Chapter 2

Hermione laughed to herself as she thought of the look that Severus had on his face when she left the classroom. It was a mix of shock, terror, fatigue, and something else… desire almost. But who was she kidding. Snape didn't desire anything. Except to have Slytherin win the House Cup every year.

"Ah Miss Granger! Good to see you so soon. What can I help you with?" Minerva asked. Hermione smiled.

"Professor Snape said that I could take the job as his apprentice. I just thought I should tell you since I would be spending all my time in the castle now."

"Oh good. The students will be glad to find out that there will be someone to save them from Severus' wrath." The older woman chuckled. Snape had never been a truly happy person. She had never seen him with a smile on his face. Not a true one that reached to his eyes at least.

"Well I should go get my stuff from my parents' house. I should be back in time for dinner." Then she walked out and headed towards the castle grounds.

When she got home, to find that her parents were still at work, she grabbed her stuff and headed for the door. Better to not let them know she was here.

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"Professor, who was that woman who was in here before?" One of the students asked. He gave them a long look before answering. No doubt it would be all over the school by dinner.

"She's going to help me out around the classroom. Her name is Hermione Granger."

The child gasped, as did others in the room. "Hermione Granger? The one who was best friends with Harry Potter?"

"The one and only." Hermione had just walked back into the classroom with her stuff hanging off her shoulder. "Professor, where can I put my stuff?"

"Just set it off in a corner for right now. I'll take you to the quarters later." He replied. She smiled and nodded, taking a seat on top of his desk again. He didn't mind. Its not like he sat at the desk during class much anyway. He was usually circling the classroom, watching the students make mistakes.

Hermione put a hand to her eye and started rubbing it gently. "Is something wrong?" Snape asked coming closer.

She shook her head. "My vision is kind of blurry. But its nothing."

"The last time you said it was nothing, you had twisted your ankle, the time before that I'm pretty sure you had a cut along your entire side. I don't trust you when you say its nothing." Snape smirked. She was shocked. He remembered what had happened to her during the war? Of course he was the one that had healed her. He was also the one that had hit her with the spell. She still had a nasty scar from it.

"As I recall, the cut along my side was your fault." She said smirking.

Snape raised his eyebrows and then lowered them into a glare. "Well if you hadn't been in the way…"

"Well if you didn't go around making up your own spells…"

"Maybe you should lose some weight and then you wouldn't be in my way when I was sending out spells." The silence in the classroom was deafening.

Hermione got off the desk and stalked out of the classroom. Why did she always feel the need to cry in front of him? He had commented on her weight. She hated that. She had never been the type of girl that could wear size negative 12 or whatever the other girls wore. She had always been a tad bigger. But she had spent a lot of time and energy over the last few years trying to lose some weight. She had thought she was doing a good job. Other people seemed to think she looked okay. Why did his opinion matter so much? She didn't even like him. He was the man that had constantly made fun of her since she was 11. But she did care. And she didn't know why.

Severus winced as he watched her walk out of the room. He had never meant for anything that harsh to come out. It wasn't as if she needed to lose weight. She was beautiful as she was. He had a feeling that if she lost anymore weight then she would have too many straight edges. Like himself.

The students looked at Snape in disbelief. They all knew he was cruel and heartless to them, but they thought he would have more respect for someone that was going to be working and living with him. Apparently they had overestimated him. The only thing that saved him from everyone walking up and cursing him was that he looked extremely guilty right after he said it. As though he hadn't actually meant it.

Hermione sat up in the astronomy tower and curled into a ball. It was colder up here than anywhere else in the school. Except for in Snape's classroom. The atmosphere had grown decidedly colder as she left. A tear slid from her eye as she finally was left to think about where she was. Dumbledore had died right where she was sitting. Snape had been the one to kill him. But then, she couldn't blame him. Dumbledore had asked him to. Like a final wish.

She sat there thinking for a long while before stretching out and laying down, falling asleep shortly after. It was peaceful here. It always had been.

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"Granger?" Snape asked from the bottom of the stairs. He didn't want to scare her when he made the journey up there. She didn't answer so he walked up the stairs, one at a time.

Hermione looked almost peaceful as he saw her laying on the cold concrete of the tower's floor. He circled her, so he could see her face, and discovered that her lips had turned a slight shade of purple. Her eyelids also had a distinct purple hue to them. He leaned down next to her, feeling her pulse. It had slowed considerably.

"Hermione?" He couldn't seem to rouse her. She was going to freeze to death if he didn't hurry. "Hermione? Wake up." She slumbered on. He picked her up as if she weigh nothing and carried her down to his quarters. She was shivering, but at least she was getting a normal color back into her lips.

His quarters were considerably warmer than any other part of the dungeons. He had made it that way. He hadn't wanted to freeze to death while sleeping. Though, he supposed, that would be an alright way to go.

He put a blanket over Hermione, a couple blankets actually, and put her on his bed. He would take the couch for tonight. Or a chair at the very least.

Sometime during the night, she awoke. The darkness played tricks with her eyes. She couldn't figure out where she was. No matter how much she looked around.

She got up and walked out of the bedroom, leaving the comfort of the bed. Very few places had ever been as comfortable. Snape's arms were one. But she wouldn't admit that.

She got into the common room and glanced around. She found a big arm chair over by a fireplace, the back to her. She walked over to it and found Snape curled up, a book on his lap. She smiled and shook her head softly. He looked so peaceful. Like a normal, nice, person. Too bad she knew better. He mumbled in his sleep and she giggled quietly so as not to rouse him.

"Don't die. Please don't die." His mumbling was louder so she could understand what he was saying. He wasn't dreaming as she had thought. He was having a nightmare. A horrid nightmare, she assumed by the cold sweat he had broken into. She wanted to wake him, but people said nightmares don't end unless you let them play out. She would just let his play out. Then he wouldn't have to be plagued by it anymore.

She sat back and watched him sleep before her eyes drifted shut.

"Hermione, watch out!" Ginny Weasley screamed as a flash hit Hermione in the back. She didn't feel anything at first. A couple minutes later, her knees buckled.

The pain was the most intense thing she had ever felt. Her chest tightened and she clutched at her side. She couldn't figure out what had happened.

"Oh Merlin. Hermione." A deep voice and the sound of footsteps pounding cut through the silence her head was falling into. "Oh Merlin. Hermione, can you hear me?" She couldn't answer. She wanted to, but her throat wasn't working. "Don't die. Please don't die." The person put her head on his lap and sat rocking. He kept saying a bunch of spells to try and stop the pain. She reached down and touched her side, lifting her hand back up, seeing it covered in a dark, sticky liquid, she felt nauseous.

"You murderer!" She heard Ginny yell the words. "You're nothing but a cold-blooded murderer!"

A growl erupted deep from the throat of the one holding her. "I would never physically hurt her on purpose. She was in the way of the spell shot towards Lucius. He was about to hit her with the killing curse, I was trying to help her." She felt a teardrop hit her chest where her shirt had ripped open. "I never do anything right."

Just as Ginny opened her mouth to say something, no doubt to tell him to stop feeling sorry for himself, a green blast of light blinded Hermione momentarily. Seconds later another blast of green light blinded her and she heard the soft voice whisper to her, "Don't worry Hermione. Lucius wont be able to bother you anymore." The pain was subsiding, or maybe she was just losing consciousness. "You're going to be okay."

Hermione woke up in a cold sweat. She vaguely remembered the dream. It wasn't really a dream, more a nightmare. A memory. "Good morning." Snape grunted. He had watched her sleep, breaking into a cold sweat and gasping for breath. His heart ached for her, just as it had during the war when she had lost everyone.

"I don't know if good if the right word." She smiled though, despite herself. "So when do I start my new job?"

"This morning alright with you?" he asked, getting up and going into his private bathroom. When he came out he was clean looking and he had changed clothes.

"Your hair isn't greasy." She sounded almost in awe, but at least had the decency to blush at the words that had tumbled out.

He shook his head and smiled. "I cant turn into a bat either. Actually, being around potions all day makes my hair look greasy. There are spells to make your hair unable to change from the chemicals, but I have a reputation as a greasy bat to uphold."

"We'll see how much you're able to uphold your reputation while I'm around." She got up and walked into the bathroom. "See you in class."

She still wasn't out by the time classes started for the day. He began to wonder if maybe she had slipped down the drain.

She walked in, 20 minutes after class began, her hair looking straight, shiny, soft. Her eyes were lined by a light black liner and her lips were covered in a sheer gloss. "I'm going to the kitchens. Do you want anything?" He was glad he was at the back of the class. If the 1st years in the class heard her they would all ask that she bring back food for them.

"Nope. But thanks." He watched her walk down the hall and then made his way to the front.

Soon, Hermione was back, having eaten, and she made her way to the front of the class. "What can I do?" She asked.

"Nothing right now. Next class we'll start with a new potion. These kids are just working out of the books." Hermione nodded and watched everyone work. Mainly though, she just watched Snape. He was busy grading papers and seemed to be paying no attention to her. She couldn't understand anymore why she had ever hated him.

"Miss Granger, if you would please stop staring at me, that would be wonderful." He said quietly to her. Hermione again had the decency to blush and look away. He grinned to himself before going back to grading papers.

Sooner or later the class was over, the second class of the day coming in. A group of sad looking 4th years trudged in. "Before we begin today," Snape drawled, "I want to introduce you all to the woman who will be helping me deal with you heathens. Be nice to her." He gestured for Hermione to come forward.

"Alright, well I'm Hermione Granger. I graduated from school a few years back. When I went here I was…" Snape cut her off shaking his head.

"Don't tell them what house you were in. They tease you relentlessly."

She nodded and continued. "I was in the high up classes. I had all Os on my OWLs except for one… which was an E. Unlike your full professor here, if you do something wrong, I'll take off points. I don't care what house you're in. I'm not going to play nice to anyone more so than anyone else."

The kids grinned, glad that they were going to get some equal opportunities in here for once. Merlin knew Snape never took away points from Slytherin. Maybe she could help even out the scores.