Hermione stayed in her room all day Sunday, not leaving once, even for meals. The only time she got out of bed was to tell the portrait guarding the entrance to her room to send anyone who came by away, even Ginny.
The portrait, one of a kindly woman who appeared to be in her sixties, nodded in compliance, though she did ask Hermione what was wrong.
"I'm fine, just a little under the weather."
"Alright, dear." The woman still looked concerned and so Hermione gave her the tiniest of smiles and then walked back into her room, the portrait swinging shut behind her.
Hermione climbed back into bed, a brief moment of panic edging into her mind as she wondered if there were any portraits in Professor Snape's chambers. She decided there probably weren't, otherwise the details of the previous night would've cycled throughout the castle by now, the way the portraits gossiped; she probably wouldn't even be holed up in her room, if everyone knew, but up in Dumbledore's office... a series of horrifyingly embarrassing scenarios played in Hermione's head, and she burrowed deeper under the covers, staring at the wall in front of her.
She was still sore, and couldn't help but feel a small bit of anger about this. But emotionally, this was all she seemed to be feeling. She was surprised to discover how indifferent her attitude was about what had happened the night before. It hadn't been what she expected, not for her first time, but somehow, she wasn't disappointed.
And yet, here she was, hiding in her room, avoiding everyone, even her friends. And why? She knew the answer to that, and didn't even have to ask the carpet. She was ashamed of herself, and terrified that somehow, just by looking at her, they'd know what she had done, and shun her, leave her alone and confused. Tears pricked the corners of Hermione's eyes, her throat growing tighter, as she imagined her closest friends abandoning her, and she covered her head with the covers, finally allowing herself to cry.
Monday morning came after a night of tossing and turning, and Hermione knew, as exhausted as she was, she couldn't hide anymore. She made it through breakfast and the first three classes of the day, deferring Ron and Harry's questions and explaining her absence the day before to homework and her slight limp to a bad fall.
Potions was just before lunch and Hermione found herself almost completely unable to concentrate, scraping through the class with a sample that, at best, might get the same grade as Neville's, and he was improving very slightly.
She tried not to show her relief as the bell rang, signaling the end of class, and she gathered her things together.
"Miss Granger."
Hermione froze, wondering if she could pretend she hadn't heard, but Ron and Harry had, and said they'd save her a seat in the Great Hall. She forced a tight smile and turned, walking slowly to the desk.
"My office, please," Professor Snape said in a low voice as the last student slipped from the room. Hermione followed him into the office, holding her bag tightly against her hip.
"We need to talk," Severus said, closing the office door.
"I have class," Hermione mumbled, a weak lie, one he saw right through.
"No, you don't. You have lunch, just like the rest of your classmates, Miss Granger," Severus replied, moving behind his desk.
"I think we can drop the formalities," Hermione muttered, a small laugh escaping her lips.
"Fine, then, Hermione." Severus paused, trying to see if he could make eye contact with Hermione, to no avail. He sighed, placing his hands on his desk.
"What we did-" he began.
"What we did should not've happened," Hermione stated quietly but firmly.
"I agree. But, Hermione, it did, and we can't just ignore it."
"If you're afraid I'll tell someone, don't be."
"I wasn't-" Severus paused, clearing his throat. He stared at Hermione, who continued to look determinedly everywhere else but at him.
"Do you still want to work on the project?" he asked finally.
"Yes," Hermione answered quietly.
"Then I'll see you tonight after dinner."
Hermione nodded and turned to leave.
"Would you at least look at me?"
"I have to go," Hermione said and left the office as fast as he'd seen her move all day.
Severus sat back in his chair, rubbing his lips with his fingers, staring at the door and frowning slightly. He had to admit, he wasn't worried about Hermione telling anyone. Not even the Weasley girl, who she seemed rather close to. No, he figured the embarrassment was too much for her. That, and a fear of getting into trouble. Though technically that line had been toed and passed Saturday night. Feeling troubled, Severus stood and retreated into his chambers.
As the project and their nightly sessions resumed, the tension between Hermione and Severus grew. She wouldn't work near him at all, and every potion they finished she'd label and leave on the table so as not to risk touching him; it was almost as she was afraid of him.
By Friday, Severus had grown irritated by it all and he grabbed her wrist as she began to walk away.
"Let me go," she muttered, her back to him.
"Not until you tell me what's going on. It's rather difficult to work with you when you won't work with me."
Hermione didn't respond, just remained still, keeping her back to him.
"Will you at least look at me?" Severus asked, hating the tone of desperation that creeped into the phrase.
"I can't," Hermione whispered.
"Why not?"
"I'm afraid if I look at you... into your eyes... I'll lose control again."
"You won't," Severus said, carefully turning her around. They both soon discovered he was wrong.
They lay in bed a while later, not looking at each other, both staring up at the ceiling. Neither of them said anything for a while. Finally Hermione took a deep breath, letting it out as a whoosh.
"At least you didn't disappear this time," she said finally. Severus looked over at her as she got out of bed, grabbing her robes from the foot of the bed and wrapping them around herself. She turned to look at Severus as he sat up, propping himself up on his elbows.
"How did we let this happen again?" Hermione said, crossing her arms over her chest. Severus stared at her, unsure of where she was going with this line of thought.
"You should know better," Hermione added pointedly. Severus sat up fully, narrowing his eyes slightly.
"I know you're not trying to pin all the blame on me for this."
"The first time, you kissed me. This time, you made me look at you."
"But I don't recall hearing you say no either time. Don't even try to think that I forced you to do anything you didn't want to, and don't try to blame me for your raging hormones." Severus stood, holding the sheet around his waist, as Hermione's mouth dropped open.
"Raging hormones? Is that all you think I am, just some silly little teenage girl?"
"Have I ever showed any indication that I thought of you as anything other?"
Red patches appeared on Hermione's cheeks as she stared at him, outraged. "You snarky bastard!"
Severus narrowed his eyes again, taking a step towards Hermione. "Now you listen to me. Just because you and I are in this situation doesn't mean you can talk to me as though I were Weasley or Potter or another one of your foolish friends."
"You're an ass," Hermione snapped. "You wanna play the authoritative card now? A little late for that, sir."
"You wretched little-"
"Wretched little what?" Hermione took a step forward, glaring at Severus. "Wretched little what, bitch? Mudblood? Some other cutting insult from your oh so clever mind?"
Severus stared at Hermione for a moment, unsure of just how he wanted to deal with her, and had opened his mouth to reply when Hermione suddenly grabbed him and kissed him with renewed energy. He could tell she was still angry with him, but he realized he didn't care; it excited him and he and Hermione stumbled towards the bed yet again.
Hermione and Severus tried not to let their new relationship status affect their work, but they did look forward to the nights where they didn't need to worry about times or schedules or who needed to be where and could just enjoy the pleasures derived from their experiences.
But they couldn't be distracted from the direction their work was going in, and that seemed to be nowhere.
"What number are we on?" Severus asked at the beginning of December as he watched Hermione make some notes in her almost full notepad.
"Are you sure you want to know?" Hermione replied, glancing up at him.
"Humor me."
"One hundred fifty-eight."
Severus sighed. "Have we even come close yet?"
"No," Hermione answered, sliding her pencil through the rings of the notepad.
"Are you sure?"
"Trust me," Hermione said wryly, looking up at Severus. "I look through this thing every free moment I have. I have yet to see anything that would help, or anything to connect to anything else."
Severus sighed again. "Alright. So what're our options?" he asked, leaning against the table and crossing his arms over his chest.
"I don't know. I'm tired." Hermione dropped her notepad to the table and leaned against it as well, putting her head in her hands.
"What's the matter?"
"I'm just tired. We've made one hundred and fifty-eight potions and we're nowhere."
"Sure we are. We know what doesn't work."
Hermione gave Severus a look. "Don't try to be optimistic. It doesn't suit you."
"Alright. You're right. We're nowhere." Severus adopted a slight scowl and looked away from Hermione for a moment. He started to suggest something else but a sharp pain shot through his left forearm and he gasped, taken by surprise. Hermione looked at him and saw him clutching his arm.
"He's not summoning you now?" she asked incredulously.
"I'm sorry. I have to. Tomorrow."
"Of course," Hermione said, watching Severus walk quickly to his chambers and shut the door.
She sighed and cleaned up the lab, closing and locking the ingredient room and sample cabinet, extinguishing the candles as she left.
She spent much of the next day, Sunday, in the library, making a list of ingredients that were used in any connection to memory. What was left of the afternoon she spent in the Forbidden Forest, collecting what plants she could find.
That night she greeted Severus with a basket full of her findings.
"What's this?" he asked, picking up one of the small bunches Hermione had made.
"I spent all day in the library looking up plants related to memory and then got some from the Forbidden Forest. Here's the list."
Severus glanced over the list in his hands. "I suppose they're worth a shot."
"We have a week. They're worth everything we've got."
They began brewing that night, three seperate potions, working well past nine o'clock.
Hermione worked on the samples during every break she had and each potions class.
By Friday night, they had five testable potions and five house elves to test them on.
"Better pray one of these works," Hermione muttered as she picked up the first potion and approached the elf at the head of the line, smiling kindly.
"Okay, all I'm going to do is give you a few drops of this potion. Understand?"
The elf nodded, beaming proudly. "Yes, miss."
Hermione smiled again and used a dropper to place a few drops onto the elf's tongue.
She waited a moment, and then began her questions.
"What just happened?"
"Miss gave me a potion," the elf squeaked.
"And before that?"
"Sir summoned us down here." The elf glanced up at Severus, who had let out a rather heavy sigh of exasperation.
"Did Gimpy do something wrong?" the elf asked, eyes widening worriedly.
"No, you did fine. Do you feel any different?"
The elf shook her head. Hermione looked up at Severus, who shook his head and approached the elf.
"You may go," he said, not unkindly. The elf nodded and disappeared with a loud pop.
"Side effects don't matter anymore, unless they're physically obvious," he explained, seeing Hermione's curious look. She shrugged.
"Alright," she replied, picking up the second potion.
She and Severus continued in this fashion until they reached the final potion.
"Last one," Hermione muttered. Severus grunted and Hermione turned to the remaining elf.
"Dobby!" she exclaimed, not having really looked at him when the elves first arrived.
"Hello!" the elf said brightly.
"Didn't we already test on you?" Hermione asked, dipping the dropper into the vial.
"Yes, but Dobby likes to see Miss. Only if Sir doesn't mind."
"Why would I mind?" Severus said, looking over at Dobby, who glanced fearfully at Hermione. She shook her head.
"You don't have to answer that, just open your mouth."
Dobby complied and Hermione placed the contents of the dropper in his mouth, nodding for him to close and swallow.
A moment later, Dobby frowned, and Hermione stared at him, her stomach fluttering a bit.
"What's wrong?"
"Dobby wonders, Miss, why he's here."
"You don't remember coming down here?" Hermione asked, trying not to get her hopes up.
"No, Miss."
"Do you remember Professor Snape summoning you down here?" Hermione was aware of Severus coming to stand beside her and Dobby shook his head, looking increasingly worried.
"Tell me, Dobby, do you feel anything else, anything... strange?"
Dobby shook his head again. "Dobby feels fine, Miss."
"Thanks, Dobby. You can go now."
Dobby nodded, looking relieved, and disappeared.
Hermione turned to look at Severus. "Do you really think we did it?"
"We'll have to test it on a human, but I think we did." He smiled faintly and Hermione kissed him, grinning.
"Don't look so happy, you might hurt yourself," she said, eyeing him as she started to clear away the failed potions and set about filling five vials with the successful one. He chose not to answer, just gave her a look, and helped clear away the unused ingredients.
"Who can we test it on?" he asked. "Term ended today, everyone's going home tomorrow."
"It's still early. I could probably get Ginny Weasley down here. I don't think anyone else would agree to come."
Severus nodded. "Alright, go get her."
Hermione nodded and left the lab, reappearing fifteen minutes later with the youngest Weasley in tow.
Severus looked slightly uncomfortable having someone else in the lab, especially another student, and Hermione could almost understand the feeling, the idea that somehow what they did together, in private, resonated throughout the lab, echoes of their illicit affair.
Hermione knew, though, that it wasn't true and she led Ginny over to the table.
"You explained it to her?" Severus asked, casting a glance at Ginny.
"Yes," Hermione answered, feeling slightly annoyed.
"Go on then."
Hermione frowned and turned back to Ginny.
"Okay, like I said on the way down, the professor and I think we've finished the potion, but seeing as how house-elves and humans are a bit different, you're gonna be our guinea pig. You're sure you don't mind?"
"No, it's kinda fun," Ginny answered, grinning.
Hermione smiled slightly. "If this works right, hopefully you won't remember this conversation."
"Test away."
Hermione laughed and gave Ginny a small glass; the potion just covered the bottom, but since Ginny was bigger than a house-elf, she need more than a dropper full.
Ginny swallowed the potion and Hermione watched her closely. About a minute later, Ginny's eyes sort of glazed over, like Hermione had seen happen with Memory Charms.
"Ginny?"
Ginny blinked, focusing on Hermione. "Hermione? Why am I down here?"
"I'll explain later. How do you feel?"
"I feel fine, just confused."
"You're not queasy or dizzy or anything?"
"No, I'm fine."
"Alright, good." Hermione smiled, glancing back at Severus, then at Ginny. "Wait for me by the stairs, okay?"
Ginny nodded and headed over to sit on the steps. Hermione approached Severus.
"I'm gonna take her back to her room, and then go to bed, okay?"
Severus nodded. "I want to see you tomorrow, though, to go over the details for our departure."
Hermione nodded. "I'll see you tomorrow, then." She smiled slightly and then left the lab with Ginny.
After making sure Ginny was really okay, Hermione saw her into the common room and then went to her own room.
As she dressed for bed, she thought about the potion they had finally made and smiled, pleased with herself. She couldn't wait to get to the convention and see all the different potions masters and hear their theories and maybe even participate in a debate or two.
She smiled at her reflection as she put her hair up, then turned out the lights and climbed into bed, feeling the excited fluttering in her stomach.
She found Severus in his office after lunch and sat in the chair across from him, waiting for him to begin. He went over the general plan with her, saying they'd leave the next day around two, and check in tomorrow night. The rest of the day they spent together, until dinner, at which point they headed for the Great Hall, and sat at their respective tables, Hermione enjoying sitting with the few students that remained. There were no house distinctions, just everyone together, which was rather nice.
She packed her trunk that night, trying to make sure she had everything she thought she would need, and then having to start over, because at the rate she was going, she was about to take everything she owned with her. Finally she finished, and, exhausted, went to bed.
She awoke the next morning at ten, too excited to sleep, and dressed, double checking her trunk. Afterward, she went to see if there was any breakfast left in the Great Hall, which she doubted. She was right, and, for lack of anything better to do, moved her things down to the front hall. She sat on her trunk and read until she heard Severus's familiar footsteps and looked up.
"I see you're ready," he said, his own trunk settling on the floor behind him with a thud. "How long have you been sitting here?"
Hermione glanced at the large clock beside the doors to the Great Hall; it read 1:30.
"About two hours or so."
Severus stared at her for a moment before speaking. "Well, I suppose we should head down. We don't know how long it'll take to find the portkey."
Hermione nodded, standing and tossing her book back into her trunk and pulled her cloak on over her robes.
She and Severus levitated their trunks and stepped out of the castle into the pristine white of the mid-December day. They made their way down the path to the gates, their trunks floating behind them.
"Okay, here we are. Look for anything that seems out of place."
Hermione nodded and they walked in seperate directions, peering closely around for anything half hidden in the snow.
"Here's a newspaper," Hermione called out finally, pulling the paper from the snow and brushing it off.
"Where's it from?" Severus asked, turning to look at her.
"London."
"That's it. Come back over here."
Hermione made her way through the snow back to her trunk and handed the slightly damp paper to Severus, dusting the bottom of the cloak off.
They waited in silence, Severus glancing at his pocket watch every so often to check the time and Hermione growing increasingly colder.
Finally, Severus motioned for her to stand.
"Ready?" he asked, extending one end of the newspaper to her. She nodded, grasping the handle of her trunk in one hand and the newspaper in the other.
A moment later, she felt the tug at her navel and closed her eyes. Next moment her feet hit solid ground, but, predictably, she swayed, losing her balance. An arm circled her waist, pulling her upright, and she opened her eyes as Severus helped her get her balance.
"One of these days," she muttered as Severus let her go.
"Yes, well, what's say we try and get a cab?"
Hermione grinned and grabbed the handle on her trunk, preparing to drag it behind her.
"No magic, right?" Hermione said in response to his confused look.
"Right." Severus sighed and grabbed the handle on his own trunk, following Hermione to the road.
"Now what?" he asked as they approached the busy street.
"Simple," Hermione answered, setting her trunk down and stepping forward, extending her arm as she did. A taxi soon slowed to a stop in front of her and the driver got out to help them with their trunks.
"See?" Hermione said, turning to smile at Severus. "Simple."
"Yes, of course," he muttered, helping the driver heave the trunks into the backend of the cab.
Severus and Hermione slid into the cab when the trunks were loaded, and Severus told the driver their destination.
A half hour later they pulled up in front of a monstrous wrought-iron fence with a gate attached. Hermione and Severus got out of the cab and Severus helped unload the trunks.
"You didn't bring any Muggle money, did you," Hermione muttered as Severus approached her. He shook his head and Hermione rolled her eyes, pulling a small coin purse from her pocket and paying the driver. He waved and pulled away, exhaust pluming behind the car.
"You owe me," she said as she slipped the purse back into her pocket and grabbed the handle of her trunk again. Severus followed suit and together they approached the imposing gate, which slowly swung open, as though expecting them.
Hermione glanced at Severus, who smirked, and she rolled her eyes again as they began their walk up the drive.
After fifteen minutes or so of walking, Hermione stopped and let go of her trunk, rubbing her shoulder.
"Can't we use magic now?" she asked.
"No need, we're here."
Hermione looked up and felt her mouth drop open. How had she not seen the house from the road?
She continued to gape at the house, or mansion rather, as she and Severus dragged their trunks up to the door.
Severus reached up and pulled a black cord. A loud bell sounded throughout the house and the door soon opened, revealing an elderly man, who smiled warmly at Severus and Hermione.
"Ah, Professor, Miss Granger. Welcome," he said, stepping aside to allow them to enter.
"Welcome," he said again, "to the 574th Annual Potion Convention and Workshop."