Evening Schnapps

A/N: I’m just tickled at all the hits and reviews! Please keep them coming!

J.K. Rowling is the owner of all except specific characters, situations, and plot bunnies that are unique to this story. I make no money, but lots of satisfaction from taking out her characters and playing with them for a while before putting them back.

Many thanks to my ubber-beta SignoraAligheri, and my sweetie Evan! They just prove that you really can’t do anything in this world without people looking out for you.

So, keep your hands and feet inside the vehicle at all times, and here we go!


Chapter 8

Hermione sat across from Professor Snape, for the first time realizing how odd it felt to see him in Muggle clothes, in the Muggle city. She watched him as he looked over the menu. His scowl was still there, it was like a mask that he put on subconsciously each morning. He seemed foreboding, but not nearly as scary outside of his heavy robes.

She looked up at his face again, noticing as he looked down to the menu, that his eyelashes were thick, long and of the deepest black. They brushed across the top of his cheeks as he blinked. His hair fell across his check bones in thick, glossy chunks. She found herself curious about his eyes. She remembered them being black, but had never dared to look directly into them as a child. Since his sudden reappearance in her life less than forty-eight hours ago, sunglasses had largely obscured his eyes. Finally, the waitress approached their table with their drinks. She had been a little surprised when, after she had ordered a coffee with cream and Frangelico, that he had informed the waitress that he would have the same. She didn’t think he would like a sweet liquor, since the scones this morning weren’t glazed.

They ordered lunch and resumed their quiet company. She watched his face as he took a sip of the hot drink, and smiled at the look on his face.

“You didn’t know what Frangelico was, did you?”

He looked up at her, narrowing his eyes. “No,” he said tightly.

Something about his demeanor suggested to her that he was expecting her to tease him about it. Instead she prompted, “Do you like it?’

She felt rewarded when he nodded.

“It’s pleasant. Hazelnuts?” When she smiled, he continued. “The flavor mixes well with the cream and the coffee, the result is greater than their sum.” She noticed that he relaxed almost imperceptibly; she thought that perhaps he found comfort in analyzing the drink. ‘It is similar to Potions,’ she thought to herself.

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Severus found the meal to be unexpectedly enjoyable.

The drink was tasty and warming. He had ordered meal of venison loin in a red current sauce. The scent of Miss Granger’s rabbit in raspberry and red wine reduction complimented his meal, instead of overwhelming it. Oddly, he found her company soothing. For the first time in a very long time, it was past noon and he didn’t have the dull pain of a headache bearing down on him.

After he had refused to go any further without a proper meal, she had led him to several restaurants along the main restaurant-filled corridor in the city. Looking at the menus that were posted outside their doors, he had frustrated Miss Granger by passing over several establishments. Finally, he had found a menu that satisfied him. After missing several days’ worth of meals, he would not settle.

He savored the last bite and sat back, giving a light sigh. Any food would do to a starving man, but there was something sensual and ultimately satisfying about a fine meal after fasting.

The waitress brought the check and he paid, standing and ushering his companion to the door. Severus hesitated briefly. He frowned and reminded himself of the young man of Miss Grangers they were about to return to. ‘No,’ he thought, ‘not my companion, only my errand.’

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Hermione took a deep breath as they walked into the hospital. Lunch had been enjoyable. In fact, it had been so relaxing that she had felt the stress of the past few days melt away. She was curious at the odd demeanor that had come over the Professor as he ate. It almost seemed like he was savoring the meal. She had just never thought about him actually enjoying something, as his manner was always so severe.

She felt her heart swell as she stepped into Michael’s hospital room. He was sitting up and playing cards with Raf on the edge of the bed. His face was still bruised, but the swelling had gone down. The white of his right eye was a deep red, and his face still had cuts across it, but he was alive.

“Mike,” she breathed. He looked up and grinned.

“’Mione!’ He grinned up at her, “Raf told me everything. That is so wicked cool!”

Hermione sat down on the edge of the bed and punched Mike in the arm as hard as she could.

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Severus jumped a little as he watched her strike Michael. Frowning, he watched the exchange closely. He had saved the young man’s life, but not so that he could watch her abuse him. He was about to stop her when Raf looked up sharply and gave his head a quick jerk, indicating that he should not interfere.

“Now you listen here,” Miss Granger grated out at Michael. “You scared the hell out of Muriel. When are you going to wake up and realize that she is head over heels with you?”

Severus frowned. If he had to pick one thing that he had least expected her to say, that would be pretty near the top of his list.

He watched as Mike looked sheepish, he hung his head and said, “Come on ‘Mione, she’s a resort girl. What would be the point?”

“Actually, I’ve been taking her to the yurt with some regularity now. She’s still a beginner, but she’d love to go out there with you. She’d be the best thing to ever happen to you. Only you’ve been so pig-headed and mean, that she’s lost the nerve to ask you out. But, last night she broke down crying because she was scared that your stupid ass was never going to wake up. It should be her in here visiting you, not me” Granger was in quite the state.

Severus could see that she cared for Michael, but beyond her words, there was a detachment he was not expecting. ‘Perhaps,’ he thought, ‘perhaps I misjudged their relationship.’ He was reminded of her outburst after breakfast the morning before, about Harry.

‘Ah,’ he thought, ‘she must view him as a brother, as she obviously does Potter.’ Severus glanced up to find Raf still looking at him. As he felt the pieces fall together about Miss Granger’s relationship with the Muggle, Raf gave him a small nod and a smile.

“OK, ‘Mione,” Mike said, “I think you are right. I’m sorry. I’ll ask her out as soon as I get out of here.”

She grinned and gave him a hug.

“Ok, then.” She said, looking around the room. “Well.”

She stood up and bent over to kiss Raf on the cheek. He blushed and Severus smirked at him. Miss Granger gave him a look of relief and walked over to him.

“I’m ready to go.” She looked back at Michael and Raf and told them about Minerva and her new teaching position, leaving out the details of the nature of the school.

Severus watched them say their farewells and quietly followed her out into the sunny afternoon. He couldn’t shake the odd feeling he got when Raf had smiled at him. It was almost like the Muggle knew something he didn’t.

He snorted to himself. ‘Hardly, he’s only a Muggle after all.’

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When they returned to Professor Snape’s hotel room, Hermione was exhausted. The emotionally demanding day, following swiftly on the heels of such a physically demanding one had her ready to fall over. She sank down on the edge of the bed and looked up at the tall, dark man eyeing her.

“What time is it, do you think?” She leaned back on the bed and watched him as he thought.

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“It’s about four in the afternoon,” he said. “It will be 11 o’clock in London.

Severus heard a soft snore and looked up to see her fast asleep on the bed.

He walked over and looked down at her. “She looks tired,” he said to himself softly.

‘Well,’ he thought. ‘I suppose it’s too late to return tonight. Considering her injuries, she should have rested today at any rate.’

Brushing his fingers softly against the healing cut in her hairline, he watched her sleep for a moment before quietly leaving the room and heading down to the lobby.

Severus spoke with the man at the front desk and paid the bill through the following morning. Then he walked up the up the hill to the brewpub. He found Muriel and ordered two light dinners to box up and take back to the hotel. While he waited, he sat and sipped at a glass of scotch and water. He found that he would miss this quiet little corner of the world. The small amount of time that he spent sitting at this bar had affected him profoundly. There was a place in the world where no one knew him, and no one judged him.

When it was ready, he paid the bill and took the box from Muriel. She winked at him, but it wasn’t until he was outside and walking down the darkening streets that he understood her wink.

There was a bottle of Glen Morangie and a jar of good water tucked in with the food.

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Hermione woke up in the dimly lit room. She stretched and sat up in the bed. Looking out the window, she saw that it was already quite dark outside.

“It’s 10 o’clock.”

She looked over to the table and saw Professor Snape sitting and sipping a drink. There was a bottle of scotch sitting on the table next to it, and a mason jar of water.

“I’m sorry,” she said softly. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep. I know you wanted to get back tonight.”

She watched as he stared at her. Finally, he sighed.

“Miss Granger, I was intending on returning much earlier I had hoped to work on some research during the holiday.” He looked up at her, but the dimly light room masked his eyes. “Coming here and retrieving you was not my idea, and was simply a favor for Headmistress McGonagall.”

This was it. The moment that she had been expecting had finally arrived. Faced with Snape upon waking, when he had obviously returned to being His Royal Snarkiness, she found that she really just didn’t want to try and be nice anymore.

“Listen, you! I realize that coming here wasn’t your idea.” Hermione got up off the bed and walked towards him.

“I understand that you have better things to do with your holiday.” She snatched the bottle of scotch off the table and grabbed a glass.

“I accept that you are annoyed about the difficulty reaching me.” She poured a large shot into the glass and slammed the bottle down on the table, and picked up the glass.

“I even empathize with your anger at being put in a position to having to take care of me.” She slammed back the whiskey and set the glass on the table again.

“Every one knows that you loathe showing the slightest bit of compassion.” She poured another glass and picked it up.

“But I fully expect you to remain civil while in my company.” She spun around and sat back down on the bed. Adding softly, as she reclined against the headboard, “I am not one of your students any more.”

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Severus sat scowling in the chair.

‘Perfect!’ he thought, ‘I was just trying to tell her that while it wasn’t my idea, and while I had other plans, that I was glad to have come.’

He sighed, realizing that escalating the nastiness would only make the evening hopelessly unsalvageable. He looked up at Miss Granger to see her finish her second glass of scotch.

Standing up slowly, so as not to anger her further, Severus walked over and took the glass out of her hand. He walked back to the table and poured her another measure, pausing to add some water. He turned and walked back, handing her the refilled drink.

“I brought supper, if you are hungry.” he said, in as calm a tone as he could muster after her outburst.

Returning to the other side of the room, he pulled the salads out of the box and set them on the table. He paused to set out the silverware and napkins before sitting down in his chair.

He took a sip of his drink and waited.

Finally, she got up off the bed and moved to sit across from him.

She looked at the salad and gave a little smile. “Thank you,” she said softly, “Muriel makes wonderful salads.” He watched as she picked up the little container of dressing and poured. She took a bite and seemed content to simply eat, without yelling at him again.

Severus joined her and they sat and ate in silence. When they were finished, he watched as she cleaned up the remains of their meal and walked the box over to the rubbish bin.

When she finished, he found that he was relieved when she returned to her seat, instead of retreating to the bed. He refreshed their drinks and they sat in silence for a while.

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Hermione was grateful that Snape had not pushed the situation by arguing with her. She was rather surprised at her own outburst. It had worked though. Snape had not continued with his nasty comments, which made her feel like she was still just an annoyance to him.

The scotch was soothing her frayed nerves. She could just sit and drink with him, as long as he wasn’t rude.

Still, she was shocked when he began to speak.

“I understand your interest in Muggle Chemistry, with its application in Potions, but why may I ask did you pursue Muggle Physics as well?”

“Well, Professor,” she began, “the Muggle sciences have some ideas that seem to clash with magic, but there are some things that I think might be related.”

She cringed into her drink, waiting for the dark man next to her to sneer at her.

He took a sip and arched an eyebrow as he stared off into space in front of him.

“Go ahead,” he prompted.

Emboldened by the apparent invitation to explain her theories, she began to lecture. She explained that Muggles had several established theories about energy. She spoke of basic chemistry, of atoms and their component parts, and about basic physics, explaining potential and kinetic energies. She discussed theory explaining the conservation of energy, which states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, but only converted from one form into another.

When no objections came, she began to discuss concepts that overlapped between chemistry and physics. She spoke of the laws of thermodynamics and of free energy and spontaneous reactions. Finally, she took a deep breath and pressed ahead with her tentative theory.

“You see Professor, I believe that the laws of thermodynamics are in play in the magic world. I believe that when an object is Transfigured, magic acts as a catalyst, providing the needed energy to convert the form of the object. The object holds the new shape solely because of the presence of magic. When the spell is reversed, it has the effect of removing the catalyst, and the item reverts back to its original form in a spontaneous reaction. When the object reverts back to it’s original form, the energy of the magic that acted as a catalyst is released back into the surrounding environment.”

Hermione finished her drink and poured them both a refill, emptying the last of the bottle. Professor Snape had finished his some time ago, but had simply remained in his seat, elbows on the arms of the chair and fingers steepled. His index fingers touching and drifting back and forth across his lower lip, he was still staring off into space with his familiar intense frown.

She sipped her scotch, waiting for him to cut her down. As the silence wore on, she began to dread his reaction.

‘He must think I’m completely mental,’ she thought, ‘after all, one of the things I’ve noticed about people raised in the Wizarding world, is that none of them ever seem to question magic. The last thing he’d worry about is what makes it all tick.’

He finally spoke, and it was not what she expected him to say.

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“Miss Granger, you must continue this line of research.”

Severus was impressed with the young witch sitting next to him. He had never heard such a clear explanation about the possible connection between Muggle science and Wizarding magic. It was no wonder Minerva had hoped she would take over Transfigurations. Beyond her obvious book smarts that were apparent when she was a student, the girl was a bloody savant.

He turned to towards her, “You must continue and eventually publish your findings.”

He watched her as she blushed and took a sip from her glass.

“Thank you, Professor,” she said quietly.

He swallowed the last of his drink and suggested that they turn in for the night. In all, he felt that he had salvaged the evening.

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A/N:

Snapescat- I’m glad you like it! It occurred to me that with Hermione’s passion for learning, it would hardly do to have a story that didn’t bring anything new to the table. *wink*

Domine- I’m starting to feel like a drug dealer. A very happy drug dealer! Hope you like this one, too.

Pickles87- I’m not telling! (yet)

Heartlight- heehee, you’re welcome!

Kris- you know, it’s funny. I tend to post after finishing of a later chapter. I tend to write them in big chunks, so once again I’ve had my butt in this seat for the past 9 hours. Damn, I’m hungry AGAIN!

Estella- Yeah, that’s what happens when a dyslexic geek forgets read something outloud before posting. Thanks for alerting me to it, I corrected it right after. ‘We are dyslexic of Borg, you will be ass-laminated’

SignoraAligheri- I couldn’t do this without you. You keep me from embarrassing myself!

Donna- hehe, welcome to the Dark Side!