Chapter 2

A/N: Okay, folks, at long last, I have finally started the continuation of this story. Whereas Chapter 1 was pretty much straight PWP, this chapter, and the rest of the story, take a bit of a more serious turn. After all, it's hard to do a multi-chaptered story that doesn't have a plot. So, I hope you will excuse the abrupt change to some seriousness.

Chapter 2

Severus was amazed by the longevity of the potion. Most lust potions lasted only a few hours; the effects of this one had already lasted several days. He knew that searching through the book again for more information would be a waste of time. But what would he do when the potion wore off? Had Hermione Weasley's declaration of the crush she'd had on him for the last decade been the truth, or had it only been the potion? For a brief moment, he considered confessing to her what had happened, but quickly decided that it would accomplish nothing useful.

Severus thought that the potion might be something he could market once he had more thoroughly deciphered its properties. For now, he had only tested it on one witch. That was not a large enough sample group to establish its commercial possibilities. There was always a segment of wizarding society searching for the next lust potion, and he had provided several of those in the past. This one was definitely better than any he had brewed for his acquaintances before, and as such, he anticipated that he would be able to charge significantly more. This potion might prove most beneficial in more way than one.

In order to test its effectiveness, he had stopped by a pub on the way home and had flirted with some of the women. They had all given him the usual cold reception. He wished he could observe Hermione to see if the effects had worn off during the day. But she had been avoiding him of late. Unfortunately, there was no way that he would see her now before tomorrow morning.

When he arrived at work the next morning, he casually searched for Hermione. Unfortunately, she was already in her lab working with the other members of her department. She had been very successful at not being found alone the last few days. He needed to see her privately.

After lunch, he found his opportunity. She had gone alone to the secure storeroom.

As she turned to leave, she almost ran into him. "Oh, Severus. You startled me."

"That was not my intention. I was coming to retrieve some Boomslang skin," he said softly while he tried to judge her reaction. "I have not seen much of you this week. I would almost think that you are avoiding me."

"No. I haven't been avoiding you," she replied nervously. "We've had a lot of work to do, that's all."

"Is that all? I thought that perhaps you might be having... regrets." He moved closer to her, forcing her back into the room.

"Er, no, no regrets. I just think that perhaps that it's not something we should repeat. You know, me being married and all."

"Of course," he replied as he leaned closer to her.

She seemed about to kiss him. Then suddenly she slipped under his arm. "If you'll excuse me. The potion we're working on is quite time sensitive."

He watched her leave the room. He was disappointed, but the meeting had not been a total failure. He thought now that she did harbor some feelings for him, and moreover, that she was willing to act on them. Whether it was the potion or just her realizing how she truly felt about him, he did not know. This was something he definitely wanted to explore. Having had a taste of her, he found that he only wanted more.

It was disquieting that the potion seemed to work only on her. Clearly, further testing was in order. He would have to take a fresh dose of the potion before he headed out to a bar this weekend to conduct another test. After that test, he would have to consider recruiting others to test this potion, but he had no idea whom.

***********

Hermione had been able to avoid Severus most of the rest of the week. She still wasn't sure what had caused her to give in to her buried emotions lately. She had been nervous about working with him when she had first learned he would be her new boss. Mostly because she remembered how she had been treated when she was his student, but also due to her feelings for him.

At the end of the war, she had been one of the first to support his innocence, along with McGonagall. In time, Harry and Ron had grudgingly accepted his innocence, though neither was pleased when the Ministry named Snape Head of Potions Research.

Even with her actively avoiding Severus, she could not completely eliminate contact with him, and when she found herself in the same room with him, she could feel her pulse begin to race. Being with him was far different from being with Ron, far more passionate.

Shaking her head, she tried to clear those thoughts. She couldn't think about that sort of thing as she made her way home. She already thought about Severus far more often than she should. She had made her choice, and she was happy with that. Wasn't she?

Not wanting to think on it any longer, she quickly straightened up her lab and slipped out of the building before anyone could notice.

She was quite surprised when she arrived to a dark house. Ron was always home from practice by this time. Checking the owl perch, she saw that it was deserted and that no letter had been left for her. If Ron had been injured, they would have notified her. Since it was after dark, they couldn't still be practicing. It just wasn't like him to be this late. Of course, she was rarely home quite this early, but at least she always had a good reason for coming home late.

Finally, she heard the door open. "Where have you been?" she demanded.

"Hermione?" replied a very startled Ron. "What are you doing home?"

"I do live here, you know."

"I know that. I just wasn't expecting you home so early, that's all," he stammered.

She couldn't help the slightly suspicious feeling that his words caused. "Did you get hit with a Bludger again?"

"No. Nothing like that, though we will be practicing longer hours because of the upcoming match with the Harpies."

"Oh, right, that's next week, isn't it?" She had been hoping to spend some more time with him, to try to work through her feelings of guilt and to try to get Severus out of her mind.

"In fact, I have to be in early tomorrow, and I probably won't be home before dinner, but you were going to work anyway, weren't you?"

"I hadn't decided. My current project is coming along well and needs some simmer time this weekend. I thought...we might find some time together this weekend."

"I'm sorry, honey. This just isn't a good weekend for me. We have to have a really good showing in this match to have a chance at the championship. You understand. Weekend after next I should have some time off. How about then?"

She wanted to be upset with him, but he had such a cute boyish grin, and she found it impossible. She really didn't want to wait that long before they could really discuss what was happening, how they seemed to be growing apart. "Why not that Sunday and Monday after the match? I can take the day off; I have plenty of leave on the books."

"Uh, sure, that sounds great," he replied.

From the tone of his voice, she had the impression that he did think it was great. She was finally realizing that maybe she didn't really know Ron as well as she once thought, no, knew she had. Somehow they had grown apart over the last year or so, and she hadn't even noticed it happening. Until now.

***********

"That was a good practice," Cliodna Reilly said as they walked back to the locker room together.

Ron thought her voice was musical and the loveliest sound he had ever heard. She was the new Chaser on the team, recently acquired in a trade, and she had stayed late, wanting to practice on their pitch to get used to the field before next week's game. Watching her fly, he didn't see that she needed practice at anything. The broom was part of her, and she made everything look effortless. It had been very hard for him to concentrate on blocking her goals, but he had done his best because he wanted to impress her. "It really was, wasn't it? I don't think the Harpies have a chance."

Circling his right arm, he tried to work out a kink that had resulted from him over-extending himself in what he thought was a rather spectacular save.

"You alright?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. It's just a touch sore, that's all."

"Well, we can't have that for our Keeper." By now they were in the locker room. "Here. Lie down on the table and let me work that out for you. I'll need you to take your shirt off."

"Maybe I should wait for the trainer," he said skeptically.

"We both know that if you sleep on it, it'll be worse tomorrow. This won't take long."

Slowly, he took his shirt off, nervous about what she would think of his body. He found her incredibly attractive, even though he knew he shouldn't think about her that way. But Hermione basically ignored him, burying herself in her work. The appraising glance she gave him before he stretched out on the table did not go unnoticed.

She started rubbing his shoulder, and he had to admit that she had a wonderful touch. "That feels really good," he muttered as he started entering a state of relaxation.

"You should be good as new tomorrow. You do have a lot of knots," she said as she started moving her hands across his back.

"Oh, Cliodna, that feels so good," he moaned.

"It's good to see you relax. You should do that more often."

"Easier said than done," he replied, trying not to think about his life away from the pitch. Of course, having a beautiful woman giving him a massage helped him with that.

After several minutes, she leaned down and whispered to him, "How does that feel?"

Reaching up to keep her from moving away, he replied, "Fantastic." Looking into her eyes, he could see the same desire there that he knew was mirrored in his eyes. When he pulled her close for a kiss, she didn't resist.

Soon, they were both on the table, wrapped in each other's arms and giving in to their passions.

**************

Severus paced the work area at his house. He had run several tests on the potion, trying to determine how the individual components had combined to provide such a singular reaction.

What was even more perplexing was that even after taking a fresh dose of the potion, none of the women he had approached last night had been remotely attracted to him. It seemed more and more plausible that this potion really did react only with one person. Now, the question was: why?

Did it have something to do with the unrequited love that he and Hermione shared, or was it because she was the first woman he had come across? There was a possibility that he was still feeling the effect of his first dose since he had no idea how long it was effective. He was beginning to regret using this unknown potion, but desperation could do strange things to a person.

Of course, he had no idea how to proceed. He had never had much luck with women, let alone one who was married, though he seriously suspected that this was a marriage in name only at this point. But she did not seem willing to admit it. He would have to work to convince her that she was better off without Weasley. Or perhaps that she would be better off with him, but he would have to be careful about how he went about this. It would not be fitting for him to actively woo her.

**************

Hermione slammed the jar of lacewing flies on the counter. The intimate weekend she had hoped to have with Ron had been completely ruined. The Cannons had won and had promptly gone to the Leaky Cauldron to celebrate. Unfortunately, some of the Harpy fans had not taken it well, and a brawl had broken out.

While Ron's injuries had been superficial and quickly healed, Hermione was furious that she had been forced to bail him out of gaol. She hadn't said anything to him when he had been brought before her. Instead, she had turned her back on him and stormed out of the gaol.

He had followed her home, but his apology had not been sincere. He could have just had the good sense to apologize for embarrassing her. Instead, he had chosen to make the excuse that he had been forced to defend the team's honor. A part of her had not been surprised to learn that he had actually played a major part in instigating the brawl. Rather than listen to his pathetic excuses any longer, she had retreated to her lab.

Closing her eyes and taking a few deep breaths, she tried to regain her composure. She needed a steady hand and a clear mind to work on her potion, and right now, she had neither.

"Is there something I can assist you with?" came a smooth, familiar voice from behind her.

She cursed herself for not checking to make sure she was alone in the building. "No," she said sharply, before adding more softly, "thank you."

"My apologies for my intrusion, but I heard a commotion and came to investigate. I wanted to make sure that we didn't have a poltergeist or some other menace haunting the building."

"No, just me."

He moved further into the room. Standing close, but not too close, to her. "I would hardly consider you a menace," he said smoothly.

She locked eyes with his and found that she could not look away from their black depths. The feelings that she had been trying to hide started rushing back to the surface. Drawing on her anger towards Ron to overpower the stirrings of lust, she demanded, "Is there something you wanted?"

He examined several of the ingredients she had assembled for her potion. "I notice that you are working with some volatile ingredients. I think it would be best if you calmed down before proceeding with your work. I have some brandy in my office that would help you relax."

She most definitely did not trust herself to be alone with him. Especially not if alcohol was involved. "I don't think that would be appropriate."

"Then perhaps lunch at the Leaky Cauldron?"

It took her several seconds to answer. She wanted to be with him, but she didn't trust herself to be alone with him. The Leaky Cauldron was a public place, and if they confined their discussion to professional topics, no one would think anything of the two of them being seen together. She was still trying to determine why now, of all times, she had been struck by such a rush of emotion while around him, a rush that she had not felt since sixth year. "All right. I do have some ideas about the potion I'm working on that I would like to run by you."

He gave her a small smile. "I would be honored."

Lunch with Severus was not as bad as she had feared it might be. They had started out discussing her potion, but soon the conversation had turned to the reason why she was so upset. Of course, the fact it was right on the brawl was immortalized on front page of the Daily Prophet, with Ron prominently featured, hadn't helped. Had it not been for that, she would never have discussed it at all, but once she started talking about Ron's behavior, it was as if the floodgates had opened and could not be shut again until the pressure was relieved.

Severus was surprisingly sympathetic and non-judgmental. Something about his behavior bothered her, but she couldn't say exactly what it was. She did remind herself that when she had been at Hogwarts, he had not been her head of house, and she had actually befriended the son of his childhood nemesis. Surely, he would have provided some extracurricular mentoring to the Slytherins much as McGonagall had done for the Gryffindors. And his actions in the war had proven that he wasn't all bad. She had just never taken the time to notice this side of him. For a moment, she wondered how different things would be if only she had.

***********

Severus had not been surprised when she had turned down the offer to go to his office. He had actually been pleasantly surprised that she had accepted his invitation to lunch. Now, he could really get to know her, find her weaknesses and most importantly, find out what she saw in Weasley.

It had been much easier than he had anticipated to get her to open up about Weasley. Of course, he had the Daily Prophet to thank for that. And Witch Weekly. All the hours he had spent reading articles trying to understand women were finally paying off. It was beyond him why more wizards did not read that periodical. He knew that witches liked a wizard who would bother to show interest in them, ask what was bothering them and be non-judgmental. He was also careful not to overtly place the blame on Weasley; he didn't want her becoming defensive. Instead, he was calm and sympathetic, reiterated her strong points, made her feel attractive.

Casually, he moved his leg under the table until it came to rest against hers. Quickly, he pulled it back. "I'm sorry."

"No, it's all right. I suppose we have been sitting here for a long time. I could use to stretch my legs, too."

Not wanting to lose the momentum he had with her, he said, "We could finish our discussion by taking a walk in the park. That way, no one would overhear you." He locked eyes with her, trying to gauge her reaction to his request.

"Sure."

He quickly paid for their meals and led the way out the door. There was a small park down the road that would afford them some privacy. Of course, it was a Muggle park, which meant that the chances of a wizard overhearing them were even smaller here.

He continued to provide her reassurance and comfort, asking questions meant to sow the seeds of doubt in her mind. The sooner she realized she was better off without Weasley, the better for him. From time to time he would casually brush against her.

When they were deep in the park, he gently pushed the discussion towards topics that she would find painful, that would require him to comfort her. He wanted to feel her in his arms again. Finally, he achieved his goal. It seemed that she was quite upset by the amount of time Weasley was spending at Quidditch practice the last few weeks. Yes, yesterday's match had been important, but even before the championship game last year, he had not been away this much.

She started sniffling to try to hold back the tears, and he handed her a handkerchief. After she took it, she dabbed her eyes a few times and then collapsed into his chest. "I don't know why I even bother. He doesn't even notice me."

Knowing it would comfort her, he wrapped his arms around her and leaned his head against her. Her scent nearly overpowered him. It was intoxicating. "Then that is his fault, not yours." He stroked her hair and tried not to be too obvious about soaking in her fragrance. After a few moments, he gently tipped her chin so that she was looking at him. "You are a beautiful young witch who deserves someone who appreciates you." Gently, he brushed a tear from her cheek with his thumb before leaning down to press his lips against hers.

It started as a relatively innocent kiss, but it soon became quite passionate, the pent up emotion from the last week breaking free. He pulled her tight, letting her know how he felt. Her hands were rubbing his back, and he was pleased.

Finally, she pushed away. "I...I think I should go," she said quietly.

"What about your experiment?"

"It can wait until Monday," she replied nervously. "Thank you for lunch." She walked down the path a ways before glancing over her shoulder at him and Disapparating.

He scowled after she left. For a moment, he thought he had once again broken through her defenses, but he had been wrong. Was the potion finally losing effectiveness? And if it was, then what would that mean for him?

*************

After Hermione left the park, she didn't return home immediately. She wasn't ready to face Ron. Instead, she decided to pay a visit to Harry.

"Hermione? Come on in," Harry said as he recovered from his surprise. "What brings you here?"

"Can I talk to you about Ron?"

"Er, sure. Tea?" he offered as he led her into the living room.

"Thanks." Once they were settled and sipping the tea, she asked, "Harry, have you noticed Ron acting odd lately?"

"How so? I don't see that much of him anymore, you know."

"Oh? I thought that maybe he was spending more time with you, because he's not home very much lately. I thought perhaps you had gotten a break on your job."

He chuckled. "Hardly. They like to keep the new Aurors busy, but it's okay. I enjoy the work. I think it's been two weeks since I've seen Ron, not counting the Quidditch match."

"He hasn't mentioned anything odd to you lately, has he?"

"Nothing odder than normal. You know how Ron is. Is something wrong with him?" Harry asked, his voice full of concern.

"I don't know. I thought I'd grown used to him being away a lot for Quidditch, but he's been gone more than normal lately. I mean, I could understand if this was before Nationals, but it's not. They still have two matches before those start."

"Do you think he's up to something?" he asked suspiciously.

She put down her teacup and leaned back on the sofa. "I don't know. I don't know what to think anymore. He seemed surprised the other day when I was home early." She buried her head in her hands. "I tried to set up an intimate weekend for just the two of us, and he...he got into a bar fight."

Harry shifted over to the sofa and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her to him. "Do you want me to talk to him?"

"I don't know. I don't want him to think that I've set you on him."

"I can do it without letting him know what I'm on about. After all, he's been avoiding me, too."

She felt badly about pulling Harry into the middle of this when she was the one who had been unfaithful. She still wasn't sure why she had given in to her hidden feelings for Severus. If Harry found out about her behavior, she wasn't sure he would forgive her. But if she could figure out why Ron was acting so oddly, it was worth the risk. "Would you?"

"For the two of you? Anything. I'll come see you at work next week and let you know what I've found out."

"Good luck cornering him," she said sarcastically. Rising, she said, "Well, I guess I should go. I can see if he has any better apology for the fight today."

Harry gave her a hug before letting her go. "Don't worry about Ron. You know how he gets. I'm sure you two are just overreacting."

She smiled weakly. "I'm sure you're right."

When she returned home, it was oddly silent. Ron wasn't anywhere to be found, and she could feel her anger returning. He should have been waiting for her to apologize for his boorish behavior.

************

A/N: I did a fair bit of research on the name of Ron's new love interest, Cliodna (Klee-na) Reilly. Her name comes from the Celtic goddess of beauty and the otherworld. She often took the form of a seabird and symbolized the Celtic afterlife.