Sorry I used the typical resort of H and S working together on a potion as a way to make them closer, but it isn't as if they had a lot of hobbies to pick up another one for the purpouse... : - (

Thanks to Endilwen, erisedfororrim, Blade Mckay, and Trancos, again.

I know things go slow but... thanks for reading and reviewing!!!

Oh, and by the way, Hermione is eighteen, because one of my friends wrote a story including HG/SS slash, HG being underage, and she had several problems... so we follow the general belief that using the timeturner, her years were a little bit longer, so she should also be a little bit older than her friends now... I really wouldn't mind her been sixteen – as I've had so many crushes on teachers, it would just seem a nice revenge on them- but I prefer to make things the easy way...

* * *

The classes passed slowly. This was going to be a terribly long week. After lunch, she took a breath and knocked the door of potions classroom.

"Come in" she heard, and she entered.

There was something different in Snape. She couldn't put her finger on it, but there was definitely something different.

"What are you staring at, Miss Granger?"

"Professor Snape, I just wanted to ask... is there any potion that allows normal sleep without dreaming?" the words came out before she could stop them. Before even she could think about them.

"Little Miss Granger is having nightmares about not being the first one in every class?" he mocked.

"Well, I supposse you know about Draught of Living Death potion..."

"Yes, but... I didn't mean something to provoke sleep, just to avoid dreams."

He raised an eyebrow. He would need one of these also, but the idea had never occurred to him. Despite his sleeplessness, he didn't take any potions. He wouldn't be able to wake up when a danger approached, as he did in his normal sleep, an instinctive reaction. But a dreamless sleep potion would be so welcomed

"Well, I think that is a task good enough for you to investigate for the rest of the week. Write down whatever you find about it and hand it in on Friday with the results of your experiments. Even if you come to a dead end, I want to be sure you have been actually working." And maybe with a little bit of pre-research, he could develop something useful.

She was surprised. He was offering her something she hadn't ever dreamed of. She could experiment, test, do some research... she had been born for that. She tried to hide the pleasure in her eyes, because she was afraid that if he realized it pleased her, he would withdraw the so-called punishment.

"Could I go to the library to check a couple of books out on the topic?"

"Well,  Miss Granger, you are under detention and you surely don't think me such an idiot, do you? Don't answer that" he said wryly. "You can use my private library" he said pointing to his office. "I think you will find all you need in there"

"All right, Professor Snape, uh... thank you"

He wondered what the hell could she be dreaming of that was so bad. Well, surely it had to be, because she had dared ask him. He looked at her walking into the room. She looked a little bit frightened, but she looked determined. Then he realized; she was

caressing the books. He watched her pick one- a very good choice, he would say so- and hold it as if it was a sacred thing. Respectfully and with a gleam of delight, she began reading it. 

She kept her head buried in books for the first hour. He didn't bother to look up either. This was one of the most peaceful detentions he had ever had. But he hadn't expect less of Miss Granger.

" Professor?" the hesitant voice disturbed his thoughts, miles away now.

"Yes, Miss Granger?"

"Do you think I could borrow some of your ingredients?" she misunderstood his glance and explained "I thought that maybe Mandrake root powder is not strong enough, and I don't have any fresh Mandrake root. I ran out of Dragon Blood, too."

He became interested. It was a very curious choice for ingredients.

"Let me see what you are thinking of" he gave her notes a quick glance and looked at her with surprise. "Well, it seems you are not completely stupid, Miss Granger."

Hermione's heart began beating very fast. Maybe it was the most valuable compliment she had ever got from a teacher. In her whole life. Even if it implied she was still a little bit stupid.

She went on with her work, and in the blinking of an eye, the detention was over.

* * *

She woke up in the middle of the night. The events of the day before had been too much for her and she had fallen into a restoring sleep, but tonight she had dreamt again about Voldemort.

Was it her fate, to be scared only for not being a pureblood? Wasn't it a curse on itself? So much that she hadn't learnt until she came to Hogwarts and so many things she couldnt share with her beloved parents... She had told them things about Voldemort, or they wouldn't have understood the fascination Harry caused on parental meetings at school. But she had let them think that the ocasional glances full of hatred that Malfoy's parents dispensed them were only due to an invented rivalry about marks between her and Draco. She was too ashamed of some witches and wizards thinking people like them were not worthy of life. So many years for some white men recognizing all the other races as equals, and wizards, with all their knowledge, had still not reached that conclusion. Muggle and wizarding minds were not so different, after all.

Perhaps she was being dramatic. Feeling a bit foolish, she fought the rising hairs on the back of her neck, and switched off the light.

* * *

The week was passing more quickly than he would have thought. He was too busy to think about Voldemort, at least. And the evenings with Miss Granger were becoming quite a nice thing, in terms of productivity.

Perhaps she wasn't a know-it-all; perhaps she just was very intelligent. And he knew how a very intelligent person could feel when unrecognised and unable to develop her interests. He shook his head and forgot about it. Too bad, too bad that it had to be a Gryffindor the only mind that could understand all the mysteries of potions brewing. An eighteen-year-old mudblood, a Gryffindor girl, he thought with despair, the only one able to follow the paths his mind traced without further explanation than a few muttered words.

"Welcome, Miss Granger" he said acidly "I was wondering wether your social life was more important than detention"

She looked her clock. Oh, c'mon, she was only three minutes late.

She began working where she had left off the day before. She was very close to finding something effective, she knew it; but she had to hurry up. It was Thursday, she had only had four more hours. Funny to think she would miss detentions with Snape.

He didn't read anything today. He supervised all her movements with something remotely similar to approval. She didn't mind, she knew she was doing it all right.

Snape felt suddenly dizzy and as slowly as he could, trying hard not to run, he went to his office. It wasn't possible. It was only four days since the last meeting. And it was not even dark. But the burning sensation on the inner part of his arm left no space for doubts; he was being called.

"Professor? Are you all right?" It was the third time she asked him a question from the door of his office, and she was upset.

"Hermione Granger!" he shouted.

Both of them froze. Well, he was supossed to know her name, but... she barely heard it used by one of the teacher, and it sounded strange from Snape. He hadn't call a student by his given name in years, either.

"Clean up. I must leave"

"Well, Professor, couldn't I just... stay a little bit longer?"

He couldn't believe his ears.

"You are not getting credits out of this, Miss Granger"

"I know. I just... want to finish something"

He hadn't expected it, but maybe she could come with something that actually worked. He would have been very proud, even of a Gryffindor, but there was something more urgent.

"As you please. Make sure...eh, you clean up and close the door. I'll check later" and with his robes flapping around him, he walked towards Headmaster's office.