The next day Hermione avoided everyone upstairs, grabbing her breakfast before they all woke up. She also avoided her potions project, knowing if she started another round of experiments she wouldn't have time to finish them before she returned to Hogwarts. Instead she got out her schoolbooks and began on her homework, saving a potions essay for last. When Severus didn't arrive at the usual time she figured with a pang that he was staying away that day to try and play down any involvement they might have.

What had happened the night before made her feel warm and happy whenever she thought about it. The kiss at midnight had been spur of the moment, but he had not pushed her away when she instigated another kiss, and had kissed her again off his own back just before they left for the burrow. And he's not the type to do that unless he actually liked me. Maybe, just maybe, this is going to be a more regular thing, like a but she shied away from even thinking the word relationship. A relationship with a Professor, the head of Slytherin, the snarky rude potions professor she'd spent the last six years avoiding, and trying to impress, and sticking up for against accusations… Hermione shivered and tried to concentrate on her charms questions.

By midday Hermione had sunk below distractions, concentrating fully on the work in front of her. She didn't hear the soft knock at the door, or the five minutes of muffled swearing as someone struggled with her wards. The first she knew of anyone invading her basement was when a hand placed a mug of hot tea on the parchment in front of her. She started and stared up at Severus bleary eyed.

"Those wards were a bit over the top don't you think?" He said dryly.

"You're the first to get through them." She answered. "I thought I'd need heightened security in a house full of order members. How long did it take you?"

"Five minutes."

Hermione smiled in success. "And you're mister expert spy guy. I'm good."

Severus rolled his eyes and drew up a chair, straddling it, leaning his crossed arms on the back of it. He glanced at what she was working on and his lip curled. "Charms, foolish wand waving if you ask me."

"But necessary. I'm doing all my homework today, I didn't think you'd come."

He nodded. "I thought about not coming, what happened yesterday…"

"Was fine." She answered firmly. "Don't you start feeling guilty now."

He looked at her and smiled. "Sorry. You carry on with that work, and I'll start on analysing the use of the belladonna roots as a catalyst in the last batch, I think they're too efficient for the order, but perfect for us."

Hermione nodded. "Ok." She took a sip of her tea and was immediately re-absorbed into her work. Severus shook his head and watched her. He noticed the stack of assignments she'd already done and glanced at his watch. He knew she hadn't done any homework before today, and was impressed with the speed at which she completed her work. Where other students might be slowed down by not knowing the information and having to look it up, she just had to write down what she knew. And he knew from experience that more often that not she knew more than she had to, and expanded on points just for fun.

He turned to his own work, and the two of them sat quietly, the sound of quills scratching on parchment the only noise for hours. A long while later Hermione stretched and put down her quill, rubbing her eyes wearily. "That's your stupid essay done. Its so annoying having to write essays on something you've known for years."

Severus looked up in surprise. "If I'm not mistaken that essay was on Polyjuice potion, how have you known about it for years?"

Hermione flushed and looked away from him. "Background reading."

He smirked and pulled her chin round to look at him. "I know when you're lying Hermione, you can't fool me."

Hermione sighed and replied slowly. "I may have accidentally brewed it second year."

Severus started. "Second year?"

"Yup."

"Accidentally?"

"Uh huh."

"Hermione, there is no way anyone can accidentally brew polyjuice potion, and to make it in second year…" He though for a moment. "You stole my potions supplies."

Hermione chuckled. "I'm afraid so. Going to give me detention?"

"I should do, but instead I'm going to be deeply impressed with you potions skills."

"Works for me."

Severus changed track. "Have you decided about joining the shadows yet? Those skills would come in handy."

"I have thought about it, and I'm going to answer Tom on the last day of the holidays, his deadline remember? I've got one more question for him that I need answering. But yes, I think I'll join. I mean, Pansy's already welcomed me to 'the dark side'." She smiled at the memory.

"Well I hope you do join, I've become…accustomed to your company."

Hermione beamed. "Is that an admittance of friendship from the man with no friends?" She joked.

His eyes darkened and gained a predatory air. "I'd admit more, but risk incriminating myself."

Hermione giggled.

"Hey, no giggling." Said Severus, put out by her reaction.

Hermione just giggled more, unable to stop.

"You will desist such behaviour this instant." He snarled, summoning his experience as a truly intimidating professor.

"Oh my god." She choked in between giggles, "You can't pull that one off any more Severus, I'm not scared of you." She dissolved into laughter now, clutching at her sides in hilarity.

Severus smirked. "Very well then, if you wont stop that racket, I'll punish you by not allowing you to be able to stop."

He moved to her side and tickled her ribs, and she shrieked. "I'm ticklish you fiend!" She cried, trying to push him away.

"Works for me." He laughed.

She squirmed out of his grip, down off her chair onto the floor, but he didn't let up in his torture and soon she was in tears form laughter. "Please stop!" She gasped.

At that moment the door to the basement swung open and Harry poked his head round the door. The two of them didn't notice, Severus letting his guard down for once and truly enjoying himself, much as he would do when surrounded by Shadows in Grambleton village. Harry's face contorted with disgust at what he was seeing, and he hurried down the stairs to confront the two of them, his Gryffindor bravado over-coming any common sense.

"What the hell are the two of you doing?" He yelled. "You're sick, the pair of you. You deserve each other."

Severus stood but Hermione was quicker than him, pulling out her wand and immobilising Harry in an instant from her position on the floor. Severus looked down at her in surprise.

"That was some sharp shooting Tex." He joked. Hermione stood and blew the tip of her wand.

"The fastest foolish wand-waver in the west, that's me. Now what to do with him."

She stalked over to Harry and lent over him menacingly. "Perhaps I should Obliviate him like I did to Ron, that would probably be simplest." Harry's eyes widened with surprise, and a little fear.

Severus came up behind her and put his arm around her shoulders. "That would probably be best, but he'd have to have a replacement memory to explain why he's down here."

Hermione twirled her wand in her fingers, and Harry's eyes watched it tensely. "But what memory?"

"Perhaps the sight of us fighting, that would bring a curious young idiot down to the basement."

"Brilliant idea. What were we fighting about?" She wondered aloud.

"About whether you'd be a Ravenclaw or a Slytherin when you're resorted. I'm yelling that with your general deviousness you're a shoe-in for Slytherin, while you think you'd be Ravenclaw due to your impressive IQ."

"Okey doke, and Harry came down to say I'd be Slytherin, because I'm a bitchy evil death eater whore. Isn't that about right Harry?"

Hermione pointed her wand at his forehead, and Harry went cross-eyed trying to see it. Severus chuckled and pulled out a camera from his robes while Hermione uttered the incantation. A pale mist came from the end of her wand directly into Harry's head, and he went white and started to shake. When it was done he fainted, so Hermione cast a spell to stand him up, and stood behind Severus.

"I'm going to look distraught at his 'words', hiding behind you and crying." She told Severus with a grin. "Or is that a bit melodramatic?"

"No by all means, the boy will get the satisfaction of thinking he made you cry, he won't question the memory in the least bit."

Hermione started to cry, and Severus glowered. Harry suddenly came to and looked furious. "That's right, cry bitch. Just because you know how pathetic you've become. How long until they give you the dark mark?"

"That is enough Potter." Said Severus savagely. "I've said it before and I'll say it again, as you are obviously too pea-brained to have paid any attention the first time. If Miss Granger was in line to become a death eater, do you not think I would know? That I would have warned Dumbledore and the rest of the order? Get out, it is for your benefit we are working so hard, do not interrupt us again."

Harry glared at him, but ran up the stairs immediately nonetheless.

When the door shut behind him Hermione said the silencing spell and collapsed on her bed hooting with laughter. Severus shook the photo he'd taken to dry the ink and passed it to her. She sat up still chuckling to look at it.

"Thanks Sev, its great!"

She twisted onto her stomach and dangled her head over the edge of the bed, rooting around underneath it looking for something. All Severus could see was her bottom waggling about in the air and he fought the urge to paddle it. With a cry of success Hermione righted herself, a little red in the face, holding a black leather bound photo album. She shook out a couple of pictures of Crookshanks and put the one of Harry on the front page. He was shaking with fright as she loomed over him, a gleeful smirk on her face as she pointed her wand at him. Her image turned to the camera and winked. Hermione took out her quill and wrote a caption underneath it.

Hermione 1, Order 0.

"So you think I'm a dead cert for Slytherin then?" She asked, hiding the album back under her bed. "I wondered if the hat might fight me again and actually put me in Ravenclaw. Dumbledore can get it to if he asks it I reckon."

Severus sat down next to on the bed, and Hermione scooted closer to him. "I think if you tell the hat that Slytherin is where you want to be, no wavering or doubts, it will have no choice."

Hermione sighed happily. "That's a load of my mind then at any rate. I'd hate to have to swap you for Professor Sinatra. He's so polite and friendly and…"

Severus stopped her words with a kiss. Hermione smirked. "Never mind." And kissed him back.

There was no hesitation this time, and his tongue was inside her mouth before she even realised it. His tongue duelled with hers, fiercely taking her breath away. She pulled away to grab some air, pulling herself more upright in his hold and circling his neck with her arms, pressing herself against him wantonly. He growled and picked her up onto his lap, and she straddled him, wiggling her hips to get closer to him. He kissed her neck, nipping the white skin there to leave a mark. Hermione felt like he was marking his territory and she felt desire roll through her, more aroused by such a simple action than any amount of feathery kisses on her lips.

He moved his hands up from round her ass to underneath her top, tickling her for a second making her grin, before caressing her back in rhythmic circles. She squirmed in delight, revelling in the feel of his touch on her skin. With a growl he suddenly flipped her onto her back, pinning her against the mattress. She stared up at him with obvious need, and he lowered his lips down to hers again. Hermione freed her arms and started to undo the buttons on his shirt, her fingers fumbling as her lust-fogged mind struggled with her task. Severus looked down at her and licked his lips. Her curls were splayed out across her pillow, framing her flushed face showing a look of concentration as she worked on his clothes. He really wasn't sure if he'd ever seen anything so beautiful. His mind was filled with images of her face in the throes of passion and he rumbled deep in his chest.

She was about halfway down his shirt; constantly distracted by his hands teasing her body when there came a loud rap at the door, so loud neither of them could pretend to ignore it. Cursing Severus moved off her and began to button his shirt back up.

"You'd better answer that, I'll look busy with a potion."

Hermione nodded, licking her lips and trying to smooth her hair back down. Her body felt bereft when he had raised his off of her, his heat sorely missed. On the other side of the door was an irritated looking Dumbledore.

"I've been knocking on this door for a while, why wasn't it answered?"

"I'm sorry Headmaster, but we've had a silencing charm on this room so we can concentrate, I'm sure you can appreciate how noisy this house can get during the day. You're last knock was the only one we heard."

He nodded curtly. "I see. I take it then that Professor Snape is down there with you."

"He is. And he would appreciate not being interrupted throughout the day. We are trying to re-create a complicated potion and it is not made any easier by curious house calls." Severus spoke at a normal level, but his voice carried clearly up the stairs to Dumbledore.

Hermione stood to one side as the headmaster walked past her down into the basement, his tall hat brushing the doorframe as he ducked to get through.

"It's the potion I came to talk to you about my boy." Said Dumbledore. "Would it make life easier if Hermione and yourself returned to Hogwarts a day or so before the rest of the school goes back? You'd have free rein of the excellent facilities of your personal labs without the distractions of attending lessons. It can't be that conducive working in these conditions."

Severus gave a brief nod. "That would be more practical headmaster, thank you."

Dumbledore clapped his hands. All of the notes and potions equipment disappeared. Severus scowled at him. "I suggest you both go on ahead now, no time like the present you know." Dumbledore left the room, not looking at Hermione at all. She sighed in relief; him trying to be friendly to her had been most unnerving.

Hermione transformed her bedside cabinet back into her case, stowing away any of her things that had been scattered around the room. She turned the bed back into the uncomfortable lumpy mess it had been when she arrived, and replaced the grime and dirt on all of the surfaces with a flick of her wand before spreading the general crap piled high in the far corner back across the entire room. When Severus looked at her questioningly she just shrugged. "Wanted to leave it as I found it."

"You found it in this condition?" he asked incredulously.

"Yeah, I don't think they were bothered with tidying up a bit for the traitor. I am dirt, so a bit of grime wasn't going to do me any harm. Shall we go now? I think they want me gone as soon as is convenient."

Severus stomped up the stairs and Hermione followed on behind, levitating her case behind her. The others were playing wizards chess on the dining room table as they walked through and Severus snorted disparagingly. "Perhaps if you spent less time playing children's games and more time on finding the missing horcruxes we might defeat the Dark Lord by the end of the month." He spat critically. "You could make it your New Years resolution to be more useful to the order, like Miss Granger."

Ginny wrinkled her nose. "I'd rather not be anything like her if it's all the same to you Professor."

"What's your resolution Granger? To shag the Slytherins you've not got round to yet?" Harry taunted.

"My resolution?" repeated Hermione as she threw floo powder into the fire. She and Severus stepped into the grate. "My resolution….is revenge." And she grinned. "HOGWARTS."