Disclaimer: I don't own much of this.

A/N: There is slight HGHP in this, but I promise it's not a major part of the story so if you don't like it then please read on anyway. I don't ship them, I'm just using it to get the ball rolling. First fic!

Chapter 1

Hermione woke up to yet another day at Hogwarts, the first day of her last week. She sat up to see Ginny, staring blankly out of the window. Hermione knew what was troubling her. Over the summer, whilst members of the Order resided at Grimmauld Place, Draco Malfoy would be back with his father and the world of dark magic and Death Eaters, complete with all the dangers that accompany such society. Ginny loved Draco. They had begun their unlikely relationship within the last few weeks, although only those closest to the couple were aware of it, and in honesty, Hermione was happy for them. She never thought she would see such sincerity in Malfoy, nor happiness in Ginny since she had learned to lose hope of a relationship with Harry.

Hermione herself had now begun to be close with Harry. Subtleties and stolen glances, occasionally catching each others eyes and looking away with a blush, cherished touches as they brushed past eachother in the corridors. Nothing had happened yet, but Hermione noticed how often her attentions would turn to him, felt the silent warmth when they exchanged looks.

Her footsteps echoed louder against the cold stone floor as her path descended into the dungeons, approaching this morning's potions lesson. She saw Harry waiting for her around the corner, and smiled at him in appreciation. They entered the room, and Hermione could vaguely make out the edge of Snape's figure looming in the shadows. They sat down and he emerged.

"As this will be your final full lesson this year, I thought it only appropiate that I mark the occasion with something...special." He smirked to himself. "Let's see what you make of this."

He waved his wand and on the board appeared a long list of ingredients and instructions. Hermione frowned. She recognised instantly, the 'Draught of Peace', and she knew that Snape would not have realistically expected any of the students to succesfully complete the potion.

"Bastard", she said under her breath. She could have sword she heard a discrete sneer from Snape's direction. She looked over to Harry, who was already looking at her with an expression of bewilderment, as he motioned his head towards the instructions on the board and mouthed the words "Help me". Hermione could not help but smile discreetly. She moved her equipment a little closer to him, and together they began to make their potions, as Snape prowled the room.

"Time up!"

It was little more than ten minutes before the end of the double lesson, and Hermione knew that, as she was nowhere near finished brewing, nobody else could have completed Snape's instructions. He had set a seriously unrealistic target if he expected anyone to have finished. Still, after a quick observation of each student's work, he swept to the front of the smoky dungeon room and spoke to the class in little more than a whisper:

"This is...pathetic." Malice danced in his eyes, as he turned to Hermione. "Even you, Miss "Know-it-all" Granger. You've disappointed me, and that is saying something as my expectations were so low already."

Hermione stared back at him with a look of total disbelief, she did not know how to reply, or whether he was even being serious or not.

"Clearly you acknowledge your own failure as well. I think that will be...50 points from Gryffindor for undisguised laziness in my class, and another 30 for assisting Potter." He sneered satisfactorily.

"Professor! I..are you serious? None of us could have finished that by the end of this lesson! You must know how complex it is!"

"Are you arguing with me Miss Granger. Because if you are, I highly recommend that you do not continue."

"Of course I'm arguing, you foul git! It's the end of the year, everyone has improved so much..even helping Harry it was obvious that he needed little more than a boost in confidence! And then you set us an obviously unreachable target and sneer at our efforts at the end of it! What the hell do you get off on? Any of us would be a better teacher than you!"

Hermione staggered backwards at the force of her own words, falling into her chair that she only then realised she had left. She had been standing face to face with Snape. Fear suddenly filled her stomach like lead, and she looked back up at the Professor. The room was silent. He took a step forward to the edge of Hermione's desk, and leant down so far that their faces were nearly touching. Hermione did not move, and could look nowhere else but at his thin face, which was almost radiating cool hatred. He spoke so quietly that even Hermione's instinct was to move closer to hear, countered only by the fact that if she moved any closer she would touch him. She could feel his breath.

"8 o'clock. My office. Tonight."

Hermione shivered internally, before he stood back up to address the rest of the class.

"Dismissed."

As Hermione packed to leave with the rest of the class, she could feel the heat of Snape's gaze on her. She looked at Harry and he gave her a bracing grin, making her feel a little more at ease, as she stood to leave she looked up and met Snape's cold and ungiving gaze, and quickly turned away to walk out with Harry. As they left, Harry's hand took hers and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

She stole a quick glance back into the room before they exited the room entirely. Snape was still watching her.