Fate\'s Pawns

Quick Author\'s Note: I don\'t know latin, so the spells I looked up are probably wrong. Feel free to correct me if you know what I should be saying... but please include someplace I can go to verify what you\'ve told me so that I don\'t make a fool of myself.

This one is a little shorter than the others and contains no sex scenes (sorry). It\'s a plot chapter.

Also, thanks to all the people who have left me reviews. I\'m glad you\'re enjoying it.

Advice is always welcome.
-Jen

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Hermione wasn’t entirely sure that she wanted to seriously study under Professor Snape. The truth was that a serious study of Chemistry at any decent university takes four years. She was more interested in the theory behind it than anything. She couldn’t understand how Snape could expect her to come to the kind of understanding he was asking of her in two days time.

No, she couldn’t do it. She had an exam tomorrow morning and then a DA meeting after dinner. There simply wasn’t enough time. Yes, she wanted to train for her Mistress’ license, but that could wait until she was done with school.

But the truth of the matter was that she wasn’t planning on putting down her Chemistry book anytime soon. She thought the concept of matter having a structure that was too tiny to see would be useful in the wizarding world. She was positive that an analysis of the chemical composition of basic potions ingredients would be highly revealing. The problem was that she didn’t understand enough about how to do said analysis to prove anything with it.

But then, what if she could do the analysis with her wand? Surely there must be something in the library…

~~

Snape sat in his chair for a good hour staring at the top paper on the pile. There she was again, Hermione Granger. He despised her.

It’s not that he hated mudbloods. No, rather he believed that fresh blood in the wizarding community was probably what had kept it going for so long. No, he hated the ridiculous ways in which muggles lived. Or perhaps he feared it. Muggles were no better than cavemen with more complicated sticks.

He rather enjoyed watching the horror on muggle faces as they discovered magic was real. They would first look amazed, but their faces were quickly overcome with horror at what one of his fellow Deatheaters was doing to them.

Once though, he had come upon a young woman with an expression of indifference so hardened it held even through the Crustacious curse. He had been alone at the time and so he had let her go. He hadn’t even cleared her memory of the event. She hadn’t any need of that. She was already dead inside. He smirked to himself, thinking that the woman should be honored to have inspired him so. His faces were legendary amongst Hogwarts students. And she had been the one to inspire his formidable stare of indifference.

And then he looked down at the stack of papers on his desk, at that name again.

‘No doubt Granger will be back in my office two days from now expecting me to examine her ridiculous formulas.’

He waved his wand at her paper and it smoothed back out.

As he headed for the library, he made sure his robes billowed in an extra-intimidating manner.

~~

Hermione found what she was looking for in no time. Placing a piece of parchment on the table, she tapped her wand on it three times and then said “corpusculum amplifico” as she traced a circle in the air above the parchment.

After she finished tracing the circle, a holograph appeared in the center of it. It very clearly displayed a magnified version of the spot on the paper she had tapped with her wand. Clearing her throat she pointed the wand at the image and said “exaggero quinquiplico.” The point where she pointed her wand to on the image zoomed in by a factor of five. After several more attempts, she had before her a holograph of a parchment molecule. She sat down looking very pleased with herself and attempted to identify the electrons, neutrons, and protons, as well as how they interacted.

After staring at the diagram in her Chemistry book for several minutes and then examining what she was seeing from her spell, she mumbled to herself, “boy do muggle chemists have it wrong.”

~~

Severus deliberately avoided Granger as he entered the library. He slipped into the Muggle Studies section hoping that he wouldn’t be seen, but he was close enough to where she was sitting that he knew he had no choice. He spotted the chemistry book at the end of the shelf. ‘Great. Now she’ll know I’m here.’

Realizing that she was performing some kind of spell he inched his way behind her chair to grab the chemistry book. Just as he was about to retreat with it he heard her mumble “boy do muggle chemists have it wrong” and couldn’t refrain from speaking his mind.

With his best sneer he said, “Muggle potionmaking is a farce and always has been. I could have told you that before you ever started this silly quest Granger. But then I suppose I would not have been blessed with your presence in my office earlier.”

~~

Hermione jumped when she heard his voice behind her. She shot to her feet and attempted to turn around and speak with him. As she did so, her chair pushed out from underneath her and Severus found himself pinned to the bookcase.

Glaring at him, she waved her wand at the holograph as if it waving a pointer and started to explain what she had done. Pointing her wand at the electrons busily buzzing around too quickly to see, she muttered “imagio lentus” and for a moment’s time they could clearly see the way in which everything interacted at a slow pace.

Before saying anythinrtherther, she looked at him. Eyeing him carefully, she noticed that Snape looked exceptionally put out by her performance. He was both fascinated and confused by what he was seeing in her holograph, but he was trying his darndest to hide that fact. He was still pinned up against the bookcase. She noticed for the first time that he was carrying a Chemistry book that appeared to have come from around 1960 and she supposed that he was here because she had one-upped him. She had challenged Severus Snape of all people.

He was attempting to keep his face indifferent and blank, but it occurred to Hermione that he was simply covering up the fact that he didn’t understand what she was talking about. She smiled at this thought.

~~

“What are you grinning about?”

As soon as he said it, he realized he had made a mistake. The inflection in his voice was too harsh and it was obvious that he was angry she had stumped him. She had seen the book in his hand and she knew why he was here. He realized he had to correct the situation quickly.

Scowling he said, “5 points from Gryffindor for your obvious disrespect Miss Granger. Now if you will excuse me, I have to check your facts.” He tapped the Chemistry book with his finger and began to walk away.

Behind him he heard a voice, “Professor?”

He stopped but didn’t turn around.

“Professor, you might find this book better. Chemistry has changed rather drastically since 1960. The muggle scientists are always coming up with new theories.”

He suddenly found himself being presented with Hermione’s Chemistry book.

Saving face he simply said “Thank you Miss Granger. You may pick it up in my office tomorrow after dinner. I will be done with it then.”

He stiffened as their hands touched and he took the book from her. For a moment, his face lost its composure.

~~

Hermione smiled to herself. There was definitely tension between her and Snape. The way he was acting, she would guess he had a crush on her.