Author's Note: I started this story thinking that I would be lucky to write 20 chapters. But, here I am, Chapter 20... and there is so much still to come! So, at this point in my story, I am going to take some time to go back and edit the earlier chapters. There are some minor details that I left out (such as Hermione informing her mother about Samuel's birth) and some typos and grammatical errors that I have caught while re-reading. In the meantime, here's one chapter to tide you over. I was aiming to get her a bit back into character now that she's resuming her studies... so finally, much to my relief, Hermione is moving past her "weepy" stage.

Thank you again to all of you who have read and/or reviewed my story! As always, all questions, comments, and constructive criticism are welcome if you'd like to leave a review.

*******

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and the characters from the books in the series are copyright JK Rowling, and are not being used for profit, only for personal enjoyment.

Chapter 19 ~ Sweet Dreams

After what had to have been the longest week of Hermione's life, Samuel's colic finally abated. He was still staying awake most of the night, but at least he wasn't screaming anymore. Maybe it was due to the change of environment... or maybe it was due to the changes in his mother. Now that Hermione was not feeling quite as overwhelmed anymore, Samuel was not nearly as fussy. Perhaps Madame Pomfrey was right... the baby had been picking up on her stress, making matters much worse than they would have been otherwise.

While Samuel was content to lie in his cradle for longer periods of time, Hermione enjoyed the luxury of lying in her own bed and reaching over to rock the cradle gently whenever he would begin to fuss, only getting up when it was time for his feedings. As a result, she found herself less tense through the night, and more relaxed during the day.

And just in time. She was due to begin her apprenticeship this week. She had been worried that she might have to call the whole thing off, if she couldn't manage to start sleeping regularly.

Rather than beginning her apprenticeship Monday morning, she had taken a few more days to adjust to being back at Hogwarts, while making arrangements for her son to be taken care of during the hours that she would be working with Severus. They had decided to keep their working hours to evenings and weekends, as it would be too hard juggling schedules to work out babysitting duties with those who had volunteered to help. Between Remus Lupin and Ginny Weasley, who had volunteered to alternate turns sitting with Samuel, somebody would always be available to help during the evening hours. And, if all else failed, they had Professor McGonagall and Madame Pomfrey for backup. The two women would have been glad to help out more often, but Minerva had house duties to attend to and Poppy was busy dealing with sick students in the infirmary, as it was the peak of the flu season.

The evening before she was supposed to begin her apprenticeship was the full moon, and Hermione laid awake worrying about Remus. He had looked so tired all weekend, but something in his demeanor told Hermione that it was more than the normal agitation that he felt every month prior to the full moon. He often seemed to get lost in thought, as if he were daydreaming, and when he would finally snap out of it and meet her eyes, the smiles that he flashed at her never reached his eyes. It was as though he was hiding something.

She also spent much time that night thinking of her mother, wondering how she was faring back at home. Hermione could not wait for a break in the weather so she and Samuel could journey to London for a weekend visit. Though she was quite content to live at Hogwarts, she did feel a pang of regret whenever she thought of her mother living all alone. She could easily go by herself for a visit, but was hesitant to leave Samuel for a full day... and she wasn't about to take him out for a trip to London in this weather. She wondered if Remus would be willing to go to London and bring her mother to Hogwarts for another visit. Yes, that seemed like the most obvious solution for now... but would Remus be up for it? She thought again about how preoccupied he seemed these days, and she didn't want to intrude.

She tossed and turned for quite a while longer, eventually getting up to pace the room as she thought about working with Severus tomorrow. Would he revert to treating her as an "insufferable know-it-all" as he had done throughout her school years, or would he treat her more as a colleague? Even more worrisome, would she be able to put their personal life aside and concentrate on their work?

She had continued dreaming of him ever since the other night, when she had fallen asleep next to him on the sofa in Samuel's room. Every time she closed her eyes, she recalled the images of his dark eyes and his elegant hands, and she found herself wondering what else those hands could do.

Hermione groaned. Why was she feeling this way all of a sudden?

On the other hand, maybe it wasn't so sudden. Hermione began to think about the events of the last year, trying to figure out when she had started feeling this way.

Yes, she had wanted him that fateful night in the forest, when they had been as close as two people can be... yet she never fantasized about him like this afterwards. She had been too preoccupied dealing with the repercussions of that evening. Not even after the day that he had recently kissed her and treated her so tenderly had she felt this way. No, those were special moments that she would never forget, but they never led to any feelings such as this. Or did they? Had this been building up for so long, and she was only just now realizing that she might care for him as more than just the father of her child?

Hermione sighed as she admitted to herself that she was, indeed, attracted to Severus... but surely, it was nothing more than that, she tried to convince herself. How could she work side by side with him every day, if she continued to think of him like this at night. She tried to push these thoughts out of her mind as she crawled back into bed and tried once again to go to sleep, unaware that two doors down from her own room, Severus was lying awake having similar thoughts of her.

*****

Hermione needn't have worried. Her first evening working with Severus couldn't have gone better. Rather than a practical lesson, they spent the evening discussing the potions that she should learn during her time studying with him. Discussion eventually turned to the properties of the Wolfsbane potion, and he agreed to teach her how to make it. This she took as another compliment... as it was a difficult potion to brew, and it once again reassured her of his confidence in her abilities.

She returned to her room that evening with a pile of books that he had given her, to refresh her mind of what she had learned the previous seven years. Yawning as she entered, she had nearly forgotten that Ginny was there, babysitting Samuel. She smiled at the youngest Weasley, who was sitting on the sofa with her legs curled up underneath her, Samuel content in her arms.

"Oh! Hermione, you're back!" Ginny smiled at her as she stretched her legs out and shifted Samuel into her other arm, "How did it go?"

"Just fine, thank you," Hermione replied as she approached and reached out to take her son into her arms, "and how did things go in here?"

Ginny giggled, "Wonderful! He's such a little angel... didn't give me one iota of trouble," she grinned as she passed the child to his mother.

As Hermione took Samuel into her own arms, he looked up at her and began to coo. She smiled down at him, "Happy to see me, are you? Yes, I bet you are... it's time for your bedtime snack."

"I'd better be going, I've got to finish my homework," Ginny excused herself.

"Indeed, Miss Weasley. Need I remind you that you have a Potions essay due tomorrow?" Ginny jumped as she heard the voice of her Potions professor behind her.

"Yes, of course, Professor Snape," she replied as she grabbed her bag and scampered out of the room.

"Honestly, Severus! Do you have to keep sneaking up on her like that? She might never help with Samuel again if you continue to her so!"

Severus smirked, "It must be the red hair... I can't resist the temptation to intimidate a Weasley," he shrugged. "Besides, I have a feeling that it would take a lot more than a snarky Potions professor to keep Miss Weasley away from your son. However," he sighed in mock resignation , "I will try to... resist the urge to harass Miss Weasley in the future."

A short while later, after tending to Samuel and tucking him in for the evening, Hermione settled into one of the wingback chairs flanking the fireplace. She plucked a book from the stack of volumes that she had placed next to the chair for some late-night reading. A couple of hours later, as she felt her eyelids growing heavy, she closed the book and rubbed her fist over her tired eyes as she yawned. Severus had just completed his evening rounds, and when Hermione looked up, he was standing in the doorway. He looked tired as he walked over to take a seat in the chair on the other side of the fireplace.

"I'm pleased to see that you are as studious as ever," he began, "but don't you think you should get some sleep?"

"Yes... I was just going to have a cup of tea and try to relax a bit. Tired as I am, I need to unwind before I will be able to fall asleep," she replied, "would you like to join me?" she asked as she rose from her chair and began to boil some water.

Severus nodded, "Tea sounds fine," he replied as he reclined his head against the back of the chair, crossing his legs at the ankles as he extended them in front of him.

"Will we be brewing tomorrow?" Hermione asked excitedly as she returned a few minutes later with two cups of tea.

"Anxious to get started on that Wolfsbane, are you?"

Hermione laughed, "Anxious to get started on whatever you potion you think we should begin with."

He raised an eyebrow, "We'll see..." he said as he took a sip of his tea.

They began discussing different potions and their properties, and before they knew it, an hour had passed. When Hermione couldn't stifle her yawns any longer, Severus excused himself.

"Get some sleep... exhaustion and potions brewing do not mix well. I deal with enough exploding cauldrons with the students during the day..." he sighed.

Hermione laughed, "And I do not wish to suffer the wrath of mean old Professor Snape, do I?"

Severus smirked, "Neither do I wish that upon you," he replied as he walked over to the cradle to bid his son goodnight.

"Goodnight, Severus," she whispered as he walked towards the door.

"Goodnight, Hermione." he replied, once again supressing a smile as he left for the night.

*****

While Hermione had no trouble passing out in exhaustion, Severus was in for another sleepless night.

To sit and discuss the merits of potions brewing with an intellectual equal was... refreshing. Every day, his respect for the young woman was growing. And that wasn't all. She was on his mind constantly. Every time he closed his eyes, he could smell the scent of her hair, remembering how soft her curls were as they had tickled his nose the other morning, and the way she looked as she sat in the glow of the fire, her eyes sparkling with intelligence even as they reflected the dancing flames.

What had this woman done to him, that she had become so deeply ingrained into every corner of his mind? Every time he closed his eyes, he envisioned the way she had looked the other evening, as she lay half asleep on her bed with their son held close to her breast. When he finally fell asleep, he dreamed of laying there next to her, curled into the warmth of her side. It was the first of many nights that he would fall asleep to find himself drifting into this pleasant dream.

*****

The next few weeks went quickly, as Severus and Hermione enjoyed their time working and studying together. They had developed an evening routine of sitting by her fire, continuing their intellectual discussions which mainly focused on her Potions studies. He found that each day passed more quickly as he looked forward to their fireside chats. He was finding it harder and harder to leave each evening, and he knew that he would not sleep easily as he was continually disturbed by images of her the minute he closed his eyes.

For once, Hermione was having an easier time of it. Between her studies and caring for her son, she was thoroughly exhausted by the time he retired to his quarters, and she didn't have the energy to lay awake thinking of him. Yet, he was still on her mind as she dreamed of him almost every night.

As long as they kept busy when they spent time together in the lab, their thoughts of each other did not interfere with their work. Side by side they would work together, studying and brewing. Occasionally, his hand would brush hers as he would lean over her cauldron, showing her the correct method of stirring whatever potion she was brewing. Other times, he would lean over her shoulder from behind her, placing one hand on her back as he pointed out passages of her text books. All in all, it had become a comfortable working relationship, and as they began to enjoy the companionship, they became accustomed to these small touches. Only when they were apart, did either of their thoughts linger on those moments.

*****

Samuel continued to grow and thrive under the loving care of his parents and their friends. He had outgrown the need to be in the cradle by Hermione's side, and had begun sleeping most nights in the crib in his own room. It had been hard at first, but both Hermione and Samuel quickly adjusted to sleeping in separate rooms.

Late one evening in early February, Severus returned from his rounds not to find Hermione sitting by the fire as usual, but pacing her room with Samuel crying in her arms, a concerned look on her face. It had been weeks since she had needed to walk with the baby like this, and Severus' brow furrowed as he walked up behind them. Looking intently over her shoulder, he asked, "What's wrong?"

Hermione's eyes were full of concern, "He's fussing more than usual, and I think he may be running a fever."

Severus placed one arm on her back, as the other reached around so he could place his palm on the child's forehead, "Yes, he does seem quite warm. Shall I fetch Madame Pomfrey?"

"I don't think it's anything serious. If his fever gets any higher, I will take him up to see her in the morning. I just feel so... so helpless. I don't know what to do for him!"

He ordered her to bed, taking Samuel with him back to the nursery and promising to wake her if she was needed.

In the middle of the night, Hermione walked in to check on Samuel, and found Severus hovering over the crib.

"How is he doing?" she fretted.

"He's developed a raspy cough. His fever seems to have gone down, but I suggest you take him to the infirmary in the morning, anyway. If that cough settles in his chest, it could get quite nasty."

Hermione nodded, "Has he been sleeping all this time?"

"Yes. He's been out for quite a while now... it was his coughing that brought me back in here to check on him."

They both, at the same time, reached in to caress their child's warm brow. As their hands touched gently, they looked up at each other, their eyes full of concern for their son.

"He'll be alright, Hermione. Madame Pomfrey will see to that," Severus assured her as he squeezed her hand gently, "I'll stay with him if you want to return to bed."

"I'll never sleep," Hermione whispered, "I'll stay."

"We'll both stay," Severus replied as he led her to the sofa. This time, as she fell asleep beside him, he stayed awake. He couldn't resist reaching over to softly caress her hair. And this time, he didn't need to dream of its fragrance... no, this time, it was real.