Author's note: A departure from canon in this chapter, retconning a few moments in the series.

At last the class filed out, on their way to lunch. Hermione took a last turn around the classroom, checking that she hadn't missed any spilt ingredients. She was unsurprised when the bolt on the door shot home apparently by itself, and a ripple in the air resolved itself into Severus Snape removing the Invisibility Cloak.

"Precocious brats," he said. "Even you waited until your second year before plundering my storeroom in pursuit of illicit brewing."

"At least it's only Hair Raising Tonic," Hermione said. "Even if they'd got away with it, the worst that could happen if it went wrong is a bad smell."

Snape folded his arms and leaned against the door. "Your infinite optimism is unwarranted. The 'worst that could happen' is that one of the dunderheads adds dragon's blood instead of dragonfly thorax and blows up whatever inappropriate and inadequate makeshift laboratory they've contrived."

His tone was so disapprovingly theatrical that a gasp of laughter escaped Hermione before she could swallow it. "That would only happen if they got their hands on dragon's blood, which is locked up in my storeroom."

"Unless Hagrid has another inappropriate pet," Snape said dourly.

"He does have another inappropriate pet, but it's a Graphorn. Nearly full-grown."

Snape considered that. "Difficult to see how the little fools can acquire inappropriate potions materials from one of those," he conceded at last. "Not without losing a limb."

"They're not fools," Hermione said. "They're quite bright, actually."

He arched an eyebrow. "Their results in your classroom speak for themselves, and say otherwise."

"I admit, they could use more attention to detail, but —"

The eyebrow rose further. "In Potion making, detail is everything, Granger, as you yourself discovered when —"

"Yes, yes." Hermione could feel herself blushing as she cut Snape off before he could once again remind her of the unfortunate incident with the Polyjuice. "Believe me, Professor Snape, I learnt my lesson. I'll never make assumptions about potion ingredients again."

"I'm glad at least one of the Terrible Trio learnt something from all those ridiculous schemes you attempted," Snape sneered.

Wand raised to cast a cleaning spell on Michael Rowland's desk, Hermione swung around. "That's not fair!"

Snape froze, absolutely still, not even blinking, barely breathing, and Hermione realised she was pointing her wand at him. She lowered it. "Sorry. But Ron and Harry learnt just as much as me, not necessarily about Potions, but about Charms, and Defence Against the Dark Arts especially."

Snape recrossed his arms, the end of his wand disappearing from his palm back up his sleeve. "I'm so glad the free rein Albus extended to you three only marginally impaired your education, then, instead of utterly crippling it."

Hermione shook her head. "I'd say extended our education. We learnt a lot of things that we might not have, otherwise. Trying to find the Philosopher's Stone, and the Chamber of Secrets, and all the rest of it was definitely a powerful motivator when it came to studying beyond the coursework." She Scourgified the desk, and then lowered her wand. "Professor Snape. That's what Aitkins needs. And Wilkins and Rowland, too."

His lip curled. "Life-endangering peril and a reason for continual rule-breaking?"

"A quest!" she said excitedly. "Something to engage their minds, to get them thinking beyond the coursework. And you know, until the last couple of years, I don't think we were ever really in life-endangering peril."

Snape scowled at her. "Werewolves are generally considered life-endangering, Granger. To name one."

"Yes, but you were there," Hermione pointed out. "Someone always was, if something happened beyond our ability to handle."

"You were very lucky." The contemptuous twist Snape gave the word made it very clear exactly how low his opinion was of luck and those who relied on it.

"We were very well guarded and supervised much more than we thought we were, weren't we?" Hermione waited, but he didn't make a sound. "Oh, admit it, Professor, after all these years it's not going to do irreparable damage to the self-reliance you were all fostering in us to know that if a troll had been too much for three eleven-year-olds to handle you were around the corner with your wand at the ready."

She had almost given up on getting an answer when Snape inclined his head slightly. "Minerva McGonagall was, actually."

"You see?"

"I see that keeping the three of you safe put the staff of this school to considerable inconvenience."

"I know, and thank you. But that's not my point. Just imagine what we would have been like, Harry and Ron and me, if we hadn't had those adventures to focus on. Ron — he might have followed in Fred and George's footsteps. Me? Researching what interested me instead of whatever Dumbledore so carefully guided me to —"

"That was me." He paused, and then reluctantly added, "But you make a point."

Hermione grinned at him. "So why can't we do the same for our own Terrible Three?"

"Because, Granger, there are many other students in this school and they are all equally deserving of your attention and, yes, your care. Other students suffered because the staff were so focused on the three of you, you know. It would have been the height of irresponsibility if it hadn't been so utterly necessary to prepare Potter for what would inevitably come." He looked away, mouth twisted as if he'd tasted something sour. "Even then, there were moments when the three of you were utterly alone and in more danger than any child could reasonably be expected to survive."

"Oh." Hermione's shoulders slumped. Of course other students had suffered from teachers distracted by what she, Harry and Ron had got up to. That was obvious, in retrospect. "You're right, of course. It's a stupid idea."

"I didn't mean to say it was an entirely stupid idea," Snape said. "Only that you should take great care in making it a very small and very safe quest." He raised an eyebrow and said, with acid contempt, "One that even Hufflepuffs can, at least, attempt."

"Will you help me?" Hermione asked impulsively.

And regretted it the next instant, as his eyebrow lifted clear past Threat Level Five and he stared at her as if she'd spontaneously grown a second head. Although he probably has seen students grow second heads from time to time, over the years. "Help you," he said flatly.

"Well, it's just an idea," Hermione said hastily. "I mean, you've got Harry's cloak — and you don't have teaching duties — and you're certainly capable of dealing with any unforeseen circumstances …" Her voice trailed away under the weight of his stare. "But, I mean, clearly, if you don't want to …"

"You'll attempt this harebrained scheme yourself?"

It did sound stupid, when he put it like that. Hermione bit her lip, and then shrugged a little. "Probably not. I mean, no, I won't. There's too much risk of something going wrong with just me, isn't there?"

"You surprise me, Granger," Snape said silkily. "Lack of self-confidence and cowardice — not qualities I would have expected from you."

She frowned at him. "Isn't that what you'd praise in a Slytherin, common sense and caution?"

"The idea of you in Slytherin House is horrifying," Snape said flatly. It was exactly the tone in which he'd looked at her hideously enlarged teeth and said I see no difference. Hermione felt a flush of humiliation at the memory.

"For me too," Hermione snapped before she could stop herself with a reminder that she knew, now, that this man was a hero.

"What happened to your belief in breaking down the barriers between Houses?" he sneered. "Usually your crusades last longer than a few weeks. Or is it only Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws who benefit from your friends' new-found tolerance?"

"And has your House developed a new tolerance for Muggle-born witches?" Hermione shot back. "Didn't think so."

She cast one finally and unnecessarily forceful Scourgify that almost stripped the paint from the desk and shoved her wand back into her sleeve.

"If you'll excuse me?" she asked pointedly.

With the slightest sketch of a mocking bow, Snape stepped aside, unbolting the door as he did so.

Hermione stalked past him and into the corridor. Bloody buggering stuck-up Slytherin —

"Why do you insist on misunderstanding me?" Snape said from behind her.

Hermione whirled on her heel, but he had put on the cloak and disappeared.

Of course.

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