Our Only Hope

Chapter 4 Our Only Hope

A FEW WEEKS LATER

“It’s never going to work,” Neville explained to the Minister of Magic and his advisors.

Severus reluctantly agreed that Mr. Longbottom could mediate between the two Potions Masters. Of all of Mr. Raymond’s choices, Neville was the lease offensive and could tolerate his presence.

“Severus needs his magic if he is going to be of any help,” Neville continued. “They both are brilliant at what they do, but they have completely different techniques. All that is being accomplished is a lot of arguing.”

“Then we might as well obliviate Lily and Snape and send them back to London,” Arthur sighed.

“Sir, don’t be premature,” Hermione counseled the Minister. “I have found an ancient spell that might be of some use; however, I am sure neither Harry nor Severus will be pleased about.”

“Continue,” Arthur instructed.

“There is away to temporarily give Severus his magic back, even if it’s only for a few days at a time,” she explained. “The spell must be recast every four days, and I don’t think either man will be happy with the spellcasting method.”

“What is it that you’re not telling me?” Arthur asked as his eyes narrowed.

“Harry must be penetrating Snape when the spell is cast. The magic is transferred through his,” Hermione blushed and shifted her eyes away, “semen.”

“We might as well send Snape packing, he’ll never agree to have intercourse with Harry,” Arthur said as he leaned back in his chair wearily.

“We can use Lily against him,” Hermione said quietly.

She didn’t like what she had become, a cold, calculating kidnapper willing to use a young girl against her father, “Harry may argue a bit, but he’ll finally agree to…having sex with Severus, if for no other reason but his duty to the Wizarding World.”

“I don’t like this not one little bit,” Arthur said tiredly, “We have become what we fought so hard against.”

“The sacrifice of one for the sake of many,” Hermione mumbled under her breath.

“Mrs. Malfoy, I know where my duties lie. I will not shun those responsibilities for the sake of one man, but that doesn’t mean that I am pleased by that decision. If we could only make the rape,” Hermione cringed as Arthur continued, “more pleasurable.”

“There are potions that can be given to ensure that both of them enjoy themselves,” Hermione added.

“That’s all good, Mrs. Malfoy, but from what I know of Severus Snape he enjoys the act of fucking not being fucked,” Arthur growled between clenched teeth.

He was annoyed at the young witch for her callousness. He was even angrier with himself for agreeing to the abomination.

“Since this was your idea, you explain it to the two gentlemen in question. You can report back to me with how well the two take the news,” Arthur commanded.

Hermione grimaced. She hadn’t expected to be the one to inform Severus and Harry about the Ministry’s decision.

“May I have permission to use the child as leverage?” she asked.

“Yes, yes, do what you have to do,” Arthur dismissed her with a wave of his hand.

She stood for a second longer, thinking of how to explain to the Minister that she was not the monster that he was making her out to be, but only a concerned mother. She cleared her throat, waiting for Arthur to acknowledge her. She stood motionless for a few moments waiting for the Minister to look up from the papers he was shuffling on his desk. After being ignored for several minutes, Hermione turned on her heels and stomped out of the room.

She was not a monster; she just had the future of the Wizarding World to take into account. She couldn’t afford to be self-righteous like the Minister. She had a job to do, and she would make certain that it would be done to the best of her ability. She would make sure that the two enjoyed themselves. An aphrodisiac would take care of that. Harry liked men—even if he had no feeling towards his old Potions Master, a hole was a hole, wasn’t it?

She stepped into the closest ladies’ room and hid in a stall, crying about the situation. She sat there bawling until the tears stopped flowing. After pulling herself together and washing her face, she sent a couple of Aurors to take Lily into custody. Tonks could entertain the child with her changing hair colors and Shacklebolt was very gentle with small children. He was godfather to her towheaded daughters and they adored him.

She looked at the clock on the wall. Severus would be stopping work in less than an hour. She had just enough time to have Lily taken into custody before apparating to the lab where Harry and Severus were working. Hermione would explain to the two of them what needed to done. She had no doubt there would be tantrums, but Severus would acquiesce because she had his daughter. Harry would likely never forgive her, but she was willing to do anything to ensure a magical future for her daughters.

Hermione massaged her temples. She had forgotten to tell Mr. Weasley that to two men would have to be bonded for the spell to work. She sighed and went about her business. It didn’t matter in the long run—the Minster would have agreed to it any way.

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Severus had a headache. Two weeks of work and they were not any closer to finding the cause, much less the cure, of what was happening to the Wizarding World. He looked at his watch—he only had thirty minutes before he could go home to his daughter.

The cottage Severus chose was small with just enough room for him and his daughter. His first day back, Severus fire called an old colleague that lived in Russia. The man was someone he thought he could trust, so he had him send one of his house elves to the cottage for the duration of their stay. After briefly explaining his situation, Severus’s fellow Potions Master offered the use of his nanny as well. He informed Severus that his own daughter was too old for a nanny, but the woman had been a loyal employee for such a long time that he didn’t have the heart to dismiss her. After a moment of deliberation, Severus agreed to temporarily hire the nanny with the understanding that if either he or his daughter had a problem with her, she would be sent packing.

Despite the circumstances, Severus couldn’t be happier with the nanny. Ripka was a wonderful addition to the household, and provided Lily with the maternal presence she had been lacking since her mother’s death. She had a firm control on his very precocious child and wasn’t intimidated by his stern appearance.

He was slightly worried about his relationship with his daughter. No matter how much he tried to be Allan Raymond, he was now Severus Snape with all of his trappings. Lily was confused and wasn’t too sure if she approved of her “new” father. He looked the same, but a reserved, suspicious, and angry man replaced her warm, outgoing, and loving father. Allen had been her rock when her mother died, giving her all the love and support that she had needed. Now that he was gone, Severus knew that Lily was bereft of comfort but he didn’t know how to change it.

Severus was brought out of his deep thought by the sound of someone apparating into the lab. He growled. Apparating into the lab was absolutely forbidden. Suddenly being surprised could be disastrous, if not deadly, in a potions lab. One drop too much of dragon tail could blow up the building and the surrounding area.

“Mrs. Malfoy,” Severus snarled.

“Hermione what do you think you’re doing? You know better that to apparate into a laboratory,” Harry scolded.

“Sorry,” Hermione said with a lack of contrition in her voice.

“I must talk to you two about something very important and it couldn’t wait,” she said excitedly.

“Why is it that I get the feeling that this will not be good news?” Severus grouched. “Oh yes, I haven’t hear any good new since I was kidnapped and blackmailed into helping the Wizarding World.”

“Raymond, give Hermione a chance. Perhaps she brought us something that can help us,” Harry defended his long time friend.

“Thank you Harry, I think I found a solution to one problem,” she walked over to the desk and set down upon the table the large tome she had under her arm. “Neville has explained that as long as Snape…Mr. Raymond doesn’t have any magic that this venture between the two of you will be useless.”

“Good, now perhaps you will send my daughter and me back to where we belong,” Snape said hopefully.

“No, but I found a way to give you back some of your magic. At least for a few days at a time,” she explained.

Severus never dreamed he would ever hold a wand again, and the thought of doing so sent his heart racing. He surprised himself by the deep longing he was feeling. To be a wizard again was too good to be true.

“Here, read it for yourself,” she pointed to the section in the book that explained what needed to be done.

She stepped back to the far wall in the room and put a protection charm around herself. She expected the two men to explode any second. Instead, she noticed the blush that colored the two men’s cheeks as they read the page. When they finished, they looked at each other and burst out laughing. Dumbstruck, Hermione stared.

“This is not a laughing matter!” she informed the two hysterical men.

“Oh Hermione, you must see the humor in this. The two of us having sex? Preposterous. I would rather see the Wizarding World fade away and die than to fuck the likes of him,” Harry explained through the tears of mirth rolling down his face.

Severus sounded like a foghorn as he blew his nose, “There is nothing that you can do to me that would force me into having him penetrate me.”

“How about the loss of your daughter,” she added dryly, finding no humor in any of this.

Severus and Harry looked at her as if she had lost her mind.

“What have you done?” Harry asked.

“She’s fine, at least for now, but I promise you unless you submit to the Ministry’s request you will never see your daughter again,” she threatened Severus.

“Bastards!” Severus growled as he lunged for her. Once he connected with the charm that was protecting her, he was sent flying across the room into the unforgiving brick wall.

“After the two of you consummate the bonding your daughter will be returned unharmed. The longer the two of you wait to do the spell, the longer it will be before you see your daughter again,” she threatened.

“Hermione, I never thought you would sink this low. To use a child against her father…that sounds something that Voldemort would do,” Harry was shaking in anger.

“You don’t get it,” she informed Harry. “I will do anything, including murder, if it would help to give my girls back their heritage. They are witches and they deserve to be able to do magic.”

“And this,” Severus pointed to Hermione with a scowl, “is the reason I’m trying to save all of your miserable hides? I hope when my daughter and I leave the lot of you, you all choke to death on your guilt.”

“Mr. Raymond, it’s sex--lie back, spread your legs, and enjoy it. I have some potions that will allow the two of you to tolerate the experience,” she sat down two vials on a table near her.

“No matter what you may perceive me to be, Mrs. Malfoy I am not a slut and I will not spread my legs for any man much less for the great Harry Potter,” he informed her.

“Hey, I’m on your side,” Harry whined.

“That may well be but if you ever wish to see Lily again I suggest that the two of you bond and consummate the spell. From what I read, your magic should return for four days before it starts to fade. You’ll have to refresh the spell at that time,” she smiled as she apparated out of the room.

Severus stared at the empty space where Hermione was standing. He felt a gentle hand placed on his shoulder.

“I’m sorry Snape, I’ll try to make it as enjoyable as possible,” Harry said softly.

Snape jumped as if he was electrocuted and moved as far away from Harry that was humanly possible in the small space.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do,” he said desperately, “but sleeping with you is not an option.”

Harry kept quiet and stepped away giving Mr. Raymond some space. No matter what he said, Harry knew that the two of them would eventually be having sex. Allen wouldn’t be separated from his daughter any longer than necessary. Harry would let Allen have time to digest everything he had just heard, and allow the man to come to the same conclusion that he had already had. Within a few hours, he would be bonding and fucking his former potions professor.