Keep your Enemies Closer

(A/N - This is the first Hermione/Snape story I've written so bare with me. The couple is quite stubborn and wont always do what I want them to. I just wanted to say thanks for taking the time to read my story and I appreciate all reviews. I will accept constructive criticism but please try not to flame me. If you don't like it just stop reading it. Also, this story will be rated R for possible language and sexual encounters later in the plot. This story is not completely planned out so I will accept any ideas!! Thanks again!)

Disclaimer - None of it's mine, but oh how I wish it were.

Chapter 1

I told you not to touch me

A bright September day, only a week into the school year, found Hermione, Harry, and Ron seated around an old oak, lounging in the shade. Hermione was hard at work with a potions essay: The Effects of the Wolfsbane Potion and When it is Needed. Harry and Ron were playing exploding snap, much to the dismay of their third. The sun was beginning to set and many students were beginning to wander back inside the castle doors seeking shelter from the darkness.

"I bet you didn't see that coming mate," Ron began, placing down a card, causing the entire deck to explode, which startled Hermione out her silent reverie.

"Will you two quit? It would do both of you some good to get your homework done now, because I certainly won't be doing it for you," Hermione reprimanded them in a huff.

"Aw Hermione, we were only just pl-" Ron began, when the three of them looked up at a shriek to their immediate left.

Booming guffaws could be heard, coming from none other than Crabbe and Goyle. Malfoy was snickering off to the side at the sight before him. Neville was dangling upside down in the air as if an invisible giant had grabbed a hold of one ankle. The contents of his pockets were spilled on the ground below him. Hermione slammed her book shut with a crack and got up from her place in the grass, followed closely by Ron and Harry at her sides.

"Draco Malfoy! Put him down this instant! You are supposed to be head boy and this is how you are acting? You are completely impossible Malfoy, and if you think that this will go unheard, I can assure you that you are quite incorr-" Hermione faltered. Her voice had left her completely; not a sound could be heard. She stomped her foot in indignation but still no sound emerged from her mouth. Malfoy had cast a silencing charm on her, and lazily walked towards her.

"I'm quite what, mudblood? I couldn't quite catch that? You better get back into the castle, it's past your bed time," Malfoy sneered, causing even more raucous laughter to erupt from the two goons. Neville gave a small whimper, as he was still suspended in midair.

"Finite incantatum," Harry whispered to Hermione from behind her.

"Thanks Harry, I'll just be on my way to the Headmaster now, if you'll excuse me. Harry, Ron, please try and take care of this," Hermione growled causing Draco to sneer further.

Hermione made her way inside the castle doors and all the way along the corridor that would lead her to the Headmasters office.

"Lemon drops."

The stone gargoyles left aside revealing a spiraling staircase in front of her. She stepped onto the stairs and waited as she was gradually lifted upwards. She stopped momentarily, as she noticed his office door was left slightly ajar and voices could be heard from inside. She crept quietly to the door and peered inside, berating herself mentally for eavesdropping.

Only whispers could be heard from Dumbledore, but that was not what interested her. What left her in shock was seeing the person he was talking to across his desk; Narcissa Malfoy, covered in expensive green silk. Her face was stricken with worry, and she kept glancing around furtively as if she were afraid someone was about sneak up behind her and attack her. Hermione decided it was best to leave and handle this at a later time, however, when she turned to leave, Dumbledore's voice boomed out at her, "What's the rush Ms. Granger? Come in quickly, please."

Hermione stopped in her tracks and blushed deeply as she turned around and entered his office, completely aware that he knew she had been there the whole time. She glanced from Dumbledore to the only other occupant in the room. Her formerly stricken face had morphed into one of loathing as she looked Hermione up and down. The traditional Malfoy sneer was upon her face and Hermione thought she could almost feel the hate radiating off of her. Hermione scowled and turned her back on her to face her professor.

"Sorry to interrupt, Professor, but I just wanted to let you know that there is some very childish behavior going on at this very second, right out on the grounds," she breathed. His eyes twinkled and he nodded, urging her to continue.

"Well, Greggory Goyle and Vincent Crabbe... and...," She faltered, looking at the mother of the other miscreant in question. "Well, anyway, they're hanging Neville upside down and I just thought that you should know." She didn't know why she didn't say anything about Malfoy, other than the fact that his mother was in the room.

"Are those the only two that were involved Ms. Granger?" Dumbledore asked knowingly, looking up at her through his half-moon spectacles.

She paused, "Yes, sir, that's all." He nodded his head and she became aware that she needed to leave, as she was intruding on their conversation. She exited the office, but before closing the door she paused out of curiosity and she heard Dumbledore say one last thing.

"Excuse the interruption, please. We will indeed set up a safe house for you, but you must return to your manor at once, as to not arouse any suspicion."

Hermione appeared at the Fat Lady in a flash, running to tell Harry and Ron exactly what she had just seen.

"Hippogriff."

A loud piercing sound nearly bowled her over when the portrait swung open, allowing her entrance. The entire Gryffindor common room was alive with the mere beginnings of a party. Hermione looked around to see Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan carrying two bottles of fire whiskey each, followed closely by Neville (who had apparently gotten down) carrying a mug of butterbeer. The ruffling of newspaper was everywhere, and Hermione had no idea as to what the cause of this party was. All she knew is that she needed to find Ron and Harry as quickly as possible.

After only a few steps into the common room, Harry and Ron appeared beside her yelling and grinning from ear to ear, quite obviously incapacitated.

"...'Ermione, you'll never believe," Ron slurred.

"What's in the Daily Prophet. It's simply, it's just, it's simply," Harry cut in.

"Simply fantastic!" Ron finished, thrusting a copy of the Daily Prophet in her arms, ignoring her pleads for them to listen to her for just a moment. Harry stumbled away, but Ron stayed put, a very curious look in his eye. He waited as Hermione raised the paper to her face and began to read quietly to herself. A very large moving picture of the dark mark, as well as a very familiar face looked up at her from the front page.

Alaster "Mad-eye" Moody became a hero today when Death Eater Bellatrix Lestrange was captured by him in the London pub, The Hogs Head. "Mad-eye" told reporters that he had become suspicious of an old man in a far, dark corner of the pub, who refused to come out of the shadows. Without investigating the situation, Madeye cast a binding spell and a disillusionment charm on the "old man" who turned out to be Lestrange in disguise. Lestrange is wanted for many murders as well as countless... (Continued on A6, A7, B11)

Hermione stood in shock at all she had read, temporarily forgetting what she had came running here for in the first place. She turned to Ron smiling when she noticed the curious look still on his face.

"..'Ermione, can we talk about this later?" He said stupidly. "I need to er, talk to you for jus' a moment," he said trying to focus on her eyes.

"Sure..." She followed him across the common room and up to the boy's dormitory. Perhaps he wanted to show her something?

"Ron, you'll never believe what I saw today when I left to tell Dumbledore about Malfoy and his mates." He turned to her with the same very strange look she saw downstairs in the common room, but she still couldn't quite place it.

"Do you know what I see right now, 'Ermione?" He slurred thickly, taking a step towards her.

"Are you okay? Maybe you should lay down," she said out of concern.

"...'Ermione, maybe you should lay down with me, eh?" He said closing the distance in between them clumsily. Hermione backed away towards the wall, in between Neville and Ron's bed.

"Ron what are you doing? Get off of me!" She yelled as he put both his arms around her waist and his face against hers in an attempt to kiss her.

"Ron, listen to me, you don't know what you're doing because you are clearly drunk. Now if you'll just sit down, I'll cast a sobering spell on you and you can tell me what the bloody hell this is about," she said trying to put him at an arm's length at the very least.

"No Hermione, I know you want this. I can tell! You've wanted this since third year and I've been too much of a boy to take advantage of it. But now I'm a man. I'm a man and I want you Hermione, and I know you want me so stop fighting it!" He said lunging on her, pushing her on top of his bed and laying heavily on top of her. It was true, she had liked Ron since third year, but she never wanted him like this.

Hermione resisted the urge to scream and fumbled in her robe pocket while he tried to make silly advancements towards her. She muttered a quiet sobering charm and Ron froze momentarily, but after a few moments of thinking perhaps, he started to reach down to unbutton her robes.

"I told you Hermione, I want this, sober or not... I will get it," Ron said, his eyes piercing hers. Hermione screamed and began to cry and tried to push him up, but all the years of quidditch training with his family had done him good and he refused to budge.

"Ron get off of me now or you are truly going to regret you ever laid a hand on me."

"You want this," he said simply.

"Furnunculus," Hermione shouted, pointing at Ron the best she could with him on top of her. Large boils began to form first on his arms, and then on his face, which left little to the imagination that they were also appearing all over his body. Ron screamed and started scratching. He began to run for the door that led to the common room, probably to run to Madam Pomphrey.

"Impedimenta," Hermione yelled now, still crying but now with a fierce look in her eyes. Ron flew backwards a good seven or eight feet away from the door, landing hard on the floor in front of Hermione. He glared at her and attempted to get up.

"Immobulus," Hermione said, watching the boils continue to pop up all over his body, though now Ron was incapable of moving, therefore incapable of scratching at them. She began to walk towards the door, stepping around Ron, but turned around as if she had a better idea.

Incarcerous," Hermione said in a shaky voice and ropes flew from nowhere and wrapped themselves tightly around Ron. "In case you somehow get up. Also," she began opening the door as a loud burst of noise from downstairs flowed in, "in case you escape that as well..." She turned around and placed the tip of her wand on the door handle. "Impervious," she whispered and door glowed blue for a moment and then faded away. "I told you, you shouldn't touch me Ronald," Hermione said closing the door.

She began to cry again now, harder than she could remember doing in a long time and ran down the stairs in flash. In her haste she tripped on the last stair and fell flat on her face. She got up and looked at her arm as she had cut it on something when she fell and it was now bleeding everywhere. She looked around wildly for Harry, not noticed the stares from people looking at her as if she were a madwoman. She finally spotted him in a corner talking to Seamus.

"Harry! Ron... Ron, he," She began breathing harder than necessary. Harry got up and stumbled over to her away from Seamus. She began to tell him the tale of what just occurred, hoping he would understand how afraid she truly was. However, when she got to the end of her story and looked expectantly at him, he merely shrugged.

"Hermione, he's wanted this for a long time. You shouldn't have cast all those spells on him," Harry stated plainly.

"Harry...he just tried to..." She began looking at him as if she was seeing him for the first time.

"Hermione that was really wrong of you to do that to him, can't you see he loves you?"

"Harry, he just tried..."

"I suggest you go up there and undo all of this and apologize to him. I can't believe you would do that to your best friend!" Harry looked angry now, but he definitely was not a drunk as he was before.

"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?" Hermione yelled. A few people turned to look at her, but overall it went unnoticed as the volume in the room was already very loud. Harry just looked down; looked away from her tear-filled eyes.

Hermione did the only thing she could think of. She ran. She ran across the room to the portrait hole and jumped through it almost faster than it opened. Shrill yells from the fat lady boomed behind her, but she did not stop. She ran down staircase after staircase until she arrived at the first floor, where the great hall was. She didn't know where she was going, but she knew she had to get away from everything at the moment. She turned a corner and ran into something quite large and quite solid. She rubbed her head as she attempted to stand, and looked up.

"P-p-professor Snape..."

A/N : The Ron thing really doesn't have TOO Much to do with the story, as a personal... THING, I don't much care for Ron, and I needed a little plot bunny :) Read and Review :)