The edges of her vision were darkening, and Hermione could distinctly tell that she was near a faint. But when her eyes locked with Severus Snape and she felt her shields snap, she pulled from deep within herself to push the darkness back. She was determined not to pass out in his presence. Hermione focused her eyes and read the face of her former potions' master; it only took a moment before she knew he had seen everything she had been keeping hidden since she had arrived. She felt her cheeks begin to flush, but Snape had the decency to look away and allow her to gather herself. "I'm sorry, Professor. I think I'm a little overwhelmed by this entire situation."

"It's to be understood. I apologize for the intrusion, heightened…emotions…make it rather difficult to avoid connection," he gestured mildly to her head. She didn't expect him to sound so contrite. He returned to his acerbic tone with his next words. "Stop calling me 'professor'."

"Just what should I call you, then?" She was regaining her composure, and she found that irritation and anger were bubbling below the surface. Hermione couldn't trace the origin: Was it because she was embarrassed? Was it the absurdity of sitting in the man's living room after years of believing him dead? Or was it simply that he was so unbothered by all of it? Hermione was struggling to find the appropriate dynamic between them. Severus Snape was a different man from what she remembered; but it was difficult for her to know how to respond to him when flashes of his previous persona kept interrupting his newly revealed nature. And he had now seen into her mind. He had glimpsed the memories of her encompassing search, her nights of reflection over the note he had sent, how she had gone from curiosity over his suspicious disappearance to her longing and desire to see him again. They were no longer teacher and student. Or allies in a war. There was room to be something entirely new, and entirely unknown.

"I think Severus will suffice, for now, Miss Granger." A clock chimed quietly from somewhere within the house, and he rose from his chair. "Are you well enough to travel?"

Hermione stood to mirror him. She was being gently evicted from their meeting. She worked to hide her disappointment, and internally chided herself for being so uncomposed that she had gleaned little from their interaction. "Yes, I am sure I can manage the apparition to London."

He escorted her the front of the house. He had kept a distance from her, and Hermione was grateful to have her back to him long enough to allow her emotions to play across her face. She was already tired of schooling her features around him. But when they reached the garden, she couldn't contain the worry and concern that she felt as she turned back to him. What was to happen now?

"I…Um…thank you for allowing me to visit." She internally groaned at how lame her words were. "It's good to-to see you so…well, sir."

"Severus." His reminder was surprisingly gentle. Hermione felt again the unease at the tonal shift from him, but she welcomed the small warmth it brought her.

"Yes, well…" Hermione hesitated. She watched him wait patiently for her to find her words. His hands were clasped behind his back and the gentle breeze played at his hair. She marveled at how relaxed he looked-a description she never had attributed to the overly stoic man she had known in her youth. Yet as Hermione watched Snape stand in his garden, she thought that he looked younger, more alive than before his "death". She couldn't help the next words that escaped her. "How will I write you? May I see you again? What happens next?"

The small ghost of a smile settled on Snape's lips again. She unconsciously sucked in and held a breath. "I will be in touch, Miss Granger."

He turned around to return to the house, it's front door still ajar. She watched his figure retreat, and as she pulled her wand to apparate, she said, "It's Hermione."

-xx-

"It's Hermione."

Then the crack of her apparition sounded in the garden. Severus Snape kept from turning to stare at the spot she had stood in. Instead, he continued into his house, a full smile gracing his lips. He walked to the stairs at the end of the entry hall and proceeded to rise to the second level. He took the first door on his right and entered his personal study. The window overlooked the front garden and cobbled street below. It had been here that he first saw Hermione Granger arrive in front of Thistlebook. He had watched her stare at the ground, read the parchment in her hand, and slowly raise her eyes to his home.

He had given Narcissa the location 6 days ago to deliver to her. He was not surprised to see her arrival but was mildly impressed she had waited as long as she had to investigate the address. Snape had always known Hermione Granger to be tempestuous, and eager to chase down every lead of the mystery she set herself to. Yet the days had come and gone, and she had failed to arrive. He was surprised to find that with each day, he had become more disappointed that she was not there. Had he been wrong to assume that she had wanted to find him?

When Andromeda had informed him of the events that had led to this point, Severus Snape couldn't hide his interest. Hermione's knowledge of the note had led to Andromeda explaining much of the behavior of his former student since his "death". It was shocking to learn of the depths to which Hermione had applied herself to glean the smallest lead on his fate. He became equally as curious as to her motives behind the search, but it had drawn him to the conclusion that she must have had a purely scholarly need to unravel the details. His interaction with Hermione in the sitting room had proven such motivations false.

He had not intended to read her thoughts. He knew upon her arrival that she was occluding him. After so many practiced years serving Dumbledore and Voldemort, it had become easy for him to recognize the trace magic involved with occlumency. But when she had begun to waver in her seat, and her eyes locked on his, the force of her shields breaking had been too easy to avoid the intrusion. He had seen it all; he had been surprised by her commitment to finding him, and the depth of her emotions for him had upended him in a way he had not felt since his youth. Hermione Granger cared about him, and the warmth it brought to his soul was unlike anything he had felt since his youth. Since Lily.


A/N: A smaller update, but two in two days...and a new POV. Comment, follow, favorite...all of the things that I love. Thanks so much for all of the continued support! -Archer