Ginny sobbed against Harry's chest, he whispered to her, "It'll be alright. I promise everything will be fine."

It was then that Ginny realised she was in Harry's arms and pulled away from him as if she'd been burnt. She looked at the floor sheepishly and opened the door further so they could enter the house. Hermione then pulled the red-haired witch in for a hug and asked her how she was feeling.

"I'm tired, and everyone's walking on egg shells around Mum. Blaise and Angie have been making tea since we got back," She chuckled mirthlessly as she closed the door behind them. "Oh shit, I forgot. How's Severus?"

"He's asleep at the moment. Apparating reopened his wounds, but thankfully Lucius managed to heal them again. Luckily it wasn't his wand arm so he'll hexing everyone by Monday," Hermione told her with a watery smile.

Ginny nodded pensively. "I'm glad he's alright, but it could have been..."

"I know," Hermione interrupted, "It shouldn't have been either of us."

"What's happened to him?" Ginny asked as tears welled up in her eyes. "I can't believe that was Ron tonight. He's a prat, but I never thought he could raise his wand on you let alone kill that girl. And then Bill...why's he...being...punished for ridding us of that bitch?"

It was at this point Ginny broke down, tears flowing freely down her face, and again Harry's instinct to comfort her took over. He wrapped her in his arms again, but this time she did not resist. Harry kissed the top of her head before pulling back and looking straight into the brown eyes that, for a moment he realised he missed, and told her emphatically, "Neither of them murdered anyone, Ginny."

Ginny sniffed and wiped her eyes on her sleeve as she moved away slowly from Harry's embrace. She nodded and then as she composed herself she informed them, "Lucius' lawyer agrees with you about Bill, and he's doing his best to get the charges dropped, but it's still horrible. But they need to interrogate Ron, and they can't do that until St Mungo's say it's safe."

"Look," Harry told her putting his hand on her shoulder, "I can guarantee that he didn't kill that woman."

Ginny looked at him with a furrowed brow. "But how?"

Harry realised he'd said too much and stuttered, "I...just...trust me. OK?"

Hermione suddenly flashed Harry a perplexed look, and as Ginny turned to walk towards the kitchen, she grabbed Harry's arm, and reiterated Ginny's question. "But how do you know, Harry?"

Harry sighed and put his hand on Hermione's arm. "Please 'Mione, just trust me," he implored before they followed Ginny into the kitchen to be greeted by a rather sombre George, Blaise, and Angelina.

"How is the headmaster?" Blaise asked urgently as soon as he saw Hermione, before standing and pulling out a chair for her.

Hermione sighed and rolled her eyes. "Blaise, please stop being so formal around me," she implored as she sat down. "I feel lousy enough as it is without things being awkward as well."

"Sorry," Blaise mumbled before stating, "But you are the headmaster's girlfriend and..."

Hermione held up her hand to stop him. "I am still the same woman you ignored for seven years," she reminded as she looked over at George, who had his elbow resting on the table, pinching the bridge of his nose. Somehow the once carefree boy suddenly seemed to a careworn man, as Angelina gently stroked the back of his other hand that was also resting on the table.

Prising her gaze away from him, Hermione asked, "How's Fleur?"

Ginny snorted ungraciously. "Oh, her majesty is in bed looking out for herself. She was up there balling her eyes until Lucius arrived and told her he was getting his lawyer to handle Bill's case. Then miraculously she managed to go to sleep whilst the rest of us are up worrying our arses off."

"That's rather uncharitable, Gin," Hermione chided.

"Well she's not exactly showing the family much support," Ginny groused.

"She's pregnant," Hermione countered.

Ginny huffed, "Oh and don't we all know it?"

"Ginny, pack it in!" George snapped suddenly, banging his hand on the kitchen table.

Everyone jumped, and Blaise walked over to Ginny and without saying anything escorted her out of the room, and out of the house. Harry sat down opposite George, and Angelina looked at Harry almost pleading with the black-haired wizard to speak to her boyfriend. She stood, kissed George on the forehead, and announced she was going to bed. Hermione also took this as the cue to leave the two wizards alone.

"I'm just going to check on Molly and Arthur," she told the two as she vaguely pointed towards the door.

Harry smiled, and nodded in acknowledgement as Hermione slipped out of the kitchen and walked into the living room.

Hermione felt rather nervous as she stood just outside the living room. No matter how she felt about Ron now, Molly and Arthur were still his parents. She'd wanted to hurt Ron; to make him pay for what he had done to Severus, but at the same time she felt guilty. Her magic had frightened her. Normally a simple slap across the face and a few harsh words would have sufficed, but she had played with her ex-boyfriend as if he were a rag doll and broken a marble wall with him.

By rights, they should be screaming at her and throwing her out of their house, but as she entered the living room, she saw a sight that broke her heart. Molly Weasley, the fiery, no-nonsense woman who everyone looked up to in one way or another was lying on the sofa with her head on her husband's lap, just staring at the ceiling.

Arthur looked up at Hermione and gave her a watery smile right before she nearly jumped out of her skin as Percy suddenly exclaimed from over her shoulder, "Hermione! How are you?"

Molly looked across at her, and sat up as she heard Percy address Hermione.

"I'm fine, Percy. How's France?"

"Interesting. It's amazing what you hear when you are out of the country. I understand you are accompanying the headmaster to Beauxbatons at the end of the week," Percy stated officiously.

"Yes, I am," Hermione confirmed, thinking to herself that Percy really hadn't changed much over the years.

She was broken out of her thoughts as she heard Molly speak. "Hermione, dear, what are you doing here? You should be with Severus," she stated as she held her hand out to the young witch.

Hermione went over to Molly and knelt down, taking her hand.

"Oh, Severus is in good hands. Poppy stayed, and Minerva is sitting with him now. He was fast asleep when we left. His wounds have been healed, and he's fine. He's sore, and he needs to take it easy, so he'll be a grumpy sod tomorrow, but he's fine," Hermione told her kindly, reiterating that fact that Severus was fine, as much to herself, as to Molly.

"Nevertheless," Molly told her, brushing a strand away from Hermione's face, "I am so sorry."

Hermione sighed and shook her head. "What for? It was Ron..."

"He's my son," Molly told her emphatically, gripping onto Hermione's forearm. "We brought him up to be better than this and now...now that poor girl. And Bill is going to be charged with killing Alecto Carrow. How will we ever be able to face anyone ever again?"

Hermione tried to reassure the older witch. "Bill being arrested is laughable, and anyway if Ignatius Walpole can get Lucius off the hook he can get all charges dropped against Bill. And as for Ron, we don't know that he killed her."

"There are few witnesses," Arthur informed Hermione. "Alecto is dead, and Amycus was interrogated under Veritaserum, and although he knew of the girl, as well as the plan to Polyjuice Alecto to take on her appearance, he does not know who murdered her."

Hermione went to respond when Percy piped up. "The problem is the Ministry may not be above looking for a scapegoat. As it is, Ron has already been given four months in Azkaban for colluding with known enemies, but Mr Thicknesse indicated in his owl that the Minister has ordered that he be interrogated by a Legilimens as they can't use Veritaserum on him."

Hermione nodded. She knew that Veritaserum was not accurate when someone had been affected by the Imperius Curse because the responses would be tainted by suggestion and coercion. Legilimency meant that the whole scenario surrounding the memory would be seen. The Legilimens would extract the memory for future viewing, and then question the person under Veritaserum. The whole process was time consuming so it was not used very often, but when it was used it was highly effective,

It was then that Hermione realised who would have to perform this on Ron. "Severus is the only approved Ministry Legilimens..."

Arthur nodded and turned to Molly who looked pensively at Hermione.

"I hate to ask this, Hermione, but would Severus refuse to do it?" Molly asked.

Hermione squeezed Molly's hand. "I can assure you that he will grumble and moan about it, but he will do it. No matter how we feel about Ron, if he is innocent, neither of us would want to see him punished for something just so the Ministry have a scapegoat."

She sighed and was about to enquire about Ron when Arthur put his hand on Hermione's shoulder and squeezed. "And how are you feeling? You've had a lot to contend with, and that was a pretty powerful display you put on there, young lady."

"I...I'm not sure how I'm feeling to be honest," Hermione admitted as she let go of Molly's hand, hanging her head and placing it in both hands.. "I'm relieved Sev is alright, and I know I never want to see Ron again if I can avoid it, but I'm scared. I'm scared of my magic! I didn't mean to hurt him that badly. I don't know where all that came from."

"Well before you worry yourself on that score," Arthur told her, "He is severely concussed but should be out of St Mungo's in a couple of days."

Hermione felt relieved but more for her sake than Ron's. "Even so..."

"Hermione, we do not blame you for what happened," Molly told her gently as she cupped Hermione's cheek. "You were justifiably angry and being protective. Our magic flows through us like emotions, and a soul bond enhances both our magic and our emotions. And when you are powerful, and a witch, it can lead to destructive displays of magic unless you learn to control your magic. Now, having been there myself, I can help you with that."

Hermione felt herself welling up as Molly offered her assistance. She bit her bottom lip and looked at Molly. "Severus and I talked about this, and neither of us want to feel controlled by this bond..."

"Which is why I am offering to help you," Molly interrupted her before telling Arthur and Percy knowingly that it was about time they went to bed.

Percy grumbled, but Arthur ushered him out of the door after kissing the top of Hermione's head, and Molly patted the seat next to her that Arthur had just vacated. Hermione sat next to the older witch, and they began to discuss the more intimate draws of the soul bond on Hermione's magic.

Eventually, it was agreed that the two women would meet weekly to discuss and practice various techniques to help Hermione's control. As Hermione hugged Molly to thank her for offering to help she noticed it was nearly half past seven, and told Molly to go to bed because otherwise she would be no good to her sons. Reluctantly she agreed, and as Molly wearily ascended the stairs, Hermione called Winky and gave instructions to stay at the Burrow and cook breakfast for everyone when they got up.

Hermione stood at the living room window for a few moments watching the sun rise as her thoughts went back to Severus. She began to sob as she realised that she could have lost him last night, and decided that she needed to be with him again.

She was about to walk into the kitchen to tell Harry that she was leaving when she heard Harry speaking to George heatedly, "But that's the point, George. If Severus had seen something that major, I'm sure he would have told Lucius and me, considering what he did tell us."

"What would he have told you and Lucius?" Hermione enquired.

"Oh...Hermione. I didn't see you there," Harry stammered before he swallowed and asked far too cheerily, "How are you?"

"Harry James Potter!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Yes you're quite right, Hermione Jean Granger that is Harry James Potter," George chimed in, trying to distract Hermione.

"Oh you're so funny George Weasley," Hermione groused before turning back to Harry.

"Now, tell me what is so hush-hush about what Severus would or would not have told you and Lucius, and where would he have seen it?" Hermione demanded.

Harry cleared his throat and tried to say nonchalantly, "Look Hermione, I think Severus should tell you."

"No, I think you should tell me, Mister," Hermione told him impatiently.

Harry swallowed hard and looked to George for moral support, only to be greeted by the red-haired wizard holding his hands up to indicate that Harry was on his own here. But to his credit George didn't try to leave the kitchen.

Harry sighed and began, "Well you see...the thing is..."

"Stop stalling," Hermione interjected through gritted teeth.

George smirked as Harry cleared his throat again, and informed the two of them that he would make a cup of tea whilst Hermione glared at Harry, and Harry tried to look anywhere but straight at Hermione.

"Alright," Harry said with a sigh before continuing nervously. "It was all my idea. Well initially it was Lucius' and Pius' idea, but they wanted help, and after seeing how upset you were, when Draco came to ask for my help, I agreed. And then we persuaded George to help and Adrian as well. But then Adrian had to pull out, and Luna stepped in. Severus wasn't even meant to get involved. He was only supposed to observe."

Hermione had no idea what Harry was talking about. "Harry..."

"No Hermione you have to understand," Harry told her urgently, "When we devised the plan, Severus wasn't going to be involved because you asked him not to do anything to Ron over what he had said in the papers. He just wanted to know what we had planned..."

"Harry...shut up!" Hermione growled. "What has this got to do with Ron?"

"Well you see you were upset by Ron," Harry continued, "And we were going to have a word with him but then he started being a twat to his family as well and then after he grabbed you at the Ministry on Monday, Severus hit the roof and..."

"Stop!" Hermione yelled as she tried to get her head around what Harry was telling her. "Just start from the beginning and tell me everything."

Harry looked at George and did just that.

Two cups of tea and many questions later, Hermione sat looking at Harry and George with a scowl on her face worthy of Severus himself.

Looking at George, Hermione asked him dispassionately, "So you healed Sev's hand?"

George nodded.

"And Draco and Lucius were there as well as Severus and you two, and Luna got Ron there?"

Both Harry and George nodded; both swallowed hard.

"And Ron said all that about me in the papers when he was the one shagging any bint that moved and a prostitute, who he may or may not have murdered?" Hermione asked. She tried not to show that she was upset by this, but both men could see tears forming in her eyes.

Harry reached over to put his hand on Hermione's, but she snatched it away.

"I asked him not to do anything about Ron," Hermione sobbed as she felt like her relationship had just crashed in front of her. "I thought I could trust him."

"Hermione, you can," Harry affirmed. "But he's a Slytherin, and they think differently to us. You asked Severus not to do anything to Ron because of what he had said in the papers, and he didn't. He only acted when Ron physically hurt you. Up until then he really was just going to observe because he didn't want us to get into trouble."

Hermione shook her head as more sobs racked through her body. "But if he hadn't been involved, he would have been with me, and...he lied to me, Harry."

"We all lied to you, and everyone else who thought we were in Pius' office," George told her as he stood up and walked around the table to crouch down next to Hermione, before putting his arm around her.

Harry followed suit and crouched on the other side of Hermione. "We all did it for you, Molly and Arthur, Fred, Bill...everyone that Ron has hurt. We couldn't exactly announce what we were going to do. And if it hadn't all kicked off you would never have known.

"But what we do know is that because Severus saw what he saw, we knew something was going to happen, we were prepared for it, and I'm pretty sure that Ron didn't kill that girl because Severus went back as far as the end of the war, and all he mentioned was that Ron was colluding with Yaxley and friends."

"Look, I know you're upset Hermione," George told her emphatically, "But Severus got involved because Ron hurt you just as you could've killed Ron because he hurt Severus. The bottom line is, my brother appears to bring the worst out in people at the moment. Don't let him come between the two of you."

Both wizards waited for George's words to sink in, and breathed a sigh of relief as Hermione nodded slowly.

The realisation washed over her, and Harry asked gently, "You still love him don't you?"

Hermione snorted incredulously. "Of course I fucking do. I'm just so angry with him."

"Well that's fine," Harry told her as he pressed a kiss to her temple, "You can yell at him, tell him how pissed off you are with him but you love each other more than anything, so don't do anything stupid."

"That's the second time you've said that to me," Hermione chuckled lightly.

Harry smiled as he stood up and whispered, "And I meant it as much then as I do now. Now go home."

"Give him hell, and then come back and give us hell, because we all deserve it too," George told her with a wry smile as he squeezed her shoulder.

Hermione huffed as she patted George's hand, and stood up as she sighed deeply. "Alright I'm going home. Thank you for trying to sort Ron out for me. But I will give Severus hell for this," She told them as she walked out of the kitchen.

"And then you'll have lots of make up sex," George teased. Harry nearly choked on the mouthful of tea he'd just taken.

"Too fucking right we will," Hermione called back.

As Hermione prepared to leave the Burrow, Severus had begun to wake up groggily. He heard the rustle of the newspaper and in his still potion dazed state, assumed that it was late morning, Hermione had decided to get up, and was now sat reading the newspaper. He turned his head in the direction of the rustling paper, and with heavy lidded eyes asked, "How long have I been asleep, sweetheart?"

"Merlin's beard! We all know you need glasses dear, but I didn't think your eyesight was that bad," Minerva quipped from behind the paper.

Severus closed his eyes. "Oh fucking hell," He groaned at his mistake...although, he mused, it could have been so much more embarrassing.

"Poppy said you could take this pain potion when you woke up," Minerva informed him as she closed and folded the paper, shooed Leo from her lap, and stood to hand Severus the vial.

Leo jumped up onto the bed and lay down so he could nuzzle Severus' hand.

"Thank you," Severus said with a grimace. "Where's Hermione?" he asked as he absentmindedly stroked Leo between the ears.

Minerva replied brusquely. "She's gone to The Burrow."

Severus gulped, thinking he detected annoyance in Minerva's voice. "Why?"

"All I know is that Potter told her about Weasley, and he asked me to sit with you," Minerva told him truthfully, not knowing that Severus' mind was now rushing back into focus, and coming to the wrong conclusion. At least over what Minerva had told him.

Fuck, she's left me over that twat!

"What did Harry tell her about Weasley?" Severus enquired, trying to sound calm, but Minerva found the hint of panic in his voice most curious.

"Read for yourself," Minerva told him, handing him the paper and adding, "There's a lovely picture of you two on page four, by the way.

"Probably the only picture there will ever be of us," Severus groused, suddenly realising he'd vocalised the thought.

Shit! How did it get into the paper?

"Oh, stop it!" Minerva exclaimed. "Of course there will be more, even if it's only your wedding photograph."

Not if we've split up.

Taking a deep breath Severus blinked as he tried to focus on the headlines, finally admitting to himself that he needed glasses...and looked up at Minerva. "Why the fuck have they arrested Bill!?"

"No, not that!" Minerva grumbled. "Although that is disgraceful. I've no idea what Kingsley is thinking but Lucius has appointed his lawyer to act on Bill's behalf."

Has he indeed?

Minerva grabbed the folded paper out of Severus' hand and turned it over. "No, that!" she told him as she pointed to the picture of Alexandra Carson.

"Shit!" Severus exclaimed. "I need to speak to Pius. I know Weasley didn't do this."

Minerva was taken aback by Severus' confidence in that statement. "How can you be so sure?" She asked as the bedroom door opened.

"Yes, do tell, Severus. How can you be so sure?" Hermione asked him as she walked into the room, standing at the bottom of the bed with her arms folded, glaring at him.

Severus gulped and shifted awkwardly; his eyes scanned her face, trying to read what she was thinking. He wanted to say something to hide his nervousness, but his usual eloquence deserted him under the weight of her glare. All he could croak out was a pathetic "Hello!"

"Don't you hello me, Severus Snape," Hermione growled before turning to Minerva, and thanked her for staying with him.

Minerva sensed something was wrong, and hurriedly took her leave of the couple but not before asking Hermione to step outside for a moment.

"I don't know what he's done, but I'm sure it was with the best of intentions," Minerva told the young witch in a hushed tone.

"I know," Hermione whispered with a smile.

Minerva saw the mischievousness in Hermione's eyes and nodded her approval. "There's something to be said about a Gryffindor thinking like a Slytherin. All the artifice but with a lion's roar," she smirked before walking off towards her room.

Severus jumped as the door slammed behind Hermione as she came back into the bedroom.

"How are you feeling?" she asked tersely as she walked towards the bed.

Severus felt as if he were her prey as she glared so intently at him. "Sore," he told her before admitting, "and suddenly very nervous."

"As you should be," Hermione informed him as she sat down in the armchair next to the bed. She looked at Severus for several moments, obtusely relishing making him squirm. "I thought I could trust you, Severus," Hermione announced dispassionately.

Severus swallowed hard. "You can!" he responded emphatically.

"Can I? Because, you see, Harry and George told me about what happened at The Shrieking Shack last night."

"Oh fuck!" Severus muttered as he hung his head, and closed his eyes.

"Oh fuck, indeed! I told you not to get involved in any plans to deal with Ron. And what did you do?"

"Actually," Severus stated calmly, "You asked me not to get involved with any plans to deal with Ron over what he said in the papers, and I didn't. I wanted to know what Potter had planned, but I didn't get involved until Weasley manhandled you. No man should leave marks like that on a woman, and after all the hurt he's caused his family, the emphasis shifted to include everyone else he's hurt, not just you.

"I will admit, though, I lost it when he said I'd tainted you, and that when you tire of me, I've basically condemned you to a life of loneliness as no one else would want you after you've been with me."

He found his last sentiments hard to say, and Hermione found them equally hard to hear.

"Did he really say that?" she asked him quietly.

Severus just nodded as he tried to hold back his emotions.

Severus' words and his clear upset had knocked the wind out of Hermione's blustering sails, and they sat in silence for a moment before she spoke again.

"Tell me what happened from the beginning," she asked Severus gently.

He grimaced as he put his head back against the pillow and huffed. "What's the point? You've already been told everything; you've already made up your mind. You can't trust me so just get it over with, Hermione."

"Get what over with?"

"Telling me it's over!" Severus snapped before adding softly, "Of course, I don't blame you. I may not have lied outright, but lies of omission are just as deceitful. I just didn't want you to worry, and you'd never have found out if..."

"No!" Hermione interrupted him as she scrabbled onto the bed. "It's not over. Harry just didn't tell me Ron had said that. I wanted to hear your version so I could make sure it all tied up."

"I suppose you'll go running back to Potter and ask him to corroborate," Severus sneered.

"No, I won't. Look at me," Hermione implored, brushing his hair away from his face.

Severus turned his face away from her, and hissed, "So you're not leaving me, but you thought you'd have a little fun testing me. Is that it? Is it fun toying with me, Hermione? Because if you want to test me, is this fucking good enough for you?" He yelled at her pointing at his shoulder. "I would take a thousand more of these for you, but maybe that's not enough."

"Sev, I—"

"Get out," Severus growled.

"Sev?"

Still not looking at her, Severus spat out, "I said, get out!" before closing his eyes and whispering, "I need to be on my own."
- 36
- 37
- 38
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

The Headmaster's Wife