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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
- 92
- 93
- 94
"And They Didn't Live Happily Ever After"

Chapter Ninety-Two
"Guess Who's Coming to Dinner"

Disclaimer: O my fanfic like a pale, pale copy,
That's twisted into a new story:
O my fanfic borrows everything from Rowling,
That she owns, not me.

As fair art thou, my darling author,
So deep in awe am I;
And I will luve Harry Potter, my Jo,
Till a' the seas gang dry.

A/N: This disclaimer is a poor parody of Robert Burns' poem, “A Red, Red Rose.”

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

The squawking in the kitchen woke Hermione up. Rising to see what the matter was with Calleo, she found her owl in the midst of a turf war with Pigwidgeon over the sweetest spot on the perch. This spot granted the best access to the bowl of owl treats Hermione left out for her owl and any visiting ones that came to deliver messages.

"Shove over, Calleo. You get to sit there most of the day, and you'll be too fat to fly if you keep eating too many treats anyway," Hermione chastised her pet. She didn't mean to be short with the bird, but Hermione was anxious regarding news of Lavender's return.

Seeing the note still clasped in Pig's claw, she relieved the bird of its message and gave it a brief pet on the head. This resulted in Calleo taking a nip at Hermione's hand for rebuking her.

Hermione was glad it was not another Howler, as she had received quite a few for winning exoneration for Severus and Draco. One of the worst was from Padma Patil, who called her a "Death Eater-loving turncoat cunt of a traitor that [she] hope dies a tortuously painful death soon." And some of the glares Hermione received in public were just as bad as when news of her divorce initially broke, if not worse. She had taken to gliding about Diagon Alley with her hood pulled up, concealing her face, even on warm summer days and evenings. She had a great deal of empathy as to why Severus had done the same, like when she spotted him in Flourish and Blotts that one sultry evening and knew him only as Calleo at the time.

Hermione opened the letter and sighed that more information wasn't shared.

-------

Dear Hermione,

Come over to the house for dinner tonight when you're done with your work today.

Regards,

Lav & Ron

-------

Looking at the handwriting, she knew her boss had written this, not her ex-husband. Hermione got a sinking feeling that they wanted to butter her up with a good meal before delivering news regarding Severus, since Severus was the one who'd first warned her, and was correct, that the worse the news was, the better the nibbles.

Over at Albert's, while working on his garden she had slightly neglected during her time preparing her legal case, she found out he had also received a note that morning from their employer, bidding him to come over to dinner as well. The more Hermione thought about it, the more she dreaded the event.

Albert kept her busy at work with some late-summer deadheading, and harvesting of herbs and fruits which were at their peak. Berries and other items needed to be laid out for drying in the shed, before they were washed, dried, then preserved in various fluids for later use in tinctures, salves, and other elixirs.

After a busy morning at Albert's, she was even busier over at Neville's nursery, getting the spring bulbs ready for planting in pots to be sold in the spring when they bloomed. There were a lot of bulbs to be potted, and the sand and peat mix was rather dusty. There seemed to be a small cloud of fine peat which rose with each trowel full of the soil mix she used to bury the bulbs and corms to the right depth, making sure to keep them pointing right way up. At the end of the day, there seemed to be a halo of dirt about her head.

Hermione didn't feel like going through the bother of cleaning up if she was going to be handed bad news. As much as she was reluctant to put in the effort, she dragged her arse through the shower and cleaned up for dinner. She picked out something that seemed presentable, but she didn't bother to dress up. Make-up was not even considered if it was only going to get smudged with crying later on.

Upon arriving at Ron and Lavender's via Floo, she was shown into the solarium. Immediately, she spotted Harry and Ron over by the lush Rhapis excelsa, no doubt discussing Quidditch. Albert and Lavender were sitting down in chairs close by the cluster of troll's foot ferns, a glass of some apéritif in the Potions master's hand.

"Hermione!"

She recognized that voice, but had to turn around to spy Ginny. There was her red-headed best friend, standing next to Zhubanysh Potter and Draco Malfoy.

Hermione stood there in shock, not only at the sight of Ginny and Malfoy, but everyone in the same room, and war hadn't broken out yet. Had many of the people present in the room at that very moment been in the same room a year ago, a third wizarding war would have surely erupted.

As the two old friends embraced, Hermione was overjoyed. She said with amazement, "I had no idea you came back! When?"

"Last night," Ginny replied, near giddy from the excitement of seeing Hermione again. "We came back with Lavender after learning of the good news of you winning Draco and Severus their freedom."

Upon hearing the mention of Severus' name, Hermione's mood suddenly soured. She put on a brave face, but it was easy to see she was bracing herself for more bad news.

Draco approached the pair, a gentle smile upon his lips, but his eyes cool as if hiding some simmering resentment. "I think there is someone who owes you an apology." Holding up his hand, he snapped his fingers.

Vradian Bumbershoot, the careless floral delivery boy, was unceremoniously shoved into view of the door frame to the solarium.

Hermione had spun about expecting to see Severus, but instead spotted a spotty youth with a petulant frown upon his mug. He was holding a very large vase filed with stems of corchorus, oak-leaved geranium, and forget-me-nots, with slender branches of flowering almond and spindle tree. Behind him, his employers, the Willow sisters, prodded him along as he shuffled uneasily towards Hermione.

"I'm very sorry, but it seems I delivered the wrong flowers to you. Last month." Vradian didn't look sorry at all, as if he was being forced to do this against his will. "Here." He held out the vase of flowers, while doing his best to not let a sneer curl upon his lip.

He was forced to do this with the threat of all his summer's wages being garnished should this grave oversight not be remedied, once the Willow sisters were informed of the error. The sisters told Lavender about this, as they were smart enough to want the owner of The Lovely Lavender Company on their side; they did not want potential future sales lost.

Vradian already had to dodge a rather nasty hex when Esmeralda Gravenstein was given her bouquet mean for her a month ago. At least he delivered the new bouquet earlier that day before she walked down the aisle and the champagne was uncorked, though it looked like there was going to be a lot of uneaten wedding cake that was going to go in the dustbin that night. Stephen Stronder gave the Willow sisters a big tip, actually enjoying the sight of his ex-bride-to-be receiving her flowers just before the wedding, forgiving the florist for the mix up. It seems the timing of the wedding-day delivery was better since he got a front row seat to watch her humiliated and shamed in front of all their friends and family, reminding him also why he tried dumping her the first time. Neville's grandmother heard the story from a friend of a friend of the Stronder family, a tale she would share with her grandson because it involved flowers, and Neville would later share with Hermione.

The young wizard just hoped this Hermione wasn't going to threaten his manhood, unlike that bride-turned-harpy.

"You mean..." Hermione took the flowers from the delivery boy and looked over each stem, noting the symbolism. Tears begun to brim over and she started to cry. "But I thought somehow he knew about..."

Hermione stopped herself short, not wanting to announce to the whole room that she had slept with Neville Longbottom.

The Willow sisters and their now former employee made a discreet exit.

Draco took the flowers from Hermione, the coolness in his gaze now replaced with warmth and sympathy, while Ginny turned to embrace her friend, whispering quietly into her hair so no one else could hear, "We'll talk later. Just know that he still loves you and has never stopped. Don't worry."

The tone in Ginny's voice told her that somehow Severus knew, but Hermione still didn't know how. Hermione also picked up the tone of forgiveness in Ginny's explanation, and it only made the guilt of the act burn like hot acid, churning in her gut.

Placing a hand over her mouth, to muffle her cries, she sobbed, "I thought..."

The Potters and Ron were unaware of the significance of the flowers to Hermione and what it had meant to her. Lavender knew and was moved by Hermione's emotional outburst, breaking into tears herself, which set off a cascade of more tears with Ginny and Zhubanysh joining in, all their emotions moved easily by their hormonal state.

"Bloody hell, is anyone else going to break into tears?" Ron asked, wondering it was going to get any more contagious.

Hermione laughed, thankful for Ron's tactless humor, since it seemed to give some levity to the moment. Wiping away the last of her tears, she was momentarily stunned when Draco swept her up into his arms and hugged her like an old friend.

"I never got a chance to thank you for all that you have done for Severus, Ginny, and me. Thank you," Draco said with heartfelt sincerity that seemed to push Hermione into a fresh wave of tears.

Hermione finally hugged him back, herself awash with relief that the nightmare of Severus leaving her was over. She couldn't stop crying, she was so overcome after battling with herself and her heart for the past month.

There were times she had tried to convince herself it wasn't like Severus to do this, and at other times, she had convinced herself that he had cast her aside, to easily build yet another wall around his heart. Now she knew the truth. As bruised as her heart was, it began to mend in that moment when she saw the right flowers delivered to her – finally.

Lavender asked the Potters, Albert, and her husband to adjoin to the dining room and leave the Malfoys and Hermione alone for a moment.

When the doors to the solarium closed, Hermione nearly collapsed into a chair as she sat down. "How? If the first bouquet of flowers was nothing but a mix-up, how did he find out about..."

"About you and Neville?" Ginny finished her sentence, confirming that she and Draco, and indeed Severus, knew as well.

Hermione broke into more tears, feeling quite ashamed at the memory of it.

"Lavender, in the heat of the moment, and in her slightly pregnancy hormone-addled mind, let it accidentally slip. It was when Severus quite hostilely, and justly, wondered why you and Lavender would assume that the right flowers were delivered instead of questioning the florist on a mix-up," Draco informed her.

"What?!?"

What was relief had now turned to panic about Severus knowing about her and Neville with certainty. The fact was they had never made any formal promises to one another about fidelity, and in the personal memory he'd left for her he did give her permission to move on with her life. Still, Hermione already had intentions of returning to Severus when she'd slept with Neville, which made it seem like cheating on him, though technically it wasn't. Exactly. Sort of.

"How upset was he?" Hermione asked, wondering about the damage caused to their relationship.

"Let's just say you weren't the only one missing each other terribly and who slipped in a moment of weakness," Draco assured her, making it clear that Severus had no case in which to point a finger at her without becoming a hypocrite.

While this was somewhat of a relief to Hermione that she wasn't the only one who had faltered, strangely enough, it still stung a bit that Severus had been with someone else.

"And he has been moping around, regretting it since it happened. He seems to feel about as guilty about it as you seem to be." Ginny had sat down next to her friend and patted her back, which resulted in Hermione leaning into her for support. "So do as Draco suggested to Severus: forgive each other, put it behind you, and move forward."

There were more details behind how Severus and Maria had wound up in that situation, but Ginny and Draco felt there was no need to tell it. Besides, Hermione didn't need to get a bad impression of Rainbow who had orchestrated the whole opportunity. The healer had thought she was doing a good deed by setting Severus up with an available witch, unaware Severus' heart belonged to another. Hermione and Rainbow would be dealing with each other a lot in the future, and there was no need to cause bad blood between them before they had even met.

Draco patted Hermione on the shoulder before going over to a console table by the wall to fetch a large flat box. Ginny rose and encouraged Hermione to stand as well, knowing what her husband planned to do next.

Reaching into the box, Draco pulled out a lei of deep pink roses, symbolic of gratitude, strung with pikake jasmine flowers in between the rosebuds.

"You have Ginny's and my eternal thanks and appreciation for all that you have done to help us." Draco raised the lei above his heart in the formal ceremonial way of presenting a lei with great respect.

Hermione, having read her Hawaiian guidebooks, knew to take the lei and place it over her own head.

"And the Arabian jasmine flowers?" she asked, wondering if the flower's symbolism was the same in Hawaii as in England.

"For friendship," he replied.

Hermione could hardly believe this was the same wizard who had looked at her with loathing, while he was in Polyjuice form as Harry, the morning they fled. It was only now that Hermione finally noticed the matching wedding bands he and Ginny wore . Now she understood: the couple finally had the life they had dreamed of having together for so many years. And with Hermione winning his freedom, they could come back to England together, no longer hiding their love for one another.

Draco reached into the box once more. "And this lei is from Severus," he announced before presenting it to Hermione.

It was stunning. Hermione wanted to break into tears once more. She pressed her palm lightly against her chest as if the sight of this had taken her breath away.

It was a double-strand lei. The first strand was white ginger flowers, strung with so many flowers that it was full and round, twisted together around a second strand of alternating white plumeria, and purple-tipped white orchids.

"In Hawaii, white ginger is symbolic of love and romance. Plumeria is for new beginnings and hope. And Severus chose orchids based on the European symbolism for beauty." Draco kept the lei held aloft until Hermione could find the strength to take it from him and place it over her head. "Severus helped pick the flowers and string this himself, because no store-bought lei could adequately convey his love for you."

Draco conjured a handkerchief for Hermione when she broke into yet another fresh wave of tears, after she finished placing the lei upon her own shoulders.

"Severus wished he could come back, but he said you would understand why he couldn't," Draco said somberly.

Hermione nodded. She understood why no prisoner would want to return to a cell they had fought so long to escape, which is why she was so surprised to see Draco and Ginny back in England.

"Thank you," Hermione whispered to them both, having lost her voice. She didn't know what she could say to convey how overwhelmed she was by the revelations of that evening.

Draco escorted his wife and Hermione to join the others in the dining room. There, the conversation turned lighter, as the Malfoys told the tale of how earlier in the day they turned up on Molly and Arthur's doorstep with a large basket full of tropical fruit and news of another grandchild on the way.

Hermione was thrilled and congratulated the Malfoys on the news of Ginny's pregnancy. It suddenly struck her that she was the only one present who wasn't expecting a child, as even Albert had another great-great-grandchild on the way. In a brief moment, she wondered if she and Severus would ever have children, as they had never discussed it.

Both Ron and Harry laughed at some of Draco's remarks regarding Molly. All three wizards were still feeling rather uncharitable towards the Weasley matriarch, who had significantly interfered in their lives, and not in a good way.

The rest of the conversation was surprisingly amicable. Hermione found out later Lavender had everyone, except her and Albert, come over earlier and air their grievances before she arrived. There were some heated and hasty words and some initial dueling, but in the end, no one could deny that they were all much happier in their current arrangement. Even Harry had to admit that before Ginny started seeing Draco secretly, their marriage was already heavily strained. Ginny and Zhubanysh got on like old friends from the start, Mrs. Malfoy thrilled Harry had found someone who loved him like he deserved and could, like Ginny could not.

More news of what had happened since the Malfoys left months ago went around the table. Hermione shared that her old boss, Madam Dushka, had finally given birth. The gossip rags had found out about the little love triangle between the Dushkas and Trevor Spawn, and published speculative rumors about the paternity of the child; Hermione had not heard from Trevor if it was his or not. However, that piece of gossip had passed out of favor for news of the upcoming election and how Cornelius Fudge and Amelia Bones were neck and neck in the polls.

The subject of politics brought about quite a ruckus, with everyone ready to give their very heated and personal views on the matter. Lavender banned the topic until after dinner, when it could be discussed when cutlery was not at hand, even though everyone still had their own wands. It was not that anyone disagreed about Fudge being a feckless twat manipulated by his Machiavellian Slytherin of a wife and her machinations, but it did cause tempers to rise that he was still in power, along with his wife who pulled his strings.

Harry shared the good news about Moody's suspension until the senior Auror's actions to suppress evidence to exonerate the two ex-Death Eaters could be reviewed by the Wizengamot at a later date. The Malfoys were quizzed on life in Hawaii, to which Draco gave a very good impersonation of some of the local accents, especially doing a spot-on imitation of Shark, the clothing store owner. Zhubanysh was asked to relay about daily life in a wizarding nomadic tribe living along the roof of the world, and how she was adjusting to life in a new country and new culture. Ginny and Draco told a few tales of their own about adjustments to island life, which amused the dinner guests. They left out the part about the giant cockroaches, since it didn't seem like an appropriate topic for the dinner table.

At one point during the meal, Draco rose from his seat, glass raised in hand as he announced, "I propose a toast. To the one who made it possible for all of us to be together tonight enjoying this fine meal. To Hermione: protector of those unjustly persecuted, seeker of justice."

Ron rose from his seat also, a glass in his hand, and added, "Understanding and forgiving, with a solid right hook and a mean Spider-Bogey Hex." There were a few chuckles from around the table.

"To her relentless pursuit of truth, even when the truth is what no one else wishes to see," Harry said with a bit more solemnity. Those weighty words, coming from him, were not lost on a few other guests present, words filled with multiple meanings.

"To my sister, who has helped those who had – have felt at times a little lost," Zhubanysh said, rising from her seat as well, grateful for Hermione helping her adjust to life in England. Hermione coached her in the finer points of English language and grammar. She also took owls from Zhubanysh at odd hours to reply when the new bride was unsure with local customs, or how to talk to Harry about a topic she was uncomfortable with.

Lavender raised her glass as well, given the inspiration of the moment, although she chose to not get out of her seat as that would have taken far too long. "Hermione, a friend to those who needed a friend the most."

"Insightful and brilliant," Ginny said, standing next to her husband, glass in hand.

Albert rose. "And the finest apprentice any Master of any discipline could ask for. To Hermione."

There was another chorus of "To Hermione" from around the table before everyone drank.

"Will everyone please sit down before I begin blubbering on some more," Hermione jested, her eyes misting again, overcome with the warmth and sentiments of her friends. There was some light laughter as everyone continued on with the meal.

After dinner, everyone retired to the library where fine spirits – aged in oak barrels for decades – were served with fine crystal glassware, as well as herbal teas offered to the pregnant witches. With a practiced hand, Hermione swirled the fine pear brandy about the snifter before taking a sip and savoring the complexity of notes. Before starting her monthly booze-up with the local Potions masters, Hermione would have gone for a simple glass of sherry, but with her binging, she had also been exposed to some of the finer aspects of distilled spirits. Whereas Severus had expanded her knowledge and palate for champagne and wine, her once-a-month drinking companions broadened her horizons regarding harder libations.

Harry was enjoying his own snifter of Calvados when Draco brought up the unpleasant subject of Alan Parker.

"And at no point during his super-villain monologue, nor under Veritaserum, did he indicate Umbridge or Calpurnia Fudge had any knowledge, direction, or sanctioning of his actions?" Draco asked, remembering the conversation he had with Severus before he and Ginny Portkeyed back to England.

"None, as Kingsley and I hadn't the chance to ask, because Moody and half the high-ranking officials at the Ministry barged into our interrogation and stopped it until a time they deemed more appropriate," Harry recounted with an aggravated growl. "That turned out to be the hastily-arranged trial less than twenty-fours later. I mean, who has a trial Sunday night when the Ministry is shut down, unless you don't want anyone to know. At least I was able to point out that Umbridge had to recuse herself due to a conflict of interest, given that Alan Parker is her godson, a fact she did not volunteer."

"That must have caused an uproar," Ginny added, sipping on some chamomile and rose hip tea. "Were Cornelius or Calpurnia present at the trial?"

"They wouldn't have dared to attend. With the election coming up, they wanted to distance themselves from this as far as possible. Even the coverage of the trial was minimal." Harry turned and patted Hermione's hand, giving it a squeeze of support as he added, "Healers at St. Mungo's were threatened to keep quiet and not go on about how Hermione was attacked. The only thing reported publicly was that she was attacked and the wizard, who was unnamed, was apprehended."

"Yes, but even if Calpurnia knew, there is no way to get her to admit it to anyone," Ron said, jumping into the conversation. "No one other than Umbridge. Those two are thick as thieves. I've seen them huddled next to each other at all those functions I have to go to with Bascom. But still, short of it plastered all over the front page of the Daily Prophet, which Fudge controls, there is no way anyone will know how those two are connected to that sicko, and if they told him to do it. And Fudge might get re-elected, which means she gets re-elected."

Hermione, who was feeling quite morose with the topic of Alan Parker and his relations, was suddenly struck with a moment of inspiration, thanks to Ron's unintentionally insightful ramblings. She also had to thank the memories of her Aunt Christine going on about a couple irreparably-catastrophic public relations disasters that she'd had to deal with over the years. As much as her aunt's stories bored her at the time, they served as inspiration now. A maniacal laugh bubbled up from her throat as she tipped her head back, suddenly feeling a rush of adrenaline that came when an idea came along that fit her needs.

"She's gone mad," Ron said as he drained his glass of Ogden's.

"Or madly brilliant," said Harry, knowing the glint that Hermione had in her eye meant she had another great idea.

Suddenly, Hermione face fell. "Bugger. Pity Polyjuice ingredients are still regulated."

"Regulated for purchase, but that doesn't mean you can't get some from a friend," Albert added with a knowing smile. Hermione had not forgotten that Albert had all of the regulated ingredients in his own stores, but did not want to assume he would partake in whatever scheme she had planned. "Unfortunately, I don't have any 21-day stewed lacewing flies."

"But I do," Lavender added. Everyone's head swiveled about in unison to give her a look of disbelief. "What?" she said innocently. "When Severus and Draco took off, do you think I'd leave myself without my own plan for escape in case things went pear-shaped for me?"

Ron looked hurt. With a pout, he asked, "You'd leave me?"

"What would you rather have? A wife living in Paris you could visit every day, or a wife locked up in Azkaban, had Moody decided I somehow had a hand in their escape?"

Ron nodded with a grimace of resignation that she did have a point, but he then realized the hitch. "Wait, but you don't have the regulated ingredients. How would have that worked out?"

"I have the stewed lacewing flies, and the fluxweed picked at full moon – as Hermione procured enough for three batches. I don't have the bicorn horn and boomslang. I would have paid Albert handsomely for those two items." Turning to her Potions master, she asked, "I hope I wasn't being presumptuous."

"Not at all," he assured her with a tilt of his head.

"So what do you have in mind," Draco asked. He realized that he was going to be included in the schemings of Potter's gang for once, and it was a bit of a thrill to be on the other side of said plans.

"Well, first we have to figure out if Umbridge and Fudge's wife knew of Parker's activities before the trial," Hermione began. "Then we'll have a course of action for the real coup de grâce."

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

Life in Malu Palekaiko was a bit quieter with the Malfoys gone, sort of. Draco and Ginny had taken a Portkey that morning with the nouveau Mrs. Weasley. Closing up shop Friday was without the discussion of business matters, as the silence was usually filled with talk of a commission that was ready for pickup, or of a particularly dense student who was having troubles in a subject. Walking to Bongo's alone, Severus was greeted with the usual "Aloha", to which his was the only voice that replied.

Mounga introduced Severus to the island's newest resident and sanctuary-seeker, Jerry, an Auror in his early- to mid-thirties from New York City who had decided the Muggle government and law enforcement system was too corrupt to not intervene with a bit of magic to set things right. Jerry was of average build with short dark blond hair with a face which could easily blend into a crowd except for the rather prominent Muggle tattoo of a dragon on his forearm.

Jerry explained the local mob bosses had been putting the squeeze on his father, a Muggle, for decades, and recently had been getting rather rough with him when he refused to pay an increase in protection money. Police and other law enforcement officials decided not to pursue the case because it was too small, not while Federal law enforcement officials were busy building a RICO case against the gangsters involved. Taking action on Jerry's father's case would interfere with the much larger case they were building. Unfortunately, while the RICO case would take years, Jerry's father only had so many bones, and so much money to pay for trips to the hospital – and that didn't include the cost to deal with damage to his business. The U.S. Magical Department of Law Enforcement was already quite clear on their policy of forbidding Muggle-born children from using magic to protect their parents when there was Muggle law enforcement to deal with the matter.

A bit of Veritaserum, some Polyjuice potion, and a live broadcast on television with the Muggle prosecutor and others from the district attorney's office had made for quite the scandal in the Muggle news media when they confessed to taking bribes from the Mafia to stall the RICO case. Needless to say, the people who had made life difficult for Jerry's father – and the law enforcement officials who had turned a blind eye to it – were no longer a problem for the man. Jerry, however, was now persona non grata and a highly sought-after "criminal." Jerry made his own illegal Portkey to take him straight to Malu Palekaiko once his bosses at the U.S. Magical Department of Law Enforcement figured out he was behind the exposé.

"Was it worth it?" Severus asked.

"If someone you loved was going through what my father went through, I don't think you'd even ask me that," Jerry said.

Severus had thought of what he would have done had Hermione died. He decided burning a swath of destruction through to the farthest corners of Great Britain and the world to track down and torture Alan Parker was only the beginning of it. And even if it meant living his life in Azkaban, devoid of a soul, it would still have been worth it. He merely asked if Jerry thought it was worth it for himself.

"So what are you? Welsh?" Jerry asked, picking up Severus' accent.

'And that makes it five' Severus noted to himself, since people had guessed he was from every English-speaking country but England.

Arnold was by the piano, belting out yet another tune from his favorite singer.

Before Severus could reply with a snarky comment, Jerry asked, gesturing with a drink in his hand, "Who's the Elvis fan?"

"That would be Arnold, fellow Potions master." Severus finished his drink and ordered another for himself.

"Is he a sanctuary-seeker, too?" Jerry spun around to better watch the wizard belt out a soulful rendition of "Blue Hawaii."

Severus nodded.

"Why did he come? What's his story?"

Severus picked up his new drink and took a sip before answering, "I don't know. He never told me, and it is none of my business. If he chooses to tell me, he will. A lot of us sanctuary-seekers are not so quick to share our tales of why we came."

Jerry glanced at Severus' left arm and said, "I recognize the ink. Is that why you came?"

With a tilt of the head to acknowledge Jerry's implication, Severus discreetly placed his right hand on his wand in his pocket. "Mounga knows why I am here, and I got the welcome packet, same as you," he said. He flashed a casual smile that held a glint of warning, his eyes darting to the bar top and stopping on Jerry's folder, an unofficial badge of approval for those who had sought and received sanctuary.

Being an Auror, Jerry didn't miss Severus had his hand on his wand. Putting both hands up, his drink in one hand, he said, "Hey buddy, I'm no threat. You don't have to worry about me being a bounty hunter or anything. If Mounga says you're cool, I've no beef with you."
Severus noted Jerry's New York accent was particularly strong when he was agitated, becoming quite nasal.

Pulling his hand out of his pocket, Severus made a gesture of good will and flagged Bongo to get another drink for the ex-Auror, Severus' treat.

"You wouldn't have fetched a very good price for me anyway, as I've recently been exonerated." Severus and Jerry clinked glasses in cheers to the good news for the ex-Death Eater.

"You plan on staying? Mounga mentioned the friend you came here with is back home."

"Just for a visit. He and his wife have a new life here. As do I." Severus decided to say nothing more on the matter, which was just as well.

Jerry was applauding now that Arnold had finished singing. Then the ex-Auror picked up his drink to go talk with the crooning wizard, leaving Severus' side without so much as a farewell.

Mounga, who went to sit with his wife at a table closer to the piano, looked at Severus and shrugged. Seems that neither wizard knew quite what to make of Jerry, even with Mounga knowing all of the ex-Auror's secrets, having processed him earlier in the day

After drinks, Severus grabbed a quick bite of take-out to enjoy at the Friday night movies.

The park was set up with the usual variety of lounge chaises, lawn chairs, and couches, low-hovering flying carpets with cushions, floating hammocks, and picnic blankets. It was a summer tradition, if you could call fourteen years a tradition.

When the summer Muggle studies youth program started in mid-June, so did the weekly Friday night movies, usually featuring a performance on a large Wurlitzer organ. The Muggle organist used to perform at her church before she and her wizard husband moved to retire to Malu Palekaiko. That performance was followed by a cartoon from various periods, from old fashioned black-and-white ones made shortly after sound was invented, all the way up to computer-animated shorts. After that, there was a double-feature focusing on some theme. The first week was Westerns, followed in subsequent weeks by film noir, historical pictures, mysteries, romantic comedies, farces, science fiction, musicals (such as the recent showing of My Fair Lady), and dramatic films, among the many genres included. Usually the first film of the evening was more family-friendly fare, as young children attended, with something more suitable for older teens and adults for the second film that usually started after the young ones were tucked into bed. Those who were more versed in cinema made no mention of the omission of fantasy and horror movies, since their stereotypical portrayal of "monsters," witches, wizards, vampires, and other magical beings was extremely insulting, obviously biased with little relevance to facts.

When Severus found out Mounga was the one behind the summer Muggle studies program, which included the summer movie series and Muggle camps for the kids, he asked what had inspired him to come up with such a curriculum. Mounga was rather evasive and muttered something about removing the temptation of forbidden fruit. It was clear there was more behind the story of its inspiration, but Severus was not about to press the matter.

As Severus finished the last of his Thai yellow curry with shrimp, he flicked his wand so the bowl and utensils would sail below the line of sight of the other movie patrons and discreetly into the proper bus pan. The various restaurants had each put out a bus pan to collect their dirty dishes, as many attendees treated the outdoor movie in the park as a weekly family picnic and outing.

The cartoon had just finished. Severus was ready to watch the movie, a musical-comedy, without having to worry about spilling curry sauce on his shirt.

The Finau family was next to Severus. They were also just finishing up their meal of Japanese fare, when Kaimi, who noticed that Severus was done, went over to him.

"Can I sit on your lap, Uncle Severus?" Kaimi asked without any shyness to her request.

Severus blinked back for a second, momentarily stunned that the child wished to sit in his lap when she normally cuddled in her father's lap during movie night.

"You want to sit on my lap?" he asked. It was what the child had asked, but he had never had any child ask him for such a request and wanted to clarify he had heard her correctly. Glancing over at her father, Severus saw Mounga smile and make some non-committal gesture with his shoulders at him.

"Is that okay? I think you need a hug," Kaimi plainly stated.

Severus wanted to politely decline, but Kaimi was a very perceptive child. Severus did need a hug. Preferably one from Hermione, but the honest and simple affections from this child would certainly do. Reluctantly, he nodded, to which Kaimi hopped into his lap and settled in.

"Don't worry, I'm not a wiggleworm," she assured him just as the opening credits began.

Severus hated to admit it, but it was not an entirely unpleasant experience to have Kaimi snuggled on his lap. Her favorite part was where the main character, a court jester for whom the movie was titled, was babbling on about vessels and pestles and chalices and palaces. He found that having the eight-year-old giggle with delight at that part helped him find it a bit more humorous than he otherwise would have. There was a communal factor to it.

When the movie ended, Severus found Kaimi passed out cold on his lap, still clutching the front of his shirt. Mounga came over and gently lifted her from Severus' lap and into his arms to carry home.

"Kaimi has been very concerned about you and has been asking if you're okay recently," Mounga informed his friend.

"She asked to sit on my lap," Severus replied.

"I told her to ask you if it was okay and that you might not be the cuddling type. She said she could tell you were sad and that maybe a hug might make you feel better. You do look a bit better," Mounga said with a slightly humorous lilt to his voice. "She seems to have her mother's healing touch."

Severus did feel a bit better, but said nothing to confirm Mounga's observation. Even he did not want to admit he was feeling anxious about Draco and Ginny going back to England, and wondering what was currently happening with Hermione and if she was still his or not. He had given Draco another memory to hand her, as putting his emotions to parchment was a futile endeavor with no satisfaction of the end result. He could speak his heart plainly to her with greater ease, which seemed contradictory to his normally reserved nature.

Just as Severus was formulating a reply to Mounga's comments, Arnold and Jerry walked by, wishing Severus a good night. They walked off into the night and Severus cocked his head sideways, wondering if...

"Yeah, looks like Arnold's smitten," Mounga said quietly, confirming Severus' suspicions.

Arnold, in all the months Severus had gotten to know him, had never indicated any preference for men or women, but it seems tonight he was certainly taken with Malu Palekaiko's newest resident, even with an age difference of close to twenty years. Severus was the last to judge about an age difference that great.

Rainbow and the two older children had packed up the family belongings with their wands and were ready to head home.

"Can I watch the next film, Mom?" Akela asked, her eyes and voice pleading, a blanket draped over her arm.

"What's showing?"

"Monty Python and the Holy Grail; it's a comedy," Mounga answered his wife.

"A movie about the Holy Grail, the object that set King Arthur on a path towards a fool's errand, ignoring his kingdom much to the warning of Merlin? Is it probable the Muggle version has little resemblance to the actual account of events as it is supposed to be a comedy? And how do snakes factor into the story?" Severus questioned with circumspect suspicion.

"Trust me, it is written as a whimsical farce from frame one," Mounga assured the skeptical Brit who had grown up in the very same land in which Merlin and Arthur’s tale was steeped. "It employs logical dissection of argument, in addition to making fun of Arthurian 'fables.' Stick around and watch it. You might actually laugh."

"Doubtful." Severus arched a brow in disbelief of his friend's claims.

Mounga gave his eldest daughter his permission to stay and watch the film, while Severus assured Mounga he would escort Akela home safe and sound after the film. Both wizards' eyes had glanced over the slew of young wizards around Akela's age who were still hanging around for the second feature, as well as the few vampires who were there. The vampires in Malu Palekaiko were well behaved and never sampled without express permission, but Akela was an attractive teenage girl. Any father would be concerned.

That weekend was the Japanese Bon festival. Severus attended after he finished with his Saturday appointments, enjoying the festivities and learning more Japanese words. He had begun learning the language, in addition to Hawaiian. There was dancing, taiko drumming, and fireworks over the next three days, in addition to the setting of lanterns to the sea in remembrance of ancestors.

Severus had no wish to remember or honor anyone he was related to. His parents had passed with little to no mourning from him. The only ones he had mourned were those who had become his new family, but many had died during the war. Though Minerva wasn't exactly like a mother or aunt to him, she was a colleague and an amicable friend who always had good advice, though they were not close. Albus Dumbledore had become the father he never had. Of all the ones who had passed, Severus missed him the most.

With the revelation of Dumbledore's will and the proof needed to clear his name, some long-held misconceptions and resentments Severus had regarding the headmaster were now gone. He'd thought Albus had cast him adrift with no one to vouch for his loyalty to the Order and efforts in the war. Severus thought Dumbledore had died without any consideration to his and Draco's names and reputation, but the old codger had done so. It just had taken years before his will was found by Hermione, hidden in plain sight, revealed with a simple spell.

Standing alongside the shore, as the tide began to go out, Severus and many others set their paper lanterns into the water to head out to sea in the Tōrō nagashi ceremony. As there were no major rivers on Malu Palekaiko, people did this in the calm sheltered waters of the harbor. Some waded out into the ocean up to their hips before setting the warmly glowing white lanterns into the water. With the setting of the lantern in memory of Albus upon the softly swelling waves, Severus allowed his disappointment and resentment he'd held for his old mentor drift away as well, letting go some of the anger he had held in his heart for so long.

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

Waking to the sight of Severus' bouquet of flowers and the two leis on the bedside table should have been a wondrous sight for Hermione, but the pounding in her head tampered the pleasant feeling down significantly. The wave of nausea and the sandpaper glued to the inside of her eyelids did nothing to improve the morning. Risking the choice of sitting up and vomiting, or continuing to lie in bed all morning, Hermione chose the less wise of the two. Fortunately, upon sitting up, she found a vial of hangover relief potion, courtesy of Albert, waiting for her along with a note next to the vase of flowers.

It was after she drained the vial of its contents Hermione realized she wasn't even in her own bed. She finally remembered she was put up in one of the guest bedrooms at Lavender and Ron's mansion. Ginny and Draco were also staying there during their brief stay in England, and were probably already awake. Reading the note, now that she could focus her eyes, she learned Albert was giving her the day off with the acknowledgment she had some important matters to deal with.

Recalling last night's events, she remembered coming up with a plan to deal with Calpurnia Fudge and Dolores Umbridge, with Albert more than happy to deal a blow to the Minister's wife. He had received some thinly-veiled threatening letters recently, specifically tied to taking Hermione on as his apprentice. The letters seemed to coincide with the timing of Alan Parker discovering Hermione's apprenticeship that night in Flourish and Blotts. Albert Dobmeir did not take kindly to threats, but decided to wait until an opportunity presented itself before he addressed Calpurnia Fudge's imminence. This recent revelation only firmed the resolve of everyone else in the room to help Hermione with her idea.

With the plan laid out, and already a fair amount of alcohol coursing through her system, it was then Draco said they should celebrate and decided to fix everyone who was drinking a new libation he learned in Malu Palekaiko called "Wipe Out." Everything after the second sip was just a blur, though Hermione noticed Albert didn't drink any of Draco's annihilating concoction. She would have to ask Draco for the recipe so she could surprise the other Potions masters with a round of "Name what's in this drink" at the next booze-up. Even she couldn't figure out what she was drinking, the mix of fruit juices and alcohol masking whatever it was that had knocked her for a loop.

Dressed in her clothes which were clean, most probably washed and pressed by the house-elves while she slept, Hermione hobbled down to the breakfast nook where everyone but Ron was up.

"Morning, or should I say good afternoon," Ginny said a bit too cheerily, with a plate full of something that looked like lunch in front of her.

Hermione may have had a dose of hangover relief potion, but it still didn't mean she was entirely recovered. Later on she would concoct her special supplemental hangover treatment that included ginger, lime, and peppermint, but for now she needed tea.

"What did you poison me with last night?" Hermione asked, glaring at Draco who was enjoying his plate of poached fish and lightly sautéed vegetables.

"Same thing Severus drank during our first night in sanctuary, and he was just as far gone as you," Draco said with a satisfied grin. "Don't worry. Before you came over, Albert said if we had a chance to get you to relax this weekend and forget your troubles, we should do so. I told him about the drink and he gave his blessings for me to serve it up, should the opportunity to arise. He said you should try it yourself before serving it up at your next Potions master meeting next weekend."

Hermione didn't know if she should be worried that Albert knew what she was going to drink, or kiss the old bastard for coming up with the same idea she had to serve it up next week.

"Does that drink cause muscle soreness and aching feet?" Hermione asked, wrapping her hands around a delicate china cup filled with tea – glorious, life-giving, sanity-saving tea.

"No, that would be due to the dancing at the club last night," Ginny illuminated her friend.

"I went dancing at a club?" Hermione wondered if this was some joke.

Lavender, who was enjoying a light lunch as well, said with refined poise, "Well, after you and the 'boys' were done with your bets on who could come up with the most raunchiest dirty limericks, Ginny mentioned how she had a craving for Korean barbecue and kimchee, to which everyone decided going out at eleven at night for Korean barbecue was a dandy idea."

"Dirty limericks?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, and you won with your limerick," Ginny said.

Hermione placed her head in her hands and wanted to whimper. She prided herself on not being crass, so this was becoming as painful to listen to as the recounts of her behavior after her post-NEWT binge that wound up in the papers.

Draco cleared his throat as he began to recite,

"A wizard with a wand made of rose
Had a very prodigious nose.
His feet were as large
As a giant's own barge,
And the rest well endowed, we suppose."

Hermione slumped down onto the table and whimpered pitifully.

"You never did answer Ron's question about the size of Severus' feet," Draco volunteered. He was enjoying this ribbing just a bit too much, which resulted in a sharp elbow in his own ribs by his wife.

"None of your damn business," Hermione muttered against the wooden table top.

"That's what you said last night," Ginny informed her.

"I still think my limerick should have won," Draco insisted. "It was by far, more crass than yours."

He took a sip of tea before reciting,

"A witch who worked as a harlot
Would easily shag any varlet.
In a very rough pub
She yelled, 'Finish yer grub
And I'll fuck every one of the whole lot!' "

Hermione groaned and agreed it was far more crass than hers.

Ginny shook her head, still amazed Draco could be so refined one moment and then something like that could spew out of his mouth. At least with the twins, you could expect something like that from them.

"You still haven't explained why my feet hurt," Hermione reminded her host and fellow guests.

Lavender said, "After some late-night nibbles, Harry spotted a dance club and suggested we all go dancing."

"Harry? Dancing?" Hermione said with disbelief, wondering if Lavender was putting one on her.

"Yes, imagine my surprise when he said considering his aversion to dancing, especially in public, but his broom was listing worse than the German Quidditch team during Oktoberfest," Ginny added, still sounding surprised at the occurrence.

"I didn't do anything... foolish, did I?" Hermione had no recollection of the events. She hoped that this morning's Daily Prophet didn't have yet another topless photograph of her.

"All of us sober witches made sure no one misbehaved in any way," Ginny assured her with a wink. "You certainly cut loose last night and danced like some wild maenad."

This did not in any way comfort Hermione, who put her head back down on the table, not giving a fig about table manners at the moment.

"Come, drink your tea and put something into your stomach," Draco told her. "Potter will be coming over here soon, and we have things to do if we're going to carry out your plans in time before the election."

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

Walking home after the fireworks which signaled the end of the Bon festival, Severus pulled out his wand to unlock his front door. The faint mewling of a cat drew his eye towards a darkened corner not illuminated by his front porch light.

"Lumos."

His wandtip glowed blue and reflected off the wide chartreuse-colored eyes of a young juvenile cat. It was more than a kitten, its legs lanky and grace still somewhat ungainly with youth. It was also looking quite underfed.

The young cat did not fear Severus, but moved forward, sniffing at the tip of Severus' wand as if it was something to possibly eat or rub up against.

"Where's your home?" Severus asked, knowing the beast could not answer for itself. It merely looked up at him, mewling in a plaintive way.

Severus surmised it must have sought shelter from the explosion of fireworks at the end of the Bon festival. The pyrotechnics seemed to have put many of the pets on the island into a tizzy, like after the Fourth of July.

Lighting the candles in his home, the light spilled out onto the front porch. Now Severus could better see the apparently homeless creature. If it had a home, it wouldn't have looked so malnourished. Even by the light of the candles and lamps, Severus could see the ribs plainly visible through its black fur.

Severus felt pity for the poor beast, remembering what it was like to be young and hungry. Leaving the front door open, he said, "Well, come inside if you want to eat." He was sure there was something suitable in his pantry.

The lanky cat poked its head about the threshold for a moment. Severus was ready to give up and close the door in its face when the beast finally padded its way into the house. It looked up at Severus for him to lead the way, since he was the one who had invited it in.

There was a chicken Severus was going to have the hired house-elf who cooked for him prepare for tomorrow night's dinner. He already had all the offal put aside for stock and gravy.

Fetching the liver, he chopped it up and even warmed it up to the temperature of a fresh kill with a swirl of his wand, since the cat probably would be unsure what to make of cold meat.

After Severus set the liver down on a plate, the cat greedily wolfed it down, a sign the cat had not eaten for a while and was definitely homeless. Severus fetched a small saucer and filled it with milk. He let the cat lap away at it, contentedly purring that it finally had something in its stomach, thanks to this kind wizard.

The animal showed its gratitude by rubbing up against Severus' legs, swirling about in a figure-eight pattern between his legs, its head rubbing along his calf.

"Ginny has been talking about getting a cat. You should make an acceptable pet for her when she returns," Severus reasoned, explaining why he bothered to let the cat stay instead of evicting it, while spelling the cat hair off of himself.

Severus had never had a pet. He had an owl but that was not anything he was attached to, as he viewed it more like a service animal to deliver his mail than as a companion. Currently, Severus kept his owl at work most of the time, roosting at his house only on the weekends.

As Severus didn't want to wake up with cat by-products in his house which might come out of either end of the cat, or fleas, he grabbed some extra bedding and laid it out on the back porch, under the broad eaves to keep the cat and bedding dry should it rain overnight.

Still, Severus was not going to adopt this cat.

What Severus didn't realize was that just as the wand chooses the wizard, the cat decides who it wants to adopt. He didn't really have much say in the matter.

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

The fact-finding mission to Dolores Umbridge's residence earlier in the day yielded some interesting results. Draco had taken Polyjuice Potion and transformed into Calpurnia Fudge, in order to gain entrance into Umbridge's home before stunning her. Lavender did not reveal how she had gotten hold of some of Mrs. Fudge's hair. It was fortuitous that Umbridge was a spinster, so there was no husband or other family to deal with.

Harry, Hermione, and Lavender arrived once the officious cunt of a witch was secured with several binding spells and her wand was taken away. Veritaserum and some very specific questions revealed that while Umbridge and Calpurnia Fudge had no idea Alan Parker was behind the murder of several Death Eaters, nor did they direct him to attack Hermione, Umbridge was aware of Mrs. Fudge's machinations to stop Hermione from getting an apprenticeship for many years. It also came out that Umbridge and her friend not only wished Alan had finished dispatching Hermione Weasley, but a few other choice bits of information that went beyond the pale.

Lavender made use of her exceptional talents for memory charms, making sure Umbridge remembered nothing more than Calpurnia Fudge visiting, and both drinking a bit too much sherry for them both to remember the afternoon.

Back at Lavender and Ron's home, Draco changed back into his regular form. His talent for mimicking vocal and physical mannerisms had made him the first choice to take the Polyjuice Potion.

Now they knew what Umbridge knew, they could begin to plan for the second phase of Hermione's operation. Fortunately, the opportunity to implement it would be later this week, before Draco and Ginny planned to return to Hawaii.

Before Hermione headed home to eat a dinner she knew Marf would have waiting for her, ready and hot, Draco and Ginny took her aside.

"We brought back a few things for you from Hawaii, but here is one more thing from Severus. I promised to deliver this to you personally." Draco placed a vial into Hermione's hand.

Looking at the glass tube, this one with a green cap, she knew it was another memory for her.

Hermione thanked Draco for all his help and gave him a hug, filled with the same warmth she had for all her friends. Somehow, between when he left all those months ago and his return, Draco had changed dramatically. Gone was the animosity he once held for her, and in its place was not only sincerity and warmth, but a sense of serenity he had lacked before. Draco had found happiness and peace with all his wishes fulfilled, thanks to Severus and Hermione.

She wondered if Severus had found peace himself since reaching Malu Palekaiko, and if he had changed as well.

After dinner, Hermione went to work to use Lavender's Pensieve, which was still in her office among her Potions journals, books, and apprenticeship paperwork.

Standing by the desk, she tipped the vial into the bowl of shimmering liquid, watching the memory swirl in a quiet ballet of fluidity. Leaning over, she felt the cool liquid touch her nose and was pulled into a new memory from Severus.

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

A/N: Thank you to my tireless and talented betas, JuneW and Cygnuz.

B/NOTES:
Before Moody and the other officials arrived to interfere with Harry's interrogation of Alan Parker, Harry had Lavender come in and remove some key memories from Alan regarding Hermione and Ginny, and had Lavender leave before Moody and certain Ministry officials arrived. But Harry cannot tell that to the Malfoys or Hermione, since "it never happened."
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And They Didn\'t Live Happily Ever After