His Secrets: Chapter Two

Disclaimer: Not mine, never mine. I dedicate the plotline to J.K. Herself.

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Chapter Two: So I Thought

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Hermione spent the rest of the day with a secret knowledge hiding inside her book-bag. She was at a lost at what to do. She could give the book back to Snape? Or she could put it back on the shelf where she found it? Or she could just keep it, was her final thought. Even if just for the rest of the day, just to read it through, and it see what was inside. Snape was a Potions Master, he definitely knew enough about Potions, and his notes were far easier to read in their condensed form than the huge volumes on Potions she had been taking out from the library.

So there it sat, in her book-bag. She had been reading it ever chance she got, it was so consuming. The techniques and ingredients Snape had worked with were inspired, things she had never thought of, and had certain never read about it any text books. He truly was a Master of the art. But his writing went all over the place, extra notes here, and extra notes there, sometimes not even relevant to the subject of the pages. At was almost as if Snape had been making notes randomly every time he thought of something.

In fact, Hermione was so engrossed in the notebook that she was almost late for Snape's detention.

It seemed she was running late for everything these days.

She arrived five minutes late, to find Snape waiting at his desk in the dungeon.

"Miss. Granger, late, I see. May I ask what detained you?" Snape drawled, hardly even bothering to look up from the notes he was making.

Hermione was certainly not about to tell him why she was late, instead she chose to remain silent, glaring at him.

Snape looked up when she didn't answer, his eyes narrowed.

"Take a seat," he spat, his anger levels clearly rising.

"Yes, sir," Hermione nodded, taking a table near the front of the room, knowing Snape would not allow her to sit anywhere but right under his nose.

Snape said nothing at first, finishing off the sentence he was scrawling. He rose swiftly, his robes billowing around him, in a dramatic effect that almost made Hermione roll her eyes. Did he think he could scare her with his intimidating clothing and cold stare? It may have worked during her first year, but now in her seventh, she was not so easily intimidated.

Snape stopped in front of her desk, her hand extended. Hermione handed him her essay. Snape skimmed it quickly with his eyes, his expression still sour.

Hermione waiting, wondering what on earth he would make her do for her detention.

Slowly, Snape placed the roll of parchment on his desk, and turned back to her, his expression blank of any emotion over his quick read of her essay. This irked Hermione, it was a good essay, and Snape knew it. She had worked hard on it, not wanting to give Snape a chance to ridicule even a word of it.

"So," Snape began, walking to his store cupboard, and retrieving an old volume. "We shall begin your detention then. Now, your potion yesterday was atrocious, and I know you know why. My goal is to make sure it does not happen again. It is beyond me to deny that you have a certain talent with Potions..."

Hermione froze in her seat. Did Snape just say she had talent? Surely, she was hearing things.

Snape continued, ignoring her expression, "... And so, I and going to test your skills beyond what they have been tested in the classroom. And in these, you cannot lose concentration as you did in our previous lesson. You will work hard, harder than you have had to in any Potions class. And I expect you to succeed, do you hear me, Miss. Granger?"

Hermione gulped slightly as the full weight of Snape's glare came down on her. He was positions over her table, his hands resting on its edges, his eyes penetrating hers in a look that made her feel as if no-one had ever looked at her before... before now.

She nodded. "Professor, what exactly am I going to be doing?"

"Making potions, you daft girl," Snape told her, his tone mocking. He was pacing in front of her, playing with the old volume now. "Set yourself up, you may use my stores, for I do not believe you will have many of the ingredients."

Hermione got her cauldron out, her silver knife and her potions kit, arranging it all to her liking. She set a fire below her cauldron and looked back at Snape, would sat on one of the tables, observing her with shrewd eyes.

"And what potion will I be preparing, Professor?" Hermione was a little nervous now. Snape had said it would be hard. She didn't find the classes particularly hard, but they weren't all that easy either. What was she about to get into?

Snape flipped through the pages of the volume, laying it flat before her, his long index finger indicating the title of the potion before her.

"Sentio Incendia," he told her, his voice dramatically lowered.

Hermione looked at him, a little confused. "Judge's fire, sir?"

Snape sat back, observing her once more, a smirk across his face. It seemed as if he was daring her, testing her grit. It almost appeared he believed she would refuse. And that she should. She had heard of his potion, Judge's Fire. It was ancient, aging all the way back to the Middle Ages coming from the time of Pepin the Short, father to the great Emperor Charlemagne himself. It wasn't originally known as Judge's Fire, but as 'Nex Incendia', or Death's Fire, but it was changed around the thirteenth century by an old Potions Master whom manufactured the potion and sold it to peasants whom had been wronged by the authorities in their area. The legend said that Farangir, the Old Potions Master, had lost his wife to muggle invaders, who had raped and killed her, and had forced him from his home by taking his children. He had wanted revenge and had began traveling and selling his potion.

And now Snape wanted her to make it. Was he insane? The potion wasn't illegal, but that was only because no-one had made it in so long, it was practically written out of the potions books. She had stumbled across it while writing an essay for Snape in her fourth year. She had been allowed into the restricted section. Snape must have either borrowed a book from the restricted section, or he actually owned books on potions such as these.

She had an inkling it was the latter.

"Well, Miss. Granger," Snape circled her table, coming up behind her, his eyes on the book. "Shall we begin?"

"We...?" Hermione began before she could stop herself.

"Yes, Granger. The potion requires to individuals, if you read the first paragraph. Now follow the instructions and do as I say, when I say. If we mess this up, it would be incredibly dangerous."

Nodding, Hermione's eyes skimmed the ingredients list, and the summarised method. It was complicated, very complicated. Worry began creeping up on her. Was this too advanced for her? What was Snape getting her into?

"Are you ready to proceed?" Snape queried, the daring back in his eyes.

Hermione felt the determination in her to prove to Snape that she was better than even he thought. "Yes."

"So I thought."

END CHAPTER.

A/N: To my reviewers, Jasmine-leigh, Heidi191976, Angelic Bladez, Lovelace's Amarantha, Madhatter45, texfreelancer00, TCFellows, and RobotsMakeBetterLovers, thank you for your words, and critique. Esp. Madhatter45, you were the only one to notice the Severus Snape mistake, thanks. I've fixed it now.

More critique, even keeps me going.

Note: I have also began my own Harry Potter Fanfiction forum, where people can advertise their fanfiction, review others, get recommended, be sorted into a Harry Potter House, join in competitions, and loads of other features. Come check us out at: thebookshelf.

If the link doesn't work, you can find it set as my homepage on my profile.

Yours,

-Elle.