Zest Of A Lemon

A/N: Huge Thanx to Dryad for her Beta-ing services! xox

Zest Of A Lemon

'Dammit all to hell,' Severus thought. He wasn't out of Hogwarts four days and he was losing his touch.

He couldn't decide if it was a good thing or a bad thing. He had seen the looks Hermione had been shooting him throughout the tour of the greenhouse. They were a cross between puzzle and awe. He was certain if he could just show her that he was not just the cold-hearted head of Slytherin House, she could come to view him as any other normal man. Hadn't he had proved that by giving Longbottom a chance and being civil to him.

He wasn't losing his touch, he was just playing a different role as a means to an end.

After Hermione finished exploring the greenhouse and had reassured Neville that everything would be just fine, she made her way out of the room and back to the main area of the floor. She was so in awe of the place where she would be working that she never noticed Severus had come to stand beside her.

"Hermione," came the soft whisper of his voice in her ear, "would you like to see your work station?"

Hermione gulped visibly, trying to fight down the sudden shiver of anticipation that she had felt with Snape so close to her ear.

"Y...yes. Yes, I do believe that would be an acceptable start..., sir."

"Sir? As I told Neville there is no need for such formality here; we're equals now. You may, you, ah, should call me Severus. Please." he purred.

Hermione watched as he strode fluidly by her and towards the two desks that were pushed together, facing one another. What more could she do? She followed him to the desks. He tried to appear less imposing as he pointed out the work area.

"This shall be our work place, "Severus said gesturing with his hands to the area that surrounded the two desks.

"Our? Sir...Severus."

Severus felt a jolt of pleasure shoot straight through his lower groin upon his name leaving her lips. He decided it would be a wise move to seat himself down, less he wish to give his goddess something to really become flustered about. Somehow he didn't think she could handle that much in one day. He would just bide his time and wait it out. So he seated himself down at one of the desks, gesturing for her to do the same.

Hermione gracefully placed herself in the chair behind her desk and looked across at him with a puzzled expression.

"After reading some of your published theories Hermione, I have come to appreciate your keen intellect and I am very interested in working with you in following them up."

She was thrown more than slightly off kilter at her former professor's words. For so long she had wanted the praise from this man that she was now receiving. He had never called upon her in class, never complimented her on her outstanding brewing skills never praised the amount of research and effort that gone into all her essay's. To finally receive the recognition she had desired from him was not only extremely unexpected, but an incredibly surreal experience. She was certain the theme for the 'Twilight Zone' was about to be played.

Wait a minute.

"You want to work with me? Why?"

He could hear the bewilderment in her voice and see it on her face. Merlin, she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his entire life. He wanted to pull her across their desks and ravish her thoroughly.

"As I said before Hermione, I am interested in some of your theories and wish to pursue them with you."

Well, he couldn't just come out and say. 'Because I think you're a goddess, looking absolutely edible and I can't stand to have your brilliance out of my sight.' Honestly. She'd apparate away in the blink of an eye. He noticed though that she did look a little crest fallen at his words and couldn't figure out why? Had he not just praised her intelligence? Had he not commended her on having such a fine mind?

"Come," he said rising from his chair and walking towards the large jarrah table.

"I have pulled out some relevant text that I thought would be prudent for our starting point."

Truth be told, Hermione had been a little crest fallen at his reply. He was only interested in her brain, just like everybody else.

It wasn't that she was thinking along the lines of a romantic relationship with the man. She wanted to form a professional friendship with the man. She had been foolish to think such things. Her keen mind was the only reason anyone ever sought her out. She might as well accept it... she was nothing more than a brain with legs. He was obviously only being nice to her so he could openly pursue her theories. If he pursued them without her, he would be ridiculed in the world of academic's for stealing her ideas since she had already had most of them published.

She supposed the small blessings were that she had been given the opportunity to use her inteiigence, and she really did enjoy using it. She'd be an idiot to pass up this opportunity over hurt feelings.

They worked the morning away. Severus was in his element.

As he expected, when it came to academics she was a force to be reckoned with. He was elated really as they scattered parchments and opened books all around them. Scribblings of theories and half compiled lists of experiments had been drawn up.

When he had doubted her idea, saying that Mandragora at a young age was to unpredictable as a potion base, she started vehemently defending her reasoning, saying.

That baby mandrake root would be the best possible option to use as a base to counter the after effects of over exposure to the cruciatus curse, seeing as how the mature Mandragora was successful in re-animating those who had suffered from total petrification.

She was adamant in her reasoning that at a younger age of harvesting their properties could be easily manipulated, with the aid of properties from a mind-opening drug that the muggle Indians used, known to others as Marijuana. The result could be an aid in coaxing the sufferer from an insanity-induced daze. After all, in essence it was the same: the mind would shut itself down to protect the body from actually feeling the pain, rendering it's self trapped and unable to find it's way back after being under crucio to long.

Where as in pretrification, it was the body that stilled the brain's function, shocking it into total unawareness.

They just needed the impressionable properties of the underdeveloped Mandragora to go along with a key, in the form of a mind unlocking substance to be able to aid the mind in escaping its own prison.

Thus being, that the mind would be able to right itself with no affect to the body, as they would have manipulated the Mandragora to affect the mind alone. All they had to do was find something that would manipulate the Mandrake into only affecting the mind.

Had Severus been paying attention he may have cut in with a dry, 'Be that as it may, but what's to say we don't end up with a bunch of highly childish, stoned psychotics?'

But poor Severus didn't hear a word. After he expressed his doubt he ended up just drinking in the picture she made while defending her theory, Nodding dumbly every few sentences, so as not to stop her from continuing.

Her warm brown eyes were sparkling with intelligence and excitement as she defended her theory. Tresses of hair had come loose from her braid and were framing her face and neck beautifully. Somehow a large black and white speckled, eagle owl quill had found its way to fasten into the top of her honey brown braid.

Her hands were waving about in gestures that were clearly meant to prove her point. Her delicate fingers were smattered with ink stains, which went along charmingly with the smudge that was across her cheek. He awoke to realize that she had started riffling through papers, looking for her quill. Before he even thought about his actions, he rose in a trance and walked around the table to stand in front of her.

Severus was so close to her, that he could smell her delectable scent of vanilla once again. The way her body wore it made it the most alluring aroma he had ever come across. All he wanted to do was bury his nose into her hair and breathe deeply, maybe even dare to taste her creamy, vanilla scented skin.

Hermione stood immobile when Severus had come to stand before her. His eyes blazing with a look she didn't recognise. No one had ever looked at her like that before.

This was... different. No... this was bloody intense.

His fathomless eyes were glittering with such fierceness and determination it made her heart leap. Her breathing had become deep and fast in anticipation of what he was going to say or do, not once allowing her eyes to waver from his. The air crackling between them was palatable as he raised his hand to the top of her head and removed the quill from her hair. She had felt a sizzling sensation, work it's way down to the base of her spine at his gentle touch upon her hair.

She refused to break eye contact throughout the whole odd event, until she noticed he was slowly bringing his thumb to his face. Her eyes snapped immediately like a striking asp to his tongue as it languorously caressed his long elegant digit. Her breaths were now becoming faster into a shallow pant with her lips parted slightly and a flushed face.

Her eyes fell closed at the feel of his delicate touch on her cheek, the cool contact a welcome reprieve from the heated flush her face had been building. She could feel his thumb easing over cheek hypnotically.

Backwards and forwards, backwards and forwards. Lulling her into a state of contentment. She leaned into his touch as she felt his whole hand come to cup the side of her face. She could feel warmth spreading through her body and became acutely aware that she and Severus were standing very close to one another. Her eyes snapped open upon this revelation and were instantly met with black bottomless ones, staring straight back into her very soul.

Her face was so close to his own that he could feel her breath washing over his features. He was lost in her gaze, so innocent, open, inquisitive and awed all at the same time. Neither one was willing to break the fragile spell that had managed to ensnare them, slowly drawing them closer and closer to one another.

Their lips tentatively met, softly at first until slowly Severus parted his lips and ran his tongue across her plush bottom one, luxuriously seeking permission to deepen the kiss. She answered him by parting her lips slightly and shyly allowing her tongue to caress his in return.

The taste of her was exquisite, her warm moist mouth flavoured with rich coffee and fresh fruits. The smell of vanilla wrapping itself around his senses, as he felt her move to deepen the kiss further. She slid her smooth hands up his chest, over his shoulders to behind his neck and threaded her fingers through the hair at the base of his skull.

He breathed in deeply through his nose as he plundered her mouth more forcibly, captured by the pure ecstasy of her being so close. He wrapped a strong arm around her body, splaying his fingers between her shoulder blades, pulling her into him even closer.

He could feel the rise and fall of her panting breathes against his chest, as she pressed herself further into him and tugged upon his hair, demanding more of him.

Suddenly there was a resounding THUNK, a loud high-pitched DING, and the sound of doors sliding open.

They sprung apart at the first sound of the lift coming to a stop, each looking completely dishevelled by the other's attentions. Hermione was burning crimson red to the roots of her hair as she tried to right herself, while the lifts doors were opening.

What the hell happened?

Oh. My. God! How fucking embarrassing is this?

What the hell had come over her to do that?

Her inner monologue could barely scrape an answer for her uncharacteristic actions when she heard.

" Moine?" She recognised that voice instantly.

"Ron... what are you doing here?"

Of course Ron hadn't seen anything... they had been too quick for that but he eyed Hermione and Snape curiously. He figured he was there to help with researching some kind of boring stuff, while Hogwarts was out for the summer.

Until...

"Yes, Mr. Weasley." Severus sneered folding his arms with the look of pure loathing upon his features. He paused for a calming breath that didn't aid him much as he continued and snapped out.

"What exactly do you think, you are doing here? I know for a fact that you don't belong on this floor. Your mediocre intelligence barely allowed you to pass your NEWTS."

Severus was pissed!

He couldn't remember; how it happened? Hell, he didn't fucking care! All he knew was that he had had her in his arms, responding to his touch, and wanting more. This might go over more smoothly than he expected. Mind you, the glare that he was now receiving from Hermione didn't look too promising.

Must have been his words to Weasley.

Well what did she bloody well expect! He had finally succeeded in holding her, touching her, and tasting her. Only to be interrupted by ... a... an imbecile! That's what the boy was, a total and utter imbecile. Snape knew he was not intellectually gifted, and now he had managed to ruin one of the best experiences in Severus' whole life. Just because Severus wished for a relaxed and intellectual environment to work within and therefore given his new colleagues leave of his usual snarky self didn't mean he was going to extend the privilege to all the dim witted morons that crossed his threshold.

The reason it turned out for Ron's impromptu visit was... lunch. That's right, lunch! He had been at the office for Magical Games and Sports, filling out forms registering for the reserves, so he could legally play for the Chudley Cannons. When he saw it was lunchtime, he thought Hermione might like some company since he knew she was starting her first day in a new department there.

That was the reason why Hermione was now seated in the Leaky Cauldron, across from Ron, slowly picking her way through a questionable looking salad.

"Really 'Mione, I don't even know how you can stand the thought of working for Snape? Let alone actually working WITH the greasy bat."

Hermione sighed heavily. She was so confused, shocked and embarrassed that she didn't even know where to begin with her thought process and Ron was just making things worse. She really didn't need this.

"Well, it's good that I'm working 'with' him and not 'for' him then, isn't it Ron?"

Ron was about to start up again and she cut him off before he got a chance to do so.

"Besides he's not like he was in school, Ron. He even told Neville and I to call him Severus."

Hermione watched in grotesque amusement as Ron started to sputter and then choke wildly on the butterbeer he had been drinking at the sound of Snape's name coming from his friend's lips. He really did turn a rather unattractive red colour at times like these.

"'Mione, your not going to are you? Call the greasy bat by his name? I mean he was a real git to us at Hogwarts."

"Honestly, Ron," Hermione sighed, rising from her chair. "When are you going to grow up?" She fished through her purse for a few sickles to pay for her lunch. "We're in the world of adults now. Why don't you send me an owl when you come to terms with that fact and decide to join the rest of us?" With that last remark, she tossed her sickles on the table and headed into Diagon Alley for the rest of her lunch break. Hopefully she would be able to pull herself together before she had to return to the Ministry and face Severus.

How the hell was she going to get herself out of this mess?

Another small voice in her head spoke up softly, 'is it really a mess?'