Chapter 3: Right Good Mood

{A/N: My Thanks to JarODirt for being the first to review this story, your review was much appreciated.}

My Thanks to all my readers and reviewers Enjoy-S.S.

Morning had come sooner than Hermione had expected. She sighed climbed out of bed. Snape's odd behavior the previous night had been pleasant but disconcerting. He had not appeared to be any different outwardly, aside from his "good" mood. She wanted to believe that it was because he had a decent nights sleep and an actual meal but it seemed more far fetched than that. She didn't know if she was making too much of what was happening to the usually dour man but the fact still remained that he tested a potion on himself without considering the consequences. The sample of whatever potion it was had still been stored away but she had no idea what it had been created for or if it had any side effects.

The bushy haired witch pondered the aspects of the mysterious potion all the way to Snape's quarters. She knocked on the door as she had every morning since becoming his apprentice and got no answer. She sighed thinking that he must have been down in his private labs again. Hermione made her way down the familiar stairs and was surprised to find that there was no sight of him.

"He's not working this morning that's odd." she said to herself.

She headed back up the stairs and peeked into his bedroom. There was no sign of him although his bed had showed evidence of his recent awakening. After closing the door and venturing back into the front room, Hermione found herself utterly shocked when Snape walked up behind her wrapping his arms around her slender waist and planting a kiss on her neck.

"Severus?" she said tensing immediately.

"Yes." replied Snape still kissing her.

The young witch didn't know wither to melt into his embrace or push him away. She didn't understand what was happening with him but it seemed to be more than a good night's sleep that affected him.

"Severus, are you feeling okay?" she asked trying to catch her breath.

"Mmmmm." he replied taking in the scent of jasmine from her hair.

"S-Severus." said Hermione closing her eyes to the feel of his kiss against her neck again. "Severus, I think that potion you took is having side effects."

Snape seemed to ignore her continuing to kiss her neck.

"I-I think it is the definite cause of your recent strange behavior." she continued trying hard not to lose herself in the sensations that his antics had been causing.

Snape whirled her around to face him.

"So beautiful." he said in a low voice.

He leaned down capturing her lips in a fevered kiss. Hermione had struggled against him thus far but eventually melted into his kiss unable to deny the effect he was having on her. Just as she was starting to give in, Snape suddenly pulled away from her. Leaving the young witch utterly confused and completely flustered.

"What the hell is happening?" he asked with his dark eyes marred by confusion.

"T-That's what I have been trying to tell you." said Hermione reverting back to her usual "know-it-all" form. "That potion you created the other night must have had some untested side effects."

Snape scoffed.

"Unwanted is more like it." he replied making a show of dusting himself off.

Hermione rolled her eyes. Then a smirk filed across her face when she noticed that he had only been wearing his trousers. Snape arched an eyebrow at her.

"What pray tell is it that you find to be so amusing Miss Granger?" he asked.

Hermione flashed him a sweet smile.

"Well, I wouldn't call it amusing as I would say...appealing." she said. "Who knew you were so well toned?"

Snape felt a tad bit uncomfortable under her gaze.

"Well toned?" he asked.

He suddenly felt his chest and realized that it had not been clad in the usual ebony robes or frock coat that he had trademarked. To his absolute horror Snape it dawned on The Potions Master that he didn't have a shirt on at all.

"Oh, for Merlin's sake." he said annoyed and before Hermione could get out even a fraction of her laughter he bolted back to his bedroom and slammed the door shut behind him.

When Severus emerged from the bedroom, Hermione had been down in the labs taking a look at the potion sample that she had collected from the previous night. She appeared to be hard at work, a look of utter concentration on her face. The obsidian eyes of the potions Professor took in how her bushy curls had been pulled back into a tight ponytail. She had always hated to work with her hair down it became even more of a tangled mess than it normally was and seemed to always get in her way.

Snape took in the shape and lining of her slender neck watching as the veins pulsed as she directed herself to concentrate harder. He watched as her small pink tongue darted across her bottom lips. He didn't believe that she had been conscious of what she was doing. Her mind utterly focused on the sample before her. What is wrong with you? She's only looking over a sample of a potion for Merlin's sake.

"Come up with anything?" he asked.

Hermione looked up taking in that Snape seemed to have reverted back to normal.

"No." she replied. "Nothing appears to be out of the ordinary...but I may need a sample of your blood."

Snape sighed.

"Is all this really necessary?" he asked. "I feel just fine."

"Severus something is making you act differently and it has nothing to do with sleep or food." she said.

"Perhaps I..." he started.

"If you say perhaps you are working to hard I'm going to hex you." said Hermione. "Why can't you at least entertain the idea that it might have something to do with that potion you took?"

"Because potions do not last long enough to cause anything like what you're describing." replied Snape.

"Yet." replied Hermione.

Snape rolled his eyes.

"Take your bloody sample and get this over with." he said.

Hermione smiled as she walked over to him. Snape stared straight ahead as she rolled up his sleeve and waved her wand over him collecting some of his blood in a phial. Then she walked back over toward the sample.

"Now I just need to cross examine these." she said.

"And how long is that going to take?" he asked.

"I don't know." replied Hermione.

"So if you don't find a connection between my blood and the spilled potion will you drop this nonsense about it being the cause?" he asked.

"If I prove that it is I get partial credit for it's creation." said Hermione.

"Why not." replied Snape. "But if it's not I expect you to show up here ready to be my personal house elf for the next few weeks."

Hermione scoffed. I do all the cleaning around here anyway. Git.

"Deal." she said.

Snape looked around at the mess she had been making and smiled.

"Well, I'll leave you to it Miss Granger." he said. "I've got breakfast waiting."

Hermione waved him off.

Snape left her to her work and headed back up the stairs. This was going to be an easy bet. If Miss Granger thought he was a slave driver now just wait until he put her to work as his personal house elf. All thoughts of tormenting his apprentice aside, Snape set his sights on acquiring his breakfast. Still, Miss Granger did look pretty good huddled over a cauldron. Get a grip Severus, what the hell his wrong with you?