Professor Snape cornered Hermione on her way out of the Great Hall after lunch and requested she meet him in the Potions classroom so he could talk to her. She had been half expecting it after he kept Draco behind and she had thought all through lunch about what she would say to him whilst wondering what, if anything, Draco had told him about the argument.

'Would you care to tell me what is going on between you and Mr Malfoy?' Snape asked once they were safely ensconced in his classroom, keeping his voice even.

'We had an argument,' Hermione replied in a small voice.

'An argument. Yes, thank you, Miss Granger. I think a malformed mountain troll who had never met the two of you before would be able to work out that you'd had an argument. Perhaps you could enlighten me as to what was so important that you had such a huge row only days before finishing your project,' Snape retorted sarcastically.

Hermione stared at him looking miserable for a moment, then shook her head.

'I see,' Snape said, his voice several degrees colder now. 'So you got touchy about something Mr Malfoy did and overreacted, did you?'

Hermione bristled at the inference that she was to blame for the argument, although she should have expected it. Professor Snape was always biased towards the Slytherins. Annoyed, she suddenly decided she wasn't going to protect Draco after all. She had no idea what excuse her ex-boyfriend had given his Head of House, although whatever it was he had clearly painted her in a bad light. Professor Snape would hear the truth from her even if he didn't like it, and if he refused to believe her she would insist on seeing the Headmaster to get the justice she deserved. Draco had been warned several times what would happen if he continued to use that horrid word and now she wanted to see him punished for it. Nothing she could ever do to him would hurt as much as he had hurt her, but at least it would be a start.

Glaring at the Potions Master, she said coldly, 'Draco called me a Mudblood.'

Snape stared back at her for a moment and then shrugged, seemingly uncaring. 'So what? He's called you that many times over the years, Miss Granger. Surely you must be used to it by now.'

Hermione looked hurt at Snape's comment and thrown off balance by it. She could feel tears welling again as she thought of Draco.

'It was such a long time since he last said it,' she said, her voice only just louder than a whisper. 'I thought things had changed and we were . . . .' She broke off as if floundering for what to say, then in a tiny voice added, '. . . friends.'

'Why did he call you that, Miss Granger?' Snape asked, his voice more sympathetic now.

Hermione shook her head again.

'I need to know, Miss Granger, so I can judge how serious this is — bearing in mind that you still have a project to complete together.'

Hermione looked completely stricken. 'I can't,' she said quietly.

'Can't what, Miss Granger?'

'Can't work with Draco,' Hermione said, her voice miserable and on the verge of tears.

'Then explain to me why,' Snape insisted.

'Because he called me a Mudblood,' Hermione retorted, as if that was enough, which as far as she was concerned it should be.

Surely Professor Snape could understand where she was coming from. He had always been so annoyed whenever he caught anyone using the word in the past. The truth was that she didn't even want to recall what Draco had done with Pansy — that was too much, and if the pain in her heart was anything to go by it would probably kill her if she thought about it too hard.

Snape knew there had to be more to their argument than the insult. It was true that he and Lily had split up because of that word but they hadn't been working together on a project for their N.E.W.T.s at the time. If they had, he knew Lily would have sucked it up until the project was over, determined not to fail, and depressingly that might conceivably have given him the time he needed to convince her not to end the relationship.

Instead, it had happened just after their exams and there was no project to bring them back together. But that was enough about him and Lily. He had to sort out this problem with Hermione and Draco. Whatever had caused Draco to harangue Hermione was what he wanted to know about and was the true cause of her refusal to continue working with the boy. Snape was certain that if it was only the name-calling, Hermione, like Lily, would stick it out until the project was complete.

'I understand that his use of that insult after such a long time was enough to upset you, Miss Granger, but considering the amount of work you've done together on the project, surely that isn't enough for you to let it all fall apart . . . to fail your exam. So I ask again: why can't you work with Mr Malfoy?'

Hermione closed her eyes in an effort to stop the tears that threatened. Professor Snape was obviously going to hound her until she gave him an explanation he believed, and she had no idea what to say. She wished she knew what Draco had told him so she could have had time to concoct a story of her own. For a moment she thought of telling the teacher the truth, of admitting their relationship, but she knew he was a good friend of Lucius Malfoy's and it was just too dangerous.

What could she say? Hermione's heart clattered with panic and her stomach roiled. Her brain was suddenly a complete blank and she couldn't think of a single excuse, certainly not one that Professor Snape was likely to believe. She could feel the bile rising in her throat as she realised she had no choice but to tell the truth.

But she couldn't do it, couldn't be the one who put her and Draco in danger — because whatever Draco had told the teacher, he obviously hadn't mentioned their relationship. She bit the inside of her bottom lip as she hurriedly considered. Perhaps Professor Snape would stop pushing if she told him about Lucius Malfoy. That would be enough to hint at what had happened between her and Draco, and hopefully the Potions Master would let it rest. Then she wouldn't have to admit what Draco had actually done to her.

'Well, come on, Miss Granger, tell me the truth.' Snape's voice was losing its warmth again, knowing he needed to get her to talk quickly. He had a class due to start shortly and Draco still needed to talk to her before they went to their own afternoon classes.

An expression of fear crossed Hermione's face and she shook her head again. 'I can't,' she whispered miserably. 'If Lucius Malfoy—'

With those words Snape knew he had confirmation that he was right about Draco and Hermione having been a romantic couple. There was no other reason for either of them to fear Lucius as he was already unhappily aware they were project partners. Whilst his friend didn't like the pairing and had complained vociferously to Snape at the outset, he had eventually accepted, albeit unwillingly, that he had no say in how the Potions Master ran his classes; and even more grudgingly admitted that Hermione was Draco's nearest match in terms of ability.

Wanting to ease Hermione's distress and hoping that it might prompt her to tell him exactly what had happened, he interrupted before she could say anything more.

'I can assure you, Miss Granger, anything you tell me will not be repeated to anyone outside this room, and certainly not to Lucius Malfoy. You can talk to me in the strictest confidence.'

Hermione studied him carefully for a moment, weighing up whether he was telling her the truth, then decided she would take a chance and confide in him. Although Professor Snape appeared to be a Death Eater, the same as Draco and his father, Hermione knew that in reality he was a member of the Order of the Phoenix and was using his position within Voldemort's ranks to spy for Professor Dumbledore, or so she had been told. Hopefully, this was true and he would stick to his word and not tell Lucius Malfoy about her relationship with Draco; he would surely be aware of the repercussions of doing that.

She knew the Potions Master had never really liked her, mainly because she was a bit of a know-it-all, but surely he wouldn't put her or his favourite student, Draco, in a position where their lives could be in danger, would he? And now it came to it, the chance to share with someone else the pain of what had happened was something she realised she desperately needed. It had been so hard keeping everything a secret, not able to talk to anyone about it, especially when what had happened at the end was so hurtful.

'Draco was annoyed that I was more interested in getting the project finished and exam revision done than being with him,' she said. Then, feeling the need to be completely truthful if she was going to do this, she admitted, 'I had been having some problems coming to terms with him being a Death Eater.'

Snape looked surprised for a moment. So the relationship was serious enough that Draco had told her about his affiliation with the Dark Lord. No wonder they were worried about Lucius finding out.

'How long has this been going on?' Snape asked interestedly.

'We've been a couple since Draco was tasked to take me to Vol—' Snape glared at her use of Voldemort's name and she hurriedly amended— 'You-Know-Who.' She swallowed, then asked, 'Did you know he had been asked to take me, sir?'

Snape inclined his head a little. 'I had heard something on the grapevine. I wasn't at the meeting so I didn't hear the command myself, but a couple of other students were there and I overheard them talking about it afterwards. The Headmaster was informed immediately, of course, but we weren't too worried as we knew you couldn't be abducted unless you left school grounds and you were far too busy working on the project for that to happen.'

'It almost did, though,' Hermione told him, making Snape look at her in surprise again. 'The Hogsmeade weekend after the Death Eater meeting I was the only person in our Potions class to go to the village. Everyone was busy with the project, and I honestly didn't want to waste the time when I could have been working on my potion too, but I urgently needed more stationery and I also had a list of things others wanted from the village since I had decided to go. I thought Draco was staying behind to continue with the potion we were working on while I went shopping and I was due to join him when I got back. That's what we had agreed, anyway.'

She broke off for a moment, thinking about how scared she had been when Draco threatened to take her to Voldemort.

'I was walking past the Hog's Head pub on my way back to the school when Draco grabbed me. He told me he had been tasked by You-Know-Who to take me to him so he could use me to lure Harry into a trap. Draco said he had been promised that I would be his once the plan had been successfully achieved.'

Snape's brain was whirring as he thought about the implication of what Hermione had just told him. It was extremely worrying that she had come so close to being abducted, but it seemed that Draco's desire for her ran far deeper than either Snape or the Dark Lord had realised. Somehow she had managed to stop him from doing something that would have been catastrophic if it had come off in the way Voldemort intended.

The Dark Lord must have read Draco's mind, seen his desire, and used the possibility of a relationship with the beautiful girl without incurring Lucius' wrath as a fillip to get the boy to do his bidding. Snape was certain, however, that no such relationship would have been allowed to flourish if the plan had been successful. After killing Potter the Dark Lord would have slaughtered Hermione, and quite probably Draco, too. He definitely wouldn't be happy that one of his inner circle had become a blood-traitor and would choose to make an example of him, wanting to show the rest of his followers what happened to those who went against his wishes. Draco's death would also have punished Lucius even further for his failure at the Ministry of Magic.

Now Snape had to know what Hermione had done to stop Draco. He was also intrigued to know just how intimate their relationship was.

'When you say "his,"' Snape led as tactfully as he could.

'His lover,' Hermione said dully. 'You-Know-Who told Draco that I would be his lover and his father would be able to do nothing to stop it.'

Snape nodded as if he understood, but then asked with a slight frown, 'And was this the first time that anything . . . erm . . . romantic had happened between you?'

Hermione blushed and shook her head. 'I suppose it really began back when we were on the third potion, the one where we got attacked by the troll in the Forbidden Forest. Draco saved my life because I tripped right in front of the troll and sprained my ankle. He came back and picked me up and carried me out of the forest to safety.' Her voice dropped to just above a whisper as if she was embarrassed at what she was admitting. 'I was so grateful for what he'd done that I kissed him. I still don't know why because I'd never wanted to kiss him before. It was just adrenaline, I suppose.'

'And what did Mr Malfoy do?' Snape asked interestedly.

'He kissed me back.' Hermione bit her bottom lip nervously. 'We kissed a few times over the next few months but it was just the odd one-off, nothing to get too het up over. But then Draco started going on about us being a couple . . . but having to keep it a secret so his father and friends didn't find out.'

'I take it you weren't too happy about that,' Snape said.

Hermione looked at him in surprise. 'What makes you say that? I'm friends with Harry and Ron, remember. They still detest Draco and he them, so they wouldn't have been happy to find out about the two of us.'

'I'm sorry, I jumped to conclusions,' Snape replied, sounding contrite.

Hermione sighed loudly. 'As it happens, you were right. Even though I knew Harry and Ron would be furious with me I had my pride. I didn't want to be Draco's dirty little secret, so I told him no. It made working together quite difficult for a few weeks and the project nearly fell apart then. The next thing I knew I was being pushed up against a wall and Draco was telling me he was going to take me to You-Know-Who and that he knew all about us.

'I tried to convince Draco that he would never allow us to be a couple. I thought it was obvious that he was going to use me to get to Harry and then he would kill both of us and maybe Draco, too, but I just wasn't able to convince Draco. He was certain You-Know-Who would keep his word, so I had no choice but to agree to be his girlfriend . . . on the condition that he didn't take me to You-Know-Who.

'Fortunately, Draco finally agreed and let me return to school, but he thought I meant there would be rather more to the relationship than I actually meant, so there were a few more minor arguments after that.'

Snape waited to see what she was going to say next although he thought he had a fairly good idea where the story was going now.

Hermione glanced at him, then blushed again as she admitted, 'Draco was getting annoyed that we weren't getting more . . . erm . . . intimate. But I was having a problem. I really like Draco but I can't cope with him being a Death Eater. How could I go with him knowing that what they and their master want is to rid the wizarding world of people like me? How could we be lovers yet be on different sides in the war? So I stalled and used the need to work on the project, and then the need to revise for the exams, to put off the inevitable.

'But Draco got fed up with waiting. I knew he was frustrated, he had told me so often enough, but before I had a chance to properly explain about the Death Eater thing he lost his temper and called me a Mudblood. It really hurt . . . although not as much as finding out that he went straight back to Pansy and—'

Hermione stopped abruptly as she felt the tears escaping, her heart tearing again from the remembrance of what Draco had done to her. She scrubbed at her eyes to force away the tears.

'I see,' Snape said quietly, trying to keep his voice neutral. 'I can certainly understand why you were upset, Miss Granger although I can sympathise with Mr Malfoy, too. It must have been extremely difficult for him working so closely with you for such extended periods considering the significant desire he's obviously been battling with.' Hermione stared at him in annoyance. Snape, realising that she thought he was siding with Draco, hurriedly added, 'I'm not excusing what he did, though, please don't think that.'

Hermione sighed again and said unhappily, 'I know he was frustrated but I begged him to wait until after the exams when we would have more time to sort it out. When he started shouting at me I tried to get him to let me explain about my difficulty with us being on different sides. But then he called me a Mudblood and I knew then that he didn't really care about me at all.

'I thought he'd changed, that he'd learnt I was the same as him, but he hadn't really. He just wanted to get in my knickers and was angry that I hadn't let him. Going off with Pansy proved that conclusively. It hurt so much to know what he did with her . . . even more than what he said.'

'He knows he's been extremely foolish,' Snape told her gently. 'He really is very sorry for what he's done.'

'I can't even bear to look at him at the moment,' Hermione told the teacher honestly. 'It hurts every time I even think about it. It doesn't matter what he says, he must have thought I was a Mudblood to call me that.' She didn't mention Pansy again as that was just too painful.

'Mr Malfoy did tell me what he had done,' Snape told her.

'Then why did you make me tell you?' Hermione asked miserably.

'Because I wanted to hear your side of things. I understand that you're feeling hurt by what happened and that's understandable . . . and justifiable, too. But is it worth failing your Potions exam over, Miss Granger? I understand it will be a little uncomfortable initially, but I honestly believe you should talk to Mr Malfoy and allow him to apologise to you.

'He is truly sorry and I don't believe for one minute that he still sees you as a Mudblood. He wouldn't have been able to have a relationship of any sort with you if he did. He just lashed out in anger and resorted to name-calling as he knew it would upset you.'

'And then he shagged Pansy,' Hermione pointed out, the bitterness spewing forth before she could stop it. 'What was his excuse for that?'

'He didn't mention that to me although to be fair he was hardly likely to. Obviously, I am not party to Mr Malfoy's feelings but I suspect that just as his anger made him verbally abuse you, he then went on to do the one thing that he knew would truly upset you. I suspect from his demeanour today that Mr Malfoy not only regrets hurting you but that he also regrets his action with regards to Miss Parkinson,' Snape said, keeping his voice reasonable.

Hermione looked at him sceptically. 'But you don't know that. You said he didn't tell you about it.'

'No, and he was unlikely to. He was trying to protect you,' Snape pointed out. 'Unlike you, who are aware of my role within the Order of the Phoenix, Mr Malfoy believes me to be a loyal Death Eater and a spy for the Dark Lord. I am also a good friend of his father and I'm certain he was convinced, as you were, to begin with, that if I were to find out about your relationship I would immediately tell Lucius. I think we all know how Lucius would react to such news, hence the reason for Draco wanting to keep your relationship a secret in the first place and his refusal to discuss what caused the argument.

'I'm sure I don't have to tell you that you are not Lucius' favourite person, Miss Granger, especially after the Ministry of Magic debacle. Of all the people Lucius would not want his son involved with romantically, you are firmly at the top of the list.'

'Or maybe he just didn't want to admit what a bastard he'd been,' Hermione retorted. 'Let's face it, it's hard to respect someone who is abusive and cheats.'

'But Mr Malfoy did tell me what he called you, even though he knew I would punish him for it. I think he wanted the punishment because he knew he'd done wrong. He was definitely upset at hurting you. I understand why you're not happy with him but I really think you need to talk to him, let him explain his side of the story, and then you can explain properly to him why the relationship isn't going as he had hoped.' Snape stopped and looked at Hermione for a moment, taking in her unhappy expression. 'You care for Mr Malfoy very deeply, don't you, Miss Granger?'

Hermione stared at him for a moment, then nodded. She looked downcast and beaten.

'He cares for you, too, you know.' Hermione opened her mouth to speak but Snape raised his hand to stop her. 'I know, you're going to mention what he did again, but I tell you it was purely sexual frustration and anger that fuelled both of his actions that upset you. You need to think back to when Mr Malfoy was going to take you to the Dark Lord. Do you have any concept, Miss Granger, of just what he risked to not do as he was ordered? That he listened to you and did as you asked is a testament to how much he cares for you.'

'He thought I was going to have sex with him,' Hermione reminded Snape sharply. 'That's why he did it. Not to save me from You-Know-Who. If I hadn't agreed to be his girlfriend he would have taken me. He told me a few weeks later he wished he had done.'

'It's true that he probably did wish that and it would have been partly because he was sexually frustrated. But I can assure you that the main reason would have been because he felt guilt at not carrying out the Dark Lord's orders, and it would be making him anxious. You were right to try to stop him, Miss Granger but had anyone seen you in Hogsmeade that day, Draco's life would have been forfeit for not doing as he was told. It may still be.

'The Dark Lord hasn't held another meeting since then so currently Draco is okay, because as far as the Dark Lord knows he hasn't had a chance to take you. But if one word reaches him that you were out of school that day and that Draco knew you were in Hogsmeade and didn't do as he was ordered . . . well, I don't think I need to spell it out, do I? You're an intelligent girl and you know what happens to those who upset the Dark Lord.'

'Is that likely?' Hermione asked quietly, worry showing in her voice.

Snape stared at her intently for a couple of seconds. 'I honestly don't know. There are spies of all sorts all over the wizarding world and Hogsmeade is no exception. You were fortunate that most of Mr Malfoy's friends who are also Death Eaters remained at school because of the project. But there are plenty of people with ties to the Death Eaters who might think nothing of mentioning seeing you or him.'

'That's why I want him to give up this Death Eater crap,' Hermione said unhappily. 'The Order of the Phoenix would protect him if he decided to join us, wouldn't they?'

Snape sighed. 'They would. If Mr Malfoy chose to come across then they would accept him although it would take some time before he was trusted enough to be let in on anything of any real importance. But you can't just walk away from the Death Eaters, Miss Granger. It's not that easy. For Mr Malfoy it's even harder as his father and his mother, too, to some extent, are tied up with them, as are aunts and uncles and several of his closest friends. It would be like asking you to give up everything you've ever held dear to become a Death Eater, knowing that the friends and family you were leaving behind were likely to be punished for your desertion. Obviously, you can't do that because you're Muggle-born, but I'm sure you understand the analogy.'

Hermione nodded, feeling guilty herself now. Throughout their relationship, she had never really properly considered what Draco was going through. She now saw that she had been selfish and cruel in her demands, so perhaps she deserved what had happened.

'And now you're thinking it's your fault and you deserve what Mr Malfoy did to you,' Snape said shrewdly. 'I can assure you it's not your fault. You are both young and have a lot to learn, and unfortunately, you don't have much time because the war is coming — and soon. You both handled the situation badly, although I know you thought you were doing the right thing, Miss Granger. If you care for Mr Malfoy at all, then please give him another chance — or at least give him the time to explain why he did what he did. You are both more aware now, so I don't think it could happen again, especially if you consider both sides before you act.'

'But it hurt so much,' Hermione's voice was just above a whisper. 'I just don't know if I can forgive him for what he did. To be honest, if it was just the Mudblood thing I probably could get over that, but what he did with Pansy—' She broke off, unable to say more.

'Then you no longer care for Mr Malfoy?' Snape asked.

'Of course I do,' Hermione retorted a touch bitterly. She was crying now, dabbing her tissue at her eyes to try to stop the tears. 'I'm in love with him. That's why it hurts so much.'

Snape studied her for a moment as she continued to dry her eyes, then told her, 'If that's true, then there is even more reason for you to not let this spiral out of control. Give Mr Malfoy the chance to prove himself to you. He will do it, I'm certain of it.'

Hermione just stared at him miserably, apparently too upset to argue any further.

'You both need to finish this project — and believe me, Miss Granger, one way or another I will make you do it. If you refuse to talk to Mr Malfoy it will be uncomfortable and painful for both of you, and as I'm sure you're well aware by now, making potions is a delicate art and you need to concentrate. So I suggest the two of you take the opportunity to discuss what has happened as soon as possible. You're both wasting valuable time that I know you don't have to spare,' Snape said, his voice hard and sombre now that he had to get through to Hermione. 'You both finish at four o'clock today?'

Hermione shook her head. 'Draco finishes at three. Usually, he gets the potion out of stasis or prepares the ingredients while he waits for me. We always brew the potion together.'

'Then Mr Malfoy will do just as he would always do although I would suggest that he not wait for you before starting the brewing process if he is ready to go earlier. You really are both up against it now, time-wise and need to claw back wherever you can. You, Miss Granger, will join Mr Malfoy after your final class of the day. I will stop by your lab sometime shortly after the end of school to check that you are both there and working, so I suggest you don't dawdle.

'If you are not both there then you will both find yourself in permanent detention until the end of the school year — and believe me, I can find some extremely distasteful things for you to do that will severely impact your remaining revision time for all your classes. On top of this, I shall withdraw you both from the Potions exam as I will be failing you for not completing your project, and there would be little point in sitting the exam when the best you could hope to achieve would be a D.'

Hermione glared at Professor Snape, furious at what he was forcing her to do although part of her was glad he was doing it. She wanted to finish the project and she was sure Draco did too, she just wasn't sure she could talk to him or forgive him.

'Do I make myself clear, Miss Granger?' Snape asked.

Hermione nodded.

'I know it will be hard,' Snape admitted. 'But the key is to talk to Mr Malfoy. Clear the air between you and the way will be much simpler . . . especially if you want to convince him to join the Order of the Phoenix.'

Hermione looked at Snape in surprise and shook her head. 'I don't think I could ask that of him now, whatever happens. It wouldn't be fair.'

'Even to save his life, and to save your relationship?' Snape asked quietly. 'If I'm right about how Mr Malfoy feels about you, I think there's a good chance you could bring him round. The Dark Lord knows he's a blood-traitor and will not hesitate to have him killed if it suits his purpose. If he suspects how you feel about Mr Malfoy in return it will give him much ammunition to use against you, and Potter as well once the war starts.

'Would you be able to watch Mr Malfoy being tortured because you refused to do something the Dark Lord ordered? Do you think Mr Malfoy would be able to kill or torture you if he was ordered to? If he couldn't, he would most certainly suffer in your place. I suspect he would prefer that to seeing you in pain, but what would that do to you, Miss Granger?'

'But his family would hate him,' Hermione argued. 'That's why I always knew this relationship wouldn't work out. In the end, he will need to be with them and I have to be with Harry. All that's happened is that it's ended early, which is probably for the best.'

'Except that you love each other. Tell me how being apart is for the best when that's the case?' Snape asked. 'You're wrong about his family, by the way. Yes, Bellatrix will probably disown him, but I'm not sure that's a bad thing under the circumstances, considering her mental state. Narcissa just wants her son to be happy, and I know for a fact that she wasn't pleased when he took the Dark Mark, even though she stood by him and understood why he had to do it. She would be happy if he was away from the Dark Lord, even if he was with you. She would know he was safer with the Order of the Phoenix than subject to the whims of that madman. Lucius would not be so happy, it's true, but then he is much changed from his old self. Azkaban took a lot out of him so maybe he, too, would just prefer that his son was safe although being with you would be a hard thing for him to take.'

'I don't even know if Draco will talk to me, so I certainly can't make any promises about getting him away from You-Know-Who,' Hermione said.

'He'll definitely talk to you if you give him the opportunity,' Snape told her with conviction. 'He's waiting outside for you right now.' More gently he added, 'Please go and talk to him.'

Hermione looked scared for a moment at the revelation that Draco was outside the door, then took a deep breath as if to ready herself. She nodded. 'I'll see you later this afternoon, sir,' she said stoically.

'This is worth doing, Miss Granger,' Snape said, and he gave her a kind smile.

'I hope you're right,' Hermione replied. She gave him a weak smile in return and walked towards the door, then turned back to look at him. 'Are you going to wish me luck?'

'Do you need it?' Snape asked.

Hermione thought for a second, then shook her head. 'Not really. It's not luck I need, it's a metal heart.'

Snape gave her another smile. 'I think you'll be fine, Miss Granger. Just remember that you both need to listen as well as talk, and make sure that finishing the project is your primary goal regardless of whatever else you decide. If you can work together for that, you can get through anything.'

Hermione thought about Snape's advice. 'Thank you. I'll remember that.' She opened the door, then turned back again as if remembering something. 'Can we get an extension on the project, Professor Snape?'

Snape stared at her, his face unreadable. 'We'll discuss that when I see you both later. Now go, or you won't have time to talk before afternoon lessons start.'