Disclaimer: I don't own a thing; I'm just playing on J.K. Rowling's playground!

Other than in class, Hermione hadn't seen Professor Snape for a couple of weeks. Since she had realized that what she felt for him was more than the schoolgirl crush she'd had for the past few years, she didn't know if she should still go and see him. He'd told her that he was available to her if and when she needed to talk to somebody, and she'd been alright- for the most part- since those days in November.

So she was surprised when he asked her to stay after class. A part of her was worried that he wanted to talk more about what she'd told him but, at the same time, it would be nice to know that somebody cared. She'd almost never had that (not that she could complain; she'd done it to herself).

Hermione made her way to his desk as the other students filed out of the room. They'd learned about stronger shield spells today, but it really didn't matter what they learned; it all seemed so simple after the war.

"You wanted to speak with me, Professor?"

He was marking essays. Judging by the amount of red ink on the parchment, this one was particularly dreadful. Her professor finished marking the one he was reading before looking up at her.

"Yes, Miss Granger. If I recall correctly, you said you wanted to Master Potions, yes?"

"That's right, sir."

"And you would like to teach it as well?"

"Yes, Professor."

He looked her over before he continued, and Hermione blushed, feeling suddenly self-conscious.

"Would you like to take an apprenticeship with me, Miss Granger?"

Hermione was stunned into silence. The shock must have been evident on her face, because her professor sneered at her.

"Close your mouth, Miss Granger; you look like a fish, and it is most unbecoming."

She did as he asked before trying to form a coherent answer.

"Yes, sir, I would like that very much. Thank you so much for the opportunity. It means a lot."

Professor Snape didn't just hand out apprenticeships. He'd never had one while she was a student. It was an honor to even be considered. But then a thought struck her.

"Sir, if you don't mind me asking, why exactly did you choose me?"

"Because, Miss Granger," he answered, as if he'd expected this question, "You have had the best record Hogwarts has ever seen. It's even better than Tom Riddle's. I would be foolish not to offer it to you. But, I understand your concerns. I can assure you that it was not a personal decision. I would have asked you anyway."

Hermione nodded her understanding and breathed a sigh of relief. She would have walked away if he was only giving it to her because of her father.

"It has already been cleared with the Headmaster, so you can move to your new quarters whenever you are ready. I will expect you to help brew potions for the infirmary, grade papers, and learn new potions, as well as teach a class occasionally. You will also be expected to complete a research project. This will be a difficult, albeit very educational, three years for you Miss Granger. You will have to take your N.E.W.T.s early- before the end of term- but I'm sure you've been studying since before the war, so it shouldn't be an issue. Be here at seven in the morning tomorrow, Miss Granger."

"Yes, sir."

She recognized his clear dismissal and left, fighting the urge to squeal as she went to her dorm to start packing. Hermione was surprised that she felt so comfortable with the idea of living so close to the dour professor, but she trusted him wholeheartedly. She was excited beyond belief for such an opportunity. She only wanted to learn from the best, after all, and Professor Snape was certainly the best.

Severus had decided he wanted her as his apprentice years ago. She had always excelled, and he could see that she admired and respected the art and science of potion-making. Her marks were impeccable, and her O.W.L.s had been absolutely flawless; he was sure her N.E.W.T.s would be similar.

Hearing her say that she wanted to Master Potions had certainly pleased him. Now he knew that he would be able to teach the most intelligent witch in Wizarding Britain everything he knew; it was an as much of an opportunity for him as it was for her. Severus wanted to know what went on in that brilliant mind of hers. He had been teaching her for years, but it would be different one-on-one. In class, he was expected to be an utter bastard but, in private, he could push her and encourage her at the same time. Severus had hated having to favor the dunderheaded Slytherins, especially over her, but it had been necessary in his role as a spy. She knew this now, and she had already been exposed to his gentler side. Very few knew he had it, and it wasn't something he shared easily, but with her… it had been easy. He had wanted to stop her tears; she was such a strong person- and witch- and it was unnerving to see her in such a broken state.

Asking her had been easier than he'd thought it would be. Severus had never had an apprentice before, but he was honestly excited. He was curious to see how different it would be teaching her individually rather than in class; he wanted to see how she changed- if she did at all.

He reluctantly went back to his marking; he would certainly enjoy pushing some of this drivel off onto her. Essays from his second years were usually atrocious, but these were so much worse than usual. What in the name of Merlin was so complicated about writing an essay with information from a textbook? Of course, part of the assignment required use of one's own brain, but they couldn't even get the easy part of this assignment right. The moment he could start teaching Granger- with no dunderheads present- couldn't come soon enough.

Hermione arrived at Professor Snape's classroom five minutes early. She wasn't quite sure if she should wait the five minutes out, or just go in now. While she didn't want to be late, she also had no desire to be snarked at for being overeager. It was an early Saturday morning, after all.

Making her mind up, she knocked tentatively on the door.

"Enter."

She stepped inside quickly and walked to his desk, unsure of what she should be doing. She was saved from worrying about it further by her professor.

"Your apprenticeship begins now, Miss Granger. Today, you will be making a Burn Salve. It isn't very complicated, but is needed in the Hospital Wing. Do you have any questions?"

"Well, I've never made it before. Do you have anything I could read about it before I begin? I usually learn best that way."

"Why am I not surprised?" he sneered. He silently summoned a small stack of books and set them on the desk, offering them to her. "You are welcome to borrow these, or anything else from that shelf, whenever necessary, as long as they are kept in pristine condition, which I don't think will be an issue. You will need this, as well."

Professor Snape was holding out a small notebook. She took it gently, looking at it closely. It was black and made of dragon-hide, in case of spills. There was a silver scrolling along the edges, and the pages were a nice and durable parchment. It was beautiful.

"It is customary for a Master to give his apprentice a Potions journal of their very own. You can record brewing instructions, notes, and the like. There is a charm placed on it so it will never run out of pages; don't feel like you can't write something down. It is for you and for you alone."

"Thank you, sir. It's lovely."

He nodded once before rising. "I will be back shortly. You will work over there." He pointed across the room at a small work station that hadn't been there yesterday. A cauldron was already set up, as well as any other tools she could possibly need for brewing. Being the DADA classroom, there wasn't any place in the room for brewing, so he'd had to improvise.

"Yes, Professor."

Hermione gathered the books gingerly and took them to her station. It didn't take her long to find instructions for the Burn Salve, and it was simple enough to make. Brewing was something that calmed her; she could get lost in her thoughts and just go through the motions of making whatever it was, and it was one of the few times she could truly be at peace. She was so absorbed in what she was doing that she didn't even notice her professor coming back into the room. Hermione had already brewed two batches and was almost done with the third; he hadn't said how much to make.

The completed salves were sitting on his desk, awaiting inspection. Since he knew that she'd never made it before, it seemed prudent for her to leave them for him. That, and it was simply routine.

Hermione didn't hear Professor Snape go to his desk and check her work. She didn't hear him come up behind her to watch her work. She didn't even know he was there; it was just her, the books, the journal, and the cauldron.

She finished the third batch and put it in a jar, turning it to place it with the others. When she saw her professor standing behind her with a raised eyebrow, she jumped and almost dropped the jar. Hermione flushed, and set the jar on the table.

"Sorry, Professor. I didn't hear you come in."

"I noticed. You were quite lost to the world, Miss Granger."

A sheepish grin crept onto her face before she responded.

"Yes, well, that tends to happen when I brew."

"Ah, the mark of a true Potioneer. It is easy- for those who understand it- to get lost in the art of potion-making. It isn't something you have to focus on; you just do it."

She nodded, understanding exactly what he meant. It was something she felt whenever she stood over a cauldron, and it was one of the best feelings in the world. Hermione was also trying her hardest not to react too much to his praise, settling for a small smile.

"Now, Miss Granger, let's discuss your salves, shall we?"

Hermione was suddenly more than a little nervous, but she was excited, as well. While she had followed the instructions to the letter, it was still Professor Snape. He had made notes in his Potions textbook as a student, changing things to perfect his work. Had he expected her to do something similar? He was always emphasizing the need for original thought; maybe she should have done something differently. The Burn Salves were the appropriate bright orange, but maybe there was still something wrong…

"Don't look so worried, Miss Granger, they are fine. Like I said earlier, it isn't complex; Potter probably could have managed it. I think two more batches will do."

"Yes, sir."

It didn't take long for her to fall back into her thoughts as she worked, even with Professor Snape watching her. He'd observed her brewing plenty of times in class; this shouldn't be any different. But, it was. They were alone, and he was teaching her in such a way that she was learning and still wanted to do better. He had yet to reprimand her- although it was only her first day, and the day was young. As she'd lost track of time, she didn't know how long she'd been there, only that she was content to stay here all day.

Before long, the last two salves were finished, and she put them on his desk with the others. Sometime in the past however-long-it-had-been, he had gone back to marking essays. Not wanting to disturb his work, she went to clean her work area instead. Soon enough, the cauldron was scrubbed, the tools had been washed (by hand; there were some things she enjoyed doing the Muggle way), and she had wiped the table down. One by one she gathered the left over ingredients and put them back where she'd found them; there was a small storage cabinet next to the table for her to use so she didn't have to go all the way to the dungeons to get what she needed.

It wasn't until she had finished this and sat down at a desk with one of the books he'd given her that her stomach growled loudly. She looked quickly at her watch, only to see that she had missed breakfast. Sighing, she went back to her book, trying to ignore her stomach; she'd just wait until lunch.

"Miss Granger, have you eaten today?"

"No, sir. I came directly here and I think I lost track of time."

"I'm sure you did, given how you work. Tinky," he called, Summoning his house elf.

She arrived with a pop. "What can Tinky do for Master Snape?"

"Bring Miss Granger some breakfast, as well as tea for the both of us."

"Tinky is proud to serve!" and she disappeared again.

Hermione grimaced at the use of the house elf but, hungry as she was, she couldn't argue. She stretched out as best she could in the chair, resting the cover against the edge of the desk. The tome was fascinating, and it was easy for the world to fall away as it did when she brewed; it was just Hermione and the book. She didn't notice when the food and tea came until Professor Snape cleared his throat, sounding amused. Her head snapped up and she looked down. A plate of eggs and toast sat before her with an apple and a cup of tea. She set the book down and ate, so hungry that she almost forgot that her professor was there. Not wanting to seem rude, she decided that now was as good a time as any to ask some of her questions.

"Professor?" she asked in between bites.

"Yes, Miss Granger?"

"I was just wondering, what got you started on potions?"

"Not that it's any of your business," he drawled, "but it's just something I've always been good at. I found it to be calming; a release of sorts. While I was drawn to the Dark Arts, I never had as much passion for them as I did potions. The Dark Arts are unpredictable and sometimes draining, and brewing is simple and soothing. It wasn't difficult for me to decide what I wanted to do after Hogwarts."

"That's how it was for me, too. It's a way to just get away from everything, if only for a little while; I feel the same with reading. The feeling is just so… light. It's freeing; liberating, even. I can't imagine wanting to do anything else."

Her professor looked at her for a moment before simply nodding and taking a sip of his tea.

"Miss Granger, what are the properties of Bloomslang skin?"

"Well, Professor, it is a necessary ingredient in Polyjuice…. Oh. How did you know about that?"

"Did you really think that a Potions Master wouldn't notice when his stores had been stolen from? And then there was the part where you turned yourself into a cat. It wasn't difficult to deduce that you were the one to take the skin."

"That… makes sense. I never did apologize for stealing from you. Sorry about that."

He glowered before his expression lightened just a bit. "I would have been angrier if it weren't so impressive that you were able to brew a successful Polyjuice at such a young age."

"So were you also aware that I was the one to set your robes on fire in my first year?" The words had shot from her mouth before she could think about what she was saying.

"That was you? I suppose I should have known. Nobody else would have noticed anything other than the game."

She gave him a small smile, nodded, and went back to her book before closing it again.

Hermione had finished breakfast sometime during their short conversation, and was unsure of what to do next. She didn't have classes anymore; most of her time would be taken up with her work. If she always had this little to do, she was going to become very bored very quickly.

"Can I help you with the marking, sir?"

"That would be appreciated, Miss Granger," he said as he handed her a stack of parchments. "These are the Third Years' assignments on Boggarts. I assume you know what to look for?"

"I believe so."

"Then, by all means, get to work. But don't go easy on them. They need to know exactly what they are doing wrong so they can learn from it and avoid making the same mistake twice."

"I understand."

The two spent the rest of the afternoon marking papers, stopping for lunch and resuming almost immediately after. Hermione had run the burn salves down to the infirmary, and she'd gone to Professor Slughorn's supply closet to get some things she didn't have and felt she might need. It had been a great first day, and she was excited to see what the next three years would hold.

Looking back, Miss Granger's first day had been pleasant. She was eager to succeed in this apprenticeship, and they worked decently together. Severus had almost wanted to laugh when she'd asked if he had books for her to read on the salve, though he would never expect anything less.

Her reaction to the notebook had been nice, too. The witch had looked at it carefully; he could tell that she was admiring every detail. Severus knew she'd take care of it and it would be used well.

Then he'd granted her access to some of his library- the small one in the classroom, at least. He knew that if he could trust anyone with his collection, it was her; she loved books as much as- if not more than- he did. Then he'd left.

Severus had gone done for a quick breakfast before taking a walk on the grounds. By the time he went back to his classroom, it had been about two-and-a-half hours. He hadn't meant to leave her alone for so long, but she'd been just fine. Her salves were perfect, and she was efficient.

Watching her brew was fascinating. He'd been in there for almost thirty minutes before she'd turned and almost dropped the finished salve. Like him, she tuned out the entire world. Severus hadn't worked with someone who brewed that way since his own apprenticeship, and it was refreshing to find a mind that worked like his. He'd been surrounded by dunderheads for far too long.

She even had the same habit of forgetting to eat. Things like that don't seem important when you're lost to the world; it hadn't even seemed to cross her mind. She hadn't had an overwhelming amount of questions, but the ones she asked were good ones. It had surprised him when she'd wanted to know why he was so drawn to Potions, but he'd told her anyway. Severus found that he really didn't mind talking to her; he wouldn't go so far as to say he liked it, but it wasn't bad at all.

Miss Granger had done well with the marking; she had pointed out what was wrong while also putting emphasis on what was important. She had kept praise to a minimum- not that much had been deserved- and her comments were constructively criticizing while remaining kind, while his were much more caustic. If she'd come across something particularly appalling, she would point it out much less gently, but overall, her marking would be effective.

Yes, Miss Granger had definitely been the right choice for his apprentice. It would be a good three years.

A/N II: I just want to thank everybody who has given this story a chance. I never expected to have over 2,000 views in just the first three chapters, and it's kind of surreal. It may not be a lot when you really think about it, but it's still pretty awesome! I'm not gonna lie; I've always been that weird girl that sits in the corner and is rarely acknowledged (not that I'd have it any other way, mind you), so it's... different- good different, not bad different, I swear.

I appreciate any and all reviews; I would love to know how to be better, and I'm grateful for encouragement and criticism alike!