Chapter Thirty-two: Patchouli and Floo Powder

Disclaimer: JKR owns everything except the plot.

Chapter Thirty-two: Patchouli and Floo Powder

"Miss Granger, see me after class." Snape's tone did not bode well for Hermione's evening plans.

"Yes, sir."

"What have you done this time, Granger? Botched your potion?" Blaise lifted their perfect sample to the light and swirled the silvery liquid. "Insufficient research in your latest essay? Or did you simply not hand it in on time? The man's going to run out of excuses to keep you after class soon."

Hermione grinned and glanced over at Harry, who was staring at the Potions professor in a most unforgiving manner. Ron Weasley, however, seemed lost in thought. "Harry has taken the bait. Ron seems a little preoccupied today."

"Perhaps he's actually paying attention to his potion?"

Looking over at the thick, greyish brew Ron was stirring, they both laughed.

"Perhaps not. Probably planning his next conquest. Now that he takes seriously."

"A man has to do what a man has to do, Hermione." Blaise handed over the vial. "Be a good girl and take that to your beloved, and I'll clean up this mess. Maybe you could fit in a quick snog while the rest of us toil at our benches."

"Blaise Zabini, sometimes you're a right prat."

"Yes, and you love me, don't you?"

"I adore you even more when you scrub cauldrons. It's so sexy seeing a man clean." Hermione patted Blaise's cheek as she walked away.

"Pity you didn't tell me that a few months ago."

Sample safely delivered, without any snogging, Hermione sat at the bench and waited until the rest of the class had left, including a smirking Blaise.

Snape closed the door behind the last stragglers, locking and Silencing it behind them. Spinning to face Hermione, he released the smile he had been suppressing all day.

"Minerva has approved. We may handfast in two weeks."

"Really?"

"Really."

"That's... that's..."

"A very short time to get it organised. However, Minerva insisted it should be done sooner rather than later so as not to interfere with exams. I don't suppose you'd like me to arrange a detention tonight so we can discuss what is needed, amongst other things?"

"No need to impugn my academic reputation with your love of detentions. I'll just tell anyone who asks I'm going to see you for help on an extra homework project I'm doing. As soon as I mention the H word, they'll run a mile."

"Spoilsport."

Detention or not, by the time Hermione left Severus's rooms that evening, she was exhausted in the best possible way, leaving him sprawled on the bed naked and satisfied.

Smiling as she walked along the corridor to the common room entrance, Hermione's thoughts drifted back to Snape's quarters.

He greeted her soft knock on his office door with a suitable scowl for the benefit of any passing Slytherins. As soon as the door closed, Snape guided her to the opposite wall.

"Yes, sir!" Hermione sat bolt upright and favoured him with a brisk salute. Suddenly, she felt a tingling sensation as her bra disappeared from under her blouse, reappearing draped across the candelabra. So much for maturity. He's as bad as I am.

Hermione reached for Snape's hand, pulling him to the bed. Guiding him onto his back in the middle of the soft quilt, she straddled his hips, rocking slowly against his hardness. As he closed his eyes and surrendered to her ministrations, she reminded him once again of her position on the matter, whispering words of reassurance and using lips and tongue and fingertips and searing heat to remove all doubt.

Ron waved Hermione over to his armchair when she entered the common room on her way to her bedroom. "Hey, 'Mione. How did it go?"

"Fine. I'm all organised. He was quite helpful." She brushed at her robes with one hand as she spoke.

"Snape was helpful? Can we get that in writing?"

"Professor Snape, Ron. I wish you'd show him some respect. You know as well as I do what he did in the war."

"Yeah, yeah. Professor Snape. My hero." Ron's nostrils flared a little as he glanced around. "Can you smell...?"

"What?"

"Oh, nothing. Sorry, 'Mione. I must get on with my own homework. Can't spend all night talking."

Staring at him, looking for the sudden extra head, Hermione frowned. "Are you all right, Ron?"

"Yeah, of course. I'll see you in the morning." With that, Ron gathered up his books and disappeared into his room.

***

"Uh, oh. I think you have a letter, Hermione." Ginny batted away the cheeky little owl dive-bombing her head. "Why does he always do that to me?"

"Well, if you hadn't let him sit on your shoulder and play with your hair when I first bought him for Mum and Dad, he wouldn't be so fascinated with it." Hermione waved a piece of bacon at the irrepressible bird, who desisted from his attempt to gather some of Ginny's hair for his nest and dropped his missive into her plate instead.

"Don't you know you're supposed to deliver the letter to the person whose name is on the envelope, you little twit?" Ginny giggled as she stroked the owl's head with a finger. "Why you named such a daft owl Hercules is beyond me."

"He was so small when I found him at Eeylops, I thought he deserved a grand name." Hermione grinned as she read her mother's reply to her request. Feeding Hercules another treat, she sent him to the owlery for a rest before returning home.

"So, anyway," Ginny lowered her voice and glanced towards the two boys seated a few places down the table, "are we all set to go tomorrow?"

"Yes. You lot can corner Ron and Harry after breakfast. They usually lounge around in the common room for a while on Saturday mornings playing chess. I'll stay well away until after lunch. That should give you enough time. I'm sure I can find something to do."

"Or someone..." Ginny winked.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I was referring to homework. You know, that activity involving textbooks and essay writing?"

"Of course. What else?" The redhead rested her chin on her hand and studied Snape up at the staff table. "He's not that bad, really, when he's not breathing down your neck. Pity about the nose, but I can see how his eyes could suck you right in. And he does have lovely hands. Oh, stop looking so smug, Hermione, Harry's pretty good with his hands too."

"What is Potter good at, and why are you staring at my Head of house like that, Ginevra Weasley? You do realise Granger is dangerous when provoked?"

"Trust me; you really don't want to know what's going on inside that head. And she knows she's only allowed to look. We have an understanding, don't we, Gin?"

Ginny nodded. "Don't worry. I like my head too much to risk crossing either you or Professor Snape. You're both bloody scary."

Easing himself onto the bench between the two girls, Blaise helped himself to Hermione's last piece of bacon.

"Hey, I wasn't finished! You've been spending far too much time around Ron lately, Zabini!"

"Oi! I heard that!" Ron grinned and raised his fork, a juicy piece of bacon dripping grease all over the tablecloth.

"I think he just made your point admirably." Blaise gave Ron the thumbs-up, then turned to the girls. "Everything ready?"

"We'll have them eating out of our hands by tomorrow lunchtime. I'm sure a good snogging will be all Harry'll need to see the light."

"You can snog him after lunch all you like." Hermione pushed her plate and glass away and stood. "Right now, though, it's time for Transfiguration. Coming, Mr Bacon-Snatcher?"

"Yes, M'am! I'll go and drag Luna away from the Ravenclaw table. We'll catch up in a minute."

***

Ginny and Luna slipped into Hermione's room on Saturday morning soon after breakfast.

"Are you ready to disappear?"

"Yes. Who's left in the common room?"

Luna checked off her fingers. "Ron and Harry are playing chess as usual. Draco and Neville are snogging on the couch. We agreed they would be told too, didn't we? Blaise has checked the library, and all my housemates are nose deep in their books. Hannah and Lavender have gone for their usual walk down by the lake, and you know Draco is the only Slytherin who uses your common room. I think that accounts for everyone."

"All right. I'll be back at twelve. Good luck!" Hermione took a moment to hug her friends before heading off via the Gryffindor common room to the library.

"I think it's time we demonstrated the power of feminine persuasion... or coercion." Ginny flicked her hair back and slicked on a little lip gloss for good measure.

"I didn't know feminine power comes from lip gloss." Luna sounded serious.

"It doesn't. But strawberry is Harry's favourite flavour. It doesn't hurt to be prepared. Come on, let's go get 'em."

The two girls walked into the senior common room, apparently engrossed in conversation.

"He must be bloody good in bed to have her looking so smug," Ginny said as she moved behind Harry and rested her hands on his shoulders.

"It's not always all about sex, Ginny. Maybe he's brilliant. She would never put up with someone who is dim." Luna's eyes shone with the effort of deception foreign to her nature.

Harry looked up and patted Ginny's hand. "Who's good in bed?"

"Hermione's boyfriend. Luna and I can't agree on whether he is fantastic in the sack or scarily brilliant like she is. What do you think?"

"No idea. I'm just confused about it all. When does she get to see him? I haven't seen her spending time with any of the blokes here, and I can't imagine she'd be interested in a younger boy." Harry frowned for a moment, then moved his knight.

"I think it's someone else." Ginny pretended to ponder. "I know. She's shagging Stan Shunpike. She always had a soft spot for the underdog."

Ron looked up and rolled his eyes as he checkmated Harry for the third game in succession. "That's just wrong, that is. Leave poor Stan out of this."

"I know." Luna's dreamy smile and sigh enhanced her performance. "It's Kingsley Shacklebolt. He's powerful, intelligent, and ever so handsome."

"And the Minister of Magic, Luna. He has a reputation to uphold, and I imagine a schoolgirl in his bed would be a touch hard to explain." Harry gathered up the chess pieces and sent them to their box.

"Mundungus Fletcher. He's under a spell and is really charming and good-looking. Hermione has discovered his secret, and he's shagging her to keep her quiet." Blaise grinned at the horrified expressions on Ron and Harry's faces.

Draco managed to tear himself away from Neville long enough to add his unscripted contribution. "No, she has grander plans. She's sneaking off to Azkaban to keep my father entertained. Mother hates the place and refuses to visit except on shower days."

Ron shuddered. "I'm not sure what's more disgusting, the thought of Mundungus Fletcher naked or you suggesting your own father as her lover, Malfoy."

"It always pays to know your family's weaknesses, Weasley. Leaves one less vulnerable in the long run."

No-one noticed Neville had not said a word.

"I still suspect you, Zabini. You spend enough time in her bedroom." Harry grinned.

"Chance would be a fine thing. She has about as much interest in shagging me as she does you two. No, I'm putting my money on someone who left school a few years ago. Perhaps Weasley's brother Percy. He's smart enough for her."

"Oh, for Merlin's sake, are you all blind as well as thick?" Ron threw his hands up in disgust. "Isn't it bloody obvious?"

Ginny, Luna, and Blaise shared puzzled glances. Things were not going quite as planned.

"Obvious?" Ginny ventured to respond.

"Who does she see every day? Who do you know who is as brilliant as she is? 'Mione values courage over appearance and integrity over muscles. Who did she kiss at New Year and bloody enjoyed it?"

"Snape?" Harry looked bemused.

"Snape. Haven't any of you noticed how she stares at him in class nowadays? Like she wants to eat him alive. She's always insisted we should be grateful for him and treat him with respect, but I overheard them arguing in class one day. You don't argue like that with Snape without getting detention, but he let it pass. Then there was the night he came looking for her in the bedroom. Neville said he'd left soon after, but I'm sure I didn't see him go.

"She's shagging Snape, she is."

"Snape?" Harry was beginning to sound like a broken record.

Ginny was the first to string a coherent sentence together. "Ron, how can you say that?"

"I may be a bit slow sometimes, but I can put two and two together. He keeps wanting to see her after class, and last night she came back from supposedly talking to him about her homework with Floo powder all over her robes."

"Floo powder? What does that have to do with it?" Harry was finally thinking again.

"Harry, have you seen a fireplace in Snape's office or his classroom? The only place she could have been in contact with Floo powder last night was his private quarters. And when she came in last night, her hair was all over the place, her shirt was untucked at the back, and her skirt was back to front. And I caught a definite whiff of patchouli."

"Patchouli?" Harry was at it again.

Ron shrugged. "Snape always wears a patchouli-based aftershave."

"Ron?"

"Yes, Gin?"

"How do you know what Snape smells like? Have you been... sniffing him?"

"Snape? You sniffed Snape?"

"Don't you start, Malfoy." Ron stood and faced his friends. "Bill uses something similar. I was with him when he bought it one day. Tried to persuade me to buy some. I knew there was something putting me off it, but it wasn't until our next Potions class I realised what it was.

"Anyway, as far as I'm concerned, long may it last. Snape's been a lot more pleasant lately, well, less unpleasant, anyway. And 'Mione isn't chasing us with colour-coded study charts. It's a win-win situation. I just can't believe none of you saw this coming."

"Why didn't you say something?" Harry was trying to work out whether he was more disturbed by the thought of his best friend shagging the Potions professor or his other best friend condoning such an activity.

"Because, Harry, I didn't want to get my head bitten off. By you or 'Mione. I told you I'm not stupid."

Ginny turned and shrugged at Blaise as Ron left the room. "My brother's a genius. Unbelievable!"

"Our job is done here. Now, you work on your boyfriend. He's losing the glazed look," Blaise muttered.

"I'm on it." Ginny smiled and perched herself in Harry's lap. "Enough talk about Hermione. What are you getting me for Valentine's Day?"

Harry blushed. "I can't tell you that. Then it wouldn't be a surprise."

"Well, perhaps you'd better take me for a stroll around the lake, and we can make plans for tomorrow. Or maybe get in a little practice." Ginny raised an eyebrow and stood, tugging Harry by the hand to follow her.

"If that soppy grin was anything to go by, Potter's forgotten all about Hermione's choice in wizard." Blaise offered his hand to Luna. "Everyone else is out enjoying the fresh air. Well, everyone except those two." He jerked his head towards Neville and Draco, who had lost interest in the conversation and retired to their favourite sofa. "Shall we go for a walk and find Hermione?"

"It would be a pleasure, Blaise Zabini."

***

A/N: This was written for shalimar1981 for the TPP Every Flavour Auction. Thanks as always to my alpha team of LivingTheDream and quaffswinegaily, and the best beta in the world, karelia.

Dearest readers: Once again, I apologise for the wait. Between the last chapter and this one I had to finish my SSHG Exchange fic and get it sent in. Thank you all for sticking with this story so far and your fantastic reviews. Love, sunny xx