45

CHAPTER FORTY FIVE:

Hermione was awake when Dobby appeared, having known that this was the night that the Order would confront Voldemort ever since she had checked the Map and found Harry and Severus – how strange it was to think that name – gone. Almost as soon as the diminutive elf appeared Hermione was grabbing his hand, knowing that Dobby had come to tell her that Harry was back but wanting to see for herself.

"Please take me to Harry!" she said, looking at Dobby entreatingly.

"Master Harry was telling Dobby to get Grangy, Wheezy and Mister Harry Potter sir!" the elf told her proudly, and she grinned in relief.

"Thanks, Dobby! I'm ready when you are," she said, ignoring the fact that she was in her nightgown. Who cared about clothing when the news was either about a dead Dark Lord or a foiled attempt? Thankfully, Dobby didn't think to question it, only popping her away with a "Yes, Miss Grangy!"

They had barely appeared in the Potions Master's living room when Hermione was launching herself at Harry, being caught in a firm hug. "How did it go? Did you get him? Was anyone hurt? Oh! You aren't injured, are you?" she pushed herself away, giving him an intent one-over, but his laugh distracted her.

"Never change, Hermione," he chuckled, leaning down to give her a kiss on the cheek while she tried not to blush. "To answer your questions, nobody was hurt, Snake Face is dead, and no other Death Eaters showed up, though there were some people in the building that first the Order, then the Aurors subdued. I hope one of them was Pettigrew," Harry said darkly in an aside to Severus, and Hermione blushed at having forgotten about her professor. "Somehow we managed to forget about the rat."

"Considering Madam Bones now knows about him, I am reasonably certain that Black will be cleared and Pettigrew found before long," Severus said smoothly, and Hermione cocked her head uncertainly.

"I don't know – if Pettigrew hides out in rat form and leaves the country, it'll be practically impossible to find him," she said, always a realist. To her surprise, the professor shook his head.

"Peter Pettigrew was training to be an Auror after school," Severus said, "and the Head of the DMLE keeps a small blood sample of each Auror in case he or she should be kidnapped or lost. The blood is used as a locator – as long as they retained Pettigrew's sample it will be easy to locate him, even in rat form."

"I didn't know that," Harry said, looking impressed. "I suppose there would be no reason to have kept his blood sample, but I can ask Amelia tomorrow."

"You met Susan's aunt?"

"Yes; Kingsley brought her in once we knew that Voldemort was dead and the house secured, and she brought a forensic team to check that it really was Snake Face. She and I will be meeting again tomorrow to speak to the press and discuss some things."

Hermione smiled. "You've gotten so organized," she said fondly, reaching up to teasingly ruffle his hair. It felt surprisingly good, and she resolved to do it a lot more in the future. Somehow it was easy to relax around this Harry, when even around her friends she felt like she had to hold back a bit; her younger friend wasn't very welcoming of touch, but it seemed that this Harry had outgrown that.

"Hey, I'm older than you now!" Harry whined, and Hermione couldn't help but laugh. It seemed traitorous to think it, but she preferred this Harry to the younger one – he was so much more mature, but still childish and a lot more appreciative of her presence. She had thought Harry like a brother, but Hames was so much more that.

Just then Harry and Ron arrived, and Hermione bit her lip when she realized that they had taken so long because they had, unlike her, bothered to get changed. Judging by the surprised and somewhat glazed look Ron turned on her, she had erred.

"Neither Severus nor I mind," a soft voice whispered in her ear, and she smiled in relief. Trust Harry to have noticed her thoughts and put her mind to ease. "They only got dressed because they thought 'Professor Snape' might be here, anyway," he added with a mischievous tone, and Hermione stifled a giggle; he was absolutely right, of course.

"Professor," Harry greeted awkwardly, and Severus inclined his head in reply. Ron just mumbled something that might have approached 'good evening'.

"Sorry for getting you out of bed," Hames said, stepping next to Hermione with a smile, "but I wanted to let you know that Snake Face is dead."

The two boys gaped, and Hermione sighed quietly. Honestly, why weren't they expecting this? Sometimes she felt like she was the only one in their trio who bothered to think. Can I make a new trio with Harry and Severus? she thought irreverently, then blushed as she realized what being the third person in their group would mean. Maybe I'll stay with Ron and Harry, she thought weakly. She didn't particularly want to be a third wheel or join the two men as more than a friend. No, no.

"Hermione?"

"Yes?" she squeaked, aware that she was blushing.

"Hmm, now I'm wondering what you were thinking about," Hames grinned, and she blushed harder.

"Nothing!" she said emphatically, but he just laughed.

"Okay, okay," he grinned at her. "We were just talking about how the evening went when I noticed that you weren't listening, so I wanted to ask if you wanted to get back to bed?"

"No!" she said before she even stopped to consider it. Then she realized that Harry was most likely just repeating what he had told her before, and looked over at her Potions professor. "But while you talk to them, maybe I could have a quick chat with Severus?" she quite deliberately used the professor's first name and enjoyed the appreciative glint in the man's eye just as much as she did the reactions of her friends.

"Certainly, Hermione," the man replied evenly, smirking when he glanced at Ron and Harry, who looked absolutely dumbstruck. "Come, let us take a seat. A drink?"

"A glass of water would be lovely, thank you," Hermione turned so that her friends wouldn't see her grin. Severus was playing it up, and so could she. "I really enjoy these chats; perhaps we should have them more often?"

The look her professor turned on her was definitely mischievous. "I quite agree; you are a better conversationalist than most other students, including your friends. Remind me why you spend so much time with them?"

"Severus, you shouldn't insult my friends," she chided him, sitting down with her back to said friends so that they wouldn't see how much she was enjoying this. "At least wait until they've left the room, would you?"

Severus merely smirked, presenting her with a glass of water with a small bow. "So, what did you wish to discuss?"

Hermione was tempted to bring up a complex magical theorem just to tease her friends further, but curiosity won out quickly. "I was mostly wondering about the meeting with Madam Bones – considering Harry clearly knows her from the future, I doubt it was a brief meeting along the lines of 'Here's a dead Dark Lord, good night'," she raised her eyebrows and Severus chuckled slightly, making Hermione wonder how much of that was real mirth and how much a show for the two boys.

"You are correct, of course – somehow it ended up being a two-hour long questioning under Veritaserum… A gesture of goodwill," Severus reassured her. "She did not arrest us, and it wasn't an official session, rather an opportunity to tell her the truth in a safe setting and with a guarantee that everything we said was truth. I did not enjoy it," he admitted, "but it was constructive and as such necessary."

Hermione nodded in understanding. "You weren't both under Veritaserum at the same time, were you?"

"No," Severus promptly replied, leaving unspoken that he would not have agreed to taking Veritaserum had Harry been absent or under the same influence.

"What is Madam Bones like?" Hermione asked curiously. "And why did you speak with her at such length, anyway? Because of her position in the Ministry?"

"We spoke with her at such length mainly because Harry wishes for her to be the next Minister of Magic," Severus replied, and Hermione blinked. "She is a highly competent woman, near impossible to bribe, and without prejudices beyond a general dislike for Death Eaters – they are the reason why she is her niece's guardian, after all. Her questions were fair and her reactions honest; I agree with Harry that the Ministry will improve dramatically under her guidance."

"Will she accept the post?" Hermione leaned forward, suddenly remembering that she wore a nightgown when Severus's gaze briefly flicked down to a spot rather lower than her neck. Blushing, she straightened hurriedly. "Sorry," she said, and Severus shook his head.

"It is of no matter. In fact, I am gratified that you feel comfortable enough in my presence to remain in your nightclothes, and you must know that regardless of what you do, I am simply not attracted to women." Then he smirked slightly, and Hermione was sure that he was about to make some remark at her expense, but he seemed to think better of it and kept it to himself, instead returning to the original topic. "Yes, Madam Bones seemed inclined to accept the post once she understood Harry's reasons for offering it to her. He told her – under Veritaserum – that should she refuse the post he would feel there was no other choice but for him to take up the post himself."

Hermione nodded wryly – she knew that Harry would hate the post and the attention that came with it, but had long resigned herself to his character. He had a self-sacrificing streak a mile wide and a very strong sense of responsibility – she had no doubt that he would take up the mantle of Minister of Magic in a heartbeat if he thought he was the best person for the position.

"Also, there was one aspect to the evening that I think you might find interesting…"

"Oh?" Hermione asked, nearly leaning forward in curiosity but checking her movement in time, trying to ignore the amusement Severus showed openly.

"Yes; as Harry was the one to kill the Dark Lord, I believe there exists a possibility that he can claim all Death Eaters' vaults by right of conquest."

Hermione's eyes widened and she leaned forward after all, propriety be damned. Despite her companion's smirk his eyes never strayed from her face, for which she was grateful.

"I do not believe he has realized yet that that includes my vault," Severus shook his head in mock dismay, and Hermione stifled a laugh.

"No, he wouldn't have," she agreed, assuming an expression of mock despair. "Maybe one day he'll learn to think…" Then she gave an exaggerated gasp. "Or maybe that's why he spends so much time with certain people – to have them do the thinking for him! First me, then Greengrass, then you…" she shook her head in mock disgust. "I can't believe we're only being used for our brains."

"Indeed, it is a terrible feeling to know that I am being taken advantage of," Severus agreed solemnly, but laughter lurked in his eyes. There was a moments' pause – then both of them gave in and laughed, Hermione sloshing water on the table as she set down her glass to avoid spilling it and Severus laughing harder for the expressions on the two boys' faces. His Harry just looked delighted to see them getting along, though something in his expression suggested that he knew they were laughing at him. Severus looked back at Hermione and admitted to himself that he enjoyed her company – it seemed that their attempts to wind up her two companions was leading to something approaching a friendship. Somehow that thought made him feel… content.