Chapter 1
Hermione Granger was having a bad day. She woke up 37 minutes late on one of the most important days of her career, she spilled coffee on her favorite sweater and the cleaning charm just wasn’t taking, and worst of all both her hair and her child were refusing to cooperate. She stripped out of her olive-green sweater with a growl and tugged on the champagne colored one instead. Another growl escaped under her breath as her normally well-behaved son zoomed past her spilling his Madam Miracle Munch cereal here and there on the hardwood.
“Seth, sweetie, could you please get your shoes on. I told you how important today is remember? Mummy needs this promotion. We have to get going.”, Hermione begged her son to no avail. Just as she was about to have a meltdown of Hermione Granger proportions, her floo flared green and the savior of the wizarding world stepped through.
“Uncle Harry!”, Seth yelled as he threw himself at her best friend. “Heya bud. You don’t look ready for the zoo to me. Did you not want to go with James and Albus and me?”, Harry asked nonchalantly with a wink at Hermione. “No, I do! I do!”, Seth wheedled as he searched for his left shoe. Hermione gave Harry a grateful smile and began righting the mess her son had made.
With a quick glance at the clock, she saw that though not as early as she’d like to be, she still had an hour until the interview. Harry and Seth said their goodbyes and she began working on her hair once again. After many failed attempts on her own she finally grabbed the bottle of Sleekeazy and managed to make a somewhat sleek chignon.
-----------------------------------------------
Hermione sat listening to her boss, Ignitus Slabb drone on about her new position for what felt like ages. She really didn’t see much difference in the paper pushing she currently did and what he was describing, but it came with a hefty raise, and she really needed the money. Her mind wondered a bit as she thought of all the dreams of a fulfilling career she’d had as a young woman right after the war. One drunken night had changed all that though and dream job or no, she’d give nothing for Seth.
Her attention snapped back to Mr. Slabb as she registered what he was saying. “And of course, if you agree to a little work outside the office, just you and me...”, he winked and cleared his throat, “Then the position is all yours.” She gasped at the inuendo and stood abruptly. “Mr. Slabb thank you for your time, but that will not be happening, and I’ll be speaking to your superior about this.”, she hissed and slammed the door behind her.
------------------------------------------------
She was pretty sure she’d either just quit or been fired. Hermione knew as well as the next witch that HR complaints of this nature were hardly ever taken seriously. She did plan on speaking to someone about Slabb, but he’d likely just get a slap on the wrist, and she’d still be forced to work with him. She decided it was time to search for a new job. She was stagnating in her low-level job in The Regulation of Magical Creatures Department anyway.
She was glancing idly at the shops in Diagon Alley as she thought of where she could work. Then she saw it. A hiring sign on an Apothecary. Now that job would be more fulfilling. To brew potions again. She smiled at the thought of it and nodded her head, resolving herself. She checked her reflection in a window before crossing the street and entering the shop with a huge grin plastered on her face.
Her grin instantly faltered when a familiar voice called from the back, “I’ll be with you in a moment.” Just as Hermione had the thought to turn and run out the door, Severus Snape rounded the corner carrying a box of potions. The almost pleasant look on his face dissolved into a blank mask. “Miss Granger, what can I do for you?”, he asked neutrally.
Hermione swallowed audibly and took a step forward. The worst he could do would be to say no and she really couldn’t be without income for too long. But there was Seth to think of. She took a deep breath to clear her thoughts and replied, “I saw the sign that you’re hiring. I’d like to fill the position.” Surprise flickered on Snape’s face briefly before he asked, “and our...history...would not be a problem for you?”
She shook her head with a small rueful smile, “No but I would understand if it would be for you sir.” “Not at all.”, he replied smoothly. “It all seems so insignificant now, doesn’t it?” She winced at the purposeful emphasis he put on insignificant, like he was affirming that she herself was insignificant. However, she could take Snape’s barbs. Especially if that meant working for one of the brightest minds in Wizarding Britain. “You were never an insignificant part of my life, sir.”, She replied quietly.
He looked stunned for a moment before beginning to ask her potions and retail questions rapid fire. She knew that he knew full well she was qualified, but she answered him earnestly. After what seemed like an hour but was more likely 15 minutes, he murmured, “Be here at 8 sharp tomorrow.”
----------------------------------------
That evening Hermione owled her immediate resignation and her reasoning to the minister himself. Kingsley might not have many dealings in the departments themselves, but maybe he would intervene in a situation such as this. She put Seth to bed a little early since he was tuckered out from spending the day with his cousins. She brushed the sleeping boy’s black hair back from his face as she thought about the next day. She hadn’t mentioned having a child to Snape and she wondered if she should. Would he even care one way or another? Perhaps she should just keep it professional.
-----------------------------------
At eight a.m. Hermione walked into the shop to see a note telling her to go through the back and down the stairs to the brewing lab where he was. When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she audibly gasped. The lab was a brewer’s dream. Granite counters lined the room with state-of-the-art equipment and four brewing stations were situated in the middle.
“This is- amazing.”, she whispered. He only gave her a small smile and motioned her over to one of the stations. “I need 40 bottles of Sobering Solution by 10 o’clock. When they’re finished take them up to Tansy, my clerk. She’ll show you where the orders go. When you finish that begin 35 vials of dreamless sleep. They can be finished at any point today. Once you finish that, I’ll assign you a new task.”
Those were the only words he spoke to her, so she immediately began to work. At 9:30 she carried the case of potions up the stairs to meet Tansy, a short, blonde, bombshell of a witch. She had piercing blue eyes and plump red lips. Hermione was instantly jealous of her looks and expected her to act like the pretty girls at Hogwarts, but any animosity she expected wasn’t forthcoming. “Oh my, you must be Hermione Granger! It’s so nice to meet you in person. Severus told me he’d hired you, but I thought he was pulling my leg.”
“I can’t imagine Professor Snape pulling a practical joke.”, Hermione laughed as she set the potions where Tansy motioned. “Oh, first rule of working here is Severus hates to be called Professor or Headmaster. He doesn’t like to be reminded of that time in his life.”, Tansy intoned seriously. “Ah well I suppose it’s Mr. Snape until he gives me leave to-” “Severus will do fine, Miss Granger.”, the man in question interrupted from behind her. “Right”, she muttered with a blush at being caught talking about him. The castigation she was expecting never came as Severus nodded and headed back to the brewing area after retrieving a book from behind the counter.
---------------------------------------------------
Hermione brewed for the rest of the day without much else of note happening. Severus left before she got a chance to bring up Seth, so she figured she’d tell him tomorrow. When the time was right. Only as the days flew by the time never seemed right. So it was that on the day when Molly brought Seth to the Apothecary one day a few months into Hermione’s employment, everything went sideways.
Hermione was downstairs brewing with Snape when Tansy yelled down, “Hermione Molly Weasley is here!” Panic shot through her as she put a stasis on her potion and ran up the stairs. Molly knew how important work was to Hermione, so something must be wrong with Seth for her to come here, right?
She didn’t hear Severus follow her as she bounded up the steps and straight over to Seth, scooping him up. “Hello darling. Is Everything alright?”, the latter she directed at Molly. “Yes, yes everything is fine. We were in town and Seth said he’d like to see where his Mummy worked so I didn’t think it would hurt to stop in for just a moment.”, Molly replied briskly.
Hermione was about to reply when Severus interrupted silkily, “Miss Granger, you neglected to mention you had a child. How old is YOUR son.” The last was said with deadly calm, much like he used to speak to her in school when she was in trouble. She took a deep breath and handed Seth back to Molly before turning to face him. “Severus, may we speak in private?”
But before he could answer Seth began struggling to get out of Molly’s arms and cried, “Sev’rus? Mommy, did you say Sev’rus? Is that Professor Snape?” Hermione looked panicked between her son and employer, but before she could get the situation under control Severus walked over to Seth and stuck out his hand for the little 7-year-old to shake. “Yes, I’m Professor Snape and who might you be?”
“I’m Seth Granger.”, he replied politely. And just as Hermione hoped that the conversation would end there or steer towards the stories she’d told her son about the man in front of him, he continued, “I’m your son.”
------------------------------------------