Author's Notes:
Warning! This story is rated M and contains adult themes.
2006 April. Warning spoilers: this story has been re-edited to fit The Half-Blood Prince. So read book six first.
This chapter was beta'd by Nakhash Makashefah.
Disclaimer. J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter and Co. I own nothing.
The Improper Use of Potions
Chapter 02 Repercussions.
Hermione stared into the Headmaster's kind blue eyes as he moved to the right side of her bed. He took her right hand in his and asked, "How are you feeling my child?"
"I'm fine Sir, just a little sore," she answered. "Professor, how did I get here?" she asked.
"You were brought here last night by Professor Snape. He left you without explaining the reason for your current condition to Madame Pomfrey. I was hoping that you could explain what or who is responsible for your injuries."
Suddenly, the memory of what happened in the Potions classroom came crashing through her brain. She felt an overwhelming sense of guilt and shame. Tears started to well up in her eyes. As she began to sob uncontrollably, Hermione placed a hand over her eyes to cover the humiliation on her face. Dumbledore gently took her hand by the wrist and lowered it. He looked deeply into her eyes, "Hermione, I know this is difficult for you and I truly do not wish to add to your pain, but we have to know what happened to you."
Hermione sucked up a couple of sniffles and wiped the tears from her eyes with the sleeve of her nightdress. After gathering as much control over her emotions as she could, she finally looked up at Dumbledore, "It happened yesterday in the Potions classroom. I was secretly trying to make a potion there when Professor Snape caught me."
"BLOODY BASTARD!" Lupin yelled, interrupting and frightening her.
"Remus please, let's not jump to any conclusions until we have all the facts," the Headmaster said to the younger wizard.
"FACTS ALBUS? FACTS? THE FACT IS I CAN STILL SMELL HIS BLOODY FILTH ON HER FROM HERE!" Remus shouted.
Hermione covered her face once again. She didn't want the Professors to see her shame as she began to cry. Dumbledore sat on the bed next to her, wrapping his long arms around her in a comforting hug.
"Hermione, was it Professor Snape who assaulted you in the Potions classroom yesterday?" the Headmaster asked her. Hermione nodded her head, still keeping her face covered with her hands.
"I WILL KILL THAT BASTARD WITH MY BARE HANDS ALBUS, I SWEAR TO YOU I WILL!" Remus roared.
"Remus, please calm yourself," Dumbledore said to his livid friend.
"CALM MYSELF? ALBUS SHE'S ONLY SEVENTEEN BLOODY YEARS OLD. WHEN I FIND SNAPE, I'M GOING TO RIP OUT HIS BOWELS AND STRANGLE THAT GREASY TWIT WITH HIS OWN LOWER INTESTINES!"
"Remus, you are not helping matters by carrying on this way," Dumbledore scolded.
Remus frowned at him a moment before saying, "We should contact the Order, Albus. If we hurry we may be able to catch him before he leaves Great Britain."
"No Remus, we are not contacting anyone or doing anything until I know what really happened here last night."
Hermione knew she had to tell them everything. As much as she hated Snape, she couldn't let them believe he willingly raped her. She lowered her hands from her tear-stained face, "Headmaster, it wasn't Professor Snape's fault, it was mine," she said.
Both Remus and Dumbledore look at in surprise. Finally Dumbledore spoke. "Hermione, perhaps you should start from the beginning. I know that it will be difficult for you, but we need to know everything that happened."
Hermione didn't want to tell anyone or even think about last night. She just wanted to lock the whole thing away, deep inside her mind, and forget that it ever happened. Unfortunately, too many people were involved now and she would have to explain. She steadied herself for the painful experience of explaining how she ended up in the situation that she was in now. "It all started a month ago when Luna and I came up with a plan to make Harry happy once again."
For the next half hour she explained how she and Luna planned to put Harry together with Ginny. She told them about finding the Attraction Potion in the Restricted Section of the library and how she had planned to increase its potency. When it came time to tell about what happened after she dropped the jar of Bloodworm in the potion, she carefully glossed over the details of the physical acts. She also left out the detention and ban from the Restricted Section that Professor Snape had ordered.
Even when she had finished with the story, she couldn't get what had happened to her on that table out of her head. Hermione felt her cheeks begin to warm and her breath becomes shallow, 'I can't believe I'm getting aroused sitting here in bed next to Professor Dumbledore. The potion must still be effecting me,' she thought to herself.
"Hermione," Dumbledore said trying to regain her attention.
"Yes Professor," she finally answered.
"Miss Granger, are you certain Professor Snape wasn't to blame for what happened to you?" he asked her in a very serious voice.
"Yes Professor, it wasn't his fault."
Dumbledore turned to Lupin and asked, "Satisfied Remus?"
"No," Lupin answered sharply. "He should have done something Albus. He's a Potions Master, isn't he? It was his responsibility to get her out of there and dispose of the potion before something like this could happen."
"Mr. Lupin, Professor Snape tried to get rid of it, but the potion effected him too quickly. He was unable to cast a simple Banishing spell. He told me to leave three times, but the potion was effecting me too. I just couldn't leave." Hermione didn't know why she felt the need to defend Snape.
Dumbledore placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "No one is blaming you, Hermione. These accidents are rare, but they still happen to even the best of us," he said. Hermione was thankful the Headmaster didn't blame her for what happened. But she knew the responsibility for the accident was hers and hers alone.
"Professor, I just don't understand how a simple Attraction Potion could have gone so wrong," Hermione said with a remorseful look on her face.
Dumbledore smiled warmly at her. "Miss Granger, you're the only person I know that would call Fitzgerald's Endless Spring Attraction Potion a simple potion. The only reason it remains in the Restricted Section is that it never occurred to us that a student could make such a complicated potion," he said.
"I just don't see how it could have effected me so strongly, Professor," Hermione said.
"Fitzgerald's Potion is meant for livestock, not humans, Hermione. Horses and cattle to be more precise, animals that are ten times the weight of a normal human. It is also only to be used when these animals are in no mood to reproduce. Humans on the other hand require very little stimulus to become aroused. And you, quite ingeniously I might add, were able to increase this potion's potency many times over. Miss Granger, you may have inadvertently created the worlds most powerful Aphrodisiac," Dumbledore said with a little pride in his voice.
"Just as long as they don't name it after me," Hermione said with a weak smile.
"That's not all she created, Albus," Lupin said interrupting the two.
"What do you mean?" Hermione asked.
Lupin came over and sat on the right side of her bed. "Hermione, just how long after Professor Snape was exposed to the fumes did he try the Banishing spell?" Remus asked her.
"Less than a minute," she replied.
"And how long before he showed any signs the potion was effecting him?"
"Just seconds after he leaned over the cauldron, he started to, uhm..." Hermione was a little too embarrassed to continue. She took in a deep breath before she said, "He started to stare at my chest; my breasts to be exact. It was as if he were in some kind of trance."
"Remus what are you thinking?" Dumbledore asked.
"Albus, I know that Severus has a very high tolerance for Mind Control Potions. He is completely immune to Veritaserum and most other suggestive potions. Yet this one broke through his resistance in a matter of seconds. And, most importantly, it took away his ability to perform magic."
"You think it could be used as a weapon against Voldemort and his Death Eaters?" the Headmaster asked.
"Possibly, with a little modification of course. Death Eaters aren't well know for their impulse control," Remus said with a little smirk.
"An intriguing idea, Remus. I have to admit, the idea of a Love Potion being used to fight the Dark Lord and his minions sounds almost fateful."
"Hermione, do you think you could recreate this potion?" Lupin asked her.
"Yes, it shouldn't be that hard, but I wouldn't want to be there when it's time to add the Powdered Bloodworm."
Hermione looked up as Madam Pomfrey entered the room. She was carrying a glass goblet filled with a dark gray liquid. "How are you feeling dear?" the Mediwitch asked as she shooed Dumbledore away from the right side of the bed with her hand.
"Just a little sore in some places," Hermione said as her face reddened.
"Here, I want you to drink this down as quickly as you can," Poppy said, handing her the goblet.
When Hermione smelled the potion, she knew that quickly was the only way anyone could ever drink this stuff. She brought the goblet to her lips and with three large gulps, downed the potion. It was the vilest tasting thing she had ever put in her mouth. "Gods, that was dreadful. It tasted like water that was used to clean a hundred dirty ashtrays, and then left in a bucket for a year. Just what was that stuff?" Hermione asked
"It's Night Shade Morning After Potion," Poppy answered.
"Poppy, you should have consulted the girl before giving her that potion," Dumbledore said in a very upset voice.
"Albus, Miss Granger has been through enough in the last 24 hours. She doesn't need anything else to worry about right now. Besides, the Night Shade will help control all the extra hormones that are running ramped through her system."
Dumbledore still looked very upset about the potion. The realization that she actually needed a morning after potion stunned Hermione. 'I can't believe I had sex with Professor Snape.' The thought kept repeating itself over and over in her brain.
Madam Pomfrey closed her eyes and waved her wand over Hermione. She opened her eyes and said, "I'm going to get you some Sleep Draught. Rest is what you will need now until your system decides to return to normal." Poppy picked up the empty goblet and quickly left the room.
"Professor Dumbledore, are you going to tell my parents about this?" Hermione asked nervously.
"Normally when there's an incident between a student and teacher, the parents are notified. But since you are seventeen and technically over the age of consent, I will allow you to decide who should and shouldn't know. For now it will remain just between us three."
"What about Madam Pomfrey?" Hermione asked.
Dumbledore gave her a reassuring smile and said, "In the 32 years she has worked at Hogwarts, Poppy has never discussed a patient's condition without my or their permission first."
"Thank you, Professor. I just didn't want to tell them until I was ready."
"I completely understand, Miss Granger."
Hermione looked at Mr. Lupin. He was staring out the window, lost in thought. She couldn't help but notice his strong jaw line and beautiful amber-colored eyes. Suddenly, the image of a half naked Lupin leaning over her while she lay on a worktable in the Potions classroom forced its way through her mind. Hermione closed her eyes, trying to banish the image from her head.
"Is something wrong child?" Dumbledore asked with concern in his voice.
"I think the potion is still having an effect on me," she answered.
"Are you sure?" Dumbledore asked.
Hermione looked back at Lupin. She could feel the heat rising in her skin. She turned to Dumbledore and said, "I'm sure."
The Head Master glanced at Lupin, then back at her, and said, "I see."
Lupin looked at both of them with a confused look on his face. "What?" he asked.
"Miss Granger, because of your current state, I must insist that you spend the rest of your Christmas Holiday here at Hogwarts," Dumbledore said to her.
"You mean I can't go to the Burrow on Christmas Eve? But Ron and Harry are expecting me."
"Hermione, I don't think it would be wise for you to spend a week in a house full of teenage boys in your current condition."
Hermione nodded and said, "I understand Professor." The thought of spending Christmas alone in the castle really bothered her, but she knew it was the right thing to do.
"Professor, what about Professor Snape? Do you think he is still being effected by the potion?" she asked.
"That is a real possibility, Miss Granger. We'll just have to find him and see, right Remus?" Dumbledore said to Lupin.
"I say let him rot in whatever hole he crawled into. It's what he deserves after just dumping her here without any explanation, then running off like a thief in the night," Lupin said to Dumbledore.
"Remus, you of all people should be able to sympathize with how it must feel to be forced to hurt someone against your own will. Besides, we will need our Potions Master back if we want to develop your new weapon for the Order."
Lupin gave Dumbledore a cagey look and said, "Don't you ever get tired of being right old man?"
"No," Dumbledore said firmly. "It makes being wrong a pleasant surprise."
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Severus Snape slammed his glass down on the bar after drinking his ninth shot of firewhiskey. He was sitting in 'The Lonely Cobweb', the only wizard pub on the south side of Liverpool. He knew he couldn't return to Hogwarts or his home at Spinner's End. Regrettably, because of his high tolerance for potions, alcohol had very little effect on him. Snape was desperate to find something that squelched the fire burning in his blood.
He had sought out the company of Muggle prostitutes hoping to find some relief. But like a bad meal, they were easily forgotten once his hunger returned. The one thing he couldn't forget was the virgin pink flesh he had taken nearly three days ago. He could still taste her and feel the touch of her velvety soft skin. Severus knew he could never return to Hogwarts. He had always prided himself on his fierce sense of self-control. He couldn't understand how he was so easily undone by some silly little girl's potion. His reputation would be ruined once it got out that he forced himself on an unsuspecting seventeen-year-old girl. The Ministry would probably call for his wand; maybe even sentence him to Azkaban.
Severus had no intention of running away to a new country and trying to start his life over. Hogwarts and the fight against Voldemort were all that really mattered to him. In his current condition he was completely useless to anyone. Part of him desperately wanted to end this nightmare. He had considered attacking as many Death Eaters as possible, going out in a blaze of glory. Unfortunately, every time his blood began to burn, he became unable to perform even the simplest magic.
It had been only six hours since his last encounter with a prostitute, yet his blood was on fire once again, in desperately need of relief. Severus got up and left the pub through the back door and headed down an alley, hoping to find some physical companionship for the night.
As he walked down an alley between two old abandoned warehouses, Snape could feel a pair of eyes on him. He stopped and listened to the sounds of the night.
"I knew if I turned over enough rocks I'd find you hiding somewhere."
Snape recognized the voice instantly. He turned to see the lone figure standing ten feet behind him.
"Hello Bellatrix."
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