No more exams or weddings this year, I am finally on summer break! As a celebration, here is chapter 7 for you. Thank you for your continued support in reading and reviewing my work, I love your comments and try to take suggestions into account! Enjoy!
Chapter 7. Love Potions
Draco had knocked on his office door, shortly after Granger left, for his Occlumency lesson. The younger wizard had been in quite a mood and Severus was not eager to start the session on that note so he sat his charge down. "What has got your knickers in a knot, Malfoy?" He spat, feeling his own attitude souring from the blonde's presence.
"Do you think she gave me a love potion?" The boy questioned, sending the professor's right eyebrow on a journey up his forehead. "What I feel for her, it can't be normal. Not with my heritage, not with the way I was raised. I have come up with no logical explanation for why I am so infatuated with her." Snape considered the possibility for a moment, she was perfectly capable of brewing a love potion, or even simply purchasing one, but why would she give it to Draco? His brow line furrowed with suspicion followed hastily by a bout of jealousy which he quickly dismissed. She would not stoop so low as to drug a boy into falling in love with her.
"Well tell me Draco, these feelings, did they come on suddenly? Or was it gradual?" Severus seethed, attempting to keep his curiosity buried deep in his assessment. The boy took a moment to think over the question, his face twisting as his eyes jotted around. A part of the older wizard was silently praying that he was genuinely in love with the girl and that she hadn't slipped him a potion. At least, in that case, there would be no more evidence pointing towards her feelings for the boy.
"Gradually, I suppose." He finally muttered, his eyes fixed on a knot in the wood floor. "I mean, as I told my mum, at first I was just competing with her. Y'know, because she was a know-it-all and I wanted to outshine her because she's just muggle-born." He scoffed at his own words, as he continued to refuse to look up.
"Unfortunately, Draco, that does not sound like a love potion." Snape started, settling into his desk chair. "You see, love potions are incredibly powerful and they do not just develop feelings over time. They come on hot and fast and it feels like you've known the person for your whole life when you've only just met them. No Draco, what you've just described to me is love and it will not just go away at will." As he described the effects, he felt as though he was depicting his own experience with regards to the young witch, the fact of which startled him for a moment.
His mind slowly drifted to the memory of watching her over his teacup as she fixed herself her own tea to her liking, seeing her eyes sparkle slightly as she enjoyed her first perfectly balance sip. He remembered how she examined the novel he'd handed her with eagerness to learn as much as she could about the fictional tale that she would soon lose herself in. The thought of her pained expression as she admitted to ruining the book after falling asleep on its pages made him oddly pleased. Refraining from releasing the chuckle he associated with the memory, he remembered how he had already decided to let her keep the tome as he was paranoid about the Dark Lord's potential presence in his quarters. Had he seen the muggle literature in amongst his possessions, the dark wizard may have questioned the spy's loyalty and that simply could not happen. No, if Hermione had the book he would not fall suspect to treason.
His thoughts were interrupted by the voice of his current guest. "Sounds like you know what you're talking about, you've fallen victim before, haven't ya?" Draco teased, causing Snape to return to his consideration of the boy's earlier suggestion. Perhaps he had fallen victim to a love potion, Severus began to question his feelings and their onset. It was difficult to pinpoint the exact moment he had fallen in love with Hermione Granger, but he recognized that the feelings had come on quite suddenly. Though it took him a while to admit the sentiment he was experiencing, he couldn't deny the abrupt nature of them. The silence was beginning to feel nearly deafening as Severus brushed off the conclusion.
"It is my duty to know the effects of every potion ever created and their uses, don't think me ignorant enough to let myself be subject to such a brew" Severus seethed, standing and casting Legilimens at the unsuspecting boy, hoping to regain his power of the situation. Snape travelled through the young boy's thoughts as he struggled to push his professor from his mind, but the older wizard held strong. He picked at the emotion that was mostly consuming Draco's mind at the time, admiration. Snape laughed at the recollection of determining admiration was what he thought he was feeling towards the girl as he pressed into the bubble.
Hermione was sitting with her friends at the Gryffindor table, giggling joyfully at something Potter had said. It was Christmas time and Draco had just gotten away with his failed attempt at killing Dumbledore. A darkness was surrounding him but he watched as Hermione enjoyed the last moments of the holiday with her friends before the parted ways for the following weeks. Severus watched from his spot beside the boy as Hermione stood from the bench. McGonagall was walking down to meet her from the head table and smiled down at the young girl. She said something that made the young witch smile and jump. To which her friends joined in on the congratulations. "She's getting an award for her Transfigurations essay." The voice of Pansy Parkinson broke through Draco's trance. A smile escaped his shield as he remembered seeing her held up in the library for hours working on that essay. He'd worked hard on his too, but not nearly to the extent she had. He was glad she was getting this award, she deserved-
Severus lurched back as he was thrown from the memory. "Agh for fuck's sake Snape, what did you have to go digging around that for?" Draco groaned, rubbing his head and the sheer force of magic he expended. Snape grinned at the progress and tried to compose himself.
"That was brilliant Draco, but you must never do that to the Dark Lord. He must not know you are hiding things from him. Understood?" Snape emphasised, leaning into the boy to make his point. Draco nodded sheepishly as Severus repositioned himself to cast the spell again. "Isolate the emotions you attach to her and remove them. Clear them from your mind. Fighting back isn't enough." With his last word hissed, Snape launched another attack, delving into the crevices of the young Malfoy's memory.
This time Severus found attraction lingering in the shadows. He pondered not touching it, afraid he might see something elicit, but his curiosity triumphed over his cautiousness. Tugging at the film guarding the memory, he fell into a scene he instantly knew he would regret viewing.
Draco was behind a stall door, breathing shallowly as he peered between the crack in the frame. Beyond that was Hermione, pacing in front of the mirror, muttering angrily to herself. "What is wrong with you, Granger? Can't you see, he hates you." Severus thought for a moment she was speaking of him, more out of vanity than anything, but resigned himself to listen. "If you don't let go of this stupid crush, I will- oh I will- guh!" She groaned, balancing herself on the sink and staring into the mirror. Taking a few deep breaths, she moved to pull off her vest and began unbuttoning her blouse. Draco looked away, cursing himself for not announcing his presence sooner. He stepped back cautiously and silently before gently lowering himself to the toilet seat to wait out her bath.
He caught a glimpse of her naked form through the crack but quickly slammed his eyes shut. The image of her pert nipple burned into his eyelids as he tried to focus on anything but Hermione's curves.
Snape removed himself from the memory, knowing he'd let himself progress too far in the scene when he knew where it was headed. He wanted to sympathize with the boy, but Draco had obviously weighed the embarrassment factor above her privacy. He should have never let it get that far, Snape mused. "Really Draco? Spying on her? That is highly inappropriate. She deserves respect and privacy, you should have made yourself known, you should have-"
"I know, Professor. Don't you think I know that? I felt like a bloody pervert for weeks after that occurred." Draco interrupted, sighing and collapsing into himself. Snape could see the boy was trembling slightly as the memories were so aggressively brought forth. He had obviously tried to forget that one. "Trust me, I've done enough chastising for the both of us." The young wizard rubbed his face harshly with both palms.
"I think that was enough for one night, Draco," Severus spoke softly as he turned to walk away from his godson. A flash of the memory he'd just experienced made him wince as he recalled her words. Stupid crush, the wizard sighed.
"One more chance, please Professor. I need to get this right." Draco pleaded, sending a pang of guilt through the older wizard. I hate having a conscious, it does me no good, Snape grumbled internally, switching back and quickly recasting the spell.
He dug around for a moment, looking for an emotion he could possibly tie to the girl when he stumbled upon a glowing rose haze. There was nothing specific about it, just that it was calling to him. Reaching forward, Severus dipped into the memory and found himself in the library.
Draco was sitting at a table a couple rows away from Hermione who was buried in a book as usual. He was staring at her, a smile threatening his lips as he watched her brown eyes twitch over sentences. Her lips were pursed with concentration and her breath made the pages rustle just a little with every perfectly timed exhale. Hermione's hair was a mess, as usual, but he found the curls endearing and he wondered what it would be like to run his fingers through them. "Hermione." He whispered, her name on his tongue felt like he had returned home and he relaxed into the wood seat beneath him. "I love you." The second whisper felt like an electric shock as he nearly jumped from the table, making the girl look over at him. Composing himself quickly, he gathered his books and charged out of the library.
Snape was once again pushed from the boy's thoughts and thrown back against his desk with more power this time than the last. Adjusting, he attempted to digest what he had just been privy to. His heart ached once more, who is this stupid crush? He begged the universe to answer internally as he remained stoic externally.
"That was what the Dark Lord saw. That was the memory he found." Draco uttered, avoiding the questioning gaze of his professor. The boy's shoulders fell and his normally exceptional posture was lost as he tumbled into a realm of self-doubt Severus was all too familiar with.
"You put that memory forward for me to find?" Severus asked, righting himself and stepping towards his pupil. Draco nodded, adding a shrug and letting his stare wonder to the bookcase to his right. "Then you are making immense progress, Draco. When next we meet I want you to push as many proper memories forward as you can. Ones that don't include Hermione, ones that the Dark Lord would approve of. Understood?" The blond nodded, standing and moving to leave. "You have done well Draco." The praise made the boy pause before he turned the doorknob and exited the office.
The darkness of the room seemed to close in on him, sending Severus to back to his chambers. He couldn't help but let his mind wander to the image of Hermione he'd witness through the eyes of his godson. Laying back on the bed, Severus was almost ready to let himself enjoy the gift accidentally bestowed upon him but he quickly reminded himself, she is your student. Shaking his head, he repositioned himself on his bed and willed himself to sleep.
-x-
Severus stormed into the classroom of his sixth year Defence lesson and sneered at the students. Draco was in the far corner with his goons, more solemn than normal but it was to be expected after their encounter the night before. Naturally, his minions were attempting to cheer him up by talking about their latest bullying conquests no doubt, but Draco remained fixated on the desk in front of him. His eyes flicked from the wood grain to the silver ring adorning his left index finger. Severus removed his gaze from his godson and travelled to look at the young witch who had taken up a significant portion of his dreams the previous night, against all protest. She, too, was more quiet than normal, her head hanging low and her brows deeply furrowed as if she was lost in thought. Harry also bore a grim expression, likely more to do with his impending war with the Dark Lord and the likely demise of everyone he loved, but Severus couldn't be sure.
After surveying the other students, he commanded the room's attention with a quick bark, "An Inferius would most likely come from what sort of magic?" He waited a moment for Hermione's hand to shoot up into the air at his tone, but the glance in her direction proved disappointing as he watched the girl continue to ignore him. Her lack of attention upset something in him more than it should of, so he continued. "Anyone?" The crowd remained silent and he moved towards the Gryffindor group. "Pity." He seethed as he approached his target. "Miss Granger, I would expect the little miss know-it-all to contribute but it seems as though you're not even present at all." The witch's head shot up at the mention of her name and her brown eyes searched his, as a pink hue enveloped her cheeks.
"I'm sorry sir." She muttered, dropping her head again. Snape inhaled angrily and bit his tongue to keep himself steady. What could possibly have this witch so bloody distracted? He pondered, his stomach beginning to turn with jealousy and curiosity. Perhaps that stupid crush?
"Then tell me, Miss Granger, what magic is involved in the making of an Inferius?" She opened her mouth to answer but another student spoke up before she had the chance.
"Dark magic, sir." Snape's glare transferred to the source of the voice. The once sullen Malfoy was now staring intently at the professor, with an air of confidence the older wizard hadn't seen in his godson as of late. "Inferi are humans resurrected from the dead by a dark witch or wizard in control of dark magic. There have been no sightings since You-Know-Who's last reign of power." As he spoke, Draco seemed to sit up straighter and narrow his eyes, without flicking for even a moment over to his rival.
"Well done Draco, 20 points to Slytherin." Severus groaned, striding back up to the front of the class. "I hope you all have done your readings, or else this is going to be an extraordinarily tedious and costly lesson for all of you." It was not unlike the professor to take away points from his students for their lack of participation, however, he felt a new layer of guilt weighing heavy on his shoulders as he hoped Hermione wasn't mad at him for something he had done.
Maybe she hated the book? Had she finished it? What did she think of the ending? The questions floated about in his head as he progressed through the lesson. Thankfully there were enough students who had done a sufficient amount of skimming to follow along with the lesson, but Hermione had remained very unusually silent and it was beginning to worry him even more. By the end of the lesson, when he had them writing out an assignment to hand in by the end of class on what they had learned, Severus was letting the quiet shuffling of quills on parchment get to him.
Sitting at his desk, he looked up from the markings he was powering through to pass the time, at Hermione who was looking up at the ceiling as she pursed her lips and tapped the feather against her chin. She had to think of what to write? Even her dim-witted friends were scribbling something down on their scrolls. Half of him wanted to march over there, peer over her shoulder and see what she had managed to write, but the part of him that knew what he was feeling was far less than appropriate kept his bottom firmly glued to the chair beneath him.
As students began filing out, dropping their paragraphs at his desk before skittering out as fast as their shoes could take them, he waited for a soft hand to enter his periphery. The ring glistened before him, making Severus look up to see his godson dropping his parchment off. The two exchanged a nod before his student departed, his goons following him shortly thereafter. Snape took the opportunity to glance over at the brunette, whose nose was nearly pressed against the parchment under her quill as she scribbled furiously. Curiously enough, her two friends had left her alone. Once the last of the sixth years had left, Hermione looked up to meet her professor's gaze. He stood, gathering up the pile and walked over to her.
"Class is over Miss Granger, I would advise you to give me what you have so I am not forced to award you a poor grade on this assignment." He warned. Her eyes seemed to plead with him for a moment, sending his heart up his throat, nearly blocking his breath. He steadied himself and watched as she finished her sentence and place it on the pile in his grasp. He turned to head back to his desk to continuing grading until his subsequent classes, but her voice stopped him.
"That book, Professor, that you leant me," She started, her voice cracking slightly as she spoke, as though she had been practising what to say and messed it up. "Erm, you see, sir. I really hated the ending." He had yet to turn to face her, and he was glad he hadn't as a grin broke out on his face. As he attempted to calm his expression, he turned around slowly. Hermione was anxiously chewing her lip as she watched him, which sent a shiver down his spine.
"We can discuss your opinion after our next lesson, Miss Granger." He replied, sending her hair into a bit of a frenzy. The wizard briefly thought about their future meeting and knew his hair would have gotten excited had it not been so thin and straight. "For now, you ought not to miss your next lecture, or there will surely be more point removals than what you experienced in this class." She nodded, gathering her supplies from the desk and hugging them in her arms. The young witch began her journey towards the door, at a slightly quickened pace, but paused before reaching the exit.
"I will see you tomorrow evening for our next lesson, yes?" Hermione's voice was barely audible as she stopped and turned to face him. He sent her a slow nod, which hastened her exit from his classroom. The emptiness of the area allowed him a moment to breathe as he exhaled loudly before collapsing into his chair once more. He was eager to discuss the novel more with the witch, but he knew not to let that emotion show through. He could wait until tomorrow and that would have to do. Perhaps I can come up with another suggestion before the meeting so we can continue this, the thought made him smirk but he quickly banished the expression as the time drew close for the first years to be subjected to his wavering mood.
-x-
He had ordered tea and was sitting in his lounge chair as he stared at the crackling fireplace, his eyes glazed over as he mindlessly sipped the warm beverage in his hands. Inwardly he wished she was there, talking about the novel she had, albeit accidentally, destroyed. A familiar ache settled in his chest as he winced from the catch in his throat with his inhale. "Hermione," he whispered, settling deeper into the cushion and sighing heavily.
"Professor?" A knock on his door shook him from his trance and he stood swiftly, leaving his cup on a table and marching into his office. The Malfoy heir stood in the middle of the room, shaking, with his normally coiffed hair stuck to his forehead with sweat. Snape raised an eyebrow at the scene and approached the boy cautiously.
"What do you need, Draco?" Severus questioned, subtly checking the boy for any outward signs of distress. Satisfied his godson was unharmed, he looked up into the young wizard's pleading eyes. A new pain replaced his previous heartache as he acknowledged the deep sorrow behind Draco's irises.
"I can't stop thinking about her- about- about Him hurting her." A sob dribbled from his mouth as it twisted in agony, nearly collapsing on the desk next to him. Severus steadied him, guiding him to his seat and perching himself on the desk. The height difference set a strange dynamic to the interaction but he couldn't find an equivalent location to better sooth the hysteric boy. "He's going to kill her, Snape, he's going to rip her to pieces and I can't stop him." Slowly, the older wizard wrapped an arm around his godson and watched as Draco's façade crumbled before him. "I love-" Draco hiccoughed and wiped his nose on the back of his robe's sleeve. "I love her, Snape. Help me." The boy begged, pinching his eyes shut and falling into more sobs.
As his charge dissolved into tears, Snape thought over what the boy had confessed. He cast a silent Legillimens hoping to get a better insight into what the boy was experiencing. Hermione was floating above the Malfoy dinner table, her hair as much of a mess as it always was, and her hands limp by her side. The levelled hum of the Dark Lord's laughter filled the dream as Draco stared onward at his love. "You see Draco, she is nothing more than a mudblood, pathetic, waste of magic." The dark wizard laughed once again, the cackle of Bellatrix mingling with the boom. "Crucio," Voldemort cast the curse on the once frozen girl and watched as she writhed in pain, screaming and crying as the curse tore through her. Draco winced, knowing what the experience was like, but the Dark Lord saw this. "Avada Kedavra!" The enthusiasm with which the Dark Lord let the Unforgivable Curse shoot from his wand sent Draco tumbling back. Draco screamed her name but couldn't gather the oxygen required, he sobbed painfully in his mute state and tried to move towards her, but his limbs felt like molasses. Severus was satisfied with the witness of the boy's dream and retreated from his mind.
The images of Hermione's torture played behind his eyes. He couldn't fathom how he would handle the situation, or how Draco would handle the situation. Not well, definitely not well, he surmised as his misery returned to his chest. He blinked in an attempt to banish the thoughts from his mind to no avail, surrendering himself to the dark premonition.
"Of course, I will help you, Draco." Severus finally voiced when the silence had begun to hang heavy around the pair. "We will get you through this. Don't you worry." His mind flashed back to the image of his affection twisting in torment. "So long as I am still breathing, you are my one and only priority."