Morning came in a subtle change of the air, a greying of deep shadows. Severus considered ignoring it, turning onto his side and childishly pulling the duvet up to his chin, revelling in a rest. But he was nothing if not disciplined.

The floor was cold underneath his feet, as it always was. He never bothered to use a heating charm, took his punishment. He deserved to be locked down here, where he couldn't harm anyone else. Wasn't that why Slytherins were housed in the dungeons?

Methodically he did up the buttons along his long jacket, and with each one felt his needs shrink against his skin. This ritual was important to him - it gave a chance to reflect on who he wanted or needed to be, separate from the impulses that seemed to control everyone around him. Today was the day the students would arrive back at Hogwarts, their schedules carefully compiled to avoid the areas of the castle damaged during his disastrous term as Headmaster. Scars that would never truly fade, no matter how many years had gone by. The staircases there were volatile, angry, and Minerva wouldn't trust them to shepherd the children.

Severus brushed his fingers against the wall in silent apology.

With the students coming back, Severus needed to be stern, controlled, almost harsh. He needed to show them that he was not cowed, that despite what they'd read in the newspapers he was to be treated with respect. Without that, he would be unable to control them, and anything might happen in the classroom.

His fingers paused as they worked on his cuff. If something were to happen - one of the students complain, or explode a cauldron - would Hermione be blamed? Miss Granger was the one who had signed off on his ability to teach, after all.

Even more important, then, that he take control of the situation. Of the students. Of himself.

It was a good plan, but the problem quickly became apparent.

He was stalking downstairs - this would be the last breakfast student free - when he saw her bushy hair disappearing behind the corner in front of him, the smell of her - lavender and honey - drifting by on the breeze. He'd tortured himself so much with Eri, that now his connection with the mirror was broken, his mind was too. Which would not do.

As he methodically ate his toast - smeared with butter that he just as quickly smeared away - he could hear Hermione's laughter, a sound full of bitter joy. Between the crunches of his toast, he imagined he could hear her voice echoing down the halls and spilling into the Great Hall.

Was this a sign that he was finally giving in to madness? Surely nobody else was haunted in such a way by ghosts of the living? The castle was empty, for Merlin's sake.

And then the door opened, and there she was - arm in arm with Minerva, their heads bent together like gossiping teenagers.

"Oh, good morning, Severus!" Minerva said drily, taking up her place beside him. Hermione offered him a small smile and a wave of the fingers.

"Morning."

At least he wasn't losing control of his mind, as well as his heart. The relief was palpable, but Severus didn't allow himself to show any of it.

"Hermione just popped in for a bit of motivation before work, giving her some tips on dealing with overbearing bosses."

Severus stopped mid-crunch and removed the slice of toast from between his teeth. "Me, Minerva?" His tone was… well, he was aiming for airy. Unaffected. Punched with sarcasm.

"I hope I don't offend you if I say that I do not count the year you spent attempting to protect the school from Ministry appointed Death Eaters as having an overbearing boss." Severus noted that she did dry humour surprisingly well. "No, dear, I meant Dumbledore. Genius of tactics, of course, brilliant general, brought us through the war. Terribly overbearing though. Couldn't bear to share credit with anyone, which lead to a natural micromanagement. Plus the reckless treatment of children."

Severus found himself wondering how close they would have been had he not been convinced she was Gryffindor's cheerleader all those years they'd taught together.

"I see. Well, if you need any further instruction," here he turned to Hermione, nodding his head. His tongue felt awkward in his mouth, too large. "I am at your service."

Her returning grin was almost a surprise, a splash of water. "That might be… perfect, actually!"

Immediately Hermione and Minerva bent their heads together and began plotting. Severus, ignored and mostly forgotten, shrugged. He could at least use the time to drink in darting glances of her face. It was so animated with emotion he could almost follow the conversation - here she furrowed her brow and bit her lip, staring at an intermediate distance as though the problem lay there, and then the next moment a sly, spite-filled smirk flooded her lips, a twinkle in her eyes of trouble and joy.

Whatever they were planning, he should hope it didn't include him. He had the students to manage today, after all, and keeping them alive was enough of a job on its own. Binns was wittering on the other side of Severus, something about a change to the schedule that meant he had to go up five more flights of stairs.

There was a shreik of chairs against the stone floor as Minerva stood up. "I'm terribly sorry, but I want to check up on the Lake before the students arrive, make sure Hagrid has the thestrals fed, ensure the wards are open at both Platform 9¾ and at the grounds…" she trailed off, suddenly looking harried.

"I can help you, if you like?" Severus drawled. "I have of course to prepare my classroom, but-"

"No, no, that's alright. I'd much rather do it myself. Will you keep Hermione company instead?"

Severus choked on a crumb. "Yes," he managed to gasp out, trying desperately not to blush scarlet. Did Minerva know? Did they both? Feeling rushed out of him, leaving him cold and shaky. Were they mocking him?

"So…" Hermione began. "You need any help preparing the classroom? I have an hour to kill before work, I may as well make myself useful."

Severus paused. He certainly wouldn't mind more time with the witch, even if it meant he would be constantly embarrassing himself and driving her away with his awkward, adolescent experience. Perhaps she'd grow to think of him as she clearly thought of Minerva - a friend, a confident. A former teacher.

The thought twisted Severus' lips into a sneer. He was disgusting.

"Or… not." Hermione said, reacting to his expression. "If there's something else you'd prefer to do?"

"Of course, if you desire to spend even more of your life scrubbing work benches in the Potion's Lab, who am I to prevent you?"

He caught the smile of victory flush across her face. "You know I've always been one of the best bench scrubbers you've ever had."

For reasons Severus didn't understand, the blush rose again to colour his cheeks. Luckily nobody else could see him - not Binns to his left or Hooch on Hermione's other side. They'd formed a sort of bubble, outside of which roared the real world.f

Then a thought occurred. "You've always been ambitious."

"Well, of course. I come from the Muggle world, remember? Imagine if that was all you knew, it's only natural you'd feel you needed to… to live and breath magic, to make sure it was never taken away from you."

Severus didn't need to imagine. His childhood had been drab and sad, his mother smothering any magic that showed around the house. Until his letter, Severus had believed his father and his classmates, had known he was a freak. Even Lily hadn't known.

"Then why aren't you in Slytherin?"

Hermione caught her breath as though to argue the point, then deflated before his eyes, a frown creasing a line across her forehead. "I… I'm not sure. The hat did at first suggest Slytherin - but Hogwarts: A History had several sections detailing the treatment of Muggleborns there. The idea wasn't exactly promising." Severus discovered that when she was thinking through an idea, she curled a piece of her hair around a finger ceaselessly, twirling it tighter and tighter. "It thought Ravenclaw might be a good idea, too, but I was never one for studying for studying's sake. I need what I know to have an application, you know? A use. It was why I gave up on Divination rather quickly - I'd figured out that there was no real way of verifying leaves in teacups or smoke in a crystal ball. Potions - it works or it doesn't. Same with Arithmancy." Her lips twisted. "In the end, I think it chose Gryffindor because of how scared I was that day."

"Scared?"

"I was convinced I wasn't going to find a magical school at the other end of a brick wall." Her eyes flicked up to his, glimmering with humour. "That I hadn't studied hard enough, that I would never fit in. I wasn't exactly popular at Muggle School, but at least I knew some people."

"So how does that lead to Gryffindor?"

She leaned in, a smudge of jam unnoticed on her cheek. "Well, I was scared stiffless. I thought nobody would believe I was any good at magic, and I was terrified of going back to that world. Back to being nothing special, you know? A freak." Severus jolted at the similarities of their thoughts. "But I still came. I got onto the train at King's Cross, I spoke to people on the train. I screwed up everything I had and I ran headlong into the problem."

"But everyone comes."

"No." Hermione sighed, shifting her hair out of her face with both hands. The jam sparkled merrily in the candlelight. "That's just it. They don't. Not because they're not brave enough, not always, but Hogwarts is expensive. Wands are expensive. Not everybody can leave home for that reason alone - ignoring all the children with different needs. Those caring for a parent who is sick, or a sibling. Those whose parents don't want to give up their dreams of having a doctor, or are too controlling to let go - or are just scared. Or the kids are scared."

Her face was flushed with passion, the idea of all those children who were left behind. Severus had heard a fragment of this project last night, but he hadn't understood.

"How would you afford a Potion's Master per district?"

Hermione looked at him, guarded. "Well, that's just the thing. If we're doing directed studies in smaller groups, would it need to be a Potion's Master? Couldn't a Potion's Master set the curriculum, but then have a previous graduate manage the classes?"

Severus frowned. "Accidents are hard to manage in the Potion's classroom, Miss Granger. A moment of thoughtlessness can lead to poisoning the children and their hapless teacher."

"Then, let's think of a less lethal subject to start with."

"Which? Flying? Herbology? Care of Magical Creatures? Perhaps we should have them stick to Divination."

Hermione threw her hair back from her face and glared at him. "Surely, Professor, you can't be claiming that no graduate of Hogwarts would be able to manage and supervise a small group of children learning how to cast Expelliarmus or avoid a Cornish Pixie? Or perhaps you are saying that only in Hogwarts would such violence be permitted?"

They stared at each other, the plates of food before them forgotten. When Hermione spoke again, her voice was cold, each word bitten off. "I would thank you to believe that I have done my research - that more than that, I have conducted tests and studies. I have crafted a timetable to cover everything we learnt in first year with minimal risk to life and limb. I am not simply letting Witches and Wizards have at it."

"I didn't mean-"

"To question my ability to do my job?"

They sat in silence, her glare soulless, all the passion and interest that had filled her up fading away. She stood up, the chair scraping against the floor. "I have to go. I have some errands to run before work. Good day, Severus."

"Hermione-"

But she was marching down the Great Hall, and Severus choked back the rest of his sentence. He didn't want the other teachers to see him begging her to come back, begging her forgiveness, explaining that, despite how it sounded, that hadn't been what he meant.

Instead Severus stared at her as Hermione retreated out of the Great Hall, her hair wafting in the breeze behind her, cursing himself silently for an incompetent, insufferable fool.

Then he threw down his napkin, swept up a cup of tea, and stalked towards the Room of Requirement. If he was going to be anything near calm enough to teach, he needed to see Eri first.


Hopefully you are all still enjoying the story!