Author's Notes: Alright guys! Things are getting interesting and lots of things will be coming to a head in the next few chapters. I hope you guys like it. I almost didn't manage to get a chapter done today as the hubby was at work all day today when we had soooo many things to get done and it's 10pm England time so I'm cutting it close! I probably won't get another chapter finished by at least Friday but I'll see how it goes
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, the books films or characters and places etc. Oh hell you guys know the drill!
Chapter Twenty-One
Hermione let out a sigh of relief as she corked her last vial and slumped onto the stool behind her. She had finished her third experimental potion. All that was left was for her to test it and record her results. Her apprenticeship was nearly finished; all she had left to do was a final exam and the fertility potion that she had been putting off.
"I take that to mean that you have finished?" a voice asked from the other side of the room. Hermione nodded and glanced up at the Potion's Master marking at his desk. The first term of the year was nearly over, not a moment too soon either. This term had been particularly stressful for the staff as they were trying to juggle the Defence Against the Dark Arts position between, Severus, and the other staff. She knew that she had been practically frazzled, trying to complete her apprenticeship, as well as teaching the younger years in Potions. January would bring her final exam as well as her gradually taking over more classes so that the extra staff would be back to their normal roles. September would bring her the position of Hogwart's Potion's Mistress. She was both excited and terrified!
Fortunately, the younger years that she was currently teaching were fairly easy to keep under control, part of her dreaded trying to control the seventh years next year.
"Nearly there." She smiled, taking one of the vials over to his desk. As her mentor, he would need to study her potion and write up his own findings of it. She would give anything to know what he had written about her potions so far but until her degree was completed he wasn't allowed to discuss it with her. Then again he was a pretty private person, so he probably wouldn't discuss it with her anyway.
"And yet you are still putting off your last potion?" he enquired, glancing up at her. She felt her cheeks flame and turned her attention to tidying her workstation.
"How is it fair that because I happen to be a witch, I get the option of losing my virginity or well...you know?" she mumbled.
"I never said it was fair Hermione." He replied.
"Yes well, it's embarrassing." She frowned.
"Why not try to think of it as yet another rare and extremely expensive ingredient, which you get access to for free?" he asked her. "They are academic masters, they will not be thinking about how you obtain the ingredient, they just want the chance to see a rarely made potion."
"I suppose I should stockpile vials of my blood while it's still valuable really." She said thoughtfully. "Not that there appears to be any rush on that front." The last part she muttered more to herself. She placed her unused ingredients back into the store cupboard and then made her way over to the desk. "It's past dinner time; you should stop and eat something."
"Are you under the impression that I have been unable to feed myself for the past four decades?" he smirked.
"Well...I doubt you fed yourself for the first couple of years at least." She grinned, gesturing for him to follow her, presumably to her rooms. "Besides, if you get to look after me on occasion, then you are obligated to allow me to return the favour."
"Very well witch, we shall call the kitchens for food." He relented. "But we shall be eating in my rooms, they're bigger." With that he stood from his position behind the desk and swept his way to the classroom door.
"What is it with men and size?" Hermione muttered under her breath.
Less than ten minutes later found the pair sat by the fireplace tucking into a warm meal. Hermione was just grateful that the fireplace was currently lit, as even after spending the past year in the dungeons, she wasn't used to the cold yet.
"Are you going to the Order's Christmas gathering?" she asked, breaking the silence.
"The Christmas meeting is one which I am certain Minerva will not allow me to avoid." He replied.
"Why can't you just say yes?" Hermione laughed.
"You are forgetting our bet Hermione." He murmured his lips quirking slightly. "At least it will provide me with a little entertainment, since I am being forced to endure a bunch of festive Weasley's."
"I hadn't forgotten." Hermione sighed. "I don't expect you not to take advantage and insult someone, but could you please, please not take things too far? Please don't actually hurt anyone, they're my friends and the closest thing I have to family."
"Do you think me so cruel as to make them hate you?" he asked stiffly.
"No, I don't think you would do it on purpose." She replied carefully, putting her finished plate on the table. "However, you do tend to get carried away when it comes to Harry and Ron." He seemed to grunt in response to that.
"Are you spending the holiday at the Burrow?" he asked.
"Not the whole holiday, actually it won't be the Burrow at all." She smiled. "I'm going to Grimmauld Place on Christmas eve and staying there. I'll be returning here at some point on Boxing day, or possibly the day after."
An elf appeared to take their finished plates away and offer them desserts, which they both turned down in favour of a cup of tea.
"I trust you will be setting homework for the holidays?" Severus asked her.
"No." She grinned. She waited a moment to enjoy the horror on his face before putting him out of his misery. "I will be, but what I will not be doing is setting extra homework because it is Christmas. I have set them the usual amount."
"It will do I suppose." He muttered, taking a sip from his tea cup.
"I'm not you Severus; you're the one who told me that I would have to learn how to teach in my own way alone." She pointed out. "Before long I'll be doing it all by myself...that's actually rather terrifying."
"Where is your Gryffindor bravery?" he sneered.
"Must have used it all up." She shrugged. "Besides you heard Minerva, she says that you've ruined me."
"What a tragedy, her little pet Lioness being ruined." He smirked. "She chose you as my replacement, so in my opinion she made her own bed there."
"Well, you have a point." She grinned, putting her tea cup back on the table. "How could anyone spend so much time around you and not pick up some of your habits? It was to be expected really. Still, I think I've benefited from a few Slytherin traits...maybe one day I'll out Slytherin you." He snorted at her cheeky suggestion but didn't say anything.
They sat in a calm silence for a little while longer. Once the teapot was empty Hermione stood to leave, she didn't want to outstay her welcome. Severus stood to see her out and the two stood awkwardly at the door for a moment before Hermione stepped into the hallway.
"I'll see you at breakfast then." She said softly. "Goodnight." She didn't wait for a response before walking the short distance to her own rooms. Once inside she let out a large breath. She didn't understand it at all... When she and Severus were busy and talking they were like old friends, like partners and it was easy. When they were close to each other with nothing else to distract them, things were awkward. When standing next to him saying goodbye, all she wanted to do was grab hold of the front of his robes and kiss him.
She opened her book at the last play she had been reading and curled up on her sofa to read before bed. Unfortunately, every few minutes she found herself distracted. Thoughts of her only kiss with Severus plagued her mind, just as they had regularly since it had happened. By the time the clock over the fireplace told her that it was ten o'clock, she gave up reading.
"Another bath it is..." she grumbled, grabbing her bed clothes and heading on into the corridor.
She made it to the staff bathroom in record time and practically slammed the door before spelling the taps on straight away. She dropped her pyjamas onto the bench and hung her robe on the hook before stripping down. Her clothes vanished the moment they touched the floor and she climbed into the still filling bathtub. She sat in the centre on the bottom of the tub until the water rose enough for her to sit on one of the seats on the side walls and still be in the water. It was warm and bubbling and relaxing. Perfect.
A bang caused her to turn her head in the direction of the door. She froze in shock as she saw none other than the occupant of her thoughts facing the door to cast a locking charm, which she had clearly forgotten in her haste. Much to her surprise he started disrobing, revealing his bare back to her and by the time he turned around he was about to drop his black trousers.
He suddenly seemed to notice her and also froze, his hands gripped on his trousers that hung undone, rather low on his hips. She couldn't help but eye that small trail of black hair that led down inside his trousers.
"Miss Granger, have you not heard of locking charms?!" He barked, yanking his trousers up.
"I must have forgotten, I obviously wasn't thinking clearly." She shrugged. From where she sat in the water he couldn't really see anything, at most he'd see her bare shoulders, arms and possibly the slight glimpse of the side of her breasts. "You obviously weren't either; you didn't even notice me sat here in the bath until you were half naked." Realising that his shirt and jacket had vanished upon hitting the floor along with his shoes he reached for his robe.
"I shall leave you in-"
"You don't have to leave." She interrupted quietly. He turned to face her in disbelief. She flushed; she couldn't believe she had just said that. Still, no backing out now...
"Surely you-"
"Can't see anything?" Hermione cut off his protest. "Look, this bath is big enough to swim in; if you're over one side and I'm on the other, neither of us will see anything important. Besides I come here most nights for hours to relax...if you need to relax anywhere as near as much as me, you won't want to wait hours for it."" He didn't say anything. Hermione sensed that he was at least considering the idea. "And of course I've already seen you half naked, so why not think of this as evening the score? Unless you're shy?"
"Bloody shy...I'm not some bloody Hufflepuff." He muttered.
She knew that she had reached victory when he turned and hung his robe back on the hook. What she hadn't expected was for him to suddenly drop his trousers to hang up also, giving her a full view of his backside.
She couldn't believe not only had her goading worked but that she was now staring at the back view of a very naked Severus Snape. She felt her stomach clenching at the thought of him turning around, even as her face flushed in embarrassment for staring. She couldn't help it. Her eyes were magnetized to his form, scanning from his bare feet on the tiled floor to his muscled shoulders where his hair fell to.
"Bloody woman." He groaned, knowing he'd fallen for her words the moment he hung his trousers up. She had egged him on, goaded him and he had acted like a foolish Gryffindor and done exactly what she wanted. Regaining control of this situation he called out to her. "Unless you feel like standing out here for me to inspect every last detail of your unclothed body, you will turn your back."
"Alright, I'll turn around." She replied. She grinned as she slipped off of the seat and turned in the water to face away from him. "I'm not looking." She heard the water moving around as he got into the tub and waited for him to tell her to turn around.
She jumped and let out a gasp as she felt arms slide around her waist and pull her flush against him. Her heart rate hit the roof. She wasn't even sure if she dared to breathe.
"It is dangerous to play games with Slytherin;s Hermione." He murmured near her ear.
Author's Notes: I apologise right now for leaving it there but I don't have time to finish writing the next bit so I figured a short update was better than no update. I promise the next chapter will be worth it