A/N: Woot for the next chapter! Aren't you happy with me?

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He found her at the top of the Astronomy tower, chin resting on her knees and trails of tears leaking down her cheeks. He felt a slight remorse for her, but squashed it down, leaning on the wall in front of her. She still had not noticed him, and he stood a few moments before speaking. On the floor around her, and the wall in front of her were small burn marks, obviously curses she had thrown at the unsuspecting brick.

"Wouldn't I have burned better, Granger? What with all the grease?" He asked mockingly, lips turned into a sneer.

She was on her feet in instants, wiping the tears from her eyes. "S-severus... I didn't-"

"So how old am I, Granger? He looked at me as if I was digusting, I must be older."

"Ron's just an idiot...Please Seve-"

"How old!" He said sternly, glaring at her, eyes flaming in anger.

Her head hung, her cheeks a stinging red of embarrasment. "S-somewhere around... " She took a deep breath, seemingly bracing herself. "Somewhere around fourty... "

Her eyes had traveled up to his face hesitantly, and she was confused by the silent betrayal and anger lingering in his eyes. "Why do you care, though..." She turned her head away. "Its not like...it makes that much of a difference."

Next she knew, his fingers were under her chin, forcing her head up, his lips connecting to hers. Her breath caught in her throat, and she stared at him in disbelief as he pulled away.

"Thats why it matters, Granger." He spat out, then spun on his heel, slamming the door behind him as he left. Hermione sank to the ground, staring at the door, and tears stung the back of her eyes. She jumped to her feet, racing after him. He hadn't gotten very far. In fact, he had stopped right behind the door, leaning on the wall with his fingers at the bridge of his nose. Since she had started running, it took her to the seventh step before she realized she passed him, and skidded to a stop. Due to the misbalance stopping so suddenly gave her, she fell onto her bum on the stairs, wincing.

"ooow..." She moaned out, standing with a hand on her bruised bottom, slowly turning around to face Severus, who, despite his earlier anger, was smiling slightly at her clumsiness.

"Oh, shut up, you. That was your fault." She stuck her tongue out at him, walking back up the steps to face him. Her heart sank as his face went serious again, just looking at her with those dark eyes.

"Look...I'm sorry, Severus...I couldn't say anything! I wasn't supposed to... I wasn't expecting any of this to happen..."

"And the 'greasy git' comment?" He asked, and she winced at the lingering anger in his voice.

"Its what a lot of people say... S-since you're potions professor, your hair always seems sorta...greasy. So..."

"Do you call me that?"

She was quick to shake her head. "No! I always tell them to call you Sir...Or, Professor...Or something..."

She grew uncomfortable with his stern gaze on her, and making a split second decision, she leaned forward, capturing his lips in a kiss once more. Her heart sank when he grabbed her arms, pushing her away almost roughly and staring at her in disbelief.

"What the bloody hell do you think you're doing?"

Her cheeks were red, but she kept her eyes on his challangly. "Generaly, its called a kiss."

"I'm your fourty-something year old professor, and you're 'just kissing me'?"

"You're not forty right now..." She informed him matter of factly. "That will take twenty six years."

He looked at her with an amused smirk. "And you're perfectly fine with snogging the man who's -going- to be your professor? "

"At the moment? I don't give a bloody rats ass." She huffed, glaring up at him.

"I do believe I'm turning you into a Slytherin, Hermione."

She laughed at this, glad that he had stopped glaring at her. "Well, I -am- sleeping in the house." She paused, a sudden realization hitting her. "Oh bugger..."

"What?"

"Ron...Do you think he'll be put in Slytherin as well? He'd have a fit!"

"If Dumbledore wants him to stay alive...He'll be smarter than to put him in the same common room as me."

Hermione smiled at him tenderly, entwining her fingers with his as she pulled him down the stairs.

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Oh was Hermione Granger going to get it when she got back to the present. She was going to get three months worth of detentions cleaning frog warts, beetle dung, and the dungeon floors, and then get expelled and sent back to that ratty little home of hers. Oh yes, she was in for it. Snape was livid, storming around his chambers and destroying everything he could get his long, pale, fingers on.

Hermione Granger was going to pay. Oh yes, no one messed with Severus Snape. Not in the past, and not now.

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A/N: uh oooooooooooooh! Bad Hermione, bad! XD

singmenething: Shankiee! I luv getting your reviews You always write me some pretty cool stuff, its nice knowing what people liked about the chapter and what they didn't.

Pistol::nod nod: Indeed, Ronald is an idiot. I do believe he was born with quite a few important brain cells missing. How sad.

Angel::glomp: Glad ta hear it!

Darkmage6: oh, don't worry, don't worry. Ron's and Severus' encounters are far from over. :ebil laugh:

Glassdragon2: I have so much fun making Snape freak out about whats happening in his past SO very entertaining.

And I wanted to thank ALL of you out there reading for sticking with me! I'll update as soon as humanly possible, what with work, and school, and hopefully I can get into a weekly routine! . If I can schedule myself juuust right, I'll have a secure date for everyone to be expecting the next chapter. Oh yes, and hopefully the next one will be a tad bit lengthier...:hides from you all: Don't hurt me?