Is this going to become the pattern?
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Harry Potter characters (sigh), places or objects.
A/N: Again a big thank you to everyone who reviewed. This is where you see how relations are between Hermione and Severus. I've also put in some interaction with Draco, just for a laugh. I hope you enjoy this.
Hermione came every evening until Halloween. Then Snape said it would put him to an inconvenience, if she were to come that weekend. As sarcastic as he tried to be she knew he meant Order business. But she wasn't prepared for the sight that met her when she entered the Great Hall on Monday the first. Her eyes scanned the Staff table as usual but there was no Potions Master. "He would never miss a class without arranging someone to cover." she reassured herself.
"What's that 'mione?" Ginny asked as they sat down at the Gryffindor table.
"Oh. I was just thinking about my research project."
"The one you're doing with Snape?" Ron asked sharply.
"Yes. I just noticed he isn't here which is odd." she answered, her brow creasing into a frown. "Maybe he's buried in work." said Harry signalling with his eyebrows at her. Hermione's hands flew to her mouth, she took a deep breath then lifted her head.
"I hope not. It would be a great set back, if I had to order a new research partner." she said widening her eyes at Harry to shut him up.
Her other lessons passed in a blur that morning. Her and the rest of the class waited outside the dungeon classroom until a quarter to 12 then she decided to find out what had happened. Just as she reached the Library someone – a rather batty someone – was leaving.
"Shouldn't you be in class, Miss Granger?" he sneered.
"Thank goodness!" she said, biting her lip to stop herself from embracing him.
"Thank goodness for what?" he questioned her.
"That you're safe. I thought something must have happened when you were 15 minutes late for class." – she looked at her watch – "And getting later by the minute. The others are still waiting, by the way." She enjoyed his frustration at not being able to swear because she was present. He then swept past her and was nearly at the end of the corridor before he turned and smirked at her.
"As normal I will deduct points for lateness." She joined him and sighed heavily.
"Why do you take such delight in tormenting me?" she groaned.
"If that's the way you feel then why did you come looking for me. Or were you just going to the Library?" he asked softly.
"I wasn't going to the Library, I was heading for the Room of Requirement. Because I was worried about you" she smiled at him.
"But why would you be? It was just inconvenient for you to come by. Nothing more." he bluffed, looking sidelong at her. She laughed, then dropped her voice.
"Do you seriously think I'm that stupid? I know you were away on Order business. Your story wouldn't even fool Ron or Neville!" He chuckled which surprised her; she had never seen him truly amused before. She stopped and smiled at him.
"What is so amusing?" he said dryly.
"Obviously what I just said. I can't quite believe I was right." she added as an afterthought to herself.
"You always seem to believe you're right, even when you're not. But what were you right about this time?" he sighed, melodramaticly. Her laughter echoed around the Entrance Hall as they reached the foot of the marble staircase.
"That's not fair, I don't always believe I'm right, it's just normally I am. And I was right that you are human, not just a dungeon-dwelling overgrown bat." She smiled at him as she rejoined Harry and Ron.
"Where was he?" and "Why on earth were you smiling at him?!" were the first questions out of Harry's and Ron's mouths. Hermione immediately went on the offensive.
"Is it now illegal to smile at people who are considerate enough to remember your birthday, Ron?!" She strode away in to the Potions classroom with her head bent, past a stunned Snape. She sat at the front, while Harry and Ron headed to their usual table at the back.
"Move Granger that happens to be my table." drawled Draco stopping in front of her.
"I don't see your name on it, Malfoy." she retorted.
"Does there seem to be a problem," – Hermione opened her mouth to answer but then Snape surprised her – "Mr Malfoy?"
'Did Snape just defend my right to sit here against a Slytherin? Against Malfoy of all people?' Draco dropped his bag onto the floor and threw himself into an empty chair while Pansy took the seat opposite him. 'This is going to be fun! Why did Dumbledore have to make Snape accept students who got Es not just Os?'
So the lesson started half an hour late. Snape set them to making a Shrinking Solution and started writing up the ingredients and instructions.
"Why did he do that?" Draco hissed at her.
"Maybe, because there is nowhere else to sit." she said lightly with a soft smile playing across her face. From the way Snape looked at her when he turned round she knew he had heard, and understood, all of it. 20 minutes later Pansy leaned across.
"Can I borrow your leech juice?" The smile Pansy received as she was handed the bottle was sickly sweet. The girl's hand slipped as it was above Hermione's cauldron, instantly the potion turned from green to orange. At once all the Slytherins burst out laughing but Hermione just smirked at them all. She pulled on her dragon-skin gloves, then reached into her bag and retrieved an Ashwinder egg. Next she cut it precisely in half, scooped out the yoke and placed chopped wormwood inside and put the two halves back together. Then wrapped the whole lot up in a hellebore leaf and dropped it into her potion. The solution immediately turned acid green.
Suddenly there was complete silence in the classroom, then Hermione heard someone clapping very softly and – though it was impossible with clapping – it sounded sarcastic. She looked up and round to find it was Snape. She was as stunned as he looked.
"I have never seen such an overdose negated and I would never have expected it to be a Gryffindor to find the antidote." he mocked but his eyes were sincerly congratulating her.
"There's a first time for everything, Professor." she answered lightly.
At the end of class Severus packed all their flasks of potion into a crate.
"Well I must say I'm surprised." he sneered, his eyes sweeping the dungeon but not once resting on Granger or Malfoy.
"What are you surprised at, sir?" Parkinson asked rather smugly.
"That you could all brew a third-year potion without incident." There was a small cough from the seat on Parkinson's right; it was Granger.
"Well, apart from Miss Granger's incident with the leech juice." Hermione hissed when she heard his sneer and gestured with her eyes at Draco. Snape snarled; at having forgotten Malfoy's potion making couldn't be called into question.
That evening Hermione knocked on the office door at exactly 7:30 as per usual. There was no reply so she knocked again, louder this time. Still no one answered, so she tried the handle – only to find it warded against her. That was odd because he had altered his wards to let her through after only a couple of weeks. She sent her Protronus – the Order's sign – through the keyhole, in case he was in his lab or library. She waited a further 15 minutes and then headed back upstairs. She knocked on the Staff Room door, which was opened by Slinkhard.
"What do you want?" asked the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor in a bored drawl.
"I was wondering if Professor Snape is in there, sir." Hermione said through gritted teeth.
"Why do the pair of you have a date planned for this evening? He could just have stood you up, that's what I would do." he leered at her.
"As matter of fact we do have a date of sorts planned." – she had to bite back a laugh at his expression – "A study date. Now is the Potions Master in there or not?"
"No, he's not." snapped Hermione's least favourite teacher, he then snapped the door shut in her face. She went and looked in at the Great Hall to see if Snape was at dinner, which she had skipped from lack of appetite and excess of work. As she had expected he wasn't there. She sighed heavily and started up to Professor Dumbledore's office.
On way she checked the Hospital Wing, which is on the first floor, in case he was delivering potions. When she arrived the gargoyle was asleep and she had to shout to wake it up. She gave it the Order password, it winked at her and leapt aside to reveal someone coming down on the moving staircase.
"Is this going to become the pattern? You are late for something so I come to find you but then you meet me before I can ask an Order member where you are." she asked with a heavy sigh. He chuckled for the first time in more than a decade, apart from their earlier meeting, and she laughed with him.
"What am I late for this time, pray tell?"
"You are . . . 33 minutes late for our study date and getting later by the minute." He motioned for her to go first and they walked off towards the stairs in silence, unaware they were being watched by someone – a rather tartan someone.
A/N: I invented the antidote to the leech juice overdose, so don't try it home cause it probably won't work. :-) I hope you liked the Hermione & Severus bits. I thought they were quite funny. But that's for you to say.
In a couple of chapters time there will be a chance to be part of the living scenery. So if you're interested please give me a description of yourself.
Did you love it or hate it? Please let me know, because I might not post any more if I'm not encouraged. ;-)
I'm going away for a week from Sunday so the next instalment is going to be a bit delayed.