Chapter Four – Chances and Challenges

Disclaimer: All the characters that you recognize belong to J. K. Rowling. All other characters are mine. This story is purely for fun, and I don't make any money off it. Unfortunately, the story isn't mine ether: this is in response to Wormey's 'Heir Challenge'. Go to her page if you want to read the requirements! Thank you for reading! Constructive criticism is welcome, as always.

Tasha: Thank you for your compliments! They were very much appreciated.

Megan Consoer: Of course I will. I'll write as many chapters as you guys want.

LadySessho: Thank you! Doesn't everyone love Severus? n.n

SnapeDreamer: Haha, you'll have to wait and see. You can bet there will be some sort of a twist in it.


The next morning before breakfast, Severus paid a visit to the owlery. He tied five different letters to the legs of five different owls, giving them all a couple of pieces of toast and a few knuts before heading down to the main hall to eat.

The dark wizard wasn't surprised to see that Hermione was missing from the head table. Most of the staff members could barely restrain themselves from shooting him dirty glances, assuming that he had already driven away his new assistant. He ate a hearty breakfast of toast, eggs and sausages with milk as he eyed them back indifferently.

Classes began as scheduled, with the usual pack of first year idiots making the usual set of first year mistakes. A small Hufflepuff girl was sent up to the infirmary when she and several of her friends attempted to create their own potion using several packages of Bertie Bott's Every Flavored Beans. Every couple of minutes, she would morph into a new food item. Her friends were horrified when she transformed into a pile of pepper.

Severus was relieved when lunchtime rolled around. His afternoon classes consisted of older, more experienced students, who were less likely to create a dangerous situation. He had just finished clearing his plate when all five of Hogwarts' barn owls swooped in through the high windows, circling over his head and hooting indignantly as they searched for a place to perch. One of the owls landed on his shoulder and ruffled its feathers impatiently as he untied the message from its leg.

Professor Severus Snape,

I thank you for the opportunity that you have bestowed upon me. I would be delighted to make your acquaintance. If you wish, I would not be opposed to a meeting of sorts to discuss the terms and conditions of my becoming the surrogate mother of your child.

Truly yours,

Fiona Figglesworth

The four other letters read much the same. Severus responded to each of them, setting up appointments at the Three Broomsticks for the following day. The interviews were spaced twenty minutes apart to ensure that none of the women would encounter each other.

Severus sighed grimly. He had a sneaky feeling that this wasn't going to go well.

.x.

Hermione had just begun brewing a strong batch of healing potion when a tremendous bang on the lab door jolted her from her work. Grumbling, she turned down the heat underneath the cauldron before unlocking and unwarding the lab door, opening it slightly.

"Miss Granger," Severus gripped the door handle and opened it fully, standing before her at full height. He hesitated as she gazed up at him, her eyes curious and questioning. There was no hint of affection. Severus blinked. She was so small … he was almost a foot taller than she was.

A short pause followed. "Yes, Professor?" she asked hesitantly.

"Err … yes," he began, trying to remember what he had come to talk to her about. She had the ambitious gleam in her eyes that Severus had come to recognize so well over the years. It meant that she was working on something, learning something new. Challenging herself in a new and unfamiliar environment.

"Tomorrow, you will be covering my classes," he said. His tone suggested that she had no choice in the matter. "I suggest you begin working on your lesson plan now."

Without waiting for a response, he turned on his heel and stalked back down the hall into his own room, slamming the door loudly behind him.

Hermione seethed, shaking with anger as she stared after him down the dark hall. Who did he think he was, anyway, to be able to command her like that? To take away an entire day's work so he could have some time off? And to think … to think she once loved this man. She didn't know what she'd seen in him. She was just a blind, horny, lovesick teenager.

"Severus Snape!" she called angrily, "You are an insufferable bastard!" Hermione slammed the door shut and placed several strong wards on it. He wouldn't be returning to the labs tonight.

Leaning against the door, Severus chuckled to himself in amusement. Hermione Granger was a feisty one, but he was by far the more dominant of the two.

.x.

Severus awoke early the next morning and took a quick shower, donning his best dress robes and applying a small amount of sandalwood cologne. He tied his hair back into a neat ponytail and headed to the Great Hall for breakfast.

He wasn't surprised to find Hermione looking tired and rather frazzled. Feeling particularly refreshed this morning, Severus decided to take pity on Hermione as he watched her struggle to create a lesson plan, books and parchments strewn across the table on either side of her, eating only a few slices of toast for breakfast. After returning to his rooms, he drew up a schedule for her and left it on the lab desk where he knew she would find it. A few minutes later, he left for Hogsmeade.

The first witch was already there when he arrived. Severus growled appreciatively as he gazed at her. She had worn a green and silver robe – Slytherin colors. She didn't look bad in them, either. As a matter of fact, she was really quite pretty, though not perfectly aligned with Severus' preferences. Her eyes were big and round, baby blue and glancing around nervously. Blonde hair framed her pale face like a halo. Thin, heart-shaped face. Large, melon-shaped breasts. Severus had always appreciated curves on a woman.

"Fiona?" he questioned briskly as he swooped down into the booth seat across from her. She jumped slightly as he sat down, her eyes wide, almost as if she had to think about what had just happened.

"Oh!" she exclaimed suddenly, giggling. "You're, like, that hero guy I'm meeting. I'm sooo stupid." She fanned her hand in front of her face dramatically. "I thought you were, like, trying to rape me or something."

Severus nodded slowly, staring at her expressionlessly. He didn't quite know what to say. Severus would be the first one to admit that he believed strongly in first impressions … but he was willing to let her apparent stupidity slide. For now.

"Err—so …" he began slowly. Maybe if he paused more in between words, it would give her a chance to catch up. "…What school did you say you went to?"

"Oh … I didn't," she responded, equally as slow.

"No, you didn't. That's why I'm asking you," he said.

"No, silly," she said, giggling in that annoyingly over-zealous tone. "I mean, I don't go to school. I dropped out. It was, like, way too hard. I'm not good at any of that magic stuff."

"You're not very good at any of that thinking stuff, either," he muttered quietly.

"What was that?" she asked, waiting for a response. When none came, she grinned seductively, leaning forward across the table and sliding her hand over his arm. Her breasts bulged out over the collar of her shirt.

"I'm, like, totally into that vampire stuff," she purred. Severus watched in utter disgust as she ran her tongue across her lips, glossy and tinted pink by some cosmetic enhancer. "I guess I have, like, a kinky sex fetish or something."

She nodded. Severus' mouth curled into a smirk.

Oh, this was going to be fun.

"Well, Miss Figglesworth," he cooed, "why don't we go see … how far you're willing to go?"

Fiona's eyes lit up instantly and she nodded, rising from her seat. She eyed the wizard with a dreamy, far-away look. He was a dreamboat. Tall, dark, and handsome. Fiona smirked. She had this one in the bag.

Severus took her arm and together they strolled out of the Three Broomsticks, traveling only a few hundred yards to the right. He had led the buxom blonde to Midnight Wands; bar and restaurant by day, sex club and motel by night.

"Room for two, please," Severus growled at the short, balding man behind the counter. His nose wrinkled in distaste. The man looked remarkably similar to a rat with his long, curved nose and wispy gray hair. A fat, dirty, perverted rat.

"Room for two," the man repeated, sneer evident in his annoyingly whiny voice. "That'll be five galleons. Last room on the right, sir and … ma'am." He stressed the last word with something similar to a purr, caressing Fiona's body with glazed eyes. "If you should find our services unsatisfactory, a full galleon-back offer is guaranteed."

Severus pitched a few galleons onto the counter and began to work his way down the hall, Fiona following close behind like an obedient dog following its master. She was almost salivating as she fantasized about what the Potions Master was going to do to her, delicious shivers embracing her body in its electric grip. You've got this one, girl.

The dark wizard smirked as he pushed open the motel room's door. It was uncomfortably small, with a double bed in the corner, a tiny bathroom and no windows. Oh, well. The room hadn't been made to sleep in.

He turned when he heard the door close behind him. Fiona was leaning against it, blonde hair dripping down over her breasts like honey, hips jutting forward as her shoulders rested against the door. Her blue eyes gleamed with something that Severus couldn't recognize. Victory, maybe. Or so she thought.

"So," she said, her voice low and sultry. Her eyes burned as she sidled towards him, her hips swaying in wide arcs. She slid behind him, her lips pressed to the nape of his neck gently as she whispered into his ear. "Want to see what I can do … Severus?" His name rolled over her tongue like chocolate, smooth and velvety.

Severus turned and took her by the shoulders, shoving her back onto the bed roughly. She let out a small squeal as her body bounced on the mattress and Severus climbed on top of her, straddling her waist with his knees. Her eyes were hot and inviting as she gazed up at him. He stared back at her, his eyes dark and unreadable. With a small growl, he trapped her wrists over her head, clutching them powerfully as she writhed beneath him, her back arching, searching for contact.

"Yeah, baby!" she moaned. Severus winced. She was trying way too hard. He was almost embarrassed for her.

Almost.

Holding her wrists down with one hand, he reached into his robe pocket and withdrew his wand, pointing it at her.

"Petrificus totalus!" he said. Immediately her body stiffened and her skin turned pasty-white, almost as if she were covered in a fine layer of frost. He reared back and stared down at her for a moment, admiring his work. Fiona's large blue eyes widened in desperation as he replaced his wand in his pocket and moved towards the door, smirking.

"How's that for kinky?" he cooed, opening the door and backing out of it slowly. "Having sex without any physical contact whatsoever."

Severus closed the door and retreated down the hall swiftly. That would give the witch a few things to think about.

"Done already, Master Snape?" questioned the short, fat owner. Usually when Severus came around, he was there for hours.

"She is resting," he replied. "Wait a few hours before you wake her."

"Yes, Master Snape," he sneered. So the witch was sleeping. Perhaps he could get a few looks at her before she woke.

By the time Severus arrived at the Three Broomsticks, the second witch was already there. She, like Fiona, had worn a green and silver cloak. But unlike Fiona, she wasn't very attractive. Severus sighed in disappointment.

Severus seated himself opposite her and she smiled, waved timidly. Hmm. She wasn't that bad. He said nothing, waiting for her to introduce herself.

"Severus Snape?" she questioned, and continued after receiving a curt nod to go on. "I'm Rowena Macduff. You may have heard of me … I work for the Daily Prophet?" she offered. He nodded again, though he had never heard her name. "But I'm just working there until I can afford to go to university."

"What for, Miss Macduff?" he questioned.

"Oh, I wanted to become a Potions Mistress," she sighed. Her eyes glazed over excitedly. "I have ever since I was a little girl."

Severus growled appreciatively. This interview was a far cry from the last. The witch was very impressive. He knew how challenging it was to earn a degree in Potions. If she earned one, he would look forward to having not only an assistant, but a consort and an intellectual challenge for at least nine months.

"That's very ambitious, Miss Macduff," he commented. The prospective was looking bright so far.

"Here's your tea, ma'am," chirped one of the barmaids as she strode over to them hurriedly. Severus watched the entire scene play out like a film in slow motion: the eager barmaid stumbled and fell, overturning the cup of tea all over his interviewee. She stood up with a surprised squeal, and Severus' eyes bulged.

She was already pregnant. Very pregnant.

Noticing the look on his face, Rowena huffed and crossed her arms. "Well, how else did you expect me to afford university?"

.x.

"Er … how old are you again?" Severus questioned slowly.

The young girl looked down into her lap nervously. "Well … I'm thirteen now, but I'll be fourteen when the baby is born!"

Severus growled.

.x.

Severus stared up at the woman sitting across the table from him. He doubted very much that she was human.

"Alright, so I'm part mountain troll," she admitted, "but it shouldn't affect the baby … too much."

He began to bang his head on the table.

.x.

"Hey. Hey, Madame Rosmerta," Severus called drunkenly. " 'Nother firewhiskey, woman."

Severus had been drinking since late afternoon. He hadn't bothered to meet the last witch, afraid that she would somehow turn out to be worse than the previous four. Not that he could think of anything that could have been worse.

Ron Weasley, maybe.

"Now now, Severus," Rosmerta scolded playfully, "I think you've had quite enough to drink for tonight."

He scanned her body discreetly as she tended to other customers. She wasn't a classic beauty, but there was no denying that Rosmerta was an attractive woman. Perhaps she could be the mother of his heir. Maybe they could even fall in love, though Severus doubted that any woman would give him a chance, let alone tolerate him for the rest of his life. He didn't mind. He was used to being alone. In fact, he preferred the solitary lifestyle.

"Rosmerta, will you bear my children?" he asked, struggling to bring her into focus.

She began to laugh, but when she realized he wasn't joking, she quickly busied herself with other things.

Dammit.

Severus returned to Hogwarts just as the sun had disappeared below the horizon. He grinned sadistically, wondering how Hermione had fared: his first-year morning classes were notoriously untalented. Knowing that someone else was more miserable than he was made him feel better about his less-than-productive afternoon.

Severus strode down to the dungeons, ignoring the annoyed looks on his students' faces when they realized his absence didn't mean that he had been fired (or worse). They much preferred the pretty young witch who'd substituted for him today.

He unwarded the door and entered, drinking in the silence and darkness that greeted him. Severus always appreciated the darkness. It concealed him, not only in figure but in thought, hiding everything about him that he wished others not to know. No one needed to know what he was. They didn't need to know what he felt.

But a small ray of light disturbed his reflections. It crept out from under his laboratory door, distorting the perfect darkness that he existed in. Confused and disoriented, he pried the door open.

There sat Hermione, head propped up against her closed fist as she scribbled furiously on a piece of parchment. A shock of golden-brown curls had escaped her loosely made bun and lay dormant against her slightly flushed cheek. She muttered to herself quietly, reciting notes to herself as Severus looked on in stunned silence, drinking in the simplicity of her beauty. He grunted subtly, looking down when he felt that familiar tingling sensation and noticed the slow but steady tenting of his robes, not quite absorbing the whole situation. Unconcerned by this at the moment, he looked back up at her, grazing her body a little unchastely. Was this reaction right? She was a student, after all … no, she was an associate now. A grown woman.

Hermione looked up at long last and Severus wondered if she had felt the lust radiating from his body. Her lips parted with an unanswered question and she jumped slightly as he dove for the back desk, looking embarrassed and slightly confused.

"Uhh … Professor Snape—?"

"I trust you found the day to be … challenging, Miss Granger?" he sneered, trying to ignore his "little" problem.

"Challenging … yes," she responded reluctantly, not totally convinced that there was nothing amiss. Then she continued. "But I enjoyed it. Now, look—" she held up her parchment, as if he would be able to read and ridiculously small and hurried handwriting. "I've compiled an evaluation of the students, and I've included …"

Severus stared at her, dumbfounded, and she babbled on, so sweetly oblivious to the effect her words, her mere presence, were having on him. He watched her eyes become animated as they did when faced with a new challenge, describing in detail the goings-on of every insignificant second of the classes. Her hands moved about excitedly to exaggerate her point. They looked so tiny, delicate, and for a second he had an urge to touch them, just lightly, to see if they might break.

"… Are you listening? Well, I didn't mark them down for making a mistake, but instead—"

"Good work, Miss Granger," he said weakly, turning in an instant to retreat to his rooms. He slammed the door behind him and warded it several times over, leaving his very confused assistant staring after him, bewildered.

Severus stood in the darkness, breathing heavily, until he heard her gather up her things and return to her own room. All of his muscles relaxed as he slipped into his bed, not bothering to remove his robes. Had he really just had that strong of a reaction to Hermione Granger, a woman who he'd taught and been exposed to for seven years? A reassuring throb from his starved cock convinced him that he had.

Miss Granger, what are you doing to me?

Ha! There it is. Evil, naught Severus. But wouldn't we all just love an evil, naught Severus? Please review!