The Magician's Trick

“Ladies and Gentlemen. Come one. Come all.” The man who had stepped out from behind the
theater curtain bowed with a flourish to the audience. His stature was of a man with a confident grace and an air of sophistication. He smiled at the crowd as if he had some secret he was about to share.


“Behind this curtain is a place of dreams.” His booming voice softened. “A place where dreams can come true and visions of beauty await. He chuckled lightly and stepped to the side as the curtain slowly began to rise. “All you need is leave your disbelief at the door and with the help of the great Silvaris Silverkeeper, step inside.


Ginny and Hermione leaned forward a bit in their seats. Both of them scanning the stage to try and glimpse the famous Magician. Both women sighed heavily and leaned back when the stage was empty.


The announcer again chuckled, as if he had witnessed their anxiousness. “Oh come now.” he teased. “An audience cannot just see the magic with so easy as a by your leave. He must have help. A guide if you will. And most and foremost,” the lights in the theater began to dim. “Above all else, he must believe.”


Darkness engulfed the room and Ginny grabbed Hermione’s hand in a flash of excitement. “Do you think?” she whispered.


Hermione hushed her. “Shh. Just watch. If it’s him, we’ll know.” At least, she hoped they would know. It hadn’t been long enough for them to not be able to recognize his mannerisms, surely. Of course, time had passed. But this was Snape they were talking about! How much could he have changed?


Suddenly, there was an illumination from the center of the stage. Shocked gasps sounded through the audience as the dim light grew brighter. A flame, flickered from the palm of the magician’s hand as he sat cross-legged in the center of the stage. When the flame grew to be about as big as him, he released it and watched it float up in the air. It reached mid sky before
coming to a halt and staying suspended when he waved his hand.


Holding out his other hand, the audience watched in shocked silence as he allowed yet another flame to grow from his palm before thrusting it away as well. It moved out over the audience, giving each of them a closer view before turning back and floating back in his direction. When it neared him, he gestured with his hand, and the flame obediently moved to the other side of the stage.


Ginny watched the flames with an open jaw. She could not keep her eyes from it. Hermione, however had eyes only for the Magician. His apparel was that of a sultan. His face was halfway concealed with only his eyes visible His head was wrapped in a turban, hiding it’s color, texure or length.


These things were not enough to tell anything. But those hands. Hermione watched the movement of his hands with tears gathering in her eyes. Those beautiful hands that had worked with a masters touch over many a potion. Those were his hands. Her heart knew it.


While every other person was held in the thrall of what tricks he was doing, Hermione was in awe of his hands. She felt a myriad of emotions run through her as she watched the similar movements.


For over an hour, the Magician stunned the audience with different kinds of tricks. Everything from the flames, to a car disappearing into thin air without the use of a cover of any kind being placed over it.


When the curtain closed, the Announcer came back and bid them each to stay in order to meet the great Secretkeeper in person. Ginny smiled at Hermione and squeezed her hand. “Now we will find out for sure!”


Hermione returned Ginny’s smile, deciding not to tell her friend she was already sure. She didn’t need to see him up close to know that it was him. She had seen his hands. She had seen the familiar movements and was already certain.


As Ginny turned and became part of the crowd, Hermione couldn’t help but glance down at herself a bit self conscious. Her dress was dark green with a plunging neckline that showed off the swell of her now ample breasts. The dress wasn’t long, but fell just past mid thigh and fit her like a glove with a slit on one side that came to her hip. Her heels were a perfect match with stiletto heels and coiled snakes that curved around the side of her ankle.


She wore the clothes intentionally. She meant to tempt him. Harry had watched her come down the stairs after they had gotten ready and tsked at her with a half-hearted smile. “Your gonna feel really silly when you discover it isn’t him.” He said, even as he had leaned down and kissed Ginny on the lips affectionately. When he had drawn back, he shook his head at Ginny, who although she was dressed nice, had chosen a much calmer dress, of a pale blue color that was tea length.


Ginny had smiled seductively at her fiancé and lifted the side of her dress just enough to give him a glance at her muggle garters. When his eyes widened, she smiled. “You just wait up for me. When I get back, we have business.”


Hermione smiled, remembering earlier that evening.. If Ron had seen Ginny’s garter, he would have been lecturing Harry for the entire evening how it just wasn’t right for the big brother to be privy to what the best friend does with his sister. Her smile grew when she looked back at her friend. As beautiful as she was, Ginny simply looked like she was ready for a nice evening, while Hermione looked as if she was on the prowl.


She had chosen this dress for a reason. She had been nursing a crush on Professor Snape since she had been a child. She had always believed it was simply a school girl crush. But as she grew from a child into a woman, her attraction had as well. To this day, she still had dreams of being with him as a woman would a man.


That was her reason for picking out this dress. Aside from the Yule Ball, he had never seen her in anything save regular school clothes. Now, so many years later, what would he see when he looked at her? Would he recognize her? Would he see the child she once was. Or would he notice the woman she had become. Would he notice her at all?


She had cared deeply for Ron. They had tried to make a go of it after the war was over. But when it came down to it, they just hadn’t been well suited. He was all quidditch and his studies to be an Auror while she had become more and more interested in potions.


Now, as an adult, it was her desire to become an established Potions Mistress. But she didn’t want to teach. No, her desire was in creating. She wanted to research and develop. She wouldn’t settle for less.


As she followed Ginny through to the reception area that was prepared for Secretkeeper to
receive his fans, she watched closely and saw that certain guests were being refused entrance. Fear made her heart speed up. She just couldn’t not be allowed in. Surely they would allow her and Ginny.


She watched the people in the line before them each be ushered out the doors and away from the reception. It would be so unfair if they weren’t allowed inside.


As they reached the guard who decided who entered and who was escorted out, she found herself holding her breath. His eyes took Ginny in first, then turned to look at her. When he looked her up and down, he gave her a big smile and gestured both of them through the reception doors. “You ladies have a nice evening.”


Ginny exhaled and clasped Hermione’s hand. “Bloody hell! That was close! I thought he was going to make us leave.”


Hermione nodded. “Yes, me too.” she smiled. “But I’m glad he didn’t!”


No sooner had they entered the room than the doors closed. Looking around, they noticed that there were only about twenty people in the room. Stunned, Hermione gazed around the. “What happened to the rest of them?” she asked softly. “I could have sworn there were many more people than this.”


The doorman who had been close behind them answered her question. “Silveris refuses to meet more than twenty people at a time.” The big man shrugged. “He says it makes him feel cornered if there are more.”With that, he smiled and inclined his head as he gave Hermione a once over. “Enjoy your evening, ladies.”


When he left them, a man bearing a tray with wine flutes approached them. “Ladies, may I offer you some refreshment?”


Taking one, Hermione took a small sip of the wine and looked around the room. Ginny held hers, but just looked at the liquid for several seconds before asking, “Is it okay?”


Hermione nodded. “It is, Gin. It’s Honey Mead. It’s very good.” She nodded when Ginny held the glass up and looked at her one more time, questioningly. When the other woman took a sip, she asked, “was I wrong?”


Sighing after she had swallowed, Ginny answered, “You are never wrong, of course. I just don’t know much about it if it isn’t butterbeer.” Giggling, she lifted her flute in a flirty salute. “But never mind that! We’re here!”


Hermione smiled without responding and lifted her glass to the toast before sipping the liquid and looking around at the other occupants of the room. There were men in suits, women in dresses. It was all a very formal affair.


When a shadow fell across her, she turned to see what it was and nearly dropped her glass. As it was, she choked on the fluid she had just swallowed down. Dark eyes, the color of obsidian took her in and she found herself helpless to do anything save stare back in a kind of bashful awe.


He continued to regard her for a moment before reaching out to take her hand, and bent low over it. “Did I startle you, my dear?” He smiled in a way that made chills dance down Hermione’s spine and his voice was like the softest velvet against her newly awakened nerves. “Forgive me.” his words were accompanied with a tender kiss across the tops of her knuckles.

To her shame, she found herself unable to answer him because her breath was stuck in her throat. Instead, she offered him a small smile and tried to disengage her hand so to be able to regain control of her responses. It won’t do for him to think you are a dim-witted idiot!


Ginny looked from Hermione to Secretkeeper with a look of outright confusion. She glanced back at her friend and gave her a look that spoke volumes and snapped Hermione back to her senses. Finding her voice at last, she spoke softly. “There’s nothing to forgive. You just took me by surprise.


Finally, he allowed Hermione back her hand, but not before giving her a look that made her blush from her cheeks, all the way to her toes. Reaching within his cloak, he withdrew a card and handed it to her.


She took it and stepped back as he passed both women and greeted the rest of his guests. As he began mingling with the others, Hermione and Ginny both stared at him in wonder.


“Finally, Ginny sighed. “If that isn’t him, then I’m a bloody hippogriff!” Turning back to Hermione, she reached for the card. “What does it say?”


Hermione had no idea what the card said. She’d almost forgotten it she was so busy staring at the man who stood in the middle of the crowd, He was so in his element. And he seemed so content. She let Ginny take the card and just continued to watch Severus. It had to be Severus.


Ginny stared at the card. “Well, that’s just odd.” She turned the paper over in her hand and examined the other side. “There’s nothing on it. Nothing but an emblem.”


She started to throw the card away but Hermione grabbed it. “No!” She gasped. Clasping it to her breast. “He gave it to me for a reason. Maybe there’s a hidden message on it? And I just have to find a way to unlock it.”


Ginny looked from Hermione to the card and shrugged. “I think it’s just a business card, Hermione.”


The brunette looked down at the card held in her hands and turned it over. Nothing. No writing. Nothing in print. Not one word or anything else. For that matter. Sighing, she tucked it away in her purse. There may be nothing to the card. But she didn’t believe that. Not yet.


* * *


After they arrived back at Potter’s Place, Hermione bid Ginny a good night and made her way swiftly to her room. When she reached it, she locked herself in and leant heavily against the door. That card meant something. She was sure of it. There was no way that it didn’t It had to mean something.


Dropping her cloak on the bed and then grabbing her purse, she pulled the card out and moved to sit at her desk. She flipped on the desk lamp, hoping it would help shed some light on what the card was.


She was so immersed in studying it that she didn’t notice when the room began to blur and fade. It wasn’t until she felt the tugging motion and heard the popping/sucking sound that she squeaked. “A Port Key?”


One moment she was in her room. The next, she was sitting on the floor in a huge bedroom facing an immense balcony that overlooked the Sea.


A deep masculine chuckle greeted her. “Miss Granger. I daresay you are punctual as ever.” He clicked his tongue as he came into view, moving to help her to her feet. “And also as determined.” He helped her to her feet and looked her over. “You are unharmed?”


Looking down at herself before returning his gaze, she nodded. “I seem to be okay.”


He smiled at her again and released her. “Good. Well, then. Would you like a cup of tea?” he tilted his head for a second as if considering. “I have coffee as well, if you prefer?”


She simply stared at him for several seconds, unsure how to react. Several times she opened her mouth as if wanting to say something, simply to close it again and just continue staring. Finally, she just fell silent.


He watched her for moment before offering her a tolerant smile. “I see even the infamous Miss Granger has changed over time. She’s finally at a loss for words.”

* * * * * * * * * * *

A/N: I KNOW! Isn't it shocking? I added a chapter! Oh, and to anyone out there that likes my Lucius/Hermione stories... there should be a new chapter up on Ghostly Curse in the next day or two.