The Flaw In Perfection: A Snamione Romance Fanfic

Chapter 20. Lost in Your Eyes

The remaining school days for Hermione only sphered with her favorite subject and favorite teacher, wait, maybe not  that favorite but just right. The hours were fading so slow that she even forgot she only need to stay there for 4 hours. And by the way, the words of her professor was indeed very tiring which made her energy level decrease even more.

"I am giving you these plant extracts to bethink and distinguish each scent. Go to your station and do what I told you to."
Snape was in his usual fashion, refined taste and icy, blank stare almost every day the time her apprenticeship started.

"What will I do next after this activity, Professor? And if I may, what is the purpose of making me do this, Sir? "

"Do not ask questions. Silence is the only thing I require. Is it difficult for you to comply?" he stated, eyebrows raised.
And only a fool would not understand what that gesture meant.

"No, Sir. My apologies."

Hermione returned to her station and bit her lip and she knew she had been doing that for what seemed like forever.

It has been a week since he gave her a task about scenting three extracts of unknown plants. She never knew what was the significance of these tasks but all she did was follow. Three steaming cups of redolent plant juices.
She was sure that her nostrils had already memorized the smell of each essence but the teacher would give her the very same task over and over again.

Snape will just sit in front of his desk, boundlessly writing in silence. The only thing you can hear in the Potions classroom is the faint scratch of the quill's tip to the parchment.
His eyes were very preoccupied to something else that he wouldn't give her a look of encouragement. But for Hermione, his loss of attention towards her is actually a good thing. Every minute she would steal him a glance and of course, she loses her focus just by watching his fair visage. After a moment of getting lost in the cavern of his misty, deep, grey eyes, hooked nose and soft-looking lips, she would recover and shake her head.
She was really beginning to doubt her actions and somehow prevent herself from being too attached to her Professor, but the more she tried to avoid him, the more she found herself being pushed to him again, unexpectedly.

She never understood what was so striking about him. He was 20 years older than her and his attitude can even resemble the devil's. She even believes that when Snape becomes very furious even Voldemort himself runs for cover. Okay, maybe that was so exaggerated. Maybe yes, but then again, maybe not.

She looked at him again unintentionally and as she did so, little questions came flooding into her mind. What's happening to me? Why can't I stop thinking about him? Is this because of the note I found months ago? Perhaps the moment when he was in an agonized state that night? Or maybe when he comforted and insulted me at the same time during the holidays?

She went back to her room that night only thinking about him. She couldn't fathom that even in sleep the Potions Master was still the person who visited her. His tantalizing eyes were enough to block the fear she felt from Lord Voldemort's cursed nightmare that might occur once more.

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"Professor, please. How can I understand these tasks if you haven't given me a clue about them? And besides, there should be some student and teacher interaction in the field of learning."

Another week had passed and the young Gryffindor was still stuck to her station sniffing the flower extracts like a random wild wolf hunting in the woods.

Well, all she did was look at him secretly and smell the fragrant liquids a couple of weeks long. Well, she did enjoyed the part of it watching him intently as he worked (no complaints there), but doing something you don't even know what you're up to is bad news. Yeah, that's bad news.

Snape walked slowly until he reached the perfect distance to step on from Hermione's desk.

"Now then, I want you to to take a look at these vials. Tell me what they are and what odor reeks from each."

It was the first time he talked to her after that silly first day of apprenticeship. And now she's doing a different thing. That's progress, she sighed.

She recognized the three potions in the vial the moment she saw and examined it, however, the odors of the potions were easily changed.

"Sir, the first potion is the Douleur Solageur, the second is Felix Felicis and the other one is a Mandrake Draught." she spoke in a bookish voice as if someone had just recited them from a reading material.

"And?" Snape asked allowing her to continue.

"The scents of the following potions isn't their real odors. It may seem that the flower extracts I had been checking for almost a week now is slipped into them."

Snape seemed satisfied with her analysis and what made her hold her breath was when he sat beside her.

"Correct. The flower extracts you had been working on in the last two weeks are the Daphne, Bloodroot and Naked Lady," he pointed his long and slender finger towards the steaming cup as he gave the name of each plant. "These plants aren't easily grown and cultivated and is found in very rare conditions and locations. The Daphne is a flowering plant which fuses mesmerizing fragrance. But, headaches and delirium are the effects of this plant once internally taken."

His eyes locked into hers which made her freeze on the spot. It was as if a Petrificus Totalus Charm had hit her on her very chest.

"The Naked Lady conveys not only a captivating scent but an alluring appearance. It is also known as amaryllis belladonna that can cause cardiovascular collapse. Finally, the Bloodroot is sometimes called the sweet slumber. It can make the drinker fall into a deep sleep that can last for a thousand years."

After the last of his words were spoken, Hermione asked his teacher another query.

"Why is it that these plant extracts resemble the odors of the potions when they shouldn't be the same?"

"Good question."

Whaaat? Professor Snape hated students asking him questions, but now he's really complimenting for doing such action. Unbelievable!

Hermione's thoughts were snapped out when the Potions Master's voice was heard once more.

"A drop of each extract can alter the odor of any potion but will not lessen its potency. Therefore, whoever drinks them, will suffer the promised side effects of the cursed plant extracts without them knowing, for of course they are unaware that the potions are poisoned. Only a true potioneer can define and find if a potion is safe or internecine."

So that's why he had been trying to instill to her the smell of the extracts so that she will get familiarized with it. She felt really humiliated because she didn't stop herself from being a demanding know-it-all again.

Snape sensed that the glimmer of pride in her eyes had withered somewhat. He looked at her again and even though she wasn't looking into his eyes for she was deeply preoccupied with her own thoughts, it was Snape's turn to get lost into her beautiful golden lamps.