AN: This story hints at SS/HG. If you feel you might be put off by this pairing, I advise you to turn back now and find another fanfic to read.

Having said that, enjoy reading the story.

Chapter One

The whole castle appeared to be alive tonight.

Shadows danced in the dim light emanating from her wand, things seemed to move behind the many suits of armour, and once or twice Hermione could have sworn she'd heard someone whisper.

It was way past curfew, and as such the corridors were deserted. Several portraits glared at her disapprovingly as she passed them by, but she paid them no heed. She desperately wished to sneak through the castle unnoticed by any of the teachers – it wouldn't do much for her reputation. No, all she wanted was to find Snape and then head back to the cosy Gryffindor common room.

Hermione shivered and pulled her robes tighter around herself, silently damning her situation. It hadn't been her fault Snape had become so frustrated with Harry and Ron's behaviour he had sent the boys – and her along with them – hurrying out of his classroom. It hadn't been her fault she left her books in the confusion. And it certainly wasn't as though she wanted to be writing that eleven inches long Defense Against the Dark Arts essay she needed those books for. If only Snape had been in the dungeons, where he was supposed to be! Then she wouldn't have had to sneak to the DADA classroom in the ridiculous hope she would find the Professor there.

Her silent tirade was interrupted by a fleeting whisper. There was no doubt she'd heard it this time – people were conversing nearby.

She quietly made her way to the corner, towards the source of the noise. The whispers got louder as she neared. She could hear familiar voices, and fragments of a conversation.

'You can't honestly expect me to do this, Headmaster ...'

'You have to, or do you wish for...'

She dared to peek around the corner. Albus Dumbledore and Severus Snape were standing just down the hallway, deeply immersed in conversation.

'I won't do it,' Snape snapped. 'Your request is unreasonable. I will not murder you.'

'Now, now, my boy,' Dumbledore spoke soothingly, 'I will die sometime in the near future anyway – you can hardly call fulfilling this litte ... favour murder.'

'Well,' spoke Snape, and his whole body was trembling with the force of his suppressed anger, 'I'd rather you didn't die at my hand.'

'But Severus ...'

Intrigued by the conversation, Hermione found herself leaning forward, hoping to hear more. Unfortunately, in doing so she lost her footing, causing her to trip and fall against a suit of armour. With a lot of noise and destruction, she found herself lying at the teachers' feet.

'Well, well,' she heard Snape's silky voice above her head. 'It seems we have an intruder. What exactly are you doing out of your bed and eavesdropping on discussions that do not concern you, Miss Granger?'

She hastily scrambled up and stared at the two Professors, her mind working top-speed as she wondered what to say. Snape was observing her impatiently, his trademark scowl etched on his face. Dumbledore however, seemed to have a strange twinkle in his piercing blue eyes. She took a deep breath and decided to tell the truth.

'I left my Defense Against the Dark Arts books in the classroom earlier today. I looked for Professor Snape in the dungeons, but I failed to locate him.'

'And so you decided to go sneaking through the castle?' inquired Snape. His eyes had a dangerous gleam to them.

'Only because I was looking for you!' she attempted to defend herself.

'Ten points from Gryffindor for breaking the curfew without good reason,' Snape sneered.

'But I was - '

'I advise you to be quiet, Miss Granger, unless you wish to lose more points.'

'Come, Severus, don't be too harsh on her,' said Dumbledore. 'I am certain Miss Granger had the very best intentions.'

'That doesn't excuse her from eavesdropping on private conversations!' At this Snape turned turned towards her and gave her a furious glare. 'How much have you heard?'

Hermione was having an inner debate on what she should tell both Professors. She strongly disliked lying, but in the current situation it might be her best option.

Some of her inner conflict must have shown on her face, for Snape barked: 'And don't you even think about lying, because I will know when you do!' Well, that made the decision easy.

'I heard you refuse to murder Professor Dumbledore,' she admitted, glancing over at the Headmaster, who, she noticed, was smiling faintly. 'I also heard Professor Dumbledore say he was already dying, which leads me to believe he wants to use his death to get you in favour with You-Know-Who,' she rattled.

Snape looked as though he was about to explode, and he opened his mouth to speak, but Dumbledore beat him to it.

'That is quite correct, Miss Granger. Of course, no one can know about this, or we risk the Dark Lord finding out where Severus' loyalties really lie.'

'Which is why I suggest erasing this event from Miss Granger's mind now,' Snape snarled. 'Before she runs off and tells those two dunderheads.' Hermione tried not to be insulted by his words.

'Severus!' Dumbledore exclaimed. 'That is against our school rules! That course of action is entirely out of the question. I will not allow it.'

'But we can hardly let her go now that she has witnessed all this. Surely you realize that, Headmaster.'

'I am certain Miss Granger won't tell a soul,' Dumbledore spoke gently. 'It may have escaped your notice, but she is a very bright and trustworthy witch, Severus. Our secret will be more than safe with her.'

'Safe!' Snape bellowed, and Hermione could see he was positively furious now. 'She won't be able to ward off even the weakest attack on her mind! It won't take the Dark Lord more than a second to unravel her deepest secrets!'

Hermione shifted uncomfortably on her feet as Dumbledore and Snape argued. She was not entirely certain what was worse; having part of her memory erased or carrying the heavy burden of the truth just revealed to her.

'Well,' Dumbledore said, and she startled slightly. She had almost forgotten the argument wasn't over yet. 'In that case you will have to teach her Occlumency, Severus.' Dumbledore's words were followed by a long silence. Snape looked baffled, and she herself wasn't much better off.

'What?' Snape breathed at last. 'I am to teach this ... this ... know-it-all Occlumency?'

'Mind your words, Severus,' Dumbledore calmly replied.

'What has gotten into you?' Snape snapped. 'Don't you recall what happened the last time you ordered me to teach a student Occlumency?'

Hermione swallowed painfully. She remembered Harry's recollections of his evenings with Snape only too well.

'I do, but I am confident things will turn out better this time,' Dumbledore insisted. Snape appeared beyond himself with anger.

'Confident as you may be, I refuse to teach another dunderhead. It would be a waste of my time at best.'

'Severus...'

Snape had balled his hands into fists and appeared to fight back the urge to attack Dumbledore. 'No, Headmaster! I am not your puppet, don't treat me as such!' He threw Dumbledore a hateful look and stalked off into the darkness. Hermione was left behind with the Headmaster. Silence fell.

'Well,' the Dumbledore finally spoke, 'I regret you had to witness that. For now, please retreat to your rooms, Miss Granger. We will address this matter in the morning.'

Hermione found herself simply standing there, staring at the Headmaster. How could he so easily dismiss her after all the fuss he and Snape had made about her presence just minutes before? She realized she was gaping, but was somehow unable to do anything else, as her body seemed to have failed her. Dumbledore gave her an encouraging nod, and she at last managed to make her unwilling limbs obey.

'Goodnight, Professor,' she mumbled, before turning around and walking away from the corridor. Confusion clouded her mind. What on Earth was going on at Hogwarts?

AN: Yes, the beginning of this fanfic is rather cliché, as I am well aware. Nevertheless, I will try my best to make this story as interesting as possible (and yes, I do have several plot twists planned : ) ). I thoroughly enjoy writing this fic, and I hope that you, my readers, will enjoy reading it.

Reviews make me happy.