A continuation of what happened two years ago and then back to the present. Enjoy :)

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that looks familiar to the world of Harry Potter.

2 Years Ago – Somewhere in the French Alps – Continued

Hermione sprinted.

She raced through the trees, not caring how the branches were scratching her face. The air was getting chillier and the place had become dark so quickly she could hardly make out where she was heading. She didn't dare use her the light from her wand.

As she reached the next clearing, a ray of light shone from above. The full moon was out and she breathed a sigh of relief. She paused to catch her breath and clutched her wand, gathering her concentration to apparate to the cottage without splinching.

But a loud howling ripped through the sky and broke her concentration. Hermione swore under her breath as quickly shrugged out of her trekking gear, using her wand to send each piece in directions opposite to where she was headed. Then she ran again.

But as she rounded the next slope, she jerked to a stop. Right in front of her was the largest werewolf she had ever seen. Even Remus hadn't come close to this size. Greyback bared his teeth and growled as he approached her.

"Stupefy!" yelled Hermione just as Greyback pounced.

She screamed as the werewolf knocked her to the ground. A purple light shot out from the trees and the werewolf was blasted onto its side. Hermione panted heavily as she stood up, clutching her arm. The werewolf lay still. A dark figure moved out of the shadows, the profile of a familiar hooked nose giving away the identity of the figure at once.

"What the hell? Granger?"

Hermione drew in a breath at the sharpness in his voice. It had been awhile since they had last seen each other. He had became a consultant of sorts for the Ministry right after the war and that included training her batch of Auror hopefuls. Last she heard was that he returned to Hogwarts to fill in the vacant teaching role for Potions. Given the present circumstance, she didn't quite know how to greet him.

He bent towards the werewolf and muttered something, touching his wand to the tip of the animal. It glowed faintly before dissolving into the air. The only sign of anything having been there was a pool of something dark on the floor. He waved his wand and that, too, disappeared.

"What are you doing?" breathed Hermione.

"Sending him back to where he belongs." He drew back up to his full height and came to stand in front of her. "Are you injured?"

Hermione shook her head but Snape waved his wand over her and nodded. "Minor cuts, a wrist sprain and nothing a good rest can't cure." He lifted a hand and brushed her hair back from her face. "Did you get bitten?"

She shook her head.

"Thank Merlin."

The relief in his voice overwhelmed her and, without thinking twice, Hermione embraced him and apparated them directly into her room at the cottage. She didn't let go of him and, instead, blubbered into his cloak.

A pair of strong arms reached out to wrap her and a hand gently stroked her head. Snape patiently waited for her to stop trembling and when she finally did, she let him lay her down on the bed and pull the sheets over her. Hermione hadn't realised how exhausted she was until her head touched the pillow and she fell into a deep slumber.

-.-.-.-.-

Snape was dozing off in the armchair across the room. Hermione wanted to get up but the movement caused the bed to creak loudly and his eyes snapped open.

"Sorry," she croaked.

He got up and moved towards her. "May I?"

She nodded even though she didn't know what he was asking for. "What time is it?"

"Past three in the morning." He flicked his wand and the covers moved aside. "I didn't realise you prefer to dress … lightly in winter," he remarked.

Her eyes dropped to her clothing and she flushed. Her jeans and flannel shirt were ripped in several places, exposing an unnecessary amount of flesh. "I tried to throw Greyback off my trail."

"But it didn't work, did it?" He was now prodding and poking at her with the tip of his wand. "At any rate, I have retrieved your gear. Less evidence of your involvement is better."

She felt laughter bubbling up her chest as she noticed her trekking gear folded into a neat pile on the table. Then, almost at once, her insides started trembling as the severity of her actions sank in.

"Really, now. You should have known better." Snape's voice was reproachful but he drew his sleeve over his palm and wiped her cheeks.

"I— I—" She hadn't realised she was crying.

"Shh."

"It's just, if you hadn't come, I don't— I don't—"

"Shh."

"What would— happen—"

"Oh, shut up, Granger. It's a bit too late to worry about your recklessness now."

Hermione grimaced. She sat up slowly and leaned against the headboard. "Aren't you supposed to be at Hogwarts?"

He turned his back to her as he took some medical supplies from a cabinet. "I had an errand in the area."

"But how did you find –?"

"The aura of Greyback's magic leaves a unique trace."

Hermione fell silent. "There was one more. I have to send the body back."

"You will do no such thing," he hissed. "That will signal a clear involvement on your part. You are not on home grounds."

"Surely they won't dismiss me just because I was acting in self-defense."

He raised an eyebrow as he started applying some paste onto her arms and cheeks.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "They will be able to detect my magic on Greyback, anyway."

"I will do it." Snape's tone was final.

They stayed in silence for awhile with him working on her cuts and bruises and Hermione mulling over what her boss would say.

"Thank you," said Hermione softly. "I'm really glad it was you."

"You're welcome." His finger brushed her lips just then as he applied the paste to a cut on the corner of her lip.

Hermione ignored the warmth spreading in her chest as she studied his face up close. There were no age lines on his face but his eyes were tired. Her gaze wandered to his nose and cheeks, taking in the softness of his lips before moving down his throat and to where she expected to see a big scar on his neck.

"Curious?"

She flushed as she looked back up to meet his dark eyes boring into hers. "Sorry."

He shook his head and started packing up. "I'd advise you to return home now unless you wish for them to bring you back personally." He picked up a leather bag and headed to the door. "Coming?"

Hermione sighed and rubbed her forehead tiredly. The whole situation wasn't going to go down easily when her department found out. "Yes."

A sharp tug pulled Hermione back to the present. She stowed her pensieve away and locked it securely before lying down on her bed, recalling the events that transpired after they returned to Britain.

She had been summoned into the Ministry for a discrete disciplinary hearing upon her return to Britain. Her actions had demonstrated her incompetence in acting in a manner befitting of a Ministry employee and an Auror, they had said. The British Ministry of Magic would deal with the French Ministry of Magic regarding the legalities of the situation and which jurisdiction should have the right to hold a trial for the Death Eaters. A nasty spot she had put them in, they had said.

The punishment would be lenient; instead of an outright dismissal, it would be a suspension of six months from regular duties to re-train with new recruits, and a pay cut of ten percent. No leave of absences would be granted during the six months except on medical grounds, they had said.

Severus had been the only outsider present at the hearing, and had been quite shocked at the outcome despite the cleverly crafted witness statements he had produced. He had bought her dinner after the hearing as an apology although she had insisted it wasn't his fault.

They had talked about trivial things that had nothing to do with the hearing throughout the meal. Then, without any preamble, Snape had changed the subject. "The Defence Against the Dark Arts position will be available for the next school year."

"Oh?" Hermione had been nibbling on some salad but paused mid-crunch.

"The current professor will be leaving for other pursuits. Minerva has been searching for a replacement."

"No luck yet?"

Severus had shaken his head in the negative.

Hermione had handed in her resignation letter the very next day.

With her future employment secured, the rumours of her departure from the Ministry leaked into the news and she received an unwanted amount of attention from the media and her friends. They could not fathom why she would give up a respectable career to settle for something like teaching.

The brightest witch of her age teaching at Hogwarts?

Bollocks!

She should be on her way to becoming the youngest Minister for Magic.

What a loss for the Aurors!

Typical Muggle-borns, only thinking of themselves.

Can she actually teach?

It seemed that working as a professor in Hogwarts was not something the general wizarding population had expected her to do. Hermione felt offended. There was no reason why she should have to live up to others' expectations for the rest of her life.

So she put an untraceable charm on herself and travelled out of Britain, seeking knowledge of the dark arts in far-flung places in Europe and the Far East. Not to practice it, of course, but to understand how it had evolved through the centuries and passed through the different lands.

Midway through her journey, she had sent a postcard through Muggle post to Severus on a whim, with a cryptic message of what she was up to. To her surprise, his owl managed to track her but his letter was far from encouraging.

Granger

If I had known you would spend your 'free' time so unwisely, I would have found a way to push the old fart to leave early and have Minerva start you at once. If you don't bring yourself back this instant, I will see to it personally.

SS

Hermione had smirked at his tone while scribbling her reply underneath.

I'd like to see you try that.

Not a few hours had passed before a gust of wind blew a snarling Severus Snape into her path. How he had managed to find her, she never had the chance to ask. He had packed her belongings with a sweep of his wand and brought her back in one piece to Hogwarts through a long-distance apparition.

Hermione sighed as she rolled onto her side, suddenly remembering the way her body had been pressed up against his during that long-distance apparition. She hadn't realised it back then but she now knew it had been the start of an extended period of her blossoming feelings for Severus Snape.