A Maid in the Devil's Manor
folder
Harry Potter › Het - Male/Female › Snape/Hermione
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
51
Views:
39,418
Reviews:
483
Recommended:
1
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
Harry Potter › Het - Male/Female › Snape/Hermione
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
51
Views:
39,418
Reviews:
483
Recommended:
1
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
This is Only a Test
Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to JKR. All situations are mine. No $$$ is being made from this fanfic.
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Chapter 37 ~ This is Only a Test
For the next three weeks Severus and Hermione alternated between his labs and hers. Breakthrough after breakthrough occurred, the first being Hermione’s finding of the proper concentration of the pitcher wax to deflect the curse. She tested it first on a fly she had carefully clipped the wings off of. She didn’t tear them off because she wanted the little bug to live.
She placed the insect in a small pan, then laid a flat sheet of the deterrent over it. Invoking the containment spell, she cast the Killing Curse for over a minute. When she removed the sheet, the fly was unharmed. When she brought this information to Severus, he immediately began writing the possible uses of the sheet itself down, a Killing Curse Shield being the primary item, treated armor, treated garments etc. All that would deflect the curse.
This was an amazing accomplishment in itself, but Hermione was determined to create an elixir that could be consumed that would then protect one totally from the curse. Severus spent days working on developing a base that would allow the deterrent to convert to a liquid form. At first, all he could manage were suspensions. Then Hermione tried enhancing a sample directly with a liquefying spell and then adding it to the base Severus created, and it worked. They looked at each other. Weeks had been spent pulverizing, melting, grinding, and a simple liquefaction spell was the answer.
They began to test the elixir on small animals with varying results. Hermione worked a number of protective spells into the elixir that strengthened it noticeably. The next lab animal to be tested was a cute little niffler Hermione had been sparing for two weeks. But its time was up. They needed it. She fed the furry ferret-like creature a bowlful of elixir, placed it on a leash tied to the floor, petted it and stood there looking at it sadly. Severus was there. He knew Hermione had taken a liking to the creature, but it was after all a lab animal.
“Go on, Hermione. Do it,” Severus said. He could have cast the curse himself, but he didn’t think that would help Hermione. Hermione cast the containment spell to hide the Killing curse’s signature. Severus stood close to her as she screwed up her face and cast the curse at the niffler, who was straining against the leash, chattering and frightened. The animal was enveloped in green light, and Hermione held it for a full minute. Then stopped.
The niffler lay there unmoving. Hermione dropped her head, and Severus placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. Suddenly, the niffler twitched. Then it lifted its head and rolled to its feet unsteadily.
Hermione screamed as Severus fell on to the nearest stool, staring at the beautiful, breathing creature as it rose on its hind legs and sniffed the air in their direction. Hermione continued to scream, jumping in the air and finally throwing herself on Severus, who suddenly found himself with an armful of wriggling, ecstatic witch.
“WE DID IT!!!! SEVERUS!” Hermione screamed deafeningly. She kissed him soundly, then danced over to the middle island, and started calculating the necessary liquid ratios necessary for the effects to protect a human being. As she did this, a realization hit her. She turned to Severus. Her eyes were wide as she looked at the Potions Master.
“One of us is going to have to test this,” she said quietly, looking up at Severus. The Potions Master knew which one it had to be.
“When the time comes to test it, Hermione. I will be the subject,” he said to her, his dark eyes burning with a strange light. Hermione tried to protest. Severus stopped her.
“No. I have used this curse on more poor souls than I can count, Hermione. I have taken many lives. It is fitting that I be the one the curse is cast on. If I live, then there is a new hope in the wizarding world…and if I die…it is only a justice long overdue,” he said quietly.
Hermione looked at him, her heart thudding. And it was then she knew she didn’t want anything to happen to the dark wizard. If he died, she would mourn him deeply. She looked into his black eyes…and she knew. She wanted him. Not for a night, but for many nights…for all the nights there ever could be. She swallowed. Severus noticed the intense way she looked at him before she turned and walked slowly away to the animal cages. She lifted out another niffler.
“We need to test it again,” she said, sounding a million miles away.
************************************
Hermione kept ‘Sniffles’ the first survivor, and all the other surviving animals under observation for the next several days. None showed any ill effects. Severus was after her to test the elixir on him, but she kept putting it off. Two more weeks passed. One night it all came to a head.
“Hermione, we need to test the elixir on a human subject. It’s time. Why are you delaying?” Severus asked her.
“It…it still needs more tests,” she said, avoiding his eyes. Over the past several weeks, Severus had continued his slow, easy courting of the witch. They had not gone beyond the occasional sweet kisses he gave her, and there had been no more steamy teasing since the elf conspiracy was broken. But the tension was there. Severus knew something had changed. He would catch Hermione gazing at him sometimes, a strange look in her eyes. He could tell part of it was fear.
“You’ve tested and retested, Hermione. We have scores of survivors. We need to get this tested on me and registered. People are still dying daily from the curse. If we have an answer, and hold it back from the public, we might as well be casting the curse on innocents ourselves,” he said to her gently. “Now we know the effects of the elixir’s protective properties last an hour at current strength, through our testing. We know the proper dosage for a human being. Hermione, we need to test it, and test it tonight. Now.”
Hermione watched as Severus walked over to the cabinet where several bottles of elixir were kept. He opened the cabinet, took out a bottle, closed the cabinet and walked back to stand before her.
“You’re going to have to cast the curse on me,” he said.
“No, Severus…” Hermione said, rather desperately, “Suppose it doesn’t work…”
“Suppose it does,” he answered. “Hermione, we have to do this.”
“I don’t want you to die, Severus!” she blurted out.
He looked at her.
“Hermione, I have set up a fund for you to continue your work in the event of my death. You will have all you need. I have no family, no relations, no children. As far as your personal needs, all I have will go to you, so you can live your life as you wish and not have to rely on anyone. So don’t worry about my dying. It will all go on,” he said softly, “You will go on.”
Hermione stared at him. He had left everything to her? Gods. She couldn’t process the enormity of that now. She didn’t want his money.
“I’d rather have you than your riches, Severus,” she said. The Potions Master arched an eyebrow at her, then sighed.
“You may be a punctual witch, but you have the worst sense of timing I have ever witnessed, Hermione,” he said softly as he opened his arms and she stepped into them. He embraced her, holding her close. Hermione pressed her head against his chest and listened to his heartbeat for the first time. It was strong. Comforting. He held her for a few minutes, drinking in her closeness, her warmth, and the press of her curves against his lean body. He stroked her hair gently, his chin resting on the top of her head. Then he pulled Hermione away from him gently. She resisted, but he moved her anyway.
“I am to take it then, that you want me, Hermione? All of me and only me?” he asked her.
She blinked up at him. “Yes,” she said softly.
He studied her.
“Are you sure this isn’t just a reaction to your fear that the elixir won’t work, and an act of desperation to keep me from testing it?” he asked her, his dark eyes glittering.
“No, it isn’t Severus. I’ve known how I felt for weeks,” she said.
“Why didn’t you tell me before now?” Severus asked.
“I don’t know,” she answered. “I really don’t.”
Severus stood there, just looking at her.
“We have to test this elixir, Hermione. And get it registered, demonstrated and out to the public. After that….”
His eyes took on an intense heat.
“We will deal with our personal issues.”
He stood up and walked to the center of the lab, standing over where the leashes for the animals were tied. He uncapped the bottle.
“Take out your wand, Hermione,” he said, watching her.
Hermione knew this had to be done, but her hand didn’t want to move.
“I have faith in you, Hermione. Take out your wand and get ready to cast the curse,” Severus said. Hermione drew her wand. Severus drank down the contents of the bottle and made a face.
“The way the animals drank this down, I thought it would taste a lot better,” he said, grimacing down at the empty bottle. Then he stood tall and faced Hermione.
“Cast the curse,” he said.
Hermione stood there, not moving. Severus scowled.
“Hermione, cast the curse!” he demanded
Still she didn’t move. Severus grew angry.
“Hermione, people are dying even now! Cast the curse if you care anything for me! This is my chance to make up for my wrongs. To try to make it right. Can’t you understand that? Now CAST THE CURSE!” he bellowed at her.
Hermione screwed up her face. The image of Lucius Malfoy dropping the body of his son Draco to the ground filled her mind...
“AVADA KEDAVRA!” she shouted at the top of her lungs, pointing her wand at him.
Green light blasted from the tip of her wand, enveloping the writhing body of the dark wizard.
********************************
A/N: She’s admitted she wants him. Let’s hope he survives so she can have him. Please review.
*******************************
Chapter 37 ~ This is Only a Test
For the next three weeks Severus and Hermione alternated between his labs and hers. Breakthrough after breakthrough occurred, the first being Hermione’s finding of the proper concentration of the pitcher wax to deflect the curse. She tested it first on a fly she had carefully clipped the wings off of. She didn’t tear them off because she wanted the little bug to live.
She placed the insect in a small pan, then laid a flat sheet of the deterrent over it. Invoking the containment spell, she cast the Killing Curse for over a minute. When she removed the sheet, the fly was unharmed. When she brought this information to Severus, he immediately began writing the possible uses of the sheet itself down, a Killing Curse Shield being the primary item, treated armor, treated garments etc. All that would deflect the curse.
This was an amazing accomplishment in itself, but Hermione was determined to create an elixir that could be consumed that would then protect one totally from the curse. Severus spent days working on developing a base that would allow the deterrent to convert to a liquid form. At first, all he could manage were suspensions. Then Hermione tried enhancing a sample directly with a liquefying spell and then adding it to the base Severus created, and it worked. They looked at each other. Weeks had been spent pulverizing, melting, grinding, and a simple liquefaction spell was the answer.
They began to test the elixir on small animals with varying results. Hermione worked a number of protective spells into the elixir that strengthened it noticeably. The next lab animal to be tested was a cute little niffler Hermione had been sparing for two weeks. But its time was up. They needed it. She fed the furry ferret-like creature a bowlful of elixir, placed it on a leash tied to the floor, petted it and stood there looking at it sadly. Severus was there. He knew Hermione had taken a liking to the creature, but it was after all a lab animal.
“Go on, Hermione. Do it,” Severus said. He could have cast the curse himself, but he didn’t think that would help Hermione. Hermione cast the containment spell to hide the Killing curse’s signature. Severus stood close to her as she screwed up her face and cast the curse at the niffler, who was straining against the leash, chattering and frightened. The animal was enveloped in green light, and Hermione held it for a full minute. Then stopped.
The niffler lay there unmoving. Hermione dropped her head, and Severus placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. Suddenly, the niffler twitched. Then it lifted its head and rolled to its feet unsteadily.
Hermione screamed as Severus fell on to the nearest stool, staring at the beautiful, breathing creature as it rose on its hind legs and sniffed the air in their direction. Hermione continued to scream, jumping in the air and finally throwing herself on Severus, who suddenly found himself with an armful of wriggling, ecstatic witch.
“WE DID IT!!!! SEVERUS!” Hermione screamed deafeningly. She kissed him soundly, then danced over to the middle island, and started calculating the necessary liquid ratios necessary for the effects to protect a human being. As she did this, a realization hit her. She turned to Severus. Her eyes were wide as she looked at the Potions Master.
“One of us is going to have to test this,” she said quietly, looking up at Severus. The Potions Master knew which one it had to be.
“When the time comes to test it, Hermione. I will be the subject,” he said to her, his dark eyes burning with a strange light. Hermione tried to protest. Severus stopped her.
“No. I have used this curse on more poor souls than I can count, Hermione. I have taken many lives. It is fitting that I be the one the curse is cast on. If I live, then there is a new hope in the wizarding world…and if I die…it is only a justice long overdue,” he said quietly.
Hermione looked at him, her heart thudding. And it was then she knew she didn’t want anything to happen to the dark wizard. If he died, she would mourn him deeply. She looked into his black eyes…and she knew. She wanted him. Not for a night, but for many nights…for all the nights there ever could be. She swallowed. Severus noticed the intense way she looked at him before she turned and walked slowly away to the animal cages. She lifted out another niffler.
“We need to test it again,” she said, sounding a million miles away.
************************************
Hermione kept ‘Sniffles’ the first survivor, and all the other surviving animals under observation for the next several days. None showed any ill effects. Severus was after her to test the elixir on him, but she kept putting it off. Two more weeks passed. One night it all came to a head.
“Hermione, we need to test the elixir on a human subject. It’s time. Why are you delaying?” Severus asked her.
“It…it still needs more tests,” she said, avoiding his eyes. Over the past several weeks, Severus had continued his slow, easy courting of the witch. They had not gone beyond the occasional sweet kisses he gave her, and there had been no more steamy teasing since the elf conspiracy was broken. But the tension was there. Severus knew something had changed. He would catch Hermione gazing at him sometimes, a strange look in her eyes. He could tell part of it was fear.
“You’ve tested and retested, Hermione. We have scores of survivors. We need to get this tested on me and registered. People are still dying daily from the curse. If we have an answer, and hold it back from the public, we might as well be casting the curse on innocents ourselves,” he said to her gently. “Now we know the effects of the elixir’s protective properties last an hour at current strength, through our testing. We know the proper dosage for a human being. Hermione, we need to test it, and test it tonight. Now.”
Hermione watched as Severus walked over to the cabinet where several bottles of elixir were kept. He opened the cabinet, took out a bottle, closed the cabinet and walked back to stand before her.
“You’re going to have to cast the curse on me,” he said.
“No, Severus…” Hermione said, rather desperately, “Suppose it doesn’t work…”
“Suppose it does,” he answered. “Hermione, we have to do this.”
“I don’t want you to die, Severus!” she blurted out.
He looked at her.
“Hermione, I have set up a fund for you to continue your work in the event of my death. You will have all you need. I have no family, no relations, no children. As far as your personal needs, all I have will go to you, so you can live your life as you wish and not have to rely on anyone. So don’t worry about my dying. It will all go on,” he said softly, “You will go on.”
Hermione stared at him. He had left everything to her? Gods. She couldn’t process the enormity of that now. She didn’t want his money.
“I’d rather have you than your riches, Severus,” she said. The Potions Master arched an eyebrow at her, then sighed.
“You may be a punctual witch, but you have the worst sense of timing I have ever witnessed, Hermione,” he said softly as he opened his arms and she stepped into them. He embraced her, holding her close. Hermione pressed her head against his chest and listened to his heartbeat for the first time. It was strong. Comforting. He held her for a few minutes, drinking in her closeness, her warmth, and the press of her curves against his lean body. He stroked her hair gently, his chin resting on the top of her head. Then he pulled Hermione away from him gently. She resisted, but he moved her anyway.
“I am to take it then, that you want me, Hermione? All of me and only me?” he asked her.
She blinked up at him. “Yes,” she said softly.
He studied her.
“Are you sure this isn’t just a reaction to your fear that the elixir won’t work, and an act of desperation to keep me from testing it?” he asked her, his dark eyes glittering.
“No, it isn’t Severus. I’ve known how I felt for weeks,” she said.
“Why didn’t you tell me before now?” Severus asked.
“I don’t know,” she answered. “I really don’t.”
Severus stood there, just looking at her.
“We have to test this elixir, Hermione. And get it registered, demonstrated and out to the public. After that….”
His eyes took on an intense heat.
“We will deal with our personal issues.”
He stood up and walked to the center of the lab, standing over where the leashes for the animals were tied. He uncapped the bottle.
“Take out your wand, Hermione,” he said, watching her.
Hermione knew this had to be done, but her hand didn’t want to move.
“I have faith in you, Hermione. Take out your wand and get ready to cast the curse,” Severus said. Hermione drew her wand. Severus drank down the contents of the bottle and made a face.
“The way the animals drank this down, I thought it would taste a lot better,” he said, grimacing down at the empty bottle. Then he stood tall and faced Hermione.
“Cast the curse,” he said.
Hermione stood there, not moving. Severus scowled.
“Hermione, cast the curse!” he demanded
Still she didn’t move. Severus grew angry.
“Hermione, people are dying even now! Cast the curse if you care anything for me! This is my chance to make up for my wrongs. To try to make it right. Can’t you understand that? Now CAST THE CURSE!” he bellowed at her.
Hermione screwed up her face. The image of Lucius Malfoy dropping the body of his son Draco to the ground filled her mind...
“AVADA KEDAVRA!” she shouted at the top of her lungs, pointing her wand at him.
Green light blasted from the tip of her wand, enveloping the writhing body of the dark wizard.
********************************
A/N: She’s admitted she wants him. Let’s hope he survives so she can have him. Please review.