AN: Thank you for all the support! It is very deeply appreciated!

Severus sat behind his counter, unfurling a letter. He'd recognized the handwriting immediately. If he were a wiser man, he'd incinerate the letter and forget it was ever sent. Curiosity got the better of him, though.

Dearest Severus,

It saddens me to see you are as hard headed as you were while teaching at Hogwarts. I had not turned my back for two seconds before you began interfering with Hermione and Ron's romance. What did you think you'd accomplish by causing them to quarrel? Are you so unhappy with the miserable state of your romantic life that you feel the need to interfere in that of others? Why can you not let Ron and Hermione be?

Severus huffed. How was asking a woman if she wanted to work overtime interfering in one's romantic life? If Minerva felt Hermione and Ron were so perfect for each other, why did she feel the need to ask him to stay away from her? Couldn't Ron's "true love" for Hermione be enough to overcome the presence of her boss at an engagement party?

When I suggested Hermione become your apprentice, I had hoped you would care for her. Nobody can deny you are a fair employer who has treated her with a respect you have shown few others. This respect does not need to be born of romantic notions, nor should it lead to the breakup of a perfectly happy couple.

Severus snorted. If yelling at the top of one's lungs during an argument constituted being a happy couple, then his parents were the most ecstatic couple he'd ever seen.

For everyone's sake, I beg you to change your course. There are other women with whom you can embark on a romantic relationship.

Severus furrowed his eyebrows. He thought Minerva held Hermione in high enough esteem to know how irreplaceable she was.

Go to the Leaky Cauldron, Othello's Cafe or even a muggle bar if you desire a woman companion. For the love of all that is good though, keep your relationship with Hermione professional. Allow her to be with Ronald Weasley without interference. Your heart will thank you later.

Severus shook his head. No matter what he did, his heart would despise him and his inability to stay away from brilliant Gryffindors.

I hope to have lunch with you soon. I suspect Hermione is your only constant socialization. Getting out may do you some good, if only to present you with alternatives to lusting after Ms. Granger.

How was wanting to speak to Hermione lusting after her? Better question: why wasn't Mr. Weasley speaking with her if their relationship was so unshakable?

Why was every problem in a golden couple's relationship now Severus' fault?

All the best,

Minerva

Severus shook his head. He was tempted to write Minerva back asking if he was supposed to do nothing while Mr. Weasley dictated Hermione's life. Was he supposed to deny her overtime and weekends simply because her fiancé oh so kindly demanded he do so? Was everyone so absorbed in the fantasy of the Golden Trio that they would discard Hermione's wishes to believe in happily ever after, or was he the only one Hermione confided in concerning Mr. Weasley's controlling behavior? If the latter was the case, why did she feel she could only talk to him? Was nobody else willing to listen?

"Professor Snape?"

He looked up from the letter. "Hello, Hermione."

The witch stood before him, her hands behind her back. She gave him a soft, yet somehow shy smile. "How was your weekend?"

"It was quite pleasant," he answered. "I socialized, as you wished for me to do, and I completed my brewing, as I wished to do. I've had far worse weekends."

"That's good." She twisted her foot.

"Did you have a pleasant enough weekend?"

"Other than getting into a fight at my engagement party and not speaking to Ron for most of Sunday, it was pleasant enough."

"I would imagine the silence was a pleasant break from the shouting."

"Yes, that's one way of putting it," she said. "It at least gave me time to visit Flourish and Blotts."

"That sounds quite lovely."

"Yes, it was nice to get lost in the bookshelves for an hour."

"I can certainly relate."

"I know you can."

"I deeply apologize for any role I played in your argument with Mr. Weasley," Severus stood up straighter. "It was never my intention to cause a scene. Perhaps I should have demanded Mr. Weasley table the conversation and spoken with you about the matter in private."

"Oh no, you didn't do anything wrong. In fact," She removed her hands from behind her back and held up a soft cover book. "I wanted to thank you."

"What are you thanking me for?"

"Very few people have stood up for me the way you did against Ron." She approached him. "I truly appreciate it."

"Nobody has ever stood up for you?"

"That isn't true, but it seems like years since anyone's called Ron out on his controlling behavior."

"I am at a loss for words then." He took the book from her hands. "I only did what I believed a reasonable human being would do."

"Sometimes I feel as if I am not surrounded by reasonable people," she said.

"You are correct in that assessment. I have yet to meet a reasonable Weasley, Luna is in her own world most of the time, and Potter is Potter."

"You know, it wouldn't kill you to admit Harry isn't the worst thing since the dark lord."

"Yes it would. My breathing becomes labored just thinking about his finer qualities." He examined the book. It was bright pink with a crossword puzzle in the middle. As if to leave no doubt as to what the book contained, the words, "Crossword Mania" were written in bleu letters at the top.

"I know this isn't much," she began. "But I wanted to give you something to make up for throwing you in the middle of my argument with Ron, and to thank you for taking my side."

"Again, there was no need to thank me. I only did what any reasonable employer would do."

"You are more than reasonable."

"So you say." He opened the books and shifted through the pages.

"I didn't know if you liked crossword puzzles," she continued. "But I know you spend so many evenings alone I thought you might enjoy them, when you aren't reading of course."

"If I am not reading or brewing, I am usually doing a crossword puzzle."

"Truly?"

He nodded. "Whenever my parents could afford a newspaper, I would steal the crossword when they were finished reading it. I was shite at them as a child, but I got better as time went on."

"Do you do the ones in The Daily Prophet?"

"It's the only page to which I give any attention most days."

"I hope the book isn't too easy then," she said. "I assumed if you did crossword puzzles you were at a somewhat advanced level, though I couldn't be sure."

"It is perfect." He shut the book.

"Good." There was the smile which always warmed his heart.

"That being said," Severus' put the book in a shelf under his desk. "We need to work out your new schedule."

"Sure," her expression was now businesslike. "As soon as you finish reading your letter we can do it."

"Letter?"

"Yes, you were reading a letter when I came in," she said. "I felt terrible for interrupting it."

"Don't feel terrible at all. I am more than finished with this letter."

"Are you certain?"

"Positive," He snapped his fingers, causing it to go up in smoke. "That letter was little more than rubbish."

"What was it, an advertisement for a new couch?"

"More or less."

"Of all the things wizards took from muggles after the war, why junk mail?"

"I haven't the foggiest clue."

"All that aside." She took a deep breath. "What are you thinking about for my new hours?"

"How many extra hours would you like?"

"As many as you can give me."

"Sadly, if I gave you all the overtime I could, you would do nothing but brew for twelve hours straight every day," he noted.

"Right now, that doesn't sound so horrid."

"Yes, but the quality of an apprentice's work goes down after the eighth hour."

"But yours doesn't diminish after brewing for that long."

"Yes, but I have been brewing for years. Once you've adjusted to brewing, you can do it for longer intervals, even when spying."

"Thankfully, neither of us has to do that anymore."

"I hope to never infiltrate another organization the way I infiltrated the Death Eaters again."

"I hope you never need to either." Her voice was softer.

"That being said, I do not want you to become too fatigued." He scratched his chin. "How would working two hours overtime on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and working eight hours every other Saturday and Sunday appeal to you?"

"That sounds fair, although at some point, I wouldn't mind working more hours."

"We need to start slow, if only to keep your attention focused."

"Fine." She glanced at his desk. "Do we need a legal document or some type of vow to solidify things?"

"A simple handshake will do." He extended his hand.

"Fine." She put her hand in his and shook it. Hers fit more perfectly into his than he cared to admit.

"We have about a half hour before we open," Hermione released his hand. "Would it be possible to have an occlumency lesson?"

"I suppose that's doable." Severus stepped out from behind his desk.

"Good, because I've been reading up on occlumency. I think I have some strategies for expelling you from my mind."

Severus opened his mouth.

"Before you say anything." She sat down on the wooden chair. "I know you cannot read about occlumency from a book. Still, I don't feel like I'm pushing you very hard, so I needed any help I could."

Truth be told, Hermione had made little, if any, attempt to remove him from her mind their last few lessons. At first, her mind would prod against him, but then the resistance ended. The sense of contentment set in soon after. Sometimes, he almost felt pulled further into her mind, as if she was calling for him to know her better. It was a foreign, though not entirely unpleasant, experience.

"So long as you understand that you cannot learn occlumency from a book, I do not mind you getting some tips," he said.

"Thank you." She sat and looked at him.

After he sat across from her, he met her eyes. "Do I have your consent to enter your mind?"

"Yes," Her voice was confident.

"Legillimens." Once again he entered her mind.

When he entered her mind, he felt the token resistance. It could not have lasted more than a second. Instead, he felt that overwhelming calm, with a tinge of gratitude mixed in. Her emotions reached out to him, deepening the link between them.

After it became clear, there would be no resistance, he exited her mind.

She stared at him. Despite her words, there was no disappointment in her voice, "I didn't do very well, did I?"

"I would not say you did horribly," he said. "But I hope I proved the point that occlumency cannot be learned in a book."

"I know, but I thought those strategies would work." The disappointment was seeping into her eyes.

"What strategies did you read about?"

"Trying to meditate on a time when I was numb, trying to relax beforehand, some suggested yoga. I even drank orange juice this morning because a book said it could increase one's magic, making occlumency easier."

"That must have been an unpleasant experience for you given how much you detest the drink."

"I nearly gagged." She shuddered.

"I hope you learned a lesson about magical home remedies today as well. They rarely work, at least in my experience."

"I will remember that."

"On that note." He stood. "It is time to prepare for your potions lesson. We will have to save our occlumency lessons for another time."

"I look forward to it." She stood.

"Today we will be experimenting with a form of Wolfsbane that only needs to be taken the night before a transformation."

"Only the night before?" Her eyes grew.

"Indeed," Severus answered. "This potion is still in the experimental phase, and may prove to be a disaster. Still, you need to understand the process for creating a potion before your final project."

"I would love nothing more than to be in on this experiment," there was a sparkle in her eyes.

"Excellent," he answered. "Now, we will be replacing the asphodel with fine gold powder…"

"Fine gold powder?"

He closed his mouth.

"Isn't that one of the most expensive potions ingredients in existence?"

"It is, but for me it is quite affordable."

"I thought only universities could afford enough fine gold powder for experimentation."

"Now you know that is not the case."

"Wow," Hermione whispered. "I had no idea you were making that much."

"I make much more than most wizards realize." His stomach sank. He wished he could tell her he was a successful legitimate businessman whose days of brewing harmful potions were behind him. Leave it to him to find himself in another mess involving dark potions.

"Enough about that." She put on her black frock coat. "Let's begin brewing."

"Yes, let's begin," Severus said, putting all thoughts of the illegal potions behind him.

There was some knowledge even Hermione could not handle.