On the night of the Return Feast, the Great Hall buzzed with chatter about holiday adventures and particularly impressive Christmas Presents. Tomorrow, classes would begin again, but tonight they were still on break, and the students of Hogwarts were stubbornly clinging to that carefree, holiday mood as long as they possibly could.

But there was one student who was particularly eager to resume classes: Hermione Granger. She had enjoyed her time at home with her family (particularly because she knew in the back of her mind that she may have a limited amount of time left with them), but she had also greatly anticipated her return to the castle.

She longed to have her limits tested by her professor once more. Hermione hadn't seen Professor Snape since the night of Slughorn's Christmas party and she was curious how he would treat her now. She glanced up at the Head Table again. He was right there, yet it seemed so far away. She could never approach him to say hello. And he hadn't so much as looked in her direction all night.

And why would he? She asked herself. You're just another student to him. He has 1,000! Hermione scowled down at her pudding. She would be deluding herself to think that he considered her in any way set apart from the other students. Just because she was his assistant… and being tutored by him… and also part of the Order… What difference does any of that make anyhow? But it did make a difference, Hermione knew. She was sure it had been an accident on his part, but somehow their relationship was different now. Now, they were more than just teacher and student. Oh, don't be silly!

She glanced up at him again. He was scowling down at his Slytherins who were getting a little rambunctious. Luckily her first class tomorrow was with him.

Severus bolted up in his bed, assessed his surroundings and collapsed back against the pillows. He had had yet another Albus dream. Perhaps the guilt would eat him alive before he ever had to actually accomplish the task. As it was, he couldn't seem to close his eyes without dreaming about the old man. Severus closed his eyes and groaned in frustration. He was going to have to start taking Dreamless Sleep again, but he hated the sensation of being less aware of his surroundings and therefore less able to respond. He was a spy and that meant sleeping with one eye open.

Lately Severus's attitude toward his position in the order had become a tad… rebellious. He had always done as Dumbledore commanded, but this… this was going too far. And there was something else… whereas he had always been ready to die for the cause (and very sure that that was more than just a possible outcome), lately he had developed a certain… taste for life. As if… as if he had something to live for.

But that was ridiculous. Surely it was only that his mind recognized the proximity of such an end and the natural instinct of self-preservation was finally kicking in.

Of course, he couldn't deny that a certain bushy-haired girl—woman—had had a strong effect on him recently. She awakened feelings in him that he had long since believed were dead. Groaning again, Severus allowed himself to fantasize about the prospect of simply running away from it all. Perhaps if he just faked his death, he could run off to some far-off place where no one would ever find him. Like… India.

And he could take Granger with him. Why not? He could just imagine lying in bed with her in some exotic, jungle villa, spices filling the air, her hair pouring over his pillows. He would never do it, of course. But the thought was tempting.

Just picturing the scene brought enough heat with it to warrant throwing off the bedcovers and letting the dungeon air cool his naked skin.

There, in this alternate reality where horrible things didn't always happen to him, he would wake up with her in his arms. They would both be naked, of course. India was very hot. And her soft body would be pressed against his, their sweat mingling together on their skin and in the air around them. He could practically feel her slick skin against his.

Even in his freezing dungeon bedroom, Severus felt his skin heat. He was so hard it ached, throbbing with desire. He would wake her by gently cupping her full breasts and kissing the back of her neck, licking away the salt of her sweat. Severus took himself in hand.

She would moan as she awakened, the way she did that night not long ago, and he would pull her hard against him. At first, she would lie there contentedly and enjoy his caresses in the morning heat. But soon, her own need would grow desperate and she would turn to him to relieve her.

With a hand in that tangled mane, he would press his lips to hers, softly at first, then urgently as he pressed her into the mattress. Severus could practically feel her sweet body underneath him.

Hermione was pacing her dorm, impatiently. She had woken up early for no real reason except the excitement of seeing Professor Snape for DADA today. But that wasn't for hours! She had far too much energy to simply wait around for breakfast.

Perhaps if I went to work on some potions before class? That was risky. She would have to be careful about timing, lest she be late for his class. Merlin knew he wouldn't hesitate to deduct a ton of points.

Making up her mind, Hermione dressed in her school robes and headed down to the dungeons. It wasn't until she was practically there that she began having second thoughts. What if there isn't a list of potions for me yet? What if he knows why I couldn't wait to come? Hermione was feeling anxious by the time she reached the classroom, but a moment's hesitation was all she needed to decide that she was just that desperate to see him.

Creaking open the door to his private lab, Hermione was pleased to see it already set up for brewing. Had he expected me to come last night? She had deliberately refrained from coming to work the night before, which took some serious willpower, but now felt a little sad that she hadn't come.

She scanned the list for potions that didn't require much time to brew and immediately set to work on them first. Soon enough three happy cauldrons were bubbling away on the work bench. She set a timer for eight minutes and sat back to watch them.

Then she heard it. Underneath the sound of bubbling brews there was another faint sound that was hard to make out. Her curiosity piqued, she stood to follow the noise by ear. It almost sounded like breathing or movement. She looked out the door to the storeroom, but could no longer hear the sound. Then she noticed a closet door cracked open on the other side of the room and she felt her muscles tense with alarm. Slowly, she crept toward the door, anxious to see what could be inside. She hesitated in front of it and pulled out her wand.

Slowly, she pulled the door open enough to look inside and was shocked by the sight that met her eyes. The room she had believed to be a closet was actually a bedroom. And from her vantage point, she could see atop the bed the naked figure of Professor Snape. To her horror, the sound she had heard was his gasping for air as he worked himself to a spectacular orgasm. His groan of pleasure sent a fiery heat between her legs. She had never seen anything like it.

She withdrew immediately, closing the door back to the crack it had been and hurried back to her workbench. Her heart was thudding so hard in her chest that she felt it might burst, and her skin was so hot that she thought it would ignite. Calm yourself, Hermione! If he comes in here, he'll know! That thought sent such a chill through her that she felt her face drain of color and almost gagged with fear.

Don't be stupid! You've spent the entire break studying Occlumency. Now it's time to put theory into practice! Hermione began her breathing exercises and began working on clearing her mind. She fell into such a deep trance that she jumped a foot in the air when the timer for her potion went off a minute later.

Not allowing herself to think about the likely chance that he had heard the alarm as well, she returned to her potions to complete the next step. A moment later, the door to his chambers burst open and Severus Snape was standing, fully dressed, in the doorway. Her surprised reaction was completely genuine.

"Professor!" she cried, "you scared me!" Then she felt herself laughing in relief over the momentary shock, just as she would have if she hadn't known where that door led. "I thought that was a closet!" she heard herself laugh, and watched his shoulders relax imperceptibly. Then, she turned her attention back to her cauldrons and hastened to repair the damage her broken concentration had done.

"It's a bit early to be brewing, isn't it Miss Granger?" he sneered. She could tell from the edge in his voice that he had been humiliated to think that she may have heard him. Lucky I decided to get those Occlumency books before I left for the holiday!

"I've been so bored at home that I was itching to get back to work." She confessed. One of the potions was bubbling too much, but she was busy adding chopped salamander liver to another and couldn't reach it. The Potions Master swept over to the cauldron and immediately began to stir it into complacency. She watched his pale hand wrap around the stirring spoon. His right hand. And felt her cheeks begin to heat. That will not do!

But she couldn't help but think what that hand had been doing just moments ago in the other room. I wonder what he was thinking about. Hermione could feel the heat pooling between her legs and a coil tightening low in her stomach. Fool! He will know what you're thinking!

Together, they bottled the potions and marked them off the list. Then, Snape turned to her and she could feel the full force of his penetrating stare on her. Don't think of anything, she told herself as she turned to look up at him. His face was a perfect mask, exposing nothing of his thoughts to her.

"I must confess, Miss Granger, though I would never accuse you of having impeccable tastes in friends, I believe you may have reached an all-time low." Her eyes grew wide as she tried to understand what he meant.

"I beg your pardon?" she breathed.

"Cormac McLaggen is a brainless oaf and a notorious scoundrel." Hermione gaped at him. "You've proven your less-than-discerning tastes with Potter and Weasley, but now I almost think you're trying to surround yourself with idiots." Drawn out of her stupor, Hermione laughed.

"First of all, Professor, Harry and Ron are not idiots. And secondly, I tried to get out of going to the party with Cormac, but I had no excuse."

"Just say 'no,' Miss Granger." He replied drily and she sensed a bit more vehemence in his tone than normal.

"Yes, well I learned that one the hard way." The moment the words were out, Hermione blushed at the insinuation. She saw a flash of what might have been anger in his eyes, but it was gone so fast the thought she might have imagined it. He cleared his throat.

"Miss Granger, I've been meaning to discuss something with you…" he broke off, looking at her hesitantly.

"About what, Professor?" His eyes turned to the work bench.

"Miss Granger, there may come a time when I am unable to provide the necessary potions for the Order and Madame Pomfrey." Hermione's eyes grew wide with fear. What is he saying? "I need to know that I can depend on you to take over that duty for me, if necessary." She blinked.

"Of course, Professor. But I really don't think…" but he cut her off.

"Granger, don't." he was looking straight into her eyes with the most intense expression she had ever seen directed at her. "I am going to teach you how to brew the other potions, such as Wolfsbane. But in order to do that, we will need to meet every night for a month. Can you handle that?" There was no sarcasm or challenge in his voice. He just needed to know, seriously, if she would be able to commit to this. She raised her chin.

"Yes, Professor." She said confidently. This was something worth her time, even more than studying for her NEWTS. She had a profound sense of purpose, even though she hoped she never actually needed it.

"Good." He said simply. She could feel a wave of relief wash over the room and suddenly her Potions Professor looked very tired, which worried her immensely. "I need to prepare for class and you need to clean up this mess," he said. She nodded.

"Yes, Professor." He hesitated, seeming to search her once more, then swept from the room, closing the door to his quarters with a sharp bang.

Hermione breathed a sigh of relief and began to clean up the lab. Thinking she would slip out to breakfast before class, Hermione stepped into the storeroom, only to hear noises in the other room. She froze, heart beating fast. That annoying humming could only be Slughorn. She swallowed a groan. If she slipped out now, he would demand an explanation. She was trapped. Unless…

No! Absolutely not! He would be furious!

Of course, he would probably understand.

But he would be livid at first! And that's terrifying enough!

But he'll be even angrier if you miss class.

Reluctantly, Hermione tapped on the door to Snape's private quarters. The minute she had to wait was pure agony and she could feel her cheeks burn red. Finally, the door swung open so fast that she had to jump back.

"What?" he growled. For a moment, she couldn't breathe.

"It's Professor Slughorn. He's in the classroom." Snape froze, seeming to consider. Finally, scowling, he held the door open for her to enter. Hesitantly, she stepped inside. The room was dark, as anyone could have guessed, but not dramatically furnished. Plain, dark furniture adorned the room and any light seemed to be absorbed into the walls. It was bleak and dreary and she had a strange impulse to cheer him up. But in the air there was a faint, masculine scent that stoked the fire burning inside of her. It was the smell of him.

Snape led her through his bedroom and into a small living area beyond. The living room was slightly cheerier and the walls were covered in bookshelves, which immediately made her eyes swell with desire. Snape seemed to notice this and sneered. Actually, his expression seemed kind of proud.

There was a door at the other side of the room and through it she found herself in his office. He checked to make sure the hall was clear before hastening her on her way and shutting the door behind her.

As she headed to the Defense classroom, now no longer hungry, she couldn't stop thinking about what he had said. Did he think he was going to die?

Was this about the Unbreakable Vow?

Well? Whaddya think about that? B~}