Severus had to admit that she had surprised him with her approach to learning, it was exceptionally different from his previous experiences as her teacher. Where before she had indeed been insufferable trying to cram all her knowledge down his throat until he succumbed to death's embrace, now she was quiet and attentive to his teachings. She had been a regurgitating machine and he had dreaded the unnecessary drivel that she wrapped the topic of her essays in but no longer. If he had known better, he'd have thought it was someone else he was speaking with. She had become more subdued and more focused on the applications of knowledge and examining the flaws within theories and subjects rather than stating facts. If he had asked her younger self to tell him the difference between knowledge and intelligence, she probably would have answered him with an answer she had read in a book whereas now her answer would have bordered more on the philosophical than factual. It certainly made her more bearable and, as loathe as he was to admit it, Severus had enjoyed teaching her. She was the student he had always hoped he would find, a hope that had withered on the branch as many others had over the course of several mind-numbing years of purgatory. To say that her presence had revitalised him was a point that could be fiercely debated but he could not deny, there may be an element of truth to it.

"If I am being too intrusive, I give you full permission to tell me to shove off but, why did you choose Potions as your Mastery if you had such a strong passion for Defence against the Dark Arts?" Hermione piped up thoughtfully, pulling Severus out of his thoughts. It had taken many days before he had been willing to allow her into his lab and many more days before she had become as expected in there as his stirring rods and cauldrons. He had considered her carefully for a moment as she meticulously counted clockwise turns, a slight crease on her brow as she resolutely stared at the cauldron and resisted the urge to look at him.

"It was more useful to the Dark Lord." Severus replied simply and honestly. There was a little bit more to it than simply that but it was an inescapable fact. His choice had been made for him by the Dark Lord, as many of his choices had been made for him. He could not deny that it had been a good choice all things considered. He would never have successfully faked his death otherwise and where then would he be?

"Is that the only reason?" She asked, not fully accepting his answer. She had a sense that there was something deeper that he had not told her and Hermione was tenacious enough that she couldn't accept just that answer and leave it be. Severus resisted the urge to snap at her. He was working hard to ensure that the amiable air that had surrounded them since that second day continue to prevail. It was a question that he had not expected to have to answer, at least not to the slip of a girl who was standing in front of him. No, not girl, woman.

"Potion making is a solitary occupation and one that I quickly found was suited to my natural talents. There is very little room for corruption in Potion making, an honesty lacking from many subjects. Primarily potions are created to heal." Severus explained, giving her enough to satisfy her natural curiosity without delving too far into the mixed and deeper reasons for his choice.

Hermione hummed in response, accepting his answer and continuing to count the clockwise turns, her eyes narrowing slightly, waiting for the potion to change colour. No matter how many potions he made, Severus always cherished the small thrill of excitement while waiting at the precipice for the potion to enter its final stages and change to the required colour and consistency. He had been disappointed in the past, it was an intrinsic part of the experimentation process, there was bound to be failures, even for the most skilled potioneer. He silently observed her, waiting with her and then quietly allowing his approval to show when he knew she wasn't looking, the slightest upward curl of the lips a poor imitation of a smile. She would get nothing more from him though, he was too reserved and guarded to start smiling, Merlin forbid what would happen if he did. Hermione, for her part, exhaled in relief, carefully removing the stirring rod and placing it gently down on the counter, slowly killing the flames to give the potion time to cool. She had been working on it for several day and this was the furthest she had gotten in the experimentation process. She had made considerable use of Arithmancy to determine the success of her project but there had been one rogue element disrupting her calculations, something that Severus had quickly corrected. She had initially been highly irritated that she had spent hours working on the equations and he had resolved her problem and correctly balanced the variables with only a cursory glance. It had all worked out in the end though and, as Hermione had reasoned, she did want to learn from him and that was exactly what she had done.

"Merlin be praised, it's done. As useful as it is, I don't think potion making is the one for me." Hermione stated, moving away from the cauldron to lean against the counter beside him, arms folding across her chest.

"A pity Miss Granger. After all, how will the world of potions cope without a genius such as yourself?" Severus's sarcasm blended with a touch of friendliness and Hermione resisted the urge to bump him with her elbow. She had never thought that she would be in the position she was just now, understanding Snape well enough to know the difference between scathing derision and playful wit for that was the only word she could think of to describe it.

"I'm sure the many skilled potioneers around the world can fill the void that my unique skills will leave behind." She replied, her lips twitching upwards at the corners into a small smile. Severus grunted in response, the once furious black in his eyes now glittering with mild amusement. It did please Severus to have a sparring partner easily to hand. As infuriating as the woman could be, Severus did sometimes miss the relationship he had once had with Minerva McGonogall. However, he had found that particular quality had crept into his interactions with Hermione and it was only when it had first started a few weeks ago that he had realised he had mourned its loss.

"Where then will your unique talents be placed then?" Severus asked, his eyebrow raising slightly with the question as he studied her more relaxed form leaning beside him. Hermione shook her head, a small huff of laughter escaping her as she looked at him out of the corner of her eye.

"Jesus Severus, you make it sound like I'm a magical prostitute." For a moment there was silence before Severus unleashed a sharp bark of laughter that almost caught Hermione by surprise. She had not quite expected that reaction.

"I would not recommend that particular career pathway." He responded after a moment. Hermione rolled her eyes before uncrossing her arms in order to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear. A companionable silence settled between them as Hermione reached for a stool, pulling it across so she could sit down, turning and angling her knees towards the dark haired man beside her. She could only have dreamed of such a situation as the one she had found herself in, although it would have been a nightmare, it was now one of the few things that grounded her in a world that made barely any sense anymore.

"I had considered Arithmancy or Ancient Runes but it doesn't quite feel right to me." Hermione broke the silence, allowing some of her more superficial thoughts to escape her. There were certain things that they had both silently and mutually agreed would not be discussed and drawing attention to their circumstances was one of those things.

"Your skill with Charms appears to be above adequate." Severus's reply would have easily been misconstrued before but now Hermione understood that it was the closest he ever really came to offering a compliment.

"I will have you know that I'm exceptional with Charms." Hermione retorted, resisting the urge to stick her tongue out at him. That would have been childish and Severus Snape was not the sort of man to respond well to childish behaviour. It's probably part of why he was such a grumpy teacher.

"What say you to Charms then? Filius would certainly be agreeable to training you for a mastery. In fact, he'd probably compose a song about it for the school choir to sing." Hermione snorted in a very unladylike manner, her hand flying to her mouth to try contain her laughter at his words. It was a bit of an exaggeration but the image that it conjured in her mind was very amusing.

"Manners girl, you are a human being, not a farmyard animal." Severus mildly scolded her, not so secretly amused by her reaction. The joy of real laughter and not mocking trills or insane cackling was something that had long eluded him but was particularly pleasurable. When Hermione laughed, it brought a warmth to the room that his own wheezing laughter failed to induce.

"Well, stop giving me things to laugh at then. I can't help how I laugh Severus, it's an involuntary reaction." Hermione explained, his name rolling off her tongue without any hesitation. It had been difficult to become accustomed to saying it instead of 'Professor' or 'Snape' but as the days had passed, it had become significantly easier. For his part, he rarely called her Miss Granger but on the occasions that he did it was no longer a retreat to formality to shield himself and establish distance, rather it was part of his humour. Hermione had found that she rather liked his dry wit as opposed to the outright guffawing humour of Ron.

At the thought of Ron, Hermione noticeably deflated, her shoulders hunching slightly as she turned away from Severus to sit straight ahead, staring at the cauldron as though it would give her an answer to the ever present ache in her heart that grew worse at the thought of Ron. Severus' keen skills of observation had detected weeks ago what that change in her posture meant. There was darkness clouding her aura. Severus didn't need to see it fully to know it was there, rather he could feel it.

"Hermione." He stated her name simply to grab her attention, a call to her to focus on him. She looked over to him, responding instantly without any reservation.

"I will not pretend to have known Mr Weasley beyond his abysmal performance in my classes but I do not believe that he would have wanted you to dwell in misery. Mourn his loss yes, celebrate his life indeed and keep him in your heart, always, but do not stop yourself from living without him." Severus' voice was soft, his tone relaying the seriousness of his sentiments. He had dwelled in misery for the majority of his adult life due to the indiscretions and failures of his choices and the loss of Lily. He had become accustomed to the harshness that it brought but Hermione was not like him, she was a warmer and brighter creature and it would be another waste of life if she became consumed with the pain every time, she began to feel joy.

Hermione appeared to consider his words for a few moments before shaking her head, her arms curling around her body as though she were trying to embrace herself. The thought struck Severus that she was probably lonely. She had lost Ronald Weasley, she was separated from Potter and she was learning from the dourest man that had ever walked the walls of Hogwarts. Yes, she probably is lonely. What would her friends do in this situation? Severus thought to himself, a silent spectator to her vulnerability. Severus grit his teeth slightly and resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose with his fingers, knowing in that second what he would have to do for her. He stood up from the stool and, in one swift motion leaned down and wrapped his arms around her, his robes whispering against the floor as he moved. Hermione squeaked for a moment, her back tensing with her surprise and then she relaxed, melting slightly into his unexpected embrace. He held the contact for a moment, trying to ignore how she felt in his arms. She fit quite snugly.

"Thank you, Severus." Hermione's voice was muffled slightly against his shoulder as she leaned forward into his embrace. Severus hummed an acknowledgement to her thank you and let go, taking a few steps back from her. She looked up at him, suddenly acutely aware of how tall he actually was in comparison to her. It would have been intimidating if it weren't for the fact that he had just hugged her to make her feel better.

"Keep an eye on your potion, I'm going to make dinner." Severus announced, turning on his heel and walking out of the lab, heading for the kitchen. Distance would help, after all, he had just crossed a boundary line and she hadn't slapped him or screeched in his face like some demented harpy. In fact, she had thanked him for his embrace. A woman had thanked him for touching her but not just any woman; a bright, vivacious young woman. Severus growled as he threw open the door leading into the kitchen, trying to push what he had done out of his mind. As he went about cooking a simple Italian dish for dinner, he tried not to think about Hermione in his lab and wonder if she was smiling.