Understanding

Chapter 13 – Nearing the end

'No way.' He replied after a short pause.

'What do you mean no way?'

'I mean no way, no how are you taking that potion. I'll take it myself.'

'Don't be stupid, Severus. You can't take it yourself. At least not without being killed.' I reasoned.

'Your point being?'

'My point being that I am taking the potion, not you.'

'Over my dead body.'

'Oh, come on Severus. Grow up. It makes sense for me to take it.'

'I hardly think I'm the one being immature, Hermione. I always assumed I would be the one to take it. You're the one who's fighting over this potentially fatal task like it's a fairground ride.' He narrowed his eyes at me, his voice dangerously silky.

'What? Why can't you think about it reasonably? You know I should take it. I can go without being seen. Why are you so desperate for me not to take it?' I could tell I had struck gold from the immediate change of look on his face. He looked normal to the untrained eye, but I could tell from the slightest softening in his eyes that I had hit a sore spot. His eyes suddenly darted away nervously.

'I merely think you are not experienced enough.'

'That's crap and you know it Severus. Albus agrees that I should go. Why don't you?'

'Do you really want to know why I don't want you to go? Do you, Hermione?' He shouted.

'Oh, forget it Severus. This is like trying to open a box of explosives with a….' I hadn't finished my sentence when he sprung out of his chair and over to me. For a moment of complete insanity I thought he was going to hit me, but I caught the look in his eye for a split second. It was a look I had never seen before in this man's eyes. I had never even thought it possible. Before I could even begin to process these thoughts he was kissing me hungrily, as thought his life depended on it, as though I was oxygen after spending his whole life suffocating. For seconds I couldn't respond. I was shocked, I hadn't expected anything like this. When I got over the shock though, I was kissing him hungrily back. This was the most passionate, the most amazing experience of my life, up until then. Our mouths and tongues crashed together in a frenzy before we both began to slow down. A low moan came from the base of his throat, in my experience the most beautiful sound my ears had ever heard. Then he stopped moving his mouth against mine, and our foreheads, noses and lips remained pressed together. I could feel his hot breath on my cheek, and his heart beat where my hand was on his neck.

'That's why I don't want you to go.' He murmured.

'I'm still going.'

'I knew you'd say that. Kissing you was just my last ditch attempt to get you to let me go.' He smiled. 'I suppose it didn't work.'

'Oh, so that was what it was,' I laughed back. 'Just your 'shock' tactics. Nothing more.'

'No,' He replied seriously after a pause, his voice barely a whisper. 'No, it was an awful lot more.'

'What's going on here, Severus?'

'I don't know.'

'Maybe….'

'Maybe what?'

'Maybe we should hold this off, until all this is over. Everything is just so volatile at the moment, I just think….' I trailed off.

'Well, it won't be for as long as you think.'

'What do you mean?'

'Before I got, er, distracted, I came up here to tell you that I've just discovered a way to cut a massive corner, without much effect on the potion. We could have it ready in three days.'

'Really? That's good news, I suppose.'

'Yes. Listen, we'd better leave before Albus comes back and finds us like this.' He lifted me up to standing, before taking me by surprise yet again and kissing me, long and slowly, before we walked out of the office without a word.

As we reached the bottom of the moving staircase, I saw someone coming along the corridor towards us, flaming red hair flying out.

'Ron?' I called to him.

'Hermione? Is that you?' He came running up, and pulled me into a hug. 'I just arrived. I was going to see Dumbledore.'

'Oh, um, he's not in his office.' I said, my facing going bright red as I tried to look as if I hadn't just been necking our ex-Potions master in the Headmaster's office.

'Er, right. So what were you doing in there?' He asked suspiciously, his ears turning pink.

'Well, um, you know. Anyway, I'll see you later, Ron, We've got to be going.'

'Weasley, You'll find Professor Dumbledore in the Greenhouses.' Severus added, uncharacteristically helpful as I walked off. I turned back to see Ron staring dumbfounded after us. I didn't know if it was my behaviour that had shocked him, or Severus being more than civil to him. I began to laugh as we turned the corner.

'I think you were right Hermione.' Severus said when we were out of earshot. 'Being polite gets much more of a reaction than being downright evil.'

********************

We worked flat out on the potion for the next two days, adding new ingredients at times varying from exactly two seconds to an hour. The dungeons, usually stone cold, were hot and muggy because of the potion, which had started to smell like unwashed socks. Neither of us left the dungeons during those two days, the house elves brought meals and we took it in turns to sleep. There was a heat wave going on outside, we had been told, but no one had left the castle, on Dumbledore's orders, since he had an idea that Hogwarts was being watched. He didn't want Voldemort to know the number of people who were gathering in the castle, because the surprise element was a big advantage. For people were arriving at the castle all the time now, via the floo network. Not that Severus and I had seen much evidence of that, however, being holed up in the dungeons day and night, but on occasion new people would stop by. Some were people we mutually knew, such as the entire Weasley family, Remus Lupin and various Ministry members.

Occasionally, people who I didn't know would stop by and Severus would introduce them to me as workers at the Department of Mysteries. Some of the people who dropped by were old acquaintances of Albus, who wanted a more technical break down of the potion. But even the most friendly that came by stayed only for ten minutes, before the unwashed socks smell grew too much for them. So, for the most part, Severus and I were left alone in the stinking darkness of the dungeons, hardly the most romantic setting, but there wasn't much conversation anyway, since most of the time we were either preparing or adding ingredients, or one of us was asleep.

'I'm so sick of this.' I said, rubbing the back of my neck as we waited to add the final ingredient, one of Fawkes' tail feathers. 'I can't wait for it to all be over.'

'Neither can I.' Severus replied, catching my eye, his eyebrow raised. We both looked away immediately. This had been happening constantly over the past two days. Every time either one of us attempted to start a conversation, in this pathetic existence, even the most tame of comments could be interpreted as a sexual innuendo. With each passing moment it really was growing unbearably hot, and even though I hadn't showered in three days and I stank of unwashed socks, and my hair, well I didn't even want to think about the state of my hair, but even through all of this it was driving me insane to be so near Severus and not be able to touch him. I kept thinking, why the hell did I ask to stall until all this was over? I wanted to just come out with and tell him that I didn't care any longer, that I was so desperate for him that I didn't want to wait another second, but the only thing holding me back was the sheer repulsiveness of the way I felt and probably looked, and a faint impression that something in the potion was acting as an aphrodisiac and I would regret it the second I left the room.

There was a knock on the door and Albus came in, wrinkling his nose at the smell.

'How is everything?' He asked, winking at me. Every time I had seen Albus in the last two days, he had an annoyingly superior look on his face, as if he knew something I didn't. My mind kept settling on the very disturbing thought that he knew exactly what had gone on in his office the other day, which I found extremely embarrassing.

'We're adding the final ingredient in exactly 8 minutes and 43 seconds.' Severus smiled slightly at him as I looked away.

'Good. And then?'

'Then it cools for twelve hours before we can put some in a vial, ready to be taken.'

'Excellent. We're having a bit of a formal dinner in the Great Hall at 8, so I would be delighted if you would both attend.'

'Er, well, okay then, we'll be there.' Severus answered after I nodded to him. It would be good to finally get out of here and see everyone else.

'Goodbye, Severus, Hermione.' Albus said, and walked out again.

************

It was heavenly to shower at last after all that time. I stood under the hot water for what felt like hours, until I finally felt that the unwashed socks smell was out of my hair. I took the time to dry my hair naturally, with sleek-easy potion, as drying spells tended to leave my hair frizzy. I left it loose and put on a knee-length black dress, just to celebrate getting out of the dungeons, and also just because I could. When I was ready I heard a knock on my door.

'Good evening, Hermione.' Severus said, looking extremely slick, all in black as was usual. 'May I escort you to the Great Hall?'

'Of course you may, Severus.' I replied, linking my arm through his and shutting the door behind us.

The castle seemed unusually empty until we reached the Great Hall. The room was lit up with thousands of levitating candles, and the roof was pale blue with no clouds in sight. A large circular table sat in place of the four house table, in the centre of the room. Seated around it were around forty witches and wizards, many of whom had been down to the dungeons in the last two days. They were all mostly quiet, with the odd mutter to be heard, and most of them looked up as we entered. There were two empty seats to the right of Albus, which Severus and I took. I smiled hello to Harry, Ron and the Weasley family, then Albus caught everyone's attention with a spoon against his goblet.

'Welcome, Witches and Wizards. We are gathered here on the Eve of what will surely be the end of the conflict in which we have lived in for the last twenty five years, one way or another.'

A/N

Wow! I now have 60 reviews!!!!! (although two of you sent the same one twice!)

Millions and millions of thanks to Akari, Dusky Feline, PlaYbOiBuNnY69, snapesophelia, Raquelos, Sez, Luna Writer, Ponine, LadyBrannon, Kittykat52788, DragonFireAngelVWP, sorceress and StarGazr for all your reviews.

Akari – I think I would like the title 'Queen of Cliffhangers'! Maybe I should start putting it on my postal address!

Dusky Feline – I know it moved a bit too fast, but you're right, it has to in fanfiction! As for the grammar, I know about that too from the green squiggly lines on my computer, but it seems to take ages to sort out, and the computer's suggestions make no sense! A chocolate covered Severus is being shipped to you as we speak!

Luna Writer – I don't know why I didn't answer your question, I must have had a temporary brain block! Anyway, she was just going to be a black cat, but then I thought, hey, maybe she should be invisible! So, there you go. On your other review, strange as it may seem, I am actually right on account of Dumbledore's age. JK Rowling said in an interview that he is 150. You can find the evidence on www.mugglenet.com if you don't believe me! I don't know how this fits in with Nicholas Flamel.

LadyBrannon – Yes, he does have the sexiest voice ever!

DragonFireAngelVWP – Practically all of my spare time is being taken up with this story at the moment! But, we are nearing the end! (hence this chapters title!) I hope you still have time to read and review with all your projects! It's good that you are back in swimming. You hadn't told me before. Keep up the long reviews!

Okay, next chapter will be a good one, but won't be up for another week probably. Sorry. Anyway, thanks for reading and reviewing. Bye!