The next night Severus sends her an owl. She brakes the green and silver wax seal and begins to read.

"Miss Granger,

Since my parents think you are a muggle, they didn't want to send you an owl, so they gave me the task of finding you. Unfortunate for me, I know the truth. Meet me at my brother's apartment in one hour. My parent have something for you.

Signed,

Professor Severus Snape"

Hermione tosses the letter onto her kitchen table and goes to get ready. She pulls on her heavy winter coat and braces herself for the blast of cold air as she steps outside. She arrives at Aleksandr's apartment a few minutes late.

"Miss Granger, I stated clearly in the letter you were to meet me here in one hour. I expected you to be on time."

"Learn to live with it," she spats at him, and goes to feed the cat.

"Miss Granger," he warns and she stops what she's doing.

"We both agreed the other night to make an effort to stop arguing. I think we should follow though with it." When he doesn't say anything, she continues. "Please, call me Hermione," she forces out.

"Very well…Hermione. You can call me Severus," he chokes.

"So…Severus, you said that your parents had something for me and Aleksandr?" she asks as she finishes feeding the cat.

"Yes."

He takes the present out of his pocket, sets it on the floor, says a few words, and it becomes full size. It's a very beautiful love seat decorated in the same colors as the Snape family's sitting room.

"It's beautiful…" she says with a smile.

She sits on it, testing it out. He stands there looking around he room with his arms crossed over his chest. Hermione watches him.

"Yes, Miss…Hermione?" he says turning around and seeing her watching him.

"Your mother said Aleksandr was in Gryffindor,"

He raises an eyebrow.

"He never told you?" Severus asks, finding it rather odd that she found out from his mother.

"Well, umm…we never really talked about being at Hogwarts," she lies.

"It's just like my brother not to."

She looks at him confused.

"I suppose he didn't tell you why he doesn't want anything to do with the wizarding world anymore either," he says, not really knowing why he's about to tell her about his past.

"No, he hasn't."

"Yes, he was in Gryffindor, and it is because of me that he lives in the muggle world, and has a muggle job," he states and decides to sit on the love seat with her, since it's a long story.

"How is it because of you?"

"When we graduated from Cambridge, I became rebellious since both my parents wanted me to go into the Ministry. I didn't want to do that, so I let Lucius Malfoy recruit me as a Death Eater. The day that Aleksandr found out that I was a Death Eater, he lost all faith in the wizarding world. Even though we have never really gotten along, he thought that if anyone could resist the Dark Lord, it would be me. He left home and never told anyone where he was going. He stopped using magic and somehow managed to get a job as a lawyer. We only found out where he lived because my parents had asked Dumbledore, who pulled a few strings. Since I had become a spy, I had only talked to him a few times during the years at Christmas, but most of the time, I'd stay at Hogwarts for the holidays."

"Is it because of what happened between you and Aleksandr the reason why you were always mean to everyone in class? Especially to Gryffindor?" she asks gingerly.

"Part of it, yes. I guess I have never really forgiven myself for what I did not only to my brother, but to my family, as well as myself."

"You both made a choice. I think you both need to move past it. Patch things up," she says as she puts a tentative hand on his.

"Easier said than done," he says looking down.

She gently squeezes his hand. He looks back at her, then slowly starts to lean forward. She does the same. Realization sets in and he quickly stands up.

"I have to be going. My family is waiting for me."

She nods her head and he apparates back to his parents' home. She sits on the love seat for awhile longer thinking about the mysterious man who is Severus Snape.

"Maybe he isn't that bad after all. Just misunderstood," she says to herself. She smiles and gets up to go back to her apartment.