Disclaimer: All publicly recognisable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author.

The sounds of simmering liquid and the chopping of ingredients echoed through the room, bouncing off the stone walls that made up the laboratory.

Hermione meticulously diced, her knife slicing through the Anjelica root with ease. She had bought herself some new knives for potion making a short while after she had started working at Hogwarts to help refill the medical potions supplies, and she had left them at the castle to use while working in Severus's private lab. He had long since left her to her own devices in the lab, showing her that he trusted her to take care of his space. She was thrilled to know that her dark-haired paramour was willing to be more unguarded and trusting with her.

After she had finished the two potions she was simultaneously brewing that day, she would be finished with her task, and her time volunteering at the castle would be over. Poppy Pomfrey had been so kind and supportive, encouraging her towards her goal of becoming a healer. St. Mungo's had asked that she begin her apprenticeship on the first day of September. She was both excited and anxious.

Hermione wondered if perhaps she would have been better served completing the seventh year at Hogwarts that she had missed out on, but having to be in classes with Severus and being his student again was not worth putting them both through the torture of being unable to explore their relationship for another year. It would have been entirely too awkward. No – choosing to move forward was the right decision. She didn't feel like a student of Hogwarts anymore.

She was stirred from her contemplations by the sound of the timer she had set chiming off to the side. She tapped it with her wand to turn it off and walked over to the other bench to check in on her brew. It was her first time solo brewing the Wiggenweld Potion and, from the description in Severus's text, it looked to be flawless. She felt her stomach do a flip in her excitement. It was so gratifying to achieve this level of brewing after spending twelve months essentially on the run with no brewing practice the entire time.

Severus, for his part, had been very patient and helpful with ensuring her technique was perfect during the first couple of days of brewing.

Smiling, Hermione snuffed the flame beneath the potion and left it on the bench to cool, returning to her slicing. Her last potion to work on was Star Grass Salve – it was a mild healing balm to treat minor injuries. She only had two more ingredients to add - the Anjelica root, and shea butter to act as the carrier for the active ingredients. She had already weighed out everything she needed exactly, remaining prepared ahead of time to ensure the timing would be correct.

Once she was finished with slicing the roots, she looked into her cauldron and lightly scattered the ingredient into the simmering brew. She watched as the fine slices were enveloped by the purple liquid, and began to stir methodically as it incorporated. Finally, she added the shea and continued her stirring, smiling as the brew slowly began to thicken. She snuffed this flame also, and removed the chopping board and all other dirty implements to the sink, cleaning all of them and casting drying charms.

Pleased with her progress, she walked to the door which led out to the hall. Her potions would need to cool before she could bottle them. She cast charms to prevent any contaminants from ending up in the cauldrons and left, warding the door behind her. Her stomach was letting her know that it was time for her to have some lunch, so she walked quickly to the Great Hall for nourishment.

When she arrived, she immediately clapped eyes on a sea of red hair dotted all through the hall. The entire Weasley family, or so it seemed, was there in the hall during lunch. She was frozen in place, her eyes darting around the room to see where Ron was. She was still upset from their previous confrontation and, quite frankly, after the way he had manhandled her, she wasn't so sure he would not do so again. She caught sight of him across the hall, and ducked inside, making a beeline to a table as far away as she possibly could be from him.

'Hermione!'

She heard her name and turned around, seeing Neville waving at her. She hadn't seen him in weeks, and he was sitting at the end of the far table with Ginny. She sighed in relief and smiled at the pair, walking over to join them gratefully.

'Long time no see,' she said, plopping down beside Ginny, and throwing an arm around her in a hug.

The red head returned the one-armed hug. 'I've missed you, Hermione,' she said before releasing her to pick up the sandwich she had been eating. 'What's been happening? You have to catch us up on everything.'

'The summer has been very busy,' Hermione admitted, feeling a little guilty for not being a better friend to Ginny. With her issues with Ron, and the end of Harry and Ginny's relationship, it had been awkward. 'I found and restored my parent's memories. They are going to stay in Australia and I'm going to visit them when I can. I have a Muggle phone where I live, so we call each other sometimes. And then I have been working here most days around that, brewing for the infirmary.'

'I'm so glad your parents are okay,' Neville chimed in.

'Thanks, Nev,' she responded with a small smile. 'Now what have you both been up to?'

'Well, Neville has been helping us rebuild the Burrow, which we completed two days ago. You'll have to come see it,' Ginny answered. 'Mum would love to have you over.'

Hermione nodded hesitantly. 'I would love to, but… Ron.'

'I'll make sure he is either on his best behaviour or tell him to not be there at all,' Ginny reassured her.

'Okay, that's a deal,' Hermione replied, relieved.

'You'll really love all of the work I did on the gardens and the vegetable patch,' Neville said, beaming. 'It was such hard but rewarding work.'

'It's spectacular,' Ginny agreed, and Neville's cheeks flushed.

Hermione caught a shared look between the two, and her mind began whirring, putting two and two together quickly. 'Is there something going on between you two?' she asked.

It was Ginny's turn to blush then, and she nodded shyly. 'We've been dating for a month now,' she said quietly, casting a shy smile to the man across the table from them. 'Neville's going to be apprenticing with Madam Sprout this year, so we will both be here at Hogwarts.'

Hermione grinned at her friends. 'That's wonderful,' she told them. 'I'm happy for the two of you.'

'Thanks, Hermione,' Neville said, looking chuffed. 'We haven't been telling many people, but I knew Ginny really didn't want to keep it from you.'

'I'm so glad you told me,' Hermione said, glad that Ginny had not let the disappointment of Harry stop her from trying to find happiness. Neville was an incredibly kind and reliable person, and she could see him making her very happy, and being able to give her the life she wanted.

'Oh, I see Harry has just come in,' Neville said nodding towards the door. 'I'm going to go say hello.'

He was up and out of his seat a moment later, leaving the two girls alone. Hermione pulled a plate towards her and thought of what she wanted to eat, and a bowl of French onion soup appeared before her. She was so hungry, she didn't even care that the soup was a little too hot for her and might have burnt her tongue a little on its way in.

'So, are you still living at Professor Snape's house?' Ginny asked, surprising her.

Hermione swallowed her mouthful, coughing a little to clear her throat and taking a slug of water from the goblet before her. 'Umm, yes,' she answered a little hesitantly. 'I moved for about a week, but Harry was worried about me, so I moved back in. And after I found my parents, I sold and settled up their business and properties here, so I just stayed.'

'How did that come about?' Ginny asked curiously, suspicion in her brown eyes.

'Severus sort of suggested that I could stay there while he is here teaching because I have my apprenticeship starting at St. Mungo's in September,' she answered, truthfully.

'Severus is it?' the red head said with a smirk.

'I live with him,' she replied. 'It would be awfully awkward for me to go around calling him Professor or Mr. Snape all of the time, wouldn't it?'

'But why do you live with him? And don't think you can get away with using Harry as an excuse. You were there long before he convinced you to move back in there.'

'Severus asked if I would like to stay there during my apprenticeship. It saved me from having to find myself a flat in London which, quite frankly, given how busy I have been, would be such a giant chore,' she answered, only half lying.

'You have feelings for him!' Ginny whispered, shock apparent on her face.

'Ginny!' Hermione chastened in hushed tones.

'Wait,' the read head said pausing. 'He has feelings for you too, doesn't he?'

Hermione felt herself beginning to flush red. She had literally no control over her automatic capillary response whatsoever. She nodded slightly, and Ginny slapped a hand over her mouth as she gasped.

'Are you in a relationship?'

Hermione nodded again, looking down at her soup. 'Ginny, please don't say anything to anyone. Please.'

'Oh, gods, no,' Ginny said reassuringly. 'That is your bomb to drop, not mine. Does anyone else know? Does Harry know?'

Hermione shook her head. 'I was planning on telling him soon,' she replied. 'No matter how much more grown up he is now, Harry can still be a little dense about interpersonal relationships. You are far too perceptive, Ginevra Weasley.'

Ginny grinned. 'Well then, what's it like?' she said, looking at her expectantly.

'What is what like?' Hermione replied, her eyebrows furrowing at the vague question.

'What is it like dating the scariest and meanest Professor we ever had here?'

Hermione rolled her eyes. 'He is nothing like you would expect. He is so thoughtful and kind to me,' she answered. 'He isn't sweet. He is still very quick witted, sharp tongued, and he can be a little grouchy and unsociable, but he is really different,' she said, smiling as she thought of him.

'You are besotted, Hermione Granger.'

'I'm inclined to agree with you there,' she said with a grin. 'Last weekend we went on our first official date, and went to Muggle London. We even caught the tube. It was so strange.'

'I can't even imagine it,' Ginny said, surprised.

'I think I might actually be falling in love with him a little, but it is far too soon for saying anything like that,' Hermione admitted quietly. 'Oh Gin, it's been so hard to keep all of this to myself. I'm so glad we got to talk today.'

'I've missed having a girlfriend to talk to about things,' Ginny agreed.

'Me too,' she replied. 'Let's not leave it this long again. You can always write me when we can't see one another in person.'

Ginny nodded. 'I know you probably don't want to talk about this, but is it terrible of me to ask how long you intend to give Ron the cold shoulder?'

Hermione felt herself tense up a little. 'After the way he behaved, I think the cold shoulder might be a more permanent thing,' she said coolly.

'We heard what he said, and he is a prat for sure,' the younger woman said. 'But you've had fights with each other before and you've always found a way to repair the friendship.'

'The other times we'd fought, Ron hadn't manhandled me,' Hermione said, her teeth gritted together.

'He did WHAT?!'

Hermione held up a finger in front of her mouth to hush her friend. 'Don't make a fuss,' she whispered. 'I haven't said anything to anyone for this exact reason. I know what he did was wrong, but I do not want everyone to start waving torches and pitchforks at him and vilifying him for it. I just don't think I want to be around him right now.'

'I wish you had said something to me. To anyone,' Ginny said seriously. 'It's not okay for Ron to go around hurting people.'

'I know,' Hermione said with a sigh.

'You should finish your food,' Ginny said, pointing at the soup. 'You'll need your strength before you go back to work.'

Hermione nodded and focussed herself on the task of feeding herself, trying not to think about Ron and her conversation with Ginny. She knew her friend would not out her relationship with Severus. It was actually such a load off her chest to have at least one friend on her side who, by all appearances, didn't seem to be repelled by the idea of her entering a relationship with her former professor. Once she was finished eating, she noted the time and realised it was time to head back down to the dungeons to finish up her task and go see Poppy.

She gave Ginny a tight hug, promising to visit the Burrow soon, before dashing out of the hall and back down to the lab so she could bottle her brews and clean the room thoroughly so that it was spotless. She gathered the jars and vials she required, and first bottled the Wiggenweld Potion, levitating the empty cauldron to the sink before labelling them carefully. Afterwards, she moved on to the balm and pulled out her scales so that each little jar would have the exact amount of the salve. It was time consuming, but such satisfying work to see all of them filled and neatly labelled, especially when knowing that it would help Poppy and Severus throughout the school year.

Hermione was levitating the cauldron over to the sink when she felt a shift in the air around her, and felt a hand on her shoulder, startling her slightly. She whipped around, her levitation spell disrupted, and the cauldron fell to the ground, clanging loudly and shooting a little of the salve that was stuck inside it across the floor. She came face-to-face with a row of endless black buttons, which she followed up to Severus's face. He was smirking, clearly somewhat satisfied that he had managed to alarm her.

'Tut, tut, Miss Granger,' he said, lightly scolding her. 'You should know better than to leave your workspace unwarded while you are busy with a task.'

She flushed, but stood up straighter, staring at him challengingly. 'You shouldn't go sneaking around, trying to startle people working with heavy objects, Professor.'

His short bark of laughter at her words sent a thrill through her. She turned back to the cauldron and resumed her spell, levitating it off the floor and into the sink. Just as she was about to cast a cleansing charm to dispel the salve on the floor, Hermione felt Severus move her heavy braid to one side, brushing it over her right shoulder, exposing the left side of her neck to the cold air in the lab. She felt a shiver run down her spine, which turned into white hot heat in the pit of her stomach when she felt his warm, firm lips make contact with the spot where her neck met her shoulder. She bit back a moan and instead sighed, relaxing backwards into him.

His right arm went around her, holding her close, while his left hand travelled up her arm, stopping at her shoulder. His long fingers stroked her there as his lips continued their journey up her neck, stopping as he reached the delicate sweet spot right behind her ear. She had no idea why he had come down to the lab, or what had inspired this little bout of exploration and affection, but she was not about to deny him.

He had been so polite with her lately, and their kisses had been more chaste. She knew from the night she had been on his lap that he had been physically affected by their passionate embrace, so she had a feeling he was being more careful for her sake, given her admission of innocence. She was nervous about things progressing too far just yet, but she was certainly open to some mutual exploration and touches – her body was set aflame every time she felt his hands on her even for a second.

'What – ahh brings you here, Severus?' she asked, his name coming out with a sibilant hiss as he suckled gently on her ear lobe. She had no idea that area would be so sensitive for her.

His right hand drifted to her waist, and soon he had her turned around to face him, still holding her rather close. 'I was finished with my tasks for the day, and wanted to check in to see how you were faring. I know today was your final day assisting Poppy.'

Before she could reply, he leaned down and captured her lips with his, immediately plundering her mouth with lips, teeth, and tongue. Hermione was not a passive bystander, and battled with him, exploring his own mouth perhaps a little more gently and timidly than he had hers. After a few minutes of sinful kisses, they broke apart and their foreheads rested together. Her hands had grasped onto the front of his robes tightly, and his were still firmly at her waist.

'That was a very pleasant distraction,' she said smiling at him.

'Only pleasant?' he teased.

'If I say it was mind-blowing your ego might swell, and your head with it,' she replied, reaching up to stroke the black strands of hair out of his eyes as was her habit, and tucking it behind one ear.

'You looked very pretty while you were working,' he admitted finally. 'It took me by surprise, and I felt compelled to show you how I was feeling. It's not a feeling I am used to.'

'Well, rest assured it was a most welcome surprise,' she said, leaning up to light peck his lips. 'I need to finish up cleaning those cauldrons and tidy everything here before I take the potions up to Poppy. Are you going to hang around?'

'I actually have something to show you after you finish. If you would like to take those up to Poppy, I can finish cleaning, if you wouldn't mind returning after?'

Hermione smiled gratefully. 'You are too good to me,' she said, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek. 'I won't be too long.'

He released his hold on her somewhat reluctantly, and she cast weightless charms on the two potions crates so that she could carry them both with ease. She slipped out of the room and made her way up out of the dungeons, heading to the infirmary. Once she arrived, she walked straight to the supply room and quickly organised the potions onto the shelves, locking it up on her way out. She was so satisfied with her efforts. The infirmary was completed and in very good shape to receive the students come September. Walking around to Poppy's office, she stopped in the doorway and knocked on the door to alert the matron to her presence.

'Hermione, what can I do for you?' the woman asked with a fond smile.

'I'm all finished up with the last of the potions,' Hermione replied. 'I wanted to say goodbye before I head off to help Severus finish cleaning the lab.'

Poppy stood up and walked around the desk and immediately gave Hermione a tight, motherly hug. 'You must promise me something,' she said, her tone serious.

'Anything, Poppy.'

'You take care of that man,' Poppy said. 'I've never seen him this way around anyone before, and I've known him since he was eleven years old. He is very fond of you.'

Hermione knew that Poppy could only be talking about Severus. She had no idea how the matron knew so much – it wasn't as though they had been obvious about their affection towards one another. But she did have a keen sense about things.

'I'm rather fond of him myself,' Hermione said, reassuring the older woman.

'I think you two are very well suited. A younger man would not be a good match for you – he wouldn't be able to keep up,' Poppy said with a smirk.

Hermione blushed and released the matron from her embrace. 'I think we are as well, but Severus can be a little stubborn, so hopefully I'll be able to keep convincing him that our relationship is a good idea.'

'Just don't give up on him – even if he is being a little stubborn,' Poppy insisted. 'He has a big heart – he just needs a little more practice with using it, and someone who is willing to meet him halfway.'

Hermione nodded. She was determined to see if their relationship had long-term potential. They were definitely compatible where intelligence and interests were concerned. She knew they both had very little experience with navigating certain aspects of a relationship, but they were slowly figuring that out together. And she appreciated him – he was putting a lot of effort in to be kind to her and treat her as an equal, which she had been a little concerned with.

After hugging Poppy once more, she left the Hospital Wing and made her way back down to the dungeons, now curious to know what it was that Severus wanted to show her. She rounded the corner and saw that he was just locking and warding his lab up as she approached.

'So,' she said, grinning with anticipation. 'Where are we going?'

'Follow me,' he said, spinning on his heal and walking further down the hall, keeping a brisk pace.

Hermione hurried to keep up with him, very nearly running into him as he came to a sudden halt in front of a large oil painting of a wizard that she recognised at Professor Basil Fronsac, one of the former Headmasters.

'Livre,' Severus spoke clearly so that Hermione could hear him.

The man in the painting nodded and it swung forward to reveal a hallway. He walked through, and so she followed, the painting closing in behind them and sconces along the hallway lighting up as they walked. Not long after they reached a door, and Severus opened it, stepping to the side and gesturing for her to enter ahead of him.

She walked through and found herself in a large sitting room, the walls lined with books and a fire lit and crackling away. There were dark tan leather armchairs and a lounge, with a plush rug and other neutral pops of colour. There were several doorways that led to other rooms, she presumed. She turned back to face her paramour, a question on her lips.

'Are we in your chambers?' she asked.

He smirked. 'I did relocate my chambers back down here when I accepted Minerva's offer to return to teaching, yes,' he said, walking into the room and closing the door to the hall.

'This is room is fantastic,' she said, gesturing around in wonder. 'Would you care to show me the rest?'

He nodded, and she noted that he looked a little nervous and uncertain. This was not a man she would have ever put with those emotions before getting to know him, but she knew his expressions and body language well enough by now that she could tell. He opened one of the doors and she looked in to see a small kitchen with a table. The next door led to another hall and from there they saw the bathroom and guest bedroom. They reached the end of that hall and she found what she could only assume was his bedroom which was furnished very similarly to his one at Spinner's End.

She felt her pulse thrum through her. It was strange for them to be in his bedroom. She had not crossed into his room again since he had been well enough to care for his own needs – this was the first time she was in his private space again. They had agreed to take their physical relationship somewhat slowly, so she decided it was probably not the time to be standing around in Severus's bedroom – there would be time for that later.

'Come,' he whispered, taking her hand and lacing his fingers with hers, leading her back out of the room and back to the sitting room.

They sat down together on the lounge in front of the fire. The dungeons were cold and, as they drew nearer to the end of summer, lighting a fire was becoming necessary. Hermione snuggled into his side, leaning her head against his shoulder. His thumb stroked over the top of her hand and she sighed softly.

'Where does that last door lead?' she asked.

'It is my office,' he answered. 'I will meet with and deal with student issues there as part of my role as the Head of Slytherin. There is another door that connects it to the hallway that the students can access, and if there is someone there I will be alerted if I am in my chambers.'

'Thank you for sharing this with me,' Hermione said, lifting her head from his shoulder and pressing another gentle kiss to his cheek. She could feel a very small amount of five o'clock shadow roughness against her lips.

Severus turned a little, releasing her hand and lifting it up to cup her cheek, before leaning in and capturing her lips in a sweet, but passionate kiss. She accepted and returned it with all of the affection she was feeling towards him. It was not a kiss of passion like they often were, but one of comfort and the beginnings of true feelings growing between them. He ended the kiss soon after and stared into her eyes.

'I have just set up the Floo so that you may come and go between here and Spinner's End as you please,' he said. 'I would like for you to be able to reach me easily if you should need to.'

Hermione beamed at him, throwing her arms around his neck to hug him. She wasn't really sure what love felt like, but she thought to herself that she was starting to feel the beginnings of it towards him.

To be continued.

Thanks as always to everyone keeping up with the story! I hope you enjoyed this little bit of fluff. Big love to my beta TheFauxMe for the endless patience! x