It Happened One Hallow's Eve

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to JKR. All situations are mine. No $$$ is being made from this fanfic.
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Chapter 11 ~ Life as Usual

Hermione’s first order of business when she arrived at Gryffindor tower was to see Professor McGonagall and take her lumps for her disappearance. The Head of House was in her office eating a bowl of soup that smelled delicious. Hermione immediately decided soup and a sandwich was definitely in order as she sat and listened to Minerva scold her for being so irresponsible, thoughtless and putting both her life and the Professor's life in grave danger.

Hermione wanted to point out she had no idea about the ghosts, but that would have been no defense. No one knew until Albus accidentally discovered what was going to happen. Plus, if she tried to defend herself, Minerva could have gone on for hours. When it came time for her punishment, Hermione informed the witch Professor Snape had already taken one hundred and twenty-five points from her.

Minerva’s face cinched up as if she had consumed a pint of very sour lemon juice.

“One hundred and twenty-five points? For rescuing you? I swear, that wizard will use any excuse to try and wrest the House Cup from Gryffindor,” she seethed. “And here I was thinking he was being selfless. Oooh, he gets my goat.”

Minerva let Hermione go with a stern warning, and the witch tiredly headed for her room. She was head girl, so had private accommodations…not that it helped. People were forever knocking on her door for something. There were a few housemates in the common room, looking at her curiously as she passed. They wanted to ask about what happened when she was locked in the castle with the Professor, but the witch looked quite unapproachable as she passed, her face pinched and brows slightly furrowed. Hermione was known to get quite sharp when she didn’t want to be bothered, so they left her alone for now.

Hermione entered her bedroom and sat down on the edge of the bed. Her eyes fell on the nightstand. A small bottle made of black glass was resting there without a label. A small piece of parchment was next to it. She picked up the note and read it. The handwriting was clear and quite elegant.

Hermione, I had a house elf deliver this potion to your room, rather than have you come to my office. You know what it is for.

That was all the note said. There was no reference to what the potion was or who sent the note, though Hermione knew it was from Severus. His penmanship on paper was quite different than it was in the classroom. Most of the time the students had to study the scrawl for a moment or two before they could understand what he’d written. Obviously he made his notes difficult to read on purpose. Hermione smirked. The wizard was so perverse.

The moment Hermione put the note down on the nightstand, it burst into a self-contained flame and turned to ash. The Professor certainly was cautious.

Hermione opened the bottle and sniffed it. It smelled like black licorice. She grimaced. Black licorice was disgusting…but she needed to drink it. The witch pinched her nose closed and gulped the liquid down, waiting a few seconds before releasing it, making a terrible face as she tasted the gross potion. When Hermione put the bottle back down on the nightstand, it turned to powder.

Yes, Severus was being extremely cautious. He wanted no evidence left.

Hermione pulled out her wand and scourgified the ash and powder, then put the wand on the nightstand. She then stood up and began to undress, planning to get a nice shower, eat, then afterwards spend a bit of time studying and working on an essay that was due in three weeks for Advanced Charms. Classes were suspended for the day, but would start up again tomorrow.

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After a resting up and having an uneventful day, Hermione felt refreshed and walked down to the common room where quite a large group of her housemates were gathered. They were actually there because of her. They wanted to hear the story about what happened with the ghosts and purposely made sure no one disturbed her, hoping she would be in a good mood when she came down from the room. Their method worked. Hermione was feeling quite amicable.

“Hi Hermione,” Neville Longbottom said to her smiling, “How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine, Neville,” the witch said, smiling back at him.

Neville had made it into Severus’ Advanced Potions class, despite the wizard’s best efforts to get rid of the determined Gryffindor. The young wizard wasn’t a natural, but passable and actually did quite well with plant-based potions. He hadn’t exploded a cauldron in ages. Hermione admired him for sticking with Potions. The Professor was still very mean to him, but over the years, Neville had toughened up and Severus’ comments didn’t sting like they used to.

He had also grown into quite a good-looking wizard, his once pudgy body changing into stockiness. He was muscular, broad-shouldered and looked as if he could snap a wizard in half, though he had one of the sweetest dispositions in Hogwarts. He was also extremely shy around witches, though plenty were interested in him.

“Um, Hermione,” the wizard asked, swallowing a little, “Could you tell us what happened yesterday? We’d really like to know.”

Hermione looked around at the sea of expectant faces. Ron and Harry weren’t there, but they already knew the story.

“All right,” she said. Immediately everyone started talking excitedly, Dean Thomas guiding Hermione to a sofa, the students gathering around her as she launched into the story.”

“Blimey! Nick tried to do you in?” Seamus asked, his eyes wide with disbelief.

Hermione nodded.

“But the Professor hit him with a Congealing spell then pulled me into the office and told me what was going on. Then we apparated to the subdungeons…”

Hermione told the students everything…well almost everything. They oohed and ahhed.

“Snape sounds almost decent,” one student said, “Almost.”

“He was saving his own ass too,” another student said.

“Still he protected her,” another Gryffindor pointed out.

“He’s a teacher. He had to. He’s still a greasy dungeon bat,” another student said.

A huge argument broke out about the Potions Master’s role in saving Hermione, mostly between the males. Some of the witches pulled Hermione to the side as the boys argued.

“Someone said that the ghosts were after you because you were a virgin,” Ginny Weasley said, her brown eyes wide.

Hermione nodded.

“Yes. I was considered pure, so they wanted my soul badly. Evil likes taking innocence best,” the witch replied.

“They said that…if the Professor couldn’t get the ghosts to leave you alone…he’d have to shag you,” Ginny pressed. The other girls moved closer.

“Yes…that was an option. But we managed to get into the ROR and it protected us, so he didn’t have to deflower me,” she said evenly.

“But you slept in the same room with him. Did he try anything?” another witch asked her.

“No,” Hermione said. “We had beds on opposite sides of the room.”

Hermione didn’t want to blatantly lie so left it at that.

A couple of the witches looked disappointed. They were hoping for something steamier than that.

“I’d be scared to sleep in the same room with him,” Parvati said, frowning. “He looks like the kind of wizard that would slip into your bed naked in the middle of the night.”

Hermione did her best not to color at the witch’s remark. That had been exactly what happened, but it was she who did the “slipping.”

Only Ginny Weasley didn’t look horrified at what Parvati suggested about the wizard.

“Professor Snape is hot,” the red-haired witch said. “I wouldn’t mind a go at him. He’s so dark and intense. I bet he’s awesome in the sack.”

Ginny was a sixth-year, but was sexually active, much to Ron’s chagrin. He hadn’t heard about it from any wizard, but did overhear her talking with Pavarti about shagging some wizard from Ravenclaw one morning when he walked into the common room and the witches didn’t hear him approach, they were so busy giggling. He was furious and demanded who it was, and after a heated argument was left with a bat bogey wrapped around his face as Ginny stormed off, her secret intact.

That morning at breakfast, Ron spent much of his time glaring at the Ravenclaw table trying to figure out which of the wizards had defiled his little sister. Of course he couldn’t do it. So he started shadowing her, borrowing Harry’s invisibility cloak. He ruined it however when he jumped a Hufflepuff wizard who kissed Ginny in front of the Fat Lady after walking her back from supper. It had been an innocent kiss, but Ron was enraged, ripping off the invisibility cloak, roaring like a manticora and charging the startled young man. He cost Gryffindor fifty points and received a week’s worth of detentions for his actions.

Professor McGonagall took him aside and told him it was perfectly natural for a witch of Ginny’s age to “experiment.” Ron wasn’t having it. But Harry stopped letting him use the invisibility cloak…particularly since he liked Ginny himself and didn’t want to have to fight Ron if he went out with her. Ron was furious at him for a while, but got over it. He was still horribly overprotective however, and if a wizard dated Ginny, he either had to hide it or fight Ron.

Hermione looked at Ginny sharply as the other witches gagged and made disparaging noises of ultimate disgust.

“You are one sick witch, Ginny.”

“Ewww. I feel like I need a bath,”

“One word. Therapy. Lots and lots of therapy.”

Hermione felt a twinge of jealousy as she eyed Ginny. The Professor wouldn’t be interested in the witch, but it still steamed her that Ginny thought he was shaggable. Ginny looked back at her curiously.

“What do you think, Hermione? Is Professor Snape shaggable to you?” the witch inquired.

”I think that topic shouldn’t even be discussed. He’s a teacher,” the witch replied, “I won’t dignify it with an answer.”

Hermione walked off with her nose in the air, the witches looking after her.

Ginny smirked.

“She thinks he’s shaggable,” she said with certainty as the other witches gagged again.

Ew.

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Hermione slept surprisingly well that night. She had no dreams about the dark wizard at all and woke up refreshed and ready for the day. Maybe she would be able to keep her distance until she graduated. Her feelings yesterday could have just been…well…afterglow. Now, in the bright light of day, she felt she could handle this.

Until she went to Potions class that is.

The witch found it very hard to focus as the Professor went about his normal duties, demonstrating a new potion. Hermione’s eyes focused on his hands as he worked, those same hands that had caressed and explored her body. She listened to his low silky voice as he described the processes needed to create the potion and a shudder went through the witch as she remembered how he sounded while taking her, how that silkiness was all for her as he thrust inside her body.

Severus’ eyes swept over the witch several times as he taught the class, and he noticed her faraway look. She wasn’t paying attention.

“Miss Granger,” he said sharply. Hermione looked at him startled.

“Please tell me how the arrowgrass is supposed to be prepared for this potion. Is it to be chopped, diced or pulverized?” he asked her.

Hermione’s eyes shifted wildly as she tried to remember what he said.

“Chopped?” she responded.

“No. Pulverized. Ten points from Gryffindor for not listening, Miss Granger and see me after class,” the wizard said. “And whatever you are thinking about, I suggest you stop and pay attention.”

”Yes sir,” Hermione answered, chastised.

After class let out, Hermione walked up to the Potions Master’s desk.

“You wanted to see me, sir?” she said to him, her amber eyes drinking the wizard in.

Severus sighed.

“You have to focus on your work, Miss Granger. I do not want your grades to suffer. I am not going to bolster your grades for you…it would be a disservice. You are my best pupil. I want you to continue being so,” he said, his dark eyes resting on the witch and sweeping over her. He felt a small pulse as he thought about her naked under him the night before, but he pushed the image back.

“I’m sorry…it’s just so soon. I need time, Professor,” she responded, “I can’t just push what happened between us out of my mind like that. It was my first time.”

Severus understood, but she would still have to work at it.

“You must do it, Hermione,” he said, using her given name. “You have to show me strength, witch. I have to trust you will keep our secret.”

“I’ll try to do better,” the witch promised, “but did you have to take points?”

Severus looked at her coolly.

“Of course I did. You weren’t paying attention. Besides, you are a Gryffindor. I live to take points from your house,” he said, arching an eyebrow at her.

Hermione scowled at him.

Severus drummed his fingers on his desktop for a moment, considering the witch, then said, “Our situation has nothing to do with House rivalry. I’m not going to change how I deal with Gryffindor. I have the House Cup to think of and I plan to make it ours this year by any means necessary. I can only suggest you stay focused so you are not responsible for a great amount of point loss because I will take them at every opportunity,” Severus said evenly, his dark eyes glittering, “from any and every student…including you.”

Hermione colored.

“Professor McGongall is right about you. You’d do anything to gain the House Cup. You’re so competitive it’s insane,” Hermione said.

Severus simply looked at her.

“And this is something new to you? You’ve been here seven years, Miss Granger…you should have some slight inkling as to how I operate by now. A night with you hasn’t changed that,” he said coldly.

Hermione let out a little cry of indignation, grabbed her backpack off her desk and stormed out of the room. He was insufferable.

“Ten points for leaving without being properly dismissed, Miss Granger,” Severus called after her. He was answered by another frustrated cry. The wizard smirked.

He’d have the witch’s ardor cooled toward him inside of a week. Then after graduation he could ignite her again. He looked forward to that.

The Potions Master allowed himself to dwell on Hermione’s passion for him for a delicious moment, then again pushed the witch from his mind, opening his desk drawer and pulling out the lesson plan for his next class.

He couldn’t spend his time thinking about the witch.

He had work to do.

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A/N: So they are back at Hogwarts and trying to conduct themselves in a normal manner. Easier said than done for Hermione. So, Severus plans to piss her off so much that she backs off of him for the time being, then plans to pull her back in after graduation. I have a feeling it’s not going to work out the way he plans. Hermione can be quite vindictive. She’s had a bit of Slytherin in her after all. Lol. Well please review.