Hermione was preparing to leave the Hospital Wing. Ginny had brought her some of her clothes to change into and she had just closed the curtain.

She had stayed two days, getting her homework done and Madam Pomfrey fussing about how she shouldn't work while she was healing. She had all her homework done and was excited about getting back to class.

Except for potions.

Of course she wanted to see Sev- Professor Snape again, but she didn't at the same time. She wasn't sure how he would react to having her in class again. How she would react...

She had gotten all of her essays done to the best of her ability. Madam Pomfrey had said Snape had brought it while Hermione was asleep. She wished she had been awake.

She wanted to thank him for taking are of her, but dominating over that want was the need that she just shouldn't mention it. Just the act like it never happened. Maybe then he could forgive her.

And maybe then she could forget about the fluttering of her heart every time she thought about him.

She dreamed about him at night. His smiles, how his eyes laughed when he used to look at her.

Used to look at her. He wouldn't look at her that way anymore. His eyes would always be cold when he looked at her now. She was no more than a student. Less than scum in his point of view. Not worth his time of day.

He probably hated her now.

Tears stung her eyes and she looked down at her wrist with the collar on it. At least she had that to remember him by. Something to remember the true Severus that he hid from the world.

Maybe she could bring out that true self.

She had found when she had stayed with him that what he seemed to want most was to be accepted by someone. She had accepted him, and he had come to trust her.

And she had betrayed that trust.

She kicked the bed. What was she going to do now! He probably closed his heart and locked it now. After her betrayal of him, how was he going to accept her a second time!

A tear leaked down her cheek.

"Hermione, you almost done?" Ginny called from the other side of the curtain.

"Nearly," Hermione called back.

She could sense Ginny's impatience and want to go eat something. She thought of what Madam Pomfrey had told her before she had let her get ready to leave;

"You'll be experiencing some affect from being a kitten for so long, Miss Granger. You may still have some of the instincts from your feline form, but they will wear off with time. I don't know how long, but you may find yourself acting cat-like from time to time. It is simply part of getting over the potion and nothing to worry about."

Hermione had been wondering why she still could sense other people's emotions as she had been able to as a kitten. She had most especially wondered why she had unthinkingly caught herself licking her hand and rubbing her face like a cat washing. Thank goodness no one had been around. She knew why she acted cat-like now, but it was still rather unnerving.

She shouldered on her robe and reached under the blankets. She brought out Severus' robe she had used as a kitten, and put it into her bag, walking out from behind the curtain.

"Are you hungry? We still have time for breakfast before we have to go to class," Ginny told her.

"I'm fine, I already ate something," Hermione said, forcing a smile.

"Alright, well I'm hungry so if you want to join me you're welcome to, other wise I'll see you later," Ginny answered.

"I think I'll go to the library," Hermione said.

"Harry said you had changed, but your still you," Ginny said smiling, "First thing out of the hospital and off to the library. Well, see you."

"Bye," Hermione said. Ginny left in the direction of the Great Hall.

Hermione went to the library, not really in the mood to read a book, but at least she would be alone and able to think... which she didn't want to do anyway.

Finding a table that was empty, she sat and stared at nothing, waiting for first hour potions to come about.


Hermione walked into the potion's dungeon, avoiding any eye contact with Severus and sitting next to Potter and Weasley with a slight smile.

He stared at her from the corner of his eye.

Seeing her again confused his emotions.

On one hand, he was happy to see her. He didn't know why. She wasn't his kitten anymore. Maybe it was her presence that reminded him of kitten.

Then again he felt resentment towards her. There she was perfectly happy, sitting with her little friends, not even knowing of the turmoil she was causing within him. Not even sharing in his sense of loss.

He sighed inwardly and got up from his desk to address the class.

"Today we shall be making a Potion of Truth. Now who can tell me the basics of this potion?" He looked around the class room and his eyes fell on Hermione. Her hand wasn't up. She was staring determinedly at the table in front of her.

"No one?" he said. He sneered. So Miss Granger was avoiding having anything to do with him. What was her problem?

Why had she defended him to her best friend and now she was acting like he was worse than the scum of the earth not worthy even to be acknowledge?

There was silence and he began to form a scathing remark to aim mostly at the Gryffindors.

Before Hermione's hand rose timidly.

He raised his eyebrow at her.

"Miss Granger," he said, forcing as much irritation in his voice as he could.

"A Potion of Truth is like the Veritaserum that it causes the drinker to speak only truth, but the difference is that it is only to the drinker themselves. For example if the drinker is in denial of something then the potion will give them the inevitable answer that they have been denying. Or even if a drinker is simply confused about a question the Potion of Truth will bring from their mind the true answer," she said, still not looking at him, but reciting the answer to her desk.

"Correct," he said indifferently, not feeling the usual irritation with her. That confused him. "The ingredients are on the board. You have until fifteen minutes of class to complete it. Begin."

The ingredients appeared and there was a shuffle as students copied them and moved to the ingredients cupboard.


Hermione hadn't wanted to draw any attention to herself from Severus. She didn't want to hear the dislike in his voice when he had called on her.

To her surprise however she hadn't felt dislike coming from him. Only confusion. Maybe he needed some of this potion they were making.

Smiling slightly, she got her ingredients and began to work on the potion.

She was just finishing the potion when Snape called it was time to stop. She bottled a sample and put more in a different bottle for when the students tried them out on themselves.

Snape wondered between the rows, checking the potions and telling the students which ones they could test and which ones were failures that would poison them if they tried it.

"Longbottom, this is pitiful!" he snarled at the frightened boy, "you can't even get the color correct! Pair with Granger and test her potion with her."

"But... professor, you haven't checked mine," Hermione said, looking at him.

He looked at her and his eyes caught hers.

He paused and the glare that had been on his face nearly vanished. Hermione could feel a strange emotion coming from him. The one she had felt coming from him when he had looked into her eyes as a kitten.

The expression on his face quickly changed to one of dislike, however and he sneered as he looked into her cauldron.

"Perfect as usual, for Miss-know-it-all-Granger," he said forcefully, avoiding looking at her. She could feel his frustration and anger as he moved away, but it didn't seem to be aimed at her.

She poured another bottle of the potion for Neville and they both waited for Snape to tell everyone to drink.

He did so and Hermione drained her bottle.

A feeling like her mind was completely empty greeted her.

"Now, everyone think of a question," he told them.

Hermione tried to think of a question, but her thoughts seemed to have been all shoved to a corner of her mind. She reached out to it and pulled out the first question that came to her empty mind.

'Why did I defend Professor Snape in the hospital wing?' she thought.

Understanding came to her as the answer left her compacted thoughts and entered the voided mind.

'I love him.'

Shock hit her.

'Love?' was her next thought.

The answer to the rhetoric question came.

'I love his kindness and his nobility. I love the way he looked at me when we were alone. I love how tender he was with me and how he shared his true self and so many personal things with me.'

'So I love him...' her confusion gave way to joy. 'I love him!' she felt relieved for some reason. As if she had been holding it back inside and was finally letting her dammed emotions flow. She felt like shouting it. She loved him!

The joy quickly gave way to that of sorrow.

'But I can never win him over, can I?'

'I already did, before.'

'But that was as a kitten. He doesn't love the real me. How can I get him to love me in return?'

'I can accept him.'

'Accept him?'

'Like as I did as a kitten. Show him that I still care for him. Actions speak louder than words.'

'But how can I get to him if he's closed himself off to me? As a kitten he was open to me because I was simply that, a kitten and he liked kittens. He didn't like me. He'll be less prone to opening up to me.'

'He hasn't closed himself completely yet. I saw the look in his eyes when he made eye contact with me. Get close to him while there's still an opening.'

'But what was that emotion in his eyes? What was it?'

'Love.'


Severus thought it was nearly comical seeing all the different expressions on his pupils' faces as they had conversations with themselves in their minds. Their eyes were far away, focused on nothing.

He gazed across the room, until his eyes fell on Granger. Her emotions changed on her face rapidly. From confusion, to joy, so sorrow, to determination.

He wondered what kind of thoughts she was having; wondered if she was thinking of that instance that they had made eye contact.

He couldn't believe he had let his emotions get the best of him. He had looked into her eyes and seen the kitten he had loved for so short a time. Had remembered the joy he had felt when he used to look into those deep brown eyes.

Then he had caught himself.

He shouldn't be feeling emotions for Hermione. She was his student now, not his kitten.

Then why did he still feel that he loved her?


I'm SOOOOOO sorry for making you wait! It's been, what, three days and me making promises that they would be out sooner! (bows deeply) Please forgive me!

I've just been busier than I expected and haven't had time to get on the computer! On Saturday my dad needed the computer so I wasn't able to get on to type, on Sunday I went to see Star Wars again (YAY YAY) and my dad STILL needed the computer for work. I also went through a mild stage of bored depression. I wasn't sad or anything, just so bored I didn't want to move. Yeah... fun...

Well, anyway, today I forced myself to get on here and finish this chapter! Please forgive the long wait! I'll get the next chapter out sooner!

Please review!

Darth Vader: Perhaps I can find news ways to motivate them.

Seom: Sssh! They aren't supposed to know you're here!

Darth Vader: ooo...

Anyway, until next chapter!

Seom