Hermione was mad, she was mad and she couldn't put into words why.

Trelawney had come into their potions class to speak with Professor Snape, the irritation had started then. The woman put her hand on the other Professor's shoulder and Hermione had nearly burst with rage.

It couldn't be jealousy though, could it?

There was no reason for it to be!

The bushy haired witch twitched in her seat, her mind as far from their assigned reading as possible.

One of the vials of potion nearest the two Professors burst rather suddenly when Trelawney stepped nearer Snape and Hermione covered her mouth in the same instant the wizard whipped up his cloak to protect himself and his co-worker.

Black eyes shot up to the class.

"Who is responsible for this?" He said on a hiss. The room remained silent as he gazed upon them.

Hermione could feel her face flushed a bright red. Trelawney was fussing and talking about the stars, her ramblings unnoticed under Snape's scrutinizing gaze.

Her heart stopped when his eyes landed on her and lit a sort of recognition.

"All of you out." He demanded, his voice low. "Lupin, if you would stay behind for a moment."

Hermione flexed her fingers and dropped her hand from her mouth, her eyes wide on him.

"Tough break 'Mi." Ron grumbled, rather snidely as he slid from his seat and sauntered from the room. The more that boy grew the more irritating she found him to be.

Harry patted her shoulder delicately and followed behind their friend, his eyes flicked to Snape before he gave her a sympathetic grin and left the room.

Trelawney left still muttering under her breath and Hermione stared at her hands, careful not to meet the dark wizard's gaze.

She could feel him staring her down, watching her with narrowed eyes and a cocked eyebrow.

"It would seem, Ms. Lupin, that you have a problem with Professor Trelawney."

With her touching you. "She's a few spells short of a grimoire, sir." She managed to say out loud. An amused look crossed Snape's face as he leaned against his desk and crossed his arms, still observing her.

"That she is, Ms. Lupin, but I do not see that as a reason to douse us both in a rather poorly brewed blood replenishing potion." Hermione flushed brighter.

"I'm sorry sir, I honestly don't know what happened." She shrugged, her eyes still on her fingers.

"I suppose we will consider it a no harm done situation." His words shocked her and she raised her eyes to his, wide amber that caught the torch light.

"Oh no sir, I must insist I at least serve detention!" Snape cocked an eyebrow and she realized how she must have sounded, desperate for a detention.

She smacked a hand to her forehead.

"I just mean that- well it would be wrong to forego punishment in this case and not others." She managed, eyes on her fingers again. She could hear Snape's feet as he came to stand beside her table, could feel his black eyes on her lowered head.

"Then I must insist your penance is served by becoming my apprentice." He exhaled, his voice thick velvet wrapping around her and making her skin prickle. She looked up into his face with a broad smile.

"I had planned to be your apprentice regardless."

"Then it is settled. Perhaps you would be best to avoid allowing your emotions to get too out of control in the future, Ms. Lupin." He drawled, Hermione nodded, her wide eyes on his face still.

"I apologize sir, truly!" He gave a nod and glanced to the closed door of his potions class.

"Off you go then, I know you over-achievers abhor being late for classes." He smirked and Hermione nodded rapidly, scooted from her seat and was gone from the room in a flurry of robes.

Severus shook his head as he allowed his body to slump back against the table she'd occupied.

Was he safe to hope? To hope that it had been because Trelawney had touched him, not because she didn't like the elder witch?

SSHG

"Why is Draco at our table?" Hermione whispered to Rose who sat to her left, Ginny sat on her right looking equally baffled while Harry and Draco ate in a strange silence.

"Something about a bet, Dumbledore put them up to it, apparently."

"He bet them a free weekend, unsupervised in Hogsmeade that they could not get along for a week, including eating meals and accompanying one another to class." Ginny muttered, wide eyes also locked on the two boys who were speaking amicably.

"Now they're the best of friends." Rose shoved a bite of chicken into her mouth and watched the boys as well. Ron looked put out but had as was his custom when the food arrived he was more than happy to pretend he was the only one in the room.

Hermione blinked.

"That's all it took, huh." She hummed thoughtfully and shook her head before she began to nibble at her food, Rose turned bright green eyes to her.

"They told me you were in trouble in potions, you don't have too many detentions do you?" Hermione settled her fork on her plate and glanced at the head table. Professor Snape was staring at her and she immediately averted her gaze.

"No, I took the potions apprenticeship as penance, his words, not mine." She exhaled, she could still feel his eyes bore into the side of her face.

"Oh, I know you wanted Transfiguration, I'm sorry." Ginny cooed, she was staring at Dean from across the table, no longer even the slightest involved in their conversation.

Hermione smirked and shook her head.

"It's no problem, at least it will be a challenge."

"If the bat doesn't eat you." Rose grumbled and Hermione elbowed her gently in her side.

"Don't talk about him like that. It isn't nice."

"Suck up." Ron grumbled.

"Shut up Ronald." Three female voices chimed at once before they burst into giggles.

"Girls, honestly." Ron turned back to his plate, no longer interested with what they were doing.

SSHG

A broken mirror lay at her feet, eyes reflected back at her black and dead. She turned to find him leaned over her, black eyes dead despite the fact he was still moving.

And then there was cackling, cackling that echoed around the room she was in and she turned to run. She ran until her lungs and legs burned, her eyes watered with the sharp breeze, it stung.

Hermione sobbed, tripping over the limp bodies. Bodies everywhere, she screamed.

She was still screaming out loud when she shot up in her bed, her eyes wide and her pulse racing from the dream that seemed to return. She couldn't wrap her mind around it, the pain she felt was so real.

It was an easy decision to toss her legs from the bed and stumble from her room, she needed Remus, she needed him to hold her and tell her everything would be okay.