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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
- 77
- 78
- 79
“And They Didn't Live Happily Ever After”

Chapter Seventy-Seven
“Should Auld Acquaintance Be Forgot?”

Disclaimer: Happy New Year. Another disclaimer saying Rowling owns Harry Potter and I don't.

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Bill's owl said that she should come over around seven that night. Hermione was grateful their New Year's Eve party would start late enough for her to finish her work for the day and get a bit of studying time in, before she went to their home. She was almost done with the latest book assigned to her from Albert. It was about the delicate blending of opposite elements and the art of not blowing oneself up in the process.

There was also a book on ethics she was supposed to memorize as well, since there were certain codes of conducts for Potions masters and mistresses, but the book was a large tome, with small print and thin pages. It would take her a full year to commit most of it to memory, given her full-time work. Reading through it, it seemed like these rules and guides to ethical behavior and common laws that pervaded all countries where Potions were concerned were more like common sense than anything else, which made it that much easier to learn.

The Weasleys' invite said it was a casual affair; just a few family and friends. Hermione wore something she wouldn't mind if a drink got spilled all over her, as it almost invariably happened at these gatherings where alcohol was a large factor. She had a wand to clean herself up, but still.

Apparating over to Bill and Fleur's house, she noticed it was pretty quiet and the party hadn't really started yet.

Fleur greeted her at the door warmly and invited Hermione in. They were still setting up the food. Bill brought Michael and Philippe out to greet her, admitting he invited her to come over a little early so she could see the boys before they went to bed.

Hermione did miss seeing her nephews at Christmas a bit, since they were always eager to give their aunt a hug and a kiss.

"Can we still call you 'Auntie,' Aunt Hermione?" Michael asked, looking a little forlorn.

"Well, of course you still can." She gave Michael a hug to console him.

"But Uncle Ron has a new wife and she's Aunt Lav? She's nice, but I don't want to give you up too," he insisted. "How can you both be my aunties if you're not married to Uncle Ron anymore?"

Hermione made a face and noise to show that she was thinking. "Well," she said, her eyes glancing up at the ceiling, "Not being married to Ron doesn't mean I love you any less. Do you love me now as much as before, when I was married to Uncle Ron?"

"Of course I do, I love you just as much." Michael gave Hermione a hug back, squeezing her with all his might, feeling his little arms strain as he expressed his fondness for her.

"Then no one can take the love you have in your heart away from you. Even though I'm not married to Ron anymore, it won't stop me from caring about you," she assured him.

"I'm glad I get to keep you as my auntie," Michael sighed with relief.

Hermione patted Michael's back as he hugged her once again. She felt joy in the simple and uncomplicated love from a child.

Philippe was standing next to his brother, listening with great interest. He also gave Hermione a big squeeze and a kiss on her cheek before Bill wrangled them off to bed.

Once the children were tucked in, Bill came over and sat next to Hermione on the couch.

"Michael was a bit upset after my birthday party," Bill said, looking a bit somber. "He wondered why you left so early. Then when my mother went on about how you were 'dead to us' for divorcing 'her' son, I had to explain to Michael that you didn't really die. And then when you weren't there for Christmas, Michael was confused why you weren't there and was a bit upset. So I wanted to have you come over to assure him you weren't dead and that you were okay."

Hermione shook her head at the way this had all transpired. Molly seemed to take this whole divorce thing as some personal attack against her.

A part of Hermione wanted to know how her ex-mother-in-law was recovering, but another part of her was bitterly glad that she was suffering in some way. To ruin four lives for the sake of what she thought would be best for them, Hermione felt that it was only just that Molly suffer the repercussions of what her own decisions had wrought. If she couldn't handle it, Molly shouldn't have played with people's lives as if they were her own personal chess pieces.

"Any word from the newlyweds?" Bill asked, since Hermione did work for Lavender. Hermione's new boss had placed the company temporarily in her and Albert's hands to coast through the week she'd be gone.

"No. Though she said before I left after the reception that she'd be back on the second, which is just two days away. The company hasn't fallen to bits, so I guess Albert and I did all right to hold the castle down while she was away." Hermione shrugged indifferently.

There was a bit of strained silence until Hermione spoke up again. "Thanks for inviting me, Bill. It'll be nice to socialize a little, since I've been pretty busy with my work and apprenticeship."

"Well, Dad, the twins, and I aren't holding a grudge against you. It is sad how it came to this, but if you and Ron are both happier this way, then who am I to judge what is best for you?" Bill looked at Hermione, ducking his head down to gaze at her face a little more closely to gauge her reaction. "Are you happier?"

A bittersweet smile quirked at one corner of her lip. Hermione had her Potions apprenticeship. She didn't have to deal with Ron's moods or demands for mediocre sex. There was no more fighting, no more questioning herself, no more belittling remarks. Even the pay and work under Lavender was more rewarding than at her old job. Of course she'd be even happier if Severus was still around, but given everything else, her life was better.

"Yes, Bill. I am happy. The happiest I've been in a long while."

Hermione helped Fleur finish getting ready for the party. She arranged food on some trays while Fleur worked on an ice sculpture featuring dancing figures beneath exploding fireworks. Tiny shards of ice ejected in all directions with each burst, sublimating before reaching the ground.

The party started rolling around nine o'clock. A few other wizards and a witch from Gringotts were there, most of whom worked in curse-breaking like Bill. There were also a few Hogwarts classmates from the same year as Bill, as well as Fleur's little sister, Gabrielle, and her fiancé, a French wizard named Guy. Guy's brother, Baudouin, also came along to join the party.

Of course the twins, their arms full of fireworks and party favors to set off at midnight, came to the party with their wives. Dobby was playing baby-sitter for the twins since Harry was away. The elf still lent a hand to the Weasley family even though Harry was divorced from Ginny. Harry had told Dobby to help the Weasleys, if he chose to do so, which the elf did. Dobby liked being helpful to people who appreciated him.

Hermione made small talk with Bill's co-workers. She learned that their latest project involved a cursed Spanish Galleon off the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula in the Gulf of Mexico. It required Gillyweed to search, since Bubble-Head Charms were foiled by the curse attached to the sunken ship. It was estimated that there would be a vast treasure, based on records the Goblins had on the expected shipment of gold coming from the Americas in the early 1700's.

The wine and ale were flowing freely.

Fortunately, Bill and Fleur had the good sense to put a Silencing Charm up so that the children would not be awakened by the party revelers. Fleur had to run off and take care of their infant, Eric, with a nappy change and late-night nursing, but otherwise the children were sound asleep the rest of the night.

Noshing on some wonderful Brie en Croute that Fleur made, paired with some mellow Merlot, Hermione brainstormed with George about ideas for The Sirens' Secrets for the upcoming Valentine's Day shopping season. Just over George's shoulder, she saw Baudouin glancing over at her periodically, checking her out.

Hermione was not in the mood, nor was she on the market for a new wizard to warm her bed. She still pined for Severus and would be for who knew how long.

"So we need a witch's perspective on something romantic to add to the store for the season. I mean, there seems to be only so much one can do with cupids and hearts. At least with Christmas there are more objects associated with the holiday we can alter for our purposes or use as a theme," George went on, stuck for inspiration.

Hermione nodded, indicating she was listening, and she was. Mostly. As much as it was nice to get out and talk to other people, she was missing Severus so much that night. She would have loved to have spent the whole night alone in the flat with him making love, drinking champagne together and off of each other's bodies, or making more bets to be paid off, both parties happy with the result of the wager. Severus could have even made cioppino, an Italian fisherman's stew, using seven different kinds of fish for good luck. He and Draco had been eating it every New Year's Eve for good luck in their quest to escape, and it seemed it only took four years for their luck to kick in.

"- but I need something that not only is sexy but erotic, subtle, sensual," George went on. "I mean, what can you do with roses besides give them to a witch?"

Hermione closed her eyes. She thought back to the time in Severus' bed and that Arabic spell in which he cast flowers that brushed up against her skin, as if being caressed by a thousand butterflies, with the scent of jasmine, roses, and violets enveloping her.

Inspired, she asked George, "How good is your Arabic?"

"Not very. What do you have in mind?"

The next hour was spent cutting out heart shapes from left-over red tissue paper that Fleur dug out from Christmas storage. Then there was a charm to add the scent of flowers, make the heart cut-outs fly like butterflies – Fred came over to help with that one – and then disappear once they had caressed the skin.

It took a few tries. On the first attempt the heart-like butterflies flew at Hermione and practically attacked her. It would take more work to finesse it to something they could sell, plus there was the matter of directing the butterfly hearts to the right spot on the body, as some wound up alighting on Hermione's hair before dissolving into nothingness.

It wasn't as elegant as the Arabic spell, but it was something to put in a box and sell for a few Galleons, which was what Fred and George were looking for. Besides, not everyone could pronounce the spell in Arabic and get it right, especially if they were too horny and wound up to do the proper pronunciation. That spell was one of the few she knew in Arabic that Severus taught her from his old and very rare tome, but she wasn't about to volunteer how or where she'd learned the spell.

The twins promised her a forty percent royalty on profits, should they be able to get the product ready in time for Valentine's Day.

Once the twins ran off to tell their wives about this great new product they would need their help developing, Baudouin made his move.

"That was quite clever of you," the French wizard with a thick accent praised Hermione. "And quite sensuous. I didn't know British witches were familiar with the more erotic Arabic spells of the fifteenth century."

He sidled up to Hermione and ran a finger up along her arm in a way that was supposed to be sensual, but just made Hermione's skin crawl.

"I read it in a book, if you are insinuating otherwise," she told him icily. "Or were you not versed by Fleur about my prolific reading habits."

"Well, there is a difference between knowledge and experience," he said, his dark brown eyes raking over her body in a manner similar to the way Bascom Nettleton had done to her before. "But as you are a divorced witch, I'm sure you have enough experience to teach even me a few things."

And this is what Hermione should have expected. Evidently, there was this misconception in the wizarding world that divorced witches were an easy lay, since their virginity was long gone. Also, having been used to being serviced by a husband, she wouldn't be too picky about any wizard "filling" her needs in her empty bed.

"I may be divorced, but I'm not a slag who is going to fall on my back for some wizard who happens to know about a few esoteric spells," she threw back at him, as she slowly pulled out her wand, ready to make her point clear she wasn't interested if he got any fresher with her.

"You British witches. Why must you be so uptight about this sex thing. You're available; I'm rich, handsome, and available. Why shouldn't you come home with me tonight?" Baudouin argued, as he tried to pin her up against a counter.

Feeling her back pressed up against the tiled edge, Hermione slid her wand down. "Either remove yourself from my presence, or my wand 'accidentally' goes off. And I know hexes that will take St. Mungo's three days to undo." To make her point, she pressed the tip of her wand against Baudouin's trousers in just the right spot where there was no mistaking the seriousness of her promise.

Playing the cool opponent who had let her win this round, Baudouin began backing away, his hands held up in surrender. "Your loss, Mrs. Weasley."

He turned and sauntered out of the kitchen just as the witch from Bill's work came stumblingin.

"Ooh, he's cute. Is he available?" Bill's co-worker asked, a glass of champagne in her hand. Her eyes were a little glassy as they were firmly fixed on the posterior of the exiting French wizard.

"Yes," Hermione informed her before lowering her voice in a more secretive tone, "He's just waiting for a very nasty case of 'oak root fungus' to clear up before he said he might owl me. But he's all yours if you want. I won't stand in your way."

The witch made a rather disgusted face, her interest turning quickly to revulsion once Hermione used the euphemism for a particularly nasty wizarding venereal disease that was on par with Muggle herpes. Once you got "oak root fungus," you could never fully get rid of it, only manage the condition's symptoms. He could have had it for real, for all Hermione knew.

"Eww. No longer interested." The witch stumbled out of the kitchen in search of a fresh libation.

Bill came into the kitchen laughing. He leaned up against the counter opposite of Hermione, giving her a look that said she could still surprise him.

"It's a good thing you and Ron parted on good terms," Bill remarked. "I'd hate to see what would happen to Ron if you didn't."

Hermione was studying the bottom of her glass. "You missed the fights we had in marriage counseling. There was that time we hexed each other, then there was the one time I hauled off and decked him flat," she admitted ruefully.

The red-headed wizard whistled while he shook his head. "I didn't know."

"And that's the way Ron and I wanted to keep it, though Ginny and Harry knew."

There was another awkward silence between them before Bill spoke.

"Did you know about Ginny and Draco?" he asked, his voice quiet so to avoid being overheard by anyone beyond the edge of the kitchen.

Hermione closed her eyes and sighed. She could trust Bill, but he was also Ginny's brother.

"By the time I discovered that, Ginny had already made up her mind to leave Harry and be with Draco," she confessed.

Hermione almost added that if she could have stopped it she would have, and she did try at first. However, given everything she knew now, would she still have tried to stop Ginny from being with Malfoy? Or do all that she could to help her friend be with the love of her life – that she was denied due to Molly's interference from the start?

"Do you know where she is?" Bill asked, a quiver of hope trembling in his voice.

"No, but I might have an inkling. I have to do some research first."

Hermione could have asked Bill if he had a Pensieve, but then he might want to view the memory for himself as well. These were Severus' memories, and Bill had no idea about Severus or her involvement with him. And that's how it was going to remain.

Harry knew where Ginny was, but currently he was high up in the Himalayas busy wooing a nomadic witch. She would speak to Harry once he got back, and see if he could ease Bill's mind.

So far her own research into Spain and sanctuaries had yielded nothing. The only thing she'd found regarding sanctuaries was in reference to wizards who were monks working for monastic orders. Hermione never remembered Ginny cooking any Greek cuisine. Her own research into the sanctuary in Greece revealed some interesting recent accords for a bidding war regarding who got to stay or who got hauled off back to their country of origin.

Severus and Draco might have made money working for Lavender, but not even they had enough money to outbid the British Ministry of Magic and the money they would spend to drag them back to England.

Using Harry's hint about Ginny and her cookbooks, Hermione had also looked into Italy, Japan, India, France, Brazil, and Egypt, but even those places had no sanctuaries that she could find in her research.

At that moment, Hermione was glad she didn't have a Pensieve, otherwise she would have already viewed the last memory for Severus just to satisfy her curiosity where he was. At least she could truthfully answer Bill that she didn't know where Ginny was, though omitting that Harry did.

"If there is anything I can do to help you find her, let me know. I don't want to bring her back, I just want to make sure she's safe and happy," Bill assured her.

He was right to suspect Hermione might not tell him if his intent was to bring Ginny back. Hermione knew he was telling her the truth, though.

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

When he woke up New Year's Eve morning at the hotel, there was a note for Severus floating in front of his door as he headed down to the kitchen to make breakfast.

Ever since Hermione's photo was placed on his bedside table, Justina stopped offering to bring him coffee or join her for a nightcap. She must have figured out that his lack of interest in her charms was not just because there were a bevy of other witches he could have his pick of. Severus had his options, but he didn't choose any of them.

Justina would have normally knocked on his door to notify him he had a message, but she didn't. Either the note arrived very late or exceptionally early, or she had completely given up on ever having a chance with the most eligible bachelor in town.

Draco and Ginny were finally resurfacing from their week-long secluded honeymoon at their cottage. The note was an invitation for Severus to come over for dinner.

There was a request if he could make his delicious cioppino, since Ginny had heard of it but never tried it. Severus would have to run down by the docks that morning to see what the local catch was, but he could pull it together last-minute. They offered to serve him lunch, and he could arrive no earlier than noon.

With a basket full of fresh seafood, some dry white wine, a loaf of French bread, tomatoes from the local market, onions, garlic, dried red pepper, bay leaves, and a bunch of holly as a symbol of domestic happiness, Severus made his way up the street, around the corner and up the gentle slope to the white cottage where the Malfoys lived. A pineapple was placed on the front porch, a signal that they were finally welcoming guests. It was a long practiced custom to display a pineapple as a sign of hospitality.

The lawn looked like it was recently mown. He wondered if Draco did it, or had the free elf do it before the one-week rent-a-butler service the creature rented himself out for expired.

Severus knocked on the door and was met with a very relaxed and blissfully happy Draco. The smile plastered on the boy's face couldn't have been removed with even the worst of hexes. He looked that euphoric.

It was disgusting, and Severus was happy for him.

Ginny greeted Severus, looking equally relaxed with a fiery twinkle in her eye. She thanked him for the holly, before taking the bunch of foliage accented with red berries and the groceries from Severus.

"Thank you so much for the bottle of Fairy Brandy and gallon of fresh passion fruit juice for the wedding present," she thanked him with a kiss upon his cheek.

Severus returned the thanks, "And thank you for the gift you left for me."

Ginny flitted about the kitchen as if she was walking on air, putting Severus' supplies away for now.

Meanwhile, Draco and Severus went to the living room to relax before lunch was served.

As the two wizards gazed in silent contemplation at the peaceful Japanese garden, Severus asked, "Is it really just like the one you made?"

"Down to the placement and selection of the tamate stone lantern and the tetsu bachi basin," Draco confirmed. "Ginny said I couldn't have picked a better home if I had read her mind."

Draco dropped his head back on the couch and let out a small but satisfied groan. "You didn't happen to pack any extra vials of that Sequoia stuff, did you?"

"No, but I think that will be one of my first commissions once I set up shop, if those Chinese witches are still interested, which I think they will be."

Draco lifted his head and remembered, "That's right. Two days from now. Are you ready?"

"I have my equipment in place, the rooms are built out, Floo is connected, supplies are all in to get me started, awning is fixed, windows painted, shingle hung, business license obtained, and I even put a small ad in the local paper," Severus updated his friend.

Draco nodded approvingly. "Count me in for a case of Sequoia if Ginny keeps this up," he groaned. "Talk about making up for lost time."

"You're newlyweds. What did you expect?" Severus reminded him. "And besides, do you mind she's as equally amorous?"

Draco gave Severus a goofy smile and shook his head. "Not as all."

There was a level of tension in Draco that was stripped away. It could be the island affecting the younger wizard, it could be because all his biggest dreams had come true, or the week-long uninterrupted shagging – perhaps all three. Whatever it was, Severus wondered if he would become as relaxed and at peace with himself as Draco seemed to be at that moment.

"Did Lavender make you sign any noncompetitive agreements with your contract?" Draco asked, wondering about the legal implications of Severus making the same potions he once developed for their former employer.

"It was limited to countries where she currently had a presence in, so the Americas, Japan, China, and Southeast Asia down to Australia and New Zealand are fair game, should I sell anything abroad. India is not quite a settled matter. Though I have a feeling I'll be busy enough with commissions and tutoring locally to keep me busy and keep me comfortable."

Ginny called the wizards to the table for lunch. They ate fresh spring rolls stuffed with Thai basil, mint, finely julienned carrots, lettuce leaves, bean sprouts, and lightly pickled ginger, served with fresh wedges of lime and soy sauce. There was lightly battered deep fried shrimp wrapped around a piece of sugar cane, and steamed rice.

"So what have you been up to this past week, Severus?" Ginny asked, having not heard their earlier conversation.

Instead of rehashing the same thing, Severus thought he would add a bit more information.

"Oh, the usual. I got my shop ready for opening on January second. Learned to kick off flying from the middle of the ocean. And to top it off, Mounga's teenage daughter shoved a copy of the Mercury Broom calendar under my nose – featuring your brother, to my surprise."

Ginny stopped eating for a minute and looked at Severus to see if he was joking about the last two. There was nothing humorous in his expression.

Draco spoke first. "Did you at least wait for it to be removed from her hands before blasting it to ashes?"

"Oh, I restrained myself," Severus informed him. "I merely sneered and yelled at her before she ran off in fright, tears streaming from her face.”

"Nothing you haven't done to most of the students at Hogwarts at some point in time," Ginny added dryly.

"I bought her a calendar featuring the most beautiful magical castles and palaces in the world to replace the one she no longer wanted, once I explained my reaction to it."

Draco and Ginny exchanged glances.

"And what exactly did you tell Akela?" Draco asked.

"That he was a... as she put it, 'a big, fat jerk,' to a dear friend of mine." Severus used his fingers to exaggerate Akela's quote. "A cruel and not very bright student of mine. I did ask her not to say anything, except I did give her free license to tell her friends he's a big, fat, cruel jerk – and that flying car incident – should she feel free to spread some truthful gossip."

Draco bust up and was in stitches. Even Ginny started giggling.

"Akela did say she was going to burn it, but I told her to hang on to it in case you wanted to see it, Ginny. From all the muscles he had, I can certainly understand the difficulty Hermione had with the muscle-gaining potions he was on. That must have been a very potent potion," Severus thought aloud, remembering his own reaction as he and Hermione tried to reverse-engineer one vial of it.

"Was there anything else you told her?" Draco asked, wanting to be prepared.

"Rainbow and the children got a brief about my work at Hogwarts, the House system, and that you were once students of mine. Akela is under the impression I must have been the nicest professor in the whole school," Severus said with a roll of his eyes.

Ginny had to turn her head to the side and spit out the mouthful of coconut water and pineapple juice she was in the middle of sipping, in order to avoid choking on it while laughing, or spraying it out her nose.

Even Draco had to stop and catch his breath, as he was laughing too hard to do much of anything else.

As they finally settled down, Draco said, "So you must be joking about the kicking off in the ocean, right?"

Severus wondered if maybe he shouldn't warn them and just do it while flying out with them some time. Catching a fleeting glimpse of shock on Draco's face as he would take a swan dive off his broom just might be worth it.

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

Around the time Severus was finishing lunch, Hermione was standing outside Bill and Fleur’s in the chilly night air, her cloak wrapped about her to keep her warm. It was in the mid-thirties Fahrenheit and a strong and constant breeze was blowing, whipping her cloak about her ankles.

She almost begged off to go home early, but she made a promise to herself to at least stay until midnight to wish Bill and Fleur a Happy New Year, since they did invite her.

People were getting drunker, and she found more comfort in the solitude than feeling alone in a room full of people.

This was going to be the first night in years she hadn't spent New Year's Eve with Harry and Ron, and she was all right with that. More than anything, she wanted to be with Severus, and she wondered if he thought of her with the same ache in his heart as she had when she thought of him.

In the parlor, she could hear the countdown begin. Grabbing her drink she had set upon the stone wall, she went back inside to join the last few second to the New Year. People hugged, couples kissed, and Baudouin and that witch from Bill's work were making out. Hermione's former in-laws gave her a hug and peck on the cheek. Even Grace and Florence, the twins’ wives, gave her the same affectionate gesture. The twins set off fireworks within the house, which due to the Silencing Charm, thankfully didn't wake up the sleeping children.

Everyone sang Auld Lang Syne, though Hermione didn't have the strength to sing it more than above a whisper. The song was about remembering friends of the past and not letting them be forgotten. She could never forget Severus, and the lyrics made her heartsick for him all the more.

When their song ended, Hermione made a quick exit, thanking Fleur and Bill for their hospitality before she could break into tears.

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

The cioppino was even better than before. The Opah fish was a delectable addition to the shrimp, squid, scallops, crab, clams, and Mahimahi that swam in the tomato, wine, and shellfish broth that Severus had to make from scratch.

It was just the three of them for New Year's Eve.

It was nice to see Ginny and Draco once again. He had actually missed them with their week away, even though they never left town. They were comfortable and familiar people in his life and he felt a little adrift without their presence, especially at the hotel. Still, he had made enough friends and acquaintances since coming to Malu Palekaiko that he wasn't lonely. Severus was by nature a bit of a solitary creature, but even he found solace in the genial companionship of those who knew him well.

They sat together relaxing in the living room, chatting about Ginny's work with Halulu to pull together a class schedule for introductory belly dancing for different age groups. She asked Severus for tips about laying out a lesson plan.

Severus gave the pair an update on town gossip, which Rainbow had been more than happy to supply to him. The newlyweds were more attuned to social goings on and wanted to know what they missed.

Now that Draco had got the girl and feathered their new nest, he needed a new project to keep him busy. He was used to working, so sitting around doing nothing – while Ginny was busy at the dance school teaching, when she wasn't learning hula – wasn't going to be good for his psyche or their marriage. Severus mentioned that tutoring seemed to be a popular thing, since all the kids were home-schooled, and many of the mothers worked part-time. There was talk of lessons in Charms and Transfiguration, which Draco excelled at, but he wanted a few days to think about it.

He had his life ahead of him now and the choices were endless. Severus reminded Draco that tutoring might be a short-term thing while he sorted out his life's passion for a career choice, not that Draco needed the money. Still, it was good to have a goal to strive for, and work tended to give one a sense of purpose.

As midnight approached, Ginny popped the champagne and poured it into flutes. Off in the distance they could hear their neighbors chanting out the countdown. They watched the clock and wished each other a Happy New Year with hugs and kisses upon the cheek, the newlyweds giving each other more than just a peck, of course.

Severus had a lovely voice, but he rarely sang in front of others, even Draco and Ginny. He mostly sang when learning a new language, since that helped greatly with pronunciation, and usually alone in the shower or bath.

Draco and Ginny sang Auld Lang Syne, which brought Severus' mind back to Hermione.

It had already been the New Year for eleven hours back in London. He wondered if she'd sat alone in his old flat, or if she'd gone to a party. Severus wondered about a great many things regarding Hermione.

Severus was so used to hearing updates about her daily life that he had missed them terribly. The simple mundane task of lending an ear for her latest triumph or tragedy in the lab at work filled a corner of his mind that was now bare and empty of the latest happenings in Hermione's life. He wondered how the fall-out of her divorce was progressing, and if she was no longer the favorite topic of gossip magazines. He longed to hear about her apprenticeship, and tried to imagine how different Dobmeir might be training her than if he had been her Potions master instead.

In his head, Severus would have conversations with Hermione telling her about his day – such as how he had to explain to the local business licensing office that his was more than a service business, but that he would also be providing products for commission. His mind filled with the sound of his voice as he would go on about how inept some government officials could be, and he could imagine her soothing him with empathetic words, telling him her own experiences, and providing a suggestion of her own. He almost found himself talking to himself aloud in public as he would have these conversations in his head, and had to cover it with pretend humming as a witch passed him by.

It was these little conversations in his head with Hermione that kept him from fixating on how much he missed her in his life. To not have these imaginary conversations with her in his mind would only remind him how much more he missed her with the absolute silence of no one there to listen to him, as he had listened to her.

Now that the hour had struck, the year was new and the champagne drained, Severus excused himself to go back to the hotel. Ginny and Draco were getting more affectionate, and he knew it was time to bow out.

There was a promise of flying the next day, and Severus reminded them that should they get “distracted” again, please owl him ahead of time.

On the stroll back to his room at the hotel, he saw the odd firework here and there rise up above the town's rooflines and explode in an array of outlines shapes featuring babies in sashes, clocks, phoenixes and other appropriate festive designs.

Back at the hotel, reminded of the incident when Draco answered the door Polyjuiced as Ginny, Severus' eyes darted to the drawer where he kept the unused vials of Polyjuice Potion and snippets of Hermione's hair. He felt a twinge of shame, almost in the way he felt after spying Hermione masturbating at the spa without her knowing he was watching.

After locking the door, he closed the shutters, put up a Visual Obfuscation Charm – just in case anyone could peek in through the closed shutters from the second story, and a Silencing Charm.

As he pulled open the draw of his bedside table, the photo of Hermione – reading a book, then smiling and laughing – caught his eye. He placed it photo-side down on the nightstand so that she could not watch what he was about to do.

Pulling out one vial of the Polyjuice Potion, he set it aside while he removed a single small sample of Hermione's hair. He didn't know how many more times he would do this, so he used one small piece.

He undressed and stood in front of the non-enchanted mirror. As he tipped the vial back, he felt the potion slide down his throat and creep with its numbing heat throughout his body, infusing his veins with her essence.

With fascination, he watched his body in the mirror change to match Hermione's the day she gave him her hair.

Severus missed her so much that he nearly cried out at seeing her reflection in the mirror, even knowing that he was projecting a shell of her image. He wanted to place his head upon the very breasts he saw in his own reflection and let her stroke his hair so tenderly.

His fingers - Hermione's fingers - caressed the face he wore. The familiar calluses grazed his skin. They were hers and at the same time his own. His hands trailed down the body he knew so well from memory, now refreshed anew.

Severus closed his eyes momentarily as his fingertips grazed his neck, remembering when he asked her to teach him how she touched herself.

As his fingers reached his breasts, he noticed how the perception of touch was different, as if it was more intense as he played with his nipples than in his normal male form. The sensation of it, he noted, pulled tightly in his core, an aching in the lower abdomen that was unfamiliar, yet familiar. It was more internal, and he knew it was Hermione's uterus pulling and tightening in response to the stimulus.

Laying down along the edge of the bed so he could continue watching himself in the mirror, Severus mimicked the movements of Hermione's hand. He'd memorized her movements from many nights together, dragging pads of his fingers along his own rib cage, hip bones, and navel, noticing his body arch in response similarly to Hermione.

The sensation was the same, yet not. Her skin was softer, and also a little more sensitive.

A soft sigh escaped his lips, and he found himself even more turned on by the sound.

"Severus," he whispered to himself.

It seemed a bit indecorous, but he felt needed this. Hermione admitted to him how she had used a couple of the magically charmed dildos the twins gave her, confessing in her huskiest whisper that she had imagined it was him. She told him of how she masturbated while thinking of him, calling his name out when she could no longer wait to see him next.

How different she was near the end than from the sexually timid creature he first made love to. He was the one who brought out the sexual goddess within her.

And now he would masturbate to fantasies of Hermione begging him, just to hear his name called out once more.

"Please, Severus, I need you," he pleaded, not quite catching the right accent or cadence, but it was close enough, it was unmistakably her voice he heard in his ears and his own head.

His fingers slipped between his legs and he gasped as the sensation of fingers slid over the clitoris. It was just as sensitive as the tip of his penis, perhaps even more so, because the feelings of intensity as his fingers began to slide back and forth was deliriously good. The bundle of nerves was concentrated into a smaller area, which made it seem nearly overwhelming.

Dipping his fingers lower, he found that Hermione's body had reacted with the same familiar response. Wetness spread across his fingers, adding lubrication as he went back to stroking Hermione's clit. Had he known how good this felt, he would have done a whole lot more of this to her.

His other hand slipped lower and began to probe himself, sliding two fingers in. Severus now understood why Hermione begged him to fill her. The tightening in his lower abdomen was building. Remembering how he made her come before, he used those same motions and speed to bring himself to orgasm.

Looking back over at the mirror, he spied Hermione reclined along the bed, knees pulled up, back arched, hair splayed like a fan across the bed, chest heaving, cheeks flushed and eyes heavily dilated.

Severus came with a hoarse cry, the electric sensation spreading from his abdomen outwards, tendrils of white heat racing out towards his limbs. It was different from the sudden all-over body sensation that he experienced as a man. Different, but just as glorious.

Instead of feeling exhausted like he would, had he ejaculated, Severus found himself not only relaxed, but energized. Now he could understand why sometimes Hermione seemed to have more vigor after the first coupling than before. It was only after several powerful orgasms that Hermione would want to drop off to sleep as badly as Severus.

Bringing his fingers up to his mouth, he licked each one, reveling in the taste of her. It was technically himself, but this was Hermione's body. It tasted like her.

He spent the next few hours re-familiarizing himself with the body he missed. If he could not be with her, then this would have to satisfy his needs for now.

Severus dragged fingers through the mane atop his head. He leisurely played with Hermione's breasts, making note of things he found pleasurable versus Hermione's own techniques. Should he see her again, he would have to try them on her to see if she liked it as much as he did.

As the hour grew late exhaustion eventually over took Severus, having climaxed twice more.

Before he drifted off to sleep, the Polyjuice Potion having not yet worn off, he pulled the photo back up and put it back in its place next to his bed. He wanted her to be the first thing he saw in the morning when he woke up.

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A/N: Thank you to my beta, JuneW, and please welcome a new beta, thegreyladies, who also edited this chapter.

This will be the last chapter I post until after June 13^th, once Leviosa (The Harry Potter con July 7-10) is over.

Here's a link to a very good recipe for cioppino, from Bon Appetit magazine: http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/cioppino-2. I traditionally fix it on New Year's Eve (or go out to eat it at a good seafood restaurant) and use seven different kinds of seafood, so I would cut down on the amount of fish and shrimp and add some crab and lobster to the shrimp and fish, along with clams, mussels and scallops so you have the right number for good luck.
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And They Didn\'t Live Happily Ever After