Chapter 12
Severus made his way to the great hall for dinner. He had just finished grading all the potions from his 5th year class. All in all, most of the students had brewed a passable Draught of Peace. Miss Granger's potion was perfect, as he knew it would be. He had put her phials along with Potter's in a box to be taken to the hospital wing and given to Madam Pomfrey for her stock. He had kept a few of Miss Granger's potion phials for his own personal stores.
He sat down to eat his dinner when he noticed that Potter and Weasley were in an animated conversation with Miss Granger. He glanced briefly in their direction and then turned back to his dinner.
He made his way down to his classroom and walked in. He left the door open and conjured an armchair in front of his desk. He waved his wand and the ingredients and brewing instructions for the Wolfsbane potion appeared on the board. Severus sat at his desk and a few moments later Miss Granger was walking into the classroom.
"Good evening Professor Snape." She smiled at him as she shut the door behind her.
"Good evening." He looked up at her. She was making her way over to the armchair and set her bag on his desk before sitting down. He waited while she pulled out her notebook and the sheaf of parchment he had given her.
"Oh no! My quill is missing. Did I leave it in the library? I don't have a spare either…" She raked her teeth over her bottom lip and her brow furrowed.
"Something wrong, Miss Granger?" He inquired. She looked up to meet his gaze.
"My quill is missing. I seem to have left it somewhere and I don't have a spare." She stared at him sheepishly.
Severus held out his wand and waved his wand with the other. A beautiful raven feather quill appeared in his outstretched hand. He held it out to her. She gazed up at him as if deciding whether or not to accept it.
She carefully reached up to take the quill from him but her hand brushed against his accidentally. When their hands touched, an electric current went shooting through his body.
"What was that?" Her eyes widened as she looked up at him.
"She felt it too." Severus' piercing gaze never left her eyes.
She looked down at her hand that was now holding the raven feather quill. "Thank you Professor."
He nodded and then got up from his desk. "Today we will be brewing the Wolfsbane potion." He flicked his wand and ingredients came zooming over to his workstation along with two cauldrons.
"Have you read the brewing instructions Miss Granger." He glanced over at her.
"Several times Professor." She came over to him with her notebook and the brewing instructions and set them carefully on the desk.
"Then tell me the first step Miss Granger." He looked at her expectantly.
"First we take the black quicksilver and pulverize it using the mortar and pestle." She grabbed the quicksilver and added it to her mortar and pestle and began grinding it into a powder.
"Correct." He followed suit. They were grinding the quicksilver for a few minutes then set it aside. "Next?"
"We add the pulverized black quicksilver to the cauldron and stir until it turns yellow." She added the quicksilver into her cauldron and began to stir. He mimicked her. Both potions had turned yellow.
It went on like this for some time, Severus asking Miss Granger what the next step of the potion was and she would recite from memory. Once finished the potion was a dark blue and emitted blue smoke.
"Now the potion must cure for at least a week." Miss Granger stated.
"That is correct Miss Granger. I will store the potion and in a weeks time we will check it for potency." He waved his wand and the cauldrons flew to a high shelf in the storeroom cupboard.
"The full moon is in two weeks. That will give Professor Lupin time to start taking the potion." She was watching the cauldrons right themselves on the shelf.
Severus waved his wand again and the workstation cleared itself. He walked over to his desk and sat in his chair. He motioned with his hand for her to sit.
"What are your thoughts on the Wolfsbane potion Miss Granger?" He crossed his legs.
She sat down and placed her notebook and the sheaf of parchment on his desk. "It was as complex as I expected. I am thankful I was given time to go over your notes beforehand." She gave him a faint smile.
"The potion will need to be brewed once a month for the remainder of the year. This will give you plenty of practice." Severus pulled out his lesson planner. "I have the dates marked when the potion needs to be brewed. Given that we meet 3 nights a week, I am confident that you will be able to brew the potion each month."
"Me? Not 'we' Professor?" She looked at him puzzled.
He shut his lesson planner and put it in his desk. "I think that by the third time we brew the potion you will be ready to brew it on your own. Under my supervision, of course."
Her face broke out into a wide grin and her eyes were shining. "Thank you Professor!"
He nodded and glanced at the clock on the wall. "That will be all for this evening."
She began packing her bag and when she grabbed the quill she looked at it for a moment and then held out her hand for him to take it. "Thank you for letting me use your quill Professor."
Severus looked at the quill and then back to her. "You may keep it Miss Granger."
Her eyes widened in surprise. "You're… giving me your quill?"
He nodded. "Yes Miss Granger."
"Thank you Professor." She smiled politely and put the quill gently in her bag and slung it over her shoulder and made her way to the door. Before leaving she turned back to him. "I hope you have a wonderful weekend Professor Snape." And before he could reply she walked out the door and shut it behind her.
He sat there for a moment and looked down at his hand. "I barely grazed her palm and my hand felt like it was on fire."
He shook the thought from his head and got up from his chair. He grabbed to box of the Draught of Peace phials his 5th years had brewed and made his way up to the hospital wing.
He was walking slower than normal. The castle corridors were all but deserted since it was so close to curfew. He winded his way up the staircases and down the halls until he was at the doors to the hospital wing.
He walked into Poppy's office and the medi witch greeted him warmly. "Good evening Severus. Is that box of potions for me?"
"Good evening Poppy. I have Draught of Peace phials freshly brewed by 5th years." He set the box on her desk.
"Wonderful! I was running low. You always seem to know when my stock is running low." She waved her wand and the locked cabinet on the wall opened up.
Severus started filling the empty Draught of Peace shelf with the freshly brewed batch.
"Oh! Before I forget Severus," Poppy pulled out a sheaf of parchment from her desk. "I am going to need more Pepperup potion and Skele-gro." She handed the parchment over to him. "You know how students get around the holidays. And with all that nasty weather and Quidditch. Oh…"
"I have a class of 4th years who will be learning these potions within the next few weeks." He folded the parchment and put it into the pocket of his robes.
"She could brew the potions for Poppy." He started to think of Miss Granger. He looked at Poppy. "I also have Miss Granger taking advanced potions from me this year. I will ask for her assistance in this matter as well."
"Oh Severus! That would be lovely. I am sure Miss Granger will do very fine." Poppy smiled sweetly at him.
"Was there anything else you required of me Poppy?"
"No Severus. That was everything I needed. You have yourself a good night now." Poppy waved him off.
He bowed and left the hospital wing.