A/N: Thank you all for being so patient with me! I love you all, and I'm so sorry that it took me so long to update. Hubby and I went on vacation and my dog got really hurt, then our main vehicle broke down completely while we were on our way back. Its been a crazy couple of months. Anyway, please enjoy this newest chapter! Much love- Bookworm.

"Severus?" Hermione muttered, blinking her eyes rapidly. She sucked in a breath when she moved her arm to reach out to him, her entire left side was stinging and burning.

"Hermione?" She heard Severus say softly. She felt her left hand being squeezed, and opened her eyes fully.

"Severus. What happened?" She asked, her voice scratchy.

"You mean… you don't remember?" Severus asked slowly.

"Well… I remember the explosion. Something went wrong with the potion." Hermione said, wincing at the pain in her throat. She glanced around the room, instinct telling her that they weren't the only ones in the room, and froze when her eyes landed on the blond man sitting on her other side.

"Hello." Said Draco Malfoy, raising his brows at her.

"What are you doing here?" Hermione asked, her brows furrowing.

"Well, nice to see you too." Draco said with a smirk. "I heard what happened, and decided to come… Moral support, you know?" He added.

"You? Moral support?" Hermione snorted.

"Well, nice to see you haven't changed much." Draco said, amused. "But yes, moral support." He repeated.

"Hermione." Severus said, capturing Hermione's attention. "How are you feeling?" He asked her. She was silent for a moment, seemingly doing a mental evaluation of her state.

"Well…" She said slowly. "My throat hurts, and my ribs are sore. Other than that… I feel fine." She said, giving him a small smile.

"And your burns?" He asked, knowing that the healers would have only put dittany on it.

"Burns?" She asked, her brow furrowing. Severus leaned closer to her, using a couple fingers to pull the collar of her hospital gown to the side, allowing her to see the burns that covered her shoulder and arm.

"Oh." She said softly, a small frown forming on her face. "Erm… No. I don't feel those." Draco looked concerned at her statement, and made eye contact with Severus.

"Hermione, love. Can you feel this?" He asked, gently pressing a finger against the burn. He watched as tears welled in her eyes, and she shook her head. "Okay. Draco, would you please grab the medi-witch in charge of her?" Severus asked, keeping his voice calm. Draco nodded once before standing and swiftly exiting the room.

"Sev, why can't I feel that?" Hermione asked.

"I'm sure it's nothing, love. Tell me, can you feel this? He asked, grabbing her hand. It had been untouched by the flames, and he was filled with relief when she sighed and nodded.

"Yes." She said, curling her fingers around his hand. "Yes, I can feel that." She repeated.

"Well, than I'm sure it's nothing to worry about." He lied, giving her a forced smile. She flashed him a watery-eyed smile in return as Draco and Medi-witch McClain reentered the room.

"She was just down the hall." Draco told Severus softly when he raised his brows at him.

"Hello dear, nice to see you awake. Would you two please go wait in the hallway?" The witch asked. Severus glanced at Hermione, who gave him a nod, before inclining his head and following Draco out the door. He shut it behind him, and finally let the worry he felt splay across his face.

"Is she going to be alright?" Draco asked in a whisper, not wanting to risk Hermione hearing them talk.

"I'm sure she will be." Severus said, ignoring the skeptical look that Draco gave him.

"She couldn't feel the burns." Draco said pointedly.

"I know." Severus snapped, glaring at the younger man in front of him. "And I'm sure she will be fine." He said again with a curt nod, effectively bringing their conversation to an end. They waited in silence, not even looking at each other, outside of her room. They both sighed with relief when the medi-witch exited the room and clicked the door shut behind her. She glanced at both of them, but turned fully to Severus.

"Hello again." She said, giving him a smile.

"Is she alright?" He asked, ignoring the pleasantries.

"Erm…" She bit her lip and glanced at Draco before sighing. "She specifically told me not to tell, and I quote 'the blond ferret'." She said, obviously holding in a laugh. Draco, however, had no restrain and burst into a full laughter.

"She hasn't changed at all." He said, raising his hands. "I'll just step down the hall." He said, turning and walking a bit down the corridor. Medi-witch McClain quickly regained her composure and turned her attention back to Severus.

"So, from what I can gather at the moment, it appears that Miss Granger has nerve damage. The burns were quite severe, and as a result she lost feeling in those areas. I have already informed Miss Granger, and I also informed her that we could attempt to heal her further, but its risky. She has declined the treatment, but asked me to inform you about her… condition." McClain told him.

"Do you think it likely that she will regain the feeling in her burns?" Severus asked.

"Honestly? I think she might regain some feeling, but I find it unlikely that she will ever regain full feeling in her arm." She told him, looking grim.

"Thank you." Severus said. She nodded to him, and gave him a terse smile before turning and walking away. As soon as she had passed Draco, he made his way back to Severus.

"What's the news?" Draco asked.

"Nerve damage." Severus said, staring down at the floor.

"Is she going to be alright?" Draco asked, glancing at her door.

"Yes." Severus said, leading them back into her room and taking his seat next to her bed again.

"She told you?" Hermione asked softly, reaching over and taking his hand in hers gently. Severus stayed silent, only nodding once. "It's not that bad…" Hermione assured him. Severus stared at her, his eyebrows raised.

"Well… You can't feel most of your arm." Draco spoke up.

"Yes but I can still move it." Hermione said, glaring at him. "So really, I'm fine. It's just nerve damage. I will be fine." She repeated, looking hard at Severus.

"I know." He finally said.


When Hermione was finally allowed to leave the hospital, she insisted on returning back to work immediately, despite Minerva's concerns about her. Hermione had vented her frustration to Severus, who had listened silently to her rant before speaking.

"Love, she is only worried about you." He told her, handing her a glass of firewhisky after her meeting with Minerva.

"She doesn't want me to teach alone until I'm 'sure that I am up to the task'." Hermione said, making a face as she repeated the words the headmistress had told her.

"Well, what did you tell her?" Severus asked, pouring a glass of firewhisky for himself and sitting in the spare armchair.

"I told her what I told you, my arm won't get any better, and I can use it just fine. I'm fine and I want to teach." Hermione said, raising an eyebrow at him as if he was going to argue with her. Instead of arguing, he nodded.

"So, she is allowing you to teach immediately?" He asked.

"Yes, with the condition that if I feel that I am not performing to my best ability that I tell her and take a step back." Hermione said, sipping on her drink.

"Thank Merlin, I am tired of teaching your classes." Severus said. Hermione turned her head to glare at him, but when she noticed he was smirking she let out a chuckle.

"My students are nothing but pleasant to me, you must have said something to make them annoy you." She said with an innocent shrug.

"If I recall correctly, I began each class with telling them you were in the hospital and that I would be taking over until further notice."

"Oh Severus, you should have told them that I was on a lovely holiday in France or something." Hermione sighed, eliciting a rare laugh from Severus.

"Yes, I'm sure that would have made all the difference." Severus said, shaking his head.

"I should go to bed, first day back in the morning." Hermione sighed, setting her now empty glass on the small table between the two armchairs. Severus only nodded, avoiding her gaze by looking in his glass. "Well… Goodnight." Hermione said, watching him as she stood.

"Goodnight, love." He said, glancing at her. She paused, wondering if he would move to give her a kiss before she left. She smiled softly, knowing that affection wasn't his strongest suit and walked to the door. "You could stay." She heard Severus say softly as her hand landed on the handle of the door.

"What?" She asked, startled. She turned back to him, and saw that his eyes were wide as he watched her. He slowly set his glass down on the table and stood up.

"You could stay." He said again, taking a few steps toward her.

"Are- are you sure? I mean… the only time we have ever stayed together was when Rowle…" Hermione trailed off, watching his face as she spoke.

"Hermione, if you don't want to then you don't have to." Severus said hastily, pushing his hair back from his face and turning away from her slightly.

"What? Sev, no. That's not what I meant." Hermione reassured him, walking up to him and placing her hand gently on his arm. "I was asking if you are sure, I would love to." She told him, giving him a small smile.

"Are you sure?" He asked, now looking worried.

"Yes." She sighed, rolling her eyes at him. "Let me just go change out of these robes." She said. He nodded, and she swiftly exited the room. Her heart pounded hard against her chest as she entered her own chamber and closed the door behind her. They had not shared a bed together since the night Rowle had attacked them and Hermione had asked him to stay with her. She was nervous as she went to her wardrobe and pulled out a pair of sweatpants and long sleeve, it got cold in the dungeons at night. She quickly pulled them on, only sparing a wondering thought as to what Severus wore to bed.

She paused outside of his door, and stole a deep breath to calm her nerves before gently opening it again. Her eyes immediately went to Severus, who was sitting on the bed also wearing sweatpants. That was it though, and she couldn't help but stare at his bare chest.

"Would you like for me to put on a shirt?" He asked, lifting an eyebrow.

"Oh." Hermione said, averting her eyes and clicking the door shut behind her. "Erm… that's alright." She said, making her way awkwardly to the bed.

"Are you alright?" Severus asked her, making her blush.

"Erm… Just a bit nervous to be honest." Hermione told him softly.

"You.. You don't have to stay if you don't want to." Severus said, looking down at the floor. Hermione took a seat next to him on the bed and gently tugged his hand into hers.

"Severus, I want to stay with you. I'm just worried that it might be awkward." Hermione told him, trying to keep her voice gentle.

"Well... What do you want to do?" Severus asked, letting out a lost sigh and glancing at her.

"I think we should start by blowing out the torches." Hermione suggested. Severus nodded and raised his wand, extinguishing the flames around the room. They were immersed into darkness, and Hermione let out a chuckle. "Maybe we should have a fire though, keep us warm?" She suggested.

"Right." Severus agreed. Hermione heard him make a movement and immediately after there was a roaring fire in the fireplace.

"And now…" Hermione said, swallowing the nervous lump that had formed in her throat. "We just lay down." She finished, scooting herself back on the bed so that she was up by the pillows. She smiled a little at him when he looked back at her, and patted the bed next to her. He stood and walked from the end of the bed to the side she had indicated. She scooted the covers out from under her, and watched him as she slowly laid down in his bed, gauging his reaction as she did so. As soon as she was laying down, he timidly lifted the covers on his side of the bed and gently settled down next to her. Hermione immediately moved closer to him, turning onto her side and placing her head on the arm that he reflexively outstretched. She gently placed a hand on his chest, and smiled a little when he stopped breathing for a moment. She moved her thumb a little, reassuring him, and he began to breathe normal once more. His arm wrapped around her, pulling her close to him. Hermione fell asleep quickly with Severus at her side, and soon enough there was a loud knock at the door waking them both up.

"Severus… Your elf is here." Hermione mumbled, sitting up and pushing the covers off of her before standing. Severus let out a groan and stood, grabbing a shirt from on top of a plush chair and pulling open the door.

"Well, good morning Severus." Hermione heard from the doorway, and she let out a startled squeak. "Oh, Hermione. Nice to see you as well." McGonagall said from the doorway, her eyebrows raised.

"Minerva? Is everything alright?" Severus asked, sounding suddenly wide awake.

"Quite. You have a visitor actually. I thought I would bring you to my office. Seeing as you both are here, why don't you both get dressed and I will meet you at the entrance hall when you are ready." Minerva suggested, nodding to each of them and walking away. Severus was still standing at the door, looking bewildered, when Hermione passed him to exit the room.

"Are you alright?" She asked, raising her eyebrows at him.

"Hm?" He turned his head to look at her and blinked a couple times before answering. "Oh, yes. I'll see you out here in just a moment." He told her. She nodded and entered her own room, waving her wand and summoning a clean set of robes to herself. She changed quickly, not wanting to keep either Severus or the Headmistress waiting on her. She glanced at herself in the mirror, and realizing that her hair was a disaster, tied it back into a bun. It turned out that she was actually left waiting for Severus, who exited his room a few minutes after her looking frustrated.

"Are you alright?" She asked him.

"Couldn't find a shirt." He grunted. Hermione raised her eyebrows at him, and stared at his shirt.

"Severus, I've seen your closet. I know how many shirts you have." She told him as they began to walk.

"They were all wrinkled." Severus said, running his hands down his shirt.

"Oh… Hm." Hermione said. "Are you that worried about this?" She asked him.

"Well, I've only had Minerva come wake me for an unplanned meeting a couple times, and I was never extremely happy with the outcome." Severus explained, his voice tense.

"I'm sure it's nothing to worry about." She assured him, grazing the back of his hand with her own in a show of comfort. He nodded, but still looked concerned as the reached the entrance hall.

"Best to get this done before classes start, follow me." Minerva instructed, leading them along the familiar passageway to her office

"Minerva, are you going to tell us why you woke us up two hours before breakfast?" Severus asked, making Hermione smile a little. She had realized months ago that he got very irritable when he was hungry.

"Severus Snape, if you don't allow yourself to be surprised, how exciting is your life?" Minerva asked as they reached the staircase that would take them to her office. "Wulfric." She said to the gargoyle guarding the entrance. The stone came to life at the password, moving aside to allow them to pass.

"No offense Minerva, but I quite think I have had enough surprise to last a lifetime." Severus said, glaring at her from behind.

"Severus, I promise you that you will like this surprise." She said as they climbed the spiral staircase.

"I've heard that before." Severus mumbled, causing Minerva to laugh.

"Are you going to tell me you regret it?" She asked him, turning to face him as they reached her office door and gesturing to Hermione with her eyebrows raised. Severus glanced at her, and she was pleased when his gaze softened ever so slightly and he shook his head.

"No." He said. Minerva seemed satisfied with his answer and opened the door to her office, leading the way inside. Hermione however, stopped after just a few steps as she noticed the fourth person in the room.

"Malfoy?" She asked, surprised to see him. He ignored her, instead giving Severus a hug in greeting.

"What are you doing here?" Severus asked as Draco took a seat at the desk.

"Just discussing some options with the Headmistress." Draco said, nodding to Minerva.

"Options?" Hermione asked, moving further into the room and closing the door behind her.

"Yes, Gran- er- Hermione." Draco said, stunning Hermione further by calling her by her first name. "Employment options." He told her. Hermione raised an eyebrow, staring at the man who had bullied her throughout their school years.

"Excuse me?" She asked, glancing between the Headmistress and Malfoy.

"Well, Mister Malfoy and I have been discussing his options ever since he completed his sentence, and we think that we might have landed on a suitable option." Minerva said, taking her own seat at the desk and knitting her hands together.

"Well, where is he going to be working?" Hermione asked.

"Here." Draco answered.

"Here?" Severus repeated, looking back and forth between his godson and his employer.

"Yes. Mister Malfoy and I have spoken, and decided that I will take him on as my apprentice." Minerva told them. Hermione's mouth fell open in surprise, and she stared at the Headmistress.

"Him?" Hermione asked, gesturing to Draco Malfoy.

"Yes, Miss Granger." Minerva said, raising her eyebrows at Hermione.

"But… he's… that's…" Hermione couldn't seem to form a solid thought to protest this development.

"Hermione, may I speak with you outside?" Severus asked, standing and leading the way out the door. "What has gotten into you?" He asked as the door shut behind them.

"She can't take him on as an apprentice." Hermione said in an angry hushed voice as she gestured to the door.

"Why not?" Severus asked, folding his arms and raising an eyebrow.

"He's a bully! He can't work with children, It's Draco Malfoy. He thinks that the best way to do something is to cheat and charm his way through it." She said heatedly.

"Hermione. That was years ago. Don't you think that he might have changed?" Severus asked her.

"No." Hermione said stubbornly.

"Love, give him a chance." Severus said, gazing at her evenly. "You need to give him a chance."

"I don't like this." She told him.

"Hermione. I didn't like you being my apprentice. Look at where we are now." Severus told her. She let out a defeated sigh and nodded. "Thank you, now will you be civil when we go back inside?" Severus asked her.

"Yes." She said, letting out a deep breath as he opened the door for them to reenter the office.

"I apologize Headmistress, please continue." Severus said as they walked back into the room.

"I'm sorry." Hermione added to the already spoken apology.

"As I was saying," McGonagall continued, gazing at each of them in turn, "Mister Malfoy will be my apprentice."