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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
- 69
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- 71
“And They Didn't Live Happily Ever After”

Chapter Sixty-Nine

"Aloha"

Disclaimer: (In Hawaiian)

Kēlā mea ʻike poʻe manaʻo no JK Rowling a ʻohana holoʻokoʻa. ʻAʻole ʻai.hue manaʻo kūlia.

(All recognizable characters belong to JK Rowling and associates. No copyright infringement intended.)

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

Hermione showed up to work at nine o'clock sharp, certain that Severus was, at that very moment, going to places far and away from her. She still didn't know where he was going, and perhaps it was best she didn't until she cleared his and Draco's name.

As she passed the reception desk where a house-elf greeted her, the heart-broken witch grabbed a sample vial of the Lovely Lavender's Puffy Poof Eye Crème and dabbed some around her eyes in the lift. She was in desperate need of it after her sleepless night and her recent hysterical breakdown upon dropping the only vial of Ron's hair she had, destroying her chance of leaving with Severus.

Just as Hermione was about to knock on Albert's office door, Lavender came out into the hallway and called her into her office to speak with her privately.

Her employer had a full tea service ready and waiting. There were miniature croissants, butter, jams, tiny quiches one could eat with one bite, and fresh fruit.

"I wasn't sure if you had breakfast before coming in," Lavender began.

Hermione shook her head that she hadn't, looking quite despondent at the moment. She had been too preoccupied thinking about Severus and then rushing to meet him at the last moment that she hadn't gotten around to eating.

Lavender gestured her hand towards the miniature buffet, to which Hermione declined, only accepting a cup of tea instead.

"Since the papers will be screaming headlines about two escaped Death Eaters by the time Monday morning rolls around – or possibly sooner – I have a suggestion as to distract from the news," Lavender began.

Hermione let an unladylike snort escape. "That news will be hard to beat. What do you suggest?"

"Well, I think you, Ron and I should sit down with Luna Lovegood, and give her an exclusive into your divorce from Ron, and our affair."

The beginnings of a headache began to build at the base of Hermione's neck. She asked for a vial of headache relief potion, which Wonkle promptly provided.

"What do you mean, 'give her an exclusive'? Isn't it bad enough everyone knows Ron and I are divorced now? Isn't your reputation tarnished enough – and justly so," Hermione threw in bitterly, "that an exclusive article will do what? Satisfy the prurient curiosity of our salacious affairs to the public at large?"

"The article will detract from the fact that two Death Eaters have just escaped from England, and therefore reduce pressure from the Ministry on us," Lavender stated.

"Think about it," the blonde witch explained, "the Ministry does not want to look bad that two Death Eaters escaped at the same time. If anything, they will want to keep it quiet. The recent murder of Pansy Parkinson and her joke of a trial were kept pretty quiet in the papers, wouldn't you say?"

Hermione did notice that the stories of Pansy's murder trial did tend to be buried father back in the paper than on the front page, whereas her news deserved to be read, and not even the murder suspect's name was given.

"If we give an exclusive to Luna which comes out on Monday, it will cause people, who have only so much free time and a limited attention span, to focus on us rather than on Draco and Severus." Lavender paused to take a sip of tea and eat a miniature quiche in one bite before resuming her explanation. "The Ministry will no doubt be glad that our story will draw the heat away from them and public pressure regarding Death Eaters, since many of the Death Eaters have been dying over the years in ways the wizarding population is less than proud of and the Ministry has swept under the rug dismissively. And if people are distracted by a story about a love triangle, it means less pressure on the Ministry. Less pressure on the Ministry means less pressure on me, as I was the escaped Death Eaters' employer, and possibly less pressure on you, should you be linked to their disappearance in any way, though we've tried to engineer it so that would be hard to do."

The Potions apprentice noted the key word here was "try." Severus and Lavender may have tried to obscure Hermione's link to them, but only time would tell if they succeeded.

Reluctantly, Hermione agreed. She felt as if there was no other option. The press had already assumed much about her in the few stories she did bother to read about her divorce; much of it was pure conjecture and speculation, so she guessed it would be better to set the record straight in a way that would suit her purpose as well. If anything, she would use it as a platform against marriages where Muggle-born and half-blood witches and wizards who were unaware of the magical binding properties of having children would become informed of such risks. Had she been informed that such powerful magic could kill you with a divorce, then she would have definitely waited to marry Ron, or even break off their engagement.

Lavender sent an owl off to Luna offering an exclusive interview Saturday, to be published Monday.

Once it was settled, Hermione rose to start work for the day.

Before she left, Lavender said, "If there is anything I can do to help you clear Severus' and Draco's name, let me know."

Hermione replied with a weary thanks, her heart and her body feeling heavy.

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

Ginny was the first to finish with her interview. She had begun her story about how she'd dreamed of Harry Potter when she was a young witch with a bad crush. From there she went on to explain about her first year with Tom Riddle's Diary, as that experience later on helped her form a bond with Draco. There was her long pining for Harry Potter, his famous story, and the background about how her mother had encouraged Harry not to court Ginny during the war. Molly did not want Ginny to suffer worse should she and Harry fall in love and then for the Boy Who Lived to die. Ginny knew it was her mother's way of trying to protect her only daughter and youngest child.

The young witch went on to tell about, having given up and moved on from her crush with Harry, she had fallen in love with Draco during the war and their growing affections. Here her story became more tragic. It was with the ending of the war the love between her and Draco bloomed, and then immediately following Hermione's wedding the Death Eater Decree was declared.

There were relevant details into her marriage which showed how she didn't want to marry Harry, but was pressured from her mother. There was also the story Harry told her about how Molly had egged him on to court and propose to her; Ginny related what her husband had confessed during their marriage counseling sessions.

The tale went on to include how Lavender had arranged to put Draco and Ginny back together, Draco's seamy "profession" and their rendezvous, and subsequent discovery by Hermione. From there the tale moved forward to include how Hermione had helped with the procurement of Polyjuice Potion ingredients and working around the legal restrictive aspects of certain Potion ingredients after the war. While Ginny didn't go into details about her and Draco's intimate moments, there was no question about their affair, nor their love for one another and her reasons for fleeing with him. There was nothing that Ginny omitted, compelled by the Veritaserum, and even then, without that Potion, she was willing to tell it all.

After a few hours, Ginny was done. Halulu did a cursory spell to make sure Ginny was indeed not pregnant, as it sometimes took a few days for symptoms to appear in a normal detection spell. If Ginny was pregnant, she would live throughout the pregnancy, but die shortly after delivery, just like Tom Riddle's mother.

Once confirmed that the redhead was indeed free and clear of her ex-husband without complications, Halulu shook Ginny's hand and welcomed her to Malu Palekaiko. Halulu even invited the young witch to come perform one of her belly dance routines at the luau on Saturday, since Halulu ran a hula school and was interested in seeing a new type of dance at the community party.

The elder witch assured her it would be a great chance to meet others in the community and break the ice.

Ginny stepped out onto the porch to enjoy the night, but she quickly went back in as a storm system had moved in over the past couple hours and there was a downpour of rain that would probably be brief. Meanwhile, she sat in the foyer inside, waiting for Severus and, most importantly, her lover. It would be a couple more hours until Draco would emerge.

Draco almost balked at talking the Veritaserum, but relented. He had a bad enough experience with the stuff dispensed by Mad-Eye Moody. What was ironic was that Mad-Eye Moody never used it to get a confession from Draco or Severus regarding the accusation of killing Dumbledore or letting the Death Eaters into Hogwarts. Draco, as well as Severus, had offered to prove their innocence with Veritaserum, but Moody had refused, using his unproven suspicions as evidence to damn them both under the Death Eater Decree.

Still, Draco had relented and drank it down, spilling every secret he had, even some he had not told to Ginny or Severus. Every last detail from his reluctance to accept the Dark Mark, down to his altered appearance with the Ageing Potion at the Ministry of Magic's Halloween masked ball and dancing with Ginny right under Potter's nose. He described his work on the sly doing advertising and marketing for Lavender Brown, and his cover work as a gigolo.

At one point, the Polyjuice Potion wore off and Draco barely had enough time to get out of Potter's clothes before growing back into his taller, larger form. There was no privacy screen for Draco since he and his inquisitor were both wizards, and he was not transforming across genders like Severus.

Gary seemed to understand that this young wizard was forced into a situation not of his choosing, despite being eager to become a Death Eater like his father in his formative years. At the end, the older wizard clapped Draco on the back and gave him some encouraging words; he told him he would fit in fine, since Draco seemed like a normal wizard who just wanted a nice quiet life with Ginny. Gary welcomed Draco to their little patch of paradise in the Pacific, and handed him a packet with some basic literature about local laws and customs, along with a list of merchants and services they might need to help settle into their new life.

Exiting from his interrogation room, Draco was relieved to find Ginny sitting in the waiting room reading her own relocation packet and making notes in the margins and on the free notepad.

They rushed into each other's arms and kissed fiercely. Tears began to stream down Ginny's cheeks as Draco continued to hold her tightly; neither could hardly believe that they were free to be together now.

Halulu, who had waited with Ginny, nudged Gary in the ribs and said, "Ahh, to think, we were that young once."

"I was never that young, and my wife was never that hot looking, but don't tell Iolana I said that or I might just find my balls in a jar on the mantle again," Gary joked quietly.

"Come on now," Halulu protested, "when you married her, you said she was the most beautiful witch you have ever laid eyes on."

"Yeah, I know. I'm just kidding." Gary sighed deeply, "But I love her just as much, if not more than the first day I met her." Nodding towards the young couple still locked in an embrace, he added, "I hope these two have a marriage as wonderful as what Iolana and I have."

"If they do, I'll be sure to tell Draco how to reverse that castration hex," Halulu threw back.

It was almost dawn before Severus had told Mounga everything. He was exhausted, having had additional doses of Veritaserum, since each dose only lasted for one hour.

About half-way through the interview, the Polyjuice Potion wore off and Severus excused himself behind the screen to allow the transformation back to his old self and dress himself in his regular clothes.

When Severus was done talking, Mounga shook his head and said with pity, "Man, that's just fucked up."

Severus was grateful the Mounga was mostly silent during his lengthy confession, only speaking to ask for a little clarification on some history and people he was not familiar with. Even Mounga knew who Dumbledore was, so it cut down some time, but not much.

"So you regret killing your wife?" Mounga asked.

"Every day of my life," Severus answered truthfully, still under the effects of the Veritaserum. Whoever brewed it was a talented Potions master, as it was very potent.

"And you have no intention of doing any Death Eater type stuff any more?"

"Was I not clear enough of my regrets and how I was forced to do some things for the war under the direction of Dumbledore?" Severus asked back, being more truthful than sarcastic in his remarks.

"Just checking, man." Mounga gave Severus a slightly worried look and asked, "And you don't want to do any more of that gigolo stuff?"

Severus gave him a glare back that it was pretty obvious he didn't. Although he did admit that he'd initially enjoyed having a bevy of witches in his bed over the years, it was clear he had grown tired of it – with the obligation to keep his cover working for Miss Brown. He even told of how in the process of falling for Hermione, he had grown to dislike his gigolo work greatly, wanting to bed only one witch exclusively.

"Trust me, you don't have to worry about me ever pursuing that for a vocation or hobby ever," he assured Mounga.

"And this Mad-Eye guy wouldn't let you use Veritaserum to prove your innocence?"

Severus shook his head. "Would that I could. The old Auror has had it in for me for years, and this was his excuse to keep me under his thumb. Even my request to take the Veritaserum it in front of the Wizengamot was denied. Only Dumbledore could have spared me, and even his will would have been binding enough to have freed me. But alas..."

Mounga looked at the lemon on the table, picking it up to examine it. "I'm not supposed to let you bring in random fruits or vegetables from abroad, as we have some pretty strict importation laws. But as this is a magical lemon from a magical tree, and from what you describe, it isn't really for eating or planting, I can let this pass."

The huge wizard handed the withering lemon back to Severus, adding, "I hope that Hermione chick figures out how to clear your name. You seem like a nice guy who just had a lot of bad luck and was forced into some bad situations you made the best of."

Mounga stood and went around to Severus, indicating the interrogation was over.

"I think you'll find people here are pretty easy and you'll like it here," the larger wizard assured him. "Aloha. Welcome to Malu Palekaiko."

As Severus stood, Mounga grabbed him and gave him a huge crushing hug, followed by a hearty clap on the back that Severus was sure might have cracked a rib or two.

Exiting the interrogation room and entering the waiting area, he was rushed by Ginny who threw her arms tightly about him, burying her head against his shoulder. "I'm so glad you finally made it. Everything okay?" she asked frantically with worry, wondering if Severus was going to be able to stay with her and Draco.

Severus eased her fears, and Ginny hugged him back even tighter.

Draco came over and the two wizards embraced in a brotherly fashion, having been through so much together, sharing a bond similar to what only soldiers in battle can know.

"Oh, this is for you," Mounga said, once hugs and greetings were done. He handed Severus his own welcoming packet, just like the ones Ginny and Draco were reading while they waited for their friend and mentor to emerge.

"Come to the luau tomorrow night at the community center," Mounga invited them. "It's our big Christmas show. There's a potluck, so free food, free drinks. A chance to meet other Potion masters and such."

"Ginny said she'd even dance for us," Halulu volunteered.

"You hula?" Gary jumped into the conversation.

"No, belly dance, though I'm not that good," Ginny scoffed demurely.

Draco laughed and said, "That's what you think. Besides, you've danced in a few recitals and won that one Muggle competition."

Ginny waved her hands dismissively, unsure about her own talent.

Severus had never seen Ginny belly dance, but he had heard about her skill from Draco. He remembered the way Draco would recount, with glazed-over eyes, how she could roll a Galleon down her stomach.

It would be interesting to see her dance finally.

When they stepped out into the early morning air, the faintest glimmer of dawn was approaching; the moon had set long ago. The rain had stopped and the air smelled of the ocean, decomposing vegetation in the jungle, and the perfume of flowers. Even the chorus of frogs had dissipated, supplanted by a concerto of birdsong.

Out on the sand, Ginny and Draco ran to the edge of the water and began dancing around in circles, laughing. Severus approached the edge where the sand changed from dry to wet and watched the happy couple rejoice in their newfound freedom.

Ginny, noticing Severus standing to the side, ran over to him and grabbed his hand. She was shortly followed by Draco as they dragged Severus into joining their merriment, dancing around in a circle.

Caught up in the moment, Severus began to smile and laugh for once himself, finally realizing he was free to do whatever he wanted without restrictions, and his life was his own to control now. The only thing that marred the joy that Severus felt was the absence of Hermione.

She had told Severus he would never truly be free unless he was free to go wherever in the world he wanted without persecution.

And she was right. Only as long as Severus remained on the small island of Malu Palekaiko, no Auror could drag him back.

Malu Palekaiko was technically a part of the United States, though their U.S. wizarding government was separate from the Muggle one. The U.S. and most other countries had a cozy extradition relationship with the United Kingdom, and vice versa. Had Severus been caught in San Francisco, he could have done nothing about it, and would have been brought back to England against his will.

Severus could venture to the other Hawaiian islands and even other countries and the mainland, and come back to Malu Palekaiko, as long as he wasn't caught. It was only the magic imbued into this small island that could stop an Auror from forcing Severus and Draco from returning. As long as he stayed within the geographical bounds of this particular island, which included up to three miles out to sea, he was safe.

Should an Auror come to Malu Palekaiko and attempt to secretly kidnap anyone who had sought sanctuary – using a Portkey or Side-Along Apparition, for example – the magic of the island would protect them.

But despite the heaviness in his heart where Hermione was concerned, Severus was still happy and reveled in the lightness of his being, no longer feeling the oppression of the Death Eater Decree weighing upon his shoulders. Freedom was liberating and Severus felt as if he could fly without a broom, his feet light and his body almost floating.

Once their celebratory jig was done, they agreed to go find accommodations. There was an eleven-hour time difference between London and Hawaii, and their bodies told them it was nearly time for dinner. Thankfully their interrogators had brought them some food to hold them over during their interviews.

As it was nearing breakfast time, they agreed to Apparate into town for breakfast. On the welcoming packet's restaurant brochure, Ginny had circled a place that offered "Fabulous Hawaiian breakfasts for even the most serious appetites." Given the size of Mounga, he must have had an appetite that was downright grim.

For the first time in years, Severus and Draco were free to Apparate, and they disappeared with Ginny from the soft sand beach where they had first arrived.

When they traversed the short distance from the Portkey hut into “downtown,” it seemed the town was still asleep. Sunrise was still half an hour away, and the only life around was a dog who ambled through the center of town in the middle of the road. There were some holiday decorations up around town with hanging baskets of poinsettias and garlands of magnolia leaves, and a few shop windows were painted with festive holiday scenes and symbols.

There was a crowing of a rooster in the distance that rose above the morning chorus of birds that began to sing with the approach of the sun.

Looking at the map and the address, Ginny found the restaurant, but the sign indicated it would be another hour until they opened.

To kill time, they went to look for a hotel or bed and breakfast. There was one official hotel in town and a long list of people who rented out lodging at their private homes. There was little tourism to this small island, except for the annual Pele Festival in the middle of summer and Oktoberfest. Most of the witches and wizards who came to the Hawaiian Islands stayed on one of the islands that were known to Muggles as well. As Malu Palekaiko was a sanctuary, many governments suppressed the publication of books and literature about the place, even editing maps to erase the island from the knowledge base of wizarding societies around the world, something that even Dumbledore was guilty of.

Dumbledore not only suppressed knowledge about this Malu Palekaiko, but all of the Hawaiian Island chain as Voldemort began his rise. Many of Grindelwald's followers, after Dumbledore defeated him in 1945, fled to various sanctuaries around the world, mostly to Greece, but many to Malu Palekaiko as well. Since it was harder to erase knowledge about Greece and her famous sanctuary from the mind of the wizarding world, and given that Greece had succumbed to monetary influences to allow extradition on the sly, it was decided that the Hawaiian Islands would be easier to erase from British wizardom. As Voldemort rose, Dumbledore did not want to have someplace where his followers could flee to and hide, or worse, regroup if or when he fell.

It was only on Albus' deathbed, sensing his time was near, that the old Headmaster told Severus about Malu Palekaiko and to seek sanctuary there should Harry Potter fail. Severus wondered – if Dumbledore could foretell his own impending death – why did the Headmaster not make sure his will would be found after his death.

Draco knocked on the hotel's front door, after finding it locked.

A diminutive witch with dark brown skin and a wild mop of frizzy black hair that stuck out of her head at violent angles answered the door. She looked at the three up and down before saying, "Yes?"

"We'd like to get a couple of rooms," Draco said.

"Wow, been a while since I've had tourists other than during the festivals. Except for those who come to visit family on the island and the family are too packed to have a free bed for them," she added.

"We were just granted sanctuary," Ginny replied.

The diminutive witch stopped in her tracks and turned to stare at the three with a speculative eye. "You did?"

"Yeah, and Halulu, Gary, and Mounga gave us these welcome packets,” the red-headed witch volunteered. “Your hotel was listed as a place where we could rent some place to stay? At least until we get around to finding a house."

The witch saw the packets still clutched in their hands and gave a sigh of relief. "Well then, aloha!"

The witch was much warmer to her guests upon spying the relocation packets in their mitts.

"I have a honeymoon suite, if you two are interested?" the hotel owner asked, seeking as how Ginny and Draco were joined at the hip.

"Well, the honeymoon doesn't start until we're married as soon as possible, but yes, we'll take it," Draco said, beaming as he gave Ginny a glowing smile. Ginny smiled back at him brightly.

"Ah, young love!" the tiny witch beamed. "I love a good wedding!"

Then turning to look Severus up and down like she was appraising a fine piece of meat, the proprietor said, "And I guess it's just you for the other room, tall, dark and handsome?"

Severus nearly startled at the blatant come-on from the tiny witch. She wasn't that much older than him, and she wasn't that bad looking, but he certainly wasn't interested.

Ginny started giggling, and through her chuckles, she queried, "What is it with you and the... ahem... opposite sex today, Severus?"

Before Severus could protest, Draco and Ginny began singing in time together, "She's got big red lips, she's got big brown eyes..." Ginny shook her shoulders back and forth in time to the song.

Severus glared at Ginny, but even he could almost find humor in their joke. Almost.

"I'll take the room farthest away from the overly hormonal nifflers here," Severus sneered. To make his own joke, he added, "Just in case someone forgets to put up a Silencing Charm."

Draco leaned over and said, "At least I can use one of those charms now."

Severus nodding, suddenly remembering that there were a lot of things he was free to do now, including casting spells and brewing potions.

The tiny witch, who introduced herself as Justina, showed them to their rooms. Draco and Ginny found the spacious honeymoon suite was decorated with a tropical theme featuring dark woods contrasting with gleaming white linens, intricately woven thatch lining a high ceiling, and a large balcony with a view of the town, volcano, and ocean. There was a large king-sized bed with a white billowy canopy and mosquito netting in the bedroom. They hadn't even closed the door before they were at each other, yanking at clothes, Draco's foot finding the door and slamming it shut while Ginny's wand cast the charm to keep the rest of the hotel hearing what they got up to in there.

Justina gave Severus a wink before showing him to his slightly more modest accommodations at the other end of the corridor.

There was a queen-sized bed, with a simple wooden canopy frame outfitted with mosquito netting, a bedside table, a dresser, two chairs with small table between them, a closet, and bathroom. The room was decorated with medium stained wood, and had a high ceiling with a much smaller balcony facing west that overlooked the hotel's small private garden. It was not as highly decorated or as large as the honeymoon suite, but just still had its own understated elegant charm.

"How well do Potions and Charms work to keep the mosquitoes away?" Severus asked Justina, seeing the mosquito netting as a common theme in the rooms.

"Charms wear off and Potions fade," she informed him. "Trust me, even if you're a talented wizard, I'd still use them just in case. For some reason, mosquitoes seem to be more impervious to magic than other creatures on this earth. And given that we tend to keep our windows and shutters open most of the year, I'd use the netting. You'll not meet any resident on this island who doesn't use it themselves for sleeping. But when you're out and about, Potions and Charms seem to work just fine."

Severus had read in his packet about recommended Potions and Charms to use to keep the offending insects away. He wondered if Ginny and Draco had remembered to use them before getting busy. English blood might prove a delectable treat to the little buggers.

Remembering how Justina had reacted to finding out about them seeking sanctuary and then spotting the packets in their hands, Severus surmised that welcome packets were only given to people the interviewers viewed as good and worthy of sanctuary – people who were not going to be breaking laws, hurting people, or causing trouble. Not being informed about Potions and Charms to keep the mosquitoes away would be one way to not make things 'go smoother' as Mounga phrased it about wizards who would be pushed to the fringes of their enclave.

With the door shut, Severus kicked off his boots and socks. He even took his trousers and shirt off to lay on the bed on his back in only his underpants, feeling the tropical breeze dance across his skin through the opened shutters. Severus made sure that he was under the mosquito netting; early morning and evening times were when they were most active, and it was peak time.

"I definitely need a more tropical wardrobe," he sighed, noting how his summer-weight woolen trousers, which he had changed into during his interrogation, were a bit oppressive, even in the cool morning air.

A cool December morning in Hawaii was like a pleasant sunny summer day in England; the low temperatures were in the low-seventies in Fahrenheit. At least he had some linen shirts, but given how everyone seemed to be either in short sleeves or sleeveless tops, even his long-sleeved shirts might be a bit too much. His blood was far thicker and could stand much chillier temperatures. In time, he would acclimatize, but for now, he needed new clothing, as he didn't have any linen or cotton trousers, and certainly no shorts. And leather boots in the tropical humidity would not do. Even he thought that he could tolerate the idea of sandals if it meant keeping him from overheating. And though he had a cool cotton cloak, he was sure he would not be wearing it today or even tonight.

As the sun began to rise and bring brightness to the vibrant color palette of Severus' new home – the forest just outside his window painted in rich hues of dark greens, vivid chartreuses, shocking pinks, luscious reds, glaring yellows, cerulean blues, and a whole array of surreal colors – he drifted off to sleep, worn out by the Polyjuice Potion.

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

As Hermione stepped out of her Floo back home, weary after a long day at work, she found Harry sitting there on the couch.

His face was stern yet impassive. Hermione knew he had been home to find Ginny's wedding ring cleaved in two, the singe marks on their wedding certificate from the breaking of the ring, and her letter explaining why she was leaving him.

"Where are they?" he asked in a calm, but cold voice.

"I don't know," Hermione answered truthfully.

"Don't lie to me anymore. I figured out you finally knew about Ginny and Malfoy fucking each other, yet you still said nothing. Omission is the same as lying, Hermione."

"I'm not lying, Harry. I really don't know where they went," she insisted, suddenly feeling as if defeated. The jig was up and Hermione could no longer hide the truth from Harry any longer. The questions were: how much truth did Harry already know, and how much could she avoid telling him to damn herself even further.

"And how long have you been fucking Snape?" Harry bit out, venom dripping from his voice.

Hermione's mouth went slack, shocked he had figured that out, until anger started to rise in her chest. "Certainly not nearly as long as Lavender was fucking Ron," she threw back at him. In the time since she and Ron announced their divorce at Bill's party nearly a week ago, Harry had not come to speak to her once. She had left the party with Harry and Ron shouting at each other.

"So it is true," Harry gasped in amazement.

Hermione couldn't believe she got caught in that trap, confessing before asking what proof Harry had.

"How could you?" he screamed.

"How could I? How could Ron be fucking Lavender for years and you not say anything to me?" Hermione yelled back.

"You think I knew he was banging her?"

"You certainly could ascertain Severus and I were, for the few months we were, yet for three and a half years you couldn't figure out Ron was screwing her?" she screamed, her voice becoming more shrill. "And you call yourself an Auror?" Now she was being cruel, but she didn't mind. Lashing back at Harry was convenient, and he'd set the tone of their conversation.

"Had I known, I would have asked him why and told him to stop," Harry insisted.

"And yet you knew for how long Severus and I were seeing each other, yet you said nothing before now?" Hermione pointed out.

"I wasn't sure you and the bat were doing anything, but if I was sure..."

"If you were sure, you'd do what? Tell me to stop going to see him? What, Harry? What would you do?" she challenged him. "You did nothing when you had your suspicions about me. And yet you said if you knew Ron was having an affair you'd speak to him."

"You challenge me about knowing and saying nothing? What about you knowing about Ginny fucking Malfoy and saying nothing?!?" Harry was now standing, nearly jumping up and down on the balls of his feet as he yelled.

"Because she's in love with him, Harry. I know it's hard to conceive someone could love that prat, but Ginny loves him with all her heart and she said if you found out, you'd get him hauled off to Azkaban and make sure he got the Dementor's Kiss, or you'd kill him yourself and justify it away by claiming he had attacked you. Ginny was so certain that you would go off your rocker and go mad, taking Draco out, she convinced me of her fears. And given to some of your outbursts as of late, I believed her."

"And it turns out Ron is in love with Lavender, yet you're angry about that, and somehow I can't be angry about Ginny being in love with Malfoy?!? Come on now, Hermione. You're not a hypocrite."

Hermione slumped into a nearby chair.

"And so what, you decide to shag Snape to get back at Ron?" Harry continued on with his tirade.

The fight had gone out of her. "No, Harry."

"Then tell me how it is, Hermione. Because Ginny fucking Malfoy and running off with him is okay without telling me, but me not figuring out Ron was cheating on you all these years is somehow my fault, so you go off and fuck Snape to get back at Ron?!?"

"I didn't know Ron was fucking Lavender until a month ago."

"If you didn't know then, then why did you fuck him in the first place?!?" Harry shouted, his eyes becoming more vividly green as his face twisted with building rage.

"BECAUSE I'M IN LOVE WITH HIM!" she shouted back.

Harry fell back into his chair, the wind knocked out of him.

Her shoulders slumped forward, Hermione began to silently cry.

"I don't think you know. And even if you did, I don't think you'd tell me." Harry stood back up and stood next to Hermione who hung her head in shame.

"You can't tell Ron," Hermione begged.

"Why, so he can look like the bad guy and you can look like the saint, with all the papers espousing you for the ditched dowdy wife and Lav as the beauty queen who stole his heart from you?"

"His heart was never mine to begin with," Hermione said, her tone flat and firm.

"Tell me one reason I shouldn't tell Ron?" Harry asked, sounding impatient with this witch who seemed to have suddenly adopted a set of double standards.

"Because it would kill Ron. He would die knowing his wife willingly made love with a former Death Eater – one you two mocked for years growing up. He wouldn't understand."

"And somehow I'm supposed to understand my wife was fucking a gigolo Death Eater prat behind my back for years as well and eventually ran off with him?" he questioned her.

"Ginny never loved you the way she loved Malfoy. You already understood Ginny was forced to accept your courtship by Molly after counseling. Didn't you even register that Ginny's indifference and reluctant affections were because her mother nagged her into accepting dates with you beforehand? And eventually a marriage proposal? Ginny said she was going to leave you a letter explaining how Molly interfered and stopped Draco from pursuing her, and Ginny gave up hope of seeing Draco and only relented to marriage because her mother bullied her into it. The same way that Ron was bullied into mine?"

"Yes, it was all spelled out in the letter she left and more, but I was hoping it wasn't true," Harry finally admitted. "But it seems even you, until she begged you not to tell me, didn't even notice that."

"I was deluded into thinking if you two were happy, Ron and I should have been happy too. All these preconceived notions of who we were supposed to marry when we grew up, and truth about the magical binding of children when it came to marriage – all that was withheld from you and me." She sighed with resignation. "We married too young, Harry. All of us.

"Ron and I have come to accept that our marriage was never meant to be," she said. "But you can't tell him about Severus and me. He's having a hard enough time dealing with his mother, Charlie, and Percy. And then there is the press. To discover that Severus and I were..."

"Bonking like garden gnomes in the spring?" Harry threw out bitterly.

"In love, I was about to say," she ground out, her strength and her patience waning.

As Harry moved towards the fireplace he said, "It doesn't matter. I know where she is."

Hermione turned around in her seat, her eyes hopeful, and asked, "Really? Where?"

Harry gave her a sardonic smile, looking older and more cruel than his sweet boyish self, which seemed to be slipping away more and more each year. "You may have known her secrets, but I know her tells. If you don't know, then maybe perhaps Snape didn't love you that much and just used you knowing it would drive Ron mad should he find out. So I guess I won't tell Ron as that would only have made Snape happy.

"I don't know how they escaped exactly, but I will find Ginny and discover how they did it. And if I can, I will bring them back," Harry adamantly promised.

"Her tells?"

"Ginny may have been good at lying and keeping secrets from me – oh, and I do know about the belly dancing, in case you didn't know – but her cookbooks were a dead giveaway. I'm surprised a witch as clever as you didn't see that one from a mile away," he sneered, rubbing Hermione's nose in it before leaving via Floo.

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

A/N: Thank you to my betas, JuneW and Cygnuz, for improving this chapter.

If you want a peek at what Severus' room looks like, you can go here: https://www.wheretostay.com/prop_photos/92000/92164/Villa-Lama-St-Barts-Ch-1-vue-terrasse-copie.jpg

I know, the place is in St. Barts, in the Carribean, and not the South Pacific, but hey, it was close in my mind to where Severus is staying now. Here is the hotel, this room goes with: https://www.wheretostay.com/Villa_Lama-stbarts-villa-92164

And here was a hint I dropped in chapter 16, in the kitchen scene after the Quidditch game:

“Since Ginny had never been able to convince Harry to take vacation time off, she’d taken to learning the native food of places she wanted to visit.”

Remember in chapter 18, “The Inner Hunger,” when Ginny offered Hermione to come over for Hawaiian pork with a mango-pineapple salsa during their picnic in St. James park? Yep, that was Ginny's tell that Harry picked up on: cooking and cookbooks.

BOOM! There it was, if you knew where to look.

Thank you to the Hawaiian dictionary, http://ulukau.org/index.php?l=en, for translations of words. Unfortunately, Google translator does not fully translate into Hawaiian yet. And yes, the disclaimer is probably butchered, but some words I had to find synonyms to translate the concepts.
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And They Didn\'t Live Happily Ever After