Amour

BANE

Hermione clutched the duvet close to her chest and sat up in bed."What are you saying?"Snape sat up too."That is a nickname I gave myself...it was a bit stupid,really...But how on earth did you come across that book?!""The Room of Requirement was stuffed with all kinds of things when we first ran into it.This book fell into my hands while we were sorting them aside.I opened the first page and it was written in ink:This book is the property of The Half Blood Prince.I kept it out of curiosity..and also the handwriting looked familiar."Hermione recalled,"But I had no idea...it was you?"Snape nodded,thinking,"It was from my school days.Apart from the dark arts,I was really into Potions.I had all sorts of instructions scribbled across the pages,if I remember correctly.I found so many mistakes in the regular Potion making book,so I added my own corrections.""Yes,that proved so beneficial!'The Half Blood Prince'...it all makes sense now..you're status is half-blood.And you are my prince!"Hermione hugged him by the neck.Snape snorted at that,"Bring it down here sometime...I'm willing to take a look.""Will do."then she remembered,"Oh,hey,look.
Professor Slughorn's doubts weren't totally unfounded.You did help me with Potions-in a way."Right then there was a rap on the window and Hermione bounded up to open it to let Hedwig in."What is it?"Snape asked,while getting dressed,as Hermione took a small parcelled box and a letter from the owl."It's just my friends,checking up on me.Shit,I need to get back to my dorms."she informed."And oh,they also sent me a box of Turkish delight!"Snape mumbled,"You know,you could just stay here..."Then he scoffed,"It's been what,hardly two days and they're missing you so much so that they're enticing you with candy?Do they need help with their homework or something?"
"I didn't know he cared for me..."
"What's that?"
"I can't believe he knows that I even exist!"
"What are you saying Hermione?"Snape was utterly confused.He looked over at Hermione and saw that she had taken a bite out of one of the candies and this weird airy note had come to her voice,her eyes had turned glassy and she was smiling sillily."I want to go to him.I wanna go right now."she said,"He is waiting for me.He wants me!""Who the hell are you talking about?"Snape came around and searched her face but her eyes looked distant."Cormac McLaggen of course!I loooooove him!Take me to him."she stomped her foot like a child."What the frack?!"Snape took the box of Turkish delight from her hand and it dawned on him.Oh dear Lord...!She is under the influence of a love potion.That son of a-Cormac McLaggen,you don't know whose girlfriend you have chosen to mess with!He was about to get angry but he calmed himself knowing that it wasn't her fault."All right,Ms.Granger,I'm gonna take you to him but first you need to get dressed.Don't you wanna look good for him?"he said."Yes,of course.So stupid of me..."Hermione excitedly started dressing while he busily rummaged through his stores to look for an antidote."Gosh darn it!I don't have it here..."he scratched his chin,thinking."Are we there yet?"Hermione hopped upto him."Soon dearie.Let's go."he said and held the door for her.He grabbed her hand to prevent her from bounding away and dragged her down to Slughorn's room.On their way,Hermione pulled at his hand,"Isn't the hufflepuff common-room that way?My Corn Muffin would be right there-""Hermione I swear to God!Shut it and just walk."he snapped.If I ever get my hands on that boy,I'm gonna skin him!Reaching the door to Slughorn's chambers,Snape knocked on the door."I have someone over here,who is pretty high on love-potion.Do you think you could help us out Horace?"
"Bring her in."Slughorn said,opening the door for them."My Mcnugget,are you in here?Don't toy with me honey."Hermione called out in a sing-song voice as she searched through the rooms."Oh dear..."Slughorn tsked,looking at Hermione."Yup.It's that bad.If you could be quite quick Horace?"Snape said.Slughorn ambled on to his stores while Snape made Hermione sit quietly down on the sofa."He's gonna be here soon...He can't run anywhere,I have unfinished business with him."Slughorn finally brought out the right vial and handed it over to her."It's a little something for the nerves,Ms.Granger."Hermione tipped the tumbler over in her mouth and gradually came back to her senses."What just happened?"she asked totally flabbergasted."That McLaggen spiked the box of Turkish delight with love potion.Professor Slughorn gave you the antidote."Snape explained.Hermione took her head in her hands,"God...that is awful!Preposterous!The nerve of that guy...I feel so humiliated,I must've embarrassed myself?"Slughorn bit his lip to control his laughter,"I never saw you yearning for even Severus like that before.You truly were high on love.""Tell me about it.I had to restrain her,otherwise she was about to go running to her 'Corn Muffin'."Snape told Slughorn.There was a moment of silence,then both men erupted in laughter.Hermione looked from one to the other,her mouth hanging open.Well I wasn't myself!I was under the effects of a powerful potion.But they continued sniggering.Slughorn was holding his belly and guffawing so much,tears had come out of his eyes.He took out a bottle of wine and said,"Let's make a toast to Love.""And we can have some Chicken Mcnuggets afterwards."Snape added and they laughed some more."Well this was actually a gift for the headmaster,but I don't have anything else.The moment calls for this-"Slughorn mumbled.Snape started at him,"Wait,what?"He immediately turned to Hermione.Scoffing at the two men,she had stomped up,taken the glass out of Slughorn's hands and drunk it before Snape could warn,"Hermione don't!"As soon as the wine touched her lips,she shot up in the air,then dashed back on the ground and lay there gagging on her frothing mouth.Snape let go of the wineglass he was holding,which crashed to the ground,and knelt to her aid.He cradled her head in his hands and tried to stop her fit of shaking."Hermione!Oh God no!"Her eyes were rolling back in her head and foam was leaking from her mouth but she somehow raised a trembling hand to point at Slughorn's stores.Snape looked at where she was pointing.Of course!Why didn't I think of it before?He hurried up,shoving past Slughorn,who was too shocked to move and pounded through the numerous drawers and cupboards till he came across what he was looking for.He took the bezoar in his hands and forced her to swallow it.He tilted her head so that it went down her throat and her mouth stopped frothing immediately.His chest heaved as her body gradually stopped shaking and grew still.But her eyes were closed shut and her body remained limp.Snape carried her up in hia arms and reached the hospital wing in an instant........
"Severus...?"Hermione's eyes flickered open and searched for her lover."I'm here Hermione."he came and held her hands as she slowly regained consciousness on the hospital bed."How are you feeling now,Ms.Granger?"Dumbledore asked softly.Hermione had difficulty in speaking as she felt her throat had dissolved from the venomous wine."Can I get some iced water?I am so parched..and my throat and entrails feels like they are on fire."She told Madam Pomfrey, who hurried off to fetch it for her."Hermione!"Harry,Ron and Ginny burst through the open door."We came as soon as we heard."They bustled around her."What happened?You dissappeared from the face of the earth for two days and now you have ended up in the hospital.Are you sure everything's all right?"Harry asked, looking suspiciously at Snape."No no,I've been..busy.With Professor Slughorn's new year's party and everything.Then I got these candies along with your note and I assumed it was from one of you.Turns out,Cormac McLaggen had mixed a strong love potion in it and I had gone crazy.Professor Snape took me to Professor Slughorn who gave me the antidote...but then something happened...I just remember drinking something else and then a terrible burning sensation throughout my body,like I had dived headfirst into the lakes of Hell."she narrated to them and turning to the others she asked,"What happened?This was not another side-effect of the love-potion I hope?""There was poison in the wine."Snape said simply."And a very dangerous one at that.If Severus hadn't had the presence of mind to use a bezoar,we would've been very sorry indeed."Slughorn shook his head.Snape didn't say anything and just stared at Hermione who stared back.They both knew that the real hero was the Half blood prince.It was in that book where Hermione had first read about the bezoar. Hermione couldn't fathom,why her?And who would do that?"Um,Headmaster.I should tell you that the wine was actually meant for you."Slughorn admitted."Pardon?"Dumbledore quirked up an eyebrow at him."I was supposed to give it to you on new year's eve.I bought it from a particularly insistent seller who guaranteed that you would like it.When Severus and Hermione came to my room,I just popped it open,thinking I could get you something else later.I had no idea about the poison Headmaster,otherwise I would never have...."Slughorn informed.Dumbledore took up the bottle and examined it more closely.Hermione's brain whirred in motion as she sipped the iced water Madam Pomfrey had brought her."Now I get it!"she said,her eyes widened as realisation dawned on her,"It was not meant for me,it was meant to decapitate you!This is another attempt at Professor Dumbledore's life.I knew this!Aren't I right?Huh?"Dumbledore looked from Slughorn to the wine bottle and back again a couple of times before finally giving a sigh and saying,"I'm afraid you are Ms.Granger."Hermione was thankful that they were finally taking this seriously but couldn't understand how he could be so nonplussed about such threats to his own life."Can you identify the wine-seller Professor?Do you remember his face?"she asked Slughorn excitedly."No...sorry..Don't seem to recall his features at all."Slughorn told sheepishly.Hermione was a little taken aback at this.Shit!The only chance of catching him red-handed is gone now.I bet it was Malfoy again.But I have no way to be absolutely certain.But why is he doing this?Is he a death-eater too now?She rounded on Snape,"You are being surprisingly non-vocal about this!"He left her bedside and stood aside,unable to think of what to say.I know exactly what you're thinking,but I can't tell you anything.I hate doing this.Damn you Malfoy!At that moment,Cormac came striding into the hospital wing,"Oh my God,Hermione!I hope you are okay?I didn't mean to harm you in anyway...it was just a jo-"But Harry fisted his shirt and shaking him said,"Get away from her,you looser!"He shoved him towards Ron,who took hold of his collar and bringing him close to his face warned,"You think you can mess with our friend and get away with it?How dare you send her spiked candies when she clearly turned you down?You understand English?No means No!"He threw him at Snape's feet who equally menacingly looked down at him and said,"Brewing and use of love-potion inside school is illegal.You should consider yourself lucky that you are not being thrown out of Hogwarts!You would serve detention for the rest of your school year."Cormac was again going to say something in his defence but Snape flicked his wand,so that he was silenced and jerked off his ass to stand on his feet."That's enough Professor Snape,let him go.We should be more concerned about the poison in the wine and work on improving the security around our Headmaster."Hermione said.Snape let him go but felt Hermione enter his mind.
I know that you know something about this.
I dunno...what you are talking about.
I almost died Severus!Do you still really think hiding something from me is the best idea?
I'm very sorry,I'll never let something like this happen again.I have to take care of this...
That's not the point.We should be more careful.We are in the presence of evil.
Hmm,I'm afraid we are...