Lessons In Love

Chapter 73: An Apology and a Bow

"You've got to be kidding me." Harry's jaw was dropped in utter astonishment when filled in on the topic of the last conversation before he had walked in.

Snape growled at Harry's reaction while Hermione just laughed, "I'm being perfectly serious."

"Just drop it." Severus mumbled, watching his former students relish in the inappropriate subject at his expense.

Harry smirked, ignoring his old teacher, "The real question here, Hermione... is did you fancy Snape during school?"

She blushed and Severus seemed to become more interested but was still thoroughly opposed to the topic, "If she did, she should have known better."

Hermione glared at him, "It's not like I did anything about it in school, now did I? Neither did any of the other girls..."

Harry laughed, "Hermione... I think you did do something..."

She shot him a wicked glare, "Harry James Potter!"

The boy laughed again and Severus shifted himself, getting more uncomfortable by the minute. He lately had become extremely restless, "If you feel the need to indulge at my cost, then I certainly deserve to delve into your own, Hermione,"

Hermione shook her head at Harry, ignoring Severus, "I have you know it wasn't just a freak accident! Ginny wasn't just swayed by a love potion..."

"What?" Harry went pale.

Snape hid his eyes in his hand in exhaustion from the pair in front of him and the explicit details he was hearing and piecing together about adolescent females pining over him in a sick fantasy, or at least it was to him, "That love potion Miss Weasley spilled... was intentional?"

Hermione slowly turned her head towards him with a sympathetic smile, "It started out as a dare... Ginny and I..." she blushed and looked at her hands in her lap and was beyond flustered, "well... you weren't exactly unattractive to us..."

Harry was snorting in amusement and Snape was whiter than Nearly Headless Nick, "Excuse me?"

Harry was trying not to laugh, "Well from what I know... obviously we are both hearing new information from Hermione but... Hermione knocked over Ginny's love potion on purpose-"

"No... no, no! You have it all wrong!" Hermione hushed her friend and turned to Severus with a silly schoolgirl smile, "Ginny had made a bet with Parvati Patil, Susan Bones, and Hannah Abbot that if she had hugged you in front of the whole school during our study session in the Great Hall then they would have to do her homework for the rest of the year and the girl of her choosing would have to ask you to the Yule Ball in person with the Unbreakable Vow."

"Oh no... that poor girl..." Snape bowed his head in horror before glaring at Hermione, "If I had known... you all would have been expelled. I wouldn't have stopped until you were."

Harry smirked, "Good thing you didn't, professor..."

"You!" he hissed at the boy-who-lived, "Quiet. I am not finished with Hermione-"

She inhaled, even after all that she had been through with him, the Potions Master still commanded absolute respect and when he was cross, he was still a little more than intimidating to her, "Sev-"

"No... don't start that, I am Professor to you right now... I cannot believe the stupidity the hormones instill in your foolish minds!" he uttered every word with disgust and anger in his tone that only meant that hundreds of points were going to be taken away... even if they were out of school.

Harry snorted, "She hasn't even finished..." Snape turned to Harry with a low growl but he shook his head, "this is the first time she has been willing to share and I intend to hear the whole story." He turned to Hermione from an outraged Snape, "go on..."