Things are getting underway, a bit, at least:-)
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The next few days got more and more annoying. More annoying for nearing end of term even, than usual. He found himself surrounded by fools, what did he say, not only surrounded but cornered. People who hadn't come near him for ages seemed to jump on him in the most absurd places imaginable. Tried to touch him even. Severus didn't like being touched. And he didn't like being followed around by fools. Something must be happening here, he thought, but he couldn't for the life of him fathom what exactly. Sitting idly at dinner, being finished with eating long before the others, he saw that Harry Potter, the saviour etcetera etcetera, looked hounded. Some junior Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws and even one or more of the elder Slytherins nearly tore his shaggy enough clothes apart. An evil smirk crossed his lips. Well, it seemed that fame wasn't everything indeed.
He felt a move at his side and jerked his head in that direction. "What on earth do you think you are doing there?" he hissed at Minerva, who happened to have a stray black hair between her thin fingers. Interesting. He would never have thought that the deputy headmistress could blush like a school girl, a very silly one at that. Not that she said much. Mumbled something of cleaning up, which was ridiculous, come to think of it, but what did he care if McGonagall was out of her tree? Not his problem. Should Albus see to it.
He stood up abruptly. The time had come to give the Polyjuice potion its final stir. He nearly tripped over Lupin, who seemed to be so hungry that he had to eat up his left-overs. Or did he want them to take away? Severus snarled at the man. Not that Lupin seemed impressed. He clutched the piece of bread the Potions master had rolled up into a tight little ball like something really precious, and grinned like the moron he was.
Severus Snape left this madness. He saw that Potter followed him with desperate eyes. He nearly chuckled. Well, not even the famous seeker could get out of the siege that several Weasleys, Creeveys, Patils, Wood, and Hooch had lain him under. And Albus did nothing to free his boy hero. He tapped Potter's shoulder and Severus didn't trust his eyes. Surely, Albus couldn't have ripped a hair of Potter? No, his eyesight must be becoming extremely bad. All that potions steam couldn't be too good. Shaking his head solemnly he was lucky to meet just Malfoy and his bunch on the way to his dungeons, well, Malfoy and the whole of Slytherin, more precise. They talked him out of his used handkerchief, for some reason only Trelawney knew. He didn't care enough for asking. They behaved ridiculous like Gryffindors upon receipt. Someone might even think they were up to something. He shook his head sadly and retreated into his dungeons. The world had turned an even more moronic shade than usual.
He finished the first batch of potion. Filled it into portion-size bottles, stoppered and labelled them. As always after finishing a potion, he felt quite well. This was one thing he really enjoyed doing on this sad planet. And he was rather good at it.
He decided to bring the stuff to Hogsmeade himself. He didn't trust the house owls to deliver the bunch of bottles secretly. And his own owl, old and haughty Algernon, would be needing four weeks to get the bottles delivered. And he didn't want to hurt his feelings. After all, it was the only one left from his family and by far the nicest, anyhow. And what time was like the present? Exactly.
It was a pleasant Friday evening for a walk into Hogsmeade and an astonishing number of students and teachers alike seemed to have become suddenly fond of walking. He met half the pupils of age on his way, and more than a third of the staff. How – strange. And slightly displeasing. He didn't do anything wrong, of course, but people might begin to think about him. He didn't like being thought about, he'd rather not be seen. But the people he met didn't seem to be too eager on being seen, either. They averted his eyes as much as was possible and some had faces of rather fetching shades of red. Well if one liked red, and there had only been one person in his life who ... But there was no point in thinking about that right now. That person was far away and how much the better. Severus straightened his already painfully erect spine and moved on.
The place was rather more crowded than the last time he visited and reeked of magic. He was sure that there were lots of rooms and lots of people but he didn't see anyone other than the door man. He turned around, to look if he was watched. He had used a light invisibility charm for being around the house, but better be careful. There seemed to be movement behind, but nothing he could really lay his hands on. He shrugged and let down the charm enough for the doorman to see and recognize him.
He was shown into the room of last time. He couldn't just give the doorman the precious drug, now could he? Simply not. He was a master and would only consort with equals. Had nothing to do with a voice in his mind that was rather fond of meeting that woman again. He hadn't wait for long.
With fluent movements and just a touch of shine on her brow, showing the busy state of business, Snape guessed, Madam Aphrodisia turned up in the room Snape was waiting for her. She was wearing black again, fluid and slightly shiny robes, much like his own and then – definitely not. His robes didn't float around him like that, and surely didn't show his form that distinctly and yet discreetly. Well, his form was quite different from that of this woman anyhow and nobody would have wanted to look at him like that.
She came quite close, standing directly in front of him, her auburn hair touching his forehead. She had a crease between her arched brows as if she had difficulty seeing him. Severus Snape, potions master of Hogwarts, and most terrifying teacher of all times, most terrifying former death eater, well, if you didn't count Voldemort himself and perhaps Lucius Malfoy, found it quite difficult to breathe under the attack on his senses. She smelled like no woman had a right to smell. And only the touch of a touch of her hair made him feel dizzy. And he realized with a terror he hadn't felt since Voldemort's defeat, that he had an urgent wish to explore the body beneath the robe. And no woman had the right to induce that wish in him. He tried to get away from this sorceress, this temptress, this – Helena, and hit the wall behind.
The woman followed, squinting her eyes even more. They were of the strangest colour he had ever seen and he felt the urge to look into them to make it out. Exactly. Scientifically. Yes. Just like that. They were brown and green and grey and just a touch of blue. They were iridescent. Irritating. No eyes had the right to be like that.
Somehow her head had come closer again. Her eyes lost that irritated air and opened. Green definitely, no, brown. And her mouth opened as well, lips that were luscious beyond words, curled, as if in a dream, a very wicked dream. He never had dreams of the sort. She smiled. Severus found it harder to breathe and his robes not as voluminous as he had thought. This came as one of the biggest shocks of his life.
"Severus, is that you? I can hardly see you". The voice sounded a bit irritated, but warm and tender and touched him as no voice had the right to touch him. Especially not one of that timbre. She couldn't see him? Oh well, she could touch him well enough. Severus looked along his nose on a hand that was well groomed but not especially feminine, lying on his own. It was not so very much smaller in comparison. Severus had the desperate feeling that he was blushing. No, that couldn't be. He had lost that human capacity long ago, together with lots of other things, his innocence and belief in a supernatural being that ruled the earth with kindness. Well, other than Albus Dumbledore, and he wasn't too sure about that one either.
And he was not trembling either. What had she said? She couldn't see him. Oh. Idiot. He muttered the spell that removed the invisibility charm completely. She started, as he suddenly rose out of the shadows, but didn't loose the touch of him. No, his robes didn't show anything. He had spelled them to hide each and everything when he started teaching. Couldn't be too careful there, now could he? Wouldn't do to work for Voldemort and Albus, and juggling the most explosive ingredients that were his life and get sacked because of an unruly part of his body that insisted on having human reactions. No, no robe of his showed the potions master in his true state. And how much better for everyone concerned. Or not concerned. Why would such a splendid creature would have anything to do with him? Sour, dour, evil-spirited, mean and nasty Snape? Well, if he himself could overcome his natural inhibitions against this special woman, her job and gender. Well, it would never do.
"Oh there you are", her voice was husky, and a little amused. Her hand stroked about his and the wrist above it and sent sparks through his veins. He swallowed and just watched her. He couldn't have moved just now, if the whole of Hogwarts had entered the room, followed by selected death eaters.
"You brought me something?" Her voice reached his ear again after how much time he couldn't tell. He shook himself out of his reverie. Surely, he must have looked like an idiot, gaping at her like Longbottom at him, understanding nothing. Now, there was a good thought. Longbottom! That would do to come back to business. Potions. Right?