A Long Way Back ~ Editing

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to JKR. All situations are mine. No $$$ is being made from this fanfic.
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Chapter 11 ~ Dinner and a Drink

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 now, his cock standing up 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 his cock 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.

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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.

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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."

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A/N: Wow. He gave her the potion. We'll find out if Hermione's inner journey is successful next chapter. Please review.