The rest of the week was long for Hermione she spent much of her time studying. Ron and Katherine became closer and the two of them double dated
with Harry and Ginny several times.
Harry and Ron were very busy during the day with Auror classes, but they spent the evening with their girlfriends. Hermione was feeling more and
more separated from her friends. She hated the feeling of moving away from Harry, Ron and even Ginny; they had been together continuously for the better part of the last two years.
It seemed like she spent more time with Molly and Arthur then she did with her friends. By Saturday Hermione was feeling very sorry for herself.
Because of that she apparated to Hogsmeade and walked up to Hogwarts.
She walked into the great hall just as lunch was finished. She sat and talked to Minerva and Severus for a few minutes, when Severus said he had
tests to grade and needed to do some brewing for Poppy she asked if she could give him a hand.
Severus noticed that Hermione didn't look her normal cheerful self, so nodded his head and led the way to the dungeons. "Miss Granger you seem a little
down today. Is your love life not going as you planned?"
Hermione laughed, "No sir Charlie and I are fine. Just a little out of it I guess and thought that you might appreciate someone else grading the
dunderhead's papers."
Severus actually smiled at that, "Hermione if you will grade my 1st years papers I'll be happy to let you help me refine the new and improved wolfesbane.
I'm hoping to eventually come up with a cure but so far no luck."
Hermione took him up on his offer and started grading the first year papers, half way through grading she looked up and groaned. "Sir, I now
understand why you have a headache so much of the time, they truly are dunderheads!"
This of course made Severus grimace, "They can be rather horrendous. I'm just glad when you were a lst year I could save yours till last so I had at
least one paper to look forward to. This year I'm afraid there is no such paper to look forward to."
Hermione held her hands to her heart and gasped, "Is this Professor Snape saying I was a good student. Be still my heart I might just pass out from
the praise."
Hermione had worked closely with Severus long enough to now be able to tease him. They had become rather close in the closing days of the war;
and she had been devastated when she thought he had died. For that mater Hermione thought that part of her depression had been tied to losing Severus; he had been the one that kept her focused during the last few months of the war. When ever she lost her bravery and really sunk into the fear of the war never ending he would bring her out of it.
Severus groaned, "I will never live the complement down I can see it now."
Hermione finished up the papers and moved to where Severus was brewing, they talked about different compounds and ingredients that might and might
not work to improve the Wolfesbane. He went on to tell her what he had tried and what had shown some improvement and what had shown no improvement.
Before Hermione knew it the bell that announced dinner was looked at her watch in wonder, the two of them had been together for five hours and it seemed like minutes. Severus invited Hermione join them at the staff table for dinner and Hermione agreed; she had a nice meal talking with many of the Professors that just two short years ago had been her teachers. Hermione had always been very close to Minerva but while sitting at dinner she discovered that Rolanda Hooch was just as nice as Minerva. Hermione was starting to really look forward to spring when she would join the staff. Even if it would just be for a year she thought that she would enjoy the time with them. After dinner Hermione said her good byes to all of the staff, thanked Severus for letting her work with the potions and gave Minerva a hug and flooed home.
Hermione stepped out of the floo to find everyone at the dinner table still. Molly jumped up, "Where have you been? The last we knew you said
you were going to visit Minerva and that was just before lunch."
"I'm sorry Molly I got talking to Professor Snape and I ended up helping him grade some papers and then we worked on an improvement to the
Wolfesbane potion. I didn't realize the time so I stayed and had dinner at the school; and then flooed home."
Molly looked a little happier after she found out where Hermione had been. At least she didn't look like she was going to ground her for life. hermione told everyone good night and headed up to her room to study.