Chapter Three: Time for some brewing
Hermione spent her weekend completing her needed course work and sleeping. She felt great by Monday afternoon. She felt better prepared for the grueling schedule she was sure Professor Snape would have for her brewing. She was reading a potion book she found in the library that explained different preparation techniques for ingredients. She found herself immersed in her reading at lunch time, that she hadn't heard Harry mention her.
"Earth to Hermione!" He said waving his hand by her face. She blinked a few times and smacked his hand away. "Hey!" He exclaimed.
"What is it?" Hermione asked, startled a bit.
"I was just asking about your detentions. Are you going to have to meet with the bat every evening like last week?"
"I'm not sure, I am to meet with him after dinner tonight to discuss it."
"What exactly is he making you do?"
Hermione blushed slightly, she hadn't told any of her friends much about her detentions so far, not wanting to explain. She looked around the Great Hall and noticed there for the first time, how many people were around her. Her eyes darted to the faculty table and saw Professor Snape looking annoyed by the conversation he was obviously stuck in with Professor McGonagall. "Not here, I'll explain after classes."
#9
Ron was petulant while they walked off to the secluded spot just outside the castle, near the whomping willow. "Why are you dragging us all the way out here?" He whined.
"Because what I'm telling you, I want the least number of people knowing about. I'm a bit embarrassed by the whole thing."
"So what is it? It can't be too bad, right?" Harry asked
"Ok, here's what happened." She chronicled the events from last week, the night she nipped the books, her eventual discovery and assignment.
"Blimey!" Ron said
"Hermione! Why would you do that?!" Harry stared at her, gaping.
"Because I wanted to protect you! And now that I know just how dangerous those potions could be in the wrong hands I'm even more glad that I attempted the whole endeavor. I'm just embarrassed about what I will brewing."
"So what is the Greasy Git going to do with those potions after you've made them?" Ron asked with slight disgust.
Hermione just stared blankly at Ron. She had no answer and didn't know how to respond. "I um have no clue. I can possibly ask him. But I don't know if he'll actually tell me."
#9
She left dinner early in order to return the potion books to the library. Not wanting to be seen with them. But a part of her just wanted to pitch them into Black Lake. But since they were still in her possession, via Madam Pince, she thought better of it. She was only met with the elder witch's scathing stare. But saw no damage done to the books and returned them to the stacks.
Hermione then turned tail and made her way to the dungeon to meet with Professor Snape. The whole time she walked she contemplated her enormous task. The list broke down into 4 consumables, either baked into a dessert or mixed with a hard candy or layered over chocolate. She figured the similar base for those four could be done at the same time. 3 of them drinkable, 2 of which could be diluted with a beverage (non alcoholic) and one that had to be drunk straight up. She found that one rather impractical. And there was one that was an aromatic, which she truly didn't understand, how someone wouldn't notice the scent. The latter two she wanted to ask her professor about. And then there was the beast that was the Amortentia. That one was the one that worried her the most.
Her musing ended as she knocked on the professor's office door. After a long moment she heard a annoyed sounding "Enter." She walked in hesitantly. He rose from his chair as soon she walked in. "Since the nature of your brewing could be misused by other students, you will be brewing in my personal lab."
She felt rather honored by this, she knew her professor to be a very private man and to allow her access to his private sanctuary was humbling. He pressed a spot on the wall and door opened. It lead into an immaculate looking space. It was obvious that he did a lot of brewing in here, by the number of stations set up, but the place was clean and organized.
"I will need to see your list of items again, I will bring you what is needed. Do not attempt to enter my stores, if you need more of something or botch a potion, you will inform me so I can get the ingredients." She was slightly offended. But he glossed over her attempt to interrupt him. "There is no reason for the theatrics, you are still rather inexperienced at potions and these potions are unfamiliar, therefore WHEN you mess up you WILL ask me for replacements. I will leave this door open while you work." She didn't like that he just assumed she would botch things. He returned a short time later with all the needed ingredients. He left them in a box near the first brewing station. He nodded at her, indicating her to begin and he walked out.
She began preparing the ingredients for the base for the first four potions. Since the ingredients for their base was virtually the same. She was still in a huff over his parting words, muttering about how arrogant and mean spirited he was, that she was being haphazard with the ingredients. And soon she noticed that the base was off, before she could fix it, it blew up. She managed to contain it to the cauldron, as she cursed. "Crap."
Hermione swore she heard a deep chuckle come from the other room. She cleaned up the mess and had to swallow her pride and ask for the replacements. It felt like walking to ones execution as she made her way to his office. "Excuse me, professor." She said quietly. He turned in his chair and stared at her smugly. "I need a few replacement ingredients. There was an accident." She said in the lowest of whispers.
"I'm sorry, Miss Granger. I couldn't hear you, what was it you required?" Hermione's anger started flair, he was toying with her.
"I need to replace some ingredients for my base, it blew up." She said curtly.
"Is that how you ask for something?" He smirked.
She snarled a bit "I am in need of replacements for my base, please professor." The latter of the statement coming out through clenched teeth.
"Since you asked so nicely." Snape said sarcastically. He got up and chuckled as he walked off toward his private stores. Once he returned and gave the ingredients over, still looking smug.
Hermione couldn't hold her tongue. "It's your fault!"
Snape looked at her feigning confusion. "I beg your pardon?"
"You were rude in insinuating I would screw up, that I ended up messing up because of it."
"Typical Gryffindor. So easily ruled by your emotions." He waved her off, dismissing her, before she could retort.
#9
It was a couple of hours later, Hermione was still fuming over the whole embarrassing situation before, damn arrogant git. But she was being very careful as she put the finally finished large quantity of her base under stasis, not wanting to have to see his smug face again. She was mad at her self for the wasted time and now had to deal with being behind schedule. She had hoped to have at least got a start on at least one potion by now. Taking one last look at the large cauldron. She walked over to his office. She noticed he wasn't marking but reading. He looked more relaxed, then she had ever seen him. He wasn't scowling, but appeared to be quite serene. All the creases in his face were gone, making him look much younger. She wondered if she looked so at peace when she read. It didn't occur to Hermione that she was openly staring at the dark professor.
"It is rude to stare, Miss Granger." He said silently, not looking up from his book. Which she was grateful for, because she instant flushed, embarrassed over being caught.
"I'm sorry, I didn't want to disturb you."
"What is it you need?"
"I finally finished my base, put it under stasis. But I may have underestimated my time and haven't gotten to start my potions yet. I was wondering when I could come back?"
He indicated for her to take a seat, which she did. He pulled out his ledger. "When would you like to? Minus Wednesday and Thursday, for which I have patrol, my evenings are clear."
"May I return tomorrow then."
Snape nodded and made the appropriate notation in his schedule. "I hope you won't let this consume too much of your time, you will still be required to stay on course in your classes." Hermione threw him in an incredulous look. He was the one who assigned this damnable detention.
"I am fully capable of handling the workload, sir."
"On top of your prefect duties?" This got a small growl from the witch.
"I will arrange things." Then her mind clicked as her insidious plan took hold. "I'll just arrange my patrols to accompany yours, sir." Now was her turn to smile smugly.
"You are willingly allowing more time in my presence." He leaned forward menacingly. "You will find that you quickly regret it."
But Hermione wasn't going to be frightened by him. She was determined to show him that she could handle things and exceed his expectations of her. Maybe even respect her famed work ethic, but probably not. "I'm sure that I will, but it won't deter me." She said as she strolled out of the office.
#9
Her classes were rather uneventful as she was mostly looking forward to getting started on her potions that evening. Her conversation with Professor McGonagall after Transfiguration about her prefect schedule was easily accepted. Apparently the two evenings were usually given to Slytherin prefects because no one else could handle working with the Slytherin Head. Also expressed her disapproval of the length of her punishment, but was overruled on over turning it. And before Hermione walked out of the classroom, the elder witch stopped her.
"Hermione, dear. If he's becomes too intolerable, you will tell me and I will make sure the sessions end."
Hermione looked back at her Head of House. "I will, but I don't think it will be needed."
Hermione kept the encounter in mind as she made her to dungeons. She knocked on the door and it opened. As she expected, Snape was sitting at his desk looking slightly less annoyed then the previous day. He got up and opened the wall to his private lab and allowed her to enter. And she went straight to work. She wanted to get most of the prep done for the first four potions and get at least 2 started since she wouldn't be able to come back for at least 2 days.
While prepping the ingredients, she looked over the possible food items she would need to procure or worst make to accommodate them. She also desperately wanted to ask him about the two potions that perplexed her. "Professor." She called out hesitantly
It took him a few moments, she presumed he would respond when he was at a stopping point. Soon enough she heard his chair move and he appeared in the door way. "What?"
"I had some questions. Firstly, the potions I'm currently working on are expected to made into some confections. But wasn't sure if you wanted me to go that far. Secondly I had a hard time understanding the practical use of two of them."
"Which two?" He seemed amused at her query.
Hermione blushed as she recalled the names of the potions. "The ones called Love is in the Air and Wedded Bliss." She hated the books even more now that she had to say the dreadful names.
Snape chuckled as he watched the witch's embarrassment. "And what about them has you confused."
"Well with Love is in the Air. It an aromatic that would be very noticeable to people, wouldn't they be suspicious?"
"Miss Granger, That particular potion was created in the late sixties. When people freely used illegal substances and would attempt to cover them up with strong scents of incense. The witch or wizard who would use this such potion would do so it enact a more relax group event." He kept his answer as vague as possible. Not wanting to truly have a conversation regard orgies with a student. But the realization of the mindset of that particular decade was. She caught the drift and blushed.
"So they used it in place of incense and allowed things to follow suit." She paused because she wasn't sure she wanted to ask more about these supposed love potions.
"And what about Wedded Bliss?" She cursed silently at him for bring it up.
"Isn't the whole point of love potion is to enchant someone unaware of it? This one seemed rather inconvenient, since you had to drink the potion alone."
"Are you aware of relationships in pure blood families are arranged?" Hermione simply shook her head. "They are usually done at birth at the agreement of the two families. Now some families would co-mingle often in the hopes that their children will come together quickly and produce more little pure blood babies. But there are also a great deal of them who could care a less about compatibility and the couple only meet to become properly engaged and wed. So there is a need to find a way to find your new partner appealing so that you may consummate your vows."
Hermione felt a mixture of flabbergasted and appalled. "So the potion is to make yourself fallen in love with, in a sense a complete stranger?" Snape simply nodded. "That's horrific."
"Not everyone get their fairy tale ending, Miss Granger. Best you realize this now." He paused for beat "Now, regarding the ones that you were initially so concerned with. I will in fact provide the treats required. And we can have you test them so you have a reference to test Boy Wonders gifts from his many admirers.
Hermione wanted to say something back. But held her tongue, even if it didn't stop her from rolling her eyes at him.
#9
She didn't bother her professor for the remainder of her time, until she put nearly finished potions under statis. She went to his office hoping to be excused. "Sir, I'm done for tonight. The last bit is for when added to the sweets and I didn't think I would have time for that this evening."
"That's fine." He stood to check on his lab and also to check her charm work on the cauldrons. "I saw that switching you prefect shift wasn't an issue."
"As a matter of fact I think I gained my own admirer, by way of the young man, whom seemed all to pleased be switched." Hermione couldn't believe she had something so cheeky to her stoic professor. If he was offended by her comment, he didn't let on. She instead attempted to make a quick getaway.
"Be sure to be prompt to patrol tomorrow night." Was his parting words before he left his office.