Disclaimer: See first chapter. And did I mention I live in a box?

Hi. Thanks much for the brilliant reaction to the first chapter.

Lisa – Never. That would be horrendous. I would never neglect this stor(like I have some of my other, Ulp)

And of course all hail my mighty beta Aoibheann and her fabulous fabulousness.

Well here it is guys. Enjoy.

Chapter 2: So, How have you been?

"What do you mean you can't remember?"

Severus wasn't sure how much more of this he could take. First he'd had a most cryptic and unprecedented dream in which Albus Dumbledore had come to him telling him something bad was going to happen. Second, Hermione Granger, former Gryffindor know-it-all and formerly dead, had turned up in his classroom at half past three in the morning and managed to repeat the warning that Albus given him in the dream. Thirdly, the bloody chit had the nerve to turn up and then not remember why she was here.

Of all the nerve...

Severus gave himself a mental slap. He was jumping ahead of himself. The fact that Hermione Granger was currently sitting in a seat in his office looking decidedly distraught was a wonder in itself.

While Severus had been mentally reviewing the last fifteen minutes, Hermione had been muttering distractedly to herself. 'This shouldn't be happening.' That she could remember clearly.

She decided to do a mental inventory:

She could not get to heaven. No, that was of no use, but at least she could remember it.

James Potter could be a real git at times. Also useless information

She was annoyed with someone but she wasn't sure whom. It had something to do with her death. She could come back to that later.

Albus said she'd be staying with Snape, she couldn't let anyone see her, and they had a time frame of about two and a half months in which to accomplish...something.

This was all good, but no matter how hard she tried she could not remember what had happened that was so dire.

'A predicament' Albus had called it.

She snorted to herself. Well they were certainly in trouble now.

"I fail to see what could possibly be so humours, Miss Granger."

If this had been nine years ago, Hermione would have been terrified by the tone the potions master's silky voice held. Hell, if this had been five years ago she would have been scared, but somehow being dead kind of took the edge off most irrational fears.

She looked up at him.

"I'm sorry Sir. I was just recalling something that Albus...I mean Professor Dumbledore, had said just before I left." She corrected herself at the stern stare she had received from the potions master.

Ok, so maybe he still scared her just a little.

He sighed, clearly irritated,"Miss Granger, though I was not pleased at your death, you were one less annoyance in my life. Now that you have successfully managed to worm your way inexplicably back in, is there anything of relevance or importance that you can relate to me at this time?"

Her mind was boggled by the fact that one man could be so callous and heartless. For a Slytherin, the overgrown bat possessed no tact.

She looked at him icily, "Well, Professor," she said in a sickly sweet voice, stressing his title slightly, "obviously the situation is dire or else we wouldn't have taken the risk of bringing me back..."

"What risk?"

"...I cant remember, I just know that it was a dangerous attempt but it shouldn't have resulted in memory loss. Anyway, please don't interrupt..."

He glowered at her from behind his desk but motioned for her to continue.

"I do know that we have about two and a half months to try and find out what is happening. Albus was the one who sent me to you so we can't change that and I cannot be seen. By anyone. Which means we're stuck together for the time being."

Oh joyous rapture, thought the potions master sarcastically as he surveyed the woman before him.

She shrugged off her robes to reveal a pair of faded blue jeans and a black tank top, both of which hugged her curvy figure. He wasn't quite sure how she got the clothes since she had been dead but he wasn't about to object.

She sighed deciding that right now, it was useless to try to figure anything out. It was early morning and he was still getting over the fact that she was alive again.

She looked out the window forlornly, "So Professor, how have you been?"

He was still distracted as he appraised her looks and tried to come to grips with the fact she was back.

"Alright I suppose. And yourself?"

She cocked an eyebrow at him. She noticed he still appeared distracted by her arrival. She laughed at his offhand comment. The rich sound of her laugh brought him out of his stupor.

"And what prey tell is so funny?"

She raised her eyebrow again. "How have I been Professor? I've been dead."

He had the decency to look mildly embarrassed at the slip up.

"But thank you. I haven't had much to laugh about in the last five years."

He frowned. "Yes, well. Miss Granger, it is three in the morning and I have classes in a few very short hours, so if you please...."

Her smile quickly disappeared and when it did he felt disappointed. Severus mentally shook himself. Her sudden resurrection had obviously thrown him. She looked out the window again, a sad look on her face.

"Of course, um...where will I sleep?"

He stood up and opened a door that led to his chambers. They arrived in a large sitting room.

"For tonight you'll have to sleep on the couch. We will make other arrangements in the morning. You may transfigure some cushions into what you need."

And with that, Severus Snape was gone, leaving Hermione alone in his large cold sitting room.

"But, I don't have a wand anymore," she spoke into the darkness.

Hermione groped her way to the couch and stared into the softly glowing embers that were the only light in the room. She felt a tear roll down her cheek but quickly brushed it away. She was tougher than this!!

As she watched the last ember fade and die a thought struck her. She scurried across the floor towards the fire. Concentrating hard she faced her hand towards the fireplace.

"Incendio," she said, quietly but forcefully.

A small fire erupted in the grate and she grinned.

Severus Snape lay in his bed desperately trying to sort through al the information that he had taken in over the last hour what he sussed out was the following:

Something really Bad was going to happen.

They only had two and a half months to stop the aforementioned Bad Thing.

'They' consisted of himself and the formerly dead Hermione Granger.

The aforementioned Hermione Granger was an incredibly attractive woman...........Stop!

Stop right there. MISS Granger was a former student, an insufferable know-it-all and a Gryffindor to boot. There was no way in this lifetime he would ever consider sleeping with her.

Hold it.

He was considering sleeping with her?

Severus could feel a full-blown migraine coming on. For the second time that night he bolted upright in bed. He could hear tiny explosions coming from the sitting room.

He stormed out of his bedchamber and into the sitting room.

"Miss Granger, did I not make it clear that I wanted to SLEEP?" he roared as he dodged a small firework.

She turned and looked embarrassed. She waved her hand and the fireworks vanished. His eyes widened.

"Wandless Magic?"

Hermione grinned. "A perk I guess. You see, having been dead I had no wand."

Severus cringed inside. He should have thought of that before heading to bed and leaving his 'guest' to her own devices.

"I was cold and it was dark so I tried wandless magic and it turned out to be pretty easy. I was just practicing. I'm sorry. I'll let you get to sleep now."

He nodded curtly and once again swept from the room. Hermione smiled to herself. When he was broody like that, he was really quite sexy.

She transfigured a large soft duvet and some pillows and lay down on the couch. Despite popular opinion, death was not the 'big sleep' it was cracked up to be.

And she was knackered.

End Chap.

Well is it the bridge for me or not. If you review lots I will attempt to clone Alan Rickman and give you all a copy!!!

Slán lads!!