The Harry Potter universe belongs to J.K. Rowling; I am merely borrowing what she created and having my own way with the characters. Nevertheless, I honour the original storyline, and therefore this is largely canon too. Except for when I need to change it for the sake of my own version and to add some more drama/ angst. I'll also combine books/film. The story focuses largely on Hermione and Snape and their relationship. So be warned, it will eventually become a romance with a fair amount of angst, drama, violence and sexual themes (but not before Hermione is of age). Steer away if that's not your cup of tea.
Also, English is not my first language, so you might stumble upon mistakes or odd sentences. I always use a grammar checker, but if it's not perfect, I apologise in advance. It's also fair to say, I use ChatGPT in certain places in the story when I need some help with very specific aspects of the story, but it rarely happens. The ideas that deviate from the canon are always mine, and I'll always inform the readers when I use AI.
It's likely I have been influenced by other fanfictions, but my goal is not to copy anyone. Should anyone recognise their own work or ideas, please let me know so I can at least give you proper credit.
Enjoy! And feedback is much appreciated!
Chapter 1
It was a particularly bleak August day when Harry, Ron and Hermione, along with Hagrid and the Weasley family, walked on the cobblestone streets of Diagon Alley. Once a bustling and vibrant hub of the wizarding trade was now reduced to a depressing setting with not much left of its former glory. Wherever they looked, they saw familiar faces of Bellatrix Lestrange, Antonin Dolohov, Fenrir Greyback, and other Death Eaters looking back at them from "Wanted" posters, which also warned people to "approach with extreme caution." Hermione couldn't help but wonder why anyone in their right mind would want to approach Death Eaters, apart from the Aurors and Dumbledore's Army, of course.
"Blimey," breathed Ron as they tried to comprehend the transformation of Dragon Alley. The usual colourful and gleeful atmosphere was replaced with a nervous, almost paranoid semblance. The streets were eerily quiet, and even the soft sounds the group made while hustling forward to their destination felt horribly loud and inappropriate.
"Hermione heard an involuntary gasp escape her lips as they walked past Mr. Mulpepper's Apothecary. She observed its door barely hanging on its hinges, clear evidence of the Incendio curse imprinted in the wood. The windows had been blown to pieces and were now covered with wooden blanks, along with the entrance to the store, to keep raiders and crooks away from what remained of the shop. There were rumours that the owner of the apothecary, an elderly wizard, had refused to join the Death Eaters and was therefore made an example of what would happen to those who dared to reject an alliance with Voldemort. While Mr. Mulpepper's actual fate remained unknown as his body hadn't been found, it was safe to assume he was not away on holiday having the time of his life.
While Diagon Alley did not have a shortage of apothecaries and witches and wizards could shop elsewhere for potions, the same couldn't be said about wands. Ollivander's stood empty, its door locked, and while it was not known if the respected wandmaker had chosen to leave voluntarily or was abducted, his absence was either way a stark reminder of the impact of Voldemort's return and the wizarding world at war.
"Do you think Voldemort has him?" said Harry quietly as the three of them had separated from the rest of the group and stared into the dark windows of the wand shop. Ron shrugged. "The man was weird and gave me the jitters, but mum said, however strange, Ollivander would never abandon his duty as a wandmaker. But I can't really think of a reason what would Voldemort want with him.
"Honestly, Ron," whispered Hermione as if he had said something exceptionally stupid, "Everyone knows Ollivander is the best wandmaker in Britain. Do you really think Voldemort wouldn't use any measure to jeopardise the order of the wizarding world? Most of us have gotten our wands from Ollivander; imagine the trouble of getting one now."
Blood crept up from Ron's neck, across his face, and up to his hairline, turning his face so bright red that it was impossible to see where his forehead ended and his hair started. He mumbled something incoherent, which Hermione didn't hear because Ron's parents had caught up with them, and Mrs. Weasley was urging them to move forward. She had already voiced her concerns over coming to the Diagon Ally in the first place and wouldn't tolerate any dawdling.
The entire process of shopping for school was uneventful until they stumbled into Draco and his mother at Madam Malkin's. As expected, Draco would not miss the opportunity to call Hermione a Mudblood and Hermione suspected that just as equally, both Ron and Harry revelled in the opportunity to pull their wands on Draco. At that point, a part of Hermione had been thankful that Narcissa Malfoy had been there, no matter how spiteful and evil the witch was, she was probably the only reason the situation hadn't escalated into a battle.
It had been heartwarming and flattering, though, to witness Harry and Ron jump to her defence so fearlessly. Especially Ron, who had been particularly furious. It hadn't escaped Hermione that Ron had somehow managed to grow even taller over the summer, so he now towered over her. He was more sturdy as well, Hermione had noticed one morning at the Burrow when he helped carry her trunk up the stairs to Ginny's room. Hermione blinked, shaking herself out of the memory as they stumbled out of the clothing store and back into the Diagon Alley. She welcomed the fresh air and took a deep breath, both to calm herself from the encounter with the Malfoys and from her inappropriate thoughts of Ron, before pulling out her colour-coded shopping list.
Hermione double-checked the list and crossed over the items she had already bought. She still carried a retractable pen, which Krum had sent her as a souvenir from Bulgaria. He had sent it so she could write him from anywhere without making a mess with feathers and ink, and even though they were not actively corresponding anymore, she still carried the pen with her everywhere out of habit. It was red, had a tiny golden Snitch on the top, and the pen had the number 7 written on it—the number representing his position as a seeker on the Bulgarian national Quidditch team.
"For someone who hates Quidditch, you are sure attached to that pen," said Ron, displeasure evident in his voice.
"It's practical, and I like how it fits into my hand," said Hermione as a matter-of-factly without raising her eyes from the shopping list, not seeing Harry and Ron exchange glances. She knew the pen wasn't exactly modest looking, and she had cringed upon receiving what was supposed to be a heartfelt gesture. But if anything, she liked how the pen could endlessly replenish itself with ink. Of course, there was an unspoken possibility that Hermione felt some affection towards the inanimate object as it represented her first crush, but she would never admit it to anyone, especially not Ron.
"Anyway, I'm still missing a new pair of working gloves, a new set of scales for potions, and an extensive list of potion's ingredients. And I am in desperate need of cat kibble for Crookshanks. He has been very picky about the ones I offer him. I figured I'd visit Magical Menagerie and see if they have something on sale," she said, putting the list along with the pen back into her bag, away from Ron's scrutinising eyes.
As Hermione was making her way towards the Magical Menagerie together with Hagrid (because Mrs. Weasley had completely objected to the idea of Hermione going alone), she thought how strange it would be not having Harry and Ron in Potions class anymore. They had endured Professor Snape together for five years, and since the strict man wouldn't accept students with anything less than an O on their O.W.L, she would have to manage without her best friends by her side. Hermione knew she had been more useful to Harry and Ron than the other way around, regarding their tasks in the classroom and their homework for Snape, but she couldn't deny their camaraderie had helped her through a lot of unpleasantries, both with Snape and the Slytherin house students they took Potions with.
Hermione had spent what felt like ages in the Menagerie, trying to figure out which kittle her half-Kneazle friend would hate her less over, when she finally got tired of being lectured by both Hagrid and Mrs. Gibbon about the correct way to feed a Kneazle, which was with fresh meat. Given that there was no way Hermione could feed Crookshanks freshly killed chicken at Hogwarts and the cat had proven quite successful at chasing rats and moths, she purchased a large bag of chicken kittles. Hagrid, who was still pouting over Hermione's choice, promised to deliver the bag to Hogwarts, before he got drawn into a discussion over a large aquarium filled with steelers, allowing Hermione to slip out of the store, into much-needed solitude. Joining the Weasley family over the summer holidays at the Burrow was a wonderfully happy distraction amidst the tumultuous times, but with Bill and Fleur visiting, the Order members coming and going, and finally with Harry's arrival, the tiny house could become overcrowded very quickly. This was the first time in weeks that she was actually alone.
The Apothecary was just three stores from the Menagerie, so Hermione felt relatively safe venturing through the old, heavy door into the gloomy store alone. She had visited the tightly-packed apothecary since her first year at Hogwarts and did not bounce back because of the foul smells that greeted her at the entrance. Nor was she unsettled by the hundreds of jars on the shelves covering the walls from the floor to the ceiling, containing slimy and vile-looking things Hermione dared not think about too much. What surprised her and made her freeze where she stood was an awfully familiar figure of a man she had learned to fear and respect over the years while studying at Hogwarts. By the counter, with his back turned to Hermione, stood none other than the sinister Potion's Master, going by the name of Severus Snape.