Chapter 3: With a Bit of Luck…

Chapter 3: With a Bit of Luck…

I faced myself in the mirror, pushing my curly brown hair out of my face. I had a habit of staring myself down in the mirror for minutes at a time, just so I might get used to how my eye contact must look. A strange habit, I knew, but through my eyes I was convinced I could see my mind. At this particular moment, all I could see was Snape; with his dark complexion and calculating gaze. I remembered distinctly the look on his face just before I left the classroom the second time I had helped him. His eyes were glazed over but his jaw was clenched. I wore a similar expression in the mirror as I ran through the first night I helped him and our conversation about the color blue.

That day I had double Potions just before I would help Snape for the eighth time. I finished my brew early, so Professor Slughorn asked me to ladle the Felix Felicis potion into a bottle. I gladly complied and set to work. The gorgeous, golden concoction glittered gloriously as it sloshed into the bottle. I became transfixed with its lightness and ladled more and more slowly so to see it slip into the bottle. When I was on my last spoonful I contemplated how much I would love to try some. But then I heard a loud crash and was startled even more as the rest of the contents of my ladle sloshed all over my hands.

No one noticed and Professor Slughorn had his back to me, helping Neville restore his exploded potion. I was unwilling to have anyone notice me, so I promptly licked my fingers, knowing having not done so would be even worse in regards to the value of the potion. The bell rang as I quickly ran my tongue over my palm and corked the bottle. I handed it to Slughorn, and he beamed at me, saying, “Ten extra credit points, Miss Granger, and twelve points to Gryffindor.”

I smiled as I left the classroom. Ron and Harry were already heading towards the grounds, so there was no one to see me as I ascended the fourth floor staircase. I arrived in Snape’s classroom directly on time. I felt elated and challenged him mentally to give me a difficult task.

“Miss Granger,” he said without looking up from his papers, “I have a rather difficult task for you today.”

I listened eagerly as he assigned me a job similar to the job I had had on the first night. I was to identify sixteen different curses and their corresponding situations of legal use. I began immediately, writing so furiously I could feel my hips shaking. When I felt eyes on my back, I whipped around to find the professor staring at me, jaw slightly slackened.

“Professor,” I began, feeling as if I should, “how many hours would a half ounce of Felix Felicis last?”

“Oh,” he said, looking up at me, “about five hours, Miss Granger, why?”

“Well, I have to admit to accidentally drinking some in Professor Sluhorn’s class today.”

“My, my, then you have three hours left.” He kept looking at me with interest, and the urge struck me to continue, “Professor, may I ask you a question?”

“You may.”

“What exactly did you mean when you told me my skirt was too tight?”

“Whatever the meaning, you obviously did not take my advisory to heart.”

“Did you want me to?” This slipped out of my mouth before I had given it any thought. Snape looked up at me like a dog smelling meat on the wind and briskly walked right up to me so that the top of my head was almost directly under his chin. He placed his hand on my back, causing me to gasp; with this sharp intake of breath I caught a whiff of that familiar musky scent that I had smelled in the Amortentia potion.

“Whatever would give you that impression, Hermione?” He seemed shocked at what he had done, but he was no man to back down.

Is this what I want? I asked myself, What are the consequences of this? How many rules am I breaking? Why in the world must he smell so good?

“The way—” I paused, then whispered, “The way you look at me, Professor, would suggest that I shouldn’t trade in my skirt.”

“Is that what you want?” He paused, his grip on my back tightening. “The affection of an older man?”

“Desperately.”

He leaned in, his looming stubble scratching my mouth. I closed my eyes and his tongue ran across my lips. I met his advances with passion, sharing a kiss far more mature than anything I had had with Viktor Krum. He pulled me in closer and closer, his other hand raking though my hair. I placed my own hands around him in a hug, clutching his back. The rising elation of the Felix Felicis met my nervousness at this moment. This skilled mouth on mine had assigned my homework for six years and had taught me nearly everything I knew about potions. I longed to drown in this man before me, no longer a professor.

“Severus,” I breathed as he pulled away for a moment, his eyes still closed. His adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed.

“Yes?” he mumbled. His eyes had yet to open.

“Is this the result of the potion?”

“I hope not.”

“Miss Granger!” I looked up to find myself in the potions classroom, next to the potion I had finished before everyone else. “I appreciate the fact that you have finished, but please try not to sleep in my class!”

I rubbed my eyes and looked over at Professor Slughorn at his desk, mumbling my apologies. I looked about the room, bewildered, to see Draco Malfoy sitting at an abandoned desk, ladling the Felix Felicis into a glass bottle. The bell rang and I was excused. I stumbled into the hallway and realized I was late to my appointment with Professor Snape.