Chapter 1

"Miss Granger, I'm sorry to tell you this… it really does pain me to say this," Julian Conte started to his employee. His hands were folded together on top of his desk and he was sitting in an expensive looking chair. "I'm afraid the company is cutting down on some of its branches, your branch is being cut. I'm sorry… we wont be needing your services anymore."

Hermione couldn't catch her breath. She had been working at this company for the past 4 years and now they were throwing her out. Now that she had done so much to build the company up to where it was now. She took a deep breath and then exhaled. She would deal with it. Just as she had dealt with everything else the world seemed to throw right into her face. Including the fact that she had just been given an eviction notice from her landlord.

Things were definitely going her way.

As she made her way out of the office, to clean out her desk, she slowly came to a realization. She had no job, no where to live, no money. She would have to go back to England. She would have to bum off of her parents until she could find a suitable job and house/apartment.

She was not looking forward to that.

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With a pop she arrived on the street of her parents' house. Dumbledore had put up protection charms so that nobody could apparate there. She took of down the street with determination. She only planned to stay a could of weeks… and month at most. She didn't want to stay here. She had left for a reason.

Using the spare key that she had kept from her childhood, Hermione let herself into the house. It was just as clean as she remembered. There were pictures of her everywhere. Ones from her childhood, growing up, even a couple of her friends from Hogwarts. They were all still so that her parents never had to explain to guests why their pictures were moving and waving.

She walked into the living room and set her stuff down. Since nobody had come running to bombard her with questions, she assumed her parents were still at work. It was just as well since she didn't honestly feel like talking to anyone. But if she didn't want to stay here long, she should probably start looking around now.

She walked out the door again and then apparated into Hogsmeade. She looked around. It was all still the same. The same as it had been before the war. The same as it had been when she left. 'I shouldn't have come back.' She thought, but grudgingly made her way up to the castle at the end of the road. She hadn't seen the castle in 4 years. It still hurt to think of it. Think of the memories. Think of the happiness. Breathing deeply, she forced her feet forward.

Inside the castle was the same as always too. She had never gotten over the fact that no matter how much the world changed outside. No matter how much time passed, the castle always looked the same. As though it could transcend time. Which it no doubt could.

She started to make the trek to the Headmistress' office but stopped. She was outside the hallway to the dungeons and could hear the riot that was going on inside. She decided to take a peak. What was the worst that could happen?

Did you ever notice that anytime somebody said 'What's the worst that could happen?' something bad always happened? Or at least something out of the norm? So did I.

As she made her way into the dungeons, towards the classroom she knew all too well, a thought struck her. Was Snape even the Professor anymore? Had they ever moved him to Defense Against the Dark Arts? Did he even want that position anymore? She realized she knew nothing about the man who had helped to shape her education. A man who she had grown up around.

When she got to the door of the Potions classroom, the din was even louder. She couldn't imagine what was going on inside. Of course he had taken the window of the door so she couldn't simply peek in. She turned the handle and was knocked off her feet. It had sounded like they were having a party, but what she encountered was anything but a party.

"O-M-G! Professor! Shane's potion just killed some lady." A young girl yelled over the noise. All noise ceased and Professor Snape made his way over to the door. There lay the girl who had haunted his dreams for years. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong with her life.

"Miss Granger?" He asked softly at first, bending over her slight form. "Miss Granger, can you hear me?" His voice was steadily growing louder to try and rouse Hermione from her bout with unconsciousness. "Hermione?"

He all but yelled her name the last time before a pair of chocolate eyes were looking back at him questioningly. "Professor?" She asked. She wasn't sure that she hadn't gotten amnesia. Why would Professor Snape be bending over her trying to wake her? Had something happened that she couldn't remember? Then suddenly it all came back to her. "What happened? The last thing I remember was opening the door."

He chuckled in relief that she was alright. A sound that made everyone look to each other to check if the potion gone wrong had affected anyone else. "A student ruined a potion and it exploded out into the room. You opened the door just as it was blasting. Are you hurt?"

She fell into herself, trying to feel if anything was wrong. Other than her heart beat being sporadic, she didn't figure there was any permanent damage. "I'm fine." She breathed. It was unnerving to have him so close. It only reminded her of the day she left. "It sounded like there was a party going on down here, that's why I came to check it out." As though she had to make excuses for herself.

"Well it's nice to see you again." He said grabbing her hand and helping her up. He grabbed her waist to steady her as she began to tilt to the side. Stepping down and standing straight she let out a wince. "What's wrong?" He hurriedly asked her picking her up with ease and setting her on a desk.

"Its nothing. I'll be fine." The pain was finally catching up with her and she was almost in tears over it. She didn't want to cry. Not in front of an entire potions class. The only person she had ever cried in front of was Snape other than the time she had to describe to Harry what a mudblood was. She wasn't going to change that.

"What hurts?" He asked. She knew he didn't believe her that she was okay. It made her feel tingly that he seemed to care though.

"My ankle." She confessed.

She wasn't used to admitting her pain, and even when she did very few people cared. So she was in shock, and stiffened her body when he grabbed her ankle and began rubbing it. "Tell me when it hurts." Hurt? She could barely breath let alone feel pain. Until he pressed the spot where she seemed to have landed on it wrong. She winced, biting her lip hard enough to draw blood.

He looked up at her and nodded. He muttered a spell after he pulled his wand out of his robes and then sighed. "It's going to be fine. You just twisted it a little. There is going to be pain though, do you want me to get you a potion to help ease the pain? That way you wont have to go through the trouble of Poppy making you stay in the hospital bed for days on end?"

She nodded. He walked away to get the potion and came back a few minutes later. "I only have enough for a day, so you'll have to come back later after I've made some more." He said. "Is that alright?"

She nodded again and smiled. "Thank you, Professor. You've always been there for me." She wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly and then kissed him on the cheek. She grabbed the potion, swallowing it in one gulp and then got off the desk, hobbling towards the door. "It was nice to see all of you." She said, waving to the class.

"Is that you're girlfriend?" A boy in class that was near him asked after Hermione had retreated. Snape glared at the boy, but the boy didn't budge. "She's really pretty." He offered.

Snape couldn't argue. She had really grown up in the last four years. He had thought she was pretty when she was 17, but compared to that, she was beautiful now. Her mousy brown hair that had always been a frizzy mess, had been straightened and shined whenever she moved. Her eyes were still large chocolate pools with extra long lashes. She had full lips that were naturally tinted to a perfect color that matched with her skin, which had become tanner over the years. She hadn't been wearing jeans and a jacket this time, unlike the many times he could remember seeing her in the past. She had been wearing a pin-striped skirt that reached her knees and hung to her curves. The black blouse she had been wearing left little to the imagination. Her heels had made her look like a graceful gazelle, even after falling on her butt and having to hobble out of the classroom like a peg-legged pirate.

She looked the perfect business woman, He concluded. He wondered what she was doing back at Hogwarts. He was sure he wouldn't be seeing her for quite a number of years, if ever again.

When Hermione got out into the hallways closest to the Great Hall, she leaned against a wall and took a couple deep breaths. She had almost died, her heart having just about stopped when she heard the sweet sound of Professor Snape chuckling. It gave her chills even now. After her breathing had evened out, she started making her way towards the Headmistress' office, the potion finally kicking in so she could walk normally.

"Well Miss Granger it is a pleasant surprise to see you here." Professor McGonagall said, resisting the urge to run over and hug the girl. "If I may inquire, why is it you decided to come back?"

Hermione squared her shoulders as if she had been waiting for this question. "I was 'laid-off' from my previous job and I was evicted from my apartment. I was wondering if you knew of anyone who was hiring." She had a purpose and she wasn't about to let anyone stop her. "I'm also looking for an apartment, so if you know any place that is renting out it would be a huge help."

Professor McGonagall shook her head. "The only place I know of is Professor Snape's house. He is looking for someone to live there and take care of it while he is here at school. As it is he can only get there about once a month." Minerva didn't see why Severus didn't just sell the place. He lived at the school year round anyway. "As for jobs, the only one I can think of is again with Professor Snape. He is looking for an apprentice. Someone to help him with his classes as some of them seem to have too many children for him to manage at one time." She smiled ruefully. "I'm afraid I don't get out much."

Hermione smiled at the older woman. The woman had acted almost as a grandmother to her for numerous years. She truly missed her. "Thank you. Maybe I will look around Hogsmeade." She would ask Snape what requirements he had later.

"Don't be a stranger, dear." McGonagall said as Hermione stepped out to the staircase. Hermione nodded and made her way back down to the dungeons. Classes were just letting out so she got a few wolf whistles as she passed a group of 5th years from Ravenclaw. She smiled to herself. It felt good to have someone think she was whistle worthy.

Professor Snape's next class was just starting as she walked in and sat in the back row. "10 points from Gryffindor." He said with his back to the class as he wrote the steps on the board. He had always known when Hermione walked into class. It was second nature to him. The sound of multiple sighs caught his attention. Wait a minute. Hermione didn't even go here anymore. He looked to the back of the classroom.

"Now Professor, I hardly think that's fair." She smirked from the seat she had taken next to the slowest person in the classroom. It was like Neville Longbottom all over again.

"Miss Granger are you questioning me?" He asked and several students gasped. Over the years the students had learned not to mess with him. He wondered what had happened.

He had heard rumors about why he was such a moody person. Some said he was attacked by something monstrous and felt the need to punish everybody else. Another said he was deprived of any action in bed and had too much built up sexual tension. Yet another was that his lover had left him at the alter and he had no reason to live so he chose to be miserable from that day forth. The last made him laugh. He had never even been close to going to the alter. Nobody had ever meant enough.

"Why actually… I think I am." Hermione smirked again. "You see… I haven't been in school for a couple years… so I don't think it fair that the current Gryffindors have to deal with losing points because of something I did." The other students kept looking back and forth between Professor Snape and Hermione.

"You disrupted my class. Someone has to pay." He sucked in a quick breath as Hermione got up and started walking to the front of the class.

"Well could you hurry up and tell them the instructions? I have a question or two to ask you." She sat on his desk, facing the class and crossed her leg over the other. She looked incredibly feminine sitting there and it made him ache in a way he had never ached before.

"Read the board." He told the class quickly. "And no talking." He said, but to no avail. The class had started murmuring to themselves. No doubt about what kind of relationship he and Hermione had. He walked over to her and sighed. "What can I do for you?"

"Long story short, I need somewhere to live, and I need a job. I'm not asking you for both. I'm not that greedy. I was wondering though," She started, "Minerva said you had a house you were looking to rent out. How much would that be? She also said that you were looking for an apprentice of sorts… what would that require?"

"The house is a simple two bedroom, one bath. I was only looking to rent it out for a thousand. I'm a cheap guy. I just want someone for the upkeep. The apprenticeship requires either for you to have graduated with extremely good marks on your NEWTS or for me to know you and know how well you work with potions and with children." He said still standing. "Which would you prefer? Either are open to you. Though if you worked as my apprentice I would have to ask that you stay in the castle. It would be easier for you than having to make the trek every morning and evening."

"Where in the castle would I stay?" she asked. She was seriously considering taking him up on the offer. "And how much would it pay? I do need some money."

"You would stay in my quarters. Not my bedroom, but I can have a guest room added or I could take the couch in the living room and give you the bedroom. It doesn't matter to me." He turned to survey the class for a minute before turning back to her. "The pay isn't all that great if you work here at Hogwarts. Apparently we are supposed to get joy out of helping others, not getting money. But if you worked for me, I would match whatever your old job was paying you."

"How would you find the money? I assure you, Professor, I was a valuable employee in America."

"I have a large inheritance from my parents." He assured her. "The money isn't a problem."

"Would you mind then if I were to become your apprentice? I do honestly need the money. You could deduct some pay to reimburse yourself since I would be taking over your living quarters."

"Don't worry about it. I don't mind." He wondered when his heart had started softening. Or was it only for her? He couldn't be sure. But he was worried. No woman had ever made him feel like butterflies were flying around in the pit of his stomach. He felt nauseous, but in a good way. It was impossible to explain. He hated things that he couldn't explain.

"I'll go tell Minerva." Hermione practically bounced out of the classroom. When she turned back at the door, and blew him a kiss and smiled, knowing full well that every pair of eyes in the classroom were on her. "Thanks, Sevvy."