A/N: So, like I said, it never happens. Sorry. I know I'm horrible about updating. Yeah.

Disclaimer: um…yeah…we know this already, right?

Chapter 11

Term quickly fell in to its usual pace as everyone started up their classes again. Hermione had decided to keep most of the same ones from the previous year, dropping only Astronomy, Care of Magical Creatures, and History of Magic. Harry and Ron had dropped those three as well, and all felt rather bad about dropping Hagrid's class. They made sure, however, to go talk to him during the first few days of school to make sure there were no hard feelings on anyone's part. They went down after classes on Wednesday afternoon.

They knocked on the door and immediately, Fang began his loud, booming barking. Hagrid could be heard trying to wrestle Fang back away from the door so he himself could open it. He succeeded after a few moments and let the three of them in.

Tea was served and they spent several minutes discussing the summer but then the conversation turned to school.

"My firs' class is t'morrow," Hagrid beamed, "I kin har'ly wait to show you all the new stuff I've got cook'd up for this year."

"Actually, Hagrid," began Harry, "that's what we wanted to talk to you about."

"Eh?" Hagrid asked.

"Well, you see," Hermione said, "with all the N.E.W.T. classes this year, we all had to make some changes. And with studying time thrown in there, we just didn't have the time for all the classes we would have liked to take."

"Oh." Hagrid looked slightly dispirited. "So yer all not takin' me class then?"

"We'd still love to see the stuff you have for your classes though," Ron put in. The others nodded in earnest.

Hagrid smiled and said there were no hard feelings but his attitude did seem slightly frostier for the rest of their visit.

The next day the three of them all sat through their newt level transfiguration course. Friday, Harry and Hermione would go to newt potions while Ron would have a free period. Hermione was rather nervous about her first potions class. She wondered how Snape would act towards her and whether she would be able to keep up the façade of hating him passionately. Harry had surprised himself with his O.W.L potions scores. He had earned an O in the written and an E in the practical. Snape had reluctantly agreed to take him in the class since he had at least earned one O. Ron had earned two E's but had smartly realized during the summer that he really did not want to be an auror after all; it had been more of a prestige thing at the time, it sounded cool. He was now more interested in something having to do with charms, like being a curse breaker like his older brother Bill.

The transfiguration class was only slightly smaller than it had been the previous year. Of the Gryffindors, only Neville and Lavender had dropped, along with a few of the Ravenclaws that shared their class. Today they were transfiguring stuffed animals in to real animals. Halfway through the class Harry and Ron leaned in to talk to her.

"So, this might give you a chuckle. We think that Snape has a girlfriend!" Hermione started and sent sparks flying out of her wand.

"Miss Granger!" McGonagall snapped at her. "Do control yourself!" There was a general chuckle around the room and Hermione turned slightly red before turning back to the boys, who were also laughing at her.

"Why on earth would you say something like that," she muttered.

"Just a conversation we overheard with him and Dumbledore over the holidays, using the extendable ears. We merely caught the end of it, unfortunately," Ron sniggered.

"What were they saying?" she asked.

"It had something to do with a pensieve I think," Harry explained. "Dumbledore wanted Snape to put certain memories in it and he was arguing and saying he was a good enough Occlumens and didn't need to."

"That could mean anything," Hermione frowned.

"Yeah, but the last thing we heard before mum was coming was something like, 'if he entertains even the slightest thought in his head that she is with you, we're all in huge trouble.' So obviously it has something to do with a girl, maybe someone You-Know-Who doesn't like too much."

"Yeah," Harry put in, "and Dumbledore wants him to protect her and himself by taking the memories out of his head. Snape said, though, that he'd never leave a pensieve full of memories anywhere near me," he chuckled a little, but Hermione thought it sounded fake.

"Did Snape say anything else about it?" Hermione asked, trying to sound mildly amused and interested. Inside though, her heart was sinking. Harry and Ron already knew too much.

"Not really." Harry dropped his voice really low. "Just that he couldn't understand why Dumbledore trusted him with secrets of the Order but not with this. Dumbledore seemed to have his reasons though."

"Hmm," Hermione pondered this as she transfigured her doll in to a parrot. She needed to talk to Snape or Dumbledore, and she needed to do it now.

SCENE

"Come in, Miss Granger," Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as always as he offered her the seat directly across from him. "Lemon drop?" She grinned and took one from the dish, unwrapping the sticky treat and savoring the sweet taste in her mouth as it dissolved slowly. "Now, what is it I can do for you, so early in the new term? You're not trying to take any more classes already, I hope?"

Hermione laughed. "No, sir, nothing like that. I was just worried about something Harry and Ron told me. It's…it's a little embarrassing," she admitted.

He smiled slightly and nodded. "Go on."

"Well, they…you know about the 'extendable ears', the ones the Weasley twins invented, right?" Dumbledore nodded, eyes twinkling furiously as ever. "Well they were apparently using them at some point over the summer and heard part of a conversation between you and Professor Snape."

Dumbledore looked mildly interested. "Is that so?" he pondered. "And what exactly was our conversation regarding?"

"Well, from what I could gather, me." Here Dumbledore began to look slightly worried. Hermione hastily backtracked. "I mean, they didn't hear enough to know you were talking about me. But based on what they told me they heard…"

"What did they hear?"

"Something about a pensieve," Hermione explained. "About Professor Snape using one. They said you said something about 'if he finds out she's with you,' or something like that, 'we're all in trouble.' They," she faltered, "they thought you were talking about Snape having a girlfriend. They thought it was funny, which is why they told me." She looked somewhat embarrassed about her friends.

Dumbledore smiled slightly, a far off look in his eyes. "It doesn't sound as if any lasting harm has been done," he acknowledged. "Let them believe as they will. Thank you for informing, however. I shall have to be certain to be more guarded about secret conversations in the future," he mused.

"Sir, can I ask you something?"

"You may."

"They said that Professor Snape was annoyed that you trusted him with 'secrets of the Order, but not this.' Can I ask why that is?"

Dumbledore considered her for a moment. When he answered, he chose his words carefully.

"Miss Granger," he began, "Professor Snape is a man of secrets, of spying. He is good at what he does. His mind is well trained to shuffle away any thoughts of me or of the Order. I began to fear, however, that after you were there too long, he might begin to think more of you. I must admit, I was surprised at how close you seemed to become. It may not have seemed anything special to you, but I can assure you, it is the closest Professor Snape has allowed any person to be to him in many, many years, and I feared he was not ready to properly shield those thoughts. I had assumed he would continue his summer mostly in solitude, speaking to you when necessary and no more. And that seemed to best environment to keep you safe, unfortunate as that may have been. As I started to realize how your relationship was progressing, I began to fear that thoughts of you would find their way to the front of his mind, easily read by Voldemort, as they were by me."

Hermione was silent.

"That is all I will say. The rest is Professor Snape's business. Perhaps one day you will have the chance to discuss is confidentially with him. Until then, however, I do hope your curiosity is satisfied."

"Yes, thank you, sir," Hermione rose from her chair, knowing she was excused without Dumbledore having to speak the words.

As she continued down the hallway, confusing thoughts chased themselves through her mind. She continued on to the library, where she told Harry and Ron she would be. Why her? Why would Snape let himself get closer to her than all the teachers or anyone else in the Order? She didn't understand. She tried to drown her confusion in books and studying, but the question just kept coming back to the front of her mind. She groaned as she remembered that she had double potions first thing tomorrow morning. Maybe she was the one that needed to learn Occlumency.

A/N: Sorry it's shorter than the others, but that seemed a good place to cut off. I swear, this isn't going to be a romance. Promise! Just a sort of sappy friendship-ness kind of thing.

Review…cuz you love me. :P

Cheers!

Lexi