Severus was late. Usually this would be a cause for smugness and relief - he had a cast-iron excuse to miss the first hour or two of yet another ball, and could conceivably have made it reason not to attend at all. But now he had his arrangement with Miss Granger it meant he would be losing out on reciprocal time in the bedroom, and he found he would rather put up with the dancing than miss out on both. He'd rather enjoyed the night they had spent together the previous week and was keen for it to happen again as soon as he could justify a repeat performance. Now Miss Granger's virginity was out of the way he had an inkling that her natural curiosity and quest for knowledge would work in his favour. He'd spent a ridiculous amount of time the previous day immersed in fantasies starring the two of them in increasingly ambitious positions as Miss Granger marked them off on her 'to do' list with a large white quill. He found he didn't object at all to the thought of being her test subject.

He slipped into the ballroom of the host's manor and kept to the shadows as was his wont, keen to avoid notice and the potential of a grand entrance. His eyes were trained on the busy dance floor, searching for a very specific shade of yellow…

It didn't take him long to spot Pomona Sprout in her green dress robes, dancing a stately waltz with a distinguished gentleman. Nor the youngest Mr Weasley, doing an approximation of the same dance steps with a leggy blond in a scrap of fabric masquerading as a dress. He sneered in disapproval at her overtly sexual appearance, and silently gave thanks that the witch he was looking for would not be seen dead in such a dress in public. Severus was definitely not a prude but he did believe in keeping such things private.

Speaking of which, he was yet to find even a hint of curly hair and amber eyes. Frowning, Severus edged further around the dance floor, searching the tables placed around the sides for her. He had been sure she would be dancing - without him to protect her she had undoubtedly been swamped with requests from those who had made her evenings miserable before he had stepped in. She was far too kind-hearted to decline them all without an excuse, which was what had caused this whole scenario in the first place. He glanced out over the floor once more.

There she was!

She had been hidden behind a pillar from his previous position but now he could see her clearly. Her dress floated around her like wisps of cloud as she twirled on the dance floor, laughing delightedly. She had clearly taken the design he had created for her at dinner and added layer on layer of the lightest, most delicate silk chiffon to the skirt. He most definitely approved.

Severus paused, still hidden, to watch. She was delectable, and so innocently beautiful that for one moment his heart stalled before stuttering back to life. She was easily the brightest, most desirable woman in the room and he felt heady in the knowledge that she was his. Maybe not in a conventional way, but she was willing to be seen on his arm in public, allowing him to protect her. Circe, he had even had an input in to the dress she wore. She would be his in private too, showing him the most secret parts of herself. Some days he could hardly believe his luck - 'not bad for a working class oik from Lancashire' he thought to himself smugly. He often wished he could travel back to his desperately unhappy childhood and reassure his younger self that it all got better in time. This was one of those moments… if he had known a vision such as Miss Granger was waiting for him, well…

Now, who was she dancing with? Ah, Amos Diggory, father of the late Cedric, and supporter of the Light. Severus held back the stab of jealousy he had first felt at seeing her looking so radiant on someone else's arm - Amos was hardly a threat. Still, it wouldn't do for her to remain without an escort for much longer. The piece was coming to an end and he could already see a couple of young men edging towards her in the hopes of securing her hand for the next dance.

Waiting for the band to stop, he slid around the room until he was directly in front of her. He wanted to see her face as he appeared out of the shadows - he was curious to see whether her first reaction was positive. After all, this was only the second dance since their arrangement had started and she may have got cold feet but had been unwilling to tell him. At this thought Severus let out a snort of amusement. The idea of the forthright Miss Granger being too shy to tell him she had changed her mind was ludicrous.

To his immense satisfaction, the second she saw him she gave him a beaming smile and hurried towards him. She stopped just in front of him, still smiling.

"Miss Granger," he acknowledged, his voice low and gravelly as he inclined his head.

She gave him a little formal curtsey, as befitted a meeting on a dance floor. "Professor! You're here!" She took his proffered arm as she spoke, allowing her free hand to come up to his shoulder as he took her into hold for another waltz, "I wasn't sure if you were going make it this evening."

"I had an appointment," He explained as he led her around the floor, "The healer from St Mundos in charge of my recovery decided to do a full assessment this week. Unfortunately part way through there was an emergency and I had to wait for him to return."

She squeezed his arm in sympathy, "That must have been tedious. Did they at least have you wait in a private room?"

He confirmed that they had at least provided that, and the rest of the dance passed most agreeably with Miss Granger telling him what he had missed, including a most amusing stand off between Pomona Sprout and a reporter from the Prophet who had sneaked in. He allowed himself a small smirk at the punchline, confident that she knew him well enough to tell that he had been amused by her story despite all his protests that idle chit-chat and gossip were of no interest to him.

They danced a further two dances before he escorted her back to her table and went to find refreshments for them both. On his return he found her talking to Weasley. Hearing his name he held back, shamelessly eavesdropping.

"-I just think it's funny that's all," Weasley was saying to an exasperated looking Miss Granger.

"You think it is funny that Professor Snape is willing to dance with me?" Her voice was icy.

"No, that's not what I meant," Severus smirked as the boy hurriedly back-tracked. "I just thought you might want to dance with someone else rather than that greas-"

"Don't finish that." If her tone had been icy before, it was glacial now as she interrupted him. "Professor Snape is a hero and you know it. He saved Harry's life, and therefore yours and mine, more times than I can mention. You might not like him but you will be respectful."

"Yes Mione," came the cowed response.

"Going back to your original objection, It is none of your business Ronald who I dance with or what I do. I don't pass comment on the string of girlies you bring to these events do I? As it is, if you must know he's doing me a favour."

"A favour? What kind of favour?"

"Surely you noticed how I get harassed at these things by men wanting to dance with me? It's ok for you guys… the hero worship gets spread out between you all. That, and Ginny is fierce enough to deter Harry's admirers. I get to be the token young, single female, and they all want to say they've danced with me. Or more…" she added ominously.

Severus could see that Weasley was still looking clueless.

"Oh, for goodness sake Ron, it's not rocket science."

"Rocket science?"

She sighed dramatically as Severus rolled his eyes in the shadows at the dunderheaded boy. "Muggle saying… I'll explain another time, I really can't be bothered right now. Look - all you need to know is that the Professor has agreed to escort me to the evening events and dance with me so I can legitimately turn down anyone else who asks. It saves me having to come up with endless excuses or from getting into trouble for hexing them all." Miss Granger was clearly getting frustrated with having to explain herself.

"I still don't see why it has to be him," he replied belligerently.

"Because, Ron, you and Harry and the others are all far too busy having fun to want to spend every evening with me. Plus, he's an ex Death Eater. Would you cross him to request a dance with me?"

Weasley shuddered dramatically and Severus smirked - he was never above using his fearsome reputation to his advantage.

"I see your point," he conceded slowly, "But I don't like it. If he upsets you, just tell us, and we'll sort him out for you."

She laughed with genuine amusement, "If he upsets me I'll hex him myself thank you. I don't need protecting from him or from anyone else really. It's just easier having an escort to things like this - saves all those hurt feelings, and in my case, hurt toes. Oh look, there's your date. Go dance with her, I'm fine here."

"You sure?"

"Of course I am. The Professor will be back any moment with drinks. Unless you wanted to tell him what you've said to me…?" She added mischievously, grinning when her friend got up rapidly, making his excuses and hurrying off.

Severus took this as his cue to return to the table, handing her a glass of wine.

"You heard that didn't you?" she asked ruefully.

"Some," Severus was non-committal.

"Ron's sweet. They all are really, especially when they get all macho and try and look after me. It's like having a gang of protective brothers. Except they do it for a while and then get bored or forget and then I'm left having to deal with the idiots on my own again. I'd much rather rely on you - at least we both know where we stand and you get something in return."

"Miss Granger," Severus began, unsure whether to bring up what he wanted to ask. Making a decision he ploughed ahead. "I can't help but remember you in the final battle, and indeed all the time I've known you. From punching Mr Malfoy-" She gasped and he raised an eyebrow - "Yes I knew about that. Surely you knew he would come running to his Head of House after being physically assaulted? But that's beside the point. From punching Mr Malfoy to hexing Death Eaters on the battlefield, you have never shied away from conflict before. What I mean is, you are a strong young woman more than capable of defending yourself. Why are you relying on me to do it for you?"

They sat in silence for a long while as she drank her wine and thought. He could see the conflicting emotions running across her face as she contemplated.

She took another sip of wine before glancing up at him. "What I told Ron was true. Because it is easier, I think. I could stand up for myself and tell all those men to go away and not come back, but they would demand to know why, and wouldn't be satisfied with any honest answer I gave them. Frankly, I can't be bothered. This arrangement between us, it works. I get peace and don't have to spend my evenings gritting my teeth and holding my tongue from hexing them all with their inane posturing, and you get, well, me."

"Indeed," he replied dryly.

"Besides," she continued with a mischievous grin, nudging him under the table with her foot, "I don't think I'll ever get tired of the look of horror on their faces when they try and cut in and discover that my partner is you."

oOo

The next morning Hermione came down to breakfast to find Professor McGonagall waiting for her at the kitchen table, drinking tea and reading the newspaper. She murmured a greeting before busying herself putting bread in the toaster.

"Miss Granger, do you have some time this morning?"

Hermione frowned absently, recalling her obligations for the day, then turned and nodded, "I think I'm free until after lunch, Professor. I'm visiting some of my parent's friends this afternoon but that's not until two o'clock." It was a rare day off from both Hogwarts rebuilding and Order obligations.

Her parents, their memories restored by the Australian Aurors, had remained in Perth after the war. They had little desire to return to their former lives in England, especially when Hermione could visit them by international port-key with very little effort. But they had reestablished contact with their old friends and colleagues now it was safe to do so, passing off their missing time as a small mid-life crisis. Hermione had agreed to go visit an elderly former business partner of theirs and his wife on their behalf. She didn't mind - it was a small price to pay for the pleasure of knowing they were happy and healthy on the other side of the world. Besides, Mr and Mrs Price were dears. Chances are she would spend the afternoon eating cake and giggling at stories of her parents' antics when they were younger and far more foolish.

"Excellent." The Professor's voice brought her back to the here and now. "Incidentally, my dear, I wouldn't be offended if you were to call me Minerva now. You are an adult now, and we aren't at school."

Hermione felt a flush of pleasure at the privilege being granted. "Thank you, Pr-Minerva," she stumbled out, "And I'd be honoured if you would call me Hermione."

"Shall we say ten then Hermione? In the library. See if you can round up the boys too, although I'll speak to them individually if they can't make it." With that Minerva sent her cup to the sink to wash itself up and swept out of the room.

Hermione filled the kettle for tea and waited for her toast to pop. What did Professor-Minerva want? She wondered if it was to require them to do yet more PR work for the Order. Although Hermione wasn't exactly sure what else they could be doing - it felt like if there was an envelope being opened somewhere in Wizarding Britain, then one of them was expected to attend.

She then had a flash of apprehension that her liaison with Professor Snape had been discovered, but she reassured herself that if that had been the case then there was no way Minerva would have asked her to bring Harry and Ron along. Not that they were doing anything wrong, anyway.

'No use worrying,' she took a bite of toast reflectively, 'I'll find out soon enough.'

Luckily the sound reminiscent of a herd of elephants thundering down the stairs signalled the arrival of Harry and Ron and the end of any possibility of introspective thoughts for the time being.

oOo

By the time ten o'clock came around Hermione had gathered not only the male parts of the Golden Trio, but also Ginny, Luna and Neville, who had all appeared by floo over the course of the previous hour and were lounging about and gossiping in the sitting room. It seemed that if there wasn't a ministry event to go to then Grimmauld Place became the default meeting place for the friends.

The weather was bright and sunny again and there were tentative plans from the boys and Ginny to head out to The Burrow for the afternoon for quidditch and dinner. Everyone was invited and both Neville and Luna quickly agreed, even though neither were particularly good at the sport. Hermione begged off explaining she already had plans, not that anyone actually expected her to voluntarily participate in anything involving a broomstick.

When the clock struck the hour they all good-naturedly dragged themselves off of the sofas and into the library to await the Headmistress. She followed moments later, closing the door behind her and indicating that they should take a seat, waving her wand to transfigure extra chairs out of a few sheets of parchment paper laying on a desk. There was a short scuffle when Ron and Neville both went for the same seat, resolved when the Professor extended it into a sofa for two, muttering something about "Children" under her breath.

"Thank you for coming," she began, taking a seat herself by the fireplace. "I appreciate you don't get much free time at the moment, so I'll keep this brief."

The room was quiet - the young men and women all looked at her expectantly, wondering what the meeting was about.

"I won't beat around the bush. I met with the Governors yesterday and they have decided that the next school term will start as planned in September. There will be a small number of ongoing building projects but we are confident that classrooms can be moved to temporary locations where necessary until it is completed. It was felt that getting the children back into the school and back to as normal a routine as possible should take priority."

Hermione felt her heart sinking. Yes, she loved Hogwarts and was pleased that it would be opening again. Given how it looked straight after the final battle she doubted she was the only one who had questioned if it would ever open again. But the thought of wearing a school uniform again and spending her evenings socialising in the common room was anathema to her.

McGonagall continued explaining the expected set up. "We know a lot of students missed out on pretty much a whole year's worth of schooling, particularly the muggle-borns who could not attend last year. As such, everyone will have a choice as to whether they want to repeat the year or move up to the next year group. Miss Weasley, Miss Lovegood, I know you both attended lessons where you could last year but no doubt feel there are holes in your education. As I know you both personally, I'd like to recommend you choose to move up to the Seventh Year. We can arrange some additional tutoring for the subjects you need help in, but I feel it would be a waste of your time to repeat the whole year.

"Which brings me on to the rest of you." She looked around at Harry, Ron, Neville and Hermione. "You also have a choice. You can come back to Hogwarts in September and take your NEWTS at the end of next summer, a year later than you would have originally. But if you want to, there is another option. I've agreed with the Governors and with the Ministry that we can hold something of a summer school here for the next couple of months. You wouldn't be able to take every subject" - here she glanced at Hermione, knowing how full her timetable had been- "But we think that between us residents and those who could floo in daily we should be able to offer all the core subjects - Transfiguration, Charms, Potions, Defence and Herbology.

"The Ministry have agreed to hold an extraordinary exam board in the first week of September, before Hogwarts opens, to test you. You would get the results in time for University entrance, Mr Longbottom, Miss Granger; and I know Kingsley would be happy to see his Aurors come into training with a few NEWTS to their names, Mr Potter, Mr Weasley. It would be hard work as there is a lot of material to cover, but we think that for a small group of you it would be more beneficial than having to return to the school."

Hermione looked at Harry and then at Ron and Neville, all of whom looked both pleased and mildly terrified at the thought of having to cram a year's worth of schooling into two months. She was excited - this was perfect! It looked like she would be able to go to University this year and get her NEWTS. She wondered about Arithmancy. It wasn't one of the subjects the Headmistress had mentioned yet she needed to do it if she was to go on and study it at degree level. She resolved to question Minerva about it later.

"That sounds great, Professor," Harry finally spoke up, "And I don't know about the others but I'd be very keen to do the summer school. Can't really imagine going back to Hogwarts as a student now," he looked down at himself wryly while the others nodded in agreement.

"I know, Mr Potter," Minerva was sympathetic, "You need to move on with your life, not go backwards." She looked round at them all again before speaking. "There is one other thing, and I would like you to think about this carefully. Mr Malfoy has put in a special request that his son be allowed to take his exams this summer too. Despite being exonerated by the Wizengamot, he felt it would be unwise for Draco to return to the school at present. I have to say I agree - Master Malfoy also needs to find some distance from the events of the last year.

"I would like him to attend classes with you all." She spoke briskly, before the murmur of disgruntled voices became outright objections. "It would be inefficient to run two separate groups given how few of you there are, and detrimental to you all as we would have less time to spend with you. No-one else is being offered the chance to take their exams this summer - the rest are to repeat the year or find private tutors if they wish to be home-schooled.

"I know Mr Malfoy has made many mistakes but I know he has done what he can to repent too - Mr Potter, I believe you spoke for him at his trial?"

"Yes," Harry reluctantly agreed. "He saved my life. I thought it only fair."

"Well perhaps you could consider this a way of balancing that debt? The message we have been spreading since the war is that we have to forget old injuries and work together for a better future. I can think of no better way of us practising what we preach than to have you all studying together."

With that parting shot, the Professor left the library, suggesting they took some time to think about it and let her know by the end of the following day their plans.

Hermione started counting down in her head at soon as the door closed. "3…2…1…"

"I can't believe she wants us to work with that good for nothing ferret," Ron exploded.

'He's so predictable,' thought Hermione smugly.

"Yeah!" Harry added.

"I mean, come on!" Ron got up and started pacing while he ranted, "He tried to kill us, not once but numerous times. Not to mention he was an actual Death Eater. Hell, he watched 'Mione being tortured by his dear Auntie Bella and didn't do a thing to stop her."

At this Hermione thought she'd better cut in. "That's not exactly fair Ron. You know full well he did everything he could to avoid identifying any of us that day, even though it must have been blindingly obvious who we all were. Besides, you saw how Mr and Mrs Malfoy looked and how crazy Bellatrix was. Draco was clearly terrified of her too."

"He used to bring me food," Luna piped up in a dreamy fashion from her chair. "In the dungeon. He healed me too. Whenever the guards got too rough with us he would smuggle healing potions in. He never said anything - not even to insult us. I got the feeling he was just as much a prisoner as we were."

This was a side to their childhood enemy that neither Harry or Ron had thought about and both quietened down for a moment.

"Well I'm with Ron," Ginny stated, getting up from her chair and moving to the fireplace. "Why should he get special treatment? Let him resit the year like everyone else. I don't see them offering this to the others from your year - what about Dean? And Susan Bones? They missed out too. Anyway, I'm going back home - see you all later for a game?" There were nods of agreement around the room and Ginny threw in the floo powder and left with a wave back to The Burrow.

"What do you think Neville?" Hermione asked curiously. "You spent more time than any of us with him last year."

"Not really. Between resistance stuff and avoiding the Carrows on my part, and his Death Eater duties, we didn't actually attend that many lessons together," he explained. "But I do remember him being pretty subdued as the terms went on. I mean, he still insulted us and hexed us whenever he could, but it felt more like it was for show than because he meant it. It was all a bit half-hearted."

"Well I think he should attend." Hermione decided there was no point pussyfooting around. "It is just for two months and it isn't as if you have to speak to him unless you want to. Heavens knows we have never seen eye to eye, and I doubt that is going to change any time soon, but Professor McGonagall is right - he needs to move on as much as we do. Although if he calls me a mudblood he'll wish he didn't live to regret it," she added darkly, thinking of all the creative curses she could inflict on him now they were outside of the protective walls of Hogwarts.

"I don't want him anywhere near me. He should find his own tutors." Ron's opinion was as expected.

Harry and Neville looked at each other. "I…" Harry started, then shrugged apologetically. "I owe him. If this helps reduce my debt then I have to take it."

"What do you think Neville?" Luna prompted gently. "Neither Ginny or I should have a vote in this as it is only you all who are affected."

Neville glanced at Ron apologetically. "Sorry mate, but I'm with Hermione. The sooner he gets schooling out of the way then the sooner he too can move on. I'm not going to be his best friend. Merlin, I'm unlikely to even speak to him. But I shared a classroom with him for seven years - what's another two months in the scheme of things?"

Ron looked mutinous but had the grace and good sense to back down.

"Here, I'll go and tell Professor McGonagall our decision. I've got some time before I need to leave anyway. Why don't you all go get your brooms and head to The Burrow now? No doubt Ginny has told Mrs Weasley you are enroute, and she's bound to have prepared a bit of lunch and some cake for you all." Hermione soothed in the time honoured tradition of placating the male half of the species - with the promise of food.

The boys all brightened up at the thought of Molly's cooking and an afternoon of flying and in no time at all they were bidding her goodbye, brooms in hand and all thoughts back on to quidditch.

Hermione watched them go with a sigh of relief. Finally some peace.

oOo

She took her time righting the room after the meeting, returning the chairs to their rightful place and cancelling the charm on the extras, turning them back into scrap parchment. The others were unlikely to return until late evening at the earliest, and chances are they would take the opportunity to spend a night with the Weasley's. As such she was in no rush to find Minerva - dinner would suffice if she didn't bump into her beforehand.

Feeling somewhat at a loss Hermione headed to the kitchen, figuring that it was close enough to eleven for tea and biscuits. She was the only one in there and she pottered around in the pantry debating between custard creams and hobnobs before deciding to open both. They wouldn't last long with so many mouths to feed anyway. Which reminded her, it was her turn to get the shopping. She summoned pen and paper and made a list of all the things she thought they needed while waiting for the tea to brew. It wasn't glamorous, shopping at Tescos, but it was far easier than getting everything sent from one of the Wizarding Grocery Shops, and much cheaper. Even Neville, a pureblood through and through, had embraced the conveniences of Muggle life when it came to shopping. At least she could shrink it all and apparate back afterwards rather than struggle with taxis and London traffic.

She was leaning against the work counter tapping the pen against her lips while debating what else to add to the list when she heard a noise. It seemed to be coming from the potions lab. Hermione immediately perked up - there was only one person likely to be in there, and she was foolishly pleased he was making use of her little brewing space. She wondered if he had noticed the work she'd put in to make it serviceable again, and if he approved of her changes to the supplies.

Without conscious thought she found herself edging towards the doorway until to her surprise she realised she had her hand on the wood ready to knock. Steeling herself to be shouted at, she knocked lightly. To her surprise a gruff voice called out,

"Come."

She opened the door quietly, well aware of the dangers of blundering around in a small space with volatile ingredients all around. He glanced up as if to confirm his hypothesis that it was her, then gestured to the stool on the other side of the bench, all the while stirring counter-clockwise in a constant rhythm while counting under his breath.

Hermione closed the door and sat down, looking with interest at the plants and minerals on the workbench and trying to deduce what he was making.

"47…48…49…50" Severus stopped, stirred three and a quarter times clockwise at half speed then carefully removed the stirring rod and lowered the flame beneath the cauldron. "Miss Granger, what can I do for you?"

"What are you making?" She asked curiously.

"Use that supposedly formidable brain of yours and guess," came the sarky response.

Hermione decided that despite the tone of his voice, he was actually challenging her to recognise it for herself. She looked at the ingredients around her and frowned. Standing up, she glanced at him for permission before looking more closely at the mixture inside the cauldron. It was a murky blue colour with bubbles fizzing on the surface in a kind of effervescent effect.

"Ginger… bicorn horn… fanged geranium teeth… lovage… That doesn't make sense. Surely the ginger cancels out the lovage Sir?"

"Not if you include a drop of distilled doxy wing-dew."

"Oh… Oh! Of course!" Hermione replied with excitement, "I see! Some kind of befuddlement draught, but with ginger and teeth to make it fiercer. And the bicorn horn as a relaxant… a sleeping potion of some sort Sir? Not Dreamless Sleep, but similar?"

He nodded approvingly before slipping into lecture mode, "A sleeping draught yes, but instead of removing the dreams completely, the potion removes the sharp edges, if you will, while also giving the user the courage to face up to their nightmares. It's far less habit-forming than Dreamless Sleep, but requires a Master to brew given the complexities of the formula. As such it's not widely available. Poppy, however, asked specifically for some to restock the hospital wing for next year."

"Yes," she agreed, "That's sensible given the number of traumatised kids there must be. I've been back to the castle almost every day since they started rebuilding and I still get moments where it all comes flooding back. It's not going to be easy for the younger ones to return." Hermione hadn't really thought about that before - there were so many affected by the war. Even if the younger pupils didn't fight they all knew those who had, and who hadn't survived. She had been so busy looking after herself and her friends that the rest of the school fell by the wayside.

"Indeed."

He began to decant the potion into clean glass bottles so Hermione made herself useful and put away ingredients and washed up the equipment. They worked together in companionable silence until the little room was once again gleaming.

"Tea Sir? I put the kettle on before coming down here. There are biscuits too." Hermione figured that bribery in the form of food worked just as well with older males as it did younger ones.

He looked around, checking everything was back in its place. "Go on then, if you must. I assume there was a reason you sought my company in the first place, so I might as well have tea while you talk."

They returned to the kitchen and the Professor made a pot of tea while Hermione hunted out the biscuit packs and a couple of cups. Soon they were seated at the familiar wooden table each nursing a mug and a selection of biscuits to dunk.

"The Headmistress spoke to us today," Hermione began, "She's offering us a chance to talk exams this summer rather than going back to school for another year."

"Yes, she mentioned it to me a couple of days ago," Snape confirmed, "I believe she wanted to ensure it was feasible before approaching the Ministry. She has the teachers' support."

Hermione looked up at him, surprised he was being so forthcoming. It gave her confidence to confide further. "I think it's the right thing to do… I don't really want to go back to being a school student, and I can see it's the best option for us. But…" Her voice broke as she struggled to put into words her feelings.

"But, you will be sacrificing something you dreamed of since you were eleven and first heard of the NEWTs?" He queried softly.

"I wanted to be the best," Hermione's voice was sad, "I wanted to get the most NEWTs, the best exam scores. And I know that won't happen now. I can't take all my subjects, and I don't have time to revise as I would have before."

"Isn't it enough that you will be famous for being integral to ending the war?"

"I thought so, but this is different. That was about Harry really, not me. Academia is just mine." Hermione blushed with embarrassment as she realised how petulant and ungrateful she sounded. "Logically I know you are right, and that there will be other opportunities for me to shine academically, but my heart feels like I'm giving up without a fight. It's childish of me, I know."

Professor Snape had not been Head of House for nearly twenty years without knowing how to comfort and reassure young women on the cusp of a personal crisis. "It's not childish, it's natural. You no doubt expected to be Head Girl too - another thing this conflict has taken away from you. Not that you would be given the role if you returned. I believe that the Headmistress has already selected both Head Girl and Head Boy from the year below you."

Hermione found that strangely reassuring - at least she knew it wasn't an option.

"But as for your NEWTs, you plan to attend university this autumn, yes? Then you will have plenty of further chances to impress everyone with your know-it-all status."

She smiled wanly at him. The insult was old and felt affectionate rather than mocking.

"Now. What else Miss Granger?"

"The Headmistress said we could only do some subjects. I wanted to study Arithmancy at Uni, but there's no chance they will let me on without a good NEWT in it. I'll have to switch subjects."

"That I can help with," Snape confirmed, actually glad there was something concrete he could do to assist his young charge. "Minerva didn't mention it - I'm sure because she hasn't been able to contact Septima yet. But you are bright enough to study for it without a tutor if needs be. In fact, I have some contacts at Imperial College here in London. If you like I could probably arrange for one of their Professors to spend an hour or two with you to get you up to speed."

"Would you?" Hermione's eyes were shining and she looked immeasurably more happy than when they had started talking. "That would be amazing! I'd really appreciate it. Oh! Thank you! I feel so much better about it all now - I could cope with giving up on the NEWTs dreams, and Head Girl; but having to change degree subjects would have really been galling."

"If I might ask for something in return?" Severus requested cautiously.

"Of course," Hermione was still buzzing.

"Did Minerva speak to you all about Mr Malfoy?"

"Yes, she suggested he could join our study group. We discussed it, and have agreed that it would be impractical to refuse. I've not told Professor McGonagall yet but I will do next time I see her."

"You know he is my godson?"

Hermione nodded.

"I would appreciate it if you could see your way to being… cordial… to him. I make no excuses for his behaviour now, or indeed over the last seven years towards you. But he is facing a very different world now to the one he grew up expecting and it has been hard. Despite the departure of the Dark Lord he remains a virtual prisoner in his home thanks to the press. I don't ask you to turn a blind eye or any such thing, just, give him a chance. Miss Granger, I think you will find he is a changed man to the boy you grew up with."

She looked down at her mug, swirling the dregs absently. "I can't promise I'll be his friend. I think there has been too much bad feeling between us for that. But I'll be civil and I won't start anything. That's not to say he gets a free ride though - if he calls me names or curses me, or the boys, then all bets are off. But I'll give him a chance."

"Thank you," The Professor was formal, "I can ask no more of you. Incidentally, I believe Draco was also hoping to at least complete his Arithmancy NEWT. That might work in your favour. His father may not have political sway any more, but he does have resources that would stretch to a private tutor for the subject if you both needed it. I would personally ensure that you were included in any such arrangement."

"That's decided then. I'll do my NEWTs this summer and put an application in for Uni. And Draco can join our class - I'll go and find the Headmistress now and let her know." She got up and took the empty cups and plates to the sink. "Thank you for listening, Sir, you've really helped."

"Indeed. Now hadn't you better get going? I'm sure I've wasted enough time listening to you now today?" He was gruff but it didn't fool her for a second. She squeezed his shoulder on the way out, leaving him alone in the kitchen, a half smile playing on his lips.

"Minerva would have kittens if she knew I had the so-called Gryffindor Princess coming to me for advice these days." He said to himself smugly, satisfied with the outcomes of their discussion. Not only had he reassured Miss Granger but also paved the way for his godson to return to some kind of society. Being on speaking terms with some, if not all, of the Golden Trio would go a long way to ensure his rehabilitation. All in all, a good morning's work.

A/N - sorry again for the slow update, but at least it was a nice long chapter to make up for it! I have fully mapped out this story and expect it to be complete in around 22 chapters.

Thanks as always to everyone who reads and takes the time to review, especially those who comment after every chapter - you are all amazing!