Here you have it. All credit for Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling.

Some really mean person sent me an appallingly hateful review. It was not constructive. It was just filled with derrogatory and disparaging comments towards Professor Snape. What a terrible person! I told everyone what the pairing would be in the first chapter and they still flamed me for no other reason than the fact that it was Snape/Hermione. Ithurt my feelings. I hope none of you will do the same thing. -LOUD SOBBING-Well I discovered that the person who sent me that review had sent practically an identical one to several other authors plus it was anonymous.

Sorry for the delay of this chapter. I have been a bit busy. Here it is now. I have just finished typing it up.

Also just the other day I got a great idea for my next SS/HG. I will be finishing this one first though. But will any of you read it? I am excited about it!

I realized I had made a mistake in the previous chapter. I am addressing it here. The year is 1998 not 1997. Gomen Nasai.

- Severus Snape - Late Afternoon of January 9th, 1998

I walked over and shut the door Miss Granger had left open. It was all too much right now. I wished my weakness would leave me, but it was here to stay, at least until my Jane Hermione returned.

I got a huge bottle of Fire Whiskey. Six or seven this size ought to be enough to drown my sorrows. I opened it and took a giant gulp from it.

My Jane couldn't be with me yet! When could she? Hadn't I waited long enough? Suffered enough? The only reason I joined the Death Eaters in the first place was because Jane was gone and Voldemort had promised that together he and I could find her. I was willing to do anything to speed up finding her even when it had meant practically selling my soul to that psychopath. Why? What was going on that other people seem to know about that I don't? I hated having people keep secrets from me. When I had informed Headmaster Dumbledore that Miss Granger was assisting me with the brewing of the Cruentus Potion, he had gotten that pestiferous smile on his face and twinkle in his eyes. It is always infuriating when he gets that look! Remus suddenly, after not trying to befriend me for almost four years, was trying to get all chummy with me again. Damn Lycanthropy Suffering Freak. Damn Old Man! By this time I had worked my way through my third bottle and was half finished on the fourth.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

I jumped startled. I kicked a bottle over and it rolled toward the door. "Come in," I slurred as I stood and stumbled gracelessly towards the door. Remus. I sneered. JUST who I wanted to see! "What do you want? Come with Black to have a good laugh at the dungeon bat? Well go ahead!" I snarled clinging to the door frame.

"Severus, how much Fire Whiskey have you had?" he asked slipping around me into the room. He got his arm around my back and helped me back to my chair. "Did you drink all of those?" Remus looked upset when he saw several more full bottles sitting on the table and empty ones on the floor.

"You're unwelcome," I cried trying to pull back from him. "Don't touch me! I don't need your help!"

"Severus calm down. You are going to make yourself sick," Remus said removing his support once I was sitting in my black leather chair.

"So what! No one cares about me anyway! Jane sent me a present and a note and it was her handwriting. But my Jane says we can't be together. Why? Why? Have I not suffered long enough? Must she torment me with presents and promises of our future happiness? I must find her. I know she saw me today. She may be watching me now. She said she was watching over me. Where is she? Where has she been? I need her. I can't keep living like this." By the end I was more mumbling to myself than I was talking to Remus.

"Severus, calm down. Plenty of people care about you. Things are not always as they seem. Miss Granger cares about you. Albus, Minerva, Poppy, and I care about you. I dare say a good number of your Slytherin girls care for you. One of them admitted to me that she had a crush on you. I can tell you that the people of this school far from hate you. Trust me Jane and you will soon find each other. I know this because I know her. She is still completely devoted to you," Remus said gently sitting across from me on the couch.

A bitter, frigid laugh escaped my lips. "Miss Granger does not care about me! Minerva just likes to argue with me and since when do you care about me? What aren't you telling me Lupin?"

"Miss Granger does care about you. It was she who came and told me what had happened. Quiet Distraught she was. She came to me in tears worried about you. Please Severus, why would I try to keep becoming your friend if I did not care about you?"

"You made a bet with Black. Miss Granger was crying?" My mind began to race the best it could. Miss Granger did share at least a portion of her name with my dear Jane. Her first name was Jane's middle. This was too much to think about. It was making my head pound worse than it already was.

Remus rolled his eyes before he started to bustle around cleaning the room. "Puh-lease Severus. Yes, Miss Granger was quite distressed when she arrived where I was. I have not seen her so upset about someone's welfare since Harry faced he-who-must-not-be-named."

Why would Miss Granger care about me? Why would she cry over me? I felt happy in a way. Don't get me wrong. It just felt good to have a beautiful, brilliant young woman care for me again and I could admit that she had started to grow on me. I could not wait to see where she would end up. I am sure she would be in the Department of Mysteries or, hopefully, my wish for her at any rate, was that she would end up in potion research. She was perspicacious enough for it. I wished it for her. Also, for some asinine reason, I wished she would correspond with me after she left school. I suppose it was because of all the time we'd been spending together lately. I must have formed a slight attachment to her.

"Come on Severus. You need to get to bed."

"NOT SLEEPY!" I snarled as he approached me.

Regardless of my protests Remus directed me to my bed in the next room. He placed a hangover remedy on the bedside table and gave me a sleep potion.

I fell asleep within moments of falling back.

- Hermione Granger - Morning, Sunday 10 of January, 1998

When I woke up Sunday morning I felt two strong arms engulfing me in their warmth.

"How was your sleep Hermione?" Harry asked yawning and stretching his arms.

"It was okay," I answered. I reached my hands up to rub the sleep out of my eyes. They were all puffy and tender. I bit my lip to keep from crying again. I was worried about Severus.

Harry watched me nervously, "It's okay Hermione. Everything will be alright in the end. Now you need to go take a hot shower and wash your face. You'll feel much better after you do." He placed his hand on the small of my back and steered me to our shared bathroom. "Big Brother Harry will take care of everything else. You concentrate on looking gorgeous for your man."

I nodded and closed the door as he left. I was lucky to have Harry and Remus. Ron was refusing to talk to me. I understood. Ron never took breakups well.

Severus had loved my gift though he did not know it was from me. I knew it had touched him. He'd gasped when he read the note. He had instantly attached the charm to a bracelet on his wrist. He had smiled sadly at first before he reached the part of us being together soon.

I finished dressing and left for the dungeons.

I walked into his office. His eyes had dark circles around them. I could see tear trails on his face.

"Your Polyjuice Potion should be done. Go cork some of it and bring it to me for grading," Professor Snape said as he dipped his quill into a bottle of ink.

"Professor, please forgive me for yesterday. I hope I did not offend you by sending Professor Lupin down here. I was worried about you though," I said. Tears were pouring down my cheeks and I turned and went through the painting that led to his lab. I didn't want him to see me crying for him.

- Severus Snape -

"Miss Granger I must thank you for tending to the potion yesterday. I apologize for running out like that. I am sure my behavior was startling to say the least," I said. I felt touched being in her presence. She was trying to hide the fact that she was worried that I would be angry. "I am not angry with you."

"Professor, can or will you tell me why you ran out of here yesterday?" she asked gently as I sat on a stool and held my head.

"I'm not ready to talk about it yet," I said. My voice lacked the snappish sarcasm that was usually present in it. I find it hard to be unkind to someone who had worried about me.

"Alright Professor." Her voice was small and quiet.

I sighed. Why did she care? I had never been particularly kind to her. I didn't understand and somehow it didn't really matter that I failed to comprehend. It was like when Jane had loved me. I hadn't understood but I knew it had been there.

"Miss Granger, do you think you are capable of taking care of the potion by yourself again?" I asked standing. I pinched the bridge of my nose.

"Yes Professor," she answered. I could see the sorrow and worry in her soft doe-like eyes. "I can take care of it."

I stood and walked into my office. I shut the painting and I took a single step toward my desk before I collapsed one the floor.

- Hermione Granger -

I watched Professor Snape leave. Poor Severus. He looked dreadful.

The only thing I need to do with the Cruentus Potion to day was add two milligrams of powdered unicorn horn. I added it and the potion bubbled up. It didn't overflow. I stirred it clockwise for two minutes as book told me to and it simmered down. I took the spoon out and set it on the table and preformed a cleansing charm.

I corked a sample of my Polyjuice Potion and quickly cleaned the cauldron and work area I had been using to brew it in.

I walked to the painting and left shutting it behind me as I left. My foot hit something on the floor and I looked down.

PROFESSOR!

Well there you received your next chapter. Again I apologize for the lateness. I hope you will all send a NICEreview.