10 Years After

10 Years After
Chapter 21

Disclaimer: I own nothing of what you’re about to read, with the possible exception of the plot, although I’m sure it’s been done before. The places, characters, etc. belong to JK Rowling. Thanks.

Hogwarts: July 25, 2008, early morning; Severus and Hermione’s Lab.
Severus wasn’t sure exactly when he stopped thinking of the lab as his and started thinking of it as his and Hermione’s, but it had happened. He figured it was about the same time he stopped thinking of his bed as his bed and his life as his life. Hermione Granger was woven into the very fabric of his existence, and he didn’t mind in the least. He had awoken before Hermione and decided to let her sleep in for a change. He stood in front of a gently simmering cauldron, carefully watching for any changes in the color and consistency. He was augmenting the Wolfsbane Potion according to some of the research they had completed. If trials went well with the augmented potion, it was one step closer to a cure. Severus thought about Remus Lupin, his fallen comrade in arms. Out of all the Marauders, the one he had the most respect for had been the werewolf. Remus was the one who never mocked him, who was never cruel to him, who was just as much a pawn of Sirius Black as Severus himself was. Remus saved his life once or twice in battle, as Severus had saved his. They had an uneasy truce, but Severus actually found himself liking the man. When he fell in battle against the Dark Lord, his body never recovered, Severus felt the loss. The loss was greater for the lack of a body. Dozens saw him fall to the Avada Kedavra cast by none other than Lucius Malfoy. But later that day, when the battle and the war had been won by the Light, his body was no longer there. Severus searched through all the dead looking for him to no avail. Albus believed his body was taken by Death Eaters before the fall of the Dark Lord. Severus had held out hope that the witnesses to his death were wrong, that Remus was alive somewhere, but after 3 years of looking, even he had given up. Now he was determined to help Hermione find a cure for the werewolf condition, in memory of one of the few people Severus considered a friend.

Hermione padded into the lab, having awoken to an empty bed. She was wearing a pair of running pants and a thin tank top that did little to hide her charms. She stood quietly in the doorway to the lab, watching Severus work. He appeared deep in thought, but still was paying attention to his cauldron. It always amazed Hermione how he could do two things at once like that. She was amused to note that he had neglected to put on his customary robes and was in simple muggle jeans and a t-shirt. Hermione shook her head in wonderment at how much younger he looked than his 48 years. His long black hair held no gray, his body was toned and fit. When he was relaxed, his face showed no major lines save a frown crease here and there. It was Hermione’s goal to give the man some laugh lines eventually. He could use it. The Severus she was looking at now was a sharp contrast to the Severus that taught potions. That version of her man was stern and older looking. Still, they were both aspects of the same man, and she loved them equally. She quietly walked up behind Severus and wrapped her arms around his lean body, resting her head on his shoulder.

“Good morning, love,” murmured Hermione, running her hands across his chest.

“Good morning to you, too,” he replied, “I trust you slept well?”

“Like a baby. I always sleep well with you,” she said, “so, working on the Wolfsbane?”

“Yes. This formulation is looking good so far. Just about ready for a color and consistency change, then it can be bottled, tested on the werewolf blood sample and then sent to St. Mungo’s for live trial,” explained Severus, keeping an eye on the simmering potion.

“If this works, it’ll be one tremendous step closer to a cure, and along with a cure, a possible cure for the vampiric condition. This is the formulation with the C factor, right?”

“Yes,” said Severus, as he watched the potion thicken and change to a vivid blue, placing a stasis charm on it, “this is ready and I set you up over there with the D factor and the human blood samples.”

Hermione kissed Severus and smiled at the fact that he had acted like her assistant in setting up her work space. He never ceased to amaze her. This was his lab, he was one of the highest ranked potion masters in the world, and yet he had no issue with her taking the lead in this research. He made her work so much easier than she had ever imagined, and what was at times a tedious process had become far less so in his presence. She began working on the potion and was immersed in her ingredients when she heard a chuckle come from Severus. She placed a stasis charm on her potion and looked over at him. He stood holding a vial of blood, a vial that was shimmering slightly in the harsh light of the lab.

“Severus?” she asked, “what is happening?”

“I’ll be fucked sideways Hermione,” said Severus, a grin spreading over his face, “it’s working. The C factor is neutralizing the werewolf blood cells.”

“Neutralizing them? That means…”

“We may have found the cure, or at least something damned close. Time will tell.”

Hermione rushed to Severus’ side, gazing at the shimmering vial. Severus motioned to the microscope and Hermione peered into the viewfinder. The bright blue potion was indeed neutralizing the werewolf blood cells, yet left the normal blood cells alone. Hermione watched as the werewolf cells took on a strange new form before shrinking to nothing.

“We’ll have to add some form of blood replenisher to the potion so the blood cells that are neutralized can be replaced,” stated Hermione.

“Just what I was thinking. I can’t send this over for a live trial unless that component is added or the test subject will lose too many red blood cells and severe anemia will set in,” agreed Severus.

“I didn’t expect this result so soon.”

“Me either. I figured this would just decrease the speed of the werewolf cells and slow down the transformation, thus making it easier. I wasn’t expecting THIS.”

“Can you…” began Hermione.

“Try this formulation on vampire blood?” completed Severus, “Absolutely, Professor Granger.”

Hermione smiled and shook her head: he anticipated her statements and acted on them quickly. It was yet another thing she loved about working with him. She peered into the microscope again, seeing the destruction of the werewolf blood cells continue. This was so much more than she woke up expecting. She went back to her potion and her human blood samples, hoping for something half as promising on the cancer cells in three of her vials. The mutation of the cells in vampirism and the werewolf condition, or lycanthropy as it was more commonly termed these days (even though that term originally came from a psychiatric disorder in which one believed they were a werewolf), was similar to that of cancerous cells when not exposed to the gravitational pull of the moon. Once the moon became a factor, the cells behaved not unlike those in sickle cell anemia, changing form and causing great pain as the mutated blood cells attempted to traverse the bloodstream. In vampirism, the cells simply mutated, there was no additional pull on them from the full moon. Hermione and Severus worked silently, applying their potions to their vials and waiting for something to happen. Severus was first to note a change.

“Hermione, it’s happening here, too. You found the link between the werewolf and vampire blood and the correct combination of ingredients to fight the mutations,” stated Severus, the smile apparent in his voice, “You did it!”

Hermione quickly finished applying the enhanced potion to her samples and set them aside. It would take several hours for anything to occur with the D factor formulation. She again peered into the microscope to witness the same thing happening to the vampire cells that had happened to the werewolf cells. She felt the smile spread over her face as she gazed at Severus.

“I think we should celebrate,” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing her lips to his.

“After you look at the third sample, the werewolf blood with the potion emended to include the blood replenishing component,” said Severus, turning Hermione around to another microscope.

With a sigh, Hermione looked into the microscope to see the destroyed mutated cells replaced by healthy red blood cells. She felt Severus’ arms around her, his strong hands cupping her braless breasts, thumbs working the nipples through her thin tank top. Hermione let loose a low moan as his fingers became more insistent.

“Oh Gods, Severus, I’m starting to like mornings,” moaned Hermione, as Severus slipped his hands under her shirt to touch her bare breasts, “you know what I really want right now?”

“Mmmm, no, what?” replied Severus, kissing her neck as he rolled her nipples between his fingers.

“I want you to take me from behind. Right here, right now,” stated Hermione, placing her hands on the smooth marble lab table in front of her, “I want you in me now.”

“Well,” said Severus, “in this lab, on this project, you’re in charge.”

Hermione felt his hands move from her breasts to her hips, one roaming over her bottom before she felt the cool air of the lab on her exposed skin as he removed her running pants, pleased to find she was wearing no undergarments. He ran his hands up her body, lifting her arms over her head as he removed her tank top, leaving her gloriously naked. Ever the potions master, he removed the microscopes from the immediate vicinity and made certain that all potions were secured. Hermione smiled at his predictability. Deftly picking up her wand and speaking a few soft words, Hermione disrobed her man, much to his amusement.

“I want you so badly right now,” she commented.

“Success is a powerful aphrodisiac,” he stated, walking behind her and again stoking her nipples, one hand moving between her legs to where she was wet and ready for him.

Severus bent her over the table, her nipples hardening further against the cold marble. She felt his hardness behind her as he spread her open and slipped inside her. Hermione moaned as she felt him filling her like no other man ever had, nor ever would. She had no intention of ever being with another man for the rest of her existence. She had no desire to. All she ever wanted was Severus Snape for the rest of her life. She cherished the sensation of his stoking in out of her, his hands moving over her body, pinching a nipple, stroking her clit, holding her hips as he thrust harder into him. She encouraged him to go harder and faster and he complied. Hermione felt herself tighten up as she approached her climax.

“Gods, Severus, you are like no other man,” Hermione gasped, “shit, baby, I’m coming…”

“Me too,” grunted Severus as he pounded her from behind, feeling his climax approach.

Severus grabbed her hips as he plunged into her one last time and climaxed, Hermione moaning loudly with her own orgasm. Hermione tried to catch her breath before turning around to wrap her arms around Severus. She lifted her head for a deep kiss, pressing her sweaty body against his.

“I love you so much, Severus,” she whispered.

“I love you, too, Hermione, and I can almost see the merits of naked potions making…”

Hermione giggled as she cast a cleansing spell over them both and charmed their clothing back on.

“We should have breakfast in the Great Hall,” remarked Hermione, “and let Albus know about the recent developments.”

“I think we can leave the details of our pre-celebration out it, though,” smiled Severus.

“Of course,” agreed Hermione, “do you think I want Albus to know how good a lover you are?”

“I don’t want Albus knowing either,” said Severus with a raise of his eyebrows.

Severus and Hermione each took one more look at their successful potion, checked on the human samples, and each grabbed a set of plain teaching robes from the hook at the lab doorway as they secured the lab and headed for breakfast in the Great Hall