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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
- 96
- 97
- 98
"And They Didn't Live Happily Ever After"

Chapter Ninety-Six
"Chaat, Chats and Cats"

Disclaimer: We all know that Rowling invented and owns Harry Potter and the entire world she created. We all know I am merely a humble fanfic author borrowing her characters, concepts and world for the purpose of having a bit of fun, for entertainment purposes only, and receive no compensation other than the wonderful reviews you post.

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Rainbow ordered Janine to sit by Severus' bedside while he recuperated, in case he had a relapse. The Healer had given the retired Muggle nurse a playing card that - when torn in half - would Summon Rainbow if Severus took a turn for the worse.

To Severus' dismay, he was not allowed to go back to sleep. Rainbow wanted him awake so that if his symptoms returned, he could alert Janine and she could Summon Rainbow quickly. Mental confusion would be the first sign of a relapse, so Janine had to keep him talking.

Rainbow, Arnold, and Ranjit then left to see if their new method for breaking the fever could be replicated successfully with someone else suffering from ice pox.

Janine moved a chair from Severus' library to sit in while keeping him company. When she returned with the chair, the cat had taken up residence on Severus' bed, happy to curl up next to its master now that he wasn't as cold as an ice cube.

"How are you feeling now?" she asked as she settled into the chair by the bed to keep watch, observing Severus' familiar purr contentedly while snuggled on top of the covers.

"The same as when Rainbow asked me not five minutes ago," he replied tersely.

"Just checking," Janine said, not affected by Severus' attitude. She had been a nurse for many years and was used to the odd cantankerous patient who didn't like to be bothered. "What's your cat's name?"

"Cat."

Janine could tell Severus was not in a talking mood and she would have to find something to keep him awake and engaged for now. Looking about, she saw the photo by his bed. "Is that Hermione in the photo?"

Severus was about to ask her how she knew about Hermione, but then remembered he'd called her name out when he came to in the bath earlier. "Yes." His clipped tone tried to convey that he was not in the mood to talk about her, but that didn't seem to discourage Janine from asking more questions.

"She's lovely. If I may ask: Is she back in England right now?" If Janine had to keep Severus awake and not drift back to sleep, yapping at him was a sure fire way to keep him from dozing off.

"Normally yes, but I was supposed to meet her in India when I came down with the damnable infection," he growled testily. Severus understood she was obligated to keep him talking, for if she stopped talking, he surely would have corked right off. It still didn't tamp down the impatience he felt bubble up from her line of questioning.

“I'm sorry." There was no pity in Janine's reply. "You've been living here for nearly a year, so I'm sure you miss her. Is there a reason why she hasn't been able to come here? I remember that Lavender Weasley witch was here a few months back, and she is from England too. Am I remembering correctly?"

"Yes," Severus sighed. "Mrs. Weasley..." He still couldn't get used to calling her that. Severus had to refrain from calling her Miss Brown and had often resorted to using her first name during her visit, counter to his tendency to be more formal. 'Mrs. Weasley' was Hermione, and that name was linked to his memory of her. But Lavender was now married to Ron, and Hermione had merely never bothered to stop using her married name. "Mrs. Weasley is from England. In regards to Hermione, she is finishing her apprenticeship before coming here to join me."

Severus was expecting some sort of reaction of shock that he was involved with such a young witch who was still working on her apprenticeship, but Janine gave him no odd look or questions about her age. Perhaps the Muggle did not understand about some societal norms regarding apprenticeships reserved for those who only recently finished their main schooling.

"How did you two meet?" It was in an innocuous question, but if she was going to pry, he perhaps could give her answers to make her uncomfortable enough so that she would drop this line of questioning.

"I was originally her professor in school." He wasn't ashamed of that fact, but it did sound a bit... lecherous.

"Hot for teacher. Nothing wrong with that," Janine threw out casually, letting Severus know she wasn't fazed by any possibility of a large age difference between them, picking up on his brusque tone. "So did sparks fly while she was still at school?"

"Absolutely not!" he replied hotly, insulted by the fact that this Muggle would insinuate that he did anything untoward while working in an academic position of authority over students.

"I'm not accusing you of anything, just curious." Janine put her hands up defensively while trying to keep the tone light. "So sparks after she finished school. Was it right away, or did you two need some time apart before there was a mutual interest?"

"Definitely time apart."

Severus didn't know why he allowed her to continue on with her line of questioning. Maybe it was the fact he didn't have to think about how he had rehearsed for days how he would tell Hermione that he didn't care about the scar across her breast, the scar that Ginny had informed him about beforehand to prevent an embarrassing situation. Ginny had confessed her own shock upon seeing the scar and warned him so that he would not react the same way she did. Hermione was fragile enough regarding the incident and the scar, and didn't need an unprepared reaction from him. All that preparation was now for naught. Talking about something else kept his mind from that train of thought.

"So how did you two meet up later on then?" Again, it was an innocent enough question, but Severus was not going to share the details.

He could tell Janine some thread of the truth, while not revealing much. Reluctantly, but truthfully, he admitted, "She needed a friend with whom to talk."

Janine smiled. As if sensing that she was on the verge of delving too deep, she changed the subject. "So tell me how this whole Potions thing works. My husband Jimmy has tried to explain it, but he's an Astronomy person who barely passed Potions. What is it, like Chemistry? But with magic?"

Severus didn't know if Janine was truly ignorant about how Potions worked versus Muggle Chemistry, but it kept him engaged enough talking with her. As they were nearing the end of their discussion, Rainbow returned to check up on Severus. The Healer gave him and Janine the good news that they had done the ice bath and Potions treatment on two other patients and broke their fevers.

It was very good news, since some people had been suffering for a full week with the disease. Arnold and Ranjit were preparing a scroll to owl to Honolulu with their experiment and results.

Once Rainbow left, Janine tucked Severus in.

"Thank you," Severus said to his caretaker. He didn't have to thank her, but he did anyway. She had kept him awake and engaged in conversation lively enough so that it did not seem quite like the chore he'd feared it was going to be.

"You're welcome, Severus." She patted his hand and bid him goodnight before letting herself out.

Drifting off to sleep, Severus wondered how Hermione was doing in India. When Draco and Ginny returned, he would have to ask them for a few memories of Hermione to share with him.

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

The Lovely Lavender Company India launch was a great success. Hermione looked fabulous, and her sari hung perfectly with the pleats and creases laying just so.

The hired jewelry was almost too much, but it was part of the "uniform" she had to don for the event.

She wore a heavily jeweled necklace featuring faceted sapphires of pink, violet, golden orange, and green. Hermione knew the precious gem came in colors other than blue, but to see them was quite dazzling. The earrings were a bit heavy, so they were charmed to float just enough to hang properly, but not drag on the ear painfully. Ginny and Aunt Christine were also bedecked with jewels that highlighted their hair and eyes, and coordinated with their outfit colors. Draco and Albert looked quite dashing, though Draco refused to wear the turban.

Hermione overheard Ginny say quietly, "But you don't mind wearing the turban when I dance for you," but she was quickly silenced by Draco giving her a look that said not to reveal all their secrets in public.

The press was looking for something fun and frivolous to fixate upon other than the dark and depressing news of the ice dragon pox epidemic. The wizarding population in India had been hit just as badly as most other countries around the world, so this launch of The Lovely Lavender Company in India was something to keep people's minds from more somber news. Hermione spoke eloquently, having been coached by her aunt. She fielded questions expertly, directed the press to watch models hired to show the application of the new roll-on henna tattoo kit developed just for the Indian market, and discussed other aspects of the company.

There was food and drink of the alcoholic and non-alcoholic variety. Ginny liked the sparkling mango juice and Hermione stuck with non-alcoholic drinks as well, needing to stay on her toes for any challenging questions from the press. Draco was introduced as the new Vice President of Advertising and Marketing for the Asia Pacific region; photos of Draco and Christine together were taken, to show a bridging of both hemispheres. It was also quite the nouveau thing that a Muggle worked for a company owned by a witch, which also added to the buzz about the spectacle. There were questions as to who would head operations for the Asia Pacific operations, but Hermione diplomatically said that there were a small number of candidates in the final phase of interviews and that the announcement would be made later.

They had decided that it would not be prudent to announce Hermione as the new Potions mistress and head of Asia Pacific operations when she had yet to finish her apprenticeship. She was an extremely capable witch, but accreditation and rank still mattered in the grand scheme of things, especially in international business.

Instead of a formal sit-down dinner, hors d'oeuvres were passed around. They were actually chaat snacks served up like fancy appetizers: mini-samosas, various pakoras, bite-sized stuffed parathas, chana masala served up in tiny papadums fried into a bowl shape to hold the savory garbanzo bean mixture. Also, each chaat hors d'oeuvre was served with chutneys on the side of the serving trays. There were at least a dozen different chaat dishes to sample as they floated around on trays, with the press and business associates invited to the event sampling and enjoying the free food and drinks. Hermione made sure to sample at least one of everything, since it was all so delicious, though it was a bit spicier than the Indian food she was used to back in London.

There was talk of meetings in the coming months, calling cards exchanged, and promises of owls to discuss future business and distribution deals. Hermione was more than happy to have her Aunt Christine handle the press, which was not that different from the Muggle press in many respects. She didn't mind talking business, since she didn't have to force herself to smile so much as when photographers were snapping shots left and right. Instead of handshakes, Indian people greeted each other with the Namaste – placing the palms of their hands together near the heart, with fingers pointing up. Handshaking was mostly a Western custom, and keeping physical proximity to a minimum was the recently adopted norm since the ice dragon pox broke out in Varanasi.

After what seemed like hours, the event wrapped up. Gift bags featuring products from The Lovely Lavender Company were distributed to guests and press, and smiles and thanks you's were exchanged before the night finally ended.

Ginny and Christine were exhausted and ready to call it a night. Even Hermione was worn out, having been short on sleep the night before, and required to do a whole lot of smiling and conversing during the event. Albert invited her to come over to his room for a celebratory night cap, but she begged off. She could have told him about her dream the other night, but decided that would be a discussion for tomorrow. Right now she wanted to just sleep.

As all the women left, the staff at the hotel were cleaning up the last of the party decorations and empty glasses, folding chairs and tables away with their wands. Draco and Albert sat in a pair of empty chairs near an open window with a view of the star-filled sky above the fields, spread out like some dark green quilt on the other side of the Ganges River. They were leaning over toward each other as if talking in some conspiratorial tone.

Back in her room, the witch valet helped Hermione remove her sari and took her clothes off to be cleaned. In her nightgown, Hermione flopped onto her bed. During the night she had avoided thinking of Severus, knowing if she let her mind go down that rabbit hole, it would be much harder to pull off another convincing smile for the camera. Now alone in her bed at night, the valet gone from her room, she could let herself think of him.

Recalling the dream, she noted that the blue of Severus' skin was the same blue as some of the more severe cases of ice pox. She hoped Severus' case of ice pox was not that bad, but there was no way to know. And as much as Hermione swore to herself that she would not go to Hawaii until after she was done with her apprenticeship, fearing how difficult it would be to leave Severus yet again, she was reconsidering her vow. In the morning, she would ask Albert if she could change her plans and go to Hawaii, and see if she could work with Arnold and Ranjit on a cure. And maybe Albert could Portkey over if he learned anything in India. If anything, she could take care of Severus, even if that meant she might come down with it as well.

Happy with the thought that she still might see Severus, even if it was for only a few days, or longer if she caught ice pox and was stuck there until better, she drifted off to sleep.

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

The Wireless Wizard Network broadcast the emergency announcement for the third time in thirty minutes.

"Due to the plague of ice dragon pox, all international Portkey travel has been suspended until further notice. All countries worldwide have unanimously agreed to the ban until a cure or treatment has been discovered. We will continue to broadcast updates on this situation as they become available. Thank you."

Severus grumbled to himself. They had come up with a treatment, but evidently the idiots in Honolulu were waiting to verify the treatment method before forwarding the news of a treatment to authorities, since there was no coverage of it in the broadcast. Portkey travel to the U.S. mainland was also severely limited to emergencies only until further notice.

This meant that Draco and Ginny could not return home until the ban was lifted. He hoped it wouldn't be too long. It was now Sunday, and Draco was supposed to start interviewing Potential Charms and Transfiguration tutors on Wednesday. With the ban, none of the candidates that were coming in from abroad could travel either, so in the end it didn't matter if Draco was there or not.

As the kettle came to a boil he poured himself a hot cup of tea, eager to drink something warm. He was even dressed in his long linen trousers and one of his old long-sleeved shirts for breakfast, instead of wrapped in a light silk dressing down or shirtless in a pair shorts.

Grabbing the kettle, he hissed in pain. Normally, he could grab the handle of the tea kettle and pour it without burning his hands, as his tolerance to heat and his layer of calluses allowed him to not bother using a potholder or towel to protect his hand from the heat. Now it seemed his ability to handle hot things was severely diminished, as well as his tolerance to even the slightest chill, given how the slight morning breeze through the open sliding glass door made him shiver.

Fetching a potholder, he grabbed the kettle once more and poured himself a cup of tea. Even the mug was too hot for him to hold, and he had to grab it by the handle.

Severus hoped his intolerance for temperature variations was merely a short-term effect from the ice pox and not a lifelong hindrance he would have to adapt to.

During breakfast, he went over the Owl Post that had arrived overnight. All of them were from candidates who were sending regrets, unable to make the scheduled interview date for the tutor position to replace Draco. They all said they looked forward to a new interview appointment once the travel ban was lifted.

After breakfast, eating for the first time in a couple days, he went to the bathroom. Gazing in the mirror, he noted how his skin was dull, slightly lumpy, and still had an odd whitish pall to it. He hoped this wasn't what his skin was going to look like for the rest of his life, as those recovering from regular dragon pox had green-tinged skin and lumps for the rest of their lives. If this was a long-term effect, he was a Potions master and he would endeavor to find some way to correct his newfound skin condition, should it be permanent.

Last night, he had allowed his cat this once to sleep in his bed to keep him company as he recovered. Now, the cat was rubbing along his ankles as it was finally ready to eat something, having to fend for itself while Severus was sick. Severus fortunately had some tinned meat he gave the cat, which sniffed at it haughtily.

"Be grateful I have anything at all in this house. I was planning on being gone and paid Akela to feed and water you." That plan had also been waylaid as Akela had come down with ice pox as well.

The cat eventually began eating what it was given, too hungry to complain that it wasn't fresh chicken livers or poached fish, like it was used to.

Dressed for the day, Severus headed off to the clinic to help Rainbow, Ranjit, and Arnold perform the newly-devised treatment for ice dragon pox on those they had not gotten around to curing yesterday, after himself.

He walked a bit slower than normal towards the clinic, still feeling quite weak, but unwilling to sit at home and recuperate for the next few days as he had been ordered by Rainbow. He wanted to be useful in order to keep his mind busy. If left alone at home to rest, he would most likely spend the entire day in his Pensieve, reliving memories with Hermione, having been denied his chance to reunite with her finally in India.

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

The one upside to all the inconvenience of the Portkey travel ban was that Albert and the Malfoys could stay in their rooms until the ban was lifted, since the people who were going to occupy those rooms next could not travel into Varinasi now. Temporary Portkey travel restrictions were based on regional bans in India, besides international. Hermione had been planning on staying a few extra days anyway, but that was rather pointless now, except for needing a place to sleep at night.

Ginny and Draco decided to treat the extended stay like a second honeymoon, before the birth of their child, and spent most of their time up in their room alone and ordering room service, the same plan Hermione had had where she and Severus were concerned. But since Severus wasn't there, Hermione spent her time with Albert at the local wizarding hospital, working with the other local Potions masters and mistresses, and their apprentices, as they sought to brainstorm ideas.

Hermione and Albert updated everyone on all the efforts going on in Great Britain and Western Europe, and what had failed, while the Indian masters and mistresses shared their own list of failures.

Privately, Hermione already shared her dream of Severus with Albert and wondered if lava or some extreme heat might help with breaking the ice pox. Of course, the Indian Potion masters and mistresses had already tried variations of potions using dragon peppers and other sweat- and fever-inducing ingredients, but there was no breakthrough on that front.

All day Sunday and Monday was spent trying various potions – some old, some new and experimental.

It was Tuesday when news broke that in South Africa, Hawaii, and Finland, all three places had independently and simultaneously developed similar treatments for curing the disease over the weekend. It wasn't so much a cure as it was hastening the prolonged healing process along by breaking the ice fever. There was no real cure yet, but those who had been suffering from it for weeks could now, if they were strong enough, go through the process by dropping their body temperature to very low levels, thereby breaking the icy fever.

Hermione's heart soared at the news, and – upon hearing that Hawaii was one of the places listed – wondered if Severus was part of the team that came up with this method of curing, and if he was already cured. As more news trickled out, she did see his name listed among those who came up with the chilling potions and ice bath regimen.

As Albert and Hermione returned to the hotel, chatting about her plans to visit Severus for a few days, Aunt Christine was waiting for them in the lobby.

"I have good news and bad news," Christine announced as they entered the hotel, waddling over to greet them.

Hermione looked to Albert, wondering which one to pick first.

"Give us the good news first," Albert prompted her.

"The Portkey travel ban has been lifted," she said with a bittersweet smile.

"And the bad news?" Hermione asked, wondering what was so bad to make her aunt look that way.

Holding up her mobile phone, she said, "I got a call from Tim. Ron came over asking him to ring me immediately. You can't run off to Hawaii to join Severus. You have to go back to England immediately. Lavender has been put on mandatory bed rest, and the Healers at St. Mungo are threatening to hospitalize her if she doesn't stop working from home."

"Is the baby all right?" Hermione asked, beating Albert to the question.

"Lavender's fine, but she has been exhausting herself with this launch and doing everything since you and Albert had to take off to St. Mungo's last week. I've been trying to pace myself, which is why I wanted to rest a bit after the launch party before flying home tomorrow. My obstetrician thinks stress and working myself too hard last time is what might have contributed to my miscarriage."

"Hermione, why don't you go pack your bags and Portkey back to London immediately," Albert suggested. And as if reading the concerns on Hermione's mind, he added, "Christine, I hope you don't mind if I stick around until tomorrow to see you off. I don't want you to over-exert yourself, and it will be easier for you as a Muggle if you have a wizard around in this part of town."

Though Muggles were welcomed at the hotel, it was a bit inconvenient for Christine to take care of some things that normally a witch could do herself with a wand. Christine was heavily reliant upon the witch valet for her room for even the slightest task, and Christine was getting the feeling the staff was getting rather tired of doing everything for her, including the simple task of lighting candles and oil lamps.

"You are a dear, Albert," Christine said gratefully. "That would be lovely."

Albert promised Hermione to Portkey himself back to England once he was sure Christine was on her plane back home.

Christine had already sent a note to the Malfoys, who were still ensconced in their room, about the Portkey travel ban being lifted. They also were going to leave the next day, deciding to spend one more night there, given it was already the late afternoon by the time the news spread.

After Hermione said farewell to her aunt, Albert, and the Malfoys, who decided to leave their room to say goodbye to her, she hopped into one of the magical rickshaws offered by the hotel to transport her back to the Indian Ministry of Magic building on the other side of the city.

While the rickshaw was stopped while waiting for a wedding procession to cross in front of her, Hermione watched intently, as if hypnotized by the scene before her, like some richly colored romantic dream pulled from the recesses of her mind. The bridegroom was riding atop a white yali – a part-lion, part-elephant, and part-horse beast. He looked grand in his wedding dhoti sherwani suit, surrounded by his family, as a boisterous band of musicians proceeded him. He was a young wizard, long and lean with flowing, straight black hair and a neatly trimmed beard, with a striking profile and angular features. Hermione could almost imagine if Severus had some Indian heritage in his background, he may have looked similar to the groom.

Suddenly, Hermione imagined herself dressed in a red and gold sari, standing in front of an officiant with Severus by her side in a formal all-black version of a sherwani jacket, which wasn't that different from the black frock coats he used to wear.

Hermione was so lost in the daydream she barely noticed that she had arrived at the Portkey office.

Back in the reality of the moment, Hermione thanked the driver and tipped him well. Then she went inside to wait in the long line with others who had heard the good news that the travel ban was lifted, and were trying to get home as soon a possible, like her.

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

On Tuesday, Severus decided to close up shop by five o'clock. Draco and Ginny were still not back, and all tutoring was canceled until next Monday, even with the cure. This would give all his students a chance to recuperate and rest before resuming their studies. Even opening at noon, after helping Rainbow and Ranjit cure more people from ice pox that morning, business was extremely slow.

Depressed, Severus headed to Bongo's after work for one, or possibly several, drinks. It was early October, but Bongo already had Halloween decorations up.

Supposedly in Malu Palekaiko, the children went trick-or-treating on Halloween, a custom Mounga started some years back. Instead of dressing up as vampires, witches, and other "monsters," the children on the island dressed up as Muggles in various occupations that were strange and a little frightening to them. It seemed dressing up as a dentist was a favorite, since the idea of drilling someone's teeth and sticking needles in their mouth was quite a terror-inducer to young imaginations. Iakona said one year he dressed up as a sewer worker, because he said the idea of having to walk around a small smelly tunnel underground knee-deep in "raw sewage" sounded pretty terrifying and disgusting to him. Akela went as an accountant one year as she said working at a job that boring for the rest of her life seemed scary in its own way. Kaimi had already told her Uncle Severus this year she was going to be a veterinarian, after hearing a few tales from her father when he spent a few years living amongst Muggles as a teenager.

Severus had asked Mounga about those years, but his friend said he'd talk about them one day, just not yet. From Mounga's tone in his answer, Severus knew there was something more behind that story then just some study of Muggle culture before he had pursued law.

As Bongo served up Severus his third Scotch, the place was empty except for Jerry banging away on the piano. His lover, Arnold, had finally come down with ice pox himself and was recuperating after having the ice bath and potion treatment done to him earlier that morning, with Severus in attendance. Jerry needed to unwind a bit, and playing Muggle tunes on the piano was his way of relaxing. He was tinkering around until he found a melancholy melody that he began to sing.

"They're writing songs of love but not for me
A lucky star's above but not for me
With love to lead the way I've found more clouds of gray
Than any Russian play could guarantee...

I was a fool to fall and get that way
Hi-ho, alas, and also lack-a-day
Although I can't dismiss the memory of her kiss
I guess she's not for me..."

Jerry continued to warble out his bittersweet tune until the song petered out, and he started playing something else equally maudlin in a different key.

Severus was even more depressed now, thanks to the alcohol and Jerry's choice of songs. On top of that, his skin was even more terrible looking and it was beginning to itch, even with the alcohol starting to numb him.

As he absentmindedly scratched near his collarbone, he looked down at his hand and noticed large clumps of grayish skin clinging to his nails.

Startled that his skin was falling off, Severus nearly fell off his bar stool. Stumbling off to the men's loo, he looked in the mirror and noticed patches of dead skin were peeling away near his neck. Grabbing the edge of the dead skin, he pulled – and a large sheet of dead skin began peeling away revealing fresh, smooth, pink skin underneath.

Severus was touching the newly-revealed skin, noting its smoothness and vibrancy. The lumpiness was gone, as if it was nothing more than a bad sunburn peeling away. Looking down at a spot on his arm that he'd scratched at unconsciously in his sleep during his case of the ice pox, he noticed those small areas had scabbed over. It would take time to see if those would heal just as smoothly, or if there would be some scarring.

The fact he would not have gray lumpy skin for the rest of his life was one less worry for him now.

Relieved that this was actually a good sign, Severus saddled up to the bar for yet another drink. He might have left the bar to go eat something, but most of the town was still shut down and Bongo's was one of the few places currently open. At least the grocery store and general store were still open, and he was able to buy groceries on Sunday.

As Severus nursed his fourth drink while Jerry sang about being "in a New York state of mind," he heard a familiar voice from over his shoulder.

"Figures you'd be here drowning your troubles. If I was denied being reunited with the love of my life, I'd be getting pissed too."

Severus turned around to spy Draco and Ginny coming into the bar.

Severus was so thrilled to see his friends, he jumped off his bar stool and hugged Draco. Turning to Ginny, he would let her decide if she wanted to be touched by someone who was recently recovered from a contagious disease. Ginny knew Severus was most probably not contagious by this point, so she walked over and gave him a hug, adding an extra squeeze saying that one was from Hermione.

"When did you get back?" Severus asked, amazed at their return. The travel ban had been lifted a day, but no one was Portkeying on or off the island unless it was necessary.

"Just now," Draco said as he and Ginny each grabbed a stool to join Severus. "We got the news Tuesday, and left Wednesday, staying an extra day once the travel ban was lifted." In crossing so many time zones, they had gained a day upon their return.

Ginny looked a bit somber when she added, "Hermione was planning to come herself for a few days, but her Aunt Christine received a telephone call that Lavender is now on ordered bed rest. Hermione had to get back to London as soon as possible."

Severus frowned at his drink. Yet something else the Fates had thrown at them to keep them apart longer.

"But, she gave me another roll of parchment and a memory to give to you." Ginny placed the vial and scroll on the bar countertop. "Oh, and we picked up a souvenir for you from the trip."

Draco pulled out a small flat box and placed it in front of Severus. "Ginny will not rest until she sees you open this. She dragged me around half the wizarding quarter looking for just the right one."

Severus wondered what Ginny had gone through all the bother to get for him. Looking at her sideways, he said, "Thank you."

"You can thank me after you open it up." Ginny was squirming in her seat, excited to watch Severus' reaction.

Jerry had stopped pounding away on the keys to come over and welcome back the Malfoys. "How was India?" he asked.

"Hot," she replied, fanning herself just at the recent memory of it. Ginny ordered some ice-cold pineapple juice to help her cool down, as she was still overheated from her trip.

Severus unwrapped the box. The paper was printed with an intricate paisley design in blue, red, green, pink, orange, and gold. After lifting the box lid, he peeled away the carefully folded tissue paper. In the box was a gold-plated picture frame with an intricate filigree design for the border in an Indian motif. In the frame was a picture of Hermione from the India launch party of The Lovely Lavender Company, looking elegant in her fuchsia sari, coiffure, make-up, and ornate jewelry. She was smiling and waving, and he could see the hint of sadness behind her eyes that she masked. He knew her well enough that he could see through her mask, just as she had over time seen through his.

Severus said, "Thank you," once more, but this time his voice was a bit more choked with emotion.

God, what Severus wouldn't have done to see her looking so splendid in person and have the chance to kiss her.

"You're welcome, Severus. I figured you needed a photo of her for your office, since you have one at home," Ginny elaborated.

Jerry peered over Severus' shoulder to see the photo of Hermione smiling and waving back. Whistling long and low, he said, "Wow, she's a looker. She's your girl, Severus?"

He merely nodded.

"You are one lucky bastard." Jerry patted Severus on the back in a show of sympathy, since he'd heard the news of why Severus was unable to see her.

As much as Severus was wallowing in a pity funk, Jerry did lift his spirits a bit. He'd made him realize that indeed he was a lucky bastard that someone as brilliant, kind, and beautiful as Hermione loved him, and she was waiting for him.

Severus sighed. "Yes, I guess I am."

Jerry went back to tinkering on the piano, sensing that the old friends wanted to catch up in private.

"So, Severus. Hermione told us about how she read your name along with Rainbow, Arnold, Ranjit and Janine's for the Hawaiian team that came up with the cure," Draco said, changing the topic. He reached over and pulled away Severus' collar a bit, looking at the peeling area a little more closely, "Looks more like you were sunburned than frozen in an ice shell."

"In the hallucinatory state I fell into, I was so cold, it felt like I was burning up in a desert with lava," he said, recalling his vision. Noticing the odd glances from his friends, he said, "She was there, wasn't she?"

Draco nodded. "She told Albert more detail, as she thought somehow if might have been a clue to how to create a cure, but as for Ginny and me, she merely said she saw you in a desert and you both fell into lava. That's it."

Severus looked at the scroll of parchment on the bar top and knew Hermione would list every detail she remembered from her time on that ethereal plane together.

"How is it that on opposite sides of the world, you two have now shared two dreams together?" Ginny asked in wonder.

As strange and varied as the world of magic was, even this was quite fantastical to her, involving no incantation or charm to initiate.

"How is it that the power of a mother's love could save Harry Potter from the Dark Lord's Killing Curse?" he asked rhetorically.

Others had assumed Harry Potter defeated the Dark Lord the first time with the Killing Curse ricocheting back onto its caster; Harry's magic had not done that, but Lily's love. A force that was the most powerful magic in the universe, and yet few in the wizarding world understood it. There was even a door located in the Department of Mysteries that studied the concept of love. The locked door to that particular room could not be forced open, just as love cannot be forced.

The vision of Dumbledore back in his flat had tried to tell him about love and how powerful it truly was. It was only now that Severus was beginning to understand that love not only motivated people to act above and beyond what they thought themselves capable of, and selflessly, but moved the world and bent the universe to its whim when the love was strong enough.

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

Buried under a sea of parchments and scrolls, Hermione worked tirelessly until she was completely caught up on everything from her week away at St. Mungo's and her long weekend in India. It took her four days of working 18-hour days, but she was done in time for Albert to forcibly drag her off to the monthly Potions master booze-up at Niles's home. Even Albert knew if he didn't order Hermione to take a break, she'd push herself to the breaking point of exhaustion yet again.

Hermione didn't really want to go to another booze-up. Ever since her attack, she had been reluctant to drink such that she was not fully in control of herself. At the August gathering of Potions masters, she was able to get everyone so drunk on the "wipe-out" drink early enough in the evening that no one noticed she'd stayed mostly sober. At the September meeting, she brought vials of Sobering Solution to nip in the bathroom, while pretending to be drunk. It was because she was very muddled from exhaustion, too many potions, and drink at the July meeting that Alan was able to get the drop on her and disarm Hermione. The only reason she was able to drink as much as she did during her night out drinking and dancing, after dinner at Ron and Lavender's, was the fact that she was surrounded by several friends that she trusted with her life, who would be there to protect her. Between Harry, Ron, Ginny, Draco, Lavender, Albert, and Zhubanysh, she felt safe enough to let herself relax and drink.

During her weekly meetings with James Hoover, her Muggle therapist who was helping her with her post-trauma recovery, he had helped her address her fears against letting herself relax. James had been dealing with soldiers of both genders who had recently returned from tours of duty abroad and the transition back to civilian life, in addition to some clients who had dealt with sexual assault. Hermione was having similar problems: hunkering into a familiar mentality of war once more, seeing dangers in the most innocuous of everyday items and the people she passed by on the street. She had been seeing the therapist for about two months personally, ever since the corset incident, and lately they had been making some progress.

When the topic of the upcoming Potions masters' booze-up came up, Hermione admitted her reluctance to drink heavily, stating that not all those in attendance at these meetings were to be trusted. She recounted a few of the pranks, but also Albert's concerns not to accept any drink unless it was from him, or she poured it herself, and why. James agreed that women, whether Muggle or witch, should be careful of their surroundings when lots of alcohol was present in mixed company, and that her caution was prudent. They both agreed it was sad that it was not a world where women could get drunk and be safe from such dangers. James asked her why she had allowed herself to get wasted at prior meetings, but not since her attack – except for that one time with her friends.

Hermione had to admit to herself that her trust for the world at large had been damaged, and it would take time before she could rebuild that trust.

Apparating to Niles' house, Albert and Hermione noticed the party was in full swing already. Niles was belting out the Russian romance song, "Ochi Chyornye," the same song she heard him sing her first time at his house. Singing that particular song usually didn't happen until he had a minimum of four drinks in him. Hermione joined in, since singing in other languages was one way to learn pronunciation, and she planned on learning Russian some day. The lyrics were easy enough to pick up; while she didn't understand most of them, her understanding of Greek helped a little. She did have Albert translate them for her once, though he professed his Russian was shamefully rusty. From then on she thought of a certain wizard whose dark eyes "implored her into faraway lands, where love reigns" whenever she sang it along with Niles.

Since her first monthly booze-up in February, Hermione had also learned the lyrics to the French drinking song, "Chevaliers De La Table Ronde," the Chinese drinking song whose title roughly translated into "The Booze Song," and many more songs where Hermione had only half-learned the foreign lyrics.

In turn, Hermione taught everyone at the gatherings over the summer a new drinking song in Greek called "Ouzo Otan Pieis." She had learned it from her many trips to that Greek restaurant with Neville.

Before coming to these gatherings, Hermione was not much of a singer. But with the alcohol loosening her inhibitions and with some practice between the meetings, her voice improved so it no longer was quite off-key on some high notes, and she sang with a bit more confidence.

That night, everyone seemed to be drinking more than usual. It was most likely a way to let off steam after fretting about the ice dragon pox. Hermione merely nursed her drink, trying to limit herself to two that whole night, wanting to stay in control. There was still not a true cure, other than the chilling potion and the ice bath treatment, but it was still cause to celebrate. A few of the Potions masters there that night had come down with the ice pox and had gone through the procedure to report that they felt so cold it felt like their skin was burning. Hermione said nothing, knowing she had joined Severus in his dream of searing heat and lava.

She did notice how the skin was starting to peel from a Potions master named John Leyster, who she knew only in passing from the few meetings he came to before. Leyster was about sixty years old, and prior to the ice pox had some acne scarring. Now that his skin was peeling, John looked a bit younger; his wrinkles were far less noticeable, and the acne scarring was reduced so much you could barely notice it anymore. She wondered how far Severus was along in the peeling process, since that was a common side effect. As she was talking to Leyster about his experience with ice pox, she overheard Chuff in the other room and his booming voice, an indication he was already fairly drunk.

"And that bastard, Severus Snape, I knew he'd finally do something good with himself," Hermione overheard Chuff exclaim to the small audience of other Potions masters he was bragging to. "Helped figure out a cure, though why they allowed that Muggle cunt to be included in that list of those who found a cure, I'll never understand."

Irritated beyond all belief that Chuff had never mentioned Severus by name until he could brag about him once being his apprentice, and that he referred to the nurse, Janine Watters, in such a derogatory way, Hermione rose from her seat.

"If you will excuse me, John," she said before walking over to the archway into the next room where Chuff was still bloviating.

"Snape was a good student, quite bright, actually," Chuff rambled on. "He would have gone onto greater things sooner if he didn't waste all those years teaching a bunch of dunderheads at Hogwarts. At least all the knowledge I imparted to him has finally come to something."

Hermione wanted to rip Chuff a new arsehole. All these months he would refer to stories about Severus in an anonymous third-person way, and only when his name was attached to one of the three teams that had found a treatment for ice pox did Chuff bother to acknowledge he'd even had Severus apprentice under him.

Licking her lips, ready to jump in when Chuff stopped to take a drink, she hesitated when the moment came.

How had Hermione been any different from Chuff, when one really looked at it?

She had hidden her relationship to Severus under the guise of his nom de guerre, Delgado, and even when Neville asked her who she had been seeing other than Ron, she hid that fact from him by telling him it was complicated. It took until she called out Severus' name during her long sylvan dream, after she was rescued from her attack, for Ron to learn who her lover was. Even with the cajoling from the twins, wondering who her "boyfriend" was when they gave her her birthday present, she was still too ashamed to admit to the rest of the world that Severus was her lover and that she loved him.

Hermione had been ready to give up her life in England and join him abroad when he fled, and if he asked her to marry him, she would gladly take his name. All these months she had been pushing herself to join him once more, upon finishing her apprenticeship, and live with him in a house that he had built for the both of them, and yet she was still hiding her love for him like some great secret shame. Well, had Hermione not cleared his name, it would have been a great scandal as no one would have known that Severus was working for the Order all along – and an affair between a Death Eater and a Muggle-born would have caused an even greater shock to the wizarding world, more so than her divorce from Ron – but she had cleared his name. Everyone now knew he was fully exonerated and he'd had a part in helping Harry Potter win the war.

Draco and Ginny had told her that in Hawaii, everyone was very curious about her, wondering who the witch was who'd stolen the heart of the most eligible bachelor in Malu Palekaiko. While Severus was a private man who did not brag about Hermione, it had eventually come out that he belonged to her, the woman who just happened to also clear his name.

Severus was in no way ashamed of being in love with her, nor had he denied being in love with her when asked about her, as Ginny recounted it to Hermione in India. It was time for Hermione to do the same: to no longer be ashamed she was in love with Severus, and that he had been her lover.

As Chuff threw back another slug of Scotch, Hermione said with a hint of accusation, "I find it interesting that before Severus Snape helped discover this treatment, you could never dare to mention his name. Now you strut about like some peacock, fanning your tale about, boasting how he was once your apprentice and that somehow you should be credited for the cure merely by an association that ended years ago."

Hermione could not see Albert, but she could sense the restrained smile tug at the corner of his mouth as he sat in a chair behind her.

Chuff blinked back in shock that a witch, and one so young, had challenged him. "You impudent chit. Other than having to scrub cauldrons while under his tutelage at Hogwarts, what would you know of Severus Snape?"

"I know that when Severus Snape was your apprentice, you dragged him off to the North African desert, and you didn't warn him where you were taking him or to bring protection from the sun," Hermione began, citing chapter and verse, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "He wound up with a severe sunburn. You brought a hat for yourself and potions to protect from sunburn and windburn, but you did not give any to him, claiming it was his fault he didn't come prepared; nor did you allow him to conjure any protection. And how could he when you wouldn't tell him where you were going? He suffered for three days until you returned and he could finally brew something."

Heads swiveled and eyes looked to Chuff, watching for him to deny Hermione's claims. Many there sensed Hermione seemed to have a bit of a chip on her shoulder against Chuff from the very first meeting she came to, for some unknown reason. They were not willing to automatically believe her claim, though they knew she had no reason to come up with such a false story.

"Well, it was a lesson in learning to be prepared at all times," Chuff claimed in defense of himself.

There was a small collective gasp and murmur of groans that Chuff had admitted to doing such a thing to his former apprentice.

"Or what about that time you made him test the potency and length of a rash- and boil-inducing potion. Severus had to suffer for six hours until the potion waned while you leisurely recorded results, forbidding him from taking some pain-relieving potion of any sort. Not even willow bark tea." Hermione's eyes squinted in disgust at the Potions master.

"Any pain relief might have skewed the results," Chuff countered.

"That's a load of troll shit," Royston interjected into the argument. "You really are a bastard."

There as a gleam of triumph in Hermione's eyes when she saw the other Potions masters, and the few wives that came along that night, looked at Reginald Chuff with sudden distaste. Those stunts were pretty cruel, even for some of the more demanding and less sympathetic Potions masters.

Chuff knew Snape would never dare to share those private and humiliating stories with just any student of his. Going for the jugular, Chuff snorted, "And just how did you learn those little tales? Private tutoring on your back from the Head of Slytherin in his dungeon lair?"

There was a collective gasp, as many understood Chuff's improper insinuations.

The challenge was there, and Hermione was going to answer it. "Severus and I didn't become lovers until shortly before my divorce, years after I left Hogwarts, and years after the end of the war."

There was a crash of glass as Braxton dropped his glass of some unknown spirits, having lost his grip in shock of Hermione's confession. Shards and amber liquid were scattered across the wooden floor.

Chuff blinked in shock, hoping his cutting insults would cause her to blush or stammer. Instead, she stood there proudly, freely admitting to her adulterous relationship with Snape. He was out of ammunition momentarily.

"You admit to having an affair with him?" Chuff asked, hardly able to believe she would freely confess to such a thing. Wizards had affairs all the time, but with witches society dictated that they weren't supposed to admit to such things for the sake of propriety.

"Yes, but not nearly as long as Ron was having an affair with Lavender. He and I can't fault each other, as we're both guilty." It was a bold stroke to admit that, as it could open her up for more scorn, should Chuff phrase his next barb carefully.

"That explains why you took your case to the Wizengamot to exonerate him and his lackey, Malfoy. Couldn't bear to stand the thought of people knowing you were screwing a war criminal and a Death Eater?" he threw back haughtily.

"An ex-Death Eater who regretted that foolish mistake he made as a boy for the rest of his life and spent nearly two decades working for Albus Dumbledore, risking life and limb, to rectify his error and help Harry Potter defeat Voldemort. Or did you miss that part of the transcript of the trial where it was recorded from Pensieve transcripts how Severus stopped several curses from hitting Harry Potter so that he could finally kill Voldemort."

Hermione was reciting from rote some of her arguments for Severus' exoneration in front of the Wizengamot. It did not miss her observation that Chuff, and most of the others intently observing their fight, shuddered at the mention of You-Know-Whose name.

Chuff's eyes narrowed as a sudden realization dawn on him. "You helped him escape."

It had become common knowledge during the trial, without it being stated directly, that Snape and Malfoy had fled England some months prior. Since Severus was publicly listed as living in Hawaii, and since Draco's visit in August, everyone now knew where the ex-Death Eaters were residing.

Heads swiveled to look at Hermione, breaths held waiting for her to admit or deny Chuff's accusation.

"Yes, I did." Hermione jutted her chin up in defiance that there was anything wrong with that.

"When Minister Bones learns–"

Hermione cut him off by stating, "Minister Bones, along with Head Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt, and I already sat down and had a nice little talk about that." She smirked at him in a way to let him know he had nothing with which to blackmail her.

After the "Hot Mic" Spell was performed, and it came out publicly that Calpurnia Fudge and Dolores Umbridge had engaged in election-rigging, Hermione, Harry, Lavender, and Kingsley Shacklebolt sat down with the newly-elected Minister of Magic, Susan Bones. They told her about how they had used Polyjuice Potion in a non-sanctioned manner to uncover a greater crime and make those crimes public knowledge. While Minister Bones was not exactly pleased about the way Dolores Umbridge was initially interrogated – with Draco's false impersonation as Calpurnia, the liberal use of Veritaserum, and the use of an Obliviate – she was quick to overlook such measures when it resulted in the first non-rigged election in a while.

Minister Bones also took the opportunity to ask about how Draco Malfoy and Severus Snape had been able to escape England. Two ex-Death Eaters -– while unjustly persecuted – had somehow evaded the system set up in place in order to prevent them from fleeing, so obviously the system had failed. Minister Bones gave Hermione a very pointed stare, since Hermione was in possession of two memories from Severus Snape during the trial, and therefore must have been in close contact with him in order to obtain them. The Minister prefaced her question with the disclaimer that anything said would be off the record, and possibly commended. Hermione confessed how she procured the ingredients for the Polyjuice though her position in the Department of S&R, and was met with a smile and an approving nod from the Minister at the end of her tale.

But of course, Hermione was not about to share the finer points of those details with Chuff or the crowd watching their argument.

With nothing left, Chuff merely sneered at her and said with disgust, "The Death Eater and the Mudblood fucking each other. Who would have thought? Wait until the Daily Prophet prints this little tale."

Hermione had crossed the room and had her wand pressed to Chuff's throat before the rest of the drunken guests finished blinking in shock of Chuff's slur against Hermione and his threat.

"Don't ever call me that again, you bigoted, arrogant, sadistic blowhard." The glint in Hermione's eyes made Chuff quail momentarily.

"An apprentice threatening a fully accredited master? This will not look good, should I report you to the accreditation board," he threatened as he tried to mask the fear on his face.

"Obliviate!"

Hermione staggered back in shock, turning her head to stare at the tip of Niles' wand. She saw the last wisping trails of the spell that came from it, erasing Reginald Chuff's memories of that night.

Sighing in exasperation, Niles merely said, "What an arse." Turning to Hermione, he said, "You restored the good name of a great Potions master who taught nearly a thousand students, including many who became our apprentices over the past two decades. In addition, you saved two people who were unjustly persecuted, and Chuff was threatening to go to the papers to out your love affair with Snape in a salacious manner to shame you? I don't think so."

Looking around the room, Nile announced loudly, with great authority, "Hermione, while not a fully accredited Potions mistress yet, embodies the code of ethics, integrity, and brilliance we seek to foster in our field. Everything that has been heard and seen here tonight will go no further than this room. We protect our own, especially when those of us have acted nobly."

Glancing about the room once more, Niles asked, "Do I have everyone's word?"

Every witch and wizard held up their wand and made the vow, their wandtips glowing brightly to show their sincerity.

Chuff, who was lying on the floor passed out, started to come around.

Glaring down at the prone disgraced Potions master, Niles said, "Get that bigoted piece of shit out of my house. And erase any memory of our monthly meetings. I don't want him turning back up at our parties like a bad Knut."

Niles was disgusted that Chuff had not only called Hermione that name, but that he'd referred to the Muggle nurse, Janine Watters, as a cunt. He had read the official account about how she helped come up with the cure as part of the Hawaiian team, and Chuff was no doubt bitter he didn't think of it before a Muggle.

Royston and Braxton eagerly came over and cast a Mobilicorpus spell to lift Chuff up off the floor, not being careful to not bump his head against doorjambs and walls on the way to the front door. They both Side-Along Apparated him away to his home, and finished with another Obliviate before returning to the party.

Standing in the kitchen trying to come down off an adrenaline rush, Hermione almost jumped out of her skin when Niles came up to her and placed a friendly hand on her shoulder.

"I never would have guessed about you and Severus. But I'm happy for the both of you – that is, if you're still together," Niles amended, not knowing the current status of their relationship.

"Yes, we're still together, though having a long-distance relationship is quite stressful at times." Hermione heaved a sigh. "He was supposed to meet me in India last week, but he came down with ice pox just before he was supposed to Portkey."

Niles furrowed his brow as he poured himself another drink, his own adrenaline pumping quickly through his veins. "Why didn't you have Severus take you on as his apprentice? You'd be together now."

"Originally, I wasn't going to go with him, and he helped set me up with Albert. But by the time he asked me to go with him, I decided I had to stay behind and clear his name. He said he didn't care about being cleared of charges, but I insisted, telling him that even though he would be free of the Death Eater Decree, he still wouldn't be truly free." Hermione left out the part about trying to join Severus at the last minute and dropping the only source of Ron's hair for the Polyjuice Potion.

Niles stood there for a moment, studying his drink before asking, "I heard about Lavender's announcement of Draco Malfoy being the new Director of Advertising and Marketing for the Asia Pacific region. Is that a hint of your plans of what you will do and where you intend to go once you complete your apprenticeship?"

Albert cleared his throat, making his presence known. "That is still a matter of proprietary knowledge until such time that The Lovely Lavender Company makes its formal announcement on the new President of the Asia Pacific Region for its new offices in Malu Palekaiko," he said as he stood in the doorway to the kitchen. He looked at Hermione and gave her an exaggerated wink.

"Well," Niles said knowingly with a smug grin, "when that announcement is finally made, I shall have to congratulate her, whoever she may be."

Niles raised his glass, and Albert and Hermione clinked glasses with him.

After she drained her glass, Niles offered to refill it for her, to which she hesitated.

Albert nodded his head to Niles to fill her glass once more for another toast.

Looking to Albert, Hermione's eyebrows were raised in question. Leaning over discreetly, her master said quietly, "You no longer have to worry about who you accept drinks from any more at these parties."

Hermione stood back, leaning against the counter, and understood the grave implication of Albert's remark. Having had Niles, Braxton, and Royston support her against Chuff, and everyone else there take a wand oath to remain silent about that night's events, Hermione felt her trust in the world strengthen a little bit more.

She accepted the drink from Niles, who said, "A toast. To love. May your apprenticeship finish quickly, and may you soon be reunited with Severus once again."

Hermione raised her glass and said, "Cheers."

Albert raised his glass and clinked it against Hermione and Niles' glasses, adding, "Salut."

"Nostrovia," Niles said before they all drank.

His choice of toast triggered something in her mind.

"Niles," Hermione began in a manner that indicated she was going to ask something of him, "you know that song, Dark Eyes?"

"Ochi Chyornye?"

"Yes. I read the original poem, and I noticed it was different from the lyrics Albert translated for me when you've sung it."

Albert shook his head and said, "I think I got it mostly right. It's one of those languages I haven't used in a long while."

"There are about three or four variations of the lyrics for that song." Niles took another sip as he tried to think if there were any other versions he was aware of.

"I was wondering, could you help me with changing the words about for a new variation of that song?" she asked sweetly.

"Absolutely. And we can work on your pronunciation, while we're at it," Niles said, happy to help her.

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

A/N: Than you to my betas, JuneW and thegreyladies

Chaat is a type of Indian street food consisting of small dishes, available for purchase from street vendors. Usually a vendor will sell one type of chaat at his or her cart, so you have to go to different carts to try different foods.

"But Not For Me" composed by George Gershwin, lyrics by Ira Gershwin.

"New York State of Mind" written by Billy Joel.

"Ochi Chyornye" is the romantic Russian song based on a Ukrainian poem. In English, it is called "Dark Eyes."

"Chevaliers De La Table Ronde" is a French drinking song (Knights of the Round Table) I used to know, having learned it in French class in junior high school. Given today's "zero tolerance" policies, I doubt they are teaching French drinking songs in public school anymore.

"The Booze Song" is a newer song by a Chinese folk-rock bank called Shan ren. You can listen to them perform it here: http://youtu.be/WCMgdRdyQHw

You can listen to a performance of "Ouzo Otan Pieis" here: http://youtu.be/h03P_j-iWc8
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And They Didn\'t Live Happily Ever After