Severus pressed his lips together in annoyance. He had hoped she would let him get past the two hundred mark before trying to come talk to him. "Would it work if I told you to bugger off?" he asked shortly, not putting his book up quite yet. Maybe she would just go away and let him enjoy his book while he tried to cool off just a bit.

He heard a sigh on the other side of the door. "No. I would just sit here until you let me in and interrupt whatever you happen to be doing," Hermione said simply. Stupid, annoying Gryffindors.

Biting back a groan, Severus got up to open the door after marking his page. "What do you want?" he asked shortly, glaring at her in annoyance. He would be semi-civil since she didn't have the common sense to leave it be until morning. They had been yelling at each other not too long ago, and now she thought she could just come in and make up for it.

"I told you what I want. I want to talk. Since Mrs. Weasley will guilt trip us till we don't," Hermione said, looking back at him calmly. "So if you would let me in, we can try to discuss this without shouting. Will you let me in, or do I get to stand in the hall while we talk?" Though she was offering peace, it was obvious she was still annoyed.

"Well come in then since you won't leave me alone," Severus said, stepping to the side to let her in.

Hermione stepped inside, glancing around to see what he had here. Though none of it was really his except for the wand in his pocket... She took a seat in the chair in the room, opting not to sit on the bed beside him, much to Severus' relief.

Severus took a seat on the edge of his bed and watched her for a long moment, waiting for her to speak first. She had been the one to want to talk first, so it was her job to speak about it first. He didn't have to wait too long.

"I... Probably shouldn't have yelled at you," she said after a deep breath. It took a lot for her to apologize when she felt she was in the right. "I've had quite a few encounters with Dark Magic, so my immediate reaction to it isn't anything good. It didn't help that you insulted one of my best friends and then his father."

He listened to her quietly, letting her get it all out. "You probably shouldn't have," he agreed as he thought through what he wanted to say in turn. She had been decent throughout her apology. "My interest in the Dark Arts is not anything dangerous. It is something that made me interested because I didn't understand it completely." His friends were also really into it, though that probably wouldn't help his case since a few of them were Death Eaters. "I will not apologize for insulting a Potter though. I have had no good experience with that family."

"Just because someone's parents weren't the best doesn't mean the child is the same way!" Hermione snapped and then paused, taking a deep breath. This was supposed to be a civil conversation. "Harry never knew his parents, anyway. So he probably isn't much like them except in his looks." She could live with his interest in the Dark Arts if it was purely academic. She understood academic curiosity.

Severus rolled his eyes, ignoring how she had raised her voice for just a minute. "Joy. I still don't like my book being in the hands of the son of someone that has tortured me since first year," he said, grimacing slightly. That was the oddest sentence he had ever said.

Hermione frowned. "I'm sure you're exaggerating a bit. James couldn't have been that bad... Could he?" she asked, not willing to believe that one of her best friends parents had been a prat.

Severus glared at her for the assumption of James Potter being decent. "He is the worst in the whole school with Black at his side," he snapped in annoyance. No one seemed to understand how bad it really was to deal with the relentless tormenting everyday when they had already made him lose his best friend from it because of one slip of the tongue.

"Sirius? I mean... I know he wasn't exactly the best but he couldn't have been that bad. He seemed nice enough for the time I knew him," she said quietly, frowning. Sirius had always been nice to them, but a little childish. She tried to think back to all she knew about him. She knew the two didn't get along at all. And- Oh. Right. The incident with the Shrieking Shack and Remus. That had been awful of him. He'd almost killed Severus. "He was a great godfather to Harry while we knew him. A little on the rowdy side but not mean."

"You wouldn't know because you never saw it!" he snapped back, glaring at her venomously.

Hermione raised her hands in surrender. There she was in the wrong. "I never knew him as you did, and I admit I've heard some bad things about him. How about we agree we knew him at different parts in his life?" she offered, frowning. "I'm really sorry they were horrible to you though. Harry's different. Though I agree he should get rid of that book."

Severus looked slightly surprised at her offer and then apology. Lily was the only one who had ever apologized or said that they were horrible. Everyone else had though they were angels straight from heaven itself. "Ok then. I guess that works," he said, slowly calming down. He had half expected her to continue arguing with him and try to say that the Marauders were actually nice people when she hadn't even been there. Which they weren't.

Hermione gave him a slight smile. "Good. Can we try to get along now that we've talked it out well enough? And you promise me that your interest in the Dark Arts is purely academic," she said. "I can't condone any other interest in it, after all."

Nodding slightly, Severus offered her a hand this time, deciding to start it all over. "I guess I can promise that. I've never used the really harmful spells I've discovered," he said quietly. "We can be civil. Especially since everyone knows it's almost impossible for Slytherins and Gryffindors to get along."

Hermione smirked as she took his hand. Maybe the peace would last longer than a day this time

"Not completely impossible."

(I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please review and tell me how I'm doing. I love hearing from your guys because you give me ideas sometimes and keep me inspired to keep writing.

Happy Thanksgiving to my American readers! I had a good one and hope you did too!)