Thank you all who have reviewed, followed, and placed this story on your favorites list! It truly humbles me.

I decided to upload this sooner than I might have to help reach my ultimate goal of making Onecelestialbeing snort a drink through her nose.

For the rest of my cheerleading squad...you guys rock! Now, shall we start our mission of making JKR assign it all to me? No? Oh well, a girl can dream.


Chapter 7

Hermione's first encounter with the younger Severus took place just two hours later in her first Potions class. Slughorn welcomed her into the room and quickly introduced her to the class.

"Everyone, this is Hyacinth Green, a new seventh year." Slughorn beamed with pride, calculating with his beady eyes just what worth Miss Green's connections could be for him. "Let's see…who to partner you up with. I know! You sit there next to Mr. Snape. He'll catch you up."

Severus glared as the bushy haired woman walked over and took a seat next to him. Something was off about her. She seemed just a bit too relaxed for this class. The way she walked, and the way she didn't seem to have that 'new girl in the class' nervousness was unusual to his way of thinking. It immediately set her apart from the rest of the girls in his class. Oh well, not that he was looking for a woman in his life. He knew where his path was leading, and if Malfoy's stories were true, there would be no shortage of women when and if he desired.

A bossy cough interrupted his thoughts. "Hem, hem."

"What," he hissed.

"You're chopping the Sopophorous bean wrong. You should crus-"

"Don't you dare tell me what to do, woman!" the young man snapped.

Hermione slapped his hands away from his bean. "Do NOT call me woman, and I am telling you you're doing it wrong." She snatched the knife away from Severus, giving him a slight cut on his finger. She began to crush the bean with the flat of her blade. She quickly picked up the crushed bean and held it over the cauldron as the juice flowed copiously from the pulp.

Severus popped the finger he had been sucking out of his mouth and snatched the knife from Hermione, giving her a cut on her finger.

"Well, okay so you knew that," he drawled, peevishly.

Hermione popped her finger out of her mouth and said, "Yes, and I know that unless you turn the heat down, the cauldron will explo-" With that, the mixture in the cauldron blew into the air, raining potion down on everyone.

"You stupid bint!" hollered Severus. "See what you did?"

"It's not my fault you weren't paying attention," Hermione said through gritted teeth. She had her wand out, quickly cleaning up the area and fellow students.

"Green, Snape!" Slughorn shouted as he galumphed over to them. "What is going on? Mr. Snape, you have never blown up a cauldron in all your years here. What has Miss Green done?"

"Miss Green," Hermione interrupted, her head snapping between the two men, "has done nothing. Had Mr. Snape listened to me in the first place, this would not have happened."

"Look, you bushy haired know-it-all; I've been managing for six years in this class without you, I don't need, nor do I want, your advice," Severus snapped, looking down his nose at the shorter woman.

The rest of the class had become silent as they listened to the two argue. No one really ever gave Severus the time of day, in class or out for that matter. To hear the new student not only stand her ground with him, but tell him what to do was amusing.

"Enough you two," spat Slughorn. You both have detention after dinner with Filch. Now clean this up and leave; class is dismissed!"

The two grumbled as they cleaned up their work area. They got into a bit of a kerfuffle when they both tried to use the sink at the same time, so Hermione silently hexed Severus and left the room.

Severus didn't realize he had been hexed until he went to walk away from the sink and fell to his knees. His shoelaces had been tied together. Fortunately, there were no students in the room, and Slughorn had left, so no one saw his humiliation. He vowed to get the stupid girl back if it was the last thing he did.

====SS====HG====

Hermione arrived at Filch's office a few minutes after seven that evening. She waited until Severus arrived before knocking at the door. She heard Severus before she saw him and chuckled; apparently he hadn't learned to slink about as quietly as he would when he was older, although he did seem to have a pubescent billow going with his robes; they wouldn't mature to a full billow until he was a bit older.

"Green!" Severus seethed. "How dare you hex me!"

"Who says it was me that hexed you?" Hermione folded her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow at him.

"You seemed in an awful hurry to leave after class this afternoon." He began to move toward her, effectively forcing her to walk backward toward the wall.

"Well, you were being so friendly to me. I was overwhelmed by your kindness and needed some time to myself," she answered sarcastically.

Severus stopped once he had her backed against the wall. "No one hexes me and gets away with it," he threatened.

Hermione looked into his face. He was so young; no lines of worry, no eyes that carried the weight of the world. He was unhappy, she knew. He had lost Lily last year, and he would soon be taking the Dark Mark. If only she could change his mind. "Get off me, Snape, or it won't be your shoelaces next time." She pressed her knee delicately into his groin.

He hissed and backed off.

At that moment, Filch opened his door. "Ah, you two scalawags have the school talking. It's no wonder you're here with me now. Get them buckets," he pointed just inside his door, "and come with me. I've got a wing full of armor that needs cleaning."

The pair grabbed their buckets and wandered after Filch. He led them to the fifth floor where there were at least twenty full suits of armor. "NO magic!" he spat at them. "I've set the portrait of Sir Dennis the Double-Jointed to watch ya; he'll report if you use magic. Bring the buckets back when you're done." Filch left the pair gaping after him as he shuffled off with Mrs. Norris padding after.

Severus rounded on Hermione. "I will not clean anything. YOU will stay here and clean the armor. You can tell Finch I helped." He started to walk off, but Hermione threw a Petrificus Totalus at him, and he fell to the floor.

She was on him in an instant, wand at his throat. "Let's get one thing straight, Snape. I am not an idiot, and I am not your lackey. I did nothing to warrant your behavior towards me at all. Now I am going to let you go, and you will stay here with me and help or perhaps…" she tapped her wand on his groin. "I didn't make myself clear earlier?"

Severus blinked in acquiescence, so she lifted the curse, allowing him to stand up.

"You've got bollocks, Green," he said, dusting off his robes as he stood.

"Call my Hyacinth, and I am sure you know by now women do not have bollocks. I do, however, have chutzpah." She smiled at him, and he rewarded her with a small smirk…that ended in a dimple. Severus has a dimple? Since when? she thought. I wonder if Hubert has one…

"Where did you learn that bit about the beans?" They both moved to the first set of armor.

"I had an excellent Potions professor at my old school. You remind me of him. He was brilliant and a bit reclusive as well."

"Yeah, well it's not hard to be reclusive when most of the students here hate you," Severus snorted.

"That's not true."

"Well, there are a few that tolerate me."

"I like you."

Severus' eyes bulged. "You have just met me, you threatened to hex my bollocks off, and you say you like me? You are mental, you know that?" Severus shook his head in wonder as he scrubbed the armor in front of him.

Before she had a chance to answer, Professor Prince rounded the corner.

"There are you Miss Green. I thought I had assigned you detention with me this evening?"

Oh, Merlin's hairy ones, Hermione thought. "I am sorry, Professor. Mr. Snape and I got into trouble…"

"Spare me the details, Green." He flicked his wand, and all the armor shone. "Let's go. Snape get back to your common room."

"Yes, Uncle," Severus replied, cheekily.

"Five points from Slytherin!"

====SS====HG====

Hermione returned from her detention rather late to find the common room nearly empty. A flash of red caught her eye and she looked over to find Lily Evans curled up in a corner of the couch reading.

She looked up when Hermione entered. "Hyacinth, you're back late."

"Detention with Professor Prince."

"Yes, you put on quite a show in class today," she said sweetly. "I hope you don't continue to lose points for us."

"If you will recall, I was the only one who earned points."

"So I noticed. You and Professor Prince seem to be quite chummy." Lily stood and dropped her book on the couch. She approached Hermione, taking time to eye her up and down disdainfully.

"Not really. I just learned not to take shite from anyone. Anyone," she repeated, looking directly at Lily.

"Be that as it may," Lily dismissed Hermione's pointed barb, "just be careful."

"Hmmm."

Lily returned to the couch, sitting on its arm and folding her arms across her chest. "What happened between you and Snape anyway?"

"Why do you care?" Hermione stood behind a chair, placing her arms on the back to help her avoid the strong desire to hex the bitch in front of her.

"Because Snape is bad news. He is on a path straight to the Death Eaters. He's a git and not worth anyone's time."

Hermione exploded. "Where do you get off? I've heard a few stories about you in the time I've been here, little Miss Gryffindor. You walk around like you're better than everyone else because you've managed to snag a pureblood boyfriend, who happens to be a complete berk. You give a good blow job or something? Is that why James keeps you around? "

"You little bitch!" Lily stood, screaming furiously, but to no avail.

Hermione stepped out from behind the chair. "Severus was good enough for you when you needed your homework done or some other thankless task. You played on his emotions knowing he liked you, probably even loved you, and would do anything for you. If you were the friend you were purported to be, then you would have forgiven words."

"How dare you!" Lily seethed.

"How dare I? Easy. I can see right through you Lily Evans. You take from people; you never give. I hope for your sake someday any children you have will never see the true you."

"You've got some nerve."

"Yes, and you're on it."

Lily reached out to slap her, but Hermione blocked it with a wandless spell. "You will never beat me Lily, never." Hermione turned on her heel and left the common room, headed for her dorm.


And yes, I know they shouldn't be sucking their fingers after handling a knife covered in Merlin knows what ingredients, but the comedic bit would have been ruined if I had them fetching Cavi-wipes first.