A/N: Attention all HG/SS fans: this chapter is for you. *wink* I'm going out of town for a month next week, which means no updates for quite some time (ha), but I may be able to crank out one more chapter before I leave. Most of it's already in my head; it's just a matter of typing it up. And sorry if Wolfsbane Potion doesn't seem all that difficult - I tried. ^_^ Read. Read NOW!
~~~
A week later, Snape gave Hermione the instructions for making Wolfsbane Potion. Lupin had to drink one gobletfull every night for a week before the full moon for it to have effect. They would make their first batch after rehearsal that night. She had about half an hour before rehearsal, so she decided to pass the time by studying the instructions in the common room. Snape hadn't been kidding; Wolfsbane was even more difficult than Polyjuice Potion, although she wasn't going to tell him that. At any rate, it was far more complicated than anything Snape had her make before, and even though they would be working together, she could tell it wasn't going to be easy.
"Hermione!"
Harry Potter's voice diverted Hermione's attention from the Wolfsbane instructions, and she looked up to see him and Ron walking toward her. "Yeah?" she said.
"What scenes are we rehearsing tonight?" asked Ron.
"All of the text's Act Two," Hermione answered. "You're both in it. This week's schedule is posted outside the Great Hall and outside the Potions classroom." She paused, then said, "You know, maybe I should write schedules for each of the house common rooms, too..."
"When do we have to be off-book?" asked Harry.
"The sooner, the better," she said. "Act One by next week."
"Ginny's already off-book," Ron said, almost proudly. "She and Neville have been studying their lines day and night. And Neville's really close."
Hermione was impressed. "That's great!" Neville was notorious for his poor memory, and that was the only thing she was worried about when she assigned him the part of Macbeth.
"When are we going to start doing the choreography for the fight scenes?" Harry inquired.
"Professor Lupin and Professor McGonagall have already started their part," Hermione said. "They'll let me know when they're ready. Anything else?"
"Yes," said Ron. "Want to play Exploding Snap?"
Hermione hesitated before answering. The play had taken up every second of spare time since auditions, and consequently alienated her from her friends. Part of her wanted to accept, but there was the matter of the Wolfsbane Potion. "I can't," she said. "Sorry. I really have to study this potion."
"What is it?" asked Harry.
"Wolfsbane, for Professor Lupin," she answered. "Professor Snape and I are going to make a batch after rehearsal tonight."
Harry and Ron looked at each other. Neither spoke.
Hermione let out an irritated sigh. "What?"
"Nothing," the two boys mumbled in unison.
"Look, unless you tell me what the problem is, I can't do anything about it."
"There's no problem," Harry said. "Really. Come on, Ron, let's play Exploding Snap. See you at rehearsal, Hermione."
"That's the only place we ever see her anymore," Ron grumbled as they walked away.
Hermione pretended that she didn't hear him and went back to studying the potion. However, she found that it was difficult to concentrate. She had a feeling Harry and Ron were bothered by something more than just all the time she was spending on the play, but she had no idea what it could be. She decided she could wait until later to find out. This potion wasn't going to learn itself.
~~~
Hermione got the answer to her question on the way to rehearsal that night. She left the Gryffindor common room fifteen minutes early and started on her way to the Potions classroom. However, she barely took three steps away from the portrait of the Fat Lady when she heard someone call out her name. She turned around, only to see Ginny Weasley stepping out from behind the portrait. Hermione smiled at her. "Hey, Lady Macbeth," she said. "You want to be early for rehearsal, too?"
"Something like that," Ginny said, falling into stride beside Hermione. "I... uh... I need to tell you something."
"Is it about the play?"
"Kind of; it started with the play, anyway."
"What is it?"
Ginny glanced around, making sure there was no one else nearby, and said, "You've probably noticed that Harry and Ron have been acting weird around you lately, right?"
"Good to know I'm not the only one that's noticed," Hermione said. "Do you know why?"
"Well, apparently, they were talking about it a few nights ago, in their dormitory or something, because Neville either overheard or was in on the conversation. Anyway, Neville found out, and he told Parvati, and Parvati told me and asked me to tell you."
"They're mad because I'm spending so much time on the play, is that it?"
Ginny turned slightly red and said, "Not so much the play as the assistant director."
Hermione stopped walking, and Ginny halted as well. "Snape?" she said in disbelief. "They think I'm spending too much time with Snape?"
Ginny covered her face and nodded.
Hermione was starting to get a little more color to her face as well. "That's silly," she said. "Why would they be worried about that?"
Ginny's voice was barely above a whisper, and further muffled by her hands. "They're worried that he might try to take advantage of you."
If their fear was silly, their reason was downright ridiculous, and Hermione said so. "He wouldn't try to take advantage of me," she insisted. "Snape may not be the nicest person in the world, but he's not a predator. Harry and Ron just don't like him, and they don't like it that I do."
Ginny spread apart her fingers wide enough for her eyes to peek through and said, "You like him?"
"Not like that," Hermione quickly said once she realized what Ginny was getting at. "I've just discovered that he's a good person deep down inside - really deep down inside. We just had to give him a chance" She paused, then added, "And some Shakespeare."
Ginny wasn't convinced. "Parvati told me this yesterday morning, and she told me to watch him at rehearsal and then see what I thought. I watched him yesterday. He looks at you a lot."
"I look at him a lot, too. It's how we tell if the other one is thinking about something."
"And I hear that he's a lot nicer to you in class."
"He's a lot nicer to everyone in class," Hermione replied, "even Neville." All the Slytherins, it seemed, were being nicer to everyone else, and in turn, everyone else was being nicer to the Slytherins. The play seemed to be bringing the school together in a way they never thought possible.
Ginny sighed and dropped her hands. She could tell she wasn't going to win. "Just be careful, okay?"
"Always."
~~~
"Well, may you see things well done there: adieu! Lest our old robes sit easier than our new!"
Harry finished his line and walked off to the right, leaving Terry Boot and Wayne Hopkins alone on the "stage". Terry looked at Wayne. "Farewell, father," he said, and exited to the left.
As Terry left, Wayne spoke his line. "God's benison go with you; and with those that would make good of bad, and friends of foes!"
"And blackout," Hermione said when Wayne was done. "Nice job, everyone, especially you, Ginny."
Ginny blushed slightly. Not only was she off-book, she hadn't missed a single cue or dropped any words during the entire two-hour rehearsal.
"Tomorrow, Act Three, same time," said Snape. "Dismissed. Longbottom, a word, if you please."
Hermione watched out of the corner of her eye as Neville nervously approached Snape, and smiled to herself. Even though Snape had been a lot nicer to Neville lately, she doubted Neville would ever stop being afraid of him. She placed her script in her bookbag and took out the instructions for Wolfsbane Potion for one more look before starting.
"You're good, Longbottom," Snape told the trembling lead actor. "I didn't think you could do it when Miss Granger over there first cast you as Macbeth, but ever since hearing you read, I haven't doubted you at all. You just keep it up, you hear?"
Neville nodded vigorously, obviously shocked that he wasn't getting reprimanded. "Yes, sir," he said, trying to keep his voice steady. "Thank you, sir."
"You're welcome. You can go now. And leave the door open. I'm expecting Professor Dumbledore in a little while."
Neville thanked him again and left the room. Snape looked at Hermione. "Ready?" he asked.
She nodded and set the instructions down on the table in front of her. "Yes."
"Good. This way."
He led her over to a table on one of the side walls. A small cauldron was already set up, but a fire had not yet been lit. An assortment of ingredients was lying on the table, including several bowls containing various powders, four flasks with different-colored liquids inside them, some wolfsbane, and a small vial containing a few drops of red liquid. The cauldron was about half-filled with a liquid Hermione didn't recognize. "What is that?" she asked, pointing to the cauldron.
"It's called Kihari Serum," Snape answered. "It's the base for the potion. It's also banned by the Ministry of Magic. It has to be imported from Africa, and you need a special permit to use it. Even then, there's still restrictions. You have to have a specific reason for needing it, and in this case, it's Wolfsbane. I'm the only one at Hogwarts that has a permit. No one else can touch it in its unaltered state, not even Dumbledore, or we'll be in a lot of trouble."
"Why is it banned?" She reached into her robes for a rubber band, and pulled her long, thick hair back into a loose ponytail to keep it from falling in her face while they made the potion.
"Because it's also the base for some of the most powerful and deadly potions in the world," he said. "Making those potions is like casting one of the illegal curses. It could send you to Azkaban for life."
"Yikes," Hermione said, and turned her eyes away from the cauldron. "I'll just keep my distance, then."
Snape smiled at her. "Let's get started. First, we need a fire."
"Allow me," Hermione said, and pointed her wand at the cauldron. "Incendio."
Flames shot out from the tip of her wand, and instantly, a nice small fire was burning underneath the cauldron.
"Good," said Snape. "Very good."
Hermione put her wand away and chuckled. "Yeah, I'm practically a Potions Master already."
"Almost, actually. At the rate you're going, I'd say two more years, tops." He picked up one of the bowls and began shifting its contents around.
She was a little surprised; she had only been joking when she said that. She closed her eyes and tried to remember what the first ingredient besides the base was. "Now we need... powdered root of asphodel."
He nodded. "Two pinches." He set the bowl down and secured a small amount of the powder between his thumb and forefinger.
"I've got the second pinch," she said as he added the ingredient.
"All right. Next is-"
"One drop of Bundium secretion."
"Right again."
Hermione placed her hand on the second flask, containing a dark green liquid. "This is it, right?"
He confirmed with a nod of his head.
She picked up the flask, held it over the cauldron, and let one drop slide out. It made a hissing sound upon impact. "Did I do something wrong?" she asked nervously.
"No, it's supposed to hiss," Snape said. "I think I forgot to mention that this a 'noisy' potion." The left corner of his mouth twitched upward into a half-smile. "Just wait until it howls."
"'Howls'?" Hermione repeated.
"Yes, howls." He picked up another flask. This one contained an orange liquid. "Tubeworm juice." "One fourth cup," she said, and handed him the measuring cup.
"Thank you," he said, and took it from her. Their fingers brushed at the handoff. Had Hermione not been so quick to smile and look away, she would have seen that Snape did the same thing.
Once one fourth cup of tubeworm juice found its way into the potion, Hermione named the next ingredient. "One crushed tooth of wolf."
"Scale of dragon, tooth of wolf, witches' mummy, maw and gulf of the ravin'd salt-sea shark," Snape sang in falsetto. Hermione laughed, and Snape was unable to fight back a grin of his own. He wasn't quite sure where that came from, but what surprised him more than his sudden inclination to make a musical allusion to Macbeth was how much he enjoyed the sound of her laughter. Laughter from anyone was a sound rarely heard in his presence.
"Where are you, wolf tooth?" Hermione asked, scanning the table for the desired ingredient.
"Here it is," Snape said, and reached for it.
Hermione spotted it just as he was speaking, and she reached for it as well. Their hands touched again, and both of them smiled. "Sorry," Hermione said, and slowly pulled her hand away.
Snape picked up the crushed wolf tooth. "The next ingredient, essence of belladonna, has to be added within five seconds of the wolf tooth," he said, nodding toward the fourth flask, which held a small amount of a pale pink liquid. "I've already measured out the amount needed. I'll put in the wolf tooth, and then you add that."
Hermione picked up the flask. He asked her if she was ready, and she nodded. He dumped the crushed wolf tooth into the cauldron, and as soon as he pulled his hand away, she poured in the essence of belladonna. A low rumble, like distant thunder, was heard after the last drop hit the surface of the potion.
Snape added a bezoar to the potion ("to neutralize the toxin in the wolfsbane," he explained), then turned to Hermione and said, "Now, here's where it gets tricky. We have to add the wolfsbane and the fluxweed at precisely the same time. If it's not performed exactly right, the potion will explode, and Hogwarts will be short one Potions Master and one Head Girl."
"You don't get many mistakes in this one, do you?" Hermione asked, reaching for the bowl containing the wolfsbane.
"No, you don't," Snape said. "And be careful with that. Don't touch it with your fingers. Wolfsbane is extremely poisonous."
She gave him a reassuring smile. "I'm always careful."
He felt a smile of his own creep across his lips. "I know." He picked up the fluxweed and held it over the cauldron. "Ready?"
She nodded. On the count of three, the two of them emptied the contents of their bowls into the cauldron. A puff of green smoke appeared, and then dissipated. "Did it work?" Hermione asked.
"Well, we're still here, aren't we?" he replied.
She smiled and nodded. "Yes, we are. Next is leech juice, right? Where is it?"
"Right over there." He pointed to the fourth flask.
Hermione picked up the flask and held it over the cauldron. "How much?"
"Three drops." She started to tilt the flask downward. Snape felt she had it at too sharp of an angle, and his hands reached out and covered hers. "Let me help you," he said.
She didn't so much as blink as his hands went on top of hers. Together, they angled the neck of the flask down, and leech juice crept toward the opening. "That's one," Hermione said as a drop fell out of the flask and into the potion.
"Two," Snape said when another drop fell out. "And… three."
They pulled the flask back before any more leech juice could drip out. Snape took his time in letting go of her hands. She smiled shyly and set the flask down. "Now we need… a vial of the affected person's blood."
Snape picked up the small vial that contained a few drops of red liquid, and Hermione reasoned that it was blood from Professor Lupin. "This is where it howls," he warned her as he removed the stopper from the vial. "Be ready."
As soon as the last drop of blood was added, an ear-splitting howl escaped from the cauldron. Hermione couldn't help wincing at the chilling sound. When it died down, Snape spoke. "It's done." He pulled the cauldron off its stand and walked over to another table. Hermione extinguished the fire beneath it with a flick of her wand and utterance of a few words, and then followed him over.
"There it is," Snape said as he poured the contents of the cauldron into a goblet. "Quite possibly the most difficult potion you'll ever make."
Hermione gazed at the goblet. The potion looked like water. "It wasn't too bad," she said. "I have to admit that I was a little worried when you said it would explode if we didn't add the wolfsbane and fluxweed at the same time, but other than that, I found it to be a rather enjoyable experience." She looked at him. "Should we take it to Professor Lupin?"
"Professor Dumbledore will be here in a few minutes to pick it up," he replied. "Thank you for your help. I appreciate it." That was the truth. Wolfsbane Potion was very difficult to make, even for him.
She smiled. "No problem. Thank you for letting me help." She found her thoughts drifting to the conversation she had with Ginny on her way over to rehearsal. At the time, she dismissed it as nothing, but couldn't help but wonder if there was any validity to it. It was true that her relationship with Snape had improved considerably over the course of the last few weeks. It was true that she was actually starting to enjoy his company. She could even go as far as admitting that they had been doing a fair amount of flirting. But was there anything real there? Only one way to find out. "Professor Snape?"
"Yes, Miss Granger?"
"May I tell you something?"
"Of course."
She took a deep breath to prepare herself. "I just wanted to say that I was wrong about you," she said. "I thought you were just a grumpy, bitter cynic who was mean because you didn't have anything better to do. But I was wrong. That's not what you are at all, and I wanted you to know that I'm sorry for thinking that."
Her declaration surprised him, but he tried not to let it show. "Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, Miss Granger," he said.
"Yes, but no one deserves to have someone else think things about them that aren't true."
"Well, in that case, I have a confession as well," Snape said. "Ever since you first came here, I thought you were just a show-off who acted smart all the time for attention. I was wrong about you, too, and I'm sorry."
She smiled and blushed slightly. "You have nothing to apologize for. I am a show-off."
"And I am a grumpy, bitter cynic, and don't you forget it."
Hermione laughed, and Snape found himself smiling as well. "You know," she said, "you should smile more. You have a nice smile." When he didn't smile with the intention of being cruel, of course.
"Thank you." He paused, then added, "Hermione."
She loved the way he said her name. She wanted to say something, anything, but nothing came to mind.
Snape's hand reached out and smoothed back the strands of hair that had escaped from her ponytail. His fingers brushed against her cheek as he withdrew his hand. "I'm sorry," he mumbled, looking down. "I shouldn't have done that."
Hermione knew what she was about to do was crazy, but for some equally bizarre reason, she felt that it was the right thing. Slowly, her slender hand reached out and touched his cheek, turning his face toward him. They made eye contact, and for a few moments, neither one moved. Then, she leaned forward and kissed him.
As soon as Hermione's lips touched his, Snape came alive, and eagerly returned the kiss. He had to fight to keep himself from making it too passionate too quickly, and he allowed her to be the aggressor. The kiss was soft at first, but quickly escalated in intensity. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her. Both knew they could get in a lot of trouble for this, but at the moment, they didn't care.
They were so focused on each other that neither one remembered that the door was wide open.
"Severus, is the - oh, my..."
Snape and Hermione quickly pulled apart. They looked toward the door, and when they saw who was standing there, the best moment of their lives quickly turned into the worst.
Snape cleared his throat and averted his eyes. "Headmaster."
~~~
A week later, Snape gave Hermione the instructions for making Wolfsbane Potion. Lupin had to drink one gobletfull every night for a week before the full moon for it to have effect. They would make their first batch after rehearsal that night. She had about half an hour before rehearsal, so she decided to pass the time by studying the instructions in the common room. Snape hadn't been kidding; Wolfsbane was even more difficult than Polyjuice Potion, although she wasn't going to tell him that. At any rate, it was far more complicated than anything Snape had her make before, and even though they would be working together, she could tell it wasn't going to be easy.
"Hermione!"
Harry Potter's voice diverted Hermione's attention from the Wolfsbane instructions, and she looked up to see him and Ron walking toward her. "Yeah?" she said.
"What scenes are we rehearsing tonight?" asked Ron.
"All of the text's Act Two," Hermione answered. "You're both in it. This week's schedule is posted outside the Great Hall and outside the Potions classroom." She paused, then said, "You know, maybe I should write schedules for each of the house common rooms, too..."
"When do we have to be off-book?" asked Harry.
"The sooner, the better," she said. "Act One by next week."
"Ginny's already off-book," Ron said, almost proudly. "She and Neville have been studying their lines day and night. And Neville's really close."
Hermione was impressed. "That's great!" Neville was notorious for his poor memory, and that was the only thing she was worried about when she assigned him the part of Macbeth.
"When are we going to start doing the choreography for the fight scenes?" Harry inquired.
"Professor Lupin and Professor McGonagall have already started their part," Hermione said. "They'll let me know when they're ready. Anything else?"
"Yes," said Ron. "Want to play Exploding Snap?"
Hermione hesitated before answering. The play had taken up every second of spare time since auditions, and consequently alienated her from her friends. Part of her wanted to accept, but there was the matter of the Wolfsbane Potion. "I can't," she said. "Sorry. I really have to study this potion."
"What is it?" asked Harry.
"Wolfsbane, for Professor Lupin," she answered. "Professor Snape and I are going to make a batch after rehearsal tonight."
Harry and Ron looked at each other. Neither spoke.
Hermione let out an irritated sigh. "What?"
"Nothing," the two boys mumbled in unison.
"Look, unless you tell me what the problem is, I can't do anything about it."
"There's no problem," Harry said. "Really. Come on, Ron, let's play Exploding Snap. See you at rehearsal, Hermione."
"That's the only place we ever see her anymore," Ron grumbled as they walked away.
Hermione pretended that she didn't hear him and went back to studying the potion. However, she found that it was difficult to concentrate. She had a feeling Harry and Ron were bothered by something more than just all the time she was spending on the play, but she had no idea what it could be. She decided she could wait until later to find out. This potion wasn't going to learn itself.
~~~
Hermione got the answer to her question on the way to rehearsal that night. She left the Gryffindor common room fifteen minutes early and started on her way to the Potions classroom. However, she barely took three steps away from the portrait of the Fat Lady when she heard someone call out her name. She turned around, only to see Ginny Weasley stepping out from behind the portrait. Hermione smiled at her. "Hey, Lady Macbeth," she said. "You want to be early for rehearsal, too?"
"Something like that," Ginny said, falling into stride beside Hermione. "I... uh... I need to tell you something."
"Is it about the play?"
"Kind of; it started with the play, anyway."
"What is it?"
Ginny glanced around, making sure there was no one else nearby, and said, "You've probably noticed that Harry and Ron have been acting weird around you lately, right?"
"Good to know I'm not the only one that's noticed," Hermione said. "Do you know why?"
"Well, apparently, they were talking about it a few nights ago, in their dormitory or something, because Neville either overheard or was in on the conversation. Anyway, Neville found out, and he told Parvati, and Parvati told me and asked me to tell you."
"They're mad because I'm spending so much time on the play, is that it?"
Ginny turned slightly red and said, "Not so much the play as the assistant director."
Hermione stopped walking, and Ginny halted as well. "Snape?" she said in disbelief. "They think I'm spending too much time with Snape?"
Ginny covered her face and nodded.
Hermione was starting to get a little more color to her face as well. "That's silly," she said. "Why would they be worried about that?"
Ginny's voice was barely above a whisper, and further muffled by her hands. "They're worried that he might try to take advantage of you."
If their fear was silly, their reason was downright ridiculous, and Hermione said so. "He wouldn't try to take advantage of me," she insisted. "Snape may not be the nicest person in the world, but he's not a predator. Harry and Ron just don't like him, and they don't like it that I do."
Ginny spread apart her fingers wide enough for her eyes to peek through and said, "You like him?"
"Not like that," Hermione quickly said once she realized what Ginny was getting at. "I've just discovered that he's a good person deep down inside - really deep down inside. We just had to give him a chance" She paused, then added, "And some Shakespeare."
Ginny wasn't convinced. "Parvati told me this yesterday morning, and she told me to watch him at rehearsal and then see what I thought. I watched him yesterday. He looks at you a lot."
"I look at him a lot, too. It's how we tell if the other one is thinking about something."
"And I hear that he's a lot nicer to you in class."
"He's a lot nicer to everyone in class," Hermione replied, "even Neville." All the Slytherins, it seemed, were being nicer to everyone else, and in turn, everyone else was being nicer to the Slytherins. The play seemed to be bringing the school together in a way they never thought possible.
Ginny sighed and dropped her hands. She could tell she wasn't going to win. "Just be careful, okay?"
"Always."
~~~
"Well, may you see things well done there: adieu! Lest our old robes sit easier than our new!"
Harry finished his line and walked off to the right, leaving Terry Boot and Wayne Hopkins alone on the "stage". Terry looked at Wayne. "Farewell, father," he said, and exited to the left.
As Terry left, Wayne spoke his line. "God's benison go with you; and with those that would make good of bad, and friends of foes!"
"And blackout," Hermione said when Wayne was done. "Nice job, everyone, especially you, Ginny."
Ginny blushed slightly. Not only was she off-book, she hadn't missed a single cue or dropped any words during the entire two-hour rehearsal.
"Tomorrow, Act Three, same time," said Snape. "Dismissed. Longbottom, a word, if you please."
Hermione watched out of the corner of her eye as Neville nervously approached Snape, and smiled to herself. Even though Snape had been a lot nicer to Neville lately, she doubted Neville would ever stop being afraid of him. She placed her script in her bookbag and took out the instructions for Wolfsbane Potion for one more look before starting.
"You're good, Longbottom," Snape told the trembling lead actor. "I didn't think you could do it when Miss Granger over there first cast you as Macbeth, but ever since hearing you read, I haven't doubted you at all. You just keep it up, you hear?"
Neville nodded vigorously, obviously shocked that he wasn't getting reprimanded. "Yes, sir," he said, trying to keep his voice steady. "Thank you, sir."
"You're welcome. You can go now. And leave the door open. I'm expecting Professor Dumbledore in a little while."
Neville thanked him again and left the room. Snape looked at Hermione. "Ready?" he asked.
She nodded and set the instructions down on the table in front of her. "Yes."
"Good. This way."
He led her over to a table on one of the side walls. A small cauldron was already set up, but a fire had not yet been lit. An assortment of ingredients was lying on the table, including several bowls containing various powders, four flasks with different-colored liquids inside them, some wolfsbane, and a small vial containing a few drops of red liquid. The cauldron was about half-filled with a liquid Hermione didn't recognize. "What is that?" she asked, pointing to the cauldron.
"It's called Kihari Serum," Snape answered. "It's the base for the potion. It's also banned by the Ministry of Magic. It has to be imported from Africa, and you need a special permit to use it. Even then, there's still restrictions. You have to have a specific reason for needing it, and in this case, it's Wolfsbane. I'm the only one at Hogwarts that has a permit. No one else can touch it in its unaltered state, not even Dumbledore, or we'll be in a lot of trouble."
"Why is it banned?" She reached into her robes for a rubber band, and pulled her long, thick hair back into a loose ponytail to keep it from falling in her face while they made the potion.
"Because it's also the base for some of the most powerful and deadly potions in the world," he said. "Making those potions is like casting one of the illegal curses. It could send you to Azkaban for life."
"Yikes," Hermione said, and turned her eyes away from the cauldron. "I'll just keep my distance, then."
Snape smiled at her. "Let's get started. First, we need a fire."
"Allow me," Hermione said, and pointed her wand at the cauldron. "Incendio."
Flames shot out from the tip of her wand, and instantly, a nice small fire was burning underneath the cauldron.
"Good," said Snape. "Very good."
Hermione put her wand away and chuckled. "Yeah, I'm practically a Potions Master already."
"Almost, actually. At the rate you're going, I'd say two more years, tops." He picked up one of the bowls and began shifting its contents around.
She was a little surprised; she had only been joking when she said that. She closed her eyes and tried to remember what the first ingredient besides the base was. "Now we need... powdered root of asphodel."
He nodded. "Two pinches." He set the bowl down and secured a small amount of the powder between his thumb and forefinger.
"I've got the second pinch," she said as he added the ingredient.
"All right. Next is-"
"One drop of Bundium secretion."
"Right again."
Hermione placed her hand on the second flask, containing a dark green liquid. "This is it, right?"
He confirmed with a nod of his head.
She picked up the flask, held it over the cauldron, and let one drop slide out. It made a hissing sound upon impact. "Did I do something wrong?" she asked nervously.
"No, it's supposed to hiss," Snape said. "I think I forgot to mention that this a 'noisy' potion." The left corner of his mouth twitched upward into a half-smile. "Just wait until it howls."
"'Howls'?" Hermione repeated.
"Yes, howls." He picked up another flask. This one contained an orange liquid. "Tubeworm juice." "One fourth cup," she said, and handed him the measuring cup.
"Thank you," he said, and took it from her. Their fingers brushed at the handoff. Had Hermione not been so quick to smile and look away, she would have seen that Snape did the same thing.
Once one fourth cup of tubeworm juice found its way into the potion, Hermione named the next ingredient. "One crushed tooth of wolf."
"Scale of dragon, tooth of wolf, witches' mummy, maw and gulf of the ravin'd salt-sea shark," Snape sang in falsetto. Hermione laughed, and Snape was unable to fight back a grin of his own. He wasn't quite sure where that came from, but what surprised him more than his sudden inclination to make a musical allusion to Macbeth was how much he enjoyed the sound of her laughter. Laughter from anyone was a sound rarely heard in his presence.
"Where are you, wolf tooth?" Hermione asked, scanning the table for the desired ingredient.
"Here it is," Snape said, and reached for it.
Hermione spotted it just as he was speaking, and she reached for it as well. Their hands touched again, and both of them smiled. "Sorry," Hermione said, and slowly pulled her hand away.
Snape picked up the crushed wolf tooth. "The next ingredient, essence of belladonna, has to be added within five seconds of the wolf tooth," he said, nodding toward the fourth flask, which held a small amount of a pale pink liquid. "I've already measured out the amount needed. I'll put in the wolf tooth, and then you add that."
Hermione picked up the flask. He asked her if she was ready, and she nodded. He dumped the crushed wolf tooth into the cauldron, and as soon as he pulled his hand away, she poured in the essence of belladonna. A low rumble, like distant thunder, was heard after the last drop hit the surface of the potion.
Snape added a bezoar to the potion ("to neutralize the toxin in the wolfsbane," he explained), then turned to Hermione and said, "Now, here's where it gets tricky. We have to add the wolfsbane and the fluxweed at precisely the same time. If it's not performed exactly right, the potion will explode, and Hogwarts will be short one Potions Master and one Head Girl."
"You don't get many mistakes in this one, do you?" Hermione asked, reaching for the bowl containing the wolfsbane.
"No, you don't," Snape said. "And be careful with that. Don't touch it with your fingers. Wolfsbane is extremely poisonous."
She gave him a reassuring smile. "I'm always careful."
He felt a smile of his own creep across his lips. "I know." He picked up the fluxweed and held it over the cauldron. "Ready?"
She nodded. On the count of three, the two of them emptied the contents of their bowls into the cauldron. A puff of green smoke appeared, and then dissipated. "Did it work?" Hermione asked.
"Well, we're still here, aren't we?" he replied.
She smiled and nodded. "Yes, we are. Next is leech juice, right? Where is it?"
"Right over there." He pointed to the fourth flask.
Hermione picked up the flask and held it over the cauldron. "How much?"
"Three drops." She started to tilt the flask downward. Snape felt she had it at too sharp of an angle, and his hands reached out and covered hers. "Let me help you," he said.
She didn't so much as blink as his hands went on top of hers. Together, they angled the neck of the flask down, and leech juice crept toward the opening. "That's one," Hermione said as a drop fell out of the flask and into the potion.
"Two," Snape said when another drop fell out. "And… three."
They pulled the flask back before any more leech juice could drip out. Snape took his time in letting go of her hands. She smiled shyly and set the flask down. "Now we need… a vial of the affected person's blood."
Snape picked up the small vial that contained a few drops of red liquid, and Hermione reasoned that it was blood from Professor Lupin. "This is where it howls," he warned her as he removed the stopper from the vial. "Be ready."
As soon as the last drop of blood was added, an ear-splitting howl escaped from the cauldron. Hermione couldn't help wincing at the chilling sound. When it died down, Snape spoke. "It's done." He pulled the cauldron off its stand and walked over to another table. Hermione extinguished the fire beneath it with a flick of her wand and utterance of a few words, and then followed him over.
"There it is," Snape said as he poured the contents of the cauldron into a goblet. "Quite possibly the most difficult potion you'll ever make."
Hermione gazed at the goblet. The potion looked like water. "It wasn't too bad," she said. "I have to admit that I was a little worried when you said it would explode if we didn't add the wolfsbane and fluxweed at the same time, but other than that, I found it to be a rather enjoyable experience." She looked at him. "Should we take it to Professor Lupin?"
"Professor Dumbledore will be here in a few minutes to pick it up," he replied. "Thank you for your help. I appreciate it." That was the truth. Wolfsbane Potion was very difficult to make, even for him.
She smiled. "No problem. Thank you for letting me help." She found her thoughts drifting to the conversation she had with Ginny on her way over to rehearsal. At the time, she dismissed it as nothing, but couldn't help but wonder if there was any validity to it. It was true that her relationship with Snape had improved considerably over the course of the last few weeks. It was true that she was actually starting to enjoy his company. She could even go as far as admitting that they had been doing a fair amount of flirting. But was there anything real there? Only one way to find out. "Professor Snape?"
"Yes, Miss Granger?"
"May I tell you something?"
"Of course."
She took a deep breath to prepare herself. "I just wanted to say that I was wrong about you," she said. "I thought you were just a grumpy, bitter cynic who was mean because you didn't have anything better to do. But I was wrong. That's not what you are at all, and I wanted you to know that I'm sorry for thinking that."
Her declaration surprised him, but he tried not to let it show. "Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, Miss Granger," he said.
"Yes, but no one deserves to have someone else think things about them that aren't true."
"Well, in that case, I have a confession as well," Snape said. "Ever since you first came here, I thought you were just a show-off who acted smart all the time for attention. I was wrong about you, too, and I'm sorry."
She smiled and blushed slightly. "You have nothing to apologize for. I am a show-off."
"And I am a grumpy, bitter cynic, and don't you forget it."
Hermione laughed, and Snape found himself smiling as well. "You know," she said, "you should smile more. You have a nice smile." When he didn't smile with the intention of being cruel, of course.
"Thank you." He paused, then added, "Hermione."
She loved the way he said her name. She wanted to say something, anything, but nothing came to mind.
Snape's hand reached out and smoothed back the strands of hair that had escaped from her ponytail. His fingers brushed against her cheek as he withdrew his hand. "I'm sorry," he mumbled, looking down. "I shouldn't have done that."
Hermione knew what she was about to do was crazy, but for some equally bizarre reason, she felt that it was the right thing. Slowly, her slender hand reached out and touched his cheek, turning his face toward him. They made eye contact, and for a few moments, neither one moved. Then, she leaned forward and kissed him.
As soon as Hermione's lips touched his, Snape came alive, and eagerly returned the kiss. He had to fight to keep himself from making it too passionate too quickly, and he allowed her to be the aggressor. The kiss was soft at first, but quickly escalated in intensity. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her. Both knew they could get in a lot of trouble for this, but at the moment, they didn't care.
They were so focused on each other that neither one remembered that the door was wide open.
"Severus, is the - oh, my..."
Snape and Hermione quickly pulled apart. They looked toward the door, and when they saw who was standing there, the best moment of their lives quickly turned into the worst.
Snape cleared his throat and averted his eyes. "Headmaster."