One Last Try [HP Jamione fanfic]

10. I Know Places

A/N: Keeps feeling like it's been ages since I've updated this, even if it's only been a week! I've gotten 34 chapters written now, and we're halfway through sixth year and into 1977! This fic is (if I stick to my timeline) going to take us to the end of 1980, so still got a while to go!

5th September 1973

"You're late, Prewett." Snape didn't look up from his books, he was busy scrawling notes on a piece of parchment off to the side. Though he did deign to reach out and slide some of the books out the way so Hermione would have room - which was pleasantly surprising.

She sighed, and twisted her hair up into a bun held in place by her wand. She hated trying to concentrate with curls falling into her face. "Yes. My brothers decided to acost me with stupid questions in the hallway on my way here."

"I didn't say I cared why." Snape drawled, though Hermione saw a little twitch in his lips that may have suggested he was amused.

"And yet, I told you." Hermione quickly pulled her textbook and a roll of parchment out of her bag, putting them on the table with her ink and quill.

"Hmmm." Snape still had yet to look up from his writing, or show he was in any way interested in Hermione, "Yes I noticed, unfortunately."

Hermione didn't respond, just rolled her eyes, used to his acerbic nature by now, and unaffected by it. They worked in silence, the scratch of their quills and flipping pages in their books the only sound for a while. Hermione found herself watching Snape out the corner of her eyes surreptitiously, trying to read him and miserably failing. "You're staring." Huh, not that surreptitiously apparently. Snape finally looked up from his book, a frown on his face, "Was there something you wanted?" He snapped.

She kept eye contact for a moment, searching his gaze for something. "I don't hate you, you know?"

Snape blinked, seemingly truly surprised, then drawled, "Good for you. Now if that was all-"

"It wasn't." She leaned forward over the table, putting her quill to the side. "Look I know you don't like some of my friends," Snape snorted, and sent her an incredulous look, "Okay, you loathe some of my friends. But I'm not them, and I know that you're friends with Lily."

Snape looked away from her searching gaze, and she saw him swallow convulsively - he'd soon learn to hide that evidence of emotion, she knew. "What of it?" He finally questioned with a scowl.

"It doesn't hurt to have more friends, Snape." She said, with a shrug. She gathered her things up, and stood to leave the table. "I don't have anything against Slytherins, unlike most Gryffindors. I'm friends with Regulus." She pointed out.

"What if I have something against Gryffindors?" Snape asked with a sneer, finally making eye contact again.

She shrugged again, "Then we'll be acquaintances, and nothing more. But I would like to be your friend, Snape." She shifted her things from one arm to the other, resisting the urge to fidget under his penetrating gaze. "Think about it. See you tomorrow." She called over her shoulder as she left him sitting alone at the table hidden in the dark of the library.

10th November 1973

The first Hogsmeade weekend for the third years came with a flurry of snow the night before, as was to be expected in the Scottish highlands in early November. Sirius' birthday had been the week before, and the Marauders were still being all secretive and smug about something. The rest of the third years assumed it was the same thing as the beginning of September. It was making most of the House of Godric twitchy and paranoid. Only two years at the school and the four had managed to garner quite a reputation already.