I apologize for the long wait. The holidays are over and everyone is returning in this chapter. Please leave a review and let me know what you think.

Hermione was sitting next to Harry and Ron in the Great Hall. It was the morning of their return from the holidays and she was nervous. Their return meant that tonight she would be facing the Dark Lord and receiving the dark mark. Ever since they made love, Severus and Hermione's relationship changed drastically. Severus became closer to Hermione and started to open up a little more. He was starting to show the soft side of him. They continued to make love for the false memories and also for themselves. He was making her feel more confident in what she had to do and she wasn't so nervous anymore about making their relationship believable when in fact they were in a real relationship. Her friends were still clueless about the plan that was in place, which included Remus Lupin. She wanted to keep it that way and now that they were back in school she felt it would be even easier to keep her secret from them.

Did either one of you find time at the Burrow at all to actually finish your Potion's paper for today?" Hermione asked out of the blue remembering the paper that was due today in class. She hadn't seen either one of them crack open a book over the holidays and that made her worried.

Harry looked down at his plate and said guiltily, "I did, but it's pretty bad. I wasn't really trying."

Ron's mouth fell open in response and a piece of scrambled egg came tumbling out of his mouth and back on his plate. "We have a paper due today?" He shouted out in disbelief. He forgot all about it over the holidays. He was too busy eating sweets and talking to his family. He wasn't thinking about school.

She made a face of disgust at the spittle that landed on his plate from the eggs that were in his mouth. "Yes Ronald. How can you forget that we have a paper due?"

Ron grumbled in anger, "Of course the greasy git will make us turn in a paper the day we got back."

She felt her temper mount and she glared at him in response. "Stop acting like such a child Ronald. It's not his fault that you can't remember when a paper is due."

"Do you think he will let me turn it in late?"

She scoffed in response knowing the answer was no. Even he knew the answer was no, but she rolled her eyes and responded anyway. "I doubt it, especially not with full points. He's nasty at grading when it comes to late assignments."

"I never get full points on a paper anyway, Hermione. I always get Trolls or a P. How about you Hermione can you write it for me?" He looked at her with a pleading look.

She shook her head. "No way! He will notice my handwriting and besides I have my own work to worry about."

Ron put his head in his hands and groaned out, "I'm doomed then."

Harry put his hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry mate. Maybe if you turn it in tomorrow he won't be as harsh on you."

"And you finished your paper?"

"Most of it yes. I still think it came out rubbish, but the subject is rubbish."

Hermione rolled her eyes and said, "Potions is not rubbish. Potions is an art."

"Really Hermione? How can you find it an art form? All you do is mix ingredients together and out pops a potion. It's dumb."

She glared at him. She hated when Harry and Ron talked bad about Potions. They always thought the class was useless and their professor was a terrible teacher, but she knew otherwise. "Oh yeah? If it is so simple then why don't you have an Outstanding in the class?"

"Because he doesn't give any of the Gryffindor's an Outstanding on anything they turn in. He's bias Hermione. You know this."

She looked down at her half eaten breakfast and mumbled, "Well I have an Outstanding."

He looked at her in disbelief. "You really have an Oustanding?"

She smiled and said "Every year."

"How? He hates all the Gryffindor's."

"Because I actually try and don't slack off in his class. He likes to set high expectations Harry to prepare us for the real world." She knew he was right. She was well aware of Severus's biases when it came to teaching different houses, but she understood his reasoning. He was a spy and he couldn't show favoritism.

"Expectations? Are you blind Hermione? They are impossible to reach. I mean poor Neville is scared of him."

She frowned feeling bad for Neville. She didn't like how Severus treated him, but she still had an overwhelming sense to defend him. He was the love of her life and her partner. "Well to be fair Neville shouldn't be near a potion."

"He tries though. You know he can't function in that class because of his fear of him. You know that's his boggart."

She looked down at her plate again and finally admitted out loud, "I don't like how he treats the students either Harry." She hoped that would be the end of it, but Harry had other ideas.

"Then admit that he is a slimy git that wants us to fail." He wouldn't drop it. He didn't know why she was always defending him and he was tired of it.

"I can't Harry. He doesn't…"

Harry cut her off and shouted at her in anger, "How can you stand up for him all these years even after he made fun of your teeth? Can't you see it the way Ron and I see it? He's a terrible person and I wouldn't be surprised if he is still a Death Eater just like his past."

She couldn't believe how ridiculous Harry was being. She stood up from the table and shouted right back at him, "Harry, he works for the fucking order and Dumbledore trust him. I trust him." The last words slipped out by accident, but she didn't care. How dare he say this when he had no idea?

Harry stood up from the table as well. "That doesn't mean anything Hermione. You don't know what he's hiding. I saw him talking to Malfoy in the hallway just before the Holiday's."

She clenched her fist in anger. "You don't even know what they were talking about."

"What I do know Hermione is that Malfoy is a Death Eater and so is he. They are working together. How can you not see it?"

She knew there was going to be no end to this argument. Instead she decided to walk away. It wasn't worth continuing this fight with him. "I'm going back to the common room and heading to class."

Harry's face turned red in anger. "Why can't you just admit that our Professor is a git?" He shouted so loud that everyone in the Great Hall turned towards them.

She quietly whispered to him, "Not everything is black and white Harry." She left the Great Hall leaving Harry and Ron behind. She walked slowly through the hallways upset by what transpired in the Great Hall. She wished Harry saw what she saw, but she knew that wasn't possible. Severus was playing his part well and she had to play her part as well. She couldn't tell Harry or any of her friends anything. She just hoped she wouldn't lose her friends by the time the war was over. They couldn't keep arguing like this. She reached the Potion's classroom and sat at the table in the back of the room. She took out her potion kit and her textbook and waited patiently for the other students to arrive.

Harry and Ron arrived into the classroom after a few minutes has passed. They slowly walked over to Hermione's table and sat next to her.

Harry said sheepishly, "I'm sorry Hermione about what happen at breakfast today." He honestly didn't feel bad about what he said, but he did feel bad for getting in her face and causing a scene in the middle of the Great Hall. He still felt that Professor Snape was a greasy git who was a Death Eater. Nothing can make him change his mind.

She smiled slightly at him. She was glad that he was trying to make amends with her and not ignoring her. "It's okay Harry."

Professor Snape made his notorious entrance with the door slamming shut behind him. He reached the front of the room and turned towards the class with an angry scowl on his face. "I hope all of you finished your essays over the holidays. I will be coming around to collect them." When he got to Hermione's table he saw that Ron didn't have his. "Mr. Weasley it looks like you do not have a paper. Did Ms. Granger forget to write you one over the holidays or were you too busy with other activities?"

Ron felt his face heat up in anger at his words. His face nearly matched his hair in anger. "I always write my own papers, sir."

"No wonder why they are so dreadful to read. Maybe you should have asked Ms. Granger to write them at least then I can actually understand what you are trying to spit out on the paper." He went on to the next table.

Ron was left fuming in his seat. He whispered to Hermione, "Do you see what I mean?"

She ignored him and turned her attention back to her Professor at the front of the room.

"Today we are going to be making a powerful healing potion called sanitatum. Open your books to page 444."

Hermione saw Harry take out the used copy of the Half Blood Prince. She whispered to him, "That's cheating Harry. If you are caught he will have your head. You know he will catch you one day Harry."

Harry ignored her and discreetly took out his wand from his robe pocket. He quietly whispered a spell on the book to hide the secrets inside from others.

Hermione rolled her eyes when she saw all the black scribbles on the margins and across the page miraculously disappear. She looked down at her own textbook and began to get her ingredients ready.

A few minutes passed and Harry whispered to her, "Do you know what the book says?"

"No Harry and I really don't care."

"This potion can be used to cure after effects of the cruciatus curse."

"I really wish you didn't read that book Harry. It's dangerous and full of dark magic. You need to turn it in."

"But Hermione the potions are so much quicker to make and I'm actually passing his class for once. Can't you just be happy for me?"

Hermione ignored him and focused on her potion. Half way through the class period she looked back over at Harry to see how far he got with making his potion. Miraculously she saw him just finishing his potion. She whispered to herself, "Unfair."

Professor Snape walked over to their table and looked down into Harry's potion. "It looks like Mr. Potter has finished an extremely hard potion in half the time. Tell me Mr. Potter how were you able to complete a potion in half the time, while everyone else is still working?"

He swallowed in nervousness not expecting him to check up on their table. He didn't have a response for why it was done so quickly. "I don't know, sir."

"There must be a reason that you were able to finish it before anyone else. I will give you another chance Mr. Potter to answer my question. How were you able to complete your potion?"

"I prepared my ingredients differently and I stirred it counter clockwise at times." He badly started to lie in front of him knowing he wasn't going to believe a word he said.

"How were you able to do that Mr. Potter if your book clearly states the instructions? You aren't smart enough to experiment different techniques, so you must not be telling me something. You have five seconds to tell me the truth." His temper was starting to mount at Potter's insolence.

Harry saw the vain near his cheek start to twitch in anger. Maybe he should have listened to Hermione after all. He quickly said, "I just had a feeling that it would work if I made it differently."

Professor Snape nearly snorted at Potter's response. "May I see the book that you have been using Mr. Potter?"

"Why do you need my book, sir?" He showed him the cover knowing that wasn't what he was asking.

"I believe that you are lying to me. Now I am not asking you to give me your book I am telling you before I get the Headmaster involved." His last words quickly made Harry react and he handed over his book begrudgingly.

Professor Snape looked at the page that they were on and casted the spell, "Specialis revelio." The black spiky handwriting started to appear on the pages. He looked up at Harry and scowled at him. "You just lost yourself 50 points for lying to a Professor Mr. Potter and for using an illegal book to help you pass you will have a week's detention with Mr. Filch this week." He walked away from their table taking Harry's book along with him.

When class was over Professor Snape said, "Ms. Granger stay behind. The rest of you may go."

Hermione whispered to her friends, "I'll see you later in the common room." After the class was empty Hermione ran up the aisle and hugged Severus tightly to her.

He wasn't expecting this, but he accepted her hug nonetheless. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her tightly to his chest.

"Does it have to be tonight Severus?" Now that it was just the two of them she felt her real nerves star to come out. She was scared of what was to come, but who wouldn't be?

"Yes Hermione it has to be tonight. I believe in you Hermione. You are so strong and so brave. I know you will be an amazing spy."

She smiled at his praise and started to feel a little better by what was to come later in the evening.

"Right after dinner I need you to come to my rooms so we can be ready to leave. There are some things that we are going to go over before we go." She nodded at him. "What was the fight between you and your friends about this morning?"

"Harry wants me to admit that you are a git and how you are really a Death Eater. He has this belief that you and Malfoy are working together because he saw you two talking in the hallway."

He saw the look on her face and he knew she wanted him to tell her what was going on, but he couldn't. He made a vow he wouldn't. "Hermione I will tell you all about that at a better time."

"But it's so goddamn difficult, Severus. They look at me as some betrayer because I won't talk bad about you. Harry thinks I'm crazy because I always stick up for you."

"Then don't."

"I can't do that Severus. You're not a git. You're a great man that has way too much on his plate. I wish everyone knew what you really are. This is why I will never stop defending you even if it causes a rift between Harry and me. Speaking of friends Ron wants to turn in his paper tomorrow because he forgot all about it. Can you cut him some slack please?"

He rolled his eyes in response. "The idiot. He can't even write a suitable paper."

"He's trying. You should give him more credit."

"He should show more effort in his work then. Have you seen his last paper? Pure garbage. I am sorry that I have high expectations, but I don't just give grades to people. Mr. Weasley barely even meets the length of most of his papers."

She sighed knowing he was right. "Sadly I agree with you. I have read a lot of his papers and I have made him rewrite it. He doesn't care about school. All he wants to do is be a Quidditch player. At least Harry tries. He wants to be an Auror."

"You should get going. I have a class to teach in about five minutes and you got to go before you are late. Don't forget about after dinner. Come immediately to my rooms. Is that understood?"

"Yes I will be sure to remember that. I will see you later Severus." She pecked him on the cheek and walked out of his classroom with her belongings.