Author's Notes: WOW! Just wow! I can't believe the response from the last update! It was incredible everyone, so thank you so much! I know some of you are itching for the romance to begin and I promise I've got it drafted out. In fact I've got brief drafted out versions of the next seven chapters So I'm hoping to keep a regular 1-2 updates a week going if I can get them rewritten in full for uploading at that pace. There's a lot of stuff that I need to explain and get said etc. before they get to the good stuff ;)
Disclaimer: You know the drill people!
Chapter 14
Hermione tugged her collar uncomfortably as she dropped the crushed ginger root into the cauldron.
"Merlin it's so hot in here." She mumbled. She wasn't used to brewing in an enclosed room with so many layers on but since they were now working on experimental potions with more risks Professor Snape had insisted that she wear full clothing covering all but her hands and face and protective eyewear during the most risky parts of brewing.
"It is no different to usual." Her Professor replied evenly, watching intently as she stirred the mixture until it reached a copper colour. "Alright Miss Granger that is the completed base for the contraceptive you hope to change. Now we need to leave it on the heat while we test possible alternative ingredients."
"Right." She nodded. "I'm not sure how you think I'm going to do a better job than you already did..."
"Simple, I was only looking for a contraceptive solution and I found it so stopped looking for any further solutions. You wish to find a substitution for one single ingredient and still have the potion work the same way." He replied.
"I think this is where my muggle heritage may help." She grinned. "Potions has a bit in common with chemistry, obviously it's not the same but there are similarities – I want to try testing ingredients that we know would do the job against my blood for a reaction before ingesting it...it should save us a lot of brewing time."
"Or rather save you a lot of brewing time, I am merely here to ensure you do not blow yourself up." He sneered. Hermione just rolled her eyes at him and turned back to her notes. She had drafted up a few ingredients that were known to have the properties that she needed but she needed to work out which ones would actually work with the other ingredients that she needed to use.
"Unicorn hair won't work with the dragon liver..." she mumbled to herself, crossing it off of the list and moving down.
"Not unless you find something else to counteract the reaction." Severus prompted.
"Yes I suppose but the aim is to create a realistically useable potion here...I can't rightly use all of the most expensive ingredients in a potion that I'll need to take at least monthly if not weekly for years; it isn't practical." She replied.
"Very good point." He nodded.
"What about honeywater and horse hair? Together they work much the same way as unicorn hair...although I'd still need to find a neutraliser to balance the potential explosion..." she frowned.
"And that unfortunately is something that you will have to test out...carefully of course." He told her.
"I've not blown up a cauldron yet..." she protested.
"That's because you were following laid out instructions, you'll blow some up now." He told her.
"You don't know that for certain." She frowned.
"Alright, a wager Miss Granger?" he asked smugly. "I say you will blow up at least one potion before the year is out."
"Nu-uh, Slytherin words!" she countered. "You said potion, I may not blow up any cauldrons but I'd be stupid to bet that I wouldn't ruin a single potion."
"Alright, well spotted." He conceded. "I bet that by the end of the school year you will have blown up at least one cauldron."
"And I say I won't." She nodded.
"And if you do win, what would you like for your prize?" he asked. She looked thoughtful for a moment and then smiled.
"You will go with me to attend every single order gathering for a whole year with no complaint about having to be there." She told him.
"And what if I win?" he asked.
"What do you want?" she asked, biting her lip nervously.
"That's a dangerous question to ask a Slytherin Hermione." He murmured. "I will not ask what you cannot give though; when I win this little wager you will admit to me that I know better than you do when it comes to potions and even more importantly for the next year you will agree with my opinion in public. On everything."
Hermione frowned; she knew that would mean Severus would take every opportunity possible to insult her friends and ask her opinion on the matter...
"That could affect me every day for a year, not nearly as bad as twelve order gatherings. I will agree with you in front of others for three months, no matter the topic." She countered.
"Ten."
"Six."
"How about you agreed with me on ten occasions of my choosing, not time limit?" He nodded holding out his hand for her to shake. She clenched her jaw determinedly and placed her hand in his. He squeezed her hand firmly and she felt her cheeks heat up at the contact before he let go and gestured to her notes. "Continue. You need to write up notes on everything you've done so far and how you plan to eliminate the potential substitute ingredients."
"Alright, lots of notes...got it." She nodded.
He watched her as she sat obediently and wrote up her notes. He was willing to bet that she would actually blow up a cauldron before the week was out but didn't want to irritate her into an argument by saying so, making a bet was much more enjoyable. He couldn't wait to force her to agree with him calling Weasley an idiot or insulting Gryffindor in general.
It was a couple of hours before she finished writing up her notes by which time it was time to call it a day as the evening meal would start soon.
"Did you wish to join me for the evening meal rather than going up to the hall?" he asked her before he even realised it.
"Oh...um...yes please, that'd be lovely." She replied looking completely stunned. "That way I can make the tester base ready to test the neutralizers tomorrow straight after."
"Eager as ever." He murmured, gesturing for her to follow him. He thought about dining in his office rather than allowing her into his private quarters but knew that not only did he not have a second chair therefore meaning they would have to transfigure something but also his desk was a complete mess of all of her coursework that he was in the middle of checking. Decision made he led her out to the corridor and along to a little way to a portrait. He quietly said the password and the portrait of the dragon slayer swung open to allow them entrance.
The torches along the wall flared to life as they stepped into his living room and he flicked his wrist to the fire to light that also. He saw from the corner of his eye that the young witch's attention was draw straight to the large bookshelves dominating the wall either side of the fireplace.
"You may look but do not touch." He told her. "At least not without permission, some of those books are dangerous."
"I'm not as naive as you seem to think." She told him, walking over to the closest bookshelf and scanning the titles.
"Ah yes, very convincing sentiments from the virgin" he smirked.
"I suppose you're right." She laughed. "Honestly, it wasn't like I planned on staying one or that I'm planning on living my life as an old maid or anything...I just never felt the urge to do that with any of the boys I happened to know." She continued to browse the collection of books until she crossed the room to the other bookcase. "You know; if I'd been older when Victor came over for the tournament this wouldn't even be a problem." This was muttered to herself but she knew he had probably heard her and was grateful that he said nothing.
It was true though, she had definitely fancied the Quidditch star. She couldn't see the relationship becoming anything more due to their lack of common interests but still there had been enough chemistry that she could have slept with him had she been older and more interested in her sexuality at the time.
She realised when a 'pop' sounded that Severus had summoned an elf and drew her attention away from the books to look around the room. It was as she feared, mostly deep greens but it wasn't green and silver, instead it was green and gold and fortunately she couldn't see a single Slytherin crest.
"Miss Granger and I wish to take our evening meal here tonight." He told the elf simply before the elf nodded enthusiastically and disappeared again.
Severus took a seat in his usual armchair and watched as Hermione hovered; she looked uncomfortable in his living room...almost like she expected him to rip her head off at any given moment.
"Will you stop hovering about and sit?" he demanded. She instantly sank onto the sofa guiltily. No sooner had her behind touched the dark brown leather than a two house elves appeared, handing them a tray of food and goblet respectively. He nodded his thanks to the elf.
"Thank you, Milly." Hermione told the elf sweetly. He rolled his eyes; of course Miss Granger probably knew each and every house elf by name. They ate in silence, the elves returned to take their empty trays.
"Would Master and Miss be liking dessert now?"
"Oh yes please Noddy." Hermione beamed. "What are my choices?"
"Chocolate cheesecake or apple pie."
"Chocolate cheesecake please." She grinned.
"Master Snape?" the elf asked.
"Just tea." He replied.
"Not got a sweet tooth Sir-everus?" Hermione asked as she sat carefully eating each bite of her cheesecake. She absolutely loved chocolate cheesecake; it was one of her favourites.
"I just happened not to be in the mood for a dessert today." He replied. "Although I almost wish I had ordered a cheesecake also as you seem to be enjoying it so much. No wonder you're still innocent; you are apparently getting all your satisfaction from a chocolate dessert."
"Sorry." She flushed, realising the moaning over chocolate wasn't exactly becoming.
"No, no do carry on." He smirked. Hermione looked at him nervously; her face was on fire under his intensive gaze.
"You're enjoying this." She muttered.
"When is it ever a bad thing to hear a young woman enjoying herself?" he asked, causing her fork to drop unceremoniously onto her plate. She floundered for words and found that her entire vocabulary had temporarily deserted her. She had meant that he was enjoying watching her embarrassed...not enjoying her moaning.
"Sorry." She said finally. "Sometimes it still takes me by surprise that my old Professor's aren't just Professors..."
"Are you trying to tell me Hermione that you hadn't noticed that I was male as well as a Professor?" he asked raising an eyebrow.
"No...I had noticed that." She replied. "What I meant was that we've only just moved onto first name basis and still sometimes forget to do that..."
"And yet you've seen me half undressed and I've seen you moaning in ecstasy." He murmured with a quirk of his lips.
"That is an exaggeration and you know it!" she laughed. "But it does sound silly when you say it like that." She smiled as she took her last bite of cheesecake and then gestured to the bookcase. "What is a Hogwarts Professor doing with dangerous books?"
"Most of them are not actually dangerous unless in the wrong hands of course. They are a few books that are dangerous but since they are inside my warded rooms I do not believe that they will be falling into innocent hands." He replied.
"I suppose, but this is a school and you know how many students like to explore where they are not supposed to." She countered.
"Indeed." He agreed, looking at her pointedly.
"I only did it the once." She protested. "And it was important!"
"Turning yourself into a half cat, half girl was important enough to steal from me?" he growled.
"Actually...the rest of it worked just fine." She told him. "But it still didn't get us the information we were after."
"A Gryffindor attempt at Slytherin tactics." He snorted. "You had better go and have an early night Miss Granger, if of course you hope to avoid any brewing disasters tomorrow."
"Oh, I should go get that base ready!" she said jumping up in surprise. It was then she noticed that she had been in Professor Snape's rooms for two hours. "I didn't even realise that I'd been here that long, I'm sorry for taking up so much of your time."
"I could have just as easily kicked you out." He smirked.
"I don't doubt it." She grinned. "Goodnight Professor." She made a hasty exit from his rooms and headed to her own, she noticed that there was only one large portrait in-between his rooms and her own and wondered what was in that room or if indeed there was actually a room behind the portrait at all.
Severus remained seated in his usual chair where he had watched her leave through the door opposite him, his manners would have had him see her out but she had left so quickly that he hadn't so much as risen from his seat. He smirked to himself; clearly she hadn't wanted to outstay her welcome and perhaps already thought that she had.
He found himself surprised at how enjoyable he had found the young witch's company, she was still somewhat trying on his patience but she was more restrained than she had been only a few years ago and also one of the most intelligent people that he had come across in a long time. It was her intelligence that made her tolerable to him...
His thoughts lingered on her enjoyment of the dessert earlier and he shook his head, it had been like a guilty pleasure to watch that. Seeing an attractive young witch in such pleasure was not something that he had been fortunate enough to see often, in fact he had very little experience with women at all. It was however very wrong to see the young girl in such a way, she was far too young for him and completely wrong for him...although he had to admit pretty much any woman was wrong for him. He was a ruined man, nearly dead inside...
Author's Notes: So he's thinking of her :D