Disclaimer: Everything belongs to J.K.R.

Severus Snape sat in his private quarters in his favourite comfy chair and swirled a tumbler with a healthy shot of Firewhiskey in his hand. The amber shades of the aromatic liquid and the dancing blue flames on top of it did nothing to soothe his frazzled nerves.

He sighed and looked out of the window onto the sunlit grounds. How deep had he fallen that he resorted to midday drinking?

It was all Potter's fault. Why by the Dark Lord's cut-off balls did the infernal brat have to succumb to the love potion and fall for the prettiest snake in the dungeons? The boy could resist an Imperius Curse cast by the Dark Lord himself, for Merlin's sake, then why couldn't he resist a simple love potion? And why did that dunderhead have to brew a potion strong enough to make Miss Greengrass interested in him?

How far could two love potion-fueled teenagers get over the weekend? A shudder ran through his body, he'd better not think about that. He had no desire to explain to a fuming Cyrus Greengrass how the teenage pregnancy of his heiress came about. On that note, such a talk to Edgar Parkinson or Samuel Roper wouldn't be a bed of roses, either, especially not the point where he had to reveal the boy in question. Or would they suffer a stroke at the news their precious daughters had been impregnated by a Weasley respectively a Muggleborn? That hope almost was worth to wish for the worst to happen, with almost being the operative word in that sentence. Thank Merlin he didn't have to worry about Bulstrode, she at least showed no signs to succumb to Finnegan's abysmal potion.

With another sigh, he put the glass down onto the coffee table in front of him and got up. There was no way around it, he had to make sure his snakes didn't come to harm, so he'd better have a look and make sure things wouldn't get out of hand.

He turned around and marched out of his quarters, his black cloak billowing behind him.

His first way led him towards the infirmary. A quick glance when he pushed open the tall double doors to Poppy Promfrey's immaculate kingdom told him that none of the beds was occupied. He let out a deep breath. He'd been afraid of the worst when Finnegan, that dunderhead, pursued Miss Bulstrode out of the Great Hall.

Poppy Promfrey stood at the far end of the room, in front of an open cabinet, and sorted potion vials. At the sound of his steps she turned around.

'Oh, it's you, Severus.' A slight smirk appeared on her face. 'Have you come to see me, or do you want to make sure that none of the students under the love potion got hurt in their endeavour to woo their object of affection?'

The latter had been his motivation to visit the infirmary, however, it wouldn't do to let Poppy know. He had a reputation to maintain.

'Actually, I came to see you,' he said, and gave her his best cold stare down his crooked nose. 'I was wondering if you need a refill of your potions cabinet.'

Poppy gave him an unfathomable look in return, and the corners of her mouth quivered.

A jolt went through him. Damn, he just had stocked up her potions cabinet three days ago, even with that cow Umbridge on the loose she wouldn't need new potions before the end of the month. He almost face-palmed while he racked his brain how to talk his way out of the grave he dug for himself. 'Ehem -'

'Well, to answer your unspoken question, Mr Finnegan just left a couple of minutes ago. I never before had to treat such a fine black eye as the one he sported. It seems Miss Bulstrode is a heavy hitter who threw a sucker punch straight from the shoulder. His words, not mine, and he didn't sound as if her actions put him off in the least. When he left, he muttered something about roses for his rose.' The damned woman gave up any pretense and burst out laughing.

'Har, har, har.' His insides squirmed, and his hands clutched his stomach. How had they got there? He'd better brew a batch of Anti Heartburn Potion tonight, he'd need it before the weekend was over.

'As interesting as it is talking to you, Poppy, I need to go. I have left an experimental potion to simmer that needs checking.'

'Of course, Severus,' Poppy said in a mirthful voice. 'The roses are kept in greenhouse four, as you remember, I think, but by now Mr Finnegan should have looted Pomona's priced bushes and be on his way to the dungeons. I'd check there first, if I were you.'

He didn't deign her another word and stalked out of the infirmary. Her tinkling laughter followed him out of the room and still rang in his ears on his way down to the dungeons. Blasted woman!

Finnegan stood in the middle of the corridor that led to the Slytherin common room, a huge bouquet of roses in his hands, and a dreamy, silly smile on his face. His eyes were fixed to a spot where he probably believed the entrance to the common room to be.

He was off, albeit not much.

At the sight of the flowers Severus cast his eyes heavenward with an inward groan. Just spiffing, the dunderhead must have stripped Pomona's prized roses of all blossoms. She would never let them hear the end of that.

'Finnegan! What are you doing here?' The mental image of the endless prattle of his esteemed colleague lent the necessary venom to his voice, and hopefully the poisoned steel to his glare as well.

'Huh?' The dunderhead tore his eyes away from the wall and gave him a reluctant side glance. At first, his expression didn't change. His dreams of a happy future with Miss Bulstrode apparently had made him oblivious to the danger right in front of him.

Severus went through his vast repertoire of scathing remarks to deliver the final blow the moment when Finnegan realised who stood in front of him and rightfully quivered in his shoes.

The moment never came.

If anything, Finnegan's smile became even broader, and he held the roses out to him with both hands. 'Professor Snape! I'm sure Merlin sent you! Are you on your way to the Slytherin common room? Millicent ran away from me, she must have got a wrong impression of my intentions. Will you please give her these flowers from me and tell her I'm sorry and I'd love to meet her in the Entrance Hall for a walk around the lake so that I can declare myself to her?'

What? Severus froze. Was the dunderhead playing one of those foolish Gryffindor pranks on him? Were the infernal twins lurking somewhere in the shades of the dimly lit corridor, laughing their arses off and capturing every moment with a magical camera?

He cast a surreptitious look around.

There was not the tiniest spot of red hair or freckles in sight, apart from those on the head and face of the dunderhead in front of him.

He turned his death glare to Finnegan once again.

The dunderhead still stood in the middle of the corridor, the roses held out to him, and gave him a hopeful look from puppy-dog eyes.

An ice cold shiver ran down Severus' spine. He was losing his touch.

His wand leapt in his hand almost of its own accord, and he vanished the ridiculous roses with a silent spell. 'That will be fifty points from Gryffindor, Finnegan, and detention with me each night next week!'

The foolish boy blinked at his empty hands like an owl in daylight, yet the hopeful expression didn't leave his face. 'Yes, professor, of course, professor. But you will talk to Millicent?'

'If you don't leave this corridor within the next second, you won't need my intervention to talk to Miss Bulstrode anymore.' His voice was clipped and had the degree of coldness that never failed to put scum like Bellatrix Lestrange and Lucius Malfoy into their places.

The happy expression vanished from the dunderhead's face, he eep-ed and scurried past Severus, out of the corridor and towards the stairs that led into the Entrance Hall.

Well, that was about time!

Severus took a deep breath and waited until the sound of Finnegan's footsteps faded away, then walked towards the entrance of the Slytherin common room and pressed his wand to a secret spot on the wall, privy only to the current head of house and the headmaster.

The wall slid open, he strode into the room with billowing robes and looked for his prey.

She sat alone in the corner that was traditionally occupied by the fifth years and stared into the flames of the fireplace in front of her, combing her fingers through her hair and a dreamy expression on her face.

He walked up to her and cast a Privacy Charm around them.

Miss Bulstrode didn't notice his approach before he towered over her. She startled and scrambled to her feet. 'Professor Snape!'

'Please, keep seated, Miss Bulstrode. You know why I came to see you?'

She gave a hesitant nod.

'While your annoyance with Finnegan's actions is understandable, resorting to physical violence won't do, Miss Bulstrode, that is even more true if the recipient of said violence is at least one head smaller than you.'

Miss Bulstrode cast her eyes to the ground. 'I'm sorry, sir, it won't happen again.'

'See to that. Alas, the dunderhead seems to have developed an unaccountable fancy to you. Therefore, I think it advisable to prevent you from running into him by accident. You are restricted to the common room and your dorm until breakfast time on Monday morning, Miss Bulstrode. An elf will deliver your meals to you. I hope the fool will have cooled down until then, last time I saw him he was waiting with a bouquet of roses in his hands in front of the common room. I sent him away.'

The girl let out a small gasp. 'That's sw… appalling!'

Severus gave her a sharp look. Was there a tint of pink on her cheeks?

'Indeed, it is. With a little luck, you will be rid of him by Monday.'

'I hope so.' The corners of her mouth turned south, and her voice had a dejected undertone.

His breath caught; that couldn't be, she had shown no reaction to Finnegan's potion in the Great Hall. Or had the dunderhead somehow worked a time delay mechanism into his potion? He wouldn't put it past the idiot, even the dumbest dog had his day.

With a suppressed groan he turned around and strode out of the common room. In his harried state of mind he almost forgot to cast the cantrip that made his ropes billow behind him, but caught himself at the puzzled expression of a seventh year who happened to look at him that moment.

Back in the deserted corridor, the wall that hid the common room safely closed behind him, he paused and pinched the bridge of his nose between the thumb and forefinger of his left hand. If the day progressed in this manner, he'd have an even worse headache than the troll Weasley had knocked out with its own club by dinner time. He needed some fresh air and a few minutes for himself, without the distraction of hormone-ridden, love potion-befuddled teenagers. To how much mischief could they get up in the few minutes he took for himself?

Unbidden memories of his own teenage years flooded his mind, especially those of the escapades of one Sirius Black in the many broom closets of the castle. He shuddered and hurried towards the Entrance Hall. He'd better keep his break short.

On his way out he caught movement at the bottom of the Moving Staircase from the corner of his eyes. What was that? He stopped and took another look.

Miss Roper and Thomas still sat on the steps at the bottom of the stairs. Their fit of laughter had subsided, thank Merlin for small blessings, and they now seemed to be absorbed into an in-depth discussion about - art?

'I love the way you emphasised the central motif of your composition with these blue highlights. It brings out the coldness of the winter's day,' Miss Roper said and pointed towards something on a sheet of parchment she and Thomas held between them. 'It's so real, it almost makes me run to my dorm and get my winter cloak.'

Her adoring eyes, turned at Thomas, caused Severus' stomach to squirm in the most uncomfortable way.

Thomas, the idiot, pinked at her praise and stammered an unintelligible answer.

Miss Roper giggled.

Severus blinked. She giggled! The members of the Roper family were famous for their stately deportment, they were even worse than the Greengrasses. A giggling daughter of the house most likely would be disinherited.

'You're sweet,' Miss Roper now said to Thomas. The next second she bent forward, closed the small gap between their heads and kissed the boy fully on the lips.

The young man reacted with great presence of mind, put his arms around her, and pulled her into a deep kiss.

Severus staggered backwards. Sweet Freyja, have mercy! If these two already had such a strong reaction to the inadequate potions he had fed them, to what would the students with the strong potions in their system be up to? As if he hadn't enough Potter-induced headaches already!

He turned away from the unsettling sight and made his way out of the castle with unseeing eyes. A brisk walk down to the Black Lake did a lot to restore his inner calm. He sat down on the log of a fallen tree close to the waterline and let his eyes wander.

They came to rest on a lovely picture at the other side of the lake. Under a majestic downy beech with drooping branches and leaves that were in full autumn glory sat four young people on a blanket.

Severus took a closer look and corrected himself. By the way Mr Zabini sat closely to Miss Patil and Mr Nott held the hand of Miss Brown, two couples sat on the blanket.

This time, he didn't bother to suppress his groan. He lifted himself up from the log and was about to walk around the lake to put the fear of Merlin into them. However, something that happened on the other side of the lake made him pause.

Mr Nott tilted his head back and laughed, while Mr Zabini sported a broad grin on his face.

Severus sunk back onto the log. He'd never seen his two snakes so… so… happy. Neither Mr Nott nor Mr Zabini ever laughed openly, a faint twist of the mouth was the most they allowed themselves, they always were in complete control.

Who could blame them for their behaviour? Severus sighed, with parents like theirs Mr Nott and Mr Zabini were well advised to keep their guards up. Nott senior was rumoured to have murdered his wife - something Severus knew to be a fact, Nott sen had boasted about it at Death Eater meetings - and Inanna Zabini had worked through seven husbands in quick succession, each one leaving her wealthier than before on his passing. The unfortunate Mr Zabini sen had been her last.

Both Nott sen and Mrs Zabini were not above threatening their only child with the fate of their dead parent to make them comply.

He cast a last look at the two young couples at the other side of the lake and got up. No, he wouldn't begrudge them their happiness, Merlin knew his two snakes deserved a little light in their lives. From the looks of it, they weren't up to any funny business, either, they just seemed to enjoy the company. It probably would be over on Monday, anyway, given how weak the respective potions had been.

He re-cast the cantrip on his robes and walked back to the castle, the library his ultimate destination. The entrance hall was empty, Thomas and Roper had left the Moving Staircase for places unknown. A broom cupboard, maybe? He shuddered.

The doors to the Great Hall stood open, and he cast a quick sidewards glance into the room. Some movement at the Gryffindor table stopped him in his tracks.

The hall was empty, except for a young couple at the Gryffindor table hunched over a chessboard between them and engrossed in the game. The red-headed young man picked up a piece and moved it across the board. 'Checkmate!'

Severus' stomach dropped, his glance settled on Miss Parkinson. How would she take the defeat? Her grandfather had groomed her right from the cradle to become a chess champion. He'd been an international champion in his days, and she had already made a name for herself in junior championships. Ambitious and competitive as all his snakes, she hated to lose.

He drew his wand, ready to throw a shield at the slightest sign of anger from Miss Parkinson's side.

Miss Parkinson gaped; Severus' hand tightened around his wand.

The next moment she clapped her hands, her face all smiles. 'Merlin, you're exceptional, that's your third win in a row! I can't wait to introduce you to my grandfather. He'd be happy to train you for tournaments.'

Weasley's ears pinked. 'That's nothing special. I just enjoy playing chess.'

'Don't be so modest, it doesn't suit you! I tell you, you're an international chess champion in the making. Oh, I can't wait to see you playing your first tournament, these stuck-up idiots there won't know what hit them!'

A sheepish smile appeared on Weasley's face, and he puffed out his chest a little. 'Do you think so?'

'Yes, I do. Stop belittling yourself, Ronald, you are a powerful and intelligent wizard,' Miss Parkinson said and put her hand on Weasley's arm. She leaned closer. 'After all, you've beat the All England and Ireland Junior Chess Champion runner-up three times in a row. Don't you think that deserves a reward?' She leaned even closer.

'Err…' The deep pink of Weasley's ears seemed to spread down his neck and from there up to his face within the blink of an eye, he didn't move a muscle and stared at Miss Parkinson like the rabbit at the proverbial snake.

'I'm happy you agree,' Miss Parkinson murmured with a coy smile and closed the gap between them until their lips met.

Snape made a hasty retreat, however not quick enough to avoid seeing how Weasley's instincts kicked in and he put both arms around Miss Parkinson and pulled her closer.

Merlin have mercy! Snape closed his eyes and raised his Occlumency shields. It didn't help, the scene he'd just witnessed seemed to bite itself into his corneal. Ugh, was it possible to develop eye cancer from disturbing images?

He gave himself a mental shake, he still had three of his snakes to check upon. Given those three and their Gryffindor counterparts were the most accomplished potion students of their year, he didn't dare think of how he might find them. He pulled himself together and continued his walk to the library. There was no use in delaying the inevitable, that much he'd learned during his service to the Dark Lord.

At a first glance the library seemed like always. It was a heaven of tranquility, thanks to Irma Pince' stern rulership; the small groups of students who'd gathered at the long tables in the front part of the library to study knew better than to draw Irma's wrath on themselves by talking.

Severus looked for the assertive librarian, as a rule, she always sat at her desk near the entrance during opening hours. Today, however, she'd deserted her usual place, and stood, a hand put on one shelf, at the beginning of the Transfiguation section. She peered down the row of shelves, a deep frown on her face.

He stepped beside her. 'Anything out of the ordinary, Irma?'

She whipped her head around and gave him a withering look. 'Yes, thanks to your shenanigans. See for yourself.' She motioned with her chin down the row of bookshelves.

'How often do I have to repeat that this mess was not of my own making, but imposed on me by our esteemed ministry?' he said with a sigh as his glance followed the direction she had pointed out.

Irma Pince harrumphed at that. He shut her out, his concentration focussed on the two couples on the other side of the row of bookshelves.

Between the Transfiguration section and the Potions section there was a secluded space, maybe as big as his study in his apartment, where a couple of smaller tables had been put up for the older students, namely the O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. students. Miss Greengrass and Potter sat at one table, Miss Davis and Longbottom at another one further down. Well, they all were in their O.W.L. year, so nobody could raise objections against them using these tables in this secluded spot of the library.

Only… they weren't exactly studying. At least neither Transfiguration nor Potions. Their current activities were more related to the Muggle subject of biology.

A shudder ran through Severus' body, the room seemed to spin around him, and he grabbed for the closest shelf to steady himself. He closed his eyes. Now he had his answer to the question of how he might find the most accomplished potions students. Unfortunately, it gave him no consolation. He opened his eyes and took another look. The scene hadn't changed, and a small groan escaped his mouth. He'd definitely develop eye cancer after today.

'Do something about that, Severus!' Irma Pomfrey hissed into his ear.

His eyebrows rose a notch. 'Why me? The library is your kingdom and responsibility.'

Her face wrinkled in disgust. 'They are not being disruptive, neither do they any damage to the books, so I have no grounds to chuck them out on their ears. You know as well as I do that the library always has been the not so secret rendez vous spot for couples from different houses, and I will not interfere with that. I still remember how you and Lily -'

'That's beside the point.' A sharp pain jolted through his body at the mentioning of Lily's name. 'My, Irma, I never would've thought you have a soft spot for young lovers. Let them be, they need to work the potion out of their systems, and they won't do anything too improper in such a public place.' At least he hoped so.

She huffed at that, but turned around and walked back to her desk.

Careful not to catch another unintentional glimpse of the two couples, Severus followed her.

As soon as the library doors had closed behind him he let out a deep breath. Where by the Dark Lord's cut-off balls should he search for Mr Malfoy and that know-it-all Granger? There were hundreds, no, thousands of places for an amorous couple to hide in this rambling castle full of nooks and crannies. His feet carried him down the stairs and towards the third-floor corridor with the row of unused classrooms while his mind still pondered that problem.

Merlin had mercy, or maybe he just sympathised with Severus's frazzled nerves. Anyway, he'd just entered the third-floor corridor when a door further down the corridor opened and his prey came out.

They had their backs to him and didn't see him, however, as engrossed as they were in their conversation they probably wouldn't have noticed him if he'd cartwheeled down the corridor in a clown's costume. Just to be safe, Severus cast a Disillusion Charm on himself and a Silencing Charm on his feet, followed them down the corridor and listened into their conversation.

There was nothing amorous in their talk about the use of Arithmancy for the development of new spells.

Severus eyebrows shot up. Should his model students, of all people, have failed to brew a potion strong enough to give in to their mutual physical attraction when all their classmates had succumbed to the effect of the love potion given to them? His eyes narrowed, that didn't add up. He followed the couple to the seventh floor, where they stopped in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady. Sevrus pressed himself flat against the wall.

Mr Malfoy took Granger's hand into his, bowed over it with exceptional grace, and kissed her knuckles. 'It was a pleasure to study with you today. I admire your profound knowledge that goes far beyond the teaching matter. You are a source of inspiration, Hermione.'

Granger blushed to the roots of her hair at his words, and a shy, yet becoming smile appeared on her face.

Severus blinked. Who would've thought the bushy-haired bookworm could look that attractive?

'I also had fun studying with you, Draco,' she said in a soft voice. 'Maybe we can do that again?' She gave him a meaningful look.

'I'd love to!'

Severus blinked again. He'd never heard the spoilt blonde brat sounding that eager and enthusiastic.

The young man bowed over Granger's hand again, then handed her the bbookbag he'd been carrying for her. 'Good night, Hermione.' With a last small wave at Granger he turned around and walked past Severus towards the Moving Staircase.

Severus followed him with some distance. Mr Malfoy just bid goodbye to a Muggleborn witch as if he was wooing a Pureblood girl he intended to marry, and Granger didn't seem to mind at all and reacted like a well-bred Pureblood girl. His stomach balled into an uncomfortable knot. That was a formal courtship on Mr Malfoy's side, the one that ended in a marriage contract, and he'd bet his most expensive potion ingredients that the know-it-all was aware of that. The girl was too smart to enter the magical dating circus without reading up on the customs of the magical world before. Gods, he'd been so wrong, his two model students reacted even stronger to the love potion than he'd imagined.

There was only hope neither Lucius nor the Dark Lord would ever find out.

The End

At least for the time being. I have some vague ideas how to continue, but nothing that makes me excited enough to start writing.