Chocolate and Hazelnuts

Thank you all for your support during my writing of this fic. I'm very happy that everyone has enjoyed this so much.

I hope you continue to enjoy this.

All canon characters belong to JKR.

Thanks to June for all of her help in getting this read ready.

Chapter 11 – Chocolate and Hazelnuts

Severus rolled over on top of Hermione. They were both clothed, but he planned to rectify that quickly. As they kissed, he began to reach for his wand, in order to divest them both of their clothes, when suddenly he heard Albus' voice calling him.

"Severus! Where are you?" the Headmaster called out anxiously.

"Damn!" muttered Severus, as he quickly rolled off of Hermione. They both sat up just as Albus ran into the open bedroom.

"Ah!" screamed the old man. "It worked," he said, surprised.

"Well, of course it bloody worked," said Severus. He looked at Albus and began to grow nervous. "Albus," Severus said as he hopped off the bed and walked toward the Headmaster. "Why were you so insistent last night that Hermione and I wait to take the potion?" He crossed his arms.

Hermione came up behind him. "Yes, Albus. There was really no reason to wait. The potion worked, as you can see." She then noticed the scent of chocolate near her. Hermione loved chocolate. If she could spend her entire life eating chocolate, she would.

"Well, I just wanted to be sure you were both all right. I know it was a complicated potion. You were just children, after all," Albus explained nervously.

Severus narrowed his eyes.

"Albus, what happened to the counter-potion? It didn't change us immediately, as it should have." Severus then looked around. There was the distinct smell of hazelnuts in the room. He loved hazelnuts but hadn't had any in his room in weeks. He'd gone to Hogsmeade a month ago and bought a two-pound bag, but they were gone within a week. He wondered now why he could smell hazelnuts, mingled with lavender and... vanilla, was it?

Albus noticed the Potions master looking around the room in confusion.

"Is there something wrong, Severus?" asked Albus.

"Don't you smell it?" asked Severus.

Albus shook his head.

"Smell what?" asked Hermione, thinking he smelled the chocolate too.

"Hazelnuts; my room smells like hazelnuts." Severus walked around the bedroom, then out into the living room. As he left his bedroom the scent faded, only to grow stronger as he approached his room once again.

"I don't smell anything, Severus," said Albus.

"I smell something, but it's not hazelnuts," answered Hermione as Severus approached her.

Albus' eyes grew large, as he realized what his "accident" in the potions lab may have caused.

"What do you smell?" Severus asked Hermione.

"Chocolate."

Albus gasped.

Both Severus and Hermione looked his way.

"Albus, what the hell is going on here? What happened to the counter-potion?" insisted Severus. Hermione was standing next to him. He leaned closer to her and sniffed.

"Wait, it's you!" Severus pointed to Hermione.

"Me? What's me?" she asked.

"You smell like hazelnuts." Severus grabbed her by the shoulders and began to sniff into her hair, and then he nuzzled her neck.

She giggled and pushed him away slightly.

"Well, you smell like chocolate," she said. Again, they both looked at a very guilty Albus.

The wizard cleared his throat and smiled.

"Um...well now, Severus. You see, it's not anything bad, chocolate and hazelnuts. I can think of worse smells to be surrounded by." His smile faded as he noticed the scowl on the now adult Severus' face.

"All right, all right. It was an accident. I promise, I researched every bit of information on the counter-potion I could find as well as the um...object that I uh..." Albus mumbled the rest of his words.

Hermione quirked her head.

"What was that, sir?" she asked.

Albus again mumbled his words.

"Out with it, old man!" spat Severus.

Albus sighed in defeat. "I dropped a chocolate-covered hazelnut into the counter-potion! It was an accident!" said Albus finally.

"You what!" bellowed Severus.

"Oh no, Albus. How did that happen?" asked Hermione as she grabbed Severus by the arm to try to hold him back.

"I was looking at the potion and as I was popping a hazelnut into my mouth, I accidentally hit the table and – well, lost my footing a bit, and it just fell in." Albus made sure he was close enough to the door so that he could make a run for it if need be. At his age, he couldn't run fast; he'd need a head start.

"I don't believe this," Severus said as he threw his arms up. "A hazelnut. A chocolate-covered hazelnut! Is there anything else you may have dropped in there? So help me, Albus, if I start craving those bollicking lemon drops, I think you will actually have to disappear, because I may just have to come after you and cast an Unforgivable your way."

"Severus, calm down," said Hermione. "It's not that bad. I think it's actually sort of nice."

Severus looked at her like she had a carrot growing out of the middle of her head.

Hermione smiled and got closer to him.

"I love chocolate, you know." She nuzzled his neck and whispered in his ear, "I wonder if you taste like chocolate, too." She felt a shiver come from Severus just before he moved away from her slightly. He took a quick look into her mind and saw images of her licking him as he was covered with chocolate. He quickly withdrew, and then looked at Albus.

"Well, I suppose it could have been worse," Severus said. 'The old man could have dropped a clove of garlic into the potion,' he thought.

"There, you see, everything turned out for the best." Albus smiled and clapped his hands. Then his face grew serious once again. "Now that I know you are both fine, I need to speak with you about the meeting. Lucius met with us all last night, and we have some preparations to make."

They went into the living room and sat, as Albus told them what Lucius had reported. It had been decided at the all-night Order meeting that it would be best to stop Voldemort before his attack on the castle.

As the three talked, there was a cracking noise in the Floo. The flames grew high and Lucius stepped through. He looked at his now adult-sized friend, then at the young woman sitting next to him. Hermione, much like Ginny, had grown into a very beautiful woman.

"I see the potion worked," said the tall blond wizard as he entered the room further. "Good." He looked towards Albus. "There is a problem."

"What's happened?" asked Severus.

Lucius took off his cape and sat down at the far end of the couch. He looked tired.

"Wormtail is dead," said Lucius plainly.

"How?" asked Albus.

"He tried to poison Voldemort," answered Lucius.

"What?" Hermione couldn't believe her ears. "Wait, Harry will want to know about this."

"See if he can come," Albus said to Hermione.

Severus rolled his eyes. 'Great, Potter's cooties in my rooms.' He stopped himself. 'What the hell? Where did that come from?' thought Severus. Much to his dismay, he was apparently still having some residual childlike thoughts.

Hermione caught Harry just before he and Ron went to the University Quidditch pitch. Both young men walked through the Floo and into Severus' living room.

"Okay, Hermione, so what was so important that..." Harry stopped and looked around the room. The first thing he noticed was that the professor and his friend were now back to their adult forms. Then he noticed Lucius Malfoy sitting at the far end of the couch, and finally he saw Albus sitting across from the three in a large leather chair.

"Harry, nice of you to join us. Ron, you too," said Albus cheerfully.

"Well, have a seat the both of you. Lucius was about to tell us of the timely demise of Peter Pettigrew," Severus said, then he smiled and looked at Ron. "Oh, and Mr. Weasley, I do hope you have that putrid odor streaming out of your ass under control."

"Severus!" snapped Hermione.

"May I continue?" asked Lucius loudly.

"Pettigrew is dead?" asked Harry. "How, when?"

Lucius rolled his eyes. "I was about to tell Albus, Severus and Hermione just that. Now, if you please have a seat, I can continue," said Lucius, feeling himself begin to lose patience. He'd planned on calling on Ginny early that morning after the all-night Order meeting, but instead had been called back to the Dark Lord's lair, where he found out that Peter was being tortured. After Peter was finally disposed of, he decided to make a quick detour to Hogwarts to let Severus and Albus know what had happened.

Everyone quieted down and listened to Lucius. It wasn't entirely clear to Lucius why Peter did what he did, but the ex-friend of James Potter had spent the last week developing a potion to kill Voldemort.

"He came into the throne room to give the Dark Lord his breakfast. There was something in his manner that drew Voldemort's attention. Peter was nervous. He normally comes into the room, sets the food down, and leaves. Today he stayed. He kept looking at the food on the plate. Then he would look at the goblet as well. Just before Voldemort drank from the goblet, he stopped and looked at Peter."

Lucius paused as he remembered the torture Peter had endured.

"Peter, of course, refused to speak. I could tell that Voldemort was using Legilimency on him during the torture. When he stopped he put Peter in a binding spell, then applied the Cruciatus Curse for several minutes. Then he continued with slicing hexes, and washed the blood off of him with salted lemon juice."

"That's horrible," whispered Hermione.

"Then you will not want to hear how Peter finally died," Lucius said as he looked towards Harry. "Before he died, he was thinking about you, Harry. He cried out your name as he breathed his last breath. Peter said, 'I tried. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, Harry.'"

They were all silent for a moment.

"He must have been trying to pay back the life-debt he owes to me. He tried to kill Voldemort so that I wouldn't have to face him," said Harry in wonder. "But he couldn't have killed him, because the prophecy says I'm the only one that can kill him." Harry shook his head.

Severus then turned to him.

"Potter, stop living your life based on what you think you know, and start living it based on what you do know." Severus stood and walked towards Harry. "There is nothing in that prophecy stating that you cannot have assistance. Or do you plan to rush into the Dark Lord's lair armed with just your wand and your balls?"

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

Another chapter down. I'm hoping to start writing the next chapter this weekend.

I hope you all enjoyed this one.

Thanks for reading.