4. Surprises.

A/N: I have been remiss in not thanking a couple of people. Firstly my very good friend Aro, who sorts out my punctuation, and secondly Cybrokat for giving this the once over before I let it out into the ether. I offer you both endless gratitude and a bar of Honeydukes Special Caramel.

Thanks to all of you who are reading and reviewing.

4. Surprises

A sudden bold and unexpected question doth many times surprise a man and lay him open. ~ Francis Bacon

The following morning, Hermione slept in and was almost late for breakfast in the Great Hall. She could have asked one of the house elves to bring her food in her quarters, but she knew from experience that staying in her rooms could be habit forming. She forced herself to go and eat with her colleagues, knowing that it was the only time she would get adult conversation. By the time she arrived, the only chair left was on the end of the table, beside Professor Snape. Ordinarily this would have filled her with trepidation, but after their conversation the previous evening, and the insight the Headmistress had shared with her; Hermione was starting to see Severus Snape in a different light. With this in mind, she held her head up and caught the Professor's gaze as she approached.

'Good morning, Professor,' she murmured quietly, giving him a small smile before pulling out her chair to sit.

'Professor Granger,' he replied with a slight nod of his head.

Hermione hadn't expected a sudden change in his attitude towards her, but there were no barbed comments. Viewing this as progress, she smiled again and helped herself to porridge and some strong, black coffee. Perhaps their shared hatred of Bellatrix Lestrange had mellowed him towards her, but whatever the reason, she would take it. Hermione glanced at Snape's plate. It held the remains of what looked like a bacon sandwich, and as she stared, she giggled softly.

'Professor Snape. I would never have had you down as a brown sauce man,' she said, keeping her voice low so that only he would hear.

'Is that so,' he replied. He turned and raised an eyebrow at her and refused to be drawn into conversation, but he wasn't sarcastic. Hermione chose to say nothing more and concentrated on her breakfast. She cast her wand briefly, and gasped when she saw the time. Grabbing her coffee, she placed a stasis and shield charm over the cup and made to leave. She paused when she was addressed directly.

'Professor Granger,' he said slowly. 'What time do you intend to begin your trial this evening?'

'Around seven, if that suits you?' Hermione turned toward the Professor, and he too stood to leave, waving her to continue walking. They left the podium together, Snape's robes billowing almost immediately.

'I shall have to check my diary. You are aware that my life is one mad social whirl?' he muttered dryly.

Hermione tried to hide her grin behind her coffee cup. 'Much like my own, then. Seven it is, then.' They passed through the doors of the Great Hall and were about to go their separate ways when Snape stopped. Hermione looked at him, puzzled, as he scanned the hallway for students surreptitiously. Seemingly happy that they were alone, he bent down to Hermione's ear.

'Ketchup is for cissies,' he whispered. Hermione started to laugh out loud, but before she could say anything, he walked swiftly away, leaving her dumfounded. He had just been amusing. Twice. She shook her head and headed back down the dungeons feeling more than confused over the enigma that is Severus Snape.

***

Severus stood in the middle of the classroom and watched as the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw fourth year students practised their Shield spells. He smirked at the look of determination on their faces. These students had only been first years during the war, and the fear of the Dark Lord had stayed with them, as so many things do at such a young age. Severus was always mindful of this always when teaching students this age and older, and had even permitted them to ask questions about the war on occasion. He encouraged them to be prepared for all eventualities whilst reassuring them that yes, the Dark Lord is dead and gone, and no, there is no possibility he could return. He sometimes felt like a fraud, or that he should secretly cross his fingers behind his back. He spoke the words, but he didn't necessarily believe them.

'Make your stance wider, Mr. Judd. Give yourself balance, that way you can stay upright. It's always harder to protect yourself lying on your back.' He held out a hand to Aaron Judd, a Ravenclaw student, and pulled him back to his feet.

'Thank you, sir,' he mumbled, his face reddening.

'We all had to learn, Mr. Judd. I wasn't always perfect,' Severus said quietly. He almost laughed at the look on surprise on the young boy's face. 'I know that is hard to believe but I assure you it's the truth. However,' he whispered, 'if you share that with anyone, there will be consequences.'

Aaron Judd nodded and his eyes widened. Snape smirked and walked away, but as he glanced back, he saw to his satisfaction that the boy was surer of himself, successfully blocking the spells his partner was sending his way, and this time without falling over.

'Stop.' Severus raised his voice. 'Change around, you have ten minutes.' He continued to pace, watching each student with a critical eye, and seriously hoped he was only teaching them for all eventualities and not preparing yet another generation for a war.

Snape's mind drifted to Hermione Granger, as it so often did when he was teaching such a class. The witch was a talented spell caster herself, and he wondered if she would be a willing to participate in a demonstration duel for the seventh year students. They weren't evenly matched, he knew that, but she had been even younger than these students during the war. If that wasn't enough to give them hope, he didn't know what was.

***

Hermione was in her private lab. The Polyjuice potion was finally complete, and she had Miss Gilroy assisting her to fill the flasks on the bench. The student was diligent and adept, but she was also very quiet and only spoke when she was spoken to. She was polite enough to her Potions teacher, but Hermione knew that her family connections made it difficult for her to fully relax around her.

Hermione lifted two flasks and set them to one side. 'Would you seal the rest of these, Phoebe, and place them in the store room?'

'Of course, miss.' Phoebe Gilroy concentrated as she sealed the top of each flask with wax, placed them into the crate and carried them into the store. When she returned, Hermione smiled at her warmly.

'Thank you for all of your help with this, Phoebe. There will be extra credit in your final scores. Have you given any thought to what you will do after Hogwarts?'

'I'm not sure yet, Professor. My father was talking about sending me to Salem to continue my studies.' Phoebe's face was calm, but Hermione caught the brief shrinking of her pupils and the look of sadness that passed across the young student's face.

'And what do you want to do?' Hermione asked gently.

Phoebe sighed. 'I want to be a Medi-witch. My father won't hear of it. My brother is in the Ministry, and father has his businesses. Mother has never worked and is content with that, but after the war, and everything that I saw, I know this is what I want to do.'

''Sometimes our parents have ideas that don't fit our own. If being a Medi-witch isn't good enough for your father, what about being a Healer? I know there aren't many female Healers, but that will change. It would perhaps satisfy your father, and you are certainly bright enough.' Hermione walked over to the witch, and was gratified to see her face brighten with a smile.

'Do you really think so, Professor?'

'I do. I can arrange for you to meet with Augustus Pye, if you want to talk it over with him. He always takes on an apprentice at St Mungo's and so far, I don't think any other student has expressed a desire for it.'

Hermione guided Phoebe to the door, her hand on her shoulder. There was a spring in the student's step that hadn't been there before, and Hermione smiled to herself. She well knew the feeling when a talent was suddenly recognised. Phoebe turned briefly and her eyes shone with barely concealed excitement.

'Thank you, Professor Granger.'

'You're welcome, Phoebe. Now, you'd better hurry to dinner before Professor Snape catches you. You know he likes his Slytherins to stay healthy and I would hate to be on the receiving end of his wrath now I'm no longer his student.' Hermione smiled wryly and Phoebe nodded, closing the door firmly behind her. It was no secret amongst the older students that Hermione had been on the receiving end of Snape's sharp tongue, and Hermione had even shared a few stories with Phoebe while they were brewing. It had helped them to bond, whilst ensuring both the Slytherins and the rest of the students that Hermione bore her former Professor no ill and actually had a huge amount of respect for him and all that he had done during the war.

Checking the time, Hermione realised had thirty minutes before Professor Snape arrived, and given that he would probably be Polyjuiced as her for a time, it was only fair that she showered and changed her underwear before he arrived. The sudden thought of Severus Snape wearing her best silk knickers made her giggle out loud and blush even louder.

Her last thought before she stepped into the shower was that she should transfigure them Slytherin green.

***

Severus stood outside the door of Hermione Granger's private lab for a full five minutes before he tried to open it. He felt a frisson as her wards shifted, and his eyes widened in surprise when he realised that she had altered them to allow him access. He refused to acknowledge quite how good it felt to know that she trusted him not to tamper with anything in her lab, and he relaxed as he stepped through the door and locked it again out of habit.

He glanced around the lab he had used for more years than he cared to remember. It was mostly the same, and he smirked as he realised he had replicated it precisely in his own private lab next to his newer quarters. He couldn't help but be impressed with the pristine condition of the workbench and the orderly manner in which her equipment was stacked on the shelves. He was just as organised with his lab, and he mused on the idea that brewing with a partner as fastidious as Granger could be a very interesting experience.

There were two flasks on the workbench, and Snape recognised them immediately. He walked over and went to lift them, only to be hit by a mild Stinging Hex that made his fingers smart. He smirked and shook his head. He didn't blame the witch for protecting her work. He would have done the same and perhaps not been as kind in the level of hex. When the door leading from the Potions professors' quarters opened swiftly, it was also clear that she had set a personal alarm on them to alert her should the potion be threatened. Severus had the grace to look suitably caught.

'I apologise, Professor Granger. I was simply curious,' he said mildly. He looked at the witch as she walked over to the bench beside him. Her hair was still slightly damp, caught in a loose ponytail that hung down her back, and the scent of her shampoo caught his delicate senses. She had showered, and he suddenly felt even more abashed that he hadn't given that any prior thought, even though he was well aware of the task ahead.

'Did you get stung?' She looked up at him with a definite glint of amusement.

'A little,' he admitted.

Hermione chuckled and gestured to him to lift his hand to her view. The ends of his fingers were red and throbbing, and she rested his hand in one of hers and lifted the hex swiftly with a brief wave of her wand.

'There. All better,' she said softly. She cancelled the hex on the flasks and lifted them. 'I thought we'd be more comfortable in my quarters?'

Severus stared at her, knowing that her mouth was moving, but not hearing her at first. He was still getting his head around the fact that she had touched him, without flinching. Not many people would dare, or even want, to do that. He mentally shook himself and nodded at the witch. She gave him a quick smile, and he followed her without question.