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 7 ~ The Trip to Diagon Alley

Severus awoke early the next morning and headed directly to the pool area and took a refreshing and relatively strenuous morning swim. To his delight, he found a magical switch that altered the depth of the pool. He removed the shallow end completely, effectively turning the pool into a suitable lap pool. There was also another panel that controlled temperature. As nice as the heated water was, Severus preferred it cool and changed the settings to reflect that.

After a refreshing swim, he returned to his room, showered and dressed. After his workout, he was famished. He wondered if the steak had survived the night as he headed for the kitchen. If it had, steak and eggs would be the first meal of the day. He opened the cooler door and saw that the steak had indeed met its demise, most likely in the jaws of a scrawny, amber-eyed witch. Still, it had been quite a big piece of meat. If Hermione kept eating like this, she wouldn't be scrawny for long.

The wizard took out some sausages and eggs, and set about preparing his breakfast. Hermione walked into the kitchen, dressed in her granny gown and carrying an empty plate, glass and utensils. She brought them to the sink and silently began washing them.

Severus looked at her, his eyes glittering.

"I see you polished off my steak," he said to the witch.

"I got hungry last night," she replied, not looking at him.

"I see," the wizard said, smirking to himself as he added the sausage to the frying pan. "Should I make a pot of porridge for you this morning?"

Hermione paused.

"No. I'll just have what you're having," she replied. "There's no need to cook two breakfasts."

"No, I suppose there isn't," Severus replied, adding two more sausages to the pan.

Victory. The witch was willing to eat again. One challenge down and an endless amount to go.

Hermione ate heartily, Severus watching her beneath a hooded gaze. Gods, she seemed bottomless, eating three of the five sausages he made and most of the eggs. When she finished, she sat back in the chair looking quite sated and a little food drunk. The wizard noted her color was a little better this morning. There wasn't a truly great difference but it was noticeable.

"That was good," the witch said, her eyes resting on Severus. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, though I believe I am going to have to make larger meals if I am to get enough nourishment. You certainly can put it away, witch," he said, smirking at her slightly.

"I guess its because I haven't eaten anything really nourishing in so long. When you deny yourself something good for a long time, it is so much better when you have it again," she replied.

Severus gave her a rather odd look.

"What?" she asked him.

"Nothing," the wizard replied, biting into his last piece of sausage.

Ying and Yang were in separate corners eating half a sausage each, having turned their noses up at their cat food as Hermione said they would.

Severus had looked at Hermione oddly without realizing it when she made the comment about how good something was after a long period of denial. He had idly wondered if the witch would become interested in sex again after she was physically restored. The wizard wasn't looking to start another relationship with the witch, but he would certainly fuck her if she showed the slightest interest. Severus used to enjoy sex very much before Hermione…he had no qualms about fucking almost any witch amenable. It was dirty, detached sex, but it satisfied him immensely…until Hermione. The witch had ruined him with her love.

He wasn't sure that he still loved Hermione. He didn't have the strong feelings he had for her before…but she was so different now in looks and attitude, she was almost like a different witch. That could account for his feelings toward her. But what would happen once she was restored? His eyes idly flicked over her curveless form. He would most likely be unable to help being attracted to her once she filled out. Maybe she would finish separating the elixir's components before that happened and he would be able to leave before facing that possibility. Once Harry was resurrected, Hermione would probably forget he even existed anyway.

Severus sighed. He'd have to cross that bridge when he came to it.

"How long will it take for you to get ready to go to Diagon Alley?" he asked the witch.

"Not long. I just have to shower," Hermione said, rising.

"I'll be waiting for you in the study," the wizard said. The witch nodded and left the kitchen.

Severus sat at the table for a moment, Ying and Yang yowling at his feet. He looked down at them.

"Sorry you two. No more sausages. Looks like cat food for you now," he said.

Suddenly the cats stopped yowling and gave him a rather scathing look. Both stalked out of the kitchen, tails extremely high…so high in fact it looked as if they were purposely presenting their butts to the wizard. The door was cracked just enough for them to squeeze through and disappear.

Severus raised an eyebrow. That had been a strange reaction. Up to this point, he had viewed Ying and Yang as rather ordinary cats, though he knew they were supposed to be familiars. Familiars had different levels of intelligence. Not all could communicate directly with or understand their masters verbatim and those types were little more than pets. That's the type he thought the pair of Siamese felines were. But their reaction to his words implied that they had understood him perfectly and were quite miffed by his comment.

Cat food indeed.

Severus cleared the table, washed the dishes and exited the kitchen. He headed for the study, pulling out the list of ingredients he hoped to buy. A couple of them were quite rare…he hoped Andreas would have them in stock.

About half an hour later, Hermione appeared.

"I'm ready," she said.

Severus looked at the witch. Her brittle hair looked terrible and lifeless, falling over her shoulders in dry strands. In addition, Hermione had deep gray hollows under her eyes and her skin, although slightly better in color was still pale and unwashed looking. Her robes were big on her because of the weight loss and her lips looked a bit chapped. The witch's hands looked knobby because they were so thin and the knucklebones so apparent. All in all, Hermione looked as if she had spent a stint in a concentration camp. Well, there was nothing for it.

Hermione saw Severus' eyes wash over her and it was relatively clear he didn't like what he saw, but this was the best she could do. Take it or leave it. She wasn't here to please him anyway.

Severus nodded and walked past her wordlessly, heading for the main doors. Hermione followed him. The wizard slowed a bit so she could catch up.

"I guess apparating on your grounds is out of the question," he said to the witch.

"It certainly is. Why would I let people apparate on to my property when I have protective wards on my fence to keep them out?" she said a bit snarkily.

Severus didn't reply to her as they came to the manor entrance. He opened the door and let the witch walk through then followed her. They then walked for several minutes through the gray barren yard until they reached the front gate. Severus stopped and looked at the witch expectantly.

"What?" she asked him.

"Take down the wards so we can go out," he said to her evenly.

Hermione scowled at him.

"The way you've just been walking in and out of here, I thought you'd do it," she responded, pulling out her wand and doing several intricate motions. Then she pushed the gate open and walked through, followed by the Potions Master. Hermione then rewarded the gate.

Severus offered his arm to her. She didn't take it.

"Just tell me which public apparating point we are going to. I am fully capable of apparating on my own," she said coldly.

The corner of Sage and Thistleberry," the wizard replied, frowning at her. He was simply trying to be polite.

"Fine," she said, then disapparated with a crash of thunder.

Severus rolled his eyes, then followed.

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Vampire Queen Adam Sweetmeats stood in the doorway of the Lovebites Beauty Shop, idly filing his sharp nails, getting them ready for painting. He thought he'd go with an electric blue background, with golden skulls on each. They would match his electric blue robes and bring out his blue eyes. Safely inside and protected by the UV-blocking tint on the shop window, Adam's consort Victor sat reading the Daily Prophet. The tall, gray-eyed vampire looked up every now and then, keeping an eye on his queen. Adam could disappear in an instant, and Victor knew nothing about running a beauty shop. He had been stuck more than once trying to answer a potential customer's questions while Adam flounced about gods knew where.

As a queen, Adam could walk in sunlight. He was the only one who could do it. Victor was a sentient vampire, and although he had more power than a regular minion, walking by day was not one of them. But as long as he was out of direct sunlight, he could function.

Adam became a queen when he accidentally came upon the vampire clutch while they were out feeding. Since the vampires were in hiding, Adam's discovery put them in danger. So Victor bit the wizard, not knowing that Adam was gay and had more female attributes then male. When a sentient vampire bites a female, they become a queen rather than dying. Bitten males were either killed, if that was the intention, or transformed into a minion, which was a rather mindless, animal like lower ranking vampire. Minions did not retain their intelligence or complete human form because they were turned too quickly for the body to adapt. Victor was turned slowly, so retained all his facilities and human good looks.

Adam's transformation had come as quite a surprise to Victor and his then queen, Vashti. The moment Adam turned, instinct led him down into the catacombs to battle the current queen. He killed Vashti and assumed her throne. He then gave Victor the option of being his consort or being killed. Victor wasn't thrilled about this, but he did want to live so he agreed to become Adam's lover. After his initial "breaking in" Victor found Adam to be a much better queen than Vashti. Adam improved the quality of life for all the minions, and lavished gifts on Victor such as jewelry, a new wardrobe and gave him some say in the operation of his king…er…queendom. Victor was fiercely protective of his queen and would lay down his life for Adam in his defense.

Adam and his clutch lived off of small animals, rare steaks and were trying out artificial blood…a muggle development that really didn't taste too badly and was quite nutritious. The reason Adam had a store was because he petitioned the Ministry for the right. It was a very involved process, the Ministry having to send wizards and witches among the vampires to see how they lived, what they ate and their general temperament. Adam had his minions under tight rein, and after about a year, the Ministry agreed Adam and Victor could walk among them. The minions couldn't however.

Adam was delighted. It was boring being holed up all the time in the catacombs. The first thing he did was to deposit Vashti's vast treasure trove in Gringotts bank and open up a beauty shop in Diagon Alley. At first, not many people utilized the shop, but once they saw the wonderful work the vampire did, Adam soon had a roaring trade. Being a vampire, Adam was immediately aware of the physical condition of a witch's body. Most skin and hair problems had much to do with the blood. Too oily, too dry skin could be fixed with an alteration in diet…and of course cosmetically. He could immediately divine blood issues and advise how to fix them to be healthier. As a wizard, Adam had a slew of beauty spells he applied to his customers. No one ever left his shop dissatisfied.

Adam looked up from buffing his nails, and his blue eyes widened.

"Victor darling, come to the window. You have to see this!" Adam said, his eyes trained down the sidewalk.

Victor folded the Prophet, set it down on the small table next to the chair he was sitting in, rose and strode over to the tinted window.

"What is it, my queen?" he asked the wizard, looking down the sidewalk. He couldn't come to the door because of the sun.

"Look at these two. Gods, if I didn't know better, I'd think they were some of ours," Adam replied, watching Severus and Hermione approach.

His eyes flicked over the Potions Master's tall, lean frame, lank black hair and pale skin appreciatively.

"My…he looks yummy enough to eat, doesn't he Victor," Adam gushed.

Victor scowled. He was quite jealous.

"I don't know. Maybe I should bite him and find out," the consort replied bad-temperedly.

Adam's eyes fell on Hermione.

"My gods. I've seen week-old corpses with better skin than that poor witch," Adam said, clucking his tongue sympathetically. "And look at that hair. One brush with a torch and she'd be burned to a crisp instantly."

Victor eyed the small witch, his nose wrinkling. She was quite unattractive.

Adam straightened in the doorway.

"Victor, we've got to help that witch. I couldn't sleep knowing I let someone walk around public like that. I think a freebie is in order," the wizard said, straightening his robes and running his hand through his wavy brown hair.

"She does need help, my queen…though I daresay you'll have your work cut out for you. Her blood is so weak, that I'd have to suck on twenty of her to get any nourishment at all," Victor commented as Hermione drew closer.

Adam checked her blood, letting his vampire powers flow over Hermione.

"Merlin's moth-eaten mandrakes! Where the hell has she been? A concentration camp? The poor things been starved," he said, shaking his head. "If you bit her, dust would probably come out. She's dry as toast. Oh Victor…this is a bad case, a bad case."

Hermione and Severus approached the shop and Adam leaped out into their path.

"Hello, my name is Adam and I am the proprietor of Lovebites Beauty Shop. Honey, you need me…and you need me now," he said to the startled Hermione. "You are the worst case I have ever seen. I want to take some before and after photos of you, darling…my clientele would increase dramatically once they got a look at you, girl."

Severus studied the limp-wristed wizard. He was quite pale. Sometime just wasn't right. Then Adam smiled and he saw the sharp eyeteeth.

"You're a vampire," he said to the wizard.

Adam fluttered his eyelashes at him and pursed his lips.

"And you my dear, are absolutely delicious," he replied.

In the window, Victor growled rather audibly. Severus looked up and saw the vampire giving him the evil eye. He looked back at Adam.

"Why are you able to stand out in sunlight?" the Potions Master asked him.

"Don't be silly. All queens can stand in the Glow, tall, pale and yummy," Adam gushed at him.

Severus' face began to contort. An obviously gay vampire queen was flirting with him. Outrageously. Now…how did you kill a vampire again?

Hermione bit back a rare smile at Severus' discomfort, but quickly stepped between him and Adam. The rather rotund little wizard might seem easy to handle, but he was a vampire and no doubt could take down a human quickly.

"I don't really have time to…" Hermione began.

Adam cut her off.

"Sweetie, you need to make time. You need help only Adam Sweetmeats can give you. I won't even charge you," the vampire said, smiling at her. "It's an act of mercy, believe me honey."

Severus scowled at the vampire. Sweetmeats? Good gods.

Then the wizard looked at the images of coiffed witches in the window. They were spinning and making coquettish faces. There were a couple of before and after images as well, and they were quite impressive. Maybe Hermione should take the vampire up on his offer. Severus doubted the flamboyant wizard would bite her. He wouldn't have a shop if he turned his customers after all.

"Hermione, we have all day," Severus said. "You should take him up on his offer."

Hermione tried to stomp on his foot, but the wizard moved it out of the way.

Adam clapped his hands together enthusiastically.

"So we're on then," he said, grasping Hermione by the arm and escorting her into the store.

Hermione looked back at Severus helplessly, her eyes begging for assistance. Severus actually gave her a grin, then stepped into the doorway and watched as Adam settled her into a chair. The vampire then walked around her, his pale hands lifting her hair and exclaiming dismally. She'd be fine.

Suddenly Victor appeared in the doorway, standing back a bit so as not to be in direct sunlight. He glared at Severus, still jealous of Adam's reaction to the pale wizard.

"Come back later, mortal," he said, making the world mortal sound like the word 'pig."

The sentient thrust his hand forward and the shop door slammed loudly in Severus' face. The vampire then gave the wizard a rather toothy grin, his fangs growing dramatically and his eyes flashing redly for a moment before returning to normal. Then he strode over to where Hermione and Adam were talking and folded his arms, listening and nodding his head.

Severus bristled. That was a direct challenge. But hell, he couldn't spend his morning trying to kill aggravating vampires, so he turned and headed for Knockturn Alley to purchase supplies.

Imagine. Vampires in Diagon Alley doing business. Amazing.

If Mr. Sweetmeats could actually make Hermione look halfway decent, that would be doubly amazing.

Severus walked up the next block and turned right into Knockturn Alley. The dark witches and wizards standing about quickly got out of his way. They all knew the Potions Master. He was not a wizard to fuck with.

Severus walked through the tight alley until he came to a small, unassuming little storefront. He opened the door and a gong sounded somewhere in the back. The wizard was immediately hit with the scent of boiled eggs and old cabbage. He breathed the welcome sent of the apocathery shop in appreciatively. This was the place all brewing started.

Like most of the shops in Knockturn alley, the apocathery shop was larger inside than it was outside. Andreas had acquired it from Master Toorahloo right after the final battle, financed by his father. Andreas had paid him back with interest inside of one year.

Master Toorahloo had finally decided to go ahead and move on. The ancient wizard had been using a Philosopher's Stone to prolong his life for ages, and was damned tired. The stone kept one alive, but the body still aged, albeit slowly and would doggedly hold on to life as long as the stone was used despite its ravaged state. The apocathery felt it time to enter the final Mystery, put his affairs in order, went to St. Mungos and departed quietly. He left the stone with Andreas, who didn't use it but kept it safely hidden.

Summoned by the gong, Andreas Mbutu walked out of the back office and around the counter. His dark face lit up the moment he saw Severus, and he hurried forward, his hand extended and a blazing smile upon his face.

"Professor," he said, shaking the wizard's hand. "It is good to see you, sir."

Severus nodded returning the handshake firmly.

"It is good to see you as well, Andreas. I take it business is well?" he asked the wizard.

"Yes sir. I can hardly keep ingredients on the shelves," Andreas replied.

Severus reached into his pocket and produced his list.

"Hopefully you have these on your shelves," he said handing the list to Andreas, who studied it. His eyebrows rose at a couple of the items listed, and he leveled his black eyes on the Potions Master.

"You know Professor, that a couple of these ingredients are forbidden to be sold by the Ministry," the wizard said evenly. "Even if found in your possession you could get six months in Azkaban."

Severus nodded.

"Yes, I am aware of that, Andreas," the wizard replied.

Andreas studied him for a moment. Severus had the distinct impression the wizard wasn't looking at him but inside him. Suddenly a small scowl appeared on Andreas' face…just for a second…then it disappeared and he was smiling again. He handed the list back to Severus.

"I'll see what I can do," he said, picking up a large wicker hand basket and handing it to the Potions Master.

"If I remember correctly, you prefer to select your own ingredients," Andreas said to him.

Severus nodded.

"Well, I will have your special requests ready for you by the time you are finished choosing," the wizard said amicably.

"Thank you, Andreas," the Potions Master replied. He began moving through the shop, examining the boxes of herbs, claws and other potions whatnots. Andreas watched him for a moment, his brows furrowed. Then he walked to the back of his shop and closed the door.

He walked to the back wall and wriggled a finger at it. A small door appeared. The wizard walked through it and turned up the torches. This was where he kept all his less than legal items. He walked to a shelf and shifted through several small blue bottles, selecting one and studying it. He pulled out the cork and sniffed it…nodding. He resealed the bottle and put it in his robes pocket.

"I know this isn't on your list, Professor…but it will help you to do what you must do," the wizard said to himself, shaking his head. "My grandfather always told me the height of a man's curiosity is only dwarfed by the depth of his foolishness. I can only hope you will see light in this matter. I cannot interfere where the gods tread."

Andreas began to gather the items on the Professor's list, shaking his head.

"I sometimes believe women are more of a curse than a blessing," Andreas said, picking up a basilisk claw with long tongs and dropping it into a black velvet bag. Then he smiled.

"But oh, what a wonderful curse they are."

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A/N: Welcome back Adam and Victor! Lol. Poor Hermione. Kidnapped by a vampire and forced to submit to his cosmetic ministrations. Victor is a real piece of work too. Not that Severus would touch Adam with a 50-foot broomstick…unless it was sharpened on the end. Lol. Andreas…what's in that bottle? Please review.