Lessons In Love

Chapter 7: A Night With Severus Snape

She couldn't believe how restless she had become! Crying usually made her exhausted but tonight, her mind would not stop racing at Ron's words… why would Ron think she loved Snape? She shook her head, shutting her eyes tight, trying to block out everything. After a few minutes of this, Hermione sat up straight and growled, frustrated that she could not even relax. She pulled off the covers and hopped out of bed and walked into the small kitchenette that served solely for small snacks and drinks. Hermione, loving sweets, grabbed a small pastry and sat herself on the couch in the living room to enjoy her late night meal. The only thing that would make her snack even better would have been a large glass of butterbeer from Hogsmeade.

As Hermione licked the crumbs off the ends of her fingers, she realized something… she glanced at the clock that read eleven o'clock and sat up, and rushed to find a pair of flats to put on. After finding what she was looking for, she slipped them on her feet in a hurry and opened her door to the corridor that led to the entrance of the Potions classroom. Professor Snape had to still be making the Vulneris Morsis potion. This time, the door was unlocked and she swung it open to reveal Snape, just as she had predicted, hovering over a boiling cauldron. He looked up shocked to see Hermione standing in the doorway.

He stood up straight and examined her thoroughly, not missing her tear stained face and red, puffy eyes, "What are you doing out so late at night?"

She walked in and took her seat at Snape's desk once more and began grading the essays that he had assigned her to do earlier, "Helping."

His eyes widened in surprise but quickly his face turned to almost a sneer, "I thought I told you that you were excused."

Hermione nodded and smiled thoughtfully at the already tired Professor, "Yes but I also know that doing all of this by yourself would cost you your night's sleep and therefore would cost the Gryffindors a large amount of points tomorrow."

Snape smirked, "They will lose the points either way. They always manage to do something or another."

She laughed, "Why do you always pick on them so much?"

He turned from his potion to stare at Hermione, "They are the enemy, are they not?"

Hermione smiled and looked down at the papers in front of her, "Yes… but why not pick on Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff?"

Snape started to cut more ingredients, "It's not near as fun, obviously."

As he began to bottle up the potion, Hermione sighed, "Professor?"

"Yes, Miss Granger?" Snape kept his eyes glued on the running liquid being poured.

"Will you teach me how to brew potions the way you do? It is beautiful." She stared at Snape, waiting for a response.

After closing the vials and placing them in a holder where several more were being held, he turned to her, one eyebrow raised, questioningly.

Hermione went red, "I mean I have seen so many demonstrations, read so many different texts on how to properly hold and cut with the different knives, how to stir in different patterns… but I have never seen anyone or have read anything about the way you brew."

Snape looked back at the empty cauldron and lit another flame underneath it to start brewing another set. He started to add ingredients again, "Everyone has their own technique, Miss Granger." He muttered.

She stood up and walked over to his side, watching him cut a design out of what looked like a rotten plum, "I know the difference between technique and skill, Professor."

Snape then cut the odd shaped ingredient and cut it down the side but not all the way through and flipped it inside out. Hermione gasped when she saw all the previous cuts he had made, once flipped and pushed inside out had sculpted the plum shaped ingredient into a flower. It was beautiful! Snape then opened a very small vial and sprinkled some golden dust on top, set the flower on his knife and gently placed it into the potion, scraping it off the blade with another small knife and it began to float in the liquid.