A/N: Is anyone else really glad it's autumn time? I'm loving the cooler weather and getting a nice breeze with my windows open. I'm also glad I don't live in Uni dorms anymore so I don't have to have those 10cm window restrictions so I can actually open my windows all the way. Does anyone else love a cool rainy day? It's been so cool out and rainy and I just get so inspired with this kind of weather. I love to just walk around my city with my umbrella and boots, listening to music, just thinking about story ideas. It's honestly made me feel so productive and I've gotten so much writing done not just for this story but for my own original ones too so just ahhh I love autumn!
Thank you for all the reviews since the last update! It means the world to me that people are enjoying the story. They were all so sweet and it made my day whenever I got the emails alerts for them!
Chapter 21 – Hatching a Plan
James walked numbly in the direction of Gryffindor Tower. What the bloody hell had just happened?
When he opened the door to his dormitory, he was relieved to see only Sirius there. He was sprawled on his back on his bed with one leg hanging over the side. A magazine was levitating above him, and he twirled his wand making a page turned over.
"How was practice?" asked Sirius as James walked in, not bothering to take his eyes off of the magazine.
"Where's Peter?" James asked Sirius as he closed the door behind him.
The tone of his voice seemed to catch Sirius's attention and he slowly sat up, allowing his magazine to fall into his lap.
"Peter took the Map and cloak and went to get us snacks from the kitchen. I think he's going to sneak some to Remus in the Hospital Wing too. Why?"
James sighed and walked across the room and sat on his bed, dropping his quidditch bag in a heap next to his nightstand, and faced Sirius. He was grateful only Sirius was there, that was who he really wanted to talk to, he couldn't keep anything from him – well, asides from Remus's little crush. Part of him wasn't sure if he could have brought himself to say anything if Peter had been there, and especially not with Remus around.
"You won't believe this, mate," said James. "Hermione just asked me to teach her how to become an animagus."
Sirius's mouth fell open. Whatever Sirius had been expecting James to say that had not been it. "You're joking!"
James shook his head. "She caught me after practice. She said she wanted to be there for Remus like we are every month and that she wants me to teach her."
"No way. I don't believe you," said Sirius, shaking his head vigorously. "You're putting me on. There's absolutely no bloody way little miss goody-two-shoes 'We can't play in the snow! We have to go to the library!' wants to learn an incredibly illegal form of magic."
James shrugged and shook his head. "I could barely believe it myself."
Sirius gaped at him. "You're bluffing!"
"And, get this, she doesn't want Remus to know about it."
"What? Why not?"
"Said he'd try to stop her."
Sirius frowned and contemplated for a moment. "Well she's not wrong. I can see Moony imploding right now if he knew."
James had thought the same thing. While he knew Sirius suspected Remus's feelings for Hermione – really, anyone with eyes could see it, except, perhaps Hermione – Sirius wasn't clued in on just how deep they were like James was. Or if he did, he hadn't said anything. And James was going to stick to his word to Remus and also keep his mouth shut. There was absolutely no way on earth that Remus would let Hermione risk her safety or risk issues with the law for his sake. There would be no reasoning with him.
"Yeah… yeah he would…"
"But they're practically joined at the hip, how does she expect to hide this from him? It's not like it's a quick and easy process," said Sirius with his eyebrows pulled together. "He'd definitely be bound to notice the mandrake leaf."
"I told her that but she seems really adamant, even excited… She even offered to teach me how to do a corporeal patronus if I taught her."
It had been such an odd request: him teach her how to become an animagus and she'd teach them how to do the patronus charm. Yet, he had to admit that it had piqued his interest. It wasn't something they even taught at Hogwarts, and while the chances of them ever needing to use the spell were slim, the idea of being able to cast a patronus fascinated him. How cool would that be?
"A corporeal patronus? She can do that?" asked Sirius with wide eyes, sounding impressed.
"I guess she can," said James, shrugging again. His shoulders were going to be sore after this conversation was over. "Beauxbatons must be really advanced."
"Do you think she could teach me too?"
"I don't see why not," said James. "And Peter."
"Well, what did you tell her you'd do?" asked Sirius eagerly.
"I told her I had to think about it, and then I came to tell you so you could tell me if I should do it or not."
Sirius hesitated and bit his lower lip. "Are you? Going to do it, I mean?"
"Should I? Should we? It's not just up to me, is it now?"
Sirius shook his head. "Wormtail won't be for it."
James had been worried Sirius would say that, and his stomach twisted in a knot knowing it was probably true. The relationship between Peter and Hermione had never been the most pleasant. They always seemed to try to tolerate each other rather than actually enjoy being together, especially from Hermione's side. Peter would most definitely not be fond of the idea at all. Maybe the patronus charm lessons would sway him. James hoped that it could be good bonding for the two of them.
"Keeping it from Remus is one thing… that's for his own good… but we can't keep it from Peter," said James, thinking out loud. "It wouldn't be right."
"No, he's as much of a part of it as us. Keeping him out of something this big is a Marauders betrayal," agreed Sirius. "So, what are you going to do?"
"What would you do?"
Sirius smirked a bit. "I think it would be fun. We haven't had a real adventure in a while. Not since we finished the map."
It was true, sure they snuck around the grounds on a full moon, or they'd sneak to the kitchens like Peter was doing right then. But nothing had been more thrilling than creating the Marauder's Map or when they secretly learned to be animagi. James's heart began to race in his chest at the prospect of another Marauders adventure, only this time with Hermione.
"Is it bad that I kind of want to do it?" admitted James.
"Only if it's bad that I want to too," grinned Sirius. "The Marauders are back in action!"
James grinned at his best friend, feeling the excitement radiating off of him himself. Another adventure…
"So… now what?"
"Well, first you need to make sure Hermione knows what she's getting into. Maybe wait a few days to get back to her. See if she's actually willing to go through with it," said Sirius, and James nodded. "Then… then we can tell Peter."
"And then we can tell Peter," echoed James.
.:~*~*~*~*~:.
Hermione had the feeling that James was avoiding her. Or at least avoiding having to be alone with her. At meals and in class he was perfectly friendly, but whenever there was an opportunity to pull him aside, he was gone in a flash. It had been days and he had yet to give her any indication of an answer.
She had gone over all the possibilities of what she could do if he ended up saying no. Unfortunately, she hadn't been able to find any books in the library yet that explained the method of becoming an animagus, only books on theory. Surely there would have to be a book in the Restricted Section about the practical parts, but she would have needed the invisibility cloak and the map to sneak in and check for one. The only other way would be to get a professor to sign off on allowing her to access the Restricted Section.
This posed two problems: the first being she would need to know the name of the textbook she needed so Madam Pince could retrieve the book for her – which she did not – and the second being that she would need a professor to sign off on granting her permission to even get the book – which would not be easy.
What excuse could she possibly use that would get a professor to allow her to check out a book like that without making them suspicious? A part of her believed she could most likely get some information out of Professor McGonagall by just expressing a basic level of interest and admiration for her ability to turn into a cat… but Professor McGonagall would see right through her if she asked her to sign the slip. Why would she need a book on how to become an animagus when the library was full of books on the theory? She had gotten lucky with Lockhart in her second year, but would there even be a professor that either trusted her enough or didn't care enough to grant her that permission?
Hermione stared across the Potions classroom to where James sat, hoping to catch his eye, when the door to the classroom swung open and a cheery looking Professor Slughorn walked in, humming happily to himself.
And then it hit her. How had she not thought about it before? Her best chance would obviously be Professor Slughorn! He believed her to be smart, ambitious, talented… important enough to be collected into his little club. She couldn't imagine him asking too many questions if she told him she wanted to advance her studies. He probably wouldn't even second guess her! But she was still wary about asking him. Would Madam Pince or other professors ask questions if they found out he had let her get the book? But what other choice would she have if James did end up saying no?
In that moment, she decided. She was going to be on her best behavior and ask Professor Slughorn. It would be her backup plan if James rejected her request, and she was sure she could sway Professor Slughorn to grant her permission to check out the book if all else failed.
In the meantime, she would try to research what textbook had the practical approach to becoming an animagus. Researching books to find books to research from… well, it wouldn't be the first time she had done that. She would give James until the end of the week to decide before setting forth with her own plan, but that didn't mean she couldn't start preparing now just in case.
She looked back over to where the boys sat, and James was looking at her with a small smile on his face. Raising her eyebrows, she tilted her head slightly and gave him a look that she hoped read "Sooo…?" but he only chuckled to himself, which earned him a curious look from Remus.
"Good afternoon, everyone!" said Professor Slughorn with a grin so big that it curled the ends of his walrus-like mustache.
While Professor Slughorn was usually a very jolly old man, there was an extra excitement visible in his eyes that day; so much so that Hermione perked up, wondering what the lesson would be. Then she noticed he was carrying a tiny black cauldron in his hand. It had a tight lid on top of it, covering it from sight and Hermione straightened up in her stool to try and get a better look in case he uncapped it.
"I have a bit of a fun surprise for you all today," he said with a low chuckle as he placed the miniature cauldron down on desk at the front of the room. "While this is normally a potion the curriculum has us study at the end of the term, with the holiday around the corner I thought it would be fun to introduce it for today's class."
Professor Slughorn's excitement was infectious and murmurs began to spread around the room as everyone waited eagerly for him to uncap the mysterious cauldron. From beside Hermione, Mary was looking at it in confusion, but Lily's eyes had gone wide with excitement, and Hermione had a feeling that Lily must have guessed what the contents of the potion were. Hermione racked her brain to try to figure it out. She had read ahead for the next few lessons in her textbook, but the next few classes were supposed to be dedicated to poisons and antidotes. What would that have to do with Valentine's Day? Poisons did not seem very romantic.
"Come, everyone!" said Professor Slughorn waving the class over to the front of the room. "Come gather round for a closer look. This is going to be something you'll want to be near!"
The sound of stools scrapping against the stone floor flooded the room as the class keenly made their way to the front desk. They made almost a large circle so everyone could have a view, and it was easy for Hermione to see everyone's faces as they anticipated what would come next. In one swift motion, Professor Slughorn pulled the lid off of the small cauldron.
The effect was immediate.
Hermione had never encountered something that smelled so good in her life. Even all of the candles that reminded her of home in the Room of Requirement had nothing on the sweet aromas coming from the small potion with mother-of-pearl sheen. Beautiful characteristic spirals of steam were dancing out of the cauldron now in lovely twirls, spreading through the dungeon air. The scent was so intoxicating that Hermione took a step forward to breathe it in deeply, and she wasn't alone. All around the circle, her classmates were all stepping forward slightly, looking almost like they were in a trance.
"Now, who thinks they will be able to tell me what this little potion is, hmm?" Professor Slughorn asked with a chuckle as he took in their dazed expressions.
Hermione's hand punched the air immediately.
"Miss Dawson?" he asked, bemused by her enthusiasm.
"It's Amortentia!" she said, feeling slightly giddy.
"And I assume you know what it does?"
"It's the most powerful love potion in the world!" she said eagerly. She inhaled again, sighing at the seductive scents that tickled her nose as she tried to place what it was that she was smelling. "It's supposed to smell differently to each of us according to what attracts us, and I can smell freshly mown grass and new parchment and –"
She stopped herself as she realized the third scent. Was that chocolate? The pleasant smell of it took her by surprise. It was odd; she didn't usually eat chocolate.
There wasn't much time to think about this as a face from across the circle caught her attention.
Snape had his dark eyes focused directly on Lily as she stared at the potion, but it wasn't his usual sneer. Instead, his eyebrows were furrowed, making a small triangular shape, almost as if he were worried or deep in thought. He seemed younger somehow, almost vulnerable. Hermione had never seen any kind of strong emotion from him like that before other than that night outside the Gryffindor Common Room. His eyes seemed glossed over with a mix of pain and… longing?
And then it hit her.
Oh my god! She thought. He likes Lily!
Almost as if he could read her mind, or maybe because she was staring directly at him in shock, Snape's black eyes found her own. Hermione looked back at Lily, who wasn't paying them any attention, and then looked back at Snape. His eyes widened slightly, and Hermione realized she had been slightly gaping. Quickly, she closed her mouth and tore her gaze away from him and stared back down at the potion, but she had been too slow. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Snape looking at her, an odd sense of fear flickered through his eyes and Hermione nearly felt bad. He must have guessed what she had been thinking.
The more she thought about it, the more obvious it seemed. How could she have not realized that? He and Lily had been so close. Out of all of his friends, Lily had been the only one that truly made him smile, not at all like the way he just seemed to tolerate Mulciber and Avery or any of the other Slytherins she'd seen him hang out with. Never in her life would she have expected to see Snape beg for anything, but he had begged for Lily back after the spat at the lake outside the common room. He had looked devasted and pitiful rather than his normal cool and collected demeanor. Mary had told Hermione that he and Lily had grown up together and had been friends for a while before even coming to Hogwarts. It would make sense that he had some sort of attachment and affection for the one person he always had growing up. But Hermione felt that it was strange to imagine Snape, even in this timeline, loving anyone.
A part of her wondered if anyone else knew, or even suspected. She had a feeling James would not be fond of the idea of Snape loving Lily at all. Was that just another reason Snape seemed to hate James? Because James showed interest in Lily? An interest Snape also shared and probably felt like he deserved based on their past? Neither Remus nor Sirius had ever mentioned anything about that in her future, so either they didn't know, or they felt like it wasn't right to bring it up. So, as curious as Hermione was, she would not be able to ask anyone about it and risk being the one to give them that knowledge. It just felt like another piece of information she discovered that she would just have to keep to herself. Another secret.
Hermione peaked a look back at Snape, and saw he was staring daggers in another direction now. Hermione followed his gaze and spotted James, and she thought that she was probably right about her suspicion. She could tell that James too was trying hard to not stare at Lily, but every now and then his eyes would flicker back in her direction. Knowing how much the two of them would love each other one day, seeing James be so effected by the potion and longing for Lily felt awfully romantic. Lily, however, still had her attention fixed entirely on the small potion, a look of awe and confusion clouding her green eyes, not seeming to notice the attention from either boy.
Nobody else in the room seemed to be staring at anyone directly, but there were some faces that seemed enchanted, while others looked confused, as if they were coming to realizations. Her eyes traveled around the circle until they landed on Remus, who was staring down at his feet with his jaw set tightly, as if not wanting to meet anyone's gaze. Hermione was suddenly very curious about what he could smell. Would he also smell chocolate? The thought made her stomach flutter for some reason. She wondered if it would be rude to ask him. Her eyes shifted back to Snape who was now looking at her with a glare so piercing that she flinched slightly, tearing her eyes away from him.
"Amortentia doesn't really create love, of course," said Professor Slughorn, bringing Hermione's attention back to the front of the class. "It is impossible to manufacture or imitate love. No, this will simply cause a powerful infatuation or obsession. It is probably the most dangerous and powerful potion in this room – well, aside from maybe the ones I'm about to show you that will be the main focus for the remainder of the lesson…"
Professor Slughorn gave another good-natured laugh as he capped the Amortentia. As soon as the lid was back on it, Hermione felt a sense of control return to her body. Although her desire for chocolate was now abnormally high. She looked back over to where Remus was standing and he seemed more at ease, at least he had relaxed his jaw. He looked up and caught Hermione's eye, but his expression was almost blank and unreadable.
Professor Slughorn excused himself to get supplies for his next lecture and made his way back towards his storage room. As the class began to return to their seats, conversations beginning to start all around as people discussed the Amortentia.
"While the idea of a love potion in theory seems romantic, something just feels wrong about taking away someone's free will to make them like you," said Lily as they walked away from the front desk. "And to think, it's just a mad obsession and not real love! Wouldn't you think if someone truly loved someone, they'd want them to actually love them back and not give them a potion to create a fake infatuation?"
"I'd definitely rather someone genuinely like me rather than be forced by some potion," agreed Mary.
"It's a good thing they're banned at Hogwarts then," said Hermione. "It's odd that the Ministry hasn't put some sort of regulation on them."
"Yeah, maybe one day they will. They should! But it did smell lovely," Lily sighed.
"You're brave to be able to tell the whole class what the Amortentia was like for you," said Mary to Hermione as the three girls took their seats back at their table near the front of the room. She was shaking her head slightly. "I'd be far too embarrassed to let everyone know what I could smell."
Lily raised an eyebrow at her. "Well now I'm curious. It couldn't be that bad if it's the thing that attracts you the most."
Mary hesitated slightly. "Some of it was innocent enough… lavender, blueberry scones…" she looked around slightly to make sure no one else was listening, which no one seemed to be doing. "But there was also this very strong smell of cologne."
"Cologne?" repeated Hermione. "How is that embarrassing?"
"Because I recognized it as the one Marcus wears," Mary hissed under her breath, turning bright pink in the process as she looked around to see if anyone had heard.
Lily immediately started to laugh. "That's adorable, Mary. You should take it as a sign! Aren't you glad you're still on for your date on Sunday?"
"I mean, I guess. It just feels like so much pressure," she sighed. "Now I'm wondering what he would smell if he were here."
"Hopefully your perfume to match," said Lily with a wide smile. She then turned to look at Hermione. "Did you really only smell those two things? It seemed like you trailed off there at the end."
Lily looked at Hermione innocently, but Hermione suddenly felt uncomfortable with the question. She had smelled chocolate, and while that had confused her at first, hearing that Mary's scents were not just things she enjoyed the smell of, but people as well… Remus always smelled like chocolate, and this caused Hermione to frown slightly, wondering what that could mean.
"No, I did smell something else. But, if I'm being honest, I just got so distracted from looking around the room that I lost my train of thought. Some of the looks on people's faces were very telling," she said, trying her best to sound lighthearted and casual, even though what she said was technically the truth as she thought back to Snape. That wasn't something she planned on telling Lily.
"What else did you smell?"
"You're asking a lot of questions for someone who hasn't said what they smelled. What did you smell, Lils?" Mary challenged with a slight hint of teasing in her voice. Hermione felt immediately thankful to have the attention redirected to someone else. She gave Mary a grateful smile and Mary winked back at her.
Lily, who had turned slightly pink herself, was spared from answering when Slughorn returned to the room to announce what they were going to be doing for the remainder of the double lesson.
"Now, since I can't have you all creating love potions… I have these special potions for all of you," he said as he placed down a crate filled with small phials of liquid at the front desk and began taking them out. "Does anyone have any ideas what they are?"
Hermione watched as Professor Slughorn unloaded the crate. Small phials of different shades of pink, purple, and red potions began littering the desk. From what she could tell from where she sat, they all looked like different potions. All of them had unique shimmers and appeared to be different consistencies, and the characteristics of their vapor spirals all varied. Hermione was sure they were all completely unique, most likely in the same category of potion rather than ones that performed the exact same function. Then she remembered what she had read ahead on, and she stuck her hand in the air.
"Ah, Miss Dawson?" said Professor Slughorn, sounding hopeful.
"Poisons," Hermione answered, faking confidence and hoping that she was right.
"Oh, hoho!" laughed Professor Slughorn. "Very impressive, Miss Dawson! They are indeed all poisons! Ones that I have made for their specific colors to fit the theme of Valentine's Day."
"Poison seems a bit ironic for Valentine's Day," said a voice from a few tables away.
"Now, now, Mister Black," said Slughorn looking at Sirius, with a small grin on his face. "We have all heard the phrase 'crime of passion!' Just think of all the people who have been killed by a lover with one of these little phials sitting right here! But just as how we will not be brewing Amortentia today, we will also not be creating poisons – sorry to disappoint you Mister Mulciber."
Everyone's eyes traveled to the back of the room where Mulciber was looked as if someone had run over his dog at the fact that they wouldn't be learning how to brew poisons. Snape who was seated next to him, sent Hermione a sharp look and she quickly looked back to the front of the room at Professor Slughorn.
"What we will be doing, is that you will all be creating original antidotes for the poison you will choose after I finish this lecture. And you will be using Golpalott's Third Law to do so. Now who can tell me –"
Hermione's hand was in the air before he could even finish asking.
"Golpalott's-Third-Law-states-that-the-antidote-for-a-blended-poison-will-be-equal-to-more-than-the-sum-of-the-antidotes-for-each-of-the-separate-components!" she said quickly, all in one breath.
It was like synergy: that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. To her, it made perfect sense, but by the looks on the faces of her classmates, other than Snape and Lily, Hermione assumed she was the outlier with this thought. This, however, did make her feel a bit smug. Slughorn also seemed greatly impressed, which made her feel even better, thinking this was exactly what she needed to do to get him on her side.
Slughorn's eyes beamed with pride as he regarded her. "Well said, Miss Dawson! Take 10 points to Gryffindor!"
Hermione flushed as she always did when earning points and she looked over to where the boys were sitting. Remus was smiling at her fondly, and she felt that familiar sense of warmth flood through her. At his table, James was also grinning at her, looking as though he was trying not to laugh at a funny joke.
"Now with Golpalott's Third Law…" said Slughorn, continuing his lecture and Hermione gave him her undivided attention.
During Professor Slughorn's lecture, Hermione hung onto every word, copying down each step on what to do with considerable care. Just answering his questions correctly would not be enough to truly impress him if she wasn't able to correctly brew an antidote to whatever poison she ended up getting.
"I want each of you to come and take one of these phials from my desk. You are to create an antidote for the poison within it before the end of the lesson!" Professor Slughorn said when he finally finished his lesson. "Now come up and pick your poison!" he said, and he chuckled to himself at his little joke. "And don't forget your protective gloves!"
The phial Hermione ended up with was a deep shade of fuchsia that fizzed slightly. When she poured it into her cauldron, it sizzled and gave off the slightest floral scent. It looked so innocent and lovely that it only proved to her how very dangerous it could really be, looking as appealing and unassuming as it did.
Creating the antidote was a lot more difficult than Hermione had anticipated. There were just so many steps and not nearly enough time to complete the task. Once she used Scarpin's Revealaspell to figure out the poison's ingredients, she cursed to herself at just how many components the little potion had. Just separating each of them would take forever.
The heat from her burner was radiating off of her skin and she could feel herself sweating and her already unruly hair was beginning to frizz even more. She didn't even want to think about how she was looking in that moment as more soot accumulated on her robes.
Stirring frantically, Hermione desperately tried to keep up with the instructions. Lily and Mary were both trying just as hard, but Lily seemed to have a decent grasp on what she was doing. She was doing so well that she was even assisting Mary with hers, who was struggling with small beads of sweat above her brow.
Time ticked way, and when Professor Slughorn called a twenty-minute warning, Hermione was still not very close to being done. This frustrated her more than she had words for. But at least her potion was not smelling like rotten eggs like many of cauldrons around the room were.
"It smells like feet, sir!" called out Sirius from his desk. Hermione could smell his putrid potion from where she sat and she fought against the urge to gag. "Maybe you should uncap that Amortentia again and save our sense of smell."
"Very funny, Mister Black," chuckled Professor Slughorn, but he was pinching his nose and eyeing the capped Amortentia as if debating if he should take the lid off again or not.
If she hadn't been so stressed, Hermione might have laughed at that too, but she had to keep her focus on the task at hand. If anything, his calling out just annoyed her as an unwelcomed distraction.
"Five more minutes!" called Professor Slughorn, and Hermione jumped in her seat. Where had all the time gone? She quickly began shoving as many of her ingredients into her phial as quick as possible.
"Oh this is pointless!" Lily moaned next to her, looking at her own cauldron in dissatisfaction. She had made more progress than Hermione had, but even she wasn't done either. Mary looked as though she had given up completely.
Hopping off of her stool, Lily rushed over to the store cupboard. Hermione thought this was a pointless task. What did Lily think she'd find in the last few minutes that would help her finish the antidote on time? Hermione quickly scanned the room and the only thing that comforted her was that no one seemed even close to finished.
Lily had just managed to get back in her seat as Slughorn made his rounds to examine everyone's antidote attempts. When he stood at the desk Hermione, Lily, and Mary were at, he seemed a little disheartened to see none of them had finished.
"You've made a valiant effort, Miss Dawson," he said to Hermione as he peered into her phial. "I'm very impressed with your technique, clearly you understand Golpalott's Third Law very well! I'm sure if you had more time you would have made a wonderfully effective antidote."
"Thank you, sir," she murmured, ashamed to have not finished. At least he didn't seem overly disappointed, she may have still done enough during the class to impress him.
"Well, yes, you made an attempt, Miss Macdonald…" he muttered to Mary who frowned at the back-handed compliment. Apparently that was all he had to say to her because he quickly turned his attention to Lily and perked up at the sight of her antidote. "Ah, Lily! You were so close to finishing, my dear. You made a wonderful attempt, the farthest along of everyone in class so far!" he said admiringly, and Lily smiled back at him, a glint of pride in her eye.
"Sir, in a situation like this where there's many different components in the poison, wouldn't it be more effective to just use a bezoar?" asked Lily, looking at Professor Slughorn curiously and holding out a shriveled brown object for him to see. Hermione immediately recognized it at a bezoar. It must have been what she had grabbed from the cupboard and Hermione felt like a fool for not thinking of it first. A bezoar was a stone taken from the stomach of a goat and was known to be an antidote for most poisons, Professor Snape had taught them that during one of their first ever potions lessons.
"I know they can be fairly rare, but surely if you had all the ingredients to be able to make this antidote, you would most likely also have access to a bezoar," continued Lily. "It would be a lot quicker and safer to just use that instead, rather than risk brewing a complicated antidote that may not even work."
A twinkle flashed across Professor Slughorn's eyes as he beamed down at Lily.
"You have some cheek!" he laughed as he took the wrinkly bezoar from Lily's hand. "This would certainly do the trick! Very creative Miss Evans! Take five points for Gryffindor!"
He was still laughing to himself as he continued his rounds to the other tables. Hermione could hear him retch at the smell of someone's attempt at a potion from somewhere across the room which killed his laughter.
"I wish I had thought of that," said Hermione somberly to Lily once Slughorn was out of earshot.
Lily shrugged modestly. "It still would have been better if I had finished the potion. After all, there are certain things a bezoar can't work as an antidote for. Like anything containing basilisk venom for example-"
"Very well done, Mister Snape!" boomed Professor Slughorn, cutting Lily off. "The only one to complete an antidote!"
Hermione, Lily, and Mary all turned to see Professor Slughorn standing at the table in the back of the room where the three Slytherin boys sat. He was beaming down at Snape's finished bottle of bubbling antidote and Hermione scowled.
"It would be easier to just use a bezoar," said Snape coolly, but loud enough to hear across the room.
"Right you are, my boy! Miss Evans had the same idea!" said Professor Slughorn as he turned towards their table with a grin. Lily immediately dropped her gaze, seeming to be uncomfortable with the comparison. "I'd say for your sharp potions work and sharp wit, Slytherin deserves 15 points!"
Snape had shown her up. And just when Hermione needed to get Slughorn on her side.
Hermione was furious at both Snape and herself for not thinking of a bezoar or being able to finish her antidote. It made sense that Snape, a future potions master, would be top in the class and be able to outperform her, but the stakes were much higher than just her desire to be the best, although she wouldn't mind being the best as well. She would have to try even harder during the next class.
When the bell rang, Hermione was still fuming at being shown up. She let the boys, and Lily and Mary go on without her as she took her time clearing up her workstation. She was planning on heading directly to the library alone anyway.
By the time she left the classroom, only a few other students were still around, but she paid them no attention as she walked into the cool dungeon corridor.
"Dawson," said an icily deep voice, and Hermione turned and faced Snape, who was looking at her like she was a bug ready to be squished.
"Severus…" she said slowly, eyeing him carefully. Mulciber and Avery were nowhere in sight, which comforted her slightly. At least his gang of future Death Eaters weren't around. The sneer he had been giving her earlier was also gone, but his face still seemed anything but friendly as he narrowed his eyes at her, as if he were trying to seem intimidating.
"I saw you staring in class," said Snape, sounding accusatory.
"You were across from me in the circle, Severus," she said cautiously. "If I looked straight ahead it just happened to be where you were."
"I'm no fool. Whatever it is you think you may know, just remember that you are not as intelligent as you pretend to be," he said in a low, calculated voice.
"Excuse me?" Hermione scoffed.
"Just because you can memorize and recite back passages from a book does not mean you know everything," he continued. "You clearly know nothing outside the realm of repeating words you read from a book. Especially when it comes to people."
Hermione pursed her lips and crossed her arms.
"If what I think is going on is true, it's not as if you were doing a good job at keeping your feelings hidden," she retorted.
This caused him to stiffen.
"You obviously have no idea what you're talking about. You seem to be the last person to realize people's affections. You're more foolish than you realize," he snapped.
"What is that supposed to mean?" she demanded. The last person to realize people's affections? What was he trying to get at?
He laughed darkly. "Exactly my point. So, it is best if you just kept your insufferable mouth shut."
His words stung, and for the first time since she arrived in the past, she saw Severus Snape as the bitter and cruel professor that had mocked her for years.
"I wasn't planning on telling anybody…" she mumbled softy, trying to hold back the tears that were beginning to threaten her.
This seemed to surprise him, and the scowl he was forcing on his face faltered, and for a moment he returned back into the vulnerable 17-year-old.
"Why?" he asked softly.
"It's no one's business. And I know how to keep a secret."
"That would be… in everyone's best interest…" he said slowly, his dark eyes examining her face carefully. There was a softer edge to his voice now, one that almost conveyed a sense of guilt but also confusion.
Hermione didn't meet his eye, but she nodded.
"It would also be in your best interest to stay away from Potter and his friends," he said evenly. "You don't want to get hurt."
Hermione flinched at the statement.
"Is that a threat?" she asked, trying to keep her voice from giving away the chill of fear that had traveled down her spine.
"No," he said, his voice softer. "It's a warning."
When the realization of what his words meant hit, Hermione had to try hard to not let it show on her face. Hadn't Remus told her that Snape also knew his secret? She couldn't tell if the warning was coming from a good place or not. Was he truly trying to warn and protect her, or was it to try to get her to figure out Remus's secret so he could expose him? Afterall, Snape had been the one who revealed what Remus was to the world during her third year. The thought of it made her angry.
It was so hard to figure Snape out. She was sure there was a scared boy hiding under his cold exterior, but there was still that hidden depth to him that frightened her slightly. Even in her own time, she could never get a good read on him. She wanted to trust him and believe he was on their side, but she also understood that he was still cruel and knew the Dark Arts too well. He could do magic that most would not even think to attempt, like that odd spell in the courtyard.
Snape stood there staring at her awkwardly, seeming more like a young boy than ever which only heightened Hermione's confusion. She could only hope that whatever dark path he was beginning to take would eventually lead him to their side and that she could trust him like she was supposed to in her own time.
After another silent moment, Snape turned and began towards the Slytherin Common Room.
"What was that spell you did on the snowman last month?" she blurted out before she could help herself. "On the one that had charged you."
Snape froze and turned back towards her. He regarded her curiously, his black eyes narrowing. "Are you that upset at a destroyed snowman?"
"No, I just didn't recognize it and I was curious," she said feeling nervous again, not liking the way he looked at her.
"I invented it," he said darkly, and Hermione swallowed as she thought back to his odd slashing movements as he cut the snowman to pieces. "Heed my warning, Dawson. If things don't turn out… well for you… don't say I didn't warn you. There's danger hanging out with Potter and his friends, especially if you're smart enough to understand what they really are."
Without giving her a chance to respond, he turned on his heel and began to stalk down the corridor. As she watched him go, his warning replayed through her mind, but all she could think about was how he had invented that slashing spell. Maybe he was the actual danger all along.
As she walked to the Library, Hermione tried to shake the rattled feeling that had started to possess her body. To many things were occupying her thoughts at once: her desire to figure out how to become an animagus for Remus, Remus in general and that lingering smell of chocolate, and now Snape. Would she ever just feel like things were normal?
When she arrived at the library, she set down her belongings at one of the more secluded desks in the back before going on the hunt for more books that she may have missed last time she was there. Any book that seemed like it could even remotely help, she grabbed and piled them in her arms before moving onto the next shelf. It felt good to be distracted from everything else other than her animagus task.
On her way back from one of the bookshelves, Hermione passed back through the main section of the library to head back to her desk when she saw a figure walk in with black hair.
"James?" she asked automatically, and louder than she normally would have spoken in the library. This earned her a stern glare and a loud "Shhh!" from Madam Pince.
At the sound of her voice, James turned to see where she was standing and walked towards her with a grin.
"I was hoping I'd find you here," he said when he arrived beside her. "Predictable as always."
Hermione stared at him, her heart beginning to race slightly. If he had come looking for her, did that mean he had an answer?
"We shouldn't talk out here though," he added quickly, his eyes scanning the crowded main section of the library.
"I'm situated over in the back, we can talk there," she said automatically, clutching the books closer to herself.
When they arrived at her secluded desk, Hermione placed the books she had been holding onto the table and sat down, staring at James expectantly.
"I know what you're doing," said James with a smirk. His hazel eyes shone with laughter behind his rectangular glasses as he sat down across from her.
"Research?" she said, picking up one of the books she had grabbed on theory and showing it to him.
"No, with Slughorn," he said, his grin widening.
"And what may that be?" asked Hermione, raising an eyebrow, but James continued to grin at her.
"The same thing I did in my third year," he said, and he began to lower his voice. "Buttered old Sluggy up to get access to a particular book in a certain off-limits area."
This information shocked Hermione who had assumed he had just used his cloak to get access. Apparently, her idea of charming their potions professor was not as ingenious as she had thought.
"And it worked?" she asked hesitantly.
James's grin got even bigger. "It was easier than I expected, really. I knew from my dad that there was some sort of potion involved, so I went in on that angle. Told Slughorn it was something my father was researching and Slughorn was always a fan of my dad's work. It's why he always invited me to his club. So, he began to list off books on how to make the potion. Then I knew which ones to look in until I found one with the entire process."
"And then you asked him to sign off on a book from the Restricted Section to read it yourself?" she asked.
"Something like that," he said with a wink.
Ah, so he had sneaked in to get it. Hermione had to admit, it was brilliant how James had managed to use his father's connection to potions and fame to get information.
"And you remember the book? You'd be able to get ahold of it again if you helped me?" she asked.
James gave a good-natured scoff and he crossed his legs, leaning away from the desk. "Of course. You underestimate my abilities."
"How soon would you be able to get it?"
"Well, when did you want to start?" he asked casually.
"Sunday," said Hermione without hesitation. "We can start the research then."
The smile fell from James's face. "This Sunday? As in the Sunday in three days?" he paused for a moment as if trying to remember something. When he realized what was special about that day his mouth fell open. "But that's the next Hogsmeade trip!"
"That means most of the students will be out of the castle. We won't be bothered or overheard," she said quickly.
"But Hogsmeade…"
She gave him a pointed look and his frown deepened. "Don't you think this would be more important? To help Remus?"
"Remus doesn't even know it's happening though!" protested James, trying to keep his voice low. "What difference does it make if we start after Sunday? Or even on Saturday! Hell, I could probably get that book tonight if we really needed it! We could always go to that old classroom you and Remus always used to study in at night, no one would even know!"
Lying to Remus about what she was up to was going to be one thing, but sneaking off to their old classroom seemed like a very different kind of betrayal to Hermione. And she certainly wasn't going to bring anyone else to their room in the Room of Requirement, even if it was probably the safest place. But while she did have ulterior motives for skipping the Hogsmeade trip, it really would be the best time to not be overheard without having to hide somewhere in the castle.
"If we meet when everyone is at Hogsmeade then we can just start the research in your dormitory. Everyone else will be gone and then no one could accidentally see us in a classroom or the library," she said quickly, becoming fonder of her idea the more she spoke.
A part of her felt bad as James looked at her in dismay. It wasn't very fair of her to trick him like this, but she did think this was something more important than a Hogsmeade trip.
"Are you sure it has to be during the trip?" said James, looking miserable.
This time, Hermione hesitated in her guilt. "Well… if I'm being completely honest, I may have told Dirk Cresswell we were spending that day together…"
James blinked at her. "You what?"
"He had asked me to go to Hogsmeade with him when I was waiting for you in the Entrance Hall and then when I saw you walk in it was the first thing I could think of!" she said quickly, biting her bottom lip.
James sighed deeply. He leaned forward and rested his elbows on the desk and began rubbing his temples. "Right…
There was an awkward silence and James sighed again when he let his hand fall back to the side and leaned back in his chair. "So this is mostly so you can to get out of a date with Cresswell."
It wasn't a question, and Hermione nervously nodded, hoping James wouldn't be offended that she had used him like that.
"I really wasn't interested, and then when I saw you come in it sort of just slipped out," she said apologetically. "I hadn't been thinking."
James paused for a moment before speaking. "Not interested in Dirk? Or dating?"
"Dirk," she said immediately, but then quickly added "Or both. I-I'm not sure. It's not something high on my list of priorities."
Against her better judgement her mind slipped to what Dirk had said about thinking she'd have been going to Hogsmeade for Valentine's Day with Remus. She had thought the idea was so preposterous because she had never even considered the idea of dating in this timeline. What would the point be if she was just going to get sent back to her time? But if for some reason she had considered it… Remus would make sense, right? They had gotten so close and already spent so much time together. Was smelling chocolate in the potion some sort of sign, or just a coincidence? But it would be entirely inappropriate given her circumstances. Her stomach flipped a bit, and she shoved the idea from her mind.
"But if you did want to date someone, then it wouldn't be Dirk?" asked James, breaking her train of thought.
"Definitely not," said Hermione shaking her head, still feeling confused. Although she was quite sure she was not confused at not wanting to go on a date with Dirk. "It's honestly not something I put very much thought into, James."
James nodded at her and seemed pleased with the answer.
"But now that I've been thinking about it, it's a win-win because it really would be better to start work while most people are out of the castle."
"True…" he said looking torn again.
"So… does this mean you're definitely going to help me?" she said slowly, sitting up straighter in her chair. "That you'll teach me?"
He let out a large, exaggerated sigh but he was smiling. "Well, I guess…"
Hermione beamed and clapped her hands together and held them tight. "Now we just need that book!"
"I'll have it for us on Sunday," said James with a smirk, seeming to be amused by her excitement.
"Sunday," she breathed.
A/N: A heads up for anyone who follows me on my tumblr for story updates: I'm going to be taking a bit of a break from social media for a little while. I'm not entirely sure how long, but that's going to be including tumblr so if I post any new chapters between now and when I end my social media break there won't be any update posts on there. So if you rely on those posts to know when there's a new chapter, you might want to check once in a while back here for updates or check my AO3 since I post this story in both places. Sorry in advance! But don't worry, while I wont be active on my socials, I'll still be writing and posting this story.
Parts of this chapter are slightly paraphrased (but also some dialogue taken directly) from Half-Blood Prince Chapter 9: The Half-Blood Prince, and from Chapter 18: Birthday Surprises.