Well you may have noticed that I get into the swing of writing every now and again. I'll do a chapter and then leave my mind to stew over the story a bit. Well, now they have met the new improved versions of each other, shall we indulge in playing them off against each other? Goody goody gum drops...

Chapter 5

She strode into her class, passion red robes floating around her dramatically (she'd developed a taste for it), and lightly jumped onto the edge of her desk, crossing her legs and folding her arms in an elegant manner. The class immediately fell silent – Professor Granger was known to be a hard taskmaster, and her classes were not for those that couldn't focus.

"The week's readings" she flicked her wrist "are on the board. Today's research assignment will be on Wolfsbane. Whosoever brings me the highest quality research notes will receive an hour in the Restricted Section under my guidance. Anything below good quality work will fail. Begin."

The class scrambled to the shelves lining the room. Hermione had taken great pains to shape this room to suit her classes – plenty of books for research, and well equipped laboratory benches for experimental work. For this assignment she had taken a great deal of care to hide a very relevant book in the shelves at the back. Anyone diligent enough to find it certainly wished for any time in the Restricted Section, and a professor's helpful direction was a bonus.

Hermione had got the hang of the teaching business quite well she thought. Explain things easily and succinctly, and use relevant examples to the students to illustrate more difficult concepts, such as interweaving potions and charms without something blowing up in your face. After studying under many different teachers, who all used different methods, she had taken what she found to be the most effective and formed her own. Minerva's accessibility, Flitwick's emphasis on technique, Hagrid's enthusiasm, and (surprisingly) Snape's discipline – all contributed to her own teaching manner.

Thinking of Snape reminded her of how his attitude towards her had changed once she had donned teaching robes. He seemed... civil almost? He treated her with the same disdain and sneer of contempt, but his barbs were significantly duller than they used to be, and he did not go out of his way to make her feel miserable. It was tolerable, and the research they we're working on thrilled her so much she was more than able to ignore him when expressing her enthusiasm.

The research was on a cure for lycanthropy. Hermione very badly wanted to help Remus out, he was her friend, and anything she could do for him, she would. Hermione was a very loyal and devoted person in that regard. She snorted however, when remembering Snape's reason for agreeing – he was sick of brewing the Wolfsbane "every ruddy month" as he put it succinctly.

Hearing students begin to complete their assignments, she took up her customary wandering between the desks. Unnerving students she found to be quite entertaining, and found herself thanking Circe that she didn't have to teach as many dunderheads as Snape had to.

Severus was at that moment yelling at said dunderheads who had (yet again) managed to splatter a potion all over the classroom.

"MR. LONGBOTTOM!!!! ARE YOU INCAPABLE OF FOLLOWING THE SIMPLE INSTRUCTION OF ADDING LACEWINGS BEFORE THE MANDRAKE??!?!?! YOU ARE DAMN LUCKY WE ARE JUST BLUE INSTEAD OF STUCK TOGETHER!!!!!!!!"

The quivering boy (obviously a relation to Neville) in front of him was very close to tears, and was clearly contemplating his death with his eyes squeezed shut like that. Severus waved his wand and started cleaning up the mess the stupid boy had made. Unfortunately the blue colour had stained the blonde's hair and skin, and Severus was also a pale, but noticeable shade of blue.

It just would not do to walk around Hogwarts with blue skin. Severus growled at the students "Class DISMISSED!" put stasis spells on the cauldrons and went to his private lab to try and rid himself of the accursed blue stain.

After everything he tried, it wouldn't come off! It refused to be glamoured, did not come off with any cleaning charms he knew of. Hell, it wouldn't come off with even normal plain soap.

Begrudgingly, Severus knew he needed another brain to figure this out. As he was about to do the most demeaning thing ever, he felt that a shot of Firewhisky to calm his nerves was perfectly acceptable. He was, after all, about to go and ask Hermione Granger for help.

Hermione was browsing through her shelves and wondering what to set the next assignment on when she heard a sharp quick rap on the door. Opening it, she struggled to stifle a fit of giggles that overcame her. His snarl swore that if she ever laughed at him over this she would never be treated cordially again. Swallowing the chuckle in her throat, she admitted the man before she got herself hexed.

"It won't come off." He grumbled, hoping that would suffice in gaining her assistance.

"Obviously, since I know you wouldn't show your face unless you had tried everything possible." He snarled again, but said nothing. "What did the dunderhead mess up?"

Surprised at her accuracy, he looked up at her. "Mr Longbottom added lacewings before the mandrake in a sticking potion. I imagine that after we solve the problem, he and a few other students will need a hand."

"After we have let them walk around being blue for awhile to teach them a lesson. All that needs to be done is for them to sprout fur and we would have the cast of Sesame Street walking around the school." She heard a deep laugh, and looked up to find him clutching his sides at her joke. Unnerved, she remembered he had been brought up as a muggle, and of course would understand who she was talking about. Deciding to try her luck she brought up words of a long forgotten time.

"Fuzzy and blue..." she started. He stopped, and smiled a full, beautiful smile and became caught up in the moment.

"That's me, I'm fuzzy and blue." Smiling at each other, falling into their childhood memories, they began the familiar song and routine.

"It's just the way that I grew
Love being fuzzy and blue
I do!
I'm fuzzy and blue
You see I'm fuzzy and blue
Yeah, me I'm happy to be
So fuzzy and blue

Me too!
I'm fuzzy and blue
I'm oh so fuzzy and blue
No other color will do
Not when I'm beautifully blue

It's true
He's fuzzy and blue
All over
Fuzzy and blue
Like Grover
Look at us two
We're fuzzy and blue
Fuzzy and blue
How do you do?
We're fuzzy and blue

Yoo-hoo!
Fuzzy and blue, me said me fuzzy and blue
From head to bottom of shoe
That right, me fuzzy and blue

Me too! Me too!
We're fuzzy and blue
Yippee, we're fuzzy and blue
We three, oh, don't you wish you were fuzzy and blue?

Frazzle, you are not fuzzy and blue, You are fuzzy and orange.
All right, all right; just thought I'd mention it. Hit it boys!

Fuzzy and blue (and orange)
We all are fuzzy and blue (and orange)
Love being fuzzy and blue (and orange)
Whatever we do ...
Is everybody fuzzy?
Fuzzy and blue
We're fuzzy and blue!!!"

Falling in a heap laughing after dancing around the classroom, Severus quipped "All this talk of fuzzy and blue make me hungry for blanket!"

In hysterics, they turned to leave the room, and found a class of students had been staring goggle eyed at their professors' performances.

Sharing a look, a common thought between them, they shouted simultaneously "50 POINTS!!!"

"FOR WALKING INTO A ROOM UNANNOUNCED" Severus added, and Hermione's input was

"AND FOR STARING AND LISTENING TO A PROFESSORS PRIVATE CONVERSATION!!!!!"

Visibly reddened beneath the blue stain, Severus turned to her, bowed sharply, and said "We'll continue this later."

Hermione nodded, and moved to her desk to find her lesson notes for this class. She turned to see her class seated and a student with a question.

"Yes Mr. Graffend?"

"Sorry Professor, but was that from Sesame Street?"

Smiling, Hermione nodded. "5 points to Gryffindor for good observations Mr. Graffend." She did, after all, have a house cup to try and win.

When the students settled to work, she turned her mind to Severus' problem. She figured if she could do a bit a research to find out what sort of potion the dunderhead had inadvertently made, she could find the antidote to it. Alternatively, she could just see if Severus would brew a really strong cleansing potion and apply that to the stain that spread across his face.

Smiling at their reverie, she thought back to her previous assessment of Severus' character. 'Bat' was becoming less and less appropriate, and 'raven' more and more appealing. She had also heard that many women were also discovering this distinction, and had been throwing themselves at him. She was surprised to learn from the gossip in the staff room, namely from Minerva and Poppy, that he had rejected each and every one of them.

Hearing the class begin to shuffle papers, she collected their work and sent them on their way to the next class, before returning to her office to ponder over the paradox Severus presented.

Severus was contemplating the recent change of events between himself and Hermione. His plan to be nice to her while he found some way to get rid of her was failing. He found himself actually beginning to enjoy their research and conversations, and this afternoon's song and dance routine had merely hammered home the fact that they got on like a house on fire.

Tipping back his scotch, he shook his head to clear the thoughts he was entertaining, and made his way to his office to fail more students over their pathetic pieces of parchment.