Protection

A.N. Another chapter and things are really starting to get moving. A huge thanks to the lovely people who favourite, follow and review. Thank you to that ginger panda and carick of hunter moon for your delightful comments. Now onto the next chapter!


Previously: However it seemed that fate was against her as eternity only lasted until that afternoon in Double Arithmacy.

The bell rang interrupting Hermione's racing thoughts. Immersed in her research she forgot to leave the library ten minutes early in order to get to class on time. Quickly packing her bag she hurried to the Arithmacy classroom praying that the school would let her get there as swiftly as possible. She hated nothing more than being late for class. Climbing up the staircases was often tricky as they could change course without warning but it seemed to Hermione that luck was on her side as the stairs led directly to the Arithmacy tower without any hassle.

She arrived just on time, albeit slightly out of breath but everyone had already found a seat. Apart from her and Draco, the small round classroom was filled with Ravenclaws most of which she knew. In every direction were large arched windows that allowed you to see the entire school grounds and a small winding staircase lead to the turret for stargazing. The view took her breath away every time she came to class. Taking a moment to search around the room she saw that the only seat available was next to Draco at the back of the class.

Inwardly groaning she reluctantly took the seat only to have Draco completely ignore her presence. At least he wasn't trying to start an argument again. Trying to avoid the stares and hushed whispers from their classmates gossiping about how the two biggest enemies in their year had to pair up, she got her things prepared. Luckily Professor Vector promptly swept in saving her from further embarrassment.

"Welcome fourth-years to the most under-appreciated magical practice, Arithmacy. In this subject you can expect to continue the pursuit of the Science of Prediction and Invention. You will finally begin to understand the mathematical components of spells and learn the true power of numbers…" She started enthusiastically.

Hermione took careful notes as the Professor outlined the course for the year while Draco sat playing with his quill as if he was trying to annoy her. She tried hopelessly at concentrating on Professor Vector's speech but found her thoughts drifting more than usual. Looking back to her left wrist she could feel the imprint his fingers had left on her skin. His touch had burned like fire on ice. Hopefully it wouldn't bruise. She remembered his stormy gaze, full of anger and fear. His thoughts consuming her, his energy, the fuel to her fire. Her fear that he could feel the same and sense her niggling insecurity was the one thing that had saved her from staying in that library for an eternity of anguish. The more she thought about his words, the angrier she felt so she tried again determined to listen to the Professor's speech.

"…You will also have a research assignment which will be a major part of your overall grade. In this you will be able to choose an aspect of Arithmacy and later write up your findings. You may write about an interesting correlation you have found, test a hypothesis or anything else you can think of but we will discuss all that in a later lesson. You won't truly start research until after the Christmas holiday. Until then you can think up a few aspects of the course you may wish to research. Before the holidays I will talk with each of you to ensure you're on the right path. If your assignment is good enough, it can provide a strong basis for the assignment component in your O.W.L.'s but that's enough from me. To allow you to get to know your partner, I have prepared a fun questionnaire for you to complete. I want us all to work well together this year so we need to get to know each other first."

The speech had succeeded in settling her down giving Hermione a focus. Her mind was now buzzing with ideas for a possible assignment so the last thing she wanted to do was talk to Draco. She had only settled down her emotions. Couldn't the Professor sense the hostility between them?

"It looks like this is mandatory, so what do you say? Ready to give it a shot?" He said with mock enthusiasm. It was as if he had completely forgotten about their earlier argument. She certainly hadn't.

Hermione knew he was as reluctant to do this as she was so only nodded in response questioning what the Universe had against them.

"The one time you actually shut up," he muttered to himself.

"So, what is your partner's favourite number? Are you kidding me? This is more important than actual classwork?" He scoffed.

"Nine, you?" She clipped trying to settle her residual anger from their previous discussion.

"She speaks, and here I thought I would be doing this thing all by myself. Why nine? Could it be because it's strongly associated with dragons in Chinese cultures? Which is, by the way, the symbol of magic and power," he taunted.

"Since when did you know about muggle cultures?" She snapped.

"It's also magical. Did you think that one day a muggle just happened to think up a perfect image of a dragon and draw it?" He quipped.

"Of course not. It's just… nevermind."

"What?"

"Can you answer the question or will I have to make this up all by myself?" She huffed.

"That all depends on you," he said looking directly into her eyes in amusement.

"On me? Alright then but don't blame me when Professor Vector asks about your great admiration of the noble blast-ended screwts."

"I'm shocked, I never knew you to be so cruel."

"The answer please?"

"Am I supposed to have one? I've never been partial to any number in particular."

"Non-applicable it is," she said grimly.

"Fine with me. Next question. Where was your partner's favourite holiday?"

"Um, well. Perhaps The Forest of Dean," she hesitated.

"The Forest of what?"

"Dean. You wouldn't know it. It's a muggle place," She said smiling to herself at the fond memories she had of the place.

"A forest. Really? Never thought of you as the camping sort. I would have put you as more of a museum and culture fanatic."

"That's great too but…"

"But what?" Draco asked his curiosity bubbling over which unwittingly compelling Hermione to open up.

"There's something about the wilderness that draws me in. I guess it's the closest I could get to magic," she beamed.

"Are we talking about the same type of magic because dirt and sludge never felt very magical to me?"

"It's not that, it's the wildlife. Deep in the forest you can almost feel the pulse of life thrumming in the Earth, like magic," she defended then looked at Draco only to realise how embarrassing her answer was. She was meant to be annoyed with him, not gushing about her most intimate thoughts and feelings.

"Alright then. My mother comes from a very prestigious and rich family/ One of her distant relatives has a house on the border between France and Italy. It's quite exquisite," he boasted.

"Sounds lovely. Oh, this one's a bit more interesting. What is the most dangerous thing your partner has done?" Looking over to Draco in anticipation she felt a chocking sense of dread and horror cloying her senses. Draco's face paled considerably making his skin a scary shade of translucent white. He turned away and in an instant she felt closed off. In the next moment he looked back to her as his usual cocky self with a self-assured smirk on his face. It almost seemed like she had imagined the whole thing.

"Class, time to pack up. No homework tonight but feel free to keep those sheets I gave you. You never know when they might come in handy." Professor Vector said with a wink that seemed directed straight at Draco.

As soon as the bell rang, Hermione fled from class as fast as she could to catch up to Ron and Harry. Thinking she had escaped from Draco she let out a small breath of relief. Unfortunately, Draco was in a particularly foul mood so decided to take it out on his favourite victim.

"Weasley! Hey Weasley!"

"What?"

"Your dad's in the paper, Weasley!" He mocked pulling out the Daily Prophet from his robe.

"Listen to this." He sneered and proceeded to read the article with great enthusiasm for all the Entrance Hall to hear. It was a dreary article on the Quidditch world cup, which failed to mention the most crucial point. The Death Eaters. According to the article, the issue was crowd control. They couldn't even get the names right calling Ron's father Arnold instead of Arthur. Even Draco knew that and he hardly paid attention.

"Imagine them not even getting his name right, Weasley, it's almost as if he's a complete nonentity, isn't it? He jeered.

The article then shifted to an even less important person. Mad-Eye Moody. His father had told him to be careful around him. Despite Moody's crippling paranoia he was still deadly.

"And there's a picture, Weasley! A picture of your parents outside your house - if you can call it a house! Your mother could do with losing a bit of weight, couldn't she?" He spurred on, encouraged by Ron's reddening face.

"Get stuffed, Malfoy. C'mon, Ron…" Harry said.

"Oh yeah, you were staying with them this summer, weren't you, Potter? So tell me, is his mother really that porky, or is it just the picture?"

You know your mother, Malfoy? That expression she's got, like she's got dung under your nose? Has she always looks like that, or was it just because you were with her?" Harry retorted.

As soon as Draco's mother was mentioned, everything changed. Draco's face went dark, his jaw tightened as his nostrils flared in fury and his eyes froze like blocks of ice. Draco's outrage was palpable to everyone in the hall but no one would admit how scared they were of him in that moment, especially Hermione who felt his anger fuel her own. The pair of Draco and Hermione on opposing sides made a terrifying sight.

"Don't you dare insult my mother, Potter." Draco spat, venom coating each syllable.

"Keep your fat mouth shut, then." Harry said, trying to keep his voice steady but a slight hesitation gave away his insecurity. Harry hadn't expected that Draco could care so much about anyone.

Draco and Harry stood there for a moment until Harry couldn't take the tension anymore and turned away. Draco was furious. How dare Harry turn away from him? He instinctively withdrew his wand without thinking in his mad hatred wanting revenge in some sense.

Out of the corner of Hermione's eye, she could see Professor Moody limping down the steps. Instead of feeling the relief she should have at the hope of achieving some order, a feeling of panic nagged her senses. Something was very wrong about him. She could feel his ill intent; smell it like a mother could sense her child in danger.

"OH NO YOU DON'T LADDIE!" Professor Moody shouted as he raised his wand.

He cast a non-verbal spell at Draco that flashed towards him. Moments before it was about to hit Draco, the spell was met by another. They exploded on contact in a bang as a bright white flash blinded Hermione momentarily. The sound rang in her ears as she tried to blink away the tears forming in her eyes. She could see an echo of the light still, like a permanent shadow where the spells had met which moved as she looked around. Everyone turned and stared directly at her. They must have assumed she had cast the counter-spell as the Gryffindors glared at her as if she had betrayed them. But it couldn't have been her, could it?

"What have you done, young lassie?" Growled Moody walking towards her with an exaggerated limp with his arm still tensed up, directed at Draco head.

"Sorry professor but this is just a huge misunderstanding." Hermione yelped.

"I don't like people who attack when their opponents backs turned." Snarled Moody edging ever closer to Hermione.

"Honestly, I didn't do anything professor…" Hermione said, pleading that the Professor would see sense.

"Stinking, cowardly, scummy thing to do…" Moody continued, looking at Malfoy with his glass eye.

"Which is why Miss Granger I have to teach him a lesson." Moody grunted.

"I understand sir but…"

"No, I don't think you do. Not one bit." He warned.

"Professor Moody," called an alarmed and confused Professor McGonagall.

"Hello, Professor McGonagall." Moody answered calmly.

"What - what are you doing?" She gasped seeing Professors wand ready to strike Draco at any moment.

"I was trying to teach this boy a lesson before I was so rudely interrupted."

" Teach how? Moody, we never use magic against the students as punishment. Surely Professor Dumbledore told you that," she cawed.

"He might've mentioned it, yeah. But I thought a little Transfigurations wouldn't…"

"We give detentions, Moody! Or speak to the offender's Head of house!" she screeched.

"I'll do that, then," he said gruffly.

"Well, I know your father of old, boy... you tell him Moody's keeping a close eye on his son... you tell him that from me... now, your Head of house'll be Snape, will it?"

"Yes," Draco said disdainfully.

"Another old friend, I've been looking forward to a chat with the old Snape… come on, you…" Moody growled and yanked Draco's arm with too much force as if he enjoyed Draco's pain.

"And Miss Granger, don't think I'll forget our little chat," he gnarled and proceeded to drag Draco to the dungeons.

Draco knew that somehow Harry would pay for this, sooner or later.


"Hermione, how could you do that?" Ron stormed as they sat down to eat.

"Oh Ron, not you too," she said exhausted.

"Why did you defend that scumbag?" Ron said, exasperated.

"I didn't, I swear," she said, begging them to believe her with her eyes.

"Hermione, we both saw you cast that spell." Harry said resigned.

"How could I? I don't even know that spell. How could I have protected Malfoy from one of Professor Moody's spells? We haven't even been taught how to Transfigure people let alone counter-act its affects before it happens."

"We both know you're bloody brilliant already. You made Polyjuice Potion in Second Year." Ron argued.

"Honestly Ron, do you want the entire school to hear?" She hushed.

"Hermione, I get why you did that. Professor Moody shouldn't go casting a spell like that behind Malfoy's back, no matter how much he actually deserves it. I know that these things really bother you. But still…" Harry reasoned.

"You both really don't believe me." She quavered.

"Hermione, I would trust you with my life but I saw you cast the spell with my own two eyes." Ron accused.

"How could I have cast a spell without even realising it?" She exclaimed as a strange thought popped into her head.

What if her bizarre inexplicable link with Draco was the reason why everyone was so sure she had cast the spell? What if she had cast this spell without realising it? She needed to answer these burning questions before they consumed her so she did the one thing she knew. She ran to the library ignoring the distant shouts from her two best friends.


After an unpleasant hypocritical lecture from Moody on the way to the dungeons Draco prepared himself for the worst. It didn't help that Moody was intent on dragging him by the arm but it was a useful distraction from his mind whirring with thoughts of Hermione.

After what seemed like hours of being dragged one of Snape's infamous glares got Moody off his back. Draco proceeded carefully explained from start to finish about what had occurred emphasising how he had only drawn his wand by instinct. Snape was genuinely surprised by how honest Draco was being as his explanations were usually twisted and riddled with lies. A quick skim off the top of Draco's mind was enough for Snape to solidify Draco's claims.

"Draco, there is still one part to your story that doesn't make sense." Snape remarked after Draco had made his case.

"Oh, what part may that be?"

"Why is Salazar's name would Miss Granger defend you?"

"I have no idea." Draco answered. What surprised Snape most of all was that every sense that he had screamed that Draco's answer was a lie and Snape knew to trust his senses. Either Draco was purposely covering it up or he was lying to himself.

"Well, I guess that's just another mystery. And do you know what Mad-Eye would have done if she had not stopped it?" Snape continued knowing he would never get a straight answer.

"I think he mentioned transfigurations to McGonagall."

"That will be all for now Draco. I expect to see you after dinner, sharp. Expect an hour a night of marking for the next week." Snape ordered.

Draco left Snape in his office truly confused for the first time in a long while. Snape with his legendary Legilimency abilities was used to knowing many things. To have someone he thought he knew so well, like Draco, lie to him directly for such an unknown reason was a shock. However, one part of Draco's story stuck out as more important than the rest. Granger's ability to perfectly conjure a counter-spell seemed an impossible feat. How could Granger have possibly conjured such a perfect defence? Had Mad-Eye completely lost his touch or was there something more to Hermione Granger than books? His instincts leaned towards the latter which made him very uneasy. At least it provided him with a small distraction from Dumbledore's intent to humiliate him every year by filling the Defense position with anyone but him.

At dinner, Minerva McGonagall was still furious with Moody and proceeded to vent her frustrations to Snape as his complete disregard for small talk was often misinterpreted as extraordinary listening abilities. Tonight however, he was more intrigued than usual to her constant chatter.

"I can't believe Alastor would do something like that, risking a pupil's life and for what? Maybe Dumbledore shouldn't have brought him out of retirement." Minerva hushed under her breath.

"What's done is done, we must make the best of what we have." Snape said coldly.

"How are you so calm Severus? Draco is practically your nephew." She said awed by his lack of anger.

"But he was saved, by one of your own I believe," he countered.

"Yes, indeed he was. I need to talk to her about it but she was just so upset in the library. I couldn't bring myself to push her even further," she said bleakly.

"How so?" He said raising an eyebrow.

"I suspect that some of her friends weren't happy about her actions. Defending a Slytherin like Draco must seem like a betrayal to many in our house. She may seem strong but she has a delicate heart. Sometimes I detest how houses split us apart. It always turns people against each other for no reason. All she did was protect another student."

"Obviously, it must have been a minor spell, easy to counter-act in a fraction of a second."

"That's what I thought initially. To deflect a non-verbal spell cast by an ex-auror much her senior with no preparation. A general protego would suffice for most things so that would be the logical choice. That isn't taught until O.W.L's but I'm sure she is more than capable of that. However, Alastor insisted that he was going to only use human-transfigurations on the boy. The only way to completely counter-act the effects as she supposedly did is to master Untransfigurations!" She said emphatically.

"Enlighten me on why that is so surprising to you. She has always loved to read ahead."

"Severus, you must understand that untransfigurations is the most difficult branch of transfigurations. It needs complete concentration, impeccable wand movements and an in depth knowledge of the spell you are going to counter-act otherwise terrible things can happen. When things go wrong, the best you can hope for is a quick clean death. That's why it's only taught to university students. It took me years to master."

"So the logical explanation for this is that Alastor was lying about his intended spell."

"Yes of course. I'm getting ahead of myself here. But just to think… the mere idea of it is completely preposterous," she reasoned.

"Yes, indeed it is." Snape remarked. Whatever it was, Snape made it his mission to find out. Draco and Granger were hiding something but it wouldn't stay secret for long. He would make sure of it.


A.N. So what do you think Snape will do next? I'm so exited for what this story has to unfold. If you liked it, feel free to tell me what you liked. Until next time! xx