A/N: I own nothing and I am making no money off of this.
This is my first fic so please be kind; any reviews would be much appreciated! (No flames please) Also if anyone would like to beta for me, shoot me an e-mail and we can set something up :)
Enjoy!

She tossed and turned on the bed with the futile hope that sleep would claim her and yet sleep was the one thing that eluded her. Her thoughts would not be still and she was so tense that it was a wonder she could even be lying down. Her first day of teaching would begin with the rising of the sun and Hermione was nervous. She had been through a war with Voldemort for goodness sakes and yet the idea of teaching a room full of young children was daunting. She knew her subject well and had prepared an excellent lesson for the first week of classes and yet she was still unable to fall asleep.

She sat up and decided that if she wasn't going to be able to sleep then she might as well do something useful. She climbed out of her four poster bed, stripped off her night things and put on a pair of black Muggle yoga pants and a matching athletic top. She tied her curly hair in a loose pony tail at the nape of her neck and donned her favorite pair of running shoes. If she couldn't fall asleep the natural way then she would just have to beat her body into submission. She was already feeling better as she secured her wand to her calf and made her way out of her private quarters.

She was surprised to find that there were no students out of bed at the late hour, as it was the first night in a new place for most of them. Of course it was after one o'clock in the morning and not everyone was as anxious as she. She left the castle and stepped out into the warm night air. It was still seasonably warm for September and Hermione was glad of the warmth. It helped to soothe her as she began her warm-up stretches. She started with her arms and worked her way down her body. She shook her hands a few times and started at a slow jog around the castle. She followed the stone path that encircled the school and it wasn't long before she worked up a well deserved sweat. Hermione controlled her breathing and started to run faster, spurred on by the feeling of freedom that often came with a rush of adrenaline and endorphins.

One lap around the school was at least four miles and Hermione was sweating profusely and breathing hard by the time she rounded the last corner of the castle. She pushed herself harder than ever to complete the last few feet when she was suddenly wrenched off the path by a pair of very strong hands. She landed with a thump against a very male chest and the small amount of air that occupied her lungs was pushed out with a whoosh.

"What the bloody hell?" Hermione pushed a few tendrils of hair out of her eyes and looked up to glare at the person who had interrupted her nightly run. Her chestnut eyes collided with none other than the infamous Severus Snape. He was glaring at her and his wand was slightly raised as if he were about to hex someone; Hermione hoped that it wouldn't be her. She was still breathing heavily and the close proximity to her former Potions master did nothing to slow her rapid heartbeat. "I say again, what are you doing grabbing me like that? What right have you?" Hermione's voice was quiet despite the anger that filled her.

"Be quiet, girl!" Severus hissed through clenched teeth.

"Why? Who would hear us, we are outside." She decided not to correct his term of 'girl' as she was now also a professor at Hogwarts. Severus gave her one of his best glares that would have once intimidated her.

"Then what were you running away from at this late hour?" His voice was silky smooth and yet filled with his famous sneer. Hermione laughed, stepped away from Snape and put some much needed distance between herself and the Potions master.

"My dear Professor, I was merely out expelling some energy. I was restless and could not spend another minute confined in my chambers." She smiled. "I just needed some night air." Snape arched a brow at her and wondered what she was really doing outside dressed…like that. He found himself swallowing hard as he looked at her fully for the first time.

Her curly hair was pulled back from her face, yet a few stray strands escaped to be plastered to her neck. She was dressed in stretchy pants that accentuated every curve of her lower body, and her top was cut so low across her breasts that it seemed she would spill out of the tight top at any moment. Her chest was coated in a fine layer of sweat and Severus had to swallow hard a few times to get himself under control. She was no longer a child, hadn't been for quite some time. He wondered why it had taken him so long to notice how much she had really changed. His facial expression must have softened because suddenly Hermione was no longer angry. He could sense her mood shift right away; it took him by surprise to notice that she was now looking at him with a keen interest.

He wondered briefly what she saw in him and just as hope began to well up in his chest, she took a step towards him as if she were drawn to him. Snape shook his head slightly to clear his suddenly foggy mind and carefully schooled his features. He wasn't sure what had just happened between the two of them but he was not ready to find out just yet. His voice was a bit hard when he finally broke the silence between them.

"Miss Granger, you should go back to your quarters. The chill night air does not suit you; you should know better than to traipse around the castle at night." A sneer crossed his face when she laughed. It was a surprisingly pleasant sound and Severus was further confused by the girl…woman…

"Oh, Professor, if anyone should be accustomed to 'traipsing' around the castle at night then it would be me. You needn't worry about me." Her eyes seemed to dance with mirth. "I am a big girl. I can take care of myself." With that said, she turned away from him for a cool down run.

It took Severus a moment to regain his bearings before he turned on his heel to return to the castle. He looked over his shoulder one last time to see Hermione stretching her arms over her head and then roll her spine down so she was bent over with her legs apart and her arse in the air. Severus groaned inwardly and decided that a very cold shower was in order.

Hermione couldn't believe what had just happened. She had stood in front of Severus Snape, in clothing that was much too revealing and wishing that he would touch her. The feel of him was burned into her very skin, from the first time that he took her into his arms; never mind that he thought that he was protecting her and that there was nothing sexual about the embrace. And still Hermione couldn't get it out of her mind.

"Stop it! He is still the same Snape who hated Harry and Ron…and thought that I was nothing more than a bushy haired know-it-all."

While he hadn't been as cruel to her since she had taken the position of Charms professor, he hadn't been friendly either. What else was to be expected from Severus Snape? Hermione decided to banish all thoughts of Severus from her mind as she began her cool down stretches to ease her overworked muscles.

She never noticed the pair of black eyes that watched her for a mere moment, but they were soon gone.