"So Hermy, what lessons you got today?" Ron asked, looking over her shoulder to have a look. Hermione shuddered inwardly. Oh how she hated that horrible name Hagrid had given her to make it easier for Grawp to pronounce. Naturally Ron had found it absolutely hilarious, and annoyingly had managed to get it to stick. Even after all this time it still made her cringe just hearing it. She fixed Ron with an evil look, and replied.

"Double potions, a study period, Arithmancy, Transfiguration and then Defence against the Dark Arts. What do you two have?"

"You have double potions first?" Asked Ron incredulously, "we don't have it until fourth."

"Well obviously our lessons clashed then. Although it seems strange to me, I was the only person in Arithmancy last year. Ah well," she said standing up, "guess I should get to lesson before I'm late. You two should hurry too." Not at all to Hermione's surprise the boys didn't move an inch, they just stayed put laughing together. She hurried up to her dorm to gather her books for the day, and then ran down to the dungeons where potions class was held.

"I'm so sorry I'm late Professor Snape," she panted, bursting through the door. Snape looked up through the greasy curtains of his hair and sneered at Hermione.

"I would appreciate it Miss Granger if you could at least turn up to my lessons on time in the future. I really don't like having to wait for my only student to decide to roll in. I am going to presume that, being an insufferable know-it-all you have already worked out why we are having these lessons, so I shan't explain." The rest of the lesson managed to somehow get worse. Even though Hermione was a brilliant potions student, Snape still was able to make her feel stupid and worthless. When she produced a perfect verita serum potion, he told her off because it wasn't quite the correct shade of clear, and when the lesson ended, he set her enough homework to keep her tied up for the next two nights, not to mention whatever work she would get from her other lessons. As she trundled out of her first lesson of her final year to find Harry and Ron, she had a horrible weight in her stomach. This was not going to be a fun year at all. And by the looks of things, it was just going to get worse. She had so many potions lessons too. Already she was kicking herself for taking it, but it seemed like it would be useful for her future, so she had no choice. 'That horrible, horrible man' she thought to herself angrily, kicking her feet at the floor. Thank god for the free period to get some of her mountain of homework done.

"Hey, Hermione!" shouted Harry, running up behind her. Oh Harry, the only person left it seemed that called her by her real name and not bloody Hermy. "Hey are you ok?"

"Oh god Harry, what did I do to deserve one-on-one lessons with that poisonous man?" she wailed at him. Then, without any idea where they came from, the tears began to fall. He was so frustrating she could barely cope. Harry wrapped his arms around her and just held her while she sobbed. He breathed in the faint scent of strawberries in her chestnut brown hair, which was a little crazier than usual from her rushing around. It usually fell now in loose curls down her back, but she had obviously been running her hands through it. As his arms wrapped around her tiny frame, he realised how different she was from the young girl he had met seven years before. Gone was the frizzy hair and buck teeth, she had grown into a woman. 'How did I not notice?' he thought to himself. How easily he thought he could have fallen in love with her if he already didn't view her as his clever big sister. One he could really be proud of, he thought with a wry smile. She moved away from Harry, and her mouth turned up into a small smile, her huge brown eyes still full of tears. "Well I don't feel completely pathetic now," she grinned at him. Harry just smiled back at her, threw his arm round her shoulders, and they walked together towards the library.

The next few weeks passed by in a horrendous mess of tears and homework. Never had Hermione felt so stupid and inadequate. Even the other two didn't seem to be getting as much homework as she was, she was barely sleeping from the mountains she had. And on the rare occasions she did sleep she was dreaming about doing her potions homework. Luckily her other three lessons weren't giving so much homework, so she had time to keep on top of it all... just.

As October came to a close, Hermione had had enough. It was the last lesson of the day on Halloween, and she decided to talk to Snape and find out why he was being so awful. The lesson went on as usual, but afterwards, as he dismissed her, Hermione stood up to look Snape square in the face. "Professor, I have a question for you," she said, squaring up to him, "why is it I have so much homework and everybody else seems to barely have any? I work so hard for you, and you just seem to punish me constantly."

"Well, Miss Granger, I thought you were clever. But apparently not, otherwise you would've noticed that I have been teaching you far more advanced potions than everyone else, since you finished the curriculum for your N.E.W.T's last year. That's the main reason why I requested that you have separate lessons. Believe me it wasn't because I like you, I just have very high hopes for you."

Hermione was struck dumb by this. She opened her mouth to speak, but couldn't think of the words she needed, so promptly shut it again. He was stood so close to her now she could feel his breath on her pink cheeks. She looked into his black eyes, and saw something she couldn't read. Confused, she picked up her stuff and left.

'What was that?' thought Snape as he watched the door close behind Hermione. The way she had squared up to him then, her eyes flashing with anger, she looked almost sexy. Shaking his head of these thoughts, Snape retired to his office.