A/N- Yay, another chapter! Ok, I know they are short, but they come out faster that way, yes?

Disclaimer-: holds up a grain of sand: This is all I own, so obviously this story does not. : Mother Earth comes and takes grain of sand from the author's hand, muttering something about stupid pilfering people and that elements can't be owned: … :Sniff: Never mind…

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Chapter 4- The Second Mistake

Directly after he spoke she heard a soft 'Lumos', and everything immediately was doused in light around them.

She stared at him. Plain, and outright stared at him. "I… I… You see…" Why in the world could she never construct a full sentence around him? There was days that she felt she was completely incompetent around the man. It was completely nerve wracking.

He shoved her off of him, which landed her on the ground with a rather audible 'thud', and then thought better of it. Oops. That may have not been the best way to get into the good graces of someone he was trying to trick into signing a life… complicating… document of sorts. But, considering the fact that the deed was already done, and he wasn't one for apologies, he might as well finish it out. As well as perhaps call the girls bluff. If the rumors were true, then Miss Perfect preferred death to a missed opportunity, and if not, then he would not get an apprentice. No harm, no foul. Though, in an odd sense, he hoped they were true. "I do have to congratulate you, Miss Granger. I was beginning to think that you might not show up for our meeting this morning. Although, after watching you make potions for the past seven years, with nary a rare mishap, I thought perhaps you were competent enough to learn from me. But then you come here, forget a simple, common charm, and then trip, falling headfirst into myself. Which, Miss Granger, is not precisely a good beginning of our relationship, now is it?"

She continued to stutter, took a deep breath and attempted to speak again. "Well, not real-", He interrupted.

"Perhaps I had been wrong, Miss Granger, that you were indeed competent enough to become my apprentice. Perhaps you are simply a living dictionary and nothing more." He attempted to add as much malice into the last two words as he possibly could, narrowing his eyes at her and crossing his arms in the process. If there was anything at all that he knew in social skills, it was the art of intimidation.

"But Professor Snape, I didn't mean to, that is, I really didn't-" Hermione felt her face get hot, knowing that she had to be blushing. He couldn't turn her away now, not after she had come so close, he simply couldn't…

He smirked. Perfect. He had been correct; the girl was panicking. "Calm down, Miss Granger, before you wake the rodents with your squabbling. I have not dismissed you… Yet…"

Relief flooded through her and she let out her near-anguish with a deep sigh. She then stood up, right after she realized that she was still sprawled rather unceremoniously upon the ground. She cleared her throat. "Um, Professor Snape?"

He raised a brow. "What?"

"What exactly do we need to go over? I have already read up on apprenticeships, and it means that I will be more or less at your beck and call, and most usually last up to two years. Am I correct?"

"Mostly, but there are a few of the… finer details to be going over. Such as living arrangements, length, and what it is that you are to be doing on a simple description, etc, etc. Now sit." He felt his lip twitch back up into a smirk as she quickly sat down next to him. "First, to point out where you were wrong. Yes, it will mean that you will be at my beck and call. To fill this out in more detail, Miss Granger, is that you will do whatever I tell you to, whenever, wherever, and however I tell you to do it. Next thing you were wrong on is the length. It is precisely 4 years that you will be in my service, not two, as you previously decided to inform me of. Is this understood, Miss Granger?"

She nodded wordlessly, so he continued. "As for the living arrangements, I do believe that there is a small suite not far from my own that is currently unoccupied, and will allow you easy access to the labs, as well as my private library, as it were." The pieces were now set, all he had to do, was finish, and he would more or less have a slave for four years. He pulled out the contract from within his robes, as well as a quill. "Now that these terms have been verified, all that is left, is for you to sign here," he pointed to where he had put her name at the bottom, "directly below your name to solidify the agreement. It states, more or less," It was rather more instead of less, but he was not about to say it, "what I have just told you. Once you sign, you may leave to pack your bags, and you may have most the day to move in, but shall be available for… orientation if you will, precisely after dinner, if you shall agree."

She carefully took the contract, and held it up, squinting at the tiny words. After several moments she looked up at him questionably.

"Are you satisfied, or is something missing?" Annoying little girl, couldn't she just sign it, and get it over with. Not that she would see the finer details of the contract at this point anyways.

"Well, you see, there is nothing in here about holidays. Am I also to assume that I will also be working those as well?"

"It is entirely possible, Miss Granger, but I will not guarantee it as of yet."

"I see." She stared at it again. Was there something in there that she missed? She read over it again, and when she looked up again, she noticed that Snape was looking thoroughly annoyed. She had also noticed that it stated that there was no way out of the contract once signed… But she had no choice. She wanted… no… needed…this apprenticeship, and she would go with any means necessary to get it. Even if the man she was learning from was dire and had a tendency to have hidden meanings behind most everything that he did. So be it. She picked up the quill, and signed her name. The contract suddenly disappeared.

When she looked up to question him of it, she had the sudden desire to run away screaming bloody murder. For, just a few inches away from her, was something she had never seen before. Something that, seemingly common and usually good, was outright terrifying coming from its source. Severus Snape, her new Master and ex- Potions Professor, was smiling.

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A/N- Thank you all once again for your reviews, I love them, and please continue. As for one or two of the questions asked in the reviews, I am not going to tell you just yet what precisely the mistakes are, but they will be clarified later so keep reading! :D