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Conquest is easy. Control is not, By Florence Weasley Snape.

Chapter one

Severus Snape was not the typical middle-aged wizard who chooses to leave his wife, buy a new firebolt and grow a pony-tail after finding his very first grey hair. For one, he had no wife, he detested flying on any broom except the one he had used in his old school days and he had had long hair since the beginning of time- certainly not because it was fashionable but because he rather liked hiding behind those black greasy curtains that revealed nothing.

However, as he stood in the bathroom staring at himself in the mirror after his morning shower, he became completely aware that time had passed and that he was alone... as alone as the day he had joined the Dark Side, as the day he had sworn to be true to the Order and as the day he had helped Dumbledore and Harry Potter defeat Voldemort. He was alone in the solitude of his dungeons once again, and looking back he could not quite think of a time when he had enjoyed the company of a woman he had loved.

"Men become old, never good," he whispered as he softly pulled the hairs in his chest; his mind elsewhere.

His body had changed. He was no longer the slim and muscular young man that had captivated the young female followers of the Dark Lord. He was now not only older- wrinkles had taken over the sides of his eyes- but completely aware of the fact that those home-made elf kidney puddings were doing him no good. He used to be able to drink and eat whatever he wanted never worrying about gaining weight. But now that he was forty-something, all the fat seemed to go to the same place: his stomach. And he was worried. Facing the facts, it was obvious that witches these days were not interested in a wizard's capacity to quote the periodic table of elements but rather in broad shoulders, a muscular back and a tight bum. The very things, he was afraid, he had started to lose.

Still naked from the waist up, he touched the face in front of him reflected in the mirror like a hologram. He caressed the sides of that person's eyes and then he did the same to his own, realising in the back of his mind that they were part of the same picture. His hooked nose, his beady black eyes, his thin expressionless lips and his somewhat yellow teeth were still there. He was not handsome; not in the typical sense of the word. Until recently, he had thought that he had come to terms with that. Now, he was not so sure.

From his face his fingers moved to his neck-good-, his chest- still good- and his stomach-could use some exercise-, until he reached his hips and decided to let go of the towel covering his lower body.

His member was flaccid and now had some strange veins that weren't there in his twenties; his belly was definitely larger now but still flatter than most wizards his age. Although he had to admit it, most wizards in their forties were married and had children to worry about. They didn't have to pay much attention to their bodies. Quickly, he thought of Arthur Weasley and his bald head and smirked, feeling somewhat better. His chest was covered with black hair that grew from his pelvis to the beginning of his neck. He rather liked that. His arms were still marked with muscles and his legs and thighs were slim- and hard now that he contracted the muscles, obviously due to the night patrols that took him all over the castle. And also because of the war, of course. The war was all over him in the form of scars and mostly healed wounds.

He sighed. Overall, he was not awful looking. But things had definitely changed and not only just physically.

But when someone knocked on his door, all thoughts on the subject quickly dissipated. He quickly grabbed his black bath robe and a pair of grey underwear and pulled himself together. Who could it be this early in the morning, in the summer, when no students were there? He couldn't remember expecting someone. He panicked- something terrible must had happened, otherwise why would someone bother to look for him at this hour? Certainly, no one was inviting him to a surprise breakfast party. He laughed quietly at the idea while tidying his robe a bit. His snigger seemed rusted, as if he hadn't used it in quite some time. Still untidy and a bit nervous, he opened the door, wand in hand.

Behind it was Hermione Granger, Hogwarts' former most brilliant student and friend to Harry Potter.

"Miss Granger?" he asked, completely shocked at her presence, "What on earth are you doing here?"

Hermione swallowed hard; she was nervous. She had left Hogwarts only a few weeks before, shortly after completing her NEWTS. During the first few weeks of the summer holidays she had made a crucial decision regarding her future: she wanted to seek an apprenticeship in Potions and she wanted Professor Snape to teach her.

She knew that it wouldn't be easy of course. She knew very little about Severus Snape but what she did know was definitely enough to think he would refuse. After all, an apprenticeship was a very serious deal; a magical bond through indenture to a master craftsman in order to learn a trade. And Professor Snape was probably too busy teaching Potions to dunderheads during the day to spare any of his precious time on an apprentice, she had sadly thought.

But of course, and she knew this very well, she was no ordinary student. She had been a Gryffindor Prefect as well as a Head Girl and had battled alongside Harry Potter in the final battle against Voldemort while still managing to get top scores on her NEWTS at the end of that year. She had been described as "brilliant" and "exceptional" by all of her professors except one and had been offered a massive number of jobs from many parts of Great Britain. Every single soul had complimented on her achievements but one- Professor Snape. And even though he had made her life miserable through seven long years- so miserable, in fact, that she had sometimes cried over her parchment filled with nasty remarks in poisonous red ink- he had pushed her to do better, even if he had crashed her spirit along the way. She was now looking for exactly that. She needed a challenge. And she needed this chance.

"So? Are you going to explain yourself, Miss Granger?" he asked, breaking the awkward silence. "What are you doing here? Gryffindor Tower is too far away from the dungeons to assume that you are lost. Though, of course, I wouldn't put it past a Gryffindor," he stated before she could mutter any words.

"Professor Snape, sir," she quietly said after clearing her voice, "I've come here to talk you into a deal," she explained as rehearsed.

Severus rubbed his chin and stared down into Miss Granger's eyes. The girl was nervous. That was obvious. Her lower lip was trembling slightly and she was rubbing her hands like a first year about to be sorted into Hufflepuff. She looked very enticing with that green summer dress and flip flops. Not that he thought of any of his former students in such a fashion (or had a high regard for summer dresses or flip flops for that matter) but she had knocked on his door at the worst possible time and his mind was not in the right place. Yes. That was surely it. Or perhaps not, he smirked.

She smiled weakly, expecting some kind of cue to continue with her speech. A speech she had practised by heart for almost a week and had bored the following list of people and/or living creatures: Her parents, Ron, Harry, Pigwidgeon, Crookshanks, Mrs. Weasley, Fleur, Bill, Charlie via Floo, her cousin Maria, George Weasley, Ginny Weasley, Penelope Clearwater, Madame Rosmerta, Madame Pomfrey, Minerva McGonagall, Fawkes, Neville, Neville's plants, Neville's grandma, Neville's grandma's plants, Luna Lovegood, Luna's father, their bust of Rowena Ravenclaw, her talking mirror, Dumbledore, Gilderoy Lockhart via fan mail, Viktor Krum, Hagrid, Hagrid's giant squashes and the owls in the Owl Tower.

"Miss Granger, as much as I would love to hear you explain all about this magnificent deal, I am afraid I must take a rain check," he said grabbing the door knob to close the door in her face.

"Please," she said with a foot between the door and the frame.

Arching his eyebrow and pointing to his bath robes, he answered: "Miss Granger, I hardly think this is the time or the place to discuss any grand plan you might have."

"Of course, sir," she answered blushing. She hadn't noticed he was wearing only a robe. It was the first time in Hermione Granger's life that she had seen her former Potions professor in anything but those chaste black robes, buttoned up to the neck. Looking back, it should have been the first thing she noticed but she had been so driven and so focused on her speech that she had barely paid attention to the portraits calling her mudblood on her way to the dungeons, let alone Professor Snape's choice of attire, "Shall I wait for you in the Potion's classroom, then, sir?", she asked innocently.

"If you must," he replied coldly and paying little attention to the foot standing in the way, he slammed the door shut. Hermione barely managed to get her foot out in time. She could have hurt herself badly. He could have hurt her badly. She shrugged. If that was all it took for him to say "yes", she would gladly embrace a foot injury, though Hermione Granger knew that those kind of injuries were last thing she would have to worry about. She sighed and started walking the very familiar path towards the potions classroom.

Inside his chambers, Severus Snape was smiling wickedly (because Slytherins only smile in such a way) as he took his robe off and walked to his bedroom to get dressed. He wasn't entirely sure why he was smiling but he had an idea of the reasons behind his grin. He had grown rather bored with so much time on his hands now that there was no one to torture- students were in their summer break- and no one to spy for- Voldemort was dead. He wondered silently what Miss Granger would want to discuss with him as he buttoned his black robes. Whatever that may be, it could prove to be entertaining if he had his way. Yes- very entertaining indeed.

As soon as she reached her old classroom, Hermione Granger sat in her usual spot in the very front and crossed her legs. It felt strange being there without her school uniform; naughty even. She rather missed school- even if she had only recently left- and, if nothing else, getting this apprenticeship with Professor Snape would allow her to prolong her stay at Hogwarts for two whole years. And she loved the idea. But of course, she reminded herself, being Professor Snape's apprentice would feel nothing like Hogwarts at all.

After the war she had received many job offers from the Ministry but she had declined them one by one, too depressed at the thought of being stuck behind a desk for the rest of her life. She needed an intellectual challenge. She wanted to expand her mind and learn a skill. Teaching had always seemed attractive but it wasn't until the idea of apprenticing for Professor Snape crossed her mind that she had considered Potions at all. She was, of course, very interested in the subject ever since his speech that very first day of class- "to bewitch the mind and ensnare the senses"- and since her experimentation with the Polyjuice Potion in the middle of her second year that had transformed Harry and Ron into Crabbe and Goyle. The problem was that Hermione was equally interested in many subjects: she loved the veracity of Arithmancy, the creativity in Transfiguration, the delicacy in Herbology. But Potions was differently mainly because of Professor Snape and the way he had always treated her: without privilege. If she wanted to learn and become the best, she needed to learn from the most ruthless, cold-hearted Potions Master in the world. And sure enough, Severus Snape fit the description to perfection.

So buried in her thoughts was Hermione that she didn't quite hear when Severus Snape entered the room from his office; his robes billowing behind him. She was actually staring at a particular spot in the floor, completely immersed in her own thoughts, when she heard the distinct sound of a quiet cough and then of leather boots hitting the wooden table in front of her.

She gasped. He had obviously caught her off guard.

"I am waiting, Miss Granger…," he said with his feet up in the air.

That was certainly not a very Snape-ish pose, or at least that's what Hermione thought, and she cursed herself for not practicing her speech more because that particularly insignificant, but rather unpredictable, position had left her at a loss for words.

"Yes, Professor Snape. As I was saying before…," she stopped trying to remember exactly what she had said, "I've come here to talk you into a deal,"

"Yes, Miss Granger. I think we've covered that. What is this deal about, then?", he asked with a grin, "What could a bossy know-it-all Gryffindor have that I would want?"

"Well, Professor Snape…," she started again, "as you may well know, I am now of full age and therefore completely capable of seeking higher education. I have chosen to learn a skill through a Master of the discipline and become one myself," she said very matter-of-factly even though her knees had turned to jelly the moment he had stepped into the room.

"I am sure Minerva will find your company very pleasant. However, I fail to see what that has to do with me," Severus said.

"Well, I thought I had made it clear enough, Professor. It is you I want as my mentor. I wish to seek higher education within Hogwarts grounds with you. I want to become a Potions Mistress myself," she explained.

Severus said nothing. Instead, he studied her face. Her features depicted fear, trepidation and anxiety.

"Very well, Miss Granger," he said after a few moments, "And what is this magnificent deal you were talking about earlier in my chambers? So far, I've only heard what you want, what you need...," he said standing up and walking closer to where she was, "What is it you have to offer me?"

Hermione hadn't thought that part through very much. What did she have to offer? Money, of course, but she somehow sensed the proposition would insult him.

"I thought I might do what every other apprentice does, sir," she said with apprehension.

"And what is that, Miss Granger?," he asked; his voice pure silk.

"Work. I will work for you for free. I will clean your classroom, tutor your students, watch over your detentions. I will correct your papers and even cook your food, wash your clothes…"

"Surely you don't think I would spend two years explaining everything I know to you for just that, do you?," he asked. He was walking in circles around her, studying her every move.

"I thought my offer was reasonable," she said, her gaze never leaving Snape, her neck turning around dangerously in an Exorcist sort of way.

"You must do better than reasonable, Miss Granger," and with that he stopped, walked closer to her desk and crossed his arms neatly over his chest.

Hermione had no idea what to say next. Her mind was running wild with many propositions but somehow she didn't think that Snape would agree to any of them.

"Don't waste my time, Miss Granger," he said after a while, staring down at Hermione who was lost in her own turmoil of thought, "How badly do you want this?"

"Very badly, sir," she answered truthfully looking up at him. Severus almost choked at her response; she seemed so vulnerable… almost asking for his protection even if it was of an intellectual nature.

"I see," he said bitterly, "then you wouldn't mind if I fill in the blanks,"

"What do you mean, Professor?" she asked intrigued.

"What this means is that I have no idea what I want at the moment, Miss Granger. But I do know this: there will be a time during this apprenticeship when I most definitely will. And whatever that may be, you will not refuse me. Is that clear?" he said very softly, arms still crossed, eyebrow so dramatically arched it almost touched his hairline.

"It won't actually involve se…," she started to say and then stopped, completely aware of the man standing in front of her. This was Professor Snape. Of course he wasn't talking about any kind of sexual favours. This man was asexual. He lived in his dungeons, secluded from the world. Not to mention the fact that she was his former student, and one that he had detested at that.

"I have no idea what you are talking about, Miss Granger. Could you please make yourself clear?" he said while he walked back to his desk. She was facing his back so it was impossible for him to see the smug smile that had taken over his face.

"Nothing, sir. Nothing at all. Do we have papers to sign?" she asked standing up, her dress winkled a bit.

"Yes. That is, of course, if you accept my conditions," he explained.

"I do, sir," she said confidently.

"Very well, Miss Granger. Very well," he said opening the door to his private office, "This way".

Have you ever heard of the expression: "Be careful with what you wish for because it may come true"? Hermione had no way of knowing this at the time when she signed her two year apprenticeship contract with Severus Snape, but that was just the case.

Authors Note:

1) This first chapter is very similar to "What E'er Therein Is Promised" by Deeble (a must-read) but I promise that the resemblances stop there. Her story was all about the contract and Fauste and not selling your soul- even if you really really want it- and this story will have none of that

2) This story is AU, after all. I just cannot write a proper fic without Dumbledore anymore.

3) So, what do you think so far? Is the beginning too boring? I just thought that describing Snape as an insecure bloke was more reasonable than this Sex-God! kind of character most fics want to depict. Of course, HE IS a sex god but he is also a human being and he is lonely and he is getting older… and he has given his life away and now he is at a cross-road. Of course this is not relevant NOW but it will. Because this is a HG/SS fic and even if I want to make it original clichés will abound.

4) Lastly, English is not my first language but I trust it is good enough for you to make sense of it.

5) A very big THANK YOU to my beta readers: Beth, Leigh, Melissa and Cami. You are all wonderful and I will buy you Chocolate Frogs with Snape cards on them! ;)