Disclaimer: Same as previous chapters
CHAPTER 3 – Victory Day
"Pssst, Albus."
The Headmaster turned around looking for the voice that had called his name.
"Albus, over here."
He turned to the dark corner just outside the doors to the Great Hall. "Severus, is that you?"
"Yes Albus. Where is she?"
"Where is who?"
"The shrew, Albus, where is the shrew? I know she's plotting something. Have you seen her this morning?"
Albus laughed this time. "Oh honestly Severus, you talk about her as if she's the incarnate of evil."
"Yes, and that's wrong BECAUSE……?"
"Severus, she's a harmless woman. Why, Professor Granger wouldn't hurt a fly."
"That's easy for you to say. She didn't hit you with a book, or pull a rug out from under you, and she especially didn't turn your bath towel into a portkey and transport you outside the castle gates. I swear to you Albus that if Voldemort hadn't been destroyed I would almost rather appear before him, crawl on my belly, and kiss the hem of his robe rather than face her again."
Dumbledore threw his head back and laughed out loud until he cried. "That's it Severus, I'm tired of these childish games. You two are turning this castle into a war zone. I want you to make peace or at least come up with some type of cease fire. It's time you tamed your shrew. Now let's have some breakfast, shall we."
"That would suit me fine, but you do realize that it's the shrew's turn, don't you?"
Hermione rolled over in bed and groaned. Memories of barfing up the contents of her stomach assaulted her. That was a low blow. After all, all she had done was transport him…nude…and wet…and shivering…out of his private bathroom…and over to the gates of Hogwarts. "I guess that was pretty nasty." She had to grin in spite of herself. But as nasty as that was, it didn't excuse him from putting her in the awkward position of being forced to eat raw bloody liver. Ugh, liver, if there was one food she couldn't stand it was that. She immediately began sweeping her mind for ideas. "An eye for an eye, Professor".
Being in the revenge business was exhausting. He was much more adept at this game. She honestly didn't know if she had it in her to keep up with him. But once again she found the ball in her court and her mind drawing a blank. Thus, the trip into Hogsmeade to clear her head and help her formulate a plan. The Three Broomsticks was crawling with students. She looked longingly through the fogged window at the wooden tables covered with butterbeer bottles and listened to the pleasant chatter. Best to avoid that if she was going to make any headway. Eventually Hermione found herself inside the bookstore wandering up and down the aisles, hoping that an idea would jump out at her. It came in the form of Severus Snape standing in the literature aisle reading a book. She had come around the corner and froze in her tracks. Before she had a chance to run he looked up and their eyes locked. Two sets of very stunned eyes nervously regarded each other.
He recovered first and asked in a horribly taunting tone "Feeling better, Professor Granger?"
She looked down at the book clutched in his hand and fingered her wand. For a long second she thought about repeating the library incident but, in the end, all Hermione did was scowl and stalk off. She heard his soft laughter behind her and that was all the fuel she needed. She thought back to the book he had been reading, Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. Her eyes grew wide and suddenly a light bulb lit over Hermione's head. Her plan of attack was now crystal clear. A quick stop at the Three Broomsticks to enlist the help of Daniel Walsh, a seventh year Gryffindor, and she rushed back to Hogwarts to prepare. It would involve the invisibility cloak again and breaking into his office to steal potion ingredients.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Snape watched with fascination as she stomped off, nose held high in the air. He would never admit it to her but he had felt a slight bit of remorse last night as he had watched her vomit outside the great hall. And the remorse had brought on a momentary desire to hold her hair out of the way and rub her back for comfort. But the desire had been fleeting and was gone just as quickly as it had come. Life certainly had been anything but dull since she had arrived at Hogwarts. As a matter of fact, he was beginning to enjoy their little game. Her jabs at him had been most worthy of any Slytherin. She was making him feel alive and aware again, something he hadn't felt in quite some time. The fact that she was pleasant on the eyes with a sharp mind and wit to match helped matters greatly. Maybe Albus was right. Maybe they should draw up a cease fire. But could they actually be friends if they gave each other the chance. He supposed he was willing to try but she would have to make the first move. He sighed deeply and returned to his book.
Later that evening Hermione executed phase one of her plan. Things hadn't worked quite as smoothly as the first time. She had almost been caught. As a diversion she set off a filibuster firework in the hall outside his classroom. When he ran out to investigate she swept past him a bit too close and the cloak brushed his arm. He reached out, wildly grasping the air like a blind man. She narrowly escaped into the storeroom. Her heart was beating a cadence so loud that she was sure he would hear. Silently she gathered all the ingredients and tucked them under the cloak. On her way out she turned to stare at him. He was clearly on edge but was it the events of the last few minutes or the anticipation of Hermione's impending strike? Either way she felt a strong sense of satisfaction. "I'll get you my little pretty."
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
"OK Daniel, lets go over the plan one more time." they were sitting at the table in the Gryffindor common room.
"Professor Granger, what kind of potion are you making and why won't you tell me the whole plan?" begged Daniel
"Because my potion is against school rules for students and because your part in this is fairly innocent. You're only in this to create a diversion for me. If you're caught you can't incriminate yourself. I don't want you to end up with another detention."
"I'll do whatever it takes to get back at that git, even if it means another night in the dungeons. I just wish you would share the gory details with me."
She smiled fondly at the eager student. He looked a lot like Ron and acted mostly like Harry. "Sorry Daniel, just know that it will be my crowning achievement. Now I have to go back to my room and check on the potion."
Hermione spent the rest of the afternoon locked in her quarters. When the dinner hour arrived a much improved Professor Granger exited the room. Her mass of curls was piled high on the back of her head. A few stray wisps of hair had escaped capture and fell loose about her shoulders. Simple, but elegant, diamond earrings adorned her earlobes while a matching diamond necklace lay gracefully on her chest. Underneath her robes she wore a sleeveless emerald green satin dress that showed off her smooth arms and hugged her tiny form, with a short slit up the back that ended just above her knees. To top it all off, her perfume was a light flowery scent, not heavy and overbearing as perfume can sometimes be. She left a trail of lovesick students as she sashayed down to the Great Hall. A testament to the fact that none of her work was in vain. Underneath her robes she clutched the potion vial tightly in her hand. Passing by Daniel, she gave a quick wink and an ever so slight nod. Timing was of the essence. Moving forward – nodding to the other faculty members – sitting down at the high table next to him – dinner dragging on forever – waiting for Daniel, waiting, waiting – "Yes!" a commotion at the Slytherin table and Daniel was the cause – all attention turning to the house table – NOW! She quickly slipped the vial out and poured the potion into his tea. By the time he had returned and sat down she was standing and making her goodbyes. On the way out she nodded ever so slightly to Daniel.
She was breathless with anticipation as she waited for him to exit the Great Hall. He came out roughly 5 minutes later. Hermione stood at the window of the darkened corridor staring out at the stars.
"Good evening Professor Snape." As this had been their traditional victory cry over the past few days, he jumped nervously and spun around. He was immediately stopped in his tracks. The soft light of the window washed over Hermione and created an angelic aura about her. He stood in utter confusion for a moment "She's beautiful. No, wait a minute, she's the enemy. What am I thinking?"
"Professor Granger, you are looking lovely this evening." "What made me say that?" As his mind did battle with his tongue he gradually came to realize that she was one of the most beautiful creatures he had seen in some time.
"Yes!" thought Hermione, "the love potion is working. Now on to step 3 – seduction then abandonment." Oh this was going to be so good. The power and control she felt was amazing. She clearly understood why the love potion was forbidden for students.
"Why thank you Professor Snape. I was just noticing how beautiful the stars are tonight. Would you care to take a night time stroll?" Her voice was barely more than a whisper. She blinked slowly, emphasizing her long lashes. Her next observation of the potion victim was that his eyes were now glazed and he was entranced by her presence – typical side effects of the love potion.
"What am I doing?" he inwardly asked but nevertheless said "Oh yes, most definitely. There's nothing more I'd like to do than take a stroll with you." He offered her his arm. She pulled in close to him and accepted it. The pulse in the crook of his arm was beating madly. That too was on the list of side effects of the love potion.
The waxing moon was a mere fingernail in the sky. The night air held a slight chill and the smell of burning wood mixed with damp leaves. They walked slowly around the grounds, his eyes fixed on her the entire time. It was actually a bit disconcerting. To ease the tension she began to babble. Instead of showing disgust from her constant stream of expressions, he held onto every thought, every word that came from her mouth, his eyes never leaving this vision of beauty. A quick burst of wind caused a shiver to roll over her and she broke her constant flow of words. Ever attentive, he quickly placed an arm around her. For warmth, he would tell himself later. He pointed to a bench on the edge of the garden, keeping his ebony eyes set on her. She sat down, made herself comfortable, and stared up at the stars and Snape continued to stare at her as he settled down beside her.
"That bright red star is Mars. Over there is the constellation Orion. That's a sign that Autumn is here. Venus is out tonight too, the planet of love." she glanced over at him
"Mmmm." He mumbled, looking directly into her eyes.
"Professor, you're not looking at the stars."
"No, I'm looking at something much more beautiful." He whispered
"What a dupe. This is going better than I would have hoped." She inwardly giggled.
Slowly he slipped his arm around her waist. "Close to the kill, Hermione. Steady, steady" she told herself
She could feel the heat flowing off him in waves and had to admit that it felt wonderful. "It's taking the chill off the air," she reasoned with herself. He brought his hand up, caressed her cheek softly, and leaned slightly towards her, his face now hovering close to hers. She could see the fire burning in his glazed eyes and experienced a surprising pang of regret that it was only because of the potion. It would be so easy to lose herself in his eyes. And his lips looked so soft and inviting. With a quick shake of her head she tore her gaze away and recovered. "Anyone would think I was the one who drank the potion. Enough of that, its time for the final stab."
"Professor." She whispered
"Uh huh?" he slowly replied, hypnotized by her beauty, or by the potion.
"I just wanted you to know that I slipped a love potion in your tea tonight at dinner. It should wear off in about 12 hours but I'll be leaving now. That's Snape – 2, Granger – 2." Grinning with triumph she slowly rose to her feet but a tug on her wrist made her glance down.
"Professor Granger…Hermione…" He murmured "there's something you should know. I didn't drink my tea tonight."
Hermione gasped and staggered slightly as the gravity of his statement swept over her. He pulled her back down onto the bench. She offered no resistance.
"I also know what you tried to pull tonight." He chuckled softly
She looked up at him in confusion, a bit annoyed that he was laughing at her "But how?"
"As you know, I have a very tight inventory control on my storeroom. Last night something strange happened outside my door. I have a feeling you know all about that, don't you?" He paused and watched her cheeks stain a burning red. "Ah, I thought you did. After the commotion I thoroughly checked the rooms and noted that several potion ingredients were missing. When I listed them out they all added up to a love potion. Logically it had to have been you but I couldn't be sure."
She held her head in her free hand and wallowed in self pity but continued to listen. "When I saw you at dinner tonight looking like a stunning angel, my suspicions mounted. So after Mr. Walsh's strange unprovoked attack on my house's table I refrained from eating or drinking anything else. I was absolutely certain it was you when I saw you at the window outside the Great Hall, almost as if you were awaiting me." He smirked at her for a moment.
Well, so much for losing herself in his eyes. Hermione threw up her arms in disgust and snapped at him "Well, I guess that's it then. It's Snape - 3, Granger – 1. Was this little show of affection tonight your payback? I hope you enjoyed it. You win Professor, you're the victor. I can't compete. Good evening Professor Snape."
She attempted to stand but he pulled her down again. "Hermione, don't go. I'll admit that when I figured out your plan tonight I had a strong desire to torment you. After all, you make it so easy for me." She flinched in anger and tried to pull away but he tightened his grip on her wrist. "Just hear me out. It's just that I wasn't quite prepared for how beautiful you look tonight. And you do look beautiful, Hermione." He stared at her for a moment and then continued. "Can't we forget about this little conflict we've created and just be friends?"
She sat stunned for a moment then his arms wrapped around her and again there was his eyes, those knowing eyes, still glazed over but not from the effect of any love potion. She found herself spellbound by them. And just when did she begin to tremble? He brought his mouth down to her captured wrist and brushed against her pulse. All she could think to do was stare. Then just as quickly, his eyes lifted back to hers. He brought his lips close to her mouth and pressed them on hers, softly at first as if waiting for her confirmation. She desperately wanted to believe him. She was tired of the revenge and the jokes and the teasing. In a split second she made her decision and wound her arms around his neck. When he deepened the kiss she felt that wonderful electric charge that only comes from a first kiss and she was lost. The war was over. The only coherent thought in her mind was that she hoped he was sincere. But as the seconds passed and their lips remained locked together in a deepening heat she knew she need not worry. This was no trick, no Slytherin jab to get back at her. The slate was wiped clean. They broke apart and she breathlessly gasped "I surrender". Quickly he pulled her back into his arms to finalize the terms of the treaty.
A/N: I want to thank all my reviewers again. You guys are great! Please keep reviewing. I value your opinions so much. I have to admit that I was very insecure when I first posted this but you all have made me feel like its OK. I've been having so much fun writing this story and I hope you all have been having just as much fun reading it.
To Aries: I LOVED your idea about the robes. Unfortunately I had already written chapter 3. But if I hadn't I would have definitely used that angle. It would have been Lockhart's robes though knowing how much Snape loathed him. Thanks for suggesting it.