Chapter Nine:

Classroom Confrontation

Hermione was in a very grouchy mood. As was expected. Professor Snape canceled her previous week detentions and her base was ruined. He so much as informed her of it while brewing in her potion practical lesson. Her hands were busy precisely chopping Ingredients when he came to her work table and announced a rescheduling. Her heart dropped into her stomach knowing that all the work she done the night before would be destroyed by whenever he chose to reschedule. But the worst part was going on patrol.

She knew that Snape would put distance between them after the event. And while she was perturbed that he hadn't mentioned what day she was to return to resume her detentions. She decided she would ask him on her rounds with him that evening. She didn't know exactly why she felt compelled to do it. But she spent a little time on her hair and put on some light makeup. Not enough to be terribly noticeable but enough that she felt a bit more pretty. After a last mirror check she all but skipped down to the first level to meet up with him. Only to have her stomach fall to her feet when she noticed the warm smile of the gentle half giant.

"Hermione." He greeted nicely. "Perfessor Snape was feelin' a little under the weather. So it's you and me tonight." Hermione put on as genuine a smile as she could as she went on the route around the school with chatty Hagrid. He went on about some creature and some new acquisitions he wanted. But she could only muster half of her attention. She was stewing in the fact that the big bad Professor was purposely avoiding her.

"How childish!" She thought to herself, and a very huge part of her wanted to storm down to dungeon and give him apiece of her mind. She would remember their last time spent there and the memory of the lip bruising kiss and then she would feel the fondness that came with it. It was utterly confusing and she wished they could talk it out and explore it, just so they can either put it behind them or maybe find a way to make it work. Which of course the latter would only be pipe dream to her.

But instead she would use the evening patrol to calm and go to see him after classes the next day. She made mental notes on how to get to his classroom before he could squirrel himself away. She needed to finish what she started. She was so close to finishing all nine and this was important to her.

#9

She ran from her seat at the last signal of the day and dashed toward the dungeon classroom. Hunching over in front of the door to catch her breath as she waited for the students to be dispatched. Hermione cared not for the odd looks of the fourth year Ravenclaw/ Hufflepuff class. She had an objective to finish. She pushed her way past the last few stragglers and entered the classroom. The professor sat hunched over the desk scribbling on some poor students written assignment. She stayed silent for a moment longer when she saw him lean back in his chair and begin to rub his temples. She couldn't understand why she was content watching him. Before she could announce herself she dug in her bag for a vial of headache potion she had. She cleared her throat and presented him with the vile.

Snape looked up at her then at the proffered vial, recognizing the color and consistency of the potion within he gave her a slight upturn smile on one side of his lips and took it from her. She watched as he drank it and waited for the effects to take place with his eyes closed. It was endearing to her. Then Snape took a long exasperated sigh.

"Have you come to stare at me uncomfortably?" He asked

"Ah, no. Well, you see." She stammered at his candor. "I simply wanted to come and ask about serving the rest of my detention. I had intended to ask you last night but you weren't feeling well, I was told."

He gave her a blank stare and no reply. Which she expected but was still disappointed. There was a long moment of silence before he gave up trying to make her uncomfortable.

"Why can't you be like the rest of the student body and find me to be repugnant? Or use this whole debacle to get out of the whole thing freely?"

"Because unlike the rest of the student body, I can appreciate intelligent despite what the packaging is." Hermione blushed when she felt her lips flapping. "Besides I don't like to leave things unfinished. I was distraught at the idea that my base was ruined. Because I was close to finishing all nine potions."

" Why am I not surprised." It wasn't a question, per say. "But I am uncertain as to why you would still even be interested in love potions after everything that has occurred?"

"Oh no I find them positively vile. Be that as it may, please sir. I would love to finish, I've grown to appreciate the art of potion making so much more. And don't want to give up on this." She saw his head snap up from the spot on the wall behind her that he chose so not to look at her. She could see a small amount of pride flare into his eyes at her determination and appreciation of his chosen field of mastery.

"Flowery words won't win you any points with me, Granger." He warned.

"I am aware, but I am speaking the truth. But there is something to be said for work that not only has so much positive attributes but also requires so much attention to detail. Things I rather enjoy." She had thought she'd been wanting to ask, but didn't know if he would have ever been reciprocal to, until this moment. She didn't hesitate. "And after this all was done, I was kind of hoping you would assist me with trying to create a potion. All I've ever known is following someone else's recipe. And I think the trial and error process would frustrating but also exhilarating."

He assessed her for a long while before he spoke. "What you are asking for us an apprenticeship. But you have a learned to walk before you may run. You may have a slight leg up on being able to follow instruction to a T. But it's grueling work to learn about ingredients and the proper way to handle them to get certain potencies. And you would want all that under my personal expectations?"

"Yes actually. Your expectations are in aligned with my own. Perfection or nothing will be accepted." Hermione was leaping for joy at the way the conversation had turned. Maybe this whole situation wasn't a total waste of time.

"You do realize the times we are in? Things are not going to be easy and apprenticeships aren't accepted by any master until all appropriate N.E.W.T.S have been taken and passed, and in my case with nothing but O's."

"Of course I do. This is the best case scenario. Should we both survive and neither of us are well expunged from society, it would be my hope to pursue."

"There is another point of contention. I've never taken apprentice." Hermione frowned, but soon her Gryffindor nature returned, standing tall and rounding her shoulder, Snape wanted to roll his eyes.

"Then that would be my next battle to win. Convince Professor Snape to be my potions master." She wanted smirk and reward herself for her bravery, but would do so in private much later.

"And what of your growing affection (putting special emphasis on the phrase) for me? I can guarantee that that would be a complication. Unless you believe to be artificial."

And for all her confidence she has gained in this conversation, it all collapsed like a house of cards. She hadn't wanted to talk about that. She could almost see the smugness shine in his features. "I can't speak to that. The circumstances of how they manifest allows me to believe that they can't be real, but…" she trailed off. Not knowing what to say after the "but". That was the part she was wrestling with herself.

"But?" He gestured for her to continue.

"I can't say the idea of us, isn't some what appealing to me. You do possess many qualities that I would find favorable in a partner, but I've been trying to distinguish between what could be real affection and what the potion could manufacture and right now I cannot." She looked away embarrassed by her next words. "I have very little experience in this area and therefore nothing to compare it to. But should these feeling be fleeting, well then maybe they were useful enough to have given me a chance to get to work with you. So I can't say they would be a total loss."

Snape seemed to accept her response. "Well if the future becomes a rosy picture of perfection then I will consider things, so as long as my expectations are met." Hermione smile brightly and for some odd reason a warm sensation grew in his chest because he had done something to be rewarded with it. She turned heel to leave. But she was halted by when he added. "Return for your detention restarting next week. Take the rest of this week to think about things." He said smoothly.

Hermione nodded and walked to the door. Stopping before exiting. "And contrary to popular belief, in all the years I've been here at Hogwarts I have never found you repugnant." She said and left the classroom.

Snape stared at the empty door way, flabbergasted. And a very tiny part of him, tiny part that still believed in Santa Claus and Easter Bunny, wanted to survive to fight the battle that could be the most exhilarating thing he'd ever experienced. Working side beside the Gryffindor Princess.

A/N: Not a particularly long one. But there needed to be a reason to get these two back together. And maybe have Severus begin to find the feels for Hermione. Even if he won't recognize them nor examine them.

I do want to apologize for the wait. In the last couple of months I have become pregnant (with my third kid) and moved so I haven't had time to continue the work here. I'm trying to find a good balance of all things.