In an Alternate Universe

Chapter 38 ~ A Surprising Development

If Professor Flitwick appeared to be pushy, he had good reason for it. Albus submitted copies of Severus’ discoveries to the Ministry and it wasn’t long before the news of the brilliant young Gryffindor made its rounds.

After collecting Hermione’s urine and nearly a gallon of morning dew from his Prefects, Severus made his way down to breakfast. He had just sat down when the morning owl post arrived. Several of the hooting birds landed before him, delivering parchments and parcels.

”Oy! What’s all that, Severus?” Ron asked him, pulling a parcel towards him then picking it up and shaking it.

Severus looked perplexed at all the posts.

”I don’t know, Ron,” he said.

Both Hermione and professor Flitwick looked at the pile of messages before the Gryffindor.

”Damn it,” Filius hissed to himself.

Hermione wasn’t surprised at all. She knew this was going to happen. All those parchments meant only one thing. Word had gotten around about Severus’ talents and those were all offers of Apprenticeship. The parcels were probably little gifts.

Severus opened one of the parchments, and his eyes widened.

”This is an offer of Apprenticeship from master Antoine Vargas!” he breathed, “He’s considered one of the foremost authorities on Potions in the wizarding world!”

”Wow,” Harry breathed.

Severus quickly opened several more parchments.

”They’re all offers for Apprenticeships, in both Potions and Charms,” he said, shaking his head slowly. Then he looked up toward Hermione, who met his eyes for a moment, then returned to her breakfast, picking at her food.

She didn’t feel hungry anymore.

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Later in the day, the Headmaster summoned Severus to his office. The Gryffindor entered, wondering what the old wizard wanted. Albus sat behind the desk, smiling at him.

”You’re suddenly quite a popular young wizard, Severus,” Albus said, gesturing to a small stack of papers on his desk. “I’ve received a number of requests asking for appointments to meet with you.”

Severus blinked at him.

“From who?” he asked.

“Actually, from a number of parties interested in securing your talents. Charms and Potions masters. Ministry headhunters. A few representatives from the private sector. It seems as if your spells and new brewing methods have attracted some attention. You are very much in demand, Severus. Your future looks quite bright after graduation. Tomorrow I am going to withdraw you from classes so you can meet with these individuals. I advise you to just listen and not make any hasty decisions. In fact, I believe professor Granger should also sit in, since you are in her charge,” the Headmaster said, duplicating the paperwork and sliding a pile over to Severus.

“Yes sir,” Severus agreed, his head nearly spinning at all of this opportunity suddenly being thrust at him.

He had no idea outside sources would be wooing him. He reduced the paperwork and put it in his backpack, thanked Albus and left.

Fawkes let out a worried trill. Albus looked at him.

“Yes, I know Fawkes. Severus will be quite tempted by all this glitz. Let us hope he isn’t dazzled by it and makes a good decision in the end,” the old wizard said.

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That evening, Severus pored through all the Apprenticeship offers, sitting at Hermione’s desk as the witch quietly listened to him while staring into the fire.

”Master Vargas is offering me my own cottage, an expense account . . . and . . . and . . .”

Severus suddenly went silent, reddening. Hermione looked at him sharply.

”And what?” she demanded.

”Um . . . carte blanche at Madam Nasty’s House of Hooch,” he said hesitatingly.

”Figures he’d throw pussy into the deal,” Hermione snorted, her eyes narrowing.

Hermione knew Vargas was little more than a thief. All those ideas he was “renowned” for actually came from other wizards, lesser known and far more talented than he was. He preyed on the young and inexperienced, the fat bastard, then presented their ideas as his own. In fact, it was a common practice that everything an apprentice produced was credited to his mentor. Only after completing the Apprenticeship could the new Master claim his own works.

“Professor, I didn’t know all these people would be so interested in me,” Severus said to Hermione, rising from behind her desk and walking over to the witch, sitting down in the armchair next to her. “I’ve got so many offers.”

”Yes, you do. That’s part of the reason I didn’t offer you an Apprenticeship immediately, and why Flitwick did,” Hermione said, “the competition is fierce. Flitwick wanted to lock you in. I . . . I knew you needed to see the other offers. It would have been unfair to take you on without you knowing your options.”

Severus considered her.

”They are offering me a lot,” he said to the witch. “Expense accounts, brooms, gifts . . . everything.”

Hermione nodded.

”I can’t give you any of those things, Severus. Besides, I don’t agree with this method of getting talent. Unlike Vargas, I would prefer an apprentice come to me because he sincerely believes I could help him improve his art, rather than because he can access all the whores he desires,” she said in a cold voice.

Severus didn’t say anything, but he didn’t want to sleep with whores. Now if he were Ron, his name would already be on the dotted line. He didn’t even tell the redhead about it. Ron would have had a fit.

”Are you out of your mind? Think about it? Hell, take it! Take it, Sev!”

Hermione looked at the young wizard thoughtfully.

”You know, those offers contain quite a bit about what they will provide for you . . . but, have you paid attention to what they want from you in return?” she asked him.

”They want me to learn and study, don’t they? They want me to excel,” he said.

Hermione gave a snorting laugh.

”Nothing in this world is free, Severus. Read the fine print,” she instructed him. “Every one of those offers has it. Just look for the tiniest writing.”

Severus looked at her, then walked back over to the desk and scanned the offers again. She was right. There was quite a bit of very tiny writing in them, whereas the text containing the perks was large and very readable. He frowned as he shuffled through the paperwork.

”It pretty much says everything I produce during my Apprenticeship will be the property of my mentor, including all rights and patents,” he said disbelievingly. “Every one of the offers has this written in.”

Hermione nodded.

”And since your brewing techniques and spells have already been attributed to you, they’re hands off. Everyone is trying to sign you before you produce anything else. The moment you sign on as an Apprentice, anything you create becomes the property of your mentor, even the things you have in the works before you signed,” Hermione said. “They will collect any and all residuals. You will have no claim to it. Not even your name will appear in relation to the spell’s or technique’s creation. So you see, Severus, they won’t be giving, not really. They will be taking. Your work will more than repay them for their ‘perks.’”


Severus scowled at this. That meant the Philosopher’s stone wouldn’t be his.

“Couldn’t I negotiate the terms?” he asked her.

Hermione smirked unpleasantly.

”You can try,” she said.

Severus fell silent for a moment, then said, “Professor, are you going to make me an offer?”

She looked at him.

”As I said, Severus, the competition is fierce and really, I don’t know if I’ll be able to stand having you about for the next four years,” she said, frowning at him slightly. “Besides, if you apprenticed to me, you would have to have an outside job. I can’t provide what you need on my salary, even with the pay raise.”

Severus smiled at her.

”I’ll get my own ingredients. All I have to do is get a solicitor to register my techniques and spells for public and private use. I’ll get residuals,” he said brightly.

”What about the new brooms, gifts and Madam Nasty?” she asked him.

”I don’t need any of that, particularly Madam Nasty’s services . . .”

He shuddered a little. He wouldn’t like shagging witches that slept with everyone anyway. He could catch something. Besides, he’d have the professor. She was all he wanted and needed.

“Besides, professor . . . I consider you a perk. A better one than anything anyone’s offered me,” he said softly. “Nothing compares to you. Nothing.”

Hermione blinked at him, then sat back in the armchair and sighed.

”You are a romantic fool, Severus Snape,” she said softly, the firelight catching her amber eyes and filling them with flame.

“I’m not a fool. I just know what I want, and I want you,” he declared passionately.

”We’ve already talked about this, Severus. I’m too old for you,” the witch said, irritation in her voice.

”I don’t care how old you are,” he said stubbornly.

“You will . . .” she said, suddenly rising. “I don’t want to talk about this any longer. Tomorrow I will sit in on your appointments since I don’t have a choice in the matter.”

Severus looked up at her.

”Will you at least submit an offer of Apprenticeship, professor?” he asked her.

Hermione stared down into his hopeful eyes.

”I don’t know, Severus. I don’t want you accepting an Apprenticeship with me hoping that a real relationship will develop between us. I’m not going to ‘buy’ you with the promise of sex,” she said to him sharply.

”No. That wouldn’t be the reason . . .” he began.

”Let’s just see what the others offer and what you can negotiate, all right?” she said to the young wizard. “Then after that, I’ll consider making an offer. But I’m not making any promises. Now, good night.”

Hermione walked into her bedroom and closed the door.

Severus sat there, staring into the flame. He had to create that stone. It would be the answer to everything.

He went into his bedroom and quietly collected and reduced the jars of morning dew and urine he’d collected. Then he pocketed them and exited Hermione’s rooms. As he walked into the Main Hall, he encountered Draco, who was just starting on his rounds.

“What are you doing out, Snape?” he asked him suspiciously.

”I have a special dispensation to be out after curfew. Besides, I’m Head Boy, Draco . . . don’t forget that,” Severus growled at him.

”All right, but where are you going?” the pureblood asked him.

”None of your business, that’s where,” Severus replied, heading up the Main Stairwell, Draco frowning after him. He would follow but he had to check the lower areas first. Still frowning up at Severus, he headed for the Great Hall.

Severus walked down the second floor corridor, searching for the ROR. He found the door easily this time. It was as if it were waiting for him. He entered to find the old wooden door with the demon-head knob waiting for him. He took a deep breath, pulled it open and was sucked through.

Once in the lab, he quickly took out his supplies and enlarged them. Then he checked the cabinet containing the test urine. A skin was developing on the top and it smelled strongly of ammonia.

”Phew!” he breathed, wrinkling up his large nose.

He then carried a large jug of urine and a jug of morning dew into the moon lab. He pulled the lever that opened the stone ceiling. Once again the room was flooded with the light of the full moon. Severus wondered about that. There must be some kind of magic working here. The moon shouldn’t be full. But Flamel was a powerful wizard. Maybe he found a way to stop time or make the lab circulate to follow the moon’s phases. Whatever he did, apparently it worked and that was all Severus was concerned with. Once he mixed the urine and dew, it couldn’t be exposed to any other light than moonlight or the red oil wouldn’t form. Working with this batch was going to be particularly nasty, since the putrefied urine had to be reduced further with low heat several times and allowed to further ferment until there was only oil and earth left. The smell would be horrible.

He prepared the mixture, then put it away to ferment. He then closed the ceiling and returned to the first lab to mix up a larger batch of the solution which would produce the White Earth and Oil. Then he returned to Hogwarts.

When he entered Hermione’s quarters, he was surprised to find the witch up, working at her desk. She looked up, frowning.

”Where have you been?” she demanded, “I thought you went to bed.”

Severus thought quickly.

”I went to check on Draco to make sure he wasn’t shirking his duties, or giving any Slytherins he caught breaks,” he lied.

Hermione frowned at this. Of course Draco would give his housemates breaks. It was expected. Just because Gryffindors took points from fellow students in their own house when they were caught dirty didn’t mean Slytherins did.

“I’m sure Draco is doing a fine job,” she said darkly, “and next time make sure to tell me when you are leaving the dungeons after curfew, or you’ll be losing a few points for Gryffindor.”

”All right,” Severus said as Hermione returned to work.

She was in her house robe and Severus’ dark eyes rested on her, wondering if she were nude underneath it. He felt a little throb in his nether regions.

Hermione looked up at him.

”Go to bed, Severus,” she said, frowning at him.

Severus couldn’t help himself.

”Mine or yours?” he asked with a naughty smile.

In answer, Hermione whipped out her wand and set the bottom of his robes on fire. Severus frantically tore them off and stomped them out. Then he looked at the smirking witch, who eyed him right back.

”What do you think?” Hermione asked him rather sweetly.

”My bed,” he said, picking up his robes and examining them, before entering his bedroom.

”Right in one,” Hermione replied, returning to her work.

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A/N: Thanks for reading.