The Tigress Lily

Hermione followedfessfessor Snape towards Green House Six but was confused when he turned to the left and walked around the green house. On the grounds behind the green houses was a smaller glass house that Hermione had never noticed before. She watched as the Professor took the wards off the door. He held the door open for her, which surprised her a great deal but as she went to pass him he stopped her. “Miss Granger, you will be assisting me with a very delicate harvest tonight. These lilies,” he directed her attention to the inside of the green house, “bloom once every ten years, and only bloom during the autumn equinox. The procedure to harvest and preserve this flower is not overly complicated, but it must be performed correctly otherwise the flower loses it’s magical properties. Do you understand?” Hermione nodded her silent consent. Severus motioned her into the green house and over to a small table he had set up.

As Hermione entered the room she felt her breath catch in her throat. All around her were the most beautiful flowers that she had ever seen. A sea of orange surrounder, tr, the flowers gently bobbing in the slight breeze coming through the door. The scent that the lilies gave off was intoxicating. It was a mixture of musk and spice that made her heart speed up and mouth dry out. She recognized that smell from somewhere, but where?

“To harvest the lilies, you must dig up the entire root structure, once that is done, all that remains is to clean and dry the lilies. However, the entire root structure must be preserved so we will have to dig deep. Also, this cannot be done using magic.” Hermione nodded at this, she had assumed as much. Most magical ingredients had to be grown and harvested completely magic free.

Severus handed Hermione a spade with a wooden handle. “Watch me Miss Granger.” She turned and saw him kneeling before one of the plants. She was struck by how different he looked to her. Without his teaching robes he seemed more human, frailer and more gentle. The moonlight that shone in through the glass ceiling lit up his face. She could help but notice how sad he seemed. He wore his regular black pants and a white button down shirt. Hermione kneeled down next to him and watched as he showed her exactly how to dig up the lilies.

After Severus was satisfied that she knew what to do, he moved over a bit and began his own digging. It was hard labor; the soiat hat had been so soft and pliant when these lilies were planted had become rock hard. “Not surprising,” Severus thought to himself, “it has been ten years since anyone has done anything in here.” After about an hour’s work, Severus looked down at his wrist. It had begun to ache after only a few minutes of digging but he had forced himself to ignore it. But now he could feel something trickling down his hand. Severus flipped his wrist over and could see the blood soaking through his shirt. “Damn.” It was quiet but still loud enough for Hermione to hear. She looked up suddenly to see what had happened, and took her attention away form her digging. In the split second her attention was distracted her spade slipped and she sliced through her palm. “Ohh.”

Severus was on his feet and at her side in a moment. He took her hand and pulled it close to his face. The cut was deep and had already started to bleed profusely. He could feel the blood running down into his own hand and dripping off. He looked down and her eyes followed his. Their blood had mingled and had dripped on one of the blooming flowers. Hermione’s eyes snapped up to Severus’ face and found his eyes locked with hers. His face was the last thing she saw as a great wave of magic passed up over her body and through his. She felt the blackness overwhelm her and fell to the ground, Severus falling next to her, their hands still linked.