In an Alternate Universe

Chapter 21 ~ Testing the Prince’s Mettle


“Me?” Hermione nearly spluttered.

She would have never believed Severus Snape would dare try to . . . to purposely blackmail her into a tryst. Not directly. What happened with the Oath had been an unfortunate accident. But this! He was purposely trying to manipulate her into a sexual relationship!

The wizard had bigger balls than a fucking troll.

“Yes. You, Professor Granger. I want you if I prove myself,” Severus said, his dark eyes softening.

”You insolent young pup! Trying to negotiate to have sex with me? You have no morals! No ethics!” she seethed at him.

Severus fought back a little smirk. Professor Granger was a Slytherin wasn’t she? Morals and ethics never played a very large role in a Slytherin’s basic make-up. She was trying to turn his own house inclinations back on him. Trying to make him feel guilty about what he was attempting to do. Well, Severus didn’t feel guilty. This was an opportunity to get at the snarky witch the way he wanted. He wasn’t about to pass on that, no matter how un-Gryffindorish it seemed. But she was wrong about his motives. Well . . . partially wrong. There was more to this than sex.

Severus shook his head.

”I’m not negotiating for sex, Professor,” he said, then faltered. “Well, I guess I am, but I want more than that. I want to be able to spend time with you, brew with you and learn from you. Yes, I’ve managed through trial and error to alter brewing processes, but there’s still so much I don’t know that you do. Things I want to learn,” he said earnestly.

“I’d like to talk about things, about potions, about life . . . and about you. You’re a brilliant teacher, Professor and I think you’re beautiful as well. We could enjoy each other, I know we could. I don’t have anyone I can talk about serious things with, intellectual things, and I don’t think you do either. It has to get lonely for you. I have ideas and thoughts I’d like to be able to share with someone and get opinions on. I like to debate too, but no one has enough knowledge to be challenging. I just know you’d be good at it. So, yes, I want you Professor, but for more than just sex, though I want that too. Lots of it,” the wizard said. “I know you can teach me about what it really is. I know the mechanics, but that’s it. You could help me there.”

Hermione studied the wizard.

”You certainly want a lot, Mr. Snape. What you are asking for would take up much of my time,” she said to him.

”It would only be until I graduate, Professor. That’s only a few months. In return you’ll be able to brew your potions better, earn a better salary and be revered as a very talented teacher long after I’m gone. I mean, if I can’t brew these potions, you’re willing to ruin my life as punishment. So I think if I can brew them, you should be willing to share your life with me as a reward. It’s only fair,” Severus said.

Ah, there it was. The Gryffindorness, yet tempered by self-interest. An interesting combination.

“I guess from where you’re sitting, Mr. Snape, it appears that way, doesn’t it?” Hermione said to him with a disarming smile. “I tell you what. I’ll consider your proposal while you are brewing. How’s that?”

Hermione hoped she sounded disarming as well. She had no intentions on agreeing after the fact. If he did manage to improve the technique, good for him. He wasn’t going to suck up all her spare time.

Not that she had much to do with it other than brewing, drinking Firewhiskey and marking papers. She never went out anyplace.

Severus arched an eyebrow at Hermione.

”I . . . don’t think so, Professor. I’d prefer to know your answer now,” he said slowly.

Hermione swelled indignantly.

”Are you saying you don’t TRUST me, Mr. Snape?” she hissed at him.

”I’m just saying I’d like to know your answer before I do anything,” he replied diplomatically.

“Mr. Snape, you will go into my labs and prepare yourself to brew the Draught of Living Death this instant!” Hermione snarled at him.

”I won’t,” Severus said stubbornly, meeting her narrowed eyes.

Hermione really did feel like hexing him, the smug little bastard. He knew he had her. By taking him to task about the annotations in his book, she had cast down the gauntlet, erroneously thinking she had Severus dead to rights. She had also told Albus there was a “situation” that she would have to apprise him of, so he was expecting a report. If the Gryffindor couldn’t prove his techniques viable, he would be expelled, but if they proved to be as he said they were, Albus would sing his and her praises from the turret tops. But if Severus didn’t brew anything at all, there would be a hearing where he would demonstrate his techniques. If he were successful, then everyone would blame her for putting such a talented student under scrutiny, perhaps out of malice or even jealousy.

Gods damn it.

“Mr. Snape, you do realize by not obeying me in this matter, you are breaking school rules,” she said to him in a last effort to make the stubborn wizard capitulate.

Severus shrugged.

”Considering the situation, that’s the least of my worries, Professor. I’m facing being expelled anyway. Another broken rule isn’t going to make it any worse,” he replied logically, “unless you try to get me sent to Azkaban as well. But if you do, you’ll fail.”

Hermione glared at him for a full five minutes. Severus looked back at her expectantly.

Gods, was he really willing to go to such lengths in order to gain access to her? Hm, but she still didn’t like the idea of being bested by a seventh year Gryffindor, no matter how delicious he was starting to appear. There was a third option.

”Mr. Snape, I could just copy your annotations and test them myself,” the Potions mistress said.

“In that case, I would be forced to take my techniques to the Headmaster myself to insure that I received credit for my discoveries. Not to say you would steal the credit, Professor, but better safe than sorry, especially when dealing with a Slytherin,” Severus replied.

Hermione turned bright red. He had an answer for everything. He was so aggravating, but still so compelling. Those dark eyes burned into hers, waiting for an answer.

The Potions mistress paced back and forth a few times, as if that would help her situation. Then she looked at Severus again, noting the hopeful look in his eyes. Well, the boy wanted more than sex . . . he wanted intelligent companionship and to learn. If she did this, she would sort of be his Patron or Mentor, with additional privileges. Privileges that would only be better with time and experience.

Hermione took a moment to look at her life. Really look at it. She had nothing really. Oh, she had her job, a secure position, a roof over her head. But that was about it. She had been hiding from life, finding solace in her misery and pleasure in making the lives of others just a touch less joyful, because the old adage was true that misery loves company. Severus made her realize she was tired of being miserable and tired of spending night after night alone. And not just sexually, but emotionally and mentally. Hell, if she agreed, he could be a pleasurable diversion over the next few months. A reprieve of sorts from the dull ache her life had become.

Hell. Why not? For years everything she’d done had been for the benefit of others. Now it was time for Hermione Granger to have a little fun, a little excitement. The good kind. The kind that didn’t always have death hanging over it.

She looked at Severus and sighed, because she knew once she said it, he was going to overreact.

”All right, Mr. Snape. I agree to your terms. If you fail, you will be expelled, but if your techniques work, I will allow you to ‘keep me company’ until graduation. Does that satisfy you?” she asked him.

”It will when you take an Oath,” he replied, smiling.

”An Oath? Why you little . . .”

Hermione let out a stream of profanities that blew Severus’ hair back, but he sat at the desk stoically until Hermione grudgingly took the Oath. Then he leapt up from the chair, pumping his fist in the air.

“YES! YES!” he cried, doing a little victory dance as Hermione looked at him in disbelief. Good gods, she agreed to sleep with this little cretin? He was acting as if he’d single-handedly won the World Cup. Merlin help her.

Suddenly, Severus latched on to Hermione, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her hard, trying to slip his tongue into her mouth.

She stomped on his foot.

”Ow!” Severus cried, holding his injured foot and hopping about as Hermione wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

”You will not latch on to me like the Giant Squid whenever the urge hits you, Mr. Snape. You haven’t brewed the Draught yet. Next time you do that, I’ll hex you where you’ll feel it most!” Hermione snapped at the wizard, picking up the potions book and heading for her labs.

”Come on, Mr. Snape,” she called back to him.

Severus gingerly put his foot down. It hurt, but he wore a very broad smile as he followed the witch, limping slightly as he wondered if he might be able to get another shag out of her tonight.

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Hermione watched as Severus removed his robes, revealing his lean young body clad in a crisp white button-up shirt, black trousers and black boots, polished to a gleam. He undid his cuffs and rolled up his shirt sleeves. He was all focus as he set up the cauldron, carefully examining it before scourgifying it several times and then casting an additional purification spell on it. He set it up, then carefully chose a set of scales, plucking at several, his black eyes intense as he checked the ballast. Hermione had the feeling of being invisible as the wizard walked to her stores and collected the ingredients he needed to create the Draught without as much as even glancing at the book.

He quickly prepared his ingredients, adding the base to the cauldron and efficiently chopping up Valerian roots and other herbs, scourgifying his utensils, measuring the amounts precisely and adding them to the cauldron. Within ten minutes, bluish steam was rising from the cauldron and the potion already resembled the smooth, black currant-colored liquid that heralded the midway stage.

Severus added a few more ingredients. Up to this point he was following the original instructions. Now he was to add the Sopophorous Bean. Hermione started as instead of chopping the bean as instructed, the wizard picked up a silver dagger and with the blade crushed the bean, which exuded more juice than Hermione could have ever thought possible.

Severus deftly scooped up the juice and added it to the cauldron. The potion turned a perfect shade of lilac. Hermione had to admit she was impressed. Normally, this was the portion of the brewing errors were made. But so far Severus was doing well, better than well and crushing the bean was certainly more effective than chopping it.

Now came the most difficult part. According to the instructions, the potion was to be stirred counterclockwise until it turned as clear as water. But Severus added a clockwise stir after every seventh counterclockwise stir. The potion immediately turned a pale pink.

Hermione blinked. She had never seen the potion react so quickly. The wizard was barely twenty stirs in. It normally took about seventy stirs before there was any reaction. Hermione watched as the potion turned clear as water in less than a quarter of the time it normally took. Severus stared down at it, then slowly turned his head to look at his Professor.

”You can test it now, Professor,” he said softly. “I think you’ll find it viable.”

Feeling rather stunned, Hermione approached the cauldron. Severus never took his eyes off her as she checked the contents. Hermione looked at him, her eyes wide.

”It’s viable,” she breathed as the clear liquid sparkled.

“Yes, it is Professor,” the wizard replied, moving a bit closer.

”And now, according to your Oath, so are we.”

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A/N: Go Sev!!!! Lol. Thanks for reading. :)