A/N: YAY! Chapter Three! Getting closer to that fluff... Just remember, I warned you. I am fulfilling my need for sappiness here, so don't be surprised when it turns super-duper cheesy. I warned you! And as such, I will also ignore all reviews that call me out on my sappy predictability! LOL! I know this fic is predictable... I don't care! I happen to think a little bit of predictability is nice every once in awhile, especially when accompanied by our favorite dark, tragic wizard! Goodness knows life is hardly ever predictable; it is the least that fic can do for us! Right?! :P Anyhow, I hope you enjoy!

I think I neglected to thank my ever-faithful beta, Laralee88, last chapter! Which was very ungrateful of me! So, double thanks to you my dear. (Thank you! Thank you!) Without you I would be lost in the fanfic world. ~Mel~

The characters and canon situations in the following story belong solely to J.K. Rowling, Scholastic and WB. I am not making any money from the publishing or writing of this story.

(TAKE TWO: is apparently having issues... I submitted this chapter earlier but it never materialized! So here we go again!)

Professor Granger's Puzzle

Chapter Three

This was officially the oddest start to a school year Professor Granger had experienced since her days as a student. It seemed that after five years of her teaching at Hogwarts, Professor Snape had suddenly decided she was actually worthy of being his colleague and not simply a student playing dress-up.

His odd behaviour started the evening of the Welcoming Feast. Hermione had felt his eyes on her throughout the evening and had immediately worried that he was upset with her over some perceived, unintended slight. However, to her utter astonishment, over the next few days he had begun to acknowledge her in the halls instead of simply acting as if she didn't exist. Hermione at first had been stunned and pleased, but in the end she had simply settled into a state of puzzlement. She couldn't fathom why he had so suddenly changed his behaviour toward her. There was no accounting for it, that he should suddenly regard her as a person worth noting after five years of indifference.

Then, there had been the incident about two weeks into the school year, which had served to further confuse her. First, she had nearly stumbled over her own feet at the sight of him holding the door to the Great Hall open for her, an amused smirk stretching across his face. But further shocking, however, had been when he followed that particular act by asking her if she was interested in sitting next to him at dinner. 'In order to more easily converse,' he had drawled wryly as she looked up at him in startled confusion. Hermione had stood, just inside the doors of the Great Hall, in frozen shock for a full thirty seconds, her eyes glued to the strange man as he proceeded to the high table and pulled out a chair for her. It was only when he had looked down at her, his face a mix of amusement and exasperation, that she had finally shaken herself out of the stupor and made her way to the table, all the while trying to hide to her surprise and failing miserably. That evening they had managed to passed the meal with amiable, if slightly stiff, conversation, and Hermione had left the Great Hall hovering somewhere between completely thrilled and completely baffled.

Despite her lack of understanding on the source of his change in behaviour, she could only guess that he had enjoyed their first conversation well enough as he had ensured that she sat next to him for the meals that followed. Over the next days and weeks it had become clear that,no matter what had brought it about, it seemed the change in him was here to stay.

It had been a wonder-filled time for Hermione, those weeks of conversing with the intelligent man. Though, Hermione couldn't help but feel at times like she was simply waiting for the other shoe to drop, for him to reveal what he was really up to. Her brain continually reminded her that he couldn't genuinely be interested in getting to know her, especially after so many years of cold indifference. After all, she was the Know-it-all Gryffindor Princess. It went against the grain of everything she knew about the man for him to take an interest in her.

So, then, why would he change so suddenly? she continually asked herself.

Not that she didn't enjoying talking to him, she did, but she couldn't allow herself to get too attached to his company only to have him withdraw at a later date. Her life was built on a careful balance of factors, each one carefully weighed and tended by Hermione in order to maintain her sanity. As he gradually intruded upon her life, first with acknowledgment and then with conversation and blossoming friendship, she felt the key parameters that were the constants within the equation of her life being to altered.

Hermione couldn't help but be suspicious and wary. She fully realised that if she embraced the changes his presence brought and he turned out to abandon her in the end, she would be left with nothing but a house of fallen cards. In the end, however, she had decided that it was simply best that she enjoy the little blessings life brought while waiting and watching for him to reveal his motive. She would deal with the aftermath when the time came.

~o~o~o~

It was then, after some five weeks of confused and growing friendship between her and Severus Snape, that she felt it: Her first fail safe had activated. Someone was close to solving the puzzle. They hadn't progressed pass her fail safe yet, indeed each time they reworked the section she would be alerted, but she knew now it would only a matter of time.

Who was it?

While the level-headed part of her merely questioned how one of her students could be so close to solving it, especially so early in the year, the other, more emotional, part of her was panicking. Her secret was in danger. Someone would know her secret, and although they would be magically bound to keep it a secret, they could still ruin everything.

After so long living a lonely existence, this year changes had brought refreshing change. She couldn't help but reflect on the absolute irony of the situation; just when she had started making progress toward actually finding some happiness in life, finding a friend that valued her as a thinking human being, it was all being threatened. She was finally getting making progress on achieving one of her deepest desires and this could ruin everything. Still, she knew there was nothing to be done, and she would simply have to wait until whoever it was finished. Her final fail safe would ensure that she would be Summoned to the side of the person just before the last sequence was completed. Now it was only a matter of time and patiently waiting.

He'd almost gotten it. There were only two sequences left. He'd noticed the alert that had been incorporated into the equation, so he knew she was aware that someone was close to solving it.

~o~o~o~

The next morning he watched closely as she entered the Great Hall for breakfast. As she sat down next to him, he noted that she looked an absolute mess. Her hair was uncombed, her eyes were red with dark circles shadowing them. Her state thoroughly shocked him; he had not expected her to be so deeply affected by someone getting close to solving her equation. For a moment he wondered why; it was simply a puzzle, something for the students. Was it not?

Then he remembered. It was not simply an encoded puzzle or game for her students, it was an encoded secret. He'd completely forgotten that the parameters of the original challenge that had been set out five years earlier. It was clear to him now, as he looked at the haggard woman sitting next to him, that, whatever the secret was, she was obviously not looking forward to it being shared.

He was surprised to find himself contemplated to complete abandonment of the task right then and there. Over the past few weeks their conversations had really show him that she was a rare and beautiful person with an amazing mind, and he had started to truly hope that they could have a true long-term friendship.

Perhaps it would be best to talk to her, he considered silently. That would enable him to assure her that, if he solved the puzzle, her secret would be safe with him. Then again, that would force him to admit that he'd been intrigued by her puzzle in the first place, and he'd have to explain how he'd taken the time to break into her classroom... Perhaps not.

He resolved that he would simply have to solve it quickly. It would be like pulling off a plaster. When the unpleasantness was over, and she was assured of her secrets safety, she could go back to being happy.

~o~o~o~

It wasn't until the half hour preceding that evening's dinner that he had managed to crack through the next to last sequence. He had opted to work in the quiet of the Great Hall so as to maximize the time he had before the start of the final meal of the day.

~o~o~o~

Hermione had been surprised when twenty minutes before the meal she'd felt the magic activate and the Summons begin. Resigned to her fate, she walked through the halls of Hogwarts allowing the pull of magic to guide her through the halls.

The door to the Great Hall slammed open and a breathless Hermione Granger stumbled through. Immediately, her eyes scanned the house tables for the student.

Who is it? Who is it? she chanted silently as her eyes darted up and down the tables frantically .

She could see no one; the tables were completely void of students. The Great Hall was empty. Confused and irrational relief coursed through her, perhaps there was a mistake, perhaps it had been a false alarm. She propelled herself forward with hurried steps, bringing herself further into the hall, shaking the foolish notion from her head. There was no such thing as a false alarm when it came to this Arithmany puzzle. Desperation flooded her, she needed to find who it was, and quick. The hall would be filling with students in about ten minutes. She couldn't afford to have anyone else aware of the events just yet. After five years of the puzzle being unsolved, there was no doubt in her mind that when it got out that a student had solved the puzzle, interest in her the secret would grow.

Hermione jumped as the someone clearing their throat echoed behind her. Utterly surprised, she froze in shock, her mind reeling at the implications of the persons location. The sound came from dais reserved for the Professors.

They're at the high table? It is a teacher... Holy Merlin!

This was the worst case scenario. A student she could take, but not a colleague. Never had she even considered a colleague... There were too many ways that they could meddle.

Then her mind was filled with only a frantic plea as this new reality took shape: Please, don't be him. Please!

Slowly, she turned to find the familiar black eyes of Severus Snape peering back at her.

He noticed that as her eyes met his, they flooded with something, a realisation of horror, or fear, or disappointment, some combination of the three. Whatever it was, Hermione Granger was not happy, and more than that, she was extremely distressed.

"Good evening, Professor Granger," he greeted calmly.

Pulling herself together as best she could, she straightened her shoulders and nodded to him. Then, as cordially as possible, she said, "And to you, Professor Snape." She began to take a step toward him before her feet faulted, her mind still stuck trying to wrap around this newest revelation, she was having problems with even the simple task walking. "It's you?" she asked suddenly as things slowly started to click into place.

"As you see."

Hermione watched him tilt his head to the side, in acknowledgement to the papers he had strewn before him. This was why he had been so interested in her. This was the reason for his friendship, why he had spent time with her. All for the solving of that stupid bloody puzzle. Hurt flooded Hermione as she felt the walls of her fragile existence being to crumble around her. She couldn't bear to look at him, couldn't bear to see him now that she understood what he was doing. Her eyes fell to the ground in defeat, and she took in a deep breath, grasping for whatever emotional control she could find.

"Well," she said, her words coming out in a hurt, quavering whisper, "you've got this far. You might as well finish it. Just... Please, Severus. Don't hate me in the end."

With that she looked up at him once more, her eyes full of unshed tears which were like a dagger to his heart. Then, before the sob building within her could break, she fled the hall.

~o~o~o~

The deafening quiet of the Great Hall enveloped him as he sat in rigid shock. That was unexpected. What secret could she possibly have that she would not want him to know? Was knowing her secret and solving her puzzle worth causing her such pain? In a flash, he was on his feet, gathering his things and stowing them away in the deep recesses of his robes. As he too fled the Great Hall with hurried step, he knew one thing: he'd finished this one way or another tonight.