Ron squeezed Hermione's elbow reassuringly. "I'm sure he'll come, 'Mione. I have faith in you."
Hermione snorted. "You have faith in your sources, who all say he's nearly broke."
"That too."
It really would be nice if he would. She had perhaps stretched the truth a bit the previous day - there was a stack of applications an inch thick on her desk, young witches and wizards who all hoped to find a job with The Potion Pot. Most weren't as talented at brewing as they thought they were, of course, but doubtless there were a few who could be trusted with the mundane recipes so Hermione could free herself up for the more spectacular creations. The problem was, she just wasn't good enough.
Oh, she was one of the best in her class at Hogwarts (with the possible exception of Draco Malfoy, surprisingly), but that was just one year at one school. And she had no particular affinity for potions over anything else. She and Ron stumbled on potions almost by accident, really, trying to find something to do after the war, and it happened to work out for them. Better than she could have ever hoped, if she didn't mind the monotony.
But Hermione had been brewing potions long enough to realize that the truly spectacular work - the groundbreaking new creations and the finicky detail work - those took passion as well as precision. Something she tried to simulate, but knew she was just fooling herself. She needed someone like Professor Snape.
Who, as it turned out, was punctual. The clock over Ron's desk chimed nine, and then Snape was standing there in the center of the room, clutching Hermione's business card and looking only slightly out of sorts from using the portkey. He took a long look around the office, eyes jumping from object to object as if cataloging them for future reference, then he fixed his attention on her and Ron. And waited.
"Good morning," Ron managed to announce without stuttering. Maybe the last two years of public speaking had paid off. "Thanks for coming - we really appreciate it."
Snape inclined his head. "I haven't agreed to anything yet, but I admit to being curious."
Curious is okay. Curious is good. Hermione cleared her throat, aware of how odd it felt to be the one discomfited by Professor Snape - usually that was Ron's role. "Shall I show you around first? Then Ron and I can answer any questions you have."
He shrugged, a one-shouldered elegant motion which would have felt rude from anyone except him. For Snape it was downright eloquent.
Hermione met Ron's eyes briefly, reading his thanks at not being dragged along on the tour, then she motioned to the door and preceded her former professor through. "Shall we?"
He followed her, saying little, but Hermione could tell he was taking everything in. She felt a bit defensive as she guided him around their offices (a grandiose term for the two cramped almost-closets she and Ron had claimed for themselves) and the storefront. Snape held his tongue at the clutter on her desk and the vibrant orange decor scheme in Ron's, but he couldn't restrain himself once they got to the front part of the store.
"Seriously, Miss Granger? This is how you organize your wares?"
Hermione forced a smile. "Our customers seem to like it, Professor."
"You seem to set a lot of stock in what you believe your customers might like. Obviously your customers are all dunderheads - there is no earthly reason to put the Bundimun Pomade and the Furgus Fungal Budge next to each other, other than perhaps the color. Nor would any rational witch or wizard search for Strengthening Solution and strength potion on the same shelf - despite the names, they work on two completely different principles for two completely different purposes." He waved imperiously at the display behind the counter. "And isn't it a bit irresponsible to sell Amortentia here? Its one saving grace is being complicated enough that morons can't brew it, thus sparing us all from ill use - you've circumvented that."
Hermione held the smile and counted to three before replying. "It's behind the counter for a reason, along with Polyjuice Potion and Scintillation Solution and several of the other potions which could be abused if in the wrong hands. Lilia - our shop attendant, you'll meet her later today, she should get here soon - knows very well which potions can be sold to underage wizards and which need special dispensation from the Ministry. As for the organization - not every witch and wizard sorts their ingredients the same way, and we have found what works best for ease of browsing rather than frequency of actual use. Something I wouldn't expect you to have experience with, as you've obviously never had the need to present a public-facing display for anything other than students."
She mentally replayed her words and realized she had perhaps sounded a bit harsh, considering she was still hoping to persuade him to work with her. She tried to think of a better way to phrase her point, failed, and decided to gloss over it instead. "Shall we continue on to the lab?"
The look he gave her said very clearly that he understood she was changing the subject, but he grunted an affirmative reply and followed her back to the hallway and up the stairs. Hermione actually found herself eager to see his reaction when she threw open the door.
"Voila! The lab!"
He snorted at her theatricality, but he did look genuinely impressed. This floor was the entire reason Hermione and Ron had purchased this particular building - the lab was as far from the gloomy atmosphere of the Hogwarts dungeons as it was possible to be. The windows ringing the single room let in loads of not-at-all-magical sunlight, and Hermione had spent months getting the layout of the workbenches and shelves just right.
She stepped further into the lab and shut the door behind them. No one except Hermione (and very rarely, Ron) ever came up to her sanctuary. It felt less odd than she expected to be showing Professor Snape around, actually - he may have been caustic most of the time, but he was probably the only wizard in Britain whom she would have felt comfortable sharing an academic workspace like this with. Another reason to hope he accepts the offer.
"Thoughts?"
He turned in a slow circle, taking in the arrangement of the room. "Your business must be doing well, indeed. I see you appreciate the importance of quality tools and materials."
Hermione shrugged. "The Potion Pot was really Ron's idea, honestly, but we've made a good go of it."
He gave an amused snort. "More than a good go, I would imagine. I would not have imagined Mr. Weasley to choose potions as his vocation."
She couldn't hold back her huff of laughter - he had intended to insult Ron, clearly, but he was so far off . . . "The potions were incidental. Neither of us particularly wanted to go back to school for another year just to sit for our N.E. , and the Ministry included a generous pile of galleons along with the Order of Merlin they assigned each of us. George suggested potions - it's something he and Fred never really did, at their shop - and we just ran with it."
"And you capitalized on your 'Golden Trio' status."
"A bit. Minus Harry, of course - he's much happier playing professional Quidditch anyway. But Ron and I split up the work, and it really turned out well. I do the brewing and he does the media and schmoozing and whatnot. He's really very good at it."
Professor Snape raised an eyebrow. Hermione was pleased to discover it was much less effective now that she wasn't his student. Still a bit intimidating, but she had no reason to be intimidated now . . .
"No need to make that face - it's true," she said. "Ron's got a lot going for him, despite how you treated him in your classroom - he's outgoing and friendly and likeable, unlike some, and he has a good instinct for working with people. Me, I'm happier in the lab."
"You defend him rather hotly for someone who is just a business partner. There's more there, then?"
Did Snape really just ask if she and Ron were shagging? Hermione took a moment to pick the right words. "One, it's really none of your business, or anyone else's, what my relationship with Ron is. But two, yes, we are dating. And three, no, there's no wedding on the immediate horizon, no matter how much Ron's family might wish there to be." She shot him a strained smile. "And that's the last time I'm going to answer any questions along that line, I will warn you."
"Noted." He took another long look around the room. "So - your offer. May I work at the lab in my home, or do you expect me to share this room with you and whatever other dunderheads you employ?"
Hermione decided that Professor Snape must truly be incapable of not insulting people every other breath. "Given the importance of the research and the secrecy surrounding our venture, I will have to insist you work here. With full access to whatever materials you may need, of course. And no one ever comes up here other than me. With the exception of you, if you want the job."
His scowl deepened. "If I take this position - and that's if - I must insist on absolute leeway on my research. I will be in charge and you will be assisting me, not the other way around, is that clear?"
Ah. She had been expecting something like that, actually, so his demand didn't catch her entirely by surprise. And it made sense - he was the more experienced potions master, while she was just a reasonably bright potions student who never even took her N.E.W.T.s. Still . . .
"Yes and no," she said with as much of a poker face as she could muster. "Yes, whenever you are researching and creating new potions, you will of course have autonomy and I will assist you as much as I am able, given my other duties. But I will also expect you to assist me with basic brewing when the need arises - sometimes I just need an extra pair of hands, and I'm not interested in hearing complaints about the work being demeaning. I seem to recall you giving us some rather long-winded speeches at Hogwarts about potion-making being a noble art and taking pride in even the simplest creations - I will expect that from you as well."
He searched her face for a long moment, then bowed his head. "That would be acceptable."
Hermione let out the breath she hadn't realized she was holding. "Excellent - let's go find Ron and you two can sign the contracts."