So sorry for the delay, I was abroad and long story short I had to move back home. I also got accepted into my program for my master's which I am very excited/nervous for! I am not planning on abandoning this story but updates may be on the slower side of things. Cheers everyone!

Hermione spent the better half of the week studying in the library, she had also officially moved to the apprentice quarters in the dungeons. The last night she had spent with Luna and Ginny as roommates had been both fun and sad as they had shared a tearful goodbye after consuming more than a few bottles of elf-made wine. Hermione felt that her premature end to her schooling was bittersweet as she would be the youngest potion mistress if she completed her apprenticeship on time, yet she would not have the last year of schooling she had hoped to have. Deciding her time at Hogwarts had never been normal, Hermione felt as though she would probably have been bored halfway through the year, and her being bored never led to positive results. Her years of rule-breaking were proof enough that she needed constant stimulation or she ended up trapping nosy reporters sneaking around as a beetle in a jar for months on end. Rita Skeeter had never quite recovered, she would occasionally twitch much like a beetle would. Hermione would still smirk at the memory every once in a while, remembering the outrage Skeeter had expressed when she had been turned back, only to be blackmailed for not registering herself as an animagus. That had finally gotten her off Hermione's back, not daring to write any more slanderous pieces of tripe she called 'news'.

Snape had held his promise of not needing her, which she found both annoying and relieving when she saw the amount of work she needed to accomplish by the end of the week. He would occasionally stop to talk to her in the hallways, inquiring about her studies but otherwise, they had not spoken as much. Hermione had noticed him speaking to the red-headed professor more and more often at the head table, even laughing once at something she had said, which annoyed her. I'm going insane, she thought to herself as she stabbed at her eggs, losing her appetite and deciding to leave early from breakfast to complete her studies. A pair of eyes followed her as she left, both admiring her from afar, only one decided to follow her. As Hermione got to the library she noticed Professor Cyprus following her, feeling somewhat uneasy she decided to stop and see what he had to say.

"Miss Granger!" Professor Cyprus exclaimed as he neared her "I'm glad you stopped I wanted to apologize for our last encounter, I realize what I said may have come across as insensitive. I wanted to inquire about your potion apprenticeship and how you're fairing."

Hermione, slightly taken aback by her professor's apology narrowed her eyes slightly, not quite believing him. "Apology accepted Profesor, my apprenticeship is going well thank you for inquiry, I'm just going to the library to get some last minute work done so if you'll excuse me" Hermione made to move but was stopped by her Professor moving in front of the library doors.

"Miss Granger…Hermione if I may, I just wanted to offer once more my services if you ever need them, It's not every day a war heroine is so…near, I must admit I have been very impressed with what you were able to do during the war and find that I quite admire your efforts. If you ever re-consider your apprenticeship with Snape you always have mine to fall back on." Professor Cyprus ended with a huff, his eyes hopeful with a hint of something else Hermione couldn't quite identify.

"Thank you, Professor, I appreciate the offer once again but I am quite happy with Professor Snape, if you'll excuse me" Hermione made sure to enunciate the word professor before moving past him.

"Erick, I hear I won't be your professor for that much longer, you may call me Erick if you wish Hermione"

"I don't think that will be necessary" Said Hermione before pushing the doors to the library open and quickly shutting them, feeling distinctly uncomfortable from her exchange with her defense professor. Leaning across the door she heard his footsteps retreating further into the corridor and away from the library. Hermione had never taken the time to really consider her status as a war hero, but this encounter had shaken her. Would she forever just be her title as a war hero or Harry Potter's female sidekick? God, I hope not, even more reason to get this apprenticeship done thought Hermione. Deciding she had to get to work, Hermione dove into her studies well into the evening, only leaving the library when Madam Pince kicked her out. This became her routine until her exams commenced the following week, once she was done with her last exam she sighed with relief and left to go smoke a celebratory cigarette. Deciding the astronomy tower was her best bet of being left alone, she set for her intended course.

Once she reached the last staircase to get to the top, she spotted billowing black robes gently swaying with the wind. Smiling despite her will to appear calm and collected, she could see he was also smoking and seemed to be lost in thought. Deciding this was her time to truly sneak up on him Hermione non-verbally cast a silencing spell on herself. She only got two steps in when she heard an audible sigh from the man in front of her.

"Hello Miss Granger"

"Ugh, what was it this time, how did you know it was me?"

"Your perfume, it smells distinctly of nectarine with a hint of lemon and honey"

"Ah…I see" Hermione flushed at her professor being able to so accurately smell her.

"May I join you?

"If you must, I do hear that congratulations are in order, well done on finishing high school Miss Granger"

"A feat most muggles would scoff at"

The corner of Professor Snape's mouth quickly turned upwards before his neutral mask slipped back on. If Hermione had blinked she may have missed that small gesture showing his amusement. They both continued to smoke in comfortable silence until Hermione felt she needed to say something.

"So, are you going to tell me about this concoction you're creating? Or do you want me to just figure it out on my own, which I will."

"You calling it a concoction is reason enough for me to wait to tell you. You will just have to be patient Granger. Come, I was going to come find you to get started on our next excursion."

Hermione rolled her eyes, then flicked her butt while casting a non-verbal to make it disappear and followed her Professor to the dungeons.