Chapter 6: Severus

Chapter 6:

Severus:

Everything seemed to be going according to Severus Snape's plans. Hermione Granger's outburst at breakfast was unexpected, but useful. It revealed to Severus how much Hermione had begun to trust him and also how much Hermione had begun to question her taste in friends. Related to cave trolls, indeed, Severus Snape mused in amusement. It had also given him the chance to publicly quell any suspicions the students or faculty might have had about his loyalty. That had meant humiliating Hermione, but all could be explained later. She was smart enough to realize that appearances must be kept and that a public chastisement had been his only option.

Draco was an... enjoyable complication. The boy's intentions had been clear on his face even before Legilimens had confirmed them. After all this time and all the rejection, Draco still thought he could win Severus back. The truth was that it was flattering. Draco had been an attentive, passionate lover. As attracted as Severus was to Hermione (that truth still rankled, but it was undeniable now), he did find himself sometimes missing Draco. He wouldn't—how had Draco put it?—quite say he was missing Draco's "manly touch", but he did miss the banter and the playfulness they had shared. Hermione, for all her intellectual prowess, was always so intense and so serious. Of course, that was part of what attracted him to her, but it did not diminish the simple enjoyment of exchanging banter with Draco.

Reining in his thoughts, Severus began to focus on what his next move should be. If he played this right, both Hermione and Draco would be convinced of his loyalty. (And, if done right, both Hermione and Draco would be convinced of his affection.) But after his public humiliation of Hermione, he would need to tell her something important to make her believe that he was still really on their side. Perhaps the time had come to tell her about his secret project. His private nature rebelled against this idea, as he was fully aware that being attracted to someone did not necessitate her loyalty or trustworthiness. And he could not be sure that she would not tell Potter or Weasley. Even if she did, what would happen? Potter and Weasley were surely not intelligent enough to understand this potion.

The potential gains from this course of action were twofold: first, there was the chance that Hermione could solve the problems he'd been having with this potion. His pride buckled at that statement, but the reality was that Severus had not been making any real progress for weeks and needed a fresh pair of eyes, particularly eyes that glinted with cleverness. Second, after revealing such an enormous secret to Hermione, one that even the Dark Lord was unaware of, what might Hermione reveal to him in return? (Unbidden thoughts of Hermione in various states of undress flitted through his mind.) If he was lucky, she might share with him what Potter was keeping her so busy with. And that would be something to take to the Dark Lord if any still doubted his loyalty.

In this case, it seemed best to work against his secretive nature and share his project with Hermione. The potential benefits far outnumbered the potential complications. Still, the matter of what to do with Draco (again unbidden thoughts rose momentarily) needed to be decided. Draco would need some convincing as well to prevent him from stirring up any trouble between Severus and the Dark Lord. The methods of convincement that Draco was most susceptible to were pleasure and flattery. Severus had had his reasons for breaking things off with Draco when he did, but those reasons dwarfed compared to the present concern of keeping up the appearance of being the Dark Lord's faithful servant. It was decided: Severus would resume his romantic liaison with Draco that evening. He had to admit that he was even looking forward to it.

But before that could happen, he needed to prepare for his "detention" with Hermione Granger. He removed from his stores of ingredients those used in his secret project: fluxweed picked while still young, graphorn horn, mandrake root, pika blood, ground ibex hooves, valerian root, and a variety of gemstones and minerals. The current batch of potion was just about ready to have its final ingredient added. That step, he decided, would be taken with Hermione Granger.