Disclaimer: Not mine, never will be.

Damn Fate. And damn Dumbledore while you're at it. Not only do I now have to attend classes with that greasy git, but I also have to figure out a way to save the dark bastard from himself, whatever that means. And to top it off, I can't tell Harry and Ron, not that they'd be any help. They both hate him with an undying passion. I'll probably be added to that hate list if they ever learn of my "charge."

I let a small sigh escape my lips. I told Dumbledore I'd help him, and I'm not about to go back on my word. As I sit in the stands of my sanctuary, and least favorite place, I let the darkness posses my hatred and depression. I let the darkness become part of me. Just as it consumed him those many years ago, I let it consume me, but I retain a grain of self-control that when the time comes, will return me to reality, a grain that will save me from his dark path and, hopefully, prove to be his salvation.

I glance at my watch. I have two hours until the sun rises, two hours until I have to face the world, two hours until I have to face him, two hours until fate will place us in the same room, two hours until I have to pick up the remnants of my life, and, three hours until I have a meeting with Fate's meddling human incarnate. For now, I will allow myself this dark time, but, in two hours, I will go back and pretend that everything is normal. Somehow, I know I will cope, but currently I have no idea how. For now, I will submit myself to darkness until morning's light comes.

~~FH~~

"How am I supposed to save him? I'm seventeen years old! Not to mention the fact that, last time I checked, he won't let me anywhere near him except in classes!" I'm practically yelling- yelling at my Headmaster, no less. If I'd been anyone else, I probably would have been expelled by now, but I'm not. I'm Hermione Granger, Head Girl of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the famous Harry Potter's best friend, and Albus Dumbledore's chosen savior for him. So, instead of expelling me, he chooses to remind me of my task.

"Miss Granger, I know that I forced you into this, but can you look me in the eye, right now, and tell me that you regret the decision you made?"

I think for a moment about all that I know about this world, about all that I know about the man in front of me, and about him. I think about Harry and Ron, the Weasleys, my Professors, and, once again, I think about him. Damn Dumbledore! Slowly, I look up at him. I look into those blasted twinkling eyes of his and, once again, I think about him, I think of the bane of my existence, I think of those dark obsidian eyes I saw last night, I think of the knowledge hidden behind that shadowy, cynical attitude, and I know that I would have accepted Dumbledore's plea for help last night no matter what the consequences.

All of this passes through my head in less than a minute. The knowledge that my heart is in control right now makes me angry, but I refuse to show it. I can't lie to this man, just as I can't lie to myself, to my heart. "No, Professor, I can't. I can't look you in the eye and say that I regret it, because if I'm honest with myself, I would have helped you if you had told me who he was when you first asked."

"Miss Granger, you truly have the heart of a Gryffindor." I scowl; I can't help it. All this sentimentality is not helping anyone. "Of course, the more I learn of you, the more I think you would have fit in well with Slytherin House as well." A smile crosses his face and the twinkle in his eye is more pronounced than ever. I can't help but roll my eyes.

"As much as I appreciate your sentiments," I say with as much dryness and sarcasm as I can muster, "I still have a problem. How in the world am I, the Gryffindor, know-it-all, Head Girl, going to help him?" I can't help but punctuate the statement with a glare. Dumbledore's optimism is really starting to get to me.

"Well, Miss Granger, I have solved the little problem of getting you two together." He pauses slightly, and I can't help but wonder if there might not be a double meaning to his statement. "With the help..." again with the pause that makes me wonder just what he did and how, "...of Professor McGonagall, it has come to my attention that you were going to seek an apprenticeship after graduating from here. Is this correct?"

I nod slowly, almost afraid to see where this is going. There is a feeling in the pit of my stomach that whatever he is about to say cannot be good. Every nerve in my body is on edge, screaming at me to run away before I get in too deep, but I don't. I'm going to stick this out and make the best of it, no matter what happens.

"I've thought long about our enigma and after several... discussions with Severus, I have convinced him to take you as an apprentice."

I stare at him for what seems like hours, but can't have been more than a few seconds. "Apprentice, sir? To Professor Snape?" The initial shock of the whole idea is starting to wear off, and I put voice to my first thought. "How? He's never taken an apprentice in all his time at Hogwarts! Probably in is whole life, for that matter!"

"For the how, you'll have to ask Professor McGonagall. After I first put forth the suggestion to her, and the initial surprise wore off, she supported the idea quite vehemently. I myself was rather, shall we say, off balance when she supported it. In fact, she convinced him to take you, though I'll probably never know how."

I knew why McGonagall supported him. It was because of me. A few weeks ago, mere hours after the Sorting was over, I had asked her if she thought there was any way I could convince Snape into accepting me as an apprentice after graduation. That Dumbledore had just suggested it to me was insane. It has been my dream to work with a Potions Master, and now, here, the chance is being given to me and I am unsure. "What exactly would being his apprentice entail?" It is a stupid question. I know exactly what it means, but I need time to sort out my thoughts. It was a defense for me, ask questions so that you can think longer, a habit I had picked up in Potions my first year.

"Well, Miss Granger, first off you could obviously no longer attend regular classes here. Professor Snape would be your sole teacher. Your primary study would be potions. Of course, because you would no longer be attending regular classes, you would have to give up your position as Head Girl."

I nod slightly. I already know all this; however, I still don't see exactly how being Snape's apprentice will solve the problem of getting closer to him. Sure, I'd work with only him, but he'd still hate me.

"Along with this, you'll have to take your NEWTS before you can start the apprenticeship."

A smile steals its way onto my face. I could take the NEWTS tomorrow and pass with excellent marks in all my subjects. The more I think about it, the more appeal the idea has to me; this is the chance of a lifetime. Snape is brilliant, even if he is ascetic and sharp tongued. But, still, something won't let me accept this at face value; I just don't have any idea what it is, which bothers me even more.

"And, Miss Granger, you will have to share his quarters. Your parents will have to approve, of course. Also, Professor Snape will become your legal guardian until you are twenty-one or complete your training."

I nod. Everything is falling into place in my mind. As long as I'm his apprentice, he can't get rid of me and, as long as he can't get rid of me, I'm free to become closer to him. I only see three problems with the plan: convincing my parents, telling Harry and Ron without starting the wizarding equivalent to a nuclear war, and, the hardest of them all, living with Snape for the next four years.

"Is it really necessary to tell my parents?"

"Unless you're eighteen, I'm afraid it is."

Damn! I'm not eighteen, I'm barely seventeen. "I just turned seventeen," I mumble in a quietly reluctant voice.

The Headmaster looks pensive for a moment before he nods. "Is your house connected to the Floo Network?"

"Yes, sir." I had connected my house to the network after our fifth year.

"You can use my fireplace to talk to your parents tonight if you would like to. If they agree tonight, a Ministry official will be here Friday for you to take your NEWTS. I will inform all of your teachers. You have until Friday to prepare for the test. Does that sound acceptable Miss Granger?"

"Of course, Professor." He stands up and walks to the door as if to leave.

"The fireplace is through the door on your left, last door on the left. I will be back soon. Take as long as you need with your parents." He walks out of the door, leaving me alone in his office to tell my parents I am submitting myself to guardianship and teaching by the most hated professor in the school. And why? Because I agreed to help a man survive himself and Voldemort. Well, this is going to be a pleasant conversation with my parents.

A long sigh escapes my lips as I stand to go into the back rooms of the Headmaster's office. "Damn Dumbledore!" I walk through the long maze of halls that lead to my destination, that lead to my fate.

I stand in the backroom of Dumbledore's office, facing the fireplace. I am sure that the room is full of interesting artifacts, both Muggle and Wizarding, that my headmaster has collected, but at the moment, I can't care less. A thousand thoughts are running through my mind, the most important concerning my parents. How am I supposed to explain to my very Muggle parents that I'm sacrificing my last year of schooling in order to save a man I loathe? They won't understand that his very existence could save us all- I know they won't- but there's nothing for it. I have to tell them. I have to make them understand. I have to get their permission. I don't have a choice anymore.

I reach a hand up to the mantle to grab a handful of Floo powder. As my hand closes around the grainy substance, my thoughts are in shambles.

"Here goes nothing." I mutter under my breath and throw powder into the fireplace. "Granger Residence," I call to the fireplace after I step in. I see a blur of colors and hear a buzz of words as I am pulled past fireplace after fireplace, from city to city. Finally, after what feels like an eternity, I land in a fireplace that I've known since I was born.

As I step out, I notice the room is dark. I look around my living room, but the darkness is total; not the darkness of night, but the darkness of fear and death. Slowly, I pull out my wand. So much for the restriction of under-aged magic. "Lumos."

The tip of my wand is lit, but it sheds little light into the unholy darkness that has overtaken my childhood home. All that I can see in the small circle of light is carpet, worn from age and use. But, at the very edge, there is a shadow. As I walk to the strange shape, I grow anxious; something is wrong, terribly wrong.

My small circle of light shines onto the strange shape and my scream fills the strangely dark night. I can see darkness at the edges of my vision, and I give myself up to it, praying that it will keep me forever, save me from this strange ruse of fate.

~~HG~~

The sun had just risen over Hogwarts when two boys burst into the headmaster's office. Two heads snapped up as the door banged against the wall, one covered in white flowing hair and the other in black greasy locks. The two boys collapsed against the wall nearest the door, trying to regain their breath.

"Potter! What is the meaning of this? Barging into the Headmaster's office without permission? I should give you both detentions!" The dark haired man snapped, but both boys ignored him.

"Headmaster, sir, where is Hermione? She didn't come back to the dorms last night!" Despite his breathlessness, the concern was evident in his voice.

A small frown crossed both of the adult's faces. A quick glance at the Headmaster confirmed Harry Potter's worst fear. They didn't know.

"I sent her to talk to her parents last night. Are you absolutely sure she is not in her dorm?" Both boys nodded at the Headmaster's question. "Severus, go to her house and retrieve her. If she is not there for some reason, report back here immediately."

The black haired man looked at the Headmaster. "You want me to go rescue the know-it-all from her own house?"

The annoyance and authority in the headmaster's voice was unmistakable. "Go, Severus, now. Use my fireplace."

Agitation evident in his every move, Severus Snape walked into the backroom of the Headmaster's office, the same room Hermione Granger had stood in the night before. After a moment's pause, the man grabbed a handful of Floo powder and stepped into the fireplace. Throwing the powder down, he practically growled, "Granger Residence," before he was hurtled from the fireplace.

All that he saw were flashes of light as he was jolted from place to place until finally reaching his destination. As he stepped out, he was engulfed in darkness.

"Lumos!" The light from the end of his wand erupted out like a train that hurtles down a track, despite the darkness that held the room in its grip. Immediately, he was greeted by the sight of Hermione Granger collapsed motionlessly at his feet.

A/N: Thanks for sticking with me. I hope you enjoyed the second installment. As always, reviews are most welcome!