Disclaimer: With every chapter it gets more fun to play in J.K.'s world!

Chapter 7: The Answer

            Hermione could not believe her ears. Her mind must have been playing tricks on her. If she had heard right, Severus had just asked for her help on something. The thought of helping Severus with something gave Hermione a slight case of the shivers. For a moment she tried to wake herself up.

"Yes, I will assist you." Hermione said that more coldly then she attended to.

"Good then lets get to work." Severus couldn't believe the coldness in Hermiones voice. He was silent for a few minutes.

"What do I do to get started?" Hermione wasn't sure if Severus was staring at her or something behind her. She hoped that he was taking in her beauty.

          Severus couldn't believe how she looked. In the years before she looked like just a bushy hair, big toothed, stick of a girl. Now she looked immensely beautiful. Her hair was tamer, but now it seemed as though she had the slightest of ringlets. Her eyes were a richer brown, and her body seemed to have developed delicious curves over the summer. He couldn't believe he felt this way. When he was around her, his whole mannerism wanted to change. He had to stay headstrong though.

"Professor Snape!"

"What now girl?" Severus flinched at calling her a girl; no she was much more than that. She was a woman.

"How can I or we get started when you're staring off into space?"

"Right. Over this way" With his famous scowl in place he led the way to the workstations. He couldn't believe he had let himself be so soft around her, but it seemed only so natural to do so.

"You have two workstations set up, are you sure you don't want me to just take notes?" Hermione was nervous about helping with a big project.

"Ms. Granger, if I just wanted some dunderhead to sit and take notes for me I would of enlisted the help of a Slytherin. You of all people should know that you are far more advanced then most of the seventh years." He couldn't believe he let a complement slip out. It was just so hard for him not to waste his every word on her beauty.

Hermione couldn't believe her ears yet again tonight. He had complemented her. He probably didn't mean it, or didn't intend to, but he did. It was just hers too. Not meant for anyone but her. "What shall I do then?"

"I have divvied up the different concoctions. I have given you the more simple ones, and gave myself the more complex ones. Mind you, these are not at all easy and require your utmost attention. I want you to take notes on the effects of everything you add and all of your observations. Do not keep any of them to yourself. Those are almost the only things we can go on." As Severus realized what he said he was worried that he would be very distracted by Hermione.

          They both looked at the different directions and ingredients. Hermione was the first to get started with the potion mixing. Severus was a bit distracted by her smell. She smelt of sweet lavender, cucumber, and mint. 'What a wonderful smell,' is just about the only thing he could think of. As the night progressed they were working intensely. When the clock struck 11, they both became aware of how late it was. Severus growling and scowling realized he had much more to do.

"Professor Snape, what would you like me to do with my things?"

"Go ahead and leave them her. Now get out and back to your common room!" Severus shouted a bit more than he intended too.

"Goodnight Professor," was Hermiones sweet reply, and quickly she outed.

          Severus felt his heart begin to melt a little. What he didn't know is that the more time he spent around her the more is heart melted and grew. Who knew maybe, just maybe he might be a normal person. He gathered up the stuff and set it all in the side workroom. Then he silently headed to his chambers to retire to a trying night.

          Hermione was giddy with excitement and terribly tired at the same time. She had forgotten to ask Severus if she should be there tomorrow. She decided to show up anyway. It might be a pleasant surprise she thought. As she headed in through the portrait hole, the warm fire hit her. She felt her eyelids getting heavier. But the only thing she could think about was Severus. He had asked her to work with him. She was seriously overjoyed the only thing he worried about is how to keep Ron and Harry from getting mad or suspicious.

Buy the time she got to her bed she was only thinking of Severus and the next night. She silently undressed, slipped into some jimjams and fell asleep thinking of her dear sweet Severus.

Authors Note: I'm so sorry it took so much longer than expected to get this chapter up. I'm sorry it is so short too. Thank you to my wonderful reviewers for their help. And my awesome reviewer who told me not to worry about Hermione and Severus being OOC, because my story was good, and also to think of Severus and an Oreo cookie. It really helped. Thank you all sooo much.. Thank you.. night J