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The vile concoction was finally finished and Hermione couldn't wait to crate up the bottles and send them on their way. She hated making these sorts of brews. Technically this particular potion was a class F6 restricted potion for research purposes, but she and Professor Snape had been paid quite a bit of Galleons to brew it for a “private collector” of restricted potions.
She snorted as she imagined Malfoy opening the crate feeling very satisfied that he'd hid his identity. As if she wouldn't realize that “Dragonis Belfoy” was in fact Draco Malfoy. What a tosser. But she was fairly certain that he wouldn't hurt anyone with the brew. He had changed at the end of the war, hell he and his mother had saved their lives. So she supposed she owed him.
She was startled from her thoughts while she decantered the last of Solution 498, which they still had yet to name, by Severus entering the room carrying a large box of Newts that had yet to be incapacitated. It wasn't unusual for him to bring live specimen to the lab unfortunately. They were much cheaper if you did the dirty work yourself. She preferred to spend the extra few Galleons to not be required to kill and then part them herself, but Severus was a penny pinch and so she often found herself elbow deep in blood and guts.
She huffed out a sigh as she placed the bottle a little too firmly down on her worktop. Just as she turned to give him a dressing down about bringing the Newts in on a day when he knew she had plans after normal hours, she heard a sizzling and popping sound and felt a mild burning on her hand. She looked down at her left hand to see that a few drops of the brew had splashed out onto her hand.
“Bollocks”, she hissed as she rushed for the sink, knowing already that it was too late. “Snape, I've gotten the brew on me. Get out and lock me in.”, she huffed as she scrubbed at her hands with Mallory's Potion Scrub. She couldn't believe how careless she'd been. This could be a disaster. Luckily, Snape never questioned quarantine procedures. But, of course, today he would.
“There's no need for you to quarantine alone. I'll floo Potter to let him know to stay away and then I'll grab us some dinner.”, Severus said as he placed a containment charm on the Newts. Hermione whipped around to face him in a panic. She searched her mind for a way to get him to leave, but really there was no way but the truth that she could think of. She groaned in frustration as she realized she'd need to tell him. This wasn't how she hoped this conversation would go, should it ever occur outside her mind.
“Se-Severus, I need you to leave.”, She started shakily. Already she could feel the potion burning it's way into her veins. He looked up, startled and began to answer, “I don't see the need to-” But then something in the way she held herself must've given her away. Her posture or the look in her eyes perhaps. Snape started to back away slowly, so as to not alert her. Too slowly.
The next instant she was on him. All nails digging into his face and teeth sinking into his neck. He shoved her backward in alarm and turned to flee through the door. His quick and agile mind had connected the dots by now. He knew. The shame of it and his inevitable revulsion only fueled her anger. She growled as she leapt towards him.
“Did you brew the potion incorrectly? It's not meant to make you attack every-”, his question was cut off by her guttural exhale of frustration. “No, I didn't brew it incorrectly you dunderhead!”, she all but screamed at him as she roundhouse kicked him squarely in the jaw, his block just a moment too late. He flew backward into a shelf behind him and glass from the shattered beakers rained down even as he hurried to right himself.
Severus darted across the room and put his hands up placatingly as his eyes darted to the door across from him. “Grang- Hermione, everything will be fine. You just need to try to calm down. You can't have gotten much of a dose from-”, he was cut off again as she hurled a potions knife at him, barely nicking his cheek. “Calm down? CALM DOWN? Really?”, she shrieked. His eyes bugged out in a way that would really be comical if she weren't so bloody angry.
He shook his head and she could see those old occlumency shields fall into place, removing all emotion from his face. Even through the fog of the potion, it pained her to see. It had been years since he'd felt the need to shield his emotions from her. Tears burned her eyes as she picked up another knife and lunged forward, missing his head and embedding the blade deeply into the stone wall behind him.
“As you can see, I find myself unable to calm down at the moment. You need to remove yourself.”, She ground out as she jerked the knife viciously from the wall and twirled it to adjust her grip for better stabbing. Luckily, she trusted that he could defend himself against far worse than the likes of her.
He shoved her to the floor and jumped over her to get to the door. He didn't account for her grabbing his ankle however, and he crashed to the floor as well. She clawed her way atop him until she was straddling him and beamed a savage little smile down at him as she tried to pin his arms above his head. Lightning fast, he knocked the knife from her hand and flipped them so that he was nestled between her thighs with her arms pinned firmly.
His shields dropped and his face showed his bewilderment. “Hermione I-”, but she headbutted him and during his shock she managed to shove him off and then bolt from the room. Tears filled her eyes as she realized how screwed she was. He knew. He'd never want to see her again. Hell, he'd probably fire her. She'd just lost her job, her closest friend, her everything. All because of Malfoy and his sodding potion and her sodding debt to him and her sodding clumsiness.
She lumbered up the stairs from the lab into the shop and scanned the room for her coat. She'd been in a hurry after closing the shop to make the potion and then get going. Tonight was supposed to be dinner with the Potters, but she'd need to floo them when she got to her flat and let them know she couldn't come. She shouldn't be around anyone she had very strong positive emotions for, not for at least 24 hours. This particular potion made you attack those you care for. The more you care, the more viciously you attack. She could already feel the effects lessening, but she needed to be cautious all the same.
She didn't hear any movement from down the stairs as she gathered her bag and coat and disapparated away. As she popped into existence in her small sunny little flat, she fell to her knees and cried for a solid ten minutes before wiping quickly at her face and staggering to her feet. Then she began to pace. Maybe it wasn't as bad as it seemed. Perhaps he wouldn't realize it was romantic love she held for him. Maybe he was an idiot and would think it was just friendship. Very, very, strong friendship.
Who was she kidding. He was going to let her go. He was going to tell her to never contact him again. She remembered all too clearly how he had reacted to any woman whom had been brave enough to ask him out after Voldemort fell and his true allegiances had been announced. So many had romanticized him as some tragic Byronic antihero. He'd eaten them alive and spit them back out. She still cringed when she thought of the poor woman who had dared ask him out at the 5 year memorial ceremony.
Perhaps if she were lucky he wouldn't be too cruel about it. After all, she didn't willingly confess undying love for him. She really couldn't control her reaction to the potion. It took your feelings and perverted and twisted them. If he did try to give her a dressing down over this she'd hex him. It wasn't her fault by Merlin. She wouldn't allow him to abuse her over it and that was that.
After floo calling Ginny and Harry and telling them a very edited version of events and canceling their dinner, she changed into her comfiest ratty pajamas and curled up on the couch with a tub of chocolate ice cream and a trashy romance novel. Hours passed as she read not one but three novels and the tub of ice cream sat forgotten and melted between her crossed legs. She gasped as the heroine kissed the wrong man and agreed to marry him to spite her cheating true love. Just as she went to turn the page the doorbell rang.
She rolled her eyes and thunked the melted ice cream down on the coffee table. She had told Harry and Ginny as well as Ron to stay away until tomorrow. She glanced at the clock and rolled her eyes once more. It was 11:43 for crying out loud. Could it not wait until a decent hour? Well, she was safely free of the potion anyway, so she'd see what they wanted.
She swung the door open quickly fully expecting to see Ron or Harry and give them a dressing down, but was surprised to see a very unkempt looking Severus Snape. He held up his hands to forestall her talking, but she was lost for words anyway. “I'm sorry for the late hour, but I couldn't wait until tomorrow. Please just hear me out and then I'll fuck right off.”, he babbled as he ran a hand through his disheveled hair.
She looked past him and could see the remnants of a bouquet of flowers that had been hastily evanesco'd. She then looked down at her ratty tartan pajamas and saw the chocolate ice cream stain on her breast and wanted the earth to open up and swallow her whole. He'd come to make peace with the crazy bitch who'd just tried to murder him and she stood there looking like even more of a psychopath with her stained, threadbare clothing and wild unbrushed hair thrown into a quick but messy bun.
She sighed and stood aside to allow him in. She cast a few quick cleaning charms and gathered the tea things as she called over her shoulder, “I'm out of Ceylon would you like the Yerba or Darjeeling?” Severus cleared his throat and said quietly, “Yerba I think.” She nodded as she put the kettle on. She was surprised when she turned to see him standing nervously by the door. “have a seat Severus. The potion's worn off, I won't attack you, I promise.”, she murmured embarrassedly.
He nodded shakily and strode quickly to the sofa and sat. They stayed in awkward silence, avoiding looking at one another as they waited for the kettle to whistle. As she sat next to him, she could've sworn she had seen him flinch and as he took his cup of tea from her she felt the tremor of his fingers. Dear god was he nervous. OH Merlin, was he afraid of her now? How she loathed Malfoy at the moment.
He interrupted her daydream of turning Malfoy into potions ingredients by clearing his throat and speaking. “I apologize for not leaving when you asked. It didn't occur to me that-that your reaction- or rather that your....feelings for me were quite so strong. I suppose it was stupid of me really. Of course you wouldn't be ill-disposed to me after working together the past three years. I should have realized you saw me as a...friend.” He seemed to grow more nervous as he swallowed and breathed in to continue.
She went to interrupt, but something in his face gave her pause. Whatever he was about to say, he felt it was important and he was having trouble saying it. He took a nervous sip of his tea and then returned his cup to the table a bit noisily. She wanted to hold his hands until his fingers stopped their shaking, but knew it would be unwelcome. Even if he wanted to remain colleagues or possibly friends, she knew there was no hope for more. She had known that all along and now she would have to endure being let down (gently if she were lucky.)
His face was angled down, but she could see him searching for the right words and having some difficulty. Finally after what felt like ages, but couldn't have been more than a minute, He spoke. “I'm certain that I'm about to make an ass of myself, but if there's any possibility that your affections run deeper than friendship-If you hold any sort of....romantic inclination- toward me- you should know-.” Here he stopped and looked up at her and the naked emotion in his eyes stole her breath. “You should know that I have only ever been in love once before. Everyone and their mother knows about my feelings for Lily. But I find myself drowning in that emotion again. And I am-”, his words choked off before he continued in a rush. “afraid. I am so afraid that I will ruin yet another friendship that I hold dear, but I have to tell you. The things I feel for you- if you could possibly return even a fraction of my affections, I would-”
He never got to finish his sentence, because Hermione was attacking him again. This time more urgently than in the lab. Her lips were all over him. Stealing his breath, peppering his face, dragging gently across his neck. And sweet little yeses were escaping between her kisses. Her arms were wrapped gently around his neck and she was in danger of falling into his lap from where she knelt on her knees.
Severus felt tears stinging his eyes as he answered numbly, “oh. OH” He wrapped his arms around her and deposited her in his lap as he began to kiss her back passionately. What felt like hours later when the kisses had slowed and finally stopped, they sat in silence with her still in his lap. The silence was broken by a giggle erupting from Hermione. “To think I thought you had come to fire me.”, she chuckled.
He smiled down at her a crooked little smile, “Well you did fairly destroy my lab.” She huffed in indignation, “That wasn't my fault. You're the one who didn't follow protocol.” He chuckled and tucked a wayward curl behind her ear. “I suppose we'll just have to share the blame.” Hermione rolled her eyes and shoved him playfully. “Well at least I know I can take you in a fight now.” She heard his skeptical scoff as she hopped up and walked to her bedroom door. “I'm tired. Will you stay with me? We can talk more in the morning.”
That night was the best sleep either of them had had since the war ended and if Harry Potter found them the next morning at ten o'clock still sleeping peacefully, they'd never be the wiser. With a silent chuckle and indulgent smile he creeped back from the bedroom door without waking them and floo'd back home. A year later he retold the entire story at their wedding to laughter all around and Malfoy could be heard taking credit for their union all evening.