Severus, Redux: Chapter Twenty
(In which Severus and Hermione make plans for future planning)
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, 03 September 1996, 1:30 PM
Severus made his way back towards the room that had housed him briefly at the end of the previous year, wondering if the wards would still recognize his magical signature. It would certainly be convenient to have the equivalent of his own private suite of rooms within Hogwarts, away from everyone else. The castle was not small by any standard, but it could certainly feel that way when one was sharing it with close to a thousand other people in the middle of a Scottish January.
At this time of day the staff wing was deserted, the teachers all most likely in class or their various offices. Technically, the whole wing off the third floor corridor was restricted except in cases of emergency; Severus could actually get himself in a good deal of trouble if he was caught intruding upon the personal space of the professors. The risk was worth it, however, if it meant that he had a warded set of rooms to himself.
To his delight, the door opened easily under his fingers, admitting him into "his" sitting room. Severus halted just inside the door, frowning. The room was…different. Briefly, he wondered if he had been admitted into the wrong suite. The modern look of the sitting room had vanished, plastered walls and ornate ceiling fan included, leaving behind only the stone walls prevalent throughout most of the castle. The furnishings remained the same, but the small bookcase now only held one book instead of nine.
Closer inspection revealed that it was Her Dark Wizard's Secret. That was…odd. It made him feel uneasy, not knowing who had changed the rooms and why that person would have removed all the books save for the lurid romance. Perhaps someone was trying to send him a message of some kind? Or perhaps it was the castle itself.
Restlessly, he fidgeted, waiting for Hermione to appear. She shouldn't have been too far behind him, even though she had more things to pack up and had wanted to check books out first. His impatient thoughts were interrupted by a hesitant knock on the door. Swiftly, Severus opened it before she got caught in the hallway and ushered her in.
Hermione frowned at the space around her, and commented, "The room has changed."
Severus nodded. "Yes, I noticed, too. I haven't been able to figure out why. I think it might have been the castle itself?" He looked to see what she thought of this opinion.
She nodded slowly. "It wouldn’t be the first time that rooms have changed or moved around at Hogwarts.” She, too, inspected the bookcase, and smirked at him. “The castle apparently left you your book."
"Only Divine Comedy was mine, and you know it," he protested. “I packed that one up with my things when I left this room.”
"Oh really, if all the other books that weren’t yours have been cleared out, then why was Her Dark Wizard's Secret left behind?"
Severus gave her a grumpy look. "I don't know."
Hermione stepped daringly close and whispered teasingly, "So you didn't get overly…attached to that one? Not even to page 215?"
The blatant reference to the graphically described oral sex, delivered in her husky alto, made him fight not to squirm. "No," he lied. "I have no idea what you're talking about." He raised his brows at her. "Do you talk to all of your friends this way?" he said teasingly.
Hermione’s expression immediately went flat and she stepped back a little. "You're right. I shouldn't be trying to flirt when you've made it clear you're not interested in that-in me-anymore." She shrugged a little self-consciously, and then added quietly, “I’m sorry.” She glanced around them at the room again, clearly embarrassed. “You said you had an idea.”
He hadn’t meant to upset her, only to tease and flirt back just a little. He wasn't trying to resume their previous relationship--at least not right away. The bubble they had lived in at Number Twelve was a very different world from Hogwarts during the school year. The teeming, hormonal social structure of boarding school introduced any number of variables that could upset their fragile relationship. But friends could still tease each other and mildly flirt, couldn’t they?
He had evidently not come across as teasing, however, and once more Severus found himself wishing he were a little more socially adept. He really wasn’t sure how to reassure her at this point without making an arse out of himself or giving the wrong impression, so instead, he just cleared his throat.
“Yes. I wasn’t sure if I still had access to this room. Since I do, we might as well make the most of it. It’s got all the space and privacy we need to do any research...or school stuff…” his voice trailed off at her eager expression.
“So you’re saying you don’t mind if I study here with you?” Hermione asked, pleased.
Severus felt something inside himself loosen a little. Hermione still wanted to be with him, be his friend. She wasn't going to uncomfortably excuse herself, or decide his awkward handling of her teasing was too embarrassing. She hadn't decided he was too embarrassing. Feeling lighter, he told her seriously, "I liked being with you at Number Twelve, and you had good O.W.L. scores. You did say that first night that you'd be willing to be my study partner." Shrugging a little, he added, "If we’re going to look into Vector and researching time travel or...whatever...it’s not a bad idea to have a secure place to keep the information. It's quite a bit closer to the teachers than I'm generally comfortable with, but at least we'd know it will keep anyone else out.”
Hermione nodded and fiddled with one of her curls as she thought. "I think the obvious place to start if we’re going to find out more about Damian Vector-or whoever he is-is the British Museum. Professor Vector assumed he and I met there, so he must be there on a regular basis."
"We won’t be able to do that until Christmas, though. In the meantime, I’d like to do more in-depth research on some of the things we'll be covering this year. I've been reading ahead, and in Potions we've got a whole term dedicated to antidotes, but Slughorn doesn't really teach theory well, which is imperative if you ever actually need to brew an antidote of some kind. In Defence we'll be focusing on non-verbal magic, Patronuses and other high-level introspective light spells and basic healing spells.
"That's rather a lot to cover, and the library has tonnes of supplementary reading. Not to mention, we'll need to do our own practice runs and experimenting here with any Potions and spells, and-what?" Severus broke off nervously, suddenly aware that Hermione was staring at him with a strange expression. Fuck. His cheeks heated slightly as he realised just how enthusiastic and animated he had been getting about schoolwork. No doubt he was being too intense again.
There was silence for a short moment, and then a small smile grew across her face. "Nothing," she answered softly. "It's just that...well, I don't think I've ever had a friend before who wanted to use their free time to study. Usually they're trying to drag me off to the Quidditch pitch or Hogsmeade." Her smile grew until she was positively beaming. "It's just nice, that's all. I'm really looking forward to working with you this year." She blushed lightly, and started playing with one of her curls again.
Severus felt his heart skip a beat and he had to remind himself he wasn't interested in her. Not right now, at least. A part of him howled that there was a girl interested in him-him, the oily, awkward boffin-and that wasn't an opportunity to put off, even if he wasn't certain how a relationship between them would work at Hogwarts. She's intelligent, too...What if she changes her mind? His nasty inner voice questioned.
Severus brushed the thought aside, determined not to let his self-consciousness show. Uncertain how to best answer her, he smiled slightly instead, and turned back to his bookbag. He retrieved the Sixth Year Potions textbook he had been looking at in the Library, and flipped through until he got to the first class assignment on page ten. "We have Potions next. The first one in the book is Draught of the Living Death. I was hoping to research it a bit further before class. I've made a few notes..."
Hermione brightened, and said eagerly, "It's rather fascinating, but not the sort of potion you'd expect to be taught to sixteen-year-olds." Her voice took on a lecturing tone worthy of any professor. "It was initially called the 'Coward's Concoction' because Sir Maynard Mortimer invented it in order to bypass his duty to go to war. He gave himself the appearance of a deathly illness to get out of it, but Lady Mortimer was ashamed and turned on him, and he was executed.”
Hermione happily babbled on, oblivious to the amused and slightly incredulous look Severus was giving her. "Apparently it slows everything down so that a person isn't even alive at first glance-the pulse is hardly felt, the skin chills-the sleeper might take a breath only once in the hour! You'll eventually die if not given the antidote. The name was changed when Healers discovered how useful it was in their field. Sedation for complicated healings, or to slow down the effects of an accidental poisoning, et cetera."
Severus cleared his throat and said mildly, "I see you like to research, too. Do you also go through step by step to find out why things react with each other? Or experiment to see if you can make that reaction work better or faster?"
Hermione shrugged. "Well, I've got a fairly solid base knowledge of the more common components and potions, but I don't really experiment or stray from the textbook. Professor Snape rather discourages that sort of tampering, and if it's worked well for years…" she trailed off at his frown. "What?"
Severus hunched his shoulders and turned away, pacing a few steps and back again before answering. "I'm just surprised, that's all. I would have expected him...me...to encourage a better understanding, for students to challenge the expected a bit more."
Hermione smiled wryly. "Perhaps he might, if he had a bit less on his mind. Not all students are suited to Potions like you are, either. I am willing to bet that many of them only half follow what instructions there are, anyway. Just dump it all in and stir, you know? I think Professor Snape would prefer to not encourage experimentation on top of that."
Severus shook his head and gestured emphatically. "No, that's...No. Definitely not. Bloody idiots would kill themselves, and probably each other."
"Not all of them," she protested. "We're not all really that bad. Ron's older brothers actually experiment with potions quite a bit--they left school last year and just opened a joke shop over the summer in Diagon Alley." Her chin tilted and she said, a little snottily, "Mind, I can't say I approve of everything they've come up with, but they have come up with some very brilliant ideas..." She smiled, her voice trailing off as she got lost in her reminiscing.
Severus felt a twinge of jealousy, and wondered which older brother with "brilliant ideas" she might be thinking of. He cleared his throat pointedly, and Hermione's attention snapped back to him, her cheeks blushing a deep red. "Sorry. Erm, they overheard me say as much about their Patented Daydream Charm, and gave me one for free." She sighed again wistfully, "It really was brilliant." Hermione shook herself. "We should work out a schedule, and add it to my timetable."
Severus blinked, nonplussed. "Pardon?"
Hermione rummaged through her bag and pulled out a large piece of folded parchment that turned out to be a surprisingly detailed schedule of her month. Severus felt his mouth open slightly in astonishment as she continued to unfold it and it grew to a rather absurd size. Hermione had apparently planned out her entire life in ten minute intervals and colour coded them by class and activity. Between her classes, clubs, study times, school events, prefect duties and areas carefully marked off for her friends, it was very, very full. Hermione Granger was quite possibly busier than the Prime Minister, Severus thought, astounded. Even her loo time was scheduled.
"We're in the staff quarters, so once we figure out the best times for us both to meet here, we should also figure out which teachers are about during that time so that we know who to be on the lookout for." Hermione mused. She sat down at the writing desk and pulled out another parchment, busily scribbling down names and crossing them off as she decided they wouldn't interfere. "The House Heads are all quartered near the dormitories, so we're probably safe from Professor McGonagall, Snape, Flitwick, and Sprout…"
Understanding, and warming to the idea, Severus added, "Madam Pomfrey's rooms are next to the Hospital Wing, too, so she won't be around here often, either."
"Hagrid's of course got his hut, and Firenze--he's a centaur, teaches Divination--he has a room on the first floor."
"That still leaves us possibly dodging Professors Vector, Sinistra, Slughorn…"
"Saxena, Trelawny--"
"Who?" Severus asked, frowning.
Hermione waved a hand. "Oh, I forgot, they'd be new to you. Professor Saxena teaches Magical Theory and Professor Trelawny is the other Divination teacher. There's also Professor Burbage--Muggle Studies--and Professor Babbling."
"Runes, right. Madam Pince, Madam Hooch," Severus sighed, "and Filch."
Hermione looked pained. "I'm a cat person, and even I'm not fond of Mrs. Norris."
"I'm fairly certain she's really an Animagus who's stuck or something." Severus said grimly.
Hermione scoffed. "Oh, you don't actually believe that old rumour, do you?"
Severus shrugged and started ticking off reasons on his fingers. "She's really intelligent, and can seem to communicate, but doesn't have any Kneazle markings. She's really, really old for a cat--she was around when I was a first year, twenty-five, no, six, years ago! She might not actually be a person stuck as a cat, Hermione, but she's something."
"A menace." Hermione responded, with aggrieved feeling, and Severus couldn't help but laugh.
"Either way, she's on the list. A rather long, list, actually, especially when you consider that one of the Heads might drop in for a surprise visit. I don't think Professor Snape would mind; he did the same after all, only in the dungeons." Severus said authoritatively, "He'd understand the need for a private place to study and experiment, he gets it, you know?"
"He'd probably let you off, but not me." Hermione's voice was rueful.
Severus nodded, conceding her point and started pacing again. "This seems to be a good time of the day in general, most of them have a class and the ones who don't are probably using their free period to mark."
Hermione nodded. "Crookshanks would probably help act as lookout, but this would be a whole lot easier if we had the Mar--" Hermione's mutter cut off with a horrified expression.
Alarmed, Severus asked, "What? Hermione what is it?"
"The Marauder's Map. It'll give you away! I have to go!" Hermione bolted to her feet, hurriedly grabbing her bag and dashing out the door without another word.
Severus stared after her, still trying to process what had just happened. The Marauder's Map? What on earth was that? Severus shook his head, then noticed Hermione had left her elaborate schedule behind in her panic. Picking it up, he gave it another amused look before folding it back up again carefully and putting it in his own bag. He could return it during Potions class.
The warding locks on this suite, like the vast majority of the private staff rooms, were not based on a password that could be guessed or overheard but on the magical signature in the owner's touch. It was enough to make him wonder if perhaps Professor Snape's quarters…and the potions storeroom... Severus licked his lips in anticipation. It would be worth trying, at least. Perhaps there would be some useful information within.
Carefully, he opened the door, wary of anyone who might catch sight of him. The coast seemingly clear, so he crept out and started down the hall. It would not be a bad idea to put a couple of alarm wards a few paces off from the door, he mused. Perhaps something simple, just a ward line across the floor of the hall several feet on either side, alerting him if anyone crossed. It wouldn't be perfect, but it would be better than nothing.
Glancing about quickly to make sure no one was coming, Severus retreated further down the hall and set up the rudimentary wards-just a quick rune inked on the stone floor on either side of the hall, as close to the wall as he could manage. A few moments later and he had charmed it to ring a little chime inside the suite if anyone crossed it. He repeated the process about ten feet or so on the other side of the door, and then a third and final line at the entrance to the staff wing. Stepping back, he considered his work, trying to decide if his little ink marks were noticeable to the casual observer. Giving up, he shrugged a little. It would have to do for now.
Sighing a little in relief as he made it to neutral ground without being caught, Severus made his way down the stairs, reflexively bending his knees and catching the railing as it started to shift under him, re-directing his route. Bloody staircase. It was going to end up depositing him significantly off course. He checked his watch again and was alarmed to see that he only had about five minutes before class-the wards had taken longer than he had realised! Severus took the rest of the stairs as quickly as he dared whilst they were moving, and nearly leaped off when they came to rest. Severus sped up until he was practically running, nearly colliding with a Hufflepuff third year as he turned a corner.
He was out of breath by the time he made it to the Potions classroom, late rather than early. He slipped in just in time to see Slughorn give Potter and Weasley books and potion kits to use from the supply cupboard-apparently the two of them had come unprepared for class entirely. Berks.
Sneering a little, Severus glanced about and saw Hermione sitting next to where Potter and Weasley had parked their things. Her mouth was set in a pinched, upset frown, and she kept darting worried looks at the two boys.
Rolling his eyes, Severus sat himself down on Hermione's other side with as much dignity as he could manage and dug into his bag, removing her schedule. He passed it to her and was gratified to see her clutch it to her chest and mouth "Thank you" to him. He smiled back, and whispered, "You didn't explain about the 'Marauder's Map.'"
Hermione bit her lip, her troubled expression returning, and whispered back, "Harry's got a map of Hogwarts that tells you where everyone is--it labels them, and you can't fool it into calling you something else. If he happens to take a look and notice that there are two of you, or see what your proper name is…" Her voice trailed off.
Aghast, Severus stared at her. "You didn't think to mention it earlier?"
"I forgot! And they're still upset with me from this morning; I doubt Harry will let me borrow it, and then he'd eventually want it back...I don't know what to do," Hermione finished miserably.
Severus narrowed his eyes as he recalled how uncanny Sirius Black and James Potter had been at ferreting him out when they were in school together. "We'll tell Professor Snape. I'm sure he would love to confiscate that. I'm certain he could put it to better use, too," he added viciously.
Hermione bit her lip again, and asked, "Could we maybe tell Professor Dumbledore, instead? It's just that Professor Snape is horribly biased against Gryffindors, he wouldn't be fair at all-"
"Whereas Professor Dumbledore is horribly biased for them," Severus shot back, angry. "Don't try to deny it, you know it's true."
"He wouldn't use it to hand out detentions to everyone, though, Professor Snape would."
Severus arched his brows at her and pointedly turned away, unable to respond as the two boys returned to their seats, and Professor Slughorn started to babble airily about the potions bubbling away at the front of the room. They would revisit the subject later.
A/N: Thank you so much for reading; please review! It is so wonderful that so many of you do--when I started this I had absolutely no idea I would get such an amazing response, and so much wonderful feedback! I have become both more confidant as a person and a much better writer in general because of you! You are wonderful, and I want you to know how much I appreciate you!!
Special love to friends old and new: OneCelestialBeing, ThornedHuntress, Mellbell, AdelaideArcher, and Cybrokat. You know why precisely why. ;-)
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Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, 03 September 1996, 1:30 PM
Severus made his way back towards the room that had housed him briefly at the end of the previous year, wondering if the wards would still recognize his magical signature. It would certainly be convenient to have the equivalent of his own private suite of rooms within Hogwarts, away from everyone else. The castle was not small by any standard, but it could certainly feel that way when one was sharing it with close to a thousand other people in the middle of a Scottish January.
At this time of day the staff wing was deserted, the teachers all most likely in class or their various offices. Technically, the whole wing off the third floor corridor was restricted except in cases of emergency; Severus could actually get himself in a good deal of trouble if he was caught intruding upon the personal space of the professors. The risk was worth it, however, if it meant that he had a warded set of rooms to himself.
To his delight, the door opened easily under his fingers, admitting him into "his" sitting room. Severus halted just inside the door, frowning. The room was…different. Briefly, he wondered if he had been admitted into the wrong suite. The modern look of the sitting room had vanished, plastered walls and ornate ceiling fan included, leaving behind only the stone walls prevalent throughout most of the castle. The furnishings remained the same, but the small bookcase now only held one book instead of nine.
Closer inspection revealed that it was Her Dark Wizard's Secret. That was…odd. It made him feel uneasy, not knowing who had changed the rooms and why that person would have removed all the books save for the lurid romance. Perhaps someone was trying to send him a message of some kind? Or perhaps it was the castle itself.
Restlessly, he fidgeted, waiting for Hermione to appear. She shouldn't have been too far behind him, even though she had more things to pack up and had wanted to check books out first. His impatient thoughts were interrupted by a hesitant knock on the door. Swiftly, Severus opened it before she got caught in the hallway and ushered her in.
Hermione frowned at the space around her, and commented, "The room has changed."
Severus nodded. "Yes, I noticed, too. I haven't been able to figure out why. I think it might have been the castle itself?" He looked to see what she thought of this opinion.
She nodded slowly. "It wouldn’t be the first time that rooms have changed or moved around at Hogwarts.” She, too, inspected the bookcase, and smirked at him. “The castle apparently left you your book."
"Only Divine Comedy was mine, and you know it," he protested. “I packed that one up with my things when I left this room.”
"Oh really, if all the other books that weren’t yours have been cleared out, then why was Her Dark Wizard's Secret left behind?"
Severus gave her a grumpy look. "I don't know."
Hermione stepped daringly close and whispered teasingly, "So you didn't get overly…attached to that one? Not even to page 215?"
The blatant reference to the graphically described oral sex, delivered in her husky alto, made him fight not to squirm. "No," he lied. "I have no idea what you're talking about." He raised his brows at her. "Do you talk to all of your friends this way?" he said teasingly.
Hermione’s expression immediately went flat and she stepped back a little. "You're right. I shouldn't be trying to flirt when you've made it clear you're not interested in that-in me-anymore." She shrugged a little self-consciously, and then added quietly, “I’m sorry.” She glanced around them at the room again, clearly embarrassed. “You said you had an idea.”
He hadn’t meant to upset her, only to tease and flirt back just a little. He wasn't trying to resume their previous relationship--at least not right away. The bubble they had lived in at Number Twelve was a very different world from Hogwarts during the school year. The teeming, hormonal social structure of boarding school introduced any number of variables that could upset their fragile relationship. But friends could still tease each other and mildly flirt, couldn’t they?
He had evidently not come across as teasing, however, and once more Severus found himself wishing he were a little more socially adept. He really wasn’t sure how to reassure her at this point without making an arse out of himself or giving the wrong impression, so instead, he just cleared his throat.
“Yes. I wasn’t sure if I still had access to this room. Since I do, we might as well make the most of it. It’s got all the space and privacy we need to do any research...or school stuff…” his voice trailed off at her eager expression.
“So you’re saying you don’t mind if I study here with you?” Hermione asked, pleased.
Severus felt something inside himself loosen a little. Hermione still wanted to be with him, be his friend. She wasn't going to uncomfortably excuse herself, or decide his awkward handling of her teasing was too embarrassing. She hadn't decided he was too embarrassing. Feeling lighter, he told her seriously, "I liked being with you at Number Twelve, and you had good O.W.L. scores. You did say that first night that you'd be willing to be my study partner." Shrugging a little, he added, "If we’re going to look into Vector and researching time travel or...whatever...it’s not a bad idea to have a secure place to keep the information. It's quite a bit closer to the teachers than I'm generally comfortable with, but at least we'd know it will keep anyone else out.”
Hermione nodded and fiddled with one of her curls as she thought. "I think the obvious place to start if we’re going to find out more about Damian Vector-or whoever he is-is the British Museum. Professor Vector assumed he and I met there, so he must be there on a regular basis."
"We won’t be able to do that until Christmas, though. In the meantime, I’d like to do more in-depth research on some of the things we'll be covering this year. I've been reading ahead, and in Potions we've got a whole term dedicated to antidotes, but Slughorn doesn't really teach theory well, which is imperative if you ever actually need to brew an antidote of some kind. In Defence we'll be focusing on non-verbal magic, Patronuses and other high-level introspective light spells and basic healing spells.
"That's rather a lot to cover, and the library has tonnes of supplementary reading. Not to mention, we'll need to do our own practice runs and experimenting here with any Potions and spells, and-what?" Severus broke off nervously, suddenly aware that Hermione was staring at him with a strange expression. Fuck. His cheeks heated slightly as he realised just how enthusiastic and animated he had been getting about schoolwork. No doubt he was being too intense again.
There was silence for a short moment, and then a small smile grew across her face. "Nothing," she answered softly. "It's just that...well, I don't think I've ever had a friend before who wanted to use their free time to study. Usually they're trying to drag me off to the Quidditch pitch or Hogsmeade." Her smile grew until she was positively beaming. "It's just nice, that's all. I'm really looking forward to working with you this year." She blushed lightly, and started playing with one of her curls again.
Severus felt his heart skip a beat and he had to remind himself he wasn't interested in her. Not right now, at least. A part of him howled that there was a girl interested in him-him, the oily, awkward boffin-and that wasn't an opportunity to put off, even if he wasn't certain how a relationship between them would work at Hogwarts. She's intelligent, too...What if she changes her mind? His nasty inner voice questioned.
Severus brushed the thought aside, determined not to let his self-consciousness show. Uncertain how to best answer her, he smiled slightly instead, and turned back to his bookbag. He retrieved the Sixth Year Potions textbook he had been looking at in the Library, and flipped through until he got to the first class assignment on page ten. "We have Potions next. The first one in the book is Draught of the Living Death. I was hoping to research it a bit further before class. I've made a few notes..."
Hermione brightened, and said eagerly, "It's rather fascinating, but not the sort of potion you'd expect to be taught to sixteen-year-olds." Her voice took on a lecturing tone worthy of any professor. "It was initially called the 'Coward's Concoction' because Sir Maynard Mortimer invented it in order to bypass his duty to go to war. He gave himself the appearance of a deathly illness to get out of it, but Lady Mortimer was ashamed and turned on him, and he was executed.”
Hermione happily babbled on, oblivious to the amused and slightly incredulous look Severus was giving her. "Apparently it slows everything down so that a person isn't even alive at first glance-the pulse is hardly felt, the skin chills-the sleeper might take a breath only once in the hour! You'll eventually die if not given the antidote. The name was changed when Healers discovered how useful it was in their field. Sedation for complicated healings, or to slow down the effects of an accidental poisoning, et cetera."
Severus cleared his throat and said mildly, "I see you like to research, too. Do you also go through step by step to find out why things react with each other? Or experiment to see if you can make that reaction work better or faster?"
Hermione shrugged. "Well, I've got a fairly solid base knowledge of the more common components and potions, but I don't really experiment or stray from the textbook. Professor Snape rather discourages that sort of tampering, and if it's worked well for years…" she trailed off at his frown. "What?"
Severus hunched his shoulders and turned away, pacing a few steps and back again before answering. "I'm just surprised, that's all. I would have expected him...me...to encourage a better understanding, for students to challenge the expected a bit more."
Hermione smiled wryly. "Perhaps he might, if he had a bit less on his mind. Not all students are suited to Potions like you are, either. I am willing to bet that many of them only half follow what instructions there are, anyway. Just dump it all in and stir, you know? I think Professor Snape would prefer to not encourage experimentation on top of that."
Severus shook his head and gestured emphatically. "No, that's...No. Definitely not. Bloody idiots would kill themselves, and probably each other."
"Not all of them," she protested. "We're not all really that bad. Ron's older brothers actually experiment with potions quite a bit--they left school last year and just opened a joke shop over the summer in Diagon Alley." Her chin tilted and she said, a little snottily, "Mind, I can't say I approve of everything they've come up with, but they have come up with some very brilliant ideas..." She smiled, her voice trailing off as she got lost in her reminiscing.
Severus felt a twinge of jealousy, and wondered which older brother with "brilliant ideas" she might be thinking of. He cleared his throat pointedly, and Hermione's attention snapped back to him, her cheeks blushing a deep red. "Sorry. Erm, they overheard me say as much about their Patented Daydream Charm, and gave me one for free." She sighed again wistfully, "It really was brilliant." Hermione shook herself. "We should work out a schedule, and add it to my timetable."
Severus blinked, nonplussed. "Pardon?"
Hermione rummaged through her bag and pulled out a large piece of folded parchment that turned out to be a surprisingly detailed schedule of her month. Severus felt his mouth open slightly in astonishment as she continued to unfold it and it grew to a rather absurd size. Hermione had apparently planned out her entire life in ten minute intervals and colour coded them by class and activity. Between her classes, clubs, study times, school events, prefect duties and areas carefully marked off for her friends, it was very, very full. Hermione Granger was quite possibly busier than the Prime Minister, Severus thought, astounded. Even her loo time was scheduled.
"We're in the staff quarters, so once we figure out the best times for us both to meet here, we should also figure out which teachers are about during that time so that we know who to be on the lookout for." Hermione mused. She sat down at the writing desk and pulled out another parchment, busily scribbling down names and crossing them off as she decided they wouldn't interfere. "The House Heads are all quartered near the dormitories, so we're probably safe from Professor McGonagall, Snape, Flitwick, and Sprout…"
Understanding, and warming to the idea, Severus added, "Madam Pomfrey's rooms are next to the Hospital Wing, too, so she won't be around here often, either."
"Hagrid's of course got his hut, and Firenze--he's a centaur, teaches Divination--he has a room on the first floor."
"That still leaves us possibly dodging Professors Vector, Sinistra, Slughorn…"
"Saxena, Trelawny--"
"Who?" Severus asked, frowning.
Hermione waved a hand. "Oh, I forgot, they'd be new to you. Professor Saxena teaches Magical Theory and Professor Trelawny is the other Divination teacher. There's also Professor Burbage--Muggle Studies--and Professor Babbling."
"Runes, right. Madam Pince, Madam Hooch," Severus sighed, "and Filch."
Hermione looked pained. "I'm a cat person, and even I'm not fond of Mrs. Norris."
"I'm fairly certain she's really an Animagus who's stuck or something." Severus said grimly.
Hermione scoffed. "Oh, you don't actually believe that old rumour, do you?"
Severus shrugged and started ticking off reasons on his fingers. "She's really intelligent, and can seem to communicate, but doesn't have any Kneazle markings. She's really, really old for a cat--she was around when I was a first year, twenty-five, no, six, years ago! She might not actually be a person stuck as a cat, Hermione, but she's something."
"A menace." Hermione responded, with aggrieved feeling, and Severus couldn't help but laugh.
"Either way, she's on the list. A rather long, list, actually, especially when you consider that one of the Heads might drop in for a surprise visit. I don't think Professor Snape would mind; he did the same after all, only in the dungeons." Severus said authoritatively, "He'd understand the need for a private place to study and experiment, he gets it, you know?"
"He'd probably let you off, but not me." Hermione's voice was rueful.
Severus nodded, conceding her point and started pacing again. "This seems to be a good time of the day in general, most of them have a class and the ones who don't are probably using their free period to mark."
Hermione nodded. "Crookshanks would probably help act as lookout, but this would be a whole lot easier if we had the Mar--" Hermione's mutter cut off with a horrified expression.
Alarmed, Severus asked, "What? Hermione what is it?"
"The Marauder's Map. It'll give you away! I have to go!" Hermione bolted to her feet, hurriedly grabbing her bag and dashing out the door without another word.
Severus stared after her, still trying to process what had just happened. The Marauder's Map? What on earth was that? Severus shook his head, then noticed Hermione had left her elaborate schedule behind in her panic. Picking it up, he gave it another amused look before folding it back up again carefully and putting it in his own bag. He could return it during Potions class.
The warding locks on this suite, like the vast majority of the private staff rooms, were not based on a password that could be guessed or overheard but on the magical signature in the owner's touch. It was enough to make him wonder if perhaps Professor Snape's quarters…and the potions storeroom... Severus licked his lips in anticipation. It would be worth trying, at least. Perhaps there would be some useful information within.
Carefully, he opened the door, wary of anyone who might catch sight of him. The coast seemingly clear, so he crept out and started down the hall. It would not be a bad idea to put a couple of alarm wards a few paces off from the door, he mused. Perhaps something simple, just a ward line across the floor of the hall several feet on either side, alerting him if anyone crossed. It wouldn't be perfect, but it would be better than nothing.
Glancing about quickly to make sure no one was coming, Severus retreated further down the hall and set up the rudimentary wards-just a quick rune inked on the stone floor on either side of the hall, as close to the wall as he could manage. A few moments later and he had charmed it to ring a little chime inside the suite if anyone crossed it. He repeated the process about ten feet or so on the other side of the door, and then a third and final line at the entrance to the staff wing. Stepping back, he considered his work, trying to decide if his little ink marks were noticeable to the casual observer. Giving up, he shrugged a little. It would have to do for now.
Sighing a little in relief as he made it to neutral ground without being caught, Severus made his way down the stairs, reflexively bending his knees and catching the railing as it started to shift under him, re-directing his route. Bloody staircase. It was going to end up depositing him significantly off course. He checked his watch again and was alarmed to see that he only had about five minutes before class-the wards had taken longer than he had realised! Severus took the rest of the stairs as quickly as he dared whilst they were moving, and nearly leaped off when they came to rest. Severus sped up until he was practically running, nearly colliding with a Hufflepuff third year as he turned a corner.
He was out of breath by the time he made it to the Potions classroom, late rather than early. He slipped in just in time to see Slughorn give Potter and Weasley books and potion kits to use from the supply cupboard-apparently the two of them had come unprepared for class entirely. Berks.
Sneering a little, Severus glanced about and saw Hermione sitting next to where Potter and Weasley had parked their things. Her mouth was set in a pinched, upset frown, and she kept darting worried looks at the two boys.
Rolling his eyes, Severus sat himself down on Hermione's other side with as much dignity as he could manage and dug into his bag, removing her schedule. He passed it to her and was gratified to see her clutch it to her chest and mouth "Thank you" to him. He smiled back, and whispered, "You didn't explain about the 'Marauder's Map.'"
Hermione bit her lip, her troubled expression returning, and whispered back, "Harry's got a map of Hogwarts that tells you where everyone is--it labels them, and you can't fool it into calling you something else. If he happens to take a look and notice that there are two of you, or see what your proper name is…" Her voice trailed off.
Aghast, Severus stared at her. "You didn't think to mention it earlier?"
"I forgot! And they're still upset with me from this morning; I doubt Harry will let me borrow it, and then he'd eventually want it back...I don't know what to do," Hermione finished miserably.
Severus narrowed his eyes as he recalled how uncanny Sirius Black and James Potter had been at ferreting him out when they were in school together. "We'll tell Professor Snape. I'm sure he would love to confiscate that. I'm certain he could put it to better use, too," he added viciously.
Hermione bit her lip again, and asked, "Could we maybe tell Professor Dumbledore, instead? It's just that Professor Snape is horribly biased against Gryffindors, he wouldn't be fair at all-"
"Whereas Professor Dumbledore is horribly biased for them," Severus shot back, angry. "Don't try to deny it, you know it's true."
"He wouldn't use it to hand out detentions to everyone, though, Professor Snape would."
Severus arched his brows at her and pointedly turned away, unable to respond as the two boys returned to their seats, and Professor Slughorn started to babble airily about the potions bubbling away at the front of the room. They would revisit the subject later.
A/N: Thank you so much for reading; please review! It is so wonderful that so many of you do--when I started this I had absolutely no idea I would get such an amazing response, and so much wonderful feedback! I have become both more confidant as a person and a much better writer in general because of you! You are wonderful, and I want you to know how much I appreciate you!!
Special love to friends old and new: OneCelestialBeing, ThornedHuntress, Mellbell, AdelaideArcher, and Cybrokat. You know why precisely why. ;-)
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