3.

                                                   Do onto others.

Draco Malfoy was shocked; Hermione "mud blood" Granger received a letter from the Dark Council. There had to have been a mistake, or so he thought up until his own owl had dropped a letter from his father. It had stated, very clearly that he was to meet with Granger and escort her to their manor for the interview, and that in the meantime he should introduce himself to that of the newest member. Draco had already met with the Dark Lord, and was to watch and learn at these meetings, not being allowed to participate nor to get his mark until after graduation. However, he never would have guessed Granger to willing seek out such attention. In a sense it awed him, she was certainly intelligent and powerful but well she was a mud blood, not fit to walk the earth and such. And now she would be beside him as, dare he think it, and equal? It was too much. But his feelings aside he had his fathers bidding to do. So he went to seek her out, hopefully she'd be alone, although he did notice she didn't spend as much time with Potter and Weasley. He looked at the clock, ten till eleven, time for their rounds as Head boy and girl.

Hermione had left in surprised satisfaction. She had never imagined Snape to accept her proposal for a Potions Senior project, but what shocked her even more so was his last comment.

Miss. Granger

I have decided to accept your proposal. We will begin tomorrow after dinner in my office. Be prompt.

S.S

-Congratulations on your up and coming conference.

She knew he had been spying for Dumbledore for sometime now. But what she couldn't figure out was if he in fact wanted her to remember that he was a spy and thus had informed Dumbledore of her loyalties or if he was faithful to the Dark Lord and was merely letting her know that he knew. She decided to play it safe and let him make the first move. It would do her no good to get caught before she made her final decision.

She was shook from her thoughts as Draco appeared in front of her.

            " Granger, I hear a congratulations are in order." He smiled.

            " Pray tell what do you mean?" Feigning innocence.

" Hermione, we are to be family now. I am to escort you to your interview." He stuck his hand out to her. " I have to say though I was surprised to receive Fathers letter informing me. But all the same I'm glad to see you've realized your potential to our side."

She shook his hand. " I'm glad to see we've found common ground finally, even if I'm only a Mud Blood." She was baiting him and he knew it. He could see it in the way she held herself.

" Muggle born or not, Granger, you are being issued a rare chance to prove us all wrong."  She faltered briefly, that's exactly what she wanted, a chance to prove herself.

They continued with their rounds and Head duties. Leaving Hermione to her thoughts. All in all, she felt things were finally going well.

            The next day after dinner found her walking towards Professor Snapes office. Her notes on some of the ideas she'd like to pursue for her project clamped under her right arm. She knocked lightly on his door.

            " Enter." His voice rang out.

            She opened the door keeping her chin high and her back straight. She stood in front of him a small smile playing around her lips. " It's a power game with him, 'mione just don't rise to any of his bait."

            " Miss. Granger, thank you for being on time. I see you've prepared a few notes for us to go over?"

            " Yes, Sir."

He motioned for her to sit.

Severus could tell she was judging the best way to regard him. " Keep your friends close and your enemies closer." He thought with a rueful grin.

            She watched him carefully. Mentally battling with her self. " Don't give anything away. You're still just little Hermione Granger, Potter and Weasley's brain, the insufferable know-it-all, and one third of the Golden trio. You don't know what he's playing at yet."

            " Miss. Granger I do have to say that I'm looking forward to working with you. I'm glad to see you've applied yourself and took the initiative to seek out better opportunities."

            " He's baiting you. It's a play on words." Her thoughts running ramped through her mind.

            " Sir, I'm extremely pleased to be working with you. It's quite an honor. I've been told you haven't taken on a Senior Project in quite a few years."  She smiled.

            "She's defiantly becoming quite the little junior death eater. But she's so naïve as to what actually is going to happen when she gives herself up to them; to me. " He thought sadly. " Indeed. I've yet to see any potential. What exactly are your plans for this project?"

            " I've several, really but they all boil down to effectively developing a potion which would render a person invulnerable to most battle tactics and curses."

            " Very interesting, and highly valuable, for the up and coming war." His eyes narrowed in challenge.

            " Exactly, sir."  She met his stare, dead on. " I'm not so insufferable now." She thought mentally sneering.

            Silence rung throughout the room, Severus knew there was no way he'd be able to convince her until after her interview.

            " You will have a laboratory for your project. I want you to keep up with the assigned reading but you will not attend class. However, I want you to spend at least thirty hours a week on practical assignments the rest will be used for research. You will write weekly reports on your progress and we will meet every two days to go over your notes. You must also be aware that we shall share the laboratory, as it is also where I do my research. Understood?"

            " Perfectly, sir." He walked her to the door, telling her to meet him twenty minutes before class the next day so he could show her to the lab.

            " Good evening, sir."

            " Good evening, Miss Granger." And with that she left.