The Hunter - Part Two

My thanks to Maria for helping me straighten out this chapter! Also, to Beth and karelia who work so hard to cheer me and look out for my grammar errors. I hope you all love this chapter! Severus and Hermione finally are face to face alone!

***

A few days later, Severus decided to return to Paris and ask for Hermione's services. A luncheon, even with the part-Veela, Thérèse, might allow for further conversation. He walked up the boulevard to her shop and entered with confidence.

Hermione was with a client. He took a seat amongst one of the antique gilded chairs and waited patiently. He watched her face as she worked with the gentleman across from her mahogany desk. Her cheeks were growing flushed, and her hand shook slightly as she held out the parchment for the gentleman to peruse.

He heard a murmured, "Excusez-moi," as she eased herself from behind her desk and made her way towards him.

She was divine...simply divine. Her hair was down with long curls that reached to cover her entire back. She looked like a red rose in bloom. Her red dress was alive: lightweight, translucent, silky fabric wrapping around her frame and hugging each curve while she moved. She wore rubies around her neck and on her ears. But her eyes were flashing danger. He would have to watch for the thorns.

She stood stoically before him and hissed, "What are you doing here? I thought I made it quite clear that I have no time for you."

"Hermione," he began in a low, smooth pitch. "Not everything in my life has to do with you. I am here strictly on business. I need a rare herb that can only be found in Eastern Europe, and as you know, I have only limited time allotted away from Hogwarts."

She narrowed her eyes and spat, "I'm sure that you would be able to garner a week or two away from your duties. Lord knows you're practically a hermit in those dungeons."

Snape winced at her sharp tongue. "Miss Granger," he snapped as he stood to look down at her, "I have my own interests that fall outside of my 'duties,' as you refer them. I have no time to waste on having to explain myself to someone I would be hiring. If my business is unwelcome, I shall find another one of your competitors to assist me...minus the harassment."

Hermione thought quickly. If I let him go, word might get out that I refused a very important potential client! Although Severus Snape is still not accepted into polite society, amongst his peers he belongs to the elite. To turn him away would only cause the gossips to rumor and conjecture! No, I can't afford it.

"Fine," she decided with a smile that did not reach her eyes. "Wait here, and when I have finished concluding business with my client, you may come over."

She turned on her heel and strode back to her desk.

What an ass! he thought as he watched her walk away from him.

She rang a bell on her desk and continued to proceed discussing her transaction with the gentleman.

He waited as the part-Veela came out to him, offering him an assortment of drinks. He refused and continued to wait, watching Hermione's every move.

When the gentleman left, Hermione accompanied him to the door. After she had closed the door, she kept her hand on the handle, and spoke to him over her shoulder. "Professor Snape, I want to make something quite clear." She turned to face him and continued, "I do not trust you. I think you are up to something; however, I do not have the clout to turn you away."

She made her way towards her desk and sat down regally in her plush burgundy gilt chair. "So, you might say I am working with you under duress. Now, please be seated and tell me what kind of service you require."

Snape handed her a scroll. He sat in the chair across from her as she unrolled it and began to look over each piece of parchment.

She kept her head down as she spoke. "Ievshan-zillia. Yes, I recall hearing about this herb. It is extremely potent."

"Does this constitute a problem for you?"

Hermione raised her head and narrowed her eyes. "No."

She quietly placed the parchments together and sat back in her chair. "Ievshan-zillia. What is the story behind your desire to have this herb?"

"I am extremely interested in creating a potion with it. I know you will not be offended if I do not wish to share the particulars."

Hermione smirked. "On the contrary, Snape. I am extremely interested. I have a clause that states I need to know the particulars, as you call them. I could be sent to Azkaban if I am implicated in dabbling in Dark magic. So either you start talking or you can leave."

He sat back comfortably in his chair and smiled widely. This was no girl desperate for acceptance. She didn't give a damn about his reputation or his ability to dissemble.

For the next hour, Severus and Hermione discussed the Muggle and magical stories surrounding Ievshan-zillia. It was an old story from the Ukraine and was known to Muggles and wizards alike about an herb with a scent so powerful that, when crushed and worn around the neck, rendered even the most powerfully magical persons unable to resist its control. However, it was a mere fable amongst Muggles. Only magical people could locate and use it.

"This is fascinating!" she blurted out as she looked closer on further inspection of Snape's parchments. "I see you translated the fable yourself... very good." She looked up at him and said, "One caveat. Used in its purest form, worn around the neck, it could be disastrous for not only the person wearing it, but for the people around that person. They also would be affected. Not many know about this bit of old magic. However, if you were able to create a potion that would reduce its potency..."

"... it could be very effective for the Aurors as a means of sabotage. Imagine... the potion's fragrance clouding the judgment, feigning illusions of vainglory," Snape finished for her in a rich, dark hum.

Her eyes glazed over, and Snape thought she was so entrancing, he felt a twinge in his nether regions. Her face was completely relaxed and her red lips parted slightly. Snape thought she must be in another dimension.

"An Anti Wit-Clarifying Potion!" she exclaimed.

"Precisely," he replied, enjoying the look on her face as she came to the correct conclusion.

Their eyes met, and Snape could see her breathing had hitched. There is so much untapped passion there, he thought. Then the moment passed, and her face grew serious again. He didn't want to go back to the beginning with her, so he tried to carry on the conversation.

"Unlike a Befuddlement Charm, this potion would do more than make the mind fuzzy, inhibited and unable to make a decision. It would cause the victim to actually take grandiose risks, giving his opponent the chance to take an advantage as it is spelled out in that story of old Kyiv."

"Well, I shall have to consult with Thérèse and see what type of time frame I can give you. Of course, my fee, as stated in the parchment I gave you, cannot be determined at the present time. I have no idea the cost and time I would need in preparation, and then there is the difficulty of procuring the herb and maintaining its freshness," she replied in clipped tones.

Snape watched her with approval as she made some preliminary notes. "There will be paperwork that will need signing, and some formalities that will need to be discussed about the terms of our agreement..."

He interrupted, taking his chance to spend more time with her. "Hermione, it is time most Parisians take luncheon, is it not?"

She peered up from where she had been writing. "What?" she said, sounding distracted... and annoyed.

Snape stood up tall and straight as he brushed the sleeves of his frock coat. "You did tell me that you take business lunches and dinners. Why not join me for luncheon, and we can discuss more about the terms and legalities involved. Then I shall be able to sign the papers you need signing now, instead of me having to come again for another meeting."

Hermione raised an eyebrow and shifted her eyes around. If she joined him for lunch, then she wouldn't have to reschedule again until the task was done and business concluded. On the other hand, she would be having lunch with him. Hell and Damnation!

She smiled as calmly as she could muster and said, "I will have to see if Thérèse is free."

Severus sat back down in the chair with his normal gracefulness. A smile crept wide on his face. Phase Two was going swimmingly.

***

"Thérèse!" Hermione whispered as she came into the back room.

"Madame?" she asked, walking out of the back kitchen. She was carrying a carafe of coffee with two cups and saucers of her precious Limoges china.

"No, no!" Hermione whined. "Please, not Louis again!"

Thérèse smiled as she set the silver tray down. "Madame, why don't you like Louis? He is named after the kings of France!"

Hermione was desperate. "Yes, including a king who got his head chopped off. I swear, if you do not cancel, I'll make sure he dies like his namesake!" she hissed.

Thérèse looked affronted. "Madame, please!" she insisted. "What is the problem?"

Hermione slumped into a chair and rubbed her head. "Oh, my head!" she complained. "Thérèse, Professor Snape wants to continue our meeting over lunch. You know I don't go out with men alone."

Thérèse placed her hand on one hip and harrumphed. "You know what I think of that!" she snapped. "Why must it be this way with you? No lover, no men, no women. Don't you ever feel for such things?"

Hermione lifted her throbbing head from up between her hands. "Taking a lover and having luncheon with Severus Snape are two separate issues!" she snarled.

Thérèse smirked and nodded her head in agreement. Hermione hated when she did that. It usually meant she was right about something. She walked over to gather the sandwiches for Louis sitting on the counter. "Madame, that wizard may have a different reason for being here than just business."

Hermione's mouth dropped open like a stone. Thérèse turned around and began to laugh.

"Shh!" chided Hermione. "Do you want him to hear you outside?"

"Madame," Thérèse said as she sat at the table with her mistress, "you are truly a lovely woman. Men look at you with desire in their eyes. You even told me yourself that the professor wants to know you as an equal, not his past student."

Hermione felt ill. "You can't mean that h-he..."

Thérèse nodded. "Yes, Madame. That dark wizard wants you. But he wants more than your favors. I think he is truly smitten with you. He doesn't want me about, chaperoning like you were a sixteen-year-old virgin!"

Hermione winced. She felt the tears well up in her eyes.

"Madame?" Thérèse asked quietly. "Please tell me. Why are you so afraid?"

Hermione dabbed at her eyes with a napkin. "I-I just get so nervous around men. I have never been on a real date," she whispered through hiccoughs.

"What about Jack?" she asked. "You traveled with him for two years. I was sure that..."

Hermione cut her off as she steeled her voice and stood up straight and rigid. "Well, you were wrong. Jack loved me enough and wanted me enough, but when I told him about my past, he couldn't accept it...or me."

"I am sure the professor is different," Thérèse whispered. "After all, who doesn't know about Severus Snape's past?"

Hermione stood up and turned her back to her. She knew ALL of Severus' past. Even the past he didn't even know about. How ironic it all was that he would be here in Paris of all places just to court her? A strange thought filled her mind. How interesting would it be for her to discover what his thoughts were about the war, those last days when he had unknowingly violated her and then had sex with another witch to sate his lust.

"Fine, Thérèse. I will go alone," she decided. Her voice sounded weak.

Hermione walked back into the shop and said, "Thérèse has her young man coming for lunch. It shall be only us if that is not inconvenient."

He stood and said deeply, "Not at all, Hermione." She saw his eyes glitter strangely.

He looked happy.

It made her unsure.

"I will only be a moment to gather my things."

***

"I hope you understand that my reputation is now ruined," she whispered as she darted her eyes around the room.

"Why would that be?" Severus asked as he took a small bite of his carrots. "You are in a crowded restaurant, full of people, in broad daylight. Anyone who knows you can see what you and I are up to, a business luncheon, or is it just being in the presence of my company that has you so uncomfortable?"

She took a sip of her wine and looked around her discreetly. "Oh, it's just that I don't go out with men. I told you before."

"Yet you chose to join me," he countered. "I find myself speechless. Such an honor."

"Well, I admit my change of heart was not altogether a means of ridding myself of you."

He raised an eyebrow in response to her declaration.

"I want to speak with you about the war. Those last days. How did you fare then?"

Severus sighed. "The last weeks before the end were full of tremendous problems, stress, and anxiety. I think the final week before the battle I slept very little. You may have never been told, but I was deeply concerned about your disappearance."

I just bet you were! "What had you thought happened to me?" she asked.

"All of us...I could only imagine the worst," he whispered softly. "I would rather not discuss this over lunch."

Hermione watched his face. He looked disturbed and upset. "I see you no longer try so hard to guard your emotions," she observed.

"I have no reason to, Hermione. I told you that as well. There was a purpose to being the kind of man I was...to some extent. I am still me, and I'm still a private and suspicious person by nature. There are some things that I shall never forget."

"I can appreciate that," Hermione replied.

"What happened to you?" he asked. "You know that no one ever believed for a second that you had been hunkered down for three days trying to hide from Greyback. Lupin told us before he died that Greyback never stayed in one location for more than twenty-four hours."

Hermione knew she was caught. She closed her eyes and said, "I would rather not discuss this over lunch," repeating what he had said earlier.

"It appears that I am not the only one who is adept at hiding things," he observed.

Hermione took a sip of her wine and said, "I think we should discuss the legalities of our arrangement. There are a few documents that need to be signed. I do charge an up front amount of one hundred Galleons just as a down payment for my trouble."

Severus looked over the parchment. "You are quite ruthless, Miss Granger."

Hermione was not altogether sure if that was a compliment or a slight. "I am a businesswitch," she replied smartly, not feeling a need to explain herself in any form. "No more, no less."

They discussed the contract and all the legal ramifications, including the copy that, once Severus signed, automatically disappeared only to reappear inside the French Ministry for Magic.

After the professional portion of their work had been completed, Severus insisted on coffee and dessert. "I think after all this time with me, you would appreciate the sweet to counterbalance the sour," he said with a smile playing around his lips.

In spite of herself, Hermione smiled a true smile, one that reached her eyes. Severus saw a small dimple on the bottom part of her left cheek.

"What?" Hermione asked. "Do I have something on my face?"

"No," he answered quickly. "I was just taken in by your dimple. I never knew you had one."

Hermione shrugged. "My mum has the same dimple, as did my grandmother, and I'm sure her mother as well. All the women in my family have the same small dimple on the bottom of their left cheek. It's one of those hereditary things," she said as she felt face grow warm.

Severus did not want to overplay his hand. After dessert, he made his apologies. "I regret that I must leave for Hogwarts. I shall await your correspondence by owl, yes?"

"Of course," Hermione replied.

Severus stood and helped to pull out her chair for her. He led her through the restaurant with his hand on the small of her back. Hermione became aware of the warmth of his touch, confused by the feelings it built up inside her. Only after he had walked her back to her shop did he Apparate back to Hogwarts. Hermione had watched as he disappeared. She felt somewhat odd but couldn't place a finger on it.

That night the nightmare returned.

***

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