New story to share and all edited by Illaria! She did such wonderful job!

Enjoy!

His dark eyes shifted around the room intently, still managing to keep an eye on a particular Gryffindor. His mind ran through everything he could think of, and it had driven him insane for the past two years. His robe billowed behind him to empower his dark personality and to ensure his reputation remained intact, "Not another drop Longbottom." He hisses at the nerve-wrecked Lion. Neville withdrew the dragon's blood away from the bubbling cauldron and set it aside. The professor nods confidently, feeling content that his classroom is safe from harm. The Gryffindor and Slytherin students were doing their assignment and were attempting to follow the instructions that are written on the board. He nods curtly at his Slytherin students and they begin to clean up their messes. A few minutes later and Severus sneers, stating, "Ten points from Gryffindor, Mr Thomas." As he notices the young boy's failed potion, "You will do another one in detention tonight at seven."

Dean frowns and shakes his head, watching as Professor Snape stalks past Harry and Hermione. Severus knew that Granger tended to correct Potter when they partnered up, leaving Weasley to pair up with another person whenever it wasn't Potter, "Class dismissed! Clear up your messes and leave the vial of your completed potion on my desk." He snarls at the class. Everyone begins to pack their things up as quickly as they could, and he eyes everyone and watches them. He expresses little of his thoughts and was glad the lesson was over, as he could now talk to a certain little Know-It-All, "Granger, stay behind please." He announces once half the class is gone.

Hermione glances up in surprise, wondering what had she done now? She nods and tells Harry she will catch up, before grabbing her bag and heading over to the professor, "Yes sir? Is there something you need to discuss with me? Have I messed up a potion or written something wrong in the assignment?" She gulps and Severus holds his hand up and beckons her to follow him, before leading the way to his office, "You are doing fine, Miss Granger. There is something I would like to discuss, but it must be done with utmost secrecy, as it is very private." Her curiosity piqued, Hermione nods and follows the professor, surprised since Severus never allows anyone to get close to him. They enter Severus' office and he shuts and wards the door against intruders, "I informed your professor that you will not be in class for the duration of this period, so do not stress over it." He states and she nods gratefully, realizing this is serious;

"Oh, thank you sir… Um, what is this about?" She asks, curious, and she tilts her head to the side in question. Severus gestures for her to sit in a chair across from him but she remains standing, opting to see where this is going, "I believe I could use your help. Are you in any shape or form familiar with pure Dominant and Submissive mates?" Hermione's brown eyes widen and she crosses her arms over her chest, "Yes… don't tell me I am one of them!" The Potions Master shakes his head, his dark eyes showing his disgust at the thought, "Not you, Miss Granger, me. I am a Pure Submissive…" Her eyes widen even further and she frowns, "I always thought you would be the Dominant one…"

"I am a willing submissive, Granger. I have two masters I serve willingly, but they do not meet my 'standards' for a mate…" She blinks, before stating, "Two masters?" She shakes her head, before asking, "I don't understand… You are involving me, you need a Dominant, yet it is not me? What kind of benefit do I present to this equation? Unless-" She quickly stops as she realizes what the professor needs. Severus nods and she understands immediately. Her cheeks redden and were hotter than usual. She finally takes his offer of sitting down and she deflates. This matter is serious. Pure Dominant and Pure Submissive mates are taken seriously in the Wizarding World, and when a Pure mating happens, they take to their roles seriously and often they struggle to find the right mate. This meant her professor sought her out as a mediator between him and someone else. She frowns in thought before asking, "Who is it that you are seeking to be your dominant?" She re-crosses her arms over chest and she stares at him thoughtfully, "Potter." He admits and she blinks, "Why can't you ask him out or flirt with him? The book states you need to involve him in your life and you need to start interacting; flirting, talking, etcetera. This way, the Dominant can take the next step."

Severus shakes his head, "I cannot, seeing as the Submissive within me forbade any approach and he must prove to me that he wants me. I serve for both the Light and the Dark sides, Granger, a spy."

"… how am I supposed to help again?"

The professor clicks his tongue in irritation, "You can help me by disguising yourself as a creature. I noticed Potter trusts animals and I believe he tries to interact with them to cope. With our lessons in your fifth year, I did notice he was physically abused by his relatives and I can address this matter with the Headmaster. I take Potter in for the summer right here in my quarters and claim it is for his protection." Hermione huffs and crosses her arms; she did not like this ide at all, but it seemed like the man was capable enough to go and plan it. She glanced around and noticed the changes in his office. It felt… a little more alive, which was definitely what it was if the colours were anything to go by. Harry was drawn to certain colours, but yellow wasn't one of them, whereas red and black suited him well.

"How long have you been fancying Harry?" She hadn't been in the office for the longest time, seeing as she was always a well behaved student, "…two years…" The Professor softly admitted. The witch was impressed and Harry was nearly 17, so it meant this man, who everyone hated, had waited until Harry was an adult. Wizard society held some expectation in certain countries, with the youngest age being fourteen in said areas of the world.

"When?" She asked. Severus was shocked that she'd do it, so his reply was a little slow in coming, "After final exams. I already know yours and his schedules for the finals. You will be the first to finish and you can show up with your things. I have a place to keep them safe until you're free to be yourself again. I will use the spell to trigger your animagus form and keep it locked. Do let me know if you have a name preference for animagus. He will come straight here after he's been informed."

"…and here I thought I was the little sneak." Her brow rose as she thought of a question, "When are you going to tell him?"

"Two days after his last final."

Hermione hums in thought as she figured she could not stop him. She eyes him carefully and noticed the office has been like this for some time, "He likes black and red." She settled her bag on her lap finally since she wasn't going to be leaving for a while, and anyway, it wasn't full class time for a little bit yet, "Harry likes those colours more than anything. His favourite drink is pumpkin tea, not juice… Big difference for him apparently." She sheepishly smiles at the man and he blinks at her, "You're helping? Why?"

"Pure Submissive mate's select their Dominant Mate through a careful process. In the book, it states that once a submissive mate decides someone is right for them, they begin seeking out help… there is no going back. You need a mediator until the marriage bond and I'm smart enough not to separate the both of you. You need someone who will not judge, correct?" She curls her hair behind her ear and smiles. He nods before saying, "I see you did well with your research. How did you come across it?"

"…Hagrid. He thought I could study about mates since I knew a lot about most creatures already and knew that mates were an essential part of the creatures life, and that they are common with nearly all creatures. He gave me a large text book about it, and, well, it was rather… informative…" She gulps before carrying on, "But I can see why he felt the need to give it to me. The half-giant tends to sense things about people no-one else can and he probably knew about you." Somehow, Severus always thought about that and now he had an explanation for all the times Hagrid had checked to see if everything was alright with him. That sent a shiver up his spine as he understood the half-giants purpose behind it all.

"You are correct. I trust that Harry trusts you well and I suspect that your animagus form will set him at ease." She nods, "Of course." She glanced at her bag, "Um… Sleeping arrangements?"

"I have a miniature bed for you set up in my bedroom. I will assure you that he will not access that one. He will have his own room." The witch had suspected that, but at least he was considering a bed than a pet bed. She rested her head against the chair and realized nothing was going to be normal anymore, "This is going to be one long summer, and if I have those dried foods, I'm out." She shuddered and he rolls his eyes, "You might need to stop by the house elves' kitchen and inform them. They will know what to feed you.

Hermione was about to go on a rant, but she realized that if she did, it would hurt him, so she decided to play along, "Can I inform Ron? If he doesn't know, and he asks Harry, that could be a problem… I can talk to my parents and inform them I am staying here over the summer to further my study and I will see them at the end of the holidays." Severus nods, seeing the logic in both statements and he replies, "I can provide a letter for your parents."

"That would help, and you don't mind me telling Ron?" She tilts her head in askance, "You have a point. I'd rather not have Potter being alarmed for your wellbeing and the loss of your whereabouts. I don't want to lose his trust so easily." This was serious. If Severus Snape, Dungeons Bat and King Cantankerous himself was willing to let Hermione inform Ron Weasley of what's taking place, then he was obviously serious about having his mate and that involved her. It takes a few minutes for that to sink in and a lot to plan. She stands up and turns to him, "I will prepare myself and be here for the final." Hermione smiles and Severus agrees, "Of course. Do use the Potion to investigate what creature you are and study it's behaviour. I suspect you will need to do that to pull this off. I have it in the storage closet in the right corner top shelf." He hums and she understood his point and left his office.

The spell wore off after she left as there was no need to keep her here anymore, and no need to make sure she doesn't escape. Professor Snape watched her leave and he glanced at the bookshelves… the day Harry stood up to him, to prove to him that he could handle it. Harry knew how to fight back because he had to survive. That's when he found him to be the perfect mate. He started to gather dark red covered books and slowly realized he fancied the boy. No… he wasn't a boy; he was a man.

He hoped his time with Miss Granger had not set her off, but she seemed to understand where Pure Roles hold its place. Anyone who deterred off the course between them would suffer the consequences. Professor Snape waited for a few minutes to make sure she was out of sight before he went up to the bookcase and pulled a dark red covered book off the shelf. He flipped it open and saw what he wrote;

I believe I have found my mate in Potter. How I know this is rather simple I suppose; from the way I have stopped deducting points from him as I often used to. I have given him more credits, but not so publicly to the students and staff members. The way I watched him grow up and mature, and how secure he is in identifying himself. Potter does not like to be controlled and instead, he prefers to have the control. Unfortunately, he is not of age yet and I will have to wait. Will he want me by then? I must prove myself worthy to him one way or another. I hope he will want me… even if he doesn't need me… All I need is for him to want me to control me. One day, I suppose…

Severus breathed in and he knew this will not be easy. He waited and tried to do what he could to pass the time. With assignments to be graded and his classes to be taught, it didn't keep him as busy as he'd hoped, but the double spy role kept him on his toes. The Dark Lord has been planning something bigger than anyone has ever dreamed for this year, and he wished he knew what it was. Last year, he was not pleased and tortured several Death Eaters. It was all because Harry's friends jumped in and saved their friend from being killed.

He closed his book and placed it back where it was originally. He exited his office and headed to the Headmaster's office to discuss some things with the old man further. There was no going back from this and it was only the beginning now. The fear he had been squashing settled in now, but he was confident it would help. As he reached the office he muttered the password and headed up. The Headmaster was signing paperwork and having his owl delivering the paperwork to the correct people. Albus looks up with a welcoming smile and gestures to the bowl on his desk, "Lemon Drop?"

Severus sighs and declines politely, "No thank you Headmaster, but I have something of concern that we need to address." The Headmaster frowns in concern and he asks, "Is this about Tom?"

"Not this time. He's still planning whatever it is he's planning." Severus shakes his head with a scowl before ploughing on, "I'm afraid that Potter is not receiving the proper care at the hands of his relatives." He sneers slightly before continuing, "He refused to discuss it with his friends and pretended it doesn't bother him." The elder man blinks in confusion before asking, "What made you say that my dear boy?"

"I've seen his memories and how they mistreat him. They beat him from time to time and the recent one was a shoe thrown at him." He scoffs slightly, "He needs to be removed from their care immediately." The Headmaster knew Severus had tried to train the boy to shield his mind from Voldemort, but that was almost two years ago. The training had stopped for a reason, yet, this was being brought up now and the man in front of him was concerned at the start of Harry's last year and for the young man to continue his schooling here at Hogwarts. He carefully read Severus and knew there wasn't a lie. The way those dark eyes kept a clear indication of what he was doing. The way he would report to him about anything unusual once he was free to interact with him.

Then again, he suspected it was part of planning and decided to play along. He was not going to upset the man any further than need be. He sighs and sets his quill back in the ink pot before steepling his fingers in front of him, "We do not need him to think we cannot help him out of this situation. The blood wards will be pointless if he no longer considers that place home and he will need a secure home now." The blue eyes glance up at the young man before him and said man scowls, "Good. Find him a place to stay, I have done my part." Albus tsks at him and says, "You will be taking him in Severus."

"No, absolutely not. That brat hates me and the feeling is mutual." He crosses his arms and glares at the old coot. Said old coot shakes his head and leans back in his chair, "You brought this to my attention and the least you could do is watch over him for the summer. The Weasley's don't have enough resources for him all summer."

"Why not his precious Head of House?"

"She's visiting her family out of the country and she will not be able to provide proper protection for our young Saviour. And besides, Severus, you have more experience in the matter, so you will watch over the boy and that is it. Am I clear?" He raises an eyebrow expectantly and Severus huffs whilst scowling. He knew Albus wasn't buying his act as much as he'd wanted, but that provided an easy way to be successful, "You are doing it and if I see you fail, I will reject your request to be the DADA professor for next year."

Professor Snape drops his arms, "Fine. The brat will stay with me in my quarters for the summer. Don't expect us to tolerate each other." He sneers and Albus chuckles, nodding and gesturing for the man to leave now. Severus did so immediately, not wanting to waste time. Once he was back in his chambers, he smirked to himself as he felt his plan coming together. This will prove to be a very interesting summer indeed.