Tension in the Laboratory
folder
Harry Potter › Het - Male/Female › Snape/Hermione
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
24
Views:
25,707
Reviews:
68
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
Harry Potter › Het - Male/Female › Snape/Hermione
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
24
Views:
25,707
Reviews:
68
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
And More
His hands went around her waist, then moved up her rib cage, coming to a stop at a maddening point.
“Hermione.”
She opened her eyes.
“You’re 20 years old. Whatever are you doing here with me?”
She cleared her throat and tried to clear the fog in her brain. “You’re smart and you’re brave.” She caught him starting to roll his eyes. “I think it—I mean, we—would, uh, make a good—combination. …Anyway, why are you here with me? I’m sure there are lots of, you know, Slytherin girls you’d be more likely to, uh, and I mean, there are lots of nice-looking ones, too.” Ridiculous speech, she chided herself.
But his mouth quirked in one of those smiles that never touched his eyes. “No one else knows my mind as you do. And I’m hardly in a position to choose for looks.”
“Well, you have power, and that’s often a good substitute.”
“It is with you, apparently.”
Her cheeks burned. “That’s not true! I chose for—for what I said I chose for.” Embarrassment was becoming acute.
This time he gave his rendition of a chuckle. “Bravery and intelligence? In that order?”
“I suppose,” she mumbled. “Anyway, you’re interested in me for intelligence.”
“And cunning.”
“I’m not that.”
He shrugged. “Resourceful, then. Call it what you will.”
“But, uh, that’s all, then?”
“Are you fishing for compliments?”
“No.” She lifted her chin. “I just want to know.”
He weighed her response a second, then nodded. “All right, then. Not just for that.”
“What, then?”
“Hermione, I—“ he sounded exasperated—“I like you.”
“Just like?”
Now he sighed. “I can’t give you more.”
“Not emotionally, anyway,” she said bitterly, and turned away.
He caught her chin. “I don’t want to lose you.”
“You don’t seem much to want to keep me!”
“I’m a lonely man,” he said, dropping his hand. “And much older than you. A lifetime of loneliness and unhappiness to reflect on.”
“You weren’t unhappy with her.”
“Let’s not discuss that.”
“I’m like her in some ways.”
“I know.” This, so softly she almost couldn’t hear him.
“I’m a Gryffindor like her. I see what you could be, like her. I’m good to you, like she was.”
“Stop.”
“I can give you what she gave. I’ll be loyal to you.”
He stood up. “You have no idea what you’re—“
“You could have it all!”
“I—you don’t know what you’re promising!” he raised his voice over hers. “Just 20 years old—“
“Older than she was—“
“You don’t have any experience, don’t know your own mind—“
“She didn’t either! She was younger than I am!”
“I’m 41!” he roared. “I could be your father!”
“You aren’t,” she said quietly.
He sat down again and hung his head. “You don’t know what I face.”
“I do.”
“With the Order. And the Dark Lord.”
“You know I do.”
“Then,“ his voice dropped, “if He knows, then there’s a way for Him to hurt you, and me, and a direct path to Harry.”
“No one has to know.”
He laughed then, mirthlessly. “They already do. Fortunately, they believe me to be using you physically. Which is, I’ll confess, an attractive proposition. Though impossible, of course.”
“My friends don’t think that.”
“We’ll have to let them know they’re wrong.”
She didn’t say anything for a while, and the silence between them lengthened. “Isn’t there another way?”
“I’m thinking. I’ve been thinking.” Before she could say more, he began, “Here’s what must happen. You must tell your friends that we are no more. You have broken it off. I am—impossible.”
“What? I would—“
“And,” he cut in, “I will let it be known among the faculty and with Him that I have tired of you. You’re young. And silly.” She looked stricken. “Then, we must take some Unbreakable Vows. There are things I must know, upfront, and be sure of. And then…”
He was quiet a long time.
Hesitantly, she put her hand on his. Her skin looked rosy near his pallor, and her long fingers seemed small near his longer ones.
He turned his hand over and held hers, but didn’t meet her eyes. “Then we can be lovers.”
“Hermione.”
She opened her eyes.
“You’re 20 years old. Whatever are you doing here with me?”
She cleared her throat and tried to clear the fog in her brain. “You’re smart and you’re brave.” She caught him starting to roll his eyes. “I think it—I mean, we—would, uh, make a good—combination. …Anyway, why are you here with me? I’m sure there are lots of, you know, Slytherin girls you’d be more likely to, uh, and I mean, there are lots of nice-looking ones, too.” Ridiculous speech, she chided herself.
But his mouth quirked in one of those smiles that never touched his eyes. “No one else knows my mind as you do. And I’m hardly in a position to choose for looks.”
“Well, you have power, and that’s often a good substitute.”
“It is with you, apparently.”
Her cheeks burned. “That’s not true! I chose for—for what I said I chose for.” Embarrassment was becoming acute.
This time he gave his rendition of a chuckle. “Bravery and intelligence? In that order?”
“I suppose,” she mumbled. “Anyway, you’re interested in me for intelligence.”
“And cunning.”
“I’m not that.”
He shrugged. “Resourceful, then. Call it what you will.”
“But, uh, that’s all, then?”
“Are you fishing for compliments?”
“No.” She lifted her chin. “I just want to know.”
He weighed her response a second, then nodded. “All right, then. Not just for that.”
“What, then?”
“Hermione, I—“ he sounded exasperated—“I like you.”
“Just like?”
Now he sighed. “I can’t give you more.”
“Not emotionally, anyway,” she said bitterly, and turned away.
He caught her chin. “I don’t want to lose you.”
“You don’t seem much to want to keep me!”
“I’m a lonely man,” he said, dropping his hand. “And much older than you. A lifetime of loneliness and unhappiness to reflect on.”
“You weren’t unhappy with her.”
“Let’s not discuss that.”
“I’m like her in some ways.”
“I know.” This, so softly she almost couldn’t hear him.
“I’m a Gryffindor like her. I see what you could be, like her. I’m good to you, like she was.”
“Stop.”
“I can give you what she gave. I’ll be loyal to you.”
He stood up. “You have no idea what you’re—“
“You could have it all!”
“I—you don’t know what you’re promising!” he raised his voice over hers. “Just 20 years old—“
“Older than she was—“
“You don’t have any experience, don’t know your own mind—“
“She didn’t either! She was younger than I am!”
“I’m 41!” he roared. “I could be your father!”
“You aren’t,” she said quietly.
He sat down again and hung his head. “You don’t know what I face.”
“I do.”
“With the Order. And the Dark Lord.”
“You know I do.”
“Then,“ his voice dropped, “if He knows, then there’s a way for Him to hurt you, and me, and a direct path to Harry.”
“No one has to know.”
He laughed then, mirthlessly. “They already do. Fortunately, they believe me to be using you physically. Which is, I’ll confess, an attractive proposition. Though impossible, of course.”
“My friends don’t think that.”
“We’ll have to let them know they’re wrong.”
She didn’t say anything for a while, and the silence between them lengthened. “Isn’t there another way?”
“I’m thinking. I’ve been thinking.” Before she could say more, he began, “Here’s what must happen. You must tell your friends that we are no more. You have broken it off. I am—impossible.”
“What? I would—“
“And,” he cut in, “I will let it be known among the faculty and with Him that I have tired of you. You’re young. And silly.” She looked stricken. “Then, we must take some Unbreakable Vows. There are things I must know, upfront, and be sure of. And then…”
He was quiet a long time.
Hesitantly, she put her hand on his. Her skin looked rosy near his pallor, and her long fingers seemed small near his longer ones.
He turned his hand over and held hers, but didn’t meet her eyes. “Then we can be lovers.”