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On to Chapter 3.

Hermione awoke early the next morning, but instead of getting up as she usually would, lying in bed seemed like a much better option at the time. As the events of the previous night flooded her memory, Hermione laid still in her bed, desperately trying to think of a way to get Snape to tolerate her presence and possibly even respect her. Hermione knew that if she was quiet and left him alone as much as possible, he would grudgingly tolerate her, but she wanted so much more than the bare minimum of existence with him. No, the only way that she could possibly ever gain his respect was if she showed him some, and yet did not let her confidence waiver even for one moment in his presence.

Having decided on that issue, Hermione got out of bed and hurried into the shower, eager to make the most of the day. As she dressed in her robes and magically dried her hair, Hermione went over in her mind the way that she would act around Snape, analyzing every detail of what would take place between them. Once she was content with her appearance, Hermione stepped out of her room and into the corridor, walking decidedly towards the Great Hall to eat breakfast, privately hoping she would not encounter Snape until a later time in the day, knowing very well that she could not put off the occasion forever.

Breakfast went by smoothly; it was quite enjoyable if the truth be told. Hermione was flooded with memories as she saw again her former Professors, most of whom she had not seen since her graduation. Snape did not grace them, or disgrace as the case may be, with his presence, and therefore another awkward meeting was postponed. Hermione knew that she would have to go see him immediately after breakfast, especially once that Dumbledore had openly hinted that perhaps it might be wise for the partners to get started on their work as soon as possible. Once she had finished eating, Hermione excused herself and walked towards the dungeons, knowing that she could not procrastinate any longer. Acting a little bit more confident than she felt, she knocked on the door of the potions lab that she had found Snape working in the day before.

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Severus Snape stood in his Potions lab, silently fuming at the thought of having to work with that Gryffindor know-it-all. He had been appalled when Dumbledore had suggested that he work with a partner, and he still hadn't completely stomached the issue. However, even Snape knew that Dumbledore was not a man to be argued with, and reluctantly agreed to take on a partner, under 3 conditions. First, whoever he hired had to be intelligent; he was NOT going to work with any dunderheads, which was a category most people knew had fallen into. Dumbledore said that he was not intending to hire anybody who did not rise to the highest standards of intelligence. Also, Snape wanted somebody sensible and level-headed, and somebody who did not constantly talk. Severus hated talkers.he had had too much experience with idiots who just wouldn't shut up. How was one supposed to concentrate on work when the person next to them was overly fascinated with the sound of their own voice? When Dumbledore had come into his lab the day before and informed him that the Potions mistress he had hired was Granger, Snape had nearly lost it. Although he had to admit that the girl certainly was intelligent, her behavior during her school years was far from sensible, and all that girl ever did was raise her hand and talk. And talk. And talk some more. She had questions about everything, a characteristic that truly bothered him.

However, Snape thought, perhaps the girl had grown up somewhat since her graduation from Hogwarts. When she walked into the Potions lab yesterday, she didn't seem afraid of him - as a matter of fact, her behavior had been somewhat defiant. That bothered him much more than a person who was afraid of him, as he purposely tried to intimidate people into leaving him alone. The fact that she had been able to overcome her fear stirred an emotion inside of him that he hadn't felt before. After putting some thought into it, Severus decided to pass it off as just another form of anger.but a small part of him knew that the feeling was somewhat closer to being impressed by her confidence. Determined never to let that come out, he resolved to be as harsh and cold to her as ever.she would be intimidated by him again, and would learn not to interfere. Perhaps she'd even leave, and he would alone in his solitude again.completely alone. The thought of solitude didn't really comfort him, but it was something he was used to, and Severus was a man who despised change when it came to his life. He always had, and always would.

Having sorted out those feelings, Severus began preparations for the potion he and that Granger girl would be starting this afternoon. Eventually he heard a gentle knock on the door. The pensive expression he had previously worn disappeared and was quickly replaced by the usual seething expression. "Come in"

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"Come in". Hearing the cold expression, Hermione opened the door and walked into the room, straight over to the table where Snape was setting up the ingredients for his latest potion. "Good morning," she said, not exactly cheerfully, but pleasantly at least. Snape simply looked at her.

"Today we will be starting work on a very complicated potion called 'Memondorian'. If my research is correct, it will be used to restore the memory back to patients who have lost theirs, and will come in quite handy at St. Mungo's. However, the ingredients we will be using are extremely dangerous, and if the potion is made incorrectly, we are not quite sure what could happen. Therefore, Miss Granger, I advise you to pay attention to all of the ingredients and the amount that needs to be used, as well as the stirring directions. It would be a.tragedy..if you were to be injured on the job here," said Snape in an extremely sarcastic tone.

Calmly, Hermione nodded and answered, "I will, of course, use the utmost caution when I am working here. Thank you for your concern. Shall we get started now?"

Snape was slightly disappointed with her answer, if the truth be told, he was rather hoping that she would look slightly uneasy with his words, or angered, or something.certainly not as calm as she had seemed be. Either of his preferred reactions would have settled his worries somewhat, his worries that perhaps she was not afraid of him anymore. Quickly he turned around and handed her a list of ingredients and directions for the potions. "I would like to get the first two steps done today before the students arrive. Then we could continue tomorrow after classes are over. Dumbledore did tell you, of course, that while I am teaching classes, you will be helping Madame Pomfrey with her tiresome job of helping idiot students who accidentally hexed themselves or managed to catch trifling colds. Your 'talent for potions', as Albus put it, would be put to use there, making antidotes for those who are ill. Hermione nodded, and then looked at the instructions and ingredients for the potion they would be making. The two of them worked as silently as they could, the only talking being in the form of questions such as "Please pass the spider legs" (in Hermione's case), or "The ginsallis, Miss Granger" (in Snape's case).

After successfully completing the first two steps of the complicated potion, Hermione headed back to her room to change for dinner. The students would be arriving within the hour, and she needed to look her best. Unfortunately, all Hermione could think about was the fact that if Snape was that bad without any students nearby, what would his mood be like once classes started? Dread filled her as she headed towards the Great Hall.