Snape sat at his desk, it was seven thirty and he still had 6 student essays to mark before he could call it a night.

The professor took a deep breath before violently exhaling.

He needed something to keep him going as he rose from behind his desk before pacing to the nearest window.

Perhaps a pumpkin spice tea would do the trick?

With a mere wave of his wand, a hot cup of tea now sat at the edge of his desk.

Snape turned on his heel before sitting back down at his desk.

He collected the cup within his fingers before drawing it to his lips.

His thoughts drifted back to dinner, to that notebook, to Mr Potter.

Snape shook his head, attempting to expel confusing thoughts of his student from his head.

Perhaps a little distraction was in order?

The professor turned his attention to the top drawer of his desk, it was a drawer that he had never felt the urge to lock.

Until now that is.

Snape waved his wand once more, prompting the drawer to fly open as he reached in to retrieve the item in question.

He placed the notebook on his desk, wondering if, despite his warnings, had Miss Granger continued her story?

Snape sat there, the aroma of spiced pumpkin permeating the room as he contemplated this awful dilemma.

Perhaps reading this notebook would not help to distract him, but in fact make him more curious than ever?

Snape stared at the book in silence as it sat, seemingly innocently on his desk.

It seemed as though an eternity had gone by before the professor finally made a decision.

Within a moment Snape had pried open the cover.

"At least he didn't seem angry." Hermione rubbed her eyes, using the gesture more to disguise the lasting embarrassment plastered all over her face.

She paced furiously, forcing Luna to have to break into a run to keep up with her.

"Where are you going?"

"Hagrid's."

"Why are you going there?" Luna pleaded as she continued her pursuit.

"I need to get away from the castle to think."

"A plan for what?"

"We have to get that notebook back and destroy it." The witch stated her resolve, as though this one act would solve all the worlds problems.

"Wait! We need to find out more about the notebook before we destroy it, what if it has dire consequences for Harry and Professor Snape?" Luna pleaded as she chased after Hermione.

"Your right, but where are we going to find out more information about it?" Hermione stopped in her tracks.

"Where did you get it from? Perhaps we could start there?" Luna suggested, relieved her friend had ceased her strides.

"Flourish and Blotts in Diagon Alley."

Luna nodded, accepting the information as a plan formulated with in her mind.

"Then we need to get to Diagon Alley."

"How? And besides, the shop will be shut by now."

"It's Saturday tomorrow, we'll leave here early in the morning."

"But how do we get there?"

"We fly of course."

The idea sounded absurd, Hermione couldn't believe she was contemplating leaving school on the weekend, and not just going to Hogsmeade, but all the way to London.

"Fine. I guess we have no choice."

Well that certainly made for an interesting read.

Snape couldn't disguise the sarcasm dripping from the voice in his head.

The professor narrowed his eyes, as though contemplating his next course of action.

Should he punish the witch further?

Should he put the book away and never speak of it again?

Or perhaps he should just try to ignore the fact that this story was having a strange affect on a certain part of his body?

He shook the thoughts from his head as he tossed the notebook back into his drawer.

He needed something to take his mind off of the matter, something other than marking fifth year's exams.

He rose from his desk once more, collecting a bag before placing within it, several vials and a pair of gardening scissors.

The professor wasted no time as he headed for the green house.

"Professor Sprout, would you mind terribly if I were to acquire Mandrake root from one of your specimens?" Snape put on his most courteous drawl as he stood amongst an assortment of over grown plants.

"Why of course I don't mind Severus! Come with me, I'll show you which one I think would be perfect."

"Thank you."

"Just here, it is the biggest one I have at the moment, it should do well for what you want."

"There you are!" Draco all but shouted as he strode towards the two professors, yet it was only one of them he was after.

"Mr Malfoy."

"Give it to me." The blonde demanded abruptly.

"Give what to you?" Snape drawled, though a sparkle in his eye betrayed the fact he knew exactly what Draco wanted.

It was the same item he had tried to fleece from Hermione at dinner.

The diary.

There was no way he was going to hand it over to anyone, especially not this loud mouth Malfoy.

"You know what." Draco screwed up his face as he spat his words at the patient professor.

Snape stood silently, glaring down at the boy he had come to see as nothing more than a spoiled brat.

"The notebook you stole off of me."

"That notebook was not your's to take in the first place Mr Malfoy."

"Well it's not your's to take either."

Snape glared down at the scowling blonde wizard, this particular expression made his resemblance to his father unmistakable.

"And why is it that this notebook of such interest to you?"

"Its none of your business."

"Why Mr Malfoy, one would think you had an interest in Miss Granger that extended beyond friendship." Snape taunted through a calm drawl.

He didn't think it was possible but Draco screwed up his face even further.

"You wait till my father hears about this." The blonde spat as he stormed from the greenhouse.

A smirk adorned Snape's lips, those words were always Draco's fail safe line when he knew he had lost.

They were his father's words also, all those years ago.

"What ever was that about?" Professor Sprout raised an eyebrow, not making an effort to disguise how taken aback she was.

"The result of poor parenting." Snape muttered, barely loud enough for Sprout to hear as he wondered why his disdain for Malfoy had grown so much over the last few days.

Harry threw back his blankets before climbing into bed.

"Hey Ron?"

"Yeah Harry?" Ron mumbled, as though he were already half asleep.

"Who do you think Hermione's romance story is about?"

"I don't know. Why? Who do you think it is?" Ron forced himself to sit up as his sudden interest in this topic became apparent.

"I don't know. I just wondered why she won't let us see it."

"Because she hasn't finished it." Ron reiterated the words of the witch.

"But do you really think she will let us see even when it is done?"

"I dunno." Ron shrugged.

"Draco seemed interested in it too."

"Because he's a creepy git." Ron stated, his words fueled by what Harry expected was jealousy.

"I suppose your right, but Hermione seemed awfully protective of that notebook."

"Yeah, and now Snape's got it."

"Maybe we should just steal it off of Snape."

"Are you mental? He'd catch us for sure. Even if he didn't, he would notice it was gone wouldn't he." Ron's eyes widened at the terrifying prospect.

"So. Where do you reckon he keeps it?"

"Potions class, maybe his desk."

"No, he wouldn't hide it there, that's far too obvious." Harry sighed as his mind searched for alternate possibilities.

"Too obvious? Maybe that's what he's counting on. But it doesn't matter because he's always in there, isn't he? How do you suppose we snoop around there undetected?"

"The invisibility cloak of course." Harry rose to his feet before reaching under his bed.

"What? We're not going now are we?" Ron's voice increased by several octaves as he pulled his blankets further over himself. It was as though he believed they would protect him from being forced to take part in this little mission.

"Can you think of a better time?"

"Fine." Ron sighed, accepting defeat as he reluctantly tossed the blankets from his body.

"By the way, did you see how much Snape was staring at you at dinner?" Ron raised his eyebrow as he posed the question to his best friend.

"No. Are you sure it was me?"

"He was staring straight at you, so yeah."

"But why? Maybe he was just practicing his latest death glare."

"I don't know, it didn't look like that to me. He seemed more," Ron screwed up his face slightly, as though searching the air for the right word.

"Curious."

"Curious? But why would be curious about me?"