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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
- 65
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“And They Didn't Live Happily Ever After”

Chapter Sixty-Five

“Tempus Fugit” (Time Flies)

Disclaimer, in Latin via Google Translator:

Omnia cognoscibilia sunt characters Rowling JK et cognatis renuntiabant. Copyright praeiudicio non intentum. (All recognizable characters belong to JK Rowling and associates. No copyright infringement intended.)

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

Even with everything that had happened to Hermione over the past few days, the singular thrill of handing Madam Dushka her resignation letter almost made it worth it all. Almost. She had fantasized about this moment since the first week she’d started working for the mincing harpy, shortly after the war. The harpy’s stunned look of disbelief, the growing realization that her most competent worker, who had been vastly underpaid for so long, was heading for greener pastures just made it all that much sweeter.

The icing on the cake was that morning when Hermione had walked into her office, Madam Dushka opened the conversation with the announcement that Hermione’s review was complete and that she had done a very good job of training Trevor, so far; however, there was no extra money in the Ministry's budget with which to increase her salary this time... again, or so Madam Dushka claimed. This was an ongoing problem since it had been three years since the Ministry had given her a raise. Hermione relished setting that resignation letter down in front of her, in response to another year without a pay raise.

Hermione understood why Molly and Arthur scraped by, if the Ministry continued to keep denying raises to some, even if inflation – which existed even in the wizarding world – kept inching up prices higher and higher every year. She never discussed salaries with Arthur, but she couldn't imagine him demanding a pay increase if denied one; instead, he would be saying like Molly that they would just make do the best they could.

Madam Dushka asked Hermione what she was going to do now that she was leaving, and Hermione was tempted to tell her it was none of her business. Since the wizarding world was a small one and Madam Dushka was going to find out anyway, Hermione informed her boss that she was leaving for a paid Potions apprenticeship.

Hermione's boss burst into whoops of mocking laughter, exclaiming that no one ever got paid for an apprenticeship, or if it was a "paid" apprenticeship, it was probably only five Knuts a year for some obscure tax reasons.

The new Potions apprentice merely let Madam Dushka think that she still had the upper hand. The older witch made some comment about Hermione being a sweet but extremely naive witch who still had a great many things to learn about the world.

Hermione had more than enough experience in this world between her years growing up at Hogwarts and the constant peril she had encountered, the war, and now the Machiavellian manipulations by the hands of her future employer. There was no mention that Lavender Brown would be paying her during her apprenticeship.

If anything, Hermione wanted to stick around and have a say in hand-picking her replacement. There was no point in leaving on bad terms, unable to give her insight into the selection of a new candidate; if the new candidate was incompetent The Lovely Lavender Company would then be plagued with shipments of bad ingredients. Madam Dushka did give Hermione permission to have final say in who the final candidate would be, avoiding the fact that Madam Dushka had picked Trevor Spawn, who initially was a completely incompetent walking disaster until he straightened up and flew his broom right.

Once in the lab, she had the unpleasant job of informing Trevor she would be leaving. It wasn't that she would miss Trevor that much, as he had turned into an all right work mate, but that she was taking his old apprenticeship.

Trevor seemed to handle the news well enough, understanding that it was his burning down the lab that was a major cause of him losing his apprenticeship, but he was a good sport and congratulated her. He was sincere in his congratulations that between the two of them, she was the one who truly deserved it.

Hermione made it a point to keep an eye on Trevor over the next few years. Should he continue to improve and apply himself, she would recommend him for an apprenticeship under Albert Dobmeir or another master once her apprenticeship was finished, but her recommendation would be based on merit, not a greased palm.

The rumor mill was in full swing that day. Even though Hermione had only told two people at eight that morning, by eleven, it seemed that half the Department of S&R had swung by to ask Hermione about her new apprenticeship, who it was with, and if it was true she was getting paid. They asked how much, to which Hermione just said that was confidential.

Lavender Brown had made the announcement to the press at the Ministry's Halloween masked ball that Albert Dobmeir was her new Potions master, but so far, few people put two and two together.

By noon, Harry had come around, having heard tongues wag. He congratulated Hermione, having been in the loop about her apprenticeship pending on some contingencies. Her old friend even offered to take her out to lunch in celebration, which she gladly accepted. She hadn't seen Harry much, as of late, and was hoping to catch up with him.

As Harry and Hermione lunched at this Muggle Chinese restaurant Harry had recently found, she filled him in on the details, knowing he would not recount them to others, except Ginny. Hermione mentioned to Harry that Albert Dobmeir was Lavender Brown's new Potions master and her pay would be from her, not her Potions master. She asked Harry to not mention anything to Ron, and that she wanted to be the one to tell him the "good news." No doubt, she could imagine the look on his face when she would tell him – upon Ron’s return from his three weeks abroad – that her new boss was his mistress, padding their vault. With a divorce, though, it would soon be "her" vault, after monies were segregated.

Curious to think that Ron's reason for not divorcing Hermione was due to money, but that his mistress and second wife-to-be would be paying her. Life had proven to be stranger than fiction as of late.

Reflecting on how monies in their Gringotts vault would be split made Hermione think about the long list of things she had to do in preparation, including getting her own owl. She could just ask her parents for Maxwell, but her parents did like having the creature around, since voles and other critters around house and garden were dramatically reduced, easing up the chore of trying to discover what ate the strawberries and tomatoes.

As the meal ended, the bill was presented with two fortune cookies. They both laughed at the prospect of random proverbs inserted into a cookie that could have any prophetic qualities to it whatsoever. Harry even told her about this Muggle tradition he’d learned about: that anything you read, you're supposed to interpret it sexually, adding on the tag line mentally of "between the sheets."

It surprised Hermione that Harry had made a sexual joke.

Harry cracked his open first and read his aloud. "You will step on the soil of many countries." Laughing he said, "Actually, this one is pretty spot on. I finally asked for time off of work to take Ginny on holiday. We'll be leaving in a little over three weeks."

Hermione had been so busy, she hadn't had time to catch up with Ginny if she succeeded in getting Harry to agree. Now things were truly set into motion.

"Pity it'll be right before the twins open that new store with their partner. I'll be glad not to be going though since it sounded a bit racy. They never said who their partner was," Harry noted.

"Lavender."

"So wait? Fred and George are in business with Lavender? Which means, you'll be working for the twins too?" Harry asked.

"No, not exactly. I'll be helping Dobmeir develop potions for Lovely Lavender; some of those will be sold at The Sirens' Secrets," she clarified.

Harry leaned across the table and whispered, trying not to sound scandalized, "You mean you're going to develop sex potions? Does Ron know?"

There were a lot of things Ron didn't know, the least of which that Hermione personally tested out every variable of the Male Enhancement Potion with their old Potions professor, every variation of the Arousal Potion she had a hand in developing herself, and combinations of the two together. She had fucked Severus' brains out for hours to the point where she had trouble walking many times afterwards.

Waving her hand dismissively, she said, "I'm sure it's nothing like what you think. There is probably a way of testing these things without it getting too friendly."

Hermione wanted to change the subject, but realized she still had her own fortune cookie to open and read.

As the golden-hued treat broke apart, she picked out the small rectangular paper amid the pieces. Holding it aloft, she cleared her voice before reading aloud, "Be prepared to accept a wondrous opportunity in the days ahead." Her face fell as she read it.

To mask her true emotions, she screwed her face up in confusion and said lightly, "Well, can't apply that between the sheets since Ron is gone for two more weeks, and I already have my Potions apprenticeship.” She shrugged, which seemed to make Harry laugh at how his was spot on, but interpret that hers missed by a mile where timing was concerned.

She wondered if the fortune was belated, since Severus had presented her with such an opportunity, three days prior, to leave with him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

To Severus' delight, Molly Weasley canceled all further meetings with "Eduardo," stating in her owl that recent family obligations prevented her from having much free time. Hermione informed him that Percy's wife, Penelope, had just given birth a few days ago and there was probably a great deal of truth behind her excuse, as Molly was busy helping over at their house.

Now began the task of wrapping up the last of the loose ends. First was an owl to Katherine Bigelow who had relocated to Spain. If anything, Sebastian Delgado going back to his homeland would only make correspondence that much easier between the two. Since where Severus was going was not going to be the easiest place to owl from, he stated that Sebastian had some family matters that would take up all his time back home in south-central Spain, and would need to refer all future consultation to his fellow Potions master, Albert Dobmeir. He thanked her for her correspondences and wished her future success with her business.

The only thing left to wrap up the fabricated enigma of Sebastian Delgado would be the correspondence between Hermione and Delgado regarding the brewer's kettles and other potions in which she was to receive royalties.

Even the edible body paint was complete and was already going into production for The Sirens' Secrets grand opening in a little over three weeks.

Miss Brown had already begun buying many copies of Severus’ books, since the Aurors had inspected the "Research Library", which was Severus' office, and had seen all the shelves crammed with books. Of course Lavender would not replicate all of Severus' library he housed in his office, but many of the more obvious books she was procuring as of that moment. He gave her a list of the ones that a person of her skill level and expertise would be reading and use for her work, that were in his own library.

Lavender kept the newly bought books off-site at The Sirens' Secrets office space that was also the location where the Polyjuice Potion was currently brewing. To fill the space of what she did not replicate from Severus’ library, she had house-elves go to every wizard estate sale and buy up dusty looking books to make it look as if the library was exactly the same as before, if one didn't scrutinize the titles too closely.

The night before Ginny, Draco and Severus were to leave, all the books she was storing would be swapped out with Severus' and the house-elves in Miss Brown's employ would bring back Severus' library to his flat to be packed away in a bag with an Extension Charm.

Other than his books, a few cooking implements, some clothes, and his armoire, there would be little else to take. He wasn't even sure if he would be wearing many of the same clothes as he wore here in England. His new home would be much warmer, and from the books he had read, all written by Muggles, it seemed that wool was not worn much at all, but linen, cotton and cool silks were the preferred fabrics of choice when packing.

Most of the furniture was courtesy of Miss Brown, as the place came furnished, since he had bartered away everything else he’d owned, except his books and armoire with flame mahogany and bird's eye maple, after the Death Eater Decree. There were bed linens, but who knows what he would be sleeping in or what size the new bed would be.

Of course nothing back at his flat would be packed before the morning of his departure. A surprise Auror visit would tip them off that something was amiss should his flat look barer than usual. So far he had only had two surprise Auror visits, and that was plenty. He and Draco still had to provide a tip to lead Aurors on a wild goose chase the day he would leave in order to delay them in their pursuit.

At their parole meeting a few weeks prior, he and Draco had said that they had overheard Jugson in a pub talking about obtaining a spare wand in Knockturn Alley in order to cast spells that would not turn up when his own wand would have a Prior Incantato cast to provide proof he had not been using any prohibited spells. Of course this turned out to be true, as Miss Brown had used a few of her house-elves to find some nice incriminating evidence that might get other Death Eaters in trouble. Kingsley thanked Severus and Draco for their tip the following week. This set the stage that another "anonymous tip" would send Aurors to the far corners of the United Kingdom, allowing them to get away.

The only thing he wish he had to pack that was not in his possession was a photograph of Hermione. He would ask Ginny if she had one of Hermione that she could give him and to pack it with her own belongings.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Trevor Spawn held his head in his hands, despair overwhelming him. He emitted a low keening whimper from the back of his throat, sounding like a beaten and cowering animal.

"Please don't tell me I was half as bad as that last candidate?" he begged, his voice creaking and despondent.

"That witch had seven spelling errors on her C.V. You had only four." Hermione felt a small bit of satisfaction that Trevor was getting a dose of what she had gone through when trying to find a replacement for her old co-worker, Marge Mallowton. "Perhaps this next candidate will not be so bad since he seems to have earned an E in Herbology and an A in Potions for his N.E.W.T.s. and had no spelling errors on his C.V."

"Please, Merlin," Trevor sighed dramatically.

Both were rather worn out by the candidates who had immediately applied for the position of Potions Ingredient Tester for the Department of Standards & Regulations. The ad listing an opening for the job was in the Wednesday Daily Prophet and Madam Dushka was swamped with owls by that afternoon. It appeared that many of the people who recently graduated from Hogwarts had spent their summer having fun; now that summer was over, they were looking for gainful employment.

There were a few candidates who were older, but most of them were witches whose children were grown up and moved away, and the mothers were now ready to earn a bit of pin money. However, many of those witches were sorely out of practice when it came to identifying some basic Potion ingredients, or their cauldron simmering skills had diminished since leaving Hogwarts many years ago. During one test, one middle-aged witch cast a flame far too hot and evaporated the ingredient instantly, turning it into a billowing cloud of blue smoke. It took at least twenty minutes for the lab to air out before Hermione and Trevor could stand to go back in. The applicant apologized and made the excuse that she was used to cooking in large batches for her family, and needed a flame that big and hot to get the cauldron going with soup or stew.

Finally, one particular witch came in. Her C.V. was spelled correctly, but she was a much older witch, which probably meant poor cauldron skills. Hermione and Trevor hoped that when giving her an aptitude test on some basic skills, with a little bit of luck she would not blow them all up.

She was nearly eighty years old with gray-streaked brown hair pulled back into a practical ponytail. She walked into the room with a smile and shook Hermione and Trevor's hands with a firm shake before she seated herself.

"So, Madam Fastrada Johnson. I will just get to the point quickly. What makes you think you are qualified to test Potion ingredients here at the Ministry's Department of S&R?" Hermione didn't want to be rude, but it seemed like this witch was wasting their time. It had been decades since she had any experience behind the cauldron, based on her resume.

"Well, unfortunately, most of my experience I was not able to put on my C.V., since I was not what can be called 'gainfully employed.' My husband was a Potions master for many decades and I helped him in his lab, working as his assistant," Madam Johnson explained. "Since I was married and no salary was drawn, I can't exactly put that on my application. I helped tend his personal garden, did most of the shopping for ingredients for him at the apothecary, went with him on Potion collecting trips, and helped him personally test many of his experiments."

Hermione and Trevor looked at each other, and their eyes lit up with hope.

"And why are you looking for work now, Madam Johnson?" Hermione asked.

"Because my husband passed away a few months ago. And though I have enough experience to qualify me as a Potions mistress, my husband and I never got around to formally getting me accredited. I can't exactly go around claiming to be a Potions mistress if I am not certified." Madam Johnson held her chin up high, proud and defiant that these two before her might dismiss her years of work at her husband's side, simply because of a piece of paper he never got around to signing and filing with the Ministry, which would have gotten her a review before the accreditation board. "I am a hard worker, I am careful and precise, and I keep my area clean."

Hermione placed a small box on the table and asked Madam Johnson to identify its contents.

"This is aconite," the elder witch said scoffingly, as if it was too easy.

Trevor and Hermione gave a sigh of relief before Hermione grabbed one more box and handed it to her.

"Could you please identify this as well?"

Madam Johnson opened the box and pulled out a very large white feather.

"Looks like Roc..." she began, but held it aloft, examining the rachis, inner vanes, and curve of the feature. "Is this a joke? This is an eagle quill that has been enlarged."

Hermione nearly leapt from her seat in joy. She had kept the fake Roc feather as evidence of the Damocles Brothers trying to pass off faulty and fake ingredients.

"One more test, Madam Johnson. Could you please give us an example of your cauldron skills?"

The three all went over to Hermione's testing bench.

"What would you like me to test?"

Hermione wanted to see just how good she was and pulled out a rare ingredient for Madam Johnson to show her level of skill.

"Ah, the seed pod of the rare Miniature Man-Eating Masdevallia orchid," Madam Johnson noted before taking a knife to the small oblong pod.

Hermione watched with rapt attention as Madam Johnson used a knife with quick skill and grace, taking off only the outer husk and leaving nearly all the pulp behind.

"I'm sorry," Madam Johnson apologized. "It's been years since I've had to handle one of these."

Hermione looked in awe of the leavings, noting she herself wasn't even one fourth as good as this witch with her knife skills, and until Severus pointed out how far she had yet to go, she thought she was pretty good already. Madam Johnson put Hermione to shame.

The job candidate grabbed a small copper cauldron. She added the peeled pod and some base solution to it, setting it on a very small low flame. She brought it up to a simmer, observed how the pod expanded as it absorbed the water, and killed the flame just before it began to break apart. Placing the swollen pod on the cutting board, she cut it in half and scooped out the seeds before mincing them finely and adding them back into the cauldron once more with some water. Once it starting coming to a slow boil, she added a dropper full of acid solution and watched for the reaction, and a green froth bubbled up near the rim of the copper cauldron before subsiding.

"Slightly stale pod, but still within what I would call acceptable standards for a fresh Potion ingredient. I think this would pass Ministry standards," Madam Johnson remarked.

"You're hired!" Hermione exclaimed.

There was no need to have Madam Dushka even consult on Hermione's decision. Madam Johnson was as good as Hermione, if not better. She could think of no person better qualified to leave in charge of the lab upon her departure. Granted, Trevor had seniority in terms of tenure, but even he could see that he could learn much from this witch and would gladly defer to her.

"Really?" Madam Johnson said with a broad smile.

"In fact, I insist on taking you out to lunch to celebrate. My treat, Madam Johnson," Hermione insisted. "And you'll be my treat too, Trevor, as a farewell luncheon."

"You're leaving?" Madam asked, a little crestfallen. "And please, call me Fastrada."

"Yes, Fastrada. I am leaving for a Potions apprenticeship in less than two weeks, and you're my replacement."

"Really? Who is your Potions master?"

"Albert Dobmeir."

"Albert? Oh, my goodness! Wait, I thought he took some wizard as his apprentice?" Fastrada asked with puzzlement.

"That would be me," Trevor spoke, his hand meekly raised. "But I lost it when I nearly burnt down this lab shortly after starting here."

Fastrada gave Trevor a wary look until Hermione stood up for the wizard and added, "Trevor, since then, has learned his lesson and applied himself. He now understands the importance of this job and the responsibility it carries. He has learned a great deal since he has taken this job more seriously, and though he still has much to learn, I can't think of anyone better than you to help him along the way."

Trevor stuck out his hand and said, "Welcome to the Department of Standards & Regulations, Fastrada."

Over lunch, Hermione and Trevor went over not only Fastrada's duties, but recent problems with suppliers, including the recent mislabeling between the lemonite and sulfur mishaps, in addition to how to deal with Madam Dushka.

Hermione had to bite the inside of her cheek during some comments Trevor made about Madam Dushka, as he was unaware that she had spied him in a three-way sandwich between their boss and her husband during the Halloween masked ball.

Fastrada, it turned out, was friends with Albert Dobmeir, as he and her husband had been good friends who had collaborated periodically. She mentioned how Albert recently lost his wife of many decades.

The older witch guessed that Albert had decided to take a position in the commercial sector and take on an apprentice to keep himself occupied since his wife, Dangerose, passed. Hermione knew a great deal more behind the story, but wasn't about to volunteer unless asked directly, and even then she would try to be vague.

"So how exactly did you land the apprenticeship, Hermione?" Fastrada asked, leaning across the table, dying to know.

"Since Mr. Dobmeir is replacing Mr. Delgado, Mr. Delgado recommended me since I had had some correspondence with him," Hermione admitted.

"Delgado? You mean that Spanish oaf at the ball? Oh, my goodness!" Fastrada exclaimed, breaking out into peals of laughter.

Hermione shrugged noncommittally and tried not to egg her on, but Fastrada's eyes lit up.

"Oh, my,” Fastrada said, realization dawning on her face. “Were you that witch in that stunning slim blue dress and the black hair?" she asked, looking equally aghast and amused.

Trevor piped up, "That was you? Merlin's teeth, you looked amazing! I had no idea that was you. You were one of the few who didn't look like an over-baked meringue."

Hermione hid her face behind her hand and nodded that she was indeed that witch, and the foc

us of Sebastian Delgado's very public apology to her in front of half of British wizardkind.

"What did he do to make such a scene to apologize like that?" Fastrada went on, despite Hermione's hopes that the topic would be dropped.

"A cultural misunderstanding. He thought talking about Potions with great interest equaled interests in 'other' things as well," Mrs. Weasley explained with an edge of exasperation in her voice, hoping that would be the end of the matter, distressed that Fastrada had witnessed the exchange.

"That's the Spanish for you!" Trevor commented knowingly.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

No more Quidditch games and no more Weasley family obligations until Bill Weasley's birthday party on the 29th, after Ron's return. Hermione came over to Severus' flat on Saturday. It wasn't just Saturday she came over. She had come over to his flat nearly every night that week, dining with him and spending the evening either making love, reading, or talking, and often all of the aforementioned.

That Saturday was different from her previous recent visits since she was giving him an early birthday party, just the two of them. He would be gone by the time his actual birthday rolled around, and she insisted that since he cooked for her and gave her such a lovely birthday, she should at least return the courtesy.

Severus insisted that their getaway the week before was a perfect present, but she insisted that she have the pleasure of cooking for him once, in addition to any other requests, suggesting even a massage. Her insistence to give back to him the same care and consideration he had given to her all these months touched him, and he relented. He was territorial about his kitchen, but agreed only if he could watch, curious as to what she was going to prepare for him.

The fish monger at the farmers’ market had the extra large jumbo prawns she was looking for, in addition to all the ingredients she needed. The wine merchant had a bottle of Amontillado for cooking, and a nice white Spanish Albariño for drinking that would work well with the shellfish without overpowering the flavor. Given Severus' recent performance at the ball, she thought it was fitting to get a Spanish wine to go with the meal.

"Just how much garlic are you using?" he asked, taking note that if he liked the meal, he would make it himself in his new home.

"This originally called for a whole large bulb for three pounds of prawns, but I'm using almost half a bulb for the pound of prawns for the two of us. It's a bit more, but it's nearly impossible to use too much garlic for this dish," she said as she chopped the fragrant bulb.

He watched as she added an equal amount of olive oil and butter to the pan, noting the moderate flame and temperature, when she added the garlic and shellfish before the turning of each large prawn to the other side once its carapace began to turn from a bluish-gray to a bright orange-pink. She added a heavy splash of the Spanish sherry half-way through, the pan erupting into a column of bright yellow and orange flame before subsiding to be extinguished. As the prawns cooked, they began to split along the back where she had deveined them. At this point, she turned the prawns so they sat upright, their tails up in the air as their interiors cooked. An extra large pinch of the chopped cilantro was added at the last minute. She swirled the sauce swirled the pan a few times before she removed the prawns and placed them in shallow soup plates, then poured the garlicky sauce over them.

A large loaf of crusty French bread was served up in order to mop up the sauce from the soup plate.

Severus ate his early birthday dinner with relish, complimenting the chef.

"Had I known you were such a good cook, I think I would have asked you to cook for me a long time ago," he said, a glimmer in his coal black eyes.

"Severus, you cook for me because it's the only time you can legally lay your hands on a knife. I usually come over here exhausted, tired of cooking for Ron, and you have been more than happy to show off your culinary skills to me. I know you love it when I praise each wonderful and delectable meal you have ever made for me. You have enjoyed pampering me and I have truly appreciated it, but let's not kid ourselves," Hermione plainly stated, giving him a skeptical look.

"Besides, your cooking is far superior to mine," she continued. "This is the dish I usually ask my mother to make for my birthdays, and that is why I know how to make it. Otherwise my cooking is much more plain and simple out of sheer convenience." Hermione didn't mention the fact that Ron liked simpler fare; she didn't want to hear him complain about fancy spices, herbs or too much garlic, which he used to do until she toned down her cooking style.

Hermione said, "You'll have to teach me your ratatouille and cassoulet before you leave."

It was then that they both realized that there would be an end to their dinners, conversations, and time together. Both were aware of it from the beginning of their romance once she agreed to help him procure the Polyjuice ingredients, but realizing he would no longer be cooking for her made them both a bit introspective for the moment. They ate in silence for a while before Severus asked Hermione about the new candidate she’d hired to replace her at work.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

As much as Hermione wanted to sleep over at Severus’ flat, as he invited her to every night but Sundays until Ron's return, she kept it to Saturdays only. She still went to his flat after work every weekday, all day Saturday, and part of Sunday. They took turns cooking for each other, Hermione feeling inspired to cook the way she liked versus catering to Ron's blander palate.

She didn't want to risk someone coming over by Floo, like Ginny and Harry had done in the past, to find her gone and the flat appearing abandoned. She felt it best to keep up appearances since neighbors might observe a change of pattern of Mrs. Weasley returning to her flat or not at all for days at a time. Who knew who the Aurors might question if Hermione became a suspect in Severus and Draco's disappearance.

It was a prudent decision as one night she came home from Severus' flat to find Trevor waiting in her own flat. He was in distress over the fact that Madam Dushka was pregnant, and neither of them were sure if it was his child or Mr. Dushka's.

Trevor Spawn didn't know who else to talk to or trust speaking with.

He confessed about his affair with Madam Dushka, expanding to include her husband once he discovered their affair. It was all hunky-dory until the recent revelation that day that Madam Dushka was expecting. They would have to await the birth of the child before they would discover if the child was sired by her lover or her husband, which would change the magical bond between her and her husband, since they had not gotten around to having children during the past two decades of marriage. It seems that not even magical contraceptives were one hundred percent fool-proof.

Now Trevor feared losing his job.

Hermione pulled out her copy of The Magical Contracts of Marriage and Children and agreed to let him borrow it for a few days. She would need it herself when Ron came back, but she didn't tell Trevor that.

"Listen, if anything, I will vouch that if she chooses to terminate you, it will be unjust since you are a fine employee. If you contest it, there can be an inquiry at your request, and then there would be questions about personal reasons behind her firing you, if she did. Trust me, she will not want to make this an issue of public record. But I would suggest that you and the Dushkas sit down and make a plan that will ensure your continued employment and a course of action," she suggested. "I'm not privy to all that has happened, but I'm sure you have a memory or two that could be viewed in a Pensieve that would sure call into question her objectivity, should she fire you."

Trevor thanked her profusely for her help and promise of discretion before he Floo’ed back home.

Once gone, all Hermione could think is that she would not be around when Madam Dushka's pregnancy progressed. Who knew how much more of a harpy she would become once morning sickness was in full gear, not to mention the mood swings, fatigue, and everything else that came part and parcel with the condition. Hermione had seen enough of her sisters-in-law go through all the various stages numerous times, and she knew exactly what to expect.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Time flew faster than Hermione realized or wanted. Before she knew it, it was her last day at the Department of Standard & Regulations. It was spent having Fastrada shadow her throughout the day, and when Trevor botched up an experiment on some irregularly ground dragon bone he had on a flame that was too high, he had Fastrada fill out the report before signing it himself. They doubted Fastrada would need to fill out many of those herself, but it was good to know what paperwork was involved.

The three all went to lunch together, as Madam Dushka bowed out at the last minute looking a bit green around the gills. Hermione guessed it was morning sickness, but said nothing.

After lunch, Hermione had to finish sorting through the last of her stacks of Potions and Herbology magazines, Ministry-owned books she had yet to return to their library, and a copious number of journals she had read but never bothered to chuck or sort.

Fastrada had already read most of the materials at home since she still had owl delivery after her husband's passing, but she asked to have them for her own archives at work, for reference.

Once done with her sorting, Hermione noted her couch was a whole lot bigger than she remembered, now that one end did not have a teetering stack of reading materials upon it. Normally she was a neat witch, but lack of adequate bookshelf space had made her improvise over the years.

At five o'clock, Hermione handed her keys back over to Madam Dushka. She Floo’ed home to shower and change before heading over to Severus' for a celebratory dinner he’d promised. He’d also finished his last day at The Lovely Lavender Company under his nom de guerre of Sebastian Delgado, so it was a double celebration.

There was a lesson in ratatouille and preparation of the duck confit for tomorrow, which required preparation the day before for the cassoulet, since she would learn how to make that dish on the following day, Saturday.

After dinner, there was dancing followed by rigorous love-making without the use of any potions, except the Lubrication Potion. As they showered afterward, the moment demanded that they go at it one last time for the night. Hermione and Severus discovered there was some rot in the wall behind the tiled shower wall. Hermione had her feet sturdily braced against the shower walls opposite, and she’d pressed her back against the rotted tile-covered wall while Severus thrust firmly into her. The wall slightly caved, and they had a good laugh over it, deciding to finish their canoodling in the bath instead.

Lying in bed, their hair still damp and Hermione occasionally bursting into spontaneous fits of giggles and chuckles, Severus said, "I'm sorry to leave you a place that is falling apart, if you intend to take Miss Brown's offer of free lodging."

Hermione hadn't even decided if she wanted to live in Severus' flat once he vacated. The lure of rent-free living did hold a distinct monetary allure; given that she had recently been enjoying a few more Galleons in the vault with Ron's bump in salary and position as first-string Keeper for the Chudley Cannons, she was strongly considering it. It wasn't like she’d spent that much extra money with Ron's pay raise, but it was nice to be able to go out to dinner once in a rare while. Then there was a new set of robes when one set was getting too ratty and worn, and it was convenient to not need to count Knuts just before pay day as she had done for years.

She noticed that the study had enough shelf space for even her book collection, which was large, but not as large as Severus'. Most of her books were currently in the cellar space under her and Ron's bed. The cellar was already there when she and Ron moved in, sold as a place to put Christmas decorations, extra brooms, and storage that their tiny flat otherwise lacked. Severus' bed was far more comfortable than hers, and the kitchen was more spacious with more cupboard space. There was no contest when it came to his bathroom.

"Are you leaving the bed?"

"I have no intent to take it," he replied. Severus hoped it would be easy to buy a nice feather bed where he was going.

"Sold. I suppose I should wait to move in until after you've been declared missing, this place turned upside and gone over with a fine-toothed comb, Sneakoscope, Foe-Glass, and who knows what else Mad-Eye will use to look for clues as to your whereabouts."

"That would be the prudent thing to do," Severus agreed as he nuzzled his head against her breast, enjoying the way she lazily stroked and played with his hair.

They lay there entwined with each other before he added, "Though I would consider bringing it along if you came with, if you're that attached to it."

He hadn't mentioned his offer for her to go with him since their weekend in Weybourne two weeks prior.

Hermione didn't want this to turn into another fight and she was tempted to placate him by saying that she would think about it, but that would be leading him on. Severus had been honest with her, once his mask was discarded, and she would not begin lying to him now.

"I have my reasons for staying, Severus. If anything, I know that if what the fortuneteller said is true, then I will see you again."

"Even if you clear my name and I could come back, I doubt that I ever would. England has become a prison for me. I can't travel up to Hogsmeade or even Wales without special permission." He lifted his head from her chest to regard her, brushing the hair away from her face. "If I were to come back to England, it would not be willingly. Which means that if you see me again, it will be because you‘ve left England as well."

Hermione hadn't thought about it in those terms; Yet, Severus omitted the other possibility – of him being caught and dragged back against his will. Still, she had assumed that he would come back once his name was cleared. She hadn't considered that even if he could come back that he would still stay away. When she thought about it, what person ever willingly went back to sit in their jail cell once freed?

And if Severus would never come back, would that mean that she would never clear his and Draco's name, giving up and joining him abroad?

There was no time period the old Roma woman gave as to when Hermione would see Severus again when he left. It didn't mention if he would even be alive, just that she would "see" Severus again.

Now what seemed clear to Hermione once again became nebulous and uncertain.

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

A/N:

I know, I know. I used the same Extension Charm as Hermione's bag in DH, and I already established I would not use any new canon from HBP onward, but the Extension Charm was already established in GoF with the Weasleys’ tent.

This recipe is very close or is about the same recipe that my mother taught me:

Hermione's Prawns

Serves two

1 pound Colossal or extra large jumbo prawns/shrimp

1/3 bulb of Garlic

1 Tablespoon Cilantro (heaping)

1/4 cup Olive Oil

1/4 cup Butter

1/4 cup Amontillado Sherry

Directions:

1) Draw a sharp knife along the back of the prawns, deep into the interior of the meat so it is mostly butterflied. Devein the shrimp, removing and discarding the intestinal tract. Leave the shells on, as they add flavor to the sauce.

2) Peel and finely chop the garlic, set aside.

3) Coarsely chop enough cilantro to equal one heaping tablespoon – or a very generous pinch, and set aside.

4) With a large skillet, set the heat to medium. Once the pan is warm, add the oil and butter.

5) After the butter has melted and started to bubble a little, add the garlic and cook for about ten seconds.

6) Add the prawns, laying them on one side. Let them cook until the color of the shells change and they become bright pink-orange.

7) Flip the prawns to cook on the other side.

8) When both sides are bright pink-orange in color, the prawns should start spreading apart where you cut through the backs, splitting open.

9) Once both sides are brightly colored and the backs have started to spread open, add the sherry. Stand back as the alcohol vapors will probably catch fire. The alcohol will burn off quickly and the flame will subside.

10) Turn the prawns to “stand up” where the interior meat is now facing down on the pan, shells on top, and the tails are curled up into the air. Cook for a few more minutes until the interior of the prawns are cooked. Do not overcook the prawns or they will be rubbery.

11) Add the cilantro to the pan and swirl the pan about to mingle the cilantro with the sauce.

12) Serve up the prawns into two soup plates, then split the sauce between the two plates.

13) Serve with a large loaf of sliced-up crusty French bread and a nice dry white wine. Add an empty bowl to the table to hold discarded shells.
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And They Didn\'t Live Happily Ever After