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 31 ~ A Couple of Friends Drop By


Hermione woke after nine that morning. She rolled over in the bed and looked up at the ceiling. She could start back to work today. She had everything she needed. Because of the Prof…because of Severus.

She sighed, remembering the Potions Master’s kiss. It was unlike anything she would have imagined from the cold man she thought he was. In fact, over the past couple of weeks she found Severus had a warmth of his own. Yes, it was contained, controlled but it was there, smoldering underneath all the chill he emitted.

She thought about him tying the knot in that cherry. Merlin. His tongue was definitely talented. Hermione felt a little heat between her thighs. She loved having oral sex performed on her. Of course, there was nothing like a hard cock, but a tongue could do so many things a cock couldn’t. That had been a major problem between her and Galen. He was too prudish to go down on her, but wanted himself serviced. What a selfish prick. Hermione didn’t think Severus would hesitate to pleasure her that way. He had to have developed his knot-tying talent for a reason, after all. Hermione shuddered, her libido trying to rise to the fore. She had managed to go to sleep without masturbating last night. It was quite an accomplishment too.

She rolled out of the bed and stretched, then walked into the loo to use the facilities and shower. Her thoughts turned to the lab. She had some adult pitcher plants but would have to wait until Neville finished the Ecolab to have plants of varying ages to experiment with. She was interested to know if the plants could throw off the curse from the moment they pushed up out of the ground, or if it was an ability that developed over time. Hermione finished her shower, dried off and walked into her bedroom. She put on jeans and a tee shirt, then opened her wardrobe and selected one of the long white lab coats. She felt good when she put it on. She was now in her element.

A glass of orange juice and a platter of eggs and bacon with toast appeared on her bedside. Hermione looked at the food, then walked into her study, ignoring it. She had work to do.

She was met in the study by an unsmiling Eli, who stood there with his little arms folded across his chest and a scowl of disapproval on his face. He blocked her way.

“The Miss musts eat!” he declared. He crooked a finger, and the plate of food and glass of juice floated out of the bedroom and neatly landed on the small coffee table in front of the couch.

Hermione made to walk by the elf.

“I’m not hungry, Eli,” she said, pushing past him.

The elf crooked a finger. Hermione found herself dangling a foot above the floor.

“Eli! What are you doing?” she exclaimed, struggling haplessly.

“Miss must eat,” Eli repeated. With his finger, he directed Hermione across the study, made her hover over the couch, then dropped her on to it in front of the coffee table. The elf crossed his arms again.

“The Master says Eli must make sure you eats. So eats,” he said, a little frown on his face.

Hermione blinked at the elf, who stared back at her steadily.

Hermione sighed and started eating. She found she actually was hungry, and tucked the food away in no time. The elf visibly relaxed. He didn’t want to be hard on the Miss, but she needed to be healthy for his Master. For the in-outie. Hermione was almost done, when the elf suddenly cocked his head, as if hearing something the witch couldn’t.

He looked at her empty plate with approval.

“Eli must go, Miss,” he said, “If you needs me, just call out my name loud and I comes”

The elf bowed and winked out.

Hermione wiped her hand and mouth on her napkin, and finished the last of her orange juice. She then rose and headed for the Ecolab to collect a pitcher plant for dissection. As she approached the door, she stopped, a funny feeling washing over her. Shaking it off, she started back toward the lab, when the feeling washed over her again. Something told her to go upstairs.
Turning, she walked to the lift, opened it and took it to the main floor.

She was glad she did.

The first thing Hermione heard when the lift opened was muffling shouting. She quickly opened the wall and ran into the corridor. The yelling, cursing voices sounded very familiar. She looked toward the main door, which was open. Her eyes widened and she gasped

Eli was standing in the open doorway, both his hands raised. Ten feet in the air above him, struggling and demanding to be released, were Harry and Ron.

“Put us down you little bastard!” Ron yelled at the elf, his arms and legs whirling wildly.

“Yeah! Let us go! We want to see Hermione now!” Harry cried, kicking his legs as if he could get back to earth by force.

Eli held them up.

“You is bad wizards to try to force your way into my Master’s Manor! Bad, nasty wizards!” Eli said, making a jerking motion with his hands and shaking Ron and Harry viciously in the air.

“Eli!” Hermione screamed, running toward the elf and the floating wizards. “You put them down this instant! They’re my friends!”

Eli looked back at her with a wicked grin.

“As you say, Miss,” the elf replied, stopping his magic and letting the wizards drop.

Harry and Ron crashed to the hard floor. Eli smirked, crossing his arms. He was very much like his Master in some ways.

Hermione rushed up to the two wizards, kneeling down.

“Are you two all right?” she asked them.

Both Ron and Harry rose to their feet painfully. Hermione shot a glare at Eli.

“Eli! How could you?” she said to the unrepentant house elf.

“It was easy Miss. I just lifts them up, then drops them down,” he said, still smirking unpleasantly at the two wizards as they brushed themselves off.

“They needs manners, Miss,” the elf added. “They would not wait.”

Hermione looked at Harry and Ron.

“You should have waited. Eli would have got me,” she said to them.

Ron scowled at the house elf.

“Little rotter,” he said. Eli pointed a finger at Ron threateningly.

“You can go, Eli,” Hermione said, still frowning at the elf.

Eli bowed, gave the two wizards a parting glower, then winked out.

Harry adjusted his glasses and looked at Hermione.

“Hermione, what happened? What are you doing here?” he asked her, concern on his face.

“Yeah. We went to your flat and some old man answered. Said you’d been evicted,” Ron said, looking her over to see if she was in one piece. “We were going crazy. We didn’t know where you were!”

Harry nodded, and said, “If we hadn’t run into Neville, we would still be looking for you.”

Hermione hugged Harry then Ron. They had been so worried.

“Well, I had some trouble at the Ministry,” she said, beckoning for them to follow her.

The two wizards looked around the impressive Manor. Sunlight was streaming through the large windows, illuminating the hall.

“Wow, who would’ve thought that greasy git had a place like this? I thought sunlight would make him burst into flames,” Ron commented.

Hermione scowled a bit, and led them on to the rose covered veranda. Harry looked at the beautiful flowers in amazement.

“Roses? Professor Snape has roses here?” Harry said, his brows raised, “Snape hates roses. Madame Sprout had to replace the bushes constantly at Hogwarts because of him. This is weird.”

“His mother planted those roses,” Hermione said, sitting down and gesturing for them to do the same.

Ron looked at Hermione in amazement.

“Snape had a mother?” he asked.

“Stop it, Ron,” Hermione said, bad-temperedly.

Harry looked at Hermione.

“Why are you here, Hermione?” he asked her. “What’s going on?”

Hermione went over the story about what happened with Rita Skeeter’s column, and the Ministry. How she quit her job and lost her flat. How she was broke and blacklisted.

“Yeah, I read that column,” Harry said, “What a load of garbage that was. Anyone who knows you knows you would never pass information to Death Eaters,” the green-eyed wizard said.

“Or sleep with Snape,” Ron added. Hermione flushed a little. Luckily the wizard didn’t seem to notice.

“The problem is the people who read that article don’t know me. I am guilty as far as the public is concerned. Rita’s readers believe her column is the gospel,” Hermione said, frowning. “And the Ministry was awful. They talked about Severus like he was a practicing Death Eater…”

“Severus?” both wizards said at the same time, looking at Hermione hard.

“You call him by his first name?” Ron asked her, his brows furrowed suspiciously.

“I only started to a couple of days ago, Ron. And for gods’ sake, his not my Professor anymore. I’m not his student any longer. We are both adults. What’s wrong with calling him by his first name?” she asked, a bit irritated.

“It just seems wrong. Too close, know what I mean?” Ron said, his eyes narrowing a bit.

“Grow up, Ron,” Hermione said, scowling at him.

The red-haired wizard continued to look at her suspiciously, as Harry spoke up.

“Why didn’t you contact me, or Ron, Hermione? One of us would have taken you in,” Harry said earnestly. Hermione patted his hand affectionately.

“I know you would have. But you have families, and I don’t know how long it will be before I can get back on my feet. I have a project to complete first,” the witch said.

“Yeah, what’s with this project that it’s so important you won’t even tell the Ministry about it?” Ron asked. Hermione hesitated.

“I don’t want to tell you or Harry about the details of it, Ron. You both work for the Ministry and they might try to get it out of you. I don’t want you to get in trouble,” she said delicately.

Ron frowned, “Oh, you won’t tell us, but you’ll tell that greasy bastard Sna... Severus,” Ron sneered. Hermione didn’t like his attitude.

“I did tell him. But he’s under a Wizard’s Oath. He can’t tell anyone. And you know Aurors aren’t allowed to take Wizard’s Oaths,” Hermione said to the red-head.

Ron made a face as Harry looked at her in amazement.

“You got Snape to take a Wizard’s Oath?” he asked her. Hermione nodded.

“This must be some project,” Harry murmured thoughtfully.

“Oh, Harry it is! If I can complete it, it will change the entire wizarding world!” she breathed.

Harry stared at her a minute, taking in her excitement and the flushed look on her face. He knew that look. Hermione was really on to something. Something big.

Ron looked around the Manor again.

“What’s he charging you to stay here?” he asked Hermione.

“Why, nothing. He’s helping me out until I complete the project,” Hermione said.

Ron snorted.

“Helping you out, eh? I bet. He’s got designs on you, Hermione. That greasy git wants to shag you. I know it,” the redheaded wizard said. He sounded a little jealous.

Harry ducked his head. Why did Ron always do this? He was married and had a beautiful wife, and a wonderful little girl. Why did he always freak out whenever he thought Hermione was getting involved with a man? Even if the Professor did want to shag her, that was her business to deal with, unless she asked them for help.

Hermione frowned at Ron. He was right, but still…the Potions Master’s original intentions were to assist her in completing her project, and those were still his intentions. She believed that. She looked at Ron darkly.

“Ron, why do you find it so hard to believe that I might have a project worthy enough for Professor Snape to become a patron of? Why does it always have to be about the body with you and not the brain? You act like my intelligence doesn’t matter at all. You imply that no one would could possibly want to do anything with me because he feels I’m intelligent and have the potential to succeed,” she fumed, her eyes narrowing at Ron.

Ron swallowed.

“It’s not that, Hermione,” he said lamely.

“What is it then? I just told you flat out that the Professor is helping me with a project. I told you directly. And you just toss the importance of my work off like its nothing, saying he just wants to fuck me,” she said, her amber eyes flashing. “its like you believe whatever I am working on can’t possibly be more important to a man than my pussy.”

Both Ron and Harry looked startled. They had never heard Hermione talk like this. She sighed at their shocked faces. She continued in a softer mien.

“Ron, at least the Professor appreciates my intelligence. He offered to help me because he has faith that I can accomplish the work I’ve started successfully if I have the right equipment, and he provided that. He spent thousands of galleons to set labs up for me, Ron. Does that sound like he wanted a quick shag to you? Or does it sound like a vote of confidence in my abilities?”

Ron had the good grace to at least look uncomfortable. Hermione continued.

“Ron, you have never understood me. I love you, but you are thick as mud. You have never appreciated my intelligence. You think it gets in the way of my real calling. To be some man’s bed warmer. I hate to tell you this, Ronald, but not every woman’s dream is to be Molly Weasley."

Ron frowned at this reference to his mother. She was a good woman, a wonderful wife and homemaker. To Ron, she was a success.

“There’s nothing wrong with my mum,” he said stiffly.

“No, Ron, there’s not. Your mother is wonderful and loves being a wife and mother, finding completion in caring for her husband and family. She is the standard you judge all women by, and if they don’t meet up to her standards, you feel there is something wrong with them," she said gently.

Hermione sighed and put her hand on Ron’s arm, looking him in the eyes.

“You have to stop thinking of me in terms of my primary purpose as being here on this earth to fulfill a man’s needs, Ronald. Because I’m not. And not every man sees me that way. Professor Snape certainly doesn’t. Actually, he is supportive of me and wants to see me accomplish everything I envision,” she said, then added in a low voice, “and if he wants to shag me, it’s my decision on whether I will let him or not. So stay out of it, ok?”

Both Harry and Ron’s eyebrows raised. Hermione had just admitted there was more going on here than research. Ron looked mutinous and like he wanted to say something, but Harry grabbed his shoulder and shook his head.

Turning to Hermione, Harry said softly, “Hermione, we are just both concerned for you. I know we act like gits most of the time, and basically you are out of our league when it comes to thinking logically, but Hermione…we love you like a sister. It’s hard to let you make decisions we don’t like. Be with people we don’t like. But in the end we have to let you do whatever you want to do. Our place is just to be here for you when you need us. And we will always be here for you. Just don’t keep us out. Ok?”

Harry stood up and kissed Hermione gently on the cheek, his green eyes soft. Ron looked at her, and dropped his eyes.

“I’m…I’m sorry, Mione. It’s just what Harry said, you know. I want you to be happy and safe…my wife says I’m an idiot most of the time when it comes to women. And I love you Hermione, so that makes me even more of an idiot. You’ve got a right to live how you want, and with who you want. It would really rip me if someone tried to tell me what to do…so I am really, really sorry. What you do is great. It really is. The brain thing…”

Hermione could tell Ron was reaching and running out of steam. She quieted him with a kiss on the cheek, then rubbed her nose to his, and pulled back with a smile. He blushed.

“Your wife’s right, Ron. You ARE an idiot. And will probably be one for the rest of your days, but it’s ok. You’re our idiot, and are loved in spite of it,” she said softly, and ruffled his red hair. Harry smiled at the affection evident between both of his friends. He looked at the hall clock and turned to Hermione.

“Hermione, we have to go. We ducked out of work to come see you and have to get back,” Harry said as Ron rose. Both wizards took turns hugging her. They all walked toward the main doors.

Eli appeared by the door just as the three arrived at it. The elf pulled the door open, and bowed to the departing guests, grinning wickedly.

“Thank you Eli,” Hermione said, her brow furrowed.

“You is welcome, Miss,” the elf said. He looked at Harry and Ron solemnly. ”Drops in again,” he said, chuckling.

Both wizards scowled as he winked away.

“You can tell that’s Snape’s elf,” Ron said. “It’s evil.”

“Eli is not evil, just protective of his Master,” Hermione replied as they walked down the portico and to the grounds.

“Snape needs to be protected as much as a nest of basilisks,” Harry muttered.

Hermione hugged both wizards again, and said good-bye.

They disapparated and were gone.

Hermione turned toward the house, and walked up the portico, her fists curled at her side. She walked into the Manor. “Eli!” she bellowed, her hands on her hips.

They were going to have a little elf-to-Miss talk.

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A/N: Harry and Ron had to show up sooner or later. They should have been more polite to Eli…lol. I am here at work writing this morning. Luckily I am a muggle. Because if I was a witch, I'd hex the next person who walks up to me and asks me as I'm typing... "What you doing?". I'm TYPING dammit. Sheesh. I am having a real Severus moment. Please review.