Becoming Familiar with a Man of Misery

Chapter 14 ~ Deception

Hermione lowered the glass and stared at Severus, who reached out and gently took the glass out of her hand and set it down on the counter.

The witch’s eyes were confused as she looked at the Potions Master. After several moments, Hermione said, “I don’t feel any different. I’m still sad…I’m still…in love with you.”

Severus nodded.

“It takes time for the potion to take effect. This is not a general Lotus Root potion, but a targeted one. It doesn’t wipe out all feeling. It works selectively. It will take several hours to go into full effect,” he said.

“Oh,” Hermione replied.

She had hoped the loss of feelings would be instantaneous. Now she had kissing him to think and agonize about. The Potions Master had let her kiss him, and his mouth had been soft and accepting. She could almost swear he kissed her back, but the movement was so slight, her own lips moving against his could have caused the illusion. The kiss had made her feel warm all over. Now having to wait for the potion to work would torment her more.

The Potions Master looked at her silently for a few minutes, as the witch stood there lost in her own thoughts. He could see regret play about her face, but wasn’t sure what she was regretting. Kissing him then discovering she still had feelings for him after taking the potion? Or taking the potion itself? He cleared his throat and Hermione’s eyes shifted to him.

“Perhaps you should go to your rooms and rest a while. Then you can come back and I will check to see how you are, in about six hours. You will still remember to come back,” he said to the witch, who seemed dazed. Then Hermione started.

“All right, Severus. I’ll see you in six hours then,” she said softly, hesitating. She looked at him as if she would never see him again. In a way, she was right.

“I wish we could have…” she began.

The Potions Master brought his forefinger to his mouth and shushed her.

“No need to be wishful now, Miss Granger. Things will now go the way they were meant to go,” he said, turning her and guiding her to the door. It was the first time he had ever touched her this way. His hands on her shoulders were firm but gentle.

Hermione pulled away from him, and impulsively wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down for another kiss, more passionate this time. Severus allowed himself to respond and kissed the witch back, closed mouthed, letting her work her soft lips over his and press her body against him. He felt her trembling and sighed. He put his arms around her…because that was what she wanted, he could tell, and she tightened her hold on him. It seemed she wanted to kiss him forever. Severus pried her off of him and held her at arms length. Her amber eyes were blazing.

“Go now, Miss Granger,” he said, turning her towards the door again and pushing her gently through it.

“Goodbye, Severus,” the witch said, the light fading from her eyes. She walked away.

Severus closed the door, then slumped against the counter.

“Good gods,” he breathed. He licked his lips experimentally. He could still taste her kiss. He set about cleaning up his workspace, but his mind was on how passionate the witch was. How she clung to him almost desperately. He could have fucked her. She would have willingly let him, he knew.

Severus sighed. He knew the witch was right. He would curse himself forever for not accepting her love. But she wanted the potion. She thought it was the only way out of a one-sided love affair. And it truly was one-sided. Severus did not love the witch, but kissing her had been pleasant. Her desire for him was real. He couldn’t remember the last time a woman wanted him and not his galleons. He was thinking of the prostitutes in Knockturn Alley of course.

The Potions Master scourgified the cauldron and glass, put them away, then picked up a cloth and wiped down the counter area.

He had brewed the potion perfectly.

Well, almost perfectly.

Well…not perfectly at all. He meant to. He added everything he was supposed to add until the last moment. He had pricked his finger and squeezed out the drop of blood ready to let it fall into the mixture, then found he just couldn’t do it. He couldn’t erase himself from the witch’s mind.

So he didn’t add the blood.

Without the blood the potion had no effect whatsoever.

He had lied to the witch.

Hermione was now sitting in her rooms, expecting her feelings for the Potions Master to disappear, and they weren’t going to. To make matters worse, he accepted two kisses from the witch knowing full well her feelings for him weren’t going to fade. He told himself it was because the witch believed she was losing him forever that he let her kiss him, but the fact was over the past couple of weeks, the witch’s vindictive ways had softened him to her somewhat.

He had been ready for her to kiss him. Ready to experience what it would be like to have such a stubborn little hellcat surrender to him for a moment. Both kisses had been sweet. But the first kiss affected him the most, because it held all of her longing and sadness at the thought of not loving him any longer. The second kiss held the witch’s physical hunger for him. He could feel her curves as she pressed her body against him, moving slightly as she almost choked him to death with her ardor. She had felt good in his arms as well. A nice fit.

Hermione was the first person in a long time who had the courage and the gall to stand up to him, even best him on occasion. She could be downright dangerous if she wanted to be. He liked dangerous. She had shown him she wasn’t all sweetness and spice. She had some fire, some backbone and wasn’t anyone’s doormat. She had a nasty streak too. And it was probably going to come out full blast when she found out he tricked her. “Tricked” was a much better word than the combo of “lied to.”

Severus had no idea what he would say to the witch when she returned to him complaining that the potion didn’t work. He could lead her on and tell her it would take a little longer, to give it twenty-four more hours. But then what?

Maybe he could just tell her the truth and she would realize that he was willing to accept her without him having to do some kind of song and dance. That fact he didn’t add his blood to the potion would make that clear. But the real question was, would she be as willing to accept him as she was a few moments ago, once she realized what he’d done?

Shit. He was a Slytherin after all. Hermione knew that. She knew he would stoop to whatever means available to get his own ends. She had seven years to observe him just as he had to observe her. His actions should come as no real surprise. A wizard was entitled to change his mind.

Severus strode through his rooms and to the armchair before the fire. He sat down and looked over at the liquor cabinet.

“No,” he said to himself. “No hiding in a bottle tonight. I’ve got to take control of this situation.”

A loud caw sounded high above him, and Raucous dropped down to the table, in all his fluorescent yellow glory, startling Severus who has forgotten what happened to the raven for a moment.

Raucous looked at him rather accusingly. The bird was connected to him by their bond, and knew his master was weakening on his stand about bedding Hermione. How could he even think such a thing? The raven sent an image of a coat to the Professor, which promptly turned around.

Severus raised his eyebrows at the bird.

“Are you calling me a turncoat, Raucous?” the Potions Master asked him.

In response the bird sent him a very erotic image of the Professor and Hermione fucking, then a big “X” appeared over them. Then an image of Hermione as a devil again, this time with much longer, pointier horns and a pitchfork. The expression on her face was pure malice. And she had fangs.

It was obvious that Raucous was very much against his Master accepting the witch.

“Raucous, a wizard has to do what a wizard has to do. Miss Granger has shown herself to be just as black-hearted as we are on occasion. She wasn’t suitable when she came to me the first time, but she is now. We have molded her into the perfect paramour,” he said to the raven.

Raucous clicked his beak several times. It was true. Hermione was a whole lot nastier in temperament than when he first came in contact with her. But would she stay that way?

The raven sent the image of goody two shoes Hermione in the frilly pink dress, then the devil Hermione with smaller horns, then a question mark to Severus.

“Will she stay like this? Most likely since I am not going to force you to be nice to her, and I don’t plan on being any nicer to her myself. She acts as if she is willing to accept me as I am, and I will not change. She might find out that wanting me is not as good as having me in the end, and leave me alone. I don’t know. But I do know I am willing to deflower her now.”

The Potions Master looked thoughtful.

“I suspect my willingness to fuck her is a mixture of lust, because she is quite lovely, and the desire for payback. Miss Granger’s been a real ‘thorn in my ass’ the past couple of weeks, with all the little spells she’s been throwing at me in class. Impaling her on my cock a few good times would satisfy my need for vindication adequately.”

Raucous cawed. He seemed to approve of this.

“I’m not willing for her to become a clingy, nagging shrew, however, making unreasonable demands of my time. If she does, I will drop her. Simple as that,” Severus said.

Raucous nodded. He liked the way his master thought. Plus he’d be able to shit on the witch as much as he liked, provided he could continue to get away with it. He owed her for turning him yellow.

Severus settled back in the armchair and closed his eyes. He was looking forward to Hermione returning to his lab. It was the first time he had looked forward to anything in a long time. He might be able to make this work.

If Hermione didn’t hex his balls off, that is.

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A/N: Sneaky Severus. He’s seen the light, kind of. Obviously he’s not willing to make many changes to accommodate Hermione, but he realizes she could be good for him, now that she’s nice and mean. Lol. Anyway, please review.

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The Burning Pen

Becoming Familiar with a Man of Misery
by Ruth Solomon

The story content is adult in nature and can contain graphic sex and violence. Those under the age of 18 are asked to leave this site immediately. You are not welcome here. The author is not responsible for those under-aged who view these works.

CHAPTER 15

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to JKR. All situations are mine. No $$$ is being made from this fanfic.
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