She woke up the next day confused as to where exactly she was with Snape. Were they okay after their detention, or would they start fighting again if she showed a slight bit of talent more than his? Was it going to be back to him being surly and isolated, or would he talk to her a little easier? She worried about it all through her shower, and went down to the common room to find Jennae and Selena had waited for her to go down to breakfast.

"How did your detention go last night?" Jennae asked.

"Okay," she shrugged, then proceeded to tell them about the knot.

"You have to have some kind of record. One full day here and you got detention," Selena said.

Hermione opened her mouth, meaning to tell them about how Harry and Ron got detention once before term technically started, but she shut it quickly when she realized that particular event wasn't going to happen for close to twenty five years.

"Oi, Puckle!" she heard a male voice call, and she stopped herself from groaning.

"We'll leave you," Jennae smirked as she and Selena hurried along and Hermione paused, letting the Marauders catch up.

"Did you really beat up on Snivellous during Defense yesterday?" Sirius asked, jogging up to her, his eyes alight.

"Snivellous?" she asked, sounding disgusted.

"Snape. Did you or did you not beat up on Snape?" he asked excitedly.

"What exactly did you hear?" she asked slowly, starting to walk towards the Great Hall.

"A variety of things, many of which are probably greatly exaggerated. Everything from you forcing him to tap-dance around the room, to him having to dive out of the way of your Killing Curses. Perhaps a few things about him screaming like a little girl."

"All of those are a lot of bollocks," she snapped, grinding her teeth.

"Okay, some of them may have been fantasies," Sirius beamed, and with a smile as charming as his she wasn't surprised Sirius usually had a witch or two staring at him.

"But we did hear he attacked you, and you fought back," James added.

"He didn't attack me!" she hissed. "He threw a curse prematurely, but I easily blocked it. He may have thrown a few more, and things may have escalated, but it was not some kind of battle in the middle of the Defense room."

"Still, we heard you won," Peter smiled, and she felt her stomach turn over.

"Considering we both lost twenty five points each, and got detentions, I hardly would consider that either one of us 'won'."

"That had to be rough, having to spend a detention with Snivellous," Sirius said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "How did you stand the smell?"

"You are incorrigible," she said, trying to duck out from underneath, but he hooked a hand under her arm and held fast.

"I think the word you're looking for is 'irresistible'," he replied.

"The word I'm looking for would earn me another twenty-five point deduction," she rolled her eyes, forcing herself not to smile, but secretly enjoying the banter. Still, she was trying to minimize the amount of time she spent around Sirius and Lupin in hopes they wouldn't remember her later.

"Now, Hermione," he sighed, sounding wounded. "You've gone and hurt my feelings. I may need you to nurse me back to health."

"You are a piece of work, Mr. Black."

"You can call me Sirius, love."

"I would, but it would be false advertizing."

James, Remus, and Peter burst out laughing.

"See, this is what I need," Sirius said with a barking laugh. "You have spunk, love. How about you come out to the Quidditch pitch after classes today, and I'll let you ride my broomstick?"

"I don't fly," she said, this time managing to duck out from under his arm as they entered the Great Hall.

"You haven't given me the chance to work on that."

"And I won't be. Good day, Mr. Black," she said, spinning on her heel and hurrying down the Ravenclaw table. She happened to glance down the the Slytherin table as she walked between the two, and saw Severus furiously scribbling something on a piece of paper, not even looking up as Lucius asked him a question. She swallowed hard. Did he see her coming in with Sirius' arm draped around her? That wouldn't help anything.

"Sirius Black seems to be seeking out your company a fair deal," Selena said as she sat next to Jennae and tried to ignore the feeling like she had several pairs of eyes on her.

"He can seek all he wants, he's not going to find what he's looking for," she replied tersely.

She was spared any further discussion by Danielle sitting down with an armful of star charts and loudly proclaiming that continuing Astronomy was the dumbest decisions she had ever made. Hermione spent the rest of breakfast helping her sort her homework out, and by the time she made it to Charms class there wasn't enough time for Sirius to talk to her before Flitwick started talking. Again, the moment they were dismissed she shot up and started hurrying to Runes. She came up next to Severus, who was waiting outside the Runes room.

"Good morning, Severus," she greeted him.

He shot a look at her, and swept into the room when the door opened.

He must have seen Sirius' arm wrapped around her. She lost any ground she had gained during their detention and the time after. Back to square one. When she sat down in the desk next to his he moved as far as he could away from her and moved his hair so she was completely obscured from his vision. Okay, a square back from where she had started.

She waited to try to talk to him until after class ended, and started walking next to him on their way to the Great Hall for lunch.

"Do you think we're going to be allowed to work together in Defense again?" she asked.

"Yes," he replied shortly.

"Well, I promise to behave if you do."

He grunted.

She sighed, and walked a minute or two in silence. "Do you take Herbology tomorrow?" she asked.

"Yes," he said, then he sped up and disappeared through a hidden passageway that led away from the Great Hall. She sighed, considered following him, and decided against it.

XXXXXXXXXX

Her first transfiguration class was that afternoon, and by the time she got there the Gryffindors were already seated. It seemed like, for whatever reason, Wormtail wasn't in this class, and her stomach dropped as she saw the odd number of Marauders. She tried to sneak in without being seen, but Sirius saw her and called for her.

"Hermione!" he shouted, standing and waving his hands above his head dramatically, ignoring the look of longing the girl sitting next to him was shooting him.

She sighed and walked over to them. "Yes?" she said, still standing far enough away he couldn't touch her.

"We seem to have an empty seat here, love," he said, pointing to the spot next to Lupin.

"Do you enjoy being dragged into this?" she asked her future professor.

"I've long since stopped trying to fight him on most things," Lupin shrugged with an apologetic smile.

"As long as you promise not to put your arm around me, I'll sit."

"I solemnly swear," he beamed, raising a hand towards the ceiling.

"Now what fun is it if we can't touch?" Sirius pouted.

"You got me in trouble with that this morning," she replied.

"Trouble? With who? James was supposed to soften the Ravenclaws to me. Are you skivving off your duties, James?"

"There's only so much flirting I can do without Lily getting upset," he said, smiling across the aisle at the pretty redheaded witch who was looking away from the group. Hermione was thankful for that, she wasn't prepared to see Harry's parents together just yet.

"Not them," she shook her head enthusiastically.

"Then who?" Sirius asked.

She opened her mouth to reply, but realized that the chances of them stopping if she told them it was Severus she was concerned about was in the negative, they would probably redouble their efforts, so she thought quickly. "Dumbledore," she replied.

"Dumbledore?" he asked in surprise.

"Yes. Dumbledore. Before Runes he reminded me that while I am here I am an ambassador for Beauxbatons, and that any sort of ill behavior would reflect badly on my school. I guess looking like I managed to hook up with you first day is considered 'ill behavior'."

"Oh. I'll just have to wait a few days to give the impressions, then, won't I?"

"No," she rolled her eyes. "You will not be giving the impressions at all. Let me lay it on the line, I am not interested."

"Yet," he smirked as McGonagall entered the room and gave him a stern look that had him immediately turning to the front of the room.

She made another quick exit when the class was over, and made a beeline for the library, hoping she got lucky. She did, finding Severus alone at the same table in the back. She waited for a few more tables to fill in, so she had no visible options anywhere near him, and walked back to him carrying a stack of books.

"May I work here?" she asked, pointing at the chair kitty-corner to his.

His head snapped up and he looked around the room. "There's an unfinished table of Ravenclaws," he said, pointing at a table with three first-years sitting and looking hopelessly over a large history text.

"You and I both know if I go sit there I'm going to spend my time tutoring them, and I don't have the time nor the patience to be doing so. I have to review some Herbology notes before class tomorrow."

"How about that one, with the seventh year?" he said, pointing to a table with a solitary Hufflepuff seventh year.

"You know NEWT level students who are studying that hard this early in the year are susceptible to jumping at even the smallest movements."

"Fine!" he snapped, clearly annoyed as he shoved a few books out of her way. "Sit if you must insist on annoying me."

"Annoying you?" she asked, sounding indignant. "I wasn't aware that I read that loud."

"Just leave me alone."

"Have it your way," she shrugged, sitting and starting to read. One hour turned into two, and next thing she knew the smells of dinner were wafting into the room, and she was too tempted to stay in the library.

"Are you going downstairs to eat?" she asked.

"Eventually," he replied, not looking up.

"Would you like to walk down with me?"

His head snapped up and he studied her through narrowed eyes. "Don't you have Black to escort you around the castle?"

"Black?" she scoffed, knowing that even though she found the Marauders somewhat charming and funny, reminding her a bit of Fred and George, she was going to have to act like she couldn't stand them. "Arrogant windbag. I'm doing my best to avoid him, but he's worse than Peeves."

A look of confusion passed over his face, but when it left his features were softened. "Okay. I'll walk with you."

"Good," she smiled. They put their books in stacks for Pince to put away, she was still as cantankerous and obsessive in the past as she was in Hermione's time, and walked out towards the Great Hall.

"I wanted to tell you the other day, and maybe I would have if you didn't have such a knack for getting under my skin, that I watched you a bit during potions, and you look amazing," she said as they walked.

"What do you mean?" he asked, suspicious.

"I mean you made it look so effortless. Like you have been doing it your whole life. You never looked unsure of yourself. It was mesmerizing in a way."

"Oh," he paused a moment before adding an unsure, "Thanks."

"Would you mind if I sat with you during potions?"

"That depends. How good are you?"

"Not as good as you," she replied quickly, figuring flattery would only help her at this point. "But I think I can hold my own."

"Don't expect me to baby you through it."

"I wouldn't dream of it."

They were heading down the grand staircase when a voice called his name behind them, and her blood ran cold. They stopped, and she stiffened as they turned to find Bellatrix coming down the stairs. A shot of pain surged through Hermione's left arm as Bellatrix approached, slowly spreading over her body, and it took all her willpower not to show a physical reaction to the witch.

"Snape," Bellatrix said in her high-pitched, authoritative voice. "Give me a copy of your Defense notes," she demanded without acknowledging Hermione at all.

"I have told you half a dozen times, I am not going to do your work for you, Bella," Snape shot back.

"Come on, Snape, you know how I feel about that subject."

"One would think you care enough about your NEWTs to at least pay a bit of attention."

"The only reason I care is my father will throttle me if I come home with a T, and I don't feel like incurring his wrath. But I'm not aiming for an O or anything. I would have dropped the subject if he didn't think it was 'prudent' I keep with it."

"And how does any of this concern me?"

"Fine. How does ten Galleons make you feel?"

"It feels a like an insult."

"Twenty?"

He studied her. "Fifty."

"Fifty! For fifty I'd expect you to do my bloody homework in the subject all year. Do you really think your notes for the first month of school are worth fifty galleons?"

"You can afford it. You can hardly afford a T, but with as much as I know you pay attention in classes you have no interest in you have hardly put pen to paper to take a note in that class. And I know for a fact you used the book for practicing hexes, so you don't even have your copy. I am the only one who pays any kind of attention in that class, therefore you are dependent on me, and hardly in a position to negotiate."

"Damn you, Severus. Fifty."

"Once I have the money, I'll surrender a copy of my notes. Pleasure doing business with you."

"Getting bloody ripped off, more like. Who's this?" she asked, seemingly noticing Hermione for the first time.

"Hermione..." he started but she cut him off.

"The Delacour girl from Beauxbatons Lucius was talking about," she said with a smile, and a flash of crooked teeth.

"Puckle," Hermione corrected timidly.

"But you are from the Delacours, are you not?"

"Yes, but my last name is Puckle."

"Whatever. Good luck around here. I hope you have enough to afford Severus' help, though he probably wouldn't decline an invitation from you to pay in other ways. You're certainly a step up from the mudblood," she left without any warning, and Hermione looked at Severus.

"Did you really just sell your notes to her?" she asked indignantly.

"Jokes on her. My notes are sparse, it's a lot of it is in shorthand. She will hardly be able to understand any of it."

She suddenly felt a surge of panic deep in her stomach. "Do you think that's a good idea? What if she gets mad?"

"I'll be able to handle her," he replied flippantly.

She opened her mouth, then shut it again. While selling bad notes to Bellatrix Lestrange seemed like suicide in her eyes, to Snape she'd have no reason to try to caution him.

They made it to the entrance of the Great Hall, and she barely had time to shoot him a quick good-bye before he walked off to join the Slytherin table. She exhaled in frustration. She might be on better terms with Snape, but she still had a long way to go.