Breaking the Rules

Author's Note – I feel I should say a quick thank you to all of those whom have reviewed for me so far! I should also point out that Deathly Hallows is partially unrecognised in this story. Dumbledore is dead, Voldemort also, but Snape was merely wounded by Nagini, not killed as first thought. More explained later! Also, a mention to Livvy6, who emailed to ask me was I going to update!

Chapter 3 – Breaking the Rules.

The students in Professor Severus Snape's seventh year advanced Potions class snapped to attention when he stalked into their morning class. Slamming his classroom door behind him. Snape marched to the front of the class, flicking his wand at the chalkboard, instructions appearing in his small spidery handwriting. He turned to face them abruptly, his robes billowing as he did.

"You will copy my instructions, exactly, and finish your potion by the end of class." His voice was the merest of whispers with a steel undertone to it that made even the bravest of Gryffindors shrink back in trepidation. Snape was in a foul mood and out for blood. Judging from the look on his face, he did not particularly care whose blood either.

The students scrambled to collect their ingredients from the store cupboard in silence. They did not need to be told not to speak. It was standard practice in advanced Potions; speak when spoken to by your professor. If you were talking, you were not concentrating, and there was no room for error in Snape's classroom.

One Ravenclaw student giggled at something her friend said. She soon realised her folly when the silkiest of voices interrupted her.

"Pray tell, Miss Abbey, what could possibly be so amusing that you saw fit to interrupt my classroom with your bout of hysterics?" He towered over her. Katie Abbey took several steps backward in alarm, tripped over an uneven stone in the floor, and fell backwards onto her stool with a thud.

"Professor, sir, I'm sorry," she began.

"Irrelevant, Miss Abbey." He turned on his heel and glided away from the girl, who exhaled a visible sigh of relief. He spun again when he reached the end of the row, startling Katie Abbey, who jumped.

"You will pack up your things and leave my classroom. Instantly," he barked, glaring at her. She scrambled to gather her books and quills, not daring to meet his eyes. He watched in satisfaction as she ran out of the classroom, not bothering to stop for the quill she dropped.

He stalked back up to his desk and sat down, pulling a pile of third year essays towards him. Glancing up at the class, he frowned meaningfully. They were watching him, all with expressions of purest fear on their faces.

"Nobody leaves this classroom until this potion is completed to my satisfaction. I recommend you begin instead of gawping like fish."

It was enough. His words sent the students into a flurry of activity. Silent activity, he noted with a glimmer of satisfaction.

He wondered why it did not give him the thrill it used to.

**

Hermione Granger on the other hand, was not doing quite so well as Severus Snape. It was the third time that morning that she had been reprimanded by Headmistress McGonagall for staring into space.

"Really, Miss Granger, I do not know what has gotten into you! You don't seem to be yourself, dear."

Hermione wondered how it was Minerva McGonagall's tone could instantly make her feel like an adolescent again. She was 21 and often dubbed the brightest witch of her age.

"I'm fine, Professor. Just thinking about my parents." Her mother and father had been murdered in the fight against Lord Voldemort. Simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Hermione cringed at using her parents as an excuse, but she had found over the years that if she said she was thinking about them, people generally left her to her musings.

At once, Minerva McGonagall's face softened. "Time will make it easier to bear, dear"

McGonagall paused, giving Hermione a sympathetic look. "Now, child, I must ask you to run an errand for me." All business again, Hermione noted.

Forcing a smile to her face, she stood, smoothing the non-existent creases from her robes. "What can I do for you, Headmistress?"

"I need you to take these to Severus." McGonagall looked away as she handed the parchments to her Librarian. "I can't ask a student – they are much too valuable. Nor do I trust a house-elf, or an owl. You don't mind, do you?" Minerva's tone left little doubt that even if Hermione did mind, she was still playing delivery girl, and that was that.

Making sure her smile never faltered, she outstretched a hand and took the papers. "Not at all, Minerva. I won't be in the Hall for supper. I've some filing to do!" With a cheeriness she didn't feel, she gathered her things and sauntered out of the Headmistress office, trying not to look perturbed.

**

Katie Abbey hated Professor Snape. What sort of mean teacher made her dissect chicken livers? Eugh! It was gross and horrible, and the second she got out of there she was going to owl her mother and tell her exactly how horrible Professor Snape was!

So deep was she in thought, she dropped her knife when a curt knock sounded on the door.

"Clumsy fool! Five points from Ravenclaw for your stupidity!" He spat as he marched past her to the door. Flinging it open with his usual flurry, he came face to face with the last person he expected to brighten his chamber door.

Hermione Granger.

Feeling the knots in his stomach tighten painfully, he schooled his face to reveal no emotion. She looked bored, he noted. Remembering their last encounter, he briefly glanced down at her hands and was relieved to find them bereft of any hot liquids.

"No coffee this time, Ms. Granger?" he inquired coldly.

"I wouldn't waste my galleons trying to scald you. You aren't worth the effort," she quipped back, walking past him into his classroom. She knew he would hate that.

"Miss Abbey?" The Ravenclaw student winced on hearing her name. She had thought her presence was all but forgotten. She relaxed visibly when she realised it was Ms. Granger speaking to her and not her dreaded Potions master.

"Katie, its almost curfew. I think you are just about complete here. Why don't you run along back to Ravenclaw Tower?"

Severus bristled at her sentence. Who did the impudent wench think she was, breezing into his classroom in a cloud of alluring perfume, dismissing his detention student like that! And her robes had no business swinging around her body like that. Not that he was looking at her body. Severus Snape was not looking Ms. Granger's slender form as she chatted to the student. Her robes accentuated her hips as she walked. He wasn't seeing the way her soft, rounded backside shifted as she walked past him, gently escorting the girl out of the classroom and pointing her towards her common room.

She turned and caught him looking a lot lower south that he should have been.

Fuck, he'd just been nicked copping a glance of Granger's arse.

She clicked her fingers, and his eyes snapped back to meet hers.

"How dare you!" She marched up to him, reaching for her wand. Snape could see his next movements before they happened. She reached to her left pocket with her right hand and drew it out of her pocket. He didn't think. He stepped closer to her as she began to point her wand into his throat. Deftly moving his arms around her, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her hard.

She resisted, but only for a moment. It was still there, the want for him. Like flicking a switch. It couldn't just be turned off, Hermione realised as she began to kiss him back. She tried to pull away, but he only drew her in even closer and deepened their kiss. Giving up, Hermione pressed herself as close to him as she could, hearing a low moan of satisfaction as her body rubbed along all the right places.

"Severus..." She could barely speak, much less tell him no. He was doing wonderful things now to the side of her neck.

It happened so suddenly. One moment, she was deliciously warm, enjoying every moment of Severus' attentions. The next she felt like she had been doused with cold water. Summoning her strength, she shoved Severus away from her. He had hurt her. Beyond anyone else had ever hurt her before in her life. Reaching inside her robes once more, she thrust the documents into his chest, forcing him to catch them before they hit the ground.

"McGonagall gave me these for you." The words came out in a rush. Without waiting for a reply, Hermione fled the chamber, banging the door behind her. He heard her heels click-clack their way along the passageway, eventually fading from his hearing.

Severus allowed himself to laugh. He couldn't have been more stupid when he broke off his relationship with Hermione, he realized that now. One kiss. One fucking kiss made him realise that he wanted her more than anything he had ever wanted before. He would get her back. He would use his Slytherin charm and cunning to make sure he did. It couldn't be that difficult. She had kissed him back, so surely she still wanted him?

He reached into his desk and pulled out his Firewhiskey. Settling himself back into his chair, he poured himself a large measure. He downed the burning liquid in one swallow and poured the same amount again. It was, after all, a cause for celebration. Laughing again, Severus began to make plans to recapture his Hermione.