All In A Fortnights Work
Summary: Ginny is just too good a friend to Hermione to not notice that she very secretly fancies Severus Snape. Ginny bets Hermione she can't get Snape to sleep with her within two weeks. The question is; who wins the bet…? Read and review!
A/N: This story is based on when Hermione and the Golden Trio are in seventh year after the war. I do not own anything except the plot. I am also disregarding Snape's death in the final battle for my own convenience. This story is rated M for sexual situations and bad language, you have been warned. Thanks and enjoy!
Day 1
"Hermione?" Ginny asked, in an unusual mischievous tone, walking into the Great Hall.
"Yes…?" she replied. The pair as well as many others had just made their way to the Gryffindor table for lunch.
"I'm going to… suggest something which might seem very wild but I would like your very honest thoughts, okay?" Ginny selected her words very slowly and carefully.
"Right, yes okay", Hermione said whilst helping herself to pasta, becoming increasingly dubious.
Ginny lowered her voice as there were other Gryffindors sat not too far away from them, "Do you like Snape?"
Brow furrowed in confusion, Hermione replied, "Of course I like him, although he is very strict, he is an excellent teacher, I suppose".
"No, Hermione. I mean, like like him".
"What? Are you completely insane?!" Hermione shrieked, "Do you know who we are talking about here?" As if he was right behind her, she mouthed 'Snape'. In response, Ginny raised her eyebrow in uncertainty. Hermione carried on, "What on earth makes you say that?"
"Just little things I've noticed…" Ginny replied, glancing over to the staff table where Snape sat at the end of the table, being just as about as sociable as a wall.
"Such as?".
"Well… Whenever he is mentioned I've noticed you just seem to zone out. Also, you do frequently look over to the staff table to look at him. And, the other day in the corridor when he passed us, you so checked him out!" Ginny giggled, feeling and definitely looking very pleased with herself. To this, Hermione opened her mouth as if to say something, but she did not.
After a few moments, Hermione replied, "So are you an undercover detective or are you just nosy?"
At that moment, Ginny's face resembled that of pure shock, "You do, don't you? You do like him!"
"Thinking about it, I guess you're right" Hermione mumbled.
"What do you mean, 'thinking about it'? Did you not know..?" Ginny said, slightly confused.
"Well, all those things you said were true and I thought it was because I found him frightening, really. But I'm not scared of him; I'm more nervous if anything. I never really thought about it this way and you know what Gin? I actually think I do have a crush on Snape".
"Well, I can't say I expected… this".
"I guess I'll have to do something about it" Hermione thought aloud.
Dumbstruck, Ginny replied, "'Do something about it?' Hermione! He is not a bloody sixth year Ravenclaw you moron! This is a teacher we are talking about. Do 'Bat of the Dungeons', 'Vampire', 'Greasy Haired Git' and 'Half-Blood Prince' ring any bells?" Ginny almost shrieked.
"Maybe I could use that to my advantage. It's true he is all of those things, so he probably hardly every gets any action." Ginny rolled her eyes in an exaggerated manner. "I mean, he lives in a dungeon!" Hermione reasoned with herself.
"That's true… But Hermione, it'll be impossible; we are talking about Snape here!"
Hermione looked over at Snape again, who was moodily chomping on his meal, his head at right angles to his neck so that his slick black hair conveniently covered his face.
"I reckon I could bed him, you know", Hermione said casually, turning her attention back to Ginny.
"Well, I bet you that you can't get him to sleep with you".
"Oh, we're betting now are we?" Hermione laughed, "In that case, I bet I can!".
"No, this is a serious bet now!" Ginny replied.
"I'm in!"
"Okay, I give you two weeks to sleep with Snape – starting today, but you will need to prove that you've done it".
"Proof? Right, okay. What's the prize for me when I win?" Hermione chuckled.
"The prize for the winner is the plain satisfaction of winning".
Hermione took a deep breath in, "You're on", she put her hand out to shake Ginny's hand, who took it and shook it enthusiastically with a smug smile on her face.
After a few moments of silence between the pair, as they actually started eating their meal, Hermione said, "Oh, guess what? I have Potions next, hmm. Better put my plan into action!".
"You'll never do it. Stop acting like all this is actually feasible!"
With that, Hermione slung her legs around the large wooden bench of the Gryffindor table, "I'm going to freshen up before Potions" she winked down at Ginny.
"So I'm supposed to eat here on my own like bloody Moaning Murtle?" Ginny huffed.
"It was your bet! I'm sure it won't kill you to sit on your own for five minutes! See you, Gin", Hermione said, as she walked to the exit of the Great Hall.
oOo
Hermione arrived in the Gryffindor Tower shortly after leaving lunch. She ran up the small spiral staircase that led up to her dormitory and searched for her make up at the bottom of her cupboard, she rarely used it. Wand in hand, she made her way to the lengthy mirror near the window. She shortened her skirt slightly, ruffling it up her legs so that it sat higher up on her waist. Then, she undid the top button her blouse and loosened her tie slightly so the open button was visible. Not particularly skilled in the art of make up, she simply applied a powder onto her skin to make it appear more even. Then came the time to tackle, what she liked to call, 'The Mane'. Huffing, she distanced herself slightly from the mirror. She knew many beauty and grooming charms but never bothered as it was too much effort to do on an everyday basis, but she wanted to be noticed. She de-frizzed her hair, so it appeared less wiry. She then performed a silkening charm on it so it looked glossy but not greasy. Finally, she did a volumising charm so it didn't look flat and had an effortless look about it. Stepping further back from the mirror again, she looked at the outcome of her efforts. It was most definitely worth it, even in her eyes. Satisfied with her new appearance, Hermione made her way back down to the common room. Grabbing her bag and simultaneously checking her watch, she left through the portrait hole and made her way to Potions.
oOo
Waiting outside, were Harry, Ron and Dean along with some of their other classmates. "Hey, Hermione", Ron smiled, "You look different". Harry nodded in agreement.
"Good different?" Hermione questioned.
Both of them simultaneously replied, "Yeah", they then continued their talk on Quidditch with Dean. After a few minutes, more students turned up and waited along with them. The instant the bell rang to signal the start of lessons, the dungeon door swung open with an abrupt force, to reveal Snape standing there with his arms folded. He was in his usual black teaching robes and stood in the doorway looking down on the students.
"Come in" he drawled in his silky voice, making Hermione shiver slightly. He span around and made his way into the Potions classroom, taking big strides with his cloak swirling ferociously behind him. He arrived at his desk at the front of the classroom, arms still tightly folded. Giving the students a few moments to settle down, Snape stood there before the class with a hard look upon his face, eyeing everyone like a hawk. His gaze landed on Harry, it was very clear from his face that he was sneering rude insults about Harry in his head. Scanning the class again, he noticed Hermione. What he mainly noticed was how attractive she was looking, after all she was a young woman now. It then came to his attention that not only was he staring at her, he was staring at her currently un-done top button on her blouse. As soon as he noticed a stirring in his groin, he addressed the class, "In today's class we will be looking at antidotes to harmful poisons. Many people believe that antidotes are the most important and most powerful part of Potions as they can relieve you even if you are a mere inch from death". During his introduction to class, Snape swept slowly around the room, ensuring everyone was listening. He now stood at the back of the class. "You will all be required to consume a very weak poison which will cause a slight discomfort. You will each choose an antidote by consulting your textbooks and deciphering which antidote will work best. We are working on page forty seven". Neville tentatively raised a shaking hand.
"Yes, Mr Longbottom", said Snape.
"S-Sir, what happens if we choose the wrong an-antidote?" he asked, quivering.
Snape silently crept up to Neville's desk. He put his face right next to Neville's and placed his palms flat on the desk and replied, "We will just have to… find out then, won't we?" he sneered, and instantly spun around to make his way back to the front of the class. Neville's face reflected that of pure fright and became very fidgety.
Snape removed a large silk sheet from the table at the front of the class, which then revealed several different bottles containing poisons and antidotes."You will each in turn come up and attempt to choose the right antidote" he drawled. Hermione raised her hand to ask a question.
"Miss Granger, thank you very much for volunteering to go first", he smirked.
"Oh, no sir, I jus-", Hermione stammered, heartbeat rapidly increasing.
"Get. Up.". Not one to argue with a teacher, especially Snape Hermione took a deep breath, stood up and made her way to the front of the class. She managed a look at Harry who mouthed something which looked remotely like 'good luck'.
Hermione stood in front of the class, more nervous than she could remember. Not because she was being made to drink a poison, more so because Snape had moved behind her and she could feel his breath on his left ear.
"Good luck, Miss Granger" he sneered quietly into her ear, so only she could her. He then moved around her, cloak billowing behind him, and made his way to the table littered with potion bottles. Snape turned his attention back to the class, "Remember, when under the influence of the poison I will give to each of you, it will be harder to make a reasoned decision on which antidote to take." He crouched over the table covered with small vials, bottles and glasses. He quickly selected a small bottle from the table which contained a shimmering jade green potion and slowly walked over to Hermione, who was watching him very carefully. The rest of the class watched, hoping their turn never came. Staring into Hermione's eyes with a look of pleasure on his face that he was legally allowed to poison his most infuriating student, he took the stopper off the small glass bottle. He slowly brought the bottle to Hermione's lips, still looking closely at her. She closed her eyes and slowly tilted her head back as the bottle touched her bottom lip. Ensuring only a few drops of the liquid was taken in by Hermione, Snape very slowly tilted the bottle, but finally withdrew it from her mouth. Hermione opened her eyes and swallowed tentatively.
"How do you feel, Miss Granger?" Snape asked, with a sly look upon his face. Hermione noticed a tingling in her extremities.
"I feel okay. I have pins and needles", she replied, looking up at Snape.
"It will gradually get worse, so choose carefully. The antidotes you are to choose from are here." He pointed to six substances, four were liquid, one was a powder, the last was a plant leaf of some sort. "In order to work out the antidote, I shall reveal bits of the poison to you. Are you ready, Miss Granger?"
Taking a deep breath, she replied, "I'm ready." The tingling had already worsened, although it was not painful in the least, it was uncomfortable and distracting.
"If I were to tell you the main ingredient of this particular poison is Acromantula venom, what would that mean?" he inquired. Ignoring the severe shivering and tingling sensations running up and down her legs, Hermione slowly thought to herself.
"Well, the main ingredient for the antidote of Acromantula venom is Bulbadox juice… which means the correct antidote must be a liquid", she thought aloud.
"Correct. Well done, Miss Granger. That leaves a possible four of six antidotes. How is the poison affecting you now?" It sounded as if Snape actually cared, but truth was he wanted to scare the class, mainly Neville Longbottom.
"All my limbs have really bad pins and needles. It feels like effort to stand", Hermione replied calmly.
"Okay. Now, the antidote for the poison was boiled for several hours on a low heat. What happens with Bulbadox juice under these conditions?"
Thinking it over in her head, Hermione was becoming frustrated; they rarely used Bulbadox juice in class and couldn't think, especially with the side effects of the poison being somewhat distracting. The class could all clearly see Hermione thinking hard.
"Well… its consistency becomes very thick and very gloopy, like treacle." Hermione said, not entirely sure if she was mixing it with another Potions ingredient.
"That is correct. From using this information, can you remove any other antidotes from the possible four?" Snape questioned. Using a lot of effort to move as her limbs felt like lead, Hermione shuffled closer to the table. She picked up the first bottle and swirled it in her hand, she noticed it had a very watery consistency.
"This liquid is too thin", she said quietly, Snape merely nodded. Hermione picked up the next vial and tipped it from side to side. It consistency wasn't too thick or thin. She looked at Snape, "I'm not sure with this one, it could be the correct antidote." She picked up the third vial and noticed straight away it was very thick. "This liquid is thick so it could be this one too." She finally picked up the last bottle; again its consistency was neither too thick nor thin. "The consistency of this antidote is isn't thick or thin, so I'm not sure on this one either", she said to Snape, hoping he wouldn't be unimpressed.
Surprisingly, his face reflected the exact opposite; he seemed pleased, "Very good, you are now left with three possible antidotes. This is your final clue. The correct antidote contains powdered Moondew. Choose carefully, Miss Granger.".
By now, Hermione felt numb due to the severe tingling racing through her flesh, but she urged herself to think straight.
'Think, think, think', she thought silently to herself, aware of the whole class staring at her in awe.
"When Moondew is in powdered form… and mixed with any sort of venom, except for Lobalug venom, gives off a gas! Therefore it will smell", Hermione sighed happily. Snape nodded towards the three possible antidotes on the table. She picked up the first vial and removed the stopper; she brought it to her nose but could not trace any smell. "This one's odourless" she announced, becoming more confident. She moved onto the next vial, again she removed the stopper on it and smelt the potion. It smelt grassy. "I think it's this one, it smells like grass". Praying that the final antidote was completely odourless, Hermione smelt it with anticipation. To her relief, it did not smell in the slightest. "This one does not smell either, so it's this one", she said, picking up the grass-smelling antidote. She brought the vial to her lips and looked around the class momentarily. Harry and Ron sat looking nervous, but looked like that had more faith in her compared to Neville, who was in fact covering his eyes. She tipped the contents of the vial into her mouth and swallowed, her eyes tightly screwed shut. The tingling in her limbs instantly vanished and Hermione felt like she could move easier.
"Well done, Miss Granger. Your deduction skills were most impressive. If you feel okay, you may return to your seat", he nodded to where she previously sat. Many of the Gryffindors had started clapping, even some Slytherins looking impressed with her. Neville had collapsed with relief on his desk. Hermione got back to her seat next to Lavender where she received many pats on the back from various hands of her class mates.
Snape repeated similar steps for the rest of the class, and, although it was somewhat frightening for some students, it was a very enjoyable lesson. Luckily, Ron managed to guess which antidote was correct from a little help from Hermione, who frequently pointed to an antidote in order to ensure he didn't poison himself further, (which Hermione did not doubt for a second Snape would enjoy).
oOo
Soon after Potions had finished, Hermione and her classmates made their way up to the Gryffindor common room to collect their books for their next lesson.
"Hermione!", Ginny yelled, running up to her friend who had just entered the common room, "How was Potions?" She nudged Hermione and gave her several winks just to ensure she knew what she was really asking about.
"Hmm, normal really", Hermione sighed, "You're right, I'll never do it. But even if I don't succeed, I'm going to fail trying!"
"Good luck there, I've got Divination so I will see you at dinner" Ginny said, picking up her bag which was packed with books.
"Sure, bye" Hermione replied. She sat down on the large sofa near the fire, thinking to herself. 'How will I get Snape to notice me? Think! Imagine you were a guy. Oh… There's an idea', she chuckled silently to herself.
