Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author.

Just to let everyone know, this was originally written back in 06-07 so this is just the edited version, that I am gradually reposting on . There are a few minor time-line changes and some things have been mixed-up a little to make the story feasible. Sorry if you thought this was new :)

Kudos go to Alliean for beta-ing this for me.

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Part One

There are always different ways to misinterpret situations, but the easiest are to make assumptions from what you see. And what Severus Snape often saw in his Potions classroom at Hogwarts left him with little doubt that this particular generation of wizards, were complete and total dunderheads.

All except for one of the students in his Seventh year, N.E.W.T level Potions class, could not brew a potion to perfection if their lives were at stake. And even that lone student, although brilliant, which he admitted grudgingly, would merely be wasted potential if she did not survive the war that was slowly encroaching in on their lives.

He glared out at his Potions class and let the glare rest on the face of Ronald Weasley. He hated this boy even more than the Boy-who-just-lived-to-torment-him. Sneering, he waved a hand, and wandlessly the instructions for the lesson appeared on the board.

'See that you pay special attention to your cauldrons this lesson,' he drawled. 'I will not accept botched-up work, and you will receive an automatic fail for the day if you even attempt to present me with such.'

Everyone began to make their potions. It was a simple Memory Enhancing Potion, which was fairly tame for their first N.E.W.T. Potions class for the year. No objections, no whining. Just the way he liked it. If he wasn't so brusque with them, there was no doubt in his mind that they would be whining at him to no end like they did to every other professor.

But as if it were not enough that he even had to teach teenagers, the very bane of his existence began her daily torture of him. A distinctly feminine-looking, well-manicured hand shot up into the air. He looked straight at Hermione Granger with a piercing glare, but she didn't shrink away as she once did when she was an eleven-year-old child. Instead, she remained neutral but just as insistent on gaining his attention.

Severus decided it would be easiest if he just ignored her. Maybe it would go away? But apparently the girl didn't know when to give up. Hermione, determined to get a response, called out 'Professor?' in an exasperated voice.

Snape couldn't ignore her now. Blast the determined little witch to no end! 'Yes, Miss Granger?' he answered bluntly.

'Sir, the Memory Enhancing Potion does not have any daisy root in it. It has root of asphodel,' she pointed out, gesturing at the error on the board.

Severus sneered. She actually had the fortitude to wave her hand about in the air, interrupt him when he was busy, and then correct him in front of his entire class? He was positively fuming. How could she go from being the submissive little know-it-all, to a bold, young Gryffindor lioness in one summer?

Mentally scolding himself for his internal battle, and for not responding to her earlier, he chose to favor the girl with a look of disdain. 'Thank you for your input, Miss Granger, however, we at Hogwarts do not give out brownie points for being insufferable know-it-all's,' he snarked.

This made the Slytherin's chuckle with glee, while Harry-Bloody-Potter and his pet weasel became red with anger on her behalf. Miss Granger, however, seemed unaffected by his insult, and only spun around to warn her two friends off making a scene. How was she so resistant to his scorn?

'I do not want to hear any of you for the rest of the lesson!' he barked at the Slytherin's, who cringed under his glare.

Thankfully for him, not all of his students were as resilient as Miss Granger. He silently looked over the classroom, wordlessly made the correction to the board, and went back to checking his class plans for the next week. Everything became silent again, which was just how he liked it.

That was, of course, until a loud bang erupted through the classroom.

When he looked up, Snape saw that nearly half the class had been thrown backwards off their stools. Ironically, he had actually been waiting for that to happen. It just wasn't Potions without Neville Longbottom fucking something up. Call it a ritual if you would. Cauldron number one for that school year could well and truly be crossed off the list. The question remaining was, just how had he managed it this time?

'Mr. Longbottom, would you care to explain why half of my classroom is now covered in your sorry excuse for a potion?' he asked, just as he began to sense that something was amiss.

'Hermione!' Neville yelled, throwing his potion-covered self to the ground where she was writhing around in pain before she stopped, unconscious.

Snape was there in an instant, bending down to the girl and checking her for a pulse. He found it, but it was significantly weaker than normal. She was covered in a red, painful-looking rash, and had become quite pale. He looked up to see that the rest of the students in the class had gathered round.

'What are you all standing there for? Someone go and alert the Matron to ready a bed, you idiots!' he roared. Harry darted out of the room quickly.

He lifted the limp girl into his arms and stood up, making his way out of the classroom. He paused in the doorway and turned back momentarily barking out, 'The rest of you will stay here and clean this mess. When it is spotless, you are dismissed!'

He rushed to the Hospital Wing with Neville close in tow, trying to walk as fast as he could without losing the bumbling idiot. 'Longbottom, what was the last ingredient you added before your cauldron exploded?' he demanded furiously.

'D-dragon scales, sir,' he stammered.

Dragon scales… Dragon scales…? That wasn't even part of the blasted potion. The Granger girl was allergic to dragon scales. He snorted in derision. Only Neville Longbottom could botch a potion and explode a cauldron all over the classroom with the only ingredient that Hermione Granger was allergic to in it.

They burst into the hospital wing and Madame Pomfrey ushered him to the nearest bed that she had prepared. 'What happened, Severus?' she asked frantically.

'A cauldron exploded,' he said, giving Neville a dark look, 'and Miss Granger was exposed to the contents of said cauldron. I am afraid that she is having an allergic reaction to dragon scales.'

Poppy rushed off, but returned mere moments later with a number of potions and salves in her arms. 'Severus, I may need your help, however, you two boys,' she said, looking at Harry and Neville, 'may leave now,' she finished sternly.

They left immediately, and Snape was handed a potion. 'Make sure she swallows all of this while I apply the salve,' she commanded softly.

Severus put the vial to her mouth and coaxed her jaw open with his long fingers. He tipped the potion in smoothly, and then massaged her neck so that she could swallow. Her swallowing reflexes were not functioning in her unconsciousness. Once he had finished that, he helped apply the balm to her neck and face and cleaned the Potion from her robe.

'Enerverate' Poppy said, pointing her wand at Hermione's chest.

Her eyes flew open, and reflexively, she tried to sit up. Snape braced her down with a hand on each of her shoulders. 'Don't try and get up just yet, Miss Granger. You're weak from your ordeal,' he said quietly.

The Matron did a check, nodded, then left to get Hermione some chocolate. Hermione looked up at Snape fondly. Was she insane? The next thing he heard was her saying something to him.

'I'm sorry, Professor. And thank you,' she said, leaning up and giving him a swift kiss on the cheek. Snape was so numb with shock, he didn't even notice as his feet carried him out of the hospital wing.

It had been a long day, and now what he really needed was a shower, a drink, and maybe even some sleep.

--

Some things were harder to believe than others, and Severus Snape had found himself the victim of one of the most unbelievable things to occur in his life. Firstly, Hermione Granger had gone out of her way to thank him for doing his duty. And then she had kissed him, even if it was only a peck on the cheek. That kind of thing was inexcusable.

She had become a complete mystery to him lately, and never failed in surprising him further with her newfound abilities. Why, just two days before she had astounded him in the library using wandless magic to levitate a book to herself.

Only he, in the entire history of Hogwarts, had ever managed to accomplish full control over his wandless magic by his seventh year. And now he and Miss-know-it-all-Granger had another thing in common, apart from their brilliance, love for learning, and need to be surrounded by books.

Shaking himself from his thoughts, he stood up and left his office, thundering into his classroom, with his robes billowing behind him dramatically, as was customary. He had a classroom full of bold Gryffindor's and sneaky Slytherin fifth years this period. This lot was okay when they had the sense to keep quiet, which, unfortunately, was not as often as he would have liked.

He sat at his desk and waved a hand, the instructions for the lesson appearing on the board. 'Read the board, take notes and write me a six-inch essay on the topic, due next Monday. Use your Potions texts as a reference or have the sense to go to the library,' he said crisply.

He then settled into his seat. It was finally Friday, and this was thankfully his last class for the first week of the new school year. He was making a good start, leaving out the fact that Longbottom had ritually caused an explosion and nearly killed one of his classmates.

The classroom fell into a state of blissful silence for all of five minutes, before an irritable Gryffindor student raised a hand into the air in a familiarly annoying fashion. He groaned and closed his eyes.

'Yes, Mr. Jennings?' he asked with just a hint of annoyance.

'Is it true that you saved the Head Girl the other day from dying?' Lincoln Jennings asked innocently.

He knew that this would happen. You do one good deed… 'Yes, Mr. Jennings. I assisted Madame Pomfrey with Miss Granger's recovery, however, she was hardly dying,' he replied curtly.

'Oh!' the boy exclaimed slowly, putting his hand out to accept the Galleon that Justin Brown handed to him from down the bench.

Snape frowned. The stupid boy was being dared to ask the fearsome Potions Master a stupid, trivial question about Herm- Miss Granger? How immature…

'Ten points from Gryffindor, Mr. Jennings. And if you can't keep your trap shut for the rest of the lesson, I shall arrange it so that you and Mr. Filch will have some quality time together this evening,' he threatened in a dangerously low voice. 'And that goes for the rest of you twits as well!'

The boy did not speak up for the remainder of class, and even packed his books away in silence when he dismissed them. Snape was then left alone in the empty Potions classroom to brood as he stared at the front row of desks.

Nobody else even dared to sit there except for Miss Granger. She was always there, and either early or on time, with perfect results and flawless potions.

How did she manage it all? He assumed that she didn't have the time turner any longer, as she was already eighteen and no further years had been added to her age to indicate that she was a frequent user. She was actually just like he had been when he attended Hogwarts, except, perhaps with a few more friends. She was, however, uncaring of what her peers thought and not very social, but not anti-social. She was even like that to people in her own house, which showed that, unlike him, she did not hold any House prejudices. But she did read an awful lot, like him.

He was a solitary figure, and was discovering almost daily, that she was just as lone a figure as he was. He felt as if she was fast becoming the first thing he thought about when he wasn't busy.

That was, by no means, a good thing. He really didn't like the girl at all. He just felt as though they shared a few things in common. She meant about as much to him as everyone else at Hogwarts. And that was absolutely nothing at all. He snorted aloud. He really needed to stop trying to make comparisons between her behaviour and his.

Giving himself a mental shake for the second time that day, he picked himself out of his seat and went to his chambers. He dropped into one of his chairs just in time to see the green flames, and Albus Dumbledore's likeness appeared in his fireplace.

'May I come in, Severus?' he asked warmly.

'By all means, Albus,' he said wearily, waving him through and indicating for him to sit. 'Tea?' he offered.

'No, thank you, Severus. I just thought I'd stop by for a little while,' he said kindly.

'What brings you here?' Severus asked directly.

'Ah! Severus, direct as ever,' Albus said with a barely disguised chuckle. Snape gave him a quelling look.

'Well, one of us has to be; the other is obviously trying to run in circles again,' Snape replied haughtily.

'Very well; it concerns the Head Girl, and where her study is going,' he said, weighing his words carefully. 'I would also like to thank you for your care of Miss Granger when you helped Poppy the other day.'

'What's this about her study?' he interrupted, sensing that Albus was trying to skirt around the topic again.

Severus didn't have any patience for another one of Albus' manipulative games that afternoon. And he wasn't about to let the old man start. He simply sat there and waited for the Headmaster to give him a straightforward answer.

'Well, I was rather thinking that it might be beneficial to both yourself and Miss Granger if she were to take her N.E.W.T's now, and continue at Hogwarts as your apprentice,' Dumbledore suggested with as much nonchalance as he dared to have around Snape.

Talk about dropping the bomb on a person. Severus felt he might have been hearing things. 'Pardon me, Headmaster, but did you just say Hermione Granger and Potions Apprentice in the same sentence?' he asked.

'Why yes, I did. Would that be acceptable for you? She is eighteen years old after all, and fully capable of making her own decisions. And she is more than intelligent enough to complete her N.E.W.T's and become a competent Apprentice for you,' Albus argued smoothly.

Snape knew he had been backed into a corner and there was no way out. The old, manipulative geezer was just too damnably convincing for his own good.

'Why not Minerva?' he asked.

'Because I have discussed this with Miss Granger, and she wishes to pursue a Potions Apprenticeship with you, my boy,' Albus replied with a twinkle.

Severus cursed inwardly. He had already had a consultation with the girl, and she, blast the insolent chit, had chosen him as a mentor and Master. Damn and Hell!

'Then you've already decided,' he replied bluntly, which was received with a chuckle from Albus.

--

Most people liked to walk about in the morning sun, and simply enjoy that brief moment of simplicity and peace it brought, with the dew on the grass or the mist in the air. Each and every molecule was just one fresher, newer thing for a day that would soon be polluted with corrupt toxins and human waste. Severus Snape, unfortunately, was not "most people" and was, therefore, not entirely happy about having to escort Hermione Granger to the Ministry for her N.E.W.T's through the dew-slick grass of the grounds in the early morning sun.

'Thank you again for escorting me to the Ministry, Professor,' Hermione said brightly, her eyes seemingly filled with their own light.

Severus ignored her radiant glow, and contented himself with giving her an ominous look of derision. He wouldn't even be escorting the chit if he didn't have to oversee her blasted Potions N.E.W.T. And he only had to do that, because there were no other available Potions masters in the blasted United Kingdom. Personally, he would rather be in his classroom teaching his ungrateful students, than leaving them to vegetate under Albus's instruction.

'It's not a problem, Miss Granger, nor was it my choice,' he replied curtly.

But even that didn't seem to dampen her enthusiasm. The girl was simply incorrigible. What could he possibly say that would permanently drive her away? But still, she seemed to be so genuinely interested in his science and instruction. Why?

'Professor Snape, please spare me those condescending looks. I realize that you are only saying those things to discourage me from pursuing this Apprenticeship. Why is that, sir?' she asked curiously.

Bugger and blast, but she was intuitive. Nobody - and he would quote that later - NOBODY ever saw through one of his facades. He gave a mental groan, and stopped on the pathway.

'Miss Granger, I do not hate you, if that is what you think. However, I do find it extremely hard to believe that you would truly appreciate my company or instruction as your master and colleague. I am a very harsh taskmaster. Would you care to enlighten me on these points?' he asked and answered as honestly as he could.

Hermione nodded, and smiled at his logic. He was feeling as insecure about this Apprenticeship as she was.

'Professor, I am not scared of you. I do not hate you, and if it makes any difference, I have been defending you against Harry and Ron. Do you understand how hard that is for me? Can you not see that I respect you? I respect your work, and I am grateful for everything you do for us. That is why I have chosen you as my mentor,' she answered. It was as much a truth as she was telling him for now.

Severus could only nod, and continued the trek away from the castle. They made the rest of their journey to the school gates in silence, and only when they arrived, did he turn to face her.

'Are you able to Apparate yet?' he asked shortly.

'I have my license, but I haven't had much opportunity to practice yet,' she replied, suddenly feeling a little self-conscious because of her lack of skill in that certain magical ability as of yet.

'Come here then. We shall have to do so in tandem,' he said exasperatedly, extending his arms to her and drawing her as close as was comfortably possible. He didn't want to have to touch her so informally, but the moment called for it. She looked up at him in surprise, but accepted this small intimacy in any case. It was sort of comforting.

They disappeared with a pop, and reappeared in the central foyer of the Ministry. She nearly toppled over from feeling dizzy, but was caught roughly by Severus who steadied her on her feet, before completely removing his person from hers.

'Come,' he commanded in his classroom voice, beginning to walk off without her once more in the direction of the Ministry's East Wing. Hermione had to admit that he was beginning to become a tad annoying. She almost had to jog to keep up with his long strides.

They made it to a door that was almost as impressive as the Great Oak front doors at Hogwarts, except this one was made of mahogany and was built on a smaller scale. Severus opened them and ushered her inside quickly. They were late. He closed the door after letting himself inside. The rest of the exam overseers were there already, waiting for them.

'We apologize for our lateness. We were regrettably detained,' he said formally, but shot a look at Hermione as if to say it was her fault they were late. She was going to talk to him about that silent accusation later, but for now, she would have to remain in her place.

The oldest wizard stepped forward and beckoned Severus to join the rest of the assembled examiners. This left Hermione to stand alone in the middle of the room. 'Miss Hermione Granger, are you ready to begin your testing?' he asked kindly.

Hermione nodded mutely, unable to appropriate the right words to say. She stepped forward and rested her heart hand over the Ministry N.E.W.T. rules and guidelines book that the older wizard held.

'Please answer my questions with 'I do so intend', if that is your true answer,' he said formally. 'Do you intend to follow every rule set by the Ministry in relation to your N.E.W.T testing?'

'I do so intend.'

'And do you intend to uphold this bond and not cheat, nor ignore orders while doing these tests?'

'I do so intend.'

'And do you, Hermione Granger, intend to remain at the Ministry until you have completed all of your exams to the best of you ability?' he asked finally.

'I do so intend,' she replied quietly.

'Wonderful! Now let's get started. What exam would you like to complete first?' he asked with a reassuring smile. Hermione tugged her bottom lip between her teeth in a nervous gesture, and felt her stomach squirm in anticipation.

'May I start with Arithmancy? It promises to be the longest one,' she asked, explaining her choice briefly.

A shorter, rounder woman with a cheery face stepped out of the throng of adult witches and wizards. 'Follow me to the next room, dear,' she said, sounding just like motherly Molly Weasley.

Hermione followed and soon after, she had completed all but one of her exams, feeling, with no doubts, as though she had passed them. This just left her with the Potions examination. She was now beginning to feel that she should not have left this one to last, but was definitely eager to get it done.

She followed Snape through to the back room that she had become fairly well acquainted with throughout the day. She looked around, and found that this room was an almost exact replica of her Potions classroom at Hogwarts. She looked up at Snape in question.

'It is easier on the mind when one is in a familiar environment,' he sad simply, taking a seat at his desk. 'You may begin when you are ready.'

Hermione looked at the ingredients, and it didn't take too long for her to determine the Potion that she would have to make from them. She made the Blood Replenishing Potion with ease and did the written tasks while it cooled, before bottling a sample and taking it to Snape's desk. She announced her completion, before promptly fainting onto the floor.

Snape stood from his seat quickly and scooped Hermione up into his arms, as he had only two weeks before, and carried her out of the room. He decided that it would be easier just to take her back to Hogwarts and have her treated by Poppy, and so he left with the passed-out Head Girl and Apparated back to the gates.

She was going to feel the bumps from that fall in the morning.

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A/N – This is a story that I wrote about two and a half years ago now, so if it's terrible, blame it on my younger self. It is complete, and each part will be posted as it has been beta'd.