The rest of dinner passed in silence for Hermione, she was aware that Minerva was trying to make small talk with Severus, and failing. After her strange encounter with the new defense against the dark arts teacher Hermione was focusing on eating her food quickly and avoiding eye contact with the pale man to her right, who kept looking at her. She felt very uncomfortable but couldn't quite put a finger on why.

She saw, out of the corner of her eye, Severus stand up and look her way.

Hermione instantly stood also and walked over to where Severus was.

"I see you have made a new friend," Severus whispered as they made their way out of the great hall.

"Less a friend and more of a reason to be on edge," Hermione whispered back, as she turned her head to glance back at professor Mils. His piercing blue eyes were staring directly at her his face contorted slightly, as soon as he saw her looking though his lips twitched up into a smile.

Hermione quickly turned back around to follow Severus.

"He makes me nervous," Hermione said as soon as they'd made it back to their rooms.

"He does seem quite strange, I'm not sure if he was a former student of mine or not his face is familiar," Severus replied as he sat down on the couch and propped his feet up on the coffee table.

"That's possible, he can't be more than five years older than me," Hermione mused, as she went to her room to change into an old pair of sweats and a comfy T-shirt.

She reappeared and sat down beside Severus on the couch, she'd brought a book with her and opened it to her marker.

"If he was my student, you'll be sure he hates me," Severus said pulling out a book of his own.

Hermione looked up at him, "He could have been a Slytherin,"

"And your point is?" Severus drawled.

"If he was a Slytherin he might not hate you," Hermione said.

Severus snorted, "My dear Hermione the Slytherins hated me too."

"Oh," Hermione whispered. "I suppose I just assumed since you were their head of house that..."

"That what?" Snape snapped at her. "That the little brats would like me? Respect me?"

Hermione was staring at him now.

"If you didn't know Miss Granger, which I'm sure you do, I'm a halfblood. Not as bad a blood status as your own but certainly no pureblood, my students knew, their parents made sure they knew." Severus growled. "They weren't permitted to respect me, they tolerated my authority or feared my power." Severus stood, "Nothing more."

With that Severus stalked off to his room.

Hermione looked into the fireplace that was crackling merrily in front of her.

"God Hermione how can you be so stupid sometimes," Hermione murmured to herself as she extinguished the happy fire and went to her room.

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The next day passed quietly Severus and Hermione stayed away from one another, as much as they could while magically bound.

The next day started very differently.

"Hello, So sorry to disturb you but I am planning on doing some extensive research and I was just wondering if there was a quiet corner I could have all to myself?" a quiet male voice shocked Hermione out of the sorting she was doing.

Hermione turned quickly and came face to face with professor Mils.

"Oh," Hermione breathed. "Sorry you frightened me for a moment."

Mils smile stretched wider "I had no intention of doing so,"

"Yes, well there is a private section I have set aside for any professor who needs a quiet place to work, most professors go to their own quarters so you should be able to keep it all to yourself," Hermione smiled politely at him as she moved to continue her shelving.

"Thank you very much Hermione," Mils said and when Hermione turned around he was gone.

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"I don't like how professor Mils looks at me," Hermione said to Severus as she sat down beside him, running out of books to sort and students to correct.

"He does seem to find himself on rather familiar terms with you," Severus said back without looking up from the potion's journal he'd brought with him for the day.

It had been two weeks since Mils had requested the professors' corner to work.

He frequently came up to Hermione's desk to request books.

The pale blue eyed professor would glare at Severus, at least that's what he claimed, Hermione was too busy looking for whatever random text the man had asked for to see his supposed nasty glares.

Then he would smile at her, a smile that seemed too wide for his thin face say, "Thank you Hermione," and walk off back to his table.

Hermione shivered as she remembered his icy eyes and how they took in her face.

"Do you think I should mention this to the Minerva?" Hermione asked.

Severus gave her a nasty look. "There's no need for that, he is a creepy little bugger but you can't be alone, not while bound to me and I am more than capable of taking care of a little creep like him," Severus sneered.

"I suppose you're right," Hermione sighed.

They went to dinner, then back to the library, since the school year was in full swing the library hours were longer and Hermione and Severus often found themselves there late into the evening.

"Alright Hermione we need to go it's almost midnight all the students are in bed and the rest of this shelving can wait for tomorrow," Severus said setting one last book into place before facing her.

"Ok, just let me do one more run through to make sure their isn't anyone still here," Hermione said turning to make one last round of the library.

"Not every student falls asleep in the library like you did," Severus called after her.

Hermione promptly turned around and stuck her tongue out at him.

Hermione was at the back of the library and rounded the last corner she needed to check when she ran directly into someone's chest.

Hermione was about to let out a shrill scream when a hand covered her mouth effectively silencing her.

Hermione's wide brown eyes traveled up the chest and into the now familiar face of professor Mils.

He took his hand away from Hermione's mouth and moved it to her shoulder his grip tight.

"I'm so sorry I startled you Hermione, I was just about to find you to return my books," He said all of this very quietly.

Hermione nodded her head even though she didn't see any books on the table behind him.

"I...I was just making sure everyone was out of here before heading to bed," Hermione managed to say.

"Ah yes, where is your companion?" Mils asked smoothly looking around.

"He's waiting for me to join him up at the front desk." Hermione said nervously.

"Oh you can get that far away from him then?" Mils asked.

Hermione looked at him strangely, "As long as we're in the same room we came be as far away as the room allows and only eight feet when outside or in a hallway, the magic is fairly sophisticated. How did you know about that restriction?" Hermione asked, she had thought that Minerva hadn't told anyone and Hermione certainly hadn't shared that information with this man.

"Oh, I asked the headmistress why the two of you shared quarters, and she explained that you were bound together," Mils said

Hermione nodded.

"Not that I understand why you saved such scum," Mils snarled suddenly.

Hermione's eyes widened and then her temper kicked in.

Hermione ripped her arm out of his grasp. "Excuse me?" She said indignantly.

"You heard me Hermione, such a pretty girl, a hero too and wasting all of that potential on something that deserves only death." Mils was sneering his face too close.

Hermione didn't back down though and straightening her back glared at him.

"He deserves so much more than I can give him, he deserves true freedom, but that isn't possible now and I'm wasting nothing but my time talking to you." Hermione was getting progressively louder.

"I heard you were intelligent." Mils said his face still too close and his blue eyes were blazing.

Hermione began to feel the first stirrings of fear, this man was mad. Hermione fingered her wand making sure it had a straight path out of her sleeve.

"She's the most intelligent witch you'll have the privilege to meet, now if you are quite finished harassing her we'll be leaving," Severus' voice came from directly behind Hermione's right shoulder.

Mils' face turned beet red and he stormed off past the two shooting Severus a nasty look.

"Thanks I was about three-seconds away from cursing him." Hermione breathed out as she sagged a little in relief.

"I'll have to go have a conversation with the headmistress at some point, until then you will not be allowed anywhere by yourself. Understood?" Severus commanded.

Hermione huffed, "I was handling myself fine."

"He is more dangerous than he looks, do we understand each other?" Severus asked.

"Fine, buddy system from now on," Hermione agreed. "Now, can we please get back to our rooms, I'm a little shaken."

"Of course," Severus said, and to Hermione's utter shock put an arm around Hermione's shoulders as they made their way out of the library.

Hermione knew it was a protective gesture and was meant for Mils if he was still lurking around, but the emotions that shot through Hermione as they walked and the warmth from his arm that penetrated her clothing had Hermione's head spinning.

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Once they were safely back on the couch in their living area Severus sighed.

"I remember why I recognized him," Severus started.

"Oh?" Hermione asked from her part of the couch, she was slouched down and trying to keep her eyes open the long day taking it's toll.

"Yes, I was the one that took his hand." Severus said quietly.

Hermione sat up straighter at that, "What?"

"Before I became a spy, there was a death eater raid on a muggle village." Severus's voice was quiet but Hermione was listening carefully and caught every word. "Bellatrix was torturing a small family, she had already killed the little girl and was busy making the mother scream, the father was unconscious, but there was a little boy with blonde hair who was still awake. I walked over and began to torture the father, who awoke as soon as I cast the cruciatus curse. That little boy was a wizard, wasn't old enough to have gotten his letter yet of course, but a wizard none the less and his magic hit me like a wall of bricks. I was knocked down and the father began to run, I'm not sure who it was but someone killed him a few minutes later. The little boy was still throwing waves of magic at me, and well it would look bad to have been killed by a little boy, so I tried to stun him and when that failed I threw a slicing hex at him which, well, which took off his hand," Severus paused looking down at his hands. "The rest of the death eaters were leaving by that point, aurors were showing up, so I disapparated."

Hermione was staring at Severus and couldn't form a coherent thing to say.

"Awful, I know," He whispered. "So the things he said, that I deserved death, I do." Severus continued to stare at his hands and Hermione sat there stunned.

This explained quite a few things, Mils' hatred was justifiable, Hermione supposed, but it didn't excuse his behavior. Hermione wondered if the reason he came here was because of Severus.

"I suppose you're regretting your decision now," Severus said.

Hermione instantly shook her head, but Severus didn't notice.

"Should have let me die, given me peace," Severus whispered.

Hermione tried to grab his shoulder to stop him, but he had already fled slamming his door behind him.

Hermione had known about his past, had known he'd been a true death eater for a time before he became a spy, but hearing him talk like that, describe what he did well it had her shaken.

Hermione sighed she didn't regret her decision to save Severus he deserved a new life. Yes, he'd done some horrible things, but he'd atoned for them saved lives, but he would probably never see it that way, never see his job as done.

Hermione stood up and walked to his door.

She knocked lightly. Silence followed.

"Severus? May I speak to you?" Hermione asked softly.

Silence.

Hermione opened the door a little and peaked in.

Severus was on his bed facing the wall away from the door. Hermione opened the door wider and crept inside.

"I knew about your past Severus," Hermione started. "I knew you were a death eater and I still stick by my decision to save you."

Hermione moved farther into the room and rounded the bed to face him.

"You've made up for your past, how many times did you save Harry, save me for that matter?" Hermione asked.

Severus was still staring at his hands.

Hermione set her hands on top of his, finally capturing his attention.

"You need to realize that you've made up for your past, it will always haunt you, I know that, but you need to try to live." Hermione looked into his black eyes and hoped he was listening to her.

Severus stayed quiet his eyes speaking the torment that was raging inside him.

Hermione smiled a watery smile at him her eyes swimming as she beheld his brokenness.

"I see you Severus as you are and I think you are good, truly good." She let out a watery laugh, "A little grumpy at times and certainly terrifying when you want to be, but good."

Severus stood up suddenly still looking Hermione in the eyes.

Hermione stood still her breathe catching as she tilted her head up to keep eye contact.

Severus didn't say a word but silently wrapped his arms around Hermione in a strong embrace, holding her tightly to his chest. After a few moments Hermione could feel him shake against her.

She rubbed his back and held on just as tightly, desperately trying to sort out the emotions that were fighting their way through her.