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 13 ~ A New Day

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 fuck 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.

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A/N: Changes, changes. A houseful of house elves. New lab equipment. Things are coming together. Please review.