A/N: Nothing you recognize is in any way mine. Nor shall it ever be.

All my continued thanks to bbmetater and knitchick for their reviews and to everyone who has decided to give a new story a chance. Hopefully this chapter is a nice change of pace from the trauma that has preceded it. So without further ado – here is a bit more on the back story of Hermione and Severus' budding friendship.

End transmission

-me

Severus walked through his apothecary to his office and lab in the back. He needed a drink, and he knew he kept a bottle in the desk. He silently 'Accioed' a tumbler and poured himself a generous glass. He sat back into his worn leather office chair as his thoughts drifted to Hermione.

It was over ten months ago when she had come to the apothecary, all puffy eyes and sniffling. He thought she had allergies.

"Miss Granger, if you insist on venturing into public and gracing us all with your presence perhaps you could do us all a favor and purchase something for that nose along with your healing potions today." His tone was sneering, though less so than it would have been in the past, it was almost mockingly playful.

"Why Professor, I didn't know you care. I am so terribly sorry to be by in such a dreadful condition. How awful of me not to consider my appearance when I came here to spend my galleons. What was I thinking, imagining that it mattered more to you that you were paid for whatever I might purchase rather than your attempts at poking at the open wounds and trying to make me cry more. Are you a fan of blubbering women or is rude simply the only tone in which you know to speak?" Her hands were on her hips and wild mane of hair was whipping about as she scolded him for his comment. He had to admit he was impressed.

"Why Miss Granger, I meant not to offend. I was simply concerned; you seem to have come down with something, an allergy to ragweed perhaps. None the less, anti-allergen potions are third shelf down just behind you there. Unless there is another reason you came here to my shop looking like Miss Brown after a particularly bad appointment with a crystal ball. Was your fortune not to your liking today Miss Granger or is that not the reason you are all weepy, not that it matters to me, though I do offer something for melancholy. Purely interested from a business standpoint you see Miss Granger." His tone was almost entirely joking now. He wasn't sure why he was having so much fun teasing his former student, but he was, and for some reason he found himself pleased that she didn't seem to be nearly as puffy eyed as she had moments ago when she had walked in, with her eyebrow quirked in what he could only explain as a poor attempt at imitating his mannerisms.

"Indeed." She giggled a little at her nerve, and chewed at her bottom lip before speaking again. "Thank you Professor, I do believe you have cured my bout of melancholy today, I shant be needing that particular potion today after all. Your wit has cured me. I am forever in your debt sir. I do however find myself in need of some other potions today, my usual order, as well as a few others; I have a list from my healer here somewhere, if you would be so kind."

After she had located the list and handed it to him he was left wondering what was wrong that she would need this combination of potions. It wasn't his business, so he simply gathered everything on her list and wrapped it all up for her while she counted out her galleons. "Here you are Miss Granger. I apologize for my earlier comments." Did he really just apologize to a former student, he wondered?

"Oh thank you Professor, there is no need to apologize truly. I meant what I said. I think your, shall we just agree to call it wit, well I think it cured my mood. I truly needed that. Thank you for the potions sir, they are always well worth the galleons you charge, you could probably charge a fair few more and I know I at least would still pay." She turned to leave with her purchases but stopped short of the door. "Um. Sir?" She had her bottom lip wedged between her teeth while she worked on her courage. "Well are you a Gryffindor or aren't you?" she asked herself. "Sir? Would you like to accompany me to lunch today?"

"Excuse me Miss Granger? Did you just ask me to dine with you? And on such short notice, such poor etiquette. How will I ever know what to wear?" He almost sounded like he was agreeing to her request.

"Well you see sir, I usually take lunch with George during the week, only today he is at some muggle convention of some sort 'research mission' he called it. It's just, well sir, I could really appreciate the company today, even yours at it were." Her shoulders shook lightly with the force of her breath after she had forced that all out without stopping to breathe, afraid of not getting the words out at all. She resumed the lip chewing while she waited for him to respond.

"It is the time I usually close up for lunch. I do not suppose I have sufficient time to develop a reasonable excuse and shall be forced to endure your company for a while longer today Miss Granger.

Hermione had to restrain herself from hugging him. She had been through so much these past few days, this seemed like a miracle. "Thank you Professor. I truly appreciate the offer of your company today."

After Severus had locked up he escorted Hermione down the road to a little café he liked. It was never crowded, but their food was flavorful and their prices completely reasonable. They had ordered, him a simple Reuben with au jus and a small cup of the potato soup they were famous for, Hermione agreed the soup sounded perfect and ordered a bowl of soup with sour dough bread and brussel sprouts.

"Brussel sprouts, Miss Granger? You truly are an anomaly. Were you aware that the Hogwarts house elves stopped preparing brussel sprouts some twenty years ago when it became apparent that they were only being used as projectiles to start food fights and were not actually be ingested by any in the student body?" It had nearly sounded like a compliment, all dressed up in random facts.

"I was actually aware of that sir. You see, I have an eidetic memory, and it was mentioned in an aside in 'Hogwarts: A History'. It was a chapter on house elves, and that particular anecdote was called 'When House Elves Know Better'. Apparently the Headmaster had wanted to keep them on the menu because he enjoyed their entertainment value; I always did think he was a bit barmy to be honest. Well it is said that the house elves refused and told him that if they were kept they would have to find room in the budget and thought that Treacle Tart was an unnecessary part of the students' diet, so perhaps they could cut that from the menu instead. Good Bye Brussels!" She blushed a little when she realized the tangent she had went off on.

"Indeed Miss Granger." He chuckled at her then, not much but enough that she noticed the way it brightened his face. "You truly are a know it all. And here all those years I simply thought you must read and re-read everything in the library. That is some gift you have there, it is too bad that it comes off as so thoroughly bothersome to most. I find, for whatever reason, I do not mind your instant recall nearly as much now that you are no longer my student. I was actually there though; it was my first year on staff. Albus was thoroughly put out by the whole ordeal. I myself found him to be quite 'barmy' as you say."

"Oh! Sorry, sir, I am afraid my mouth tends to run away with me from time to time. It seems worse lately, there isn't much for me to talk about, or anyone to talk about it with really. Usually when I lunch with George it's all jokes for him. He made the mistake once of asking me for my input on shall we say 'personal pleasure' items he was working on. I don't think I have ever been so red; I spit my pumpkin juice in his face. I was so completely embarrassed by the topic that he was even more amused. He has sent me prototypes nearly once a week since. He's encoragable that one. I can say sex without stuttering now though, so I suppose I should thank him." Oh my, she had truly let her mouth 'run away with her' there. She was blushing again. Severus found he rather liked the way she looked with the extra pink in her cheeks.

"Indeed?" He was tempted to ask her what type of prototypes when their food arrived.

They had been eating with a pleasant, companionable silence for about fifteen minutes when Severus decided to ask her about the potions. "Miss Granger, forgive for the intrusion into your personal life, but that list of potions from your healer included some very specified pain and healing potions and it was a combination I have not seen used myself. What happened, if you don't mind my asking?"

"Oh, I don't mind, not really. I had actually assumed you might figure it out on your own. I suffered an eptopic pregnancy. We didn't catch it in time and my fallopian tube burst, I believe one of the potions is meant to dissolve the remaining tissues that were, um, misplaced as it were. There was significant damage I am told. It was too much to repair the tube. The rest are for the pain and to correct the hormonal imbalance in an effort to stave off more, how did you put it 'bouts of melancholy'. They aren't sure I will be able to conceive again after this. I wasn't supposed to be able to at all after what happened in the Manor." She told him while she fiddled with the napkin in her lap.

"You mean Malfoy Manor?" He had heard that there had been a run in with the Boy Wonder at the Manor, but he had never been told of Hermione's involvement.

"You mean you don't know?"

"Know what? I never did read any of the press about the war, and all I had ever been told was that Lucius had Potter in his grasp and lost him again. I could only assume you were there with him at the time, you always were when there was trouble to be had, but beyond that I was not told, nor did I ask." He could tell he was missing something big.

"Um. Oh. Well it was never in the papers. I just thought, I don't know. I was told she liked to brag. I was tortured by Bellatrix. Cruciatus. For nearly an hour in-between her questioning me about the sword. Then there was her lovely little knife. The healers never could get rid of those scars. When I refused to talk she took a break and let Greyback play with me for a little while. Then she went back to threats and more Crucios. I was in bed healing for a week it should have been longer, but I was needed in the field." She tried to be cold and dissociate from the tortures she went through at Malfoy Manor, but she knew she would never forget that pain, or the terror she felt when Greyback looked at her with an evil vulgar lust in his eyes, a promise of his painful touch.

"I do not know what to say. I am truly sorry Miss Granger. I had no idea. You are a strong woman indeed to have survived at all. I am glad to say both of them are no longer living, though I had often wished throughout the years to have the honor of dispatching them from this existence myself. Bellatrix alone is more than most people can handle without succumbing to death, but I have seen the terrors that Greyback was capable of with a pretty young witch." He hadn't meant to but he had called her pretty.

"Thank you, you couldn't have done anything. And I had to survive, I had no choice in the matter. I stole her key, and her hair. It's how we got the cup. Never would have won the damned war otherwise. It is the real reason I was given the Order of Merlin. Most think it is for being the Brains-Behind-The-Boy-Who-Lived. In reality it is merely compensation for what that crazy bitch did to me, and that animal. Now, now I lost my little miracle baby, and half my reproductive system with it. I so wanted to be a mum. To bring forth a new generation of witches and wizards. To help shape a little person into a strong capable leader who isn't afraid to stand up for what is right." She closed her eyes in an effort to compose herself a bit. She wasn't sure why she was so comfortable with him. She never liked to tell anyone about what had happened that day.

"Miss Granger, there is a potion, not something I keep on hand, but I could make it, it could increase your odds, if a child is truly what you wish for in this life."

She did it then, she got up from her seat and launched herself at him, enveloping him in a huge hug. "Sorry Professor, I don't know what I was thinking. But, do you really think it would help? I hadn't thought I could even conceive this last time." She didn't want to get her hopes up.

"It is alright Miss Granger. It is not a guarantee that you will conceive, however it does increase your output of eggs from the viable ovary and works to balance the hormone levels to what is considered optimum for implantation. It takes a few weeks to brew, and is a rather costly potion, however if you would like, I could brew it for you." He tried to tell himself he was offering for the money involved, it would cost her much more than she had spent on potions in the past few months, hell it was more than he had made off of all his customers combined in the last few months, but it was known to work incredibly well. "I would however not be able to start brewing it for a month, I need to collect one of the ingredients during the full moon and I can only get it in a remote forest in the middle of the Alps."

"It would be worth it to me Professor. I would be willing to pay, and I have the money. What is the ingredient?" Ever the student, her curiosity had to be sated.

"This particular potion calls for the blood of a Snow Calf. They are a silvery white cousin of the MoonFilly, though their coloring is much more reminiscent of Unicorns. They are quite aggressive and the last known heard lives in a small hidden forest in the Alps. I have actually never before had a reason to go, I may enjoy the opportunity." It sounded incredibly interesting to her as well, but before she could press him for more information he was shrugging into his robes and paying their bill.

"You really don't have to do that sir; I could pay for my own."

"Perhaps next time Miss Granger. Have a pleasant afternoon. I must be off." He was gone in his customary swirl, and she was left wondering why he had mentioned a next time, he certainly didn't want to do this again did he?

That was how their lunches had started all those months ago. Now he found himself dining with her every Wednesday after she stopped by to pick up her order, until recently that is. He found he missed her company at the café the last few Wednesdays and for some reason he found he always thought of her when he saw someone eating the brussel sprouts.

Over the ten months he had spent lunching with Hermione he found more and more that he enjoyed her company. She was smart and witty, and so long as they avoided the topic of Weasley's and Potter they tended to have pleasant, intelligent conversations. Soon he had found himself bringing potions journals he thought she may find interesting, and had even lent her a few books, the first had been a small book on Rare Magical Creatures of the Alps.