Ready and Willing

A/N: First I would like to address a couple things. Number one: I needed Ron's attack and Hermione's hesitance to attack him to bring her and Severus closer together. And two: I wasn't about to leave him hanging, as you'll find out in this chapter. I had that plot twist for a reason. I do not hate Ron. I love the little bugger to be honest, and I hated writing that chapter. I know that he would never hurt Hermione intentionally. Phew...Now that I have that said, I also would like to thank my new beta, DarkFieryPhoenix09, for proofing this new chappie.


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Chapter 5: Inclination Standing

“Are you still inclined?" she asked.

“You’ll just have to wait and see won't you?" Severus replied. He smiled at Hermione and she felt her heart swell and jump straight to her throat. His smile was because of her and he looked years younger for it. Severus' eyes were sparkling slightly with emotion and Hermione found herself lost in those beautifully dark eyes.

If she had any doubts that he cared, they were swept away as he looked at her like that. She knew she had come to care about him, her reluctance to harm Ron had shown that she stilled cared for him in a way. She would hold true to her threats if she had been cornered, but she knew she was safe behind the gates. Her brow scrunched up in frustration for a moment. “Severus...I'm finding it a little hard to believe that Ron would actually harm me. We've been friends for eleven years and not even a love potion would bring that out if brewed properly.

Severus got the gist of what she was saying quickly. “You think the Amorentia that the waitress gave him was an improperly brewed one."

Hermione nodded. Her hunch was starting to look like it was the most likely answer. “Severus, we need to do a controlled experiment." Hermione said suddenly.

Severus looked at her with a confused expression and just went to his lab with her in tow. “Alright...what do you need?"

Hermione gave him her instructions and told him exactly where to screw up. When the potion was finished, Hermione took a flask of butterbeer that she had summoned from the kitchens and added in two decent sized dollops. “I’m going to the ministry. Please fill in Minerva to the situation and also hand me the antidote if you would."

Severus nodded and Hermione left through the floo.


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Hermione showed up at the Ministry of Magic and called for Harry. Within moments, the dark haired wizard came out and over to Hermione.

“I think the potion was a F.U.B ...I have a possible potion like the one Ron ingested and the antidote. Is he back to normal?"

Harry nodded. Leave it to Hermione to find out what's wrong. “Yeah. Come with me." Harry replied to her.

Hermione followed Harry into the next room and saw Ron. He looked absolutely pitiful. His face was red and puffy from shed tears and he sat dejectedly in his seat. He looked up as Harry entered the room and saw Hermione.

“Dear lord, Mione, I am so sorry...I never meant any of it I swear. I don't know what came over me. I didn't even know that the Amorentia could make a person do that."

Hermione sighed. “The potion you ingested was not a true Amorentia. Don't worry, we'll do a controlled experiment because I think the waitress tried to brew it herself and screwed it up badly. Just hear me out Ron. There are four main ingredients that control the person's emotions when they ingest the Amorentia. They have to be added at very crucial stages or else the potion becomes something else. What happened to you was two of the main ingredients were mixed up and added at the wrong times. They made you direct any unsavory emotions that you were feeling towards one person at me. Your dislike of Severus is legendary, so it's only natural that he was the object of your distaste. At the same time, somehow you felt that I was yours and technically speaking, you were trying to mark your territory. Do you trust me?"

Ron was baffled by her explanation and nodded.

“Then drink this."

Ron complied and Hermione waited a few minutes. “So Ron, how do you feel about my internship with Severus?" Hermione said.


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The fire in Severus' room flared green and Hermione came out. “Severus, we were right. Ron's been cleared of all charges and the waitress from the restaurant is facing an inquiry. If we could figure that out just by thinking it over together..."

Severus smiled at her. “Then we should have no trouble with the Lycanthropy cure and it could be done in a few months." He turned to go into his lab for a moment and Hermione followed. He went over to the cabinet on the far wall and tapped his wand to a locked drawer. After opening it and reaching inside, Severus pulled out a thick manuscript, handwritten and the pages showing their age as they went from golden to yellow to the off white that was the mark of new parchment. “I’m giving you your first assignment. I want you to read over the last twenty or so years of work I've put in this manuscript and see if you can find anything. When you're finished, come back with your ideas and we will begin on the lycanthropy cure."

Hermione looked from the manuscript on the table to Severus and back again. “I will. Do I have a deadline?" she said.

Severus shook his head. “No...But take your time. Now, get back up to your rooms and get some rest. I want you to start that tomorrow. And Hermione..."

Hermione was gathering everything that she needed. “Yes Severus?"

“I feel that it would be prudent that we hold this off for now. We hardly really know each other and this would be a first for me. I want to do right by you and not have accusations thrown at you that I'm altering your grades because we are seeing each other."

Hermione nodded, understanding completely. “I do understand Severus. In essence we are colleagues, but I guess the relationship is student teacher after all." she replied. “I’ll see you in the morning Severus...I'll be working in my lab tomorrow. Just be sure to send Dobby to fetch me for meals." she said. She stood next to him for a moment with everything in her arms and stood on tiptoe. Her lips brushed against his cheek and she rushed from the room with a quick goodnight.

Severus smiled slightly and returned to his rooms. For now, he could wait. Knowing now what he did about her, he could wait.


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A man sat in the Hog's Head, his face shrouded in darkness and he scanned the other patrons of the less than savory bar. When another man took a seat beside him, and he turned toward him.

“What did you need of my services?"

“I want this mudblood bitch captured and brought to the address on the back of the picture. If you get there before I do, go ahead and ravish her if you please, but do not harm her or kill her. I know you like to hurt your victims, Adicus, but I want that honor for myself..." Cold blue irises stared into the nearly lifeless ones before them. "Besides, she completely ruined me and mine."

“Alright then. You know my price...and I'll definitely enjoy ravishing this one..." The man replied. He pocketed the picture and walked out of the bar. When he reached into his pocket to look at the picture again, there was Hermione's face, freshly graduated from Hogwarts. 'Definitely...This little mudblood won't know what hit her...War hero or not.'


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Hermione spent the entire next day, sans meals, in her lab going over Severus’s manuscript and doing experiments of her own. Then something hit her and she looked at the notes. ' "Lycanthropy is a form of evil and possession, despite the deposition of the person." Maybe it would take something pure to...' she thought. She ran to the fireplace and called for Severus' lab. “Severus, are you in here?"

Severus went over to the floo. “Yes Hermione? What is it?" he said. “Come on over."

Hermione ran to the table and grabbed the manuscript before going back through the floo. “I know what the potion might need." she said.

Severus looked at her. “What?"

Hermione took a deep breath and sighed. “Virgin’s blood. Before you protest allow me to explain. Think of the words you used. ‘Lycanthropy is a form of evil and possession, despite the deposition of the person.' You were referring to Remus there I'm sure. This potion needs to be like an exorcism. And thusly it needs something pure to drive out the evil. What's purer than a virgin's blood?" she said.

Severus thought about it and it hit him. He sped to the table and wrote everything down in arithmic formulas and looked at the results. “Hermione...I think you just made the breakthrough we needed. The potion itself will take approximately a month and a half to brew, taking in the variations we should brew and if we should use a glass or silver cauldron. By the Christmas hols, we should be able to test Remus...We'll have to discuss together if it should be administered orally..."

“Orally. That way the potion travels from the center out..." Hermione said.

Severus nodded. “That leaves one problem...Where are we going to get such a rare ingredient?"

Hermione looked aside for a moment and back to him. “From me."


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Ron sat in the Burrow, sipping a cup of strong tea and contemplating. It was obvious that his chances with Hermione were shot. She only saw him as a brother and made that painfully clear the other night when she came bursting in to the Ministry with her theory and remedy. She had even told him there was someone else. ' Oh well mate...You busted your chances with her when you left her for following her dreams. i It was your fault for not listening and taking a good thing for granted.' he thought. “I probably could have had her back if I hadn't been such a git after Snape's trial too..." he said. He thought it was great that Hermione was actually interning with him. She was right about him none the less. He was the most accredited potions master in most of Europe, and he was dreadfully brilliant. And Harry was right as well, with those two working together on the Lycanthropy cure, there wasn't any way that they would fail. “Who would have thought, Hermione famous for a potion before she's even out of school?"

Harry came down from upstairs and sat at the table. “Morning..." he said sleepily.

“Morning Harry, there's tea in the kettle...Should still be hot, I haven't been up long." Ron replied. “I’ve been thinking."

Harry snorted. “That’s a first..." he teased.

“I actually think that Hermione is better off with this new bloke she's got...She said it'd be a while before I met him, but she did promise."

Harry nodded. “He sounds okay I guess...I'm surprised to see that you're not going through the roof over this. You hate to hear about her with another bloke."

Ron smiled. “Because I realized I shot things down the crapper for good. It's not her fault that she had different ambitions than I did and I was trying to mold her to our standards. I know now that I shouldn't have tried to but you can't change the past. I know she's moved on, and it's high time that I did to."

Harry patted his friend on the back. “About time, mate." Harry said, taking a seat next to him as Molly came in and started to make breakfast. “About time."


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Adicus stood in the shadows outside the Hogwarts gates. He was biding his time and waiting on Hermione to make the first move. Every time that she had come out of the castle in the past two weeks, she had been with Severus Snape.

Filthy little traitor. How dare he turn against us... Adicus thought. He knew it was too risky to try and take her when the dark wizard was with her and had to wait. “I hate waiting..." he grumbled. He took a seat and waited outside once again for another long day.


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Hermione was rummaging through her stores when she realized that hers, Severus' and the student's ingredient stores were out of terrasinde. “Dammit..." She swore. She went back down to the dungeons and knocked three times on Severus' door. She entered and looked over at the workbench as Severus chopped dandelion roots; the flower he was working with was nothing close to its muggle cousin as it had an actual petal mane and roared when picked, and smiled. She loved how he chopped everything so precisely and how deft he was with his knife. For a brief moment she wondered how deft those hands would be on her skin touching her in places that no one else had even ventured. “Severus...We're completely out of terrasinde..."

Severus nodded. “I need to add the dandelion roots here in a moment. I'll go with you..."

Hermione shook her head. “It’s alright Severus...I can go myself...I am a big girl after all..." Hermione replied.

Severus added the roots to the potion. “Nonsense...I told you I felt a twinge where my mark used to be...I think there's trouble near and I don't want to leave you unescorted. There are still many rogue deatheaters out there and you would be a prime target. You were able to track a good chunk of them down and you also condemned many known families that supported Voldemort. Someone could be biding their time to get you back..." he said.

“I also need a little girl time...I'm going into town today to get some new robes...I'll be shopping for a while...I promise to send the terrasinde by way of owl though." Hermione said.

Severus sighed. Hermione had told him the other day she was going into town to shop and he completely detested shopping. “I think I have a solution." He said. He led Hermione into his rooms and sat her on the couch. She looked around at the books as she studied the titles. While she was taking yet another glance at his collection, Severus went into his bedroom and unwarded a drawer in his wardrobe. He had bought this a few days ago and was going to present it to Hermione on her birthday next month, but he felt this was a more prudent time to use it. He withdrew a necklace in the shape of a serpent around a piece of glass. He set it aside in one hand and withdrew a matching ring that was made for a man. He slid the ring onto his right middle finger and went out into the living room.

Hermione didn't hear him come back out but knew he was right behind her when his hand put her hair aside. “An early birthday gift for you..." he said.” It's a two way mirror made for only verbal communication. It will activate automatically when you're outside the range. It also has a tracking charm on it. Just be careful please..."

Hermione was touched by the level of concern that Severus was showing. She turned to him and threw her arms around his neck while she kissed him soundly. “Thank you...I'll be back soon, I promise..." she replied.

" And Hermione...The inclination is still standing..." he said.

She smiled at him before walking out the door and out into the danger that faced her.


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A/N: Whoohoo! Hermione is in trouble now...Or is she. And like I said, I told you all I wouldn't leave Ron hanging and I came through for the youngest Weasley boy. I'm open to ideas...Should Hermione be captured or should I have her kick Adicus' ass and make her 'admirer' come out into the open. Ten reviews gets the chappie and the majority will win. This next chapter is about what the public wants...So give me your opinions! I love them!


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