Disclaimer: I am not, nor have I ever been, a fan of Australian Rules
football.
A/N: Hi everyone. Remember me? Yes, I am still alive. Yes, this is a new chapter. Wow. It's amazing, I know. I just wanted to take the chance to thank the people who reviewed the last chapter: you probably don't remember doing it as it was so long ago. However, you have my humble thanks.
Don't get too excited about there being two chapters – the second one is really just a new scene (unfortunately no lemons either, sorry) and not really a whole chapter but it just didn't flow all in one. Also, it's not a cliff hanger: there will be no continuation in a sex scene for the next chapter after that. I just wanted to warn you not to get your hopes up. Feel free to imagine what a sex scene would be like, though. Here's a tidbit: Chapter 44 will be, if not full of lemon, at least a bit citrussy. Definitely at least a lime flavour. I am already writing it so it should be up soon.
If you haven't read these notes and complain in a review, you have no one to blame but yourself.
Sway with Me
The next morning Hermione breakfasted in the Great Hall with an air of preoccupation reminiscent of her pre-exam student days. If she noticed McGonagall's repeated attempts at engaging her in conversation, she gave no sign. Nor did she snort at Dumbledore's first bad joke of the day (a Hogwarts staff tradition). Professor Trelawney, making a rare appearance at the table, talked to her for twenty minutes about her dream the night before without a reaction, an arrangement which was no doubt most satisfactory on both sides. As for Snape, the focus of her preoccupation, Hermione didn't even know if he had been at the table.
She retired to her rooms in a similarly thoughtful mood, but by lunchtime had sorted out some idea of what she would do. The most frustrating thing was that Snape had made her promise to keep a professional distance. It would be fine if he broke through that barrier first, but she doubted that he would spontaneously assail her with physical affection. If she broke her promise, however, she didn't doubt that he would be down on her like a ton of bricks, moving even further away. At least at the moment she had the advantage of their joint project.
The answer was, as usual, in the fine print of their agreement. He had asked that she keep her behaviour to that appropriate for colleagues. Technically, that meant behaving toward Snape in the same manner she did to the rest of the staff - which was a far friendlier manner than their previous association. No one could ever say that Hermione Granger overlooked technicalities.
It was a simple plan, really, but she was certain it would work, in time. She planned to be friendly to him, exactly as friendly as if she was working with any other professor. She planned to smile at him - strictly in a friendly way - and say good morning to him and be generally nice in all their dealings together. There would be no accidental touches, no longing looks, and definitely no acknowledgment of any attraction between them.
There was, of course, a strategy behind this. In her musings, Hermione had reflected that Snape would now expect a frontal attack. Gryffindors were famed for their straightforwardness, and she had been behaving commendably Gryffindorish so far. She had pounced on him, forced him to talk about things and generally appeared to be eager to have things all out in the open. The last thing he would expect was for her to completely forget about it; even if she had accepted his refusal there was sure to be some sign of loss, be it pouting or sulking or a stony silence. Behaving in a friendly but professional manner toward him reminiscent of a Playschool presenter was definitely not what he was expecting. It was not Gryffindorish. It wasn't even Slytherinish. It was just downright weird.
In denying her, Severus Snape had gained a friend. It would drive him up the wall.
Ultimately, something was bound to happen. She had not been exposed to Snape for eight years without learning something of his behaviour, and one thing she had learned was that he could not stand for things to be out of his control. If people failed to behave predictably in his presence, he poked and prodded at the situation until it presented a satisfactory answer. He abhorred mystery. He loved being able to look knowing and mysterious, and when that was taken out of his power it prompted action.
Of course, it could merely provoke a shouting match, but seeing as that was what had created the whole situation between them in the first place, Hermione was willing to risk it.
She put her plan into force that very afternoon, striding down to the dungeons to beard the beast in his den. It seemed like a good place to start.
'Ah, Severus, there you are,' she said cheerily as she opened the door to his office. 'I've been looking for you.'
Snape's head snapped up from his work, eyes narrowing suspiciously. Hermione withstood his glance, maintaining a sunny exterior. If she failed in any way today, then she might as well toss the plan out the window. Appearing affected at all by last night's conversation was not an option, so she smiled in the friendliest manner possible.
'I was wondering if you had the time available today to go over the rest of our notes. We didn't get to them yesterday evening.' A reference to the night before should put him on guard, Hermione felt, but she didn't want to push it. Too much and he would think it was playing on her mind; too little and he might conclude she was avoiding it.
Snape's eyes narrowed further, but he made no comment, merely nodding. Hermione nodded in return.
'Shall we meet upstairs in ten minutes, then? You know where my rooms are,' she suggested, turning to go. She was halted by his voice.
'Miss Granger,' he said, raising an eyebrow. 'I am not certain your rooms are an appropriate place for us to review.'
Hermione raised her eyebrows in a show of surprise, and shrugged. 'Well, Severus, it would be more convenient to continue reviewing our notes without interruption, but if you wish to study them down here I am sure we can shrink them and bring them down. Shall we?' She turned to go once more, and was again halted.
'Miss Granger,' Snape began, adopting a stern pose, 'As willing as I am to drop my current occupation and go running about the castle I am afraid it is impossible at present. I ask that you run your errands for yourself.'
This time, it was Hermione's turn to raise an eyebrow. For a man who was currently in a threatening situation, Snape certainly was in top form.
'Very well, Severus. I am sorry to interrupt your work. Perhaps it would be more convenient if I were to begin reviewing the notes myself, and you may join me when you have the time?' She was oozing professional courtesy now, though it was hard to tell if it disturbed Snape. The man in question maintained a stern facade and folded his hands over his notes.
'Miss Granger, you fail to understand my intention,' he said. 'I am busy at the moment, but will not be so if given a few moments to summarise my notes. It would be *convenient* and an economical use of our mutual time if you were to return upstairs to gather your notes while I finish. I hope that I am being clear enough.'
Hermione parted her hands in supplication and nodded. 'Certainly, Severus. If you were feeling pressed for time, you only had to say. I will see you in a few minutes.' Dropping in another sunny smile for luck, she turned and headed back down the corridor.
Only once she was in the main corridors did she allow herself a small smile of satisfaction. This was a very good start indeed. Though he had kept his usual snarky facade in place, Snape had shown some signs that he was perturbed. He had snapped at her, glared, and generally tried to get her out of his office. He had also kept moving down to a minimum, a sure sign that he was nervous, for Snape. It was working out well.
That afteroon was spent in cheerful torment. Polite friendliness exuded from Hermione's every pore as the two went over their combined notes and strategised further experiments. By the time they broke up for the evening meal, Snape was snarky, irritable, caustic and generally in the same mood he was usually in after a fourth-year potions class, and Hermione felt satisfied.
Over the next few weeks Hermione continued to implement her plan. Snape was subjected to a friendly, businesslike companion from nine o'clock every morning until six o'clock every evening, with an hour allowed for lunch. They included weekends in their schedule, though it eventuated that these days were a little easier, and usually occupied in discussion. The tension necessarily caused by past events between them slowly eased. Hermione was pleasantly surprised to find that Snape was capable of civil conversation, when his guard was sufficiently down, and he sometimes voluntarily spoke to her, an honour she had never seen publicly bestowed. Underneath all the armour, there was a civilised human being; an unlooked- for but pleasant bonus.
The increased pace of their research meant that a prototype potion was ready for testing on a new subject. Despite Snape's objections both of them had been acting as test subjects until that point; when they finally had a potion ready to present to Dumbledore, testing on several members of the Order was suggested (not before a near-argument on the wisdom of testing the potion on the headmaster himself, who was an insistent volunteer). It was settled that the testing would take place at Grimmauld Place on a date when their two volunteers, Tonks and Arthur Weasley, could make it - which coincided with the third week of Hermione's plot.
Which was a problem, Hermione reflected as she stared glumly at the kitchen table at Grimmauld Place. Here they were, working together in close quarters with three weeks' worth of intensive interaction under their belt, and Snape was polite, open and, when occasion called for it, even welcoming of her presence. As far as her strategy to get friendly with Snape went, it had been a roaring success. For Snape, this was unprecedented friendly behaviour.
As far as her ultimate strategy went, in which she got to see a lot more than just the friendly side of Snape, her plan had failed dismally. Instead of driving him crazy with her tempting presence, their hours of research together had apparently made him quite comfortable with her. She had thought that a recreation of the circumstances leading up to... well, her birthday present... would produce a similar effect. They'd barely been able to be in a room together without burning up, before. Now, their work together was accompanied by a pleasant familiarity, almost as if she was working with - well, not Harry and Ron, because they always pestered her. No, it was like working with a friend.
Hermione dropped her head to the table and groaned. A gods-damned *friend*, that was what she was to Severus now. And it was driving her batty. Severus had asked her to respect his wishes and she had agreed, knowing not to push things when he was unwilling. She had been willing to go slowly, let him come around in his own time - but that was when she hadn't been feeling quite this... desperate.
Both Ginny and Ailie had warned her about this. She had never quite believed them, until now. Oh, yes, she believed them now. She had never known sexual frustration could be this bad. She was practically clawing the walls. No wonder Ron had been so grumpy after his first breakup with Lavender.
The essential flaw in her plan was that she had counted on a certain set of circumstances to drive Snape mad with sexual desire for her. How had she overlooked the fact that the situation would have just the same effect on her? Stupid, stupid, stupid, she thought, banging her head gently against the table. Three weeks of spending almost every minute of every day around him, pretending that things were normal, had intensified every feeling she had for him tenfold. Sometimes, it was just so difficult not to just reach over and...
With a quick shake, Hermione lifted her head from the table and focussed her concentration. Idle daydreams were only likely to frustrate her further: a lesson learned from experience.
It was evidently time for a plan B. Luckily, she had one. She hoped it worked, because she hadn't thought up a plan C. She hadn't been too eager to implement this plan so far. On one hand, it promised to be quite fun. On the other, it could completely blow up in her face and result in Severus never speaking to her again. Somehow, the promise of fun didn't weigh up so well. Unfortunately, there was a safety net. The unfortunate part was that it involved asking Minerva for advice, something Hermione knew the Deputy Headmistress was just slavering to do. It was the only way. With another groan, Hermione dropped her head back into the cradle of her arms on the table.
She didn't hear the approach of the person who tentatively laid their hand at her shoulder, but the softly spoken 'Hermione' came as no real surprise. There was only one other person up, anyway. It didn't benefit the test for them both to stay up - Tonks and Arthur were experiencing a normal sleep, after all, and would only be able to tell them everything in the morning - but for some reason there had been an unspoken agreement that she and Snape would keep watch. She picked her head up from her arms and gave a wan smile to the object of her torment.
'Hello. Subjects sleeping well?' she asked. Snape nodded and walked to the counter, pouring two cups of tea before taking the seat beside her. Hermione noted that he had poured hers just as she liked it - weak, and white - and sighed. If anything had been needed to prove her point, it was this. Who had ever heard of Snape making someone a cup of tea?
Looking over, she saw that her companion was surveying her with a contemplative look on his face. For a moment, a very familiar tension curled between them, powerful and taut. Hermione swallowed. It had been a few weeks since she had been able to look so directly into Severus's eyes, and right now they were mesmerising in their intensity. As she watched, however, his gaze somehow withdrew, as if he had stepped away from her, and he looked away. She dragged her gaze back to her tea and took a sip.
It was definitely time for plan B.
***
Dumbledore surveyed his longtime colleague and friend, and wondered just what the hell was going on in the man's mind. It wasn't the first time he had wondered this. Indeed, the question occurred every time he had been in his presence since the man before him had been a young child. Severus Snape was a master at concealment.
Luckily, Albus Dumbledore was a master at wrangling things out of people, which was why he was one of the most powerful wizards in the world. Well, part of the reason; he did have to admit that a certain amount of magical power and knowledge had been a help. But he liked to think that he had a knack for dealing with people, figuring out what the wanted and dreamed of and being a source of encouragement for them. Sometimes, of course, he just had to give in and fake it.
A meeting with Severus Snape was usually one of those times. It was only rarely that Severus let his guard down enough for even a skilled manipulator like Albus Dumbledore to figure out what was going on in his head. Albus actually enjoyed these times. It provided a bit of challenge, a bit of excitement. Severus would sit across the desk, looking impenetrably neutral, and Albus played Sherlock Holmes.
Of course, he could just use his powers and read the man's aura to get some answers, but it wasn't nearly as much fun.
'Now, Severus, you've come to tell me the results of this weekend's tests, I believe?' he asked, knowing his wording of the question would annoy his colleague immeasurably. He was rewarded with a hard stare.
'You may believe as you wish, Albus,' Snape replied, folding his hands neatly in his lap. 'We cannot at this stage provide you with definitive results. However, we have reason to believe the tests were successful. Our subjects experienced a dream state which they reported to feel quite close to their waking lives in its feeling, and were subjected to intense emotional trauma. Hermione is writing up our results as we speak.'
Albus suppressed the urge to raise his eyebrows. It had been so long since he had heard Severus voluntarily address anyone besides himself and Minerva by their first name that he almost felt he had misheard. For the man before him to be on such familiar terms with someone he had known a mere nine years was incredible. Not to mention good gossip.
'You and Miss Granger have certainly done a wonderful job with this potion, Severus,' he said.
***
The look in Minerva McGonagall's eyes was downright predatory, and Hermione was slightly scared. She knew Hogwarts was starved for gossip, but it would have been nice if they could have hidden their intense interest in her love life just a little.
Currently Minerva was ensconced on one side of the couch in front of Hermione's cold fireplace, while Hermione stared at her and contemplated how best to get advice out of her. She knew her old teacher would offer the soundest advice most gladly, particularly on this subject, but she would also have the information that Hermione wanted to get together with Snape on Hogwarts' gossip loudspeaker two steps from the door. This aside, there was also the issue of how much to reveal. It had been difficult enough to discuss sex with her own mother, and Hermione didn't relish the idea of telling the woman who was as near a maiden aunt as she got that she had biblical knowledge of one of their colleagues. For one thing, being a witch, Minerva probably didn't know the bible well enough to grasp what she meant.
Tapping her fingers nervously, Hermione searched the fireplace for ideas. It didn't appear to have any, and she cursed her own timidity. After all, this was the woman who had been her friend and mentor for nine years. They were almost as close as mother and daughter. The trouble was, she couldn't squelch the feeling that she would be told off for fornicating on school grounds.
She looked back up at her former teacher, and noted the impatience in the older woman's eyes. Hmm. There was one way to deal with the gossip, at least.
'Minerva,' she began, and the other woman jumped.
'Yes, Hermione dear?' she asked.
Hermione cleared her throat and fixed her friend with a serious stare. 'What I wish to discuss with you cannot be taken out of this room. It cannot be mentioned to anyone whatsoever, even if Albus orders you to or Freya gets you drunk. Am I clear?' Her companion nodded, and she nodded in reply.
'Furthermore,' she continued, 'you cannot hint, nudge, play guessing games, write down, encant in a spell, have small mice perform or in any way give any clue of what I'm about to tell you to another person.' She noticed a little light fade out of McGonagall's eyes and was glad she had added the further clauses, but there was something else... oh, yes. 'And when I say that what I am about to say cannot be taken out of this room, I do not mean that it is okay to bring someone into this room and tell them. You are not to provide this information to anyone, regardless of where you are.' Minerva frowned and Hermione knew she had hit on her friend's plan. She nodded in satisfaction.
'Now that I have sorted that out...' She straightened her skirts and settled more comfortably on the couch. There really didn't seem to be a better way to do this. 'I had sex with Severus. We did it on my birthday and I ran off to think, but by the time I decided that it was a good thing he had had time to think it was a bad thing and asked me never to approach him in that way again. I've tried to get around him by being friendly but it isn't working and so I'm going to make him jealous with Sirius.' Hermione finished her tirade and observed her friend's reactions, which were quite interesting. Many emotions were battling for supremacy on McGonagall's face, but curiosity got the better of them.
'What?' the older witch eventually asked, and Hermione smiled at her.
'I want your advice, Minerva. I cannot see how to get Severus to admit how he feels, other than getting him angry. I think spending time with Sirius will make him jealous enough to admit it, but I'm worried it will make him too angry. What do you think?'
McGonagall's brow furrowed, and the two of them sat silently for a few moments. 'You weren't thinking of becoming romantic at all with Sirius?' she eventually asked.
Hermione tilted her head in thought. 'I wasn't sure. I mean, of course I would never really get romantic with Sirius, but I am not sure how far to push it with Severus. He can be a bit dense sometimes.'
McGonagall nodded. 'That is true.' She frowned in contemplation. 'I don't think Severus would react very well to the idea of you being romantically attached to anyone, particularly Sirius. It's quite possible, if he is attached to you, that he may never speak to you again if he sees you are with someone else so soon.'
'I was afraid of that,' Hermione said with a frown. 'The idea isn't particularly tasteful to me, either. I was thinking more of just spending more time with Sirius. Severus and I spend so much of the day together at the moment that I think he's getting used to me. I thought perhaps if I appeared to be getting a social life, especially with Sirius, it might wake him up.'
'I can certainly see Severus taking note of that. It's difficult to tell how badly he would take it.' Minerva contemplated Hermione. 'He may not take it very well at all, my dear, unless you are very careful. His history with Sirius has not been a happy one.'
Hermione nodded, and frowned. She hadn't fully considered the repercussions of her plan. Perhaps it wasn't such a good idea after all.
'However,' Minerva said, interrupting her thoughts, 'Severus does need a swift kick in the pants if he's to do anything with his life. He's far too content in his role as a miserable bastard, in my opinion.'
'So you think I should go through with it?' Hermione asked, eyebrows raised in surprise.
Minerva nodded. 'Yes. I do. But be sure to tell Sirius what you're up to. We don't want him falling in love with you as well.' Hermione, momentarily relaxed, choked on her breath at this suggestion.
'I'm sure he'll be all right with it.'
***
Hermione wasn't so sure when Sirius appeared at the end of the corridor as she escaped from her work with Snape the next day. She raised her eyebrows at him in query as he joined her and they made their way to the light.
'I thought you might want me to pick you up,' Sirius said, taking her arm in a gentlemanly manner. Hermione sighed.
'Sirius, this isn't a game,' she said. 'It's just supposed to be casual. I told Severus that I had to leave early to have dinner with you. I think it would be pushing it to actually have you pick me up.'
Sirius stopped to look at her with an assessing eye. 'Hmm, 'Severus' now, is it?'
Hermione rolled her eyes and dragged him on.
She had thought that, as it went for her plan, the sooner the better. There were only two weeks before the beginning of term, and she didn't relish the idea of openly pursuing Severus with students around. Also, Sirius would be leaving a few days before the students returned - he was a wanted criminal still, after all, and while the staff that remained over the holidays were more than trustworthy, several hundred students could not be relied on to hold their tongues. It was with this thought in mind that she had approached Sirius immediately after her meeting with Minerva, and now, the day after, she had left her research 'early' (not really, just not ludicrously late as she usually did).
She hadn't been able to see Snape's reaction as she mentioned that she had to leave to meet Sirius, but perhaps that was better. As much as she wanted to know if Snape was capable of jealousy, it wouldn't do to show she was interested. She shuddered at the outcome if Snape suspected any plotting on her part.
Shrugging it off, she slipped her arm through Sirius's and followed his lead down the path. She was simply spending more time with a good friend she had virtually ignored for the past few weeks. There was no guilt in that. If it happened to have the side benefit of making Snape mad with jealousy, then so much the better.
And besides, it wasn't as if the man hadn't asked for it. He had been playing with her affections for far too long.
With a nod to herself, Hermione shoved all feelings of guilt down and pulled Sirius toward town.
***
The next morning, there was no sign that Snape had been disturbed by Hermione's absence. Nor was there the morning after that, even though she had taken over an hour for her lunch with Sirius. Hermione sighed dispiritedly to herself as she began mixing the bases for several lots of dream potion. Their research was going remarkably well; they were down to honing the finer points of the potion and would be ready to release it soon. There was only a short time until the school year began again, and more than likely the research would be finished in time for both Hermione and Snape to have a few days to prepare their class schedules. Fairly soon, they would have little reason to interact at all.
The fact that she had spent almost all of her social time for the last two days alone with Sirius seemed to not affect Snape at all. Hermione had been watching closely; he neither seemed angry about it nor suspiciously happy. He just didn't seem to care. As much as Hermione was glad to see that the animosity ever lurking between Snape and Sirius had diminished, at least to the extent that Snape refrained from insulting him every time his name was mentioned, it was extremely disheartening to suspect that Snape didn't care who she spent her social time with.
Hermione sighed again as she continued to stir the base potion. The potion needed ten minutes of constant stirring and then a pinch of powdered ginger root, and then it would be ready. Ten minutes was a rather long time for a person to contemplate their own unattractiveness. Hermione settled for frowning at the deep green coloured potion and listing the side-effects of thickening agents on potions in her head.
A hand came around her shoulder and took hold of the spoon, stirring in time with her. Hermione looked up to see Snape looking down with concern.
'I will take over if you would like a short break,' he said, taking a firmer grip on the spoon and edging her away. Hermione moved, thankful for a break from stirring. In years past, she would never have thought Snape capable of simple courtesy, but that was what he gave her now - simple, professional courtesy. It was maddening.
She would be having dinner with Sirius tonight. Thank goodness one of the side benefits of her scheme was that she had a kind and understanding friend to turn to.
***
Minerva had spent a frustrating few days Snape-watching as well. As Hermione couldn't see what Snape was doing when she wasn't around, or at least refused to do a subterfuge spell to would allow her to spy on him, the older witch had taken it upon herself to collect information. Personally.
It had been damned frustrating. So far she had watched him calmly eat two meals without so much as a glance at Hermione's empty seat, walk to and from his dungeon offices four times and had surreptitiously watched him in the library. She had tried most earnestly to find some sense of longing in the way he wandered the halls, to find a stubborn anger in the way he failed to look for Hermione at meal times or even detect grumpy frustration in the way he turned the pages of books, but the simple truth was that the man was himself, no grumpier or happier than normal. Damn him.
Minerva was now following the potions master back to his dungeons (from a discreet distance, of course). Being a cat in a human body gave one certain advantages, and she was proud of the way she had carried out her espionage so far. Not a person could possibly tell that the innocent- looking Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts was in fact a clever and cunning spy.
She rounded the corner and almost jumped out of her skin as she found a smug-looking Albus Dumbledore waiting for her.
'Still following young Severus around, Minerva? Really, I would have thought him a bit young for you.'
Minerva scowled at him. 'I hate you, Albus, really I do.'
Albus raised his eyebrows at her and swung to walk down the corridor with her. Only then did she notice Professors Hooch and Sprout behind him.
'Esme just got back,' Hooch said. Sprout nodded. 'Wotcher, Minnie.'
McGonagall continued down the corridor, displeased to find that the three followed her. Really, they needed to institute some sort of boredom relief program at Hogwarts in the summer, she reflected. It made the professors worse to cope with than the children.
'You won't get any information about his relationship with Hermione this way, you know,' Dumbledore said, swaying gently from side to side as he walked. 'Following him around won't do any good, especially in the day time.'
Minerva felt slightly smug at the headmaster's wildly incorrect guess. It wasn't often Albus was wrong, but when it happened it felt so good. Unfortunately her smug expression caught his attention.
'Of course, you could just tell me why you are following Severus,' he said, folding his hands behind his back.
'No.' Ah, it was such a pleasure to do that once in a while, just say 'No' to Albus Dumbledore, Minerva contemplated as her companion frowned. It was such a rare occasion.
'You realise I will know eventually,' he prompted, but Minerva shook her head.
'I don't care, Albus. She won't let me tell anyone.' It had slipped out before she had even contemplated it, and Minerva immediately regretted giving Albus this small clue.
'Ah, Hermione told me already,' he said. 'She wanted me to check up on your plan.' Minerva felt the interested gazes of the two professors behind her and grimaced. It was like participating in a tennis match.
'Nice try, Albus,' she said.
The foursome walked, form-perfect, in silence for a few moments before Sprout piped up with a different tack.
'If we guess, will you tell us?'
Minerva frowned. 'No.'
'She thinks he's having an affair,' interpolated Hooch.
'No.'
Sprout coughed. 'She wants to note his habits so she can ambush him.'
'No.'
McGonagall felt the headmaster's interested gaze on her face before he put his bit in. 'She has heard that small green fairies are nesting in his hair and appear at only certain times of day, and wants you to check.' Minerva's eyebrows shot up at that one, and Dumbledore looked at her eagerly.
'No, Albus. Don't you have something to do? You are headmaster of Hogwarts, after all.'
'I was right about the fairies, wasn't I?'
'No. Now go away.' She huffed a sigh as they rounded a corner; Snape was nowhere in sight, and she was likely to lose him with these three attached to her.
'You wouldn't be protesting so much if I wasn't right about the fairies.'
Minerva turned on Dumbledore, glaring at his eager-yet-innocent expression and resisted the urge to punch him. She would say that the man was going senile if she didn't know he was the most powerful wizard in a thousand years. She suspected he did it to annoy people.
'Albus, you are not right about the fairies. We all know that the only species of green hair-dwelling fairy lives in China, and Severus hasn't been there in years.' Minerva looked down the corridor; Snape was gone. She turned on her companions, hands on hips. 'Well, thank you all very much. He's gone.'
'Minerva my dear, surely you must know that he has detected you following him,' Albus said, patting her on the arm. Minerva narrowed her eyes at his reasonable tone. There was something lurking behind it. The headmaster brightened. 'You would do well to let me help you,' he added.
Giving up, Minerva turned and walked back down the corridor.
'All right, Minerva,' Hooch said as they all strolled after her. 'He may not have noticed you following him around. But you could still do with the help. It's amazing he hasn't blown up at you by now.'
'Yes, that's true. You could do a lot better with four people than with one,' added Sprout.
'I could take care of the fairies,' added Dumbledore in a thoughtful voice. 'I've always wanted green hair-fairies.'
'Keep it up, Albus,' warned Minerva, 'and I very well may organise to give them to you.' There was lead in her voice.
Dumbledore evidently chose not to notice the threat, and smiled happily to himself as he followed the group down the hall.
It didn't occur to any of them that if a seasoned spy like Severus had failed to notice Minerva McGonagall blatantly following his trail he must be very preoccupied with his thoughts indeed.
***
It was a perfect Tuesday afternoon that found Hermione and Sirius strolling back from a leisurely lunch in Hogsmeade, arm in arm. In all, it had been a pleasant week; the days had been warm and balmy without being hot, and the nights peaceful. Hermione had been learning a lot about her friend Sirius, as well, the past never having allowed her to spend quality time with him. It was all too easy to forget with Sirius's lighthearted attitude these days that he was one of the few men who had escaped Azkaban sanity intact.
Which was why she was feeling extremely guilty about the whole situation. As the days went by her mind was devoted to thinking about Snape, analysing his actions when she was near him and debating his motives when she was away. Putting a plan into action had driven to her to near obsession rather than distracting her.
In all, it wasn't a mindset conducive to getting to know an old friend, and it was what she felt Sirius deserved.
She looked up to see that they had arrived at the front doors of Hogwarts. Sirius dropped her arm to open the door for her. He paused, looking at her with a thoughtful expression.
'You've been wearing that frown for the last ten minutes, Mione,' he said. 'Somehow I don't feel that you're enjoying yourself.'
Hermione smiled sadly. 'Sirius, I think we have to talk.'
***
Severus Snape was having a very, very bad day. The day he had been given the Dark Mark, the last time he had been tortured, the first class containing Neville Longbottom; all of these paled compared to this day. It did help that all of those things had happened in the past and were somewhat faded in intensity, but it was a bad day none the less.
The trouble was, he had run out of ways to tell himself that Hermione dating Sirius was not a bad thing. So far, he had rationalised that Hermione was a young woman and needed a social life, and that said social life was difficult to obtain in the ancient castle of Hogwarts. After this had lost its shine, he had considered that going about with Sirius Black was no doubt better than being bored. He had, for a short time, tried to appreciate Black as a thoughtful, attentive and desirable companion who would be good for Hermione. That had lasted only a very short time. Most recently he had considered the possibility that she was entertaining Sirius as a favour to Potter. She was quite a civil-minded woman after all.
This morning, after the gossip at the breakfast table had revealed that last night's social engagement had taken place in Black's rooms. Hermione, coincidentally, had not attended breakfast. Neither had Black. It was only by extreme force of will that Snape had managed to avoid bending his cutlery in half at the table.
The rest of the morning had been spent in quiet research. Hermione had been punctual, bright, extremely capable and had left at twelve for 'lunch with Sirius.'
'Sirius.' How could a man with such a ridiculous name ever been taken seriously? You couldn't even use the word 'serious' in relation to the man because of his stupid name.
Fed up with the entire world, Snape stalked from his office and up the stairs. The rest of the staff should have finished their meals by now and he would not have to put up with their insipid conversations. The possibility that Hermione might be, or should be, returning from her overlong lunch did not factor in his motives. This was unfortunate, as the moment he entered the main entrance hall was the exact moment Hermione and Black walked in.
Instinctively, Snape stepped back into a shadow. He did not want to watch this, he reflected as his eyes steadily observed the couple conversing. He really didn't. It was like Chinese water-torture to see them, heads bent together as they no doubt whispered whatever it was that lovers whispered when they were alone. Had it been any other couple he observed, Snape would have found it sickening. As it was, he found it intolerable.
As Snape watched, Black enfolded Hermione in his embrace and rested his cheek against her head. It was such a moment of seeming tenderness that something felt pierced inside Snape, and he could watch no more.
With a snarl frozen on his face, he turned and swept down the hall to his dungeons.
***
'Sirius, I don't think we should go through with my plan any more,' Hermione said as she walked into the hall. Her companion raised his eyebrows at her, but said nothing.
'I don't think it's fair for you to have to hang around and listen to me complain and babble all the time,' she explained. 'It's not fair for you to have to put up with a gloomy companion when you should be enjoying yourself.'
Sirius nodded, but raised a finger. 'Ah, but the point isn't for us to have a good time. It's for you to get your man, with the side benefit of me annoying Snape for a while. Really, Hermione, I'm enjoying it. Not only do I get your charming company but I get to make Snape angry with no chance of getting me back. Did you see his expression at breakfast the other morning? Wonderful.'
Hermione shook her head. 'Stop trying to make me feel better. I know it's not working, and I feel bad about spending time with you under false pretences. I don't want you to think that I would only spend time with you to use you; you deserve more than that in a friend.' She lifted her hand to halt what Sirius was about to say. 'No, I have to accept it. If Snape wanted me as anything more than a colleague, he would have shown some sign by now. I owe it to you to be better company.' She looked down. 'I only... I just need a little time to get that firmly planted in my head.'
Sirius made a clicking sound and wrapped his arms around her, gently smoothing her hair from her face. 'I don't think you're right little one. Snape would be a madman to pass you up. but do what you think is best for yourself.'
With a sigh, Hermione allowed herself to rest into Sirius's embrace. It was nice to be held, even if it wasn't by the right person. She held back a snort. It was unlikely Snape would ever hold her like this.
There was a soft sound, and Hermione lifted her head from Sirius's shoulder to look behind her. Some small noise had caught her attention, but it took her eyes a few moments to spot the swirl of darkness retreating down the corridor. She frowned. It wasn't possible Snape had been angered by such an innocent scene. She corrected herself. It was highly probable that Snape had completely misconstrued and been angered by such an innocent scene. It had only been a few days since she'd begun to implement her plan and she hadn't expected results so soon.
These didn't seem to be particularly good results, either, if his stalk was anything to go by. He didn't look like 'angry-because-I've-just- realised-what-a-fool-I've-been-and-now-I've-lost-her' Snape, he looked 'furious-and-sulky' Snape. Quickly, Hermione thanked Sirius for lunch and hurried after her great looming bat.
She entered the laboratory only moments after him, but somehow Snape had managed to settle himself as if he had been there for hours. Hermione cursed inwardly. If she had managed to catch him in flight then a confrontation would have been easy, but if he wanted to pretend that he had not been spying on herself and Sirius it got more difficult.
Hermione paused in the doorway to observe her opponent while she considered her options. She could be straightforward, and ask him why he had run away like that, but it was entirely possible that he would deny having been there at all and the conversation would only make things worse. Snape was, after all, a very skilled liar even in the face of the bald truth: she had seen enough evidence of that in her school years.
No, the straightforward approach would be a bad idea. Better to play him at his own game.
With that thought in mind, Hermione strode into the room, bestowing a sunny smile on her research partner as she went to deposit her things. This earned her a scowl. She noticed that his eyes followed her steadily across the room as she approached his desk.
'You are late.' The three words fell on the calm silence in the room like lead on stone.
Hermione raised her eyebrows. 'No, I'm not.' She really wasn't. Though her lunch had taken a little longer than an hour, she and Snape had never had defined lunch hours, usually working as they ate.
'You are,' Snape said, folding his arms, 'late. Almost twenty minutes late. If you feel that your social life is of more import than this work then kindly do me the courtesy of at least advising me of your intended absence.'
Well, there was certainly no danger of him going soft, Hermione thought with a flash of anger. Even though his anger was precisely what she had been hoping to provoke, his acid tongue still stung.
'I am not late,' she repeated, folding her own arms. 'In fact, it is impossible for me to be late. One cannot be late for an appointment that has no schedule.' Snape raised an eyebrow at her as she turned to the work bench.
'Miss Granger, this project may not be officially sanctioned, but it requires your full commitment. If you are incapable of this, I suggest you admit it and let this whole thing be over with.'
Hermione's jaw dropped. Of all the things he could possibly have chosen to say, that was the most unfair. 'Back to "Miss Granger" are we, Severus?' she asked with her back to him. 'I had thought we were rather past that, all things considered. Do you intend to treat me like a student for the rest of my life? It could get rather difficult for you, should I get married.'
'Hah!' snorted Snape. Hermione whirled around, to see him scribbling intently at his notes.
''Hah'?' she asked. 'What do you mean by that?' Snape remained silent, and Hermione walked over to his desk and yanked the quill from his hand, causing him to look up. He scowled at her.
'If you must know,' he said, 'I would consider talk of marrying a little naive, given your recent behaviour.' He snatched his quill back.
'What in hell do you mean by that?' Hermione demanded.
Snape continued to scribble with his quill. 'Nothing.'
Hermione stood, stunned, for a few moments. She knew that Snape could be viciously cruel, but she had never been accused of wantonness before.
'No, you don't get to leave it at that,' she said, snatching his quill back and throwing it across the room. Planting her hands on the desk, she leaned forward and stared angrily into his face. 'I don't like to be called a slut without sufficient evidence, Severus Snape. What exactly did you mean by that comment?'
***
Snape stared at the woman who had been driving him slowly out of his wits over the last few weeks. Her cheeks were flushed, her hair was a riot of curls around her face and her eyes were sparking at him. A furious anger burned in his gut at the thought that she must look like this for *him*, after they had kissed or... other things.
He had known and accepted that Hermione was seeing Black and had even accepted that it was inevitable that she would give her body to someone else. It was reasonable and human. She was a woman in the bloom of youth and beauty and he hadn't expected her to pine for an old waste like himself.
It was the reality of seeing her in Black's arms that had informed him, once more, that logic had no hold over emotion. He felt as if the yellowest bile had eaten its way into his soul and wanted nothing more than to crawl into a dark corner and lick his wounds.
She wouldn't let him.
'Nothing,' he repeated, keeping his eyes steadily focussed on his desk. Maybe if he ignored her for long enough she would go away and leave him alone. It worked with other people. Maybe if he just ignored her existence things would be a little easier for him.
'Don't you dare try to ignore me!' Hermione yelled, slapping her hand down on the desk. 'You said it, now explain it. And do me the courtesy of looking at me when I am talking to you!' Furiously, she grabbed Snape's chin and tilted his head up. He narrowed his eyes and slapped her hand away in reaction.
'Don't touch me,' he hissed. He was at the point of losing control, something that hadn't happened for a very long time.
Her eyes narrowed also. 'Probably something you should have thought about before all this mess, Snape, me touching you. Well, it's too late to take it back, Snape, because I have touched you. I have touched you about all-' She prodded him with a finger- 'I-' She prodded him again- 'want.'
Snape caught her hands. 'I told you not to touch me, witch.' Hermione glared at him.
'Tough.' She snatched her hands back. 'You have absolutely no power over anything I do.'
'That is blatantly clear.' It slipped out before he could catch it, and he regretted it instantly. There was a pause in their fury as the comment sunk in.
'Fine,' said Hermione, turning and packing her things. 'Just bloody fine.' She threw the last book into her bag and slammed the bag down on a table. 'No, it's not bloody well fine.' She turned around and stared at him, hands gripping the desk behind her. Snape stared back at her. The anger building up inside him only got worse with the silence.
'What?' he eventually exploded. A part of him couldn't believe he had fallen for that particular trick. 'Why must you persist in damning me with your presence? *Leave me alone*!'
'I have left you alone, damn it!' Hermione yelled, frustration and anger in her voice. 'I have done nothing but leave you alone, and you react by insulting me! What the hell is your problem? Is it that you simply can't stand me at all? Do you want us to end our project?'
'No,' muttered Snape, looking back down at the desk. His hands were white from gripping it.
'Then what?' Hermione took a step forward and again leaned over the desk toward him, her voice softening. 'Tell me what's wrong.'
Snape pushed back from the desk and stood up. He couldn't stand this any more. He had to go. He had to- but he found the door blocked by roughly sixty kilograms of ex-student.
'Don't you dare walk away!' she said, grabbing him by the lapels of his robe. She was shaking slightly, and the shrillness of her question almost made him wince. 'Tell me!'
'Shouldn't you be getting back to Black, Granger?' Snape sneered, and took her hands off his robes. He knew the question was a giveaway for his true feelings, but it was the best he could do to get away. Hopefully he could make her angry enough to just give up. 'You two seem to be joined at the hip these days, and I wouldn't want to deprive you of his company.'
Hermione flushed and put her hands on her hips. 'What does this have to do with Sirius?'
'Nothing, apart from the distraction he obviously poses for your work. But please don't let me keep you from each other; I have no wish to hear your mooning.'
'What does this have to do with Sirius?' Hermione asked. 'Why on earth would you care who I spend my time with?' There was something other than exasperation and fury in her tone, but Snape couldn't pin it down, and his anger wouldn't give him time.
'Don't use euphemisms, Hermione,' he snarled. 'It's all over the castle what you're doing with the time you 'spend' with Black. All I ask is that you don't bring it into my office: I have enough to deal with without being sickened by your escapades.'
'Why would you even be concerned, Snape?' asked Hermione, her flush growing deeper as the anger returned fully-fledged into her voice. 'You made it very clear that you had absolutely no interest in my personal life before; why care now? I don't see how it should make any difference to you if I snog Sirius Black at the dinner table or shag Filch in the hall! Tell me why it affects you at all! Tell me why you care!' She was very close now, her face all he could see in front of his, and Snape felt desperate and suffocated.
'Go away, Hermione,' he said, and there was pleading in his quiet tone. 'Please.'
'No!' His eyes had nowhere to look but into hers, and she was giving him no ground. 'Why the hell would you care, Snape?' Her yells were echoing off the walls of his dungeons and she was suffocating him with her presence; Snape felt more trapped than he ever had before.
'Because you're mine!' yelled Snape. Something changed in Hermione's face.
'Good. Don't you forget it,' she said, and swiftly turned to gather her things and leave the room.
A/N: Hi everyone. Remember me? Yes, I am still alive. Yes, this is a new chapter. Wow. It's amazing, I know. I just wanted to take the chance to thank the people who reviewed the last chapter: you probably don't remember doing it as it was so long ago. However, you have my humble thanks.
Don't get too excited about there being two chapters – the second one is really just a new scene (unfortunately no lemons either, sorry) and not really a whole chapter but it just didn't flow all in one. Also, it's not a cliff hanger: there will be no continuation in a sex scene for the next chapter after that. I just wanted to warn you not to get your hopes up. Feel free to imagine what a sex scene would be like, though. Here's a tidbit: Chapter 44 will be, if not full of lemon, at least a bit citrussy. Definitely at least a lime flavour. I am already writing it so it should be up soon.
If you haven't read these notes and complain in a review, you have no one to blame but yourself.
Sway with Me
The next morning Hermione breakfasted in the Great Hall with an air of preoccupation reminiscent of her pre-exam student days. If she noticed McGonagall's repeated attempts at engaging her in conversation, she gave no sign. Nor did she snort at Dumbledore's first bad joke of the day (a Hogwarts staff tradition). Professor Trelawney, making a rare appearance at the table, talked to her for twenty minutes about her dream the night before without a reaction, an arrangement which was no doubt most satisfactory on both sides. As for Snape, the focus of her preoccupation, Hermione didn't even know if he had been at the table.
She retired to her rooms in a similarly thoughtful mood, but by lunchtime had sorted out some idea of what she would do. The most frustrating thing was that Snape had made her promise to keep a professional distance. It would be fine if he broke through that barrier first, but she doubted that he would spontaneously assail her with physical affection. If she broke her promise, however, she didn't doubt that he would be down on her like a ton of bricks, moving even further away. At least at the moment she had the advantage of their joint project.
The answer was, as usual, in the fine print of their agreement. He had asked that she keep her behaviour to that appropriate for colleagues. Technically, that meant behaving toward Snape in the same manner she did to the rest of the staff - which was a far friendlier manner than their previous association. No one could ever say that Hermione Granger overlooked technicalities.
It was a simple plan, really, but she was certain it would work, in time. She planned to be friendly to him, exactly as friendly as if she was working with any other professor. She planned to smile at him - strictly in a friendly way - and say good morning to him and be generally nice in all their dealings together. There would be no accidental touches, no longing looks, and definitely no acknowledgment of any attraction between them.
There was, of course, a strategy behind this. In her musings, Hermione had reflected that Snape would now expect a frontal attack. Gryffindors were famed for their straightforwardness, and she had been behaving commendably Gryffindorish so far. She had pounced on him, forced him to talk about things and generally appeared to be eager to have things all out in the open. The last thing he would expect was for her to completely forget about it; even if she had accepted his refusal there was sure to be some sign of loss, be it pouting or sulking or a stony silence. Behaving in a friendly but professional manner toward him reminiscent of a Playschool presenter was definitely not what he was expecting. It was not Gryffindorish. It wasn't even Slytherinish. It was just downright weird.
In denying her, Severus Snape had gained a friend. It would drive him up the wall.
Ultimately, something was bound to happen. She had not been exposed to Snape for eight years without learning something of his behaviour, and one thing she had learned was that he could not stand for things to be out of his control. If people failed to behave predictably in his presence, he poked and prodded at the situation until it presented a satisfactory answer. He abhorred mystery. He loved being able to look knowing and mysterious, and when that was taken out of his power it prompted action.
Of course, it could merely provoke a shouting match, but seeing as that was what had created the whole situation between them in the first place, Hermione was willing to risk it.
She put her plan into force that very afternoon, striding down to the dungeons to beard the beast in his den. It seemed like a good place to start.
'Ah, Severus, there you are,' she said cheerily as she opened the door to his office. 'I've been looking for you.'
Snape's head snapped up from his work, eyes narrowing suspiciously. Hermione withstood his glance, maintaining a sunny exterior. If she failed in any way today, then she might as well toss the plan out the window. Appearing affected at all by last night's conversation was not an option, so she smiled in the friendliest manner possible.
'I was wondering if you had the time available today to go over the rest of our notes. We didn't get to them yesterday evening.' A reference to the night before should put him on guard, Hermione felt, but she didn't want to push it. Too much and he would think it was playing on her mind; too little and he might conclude she was avoiding it.
Snape's eyes narrowed further, but he made no comment, merely nodding. Hermione nodded in return.
'Shall we meet upstairs in ten minutes, then? You know where my rooms are,' she suggested, turning to go. She was halted by his voice.
'Miss Granger,' he said, raising an eyebrow. 'I am not certain your rooms are an appropriate place for us to review.'
Hermione raised her eyebrows in a show of surprise, and shrugged. 'Well, Severus, it would be more convenient to continue reviewing our notes without interruption, but if you wish to study them down here I am sure we can shrink them and bring them down. Shall we?' She turned to go once more, and was again halted.
'Miss Granger,' Snape began, adopting a stern pose, 'As willing as I am to drop my current occupation and go running about the castle I am afraid it is impossible at present. I ask that you run your errands for yourself.'
This time, it was Hermione's turn to raise an eyebrow. For a man who was currently in a threatening situation, Snape certainly was in top form.
'Very well, Severus. I am sorry to interrupt your work. Perhaps it would be more convenient if I were to begin reviewing the notes myself, and you may join me when you have the time?' She was oozing professional courtesy now, though it was hard to tell if it disturbed Snape. The man in question maintained a stern facade and folded his hands over his notes.
'Miss Granger, you fail to understand my intention,' he said. 'I am busy at the moment, but will not be so if given a few moments to summarise my notes. It would be *convenient* and an economical use of our mutual time if you were to return upstairs to gather your notes while I finish. I hope that I am being clear enough.'
Hermione parted her hands in supplication and nodded. 'Certainly, Severus. If you were feeling pressed for time, you only had to say. I will see you in a few minutes.' Dropping in another sunny smile for luck, she turned and headed back down the corridor.
Only once she was in the main corridors did she allow herself a small smile of satisfaction. This was a very good start indeed. Though he had kept his usual snarky facade in place, Snape had shown some signs that he was perturbed. He had snapped at her, glared, and generally tried to get her out of his office. He had also kept moving down to a minimum, a sure sign that he was nervous, for Snape. It was working out well.
That afteroon was spent in cheerful torment. Polite friendliness exuded from Hermione's every pore as the two went over their combined notes and strategised further experiments. By the time they broke up for the evening meal, Snape was snarky, irritable, caustic and generally in the same mood he was usually in after a fourth-year potions class, and Hermione felt satisfied.
Over the next few weeks Hermione continued to implement her plan. Snape was subjected to a friendly, businesslike companion from nine o'clock every morning until six o'clock every evening, with an hour allowed for lunch. They included weekends in their schedule, though it eventuated that these days were a little easier, and usually occupied in discussion. The tension necessarily caused by past events between them slowly eased. Hermione was pleasantly surprised to find that Snape was capable of civil conversation, when his guard was sufficiently down, and he sometimes voluntarily spoke to her, an honour she had never seen publicly bestowed. Underneath all the armour, there was a civilised human being; an unlooked- for but pleasant bonus.
The increased pace of their research meant that a prototype potion was ready for testing on a new subject. Despite Snape's objections both of them had been acting as test subjects until that point; when they finally had a potion ready to present to Dumbledore, testing on several members of the Order was suggested (not before a near-argument on the wisdom of testing the potion on the headmaster himself, who was an insistent volunteer). It was settled that the testing would take place at Grimmauld Place on a date when their two volunteers, Tonks and Arthur Weasley, could make it - which coincided with the third week of Hermione's plot.
Which was a problem, Hermione reflected as she stared glumly at the kitchen table at Grimmauld Place. Here they were, working together in close quarters with three weeks' worth of intensive interaction under their belt, and Snape was polite, open and, when occasion called for it, even welcoming of her presence. As far as her strategy to get friendly with Snape went, it had been a roaring success. For Snape, this was unprecedented friendly behaviour.
As far as her ultimate strategy went, in which she got to see a lot more than just the friendly side of Snape, her plan had failed dismally. Instead of driving him crazy with her tempting presence, their hours of research together had apparently made him quite comfortable with her. She had thought that a recreation of the circumstances leading up to... well, her birthday present... would produce a similar effect. They'd barely been able to be in a room together without burning up, before. Now, their work together was accompanied by a pleasant familiarity, almost as if she was working with - well, not Harry and Ron, because they always pestered her. No, it was like working with a friend.
Hermione dropped her head to the table and groaned. A gods-damned *friend*, that was what she was to Severus now. And it was driving her batty. Severus had asked her to respect his wishes and she had agreed, knowing not to push things when he was unwilling. She had been willing to go slowly, let him come around in his own time - but that was when she hadn't been feeling quite this... desperate.
Both Ginny and Ailie had warned her about this. She had never quite believed them, until now. Oh, yes, she believed them now. She had never known sexual frustration could be this bad. She was practically clawing the walls. No wonder Ron had been so grumpy after his first breakup with Lavender.
The essential flaw in her plan was that she had counted on a certain set of circumstances to drive Snape mad with sexual desire for her. How had she overlooked the fact that the situation would have just the same effect on her? Stupid, stupid, stupid, she thought, banging her head gently against the table. Three weeks of spending almost every minute of every day around him, pretending that things were normal, had intensified every feeling she had for him tenfold. Sometimes, it was just so difficult not to just reach over and...
With a quick shake, Hermione lifted her head from the table and focussed her concentration. Idle daydreams were only likely to frustrate her further: a lesson learned from experience.
It was evidently time for a plan B. Luckily, she had one. She hoped it worked, because she hadn't thought up a plan C. She hadn't been too eager to implement this plan so far. On one hand, it promised to be quite fun. On the other, it could completely blow up in her face and result in Severus never speaking to her again. Somehow, the promise of fun didn't weigh up so well. Unfortunately, there was a safety net. The unfortunate part was that it involved asking Minerva for advice, something Hermione knew the Deputy Headmistress was just slavering to do. It was the only way. With another groan, Hermione dropped her head back into the cradle of her arms on the table.
She didn't hear the approach of the person who tentatively laid their hand at her shoulder, but the softly spoken 'Hermione' came as no real surprise. There was only one other person up, anyway. It didn't benefit the test for them both to stay up - Tonks and Arthur were experiencing a normal sleep, after all, and would only be able to tell them everything in the morning - but for some reason there had been an unspoken agreement that she and Snape would keep watch. She picked her head up from her arms and gave a wan smile to the object of her torment.
'Hello. Subjects sleeping well?' she asked. Snape nodded and walked to the counter, pouring two cups of tea before taking the seat beside her. Hermione noted that he had poured hers just as she liked it - weak, and white - and sighed. If anything had been needed to prove her point, it was this. Who had ever heard of Snape making someone a cup of tea?
Looking over, she saw that her companion was surveying her with a contemplative look on his face. For a moment, a very familiar tension curled between them, powerful and taut. Hermione swallowed. It had been a few weeks since she had been able to look so directly into Severus's eyes, and right now they were mesmerising in their intensity. As she watched, however, his gaze somehow withdrew, as if he had stepped away from her, and he looked away. She dragged her gaze back to her tea and took a sip.
It was definitely time for plan B.
***
Dumbledore surveyed his longtime colleague and friend, and wondered just what the hell was going on in the man's mind. It wasn't the first time he had wondered this. Indeed, the question occurred every time he had been in his presence since the man before him had been a young child. Severus Snape was a master at concealment.
Luckily, Albus Dumbledore was a master at wrangling things out of people, which was why he was one of the most powerful wizards in the world. Well, part of the reason; he did have to admit that a certain amount of magical power and knowledge had been a help. But he liked to think that he had a knack for dealing with people, figuring out what the wanted and dreamed of and being a source of encouragement for them. Sometimes, of course, he just had to give in and fake it.
A meeting with Severus Snape was usually one of those times. It was only rarely that Severus let his guard down enough for even a skilled manipulator like Albus Dumbledore to figure out what was going on in his head. Albus actually enjoyed these times. It provided a bit of challenge, a bit of excitement. Severus would sit across the desk, looking impenetrably neutral, and Albus played Sherlock Holmes.
Of course, he could just use his powers and read the man's aura to get some answers, but it wasn't nearly as much fun.
'Now, Severus, you've come to tell me the results of this weekend's tests, I believe?' he asked, knowing his wording of the question would annoy his colleague immeasurably. He was rewarded with a hard stare.
'You may believe as you wish, Albus,' Snape replied, folding his hands neatly in his lap. 'We cannot at this stage provide you with definitive results. However, we have reason to believe the tests were successful. Our subjects experienced a dream state which they reported to feel quite close to their waking lives in its feeling, and were subjected to intense emotional trauma. Hermione is writing up our results as we speak.'
Albus suppressed the urge to raise his eyebrows. It had been so long since he had heard Severus voluntarily address anyone besides himself and Minerva by their first name that he almost felt he had misheard. For the man before him to be on such familiar terms with someone he had known a mere nine years was incredible. Not to mention good gossip.
'You and Miss Granger have certainly done a wonderful job with this potion, Severus,' he said.
***
The look in Minerva McGonagall's eyes was downright predatory, and Hermione was slightly scared. She knew Hogwarts was starved for gossip, but it would have been nice if they could have hidden their intense interest in her love life just a little.
Currently Minerva was ensconced on one side of the couch in front of Hermione's cold fireplace, while Hermione stared at her and contemplated how best to get advice out of her. She knew her old teacher would offer the soundest advice most gladly, particularly on this subject, but she would also have the information that Hermione wanted to get together with Snape on Hogwarts' gossip loudspeaker two steps from the door. This aside, there was also the issue of how much to reveal. It had been difficult enough to discuss sex with her own mother, and Hermione didn't relish the idea of telling the woman who was as near a maiden aunt as she got that she had biblical knowledge of one of their colleagues. For one thing, being a witch, Minerva probably didn't know the bible well enough to grasp what she meant.
Tapping her fingers nervously, Hermione searched the fireplace for ideas. It didn't appear to have any, and she cursed her own timidity. After all, this was the woman who had been her friend and mentor for nine years. They were almost as close as mother and daughter. The trouble was, she couldn't squelch the feeling that she would be told off for fornicating on school grounds.
She looked back up at her former teacher, and noted the impatience in the older woman's eyes. Hmm. There was one way to deal with the gossip, at least.
'Minerva,' she began, and the other woman jumped.
'Yes, Hermione dear?' she asked.
Hermione cleared her throat and fixed her friend with a serious stare. 'What I wish to discuss with you cannot be taken out of this room. It cannot be mentioned to anyone whatsoever, even if Albus orders you to or Freya gets you drunk. Am I clear?' Her companion nodded, and she nodded in reply.
'Furthermore,' she continued, 'you cannot hint, nudge, play guessing games, write down, encant in a spell, have small mice perform or in any way give any clue of what I'm about to tell you to another person.' She noticed a little light fade out of McGonagall's eyes and was glad she had added the further clauses, but there was something else... oh, yes. 'And when I say that what I am about to say cannot be taken out of this room, I do not mean that it is okay to bring someone into this room and tell them. You are not to provide this information to anyone, regardless of where you are.' Minerva frowned and Hermione knew she had hit on her friend's plan. She nodded in satisfaction.
'Now that I have sorted that out...' She straightened her skirts and settled more comfortably on the couch. There really didn't seem to be a better way to do this. 'I had sex with Severus. We did it on my birthday and I ran off to think, but by the time I decided that it was a good thing he had had time to think it was a bad thing and asked me never to approach him in that way again. I've tried to get around him by being friendly but it isn't working and so I'm going to make him jealous with Sirius.' Hermione finished her tirade and observed her friend's reactions, which were quite interesting. Many emotions were battling for supremacy on McGonagall's face, but curiosity got the better of them.
'What?' the older witch eventually asked, and Hermione smiled at her.
'I want your advice, Minerva. I cannot see how to get Severus to admit how he feels, other than getting him angry. I think spending time with Sirius will make him jealous enough to admit it, but I'm worried it will make him too angry. What do you think?'
McGonagall's brow furrowed, and the two of them sat silently for a few moments. 'You weren't thinking of becoming romantic at all with Sirius?' she eventually asked.
Hermione tilted her head in thought. 'I wasn't sure. I mean, of course I would never really get romantic with Sirius, but I am not sure how far to push it with Severus. He can be a bit dense sometimes.'
McGonagall nodded. 'That is true.' She frowned in contemplation. 'I don't think Severus would react very well to the idea of you being romantically attached to anyone, particularly Sirius. It's quite possible, if he is attached to you, that he may never speak to you again if he sees you are with someone else so soon.'
'I was afraid of that,' Hermione said with a frown. 'The idea isn't particularly tasteful to me, either. I was thinking more of just spending more time with Sirius. Severus and I spend so much of the day together at the moment that I think he's getting used to me. I thought perhaps if I appeared to be getting a social life, especially with Sirius, it might wake him up.'
'I can certainly see Severus taking note of that. It's difficult to tell how badly he would take it.' Minerva contemplated Hermione. 'He may not take it very well at all, my dear, unless you are very careful. His history with Sirius has not been a happy one.'
Hermione nodded, and frowned. She hadn't fully considered the repercussions of her plan. Perhaps it wasn't such a good idea after all.
'However,' Minerva said, interrupting her thoughts, 'Severus does need a swift kick in the pants if he's to do anything with his life. He's far too content in his role as a miserable bastard, in my opinion.'
'So you think I should go through with it?' Hermione asked, eyebrows raised in surprise.
Minerva nodded. 'Yes. I do. But be sure to tell Sirius what you're up to. We don't want him falling in love with you as well.' Hermione, momentarily relaxed, choked on her breath at this suggestion.
'I'm sure he'll be all right with it.'
***
Hermione wasn't so sure when Sirius appeared at the end of the corridor as she escaped from her work with Snape the next day. She raised her eyebrows at him in query as he joined her and they made their way to the light.
'I thought you might want me to pick you up,' Sirius said, taking her arm in a gentlemanly manner. Hermione sighed.
'Sirius, this isn't a game,' she said. 'It's just supposed to be casual. I told Severus that I had to leave early to have dinner with you. I think it would be pushing it to actually have you pick me up.'
Sirius stopped to look at her with an assessing eye. 'Hmm, 'Severus' now, is it?'
Hermione rolled her eyes and dragged him on.
She had thought that, as it went for her plan, the sooner the better. There were only two weeks before the beginning of term, and she didn't relish the idea of openly pursuing Severus with students around. Also, Sirius would be leaving a few days before the students returned - he was a wanted criminal still, after all, and while the staff that remained over the holidays were more than trustworthy, several hundred students could not be relied on to hold their tongues. It was with this thought in mind that she had approached Sirius immediately after her meeting with Minerva, and now, the day after, she had left her research 'early' (not really, just not ludicrously late as she usually did).
She hadn't been able to see Snape's reaction as she mentioned that she had to leave to meet Sirius, but perhaps that was better. As much as she wanted to know if Snape was capable of jealousy, it wouldn't do to show she was interested. She shuddered at the outcome if Snape suspected any plotting on her part.
Shrugging it off, she slipped her arm through Sirius's and followed his lead down the path. She was simply spending more time with a good friend she had virtually ignored for the past few weeks. There was no guilt in that. If it happened to have the side benefit of making Snape mad with jealousy, then so much the better.
And besides, it wasn't as if the man hadn't asked for it. He had been playing with her affections for far too long.
With a nod to herself, Hermione shoved all feelings of guilt down and pulled Sirius toward town.
***
The next morning, there was no sign that Snape had been disturbed by Hermione's absence. Nor was there the morning after that, even though she had taken over an hour for her lunch with Sirius. Hermione sighed dispiritedly to herself as she began mixing the bases for several lots of dream potion. Their research was going remarkably well; they were down to honing the finer points of the potion and would be ready to release it soon. There was only a short time until the school year began again, and more than likely the research would be finished in time for both Hermione and Snape to have a few days to prepare their class schedules. Fairly soon, they would have little reason to interact at all.
The fact that she had spent almost all of her social time for the last two days alone with Sirius seemed to not affect Snape at all. Hermione had been watching closely; he neither seemed angry about it nor suspiciously happy. He just didn't seem to care. As much as Hermione was glad to see that the animosity ever lurking between Snape and Sirius had diminished, at least to the extent that Snape refrained from insulting him every time his name was mentioned, it was extremely disheartening to suspect that Snape didn't care who she spent her social time with.
Hermione sighed again as she continued to stir the base potion. The potion needed ten minutes of constant stirring and then a pinch of powdered ginger root, and then it would be ready. Ten minutes was a rather long time for a person to contemplate their own unattractiveness. Hermione settled for frowning at the deep green coloured potion and listing the side-effects of thickening agents on potions in her head.
A hand came around her shoulder and took hold of the spoon, stirring in time with her. Hermione looked up to see Snape looking down with concern.
'I will take over if you would like a short break,' he said, taking a firmer grip on the spoon and edging her away. Hermione moved, thankful for a break from stirring. In years past, she would never have thought Snape capable of simple courtesy, but that was what he gave her now - simple, professional courtesy. It was maddening.
She would be having dinner with Sirius tonight. Thank goodness one of the side benefits of her scheme was that she had a kind and understanding friend to turn to.
***
Minerva had spent a frustrating few days Snape-watching as well. As Hermione couldn't see what Snape was doing when she wasn't around, or at least refused to do a subterfuge spell to would allow her to spy on him, the older witch had taken it upon herself to collect information. Personally.
It had been damned frustrating. So far she had watched him calmly eat two meals without so much as a glance at Hermione's empty seat, walk to and from his dungeon offices four times and had surreptitiously watched him in the library. She had tried most earnestly to find some sense of longing in the way he wandered the halls, to find a stubborn anger in the way he failed to look for Hermione at meal times or even detect grumpy frustration in the way he turned the pages of books, but the simple truth was that the man was himself, no grumpier or happier than normal. Damn him.
Minerva was now following the potions master back to his dungeons (from a discreet distance, of course). Being a cat in a human body gave one certain advantages, and she was proud of the way she had carried out her espionage so far. Not a person could possibly tell that the innocent- looking Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts was in fact a clever and cunning spy.
She rounded the corner and almost jumped out of her skin as she found a smug-looking Albus Dumbledore waiting for her.
'Still following young Severus around, Minerva? Really, I would have thought him a bit young for you.'
Minerva scowled at him. 'I hate you, Albus, really I do.'
Albus raised his eyebrows at her and swung to walk down the corridor with her. Only then did she notice Professors Hooch and Sprout behind him.
'Esme just got back,' Hooch said. Sprout nodded. 'Wotcher, Minnie.'
McGonagall continued down the corridor, displeased to find that the three followed her. Really, they needed to institute some sort of boredom relief program at Hogwarts in the summer, she reflected. It made the professors worse to cope with than the children.
'You won't get any information about his relationship with Hermione this way, you know,' Dumbledore said, swaying gently from side to side as he walked. 'Following him around won't do any good, especially in the day time.'
Minerva felt slightly smug at the headmaster's wildly incorrect guess. It wasn't often Albus was wrong, but when it happened it felt so good. Unfortunately her smug expression caught his attention.
'Of course, you could just tell me why you are following Severus,' he said, folding his hands behind his back.
'No.' Ah, it was such a pleasure to do that once in a while, just say 'No' to Albus Dumbledore, Minerva contemplated as her companion frowned. It was such a rare occasion.
'You realise I will know eventually,' he prompted, but Minerva shook her head.
'I don't care, Albus. She won't let me tell anyone.' It had slipped out before she had even contemplated it, and Minerva immediately regretted giving Albus this small clue.
'Ah, Hermione told me already,' he said. 'She wanted me to check up on your plan.' Minerva felt the interested gazes of the two professors behind her and grimaced. It was like participating in a tennis match.
'Nice try, Albus,' she said.
The foursome walked, form-perfect, in silence for a few moments before Sprout piped up with a different tack.
'If we guess, will you tell us?'
Minerva frowned. 'No.'
'She thinks he's having an affair,' interpolated Hooch.
'No.'
Sprout coughed. 'She wants to note his habits so she can ambush him.'
'No.'
McGonagall felt the headmaster's interested gaze on her face before he put his bit in. 'She has heard that small green fairies are nesting in his hair and appear at only certain times of day, and wants you to check.' Minerva's eyebrows shot up at that one, and Dumbledore looked at her eagerly.
'No, Albus. Don't you have something to do? You are headmaster of Hogwarts, after all.'
'I was right about the fairies, wasn't I?'
'No. Now go away.' She huffed a sigh as they rounded a corner; Snape was nowhere in sight, and she was likely to lose him with these three attached to her.
'You wouldn't be protesting so much if I wasn't right about the fairies.'
Minerva turned on Dumbledore, glaring at his eager-yet-innocent expression and resisted the urge to punch him. She would say that the man was going senile if she didn't know he was the most powerful wizard in a thousand years. She suspected he did it to annoy people.
'Albus, you are not right about the fairies. We all know that the only species of green hair-dwelling fairy lives in China, and Severus hasn't been there in years.' Minerva looked down the corridor; Snape was gone. She turned on her companions, hands on hips. 'Well, thank you all very much. He's gone.'
'Minerva my dear, surely you must know that he has detected you following him,' Albus said, patting her on the arm. Minerva narrowed her eyes at his reasonable tone. There was something lurking behind it. The headmaster brightened. 'You would do well to let me help you,' he added.
Giving up, Minerva turned and walked back down the corridor.
'All right, Minerva,' Hooch said as they all strolled after her. 'He may not have noticed you following him around. But you could still do with the help. It's amazing he hasn't blown up at you by now.'
'Yes, that's true. You could do a lot better with four people than with one,' added Sprout.
'I could take care of the fairies,' added Dumbledore in a thoughtful voice. 'I've always wanted green hair-fairies.'
'Keep it up, Albus,' warned Minerva, 'and I very well may organise to give them to you.' There was lead in her voice.
Dumbledore evidently chose not to notice the threat, and smiled happily to himself as he followed the group down the hall.
It didn't occur to any of them that if a seasoned spy like Severus had failed to notice Minerva McGonagall blatantly following his trail he must be very preoccupied with his thoughts indeed.
***
It was a perfect Tuesday afternoon that found Hermione and Sirius strolling back from a leisurely lunch in Hogsmeade, arm in arm. In all, it had been a pleasant week; the days had been warm and balmy without being hot, and the nights peaceful. Hermione had been learning a lot about her friend Sirius, as well, the past never having allowed her to spend quality time with him. It was all too easy to forget with Sirius's lighthearted attitude these days that he was one of the few men who had escaped Azkaban sanity intact.
Which was why she was feeling extremely guilty about the whole situation. As the days went by her mind was devoted to thinking about Snape, analysing his actions when she was near him and debating his motives when she was away. Putting a plan into action had driven to her to near obsession rather than distracting her.
In all, it wasn't a mindset conducive to getting to know an old friend, and it was what she felt Sirius deserved.
She looked up to see that they had arrived at the front doors of Hogwarts. Sirius dropped her arm to open the door for her. He paused, looking at her with a thoughtful expression.
'You've been wearing that frown for the last ten minutes, Mione,' he said. 'Somehow I don't feel that you're enjoying yourself.'
Hermione smiled sadly. 'Sirius, I think we have to talk.'
***
Severus Snape was having a very, very bad day. The day he had been given the Dark Mark, the last time he had been tortured, the first class containing Neville Longbottom; all of these paled compared to this day. It did help that all of those things had happened in the past and were somewhat faded in intensity, but it was a bad day none the less.
The trouble was, he had run out of ways to tell himself that Hermione dating Sirius was not a bad thing. So far, he had rationalised that Hermione was a young woman and needed a social life, and that said social life was difficult to obtain in the ancient castle of Hogwarts. After this had lost its shine, he had considered that going about with Sirius Black was no doubt better than being bored. He had, for a short time, tried to appreciate Black as a thoughtful, attentive and desirable companion who would be good for Hermione. That had lasted only a very short time. Most recently he had considered the possibility that she was entertaining Sirius as a favour to Potter. She was quite a civil-minded woman after all.
This morning, after the gossip at the breakfast table had revealed that last night's social engagement had taken place in Black's rooms. Hermione, coincidentally, had not attended breakfast. Neither had Black. It was only by extreme force of will that Snape had managed to avoid bending his cutlery in half at the table.
The rest of the morning had been spent in quiet research. Hermione had been punctual, bright, extremely capable and had left at twelve for 'lunch with Sirius.'
'Sirius.' How could a man with such a ridiculous name ever been taken seriously? You couldn't even use the word 'serious' in relation to the man because of his stupid name.
Fed up with the entire world, Snape stalked from his office and up the stairs. The rest of the staff should have finished their meals by now and he would not have to put up with their insipid conversations. The possibility that Hermione might be, or should be, returning from her overlong lunch did not factor in his motives. This was unfortunate, as the moment he entered the main entrance hall was the exact moment Hermione and Black walked in.
Instinctively, Snape stepped back into a shadow. He did not want to watch this, he reflected as his eyes steadily observed the couple conversing. He really didn't. It was like Chinese water-torture to see them, heads bent together as they no doubt whispered whatever it was that lovers whispered when they were alone. Had it been any other couple he observed, Snape would have found it sickening. As it was, he found it intolerable.
As Snape watched, Black enfolded Hermione in his embrace and rested his cheek against her head. It was such a moment of seeming tenderness that something felt pierced inside Snape, and he could watch no more.
With a snarl frozen on his face, he turned and swept down the hall to his dungeons.
***
'Sirius, I don't think we should go through with my plan any more,' Hermione said as she walked into the hall. Her companion raised his eyebrows at her, but said nothing.
'I don't think it's fair for you to have to hang around and listen to me complain and babble all the time,' she explained. 'It's not fair for you to have to put up with a gloomy companion when you should be enjoying yourself.'
Sirius nodded, but raised a finger. 'Ah, but the point isn't for us to have a good time. It's for you to get your man, with the side benefit of me annoying Snape for a while. Really, Hermione, I'm enjoying it. Not only do I get your charming company but I get to make Snape angry with no chance of getting me back. Did you see his expression at breakfast the other morning? Wonderful.'
Hermione shook her head. 'Stop trying to make me feel better. I know it's not working, and I feel bad about spending time with you under false pretences. I don't want you to think that I would only spend time with you to use you; you deserve more than that in a friend.' She lifted her hand to halt what Sirius was about to say. 'No, I have to accept it. If Snape wanted me as anything more than a colleague, he would have shown some sign by now. I owe it to you to be better company.' She looked down. 'I only... I just need a little time to get that firmly planted in my head.'
Sirius made a clicking sound and wrapped his arms around her, gently smoothing her hair from her face. 'I don't think you're right little one. Snape would be a madman to pass you up. but do what you think is best for yourself.'
With a sigh, Hermione allowed herself to rest into Sirius's embrace. It was nice to be held, even if it wasn't by the right person. She held back a snort. It was unlikely Snape would ever hold her like this.
There was a soft sound, and Hermione lifted her head from Sirius's shoulder to look behind her. Some small noise had caught her attention, but it took her eyes a few moments to spot the swirl of darkness retreating down the corridor. She frowned. It wasn't possible Snape had been angered by such an innocent scene. She corrected herself. It was highly probable that Snape had completely misconstrued and been angered by such an innocent scene. It had only been a few days since she'd begun to implement her plan and she hadn't expected results so soon.
These didn't seem to be particularly good results, either, if his stalk was anything to go by. He didn't look like 'angry-because-I've-just- realised-what-a-fool-I've-been-and-now-I've-lost-her' Snape, he looked 'furious-and-sulky' Snape. Quickly, Hermione thanked Sirius for lunch and hurried after her great looming bat.
She entered the laboratory only moments after him, but somehow Snape had managed to settle himself as if he had been there for hours. Hermione cursed inwardly. If she had managed to catch him in flight then a confrontation would have been easy, but if he wanted to pretend that he had not been spying on herself and Sirius it got more difficult.
Hermione paused in the doorway to observe her opponent while she considered her options. She could be straightforward, and ask him why he had run away like that, but it was entirely possible that he would deny having been there at all and the conversation would only make things worse. Snape was, after all, a very skilled liar even in the face of the bald truth: she had seen enough evidence of that in her school years.
No, the straightforward approach would be a bad idea. Better to play him at his own game.
With that thought in mind, Hermione strode into the room, bestowing a sunny smile on her research partner as she went to deposit her things. This earned her a scowl. She noticed that his eyes followed her steadily across the room as she approached his desk.
'You are late.' The three words fell on the calm silence in the room like lead on stone.
Hermione raised her eyebrows. 'No, I'm not.' She really wasn't. Though her lunch had taken a little longer than an hour, she and Snape had never had defined lunch hours, usually working as they ate.
'You are,' Snape said, folding his arms, 'late. Almost twenty minutes late. If you feel that your social life is of more import than this work then kindly do me the courtesy of at least advising me of your intended absence.'
Well, there was certainly no danger of him going soft, Hermione thought with a flash of anger. Even though his anger was precisely what she had been hoping to provoke, his acid tongue still stung.
'I am not late,' she repeated, folding her own arms. 'In fact, it is impossible for me to be late. One cannot be late for an appointment that has no schedule.' Snape raised an eyebrow at her as she turned to the work bench.
'Miss Granger, this project may not be officially sanctioned, but it requires your full commitment. If you are incapable of this, I suggest you admit it and let this whole thing be over with.'
Hermione's jaw dropped. Of all the things he could possibly have chosen to say, that was the most unfair. 'Back to "Miss Granger" are we, Severus?' she asked with her back to him. 'I had thought we were rather past that, all things considered. Do you intend to treat me like a student for the rest of my life? It could get rather difficult for you, should I get married.'
'Hah!' snorted Snape. Hermione whirled around, to see him scribbling intently at his notes.
''Hah'?' she asked. 'What do you mean by that?' Snape remained silent, and Hermione walked over to his desk and yanked the quill from his hand, causing him to look up. He scowled at her.
'If you must know,' he said, 'I would consider talk of marrying a little naive, given your recent behaviour.' He snatched his quill back.
'What in hell do you mean by that?' Hermione demanded.
Snape continued to scribble with his quill. 'Nothing.'
Hermione stood, stunned, for a few moments. She knew that Snape could be viciously cruel, but she had never been accused of wantonness before.
'No, you don't get to leave it at that,' she said, snatching his quill back and throwing it across the room. Planting her hands on the desk, she leaned forward and stared angrily into his face. 'I don't like to be called a slut without sufficient evidence, Severus Snape. What exactly did you mean by that comment?'
***
Snape stared at the woman who had been driving him slowly out of his wits over the last few weeks. Her cheeks were flushed, her hair was a riot of curls around her face and her eyes were sparking at him. A furious anger burned in his gut at the thought that she must look like this for *him*, after they had kissed or... other things.
He had known and accepted that Hermione was seeing Black and had even accepted that it was inevitable that she would give her body to someone else. It was reasonable and human. She was a woman in the bloom of youth and beauty and he hadn't expected her to pine for an old waste like himself.
It was the reality of seeing her in Black's arms that had informed him, once more, that logic had no hold over emotion. He felt as if the yellowest bile had eaten its way into his soul and wanted nothing more than to crawl into a dark corner and lick his wounds.
She wouldn't let him.
'Nothing,' he repeated, keeping his eyes steadily focussed on his desk. Maybe if he ignored her for long enough she would go away and leave him alone. It worked with other people. Maybe if he just ignored her existence things would be a little easier for him.
'Don't you dare try to ignore me!' Hermione yelled, slapping her hand down on the desk. 'You said it, now explain it. And do me the courtesy of looking at me when I am talking to you!' Furiously, she grabbed Snape's chin and tilted his head up. He narrowed his eyes and slapped her hand away in reaction.
'Don't touch me,' he hissed. He was at the point of losing control, something that hadn't happened for a very long time.
Her eyes narrowed also. 'Probably something you should have thought about before all this mess, Snape, me touching you. Well, it's too late to take it back, Snape, because I have touched you. I have touched you about all-' She prodded him with a finger- 'I-' She prodded him again- 'want.'
Snape caught her hands. 'I told you not to touch me, witch.' Hermione glared at him.
'Tough.' She snatched her hands back. 'You have absolutely no power over anything I do.'
'That is blatantly clear.' It slipped out before he could catch it, and he regretted it instantly. There was a pause in their fury as the comment sunk in.
'Fine,' said Hermione, turning and packing her things. 'Just bloody fine.' She threw the last book into her bag and slammed the bag down on a table. 'No, it's not bloody well fine.' She turned around and stared at him, hands gripping the desk behind her. Snape stared back at her. The anger building up inside him only got worse with the silence.
'What?' he eventually exploded. A part of him couldn't believe he had fallen for that particular trick. 'Why must you persist in damning me with your presence? *Leave me alone*!'
'I have left you alone, damn it!' Hermione yelled, frustration and anger in her voice. 'I have done nothing but leave you alone, and you react by insulting me! What the hell is your problem? Is it that you simply can't stand me at all? Do you want us to end our project?'
'No,' muttered Snape, looking back down at the desk. His hands were white from gripping it.
'Then what?' Hermione took a step forward and again leaned over the desk toward him, her voice softening. 'Tell me what's wrong.'
Snape pushed back from the desk and stood up. He couldn't stand this any more. He had to go. He had to- but he found the door blocked by roughly sixty kilograms of ex-student.
'Don't you dare walk away!' she said, grabbing him by the lapels of his robe. She was shaking slightly, and the shrillness of her question almost made him wince. 'Tell me!'
'Shouldn't you be getting back to Black, Granger?' Snape sneered, and took her hands off his robes. He knew the question was a giveaway for his true feelings, but it was the best he could do to get away. Hopefully he could make her angry enough to just give up. 'You two seem to be joined at the hip these days, and I wouldn't want to deprive you of his company.'
Hermione flushed and put her hands on her hips. 'What does this have to do with Sirius?'
'Nothing, apart from the distraction he obviously poses for your work. But please don't let me keep you from each other; I have no wish to hear your mooning.'
'What does this have to do with Sirius?' Hermione asked. 'Why on earth would you care who I spend my time with?' There was something other than exasperation and fury in her tone, but Snape couldn't pin it down, and his anger wouldn't give him time.
'Don't use euphemisms, Hermione,' he snarled. 'It's all over the castle what you're doing with the time you 'spend' with Black. All I ask is that you don't bring it into my office: I have enough to deal with without being sickened by your escapades.'
'Why would you even be concerned, Snape?' asked Hermione, her flush growing deeper as the anger returned fully-fledged into her voice. 'You made it very clear that you had absolutely no interest in my personal life before; why care now? I don't see how it should make any difference to you if I snog Sirius Black at the dinner table or shag Filch in the hall! Tell me why it affects you at all! Tell me why you care!' She was very close now, her face all he could see in front of his, and Snape felt desperate and suffocated.
'Go away, Hermione,' he said, and there was pleading in his quiet tone. 'Please.'
'No!' His eyes had nowhere to look but into hers, and she was giving him no ground. 'Why the hell would you care, Snape?' Her yells were echoing off the walls of his dungeons and she was suffocating him with her presence; Snape felt more trapped than he ever had before.
'Because you're mine!' yelled Snape. Something changed in Hermione's face.
'Good. Don't you forget it,' she said, and swiftly turned to gather her things and leave the room.