Apprentice

DISCLAIMER: I am not Ms. Rowling and I am making no profit from this story. Please know that I am only borrowing her wonderful characters and I will put them back when I am done.

A/N This is my first story and I am only a tad nervous. I have it pretty much all written out but I am still willing to take suggestions so let me know.

On with the story enjoy...

Chapter 1


Hermione had graduated from Hogwarts 5 years ago and she had furthered her study in potions at the University level. That is what brought her back to Hogwarts this lovely June. She was sitting in her room at the inn in Hogsmead looking out the window. Once she had left Hogwarts she had immediately entered the Wizarding World’s University. She had done it not only to further her career, but also to get away from what had happened. She had lost her two best friends in their last year. She still wasn’t sure why or how it happened, all that she knew was that Ron and Harry were gone as was Draco Malfoy, but she wasn’t that upset about Malfoy. Hermione pulled her cloak tighter around herself as she continued to look out the window. She had kept her distance from all the people in her life, because it was much easier just to avoid the reminders of what had been once. This was her first time back to Hogsmead and she was nervous about why she was here. She had owled Professor Snape before owling Dumbledore as well asking to see him about becoming a Potion Apprentice. She had received a response that she could come and talk to him but he gave no clue as to what he would say once she got there. She looked down at her watch and saw that it was time for her to head up to the castle. Before she left, she stopped to take a look at her reflection in the mirror. She noticed that she had grown a couple of inches and she had finally found a way to control her curls so they were now falling nicely on her shoulders. She had started to wear a little make up, not much just enough to highlight some of her features and had started to wear clothes that hugged her curves a little more. This was definitely different then how she used to dress when she was school. Her hair always seemed out of control, she never had time for makeup and her clothes were just clothes, she never put that much effort into how she looked. She was just the know it all book worm after all. No one had ever paid that much attention to her anyway, the attention went to Harry or to Ron. Even at the University she hadn’t received a lot of attention from the opposite sex, which was partly her own fault. She was so focused on studying that she didn’t pay much attention to boys and in return never got some from them. She cast one last look at herself, smoothed out her black knee length skirt and green turtleneck sweater, grabbed her bag and headed toward Hogwarts.

It was a sunny day with no cloud covering the azure sky. Rather than apparating to the edge of the castle she decided to walk there. On her way up to the castle she repeated what she wanted to say to Professor Snape over and over in her head. She knew that he was the best Potions Master in England and if she really wanted to be the best and learn from the best then he was the one to go to. She just wasn’t all that sure as to whether or not he wanted her there. She could still remember how she took her anger out on him after she had lost Ron and Harry. She had blamed him for everything and while they never told her what really happened she was very quick to make up her mind. Professor Snape had been willing to take the blame. Now she hoped that he would not hold that against her. She knew somewhere deep inside that he was not the one to blame. She knew that Dumbledore trusted him and wouldn’t allow him around the children if he wasn’t safe. She was wondering if she should apologize to Professor Snape when she came to the doors to the castle.

As she walked into the castle and looked around she noticed that there wasn’t much that had changed about the castle. It felt like she was coming home. She was looking around remembering what it had been like to be within these walls for the first time.

“Hermione, dear, I am so happy to see you” came Dumbledore’s comfortable voice.

“Hello Professor Dumbledore.” Hermione turned and smiled easily at the old man. She looked at him and it warmed her heart that he had not changed that much through the height of the war. He looked a little more tired, but his eyes still had that twinkle when he smiled.

“It is so nice to see you my dear, I hope that all is well?” he embraced her in a gentle and comfortable hug.

“Yes it is and it’s good to see you again too.” She replied returning his hug.

The kind old man only nodded, “Let’s head up to my office where we will be able to talk freely.” They walked up to his office and he offered her a chair and then pressed a cup of tea into her hands.

“Professor Dumbledore, as I have written to you, I have come here to ask your permission to be an apprentice to a professor here at Hogwarts.”

“Well my dear, I am afraid that is entirely up to the Professor, so I don’t know why you are asking me.” he replied and the look in his eye almost seemed to say that he knew why and just wanted her to say it.

“Well as I have said in my letter I have been continuing my education and studying potions. You also know I am sure that I have graduated at the top of my class.”

“Now my dear, why would you think I would know that?” Dumbledore smiled.

“Because not all my professors were as good as you are about keeping things to themselves. They let it slip that you were checking up on me.” Hermione said smiling, “It was nice to know that someone was watching out for me.”

Dumbledore was smiling and his eyes were twinkling, “Please continue as to why you are here.”

“I would like to continue my education on the subject of Potions the only way that I can do this is to be an apprentice. I have thought long and hard about this and I only know of one Potions Master who is truly the best,” she paused to take a deep breath, “and you know me, I want the best teachers.”

“Have you talked to him about it?”

“No, I have owled him as to what I would like to do and he agreed to meet with me at 10:30 this morning. I just wanted to know if I had you on my side or not before I’ll take the walk down to the dungeons.”

He looked at her thoughtfully for a while, “Of course my dear. Now please tell me how you are truly doing, because your letters seemed very vague to me. ”he looked at her over his half moon glasses,“ Is there anything that you would like to tell me?”

“Well I haven’t been the same, as you well know. I lost my two best friends that night and it’s so hard to get over it. There are times I wish that I had been there. Maybe if I would’ve been there I could have done something.”

“Child, it was a terrible thing that happened that night, but you being there would not have stopped what transpired. I fear that it would have made things worse and maybe the outcome would have been much different.”

“That is what I tell myself Professor, I just wish that I could have been there to say goodbye.”

“I know my dear.”

“Professor, have they come back, as ghost I mean?”

Dumbledore looked thoughtfully at the young woman sitting in front of him. She hadn’t really changed that much since the last time she had sat in his office. Sure she had grown up and filled out more but she was basically the same brilliant girl she was all those years ago. “We have been watching out for them, but no they haven’t come back. I am afraid that there isn’t much hope left.”

“I figured as much.” She looked down at her lap and twisted her hands. “I know that I blamed him and I also know that you wouldn’t keep him here if he had done it.” She looked up at him, “Professor, I really want this apprenticeship. Professor Snape is a brilliant mind, but I am afraid that he will laugh in my face because of everything I threw at him back then.”

“Did he not agree to the meeting?” she simply nodded, “Then I don’t think that you have anything to worry about dear. Now it is almost time for the meeting, you should start your way down the dungeons.”

“I think that I am dreading this walk more than Ron and Harry ever did.”

Dumbledore’s eyes twinkled as he smiled at her “He never truly hated you, any of you and I suspect that you never truly hated him.”

“No but he HAD to put up with me then and now there is nothing to make him put up with me.” She stood as he arose and stepped into his warm embrace “Thank you so much Professor and hopefully I will see you again soon.” With that she walked out his office and headed down to the dungeons.

Once she was down there and standing outside his door she just looked around. It was exactly as she remembered it: dark and cold. She wrapped her arms around her middle, I can do this, she repeated to herself. She took a calming breath, smoothed out her clothes and knocked on the door.

KNOCK KNOCK

“Enter” came a cold response.

“Good afternoon, Professor Snape.” She shut the door quietly behind her but stayed close to it.

“Miss Granger” he hadn’t turned to face her but stayed working on whatever it was that he was writing.

“Thank you so much for this meeting and I will get straight to the point, so I do not waste your time.”

“Well I would appreciate that.” he turned to face her and crossed his arms across his chest while fixing her with a cold hard stare.

He was just as intimidating as he was in school. The biggest change was that he was not as pale as she remembered, “As I said in my owl, I have finished with the University. While I was there I continued with my studies of Potions. I have developed an antidote to the love potion and have also been working on a few others.”

“That is all well and good, but would you please tell me the nature of this visit?” he steepled his fingers in front of his lips and glared at her. There was something different about her, something that made him a little nervous. She had grown into her body in the past 5 years. And she seemed to wear clothes that helped to show that off more. And the green sweater really was a nice touch.

She walked into the room and leaned against the table of the first row. She looked him in the eyes and kept her voice as confident as she could “I wish to become a potions master and the only way that I can do that is to learn from the best. So the reason that I have come is to ask you if you would consider taking me on as an apprentice.” She never took her eyes off his hoping to project a confidence she didn’t feel. She tried to read his face, but it remained devoid of emotion.

She heard a snort before he replied, “And why on earth would I do that?”

She took a calming breath, “Because I was the best student in Potions during my time here. “she heard another snort, but also noted that he didn’t deny it, “You even admitted it on occasion and because for the past 5 years I have been furthering my education in the fine art of Potions. But I have learned all that I can from the sources that university have offered to me.” he crossed his arms but didn’t say anything, “So I have come to the best place and to a great Potions Master I know to seek out an apprenticeship.”

“And you just assumed that I would welcome you with open arms.”

“Never.” she reached in her bag and pulled out her resume and a box containing her sample potions,” here” she handed him the items, the potions included Felix and Wolfsbane and her love potion antidote, as well as some medical potions, sleep potions. He looked down at her resume and the classes of potions that she could brew. They ranged from the basic potion classes that she brewed in this very room to those that were more complicated than the ones she had brewed in secret while at school. She knew she was qualified and that he couldn’t deny that, but the fact still remained that she was a Gryffindor and he had always thought of her as a know it all.

“Well I see that you are highly qualified.” he looked up at her and saw her sifting nervously from side to side, “If you insist on staying here then you could at least sit.”

He was watching her as she looked at the chair next to his desk and then thought of sitting at one of the students’ tables. She knew that wasn’t an option so she sat down in the dusty chair and crossed her legs. Hermione knew better then to thank him, so she just looked up at him, waiting.

“I am not agreeing to anything. I will of course have to discuss this with the Headmaster, he may have objections.”

“Professor, I have already talked to him about the matter. I was unsure as to where he would stand with it and I did not want to waste either of our time.”

“And what is his opinion on this?”

“He thinks that it would be a fine idea as long as you agree to it.” She looked him full in the face, showing confidence that was not there when she was a student.

“There would be conditions, you know.” It wasn’t so much a question as it was a statement.

“Naturally I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

What happened next was a little unnerving on both ends. “The first condition would be that you listen to me. When I say to jump you do it.”

She nodded.

“You will not favor any of your precious Gryffindors’ in or outside of this room.”

She nodded, “But I will not favor your house either.”

“Acceptable. You will act in a way that will not bring embarrassment to the school or myself with the staff and the students, which means that you will not undermine me.”

Again she nodded.

“You will abide by the rules that all other staff are to abide by.”

More nodding.

“Those are my terms and know that there may be more as the need comes, but those are the basic ones. Can you agree to that?”

“Yes, Professor.”

He nodded, “You and I now have to go and tell the Headmaster and he will have to make arrangements.” He stood up and headed to the door. She quickly followed him.

“To say that I am a little surprised at this would be an understatement, but nonetheless, I am glad that we have the return of a great student.” Professor McGonagall reached over and squeezed Hermione’s hand.

They were sitting in the Headmaster’s office, along with Professor McGonagall, the Deputy Headmistress. Each of them had a cup of tea in their hands. Professor McGonagall was looking from Snape and Hermione with a look of confusion with an underlying of joy.

“I think it is a great thing that our Potions Master has finally taking an apprentice.” Dumbledore said smiling “I think that they will learn a lot from each other.”

“I do not know what you mean, Sir, but if we could make the arrangements that would be wonderful because I have some work to attend too.” Snape said coldly.

“Very well as to the arrangements that need to be made. Apprenticeships usually go unpaid, but Hermione I would not expect you to do that because of the nature of the school it would be hard for you to leave and make a living else where. So I am willing to offer you a position as a substitute teacher as well as a tutor.”

“Thank you, Professor” he nodded in her direction and continued on.

“Now for the living arrangements. I have considered this greatly and I feel that to get the most out of this apprenticeship for both of you, you will need to be in close proximity. I have taken the liberty of enlarging your personal quarters Severus.” Dumbledore looked at him and Snape just nodded “Hermione will of course have her own bedroom and bathroom, but you will share the rest of it. I hope that this works out for you both.”

“Thank you Professor.” Hermione said “I will go and get my things and will return before dinner. Where should I enter through the Floo?”

“Your sitting room, my dear.”

“Thank you again.” she nodded to each person in the room and left quickly and quietly.

Snape stood and bade each of them good afternoon and left, citing that he had some work to attend to.

“Dumbledore, are you sure that it is a good idea allowing the two of them to live together like that?”

“I do not feel that either of them is in any grave danger, but if the need arises we will find alternate arrangements.”

“I wish I would be as certain of this as you are. What if something physical was to happen?”

“I do not feel that either one of them could be made to do anything that they do not want to do. But they are adults and they have to make their decisions.”




A/N: Well there we go. I hope you enjoyed it I will post chapter 2 by the end of the week. Please R/R. I would love to know what you all thought.

I would love to thank my wonderful beta Constance, she has been so nice to beta my story. I hope that it makes it easier to read. Thank you so much.

Peace and Love