Severus sat in the headmasters office with his arms folded in irritation over his chest. Albus was contentedly sucking on a lemon drop. As always, Severus had declined the sour candy when Albus offered it.
There was quiet knock on the door and Albus called out "Come in." The door slid open and Hermione Granger stepped into the room hesitantly. "Ah, come have a seat my dear," he said with a smile, gesturing to a comfy looking chair next to her potions professor. He smiled slightly as Hermione looked nervously at Professor Snape and went to sit in the chair. The headmaster smiled reassuringly at her.
"You wanted to speak with me headmaster?" Hermione said softly, avoiding the gaze of the scowling man seated next to her.
"Yes," Dumbledore said sitting back in his seat and looking at her over his half-moon spectacles. "I've been informed that things have been going well with your apprenticeship to Professor Snape thus far." Hermione flushed with pleasure and smiled slightly at the thought of Snape complimenting her work. Dumbledore's eyes twinkled merrily when he noticed her blushing. He continued with a kind smile. "We are here to discuss whether or not you wish to continue. After this term, you have the option of staying on as Professor Snape's apprentice and commuting to a university by floo for career training. This is entirely up to you of course. Training with Professor Snape could very well guide you in becoming a master of potions if that is what you wish."
Hermione looked slightly surprised. She opened her mouth to say something and quickly shut it again. Snape watched her curiously, wondering what she would decide to do. "I don't really care what she wants to do," he thought to himself. "I merely want to know how long I must endure the little know-it-all brat." He sneered at how unconvincing he sounded even in his own head. Albus interrupted his thoughts by speaking up once again.
"Miss Granger, I do not want you to make a decision based on anything other than what you want to do," Professor Dumbledore said kindly. "Do not stay simply because you think it's what we would want. Don't leave because you don't want to inconvenience a certain Potions Master." He sent a little smile in Snape's direction. He leaned forward with a mischievous smile. "I think he enjoys working with you more than he lets on," he said in a loud whisper. Snape growled furiously, but Albus ignored him. "Do you need time to make your decision my dear?" he said returning to a normal volume.
Hermione thought for a moment. She turned her gaze to Snape who was looking her with an unreadable expression on his face. She looked back at Dumbledore and said "I want to continue being an apprentice." She grinned as Dumbledore's smile widened.
"I thought you would," Dumbledore said cheerfully. "Well, Professor Snape will be documenting your progress and all of the work you do with him. He will assist you in organizing an acceptable schedule so as not to interfere with other classes." He looked between Professor Snape and Hermione to be sure they understood. "Now, Miss Granger, you may go on to your room for the night. I need to speak with Professor Snape."
Hermione nodded and moved to leave, muttering a quiet good night as she reached the door. When the door closed behind her, Albus turned his gaze back to Professor Snape. "So, she chose to continue working with you," Albus said, looking gleeful. "It's just wonderful."
Snape cast a warning look at the headmaster. "I will not be a victim to your matchmaking Albus," he growled.
"And why on earth not?" Albus said in amusement, earning another scowl from Severus. "Come now Severus. She's simply delightful and you get along splendidly. Why are you being difficult?"
"First of all, I will not be forced into anything," Snape replied with a sneer. "She's my apprentice Albus. What you are hinting at is inappropriate, and unrealistic for that matter. You told her to choose based solely and what she wants to do and she did. And I, quite frankly, couldn't care less what the little brat does," he added with a scowl.
Dumbledore shook his head. "You're not fooling anybody my boy," he said with a small smile. "Remus was asking a lot of questions about the two of you after he put two and two together and figured out about Miss Weasley's little scheme. Moody was asking questions even before he saw that little scene through the door. I'm slightly surprised that Minerva doesn't go into a fit of laughter whenever your name is mentioned." Albus chuckled at the thought. He fixed his gaze on the potions professor. "I don't think she would choose to stay only for the educational value. Of course, that is very important to her, but I don't think it would be her only motivation. Perhaps she enjoys working with you. Perhaps she wants to remain close to you," he suggested with a shrug as if he had this sort of conversation every day.
"What do I have to give that she would find worthwhile?" Snape said bitterly. He sneered at the look of sadness that crossed the headmaster's face.
"Severus, you are too hard on yourself," Albus replied mournfully.
Hermione walked down the hallway toward her room thinking about her decision to continue with her apprenticeship. It was a wonderful opportunity and she was quite pleased with herself. She couldn't help but hope that perhaps Snape had secretly wanted her to stay, even if the stubborn man would never admit it. She sighed in exasperation. "I shouldn't even be thinking about him," she thought irritably. "He's my professor."
Hermione heard a noise in the hallway behind her, causing her to pause in her line of thought and look around. Seeing nobody in the hallway, she went to continue on her way, feeling a bit uneasy. She searched her pockets for her wand when she heard a muttered spell. Her hand had just closed around her wand when the spell threw her in the wall. Hermione saw a figure coming toward her and then she lost consciousness.
Hermione's head was pounding when she woke up. For several minutes, she didn't bother opening her eyes. She felt something cool resting on her face, so she reached up with a shaky hand to find a cold wash cloth draped across her eyes. She flinched when she felt a hand reach over and remove the cloth. As the fabric was lifted away from her skin, her eyes flew open.
"Oh!" Hermione exclaimed with a moan as the lighting in the room caused searing pain in her head. She opened her eyes more slowly and waited for her vision to focus on her surroundings. She was in a large bed that looked oddly familiar. The silk sheets were a dark, rich green color. "Green sheets?" Hermione thought in confusion before turning her gaze to the person that had removed the cloth.
"Professor Snape?" Hermione said in a hoarse voice. She was relieved when he lifted her head with one hand and helped her take a few sips from a glass of water he had set out for her. "What happened?" she asked, glad that her voice sounded less hoarse.
"On your way to your room, you encountered young Mr. Malfoy," Snape said smoothly, sitting back in the chair he had placed by the bed and folding his arms. "He hit you with a curse, but we are unsure what it was. You were thrown into the wall and knocked out. I came along just moments later and stopped him from doing any further damage to you. Unfortunately, we can't do anything to him because I was the only one who saw it. My loyalties would be questioned if I reprimanded him or reported him to the headmaster."
"I see," Hermione said softly. "So, what did you tell him? And why am I here?" She glanced about the room nervously, having realized that it was Snape's bedroom.
"I told Mr. Malfoy that the headmaster had sent me to retrieve you," Severus replied silkily. "I also told him that I would tell the headmaster that I had simply found you unconscious in the hall. I reprimanded Mr. Malfoy for, once again, using a curse in an open area where he could be seen. I spoke with Professor Dumbledore and he felt that it would be unwise to have you in the hospital wing. He feared that Mr. Malfoy would attempt to do further damage by seeking you out during the night." Snape sneered at her. "So, here you are in my private chambers. You've been unconscious for about eight hours."
Hermione sighed and shook her head. "Harry and Ron will never let me out of their sight after this one," she said ruefully.
"You are probably right my dear," said a voice from the doorway. Dumbledore had entered the bedroom with Minerva McGonagall at his side. "It's so nice to see you awake, Miss Granger," Albus said kindly. "How are you feeling?"
"I feel alright, I suppose," Hermione said with a small smile. She slowly pushed herself into a more upright position wincing as pain shot through her body. Minerva smiled widely when Snape moved to prop some pillows up behind her to help hold her up.
Dumbledore reached over and patted Hermione's hand. "You'll be back to normal in no time at all," he assured her. "However, from now on, I think it would be best that you try to avoid going anywhere alone. I'm sure Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley will keep an eye on you. Professor Snape will also be escorting you. He will accompany you to your bedroom door after the two of you finish your work together. If Mr. Malfoy questions this arrangement, we'll simply say that it was by my request in order to avoid another attack."
"Is there nothing more we can do Albus?" Minerva asked, looking over at Hermione anxiously.
Professor Dumbledore sighed heavily and shook his head. "Not at this time, I'm afraid," he said.
"Is there something wrong with me?" Hermione asked, feeling panicked. "What did he do to me?"
"We are unsure of what curse was used Miss Granger," Snape said calmly. "We've looked you over and you seem to be unharmed aside from feeling very tired and weak. A lot of the pain you feel is from being thrown into the wall with such force." Minerva and Albus nodded their agreement with his assessment.
Hermione relaxed slightly and tried to smile. "So, when can I go?" she asked.
Professor Snape opened his mouth to answer but he was cut off by Albus. "You will have to stay here over night," Albus said, his lips twitching in amusement. "Professor Snape will need to keep an eye on you to make sure there will be no delayed effects from the curse." Snape growled in irritation at the headmaster, causing Minerva to snort with laughter. Dumbledore smiled brightly. "We'll leave you in his care. Goodnight." He led a chuckling Minerva from the room.
Hermione looked over at her professor nervously. He looked furious. "Interfering old man," he muttered through clenched teeth. His eyes fell on Hermione and she thought his expression softened ever so slightly. "Is there anything you need?" he asked her stiffly.
"No," she replied quietly. "I'm fine, thank you."
Severus nodded and then helped her move to lie flat on the bed. Once she seemed comfortable, he transfigured the chair into a cot for himself. He went to the bathroom and changed into some silky black pants. When he returned to his room, he went to the cot and looked back over at Hermione. He was a bit pleased that she had been looking at him. When their eyes met, she blushed and muttered a quiet "good night" before turning her face away from him. Severus smirked to himself and lay down on the cot. He found it quite difficult to fall asleep that night. He mentally scolded himself when he suddenly thought that he'd probably have an easier time getting to sleep if he had Miss Granger in his arms.
