Daddy Dearest - (No Update, Edit)

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to JKR. All situations are mine. No $$$ is being made from this fanfic.
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Chapter 18 ~ The Breakup

Hermione was rather tired when she arrived at the Ministry the next morning. She hadn't slept well, then when daylight broke, she got up and wrote a quick letter to Severus, asking to see him. The witch wasn't sure how she would react to seeing the wizard after experiencing him so recently in the pensieve, but she wanted to apologize.

Hermione knew it probably wouldn't mean anything to the wizard. Severus had eleven years to get over "the morning after." He probably didn't even care anymore. But the incident was fresh to Hermione, and the wizard had been patient and gods, so good.

She had wanted him by night, then rejected him by day. Even though she had no recollection of it, she still felt as if she had wronged him. Hermione was the type of person guilt slowly devoured. She already had the guilt of the lie she told Mathias working on her psyche. She couldn't handle the extra guilt she felt about the Potions Master. She needed to clear it up. She hoped he would be able to see her soon.

As she walked through the Spells Department towards her office, Hermione felt as if every employee in the Spells area was watching her surreptiously, peering from behind parchments, ambling to their doors or just blatantly staring. Her brow furrowed as she walked to her office and opened the door.

She gasped.

Her entire office was filled with roses. They were on her desk, all the chairs, on top of her file cabinets and almost covered every inch of floor space. A pink banner was strung over her desk that read

"Forgive Me Please"

Hermione sighed. Justice. Justice did this.

The witch picked her way through the flowers and walked behind her desk, taking roses off her swivel chair and desk, squeezing them on the floor with the other roses. How the hell was she supposed to get any work done?

Agnes, the Department Head appeared in the doorway, a wry smile on her face as her gray eyes scanned Hermione's office. Her salt and pepper hair was drawn back in an efficient bun, and the age lines around her mouth and eyes tightened in mirth.

"I take it you and Justice are on the outs?" she asked the witch, entering Hermione's office.

"We certainly are," Hermione replied, a scowl on her face.

"He doesn't seem to be taking it well. He came to me this morning to get permission to leave some flowers in your office. He looked terrible. His eyes were all red and he had stubble on his face. Looked like he tied one on and didn't get enough rest. Anyway, I told him he could put the flowers in your office, thinking it was a bouquet. He walked back into the main area, whistled and waved his arm. Suddenly a whole army of Aurors marched in, every single one of carrying at least three vases of roses. They just kept coming until…well you can see for yourself," Agnes said looking around the room. "They must have cost him a fortune. He must be in a lot of trouble with you."

"He is. I don't want to see him anymore," Hermione replied, looking exasperated as she tried to move the flowers around. Finally she pulled out her wand and made a sweeping motion.

"Rosa Reduco," she said.

Immediately all the roses in the room were reduced to about three inches high. Hermione made another motion with her wand and they all moved to one side of the room. Then she pulled the banner down and rolled it up, placing it on top of the file cabinet.

"Much better," she said, sitting down at her desk. Agnes looked at her consideringly.

"Haven't you been seeing Justice for years now?" she asked Hermione.

"Yes, five years," the witch responded.

"That's a lot of time invested in one wizard. You're ready to just walk away? You aren't willing to try and work whatever the problem is out? Justice really is one of the good ones," Agnes said, pulling up a chair and sitting down in front of Hermione's desk. "What did he do?"

Hermione looked at the open office door. Agnes pulled out her wand and pointed it over her shoulder, shutting the door, then put the wand away, looking at Hermione expectantly. Agnes and Hermione had a good working relationship. Her department Head was almost like a second mother at times. Hermione could talk to her better than she could with Ginny, because she knew Ginny would tell Harry and sometimes Hermione didn't want Harry to know certain things. If she wanted Harry to know, she would have talked to him herself. Whatever she shared with Agnes, stayed with Agnes.

"He accused me of sleeping with another wizard because he saw me coming down the stairs at the Three Broomsticks Inn," Hermione said, frowning. "He grabbed me by the arm and made a public scene."

"I see," Agnes said, nodding, "Why were you coming down the stairs in the inn?"

"I had a private meeting with someone. I told Justice I had to go to a meeting," Hermione said, "Just because I had it in the room of an inn doesn't mean I was flat on my back, Agnes."

"No, it doesn't, Hermione," Agnes agreed, looking thoughtful, "Can I ask you something personal?"

Hermione looked at her department head. Agnes rarely asked personal questions. She probably had a good reason for doing so.

"Go ahead," Hermione said, her eyes meeting the witch's.

"Is there someone else you are interested in?" Agnes asked her, studying the witch's face.

Hermione hesitated just a moment too long.

"No," she said.

Agnes nodded at her, then stood up.

"Maybe it is time for you to move on. You've been with Justice five years and haven't moved forward at all. He must not be the one," the witch said. "You hesitated just a bit too long when I asked you if there was anyone else. Which usually means there is."

Hermione scowled.

"I'm not interested in anyone else, Agnes," she claimed, the pensieve coming to mind. She forced it back down.

The older witch raised her eyebrows at Hermione.

"You're turning awfully red for a witch not interested in someone else," Agnes commented with a knowing smile. "I just think your head hasn't caught up with your heart yet. I'll see you later, Hermione."

Agnes opened the door and exited the witch's office. Hermione frowned after her.

"My head hasn't caught up to my heart yet," she snorted, "Agnes has no idea what she's talking about. My head and heart are just fine."

An image of Severus' face contorted with pleasure popped into her head.

"Get out, dammit!" she said, just as Harold, a Ministry employee opened the door with a letter in his hand.

"Oh. All right, Miss Granger," he said nervously, starting to pull the door closed.

"No!" Hermione yelled at him. He froze, looking startled and unsure.

Hermione calmed.

"No, Harold, come in," she said.

The red-haired, freckled faced wizard opened the door wider and entered, leaving the door open behind him. He walked up and handed the parchment to Hermione.

"This came for you by owl," he said, backing away.

Hermione looked at it. It had a Hogwarts seal. It must be from Severus. Her heart began to pound.

"Thank you, Harold," the witch said, her eyes glued to the parchment.

"You're welcome, Miss Granger," Harold said, backing out of the room and slowly closing the door. The witch was in a strange mood this morning.

Hermione broke the seal on the letter, her belly flipping over as she did so. Her amber eyes shifted back and forth as she read the letter.


Dear Hermione,

I'm afraid my schedule is quite full for the next month, being that this is the beginning of a new school term. I will be unable to meet with you for several weeks. I will contact you when I have time available.

Professor Severus Snape P.M.

Hermione folded the letter, furious. The Professor was purposely avoiding her. Several weeks indeed. She knew full well he could make time if he wanted to. The truth was, he didn't want to. Fine. She'd wait.

Hermione put the parchment in her robes pocket and pulled the pile of paperwork sitting on her desk toward her, brushing off a few rose petals. She picked up her quill and started working.

Three hours later, Hermione was still working totally absorbed in the latest spell development, checking feasibility and scheduling demonstrations. There was a knock on the door. Hermione looked up.

Justice was standing outside, looking repentant and holding up a little white bag. He pointed at the doorknob.

Hermione's chest tightened. She waved him in.

Justice opened the door and walked in. Agnes was right. He did look terrible. He had stubble on his chin and his eyes were red-rimmed. He walked up to her desk and set the bag on it.

"I brought you a sandwich. I know how you work through lunch," he said, pulling up a chair and sitting down.

Hermione just looked at him, not saying anything.

Justice blinked at her. There was a coldness coming off the witch that made his heart hurt. He looked at the reduced roses piled on one side of the room.

"I see you got the flowers," he said.

Hermione looked at him with cold eyes.

"Yes I did, but you needn't have bothered sending them, Justice. We're finished," she said.

Justice's eyebrows raised.

"Finished? Just like that, Hermione? Can't we talk this over?" he asked her.

"There's nothing to talk about. Once you grabbed me in anger and publicly accused me of fucking another wizard, you cut yourself off, Justice. I won't be treated that way by you or anyone," the witch said. "I want you to come by the house this evening and get your things."

Justice had a few articles of clothing at Hermione's house.

"Hermione, I'm sorry. It's just that you've broken our dates, you haven't let me touch you in over a month, and when I saw you at the Three Broomsticks, I just lost it. It looked like you were having an affair," he said, his eyes glistening.

"Only married witches can have affairs, and I'm not married," Hermione replied.

"I know. You've refused me every time I asked you to marry me, Hermione. I've waited five years for you," the wizard said, his heart breaking.

"You don't have to wait any longer," the witch said. "You can find a witch who will marry you now."

Justice stared at her.

"I want you," he said plaintively.

Hermione sighed.

"Justice, don't make this harder than it has to be. You're a good-looking wizard. You'll find someone else. I just want to be left alone," Hermione said. "It's over. I don't want to be involved with you anymore."

Justice went through the agony. Now the anger came out.

"I know what's going on, Hermione. You really are fucking someone else," he breathed.

Hermione scowled at him.

"It's time to go, Justice," she said in a low voice.

"I can look at you and tell," he said, staring at the witch.

Hermione's eyes shifted uncomfortably

Justice pointed at her. "There! There! Your eyes always shift when you're lying. Who is he, Hermione? Who's been outdoing me in the sack?"

Hermione pulled her wand out and pointed it at Justice.

"Get the fuck out of here, Justice. I swear to the gods I'll hex you," she seethed.

Justice rose.

"Fine. I give you five years of my life and you go fuck another wizard. If you were tired of me, why didn't you just say so? Why did you have to do it like this?" he asked her.

"I didn't do anything, Justice," she said.

"You're lying. Some other wizard got to you," the Auror said, walking towards the door. "And I'm going to beat him to a pulp if I ever find out who he is, because he's taken what belonged to me."

"I never belonged to you, Justice. I'm my own person. Now go. I'll see you this evening when you come get your things," Hermione said, still pointing the wand at him.

Justice exited the office, slamming the door behind him and stalking away.

Hermione slowly lowered her wand. That had been ugly.

She looked at the white bag on her desk, picked it up and dropped it in the wastebasket.

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At about six that evening, there was a knock on the door. Hermione, who was in the kitchen making soup the muggle way, wiped her hands on her apron, walked through the living room and opened the door. Justice was standing there, his face dark.

"I've come to get my things," he said shortly, his brown eyes raking over her angrily.

"Fine," Hermione said, stepping aside and letting him in. Her wand was in her pocket. "You know where they are."

Justice grunted and strode past her, heading for the bedroom.

Hermione returned to the kitchen.

Justice entered the bedroom and walked over to the closet. He opened it and took out two shirts and three pairs of trousers. Then he walked over to her dresser, opened the second drawer and removed some socks and silk boxers. That was all he had there. The wizard turned to exit the bedroom when his eyes fell on a gaudily colored bowl sitting on the nightstand by Hermione's bed. He walked over and looked at it. Silver liquid was swirling inside.

A pensieve. Hm. Why was it next to her bed?

Justice looked at the bedroom door and listened. He didn't hear anyone. Hermione had on an apron when he came in, so she was probably cooking. Justice placed his clothing on the bed, then sat down on it himself.

"Let's just see what little memories are in here," he breathed

The Auror stuck his finger in the pensieve.

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A/N: Oh man. :::shaking head:::: I just don't know what to say. Justice is going to freak. Please review.