Chapter 13

Hermione was surprised a reply was waiting for her when she awoke the next morning. With slightly shaking hands, and a nervousness she couldn't explain, she opened the letter and read.

She made a disbelieving noise. How dare he? She was fully prepared to pay him for whatever work he did in regards to assisting with the potion she needed help with. But residuals? Consultation fees? Rights to her discoveries?

Hermione paced her office, allowing the slow burn of anger to consume her. Who did he think he was anyway? He was a Potions Professor, not the Potions Professor. Hermione's mind accepted that he was probably the best in his field that she knew of, but still..

What to do?

Hermione tapped her wand on the desk and held the letter from her former Professor in front of her. If she allowed him to come now, she would pay him a consultation fee. Yes. She would put him on her payroll as an assistant. Nothing more. She realized the shock of her contacting him after all this time was probably pretty strong. Then, a request from help from a former student he didn't like. Then…the added insult of being her assistant.

Well, he would have to get over it. It was her conditions, or none at all.

Severus received her reply in short order. She would pay consultation fees, good. He would be a hourly employee…of hers? Severus let the thought sink in. If he wanted this, if he wanted the money and the freedom badly enough, he could endure some extra time with the snotty witch. He had no other choice really. Well, yes he did. He could continue on at Hogwarts for another three years and then eek out an existence on that. Or ….he cold swallow some pride and get things done in a much more timely fashion.

Severus apparated to the address she had sent him in their final agreement. He was surprised to know that her lab was not even in England. It was an Irish company she worked for. Severus had never been to the land of the Irish and hoped some of their providence would rub off on him as he readied to leave his home. He packed a small bag and cast the shrinking spell on it. He placed the bag in his robe pocket and apparated with a crack.

Severus arrived out side of an enormous building. It was glass, at least nine stories tall and it reflected the city around it. Severus entered the building through glass doors that revolved on their own and was amazed at the decadence before him. The floors were marble and the ceilings were high. Small sofas lined one wall and a long reception desk lined the other. Severus had to remember to close his mouth as he walked up to the desk and saw three house elves busy at work behind the desk. His boots echoing off of the stone floor mixed with the faint sound of chamber music coming from the ceiling.

It was then that he realized that the building was only a glamour. The outside looked like a muggle high-rise. However inside was as enchanted as Hogwarts itself.

The three house elves were dressed in a vivid blue tunic style uniform. Each of them had a green clover stitched to his or her tunic. Severus grunted his arrival, but the elves took no notice of him, His nostrils flared at the absolute ludicrous situation he was putting himself in. What a total shame it was he had sunk to a whole new low. One elf was shuffling papers, another was writing something and another was licking stamps. The one licking the stamps saw Severus first and he hoped up from his seat.

"Sir will sign in please and have a seat please!" his little voice squeaked. Severus used the nearest quill and signed his name in a flourish and turned on his heal and sat perched on the edge of the sofa. From where he sat, he only saw the tops of the elves heads and their ears moving behind the desk. A few moments went by and one of the trio of elves came to collect him.

"Professor Severus Snape, sir?" Severus nodded and the elf clapped his hands and ushered him onto the elevator. The elf pushed a series of buttons and the doors closed in Severus' face. The elf had not boarded the elevator with him, so he stood as still as a statue as he rode an unnatural loftiness up to the very top floor.

A high pitch "DING" sounded in his ear as the doors opened.

Severus was faced with another desk, this one smaller, and this one too had an elf in it's chair. But this elf had an air of superiority. He sat behind his desk, specially designed for an elf, and organized papers in the filing cabinet with magic. He was not looking at Severus as he spoke.

"You the Potions Master?" Sylvester continued to watch the papers glide in their rightful folders.

"Yes." Severus' voice was low and menacing. This did not elicit the desired effect on the creature. He just continued to file the papers and pointed another one of his long brown fingers to the chairs opposite of the desk.

In a flash, he had winked out of the room. Leaving Severus sitting alone in Hermione's waiting room.

"The Potions Master is here. I is not liking this one Misses. He has a nasty look about him. Perhaps he wants that talking thing you keep in your bathroom? They be good for each other….real good." Sylvester giggled to himself as he watched his mistress preen herself. She had never stood before a mirror this long for as long as he knew her. She was clad in a business suit and a lab coat. Her bushy brown hair was controlled and tied in a plait down her back. She even wore makeup. Elmer was wholly pleased.

"My Gods in Merlin's house! It is about time! I actually want you looking at me right now…my, my who is coming over?" Elmer's voice sounded gushy and sardonic. Hermione rolled her eyes at her own reflection and shut off the light in the bathroom. She closed the bathroom door, much to Elmer's astonishment.

"Hey….hey…come back! I don't want to be alone! But I told you, you look nice tonight…" His voice faded as Hermione closed all of her personal rooms up and left open only her official office and her library and labs. Today was not for work. Today was for the Professor to become the student. He had a thing or two to learn about the new Ms. Granger. He was not to come in here and demand anything of her. She would make him pay, and pay dearly for making demands of her. For attempting to use his position as her former Professor to make a little self gain. Lesson one, Hermione Granger ran the show here.

He was going to first learn a little patience. Hermione sat down to a glass of tea as Sylvester imbibed in a glass of Firewhiskey. They sat together and read over notes from the day before.

It was now a half hour past the Potions Master's appointment time. Hermione wanted to know just how urgently he wanted this position. If she guessed correctly, he wanted to make money and would not pass up an opportunity to do so.

Let him wait.

She sipped her tea and listened to Sylvester chitchat on.