Downside of Aging Potions - Chapter Six

"So in a word don't shed a tear
I'll be here when it all gets weird.
If I ever leave this world alive."
-Flogging Molly, If I Ever Leave This World Alive

Waking earlier than necessary, as usual, Snape sat up. His alarm wasn't set to go off for another hour, yet here he was at three thirty in the morning, awake.

He closed his eyes four the seventh time to attempt slumber once again. No use counting sheep... He sighed and got out of bed. Maybe a hot shower would help.

Not long after he was in the shower did he decided he wanted a bath instead. He let the water run and when the translucent liquid was nearly full to the rim, he shut of the water and sat back, letting the steam rise.

This was almost perfect. If only Hermione were here- His sudden, audacious thought caused him to spring upright, wide-eyed. 'There the hell did that come from?' His student... Absurd...

He rubbed his eyes and sat back again.

As his mind wandered, he allowed himself to wonder; what would it be like to share a bath with her? Though the thought came from nowhere, he kept thinking about it, knowing, of course, it would never happen.

'Change of topic...' he thought urgently. Err... McGonagall? He jumped, both physically and mentally. 'That's it,' Snape thought, standing up, 'I am never taking a bath again.' He quickly exited, drained the water, and dried himself off, getting ready for the day ahead.

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'I'm going to be late!' Hermione thought as she rushed to Potions. She didn't know why she over slept, only that her bed seemed to be much more comfortable today for some reason.

She arrived and apologized. To the dismay of the Slytherins, Snape did not get her into any trouble. For which, she was thankful, but the Slytherins eyeing her the rest of the lessons did dampen her spirits a little bit.

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"Sorry again about earlier." Hermione apologized again that night when she entered his lab.

"May I ask why you were late?" He inquired, but she didn't really think it was a question by the tone of his voice. Perhaps the Slytherins affected him too...

"Overslept." She said hesitantly. Now she would get in trouble...

But, instead of taking points from Gryffindor, his face held a hint of a smile, "Just couldn't get up this morning?"

"Exactly." She grinned, relieved.

They started work on a potion, and watched as it turned an awkward pink before emitting smoke. Snape quickly got rid of it and tried again. They went through potions nearly all the colors of the rainbow before he sighed.

"This is becoming pointless." He vanished another potion and started to begin another one, adding the ingredients in a different order, starting first with some interestingly shaped leaves.

"It's not pointless, sir. I know you're going to get it right soon." She said with enthusiasm. At least, she hoped that's what that was.

"I don't know, I-" His left hand, holding a bottle of Aging Potion slipped out of his hand and right into the cauldron as his right hand stirred. He was engulfed in blue smoke in less than a second.

She reached out for him, not even thinking.

Hermione thought she brushed his arm, but that could have been her imagination.

The smoke rose and disappeared, leaving Snape floored. Her mouth dropped when she saw Snape, or rather, a smaller version of Snape. But it took further inspection to find out he wasn't just smaller. He was younger.

"Umm..." She kneeled down.

"What the-" He started asking in an unmistakable baritone of Snape's old voice, yet not as aged and silky.

He looked at his hands; smaller. His body; more lean. And his robes were three sizes too big. His face held a certainly horrified expression as he choked out, "Wha-What happened?"

Hermione winced and bit her lip. "The potion... It slipped out of your hand. I tried to grab you..." She got up, "We have to tell Dumbledore."

He stood up, his shoes clunking as he kept slipping on the big robes. She steadied him, holding his arms firmly until he stood. Even if he was smaller, he was still nearly a head taller then her.

She took her wand out and shrunk his clothes to fit him. "This is terrible..." He muttered.

He followed her out of his office.

Snape hurriedly said the password to the Headmasters office and they went up, Snape stumbled a few times, not use to the sudden height change.

"Professor?" Hermione asked into the door, knocking abruptly.

He opened the door, a frown etched on his face but quickly disappeared when he recognized Hermione and a younger Severus.

Hermione looked at Snape, who was touching his face, and then looked up at Dumbledore, "We have a problem."

He nodded and opened the door wider, letting them inside.

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Taking seats in two squashy arm chairs in front of his desk. Hermione kept glancing at Snape nervously, almost scared he would snap. And he might; he was, after all, Snape.

"What exactly happened?" Dumbledore asked, pushing his fingertips together and looking at Hermione for information.

Hermione sighed, "Well, we were working on a potion, and... Well, his hand slipped while he was pouring some Aging Potion in the cauldron. I reached out for him, I think I touched him, and then the smoke just disappeared and... There he was." She finished lamely, looking back at Snape again.

Snape finally spoke, "What are we going to do, Headmaster?"

Dumbledore rubbed his temples, "We do have a problem. You certainly can't teach," Hermione felt Snape jerk in shock, "No one must find out. While you are like this, you must be considered a student."

"But Headmaster you-you can't be serious! Me? A student?" Snape burst incredulously.
Hermione shot him a worried glance, then bit her lip again.

"I am sorry Severus, but until you can find a counter potion, we will have to go about as if Professor Snape has gone on a...Mission for me. And you are a new student. Yes, and Miss Granger is helping you out. Then you two will work on the potion at night. I am sure we can fix this soon. Never fear, Severus." Dumbledore said.

But Snape did everything but fear. He was enraged, confused, and even a little sad. Just a little. He tried to protest several times, but no sound came out. He shook his head and said with a sigh, "What ever you say, Albus."

"Good. Now you'll be a transfer student from..." Dumbledore put a finger to his chin in thought.

"Durmstrang?" Hermione suggested.

"Excellent. And you will be in Slytherin of course." Dumbledore said reasonably. Hermione giggled, then quickly stifled it. But the thought of Snape in Hufflepuff was quite amusing.

"Will I be allowed to pick my name?" Snape asked hotly.

Dumbledore made a guilty look, "I apologize, Severus. Yes, anything in mind?"

"Can't we worry about that later? I have bigger problems." Snape snapped.

'Or in this case, smaller.' Hermione bit her lip to hide a grin.

"Oh yes, you'll be needing a place to stay. I will take care of that." Dumbledore getting out a map of the school and the rooms currently enrolled.

"That is most generous of you, Albus, but I was more concerned about my supplies and robes and other things." Snape said, annoyed still.

"Miss Granger, you still have your school list, I presume?" The Headmaster inquired.

She nodded. In fact, she had all of them just about every paper she'd ever received from Hogwarts, but she kept that to herself.

"Good, Miss Granger will go with you to get all your things and I will find a place for you to stay." Dumbledore said, looking back to the map of the school, a look of contemplation etching the lines on his face. They took that as a dismissal and exited the office.

Hermione was hesitant to ask about their trip to Diagon Alley, so she followed him in silence as he walked to his rooms moodily. If the adult Snape was so snappy, what would a teenager Snape be like?

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