Love Potion: Number Nine
Hermione is caught after curfew with some questionable reading material, by none other than our favorite Potions Professor. Now assigned with a very odd task for her detentions.
I don't own nor am I affiliated with the Queen J.K. Rowling or the amazing world she created. Just having a little unbelievable fun with her characters.
Chapter One: Caught
She knew she shouldn't be out this late. But in light of the embarrassment of actually having these books on her person was enough for her to sneak out of the tower and make her way to the library. Even though she had Harry's cloak and the before mentioned books safely tucked in her book bag. She still felt exposed and well naughty. But she kept her pace, pausing and hiding against the cold stone walls of the castle every time she heard a noise. She could feel the adrenaline rushing through her as she could hear her own heart race. She nervously tucked some of her loose curls behind her ear as she made her way through the halls.
A sound of something scurrying, caused her to pause. She watched as unfamiliar familiar pounced and captured a poor mouse. She chuckled as she turned toward her destination. But as she did she came crashing into a solid wall of black. The resulting collision caused Hermione to fall onto her bottom. She watched as the last person she would have ever wanted to find her like this was staring down at her. She held her breath, as she watched him comprehend the situation. First he appeared confused, but it quickly changed to understanding then to an angry scowl. "Potter." He murmured as he reached down and snatched the cloak away. His face registered shocked for only a second before his indifferent expression came back into play. "Miss Granger, What In Merlin's name are you doing out past curfew?" He didn't sound angry, just the same annoyed tone he always took when he dealt with her or her friends. Which helped to lower her heart rate a fraction, she didn't want to start hyperventilating.
She summoned all her Gryffindor courage to not sound meek when she replied. "I'm just coming from the library, Sir." His eyes darted from her to her discarded satchel, where the books had some how came free from the confines of the bag. Before she was able to reach them, with a speed she didn't think any human could have possessed. He snatched up the ridiculous titles, she blushed bright red as he looked over them. She swore she saw a smirk on his lips.
"So it seems you have." He said in a bored tone. Then he snapped his eyes back toward the young girl who was only just now picking herself off the floor. "Of all the people I have found with this absolute trash, I never thought YOU would succumb to its dangerous appeal." He said as he gestured with the book in his hand. Her eyes went wide at the accusation.
"No!" She said with a squeal that she was not proud of. She cleared her throat and started again. "No, sir. I was only researching something."
"That seems like an awfully vague response." He said with a raised dark eyebrow. The level of sarcasm was high and it rattled her.
"I don't like what you are insinuating, Sir. I'm trying to research these, because of Harry…"
"So it is boy wonder you wish to snare in your wicked web, I have heard the murmurs for both of your dim-witted, so called friends." He interrupted. Hermione's face felt on fire with embarrassment and her anger was flaring up terribly. She knew this was a teacher and she should respect him, but he crossed the line and she snapped.
"How dare you! Harry is like a brother to me. I'm only looking into these because of the sheer number of tainted goods he has received. I wanted to see the types of effects and a find a way to detect if the item has been tampered with." She felt frustrated, this was the exact reason she didn't want to be found with the books in question, in the first place.
"Why not simply ask a trained professional? Instead, you take it upon yourself, by sneaking out past curfew, retrieve books that I'm sure you didn't officially check out and what? Experiment with the contents?" After hearing all her charges her anger deflated and she just felt ashamed. "And whom would have been your unwilling test subject, Mr Weasley perhaps?"
The hot ball of anger built back up in the pit of her stomach. But all she was able to do was blush furiously. After a moment of breathing she responded, "I wasn't going to test anything on anyone, besides myself, maybe."
This response elicit a loud laugh from the dark professor. "Have you not learned, the hard way, Not to test potions on yourself?" The image of herself turned part Cat after the failed polyjuice incident came to mind and she turned her head away in shame. "These things are utter trite." He said tossing them on the floor. "Anyone who uses one, should be ashamed of themselves for it. And for someone as young as the students in this school, with their lack of skills in potions shouldn't ever attempt considering they could kill someone if they don't properly handle the ingredients."
"I'm not some ignorant teenager, I have the greatest respect for the art of potion making and would know how to handle the ingredients. And as I said wasn't planning on administering it. I just wanted to make sure they weren't harmful to my friend."
He gave her a sneer, "Pick those up and follow me." His words were curt, she acted quickly and followed after him, all but running to keep up with his long strides. He lead them to his office. "Sit." He said indicating to the chair in front of his desk. "We are to discuss you punishment." He pulls out his ledger and scans several pages, then a wicked grin plays across his face. "You will serve every evening the rest of this week, detention with me. Then starting next week it will be at least twice a week for the next two months. Is that clear?"
"Two months?! For being out past curfew?" She seemed to lose her head, as she realized she just snapped at her teacher. His eyes snapped to her and he didn't look so amused any longer.
"For being out past curfew, stealing school property, and talking back to your professor! You and your band of miscreants seem to think the rules don't pertain to you. Therefore you run amok around this school, you will learn to respect the rules and not to take on impossible tasks, as you are still a student."the last words burned through her like acid.
She wanted to say something, anything in retort. But all the effect of his words did was cause her stare at him with her mouth opening and closing like a fish. He was literally holding her personally responsible for the fool-hearty ways the boys behaved. It wasn't fair. But she had no room to talk now. She just had to suck it and take the punishment. "What will I be doing?" She envisioned clean cauldrons or maybe ingredient prep, while she didn't want to know how to de-slime a slug, she would take her lumps.
The devilish smile played across his thin lips again. "You will spend the rest of the week going over all the ingredients of the potions in those books and you will index and determine the correct quantities to brew each one successfully, and even look for alternatives that will make each one cheaper to produce and more potent. The rest of you detentions will be spent brewing all of them to your specifications. And for an add bonus I will add in Amortentia."
Hermione's mouth dropped open, flabbergasted at the large request he had made of her. "But sir, that nine potions! I seriously doubt I could do all those in the time frame." She hated to admit that even she had limits. But this was way too much for her already loaded schedule.
"Then maybe it will teach you a valuable lesson in following the rules. Be here after dinner tomorrow night. And don't forget your books, which I suggest you properly check out with Madam Pince first thing." He gestured for her to leave. She took the dismissal and left. She was upset, she didn't mean to get caught, she didn't want to do this. But now she had to deal with the charge and get it done. How stupid she felt, as she made her back to the safety of Gryffindor tower.
As she climbed into bed, she let out a deep sigh of frustration and murmured to herself. "It's going to be a long two months