Chapter Text
The remnants of morning fog hovered above the ground, still early enough that it hadn’t fully dissipated yet. Leaves crunched under the well-worn dragonhide of his boots as he walked through the park. It had been a long time since he had last been awake early enough to take in a sunrise; these days he would work late into the night, and rose a little later during the day. At night it was quieter, and there were fewer opportunities for other people to interrupt his workflow while he brewed or wrote.
The streets of London that morning were just now becoming a little busier with traffic. Pausing at the corner of the street as he moved to cross the road, Severus waited for the procession of vehicles to pass before hastening to the other side. The red worn telephone box sat on an unremarkable London street, and from his vantage point, he could see several shabby offices, a pub, and a wall covered with graffiti. Inside the telephone box, there was a note attached reading ‘Out of Order’, which he ignored, reaching out a hand to pick up the earpiece, punching in the numbers: 6 - 2 - 4 - 4 - 2.
Magic? Really? Snorting in derision at what the number spelled out, Severus waited for a couple of moments before he was finally addressed.
“State your name and business,” the voice droned, sounding throughout the box rather than the earpiece he held.
“Severus Snape, I am consulting with the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.”
The voice didn’t respond, so he hung up the earpiece, and as he did, a silver visitors badge came out of the change chute. Pinning the piece to the front of his robes, Severus had to reach out a hand to press against the glass, steadying himself as the floor of the telephone box began to descend below street level. The journey downwards was slow and steady, and when the box finally came to a stop, he was in the atrium of the Ministry of Magic. Stepping out, he removed his travelling cloak and folded it over his arm to carry; the Ministry offices were well-heated, so there was no need for it any longer.
Walking quickly, he made his way through the early morning shuffle, passing the Floo connections where a myriad of other Witches and Wizards were exiting on their way to work. He silently observed how many people began their day early there; the life of a public servant was a busy one, it seemed. Reflecting that he was rather fortunate not to be a permanent employee there, he moved towards the lifts so he could ascend to the second level.
People gazed at him curiously as he stood amongst them waiting, and Severus pressed his lips together in annoyance. Though he was aware that he was still a rather polarising figure, he never got used to people gawking at him whenever he went out in public. One of the lift doors opened, and he soon found himself crammed in with the others, all slowly making their way up to their offices. It emptied a little with each floor it stopped at, until he alone was left standing when he exited on the second floor.
Walking with purpose, his boots made a distinctive thud as Severus made his way to the Magical Law Enforcement office. He hadn’t understood why he was needed there so early in the day, but he supposed he would find out. Upon reaching the doors, he found the office already open to him, and he marched over to a bored-looking witch working at the large desk in the reception area. She looked up in surprise upon seeing him, before quickly schooling her face back to a neutral expression.
“How might I direct you?” she asked.
“I was summoned to assist with a case this morning–” he began to explain, but was cut off by a distinctly familiar voice approaching from behind.
“He’s here to assist me, Monica,” the woman behind him said, coming to stand beside him.
Severus looked to his left and saw the wide brown eyes of Hermione Granger gazing up at him, a small smile curving the side of her mouth. Of course, it’s Granger , he thought to himself. The only person who could have been worse would have been Harry Potter. Clenching his jaw in order to prevent himself from making a snide remark, he turned to address her.
“Auror Granger, now, I presume?” He crooked an eyebrow at her.
Her smile broadened. ‘Indeed,’ she answered, before turning her attention back to the woman behind that desk who was observing them now curiously. “Monica, we’ll be in my office. Let me know when Harry gets in, will you?”
Looking up to address him once more, Granger asked, “Shall we?” before taking off ahead of him through the office.
They came to a door with her name emblazoned on the front of it, and she tapped her wand against it, walking in and shucking her outer travel robe to reveal her maroon Auror robes. He found himself surprised at thinking the colours suited her, and frowned that such an inane thought would ever enter his mind.
“Take a seat,” she told him, gesturing at the chair across from her as she sat behind her desk. “Can I order you a tea?”
Severus shook his head. “I am fine, let’s just get on with why I was summoned for a consult.”
“Right to it, then,” she agreed, opening the work satchel he hadn’t even noticed she’d carried in with her, drawing out a thick case file from its depths. “I have a tricky case I have been assigned, and I’m afraid I’ve reached a point where I’m unable to push forward on my own.”
Granger pushed the file towards him, and Severus opened it, eyes widening as he saw an unexpected photo on the cover sheet. Flicking his eyes up to the women across from him, he raised his eyebrows questioningly.
“You’re trying to track down Mulciber?”
She nodded. “Yes.”
“I was under the impression he was captured following the end of the war?” he said quietly, a little concerned that the dark wizard was once more at large.
“He was,” she sighed, flipping the pages over until she came to the next page that was pertinent to the case. “He was released on good behaviour, but immediately fled to the continent where we have heard reports of him conspiring with other persons under suspicion of practicing the Dark Arts. But all of a sudden two weeks ago, he disappeared entirely without a trace.”
“And you have brought me in, why?”
“You knew him longer than anyone, worked with him, and unfortunately we have been unable to glean any information from his cellmates in Azkaban. No one knows anything, and if they did, they won’t speak. After the war, a new convention was established to protect the rights of prisoners of war, so more forceful means of extraction out of the question,” Granger explained.
Severus pondered her words as he began combing through the case file, briefly forgetting where he was. It was true while in the service of the Dark Lord he had been forced to work with Jonas Mulciber. He also knew that while the Mulciber family was well established as one of the oldest in Wizarding Britain, Mulciber’s grandmother had originally hailed from Denmark, a fact, he noted, was not present on any of the Ministry files she had gathered for her case.
“Mulciber’s Grandmother on his mother’s side was Danish,” Severus told her when he looked up, noting the surprise that immediately crossed her face. Gryffindors , he thought to himself. Can’t keep a straight face to save themselves .
“How did I manage to miss that?” she said, suddenly appearing flustered as she dragged the file back across to her and began hunting through the pages.
“I wouldn’t bother,” he told her. “You won’t find it in there. She was smuggled into the country without papers. She is unregistered––it used to happen a lot, years ago.”
Closing her mouth after it opened in surprise, she nodded resolutely. “Then it was probably wise of me to bring you in on this assignment.”
“I would say so, yes.”
He watched as she sat back in her chair, frowning and tapping her fingers against her lips while she thought. As she continued to mull, he observed her a little more openly. The years had been kind to Granger; her unruly hair appeared to be more manageable as she had grown it a good few inches longer, and now wore it tamed into a braid. She was lean, obviously the physical demands of her job kept her fit, but even in her tailored work robes, he could tell she had a pleasing feminine figure.
Realising his inappropriate train of thought, Severus glanced away to distract himself. One of the walls of her office was entirely taken up with bookshelves, which caused him to smirk. Not much had changed there, it seemed. When she shifted forward in her chair again, he refocussed his attention on her, keeping his expression schooled to a careful neutral. He’d had a lot of practice with that throughout his life.
“I have a proposal for you, though I will completely understand if you were to refuse,” she began, looking a little uncertain.
“Ask.”
“I think I might need to pay a visit to Denmark and see if there is a way we could track down his family there. Maybe that is where he is hiding, maybe not. But I’ll never be able to apprehend him if I don’t try,” Granger explained. “My question for you is, would you be willing to go with me?”
He perhaps shouldn’t have been surprised with her question, but Severus couldn’t help but be a little stunned she had put forward her proposal so bluntly. This forced him to take stock of his current commitments with his own work. Gallivanting off to Denmark on Ministry business could be time consuming, and he still had clients that he brewed for. However, he was acutely aware that his intimate knowledge of many of the former Death Eaters would be invaluable to her.
In spite of himself, Severus found himself agreeing to go. “I’ll do it.”
It was her turn to be surprised now, likely by his easy acquiescence. “I really appreciate this, Professor,” she told him, her smile returning.
“Don’t call me that,” he grumbled.
“Apologies...Mister Snape?”
Even to his own ears, the name sounded dreadful with the formal address. “Just Snape. Or Severus. Either is fine,” he said curtly.
“All right, but I insist you call me Hermione,” she agreed. “I grew up Muggle, as you know, and it just strikes me as a little stiff to constantly be so formal with a colleague.”
“Colleagues now, are we?” He smirked at her, noting the flush that spread across her cheeks. It was quite becoming.
She tilted her chin at him stubbornly, however, and didn’t give an inch. “We are going to be working together, hence colleagues.”
The flash of determination in her eyes combined with the way the lighting reflected on her brown curls gave her an almost sentient glow. Stop it, old man , he warned himself. It was as though all of his time spent alone had rendered him incapable of being around an attractive woman without losing his damn mind. Now that he thought on it, though, he wondered when in the last twenty minute period he had managed to go from being irritated that it was Granger – no – Hermione, he was meeting with, to reflecting on how attractive she was.
Severus cleared his throat. “You’ll contact me with the arrangements, then?” he prompted.
Hermione nodded emphatically. “I don’t know exactly what the turnaround time is for a travel request with the Portkey office, but I would anticipate leaving by the end of the week.”
“If you have no further questions for today, I will take my leave and begin making preparations,” he told her, beginning to stand from his chair.
She was on her feet also, walking around her desk and pulling the door open, apparently intending to see him off. Leaving her office together, she led him back through the winding maze of offices, and it was a wonder anyone didn’t get lost in there.
“How have you been, by the way?” she queried as they walked.
“Agreeable enough,’ he murmured in response, a little surprised at her introduction of small talk. “And you?”
“Well enough to be getting on with, for now,” she said, turning to smile at him. “As you can imagine, work takes up quite a lot of my time––my personal life has taken a bit of a hit as a result.”
Severus snorted. He knew all about work being the main cause of any personal life he could possibly hope for going up in flames. As it was, he had come to terms with the fact that he would likely never be in a relationship for the remainder of his years on the planet. After all, who could ever be interested in a surly, unattractive, former Death Eater? No matter that he had been pardoned after the war.
Her admission to him, however, did bring one question to mind, something that apparently he was unable to prevent himself from asking. “What, no hoards of Weasley offspring running around your ankles?” he said snidely.
She looked a little taken aback, but he was impressed when she simply shook off his rude inference and turned to face the direction they were walking. “Heavens, no,’ she said with a dry chuckle. “Can you imagine? I’d never have had a career. Ron and I were very good as friends, but terrible as a couple.”
For some reason, this bit of information seemed to comfort him, though he was loathe to question why. Something to stew on later, perhaps? As they reached the door, Hermione held her hand out towards him, and Severus found himself accepting the handshake she offered. He marvelled at how delicate her fingers were within his, how soft and smooth her skin was. His breath caught in his throat then, and Severus cursed himself for being so foolish. This was a business transaction, not a blasted date.
Releasing her hand quickly, he stepped away from her. “Until next time,” he told her.
“Until then, Severus,” she said as he turned on his heel and left.
He stalked back through the halls, grateful that during his visit Harry Potter hadn’t shown up and spoiled his morning. Though after the war the boy had been grateful, contrite, and crucial to his name being cleared swiftly when it became clear he would survive his bite from Nagini, Severus still found him supremely irritating. He’d made it all the way back to the lifts without being accosted by anyone, but his face fell when the doors opened and Potter stepped out of it, looking thrilled to see him. The feeling was not at all mutual.
“Professor Snape!” he exclaimed, stepping forward and immediately seizing his hand to shake it without waiting for Severus to respond. “Hermione mentioned you’d be coming today. I am glad to have caught you before you left.”
“Mister Potter,” he replied tightly. “I was just on my way out.”
“In a hurry?”
“Rather, yes,’ he said, keeping his responses short so as not to invite further conversation. “I must return home to make arrangements. It seems I am to accompany your colleague on a mission.”
Potter’s eyebrows raised almost comically. “Really? Well, won’t that be something?”
“Indeed,” he drawled, already tiring of Potter’s chipper disposition.
“How is everything going?” Potter pressed, trying to prolong the conversation. “Been keeping busy with work?”
Lips thinning, Severus leveled him with a look of annoyance before saying, “Everything is fine , my work keeps me busy, and there is nothing of note to report. If you have any questions about my upcoming work with your colleague, you can ask Granger for the details––I must be on my way.”
Finally, it appeared that the boy had picked up on Severus’ not-so-subtle cues, and he punched the button on the lift to descend so he could get out of the Ministry as soon as humanly possible.
“Right, well, it was good to see you, Professor,’ Harry said again, running a hand through his mop of messy black hair.
Severus was relieved from having to respond when the doors to the lifts opened with a sounding ‘ping’. Stepping into it, he turned around as the doors closed, leaving the Boy-Who-Lived-To-Irritate, gawking after him. He allowed himself a smirk of satisfaction at his tactful escape as the lift made the journey downwards. People entered and exited the lift at will as they bustled around the now much busier hub, that by the time he arrived at the Atrium, he’d had his fill of the place.
Returning to the visitors’ entrance, he stood in the old telephone box once again, placing his visitor badge into the coin slot. Donning his warm outerwear, the phone box lurched upwards, slowly creeping back to street level where he exited, this time walking the short distance to the pedestrian crossing; the road traffic had increased tenfold during his early meeting. Eventually, the crosswalk light gave way to pedestrians, and he was able to push his way through the throng of people, making his way back to the park to Disapparate.
When Severus appeared in his entryway, he removed his coat and robes, hanging them on the hook by his front door, wandering through to his kitchen so he could brew a cup of coffee, and set about informing his clients there might be some delay with their orders due to his unexpected Ministry business. Taking his mug with him to his office upstairs, he sank into the chair behind his desk so he could flip through the in-pile resting on the desktop.
Releasing a heavy sigh, he gazed at the steam curling off the surface of the hot, dark liquid in his mug.
The last thing he had expected that morning was to run into Hermione Granger of all people. Potter, he might have expected to find working in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, but Gra–Hermione. She was far too intelligent to waste her time working with the rest of the brutes that populated that particular sector. If anything, he might have expected her to work as an Unspeakable at the very least.
Huffing out a breath of annoyance, Severus reached for a pile of correspondence to distract himself with; he really needed to stop allowing his thoughts to be derailed by the young Auror. Whipping a quill out of the desk drawer, he dipped it into the inkwell and began scratching it on a clean piece of parchment.
He would have plenty of time in the near future to contemplate his very sudden fixation with the witch in question.
TBC