The couple landed in the fireplace located in Severus' office and stepped out, immediately beginning to dust themselves off. He reached out and wiped his thumb over Hermione's cheek, where there was soot smudged over her skin. She smiled up at him and gazed into his eyes as his hand remained on her cheek for a while longer. He leaned down and placed a quick kiss on her lips, granting her a small smile before muttering a spell to rid them both of the remaining soot on their skin and clothes.

"If the students only knew our reason for being late," Severus muttered, earning a giggle from Hermione.

He took her hand and they hurried into the Potions classroom, where Severus pointed to a seat adjacent to his desk. Hermione took her seat quickly in the wooden chair. He walked to the door and opened it, and Hermione heard the chatter of the second years die instantly outside as Severus appeared menacingly and commanded, "Inside." The students filed into the classroom silently and took their seats. Only the rustling of paper and zippers could be heard as the students rummaged in their sacks for quills and other necessary utensils. Slowly, the students began to notice Professor Granger, sitting quietly at the front of the room, beside Professor Snape's desk. Some eyed her suspiciously, while others seemed to have failed to notice her at all. And still, many students, namely the Slytherins, were sneering at her. As it was no secret that she had been a former Gryffindor, and a muggleborn at that, the Slytherins had not taken well to her.

Severus swept to the front of the room, demanding the attention of all the students.

"As you may have noticed," he said silkily, in the low voice that he only usually saved for his students, "Professor Granger is here to visit with our class for this lesson."

"Why?" asked an eager girl in the front row of the Gryffindor half of the room.

"Because I find Potions to be fascinating, Miss Skrit. You are all lucky to have Sev- Professor Snape for a teacher in this subject; he is quite a talented potionmaker, and very intelligent." She grinned at Severus, who sneered, but she could tell that he was amused.

"Professor," said the same girl, waving her arm in the air, "is it true that Harry Potter is here, at Hogwarts?"

"That is enough, Miss Skrit!" Severus snapped. "As I was saying, Professor Granger is present, and is quite a competent potionmaker herself, so you may ask her a question, should I be unavailable at the time." He glared around the room, daring anyone to object. When he saw satisfactorily that nobody would, he continued, "Today, we will be making the Transfigurmortam potion. Does anyone know of its use?"

Melanie Skrit's hand immediately shot into the air, though Severus took his time gazing around the room, searching for another student willing to provide an answer.

"It is used to transform any object that has already been transfigured at least once back to its original state," Melanie recited. Hermione recognized this answer almost word for word from the Potions text that Severus had lent her earlier in the year, and so did he.

Nevertheless, he snapped angrily, "Five points from Gryffindor for speaking out of turn, Miss Skrit."

These words echoed in Hermione's mind as she remembered them from her own schooldays. "However, it was the correct answer. Five points to Gryffindor," she said behind him from her seat beside his desk.

He turned to face her with a look that implied he was trying to make up his mind about something, while a smile played on her lips, but said nothing to her. They stared into each other's eyes for a moment longer, until he turned away and went on explaining more to his class about the magical properties and great importance of the Transfigurmortam potion, while the students took notes. However, as Hermione knew this information already, she only sat and watched Severus intently. His silky, smooth tone sounded in her ears, but she did not hear his words, only his voice. She could see now why his hair had appeared so greasy in their schooldays; in here, surrounded by the humidity of the steam from the cauldron's and all of the simmering potions, anyone's would. Watching as he glared at the students and made snide comments concerning their potions, she noticed that when he reached the Slytherin side of the room, he turned on his heel and made his rounds on the Gryffindors again. She suspected that this was because, inevitably, the Slytherins would be goofing off and their potions would be absolutely dismal, and Severus could not bring himself to say nothing, should he see them. Therefore, he himself made sure that he never laid eyes upon them.

She found herself scowling as he chastised another Gryffindor for cutting her ingredient the wrong way, although the way she was doing it would have sufficed in the potion that they were concocting. Their teaching styles could not be more different, she realized as she surveyed him. Hermione was cheery and smiling, except for when she was provoked, when she could turn as nasty as a snake in seconds. However, Severus was as cruel and sullen as she was jovial, especially when he was provoked. And yet, they were both extremely effective teachers. Their students were advanced in both Charms and Potions, and Hermione suspected that this was because of both their strict, demanding courses. She was stirred from her thoughts, however, when Severus waved his wand and the instructions for the potion appeared on the board.

"Begin," he commanded shortly, and they obeyed at once.

Not five minutes after Severus' order, there was a crash at one of the front tables on the Gryffindor side.

"Mr. Hanner!" Severus bellowed, swooping down on the frightened boy. "Clean this mess up at once. Miss Ailey, you were his partner, correct? Help him!"

After the pair had tidied up the mess, with assistance from Kelly, Anna's friend, Severus reassigned them to different partners as a form of punishment.

Anna Ailey protested, "But sir, he is my boyfriend. I can't-"

"I assure you, Miss Ailey, you certainly can," Severus retorted.

"Just because you've never had a girlfriend-" Kelly uttered without thinking, in an attempt to defend her friend, but when she realized what she had said, she bit her tongue. Her eyes grew wide with fear and she cowered beneath Severus, who had swooped down on her in just seconds.

"Detention with me, tomorrow night, Miss Evelyn!" he growled at her. "Miss Ailey, get back to your new partner!" he bellowed.

"Don't you think that was a bit harsh for Miss Ailey, Severus? She didn't disrespect you," said Hermione quietly.

"She was a smartass little chit when I ordered her to switch partners," he replied.

"That is true, but compared to Miss Evelyn, she said nothing to offend you."

Everyone's heads turned to look at Professor Snape, holding their breath as they waited for his reaction.

"What are you trying to say, Professor Granger?"

"Well, I just think that it was a bit harsh for you to reprimand her like that, when she didn't really do anything. Forgive me, but it was Mr. Hanner who caused the crash. And besides, if I was making an unfamiliar potion, like Miss Ailey is, then I would want my boyfriend with me."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Why is that?" he asked.

"Because he would be able to assist me in matters or areas that I need to work on. He is quite talented at that sort of thing, you know. And very handsome...he has black eyes that one could absolutely drown in. Besides, Severus, wouldn't you want your girlfriend there, to prevent her from making careless, potentially harmful mistakes?"

All of the students' jaws dropped in shock at Professor Granger's words. Girlfriend? Professor Severus Snape, the greasy bat of the dungeons, with a girlfriend? A slight blush crept into Severus' cheeks, but luckily, only Hermione was near enough to see it as she sat grinning at him.

"No," Severus replied slowly after a moment. "She is a brilliant witch; I have no doubt that she would be able to complete even the most difficult of potions without my assistance, and without a single error."

He held her gaze for a few seconds longer, until he blinked and turned back to his class, who gaped at him.

"What are you doing, Miss Ailey?" he snapped at her. "Return to your partner."

"But sir, you-"

"It seems as if Mr. Hanner could urgently use your aid."

Anna grinned, but remained silent as she returned to her boyfriend's side.

"You see what you've done now?" Severus hissed at Hermione once he had sat down at his desk. "I made a second year smile. What will you have me be doing next?"

"Passing out sweets to the first years," she answered, and then stood from her chair. Over her shoulder, she shot Severus a grin and went to the front of the room.

"As Professor Snape will be busy for the remainder of this hour," she addressed the students, "you will come to me with any questions you may have concerning this lesson."

As Hermione circled the room, Severus discreetly watched her from his place behind his desk. She moved gracefully as she navigated her way through the desks and simmering cauldrons, and as she glided along, it appeared as though she was floating on air. His eyes followed her every movement carefully. He watched as she helped Emily Milstrode with her potion; the careful manner in which Hermione measured, sliced, and crushed the ingredients, how she added them at precisely the right second, exactly as a skilled potionmaker should.

"Professor Snape?" Melanie Skrit asked, standing by his elbow. She seemed to have appeared out of thin air.

He blinked and turned to look at the girl. "Yes, Miss Skrit, what is it?"

She was smirking as she replied, "I've completed my potion, Professor."

Severus tensed, afraid that she had seen him staring at Hermione and put two and two together. However, he recovered and replied shortly, "Set it on the desk." Melanie quickly placed the potion on the corner of his desk and returned to her seat.

Meanwhile, across the room, as Hermione was standing by Emily Milstrode's desk, the young girl looked up at her. Emily's eyes darted back and forth between the two professors in the room.

"Professor Granger?"

"Yes, Emily?"

"Did you have Professor Snape as a Potions teacher when you attended Hogwarts?" At this, Hermione immediately stopped flipping through Emily's Potions book and looked down at the girl.

"Yes, I did. He hasn't changed much in his attitude toward his students, I'm afraid," she sighed. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, I wanted to know how you managed to put up with him for seven years."

Hermione laughed. "That is a good question. I tried not to draw too much attention to myself in his class, although it was difficult for me."

"Why is that?"

"Do you see Melanie Skrit up there, in the first row?" Emily nodded. "She is the mirror image of me when I was that age. It is much worse now, because you are only in second year, but he will become increasingly more bearable as you progress through your education at Hogwarts. Seventh year will be bliss compared to what you endure now; that is when he leaves you alone during lessons, simply placing the instructions on the board and handing you the necessary ingredients."

"That would be better than this," the girl sighed.

"Yes, I know what you mean. But still, he could be worse." Emily stared at her, and Hermione laughed at the expression on the younger girl's face. "He could! Return to Hogwarts as a staff member, and you will see. When you are his equal, he treats you as such. Well, he may not treat you courteously, but he will respect you. It is the same if you are skilled and work hard in his class to receive high marks; he may not treat you with much politeness, but he will at least respect you, and if you achieve even that from Severus Snape, it is a wonder."

"Does he respect you?"

"Yes, he does. He has always respected me."

Emily stared at Hermione, and then followed her gaze to Professor Snape, who was sitting at his desk, grading papers.

"He's not…bad looking. I mean, not especially good looking, either, but…not...hideous, I suppose," Emily said quietly to Professor Granger.

Hermione looked down at her student, shocked. "Emily! He is your professor."

"And so he was yours, as well."

Hermione stared at the girl, and slowly smiled. "You've got a lot of nerve for a second year."

"I was placed in Gryffindor."

Hermione smirked at the student and returned to Emily's Potions book, after stealing one last glance at Severus. After she had finished helping Miss Milstrode with her potion, she continued making her way around the classroom.

"Five points from Slytherin!" she exclaimed suddenly. "Place those Hogbum spikes back on the shelf and away from Miss Spiff's head."

Again, many of the students' jaws dropped. They doubted if Slytherin House points had ever been deducted in one of Professor Snape's lessons. All turned to face him, awaiting his reaction as he lifted his head to stare at Hermione. However, all he did was hold her gaze for several seconds, and then looked back down to his papers again, ignoring the silent pleas from his Slytherins to throw the Mudblood out.

That lesson was heaven for the Gryffindors, as they did not have to deal with his usual snide behavior, presumably because Professor Granger was present; in fact, his manner that day was almost what one would consider tolerable. The Slytherins, on the other hand, seemed to think that Professor Snape was losing his touch. They wreaked havoc the entire lesson, as if testing him, but it only resulted in over thirty points in total being taken from Slytherin House by Professor Granger, while Snape simply sat at his desk and ignored the class, save for a few glares toward the Gryffindors.

When the lesson had ended, the students filed out of the classroom, prattling on about how incredibly bearable, and very near the verge of enjoyable, this Potions lesson had been. Severus knew, however, that the next lesson, he would be sure to make them aware that this sort of behavior from him would not continue. When the last student had finally gone, Hermione shut the door and sauntered over to Severus' desk, grasping both sides with her hands. She leaned down so that their faces were inches apart and smiled at him.

"I think that went well, don't you?" she asked.

"Splendid," he answered lazily, looking back down at Henry Parsal's essay.

Hermione frowned. "Is there anything wrong?"

"No," he said, turning back to her and smiling slightly. Then he took hold of her hand and pulled her swiftly around the desk and then down to him, so that she was sitting on his lap. Hermione threw back her head and laughed.

"Thank you," he whispered, kissing her neck.

"For what?"

"For being you."

"What do you mean?"

He paused, unsure of how to reply. "You are beautiful and witty and intelligent, and..."

And what? his voice asked him.

"Keep going," Hermione giggled.

He smiled. "And sexy and sweet and adorable and just...you."

Hermione grinned at him and brought her lips down to his as she snaked her arms around his neck.

They kissed, and then she nibbled on his ear. "Want to know what you are?"

"Do I?"

She giggled. "You're handsome and sexy and intelligent and considerate and thoughtful."

"Anything else?"

"Of course. You are a gentleman, and you are respectful. You are caring, and-"

"And you are perfect," he muttered, burying his face in her hair and hugging her to him. Hermione's heart swelled and she suddenly felt very lightheaded.

Again, she brought her lips down to his and pressed them together, placing her arms around his neck. Severus rested one hand on her knee, while his other hand moved to her waist, pulling her closer to him. Her skirt had risen up when she had sat down, and the hem was now at mid-thigh's length. Severus trailed his hand from her knee, slowly up her thigh. When he reached the hem of her skirt, he hesitated, but as Hermione smiled softly against his lips, he proceeded. However, when his hand had moved no more than an inch forward, the door to his classroom swung open suddenly. Severus had forgotten to lock it.

"Sorry I didn't knock, Snape, I-" Harry began at once, before he had even taken in the scene before him, but froze when he saw Severus' hand up Hermione's skirt. She immediately jumped off of his lap and smoothed down her skirt. Harry smirked at the two of them. "Well," he said and cleared his throat. "Perhaps I'm interrupting something?"

"What did you want, Potter?" Severus spat at him angrily, though the apples of his cheeks were already turning a very distinct pinkish color.

"Hermione wasn't in her office or chambers, so I decided that I would check in the dungeons. And indeed," he gestured to Hermione, "here she is."

"Harry, it wasn't…. We, we weren't…." Hermione stammered.

"Ron's waiting outside. Gods, you both are lucky he didn't walk in and see this; he would have gone ballistic." Harry smirked again.

Actually, we're just lucky you weren't a student, thought Hermione.

"Why were you looking for me?" she demanded.

"I wanted to see if you would like to accompany me to the Great Hall for lunch. Well, if you'd like to accompany Ron and me. You're welcome to come too, Snape. However, it seems that you two have more important things to be doing, so I'll just…."

He turned to leave, but Hermione quickly uttered, "No!" and he turned back to them. "How about it, Severus?" she asked.

"Must you call him that?" Ron asked, suddenly appearing in the doorway.

"Shall we go?" Severus uttered through clenched teeth, eager to avert the attention from him and Hermione.

"I suppose so," said Harry slowly, still smirking. Then he turned and left the dungeons, preceding Ron, who had a very confused look on his face. Severus and Hermione quickly glanced at each other, and it appeared as though she was attempting to suppress a giggle. Seconds later, they too followed Harry out the door.

"I cannot see what you find so amusing," Severus leaned down and hissed in her ear. This only made her laugh harder, and her shoulders began to tremble with the effort not to burst out in giggles as she covered her mouth with both hands.

To Professor McGonagall, who eyed them curiously, the group could not have been stranger. Severus Snape and the Golden Trio all walking together peacefully? She looked around, but there appeared to be no sign of an impending duel. She eventually shrugged it off and continued to lunch, with Severus glaring at her as she passed them.

When they finally arrived at the Great Hall, Severus threw the doors open and sneered at anyone who he happened to look at in his journey to the High Table. Some students dared to glare right back at him, but all chatter ceased immediately and all eyes turned to the noticeable lightning-shaped scar when the students caught sight of Harry walking through the doors. As he made his way up to the High Table, babblings from the students inevitably followed him as they whispered to their neighbors.

"Did you know that Harry Potter was here?"

"He defeated You-Know-Who, you know!"

"Isn't that the famous Harry Potter?"

In the three consecutively empty chairs at the High Table, Severus and Hermione sat down, followed by Ron, who sat beside Hermione. He sent Harry an apologetic look, but Harry didn't mind; he was already making his way to the available seat beside Remus Lupin.

"Hello, Harry!" Remus said brightly as Harry took a seat and scooted in his chair.

"Hello, Professor Lupin," Harry replied.

"How has your Auror training been going?"

"It's going…well." He sighed. "When anyone hears my name, it's always one of two reactions that they have: They either simply assume that I know how to do whatever it is that we are learning, so they allow me to get by too easily, or otherwise, they believe, much like Snape, that I think I am better than everyone else, so they make my training exceedingly more difficult than the others'. Honestly, I'd like to meet just one instructor there who didn't treat me any differently based solely on my famous name."

"Well, Harry, you can't really expect people to act much differently than that, can you? Even if they didn't know your name when they met you, those eyes and that blasted scar give you away every time."

Harry sighed and nodded at Remus' words, and then looked out across the Great Hall. He smiled, watching the students, as cheerful memories flooded him, and then his gaze fell on Severus, Hermione, and Ron. Severus was speaking to Hermione, who appeared as if she was listening intently, both leaning in toward each other, and Ron was staring at his plate, looking very bored indeed.

"What is up with them?" he asked Remus, nodding in the direction of Severus and Hermione.

"Hermione and Severus?"

"Yeah. They say that they're in a relationship, and I walked in on them before…. Hermione seems truly happy, that much is obvious. I just…." Harry shook his head.

"What is it?"

"I just need to know that Snape doesn't have any…that he isn't going to…."

"I assure you, Severus' intentions with Hermione are entirely honorable. Despite what you may believe, he is a gentleman when it comes to women, and especially Hermione."

"So he is treating her well, then?"

"Yes, very much so. Weeks ago, I believe he made up a nice, candlelit dinner for her."

"Snape?" Harry stared at Remus in disbelief.

Lupin nodded at him. "Indeed. I doubt if I have ever seen Hermione happier. And Severus…. She has changed him, magnificently. He is not nearly as unpleasant as he once was. I have even caught him smiling slightly at times. Others, I have seen him simply staring at her, almost dreamily."

"From your description, it appears as though Snape is acting like a lovesick schoolboy." When Remus only smiled, Harry continued, "He is twice her age, though. There is a twenty-year age gap. Doesn't that bother either of them at all?"

"From my understanding, Severus was a bit insecure about that in the beginning."

"But I thought-"

"Honestly, Harry…you've got it in your head that Severus Snape is a wicked human being, but really, he isn't. He is a good, respectable man. You think that he is pushing Hermione, pressuring her, but if anything, you've got it backwards."

"Hermione-?"

"You would be surprised, my boy. But nevertheless, they are both so happy, especially when they are with each other. And especially Severus. I've never seen him like this."

Harry watched the couple across the table for a while. He noticed that both of their arms were underneath the table, and he assumed they were holding hands. Also, he saw a smile tugging at the corners of Severus' lips. Not his usual smirk, but a real, genuine smile, and this surprised Harry greatly. What managed to astonish him further, though, was the pure sparkle in Severus' eyes when he gazed at Hermione, and the sincerity and caring that was there.

"He loves her, doesn't he?" Harry said softly after a moment.

"I believe so," Remus replied quietly. "Now, if only they would admit that to themselves."

Across the table, Severus was rising smoothly from his seat. "I must go, but I will owl you later," he said quietly to Hermione, who smiled at him happily. After nodding to Ron, Severus swept swiftly from the Great Hall.

Well, at least he acknowledged Ron's presence, thought Hermione, and that certainly is something.

The two friends watched him go silently, until the doors leading from the Great Hall had finally clicked, signaling that they were closed. Then Ron rounded on Hermione, noticing the faraway grin that still remained on her face.

"So, what's the deal with you two?" he asked.

"I care for him."

"By the looks of it, it appears as though there may be more to it than that."

"There isn't."

"Don't lie to me, Hermione. I have known you for almost nine years; do you think that I can't tell when you are lying to me?"

"Apparently not, Ron, because there is nothing more going on than I have already told you." As Hermione was submerged into her thoughts of Severus, a smile appeared on her face, spreading into a jack-o-lantern-like grin.

Ron studied her for a moment, before comprehension suddenly dawned on him. His eyes darted briefly between Hermione and where Severus had just exited, and then his gaze fell onto her face once again.

"You love him," he said quietly. When Hermione blushed, he repeated more confidently, "You love him."

"No," Hermione said, shaking her head and looking at the surface of the table. "I don't."

"You should tell him, Hermione. Tell him how you truly feel."

"No!" she exclaimed.

A look of satisfaction and triumph spread over Ron's face as he cried out excitedly, "So you do love him, then!"

"No!" she shrieked again, but then regained her composure. Speaking in a calmer tone, she continued, "However, if I did, then I would not simply run off and inform him of that this moment. It could horribly frighten him, and that is certainly not what I wish to do. And this is all purely hypothetical, Ron," she said with a warning look toward him.

"I see," he nodded. "So, if you did love him- speaking hypothetically, of course- you wouldn't tell him, because you'd scare him off." He sighed. "Let me just tell you this, 'Mione: From even what little I have observed between the two of you, it seems as though he feels the same way about you. Hermione, it seems as though he loves you too."

Hermione scowled at him as he rose from his chair. When he caught sight of her sneering at him, he did a quick double-take. "You better be careful, Hermione. I think that 'boyfriend' of yours is a bad influence on you. You're beginning to look just like him."

"Ronald-"

"I'm going, I'm going," he said, holding his hands up defensively and chuckling at her. He hurried out of the Great Hall, leaving a very mixed up Hermione behind him.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed! You make me so happy!

fahzzyquill- I wasn't sure about that, Ron and Harry being so forgiving so soon, but I'm glad that you thought that was okay. Thanks!

M-M-X-M-X- Cradle-robber is a term used to describe older people dating much younger people, kind of like Severus. Thanks!

SwissMiss1- Lol. That was funny. And yeah, that sleeping/chambers thing was a little weird... Thank you!

Okay, I have been writing pretty much nonstop, so here is this now! Hehe. This will be my last chapter for about...six or seven days, maybe. Because then I'm leaving this wonderful computer, and I don't know if I'll even have internet in the next place that I go. Pout. Although, I said that it would be a month before my last chapter was posted, and barely a week later, here it was. So don't go by me... Lol.

Disclaimer- (See Chapter 14)

As always, Remember: Review, Please! Even if you don't like my story, tell me what you dislike about it and I will try to work on it! Thanks!