Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, so please don't hurt me! Cowers in a corner
AN: Well, I've never written either of these characters before, so I hope that they aren't horribly out of character. If you have any suggestions, I would love to hear them. Thanks for reading.
Of Potions and Potions Masters
Chapter One: Returning to Hogwarts
It started out, as stories often do, once upon a time. However, this wasn't a fairy tale, it was real life, and once upon a time was the here and now. She had watched as someone floated his lifeless body through the air, and that was supposed to be the end of it.
She went through the mourning process for a few months, figuring that someone had to mourn for the stoic potions Professor, and she was more than happy to do it. Ron couldn't understand why she was doing this, resulting in many harsh words and an even worse breakup.
It was then that she was invited back to Hogwarts to teach Muggle Studies by the new headmistress. She accepted the offer with great enthusiasm and packed up her apartment. It was time for a change in her life.
She got moved into her private rooms and started making lesson plans the couple days before the sorting ceremony. She didn't leave her rooms once during her first two days, taking meals in her room.
It was shocking, to say the least, when Hermione arrived at the start of the year feast to see Professor Severus Snape sitting in the seat next to her's at the teacher's table. This was the last thing she thought she would ever see, but she had to admit she was glad to see him.
"I thought you were dead," she whispered over to him as she scooped some potatoes into her plate, she moved on from the mashed food, covering the potatoes in a dark gravy.
He gave a curt nod in reply as he too scooped some food onto his plate, "I thought I was dead, too, but it didn't turn out that way did it Miss Granger?"
She gulped and nodded brusquely, "I suppose not, Professor Snape, it's good to see you well." It surprised her that after all these years he still scared her.
"I heard about what you did for me from Mr. Weasley," Snape said, no inflection or emotion in his voice, "it was quite unnecessary." He looked over at her and raised his eyebrow.
She smiled nervously, "It was something I wanted to do. I do have a great respect for you Professor."
"Now, now, Miss Granger," Snape said coldly, "we are colleagues now, call me Severus." He turned his attention back to the food on his plate, indicating the conversation was over.
The rest of the meal passed in silence, and they didn't run into each other until two weeks and four days later when Hermione needed some ingredients for a special potion she was brewing. She nervously knocked on the door to his room and stood there with her hands clasped behind her back.
He answered the door and ushered her inside to his personal storage area, "It isn't the first time you have been in here, Miss Granger, is it?"
She didn't answer, knowing that he had hit the nail on the head as it were, she watched him gather up the ingredients that she would be needing and then turned to leave the room, but stopped when she heard his low, "Miss Granger."
"What is it Severus?" Hermione asked, turning back to face him, she wasn't sure if she liked calling him by his first name. She studied him, trying to figure out what he was thinking, but to no avail.
"Would you like some help with your potion?" Snape asked looking at her, "I am the Potions Master, after all."
"No thank you, I think I've got it," Hermione said looking down at the objects she had in her hands, "But the one I was going to brew tomorrow I might need some assistance, if you would." She didn't know why he had offered, but the fact was the potion she was going to brew the next day was one that she had never tried before.
His slight nod made her send a nervous smile his way before she walked out of the door, at least they were getting along, she thought with a small smile. Her mind drifted back to the sight of his broken, battered body and she grimaced, it was a good thing that the snake hadn't killed him.
Her dreams haunted her that night, making it impossible for her to fall back to sleep. She wrapped her bathrobe around her and headed out to wander the halls of the old castle.
After about and hour and a half, she ran smack dab into someone's chest. She looked up to apologize, and took note that it was Professor Snape, "Sorry Professor, I wasn't looking where I was going."
"No harm done, Miss Granger," Snape said looking down at her, "Might I ask what you are doing wandering the halls this late at night?"
She would have laughed under different circumstances, she wasn't a student to be questioned anymore, but she had caught a bit of something in his tone of voice that made her have to answer. "I couldn't sleep," Hermione stated like it was nothing at all, "dreams of the battle."
She turned to head back down the hall to her room when his voice stopped her for the second time that night, "Would you like to accompany me on my rounds?"
She smiled, "That would be nice Professor, thank you for the invitation." They headed off down the hall, in a rather comfortable silence.