Lie to me (Original)

Please R&R! :)

Snape hadn’t come back for nearly two weeks. Hermione knew this because she’d spent every night sleeping on the living room couch, waiting for him. She’d charmed the covers of the dark arts books she’d been reading to show safe-sounding titles and had fallen asleep each night while studying the Mors Lumeria.

A gentle hand on her shoulder shook her awake and she opened her eyes to find two black ones blinking tiredly at her.

“I was starting to worry about you,” she whispered.

“The Dark Lord sent me on a mission,” he said. His hand moved from her shoulder to tuck a loose strand of her hair back. “I see you’ve taken my advice,” he said as he stood. “Is it working?”

Hermione stood up and followed him into the kitchen. “Yes, Master Snape,” she said. “Ginny’s delighted and Ron’s jealous as hell that I’m seeing someone else. I’ve managed to get out of here five times so far and I’ve collected two ingredients I need.

“Only two?” Snape asked. A bowl floated across the room and he dished himself a large helping of stew while Hermione cut him some bread like she had the last time he’d turned up.
Snape winced as he sat down at the kitchen table.

“You’re hurt!” Hermione gasped. “Do you need a potion? I’ve been brewing all kinds of things to practice.”

“It’s the dark magic he uses,” Snape explained. “I’ve healed my physical injuries, but the pain of the magic won’t go away for a few days.”

Hermione put the kettle on the fire and frowned at the stove in concentration. A small flame flickered to life. “See?” she said, proudly.

“Well done, Miss Granger,” Snape said smoothly. “Tell me about your lack of ingredients.”

Hermione shrugged. “I need a silver knife to harvest the belladonna, but they’re so expensive! I’ve been searching antique shops for one I could pinch and then return later, but so far, the only ones I’ve found are only silver-plated. I need solid silver, don’t I?”

Snape nodded. “Silver is the only metal that won’t bruise the plant,” he said as he ate. “If you use something that’s silver-plated, the stem will rot inside and contaminate the potion.” He tore off some bread and dipped it in his broth. “But just any solid silver knife won’t do… haven’t you read that, Miss Granger.”

Hermione poured some tea and sat down next to him. “It has to be a knife that has drawn blood. I planned on cutting myself with it.”

Snape rolled his eyes and lowered his spoon to his bowl. “It has to be a knife that has taken a life,” he said. Hermione’s eyes opened wide but he ignored her and went on. “Dark magic is not a toy,” he said. “Yes, it can do things that are more amazing and powerful that light magic, but you don’t seem to understand the price you have to pay, Miss Granger.” He tapped the sleeve of his forearm to remind her of his dark mark. “If you can get into my quarters at Hogwarts, you’ll find the knife you need. It’s inside a hollowed out book with no title.”

“Were you the one who… killed with it?” Hermione whispered.

“I think you know the answer to that, Miss Granger,” he said darkly. They were quiet for a minute and Snape found himself wondering why he was indulging the young woman at all. He told himself it was because she was so bright that she deserved to learn somethig useful and challenging. It bothered him that the children were being cheated out of a proper education by the war. He sighed inwardly… it had been a long time since he’d had someone to talk to about something that actually interested him.

“Who was it?” Hermione asked timidly. “Or is that none of my business?”

Snape frowned and sipped his tea. “Miss Granger,” he said in his nastiest tone, “you know very well that I am not a nice man. You do not need to know what I have done to innocent, lovely girls like you just to make a bloody potion for the Dark Lord.”

“Sorry, sir,” Hermione mumbled. She looked into her tea and they were quiet for a long time.

“Does your imaginary boyfriend have a name?” Snape asked suddenly.

“Liam,” Hermione supplied. “I always thought it was a nice name.”

“It is a nice name,” Snape agreed. “I hope Liam gets you a birthday present. A scarf, perhaps.”

“How did you know my birthday was coming up?” Hermione asked.

Snape shrugged and finished his tea. “You were my student for seven years. Believe it or not, but I actually know a thing or two about each of my former pupils.”

“And other tips about Liam?” Hermione asked.

Snape cocked his head to one side and looked her up and down. Her new hairstyle suited her. He liked the messy bun with the few looked curls that kept escaping the bobby pins. “You should really meet his parents,” he said. “That could get you a whole day away from here. And a love bite on your neck wouldn’t hurt, either. You could pretend to hide it with your scarf.”

Hermione felt herself blush and she wondered if her professor could see it in the candlelight. “I could fake one with some makeup, I suppose,” she said.

Snape checked his pocket watch, then stood up to leave. “I have to go,” he said.

Hermione followed him out of the kitchen. “Why are you helping me?” she asked as he stepped outside.

Snape stopped and stepped back inside the entryway. “Miss Granger,” he said. His voice was so dark that it made her shiver and she leaned back against the wall to steady herself. The hallway was narrow and they were standing so close together that she could smell the scent of herbs and potions that clung to his cloak. It reminded her of Hogwarts and the safety she had known there. “You said that I was gone so long that you were starting to worry about me?”

“Yes, Professor,” she said, forgetting not to use his old title.

“Don’t waste your brain cells worrying about me,” he said coldly. “I walk a very fine line with the Dark Lord. The time will come where I won’t make it back. If you can learn to lie and lead a double life, you might be very useful to the Order when I’m gone. Understand?”

Hermione breathed in his scent as she nodded. “So… this is like an apprenticeship in how to be a spy?” she asked.

Snape considered it for a moment, then nodded. “If you’re interested, I’ll start teaching you what I know,” he said. “Not just suggestions on how to lie, but surveillance tools, and occlumency as well.”

“Teach me everything,” she whispered. She found herself watching his lean chest rising and falling beneath his coat and she forced her eyes up to meet his. “Be careful,” she whispered again.

Snape nodded once, then stepped outside and disapparated.