Love Potion Gone Bitter
A/N: Sorry for the last chapter, I know it stunk, but I really wanted to get something posted up. Please disregard my run-on sentences, it's a bad habit I have, I know. It's likely that some of the characters might be a tad OoC; it was immensely difficult trying to put them in situations that J.K. Rowlings has never even remotely placed them in. To all of you who think this sick and twisted… I award a big "N'YAH" to! This is MY story and though I'm hesitant in putting the Potion's Master in this predicament… Well, desperate measures must be taken! So if you have a problem with it, I suggest you go and read one of those unoriginal, corny, and sappy Harry/Hermione stories! (No offense to anyone, as I've read several very good ships of those.)
Disclaimer: Everyone but Sarah Hernandez and Gerald the Jolly Giant belong to J.K. Rowlings.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"P-Professor Snape…this is highly improper…" stammered a panic-stricken Sarah who retreated backwards toward the door from the approaching Potion's Master.
"Yes…it is, isn't it…?" Severus replied absently. "Really, I wish you would at least stay and hear my proposal," he added in a silky voice as soft as the petals on the crimson rose which resided in his outstretched hand.
While Hermione had been concerned over her DADA professor's health, Sarah had been near tears in trying to figure out what was so wrong with her bewilderment potion that the head of her house had made her stay after class for.
"Umm…" Sarah backed up against the door all the while keeping her eyes on her professor.
"This is very improper…" she repeated again in a whimper as he advanced upon her.
"I believe you said that already, my dear," our bewitched Snape stated casually.
"But..but there's something you have to know," Sarah stated, trying to stall for time in order to grope around for the door knob.
"What is
it, then?" he asked, coming
closer...ever closer as if a shark closing in on his prey…
"….You…" she pressed up
against the door as far as she could.
"You're just…" she searched faster for the knob as he leaned in towards
her. "…You're just too old for me!" she
exclaimed before succeeding in opening the door and falling backwards into the
classroom.
Remaining only long enough to balance herself, Sarah slipped and stumbled back onto her feet before skidding out the dungeon door.
Professor Snape leaned agains the doorframe, watching after her, smirking to himself.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Hmm…" wondered Hermione as she hesitated in front of Professor Lupin's door.
Due to the short time she had to get to her next class, Hermione had asked Lupin if she could possibly go after school to see him. He agreed, somewhat resentfully, if you asked her. ("If you really have no time," he responded with the smallest of a sigh.)
Professor Lupin's office was connected by a door to his usual classroom. The window was smoky, but had a thin line less than a centimeter wide around the perimeter of the glass which was perfectly clear.
This is what Hermione was using to spy into the room.
Well…it is almost time for the full moon… And everyone knows how he can get a bit strange before it… He's probably just feeling shaky is all, she thought.
She saw nothing unusual in his office; several plants, a coathanger, file cabinet, stacks of paper strewn in various places across the desk… In fact, the only thing that seemed peculiar was a box on top of his desk that Hermione strongly suspected was housing a boggart for his third or second years.
She moved a little to the left to see into the right of the room which she scanned thoughtfully.
She was so preoccupied peering into the room that she jumped when she heard a throat being cleared behind her.
She shut her eyes and stood up slowly, recognizing what felt to be a bucket of water thrown at her to actually be force of the adrenaline rushing to her face. She turned around to see Professor Lupin leaning against the side of the door frame smiling good-naturedly, hands in his robe pockets, one ankle crossed over another.
"If you don't mind, Ms. Granger, I'd like to get into my office," he smiled pleasantly managing to worsen the already vivid shade of her face. He pretended not to notice, however, as he rummaged around his pocket for his keys.
She stepped aside quickly. "I… I'm sorry, I didn't know if you were in, or if you were busy, or –"
He shook his head and fiddled around with the lock until he heard a click. At this, he put his keys away then took out his wand, tapped the lock twice, and muttered something inaudible to Hermione's flushed ears.
"Don't worry about it; it's perfectly alright," he swung the door open and stood aside, allowing her to walk in.
Now, the potion had been in effect for about four hours now for Remus rather than the one hour it had been for Severus, so naturally, a bit of it had worn off.
At least, Remus had now regained his head on matters.
Most of it, anyway.
Hermione, remembering the last time she was in his office, hesitated by the doorway, chewing on her lower lip.
Remus closed the door and walked over to a chair across from his and pulled it out for her, flashing a small grin.
"Sit down… I won't bite – Too hard," he added, smiling at his own joke which seemed to relax Hermione as she went ahead and took a seat.
He held onto the back of her chair perhaps a bit longer than he had to before letting it go and moving across the table to take a seat himself.
She hadn't noticed until now, but Hermione suddenly realized that the box that had been stationed on the very same table she was presently sitting in was gone.
Puzzling over this, she was going to ask Professor Lupin about the boggart when he gently pushed a candy tray filled with an assortment of various wrapped chocolates toward her in silent courtesy.
She took one politely and muttered a, "Thank you," but didn't eat the sweet; rather, she fiddled around with the wrapper in her hand.
There was a short silence between them during which Professor Lupin folded his hands neatly on the table, grey eyes upon her while Hermione fingered the chocolate nervously.
"Professor…" she started to break the silence. "What is this about, exactly…?"
Glancing downwards at his cherrywood table, Professor Lupin remained silent for a moment before unfolding his hands, sitting up straighter in the recliner and fixing Hermione with his warm grey stare.
"It has come to my attention," he began quietly. "That you and Ms. …Hernandez," he pronounced carefully. "Have shown a ah…slight interest in our exchange students from Norkten Academy." The corners of his mouth tugged upwards in what would have been a smile had he not smited it out of courtesy in response to Hermione's cheeks which were beginning to become slightly tinged once again.
Pretending to be oblivious to this, he continued.
"I was wondering, Hermione –"
Uh-oh, she thought, fighting down the pool of panic that was rising in her stomach. He hasn't called me Hermione since after that incident in my third year… He's becoming personal about this. I must have done something really wrong…
"Do you and Ms. Hernandez have escorts to the Halloween Ball?"
Hermione blinked and shook her head slowly, wondering what this was all about.
"No, professor, as a matter of fact we don't," she responded quietly, suddenly feeling very degraded about it.
"As a professor, I'm afraid I can't ask you to consider acompanying Mr. Lycan or Mr. Brewer…" he stated forthcomingly.
"But as a friend," he said slowly in a soft voice. "I'm asking you to at least consider it," he prounounced everything clearly yet quietly in his soft English accent.
Hermione sat there, contemplating the question just asked by her friend/professor over before leaning forward and causing the professor to sit back in his chair the tiniest bit.
"Remus," she looked at him closely. "What does it matter to you who me and Sarah go to the ball with?"
He shrugged.
"These boys are new and as a professor, I care about their well-being and how they feel about this school. I doubt they've had a chance to meet many girls in their short time here.."
She stared.
"Remus," she said, fighting back a laugh. "Those two boys are 1.) Very intelligent. 2.) Very good-looking. And 3.) considered "fresh meat."
She shook her head and didn't notice Remus' discomfort.
"They could easily have any girl in the sixth year and below and many in their seventh year."
"I ah…see…" he coughed slightly. "But then again," he looked at her seriously. "I'm asking you, not them."
She sat there for a while in silence before smiling and standing up, gathering her purse and her bag.
Remus simply watched Hermione and made no move to stop her as she walked over to the door.
"Of course, Professor," she smiled and opened the door.
"If Phillip Lycan or Charles Brewer just happen to suddenly take interest in me or Sarah and asks us to the ball, I promise you, we won't decline."
With that, she left him and closed the door.
Remus was walking past the portrait of the Fat Lady on his way to his own quarters when someone pulled him aside behind the large statue of Gerald, the Jolly Giant.
Phillip shook his head knowingly at him, smiled, and said simply, "You coward."
Remus laughed and each in a synchronized movement, gave each other a very child-like high-five.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Since the next day was the day of the Halloween Ball, the headmaster had allowed a trip to Hogsmeade so all the students could buy some last-minute materials for the approaching night.
Sarah had stayed behind in the Slytherin common room since she hadn't seen Charles all day and therefore, hadn't been asked, and had planned on staying locked in her dormitory the entire night of the Ball.
She was the only one in the common room that night; all the underclassmen were out somewhere, it seemed, so she lay sprawled on back upon a grey couch which shone silver in the dancing fire in front of her, hands folded over her stomach, one leg down upon the cushion, the other raised up slightly in a sort of "A" position.
She stared upwards at the Silver "S" curled around a green serpent upon the otherwise black ceiling. The chairs and couches were all silver, the carpet was a dark, nearly black, green, and the tables were made of a dark oaken color.
She had temporarily forgotten about the incident in Potions and was simply losing herself in thought, staring up at the "S" as she often did whenever she got a chance. Sure, she enjoyed Hermione's company, but sometimes, the Gryffindor was more a bundle of talk and energy (not to mention nerves) than the Slytherin could handle, and she needed time by herself once in a while.
She sighed softly, a strand of hair falling across her face as she did so.
She raised a hand to brush it out of her face, but stopped and lowered it quickly as she heard a small swish of robes, and the "click, click" of shoes upon the piece of wooden floor in front of the couch.
She turned her head just in time to meet the dark, enigmatic eyes of the boy who had always captured her fancy and wonder.
Charles was kneeling down so that he was eye-level with her, a small confident smirk on his pale face amongst the rest of his dark features.
He brushed away the strand of hair from her face, and brandished a deep red rose from his pocket, kissed the petals softly, and held it out to her slightly.
"You'd be doing me a great honor if you agreed to accompany me tomorrow to the Halloween Ball, Ms. Hernandez," he spoke quietly, almost in a whisper and breaking the silence of the common room.
He was on one knee, positioned so that the light from the flames flickered across his face, in his eyes. He was looking at her steadily and she right back at him, then at the rose in his oustretched hand.
She was quiet a moment, the silence only interrupted by the crackle of the fire, then nodded slowly, gently taking the rose from his hand.
A slow smile spread across the boy's face and he took her free hand lightly, kissed it, then stood up and swept off without another word.
A/N: I thank all my reviewers! LilyAyl, yes, I'm sure my characters were somewhat OoC, as I have mentioned before, and I apologize. Angie, what do you mean I'm "fulfilling Nicolette's dreams"…? I haven't the vaguest conception of what you're talking about! **slides a certain photograph out of sight with her shoe**