The Reluctant Detectives
folder
Harry Potter › Het - Male/Female › Snape/Hermione
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
30
Views:
13,560
Reviews:
96
Recommended:
1
Currently Reading:
3
Category:
Harry Potter › Het - Male/Female › Snape/Hermione
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
30
Views:
13,560
Reviews:
96
Recommended:
1
Currently Reading:
3
Disclaimer:
I don't own Harry Potter or anything else from the book series. Nor do I make any moneys from doing this. Though goodness knows I wish I did.
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Seventeen
Lucius was glaring at her as they made their way into the Malfoy mansion’s informal sitting room. Sitting there looking like he was having a time of it was Alastor Moody. He got up slowly, nodded to everyone and left by the floo back to his home. It wasn’t until that moment that the senior Malfoy exploded.
“How dare you send that-that…” He couldn’t even come up with an appropriately demeaning word for the man. “… individual…” A wealth of sarcasm was in that one word. “…to oversee my work!”
“Were you working before I sent him?” she asked casually.
He sat up straighter. “That isn’t the point.”
“Then please by all means do tell,” she murmured. “Tell us how the big, bad auror made poor little you do the work you are obligated to do so that you no longer have to be on probation for the rest of your natural born life.” Lucius’s eyes narrowed. “Well?”
“I despise you.”
“Because I’m right?” she ventured.
“Of course!” he snapped.
“Well, that’s nothing new.” She sighed glancing over to a silently laughing Severus. She turned her attention back over to Malfoy. “How far have you’ve gotten?”
“I think I’m nearly done,” he told her. “But I need a place to test the prototypes.”
“That can be arranged,” Severus said. “Hermione has been able to attain an independent group of testers to do so. They will be able to…”
“Who?” Lucius demanded.
“The Weasley twins,” she told him. “If there is anyone on the planet that can put this new magical technology through its paces, it is they.”
He got up and leaned over into Hermione’s face snarling, “If they ruin my work, they will rue the day they were born.”
“Okay,” she replied, clearly not phased by the threat.
“Why no reaction?” Lucius asked as he stepped back and watched as she got up.
“As if you are the first to ever say that!” she told him. “We’re talking about the Weasley twins. Their mother alone has threatened them with that since the age of three.” She pointed over to Severus. “He said as much during their entire academic career!” Hermione poked him in the chest. “You are just going to have to stand in line and wait your turn if they do anything wrong.”
The dinner bell rang, calling their attention as to why they were there in the first place. She walked off a short distance away, muttering about how even she had threatened to make their life a living hell on more than one occasion.
“She has a very sharp finger,” he complained to Severus under his breath.
“Yes,” he murmured with a lazy sensual smile as he recalled how her fingers felt raking over his bare skin. “That she does.”
Lucius’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t want to know what you were thinking right then, do I?”
“More than likely no,” he answered and went over to escort the little witch over to the dining room.
***
Hermione woke up with a scream dying on her lips and Bellatrix LeStrange’s voice echoing in her mind. Shivering she got up from the bed. Severus had more than likely woken up hours before as his side of the bed was cold. She wrapped herself in a robe and went over to the W.C. to take care of her morning toilet.
Hermione was finishing getting dressed when the twins arrived looking ecstatic to be included in what they were beginning to call the Hermione’s crazy genius pensive experiment. She invited them to dine with her, thinking that if she had some food and coffee in her that she could deal that much better with the two as well as Lucius who was coming to the school later. If she had been one to imbibe, she would have truly been through half a bottle of fire whiskey just due to nerves alone, she told herself.
Severus joined them halfway through the meal. He froze at the sight of her. Her face was in her hands. The brothers were too busy conversing with the other to take note of Hermione’s lack of interest. She had pushed her breakfast aside, it didn’t look like she had even eaten a bite, and she was seconds away from getting up and going back to bed if his estimation was correct.
He kneeled next to her. Severus rubbed her back whispering, “Come along with you. We are going to see Poppy.”
She began to quietly sob. “I keep hearing her voice.” Her arms went around him, pressing her face into the side of his neck.
“Shh, I got you,” he whispered, scooping her up and carrying her away.
Severus carried her through several of the secret passageways over to the medical wing. Setting her down, he called out to Poppy Pomfrey. After a quick consult, she sighed heavily.
“Poor girl,” she whispered. “I’ll do the testing, but chances are that I won’t have the potions she’ll be needing.”
“I’ll brew them,” he assured her. “Just please keep me apprised.”
“Of course, Headmaster,” she murmured.
He sat by Hermione’s side, taking her hand within one of his own. He watched as she lay so still, as if she hadn’t the energy to blink. Severus caressed her hair out of her face, wishing all he had to do was wave his wand and make the hell she went through go away.
Her eyes opened, looking at him. “I have to get back to work.”
“You will,” he told her. “The moment you are diagnosed and treated.”
Hermione blinked languidly, looking at his hand holding hers. Taking it to her lips, she kissed and rubbed it against her face. Thinking over the last few days, she smiled absently. Closing her eyes, she allowed herself to drift off to sleep secure in the knowledge that if she should have another nightmare, she wouldn’t be alone.
An hour later Poppy came over with the results in hand. Smiling he kissed Hermione’s head, waking her quietly.
“Mmm, what is it?” she asked him.
“You, my sweet, have a hormone imbalance,” he told her.
“I’m not pregnant, am I?” she asked, sounding scared.
“No, you are not,” he assured her. “Your body is not making enough of certain hormones. I’m going to be brewing what you need.” He combed her hair out of her face. “Do you want someone to keep you company while I’m working?”
Squeezing her eyes shut, she said the first and only name she could think of. “Harry. I need to speak to Harry.”
***
A/N-- I want to let everyone know that I appreciate all the great reviews I've been getting! Its the cream in my coffee. The sugar too. I also wanted to let you know that I responded to the LadyBlueEye's Christmas Challenge for Lucius--"The Perfect Gift". With any luck you guys will like it. Thanks and remember to review (here and abroad as it were)!
Lucius was glaring at her as they made their way into the Malfoy mansion’s informal sitting room. Sitting there looking like he was having a time of it was Alastor Moody. He got up slowly, nodded to everyone and left by the floo back to his home. It wasn’t until that moment that the senior Malfoy exploded.
“How dare you send that-that…” He couldn’t even come up with an appropriately demeaning word for the man. “… individual…” A wealth of sarcasm was in that one word. “…to oversee my work!”
“Were you working before I sent him?” she asked casually.
He sat up straighter. “That isn’t the point.”
“Then please by all means do tell,” she murmured. “Tell us how the big, bad auror made poor little you do the work you are obligated to do so that you no longer have to be on probation for the rest of your natural born life.” Lucius’s eyes narrowed. “Well?”
“I despise you.”
“Because I’m right?” she ventured.
“Of course!” he snapped.
“Well, that’s nothing new.” She sighed glancing over to a silently laughing Severus. She turned her attention back over to Malfoy. “How far have you’ve gotten?”
“I think I’m nearly done,” he told her. “But I need a place to test the prototypes.”
“That can be arranged,” Severus said. “Hermione has been able to attain an independent group of testers to do so. They will be able to…”
“Who?” Lucius demanded.
“The Weasley twins,” she told him. “If there is anyone on the planet that can put this new magical technology through its paces, it is they.”
He got up and leaned over into Hermione’s face snarling, “If they ruin my work, they will rue the day they were born.”
“Okay,” she replied, clearly not phased by the threat.
“Why no reaction?” Lucius asked as he stepped back and watched as she got up.
“As if you are the first to ever say that!” she told him. “We’re talking about the Weasley twins. Their mother alone has threatened them with that since the age of three.” She pointed over to Severus. “He said as much during their entire academic career!” Hermione poked him in the chest. “You are just going to have to stand in line and wait your turn if they do anything wrong.”
The dinner bell rang, calling their attention as to why they were there in the first place. She walked off a short distance away, muttering about how even she had threatened to make their life a living hell on more than one occasion.
“She has a very sharp finger,” he complained to Severus under his breath.
“Yes,” he murmured with a lazy sensual smile as he recalled how her fingers felt raking over his bare skin. “That she does.”
Lucius’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t want to know what you were thinking right then, do I?”
“More than likely no,” he answered and went over to escort the little witch over to the dining room.
***
Hermione woke up with a scream dying on her lips and Bellatrix LeStrange’s voice echoing in her mind. Shivering she got up from the bed. Severus had more than likely woken up hours before as his side of the bed was cold. She wrapped herself in a robe and went over to the W.C. to take care of her morning toilet.
Hermione was finishing getting dressed when the twins arrived looking ecstatic to be included in what they were beginning to call the Hermione’s crazy genius pensive experiment. She invited them to dine with her, thinking that if she had some food and coffee in her that she could deal that much better with the two as well as Lucius who was coming to the school later. If she had been one to imbibe, she would have truly been through half a bottle of fire whiskey just due to nerves alone, she told herself.
Severus joined them halfway through the meal. He froze at the sight of her. Her face was in her hands. The brothers were too busy conversing with the other to take note of Hermione’s lack of interest. She had pushed her breakfast aside, it didn’t look like she had even eaten a bite, and she was seconds away from getting up and going back to bed if his estimation was correct.
He kneeled next to her. Severus rubbed her back whispering, “Come along with you. We are going to see Poppy.”
She began to quietly sob. “I keep hearing her voice.” Her arms went around him, pressing her face into the side of his neck.
“Shh, I got you,” he whispered, scooping her up and carrying her away.
Severus carried her through several of the secret passageways over to the medical wing. Setting her down, he called out to Poppy Pomfrey. After a quick consult, she sighed heavily.
“Poor girl,” she whispered. “I’ll do the testing, but chances are that I won’t have the potions she’ll be needing.”
“I’ll brew them,” he assured her. “Just please keep me apprised.”
“Of course, Headmaster,” she murmured.
He sat by Hermione’s side, taking her hand within one of his own. He watched as she lay so still, as if she hadn’t the energy to blink. Severus caressed her hair out of her face, wishing all he had to do was wave his wand and make the hell she went through go away.
Her eyes opened, looking at him. “I have to get back to work.”
“You will,” he told her. “The moment you are diagnosed and treated.”
Hermione blinked languidly, looking at his hand holding hers. Taking it to her lips, she kissed and rubbed it against her face. Thinking over the last few days, she smiled absently. Closing her eyes, she allowed herself to drift off to sleep secure in the knowledge that if she should have another nightmare, she wouldn’t be alone.
An hour later Poppy came over with the results in hand. Smiling he kissed Hermione’s head, waking her quietly.
“Mmm, what is it?” she asked him.
“You, my sweet, have a hormone imbalance,” he told her.
“I’m not pregnant, am I?” she asked, sounding scared.
“No, you are not,” he assured her. “Your body is not making enough of certain hormones. I’m going to be brewing what you need.” He combed her hair out of her face. “Do you want someone to keep you company while I’m working?”
Squeezing her eyes shut, she said the first and only name she could think of. “Harry. I need to speak to Harry.”
***
A/N-- I want to let everyone know that I appreciate all the great reviews I've been getting! Its the cream in my coffee. The sugar too. I also wanted to let you know that I responded to the LadyBlueEye's Christmas Challenge for Lucius--"The Perfect Gift". With any luck you guys will like it. Thanks and remember to review (here and abroad as it were)!