~~Mischief Managed~~

Tap

Tap

Tap

"Mmmm …"

Tap, Tap, Tap

"Mmmm." Hermione rolled onto her side and pressed the pillow tightly to her ear hoping to drown out the maddening noise.

"Go away," she mumbled.

The tapping only got louder and more insistent after that.

With her head pounding so hard she had no choice but to rise and stumble to the window. She needed that infernal tapping to cease! Yanking open the pane with difficulty she was rewarded with a sharp peck on the wrist from the disgruntled owl on the sill.

"Ow! That was uncalled for," she said, slurring her words so that not even she recognized them.

The owl thrust his leg toward her and clucked disapprovingly. He ruffled his feathers in annoyance as she untied the scroll. When she tossed the parchment to the side and started back toward her bed he flapped his wings and screeched.

"Okay, okay. I'll read it now." She felt like death warmed over and the last thing she needed was this animal going into full attack mode.

Unrolling the scroll, her eyes took a moment to focus on the tight, cramped handwriting. Simon had arranged for an interview for today. He was sorry for the short notice but the employers wished for her to blah… blah … blah…

She dropped the letter to the side. She'd deal with it …

What!

An interview, today?

"Shit!"

The owl clucked as if to say 'I told you so', and took off through the still open window.

She picked the parchment back up and reread the letter. More slowly this time.

Dear Miss Granger,

Pursuant to our meeting on September 19th in which we discussed an opportunity I felt would meet your employment needs, I have arranged an interview with the prospective employer for today. I do apologize for the short notice, but they are very keen to fill the position as soon as possible, starting a week from Monday.

I've taken the liberty of arranging a Portkey to the destination, leaving from the foyer in my office at 12 noon, sharp.

Looking forward to seeing you,

Simon Holmes

Wizarding Employment Agency (WEA)

Hermione rubbed her eyes and looked at the clock. She still had two hours until she needed to meet with Simon to Portkey to the interview. That should be plenty of time.

A hangover potion sat on her bedside table with a large purple ribbon tied around it.

Thought you might need this. Love, Harry was scribbled on a piece of parchment under it.

She sipped the potion and sat down on her bed to give it a moment to take effect, making a mental note to thank Harry at some point. Her mind was flying. An interview! Perhaps a job.

Already!

Gulping the last of the potion and grimacing at the taste, Hermione felt her thumping head start to calm and the urge to crawl under a rock and hide from the world recede.

After getting out some fresh clothes and putting them on her bed, Hermione set off for the bathroom—wand in hand this time—to get showered and make herself feel human again.

She vaguely remembered getting home last night. Harry had rescued her from the mirror and more importantly from Luna. That witch had to be clairvoyant. Lav and Parvati played at Divination but Luna … Luna might actually be the real deal, even if she didn't realize it. She didn't remember exact words, just bits and pieces of conversations from the evening and the feeling that Luna saw more than most people did. It seemed everything that came out of her mouth was a double entendre.

And, of course, she remembered the smoking hot scenes she'd seen in the mirror.

Which brought her mind back to Severus Snape.

Hmmm … Severus. Who would have guessed the amount of passion the man was capable of displaying. It was hard to imagine that two days ago she would have laughed and most likely been disgusted at the thought of lusting after him. Now, here she was lamenting the fact that… well, he disliked her—a lot—and there was just no way she'd ever get in his pants, even if she wanted to.

Drying her hair with a small towel, and safely wrapped up in another, Hermione drew back the shower curtain and headed for the sink to clean her teeth. Glancing up at the mirror as she crossed the short space from the bath she was startled at the image of Severus stepping out of the shower behind her.

Hermione didn't scream this time, but she did gasp loudly. She was certain the delusions would have ended by now. Her birthday was over and she was sober. What was going on? That line of thinking quickly disappeared though as she continued to watch the pair in the mirror. In fact all thought was quickly disappearing.

Droplets of water glistened on Severus' almost hairless chest as he hungrily sized up her doppelganger. Hermione watched in growing amazement as Severus grew hard before her very eyes. This was much more … intense than anything the mirror had shown her thus far.

Her desire mounted as he wrapped his arms around her likeness, drawing away her towel. Once the towel was dispatched, one hand slid over her stomach on its way to her breast. The other hand slid south, settling between her legs, and showing Hermione just how adept those fingers really were. Her breathing grew labored as she watched Severus begin to pleasure her reflection.

Her likeness's breathing matched her own as Severus' hands teased and aroused her. He pinched and flicked a hardened nipple. His mouth caressed the skin of her neck while the other hand stayed firmly between her legs. If her doppelganger's face was any indication, Severus definitely knew exactly what he was doing.

Hermione watched greedily as Severus backed the pair through the bathroom door, stepping directly into what was surely a bedroom. She groaned as he lifted her mirror self up onto the bed, her hands sliding down her own body in imitation of his lips and tongue as he worked his way skillfully down her reflection's body until he came to rest, his face cradled between her thighs. Her fingers mimicked Severus' ministrations as she watched him pleasure her image.

Hermione could feel the pressure building, coiling within her. She was almost there … so very close. She saw Severus slide one finger into her reflection's writhing body and that pushed her over the edge. She screamed his name as ecstasy crashed over her and the last thing she saw before her eyes closed was the look of pure desire—body and soul—in Severus' eyes as he watched her doppelganger scream his name.

When at last she opened her eyes the only thing she saw was the sight of her own flushed face in the mirror.

~~oOo~~

"Morning, Ron."

"You're up?" they said at the same time.

Laughing Hermione sat down at her usual place at the table pulling the paper in front of her. She was still recovering from the incident upstairs and didn't particularly want to talk to Ron. She still blamed him for this mess, even if she was becoming more accustomed to the idea of Severus as her heart's desire. She'd even consulted her list after she'd re-showered just now. He filled every requirement and then some!

It was just so complicated. There would be so much opposition, but maybe they could find a way to make it work. She needed to figure out how to approach him as he was so secluded at Hogwarts. Maybe after she got her job situation sorted, she'd try to do some volunteer work there. She was pretty sure she could get Professor McGonagall to approve that, even if she wouldn't approve of her real reason for being there.

"Yep, I'm awake. I'm the one who was completely pickled and he's the having a lie in. Go figure." Ron passed her a mug. "Why are you up so soon? I'd have thought you'd be sleeping it off for hours yet."

"I have an interview in an hour! Can you believe it? Bloody owl wouldn't stop tapping on the glass until I got up. Thank Merlin for that!" she said with a grimace.

"Wow. All ready? That's amazing, Hermione. What's it for?

"Don't have a clue. Simon, the recruiter, didn't give me any details. Maybe it's for the Department of Mysteries." She wiggled her eyebrows. "Can't you see me as an Unspeakable?"

There were a few unspeakable things she'd like to do right now, all of them involving Severus.

"You'd be brilliant. You'll be brilliant anywhere, Hermione."

She just smiled at the compliment and started perusing the paper. She glanced up to find Ron staring intently at her.

"So, who is it, 'Mione? I know it's not Percy," Ron asked. He continued more tentatively, "I want you to know, too, that I'm really sorry about all this. I had a few misgivings about the Mirror, but, well … you know how convincing Harry can be when he sets his mind to something."

She put down the paper and looked at him hard. She was sure it hadn't been too difficult for Harry to persuade Ron. "How do you know I didn't see Percy, huh, Ron? How do you know I saw a person at all?" If they'd had this conversation yesterday Ron would be crucified already, but after everything she'd seen, and her own change of heart, she wasn't as angry as she had been or should be. That didn't mean she'd make it easy on him though.

"Well, since you didn't ask why I was up so early I didn't tell you. Had an Owl from Mum. Perce has asked Annabeth to marry him and she's accepted. But you know all about that, don't you?"

"He told me last night, yes. That was a crummy thing to do to the both of us. Especially knowing how much he loves her. I mean really; what if I had seen his image? You think he would have just up and left the girl he's been with for two years because of some stupid mirror and my revelation of love?"

Ron looked constipated again and she couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"The two of you really need to think things through better, Ron. I'm not saying that you weren't well intended, I'm sure you were, but you forgot to think about what the consequences of all of this would mean to me. What if I would have seen myself as a maid at Malfoy Manor or running away to join the Muggle army? How would that have affected my life? And all of yours?"

Ron opened his mouth and then shut it. He fiddled with his mug and took a few gulps of the black coffee he preferred now that she had introduced it to him. When he opened it again his words came out in a massive rush. "Weknewyouwouldn'tseesomethinglikethat.."

"What? Slow down, Ronald. Harry had Kreacher do what?" Hermione asked, her leg starting to shake in agitation.

"True love spell," Ron choked out and sort-of scrunched down in his chair. She was sure he thought she was going to hurt him somehow.

"True love spell?" she asked quietly and then watched Ron slink even lower in his chair. They had Kreacher place a true love spell on the mirror. So, not only was Severus her heart's desire but he was supposed to be her true love, too. She needed a minute to process that. Damn it, sometimes she really hated magic!

"Are you going to kill us?" Ron stuttered when she hadn't moved for a while. "I really am sorry. This is probably the stupidest thing we've ever done, Hermione, and you're right, we didn't think it through. But you have to believe we thought we had your best interests at heart."

"I don't know what to say, Ron. I should be really angry, but I'm not sure how I'm feeling at the moment. This is a lot to take in." She'd finally come to terms with the whole idea of actually lusting after Severus Snape, a man twenty years her elder and nearly impossible to get to, and now this. True love? It was so final.

"You know we love you, don't you? And we'd never do anything to hurt you on purpose. I know I say stupid things, but—"

She waved her hand to quiet him. "Yes. Yes, I know all of that, which is why I'm still sitting here, and you're still alive."

She held up her hand for him to stop when he opened his mouth.

She debated telling him that according to the mirror her true love was no other than his least favorite person in the world. "I hope you're prepared to be unhappy with the mirror's choice," she said instead. She didn't think she was ready to reveal Severus' name just yet.

"It doesn't matter if I like him. I'm not the one he's meant for. What's important to me is that you're happy."

"Really, Ron? So you'd be willing to accept whoever it is no matter what your preconceived notions are about him?"

Ron was quiet for a few minutes, and when he spoke, Hermione was shocked for more reasons than one at what came out of his mouth. "Yes. I'll accept whoever it is, no matter what, even if it's … Hell, I don't know—Snape?"

Hermione did her best not to react to his name but she could feel her cheeks start to redden.

"Oh shit. You didn't see Malfoy in the mirror, did you? Or McLaggen?" Ron's eyes were wide with concern. Luckily he had completely mistaken her reasons for blushing! She guessed it was too much for him to even consider that Severus could be a possibility.

She snorted in disgust. "No not Draco, or Lucius for that matter. Thank Merlin! But I did see a Slytherin."

"Well that figures," Harry interjected as he stepped into the kitchen. "I guess it's not Percy then?"

"Morning, Harry."

Harry bent down to kiss her cheek and then sat next to Ron.

"So, we're talking about the mirror? Have you forgiven us yet?"

Hermione rolled her eyes and made an impulsive decision. She would just tell them and let the chips fall where they may. Because she'd made up her mind. She was going to pursue a relationship with her ex-professor whether the boys liked it or not. This was her life and if they wanted her to be with her true love this bad, so be it!

"Yes, I've forgiven you. I'll even go as far as to thank you. Because of your gift I'm going to do my damndest to pursue a relationship with the man I saw in the mirror. Severus Snape." She sat back in her chair and smiled—watching the chips fall.

Harry jumped up immediately. "What? Snape? It can't be!"

Ron just cocked his head and nodded. "I can see it."

"Are you off your rocker, Ron?" Harry yelled. Turning toward Hermione he said, "The mirror has to be wrong."

"Really?" Hermione said a bit peeved at his comment. "And why not Severus Snape? You wanted me to be happy. You wanted me to find a partner. Enough so that you had Kreacher fiddle with that mirror. It's your own fault if you don't like it."

"But … but … he's old. And mean. And … and … he was a Death Eater!"

"He was exonerated, Harry; you just have a problem with him because your father did. You haven't let go of a grudge that was never yours in the first place. It's a dead man's grudge, your fathers—not yours! Don't you think it's time you got over yourself."

"Hermione," Ron said in warning.

"Well it is!" She turned back to Harry. "You put this in to play, now deal with it."

"It won't work! There are too many problems with the two of you being together." He stopped short and took a hard look at her, his eyes going up and down her body. "Ewwww!" He scrunched up his face. "Eww. Ewww. Ewwwww."

"Oh don't even start! I watch the two of you snuggle all the time! Don't you think that's a bit EWWWWWWW for me?" she shouted back at him.

"She has a point there, Harry."

They both turned to Ron, shushed him, and continued arguing.

Harry went on to argue all the reasons a relationship between Severus and Hermione would be impossible, and she found it surprisingly easy to counter everything he said with a positive. Honestly his bias on the subject only made Hermione more determined to be with the professor.

After one too many times of Harry discounting the mirror's powers, Ron had finally spoken up. Once he mentioned how instrumental the mirror had been in their relationship Hermione knew her fight was won! Ron wouldn't let Harry get away with being a bloody hypocrite!

She was out the door a moment later, leaving Harry back pedaling as Ron looked on in irritation.

She swore she saw Ron wink at her as she left. No doubt Ron would be feeding off of Harry's guilt on this one for quite a while.

~~oOo~~

She felt the oppressive squishing of the Portkey and a moment later there was cold marble under her bum. Would she ever be able to Portkey gracefully, she wondered? She wished Simon had given her more details, but when she had arrived late at the office, he'd only had time to shove some papers in one hand and a rusty nail in the other. She hadn't even heard the entirety of his good wishes before the key activated.

Picking herself up off the floor she looked around and realized she was standing in front of the door to the Hogwarts Headmaster's office. Luckily the hall was free of students because before she knew it she was sitting on the floor again head in hands. Of all the luck!

This was the perfect job for her?

Well, she had wanted a chance to get close to Severus and here she was about to get her wish.

So why then was her stomach tied up in knots?

She pulled herself off the floor and straightened out her robes.

"Detention, Hermione?" a familiar voice called out. "Were you a naughty girl, are you being sent to see the headmistress? Or are you here for other reasons?" Fred floated nearer, an extremely smug look on his transparent face. Even more smug than usual.

"Ha, ha, Fred. It's nice to see you, too."

"Yes, it's always a pleasure—for you. So," he tapped a finger to his chin as he watched her stand, "how was your birthday? Anything special happen? Any unusual presents?"

"I already know you were instrumental in procuring my gift—my highly inappropriate gift, mind you— so don't play coy."

"Inappropriate? I don't think it was inappropriate. Actually I think it was the perfect present for you. Just what you needed." He smiled mischievously making Hermione fidget, she had reason not to trust that smile.

"So what are you here for then? Looking for anyone in particular?"

"No!" she said a little too quickly. "I've an interview, if you must know."

"Oh!" he exclaimed loudly, a huge grin replacing his smirk. "I never thought about that. So smart! Well, I'm sure you'll get just the welcome you're hoping for," he finished cryptically and floated away.

What was that supposed to mean? Damn ghost! He couldn't know who'd she seen, could he? Seriously, he was more dangerous dead than alive.

The door behind her creaked open and Hermione gathered the papers that had scattered across the floor—and her courage—and began walking up the steps. A voice was floating down the passage way. A rich baritone that made her heart race.

This is what she wanted she reminded herself as the urge to run in the other direction almost overtook her. Working here would be perfect. It would give her the advantage of being near him and it would also give her an opportunity to get to know him as a man, not her teacher, without seeming so suspicious. Plus it would be a job. A profession, even!

"Minerva, he's a menace! I'd rather have twenty Peeves and a Neville Longbottom constantly in my classroom than one ghostly Fred Weasley and his incessant pranks. Did you know it was he who was responsible for the loss of an entire month's worth of Mandrake preparation?"

"Oh, Severus. He's harmless."

"Harmless! Do you want to hear his latest? He and one of your bloody 'free' elves placed a magical item in my room this morning and it almost gave me a heart attack."

"Oh, Severus, a magical item? In Hogwarts? Oh my! Not that." She coughed and then said more quietly, "Who knows, maybe it will do you some good."

"Minerva," he said in what sounded like a whine to Hermione. Severus Snape could whine? "It's a very powerful magical item, and I can't seem to get rid of it no matter what I do."

"Would you like me to t—"

"No!" Hermione heard him say quickly over McGonagall's receding voice. "I'll remove it … somehow. I just want you to keep that menace out of my rooms!"

"Well, if all goes well in the next twenty minutes, Severus you'll have a little less daily aggravation to deal with. Maybe then Fred's antics won't bother you as much, because you know as well as I do I won't be able to control him. Nor would I try.

"Now the candidate from the employment agency is standing outside the door, shall we invite her in?"

"I'll leave first. I still don't think there's a need."

"You'll like this one, Severus. She's more than qualified and will suit your needs perfectly."

"It won't matter. Just another dunderhead, I'm sure."

"Oh, think positive, Severus," Dumbledore's voice chimed in.

"Yes, think positive; she might be just what you've been searching for."

Hermione heard Severus grunt in disgust before McGonagall called, "Ms. Granger, come in please."

Hermione slowly opened the door trying to control the blush she knew was coloring her cheeks.

She smiled graciously at the headmistress and glanced around the room noting the subtle changes to the décor. Not being able to help herself, she glanced up at the wall and was surprised to see Professor Dumbledore smiling down at her. She'd not been in this office since before the final battle, and it was a bit shocking seeing the old man twinkling at her as healthy looking as he'd been when she was a first year. She smiled back and finally turned toward the man of her recent fantasies.

He was standing dressed in his customary black trousers and a crisp linen white shirt, his arms folded across his chest in a very familiar pose though his back looked more rigid than customary. She would have been shocked to see him without his cloak had she not become accustomed to the image of his barely clad doppelganger. The mirror had shown her a true to life image, though. He was heavier, his hair was longer, and he looked healthy.

The only difference was the expression he wore. Gone was the look of desire she'd last seen, instead he looked a bit stunned but a moment later his face settled back into the sneer he used in the Potion's classroom. If she wasn't mistaken though, there was a bit of extra pink at his cheeks.

Interesting.

"Hermione, you look absolutely wonderful!" Professor McGonagall began. "I heard you had a birthday yesterday." She rose and gave Hermione a one armed hug. "Happy birthday!"

"Thank you, Headmistress," Hermione replied, returning the hug and passing the folder of papers to her old professor.

"Let's get on with it now, shall we? And please, call me Minerva," she said as she walked around to sit behind her large desk. "I'm sure we'll be working closely from here on out. It's only right you use my proper name."

Snape huffed his disapproval, as he leaned against a nearby wall.

Hermione glanced in his direction, this wasn't going to be an easy relationship to have, no; it was going to be a damned hard one. Good thing she was as stubborn as he was. Sighing inwardly she sat, folded her hands in her lap and replied, "Thank you, Minerva."

"Now, as you may have heard, I plan on retiring at the end of term," Minerva informed her immediately. She never was one to mince words. "Severus will take over as headmaster upon my departure. I'm not as spry as I once was, and would like to have a mild year as my last. Therefore, we would like you to take over the Potion's classroom so Severus can start the transition now."

This was news to Hermione. Minerva looked meaningfully at Severus who stood as he had moments ago, a scowl etched deep in his brow. He started to shake his head no.

"For the next year, Hermione, you will work closely with Severus instructing first through fifth-year students," she continued before he could speak. "At the end of term, we will assess whether you will take on the rest of the years or if Severus will continue teaching the upperclassmen along with his headmaster duties."

Snape's posture became even more rigid, if that was possible, and Hermione imagined storm clouds forming over his head as the tension in the room grew heavy.

"But," Hermione began to protest, but silenced herself as Minerva continued.

"You'll do well in this post, and we have no other suitable candidates," she said pointedly, shuffling through papers on her desk, clearly having done so numerous times prior to this meeting. "You see here? Not a one," she repeated, shaking the stack in her hand. "I only wish you would have been available before the school year began."

Snape pushed himself off the wall moving to grasp the pile she was waving around, when one shake too many sent the parchment scattering across the room.

Hermione heard him mumble something unintelligible, and leaned forward straining to listen. As she did, his black-clad backside came into full view, causing her to gasp and bite her lip. She felt that familiar tingle and wiggled back in her chair not daring to look up.

Minerva cleared her throat and Hermione raised her eyes to see Minerva looking at her a calculating gleam in her eye.

"Severus, I'll get the rest," she said dismissively. "I'll finish the interview and we'll discuss the details of Hermione's position later."

Hermione's watched as he handed the headmistress the gathered applications.

"I see my opinion doesn't count for nil, so I'll leave you to it," he said, then turned and left the room, never once looking in Hermione's direction.

She couldn't help but turn in her seat and watch his retreating form. Breathing in deeply she returned her focus back to Minerva. "It's obvious Professor Snape still holds no liking for me."

"No," Minerva replied after a moment of silence, "I do believe a lot has changed from both of your points of view." She held the retrieved parchment up, nodding her head knowingly. "I saw your reaction to—"

"Now, Minerva," came Dumbledore's voice, startling Hermione so that she looked toward his portrait, "you know Miss Granger is the perfect candidate for this position. Let's not goad her into leaving before she's properly accepted."

"Butt out, Albus. I think the girl should know that Severus isn't completely opposed to working with her. Nor do I think she'd opposed to working closely with him." A sly smile graced her wrinkled face.

Hermione looked down at her hands. So Minerva had caught her ogling Severus' arse.

"He barely put up a fuss, which means he agrees that you'll do well." She took a quill and signed a piece of parchment that was on the desk in front of her. "He just doesn't know how to express himself properly."

She looked pointedly at Hermione.

"Remember that, Hermione. He's just a lot of hot air. Get past the bluster and you'll like the man underneath.

"Now, here's your contract," Minerva said. "Read it over, owl me with any questions or concerns which may arise. I'll expect you to report for duty no later than Friday. We'll get you settled and you can begin teaching on that Monday."

Hermione took the papers, nodding her head. "I don't know, Minerva, there's so much to think about," she stuttered. This was all happening too quickly. Severus. Potions. Assistant Professor. Hogwarts. Her head was spinning. Yes, she wanted him, she wanted this, but was it the right thing for her to do?

"That's understandable, my dear. Although," Minerva looked past her at the door, "I don't see why you wouldn't want to come back to Hogwarts. There's so much waiting for you here."

Hermione found herself being directed to leave a moment later.

"Take this," Minerva instructed, hugging her close. "It's a Portkey back to Grimmauld Place. I'll expect your signed contract on my desk by tomorrow."

Hermione had just enough time to hug her old professor back, before the small cauldron she'd been handed activated, and she found herself in the library of Grimmauld Place.

It only took a moment and the memory of Severus' backside before Hermione signed the contract and sent it back.