These drabbles are in response to a challenge by Droxy. The whole point is to learn to write concisely (who me?) by writing scenes with no more than one hundred words. This is a post-HBP fic.
I own nothing you recognize. I simply play in JKR's universe for stress relief.
Encounters
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"We're pulling together a special team to work on a new approach for Hodgkins disease," said Dr. Elliott, "I'd like to assign you to it."
He opened the door for Jane and she walked into the office ahead of him. She sat in one of the two chairs placed at angles in front of his desk.
"The team leader is coming to us from our west coast facility," continued Elliott, "He'll be here tomorrow to meet with the staff I'm proposing for his team. I'd like you to meet him. Can you do breakfast tomorrow?"
"I'd be delighted," replied Jane.
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Jane arrived early, as usual. She put in a good hour's worth of work and realized if she didn't hurry to the fourth floor conference room, she'd be late meeting her new boss. She hurried to the elevator and caught the last bit of room before the doors closed.
Stepping out at the fourth floor, she headed in the direction of the glass walled conference room. Looking through the glass, there were half a dozen people already there. The faces were familiar, except for the tall man with his back to the door.
He turned and she saw his profile.
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It couldn't be.
His hair was too short and the nose wasn't quite right.
The height was correct and he stood with such authority.
Jane squared her shoulders and walked into the conference room. Dave Elliott spotted her and immediately waved her over.
"Sebastian," he said, drawing the attention of his guest, "I'd like to introduce Dr. Jane Grisham, one of our up and coming biochemists. Jane, this is Dr. Sebastian Spanetti."
Jane reached out her hand and the tall man accepted it in a formal handshake.
"Welcome to Vermont, Dr. Spanetti," said Jane.
"I am pleased to be here."
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The voice clinched it.
It was unmistakable.
He'd changed his hairstyle into a typical Muggle cut, parted on the side. His black hair was wavy, now that it wasn't weighed down by length and grease. There was a touch of gray at the temples.
It looked like he had his nose fixed.
The eyes were pools of obsidian.
His voice was still the stuff fantasies are made of.
It had to be Severus Snape.
"I have read your reports, Dr. Grisham," said Spanetti, "Your work on the time released form of Dianthrum was innovative. I encourage this in my team."
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"Developing an effective time released form was very much a team effort, Dr. Spanetti," Jane explained, "I'd like to think I made a contribution to the overall effort."
Dave Elliott stepped away and poured himself a cup of coffee.
Spanetti looked down at Jane, allowing a look of recognition to show briefly on his face.
Jane nodded, letting him know she understood.
"When the opportunity presents itself, we will discuss this further," he said quietly.
Elliott rejoined their conversation, inviting both to help themselves to the catered breakfast. The room was too crowded for privacy as additional team members arrived.
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Jane decided to take the risk. He may have been her teacher for six years, but it had been almost twelve years since. They were professional colleagues, both holding Ph.D.s in their respective disciplines. Both of them had gone muggle for the same reason; it wasn't safe for them to live in the wizarding world.
They needed to talk and it needed to be in a place where they could be assured of complete privacy.
They certainly wouldn't find it in any of the restaurants in town.
She would do it. She would invite him to dinner at her home.
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"The grilled salmon was excellent, Miss Granger," said Professor Snape, "I do appreciate the trouble you went to in preparing the meal. I am not much of a cook myself," he confessed.
"I enjoy cooking," she replied, "I would be pleased if you'd call me Hermione."
"I suppose since it has been years since you were my student," said Snape, "It would be appropriate to be on a first-name basis. Please call me Severus, except of course, when we are at work."
"I cannot even imagine the odds against the two of us working for the same company," replied Hermione.
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"How did you end up here?" asked Severus.
"I used Dumbledore's money," she admitted, "It paid for my tuition and expenses through four years of college and the five years it took to complete my Ph.D. I chose muggle science because it was safer. Hence, the name change and my move to the United States."
"You received death threats?"
Hermione nodded. "Especially when I was in St. Mungos. They knew where I was and in spite of security, I felt helpless." She swirled the wine in her glass. "I wasn't welcome anymore by my friends or the Order. I left."
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"I did the same," said Severus, "Between my years as a Death Eater and killing Albus Dumbledore, I was a walking dead man in Britain."
Hermione nodded sympathetically. "They don't get it."
"And probably never will," he said.
"Between magically forged credentials and diplomas," continued Severus, "I was able to complete my Ph.D. in cellular and molecular biology in four years at Stanford. Albus' money came in handy."
"I went to work for Christopher Pharmaceuticals and lived in Portland. I wanted to get away from there. There is a sizeable wizarding population in Seattle, which was too close for comfort."
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"You smoke?" asked Hermione as they sat at the picnic table behind the office building.
"A bad habit left from the war," replied Severus, exhaling a long stream of smoke. "During the worst times, I smoked a pack a day to relieve the stress of balancing the demands of my two masters. Now, I am down to one cigarette a day."
"A significant decrease in your stress level?" teased Hermione. "You manage a project with a multimillion dollar budget and thirty-two staff."
"Believe me," said Severus, smirking, "This is minor irritation compared to being a spy among Voldemort's Death Eaters."
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"I miss Potions," said Hermione.
"There is not a day goes by that I do not think about how much more effective a particular pharmaceutical could be if I could add a few magical ingredients," Severus confessed.
The waiter took the plates with the remains of their meal.
"May I bring the dessert cart for your perusal?" asked the formally dressed young man, "We have Death-By-Chocolate and cheesecake."
Hermione shook her head and Severus waved him off.
"Do you ever find yourself brewing Pepper-Up Potion just for fun?" she asked.
Severus hid his smile behind his wine glass.
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"I bought the house," mentioned Severus, spooning Kung Pao chicken onto the rice.
"The huge Victorian?" asked Hermione, her forkful of bean curd paused in mid-air. "How will you ever keep up so much space without a house elf?"
"There are perfectly acceptable non-magical housekeeping services for that," he said knowingly, "A few wards to keep them out of the more private spaces and it should work perfectly well."
"When do you want to set up the Potions lab?" she asked in a deceptively casual voice.
"Are you volunteering?"
She gave him a wicked look. "You could assign me detention."
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"Come to the house for dinner Saturday night," said Severus, "We can finish the work on the lab."
"Ah, dinner," replied Hermione with a mischievious look, "What shall I bring this time? Pizza? Thai? Greek?
"I shall provide the meal," said Severus with a look of wounded dignity, "It will be a mystery until you arrive."
Hermione leaned back, surprised. "In that case, what kind of wine shall I bring?"
"A Zinfandel would be most appropriate."
"It sounds delightful," she said, resting her chin on her hand.
"For afters," said Severus, leaning forward, "we shall brew Pepper-Up Potion for fun."
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Sebastian sat at the head of the table in the fourth floor conference room. The remote control clicked as he moved to the next slide in the Powerpoint presentation.
"With these results, we can anticipate moving into clinical trials within three years," he said.
David Elliott swiveled his chair toward Dr. Spanetti.
"I am pleased with these results," he announced. "I must commend you and your team for such rapid progress. I have a very good feeling about this line of research."
Sebastian waved towards the eight members of the research team. "The credit belongs to the team," he demurred.
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Sebastian hunched over pages of data spread out over the table in his office. Jane backed into the office, opening the door with her hip as she carried two large cups of coffee.
He accept the cup she handed him and set it aside.
"How is it looking?" she asked, peeking over his shoulder.
"Promising," he replied as she took the chair next to his. He looked up at Jane. "We must be careful. The Arithmancy shows we are clearly moving in the right direction."
"But, if we are too successful," she finished for him, "it will look too suspicious."
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To be continued