Disclaimer: Whoa steadies oneself I do not own Harry Potter! Man that came as an unexpected blow. It seems contrary to my delusion I am not J K Rowling!

Warning: Beware of the fluff.

An Exception to The Rules

"This is ridiculous. It's point blankly ridiculous." Severus told himself "Gryffindors hate Slytherins, Slytherins detest Gryffindors. It's just so it has been so since Salazar himself." "Although" a smooth voice, with a snake-like quality, interjected in his head "Legend has it that he charmed Godric's stunning, Gryffindor daughter; Gwendolyn right into his smug arms much to Godric's distress." Causing a smirk to play slightly across his lips "Don't be ridiculous" he snapped back "Legends of such flight of fancy are completely based on over zealous imagination. This is completely absurd; Gryffindors and Slytherins are a world apart. And young intelligent girls do not approach Severus Snape willingly. And they most certainly do not cause him to muse obsessively about them." "Of course," agreed the smooth voice "And Severus Snape most certainly doesn't give annoying, know-it-all Gryffindors the recommendation they have been begging for, for weeks on end, knowing full well he could gain something from or not give it her at all" it said soothingly "Exac- this is ridiculous, I had my entirely selfish reasons for giving that to her and I don't need to justify myself to a non-existent voice!" he exclaimed angrily "Quite that would be ridiculous seems as that voice is your own, and as yourself I will be aware of any selfish reasons for such a seemingly rash action." It squashed calmly "Yes like-" he began to explain "You do realise you are trying to convince yourself." It said blandly "You do realise you sound just like Albus did" he mocked childishly, "And besides how do I know you are me, not some invasion in my head? I wouldn't put it past Albus if he weren't killed by my own hand…" " I never heard more flawed logic; how do I know you are not the invasion? It is hardly likely the real Severus Snape, whom prides himself on being a Slytherin would so utterly illogical, trying to convince himself that he gave a Gryffindor a recommendation for selfish reasons, Severus Snape does not explain himself to anyone unnecessarily that would be…" "RIDICULOUS!" he raged back "Precisely my point." "Oh shut up," he muttered to himself.

"This is ridiculous!" he hissed at his mind "So you keep saying." "Why am doing this?" "Look we've already discussed my reasons for not trusting you, you are clearly being ridiculous and irrational as you have already said. So clearly it's left to me to make the decisions." That bloody voice interject which its bloody flawless argument. " Preposterous I know full well you trust me!" "Pray do tell how you came to this undeniable conclusion," the voice said in a harsh challenging tone, "BECAUSE YOU ARE ME!" "Finally we're getting somewhere," "But that's not fair you have…you have an advantage," "Of course it's not fair, nothing's fair in something so ridiculous with arguing with yourself, Severus." "But how can this be? It denies all logical theories, how is it that I can enjoy that know-it-all's company and she smile so bloody brightly when she sees me, how is it she keeps smiling through my careful vindictive comments? How is it she is not repelled by my flawless defences? How is it she questions me so eagerly not being put out by my snide comments? How is it she looks at me with respect after all I have done? How is it she forgives me for all the devastation I've caused yet is still so bloody pure? How is it by this logic I can forgive myself? How is it she is always so bloody willing to do anything I ask her? It's inhuman. It denies all rules." The voice seem to lose its snake-like quality as it blended with the other "Look at her, Severus." He told himself turning towards the window his betraying legs had taken him to; he regarded the young woman walking around the lake smiling as ever "Since when has she ever obeyed rules? 'She's been crossing the lines ever since she arrived at this school' along with her goon-ish friends, well that wasn't quite true she always had a respect for the rules, frustratingly it seems the rules returned that respect and made way for Hermione Granger, in her first year she achieve so much it seems she could not be expelled by old Hogwarts magic due her 112 test average; the annoying little perfection. Despite remaining firm friends with the-boy-who-lived and sharing each of his stubborn childish acts of heroism she remained alive, keeping both of her unworthy friends very much alive with her under-appreciated knowledge, never getting jealous, always understanding, always sympathising with her blundering unobservant friends. She was everything one expected from queen of Gryffindor, how is it she did not repulse him? How was it despite her reckless bravery she was still so observant so calculating so Slytherin, yet at the same time so un-judging so loyal so bloody Hufflepuff, all the while an exemplarily Ravenclaw. How is she could be the very model of all houses? It's defying well everything; it defies law. How is it that despite her unfathomable perfection life has made so she has reached me? Of all people why the least likely? It seems so incomprehensible. It simply isn't at all comprehendible, it's- ridiculous," he smiled in spite of himself. He looked at her flawless form as she walked in her world oblivious to the confusion she caused, at he regarded her his face lost the cruel edge to his scrutiny, becoming a faint trace of defeat; "She was in her own world, her own sphere yet she regarded every detail of this irrelevant one, she defies all reason, all explanation." His look of defeat represented his world tumbling, as he found a flaw in everything he based his world on, his cold, unforgiving but entirely logical world. "She is the fountain of knowledge," he decided "I mean Albus was good but she has effectively questioned logic it's self and it hasn't come up with an answer, I wonder how distraught she will be? Or does she already have a new logic figured out in her curious head?" "Don't be so harsh on law Severus," the voice was back but without the manipulative undertone "There is always an exception to the rules, of course this means we don't exactly have a perfect copy of the rules, it probably some mistranslation somewhere along the line, perhaps we do not yet quite have the language to explain it yet, but we can understand it on a more abstract level and translate enough to get by making an exception in certain cases."

"Severus." She smiled despite her shock in finding she wasn't alone, "You're too damn stealthy for your own good you know. So what enticed you from you're oh-so-alluring dungeons out into this fine mid-summer evening?" she said lightly. "My treacherous feet took me unknowingly from my private reflections straight to the overbearing light of the ground floor, at which point I took at moment to gaze out into the world I so rarely see, it seems my memory is faulty as the view resulted to be more alluring than the solitary confinements of the Hogwarts dungeons." He replied causing her smile "Yes, it quite easy to forget the rest of the world exists down there isn't it?" her eyes involuntarily finding his.

"Unless of course something annoyingly adamant is reminding you."

"And may I inquire as to your being here so late? Weren't you due to leave a couple of months ago, with you're class mates?"

"Ah I have been here on business,"

"As always," he muttered, "I've given you a recommendation surely there isn't a teacher less willing than I to give you one?"
"Not quite, it seems though the hardest worked for is most worth it, it seems that you're recommendation can give me any potions position I wish."

He snorted "With that you could create any potion you required. I am still not quite sure how you badgered me into giving you that, you never cease to amaze me," he said dryly but she smiled all the same, "Well that was the general idea, Minerva seemed impressed at any rate," she grinned sheepishly, looking at her shoes.

"You want…"

"To be you're assistant at Hogwarts, yes. At least for a year or so."

"Why, there is so much open to you in the field of potions alone, I believe you are rather apt in all areas also."

"It must be the something about the compelling deepness of the dungeon." She said sincerely with a small smile, then looked away from him and sighed "It doesn't matter at any rate, as impressive as the recommendation is I doubt Minerva will simply disregard her staffs wishes, I was hoping to have until tomorrow to begin to start persuading you on this matter, but I don't suppose it shall make so much difference. Still I don't think I can stop myself trying," she found his eyes gazing at her intently without a harsh edge summoning a few more words from her "Or else making some other excuse to bother you in your dungeons." Her voice barely above a whisper.

"I don't suppose your presence will ever stop bothering me it seems even when it's not there, quite ridiculous."

Several hours' later, Severus Snape arms surrounding his sleeping newly-appointed apprentice, "Severus Snape would never surely appoint an apprentice." He thought desperately "Yes, and Severus Snape would not be holding a willing, exceptionally beautiful, young woman in his arms." The voice complied, "There is always an exception to the rules," Severus agreed "And after all Hermione granger has always been rather exceptional."