Under the Influence

A/N: Thanks again for the reviews!!!! Question: What is your favorite drink, and how do you make it? I'm looking for new ideas.... Oh yeah, for all the absinthe questions, etc., check out this website: http://www.absinthe.bz/index.html?mv_pc=Drinknation1

Disclaimer: It's JKR's kitchen, I'm just making scrambled eggs.


Chapter 7- Wednesday night.

Hermione was embarrassed. Snape could tell by the way she carried herself when she walked in the bar. She scanned the room, looking for him as he was not seated at the bar this week. He had arrived early on purpose, and sat at the same table they had occupied Saturday night. He took the seat facing the door. He wanted to see Hermione arrive.

Hermione was wearing Muggle jeans and a T shirt, and an open trench coat. Her hair was loose, wild in all its glory, like a lion's mane. Her posture was bad. She was slouching and dragging her feet and watching those same feet while she walked. She shuffled over to the table and sat in the chair across from Snape.

"Sorry about throwing up on your shoes. I'll buy you new ones if you like," she mumbled, examining the tabletop closely.

"That will not be necessary, Hermione."

"At least let me buy your drinks tonight. It's the least I can do..."

Snape gave a mock sigh. "If you insist."

"I do."

"Well, buy away. I'm thirsty."

"What are we drinking tonight?"

"Rum and Coke."

"Good. Something easy on the stomach."

"You do know the military uses Coke to degrease engines, don't you?"

"Yup. I'll be back."

Snape studied her walk to the bar. She seemed a bit more upbeat since talking to him. She leaned over the bar to order the drinks, and Snape noticed the way her jeans clung to her ass. Not a bad ass, either. Not bad at all.

Hermione returned juggling four drinks. Snape took two from her, and she set the other two on the table before sitting down herself.

"I thought I'd save myself a trip," she explained with a sheepish smile.

"No need to explain, Hermione. I'm not as dim witted as the crowd you usually run with."

"Ain't that the truth. I thought the people at college actually wanted to be there, and actually wanted to learn, so I thought I could have an intelligent conversation with someone. Nope. They only want to talk to me if they need to borrow my notes. I thought I'd get conversation worth having at Oxford, and to my surprise, I have to come to a Muggle bar on Wednesday nights instead."

"You could come to Hogwarts. I heard they need a new History of Magic professor next year. Apparently Professor Binns wants to see the world."

Hermione laughed loudly, her mouth open so wide Snape swore he could see her tonsils.

"Me, teach? That's a laugh. I don't have the patience-"

"And I do?"

"No, but it works for you. I'd yell at my students then spend the rest of my life feeling bad about it. You, on the other hand-"

"Am as cold as a dead fish."

"That's not what I was going to say. You have the intestinal fortitude to be a strong disciplinarian. As I proved last week, I have very little intestinal fortitude."

"Just think about it. Did you already have a job lined up?"

"No. I was going to take a break and travel a bit, then try to get an internship somewhere."

"Take the summer off, then come work at Hogwarts."

"How do you know I could even get the job?" Hermione questioned.

Snape leaned toward her. "I know the Headmistress. I could put in a good word for you," he said, conspiringly grinning.

Hermione gasped. "You know Headmistress McGonagall?" she held a hand to her chest and rolled her eyes.

"Yes ma'am, I do. And, even better, I know the guy who does the hiring. Deputy Headmaster Snape."

"Well, there's a plot twist I didn't see coming. If I didn't know better, Severus, I'd say you like my company and want to have me around."

"I find you... acceptable."

"Wow. That's high praise in your book. We need to celebrate. Let's order a pizza."

"Pizza?"

"Pizza. I'll go talk to the bartender. I bet we could get it delivered here."

Hermione stood and returned to the bar, chatting amicably with the bartender. He said something that made her laugh, and Snape felt a tightening in his gut. He finished his drink quickly and hurried to the bar to get another.

Hermione saw him coming.

"Sam," she said.

"What?"

"Sam is the bartender's name. Sam, this is Severus," Hermione introduced.

"Hello, Severus. Nice to finally have a name to go with the face. How do you know Hermione?"

"We went to school together."

At Hermione's arched brow, Severus added, "Sort of. Can I have a refill?" Severus held up his glass.

"I'll do better. I'll just make you two a pitcher so you don't have to get up every three mintues. You two can drink." He said 'drink' like it should be in all capital letters.

"Good."

Hermione was puzzled at Severus's abruptness with Sam, but she didn't worry about it too much. He wasn't nice to many people.

"So, on the pizza, I want half with the works and half with cold, dead fish."

"What?" Sam asked.

"Severus likes cold, dead fish on his pizza."

Severus pushed Hermione gently. "You know that's not true, I like eye of newt and charred bat wings. And goat's blood instead of sauce."

Hermione was laughing hysterically. Snape, making a joke about himself? There had to be something magical in his rum and Coke.

"Um, I don't think they'll make it that way..." Sam was saying.

"Just get the works on the whole thing." Severus picked up the pitcher and steered Hermione back to their table.

Hermione had tears of mirth in her eyes. "Oh, God, that was hilarious! Goat's blood?" She dissolved into laughter again.

Snape smiled into his drink. It had felt good to be the cause of tears of laughter, for once. He was usually the cause of a different kind of tears altogether.

They discussed an article in the latest issue of Ars Alchemica while waiting for the pizza to arrive, and once it did, Hermione ate with gusto. She kept picking all the olives off the pizza.

"Hermione, did it occur to you that I might want olives on my slice?"

"Nope," said Hermione, mouth full.

Snape sighed and picked all the olives off his slice, making a small pile on a napkin in front of Hermione. In return, she picked off her sausage and placed it in front of Snape.

"There. Now all is right with the world."

"How did you know I like sausage?"

"Severus, I saw you eat breakfast, lunch and dinner every day for six years. I think I have a pretty good idea what you like to eat."

"So you knew I don't like olives?"

"Except in martinis, I have never seen you eat an olive."

"Well, martini olives don't count. By the time you eat them-"

"-they taste like martini," Hermione finished.

"Well, yes." Snape was surprised.

"I need to get going home soon. Which way is home?" Hermione stood, stumbled, grabbed the back of the chair, and righted herself again.

"We could take another taxi."

"Give me the pizza, I can use it as a compass."

"Taxi it is, then."
************

Rum and Coke:

4 oz Bacardi® white rum
8 oz Coca-Cola®

Mix together in a tall glass