Disclaimer: Nothing's mine and I'm not making any money out of it [and if I did, I'd be starving]. JK Rowling - with her publishers and licensees - owns it all.

Thanks to BornInTheFall for the beta work. She's been bearing with my poor english and primary mistakes for quite a long time now.

Prolog

"Don't come close to me or I'll yell" She said with that annoying voice, the same one he heard every day in class. Except now her voice wasn't annoying anymore. As a matter of fact, he'd just realized, it was one of the things that stood in the way of his death wish.

Not that anyone would hear it, she thought.

"Foolish girl. I don't intend to kill you." He hesitated a little before speaking, "I came to talk".

She looked around for a place to run to, but she knew there was none. They were in the Astronomy Tower, the same place he'd killed Dumbledore, the same place she had looked for clues, so she could tell the world he was innocent – so she could sleep at night. The man she... loved? Fancied? She didn't quite know, but she was sure she felt something for him. At least, something more than she should feel. It was still a little weird, but to be honest she had grown used to the feeling, since it hanged in her for three years now.

And for that, she wanted to believe - with all her strength – that he was innocent. However, that had been impossible. No one thought like she did, or if they did none of then were willing to say it out loud, because it'd be an insult to the memory of their great former-headmaster.

Every night now she'd come back to the tower. She didn't exactly understand why, but she'd rather be there than anywhere else. She stayed there thinking, reading or planning their search for the Horcruxes. She didn't want to admit it to herself, but some part of her dreamed of him coming back, and like a needle it was always picking at her. But tonight, it had actually happened.

"Talk? You came here to...talk?" She sounded so disbelieving that even she was offended by it. She couldn't help being afraid or thinking she would be dead in five minutes top, could she? She was confused, she trusted him and yet...

"I'm not going to kill you, so stop being afraid." He interrupted her thoughts

"Stop using legilemancy on me!" The urgency in her voice took him by surprise.

This was going to be harder than he thought "I don't need to use legilemancy to know you're thinking that. I can tell by the look in your eyes." He sneered at her. Was it disgust what she heard? Disgust towards her? Or himself? Either way it made her feel sorry for him.

"I'm sorry" She heard her own voice saying 'why am I saying sorry?' "Is just that you..you've.." 'killed Dumbledore?Not a wise thing to say if he's a real killer..' she closed her eyes and took a deep breath "You are not on our side" 'stupid thing to say Hermione!' her brain shouted. "Are you?" the words jumped out of her mouth full of curiosity and despair and she knew that this was her hope speaking for her.

He knew what she meant to say. He knew what her exact words would have been, and for a brief moment he allowed himself to think she didn't want to harm him. Her pity almost made him give up and go away, but he needed her. And not just to accomplish his mission.

He came back to the tower one night and there she was.

'What is she doing here? Did they think I might return and were guarding the tower? No, not even Minerva is that stupid to put a girl doing that, Severus.'

That night he went away hoping she wouldn't be there tomorrow. But she was there, in the exact spot she had been.

'Is she...studying? Damn know-it-all! Didn't she have a better place to do it?'

He pretended to himself to be angry, but deep down he knew he couldn't actually be angry with her. Since then he came back every night – except the ones he had duties – and watched her. Of course the main reason was obvious, even to him, no matter how much he didn't want to admit it, but there was something else. He felt lonely. As a matter of fact, he had always felt lonely, but now that Albus was gone the feeling was worse and, somehow, just watching her made that feeling a bit more bearable.

"I need your help" the words came out slowly.

"You need my...? Please answer me."

"I need you to be my informer" He ignored her.

"Then…You are on our side" she said almost smiling "But why did you... why did you do it?" she knew he'd know what she was talking about "And why me?"

"Because you are smarter than Weasley, and Potter would never listen to me." He still ignored her

"Even the slightest sight of you would make him cast an unforgivable, and we don't want that, do we?" she said, kind of ironic, and in the minute she realized what she'd just said, she blushed. He had an interrogativesort of surprised look on his face, but didn't say anything about her comment 'thank God' She rushed back into the subject "If you know I'm smart then you know I know you're ignoring me and you also know I won't help you if you don't give me answers!"

'Stupid girl' "Yes, I am on your side, if that's what you wanna call it" he said with all the sarcasm he could manage "I didn't murder Albus Dumbledore, satisfied?"

Although he felt like he was taking a load off his shoulder, the words felt so bitter on his lips he wished he'd never have to use them again.

Her heart was beating so fast it could explode with all the happiness inside her.

"You didn't" She couldn't hold herself any longer. She smiled.

"What are you smiling for?"

"Because I knew!" she was almost yelling "I knew you hadn't done it"

"You...knew?" He had his eyebrow lifted high and was his turn to sound disbelieving. She had always found that singular thing the sexiest one.

"Because I knew better! I trusted you. I have always done so and I still do." She made sure to say it looking into his eyes, making it difficult even for him to hold her gaze.

The feeling that was going through him in that moment was so different from everything he had experienced that he wouldn't be able to explain it to anyone, even if he wanted to. He was speechless to that, but he'd never let her know it.

"And you are just going to take my word for it?"

She had to think to answer that "To be honest, I would. But I assume you're going to tell me the whole story, aren't you?"

"No"

"That won't do"

"It'll have to do! There are bigger things then you and I Miss Granger."

"I'm sorry, but you were the one to ask me if I was just going to take your word for it! And there is no need to call me Miss Granger anymore."

He got a little confused with the sudden change in the subject "Of course there is. I may not be your teacher anymore, but that doesn't change the fact that I must treat you properly"

"Calling me by my first name isn't impro.."

"That's hardly the point here" He said impatiently

She wasn't convinced, but she seconded him "So tell me the whole story!"

"There is no need to tell you if you said yourself you…"

"Stop playing games with me Snape! I'm not a child anymore!" She didn't need to say that. It was obvious she wasn't that eleven-year-old Griffyndor anymore and that thought had occurred to him many times in the last year, but it was better to keep that line of thought closed in a box inside his mind. "I trust you. I just want the truth"

"Dumbledore made me do it. I promised him I'd do it" I can't believe I just said it to her. She was about to ask 'why' "Don't ask questions you know you are not going to get the answers to, Hermione."

To hear her name in his voice was an experience more meaningful she thought it'd be. She imagined how it would be to kiss him… And in a second she repress it, knowing it would never happen.

To hear her name in his voice awakened him, like that whole moment was a dream and he had to wake now. He couldn't be there, he had to leave. His defenses were barely holding with all the spells that were around the castle.

"I have to go."

'Where' was the question playing in her tongue, but she held it. She knew he couldn't tell her. But if he could, would he?

"If...if you could tell me where to, would you?"

Yes, I wish I could indeed "Maybe. Will you be my informer?"

"Yes"

"No one can know about this. You will have to find a way to pass the information I'll give you."

"I'll find a way"

"And you'll have to inform me of some things."

"Will do"

"Good then. I'll look for you here within a week" He turned around to leave.

"Humm..."

He turned back again and was doing the same sexy thing. She walked towards him and he gave a step back, but she didn't stop.

'Am I really going to do this?'

She was in front of him now and he was looking puzzled at her. He wasn't too tall now for her, though she had to get on her tiptoes. She kissed him softly. He didn't respond, but he didn't back away either.

"Don't get yourself killed, please" She whispered

"I'll do my best" And he left.