A/N: This is one of those things that started as a small idea and then took on a life of its own. Warning: SO MUCH SMUT. Seriously, like Severus/Hermione get it on A LOT.
YOU'VE BEEN WARNED.
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Greece was beautiful. The climate, the white beaches and crystal blue waters. Too bad she couldn't really enjoy it. She was only here for three days and then it was back to London. Hermione sighed, putting on the finishing touches of her light makeup. As a newly minted Potions Mistress it was important for her to attend this Potioneers Convention. It was the best way to meet other masters and prospective investors. Employers. It was also a great source of information. The speakers this year were very promising. But there was one in particular that Hermione wanted to see. Severus Snape.
Apparently they asked him every year it was held and he had always turned them down. But not this year. "Conference Room D…." She said softly to herself as she read the sign. She opened the door to find it packed with witches and wizards of various ages. Luckily she had a reserved seat in the front. All masters and mistresses did. She glided to the front, ignoring the curious and envious gazes sent her way. She was sat next to Master Odin, a man she faintly remembered reading an article about. She was just about to ask for confirmation when Snape strolled across the stage and approached the podium.
To put it simply: Snape looked good. Her most recent visage of him had been days after the final battle in the hospital of St. Mungo's. Dumbledore, along with the now even more esteemed Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived-Twice, had finished securing pardons for all war crimes committed by people on the side of the Light. That included Severus's crimes as a spy. He was still lying in the bed, only cleaner now and with more bandages than he had when she'd apparated both of them from the Shrieking Shack.
After Nagini bit him, Harry and Ron had been sure he was dead. But not her. As they turned to leave she shoved three bezoars and a vial full of Fawkes's phoenix tears down her professor's throat. Enough, she hoped to keep him alive for a while. Then she ran to catch up with the boys. Once the battle was over, she lost herself amid the chaos and apparated the bloody, haggard man to St. Mungo's. But that had been three years ago. Now, you'd never guess that he'd been bleeding, pale and fragile on the dirty floor of the shack. Now, he looked good. His hair was still long, but he had tied it back with an elastic. He was no longer thin, but simply slim and his clothes hinted at a slight muscular build. His look spoke of confidence and swagger. "Good morning ladies and gentlemen," he said with the rich voice she'd grown accustomed to as a child. Smiling inwardly, she looked up at the dark wizard in rapt attention.
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Severus sauntered onto the stage with his billowing dark black robes that he was known for. He had been asked to attend this horse and pony show for years and had turned them down every time. This whole convention was a waste of time and space. While Severus was all for exchanging ideas and meeting other potioneers, he thought that this convention was plagued by gossip and only there to show the superiority of the craft. He had only accepted due to the fact that he wanted to tell these buffoons about their little convention and set the record straight. He wanted to cause a scene and rub it in their little gossiping faces.
He cleared his throat, looking over the sea of people with his usual stoic demeanor that many misinterpreted. He was not an easy man to read and he took pride in that fact. However, when he saw a familiar face in the front row, his mind was torn. He started to reconsider making a mockery of this convention when his eyes met with the student he had so long ago. He was unsure whether to feel pride that she had come this far or sorrow that he was not there to see it. Either way, he decided against his plan, not wanting for her to see him in a different light. Even though it often seemed that Severus did not care or was heartless, deep down he had emotions like anyone else. His husky voice boomed across the stage as he started. "Good morning ladies and gentlemen, It is a...pleasure...to stand here before you and speak to you about the one thing that has always been a big part of my life."
His gaze confidently traveled among the faces in the crowd, seemingly stopping at Hermione for a little longer than he should have. With slight hesitation, he realized that all he wanted to say did not fit anymore. He could not really mock anything. He took a book out of his robes and placed it gently onto the pedestal. He was going to use his copy of advanced potion making to make a point that the good old times were better but had to change his tactic. "This book right here changed my life and I am sure it changed yours too. His eyes sparked as he remembered one passage from the book which he read aloud from memory.
"Indeed, from antiquity until well into the Modern Ages, a physics devoid of metaphysical insight would have been as unsatisfying as a metaphysical devoid of physical manifestation." He continued his lecture, having no problem to come up with something on the fly. It even was quite informative, leaving most people in the audience with something to chew on. When he finished, he was packing up his book when his eyes caught the woman that was standing in front of him. "Miss Granger. What can I do for you?"
Throughout his lecture Hermione felt the feelings she harbored a few years back, suddenly resurface. Not only was he just as intelligent, poise and commanding as she remembered. But he looked a lot better. The years free from service to the Dark Lord (and Dumbledore) had done Professor Snape a world of good. And like the many people in attendance, she was in awe.
The things he said, the knowledge he shared and his insights. Well, it was no wonder he was a master and it gave credit to the claims that this convention only chose the wizarding world's best and brightest. She had to speak to him. Not just because his dialogue had touched on an experiment of her own, but because she wanted to be reacquainted. But maybe she was being silly...
When he finally acknowledged her presence Hermione smiled. "I believe the correct form of address would be Mistress Granger, Master Snape," she teased. "That was an excellent presentation. I nearly felt like I was back at Hogwarts only now I was surrounded by other people who could appreciate your brilliance. When I heard that you would actually be attending this year, I simply had to come. You….look good, Master Snape." She smiled softly hoping he couldn't detect her blush.
Severus raised his eyebrows, she had become a potion mistress? Severus always knew that she was destined for greatness. Even when she was younger she was very sharp and focused. Her ambitions and drive was apparent in her every action. "Congratulations Mistress Granger. I am glad that you chose such a grand profession." Severus was a little taken aback, but he quickly refocused himself. It was tiring to always be perfectly put together, but that is just the man he was.
Severus was quite flattered, she had come all this way to see him? Hermione was always a very special woman. She was very smart but also had the looks covered. She was a very pretty woman who probably had many men swoon over her. She only seemed to have gotten more beautiful with age, her brown eyes would make any mans heart melt."You look good too...Mistress Granger." Severus purred as he finished packing up his belongings before looking back to Hermione Granger.
"My time is precious mistress Granger. I am sure you have come here for more than just listening to me. What do you need help with?" A hint of a smile was observed on his lips as he teased her a little. After all, she was not one of his students any longer, as a mistress of the art, she was an equal now. "Let us walk and talk." He started to make confident strides out of conference room D, trying to avoid people asking him questions. However, for Hermione, he actually did not seem to mind it one bit, even if his facial expression did not convey this fact.
Joining him on his brisk walk from the conference room Hermione smirked. Trust Snape to see through her. "Well actually yes," she confessed. "I do have an ulterior motive. It's about a cure that I'm creating. The nature of which I can't discuss here." She gestured to their surroundings, the great hordes of people trying to get his attention or just talking amongst themselves in small groups. No, she didn't want anyone to get a whiff of her research. Plus, Hermione realized that this was an excellent way to spend some time alone with the professor. Alone. She gulped. Had it suddenly got hotter in here? "I'm staying at the Athenian Palace Hotel which is across the street. I would love it if you would consider having dinner with me in my room. There I could elaborate more on what about your lecture led me to believe that you could help me." She bit her lip and glanced up at him nervously, "What do you say?"
He was fairly quiet as she explained her real reasoning for coming. Of course she was not here because she was interested in seeing him, she was here because she wanted to discuss her experiment. A small part of Severus was disappointed, but he chose not to examine that closely. "Dinner Miss Granger?" He said cooly, carefully mulling over her proposal. It did get him away from the horde of scavenging vultures. "I suppose I can help you with your cure Mistress Granger. I am also staying at that hotel." Additionally, that small lip bite did a number on him. He had never really expected for her to have an effect on him, but seeing her bite her lip was almost seductive. He thought he was seeing things, trying to refocus his thoughts on things more productive.
They exited the convention and walked across the street to her hotel. It was a fancy four star hotel with a bar, spa service, and swimming pool. He did not really plan to use any of the commodities that were available there but he was sure that they were popular among his peers. They took the elevator up to her room. He took a look around at the hotel room, being curious as to what stuff she had brought along. "Now that we are alone. Please, enlighten me about this cure." He was giving her fleeting glances as he was taking a look around her apartment. There was an odd tension in the air which he could not put his finger on. During his perusal of the room he noticed some of her clothing lying open in her suitcase which he could not help but have a long glance at. He could have sworn that he saw one of her panties lying there, but he was unable to ascertain the validity of that statement with her standing right there.