I can't believe I have made it to chapter 10 :) Thankyou to everyone who has reviewed so far, I luurrrrvvveee you . By the way, was anyone having troubles seeing the last chapter? Because I was and this didn't just happen to my story either…Other stories kept coming up with a message that said the url was outdated and I was like wwwhhhaaattt thhheee heellll?

Anyways enjoy

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By the time Snape had left Dumbledore's office he was fuming, absolutely livid. Didn't the old fool realise how much of an idiot he was by placing Potter with Petunia? The woman despised magic, for heavens sake! Lily would not be happy, in fact she was probably stirring in her grave right at this very second. And Dumbledore did not see the problem, he thought it would all be a nice game of happy little families, but it wasn't. He assured him that Potter would be welcomed with open arms, he was her nephew but Snape thought otherwise. Then Dumbledore, the meddling coot, asked Snape why he was so concerned, did he care for Harry? Of course he didn't, why would he express any sympathy for the spawn of James Potter? It was ridiculous! He only wanted Lily to be happy, and he was failing dreadfully.

And then, to top the cherry on the cake, Dumbledore refused him the Defence Against the Dark Arts job! Although he did not say, Snape knew Dumbledore didn't trust him with the job, after all he had done! He had risked his life countless times, spying and almost jeopardising his position in the Dark Lord's eyes and this way how he was repaid? He was now the potions master, replacing Slughorn and he could not say that he was pleased.

Snape stalked down the hallways of Hogwarts, not really knowing his destination. He just needed to release the anger from his system. Subconsciously, he found himself at the hospital wing. He stood outside for a moment but he could not repress the urge to go inside. So he did, albeit somewhat unwillingly. Hermione was still lying in bed, her head consumed by the pages of a book. She did not notice him approach, and pursued reading. Snape considered her, thinking over the last words he spoke to her. He had accused her of lying, on being on the other side. Now, he realised, his actions were rather foolish. The girl had saved him; she had risked her life and sustained injury from Bellatrix for him. Snape felt the undeniable urge, something he had never felt before, to make the situation alright. He did not want to ignore her; he did not want her to ignore him. It was a peculiar feeling. The girl, in the very small amount of time they had spent together, had become something not unlike a friend. Snape wasn't sure if he could consider her his friend, would she want to be his friend? Did you ask someone to become your friend? It was all rather childish and stupid but the last time Snape had a real friend was when he was a child. He was out of his depth, drowning in confusion and inexperience.

Hesitating a little, Snape finally spoke, "Hermione."

Her eyes shot up from her book and met his. Her demeanour conveyed wariness, suspicion, surprise and maybe…Snape couldn't put his finger on it. It could be welcome or relief, wavering slightly under more consuming emotions.

"Yes?" she replied, sounding colder than Snape would have hoped. He stood there awkwardly, unsure of what to say. Luckily for him, Madam Pomfrey strolled out of her office and greeted Snape warmly.

"Ah, Severus, there you are. If Hermione is feeling up to it, it wouldn't hurt for you to escort her to the great hall so she can get out of this dreary hospital wing. She has been looking bored all day. "

Hermione looked slightly guilty from Madam Pomfrey's words, like it was her fault that she was bored.

"But" began Snape, "Doesn't she need more time to recover, shouldn't she stay here a little longer?"

Madam Pomfrey had a quizzical expression on her face at Snape's words, as if considering his motive.

"No, she's fine Severus. The wounds were relatively easy to heal, once I figured out what spell had been cast upon her. She just needs to avoid major physical movement; we do not want the gashes reopening. "

Both of them turned to look at Hermione who said, "See? I'm fine. You don't need to talk about me as if you're my parents or something."

Madam Pomfrey chuckled and turned to Snape, "I see that I have made my point, so get on with it Severus, dinner shall be served any moment now."

Hermione cast him an expectant look before happily removing herself from the bed. She grasped her wand and with a flourish transfigured her hospital robe into some ordinary black wizard's robes. Snape was surprised at her level of magic and even more surprised when he discovered that in black robes, she reminded him uncannily of himself.

"Shall we go then?" she asked, smiling at the simple prospect of leaving the hospital wing.

Snape cleared his throat and nodded, gesturing for her to begin walking. As they left the wing, Snape finally spoke, "You need to go down that stair case up ahead."

"I know." She replied merrily.

"You have been here before?"

"Yes."

That is odd thought Snape. The girl was drinking in her surroundings, with a giddy joy, like she had found her long lost home. It confused Snape, a lot. He didn't say anything though.

They reached the great hall and stepped inside. The students were congregating around the four tables, selecting their seats, chatting enthusiastically with friends. Because Snape was observant, he noticed that Hermione's expression had changed. Now she had a strange look in her eyes, like she was almost wistful. She eyed all the students, especially those at the Gryffindor table.

Now that Snape was officially a Professor, he was entitled to sit at the staff table. There were two spare seats and Snape promptly took his. Hermione took hers after, appearing unsure. Dumbledore smiled at them, even at Snape who returned the greeting with a scowl. Hermione was sitting next to a much younger Flitwick and Snape had the misfortune of sitting next the Headmaster himself. The food emerged on the table the staff piled their plates, exchanging news and idle chat with each other. Some congratulated Snape on his new position, which Snape nodded in reply. They also questioned who his companion was and that was when Hermione began to feel very anxious.

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The professors were casting her curious glances and she knew that she had gotten herself in a very compromising situation. It wasn't supposed to happen like this. Hermione instinctively knew that she shouldn't have met them, not when they would see her ten years later at the age of eleven. Everything was wrong. Instinct and common sense were overriding her mind and Hermione fought hard to keep a calm face. Snape shot her a questioning look but she didn't say anything. She couldn't risk it at the staff table. So as she nibbled on her roast beef, Hermione came up with the only plausible solution to her problem, she needed to obliviate the professors. It could seem unnecessary; they probably wouldn't recognise her at eleven but Hermione knew better than to risk it. It was sure that they wouldn't forget the time Snape bought a guest to dinner, a guest that happened to be a girl his age. And as she would age, it would become more obvious who that girl actually was.

It was such a weird feeling, really, to know that somewhere out there, beyond the walls of the castle was her one year old self. A one year old with loving parents that remembered her, loving parents that did not live in Australia. Hermione sighed as she felt remorse grow in her heart, it happened every time she thought of her parents. She was pulled from her reverie when she realised Dumbledore was addressing her and Snape. She quickly caught on to what he was saying.

"The elves have prepared quarters for you two in the north tower-"

"Dumbledore" interrupted Snape. Dumbledore held up his hand to signal that Snape should wait, and continued, "Should you find that your living arrangements are inadequate, just come see me in my office or summon an elf."

"Thank you Professor" said Hermione.

"Dumbledore, I would prefer if my quarters were in the dungeons-" started Snape.

Dumbledore chuckled, "Be patient Severus, all in due time."

Snape growled under his breath and Hermione let out a small giggle. Snape frowned at her but remained stony and silent.

Hermione finished her meal and then said, "So, do you want to go check out our new quarters?"

Snape replied a reluctant "Yes" and stood from the table to join her. Hermione smiled at this gesture, grumpy Snape was proving to be more amusing in his past life, a lot more than in his future life as the snarky Professor.

"Come on then." She grasped the top of his arm gently and pulled him along, leading him out of the great hall.

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Snape could not understand why this girl needed to smile so much. Her emotions were unpredictable and sometimes unnerving. At the start of the feast she seemed subdued and thoughtful, contemplating something in her mind. In fact she looked a little upset. Now she was practically bounding up to the north tower, holding his arm. He did not shake her off and that surprised him. They reached a door and Hermione tapped her wand upon it and it swung open. Then she gasped at the view, it was stunning.

The room was very, very large. It contained two king sized elegant beds, some furniture, a bookcase and a desk. But the impressive part was the windows. They overlooked the whole threshold of Hogwarts, the majestic lake, the overpowering mountains which cut gracefully into the landscape and the sea of pines which was the Forbidden Forest. The moonlight danced along the walls and the carpeted floor like waves in a distilled ocean, the moon was full tonight.

"Isn't it beautiful Severus?" breathed Hermione.

Snape swallowed and nodded, feeling awkward. He hadn't known they were going to share a room. It was…comforting…and yet uncomfortable.

Hermione walked over to the window and gazed down below, her eyes taking in everything with wonder. Snape stayed back and observed her. For some reason, he noticed how nice her hair looked in the moonlight, that it was silky, each ringlet entwining down her back. He then pushed the thoughts from his mind, frowning as he wondered what had come over him.

Hermione turned to him, "Come over here, and have a proper look."

Snape would have wanted to resist but for some reason his feet carried him over to her. He tried to focus on the view but his eyes strayed back to Hermione. She looked so...alive. Even if it was a day after their encounter with Bellatrix, Hermione was not worse for wear. She did look pale but that only made the blush on her cheeks more prominent. She looked too thin but that only seemed to heighten her beauty. Again, Snape banished these thoughts from his mind. They would do him no good.

Hermione noticed his internal struggle and said, "Severus, what's wrong?"

"Nothing" he replied curtly.

"You can tell me."

"It's nothing."

Hermione sighed. And Snape was feeling guilty. Guilty because he refused to share his thoughts with her? Guilty because he had disappointed her? That was absurd, completely irrational.

"Well" said Hermione with the air of someone who had just given up, "I think I will go take a bath."

And with that she departed to the adjoining bathroom, closing the door behind her. Snape turned to the bookshelf and grabbed a book. He flicked his wand and the candle on the desk lit and he sat down. He handled the book before starting on the first page. It seemed to capture his interest slightly so he read it futilely, waiting for Hermione to return. After a considerable amount of time, she did. Except now she was dressed in pink silky pyjamas. Snape eyed her and this caused her to shrug, "I found them laid out on the bathroom table."

Then she yawned, stretching her arms above her head, and as she did this she revealed a few centimetres of the creamy skin of her stomach. Snape tensed and after a few seconds he averted his eyes.

"If you are tired, you should sleep."

Hermione gave him a small smile, "It seems like every time I wake up someone is out to get me."

Snape placed the book on the table and stood up, his eyes resting on Hermione, "You don't need to worry, we are at Hogwarts now, and we are safe."

Hermione furrowed her brow, "I know that and I keep trying to tell myself that but it just feel so…anxious, like our good luck will run out. We thought we were safe with Mcgonagall but we were completely wrong and in this castle, it seems everyone could be a potential target."

Hermione bit her lip and held one arm over the over as if trying to subconsciously protect herself.

And then, without thinking about it, Snape suddenly knew the right way to reassure her. He walked over to her and very tentatively placed his hands on her shoulders. His eyes found hers and he spoke, "Hermione, you have saved my life, I do not let that pass lightly. You are safe and as long as we are in this castle together we will remain safe."

"Ok, Severus." agreed Hermione, "I'll go to sleep then."

"Good" said Snape, letting go of her shoulders.

Hermione went over to the bed and pulled back the covers and then got into the bed. She got comfortable, snuggling into the blankets before a muffled; "Goodnight Severus." was heard.

"Goodnight Hermione." Snape said. He watched he for a while and then returned to his reading, looking around every once in a while to observe Hermione. Each time, she continued to sleep perfectly, oblivious to his stares. And then Snape's eyelids began to droop and he knew that it was his turn to go to the sleep too.

The candle flickered out and Snape pulled the covers over his exhausted body and let sleep overtake him.

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WWWooo. That was a long one. :D. I just want to point out that this story may not be accurate and at some point it may not make sense. I have to make the plotline fit with the real world where Hermione came from, so no drastic changes can be made. That is why the professors needed to have their memories wiped because they did not recognise her in the future.

Gah it's hard to explain.

Anyways review me? Pretty please with a cherry on top?