SUMMARY: Hermione looses her two best friends in the war against Voldemort. Because of this, she becomes depressed and flees from the world she loves. To London she goes and chooses to live as a muggle. Six years pass. Hermione slowly begins to forget how to use magic. Will the staff of Hogwarts be able to teach her again before the damage becomes permanent?

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter.

PAIRINGS: Hermione Granger, Severus Snape (eventually); Rated M

A/N: Thank you to Fuuruma, iloveseverussnape, Katyes, bRaTsKi, and GerryPhanatic for your reviews.

CHAPTER SIX

"Oh no." Hermione stopped walking. Snape noticed and did the same.

"Ms. Granger, what is-"

"It's Malfoy." she said slowly. "And...Pansy Parkinson." Snape turned his attention to the couple walking on the other side of the street. It was indeed who Hermione said it was.

"Your point being?" Hermione looked at him, completely outraged.

"Are you serious? You know very well Professor Snape, that I do not get along with Malfoy. Pug-faced Pansy is bearable when she is on her own, but the two of them together..." Hermione's words didn't seem to be affecting Snape. She had a feeling they wouldn't. They were in fact, two of Snape's past Slytherins. And he always favored his Slytherins.

Hermione had no intention of seeing Malfoy. And she certainly had no intention of him stopping her on the street. She did, however, mention she would have preferred the company of Draco rather than Snape while at Diagon Alley. But seeing Malfoy now, Pansy included, made her stomach turn. There they were, walking hand in hand, so engrossed in one another.

"It must be love." said Hermione under her breath, as she watched them, still approaching. At that moment, she was grateful for Professor Snape's company.

Snape, however, wasn't exactly helping her predicament. He was, like always draped in black. He stood out more than the sun. Draco and Pansy would be stupid not to notice him.

"Would you please stop acting so childish, Ms. Granger?"

"Call it what you will, but I will not be subjected to a reunion with Draco Malfoy." said Hermione, as she walked toward a nearby book store.

"You might as well get it over with now." Hermione stopped. What? She turned around and walked back to him, slowly.

"What exactly do you mean by that?"

"What do your instincts tell you?"

"My instincts tell me that I shouldn't be standing here in the open trying to figure out what you're talking about because that will only give Malfoy and his little girlfriend, most probably his wife, a chance to come over and ruin my day further." said Hermione incredibly fast. "Did I miss anything?" Snape cocked an eyebrow.

"Well, at least you haven't lost your intelligence." Hermione smiled. A compliment, she thought. "No doubt from reading all those books." he said curtly. Her smiled faded. All her life, people had criticized her for reading books. Her friends, her parents, and Snape included. Hermione was past her breaking point.

"You can stay here...and chat with your two favorite pupils. I, on the other hand, have no more business in Diagon Alley." Snape opened his mouth to say something, but Hermione cut him off. "I'm leaving. Enjoy yourself, Professor." She said his title with pure disgust and left without another word.

When Hermione arrived back at Hogwarts, she told Dumbledore everything. Professor McGonagall was also in his office, so she too, heard the tale. Both of them were perplexed about the newly arisen situation with her wand. They had never known a wand to turn on it's witch or wizard. This made Hermione feel terrible.

"What am I going to do? I need my wand to do magic."

"Some magic is wand-less." said Dumbledore, popping a lemon drop into his mouth. He then offered Hermione some.

"How can you eat candy at a time like this." she moaned. He took his handful of sweets away and placed them back in their dish on his desk. "I'm a horrible witch!"

"No you are not!" screamed McGonagall. "You were one of the best students to every grace Hogwarts with your presence."

"May I remind you that the key word there is 'were'." Hermione said grimly. "That's past history, Professor McGonagall."

"If you continue to put yourself down, all it will every be is past history." Hermione turned around to see Snape standing in the door way...again.

"I thought I left you in Diagon Alley." she said as she slumped back into her chair.

"You did." Snape said annoyed.

"Shouldn't you be talking with Malfoy right about now?"

"He did talk to me actually." Hermione shot up from her seat. Her eyes fell upon her most hated enemy. "You haven't changed a bit, Granger."

"Nor you." was all she could say. She turned to Snape. "You have an excellent way of making people hate you."

"Severus played no part in this." said Draco. Hermione was taken aback. Did he just call Snape Severus?

"You allow him to call you by your first name?" she asked Snape in a surprised tone. Snape nodded. "What is he, a fellow teacher or something?" Hermione laughed lightly. She stopped when she noticed no one else was. "What?"

"He is a teacher." said Dumbledore. Hermione laughed again.

"Oh, come on. He could barely pay attention in class." No one said any different. "You expect me to believe, Draco is a teacher?" Dumbledore nodded. "But...it makes no...you...I have to sit down." As Hermione took her seat, trying to comprehend the shook of Malfoy being a Hogwarts teacher, Dumbledore spoke.

"Professor McGonagall and I have been discussing your predicament." She looked up at him.

"And?" Dumbledore looked around at everyone else.

"And we would be more than delighted to help you, Hermione!"

"Does that include Malfoy?"

"Yes that includes me." She hated the fact that Draco Malfoy would have the opportunity to teach her something about magic. She was way smarter than him. Hermione looked at Dumbledore. He was waiting for her answer. For he knew she disliked Draco. His eyes were practically pleading for her to accept Draco. Hermione sighed in defeat.

"Oh, very well." Hermione crossed her arms.

"Excellent!" said Dumbledore.

"I suppose I can live with Draco," she swallowed, "helping me. But I'm not promising anything." she said as she glanced at Draco through the corner of her eye.

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