LATE SPRING, SEVENTH YEAR.

The seventh-year Gryffindors and Slytherins filed out of Potions in a mass of black robes. Most wore pained expressions and slumped shoulders, a few (Slytherins) looked slightly pleased, but all seemed in a hurry to exit the dungeons. You see, today was a special day – today the class had received their grades for the final Potions assignment in their long careers at Hogwarts; assignments they had handed in the previous week, with no small amount of anxiety weighing on their chests.

"B-minus," Harry said, grinning and holding up his paper for his two best friends to see. He, Ron and Hermione had just walked out into the hall. "Not bad at all, I'd say. Sirius will be pleased."

Ron looked at his paper thoughtfully. "I got a C-minus," he said, and then shrugged. "Well, at least it's a pass, right?"

They both looked over at Hermione, who seemed to be concentrating very hard on her own piece of paper.

"'Mione?"

"What?" she said, frowning distractedly. The boys looked at each other strangely.

"How did you go? A-plus as usual?"

She didn't reply, but continued to stare at her paper. Harry raised one eyebrow and looked at Ron, smirking.

"I guess it's just an A this time. How devastating!" They grinned for a moment, but stopped when they noticed Hermione still hadn't replied.

"Well?!" Ron demanded. "What's your mark?"

Hermione looked up then. She wasn't smiling. "I'll see you both later. I have to speak with Professor Snape."

With that, she turned around and stalked back towards the Potions classroom. In a billowing of robes that looked somewhat familiar to the two boys, she had disappeared behind the heavy wooden doors of the room.

"Mental as ever," Ron observed, and the two Gryffindors made their way to the Great Hall for lunch.

 *

Neville was still in the classroom, Hermione noted with disdain. He had evidently spilled the contents of his book bag and was now in the process of cleaning up a pot of ink that had been splattered all over his belongings, his body and the floor. Though ordinarily she would stop to help, today Hermione merely stepped over the blue spots on her way to the front of the classroom. She stood in front of Snape's desk for a moment, expecting him to at least glance in her direction. He did not.

"Professor Snape. May I speak with you?"

"As much as I would love to chat, Miss Granger," he drawled sarcastically.  "I am actually a teacher at this godforsaken school and unfortunately for me I have another class to prepare for. Good day."

Hermione didn't even have it in her to scowl. Instead, her forehead wrinkled and beads of sweat began forming near her temples.

"Please, Professor," she said, lowering her voice so that Neville would not overhear her pleading with the Evil Potions Git. He looked up at her sourly, and for a second she thought he was about to demand that she leave. Instead, he studied her intently for a moment, and then turned his attentions to Neville.

"Longbottom!" he roared. "Just leave that bloody mess and get out of my sight!"

Neville did so, picking up his things from all over the floor and scampering out the door as quickly as possible. Hermione didn't see him leave, for her eyes were still fixed on her Potions Master. He folded his arms across his chest and waited for her to begin.

"You know how hard I worked on this," she said. He nodded. "You know how many hours I put into this project. How many nights I fell asleep at three am in the library. How many Hogsmeade weekends I forsook to make sure I covered every angle, got everything right." He nodded again. She stopped speaking for a long moment, but he made no further move to respond. "Have I made you angry, Severus? Is there something I've done to upset you?" There was the slightest hint of accusation in her voice.

His eyes narrowed and turned cold. "I know exactly what you're implying Hermione, and I suggest you think very carefully about the next words that come out of your mouth."

Hermione faltered, but kept going. "What else could it possibly be? This project is exceptional, and you know it. I worked hard, and you've given me a B-minus. The same as Harry. I read Harry's work, Severus, and as much as it pains me to say so, it was definitely not on par with my own. Not even remotely so." She paused, her cheeks flushing. Hermione was never one to compare her work with other students, especially those less talented than her, but she had to stand up for herself. "I can only deduce that you're mad at me for some reason. So please, enlighten me. What have I done to push you into this?" she slapped her paper down on his desk for emphasis.

Severus glowered at her. "How dare you. How dare you suggest that I would let our personal affairs affect the way I grade your work!"

"What else am I to think? This mark is unfair!"

"No, Hermione, what's unfair is your constant insistence that I am some sort of monster, only out to spite you and your Gryffindor pals," he sneered at her, standing up and leaning across the desk. "Go on, then! Run to Dumbledore! Tell him all about it."

She looked up at him with a mixture of confusion, disbelief and disgust. Severus continued to hiss at her furiously.

"Go and tell the Headmaster all about our sordid little affair and how my sexual harassment has gone so far as to affect your chances of getting into a decent University. Go and cry your little heart out to him and have your mark changed to whatever you think you deserve. I wash my hands of you and your childish arrogance." He pushed himself off the desk with his hands and walked towards the door to hold it open for her to leave.

She stayed where she was, sitting in the chair and looking down at her hands. Two long minutes passed while he stood there, holding the door, and she still did not move. Finally the door slammed shut and Severus strode angrily back to his desk and sat down. He leaned his forearms on the dark wooden surface and looked at Hermione.

"Do you really think I'm that childish? That I would jeopardise your future and mine for the sake of one poor grade?" she asked quietly.

"Sometimes I wonder, Hermione," Severus sighed. It was at that moment that he thought he saw her face crumple, but she dropped her head so quickly that he couldn't be sure. To his chagrin, the Professor found that he felt some amount of satisfaction in the fact that he'd reduced her to tears. Was this the effect he was looking for? Was he truly the sadistic bastard they all thought he was? Or was he merely taking his anger out on her, as usual?

"I shouldn't have to explain this to the brightest student Hogwarts has seen in twenty years, but I suppose I must. Surely you know I hold you to different standards than I do the other students. Yes, the assignment you handed in was far better than Potter's. That's to be expected. But was it really your best work? Was it an improvement on the last piece you completed? Are you pushing yourself, Hermione?"

She breathed in deeply, composing herself. "So it wasn't better than my last piece. Is that it? You're punishing me because I haven't improved since February?"

"This has nothing to do with punishment, you half-witted child. You're obviously not in the mood to listen to reason right now. Shall we continue this at a later date?"

"No," she mumbled. "I understand."

There was a brief silence, and then Severus chuckled deeply and suddenly. Hermione looked up in surprise and wonderment, for it was such a rare sound, even to her ears. "Honestly, Hermione, you act as though it's the end of the world. You must know that absolutely nothing at this point could affect your chances of getting into any damn university in Britain, be it muggle or magical. I might have failed you altogether, and still you'd be offered places in forty different schools all over the country."

Even modest Hermione had to admit he was right. Again. Damn him.

"Will you give me another chance? Let me do the assignment over? I'll get it right this time. I'll push myself."

"No," he said, shaking his head resolutely. "I wouldn't do it for any other student, and I shan't do it for you."

She nodded, then stood up and slung her bag over her shoulder. Of course she was still rather devastated, but they both knew she'd get over it eventually. Hermione turned to go, then changed her mind. In an act of sheer humility, Hermione did something completely uncharacteristic and, walking over to where Severus sat, leaned down and kissed him on the cheek. She lingered there a moment before she walked out the door, leaving him looking utterly enchanted and completely unlike himself.