Author's Note: Thank you once again for all of the reviews! I'm always hesitant to write
more until I know what people think of the story so far. I guess that makes me a bit of a
review whore, huh? Anyway, enjoy these next few chapters.
24. …Snape is impressed by Hermione's work
"No! No no no NOOO!" Harry's violent side was out in force. "Did you all understand
me? NO!" He actually fell off of the desk he was perched on because he was so angry.
"Harry, shut up," Hermione said plainly. "We have to trust Draco on this one. He doesn't
like his father any more than we do, okay?" Draco, and Professor Snape stared open-
mouthed at Harry, who had begun pacing about the Potions classroom. Ginny and Ron
sat in desks at the very back of the room, trying to avoid the waves of wrath emanating
from the slight, black haired boy.
"We should have just trusted Sirius!" Harry whined. Draco snickered, but was quickly
silenced by a deadly glare from Professor Snape. The group had just finished fine-tuning
the story that Draco would tell his father, and it seemed plausible that Lucius would buy
the whole thing. Harry, however, was not taking things well. He was entirely too used to
pig-headedly taking on danger by himself and could not stand the idea of letting others
risk their lives for him.
"I think I'm going to bed," Ginny announced, standing up. She practically ran out the
door.
"As you all should," Snape said in a tired voice. "As much as I hate to do this, I am going
to have to ask Miss Granger to stay up and assist me with the potion, as she is the only
one of the lot of you who isn't likely to botch it up." At this, Harry's anger evaporated
and he high-tailed it out of the room in his gladness to escape more alone time with
Snape, grabbing Ron by the neck and dragging him along. Draco shrugged and, tapping
the stone in the wall that Snape had shown him, made his way through the secret door
that opened and into Snape's private quarters. The door slammed shut behind him.
The frown lines in Snape's forehead relaxed a little bit with the exit of most of the
meddlesome students from his classroom. "Alright, please go into my storeroom and get
the wolfsbane, dragons claw, Australian beetle shells, a mortar and pestle, some tongs…"
he listed off five or six more ingredients from memory. "I trust you know where
everything is in there," he said with great sarcasm.
Hermione hurried to the storeroom and collected the required ingredients. Although she
did not relish working with Professor Snape, part of her was oddly pleased that he trusted
her enough to assist him with such a difficult potion. She came back and arranged them
carefully on his desk, taking great care to ignore the box of kappa hides that she had
helped prepare.
Snape dictated instructions to her, allowing Hermione to do most of the manual labor
while he measured and handled the dangerous ingredients. She pounded dragon's claw to
a fine, translucent powder, made a decoction of beetle shells and 200-year old whiskey
(she didn't ask why it had to be that particular age), and diced yew root until her hands
hurt. Several hours later, Snape announced that the next step was to simmer the potion for
twenty minutes. Hermione gratefully slumped into a chair.
Snape examined the bubbling cauldron, an oddly pleased smile on his face. "He's
enjoying this," Hermione thought unkindly. She watched him closely, analyzing his
expression. His hair didn't seem as greasy as usual, she noted with surprise. It looked like
he had had a little bit of sun over the break as well, because his skin wasn't its usual
sallow tone.
After ten or so minutes of silence, Snape put down his silver stirring implement and
spoke. "I am pleased with your work. The beetle decoction should have been a bit
stronger, but it will suffice."
"I…uh…" Hermione didn't know what to say to praise from the man who had once
cruelly mocked her teeth in front of a group of students. "Thank you?" She supposed she
should stand up and start cleaning the phials and such, but her head was suddenly feeling
a bit woozy, and the room seemed to be slightly smaller than she remembered it. There
was also a delicious smell in the air.
Snape noticed the same symptoms, thinking frantically. They certainly did not come from
the potion that was brewing – it had basically no side effects. Could it be the side effects
of the amplifier spell? Suddenly, he couldn't remember what explosion he was talking
about. A nagging thought persisted in the back of his mind that had something to do with
silver, but he couldn't remember what it was…
Hermione stood up drunkenly and began to make her way over to the desk. She teetered
precariously on her feet and Snape rushed over to catch her before she fell. She toppled
him over and landed on top of him in an inelegant sprawl. Snape could feel various
feminine attributes against parts of his body that he shouldn't be thinking about, but
somehow his hands were cradling her head and she was kissing him furiously, ripping at
his robes. Helpless against the flood of sensation, he began removing her sweater and
shirt.
Draco awoke with a start from a nightmare in which Blaise had been riding a black horse
and goading her armies of tiny Lucius Malfoys on him, their thousands of miniscule legs
kicking him all over his body. He tried to get out of bed, but felt too woozy to stand and
collapsed to the floor.
Asleep elsewhere in the castle, Ron, Harry, and Ginny were impervious to the effects that
being in such close proximity to the burst of energy the table had given off when it was
destroyed.
Hermione's eyes fluttered open slowly. Something felt wrong. She quickly realized that
the annoying sensation she was feeling was a glass beaker digging into her back.
Wait a minute…where am I? She frantically looked around her. As far as she could tell,
she was in the Potions classroom. But why was there a large, warm, male body lying
under her? She turned and looked at her sleeping companion on the floor, and screamed.
more until I know what people think of the story so far. I guess that makes me a bit of a
review whore, huh? Anyway, enjoy these next few chapters.
24. …Snape is impressed by Hermione's work
"No! No no no NOOO!" Harry's violent side was out in force. "Did you all understand
me? NO!" He actually fell off of the desk he was perched on because he was so angry.
"Harry, shut up," Hermione said plainly. "We have to trust Draco on this one. He doesn't
like his father any more than we do, okay?" Draco, and Professor Snape stared open-
mouthed at Harry, who had begun pacing about the Potions classroom. Ginny and Ron
sat in desks at the very back of the room, trying to avoid the waves of wrath emanating
from the slight, black haired boy.
"We should have just trusted Sirius!" Harry whined. Draco snickered, but was quickly
silenced by a deadly glare from Professor Snape. The group had just finished fine-tuning
the story that Draco would tell his father, and it seemed plausible that Lucius would buy
the whole thing. Harry, however, was not taking things well. He was entirely too used to
pig-headedly taking on danger by himself and could not stand the idea of letting others
risk their lives for him.
"I think I'm going to bed," Ginny announced, standing up. She practically ran out the
door.
"As you all should," Snape said in a tired voice. "As much as I hate to do this, I am going
to have to ask Miss Granger to stay up and assist me with the potion, as she is the only
one of the lot of you who isn't likely to botch it up." At this, Harry's anger evaporated
and he high-tailed it out of the room in his gladness to escape more alone time with
Snape, grabbing Ron by the neck and dragging him along. Draco shrugged and, tapping
the stone in the wall that Snape had shown him, made his way through the secret door
that opened and into Snape's private quarters. The door slammed shut behind him.
The frown lines in Snape's forehead relaxed a little bit with the exit of most of the
meddlesome students from his classroom. "Alright, please go into my storeroom and get
the wolfsbane, dragons claw, Australian beetle shells, a mortar and pestle, some tongs…"
he listed off five or six more ingredients from memory. "I trust you know where
everything is in there," he said with great sarcasm.
Hermione hurried to the storeroom and collected the required ingredients. Although she
did not relish working with Professor Snape, part of her was oddly pleased that he trusted
her enough to assist him with such a difficult potion. She came back and arranged them
carefully on his desk, taking great care to ignore the box of kappa hides that she had
helped prepare.
Snape dictated instructions to her, allowing Hermione to do most of the manual labor
while he measured and handled the dangerous ingredients. She pounded dragon's claw to
a fine, translucent powder, made a decoction of beetle shells and 200-year old whiskey
(she didn't ask why it had to be that particular age), and diced yew root until her hands
hurt. Several hours later, Snape announced that the next step was to simmer the potion for
twenty minutes. Hermione gratefully slumped into a chair.
Snape examined the bubbling cauldron, an oddly pleased smile on his face. "He's
enjoying this," Hermione thought unkindly. She watched him closely, analyzing his
expression. His hair didn't seem as greasy as usual, she noted with surprise. It looked like
he had had a little bit of sun over the break as well, because his skin wasn't its usual
sallow tone.
After ten or so minutes of silence, Snape put down his silver stirring implement and
spoke. "I am pleased with your work. The beetle decoction should have been a bit
stronger, but it will suffice."
"I…uh…" Hermione didn't know what to say to praise from the man who had once
cruelly mocked her teeth in front of a group of students. "Thank you?" She supposed she
should stand up and start cleaning the phials and such, but her head was suddenly feeling
a bit woozy, and the room seemed to be slightly smaller than she remembered it. There
was also a delicious smell in the air.
Snape noticed the same symptoms, thinking frantically. They certainly did not come from
the potion that was brewing – it had basically no side effects. Could it be the side effects
of the amplifier spell? Suddenly, he couldn't remember what explosion he was talking
about. A nagging thought persisted in the back of his mind that had something to do with
silver, but he couldn't remember what it was…
Hermione stood up drunkenly and began to make her way over to the desk. She teetered
precariously on her feet and Snape rushed over to catch her before she fell. She toppled
him over and landed on top of him in an inelegant sprawl. Snape could feel various
feminine attributes against parts of his body that he shouldn't be thinking about, but
somehow his hands were cradling her head and she was kissing him furiously, ripping at
his robes. Helpless against the flood of sensation, he began removing her sweater and
shirt.
Draco awoke with a start from a nightmare in which Blaise had been riding a black horse
and goading her armies of tiny Lucius Malfoys on him, their thousands of miniscule legs
kicking him all over his body. He tried to get out of bed, but felt too woozy to stand and
collapsed to the floor.
Asleep elsewhere in the castle, Ron, Harry, and Ginny were impervious to the effects that
being in such close proximity to the burst of energy the table had given off when it was
destroyed.
Hermione's eyes fluttered open slowly. Something felt wrong. She quickly realized that
the annoying sensation she was feeling was a glass beaker digging into her back.
Wait a minute…where am I? She frantically looked around her. As far as she could tell,
she was in the Potions classroom. But why was there a large, warm, male body lying
under her? She turned and looked at her sleeping companion on the floor, and screamed.