Hermione made her way down to the hospital wing just as she had done for the past two weeks. After her parents had died in a fire in April, she had worried about what to do for the summer holiday. She couldn't go back home, where her parents and house had been destroyed; and she had no family left.

The Weasleys had been forced to abandon the Burrow and go into hiding. They had moved into a cramped, two-bedroom apartment, and while they had offered to let her stay with them, she knew that she would just be in the way. Also, she wasn't too keen on spending an entire summer with Ron whom she had just ended a rather painful year-long relationship with.

So she had approached Dumbledore who had arranged for her to have a summer internship with Madam Pomfrey. During the summer Madam Pomfrey often went to assist Hogsmeade residents with their ailments or childbirths, or to answer emergency floos from St. Mungo's when they were particularly busy. During these times she would leave Hermione alone in the hospital wing to make dozens of various medicinal potions to be used during the school year.

Today Hermione walked into the hospital wing and after a quick look around to see if Madam Pomfrey was in (she wasn't) Hermione gathered her supplies and began work on a dreamless sleep potion, singing while she worked.

Suddenly, an irritated noise came from one of the beds to her left. Hermione gasped, she hadn't noticed anyone in the room when she'd first walked in.

"Would you please stop making that infernal racket, some people are trying to sleep!"

Hermione gaped at the boy in the bed. "I...I'm sorry, I didn't know anyone was here, I was just starting a new batch of dreamless sleep and..."

"You're making it wrong," the boy said sulkily. "the potion will be much more effective if you ground the root instead of chopping it".

Hermione continued to stare at him, he reminded her so much of someone, who was it?

"Close your mouth, and stop gawking at me, you look like a fool," the boy said.

"I'm sorry you don't approve of me," Hermione said peevishly, "but I will be working here all summer, so as long as you're staying here you'll be stuck with me."

"I never said I didn't approve of you," said the boy, "I said you were gawking. They're two different things." He took a deep breath, "I haven't seen enough of you to form an opinion," he said seriously. "Though the singing does count against you," he said as an afterthought.

Hermione blinked and then asked, "who are you?"

"I," said the boy, "am Severus Snape."

Hermione was so startled she knocked her cauldron off the table. "Oh sweet Merlin!" she exclaimed. "What happened to you, Professor?"

Severus rolled his eyes and let out an exasperated sigh. "I'm not that Severus Snape, you idiot, I'm his nephew."

"Oh," said Hermione, somewhat relieved. "Well what happened to you? Do you need me to get your Uncle? Does he know you're here?"

"My uncle is dead. It was a potions accident," Severus said shortly.

"Oh! Oh dear. I think I need to sit down," Hermione said weakly.

In a surprisingly kind gesture, Severus stood up and led her over to his bed to sit down.

They sat there a few minutes in silence, and when she finally looked up, Severus was surprised to see that her eyes were overly bright.

"I'm sorry I didn't properly introduce myself," she said, extending a hand. "I'm Hermione Granger, Madam Pomfrey's summer assistant. I'll be a seventh year once term starts."

Severus looked at her for a moment and then took her hand. "Severus Snape, also a seventh year next term," he said.

"Severus, would you like to get some lunch?" she asked. "You're well enough to walk, aren't you?"

"Yes," Severus said, surprised. "I think I was only in here to make sure that I didn't suffer any damages from the potions accident. I was in the lab with my uncle, you see."

"Oh, do you like Potions too?" Hermione asked, trying not to think about her recently deceased professor.

Severus gave her a critical look. "Yes, I enjoy the subject. Why? Do you?"

"I enjoy every subject" Hermione said frankly. "But Potions is-well, was, the best because Professor Snape always made me work for my grade. It didn't come effortlessly like my other classes, he made me think. He might not have been the kindest professor, but in a strange way I think he was the best."

Severus looked at her appraisingly. Maybe she wouldn't be so bad after all, he thought, as they made their way down to the Great Hall together.