Hi all,

I know I have been M.I.A for months now, so much has changed in my life and I had no time to update but your reviews kept coming in as did your messages! I'm so pleased! I read back on 'When loves takes over' and absolutely hated it, the pacing was too fast and it was just not representative of the style I would like to write. So, I have decided to start over again. The plot will be roughly the same but a lot slower and more thought out. Thank you guys for sticking with me, I really hope you enjoy it!

Chapter 1 - The offer.

Severus Snape was not a man of patience, and he certainly was not a man who liked his life being disrupted. He enjoyed his routine, the rigidity in his life, the rules and boundaries that he set and the way every movement was a calculated one. He had no time for friends, relationships or his students outside of the classroom, unless of course one of them had the backbone to actually approach him with a Potions query. It seems this was a rare occurrence, of his many years at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, he had been approached twice outside of class and perhaps five times within one. All times had ended in tears.

Needless to say, Severus Snape was a man who kept to himself, albeit the occasional tryst he had with a woman that lasted no longer than half a night and whose names he never remembered as he never asked. He was a man of solidarity, one whom enjoyed his personal space and did not create bonds with things, physical or inanimate.

And it was this same man who was being especially aggravated on a Wednesday evening, just before he was about to lock himself up in his chambers for the night.

'What do you mean I will be appointed an apprentice?' Snape spat.

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled in response; if ever there was an oxymoron to Snape, it may just as well have been Dumbledore.

'You are a clever man Severus, surely you understand the concept of an apprentice?' Dumbledore said, amusement lacing his words. This made Snape's jaw clench as he looked on in fury.

'I refuse.' Snape said, bluntly.

'I'm afraid this will not do, I have already made arrangements and this year there will be new apprentices within the school. Since Voldemort's demise, it has made me think of if something like that were to occur again in the future, we would need some well practised people to take over from ourselves, so why not cultivate that group ourselves? Hence, I have started this programme, it will show...let's see, a new modern mindset to higher magical education, a breath of fresh air!'

Snape narrowed his eyes.

'And what do I get in return for taking on, no doubt, insolent and useless brat?'

Dumbledore tutted, 'Now now Severus, you don't know who you are taking on yet.'

'You mean you won't even let me choose?' Snape said, eyes widening ever so slightly.

'Of course not! I knew you would react like this so would dismiss all applicants, so I took it upon myself to look at the applicants and, may I say, a fine choice I have made indeed!'

'So you are to say, that I am supposed to live with, share my personal space with and educate this good for nothing "apprentice" as you say, and I don't even get to choose?' Snape said angrily.

'Even better, you get to do all of those things for 3 whole years!' Dumbledore added cheerfully.

Snape shook with fury. How dare this man make this decision!

'Then who?' Snape said rigidly, barely able to get his words out.

'Oh someone who will test you and teach you a thing or two also, it'll be a two way sort of relationship.'

Snape rolled his eyes at the word relationship. Relationship? It would be nothing of the sort.

'Who?' Snape fumed, a bit louder this time.

'None other than one of the Order members, someone you are acquainted with already.' Dumbledore said, teasing him along.

Snape reflected on this and realisation dawned on his face, 'No...no, surely not!'

Dumbledore nodded with a smile, 'Hermione Granger of course.'

Snape sighed heavily, he could feel a migraine coming on.

'I got accepted!' Hermione squealed waving around a piece of official looking parchment, a discarded Hogwarts envelope on the floor.

'Huh?' Ron enquired, whilst he stuffed his face with cauldron cakes.

'Ronald, will you stop eating for one second?!' Ginny said, whacking him around the head.

'Oi!' Ron yelped, 'I'm hungry!'

'Accepted for what Hermione?' Harry said, laughing at the pair.

'Hogwarts! I'm going to be a Potions apprentice!' Hermione said, excitement in her face.

'Does that mean you'll be on the Hogwarts Express with me again this year?!' Ginny asked, suddenly very excited too. Hermione nodded and the two girls squealed. Hermione had felt a deep sorrow when she had missed out on her last year of magical education whilst her, Harry and Ron had gone on the hunt for horcruxes. She had felt a massive emptiness at not getting a sense of closure from Hogwarts, and when she had come across the apprenticeships being advertised, she jumped at the opportunity. She had grown a great admiration for the art of potion making during the war, the way it gave temporary release from a sleepless night, the way it could heal even the deepest of wounds or grow back a set of bones. To Hermione, Potions was a necessity in the wizarding world and she grown quite a passion for it.

'Wait, hold on...' Harry began, his eyebrows knit together, 'Doesn't that mean you'll be with Snape for 3 years?'

Ron froze, half his cauldron cake devoured and the other hanging in midair. Although they now knew the true identity of Snape and his intentions, they had still not managed to form an amicable relationship. Harry had attempted to pursue one in the months after the war but Snape had had no interest in one, he did not feel the need for Potter or any of his friends' pity, it just made the whole memory of his childhood haunt him ten times more. The last thing he needed was a Potter's sympathy.

'No...' Hermione said, her excitement ebbing away, 'Professor Slughorn does Potions, not Professor Snape...'

Ron's eyes flicked to Harry's face and they exchanged looks of concern.

'Well actually Hermione, Snape took over Potions again remember? Defence Against The Dark Arts was no longer what he wanted to do after the war...they say it reminded him too much of dark times.' Ginny said softly.

Hermione did remember hearing about this, but since she had no longer been a part of Hogwarts, it had completely slipped her mind.

She picked up the discarded acceptance letter and quickly scanned it. Somewhere in the top line, after the declaration of her acceptance it read:

'...to pursue a Potions Apprenticeship with Professor Severus Snape for the duration of 3 years.'

Hermione gulped. She knew Snape had never liked her, he had always had a bad word to say about her, regardless of her near flawless marks in his class (near flawless being because when he was feeling particularly mean, he would dock points for a stray ink blotch). He had never given her a word of praise and even if he were impressed with her work, he would never show it. For some reason, she grated on him and she didn't know why. She didn't understand what it was about her that, well to put it bluntly, pissed him off so much. Or more than usual.

'Oh yes, he is Potions professor.' Hermione said casually, but inside her mind was in turmoil. What if Snape continued to bully her for 3 years? Only this time it would be so much worse, Harry and Ron wouldn't be there and although Ginny would, it just wouldn't be the same as having her two best friends there. She knew to deal with Snape, she would have to grow some serious backbone and the skin of a rhino, and perhaps this would be good for her. After the war she knew she was strong but this was a different kind of challenge and strength. She used this to consolidate her, with the knowledge that she would be with Ginny and would have all of Hogwarts to explore in her spare time.

'If that slimy git says anything to you...' Ron started.

'Yeah, we'll sort him out!' Harry added defensively.

Hermione chuckled, knowing full well that Snape could take them both out without even blinking.

'Don't worry, i'll be there.' Ginny said softly, giving Hermione a reassuring squeeze of the hand, to which Hermione returned a smile.

She nodded and picked up a set of exploding snap, and used this as a way to take the attention off of her impending situation. They played for the rest of the evening, the sun setting serenely on the burrow as they all enjoyed their last summer together before Ginny and Hermione head off to Hogwarts, Ron started training as Keeper and Harry started training as an Auror at the ministry. Hermione looked out of the window across the yard and into the fields and a sense of nostalgia washed over her, she knew she should be ecstatic to be able to return to Hogwarts and she was, but she knew it would never be the same again as it was with her two boys who, as they were sitting next to her right now, had always stayed beside her.

A much slower start but I hope this can lead to more character development :)

Please do leave reviews and send me messages, i love to see and read them all!

PygmyPuff x