October 1996

Florence walked into her husband's private lab a little before noon one morning and stopped at the door. There was someone in there, someone who looked exactly like her husband did twenty years ago.

"James?"

"Hey, mum," he smiled, "Did I scare you?"

"Scare wouldn't be the right word," she chuckled as she walked to him, "You certainly surprised me," she laid a kiss on his cheek when he stopped stirring, "Why are you here, love?"

"Dad's testing me. He gave me four basic potions to brew, but he wants to monitor my progress and technique not just the end results. He's popping in between classes."

"And why are you wearing all black, James?" she asked, already imagining the reason for he never wore black from head to toe, James was a blue jeans and white shirt guy.

"Why, mum," he smirked, "To mess with the students, of course. There were two here a couple of minutes ago."

Then Severus appeared at the door that led to the potions classroom, "What did you say to them, James?"

"That I – in this case you," he pointed his father, "had found a way to look young again. They said they didn't understand, so I called them stupid and threatened to take fifty points from their House if they didn't vanish – they were Hufflepuffs by the way."

Florence couldn't contain her laughter, "That's be exactly what you'd say, Severus!"

"Yes," he replied, smiling, "Maybe I'll keep you here as my assistant, son."

Hey. Florence said through their bond, looking at him up and down. I like being your assistant.

Severus looked at her with a smirk, You'll be promoted to Bedroom Assistant, Madam Delacour.

James rolled his eyes, knowing they were silently flirting, "If that's what I'll be subjected to, no thanks."

Florence tilted her head, "One would think you'd like the idea of being under the same roof as your girlfriend."

That caught his attention: "Now, that's an interesting point of view, mum."

It was Severus' turn to roll his eyes, "As long as you don't fuck her on my books again," he stopped beside his son, observing what he had done already.

"Can't promise that, dad," James replied, "For I've got no intention on fucking her in your bedroom," he shivered in disgust, "Fucking on where you might have conceived some of us is not a sexy thought."

Severus stopped analysing what he had done so far and looked at him, "I'll get you your own bedroom here," then he smirked, "However, none of you were conceived in the dungeons."

But Florence corrected him: "Christopher was. Over an Amortentia cauldron that you made me finish."

"Alright!" exclaimed James, "TMI, people! Geez."

Next day

Great Hall

Hermione sat at the Gryffindor table to have lunch by herself.

Harry was somewhere reading his stupid potions book and Ron was with Lavender Brown.

"Did you hear?" whispered Neville Longbottom sitting across from her, "People are saying Prof. Snape found a way to make a youth potion to rejuvenate twenty years!"

She rolled her eyes, "Such a potion cannot be made, Neville. It's probably just another made up story – like the vampire one."

"No! Two Hufflepuffs actually saw him brewing in the lab. They said he looked young and... hot."

"Wait," Hermione realised what could be happening there, "A young and hot Snape was brewing in the lab?" she smiled.

"Yes!"

She jumped out of the bench and ran to the dungeons.

Potions Lab

James was finishing bottling the first potion of the day, Wiggenweld for the infirmary, when he heard someone opening the door and a sweet voice saying:

"I knew it was you!"

And he, dressed all in black and with his hair in a low ponytail, looked up to see his girlfriend standing by the door in her Gryffindor uniform.

"Hey, kitten," James went to her, taking her lips and closing the door, pushing her against it before deepening the kiss, "I like your uniform."

Hermione hummed in delight, her body trembling as she was trapped between him and the wooden door, his elegant hands going under her skirt.

"Why didn't you let me know you were here?" she asked with a soft moan.

"Got here just yesterday," he kissed her neck, "I was going to send you a message this afternoon."

She unfastened some of the buttons of his black shirt, chuckling, "Hufflepuffs are saying that your father made a youth potion."

He laughed, "Nothing stays secret for long here," then he pulled her chin up, pressing a thumb between her lips, whispering: "I'll need an assistant this afternoon, Miss Granger."

She sucked on his thumb, knowing he was suggesting she skipped classes to stay with him in the lab – alone. It was so wrong, so wicked – and she wanted it badly.

"Don't you need any assistance now, Mr Peverell?" she whispered over his lips, pulling the hair tie off his hair, letting the long dark strands fall forward, barely touching his shoulders, framing his face.

"I sure do, Miss Granger. I have a very hard problem to solve."

"Oh, really?" she smiled, "Well, I have a very tight solution for it," she replied, pressing herself against him and tangling her hands in his hair, sighing as he grabbed her arse and pulled her closer, "You've turned me into a succubus, Jamie."

"Shouldn't have opened your bedroom window for me, kitten," he replied, referring to the many late-night visits he paid to her house during vacation, while her parents were asleep.

She didn't reply, having her lips captured by James' in a long sensuous kiss that preceded her being bent over his father's desk and thoroughly shagged.

Afterwards

"You're fucking perfection, love," James said, kissing the back of her neck as he slowly helped her up from the desk.

Hermione turned around in his arms, kissing his lips lovingly, their breaths still a little irregular.

"Will you be around from now on?" she asked, after scourgifying herself and fixing her clothes and hair.

"Yes. I'll be assisting dad," he replied, fastening his trousers.

She kissed him again, caressing his hair, "I love you, Jamie."

"Love you, kitten."

They were kissing when the door was opened.

"Five points from Gryffindor."

The kissing couple jumped apart and Hermione scowled at her boyfriend's father.

"What for?" she asked.

"For distracting my assistant," Severus arched an eyebrow, "And another five for cheek."

She rolled her eyes at him and turned to James, "I'll come here in the evening to take you on a tour," she kissed James once more and left.

Severus closed the door behind her and looked at his son, "You're lucky I have a permanent silencing spell around the lab and my quarters."

"And I won't even ask why is that," James replied, going back to bottling the Wiggenweld.

"I won't lie and say I'm comfortable with your relationship with Granger," Said Severus, "However, I know she's a good girl, hard-working, a little too clever for her own good. But you could do worse so..."

"Thanks, dad," James glanced at him, quickly changing the subject: "Will you ask for lunch soon? I'm starving."

Severus snorted: "I bet you are."

December 1996

Florence was in the corner of the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom watching as the sixth-years Gryffindors and Slytherins arrived.

She approached Draco as soon as he walked in.

"Mr Malfoy. I need a word with you."

But Draco didn't even look at her, he just replied: "I have none for you."

Florence was a little surprised by his public demonstration of disrespect.

And Severus immediately intervened: "Five points from Slytherin, Mr Malfoy."

But the boy just sneered: "You can take another twenty. I don't care about the stupid House Cup."

Severus glared at him, "I'll see you in my office, later, for detention, Mr Malfoy."

Sitting on his desk and opening his bag, Draco dismissively replied: "I won't be attending, professor ."

And the students fell silent.

Severus glanced around the room, seeing Granger and the other students were looking at him and Draco with surprised expressions.

"Mr Malfoy," he spoke in a silky and dangerous voice, "I don't care if you deem yourself as important as Potter now, but in my classroom you're nothing but a student, subordinated to me; and you will respect this school's mediwitch."

"I don't have to do anything!" Draco stood up, facing his teacher, "I'm not listening to her nor going to your office. You two can fu-"

Severus cast a silent Langlock on the blond teenager and ordered: "Everybody out!"

And the other students rushed out of the room without another word.

Florence locked and cast a silencing spell on the room once the last student left.

"Now," Severus said, still looking Draco in the eyes, "You'll hear what Florence has to say."

Draco turned his furious grey eyes to her, a flicker of pain weakening his angry façade as he looked at her face – unable to stop himself from noticing her expression was exactly the same as Elizabeth's.

Florence spoke softly, as if she was dealing with a cornered wounded animal.

"You've been skipping meals, Draco, losing weight since the beginning of the term. That's not healthy. You look even paler than normal," she paused, "I'm worried about you."

Severus added: "Not to mention you've asked to be removed from the Quidditch team – when you were the one who bought his way in four years ago."

"Also," said Florence, "Prof. McGonagall told me you didn't deliver two Transfiguration homework assignments."

"And you haven't been performing your prefect duties – since when torturing Gryffindors and docking points aren't interesting to you anymore?" Severus finished.

Florence cast Langliber then, allowing the boy to speak again.

"Why are you two pretending to care?" Draco growled, "We're alone in here! You don't have to play the concerned godfather and the nice mediwitch," he walked towards Severus defiantly, "You will NOT steal my moment! My glory! You won't push me aside like you did my father!"

Severus just smirked at the boy's foolish display of bravery, "Who told you I did that? Bellatrix?"

Draco didn't reply.

Then Florence spoke: "It may interest you to know, Draco, that Bella was part of an attempt on James's life earlier this year."

Draco's angry act dropped nearly instantly and he frowned, looking at her, "What? She tried to kill James?"

"Yes. He was poisoned with a rare Noxious potion," said Severus.

The boy froze, "Noxious?"

"You can imagine who provided the poison, can't you, Draco?" she continued, "Your father wasn't pushed aside by Severus – he dug his own grave; he put himself and his personal interests above the Dark Lord's plans."

Draco's blind anger had vanished, he looked confused and worried, "How... how's James?"

"Alive," said Severus, "Thanks to his own quick thinking and his mother's abilities."

Draco nodded, "Good," he then looked at them both, the couple who knew more secrets about the war than anyone else, the parents of the girl he loved – and who he had hurt, "Listen, I don't need your concern nor your help," he wasn't shouting anymore, "I am doing this."

Severus just shook his head, looking at the young man in front of him with pity, "Florence's already told you: you're not. Whatever Bella is saying to you, she's playing you, Draco."

The blond fisted his hands, anger rising again: "I will finish my task!" he growled.

Florence stood closer beside her husband and ran a hand down Severus' arm, entwining her hand in his and looking at Draco.

"Every action has a reaction, Draco. And the consequences of what you're wanting to do will be much worse than just a guilty conscience," she paused, "We are here, we have always been here," she reminded him, not for the first time, and something flickered in his grey eyes again.

However when Draco spoke, he still sounded angry: "Stay away from me! I don't need your help!" and he turned to go to the door. But he stopped, showing them that something they said had touched the boy, at least a little, "Can I be dismissed, professor?" he asked, politely.

Florence looked at Severus and he nodded, so she moved her hand and the door unlocked.

"He'll break. Soon," she whispered once Draco left.

"Yes. And that can be very dangerous, Florence. He's just a child."

She nodded, knowing he was right, a desperate Draco would be a danger not just to himself, but to others as well.