Author's note:

Ok, I know I've been pretty PG-13, but I said mild! I'm going to rile up the language a bit in this chapter, not because I am a potty-mouth, but because that's the character! Get over it! sticks tongue out teehee...in all sincerity folks, if something I say is wrong or insulting, please email me and I will do whatever I can to fix it. :-D

Themagicalmare87: Thank-you so much for pointing things out to me constructively! I really appreciate it.

I need a reliable beta-reader! Anyone interested, please email me at

Chapter Four

Snape's mouth dropped.

"You barmy codger! I don't wish to head such things about a student!"

"She's not a student any more, Severus! She's a teacher, and a very lovely one at that. I expect she'll be very popular among the young men." Albus's voice was very suggestive and it infuriated Severus.

"Just get out! Leave me be!"

Albus chuckled as he made his way to exit the dreary room, then paused, "Watch over her Severus, I fear she will get trampled a bit in the next few weeks." He then exited and closed the large black door.

'Watch over her? The Gryffindor know-it-all? No way in hell will I be caretaker to that monster,' He thought snidely.

Severus made his way to a large emerald green velvet chair in front of a roaring fire and plopped down.

"Bugger him," he thought out loud, "He's just trying to piss me off!" he realized he was shouting to no one and became even angrier. He felt around and found a vase that he never really liked anyway and threw it in the direction of the door. Before he even heard it shatter, he heard a very high pitched scream.

"WHO IS THERE?" he bellowed brutally.

"I-It-"

"Oh God. What are you doing here Miss Granger," he hissed as he rose, trying to look frightening, but the only emotion Hermione was feeling was pity.

"I'm s-sorry sir, I-I just wanted to tell you I'm sorry for what I said earlier and wanted to know if there was anything I could do for you, sir," her voice was just above a whisper.

"Whatever to the first part, and no, thank you to the last part," he sneered.

Hermione began picking up papers and things off the floor that, she assumed, he had thrown during another outrage.

"What are you doing," he asked shortly.

"Picking up these papers," she stood up from the ground and placed a stack of partially graded papers on the nearby desk, "Would it be alright looked over some of these to see what you've been doing in your classes?"

He answered by motioning that she sit on the largest couch she had ever seen. She tentatively sat and began to look through the papers.

"This Mr. Roger Callicutt doesn't seem to quite under-"Snape cut her off with a scoff.

"Ha! Doesn't quite? He's worse than Neville Longbottom. Completely hopeless," he sneered.

"I don't believe that anyone is completely hopeless," she said thoughtfully.

"How very Gryffindor of you," Hermione's jaw dropped. It couldn't be! Severus Snape couldn't have just...teased her? No way! Certainly not.

"Thank you," she snapped. She refused to allow him to get by with using her house to insult her, "I am obviously just annoying you." She picked up the stack of papers and made her way to the door.

"Should I come get you this evening for dinner?"

He scoffed, and Hermione saw his eyes move, "I do not eat my meals in the great hall. Thank you," his voice was very insincere.

Hermione looked around the room and noticed it looked extremely "lived in".

"Have you even left your rooms since...the accident?"

Snape turned abruptly, "It wasn't an accident, Lucius had every intention of blinding me," his voice was just above a whisper and more deadly than she had ever heard it, "And no, to answer you question I have not left my rooms."

"Why are you being such a coward about-"

BIG mistake.

Hermione's eyes grew large as Snape's face turned red and he began shaking.

"Get out." It was a simple statement, but his tone made it malicious and wicked.

"Fine, be a cowardly hermit for the rest of your life! I tried, and now I'm done!" she sneered and quickly left the dark rooms.

"DAMN IT ALL TO HELL!" in the direction of the door, "How DARE she call me a coward after all I did for the order!" he kicked a glass sitting on the floor into the hearth and cursed as he heard it hit the stone and shatter.

"I'll show her! Coward? Stupid know-it-all!" he grabbed his cloak and a cane that had been given to him by the poor house elf assigned to him and dashed out of his rooms.

'Who the hell does she think she is?' he thought to himself, still fuming, as he walked down a long hallway.

He stopped abruptly when he heard a students talking and then heard one gasp.

"P-Pr-Professor S-Sn-Snape, s-s-sir. I-I-I'm-"

"Oh shut up with your mumbling Callicutt."

"Yes sir. Good to see you out sir," he mumbled shyly before scurrying off with a giggling girl.

'No doubt a Gryffindor,' he thought snidely.

Suddenly, he tripped on something sticking up from the ground, falling and hitting his head against the corner of a window.

"DAMN IT! SHIT!" he roared, bringing a hand up to his bleeding cheek, "Who the hell put a window there?" he bellowed.

"Professor Snape?" Hermione's was panting as she spoke; she had probably heard him shouting and came to see what was going on.

"Stay away from me," he hissed, "You've done quite enough already."

"Nonsense," she muttered and he felt her grab his hands and pull him up from the ground, leading him to what he guessed were her quarters. When they got there, he found himself not wanting her to let her hands go'What's bloody wrong with me?' Nervous of these strange feelings, he pushed her hands away and stood stiffly with his hands behind his back, blood trickling down his face.

"Here," she took him by the arms and pushed him in the opposite direction and down into a very comfortable chair, "That cut looks pretty deep," he heard her call from a short distance. He then heard water running and footsteps coming close to him.

She felt him sit down close beside him and he stiffened again and felt her press a hot rag on the exceedingly painful gash on the side of his face.

"You should've let me bring you where you wanted to go," he snorted, "I would've been happy to. I know you think I'm this terribly obnoxious person, but I don't TRY to be. You could at least give me a chance."

He remained silent as she cleaned his wound and began applying some sort of salve that burned intensely for a moment before relieving the pain completely.

"What is that?" he questioned.

"Guarirencium salve. It's an instant healing salve. I'm sorry if it burns a bit, I should've told you about that to begin with."

"That's alright," it came out much kinder than he had intended it to, and he was trying to think of something rude to say to cover it up, when she spoke up.

"I'm sorry I called you a coward, Professor Snape. It was highly unprofessional of me. I hope you will forgive me."

"Miss Granger-"he began sternly, before getting cut off.

"Hermione, call me Hermione. We'll be working together quite a bit, so, please, call me Hermione."

This made Severus excruciatingly uncomfortable. Call her Hermione? Did she expect them to become great friends or something? How could he call a student by her first name? 'EX student!' a voice in his head chimed.

"Err...alright...Hermione," his tone was so uptight and firm that he may as well have said 'Miss Granger' but Hermione thought...'It's a start!'

Author's Note:

Ok, I am SUPER sorry, but I may not be able to update again for a few days. I am in a VERY big musical right now, and it's just a few weeks before opening night, so we are practicing CONSTANTLY! Please don't flame me for my tardiness. Hugs&Kisses! Amy :-