Hermione awoke to the strange sensation of having an owl beat out a frantic attack on her forehead. She wondered briefly if she had simply fallen into another dream, the beating did resemble Sexy Back in some odd way, but realized she was awake and the owl was trying to get her attention. Upon opening her eyes she realized it had a letter and that the owl in question was one she knew rather well. Her bedside clock told her it was half past two in the morning and she frowned at the notion that Severus Snape was owling her so early. But it also occurred to her that he was not one to do so without a reason so she sat up, dislodging the owl from her chest.
The letter, which took her some moments to untie and even longer to read by wand light, was short and urgent.
H-
Come at Once.
Have made a breakthrough.
-S
She frowned in concern at his shortness, hoping he hadn't blown some part of himself up in the attempt to brew their potion, before jumping out of bed. Swiftly, she grabbed her traveling cloak, threw it about herself, and Apparated away to his home.
Severus paced his living room anxiously, wondering just how long it would take her to arrive. The owl would need five point seven minutes to arrive at her flat, two minutes to wake her up, and she would need at least three to read his message and be ready. How could ten point seven minutes take so bloody long? He glanced at his wall clock just as he heard a small pop in the kitchen. He rushed in just as she rushed out and they crashed in the doorway, causing them both to fall to the ground.
Carefully, he picked himself up and helped her to her feet, pulling them both towards the stairs to his downstairs potions lab. She huffed in annoyance and pulled him up short before he could go more than a few steps. "Severus! What's going on? It's two in the morning and you're owling me, there had better be a fantastic reason!" she huffed before putting her hands to her hips and glaring at him.
Rolling his onyx eyes, Severus turned to face her. Slowly, as if speaking to a very slow child, he started to explain. "I made a breakthrough! On the potion we have worked on for months. The whole reason we started this partnership in the first place. But I need you to see if it has worked. A breakthrough Hermione!" At the rather dazed look on her face, he sighed in annoyance. They had struck up this partnership for the sole reason of making this potion, had spent countless months on it, and now she couldn't remember? Honestly!
Finally she let out the breath she seemed to have been holding since he'd started his rant. "Really? What was it? The gillyweed? The lilac? Was it the eighth turn? Oh goodness, I wasn't prepared for it to happen this soon! What will we do? How will we announce this success? What will we name our business?" She seemed lost in her own little world until he clamped a large hand down on her rather small shoulder.
"Hermione! First we must test the potion, prepare a dozen different cauldrons, perfect our method, and countless other chores. Don't get ahead of yourself. Now remove your cloak at once and let's go to the lab."
One of her pale hands went to her cloak fastening before she blushed to the roots of her hair and shook her head violently. "Oh no," she whispered gently to herself, appearing to disappear again into her own thoughts. Severus sighed loudly.
"What is it you silly girl?" he drawled.
"Severus… Uh… You see… You woke me in the middle of the night.
"Yes I did"
"And I rushed over immediately to see what had happened."
"Yes you did. I don't see the problem-"
"I don't usually wear pajamas Severus, and I seem to have forgotten that in my haste. I don't believe I'm wearing a thing under my traveling cloak as a result."
"I see." the color seemed to have been drained from Severus's face, but she thought she detected a bit of pink near his cheeks. "Well, that's um… You'll have to borrow some of mine then, this is far too important to wait until morning." And he abruptly turned down the hall and went up a set of stairs to his personal chambers, which he thrust her into and closed the door.
"Find something suitable in the wardrobe; I can brief you while you change." He heard her rifling around and tried not to imagine her naked. "I was mixing up a batch at about one when I accidently turned the spoon seven times counter clockwise, your notes confused me. But the potion turned the most delicate shade of purple and when I tested it on the special paper, it seemed to have worked. So I owled you immediately. But I think it still needs that eighth turn and I wanted you to check it." His words stuttered off as she opened the door wearing a button up shirt and a pair of his silk pajama bottoms.
Hermione emerged from his rooms in the only clothes she had found that fit her in any sort of way. The button down and pajama bottoms were not what she would have considered ideal for brewing, but she had little choice. It also seemed that she had in some way stunned the Potions Master, who was now standing absolutely still and staring directly toward her breasts. She deemed the loud cough she aimed at him necessary when his eyes began to rove. "Severus? Is everything alright?" she coxed.
Immediately color flooded his cheeks and his gaze shot toward the ceiling; he coughed several times in an attempt to clear his throat. "You look nice like that." he mumbled before setting off down the stairs at a quick trot. Hermione couldn't help the small smirk she allowed to grace her mouth as she followed obediently.
Several hours passed in companionable brewing as the attempted to brew their twelve test batches and to determine the number of stirs needed. Finally, around the time the sun began to rise, Severus held up the last vile, the only one left to test for a reaction. The infected paper seemed to taunt them both as they approached in absolute silence, Severus's hand shaking slightly as he pulled out the stopper. He let four drops fall slowly from the lip onto the pristine paper in front of them, the sound seeming to resound in a room suddenly holding its breath. Thirty seconds ticked by as both minds raced for any mistake they might have made. Eleven successful test papers lay in a open manila folder beside them, ready to be mailed off with the final results.
A purple splotch appeared directly where the drops had fallen and Hermione let out a blood curdling scream. "We did it! We did it! We found it!" she screamed, jumping up and down. Severus spun her around as they shrieked with joy in their success. They danced around the room, shrieking and hollering until the initial shock had worn down and they were able to somewhat rationally process that they had finally finished their masterpiece.
Finally, Severus sunk to the floor, his head between his hands, a deep throated laugh bellowing from his chest. She dropped down between his legs and forced him to tilt his head so that she sat with the back of her head to his chest, leaning back with a sigh, as their laughter slowly faded away until only the sound of their breathing could be heard.
"I am so tired." she finally murmured, "I should get going."
But his arm blocked her leaving, his eyes closed as he mumbled, "Just sleep here, I don't want you splinching yourself on the way home."
With a sigh she let her head fall back to his chest, too exhausted to manage a good defense for herself. For now she just wanted some sleep, and the floor felt like the best plush mattress to her aching body. So she let herself fall asleep, drifting off with the sound of the Potion Masters heartbeat in her ear.
It took Severus several moments to realize that the girl had fallen asleep on him. His request for her to remain may have been more selfish that practical, but he didn't mean for her to sleep on the floor! Realizing the level of exhaustion she must have reached to have fallen asleep on a hard concrete floor, he was suddenly glad that he had not allowed her to apparate. He must have been just as exhausted because the floor was beginning to feel as though he could fall asleep with her.
With all his will power, he levered himself off the floor with Hermione in his arms. He found the girl far too light for someone her size and decided that all the time in the potions lab must be affecting her health. But it was hardly his fault that they forgot time and space when they were brewing together. He would have to take better care of her though, if they were to continue working together. Such melancholy thoughts as breaking their partnership, and dare he say friendship, needed to be left for later however and he broke his silent contemplation of her health. Slowly, and with great care, he carried the sleeping girl up the stairs and into the main house.
Yet a place to lay the girl down eluded his sleepy brain once he reached the upstairs and he stood stupidly in the doorway for several moments reviewing places she could sleep in his house. Several moments' contemplation told him that he should lay the girl in his study, as his own bedroom would provide too much temptation. Course of action decided, he strode resolutely toward his library and laid the angel in his arms upon his leather sofa. With some difficulty, she really did look beautiful in slumber, he threw a blanket over her from the back of the couch and left the room. Sleep seemed best, at least for a few hours, so Severus went to his bedroom and closed the door, casting a spell to alert him when Hermione had awakened.
Hermione awoke at one in the afternoon feeling, if not fully rested, at least somewhat restored. Excitement returned with her awakening and she hurriedly folded the blanket and straightened her borrowed clothes so that she might go and find Severus. The halls of Spinners End were no mystery to Hermione after working there for so long and she found Severus quickly. He was seated at the kitchen counter nursing a cup of coffee and looking happier than she had ever seen the man look.
He raised his head as she approached and she saw the same curious look on his face as she had seen when she exited his bedroom the night before. Just as quickly he turned his head and coughed slightly, a slight pink tinge to his cheeks.
"What is it?" she questioned suspiciously.
"To what are you referring? I hardly think that 'what is it?' is a suitable question in these circumstance." he regarded her again, his eyes sliding up her body before finally settling on her face.
"You just had an odd look on your face when I came in, and I noticed it last night in the hall also. What is it? Do I look funny? Did I forget to do up one of my buttons?"
Her questions were cut off by his stifled laughter. "Of course not, any gentleman would tell you if you had misplaced a button. I was simply noticing that you are a lovely young woman, which is accentuated by your wearing of my clothing. That is all"
"Oh." Hermione was sure that she was ten shades of red by now and chose to slide into a seat at the table rather than respond to his remark. This seemed to be what he expected as he passed the tea tray to her and turned to retrieve the folder they had placed copies of their research in along with the finished test strips. Now would begin a long few months of testing, producing and marketing. At the end of it, she hoped that they would have a suitable product to begin selling. For now though, all they could do was mail the envelope off and hope that they received permission to go ahead with finding someone to purchase the potion from them. Hermione sighed, knowing that planned time with Severus was at an end and not knowing how to ask him if they could continue working together.
"I-" Severus began just as Hermione started in with "We-". They both laughed nervously. "You go ahead" he looked at her expectantly. "Well, I was thinking that we should talk about our plans. We did what we set out to do. What comes next?"
He stared into his cup of coffee for just long enough for Hermione to wish she had just left the words unsaid and gone home while they were both happy. She had just decided to make an awkward goodbye and leave when he began to speak. "Ms. Granger, we started out this partnership to create a single potion. It was purely a business venture and, barring any unforeseen complications, we have succeeded." She felt her heart sink. He was going to tell her it was over and that she should leave. "However, I would like to continue our partnership if you find it agreeable. I feel that there are further discoveries to be made and our partnership has been mutually beneficial. We work well together, but it is up to you of course." He was still staring into his coffee cup.
"I…" she had to clear her throat before she could answer, "I find that very agreeable." He finally looked up from the depths of his cup and straight into her eyes. Hermione felt as if she was being searched in some way, though she knew he was not using Occlumency.
"Very well" Severus looked back into his coffee, "Then I will see you tomorrow at our regular time." His words felt like a dismissal, so Hermione obediently rose from her chair and began to put her traveling cloak back on. The next words took her by surprise, "unless you would care to join me for dinner this evening?"
Hermione regarded the man in front of her carefully. His tone was indistinguishable. Did she want to have dinner with him this evening? Yes. But why had he asked? Did he want to celebrate? Was he asking her out for some other reason? Did she care? "That would be agreeable as well." She wasn't sure if he heard her, her voice had trailed off so much toward the end. Deciding that beating a hasty retreat would be her best defense at the moment, Hermione gave Severus a smile and Apparated back to her own apartment.
Severus let out a breath that he had not been aware he was holding and downed the rest of his coffee. What on earth was he thinking? He was ill equipped to court a woman, much less a much younger witch. Where did people go to eat these days? What should he wear? What was she expecting of the evening? He let his head fall into his hands and grimaced. He was more likely to ruin their friendship by taking her out than he was sniping at her in the lab. At least in the lab he knew what he was doing. Then again, he wasn't so sure she would know much more about it than he did.
Collecting his thoughts, Severus stood from the kitchen table, depositing his cup in the sink along the way. He would not rescind the offer of dinner, so he had best set about getting ready for an evening out.
Stalking toward the fire, Severus sighed and put on his best potions masters face. "Malfoy Manor!" he said as he threw a handful of powder into the flames and stepped into the grate. If he was going to take a handsome young witch on a date, he would do it the right way. And the only person Severus knew who could easily charm a young witch was Lucius Malfoy.
Because she had left without ascertaining any details about the evening, Hermione found herself in a near panic by five o'clock. She knew he often ate a late dinner when they worked in the lab, but was unsure if that was true of regular evenings. Perhaps he would show up at her door as early as six! She stood in front of her wardrobe fresh from the shower and contemplated her small collection of clothes. She hadn't been on a date in over a year for Merlin's sake! How was she supposed to know what to do? Neither of them were the type for stuffy restaurants or chatty pubs, but she found it hard to imagine where he would take her. The only place they had ever fit together was in the lab, and it would hardly be sanitary to eat there.
What did a girl wear on an evening such as this? She pulled her four dresses from their hangers and laid them on the bed. At least there was something to be said for limited choice; she couldn't be too picky.
As she contemplated dressing up for Severus Snape, she heard the flames whoosh in her living room grate. She hurried into the room, wrapping her dressing gown more tightly around herself, and found a slightly charred note on the floor written in a familiar hand.
H.
Forgive my rudeness in not setting a time or place for the evening. I will arrive at your flat at 7, if you find that acceptable. Reply by return note if this time is unsatisfactory to you.
S.
As Severus Snape stood on the doorstep of a flat in wizarding London, he realized he was more frightened of the evening ahead than he had been of any event since his post-war trial. A sobering thought, he tried to push it to the back of his mind as he knocked on the door and announced to the door who he was. The door opened to his name without seeming to need someone to turn the handle. Feeling distinctly out of place, he entered the sitting room and announced his presence louder for the sake of the resident. He carried a single rose, something that Lucius told him would be appropriate and unpretentious for their first non-work outing.
She emerged from the hallway with a cheerful smile and a cheerful "hello". The dress she wore was modest by modern style, but showed more of her legs than he had ever seen before and dropped low enough in the front to get his imagination running. The dress was black and Severus knew little enough about fashion to say much more about it. If pressed he would say it was pretty and made of some stiff fabric that rustled as she moved. Without a pause of hesitation she walked to him and wrapped her arms around his waist, despite the slight stiffening of his body at the unaccustomed gesture. Awkwardly, he put his arms around her as well and relied, "hello. Are you ready to leave?"
Regretfully, this caused her to step out of his arms, but he was rewarded with a smile as she took a pair of black robes from her coat hook and shook them on. She put her small hand on his arm when she was covered and looked up at him with what she hoped was an encouraging smile.
Hermione was unsurprised to find herself back at Spinners End at the end of their evening. They had dined on a private terrace with only house elves for service and their own conversation for entertainment. They had discussed their potion plans at first, but eagerly fell into a discussion about books as the meal progressed. When he had mentioned a rare book she had never seen in his house, he had offered her the chance to come and see it and enjoy an evening drink.
It would have been a lie to say that Hermione was not nervous about going home with her date, but it would have been a bigger lie to say she wasn't intrigued about where her night would lead. After all, they were two consenting adults who had known each other for many years and got on well together. She was hardly a naive firsty who believed that it was indecent to go home with her long time friend after a single dinner together. It had been a long time since she had felt like accompanying a man anywhere after a date and she felt powerful with the knowledge that he wanted her there as well.
They sat on the sofa in his study looking at potions books for longer than anyone else she knew would have been able to stand. The topic of discussion was the proper use of stirring rods in the classroom and whether students should be allowed to use the higher level equipment necessary in careful brewing or if they should be led away from these potions in NEWT level classes due to the expense of the items in question. This led to a trip to the lab to test one of her theories on stirring rod substitution on some potions. Without realizing it, they had fallen easily into their comfortable brewing partnership. Her friends would call in unromantic, but she could feel the heat between them in the small room as they reached around each other for the things they needed. She found herself laughing as she bottled another sample of their potion, realizing how ridiculous she must look in her date wear in the lab. They had both left their robes in the study, so he was dressed in a similar state as herself. His black shirt was rolled up to his elbows, his jacket tossed across a stool near the door. Whenever he moved her eyes were drawn to his forearms, watching the muscles move as he worked. His dark mark was faint these days, a reminder of the past that he would never fully be rid of.
Just as she was about to comment on the potion, he turned unexpectedly and bumped her with his elbow. The ladle full of liquid she had been holding spilled down her dress and onto the countertop. A look of horror crossed Severus face as he reached for his wand to tidy the mess. He siphoned the potion from the counter as he apologized about her dress. A cleaning charm removed most of the liquid, but it was obvious to both of them that the dress was ruined. To his surprise, the first sound out of her mouth was a laugh rather than any sound of disappointment. "That's what I get for wearing a dress in the lab!" she smiled up at him, "it is rather late I suppose, so I should be going."
Severus wasn't sure, but he thought there might be a note of hesitation in her voice and he jumped at the chance. "We've hardly finished discussing the book, given that we somehow ended up brewing. Find some clothes in my room and join me in the study. We can finish our discussion." The request sounded silly even to him, so he tacked on a quick, "If you like."
"I never turn down an offer of looking at your private book collection, Severus." His dark eyes watched her as she ascended the steps, admiring her calves as she climbed. He followed close behind, but turned into the study as she climbed the stairs to his chamber. It would be folly to follow her there he knew. How did one in his position intimate that he wanted a deeper relationship with the girl? As a teenager it had seemed impossible to him to catch the attention of a female, and he found himself struck with the same helplessness as he sat on his sofa as a grown man.
A thud and a quiet shriek from above changed his mind and he raced up the stairs to his chamber, throwing open the door without thinking his wand leveled in front of him. The sight that met his eyes was not what he had expected. She stood in the middle of the floor wearing only a dress shirt; a pair of pants lay on the bed within her reach. The window stood open and his owl, Persephone, stood on her perch looking as innocent as an owl could look.
Hermione laughed as she took in his pose in the door way, clearly ready for an attack. "She startled me when she came in is all, I'm sorry to have alarmed you. I didn't realize the window was unlatched or I might have expected it." Her laughter stopped as she took in his gaze. Dark, pensive eyes took in her bare legs and feet, causing her to blush. "I'm sorry, I…" her apology was cut off as her stepped closer to her. He lowered his wand and deposited it on the bed as he put a large hand on her waist. The other went to her hair, tumbling from its careful arrangement. He pulled her closer and she looked up at him in question. The question was answered by a hesitant brushing of lips. She raised her hands to tangle them in his hair as she deepened the kiss.
Here was the spark she had always been missing. His arms felt safe, comfortable, and strong around her. The kiss was gentle, neither of them was confident enough in themselves to pursue more. As he pulled his head back to look her in the eye, she smiled hesitantly. His thumb brushed a curl from her forehead and he looked at her as if in contemplation. Was he planning to throw her out? His positive reaction to her standing bare legged in his bedroom was obvious, but perhaps he would feel that way about any female.
Her thoughts were interrupted by his deep voice. "Hermione our partnership has been beneficial to both of us, but I am afraid I cannot go on as we have." Her heart sank at his words. Had she ruined everything? He continued, "Rather I would like to pursue a more personal partnership with you, if you are agreeable."
She tugged his head back down to her level so she could kiss him again. "I would find that acceptable Severus, very acceptable indeed."