Ready and Willing
Wolf Unleashed
A/N: Guess who's back everyone! I'm very pleased to say that I have some time to knock out a few chaps finally and here are the fruits of my labor thus far. Other than that, Chapter 11 is not too far behind and there will be lemons abound soon enough. Other than that, I'm truly sorry it took so long, but work and family tend to have that effect. Please enjoy.
Chapter 10: Wolf Unleashed
Hermione was released a full day early from the infirmary when she showed no ill effects from the potions incident. Poppy had been in the middle of replacing the bandages when Hermione’s eyes had opened and she smiled at seeing the medi-witch’s friendly face. She walked to her rooms briskly, happy to be able to walk around again, and began combing through her wardrobe. She wanted to look lovely for her date this weekend and found the perfect dress.
“ This will knock his boots off for sure…” she whispered as she put it on. A small smirk crept its way over her face. “ But what I’ll be wearing underneath it will surely be what lights the fire under the cauldron.”
Severus was pleased to see Hermione in the Great Hall for supper that evening and nodded to her. Looking over to his charges, he focused on Amanda. She had granted a slight leniency with her punishments to accommodate her attendances to the abuse support group that was to meet this Saturday. He was rather pleased to see that her ill intent towards Hermione was gone and that she had even managed to become friends with her lab partner Selena Morley. They had something in common after all and Selena was currently living in an orphanage due to the fact that her foster parents had been found guilty of neglecting her and using the money granted for her care to only further their own means.
Severus shook his head. A lot of people could learn so much from that girl. It was no wonder she was a Gryffindor. Severus looked up as his familiar, Nightshade, flew in from the window. It seemed that the solicitor had finally managed to secure the patents for Hermione’s glass cauldron, and had successfully negotiated the deal with the Pyrex Corporation. The brand was to be called Simply Magic Cauldrons. Severus smirked, thinking that the biggest sellers normally had the cheesiest names.
Perfect, all that is left is for us to sign it. He thought. “ Hermione.” He said, trying to draw her from her animated debate with Professors Flitwick and Sinestra.
“ Excuse me a moment.” She said. “ Did you need something Severus?” Her eyes focused on him for a moment and she smiled.
“ Would you please meet me in my office after lunch? The papers are in.” he said.
Hermione nodded in the affirmative and continued her debate with the two teachers.
Minerva smiled as she watched the two. She could only remember one time Severus had been so courteous with a witch, and that had been so long ago with Lily Evans. It would seem as if lightening were about to strike again with the dour wizard. She certainly hoped it would. It would be a rather smart match if she did say so herself.
“Severus, might I ask you what these papers are about?” she asked.
Severus turned to his right to look at the headmistress and nodded. “ As you know, Hermione and I have been working on finding the Lycanthropy cure together since the beginning of the term. In order to reach that stage, Hermione transfigured a glass cauldron from a muggle baking dish. It’s utterly amazing how this turned out. The first time I used it was for a pepper-up, and as you know it has to reach a rolling boil for fifteen minutes. The cauldron not only withstood the heat, put did not pass on anything to the potion. It looked infinitely better than what it normally does using a metallic cauldron.” He replied.
Minerva nodded. “ And the papers are patents then?” she said, her dark eyes twinkling at her former student.
Severus smirked and took a gulp of his drink. “ No, Headmistress, they’re progress reports of our black market sales.” He snarked good-naturedly, amusement shining in his eyes for a brief second. “ In fact we believe we have completed it, we just need to wait for Lupin and his ever changing paramour to return.”.
Minerva’s eyes widened. Everyone had been so busy that she hadn’t bothered to ask them of their progress. “ You two have to be the most formidable team that the wizarding world has ever seen.” She said breathlessly.
Severus couldn’t help but give the headmistress a smirk before taking his leave.
Hermione quickly made her way to Severus’ office and knocked three times
“ Come on in Hermione.”
She entered and smiled at him. “ So we got the patents then? Your solicitor made quick work, much faster than I had anticipated.” She said. She sat in one of the chairs and looked over the papers when Severus handed them to her. It was written in an easy to follow way, with no legal jargon to confuse her. It was a clean cut deal. She nodded in approval and signed her name and handed them back to Severus. “ That’s that. Any word from Remus?”
Severus was about to voice that he hadn’t when his floo turned green.
“ Professor Snape?” came the voice of Nymphadora Tonks. She sounded quite worried and her face appeared in the floo. “ Can I come over please? Remy’s sleeping at the moment, and I had a few questions for you.”
“ Be quick please, I do have….” He began, realizing that Hermione could go tend to the potion “ Actually, Hermione, could you please check up on the brew I started earlier?”
Hermione smiled. “ I will Severus. I’ll see you afterwards. If I don’t get to see you, Tonks, please be sure to say hi to Remus for me. I’ll sure you’ll both be ecstatic.”
Tonks came over and took the seat Hermione had just vacated. “ What’s that about? Anyway, we had to come back from our holiday early because Remus was losing all his strength. I was wondering if you had made any progress in the cure?” she asked, looking at the grate longingly. She loved Remus very dearly, and was hoping that Severus had made some progress. It meant hope.
“ Tonks. What do you think? I’ve been working on this for nearly twenty years.”
Tonks head fell a little. “ I take it that means no?”
Severus sighed. “ Just the opposite really. Why do you bring Lupin around after you have supper this evening.”
Tonks head flew up. “ You did it?” she asked incredulously. Last she knew he had been stuck in a rather horrid rut concerning the potion and felt tears well in her eyes. “ Thank you so much Professor. You have no idea what it means to me, and Remus.” She whispered.
“ I’m not the only one to thank…” Severus replied. “ If it had not been for Hermione, we would have never even reached this point.”
Tonks looked over to the classroom and smiled. Of course that would be the case. “ I’ll bring Remy around about seven. Will that be alright?”
Severus nodded. “ The powder is in the mason jar to the left. I need to go check on my charges.”
Hermione finished the last stage the potion was on and bottled and sealed the eight vials with wax. She dated the brew and put them in a little box to take up to Poppy. There was going to be a quidditch match tomorrow and Severus always made sure to brew a few extra healing potions for the medi-witch. She smiled at Severus as he walked into the lab and was pleased to see that Hermione had finished the brew he had been working on. He was truly pleased to have the talented witch as a student. She was wonderful with the students, and would make a brilliant teacher should she choose to teach.
Hermione placed a kiss on Severus’ cheek and picked the box up from the lab table. “ I’ll go drop these off to Poppy. What did Tonks need?”
Severus looked up at Hermione as he released the wards on the cabinet that they were keeping the cure. “ She’s bringing Lupin here this evening.”
Hermione nodded. “ Should I let Poppy know seeing as how I’m heading up there?”
Severus nodded. “ He’ll be here about seven this evening.” He finished.
Hermione strode into the infirmary and called for Poppy. She was shocked to see Amanda come up to greet her from behind a curtain. “ Miss Higgins, I did call for Madame Pomphrey.” She said.
“ Dame Poppy…I mean Madame Pomphrey is currently tending to a rather severe case.” Amanda replied. She blushed slightly and looked up at Hermione. “ Is there something you need? Miss Granger?”
Hermione smiled at the young witch and nodded. “ Go ask Dame Poppy where she wants me to put these healing potions, I brought them up for tomorrow’s quidditch match.”
Amanda nodded, and went back to the curtained bed. Hermione smiled when Poppy exited for a moment and gave Amanda her instructions. “ Hello Hermione. How goes it in the dungeons?” she asked.
Hermione smiled and handed the box of potions to Poppy. “ Very well, Remus is coming by at seven this evening and we’ll need you there…”
Poppy’s eyes shot to Hermione’s face and a bright smile burst over her face. “ You both managed to make a cure?”
Hermione nodded. “ We’re pretty sure we did. All we need to do is ad Remus’ blood and that will be that.” She replied. “ And what this with Miss Higgins calling you Dame Poppy?”
Poppy laughed. “ Amanda’s been a breath of fresh air. She’s been very good with the students since she’s been here and has even volunteered to come by even after her detentions are over. She was joking with a student and didn’t realize I was behind her when she let the Dame Poppy line slip. It’s stuck ever since…”
Hermione smiled. “ So she’s been great with all the students, hmm?”
Poppy nodded. “ Surprisingly, even the Gryffindors. In fact, I’ve seen Miss Morley up here with her on several occasions. They’ve become quite the pair.” Poppy said. “ They became fast friends.”
Hermione was pleasantly shocked to hear this. She had set those two up as lab partners in the second year class. Apparently the two must have something in common if they got along so well. Hermione shrugged. “ Miss Higgins will be attending the Abuse support group meeting, at least that’s what the agreement was.”
Poppy nodded. “ Yes, I remember her mentioning something about that.” She replied. “ Alright then, I’ll make sure to mark that down.”
Hermione smiled in Amanda’s general direction. “ I’ll see you later this evening."
Seven o clock came by much faster than anyone expected. Poppy was sterilizing some equipment in case if it would be needed and Hermione was in the midst of warming the potion slightly when there was a knock at the office door. Severus went to his office and opened the door and ushered Remus and Tonks inside. “ So Tonks told you the news then?”
Remus nodded, his eyes hopeful. “ Is it true, Severus?” he asked.
Severus smirked. “ We believe so, Remus. The only thing we’ll need from you is your blood.”
Tonks laughed slightly. “ That was supposed to be one of those sarcastic jokes, wasn’t it?”
Severus shook his head. “ No, Tonks, it wasn’t. Hermione made the breakthrough the other day when she was trying to come up with the solution.”
Remus nodded, and they entered Severus’ lab. Poppy smiled at the werewolf and Tonks. Remus smiled at Hermione as she came up. Her scent reached his nose and it had changed since the last time he had seen her.
“ Hello Remus.” She said, giving him a hug. “ Is everything ok?” The werewolf had an odd look in his face.
“ Something’s changed about you, Hermione…Your scent has changed.” He said to her.
“ Some sacrifices had to be made for this potion.” She replied.
Remus caught the gist immediately and realized that maybe the reason she smelled different was because she no longer was a virgin. “ So Virgin’s Blood is one of the main ingredients?”
Hermione nodded. “ It only takes three drops for a small cauldron, and about seven for a standard batch.” She ushered the werewolf over to a chair and sat him down. “ Three drops is all we need from you.”
Remus nodded and rolled up his sleeve. This was it. He would be freed finally…
Poppy placed her wand next to a vein and transferred the blood to the cauldron. “ One…two…three…” she whispered, counting the drops as they splashed in the cauldron.
Hermione was nearly giddy when the potion reacted the way she had predicted with her arithmancy equations. She wrote everything down as Severus placed the potion into a glass goblet. They weren’t going to take any chances with this last stage. Remus lifted the goblet as if to say ‘ Well, here goes nothing..’ and swallowed the brew. He made a face at the taste and looked to Severus.
“ It tastes no better than the Wolfsbane, let me tell you…”he said. He was about to comment further when suddenly his body became racked with seizures. He thrashed about for a moment, Poppy shrilly instructing Severus and Tonks to get him to the floor and get something soft under his head.
Hermione summoned a pillow quickly and tossed it to Severus. She resumed her note process and watched with sad eyes as the potion took effect.
Remus gave a sharp cry out as his body lifted from the floor and a bright light surrounded his body and was then gone. A wisp of smoke was left behind and Remus was breathing heavily. Tonks was looking at Remus with tear filled eyes, her bottom lip quivering and her hands gripping his shirt.
“ Remus?” she whimpered, her voice soft.
He looked over at Tonks, barely hearing her voice, and was surprised that he really couldn’t smell anything except a few potion fumes from a far off cauldron. His eyesight was much better. He sat up, his color better than it had been in months, if not years. He looked up and behind him at Severus.
“ I think it worked…” he said, his voice barely a whisper.
Severus smiled at the man and then at Hermione. Finally, after all the suffering that had surrounded him, Remus Lupin was finally free from his onus.
Poppy ran a specialized wand that was use to check people with suspicious bite marks over Remus and smiled broadly when the tip glowed blue. “ Severus, we have a cure…” said Poppy with finality.
Hermione whooped and ran over to Severus and threw her arms around him, exclaiming over and over they had done it.
Severus spun her around slightly and set her down. “ Hermione, thank you…” he said to her. “ If not for your help, we would not be here celebrating.” He turned to the other three people in the room, all looking at him with shocked expressions. He scowled at them. “ What?”
“ You hugged and spun Hermione around….” Remus said. His eyes widened in understanding and nodded. “ Maybe we should be going over to St. Mungo’s…Let them know it worked…”
Minerva received an owl while standing on top of the astronomy tower and unfurled the parchment. She gave a bright smile and looked up at the sky. “ They’ve done it, Albus…They’ve finally done it…” she whispered.
Harry and Ginny were in the midst of a fantastic make out session when an owl dropped the parchment on his head. Ginny read it and smiled, practically throwing Harry off of her. “ We need to go to St. Mungo’s right now Harry…Go get Ron, please…He’ll be ecstatic to hear this!” She was throwing on her traveling robes as she spoke.
“ Hear what?”
“ They did it…” Ginny said, her excited brown eyes meeting his startled green ones. She laughed as it took him a moment to register the news and shook her head as he frantically got dressed.
They threw some robes on Ron while trying to shove him out his bedroom door and explain things at the same time.
“ Hold on a bloody moment you two! One thing at a time. Harry, let me put on my robes meself. Ginny, what have you been babbling about this entire time.”
“ Snape and Hermione finally cured Remus…” she said, rushing for the fireplace.
It was with those words that Ron threw on his robes haphazardly and rushed to throw some floo powder in the grate.
Hermione watched as three different healers specializing with the lycanthropy onus all took turns running their wands over Remus. They had all worked with the werewolf at one point or another and were shocked and happy to see that he had indeed been cured.
Healer Roe had worked Remus’ case the longest and had fought on his behalf in front of the board of governors to get his teaching position at Hogwarts all those years ago. He turned to Severus and Hermione and shook their hands. “ You’ve done a wonderful thing here this evening. We have several cases that will need to be cured as soon as possible and would like to get directions to the potion.”
“ We’ll send over some in two weeks. It takes that long to make the brew, but it has an infinite shelf life provided it’s capped properly.” Hermione said. “ I’m certain that Professor Snape would like to file the potion with the ministry first to get his rights first and foremost so that no one else can claim the potion.” Hermione replied smoothly.
Healer Roe nodded, that sounded like a good compromise and shook their hands. “ We’ll need enough for about five patients…” he said.
Hermione nodded. Knowing Severus as she did, he would be starting the potion tonight and they would have to take a break during their dinner tomorrow to check on the potion.
Severus looked at the look on Hermione’s face. “ However, I’m going to have a busy weekend and Miss Granger has a lesson plan to revise, so we won’t be able to get it started until Monday.” He said.
Healer Roe nodded. “ Of course. I hope to receive it soon.” He said.
Hermione and Severus returned to the castle soon afterward, allowing Remus and Tonks to leave in peace, but not until after Harry, Ron, and Ginny had arrived to congratulate them. They walked in comfortable silence down the pathway to the castle, Hermione walking with her hands clasped behind her back and gazing up at the stars.
“ It’s beautiful out tonight…Do you think the weather will be like this tomorrow?” she questioned softly. Her honey brown eyes looked at his own dark ones and she smiled.
“ Why do you ask?” Severus answered to her, a slight smirk on his face.
Hermione gave him an impish grin and veered off the path and headed for the rocky area near the lake. She laughed and disappeared amongst the large rocks.
Severus raised an eyebrow and followed her, a smirk plastered on his face. The little minx was up to something…
Hermione grabbed a hold of his robes and pulled Severus into a passionate kiss. It wasn’t long before he had her pinned against the boulder, his hands exploring her body. Hermione gasped into his mouth as his hand ghosted past the swell of her breast, her body igniting.
“ You little minx….Can’t wait?” he whispered, his sensuous mouth leaving a burning trail down her neck to her collar bone.
“ I figured this would be a very pleasant way to celebrate.."
Severus groaned. It took all he was to step away from the alluring witch and clear his head. " There will be a better time for that I believe, Hermione..." he said silkily. And with that, he strode off, leaving the panting witch by the boulders in the moonlight.
A/N: WOOHOO! Another chappy down finally! And things seem to be getting kind of steamy between those two hmm? Hope to hear how much you all did/did not like this chap! And again, I'm sorry it took so long to update...I recently just got a job. So it'll be tough trying to get time in to type, but I'm going to do my best to not neglect it so bad like last time. Next chappy will be the date for sure and we'll get a bigger peek into Amanda's past...
A/N/N: I'm sorry, it just didn't fit in the next chapter. And as for you Ms. Figg fans, that last scene was so totally inspired by her. That story has to be one of my favorite oneshots by her by far.