Chapter Four: The Absent Gryffindor
"Have you seen her?"
"Not since Potions."
"She's probably in the library."
"D'you think she's OK?"
"Where is she?"
"Well, Snape asked her to stay back."
"Riiiight. It's been hours."
Such was the scene between Dean, Neville, Harry, Ron, Lavender, and Parvati in the Gryffindor common room after Friday's double Potions. Hermione still hadn't returned.
"Hermione! A moment!" Snape had called at the end of Potions that afternoon.
Ron smiled encouragingly at Hermione, and she smiled back at him, obviously nervous.
"Well, see you." Harry said, winking at her. Hermione packed up her books as the rest of the class exited. Once they were gone, Snape waved her up to his desk.
"I found something that may be of interest to you," he explained, pulling up a chair for her. "Have a seat. I'll get it."
Hermione watched him disappear into his office, which she knew from breaking into it in her second year, contained the entrance to his private quarters. She briefly considered following, but managed to resist the urge.
Snape walked the pre-programmed course into his private potions lab, the whole while his cynicism creeping up on him, whispering "this will never work, this can't ever work."
The two glasses were already there, sitting on the counter, beckoning to him. He dipped the ladle into the sweet-smelling bubbling potion. Five drops. One, two, three, four, five. Done. Now he could find out. The Love Potion wasn't enough to make her do anything she didn't want to do, it would just lower her defenses a bit. Snape had been wrestling with his conscience for weeks, regarding this. Dumbledore had said (albeit jokingly, but that man didn't miss a trick) that Hermione had to consent of her own free will. Sighing, he picked up the first edition of Hogwarts, A History, and prepared for what (he hoped) was promising to be an exerting evening.
Hermione looked up at the door when Snape re-entered the classroom.
"Welcome back." She smiled.
"I'm sorry it's so warm in here. The heat is going berserk." He handed her her glass of water.
"Thank you."
"This is what I wanted to show you." He pulled out the book, eliciting a gasp from his student.
"Professor-this must be over a thousand years old-I-where did you get it?"
"One thousand five hundred and twenty-nine years, to be exact. It's been in my family forever."
"Why are you showing me?"
Crap, thought Snape, don't give the game away now. "I thought it would interest you. Is that a problem?" A trace of his old vindicitiveness re- entered his voice.
"No! I'm just surprised."
Snape fought back the urge to snort. If she only knew.. "You can hold on to that for a while, if you like." He said more gently.
Hermione was on her feet. What the- thought Snape, she was coming towards him. He thought perhaps he should back up, but her merely started in mute disbelief as her mouth closed over his.
Snape pulled Hermione closer as her arms ensconced his neck. Without breaking their now heated kiss, they made their way back into his chambers.
Several hours later, Hermione awoke, her legs intertwined with those of her Potions professor. Groaning, she delicately untangled herself and quickly pulled her robes back on.
Emerging from Snape's dungeon, she found herself face to face with the two people she least wanted to see after sharing the evening with Severus Snape.
"Where have you been?" asked Harry as Ron's mouth fell open in mute disbelief.
"Have you seen her?"
"Not since Potions."
"She's probably in the library."
"D'you think she's OK?"
"Where is she?"
"Well, Snape asked her to stay back."
"Riiiight. It's been hours."
Such was the scene between Dean, Neville, Harry, Ron, Lavender, and Parvati in the Gryffindor common room after Friday's double Potions. Hermione still hadn't returned.
"Hermione! A moment!" Snape had called at the end of Potions that afternoon.
Ron smiled encouragingly at Hermione, and she smiled back at him, obviously nervous.
"Well, see you." Harry said, winking at her. Hermione packed up her books as the rest of the class exited. Once they were gone, Snape waved her up to his desk.
"I found something that may be of interest to you," he explained, pulling up a chair for her. "Have a seat. I'll get it."
Hermione watched him disappear into his office, which she knew from breaking into it in her second year, contained the entrance to his private quarters. She briefly considered following, but managed to resist the urge.
Snape walked the pre-programmed course into his private potions lab, the whole while his cynicism creeping up on him, whispering "this will never work, this can't ever work."
The two glasses were already there, sitting on the counter, beckoning to him. He dipped the ladle into the sweet-smelling bubbling potion. Five drops. One, two, three, four, five. Done. Now he could find out. The Love Potion wasn't enough to make her do anything she didn't want to do, it would just lower her defenses a bit. Snape had been wrestling with his conscience for weeks, regarding this. Dumbledore had said (albeit jokingly, but that man didn't miss a trick) that Hermione had to consent of her own free will. Sighing, he picked up the first edition of Hogwarts, A History, and prepared for what (he hoped) was promising to be an exerting evening.
Hermione looked up at the door when Snape re-entered the classroom.
"Welcome back." She smiled.
"I'm sorry it's so warm in here. The heat is going berserk." He handed her her glass of water.
"Thank you."
"This is what I wanted to show you." He pulled out the book, eliciting a gasp from his student.
"Professor-this must be over a thousand years old-I-where did you get it?"
"One thousand five hundred and twenty-nine years, to be exact. It's been in my family forever."
"Why are you showing me?"
Crap, thought Snape, don't give the game away now. "I thought it would interest you. Is that a problem?" A trace of his old vindicitiveness re- entered his voice.
"No! I'm just surprised."
Snape fought back the urge to snort. If she only knew.. "You can hold on to that for a while, if you like." He said more gently.
Hermione was on her feet. What the- thought Snape, she was coming towards him. He thought perhaps he should back up, but her merely started in mute disbelief as her mouth closed over his.
Snape pulled Hermione closer as her arms ensconced his neck. Without breaking their now heated kiss, they made their way back into his chambers.
Several hours later, Hermione awoke, her legs intertwined with those of her Potions professor. Groaning, she delicately untangled herself and quickly pulled her robes back on.
Emerging from Snape's dungeon, she found herself face to face with the two people she least wanted to see after sharing the evening with Severus Snape.
"Where have you been?" asked Harry as Ron's mouth fell open in mute disbelief.