Repaying The Life Debt Chapter 10: Her Ninth Week

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Her Ninth Week

Chapter 10 of 21

Severus has a visit from a private customer requesting an unusual potion. Returning from The Promenade, a posh alternative to Diagon Alley, Hermione pieces together some information regarding Severus’ alternative potion line and realizes she’s been entrusted with a secret.

General Drabble/100-Word Alternate Universe Epilogue What Epilogue? Potions Under Duress 24,381 Words 21 Chapters Complete

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May 23

Severus had ushered Ms. Granger away for the evening after he'd received a note by owl. He'd firmly told her he would not tolerate a tirade from her, but she'd tried pleading with him that her potion would be ruined if she didn't finish the last two steps. Nevertheless, he'd put his foot down, insisting she was to leave and not return until the following morning. It had amused him how adamant she'd been to see the conclusion of the tricky potion. But he knew that the success of the potion could not be determined until the last ingredient was added, simply because the color change only happened at the end, and there was no indication if the potion had been brewed properly before that.

Severus had been reading alone, waiting patiently in the sitting room as the clock chimed six, when a tap on his door announced his expected visitor. "Prompt as always," he said, opening the door. "Your note said that this was urgent. Please come in."

"I really hate to intrude on your blissful evening, but I couldn't meet with you somewhere more respectable," Lucius said as he entered the small room as if entering a wizard's club. "I'd much rather meet with you at the Greengrass Pub or the Madam Lovelle's Gentlewizards Club, but this is a matter of some delicacy."

"Lucius, you are a true boulevardier," Severus replied. "May I offer you something to drink?"

Lucius smiled at the offer but politely declined. He studied the room as he removed his gloves. "I do not understand why you insist on maintaining this residence. It is such a misrepresentation of your true talents. Surely you could unload the place for a more suitable accommodation for your laboratory?"

"It suits my purpose. Besides if I should have an accidental explosion, I don't have to worry about blowing up the neighbors," Severus replied amiably.

"I should certainly hope not," Lucius said smoothly before his brow furrowed. "Are there actually people living in the domicile next to you?"

"Next to me, no," Severus said, indicating he should sit. "To what do I owe this visit?"

"I came in order to cadge upon you a small favor regarding a rather delicate matter that needs someone of your caliber in order for it to be done properly," Lucius said, sitting on the offered chair. "Suffice it to say, money is of no object if I can rely on your discretion. Not that I need to ask for your confidentiality, as we've always been discreet wizards."

"I pride myself on maintaining full sub rosa for my clients, especially those who are latitudinarian in regards to certain questionable potions," Severus said smoothly, effectively hiding his curiosity.

"I believe you understand me aright," Lucius stated, pulling a piece of parchment from his pocket and handing it to Severus. "Here is the potion I request."

Severus read the slip without so much as a flicker of expression. "One week, thirty-five Galleons."

Lucius nodded without flinching at Severus fee. "Fine. I shall return in a week." He rose to leave, stopping to face Severus' before reaching the door. "Let me ruminate," he said, his grey eyes becoming frosty as he stared at Severus a moment before continuing. "I would appreciate an understanding that your apprentice will not know the true nature of my request or if she should discern its use, that you will Oblivate her."

"My apprentice will not be a problem," Severus assured him.

Lucius nodded and exited the house, leaving Severus alone to ponder Lucius' need for the Exfoliative Potion.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o0o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

May 24

That morning, Severus had taken Hermione with him to The Promenade to purchase potion ingredients and necessary supplies.

Returning to lab, Severus dropped his packages on the worktable, turning to face Hermione, before she once again started asking questions. "Before you resume your voluble tirade of the night before, let me remind you that as my apprentice, there is on occasion the necessity for your obedience."

"Far for it to me to obtrude on your business affairs, but I was nearly finished, and I wanted to see what color the potion would take," she said with just a slight hint of a pout. "Wouldn't it have sufficed if I had stayed in your lab while you met your client? Besides, as your apprentice, it would have been all right to expect me to tend the potions while you..."

"Enough," he said forcefully. "No. If I require you to vacate the premises, I have my reasons. Let me explain, if you are going to continue as my apprentice, you must understand that I have my private customers as well as my general clientele, many whom wish to remain nameless and unknown, even by you." He pulled off his traveling cloak, throwing it on his chair. "Now if I could cadge upon you to put the supplies away, preferably without any further lamenting, I need to begin my base."

"I understand, sir," she replied, carrying her bags to the storeroom. "Sir, if you want to be so discreet, why were we shopping at Madam Jacqueline's and Cartwright Apothecary on The Promenade?"

"Why do you think?" he snapped. "Because they carry what I required."

"You've never struck me as a boulevardier, yet that is exactly the clientele I saw there, that and the prices were outrageous," she stated as she continued storing away his purchases. "In fact the entire scene was more like a Potemkin village, in my book."

"What, exactly, are you suggesting?" he asked. Damn she's just too bright and curious for her own good.

"It's a false front, a posh equivalent of Knockturn Alley, where nothing is as it seems and everything you could want is available for a price," she stated.

Severus was impressed despite himself. "Very good," he said smoothly. "In those shops you can, if you know the proprietors, and which questions to ask, obtain all manner of supplies unavailable by general means, things not always available in either Diagon Alley or Knockturn Alley."

She nodded, saying, "I understand, sir," as she turned her back and carefully levitated a large jar to the top shelf.

"Besides, the reason you were with me is that if I need to send you to The Promenade, I wanted to be assured that the proprietors would conduct business with you and not snub you as inconsequential," he said smoothly. Hermione turned, her eyes wide. "I see you understand my implication. However, understand that if, and I mean if, I entrust you to procure items for me there, you will not to divulge information to anyone. Do I make myself plain?"

"Yes, sir," she answered, smiling.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o0o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~TBC~

Authors Notes:

Thank you, Southern_Witch_69, for not only agreeing to beta each one of my drabbles in this saga, but for also giving us the list of vocabulary words so I can play with them! I'm really having a fun time seeing just how creative I can be with this!

Exfoliative dermatitis (or ED) is a definitive term that refers to a scaling erythematous dermatitis involving 90% or more of the skin surface of the body.

The word list (swiped from the past week's list from dictonary.com) :

1. tirade

2. obtrude

3.Potemkin village

4. boulevardier

5. cadge

6. aright

7. ruminate

----------- Words with Definitions ------------ ---

tirade \TY-raid; tih-RAID\, noun:

A long angry speech; a violent denunciation; a prolonged outburst full of censure or abuse.

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obtrude \uhb-TROOD; ob-\, transitive verb:

1. To thrust out; to push out.

2. To force or impose (one's self, remarks, opinions, etc.) on others with undue insistence or without solicitation.

3. To thrust upon a group or upon attention; to intrude.

------------ ---

Potemkin village \puh-TEM(P)- kin\, noun:

An impressive facade or display that hides an undesirable fact or state; a false front.

------------ --

boulevardier \boo-luh-var- DYAY; bul-uh-\, noun:

1. A frequenter of city boulevards, especially in Paris.

2. A sophisticated, worldly, and socially active man; a man who frequents fashionable places; a man-about-town.

------------

cadge \KAJ\, transitive verb:

1. To beg or obtain by begging; to sponge.

2. To beg; to sponge.

------------ --

aright \uh-RYT\, adverb:

Rightly; correctly; properly; in a right way or manner.

------------ -------

ruminate \ROO-muh-nayt\ , intransitive verb:

1. To chew the cud; to chew again what has been slightly chewed and swallowed. "Cattle free to ruminate." --Wordsworth.

2. To think again and again; to muse; to meditate; to ponder; to reflect.

3. To chew over again.

4. To meditate or ponder over; to muse on.

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Latest 25 Reviews for Repaying The Life Debt

229 Reviews | 7.33/10 Average

10/10

Shadow

I really enjoyed this story. You have a real gift for taking those words and weaving them into your plot seamlessly. Well done.