After Lily left, which shockingly was in quite a rush, Hermione decided to explore her study and find something to read, since she'd been rather anxious to check out her vast collection of books. Finally settling on a Muggle novel she had been particularly fond of while she was alive, she sat in front of her fire, and curled up to begin reading. Although, she only made it through about twenty pages before she was interrupted.

"Please tell me Tonks is lying, or mental, or had something in her eye when she saw you," Sirius groaned from behind Hermione.

She tensed up at his words, and slowly lowered her book to her lap, without turning around.

"Does no one knock when visiting a friend in this place?" she said quietly, then shifted her position to look at Sirius, who stood with his hands in his pockets, staring at her with mild disgust just present in his grey eyes.

Hermione huffed loudly, closed her book, and set it on the small table next to her chair. She rose from her seat, and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Sirius, I am only going to say this once," she began in a soft, yet firm voice. "As much as you may not like Severus, you cannot deny that he gave his life to protect all of us, including Harry."

He snorted, then mumbled something that sounded like he agreed with her, albeit begrudgingly. She rolled her eyes.

"Whom I chose to spend my time with is my business. I'm not asking you to be friendly with him, but I am asking that you respect me enough to not question my judgement, when it comes to the people I wish to be friends with."

She fixed him with a stern look to rival all others, with her lips pressed in a thin line, and crossed her arms over her chest.

Sirius shook his head slowly, then surprised her when he let out a low chuckle. "Merlin, that sounds familiar," he said.

Of course, immediately Hermione knew what he meant. She knew that none of Lily's friends understood her friendship with Severus, while they were at Hogwarts together.

"It's not the same, Sirius," she said. Sirius went to argue, yet Hermione quickly interrupted. "He's not the same person he was at sixteen. And I am not Lily," she hissed, then attempted to storm passed him. She'd had enough.

She nearly growled when Sirius caught her by the elbow, and gently turned her back around.

"What?" she hissed, glaring up at him.

"I know you're not," he told her, as he let her go. "I just don't want the git to hurt you like he hurt her."

There was none of the usual playfulness in his eyes as he looked down at her. They were sincere, and filled with concern, which caused Hermione's irritation with him begin to slowly melt away. As misguided as they were, she understood that Sirius' intentions were in the right place.

"He won't, Sirius," she said with certainty.

She wasn't sure how she knew he wouldn't, but somehow, she just knew.

Sirius looked like he didn't believe her, as he cocked a disbelieving eyebrow. He stood silent for a heartbeat, before letting out a loud sigh.

"Alright. I'll lay off," he conceded; Hermione smiled. "But only if you promise I don't ever have to be around him."

Hermione laughed. She'd sooner enclose two angry dragons together, rather than have Sirius and Severus in the same room.

"You don't have to worry about that happening. I can promise you that," said Hermione.

Hermione then returned to her seat, and gestured for Sirius to join her, where he sprawled out on her sofa, making himself rather at home.

"So I heard you met Reg," he said, changing the subject, looking as if he was holding back a laugh.

"I'm assuming he told you about me spilling his drink?" she asked with a smile, as she remembered the bewildered look on his face.

Sirius threw his head back and let out a loud laugh. "He did."

Hermione's shoulders shook with as she giggled. "I didn't exactly mean to do it. It just sort of happened."

Just as Sirius went to respond, Hermione's front door flew opened. A disheveled Remus Lupin came storming into her house.

"Sirius!" he began shouting as soon as one foot was over the threshold. "What did I say about badgering Hermione about…"

Remus trailed off when he spotted the two of them seated comfortably with one another and laughing in her sitting room.

"Oh," he said, then waved his hand to shut her front door. "Never mind then."

Sirius rolled his eyes as Hermione stifled a laugh. Sometimes it appeared as if Remus and Sirius were more of a married couple than Remus and Tonks, she thought to herself.

"Relax, Moony." Sirius stretched out his legs in front of him, and leaned back with both arms tucked behind his head. "Everything is fine," he told him in a tired tone of voice, that Hermione was sure he had probably used with Remus on many occasions.

Remus began to straighten out the bottom of his shirt, while he stood looking like he wasn't sure if he should leave or not.

"So you didn't… you know?" he asked, with a quick glance towards Hermione.

"Oh no," Hermione spoke up before Sirius could. "He did come here to give me a hard time about spending time with Severus, if that's what you were wondering."

She didn't miss the quiet gag Sirius let out when she had said Severus, but chose to pretend to ignore it.

"And you're still in one piece?" Remus asked him with a twitch of his lips. "Remarkable."

Sirius answered with his middle finger aimed in Remus' direction, causing Hermione to cover her mouth to keep from laughing.

Hermione stood from her seat, shaking her head and began heading towards her kitchen.

"Well, come on, you two. We'll have some tea," she called over her shoulder, ignoring the bickering buzzing between the men behind her.

ooo

What a mind fuck of a day, thought Severus angrily, as he slammed the front door of his home behind him. He paced his study for over an hour after Lily had left, then decided he needed to get the hell out of the house and take a walk.

For at least the dozenth time, her words replayed in his head.

You have to learn how to let go of this — this… This self-hate and anger that you've been carrying with you your entire existence! You have to learn to let people in who want to be there, without forcing them away!

He snorted in anger. Forcing people away? How dare she come there and say those things to him! She hadn't spoken to him since the day after he arrived there. When she thanked him — tight lipped — for what he had done for her son. He thought when he had seen her that day, that there may had been some hope in rekindling the friendship they once shared. But she swiftly snuffed that hope out by telling him she still couldn't find it in herself to forgive him.

Then she had the audacity to lecture him about Hermione — the Granger girl, he quickly corrected himself. It wouldn't do to even think of her in such familiar terms.

No, he would not allow himself to think of her at all. The girl was already proving to burrow herself under his skin after only two encounters. Never again would he allow something like that to happen.

She's not Lily, popped into his head unwillingly. He nearly growled at the intruding thought.

Then a different voice; a softer voice played in his head.

Perhaps we'll run into one another again soon?

Would she have been disappointed if they did not run in to one another again? And why the fuck was the thought of disappointing Hermione Granger causing him a pang of guilt?

Severus stalked down the dirt lane towards town, actively trying to think of anything that wasn't Granger, or Lily. He counted rocks as he walked, mentally listed the ingredients to the Blood Replenishing potion, and even dissected the lyrics to what was at one time, his favorite song.

Even with the mental distractions, and several circuits around the village, he still couldn't rid his thoughts of that bushy-haired witch. The look of awe in her amber eyes as she looked at him, the way his name sounded on her tongue, and the respect and gratitude that she'd shown him, all stuck a nerve inside of him. One that he hadn't allowed anyone to strike in nearly two decades.

Even if he had been beginning to have some sort of peculiar interest in the girl, it wasn't as if she'd ever reciprocate the interest in any way. He'd spent years being cruel to her, and nearly everyone she cared for. Partly because he had to, due to his position in the war. And also, partly because he absolutely loathed some of those she associated herself with. Black, for instance. An instant sneer formed on his face at the thought of the egotistical prick.

Truth be told, he never disliked the girl, contrary to how it may have appeared. He knew she was brilliant, as he recalled grading her essays being a much needed break from reading the absolute dribble the rest of the dunderheads used to attempt to pass off as acceptable.

Had she annoyed him at times? Absolutely. But not for the reasons he spat at her while they were alive. He didn't find her to be insufferable, as he'd told her numerous times. She irked him, because she knew so much. He found it challenging to actually teach her anything. And Severus hated being challenged.

But now that they were both dead, and age was no longer a relevant factor, they were equals. And as much as he tried not to admit it to himself, he found her mind to be extremely… attractive.

He shuddered. No. He couldn't — he wouldn't entertain any more thoughts of that nature.

He had to avoid her. That was all. He needed to stay away, he told himself.

Yet, if he truly had meant that, what in the fuck was he currently doing standing in front of the gate to her home?

ooo

Sirius and Remus left shortly after their cups of tea, and Hermione was growing restless. She couldn't quite concentrate on the book she read earlier, and felt like making a trip into the village. Perhaps even visit the pub again, just for something to do.

And maybe run into Severus again, ran through her mind.

Hermione shook her head in a jerky motion, trying to beat back those intruding thoughts.

Remembering the feel of his grip on her arm, and the softening in his eyes, as he clearly worried for her, flashed behind her closed eyes. Something reminiscent to butterflies in her stomach spread throughout her entire being when remembering the twitch of his lips, as he fought a smile, and the sound of his voice as he parted from her.

She really couldn't explain this… interest, she seemed to be developing in him. Assuming it was only because even though she knew him, she didn't really know him. With the years he spent undercover as a spy, she wondered if anyone — apart from Dumbledore, truly did know the real Severus Snape.

It was just the lack of knowledge about him that intrigued her. Nothing more, she tried to convince herself. Everyone knew of Hermione's thirst for knowledge, after all.

That, and the fact that he hadn't handled her with kid gloves, as the others seemed to. He spoke to her as if she were his equal. She supposed now she was, considering they were both in that place for all of eternity, never changing, and never aging.

But that's all that it was. She thirsted for knowledge, and demanded to be spoken to like an adult. And Severus could provide her with both of those things. There were no other reasons for her wanting to see him again.

So why, when she opened her front door, and saw him awkwardly standing with his hand on her gate, as if debating to open it or not, was she feeling a giddy excitement bubbling inside of her at the sight of him?

xxx
A/N - Hey all! Sorry for the long wait with the update. I was having a bit of writers block with this, so worked on Saving Severus Snape for a while. Now I'm suffering from writers block with SSS, and came back to this for a bit. I already started chapter 12, so I'm hopeful that the next update should be soonish. *crosses fingers*

Hope you all are well! And I hope you enjoyed the chapter!