{Disclaimer: The Harry Potter Universe was created by J.K. Rowling and rights are owned by, but not limited to Warner Brothers and Scholastic Books. I, therefore, own no parts of this.}
Chapter 2
Manipulation
Snape stalked up the stairs leading to the gargoyle in front of the Headmaster's office. "Cockroach Clusters!" he barked at it. It didn't move. "Blood Pops!" It still didn't budge. "Fizzing Wizzbees!" Nope, please try again later. "Sugar Quills!" The gargoyle remained a lifeless statue unwilling to give him entrance. "Merlin's beard, Albus! How many times can a man change his password in a week? Sherbet Lemon?" It twitched slightly, but didn't move all the way. He was getting closer. "Lemon Drops!" The gargoyle finally hopped out of Snape's way, letting the frustrated man storm up the stairs.
Albus Dumbledore had heard the younger man screaming at his guard. He decided that it would be better to let the Slytherin blow off some steam at an inanimate object instead of himself. "Ah, Severus, my dear boy, what brings you here on such a lovely afternoon?" Albus predicted his response would deal with the current project and his choice of a partner.
"You know exactly why I am here, Albus."
"Yes, I do," the Headmaster admitted. "Lemon drop?"
Snape sighed. This was going to be a long meeting. He took a candy to appease the older man as he sat in one of the squishy chairs. "Why did you have to pick her?"
"You are speaking about Miss Granger, I assume?"
Snape nodded, silently asking who else she could be.
"My reasoning was very simple. I know that you will only work with the best and she is one of the most talented witches I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. Even you would admit that she has talent."
"Yes, I will admit that she has talent, but the girl has barely any experience. Experience is critical in Potions."
Albus folded his hands on top of his desk and leaned forward towards the other man. "Are you familiar with what Miss Granger did after graduation?"
"No, I don't make it habit to follow every single one of my students' lives."
"Hermione Granger had some of the highest scores on her OWLS and NEWTS that have ever been seen in this school's history. She enrolled and was accepted at the Glasgow Academy of Magical Arts. Once she got there, she only studied for a semester before moving on to something better."
"What could be better than Glasgow?" The college was one of the top wizarding schools for higher education. It only accepted elite students.
"Miss Granger was offered a very special position in the Department for Experimental Potions."
"I would never believe that she quit schooling to work."
"Oh, she did not quit her education, quite the opposite, my boy," Dumbledore's eyes sparkled merrily. "One of my dearest friends was rather intrigued with her, you see, and took her under his wings to study alchemy."
Snape tried to think of who would be interested in an annoying know-it-all and failed to find any one vaguely remarkable. Most of Dumbledore's friends and colleagues were as equally crazy as the old man. He doubted any of them would have had a considerable, effective influence over the girl.
Albus continued without allowing Severus to guess the alchemist. "He trained her well over the three years before he finally passed away. I remember her crying at poor Nicholas's funeral." He trailed off, wiping a tear from his eye.
Severus let the information sink in. She was trained by an alchemist named Nicholas who died not too long ago. His eyes widened as he realized who the man was. "Flamel? She was trained by Nicholas Flamel?"
"Correct."
"But how? Why?" Snape was still pondering how this could have happened without him knowing about it.
"Nicholas knew he would die a few years after the stone as destroyed, so he decided it would be in his best interest to pass the knowledge he gained to someone else. That someone happened to be Hermione Granger."
Snape scowled. That put an unexpected turn on things. Flamel would have given the girl more hands on experience than she would have needed. Not only was he a world renowned alchemist, Snape knew him personally to be a hard task master. "Even after three years with Flamel, I still doubt her experience level for this type of work."
Dumbledore met his grimace with a bright grin. "I assure you that she will do perfectly fine for this project. She may have some insights an older, more experienced person wouldn't think about."
"I still don't like this."
"I am not asking you to be friends with her. I am only requesting that you work with her on a short term experiment."
"From what I have researched so far, the Founders' Potion may take years to figure out the correct combination of ingredients. Some of the original items are extinct and we will need to locate sufficient replacements in order to get it to work correctly. That in itself will take months, if not longer."
"I have a feeling that it will turn out fine."
"Are you certain there is no one else that would be better qualified to work with this?" Snape asked as a last hope.
"No, I'm afraid not. Miss Granger is not only brilliant and well acquainted with Potions, but is also a member of the Order."
He could see the problem there. A fellow Order of the Phoenix member would make it easier to work in secrecy away from the prying eyes of the Ministry. Even though the war against Voldemort was over, there were some people who still could not be trusted. From what he had heard, the Death Eaters were attempting to band together again under Lucius Malfoy. That would make life more difficult that it already was. If the Death Eaters returned, then havoc could ensure once more. Unfortunately for him, Dumbledore's logic was more than reasonable. "I understand your reasoning for this, sir," Snape stood up from the squishy chair. "Thank you for clarifying your decision. If this does not work, I will request to continue the project alone."
"That is perfectly acceptable. Another lemon drop before you leave?"
"No, thank you. Good night, Albus."
"Good night, Severus."
Dumbledore watched the Slytherin billow out the door. The boy still managed to do a decent impression of an overgrown bat. He had fully expected Snape to return and complain about the situation. As usual, he had been correct. Hermione would be good for him. She was still young enough to have enthusiasm about her work, but had enough experience from her apprenticeship under Flamel to be of use to the project. He knew it would be bad enough to pair Severus with another man. Dominance would cause too many difficulties in the situation, but with a female, it would be different. Snape would be more secure with his position and a woman would promote stability in his life, especially if she happened to be good looking.
Albus leaned back in his chair, stretching his aching bones. Yes, Severus needed a woman in life and Hermione Granger would be the perfect match for him. Not only did she have brains, but she had grown up to be a rather stunning woman. He wasn't too sure of the Slytherin's tastes, only knowing that he would prefer an intellectual conversation over anything else.
Hermione was the only girl he had ever seen the Slytherin mildly attracted to. It wouldn't have been noticeable to anyone but those who knew where to look, and Dumbledore most certainly knew what to look for. There had been a small incident involving Snape and Lucius Malfoy a few years back, in which Severus defended the "mud-blood" only because of her intelligence. It had made him realize that he did appreciate the girl's brain power.
To top things off, they were the only two qualified for his current project. Severus Snape was one of the few Potions Masters in existence that Dumbledore knew and trusted. Hermione Granger was a genius and nearly a professional researcher with all the time she spent in the library. Her apprenticeship under Flamel only heightened her qualifications. Both of them were members of the Order of the Phoenix which did make it easier to keep the whole situation secret.
Despite Voldemort's demise during the autumn after Harry Potter's seventh year at Hogwarts, the wizarding world was still in relative turmoil. Resistance groups hoping to resurrect the terror that Voldemort had were springing up all over. Lucius Malfoy headed the largest threat. For all they knew, he was some where in Istanbul gathering his forces. Malfoy, both father and son, had been convicted war criminals yet no one had succeeded in capturing either one. They were simply too slimy to get caught.
All the problems in world brought the Headmaster's thought back to his current conundrum. Hogwarts was dying. He could feel it in his veins. The web of magical power that encompassed the castle was fading away. The castle would begin to crumble eventually. All the staircases would come to a halt and the many rooms held together by magic alone would disappear.
He knew the reason behind the failing all too well. The war had seeped too much magic away from the fortress. Too many people had relied on its protection and when the battle was brought to the very doorsteps of Hogwarts, the wards had held strongly. The entire conflict had drained the magic that bound the very stones together. Albus was afraid that it would fall before they had a chance to revive the castle's strengths.
There were a few spells and charms that could be cast in order to slow down the process and they had been cast numerous times by the Headmaster and other strong witches and wizards. It had worked well enough to slow the effects, but it was not enough to stop the castle from dying. There was only one known way to stop it from disappearing completely.
The Founders' Potion.
The ancient potion was created by the four who began Hogwarts. Rowena Ravenclaw, Salazar Slytherin, Helga Hufflepuff, and Godric Gryffindor had decided that the area in which they would build their school would need extreme magical protection. They had mixed various ingredients together and added incantations, charms, and spells. Salazar had done the actual brewing process using the plants cultivated by Helga. Godric had provided the rest of the ingredients and Rowena had completed the potion with the complex incantations.
The four had gathered around a stone in the middle of the chosen field. More incantations were pronounced as the potion was poured aver the rock. Runes symbolizing protection and wisdom were inscribed to further benefit the land and people inhabiting it. With a final speech, the stone was transformed into what Hogwarts was built upon.
From that day forward, the potion could only be brewed by the cooperation of a man and a woman, signifying Salazar Slytherin and Rowena Ravenclaw. At least one ingredient had to be taken from the Hufflepuff gardens. The recipe was hidden in Gryffindor's private chambers, only to be found when it was needed to repair the castle.
Dumbledore had stumbled upon the room by accident. He had known the castle was beginning to weaken and had been contemplating how it would be repaired. A door with the Hogwarts' crest had appeared before him at the end of what once was a deserted hallway. Entering it revealed only a podium with a single scroll on it. It was then that Albus realized how dire the situation actually was.
The potion was one of the most difficult ones to brew. The wizards and witches who could accomplish the feat were few due to the complexity and the magic that was cast as it brewed. To further create difficulties with the matter, many of the ingredients were no longer in existence. They would have to experiment to get things correct. After the brewing and casting were complete, the potion along with those who brewed it and the current Headmaster would have to travel deep into the bowels of the castle and pour it over the corner stone.
The task seemed almost too much to accomplish before everything was destroyed. Albus had full confidence in the two he had set to work on the task. He had faith that if anyone could do it, they would be the ones.
He sighed, taking another lemon drop and sucking meditatively on it. Severus and Hermione were their only chance at survive. They were the only two who had the brains and the magic to create such a concoction. He would have to leave everything up to them and hope for the best. It was all he could do.
At least his plan for keeping Hogwarts alive could result in better things. Albus could only hope he had made the correct decision in attempting to pair up the man he considered to be a son with someone who would have a chance at making him happy. He knew that Severus would have his head if he knew of his plans. Albus didn't care. The boy needed to have some fun now that his spying days were over. A woman would give his life new meaning, new purpose. She would show him all the things he had missed in the past. And he could give her the stability that she craved and had never gotten in her life. The idea did have some merit at least.
All he could do was hope that everything turned out for the best.
{Author's Note: I hope that explains where I am going with this. I wanted to thank my wonderful reviewers, all five of you! I was very impressed that I got so many reviews with just one chapter! Thanks!
RebelRikki: Thanks!
Dragon's Dreamss: Thanks! Here's the second chapter!
Tomzgurl77: Thanks! Here's another chapter!
Lama: I didn't want to go too far too fast with Sev and Hermione's relationship. My plan is to build it up slowly. Don't worry; it will get more in depth later.
Angel2707: I think you are probably the first person that has read my fics who is not from the United States. I'm glad it is easy for you to understand. Hopefully it will stay that way. Thanks for the review!
Peace, Love, and Hot Chocolate, Nataly Ravenlock}