A/N: BETA NEEDED. BRIT PICKER NEEDED! CONTACT ME AT for assistance. I am sorry it took so long. Admittedly, I am making this up as I go along… LOL so I am unsure how long this fic will be. BTW if this first part is confusing, just keep reading it will make sense To all of my fabulous You Tuber's … my fans I love you! I don't own anything you recognize … sadly that is all Jo Rowling's. Drink up me hearties … yo ho!

Chp 6

When Hermione awoke, she wasn't in her bed where she expected to be. She was in the middle of a forest and it was a lovely day. The trees were swaying in the wind and birds were chirping in the branches. "How odd" she said. "I don't remember leaving Hogwarts or…"

"Ms. Granger, what are you doing out here?" came a familiar voice from behind her. She jerked around and saw … Professor Snape?

What's he doing here? she thought.

"Ms. Granger you know you ought not to be off school property. It could be very dangerous." Hermione noticed the usual bite wasn't in his words. How odd she mused.

"I am sorry, Sir. I would like to tell you I wouldn't do it again, but I am unsure as to how I even got here."

"Oh Ms. Granger," he said, lowering his voice. "I am the one that brought you here."

"You?" she raised her eyebrows in surprise. "But … how? The last thing I remember, I was in my bed sleeping."

"I have my ways you see…." As he said this he was walking in a small circle around a tree. She watched as he took off his outer cloak. "It was such a nice day and I wanted to share it with someone." Then, suddenly, he stopped.

"Sir?" Hermione asked tentatively. She was very confused as to what was going on.

"Are you …" Snape paused. He seemed to be thinking of how to form his words. "Are you afraid of me Ms. Granger?"

"No Sir."

"Would you go so far as to say I am attractive?"

"Well, Sir, to be completely frank you are not the typical version of 'attractive' per se but I imagine you, like everyone else, have some redeeming qualities if someone takes the time to look." Honest, polite, not over the line. Well done Hermione.

"Well said Ms. Granger. I am a complex man, much like a … what is name of the Muggle puzzle? The cube with the different colors?"

"A Rubik's cube Sir?"

"Yes, a Rubik's cube. I am not unlike one of those. Very complex in my ways and yet, no one has taken the time to solve me."

"Well, Sir, men can be difficult to solve." I can't be having this conversation… no way!

"Load of rubbish, especially from a female Gryffindor, as it were." He stopped pacing and started to move towards her.

"Ms. Granger", he said, coming up behind her and bending to whisper in her ear - slowly he spoke. "Would you care to solve me?" At those words a shudder ran down Hermione's spine and with a jerk she awoke in her own room, in her own bed.

"What? Who's there.. What's…?" She sat up very abruptly. Hermione was startled to say the least. "It was just a dream" she said to the very empty room. No forest and certainly no Snape. How odd. Why did I dream that? She checked the time. "Oh bother." It was not almost 10 in the morning. She had several things she had wanted to accomplish before her detention at 1. Breakfast would nearly be over, so she dashed into the loo and then out of her rooms.

Down in the Great Hall Hermione grabbed a piece of toast that was well on its way to being cold and poured herself a glass of pumpkin juice. Most of the hall had cleared out by now and she took comfort in that. Her dream had still shaken her up quite a bit. In fact, she took note, that Professor Snape was noticeably absent. The only professor left was Minerva. She was nursing a cup of something. Hermione was just about to finish her toast when Pig came soaring through the window and promptly crash landed next to her plate spilling toast crumbs and pumpkin juice.

"Lovely, Thank you, Pig." She gave him a nip of toast and sent him on his way. Hermione opened the missive.

Hermione,

I have decided to get there around 11 so that I can at least see you for a bit. The git. I ought to give him a talking to. What's he thinkin' givin' you detention like that?

Ron

"Oh perfect!" she squealed out loud with glee. She would get to see Ron after all. She ran to her rooms and changed into a maroon jumper, brushed through her hair once more, and raced down to the entrance hall.

She had only been there a few minutes when Ron walked through the door.

"Mione!" he called out and walked over to her, arms stretched wide. "C'mhere" He wrapped his arms around her. "Blimey, I am glad I got here early".

"Me too. Let's go for a walk, I want to talk and we don't have long." She said softly.

An hour and a half later Hermione returned to the castle chilly, tired, and alone. She had decided to walk around the lake with Ron and had talked to him once more about the future and it was grim. Their 'talk' ended in a fight when he got defensive because Hermione accused him of being 'thick' and not 'caring' about the relationship. Ron had argued that showing up early had to count for something and Hermione countered with "Showing up early one time does not make up for the lack of letter or visits Ronald Weasley! Honestly how can you be so thick?" She stomped off not caring if he followed or not. He didn't.

She headed toward the dungeons for her detention in a foul mood. She had expected to enjoy her day, not fight. To be honest though, part of her knew it was coming. She would owl Ron later and apologise, like always. She was always the one to make amends as Ron was usually to stubborn and only apologised when he thought it absolutely necessary, or if Molly stepped in and made him.

She arrived a few minutes early to the dungeons. Hermione knocked on the door. There was no reply. She wasn't about to just go in though … no sir not after last times little drooling incident. She waited a few seconds and knocked again. This time she heard the curt "Enter" and Hermione opened the door to the potions classroom. She noticed Professor Snape was standing at a table sorting through what looked like potions ingredients.

"I see you are early Ms. Granger. Do not expect me to release you from detention early; you will serve your full time. Only fools arrive early for their punishment, and though your past actions would merit otherwise, I didn't not take you for a fool. That said, why are you here?"

Hermione blinked – was that a backhanded compliment? "Well Sir, you see, I finished up my previous activities and I didn't want to be tardy. I was afraid if I engaged myself in something else I would be late."

"Very well, take a seat over there until I finish this and I will give you your task for detention."

Hermione went and grabbed a seat. She was reliving her conversation with Ron when Snape came over to her. "Ms. Granger you will sort through these Flobberworms until I say so. Pick the rotten ones out and discard of them in this barrel. You will not use gloves or any other means of charms; I want this to be a detention."

Hermione nearly gagged. She would have rather scrubbed cauldrons, bedpans, anything but this. Those worms were … disgusting. Gulping, Hermione rolled up her sleeve and began to work.

Half a barrel of rotten Flobberworms later and feeling extremely nauseous, she was finished. She Evanescoed her work area and her robes. Eager to get out of there and scrub herself raw until she felt clean again, she started to gather her belongings.

"Adequate work today Ms. Granger. Most people would have slothed off in order to avoid the sliminess, but you rose to the occasion."

Hermione was taken aback, she didn't know what to say. "Thank you, Sir", she eventually managed.

"Yes, it was in your best interest to do as well as you did, or you would have found yourself in the same situation Mr. Potter did when he had this detention, which consequently lasted twice as long."

Poor Harry she thought.

As Hermione was about to leave she looked at Professor Snape. The image of him in the forest came back to her. She could image him there beneath the trees, laying on the ground in the warm sun with his arms supporting his weight. She imagined a picnic with tea laid out and those biscuits she so loved ….

"Ms. Granger, whatever are you staring at?"

Hermione realized suddenly she was daydreaming again. This was becoming a very bad habit. Trying to recover quickly she blurted "Sorry Sir I was just thinking of a Potions question I wanted to ask you and I was debating on whether or not to bother you with it in my head." Oh great…. I don't have a question she thought.

"Well what is it then? Don't waste both of our time… out with it!" he said matter of factly.

"Uh … well… you see, Sir…" she didn't know where to go, what to say. Stumbling over her words she said the first thing that came to mind "Sir can you use a bezoar to counter poisons?" Wow. Hermione. Wow. The vast amount of knowledge you have in your head and that's what you asked. I'm doomed, she thought.

Snape looked at her glumly. "What are you playing at? Of course that is one of the uses. Ms. Granger, I hardly doubt that is the question you really wanted to ask since we both know you learned that information our very first class together and you were reminded again when Potter saved Weasley's life. Now, ask your question or be gone please I have other things to do and would rather attend to them instead of standing here, listening to your petty thoughts."

Hermione didn't know what to say. "I am sorry Sir; the question seems to have slipped my mind." With that she grabbed her stuff and went out the door.

Later in her room Hermione allowed herself a chuckle on what had happened. "I can't believe I said that! He must think me barmy," she mused to Crookshanks. What had made her daydream so openly? She wasn't one to waste time thinking of foolish things, especially not Professor Snape. When she did allow herself the occasional waste of time it was usually thinking over how she could revamp S.P.E.W, her future once she was out of Hogwarts, or school. There was certainly no room for men in her thoughts. As she sat on her bed petting Crookshanks' ear she thought of the compliment he had paid her. Efficient. Not exactly heartfelt, but the fact he didn't say anything scathing had frankly surprised her. Her thoughts turned back to the forest. With no distractions she leaned back on her bed, elbows firmly bent with her wrists to the bed. She mimicked the pose she had seen Snape in earlier … in her mind of course. The sun was warm, the picnic was back. There was a blanket sprawled out on the ground and she was sitting on it with her legs curled up, book in hand. She was reading to him. Snape's eyes were closed and they were … having fun? This is too weird she thought. "That would never happen" she told Crooks. He cocked his head and gave her a funny look. "It does seem rather nice though I must say … much better than the company Ronald and I kept. If it were Ron on the blanket there would be food falling out of his mouth most likely and he would be telling me Quidditch stories or talking over me. I could never see myself reading to him." Crookshanks almost seemed to nod. On that train of thought Hermione remembered not owling Ron like she had planned. I can do it tomorrow she thought. She blissfully drifted off to sleep after that very unusual day.

A/N: Reviews are LOVE. Thank you SO MUCH to my BETA LAURA! You are so completely amazing I can't thank you enough! You gave great feedback, fixed my mistakes, AND you were fast!