The first few days of classes were mostly uneventful. All of the seventh year students quickly realized how difficult their N.E.W.T. year was going to be compared to their others. Hermione had decided to drop a couple of her extra classes since she had so much going on. This year she was only taking Potions, Transfiguration, Herbology, Ancient Runes, DADA, Charms, Arithmancy, Astronomy, and History of Magic. She had decided to drop Muggle Studies and Care of Magical Creatures on the advice of Professor McGonagall so that she didn't end up completely drained before the Christmas holidays. At first Hermione felt like a failure since she needed to drop the two classes, but two weeks into the start of the year, Hermione realized that it was for the best.

On the Monday of their third week of classes Hermione, Ron, and Harry were heading to double potions. Since this was the N.E.W.T. class and there wasn't many students participating all of the houses combined to make one class. The class consisted of the three of them as the only Gryffindor's, two Syltherin's (Draco and Blaize), two Hufflepuff's (Hannah Abbott and Justin Finch-Fletchley), and three Ravenclaw's (Padama, Terry Boot, and Anthony Goldstein). With only ten students in the class Professor Snape had made everyone pair off with someone else that was not in the same house as them. This year he seemed to make a lot of changes. While still rude at times, Professor Snape wasn't as hateful and mean, especially towards the Gryffindor's. At times he was even nice to Harry and Ron. No longer did he treat the Slytherin's with special privilege. Instead, whoever got in trouble, no matter what house they were from, they got a punishment fitting the crime. He wasn't lenient by no means, but instead more helpful than in previous years. He was a completely different teacher, and essentially a different man, than he had been. Seeing him every day and the changes he had made in his life and his attitude made Hermione fall madly in love with Professor Severus Snape!

Hermione walked into the Potions classroom after breakfast behind Harry and Ron. When she walked in she noticed Professor Snape sitting at his desk, head bent reading a book. She walked by his desk to her table. She sat down and looked up at him once again. Instead of reading, he was looking directly at her, wearing the expression he was wearing the night of the Welcome Feast. It was such an unrecognizable look on his face, but it was quickly gone as he looked away and at the door as the rest of the students were piling in. Draco came in and sat down beside her, smiling and telling her good morning.

The past two weeks living with Draco had actually been pretty easy. He was never rude or mean. They worked well together on the Head duties and even found themselves studying together before rounds every night. Sometimes they would actually study while other times they sat in their common room discussing the war, their families, school, and their friends. Draco was actually becoming a good friend, someone she trusted. After what Dumbledore said, Harry and Ron gave him a chance as well. Not that they were all the best of friends, but they were actually getting along and working towards a friendship. Hermione was happy with the school year so far.

They sat there in silence as Professor Snape started class. "Today we will start making Veritaserum. We will work on it today and the next two classes. When we are done brewing the potions everyone in here will test their own potions so I will warn you now- pay very close attention to this potion. I also expect a two foot essay on the invention, brewing, and uses of Veritaserum due the day we test our potions. Now the potion is on page 261. For today you only need to finish up step seven and we will put the potion in stasis for you to resume next class. Get to work."

Everyone turned their books to the correct page and looked to see what ingredients they would need to get the potion started for the day. Hermione was up and getting her ingredients before anyone else. She got her ingredients and turned around too quickly to not notice that Draco was directly behind her. She accidentally dropped three of the vials of ingredients which shattered all over the floor. Now they were useless. Hearing the crash Professor Snape came over.

"Miss Granger, since you cannot pay attention to those around you, maybe you would like to spend detention with me tonight at 7 o'clock? Clean up this mess and get back to work" he said and walked back to his desk.

Hermione blushed and did as she was told. She went and got more ingredients and headed back to her workspace. The rest of class went smoothly. She had no problem completing the first part of the potion for the day. She cleaned up her workspace when it was time to leave and packed away her books in her bag. As she was walking out the door Professor Snape yelled out to her, "Miss Granger, do not forget your detention tonight at seven. Do not be late."

Harry and Ron were right behind her as she walked out.

"I can't believe he was actually being serious about the detention Hermione. I thought he was asking if you wanted one, not that you actually were going to have one," said Ron, looking baffled at what just took place.

Hermione also couldn't believe that he had been serious about detention. She hadn't had a detention in years, unless one was to count her time with Umbridge, but the woman was a lunatic, so Hermione herself didn't count that. Plus she was Head Girl, even the Head Girl was subject to a detention if the teachers saw fit. She just shook her head at the boys and said, "Oh, well. It's just one detention."

Both Harry and Ron looked at her oddly but shrugged their shoulders and headed up the steps from the dungeon to head to the Great Hall for lunch. The rest of Hermione's day went by quite quickly and she finally found herself walking from dinner to the potions classroom. She stood outside for a minute, poised to knock, but found that she couldn't. Why does this man make me feel like this? It's Snape! Come on! She found whatever Gryffindor courage that she could find deep within her and finally knocked. She was only able to knock one time and the door opened with her hand set to knock again. Professor Snape opened the door and motioned for her to enter. This is new, Hermione thought, he never opens the door he only yells for me to enter.

"Miss Granger, today you will help me grade some first and second year essays. I figure since you are such a know-it-all you will be okay with these horrific essays," came Professor Snape's silky voice from behind her as she walked to the nearest table (and the one furthest away from his desk) and sat down. He moved beside her table and laid down two stacks of essay and explained to her what the topics had been. He walked away and got some red ink and a new quill for her to grade the papers. As he put it down on the paper and started walking away he said, "Please make it seem like it was actually me grading the papers and not you. Remember I'm not as nice as you."

Hermione started with the first years essays first. These are horrible! Please don't tell me that we were like this as well, she thought. Half of the papers weren't the required length, another part of the papers were not even readable because of such horrible handwriting, and the other tiny part actually did what they were told with only small errors. Hermione truly couldn't believe how bad the papers were. Some were so bad that she started to fully realize exactly why Snape was the way he was, especially when it came to students. When she got to the second years essays, they were almost just as bad. Hopefully they will realize that Snape is such a brilliant teacher and then they will actually put in some effort. Oh yes, she always thought that he was brilliant. No one could deny that he was. She always wished that he would take the time and have a real intellectual conversation with her so that she could show him that she was more than just a "know-it-all" as he loved to call her. She couldn't help how she was. Her parents had instilled a love of knowledge from a very young age. If only Snape would see her as more than a student, maybe then he would see the real her.

Professor Snape was having a hard time concentrating on grading papers. All he could think about was the beautiful young witch sitting in front of him. Ever since he seen her on the train there was something so familiar about her, as if she was an angel out of a dream or something. He had known Hermione Granger for seven years and yet as soon as he saw her, something about her was different. Or was it something about himself? When he looked at her he seen the same beautiful woman that had grown right before his eyes. Her aptitude and thirst for knowledge had always amazed him. In her, he seen his equal in every way. He may have been her teacher, but he was also a man and couldn't help but notice her go from a bushy-haired, know-it-all, little girl to a beautiful, scholarly woman.

Who am I joking? She would never have anything to do with me. I am the greasy bat of the dungeon, Snape thought to himself. He couldn't help but keep glancing up to look at Hermione. He wondered what she was thinking about, if she was thinking of him. He noticed her blush and wished that he could use Legilimency on her to know what she was thinking. But he knew that if he ever tried to use it on her, even without her permission, she would know. Knowing Hermione she has learned everything about Legilimency, maybe she even knew how to use it herself. Ever since school started back all he had done was think of her. What was she doing, what was she thinking, why he kept thinking about her. Snape was starting to think he was going crazy for thinking about her so much.

Snape looked at the time and seen that it was ten o'clock. He had kept her three hours and he didn't get a thing done. Snape got up from his desk and moved towards Hermione.

"It is already ten o'clock Miss Granger. So it's time for you to be heading back to your common room. Thank you for grading these atrocious papers for me," he said smoothly.

"Sir? Did you just thank me?" Hermione said standing up.

"Well, yes, Miss Granger. That is what people say when someone has helped them," he said a little rudely.

"Sorry, sir. It's just that I don't think that I have ever had you thank me for something. I didn't mean to offend you," Hermione said a little sadly, suddenly finding her feet interesting.

"We all change Miss Granger or in my case, if it wasn't for me being a spy in the past I would have been a lot nicer to you in the past."

Hermione looked up at his face to see his lips form a small smile. It was beyond sexy to see that smile. Hermione blushed and looked down at the quill and ink that he had given her. She picked up the quill with one hand and the ink with another.

"Here you go sir," she said trying to hand him the quill and ink.

When Snape reached his hand to get the quill from hers, their hands touched and they both felt a shock go through them both. The shock must have surprised Hermione because she accidentally dropped the ink that she had in the other hand and it shattered. In the next second they were both on their knees in the floor trying to clean up the mess.

"You sure do know how to drop and break things Miss Granger," Snape said looking up into her eyes.

Hermione looked up to see that he wasn't mad, but seen another emotion in his eyes. Their faces were only inches apart and their eyes were glued to one another. Snape tried to peel his eyes away, to the mess on the floor, to anything. But Hermione's big, chocolate eyes were mesmerizing. All he wanted to do was lean in and kiss her luscious pink lips. Slowly, without even knowing he was doing what he wanted, he started leaning in to kiss her. Right before their lips touched Snape seemed to realize what he was about to do.

Quickly he stopped, still looking into her eyes and said, "Hermione, I think you need to leave."

Before he could blink, Hermione ran out of the room as fast as her feet could carry her. After cleaning up the mess, he realized she had left her book bag in the floor beside the table she had worked at and that he had called her Hermione and not Miss Granger.