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And They Didn\'t Live Happily Ever After	By : ElizabethStump Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Snape/Hermione Views: 90306 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 55
- 56
- 57
“And They Didn't Live Happily Ever After”
Chapter Fifty-Five
“Green-Eyed Monsters, Fairies and Sirens”

Disclaimer: Doth Harry Potter and its legal courtly entourage belong to aye? Nay, verily I protest, with most sincere of heart, that yon intellectual property pertaining to Harry Potter, including its tender concepts and chattel, thus belong to that of Mistress Rowling, the story’s enchantress.

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Miss Brown was not as pleased as Severus had hoped. Here he was, offering up a new potion, a libido-enhancing potion, to compliment the male enhancement potion; it was something that should certainly sell very well, and yet she was looking more aggrieved than pleased. The source of his employer's testiness could have been partially due to the fact that Severus had informed her that the potion was Hermione's idea; however, it could also be because Severus mentioned to her that he would have Hermione help develop the potion at his flat instead of at The Lovely Lavender Company headquarters. A mention of five percent royalties to Hermione did not seem to improve her mood either.

“Don't tell me that you're jealous of Hermione,” Severus inferred.

“What?!?” yelled Lavender with a bit more force than she meant. “Why would I be jealous of her?” Miss Brown began to pace about her office as she barked, “WONKLE! Tea! Now!”

“Maybe because I am working with her on a potion without you. That you feel supplanted. I would think you'd be glad you'd have one less product in need of development requiring your precious time, freeing you up in order to work on other potions in time for the opening of Sirens' Secrets.” He surveyed her face for any sign that might confirm or counter his deduction.

“I just don't like the fact that you've been talking business with her behind my back without consulting me first,” she snapped.

“As I mentioned before, Hermione was the one who pointed out that, in light of her own experience and perspective, maybe not all those witches will view a significant increase of their husband's libido as something to cheer about and may find the act of coitus with their spouse a more bothersome bit of prolonged drudgery to endure,” Severus bit out, trying not to snarl at his boss. “Hermione is not the first witch to complain of such problems. I've had plenty of other witches before her compare their husband's carnal efforts to be on par with scrubbing cauldrons, some witches even saying the act itself is much like a scrub brush abrading an empty pot that hasn't had a fire lit under it for ages.”

“You know, there are plenty of witches out there who are happy fucking their husbands, and are not so miserably mismatched in the bedroom,” Lavender groused, sounding like a petulant child, as she poured herself a cup from the service Wonkle had discreetly brought in.

“True enough, and there are plenty of wizards who have the stamina of a bull, but that isn't stopping us from selling the male enhancement potion, and your argument should not stop us from developing an arousal potion,” the Potions master countered. “I never said this potion was to be for females exclusively either, because it would work for wizards as well. I'm sure there are a few witches who would like to put their husbands in a more amorous mood at times, not just ready and hard like a stud for service.”

His employer said nothing but continued to sip her tea.

Severus wondered what else was going on in her mind that would make her so hostile in light of progress.

“Whatever issues you have with Mrs. Weasley, I suggest you iron them out,” he insisted. “When I'm gone, she will be Dobmeir's apprentice, and she will be underfoot everyday. However, if you place your faith in Dobmeir to work without your supervision, you won't be confined to the lab, since he is under no restrictions as I am, therefore leaving you free to work on other areas of your business to which you have been unable to give as much attention. But your paths will cross frequently, so whatever it is about her that abrades your nerves, you'd better deal with it before her apprenticeship begins.”

The normally unflappable Miss Brown gave Severus a worried look before schooling her features. “I'm sorry, Severus. There has just been so much change going on lately. I guess I'm used to being involved from beginning to end of all aspects of all my products. I feel a little out of place that some aspects of the male enhancement potion, and now this libido potion, have been discussed and worked on without me there the whole time. I'm used to being in control of everything.”

Severus set down his cup of tea. “When I first became Head of Slytherin House, I had a great many things to do in addition to teaching Potions. Professor Dumbledore taught me that being able to delegate to the right people would allow me to be a better Head of House to my students. I had to learn to trust and utilize the Head Boy and Head Girl and the Slytherin Prefects. Just as Dumbledore could not do everything,” Severus said, and paused dramatically, rolling his eyes for effect as he continued with a sarcastic drawl, “despite his outward appearance that he could do and know everything, he delegated many thing to the Head of each House, and each Head of House delegated certain duties to free us up to tend to more important matters. As such, you must learn to delegate and decide over what you can give up control, and what you must attend to personally.”

Lavender chucked the other half of her uneaten biscuit in the fire. Sighing, she agreed, “You're right, Severus. But I do wish you to leave the business of royalties to me. You didn't have to promise her five percent. And instead of having Hermione go shopping for materials, give me the list, as I can get them at wholesale and have Wonkle deliver them to your flat. The less paper trail Hermione leaves before she officially begins her apprenticeship, the better.”

“I didn't mention any royalties, nor promise her any for this potion. But since she was the one who originally came up with the idea on her own, without my prompting, it is only fair that she should have a share of the profits.” On the other matter, Severus could see the logic behind having Lavender provide the materials for the research and development phase.

Severus was almost certain he could hear Miss Brown grind her teeth, but it could have also been the sound of the floor creaking as well, as he shifted position in his seat.

“Just make sure that you don't inadvertently do any Potions brewing on your own, and she takes all her equipment home. Marf can deliver samples here,” she instructed, much to Severus’ chagrin as he felt it was beyond bloody obvious after so many years that he'd never do anything so foolish as to slip up so carelessly.

“I hope I can accomplish that simple task after years of restraining myself here in your labs. I wouldn't want to inadvertently slip up in my own home,” Severus uttered acerbically, ignoring the withering glare she gave him for being the target of his sarcasm. “Now if you will excuse me, I have to prepare for Mrs. Fudge's arrival.”

As a parting shot, in addition to having the last word, Lavender snipped at his back as he left her office, “Next time you go to the spa, you should have the elves trim your hair. You're getting a bad case of split ends.”

As much as it thrilled him to stick around and be the emotional whipping boy for his employer's irrationally foul mood, it was more prudent and enjoyable to prepare himself mentally for a long afternoon with a formidable chess partner and even more challenging conversational sparring with a fellow Slytherin.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Hermione was a little disappointed that she didn't have to go shopping for materials, as indicated in Severus' letter to her, under his nom de guerre, but it was a relief. She had skipped her period and was stressed enough – until confirming with a simple charm that she was indeed not pregnant yet again – without having the additional task of hunting down and buying ingredients. The letter did contain a list of equipment to bring, and though she would have remembered to bring her mortar and pestle and a sieve, she would not have thought to bring her chinois. She fortunately had one, so she didn't have to go out and procure one.
Ron had gone out drinking and schmoozing the night before with Bascom Nettleton, so that gave her the chance to get everything together without him asking questions or trying to hump her in the kitchen again. She just hoped that when Ron made dinner for himself Thursday night, he would not wonder where a few of the cooking implements or some of the choice knives had gone. With a simple shrinking charm, Hermione was able to fit all the equipment into the inner pocket of her cloak and not alter the way it hung about her shoulders.

When Hermione arrived at Severus' flat, she greeted him with much more enthusiasm than the Monday prior. She was rested and did not have to endure any Trevor-induced catastrophes at her work that week. So far.

Severus served up a simple dinner that was ready when Hermione arrived. A kettle of fish chowder was slowly simmering on the stove, and a large loaf of crusty bread, fresh from the oven, rounded out the meal. It was simple yet hearty fare that would keep her full of energy for the night of work that lay ahead. They didn't dawdle as they supped, but chatted about what first they would need to do before beginning on the libido-enhancing potion.

Once dinner was finished, under Severus’ instruction, Hermione began preparing an anaphrodisiac tincture she could administer to herself and Severus, should they be overwhelmed by the effects of the potion they were working on. The reverse engineering of Ron's muscle-enhancing potion made it clear that antidotes should be prepared ahead of time, just in case. Severus wasn't sure if his table was durable enough for another bout of unrestrained rigorous shagging.

A mixture of mint, cilantro and finely chopped black licorice was macerated with plain vodka before being strained, and then the blood of an Arctic mongoose was added to the mixture. Severus had used a similar mixture as an antidote when he and Miss Brown were working on the male enhancement potion and both felt the effect of the vapors. Fairy Brandy was different from Ashwinder eggs, but he was sure that this tincture would also make an adequate antidote for their research tonight. And if that failed, Miss Brown supplied a box of bezoars.

Once the antidote was complete, Hermione began halving and scooping out the seeds and jelly-like flesh of the passion fruit, straining the juice through the chinois to collect in a bowl below, leaving behind a sticky mash of seeds and pulp in the strainer. Next, under the direction of Severus, she went on to grind almonds, chop figs, crush dried rose petals, mince fresh rose petals, pulverize to powder dried pomegranate seeds, juice fresh pomegranates, and prepare a smattering of other ingredients that Severus thought might increase the effectiveness of the potion, starting with a base of passion fruit juice and Fairy Brandy.

With an array of prepared ingredients before them, Hermione and Severus began their experiment.

“First we should start with a mix of Fairy Brandy and passion fruit juice to feel the effects of the Blue Fairy Martini,” Severus began.

“What about the vodka, vermouth, and blueberry liqueur?” Hermione queried.

“The vodka adds nothing, since the Fairy Brandy already has alcohol in it. The vermouth was to sweeten the taste, and the blueberry liqueur may or may not affect it, but we can always research that later tonight if need be,” he explained.

“Since it had a quarter-shot, and a shot is twenty-five mL, a quarter-shot would be six-point-two-five mL. A teaspoon is five mL, so I would say start with one teaspoon?” She raised a questioning face to her mentor.

“That would be a good start. And how much passion fruit juice would you say your martini had?” he asked, encouraging her to continue.

“I would say it was a four- to five-ounce glass,” Hermione began recalling. “Subtract about one ounce for the Fairy Brandy, vermouth and blueberry liqueur combined, and two ounces for the vodka. So that would leave two to three ounces for the passion fruit juice, but since it was shaken and nicely chilled, I would say possibly up to an ounce of that was melted ice from the mixing process. So I would recommend starting with two ounces,” she concluded.

“Very well, begin.” Severus extended his arm out, indicating that she should proceed.

After measuring the Fairy Brandy and passion fruit juice into a small glass, Hermione held it up to the light. It was an unappetizing orange-brown color, as the Fairy Brandy had darkened the color of the fruit juice and given it an oxidized color resembling fruit that had started to turn bad.

“Well? Bottoms up,” said Severus, suppressing a chuckle, aware what would happen next. He would finally know what it was like to be on the other end of the master-apprentice relationship, remembering how Reginald Chuff made Severus drink all his own experiments first.

Hermione tipped the glass up to her lips and drained it in one go.

Watching her face carefully, Severus noticed the sudden dilation of the pupils, the warm rosy glow spreading across her cheeks, the change when her eyes suddenly became heavily lidded, and the way she began to regard Severus hungrily.

“What effects do you feel compared to the Blue Fairy Martini?” he asked, trying to remain impassive as Hermione slunk over towards him with a sly predatory smirk upon her lips.

“Not as tipsy,” she mused as she began toying with his buttons, “but just as aroused.” Boldly, she grabbed hold of Severus' zipper and pulled it down.

Before she could continue her seduction, Severus gently cupped her cheek and whispered silkily, “Close your eyes.”

When Hermione's eyes slipped shut and her lips parted ready for a kiss, Severus put a dropper full of the antidote into Hermione's mouth. With a sputter, she choked it down.

“Gah!” Hermione bent over and swore like Mundungus Fletcher. “I hate the taste of black licorice!” A violent shudder then suddenly shook Hermione to the core. “And that antidote is like being hit with an ice shower. What a way to kill the mood.”

“That was the point,” Severus reminded her. “We need to work on something small, potent, and not the color of troll vomit.” Looking at the bowl of remaining passion fruit juice, he suggested, “Perhaps if we reduced it through simmering, that might make it a smaller dose to handle.”

“The taste was fine, but the color is disgusting,” Hermione added. “Will cooking the juice change the flavor, color, or potency?”

“Only one way to find out.”

Hermione then measured out one cup of the juice and reduced it slowly in a pot she brought herself, simmering it down to one-half cup. With it reduced, she used half as much juice and the same amount of Fairy Brandy.

The color seemed to intensify with reduction, but the color was still unappetizing when mixed with the Fairy Brandy, which had a vibrant blue-green color.

“The flavor is a little more intense,” the lust-crazed witch began, “but I bet it still doesn't taste as good as your cock in my mouth right now.” Hermione whipped out her wand, and before Severus could disarm her, she dropped his pants with the intention of getting on her knees and performing fellatio right then and there.

The wizard who had once easily disarmed Gilderoy Lockhart in a duel, did not anticipate Hermione using her wand on him in such a sexually aggressive manner. Granted, it would have been fun to let her eagerly wrap her lips around his stirring cock, but this was a time for work, not play. Severus would have plenty of time to have Hermione test out how long the potion would last once they figured out potency, taste, color, texture and viscosity.

“Expelliarmus.” Severus hitched up his pants with one hand, while holding Hermione's wand and his wand in the other.

Once disarmed, Severus had to pin Hermione up against a wall to force another dose of antidote down her gullet, which was a little difficult considering she was trying to kiss him desperately.

While Hermione was easily overpowered by Severus' height and strength, he wished he could use a binding spell, but alas, binding spells were among the many spells he was prohibited from using due to the Death Eater Decree. Severus' old Potions master had used a binding spell on him plenty of times to make him sit or lie still while pouring the antidote down his throat.

Once again, Hermione protested at the taste of the antidote before finishing with another uncontrollable convulsion.

“I don't remember you being this rambunctious the night you showed up at my flat,” the Potions master noted bemusedly. “And I don't think you were quite as frisky with your husband in such a public space at the Grand Royal Supper Club.”

Grabbing a napkin to dab the drop of antidote that didn't make it into her mouth, Hermione replied with a scowl upon remembering that night, “First of all, you said this potion would amplify feelings one already has. I am far, far more attracted to you than I am to my own husband. Second, being rejected by Ron was not exactly an antidote, but certainly kicked down my attraction to him afterwards. Third,” she continued to tick off possible reasons why she was more restrained that night, “running into that twat, Alan, certainly put a bit of a damper on my mood, crushing some of the potency even more.”

“Alan?”

“The berk from the Three Broomsticks, who came on to me after Ron left, and that Viktor had to rescue me from.”

Severus acknowledged that he now recalled the incident, and signaled for her to continue.

“Fourth, I was nervous as hell when I came over that night. Nervousness, you have mentioned before, can hinder libido. And last, I think the vodka, vermouth or blueberry liqueur, or a combination of them, lessens the effect. It also could be that we have done the deed and therefore I feel far less inhibition in terms of being sexually assertive,” Hermione surmised. “Shall I try a Blue Fairy Martini to see if the effect is the same as just the passion fruit juice and Fairy Brandy alone?”

“It's the only way to be sure,” he agreed.

Severus had restocked his bar and had all the necessary ingredients on hand should they need to make a proper Blue Fairy Martini as part of the potion testing process.

After closely recreating the cocktail, Hermione placed a bluebell flame atop of the concoction.

“You didn't mention a bluebell flame,” Severus said, a bit shortly.

“Sorry,” Hermione apologized meekly. “There were many things that night I have tried to put out of my head. It slipped my mind. Will it affect anything except burn off alcohol?”

Severus wondered. “We'll try it with the bluebell flame and then without.”
As the night wore on, small variations were tried. The first variation discovered was that the bluebell flame did lessen the effect of the Fairy Brandy, which was good news, as Fairy Brandy was an expensive ingredient so less would be needed to be effective in the final potion. Hermione was certainly aroused, but much more in control of her senses and her hands. Another variation resulted in the discovery that the blueberry liqueur made Hermione feel more energized, which made it all the more difficult for Severus to pin Hermione down to give her another dose of the antidote. After each Blue Fairy Martini variation, Hermione swallowed a vial of Sobering Potion so that each new trial resulted in observations based on a clean and sober test subject.

Eventually, they had worked out a routine where – before she took the next trial potion – Hermione would bind herself to a chair, leaving one hand free and then handing her wand over to Severus. The Potions master would then hand her the latest test batch, get a verbal comment on her present state of mind and level of arousal, give her the antidote, and then give her back her wand to free herself before preparing the next batch. It was tiresome and made the process go slower than Severus would have preferred, but he had to be vigilant in his actions so he could truthfully answer he had not engaged in brewing any potions or confess anything illegal, when subjected to another round of Veritaserum under Moody's supervision at his weekly parole meeting.

By the end of the night they had figured out that powdered pomegranate seeds and fresh pomegranate juice were just as effective as the blueberry liqueur in terms in increasing energy, and made the mixture a more appetizing rosy color instead of the weird blue-gray color produced by mixing the blueberry liqueur with the orange-colored passion fruit juice. Almonds made the mixture feel gritty in the mouth and added nothing in terms of arousal or taste, and coriander did invoke more lustful feelings, but ruined the taste. The powdered hooves of the Mooncalf made Hermione want to dance, and the dried tongue of a turtle dove made Hermione sing about her desires. It was the addition of a pinch of powdered mother of pearl that Severus thought they might have come across something really interesting and unique. The ingredient was used in some love potions, so he wanted to see what would happen if it was used in an arousal potion.

When Hermione drank the potion containing Fairy Brandy, fresh pomegranate juice, reduced passion fruit juice and the powdered mother of pearl, she displayed the expected dilated pupils, heavy-lidded eyes, and licking of lips. What Severus did not expect was that there was an alluring glow about Hermione that he was having a hard time to resist. Each breath Hermione drew pulled his eyes to her chest, bound tightly under her own spell. Her skin took on a lustrous color that made Severus want to stroke her skin longingly. Her eyes took on a positively hypnotic quality about them. Upon realizing that the potion not only was affecting Hermione, but him as well, Severus quickly handed the object of his growing desire a vial of antidote before he would succumb as well.

“Oops, I seemed to have dropped it,” Hermione purred with false sincerity as she intentionally let go of the vial.

Severus didn't react to the shattering of the glass vial on the floor.

The voice that came out of Hermione seemed to place a fog over Severus' mind. All he could think about was holding Hermione in his arms and making love to her until his last breath escaped him.

“Hand me my wand, Severus,” she bid him.

Severus was about to do as she commanded when he suddenly shook his head violently in order to help break this lull he had fallen into. With all his fortitude, he forced his mind back to the present: he grabbed another dose of antidote and poured it down Hermione's throat before she could speak again.

Once the antidote took effect, Severus felt the potion's power lose hold over him.

Hermione came back to her senses as well with a rather stunned look on her face that bordered on bewilderment.

“Whoa. That was unexpected,” she exclaimed. “Did the potion affect you, or was I imagining that?”

“You were not imagining that. That is a rarity for a potion to affect people other than those who took it themselves.” The shaken Potions master was surprised that the mother of pearl would react in such a way with the ingredients. When it was included in love potions, it never created an effect in anyone but the imbiber.

This was something revolutionary and new; then again, it may not be new, but considered so dangerous as to have been buried away in ancient books, hidden from witches and wizards who would use such knowledge carelessly. One could claim that love potions were currently being hawked at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, much to Severus' chagrin. Also, one could counter that the Dark Lord was the issue from a witch who had recklessly used a love potion on a Muggle, resulting in a twisted orphaned child who rose to power to use magic wantonly and without conscience.

Hermione understood the importance of Severus' cautiousness. He looked a bit frightened by the power of the potion they had created and the fact he’d almost succumbed to it, but there was a hint of excitement in his face that he discovered something he had never read about before.

“How was this different from previous batches?” he queried, looking for any change from previous variations, besides his own affects.

Trying to find the words, Hermione began, “Everything was the same as in the last previous batch, but...” She paused, closing her eyes to recollect that fleeting and indescribable feeling that was different this time. “When I took the previous potions, as much as I was turned on and aroused, I was aware that you could not fall for my attempts to seduce you, try as I might and hoped, before you gave me the antidote. But with this latest batch, I felt more confident. It was as if you couldn't resist me and I knew you were enthralled.”

There was a moment of silence while both thought of the implications of such a potion, before Severus finally remembered to give Hermione her wand back to free herself.

“If this potion only amplified feelings that are already felt by the imbiber, would the addition of mother of pearl also only affect those who are already attracted to the imbiber?” she asked, wondering the same thing Severus was contemplating. “And if the amount we used was this incredibly potent, perhaps the use of a much smaller portion of the mother of pearl should be used instead.”

Severus considered a trial using himself, Draco, and Ginny in the room. If Ginny drank it and only Draco was affected, it would confirm Hermione's hypothesis.

Now free from her own bindings, Hermione inspected the jar of powdered mother of pearl. “This doesn't say where this was harvested from or what type of oysters,” she noted with disappointment. Curious, Hermione had a feeling she might be able to determine its origins.

After cleaning her cauldron and drying it, she took a pinch of the powdered mother of pearl, added some white vinegar and brought it to a slow simmer.

Severus watched quietly, noting the steps Hermione was taking to test the ingredient using the addition of some dried whole red rose petals they hadn't crushed earlier that night. Hermione extinguished the flame under her cauldron and dipped a few rose petals in the cooling liquid before laying them out on the table for inspection.

“I thought so!” the triumphant witch exclaimed. “See how the iridescence breaks up into individual colors, as light through a prism?” Severus leaned the table over to observe the phenomenon Hermione was describing. “If this was regular mother of pearl, it would not do this; the iridescence would not break into a rainbow pattern. This particular mother of pearl does break into a rainbow prism, which means this is mother of pearl harvested off the Italian island of Capri.”

Amazed she was able to discern the origins of this particular mother of pearl, Severus asked, “How were you able to discern the specific locale of this mother of pearl?”

Hermione gave Severus a small smirk of her own before explaining, “Because, this is the mother of pearl the twins use in their love potion. And I know this because I'm the one that told the twins about the potency of this particular mother of pearl.”

She sat back down in her chair before continuing. “Ron and I went on a two-week honeymoon to Italy. While there, I wanted to go to Capri and see the Sirens off the coast – while wearing ear protection, of course. So while we were in Capri, we ate at this little restaurant owned by a wizard who harvests the oysters from the same bed that the Sirens eat from. And on the cliffs above the oyster beds is a grove of limes, from which the blossoms of limes drift into the sea. After a dinner of the Sirens' oysters and lime-ade perfumed with lime blossoms, you can imagine the night I had afterwards.” Hermione trailed off, not bothering to elaborate on the heightened amorous feelings they experienced, even if the sex was still mediocre.

Severus sat heavily down in his chair while digesting the implications of mother of pearl gathered from the same oysters the Sirens ate from, as well as the addition of a lime grove next to the oyster bed's locale. He remembered the use of lime blossoms for lust when he was still experimenting for the male enhancement potion. “But how did you know how to test it?” he queried. “When I was working there years ago, there was only one type of mother of pearl shipped in at the time.”

“See, after ingesting the oysters and feeling its aphrodesial effects, I asked the restaurant owner about them. He proceeded to tell me about the magical properties of the oysters – and how they are very popular with honeymooning couples – and the mother of pearl from these oysters. He sold a few of the shells to some local women who ground up the mother of pearl into beauty powders, but not enough to use up all the shells he piled up. So, knowing the twins use mother of pearl in their love potions, I brought some shells home and gave them to the twins; they were so happy with the results they opened up an exclusive trade with the restaurant owner, buying up all his shells. The twins told me how to test for this particular mother of pearl's purity to compare with regular mother of pearl, as the owner showed them when they went to Italy to broker the deal. So when a box of this comes through, I use vinegar and rose petals and watch for the prismatic reaction to ensure it actually is Caprese mother of pearl.

“But if the twins have an exclusivity of this ingredient, how did you get some of it?” Hermione asked.

Both their faces alighted upon the same thought.

“Miss Brown and her 'secret partners,' no doubt,” he drawled, referring to how his employer referred to the twins when first discussing her business arrangement with them.

“The twins told me Caprese mother of pearl costs twice as much, but is eight times as potent as regular mother of pearl.” Hermione got up and looked at the measuring spoons she used. “We used a pinch of this for that one dose.” Thumbing through her measuring spoons, she noted her smallest measuring spoon was a smidgen, which was half of a pinch.

“Do you have a hint or fleck-sized spoon?” she admitted, holding up her rudimentary measuring set.

“Unfortunately no, but you can make the batch four times larger and use your smidgen.”

As Hermione mixed up this latest batch, she wondered aloud, “Will you be trying any of the potions or am I the only guinea pig for tonight? We should see if it will work on males as equally as females... just to be sure,” she assured him with mock sincerity.

Severus glared as Hermione while letting a knowing smile spread across his lips. “I don't know if that would be wise. I don't know if you're up to resisting my charms even without the addition of a potion.”

Glancing at the clock on the wall, he noted the time and saw that it was still early enough that if they both were lost in the enchantment of the potion, he would get his lover home before midnight. She would be rested enough to make it into work early, considering Hermione was expecting the weekly shipment of boomslang tomorrow.

Hermione made up a quadruple batch using a dosage one-eighth the strength.

“You know, maybe as with the male enhancement potion, we should try various doses of mother of pearl, should this dosage prove to be negligible,” the budding apprentice suggested.

“Let's see how potent this batch is before committing to further testing,” Severus replied.

Upon Hermione draining the vial, she displayed the expected symptoms, and while there was a slight change in the appearance of Hermione's skin and eyes, it was negligible. Severus did feel a small lull from the sound of Hermione's voice, but not enough that he would consider it significant.

To test the potion’s effects, should the imbiber kiss the object of his or her affections, Severus let Hermione kiss him. As their mouths met and her tongue swept over his, he discerned the remnants of the potion mixed with Hermione's natural taste; he let what little he ingested himself through their kiss begin to infuse his senses.

Hermione moaned with release, now that her efforts to kiss Severus all evening were no longer being denied. Clutching him more urgently to her, she blindly ripped the front of his shirt open, the sound of buttons skittering across the floor unheard under the muffle of frantic pants. Neither could say anything coherent as the potion took them both.

Feeling the insistence of his own potion-induced lust, Severus picked up Hermione and sat her on the edge of the counter, hitching her skirt up in the process.

“Now,” she gasped, in between devouring Severus' neck and his shoulder.

And while the reaction was not as instantaneous at the male enhancement potion, the urge to bury himself was no less dire as that moment.

Finding Hermione's knickers to be a hindrance, he was torn between shoving them aside or parting from Hermione momentarily to remove them. The decision was removed from him when Hermione wordlessly spelled them away and then latched her legs around Severus' hips as he quickly undid his trousers.

With one thrust, Severus sank himself into Hermione to the hilt. Her back arched at the sudden and welcome intrusion, while trying to keep her hips tucked under while sitting on the edge of the counter to allow for maximum penetration. Her leg moved in time with Severus' hips, her heels digging into his flanks, encouraging him, spreading herself as wide open as possible.

Both grunted and chanted their wordless songs of pleasure, their movements egged on by the sounds they elicited by the other.

There was something different about this coupling for both of them besides the potion. There was a lack of reservation from either. Severus felt himself lost in a strange swelling he felt rise from his chest, making him thrust each time with a building earnest intensity. Feeling vulnerable, he buried his face into Hermione's shoulder, should she open her eyes and see his face truly unmasked.

Hermione was experiencing an intensity of her own, feeling uninhibited with her own feelings. As Severus made love to her as if he was pouring his own soul into her, a fleeting thought came to her mind, and it was only the shock of it that kept her from saying it aloud.

'If I only married you instead of Ron...'

She screamed with pleasure to mask her own voice from betraying her own subconscious thoughts aloud. Her wail prompted Severus to orgasm and whimper as he emptied himself while buried deeply inside her.

When Severus finally lifted his head from her shoulder, she wasn't sure if it was the potion affecting her or him, but there was something in Severus' eyes that was unguarded for a transient moment before his usual schooled features covered them up like a shroud.

After removing himself from her, Severus helped Hermione down and they began dressing. Hermione crossed the room to retrieve her knickers that she had spelled away.

There was a slight awkward silence that Severus broke when he asked, “Do you still feel the effects of the potion?”

“No, it seems that once we...” 'Made love?' They had both thought of it as making love, but never dared call it that before. “... we finished, the effects of the potion greatly waned. I'm still feeling aroused, but the desire to... to couple is not as insistent.”

Both were still catching their breath when Hermione asked, “Are there any ingredients in this that are also included in Veritaserum? I was feeling quite...” Hermione swallowed thickly. “Uninhibited in my thoughts and feelings.”

Severus looked at her warily, and he knew she was feeling the same effects from the potion as he was at the time. As a Potions master teaching an apprentice, one must be as honest as possible when sharing observations, as uncomfortable as those observations were to Severus.

“I too felt a certain...” Severus trailed off and hoped Hermione didn't notice the slight shaking in his hands. “A certain unguardedness.”

She could see the way that the potion unnerved Severus. As they were lovers experimenting with a potion that could cause one to say things that one normally would never deign to say aloud, much less admit consciously, Hermione decided to release Severus from future burdens.

“Then let us agree that anything said under the influence of the potion is not to be taken as anything more than things said under abnormal circumstances,” she said.

He was glad that Hermione could comprehend the gravity of things said under the influence of the potion, even deeply emotional and provocative statements that were true, and that she was prepared to ignore them.

Hermione glanced at the clock, noting the time. “I suppose I should clean up and get going home.”

Marf assisted Hermione in the bottling of the rest of the potion test batches Severus thought worthy for Miss Brown to sample for herself for comparison. Once tubes were labeled and her equipment was cleaned, shrunk, and placed in the pocket of her cloak, Hermione left the kitchen. She found Severus lost in thought on the settee as he stared at the crackling fire.

When she joined him on the couch, Severus announced distractedly, “We should try the potion at stronger doses than this. The change in you from my perspective was nominal. Next time we should try a pinch, the original measurement as before, and the various doses in between that and the fleck-sized dose.”

Hermione wanted to ask if that would be safe, considering how overwhelming the original pinch-sized dose was and how overpowered both felt with the smallest of doses of a fleck.

“We should also do a comparison, together with and without the mother of pearl. Possibly sell it with and without,” Hermione added.

“That's for Miss Brown to decide, but I will forward your suggestion to her.” He would suggest it as his own idea, since he had been thinking the same thing, and his employer seemed to be hostile towards ideas that originated from Hermione.

They sat for a while in quiet contemplation of the fire, holding hands, lost in their own thoughts. When the clock chimed eleven, Hermione rose and Severus placed her cloak about her shoulders.

As they embraced, Severus whispered huskily, “Can you come this weekend?”

Hermione shook her head slowly, her face filled with sadness and longing. She resembled a tragic heroine in a pre-Raphaelite painting with her long hair undone.

“I can't,” she sighed ruefully. “There is a game Saturday. And Sunday there is a family event.”

Severus suddenly remembered how Molly went on the night before about the upcoming Weasley clan gathering when she came to visit “Eduardo” and suppressed a shudder.

They stood, continuing to embrace each other, unable to let go. “And next weekend is...” Hermione started crying silently, her body heaving as she tried to suppress her sobs.

Severus tipped up her chin to look at her. “What?” he gently coaxed her.

“It's my birthday,” she choked out. “Twenty-four and my life is nothing as I imagined it.”

Severus rocked her, empathizing with Hermione as he soothed his distraught lover.

“Life is what happens along the way while we were making plans,” he said, mimicking the same words and tone Albus had used when he would catch Severus wallowing in a pit of self pity. “Sometimes it takes a little longer for some to find their path in life.” He was forty-three and was hoping to finally be on a path of his own choosing before he turned forty-four.

Hermione hated her birthdays. It was not just that she felt as if she was still stuck between adolescence and adulthood. When she was still a child attending Muggle schools, she didn't have many friends, being slightly isolated as the swotty bookworm. In addition, at the beginning of the school year, few enough people knew her to bother celebrating or knowing about her September 19 birthday. Some years, the few friends she did have moved away during the summer. She silently envied those whose birthdays fell in the spring, as they had developed friendships during the school year and usually had the best and largest parties, if she was even invited.

Attending Hogwarts and becoming friends with Harry and Ron assured her that a few dear friends always remembered her birthday, even if it did fall at the beginning of the school year. And since joining the Weasley clan, things had not changed much. Molly had a policy of not throwing birthday parties for her in-laws, only the blood relations, which – considering the size the Weasley clan had expanded to – made perfect financial sense. But still, a melancholy feeling always haunted Hermione regarding her birthdays. She knew she should be grateful she hadn’t had birthdays as a child that were as horrible as what Harry had experienced, but it still didn't take away the lingering feelings imprinted upon her as a child.

“I suppose I should view this as the year that everything could change for me and the chance for new beginnings,” she said, trying to buck up her own spirits. “An apprenticeship on the way. And despite everything else, I am much happier now than I was last year.” She squeezed Severus a little tighter to let him know he was the source of her joy.

That swelling in Severus’ chest that had unnerved him while under the potion's influence returned. It made his head feel a little light and his heart a little elated.

“You should go so you can get a good night's rest,” Severus coaxed her. If she stayed much longer and overslept again, missing the chance to pilfer some boomslang, they'd both kick themselves afterwards.

“Monday, then.”

“Monday,” he replied before she slipped from his arms and reluctantly through the door and into the night.

============

A/N: A chinois is a conical type of fine mesh sieve that includes a wooden pestle for straining and pressing food though. It can also be called a food mill.
There are several foods that are associated with the reduction of libido, usually involving the slow suppression of testosterone levels, but also folklore and bad science. Here is a list of eleven foods, which include mint, black licorice and cilantro:
http://www.11points.com/Food-Drink/11_Foods_That_Just_Might_Kill_Your_Sex_Drive
Some of you, who remember Chapter Three, might remember Ginny being chained up spread-eagle and surmise that Draco used a binding charm on Ginny, but alas, he did not. Just good old-fashioned man-handling her into manacles. So just in case you thought I might be inconsistent on that... And yes, the Ministry does allow the Death Eaters to still use Expelliarmus as a matter of simple self-defense.
My measurements for this fic: A pinch is 1/16^th of a teaspoon. A smidgen is 1/32^nd. A hint is 1/64^th. A fleck is 1/128^th of a teaspoon, which is one-eighth of a pinch.
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And They Didn\'t Live Happily Ever After