Sorry for the delayed update, my Muse for this story had gone on a vacation and just came back.
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By the time a slightly flushed Hermione Granger rushed into the Potion Laboratory of the Department of Mystery, Severus has already set up a workbench for analyzing the potion. The wine has been transferred into a glass vial while the empty glass wine was put aside under a stasis charm, no doubt waiting for her attention.
His eyes snapped up the moment she stepped into the room. Their gazes briefly mingled. Hermione felt heat creep up on her cheeks. Suddenly, the well-planned apology vanished from her brain. His eyes averted and dropped back down to the cauldron in front of him.
"Hermione." His greeting was clipped and unnecessarily formal, much like the first time they met to work on a project. Hermione felt her heart sank a little bit lower, self-loathing started to rear its ugly head, and a burning anger toward whoever was behind this scheme slowly creeping into her veins.
But it was not the time to find a dark corner and buried herself. She needed to set things right before this awful accident completely ruined this hard-won friendship.
At least now you know his interest in you was only professional. She let go of a painful breath.
Gathered up her courage, she walked near Severus—who seemed to be wholeheartedly focusing on the potion before him. "Severus, I am sorry…" She tentatively reached out to place one hand on his arm, but he drew back with a sharp movement like he has been stung.
Her heart clenched at his rejection, her shoulders dropped and she turned around, ready to leave.
Maybe it was too late already.
—
He knew that she had mistaken his reaction as rejection and he silently cursed himself for his idiocy. But he couldn't tell her that her touch ignited him, could he? That when he looked at her he wanted to push her to the wall and kissed her.
For Merlin's sake, Hermione has been a victim of a lust potion, and instead of helping her to get over the shock, he was acting like a bastard.
"Hermione." He sighed, forcing his voice to be gentle. The curly-haired witch stopped and turned around, hurt obviously written all over her face.
Damn.
"Hermione, I apologize." He moved away from the workbench and stopped in front of her, his hand stretch out, trying to comfort her but decided it wouldn't be the best course of action after what he had done to her. He cleared his throat, the feeling of uneasiness creeping up his spine.
"You have nothing to apologize for, Severus." The witch frowned over his words, clearly confused. "I know you didn't want to do any of those things. And the things I've done! I should have known when I drank it. I…"
"Hush, woman, do stop your ridiculous babbling." He almost laughed at what she said, but he knew it would only upset her further. Didn't want to? He bloody love to! "You were drugged, Hermione." His voice was serious and sincere, "I have to apologize for my behaviors. You must believe me when I said I would do anything if there were other means to solve the situation."
Oddly, her face dropped a little after hearing what he said. But she quickly schooled her expression into a determined stubbornness that he knew too well.
"No, Severus, listen…" Her statement was interrupted when a slightly disheveled, obviously sleepy dark-haired young wizard walked into the room. His short hairs were sticking out of his head, the half-buttoned Auror uniform hanging loosely on his thin frame.
"Hermione. Snape. I heard there was an accident?" For the first time in his life, Severus felt relief to see Potter. He showed up at the right time (for once!) to stopped the beginning of an apology merry-go-round.
"I believed I informed Mr. Malfoy, Potter. Why are you here?" He walked toward the young Auror, gestured him to move into the adjacent office
"I asked Harry to come." Hermione admitted shyly and walked with him. Of course, Severus mused, heart warming a little just like every time they did something in synchronized.
"And since we are partners, we informed each other." Draco Malfoy stepped into the office. His clean and perfect appearance explained the slight delay compared to his partner, "Severus. Granger. What happened?"
"Well, I…we…him…" A lovely shade of pink showed up on her cheeks, spreading down across her neck and disappeared down the neckline of her robe. The image of her—flushing and naked—presented itself in his mind without invitation. He violently shoved it aside.
Focus, man!
"I will fill them in, Hermione. If you would, please examine the wine glass. I believe there were magic residues on it."
—
"Sure, thank you. Severus." She was so relieved that she almost ran back into the lab, leaving a curious Harry and an amused Draco behind. Yes, better let Severus do the talking. Or she would most likely be babbling and gave out too many details.
What would she say anyway? "I was drugged with a lust potion and almost rapped Severus. And then he tied me to his bed and gave me the most mind-blowing oral sex I had in my life"?
Yes, definitely should let Severus handle this.
Taking several deep breaths, she turned her focus on the innocent-looking wine glass in front of her.
It is time to tear you apart, bastard.
—
"Are you sure it was an all-muggle bar?" Potter asked after he briefly described what had happened, wisely omitted the details of how he had 'helped' to solve the issue. Potter didn't suspect a thing, but based on the smirk that was on Draco's face, the blond would no doubt cornered him later. He pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Yes, it was in a muggle location, full of muggles. We have yet ran into someone that recognize us." He snapped. Potter wrote something down on his writing pad, frowning. He turned to Draco, and something exchanged silently between the two partners. It was surprising how well they had worked together.
"I am not the expert in Potion," Draco said with a frown, "but I do remember muggle drinks would interfere with a potion so that its effect would be neutralized. That's why my father always bring a bottle of muggle wine with him when he went out for social events."
"That's true." Severus nodded, fingers tapping on the wooden table. "I believed the magic on the wine glass was served to preserve the potion until Hermione touched it. Therefore, most of the potion wouldn't be affected by the wine."
He gave a long breath, feeling his temples throbbing. "The potion was also specifically crafted for her. I detect the use of her body part in it. Most likely her hair."
Potter's lips pinched together, anger and concern flashing behind his irises. "Someone was targeting Hermione?" His voice was clipped.
Even Draco looked worried, he knew how much she meant to his godfather.
"I believe so." Severus felt anger roaring inside him as well, but suppressed it with practiced self-control. Anger was the worse enemy when one tried to think clearly. "The lust potion was an alternation I've never seen. It would take someone with near-master level potion skills to make one. My guess will be a Potion apprentice or someone who quitted before he or she got mastery. If it was a Potion Master, I should at least have heard something about it, this is, despite it being misused, a very brilliant modification."
Draco looked deep-in-thought, "This person could also be somehow familiar with Auror working procedure."
Severus lift an eyebrow, uncertain what he meant by that.
Harry, well-used to his partner's train of thoughts, caught on immediately. "It would take hell long of a time to get the boss to approve a search on a muggle establishment. Not to mention bring in muggles for interrogation." His hand balled into a fist.
Surprisingly, Draco reached out and gently put a hand on it before quickly retreated. The tension on Boy Wonder loosened a little. Severus' sharp eyes didn't miss the details, but he didn't say anything. Everything could wait until he was sure Hermione would be safe.
"Is Augustus Mcgowan still the head of the Auror Department?" The Potions Master asked quietly, leaning back on the chair, a smirk on his lips.
"Last time I checked, he still is." Harry answered, confused. Draco, however, had a similar smirk on his face.
"He owes me a favor for this special potion I brewed for him." Severus nodded to his godson, pleased that he had caught on. "Let him know I am calling in the favor and you shall get your pass in no time."
Then he stood up, overcame by a sudden need to check on the young witch. "And do it quickly, we don't want that bastard got away with this." His look was predatory and murderous, liked a wolf baring its teeth to its prey. Harry and Draco shuddered, suddenly remembered the wizard before them was not just a Potion Master, but a double spy with blood on his hands.
—
When the boys and the wizard walked into the lab, Hermione had just finished examining the wine glass. She greeted them with an absent wave, a deep frown on her forehead. The magical signature she revealed had an uncomfortable familiarity with it, but she couldn't quite put her fingers on what it is.
Who was it? It was someone she knew…
With a few long strides, the dark-haired wizard stopped by her side, a comforting shadow radiating warm. Unconsciously, she leaned into him slightly, didn't notice the blond Auror observing them intently. Severus took one look at her and raised a hand to stop the boys from opening their mouths.
Hermione was grateful for his considerate. He always knew when she needed time to think.
She turned to smile briefly at him and squeezed his hand, then turned her attention back to the floating runes and magical fields in front of her. Hermione closed her eyes, wand drawing along the runes and sensing the magical signature again—a female no doubt, not young, the magic was mature and not quite pure, a little darkness but not much. An image formed in her head, a shape of a witch with a pair of glasses, but the details were too blurry to make out her actual identity.
She sighed, opened her eyes and pressed her temples. Cool fingers nudged aside hers and started rubbing slow circles on her skin, she hummed contently, eyes closing again.
He did this every time, just as she would massage his hands after he spent an extremely long time brewing or analyzing a potion. She was the one that started it, simply as a way to express her gratitude after he had investigated a hard potion for her. It had nothing to do with her fascination of his hands. None. But then when he saw her pressing on her temples couple days later, he took over and massaged her headache away. From there, it slowly developed into a strange kind of routine between them.
The pressure he applied was always just right. She felt like she was going to purr under his clever fingers like a well-rubbed cat, then memories of other things that his clever fingers have done that actually made her purr jumped into her mind. She blushed, opened her eyes and gently patted his hands to let him know she was alright. Trying hard to ignore a staring Harry and a contemplating-looking Draco. Oh Merlin, she had totally forgot they were here.
His hands slid away, he stepped around and again stood by her side.
"Tough one?" He asked, indicating the boys that they may ask their questions.
She nodded, sitting down on the laboratory stool. "I know this person. Her magical signature was very familiar, but I can't picture her face. I will need to check the magical signature records tomorrow after the office is opened."
"She?"
"The perpetrator is a female?"
Harry and Draco asked almost at the same time. They looked at each other with shaking head, exchanged a look, then Draco spoke again.
"It makes sense actually. Using lust potion rather than direct attack seemed more like the M.O. of a female."
"It only means the one that cast the spells on the glass is a female, whether she is the one making the potion still reminds to be seen." Severus added, his voice deep and calming, she shifted a little closer to him. "Female Potions Master is rare. I only know a handful of Potions apprentices are females. The chance that the potion maker is a male is high. Keep an open mind."
"You mean there are two perpetrators?" Harry was frowning hard now, biting his quill.
She blinked, looking up at Severus. She had thought the one charmed the glass would be the one drugged her as well. "What do you mean by 'the potion maker'?"
He briefly explained what he learnt about the potion to her, and her face paled. Someone was targeting her specifically?
"They won't get to you again. I will make sure of that." His voice was hard when he said that, teeth gritting. She softly placed a hand on his arm, smiling.
"Thank you, Severus. But I can protect myself. You don't have to take so many burdens on yourself."
He looked down at her with emotions storming behind his eyes. His mouth opened, trying to say something, but a pointed cough interrupted him.
"Severus, what makes you think there are two people behind this?" Draco asked politely. Harry was blinking and looking back and forth between her and Severus.
"I couldn't find any magical signature within the potion, just some pieces of magic residues." He answered with a frown, arms crossed. "It wasn't easy to cover a magical signature. Potion making needs magic input from the brewer all the time. Most of the time you won't even notice your magic has flowed into the potion. It was another reason why I believe the maker has Potions Master level education."
He paused, finger tapping his arm. "For someone who was so good at concealing his signature in a potion, it is hard for me to believe that he would leave any signature on the glass."
"There was some concealing on the signature," Understanding drained on her, she bit her lips, thinking hard. "but nothing too high-end. You are right, Severus, someone that good at erasing his signature wouldn't do such a poor job."
"I see." Harry wrote more things down on his pad, flicking through his notes to make sure he got everything. He and Draco did that partner-look-exchange again. They straightened and he closed his notepad. "Alright, we will go ask Mr. Mcgowan for the warrant to search and interrogate muggles once he returns to his office…"
"After you stepped out of this lab." The Potions Master said firmly, "You will go ask for the warrant right after this."
"We can't just barge into his home and ask for a warrant, even though I really want to." Harry shook his head. "He wasn't a very nice person."
"I will send him a Patronus before you leave. Just go and wait at the Auror office, you will get your warrant." When everyone looked at him with rounded-eyes, he simply added with a dark grin. "It was a very special potion."
Hermione could tell that both boys had all sorts of ideas bubbling inside their head, but wisely chose not to voice them.
"Alright, we will get that and start the investigation as soon as possible. We will keep you updated." Harry then turned to her with a softer, less businesslike expression. "Hermione, you should go get some rest before you check the magical signature in the morning, which was yet a couple of hours away. Preferably somewhere safer than your apartment, we wouldn't know if there will be more serious attacks."
He scratched his head, looked a little embarrassed, his unruly hairs got even messier. "I would suggest you stay at Grimmauld Place with me. But there was a little accident," His eyes flicked to Draco briefly, "and I am currently living at somewhere else."
"Oh my god, Harry. What happened? Why didn't you tell me about it?" She was instantly worried. Is there an attack from the reminding Death Eaters? They were like old gums under your shoes; you could never clean them all out.
"Nothing serious. Really!" He replied quickly, "My kitchen was blown up when someone was trying to cook, that's all. I found it rather embarrassing, that's why I didn't tell you guys."
She narrowed her eyes at him, not sure if she should trust him.
"It is true, trust me. Hermione." His face was all red now, which normally happened when he tried to convince people what he said was true, which only made it looked more like a lie. But she knew him, so she knew he wasn't lying.
"Alright." She sighed, suddenly tired, the night's events finally caught up with her. "I can try to move to a hotel…"
"You can stay with me." Severus blunted out, looking more surprised to himself than anyone else. All heads turned to him, astonished. He wrapped his robe around him, mouth pinched. "I have a guest room that is serving as a storage room. No one can break through my wards."
—
Oooops, didn't mean for them to move in together. But Severus has surprised us all, so….
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