Chapters 21-30

‘The Apprentice and the Necromancer’ by JunoMagic
Chapters 21–30

An Unexpected Shopping Trip

Hermione’s mind was still in the dungeons with her cauldrons when she made her way to the seventh floor for her last lesson with Professor Flitwick before she would sit her NEWTs.

The thought of the exams stabbed into the pit of her stomach and made it lurch. But only a little. She’d been so scared of the OWLs. Why wasn’t she in a complete panic now?

But she wasn’t. Instead, she wondered about what to do with her latest brewing project.

oooOooo

In a flight of fancy she’d added the creation of a soothing bathing lotion to her list of projects. Which was actually Ginny’s fault.

Because Ginny had bought a simple, no, rather a simply ridiculous Muggle foaming bath that contained thousands of tiny metallic golden hearts—which Ginny had charmed so that they created a whirlpool, tickling the skin of the bathers. Not that there weren’t wizarding substances with the same effect, but the practical Ginny had discovered that buying Muggle was much cheaper. Being a deft hand at Charms, the young witch saw no reason to spend a Penny or a Knut more than she absolutely had to. Ginny had promised Hermione that what she did was perfectly legal and absolutely safe, since she enchanted the Muggle-made substances only her own personal use in the privacy of her own home. She’d only get in trouble if a Muggle with no clearance for the wizarding world came into contact with the results of her thriftiness.

‘And I assure you, I have no intention of sharing my bathtub with an uninitiated Muggle,’ Ginny had told her.

Even thinking about that tart reassurance made Hermione roll her eyes.

‘I should hope not, Ginny,’ Harry had commented, his cheeks colouring suspiciously.

Hermione groaned. Apparently Harry had been quite enchanted with Ginny’s bathing solution.

No, she really did not need those images in her mind.

But the bathing incident had reminded her of what else you could brew potions. Creams, tonics, perfumes…and bathing lotions. Still unwilling to resort to stronger remedies, Hermione was on the lookout for something to keep nightmares away and fears at bay for purely selfish reasons. A good way to stay motivated, she mused.

The main ingredients for the Muggle recipe she’d picked as the basis for her new project were milk and a variety of essential oils (rose, jasmine, musk, ylang-ylang). Rose for calmness of mind and emotional stability, but without the sedative effects of a sleeping potion. Jasmine for invigorating effects that wouldn’t make you hyper. Musk oil was best known as a powerful aphrodisiac, but it was also an amazing purifying agent. Ylang-Ylang, perhaps the most interesting substance among the lot, was just as ambiguous as musk. Not only an aphrodisiac, it would soothe an agitated heart and could even induce slightly euphoric moods.

Hermione wasn’t too sure about musk and ylang-ylang in the mix—she’d probably want to substitute safer substances for them in the long run, maybe lavender and a bit of frankincense instead?—but as Muggle baths went, it was pleasant enough to start with. But…it just wasn’t strong enough, magical enough, to combat her sleeplessness and her restlessness. Maybe mooncow milk instead of ordinary milk. But that stuff was expensive! She’d need a gallon to conduct enough experiments. Or if she used powdered unicorn horn instead of baking soda as a cleansing agent? Its purifying properties should be strong enough to replace the musk oil.

oooOooo

Suddenly Hermione found herself right in front of Professor Flitwick’s office. When had the way from the dungeons to the seventh floor become so short? Normally it took ages to climb all those stairs. She knocked and entered the room. To her surprise, she found the diminutive professor dressed up for going out.

‘Professor Flitwick?’ she asked. Had she mixed up the time? Was she supposed to be elsewhere right now?

‘No, no, Miss Granger—I haven’t forgotten your lesson,’ Professor Flitwick piped up. ‘But it won’t take place here. We’re going to Diagon Alley, to visit Ollivander’s today.’

Hermione frowned, but the professor smiled at her enthusiastically.

‘It’s time you got a second wand.’

‘What?’ Dumbstruck, Hermione could only gape at her teacher. Only the most powerful and adept witches and wizards could work with two wands. She knew that Dumbledore had had two wands. Flitwick, of course, could use two as well. She suspected that Snape probably could, too. But she? She was still practicing some of the more complicated one-handed swirls Flitwick was teaching her every night!

‘Yes, Miss Granger. You will definitely need a second wand if you’re going to be Severus Snape’s apprentice. Do not look so frightened! We’ve not been practicing all those moves for nothing.’ Flitwick beamed at her. ‘I am sure that at the end of the summer not even Snape will have much to complain about when it comes to your wand skills.’

Practising all those moves…Suddenly Hermione felt rather stupid. That was why Flitwick had insisted on training her to use her left hand. That was why some of the new patterns didn’t make sense to her at all. They were only half a pattern! She’d need a second wand to complete the movements.

How devious of the little old man! That was positively Slytherin! To leave her in the dark like that, embarrassed by her lack of progress and her clumsiness…

‘Are you ready to Floo? I really don’t fancy walking to the Apparition point in that kind of weather.’

Hermione glanced at the window. Heavy spring rains were pounding against the panes. She’d never noticed, spending her morning in the dungeons.

‘Flooing is fine with me, Professor.’

Suddenly her stomach quivered giddily. A second wand. Oh my GOD, Professor Flitwick thinks I’m good enough to handle a second wand!

With a shaking hand, she picked up a pinch of Floo powder and threw it into the fire. ‘Ollivander’s, please,’ she said with a firm voice. ‘Diagon Alley.’

17 Responses to Chapters 21-30

  1. MikeK says:

    Summer of 69, great party song! :-bd

    I am loving your Snape. He is deliciously, er, well… Snapey.

    And he like to party. (Not to mention Guinness) Who woulda thunk it?

    +:-)+

    mk

    PS: I am glad someone recognizes how smart Luna is.

  2. Patricia says:

    I just found your story by accident from someone at deviant art and I’m loving every minute! XD

  3. JunoMagic says:

    That would probably be *Allada, who painted the beautiful illustrations for my story. 🙂

    Thank you for spending time with my story and even more for caring enough to leave a comment. I’m glad you enjoyed it!

    Cheers,
    Juno

    oooOooo

    “At any given moment you have the power to say: This is not how the story is going to end.”
    – Christine Mason Miller

  4. Budgie says:

    Hi,

    just wante to let you know that the link to part 2 doesn’t work.

    Budgie

    Ps. It’s a really fantastic story!!!

  5. zauza says:

    Just to say Hi!

    Still looking! lol

  6. C says:

    I love your take on Luna and Hermione`s realisation about her. I love both Hermione and Luna, and think that if Hermione could learn to be more open (as I am sure she would be as she grows as a person), they could be the best of friends. They have so much to offer each other. (More than simply intelligent, Luna is wise, which is much harder to come by than intelligence).

    So, it was a happy day indeed to come across this part.

    And I am glad I finally took the plunge to read this story as it has been on my fave list backburner for a long while. A very fascinating read so far, and am looking forward to more.

    Thank you very much. 😀

  7. Li says:

    Oooh, I love how you add pictures of parchments within the story. It’s 10x more fun to read that way! And I giggled when they kissed like a school girl, I do admit it. lol

    • JunoMagic says:

      Thank you for reading and for your kind comments. Also, I’m thrilled to hear that you like the design of the story. I hope you enjoy the rest of the story!

  8. Li says:

    Snape dancing came out of left field. I did not see that coming! lol And I laughed whenever someone complimented Hermione on her new robes.

  9. obsidianjg says:

    Snape and dancing? I would never have guessed. The contract language was so convoluted…It sounded like legalese of the worst kind and pretty ancient, what I think was the desired effect. Oh, Hermione, what did you get yourself into? 😉

    • JunoMagic says:

      *grins* What happens in Slytherin, stays in Slytherin. But really, they are kids … teenies … what do you expect? Poor Snape. The contract is based on actual historical documents. I’m glad it sounded as awful as intended. And yup, Hermione’s in real trouble. Neck-deep and sinking fast.

  10. Smirking_Slyth says:

    Hi,

    I was trawling FF.net for a good SSHG fic – it’s been a while since I’ve read anything, but unsurprisingly the desire always returns.

    I’m so glad I found yours! I’m enjoying it immensely and I’m already sad at the prospect of it ending, although I’m desperate to read on and see what happens. Your Snape already has me hooked! I also really like your other characterizations. Hermione is just perfect, and your Luna is the best I’ve seen in a long while. *you are a star*

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