Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Delicate	By : soldiersgirl0709 Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Snape/Hermione Views: 41245 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I own nothing related to HP and the HP universe. Anything you see that is recognizable belongs to JKR and WB. No money is made from the publishing of this fic, only smiles and friends.

Chapter List
- 4
- 5
- 6
Chapter Five: Opportunities

yeah i tell you something

i think you'll understand

when i say that something

i wanna hold your hand

�I don�t like being stared at,� Severus groused as he perused the shelves at the little potions shop near Diagon Alley. �I don�t like shopping either.�

�You don�t have a choice since you don�t trust me to stock your stores,� Hermione said, a basket filled with various ingredients hooked over one arm as she stood beside him. They were being watched curiously but the other patrons. Part of it was just who they were, war hero and princess of the golden trio, but another part of it was simple curiosity. A young witch and an older wizard out shopping together�she was certain that it had gotten around that they lived together and was just as certain that people supposed she was his mistress. If only that were true, she would be the happiest witch alive.

�You are still young, while you are exceptionally bright it takes years of experience to know just how to select the perfect ingredients for your intended purpose,� he said as he held a jar of newts� eyes up to the light and examined them before placing them into the basket.

�How am I to gain experience by carrying the basket? Shouldn�t you be instructing me?� She asked, watching him rifle through a bin of yew roots. He looked over at her and arched his brow at her cheek, immediately she flushed and lowered her eyes.

�You are correct. I have been remiss, if you are to serve as my assistant I want you to be efficient and knowledgeable lest I end up blown to bits by some green first year using sub-par ingredients,� he said, gesturing for her to come closer.

�Do you know what this is?� He asked.

�Roots from a yew tree,� she said, hiding her smirk. Of course she knew what it was and he knew that she knew he was just being a jerk.

�And what purpose does it serve in potions?� He was deliberately trying to see her as a student in the hopes that it would lessen his desire for her. It wasn�t working; instead it was bringing to mind images of a naughty school girl and strict professor.

�The yew tree has an exceptionally long life span and can grow in rather harsh conditions making it very hardy and resilient. Those attributes make it useful in creating potions to reverse aging and restore health and vitality in older witches and wizards,� she saw him nod his head and examine several lengths of the root.

�The condition of the root is very important so one must examine it carefully prior to purchase for knots, disease and signs of nutrient depravation. Never assume that just because you are in an upscale apothecary that the merchandise is of high quality. The goal of retail is to make a profit with as little overhead as possible. Shopkeepers are notorious for placing lower quality items alongside the top shelf ingredients. Those who are inexperienced or ignorant would not know the difference and purchase the lower end merchandise at the same rate, thus earning the shop a profit,� he said as he placed his chosen length of yew into the basket.

�Maybe you should open an apothecary that carries only top shelf ingredients, you�d be wealthy in no time,� she said, following him down another aisle.

�I considered it,� he said, looking over the phials of blood from various creatures.

�Why did you decide against it?� She asked, gagging slightly when he tossed a phial of dragon bile into the basket.

�I have little tolerance for idiots, as you know, and I did not relish a life spent brewing, frivolous potions for the vain and incompetent, �he said, moving further down the aisle with her right behind him.

�What do you consider to be frivolous potions?� she asked, wishing he hadn�t worn robes over his clothing. She liked the casual way he dressed at home where she could admire his backside.

�Anything cosmetic that alters the appearance or counteracts the natural aging process,� he said as he stopped in front of a rack of dried herbs. �I would have no issues making a scar erasing cream for someone who was injured or burned but I would take offense to having to create something to erase wrinkles. Just as I would gladly make a hair restoring tonic for a sufferer of alopecia or someone recovering from cancer, but not a vain fop of a wizard who cant grow bald gracefully.�

�So you are saying that you have stipulations on your help?� She wasn�t surprised by his stance on cosmetic potions; he wasn�t a man that put a lot of stock into appearance.

�Exactly,� he said simply.

�Well, what about situations that may seem vain and selfish but have real meaning in truth?� She asked as she stared out the window and across the street where Lucius Malfoy sat in a caf� with a woman younger than she was.

�Such as?� This was his favorite part of their relationship, the conversations and exchange of ideas.

�For example, Lucius Malfoy is sitting in that caf� across the street with a woman young enough to be his daughter. Their body language indicates that they are intimate so I will assume that she is his mistress,� she observed. �If Narcissa Malfoy were to come to you and tell you that she needs a potion to make her look young and beautiful lest she lose her husband to a younger woman, would you turn her away?�

Severus walked over to stand beside her for a moment and looked out the window at his old friend before going back to his shopping. �She isn�t the first nor will she be the last,� he said. �Lucius will soon grow tired of her and in a few weeks another young bit of muslin will find herself in his bed.� He placed a bundle of dried lavender in the basket. �Narcissa Malfoy would never come to me for such nonsense. She doesn�t care who shares Lucius�s bed so long as she doesn�t have to. She has no fear of losing her husband, while Lucius may hop from bed to bed his heart lies firmly with his vault, of which his wife would get half should he try to dissolve their union.�

�Alright, fine, bad example,� she said, rolling her eyes, �what if it were another woman who came to you for help?�

�Then I would tell her that any man who could not see the beauty of a woman aging gracefully, who could not see the honor in the lines that childbirth and a life spent loving her family had left on her face and body, does not deserve her and she is better off without him.� Hermione had never wanted to kiss him as much as she did right then.

�What about an older man with a young wife who wants to have a child but is having difficulty performing?� Her voice was a bit raspy when she spoke.

�See, there again, this is a man who seeks help for a noble purpose, to procreate with his wife, not some degenerate older wizard who simply wishes to get it up so that he can fornicate with every witch who crosses his path,� Severus reasoned as he journeyed into another section of the apothecary.

�Okay, you don�t like brewing frivolous potions yet you teach your students how to brew hiccup potion and tickle potion, explain that?�

�That should be obvious, Hermione. Think about it, would you want a child, possibly a muggle child who had never seen a cauldron outside of a cartoon, brewing a sleeping draught? Of course not, it is better that they learn the brewing process and preparation process on harmless potions, therefore the fact that the potions themselves are useless is nullified by the education their creation provides,� he said.

�Your reasoning astounds me sometimes,� she said as she followed him.

�It should not; it is a simple matter of want versus need. Too many people fail to see the distinction between the two.� He said, entering a restricted section of the shop where he began placing several bottles and jars into the basket. She stood quietly, pondering his words and staring at him as covertly as she could manage. Wondering if, when it came down to it, she simply wanted him or did she need him in order to be happy?

�Hermione Granger?� She turned abruptly at the sound of her name, finding herself looking into a familiar face. �It�s Nigel, Nigel Greenly,� he said.

�Hello, Nigel, it�s lovely to see you after so long,� she smiled. She remembered Nigel; he had been a year a head of them and a Slytherin prefect. He was quite handsome with his sandy blonde hair and big green eyes. He had been fairly nice to her in school, as nice as one might expect a Slytherin to be at any rate.

�You look amazing! What have you been doing with yourself?� He asked, flashing her a bright smile.

�I just finished university actually,� she said, a bit mesmerized by the charming young man. �I�ll be working at the school in the fall, assisting Professor Snape.�

�Really? He agreed to it?� He asked incredulously.

�He and I are good friends, actually,� Hermione smiled.

�I don�t believe it!� Nigel said, chuckling.

�Mr. Greenly, still relying heavily on your charm I see,� Severus drawled as he stepped out of the shadowed corner to stand behind Hermione.

�Professor Snape, I didn�t see you there,� Nigel said, swallowing hard as he faced the scariest teacher he had ever had.

�Obviously,� Severus sneered and came around to face Hermione. �I am finished here; do you want to have lunch before we go home and put these things away?�

�Home? You live with Professor Snape?� Nigel asked, his green eyes wide in surprise.

�We share a home,� she acknowledged, noting the way Severus looked Nigel up and down, scowling.

�So you�� he looked between the two of them, his expression obviously trying to decipher the nature of their relationship.

�Are very good friends,� she answered, curious about the way Severus was sneering at the young man.

�Ah, so that means you are free for dinner Friday?� Nigel asked, hopefully. Hermione thought about it for a moment. Nigel was handsome and friendly and maybe a date was just what she needed to encourage her to get over Severus.

�I suppose it does,� she said, returning his smile.

�Fantastic!� Nigel said through his grin. �Shall I pick you up?�

�No, how about I meet you outside of Ollivander�s at eight?�

�Perfect, I suppose I should let you get back to your shopping. Good to see you, Professor Snape,� Nigel said, his smile slipping when he met the glowering stare of his former head of house.

�Greenly,� Severus said, his eyes narrowed.

�I-I�ll see you on Friday, Hermione,� he stammered before hurrying out the door.

�That boy always was an idiot,� Severus muttered as he reached for the basket still dangling from her arm.

�I don�t know, he�s handsome and he has a nice smile,� she said, following him to the counter where the sales-witch began totaling up his purchase.

�Nigel Greenly is all charm and no intellect. The boy could barely read and got through school by the skin of his teeth, only making prefect because his father paid for the remodeling of the Slytherin common room,� he sniffed.

�That means you approved his appointment as you were his head of house,� she said laughing.

�Yes, well, Slytherins are notoriously self serving, I shall not argue that,� he said, paying for his ingredients and gathering up the hemp sack the clerk had placed them in.

�You don�t like him, do you?� She asked softly, searching his face for some indication of how he felt.

�It doesn�t matter if I do or if I don�t. You obviously do,� he said as he avoided looking at her. �I will say this�you can do better,� he said just before he stepped out the door and onto the sidewalk, leaving her staring after him with conflicted emotions.

I Want To Hold Your Hand by The Beatles

(As I was Writing I was hearing the version from Across the Universe)

yeah i tell you something

i think you'll understand

when i say that something

i wanna hold your hand

i wanna hold your hand (x2)

oh please say to me

you'll let me be your man

and please say to me

you'll let me hold your hand

now let me hold your hand

i wanna hold your hand

and when i touch you i feel happy inside

it's such a feeling that my love, i can't hide

i can't hide (x2)

yeah you

you got that something

i think you'll understand

when i feel that something

i wanna hold your hand

i wanna hold your hand (x3)

-----SO...there ya go...first 5 to sink your teeth into the story. I hope you enjoy it. it isnt particularly long or dramatic but its a love story with a bit of an edge....as always this was complete when I began posting, expect regular updates =)

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