A/N #1:: Just finished writing this chapter. Hope you enjoy it. For those of you also reading Amor Non Usitato I'm hoping to work on it later today((it's 1:25am for me LOL)) and have a new chapter for that posted for y'all.
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or the Harry Potter series. Just taking the characters out for a walk down the road of my imagination.

As Hermione climbed out of the fireplace in the great hall Severus Snape came gliding in, robes billowing behind him as always. When did Severus become so… so, hot? She hurriedly brushed herself off trying to hide the blush that came to her cheeks. Where the FUCK did that come from?

"Miss Granger." Severus bowed his head ever so slightly before turning and going back the way he came. He had noticed her blush but was unsure what it meant. He filed away the incident to study over at a later date as he headed toward the headmasters office. "The headmaster would like to see you before we get you settled in the head girl and boy's rooms. I must warn you that he does not have the energy to deal with your many insufferable questions. Though quite honestly I will be surprised if you can contain yourself."

"So I'm to deal with Professor Snape, though school is not in session yet. Good to know, Professor." Hermione didn't know what this meant. She thought that they had finally made some headway in their teacher – student relationship. She thought that she had actually managed to get his respect. She wanted to impress him. He wasn't like the other teachers, he expected so much more from her and she practically killed herself every year to do just that, and yet it was never enough. How many more times do I have to promise myself that this will be the year?

"Excuse me?" Severus whipped around and gave her the well-known Snape scowl.

"Nothing, Professor. " She started to walk the rest of the way toward the headmaster's office and noticed he wasn't falling. "Can we continue, sir? I'm rather tired and would like to get to my chambers as soon as possible."

Severus said nothing and walked past the young woman. How dare she speak to me like that! He had every right, in his mind, to treat her like his student, whether school was in session or not. Until she graduated she was his student no matter where they were or what part of the year it was.

'That didn't stop you from getting closer to her when she staid at Black's house, nor did it stop you from giving her the right to call you Severus.' A nagging voice piped up in the back of his head. He just ground his teeth and ignored it. He had been trying to forget about those nights with the young woman, but it seemed that he couldn't. Especially with the school year growing closer.

Hermione sat at her writing desk in the common room of the head boy and girl's room writing a letter to her parents. Because the headmaster wanted to see her right away, she didn't get to it until thirty minutes after arriving. She was shocked when she saw Dumbledore's hand and literally had to bite her tongue to stop herself from asking what had caused it. She would prove the dungeon bat wrong, if it was the last thing she did.

Dumbledore explained that he was hoping Hermione's almost photographic memory and ability to recall text from any book would help the Potions Master to find the right spell or potion to completely reverse the dark curse. Severus seemed to find this to be complete bullshit, if his eye rolling and very un-Snape like snorts where anything to go by. Hermione had a feeling she was missing something but she was too tired to try to figure it out at the moment.

Once she finished up her letter she called out, "Dobby."

"Mistress Hermione! What can Dobby do for Mistress Hermione?" Dobby was hopping from one foot to the other.

"Can you please take this letter to the owlery and have the fastest owl take it to my parents?" Hermione handed to the letter to him.

"Yes Mistress Her-"

"Please Dobby, call me Hermione. Just Hermione." With that Dobby bowed and popped out of the room.

Hermione stood up from her chair and stretched before heading to her chambers. She had unpacked after the meeting but had yet to change, opting to write to her parents first. Once she had her Gryffindor sweats on and one of her football jersey her grandfather sent her, she grabbed her Pack Challenge book and curled up in one of the armchairs in front of the fireplace.

As she got sucked into the book she heard a pop next to her chair. She looked to her right and saw that there was a letter sitting next to a cup of tea. She placed her book mark between the pages and set it aside picking up the note.

Miss Granger-

Please meet me in my labs tomorrow morning bright and early. The sooner we get started on this the sooner we find the cure for the headmaster.

SS

She looked from the note to the tea, curious as to why Severus, or was it Professor Snape, would send a cup of tea with the note. So he remembers tea helps me to sleep but he won't be the friend I thought I had gained? Hermione just shook her head at the thought, grabbed her book and tea and headed to bed. I'll figure all this out later, when this situation with Dumbledore is all figured out.

With the soothing smell of her tea, her comfy bed, and her half kneazle cat, Crookshanks, curled up next to her, she read until she fell asleep with the book open in her lap. Unaware that the man that had been haunting her dreams lay awake in his bed fighting the desire to sleep, for he too was haunted in his dreams by the insufferable know-it-all.

A/N #2:: Please read and review. I'm not sure this chapter was very clear in what I saw in my mind so please please let me know if you are curious about something or are unclear about a part of the chapter.