Severus/Hermione, Moving on
Ominous October
Trick of Treat Prompts
Team Dragons.
1.A potion reagent that let's the brewer speak with the dead for one night
Word count: 701
It was finally time. Hermione couldn't believe it that all their work had paid out. They'd created the perfect potion reagent in order to speak with the dead. Years of work, blood, sweat and tears had paid off. Severus could finally speak with Lily Potter. Maybe then he could make peace with the fact that he'd survived.
Hermione couldn't regret saving his life though. A bitter smile edged on her face. Part of her hoped that if he spoke with Lily, he'd be able to leave her behind.
She hadn't planned falling in love with him. Applying to be his apprentice…to help him with this insane quest -one that didn't involve searching for the resurrection stone again- was just her way to pay him for saving their lives.
But THEN she did. And everything changed.
"Pull yourself together, Hermione," she whispered to herself. "It's not like he'd ever love you."
After all, he'd spent five years working on a potion to speak with the dead. Something that was highly illegal and dangerous. Maybe that's why she was the one he'd chosen to work with him. He trusted her. In the job advert it was specified that an unbreakable vow would be required. But he hadn't asked one of her.
In the end, it wasn't even the potion itself that did the trick. It was one of the reagents coupled with the Draught of Living Dead. However, it was so toxic that they could only use it twice. And they'd already used it once-when they were testing it.
It required an ancient spell as well. Hermione had said it last time and she'd almost been knocked over and drained of magic. Another reason it was forbidden to even attempt to do it. He didn't know, but she was certain if she attempted it again, she'd go unconscious or worse.
Lily had appeared for a brief second, murmuring "Severus."
Hermione hadn't had the heart to look at him. Her own heart was breaking.
"Hermione?" Severus said and came around to meet her. "Did you bring everything?"
Teary-eyed, she looked at him. "Yes."
He smiled at her. So little he smiled, it startled her.
"Good. Give me the book and the ingredients. I can do the spell."
She blinked. Then blinked again. His outstretched hand didn't move.
"But if you do the spell, you won't be able to speak with Lily."
"I know."
"But Severus…."
He strode forward and took her hands in his.
"Hermione, I…. I know that it almost knocked you over when we finally discovered the right reagent for this. This potion- this ritual is dangerous. I don't want us to do it all anymore. I plan to use the reverse spell to destroy all traces of it."
"But you worked on this for years. You…never gave up."
"I'm not giving up. I'm moving on." His hands squeezed her and he brought her closer.
Could he mean…? Hermione could barely think with him so close to her.
"I realised something when I saw Lily earlier. We didn't have to stop the spell. I could have spoken with her if you kept on..but I saw what it was doing to you and I realised nothing was worth losing you."
"Severus…"
"I know that's probably not what you expected..but somehow over the last five years you've become the centre of my world. I don't need any potions or reagents to speak with Lily. Maybe I'll see her when I die. But for now I want to live. I know it seems out of the blue and we've been friends for so long….but when I saw you gasping for air something broke inside me…"
Hermione couldn't believe her ears..both at what he was hinting at and the fact that this was the most he'd talked in one go ever since he used to give lectures at Hogwarts.
Feeling brave, she went to wrap her arms around him.
"Severus, are you sure? If we destroy this..work, there's no way to tell we'd be able to recreate it."
Pushing the hair out of her face, murmured.
"I'm sure. No more chasing ghosts."
Tears fell silently on both their faces, embraced.