A/N – This is a short, light-hearted four part story. It's set in fifth year, but Voldemort isn't an issue.

Severus Snape sat at his desk, watching his fifth year Slytherin and Gryffindor students enter the room. As the students began to take their seats his eyes fell on the trio just entering the classroom. Harry Potter sauntered into the room laughing and joking with his best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger.

"Miss Granger, do I need to remind you of the seating arrangements in this lesson?" Snape called, when it appeared the brunette witch was going to sit at the back of the class with her friends.

"No, Sir." Hermione muttered, leaving her friends and sliding into the seat Snape had assigned her at the beginning of the year. The seat was near the front of the class and she shared a desk with Draco Malfoy, meaning they partnered up whenever there was a practical lesson.

Snape nodded at the Gryffindor witch as he waited for the rest of the class to arrive. The change in seating had been his idea at the beginning of the year and he'd ensured it stayed in place every lesson. For years he'd watched Potter and Weasley get pulled through potions by their best friend and he was sick of it. Of course he couldn't stop Hermione helping the duo with their homework, but without her input in class the pair performed dismally. Snape was confident that left to their own devices that neither boy would gain the marks he required for entry into his N.E.W.T level potions class, meaning next year he'd be free of the annoying pair.

Once everyone was present Snape began to explain the day's lesson. "Today you'll be making various love potions. There is a set of instructions on each desk and as usual you will work with the person seated next to you. Off you go."

Settling back at his desk Snape checked everyone was getting started before pulling out his marking. After marking an assignment from his first years, Snape paused and looked around the classroom just to be sure everything was in order. A few pairs looked to be coping better than others, but on a whole he saw no potential disasters looming. Turning his attention back to his desk, he had just begun marking some third year work when a loud bang interrupted him, followed by the students shouting.

"Silence!" Snape yelled, quieting the class and working out what had happened.

Right at the front of the class stood Hermione and Draco, both of them drenched from head to toe in a bubble-gum pink potion. The cauldron on the desk behind them was smoking and Snape easily worked out it had exploded somehow.

"Finnegan, Thomas, what happened?" Snape questioned, glaring at the two Gryffindors who'd let their cauldron explode. Both of the boys were over by the stock cupboard, so he could only assume they had left their cauldron unsupervised and it had gotten too hot.

"We don't know, Sir." Dean Thomas replied. "The potion was fine when we left it."

"How many times have I told you, you never leave a cauldron when you're brewing a potion." Snape snapped. "The pair of you have detention with me all week. Come to my office after dinner and we'll discuss this further."

"Yes, Sir." Dean and Seamus chorused together, sharing a worried look at what would be in store for them.

"Sir, what are you going to do about Draco and Granger?" Blaise Zabini asked, pointing at the drenched couple.

Snape turned his attention to the couple and found they were making eyes and smiling at each other as they helped one another clean up. Once they were relatively clean the pair edged closer to one another and Snape noticed they were now holding hands. Just as it looked as though they were about to kiss, he called a halt to things.

"Malfoy, Granger, go through to my office and clean up properly. I'll be there to deal with you shortly." Snape said, chasing the potion induced pair out of his sight. "The rest of you leave. I need to clean this mess up and try and find an antidote."

"What do you mean try?" Ron asked, sounding panicky. "Why are we making potions without antidotes?"

"You're not, but this potion should be purple not pink." Snape explained. "So either it's reacted to the potion Granger and Malfoy were making or Thomas and Finnegan messed up. Either way I need to sort it, so go now."

Chattering quietly amongst themselves the class left, leaving Snape to sort out the disaster at the front of the room. Once he got a good look at the potion Snape realised there was no problem with the two potions reacting with one another, the exploding potion hadn't even touched the potion Hermione and Draco had been brewing. A bit more examination revealed that the potion was the wrong colour, because it was ridiculously weak. In fact Snape figured the potion would have worn off by now and when he went into his office he would find a completely normal, if not slightly embarrassed, Draco and Hermione.

Once he'd finished cleaning the mess, Snape headed towards his office. When he pushed open the door to his office he froze, totally unprepared for the sight that greeted him. Draco and Hermione were now fully cleaned up but the pair were engaged in a heated embrace. The couple were practically glued to each other and their hands were constantly roaming over each other's bodies. When Draco's hand ventured under Hermione's skirt, Snape made his presence known.

"I think that is enough. You were hit with a love potion, not a lust potion." He said, entering the room and heading over to his desk. "Sit down."

Snape watched as the couple sat down as close to each other as they could get. Once they were seated Draco took hold of Hermione's hand and his thumb absentmindedly traced patterns over her skin. Watching them Snape briefly wondered if they were still under the effect of the potion, but it had been so weak even getting soaked in it the way they did wouldn't affect them for very long.

"How are you feeling?" Snape questioned, trying to work out exactly what was going on with the pair.

"Fine." Draco shrugged. "Well apart from the fact we were showered with love potion, and now I can't think of anything other than Hermione."

"I'm the same." Hermione said. "Except, all I can think about is Draco."

The potion had to have worn off by now so the only explanation Snape could find was the potion had hit upon their true feelings for one another and they had no idea they were no longer under the influence of the love potion, all their actions were purely them. Snape smirked to himself as the couple shared a lingering look, he sensed an opportunity to have some fun and possibly bring the pair even closer together.

"I'm afraid Thomas and Finnegan messed up their potion." Snape said solemnly. "I need to analyse it more to work out the antidote."

"How long will that take?" Hermione questioned.

"A few days at the very least." Snape replied, trying not to smirk at the shocked pair.

"What do we do until then?" Draco asked.

"There's nothing you can do I'm afraid, you'll just have to let the potion do its work." Snape answered. "I suggest not fighting it, it'll be easier just to go with whatever feels natural."

"What if doing what feels natural takes a heated turn?" Draco asked. If they hadn't been interrupted earlier things could have gotten a bit more heated and he was feeling quite hot and bothered as it was.

"We'll have to trust you not to give into your urges." Snape responded. "As I did point out earlier, you've been hit with a love potion, not a lust potion. The potion will not affect your sexual desires."

When Hermione and Draco both blushed and ducked their heads, Snape had to work hard not to laugh and tell them the truth. He was telling the truth that the love potion wouldn't affect their sexual desires, so clearly the pair's sexual attraction was already there.

"I'll let you know when I get the antidote sorted." Snape said, dismissing the couple.

Snape waited until the pair had left his office, before having a good laugh to himself. He wasn't sure when he would put an end to the charade, but before he did things would certainly be interesting.

By dinner time the whole school knew of Draco and Hermione's predicament and they watched with interest as the couple entered The Great Hall together. After pausing in the doorway and talking quietly for a few seconds, Draco gave Hermione a brief kiss before the pair reluctantly parted and made their way to their respective house tables. Even sitting down the pair continued to share smiles and shoot flirtatious looks at each other.

"I see its true then." The Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore commented from his seat at the Professors table. "Miss Granger and Mr Malfoy have indeed been hit by a love potion."

Sitting beside the headmaster Snape chuckled. "They have been, but it wore off hours ago."

"What?" Dumbledore turned to face Snape, confusion evident on his face. "I was told there'd been an accident in potions and you were working on the antidote."

"There was an accident in potions, but when I looked at the potion it was the weakest love potion I've seen in my life. It would have lasted ten minutes at the most." Snape explained.

Dumbledore frowned and turned back to look out over the hall, where Hermione and Draco were still smiling and making eyes at each other. "If this potions had worn off, what's going on there?"

"That is genuine." Snape said. "They still think they're under the influence of the potion, but they're not."

"If the potion had worn off, why didn't you tell them?" Dumbledore asked, turning back to the Potions Professor.

"I thought I'd have a bit of fun with them." Snape smirked. "They clearly like each other, so I thought I would just let them enjoy being together for a while. Besides it's rather amusing to see the two smartest students of their year not realise the potion has worn off."

"You're evil, Severus." Dumbledore chuckled. "When are you planning on telling them the potion has worn off?"

"I'm not sure yet." Snape shrugged. "But I'm at least going to wait until next week. Unless of course you want me to inform them of the real situation."

"I don't think we're doing any harm in letting this go." Dumbledore said, once again turning his attention back to the two fifth years in question. "Besides, it could be a good thing. This could be just what we need to ignite some house unity in the school."