Hey guys!

Look, I remembered to post on time! Go me!

Well, I want to say thank you for all the amazing reviews! It makes me soooo happy, especially now that I'm in college, drowning in work.

Read and enjoy!

Hermione sat in Dumbledore's office, listening to Snape and Dumbledore discuss her safety and her parent's safety.

"Severus," Dumbledore suddenly said. "Think about the repercussions of such an action."

"Headmaster, I think the repercussions would be worse if we did not induct her."

"I'm sorry," she interrupted the two men. "But what are we inducting me into?"

The two men looked at one another for a moment longer before Dumbledore turned to her.

"Hermione, if you would like, and under Severus' advice, we would like for you to become part of the Order."

The sentence hung in the air for a long moment as she thought about this.

"Why do you think I should join?" she asked turning towards Snape.

"With you a part of the Order, we can guarantee you more safety than if you were not. We can also grant you parents more protection." he added.

She nodded and then met Professor Dumbledore's serious gaze.

"If you do this, you will certainly get more information than either Harry or Mr. Weasley, but you may be forced to pay a terrible price. Do you understand the danger you are entering into? This is not to be taken lightly."

"I understand. Can I help Harry?" she asked "I mean without telling him what I learn, can I help him?"

"I think you may be able to help him a great deal in the long run." he said giving her a look that made her feel as if she was missing out on something.

Nevertheless, Hermione left the room as a member of the Order of the Phoenix with assurances that she would be present at every meeting and that teachers would escort her. She snuck up to her bedroom and cleared her mind before falling to sleep.

The next day, Hermione did not tell her friends what had happened that night, but pretended that everything was perfectly normal. As she listened to Harry and Ron talk about their classes to one another, Hermione couldn't help but feel strongly protective of the two. Technically she was now part of the team that devoted their lives to protecting Harry. She smiled a little sadly at the thought, but eagerly ate her breakfast, anxious to be back.

The day passed without a hitch, and Hermione had already caught up on all of her work. But as nightfall came, she found herself having the sudden urge to speak with Professor Snape. Giving the boys an excuse that she had to go to the library, she slipped from the common room and headed straight for the classroom she had grown fond of. Hermione knew that he was there once she saw the light underneath the office door. Taking a deep breath, she reached the door and knocked a few time.

"Enter." said a terse voice.

She walked in and saw his eyes easily trained on her. Closing the door gently behind her, she took a seat noting the awkward silence.

"Should I bother asking why you are here?" he asked sighing.

"I just…I don't know, I wanted to come here."

He studied her for a moment, and she made sure to keep her mind shields firmly in place. Snape smirked at her.

"Very good, you've learned to shut your mind."

She gave him a half smile but clenched her hands in her lap. The two didn't say anything for a long moment, and Hermione was beginning to question herself on why she had come in the first place.

"Your parents are well cared for."

Looking up at him, she couldn't help the grateful smile that stretched across her features.

"Thank you…not only for that, but for suggesting I join the Order."

He gave her a nod, showing that he accepted her thanks.

"How have things been going? With you know what."

The tension in his muscles was a nearly instant response to her question, and Hermione began to backtrack immediately.

"I'm sorry; I don't mean to pry."

"I'm not accustomed to someone so blatantly asking me about my extracurricular activities." he said quietly.

"Professor, I still don't understand how you became part of this; I can't see you willingly joining Voldemort."

"I was stupid when I was young, I wanted to belong somewhere, and when I knew what I had done I didn't want to have any part of it. But you can't exactly walk away from being a Death Eater."

For hours the two talked casually, but Hermione made sure that she didn't test his boundaries. She wanted to let him open up to her willingly, which he seemed to be doing. Hermione found herself laughing along with Snape and his dry humor, and for once she wasn't worrying about anything that was going on around her. When the clock struck eleven, Snape stood from his chair.

"Well, we firmly exhausted just about every subject under the sun, perhaps we should turn in."

It wasn't a suggestion but more like a command. The two walked through the silent and dark classroom and through the door. They paused, awkwardly, not knowing what to say to one another.

"Er…good night Professor."

"Good night, Miss Granger."

And with that, the two turned in opposite directions and left the corridor.

For the next few weeks, Hermione would leave the common room just as dark was falling and make her way to the Defense classroom, and she always found Snape in his office, and she began thinking that he was purposely waiting patiently for her. The two would talk well into the night, and leave the corridor the same way. Hermione couldn't help herself; she nearly constantly worried about him.

Hermione also noticed more of Snape's subtleties, like how lip would lift slightly in the corner when he was trying to suppress a smile. Or the smallest shift in the dark timbre of his voice when he found something amusing, or was displeased. A muscle would work in his jaw when he found something uncomfortable. He had uniquely handsome features, if one could look past the almost constant scowl on his face.

Hermione was surprised to find how brilliant he was outside of potions. He too had been at the top of his class, excelling in every subject, and like her had constantly sought refuge in the library or buried in a large novel. She knew that he was an outcast, like her, but she didn't dare ask him about it.

Throughout these evenings, they would often practice Occlumency, spending time perfecting her shields and defenses. Snape taught her how to use her shields as a defense, but not to overexert herself. He was more hesitant than ever to practice Legilimency, but allowed it anyway.

She once again used the lack of kindness shown to him against his own shields which readily crumbled once again. Hermione made a point of taking her time in his head, treating him like a scared animal who was about to attack. She wanted to make sure he was comfortable with her being there before trying to look for anything. Usually, she didn't have to try to see anything, the memories came to her.

Hermione witnessed his abusive father, and his scared mother. She saw the moment Snape had met Lily Evans, and his immediate attraction to her. She saw how Lily had comforted Snape and protected him from his family. At Hogwarts, they were best friends, and then James Potter began to enter the picture. The constant humiliation Snape was forced to endure, and then his angry words directed to Lily, successfully ending their friendship. The moment he was caught, eavesdropping outside a door, and him kneeling before a dark cloaked figure, then him kneeling in front of Dumbledore, begging him…begging him for something. Then the cottage, the ruins of the Potter's home, and Snape screaming, screaming like someone was using the Crutiatus Curse on him.

After these sessions, he would barely acknowledge her presence in the room and turn back into the cold man she knew him to be. For almost a week he would avoid looking her in the eyes. Then slowly, he'd open back up again and begin talking to her. Rarely did they speak about the memories, and when they did, he'd give her vague explanations. It was obvious he was feeling guilty, and she wished she knew how to comfort him better.

One night, she was heading to his room to see him when he suddenly walked through the door, obviously leaving. She was taken aback, and slightly disappointed that he wasn't going to be keeping their regular appointment. Raising his eyes, they settled on her, and he seemed more upset today than any other day. She stood in front of him, waiting.

"I have to brew some potions for Dumbledore. Tag along if you want, or go back to your common room, it doesn't matter to me," he said harshly before turning away and heading toward the dungeons.

Hermione immediately caught up with him and made the trip into the dungeons. Why was he so cold all of a sudden? They reached the damp corridor and Snape walked past his old classroom, past his own chambers, and stopped in front of a plain looking wooden door. Pulling out his wand, he tapped the door a number of times, and Hermione knew he was taking the wards off of the door. Snape entered the room, leaving her in the hallway. She followed him in and looked around at her surroundings.

There was an entire wall dedicated to vials and bottles of ingredients, and she could see through a door another little room with nothing but shelves of more ingredients. Another wall was covered with books, large volumes containing stains, small, thin books whose covers have certainly seen better days, and piles of parchment that were loosely stacked throughout the shelves. Glancing more closely, she saw the familiar cramped cursive and concluded that they must be Snape's notes.

"Touch nothing." he barked waving his wand causing a cauldron to crash onto the small table in front of her.

Hermione pulled up a stool and sat on the opposite side of the cauldron just as Snape dumped a pile of vials and containers on the table beside the cauldron. Silently, she watched him pull out a knife and begin cutting a brownish material into even chunks. She wanted to say something, but she didn't know what. Instead, she studied him while he worked diligently on the potion. His hair hung in front of his face and his slim, pale hands worked quickly over the materials as if he could do the task in his sleep.

Halfway through the process, there was a white haze filling the room. Still, they had not spoken to one another. At some point he had rather unceremoniously discarded his teaching robes in a pile on the floor and rolled up his sleeves revealing his pale, smooth skin. Hermione found herself frequently glancing at the Dark Mark which seemed to be moving on its own.

Tossing a handful of materials into the cauldron, he moved back to the prep station and ran his finger down the instructions until he found his place.

"Stir that three times." he said, speaking for the first time since they had entered the room before moving onto the next ingredient.

Hermione, anxious to be doing something, jumped up quickly and made her way around the table. Taking the stirring rod, she did as she was told and saw the murky brown substance suddenly turn a vibrant blue and emit purple smoke. Snape waved his wand at the fire, causing it to significantly lower. Squeezing the juice from something over the cauldron, the liquid changed to a color that resembled orange juice.

Checking his watch, he noted the time and then began to clean up manually. Hermione noticed this, and nearly smiled. Even though she was a witch, she often did tasks manually. Magic wasn't thorough enough. Without thinking, she walked to the table and also began cleaning. He paused for a moment, and looked at her, but she just smiled and continued to return things to their proper containers.

Once again he checked his time piece, but this time he continually stared at it, obviously waiting for an exact time. He raised his wand towards the potion and with a flick of his wrist, the fire went out. Finding a chair in the corner of the room, Snape sat down and leaned his head back against the wall as if he were asleep.

"Is that it?" Hermione asked, speaking for the first time in nearly three hours.

"We wait for it to cool. In twenty minutes it can be bottled and sent to Dumbledore,"

"Why does he need it?" she asked peering down into the liquid.

"I don't ask questions."

"What does it do?"

When he didn't answer, Hermione looked up at him and found him smirking at her.

"That, Miss Granger, I cannot tell you. It's a highly complex potion that this school has banned from the curriculum."

Immediately her brain began thinking, the gears turning.

"And don't you dare think about pulling another stunt to get into the Restricted Section of the library." he instantly said.

She sighed and dropped herself back onto the stool. Spending so much time with him allowed her to view his small habits, but it also allowed him to read her like a book.

"Dumbledore has pulled any book that mentions this potion from the library anyway, and they are now in my possession."

She didn't reply, but her brain was still churning. Why did Dumbledore need a potion? Maybe he personally didn't need it, but needed it for someone else. What kind of potion was it?

"Miss Granger, the uses of this potion are not sinister, so there will be no need for you and those friends of yours to go into hero mode and try to uncover some master plan of total destruction that does not exist."

Hermione turned her eyes on him, and knew he was telling the truth, but she glared at him anyway.

"We don't purposely set out and try to find these things, they just sort of…"

"Come to you?"

"Yes."

"I'm sure." he said with a sneer.

Why was he being like this? He was politer to her than ever before up until recently, so what changed? She was rather hurt by his attitude. Removing her eyes from him, she focused her attention on the vials on the wall rather than the man sitting in the room with her. They sat in silence for twenty minutes before Snape began to bottle the potion. Hermione didn't move, she just watched. Finally, once there were several bottles securely sealed and packed, Snape scooped up his robes and put them back on before waving his wand over them to get rid of the dust. He snapped his fingers once, and a house elf appeared.

"Take these to the Headmaster." Snape said gesturing to the vials.

The house elf nodded and took hold of the vials before disappearing with a crack. Snape left the room, and Hermione followed. The journey back to the classroom was silent, and Hermione was becoming upset. Had she done something wrong? Just as she was about to ask, he came to a sudden stop with a hiss.

"What?" she asked looking around quickly.

Snape snatched up the sleeve of his robes, revealing the Dark Mark. The moonlight was falling on it, making the evil mark appear that much darker. Hermione noticed how the skull and snake seemed to be protruding from the skin slightly, and she couldn't help but feel sorry for his pain.

"Professor?"

He whirled on her quickly with a look of franticness in his eye. He opened and closed his mouth a few times emitting stuttering noises.

"Return to your dormitory immediately." he snapped while grasping his arm.

"Do you want me to wait for you?" she asked taking a step forward.

"No, no, you need to be in bed, you can't be out here alone, it's not safe."

"Not safe? We're in Hogwarts; there is no safer place."

"Malfoy, you need to watch out for him. Whatever you do, stay away from him."

"But-"

He stepped forward, grasping her shoulders roughly, as if he were trying to force the words into her.

"He's after you, you can't be alone with him, whatever you do, do you understand? If you have to hex him into next week, do so, because it may be the last thing you do. Make sure to have your friends close at all times."

She studied his face, which was closer than ever before, and noticed his fierce desire to make her understand.

"Sir, how do you know this?"

"I can't tell you!" he barked squeezing her shoulders harder. "Do you trust me?" he asked.

Her eyes were wide; she could feel the panic flashing through her violently, making her head spin.

"Hermione, do you trust me?"

Snape saying her first name jolted her. Usually it was Granger, Miss Granger, insufferable know-it-all, foolish girl. Hermione's eyes flashed over his face, sensing his fear and feeling the urgency in the air.

"Yes." she all but whispered to him.

"Then please, listen to what I said."

Without another word, he turned and nearly ran down the hallway. She watched, until suddenly her mind caught up with the moment.

"Wait!" she cried running after him.

He pulled to a halt, just as she reached him. There was a moment of silence, and she could see that he was about to ask her what she wanted, but in a flash she flung herself on him. Standing on her toes and wrapping her arms tightly around his neck, she hugged him in a desperate manner. Hermione hoped she was conveying her feeling through this hug, this small moment of kindness. She could feel his tense body pressed against hers, but he made no move to reciprocate her actions. Hermione curled her fingers tightly into the back of his robes, feeling her fingers ache and noticed the softness and smoothness of his cheek against hers. Allowing the hug another moment before pulling away, Hermione allowed her hands to trail along his shoulders before pulling herself away all together.

"Please, be careful." she said risking a glance at his face.

The number of emotions flashing across his face made it hard to pick out just one. His eyes flashed over her face, as if he were memorizing it like this moment was the last one he'd have with her and the thought made her stomach twist. Snape seemed to be struggling with something, with some inner battle, but in a flash, he made his face cold and impassive and gave her a small nod. Before turning away, Hermione could have sworn that his eyes flashed at her in a way that made her heart skip a beat. She watched him storm away until his black robes whipped out of sight. Suddenly remembering what he had said, Hermione pulled out her wand, stuck close to the wall, and began making her way back to Gryffindor Tower. She couldn't be more thankful for the warning, because sure enough, ten minutes later, Malfoy came stalking down the corridor with his wand drawn. Quickly, she ducked behind a pillar, listening to his footsteps becoming louder and louder.

"Where are you, you Mudblood? I know you're walking around here somewhere." he mumbled to himself.

His footsteps were nearly booming in her head, or was that the sound of her pounding heart? Panic gripped her, and nearly strangled the air out of her lungs, but in a split second decision, she threw her arm out from behind the pillar and silently cast a Stunning Spell. The thud had told her she had hit her mark. Without thinking, she dashed past Malfoy's limp body and didn't stop until she had reached the tower. Gripping her chest and huffing, the Fat Lady awoke and looked sternly down at her.

"Well, are you going to give me the password or was I awoken for no reason at all?" she snapped.

"Dragon's egg." she gasped through the stitch in her chest.

"Well, it's about time." she replied while swinging open.

Hermione stumbled through the hole and was met by Harry and Ron, in the process of throwing the Invisibility Cloak over themselves.

"Hermione! We were just coming to look for you!" Ron cried rushing forward.

"It's alright, really, I have to tell you guys something."

She quickly repeated the story to them near the fireplace, sitting in their usual spots. Thankfully, the common room was deserted. Ron was appalled, and Harry showed no emotion at all.

"You think the git saw you curse him?" Ron asked.

"No, I don't think so." she said shaking her head.

"Hermione, are you fully ready to trust Snape?" Harry asked.

"Yes, Dumbledore does, and so do I."

"But after everything…"

"Harry, he's done nothing but try to save us since we came here!"

"Still, I don't trust him."

"Of course you don't." she replied testily.

The three discussed the events further, both boys agreeing to tell Ginny so that Hermione wouldn't have to be alone at all. Hermione made a mental note to ask Ginny to walk her to the Defense room at night. Finally, the three went to bed, and Hermione cleared her mind before falling to sleep almost instantly.