Disclaimer: I obviously don't own anything Harry Potter related, and I'm not making any money off the writing of this. It's all for my own perverted amusement! :)
Sorry this took so long to get up, but I've been busy with a freelance project. Feed my plot bunnies carrots(reviews) and maybe they'll offer up a special treat in the next chapter...*wink*
Thank you to my two amazing betas, Lorcalon, and VIVAvivacious - You both are amazing!
On her way down to the dungeons that evening, Hermione thought back over the encounters she had had with Professor Snape since her first detention on Friday. He had withdrawn from her again on Saturday, but acted as usual when she stood up to him after class. The only common factor in the two nights he had acted unusually was that she had behaved submissive immediately before. She had observed him more than normal during the lesson that afternoon, and noticed that he never had a similar reaction with the other students. As she considered that more, she realized that while other students gave in to him out of intimidation, she had not. It surprised her to realize that when she had given in to him, it had not been because of his authority as a teacher, or his attempts to intimidate her. Though what the real reason was, she wasn't sure.
Throughout her detention, Hermione was preoccupied with her musing, only to be startled out of her thoughts when she knocked a precariously perched bottle of basilisk venom from the shelf. The sound of shattering glass was loud enough to attract Snape's attention, because a moment later, he flung open the door to his storeroom. His eyes glanced at the shards of glass and puddle of venom on the stone for only a moment before focusing on her. Snape withdrew his wand and quickly vanished the deadly liquid and its container, glaring down at Hermione as he moved closer. She looked up at him as he leaned over her, their faces only inches apart.
"Do you have any idea how difficult that venom was to come by?" Snape's voice was deceptively calm as he spoke, his breath warm against her face. Hermione looked up at him for a moment in speechless silence, when something finally clicked in her mind.
"I'm sorry, Sir," she murmured softly, lowering her eyes.
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Severus Snape's eyes widened slightly as he looked at the young witch in front of him. Her posture was not one of fear or nervousness, as he was used to from his students; instead, she seemed to be acting out of some other emotion. For the first time, he allowed his eyes to roam over her as he considered his own reaction. It wasn't the first time that she had behaved in a submissive manner towards him, but it was the first time that it occurred without an argument. She had gone immediately to a calm, submissive response, with no hint of anger or embarrassment; surprising. Though he may not have known her well, he knew enough of her personality to recognize that it was not her usual behavior.
His eyes raked over her in a scrutinizing manner, attempting to find some insight to her motivations. Hermione Granger was usually not one to act out of character without reason, and not arguing with him over what had clearly been an accident caused by his placement of the bottle was certainly out of character. The first time she had done it, he had been taken aback by the sudden change in her demeanor, as well as his own reaction to it. Throughout all his years of teaching, a student had never garnered that response; although he was forced to admit that it was mostly because he had never had a student who behaved truly submissive.
"As I have a strong desire to keep my stores intact, you will not be stocking them any more this evening. Get out." The young witch in front of him never raised her eyes as she moved out of the storeroom, gathered her bag, and left. Severus' black eyes followed her as she did, waiting for the door to close behind her before resuming his seat at his desk. Waving his wand at the door, he locked and warded the room for the evening. Resting his elbows on the desk, he steeped his hands in front of him, frowning as he thought his situation over more thoroughly.
Despite the war being over, Severus still kept his emotions and desires suppressed beneath a mask. But over the last few days, Granger had managed to arouse the dominant urges he had been hiding. She had matured since the final battle, and it seemed that she was finally coming into herself - and that appeared to include a submissive side. It was intriguing, and at the same time, suspicious to him. His distrustful nature made him consider the possibility that perhaps she was only playing him. Though he was unsure what she could hope to get out of such a scheme, he was more hesitant to believe that her new-found moments of submission were sincere.
Nearly an hour ticked by as he considered the best course of action. He could actively pursue the girl, risking making himself appear an ass if she were playing at something else. His other options, though, ran the risk of passing by a submissive woman who may be interested in him. While he was not smitten with the witch, he admitted to a hesitant attraction, possibly only hindered by his uncertainty of her motives. Only time would tell in that respect, and as he finally rose from his desk to enter his personal chambers, his decision seemed to be made for him.
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Hermione rolled over in her bed on Tuesday morning, frowning at her alarm clock as she thought about what had happened the evening before. When she had looked up at her professor as he loomed over her, the solution to unraveling his puzzle had clicked in her mind. Offering no argument on the accident that had been more his fault than her own, she had simply bowed to him in the way she had before. She had not failed to notice the long pause afterward before he finally dismissed her, and took it as a sign that he had most likely seen through her. But if she was going to find the answer to this riddle, she needed to provoke his strange responses. Every other time she had become meek in the face of his anger, he had withdrawn from her; this time, however, he hadn't. Being as determined as she was, she could see no other option than to go to the Room of Requirement.
She was ahead in her school work already, and could afford the day of missed classes. 'After all,' she mused, rummaging through her trunk for the bag of candies from Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. "I'd be skipping for the sake of knowledge..." The boys didn't know that she had bought and stashed a Skiving Snackbox before the beginning of term, nor would they expect it of her. Finally pulling it from the bottom of her trunk, she snatched a piece of Fever Fudge and bit off the illness side. Carefully placing the antidote in her pocket, she carefully hid the snackbox at the bottom of her trunk again and readied herself to go down to breakfast. It would be more believable to make an appearance looking ill than to simply send her excuse with a student. And slipping to the Room would be much easier were she already out in the corridors.
Throughout her walk to the Great Hall, her mind was preoccupied with the task ahead of her. To make her search worth while, she would have to make her focus specific enough that the Room could provide her with what she needed. She only hoped that the plan would work as she thought it would - if she were wrong, she was wasting a day of classes for nothing. The fear that that may well be the case took root in her mind, and she felt a faint sense of panic at the thought. But, despite the antidote in her pocket, she decided that it was too late to back out. As she entered the Great Hall, the fudge had taken its full effect, and she felt appropriately miserable as she made her way to her usual seat at the Gryffindor table.
Unsurprisingly, everyone around her noticed, as she was almost never sick. One glance at her expression, and it was obvious that she was very ill. If it hadn't been sign enough, her hardly touched breakfast was another indication; and was certainly enough for both Ron and Harry to suggest she go back to the dormitory and rest. She struggled to look hesitant at the idea, until both told her that they would bring her work to her later. Managing to still look reluctant, she nodded slowly and gave them both a weak smile before rising. Her quickly-thought-up plan was running more smoothly than she could have hoped.
It continued to go smoothly until she reached the sixth floor, where she bumped - quite literally, and none too gracefully - into Professor Snape. Her attention had been otherwise occupied, so she didn't see him until she actually walked into his chest and fell to the floor at his feet. He was standing over her with his arms folded over his chest, smirking down at her with one eyebrow raised. "I...I'm sorry, Professor," she mumbled, looking away with a blush as she pulled herself up off the floor.
"Miss Granger." Snape's voice sounded somewhat less dismissive than she was used to, though she supposed it was her imagination. As she straightened her robes, she chanced a glance at him through her lashes, and thought she saw a hint of interest in his expression. 'Always acting so strange,' she thought.
"I would suggest you watch where you are going, Granger." The blush in her cheeks deepened, and she muttered a soft 'Yes, sir' in reply. Later, she would blame it on the fever fudge, which she still had not taken the antidote for - in case she were to run into a teacher on her way to the Room of Requirement. But at the time, it was as if her mouth had a mind of it's own as she added, "I'm sorry for holding you up with my clumsiness, sir." Ducking her head, she quickly slipped away from him towards the staircase to the seventh floor, all the more eager to reach the safety of the Room.
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Snape watched her go, his mask firmly in place over his confusion. She hadn't looked well, and with her strange behavior before today, he had almost expected her muttered response. What he hadn't expected was what she had added before scurrying away from him. It had sounded surprisingly sincere, and made the puzzle of her motives all the more intriguing. Was she doing this to him purposely? Or was she truly as submissive as she was beginning to seem?