DISCLAIMER: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. This fiction is purely for my own enjoyment and yours. No money is being made by me or anyone else from this fiction.
Author Note: You guys are amazing. Seriously. Thank you for all the support! I apologize for the extremely late update. And now for Hermione and Draco's "date" with Professor Snape. This should be interesting. Enjoy!
Chapter 6
Hermione was mad. Absolutely, completely, stark-raving mad. At least, that's what Harry and Ron told her. They bugged her all morning, trying to convince her not to go to see Professor Snape this afternoon. Well, sniffed Hermione, it's not going to work.
But as two o'clock drew nearer, Hermione started thinking that maybe they were right. She meticulously reviewed her notes on her antidote and what she could remember of Neville's potion, and all everything she could remember before and after the explosion. She gathered notes on making antidotes (it was sixth year material, so she wanted to make sure she was correct) and wrote out her personal theories about the accident. I just don't want to make a fool of myself. I'm not a dunderhead, and I don't want to give Professor Snape any reason to think so. But what if I forget some simple detail? Worriedly she chewed on her bottom lip.
Then there was the issue of Draco. He wasn't really an issue per say, but Hermione's feelings were so mixed up concerning him she didn't know what to think. She wanted to be his friend; that much she knew for certain. But there was another part of her that made her heart skip a beat when he smiled at her and her stomach flutter nervously when she caught him staring at her. It was this part of her that currently held her captive in front of the bathroom mirror, trying desperately to tame her riotous hair. Why can't it just...behave! She sighed dramatically, and it was this moment that Ginny decided to walk in.
She took one look at Hermione's woeful expression and her extremely bushy hair and her face turned to one of pity. "Need some help?" she offered.
Hermione was flustered. "Oh um, I was just…" Oh, a curse on my untamable hair! She sighed. "Yes please," she said resignedly.
Ginny just smiled and picked up Hermione's discarded brush. "So, why all the fuss about your hair?"
Hermione looked at the floor, trying to hide her reddening cheeks. "Oh, it's not a fuss really, I'm just a little stressed about this meeting with Professor Snape and then my hair just...won't behave," she said quickly. There. That sounded pretty convincing, right?
Ginny gave her a sympathetic look. "Right, I heard about your little meeting. Harry and Ron won't stop ranting about it. That in itself is enough to make anyone frazzled." Hermione nodded furiously. When will they decide to grow up? He's our professor for goodness sake! Ginny pulled out her wand. "Well luckily for you, I was the only daughter of a mother who always wanted girls. Mum pampered me as often as she could, so I know a fair amount of beauty spells. We'll get your hair whipped into shape in no time."
Hermione smiled gratefully. "Thanks Ginny."
"No problem. Now let's get started!"
An hour later Hermione's riotous hair had been pulled back into a neat ponytail. It was still rather bushy, there just wasn't anything to be done about that. But it was a lot less frizzy, and Ginny had been able to curl it. Now Hermione's hair bounced lightly off her shoulders any time she turned her head. She smiled, taking a moment to admire herself in the mirror. I actually don't look too bad. "I don't know how you managed it, but thank you, Ginny. At least this is one less disaster I have to worry about."
"Anytime," answered Ginny with a smile. "And good luck with your meeting. Speaking of, shouldn't you be heading down there now?"
Hermione looked at her watch and gasped. "Holy cricket! I should have been down there five minutes ago! Thanks again Ginny, but I've got to go!" She grabbed her hefty schoolbag and fled from the common room. She arrived huffing at Professor Snape's door with one minute to spare. With a sigh, she fell back against the wall, thanking her stars she had arrived on time. Professor Snape would have had my hide if I was late, she thought. Glancing quickly on either side of her and seeing no one, Hermione self-consciously patted her hair, making her it hadn't gone back to its usual state of frizziness.
"Primping for the professor?" drawled a voice to her right. Hermione nearly leapt out of her skin.
"Draco Malfoy!" she hissed, throwing him a glare and trying her best not to appear off guard. Of course I wasn't. I was doing it for you. Where did you come from anyway? How long have you been standing there?
"Long enough to watch you run down here as though your life depended on it," Draco said smirking with amusement. Hermione's already flushed cheeks reddened even more as she realized she must have said that last part out loud.
"I didn't want to be late," she said defensively. Draco's smirk grew wider.
"If you and Mister Malfoy stand outside my door making eyes at each other for any longer, Miss Granger, you will be." Both Hermione and Draco jumped as Professor Snape swung open the door to his office silently. Hermione looked at her feet. As if this wasn't bad enough already! "Well don't just stand there, get in here," Professor Snape snapped, eyeing the pair of them with distaste. They scurried inside. Draco, Hermione was pleased to see, was blushing as well. So I'm not the only one who doesn't like being called out by Snape!
Hermione bustled over to her usual desk and started taking out her things, happy to have something to do with her hands to keep her thoughts from wandering. "We are not in class, Miss Granger," Professor Snape said derisively. She jumped and turned around, a question on her lips. "We'll be working in my lab today," he said, beating her to it. She frowned, but kept silent. It will be fine, just remain calm.
Draco, who hadn't moved from his spot in the doorway, smirked. He could tell by the way Hermione had pressed her lips firmly together that she was holding back an angry retort. She threw a look his way and to his utter surprise, stuck her tongue out at him. He repressed a chuckle, but not fast enough to hide it from Professor Snape, who whirled around and eyed them suspiciously.
Straight faced, the pair of them followed the professor back to his private lab, where he already had several cauldrons simmering. Hermione immediately brightened and began looking all around the room with undisguised wonder and delight. She's like a kid in a candy store, Draco thought with amusement. Professor Snape too, had noticed Hermione's excitement, for he said a bit gruffly, "You may set your things up on that table there."
Hermione hurried over to the table and began pulling things out of her bag. Draco, who hadn't brought anything with him—why should I when I know Hermione will bring more than enough for the pair of us—followed her and sat on a stool beside the table. He focused on not noticing the way Hermione's normally horrendous hair looked soft and managed today. It was even curled a bit. I wonder if it is as soft as it looks. Quickly he shook his head to rid himself of such thoughts. It would not do to be mooning over Hermione under Snape's watchful eye.
It was quiet in the room for several minutes while Hermione fidgeted with her things and Professor Snape made a show of checking each of the simmering cauldrons. Finally, Hermione could no longer stand it. "Where should we start, Professor? I thought perhaps we could go over the potion Draco and I brewed while in the dream and go from there, unless you had other plans, Sir," she said quickly. Her big brown eyes her wide and hopeful, and Draco could see a hundred thoughts running behind them. She really doesn't stop, does she? He had been momentarily surprised by the use of his name, but recovered quickly.
Professor Snape frowned, but gave a clipped nod. "Very well. Do you have your notes on the ingredients and how you went about making the potion? Be aware that dreams are not always clear and though you may remember doing something, actually recalling the precise action may prove to be futile."
"Oh no, Professor," Hermione interjected quickly. "The dream was very real. I remember everything perfectly, as though it was a memory." Subconsciously her hand slid down to her stomach. The action did not go unnoticed by Professor Snape or Draco. The action sent a jolt through Draco and the image of Hermione's face as they gazed at the unborn child in her womb floated across his memory. I remember everything perfectly…I remember too. Hermione caught the simultaneous looks from Draco and Snape and looked down at her covered stomach with a blush.
"Indeed," said Professor Snape, watching them closely. He held out a hand. "Your notes, Miss Granger?"
"Oh," said Hermione, sounding flustered. She handed over a small stack of parchment and launched straight into an explanation of her work. "The mandrake petals were the main ingredient, because of their restorative properties. I got the idea from the potion you brewed to wake us up in second year, Sir," Hermione babbled. Draco looked at her in surprise. He had forgotten that Hermione was one of the students who had been petrified in their second year. With a sudden pang of guilt, Draco remembered telling Crabbe and Goyle he wished Hermione would be the mudblo—muggleborn that died. Merlin's beard, why am I such a prat?
"I can read, Miss Granger," said Snape in a warning tone. Hermione's mouth shut with an almost audible snap. She watched Snape's face keenly for any signs of approval or displeasure. Professor Snape, as always, kept his face impassive, save for a slight sneer. Draco took that opportunity to study Hermione's face in turn. No one but Professor Snape and Hermione were in the room and they were both preoccupied. No one will notice if look a little longer than usual.
At long last Professor Snape spoke again. "This appears to be in order, Miss Granger, however, I have doubts about your technique. I will allow you and Mister Malfoy to brew it under my supervision."
Draco could practically feel the excitement bubble up inside Hermione. "Thank you, Professor!" she gushed.
"You may fetch the necessary ingredients from my storeroom," said Snape, waving them away. Hermione didn't hesitate, but when Draco took just a moment longer to get moving, Hermione reached back and grabbed his hand, pulling him along after her.
"Come on!" she ordered. Draco was too shocked to do anything but comply. Her hand is in mine. She just grabbed my hand with Professor Snape watching! She's holding my hand. As Hermione pulled him along, Draco amended his thoughts. Okay, so she's more or less tugging me along like a heavy bag of books, but she's still holding me hand! "Keep up!" she ordered. "I can't carry all these ingredients by myself."
"Yes dear," Draco retorted. Hermione threw a look at him over her shoulder and suddenly realized they were holding hands. She let go of his hand has if she had suddenly realized he was something slimy or gross. Quick as a wink Draco snatched her hand back up with his. "Come on now, dear, I kind of liked us holding hands to go to the storeroom. Sort of romantic, isn't it?" he said cheekily.
"Sure Romeo," said Hermione, pulling her hand out of his grasp again.
Draco's brow furrowed in confusion. Who in the name of Merlin is Romeo? "Who?"
Hermione looked at him incredulously. "Never mind," she said. "Here, hold these." She handed him a couple of phials and went back to perusing the shelves. "Professor Snape's stores are a lot more stocked than yours were, Draco," she remarked as she pulled a couple more phials from the shelves.
Irritation flickered through Draco. "Of course they are," he retorted. "Snape is a Potions Master, after all."
"No need to get snippy," said Hermione. "And it's Professor Snape, Draco. Honestly, what is it with you boys and shortening the professors' titles?"
"It's not a big deal, Hermione," Draco said as they went back to the lab.
"Of course it is," Hermione said in what Draco recognized as her lecture voice. Sweet Merlin, I've completely lost my edge around her if she's using that tone with me. After thinking about it for a few moments, Draco decided he really didn't mind. Arguing with Hermione was fun. "Each of our professors earned their title and they deserve to be shown that respect."
"What about Umbridge?" asked Draco, knowing what her reaction would be. She is too easy.
As predicted, Hermione stiffened and her eyes flashed. "I thought we covered that point," she said in a tone that brooked no argument. She looked at him sharply, telling him she was on to his game.
"How touching. Is the married couple having a friendly spat?" Professor Snape drawled from the doorway. Hermione and Draco jumped, not having realized they had stopped in the middle of the classroom to have their argument.
"Sorry Professor," said Hermione, her cheeks turning a brilliant shade of red.
"Do not waste my time with apologies, Miss Granger. I am giving up my afternoon for you, the least you could do is pay attention. If you can't, then take your lover's squabble elsewhere."
"Certainly, Professor," Draco drawled, matching Snape's tone. He placed a deliberate hand on Hermione's lower back, which was a difficult maneuver since his hands were full of potions ingredients, and steered her into the lab under the raised eyebrow of Professor Snape.
"What are you doing?" hissed Hermione as soon as they had passed him.
"Brewing an antidote, I believe," Draco replied nonchalantly. Hermione huffed indignantly.
"You know what I mean," she said.
"Actually, I am at a loss. I guess your superior intellect is too much of a match for me," he said with mock despair. He turned away to hide his grin when she ground her teeth in frustration. I have been missing out by dismissing her because of her blood status. Sure, she still has lamentable choices in friends, but then again I have been having out with Crabbe and Goyle. Not exactly the most stimulating conversation partners.
"You are incorrigible," she said, shaking her head.
"But you like it." The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them. If it were anyone else he wouldn't have thought twice, but Hermione wasn't like the other girls.
"Luckily for you, that's true," Hermione replied, not looking him in the eye. He noticed her cheeks were tinged with pink and he let out the breath he had been holding. So. She really does like it. Interesting... "Let's get started on this," Hermione announced, changing the subject.
"A fine idea, Miss Granger. I was wondering if you were ever going to get to that," said Professor Snape drily from behind them. Both Draco and Hermione blushed. Oops. Forgot he was there.
They worked quickly and quietly after that, moving in harmony as they had in the dream. For a moment, Draco could almost imagine they were really in the Malfoy Manor, with Naomi and Evanna waiting upstairs for them. The only thing that completely dispelled that notion was the looming form of Professor Snape behind them, watching their every move. Hermione, used to Snape's tendency to hover, thought nothing of it. Her face was a mask of concentration as she chopped, stirred and counted. The steam from the potion was slowly teasing her hair out of its ponytail, giving her a halo of frizz.
When the potion finally turned the revolting shade of neon green it had in their dream, Hermione gave a triumphant shout. Professor Snape was at her side immediately, his sharp eyes sweeping over the simmering, smoking potion. "This appears to be adequate," he said. "It is slightly off color as described in your notes," he said.
Draco's jaw dropped. "What are you talking about? It's perfect!" he said indignantly. Professor Snape turned and gave him a surprised glare. Only that man could look surprised and glare at the same time. "Uh, Sir?" Draco said quickly, trying to back track. Oops.
Hermione was looking at Draco with surprise as well. What? The potion was perfect. There was no need for Snape to say it wasn't. When he turned back to Professor Snape, the man had wiped all traces of surprise from his face and was now sneering in his usual fashion. "I said it was adequate, Mister Malfoy, not that it was failure. As usual, Miss Granger has exhibited her extensive and obnoxious know-it-all prowess." Hermione's jaw dropped, as if Professor Snape had just told her she had just aced all her N.E.W.T.s. Which she probably would…someday.
Professor Snape turned on his heel and grabbed a dropper from a back table. "Now let us find out if her theory proves to be correct." Carefully he collected a sample of the lurid green liquid and walked over to a large cage in the corner of the room, which appeared to be full of rats, some sleeping, and some running about. "These rats are dosed with Longbottom's botched potion. If your antidote works, they should wake up. If not, well. We'll see what happens, shall we?"
Draco and Hermione eagerly leaned forward as Professor Snape carefully dropped a few droplets of the potion into one of the sleeping rat's mouth. For a few excruciating seconds, nothing happened. Professor Snape smirked, Draco felt his stomach drop, but Hermione just leaned forward even more, a desperate, hopeful expression on her face.
Just as Draco was about to give it up as a bad job, the rat stirred, coughed, then jumped up, awake and alert. "Yes!" cried Hermione, twirling around a bit. She turned around, grabbed ahold of Draco and pulled him in for a hug. He froze in surprise. Very rarely did anyone hug him, and here Hermione was, hugging him as if she did it on a daily basis. She seemed not to notice his stiffness. "We did it!" she laughed.
"So it would seem," said Professor Snape mildly. Draco got the impression that Snape hadn't realized how much he and Hermione's dream had changed the dynamic between them until now. Good luck figuring it out, Professor. Let me know if you have any answers. Somehow Hermione had become lodged in his life, and he wasn't entirely sure that was such a bad thing. In fact, he quite liked it.
He felt a sense of loss when Hermione released him to watch Professor Snape perform the diagnostic charms on the rat. Get a grip Draco. He tried to focus on what Professor Snape was saying, but it was just going in one ear and out the other. All he could think about was Hermione's arms around him. This isn't right. We were just going to be friends. Just friends! Not…more.
Whatever Professor Snape had said must have been good news, because Hermione was grinning ear to ear. With her halo of frizzy hair and her cheeks rosy from laughter and the cauldron's flames, she looked utterly adorable. It was then Draco knew he had lost it. He was mad. Absolutely, completely, stark-raving mad.
Soon Draco found himself watching Professor Snape duplicate a copy of his notes to give to Hermione while she did the same. They exchanged notes and Hermione gushed her thanks while Professor Snape sneered and looked irritated and bored as usual. Then he was nodding and saying his goodbyes to the professor and Hermione had once again taken his hand and was leading him out of the potions classroom. I've completely lost it, Draco thought as he stared down at Hermione's hand wrapped around his.
Hermione was babbling again, her cheeks flushed and her eyes bright as she talked about the success of their—technically her—potion. "I knew it would work, I just knew it! I suppose we'll never know what would have happened if we had drank the potion while still in the dream, but maybe if Professor Snape still has some of Neville's potion we could go back under for an hour or two and try making the potion again! I'll have to ask. Oh! I completely forgot to ask Professor Snape why he thought we were connected in our dreams. I'll have to ask him tomorrow or maybe at supper. What do you—Draco?"
She stopped, looked down and quickly let go of his hand. "Don't know why I keep doing that," she said with some embarrassment. Draco was staring at her, a hundred thoughts running through his mind, but one thought over-powered all the others and took over his mouth.
"I do," he said and leaned in. Hermione barely had time to gasp in surprise before Draco captured her lips with his. She was frozen at first, but gradually relaxed and leaned into the kiss. Her book bag dropped to the floor and she wound her arms around his neck while his wrapped around her waist. They separated for a moment to breathe. "I've wanted to do that all day," Draco said.
Hermione blushed fiercely. "Me too," she mumbled. And that was all it took for Draco to lean in again for another kiss. They were so caught up in each other that neither one noticed when two familiar students walked around the corner and came to a dead stop when they caught sight of the snogging pair. In fact, they might not have noticed anything for quite a while if one of those students hadn't yelled, "HERMIONE!" in shock.
Draco and Hermione leapt apart, their faces flushed and Hermione looked guiltily into the shocked faces of Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. Their faces, especially Ron's, were slowly turning dark shades of red. Draco glanced at Hermione, who was looking slightly panicked. Bloody hell. This is going to be a mess. He closed his eyes and waited for the explosion, making sure his wand was held tightly in his hand. Bring it on, boys.