A Maid in the Devil's Manor

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to JKR. All situations are mine. No $$$ is being made from this fanfic.
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Chapter 29 ~ Setting Up the Labs


Hermione knew she had purchased a lot of lab equipment, but she wasn’t prepared for the mayhem that delivering those items would be. She arose early, showered, tied back her hair, pulled on a tee shirt and cover-alls and took the lift upstairs. When the lift door opened she heard what sounded like an approaching thunderstorm, the murmurs of voices, then a few shouts coming from outside. As she was a good distance from the main door, the voices were very loud. She ran down the hall, threw open the door and saw about fifty work-wizards apparating at the edge of the portico, all carrying or balancing boxes and bags of varying size. A gruff looking wizard in a hard hat carrying a large box strode up to her.

“You ordered this stuff?” he asked her. He sounded American.

“Yes I did,” Hermione said, wondering what was in the box.

“Well, show me where we need to take it. You have a lot of stuff coming and we want to be outta here by noon at the latest before the techs come,” he said frowning with impatience.

Hermione began to walk back up the portico, followed by a line of men. She looked at the work-wizard striding next to her. He was wearing a wife beater and work pants. He was a red, beefy, heavyset man with big jowls and small, quick eyes.

“The techs?” she asked.

“Yeah. The whitecoats. Technicians. The ones who are gonna set all this stuff up for you,” the man said. Hermione showed them to the lift, setting the wall to stay open. The workmen piled into the lift until it was packed.

“Um, the lift is a little fast,” Hermione warned.

“Good,” the jowly work-wizard growled as the door slid closed.

Hermione heard a muffled chorus of “Whoa!” as the lift descended. She smirked. More work-wizards entered the Manor, piling boxes outside the lift. When the lift ascended, no one was in it. The work-wizards went about filling the compartment with boxes and sending the lift to the floor below, where they were unloaded and the lift returned empty.

A few house elves stood about, wringing their little claws at the condition of the Manor floors, which were tracked with dirt from the work-wizards. Eli stood by the door, disapproval on his face as he watched each wizard enter and exit, his arms folded across his small chest. At eleven forty-five, the delivery was done.

Hermione painstakingly compared her list to the packages. She was missing two items. The jowly wizard quickly sent two underlings to retrieve them. When they returned, and everything was in order, Hermione signed the completed work order and took a copy. She thanked the jowly wizard and the whole bunch of them apparated. It sounded like a small thunderstorm.

By the time she walked back into the Manor, the floors were spotless again and the house elves gone.

“Well, that certainly was a fiasco,” a silky voice said.

Hermione looked up at the stairs. Severus was standing on the landing, leaning against the banister. He had on blue jeans, a black belt with a silver Slytherin crest buckle and a white wife beater shirt. The Professor in a wife beater? Hermione had to admit he looked like pure sex dressed like that. The jeans hung low on his hips and the wife beater wrapped around his muscular upper body like a woman’s wet dream. His hair was once again in the ponytail. His black eyes raked over her.

“What in the world are you wearing?” he asked her, walking down the stairs. Hermione pulled on her denim suspenders.

“They’re overalls,” she said, shoving her hands in her front pockets and rocking her knees back and forth.

“Overalls,” he said, walking around her. “They’re ghastly. You look like a farmer.”

“They’re perfect,” Hermione shot back, scowling at him. “And look how you’re dressed. You look like the understudy for the lead in ‘A Streetcar Named Desire.’”

Severus looked puzzled.

“What’s a streetcar?” he asked her.

“Stella. Brando. Oh, never mind,” she said, agitated her insult went right over his head. She walked back toward the main door. Severus fell in stride beside her.

“Did you sleep well last night?” he asked her, knowing she probably had to relieve some of the sexual tension she’d felt.

Hermione flushed. Yep. She relieved it all right.

“I slept well, thank you Professor,” she replied.

The Potions Master placed his hands on her shoulders and spun her towards him. He stepped close to her. Suddenly, Hermione felt like she was having trouble drawing her breath.

“Miss Granger,” he said, his black eyes glittering into hers, “due to the change in our…association, I think we should suspend the formalities and address each other by our first names. Do you agree?”

Hermione nodded. He released her, his eyes not leaving her face. Hermione leaned towards him a little. He smirked and leaned forward, placing his mouth close to her ear.

“Hermione,” he said, drawing her name out sexily, his warm breath tickling her ear. “I’ve always thought that a lovely name,” he added, straightening.

Hermione blinked and started as if coming out of a dream. Her name never sounded so sexy. She looked at the Potions Master, who eyed her expectantly. She stared at him, not comprehending.

“Say my name,” he said, a little edge to his voice, “say Severus.”

“It feels strange to address you like that,” Hermione began.

“You’ll get used to saying it,” he said, arching one eyebrow, “trust me.”

For some reason, Hermione’s knees wanted to buckle. She drew in a breath.

“Severus,” she said so low, it was almost a whisper.

“Say it again,” the Potions Master said. He liked the way his name sounded coming from her.

“Severus,” she said a little stronger now.

“Good,’ he purred. He ran a long finger down her cheek and around her chin, noting the way her pupils were dilating. He started to lower his head…

“Excuse me!” a voice called out from the end of the hall. Severus pulled away, looking down the hall. Hermione’s head turned too. A blonde man in a white lab coat stood in the doorway, a pad in his hand.

“Is this the place where we need to set up some lab equipment?” he asked.

“Yes,” Hermione said, stepping away from Severus and walking down the hall toward the wizard. She beckoned him in.

“Follow me,” Hermione said. The wizard hesitated.

“Just a minute,” he said, walking to the door cupping his hand and calling out, “This is the place. Come on!”

About thirty men in lab coats crowded through the door. They all stopped and looked at Hermione. Severus watched as the little witch stared at the group of men, then gestured for them all to follow her and led them to the lift. It took several trips to get them all in the lower levels.

The Potions Master sighed and headed for his study to read the paper. This was Hermione’s show. He would only be in the way. Besides, he wanted to talk to Eli.

He walked into his study. The newspaper was already on the small table next to the comfy armchair before the fire. There was a pitcher of cold pumpkin juice as well, and a tall glass. A sweet bun glistened on a plate next to the pitcher.

Severus sat down, poured himself a glass of pumpkin juice, took a sip and bellowed for Eli.

The elf appeared in front of him almost instantly.

“Yes, Master?” the elf said, bowing to Severus, “How may I be of service, sir?”

Severus studied the house elf for a moment.

“Eli, I want to ask you something, and I want an honest answer from you,” he said evenly to the house elf. Eli’s ears flattened slightly, and he began to quiver.

“Yes sir,” he squeaked. He thought he was in trouble with his Master.

“Are you trying to arrange a tryst between myself and Miss Granger?” Severus asked the elf, looking at the little creature intently.

The elf looked puzzled.

“A ‘tryst’ sir?” the elf asked.

Severus gestured with his hands. “Yes, a tryst. A rendezvous. An intimate meeting…”

The elf brightened.

“Oh. You means an in-outie, sir. Oh, yes sir,” beamed the elf.

“An in-outie?” Severus repeated.

The elf nodded vigorously, a grinning little leer on his face.

Severus raised his eyebrows.

“And you are trying to arrange an in-outie for me because…?” Severus asked the elf, who obviously had no idea this type of thing shouldn’t be done.

“Because the Master needs a good in-outie. Not like he gets. But like he wants. The Miss is perfect for this. She likes the Master. Dreamed about him all the time, but doesn’t knows it was the Master. After the window, and after the cherries, sir, now she knows, sir.”

“The window, Eli? What window?” the Potions Master asked the elf.

“The window over the pool, sir. She watches you swim one morning sir. For a long time, in the window. She likes what she sees, sir,” the elf said, giving him a little wicked grin. “She runs and hides in the study when you finished, sir. But she likes what she sees.”

Severus thought back to the morning when he found Hermione taking a drink in the study. And how flushed she looked when he spoke to her in the mirror. So…she was a peeping Thomasina. She saw him swimming naked, and watched him until he finished. She must have got an eyeful. The Professor grinned at the idea of the witch seeing his goods. Hm. Could be why she hedged a little. He could be pretty frightening. But no. The way she handled that banana to tease him showed she wasn’t afraid. Well, that was good to know.

Well, well. This was an interesting development. Now, how could he use this knowledge to his advantage? He’d have to think about it. He looked back at Eli, who was grinning ear-to-ear.

“You took her to that window on purpose, didn’t you Eli?” he said to the elf.

“Oh, yes sir. She needs help sir. She knows she needs the in-outie, but not with who, sir. So I took her to the window, sir…to helps her,” said the elf, “to helps both of you, sir. The in-outie will be very good. You will both be very happy, sir. Very happy.”

“So Eli, everything…the lingerie, the negligee, the oysters, the bananas and cherries, all this was done so Miss Granger and I could do the in-outie?” Severus said, hiding a smirk. He knew the house elf had the best intentions.

“Yes sir. You needs it worst of all, sir. You is better since the Miss, sir, but you is not all there yet. She will help you get all there. But first the in-outie, then the rest,” Eli said earnestly.

“Why are you doing this, Eli?” asked Severus, studying the elf. Eli looked up at him shyly.

“Because Eli and the others want the Master back like he was. Before the evil times. We missed the Master. The Miss, she shows us the Master’s old face. The Miss will help you, Master. But you needs the in-outie first,” the elf stated firmly.

Severus was moved. So, all of his servants believed that sleeping with Hermione would make him better. It was a house-wide elf conspiracy to get him laid properly. He gulped back the laughter that tried to erupt from him. He looked at the elf. He didn’t have the heart to chastise him.

“Thank you for being so truthful, Eli,” he said, “you may go.”

Eli bowed deeply and winked out.

Severus laughed until tears fell from his eyes. The in-outie indeed.

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A/N: lol. Eli is a trip. Well, Severus knows Hermione has seen him naked. And he knows all the house elves are trying to get him laid. Too funny. This chapter was a fun one. In-outie. Lolol. Please review. Thanks.