Repaying The Life Debt continues...
Only The Second Week
Two weeks and Hermione is beginning to relax into her new role, much to Severus’s chagrin. Although, she treats him more like an assistant than a master.
I wish to give the accolades due to my beta, Southern_Witch_69 for all her time making this story presentable. Thank you, so very much, and I just want you to know I appreciate it very much.
April 5
Severus watched the rise and fall of her pert breasts with each breath under the thin sheet encasing her naked body like a glove. Her curls spread out across the pillow framing her face, which was turned up toward him, plush lips slightly parted as if asking for his kiss…
“Master Snape?” Her voice roused him, pulling him into consciousness. “The potion, sir, you asked me to…”
“Please do not manhandle me,” he growled, slowly opening his eyes. “I do not tolerate fawning.” And I was dreaming… dreaming about… Oh, bloody Merlin’s beard! Her hand on his shoulder felt disconcertingly warm and intimate.
“I had an epiphany last night. Actually, Ron said something…”
“Oh, spare me!” Severus said, rising.
Hermione continued, undaunted. “He said that…”
“Your very own deus ex machine, how enchanting. Pray tell what did the nitwit reveal for you?”
Hermione seethed but controlled her anger. “My deus ex machine reminded me about the influence a sprig of peppermint can make in counterbalancing the side effects of Euphoria Elixir. He used it in the Jollification Potion to balance the potion’s efficacy and strength. It might help balance the tendency toward excess cringing and spinelessness caused from continual use of the Obsequious Potion,” she stated, handing him a cup of tea.
She’s prepared it perfectly to my tastes. Well, I’m not going to let her know that. He glared at her a moment as he considered her remark. Bugger, it’s brilliant! “It might.” Nevertheless, he retrieved a sprig of peppermint from his shelves.
“So I’m right, it may work?” She was grinning exuberantly as she watched him.
He regarded her coolly. “I suppose you’ll tell him that his suggestion is-plausible?”
“Ron was brewing Jollification for the shop, and he added it on a whim.”
He glared at her in utter disbelief. “You suggested this based upon one of his experimentations! On an unproven and unreasoned assumption! Why would you listen to him?”
“Because it worked! The shop is doing well, and he and Harry are rated tops in the Auror training program,” Hermione stated smugly, proud of her friends’ accomplishments.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if he became quite the bellwether,” Severus stated.
“Sir, why are we brewing this potion?” she asked, diverting the conversation.
“The client obviously suffers severely from a phobia,” Snape stated, sipping the tea. “Xenophobia, to be precise. Not an advantageous phobia for someone who works in the International Association of Quidditch. He already has a self-incriminating complex from that hideous excrescence growing on his forehead.”
Hermione’s brow creased. “Prolonged use of this potion is restricted by Ministry guidelines.”
“He pays me quite well for the potion and for keeping his secrets. He, like many of my other clients, pays me for my discretion and skill, allowing me to live in a standard I prefer,” Severus stated.
Hermione looked at him with an amused smirk. “Oh, yes, you are one who truly enjoys all the finer things. Your house reeks of excessive ostentation.”
“You have only been permitted to see my sitting room and my laboratory,” he stated flatly.
“And your kitchen and your loo…”
“Nor my grandfather’s house.” He smirked at her surprised expression. “This house, my Muggle father’s house, served its purpose. Now it serves as my laboratory, exactly as befitting my chosen lifestyle.”
She gaped at him, confounded.
“Well, you suggested the ingredient - see if it works.”
~TBC~
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The word list (swiped from the past week's list):
1. excrescence
2. obsequious
3. xenophobia
4. jollification
5. deus ex machina
6. bellwether
7. ostentation
Words with definitions below:
excrescence \ik-SKRESS-uhn( t)s\, noun:
1. Something (especially something abnormal) growing out from something else.
2. A disfiguring or unwanted mark, part, or addition.
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obsequious \ob-SEE-kwee- us\, adjective:
Servilely compliant, deferential or attentive; compliant to excess; fawning.
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xenophobia \ZEN-uh-FOE- bee-uh\, noun:
Fear or hatred of strangers, people from other countries, or of anything that is strange or foreign.
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jollification \jol-ih-fuh- KAY-shuhn\ , noun:
Merrymaking; festivity; revelry.
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deus ex machina \DAY-uhs-eks- MAH-kuh-nuh; -nah; -MAK-uh-nuh\ , noun:
1. In ancient Greek and Roman drama, a god introduced by means of a crane to unravel and resolve the plot.
2. Any active agent who appears unexpectedly to solve an apparently insoluble difficulty.
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bellwether \BEL-weth-uhr\ , noun:
A leader of a movement or activity; also, a leading indicator of future trends.
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ostentation \os-ten-TAY- shuhn\, noun:
Excessive or pretentious display; boastful showiness.