From Student to Assistant

August 30, 1996

Even though she was too young to be inducted into the Order, Hermione sat at the worn kitchen table in Grimmauld Place, surrounded by Order members at the last meeting before the school year started. She nodded solemnly at those who greeted her with pleasant but perplexed expressions, determined to be on her best behaviour under Snape's watchful eye.

There had been two full moons since he had told them about the potion, and they had gone out just a couple of nights before to collect ingredients under the light of the second full moon. Snape had informed her that she would be expected to be at the meeting, and she simply acquiesced, unwilling to ask why.

When the rest of the Order members were there, Dumbledore began the meeting by turning directly to Snape and saying, "Severus, is there a particular reason Miss Granger is here tonight?"

Snape inclined his head and said, "Yes. Miss Granger has been assigned to act as my assistant in the brewing of the potion I told you about last month. The process has progressed smoothly thus far, and she has performed capably enough. As she has also been designated as liaison between the Order and Mr. Potter, she shall relay the information I am about to share with you."

He paused to quirk one eyebrow at Hermione, who was staring at him in amazement that he had very nearly complimented her and in anticipation for his announcement.

"The Dark Lord has succumbed to my carefully spun tales about his link to Mr. Potter ever since the blood ritual after the Tri-Wizard Tournament. In an effort to scale back the danger that Mr. Potter faces, I have succeeded in convincing the Dark Lord that he must wait until Mr. Potter has reached the age of majority, after which, the longer he waits before killing him, the stronger Mr. Potter's power will be...that will be absorbed by the Dark Lord."

A susurrus of gasps swept the full kitchen, and Hermione's mouth dropped open in awe.

Snape allowed himself a small smirk of satisfaction before continuing. "Not only will the Dark Lord desist in his attempts to kill Mr. Potter...at least for the next year...he has also appointed me to... protect him... fattening him up for the slaughter, if you will." With that, he cut a knowing glance at Dumbledore, who blinked stonily back at him.

Hermione clapped a hand over her open mouth to stifle the excited noises that were bubbling up. The rest of the Order, however, had no qualms about that and exploded into intense conversations.

Snape scanned the room for a long moment, letting the excitement surge, before lifting a hand in a gesture for silence. All eyes snapped back to him and a hush fell over the group.

His voice was dark with warning as he said, "Yes, of course, this is good news for Mr. Potter. But this does not mean that the Dark Lord will sit idly by. He and the Death Eaters will still be working to infiltrate the Ministry, and the rest of us are still in as much danger as before. This is no time to let our defences go lax."

Dumbledore nodded. "Severus is right. While your accomplishment is indeed an astounding one, we must maintain, as Moody has often told us, 'constant vigilance'!"

The group burst forth again with vehement agreement, and Snape sat back in his chair, patently done with his revelations. He turned to see Hermione regarding him with bright, watery eyes. Frowning, he murmured, "Miss Granger?"

Hermione sucked in a quavery breath and swallowed. Settling her shoulders, she whispered, "Professor, I don't know how you did it again, but you're amazing! I can't wait to tell the boys; they'll be just as grateful as I am, I'm sure. Thank you, sir...for everything!"

Snape blinked, taken aback by her effusiveness. She was staring at him in near-adoration and he shifted his weight in the chair, trying not to squirm. Under the cover of the hubbub around them, he cleared his throat and murmured, "Yes, well... why don't you run along now and tell Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley the good news? I shall see you all at Hogwarts in two days, Miss Granger."

Hermione beamed and nodded, rising from her seat and clasping her hands to stop herself from gripping Snape's arm in an outpouring of thanks. "I will; right now. Thank you again, Professor. And good night!" She bobbed her head in retreat and added a quick farewell to the headmaster before sidling past the Order members and racing upstairs to the boys' room.

***** *****

September 27, 1996

The next full moon saw Hermione reporting to Snape's office after dinner, at which point they Flooed away from Hogwarts so they could Apparate to the next site for gathering ingredients.

In the chill moonlight, Hermione broke the silence with a tentative, "Professor?"

Snape uttered a clipped, "Yes?"

Hermione sat back on her heels on the ground and passed her sleeve over her forehead, carefully avoiding getting earth from her gloves on her face. "I know you said that we were all still in danger, but... since I'm a Muggleborn, and I'm so close to Harry, just... how much danger am I really in?"

Snape deliberately stowed the roots he had dug up in the spell-enhanced carrier before allowing himself to meet her anxious eyes. Straightening his back, he levelled a sober gaze at Hermione before saying, "If a Death Eater could manage to get you separated from your protection, I doubt you would live much beyond a few hours of obligatory torture."

Hermione blanched, swallowing hard. Snape sighed. The last thing he wanted was to be saddled with a snivelling girl. But Hermione swallowed a few more times, took a couple of deep breaths, and then cleared her throat. "I... appreciate your candid answer, sir."

She resumed digging in the damp earth, carefully avoiding scraping against the roots they were harvesting. Snape watched her, surprised and impressed at her ability to remain calm and focused after such disturbing news. Before he could reconsider, he said, "And I appreciate you not dissolving into tears, Miss Granger."

Hermione's head snapped up and she stared at him. Snape blinked. After a beat, Hermione's lips twitched into a lopsided smile, and she huffed a shaky laugh. "Thank you, sir. I'm trying to be as grown up as I can be, considering the circumstances."

Snape scoffed and said, "But you're a child..."

Hermione cut him off with a low, "I'm of age," her gaze dropping to the turned earth between them. Snape's grunt of disbelief made her lift her chin in defiance as she added, "Just over a week ago, as a matter of fact. Sir."

Snape stared at her, his mind making rapid calculations and coming up with results he didn't like. "Then you're in more danger than I realized."

Hermione shrugged and attempted a tone of nonchalance as she said, "But you said it yourself, as long as I'm protected, I'll be fine."

Snape scowled and said, "You're only protected when you're at Hogwarts."

Hermione tilted her head, smiled, and said, "I'm not at Hogwarts right now, and I feel protected."

Snape's mouth opened but nothing came out. He flicked a glance around them and saw they were still completely alone. He returned his attention to the roots for a moment, trying to gather his scattered thoughts. Hermione followed his lead, and the silence stretched on.

An idea struck him, and Snape said, "Miss Granger, have you begun taking Apparition lessons yet?"

"No. Why?"

Snape sat back, his expression determined, and said, "Then I shall teach you. You are in danger whenever we leave school grounds, and being able to Disapparate is a handy skill to have."

Hermione's furrowed brow smoothed and she beamed at him again. "Oh, that would be wonderful, sir! Thank you so much!"

Snape averted his gaze and muttered, "Yes, well, it's only expedient. You may tell Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley, but no one else may know. If your would-be captors don't know you can Apparate, you'd have them at a disadvantage."

"Quite so."

They were silent again until they had gathered enough ingredients, at which point, Snape offered his arm to Hermione for Side-Along Apparition like usual. He was taken aback again when she slid her hand around his arm and hugged it, pressing her face against his bicep as she said, "Thank you, Professor, for all you've done and all you keep doing to save us and keep us safe."

Snape froze, his insides squirming again at the trusting affection in her touch and voice. She held him tight for a long moment, then released him and gripped his arm for their customary Apparition. Snape merely focused on their destination and Apparated there, looking down at her to say, "Next time, we shall practice Apparating as well. Fortunately, it is a Saturday, so I may collect you after lunch to give us time for lessons before harvesting."

Hermione followed him as he turned to walk toward the nearby public Floo. "I look forward to it, sir."

***** *****

December 24, 1996

Two months had passed since Snape had begun teaching Hermione how to Apparate, and they were crunching through the wintry landscape in the wan sunlight, searching for the moss they had to harvest. Plumes of vapour streamed from their noses and mouths as they discussed the next stage of the brewing process. It took longer than Snape had estimated for them to find enough of the moss, especially since it was hidden beneath the banks of snow, and the stars were twinkling above them as they shivered in the rapidly dropping temperature.

Hermione tugged her scarf more securely around her head and throat, making sure her ears were covered against the bite of the wind. Snape was on his knees in the snow, scraping moss off the trunk of a tree after digging through the snow to find it. She noticed how his ears and nose were bright red, and shoved her hand into her pocket, trying to bolster her courage.

"That's the last one, isn't it, sir?"

Snape growled, "Yes. Thank the gods. It's bloody freezing out here."

At that fortuitous opening, Hermione pulled an object from her pocket and said, "Um... this is for you. Hopefully it will help."

Snape looked up to see her proffering a lumpy mass of black wool. Brow furrowed in confusion, he gingerly plucked it from her hand and shook it out to realize that it was a knitted cap with longer, scarf-like sides. He blinked in astonishment and stared at Hermione.

Hermione flashed a nervous smile and said, "Happy Christmas, Professor. It is Christmas Eve, after all."

Unsure what to make of her gift, he murmured, "Where did you get this?"

"I made it. I've been practicing, and Mrs. Weasley has shown me some tips and tricks. I noticed that you never seem to have a hood or a cap and your ears looks frightfully cold, Professor."

Snape snapped, "The last thing I want to wear is a hood, Miss Granger."

Hermione jumped at the implication. "Oh, of course not."

Feeling a prickle of shame at his harsh words, he pulled off a glove and stroked the wool, his brows rising in surprise as he snapped his gaze to Hermione.

Recovering herself, she said, "I managed to incorporate a Warming Charm into the knitting, so it will always feel warmer than just the wool itself."

Snape's insides squirmed at the thoughtfulness of her gesture and he found himself tugging the cap over his head, shrouding his stinging ears in comfortable heat and wrapping the ends around his throat. The warmth that stole over him wasn't only from the wool. Blinking rapidly, he licked his lips and said, "It worked quite well, Miss Granger. You have my thanks."

Hermione beamed at him again, flushing at his praise and at the way he was treating her more like a friend than just a student/assistant. "And you have mine, sir. Always."

She was taken aback by his fleeting grimace of pain, but it was gone so quickly that she wondered if perhaps she had imagined it. He returned to harvesting the last bit of moss, and Hermione made sure that the rest of their ingredients were safely stowed in the carrier.

Snape stood, handed the moss to Hermione to put away, and brushed the snow from his robes and trousers. "Ready, Miss Granger?"

Hermione nodded and gave him the carrier before gripping his arm for Side-Along Apparition. "Yes, sir."

Snape made a show of disengaging his arm from her grip and shook his head. "Not this time. You've been successful enough on your own that I think you should Apparate back under your own power."

Hermione's eyes went wide. She had successfully Apparated in their practice, but they had all been small jumps. Now they were miles and miles away from Hogsmeade, and Hermione was seized by nerves at the unexpected task.

Snape saw her fear and smirked, his voice low and mocking as he said, "What? A Gryffindor afraid to do something? Where's your vaunted bravery?"

Hermione frowned. "I'm just... do you really think I'm ready?"

Snape's smirk softened into a wry smile and he said, "Miss Granger, you are ready. Decidedly. Besides, do you really think I would risk you?"

Hermione sucked in a deep, steadying breath. "Very well, then, Professor. I trust you."

At that startling declaration, Snape felt his insides squirm again, but before he could say anything, Hermione had Disapparated. An icy spike of panic shot through him, and he immediately followed suit, holding his breath until he arrived to see that Hermione had reappeared too, whole and safe. She spun to look at him, her face alight with triumph.

"I did it!"

Snape rolled his eyes and drawled, "Of course you did. Now, come along."

Hermione couldn't stop grinning, but she dutifully followed Snape to the public Floo and through to his office. Once they stored the ingredients, Hermione said, "I appreciate your confidence, Professor. Happy Christmas."

She nodded and turned to leave, only to be stopped by Snape's tentative, "Happy Christmas to you as well, Miss Granger." She glanced back to see him gazing soberly at her, rubbing the wool of his knit cap between his fingers, then she hurried along the dungeon corridor to rejoin her friends for holiday festivities.