A/N: It hurt me to write that last chapter. Damn Thom, and poor Jean. But this is a journey for all our beloved characters, and journeys aren't always sunshine and butterflies, ne?

To those of you who are going to stick it through and follow Jean and Severus on their roads to healing, thank you.

I am currently pretending like I can beta my own story. If anyone has any time to run a cursory glance over IWFYID to make sure it isn't complete rubbish, by all means, shoot me a PM :x

Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling graced us with the sandbox. I'm just making sandcastles with Dungeon Bats and Know It All princesses.


The following year gave Severus plenty of practice in split second Apparition. It was a wonder he hadn't splinched himself, considering that half the time he Apparated while drunk.

He had taken over tracing Hermione's magical signature; the Aurors had quickly tired of his incessant hounding and had given him the tracker spell attuned to Hermione's particular trace.

Severus knew without a doubt that Hermione was alive. How well off she was, he was not sure. Whenever her magic flared, Severus was gone with a resounding CRACK, and by the time he got there, she had disappeared.

Her absence worried him, but what was left behind was even more troubling.
More and more, he found himself appearing amongst a group of drugged up young adults, most of them riding extended highs.

The recurring factor was an abundance of abandoned needles, and the pointed absence of the users.

Questioning the surrounding young adults, Severus wasn't often gifted with answers. Most of them were too far gone that they yielded no results, even with Legilimency.

Yet when he was lucky, there was one name that constantly cropped up.

Jean.


"It has to be you, sir," Granger repeated, holding his gaze.

Severus gave a bark of a laugh. It was a cruel sound. "Really? Miss Granger, I assure you, you will not benefiting from my tutelage outside of my Defence class."

Granger took a deep breath, shaking her head.
"Professor Snape, it can't be anyone else."

Damned Gryffindor stubbornness.

"My patience is wearing thin, Miss Granger. You have all of five seconds to get yourself out of my office and out of my dungeons before Gryffindor loses fifty points for harassment of a professor," he growled.

While stubborn, Granger was not stupid.
She gave him a curt nod and got up and walked to the door.
"I'll be back, Professor. This is really important. Not just for me, but for everyone."

Severus leaned back in his chair after the door had shut and he was fairly certain that Granger was off towards Gryffindor Tower once more.

What in the world did she want to learn that she couldn't gain from her other professors?


He was only given a two day reprieve from Granger's tenacity. She cornered him after lunch in the Great Hall, in front of Albus, no less, and cheerfully declared that she needed to speak with him about her potions research.

When Severus made to dismiss her with less than kind words, Albus caught the Potions Master's gaze.

"Miss Granger is conducting her own potions research, Severus? How delightful! Miss Granger, I expect you to come and appraise me of your findings," he declared, eyes twinkling.

Severus seethed. The old bastard was in on this farce!

Granger had the grace to appear embarrassed, though somewhat pleased with herself.
"Well, Professor Dumbledore, Professor Snape hasn't agreed to look over my research yet..."

Albus raised an eyebrow, turning to examine Severus.
"Really? Severus, I would expect that you would want to know what our esteemed Miss Granger is researching. Why don't the two of you discuss it over tea during your free period?"

Severus sneered. "Yes, Headmaster. Why don't I just throw on a skirt and dance the Can-Can in my free time as well?"

Albus chuckled, turning to his goblet of pumpkin juice.
"Let me know when you do, Severus. I could do with a good laugh."

Severus shook his head in disbelief. Was Albus really sentencing him to 'tea' with Granger?
No matter. He need only suffer her presence for a moment; long enough to satisfy Albus's sick sense of humor, then he would send her on her way.

Granger looked entirely too pleased with herself as she followed him out of the Great Hall and to his office.

Letting her go in first, Severus proceeded to slam the door behind him, causing the sixth year to jump slightly.

"Ten points from Gryffindor, Miss Granger," he spat.

Granger whirled around, eyes bright with anger. "Sir! That's not fair!"

Severus smirked. "Five more points for questioning a Professor's judgement. Shall I take twenty more for insolence?"

Granger crossed her arms, huffing belligerently.
"No, sir."

"You're playing a dangerous game, Miss Granger," Severus murmured as he sat behind his desk, his voice a silken purr.

Granger sat down in the rickety wooden chair in front of his desk, fidgeting.
It was clear he had made her uncomfortable.

"This isn't a game sir," she managed.

"Then what would you like to call this little farce, Miss Granger? I assure you, I do not enjoy being manipulated," he growled, and he could see the girl shudder slightly. A part of him secretly hoped it was out of revulsion.

"I-I'm not trying to manipulate you, sir. I just...it has to be you. Time is running out."

Severus leaned forward, propping his elbows on his desk, steepling his fingers.
"I think it would be best if you find your way out of my office, Miss Granger. There is no telling what may happen if you press my patience any further."
She sent a withering glance at him as she stood, tucking her hands into the pockets of her robes.
"Professor Snape, I assure you, I would not be willingly seeking out your company if it wasn't absolutely necessary."

Severus raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.


Their little game lasted several weeks. Miss Granger found every opportunity to hound him, and wasn't above using other professors to finagle meetings with him.

Gryffindor lost more points during the following month from one professor than it had in recent years.
That wasn't to say that Granger wasn't more than capable of earning them back. Severus often saw that the deficit of points he had caused was often negated by the points she earned in other classes.

Granger's antics became a favourite topic of staff room conversation, and the other professors often teased him, asking how long it had been since the resident Know-It-All had plagued him.

Minerva found it especially humorous, because she knew from experience that turning Hermione Granger away only served to spur her on.

"You know, Severus," she began one day over a cup of tea. "You could make it easy on yourself and just hear Hermione out."

Severus's lip curled back in a sneer.
"I think not, Minerva. I'm not here to cater to the girl's silly fancies. She has no business researching potions, and I certainly am not about to help her in that endeavour. I have plenty of other business to attend to without babysitting a Know-It-All swot like Granger."

Minerva sniffed disapprovingly, but had no counter argument.

Later that day, Severus found himself standing outside of his office, wand out and senses on high alert.
His wards had been broken, and his mind instantly leapt to think of the worst case scenario.

Instead of finding a Death Eater, the Dark Lord, or an Auror waiting for him, he instead walked in upon Granger, who was calmly examining the book case on the far wall.

Tenacity. Courage. Stupidity. All highlights of Gryffindor character. All traits he found equally irritating in one Hermione Granger.

"What do you think you're doing in my office, Granger?" He rumbled, dangerously close to losing all semblance of self restraint.

"All you had to do was give me more than ten minutes of your time, Professor," she snapped. "I wouldn't have had to resort to these lengths, lower myself to these tactics to gain an audience with you."

Severus showed his teeth in an uncharacteristic expression of anger.
"You would do well to leave now with a one hundred point loss before I see to it that you're expelled, Granger," he ground out through clenched teeth.

Granger shook her head. "Hear me out, sir. I guarantee you won't see me expelled, no matter how hard you petition the Headmaster for my removal."

Severus paused, not used to hearing Granger employ such underhanded logic.

"Miss Granger, we've been dancing around this ridiculous discussion for nearly a month now. I am beyond my patience and have exceeded the allotted amount of time I am required by contract to spend with you by tenfold. So tell me, why. Are. You. Here?"

Granger's lips quirked up in a predatory smile. She had finally gotten his attention.
"You're the only one who would understand, sir. You're the only one who can help me keep Harry alive. You're the only one I can trust to teach me, the only one I know won't coddle me. If we're going to make it to the end of this war, Harry Potter needs to live."

Severus blinked, drawing his robes around himself as he attempted to process the information.
"Why would I care if Potter lives or dies, Granger? With the way the boy throws his life around, I'm surprised he's lived this long," he sneered.

Granger shook her head, her brown curls falling en masse around her shoulders.

"It's more than that, sir. Something's coming. This is the calm before the storm. You know better than anyone what that entails.

Severus scowled, turning his back on her.

"That still does not tell me why you are here, why you are petitioning me to teach you. What could I begin to teach the great Hermione Granger?" He snarled, shooting her a look of intense loathing over his shoulder.

"I need you to teach me how to survive, Professor Snape. I need you to teach me how to keep two often idiotic teenage boys alive long enough for one of them to save the world."

Severus considered this for a moment, pivoting to face her once more.
"And if I agree?"

Granger opened her hands in mock surrender.
"Whatever you want. Within reason, of course."

Severus's mind automatically leaped to darker thoughts, but he quickly quelled them. Instead he sat behind his desk, drumming his fingers on the aged wood.

"I will...consider it. Answer me this, Granger. Did the Headmaster put you up to this?"

Granger shook her head. "I have his blessing, of course. But this foolhardy idea is all my own," she said with a grin full of self deprecation.

"Very well. Meet me here next Monday at 7 o'clock sharp. If you are late, I will not hesitate to dock points and assign you detentions for the rest of the year. Am I clear?"

Granger nodded, moving to the office door.
"I shall see you then, sir."

Severus scowled, waving her off. "Leave me be, witch. And if you come here spouting about your eternal gratitude and countless other expressions of Gryffindorish sentiment, I will not hesitate to hex you and claim to have found you petrified in the hallways."

Granger had the audacity to grin as she nodded. "Of course, sir. Have a good evening."
With a nod she slipped out of his office, humming to herself as she made her way out of the dungeons.

Severus groaned as he reapplied his wards, adding several more layers of protection and a silencing spell before leaning back in his chair, massaging his temples.

Of any student to have approached him, why did it have to be Granger?


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