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Spark	By : DivineAngel Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Snape/Hermione Views: 20930 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 2
- 3
- 4
Chapter
3: The New Professor and The Old

The next morning Hermione was woken by Harry shaking her arm and calling
her name gently. He and Ginny stood looking concerned as she slowly
rubbed her eyes and patted down her bushy hair.

"Are
you ok?" Ginny asked, trying not to let too much worry filter
through in her voice. Hermione smiled and nodded, a little
embarrassed.

"Yeah,
I couldn't sleep last night so I came down here. I guess I was more
tired than I thought though." She looked at them carefully,
weighing up what people might say. "Can we keep this quiet? I
know it's silly, but I'm a bit embarrassed." She gave them a
shrug and sheepish smile. Harry and Ginny nodded and let Hermione go
upstairs to change and sort her hair out.

August passed in a haze. The heat was almost unbearable outside and a heavy
smog hung in the air. Luckily 12 Grimmauld Place offered a cool
shelter. As usual, people came and went with regularity, especially
since the Order's numbers had grown quite considerably now that
Voldemort's return was common knowledge. Hermione, Harry, Ron and
Ginny stayed inside and tried to distract each other from the
frustration of feeling useless. Hermione saw very little of Remus, he
was kept busy by Dumbledore and they were able to avoid any awkward
conversation, steering clear of each other whenever they were both in
the house and engaging in conversation with other people whenever
they were in the same room. It seemed a silent agreement stood
between them that it would be best to ignore the event and get on
with business as usual. Snape did not return to the house all month
and Hermione wondered where he was, hoping he was safe.

September came and the house was alive with preparations for getting the
students to King's Cross safely, they were to walk to the station in
small groups, just as they had done the previous year. Hermione
remembered that Sirius had been with them that time, in his dog form
and she chanced a glance at Harry to see if he seemed to be thinking
the same thing. Molly was fussing over him and he let her, his face
still and expressionless. Hermione gave him a quick smile before she
was ushered out of the door with Arthur and Ron, Harry didn't return
it. The journey was uneventful and they arrived at King's Cross in
one piece and on time, Remus arrived with the luggage soon after them
and they began their goodbyes, Molly hugging everyone twice. Hermione
found herself stood before Remus and they exchanged stifled smiles
before he pulled her into a brief one-armed hug and patted her on the
shoulder. She laughed a little as she stepped back.

"I'll see you, Remus. Thanks for... everything." He nodded.

"You
too. Have a good term." Hermione turned and boarded the train
behind Harry. The four friends found a compartment and settled in for
the journey. Hermione hoped that getting back to school would change
the mood between them. Routine had always been a rock for her and she
hoped it would prove that way for Harry in particular, helping him
find a reason to go on. He'd been to a really dark place after Sirius
died, first propelled by the desire for revenge, almost killing
Bellatrix, then a profound grief. Hermione could tell that he was
keeping something from them, something Dumbledore had told him, but
she knew it was no good to pry. If he decided to tell them he would
do so in his own time.

The closer they got to Hogwarts, the more everyone relaxed. A warm
feeling of normalcy spread through the compartment and laughter lit
up their faces gradually until it felt just like any normal ride on
the Hogwarts Express. Neville and Luna both popped in to say hello,
as did several people they didn't know very well, mostly wanting to
apologise to Harry for not believing his story the previous year.
Hermione thought Harry handled it very well, smiling, telling people
it didn't matter. He was very composed and diplomatic, she didn't
expect it from him, having seen his temper flare on so many occasions
when this sort of conversation came up.

There was one notable difference with this journey, the distinct absence of
Malfoy and his goons. Hermione had heard someone say they were on the
train, but keeping to themselves, for which she was relieved to say
the least. If they had put in an appearance she wasn't sure Harry's
strength would have held. They made it all the way to the great hall
for the welcoming feast before she caught sight of Malfoy, Crabbe and
Golye, they were looking somewhat humbled and sat quietly at the
Slytherin table, talking together in hushed voices. Hermione eyed
them cautiously, remembering discussions with the Order about how
long Voldemort was likely to wait before attempting to break his
Death Eaters out of Azkaban.

As they took their seats at the Gryffindor table, Hermione scanned the
staff table, everyone who she expected to see was there, in their
usual seats. She breathed a sigh of relief on seeing Snape, her gaze
lingering on him significantly longer than any other teacher. He was
staring into the mid-distance, over the heads of the students at his
house table, Hermione wondered what he was thinking, whether his mind
was still on what he had been doing over the last month. She was so
caught up in her thoughts that she failed to see the newly arrived
first years file in for their sorting, it was only when Professor
McGonagall walked across her line of sight that Hermione snapped out
of it. She quickly looked away and shifted in her seat. After a
moment, just as McGonagall was placing the sorting hat onto the first
new student's head, Hermione looked back at Snape; he was watching
the scene with little interest, one elbow propped on the table and
his thumb and index finger pressed to his head either side of his
temple. He looked as though it required a great deal of effort to
focus on anything and she again found herself contemplating the toll
this war was having on him. The sorting went on and as the final
student was sorted into Ravenclaw a cheer went around the hall, again
dragging Hermione from her thoughts, and evidently Snape from his; he
looked around as if waking from a vivid dream finding himself
somewhere unexpected. His eyes passed over her and flicked back,
where they lingered for a few moments. A frown spread over his face
and he turned to Professor Sprout next to him and began talking to
her. Hermione felt almost as embarrassed getting caught staring at
him as she had when he caught her and Remus kissing. She shook her
head and tucked into the food that had just appeared on the table, it
was, she decided, good to be back at Hogwarts.

The new term started and Hermione got straight down to work, trying to
impress upon the boys how important it was to get a good start and
helped them come up with study timetables. Even though they were
doing slightly different subjects this year, Hermione planned out
study for the three of them, with emphasis on Transfiguration, Charms
and Defence Against the Dark Arts, the three subjects they were all
doing. She and Harry were both taking Potions, he and Ron were doing
Care of Magical Creatures and she was also taking Arithmancy. Harry
was taking the NEWTs recommended by McGonagall in order to become an
Auror, he had just scraped Outstanding in his Potions OWL, meaning
Snape had little choice but to accept him into NEWT level.

Dumbledore had introduced their new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher at the
welcoming feast, of course. Her name was Professor Sullivan and she
looked far too young to be a teacher, she had long dark hair that
fell in soft waves over her shoulders and wore light green velvet
robes. They had their first lesson with her on Tuesday morning, Ron
was very excited about it and kept asking questions and talking about
her at length. Hermione was beginning to be convinced that he would
never stop, that was until they entered her classroom and took their
seats in front of her for the first time, at that point Ron was at a
loss for words. Professor Sullivan was shuffling papers at her desk,
which was perfectly normal, what was unusual and causing the stunned
silence from the class, was her clothing. She was wearing midnight
blue robes, but they were the kind that were open at the front like
the students' own uniform robes, revealing muggle clothing
underneath, a style popular among young wizarding professionals, but
not at Hogwarts. She wore a modern, knee-length beige skirt and a
matching blue fitted top with a v-neck, revealing just a hint of
cleavage, she was also wearing strappy, heeled shoes.

"Hello." Professor Sullivan beamed at them, her voice was confident and
relaxed and she had a sparkle in her eyes to rival Dumbledore's.
"Welcome to NEWT level Defence Against the Dark Arts. As you all
know, I'm Professor Sullivan, and this year is important for two
reasons. First, you're at NEWT level now, preparation for your exams
begins here. Secondly, we are, as you all know, at war." A
shiver shot around the room, a ripple of whispers and a few heads
turned in Harry's direction. "You all need to feel confident
defending yourself, should you need to." There was an odd
feeling in the air. None of the teachers had yet talked so openly
about the current situation. The students had all heard the imposter
Moody's ravings about constant vigilance of course, but now it was
different, they all knew there was something to be afraid of,
Voldemort. "So," she continued, leaning against her desk
and surveying the class, "now that's out of the way, I need to
know who you are." She called the register, marking the names
and taking a moment to look at each student to get to know their
faces. She came to the last name, and looked up, "Weasley?"
Ron turned beetroot red.

"Here." She looked at him and smiled,

"I was at school with your brother, Bill." Ron looked stunned, he
shifted in his seat and Hermione let out a small giggle.

"Right." Ron managed to say before the whole class began to smirk and snicker.

Professor Sullivan called the class to order and got on with the
lesson. She was a very good teacher, she kept them interested and had
them on their feet practising defensive spells by the end of the
lesson. She didn't pay any undue attention to Harry, which he
appreciated, but at the same time she acknowledged that he and
several other students had a head start on what she would be teaching
from their private meetings last year.

The sixth years left the classroom motivated by a great lesson. The buzz
about the newcomer was at its peak by lunchtime, it appeared she had
so far achieved something very rare; everyone approved for one reason
or another. Well, almost, the Slytherins didn't seem impressed, but
Hermione suspected that more than one male in the house was covering
up certain primitive urges with their posturing.

After lunch, Hermione and Harry made their way to the dungeons for double
potions. It was a small, select group that had achieved the OWL grade
necessary to be admitted to Snape's Advanced Potions class. In
addition to the two Gryffindors, Terry Boot, Padma Patil, Ernie
Macmillan and Draco Malfoy, of course, were the fortunate few. They
stood outside the classroom, awaiting the word to enter, eventually
it came and they filed in slowly. Harry and Hermione sat in the
second row, the others sat behind them, except Malfoy who sat on the
other side of the isle. Harry looked behind him, frustrated at his
classmates' reluctance to use the front row.

"Great, you know we're going to be stuck at the front for the next two years
now?" He muttered to Hermione. She shushed him and waited for
Snape to begin the class. He was sat at his desk, going through some
papers, clearly keeping them waiting. Eventually, Snape looked up and
pushed his papers aside. He stood up and moved around his desk,
looking over the small group.

"So." He snarled with his usual venom, "This is NEWT level Potions.
Ladies and Gentlemen, the next two years will challenge every one of
you," he looked pointedly at Hermione, "as you will be
learning some of the most potent and complex potions known to wizard
kind." He tapped the board with his wand, a set of instructions
appeared there. "You will copy down these instructions and study
chapter one of your text book today and on Thursday we will brew the
Invigoration Draught. Make sure you are fully prepared, I do not
expect my NEWT students to make mistakes." He spun in a billow
of robes and returned to his seat. Hermione got down to work, taking
notes from the board and reading the book closely. After half an hour
or so, Hermione found herself leaning heavily on her arm and it was
becoming uncomfortable, she rolled her shoulder and adjusted her
position so that she was resting her head on her arm, which was flat
on the desk and continued taking notes. A silky voice floated across
the classroom, "Miss Granger, do take care not to fall asleep. "
She lifted her head, Snape wasn't even looking, his head was buried
in a large volume. Harry chuckled and Hermione sat up properly,
looking around the room at the puzzled expressions.

"He must have popped into the kitchen before he left, the day
after my birthday." Harry whispered. Hermione shot a look at the
professor, there was the unmistakeable trace of a smile there.

At the end of the lesson, the students packed their things and Snape
dismissed them. Hermione packed slowly, she wanted to talk to him,
though she had no idea what to say. She indicated for Harry to go on
without her and stood up slowly from her desk.

"Can I help you with
something Miss Granger?" Snape said, not looking up from his
book. She stepped out from behind the desk and approached him, he
still didn't look up.

"I don't make a habit of falling asleep at tables, sir."
She said in a dignified voice.

"I dare say."
He put his book down and looked at her. She shuffled her feet
awkwardly and looked down at them, her mind racing to find the right
words. "Was there something else?" He snapped with an
impatient tongue.

"I wanted to,"
She looked around, the classroom door was open, but the corridor was
quiet, "I just thought I would say that I'm glad you're here."
He looked taken aback and she saw something flit across his face, but
couldn't be sure what it was.

"What do you mean?"
There was suspicion in his voice and she fought a desire to make a
hasty exit.

"Well, whatever it
was that you had to do last month, I'm relieved to see you here in
one piece. I was... concerned." There was a slightly confused
frown on his forehead, but otherwise his features were bright and
relaxed, like nothing she'd ever seen from him before.

"Well, thank you
Miss Granger. But I assure you there is no need for any... concern."
He stood up and collected his papers, the smile slowly fading from
his face, gradually being replaced by his usual rigid expression.
Hermione nodded and walked quickly from the room, shocked by his
response and surprised by her own nerve to even attempt to talk to
him in such an open way.

The term ticked by, the
sixth years felt the change of pace difficult to adjust to, fewer
subjects but heavier work loads for each was hard enough to adjust
to, but the change in attitude of some of the teachers was very
strange. Many students felt they were being treated more like adults
now, given more responsibility and getting into trouble less
frequently. Teachers were more inclined to ignore the occasional
misdemeanour from the older students, adopting a more "I'm
disappointed in you" tone over a "That behaviour is
unacceptable" one. For those students who had grown to deeply
respect the teachers, the new method of telling off was more
difficult to brush off than an unpleasant detention.

Ron had sent an owl to
Bill asking for the scoop on Professor Sullivan but was yet to
receive a reply. Hermione was off to a good start, as usual, having
done much of her set reading for the year over the summer, so she
focused on staying on top of her homework and made sure she wouldn't
have any work to do the weekend after her birthday, which fell on a
Thursday this year. The day itself was ordinary, Arithmancy in the
morning, then nothing until after lunch when she had Charms followed
by Potions. She spent the day in a state of tension, she was only the
second person in her year to turn seventeen, the first being Anthony
Goldstein in Ravenclaw and he'd spent all of last Wednesday being
hexed by his classmates, their way of congratulating him on coming of
age. Hermione expected the same treatment, but to her relief, was
spared. Her friends were insistent on throwing a party in the common
room for her, but she made them promise to have it on the Friday
night instead of her actual birthday and they happily agreed, on the
condition that they have a present-opening, with a few drinks,
naturally, on Thursday evening. Hermione agreed but was prepared to
have to call things to order at some point and was wishing away the
Potions class at the end of the day.

They were brewing a
complex potion and Hermione's mind was wandering, she was just about
to add diced caterpillar when a hand caught her wrist and stopped
her, she looked up to find Snape standing over her, holding her
wrist.

"Careful Miss
Granger. Have you stirred the mixture clockwise six times yet?"
Her eyes widened and she shook her head, "No, I thought not."
He let go of her wrist and she put the dish of caterpillars down.
"Please stay focussed until the end of the lesson." He
swept past her to examine the rest of the students' potions. Hermione
managed to recover herself and was grateful for his intervention, she
finished her potion with a minute to spare, bottled it and took it to
Snape's desk. "Happy birthday, Miss Granger." He said
silkily as she put her potion down in front of him.

"Thank
you sir." She gave him a smile and went to tidy her desk. The
bell rang and Snape dismissed them, Harry and Hermione practically
ran to dinner to meet Ron.

The friends ate quickly
and returned to the common room, Harry and Ron disappeared to get
their presents and Hermione took the opportunity to go and change out
of her robes. When she returned to the common room, Harry, Ron,
Ginny, Lavender, Parvati, Dean, Seamus and Neville were all assembled
with brightly wrapped packages. They ushered her into a sofa by the
fire and thrust gifts at her. Hermione had a field day unwrapping
everything and getting hugs from everyone, and to her relief, the
celebration didn't get out of control. She went to bed looking
forward to the real party tomorrow night.
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