Prodigal Witch

Adrian!

Hermione stumbled into Spinner's End and looked around for Severus. The light at the top of the stairs to the basement was red, so she knew he was still down in his lab. While Hermione was a Potions Master in her own right, she wasn't sure how her magical deregulation would affect brewing. She was enormously grateful that she had Severus in her life, and not for the first time.

Trudging up the narrow stairs, Hermione thought about what to wear on her date. She spent a very long time living out of a trunk or a suitcase. While she loved her time at Hogwarts, all her things had to fit in her trunk and she shared a room with other girls. She had space that she used, but it was never really her own. During wartime and out hunting Horcruxes, Hermione got used to traveling light and living out of bags. After Hogwarts, she had been hoping to settle down for a while, but Master Bouchard rarely stayed in one place very long. In that situation, Hermione was able to globetrot, see amazing places, and meet extraordinary people. She didn't mind living out of a suitcase as much, since their accommodations were usually better than a tent and she wasn't afraid for her life. Turkey had been more stable, but Hermione knew she probably wasn't going to live there long-term, so she didn't really put down roots.

Hermione found the dress she had planned on wearing and hung it in the bathroom to let the steam from her shower straighten it out a bit. Living out of a suitcase made everything wrinkled. She didn't dare use magic to press it because, at the rate she was going, she would burn a hole through the thing or there would be some other nasty consequence. It took a bit longer to find the shoes and bag she wanted because she couldn't just Accio them. Hermione stripped and went to have a nice steamy shower.

Water took a while to heat up in Severus' old house. He didn't seem to mind it. As she washed up, Hermione thought about getting a house for herself. Her Order of Merlin had come with a tidy sum that had done nothing but sit in her vault for years. She'd always wanted one of those old English cottages with lovely gardens. Hermione decided to look into finding her own home after the first ritual, if she came through it all right. It would be nice to be settled for a while.

Walking back into her bedroom, wrapped in a towel, Hermione felt a wave of exhaustion hit her. She'd had these episodes at least once a day, except for the day before. Hermione had hoped they had passed, but apparently not. She still had forty minutes until her date and thought a short twenty-minute nap would set her to rights.

Hermione woke to someone gently shaking her. The masculine voice sounded soothing and made her feel more comfortable, so she tried to snuggle back down on her covers.

"Kitten, wake up," the voice said more insistently.

Hermione blinked open her eyes and saw Adrian's lovely face hovering above her own.

"You're early," she sighed.

"I don't think so, kitten," he said, amused. "It's a little bit past seven."

"Oh!" Hermione sat up; surprised she had slept so long. In sitting up, the towel she had wrapped around her when she fell asleep, dipped significantly. Her chest wasn't entirely exposed, but it was certainly more than she usually showed. Adrian's eyes went right to her bare skin. Hermione tugged at the towel, inadvertently pulling her towel up and showing an expanse of thigh and part of her bum.

"Oh!" Hermione exclaimed again. Adrian chuckled.

"If you need to rest, kitten, we don't need to go out."

Hermione smiled at his concern.

"No, I was just very tired for a moment," Hermione explained. "I feel much better, really. The exhaustion hits all of a sudden, but a nap often fixes the problem. Just give me a moment to dress and I'll be right with you."