Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters and core personality traits are the property of J.K. I own nothing, nor do I plan on profiting from using her work. No copyright infringement is intended.

Wow! I can't believe I got such a great response on the first section of this story! First chapters are always hard sells and this is such an off pairing I was thinking one or two kind souls would read it but we have over 40 people on alerts and I'm glad you guys have some faith in me!

Huge thanks to everyone that has given this little tale a shot. I think its going to be a fun ride [and I'm not just talking about the Hermione/Severus action! ;)]

Again, this isn't beta'ed so have a little mercy in that department. I can read it over and over as many times as I'd like but I'm still bound to miss some things. It's not that I don't know they're mistakes, the brain just gets lazy after several thousand words. Hope you enjoy regardless!

If anyone would being interested in beta'ing, shoot me a PM? It's only going to be another 2 or 3 long chapters so it's not a job you'll be stuck doing forever. :)

Alternative Payment Plan; Part Two

After his sample of Granger's impressive determination to uphold her end of their bargain, Severus couldn't say he was too displeased with the situation he'd been thrust into.

The money he'd agreed to invest was substantial but well within his means to provide. Not only was his business extremely successful, the talented wizard had rented out the rights to several of his personally created brews in which he hadn't the inclination to mass distribute himself, and the sums added to his volt each month were quite considerable. Though he was loose with his money by no definition, he knew objectively that he was an older man with no existing heir and wasn't opposed to dropping some coin on a luxury, just this once.

And Merlin was the little witch a luxury.

The accomplished intellectual and two-time war survivor prided himself on his control over the carnal desires that weakened other men. He refused to subject himself to the frivolous nature of the fairer sex simply to have a regular sexual partner. Men like Lucius Malfoy—before he was sentenced to rot in Azkaban—whom expended a tremendous amount of time and effort in keeping his wife and mistresses happy so he had no shortage of pretty things to stick his tool into.

Severus could go to a brothel, pay a small fee, and get to leave the whore where she belonged after he was done with her.

Of course, the females were far from pleasing to look at and everything between walking in the door and spilling himself was a means to an end. Snape had but one rule when it came to the appointment of his paid companions; no glamours. He knew the dogs those Madams tried to pass off as beauty queens and wanted to know for certain that what he was shagging was not The Missing Link. Such a rule meant he was matched with the most naturally attractive girl in the place but frankly, that still left him with undeniably homely individuals.

The combination of these factors made for an over all unimpressive experience and Severus hardly bothered with it any longer.

But clearly, it wasn't sex he had no interest in—it was bad sex. Proven by the fact that he'd been as ready to go as a hippogriff in musth since Granger's sweet little body had sashayed out off his office the pervious day.

His keen mind—a mind that had made some of the most prolific strides his field had seen in decades—could suddenly conger no greater thought than the most inventive ways and locations in which to fuck the stunning female during his time with her.

Snape was sorely disappointed with himself.

Yes, he was pleased with the opportunity that had fallen, literally, in to his lap. However, after early morning negotiations, the species of serpent had ended up costing him ten percent more than it had the previous time he'd been in the market for one and since taking his annoyance out on Granger seemed counter productive, he decided on the next best outlet.

It was a scruffy, nervous specimen of house elf that opened the grand front door at Malfoy Manor. The ugly creature just about swallowed his tongue when its gigantic eyes took in the dark wizard awaiting entrance.

Severus didn't bother stating his business, just strode briskly into the familiar hall. By the look of the elfin servant, his godson had already been anticipating his visit.

"Mister Snap! Mister Snap!" the house elf went scrambling behind him, stumbling every few feet on the over sized pillowcase it had wrapped around itself. "Master is not in! Master is not not not in the south wing library! You must leave at once, Mister Snap!"

The short-fused wizard fought the urge to drop kick the daft animal and instead directed himself to the library, where he now knew he'd be able to find Malfoy.

Severus was dragging the desperate elf on his left leg by the time he arrived at his destination.

The aristocratic blond was lounging across a leather couch, a rich firewisky in one hand and a forgotten book in the other, already alerted to his company by the approaching racket.

Snape stood in the door, red with irritation and shaking his leg in an attempt to dislodge. "Do you mind," he snapped at his grinning godson, "calling off your pet before I hex it within an inch of its life?"

Draco looked utterly unapologetic, not bothering to hide his handsome smile as he waved the elf off easily, "That'll be about enough, Yip. It was a valiant effort, my dear boy, but I warned you the ol' snake would be harder to turn away than that."

The tiny servant, Yip, released the limb he'd been cutting off circulation to, leaving Severus to wince at the sudden flow of blood.

"I's is sorry, Master! I's tolds him you was most definitely not in heres but the Snap wouldn't listens, Sir!"

Malfoy's grin was in direct contrast to Snape's steely sneer. "Quite alright, mate. Why don't you go check on my son before my godfather here has a heart attack. He's getting on in years, I'm afraid..."

The awful green beast shot Severus a glare and bowed deeply in its master's direction before vanishing with a jarring crack.

The blond released a good-natured laugh and retained his causal indifference, so much like his father, but managed to wave the other man into the room and onto the matching fine leather chair cross from him. "Come in, if you must," he smirked, pointing to a set of crystal glasses and the bottle of dark liquor on the service table, "I can't say I wasn't dreading this encounter. Are you terribly cross with me?" he snickered.

Severus rolled his black eyes at the boy's inability to take a matter seriously if his spoiled pureblood neck depended on it. He did help himself to a generous measure of the expensive drink, though. It was the least Malfoy could offer him, the damned sod. "Only the guilty anticipate their reckoning, Draco."

"As charged," the younger man bowed humbly from his seat, "But you really can't blame me, Sev. You've obviously seen our stunning little muggleborn lately… How could you expect me to turn her away? All big brown eyes with her little wand aimed at my chest. You know I'm a sucker for a healthy streak of violence in a beautiful woman."

Draco's grey eyes glazed over with lust as he presumably recalled him encounter with his former rival. Snape wasn't much surprised that the Slytherin had caved to the girl's demands. The pureblood Prince had always held a secret flame for Gryffindor's finest and he, a man of undeniably greater impulse control, hadn't exactly been able to turn the girl away either, after all.

"She was just about the worst person in the world you could have exposed us to," the dark wizard drawled. "Came uninvited into my store yesterday, threatening my staff and making demands." Unfortunately there was no heat to his words, the only image he could manage to ring up being the sight of her staring up at him from between his thighs.

His godson grinned, "She was the only one sharp enough to figure it out, clearly."

After he had successfully treated the Malfoy heir, they had altered the tot's medical files to suggest the sickly child had been misdiagnosed. The disease was so deadly that not many had questioned the theory but there were sure to be some suspicious, loud mouthed healers around to tip Granger off should she ask the right questions.

"I tried to tell her that my superior genes had built up an immunity…" Draco continued, "And generously promised I'd be more than happy to endow her with hardier seed but she scarcely appreciated the offer," he shrugged as he gulped down a mouthful of amber spirit, "Bloody ungrateful Gryffindors."

Severus guessed that such an offer had probably resulted in Hermione threatening his godson's ability to ever reproduce again. She could be quiet the force of nature, that one. He made a show of glancing around the room, "And where is the lovely, Mrs. Malfoy today? Hardly catering to her husband's need like a good pureblood bride."

Draco's face soured immediately at the mention of his wife. It was well known that their arranged marriage wasn't a love match. The horrid woman wasn't even all that easy on the eye, but her blood was the finest the family's money could buy at the war's end. Though Severus would argue that the child she had contractually produced was an ugly little thing, and willowy enough to blow away in a strong wind. Hardly worth what they paid to import her from Sweden.

"Out on the grounds ridding Maximus, no doubt," he answered with no small about of disinterest.

Severus lifted a brow, "I hadn't know she was an equestrian."

"She's not. Scared to death of the damned animals. Max is the stable boy," the blond snorted, unconcerned. "Having my own mistress around wouldn't be remiss. Granger's such a stubborn little darling. Had I known Weasley would fuck up so royally with that one, I would have bided my time and waited to make my own proposal. Apparently she takes offense to the notion of being a kept woman."

Snape's thin lips flattened into a tight line. It was no wonder why the beautiful female's self esteem was so deeply lacking, with prospects like that.

"I'd say such a brilliant witch would scoff at the idea of being a Malfoy wife and breeding stock but she seemed more than content to act as such for Weasley," he mused aloud, "Perhaps I had her pegged incorrectly. I assumed she found her own intelligence too great a national commodity to waste as a house mum."

He'd die before admitting he'd expected more from her, but, well… he did. The witch was startlingly bright, even as a child.

Draco finally straightened from his tranquil lean, his posture defensive on Granger's behalf. "We all wasted our years of innocence as child soldiers, running around Britain, trying to kill one another," he chucked, his attempted at blasé hampered by the residual pain time couldn't quite mask yet, "We've had our adventures, our attempts to change the world. All we want now is to find a little peace and normalcy. Look at Potter, the man's increased the population of idiots by three in the last five years... Which was a bit of a surprise, to be honest. I took him for a nancy-boy, myself."

Just what Severus wanted to hear… that the Potter line was continuing on with gusto. As if the one wasn't more than enough. "I'd imagine that would be expected when one chooses the daughter of Molly Weasley as a mate," he reasoned.

Both men winced at the memory of the abrasive odd hag.

They lapsed into several moments of silence before the boy finally asked the question of the day. "I'm actually surprised to see you all in one piece," his grey eyes roved over Severus' person, as though searching for signs of injury, "How in the world did you manage to escaped the girl and live to tell the tale?"

The potion's master knew that never in a million years would anyone guess that he had agreed to help the long running bane of his existence. And even though his motives were far from honorable, Draco would still likely not believe him. The few that knew Snape well would have thought him uninterested in a female's extended services.

The elder man felt suddenly smug at acquiring what not even Malfoy wealth could afford his spoiled godson.

"I haven't," he answered smoothly, the rare hint of a grin hidden behind the lip of his glass, "She's to meet me in my office with the babe tomorrow afternoon. I've just come from picking up an ingredient in France."

Not even the high-class pureblood propensity for constantly mild and polite reactions could keep Draco from sputtering out a mouthful of drink, his grey eyes wide and watering after several attempts to cough the liquid out of his lungs. "You're joking, of course… You're actually going to treat the Ronald Weasley's child?"

Snape gave one hard nod, "That I am… Though from what I've been told its seems that the child is a Granger that was unfortunate enough to have the wizarding world's most unsavory sperm donor."

Draco sat on the very edge of his chair, as interested in gossip as any petty trophy wife. The undoubtedly priceless first edition he'd been reading lay wedged, unnoticed, under his thigh. "How is she paying you? I heard the cad ran off with everything but the fillings in her teeth."

A flash of the girl's bright smile after they had signed a binding agreement the previous day came to mind and Severus doubted very much that her immaculate pearly whites had ever had cause for gold fillings.

Knowing full well that the boy he had guided through adolescence would never betray his trust, nor would he have be able to say a word to anyone without giving away the nature of the cure that had been created, the potion's master felt no need to keep secrets.

"We've worked out… an alternative payment plan," he murmured slyly. Even a man of modest needs enjoyed the pride gained from a bit of good old fashion gloating.

Had it been anyone else Draco's crass mind would have jumped to the correct conclusion but the young dolt just stared blanking, waiting for clarification. When Severus failed to oblige, the handsome bloke prompted further, "So she's, what? Working for you?"

Snape shrugged lazily, "In a matter of speaking."

Pale pureblood cheeks began to darken with the hot-headed tint of envy as Malfoy finally understood his godfather's meaning but desperately sought a different reality. "Scrubbing cauldrons? Packaging potions? Publicly indorsing your business? Spit it out, for Merlin's sake," he snapped.

The dark wizard grinned, his fingers twisting loosely around his wand incase the boy lost all sense of reason, "I assure you, the nature of our agreement is most private."

Delicate crystal shattered on impact with expensive carpet, the blessedly empty glass having slipped through Draco's stunned grasp. The boy looked a mixture of rage and awe. "You bloody lie!" he accused.

The older man shot him a rather dangerous look and he seemed to remember all at once to whom he was speaking. The youngest generation of Voldemort's coerced followers knew better than anyone that Snape was not a wizard to be insulted or crossed. "I suggest you watch your words, Mr. Malfoy," he warned, his tone low and smooth, "I am not one of your little pals nor is this the quidditch locker room. If I make a claim, I can care less whether I impress you, boy."

Draco's body shivered slightly as he was given a moment's nostalgic trip back to the cold potions room. He threw his hands up submissively, "Lucky bastard. Granger? You've got the luckiest tool in the wizarding world."

Severus and his cock fervently agreed. "Yes well, I'll admit the girl is exceptionally talented, even outside the realm of academics."

The wealthy socialite's head tossed back with a very ungentlemanly groan. "She's such a good mum. When my son was sick my wife was busy checking the pre-nup to make sure she wasn't responsible for birthing another in the event the first one died…Granger's lovely legs are harder to penetrate than the volts in Gringotts. I can't believe she'd barter her sex to you."

Snape snarled with a ferocity only a man whom had survived two decades of war could and Draco again stuttered to backtrack, "Not that you aren't a fine catch, old sport," he added quickly, rambling, "It just that… well, since her husband's been out of the picture and she made herself over she's had more suitors than-"

Severus cut him off, intrigued, "What do you mean by that last bit? 'Made herself over.'"

He receive a strange stare from his godson before the boy's eyes registered a measure of recognition. "Ah, I sometimes forget how little you pay attention to the goings on of the rich and famous," he chuckled.

Draco reached slowly for his wand on the table beside him, repairing the glass he had broken before bothering to quench the other man's curiosity. He had his father's flair for dangling gossip. "Granger's been a popular little bird since the end of the war, and obviously nothing short of pretty, but always in that endearing… cute way. The great war heroine, attractive like one might fancy a professional quidditch witch," the younger man laughed.

"When Weasley took off with that animal though… he did her a favor. Not that he's around to see it, but she must have wanted to stick it to him because no witch has ever looked so stunning," the man, whom prized beauty in women above all else, declared fondly. He smirked, "She had the most eligible bachelors in Britain begging for her affections while she was still eight months swollen with pregnancy. Even the old wizarding circles cant stop talking about her."

The 'older wizarding circles' being the new, politically correct name for pureblood society.

Severus sat back against the regal chair, contemplating the woman he now had a stake in. He had assumed that Granger's vanity had been acquired over years in the limelight but it had apparently been derived out of the rejection of her ridiculous choice in mates. Crazy little witch. Again he felt he had misjudged her character.

He looked down at his now empty drink and decided he'd had about as much of his charming godson's company as he could handle in one day. Not to mention that Narcissa was sure to be lurking around the manor somewhere and the bint was relentless in her attempts to capture him and his newly acquired wealth in her web. She was an annoyance to him when she was Lucius' wife and she was immeasurably worse when left to her own devices.

He rose to his feet gracefully, "Scintillating," he said dryly, straightening his robes to make his leave, "I best get back to my labs. I can have the base started before I examine the child tomorrow afternoon."

Draco gazed up hopefully, "That's it? Not even a weak itching hex? You're letting me off that easily…"

"Of course not. Since you decided to tell the witch I could cure her child, you'll be responsible for altering his medical files so I am not subjected to more distraught mothers I am unable to help."

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

If Hermione Granger was the shining example of a Gryffindor lioness on the battlefield; brave, efficient and unrelenting, she melted into an absolute lamb when holding her tiny, ill son in her arms.

Severus had been waiting for her—though he did his damned best to hide it—when she walked beautifully into his business just before her scheduled time; stunning in a modest sun dress and a simple wrap that looped once around her neck and held the docile baby snuggly against her chest.

Something about the sight of mother and child caused a completely involuntary and highly bothersome tightening in his throat.

And then, she meet his eyes and smiled brilliantly, and it felt as though he couldn't breath at all.

While she had been a vision the last time he had seen her, there was unmistakable veil of misery marring her perfect, delicate features. Today there was no such hindrance to her glow. Bright eyed and pink cheeked, the girl looked as though she had just been graced with the best night's sleep of her short life. Severus knew immediately how much stress her son's impending death had been putting on her small shoulders.

He cleared his throat gruffly, quickly forcing back the reactions that only this female seemed to be able to pull from him. "You're early," he noted with a striking air of disapproval.

Clearly he wasn't going to admit that he'd been 'working' in the front room for several hours, his dark eyes darting to the door far more often than was necessary.

Granger punished his dishonestly with the most enticing little blush. "I'm sorry, Professor," she grinned guiltily, setting a large, fashionable bag on the counter in front of him, "I was just very eager to be here. We can sit tight for a bit if I've caught you in the middle of something."

He watched as she dug through the purse and pulled out a miniaturized wicker bassinet. With a flick of her wand the heavily padded basket returned to its full size—portable but still a roomy resting place for a small infant.

"You've already forced me to clear my day to accommodate you. I don't see any point in putting off the task," he relented, though still far from welcoming.

The lovely witch looked fully unaffected by his famously dark demeanor, a fact that ruffled his feathers some.

"Oh good," she said cheerfully. The new mother very carefully put an arm under her child's body and supported his weight as she removed the wrap that had been holding the babe to her bosom like a mini hammock.

A remarkably handsome little baby was exposed to Snape's field of vision. Fair healthier in appearance than the potions master had been anticipating, a much smaller pair of Hermione's eyes gazed up at him as the tiny body was placed in the comfort of it's plush carrier. Curious about the stranger, the cherub-like creature gurgled up at Severus happily, stretching out his chubby arm to make a feeble attempt at a grab in the wizard's direction.

Snape took a hasty leap backward, as if the newborn's reach stood a chance at capturing him in those tiny fingers.

He scowled sternly when Granger burst into a fit of giggles, having watched the exchange. "Are you afraid of him? He's just a baby, Sir, he's not going to hurt you," she crooned, offering up her hand to the child in his stead.

"Don't be ridiculous. I merely make it a habit of keeping myself from being pawed by dirty little hands," he deflected.

Truthfully, the young of their species made the hardened man very nervous. It was something of an anomaly, considering he had mastered the art of terrifying all children eleven years and older with theatrical flourish, but he had very little experience with the very small sort and found himself skirting around them with caution.

Rosebud lips mashed together tightly in an attempt to hold back her unappreciated mirth, a poor try at masking how ill convinced she was in his lie. "He's fairly clean, you know. I wash him often."

Severus ignored her as he pulled out the paper work on which to record the child's condition pre-treatment. He conjured a quill and eyed Granger's boy with an assessing stare.

"How old is he?"

Her hand perched on her curvy hip, "Wouldn't you like to know his name first?"

"If you feel the burning need to tell me…" he sighed.

She narrowed her eyes at him briefly, "Well this is Hugo Granger, and he'll be four months next Tuesday."

Snape may have felt the first genuine pang of pity he had experienced for anyone but himself in living memory. "Christ Granger, I know the child's father royally pissed you off but you didn't have to take it out on the tyke. What a perfectly dreadful name."

As if the bright red stock of hair of the infant's head wouldn't have been enough to get him teased mercilessly throughout his school years.

Hermione's button nose turned up in offense. "People with glass-ridiculous-names shouldn't throw stones, Severus," she quipped.

The jaded wizard couldn't stop the sudden flash of memory; the marauders cornering him in a vacant corridor… loud taunts of "Snivellus!" as they ripped the pages out of his forth or fifth-hand text books. He made quick work of changing the subject before the bitterness could creep back in. After all… his tormentors were all dead and he was in the best position he'd been in his whole life.

"He appears to be in good standing," he commented clinically as he looked over the pint-sized patient. "When did you first suspect he was ill?"

"It's only been a month—three weeks and a handful of days," she was quick to answer his questions, "I've taken him everywhere I could think of but they wont even try to treat a child with the condition any longer. They all told me to take him home and make sure he was… comfortable." The glint of her famous temper flashed across her flushed face at the mention of the healers whom had turned her son away.

"I'd say his chances at making a turn around are exceptionally high," he decided honestly. He was pleased that the boy wasn't a lost cause from the get-go. It wasn't as though he could return Hermione's services if his healing was unsuccessful. "Draco brought his heir to me when the child had only been ill for half as long and the babe was already in far worse condition," Severus examined the skin on tot's thick arms but didn't venture too close, "Your child has obvious signs of the rash—the first stage of the disease, but his breathing hasn't reached the point where it sounds labored and damage to the lungs is what takes longest to repair."

Granger smiled down into the basket adoringly, "Of course. He's my fighter. Such a strong little one," she cooed in an impossibly sweet tenor, obviously more for Hugo's benefit than the grown wizard's.

He ignored the proud mother's admittedly adorable crooning and pointed his wand at the child to start his way down the list of needed information. Despite his remarkable reflexes, he was taken aback when he found Hermione's rigid body between him and his wand's target in the measure of a blinking eye.

"W-What are you going to do to him?" she demanded nervously, eyeing the wooden instrument with palatable distrust.

Severus made sure to appear far more offended than he actually was, "Truly, Miss Granger? You suspect I'm going to hex the child after I've signed a contract that obligates me to do all I can to save its life?"

The stunning witch looked immediately chastised, her plump bottom lip captured between her prefect white teeth. His body reacted to her sudden proximity just as quickly and he wondered if he was going to have to implement a rule of a minimum allotment of personal space in order to get anything done with her around.

"I'm sorry, Sir," she apologized sheepishly; her sweet little body fidgeting in a manner that was likely to earn her his instantaneous forgiveness. "It's just frightening, you know? To see one's baby at the end of a wand… I-I do trust you though," she assured him but made no attempt to move.

He sighed, a sound that conveyed less understanding and more annoyance in having to be subjected to her silly maternal protectiveness. "If it makes you feel any better, potions masters whom specialize in medical ointments and cures, such as myself, and healers have work very similar in nature. The primary difference being-"

"Bedside manor?" she quipped with a snicker.

He raised a brow at the witches gall, though not entirely sure why he should be surprised at that point, "They only know which treatments are in need of being administered," he corrected, "I can make them."

Hermione's face softened and her tender smile distracted him from noticing the small hand she gently brushed across his cheek. Unused to such casual endearment, he was struck at once with both the impulse to recoil and the urge to lean into her feather-light stroke. Instead of acting on either he merely stood stock-still until the gorgeous witch took a polite step away.

Severus instantly wanted her back against him.

"You're right, of course," she admitted, forcing him to scramble to remember what the two had even been talking about before she gifted him with the heat of her affectionate touch, "You're more than qualified and I know he's safe with you. I didn't mean to make things harder on you than I already am."

Snape's gaze jumped to the golden-eyed child that was staring right back up at him and refocused on the task at had. The child's mother was a fine prize indeed but he was a man of his word—most of the time—and he had to first earn his rights to her body.

"I'll just…" she glanced around the room at the vast expense of impressive potions stores and wondered off to examine a section which held horns and ivories from various magical beasts. Ever the inquisitive mind, "Look around and give you some space to do your work."

He successfully curved the habit of ordering her not to touch anything. If anyone was capable of figuring out which items to keep from dipping her fingers in to avoid a painful death, it was Granger.

Unwilling to handle the wriggling new born any more than absolutely necessary and free of her parental scrutiny, Severus did what in all likely-hood would have given the young mother an aneurysm. The baby boy squealed in innocent delight as he was levitated in mid-air to the highly accurate scales normally used for ingredients.

"1.2 stones," Snape told the child as if he were capable of comprehending such things, "You should be well under one at this age. Hitting the breast a bit hard, are we, Mr. Ganger?"

Severus couldn't say he blamed the child…

Mini Granger looked thankfully unperturbed.

Hermione's tinkling, disembodied laugher came from behind the first large row of shelving. "He was just under 5 kilograms when he was born," she groaned a little, the tone of her voice one of reluctant remembrance. "The healer advised me not to even attempt a natural birth. He came via magical Caesarean."

He internally acknowledged the positive implications that news had for his cock. Having pushed baby-zilla out of her quim four months prior wouldn't have boded well for its predicted tightness.

Severus hovered the child in front of him and took out a tape for accurate measurements. Focused on carefully reading the numbers, he didn't notice the tiny creature make another grab for him until it was too late. Minuscule fingers wrapped around the wrist of his rope with surprising strength, determined to reel in the man whom had been ignoring his efforts to play.

The larger of the two wizards released a panicked yelp before he could come to his senses. His reaction of course lead to the rapidly approaching click of Granger's high heels on the wooden floor and Severus had to quickly take the child in his arms, lest the protective mother catch him levitating her sick baby as though he were a intimate object.

The beautiful woman looked stunned to find the ex-death eater holding the babe securely to his chest and to his horror Snape felt his ears heat at being found in such a position.

Pleased as punch at finally achieving his goal, Mini Ganger promptly reached up and wrapped his fingers around Snape's famously prominent nose.

Ignoring Hermione's tense intake of breath; a sound one might make had they just watched their son pull the tail of a blood thirsty three-headed dog—he merely blinked down at the pushy infant, more mirth than annoyance, "Yes…I'm aware it's large. You are not the first to point this out, nor are you likely to be the last."

His rich, smooth voice with its deadly elegance—a voice that had injected fear into the spine of many a dunderhead—was apparently soothing to little ears because the boy babbled joyfully.

By the time Severus had lowered Hugo back in his temporary bed, he found Hermione beaming brightly at them. "He likes you," she exclaimed with something very near astonishment.

His expression soured, "Your surprise wounds me."

She blushed, "I'm not surprised he likes you, Sir. It's just… he's not the most sociable and very selective. He screams his fool head off every time Harry tries to pick him up."

"Intelligent child," he viewed the blue bundle with a wave of camaraderie.

A half hour later both mother and son had offered up all necessary information, thought Hermione had to be reminded of the dangers of being given too large a dose because of inaccurate weight estimation before she was coaxed onto the scale in front of him.

"Very well," Severus concluded, setting the paperwork aside. "I've started the potion's base but the serpent I was able to acquire is too young to yield enough meat to last for all the applications. I've dosed his water with a rapid aging elixir. We should be ready to start treatment in a week's time."

"I can't thank you enough, Professor," Granger clutched the now exhausted baby to her chest, tightening her hold in a semi-hug at the positive news.

His gaze heated, the last hour of close proximity to the perfect female having had reduced him to a randy teenager-like state. "I'm looking forward to you're best efforts regardless, witch."

Her cheeks flamed and her gaze dropped demurely but she didn't look at all angered by the reminder of his slight coercion as he was partially expecting. "I-Well, speaking of which… I didn't want to assume, and you didn't give a specific starting date," she gestured towards her large designer purse, "But I reduced and packed enough of our things for Hugo and I to stay at your home, as requested, immediately if that's what you had in mind…" she squirmed.

The thought of having her in his bed that very night was a suggestion he was entirely in favor of. Before the witch could again try to Apparate away in a spell of embarrassment, he cleared his throat and called out clearly, "Noodle!"

As Hermione opened her mouth to question the bizarre exclamation, a small elf appeared with a 'pop' that made the witch jump back like a frightful house cat.

The large eared creature dropped into a groveling bow the moment it figured out where it was. "Master!" it squeaked, its huge eyes wide with the typical alarming amount of adoration. "You needs Noodle's, Sir?"

He waved his hands in Hermione's direction, "I'm going to be keeping guests at the manor until further notice. This is Madam Granger and her son…Hugo. If you'd please, I'd like you to help her settle them into the wife's quarters and the connected nursery."

For a moment it was clear the elf was fighting back tears of joy, a rather pointless show of restraint considering the way it flung itself at Hermione's feet in the next breath, kissing her the tops of her shoes like she was the Muggle queen. She smiled down at his servant graciously, but followed it with a pleading look for help. He did nothing to stop the worshiping elf, getting a good laugh at her discomfort…until the thing started talking.

"Master is finally declaring a Lady and an heir! We's hasn't had no babies in the Manor in ages Mistress but we's has kept the little one's rooms clean and ready, yes we has. Even fought to keeps the ponies when Master Snape's wanted to sells them," Noodle jumped to her feet and gave the witch an appraising once over, "And so pretty! You'll make Master happy at night-"

"That's enough!" he cut in hastily. Remembering her place through the excitement, the house elf twisted her fingers nervously. Though Snape had never been physical or cruel with her or any of the Manor's other elves, the pureblood family that came before him kept them in line with an iron fist. 'Just…make sure they are tended to while I finish up here. I'll be home after meal time so see to it that she is feed in my absence."

Noodle nodded vigorously, brimming with pride at being entrusted with such an honor. The small beast grabbed hold of Granger's leg in preparation to transport them back to his estate.

"Be ready for me when I return home, Miss Granger," he grinned at the girl before the group popped out of sight.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

AN: I know that didn't have any smut in it. lol But if I didn't stop there it would have been way too long and the next chapter is going to be almost solely inappropriateness so hang in there. haha I guess I'm too long winded to write short chapters.

The reviews were so awesome and encouraging, cant thank you all enough.