Hey sorry this update was so late! I have had a terrible writer's block! Anyways… I do hope you enjoy this chapter! I know I did!

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Hermione sniveled from the cold as she removed her cloak once Professor Snape had opened the door to the run-down house… or shack, as she liked to think of it. Was this his home? Her mouth twitched in displeasure, Hermione always thought her teacher to have more refined tastes and at least a bigger place that wasn't so… dusty.

"Incendio!" Snape whipped his wand to a fireplace that seemed to not have been used in decades.

She tried to put on a happy face, not wanting to judge the man and his house for she had been criticized and scrutinized more than enough times to know that it was unfair. Hermione rolled up the fabric in her arms, "Is this your home?" she attempted to sound pleasant but by the growl that rumbled from the Potion Master's chest, she received her answer and waited to be reprimanded for her comment although it was hardly anything more than innocent.

He looked at her as if she were growing antlers from her head, "What do you think?"

She shrugged carefully, hoping to appear indifferent, "Erm… It's nice."

"Nice?" he choked and rolled his eyes as he siphoned the dust from the many surfaces around them with a wordless charm.

Hermione raised an eyebrow at the one-room rickety cottage and gave a polite nod to the place, trying to show her dishonest approval, "Perhaps we can use an enlarging charm?"

She heard a noise from her teacher that she guessed to be a chortle of laughter but wasn't completely sure. Hermione turned to see him putting his wand away and stepping further into the room when he furrowed his brows, "It already has the spell in use to the maximum it can be taken."

Hermione narrowed her eyes at her surroundings, not yet ready to set down her cloak on the old furniture. The little shack wasn't much larger than her bedroom at home. It contained one lumpy old bed with tattered, musty sheets, an armchair, a side table against the wall and a fireplace. She looked harder in the dim lighting and made out a nook in the corner where a small sink, three cabinets and a miniscule stove rested that looked to be irreparable and broken. There was a skinny door that hung on one hinge that led to what she guessed was the lavatory. It was hardly impressive and she still had absolutely no idea why they were there and what they were doing in the middle of the night.

Snape seemed to register her examination of the little room and ran a chapped, white hand through his unruly, black hair, "This is not my living quarters, Granger… in fact, this used to be a dollhouse."

Hermione's mouth gaped open but she tried to repress the groan of disgust that was threatening to ruin her polite façade, "A… a dollhouse, Sir?"

"This is one of the safehouses used by the Order, created by Professor Dumbledore."

She still appeared to be incredulous as her jaw dropped; gravity seemed to have its hold on it, "Dollhouse? I never even…"

Severus hissed in annoyance, "Yes Miss Granger, it is possible, now stop gawking."

Hermione shut her lips tight and glared at him when he turned his back to her, obviously looking around for something. The teacher turned back to her but let his gaze scan the floor awkwardly and she could sense that he was trying to decide what actions would favor their situation and it was so silent that Hermione could hear the man's slow breathing and the fire cracking in the hearth. She decided after awhile that her teacher would not be the first to break the overbearing, thick wall of quiet awkwardness that still hung between them. Taking a deep breath and bracing herself, she was slowly seated on the edge of the old bed to not appear as threatening to him and attempted to offer up a smile,

"So why are we here? What is going on? What did Professor Dumbledore want us to see to?" Hermione tried to give a pleasant tone to not set off the moody Potions Master.

Severus tightened his thin lips unpleasantly, "There were rumors of an imminent attack on Potter-"

Hermione jumped up, "What? We need to go back and get Harry!" she grabbed her cloak and headed towards the door.

He caught her collar and pulled her back, "Granger, let me finish."

She frowned, "What do you mean an attack on Harry? When are they planning it and why aren't we taking Harry with us… here?"

Rolling his eyes, he pointed to the bed where he wanted her to seat herself once more. She obediently complied not without a little reluctance on her end, but waited for him to explain everything. He did.

Hermione crossed her feet and tucked them behind her as she wrung her hands in a serious dread and nasty realization that she would indeed be stuck with Professor Snape until the attackers who wanted either her or Ron against Harry, were arrested or killed… at least until the winter break was over and they would be safe at Hogwarts again, "Why couldn't I have just stayed at the school?"

Severus remained cold, "Albus will be away for the holidays on business affairs and did not want any of the other students to be vulnerable during this Death Eater plot."

She bit her lip and stared at her hands, "Is this a reliable source of information?" she questioned, unsure and trying to find any way out of spending two whole weeks in the tiny shack with the bat of the dungeons for company and protection. She was going to be bored to tears, she knew it… either that or terribly bullied by the Slytherin teacher.

Snape was a little more than insulted at her questioning his rationality and expertise as a spy, unbeknownst to her, and he tried to behave unaffected but his annoyance crept through, "Yes, it is reliable!" he snapped.

Hermione flinched at his abrupt tone directed to her and she slightly fidgeted her body further from him, "Sorry…" she looked back up at him for just a glance, "Professor?"

"What!" he hissed.

"Erm… if we are going to be here together for two weeks… shouldn't we try to be a little more amiable?" She offered, hoping he would warm up to her a little bit. Hermione was more than determined to have a tolerable Christmas.

Severus smirked and slipped off his cloak with ease before seating himself in the armchair, "On what terms will we be affable and good-natured?"

Hermione gave him a genuine smile and changed her seating closest to the dark man, taking advantage of the rare and pleasant mood that he seemed to be in, although something affirmed in the back of her mind that it was sarcasm written across his face and not genuine pleasantry. She cleared her throat, "Well, if we are to spend such a vast amount of intimate-" Snape gave her a low growl at her word usage and she stiffened a bit in the awkwardness, "erm… close and personal time together over the holidays… perhaps we should behave more as agreeable acquaintances rather than—student and teacher?" she winced and shut her eyes, waiting for the lecture to follow her proffered idea.

To her pleasant surprise, there was no reprimand to follow but just silence. She realized that the Potions Master must have been weighing the outcomes of such an arrangement. He took out his wand in a elegant wave and flicked the long ebony instrument towards a crooked cupboard from which flew a dusty glass flute and an old bottle of a deep, ruby red wine. The floating objects magically performed the exercise that Snape had instructed it to do before the glass levitated towards the man now full of the red—almost black—liquid. He took a sip and swirled the contents of the flute around, creating a swishing noise that harmonized with the cracking flames, "And why would you want a friendly holiday with your teacher… as equals?" he said this as though the words were poisonous to utter.

She frowned and gave him the honest truth, licking her lips from her parched mouth as she watched the wine continue its circular trip around the delicate glass, "Because I want an enjoyable holiday… even if I have to spend it without the ones I love… I intend to be joined by more or less—a friend, if you will—rather than a teacher from school. I don't need any lectures if I have to be stuck here with you and I am more than positive that you feel the same way towards me." She explained, trying to take her eyes off the tempting liquid that was sating the Potion Master and probably diluting the sharp edge around his exterior.

"I hate Christmas." Severus announced.

Hermione raised an eyebrow, "I don't care."

He looked somewhat taken aback by her rude reply, "Miss Gra—"

"I'm not Miss Granger to you… I am Hermione now and you are Severus. We are polite friends who had the misfortune to be marooned together here in this God-forsaken shack and I am determined to make the most of it." She stood up quickly, not wanting to hear his outrage at her disrespectful address and meandered to the bathroom, hoping that there would be a proper cleaning station to rid herself of the wet and dirty snow that had seeped through her clothing.

"Where do you think you are going?" Severus stood up, not happy… he had a thing or two to discuss with the forward girl.

Before she closed the door that was hanging on only one hinge, she replied, "I'm going to take a bath."

When Hermione had finished and she had used the Tergeo charm that Snape had cast earlier to get rid of the dust and she to clean up her clothes, she walked out with dripping wet hair and an oversized towel wrapped around her fresh body. There had luckily been a bar of soap that she had cleaned up with and had, after some desperation of the lack of cleansing serums for her hair, decided to use it on her wet tendrils that now had a bright sheen and clean scent. She saw Severus Snape still in the old armchair with a full glass of wine, filled to the brim and she was a little more than curious as to how many portions of alcohol the dark man had helped himself to. Was he really that turned off to her? Was she really that awful and grotesque to him that he couldn't handle the thought of her presence for two weeks? Did Hermione drive the usually proper man to a drunken state?

She walked up to him and took the glass out of his hand which he was just about to take a sip from, "How many of these have you had?"

Severus bolted up from his chair, "What are you doing?" his speech was somewhat groggy, and although she could see that the wine bottle was nearly empty, the Potions Master held his liquor quite well, it appeared. She, on the other hand, was a mess when it came to alcohol but shook herself from the bad memory and concentrated on the angry man in front of her.

"Are you trying to get drunk? I thought you were supposed to protect me, Professor!"

He sneered at her and waivered a bit but it was only normal to have him be a little woozy at the least. If he had been any more composed, Hermione would have thought he had dumped nearly three quarters of the intoxicating liquid down the dirty drain of the small sink. She steadied him with a hand against his chest, but he slapped the small gesture away, "I thought you didn't want to have a student-teacher relationship! I thought I was Hermione and you were Severus..." he mumbled while swaying again and Hermione supported his form again.

So maybe he was a little drunker than she thought, at least he held his words clear enough… "Alright, Severus. Why are you intoxicated?"

Hermione led him to sit on the bed and he held up a shaky hand to his temple, "Intoxi—what?" he murmured before groaning as his hair fell in his face.

"Why are you drunk?" she said it slowly and loudly.

He gave a growl at her pronunciation, not appreciating her treating him like a child… even if he was tipsy, "Because I drank almost the whole bottle." He said, matter-of-factly like it should have been the most obvious thing in the world and it made complete sense to him. He looked up and remembered he had not finished his recent glass that Hermione had so nastily stolen from him and stood up quickly to retrieve it off the small table beside the armchair.

"Oh no you don't!" Hermione tugged on his waistcoat, bringing him easily back to her as a dead weight where he came crashing to the bed.

He moaned and gave her a nasty look, "Don't touch me!" he scooted from her as if she had the plague. A drunken Professor Snape was more than she had bargained for when she had left him to take a bath.

She wanted an answer from him, "Why did you drink the whole bottle of wine, Severus?"

The Potions Master let his lips be remoistened by a quick slip of his tongue before he answered, "Because it tasted good."

Hermione rolled her eyes and decided that she probably wouldn't receive a legitimate answer from him as long as he was under the influence of the potent alcohol. He smirked at her while his hair covered his eyes, "You should try some."

Shaking her head no, Hermione tried to push the man back to lay down so she could look for a draught in the old medicine cabinet she found in the bathroom that would help sober up the poor man. He swatted at her, "Stop!"

"You need to lie down and rest!" she commanded him in an authoritative tone that he only mocked by silently moving his lips indignantly.

The man truly was a piece of work, "Professor Snape!"

He looked up and tilted his head quickly to whip his hair out of his face, "It's Severus, remember?" he corrected sarcastically with a goofy smirk, "I thought you were my friend, Hermione." He reminded her as if he was hurt that she didn't remember.

She was taken aback for only a moment, "If you want me to call you Severus then you need to be polite and listen to your friend."

Snape watched her carefully, his dilated pupils erasing any hint of the dark chocolate that was usually evident in a warm light. Before she thought he had understood her, she jumped a little when he went crashing to his back, against the bed as she had tried to get him to do earlier, while his legs still hung off the side. Hermione had to brace herself and remind her nagging spirit that the man before her was not truly Snape and she had to treat him accordingly. He was drunk and she needed to remember before she went around reprimanding the dark wizard who couldn't be held accountable in his delusional state. He lay silent; staring up at her with an expression she had never seen before and didn't know how to read.

"Why are you spinning?" he asked, breaking the barrier.

Hermione shook herself, "Oh erm… let me get something for you, I'll be right back."

He seemed concerned, "Where are you going?"

She glanced back at his vulnerable emotions and sighed, "I'm just going to the bathroom for a moment."

Snape started laughing hysterically and Hermione narrowed her eyes, not understanding what was so funny, "What are you laughing at?"

"You have to use the loo!" he cackled, holding his stomach.

Hermione sighed dejectedly and shook her head as she made her way to the small room where she had just cleaned herself up. To her complete disappointment, the cabinet was empty of any sobering drafts. She leaned against the wall for only a moment, dreading the thought of having to face the drunken Potions Master again. When she heard a gulping sound and a satisfied sigh, Hermione quickly exited the restroom to find Severus Snape almost unconscious with the glass that she had taken away, lying next to him while he lay soaked in the red liquid that he had spilled all over his coat, face and hair. She screamed to herself in frustration. Why had he all of a sudden just decided to get trashed? Wasn't he too proud for such actions? Obviously not, she considered.

She snapped her fingers in his face, still very angry and he opened his black eyes with a smile when he saw her, "'Mioneee…"

"It's Miss Granger to you!" she reproached and stepped back from him, folding her arms, as he tried to attempt to sit up. His actions were in vain.

Hermione had caught a glimpse of his face and felt a little guilty although the anger at him drinking even more had still not completely subsided. Severus' expression read of hurt and sadness, realizing that he had disappointed the girl somehow but his mind was too foggy to remember or to figure out why that was as he lifted his head, "I like 'Mioneee better… I'm Sev, by the waaay." He mumbled, his words thick with the alcohol that was hindering his speech now.

Her stern gaze softened somewhat, "I know who you are." She said, still a little hurt, "Let's get you to bed." She grabbed Snape's elbow and helped him sit up before she realized that he was still soaked from the wine. Hermione cursed her luck but didn't let the vulnerable, drunk sitting in front of her notice her loathing expression, "Do you think you can sit up on your own for just a moment?" She tried to ask but he seemed to be in quite a daze and his head lazily rested against her scantily clad chest, only a towel separating him from her skin which frightened her in more ways than one.

He mumbled something inaudible and she shook her head in frustration and stupidity as the teacher's weight lay firmly against her form. She decided that trying to get him to sit up like a big boy would be a little more than impossible so she laid him back down and retrieved a small, musty hand towel from the bathroom. Hermione returned with it soaked with unpurified water that she had to let run from the faucet for a few moments before it actually turned clear. Carefully, so as not to scar her or make the man uncomfortable, she started to remove his coat by letting her nimble fingers unfasten his many buttons. What she once used to be fascinated with, she now despised. Hermione used to think the many round fastenings were rather becoming on the Potions Master and detailed his elegant outfit with an air of sophistication but now she only cursed at the numerous amount that reminded her of what she was actually doing. Each button she undid, the more her conscience was screaming at her to let her remember that she was undressing her teacher! Her teacher!

How old was he? Surely at least forty? He appeared even older but when she reflected her eyes to his face, she saw an expression that made him look so much younger. Snape was watching her every move but was too groggy to come to his senses at what was really happening. Hermione just bit her lip and fumbled with the last button before breathing a sigh of relief as she help him sit up once more so she could slip his arms out of the coat. Thankfully, the thick material was sturdy enough to not spill more than a few spots of the wine to his dress shirt. Hermione helped him up to a standing wobble and coaxed him very gently to walk towards the head of the bed to where he could rest his head on the pillows and she could "tuck him in." As he ungracefully let his weight fall back onto the bed while Hermione helped his legs under the covers after removing his shoes, his black eyes traced her form with a sort of amusement that Hermione abhorred to see… drunken humor.

He smiled at her, "You're in a towel, 'Er—mionee." He slurred.

She couldn't help but crack a small grin at the way he said her name in his deep voice. For a split second she wondered how it would sound if he was sober… shivers ran through her body and she reprimanded herself for thinking such things about her teacher. Every girl she knew had had a crush at least once in their time at school and she was no exception but she had recovered from it rather quickly when Ron had decided to date Lavender. Her heart ached for the red-head. She closed her eyes for only a split second before she remembered where she was, "I am in a towel still because as soon as I came out to find a spare piece of clothing, I found you drunk!"

He raised a studious eyebrow, "I nnnever asked you to helppp me. You stole mmmy glass too! Where isss it? I neeeed another—"

Hermione shook her head, "You drank it anyways, remember? Your bottle of wine is empty."

Severus gave her an evil grin and whispered to her as though he was trying to tell her a secret, "I have more, you know. Next time—"

Her eyes widened, "Next time? There won't be a next time, Professor! You are officially finished with your drinking streak as long as you are with me!" She stood up and walked towards a small dresser and pulled out a few drawers, "Sir?" she asked, needing his help.

He swung his face to the other side, groaning as if it weighed a ton, and frowned as he watched her search for something, "My name is Severussss."

Hermione eyed him, "You are still my teacher."

He narrowed his eyes, "Severusss Tobiasss Ssssnape!"

She looked back at him, hugging her towel to her tighter, "Alright Severus, if you have an alcohol stash then you must have other things here as well. Do you have any spare clothes so I can wash my own?"

"Last drawer… down." He mumbled before hiccupping and wincing and Hermione assumed his head was spinning and starting to ache.

She found neatly piled clothing that seemed to have rested there for about a year but she couldn't know for sure and she wondered why this seemed to be his secret hide out. What did he have to run from? Hermione pulled out a crisp white dress shirt and held it against her body, making sure it would be long enough to cover herself reasonably. She was still a little dumbfounded as she carried the piece of clothing into the bathroom for privacy that she would be wearing Professor Snape's clothing… it was an oddly personal feeling and she just hoped that when he woke up with a pounding hangover that he would not be outraged by her using his shirt as a nightdress. Hermione buttoned the shirt all the way down that almost reached to her knees but was a few inches short and examined herself in the grimy mirror above the sink. Her hair had dried into thick, golden waves and her skin glowed from the heat that the fireplace was emitting.

What would Professor Snape think of her if he was sober and she had come out dressed in his shirt, looking as she did then? It was almost challenging and sexy but she surely knew he would not be amused. She sniffed a faint fragrance on the clothing, past the musty smell that the shack reeked of, and could smell a spice that she knew must have been the teacher's own scent. She blushed but tried to forget her less than clean thoughts that her fancy from months before had consisted of and rolled up her sleeves, remembering that the dark wizard was still wet with wine on his face and hair. It was extremely awkward that she would have to… touch his face but it was the decent thing to do. She assumed that he would be a little more than embarrassed that he had behaved so wretchedly by morning.

Hermione walked out of the restroom and saw Snape keeping his dark, glazed over, eyes staring at her more womanly figure coming towards him. She carefully climbed onto the bed and crawled over to her teacher, timidly. She took up the wash cloth and began her silent ministrations of wiping the almost dried red liquid off his face and neck. More nervous than ever, she tried not to meet the man's gaze that was staring at her as if she were an angel or his fairy godmother. He gawked at her more incredulously than she had ever seen him before.

"You're nnnot as ugly as you uuused to beee…" he slurred, giving a smile, like what he was saying was the sweetest thing in the world.

Hermione met his gaze, "You thought I was ugly?"

He grinned wider, "You weren't very prrretty. But nnnow you're beeeautiful."

Her cheeks blazed with a fiery red color and she tried to look away from his intoxicated eyes, but she found herself unable to rip her gaze to anything else, "Oh um… thank you."

Severus was pleased at her reply, "Are weee friends, 'Mioneee?"

Hermione gulped as she rubbed away the mess from his dark brow, "Erm… uh yeah, I mean yes."

He looked more than concerned, "But not whennn I'm not drunk, riiight 'Mioneee?"

She was a bit unsettled by his comment, "Well you are my teacher—"

"You don't wanna beee my friend?" he frowned as he worded it like a statement rather than a question.

"Oh, erm we can be friends, Severus." She gave him a small smile and started rubbing his hair with the wet cloth to wash out the sticky mess.

"Promise? Even whennn… I'm not dddrunk?" he asked.

She felt saddened at his comment… its not that she didn't want to be friends with the man, if he was polite to her then she would return the favor… But the fact that he seemed so desperate to have her as his friend was more than evident and she wondered if this was coming from an honest place in his heart. Severus Snape was lonely. Of course he was lonely! He scared away everyone who even seemed to care although Albus Dumbledore had not given up on him yet but all the others had.

"I promise." She affectionately let her fingers comb through the tangled hair that she had been rubbing. It was so soft! The black hair that everyone claimed to be greasy was as fragile and soft as silk.

At this action, Severus shut his eyes and moaned in pleasure at the small hand. What was this new side to him? Of course he was drunk but was he really that lonely and desperate to enjoy his Gryffindor student? She knew it wasn't in a sexual way that he asked for her to be his comrade, but out of desperation for acknowledgement and although he was intoxicated, she figured that her innocent actions would do for the night. He needed it. Hermione adjusted herself carefully beside him and let her head rest on her bended arm as she took the rag and rubbed it against his face. She had removed everything but he was enjoying it so much that she didn't have the heart to stop.

He opened the once closed black orbs and stared at her for a long time, "You're vvvery prrretty."

She gave him a small smile, almost wishing that the real Severus Snape would behave in such a kind way and not be so nasty to her, "You said that earlier, but thank you for telling me again."

"I can't helppp it. You're REALLY prrretty. Almossst all grrrown uppp!"

Hermione stopped her ministrations with the almost dry rag and noticed that he still had his neck piece on, "Oh you're cravat! I'm sorry!" she sat up quickly and undid the black fabric that held his collar so tightly to his neck.

By the time she had removed the ebony cloth, Severus Snape's features had softened even more in a soft slumber as his parted lips let out inescapable sighs of a long awaited sleep from the alcohol. She decided to wrap the covers over his now very limp body and waved her wand to the fireplace to calm it down to a few small flames. Scooting to the edge of the bed, away from her teacher, and Hermione curled into a small ball as the last conscience thought running through her mind was the compliments of a drunken Severus Snape playing through her mind.

You're really pretty… almost grown up.