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[ Tortoise and The Cheshire] 12th Place, Grimauld Street

T

TortoiseShell

Star
Joined
Dec 21, 2009
The sun was setting down when the Order of the Phoenix set out on a new mission. As always, the seemingly inexistent 12th Place on Grimauld Street was pumping with life, last second preparations being made, last words exchanged in case some never returned. The situation was getting completely out of hand. Dementors attacked muggles, not that anyone actually cared much for Harry’s cousin, the Ministry of Magic refused to acknowledge the return of Voldemord despite all the signs and the Order of the Phoenix had to be restored. In a sense, it was both an honour and a curse to be part of it.

In the entrance, Kreacher mumbled something about his hopes that none of them would come back alive, only to receive a kick from the annoyed Ron. In all honesty, despite the encouraging smiles on everyone’s faces, people were terrified of what would happen if they were to fail. Little by little, their missions helped out both the magic and the muggles’ worlds without them even knowing, yet the price was incredibly high. Thankfully there had been no casualties thus far, only Hermione’s unfortunate accident with her broom that resulted in her breaking her ankle. Broken bones were never too much of a problem though, and it would take a couple of days for the potion to work and the bone to be as good as new if not better.

An elbow pressed against the cabinet at the entrance for support, Hermione offered her best friends a smile. “Harry, Ron, please be careful,” she implored as the two boys pulled her into a group hug. She pressed her forehead against Ron’s one with a smile for a second before kissing Harry’s cheek. The thought that she wouldn’t be helping them was unbearable, but at least she wouldn’t be slowing them down with her injuries. Swallowing back her tears, the young woman nodded and the last goodbyes were exchanged. One by one the Order teleported, causing a choked sob to escape Hermione’s lips when Ron waved goodbye with a goofy smile and disappeared in a puff of smoke. She exhaled and shook her head, looking around. There was no way she would let Professor Snape know what she was going through, nor show a sign of weakness.

Despite the fact that the Order invited him in, he was Hogwarts’ most hated professor, especially when it came to Gryffindor. She didn’t hold things against him, but they weren’t exactly having tea parties and going shopping together either. During the stay at Grimauld Street she realized that he wasn’t as awful a person as he let on back in the potions class and came to talk to him without having to fight a snarl. Sighing softly, she folded one of her legs at the knee, hopping around. Kreacher let out a happy snicker and ran past her, off to polish some of his previous owner’s things. Despite all her love for his kind, she hated the old elf. There was absolutely nothing in him that reminded her of the adorable Dobby.

Shaking her head, the eighteen year old beauty struggle to advance through the old house, every step accompanied with a creaking sound that made her fear for her life. Hopping along, she paused in front of an old mirror to examine the absence or presence of tear stains on her face. Thankfully the ivory skin was nowhere close to being puffy after a night of whining and the beautiful hazel eyes were as large and innocent looking as always. It felt odd to be in muggle clothes at that point – she was used to the gown they were forced to wear at Hogwarts. Her curvy hips and slim legs were tightly hugged by a pair of washed out jeans ripped on her knees and next to the pockets and a tight white V neck sweater showed just how slim she was while at the same time offering a glimpse of her firm C cup that grew considerably over the summer. Her hair also grew out, falling down to her mid back in shaggy waves with lighter streaks in them, and she was even wearing a hint of makeup – some mascara and a touch of blush. Despite the circumstances, she looked better than ever.

It was perhaps for that reason that Ron suddenly started acting more affectionate toward her, and she thought their relationship could end up leading somewhere despite the fact that she was a little tired of his games. Perhaps they weren’t even games, at times Ron just acted like a child while she, intelligent and mature, acted like a woman.

Shaking her head, Hermione continued down the hall, trying to figure out what Snape was doing. The only reason he was left behind was to look after her and make sure her bone healed right. Instead he was doing God knew what. “Professor?” She called out, instead receiving a happy meowing on behalf of Crookshanks who came running to rub up against her. “Crookshanks,” she groaned in exasperation, nudging the cat with her foot. “Not the right time,” she shook her head only to receive an offended sound before the cat proudly walked off, dismissing the owner.

“Professor Snape, could you help me out?” She called out again, leaning up against the wall.
 
As the various members of the Order departed on their individual assignments, 12th Place, Grimauld Street fell into an old silence it had not felt since these new invaders had found a new home within its dark walls. This new quiet, broken only by the shufflings of Kreacher as he passed through the hidden passages in the walls and the creakings of the ancient structure settling, suited Snape just fine. It provided an atmosphere he could easily work in, and more than once the Head of Slytherin caught himself humming as he bustled to and fro, managing bubbling beakers and frothing test tubes, checking colour and smell as any Potions Master would. Not to mention that Harry and Ron had departed as well, now free to use magic whenever they wanted instead of being confined to Hogwarts. With this new freedom, they were allowed to perform missions of their own, which meant most of the time they were GONE. Oh the joy! Snape's heart, however small and despite constant rumours that he had none, leapt at the mere thought. In all honesty, he should be off committed to a few as well, but ever since that little fool Hermoine broke her leg in a so called 'accident' he had been left to make sure she didn't get into any trouble, as she seemed apt to do hanging around fellows like Harry and Ron. They didn't even have the decency to pay attention in class much less offer any respect an instructor and Head of house would deserve!

Hermoine, however, seemed to worship the subject, ALWAYS having the right answer, at the right time, never getting anything wrong. It could be infuriating at some times, ONE of these days, Snape had vowed, he would put her in her place, show her that she was NOT indeed correct all the time! So focused was Severus on this new line of thoughts that he dropped one of his steaming beakers, burning a stinking hole through the tip of his shoe and straight through the dusty carpet sending up orange sparks and a whisp of blue smoke.

"By the skin of Merlin's right-!"

Yet his curse was never finished, as Hermoine's voice rang out asking for help. More than likely the silly girl had fallen down again. Cursing his luck he stomped out of his, now slightly smoking room, and started down the hall, calling out coldly as he rounded the corner in all of his dark and imminent authority: "Yes, Hermoine, what is it?" He found her leaning against a wall in all of her young and teenage beauty which never ceased to amaze Snape at how a frizzle-haired, buck-toothed hazel eyed girl turned into this picture of absolute attraction before him. "Can't you see that I'm working? What is so important that you have to run screaming through the house?" He asked in his usual cold and ignorance of the obvious tone.
 


The time it took for Snape to get over to Hermione, the girl had all the time in the world to fall down again when she attempted to climb the stairs without crutches. Unable to get up, she simply sat there, infuriated by her own uselessness. A part of her wished she stayed in the muggle world, blissfully unaware of the wondrous place she grew to call home, where she could hug her books, get a boyfriend who could not Confound her or put a love spell and simply live a normal life.

Instead, she was sitting in a house where a house elf was on the loose, eager to do anything in his abilities to ruin her stay – why of course, a muggle in a house of noble lineage, how preposterous, and her cat that seemed to be more than it let on. Either way, when Snape’s dark voice filled the air, giving the poor girl shivers, she was rather happy to see him. It was a strange thing to think, and didn’t even sound right, but desperate times.

“I apologize Professor. I wasn’t aware of the fact that you were working, since unlike certain people I’m not able to climb stairs,” she pointed out politely, offering him one of her sweetest smiles that was laced with a hint of mockery. Hanging out with Ron and Harry turned the sweet little girl a little rougher around the edges, and with everything that was going on she wasn’t in the mood to take Snape’s attitude without talking back. After all, she was a full-fledged wizard despite the one year of Hogwarts she still had to complete. If only Hogwarts allowed its students to skip years, she would have graduated years ago.

“They said you were supposed to help me around,” she explained, reaching out and unceremoniously grabbing the teacher’s hand to stand up. He would likely threaten to kill her or actually go ahead and do it, but it was worth it. “Could you help me upstairs? I could help you,” she pleaded, tired of feeling like a tool. Ever Kreacher was of more use than her.

Sniffing the air, she arched her eyebrows and glanced down, scoffing but quickly bringing a hand over her lips. “I’m sorry Professor,” she mumbled, trying not to laugh at the fact that the Half-Blood Prince actually made a mistake while making a potion.
 
Severus crossed his arms, glaring down at Hermoine where she lay crumpled at the foot of the stairs, "Watch your tounge, young lady," He snarled, drumming his fingers on his biceps, "Just because you don't have your friends to back you up doesn't mean I'm going to take any of your talk." Stepping off of the bottom step he stood on level with her, fighting the urge to pace back and forth and deliver a lecture, he had every intention to let her lie where she was in order to punish her willingness to spout lip and he told her so, "I have it in my power, Ms. Granger, to leave you as you are if you continue to disrespect my person and Head of Station. I will NOT abide such-!" The lecture he was dying to give, however, was cut short, as Hermoine lunged up and took hold of his hand, pulling herself into a standing position. Noticing immediatly that her hands were quite soft, he growled and shoved the thought away at the same time pulling his hand from her grasp. As unceremoniously as she had reached for it, he had just as unceremoniously pulled it away. "In case you've forgotten, Ms. Granger, I am the Potions Master of Hogwarts, and have no need for a student's help!" The word student was laced with utter contempt, although he couldn't quite seem to forget the thrill that coursed through his body when he heard the word 'help' exit her lips.

With great majesty, accompanied by a great sweep of his black robe he started up the stairs, convinced he had erased from her mind any intention to pursue him and press upon him any of her...'help'...he had almost reached the top when he was stopped by a soft giggle that had undoubtedly followed a sly insult. Whipping around in the same majestic fashion that he had hoped to depart in, he marched down the stairs, a deep crimson creeping up his pale neck, "What did you say Ms. Granger?" He nearly roared, stopping at the last step allowing him to tower over her crippled form. Etched across his face was an expression that needed no translation, one that clearly shouted: EXPLAIN YOURSELF!
Another emotion in close proximity with his anger swiftly arose as he beheld Hermoine, eyebrow cocked coyly, a tender hand placed over her soft lips, hazel eyes sparkling with-bugger that. Behind his mask of fury a wave of confusion passed. Where did those words come from? He hadn't used anything like that since Li-...he glanced down at his still smoking foot and suddenly realized. With something like a mix of panick, slight fear, and still strong anger he glared at Hermoine, silently demanding an answer.
 
Hermione exhaled softly. Either Snape was going senile or nuts, she had no other explanation for why he loved lecturing people even when they had really done nothing wrong. He was like an old man, yelling at the children across the street for stepping on his lawn, even if the lawn wasn’t mowed. She nodded politely when he spoke. “I am aware of that, Professor, but you are acting like a child,” she pointed out, deciding to go all out. It wasn’t as though he could actually do anything – his title didn’t mean much at the Order and she doubted he would actually physically hurt her. Therefore, it was her time to talk back if there had ever been one. “I am tired of not doing anything, and I would like to help you even if it’s something small. I mean, every scientist had a lab assistant,” she stated, exhaling in exasperation as he went on up the stairs without helping her. What was even the point of him returning downstairs? He was, after all, absolutely unbearable.
Suddenly, he returned down the stairs, giving her a brilliant opportunity of finally getting up that bloody stairway. Oh, how she missed Ron. “I said that I was sorry for laughing,” she replied, watching him turn crimson. She wondered if there was a potion for that or he was naturally capable of turning such a deep shade of red. Surely Fred and George had something to do with it.

“I just found it amusing that the Potions Master of Hogwarts who doesn’t need a student’s help would go on and spill potions all over his shoes,” she explained calmly, trying not to get him any angrier than he already was. Despite her best attempts to hide it, she was somewhat afraid of the teacher.

Nonetheless, the fear wasn’t as strong as the desire to get upstairs. “Professor, just help me upstairs, please,” she requested, sliding a gentle hand underneath his elbow to hold on to him. Despite the fact that her hand was gentle, however, her grip was tight and there was no way she would let go of him. Jumping up one step, she glanced at the man who was at her eyelevel by that point. “I really appreciate your help,” she taunted, taking another hop up the stairway, relying heavily on Snape’s help.
 
Snape bit his tounge, growling quietly to himself, to keep from barking- "5 Demerits from Gryffindor!" It was agonizing enough to be trapped for weeks in the same house that she was in, much less attempting to bide with her sharp and unharnessed mouth. They could only push him so far before he would crack, and about to crack he was, although for an entirely different reason. When he had spilled the potion onto his foot, the mixture inside had blended in with the leather of the shoe, seeping into his skin and causing a mild reaction in his body similar to a stronger and more potent 'Attraction potion'. Needless to say, Severus, Hogwart's Potion Master was beginning to feel a pull he had not felt in years, and one that was very unbecoming of an instructor in one of the most presitgious Wizarding schools in the world. He had to hurry back to his room to fix up an antidote, but none of that could happen with Hermoine tagging along and nagging him.

"I'm no scientist, Ms. Granger," Snarled a lightly sweating Snape through gritted teeth, glaring daggers at the firm hand on his elbow, "And I have as much need an assistant like Voldemort needs more followers!" He turned, fully intending to rip his arm from her grasp, but it was more steely than he had anticipated, nearly pulling him off of his feet. Growling a bit louder than he had been before he resigned himself to quietly assisting the crippled student up the stairs,"In case you haven't noticed, mistakes are often made by all sorts of people, no matter their station. I'm not one to talk, Ms. Granger," He leaned in, cold, dark eyes boring into her's, "I would have to say that you and your...friends," He enunciated the word with as much disgust as he could, "Have had more than your share of mistakes." Presently, and all the while with Snape radiating his absolute distaste for the situation, they reached the top of the stairs, his face now blanketed in a sheen of perspiration that looked as if he had run around all of London at least a dozen times. Within him boiled so many familiar feelings that it almost hurt to have them back again and he began to look at Hermoine in such a way that wouldn't behoove him to do so in the presence of anyone else. Silently he cursed the effects of his mistake which would more than likely prove to be more dastardly than any that Harry, Ron and Hermoine had ever cooked up. Behind his frigid mask of intolerance and authority he screamed at Hermoine to leave so that he could flee to the dark recesses of his room and quickly mix up the antidote.
 
If there was one word to describe Hermione, it was ‘stubborn’. The girl had a tight grip on the man and she was glad to see that it didn’t take him long before he finally gave up on his attempts to push her away. In all honesty, she was surprised he would try – despite his lack of heart, how could any man in his right mind push away a girl in need like that? It wasn’t as though he was going in another direction, either. A part of her wondered if he was up to something bad and that was the reason he struggled to keep her away. Perhaps he was back to his Death Eater habits, she wondered, concerned. Studying the male’s perspiration covered face, she felt the concern increase. There was definitely something Snape was hiding, and she wouldn’t rest until she discovered what exactly. “I don’t recall claiming I don’t make mistakes, I’m just a student,” she replied, smiling. Besides, all of their mistakes ended up fixed and always made things better. Except that time when she turned into a cat, not the brightest of her moments.

“Professor, I promise I won’t be a bother,” she stated, sighing. Why in the world did that man have to act that way? Certainly, there was the complicated past, but what did she, Harry or Ron have to do with it? “And why don’t you relax outside of Hogwarts?” She wondered, shaking her head. Finally, they reached the top floor and she released his arm after having considered doing something else to taunt him. She hopped along by his side, her leg growing less and less painful to step on by the moment. In an hour or two she would be as good as new. “Professor Snape, are you alright?” She suddenly wondered, noticing that he was glistening under the light. Of course, the potion, she reprimanded herself, feeling a wave of guilt cover her for suspecting the worst. “What exactly was that potion?” She wondered, pushing the door of the potions room open to hop into it.
 
Snape's worry and anxiety increased as Hermoine quickly hopped her way into his room, grinding his teeth he strode in after her, no longer able to fight the want to watch her rear end as she bounced along. "NOTHING is the matter with me, in the least, nothing for a student to worry about!" Snapped Severus, crossing his room in 2 quick strides, sight growing hazy as he fought the effects of the potion with all of his might, deliberately ignoring the sweat slowly rolling down his now very pale face as he 'clinked' beakers to and fro searching. "Nothing...in the...potion, Ms. Granger." He continued, oblivious to the fact that his voice had become quite strained and the cords of his neck stood out beneath his skin as he frantically shoved aside more of his equipment. Where did he put it? "Nothing...nothing at all." With shaky hands he clasped the jar he had been searching for, a clear container that held a deeply blue liquid that if ingested would surely draw away any unwanted effects given by any sort of concoction. With a gasp he brought it to his lips but severly misjudged, bouncing the lip off of his beak-like nose and causing his hold on the container to loosen, sending it into a slow spiral away from his fingers to the floor with a crash that surely sounded louder to Snape's ears than it really should have been.

Glancing down at his foot in horror, Snape turned his now wide eyes to Hermoine and croaked in an attempt to still mantain the authority that everyone saw him as (if even that): "Ms. Granger, out of your own well being and personal safety I ask that you exit this room quickly and put as far a distance as you can between yourself and I." Already the consequence of the potion began to take effect and a new Severus Snape began to take hold, a calm smooth Snape, more sure of himself than any previous Severus Snape could have ever hoped to be, a reborn Snape that held up a finger, now fully composed and stated, "On second thought, Ms. Granger, I'm sure I could use your skills..." Executing a swift turn her began to examine beakers, formulating in his mind something that could be created quickly, difficult enough to provide a small challenge, yet simple enough to...work. The new Snape grinned to himself, rubbing his hawkish nose, "I'm going to need you to find the Mer-people scales, they should be in the cabinet over there." He indicated which cabinet with a slight guesture in the direction leaving Hermoine to do the rest.
 
What in the world was wrong with that man? Certainly, he had his quirks – more so than most other people she knew except perhaps Luna, but this was plain weird. The teenager prayed it was the potion that was getting to him, not the pressure. “Professor, swallow your pride for once,” she mumbled, rolling her eyes. She decided to ignore him since any attempt to have a conversation would result in him nagging and turned around to study the multiple liquids, gels and whatever else was contained in the jars and beakers. All of a sudden, however, her attention was disrupted by the sound of glass crashing and liquid spreading on the ground. She had no way of knowing what it was, but since the teacher was relatively casual about it, well, as casual as Snape could get, she shrugged it off. What truly worried her, however, was the fact that he was frozen with eyes wide in horror – something one rarely if ever witnessed.

Surely something awful was happening. “Professor, I don’t-,” she started but was cut off by the calm, smooth voice informing her that he would like to use her help. For the first time the girl was granted what she wanted yet she wasn’t satisfied. Something told her that the male was up to no good, that she would get something other than what she bargained for by helping him. Since when did he even acknowledge the fact that she had any skills? “Of course,” she nodded and moved over to the cabinet. It turned out to be a bitch to reach, but the girl struggled to open it, her shirt sliding up her back to reveal bits of the smooth skin. She quickly picked up the scales and hopped back up to Snape, sliding the jar onto the table next to him. “What are you doing, Professor?” She wondered, curious what potion he would make – something existent or an experiment.
 
Severus, being no fool and knowing quite well what a cabinet placed in high position would do to a girl clothed in a top that would undoubtedly ride up as she reached, caught his full share of smooth creamy skin that absolutely begged to be touched. No need to rush things, though, plenty of time to align, set, then fire. "Thank you, Hermoine." He said, cheerily, a tone definitely unbecoming of him but no less than a pleasant change, "We," He raised a beaker eye level and tapped its side, swirling the crimson contents within, "Are going to see what we come up with after a few mixtures. More or less an experiment." He set the beaker down and began to add a few of the scales she had brought over to its depths. The liquid began to froth and bubble softly as if it had been placed over a small flame, which was obviously not the case. Snape appeared pleased and beckoned Hermoine closer. "Look, it's a positive reaction, see how some of the bubbles aren't rising to the surface, but instead, moving in a circular pattern near the center of the beaker? That's a good sign." Snape delivered this explanation quite close to Hermoine's ear almost as if he were telling her a secret, but then he straightened, beaming, something stretched across his face that no one had really seen for some time. A smile.

"Now," He continued, bustling back to the glass and selecting a test tube of purple colour, "I'd like for you to take the stirring rod and after you put this," He indicated the test tube in his hand, "Into the beaker, stir the mixture once clockwise, then 3 times counterclockwise, repeat this 10 times. NO MORE than 10!" He emphasized, holding the beaker out for Hermoine to take. "I'm going to go over to my desk to see if I can't find the crushed dragon talons I left in one of my drawers." He began to step away but stopped himself, concern creasing his face, "You don't need anything to support yourself do you? I wouldn't want to have you fall, you might hurt that leg more!" This phrase itself was very startling for two obvious reasons, one for the sudden care, and two for the utter hypocrisy as not 5 minutes earlier Severus had shown a clear uncaring attitude for whatever happened to Hermione's leg and probably would have jumped for joy had she taken the opportunity to hurt it again. Such was his character. 'Was' being the key word in this sudden and suprising situation. Without a doubt this new Snape would have to think fast to explain his sudden change of attitude to the young Ms. Granger before she caught on as to how the potion had affected him. If she caught on at all, and if such was the case, Severus would be a very happy man indeed. A new man, if you will.
 
Hermione glanced up at Severus to make sure it was him speaking and not Kreacher playing some cruel trick on her while Snape was tied up in the basement. We? She tried not to dwell on the pronoun, which was proving to be quite easy considering the tone. She moved closer obediently when he mentioned that there was a positive reaction and tried to remember the properties of every ingredient used to figure out what Snape wanted to achieve with the experiment. Perhaps he was on to something huge which was the reason for a sudden case of split personality. Whether it was the case or not, she most certainly preferred the sudden warm side of him. Or so she thought for about ten seconds before Snape’s voice filled her ears, almost causing her knees to grow weak. He was starting to freak her out, despite the fact that his deep voice next to her ear caused shivers to spread throughout the frail body. There was something incredibly arousing about the proximity and intimacy of his actions although she refused to acknowledge it. “I-I see,” she nodded, completely taken aback by the sudden smile. No, something was wrong with Severus.

He didn’t give her the time to ask what it was, not that she expected much of an answer even if he had. “No more than ten,” she nodded, stirring the mixture patiently and completely ignoring his existence while she concentrated on the potion in front of her. She counted under her breath, suddenly distracted by the hypocrisy of Snape’s voice. Of course, he was mocking her, trying to remind her just how useless she was with her injury. She nodded to herself, trying to believe that nothing strange was going. However Granger was Granger, and she couldn’t help but ask, especially as she saw the beaming face. “Professor, you are acting strange. Not that I mind, of course, but is everything okay?” She wondered, glancing at him again in an attempt to figure him out. In the past, she had been certain that smiling would have killed him, shattered a mask or caused his heart to stop. Now, however, she had to admit that he looked rather good when smiling even though it was hard to adjust to the creepiness of the thought.
 
"Keep an eye on what you're doing, Hermoine!" Admonished Snape loudly over her question, "NO MORE than 10, or you just might shrivel the flesh from our bones!" Abandoning his search Snape strode over to Hermoine, peering over her shoulder and carefully monitoring her progress before nodding and giving her a big grin, "Very good!" He complimented, something he almost never gave to anybody, even the students from his own House. Placing his hand on her shoulder he gave it a squeeze, as if in pride, although his fingers lingered a bit longer than normal. Smiling Snape resumed his search, accidentally on purpose brushing Hermoine as he did so, skirting around her to open drawers and sift through their dusty contents for the bottle of crushed dragon talons. Giving a triumphant "Ha!" He stood up clutching the bottle in mention, shaking it like a maracca as he did a little hop/skip jig over to Hermoine. Sliding the bottle over to clink against the beaker he nudged Hermoine with his hip, grinning from ear to ear.

It was quite apparent that Snape had largely changed into someone he was very clearly not. The nudge he had given would have been commonly seen between a boyfriend to his girlfriend (or vice versa, or even same sex as the case may be) and he seemed to have taken on a smooth and carefree attitude not like the old Snape at all who was strict, cold and stringent. Leaning on his elbows beside her he laughed, becoming more at ease, "There we go, now..." He pointed at the talons, "When you're done stirring, I want you to add that to it, but I'm gonna let that pretty little head of yours," He poked her temple playfully, "Figure out how much. It's an experiment! Have fun with it, eh?" He straightened, a grin still plastered across his face and to be quite honest, it hurt just a little bit seeing as his skin hadn't been stretched in that manner for quite some time.

((OOC: Sorry for the shortness, I'm so tired and it lost my post once already >.<))
 
Hermione was like a frightened child when Snape loudly answered over her question, silencing her with a few words. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” she mumbled in exasperation, slowly returning to stirring the potion. She fell silent, staring and counting until she finally twisted the wand one last time. Suddenly, a hand came to rest on her shoulder, a compliment flying her way. At that point, the poor student almost stirred another circle but managed to pull her hand away just in time. Very good…The words sounded almost as though they came from a different language when coming from the frightening Professor. If earlier on her suspicions were vague and paranoid, at that point they came very much real, based on undeniable proof. Something was very, very wrong with professor Snape. She studied the lingering hand, her heart skipping a beat from the sudden attention. Strangely enough, it felt…Good. Suddenly, he nudged her with his hip, causing her to stare at him like he was incredibly dumb or simply out of his mind.

Nonetheless, she chose to obey him for the while, until her leg was healed enough for her to move properly. Thankfully the potion worked like a charm, the girl able to step onto her hurt limb without wailing in pain. She looked up at him, her jaw almost dropping. Have fun with it, pretty little head? She couldn’t help but blush slightly at the compliment, having never expected such treatment on behalf of the professor. Either he was on to something truly huge, or he wasn’t the professor. She chose not to take chances, and after dropping an amount of dragon’s talons she deemed appropriate, she swiftly turned around, pointing her wand at him. “Who are you and what have you done with Professor Snape?” She questioned in a cold, firm voice although a part of her wished the man in front of her could remain the way he was.

[[ It's fine, my post's short as well. xD It's easier this way anyways. ]]
 
Severus took a quick step back, hands raised in a complacent position, "Whoa, whoa, easy there Hermoine, there's no need to light up, ok? We're on the same side..." He used a tone and manner generally reserved for hostage situations, which wasn't far from their current situation in all honesty. "I'm still Snape, always have been Snape, and I don't plan on letting that change any time soon. Is something the matter? Something wrong?" He spoke smoothly, relaxed with a voice filled with concern, as if he were unaware that he stood on the wrong side of a wand. To think of, it wasn't that big of deal anyway, Granger was so steeped in 'good' that she would never use any of the Unforgivable curses, she'd settle for Harry's trademark spell, Expelliarmus or something similar. If all else failed, he could always act like...Snape? A confusing thought, but one that would probably set her at ease if need be, the thing was, he didn't really feel like it at the moment, a bit fearful that if he did, he might lose this perfect image of Hermoine in charge: Striking, beautiful red hair haloing a hard set, freckled and lovely face. Despite the injured leg, she still struck an alluring pose, one that outlined her attractive curves beneath her jeans and shirt. Her upraised arm had ridden up her shirt yet again revealing more of her pearly white flesh just begging to be touched, kissed and-enough. He visibily shook his head to free his thoughts, wrong time, right place, get this straightened out first, then take a chance...

"I'd much rather you put that wand away, Ms. Granger, then we could discuss what's going through your head right now." He tried, using his authoritative tone that had most students quaking as soon as he opened his mouth. He wouldn't mind that reaction right about now, it might make her think twice about threatening her own Professor. He shifted slightly, remembering that he had slipped his own wand in his robes within easy reach, it hadn't been too long since he had last drawn, he'd still be fast enough if need be.
 
Hermione blinked as Severus raised his hands and told her not to light up. As though Snape would ever consider saying such a thing. The man she knew would have mumbled something under his breath and after a few minutes of trying to decipher it she would realize that it was an insult along with some kind of a menace about either getting her expelled, ruining her life or making Gryffindor come in last with so many demerits that they would land into the negatives. Instead, he remained composed, speaking to her as though she was the bad guy in a hostage situation. She bit down on her lower lip, considering the possibilities. While it was true that she wouldn’t step into the forbidden spells, she has practiced several others that could possibly injure and get him still until the rest of the order returned. Considering her options, she studied him cautiously, noticing the shake of his head. Before waiting for him to speak, she called out “Reducto”, a relatively minor spell to cast him aside. It was the second time she tried it and since the first time had been with a larger object, she was surprised to discover that the strength of the spell was more important than she imagined, sending him flying against the wall. It was all the spell did – thankfully, since it was cast right as he spoke in that numbing tone of his.

“Oh crap, crap, crap,” she mumbled, running up to the Professor, kneeling next to him with an air of concern. She leaned over, mere inches away from him, her cleavage fully exposed from the deep cut of her shirt. “Professor, I am so sorry,” she murmured, hopeful that she would not end up getting hurt. “Are you okay? I was honestly convinced that someone infiltrated the house,” she kept on mumbling apologetically, trying to get him to forgive her before he considered taking her head. Her hand came to rest on his shoulder as she spoke, just to check for broken bones. Thankfully the blast hadn’t been too forceful – the spell only propelled the person back. The dungeon wall would have been extremely painful, yet that one was a lot softer on the body.
 
It's a mighty strange sensation to be standing and talking one minute, then to be thrown through the air the next. For Severus it was this exactly, however, there happened to be an added plus that seemed to accompany every poor bloke who was tossed willy nilly. Time had slowed to where he was able to study the problem he had gotten himself into.

10 ft. from impact: It had started off well, thought Snape. If only she hadn't pulled that spell on him he was pretty sure that she would've been in his grasp as easily as a mouse is caught by a hypnotizing snake.

6ft from impact: All in all he really shouldn't be disappointed, in the end he could act so injured that she would take pity and they could move on from there? After all, this might just damage his back, shoulders and/or arms, rear-end, Merlin knows what else, his voice would still work...

3ft. from impact: Damn. This is going to hurt, old boy.

Severus groaned from his spread-eagled position and tried to roll over. A sudden ache in his back, shoulders AND arms, rear end, and head kept him from moving any further. "Ouch..." His eyes fluttered slowly open to come face to chest with Hermoine's rather amazing knockers. Snape shut his eyes again trying to figure out where his terms were coming from, it was almost as if this potion had taken him back a few years. A grin surfaced through his grimace of pain: Not that he minded, he always wanted a couple years returned to him, he believed to be rather deserving. "Ouch." He groaned again, holding a hand to his head, "There was no call for THAT, Ms. Granger, I was perfectly happy to negotiate and talk this situation through." He tried to sit up, found his face nearly buried itself into Hermoine's cleavage so he lay back down again gingerly. "Who in Morgan le Fay's green fingertips would have infiltrated, Ms. Granger?" He asked in an attempt to be scolding, yet failing almost very misereably due to his proximity to Hermoine, his sudden arousal, and his main goal to seduce the young student. (The latter which was quickly becoming all to clear to the poor Professor)
 
Bloody hell. Hermione watched Severus attempt to roll over, almost as pathetic as a turtle flipped over by a little bully. She winced, biting down on her lower lip as though she was the one to get tossed against a wall. For a moment, the teenager contemplated telling him that things could have been worse, but she didn’t want her head on a stick. Oh, he would hurt her so much once he recovered. She was certain that this time the man would snap and resort to actual violence. Perhaps if she treated him and took care of him, the ice around his heart would melt and all would be forgiven? No, they weren’t in a movie starring Jennifer Aniston and he was not precisely a bad boy with a broken past. Snape scared her almost as much as Voldemort scared…well, everyone in the magic world.

“Blimey,” she mumbled softly, trying to think of something when she felt his warmth right next to the soft mounds of flesh that were her chest. She glanced down at him and backed away slightly, offering him an apologetic, awkward smile that suggested her readiness to run away despite the pain in her leg. “Well Professor, if you wanted to negotiate, you shouldn’t have reached for your wand,” she pointed out, sighing. His inability to be scolding made it easier for her to respond without shaking. “I don’t know, but better safe than sorry,” she exhaled, shaking her head. “I’m sorry Professor, let me help you up?” She offered, leaning in to grab his arm and pull it over her shoulder. The position was incredibly intimate and odd, her face almost pressing against his neck, her arm sliding around his waist. Nonetheless, the girl thought that she was strong so she gave it a shot, carefully pulling him up along with her although it ended up not working very well.
 
Severus' eyes shot open, shining with indignity, "I reached for my wand?" Incredulousness dripped from his lips like honey out of a bear's mouth, "I reached for my wand?!" He repeated, the pain in his sad, abused body beginning to fade, "It was YOU Ms. Granger who got it into your head that I was some sort of imposter, and it was YOU who figured it would be a good idea to whip out YOUR wand and attack me with it!" He exhaled all of this in one breath, falling silent save for his grumbles as he tried to right himself, supported by her semi-capable form, and a form Snape finally got to press his own to, a voluptous body, curved in the right places so that, despite the awkard position, the Potion's Master was still able to fight right in almost perfectly. The soft globes that were her breasts strained slightly against the fabric of her shirt, giving Severus a tantalizing peak as they bulged slightly over the top of her shirt while she strained to lift him. Snape almost went a little limp just to watch her strain a little more. Correction: To watch her chest strain a little more. He was quite aware of her hot breath against his neck, washing over his tingling skin, as anyone would, and for a moment he considered leaning a bit so that her mouth would brush against it but he elected not to do so, for the main reason of: he really couldn't keep his eyes off of her chest. Thankfully her face was turned away from his and she couldn't see his obvious scrutiny.

When he was sure he could handle himself, he gently pushed her away, his forearm not so accidentally brushing her chest as he grabbed her shoulders and gently moved her. "I'm fine, thank you, Hermoine..." He said, coughing and brushing the old dust from his robes, doing really nothing to solve his coughing which increased in volume and intensity slightly before he caught on that he should quit dusting himself. "Thank you." He said again, realising that he was making a bad habit of repeating himself, for a moment he stood, in an awkward situation, as how can one really truly react when you were thrown to the floor by another's spell? For now, silence reigned as Snape attempted to gather his thoughts and plan his next...action.
 
The girl shrugged staring at the grumbling man. There went the new Snape and back came the old, she thought to herself. “Well it’s your fault Professor for suddenly acting like a human being, and a happy one at that,” she pointed out, unaware of the fact that the soft orbs were swelling above the cut of her shirt as she struggled to help him up. The man was incredibly heavy, or at least he was for someone like her. He was also surprisingly comfortable and warm when she had expected him to feel like a lizard – cold and disgusting. When his forearm suddenly slid along her chest – something she obviously mistook for an accident, and removed her, she nodded, almost disappointed that he didn’t let her make up for her actions. He then started coughing all of a sudden, sounding like a chain smoker. “Professor?” She mumbled, terrified. It wasn’t possible for a shove like that to actually severely damage any of his internal organs, right? “Are you alright?” She questioned, hardly taking notice of the fact that he repeated his gratitude twice, something she would have usually dwelled on for hours. She was genuinely worried for the teacher since she was almost hippie like in her love for everything human, only her love was a little less drug-influenced.

She stood up, wiping the dust off her knees before studying him in an awkward silence for a few moments. Resolute to make things a little more…normal, if that was possible in their situation, she skipped back to the table where the potion was being made, unaware of the fact that she was once again offering her teacher quite a nice view of the two bouncing mounds of flesh. She paused by the potion that still seemed rather normal – or at least looked like it wouldn’t explode, and studied it silently. The color was turning rather strange, almost bright purple. What in the world could such a strange mix possibly do? Some kind of a magical weapon of mass destruction, perhaps, she thought excitedly, momentarily oblivious to the fact that he was still hurt. “So Professor, you are not going to attempt to kill me, right?” She glanced up at him, not even pausing to hear his response. “If not, could you tell me what exactly this experience was about?” She questioned, leaning up against the counter.
 
Grateful from the silent reprieve Snape stalked over to Hermoine's side, peering down at the potion for a moment, before shrugging and throwing her a lopsided grin, "I dunno." He shrugged as he picked up the beaker, swirled the contents inside and watched bubbles pop on the surface or just plain disappear. "I couldn't tell you, just thought'd it'd be fun, you know?" He put the container carefully down, still staring at it's contents, before glancing up at Hermoine, his nearly black eyes meeting her's. A dull throb reminded Snape of his most recently aquired injuries and he clenched his teeth, reaching for the back of his head, finding almost immeidatly a good sized lump quickly forming. Cursing he turned only to have another pain assault him near his lower back, reaching behind himself to comfort the spot, his shoulder grated and protested, causing him to reach for that as well beginning a tiny train reaction of Severus groaning and yiping as he attempted to treat all of his sore areas. It was almost like some sort of tribal dance. Either way, it had left Snape leaning against the table, panting in sudden exhaustion and a slight, dull pain.

"Hermoine..." He said, slowly, "Be a dear and-oo! An' see if you can search that cup-ow! Tha' cupboard for the healing salves, I should have...aahh...have several." He pushed himself to his feet, ableit painfully and among much 'ooches!' limped his way over to his desk. It would seem that he had taken the fall harder than he would have originally believed. With luck some of the salves would take away the brunt of the problem and set him back on track, for now, he leaned against his desk watching Hermoine as the cupboard he had directed her to was also a bit out of reach. Snape choked back a snicker. Clever little man.
 
Hermione shook her head, sighing. What a waste of time. Disappointed was not a sufficient word to describe her current state. At least her leg had mostly healed overtime, and she could walk in a relatively carefree manner. The same could not have been said for her Professor, who seemed to be in pain all over. She frowned, realizing that it was his back that was mostly hurt, since he was pushed backwards. Poor man, the spine and the head were so easy to injure…Hermione felt a pang of guilt, yet telling herself that Snape deserved it for everything he had done in the past helped. Oh, she could hardly wait for Harry and Ron to come back so she could share the incredible experience. It was wrong, yet she felt very excited.

Skipping over to the cupboard, she stood on her tiptoes, the shirt once again riding up her taut stomach. She pulled out the small star shaped box with green gel in it before glancing back at the professor. The problem with the salves? They had to be applied onto the place that was hurting, and she doubted that the Professor could reach all the way down his back. She walked up to him, looking around. There was a bed in his room, yet even thinking about what she was going to say made her blush. “Uhm…Professor, go lay down. And…um, take off the robe,” she spoke quietly, biting on her lower lip. “I did this to you, I’ll help you out. If you let me, of course,” she quickly added, a part of her hoping that he wouldn’t.
 
It took everything in Snape's willpower to keep from jumping with glee, and of course, the threat of more pain. This was playing out better than he had expected. Ever so gingerly he pushed himself off of the desk and gave Hermione a small grin, "Of course I shall let you, Ms. Granger, I'm not a man to stand in the way of a seemingly determined female." Daring to wink he limped his way across the creaky floorboards and towards his bed. Cot, as it felt sometimes. A bed of solid rock. There was hardly anything in this cursed house that was enjoyable. Aside from, perhaps, what would happen in a few minutes, if Severus played his cards right, which he fully intended to do, chances like this didn't come around...ever. Carefully setting himself upon the edge of the bed he paused for a moment, as if resetting himself to a new position, which was partly true. The other half was to give him an opportunity to lock eyes with young Ms. Granger as he began to slowly remove his robe in a way that was certainly not becoming of a man of his station, nor stature. However, he did so anyway, sliding it, shall one say, almost sensually from his shoulders, during which he let it slip to the ground with a quiet 'fwup'. Still mantaining eye contact he reached up and began to unbutton his shirt, not as slowly as his robe, definitely fast enough so that she didn't feel uncomfortable right away. He wouldn't want to scare her away too soon, no, not at all.

In what seemed like no time at all, Severus removed the shirt from his body, the clothing coming off of his lean, lithe arms easily to a reveal expected pale skin underneath, however, suprisingly corded with a muscle that one would usually find on, perhaps, bikers, or even pole vaulters. A relatively thin, yet still attractive physique. The subconcious Snape took the golden opportunity to flex slightly as he tossed the shirt away, and in that motion suddenly remembered that, yes, he was in pain. With an almost indescernible (spelling?) groan he lay down gently, massaging the bridge of his nose with the fingers of both hands. "Hermoine," He said in a smooth voice that didn't really betray the pain he was surely feeling, "Come here." The seductiveness laced within his tone was not immediatly decipherable, but clearly present. The stage was ever so slowly, being set.
 
Hermione’s eyes widened slightly at her teacher’s comment, a blush coming to her cheeks. Was he…flirting with her? It was the strangest thought on Earth; it was less likely for Snape to flirt with her than for Voldemort to suddenly acknowledge the fact that he was evil and make amends. Shaking her head, she tried not to over analyse things, which was proving to be quite hard considering the fact that not only did she have a steep learning curve but was also a girl. She watched Snape lump over to the bed, undoing his robe. It caused her to blush once again and attempt to avert her eyes, yet another attempt that was proving to be futile. There was something incredibly sexy about the movements of his shoulders and back, the muscles tensing when he removed the robe. Although he was as white as she had expected him to be, there was far more muscle than she thought there would be. The robe made the man seem a little chubby, yet it turned out that it was all muscle, a sight that almost caused the girl’s jaw to drop. Like every girl, Hermione entertained thoughts about some of the teachers – it was quite normal at her age. Severus Snape, however, never even brushed her subconscious up until that day. Their sudden proximity and his ability to speak to her with at least some respect made her heart throb for some reason.

His voice tore her out of the sudden flow of fantasies, and the girl slowly swallowed before making her way toward him. It was similar to waiting in line, only she wasn’t certain whether she was in line for a rollercoaster or a visit to the dentist. “O-okay,” she whispered nervously, the smooth voice causing her to bite on her lower lip with a rather excited expression. Oh, young girls like her were truly far too easy to excite. She sat down next to the hard body, hesitating for a moment. She glanced at the cream in the small pot and nodded to herself, quickly rubbing her hands together to warm them up before sliding her fingers into the pot. Coating her hands in it, she slowly pressed her hands against the middle of the man’s back, leaving the warm mass there. Her palms slid along each side of his ribs in motions shaped like V, slowly spreading the greenish substance along his skin. Her touch was very light at first, until she found herself forced to rub the salve into his skin. Her fingertips dug into him, extremely skilled – bored in the muggle world, she decided to take massage classes one summer. It proved to be quite boring, yet she went through with it, hoping to impress Ron one day at the time. Her fingers ran all over his back, caressing the smooth skin and digging into the tense muscles – undoing a few knots in the process. “Does it hurt?” She wondered softly, her voice hardly audible.
 
"Not so much when you're doing it..." Snape murmured, shifting slightly under Hermoine's skilled fingers as she deftly worked her way over his body, easily chasing away his aches and pains. Severus was not blind, he had seen what her reaction, however slight had been, and it would've taken a fool to not notice the quaver in her voice, the sure sign of a young woman excited. It was hard to hide what sounded like a purr of content from Snape, although she was sure to feel it rumble slightly beneath his skin, like the growling of a quivering earth as you stood upon it at the eve of an upcoming earthquake. Interpret as you will. Severus rolled his shoulders, sighing as everything slowly faded into a dull bliss, kept alive by Hermoine's travelling fingers as they dug and massaged over Severus' well muscled back. "You're actually..." Snape's comment was interrupted by a small groan of satisfaction, his shoulders rolling again, "Actually quite good at that..." Suprisingly. The Potions Master didn't really expect a simple student to know so much about easing the body into a quiet stupor, a physical hypnotizing session. It occured to him it was something he should do more often, after a stressful week at Hogwarts. Come to think of it, almost every week was stressful, he could hardly think anymore, something like this would definitely set him straight and relaxed.

"You don't, perchance, take appointments, do you?" Snape jested, looking over his shoulder at Hermoine with a devilish grin that suggested more than a massage at said appointments. Indeed, if the young Granger kept up with her fingers, she might have an 'appointment' right now, and from the look in her eyes, he was pretty sure she wouldn't pass it up.
 
Hermione blinked, clearly surprised when the slight quake ripped through the professor’s body. She had no idea how to interpret his actions any longer, yet with his hard muscles resting underneath her fingertips it was hard not to let her mind wander to places it never should have approached. When he rolled his shoulders or groaned in satisfaction, she had to pause to inhale deeply before continuing, trying to get her breathing to return to normal. Instead, it seemed to grow slower with excitement while her heart pace kept on accelerating to the point where she was getting woozy. The older man’s comments didn’t do much to help her, either, suggesting that he enjoyed her actions more than she should have since she only volunteered to spread the salve across his back and nothing else. In all honesty, she could have just stopped there – the salve would have started working and eventually get through his system to heal whatever was wrong. Surely it was already working, the cream was incredibly effective. Nonetheless, she slid her fingers into the green solution again, spreading it higher up to his shoulders, easing the incredible amount of tension there, before letting her hands slowly slide down until they reached his lower back. It was at the same time that Snape’s comment followed, causing her cheeks to grow bright red. “Professor,” she protested meekly, sounding like a schoolgirl in love with a teacher yet too giddy and playful to admit it. Inwardly, she was cursing herself for ever sounding so deft, especially with Snape around. Surely he would make sure to turn her life into Hell once whatever was up with him ended.

“I don’t,” she replied with a toothy grin. “I might though, if you ask nicely enough,” she added teasingly, deciding to see just what the man was up to.
 
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