Hey everyone! Here is chapter 9, with lots of Severus/Hermione interaction. I am going on vacation tomorrow and probably won't be able to post for 2 weeks, but its okay because absence makes the heart grow fonder...right?

Thank you all who reviewed, you really do help me get inspired by your wonderful suggestions and comments.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.


Chapter 9

Hermione sat still for a few moments dumbfounded. Why would he trust her so willingly if the potion wasn't even completed yet?

She cleared her throat and looked straight at him. He seemed to be reconsidering his earlier decision to offer himself as a lab rat. "Sir, I'm just a bit confused. Why would you volunteer yourself for a potion that was not finished and made by a person still in school?"

He gave her a icy look, "Miss Granger the motives are my own, and if you do not want my assistance than I shall leave," he growled as he rose from the chair and headed towards the door.

"Professor Snape," she called while rising rapidly from her chair to rush out of the room and follow him. He got as far as the outer hallway, and was about to turn the corner and vanish out of sight when she shouted to explain herself, "I can't just cast an Unforgivable on you!"

He stopped dead in his tracks and spun around slowly. Hermione reduced her pace and walked the rest of the distance to stand in front of him.

"Miss Granger if you think I would request that of you, then obviously you think me senseless," he stated with a glare.

She stood there, confusion still evident on her face, "Sir, how am I to test a potion on a person who doesn't have any of the complications it's supposed to fix?"

He exhaled noisily in frustration and pinched the bridge of his nose.

Obviously she was missing something, but after a moment of thought it abruptly dawned on her. Her expression of disbelief and astonishment darted across her face, "I had no idea."

"Clearly that is evident Miss Granger in your lack of deduction skills," he said looking down at her.

She looked at him humiliated that she didn't catch it sooner, "Can we please go back to the lab, I have no desire to speak of this out in the open," she asked. He looked around quickly before giving a curt affirmation and requesting her to lead the way.

They reached the portrait again and she poured the silver liquid into the nymph's hands to enter. A few seconds later the entrance appeared and they stepped through into the laboratory. "Shall we go into the office or sit on the stools out here?" she asked.

He looked towards the stools, "In the office I think, the stools are much more uncomfortable than the chairs, and I don't really want to be less comfortable under the circumstances."

She gave a small frown and headed to the office door. She motioned to the chairs so he could sit down, and strode behind her desk and grabbed the small notebook she found there. She joined him at the fire, but before he could get a word in she called for a house elf.

The little creature popped into the room, "What can I do for Miss?" he asked as he bowed so low his nose touched the floor.

"May we please have some tea and sandwiches for lunch?" she asked the elf, who nodded, and was gone with a Pop.

"Miss Granger, I did not request lunch," he said with a long-suffering groan.

Hermione just gave him a pointed look, "Sir I was planning on having lunch a Grimmauld Place, but as I am here discussing this with you I no longer have the time. I think that we can multitask a bit," she said as a tray of sandwiches and tea appeared on the table between them.

He shook his head noticeably irritated as she picked up one of the sandwiches and started eating it, "Sir, I want this potion to work to the best of its ability, so I'm going to have to ask you a few questions about your…ailment…if that's okay?"

His gaze narrowed, "What sort of questions Miss Granger," he demanded distrust palpable in this tone.

"Well, let me just ask them. If you feel comfortable responding then that's fine, if you don't…then…don't," she clarified not entirely sure of herself.

He cleared his throat and nodded for her to continue.

She opened the notebook and penned a few things before she began. Looking up at him she asked her first question, "How old are you precisely, I need months and days as well."

His stiffened, "I hardly see why that is pertinent information Miss Granger," he argued.

She sighed and rubbed her eyes warily, "I need to know in case this potion needs to be adapted for different ages Sir, and I hardly see the problem in giving me something as simple as your date of birth."

He looked at her like she was insane but after a moment of thinking answered, "As of today I am thirty-seven years, five months, and thirteen days old. Would you like the hours, minutes, and seconds as well?" he asked sardonically.

She grinned sarcastically sweet at him and shook her head, "No that was acceptable Sir," she replied before asking the next question, "How long have you had the pain due to the curse?"

He appeared like he didn't want to reply but spoke after a few moments, "Eighteen years. Would you like the months and days as well?" he replied mockingly.

Hermione nearly dropped her quill, and gaped at him in astonishment.

He scowled at her, "Please close your mouth Miss Granger, it is most unflattering," he said snidely.

She snapped her jaw shut, and wrote down his answer before asking the next question, "What is the intensity of the pain and where is it located on your body?"

His facial expression turned to one of extreme uneasiness, but he heaved a sigh and began, "This is a very situational question Miss Granger. On a standard day, which I can't accurately describe, I ache in most of my joints."

She gave a withering glare, "I'm going to need you to be a bit more detailed. Which joints? On a scale of one to ten, how bad is the pain? How long is a normal day from the last curse cast?" she prodded.

He grumbled visibly not appreciating the discussion, and as an alternative to replying right away he bought himself some time and picked up a sandwich. Taking a large bite and chewing unhurriedly to draw out the moment of peace.

She smirked and poured herself a cup of tea, adding some milk and sugar to it. She turned to him after taking a taste, "I understand your uneasiness Professor, but I truly do need to know these things before I test the potion on you."

He nodded and swallowed the portion of sandwich that was in his mouth, "I realize that Miss Granger, but it doesn't make it any easier. Perhaps you could work on the potion and give me the list of questions you would like answered. It would be stress-free that way, for myself and you," he proposed.

She thought through about his proposition for a minute before nodding in agreement. "Okay I'll make the list of questions for you," she said rising from her chair and walking over to the desk in the corner. She took about five minutes to write everything down on a piece of parchment. When she handed him the paper he was helping himself to a cup of tea.

"I'm going to go brew the base of the potion right now, as it needs at least forty-eight hours before the next step…" she told him as she headed towards the door, "…but first I need to go over to the green houses to pick up a few of the Bonsai Whomping Willows I need to make it.

Without saying a word he put the list of questions in his pocket and rose from the chair. She followed his movements with her eyes and looked at him quizzically as he stopped in front of her. He looked a bit uncomfortable for a second before saying, "I would like to see the plants."

Hermione grinned and nodded her consent. He would never ask her straight out if he could join her, but that was as good as asking. She walked out of the lab and into the hallway. He closed the door behind him, and it vanished into the wall. It took a few minutes to get to the first floor, but soon they were outside and heading towards Greenhouse Number Six. Professor Sprout had given Hermione permission to grow her plants there as it was the safest of the eight. The wards were erected all year, and the temperature and climate could be changed to a specific plant in the portion she used.

When they stepped outside the high temperature hit her and she took off the small jumper she had been wearing over her tank top. She had known the dungeons would be chilly even in summer, and decided to be proactive. They walked for about five minutes before they saw the greenhouses come into view, "You must be boiling in that frockcoat Professor," she said as they reached the door.

He glared at her, "I'm perfectly fine Miss Granger," he said coldly as they walked into the still hotter greenhouse. She just shook her head and walked over to her plants. There were rows of five trees, and there were thirty trees in total. They were all sitting still except for a small fidget every now and then.

Professor Snape looked at them with curiosity and extended his hand to touch one. The petite plant attacked with as much fervor as its larger counterpart, and he pulled back sharply, "How do you collect what you need if they attack you?"

She stepped up with her wand at the ready, "Remember how you get into the Whomping Willow on the grounds without being attack?" she asked.

He nodded, "The knot," he confirmed.

She prodded the closest plant with her wand hitting the proper knot. The little tree stopped its fight and straightened up frozen in place.

She picked it up and passed it to her professor. He took it cautiously and observed it carefully reaching for and touching the bark and some leaves.

"I need two of them to get enough bark for the potion," she explained as she poked the next one with the tip of her wand. "I need 564 grams of bark to obtain enough of the crucial chemical to make the residual pain subside," she told him as she picked up the other plant and started walking towards the greenhouse door.

"How long will they stay stunned like this?" he asked undoubtedly not loving the idea of having to fight off the pint-sized tree on his walk back to the lab.

She giggled silently to herself, "It depends on which one the size and age of them matter, but looking at yours…" she said glancing at his tree, "…about thirty more seconds."

He spun around abruptly and Hermione nearly collided with him, "What Miss Granger, pray tell, happens in…twenty seconds?"

She smiled at him, "Just hit the knot again and it will freeze for another five minutes," she said before walking past him to lead the way up to the castle. She glanced over her shoulder to find her professor holding the plant at arm's length from his body, poised and ready to attack the knot when the moment arose. She waited about ten more seconds before the tree burst into life. He tried to reach for the knot, but his hand was knocked away before he could push it. It wound up hitting the top of his hand pretty hard and left a large red mark.

He dropped the offending plant on the ground, but before he could kick it like he wanted Hermione's voice stopped him, "Professor Snape! Do not kick my plant…please," she requested as she walked back to him and put her plant on the ground. He was holding his injured hand close to his body and glaring daggers at the tree and its creator.

She removed her wand from her sleeve and prodded the plant until it stopped its fighting. She picked up both plants, one in each arm before walking back towards the castle again, Professor Snape following behind grudgingly.

They made their way back into the castle and down into the dungeons, and walking another few minutes they were in front of the nymph again. Hermione turned around and offered the smaller of the plants for him to hold while she poured the silver liquid into the nymph's hands but was greeted with a snarl. She rolled her eyes and placed the plant on the floor instead. After giving the nymph what it requested they stepped into the lab. Hermione head over to the wooden bench and placed both plants down.

She turned around and saw her professor standing there with a sneer on his face, "May I see your hand Professor?" she asked while walking over to him.

He glared at her, "I'm fine Miss Granger, leave me be."

She rolled her eyes at his stubbornness and held out her hand until he pulled it away from his body and showed her. She pulled out her wand and mentally thanked Ginny for her Medical Reseach, "Malum Severitas," she said and his hand glowed orange. The tree had fractured his knuckle bone.

She gestured for him to take a seat on one of the stools, and after muttering something about Know-it-All Gryffindors and their trees, took a seat in the stool closest to him. She placed his hand flat on the table top and pointed her wand at it, "Miss Granger, if the bones in my hand are missing after this I will personally make sure that Gryffindor starts out at negative three-hundred points this year," he said deadly serious.

She smirked at him, "Then make sure not to move your hand Professor," she replied cheekily. "This may hurt a little, Brackium Emendo," she whispered and his hand glowed for a brief moment before the spell died down. He lifted his hand from the table and flexed his fingers. Nodding in satisfaction he turned towards the plants a few feet from him, they had started moving again.

He nodded towards them, "How do you make the base?"

She moved towards them, "The Bonsai Willow must not have any spells cast on it in order for this potion to work. This includes when the plant is being grown, as well as during brewing. Any spell cast near them must be low level, but no spell casting is best," she explained when she reached them. That's why I couldn't stun them to stop them from moving, I must use the knot," she added as she poked both, effectively stopping them for another five minutes.

He sat on the stool listening and watching the process as she went about making the base.

She removed each one from its pot and moved them to the sink in the corner of the room to remove the dirt from the roots. "When you're brewing the potion, in case of emergency where a higher level spell must be cast add a small amount of Dried Manticore Skin into it to repel the magic. If this ingredient is not added before the spell is cast the potion will become unstable and explode."

He raised his eyebrow, "You sound as if you're talking from experience Miss Granger," he probed.

Hermione nodded and placed the trees on the wood counter and got a large metal container from under one of the drawers. She then walked to her storage room walked in and grabbed a few more ingredients she would need.

"If you like you can peel the bark off the other one after I show you how?" she asked. He thought about it for a moment before nodding and watching her peel the bark off with what could only be described as an extreme vegetable peeler. After she was done peeling she chopped up the rest of the plant into smaller cubes and placed them in a clean jar. She then labeled it and placed it next to her on the bench. "I'm not sure what to use the rest for, but I imagine I'll find something eventually," she explained gesturing to the jar.

He stood up from his stool and walked over to the now wiggling depotted plant on the wood counter. Hermione nodded her consent and he picked up the peeler. "I would stun it first professor," she said as she pulled out a muggle weighing scale.

He took out his wand and poked the knot before peeling the bark off the way Hermione had. When he was done he added it to the pile with her bark and chopped up the rest of the plant to add to the jar.

She placed the bark into the scale until it read 564 grams. She then took the metal container she had pulled out earlier and placed them in it. He watched her curiously as she walked into the store room and came back with a large container of Horklump Juice. She carefully measured out eight cups and added it to the bark. She stepped back and cast protective spell over it. She cast Tempus and noted it was 5:27 in the evening. Her stomach rumbled on queue telling her it was dinner time.

"This must soak for at least forty-eight hours professor. I check on it every twenty-four just in case. If you like you can come back and watch me brew the rest of the base?" she offered while cleaning up the areas they had worked in.

He nodded, "That sounds acceptable Miss Granger, I shall see you then," he said curtly and stepped out of the lab.

When she was done cleaning, and had made sure that the bark was okay she stepped to the fireplace in her office and pulled out a pouch of floo powder from inside her pocket. She poured some into her palm and threw it into the flames, instantly turning them green, "Grimmauld Place," she called and in a flash of color she was gone.


Hope You enjoyed. See you in a couple of weeks! 3

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