A/N: Ah, wonderful positive reviews from all! So far only a few suggestions for titles though… Maybe more creativity once you read this chapter. Ah, handcuffs are a totally awesome excuse to get Hermione and Severus to snog...Teehee! ;) Enjoy!

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Snape couldn't believe the absolutely ridiculous situation he was in. He stood there for several minutes, trying to find some sense in his…their, predicament; he found nothing that could explain it. He'd actually never been more embarrassed in a long time. To have a student attached to you, especially one named Hermione Granger, did not happen very often. Not to anyone. But of course, his horrible luck did not leave him alone today, and now he was stuck to a student he most disliked, but adored at the same time. Adored? Now where did that come from? Snape was a logical person, he knew there was a reason or explanation behind everything, but this? It wasn't at all likely that he liked Miss Granger, not in the least. But, her contagious curiosity, and her will to learn and understand Potions, a subject hated by most, was, special to him. She was the one person he taught that actually listened with genuine interest and rapt attention. It made him feel quite respected and important. More so than he already knew he was.

"Professor?" Snape was snapped out of his tangent to the questioning eyes of his student, Miss Granger, who was clearly waiting as patiently as she dared for him to help her figure out what they were going to do.

"Silly girl, you haven't even tried to unlock it magically?" he exclaimed exasperatedly. "And Flitwick always said charms were your strength, but apparently not. Alohamora!' Nothing, the handcuffs didn't unlock. "Damn…"

"Sir, I would appreciate it if you didn't insult me," she said defensively.

"Well, Miss Granger, I wasn't aware I actually had to be nice to anyone, particularly you," delivering a snapping return right back into her face.

"Well then you'll pardon me for saying this to you," she snapped, her temper rising. "Why don't you bloody bugger off!?" Gasping, she clapped her hand over her mouth in horror. Snape was stunned; Miss Granger, one of the most polite and respectful students he had, just basically told him to sod off. Maybe there is more to Miss Granger than I know, he thought to himself. No excuse, however.

"Fifteen points for rudely addressing a teacher, and another thirty for handcuffing yourself to me, and forty-five points to you if you can get this ridiculous thing off!"

"Excuse me, Professor?" she squeaked.

"I believe that your ears are still in perfect capability of hearing, Miss Granger," he smirked at her.

"It's just, not, like, you, to, give points back," Hermione pressed.

"I think I am perfectly aware of my personality and my habits, unlike you," he snapped. What is with this girl?

"I would be considering that a compliment, if I were you, and while you're still listening, hear this: you are a brilliant and wonderful teacher that anyone with any brains would want to learn from," she finished, out of breath for some peculiar reason. She felt queasy from all that she'd said. How on earth would he respond? She decided to not to let him. "What I'm trying to say is, is that…I'd like to be your apprentice," she rushed out quickly, and turned her head, positively red with embarrassment.

"Is that the reason you did, this?" His eyes passed over the handcuffs, fingering the chain with his hand. Hermione couldn't help but realize how long, smooth, and graceful those hands were. Oh no. She couldn't tell him about the daring challenge! She, Ron, and Harry would be so dead.

"Um…yes. Yes, I, um…yeah," she finished miserably.

"And are you quite serious about this apprentice business? Be cause if you're not, you'll be here anyway when I give you a life sentence of detention," he asked, eyeing her pointedly. Is that what I said?! Oh dear, thought Hermione. I didn't really mean to say that out loud!

"Yes, sir," she said meekly.

"Is it something you feel strongly about?" he inquired, sounding curious.

"Yes," she said much more confidently, nodding her head.

"Well, if you somehow find a way to undo this contraption-"

"Handcuffs," she corrected automatically.

"Handcuffs," he continued, glaring daggers at her, "then I will consider apprenticing you, or, just have you be an assistant," he said carefully. What the hell am I saying? Why am I agreeing to this? Because you desperately want to share your knowledge with someone who will care, a little voice whispered inside his head. He sighed inwardly.

"I suppose the best way to handle this is to go to the Headmaster by way of the fireplace. I dare say I would not be caught dead in front of the entire school and staff handcuffed to you," he said, humor twinkling in his eyes. Hermione didn't think his eyes could twinkle, let alone with any good humor.

"I wouldn't dream of it, Professor," she said coolly. And as they made their way to the fireplace on the other end of the classroom, they bumped into each other several times, not coordinated at all. Who would be if you were handcuffed to someone else? Particularly Snape, whose tall height becoming more obvious compared to her petite body of only five feet five inches. He was quite gentle and polite in his actions, considering the bind they were in. The light accidental touches of their bodies sent little tingles throughout her body. Was she just vulnerable? Maybe.

"Dumbledore's office," Snape said very clearly, and they squished after each other into the green fire.

Snape really didn't want to have Dumbledore see him like this handcuffed to Hermione Granger, but he was the only person capable to keep this quiet and help them. After all, he was used to strange situations. That happen to be just as or stranger than he is, Snape grumbled. As they crawled out of the fireplace, dusting themselves off as best they could, they were greeted by a familiar voice.

"Ah, Severus! Good to see you! And Hermione Granger as well?" Dumbledore greeted them from his desk, his eyes wrinkling in unquenchable amusement.

"Headmaster, I would prefer you refrained from your usual ridiculous comments, we are in quite a predicament now as it is," Snape growled.

"And what predicament might that be?" Dumbledore asked good-humoredly.

"This!" Snape practically shouted, holding up his arm to show the handcuffs linking Hermione and himself together by the wrists.

"And how did this happen?" Dumbledore seemed on the verge of laughing out loud, but his face was only showed a faint smile of concern.

"Ask her," Snape spat, indicating a very embarrassed Hermione at his side. She shifted uncomfortably.

"I-I just, well, I was, um, dared to handcuff myself to Snape," she said, her voice trailing off until it was barely audible.

"I see," Dumbledore said, acting like he had heard her perfectly, whether he really had or he was just pretending. Snape, thankfully, had not heard her, although it was suprising that he didn't. Maybe he was tuning out anything she said. Either way Hermione was very discomfited, despite the fact that it was Dumbledore seeing them like this, as opposed to her friends.

"Well? Aren't you going to get this off of us?" Snape snapped impatiently.

"No," Dumbledore said simply.

"WHAT?!" Snape could not control his outrage at this old man who played with your mind like he always knew everything.

"I can't, but I know who would," he replied, unfathomed, and without another word disappeared. "I will be back very soon, make yourselves comfortable," said his voice from nowhere, and a platter of treats appeared on a coffee table along with a two-person, or, more affectionately, a loveseat couch. I'll kill that, that… He could not even begin to call Dumbledore anymore than a meddling old fool. A silence followed.

"Miss Granger, I would like to sit down, and I cannot do that unless you come with me," Snape breathed angrily.

"Oh, of course, sir. Anything for you, sir," she replied hotly, but smiling sweetly at him.

"Don't use that tone with me, Granger," he growled as they sat down.

"What tone?" The innocent puppy face. God is this just sick.

"You know what I mean…" he trailed off warningly.

"No, Professor, I really don't." Ha! He thinks he can do this to me! Fat chance!

"Stop acting like you don't know what I'm talking about, young lady!" he hissed, their faces coming very close as they leered at each other.

"What are you, my mother?" This is really quite amusing.

"No I am not!" This girl is impossible!

"You know, Professor, you really shouldn't think about yourself all the time. Once in a while, you should take your mind off of your own damn self and start thinking about what other people might need, like me, in this situation. You ever think of that?" My god is she being bold.

"Three points for harassing a teacher," Snape barked.

"Is that all you can do?" Hermione shouted back. For some reason all the rage that she had held inside against Snape for so long was bubbling over and spewing out of control from her lips. She was scaring herself at her own daring.

"How dare you argue with a teacher and superior!" Snape was treading on thin wire, and he knew it. His sarcasm and coolness fallen.

"How dare you treat me like a insignificant piece of dirt under your feet!" Hermione retorted furiously. She was stubborn, and she would not back down. She had had enough with Professor Snape. She forgot he was a teacher, a very tall, dark, and scary one at that.

"Well," he replied, trying to regain his calm coolness and catch her by surprise, "I'm afraid that is a stated fact in my book." Smack! Snape looked in horror at Hermione, whose hand had just slapped him across the face. Hermione in turn looked in horror at his face, realizing what she'd just done. Snape without thinking grabbed her wrists and shoved her against the couch, fuming. Hermione thought for a brief second, with his body pinning her against the couch, that he would strike her. But all he did was glower at her, hesitant to hit her. Good.

"Oh good, Severus, you're speeding up the process." Snape lurched backwards like he had just been stung, but he couldn't go very far and the handcuffs bit into their wrists as he shot backwards as far away from Hermione as possible.

"What process?" Hermione answered nervously, a little out of breath.

"The process of getting, these, ah, handcuffs, off your wrists," he explained calmly.

"What do we have to do? What ever it is, let's get it over with," Snape growled, standing up and tugging Hermione with him.

"You have to kiss her."

"WHAT?! HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE… You can't be serious," Snape stared at Dumbledore, disbelieving. Hermione was now very afraid.

"From my sources, two talented young men named Fred and George Weasley-"

"Them? Oh Merlin, not them!" Hermione squeaked, knowing full well the potential consequences of wearing an 'experiment' of theirs.

"Yes, Hermione. These, handcuffs, is that what you call them? Yes, handcuffs. They informed me that they are one product of theirs known as the 'Love Chain' and it is a way to put a young couple together, and the only way to get them off is to kiss each other, ah, quite passionately, and then the handcuffs will simply vanish after a period of time," he finished to look at their horrified faces. "Another use of a muggle artifact, no doubt the Weasley twins acquired such a thing from their father."

"There must be another way, Albus," Snape said, almost pleadingly. Damn. The last thing I want to do is kiss Hermione Granger.

"Yes, Headmaster. There has to be," Hermione added. Oh, why is this happening to me? The last thing I want to do is kiss Professor Snape.

"I'm afraid that's your only choice," Dumbledore said, trying to console them, but Hermione thought she saw laughter in his eyes, but it quickly disappeared. "You may begin, and I will let you know when the handcuffs have vanished."

"What do you mean?" Snape asked warily.

"You have to continue the kiss until the handcuffs are gone completely." Damn, thought Snape. Damn, Hermione cursed inwardly.

"Very well. Miss Granger, let's just get this done," Snape coughed uncomfortably, and suddenly his lips were on hers, his hand on her neck.

Hermione did not even have time to prepare herself for what she thought would be a bitter taste and stiffness and every other nightmare you could think of to happen with a bad kiss, but it never came. The kiss had begun so suddenly, but afterwards, it was not hasty at all. His sweet and surprisingly tantalizing lips caressed hers gently, and his other arm came to slide around her waist.

Snape had thought it would be the most horrible kiss of his life. He was proved wrong. As he had leaned down to kiss her, he had caught a brief glimpse of her, he realized, very full and soft-looking lips. At first she had stiffened in surprise, but then she relaxed into it. He wondered how long they still had to kiss. He wondered why he was actually enjoying this. No! Stop thinking such ridiculous things! This is just to get the handcuffs off, nothing more…Right? He wondered how many other boys or men had kissed Hermione Granger. He found himself resolving to desperation; he hadn't kissed, well, anyone, in a long time, and the desire clouded over his usual sense. He was shocked to find her tongue suddenly caress his bottom lip, wanting to enter his mouth, which he opened after a moment of hesitation. He was instantly pleased. She tasted quite good, and she seemed a natural. She slowly began to back up, pulling him along with her, their lips still locked. She clenched the front of his robes and fell backwards onto the couch, pulling him with her and wrapping her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss. Snape felt the heat rising to his skin where her hands and arms touched his neck, and her fingers playing in his hair made the roots of his hair prickle and stand on end. His hands stroked her back, then buried into her hair, which, bushy tendrils from a distance, were actually soft luscious curls that smelled really good, like some herbal shampoo. He was quite uncomfortable leaning completely over, so he attempted to adjust himself down to his knees. He became vaguely aware that they didn't seem to be hampered at all in this situation.

Dumbledore coughed lightly from his desk, where he had been idly popping lemon drops into his mouth. Hearing him, they broke the kiss, which had lasted for several long pain-staking seconds than they had both thought. Moving quickly away from each other, they suddenly realized that the handcuffs were already gone, and had been for quite some time. Snape coughed nervously and Hermione turned beet red, and Dumbledore simply kept chewing.

"Lemon drop?" he asked innocently, motioning to the little glass bowl with rapidly disappearing lemon drops. Snape was so frustrated with that, that, old codger, he felt like he wanted to wring his neck. No, he really wanted to hurt that man. Damn, he is impossible.

"Albus," he growled, seething with rage and embarrassment.

"Well, I do believe the handcuffs were, are, quite gone," he announced, looking over the top of his glasses at the both of them, watching in laughter as Snape shifted nervously clearing his throat with white lips, to Hermione, who was somewhere between amazed and shocked an confused, with a face like a red pepper. "So I suggest that you, Professor Snape, go back to your classroom, where a class is waiting for you with McGonagall keeping an eye on them, and for you, Hermione, to go to your next class, where you have been excused for your absence."

And without a word, Hermione and Snape, this time staying as far away from each other as possible, flooed back to Snape's office.

"Uh, sir?" Hermione asked once they were in his office. Snape seemed to be quite distant, but she was hoping she was just imagining what had just happened. Snape was too busy plotting and cursing. Goddammit, Dumbledore is going to pay for his little trick, no doubt about that. What just happened? First Miss Granger handcuffs herself to me, and then we had to kiss to get rid of them. We…kissed. I kissed a student. He looked in her general direction. What does she want now?

"What, Miss Granger? My time is precious, and you're wasting it," he snapped.

"What just…happened?" she asked quietly, so many conflicting emotions dancing across her face. Snape realized how easy her emotions could be read, just by looking at her face. She's not very good at concealing anything whatsoever. Typical of a over-emotional hormonal teenage girl who doesn't know which way is left, no matter how book-smart and how talented she is.

"Apparently Miss Granger, from my standpoint, you were unable to hold in your desire to handcuff yourself to your Potions professor, and the irony of the situation required us to kiss in order to remove it, but I think, we, ah, did more than what was necessary," he finished. Hermione smiled sheepishly and turned slightly pink in her cheeks. Suddenly he was very angry with her.

"Miss Granger, I am assuming that you are mature enough, being a seventh year student, to understand that nothing was shared by our, intimacy, and nothing will ever come of it. Do you understand me?" he said sternly, eyes boring into hers. She looked away.

"Yes, Professor," she said quietly.

"Very good, Granger. You may leave my presence, which would be the most kindest thing you could do for me," and he made towards his desk to gather some papers before he faced his class of third years.

"What about my proposal, Professor? The…apprenticeship?" she asked uncertainly, ignoring his comment. He gave a loud, collected sigh.

"I said I will consider it, Miss Granger," he said impatiently. He began to walk to the door to greet his twerp-load of third years. He paused at the door to look back at Hermione, who was still standing in the same spot, clearly still baffled by the whole situation that he was more than willing to forget ever happened. "Miss Granger, I believe I dismissed you, now leave," he growled, and she scooted meekly out the door ahead of him, ignoring the questioning whispers of the third years as she exited the classroom. Snape took a deep breath before slamming the door open for his grand entrance. Here we go again, he grumbled and sauntered out of his office to do what he was here to do: his job.

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A/N: So sorry it took so long! My chapters are going to be on average 3,000 words long, so you can imagine, with homework and school and parents and everything else, how long this took me to shell out. Read and review, and check out my C2 community! –The Grim