-1

As students and teachers alike began filing into the Great Hall for breakfast, hardly anyone noticed the bushy haired charms professor quickly take her seat and glance around nervously. Absentmindedly, she grabbed a piece of toast and began buttering it, as her eyes scanned the entrances to the Hall. So preoccupied was she, that she jumped when an amused voice suddenly rang in her ears.

"Professor Granger, perhaps it would be more beneficial to butter the toast and not your arm," Hermione noticed Minerva smirking as she spoke.

"What? Oh," she replied and glanced down at her hands. Sure enough, her arm was slathered in butter. She reached for a napkin and began wiping her arm, but was again distracted as heavy footsteps approached the table.

She gasped slightly as she felt a dark presence take a seat on her right and saw the shadow fall across her food. She didn't dare look up and kept her head pointed at her plate as she resolutely started in on her morning eggs.

"Professor Granger, I wasn't sure you would be up this early. I kept you quite late last night, after all," came the silky voice from her right. Pretending not to hear him, she pushed her fork around her plate and concentrated firmly on how burnt the sausage was that morning.

"Or perhaps you couldn't fall asleep after staying up so late?" he inquired, his voice raising volume slightly.

"Snape," she hissed. "That's not exactly breakfast conversation."

"Oh its Snape now, is it?" he asked loudly. Then more softly, "That's not what you were calling me last night…"

Hermione was very aware of a narrow set of eyes boring into her back from her left side. She tried to ignore Professor McGonagall's obviously unsuccessful attempts at pretending not to listen.

Hermione raised her head and looked at Minerva to give her a half-hearted smile and turned to face Severus. "Will you shut up?" she whispered.

"As you wish," he stated simply and ignoring her completely, returned to his food.

Hermione felt the transfigurations Professor stare at her a few moments longer before turning to her left to start a conversation with the Headmaster. With nobody bothering her, Hermione had a perfect opportunity to think of what she was going to say next. After several minutes deliberation, she spoke.

"Severus," she whispered. "Severus!"

He inclined his head to her and she continued.

"I umm… I have to go to the library and research one of the charms I'll be teaching next week," she announced somewhat louder than probably required. Now Dumbledore and McGonagall were regarding the two with interest.

"Of course," he spoke. "And I must…er…tend to a potion."

"Right," she nodded and then she felt the warmness from her side stand up and move away, exiting the Hall. Turning to her colleagues pretending-to-be-in-a-conversation-but-really-watching-her-with-interest , she smiled somewhat nervously.

"Well, you know. Library calls," she pointed her thumb behind her shoulder and got up from the table. She moved speedily to the entrance while firmly ignoring the stares and slightly-open mouths at her back.

Once out in the cool hallway she had to jog to catch up to Snape.

Instantly, her shoulders relaxed, and she eased the facial muscles that she had kept tense all through breakfast.

They walked along in silence and were about to reach the crossroads where the library diverted from the dungeon. Upon reaching the split, they both hesitated and turned to each other.

Severus was the first to speak.

"Well? What have you got to say for yourself, Professor Granger?" Snape asked, raising an eyebrow, towering over her.

Hermione broke out in a grin. "I'll expect that's the last time the Headmaster recruits us to stay up half the night working on one of his crazy projects."

The corner of Snape's mouth twitched slightly. "Elixir of Everlasting Lemon Drops, indeed."