Of Days and Ends

A/N: New chappie! Long chappie!

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Chapter 9—First Encounters



She was spit out of the floo at Grimmauld Place with more force than she expected and came face to face with McGonagall who merely stood up from the couch and glared down at Hermione. "Well, Miss Granger, now that you deem it fit to come back, I shall have to inform the Order to stop their search for you."



"Search?" she asked, "Didn\'t Remus tell you that I was at my parent\'s house resting?"



"Yes, but we found it to be very odd when you ignored the patronus we sent you two days ago telling you about the Order meeting."



"Oh, I must have been sleeping."



"Indeed, so we sent Kingsley and Mrs. Weasley to go let you know, but your parents said you hadn\'t been there at all. It gave them quite a scare."



"Well I didn\'t expect you to come looking for me, so I went to my aunt\'s house instead of my parent\'s house. Then after I slept, I went to volunteer at my elementary school for a slumber party they were hosting."



"All of this and you never once went to visit your parents?"



"No, I decided that Lupin was right and I shouldn’t go see them without being fully refreshed.”



“Harry and Ron remembered that detail about the aunt too, but it seems that your father only has one sister who hadn’t seen you and your mother’s sisters live in Australia, South Africa, and the third one died two years ago.” When Hermione didn’t answer she continued, “Miss Granger, whatever you were doing, you have put the Order into considerable—” but a loud banging on the stairs stopped her from finishing her sentence and Hermione was never so thankful to see Fleur and her sister before.



Apparently, the banging sound belonged to a large trunk that woke Mrs. Black’s hysterical screams, “FILTHY BLOODTRAITORS! MUDBLOOD SLIME! HALF-BREEDS! OUT! OUT!”



“’ERMINEE!” Fleur shouted over the rude portrait, “YOU’RE BACK!”



Lupin and Tonks were next and Mrs. Black was quickly silenced. The interrogation would have started again, if it weren’t for the clamber of Ron bounding down the stairs and Harry in hot pursuit. Ron stopped dead in his tracks and Harry slammed into him when they saw Hermione, and it wasn’t long before she was encased in a bone crushing hug. Taking advantage of the distraction she managed to evade McGonagall and anyone else’s questions for the next two evenings.



By the first morning after her return, she noticed a bit of pressure in her head and felt chilled. Moody had narrowed his eyes at her when she swooned getting up during their defence lesson, and Tonks had felt her head during lunch, commenting on her pale visage. By the time the sun set, she was running a definite high fever and Mrs. Weasley was asked over to bring some Pepper-up Potion, never-melting ice, and place strategic wards against the spread of illnesses. Nothing worked.



By the end of the second day, her temperature was so high that the Order held a meeting to decide whether to trust Hermione to Madame Pomfrey’s care. A full Order vote was taken and Tonks and Kingsley were the only two not present, so they only expected two patronuses to show for the votes, but once again, Severus Snape’s patronus soared above their heads. It was the only vote in the negative, and McGonagall had insisted that a situation like this called for a full consensus. After the vote, McGonagall explained that she didn’t know of any procedures to remove Snape from the membership without killing him, so they would have to cope with the results of the magically bound vote.



Harry and Ron sat with Hermione as Mrs. Weasley tended to her until they were shooed upstairs by McGonagall and Tonks. The women sat with Hermione all night, taking shifts watching her until dawn when breakfast was served to everyone who had stayed overnight.



Hermione slept at the breakfast table the next morning. Her fever was higher than ever, and she became dizzy while walking to the bathroom, so it was really no surprise to anyone when she vomited just outside of the bathroom and collapsed on the cold wooden floor of the hallway. She was immediately moved to the couch by the fire and Harry and Ron were the only ones who ignored her request to not worry and sat by her side throughout the rest of the day. Hermione woke up on and off throughout the day and refused any food they tried to feed her. The boys didn’t leave until she ordered them to late that night. They left with concern etched on each of their faces and she waved sleepily before turning over and allowing herself the violent shivering spasms she had been holding back as best as she could in the boys’ presences.



Eventually, she fainted again and didn’t wake up until the earliest hours of daylight. The fire had become quiet and nearly died in the grate when the floo was activated. She was so exhausted that she could hardly keep her eyes open, and grabbed her wand futilely. Even if she was in danger, she couldn’t use her magic in her state. Her breasts heaved under the long wool nightgown with fear until the form of Severus Snape stumbled through. He was wearing a pair of thick pyjamas that she vaguely realized were not black, but blue. He looked just as bad as she did when he weaved on the spot.



She couldn’t explain the relief she felt at his mere presence, and smiled when he approached quickly, hefted her into his arms and stumbled back through the grate. His library was plunged into sudden dark as the fire died completely in the grate and they were both overwhelmed by a blight of cold that made them both dissolve in a fit of shivers. Snape dropped to his knees weakly and whispered, “My room… can you make it to my room?” She nodded in response before realizing that he couldn’t see it and they stood together, leading each other to their destination where Snape had the room ready for them with 4 blankets on the bed.



Snape climbed in and pulled her to him when she entered. She didn’t fight him, somehow instinctively understanding that he knew what was happening to them. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close until their warm breaths were blowing against one another’s faces. Their feet sought each other out beneath the covers and her hands moved under his shirt to rest on his chest, but it was only partially comforting.



“I don’t think its working fast enough.” whispered Snape hoarsely.



“Take the shirt off.” Hermione didn’t ask, and she started on the buttons without regard. He didn’t complain though and even assisted her in pushing it off of his arms. He in turn pulled on her night gown until it was bunched around her bottom, and she wrapped her legs around his cloth clad legs like a serpent. They seemed to come to an agreement that this was the furthest they were willing to go, and dropped off to a more comfortable sleep.



The next morning, Hermione woke without opening her eyes, luxuriating in the feeling of warmth around her. She tried to turn onto her back and realized with a horrified lurch of her stomach that not only was she obviously sleeping with Snape again, but he was once again aroused against her back and they had somehow managed to get fully unclothed. Her mind raced, trying to decide what to do when Snape woke, spitting the hair that made its way into his mouth. He moved his arm up and pushed her curly mass of hair away from his face when his mind caught up with the situation. She remained completely still despite the urge to laugh when he cursed under his breath.



He surprised her when he sighed, “How long have you been awake?”



She turned her head to look over her shoulder at him. This tiny movement moved her bottom against his still rigid cock, and she struggled to remain mature and act like she noticed nothing, “Not long.”



They lay in an uncomfortable silence for a while until Hermione asked the question that had been plaguing her for the last three days that she had been sick, “What’s going on with us?”



He loosened his arms around her as she tried to turn and face him. “I think it’s that potion, but I haven’t been able to see the original copy of the drafts to find our mistake.”



“I’m sorry, Severus.” She could feel tears prickling her eyes and tried to control them, unsure why she was being so emotional. “I should have told you I was tired, I should have done something to keep myself awake, I should have—”



“I was just as tired Miss Granger and I can’t possibly ignore the fact that you have been bandied about a lot recently.”



She smiled at his near-apology and whispered, “I never thanked you for saving my life.” She couldn’t explain what was driving her as she reached up and stroked one finger along his jaw.



He knew he looked surprised and tried to cover it with a smirk and a question, “Oh? What makes you think I don’t know already?”



She moved her hand and he was briefly disconcerted until her hand pressed flat over his heart and she raised herself up to lean in and placed a gentle kiss against his cheek. Immediately, the cool of her face that she didn’t even notice, left, and as she looked down into his eyes, she knew he felt it as well and welcomed his lips as they rose to meet hers. The remnants of the heat left them and energy filled them. It was as though they were each pulling it from the other and they ran their hands across each others bodies until his hands reached the lowest part of her back.



Hermione gasped and pulled away, “Professor!” She had reverted back to his old title accidentally, but it concisely summed up her reservations. Breathing heavily, she began to move like she was going to get up before realizing she had no clothes. “Where are my clothes?”



He watched her curiously until she sat up against his pillows with the blankets drawn up to her neck. “Right! Get out!”



“Right.” He smirked, “This is my bed, my room, and… hmm… my house.”



Hermione straightened herself up and snatched at all of the blankets. “Fine!” She insisted. “Fine!” She mumbled fervently, yanking the covers back and wrapping the blankets around her, turning smugly to him until she realized that she had left him totally exposed and aroused. Her jaw dropped, she gasped loudly, and she quickly diverted her eyes as Snape began laughing. It began as a soft, slow rolling chuckle until he grabbed his stomach and laughed openly.



She looked at him as though seeing him though different eyes. When he noticed, he straightened proudly and put on his best scowl, but she recognized it for a fake expression for the first time. “Well, are you going to just ogle me all day?”



“You just laughed and smiled.”



“Yes, I know. It’s been known to happen.”



“Yes, but… I’ve never seen you…” He had to suppress a smile as she sat down on the bed in what could have been an elegant drape of brown dress robes had it not been his linens. They stared at each other for a moment before Hermione noticed her clothing between them and slid it over her head, allowing it to drop down before letting the blankets drop and tossing the covers over Severus’s now flaccid member. “I have to go home. They’ll be wondering about me.”



“When will you be back?”



“Well, it’ll have to be before we become sick again. I don’t know. I’ll figure it out.” She didn’t wait for him, but walked to the door, “I’ll be back soon.”



When she returned an hour later, he couldn’t deny that he was surprised to see her so quickly. He also couldn’t deny that her timing was impeccable. Her white dress with gold buttons down the front and a deep v-collar that showed a hint of cleavage was alluring, but he didn’t mention how beautiful she looked. He had just sat down to ask for the drafts from his mother’s portrait, and she arrived to see him opening the lid.



“Severus. How are you?” his mother beamed at Snape first.



“I’m well.”



“And you, my dear?”



“I’m well.”



His mother was in that hallway again, but this time a small podium sat behind her with a large book set on the top. “I was wondering when I would see you two again. Are you married yet?”



“No. Is that why you brought the book out then?” Hermione politely asked.



His mother’s eyebrows raised and she turned around to look down the hall. The light from one of the lanterns lining the hall made her hair appear to glow along each of it’s ringlets that cascaded down her back. “When did that come out, I wonder?”



Severus leaned in close, trying to read the print on the book. “Can we have that?”



Eileen Prince walked to the book and turned back to them, “Why would you lie about being married?”



Hermione turned to Severus, who appeared to be coming to the same conclusion she was. “Would being bound to each other qualify as marriage?”



His mother rolled her eyes, “You aren’t really that thick are you? That’s what marriage means, you pillocks!” She threw her hands up in the air, “What kind of world has this become? You are not legally married, but you are bound to each other!”



Snape turned back to Hermione who went pale at the implication that he was now her husband. “I don’t understand.” She whispered, “When did we—that potion couldn’t have—”



He was just as surprised as she was, but was ignoring his lack of understanding. “Can we get the book?”



“Well, yes, I suppose.” His mother turned and picked up the book and pushed it through the frame to them.



Snape reached for it and received a nasty shock, “BLOODY HELL!”



Hermione jumped at his shout, and realized that he couldn’t touch it. “I’ll do it.” She said, confidently reaching for the book, and screamed shrilly when she was shocked as well.



“HOW THE BLOODY HELL ARE WE SUPPOSED TO READ THAT BOOK IF WE CAN’T TOUCH IT!” Severus roared.



Eileen glared at her son, “What the hell is going on here? What kind of relationship do you have? You’re bound, but not publicly and you haven’t consummated? What do you think you’re trying to pull here?”



Hermione’s jaw dropped and Snape calmed considerably, “We’ll be back later.” Eileen opened her mouth to object and Snape closed the lid.



They sat in silence for at least ten minutes before Snape stood and swept silently to the stacks of books, scanning and tossing books around until he seemed to find the one he wanted. The title read Magic Theory, Myth, and Trends by Pleiades O’Boyle. He flipped through as he came back to sit in front of Hermione. “This should have it.” He mumbled. She remained silent, understanding that that was not an invitation to ask questions. “Aha!” He tapped the page pensively,



“‘Marital Magic: The vast majority of marital magic is entirely ceremonial in nature, comprised of a few fizzles, bangs, and very little substantial magic. The typical marriage ceremony is laced with cheer charms and weak glamours that serve more for the bride’s experience than anything else. There are, however, a certain battery of heavier functioned charms a couple or more likely a member of the couple can choose to enact.



The first and most common of these is a dark Fidelity potion. The drinker often suffers side effects that differ from person to person and can cause temporary blindness if they break the binds of fidelity. The next most common is a very weak binding spell that serves only to allow each of their wands to recognize either hand.



There is mention of a powerful Binding potion in folklore handed down through Merlin’s “secret family lineage” that serves to bind a couple’s souls for all time. The most obvious problem being that when one member of the bond dies, the other will soon feel the tug into the afterlife and eventually succumb. They too have the ability to share wands and can even siphon the power of one for their own use. Neither can injure the other, and in the case that children are born, the father will feel more intense emotions than he would normally be privy to. The partner would feel immediately and painfully alerted to any infidelity. Intercourse between the couple is said to be more intense and the necessary component to maintaining the bond so that they can exist without each other’s presence for extended periods of time. Without periodic sexual congress, the couple can actually weaken themselves and even die of fevers. Many attempts have been made to break the bond, typically by the disappointed family or a spurned lover of their past. Many deaths and accidental poisonings have been caused, though it is said that only Merlin has created an actual separating potion. According to other folklore, the couple cannot be separated by any means.”



Hermione and Snape finished reading at nearly the same time and sat in silence for approximately ten minutes, each busy with their own thoughts. He was actually the one to try to open conversation between them, “Wh—”



“Let’s do it.”



“Do what?” Snape raised an eyebrow and looked her over.



“Consummate the bond.”



He was surprised, but refused to let it show. Instead, he sat in his chair as she sat on the floor and made her case. Her reasoning was clear, her arguments intact, her options definite, and her emotions uninvolved. Were they in class, he would have been annoyed with her uncanny ability to be entirely convincing and prepared. Contrarily, he was focused on the emotional side of their potential congress. Even if she wasn’t a virgin, she couldn’t have had anywhere near enough experience to stay emotionally detached from someone she had known for nearly half of her life, and he knew her too well to hurt her now. So when she called his name, kneeled at his feet, and laid a hand on his knee, he couldn’t give her any answer other than, “No.”



“But Merlin’s spells and potions and notes! Think of the possibilities and the academic potential! Besides—”



“DO YOU REALIZE THAT YOU ARE ASKING ME TO HAVE INTERCOURSE WITH YOU?” he bellowed, fed up with her inability to see the emotional side of the act. When she just looked as him silently, apparently upset by his yelling and still innocent to the concept. He settled patiently and quietly asked, “Are you a virgin, Miss Granger?”



She realized as he asked, what he wanted to hear and lied without hesitation, “No.”



He looked into her eyes and she blocked him, so he drew his wand and pounced on her, “Legillimens!”



She screamed and struggled beneath him as he attempted to plunder her mind. Her walls were strong, but he was stronger and a brief flash of her memory escaped under the pressure, “Severus!” She cried breathlessly, and he clasped his legs tighter around hers and she fought until their eye contact was broken.



Laying his full weight atop her, and refocusing his energy and wand, he growled, “Legilimens!”



Her walls broke and a flood of images hit him. He skilfully sifted through until he found the ones he wanted:



“I don’t know, Victor, you’ll be gone in just a few months and Harry is competing against you. I don’t know that I want to risk having my loyalties divided.”



“Theez iz not about loyalties, Hermoninny. Theez is about us. I graduate theez year and I vould love to come to England to be vith you.”



Snape couldn’t deny his jealously as he continued to watch Victor gather her into his arms.



“It won’t work, I’m sorry, Victor. I think it’s high time that I get off to bed.”



As she mounted the stairs, he moved into her more recent memories. She obviously took no notice of the many looks she was getting from the men at Bill and Fleur’s wedding. He laughed to himself as Fleur seemed quietly distracted by Hermione’s choice of clothing. He thought she was decent competition for the beautiful half-veela.



“Hermione, care for a walk?”



Snape watched her follow Ron to a secluded spot and curiously pushed the memory on, despite Hermione’s increasing attempts to throw him from her mind.



“…I couldn’t help but realize how wrong he was. You know, I hated you at the Midwinter ball in our fourth year. You were so beautiful, and I hated you for the way you made me feel. Then today, you look… divine.”



“Oh, Ron! Thank you!”



Snape watched as Ron began to maul the girl’s face and clumsily explore her body. Hermione was becoming furious beneath him and when Ron reached under her dress in her memory, she cursed and threw Snape from her mind with all of her concentration.



“YOU SON OF A BITCH! STAY OUT OF MY FUCKING MIND!!”



He was no longer young by any means, but he was still quite nimble and released her quickly enough that she could not strike him. He wasn’t surprised when Hermione drew her wand, and he prepared himself to take whatever curse she sent his way. He knew he deserved it. What surprised him was that she merely put him in a full body bind and stepped up to him.



“You will not hijack my mind whenever you please, husband or not.” She stated firmly. She released him from the body bind as the words sunk in. She was right. He was now her husband, and she was his wife. He watched her walk away and sit on the carpet in front of the dark fireplace, and almost missed her whispered, “Severus, what are we going to do?”



“We have to reverse this. We can’t allow it to settle with a consummation before figuring out how to counteract it.”



“How do we counteract a spell that we hardly understood in the first place?” Snape sighed in response and moved to his chair, sitting at the edge with his head in his hands and elbows on his knees. “Severus, I can’t go back to lying every day to get out of that house. It was exhausting. Can’t we just do whatever we can to get the book?”



He looked up from the ground and was surprised to see that she had crawled to him. She was a beautiful girl especially with her hair cascading over her shoulder in tight curls and any lesser man would have jumped her when she first suggested having sex. Her words echoed in his head and filled him with so many emotions that he felt choked and unable to think, “…husband or not.”



He tightened reflexively when she reached a hand up to stroke his cheek with her thumb. She smiled lightly at the stubble there and began to breathe heavier when he mirrored her stroking on her left cheek before leaning in nearly all the way to her lips and whispered, “Stop me if you start to feel uncomfortable at all.”



She opened her beautiful chestnut eyes and looked into his black irises, noticing for the first time that there wasn’t a hint of colour in them. Her eyes roamed over his face at the little black stubble growing in and the daylight shining off of his hair so absent of tint that it appeared to shine blue. She leaned in the rest of the distance and brushed her lips against his, searching his face for approval before finally sliding her eyes shut. Her lips moved tentatively and Snape raised his other hand to stroke her back before licking tenderly at her lips which parted for him to explore her with his tongue.



The position quickly grew uncomfortable for them and he pulled her by her arms to sit on his lap. He fingered his wand in his hand and broke the kiss, staring at the ebony wood with mixed emotions and handed it to her. At first she furrowed her brows, cocked her head, and accepted it as though it was made of glass before pointing it at the floo and lighting a blazing fire with the same ease as if it were her own wand.



Returning to her succulent lips, he ran a hand up her thigh patiently, toying with the edge of her knickers and moving his tongue within her mouth. When her lips left his, he looked down into her eyes and realized with a jolt that she was the only living person he respected.



The longer he stared at her the more confused she felt. It was all going so well, and it felt so good that she was surprised that he was just looking at her. When she opened her mouth and tipped her head to the side, ready to ask him what was wrong, he physically jolted out of his stupor and lifted her to her feet. “Miss Granger, I think that’s enough.” He whispered, “I can’t do this.”



“What?” she questioned, “What can’t you do?”



“I can’t do this. I can’t bind you to me.”



In response, she laughed and threw her hands up, “And what’s the alternative, Severus? What? You want me to go back to Grimmauld Place and feed the entire Order of the Phoenix yet another lie? You want me to come here daily and leave only to lie again?”



“Yes, until we can work over that spell and create an antidote to it.”



Hermione cocked her head angrily, “I expected that you, of all people, would understand how hard and taxing and dangerous it is to keep lying and lying to cover your lying and lying to avoid more lying!”



“Of course I understand, Miss Granger, but forgive me if my sympathies for you are running a bit low at the moment as you’ve only just started lying three months ago.”



“It’s not just that!” She was really getting heated now, “You’ve always had Dumbledore on your side, in your back pocket, a secret weapon, manipulator, and lying machine. You’ve always had his help and support. I have no one. I have been lying off the top of my head and it doesn’t come natural to me!”



“It comes natural to no one, and just so you know… you have me.”



Hermione calmed only moderately, “Thank you, but that doesn’t change the fact that you have never been watched as closely as I have. I cannot ensure that I can make it back here every day. Especially if I become ill again, I may not be able to get away.”



“Then I will come to you.”



“Do you think I’m thick or something? You can’t always make it over there undetected.” She paused and her face fell, “You don’t want to have anything to do with me, do you? I’m still some dunderhead that plagues your days, aren’t I?”



He rolled his eyes, “Rest assured, Miss Granger, you were never a dunderhead. Potter maybe, Weasley definitely, but you…” he stepped close to her again and raised his hand just below her chin, less than an inch from her skin before dropping his hand again. “You don’t deserve this. If you think lying to the Order is terrible, you’d never be able to accept some of the things I have to do to stay in The Dark Lord’s inner circle.”



“I don’t think you understand. The consummation doesn’t make us married, it makes the bond permanent.”



“But we don’t want it to be permanent.”



“The book did say that Merlin had created a separation potion, so we can separate once we get the book.”



“If it works and doesn’t melt our skin together or some other untested effect.”



“We can analyze the potion in the book against the drafts to ensure this doesn’t happen again.”



Snape went to sit in his chair and Hermione boldly sat on his desk top. He turned and looked up at her, “I have to do anything I can to keep the Dark Lord from knowing that I have access to you. If he finds out, it could mean death for the both of us.”



She nodded and ran her hands up and down her thighs, absently lost in thought until Snape stopped her hands. She looked down into his eyes and hesitantly extended a small hand out to push a stray lock of hair from his face. Extending his hands out to either side of her, he rested them against the desk top just outside of her thighs. “We can’t take the risks of more and more time, so give me a timeline.” She reached down and began to stroke his scalp in the same way she had done Harry and Ron over the years, never noticing she had begun until he groaned contentedly. When she realized what she was doing she jerked away and apologized.



He couldn’t explain why he kept touching her or relished the feeling of her touch, but she obviously felt the same way. “No, no… please, continue, Miss Granger”, he said, scooting closer to her, so that she instinctively spread her legs to make room for him. The result is that he was hit with the smell of her arousal, and groaned again, this time from the building tension as his cock reacted. Naïvely, she didn’t notice that he was becoming distinctly more and more turned on by her combined ministrations and scent, and continued. She was very good, and he didn’t even notice when he began to grasp her around her bum and knead the tender flesh there.



She began to stroke the base of his skull near his neck and his head was pushed so close to her private that he was tempted to the limits of his control to lick her obviously moist privates. She switched to his ears and he was once again thrust into a sexual position, and his cock twitched in protest to the restraining pants. He was just about to suggest that she go home and get some rest and visit him the next day, when she began massaging his neck and shoulders. That was enough for Severus and he pushed her legs wider and sucked gently through the material of her skirt and panties.



Hermione gasped loudly and jumped at the very bold movement, and he looked up at her with a lust-filled gaze. There was no more resistance there and she moved her legs back out to where he moved them, and watched as he slowly ran a hand up her skirt and touched her wet, panty-clad core. She inhaled sharply and held her breath as his fingers rubbed gently up and down her slit. When she began to sway, he stood and kissed her until she lay on her back across his desk and broke the kiss for a loud gasping breath. Her chest was heaving and a soft moan left her as he began stroking her most private area again.



Even as she felt guilty for acting like a wanton slut, disgusted because he used to be her teacher, and concerned about their age difference, Hermione couldn’t seem to stop her back from arching, her lips from parting to accept his tongue as he continued his understanding touches with his fingers, nor could she stop her thoughts from straying to the appendage she really wanted to feel in that region. She laced her fingers in his hair and cried out as a minor shock-wave of pleasure hit her and she felt herself moving quickly towards another crest.



He kissed down the row of buttons on her stomach before ceasing his petting to grab the underwear by the crotch and draw it down her legs. With a final glance at her face and a wink he disappeared beneath her long white dress. She cried loudly when his tongue snaked out and touched her clit. When he combined his tongue and his finger, he wasn’t very surprised to see the actual evidence of her virginity and stroked gently around her vagina.



Grabbing his hair gently, to avoid smashing his nose into her pelvis, Hermione whimpered quietly as his tongue began to undo her. He could feel her muscles twitching in preparation and with a shout and a curl of her lip, she came hissing, “Yessssssss!” He lapped at the juices that poured from her body, soaking his tabletop and getting all around his mouth. She didn’t even try to look at him when he rose above her and accepted his lips with fervour, pausing with surprise for only just a moment when she realized that she was tasting herself on him.



Growling as she arched her back and ground her groin against the bulge in his pants, Snape ground out, “Leave, Miss Granger. Come to me tomorrow and I will have made up my mind by then.” She opened her mouth to speak and he covered her mouth with his before finishing, “Go home.”



She groaned as he helped her up and supported her when her knees buckled weakly. Straightening her dress and fixing her ponytail quickly, she turned to him, opened her mouth, closed her mouth, and stepped out of his embrace before apparating away.



When she arrived at Grimmauld Place with a broad smile and a light sweat on her brow, the Weasley twins were the only two there. They paused, mid-sentence and watched her walk through the dining room to begin mounting the stairs with pep in each step. It was nearly time for lunch and everybody was out at the Burrow for Bill’s birthday, so she changed into jeans, brown boots, and a muggle t-shirt her parents had sent her for last Christmas before meeting the twins back in the dining room.



“What? Not going to your brother’s birthday party?” She said cheerily.



“What are you all happy about?” Fred asked.



“You’re not sick anymore.” George added.



“Yeah, go figure. I must have slept-walked out of the house early this morning—”



“And activated the floo, I suppose.” Fred said suspiciously.



“Must have. I woke up in a field this morning… couldn’t figure out where I was, so I apparated back here and got dressed to go get Bill a quick birthday gift. Now I have it, I’m ready to go. What about you two?”



“Not yet.” George answered, refocusing his attention on a quill between them.



“What are you two making?”



Fred lifted it in his hand and neither of them answered as they balanced it on its point on the parchment of a long parchment. The quill trembled a bit before several sentences and phrases were re-inked in red. Fred lifted it and read the illuminated lines. Whatever it was, he wasn’t thrilled by it and held the quill poised over a second parchment. This time, the quill moved of its own accord, creating a line at the bottom of the page. Then, George lifted his wand and imitated signing his name in the air and the quill created his flourish on the page with perfect accuracy.



Furrowing her eyebrows, Hermione asked, “What just happened?”



Both boys turned their eyes up to her with a grin, “Wouldn’t want to ruin the birthday surprise, would we love?”



“I suppose not.” She answered, taking the arms they proffered to her for a side-along disapparation to The Burrow.



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A/N: Thank you to Serenablack9000, CB13, and Persevero. An extra special thank you to catysmom who is currently holding 1st place on my top reviewers list and Sureves Epans, sampdoria, sslover who are tied for 2nd place. So… yeah. Thus far there are only two places. I know that’s a bit odd, but I just wanted you all to know that you are appreciated.