chapter 14 – in which Snape worries about his nemesis

Hermione did not have a good day. She tried to pay attention to what Snape was saying, but her mind kept returning to her dream of them kissing. It had to be mourning for the lost Snape. It just had to be. So why was it giving her tingly feelings inside, and not opening up an abyss of grief? It was most unusual. And however hard she tried to push away the dream, it kept edging itself inside her head.

"Miss Know It All! Just because you have been successful in one potion, this does not mean that you are fully trained. As I was saying, today we shall be brewing the remainder of the Wolfsbane Potion. However, your full attention is needed.

"Thankyou, Severus. I'm sorry. Just a little . . . tired, that's all."

Severus sighed, resigned to being stuck with Hermione. If this was as tired as she got after weeks of hard work, there would be no getting rid of her. It didn't, however, mean that he had to be anything other than civil towards her.

Rather than assuming his usual position on a stool, reading, glancing up occasionally and offering few corrections, Snape was actually participating, finishing his potion as well. Hermione found it awfully hard to concentrate.

She was overpowered by his tall frame, deep eyes, and long fingers. His smell was musky, and she couldn't quite identify it, she was in such a haze. She nearly added the wrong ingredients twice, but stopped at a raised eyebrow from Snape.

'Damn it!' she thought furiously. 'What's come over me? I'm completely transfixed by him. It's as if I'm under a potion . . .'

Hermione blanched. Snape had found a way to wreak his revenge. She was under a love potion, and was infatuated by Severus Snape. There were all the symptoms: thudding heart, blushing, inability to communicate, clumsiness, and so on. But surely if she knew about it she could control it's effects? After all, this was why she had allowed nobody to tell Snape when he was under the Amortentia.

She spent the remainder of her day focussing upon her potion, and trying not to think of Severus Snape. She was glad it was a Friday. That way, she could find out what he had slipped her and administer an antidote before the next school day.

After lessons, she left hurriedly to go and find Hermione. Snape watched her go with a slight frown upon his face. Strange. He nearly always received some sort of comment before she left, generally involving her addressing him as Severus, and with some reference to his 'snarkiness'. Not that he missed it, but he had already prepared his retort. Maybe she was more tired than she had said. Ill, perhaps? He would see how she was on Monday, and send her to Poppy if she was poorly. Perhaps it was his fault. Had he driven her past the point of exhaustion?

Hermione arrived, panting, in Ginny's room, after having run up from the dungeons.

"Gin?" she asked, knocking on the door loudly. She heard a thud, as if something heavy had fallen off a shelf, muffled footsteps, and a bang.

"Ginny?" she asked worriedly.

"Just coming!"

A few seconds later, a harassed looking Ginny Weasley arrived at the door, opening it with a face that looked worried and stressed. Her jaw dropped as she saw Hermione.

Her hair stood out from her head in a mussed halo, where she had tangled her hands in despair, and her eyes were bright and upset.

"Whoa, Hermione. What's got you so worried?"

"Can I come in?"

Ginny glanced over her shoulder anxiously, and then looked back at Hermione.

"Of course."

"Thankyou."

Ten minutes later, Ginny sat next to Hermione, and they both held coffee cups. Hermione was curled around hers as if it was the very elixir of life.

"So, what's up?"

"Well . . . you know Severus . . . Snape? Yeah, Snape?"

"What about him?"

"I think he might have given me a love potion."

Ginny looked more than a little cynical. "Why?"

"Well, I can't stop thinking about him, and that's just not normal. Also, it came on so suddenly. I don't think love is supposed to do that."

Ginny raised an eyebrow, as if to suggest that Hermione knew little about the ways of love, and said slowly,

"Hmm . . . well, don't worry, we can go to Fred and George's shop tomorrow and they'll help."

"But I need permission from Se-Snape."

"Just say you're accompanying me. Flicky lets me go anywhere."

"Well . . .okay, then. I just hope that I can get it sorted before school on Monday.

The next day, Hermione found herself standing outside the staff room. Severus would be in there since he was not in his quarters, sitting alone, with a book, needing someone to talk to, have intelligent conversation with, and maybe . . .no! She reprimanded herself. She would simply ask for permission and leave. He wouldn't let him have the satisfaction of knowing that his potion had had any effect whatsoever. She knocked on the door, and got the fright of her life when the knocker responded,

"You could have just asked. Who is it you want to see?"

"Sev – Snape. Snape, the Potions Master?"

"No problem, miss"

His knotted face disappeared, moulding into the cold grey, immobile iron of the knocker, and Hermione could hear quite clearly what he was saying.

"There's a girl, big hair, pretty" – she smiled at the 'pretty' and frowned at the 'big hair' – "Wants to see Snape. I don't know why. She seems too nice for him . . ."

She suppressed her twinge of sympathy for Snape – he had put her under a potion, goddammit! – And even if she had done the same it was to achieve a definite goal, not just revenge. He had no right. She heard muffled tittering, and then even, solid, strong, manly – no, just footsteps. They oozed no masculinity whatsoever, she told herself furiously.

The door swung inwards, and there he stood, raising that perfect – that eyebrow. How Hermione wanted to trace its curve, run her fingers lightly over the contours of his handsome face . . . no. She was under the influence of a potion. And a pretty damn powerful one, from what she was feeling. She must remember that.

"Miss Granger? Are you feeling all right?"

'Ha', she thought. 'He wants to know if the potion worked. I'll feign ignorance.'

"Perfectly fine, Severus, thankyou. What happened to 'Little Miss Know it All?'"

"Oh," he said, looking faintly surprised. "I forgot. I'll try not to in future, Little Miss Know it All. So, if all is well, why did you come up to disturb me, then?"

"Well, I was wondering if I could go to Diagon Alley today . . . to help Ginny with buying some books."

"I hardly see that as necessary."

"Severus. I have had almost know breaks this term. In fact, the only time I have been outside of the school campus this school year was when you were under the potion. The pupils get more time to visit places than I do. It is ridiculous!"

He paused, about to retort. It was a bit ridiculous, come to think of it.

"Very well, Little Miss Know it All."

"Thankyou, Severus."

She turned and walked away, eager to get out of his presence. He sighed as he watched her turn the corner of the corridor, and returned to the staff room to begin packing his books. He was, of course, going to have to follow her. He hadn't let her out for fear of another attack via a potion, and this sounded awfully suspicious. She had blushed fiery red and looked away from him whilst explaining her reason for going – it was sure to be a lie. Whether she was plotting against him or not, he was determined to find out what exactly she was up to. She seemed to be a lot better, however. There were certainly roses in her delicate cheeks.

A/N: I know! Late! but Snape thinks her cheeks are cute. Weird, I know.. Hope you enjoy.