"Miss Granger falling asleep in my class again, I would have expected better from the Gryffindor know-it-all!" Professor Severus Snape was making his rounds around his new seventh year NEWT class and this was not something he expected to see. The war that was looming brought pressure on all students and Hermione Granger was no exception, she had visited more times than Severus himself to ask for a calming draught but falling asleep in class was causing him to worry, although he could not show it.
It was over before it started the potion flew through the air and landed on the two people who stood in the way.
"Class Dismissed, everybody out now!" The normally calm and reserved potions master, from all of his years of spying was covered in a lust potion, he didn't normally let students brew one, but Albus had ordered it, it was a very simple potion with very few steps but if it went wrong it was disastrous.
"Miss Granger..." he started but he could see that see was already reacting to the potion, her limbs were shaking and her face was turning a nice shade of red. Her potion, the one that was catapulted through the air, hadn't been finished and as a result the potion would last twice as long or the effects would kill.
The door to his private quarter swung open on recognition of the potions master and friend and he went straight to his bed and laid her down gently. The Floo to his private quarters flashed green and a head popped thorough.
"How bad?"
"The potion needs to be used and fast, for both of us. Albus…."He trailed off realizing what he had just said.
"Do what you have to do my boy" There was a sombre look on the Headmasters face and no twinkle in his eye.
"She is still a pupil, I can't."
"Have you forgotten the potion landed on you as well?"
"No Albus, I can go and find someone in Knockturn ally, she... She can't" He sat down one the closest chair that he had and put his face in his hands.
"No Severus she can't, Harry, Harry isn't here and Ronald, well to put it in Miss Granger's words has the 'emotional range of a teaspoon' "
"Albus she will wake up soon and the pull will be too strong…"
"Severus what changes to the potion were there?"
"The potion hadn't been finished she had just added the ash winder eggs and…." He trailed off suddenly looking quite ill.
"And what Severus…?"
"Lacewings, which cause the two people it was to be used on to be inseparable for three days and nights, the unfinished potion calls for… for consummation by the two parties effected every opportune moment, or… Albus, The Dark Lord uses it drives some of the prisoners insane, every time she or I feels the need to…the potion doesn't allow for personal release it has to be at the hands of another…" He looked up in desperation to Albus then continued "…I was the first person to touch her skin, to check how hot she was feeling. The potion activates from skin to skin contact."
A glass zoomed past Severus head to meet the wall, but it didn't it met the out stretched hand of Hermione Granger.
"How much of that did you hear Miss Granger?"
"I think..." she started with some hesitation, "… you can call me Hermione under the circumstances. I heard all of It." unbeknown to them Albus had disappeared from the Floo and it was warded to sop anyone from entering unannounced.
"Hermione then the potion, effect, um contact."
"I know I heard, Professor…"
"I think you should call me Severus under the circumstances Mi... Hermione, let's start with talking, why did you fall asleep in my classroom, I mean I know that my class isn't that boring, and if you could stop looking at me like that I would be very grateful."
"I'm sorry sir, it's just you told a joke, I… sorry."
"It's Severus, Hermione remember, I may be the Orders spy and The Dark Lords servant but I am a person first." He was facing away from her at the moment, trying to calm his nerves of what had to be done.
"No I like you like this. Severus" She tried the name on her tongue and like the feel of it, across the room she didn't see Severus shiver.
"I still believe that my question is unanswered…"
"Um… which one," she asked sheepishly.
Severus looked at Hermione with an incredulous stare, she never forgot a question, and she was normally the one asking the questions.
"Hermione," the compassion in his eyes was unmistakable and she moved away from him.
"You can't force me to…to tell you, that..." she trailed off with uncertainty in her eyes.
"Hermione, don't kid yourself, you know I can." The pointed look he gave her made her turn away, silent tears trailed down her face, she pulled her cloak tighter against her now shivering body, and unceremoniously fainted, hitting her head against a nearby table. Cursing Severus rushed to her side and fell to his knees.
"Hermione, HERMIONE." A bottle zoomed from the next room and slammed into the nearby seat, he had unknowingly Accioed a bottle of invigoration draught from his own private stores, his next moves were with grate haste but with a certain gentleness to them. He pulled the stopped from the bottle and poured three drops down her throat, his hands got to massaging her throat and he waited.
In the minutes which Severus was worrying over her body, Hermione was in a trance like state. She was reliving one of her worst moments in life that she could say with utmost certainty.
It had started early in her seventh year before the war had ended Hermione Granger a Hogwarts student had come back home on the train to Kings Cross a letter clutched in her hand. That letter was from her parents, although it didn't seem like it. Her thoughts were a twisted mess of chaos as she took a trembling step down onto the platform she could see Harry, her new best friend make his way over to the Durselys and she thought to herself, if Harry can go home to them at summer, so can I. The letter (that was now twisted so much the words were unrecognisable) contained the following;
Dear our daughter,
Coming home for the summer again, well this time you had better no open your mouth when you see us, you are a disgrace to our family and if it weren't for the fact you are still attending Hogwarts we would have disowned you. There have been changes from the previous year's you have taken space in our house, you room has been changed to the smaller bedroom in the back, you will have to sort all of your things out as we are too busy to do it ourselves. The housework must be done when we get home from work, and you should remember all of this from last year. Let's get one thing straight I think that we are old enough to tell you that, we don't want you, we never wanted you , you were an accident and a mistake and by the time I found out about you it was too late for me to have an abortion. So now that is cleared up, the last thing to say is we do not wish to hear you ,see you or speak to you over the summer holidays.
Your Uncaring Mother and Farther
The letter was no different than which she received from previous years; she always grew up with the notion that she was not wanted. It was really quite ironic in some way( if that was the right word to use) , Harry told everybody who would listen about his treatment at the Durselys and they were scared of him being a Wizard, but Hermione could not tell a living should, if she did then she knew that her parents would know, call her crazy but she (in some twisted frame of mind) would think that she was a disappointment even more than she already was. That was why she strived so hard to be the best inn school because then somebody might notice her and say 'Well Done'
Severus was now frantic with worry she hadn't regained conscious even after he had administered the potions and she was coming very close to injuring herself by tossing about, he was truly worried about this you lady before him, she had come to earn his respect (and much more) and although he could not tell her yet, he might be able to tell her one day when the war was eventually over, but he doubted that, who would want to talk to their 'Greasy Git' of a potions master.
As the car got further and further away from Kings Cross Hermione realized that this summer would be different, the post script made sure of that.
P.S. We will be entertaining some guests this summer and you will cater to their EVERY need .We don't care what need it is you will do it, we already guessed that you are the little Gryffindor slut.
It was as clear as that, no words were spoken as the car journey continued the only thing that Hermione could concentrate on was ways of getting out of the house, over the previous summers she got out very little and this summer was one exception, but she liked to plan ahead and this summer was going to be better than the rest now she was allowed to do magic at home, she could get all of the chores done faster than before, but not too fast or her parents would be suspicious. They never liked the fact that she was a witch and they never let her forget it.
He picked the unconscious form of Hermione Granger up and entered his bedroom he laid her down gently on the bed and brushed a stray errand of hair form her face. His heart swelled at the sight of her and that was when he remembered their conditions, he needed to wake her up, if not the potion would become unbearable for them both. Dreamless sleep would offer no comfort as the potion would only manifest in their dreams.