A/N- Uh oh, is that plot I spy? IT IS! And apparently there is more to come in the next chapter! Oh boy. Anyways, here's another chappy and thank you for the reviews and alerts!

Poor me, I didn't create these beautiful characters, J.K. Rowling did

Severus watched wearily as the last of the third years streamed out of his class. Leaning back in his chair, he sighed and closed his eyes, enjoying the moment of peace. It was three weeks to Halloween. The rest of September had passed uneventfully, with classes droning on as always and the students getting into a routine. The Granger girl had paid him absolutely no heed since their exchange outside the castle a few weeks ago. Barely a nod in his direction at the staff table, and otherwise she avoided him. It was fine by him, the less interaction with people he disliked, the better.

Standing up, he turned and strode out of the classroom, and headed towards his quarters. After all the dunderhead students, he could use a nap before dinner. Approaching the portrait of the dragon, he asked it politely to open. The dragon sniffed, upset at the lack of enthusiasm in Severus's voice. It swung open without a word, and he walked through. He had just settled on to his couch, when there was a harsh tapping on the window.

Shit, he swore to himself as he rose to open the window.

A tawny barn owl hopped in, hooting dolefully. It stuck out its leg, with a rolled up magazine was tied to it. Severus untied the magazine, and reached into his robes for a Knut and put it in the pouch tied to the owl's other leg. The owl hooted again, and hopped out, taking flight. Severus shut the window, and unrolled the magazine. It was October's issue of Potions Weekly. Severus returned to the couch, giving up his nap in favor of reading the newest edition of his favorite magazine. Flipping the pages idly, he stopped half-way through as an article caught his eye.

"The Hidden Properties of Salamander Blood, and Their Uses."
By Hermione Granger.

Severus didn't even bother to read the article at first. He just stared at the name below the title. Hermione Granger? Hermione Granger. Wrote an article for a Potions magazine. He looked around, and remembered that he was alone in his quarters. He didn't think he could hide his look of surprise this time. He continued to stare at her name. Severus had no idea she was even good at potions. He recalled that she received stellar marks, but she got amazing marks with every other class, he didn't think it was anything special at the time. Glancing back down at the article, he started to read, wanting to find out if she were any good. The more he read, the more impressed he became. He didn't even consider using salamander blood as a counter ingredient to the nasty flavor and groggy after effects of the beetle's eyes in the Invigoration Draught. He read the rest of the article, and put the magazine down, thoroughly astonished. Hermione Granger was some sort of potions genius. He read the article again quickly. It was very well written and put together, sounding more like someone like himself should have wrote it, not some barely-graduated titch of a woman like Granger.

Severus scowled, feeling a tinge of jealousy. He couldn't believe he never thought of those uses for salamander blood. And the more he thought about it, the more obvious it became.
He wondered what Granger would think about his proposition in the article he was finishing up to send in to Potions Weekly. He stopped himself, why would he need Granger's thoughts on anything?
He tossed the magazine aside. The girl was obviously intelligent, but he didn't think that was reason enough to stoop so low as to ask her opinion on something. Again Severus recalled how cold he had been on that night outside the castle. She had only tried to be friendly, and he had reciprocated with nothing but harsh, cold words. The image of her face, paling as he sneered down at her popped into his mind. Her eyes, and how they glinted furiously when he spoke to her with such blatant dislike...

Severus started, and stood up. Why should he care what reactions he caused in Professor Granger? He never had before. There was no point in starting now.

Later that evening, he was sitting between Granger and the headmistress at dinner, trying his best to ignore the conversations going on around him. There was a reason why he usually ate in his rooms, he reminded himself irritably. He disliked listening to the incessant chatter of hundreds of students.

He surreptitiously glanced over at Granger, to see that she was facing away from him, engaged in a deep conversation with Professor Sinestra. It was fine by him.

"I assume you read Hermione's article on the new uses for salamander blood, Severus?"

Severus turned to the headmistress, giving her a bored look. "I did. It wasn't anything spectacular. Anyone could have reached the same results as she did with very little research," he said, somewhat imperiously.

"Oh, really? Is that why you never mentioned it before, and why she has received nothing but the highest praise for her discoveries?" Minerva said with a smirk.

Severus scowled, and didn't answer, instead he took another bite of his cottage pie, and stood up. Turning swiftly, he strode out of the Great Hall, ignoring the looks he received for his abrupt departure.

A few days later, Hermione was helping the Herbology teacher repot some Mandrakes for the classes, and the two were chatting happily between the shrieks of the mandrakes.

"You will be at the Halloween Feast tonight?" Professor Sprout asked, while she busied herself with the mandrakes she was preparing.

"Of course, Pomona!" Hermione replied, as she plopped the mandrake she was holding into its new pot. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."

Pomona smiled. "Me neither! Hagrid's pumpkins are fantastic this year, it should be a sight to see."

"I know! It's amazing how he can get them to grow so large without an engorgement charm," Hermione said, chuckling to herself. She knew the secret to Hagrid's famously big pumpkins, but it wasn't something the half-giant wanted to be known.

"Yes, he's setting them up in the Great Hall right now," Pomona said eagerly. She clapped her hands together, brushing off loose soil. "Thank you for the help, dear," she said kindly.

"Oh it was no trouble at all, I am happy to help," Hermione said, as she took off her gloves.

Pomona thank Hermione again, and promised to see her that evening at the feast. Hermione left the greenhouse, and headed towards Hagrids hut. As she walked closer she saw Hagrid out in the pumpkin patch behind his house.

"Hagrid!" she called, hurrying closer.

"Eh? Oh!" Hagrid turned around, beaming. "Hermione! What're yeh doin' here?"

Hermione stopped at the edge of the garden, and surveyed all the pumpkins. "I came to say hello, and to tell you that your pumpkins are amazing this year!"

Hagrid grinned, his wild beard obscuring most of it. "Yeah, well I ha' a little help," he said with a wink.

Hermione nodded. "I know," she replied with an amused look. "I'll see you at the feast, yeah?"

"Oh o' course!" Hagrid said enthusiastically. "See yeh then, Hermione!"

Hermione walked back up to the castle, enjoying the fall air. She loved the Halloween feast, and she was excited to be a part of it. She helped the headmistress enchant hundreds of floating Jack O' Lanterns above the tables in the Great Hall, as well as decorating the corridors with enchanted spider-webbing, complete with little enchanted spiders. She thought about Ron, and his extreme phobia of spiders. He definitely wouldn't enjoy her enchanted spiders. Grinning, she entered the castle, and went to her rooms to change.
As she pulled her dark green teaching robes back on, she looked at herself in the mirror. She had a small frame that accentuated her curves. She didn't have an unattractive body, she knew. And her face, with her large brown eyes, wild hair, and small features wasn't ugly by any means. She finished dressing, placing a black pointed hat on her head, and enchanted a few spider webs to wrap around it. She liked to be dressed festively. Hermione frowned, looking at herself in the mirror. No, she wasn't ugly. Maybe it was time for her to start searching for someone else. Lord knows she hadn't been laid in forever. She paused, trying to remember the last time she had sex.

Hermione giggled. The fact that she had to think about the last time she had been with a man was proof enough. It had been far too long. She sighed. She didn't have time for a man in her life. That had been part of the reason why her and Ron ended, although she still blamed him for cheating on her. She walked out of her quarters, and headed towards the Great Hall.

As she walked, she continued to think. Would she be able to handle a man right now? What with classes, and grading essays. There was also her new-found popularity from her article that Potions Weekly. She had owls every day asking for her to collaborate on different potions or discussions about ingredients. She was flattered, she never considered herself a potions genius, just proficient at the art. She had discovered the uses for salamander blood while she was searching for an ingredient to counter the after effects of the Invigoration Draught.

She was also kind enough to offer the students who were struggling a few extra private lessons, which took a fair bit of time from her weekends and evenings. She shook her head. No, she couldn't juggle work, friendships, and a love life at the moment. She had been taking care of any urges she had herself since well before her relationship with Ron ended. Hermione saw no reason to change that. She was interrupted from her thinking by her arrival at the Great Hall. Looking around, she grinned.

It looked fantastic! Hagrid's pumpkins were three times her height, and the skeletons that Filius had charmed to dance on top of them were doing a sort of jig.
She reached the staff table and took her seat. She was one of the first teachers to arrive, so she entertained herself by watching the students flood into the hall, smiling at their awed looks.
Hearing a scraping sound beside her, she turned to see Snape taking a seat, his customary bored look on his face.

"Happy Halloween, Severus," she said icily. She turned from him, as she expected no reply.

"Granger," he said with a nod.

Hermione ignored him.

"Happy Halloween Hermione, Severus," Minerva said as she took a seat at the table. "Talking to each other again, are we?'

Severus merely looked disinterested and didn't reply.

Hermione returned the greeting to the headmistress, but she glossed over the question, and changed the subject, mentioning Hagrid's enormous pumpkins instead. Minerva heartily agreed with Hermione's praise of their large friend's skill with pumpkins.

Once the students had finished taking their seats, the headmistress stood and wished everyone a happy Halloween, and then the food appeared on the tables.

"Dig in!" she said smiling, and sat back down.

Hermione looked down at her steak and mashed potatoes, feeling her stomach rumble. She took Minerva's advice to heart, though, and dug in.