The Reluctant Detectives

Chapter Ten


“He what?” Hermione asked, interrupting Ginny as she was talking on the other end of the line. “Ron called you to get my cellphone number?”


“Yes, and I was wondering why he called you. He hasn’t wanted to talked to you since you two broke things off,” she murmured.


“Your guess is as good as mine,” she muttered, thinking of the several times over the years that he had called her leaving messages to her that she wasn’t good enough or that it was because she was an know it all bitch that she would never have a man. “One never knows with your brother.” She looked over to the doorway to see Severus lingering there in the shadows watching her. “I’ll find out what he wanted. I need to go. I have work to do. Say hello to Harry for me…”


“Hermione, I was wondering,” Ginny said, interrupting her. “If you could come and visit? It gets so lonely over here. Mum and Dad have been around, so have my brothers, but you haven’t been.”


Pinching the bridge of her nose she wanted to tell her the truth. That Harry had asked her not to come over. That him seeing her would remind him too much of what they had gone through and he didn’t want to talk about the past. Never mind that it would be cathartic for both of them to do so. But she had done what he had wanted, even though she didn’t think it was for the best.


“What with this investigation, I don’t think I can. Not now. I’ll let you know how things are going later. I got to go, Ginny.” She hung up on the girl, not giving her a chance to respond.


“You lied to her,” he whispered, going over to her and rubbing her shoulders to ease the visible tension there.


“What could I do?” she asked him. “Tell her that her boyfriend asked me not to, because seeing me reminded him so much of the pain and death he thinks himself responsible for? I can see that going over as well as a lead balloon.” She rubbed his hand, kissing it absently. “Did Ron call my phone by any chance? Ginny told me that she received a call from him asking for my new number. He said the reason he needed to speak to me had to do with the bombing.”


“He called, but what he had to say had nothing to do with what Ginerva had said,” he replied.


“In that case, I do believe speaking to Kingsley might be in order,” she murmured, standing up. “Ron’s lies always have that small grain of truth. Chances are that he did have a legitimate reason to call, but reverted back to that foul mouth git he’s become over the years.”


He walked up to her, reaching out and combing her hair back from her face as he murmured, “He’ll be in bed. It’s late.”


She nodded.


“And I do believe we should be as well,” he murmured, moving all the closer to her.


“I have difficulties sleeping,” she told him. “Insomnia.”


“Really?” He reached over and began to unbutton her shirt. “What if I told you that I am willing to work diligently on a cure for your insomnia?”


“I’d have to say that you were desperate to get laid,” she replied dryly.


He picked her up into a fireman’s lift and took her over to the king sized bed in his room. “You don’t know the half of it, my dear.”


He dumped her down to the bed, lifting one of her legs up and taking her shoe off. He set her leg aside and took up the other foot doing the same as the first.


“Lift your hips for me, sweetling,” he murmured.


She lifted her hips, feeling his fingers tugging down her pants and panties down her hips. Hermione got up and began unbuttoning his long sleeves of his black robes.


“I really must introduce you to this wonderful muggle invention,” she told him as she finished up one and went to the other. “It’s called Velcro.”


“What is it?” he asked, as she pushed the robe off of his shoulders.


“It’s a fastens things like a button or ties except its easier to open.”


He snorted. “You are the only witch I know that wishes to get to my naked body with any expediency.”


“That makes them blind,” she murmured, undoing his vest. “Thank Merlin.” She tossed off the other layer and tugged his shirt out of his pants. “I know layering is your thing, but it’s exhausting stripping you.”


Smiling he said, “Relax. It’s your turn. Arms up.” Hermione lifted her arms and felt as the shirt she was wearing was pulled up and off. He leaned over, kissing her bare shoulder as he reached around and undid her bra.


Severus smoothly scraped the bra straps off of her shoulders, nuzzling her neck. Hermione let the lace fall off her arms before she wrapped them around him to press her face against his chest to inhale his unique musk. Panting, she nipped at his chest and turned to face him, hungry for his mouth on her own.


Just as he was about to kiss her the sound of a throat clearing behind Snape had them both freezing. Growling with anger, Severus spun around to face Kingsley who was grinning like a Cheshire cat.


“I should have known what was between you was sexual tension,” he said, laughter clear in his tones.


“What was so bloody important that you had to come here to us?” Severus snapped, looking ready to hex the head auror into the ground.


The smile fell away. “There was another attack. It appears to be the work of the same group.”


Blanching Hermione asked quietly, “Where this time?”


“Hogsmead,” he told them, his voice harsh. “But unlike before, the bombs had been spelled not to be able to move.” He looked at them both. “It was relatively empty, but…” He took a deep breath and finished with, “Five are dead and twenty seriously injured.” Kingsley’s face went hard. “We need to get the bastards before anything like this can happen again. Tell me what you need. You will get it.”


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