Twelve

Wednesday morning, Hermione received an owl from Severus. It was addressed to all the staff in general. It seemed that a few of the students had gotten a touch of cabin fever during the night and had vandalized an outside wall of the castle. How they had managed to do it in a January blizzard was beyond her. Hagrid was cleaning up the mess, as it was his duty as Groundskeeper. But he was going to be stretched thin between repairs and his Care of Magical Creatures classes. If anyone could assist in anyway, they were to do so. All leads regarding the vandals were to be given to Filius, the second-in-command. Severus would have taken care of the situation himself, but he had to be in London for the day, meeting with the Board of Governors, and wouldn't be back until suppertime.

Hermione kept an eye on all the students during breakfast, as she was sure all the other staff members were doing. But no one looked suspicious. It would be hard to pin it on someone. She would have to lie low and hope something would leak. As she walked to her classroom, she pushed those thoughts aside. She was having trouble enough with just education.

The day was long and grueling, and Hermione was beginning to despair. Her students were not up to par yet, and most of the month of January was over. The concepts were over the students' heads. What was she doing wrong? They'd been phenomenal last term.

Once classes were through for the day, she sat at her desk grading essays. Supper would be starting soon, she'd already skipped lunch, and these essays would still be here after dinner. She might as well get some food. She trudged up the stairs in time to see Severus entering the Great Hall. He must have just gotten back from London. The staff table was almost full. Hagrid was still not present for dinner, and Filius was missing too...most likely helping the Groundskeeper finish repairs.

Hermione sat next to Susan Bones near the center of the table, checking to make sure Oliver was a fair distance away. She didn't want to be anywhere near the dick. He was at the end of the table talking with Rolanda.

"What a day!" she told Susan.

"You too? I can't believe them. It's like the entire student body went mad over the holidays. None of them will listen to me," Susan said.

Hermione agreed, nodding her head vigorously. On the other side of Susan, Severus smirked.

"I've been telling you for months, Professor Granger," he said. "The whole lot of them are dunderheads. But enough talking; I'm famished. Wouldn't you agree?"

She piled her plate high. "I'm so hungry, I could eat a horse. I missed lunch today because I have so many pa..."

Hermione staggered back from the table, knocking her chair down. Screams erupted from the students, and staff members were pulling out their wands. A nut-brown horse had appeared, trotting down the length of the staff table. She was whinnying and pawing at the plates of food. Severus pointedly looked at Hermione. She was still in shock with what she'd done.

"Heads of Houses and Prefects, gather your students and lead them back to their common rooms," he barked out to the mass chaos.

Susan went round to her Hufflepuffs, and Adrian Pucey gathered his Slytherins. In Filius' absence, Aurora Sinistra organized the Ravenclaws, but Oliver was not over with the Gryffindors. Neville jumped up to take control.

The horse was cantering in the opposite direction now. Every time Severus tried to contain the creature with magic, it would rear on its hind legs and flare its nostrils. Oliver was in the corner with his hands covering his eyes, screaming like a baby. Hermione vaguely remembered him having a fear to horses. Rolanda was trying to calm him, but he was hysterical. The poor beast was agitated almost to the point Oliver was. She had a strong surge of pity for the animal while feeling somewhat justified that Oliver was in terror. Let the git rot in hell surrounded by horses.

Students weren't listening to orders. Girls were hugging each other or trying to reach out and touch the horse. Some of the boys were trying to use their wands against the mare. But amid all the excitement and plates of food flying off the tables, Severus took charge. He was calm as he unfastened his robes, placing them on his chair several feet away from the table. He pocketed his wand in his tight trousers as he climbed onto the table and raised his hands, stilling the horse. He sang softly to the creature. A few of those students closest to the animal stopped screaming or laughing and listened. Hermione was entranced as well.

He rolled up his sleeves, and his black shirt looked fitting on him. His dark hair swayed as his pale arms held out an offer of solitude to the confused creature. As he approached the horse, the noise in the room grew fainter. It might have been because Hermione's attention was solely on him, or it could have been that a few teachers had persuaded the students to leave, but she didn't know. Her eyes were only on Severus as he tamed the wild mare running down the head table.

Severus' eyes never broke contact with the animal, which was swishing its tail in agitation. Hermione could see from where she was standing, how Severus was concentrating on the horse, perhaps even using Legilimens on her, calming her with his ways. It was working. The beast was no longer charging down the table, but was slowing down to a walk. She was a beautiful horse. Severus grabbed an apple from a bowl and let the horse approach with reserve. With his hands held out in peace, she came at her own pace, pawing the table twice but always coming nearer. Severus held up the apple now, letting the mare smell the sweet fruit, and she was hooked. Ever so slowly, he ran his long fingers up her nose and between her eyes. His lips were moving, but the words were for the horse only.

Hermione held a moment of jealousy towards the horse-sharing such an intimate moment with Severus. But when she looked around the room, she saw she was alone with the two on the table. Food was everywhere, and plates and goblets were tossed about upside-down and perched on chairs or the stone floor. None of that mattered, though, now the horse was settled.

"What now?" she heard herself asking.

"You have to fulfill the phrase if you want her to go away," Severus answered.

She had to eat a horse? No way. She couldn't. It was horrible enough to think it. There had to be a way around it. What if she didn't want the horse to go away? Couldn't the animal stay? The phrase didn't limit her to eating a horse; it stated she was so hungry she could eat a horse. She didn't have to, and she wouldn't.

As if on cue, Hagrid bounded through the doors, and the problem was resolved. She'd let Hagrid have the horse. The mare would be fine in Hagrid's care. He produced a bridle soon enough, and the nut-brown mare was well on her way to a comfortable life.

"I'm hungry," she said as they watched Hagrid lead the animal out the door. "Would you care to join me for dinner in my chambers, Severus?" She was hungry for more than just food. That bit of horse taming had her wet in her knickers.

He surveyed the damage and called Winky to clean up. Hermione bit her tongue this once and told herself the elves would be honored to have such a mess to clean. Then he turned to her and said, "That would be most agreeable."

This little adventure really did take the stress off of the day. It was good to put things into perspective every once in a while.

It was the first of February, and still no one had been apprehended for the vandalism. Hermione had overstayed teatime as usual, and it was very late. She was just leaving the staircase and gargoyle when she heard a scream a few corridors away. Instincts kicking in, she ran towards the sound with her wand ready. Another shout sounded, this time closer, but she still couldn't decide where it was coming from. As she reached the mouth of a darkened hallway, she heard fast footfalls approaching from behind. The stone outline of an alcove was barely visible from the lighted tip of her wand. She ducked quietly inside, to see who was following her.

As they came nearer, she could see the stranger was an adult by the height. They stopped close to where she was standing, and by the smell of spiced linen she knew it was Severus. With a sigh of relief, she stepped forward. She was about to call to him when a hand grabbed her elbow from behind in the alcove she'd been hiding in. A blood-curdling scream left her lips before she'd comprehended it. Her heart was pounding in her ears, and Severus rounded on her. She clutched at his outstretched arms as his wand lit up. Finding refuge in the folds of his robes, she kept pointing behind her so he would know there was someone there. She heard the deep rumble of a laugh inside his chest as she willed her heart to slow down. Hermione was still frightened, but if he was laughing, it must be all right. She forced her head away from his comforting chest and turned to see Susan entering the dim wand light.

With a laugh at her own folly, Hermione released Severus' robes. "Susan, you scared the shite out of me. Was it you who screamed a minute ago?"

Susan answered, but Hermione had the strongest urge to relieve herself. It was a horrible pressure on her rectum, like she had a large bowel movement. The longer she held it, the harder her body forced her to push. Doubled over in a battle, she knew both Susan and Severus were watching her.

"Granger, are you doing what I think you're doing?" he asked, a smile in his voice.

She couldn't answer him. If she remembered right, there was a toilet nearby. She hobbled into the darkness searching for a place to relieve herself. Finding the door, she wretched it open. But before she could make it to the toilet, she let loose. Her bowels were relieved of the pressure, but she was mortified by the involuntary act. She warded the door and yanked down her pants to clean up.

How disgusting! Cleansing charm after cleansing charm to her knickers, slacks, hands, body, and her robes-everywhere. Nothing felt clean. She even brushed her teeth with a conjured toothbrush. Only when she convinced herself she was decent enough to face the world did she unward the door. Severus was leaning against the door jam with his arms crossed. He had a smirk on his face. She had forgotten about him.

"What happened out there?" she asked, hoping he wouldn't bring up her accident.

"Professor Bones had been doing her rounds when she'd heard a yell. She couldn't find the source. After the second scream, she'd heard footsteps and had ducked into an alcove. You appeared and went into the same alcove without knowing she had been there. There is nothing else to tell."

She gave him an appreciative look for not referencing what happened once she'd stepped out of the alcove.

"But what about the screams? Who shouted?" she asked.

"We never found out, but we found some more vandalism in an empty classroom a few doors down. Just a broken window, ground-up bits of chalk littered on the floor, and a crack in the blackboard. I think a dungbomb was set off in there too. Nothing major, but we'll have to set more teachers up for rounds to keep an eye on the situation."

Hermione went back to her room wondering if she smelled like excrement. It would have been horrible if Severus had smelled it on her. She wanted to appear attractive, not repulsive. He realized what had happened, but he'd refrained from making a big deal out of it. He was being quite decent, and she wouldn't soon forget it.

On St. Valentine's Day, Hermione was informed at breakfast that she would have to cover Sibyll's Hogsmeade duties, as she had, "foreseen unfortunate events unfolding." In other words, she was antisocial and didn't want to go to Hogsmeade for fear of Cupid sticking an arrow up her arse. Thankfully Neville was assigned as the partner for the trip, so she would have someone enjoyable to converse with. St. Valentine's Day was one of the worst days of the year: Hermione had never had a positive experience as far back as she could remember. But her heart gave a flip when she overheard Severus telling Filius he was going into Hogsmeade to run some errands. Perhaps he would pursue her company during the trip.

Students lined up in pairs as Filch checked their permission forms. Hermione was chatting with Neville, but she wasn't really paying attention to the actual topic. In her peripheral vision, she could see Severus watching them talk. Aware of the audience, she tried hard not to look stupid as she used her hands for emphasis. Looking "cool" had never been one of her stronger points. But she flashed him a smile as she passed by.

The doors opened, and the snowy February air caught hold of her. She and Neville led the group out the doors and down to the gates. Knowing Severus was behind her somewhere, she swayed her hips a bit, though not too much. She didn't want it to be obvious. The noise level from the students was overpowering. They were going crazy. Some of the boys were performing for the girls. Infatuated idiots. They were throwing snowballs and chasing one another. Most of the girls were giggling, puffs of frozen air floating above their heads.

Severus was beside Neville now, and they discussed the vandals. The way these boys were acting proved they were hyper and willing to impress. A snowball hit Hermione in the back of the head. Her scarf kept most of the snow from going down the back of her coat, but the impact stung. Most of the boys laughed, thinking it was all in good fun. Neville was laughing a little, but Severus had on his serious face.

"I'm not in the mood for this all today," she snapped. "I know these boys are going to be animals in Hogsmeade today, and I don't think I'm prepared to deal with it. How have you been teaching as long as you have, Severus?"

"I have small ways of lightening up circumstances, and it makes times like these more enjoyable." He gave her a knowing smile. "Like throwing snowballs at my employees."

"Are you saying you threw it at me? But you're right there, how did it hit me in the back of the..." Another snowball plowed into her head.

His lips quirked a little, and Neville ducked. A snowball hovered in front of Severus and hit her squarely in the chest. "Yes, I threw it."

The invitation was clear, everyone joined in the fray. The wind picked up as the mass of bodies collided with the snow. The three adults knew a few tricks, and the students lost the fight within minutes. After the defeat, chaos lowered to a dull walk towards the town. The group passed the sign for Hogsmeade...the first building was just around the next bend.

As soon as they came into the town limits, girls started screaming and rampant wild noises erupted from the group. All three professors whirled around to take in the sight. There were monkeys and bears, hedgehogs and dogs, but not a single male student was to be found. The animals were terrorizing the girls while destroying whatever they could get a hold of. A pig was rooting in the snow near a store window. Hermione pointed her wand at the farm animal, though, off course, no spell she knew worked against it.

Severus hollered across the snow-covered cobblestones, "Make cages!"

She conjured various sized cages, and Neville wrangled the animals into them. Severus was using his magic to steer the creatures towards Neville. He would put up a brick wall there or create wind to blow a duck off course and towards them here. The girls settled down, but a large mob of townies was gathering.

"Back to the school," Severus shouted above the din.

The girls looked crestfallen but complied. Together, the three of them levitated the various cages and made their way out of Hogsmeade. Once they passed the town limits, all the animals transformed back into humans. Half the cages were too small, and students screamed in pain, replacing the animal braying and barking. Severus opened all the cages and enlarged those that were trapping students.

Hermione was about to give the boys her apologies, but Severus whispered in her ear. "Don't say anything. I've an idea." His breath was warm against her chilled skin, and his hand pressed against the small of her back.

"Now, all of you listen." He called to the students, "We've been decent long enough. The snowball fight was to show we know how to have a good laugh. But we don't tolerate 'good laughs' at the expense of our learning house. This stunt with the animal transformation was just a glimpse of our bad sides. We know the vandals are in this select group of students. When we reach the school, I want all those involved to turn themselves in. I already know who you are, but I will be more lenient if you come to me first."

Smart man, that Severus. At least he wasn't mad at Hermione for transfiguring the students into animals.

Severus paced in his study Sunday morning. It was so easy to frazzle Granger. She would inevitably trigger the curse, and the fun would begin. He hadn't anticipated the students getting involved. This had been the first time she'd aimed her wording towards students with an effect. But it had paid off. No less than five students had confessed to the vandalism of school property, and they were now suspended for the rest of the year.

Though, he hadn't been expecting the letter from Hogsmeade's town council demanding an official letter of apology for the chaos his students had created yesterday. They also had requested the responsible party not be allowed in the town limits for the next Hogsmeade trip. He determined to inform them that the responsible party had been suspended, end of story. No one need ever know it was Granger who'd caused the chaos. In fact, most of the staff thought it was a random accident when things happened. Most of the time, it wasn't connected to Granger since the magical reactions often didn't involve her. The Christmas fiasco was a single occurrence they all thought. And he'd wiped the minds of all the students who were present that night. There was no reason to let them think about her seductive potential.

He relished watching Granger's mishaps, like the time she had been scared shitless. It had been comical, one of the best laughs in his life. But he'd felt bad for her just the same, so he kept himself from goading her during the incident.

Winky cracked into his office with a look to kill.

"Master is not playing properly with Miss Granger," she said.

"I don't know what you mean, Winky."

"Master is pushing Miss Granger into bad talkings. You is making her to trigger Winky's spell. Sir, is not to be doing it. Winky is to be giving sir a curse if he is not stopping."

She wouldn't. He could order her not to, and she wouldn't be allowed. It was a house-elf rule. Besides, if it were the same curse, he knew how to avoid it.

"Winky knows what sir is thinking. And sir is wrong. I is allowed to curse master if he is needing it. Sir cannot stop me."

"She's right, Severus," Minerva piped in. "She can curse you, and you've been egging Hermione on. You've known certain facts regarding the spell for three months, and you've withheld information from her just so you could have a good laugh. I don't even know why she cares for you. I doubt it will last once she finds out how you've been treating her."

"Granger doesn't need to know I'm having fun at her expense. Besides, she's learning from her mistakes. I would be cheating by divulging pertinent knowledge I've gleaned for myself. Did you forget how she went behind my back to encourage mutiny amongst the house-elves? Or the fact she took it upon herself to save my life without permission? She's too nosy for her own good. I'm glad Winky cast the spell on her; it serves the chit right. By letting her learn the hard way, she'll become a stronger individual...less chance she'll revert to her old ways. It's called 'tough-love',"

Minerva's eyebrows were raised near her hairline. "She has learned her lesson regarding your life; she went through two lessons, as I recall. I thought you'd gotten past the life-saving anger. Perhaps I was wrong. And furthermore, I am responsible for the house-elf madness. I talked her into leaving the Potions field for something she held a passion for. S.P.E.W. was picked off the shelf. She shouldn't have to pay for that by herself. I take part of the blame."

Winky's expression changed from comradeship to betrayal, but Minerva didn't spot it.

"Has Hermione approached the house-elves since the curse was instigated?" Minerva asked.

"No, Ma'am." Winky said. "Miss Granger is not to be speaking to us except to be getting drunk on sir's birthday. And she is being respectable."

"She got drunk on my birthday?" Severus asked; it was rhetorical. He didn't think Granger was the type of person to turn to alcohol when in despair. Didn't she have a strong enough self-image to withstand blows from others? All outward appearances showed her being stronger than all that. She'd been through so much with the war, and not to mention putting up with Potter and Weasley on a daily basis for seven years. And then, she'd always been modest with her fame. But never, in all those instances, had he thought she would turn to the bottle. Of course, he had been rude while drunk. Had she decided to do the same? What had she been thinking? It was one thing if he drank, but it didn't seem appropriate to have such a delicate person waste herself on an inhibitor.

Yet she'd been keen to forgive him when he'd asked for it, more so than Lily had been. And he'd been more grateful than he'd let her know at her simple acceptance. It was a hard thing for him to do, to show his own faults, but she'd been a complete brick about it. He'd been using her this whole time for a personal laugh. She'd been stumbling along, making the best of each situation, and he'd watched her trip up more than once. And afterwards he'd had a good chuckle. But what kind of cheap entertainment was that? Wasn't it more fulfilling to just talk with her: to hear her describe the beauty of creating a potion on a summer's morning? Or argue with her about the best ingredient locations? All these weekly teatimes he thought he had been "putting up with her" to watch her slip up, just so he could have a dose of fun. Once she'd been forced to perform back flips for an hour before the curse's requirements were met.

This whole time, he'd known it was wrong, but he'd pushed it out of his mind, telling himself it was nothing serious. On the other hand, he'd found he enjoyed her company more than anyone else's, even Minerva's. And his feelings for Granger were confusing-mottled. One day he would feel angry with her assertiveness...her need to be right and share it with the rest of the world. And then the next day he would appreciate her rare take on a touchy subject. Then, when circumstances required them to interact, he was proud to be by her side.

But all this also described Lily. He loved Lily; he would not move past her. It was just wrong. It would be a huge change. She'd kept him going before the snakebite, and now he was going live out his second chance at life in sackcloth until he rejoined her. She had always been strong-headed and sure of herself. But she had not been forgiving; Granger had trumped Lily for once. He knew Granger held feelings for him. But he wasn't ready for her and possibly never would be. A relationship at this stage in life when he was so set in his ways was unthinkable. Severus hated change; Granger was fighting a losing battle. Why would a woman want to stick around him anyway? He was an ill-tempered man who got pleasure out of others' pain.

Did he tell Granger he knew more about the curse than he was letting on? A raw honesty was pushing him to confess. But his old Slytherin ways were convincing him to keep quiet. He didn't owe her anything. Wasn't she the smartest witch of her age? She should be able to figure it out herself with little trouble. And if he did tell her, would Granger stop seeing him? He didn't need her company...he was independent. But, he admitted to himself, life would be boring without her around. Was it more in his interest to be honest or to keep his secrets?

A/N: Finally, I can speak! I want to thank my beta StarlightAphrodite, for all the help she's given me throughout this story. Also, another thank you goes to Southern_Witch_69 who answered my many questions and worked so hard behind the scenes during the Variety Challenge. And last but not least, I want to thank those of you who are following this story! It means a lot to me to see so many reviews, and I'm so happy to have so many that like the story!

I'll have more up soon. I promise!