{Disclaimer: The Harry Potter Universe was created by J.K. Rowling and rights are owned by, but not limited to Warner Brothers and Scholastic Books. I, therefore, own no parts of this.}
Chapter 9
Another Attempt
Hermione glanced at the hand grasping her own. She noticed the strong bone structure and elongated fingers. They were rather elegant if one did not notice the numerous scars crisscrossing the skin. Maybe the scars made them more appropriate to someone who had worked his entire life perfecting his talents on potions. It was a show of knowledge, badges of honor and trials faced in life. On top of it all, she decided they were sexy.
She nearly jumped as he let go. Did she just think that Severus Snape had sexy hands? Yes, she had, hadn't she? That was not right. She was not supposed to think those kinds of things about men such as him. He was old enough to be her father! And he was a greasy, over grown bat with a rather protruding nose! Maybe he wasn't quite as disgusting as he had been at Hogwarts, but she still should not think of her ex-professor as 'sexy.' Still, they were nice hands…
Severus gracefully stood up from his armchair. "It has gotten quite late. Would you mind breaking for a snack before we finish sorting out the potion?"
Hermione's stomach grumbled in response. "Not at all. I didn't realize I was hungry."
"It is perfectly understandable. We will be eating in the laboratory. The stairs in the corner go directly down there."
The staircase brought them into a far corner of the laboratory. She could see the fireplace flickering in the shadows from the open door to the workroom. As they entered, she gasped seeing platters of food neatly set out across the coffee table. "How did they know to bring it all down here?"
"My house elves are well trained. They know when to listen."
"Oh," she said simply, looking at the assortment of simple foods ranging from a crock of soup next to a loaf of bread to an assortment of meats and cheeses paired with various fruits as she returned to her previous seat on the floor.
"It is normally considered polite to let the lady be served first, but if you are going to sit and gawk, I will gladly help myself."
Hermione chose a shiny apple and began to cut it into thin slices. The slices were places on a piece of bread and covered with a sliver of cheese. Snape watched her for a moment and then proceeded to fill a bowl with soup for himself.
"What kind of soup is that?" she asked curiously, not recognizing the thick mixture.
"Hot and Sour; it's Chinese."
"It doesn't look very appetizing."
"Suit yourself. My house elves have learned to make it to a degree of perfection."
She dished a small ladleful into an empty bowl and tasted it. It was tangy with the aftertaste of hot pepper that burned pleasantly inside of her mouth. Her eyes watered slightly. She prodded a mushroom floating in the bowl with her spoon. "It's very spicy, but not too terrible. What else is in it besides mushrooms?"
"Are you certain you want to know?" Severus smirked as Hermione swallowed another spoonful of soup.
"Yes."
His smirk widened. "It has a chicken broth base with a bit of vinegar. The soft strips are tofu. The crunchy pieces are Chinese cabbage. You already found the mushrooms and hot pepper. The rest is an egg that has been dropped into the hot broth and of course," he paused for effect, "Seaweed."
She stopped her spoon midway to her mouth. "Seaweed?"
"Those are the darker bits."
She set the bowl back on the table, deciding it would have been safer to ask first before she tried anything new, especially around Severus Snape.
He continued, "It really is quite good if you ignore some of the actual ingredients. It works well for clearing out head congestion."
"You can have it all for yourself," she returned to her apple and cheese open-faced sandwich. Noticing her notebook nearby on the floor, she picked it up and began reading what they had done so far. It seemed that they had managed to get about halfway through the recipe. She wiped the remaining crumbs of bread from around her lips.
"Shall we continue?" he inquired expectantly, not wanting to provoke any more arguments than he had to.
"I don't see why not. We were up to the Vervain," Hermione replied, uncapping her pen.
Severus retrieved his roll of parchment. The table was magically cleared as the house elves showed once again how useful they could be. All that remained was a kettle of hot tea and two mugs. Snape poured himself a cup of Earl Grey, inhaling the heady bergamot fumes. "Add a note that we must invoke Diana before adding the Vervain."
She scribbled it by the step. "Do you have any other teas than Earl Grey? I never cared very much for that one."
With a pop, one of the house elves appeared. "Mistress want tea?" it squeaked excitedly. "What tea does Mistress want?" It was nearly hopping up and down in anticipation of being able to perform a task for the new Mistress.
"Do you have any mint tea? With maybe a little bit of chamomile?"
"Oh, Yes! We have whatever Mistress desires!" A large steaming mug appeared on the table next to her.
"Thank you," she smiled at the little creature.
"No need to thank Binky, Mistress. I is doing my job!" He disappeared with another pop.
"You shouldn't treat them like that, Hermione. House elves are servants and they enjoy being servants. It does not matter if you are kind to them or not."
"They deserve something better than slave labor. They aren't even getting paid anything at all for the work they do! And think about it, they could be happier if they were paid and had more privileges. A happy servant works better. It's a proven fact."
Severus cut her off before she could ramble on. He recalled her futile attempts to free the house elves during her second year and knew she still felt strongly about the topic. "Next step," he spoke sternly. "Add one white water lily in its entirety at midnight. Wait nineteen days until the potion changes to green."
She gestured with her pen for him to continue.
"After that we must travel to Aventine Hill in Rome, Italy to gather wax myrtle. The goddess Venus must be invoked as the myrtle is dropped slowly into the potion."
Those instructions got written down as well. "What's next?"
"We will need to locate dove feathers. The potion requires two of them."
"That shouldn't be too difficult."
"Doves are uncommon in the wizarding word."
"But not in the Muggle," she replied.
He nodded in agreement. What she said was true, though he did not relish the idea of traveling to that part of society. He could do without having to deal with Muggles, but if it was for saving Hogwarts, he supposed he would do anything he had to. "Note that we may have to travel to the Muggle world to locate them. Add two leaves of sage in the morning for nine days. Then cast a pentacle carved out of a jade stone into the mixture."
"Are pentacles common in the Wizarding world?"
"Not entirely, but there are places where they can be found or made if the need be."
"Alright. If not, we can always check the New Age shops that the Muggles have. They would probably carry something like what we need. What's after that?"
"Dragon's claw and Phoenix feather; they must be put in at the same time. It has to sit for two weeks and be stirred once every day. The next step is what we are going to have the most difficulty with."
"What is it?" Hermione questioned, glancing up at him from her place on the floor.
"We need to acquire unicorn blood, given freely, which means we cannot buy it anywhere since the major sources of those vials are mostly likely from unicorns that have been killed."
"Is there a way to get a vial without harming the unicorn?"
"Yes. There are spells that can be cast but they may only be used if the creature is completely willing. It they sense any small bit of malice, the spells will not work."
"We'll have to find a willing unicorn then."
"Astute observation. Our main concern is where we will find one easily. It is not enough to go wandering through the forest in hope that one appears."
"Hogwarts," Hermione spoke softly, remembering the dead unicorn from her first year. "There are unicorns in the Forbidden Forest."
"That would be our best option. Albus will make sure we are protected and we would not have to worry about unwanted guests appearing when we don't want them to."
"I take it I will be the one to approach the unicorn."
"Naturally, that would be our only viable option." He did not mention that unicorns would want to be as far away as possible from him at all times due to his work with the Dark Arts. The pure ones would not approach one as tainted as himself. He hoped Hermione was still pure enough after her part in the Final Battle that the creature would still come to her.
Severus continued, "After the blood is added, the potion is to be stirred three times. It will then sit for a month before it can be used. At that time, we must go to the lowest depths of the castle and locate the corner stone. The runes of Thurisaz, Algiz, Eihwaz, Ansuz, Daeg, and Perth must be carved into the corner stone when the moon is full. The potion is then poured over it as incantation is spoken."
Hermione finished writing and looked up at him once more. "Is that everything?"
"It is."
"Here is what I have: Step 1: Mulberry leaves must be set on an altar for a night with a black candle. Before dawn they must be brewed into a tea and Athena must be invoked. Step 2: Add fennel seeds and stir counterclockwise seven times. Step 3: at midnight add Lucerne. The dried flowers must be burned to ashes and stirred six times. Step 4: Add one root of Mandrake and stir four times clockwise. Step 5: Wait 86 hours before adding angelica flowers. Do I have it so far?"
"From what I can tell, yes, it is correct."
"Step 6: At Midsummer's Eve, the fern fiddleheads are added. Step 7: Wait a day to add the Vervain, along with an agate, an opal, and liquid Mercury. Invoke Diana before doing so. Step 8: add the water lily at midnight. Step 9: After 19 days, the mixture should turn green. At this point add the wax myrtle slowly while invoking Venus. Step 10: Add two dove feathers. Step 11: Add two leaves of sage each morning for nine days. Step 12: Add the Jade pentacle. Step 13: Simultaneously add a dragon's claw and a phoenix feather. Step 14: Wait two weeks to add the Unicorn blood. Stir three times and wait a month for it to finish. After completion, bring the potion to the corner stone of the castle and carve six runes into the stone. Recite an incantation to complete the process." She took a deep breath. "That should be all of it."
Snape wrote a few things down on a piece of scrap parchment. "I have calculated that the entire process will take seventy-seven days and fourteen hours total; four days and fourteen hours are needed at minimum before Midsummer's Eve and 73 days after. If everything goes as planned, we can have the potion completed by September the fourth."
Hermione thought about what he has stated and did some quick calculations for herself. "Summer Solstice is June 21 which would make the next full moon after September fourth on the tenth."
"That is what we will have to aim for. I will write to Albus to tell him of what we have come up with." The grandfather clock in the corner chimed the hour. "It is late. The fireplaces are all interconnected if you wish to Floo back to your room."
"I'd rather walk."
"Very well. We will start on gathering the ingredients tomorrow. Can you manage to find your room on your own or do you still require an escort?"
"I should be perfectly fine, now that I know where most of the dangers are located," she replied hoping she didn't end up in the people-eating closet by accident. "Good night."
Severus made no reply as she exited the room. He pulled a piece of fresh parchment from his desk and penned a quick note to Albus.
Dear Albus,
I have figured out that the potion will take 77 days and 14 hours to brew completely. It should be finished by September the fourth though it cannot be used until September the tenth. We will begin gather ingredients immediately. Is there any chance that a more qualified partner can be located? I still do not feel Miss Granger has the adequate experience needed to create a complex brew as this one.
S.S.
The note was signed by only his initials and sealed with his distinctive crest of an 'S' made out intertwined serpents and vines of ivy. He left the letter on his desk to be sent out in the morning.
{Author's Note: Here's chapter 9. I still don't like this chapter, but it works as a transition, so it will have to stay for now. Chapter 10 is almost done and that one is a bit more amusing. Anyway, I have three end-of-the-year projects due in the next two weeks, so therefore, I end up writing. I make no sense sometimes. Oh well…
duj: Thanks! I had fun with his house. I even drew out diagrams.
Angel2707: Thanks! I'm part German, but I don't speak the language. Unfortunately, they don't offer it at my school. Maybe in college. I'm glad you enjoy it so much.
Tomzgurl77: That was goal: not too fast, but not too slow. I'm glad it is coming across that way.
Chibidaima: You can have one, as long as you figure out the spell used to make it man-eating. I think we all could use one every so often.
Belle Mortis: Thanks!
Stargazer starluver: Actually, that was something I started when I was first writing fan fics. I created a list for each of my fics and when people review I add their e-mail to the list. All I have to do is type the list name in and it gets sent out to everyone. Works very well. At the moment, I see Hermione as a bit scared of Sev since he was the most feared teacher at Hogwarts, but by nature she is curious and headstrong. She doesn't mind working with him since she knows he is brilliant. Sev still regards her as a student since they have yet to do actual work together and he had not seen her since she was a student. All people have flaws. It's a given fact. Don't worry; the romance will come soon enough. I think they might actually get some hint in chapter 11.
RebelRikki: No, I did not mention his name. I might do so in a future chapter. I suppose that means I have to find a name for him first…Yes they are getting along for the moment. Sev is trying to be a gracious host at the moment and not scare her off too much.
Peace, Love, and Hershey's Kisses, Nataly Ravenlock}