A/N: I don't own Harry Potter or any related characters

Word count: 641

Warning: hunting meat for food.

Hermione blinked at the form in front of her. It was that of a man dressed in black furs. She slowly walked over to him, holding her spear tightly. She gasped when she realized it was the same man who had speared the snake about to bite her.

"Wake!" she demanded, poking him gently with the butt of her spear. He moaned slightly. Hermione frowned. Was he hurt? She didn't see any blood. The sky fire beat down hard on them, making her skin sticky. Maybe he was suffering the same? She wrapped the cord of her spear around her shoulder and bent down. He was heavier than she'd thought he would be. Hermione yanked him, pulling him across the dusty ground until she reached a smaller cave she'd found. She laid him down in the coolness of it.

"Water," she muttered to herself, feeling thirsty. There had been a stream within walking distance of the cave. Would he be safe here? She grabbed some tree branches, breaking them off the trees and placing them in front of the entrance. There, that should work! Quickly, she ran to the stream, filling her pouch with its cool water. She also dipped her furs into it, letting the cool water drip down her body. She felt better already. As she made her way back to the cave, something caught her eye.

There! A rabbit had hopped out from the underbrush. Hermione watched it a moment, slowly sliding her spear to her hand. She launched it, the rabbit didn't stand a chance. With a triumphant yell, she gathered her prey and hurried to the cave. The man was still not awake. Hermione gently tilted his head up, pouring some water on his lips. He drank a few sips.

"You'll cool, water will help get rid of heat," she stated, wetting his furs a bit. She couldn't help but look at him, at his body. He was strong, but not muscular the way some of the members of her tribe were. He looked like he might be fast, so maybe a gatherer over a hunter?

There was a pouch on his hip. Hermione reached out and opened it. It was filled with plants. A healer then? She'd heard about plants making people better, about plants that made heat disappear in a person, that made pain vanish. She wondered if any of these would help the man who had gathered them. She decided against trying any of them, she knew she didn't know enough and she didn't want to make it worse.

"I cook now," she said, not knowing for sure if he could hear her. "Be back," she promised, walking back to the entrance of the cave and using some of the branches she'd pulled down to make a fire. She put the rabbit on a spit, turning it slowly when ended. It was nearly done when she heard movement. She looked over her shoulder.

"You wake," she commented. The man nodded, sitting down next to her.

"Severus," he said, pointing to himself.

"Hermione. You eat rabbit?"

"I do. Where?"

"Cave, you asleep with heat sickness. I find you, give you water, you wake," she explained, lifting the spit off the fire and sliding the rabbit onto a pile of large leaves.

"I owe you."

"Already done, you save me from snake three moons ago," Hermione shrugged, starting to pull apart their dinner. She offered Severus half and he took it, giving her a smile. She returned it.

"Then we are now equal."

"We equal," Hermione agreed. "You healer? Saw plants in pouch."

"Yes, I healer. You need?"

"No, no, I no need. Teach me? Tribe far away, left me behind. I like learn?"

"I teach," Severus agreed, the pair falling into silence as they ate their dinner and watched the sky sparkle with stars.