It had been two days since her last dose of Duplexplicis, and it must have
been obvious. Hermione sat in potions, taking notes and preparing her batch
of a weak, but useful defense potion which only consisted of bezoar and
ginger- the challenge lied in the complicated heating process which would
make it a nice light blue with the consistency of melted taffy. Her hand
was shaking as she held her wand to the flame.
"Hermione, are you okay?" Neville asked in a meek voice.
She looked at him with a faked smile, "Yes, just a little tired, that's all." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw his cauldron bubbling violently like black tar. "Neville, your cauldron, how long have you had it on heat?" she hissed. He looked at his cauldron desperately trying to lower the flame to no avail.
"Conglacio!" she hissed at the bubbling cauldron that looked in danger of exploding, immediately causing it to freeze.
"Thank you Hermione" Neville whispered, trying to avoid the attention of the Professor.
"Yes, Ms. Granger, thank you." She smelled his scent before she heard him. The voice on the back of her neck made her hair stand on end.
"Mr. Longbottom, do tell, can you do anything on your own?" He snarled at the chubby boy. Neville's cheeks flushed bright red. "What were you trying to make? Look at the color, it's black." He looked over at Hermione, she could see the enjoyment in his eyes.
"Ms. Granger, on the other hand has the appropriate color, in fact, I think shes quite fond of it, aren't you Ms. Granger?" She knew what he was referencing too.
Class was over and Snape dismissed the students, "Except you Ms. Granger, I would like a word with you."
Hermione's breathing stopped for a second, oh gods. She gathered her quills and scrolls and shoved them a leather tote before walking to the desk where the professor sat in his usual position- leaned back slightly, his hands steepled.
"Yes Professor?" She asked as calmly as she could, trying not to let him get to her.
"I noticed your hands are shaking, is there a problem?" he asked with a smug grin. She looked down, and indeed, the hand holding her leather tote was shaking. He knew the root of her problem- Duplexplicis. She had exhausted her supply two days prior and refused to do what it took to get another dose.
"Yes, they are. Perhaps it is because I missed breakfast this morning."
"Mhmm" he grinned.
She gave him a disgusted look, turned on her heel and left the room.
***
By lunch, she wasn't just shaking, she was suffering from cold sweats and a headache. She tried simple pain relief spells that she had learned from Madame Pomfrey, but they only began to alleviate the problem. Hermione attempted to eat the roast on her plate, but she felt nauseated and the hand that held the fork failed to cooperate, it only rattled against the porcelain of the plate. Ron, Harry, and Ginny had noticed and were watching her intently.
"Hermione, are you okay?" Ron asked genuinely concerned.
She stood up and grabbed for her tote, only to drop it. "Yes, I'm fine" she said a little louder than she would of normally and stomped out the door of the Great Hall. She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned around quickly to see Harry looking worried.
"What's going on?" He asked.
"Nothing, I told you, I'm fine." She looked over his shoulder to see Snape looking at her above the rim of his butterbeer.
She began to run towards her room. "Voltaire!" she screamed at the portrait who gave a concerned look but opened obligingly.
Hermione ran to the bathroom, digging through her drawers only to find the empty vile. She untwisted the cap and pounded it against her fist, trying desperately to get something. Unsuccessful, she ran to her red box and did the same to no avail. The pain of her throbbing head was unbearable and her entire body was shaking. She curled up in a ball on her bed, holding her head as tears started to appear on her cheeks.
She felt a finger slide along her spine, she jumped up and found herself face to face with Snape.
"What are you doing in here?" she commanded.
"Youre very predictable, my dear." He sneered. "A picture of a philosopher at your entrance and of course you use Voltaire as a password."
She couldn't stop crying. "What do you want from me?"
"The question is, what do you want?" he replied, removing a vial from the pocket of his black robes. He fondled it with his hand and Hermione couldn't take her eyes off of it. He grinned and poured some onto the bedside table, daring her to take it. She couldn't help herself, the pain was too much to bear, she needed it to stop, she needed a fix. She scrambled off the bed and got on her knees in front of the table, snorting it as quickly as she could.
That was it, right there. She stopped shaking, the pain was gone, she was in heaven. A wave started at her chest and spread throughout her body, to her fingertips and toes. She moaned in delight and collapsed on the floor.
"Good girl." Snape cooed, petting her hair. "You owe me."
"Hermione, are you okay?" Neville asked in a meek voice.
She looked at him with a faked smile, "Yes, just a little tired, that's all." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw his cauldron bubbling violently like black tar. "Neville, your cauldron, how long have you had it on heat?" she hissed. He looked at his cauldron desperately trying to lower the flame to no avail.
"Conglacio!" she hissed at the bubbling cauldron that looked in danger of exploding, immediately causing it to freeze.
"Thank you Hermione" Neville whispered, trying to avoid the attention of the Professor.
"Yes, Ms. Granger, thank you." She smelled his scent before she heard him. The voice on the back of her neck made her hair stand on end.
"Mr. Longbottom, do tell, can you do anything on your own?" He snarled at the chubby boy. Neville's cheeks flushed bright red. "What were you trying to make? Look at the color, it's black." He looked over at Hermione, she could see the enjoyment in his eyes.
"Ms. Granger, on the other hand has the appropriate color, in fact, I think shes quite fond of it, aren't you Ms. Granger?" She knew what he was referencing too.
Class was over and Snape dismissed the students, "Except you Ms. Granger, I would like a word with you."
Hermione's breathing stopped for a second, oh gods. She gathered her quills and scrolls and shoved them a leather tote before walking to the desk where the professor sat in his usual position- leaned back slightly, his hands steepled.
"Yes Professor?" She asked as calmly as she could, trying not to let him get to her.
"I noticed your hands are shaking, is there a problem?" he asked with a smug grin. She looked down, and indeed, the hand holding her leather tote was shaking. He knew the root of her problem- Duplexplicis. She had exhausted her supply two days prior and refused to do what it took to get another dose.
"Yes, they are. Perhaps it is because I missed breakfast this morning."
"Mhmm" he grinned.
She gave him a disgusted look, turned on her heel and left the room.
***
By lunch, she wasn't just shaking, she was suffering from cold sweats and a headache. She tried simple pain relief spells that she had learned from Madame Pomfrey, but they only began to alleviate the problem. Hermione attempted to eat the roast on her plate, but she felt nauseated and the hand that held the fork failed to cooperate, it only rattled against the porcelain of the plate. Ron, Harry, and Ginny had noticed and were watching her intently.
"Hermione, are you okay?" Ron asked genuinely concerned.
She stood up and grabbed for her tote, only to drop it. "Yes, I'm fine" she said a little louder than she would of normally and stomped out the door of the Great Hall. She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned around quickly to see Harry looking worried.
"What's going on?" He asked.
"Nothing, I told you, I'm fine." She looked over his shoulder to see Snape looking at her above the rim of his butterbeer.
She began to run towards her room. "Voltaire!" she screamed at the portrait who gave a concerned look but opened obligingly.
Hermione ran to the bathroom, digging through her drawers only to find the empty vile. She untwisted the cap and pounded it against her fist, trying desperately to get something. Unsuccessful, she ran to her red box and did the same to no avail. The pain of her throbbing head was unbearable and her entire body was shaking. She curled up in a ball on her bed, holding her head as tears started to appear on her cheeks.
She felt a finger slide along her spine, she jumped up and found herself face to face with Snape.
"What are you doing in here?" she commanded.
"Youre very predictable, my dear." He sneered. "A picture of a philosopher at your entrance and of course you use Voltaire as a password."
She couldn't stop crying. "What do you want from me?"
"The question is, what do you want?" he replied, removing a vial from the pocket of his black robes. He fondled it with his hand and Hermione couldn't take her eyes off of it. He grinned and poured some onto the bedside table, daring her to take it. She couldn't help herself, the pain was too much to bear, she needed it to stop, she needed a fix. She scrambled off the bed and got on her knees in front of the table, snorting it as quickly as she could.
That was it, right there. She stopped shaking, the pain was gone, she was in heaven. A wave started at her chest and spread throughout her body, to her fingertips and toes. She moaned in delight and collapsed on the floor.
"Good girl." Snape cooed, petting her hair. "You owe me."