Hello there! I've just gotten back from the beach and I remembered that I had this chapter on my hard drive from before I left. I decided to get it up tonight.

You'll notice that this chapter takes a new turn at the end of it. And it needs a little bit of clarifying, I think.

I never really explained the alternate universe that I had in mind for these fanfictions. I've just been revealing as I go along, I guess. Hermione is in her Seventh and final year at Hogwarts. Voldemort has been resurrected but has been in hiding. His return has not been made fully public. Sirius is alive. Dumbledore is alive. So are Tonks and Remus.

As this fanfiction moves along, I want to focus on the duality of Severus; light and dark. I want to focus on his affiliation with Dumbledore and the Golden Trio but I want to make clear the struggles that he faces with being drawn to the dark. After all, he lives in a dungeon. Hermione is someone who lives very much in the light but if the two want to make the relationship work, there's going to be some shadows she has to cross and some sunlight he has to endure.

That's all I'm going to say at the moment. I just wanted it to be clear in my alternate universe thinking.

Of course, I don't own Harry Potter. I write for fun.

Hermione wrote:

Mum,

I had just thought about writing you when I got your owl. A lot has happened in the past month and I haven't really had the chance to sit down and compose a message to you. Sorry for being neglectful in communicating. It's times like this that I miss the telephone.

Classes are going well. Do you remember me telling you about Professor Snape? He took a leave of absence from the school for health reasons and Tonks took his position. You met her in Diagon Alley last year, I believe. But Professor Snape is back now so Tonks has taken up her old Auror job. Other than that, everything is as it should be.

You might be surprised to know that I might have a potential romantic interest. I'm not quite sure how to describe him to you through letters but I hope to have you meet him soon, if you would. Dad would have to introduce himself as well. I won't mention his name yet because I'm not sure if it's going to go anywhere. If it does, I'll let you know.

Harry and Ron send their love and I'll be home soon for the Christmas break.

Love Always,

Hermione

She paused over the written paragraphs with a dry quill, wondering if she should edit the letter at all. She wasn't sold on the idea that she had mentioned a romantic interest to her mother just yet. Of course, her mother was no fool but her parents would never suspect that she was sleeping with a professor. In the end, she attached it to the owl's leg and sent him off without changing a thing.

Alone again in her room, she thought that it must be getting close to supper because the sun was nearly the tops of the trees of the Forbidden Forest. Her mind ran over the conversation that she had just had with her two best friends. She cringed at the lies that she had fed them. Once upon a time, she wouldn't have hesitated on telling them the truth but the look on Harry's face made her reconsider her words.

Lying on her now-clean bed, she wondered if her best friends would accept her relationship and what would it mean for their "Golden Trio" if they didn't. Thinking back to their previous years at Hogwarts, she recalled all of the times that they spoke ill of Severus behind his back. Ron had made it dreadfully clear that he wouldn't mind drowning him in the lake or locking him in a room of screaming mandrakes. Harry was rarely as blunt as Ron on the topic but had an intense dislike for him all the same.

Severus also wasn't fond of Harry, or really any student expect for those of his own House. Would he be kinder towards her friends now? Or would he be just as horrible as ever? Would they fight and bicker over it?

With a headache starting to brew in her forehead, she attempted to quell her mind's questioning. It was far too early in the relationship to worry about such things. There was no preparing for what may happen because she didn't have an inkling of what the future held. Still, she felt uneasy as she descended the stone stairs to the common room.

On her way to the Great Hall, she held onto that uneasiness. Still feeling like she was being stared at, she held her head down and walked quickly. When she met with Harry and Ron at the Gryffindor table, she smiled and tried to act natural.

She knew he had entered the room before she even saw him.

The lightest feeling of static caressed her on the cheek and compelled her to look towards the staff table. He was entering from the side door, locking his eyes with hers for the briefest moment before exchanging pleasantries with Minerva.

Hermione went back to her food as quickly as she could, feeling a light blush creep to her cheeks. She reached for a goblet of pumpkin juice to wash away the lump in her throat.

Harry and Ron started talking to her about the classes she had missed and the work that was piling up. She only half-listened, being acutely aware of Severus at the staff table, who would look up at her periodically. Once, she had to stifle a gasp as she looked down at her pudding and the word "later" had been drawn into it. Promptly, she shoved a spoonful in her mouth and choked in her haste.

After the meal, Hermione walked back up to the tower with her friends. They all said good night and she returned to her room. Once there, a warm shower was in order, followed by teeth brushing and hair drying. After her nightly routine, she returned to her bedchamber, dressed in fluffy flannel pajamas, wanting to be as comfortable as possible. Sitting down at her desk, she considered sending Severus a note but couldn't find the words she wanted to say to him. Instead, she used the piece of parchment to start working on her Transfiguration essay.

Around midnight, she heard a slight scuffling sound at her door and paused to put the quill down. She listened intently, straining to hear the sound again. When nothing was heard, Hermione went to the door and opened it, checking the hallway for any animals or people. With no one there, she shut the door again and locked it.

Going back to her desk, she yelled as something grabbed her from behind and wrapped around her waist.

In a panic, she began to beat at the invisible intruder, eyes searching frantically for her wand. Her efforts died suddenly when Severus' face appeared very close to hers and he kissed her lips with a smile.

Still very shocked, Hermione wrenched herself away from him and stumbled back. She was staring at his head floating in the middle of her bedchamber. "Severus!" She was out of breath from the struggle. "You have an Invisibility Cloak!"

His smile was still slight as the rest of his body clothed in robes appeared. "I don't. This charm goes farther than just invisibility. It muffles my sound and presence as well. I am, essentially, a tangible ghost while I use it."

Heart settling in her chest, she questioned him. "A charm? I haven't heard of such a spell."

"You wouldn't, Hermione. It's an old Death Eater skill."