Hey everyone! I just wanted to pop in here to thank every single one of you for reading this fanfiction! This is my first one and it feels amazing to finally be putting thoughts on paper. I apologize for the delay, life has been a little messy so far but this story will not be abandonned I am determined to finish. Also please leave your reviews! Always happy to hear any feedback you may have, I've been reading this particular ship since I was a teenager (so roughly 12 years) I've ammassed a lot of Hermione/Severus fanfictions so if leave a review and would like to read more finished and or in progress fanfictions let me know I can send you my list. Take care and happy holidays!

Chapter 7

"Swimming, sir?" Hermione asked incredulously.

Snape abruptly stopped which in turn made Hermione miss her step and almost trip, until a strong hand reached out and caught her. Once she stabilized, Snape let go but kept his eyes locked into hers.

"Indeed Miss Granger, you will be retrieving some ingredients I need in the Black Lake. This will be your first task as my apprentice and I can assure you, it is not an easy one. As you well know, the lake is filled with creatures we are familiar with….and some we know not of. You will be tasked to retrieve a siren's egg as well as a few aquatic plants. I will accompany you, but the task is yours and yours alone. You may have had Potter and Weasley to aid you in your past endeavors but here, you are to fend for yourself. Understood?" Snape asked with his trademark eyebrow raised.

"Yes sir, I understand. When will I be going uhm...Swimming "

"I will be giving you a debrief, once we are done, we will be taking our leave a little after lunch. The plants do not pose the problem...the real danger comes from collecting the siren's egg. Come, we have much to do." At that, Snape turned abruptly and strode towards the dungeons.

Once again Hermione had to almost jog in order to maintain her pace with the dour professor. Once they entered the classroom, Hermione expected them to stay there, instead, they walked into what seemed to be Snape's private study. The room was small but cozy with a fairly large desk taking up most of the space as well as a fireplace and shelves lined with a multitude of books.

"Stay here Miss Granger, I will be but a moment. Don't touch anything in my absence, some of these books bite and I mean that literally." Snape said while giving her a pointed look before opening a bookshelf and entering what looked like his bedroom. Hermione could only make up what looked like a four-poster bed as well as more shelves lined with books. Before she could peek any further, Snape reappeared holding two wet suits.

Seeing Hermione's surprised look, Snape slightly smirked. "We will have to employ the muggle version of staying warm while swimming. Warming spells are hard to perform underwater and they do not stick for too long. I expect us to be underwater for at least an hour or so...perhaps even longer if we encounter any trouble." Snape thrust one of the wet suits into Hermione's arms before reaching into his desk and pulling out a fairly big file. "As I said before, the plants shouldn't pose a problem to retrieve, here is my dossier about sirens and their habits. Settle in Granger, you're in for a lot of reading in a short amount of time. If you have any questions, which I have no doubt you will, I will be grading at my desk." Said Snape as he sat down with piles of essays in front of him.

Hermione sat near the fireplace and started to read.

Sirens are notoriously protective of their own, they will fight to the death in order to protect their family, including their eggs. Sirens are native to colder regions as their thick scales are used in order to protect them not only against harsh conditions but also against any man-made weapon. Sirens have been hunted by fishermen since the late 1800s, they were once considered delicacies by rich noblemen and were hunted for their meat. Since then, their scales have thickened and evolved, making it that much more difficult to harm or kill them using standard weapons.

Their main line of defense is their sharp teeth, sharp fingernails, and their tails. They usually hunt in packs, do not be fooled if you see one alone, there are usually some hidden or closely behind. Sirens are incredibly protective of their own, especially their kin. Sirens are able to conceive every six months, they do so by laying an egg in the coldest region they can find. This typically means that their eggs are as far as the bottom of their chosen body of water.

While sirens are formidable creatures, they do have one weakness. Sirens are averse to heat, their scales while thick, are actually quite fragile and can fall if heat is introduced to their bodies.

As Hermione continued to read, professor Snape continued to grade while periodically glancing up and observing Miss Granger. He found himself fascinated with how her facial expressions often changed as she read through his report. Her brows would furrow in concentration and then relax once she seemed to understand whatever concept she was reading about. Snape was not used to someone being so open and seemingly relaxed in his presence, usually, if someone was in his office they seemed to be on edge, unlike Miss Granger who was anything but. He hated to admit it but it was almost refreshing not to be feared...completely. Lost in his own thoughts and analysis of his young assistant, Snape did not realize he'd been starring at Miss Granger for longer periods of time than he thought. Hermione could feel her professor staring at her but kept her eyes on the report, assuming he was making sure she was thorough in her reading, before mustering the courage to ask her first question.

"Uhm..sir I assume you have means for us to defend ourselves against sirens if we are to encounter them? I don't see anything mentioned in your report." Asked Hermione timidly.

Quickly averting his gaze, Snape responded while seemingly looking at the essays "That seems to be the main problem Miss Granger, what do you think we should do if we were to be caught trying to steal their eggs? This is your mental and physical exercise to complete, think girl, what could we use to conduct heat underwater?"

At his rebuttal, Hermione sighed and resumed reading, racking her brain for solutions on how to protect both herself and professor Snape. Once again, she was lost in thought and no longer noticed professor Snape's lingering gaze on her. Finally completing the report and being no closer to a way to protect themselves, Hermione resorted to her mental rollerdex of spells with fire or warming properties.

"Alright Granger, time to face the piper."Snape rose and made his way to the fireplace and grabbed his report from Hermione's hands.

"Please sir, just a little more time I-"

"No, there are times Granger where you will not find the answer inside a book, but rather by acting. Now up you get, you've lounged around for long enough. Put on your wetsuit, I expect you to be ready in fifteen minutes."

With that Snape grabbed his own wetsuit and entered his chambers once more. As the bookshelf door closed, Hermione could not help but start hyperventilating. Her thoughts were racing, all going to the work case scenario, what if they drowned? What if they got attacked and had no way to defend themselves? What if they died in a gruesome underwater death? What if she just wasn't good enough? What if she disappointed Snape? Hermione could feel herself fall deeper and deeper into the rabbit hole she had dug for herself.

When Snape re-emerged, he found Hermione in a completely panicked state, struggling to breathe. Snape crossed the threshold and grabbed Hermione by the shoulders, making her look at him.

"Granger! Listen to me, you are going to be fine, do you really think I am not prepared to intervene should the situation demand it? Now, I need you to breathe." At his words, Hermione took deep calming breaths.

"That's it just like that. If memory serves me right, you have faced far more formidable creatures as well as witches and wizards. What makes this situation different Granger?" Snape let go of Hermione's shoulders while taking a step back, crossing his arms, and looking at her for her answer.

Hermione pondered her answer, not quite sure how to properly explain.

"In those situations, you've mentioned, it was life or death, no real planning just pure instinct. We never really had a chance to fully think through our actions nor their consequences."

Snape snorted at her last statement.

Hermione gave a weak laugh and shrugged her shoulders while looking into the fire. "Yes I know how that sounds, but now it seems I have all the time in the world to think about everything that could possibly go wrong." Hermione gave a deep sigh and finally looked back up at her professor.

"I understand if you would want to retract your offer of apprenticeship professor I-"

Snape raised his hand, signaling for her to silence herself.

"Granger, I offered the apprenticeship to you for a reason. I can confidently say that you are the only reason those two dunderheads still hold breath in their bodies. You will have to learn to reign yourself in as well as learn to control your anxieties by finding a way to ground yourself if we are to continue."

Snape could see his apprentice let out a sigh of relief, he could also see the glimmer of determination in her eyes at his words of encouragement.

"If you are calm enough, it is almost time for us to take our leave. Put your wetsuit on and meet me in my classroom."

"Yes sir"

With that Snape exited towards his classroom. Hermione quickly got herself ready, put the wet suit on, and left in search of her professor. As she entered the classroom she could see professor Snape packing some items with his back turned.

"Ready sir, I'm assuming we won't be exiting through the front doors of the castle dressed like this?"

Snape turned around to find Hermione with her wetsuit on, clutching her robes with one hand. His mouth went slightly dry at the sight. In that moment it hit him that Miss Granger was no longer a child, but a young woman as the wetsuit left nothing to the imagination. Snap lightly coughed before answering "You would be correct in your assumption Miss Granger. I fear that my image as the fearsome potion master may take a hit if the students were to see me dressed like this."

Hermione smirked at his statement before placing her robes on one of the nearby desks.

"There is a tunnel connecting my chambers to the lake. Don't worry Granger, only you and I will see what we look like in these ridiculous wetsuits" Sneered Snape as he looked down at himself, suddenly feeling very self-conscious. In order to snap out of it, Snape strode towards the entrance of the tunnel.

Hermione followed Snape and had to hold her nose as the smell inside the tunnel was stale and lacked any fresh air. As they made their way down in comfortable silence, Hermione could not help but rack her brain for ways to protect them if the worse came to pass.

What could produce heat underwater? Ugh! I can't boil the water around them, too much water around, I can't conjure fire underwater, not in a great amount anyways.

Hermione continued to think while Snape wrestled with his own thoughts. He could not get the image of Miss Granger out of his head. Before seeing her as a young woman, he could maintain the image of the bushy-haired, bucked-tooth girl he had taught for so long. Now that image of her was completely shattered beyond repair. He would need a distraction, something, or better yet, someone to turn his head. He had noticed the new red-headed teacher, there was no denying that she was beautiful and typically just his type.

As Snape reached his conclusion to pursue the new red-headed teacher, Hermione was nowhere near hers. Hermione could see where the passageway ended and start to feel panicked, she felt the water levels rising as they went deeper and deeper into the tunnel.

As the water reached their chest, Snape turned around and fixed Hermione with a pointed look. "We're here Granger, well be casting the bubble head charm in order to communicate with each other. Keep your wits about you girl, these are treacherous waters."

"Understood sir" Hermione, feeling grim but determined to impress him.

They both cast the bubble head charm and dove down into the dark, cold lake.