Hi! First the disclaimer...i do not own any of the Harry Potter universe, it all belongs to the lovely JKR and associated companies. Next, this is my first attempt at fanfiction. I have this story posted on two other sites (see my profile for info), its ok if you don't like it but please offer constructive criticism, no flames please?? other than that i hope you enjoy this and please, please review, it totally makes my day when i get to read them!!

STEALING THE PRIZE

"Lucius tell me again why you have included me in this little venture," drawled the voice of Severus Snape "The security on that building is so tight it would make getting into your ex-wife's pants seem easy." He was not happy. Then again, when was he ever? It was late, just past midnight and there was a chill in the air. He had left two potions still brewing and wanted to get back to them before they were irreparably damaged. However, his friend appeared to have other ideas.

"Damn, Sev, you're getting old. I explained this to you already, you are the lookout and do leave any mention of my ex-wife out of our conversations." Lucius Malfoy glanced at the dark wizard standing to the left and slightly behind him. They happened to be standing in the park across the street from The White Knight, a very posh hotel in wizarding London. The Golden Trio was staying there as tomorrow Harry Potter would make Ginny Weasley his wife. Because the savior of the wizarding world was there, the hotel had taken extra measures to ensure that its occupants were safe from the swarming media, and other such riff raff that wanted a glimpse of Harry.

Presently, Severus was waiting for the rest of Lucius' brilliant plan. "You'll never get in there. Even if you do, there's not a chance in hell you'd get near her." Lucius turned swiftly to face his friend. His grey eyes glinted fiercely in the moonlight, "I will have what belongs to me." His tone and the set of his jaw indicated that he was a lot more peeved about the situation he was in than he had previously let on. The witch he had come to love in the last two years was avoiding him, thanks to the man currently standing next to him. Hermione Granger was Severus' apprentice. After the war she had chosen to complete her education through courses by mail. Hogwarts had needed to be rebuilt so any student who had wanted to continue with their education was offered the chance to do it that way.

It had been a bit of a surprise to the Potions Master when he had received her letter requesting to spend three years apprenticing potions with him. He wanted to say no, knew how inquisitive she was, how insufferable she could be when she got an idea stuck in her head and would not let it go. Then he looked at her N.E.W.T. scores and knew he could not say no. He couldn't ever remember a student scoring so high in Advanced Potions. Grudgingly, he wrote back answering her request in the affirmative.

"How is this going to work, then? There are aurors stationed on every floor and at least three of them are on HER floor alone. They have wards set up and…." Severus' voice trailed off as he noticed that Lucius was no longer anywhere near him. "Damn him, more like an impetuous child than a grown man these days," Severus muttered under his breath. He finally spotted Lucius standing in the shadows on the side of the hotel. He had a broom in hand and was in the process of climbing on when Severus heard a soft chuckle behind him.

Whirling around, black cape billowing and wand in hand he came face to face with his Godson, Draco.

"You must be getting old, Uncle Sev, if you didn't even hear me come up behind you."

"Like father, like son." Severus released a long-suffering sigh, "For your information, Malfoy, I am not that old and would appreciate no more references to such. Is that clear?" Oh-uh, Uncle Sev was in "Professor Snape" mode now. Draco briefly wondered what Lucius had said to put his Godfather in such a mood.

"Has your father given you any idea how I'm supposed to notify him if something goes wrong?"

Draco shook his head, "No, but he did mention something about proving himself to a 'damn stubborn witch and the hook-nosed git that had influenced her.' Don't know about you Uncle Sev, but I want a front row seat to this show."

A very tiny smile appeared on Severus' face. It looked more like a sneer but to those who knew, and Draco knew it was as close to a full smile as the dark wizard would ever get. When Hermione had first met with him in the Dungeons of Hogwarts (which had been rebuilt during her year of mail-away classes) he treated her as he always had. Disdainfully. As though he believed she would be wasting his time just like she had done as a student in her first years at Hogwarts. He had actually told her it was a pity that he could no longer take points from Gryffindor through her. She had simply smiled and somehow he had the feeling she was trying to see past the tough exterior he presented to the world. Severus was also surprised at how grown up she was. She had finally tamed that mass of hair on her head, now it hung in loose ringlets to just below her shoulders. Her honey brown eyes still held warmth for the people around her although there seemed to be a hint of hardness in them. That hardness often went unnoticed unless you were looking for it.

Severus had been surprised at how well they had begun to work together. He knew she was a quick learner, what he hadn't known was that she could be a bit on the temperamental side and also that she retained a rather perverse sense of humor. It amused him no end to see the Gryffindor Princess laughing hard at things he was sure would have caused a permanent blush on Minerva's cheeks and her lips to pucker up even more.

At first he had not let on that he was pleased by both her aptitude and her attitude. It was easier to just revert to the Professor/Student roles they had always assumed. That had changed one night as they were brewing Wolfsbane Potion. He had needed it as he was going to do a pop quiz in class tomorrow. The current 7th years were going to have to identify each potion by color, smell, and thickness. Severus had walked into the classroom, pleased to note that Hermione was early and had already begun to gather the necessary ingredients.

"Granger. Eager to start I see. You always were an overachiever." His tone of voice made it sound as if he were insulting her,

"No, sir. Just eager to spend the night with you." It was the first time she had slipped in showing him her sense of humor. She bit her lip as she waited for his response.

The room had gone completely still for about 10 seconds, then a deep chuckle emanated from the Potions Master. It took a moment for Hermione to place the sound as she had never heard it before and she let a few giggles out herself.

"One hundred points to Gryffindor, Miss Granger. I wouldn't have believed you had it in you had I not heard you myself. Now let's finish off the rest of this potion."

So began the odd friendship between Hermione Granger and Severus Snape.