A/N: This is my first Harry Potter fic, so if I make any mistakes please be kind
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A/N 2: I know I've taken forever to update, sori!
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Albus Dumbledore was headed towards the dungeons. He had headed there straight from the infirmary - by way of a slight detour, that is. He had ensured that Hermione had, indeed, returned to her room, and not headed to the library instead.
There was something not right with the girl, he was sure of it. It wasn't like her to miss class….he'd actually thought that she'd have still turned up if she had had to wheel her deathbed in, and yet she'd voluntarily left Minerva's class earlier. And now...she had been excused from lessons, and he had fully expected her to head straight for the library. She spent most of her time out of classes there or with Harry and Ron, and since they would still be in class……but she hadn't even considered it. She had walked straight to her room, by the shortest route possible, using one short-cut that even he didn't know of.
"Maybe it's something to do with that urgent family business she had in Ireland? It could have been a funeral or something….she would doubtless be out of sorts if that's the case…." He muttered to himelf.
"Talking to yourself Albus? That's the first sign of madness, you know."
The voice startled him out of his reverie.
"Severus, my boy! I was just coming to see you," Albus replied with a grin.
"Oh? If it is about a certain Gryffindor know-it-all then you've saved me a journey. Miss Granger has yet to attend a potions class this year. Has she decided to spare us all her annoying presence and not return to Hogwarts this year?"
It could be said that although, since the fall of Voldermort, Severus Snape had developed something like a sense of humour, and even a little leniency on occasion, he still clung as much as ever to the nasty bastard image which had served him so well for so many years.
Albus was perhaps the only person who persisted to see through it, and Snape was certain that he and his ever-twinkling eyes were going to one day drive him insane.
"Miss Granger is back at Hogwarts, Severus, and you can't mean to tell me that you were actually enjoying the prospect of losing your best student?"
Albus was equally certain that one day his teasing would drive Severus somewhere, although he favoured civility and good humourto insanity as the destination.
The two began heading for Snape's office, which was far closer than Dumbledore's. Once there and settled comfortably with a cup of tea in hand, Dumbledore explained Hermione's late arrival at Hogwarts.
"I fail to see how that would cause her to miss today's potions lesson. If she arrived yesterday then she has had plenty of time to settle in."
"Yes, and she did attend her Tranfigurations class this morning. Minerva has informed me that she left the lesson early, feeling quite unwell."
Snape looked slightly surprised at this, but quickly hid it.
"My reaction was much the same, Severus. Miss Granger reported to Madame Pomfrey, who has since given her a clean bill of health, and a warning to return if she feels unwell again."
"Then why was she not in my class? Surely she could not have been detained that long in the infirmary?" Snape demanded in indignation.
"It seems that Miss Granger's arrival at the infirmary was most opportune.Poppy had, only five minutes earlier, had a most unfortunate accident…" Dumbledore was quickly cut off before he could elaborate.
"Is Poppy okay?" It was moments like these which proved that Snape was not the heartless bastard he would have everyone believe he was.
"Calm yourself, my boy. It was nothing serious, though I daresay Poppy was vexed enough by it at the time."
Dumbledore paused to grin, both at Snape's reaction, and the side-effects Madame Pomfrey had had to endure.
"You will no doubt be receiving a list from her shortly of potions she'll need brewed. A good portion of her stock recently came to a messy end on the infirmary floor. I don't need to tell you that the mixing of some of those potions caused rather strange side-effects, since Poppy was unable to move far enough away in time," Albus said, reaching into his pocket to retrieve Hermione's notes from earlier. "I thought maybe you might like to take a look at these?"
"Is it a list of the potions? I can't do anything about these side-effects until I know what's caused them Albus. I'm assuming they aren't serious, since you've certainly taken your time getting to the point." Snape snorted slightly as a thought hit him. "What were the side-effects? Anything interesting?"
"Electric blue hair, and I'm told that her voice also went a little…funny."
Snape sniggered. 'Electric blue hair! I'll have to see that before I fix it…wait, he was told? Was the voice temporary then?'
"The effect on her voice was only temporary then? Good, I'm busy enough as it is, without all this nonsense."
"If you take a look at these, I'm sure it'll explain everything Severus," Albus said, holding out the papers.
Snape silently took them, and began to look over them. His face grew more and more confused as he read. The notes were very detailed, a meticulous description of the potions involved, what they contained, potions which could cause the side-effects, and which ones could be made from the available ingredients.
"But who…?" Realisation lit his face as he remembered the beginnings of this whole conversation. "Miss Granger?"
Albus nodded.
"How long?"
"A little under three hours, from what Poppy told me. I walked in as Hermione was putting the final touches to the potion to fix her hair."
"Three hours!" Snape's incredulous exression didn't do justice to his feelings. The potions involved were more complicated than anyher classhad studied thus far.To figure them out, andfind counter-potions for them, in three hours, no less! It was beyond comprehension.
Although if anyone could do it, it would be Miss Granger, he admitted to himself. He had a grudging respect for the Gryffindor, although he'd never let her know that.
"I thought as much. But Miss Granger is the brightest pupil we have had at Hogwarts in twenty years." Dumbledore gave Snape a look which plainly said what his words didn't. She was the brightest pupil since Severus himself.
Severus secretly thought that she was smarter even than he, but did not say so. That she had ended up in Gryffindor irked him no end.
"It will be a great pity to lose her at the end of this year, Severus. I know you well enough to know that, despite appearances, you respect - and maybe even admire? – her intelligence and her eagerness to learn."
Snape made to protest this, but was cut off before he could begin.
"Relax, my boy, your secret's safe with me."
Not entirely reassured, Snape waited for Dumbledore to continue.
"I have a small proposal for you Severus. I think it would be a very good idea for you to give Miss Granger the opportunity to become your apprentice."
Dumbledore sat back and waited for the Potions master to absorb what had been said.
"You want what...?" Snape didn't quite no what else to say. Albus had that determined look in his eyes, and Snape could already see that arguing would be useless. Albus Dumbledore never lost an argument. 'It's not as if she's going to say yes anyway, she hates you, remember?' Of course! He could agree with Albus, and then wait for Hermione to say "no way", it would save him a lot of hassle. "I seriously doubt that Miss Granger will wish to spend any longer than is necessary under my tutelage Albus, but the offer will be made."
"Excellent!" Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as a grin lit his face. He knew exactly what Severus was planning, and he also knew that Hermione, while not being overly fond of Severus' character, would still jump at the chance to become his apprentice. She was not at all insensible of the Potions Master's intelligence and skill.
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