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Patience on Sunday	By : Snapeoutofit Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Snape/Hermione Views: 14234 -:- Recommendations : 4 -:- Currently Reading : 4
Disclaimer: All characters and settings are the creation of JK Rowling. I own nothing of Harry Potter and make no money from this story.

Chapter List
- 1-One
- 2-Two
- 3-Three
- 4-Four
- 5-Five
- 6-Six
- 7-Seven
- 8-Eight
- 9-Nine
- 10-Ten
- 11-Eleven
- 12-Twelve
- 13-Thirteen
- 14-Fourteen
- 15-Fifteen
- 16-Sixteen
- 17-Seventeen
- 18-Eighteen
- 19-Nineteen
- 20-Twenty
- 21-Twenty One
- 22-Epilogue
- 6
- 7
- 8
It was nearly 10 o’clock in the evening and Hermione was in her classroom experimenting with her lavender sleeping potion. She had taken the potion for a few nights and she felt like she was on to something. Currently, she was carefully watching three small bubbling cauldrons and taking detailed notes in a journal. Each cauldron contained a nuanced version of her draught and she observed them carefully.

The first one had spearmint extract added. Counterintuitive, she knew, as crisp minty scents typically increased alertness. However, some research suggested it might be a good addition at heightened levels. Another cauldron had a hefty measure of evening primrose oil with rose water, and the third had an increased concentration of lavender. While the differences were subtle, she was engrossed in capturing each detail in her note taking as she monitored the brews.

There was a clipped knock at the door that she did not initially hear. Questioning the second knock, she raised an eyebrow and peered over the top of her reading glasses as the door slowly opened. Headmaster Snape did not make eye contact with her as he shut the door behind him, which was a good thing because Hermione was having a difficult time concealing the surprise on her face.

“Back from your errands?” Hermione said casually as she checked one of her potions.

“I have been back since this morning,” he replied as he walked slowly towards the lab bench. “I came to thank you for returning my telescope.”

Hermione nodded as she dipped her quill into a nearby ink pot and made a few notes in her notebook. “Did you receive my note as well?”

Severus swallowed the lump in his throat. “Yes.”

Hermione nodded at his reply and continued with her work. Severus watched her, unsure of what to do or say next. A few loose tendrils fell from the knot in her hair and hung around her face with uninhibited freedom. Her skin was dewey from working in the humid classroom and the small beads of moisture made her appear luminescent. The glasses she wore, that he had seen only once before, intrigued him in a way he never thought glasses should...

“What are you brewing?” His question was rushed and sudden.

“Three variations of a lavender based sleeping draught I have been experimenting with,” she said. He leaned over the table and peered into the cauldrons before chuckling to himself.

Hermione was immediately ripe with indignation. She tossed her notebook on the table between them. “What in the bloody hell is so humorous?” She tossed her glasses on top of the book to look at him squarely. “How on earth do you find it acceptable to interrupt my work and then laugh at my progress?” There was frustration and desperation in her eyes and her voice. The tension was thick and Severus took a step back.

Severus stopped smiling immediately and looked into her face. He was confused as well. “I’m not laughing at you at all. I hope the irony of this isn’t lost on you...”

She furrowed her brow.

Severus chuckled one more time. “You’re working on a sleeping draught at 10 at night rather than simply going to sleep. That’s comical.”

Hermione’s hands found their way to her hips.

“I’m sorry,” he said sincerely, “I didn’t mean to question you. It’s inappropriate of me...”

Hermione waved his words away with a backwards flip of her hand and a sigh. Her shoulders dropped as she let go of her anger. “No, no it’s fine. I’m not sure why I’m being so sensitive. It’s probably because I’m just tired. If only sleep came so easy, but I’m sure you’re right.”

Severus stared at her for a moment before pointing his wand at the shelves on the wall and summoning another small cauldron. It landed on the table next to her cauldrons and he ignited the flame with a flick of his wrist to warm the iron.

“Don’t stop working on what you’re developing, but I have something in mind that I think will help,” he said as he walked past her and into the storeroom.

Hermione stood frozen to the spot at Snape passed her. Was he going to brew with her? He hadn’t entered the storeroom without her already being there since she had taken over the classroom. She had fantasized about what it would be like to brew with him for the better part of ten years, but it never happened. She asked if he would once, less than a year into her employment at Hogwarts, and he laughed in front of several other staff members. He a had checked on her products when she was new, but that felt very similar to when she had been in school. Now he hardly checked that things were properly stocked since he knew her work was always up to par.

She had long since given up her hopes of brewing alongside him because of his snarling attitude. However, things lately had been so strange between them that she should have reconciled her surprise.

The headmaster emerged moments later with a berry basket full of fresh ingredients and a few small bottles. “This is all we’ll need for a small batch,” he said as he placed the items on the counter.

“What are we making?” Hermione moved to stand beside him at the lab bench. “Is that Valerian root?”

Severus nodded as he began grinding the herb with a mortar and pestle. “We’re making my patented variation of Valeria Ipsomnum.”

Hermione took stock of the other ingredients on the table as he tossed the freshly ground powder into the cauldron and added some apple cider vinegar from a familiar vial. She picked up a small satchel and sniffed the contents to confirm her suspicions.

“Severus, these are hops. I don’t intend on drinking myself to sleep...”

“We are obvious not brewing beer,” he explained as he took the satchel from her hands and floated it in the potion, “but hops are an important ingredient. Prepared this way they won’t make you drunk, just a bit sleepy.”

As the satchel floated in the cauldron the unmistakeable smell of beer filled the classroom until some camomile and lemon balm were added. As Severus set his wand to stir and let the cauldron simmer, the aroma in the room shifted from that of the floor of a pub to a scent that was both bitter and sweet.

“That doesn’t smell half bad,” Hermione said as she watched and he nodded in agreement. He summoned a chopping board and knife and prepared to chop several herbs at once. His long fingers worked them into a neat bunch before running the knife through with practiced precision.

Hermione was entranced by the way he was so focused yet so relaxed as he worked. Despite the fact that he was still buttoned up to the throat, she couldn't recall him ever appearing so casual.

“Are you still watching your potions?” He asked with a slightly raised eyebrow.

“Oh bollocks!” She frantically ran to the her cauldrons and cut the flames on her potions while Severus laughed at her outburst.

“They’re fine. They’re done,” she declared, with slight uncertainty in her voice. She peered inside the cauldrons to check and poured the potions in to their waiting, pre-labeled bottles without looking at him once. When she was done, she quickly returned to his side as if nothing had happened. She looked up at him when he smirked down at her.

“What?” Her voice was light.

“Nothing, I just don’t think I’ve heard you curse before,” he said as he dumped the herbs into the cauldron with the flat side of his knife. Hermione blushed.

“Oh, I’m terribly sorry. I hadn’t realized it slipped out-“

“Do not apologize to me, and if you think I’m bothered by a woman cursing you clearly don’t know me well enough yet,” he said.

Hermione hung onto his words.

“Now we wait for 20 minutes,” he said as he backed away from the table and pulled her from her reverie. He sat in a chair across from the table and watched as Hermione peered into his cauldron before coming to sit in the chair beside him. They sat back and watched the potion simmer like spectators at a sporting match.

It was silent for a long time before Severus finally looked at her. He took a deep breath before the question he had been resisting asking finally escaped him. “Why did you write that note?”

“Hmm? Oh, the telescope? Because in the astronomy tower you left so suddenly and I didn’t like it. I wished you had stayed to look with me,” she said with a sweetness that dripped like hot caramel. It made him feel sticky.

Without warning, the cauldron began bubbling rapidly and Snape jumped out of his seat to tend to it. He quickly cut the flame and cooled the potion with an incantation before glancing nervously back in Hermione’s direction.

“I suppose 20 minutes is too long. I should have cut it even more for such a small batch,” he said in explanation.

“Is it alright?” She walked over to inspect  the contents.

“Yes. It’s perfect. This is precisely why one doesn’t walk away from a potion. Even if you are certain your ratios are right, something small could always be off,” he explained. “Like my timing.” Severus’ gentle smirk as he glanced in her direction made her smile in response.

He poured the potion into a small bottle with a dropper. “One drop, about an hour before bed and you’ll sleep better than you have in a long time.

Hermione accepted the bottle and removed the stopper. She said, “I better take it now then. It’s already so late” before placing one drop under her tongue. Almost instantly a sense of quiet washed over her. She felt calm and light.  She was smiling.

“Feel a little better?”

Hermione’s smile caught fire as she looked at him.  “Thank you,” she said with a yawn; exhaustion making her bright eyes look tired.

“I’ll walk you back to your chambers. I’d hate for you to fall asleep on the way,” Severus said as he tidied the classroom before their departure.  Hermione nodded but said nothing; opting instead to sit back in her chair and momentarily watch as he worked.

Hermione was feeling tired as they walked up the stairs and towards her chambers. She didn’t feel as if she’d fall asleep on the spot, but her body felt completely exhausted. The potion made her feel the way she felt after some rigorous exercise. Her legs felt a little weak with every step. It seemed as if they’d been walking in silence for a long time when they finally reached her door.

“Alright,” he said solemnly as she opened the door, “good evening, Professor Granger.”

“Wait!” Hermione didn’t mean for her voice to come out like a desperate screech. It was enough to stop him in his tracks and he turned around to face her, one eyebrow raised in inquisition. “Don’t leave,” she said unsteadily.

Severus closed the space between them. There was hardly enough room for a breeze to pass between them as he  looked down into her tired chestnut eyes. He was questioning her; unsure of what to do or say.

Without forethought Hermione reached for his hand. He let her take it. His skin was smooth and his long digits snaked their way between hers until their fingers were laced together. Hermione’s heart was beating faster now; a rush of adrenaline pumping through her veins.
Severus’ eyes were piercing in a way that was atypical of his usual glare. There wasn’t any malice behind his eyes. Confusion and uncertainty, but no malice. She was lost in his dark gaze when she felt his thumb affectionately rub the side of her hand.

“You need to get some rest. Before long you’ll be a puddle on the floor,” his voice was barely above a whisper.

“How come I don’t want you to leave?” Her voice sounded desperate but she didn’t care.

“I don’t know. That wouldn’t be a sensible side effect for this potion”. His thumb continuously moved against her skin and the gentle touch was oddly comforting. Finally, as if fighting against a powerful force,  he willed himself to walk away. With a squeeze of her hand he broke the contact.

“Goodnight, Hermione,” his said in a voice heavy with longing before forcing his eyes from her and taking off down the hall.
- 6
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- 8
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Patience on Sunday