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Chapter 2 – Of needs and wants
The next morning Severus was early to rise as per usual. He never could sleep the whole night. He went down to the kitchen at five-thirty to get his usual back coffee with his copy of Potions Through The Ages. As he entered the kitchens he saw Hermione seated in his usual seat reading a copy. He stopped dead in his tracks. All he heard and felt was the beating of his heart. 'What's wrong with me? This is just Granger.' He thought to himself. But he new better, it wasn't just Granger. It would never be just Granger for him.
"Could Jemmy get Master his black coffee now?" A little house elf asked.
Hermione turned to see him and let out a little gasp. "Yes, that would be fine." He said walking toward Hermione.
She was wearing a suit much like yesterday. Except she had a white and pink pin strip shirt and her hair was held up in a bun with a quill while loose strands cascaded her face and neck.
"I'm sorry Professor Snape. Jemmy told me this was your regular seat, but I didn't think you would be up this early." She said getting her things.
Severus lifted a hand to stop her. "No, no, its fine I suppose you can stay there since you've already settled in." He said sitting on a stool next to hers.
"Why thank you, how generous of you." She said sitting back down.
"Jemmy thought that you would hurt me if you saw me sitting on your precious stool." She smiled. "Is she your own? She seems to take after you." She asked.
Severus was barley paying any attention to her, her smile was distracting. "Yes, Jemmy is my family house elf. She does not like to see me in any distress. And that includes when someone steals my seat." He said, turning to Jemmy who returned with his coffee glaring at Hermione.
"I'm sorry again. I did not know it would put you in distress." She said a bit put off. "You know, I'll just get up. It's no big deal." She said getting up.
"No!" Severus said a bit too quickly. "Sit. I'm already settled. Just don't make the mistake a second time." He said in a tone she knew all to well. She felt like she was in his classroom again.
"Whatever you say Professor." She said. She was about to go back to her magazine when a thought came to her. "Why are you up so early?" She asked. He looked at her wondering why she couldn't just go back to her reading and leave him be.
"I don't sleep much." He said not feeling the need to be terse or lie.
"Oh." Was all she said. She went back to her reading. Severus sat there reading the same line over and over. He couldn't concentrate. He wanted to ask her why she was up so early, but he couldn't get up the courage.
"You know there is a potion for that." She said eyes still on the magazine.
"Yes, I know that! I am still a potions master! You insolent girl!" He snapped.
"Then why don't you take any?" She asked turning to face him. "Because my body has grown immune to them." He said. "Oh, well I have brewed this new formula with different ingredients that aren't in the regular potion. I'm sure that you aren't immune to pacantrites, there the main ingredient in-."
"Hangover potion, yes, I know. And yes, I am immune to that also." He said slightly embarrassed.
"Oh," she said. "Well if you want I could brew it with another effective ingredient that could work just as well if not better." She asked. He looked at her in surprise.
"Why would you do that? What do you want?" He asked angrily.
"Because you said you aren't sleeping. How can you teach when you haven't gotten a good nights rest? And it's very unhealthy. Have you spoken to Ginny?" She asked concerned.
Severus was slightly touched at her concern. "I said I don't get much sleep, I do sleep. And no, that won't be necessary. I do not want to take any of your time. I'm sure you have better things to do." He said waving his hand. She took his hand and put it on the table to stop the waving. Severus' heart stopped.
Her hand was soft and smooth, unlike his. He moved his hand from under hers quickly. 'It didn't belong there.' He thought saddened.
"Don't be silly. I'll be glad to make it. I love experimenting. It'll be nothing at all." She said. "Have you been experimenting with any potions lately? I know you developed the Cantacry method of brewing the Felix Felicis potion as well as Mandrake Restorative draft which makes them both more effective and keen." She said excited with interest.
He hid a smile. He was happy she took interest in the work he was doing. 'What a clever little witch. Always ready to learn more.
"Yes, I actually have. The method was in May's issue of Potions Through the Ages." He said looking for her to ask him to show her the method. He knew she would.
"Yes, I know. Merlin knows I've studied the method, but one can only learn so much from the magazine. I was hoping you could show me on your spare time. On the weekends or something. Not saying that you have no plans for the weekend, but this method could help me further my techniques and I could finally feel like I'm getting somewhere with the Beranaty potion." She said.
"Slow down child. Yes, I will show you. Next Saturday around noon is fine. Is the Beranaty potion the potion you are developing to help the side effects of some of the unforgivables?" He asked. She nodded.
"Normally, I do not give up on anything. But this seems like a lost cause. I just can't seem get it right." She said disheartened.
"I'm sure if you keep trying you will get it." He said reassuringly not really knowing why he was trying to comfort the girl. He had things to do. She put a hand on his. "Thank you Professor. I know you're right." She said. He again removed his hand.
"Miss Granger, please refrain from touching me." He said. 'I don't see how you could.' He thought bitterly.
She rolled her eyes. "Why not? It's just a friendly touch." She asked.
"Because we are not friends. Never have been, never will be." He said gathering his things. "Why not?" She asked.
"I don't need any friends, Miss Granger." He replied.
"Really. Professor, no mans an island, you do know that right?" She asked.
But her question could not be answered as Professor Weasley, and Madam Malfoy walked in.
"I haven't woken up this early since I went to school here. At the university I always scheduled my classes in the afternoon. I usually spent my mornings with Fred." Professor Weasley said to Madam Malfoy.
They turned to see Hermione and Severus. "Oh, morning, you two." She said with a light smile.
"Hey Angie. How was your first night?" Hermione asked. "Oh, it was okay. Couldn't sleep much without Fred there. Not really used to it. But we talked about it and he might be moving here, since the shops in Hogsmade." She replied.
Severus started making his way out. He was little aggravated that Hermione was not as friendly as she was with Professor Weasley and Madam Malfoy as she was with him. But that was his fault. 'Why the hell am I thinking about her? I'm sure she's not sitting there thinking of me!' He thought to himself, and he was right.
Severus spent most of the day in his classroom getting prepared for classes the next day. He glanced outside and realized that dinner would probably start in a few minutes. As he was contemplating whether he should have dinner in his room or in the Hall, when there was a knock on his door. "Enter," he said as he ran his hands through his hair. Hermione walked through the door with a couple of vials.
"Hello Professor, I was just dropping by some vials of the sleeping potion. I made it with chamomile. If you are not immune to that, it should work a bit stronger then the others." She said walking up to him.
She stopped next to him behind his desk. She put the vials in front of him. Severus began slowly moving his chair away from her, she was way too close. And he didn't like it.
"No, I'm not immune to chamomile." He said quietly not trusting his voice to say anything other than that. She sat on his desk next to him.
"Well then it should work better than the other potions, and it won't be as easy to get immune to." She said smiling. "Miss Granger, there are other seats." He said crossly. "Yeah, I know, but I like this one. So what does your schedule look like?" She asked. He looked at her suspiciously. 'What is she playing at?' He thought. "Excuse me?" He asked.
"Why are you a teacher? It doesn't seem like you enjoy it." She asked. "I have my reasons." He said. "Will you tell me? Or should I guess?" She asked. He cocked an eyebrow. She took this as a yes. "Is it because you like frightening children? Do you feel like this is your home? Or do you just do it, to do it?" She asked. He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Miss Granger-."
"Fine, tell me another time. But now you could walk me to the Great Hall for dinner." She said standing.
"I'm not going." He said simply. "And why not?" She asked. "Because I don't want to." He said.
"Come on, let's go, or I'll spread a rumor that I saw you over the summer holiday doing some questioning things with Professor Bently. He is kind of a sketchy guy." She said.
"Who would believe you?" He asked slightly amused.
"Everyone, they have no reason to believe otherwise. They wouldn't ask you, and you don't have a girlfriend." She replied.
"How did you know I don't have a girlfriend?" He asked.
"I do now. Thanks for the ammo, though." She said smiling walking toward the door.
He grinned at her audacity. "Miss Granger, wait!" He said grabbing his cloak as he caught up with her.
"You should have been in Slytherin." He whispered in her ear. She slightly stiffened visibly at his breath on her neck. He inwardly smiled. She turned to him stepping away from him ever so slightly. "My friends say that all the time." She smiled.
As they walked into the Great Hall, all eyes seemed to be on them. They took their seats quietly. "I knew you'd like her." Minerva said smirking as he sat besides her. "I do not like her. I just escorted her here after she dropped off a potion." He said indifferently.
"Of course." She smirked. "She's single you know." Minerva added. "And this concerns me how?" He asked stabbing his meat pie. "Oh, it doesn't. Not now anyways. I just thought you should know." She said.
"Minerva, I'm only going to tell you this once and only once. Do not even think about setting me and this girl up. I don't want her, nor your suggestions." He said brusquely. Minerva raised an eyebrow at this.
"Severus, do not presume to think that you can stop me. You guys fit together perfectly. She is the best match for you. And you've been alone for quite some time. Don't you think it's about high time you let someone in? You still bare the weight of everything that happened in the war. You need to start living Severus. You've been dead for far too long." She snapped.
Severus was beside himself in anger. He couldn't believe that she brought up the war. "How dare you! I know we are friends Minerva, but this is too much. I have been living perfectly fine without Granger, and I will continue. And you and I both know she deserves better then some repulsive, disgraceful, deatheater. Scars from the war just don't go away. I am a traitor to both my sides; I killed the only father figure I've ever had! For what? It should have been me Minerva! That is why I live like I'm dead, because I am!" He whispered as he fled out the Great Hall, leaving a very distressed Headmistress.
a/n – Thanks to everyone who reviewed. I appreciate it.
duj - Who's teaching Arithmancy and why are almost all staff members Gryffindors? You have 2 Slytherins, one Hufflepuff, an unidentified stranger and Sinistra and Trelawney who remain unidentified, compared to 8 Gryffs. And it's Ginevra, not Ginerva.
-You're right, I did forget the Arithmancy professor, its Professor Vanessa Vector, and I'm going to edit that. Nice looking out. But, it's actually six gryffindors (Angelina, Seamus, Hermione, Ginny, Oliver, and Neveille) and it's because I wanted it that way. And there are no unidentified strangers? Professors Sinistra, and Trelawney are professors in the book, and that includes Vector. If I'm wrong, tell me. But thanks for reviewing, it's always welcome. Thanks!
