Chapter Seven

McGonagall wanted a potion.

And so Hermione stood in Severus' lab brewing a noxious green potion for her former head of house. She tried hard not to think about what she would have to do with said potion, but it was hard to keep her mind from wandering in that direction. It had taken quite a lot of chocolate to get her to this point. She might be a courageous Gryffindor who had faced a Dark Lord and his Death Eaters but that didn't mean she was prepared to face McGonagall's 'special problem' without something to help her get through it.

"What kind of potion?" she had asked, happy to have secured Professor McGonagall's promise that Severus could have the day off. "Why don't you just ask Severus to brew it?"

"Because it is for a very personal problem I would rather he not be privy to," the older woman had said harshly. Hermione began to wonder what she had gotten herself into.

"What is it?" she asked bravely, and then wondered if perhaps it might have been better to have been sorted into Hufflepuff all along. Bravery was so often overrated.

"This past Christmas Peeves dropped a "Grow Your Own Warts" packet into my mulled wine. I had already been celebrating quite a bit already, if you take my meaning, and I didn't notice the bitter taste until it was too late," McGonagall explained.

Hermione paled.

"But what can I do?"

"There's a potion that can clear up the problem in a jiffy, but I'm too inept with potion making myself, and there certainly was no way I was asking Severus to do it for me."

Hermione agreed with her teacher's decision. It would not be a good idea to hand such ammunition to Severus, McGonagall's clear rival in house matters, on a silver platter like that. But that didn't mean that she wanted to do it.

"I'll also need your help in applying it."

"Applying it?" Hermione asked, her breath catching in her throat as her imagination ran away from her. Sometimes having a large and efficient brain was a burden too heavy to bear as thoughts of sagging skin covered in warts overwhelmed her.

"Yes it's a lotion. I'll need help with the areas I can't reach, like my back."

"Right," Hermione nodded, reminding herself it was for Severus. She could do this. She would do this. She was doing this, and she just hoped that she would be able to finish up before Severus got back from his classes.

She was just finishing up the last step when he strode through the door coming to a halt when he saw her.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded harshly. Hermione frowned at him.

"We have a date tonight. It's Valentines' Day." He turned around quickly, whispered something out the door, and then slammed it shut. Hermione looked at him bewildered. He was acting awfully strangely.

"You're early." He didn't look happy about this, surprised even. She wondered if maybe he still had some work to do on her present. But still that was no reason to snarl at her, not that he ever needed a reason to snarl at anyone.

"I'm just brewing a potion. You said I could use your lab whenever I wanted."

"I said that?" he asked, obviously not believing her. Actually, he hadn't. But she really thought that he should have. After all, she had given up her apprenticeship with him so that they could continue their romantic relationship. If she could sacrifice her future career as a Potions expert then he could certainly allow her into his lab once in awhile.

She nodded and smiled. He looked at her suspiciously but then decided that it wasn't worth arguing about at the moment. He looked as if he had other more pressing matters to tend right now. Walking over to him, she put her arms around his neck. He stiffened for a moment, as if unsure of what he should do, but then relaxed into her embrace.

"Do you want me to come back later?" she asked with just enough of a pout to ensure that the answer would be no.

"No."

"Did you have a good day?"

"No."

Well, this was going to be a great Valentine's Day with this kind of conversation, Hermione thought. She forced herself to take a breath, relax, and exercise patience. Her patience had grown considerably while in this relationship with Severus, as well as her sarcasm.

"What happened?" she asked, pulling him closer. He wrapped his own arms around her.

"There were singing Valentine's, cupids, students snogging around every corner, and an inordinate amount of the color pink." He spat the last word so disdainfully that Hermione giggled. "I suppose you find that funny?"

"No, of course not," she said more serious, but she couldn't keep her lips from quirking. "Is there anything I can do?"

"As a matter of fact there is." He leaned down and kissed her. He kissed her slowly, then moved to nibble lightly on her earlobe.

And then out of nowhere all hell broke loose.

&&&&

Severus had secured the cupid, having engaged the services of one from a company specializing in Valentine's Day products. The conversation between him and the sales clerk, however, had been one of the more humiliating moments in his life.

"And will this be for yourself or for someone else?" The idiot man had asked. He wore bright pink robes covered in exploding hearts, and Severus fought the urge to vomit.

"For me," Severus answered and then suddenly regretted it. He had been a spy for years. Why couldn't he have come up with a lie, something like "no actually our soppy excuse for a headmaster insisted I come and rent some party decorations for the annual staff Valentine's Day party." But no! He had to admit that he needed a cupid in order to secure his love interest.

"Ah," the clerk said, giving him an appraising look, "I suppose you would need a little help." Severus drew his wand with lightning speed with one hand, the other dashing out, grabbing the smaller man around the neck, and pushing him against the wall.

"You are going to be the one to need help unless you keep your opinions to yourself."

"I'm sorry, sir," the toad croaked out. Severus frowned but released him. The coward didn't dare speak until the contract had been signed and the galleons handed over. And even then, he waited until Severus was nearer the door than to him.

"You know it only works if there is a mutual attraction," he sneered.

"No worries there," Severus responded with a wave of his wand. He figured the clerk would be throwing up slugs all over his pretty pink robes for hours. Truly a pity.

But he panicked when he found Hermione in his lab. She wasn't supposed to be there yet. He needed time to place things. He would have to improvise. Not a problem, he could do this. It would be just like that time with Lucius in Bath…well hopefully with a better outcome. He had come a long way since then.

"Wait here," he ordered the cupid. "When I open the door, come in, but stay low. Don't make your move until I give you the signal."

"What's the signal," the little man asked. He had told Severus his name, but Severus had promptly forgotten it. "I know! Why don't you hoot like an owl. Or maybe you could say 'the eagle has landed.'"

"No, you blithering idiot, she'll hear you. I'll just motion to you with my hand. Understand?" The cupid nodded. Severus turned and slammed the door.

Trying to distract her, he pulled her into an embrace and let her kiss him. It was a hard job not becoming engrossed in what her tongue was doing to his person, but he managed to flick his wand, opening the door. Waiting until she was in just the right position, he moved his mouth from her lips up to her ear and then motioned to the cupid to make his move.

He let loose his arrow. It sped towards them, and Severus gasped in anticipation. But then out of nowhere, Hermione pulled away from him.

"N-n…" he started to protest.

"The potion!" she cried.

Under normal circumstances, he would have been enraged that she had blown up a cauldron and created a colossal mess. But he didn't see the green sticky liquid that now covered his workbench and floor. He didn't smell the burnt wood or the noxious fumes of a potion gone bad. He only saw Hermione, his love, his life. He didn't even stop to wonder how that arrow ended up in his chest.