A New Beginning (DH -COMPLIANT)

Chapter 12 ~ A Close Call

A week later, Hermione received a thick envelope from Bartleby outlining the first project she was to work on, the plant growing charm. She would be given a list of plants that would be planted in the indoor growing area in the coming weeks. The planting would be overseen by Sean Vespers, the wizard who was present when the Medi-Box was installed in her bedroom.

A Time Turner and the other items she listed would be provided as well, and she was to fill out the order form in the storage room for any other items she would need. Bartleby also commented on the time frame, saying it was acceptable, but any effort to “speed up the process” would be appreciated.

Hermione scowled at this. Creating a completely new Charm took time. No doubt Snape would have agreed with her. This was Bartleby’s way of trying to impose his own will on the project. He was always thinking bottom line. Snape would be willing to wait five years if the spell were viable at the end. And Snape was who really mattered.

The following week a horde of wizards descended on the work site, plants, soils and wands in tow, Sean Vespers with them. Hermione greeted him a bit sourly because of how flippant he was the last time he was there. The wizard took it in stride, his hat pulled down over his eyes as usual.

Snape didn’t look too much like himself with the glamour, but his eyes were still black and there weren’t many black-eyed blondes. He tried his best not to interact with Hermione because although his voice was altered, there was little he could do about his mannerisms and he thought she might catch something familiar about him and if there was one thing he didn’t want, it was that brilliant mind focusing itself on him. So for the most part, he stood in one area and watched the men work.

However, Hermione was full of questions.

“What kind of plants are they planting?” she asked him.

”You’ll get a list when they finish,” he rasped at her, wishing she’d go find something to do.

Hermione looked at him curiously.

”How long have you worked for Sparse Venues, Mr. Vespers?” the witch inquired.

”A long time,” he said shortly.

“Oh,” Hermione said, watching a wizard flinch as a large Snapdragon flamed at him. Some of those plants were dangerous.

”Mandrakes!” another wizard called out, “Plug up your ears!”

Hermione and Sean left the room, the wizard closing the door. The room was sound-proofed so they were safe.

”They’re planting full-grown Mandrakes?” Hermione asked Sean.

He shook his head.

”No. Young ones. They can still cause unconsciousness with their screams,” he said.

Hermione had the distinct impression Sean didn’t want to talk to her, but she didn’t get a chance to talk to anyone during the week so wanted a bit of conversation.

”Mr. Vespers, would you like to come to my apartment for a spot of tea?” she asked him.

”No thank you,” he replied, “I’m just supposed to oversee the work and leave.”

Hermione frowned at him for a moment. Then her curiosity got the better of her.

”What’s wrong with your voice?” she asked the wizard.

He looked at her from beneath his hat, then pulled down the collar of his uniform, showing her an ugly scar on the right side of his throat. Hermione covered her mouth with her hand.

”Oh, I’m so sorry,” she said, embarrassed at asking him something so personal.

Snape figured she’d ask him about the way he talked and had been prepared. He didn’t reply.

Figuring she had embarrassed herself enough for one day, Hermione excused herself and returned to her apartment to look over her project paperwork again. Snape let out a sigh of relief.

“She’s still nosey as hell,” he muttered to himself.

Actually, Snape had been tempted to join the witch for tea. He didn’t have any human contact at all outside of the occasional whore, and it might have been nice to sit down and have tea and cakes with intelligent company. But again, Hermione was too sharp to risk that. All she needed was one idle suspicion to focus on and it would be off to the races.

In fact, one might wonder about Snape’s choice of hiring a witch as bright as Hermione, someone who knew him for seven years. He could have hired anyone. He told himself it was because she was so brilliant that he took her on, but possibly…it was more than that. Hermione was a danger to him in that it wouldn’t take her long to figure out who he was if she put her mind to it. He also could have hired a real site supervisor rather than take on the job himself. Yes, he did have a controlling nature and liked to be present when any changes were being made, but he could have even used mirrors for that. The truth was, Severus Snape was becoming tired of his solitary, austere lifestyle. Initially, all he wanted was to be left alone, a natural result of so many years of service to the Dark Lord and Albus Dumbledore. He had the weight of the wizarding world on his shoulders for a good portion of his life and living without that responsibility felt like heaven for the past few years.

But Severus Snape was a human being … and even he needed contact. The whores sufficed for a while although those engagements hardly fed his other needs. There was an underlying sense of dissatisfaction growing in the wizard, though he wouldn’t allow himself to recognize it. He had intended to live out his life in quiet seclusion, but two decades was a long, long time and people change over time. Besides, he still had about one hundred and forty-odd years of life left to live if he took care of himself, which he did. That was a long time to be in hiding.

Seeing a familiar face from the past had awakened the urge for more, but rather than face the truth of his situation, the wizard had actually set himself up for discovery. It was almost like a game. He knew … he had to know that sooner or later, Hermione Weasley was going to want to know more about everything. If she ever picked up on that anagram …

Many people in the world are guilty of self-sabotage, and Severus Snape was firmly among the ranks.

Hermione was definitely going to figure this out.

The only question was: When?

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Rose and Hugo had only been on the work site for one day before they returned to the building covered in pink bubble gum-like sap. Neither one of them could resist the big “Keep Out” signs surrounding a meadow.

”One, two, three!” Hugo shouted as they both ran into the clearing.

Hermione was in her lab working when they knocked on the door. She opened it and stared at her children. They looked like pink blobs, only their eyes and noses showing. Then the taller blob formed a gummy mouth.

“Um…we must have accidentally crossed a ward line,” Rose said sheepishly.

”This is cool!” Hugo said, lifting one gummy arm, long strands of gum still connected to his side, “And mum, we flew back here and were caught in a big mitt! This place is great!”

Hermione yelled at them and sent Rose into the apartment and Hugo into the exercise room to shower after scourgifying what she could off of them. They were put on punishment for the rest of the day. They suffered in the Room of Requirement, playing two-man Quidditch. They could fly in there, though their brooms wouldn’t work anywhere outside.

Hugo was going to his third year now, and Rose into her fifth. They were growing up. Hermione hoped they learned their lesson concerning staying out of restricted areas.

Of course they didn’t, but got a little smarter about it, throwing sticks over the lines and watching what happened to them.

Snape, who had harvested most of the plants, spent quite a bit of time disillusioned and watching the pair. They certainly were scamps. One day, he went out early and adapted the wards to only work on living objects, then waited for the pair to arrive. Rose and Hugo would always recheck the warded areas just to see if the wards were all working and they did it methodically.

Hugo chucked a stick into the warded area that got them the first day they were there. Nothing happened to it.

”Rose! I think the wards are down,” he said to his sister enthusiastically.

But Rose looked suspicious.

”I don’t know Hugo…it could just be temporary,” she said to her brother, who frowned at her.

”Stop being such a girl!” he complained, stepping over the ward line.

Snape, who was disillusioned and hiding behind a tree nearby, watched with a wicked smirk as nothing happened to Hugo. The dark wizard had moved the ward line back a ways as well, to lure them in.

Hugo spread his arms.

”See! It’s fine, Rose…come on, let’s see why this place is warded,” he begged his sister.

Rose looked around suspiciously, then tentatively stepped over the ward line, holding her breath. Again, nothing happened.

”See?” Hugo said, grabbing her hand, “Come on, let’s go.”

He pulled her along.

They had taken about ten steps when they were both covered in gum again and stuck in place.

”Oh damn!” Rose hissed as they were ripped from the ground and whisked back to the work site, Hugo screaming “This is so cool!” as they flew around trees and other obstacles.

Snape cracked up and headed back to his lab. Oh, that was almost like the good old days of giving his students what for. He really was enjoying Hermione’s children being on the property. He always believed he didn’t like children much, but that was because he was swamped up to his armpits in the little buggers for years and in a position of authority. Now that they were someone else’s problem, he found they weren’t half bad.

At least from a distance.

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Hugo and Rose spent an interesting summer with Hermione, though she worked quite a bit. They visited family and friends as well, telling them exciting stories about the protections around Sparse Venues. Not only were there pink gum wards, but rope wards, itching wards and even one terrible illusion of a salivating Manticora bearing down on them. It disappeared when they reached the building. It was only when they were inside panting that they realized it never seemed to actually gain on them.

Cousins James, Albus and Lily were so jealous.

”I want to visit Aunt Hermione,” Lily said to her father.

Harry shook his head.

”I think only immediate family can go on site, Lily. I’m sorry,” he said to his daughter who glared at Hugo, who had a smug “I’m special” look on his face.

”Who wants to be covered in pink bubble gum anyway? It’s stupid,” she said sourly, jumping up from the table and leaving the kitchen.

Hugo smiled after her, his smile fading as he saw Harry scowling at him.

”Pink bubble gum’s not so great,” he offered with a shrug.

Harry shook his head.

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Hermione made slow progress with the Charm, though after a year she had managed to get the Mandrakes to grow three times faster than usual. But it was dangerous work, because she never knew exactly how big they’d be when she pulled them out of the ground. She just treated them all as if they were deadly.

She sent updates and copies of her notes to Bartleby, who passed them on to Snape who ignored the solicitor’s nagging about the time being spent on the project. He was quite pleased with her work, though he told Bartleby to tell Hermione to focus on growing the Jaberia plants. They were worth more as ingredients than Mandrakes. Glad at being able to give Hermione a direct order, Bartleby did so and the witch got right on it.

The following summer, both Hugo and Rose returned to the site and promptly set about testing the wards again. Rose had a bit of ward-breaking under her belt now and was anxious to try out her skills.

Since most of his fields were harvested by summer, Snape purposely relaxed a few the wards and the dampening fields a bit, so they wouldn’t go off instantaneously when Rose attempted to crack them. But then, he made a grave error in judgment . . . one that almost cost Hugo his life.

Snape had weakened the ward that protected the mountainside … the side that was climbable, not thinking that the boy would attempt to climb up the mountain. When Rose broke the ward, Hugo ran through and began climbing, grabbing on to outcrops and finding little ledges with his feet.

”Hugo! You’re going too high! Come down!” Rose yelled up at him.

”I’m fine, sis!” Hugo called down.

Snape watched him, concerned as the boy’s foot slipped and he dangled for a moment, Rose screaming at him to come down. She even tried to Accio him, but Snape had kept up the dampening field for most magic and the spell wouldn't work.

“Hugo! Come down!” Rose yelled at him, terrified.

But Hugo was determined to go as high as he could and was about four stories up when it happened. His hand and foot slipped at the same time and he fell.

Rose screamed in horror as she watched her brother plummeting toward the ground.

His eyes wide in terror, Hugo realized he was going to die. Poor mum.

Suddenly, he wasn’t falling anymore. Someone had him. Someone who was disillusioned … disillusioned and flying.

“Who are you?” Hugo asked, clutching at a hard, lean body as he drifted slowly to the ground.

”Stay off the mountain you idiot boy before you kill yourself!” a silky voice hissed as Hugo was set down a short distance from his sister, who was running toward them.

The shimmer disapparated with a crack of thunder. No one was supposed to be able to disapparate here. Or be disillusioned.

Rose ran up to Hugo and threw her arms around him, crying and squeezing him so hard he could hardly breathe.

”What happened? How did you stop falling?” she finally asked him, her eyes filled with tears.

”Somebody caught me,” Hugo said, looking around, “And he could fly without a broom.”

Rose stared at him. Fly?

”And he called me an ‘idiot boy,’” the young wizard said, “then disapparated.”

”I heard it,” Rose said, “Come on. We’d better tell mum.”

Hugo stalled.

“But I’m going to get in trouble,” he said, “We both are.”

Rose frowned at her brother.

”I don’t care, Hugo. There’s somebody out here that mum doesn’t know about. We don’t know if he’s a spy or what. We have to tell her. He could be dangerous,” the witch said.

“If he were dangerous, he wouldn’t have saved me,” Hugo argued, following his sister as she walked determinedly back toward the building.

”Mum still needs to know,” Rose said.

Hugo followed his sister, his feet dragging.

Mum was going to have a bugbear.

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A/N: For you Jen. *** Thanks for reading all.