A Long Way Back Part 1

"Hermione! Please!"

"No! No, Harry, I can't!"

"Hermione for gods' sakes, help me! Help me!"

"No…Harry don't ask me to…"

"Hermione…the pain! Please…the pain!"

"But I love you!"

"Then free me! Hermione…please! I'm begging you…don't wait. Do it! Now!"

"Oh gods Harry…forgive me! Forgive me! Avada Kedavra!"

Hermione Granger sprang up in her bed, tears flowing down her face as she relived the last moments of her best friend's life. She drew her knees up to her chin, wrapped her arms around them and began to rock, sobbing as she did at least one night a week for the past five years.

Harry Potter was dead…and she killed him.

It didn't matter that it had been an act of mercy. The guilt she felt ran bones deep. She had the scars on her wrists to prove it. She had wanted to follow him into the dark.

After months of therapy, her suicidal state was declared cured, but in reality it was those who still survived that kept her here. She didn't want to cause anyone anymore pain. So she lived…kind of. In her own little world, a hermit…a recluse, alone with her books and her Siamese cat familiars, Ying and Yang.

Hermione was a rich woman. Harry had left her his fortune. She didn't believe she deserved it since she was the method of his demise. But the law was the law and Harry made sure she couldn't transfer it or give away more than two percent a year, or dissolve any investments that were bringing in income. Hers was an enforced wealth. The Auror knew that Hermione would try to get rid of it and made sure she would be cared for the rest of her days if she chose not to work.

And the witch didn't work. She read, she fed her cats, cooked a single meal once a day and sat in her large manor with the curtains drawn. Outside, a twelve-foot high fence ran the perimeter of her estate, charmed and warded to keep everyone out.

Hermione continued to live like everyone wanted, but she didn't live much.

Her chestnut hair had two fine streaks of gray in the front. They appeared the day she killed Harry. The witch was twenty-two years old then, in the midst of the Final Battle. Harry had killed Voldemort, but not before the Dark Wizard hit him with a terrible curse against which there was no counter curse. The victim's body would begin to cook from the inside out, great boils appearing on the skin, their eyes frying in their sockets until they literally exploded from the heat. They lived up until this point in great pain. Boils were already appearing on Harry's skin, and he was thrashing about on the ground in horrible pain. Nothing could be done for the boy who lived, and to allow the curse to run its course would have been too cruel.

Hermione couldn't even run for help. It would have made no difference if she had. She could still hear her own shrill voice screaming the Killing curse, still see the dread green light blast from the tip of her wand, enveloping Harry's writhing body until it fell still, the boils on his face and arms bursting.

No…she couldn't die. So Hermione lived as the living dead. Alone, in the darkness of a barren, barely furnished home too big for her with only her cats to rouse her, insisting on food and being let out. Her skin had nearly lost all color, no sun having touched her skin in ages. Her fresh air allowance was given when she opened and closed the front door to let Ying and Yang out to roam the desolate acreage, which was as dull and gray as its Mistress.

Her lab was laced in cobwebs and dust, a sepulcher of dead hopes and murdered dreams riddled with overturned beakers, broken distilleries, cracked cauldrons, torn notebooks and shredded research papers…the aftermath of her destruction when Hermione broke down and rampaged through her workspace, swearing she would never work on anything again.

She was never punished for killing Harry Potter. All the wizarding world knew it had been an act of kindness…but Hermione never forgave herself, and there is no judge more damning than one's own heart. So she created her own punishment. Self-banishment in a self-made prison.

Albus, Remus, Ron and Madame Pomfrey checked in on the witch from time to time. But they had to send an owl weeks in advance to come and visit her. If they showed up unannounced, they wouldn't be let in. Minerva had been killed by deatheaters in the final battle, as had Ginny Weasley, Neville Longbottom and Kingsley Shacklebolt. But before they fell they put up a glorious fight, each receiving the Order of Merlin posthumously. Hermione's own medal lay forgotten in some drawer someplace. It meant nothing to her.

Whoever came to visit would sit in one of two armchairs in the great empty living room and try to talk with the witch. But Hermione always seemed distracted and half-listened to what was going on in the outside world. She didn't care. Her world was dead. Both her parents died in an unfortunate car accident involving a drunk driver. That happened three years ago and the last time she left her manor was to arrange and attend their funerals. She was twenty-seven years old now, an old woman in a young woman's body.

Hermione sat in her study, surrounded by four walls of tomes, reading silently. Ying and Yang entered and twined around her legs, yowling. She looked down at them with tired, amber eyes.

"Damn it…I just let you two back in. If you keep this up I'm going to get rid of the both of you," she complained.

The cats still yowled, used to her threats of expulsion, their blue eyes looking up at her lovingly despite her warnings. Sighing, Hermione put her book down on the small table, stood up and exited the study, trailed by the cats, their tails held high. She walked down the long corridor to the main doors and pulled them open. It was night. Hermione hadn't known that. Ying and Yang stopped by the door, yowling into the night but not exiting.

Hermione scowled at them.

"Well, go on. You got me up…now out you go," she said to them, trying to push them out with her foot. They merely slipped it and stood in the doorway, peering out.

Suddenly Hermione heard a snap of a dry twig. She drew her wand and pointed it out the door.

"Who's there? No one is allowed on this property," she called, holding her wand steady, ready to stupefy.

"Is that any way to treat a visitor?" a silky voice said from the darkness.

"Visitors are supposed to owl for an appointment if they want to see me," she said, so detached she didn't recognize the voice. She should have. "Show yourself."

"Accio wand!" the voice purred.

Hermione's wand flew out of her hand into the darkness. She gasped and attempted to slam the door, only to find it held open by a strong pale hand.

She looked up.

"What are you doing here?" she said, an ugly look on her face.

"Now, now Hermione…is that any way to greet the wizard that once gave you so many nights of very naughty pleasure?" Severus Snape answered, his dark eyes washing over the witch.

Dear gods. He hardly recognized her.

"I asked what are you doing here, Severus? I don't want to see you. I told you I never wanted to see you again," she said, still trying to close the door on the wizard.

"Well, I wanted to see you. I've been abroad these past five years and heard a rumor you had become a recluse and stopped your research. I had to see for myself if it was true," he replied.

"Well, now you've seen it is true and can go," the witch said.

Severus frowned.

"I'm not going anywhere, Hermione Granger," he said, pushing his way through the door and closing it behind him. He looked about the barren corridor…there wasn't even a single portrait on the wall and every curtain was drawn

Severus looked at Hermione's pale, frail appearance. Even her once wild hair looked lifeless and her beautiful amber eyes were dull. What happened to the vivacious, irritating brilliant witch he had known…in the biblical sense? The witch before him was a sad caricature of the woman she used to be. This was entirely unacceptable.

"You can protest all you want, Hermione," the Potions Master said imperiously. "But you and I are going to talk."

---

"How dare you just barge into my home like this? Get out or I will summon the Aurors," Hermione seethed at the tall, pale wizard, who looked down at her calmly and twirled her wand between the fingers of his pale hand expertly.

"Without your wand, you'll be summoning no one," he said, his dark eyes resting on her. "And I'm sure, judging by the warm reception I've received, no one will just be 'dropping in' to see you. By locking yourself in, Hermione…you've effectively locked everyone else out."

Hermione fumed up at him and made a grab for her wand. Severus hoisted it high out of reach. The cats Ying and Yang sat watching their interaction, their tails lashing. They had never seen their mistress yell at anyone other than them, and they were enjoying it.

"Give me my wand!" Hermione yelled at Severus, her face reddening.

"I bet your face hasn't seen that much color in years," the Potions Master smirked. "Now, stop acting like you can do anything about me being here and show me where we can talk."

Hermione glared at the wizard.

"You are just as insufferable as you ever were," she fumed at the wizard.

He quirked an eyebrow at her.

"Maybe even more so now," he replied, gesturing her to precede him up the empty corridor.

Hermione stomped ahead. Severus would have bet even galleons this was the most animated the witch had been in a very long time as he strode after her. Ying and Yang followed, batting at the hem of the Potions Master's robes.

Severus eyed the graying walls and high ceilings. Hermione's steps echoed throughout the manor. The wizard's didn't…he walked as silently as ever.

"This place is like a mausoleum," he commented in a low voice, the barren surfaces still picking up his echo.

Hermione didn't say anything as she turned into the huge living room. There were only two armchairs, a sofa and one end table, all bunched near the unlit fireplace. The furniture had a matching raised flower pattern, but was faded and almost threadbare.

Hermione dropped into one of the armchairs.

"Make this quick, Severus. I have things to do," she spat at him, frowning.

Severus put her wand securely in his robes pocket then sat down in the chair. He could feel springs digging into his buttocks and shifted until he found a bearable position.

"Things to do? Like what? Watching the cobwebs grow?" he asked her looking at the long dust covered strands that hung from the ceiling and all about the corners of the living room, looking like thin, fuzzy curtains

"Never mind what. You are infringing on my private time," she hissed at the wizard. "My time is precious to me."

"Nothing is precious to you, Hermione Granger…not anymore," Severus replied, "When I heard you had locked yourself away and ceased pursuing your research, I fervently hoped it wasn't so…though I knew in my heart that it was," he said to the witch.

"I don't give a damn what you knew in your heart," Hermione said coldly. "It's my life. If I choose to live it quietly, that's my business."

"I know you don't care about my heart, Hermione. That's why it was so easy for you to break it. So easy to turn and walk away from me after killing Harry. I could have helped you," he said quietly.

"I had nothing left for you, Severus…for you or anyone. All I want is peace and solitude," the witch said, her hands resting on the sides of the armchair, her brow furrowed.

Suddenly Severus' hand shot out and grasped her wrist, yanking it toward him and turning it over so the thin scar of the razor was visible.

"This is not a scar made by a woman who wants true peace. This is the mark of someone who wants out of life," he said darkly, his nostrils flaring.

Hermione jerked her hand away and covered the scar from her attempted suicide up with her other hand.

"I was distraught then. I'm better now," she said in a low voice.

Severus' eyes washed over the graying walls of the living room.

"You call this better? I have never seen more lifeless, colorless surroundings. It's like a tomb, Hermione…it's like the place is decaying right around you and you are trying to melt away with it," he said. "Why are you even in this huge house?"

"I was trying to spend up Harry's money," she replied.

"Do you have any servants? House elves?" the Potions Master asked her.

Hermione looked at him as if he were stark, raving nutters. She would never own a house elf.

"I don't need them. I can take care of myself," she said.

Severus' eyes rested on her. In addition to being an unhealthy pale color, she was rather gaunt. Hermione had always been a petite witch, but her cheekbones were sunken in and there were small hollows under her eyes. He imagined if she removed her clothing, he could count her ribs.

"You are doing a fine job of that," he said sarcastically. "Your hair looks so brittle I could probably snap it off at the roots."

"Like you can talk about hair," she retorted, eyeing his lank black locks.

"At least it is healthy," he retorted, pushing it back a bit and glaring at the witch.

Hermione couldn't help noticing Severus looked leaner, harder for some reason, though she couldn't put her finger on it. He was wearing his traditional black robes. Maybe it was the way they hung on him when he was standing in the doorway that gave her that impression.

"So did you just come here to comment on how bad I look and the condition of my home? Because if you have, you have down an adequate job of it and can go now," she said sharply.

Severus ignored her comment and instead looked at the fireplace. Cobwebs hung from the blackened walls. It looked like it hadn't been used in years.

"Don't you even light fires in this crypt?" he asked her, pulling out his wand and pointing it at the grate.

Hermione's eyes widened.

"Severus! No!" she cried.

Ying and Yang, who had been lying on the hearth before the fireplace, saw the wizard raise his wand, yowled and sprinted for the corridor, running side by side.

"Incendio!" Severus said, flames shooting into the fireplace, then up the cobwebs and into the chimney itself with a great "Whoosh!"

Clouds of thick black smoke rolled back down into the living room, covering and choking both of them. Coughing and gagging they both ran out of the room.

"Severus Snape, you are a fucking idiot!" Hermione coughed, waving at the wisps of smoke that trailed after her, caught in her wake. "That fireplace hasn't been serviced in years. Now look at my living room!"

Severus wiped at his face, his hand coming away covered with soot. He looked like a runaway from a minstrel show. He coughed, then cleared his throat.

"Is it my fault you don't maintain this sparsely furnished catacomb like you should?" he said to her, pulling out his wand and scourgifying himself.

"It is your fault my living room furniture is covered in soot," she replied.

"It's an improvement, believe me," Severus said.

He ducked just in time as Hermione took a furious swing at him. She always had a terrible temper, as Draco Malfoy found out the hard way in their third year at Hogwarts when she punched him in the nose because of his role in getting Buckbeak the hippogriff sentenced to death. Well, Hermione wasn't beyond taking a swing at the Potions Master.

Severus had loved that about her, and a good tangle with the witch was always a welcome form of foreplay back when they were together…and in love, though Severus never said the words. Hermione never had a problem verbally declaring her feelings. Severus went for a more physical expression of his feelings for the witch. They had been happy together, though clandestine. They had to keep their relationship secret because of the Dark Lord. After his and Harry's death, Hermione simply told him she no longer wanted to continue…that she had lost all desire for him.

Severus tried to convince her to stay with him, but the witch withdrew upon herself and closed him out. Finally, one day he ceased to come back. He left England to find adventure and to get Hermione out of his mind and heart. He began to look for fabled elixirs and potions, his travels taking him to the most remote parts of the world where he faced death by natives, wild beasts, monsters and other wizards time and time again in his searches. Many times he came up empty. But his last expedition struck gold.

After hearing rumors and reading tales of a miraculous potion during his travels in the Middle East, Severus had finally traced the location of this elixir to Lower Egypt. This was not Egypt proper but a little-known designation of South America. The ancients who wrote of the elixir and wished to hide where it could be found referred to North and South America in the tomes as Upper and Lower Egypt. It was the drawings of the pyramids on these ancient writings that tipped Severus off. They were not quite like those found in the Middle East, but more like those built by the Incas and Mayans.

Toward the end of his quest, the Potions Master spent his last two years abroad in Columbia, South America in the Sierra Nevada mountains among the Kogi tribe…or on the outskirts rather. The Kogi are a very old people who call themselves the Elder Brothers of the human race and everyone else the Younger Brothers. They consider themselves the custodians of the "Heart of the World" a pyramid-shaped mountain range that has every eco-system represented in its 17,000 km area. Coral reefs, mangroves, arid deserts, rain and cloud forest could be found there, and in the higher elevations, plains and snow-capped peaks. It is said the condition of the world can be divined by what was happening on each level of eco-system. Currently, the snow peaks were melting at an alarming rate, representing the global greenhouse effect. Severus found it fascinating.

The Kogi were a very close-knit, peaceful people who didn't trust outsiders. It took Severus almost two years to be able to walk among them, but only thirty minutes to steal a sample of their most sacred and treasured potion, snatching it from right under the noses of their gods and the spirits of the dead.

For a peaceful people, Kogi certainly did their best to kill Severus as he fled through the rain forest with his prize. He was disillusioned but they could still track him. The livid tribesmen threw spears, fired arrows and blew darts after him, all dipped in a powerful poison. For some reason, he couldn't apparate. He believed that the chanting shamans' tribal magic had him bound to the land until he reached civilization beyond their influence. The wizard was very lucky to have gotten away. Most likely his pale shrunken head would be hanging in some hut today if he hadn't.

It was this elixir that had really brought him to Hermione. He needed to have it broken down into its chemical components so it could be reproduced. He had brought a sample to an American university and was almost arrested when it was found to contain coca, which was an illegal substance. But he disapparated right in front of the startled arresting officers, thus avoiding a lengthy stay at the local accommodations.

Hermione was the only Potions Mistress he knew that could work with chemicals in the magical world. She had a special spell that she refused to share with anyone that made using chemicals and muggle technology possible. She wouldn't even share it with the Potions Master though he did his best to shag the spell out of her. Even conniptions wouldn't force her to spill…the spell anyway.

Severus knew for a fact once Hermione learned what this potion would do, she would agree to help him discover the components and recreate it. A part of Severus' conscience tried to rise to the fore concerning this sacred elixir. It was kept hidden for a very good reason. Anyone who had this elixir in essence had the power of the gods, power over death itself. In the wrong hands the very balance of life on the planet could be changed. But damn, to have such power. What wrongs could be righted. What grievous errors of fated, corrected.

He looked at Hermione.

"Believe it or not, there is a very good reason I'm here, Hermione. It is not to simply aggravate you," he said evenly.

Hermione eyed him.

"It better not be for anything else either, Severus," she growled. "I'm not interested."

The wizard blinked his eyes at her in disbelief. She couldn't possibly think he had seduction on his mind. Hermione was about as sexually attractive as a smashed toad in her condition.

"I assure you, Hermione…I have no…absolutely no ulterior motives. You are as safe in my presence as if you were bolted into a chastity belt. I have no designs to shag you for old times sake. You've made it clear you no longer desire me…and let's face it witch. You are hardly alluring in your condition," he said to her soberly. "You look dry as toast."

Sticking his member into the witch in this state would probably be the equivalent of shoving it into a tube lined with sandpaper. The wizard shuddered a little.

Hermione felt a little pulse of hurt at his statement. Just a small pulse. She didn't want anything to do with Severus, but there was a time when the wizard just couldn't seem to stay off her. For him to say she was no longer attractive to him and seemed dry as toast…well…stung.

"As long as we understand each other," she said, walking toward her study. She was coated in soot too, but didn't care. Her appearance no longer mattered.

Severus' black eyes rested on her as she walked in front of him. Her robes were shapeless. She had lost a lot of body mass. She used to have curves that made him wild for her. Thick thighs, wide hips with a small waist and full breasts. All that was gone now. He shook his head and followed her into the study.

Ying and Yang reappeared and trotted up the hall after them, turning into the study behind them.

Again, the huge book-lined study had two armchairs, one sofa and a desk and chair. That was it. And the furniture was just as shoddy as that in the living room. Even the armchair seemed to have the same springs out of place as Severus sat down and adjusted himself.

"Why don't you transfigure this shoddy furniture?" he asked her.

"Why? To make others more comfortable? I don't want people getting comfortable. I want them to leave. Surely you know how that works," she said, her eyes glittering at him.

Yes, Severus did. He used to keep a rickety uncomfortable wooden chair in his Potions office at Hogwarts to make students and visitors leave quicker. Hermione used to always sit on her backpack when she stopped in to talk, but to the Potions Master's frustration.

"Point taken," he said amicably.

His black eyes roamed over the study. There were no extras, no knickknacks, no….

His eyes stopped moving as they fell on what looked like an urn resting on the mantle above the unlit fireplace.

"What is that?" he asked her, pointing at the urn.

Hermione hesitated a moment then said, "It's Harry. His ashes."

Severus swung his eyes on the witch.

"You live in this…this tomb of a house with the ashes of your dead best friend?" he said to her, his voice almost a whisper. "Hermione, that is too macabre even for me."

"The Dursleys would have dumped them in the trash, and it seemed wrong to have them on display at the Ministry museum as a mere curiosity. So I took them," she said softly, her eyes starting to glisten as she looked at the small black urn.

"You should have scattered them someplace," Severus said, looking at her.

"No. It's Harry. I've already killed him. I'm not going to scatter him about too," she replied, her eyes going hard.

Severus shook his head. The witch was insane. Hopefully however, she was still brilliant.

Hermione frowned at him and sat back in the armchair, folding her thin arms across her chest.

"All right. You said you have a reason for being here. Talk. The quicker you talk the quicker you can get out of here," she said snarkily.

The Potions Master looked at her.

"I have an elixir that I need you to break down into its chemical and magical components so I can reproduce it. I acquired it at great personal peril. You will find its properties quite interesting," he said. "I only have four small vials of it. One to do a demonstration with and three others for experimentation. The amounts are much too small to be effectively on a human at this time. It is my hope to brew enough of it to try on a human subject. You are the only Potions Mistress who has the ability to work with chemical components in the magical world, Hermione. I need you to do this."

Hermione shook her head.

"No. Absolutely not. I'm done with all that Severus. Nothing you can say or do would ever make me go back on my word and start working again. Let the wizarding world come up with its own discoveries. I'm done with it. Done with everything," she declared.

Severus leaned forward. Now was the time to drive the spear home.

"What if I told you," the Potions Master said in a low voice, "That this elixir can make everything right with you? Remove your guilt and pain? Restore your happiness?"

"I'd tell you that you were a liar. I'm no longer a first year, Severus. Your little spiel about the greatness of potions doesn't work on me. No elixir can take away my pain," she said.

How cruel of the wizard to even suggest such a thing. She had killed Harry. Nothing, but nothing could ever change that.

Suddenly Severus drew his wand. Ying and Yang were both lying on the hearth, purring. He pointed his wand at Yang.

Hermione looked at him, startled.

"What are you doing?" she asked him.

Severus frowned slightly at the cat.

"Avada Kedavra!" he cried, covering Yang in the horrible green light.

"NOOOOO!" Hermione screamed, leaping up and attacking the wizard as Yang lay on the hearth dead.

Severus raised his hands to protect his face from her onslaught.

"You killed my cat! You killed Yang!" she screamed beating at him ineffectually as he rose out of the armchair.

"Wait! Wait Hermione!" he shouted at her, but the witch continued to swing wildly.

Finally the wizard grabbed her in a bear hug, turning her so her back was against him, and they were facing the dead familiar. Ying sniffed her fallen companion and yowled sadly, tapping at him with her paw, then looking up at Hermione. Tears rolled down the witch's cheeks.

"You killed him. I hate you," she whispered, "Haven't I seen enough death? Enough of the things I love dying? Gods, Severus…why?"

"I needed to show you, Hermione. Show you what this elixir does," he said, pointing his wand at Yang's body and reducing it to ash, causing Hermione to wail in anguish.

"You beast!" she cried, struggling.

"Shhhh," he said softly, reaching into his pocket and taking out a clear vial full of shining golden liquid. He shuffled toward the hearth with Hermione.

"Yang was just the right size for this amount of elixir to work fully," he said.

Hermione stilled and Severus released her. The witch watched as he uncapped the bottle and poured the contents of it on top of the ash.

"I saw the shamans of the Kogi people use this in a very secret ritual. I disillusioned myself and hid behind an outcrop of rocks to observe them. They used about a liter of it to…"

Severus stopped speaking as the ash began to shift and undulate, taking on a golden glow before forming a spinning funnel. Ying jetted from the study, hissing.

Hermione looked at the small tornado-like funnel.

"What's happening?" she asked in a low voice.

"A miracle, Hermione. A true miracle," Severus replied, his black eyes focused on the spiraling ash.

Suddenly the funnel pulled in upon itself and a roaring wind filled the study, lifting and whipping Severus' and Hermione's hair and robes around their faces and bodies as the sound grew louder. The witch's eyes went wide as the funnel turned in upon itself and began to elongate length-wise about eight inches off the ground. Four tendrils extended down to the hearth and a long stretch of golden ash thrust out behind and a globe of ash in front. A cat-like body began to form then darken, limbs taking shape, fur sprouting and patterns appearing, the head seeming to be sculpted by unseen hands. A perfect replica of Yang appeared, stiff and unmoving like a statue.

Suddenly the wind stopped. The cat turned its head, looked at his Mistress with frightened blue eyes, then let out a long yowl and bolted from the room at top speed.

Hermione turned and watched her familiar run from the study, then turned and stared at Severus wordlessly. The wizard watched with hooded eyes as Hermione's irises took on a bit of brightness and slid toward the black urn resting on the mantelpiece.

Harry's ashes.

The witch stared at the urn for several moments, her breathing increasing with every passing second. Then Hermione turned back to Severus, her bright eyes filling with tears.

"I'll do it, Severus," she whispered up at him, her throat tight with emotion. "I'll do it."

"I thought you would witch," he replied, nodding.

---

On the other side of the world, a shaman sat on the slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountain range before a small fire. His face and body was painted with earth and his eyes were closed. He appeared to be humming to himself, intoning a single note over and over as the firelight flickered over his form. He wasn't a very large man, but small, around five foot three, brown-skinned, wizened, with black hair and black eyes in the manner of his people.

He was listening. Listening for the sound of the worlds opening…listening for the Great Wind that signified one had been drawn back from there to here.

Suddenly, he heard it. The pale man who stole the sacred elixir had invoked it. A very small life returned, and the shaman felt it. He focused, trying to pinpoint where it had occurred…but the life…the life was too small for him to find the location. The shaman grunted in disappointment, closed his eyes and began to hum again.

He could not go yet.

---

Hermione found herself enthralled as Severus recounted the five-year journey that led him to the miraculous elixir. It was the first time she had been interested in anything outside of her own sterile existence in a very long time.

"What is so amazing about the potion is that it works on a single part of the person to be resurrected, as long as there is enough potion to do the job. I could have brought your cat back using a single strand of fur or a piece of claw and it would have been fully restored," the wizard said, excitement evident in his voice. "I only used the ashes for greater effect. Any part would have sufficed."

Actually, Severus used the ashes because of the urn. He knew Hermione would fold immediately once she saw the resurrection was possible even from ash. And she had.

Hermione stared at the wizard with an almost wild look in her eyes. It was rather frightening.

"Severus, the implications of this potion are mind-boggling. Everyone who has lost loved ones can have them back," she breathed. "We can bring back Minerva, Ginny, Kingsley, Neville…and…and my parents. There are bound to be bits and pieces of them left somewhere. A strand of hair, a toenail clipping…anything! We can bring back everyone!"

Severus scowled at this. That would not and should not be possible.

"Yes…but then we would be playing gods, Hermione. Who is to say who is resurrected? Who decides who should be brought back to the land of the living and who is to remain dead? You? Me? The Ministry? The Kogi kept this elixir a secret for good reason, and used it only in extreme cases. We are going to have to keep this a secret from the wizarding world or we will be overcome by hordes of people wanting their loved ones back," he said, looking at her intently. "Not everyone can be brought back, Hermione. Not everyone should be," he said…thinking of Voldemort. "Playing with Fate can have serious repercussions, Hermione. There are places men are not meant to tread."

Again, Severus' conscience was starting to prick him. This was so much power, power that every Potions Master worth his salt would give anything to possess. But with such power would come great responsibility. In the wrong hands, the elixir would be devastating. And what would happen if one of the Dark Lord's still faithful servants got hold of the elixir? The hate would begin all over again.

Severus looked at Hermione. He could tell she was not in the least considering the ethical and moral implications of actually using the elixir. In a moment, she confirmed that belief with a mild form of blackmail on the side.

"I am willing to tread where the devil himself walks if it will bring back Harry," Hermione declared, her eyes taking on a maniacal gleam as she looked at the Potions Master. "In fact, I will only do this research on the elixir if the first person we resurrect is Harry, Severus. I want him back. I want him whole and alive. Give me an oath that we will use the elixir on Harry's ashes first. If you won't, Severus, then there is nothing more to say."

Severus looked at the witch. Harry's resurrection would cause quite a stir in the wizarding world. There would definitely be inquiries. There would definitely be…problems. But still, he wanted to know what made the elixir viable. He wanted to know its secret. He sighed.

"Very well Hermione. I vow that Harry Potter will be the first person we resurrect in the event we discover how to recreate the elixir," he said, frowning slightly as magic whirled about them, sealing his oath.

Hermione nodded, satisfied. Her eyes took on that familiar look they did when she was making plans.

"I have to clean my lab up," she said. "Get it in shape for research again. It shouldn't take long to do. I will have to purchase new equipment."

Hermione faltered. Purchasing new equipment would mean she would have to leave the manor and go out into wizarding society again. She looked at Severus.

"Or I could make a list of what I need and you could make the purchases," she said to him.

The Potions Master shook his head.

"No. Your list…your job," he responded.

The Potions Master knew she was hedging on stepping back into the real world. He wasn't going to enable her to remain withdrawn. And he told her so.

"I am not hiding," Hermione spat.

Severus looked at her with a bit of exasperation.

"When was the last time you left this…house? And I use the term loosely," he said to her.

Hermione didn't answer at first.

Severus arched his eyebrows at her.

"Well?" he urged.

"Three years ago, when my parents died," she replied.

Severus blinked at her.

"You've been locked away in this place for three years, Hermione? Three years?" he said in disbelief.

"There was no reason to leave," she said, frowning at him. "My supplies are delivered by specialized port key that only allows items to be transported, not people. I send a list of what I want to the supplier with the key and my order is filled sent back via that same key. As long as I can get what I need, then there is no reason to leave here. Everything is automatically paid for from my 'ample' bank account."

Hermione said this with more than a hint of bitterness in her voice. She hated having Harry's money. Every galleon stunk of death as far as she was concerned. She continued.

"The only reason I can't get my lab equipment this way is because I don't know what new developments have been made. I might miss purchasing something that would facilitate my research…hmm. I wonder if there are catalogs…" she mused. "I bet there are…"

"You've gone back to believing books hold the answer to almost anything I see," Severus said, his nose wrinkled as he looked at the still soot-covered witch. Suddenly he pulled out his wand and scourgified her. Hermione might not care how she looked, but he had to look at her. She could at least be clean.

Hermione didn't answer him concerning her reliance on books. Instead she said, "How will I contact you when the lab is ready?"

Severus raised an eyebrow at her.

"I think a good loud shout will do it," he responded.

Hermione scowled at him.

"A shout? What do you mean 'a shout?'" she asked him. Then a look of horror crossed her face. "No. No! You are not staying here, Severus."

"Why? Don't tell me there's no room," he purred at her.

Hermione blustered.

"Of course there's room, but I don't want you staying here. It will infringe on my privacy," she said evenly.

"Hermione, this house is so cavernous that I could stay here for weeks and you'd never even see me," the Potions Master replied. "Besides, I have nowhere to go. I no longer work at Hogwarts and since I embarked on my journey right after I resigned, I never purchased a home."

"You can stay in Hogsmeade…or even Knockturn Alley as far as I'm concerned. As long as you aren't under my roof," Hermione said coldly. "I'm under no obligation to house you."

Severus looked at her darkly.

"I still have the elixir, Hermione. I want you to do this research for me, but I am not about to be treated badly by you. I am giving you the chance to rewrite history…to possibly bring back someone you dearly love. You mean to tell me you are so cold, selfish and thoughtless that you would send me out into the night while you have all this room?"

The witch just looked at him.

"Hermione, I did nothing to hurt you. I was good to you…as good as a man like me can be anyway. But you are treating me as if I was your enemy. I was your lover, not your enemy. I left because you drove me away. Now I am back in the capacity of an associate, a partner. I need someplace to stay, and I need to be close at hand while you do your research. Actually, I plan on helping you. It makes sense for me to stay here," he said to her.

Hermione still didn't answer him. The Potions Master stared at her for a moment.

"Do you think I will creep into your bed in the middle of the night?" he asked her.

Hermione looked at him.

"No. If you did, you'd be minus a nut or two, I assure you," she said, frowning.

"Then give me a feasible reason I shouldn't stay in this great mausoleum of yours," the Potions Master demanded.

"The bedrooms aren't furnished," she replied.

In answer, Severus tapped his wand on the arm of the chair.

"Unlike you, Hermione, I am willing to transfigure items for comfort. I will furnish my own room. There are plenty of cobwebs to work with, if nothing else. Now is that your only excuse for denying me shelter?"

"There isn't enough food for two people," she said lamely.

Hermione ate little more than porridge. Sometimes spaghetti and canned sauce, which explained her terrible physical condition. It seemed she denied herself good food as part of her self-punishment.

Severus scowled at her.

"I will order my own supplies," he shot back. "I know how to cook. Anything else?"

Hermione shook her head.

"I guess not," she conceded. "But what about your things?"

Severus patted his robes pocket.

"Reduced," he said.

It figured he came ready to move in. The wizard had planned this from the get go.

"Still a Slytherin," Hermione seethed at him.

He quirked an eyebrow at her.

"Always," he replied giving her a wicked grin.

It reminded her of the grin he used to give her before wrestling her to the bed when she played hard to get. Back then, as far as the wizard was concerned, she was never hard to get. She just had to be persuaded a bit. Hermione pushed the memory out of her mind.

Severus noted the far away look in her eyes. He wondered if her occlumency skills had atrophied from non-use and decided to find out. He reached into her mind. She didn't feel a thing.

Hermione's mind was as bad as her house was. Every memory was gray and foggy, as if draped in gauze. There was only one clear memory. That of her casting the Killing curse on Harry. It was as fresh as the day it occurred. He could find nothing about himself or their relationship. It was deeply buried in her psyche and not brought to mind. Yet, he saw himself grinning wickedly for a quick second, then it was gone. The Potions Master pulled out.

He shook his head.

"What?" Hermione asked him. She had been sitting quietly, thinking of nothing as she was wont to do. It took her a little time to learn to shut her brain down. It used to always be filled with thoughts, ideas and musings. Now, she left it blank as much as possible.

"Nothing," he answered her, rising. "Except I'd like to get a shower and settle in."

Hermione looked up at him.

"There are plenty of bathrooms. No towels or soap I'm afraid," she said. "And the bedrooms are on the second and third floors. All empty."

"Except for cobwebs, I imagine," the wizard said, frowning slightly.

"Plenty of those," she said unmoving.

Severus looked down at her.

"Aren't you going to show me around?" he asked her.

Hermione shook her head.

"You're the big world explorer. A house shouldn't provide much of a challenge for you, even one as sepulchral as this one. You can find your way about, I'm sure," she said, rising. She walked past him.

"Where are you going?" he asked her.

"To bed," Hermione replied, exiting the study and making a right.

Severus stood there a moment, then sat back down in the uncomfortable armchair. The witch really didn't give a damn how he occupied himself, did she?

Hermione had changed so much. It was as if a darkness had entered and possessed her. But Severus knew what guilt could do to a person. Hermione had one life she had taken. He had hundreds over the years due to his double role as a spy, serving both Albus and Voldemort. Until he had taken up with Hermione, he was very much like the witch was now. When they separated however, he didn't allow himself to sink back into that awful place. The witch had given him the strength to continue…to live as fully as he could. He didn't lose that when he lost her. For that, he was eternally grateful to Hermione.

The wizard's stomach rumbled. He was hungry. Hermione hadn't offered him so much as a drink of water. He had to find something to eat. In order to do that, he had to find the kitchen. He imagined her food was just as meager as her furnishings. The witch would probably get pissed off that he ate some of her "supplies."

Gods, how did Hermione become such a miserable creature?

Easily. She removed herself from love. Anyone who didn't love something was miserable. Severus knew this firsthand.

The wizard rose from the armchair and strode out into the corridor. He looked up and down, trying to decide which way to go in search of the kitchen. He decided to go right since it led away from the manor entrance. Most likely the kitchen would be at the back of the house.

On the second floor landing, looking around a corner, Hermione peeked down at the wizard striding through the main hall. Severus walked past without looking up. The witch sighed. How had he wriggled his way back into her life again?

But he was a Slytherin. A snake. Snakes were good at that.

Well, it didn't really matter. He had something she wanted. Severus could stay here until she got it, then go on with his life. She only wanted that one thing his elixir could provide her.

Redemption.

---

Hermione awoke the next morning to Ying and Yang yowling and pawing at her hair to be let out.

"Stop it!" she growled, swinging at the cats. But they were used to it and neatly ducked and continued harassing the witch until she sat up scowling.

"All right. All right. I'm getting up," Hermione snarked, rolling out of the bed and stretching in her heavy flannel granny gown. It hung straight down her body. She rubbed her eyes, scratched her ass, then went and used the loo. The cats kept up a steady song of yowls until she opened the door. Both flew down the hall and the stairwell. But instead of turning left and heading for the door, they turned right and headed for the back of the house.

"Hey!" Hermione called after them. "Where are you two going?"

The cats kept going. Aggravated, Hermione followed them.

Presently she began to smell something she hadn't smelled in years. Sausage. She picked up her pace, heading for the kitchen.

To call Hermione's kitchen a kitchen was an understatement. It was huge enough for at least twenty cooks, with several huge pantries, coolers and stoves. She even had a grill in there. But she only used a single stovetop burner to make her porridge or spaghetti.

And that wasn't porridge she smelled.

She arrived at the huge double doors that led into the kitchen, Ying and Yang impatiently yowling outside the door. She walked into the kitchen and stopped cold.

Severus was in there, dressed only in his silk boxers and a pair of black bedroom slippers. His wand was stuck in the waistband of his boxers and he was cooking. His scarred muscular back flexed fluidly as he quickly scrambled some eggs. A few sausages lay glistening on a platter as well as a small stack of toast and jam. The smell of fresh coffee filled the kitchen. Hermione hadn't had coffee in ages. She normally drank water or a weak tea.

Severus dumped the scrambled eggs on to the platter next to the sausages, then stirred another pot on the stove and cut the heat off from under it. Platter in hand, he turned to see Hermione staring at him.

He nodded at her in greeting, walked over to the huge kitchen table and set the platter of sausages and eggs down, closely followed by Ying and Yang. The familiars had never smelled anything so delicious. It was even better than cat food. The wizard went back for the toast, jam and a generous cup of coffee then returned to the table. Hermione's eyes swept over all the food.

"Where did you get all that?" she asked him.

"I went to the Early Bird Market this morning," he said, pulling out a chair and sitting down.

Severus pulled the entire platter of sausage and eggs in front of him, licking his lips in anticipation. The wizard began eating as Hermione watched him. Severus used to make breakfast for her when he stayed overnight. The same breakfast he was eating now. The only difference was he cooked naked. She imagined he only wore boxers right now for her sake. Severus looked up at her and swallowed.

"Oh, and I made a pot of porridge for you," he said, picking up a fat, juicy sausage and biting into it.

Porridge, dry spaghetti and canned sauce were all Hermione had in the pantry. It was all she ate.

"Mmm, that's good," Severus said, chewing the piece of sausage enthusiastically.

Hermione looked at the rapidly disappearing food on the Potions Master's plate, then walked over to the cabinet, removed a bowl, then took a spoon out of the lower drawer and walked over to the stove. Severus had left a large spoon there, and she spooned herself out a steaming bowl of porridge. Severus watched her with a little smirk.

Hermione had loved sausages, eggs and toast with jam. Not to mention a nice cuppa. When the Potions Master located the kitchen last night and scrounged about for victuals, all he found was a large supply of porridge and spaghetti with canned sauce. The only thing in the cooler was a carefully wrapped bit of butter. There wasn't even any sugar for the porridge. The witch had a bland diet indeed. This was fine with the wizard however. Severus hated porridge, sugared or not. He made some spaghetti, which he found horrible with canned sauce. The Potions Master was used to making his own sauce with fresh ingredients.

The wizard determined right then to go to the market first thing in the morning and buy some decent food. If that was all Hermione ate, no wonder she looked as she did. She was sadly lacking in nutritious food.

With true Slytherin intent, Severus apparated to the market as soon as the sun came up, and purchased a few items that he knew Hermione once enjoyed. But, he was not going to cook for her or offer her any of it. If she wanted it, she'd have to ask.

Hermione walked over to the cooler, carefully unwrapped the butter and put a minute bit into her porridge, then wrapped it back. She carried her food over to the table just in time to see Severus take a blissful sip of black coffee. Scowling, she sat down and started eating her porridge quietly.

It didn't help that Severus was quite vocal of his enjoyment of his breakfast, slurping and chewing exaggeratedly. Hermione found her mouth watering at the crisp snap of sausages, and the wizard's delighted sighs of pleasure as he bit into the buttered toast, lavishly spread with strawberry jam.

Hermione's eyes washed over his pale, muscular chest. Her throat felt a little tight.

"Couldn't you at least have put some clothes on?" she snapped at the wizard, irritated.

Severus stopped eating and arched an eyebrow at her.

"I do have clothes on…more than I normally do when making breakfast," he said looking down at his boxers, then at the witch. "Breakfast is always better in the buff, as you should well remember."

There was a hint of purr in his voice when he said this.

"There'll be no 'in the buff' around here, Severus," she said, frowning. "Anyway, how do you keep getting past my wards? They are supposed to be impenetrable."

Severus gave her a smirk.

"Let's just say I picked up a few very potent curse-breaking spells in my travels. They work equally well on wards," he replied, running his toast around the plate sopping up the sausage juice. He noticed Hermione was eyeing the last sausage on the platter. He sat back and patted his rippled stomach. Hermione's eyes shifted away.

"Ah, I'm stuffed. Would you like the last sausage?"

Hermione was about to say yes, when the Potions Master picked up the sausage, snapped it in half and gave it to Ying and Yang, who snatched their pieces from his hand and ran off to separate corners to eat their prizes.

Hermione's stomach gurgled loudly.

Severus eyed her.

"You sound starved, Hermione. Better shovel down that porridge," he said, rising from his chair and clearing the table. He strode over to the sink, washed the dishes, dried them and put them away. Then he turned and folded his arms, leaning back against the sink.

Hermione couldn't help but notice he was quite toned, even more so than when she was with him. Probably from climbing about on mountain slopes and running through rain forests pursued by natives. He didn't have an inch of fat on him. He was lean, but not skinny with well-defined musculature. Her eyes dropped for a moment to his boxers, then she reddened and looked away. No doubt that particular muscle was still in fine form as well.

Severus saw Hermione color and shook his head slightly. He was tempted to say something but decided against it.

"Your wand is in the study," he said.

Hermione looked at him. That's right. He had taken her wand last night.

"Fine. I'll get it later," she said.

Severus nodded then said, "I hope you don't mind but I put some things in the pantry and the last cooler."

"Fine with me," the witch said shortly, spooning her bland porridge into her mouth.

"Good. I'm going to go get dressed now," he said pushing away from the sink

Hermione's eyes flicked over him.

"Thank the gods," she replied.

Severus cocked his head at her.

"There was a time you'd hide my clothes to keep me from getting dressed," he purred at her.

"That was a long time ago, Severus. I was a different witch then," she responded. "I'm a different witch now."

"That you are, witch" he said soberly. "That you are."

He left the kitchen, trailed by Ying and Yang.

Hermione let out a long sigh and pushed her bowl of porridge away. The wizard had some nerve walking around her home next to naked as if he owned the place. He was insufferable. Like she really wanted to see his taut, lean pale body…

Suddenly an image of the wizard naked, poised and erect appeared in her mind.

Horrified, Hermione forced the image of Severus' ample male attributes out of her head.

"Damn it," she hissed, shaking her head as if she could empty it of the image.

She didn't need to think of him naked. There was nothing the wizard had she wanted but the elixir. Just the elixir.

Hermione's eyes curiously shifted to the far cooler where Severus' food was, then back toward the kitchen door, listening carefully. She didn't hear anything. Severus must have gone.

The witch stood up, walked over to the cooler, opened it and gasped.

There was a huge strawberry chocolate cheesecake in there…her favorite. There was also sliced ham, eggs, cheese, sausages, sweet pickles, sourdough bread, strawberry jam, a container of pumpkin juice and a brown wrapped package of meat. A crisp head of lettuce and a nice ripe tomato sat on the lower shelf

Hermione looked back toward the kitchen door, then gingerly picked up the package of sliced ham, unwrapped it and took out a piece. She quickly wrapped it back, returned it to the cooler and closed the door. Then she stuffed the whole piece of ham into her mouth quickly as the kitchen door opened and Severus walked back in. He saw her standing in front of the cooler.

"Checking out my supplies, Hermione?" he asked her.

"Umm-hmmm," she nodded, her mouth full of ham.

Severus had been standing right outside the kitchen door and heard her open the cooler and unwrap something. Most likely whatever it was, was in her mouth now. He waited until she closed the cooler to enter and catch her.

"Are you eating something, Hermione?" he asked her.

"Umm umm," Hermione murmured, shaking her head in negation as Severus walked closer, studying her face. Her lips were tightly closed and her cheeks slightly puffed out. The Potions Master delicately sniffed in her direction, his nostrils pulsating slightly. The wizard cocked his head and folded his arms. His biceps were quite noticeable when he did this.

"I distinctly smell sliced ham," he said, his lip quirking. "Have you been in my ham, Miss Granger?"

He was using his old Professor voice and asked her that question as if asking if she had been in his Potions stores.

Hermione looked up at him for a moment, then gave up…openly chewing the ham. It was delicious. The witch couldn't remember anything tasting so good. She swallowed then scowled at Severus.

"Well, you are using my cooler after all. I should be able to get a taste of something," she said, looking at him defiantly.

Severus looked down at her.

"I'm not complaining, Hermione. I don't blame you. I've seen your pantry. A very sad affair," the Potions Master said. "But you are right. It is your cooler after all. Feel free to get a 'taste of something' any time you like."

Hermione looked at the wizard in shock. She had expected him to at least rib her a little for raiding his food stores. But he didn't. The wizard just turned and left the kitchen.

Hermione stared after Severus for a moment, then turned back to the cooler. She hesitated for a moment, then opened it, and with an openly lustful look took out the entire strawberry chocolate cheesecake. She headed for the table, stopping for a fork on the way.

The hell with porridge.

---

Severus smiled to himself as he headed for his second floor bedroom. Getting Hermione to eat something other than porridge and spaghetti had been rather easy.

It seemed Hermione was still a slave to her passions. Her culinary passions anyway. Severus planned to keep her favorite foods in the cooler and let the witch eat as much of it as she liked. She would fill out and become more vibrant with proper food. Maybe become more like she used to be.

As he walked down the gloomy hallway, Severus scowled up at the heavy closed curtains draped on the windows facing the grounds. There was a time when he preferred dark, dank corridors. But he was not that wizard anymore.

Severus pulled his wand out of his elastic waistband, then began to remove every single curtain and scourgified every single window until the corridor was filled with light. Ying and Yang blinked at the unaccustomed brightness, then began to scamper about and play, chasing the motes of dust Severus shook loose while cleaning the windows. They were having a ball.

Severus surveyed his handiwork. Now the corridor had some color to it. The walls were a rich mahogany and the floors covered with green marble tile. A bit of cleaning would make them stand out even more. But one thing at a time.

The Potions Master headed up the stairwell to get dressed and prepare himself for Hermione's inevitable temper tantrum when she discovered all the curtains gone. Maybe he should have held on to her wand a bit longer.

Severus shrugged.

He wasn't repentant at all. Hell, he lived here too. Besides, if anyone needed a little light in her life, it was Hermione Granger.

---

Hermione took a final sip of coffee and put her fork down with a sigh. She felt rather giddy. The witch had eaten almost half the cheesecake, and felt full for the first time in a very long time. Her eyes drooping slightly, Hermione picked up the remaining cake and returned it to the cooler. She left the fork and coffee cup on the table and pushed her way out of the kitchen.

Immediately, she was blinded.

"What the hell?" she cried, shading her eyes and blinking rapidly.

After a couple of moments Hermione's eyes adjusted and she stared down the light filled corridor, then up at the windows. Every single curtain was gone.

"Severus," she hissed, storming down the hall and into the study, snatching her wand off the armchair.

He had no right. No right. She liked the manor dark. It suited her mood. As she walked quickly to the staircase, she noticed the green marble floor and mahogany walls. The light did add some color to the place. But still…Severus couldn't just make arbitrary changes like this without asking her. This was her manor. He was just a guest. She hurried up the staircase to look for the wizard's bedroom. She was going to give him a nice blast for his impertinence. Her fingers twitched on her wand.

"Severus? Severus Snape!" she called down the corridor.

"In here," Severus called back.

Hermione stalked down the hall and came to an open door. She looked inside, her eyebrows raised. There was a king-sized four-poster bed covered in Slytherin green and silver bed sheets, a large wardrobe, a mirrored dresser and an armchair neatly arranged. He really had transfigured his own furnishings. Severus was standing in front of the mirror, buttoning the last buttons on his robes. He turned to face her.

"Yes?" he asked, an eyebrow arched as he looked at the furious witch.

"Yes?" Hermione seethed, "I'll yes you…Stupefy!"

Severus stood there calmly as Hermione's spell hit him then bounced back and hit the witch, knocking her back against the wall. She slid down it, out cold.

The Potions Master shook his head and finished fastening his robes.

"You're so predictable, Hermione," the wizard said, looking into the mirror. He'd known she'd come after him wand blazing, so placed a repelling spell around himself for a bit of insurance. As long as she didn't cast an Unforgivable at him, he'd be fine.

Severus looked at the unconscious witch, his brow furrowed.

Her flannel granny gown had ridden up, showing thin, chicken-like legs. Her skin was dry too…noticeably flaky and scaly on her shins and knees. Her long, yellowed toenails could use a good clipping and a pumice stone on those heels wouldn't hurt. When the witch was with him she was always as soft and smooth as a baby all over. Severus almost couldn't believe he used to shag this woman.

Hermione let out a groan. Severus turned and walked over to her, plucking her wand out of her hand, then pointing his own wand at her forehead.

"Enervate," he said.

Hermione's eyes fluttered open.

She blinked up at him.

"What happened?" she asked, placing her hand on her forehead.

Severus smirked at her.

"You stupefied yourself," he replied, offering his hand.

Hermione's face screwed up and she refused his help, scrambling to her knees then standing up, furious. She looked on the floor for her wand.

"Looking for this?" Severus asked, holding her wand out of reach.

"You hexed me!" she spat at him.

Severus scowled down at her.

"You hexed yourself witch. You stormed in here and without saying a word cast a spell at me, intending to do me harm. Luckily, I have a repelling spell on my person. The spell you cast at me backfired, and you have no one to blame but yourself," he replied coolly.

"Give me my wand!" she demanded. Severus looked at the witch, then handed her the wand. If she cast another spell at him, she'd get more of the same.

Hermione looked the wizard up and down as if to see if there was a hole of some kind in his protective spell that she could slip a hex through. Severus watched her, expressionless. He bet she wanted to hex him into next week.

"You had no right opening up those windows, Severus!" Hermione hissed.

"I live here now too, Hermione. I have a right to some light. Just because you like living in a tomb-like atmosphere doesn't mean that I do. Besides, light is good for you," he said evenly.

"Don't fucking tell me what's good for me! I know what's fucking good for me!" she screamed at him, her fists clenched.

Severus frowned at her.

"You don't know shit, Hermione. You've had a breakdown of some kind and haven't been healthy or whole since Harry died," he said.

"Since Harry was killed," Hermione corrected him.

"Harry was killed but not by you…he was killed by the curse cast by Voldemort. All you did was end his pain, Hermione. You are not his killer," the wizard said.

"My hex killed him. He might have been dying, but I am the one who took his life," Hermione said brokenly.

Severus sighed. All this self-pity the witch was evidencing. She needed to let this go. Severus tried to reach her again, this time using his own experiences to try to let her know she wasn't the only one who ever had to take a life to spare someone pain.

"It was a kindness, Hermione. I know it was. I had to do the same thing when I served Voldemort, and the raped, mutilated muggle women who were victims of the Revels lay suffering, praying for death," Severus said, a faraway look in his eyes. "It was kinder to end their suffering with the curse," he said softly.

"But you…you don't know…" Hermione began.

"I do know, Hermione. I saw what happened. I heard what Harry said to you. I saw you cast the curse," the dark wizard said, his black eyes glinting.

Hermione faltered a bit.

"You…you saw it, Severus?" she asked him in a low voice.

He nodded.

"Yes I did," he replied.

"So why didn't you help him? Help us?" she screamed at him, distraught.

"Because there was no help for him. He was right to ask you to end his pain. I was torn and started to step forward to cast the curse for you, but decided it was better that you did it, a friend who loved him, rather than I. Harry and I were never friends, Hermione. You know that. We only tolerated each other for your sake. I might even have been accused of killing him, because of my deatheater status. Not everyone knew I was a spy then," the wizard said.

"So you stood by and let me do it," Hermione said to him, her eyes glistening. "You let me kill Harry."

"Yes," Severus said softly.

Hermione suddenly swung her hand at Severus' face, catching the wizard off-guard, but the repelling spell bounced her open palm back so she couldn't slap him.

"I hate you! I hate you so much, Severus Snape!" she screamed, running from the bedroom and down the hall. She tripped over the hem of her gown, fell and got back up, once again running for her bedroom, crying her eyes out.

The wizard sighed and strode down the hall after the witch. He followed the sound of her sobbing and stopped in front of a door. He knocked.

"Hermione?" he called.

"Get the fuck away from my bedroom, Severus!" the witch cried out.

Severus tried the door. It was locked. He pointed his wand at it.

"Alohamora," he said. The door unlocked but it was strongly warded by the witch.

Severus scowled and applied a curse breaker and the door opened.

Furious, Hermione pointed her wand at him, prepared to throw a hex.

"Don't do it, Hermione! It will bounce back," Severus warned.

"Not if I cast an Unforgivable," she hissed at him.

Severus stood there. His black eyes washed over Hermione coldly.

"Go ahead then witch, " he said, "You can cast the Crucio curse…I've had a lot of experience with that one…or the Imperious, and make me throw myself down the staircase, or…how about the Killing curse? Then you can have the elixir all to yourself, resurrect Harry and live happily ever after. I am certain my death won't affect you as much as Harry's has," he said bitterly, dropping his arms to his sides and presenting her with an easy target. "You could probably live with killing me."

Hermione stared at the pale wizard in front of her, offering himself up to be hexed by an Unforgivable. Tears began to fall again and she lowered her wand.

"I don't want to kill you, Severus. I never wanted to kill anyone," she said, sobbing.

Severus released the breath he'd been holding. He had half expected Hermione to Crucio him. He approached her.

"I know, Hermione. I know, witch. But you have killed…and it was for a very good reason. To spare someone you loved unnecessary pain. It was inevitable that Harry would die, Hermione. You just kept it from being more horrible than it could have been. You have to understand that," he said to the witch, who was shaking her head.

The wizard continued.

"The only reason I followed you to your bedroom, Hermione was to tell you this. You don't hate me. You hate yourself. I know what that's like. You are trapped in a private hell from which there is only one way to be released. You have to forgive yourself, Hermione. No one else can free you," he said quietly. "If I could free you witch, I surely would."

Severus turned and left Hermione's bedroom, closing the door behind him. Hermione stared at the closed door, then plopped down on the bed.

How could she ever forgive herself? All what Severus said made sense, but she still couldn't get rid of the core of guilt inside her. Hermione had loved Harry like her own brother. He had always been there for her. It was her curse that took his life away from him, despite what Voldemort did. Her hex…not the Dark Lord's curse.

The witch fell back in the bed, hugging herself, looking for comfort. Yes…because of the elixir, there would be comfort. All the guilt would go away and she would be whole again. Harry would be back, alive and well and she could be happy again.

---

Severus slowly walked down the staircase. Ying and Yang were at the bottom of it yowling up at him. He reached the main hall and looked down at them.

"What do you two want?" Severus asked the cats, who darted down the corridor a little ways then looked back at him imploringly. That was the way to the main doors.

"Ah, you want to go out," he said.

At the word 'out' the pair yowled even louder. Severus imagined they could be quite annoying if they kept that noise up constantly. He strode down the hall and let them out, then started walking back, thinking about Hermione. She was much more damaged than he thought. He hoped she would be able to focus enough to separate the components of the elixir. Most likely she would be able to, once he got her back into reasonable shape.

When he first made the decision to come to Hermione and enlist her help, he thought he might still be sexually attracted to the witch, and hoped that his attraction would not interfere with his plans. He had one tryst with a woman during his five-year excursion, and although he had reached physical climax, the lack of connection only made him miss Hermione more. Afterwards, Severus fell into a depression that lasted about a week and when he recovered, decided to leave women alone and focus on his travels. The wizard felt that the wisest thing to do if he were going to stay on top of his game. It worked, and Hermione was neatly relegated to the back of his mind.

Now that he was here, he found that he didn't have any lust toward the witch. Pity…yes. Frustration…yes. But he didn't want to bed her. It was like she was no longer the woman he once knew. Oh, there were tiny glimpses of the old Hermione…her temper for example, but it was worse than he remembered it. The only reason he didn't give her a bit of her own medicine was because she wasn't herself. He had no problem hexing a witch at all. He had dealt with female deatheaters after all, and they were a nasty lot. Weaker sex his ass.

All the wizard wanted to do was get Hermione up to par. Break her out of her self-made hell so she could work. Fatten her up. Get her interest going again. He wanted to restore Hermione, if not to the woman he loved, then the woman whose mind he greatly respected. She was wasting a gift, and it was a damn shame.

Well, maybe the hope resurrecting Harry would be the driving force to get her going, get her so involved in the work that she wouldn't have time for self-pity. Hopefully Hermione would become as absorbed in the elixir as she used to become absorbed in everything else she ever did. She'd still neglect herself, but he would be there to make sure she got what she needed, if only to keep her able to focus. She had to focus.

Severus didn't know if she would come out of her room for the rest of the day. The scene between them had been quite emotional. Most likely she would hide out like she was used to doing. Ah well. He'd look for the lab and see what had to be done to get it straightened out.

He wandered through the main hall corridor, opening door after door on empty, dusty room after room. Finally he opened one that had a staircase going down. The walls on either side were stone, and torches were spaced in sconces. They ignited as he descended the stairs. Spiders abounded, and cobwebs crisscrossed the stairwell. Severus pulled out his wand and cleared them as he came upon them, having to use a water spell when a torch lit and ignited a huge patch of webbing, the flames flaring up quickly. If the wizard had been any closer he would have been badly burned. Finally he descended to the basement floor. Cobwebs were here too. If Hermione's house had the feel of a mausoleum, her basement felt like a catacomb.

A large door was embedded in the wall. Severus tried to turn the knob, but it was rusted. He used his wand to gain entrance…pushing the door open. Again, torches flared and the wizard looked around.

"Dear gods. This looks like something out of "Great Expectations," he said to himself as he eyed the mass of overturned equipment, scattered yellowed parchments and broken glassware. Cracked cauldrons and ripped up notebooks lay strewn about the floor. Several distilleries were smashed, their jagged tubing jutting upward in disarray. Webbing and dust covered almost everything, giving the lab a surreal and somewhat sinister feel.

"The only thing missing is Miss Havisham's wedding cake," Severus thought to himself as he surveyed the wreckage of Hermione's brilliant past.

The wizard took out a handkerchief, covered his large nose and began scourgifying the laboratory, feeling for all the world like Pip.

---

As Severus cleaned the lab, he began to think he would like his own little stores so he could begin brewing again. He could always purchase potions and elixirs, but the quality paled when compared to his own creations. The wizard decided that he would take a trip to Diagon Alley and visit Andreas Mbutu's apocathery shop.

Andreas was a former student of his, a contemporary of the Golden Trio and a Slytherin. He was of African descent and very gifted in both Divination and Potions He graduated Hogwarts with honors. The wizard worked in the apocathery shop on weekends and during the week he used hired help because of his main job at the Ministry

He currently served as Head Clerk to the Ministry Council Board, having majored in Magical Administration in university, and arranged all the Ministry hearings as well as prepared Ministry paperwork for those meetings. He had worked his way up to his position is a relatively short period of time, and there were rumors that he was considering running for a Council seat in the near future.

When Andreas attended Hogwarts, the young man had always been quiet and respectful. More than once Severus wondered why the wizard was sorted into Slytherin house as he seemed to have no dark traits. But the Potions Master's opinion of Andreas changed when he caught the young man doing wandless magic on the Gryffindor Quidditch team during a match, making the seeker miss the snitch time and time again. It was subtle magic and had no signature that could be traced. A very powerful tribal magic.

Severus made him stop, though he commended him for his efforts before assigning him a month's detention for getting caught. The Potions Master wondered what other mischief the young wizard had gotten into during his years at Hogwarts. The gods only knew because he was never caught doing anything. Andreas was sneaky, cunning and careful. The epitome of a true Slytherin. He made it through Hogwarts with only that one stretch of detentions on his record. Severus never included why Andreas received the detentions on the boy's paperwork however. He had to protect his charge after all. Most likely Albus had assumed it was an in-house matter, so didn't question it. Severus was notoriously closed-mouthed about the things that went on in Slytherin house.

Andreas kept a wide selection of potions ingredients at his shop, including the rarer types, and if you caught him right, a couple of illegal ingredients as well. But the wizard was quite cautious and was never caught with anything but legal goods. Working in the Ministry was good, particularly if the Aurors were planning a surprise walk-through of a certain Apocathery shop.

Yes, Severus would visit Andreas' tomorrow, when he was sure the young wizard himself would be in. The knowledge of the hired help was nothing compared to the brilliant wizard.

---

Three hours later, Hermione finally roused herself and took a soothing shower, letting the water wash over her hair, but not washing it. She exited the shower and cast a deodorizing spell on herself. She didn't apply a drop of lotion and simply pulled on a fresh pair of knickers, a bra and her robes. She slipped on her trainers without socks then exited her bedroom, not even bothering to brush her hair. Hell, she was clean. That was enough.

The witch walked down the stairs to the main landing and heard faint yowling. Ying and Yang. She walked down to the double doors and let the cats in, who stopped, scented the air then took off running down the corridor. Hermione frowned after them. They hadn't given her one up-against-the-leg rub. Normally she could hardly walk after letting them in, they twined around her legs so much. She snorted then followed them up the hall. She saw them make a quick right.

Speeding up, Hermione saw the door that led to her lab was open.

Severus.

Once again he had just arbitrarily violated her household. Hermione kept her wand in her pocket this time however. She didn't feel like getting hit with a rebounding hex. She walked down the stairs, noticing how clean everything was. The last time she looked down the stairwell there were webs everywhere.

Hermione arrived in the basement and walked through the partially open lab door. Severus was standing in front of her potions stores, removing bottles because everything in her stores was expired. Ying and Yang were rubbing up against his robes, purring loudly.

Hermione looked around the lab. All evidence of her tantrum was gone, and she saw some parchments stacked on the lab table. Severus looked up and saw her.

"I thought I'd start cleaning," he said, his black eyes glinting at her.

He noticed Hermione's hair was damp. She must have taken a shower, though her skin still had that dull, unwashed look about it.

Hermione didn't say anything but walked over to the stack of parchments. They were her research notes. Severus had repaired them.

"Why did you fix these?" she asked the wizard, picking them up and studying them.

"In case one day you decided to continue your research," he replied. "You did a lot of work, Hermione. Brilliant work. It is a shame to let it all go to waste."

Hermione silently put the parchments down and looked around the room.

"You did a good job," she said.

Severus looked at her, rather surprised.

"Are my ears deceiving me? I actually did something you approve of? The world is going to end," he said, returning to the stores and dropping more bottles and bags of ingredients into a box.

Hermione frowned at him.

"I'm not that bad," she said, "I am capable of giving a compliment. I remember you had quite a problem with that back when I attended Hogwarts. You never praised anyone for anything."

"Why should I have? You were all there to learn. When you got a good mark, it was because you were supposed to," he said evenly. "There is no reason to praise someone for something they are supposed to accomplish in the first place."

Hermione snorted.

"Well, you certainly didn't have a problem browbeating any of us for our failures," she replied.

"I was giving you all encouragement," he said coolly, closing the potions stores and waving his wand at the overflowing box, making it disappear.

"Encouragement?" Hermione said incredulously.

"Yes. I was encouraging you to better your marks so you wouldn't be browbeaten again," he replied smoothly.

Hermione almost smiled. Almost. Severus still had an answer for everything.

Severus looked around at his handiwork. The lab was spotless now. He nodded.

"Now it's up to you to furnish it. I am going to Diagon Alley tomorrow to pick up some brewing ingredients, if that's all right with you. I haven't done any real brewing in quite some time. You are welcome to come with me if you like. You can check out equipment while I go to the Apocathery shop," he said, a bit of challenge in his eyes.

"Of course, if you're not ready to face the world…" he said, a little sneer in his voice.

That always used to get Hermione going.

"I can bring you back a catalogue," he finished, the sneer more pronounced.

Hermione bristled. He sounded so sure she wouldn't leave the manor. Well, she'd show him.

"I'll go," she said shortly.

"Sure you will, Hermione. Tomorrow morning you'll wake up and say you have a headache or give me some other excuse," Severus taunted.

"I said I'd go!" Hermione said with such vehemence that a swirl of magic occurred.

Ying and Yang scooted under the lab table when they felt the magic, looking around the lab with wide blue eyes for the source of the disturbance.

Severus looked at Hermione with a smirk.

"I guess you will," he said, a hint of mirth in his voice at her shocked expression.

Hermione had inadvertently invoked a wizard's oath. In the magical world you had to be careful about your intent when you spoke out loud. It happened sometimes.

Hermione scowled at the wizard.

"You did that on purpose!" she accused him.

"I did nothing of the sort. I simply spoke my mind. The headache excuse is taken from fact, Hermione. When we were together and you wanted to back out of something, you always claimed to have developed a killer headache…"

Here he paused, his eyes lighting up a bit at his memories

"Especially at night," he continued. "But I always had the proper cure then."

Hermione reddened a bit. Why did he bring that up?

"Are you finished down here?" she asked him, changing the subject, feeling uncomfortable as the wizard's eyes rested on her consideringly for a moment.

"Yes, I am. I'm going to make my lunch now. I'm having a ham and Swiss cheese on sourdough bread with lettuce, tomato, sweet pickles and mustard. Should I put on some spaghetti for you?" he asked, heading for the door.

Ying and Yang darted past Severus and up the stairs, their tails held straight as flagpoles as they led the way.

Hermione followed him, her mouth watering a little. She loved ham sandwiches like that. Severus used to make them for her all the time. He knew just the right amount of mustard to use and how thin to slice the tomato.

"I don't usually eat lunch or dinner if I've eaten breakfast," she said.

Severus stopped and turned, his dark eyes washing over her.

"That explains the chicken-legs," he said. Then he turned and strode up the stairs.

Hermione frowned, then hurried after him.

"Chicken-legs? What do you mean 'chicken-legs?'" she demanded.

"You have little scaly chicken-legs," the wizard stated calmly without looking back. "I saw them when you stupefied yourself and your nightgown rode up a bit. Very unattractive. You even have little yellow claws…though you probably call them toe-nails."

"You were looking at my legs?" Hermione asked, outraged.

"And your feet. Not because I wanted to, believe me," the Potions Master said.

He could almost hear the witch's blood boiling behind him as he entered the main hall.

"Well…well…no one asked you to look!" she said snarkily as she walked out the door behind him.

Severus half turned.

"If anyone had, I would have adamantly refused," he replied, then strode off towards the kitchen.

Hermione stood there in the corridor, watching the wizard go, her nostrils flared. When he turned into the kitchen, she lifted her robes a bit and stuck out her leg. It really was horribly skinny and the skin was dry and flaky. She hadn't noticed how bad her skin was. She rarely even looked in a mirror.

"They're skinny, but they aren't chicken legs," she said to herself unconvincingly.

Hermione lowered her robes and continued to stand there in the bright corridor, thinking. Maybe she'd pick up some lotion tomorrow since she was going out anyway. She felt her brittle hair. Maybe some shampoo and conditioner too. Severus had said he could probably snap her hair off by the roots yesterday. Not that that made any difference. No. Not any difference at all. She could buy some things for herself if she wanted.

The witch stalked off to the study, not wanting to watch Severus stuff his face again. She entered, pulled a book off the shelf, settled into one of the armchairs in front of the fireplace and started reading.

About ten minutes later, Severus entered the study, carrying two well-crafted ham sandwiches on a plate and a large glass of pumpkin juice. Ying and Yang were hot on his heels. He deposited the food on the small table between the two armchairs and sat down next to Hermione with a sigh.

Hermione's eyes flicked toward the sandwiches, then returned to the book she had in her hands. But her eyes didn't move as she looked down at the page she was on.

Severus picked up a sandwich and bit into it. Hermione could hear the sharp crunch of the sweet pickles. Again the wizard chewed enthusiastically, swallowing then taking a large sip of pumpkin juice.

"Mmmm," he commented, "Almost better than sex."

Hermione let out an exasperated sigh.

"Couldn't you eat in the kitchen?" she asked him.

"I wanted company," he replied, biting into the sandwich again.

Ying and Yang were both sitting at full attention in front of the hearth. Severus pulled out two small pieces of ham from his sandwich and tossed them to the cats, which gulped them down and waited for more, their tails twitching.

Hermione scowled.

"You keep giving those two sausages, ham and whatnot, you're going to put them off their cat food," she complained.

"They'll be fine," he replied, eating with gusto.

Hermione could smell the sharp mustard and swallowed back the saliva that was accumulating in her mouth. Gods, that sandwich smelled delicious. Her stomach growled.

"Sounds like you need some spaghetti," Severus said, finishing the sandwich and sucking his fingers pointedly before picking up the next one. "Though I would think you wouldn't have any room after devouring half of my strawberry chocolate cheesecake."

Hermione flushed a little guiltily.

"You said I could have what I wanted if I felt like it," she said, frowning at him.

"And it remains true," he replied, biting into the sandwich and chewing blissfully.

Severus washed it down with the pumpkin juice then set the glass on the table. It was so cold the glass was sweating. Little droplets of water ran down the side. It certainly looked refreshing. Suddenly Hermione felt very thirsty.

"Excuse me," she said, rising and putting the book back on the shelf. She exited the study, turning toward the kitchen.

Severus grinned to himself.

He was sure next time he checked his stores, he'd be missing some ham, cheese, pickles, lettuce, tomatoes, a couple of slices of sourdough bread and a glass worth's of pumpkin juice.

There was nothing wrong with that.

---

Severus spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the manor, while Hermione did what she normally did to occupy her time, read. She was curious as to what the Potions Master was up to, but forced herself not shadow him.

Severus found another corridor beyond the kitchen that turned right, and he followed it, opening doors on more empty rooms. Gods, this place was huge. He came to a set of aqua blue doors, that didn't have knobs but pull handles. Curiously he pulled one of the doors open and looked in. His eyes went wide.

Before him lay a large indoor swimming pool. The water was very clear, although the surroundings were dusty and cobwebbed. A huge skylight was erected over the pool, but no light could pass through it because of all the webbing and accumulated dust. At least an inch of dust covered the tiled floor as well. Scattered about the pool were comfortable cushioned lounge chairs and a couple of white circular tables also covered in dust.

Severus entered the pool area, his black eyes glittering. Most likely the pool was charmed with a self-cleaning spell to keep the water sanitary.

"Well, finally…some amenities," the wizard said, rolling up his sleeves and pulling out his wand.

An hour later the entire room was clean, though Severus was covered in dust. The walls were made of aqua-green marble with gold flecks, and the floor was covered in aqua-green and white tiling. The skylight lit the area nicely and torch-filled scones lined the wall for night use. Severus scourgified himself and looked at the clear water.

The Potions Master glanced back at the doors, then at the pool again.

He arched an eyebrow, then pointed his wand at himself.

"Divesto!"

His clothes appeared neatly folded on the closest table. Naked, Severus walked up to the edge of the pool and stuck one pale toe into the water. He gave a slight smile.

Heated.

At the other end of the pool was a diving board. The naked wizard walked over to it, mounted the board and bounced a couple of times, checking the spring. Satisfied, Severus walked back to the end of the board, stood there a moment, then sprinted forward, springing high into the air and performing a perfect jack-knife dive, hardly making a splash. He swam underwater until he reached the shallow end of the pool and rose, wiping the streaming water from his face as it ran down his pale body. He turned and looked back at the springboard.

"I can get used to this," he thought, returning to the water and swimming strongly toward the deep end.

The Potions Master spent over two hours enjoying the pool. He would be certain to make a morning swim part of his daily activities. After all, he needed some activity to keep him strong and in shape now that he was back in civilization. Hermione used to provide him plenty of exercise when they were lovers. His back was kept quite strong and supple as were other parts of his body depending on the position he twisted the witch into. Well, he no longer had that avenue of sexercise, so swimming would have to do…until he went abroad again in search of more adventure.

For a large part of his life, the Potions Master was a prisoner of his situation…forced to stay at Hogwarts to fulfill his role as a spy against the Dark Lord. But now that he was a free man, the wizard found that he had a love of travel, danger and distant, exotic places. Severus doubted he would ever settle down to a normal life until he was a very old man. If he lived that long.

The Potions Master had no idea he loved adventure so much until he separated from the witch. If he had discovered it on his own, he and Hermione may have gone their separate ways even if she hadn't killed Harry. The witch probably wouldn't have wanted to live a nomadic life with the wizard and would have stayed behind. So for Severus, it was better that he had no attachments. He was free to live as he pleased. Once he discovered the secret of the elixir, he would move on to the next leg of his life journey. There were many more mysteries to uncover.

The wizard dried himself and dressed, leaving his hair slightly damp. He felt invigorated, renewed. His stomach growled.

"Time for dinner," he said to himself, and exited the pool area, heading for the kitchen.

He had some dinner planned.

---

Ying and Yang were lying on the hearth in front of the fireplace in the study purring, their blue eyes half-closed contentedly as Hermione read. Suddenly they both jumped up, sniffed the air and hurried from the room, tails high. Hermione looked after them.

"What in the world?" she said, putting the book down on the small table beside the armchair and rising.

Something had to be going on for the cats to have suddenly bolted from the study in such a manner. Hermione scowled slightly. She hadn't seen wand or robes of Severus in about four hours. It was time to check up on him. The gods only knew what changes he was making to her home without her knowledge.

Hermione felt a bit more energy than usual as she walked down the corridor. That ham sandwich must have done its work. Halfway down the hall, Hermione slowed as a delicious aroma filled her nostrils. Severus must be in the kitchen again. What was he making now?

Hermione knew she should turn around. She had already broken her usual food pattern of one meal a day. But hell, she had to…her stomach had been demanding food. Normally her body didn't protest if she only had a meal a day. Now it was starting to churn again. Well, she could just take a peek in to see what the Potions Master was cooking.

Hermione walked up to the kitchen. Ying and Yang were mewling frantically before it, not having enough combined weight to force the doors open. They looked up at Hermione, who pushed the door open, and the cats zipped inside.

Severus was in his shirt and trousers, standing over the grill, turning a huge steak with a two-tined grilling fork. Then he rushed over to the stove, where a pan of potatoes and onions were browning, and stirred them vigorously, removing them from the heat. Everything smelled so delicious. Hermione seemed to drift over to the grill, led by her nose. She didn't notice the pot of boiling spaghetti on the stove as well.

Severus saw Hermione out of the corner of his eye. The witch was walking toward the grill as if under a spell, her eyes focused on the sizzling meat. The wizard moved back to the steak just before she reached it, blocking her way with his back. Hermione moved around him until she stood where she could see the perfectly seared piece of beef. Severus removed it from the grill and placed it on a platter. The cut of meat had to weigh at least four pounds. It was huge.

"Good evening, Hermione," the wizard said, carrying the plated steak over to the stove, Hermione's neck craning as he did so. "I have a pot of spaghetti on for you in case you decided you were hungry after all. It's just about ready. I can always put it in the cooler if you aren't hungry right now. It will stay a couple of days."

Hermione watched as Severus drained the oil from the fried potatoes and onions, then dumped them on top of the steak, spreading them evenly with a fork. He lifted the platter just beneath his large nose and sniffed appreciatively. Then he looked at Hermione.

"Ah, medium rare porterhouse with onions, potatoes and a small lettuce and tomato salad," he said, moving toward the kitchen table with his meal. He looked down at the trailing cats.

"Don't worry kitties. The Potions Master has a bit for you too," he said, setting the platter down on the table so the meat could rest and the juices distribute evenly through the perfectly cooked flesh.

Ying and Yang yowled up at him. Severus gave them a small smirk as they twined around his legs, sucking up big time.

"Very communicative animals you have here, Hermione. They certainly know how to ask for what they want," he said to the witch, who was still by the grill…her eyes resting on the platter of meat.

Severus walked back over to the stove, cut off the flame beneath the spaghetti and dumped it into a colander in the sink. He ran a bit of cold water over it, followed by hot water to remove some of the starchiness so it wouldn't stick together when it cooled.

He looked back at Hermione.

"Should I get the canned sauce?" he asked her.

Hermione seemed to come out of a dream.

"No. I'm not hungry," she said, her eyes still glued to the wizard's steaming steak. Gods it smelled divine.

"All right," Severus said. He walked over to a lower cabinet and removed a large bowl, and then to another cabinet that held plastic wrap. He certainly knew his way around her kitchen.

The wizard dumped the spaghetti into the bowl, then covered the top tightly with wrap, then put the spaghetti into the cooler Hermione used. He then rinsed the colander, washed the pot and put the wrap away. He took his time, letting Hermione get a good long gander at his huge meal. Severus then picked up a glass, walked over to the cooler and poured himself a nice cold glass of pumpkin juice.

He walked back over to the table, put the glass down and looked down at the steak consideringly.

"You know, this steak is too large for one person to eat," he said, Hermione's eyes flicking towards him as he walked back to the cabinet and got another plate, then retrieved a steak knife and fork from the utensil drawer. He strode back to the table and cut the steak in half, carefully placing one half on the other plate so he wouldn't lose any of the potatoes and onions.

Hermione took a few steps toward the table, expecting the wizard to offer her the steak. When he did, she'd accept it…just to be polite. Severus finished transferring the steak. He looked at Hermione.

"I'd better put part this half away for later consumption," the wizard said carrying the plate to the cabinet, this time retrieving some tin foil and wrapping the food.

Hermione's jaw tightened as Severus carried the plate to the far cooler and put it inside, retrieving a small bowl of lettuce and tomato salad and returning to the table. He pulled out the chair, sat down and picked up the steak knife and fork. The wizard then cut two nice sized pieces out of the steak and gave them to Ying and Yang, who once again ran to opposite corners of the kitchen with their prize.

He then cut into the steak, spearing the dripping meat with his fork and inserting it in his mouth, chewing exaggeratedly, a look of pure bliss crossing his face.

"Delicious. Just marvelous," he said after he swallowed.

He looked at Hermione who was just staring at him.

"You know, it is quite impolite to stare at a person while he's eating," he said to the witch, frowning slightly.

Hermione frowned.

"I'm not staring," Hermione said, still staring at his plate. "I'm just looking."

Severus fought back a smirk and went back to eating his meal. Ying and Yang were back at his feet, one cat sitting on either side of his chair, tails lashing. Hermione stood there and watched as Severus consumed his entire meal, including the salad. The wizard sat back, looking sated and patting his belly.

"Now, that was a meal fit for a king," he commented, looking at Hermione. "The other half will make a wonderful breakfast with some eggs and toast."

He yawned, stretching in the chair luxuriously, then rose and cleared the table, carrying the plate, glass and utensils to the sink and washing them.

"You know Hermione…you really should get a hobby. Watching me eat will grow old after a while," he commented.

Hermione didn't say anything, but her eyes flicked toward the far cooler. Then she strode quickly from the kitchen.

Severus chuckled as he dried all the dishes, pots and colander and put everything away.

He knew the other half of that steak existed on borrowed time.

---

At about eleven that night, a small form pushed open the kitchen door.

"Lumos."

A dim light emitted from the tip of a wand revealing Hermione in stealth mode. She made her way to the far cooler, opened it, then took out the foil wrapped steak and the rest of the pumpkin juice. Setting the steak on the counter, Hermione retrieved a glass, emptied the pumpkin juice into it, then put brought the empty container to the sink. She washed and dried it, then put it away.

She retrieved the steak and juice, then made her way out the kitchen and headed back toward her room. She'd heat the food up magically once she was safely behind closed doors. If she did it now, Severus might smell the aroma. Hermione ascended the stairs quickly on tiptoe and returned to her room, wishing she had thought to cut a piece of cheesecake too.

Once in the room, she securely warded her door, sat down on the bed with the plate in her lap and quickly heated up the steak. She cut into it, the knife gliding through the flesh easily. Spearing the meat with her fork while making sure some onions were on it, Hermione sniffed the steak delicately then inserted it into her mouth. Her look of bliss as she chewed mirrored that of the Potions Master earlier. Dear Merlin that steak was good. Hermione felt no guilt as she devoured the steak, potatoes and onions. This was her manor after all.

Severus would just have to make something else for breakfast.

---

Severus awoke early the next morning and headed directly to the pool area and took a refreshing and relatively strenuous morning swim. To his delight, he found a magical switch that altered the depth of the pool. He removed the shallow end completely, effectively turning the pool into a suitable lap pool. There was also another panel that controlled temperature. As nice as the heated water was, Severus preferred it cool and changed the settings to reflect that.

After a refreshing swim, he returned to his room, showered and dressed. After his workout, he was famished. He wondered if the steak had survived the night as he headed for the kitchen. If it had, steak and eggs would be the first meal of the day. He opened the cooler door and saw that the steak had indeed met its demise, most likely in the jaws of a scrawny, amber-eyed witch. Still, it had been quite a big piece of meat. If Hermione kept eating like this, she wouldn't be scrawny for long.

The wizard took out some sausages and eggs, and set about preparing his breakfast. Hermione walked into the kitchen, dressed in her granny gown and carrying an empty plate, glass and utensils. She brought them to the sink and silently began washing them.

Severus looked at her, his eyes glittering.

"I see you polished off my steak," he said to the witch.

"I got hungry last night," she replied, not looking at him.

"I see," the wizard said, smirking to himself as he added the sausage to the frying pan. "Should I make a pot of porridge for you this morning?"

Hermione paused.

"No. I'll just have what you're having," she replied. "There's no need to cook two breakfasts."

"No, I suppose there isn't," Severus replied, adding two more sausages to the pan.

Victory. The witch was willing to eat again. One challenge down and an endless amount to go.

Hermione ate heartily, Severus watching her beneath a hooded gaze. Gods, she seemed bottomless, eating three of the five sausages he made and most of the eggs. When she finished, she sat back in the chair looking quite sated and a little food drunk. The wizard noted her color was a little better this morning. There wasn't a truly great difference but it was noticeable.

"That was good," the witch said, her eyes resting on Severus. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, though I believe I am going to have to make larger meals if I am to get enough nourishment. You certainly can put it away, witch," he said, smirking at her slightly.

"I guess its because I haven't eaten anything really nourishing in so long. When you deny yourself something good for a long time, it is so much better when you have it again," she replied.

Severus gave her a rather odd look.

"What?" she asked him.

"Nothing," the wizard replied, biting into his last piece of sausage.

Ying and Yang were in separate corners eating half a sausage each, having turned their noses up at their cat food as Hermione said they would.

Severus had looked at Hermione oddly without realizing it when she made the comment about how good something was after a long period of denial. He had idly wondered if the witch would become interested in sex again after she was physically restored. The wizard wasn't looking to start another relationship with the witch, but he would certainly shag her if she showed the slightest interest. Severus used to enjoy sex very much before Hermione…he had no qualms about bedding almost any witch amenable. It was dirty, detached sex, but it satisfied him immensely…until Hermione. The witch had ruined him with her love.

He wasn't sure that he still loved Hermione. He didn't have the strong feelings he had for her before…but she was so different now in looks and attitude, she was almost like a different witch. That could account for his feelings toward her. But what would happen once she was restored? His eyes idly flicked over her curveless form. He would most likely be unable to help being attracted to her once she filled out. Maybe she would finish separating the elixir's components before that happened and he would be able to leave before facing that possibility. Once Harry was resurrected, Hermione would probably forget he even existed anyway.

Severus sighed. He'd have to cross that bridge when he came to it.

"How long will it take for you to get ready to go to Diagon Alley?" he asked the witch.

"Not long. I just have to shower," Hermione said, rising.

"I'll be waiting for you in the study," the wizard said. The witch nodded and left the kitchen.

Severus sat at the table for a moment, Ying and Yang yowling at his feet. He looked down at them.

"Sorry you two. No more sausages. Looks like cat food for you now," he said.

Suddenly the cats stopped yowling and gave him a rather scathing look. Both stalked out of the kitchen, tails extremely high…so high in fact it looked as if they were purposely presenting their butts to the wizard. The door was cracked just enough for them to squeeze through and disappear.

Severus raised an eyebrow. That had been a strange reaction. Up to this point, he had viewed Ying and Yang as rather ordinary cats, though he knew they were supposed to be familiars. Familiars had different levels of intelligence. Not all could communicate directly with or understand their masters verbatim and those types were little more than pets. That's the type he thought the pair of Siamese felines were. But their reaction to his words implied that they had understood him perfectly and were quite miffed by his comment.

Cat food indeed.

Severus cleared the table, washed the dishes and exited the kitchen. He headed for the study, pulling out the list of ingredients he hoped to buy. A couple of them were quite rare…he hoped Andreas would have them in stock.

About half an hour later, Hermione appeared.

"I'm ready," she said.

Severus looked at the witch. Her brittle hair looked terrible and lifeless, falling over her shoulders in dry strands. In addition, Hermione had deep gray hollows under her eyes and her skin, although slightly better in color was still pale and unwashed looking. Her robes were big on her because of the weight loss and her lips looked a bit chapped. The witch's hands looked knobby because they were so thin and the knucklebones so apparent. All in all, Hermione looked as if she had spent a stint in a concentration camp. Well, there was nothing for it.

Hermione saw Severus' eyes wash over her and it was relatively clear he didn't like what he saw, but this was the best she could do. Take it or leave it. She wasn't here to please him anyway.

Severus nodded and walked past her wordlessly, heading for the main doors. Hermione followed him. The wizard slowed a bit so she could catch up.

"I guess apparating on your grounds is out of the question," he said to the witch.

"It certainly is. Why would I let people apparate on to my property when I have protective wards on my fence to keep them out?" she said a bit snarkily.

Severus didn't reply to her as they came to the manor entrance. He opened the door and let the witch walk through then followed her. They then walked for several minutes through the gray barren yard until they reached the front gate. Severus stopped and looked at the witch expectantly.

"What?" she asked him.

"Take down the wards so we can go out," he said to her evenly.

Hermione scowled at him.

"The way you've just been walking in and out of here, I thought you'd do it," she responded, pulling out her wand and doing several intricate motions. Then she pushed the gate open and walked through, followed by the Potions Master. Hermione then rewarded the gate.

Severus offered his arm to her. She didn't take it.

"Just tell me which public apparating point we are going to. I am fully capable of apparating on my own," she said coldly.

The corner of Sage and Thistleberry," the wizard replied, frowning at her. He was simply trying to be polite.

"Fine," she said, then disapparated with a crash of thunder.

Severus rolled his eyes, then followed.

---

Vampire Queen Adam Sweetmeats stood in the doorway of the Lovebites Beauty Shop, idly filing his sharp nails, getting them ready for painting. He thought he'd go with an electric blue background, with golden skulls on each. They would match his electric blue robes and bring out his blue eyes. Safely inside and protected by the UV-blocking tint on the shop window, Adam's consort Victor sat reading the Daily Prophet. The tall, gray-eyed vampire looked up every now and then, keeping an eye on his queen. Adam could disappear in an instant, and Victor knew nothing about running a beauty shop. He had been stuck more than once trying to answer a potential customer's questions while Adam flounced about gods knew where.

As a queen, Adam could walk in sunlight. He was the only one who could do it. Victor was a sentient vampire, and although he had more power than a regular minion, walking by day was not one of them. But as long as he was out of direct sunlight, he could function.

Adam became a queen when he accidentally came upon the vampire clutch while they were out feeding. Since the vampires were in hiding, Adam's discovery put them in danger. So Victor bit the wizard, not knowing that Adam was gay and had more female attributes then male. When a sentient vampire bites a female, they become a queen rather than dying. Bitten males were either killed, if that was the intention, or transformed into a minion, which was a rather mindless, animal like lower ranking vampire. Minions did not retain their intelligence or complete human form because they were turned too quickly for the body to adapt. Victor was turned slowly, so retained all his facilities and human good looks.

Adam's transformation had come as quite a surprise to Victor and his then queen, Vashti. The moment Adam turned, instinct led him down into the catacombs to battle the current queen. He killed Vashti and assumed her throne. He then gave Victor the option of being his consort or being killed. Victor wasn't thrilled about this, but he did want to live so he agreed to become Adam's lover. After his initial "breaking in" Victor found Adam to be a much better queen than Vashti. Adam improved the quality of life for all the minions, and lavished gifts on Victor such as jewelry, a new wardrobe and gave him some say in the operation of his king…er…queendom. Victor was fiercely protective of his queen and would lay down his life for Adam in his defense.

Adam and his clutch lived off of small animals, rare steaks and were trying out artificial blood…a muggle development that really didn't taste too badly and was quite nutritious. The reason Adam had a store was because he petitioned the Ministry for the right. It was a very involved process, the Ministry having to send wizards and witches among the vampires to see how they lived, what they ate and their general temperament. Adam had his minions under tight rein, and after about a year, the Ministry agreed Adam and Victor could walk among them. The minions couldn't however.

Adam was delighted. It was boring being holed up all the time in the catacombs. The first thing he did was to deposit Vashti's vast treasure trove in Gringotts bank and open up a beauty shop in Diagon Alley. At first, not many people utilized the shop, but once they saw the wonderful work the vampire did, Adam soon had a roaring trade. Being a vampire, Adam was immediately aware of the physical condition of a witch's body. Most skin and hair problems had much to do with the blood. Too oily, too dry skin could be fixed with an alteration in diet…and of course cosmetically. He could immediately divine blood issues and advise how to fix them to be healthier. As a wizard, Adam had a slew of beauty spells he applied to his customers. No one ever left his shop dissatisfied.

Adam looked up from buffing his nails, and his blue eyes widened.

"Victor darling, come to the window. You have to see this!" Adam said, his eyes trained down the sidewalk.

Victor folded the Prophet, set it down on the small table next to the chair he was sitting in, rose and strode over to the tinted window.

"What is it, my queen?" he asked the wizard, looking down the sidewalk. He couldn't come to the door because of the sun.

"Look at these two. Gods, if I didn't know better, I'd think they were some of ours," Adam replied, watching Severus and Hermione approach.

His eyes flicked over the Potions Master's tall, lean frame, lank black hair and pale skin appreciatively.

"My…he looks yummy enough to eat, doesn't he Victor," Adam gushed.

Victor scowled. He was quite jealous.

"I don't know. Maybe I should bite him and find out," the consort replied bad-temperedly.

Adam's eyes fell on Hermione.

"My gods. I've seen week-old corpses with better skin than that poor witch," Adam said, clucking his tongue sympathetically. "And look at that hair. One brush with a torch and she'd be burned to a crisp instantly."

Victor eyed the small witch, his nose wrinkling. She was quite unattractive.

Adam straightened in the doorway.

"Victor, we've got to help that witch. I couldn't sleep knowing I let someone walk around public like that. I think a freebie is in order," the wizard said, straightening his robes and running his hand through his wavy brown hair.

"She does need help, my queen…though I daresay you'll have your work cut out for you. Her blood is so weak, that I'd have to suck on twenty of her to get any nourishment at all," Victor commented as Hermione drew closer.

Adam checked her blood, letting his vampire powers flow over Hermione.

"Merlin's moth-eaten mandrakes! Where the hell has she been? A concentration camp? The poor things been starved," he said, shaking his head. "If you bit her, dust would probably come out. She's dry as toast. Oh Victor…this is a bad case, a bad case."

Hermione and Severus approached the shop and Adam leaped out into their path.

"Hello, my name is Adam and I am the proprietor of Lovebites Beauty Shop. Honey, you need me…and you need me now," he said to the startled Hermione. "You are the worst case I have ever seen. I want to take some before and after photos of you, darling…my clientele would increase dramatically once they got a look at you, girl."

Severus studied the limp-wristed wizard. He was quite pale. Sometime just wasn't right. Then Adam smiled and he saw the sharp eyeteeth.

"You're a vampire," he said to the wizard.

Adam fluttered his eyelashes at him and pursed his lips.

"And you my dear, are absolutely delicious," he replied.

In the window, Victor growled rather audibly. Severus looked up and saw the vampire giving him the evil eye. He looked back at Adam.

"Why are you able to stand out in sunlight?" the Potions Master asked him.

"Don't be silly. All queens can stand in the Glow, tall, pale and yummy," Adam gushed at him.

Severus' face began to contort. An obviously gay vampire queen was flirting with him. Outrageously. Now…how did you kill a vampire again?

Hermione bit back a rare smile at Severus' discomfort, but quickly stepped between him and Adam. The rather rotund little wizard might seem easy to handle, but he was a vampire and no doubt could take down a human quickly.

"I don't really have time to…" Hermione began.

Adam cut her off.

"Sweetie, you need to make time. You need help only Adam Sweetmeats can give you. I won't even charge you," the vampire said, smiling at her. "It's an act of mercy, believe me honey."

Severus scowled at the vampire. Sweetmeats? Good gods.

Then the wizard looked at the images of coiffed witches in the window. They were spinning and making coquettish faces. There were a couple of before and after images as well, and they were quite impressive. Maybe Hermione should take the vampire up on his offer. Severus doubted the flamboyant wizard would bite her. He wouldn't have a shop if he turned his customers after all.

"Hermione, we have all day," Severus said. "You should take him up on his offer."

Hermione tried to stomp on his foot, but the wizard moved it out of the way.

Adam clapped his hands together enthusiastically.

"So we're on then," he said, grasping Hermione by the arm and escorting her into the store.

Hermione looked back at Severus helplessly, her eyes begging for assistance. Severus actually gave her a grin, then stepped into the doorway and watched as Adam settled her into a chair. The vampire then walked around her, his pale hands lifting her hair and exclaiming dismally. She'd be fine.

Suddenly Victor appeared in the doorway, standing back a bit so as not to be in direct sunlight. He glared at Severus, still jealous of Adam's reaction to the pale wizard.

"Come back later, mortal," he said, making the world mortal sound like the word 'pig."

The sentient thrust his hand forward and the shop door slammed loudly in Severus' face. The vampire then gave the wizard a rather toothy grin, his fangs growing dramatically and his eyes flashing redly for a moment before returning to normal. Then he strode over to where Hermione and Adam were talking and folded his arms, listening and nodding his head.

Severus bristled. That was a direct challenge. But hell, he couldn't spend his morning trying to kill aggravating vampires, so he turned and headed for Knockturn Alley to purchase supplies.

Imagine. Vampires in Diagon Alley doing business. Amazing.

If Mr. Sweetmeats could actually make Hermione look halfway decent, that would be doubly amazing.

Severus walked up the next block and turned right into Knockturn Alley. The dark witches and wizards standing about quickly got out of his way. They all knew the Potions Master. He was not a wizard to fuck with.

Severus walked through the tight alley until he came to a small, unassuming little storefront. He opened the door and a gong sounded somewhere in the back. The wizard was immediately hit with the scent of boiled eggs and old cabbage. He breathed the welcome sent of the apocathery shop in appreciatively. This was the place all brewing started.

Like most of the shops in Knockturn alley, the apocathery shop was larger inside than it was outside. Andreas had acquired it from Master Toorahloo right after the final battle, financed by his father. Andreas had paid him back with interest inside of one year.

Master Toorahloo had finally decided to go ahead and move on. The ancient wizard had been using a Philosopher's Stone to prolong his life for ages, and was damned tired. The stone kept one alive, but the body still aged, albeit slowly and would doggedly hold on to life as long as the stone was used despite its ravaged state. The apocathery felt it time to enter the final Mystery, put his affairs in order, went to St. Mungos and departed quietly. He left the stone with Andreas, who didn't use it but kept it safely hidden.

Summoned by the gong, Andreas Mbutu walked out of the back office and around the counter. His dark face lit up the moment he saw Severus, and he hurried forward, his hand extended and a blazing smile upon his face.

"Professor," he said, shaking the wizard's hand. "It is good to see you, sir."

Severus nodded returning the handshake firmly.

"It is good to see you as well, Andreas. I take it business is well?" he asked the wizard.

"Yes sir. I can hardly keep ingredients on the shelves," Andreas replied.

Severus reached into his pocket and produced his list.

"Hopefully you have these on your shelves," he said handing the list to Andreas, who studied it. His eyebrows rose at a couple of the items listed, and he leveled his black eyes on the Potions Master.

"You know Professor, that a couple of these ingredients are forbidden to be sold by the Ministry," the wizard said evenly. "Even if found in your possession you could get six months in Azkaban."

Severus nodded.

"Yes, I am aware of that, Andreas," the wizard replied.

Andreas studied him for a moment. Severus had the distinct impression the wizard wasn't looking at him but inside him. Suddenly a small scowl appeared on Andreas' face…just for a second…then it disappeared and he was smiling again. He handed the list back to Severus.

"I'll see what I can do," he said, picking up a large wicker hand basket and handing it to the Potions Master.

"If I remember correctly, you prefer to select your own ingredients," Andreas said to him.

Severus nodded.

"Well, I will have your special requests ready for you by the time you are finished choosing," the wizard said amicably.

"Thank you, Andreas," the Potions Master replied. He began moving through the shop, examining the boxes of herbs, claws and other potions whatnots. Andreas watched him for a moment, his brows furrowed. Then he walked to the back of his shop and closed the door.

He walked to the back wall and wriggled a finger at it. A small door appeared. The wizard walked through it and turned up the torches. This was where he kept all his less than legal items. He walked to a shelf and shifted through several small blue bottles, selecting one and studying it. He pulled out the cork and sniffed it…nodding. He resealed the bottle and put it in his robes pocket.

"I know this isn't on your list, Professor…but it will help you to do what you must do," the wizard said to himself, shaking his head. "My grandfather always told me the height of a man's curiosity is only dwarfed by the depth of his foolishness. I can only hope you will see light in this matter. I cannot interfere where the gods tread."

Andreas began to gather the items on the Professor's list, shaking his head.

"I sometimes believe women are more of a curse than a blessing," Andreas said, picking up a basilisk claw with long tongs and dropping it into a black velvet bag. Then he smiled.

"But oh, what a wonderful curse they are."

---

Adam was having a hissy fit. Nothing he tried on Hermione was working. He shampooed her dry, brittle hair, applied his very best conditioner, let it sit for more than half an hour, then rinsed it out and dried her stringy locks. Hermione's hair looked exactly the same after the treatment. It was as if her hair was too damaged to absorb the conditioner. Adam decided to work on her skin instead. He exfoliated her face first, then applied a mask. As Hermione reclined in the beauty chair, Adam put Victor to work on her feet.

Victor removed the witch's trainers and stared at her feet.

"Gods, my feet don't look this bad when I transform to my full vampire form," he muttered, looking at the long yellow toenails and hardened calluses on the heel and sides. Transformed vampires had notoriously long and very ugly hard feet.

"Have you ever heard of a pedicure?" Victor asked Hermione, who couldn't answer because Adam had some kind of cut juicy plant resting on her lips. "My Queen, I'm going to need pruning shears and a metal file for these feet."

Tentatively, Victor touched a forefinger to Hermione's heel.

"It's hard as bicorn horn my Queen," he commented.

Adam, who was fidgeting with Hermione's unresponsive hair scowled at Victor.

"Don't be ridiculous, Victor. They couldn't possibly be that…oh my," Adam said, looking at Hermione's ill kept feet. He had never seen such toenails on a human, man or woman.

Adam shook his head and looked at Hermione speculatively. How could a woman let herself go like this? She must have very low self-esteem issues. Well, he had something in the back that could handle those feet. Adam had purchased them on a whim, sure he would never have occasion to use them. It just went to show anything was possible in the world of beauty.

"I'll be right back," Adam said as Victor continued to stare at Hermione's feet.

The vampire thought she had to be the most unappealing female of the human species he had ever seen. Even if he were starving he doubted he would bite her.

Adam disappeared in the back and presently returned with the biggest, hardiest toenail clipper Victor had ever seen. They were made of a magically enhanced iron alloy and had a very heavy spring mechanism. They were the size of Victor's entire hand.

Victor stared at the huge clippers.

"These were made to clip Mountain Troll toenails. Toughest clippers in the magical world," Adam said, handing the heavy instrument to Victor. "Be careful. They'll remove actual toes too, sweetie."

Victor studied the clipper for a moment, then carefully applied it to the toenail on Hermione's big toe. It was curled under, so Victor had to adjust the jaws to get the clippers around it. Then he applied pressure. The powerful jaws snapped and the toenail popped away in a clean cut.

"This will work," he said, rounding off the nail neatly. It looked a hundred percent better, but the toenail itself was still an unhealthy yellow color. Well, they could always cover it up with polish.

Victor finished clipping Hermione's toenails. Now he had to grind down the thick calluses to the skin beneath. He looked up at Adam, who had removed the plant pods from Hermione's lips. They looked full and luscious for all of ten seconds, then deflated to their previously dry condition.

"Damn," Adam said, scowling. "I've never seen anything like this in my life or death."

"I need a pumice stone," Victor said, "Preferably something for trolls."

Adam produced a large pumice stone from his pocket. It was a normal one.

"You're going to have to use your vampire strength, Victor. Maybe if you accelerate while buffing them, it will wear away faster," Adam suggested.

Victor sighed and grasped Hermione's foot by the arch and placed the stone against her heel. He began to buff at an amazing speed, his hand blurring. Powder began falling from the callus.

"It's working," Victor panted.

"I'm glad to see something is," Adam said, starting to remove the mask, scraping at the edges of it, then expertly pulling it from Hermione's face in one piece.

"Ow!" Hermione exclaimed.

"No pain, no gain darling," Adam said stepping back to look at his handiwork. Unbelievably, Hermione's face showed no change.

Adam scowled.

"Honey, what's your name?" he asked her.

"Hermione. Hermione Granger," she replied.

Adam paused, thinking. He had heard that name.

"You're not the Hermione Granger that killed Harry Potter are you?" the vampire asked her excitedly.

Hermione's heart pulsed with pain so powerfully, Adam felt it.

"Uh oh. Sensitivity issues," the vampire thought.

"Yes. I am," Hermione said sadly.

"That was a very brave and generous act, Hermione. You saved him from a lot of suffering," Adam said soothingly. "That crusty snake-bastard Voldemort was a real asshole. And if there's one thing I know…it's assholes."

Adam's asshole comment went right over Hermione's head, she was so self-absorbed.

"But he was my friend. My best friend and I killed him. It's hard to live with," she replied.

Adam patted Hermione's shoulder. Now he understood why she was in such a state. Guilt. It was as if her body wouldn't respond to any pampering because it was so riddled with guilt. Harry's death happened over five years ago. Adam was still human then and remembered reading about it. The poor witch must have been punishing herself for her act ever since.

Adam knew all about guilt. He remembered trying to hide his sexual orientation from his parents and the guilt he felt about it…then the secret trysts with other wizards, quick hard fucks and blowjobs in alleyways and other out of the way places that always left him drained, emotionally damaged and even more filled with guilt. He had tried to suicide twice. It was only after becoming a Queen that Adam embraced who he was.

"I imagine it is very hard to live with, sweetie. But I don't think your friend would like to see you in this condition. He would probably be unhappy to know he was the cause of it. You are the worst case of physical neglect I've ever come across. I simply can't let you out of this shop looking like this. If anyone saw you, I'd lose customers," Adam said thoughtfully.

Suddenly the Vampire Queen's eyes lit up.

"I think I have a solution," he said to Hermione excitedly. "Wait here. Victor…come with me."

Victor obediently rose and followed his Queen a short distance away where Hermione couldn't hear them.

"Victor, this witch requires dramatic measures," he said to his consort.

Victor nodded. He thought it an understatement. Personally, Victor thought the only way to help Hermione was to put her out of her misery.

"I'm going to give her my beauty treatment," Adam said.

Both of Victor's eyebrows disappeared into his hairline.

"Your treatment, my Queen? But…but she's human. You don't know what it will do to her," the consort said, looking back at the witch who was looking at her reflection in the mirror half-heartedly.

She looked horrible. If she brought Harry back like this he probably wouldn't even recognize her at first. She had to get herself up to par. Hermione hadn't been concerned with her appearance in years, and now with Severus making comments and the two vampires talking about her like she wasn't even a person, the witch felt like a leper. She certainly looked like one.

Hermione hoped the vampires could help her a bit, make her look a little better until she got herself together. She would start a regime of self-improvement immediately. She wanted to be restored before she resurrected Harry. She wouldn't start work on the elixir until she was physically ready. Severus would just have to be patient.

"Any side effects would dissipate after a while," Adam said enthusiastically, "She's alive after all. The restorative effects would only be temporary, but they would help immensely. She could come back for treatments when they began to fade. It would certainly shore up her blood."

"But she's human, my Queen. She might balk at the procedure," Victor said.

Adam's eyes glowed red and Victor dropped to his knees immediately.

"There will be no balking," Adam said to his consort, "There is no pain involved. I can't let her leave the shop without some noticeable improvement, Victor. As I said if any customers got wind of it, I would lose some. I will not lose customers."

"Yes, my Queen," Victor said submissively.

Adam's eyes ceased to glow and he looked down at his consort, whose eyes rested on the floor.

"Oh, get up Victor, and go prepare the tub," Adam said. Victor slowly rose, his eyes anxiously resting on Adam's face.

Adam sighed, stood on tiptoe and kissed Victor gently on the mouth.

"I'm not angry at you, sweetness. I just want to help the witch. Go along now," he said, smoothing his hand on the consort's cheek.

Victor bowed.

Yes, my Queen," the vampire said, walking through a door at the back of the shop.

Adam took a deep breath then walked back over to Hermione, whose eyes were very wet. He spun her in the chair so she faced him.

"My dear, we are going to try one more thing. It's a bit different, but I'd bet my tiny right nut that afterwards, you'll feel like a new woman," the vampire said.

"I don't care how different it is. I need to do something, Mr. Sweetmeats," the witch replied.

Adam patted her hand.

"Call me Adam, honey and come with me. We are going to do something drastic and daring. That dreamboat you were with won't know what hit him when he sees you next," Adam assured her.

For the first time in a long time, Hermione smiled. The vampire sounded so sure this would work. She hoped he was right.

Adam helped her from the chair, wrapped her arm in his, and daintily walked her to the back of the store, through the back room and to a wall made of stone. An iron door with a huge pull ring hanging out of the nose of some hideous demonic face was embedded in the wall. It looked quite out of place.

"An add-on," Adam explained.

"Oh," Hermione said, looking at the heavy door.

What was behind it?

"We have to go to the subterranean level for the treatment," Adam said, releasing Hermione and pulling the door open by its ring. It opened on a long winding stone staircase leading down into the darkness. Torches lit the way. Adam took Hermione's arm again.

"This way my dear, and watch out for torches," he said, his blue eyes flicking to her brittle hair.

Hermione nodded, and with lacewing flies fluttering around in her stomach, let Adam lead the way.

---

Andreas was standing behind the counter when Severus approached with two baskets full of ingredients.

"Did you find everything you needed, Professor?" Andreas asked the dark wizard.

Severus nodded.

"Yes I did, and they were all of excellent quality, Andreas," he said, giving a rare compliment.

Andreas set a bag on the counter.

"Your 'other' items," he said, glancing at the door of the shop before pulling out his wand turning the "closed" sign around to face front and setting a ward over it. He didn't want anyone walking in while Severus examined illegal goods.

The Potions Master quickly went through the items, matching them to the list. Everything was there.

"Excellent," he said to Andreas.

"Shall I put this on your account, Professor?" Andreas asked him.

"Yes," the Potions Master replied.

Andreas worked as an assistant in the shop while going to university and knew the Potions Master's preferences. He wrote something down on a slip of parchment, and it winked out. Presently two receipts reappeared from Gringotts. Andreas kept one and gave one to Severus.

"There you go, Professor," Andreas said.

"Thank you Andreas," the Potions Master said, preparing to leave.

"Professor?" Andreas said to him. Severus turned around. "I wonder if I might have a private word with you sir. It is important."

Severus knew Andreas was not the kind of wizard to waste his time. If the young man said he had something important to talk to him about, he did.

Severus walked back to the counter.

"Certainly, Andreas," he replied, looking at the handsome black wizard with curiosity.

"I don't mean to pry sir, but you are aware of my powers. Sometimes they kick in on their own. I know you have something you shouldn't, and are about to do something that maybe should not be done. Maybe. But you have another problem. A woman problem," Andreas said.

Severus nodded.

Andreas took out a small blue bottle and set it on the counter.

"I would like to give you this, Professor. It is Iboga Potion. At full strength my people use this to travel to the Dark Soul of the World to see their connection. It is a very powerful potion. But a lower dose takes a person on an inner journey, one of truth and revelation. It is used in muggle society to help break drug addictions, but as we both know, Professor, there are other addictions that exist. Addictions to self-punishment, guilt and pain," Andreas said carefully.

"In these cases, Professor, it is the person's own mind that causes the addiction. This potion allows one to meet their own mind…the pure untouched whole mind and come to terms with whatever troubles them in a logical way. It is always an enlightening experience. Only when a person comes to terms with their own mind, can they heal, Professor. I want you to take it. It is flavorless and odorless. It can be administered in a drink, and the imbiber will be none the wiser. It will put him or her into a deep sleep, and they will have an inner journey, a dialogue of the mind and awake refreshed, feeling better and thinking clearer than they have in a long, long time. I think you know what to do with it sir," the wizard said, one eyebrow arched.

Severus accepted the bottle.

"I've heard of Iboga," he said turning the bottle in his hand and studying it. Then he looked up at Andreas. "This is extremely expensive. I couldn't possibly…"

"It is a gift, Professor. I will not accept payment from the wizard who put me on my path. Plus you kept the Quidditch tampering incident off my record. If it had been there, it is doubtful I would be in the Ministry today. They would think that my willingness to tamper with a game might indicate my willingness to tamper with Ministry affairs."

Here Andreas' face took on a rather cunning look.

I'm not sure that they would be wrong. Only time will tell. So think of it as a "Thank you" sir," the wizard said. "For helping me get my start."

Severus looked at the young man. He was a Slytherin through and through.

"All right, Andreas…I will. Thank you for this," Severus said sincerely.

He and Andreas shook hands, then the young wizard removed the ward and the Potions Master exited the shop.

"May all that is good in the world follow you, Professor," the wizard breathed after him, his dark eyes sober.

The dark wizard would need all the help he could get.

---

Adam escorted Hermione down the stone stairwell, holding her arm securely. They walked quite a distance, the glistening walls wet with condensation and reflecting the torch light. Finally they left the stairwell and entered a chamber of stone also lit by torches. And in the center of the room was a great stone tub. It was empty and had a sloped back so the person using it could recline comfortably.

The tub itself was rather macabre. Images of demons, kobolds, imps, snakes and other creatures Hermione couldn't identify were carved into every inch of the stone in one horrifying jumble of evilness. At the top of the tub was a stone bust of a beautiful woman wearing a kind of crown. Well, she would have been beautiful if she didn't have long fangs protruding from her open mouth and her face wasn't twisted in rage. A small head pillow rested beneath the bust. An ordinary wooden folding chair sat next to the tub, and a small table on the other side had magazines on it. Closer examination showed they were mostly medical magazines and journals focused on hematology.

Adam patted Hermione's arm.

"I'm a vampire honey…I go for the bizarre. It's just a tub," he assured her. "I won't be dipping you in lasting evil."

Hermione looked at the tub a bit apprehensively anyway. She noticed little spout-like protuberances lining it.

"Now, get undressed," Adam said to the witch in a business-like manner, releasing her arm and stepping back expectantly.

Hermione looked at the vampire with wide eyes.

"In front of you?" she asked him.

Adam sighed exaggeratedly, put his hands on his hips and rolled his blue eyes before resting them on Hermione.

"Honey, trust me…I wouldn't be a Queen if I didn't have the soul of a woman. Plus, even if I did like trim darling, I'd want it in a better package than you. So either way my dear, you're safe," Adam said evenly, pursing his lips.

Self-consciously, Hermione began to slowly unbutton her robes. Adam looked at her impatiently for a moment, tapping his foot. Suddenly he whipped out his wand so quickly his arm blurred from the speed.

"Divesto!" he said.

Hermione shrieked as she found herself naked. Adam shrieked too as he looked at her body.

"Oh Hermione, how do you even live? You have no meat on you at all. Your breasts are deflated, your bones are all jutting out, your skin is so dry its peeling, I can count every one of your ribs and you're so thin, you're skeletal. You have no ass either. You can't be getting any. Even the weakest wizard would break something on you," the vampire said, shaking his head in amazement. "Do you eat at all?"

Hermione tried to cover herself without much success. Adam had really lit into her and it hurt.

"Well I ate just one meal a day until recently. I've started eating better," she said in her own defense.

Adam clucked his tongue.

"Get in the tub, honey and hurry up…we can't waste a minute. You are one sorry mess," the vampire said. But his eyes were sympathetic.

Hermione climbed into the stone tub, and reclined on the slope, resting her head on the pillow.

"Are you comfortable?" Adam asked her.

Actually Hermione was rather comfortable, except the stone was cold. It was quickly warming however. Eerily so.

"Yes, I am," Hermione replied.

"Good," Adam said, flicking his wand toward the witch.

Suddenly what seemed like a thick sheet of glass covered the tub, a semi-circle cut out of it to fit around Hermione's neck. It was lined with what looked like velvet so she wouldn't be injured if she moved her head. The glass locked flush to the top of the stone tub.

"What is this?" Hermione demanded, her hands pressing ineffectively on the bottom of the thick glass.

"That is to keep you in place and so you don't waste any of the beauty solution. It is also a stasis field to keep the solution viable. Victor!"

A small slot in the wall slid back and a pair of blue eyes looked out. The vampire couldn't see into the tub however, and he was relatively thankful for that. Victor definitely didn't want to see Hermione naked.

"Yes my Queen?" he answered Adam.

"You can fill the tub now," Adam said, looking at the tub expectantly.

Victor was in a tiny control room. There was nothing in there but a chair and a lever. Slowly he pushed the lever up and the spouts lining the tub turned on. It began to fill

With blood. Warm, sticky blood, that smelled strongly of rotted fish.

Hermione was horrified and began to struggle.

"What is this? Blood? I don't want to bathe in blood! What is it? Human blood? Blood from innocent virgins?" she demanded.

Adam laughed.

"No honey…it's not human blood. It's Queen blood, from vampire queens. The most powerful blood in existence. It holds life in it and is an excellent restorative. I take a treatment once or twice a week and it keeps me supple and healthy looking. Look at my skin…it's pale but has the look of living, healthy flesh. It will be wonderful for you."

Hermione looked down at the blood. It was up to her navel now.

"How did you get so much of it?" the witch asked him.

A shadow dropped on Adam's face.

"I tracked down and killed rival queens," he said darkly.

When he first turned Queen, Adam was driven to seek out his rivals and destroy them, and accompanied by Victor, he scoured the country in search of them. The wizard knew they were out there, because he could sense them. Vashti lived peacefully when she ruled. The queens had their territories staked out and didn't fight. But Adam was determined to be the only Queen.

Most vampire queens were turned muggles and didn't have magic. Adam did have magic and wasn't afraid to use it. Most of the queens didn't stand a chance against him. First he would weaken them with an extremely bright burst of artificial sunlight from his wand, then attack them. The wizard was much stronger than an actual female queen and he usually killed them easily. He had cleared every hidden clutch in England of queens and saved their blood in a stasis field, which was powerful since it held the true life of the minions. Queens were more alive than dead because of this, which was why they could walk in sunlight. Only their vampiric powers were diminished.

In stasis, the life of the minions could not escape the Queen's blood when they were killed, and Adam was forced to kill all of them. Not because he wanted to, but because they were too savage to keep. Every clutch drank human blood when they could get it, hiding the nature of the attacks by slashing and tearing the bodies apart as if they were attacked by werewolves or other predators. Adam did not want them mixing with his own clutch, and he couldn't leave them Queenless. They would run amok and start the Vampire Hunts again. None of them would have survived if that happened.

Hermione suddenly felt her body totally relax and start to tingle as the warm blood rose higher and higher.

"You're starting to feel it now," Adam said softly, watching the witch's eyes go half-lidded. "It's intoxicating. The power. It consumes you…strengthens you."

Adam's voice faded as Hermione closed her eyes and began to drift in darkness, the lapping of the blood around her body strangely soothing. It was as if it were a living entity, caressing her. She felt she could float like this forever.

Suddenly she was in a huge throne room, looking at hundreds of well-dressed people standing on either side of the room, an aisle with rich carpeting running down the middle. Large chandeliers fitted with thick candles blazed overhead. The throne room was windowless.

"Bring them in," she said.

A guard in full regalia cupped his hand to his mouth.

"Bring them in!" he shouted. Another guard, then another picked up the cry. Then huge floor to ceiling double doors were pulled open and several guards walked in, escorting a group of bound, beaten men. They marched them up to the throne. They pushed one bound man forward so he fell on his knees. He was dark-haired and dark-eyed with a beard. He looked up at Hermione with hatred on his face.

"Not so belligerent now, Hundai," Hermione heard herself say. "Your revolution is failing. Your ragtag soldiers' heads are on pikes outside my gate and their bodies are feeding the wild dogs. You are finished."

"The revolution will never die, Vashti," the man declared. He was kicked in the back by a guard.

"That's Queen Vashti, peon," he growled at the man.

"She is no queen to the people, feeding herself and her court, holding lavish parties and celebrations while we all starve. She is no queen. A queen cares for her people," he said, looking up at Hermione.

"My people? My people! You are not my people. You are all servants meant to serve me and provide tribute to me. I am of the royal line. You and your people are nothing. Nothing, Hundai," Hermione spat.

"You will not be queen for long," the man said. "Someone will end your evil. You are killing women, children…everyone."

"Anyone who is against me shall perish and their families as well. I will allow no enemy or potential enemy to live. Children grow up, Hundai. These will not," Hermione said coldly. She looked at the man consideringly.

"You will not die yet, Hundai. You will be tortured until I can figure out a spectacular way to kill and display you. The same goes for your 'army,'" Hermione said, her dark eyes washing over the ragged crowd of bound men.

"Take them to the dungeons, and don't make it an easy walk," Vashti said. The guard urged the men back down the aisle, striking and kicking them brutally as they did so.

The scene changed. A servant was pouring her a cup of wine into a goblet. She sniffed it.

"A wonderful bouquet. I have not had this wine before. Where does it come from?" she asked the servant.

"It was a gift from the court itself, your majesty," the servant said, bowing.

"Ah, they love me so much," Hermione said.

Next the witch was bending over, throwing up blood.

"Round up the court. Every one of them and all of their families!" she screamed at the guard between heaves.

Next she was nude in front of a fire in some dank stone room. She was doing a ritual and casting what looked like blood into the flames. A circle of blood surrounded the fire. A frightfully large and hideous demon's head appeared in the midst of the flame.

"Why do you call on us Vashti?" the demon asked.

"I have been betrayed and am dying. I am not yet ready to die. I wish for you to save me, Great One," the witch said.

The demon looked at her consideringly.

"And what will you give us?" the demon asked.

"The blood of a thousand. Four hundred court members and their families. This I will give you," Hermione heard herself say. "And I will continue to give you blood of both the guilty and the innocent as long as I live," the Queen said. "Only save me, Great One!"

The demon's eyes swept over her body.

"I want you too, Vashti. You must remove the circle and let me come to you tonight at midnight and have my pleasure. Then will we save you," the demon hissed, his tongue flicking out in a demonic display of lust.

"I do not think I will live that long, Great One. Even now I burn inside with a terrible pain," Hermione gasped.

"We will hold you here, but the pain you must suffer," the demon replied, "then tonight, after I have had you, your life will be renewed. You will have power over the lives of many and all you touch will serve you loyally and only you. Even your enemies. It is a great gift, Vashti."

Hermione bowed.

"Thank you my Lord."

Next Hermione witnessed the disemboweling and crucifixion of a thousand men, women and children. Her entire court. Still alive with their innards hanging out, they were nailed upside down to crosses, and the crosses set in rows along the road leading to her castle, their intestines draped around their bodies like webbing.

That night the demon came to her, its green scaly body possessing not one but two scaly appendenges of great length, surrounded by dull spines. The creature shoved them simultaneously in both the Queen's orifices and took Vashti brutally, slashing her with its claws and biting her flesh until she felt herself dying.

"Now the gift," it hissed, opening its mouth, revealing large fangs and biting her throat.

Nest she was standing whole outside of a door in a dungeon with several guards.

"I will enter alone," she said to them.

The guard protested.

"There are over twenty men in this cell, my Queen. They will kill you," one guard said.

"I am not afraid. Open the door then leave us," Hermione said.

The guards were forced to obey. Dressed in a black cloak Hermione pulled her hood up to hide her face. She walked into the cell.

Twenty men in bad shape sat against the wall. The cell smelled of shit, piss and unwashed bodies. Hermione found it pleasant. She searched the faces of the men until she located Hundai and walked toward him.

"Who are you?" the leader of the rebels croaked up at her.

"Your mistress. I have come to free you," Hermione said lowering her hood.

Immediately all the men rose to their feet, hatred in their eyes.

Hundai looked at her.

"You must have gone mad to come in here without guards, Vashti. Now you will die!"

Hundai charged toward her but suddenly the witch wasn't there. There was a rush of wind then nothing.

Female laughter rose from behind the bewildered men.

"I am here, Hundai. Come get me," Hermione said, leaning against the back wall.

"All of us this time!" Hundai directed.

The men all charged Hermione, but again, there was a rush of wind and she was no longer there but by the dungeon door. She laughed nastily as the men turned.

"You are a witch. You are in league with the evil one!" Hundai cried as the men murmured agreement.

Hermione's eyes glowed red.

Suddenly she was on Hundai, grasping him strongly so he could not move, pushing his head aside so his jugular showed clearly.

"I am in league with evil," she said softly to the struggling man as the others stood unmoving, horrified, "but I am no witch."

Suddenly Hermione transformed into a hideous creature with unbelievably long fangs, an elongated animal-like face, pointed ears and long black nails. The men screamed as she sunk her teeth into Hundai's throat, shaking him like a rat as she drained him, hot blood filling her gullet. She released the man and he fell to the floor.

She spun and hissed at the prisoners before streaking to the next man, repeating the act as the terrified men screamed for help and scrambled away from her. Hundai slowly rose from the floor, his face and body misshapen, long fangs protruding from his mouth, which caused even more hoarse screams of horror. Together they attacked all the men, and one by one the men rose, misshapen and long fanged to attack the survivors until finally all that were left were transformed creatures.

Hermione became human again and approached the creature that used to be Hundai. She caressed its head, and it purred, rolling against her palm, smiling horribly, its bloody fangs protruding.

"Now, you will follow me without question. You will be my army and route out the rebels by night. But you will not kill them…you will turn them until I have a great army of minions. Then I shall rule the world," Hermione said as the creatures stood about her, looking at her with abject adoration. Then Hermione found herself drifting in darkness again, a darkness tinged with red.

Suddenly she was up high, looking down on a cobbled street. A man was passing by. Tall, blonde-haired and handsome. She felt a sense of longing.

Suddenly she was on the ground, behind the man.

"I need your assistance sir," she purred.

The man spun quickly. It was Victor.

The man looked Hermione up and down, and his blue eyes began to glitter.

"How may I help a lady such as you on this cold and lonely night?" he asked her, stepping forward and kissing her hand slowly, lingering over it.

Hermione felt a burst of desire thrum through her.

Next she was in a small room, lying on her back. She was naked, and Victor had just finished undressing. He was a beautiful man with a beautiful erection, long, smooth and thick with a large dark red head. His organ was nestled in a generous tangle of soft blonde pubic hair and stood straight out in rapt attention. Victor's blue eyes locked on the woman before him and he approached the bed.

"I don't know why God saw fit to bless me with you this night, my lady, but I would be mad to spurn what you so freely offer me," he said softly, climbing into the bed and mounting Hermione in the missionary position.

He penetrated her smoothly with one long thrust and pleasure flowed through Hermione as the man began to possess her strongly, gasping with pleasure.

"I have never felt a woman so exquisite," he groaned, increasing his ardor.

"That is because I am not a woman, but a Queen and have chosen you as my consort," Hermione hissed, enjoying the feel of him

Victor stopped thrusting, confusion on his face.

"A Queen?" he repeated, looking down at her.

"Yessss," Hermione replied thrusting her pelvis upward, causing him to fall back to stroking her.

"You are my Queen tonight," Victor groaned, slamming into her roughly now. "Knight me with your blessings."

"You are knighted then," Hermione replied with a moan, tightening around him, using her power.

Suddenly Victor let out a shout and came, his seed pouring into Hermione.

"Yesss," she said, "Yesss."

She pushed the climaxing man's head to the side and gently sunk her teeth into his throat, intensifying his pleasure. It was only a small pain and he never knew he was penetrated. She took only a bit of blood. Just enough to start the Turning.

Victor finished coming, and lay on top of Hermione heavily.

"I must go," Hermione said, gently pushing the panting man off of her.

"Now? Stay, please. I beg you. I have never had a woman so delicious," Victor said to her.

Hermione pulled on her black mesh dress, then her cloak.

"No, I must go," she said softly.

"At least, my Queen…tell your enamored subject your name," he urged, sitting up in the bed. "My name is Victor."

Hermione gave him a slight smile.

"My name Victor, is Vashti. And you will not soon forget me," she said, bending to kiss him lightly then exiting the room.

Next, Hermione was in a crypt alone. Caskets lined the wall, some half opened with the remains hanging out. A new coffin rested on a stone slab in the center of the crypt, and she lay on her back on top of it…waiting.

Suddenly the door was yanked open, and a pale, drawn Victor entered.

"I have found you," he said, his eyes full of lust, "I must have you…always."

Hermione opened her arms and the smitten man climbed on to the coffin with her, working at his trousers desperately.

"And you shall, Victor. You shall," Hermione purred.

Suddenly the witch was drifting again, aware of light against her eyelids, and the feeling of warmth draining from around her body. Her eyelids fluttered, then opened to see Adam standing over her, smiling broadly, his sharp eyeteeth visible.

He tapped the glass covering her with his wand and it disappeared. Then he held out a large white fluffy towel. Hermione climbed out of the tub. She felt wonderful and allowed Adam to dry her as if it were the most natural thing in the world. The towel was covered in blood, and Adam quickly retrieved another, continuing to wipe her down until not a bit of blood was left. Then the vampire said an incantation and cleared the towels of the precious blood, sending it back to the chambers that held it in stasis.

He looked Hermione up and down.

"I tell you, I'm a miracle worker," he said, grinning. "Honey, someone should really build me a shrine for this one. Out of pure gold."

---

"You're still skinny as a broomstick," Adam said critically as they walked up the stone stairs, "But your skin is lovely, pink and soft, your toenails are a healthy color...and that kindling that used to be your hair is gone…it's shiny and curling. The shadows under your eyes have disappeared and your lips are nice and moist. Don't get me wrong, honey, you still have a long way to go, but now you merely look anorexic. A bit like that American muggle actress, Calista Flockart or something."

Hermione hadn't yet seen her transformation, because there were no mirrors downstairs. Vampires had no reflections, so they didn't need them. But the minute she emerged upstairs, she hurried through the back room into the shop to the mirrors used for customers and looked at herself.

Yes, she was still dreadfully skinny, but she looked much, much better than she did. The shadows really were gone, the amber light was back in her eyes, and her skin was a healthy color, soft and smooth. Her chestnut hair was the riot of curls it used to bem though she still had the two gray streaks. The witch wasn't a hundred percent, but she was a damn sight better than she was when she first entered the beauty shop.

"Too bad I don't know any fattening charms," Adam said, startling the witch.

In the mirror she looked like she was alone, but Adam was standing right next to her.

"But most witches want slimming down, not fattening up," the vampire finished, eyeing his handiwork. "Too bad I didn't take a before picture. You would have been the poster witch for miraculous skin recovery."

Hermione turned to Adam.

"While I was soaking…I…I had…well…lucid dreams," Hermione said.

"Being in a throne room, getting poisoned, rammed by a demon with two dongs, turning a bunch of prisoners into minions and shagging Victor?" Adam asked her.

Hermione nodded.

"That was just that bitch Vashti's life and death memories. A side effect…though Victor is quite the little dish," Adam said, giving her a toothy smile. "Did you get a load of his dipping stick? Isn't it just gorgeous? Like someone sculpted it just for me."

Hermione looked at Adam, but didn't answer him concerning Victor's dipping stick. Yet she was very satisfied. She reached into her robes pocket and drew out a small drawstring purse.

"Adam, please let me pay for this treatment. It's wonderful and I think you should be compensated," the witch said, drawing out quite a few galleons. Adam graciously accepted them. Business was business after all.

"Now let's see if your wizard is back. You were under for two hours," Adam said, taking her arm and walking her to the waiting room.

Severus was indeed there, sitting in one of the cushioned chairs, glowering at Victor who was sitting opposite him glowering back. The tension between wizard and vampire was palpable. Severus had asked to see Hermione and was quickly told by Victor she was receiving a specialized beauty treatment and he would have to wait. Severus was in a bad mood. What kind of treatment took so damn long? He didn't want anyone seeing him sitting in a beauty shop. They might think he was a customer.

When Hermione and Adam came out of the beauty area, both Victor and he stood up.

Victor looked at Hermione and stiffened, his blue eyes beginning to glow slightly and his nostrils flaring. Adam took one look at him and scowled blackly.

"Go to the back, Victor…now!" he commanded.

Victor hesitated, then slowly walked past them, his red eyes on Hermione until he passed her and disappeared into the back.

Severus stared at Hermione.

"Circe's squealing pigs," the wizard thought. "The vampire worked a miracle on the witch. She's still skinny but she looks almost like her old self."

Hermione looked after the departing vampire, then at Adam.

"What was that all about?" she asked Adam, who looked a bit taken aback. He hadn't counted on this. He lowered his voice and leaned into the witch conspiratorially.

"Well my dear, it seems you absorbed a bit of Queen pheromones. You are emitting a powerful sexual signature that attracts and controls the male species, human and vampire alike," Adam replied, his eyes glowing a bit…not from attraction but at the thought of all the randy males that would be focused on the witch.

Hermione looked mortified.

"Dear gods. Adam, will that mean men will be all over me? I don't think I could handle that," Hermione said in a low voice so Severus wouldn't hear, her amber eyes worried.

Adam laughed.

"Oh no my dear. For all intents and purposes you are a Queen, albeit it's false advertising. You won't be attacked by any male. You will however make men randy for you, but they will not approach you directly. The pheromones make them relatively submissive. Your power makes them want to please you so you will invite them to have sex with you," Adam said, looking her over. "They will not ask you for sex."

"But if I were you sweetie, I wouldn't think about inviting anyone right now. You need to invite some food into your bloodstream. A lot of green vegetables for iron and red meat for protein. You have to put some meat on those bones before you put some meat in those bones…if you know what I mean…"

Hermione flushed. Sex was the last thing on her mind.

"Some men can handle the attraction better than others," Adam continued, "Depending on how strong-willed they are. Now, I don't know how long the influence is going to last. Maybe a day, maybe a month…but it will wear off eventually."

Hermione looked over at Severus, who was staring at her.

"What about him?" she asked Adam who looked over at the Potions Master. "He is staying with me."

"Who? Tall, pale and delicious? He'll either be very solicitous, anxious to fulfill your every whim, or if he is strong-willed, he will act very sullen and disturbed by your presence. Some men hate to be controlled so when they feel your pull, they will rebel and become surly because they are so attracted."

Hermione looked at the Potions Master. So he would either be solicitous or snarky. Hell, he was like that anyway. Adam looked at Severus thoughtfully.

"I think he will fight it. He is very dominant. Shit, he could dominate me any night. Beat me meatily, Mr.Yum Yum," Adam sighed. The Queen had Victor, but he still had a bit of slut in him.

Severus looked at the vampire uncomfortably as if sensing something very, very wrong. Hermione's influence had not yet hit him.

Hermione sighed.

"Well, I have equipment to buy Adam, so I'd better get going," she said, feeling queasy about Severus possibly becoming sexually attracted to her. But there was no helping it. Anyway, if he did get randy, it would be his own fault. He was the one who encouraged her to take Adam up on his offer to fix her up.

"He looks like he has adequate equipment," Adam quipped, his blue eyes washing over the Potions Master. The vampire pursed his lips at Severus, who frowned darkly. "Lave me in the lab, Sugarhips," the queen mouthed at him.

Good thing Severus couldn't read lips.

Hermione shook her head. Adam Sweetmeats was something else.

The witch remembered she wanted to pick up some toiletry items, and Adam happily sold her soaps, lotions, shampoos and conditioners as well as some facial and body scrubs guaranteed to make her feel beautiful. He put the items in a pretty little gift bag and reduced it. Hermione placed the tiny bag of goods in her robes pocket. She caught hold of the vampire's hand, noticing for the first time how cool it was.

"Thank you Adam," Hermione said, shaking it firmly.

The vampire slid his hand out of her grasp.

"Kisses," Adam replied, almost bringing his lips to both of Hermione's cheeks as if kissing her. "Now, if the treatment starts wearing off, come back for another. I'll keep a standing appointment for you."

Hermione thanked the vampire again and walked into the waiting room area.

"I'm ready," she said to Severus who looked her over.

The hollows under her eyes were gone and her skin was a healthy pink, smooth and soft looking. Her lips were fuller, reminiscent of the small full mouth he remembered. And her hair was as curling and untamed as it used to be. She was still horribly skinny though. Eating would help that.

"You look a thousand times better. That vampire deserves a shrine for this transformation," the Potions Master said.

"I think he'd consider a tumble with you a better reward," Hermione said, exiting the shop.

Severus looked over at Adam, who twiddled his fingers at him in lieu of a wave and sent a juicy kiss in the wizard's direction. Severus eyed the vampire queen murderously and stalked from the shop. He had nothing against gays or vampires as long as they stayed away from him. Adam was a disturbing combination of the two and literally made the hair on the back of the Potions Master's neck stand up.

He quickly caught up to Hermione, who was steadily walking toward the equipment shop. Wizards were slowing down as she approached, and looking after her when she passed. Severus noticed this, and it made him a little angry. What the hell were they looking at?

They turned into 'Humperdink's Lab Supply' and Hermione began browsing immediately. The young clerk behind the counter took one look at the skinny witch and nearly leapt over it, hurrying to be of assistance. Any assistance at all.

"Good morning, Miss. My name is Alan and I work here. Can I help you with anything?" the young wizard asked, his eyes rather glazed and hot as he looked at the petite witch, who had a piece of parchment and a muggle pen in her hand.

Hermione looked up at him.

"Hello Alan. No I don't need any assistance right now. I am making a list of what I wish to purchase and will give it to you when I'm done. You can have the items delivered to my manor," she said.

"Yes Miss," Alan said, still following her.

Severus, who was following Hermione about discreetly, frowned at the green-eyed brown-haired clerk. He strode up to the young man, scowling fiercely as he looked down on him.

"The witch said she needed no assistance. Do I need to draw you a map back to your counter? If I do, it will be drawn in blood. Yours," the Potions Master said through clenched teeth.

The clerk blanched and hurried back to his counter. Severus snorted, then began to follow Hermione again at a discreet distance, watching her check out item after item, writing down which she wanted. Occasionally male customers would saunter over, trying to engage her in unwanted conversation. Hermione would politely turn them away, and they would hover until Severus stalked up to them and said a few words. They left quickly after that.

Presently Hermione walked up to the counter, followed by a silent, glowering Severus. The clerk looked at the Potions Master as he nervously took the list out of Hermione's hand gingerly, not wanting to touch her in case the wizard behind her launched himself over the counter and beat him to death.

"My account number and address are on there too. Have the items delivered tomorrow. My gate will be open," Hermione said.

Severus looked at her. She was taking down the wards? Now this was progress.

"Yes Miss," the clerk said, looking at the witch dreamily a moment until Severus cleared his throat pointedly.

"Tally that up," he growled at the clerk.

Hermione spun.

"Why Severus?" she asked him.

"I want to pay for it. You are furnishing your lab because of me," he said to her.

"No. I will probably use it later on for myself," Hermione replied. "So I will pay for the equipment."

Severus looked at her blackly.

"I said I will pay for it Severus. Now stop it!" she seethed at him.

Suddenly the Potions Master felt the need to appease her. So he listened and backed down.

"All right," he said quietly, his black eyes resting on her.

Hermione stared at him. Severus Snape backing down so easily? What the hell was going on?

The Potions Master was wondering the same thing. He should have at least paid for half of the equipment. It didn't matter. He would simply send the shop payment later and have half of the money redeposited in Hermione's account without her knowledge. He didn't think the witch kept up on her spending, feeling as she did about the money Harry left her.

Hermione concluded the transaction, turned to Severus and said, "I'm exhausted. I want to go back to the manor. Did you get everything you needed?" she asked the wizard.

"Yes," he replied.

"Well, you don't have to leave now because I am," she said, walking out of the shop, Severus close behind her now.

"I am returning with you," he declared, his dark eyes locked to hers.

Hermione shrugged and turned in the direction of the closest apparation point. Severus followed, glaring at all the wizards slowing and turning as Hermione passed them. He felt like breaking some heads. This was strange. Why was he feeling so possessive about the witch? Yes, she looked better…but that was no reason to act this way. Physically, she was still too thin to shag, even if he wanted to shag her.

With a little start, he realized he did want to take her and would if she asked him too. This morning she could have sprawled naked in his bed with her little chicken-legs gapped and begged him until she was blue in the face and he still wouldn't have touched her. What had changed? There had to be magic working here.

"Hermione, just what did that vampire do to you in that shop?" he asked the witch. "Is there a spell on you?"

Hermione looked up at him.

"No, not a spell. More like an influence. I have Vampire Queen pheromones," she said.

Severus processed this as they arrived at the apparation point.

"What do these pheromones do exactly?" the Potions Master said.

Hermione turned to face him, and the wizard felt a pulse beneath his robes. Desire.

"Well according to Adam, they turn men on," Hermione replied, disapparating.

Severus' eyebrows went up.

"Shit," he thought, disapparating after her.

This couldn't be good.

---

Hermione appeared with a crack of thunder in front of her gate, followed closely by Severus. The wizard watched as the witch did an intricate wand pattern and removed the wards from around the manor. His hand bumped against his pocket, and he felt the bottle of Iboga Potion that Andreas had so thoughtfully given him. He was indeed a very special wizard.

Hermione entered the gate and as Severus followed her, he thought about the developments that had occurred with the witch since he had arrived. She was eating now, and she had received treatment for her dour appearance. But it wasn't enough. Physical restoration was fine…it made her easier on the eyes, yet Hermione Granger needed healing on the inside. No matter how good she looked, she would always be a damaged witch until she came to terms with her role in Harry Potter's death.

Severus knew from personal experience that healing could only come from within. No one could cure the witch, but the witch. Left to her own devices, she wouldn't do it. She was too steeped in guilt, too self-absorbed in her misery. The Potions Master remembered when he reveled in his own misery. It was his protection, his reason, his excuse not to live life to the fullest in his situation. It was the same with Hermione.

He felt the bottle again. Andreas had given it to him because of "woman problems" which meant he intended for the Potions Master to give it to Hermione so she could be cured of her self-hatred. Then, despite her appearance…she would truly be whole.

Hermione was at the door to the manor now and opened it, Ying and Yang running out and disappearing around the corner of the house without so much as a meow of "hello." Hermione looked after them for a moment, then entered the house. Severus followed her.

Once inside Hermione turned to him.

"I'm going to go to my room and take a nap, Severus…I'm very tired," she said.

Severus nodded. He felt a very strong attraction to the witch, but knew it was the Queen influence pulling at his libido and not the witch herself…so he fought it.

"I'm going to put my supplies in the lab, then I think I'll have a swim," he replied.

Hermione's eyebrows rose.

"A swim? Where?" she asked him, frowning slightly.

"In the pool room," the wizard answered her.

"But that room is completely covered in dust and cobwebs," she said, "The pool must be rancid."

Severus shook his head.

"Apparently it has a self-cleaning charm on it. The water was absolutely pristine. As for the dust and cobwebs, I cleaned them. The area is quite nice now," he said.

Hermione looked at Severus. So he had taken over another part of the manor. She was about to take the wizard to task about opening the room without her permission, but then thought it might be beneficial for her too. She needed to exercise and in her condition almost everything would put a strain on her body. Swimming would be a good way to get a workout without too much effort at first.

"Fine," she said, walking toward the staircase.

"Do you want me to make spaghetti for your dinner?" Severus asked her as she started up the stairs.

"No. I'll have whatever you're having," she replied not looking back. "It doesn't make sense for you to make two separate meals."

The Potions Master smirked.

"Particularly since my meal will be infinitely better than yours would be," he responded as she stepped on to the second floor landing. Hermione scowled down at him.

"Whatever," she said, disappearing down the hall.

Severus shook his head. Hermione was something else. She would not admit she needed or wanted to eat better, but simply latched on to his cooking basically by saying it was a logical thing to do. Well, she had quite a hearty appetite now. She was going to have to kick in some galleons for victuals soon.

He walked into the kitchen and pulled a small brown bag out of his pocket and set it on the counter. He enlarged it and took off the cooling charm cast on it. He reached into the bag and pulled out a white package taped closed. It was two pounds of cleaned, peeled shrimp. He also removed a pound of fresh butter, 3 bulbs of garlic, a bundle of green onions, several lemons, a bottle of white wine and some fresh parsley. He planned to really whet the witch's palette tonight. He was going to make an early supper since they didn't have lunch, a favorite of Hermione's. Shrimp scampi.

The wizard put everything into the far cooler and threw the bag away.

He then went down to the lab, opened the potions stores and put away his ingredients, carefully disillusioning the illegal items and applying stasis spells to keep everything fresh. That done, he headed for the pool area.

As he was swimming, the wizard decided that he should give Hermione the Iboga Potion immediately. It made no sense to wait. If she could come to terms with what happened with Harry sooner, it would make life easier for both of them. Severus really didn't want her to work on the elixir in her current state of mind. She could become distracted. He wasn't sure if her thought processes were up to par and didn't need her drifting off in the middle of breaking down a component. Yes, it would be better to let her meet her demons first. But how to give it to her?

Andreas said she would fall into a deep sleep, but he didn't say if it would be immediate or gradual. So he couldn't give it to her at dinner, because Hermione would know something was wrong if she fell asleep over her scampi. It would have to be later tonight, before she went to bed Severus wished he had thought to ask Andreas more about the potion, but he had been so moved at the young wizard's generosity that he didn't think of it then.

Severus backstroked around the pool leisurely, now thinking about the change in Hermione's appearance. Her hair was restored to its curly, untamed glory. Gods, he remembered burying his nose in it after sex and just breathing in the scent of jasmine as Hermione quaked against his body, winding down from her climax. Severus felt a pulse in his loins as he thought of how he used her hair like reins to hold her upright when taking her from the back, and how he gripped it in both his fists, guiding her over him when she blew him. Hermione used to love that kind of rough treatment. He could really let loose on the little witch and received no complaints. She brought him so much satisfaction then.

The wizard groaned. He had a raging erection as he floated on his back in the cool water.

"Damn it. Why did I even think of her that way?" Severus hissed, turning over in the water and swimming strongly, hoping the activity would stem the blood ballooning his organ. It took some time for him to go down, helped along by the wizard thinking of Albus and Minerva rolling like battling trolls beneath the bed sheets as he used to do when he needed to cool down sexually.

Minerva was gone now...but still...

Brrrrr.

---

Hermione descended the stairs and walked to the front door to let her yowling familiars in. Once again, Ying and Yang ignored her, running past and toward the kitchen.

The witch was sleepy eyed and had tangled bed hair…but she could detect a scent in the air that made her mouth water. No…he couldn't have…

She hurried toward the kitchen, once again meeting the cats who couldn't get in. The aroma was to die for. She pushed open the kitchen door.

"Is that shrimp scampi, Severus?" she breathed.

The wizard was plating spaghetti and Hermione's heart dropped. He didn't make that for her did he?

Severus looked up at her for a moment, then topped the spaghetti with shrimp scampi.

"Oh my gods," Hermione said, drifting over to the table and sitting down without even realizing it.

Severus added a generous slice of toasted garlic bread to each of the plates and brought them to the table, setting Hermione's plate in front of her, and his own directly across from the witch. He then retrieved two small bowls of salad and two wine glasses.

He also set these on the table, then picked up the bottle of white wine he had used in the scampi and poured Hermione and himself a glass. He retrieved a stack of paper napkins and put them on the table in easy reach, then sat down. He looked at Hermione. Her eyes were glowing as she looked at her plate. Then her amber eyes shifted up to look at him. They were beautiful again. There was life in them.

"Thank you, Severus. This is my favorite," she breathed. Then she picked up her fork and tucked in.

Severus felt a warm glow at the witch's thankfulness, as well as a pulse in his loins. He knew he was reacting to the Queen influence. She was pleased with him, and his body took that as a signal that she might invite him to have sex with her. But of course, Hermione wouldn't. Still, that didn't stop the reaction. Severus focused on eating his food and eventually the glow and hope faded. He gave Ying and Yang each a shrimp as they yowled up at him. He looked up at Hermione.

"So tell me, exactly what did your beauty treatment consist of?" Severus asked the witch as he twirled some spaghetti on to his fork.

Hermione finished chewing.

I don't think you want to know that Severus," she replied, "It's a bit bizarre."

"After getting a gander at that vampire, I don't doubt that," the wizard said, "Bizarre is probably his middle name. But tell me anyway. I'm curious."

Hermione ate a succulent shrimp, a look of pure bliss on her face as she chewed. The Potions Master's eyes narrowed slightly. She still didn't look quite herself, but that expression of bliss…he knew, and knew well. He had often been the cause of it.

Hermione swallowed, took a sip of wine and looked at him consideringly as if trying to decide whether to tell him or not. Finally she spoke.

"All right, if you really want to know, he took me downstairs into what looked like a crypt, sealed me in a stone tub decorated with demons and filled it with Queen vampire blood. I soaked in it for two hours. There. Now you know."

Severus arched an eyebrow at her.

"Was it hot blood? Or cold?" he asked her curiously.

"Soothingly warm. It stunk to high heaven though. Smelled like rotted fish though the odor didn't cling to me," she replied, "And I had the strangest dreams, bloody, terrible dreams…the memories of one of the queens. I believe Adam said her name was Vashti."

"Vashti. Hmm. I wonder how he got so much Queen blood?" Severus said.

"He tracked them down and killed them. They were rivals. I guess they are a lot like bees where there can only be one Queen. At least when Adam took over," Hermione said, shuddering a little. Ying and Yang moved next to Hermione's chair, yowling expectantly. But they were wasting their time.

Severus was surprised that the effeminate vampire was such a killer. He seemed, well, soft for a vampire. Obviously he had underestimated Adam. Queen vampires were fierce. Adam probably had an advantage because he had the strength of a male. But the vampire must have really been a woman on the inside, otherwise he couldn't have become a queen. What an error of nature to put a woman in a man's body. Severus imagined Adam had it hard when he was alive. He was probably better off a Queen.

Severus looked at Hermione.

"Aren't you a bit squeamish for bloodbaths?" he asked her.

"Being squeamish didn't help. I was already sealed inside the tub when they began to fill it. Adam made no mention of the treatment consisting of soaking in blood. He later informed me it was the same treatment he used," the witch replied.

"Looks like he could use a few more dips to me," the Potions Master replied, his face contorting at the memory of the chubby vampire blowing him kisses, "better yet, add his own blood to that solution."

Hermione scowled at him.

"Severus, don't say that. Adam helped me," she said, scolding the wizard. "He's wonderful."

"To you maybe. He makes my balls draw up," the wizard snarked. "And not in a good way."

Hermione covered her mouth with her hand, so Severus wouldn't see her grin. She had smiled and grinned more in the past two days than in the past three years. Ying and Yang both had disgusted looks on their feline faces as they looked up at their selfish, greedy mistress. She ignored their yowling completely. They both moved back to Severus.

Hermione finished her food, looked up at Severus tentatively and asked, "Is there any more?"

Severus nodded and rose to take her plate.

"I'll get it, Severus. I can serve myself," she said.

The wizard sat back down and watched as Hermione took the rest of the spaghetti and scampi. He sighed. He'd have to start cooking larger portions if he was going to ever get a full meal around here. Ying and Yang looked completely out of sorts as the witch sat back down and started eating again.

Severus finished his food, cleared his area, and retrieved two slices of strawberry chocolate cheesecake and two glasses of milk from the cooler. He sat a slice of cake and a glass of milk down in front of Hermione.

"I don't know if you'll have room for…" he began as he sat down with his own dessert. He stopped talking as Hermione greedily slid the cheesecake and milk next to her almost empty plate.

Obviously she did have room for it. She even finished her cake and milk before he did.

"Oh I'm so stuffed," the witch said, falling back against the chair, sated.

"You keep eating like that, you'll go from skeletal to obese in a matter of months," Severus said to her. But his eyes were twinkling.

"I'll even out," Hermione replied, clearing her area and washing her dishes. She let out a comfortable sigh.

"I'm going to the study to read. Thank you for the wonderful meal, Severus," she said, exiting the kitchen.

The wizard looked after her, Ying and Yang still yowling at his feet. He scowled down at the cats.

"Your mistress ate the rest of the shrimp. I suspect you two understand me, so again I tell you…cat food," the wizard said to the twin Siamese.

Severus received a repeat performance of the day before, a dual presentation of departing furry cat butts.

He shook his head and cleared the table, washing the dishes and the cooking utensils. He dried and put them away. He picked up the bottle of wine, then looked at it speculatively. A slow wicked grin crossed his face.

---

At about eight thirty, Severus appeared in the study with the remaining wine and two glasses, one already filled. Hermione was still reading, but let out a huge yawn. She couldn't remember the last time she felt so…relaxed. There had always been a sense of tightness in her head, no matter what she did. Now, although a bit of tightness remained she felt much better.

Severus walked up to her solicitously. His glass of wine was already full and there was about a glass left in the bottle.

"I thought you might like a nightcap," Severus said, sitting down in the chair next to her and setting the empty glass and bottle of wine next to her. "There's only a glass left."

Hermione's eyes drifted over the wine…it was pretty tasty.

"All right," she said, pouring the wine into her glass. She sniffed the bouquet, then drank the glass straight down, Severus watching her closely.

Hermione smacked her lips.

"That is so good," she said.

Suddenly her eyes crossed and she fell back in the armchair, out cold.

Severus blinked at her.

"Hermione?" he said, waving one pale hand in front of her face. She was out like a torch.

Severus was glad he didn't give Hermione the Iboga Potion at dinner. She would have ended up face first in the scampi.

"Sleep tight, witch," he said to her, settling back in the chair to keep watch over her. "Hopefully when you wake, all will be right with the world."

---

Severus sat beside Hermione, his dark eyes resting on her. She was breathing shallowly. Suddenly there was a combined yowl at his feet, and he looked down to see Ying and Yang looking up at him, their eyes narrowed and tails lashing. Both cats looked at Hermione then back at him accusingly.

"What's wrong with you two?" he asked the cats, both of who hissed at the startled wizard.

Then they both leapt up into Hermione's armchair, one settling on the right arm and the other on the left arm. The familiars laid down, front paws extended and haunches curled like little sphinxes. Both closed their blue eyes and began to purr softly and rhythmically. Presently they rested their heads on their paws simultaneously and the purring stopped. They appeared to be asleep.

Severus stared at the sleeping familiars. This was strange behavior. The cats acted like they knew he had done something to Hermione and weren't pleased about it. And the way they took up spots on either side of the witch and fell asleep made him think there really was more to the cats than he thought.

He sat there, now watching all three sleep, wondering what was going on in the land of their dreams.

---

Hermione blinked and looked around. She was on a kind of forest plain. Everything was gray and lifeless. The trees, the bushes, the grasses and even the flowers, whose petaled heads were drooping and colorless. Above her the sky was a uniform gray and a cold wind blew across the landscape, chilling her to her bones. She was dressed in her robes and clutched them around her. She noticed her hands.

They were no longer covered in healthy pink skin, but dry, knobby and flaky. The witch quickly felt her hair. It was dry and brittle again. It was as if she had never received Adam's miraculous treatment. This was the most lucid dream that she could remember, not including Vashti's. This was all Hermione. She could smell decay in the air…not animal decay per se, but a sweet cloying odor, like grass decomposing.

"Where am I? What is this supposed to be?" she asked herself, turning and looking over the plain.

She heard a familiar sound under the increasing wind and spun in its direction. The sound was growing louder. Suddenly, from over a rise appeared Ying and Yang, yowling and running toward her at full cat speed, their tails streaming behind them.

"My cats are in my dream too?" she thought, watching the animals approach.

They reached her and twined lovingly around her legs, mewling and yowling. Hermione bent and petted each of them. She could feel them, soft and warm, purring under her hand. Then they both stopped and stood in front of her.

"Enough of this. We must go," Yang said to her in a soft commanding male voice. He had an oriental accent.

Hermione stared at him, shocked.

"Yang, did you just speak to me?" she asked the familiar.

"Yes he did, and he is right. We must go," Ying said in a soft, lilting female voice, also with an oriental inflection.

Ah, this was a dream. Talking familiars weren't abnormal in a dream.

"No, we can talk outside of the dream. We just haven't because you weren't interested in anything but being miserable. Do you have any idea what it is like to talk to someone miserable all the time? It's emotionally draining," Yang said to her, licking his paw for a moment.

"Yes. We thought it better not to talk at all than to listen to you whining to us about how bad you are," Ying said. "But now you are on an important journey and need guides and protectors. So here we are with you. Now follow us."

The two cats took off walking in front of Hermione, their tails in the air.

Hermione blinked after them, then followed. Her familiars could talk? No. This had to be part of the dream. They walked for over a mile.

"Where are we going?" Hermione asked.

"You'll see," Yang said.

"There!" Ying cried, running ahead. Yang followed her.

Hermione looked. There was a fallen log and someone in white robes was sitting on it…apparently reading a book. She began to walk toward the person…but she didn't seem to be getting any closer. The log remained distant though the cats had reached it and hopped up on opposite ends of the log. They were sitting next to the person, who didn't look up.

"Don't walk towards her, walk towards me," Yang called to Hermione.

Her?

Hermione changed her focus and walked toward Yang. Now she was making progress. As she got closer, she realized the person sitting on the log was wearing a long lab coat and not robes.

As she drew closer, the person looked up. Hermione gasped.

She was looking at herself. The healthy, competent version. Herself, when she was happy.

"Who are you supposed to be?" mind-Hermione asked the witch, closing her book and setting it down on the log. She was scowling.

"I…I guess I'm you…or you're me," Hermione replied.

"What? You certainly aren't me! Gods, I would never let myself get in such a state. You are hideous!" mindHermione said, looking at Hermione blackly.

"I am you…me. I've just been…well…sick," Hermione said rather lamely.

"Sick! What do you have?" mind-Hermione demanded, "I'm a Potions Mistress. I can cure myself of almost anything once I know what it is."

"Well, it's not really a physical illness. More like a mental one," Hermione said.

Mind-Hermione gasped.

"My mind? My beautiful mind is sick? How the hell did you let that happen? My mind is too logical to get 'sick.'"

"Well, I had to kill Harry Potter, and I can't come to terms with it," Hermione said, sitting down on the log now, her eyes glistening.

Mind-Hermione looked at her intently for a moment as if reading her like a book. Ying and Yang sat silently on opposite ends of the log, listening and twitching their tails. Tears ran down Hermione's face.

Mind-Hermione put her hands on her hips.

"You are a blooming idiot. Stop that infernal crying. I can't believe you let yourself go like this and stopped working because you helped stop a friend from suffering and exploding into bloody bits! Harry was going to die anyway you silly chit. You only made it easier to go," she said, frowning at Hermione. "Would you rather he suffered?"

"No," Hermione sniffed.

"And you stopped your research. You know you have the most brilliant mind in the Potions field. You are denying the wizarding world great discoveries because you are too stupid to get on with your life the way Harry would have wanted you to. And you got rid of Severus?" mind -Hermione asked, horrified.

"Severus was perfect for you! He's intelligent, brilliant, a Master of Potions, plus he cooks, cleans and gave you multiple orgasms. You loved him! Why did you do that?" mind-Hermione demanded.

"I…I just didn't want him anymore," she said softly.

"No…you wanted someone else to feel pain like you were feeling. That's why you did it. You closed him out when you were the first witch he ever opened up to. You are a horrible little bitch," mind-Hermione seethed at her.

Hermione stared at her own scowling image.

"Why are you saying these terrible things to me? You're me. You should sympathize," Hermione said, her mouth turned down.

"I'm saying these things because I am you…the real, sensible, life-loving, logical you. You've been unbelievably stupid and no one's going to tell you these things because they are afraid of hurting you. Well, I'm not. Look at yourself. You've done more damage to yourself than anyone. I don't feel sorry for you. Why should I? You survived the final battle, you have a promising life ahead of you. Severus is back. I feel like kicking you in the ass several times!"

Mind-Hermione drew in great gulping breaths to calm herself and probably to keep from leaping on Hermione and doing just that.

She then said in a calmer voice, "Sympathize with you? Why in the world would I sympathize with anyone who throws her life away for no logical reason? Locking yourself away in your manor, half eating, letting your body go, turning away those that love you. It is all one big extended hissy fit. Get over yourself, Hermione! Everyone has to deal with situations they don't like," mind-Hermione said, her fists clenched at her sides.

"Harry would yell at you if he saw what you've become. Dried up. Lifeless. Without purpose. Do you think your wasting your life would please him? It wouldn't. It would hurt him because he would feel responsible," mind-Hermione said.

"No…no…none of this is Harry's fault," Hermione exclaimed.

"Yes it is. It's his fault that he let Voldemort cast the spell on him and put you in the situation where you had to put him out of his misery," mind-Hermione said cruelly. "Not only did he leave you…he made you help him leave. You hate Harry for that…don't you?"

"No!" Hermione said vehemently.

"If it wasn't for Harry dying, you'd still be with Severus, still be researching and brewing, you'd still be a happy witch. He ruined all that for you. It's his fault you're like this! Harry took all your joy away! He was your friend and by selfishly dying he took all your joy with him. He should have tried harder to live. He should have fought better. Admit you hate him, Hermione," mind-Hermione said in a low, tempting voice.

"I don't hate him. I don't hate him," Hermione said, clutching herself with her arms and rocking against the very idea.

"Yes you do. And you know its wrong to hate him because he couldn't help what happened, he couldn't help that you were the only one there to help him…but you still do," mind-Hermione said darkly.

"No…no. I hate the situation he put me in, but I don't hate him. I love Harry. I'll always love him," Hermione said, still rocking.

"Then at least admit that hatred. It is eating you up inside…it is the source of all your pain, Hermione. Let it out and be who you are. Harry would want you to live. If you love him as much as you claim to…then live for him and for yourself! As long as you keep him in your heart…he isn't dead. He's a part of you…a part of your life. Don't live it like you're dead…you're not. It's time to get on with living. It's time to stop being a damn fool and appreciate those who remain that love you and still have feelings for you," mind Hermione said to her urgently.

Hermione stared at the image of herself for a moment, then drew in a deep breath…and finally let it out.

"All right. I hate that he made me do that! I hate he died! And I hate what I've done to myself. I Hate it! Hate it! Hate it!" Hermione screamed, falling to her knees and beating the ground with her fists, enraged.

Mind-Hermione nodded and looked around the plain. It was changing, becoming green, life flowing across it in a line, overrunning the trees, bushes and grasses, foliage appearing, the flowers lifting their blooms full of color, the sky turning a vivid blue and the sun appearing, warming everything, the cold wind disappearing.

Still on the ground, Hermione looked up and saw all the beauty surrounding her. Then she looked at her hands. They were pink and not knobby. She touched her face it was soft, her lips moist. She stood up and touched her hair. It was curling, soft and smelled of jasmine. She looked down at her body. She was dressed in a white lab coat, and all her curves had returned. She looked at mind-Hermione.

"Now…you're me," she said, stepping into the witch and melding with her.

Hermione was left alone on the forest plain, Ying and Yang looking at her with cocked heads.

"You are very pretty," Yang said, hopping off the log.

"Yes, Mistress. You look much better here. Too bad you can't go back like this," Ying said, rubbing against her leg sympathetically.

Hermione continued to look at herself, moving her lab coat aside.

"I want this again," she said. Her mind felt clear and strong. Now she could voice the truth of what happened.

"I helped Harry. I didn't destroy him. I just missed him and was angry about him dying. But it wasn't my fault. I just helped him along. He needed a friend that day to make it easier," she said softly. "At least he didn't go alone, and knew that I loved him."

Both cats nodded.

"Yessss," they hissed at her.

"But still, there is a chance I can bring him back. Not to ease my own guilt, but because he was just too good to die. He spent his whole life locked down because of Voldemort. If I bring him back, he'll have the chance to live the kind of life he always dreamed of. I'm still going to try," Hermione said.

Then she thought of Severus.

"I turned him away out of anger. I lashed out at him and took away his happiness because my own was gone. How selfish was that? He was good to me, and gods knows I loved him. Every snarky part of him. How could I do that? I was punishing myself…yes…but I punished him too and he didn't deserve that. Especially after he opened his heart to me. I have to apologize to him, tell him I'm sorry. So, so sorry."

"Yessss," the cats both agreed.

"And then he can cook you a lovely supper which we will share in," Yang added.

Hermione looked at the two cats.

"You are both going to have to start eating cat food again," she said to the cats, who both walked away from her stiffly, presenting their butts.

"We're going back now," Ying said, her voice a little irritated. "We will see you at the manor, Mistress."

Then both familiars sprinted away over the next rise and disappeared.

Hermione stood there a moment, then looked at the log. The book mind-Hermione was reading was still there. The witch picked it up and read the title.

"Healing Oneself with Tough Love by Filay A. Heart."

Hermione smiled, sat down and started reading.

---

Severus sat back resting his eyes when the cats woke up with a yowl, both of them looking at him with a rather satisfied stare. They hopped of the arms of the chair and each rubbed against his lower robes. Obviously he had been forgiven.

Hermione began to stir.

Severus did his best to appear relaxed and dozing, closing his eyes and slowing his breathing. It would be better if Hermione thought they had both fell asleep.

Hermione opened her eyes and sat up, blinking. Wow, that had been some enlightening dream. She looked over at Severus, who appeared to be asleep. She reached out her hand and shook his shoulder gently.

"Severus…Severus, wake up," she said softly.

Severus made a great show of waking up, twisting and turning before opening his eyes. He blinked at Hermione as if trying to get his bearings.

"I must have dozed off after the wine," he said, yawning for effect.

"It seems we both did," Hermione replied.

Severus looked at her closely. There was something different, softer about her. She looked up at the urn holding Harry's remain and gave a soft smile. It was the first true smile Severus had seen from the witch. She turned her head towards him.

"I was going to wait until I was physically better to start researching the elixir, Severus. But I've decided to go ahead and start working the day after tomorrow. I want Harry to have the chance at life he never had. I want to see him finally be happy," she said quietly, looking back toward the urn.

"And to ease your guilt at ending his pain?" Severus asked her.

"No," she said, standing up. "I did what I needed to do for Harry. I was his friend until the very end, and still am. If there's a chance I can bring him back and let him continue his life the way he could have without Voldemort hanging over him like a dark cloud, then I want to do it. For him…not for me. Goodnight, Severus," the witch said, her amber eyes looking at him rather strangely.

"Good night, Hermione," the Potions Master replied, watching her exit the study followed closely by Ying and Yang.

It appeared that the Iboga Potion did its job.

He'd be better able to tell over the next few days.

---

The next morning Severus headed for the pool room for his morning swim. He opened the door, then quickly pulled back. Hermione was in there doing laps around the pool, Ying and Yang resting in one of the lounge chairs, watching her intently. The witch wasn't naked thank the gods but her bathing suit barely managed to stay up on her she was so thin. Severus didn't want his memories of her curvaceous body permanently marred by seeing her depleted form. Instead, he headed for the kitchen to make breakfast. He could swim afterwards.

Hermione entered the kitchen, led by her nose. Eggs, sausage and buttered toast with jam awaited her. She slid into her chair, Ying and Yang taking up positions on either side of her hopefully.

"Good morning, Severus," she said, giving him a bright smile before tucking into her food. To her credit, she gave her familiars a whole sausage apiece. Gratefully they took their prizes into the corner and chowed down, batting at the meat a little because it was hot.

Severus made a large amount of food this morning, to make sure he could eat his fill before the gluttonous little witch devoured everything. Hermione did have a second plate and two glasses of milk before she settled back in her chair, sated.

"That was delicious Severus. I should have my weight back on in no time thanks to you," she said, reaching into her robes pocket and taking out a little purse.

She slid it over the table towards him. Severus picked it up and it jangled. He looked at her.

"What's this?" he asked, frowning at the little purse.

"My portion of the food bill. It's not fair that you are buying everything. If I'm going to eat, then I need to chip in," the witch said.

Severus dumped the coinage into his pale hand and counted it. His eyebrows rose.

"Hermione, this is far too much money," he said, looking at her incredulously.

"Not if you buy a lot of steak and shrimp," she replied, licking her lips at the thought of it, "And…fresh green vegetables I guess. I need to build up my blood. Iron and protein."

Severus looked at her a moment, then shook the coins back into the purse and deposited it in his pocket.

"I hope I won't be the only one shopping for food around here," he said evenly

"No, I'll do the next food shopping," Hermione said, "And share in the cooking too. We'll make a schedule."

Severus quirked an eyebrow at her. A schedule? Yes, she was on her way back all right. Hermione used to make schedules for practically everything. She was absolutely compulsive about them. When they were lovers, the Potions Master drew the line when she wanted to schedule their sexual encounters however. He was not about to be put on a schedule for what night, what time and how long he could do her. The nerve of the witch. He rode her good and hard for even suggesting such a thing.

"You really think you can regulate this, witch?" he had panted at her while she shrieked. Merlin, those were the days.

But a cooking schedule could be a good thing.

Hermione stood up and stretched, then took her dishes over to the sink and washed them. She also washed the cooking utensils Severus had used to make breakfast, a first. It seemed she was ready to become a team player, rather than have him do everything for her. This was a sure sign of her independent nature returning. When she was finished, she turned to the wizard.

"I'm going to the study and write Albus," Hermione said, "To let him and everyone else know they are welcome to stop by any time. But…but I'm going to need some help Severus," she said hesitantly. "I need to get this house in order. It really is a beautiful old place, and I treated it like a tomb. I need to clean and furnish it."

Severus looked at her.

"Why don't you ask Albus if you could borrow a few house elves from Hogwarts to help get your house in order? They can clean and transfigure items as well. I'm sure a few of them would be delighted to get out of the castle for a day or two," he said, in case Hermione felt that would be taking advantage of the elves. She most likely still had a thing about house elf enslavement.

"You might even be able to give them a galleon or two. Just say it's a gift. They will accept the money then," he suggested. "Just don't try to give them clothes."

He hoped she'd do it. He didn't mind cleaning but the manor was huge.

Hermione looked thoughtful. The idea of giving the elves some money of their own appealed to her. It might help get them used to the idea of receiving it. Hermione didn't understand house elves at all. The elves believed their servitude helped to save their race, which had been warlike and bloodthirsty. There were clashes between tribes with great causalities before the wars with humans began. If they had not been enslaved, they would have been wiped out either by themselves or wizarding society. They now lived in peace and the work kept them busy and happy. Being bound was a great honor to them for the most part, but sometimes they didn't get good masters, so in that case were not as happy as they could be.

Hermione also didn't know that the elves at Hogwarts were not bound. They simply worked there to have a place to go when they found themselves without Masters. They stayed at the castle until they could make a suitable bond with someone. They were all looking to give service to one Master. So in essence, every house elf at Hogwarts was free, which was why they didn't respond to Hermione trying to free them while she was at Hogwarts. They wanted Masters, not freedom.

"I think I will ask the Headmaster if he could send a few over here," Hermione said.

Severus almost slumped with relief as the witch left along with her familiars. He wished he knew what exactly happened when she fell asleep. Apparently, whatever she experienced had been life altering.

He finished his breakfast, cleared his dishes, washed them and exited the kitchen to meet Hermione and the cats heading up the hall. She had a parchment envelope in her hand. She was probably going to send it. But how?

"Where are you going?" he asked the witch.

"To the owlery," she replied.

Severus frowned.

"You have an owlery?" he asked her.

"Of course I do. It came with the manor. Though I haven't used it in years. But owls are self-maintaining so I'm sure they are still there," she said.

Severus fell into step with her. He wanted to see the owlery. Then he noticed Ying and Yang weren't with her.

"Where are the cats?" he asked the witch.

"Outside," she replied. "I didn't think they'd be appreciated in the owlery."

They mounted the stairwell to the second floor, then the one to the third. Hermione led the wizard to a door at the end of the corridor. It took a little work to open it since it had been shut for almost five years, but with a little elbow grease and a few loosening spells they got it open. The moment they did, an avalanche of small skeletons tumbled out into the hall.

"Damn," Hermione said, looking at all the remains of owl meals over the past five years.

"There might not be any owls up there Hermione. They might have been forced to move because of all the refuse," Severus said, pulling out his wand and casting a powerful spell that turned all the bones on the long stairwell to powder. He then scourgified the dust.

Hermione led the way up the stairs to the owlery tower. When they reached it, there was a pile of bones there over five feet high that covered the floor. Severus once again blasted the bones to dust and scourgified it away. Hermione entered and looked up. About thirty owls looked down at her, hooting excitedly.

"I see they are all still here," Hermione said, her brow furrowing. "Actually there are more than I remember."

"They probably were breeding," Severus said, looking around at the hooting, happy birds. They all saw the parchment in Hermione's hand. That meant one of them were going to make a delivery. Owls in the wizarding world were naturally inclined to deliver messages and every one of the birds wanted to be the one to take the journey.

"I need a parchment delivered," Hermione said to the birds.

Suddenly she was covered in owls, the weight of them taking her down to the floor as they scrabbled for the parchment.

"Get off her!" Severus roared, startling the birds back to their roosts.

Hermione sat on the floor. She had quite a few scratches on her hands and face. The birds hadn't meant to harm her…they all just wanted to deliver the message.

"Are you all right?" Severus asked her, helping her to her feet.

"Hermione brushed herself off.

"Yes, though the scratches hurt. I should have picked an owl first," she said, looking up at the owls who had the grace to look contrite.

"Hold still," Severus said, pointing his wand at her and whispering a healing spell. The tip of his wand glowed blue and he carefully healed the scratches on her face and hands.

"That's a medi-witch spell," Hermione said when he finished.

"Yes. Poppy taught it to me so I could heal lesser wounds when the Dark Lord tortured me," Severus replied. "It kept me from bleeding to death on several occasions"

"Well thank you," she said to him. She looked up at the owls again.

"If you ever do that again, I will turn all of you out and you will have to find roosts elsewhere. Do you understand me?" she said to the owls sharply. They all hooted in response, shuddering a bit.

"Good," Hermione said, crooking a finger at a medium-sized brown owl, "You come here."

The brown owl hooted with glee and flapped down, landing on her shoulder, carefully not to sink his claws into her. Hermione held up the envelope and the owl clamped down on it with his beak.

"Take that to Albus Dumbledore at Hogwarts," Hermione said.

The owl nodded and took off, flying strongly.

Hermione, Severus and the rest of the owls watched him go, the owls rather enviously.

"I will be up to check on you more often. There will be more messages sent so you will all have a chance," Hermione said to the birds who hooted happily. She and Severus exited the owlery.

When they returned to the third floor landing, Hermione heard banging on the front door. She pulled out her wand and made several intricate motions, then disapparated. Severus looked at the space she had been in shock. She must have removed the apparation ward. He tried to apparate and found he couldn't. Scowling he began to descend the stairs.

By the time he reached the first floor, he saw Hermione directing a number of wizards with boxes to the lab entrance. They were descending in a line and followed by about five wizards in lab coats. The technicians. They followed the delivery wizards down the stairs. Hermione looked excited as she watched them pass. Severus walked up to her.

"The equipment's here!" she squealed at him, clapping her hands together like a child.

Severus smirked at this familiar reaction. Whenever Hermione became excited, it showed.

"I have to go down and make sure they sent everything," Hermione said excitedly, disappearing down the stairs.

Severus blinked after her. Well, she was back in her element.

Severus decided to head for the pool and get in his morning swim. He had started walking when there was a thunderous knock on the front door. He looked back, then turned around and walked to the front door. He pulled it open and saw nothing at first.

"This is the house of Granger?" a voice squeaked.

Severus looked down to see a mottled green house elf looking up at him with wide blue eyes.

"Yes it is," the Potions Master replied.

"We comes to help with the cleaning and the furnishings, sir," the elf said.

Severus looked around. He didn't see any other house elves.

"We?" he asked, scowling at the elf.

Suddenly about twenty house elves winked in, all looking up at Severus anxiously.

"Yes. We, sir," the elf said. "My name is Eli and I is the overseer. You will has to do nothing sir. We knows our job, we do."

The other house elves chattered in agreement. Severus opened the door wider and the elves all entered, looking around the manor, their ears flattening.

"It's like a dead place, sir," Eli said, his blue eyes whirling, "though it is good there is light here. But light is not everywhere…I feels it. This is the kind of place that makes one sick, sir. It needs help very badly. Very, very badly."

"Yes it does, Eli," Severus agreed, "That's why you are here. To give it life and make it beautiful."

"Yes sir," the house elf said, "We will do our very bests sir. Our very bests," Eli said, motioning to the other elves.

They all winked out, probably to familiarize themselves with the manor. Albus must have sent them immediately. No doubt the old wizard was overjoyed Hermione was taking an interest in life again. Which meant the old codger would be showing up shortly. Severus found he was looking forward to seeing him again. It had been a long time.

He turned and once again headed for the pool area.

Hermione had everything under control in the lab. He could lounge about the rest of the day.

Or so he thought.

---

Hermione was having a difficult time with the workers and the lab technicians, who were so busy focusing on her that it was interfering with the work they were supposed to be doing. More than once a piece of equipment was almost broken because the wizard unboxing it had his eyes on her.

It seemed the Queen influence was going strong and every wizard in the lab was attuned to Hermione. It took the witch a little while to figure out what was going on because Severus could control his attraction. These wizards couldn't. Hermione informed them she was leaving the lab for a moment, and every wizard in the room protested.

"But we need your input," one puppy-eyed technician said.

"Don't be ridiculous," Hermione said, pissed now, "You do this for a living. You don't need me present. Now please do what you came to do."

The tech's shoulders slumped and he returned to his work. Others blocked her way, the witch shooting them down one after the other.

Hermione finally made it through the protesting workers and upstairs. The moment she hit the first floor she sought out Severus.

"Severus? Severus! Where are you?" she called.

The witch went upstairs and checked his room, then checked the kitchen, then walked down to the pool room. She opened the door just in time to see a very naked Severus spring off the diving board and into the pool. She got a good look at everything before he did so, and flushed. He was as well endowed as ever.

Hermione turned around and backed into the room. Severus reappeared at the other end of the pool, brushing the water from his face and looking at the witch's back, an eyebrow arched. He climbed out of the pool, walked over to a table and wrapped a towel securely around his waist.

"You can turn around now, Hermione," he said.

The witch did, her amber eyes sweeping over his body quickly before resting on his face. She looked upset. Severus wasn't sure if it was because he was naked under the towel or for some other reason.

He soon found out.

"Severus, I need you to go oversee the lab setup," Hermione said, "My Queen influence is making everyone all gah-gah and they aren't getting the work done in a timely manner. I can hardly move with all of them crowding around me."

Severus scowled at this. He was able to fight the desire for the witch and not act like an idiot around her, but he was still quite territorial. A room full of men who were attracted to her pissed him off immensely.

"I'll be out in a minute," he said darkly, starting to hastily undo his towel.

Hermione skittered out of the room and into the corridor before he removed it. Gods, seeing him like that brought back such memories. His body was once the major source of her pleasure after all.

Hermione felt a little pulse in her lower belly and cursed under her breath.

"Oh no you don't," she said to her body, "you are in no condition to be creaming over Severus Snape. He's not ours anymore. And besides, even if he were interested in us that way, in my condition he'd snap me in half. Not the way I want to go."

Her body pulsed again…calling her a liar. Hermione sighed.

Presently Severus emerged from the pool room, his eyes glittering and a slight scowl on his face.

"I'll take care of this," he growled, striding toward the lab stairs quickly.

Hermione was a bit taken aback. She knew this mood well. The Potions Master was jealous. It must be the Queen influence. He could fight groveling for her, but apparently not the possessiveness…probably because he had a possessive, covetous nature to start with.

"Um Severus, remember I do need them to set up the equipment…the lab techs anyway," Hermione said hesitantly. The wizard grunted. He stood at the top of the stairs, then looked back at her.

"Stay here," he said commandingly. "First I'll make sure all non-essential wizards…go. Then I will oversee the techs until they complete the setup, then they will go too. Go read or something," he said to the witch, then descended the stairs.

Hermione stood by the top of the stairs listening. There was silence for several minutes. Suddenly she heard shouting and a loud blast. The witch ran down the hall a distance and watched as the doorway fairly exploded with running worker wizards, heading for the front door at a good clip, pulling at each other's robes in their haste to squeeze through it. Finally they all managed to get out.

Well, Severus had cleared the non-essentials all right. Hermione could imagine him standing in the middle of the lab, his arms folded and wand in hand, scowling and overseeing the lab technicians, who were probably working quite quickly. When the Potions Master wanted something done, he wanted it done.

Hermione shook her head and began walking toward the kitchen. She was hungry again. Just as she got to the door she heard a crash, then some screeching and yowling then another crash.

"What in the world is that?" she cried, pulling out her wand and running down the corridor that led to the pool room.

She saw Ying and Yang hanging on to a small creature and tearing at it viciously. It was screeching like a banshee and spinning, trying to sling the cats off of it. Dear gods, it was a house elf.

"Ying! Yang! Let him go! Now!" she yelled running to the little creature's aid.

The cats held on, batting at the elf until Hermione actually made it there, then released it, hissing and spitting as they sat on their haunches.

The house elf panted and looked up at the witch.

"I couldn't hexes the kitties, Miss. They lives here. Can't hurt the Miss' creatures Miss," the house elf said, turning baleful eyes on the hissing cats. He had scratches and bite marks all over him. Hermione felt terrible until the house elf waved his claws and healed himself. That was powerful magic. Ying and Yang looked quite miffed about this. They had worked hard to punish the little creature they found snooping through the manor. They had to protect the Mistress after all.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" Hermione asked the elf.

"I am Leaf Ear, Miss. I comes from Hogwarts to works, Miss. I and my companions," the elf replied, still eyeing the cats.

"How did you get in?" she asked him.

"A tall, pale wizard lets us in, Miss. Some say he's the Snape, Miss. Very frightened of him is some, from long ago," the elf said.

So the house elves had arrived and Severus didn't tell her. Well, he had been rather distracted.

"How many of you are there?" the witch asked.

"Twenty-one, Miss. Eli is our overseer," the elf replied. "Could you tells your familiars not to be troubling us, Miss? We has work to do."

"Yes, I will tell them," Hermione said, scowling at the two cats, who sat lashing their tails. "You can go back to what you were doing."

"Thanks you, Miss," Leaf Ear said, bowing and giving the cats a narrow-eyed look before winking out.

Hermione turned on the cats.

"I don't want you bothering the house elves. If you do, I will set your food and water bowls outside and you will stay out there until they are finished here. Do you two understand me?" Hermione said. After her dream she suspected they did understand her, though they hadn't said a word to her outside the dream.

Both cats yowled at her. She took it as a yes. Ying and Yang strolled away, their tails high.

Hermione returned to the kitchen and made herself a ham sandwich. She thought about making Severus one, but thought better of it. If she went back down to the lab and the technicians started reacting to her, heads would roll. She made the sandwich anyway however, and wrapped it with plastic wrap. She would tell him it was in the cooler for him when she saw him next.

Hermione ate her sandwich quickly, washing it down with pumpkin juice. She wanted to see what the house elves had done so far. They were notoriously fast workers. She exited the kitchen and walked down toward the study and looked in. It looked just the same. Then she headed for her blackened living room. She hadn't been back in it since Severus had made the floo back up. She walked to the door and gasped.

The room was spotless from top to bottom, the curtain of cobwebs completely gone and the mahogany walls gleaming richly. The threadbare furniture was gone and small groups of plush armchairs, sofas and tables filled the enormous room, set up to offer privacy and promote conversation. A large, ornate wooden desk was in the corner, quills, inkbottles and parchments resting on it, ready for use. A fire was blazing in the fireplace. Her living room looked beautiful and was ready to entertain company.

"Oh my gods," Hermione said, walking into the room and examining everything. She tested every armchair and sofa and found them all extremely comfortable. There was a liquor cabinet in another corner, and a small bar with four stools. Behind it all kinds of glasses were stocked, ready for use. There was no liquor however. Apparently house elves couldn't transfigure items into alcohol. She would stock it herself.

She walked to the center of the room and whirled around happily. Her house was starting to feel like a home, and she couldn't wait to show it off. Albus and the rest of her visitors would really enjoy themselves. They would be so shocked at the change.

"House elves are wonderful," she said, clasping her hands together, "I really wouldn't mind them hanging about if they can work miracles like this."

Suddenly Eli winked in. He had a broad smile on his face.

Hermione smiled at the mottled elf, who bowed low.

"I am Eli. You are the Mistress of the manor?" he asked her politely.

"Yes I am," Hermione replied.

The elf looked ecstatic at this.

Suddenly all twenty house elves winked into the living room, smiling happily at the witch.

"We can work miracles like this Mistress," Eli said, beginning to glow.

Hermione looked around and saw that every elf in the room had the same golden aura around it.

"What's going on?" she asked Eli.

"We is going to hang about as the Mistress requested," he said, a tendril of golden light flying from him and wrapping gently around Hermione. Then she was covered with twenty more warm pulsing lengths of light. They squeezed her slightly then snapped back to the elf that generated it. All the elves bowed.

"We are in your service, Mistress. We keep our Mistress' secrets," Eli said, smiling happily.

"What? What! Noooo. No you can't be in my service. I won't enslave you," Hermione said desperately. What had they done?

"We is not enslaved, Mistress. We is your servants, willingly," Eli responded.

"No. You can't be. You are enslaved to Hogwarts. To Dumbledore," Hermione declared.

Eli shook his head.

"No Miss. Elves at Hogwarts is Masterless. We is all searching for good Masters. Dumbledore is kind and lets us lives there until we can bind with a kind Master. So we binds with you because you are so pleased with us. We will serves you and protects you until we dies, Miss," Eli said, still smiling. The other elves chattered agreement. "Bonds can only be broken by the death of the Master or Mistress."

Hermione looked at all the elves, then sank into the closest armchair. She had an army of house elves. Dear gods.

"We needs to go back to work, Mistress," Eli said, "We will make everything pretty. So, so pretty."

All of the elves bowed and winked out, leaving Hermione staring at the spaces they had occupied. Wasn't this rich. Hermione had inadvertently bonded with twenty-one house elves as if she were some kind of aristocracy. Merlin. And she couldn't reverse it. Severus would get a real kick out of this, she was sure. She hoped Ying and Yang could adapt. They were used to being the only creatures in the house.

"Where would the elves sleep? And what about food…twenty-one elves were a lot to feed. Hermione didn't know that house elves had different tastes than humans, and most of the time foraged for their own food. As for where they would sleep, they could curl up anywhere. But she did have a large guesthouse out back. She could give them that as servants' quarters. She could also give them an allowance.

Hermione liked the thought of that.

---

Downstairs in the lab, Severus sat on a stool carefully observing the technicians as they silently set up the equipment. When he first entered the lab he found the workers standing about, doing nothing. They had unpacked all of the equipment. When he asked them what they were doing, the wizard told him they were waiting for the Mistress to return. When he asked them why, they couldn't tell him. Then he found out they were being paid by the hour and exploded, roaring at them to leave and sending a blast out of his wand that harmlessly hit the ceiling. But it was enough to set them running and the dark wizard watched with satisfaction as they all scrambled from the room.

The lab technicians stood there huddled together and staring at the wizard in terror. He looked at them scowling.

"You have jobs to do…do them. Now," he said, glaring at them and striking his wand into his palm for emphasis. The techs hurriedly obeyed.

"Waiting for the Mistress to return," he growled to himself. "Fucking idiots."

He watched the technicians closely for lollygagging, his arms folded and face frowned.

The sooner they were gone, the better.

---

A/N: And that is the end of "A Long Way Back" Part 1