WITH A DASH OF LEMON JUICE

By Madame Plot Bunnie



Here goes nothing, she thought, butterflies running free in the meadow of her stomach. She tentatively grabbed the tattered red book, grabbing the trunk with one hand—

And felt a jerk from right behind her navel, and was whisked away…

*~*~*~*~*

A howl of wind like a rushing train and a dizzying swirl of color accompanied Hermione's second-long magical journey to into Hogsmeade.

   Hermione stood; still clutching her used Portkey in one hand and holding her lightweight trunk with the other. She was on the grassy hill on which the Shrieking Shack was positioned, looking over the quaint little Wizarding village to which she hadn't visited in nearly five years.

   From her spot, which she supposed must be the Hogsmeade Portkey Station, Hermione could see people milling about the streets; a group of burly wizards going into The Three Broomsticks, witches window-shopping at Dervish and Banges, and an excited group of youngsters gathered around a store she did not remember. I do wonder what that is, she thought. Curious, Hermione Levitated her trunk behind her and drifted down toward the unfamiliar shop.

   Hermione eyed the group of young witches and wizards as she neared. All had smiles and wide, eager eyes, little voices gabbling excitedly. She could distinctly hear loud BANGs and POPs coming from the entrance.

   "And that," a voice said grandly, "Concludes today's show! Go on, now, be good!"

   "Or at least try!" another voice called to the retreating children. The little ones cleared off, leaving Hermione with a better view of the doorway. And the flash of red hair that occupied it.

   One head looked up, directly at her. Their eyes met, and the man stood up and said "Why, my dear George, I do believe Miss Hermione Granger has graced us with her presence!"

   In a flash, Fred and George Weasley enveloped Hermione in an energetic bear hug.

   "Fred!" Hermione cried, happy to see familiar faces. "George! Hello!" The twins bowed over her hand, adopting rather fake French accents.

   "Wha-y, 'ow may we 'elp you, mademoiselle?" The twins asked in perfect unison, sweeping their former schoolmate and friend into another hug.  "Is this the newest shop?" Hermione asked, gesturing to the store. After the War, the Weasley twins had accomplished their dream, by finally gathering enough money to open their own joke shop in Diagon Alley. The shop had endured a booming success amongst the young magic population.

   The twins beamed with pride at Hermione's question. "Yep," George said. "The Diagon Alley location did so well, we've decided to expand, to open up another outpost."

   "And what better place than beautiful Hogsmeade?" Fred asked, grinning. "The gorgeous countryside—"

"—the ideal little village—"

"—the young, innocent minds to corrupt—"

   Hermione giggled. "Filch'll be after your skins," she said, leaning back on her trunk.

   "Just like old times, m'dear," Fred said in a mock-reminiscing voice. "But what're you doing in town, Hermione?"

   Hermione grinned. "I'm going back to Hogwarts. Student teaching for the University. I'm studying with McGonagall and Vector and Snape."

   George stared at her open-mouthed. Fred turned to his twin with a solemn expression, laying a hand on his shoulder. "Dear brother," he said gravely," we've lost another one to the Forces of Evil."

   George punched his brother in the arm. "Don't mind him, Hermione, congratulations! But three subjects…how're you managing that?"

"Well, hum," Fred said, rolling his eyes. "She's Hermione Granger, how else would she be managing?" Hermione giggled again.

   "Actually," she said, checking her watch, "I'd better be going. It's 12:08, and Dumbledore is expecting me for lunch." She turned to her trunk and the twins stood.

   "Come visit us whenever you're free, Hermione!" George called to her as she waved while walking up the path.

"Yeah, we'll show you the town," Fred joked, heading into the shop. "Good luck!" Both twins called after her.

   Hermione waved one last time to the twins before heading up the winding road to the castle of Hogwarts.

*~*~*~*~*

"Albus, you cannot be serious about this arrangement!" Severus Snape cried, waving his arms about irately while pacing his dungeon classroom. Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry, placidly watched his Potions Master and youngest member of his staff throw a temper tantrum.

   "Are you wailing, Severus?" the Headmaster asked, his blue eyes simply twinkling with delight.

   Severus Snape glared at his mentor. "Albus, I find no humor whatsoever in the situation! You cannot simply expect me to tutor that…that Gryffindor bookworm! I will not do it! She's…ineligible!"

   Dumbledore surveyed the tall dark haired man through his half-moon spectacles. "Severus," he said quietly, "Miss Hermione Granger will only be here at the school for a year at the most. And," he added quickly, before Severus could cut in, "She's a student at the University. She's dedicated. You always said you would love being able to work with someone dedicated."

   Severus cursed himself as his words came back to haunt him. "Yes, but I didn't mean a little know-it-all novice who used to annoy me to no end in her days here. And probably still will!"

   Dumbledore said nothing. Severus stared moodily at the stone wall for a moment, knowing full well he had no say in whether Hermione Granger would return or not. He took a deep breath inward. "You expect me to let that girl teach my Potions classes?" he finally asked his beloved mentor.

   Dumbledore repressed a triumphant chuckle. "No, not entirely," the old man said. Severus relaxed. That was a relief.

"I need you to help her," he added.

   Severus scowled. This wonderful news wasn't helping his "end-of-summer-blues", as Minerva McGonagall called it, or his headache that was a little souvenir from the previous night's escapade.

   Thinking back to the previous night, Severus thoughts fell on his vibrant drinking companion, the petit witch he had tried to kiss. Something Severus told himself, cringing, he had done purely out of drunken stupidity.

   'Or maybe just testosterone,' the little voice sang nastily in his head. Oh, go away! Severus thought miserably. Just what he needed—the Granger girl and schizophrenic tendencies!

   Suddenly, Snape realized Dumbledore was still in the room, and watching him intently. Nervously, Severus cleared his throat. "So," he said quickly, diverting Dumbledore's attention, "when is she arriving?"

   Dumbledore frowned. "You will refer to our guest as 'Miss Granger', Severus, not 'she'," the old man chastised gently. Severus sighed but complied.

   "Alright, fine. When is Miss Granger arriving?"

Dumbledore beamed. "Miss Granger was scheduled to arrive at 12 o'clock, but seeing as it is 12:15, I would say she found the Mssrs. Weasley in the village. Come, Severus, let us go and meet her." With that said, Dumbledore exited the classroom, Severus grudgingly following at his heels.

*~*~*~*~*

Hermione stood in front of the looming castle. Five years. Five whole years since she'd been back. Five years since the war.

   She paused and gave herself a once-over. She dusted off her shoes and stood tall, taking a deep breath while reaching for the door handle.  Okay, Hermione, breathe! She told herself nervously. She touched the door, and it magically swung open for her.

   Truth be told, Hermione didn't know why she was nervous. It wasn't as though she'd never met any of the staff before. But maybe that was what made it all the worse—everyone already knew her.

   She stepped into the cool front hall, her trunk still floating in midair behind her. She breathed in deeply again, but this time from a sense of familiarity. Well, I'm home, Hermione thought.

   "Miss Granger!" She jumped and spun around. There stood Minerva McGonagall, still looking as stern as ever, standing in the entrance to the Great Hall. Hermione broke into a grin.

   "Professor McGonagall! How nice to see you again!" Hermione said, setting the trunk down and shaking her former professor's hand warmly. McGonagall smiled and gave Hermione an uncharacteristic hug. "Welcome back, Miss Granger. Please, come with me, you're just in time for lunch."

   Hermione followed, nearly as amazed with the place as she had been 12 years ago, when she had entered as a know-it-all first year. As they entered the Great Hall, Hermione smiled as she saw the ceiling reflected the bright blue sky that was just outside. The House tables were still up against the wall, and only the Head table was set up.

   Nearly everyone was there, from Professor Vector to Professor Flitwick to Hagrid. Hagrid beamed at Hermione proudly, and she waved back. Professor McGonagall indicated for her to take one of the empty seats, of which there were four, down at one end of the table.

   "We will just wait for Albus and the others to show up," McGonagall said. No sooner had she done so, however, then did the Great Hall's doors open again. Albus Dumbledore walked in, still full of youthful energy, followed by Severus Snape and two other men. Hermione could have sworn she saw Dumbledore prod Snape in the arm for him to take the seat next to her. She was joined on the other side by--

"Sirius?!" Hermione cried. Harry's tall, dark-haired godfather grinned and wrapped Hermione into a great embrace. She gladly hugged her friend back. "Sirius, what are you doing here? I thought you went off to live in France!"

   Sirius Black smiled again. "Nope. Dumbledore wanted me back. I work here now—I'm Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Have been for two years now," he said, taking his seat next to his godson's best friend. Hermione looked across the way—

   And saw Draco Malfoy seated across from her.

"Draco?" Hermione asked, wide-eyed. The platinum-haired, handsome man nodded and grinned. "Don't tell me you work here too!"

   Draco Malfoy had become a spy for the Light during the War with Voldemort, after he saw his father brutally murder a helpless Pureblood witch, just because she opposed Voldemort. He had received a Dark Mark and along with Snape had provided useful information that had saved countless lives. He and Hermione had worked closely together during their seventh year—and Hermione had found out that Draco wasn't such a bad guy after all. They became fast friends, discovering that despite their different backgrounds, they had much in common. 

   By the time the final battle rolled around, Draco had begun to not only spy but fight for the Light. He had helped Hermione get Harry to the meeting point with Voldemort, and had actually jumped in front of an oncoming curse for her. Hermione had helped him capture his father, who was turned over to the Dementors in Azkaban. Lucius Malfoy had received the Kiss after being on trial. Hermione had helped Draco through that tough period of his life—and Draco had been eternally grateful for his first true friend.

   "No, Hermione," Draco said, answering her question. "Remember how I told you I'd always wanted to be an Auror?"

   "Yes," she said, remembering. "You told me that the day we graduated!"

Draco nodded. "Well, I became one."

   "And promptly got promoted," Dumbledore said. Hermione stared at her blonde friend in shock, which caused Draco to turn slightly pink.

   "Draco, that's wonderful!" she cried, warmly shaking his hand from across the table. "What are you now?"

   Draco put on the trademark smirk. "I'm Head of Security Department. That's why I'm here—I have to check the school before it starts, you know, make sure it's well protected and safe. Wouldn't want any of the students having adventures like we did."

   Hermione laughed. "No, I suppose you'd better spare them the trouble, Draco," she said.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Severus watched his former student as she talked with Draco Malfoy. She really does look different, he thought to himself as he picked around his plate, and yet oddly familiar.

   He was vaguely aware of Albus engaging the girl in a conversation about the University, but Severus continued watching Hermione. He remembered her in seventh year, when she was exhausted by trying to protect Harry and fight in the many battles that occurred near Hogwarts. Nearly every day Severus had seen her with faint shadows under her big brown eyes.

   Big, brown eyes?

Now where in all the seven Hells had that come from? Since when have you ever thought about Hermione Granger's brown eyes, no matter how beautiful they are? The little voice asked him, buzzing about his ears. Severus himself was stunned. The little demur had a point—she was a former student, for Merlin's sake!

   Severus sneaked another glance at the girl-woman to his left. Hermione was chatting happily about the Potter couple to Draco. Her curly toffee-colored hair was tied in a loose bun at the base of her neck. From their close seating arrangement, he caught a whiff of vanilla which he supposed came from her hair. She had really blossomed after the War—she looked much better, more alive. Oh come on, Snape, just admit it—you think that this former student, whom is now your apprentice, is quite a looker!

   Snape decided he had better not let his head do any more talking, before it got him into trouble. He tuned back into the conversation. Hermione and Draco were having a quiet conversation off to the side.

   "Ron broke up with me yesterday," Hermione was saying in a low voice to Draco. "He'd been seeing Parvati Patil from the office. How low can you get?" she hissed.

   Draco took his friend's hand in a brotherly way. "What else happened?"

   Hermione averted her eyes. "What do you mean, Draco?" she asked. Draco laughed.

   "I talked to Harry this morning. He said Ginny had told him you went out and got sloshed last night. Now there's a side of you I've never seen before, Mione," Draco said, chuckling. Hermione turned bright pink and muttered something in assent under her breath, turning away from her old schoolmate in embarrassment. Her eyes met Severus's and she tried to hide a small grin.

   And then it hit him like a ton of bricks. The vanilla-scented hair. The beautiful brown eyes. The enchanting laugh.

She was the pretty witch from the Leaky Cauldron.

She was his drinking companion from last night.

She was the girl he had tried to kiss.

*~*~*~*~*~*

The Authoress's Note: Welcome back.

Arg! I'm SO SORRY this chapter took so long to get up. This week was hectic—I had three finals and I was on the graduation committee and we had a dance Friday night. It was crazy!

I also want to thank all the reviewers for chapter two—YOU GUYS ROCK!

Javalass—thanks for clearing me up there. I'm glad you like the story!

RattleSnake—They do need to get drunk more often, don't they? Hehe…thank you mucho grande for your reviews.

GirlEnigma—It is such an HONOR to get a compliment from you! Thanks for reading my humble scribbling. Yes, this is going to be Hermione/Severus…I have a Draco/Hermione (well, more like two. Or three. Or six) story in the works, one of which I am writing the first chapter today. That should be posted by…Wednesday? Yeah. (Thanks for the cookie!)

REVIEW! REVIEW! Hey, what can I say; I'm a review whore. J

*Mme Plot Bunnie