'Ello Beautiful: Yeah, I think they only accepted him cos it was important to Hermione… And I was trying to fully develop the side of him that we would've seen if he had turned to the light side after trying to kill Dumbledore (except in my story he hasn't joined the Dark Lord yet so… =S )

**Disclaimer: I do own Harry Potter and all associated plots and characters because I am, in fact, JK Rowling.**

PSYCHE!!!!!

"Detention, Granger!" Snape had had it in for Hermione even more than usual ever since our 'little talk'.

"But she didn't do anything!" I protested loudly.

"As touching as your over-protectiveness is, Mr Malfoy, I believe it is me who decides whether or not to give someone detention." Snape said coldly.

"But –"

"And as for her not doing anything, that is precisely the problem," he continued. "She has not listened to a word of my instructions, choosing instead to stare across the classroom at you." Hermione blushed fiercely as all eyes in the room swivelled to look at her.
"I was doing it too, give me –"

He interrupted me again. "No, you were, I think, sufficiently punished last time." Was that a hint of a sneer in his voice?

I spent the remainder of the lesson in a childish sulk, refusing to do any of the work, which left my partner Goyle to concoct the potion. Fortunately, he was only too happy about this, as it meant he didn't have to talk me, the 'Blood-traitor scum'. I noticed Pansy was making eyes at me again, and I stared vacantly back at her, not realising what I was doing until she made a rude hand gesture at me, and turned away. I raised my eyebrows and snorted in derision, before returning to my daydreaming, watching the second hand on my watch creep round laboriously slowly, counting down the long, torturous seconds until I could get out of that hell-hole.

Finally, at long, long last the bell chimed signalling the end of the lesson. I scrambled out of my seat and rushed over to Hermione. She saw me and smiled demurely, putting her hands on my shoulders.

"It seems you're a bad influence on me, Mr Malfoy," she said, pressing her body nearer to mine.

"Mmm…" I murmured in vague agreement, more occupied with her actions than her words. Even though it had been several weeks since we started to go out, I still felt the same wonderful shiver down my spine every time she touched me.

"Ha! You are so whipped!" she laughed, pushing me away. "See you after detention, ok?"

"I'll be waiting…" I said, in a low, exceedingly 'drama queen-ish' voice. She giggled adorably, and gave me a quick peck on the cheek, before I left to wait outside for her. I leant on the dripping, slime covered wall, watching all the people file past me out of the classroom. Crabbe and Goyle, my former best friends, stopped in front of me, and Crabbe had his mouth hung open as if he was about to say something. I mimed closing my jaw and gave him my best patronising look, then pointed with my thumb up the corridor.
"Jog on, Dipshit."

Hermione stood in the dank, musty dungeon waiting for Snape to stop wiping the blackboard. He could easily have cleaned it with his wand, but for some reason he seemed content with the use of a board rubber. Her eyes roamed over the straining shelves stacked high with jars. She saw shrunken heads, bobbing around in sickening green liquid, and beetles and small creatures even she didn't recognise, perfectly preserved in the beakers. She shivered. She watched meekly as Snape slowly turned to face her, and glided out from behind his desk, the long trailing cloak spread out behind him like a wedding veil.

"How dare you," he said slowly, almost painfully. "Disrespect my lesson. Not only that. How dare you deface the good name of Malfoy by contaminating Draco with your filth." He almost spat the last word, and she recoiled, terrified. "Stick to your own house, Granger, that's what they're there for. You are to stop seeing Draco. You will no longer speak or communicate from this moment forwards. Do you understand?" Her voice seemed to have shrivelled up along with her courage as she stared at him with wide eyes. "Do you understand?" After a moment's concentration, she managed to find her voice.

"With respect, Sir, it is not up to you who I talk to," she squeaked. He smiled grimly, and twirled his wand between his long, skeletal fingers.

"Then I believe we have a problem."

Ok, I know it's wrong to listen at doors. But when your girlfriend is trapped in a room alone with your new enemy who just threatened to get rid of her, its hard not to do something. I was already livid about what he had ordered her to do, so when I heard his flat, monotonous voice start saying something that sounded suspiciously like a curse, I was acting on instinct when I blew open the door and stormed into the room.

"Permissum cruciatus visum…" Snape's wand was pointing directly at Hermione's chest, and his beady black eyes were locked unblinkingly on her face. She seemed to be in a trance, and stared unwaveringly back at him, slack jawed and wide eyed. "...Vomica vos insquequo…" That was no normal curse, I was sure of it – that was really dark magic. Without thinking, I leapt in front of Hermione, between her and Snape.

"STUPEFY!" I bellowed.

"...Mortalitas leino vos!" finished Snape.

A jet of red light erupted out of my wand, missing the pale smoke shooting from his by millimetres. The last thing I saw was Severus Snape crumpling to the floor, before pain exploded across my chest.

Well there you go :) another chapter finished
AND that was real latin by the way: how hot am I! ;) I got it off a translator site though so it's not likley to be right