Disclaimer: Harry Potter and his universe all belong to JK Rowling, I make no profit whatsoever.

A/N: I'm over 20 chapters already! I think I may need at least 20 more though, oops ^_^ And it's official, I have over 100 followers! Thank you all for supporting me, I love the reviews

Someone (guest) asked how the sword works without the basilisk venom: well that's simple, it's a magical sword, the end. (or Hermione could have told the headmaster about basilisk venom being very effective against Horcruxes and he prepared the sword accordingly. As I said, details may not be canon-compliant, although I try my best, or I can just invent as many plausible explanations to make it fit -haha- but thanks anyway for brining it to my attention.)

Chapter 21: The Protector and the Suitor

Severus looked down at the disheveled girl who was unexpectedly snuggling against him. She had fallen asleep so suddenly: she had barely finished her sentence, her eyes had fluttered as if she was fighting off sleep, and then, her whole body had slumped against him. He had been embarrassed at first because no girl had ever been voluntarily this close to him, not even Lily. It was new and thus, frightening. What the hell was he supposed to do now? The sleeping girl hadn't reacted when he called her name (softly) or shook her shoulder (gently).

But did he mind that much? He thought about it for a few seconds. No, not really. After the first few awkward minutes, it even felt...normal, comfortable. Human contact was not a Slytherin thing anyway, unlike the hugging friendly Puffies or the Gryffindork's outward sociability. The Snakes maintained a cool, respectful, and wary distance with their peers, just in case.

Severus was worried about the state Hermione was in though. What was the old man thinking? Couldn't he take better care of his own godchild?

Looking closer, he noticed she had scratches on her neck. Raising a questioning eyebrow, not for the benefit of anyone, but more out of habit now, he let his eyes travel to the rest of her unconscious form and he started methodically cataloguing. A few more scratches on her hands; a nail that was badly broken, half-torn off really; her hair was a mess but not in its usual bushy state, more matted and tangled as if she had spent several days in the wilderness; her blouse under her open robe had two... no, three buttons torn off. Putting his hand lightly on her forehead, he bit his lip in worry, he thought it had been his imagination, but unfortunately, she really did have a fever.

What had they been doing?

She better have a good explanation for this, he thought bitterly, and that fool of a headmaster better have an even better one. I won't let her get sick or hurt again, she's had enough of that already. They will just have to take me next time, and I won't take 'no' for an answer.

Severus was a bit angry at Hermione too, she should really be a bit more cautious: walking around the castle half exhausted to death, she was easy prey. She was lucky he was such a gentleman, if some other Slytherin had been here...let's just say it was a good thing Malfoy has already graduated.

And even him, how could she trust him so much? Why? From what she'd told him of his future, he had to admit he sounded a bit shady. And she can't know me very well, I'm her teacher...Merlin's beard! I'm twenty years older than her. He glanced at his friend nestled against him. Well, this is awkward. But...she'll probably be stuck here in the past anyway. And it's not like I can stop being her friend. I'm the only one she can talk to. Really talk to. She trusts me.

He felt his heart swell at the thought: she trusted him. Even when he had been disagreeable to her all day after she had made a fool of herself with Remus. Twice. What did she find so interesting about that mousy, shabby-looking Gryffindor anyway?

Severus sighed audibly, irritated by the path his thoughts were taking him. Surely, he had better things to think about than the bloody Marauders. He couldn't even rant about their worthlessness lately, they hadn't hexed him for weeks. Hell, he had never spent so long without visiting the Hospital Wing, and, even if he missed Poppy, he certainly preferred it this way. When had this change occurred? Thinking back, he could pinpoint it very precisely to Hermione's last stay in the Hospital Wing, after she took care of Black's homicidal tendencies.

Hermione. He looked again at his friend and his eyes softened. She had changed so many things in his life, although indirectly. It still rankled him that someone could make his life easier, more interesting, more... worthwhile. She made him feel valued and important. To her, at least. No one, not even his own mother, had ever managed that. All the more reason to protect her. That's all I can offer to thank her.

Feeling fiercely protective of the petite witch, Severus put his arms around her, convincing himself that it was so she would be more comfortable. By this time, Severus was starting to feel sleepy too. He considered closing his eyes just for a few seconds to get rid of the burn of fatigue in them but struggled to stay awake. He brushed away a stray curl that was tickling her nose, afraid it might wake her. The lids of his eyes felt heavy. Just for a few seconds, he told the wizard fell asleep, feeling warm, trusted and at peace for the first time ever.

°0°0°0°

Hermione woke up feeling better, the dizziness and the fever were gone, leaving her with a clear mind. So why was she having so much difficulties comprehending the sight that met her eyes when she finally opened them?

She had her nose buried in Severus' chest, her hands resting on his lap and she could feel his arms around her. When had they gotten around to a cuddling session? Her memories of her return to Hogwarts were fuzzy at best. The potion must have taken a bigger toll on her than she'd expected.

What time was it anyway? Hermione tried twisting around gently so as not to wake the sleeping wizard in search of a clock, but all she found was a pair of accusing eyes staring straight at them.

"Purrdita! Could you please stop scaring the living daylights out of me? Merlin. Always sneaking around..." she grumbled.

Severus stirred and woke up too. He's a lighter sleeper than Harry and Ron, she noticed, I could scream bloody murder next to them and they wouldn't even budge. The two Slytherins locked eyes for a moment before disentangling themselves hurriedly.

"Hum..."started the wizard.

"What...?" said the witch at the same time.

"If you two love-birds could get a move on before all the other students wake up and notice the state of disarray you're in. It looks like you've been snogging all night." the Jarveazle smirked.

"Purrdita!" she exclaimed, appalled by her familiar's ludicrous sense of humour, although she was grateful for her foresight, it wouldn't do to bring attention to herself in the serpents' nest. "I'll meet your here in half an hour?" she asked Severus uncertainly.

The Slytherin was practically standing at the opposite side of the room now and looking at his shoes, but he nodded curtly and left for his dormitory. Hermione frowned. She had thought his friend would be mad at her for hogging his free time, only to fall asleep and drool all over him. He can't possibly have slept well. She berated herself for being such a burden when she knew she was supposed to go straight to bed last night and sleep the potion off. Oh well, he'll probably let me know of his displeasure at breakfast. Hermione shuddered. Severus' adult version had always lashed out at students with sharp hurtful words and she wasn't looking forward to being on the receiving end, although she deserved it.

They were amongst the first to arrive in the Great Hall for breakfast, except for a few Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws. Gryffindors however were not renowned as morning-persons. The headmaster was at the Head Table and nodded at her, flashing a smile. He looked...relieved? Hermione smiled back, happy that he cared so much about her. Severus grunted and strode stiffly to the Slytherin table, leaving a perplexed witch behind. She joined him, taking her usual spot right next to him and whispered, out of habit because there wasn't anyone around to eavesdrop:

"What was that about?"

Severus was unnecessarily harsh with the food as if he was taking his frustration out on it, not that she minded, better it than her. Looking down at the plate he had served her, she paled. It was outrageously full: overflowing with buttered toasts, scrambled eggs, baked beans bacon, and bangers, and she had noticed that the more her plate was full, the more Severus was in a bad mood, so it couldn't be a good sign. She braced herself for a good tongue-lashing.

"What happened yesterday?" his voice was gruff but not loud.

"I told you, mission with Albus." she replied defensively.

"You looked sick, and a bit roughed up, to be honest." Severus was staring at her neck and Hermione automatically pulled up her collar, she had noticed the scratches after her shower as they had stung. Although she didn't recall getting them, they were obviously self-inflicted after consuming the Drink of Despair, when her throat had felt like dry parchment set aflame. She had been delirious, not from the visions the potion should have inflicted, but from sheer physical pain.

"Never said it would be a picnic." she muttered.

"What exactly are you doing? Can't Dumbledore protect you, at least? Some lousy Godfather he makes!"

Hermione had been about to defend Dumbledore, but the angry wizard cut her off.

"He has no excuse so don't even try! He's supposed to take care of you." His dark intense eyes bore into hers, leaving her speechless. "If he can't do it, I shall."

"You know, if this is about Lily forcing you to be my bodyguard, you don't have to. I think we're over that now."

"This isn't about Lily, it's about you! I...I have to protect you." he blurted out.

Taken aback by the fervent declaration, Hermione was momentarily speechless and the silence grew thick between them.

"Mira?" he asked, using her alias with a grimace of distaste.

"Huh? Oh, sorry. I was just a little surprised. I'm usually the one who protects the others, not the other way around, and I just lost myself a little in my memories." she chuckled. "Did you know that I got petrified once by a Basilisk just as I was trying to warn everyone?"

"Actually I did." he answered smugly.

The witch raised an inquiring eyebrow, clearly not believing him for one second. After all, how could he know the future. The young wizard smirked.

"When Black sent you to the Hospital Wing, you asked if you had been petrified again. Lupin and I thought the potions were making you delirious." he paused suddenly and his eyes flashed with realisation. "You called me Professor, too...I had almost forgotten about it. It makes a lot more sense now. Oh... Merlin! You called Lupin a Professor too! Don't tell me I'll still have to endure the whole bloody lot of the Marauders in the future."

Hermione looked at him with amusement, he was already very much the snarky Potions Professor.

"No, no, don't worry. It was just the one and only for a year. But you know it may not even happen now anyway." she reassured him.

"Thank the Gods for small mercies."

"Of course, it could get worse and you'll have to work with all of them in the new future..."

Severus choked on his toast and she laughed good-heartedly.

0°0°0°0

Later that day, Hermione reported to Filch for her detention. Remus was already there and he seemed relieved to see her arrive. It's not as if she could skip detention, not that she'd mind: Filch the Caretaker was famous for giving the vilest detentions of all the staff. Fortunately for them, torturing students had been banned decades ago, or they'd already be manacled and whipped raw if the 'decorations' in his office were any indication of his preferences.

Hermione stood next to Remus and he gently squeezed her hand to reassure her.

"Well, well, well...if it's not you bloody rule-breaking Gryffindor again. Your friends got away with it did they? You know, you wouldn't be here half as often if I had my way with you noisy beasts, ain't I right Mrs Norris?" drawled the elderly squib.

He only snarled at Hermione's Slytherin colours and she wasn't sure if it was a good or a bad sign, but she was pretty sure he disliked everyone alike.

"Don't worry, I have just the thing for you. Yes, just the thing... Come, Mrs Norris, let's show 'em filthy brats."

Filch shuffled along the corridors, the two students in tow.

"Here." he announced, pointing into a dark room "Clean. All of it. No magic. Mrs Norris will keep an eye on you untrustworthy lot. I have better things to do."

Hermione peered curiously into the room after the caretaker had strolled away.

"Oh, he's gotta be kidding me! There's no way we can finish that in an hour." she whined.

"We never can. He does it on purpose and if you complain, he'll find something worse for the next time around. And he always does, at that. It must be his only talent." Remus looked at her apologetically. "We better get started if we want to catch a few hours sleep."

And so, they each grabbed what looked like a very old and very decrepit toothbrush and a fossilized bar of soap, and set to work scrubbing one of the dozen sets of armours covered in graffities or a wide variety of gooey, colourful, phosphorescent or plain disgusting and smelly substances. Not wanting to dwell another second on the nature of the stains, Hermione started conversing with Remus, and the task flew by much quicker. Much later, she approached the final set of armour but recoiled with a shriek when it started singing loudly a very obscene Christmas Carol.

Remus laughed:

"That must be one of Sirius'. He was very disappointed when he was taken away, the other armours were starting to catch on to the tune."

"He's getting bored of not hexing students, I guess? I didn't think he would really keep his word though, specially towards Severus."

"Yeah, me neither." he snickered "But if I were Snape, I'd watch out for James at the moment. He's really pissed Lily is going to the Ball with him."

"He should blame the headmaster then. So what's the deal between James and Lily anyway?" Hermione asked, anxious to know if there was any chance for Harry to exist. She didn't understand how Lily, who loathed James Potter, finally married him, and she hoped there wasn't a love-potion involved, although that sounded like the most plausible solution right now.

"Poor James has been in love with her since day one and Lily hates his gut since about as long."

While Hermione pondered this, wondering when Lily would fall for Potter senior and why, Remus tapped his wand on the singing armour changing the tune to some mushy wizarding music.

"May I have this dance, my lady?" the Gryffindor asked with a bow and a pompous aristocratic voice, quite like Malfoy's.

"Why, but of course." she answered with a giggle at the young wizard's antics, it was something she would have expected from Sirius.

She took his proffered hand and let him lead a waltz, gliding around the small room and laughing every time they had a near miss with one of the sets of armours.

"You're a very good dancer." Hermione exclaimed, and then blushed from embarrassment at the evident surprise in her voice. Harry and Ron had been clumsy as hell, not that she had danced with them, just watching had been painful enough.

"Good enough for the Yule Ball?" he asked timidly.

"Sure." she said honestly "Who are you going with?"

"I was hoping to go with you." he answered, looking her in the eyes.

Hermione froze in mid-twirl, suddenly realizing how very close they were, her smaller hand in his and his arm around her waist. And her heart was beating wildly on her chest, he could probably hear it too, even without his werewolf senses. Drat!

"R-Really?" she said, tilting her head down "I mean... I'd love to. But surely you can do better than going with the Slytherin Banshee. Or...did you make a bet with Sirius?"

"No!" he blushed furiously. "I-I wouldn't do something like that... Sirius is an idiot." he finished in a mumble.

"Nothing new there." she chuckled. "I would be happy to go to the Yule Ball with you, Remus. I was actually trying to get out of it, but it may be nice, going with you. At least, my feet will be safe."

Remus looked relieved. That was silly. Did he really expect her to reject him? He smiled shyly at her and he looked so handsome, she was sorely tempted to snog him right there like a hormonal teenager. What was wrong with her? She scolded herself thoroughly, keeping her body in check, lest she do something stupid. She was acting stupider than Ron around a Veela. Probably because of that damn crush she had had on Professor Lupin such a long time ago.

They were interrupted by the sound of hurried footsteps echoing in the corridor.

"Damn! Mrs Norris ratted on us. That must be Filch." said Remus.

He rapidly silenced the singing armour suit and motioned for Hermione to resume their work. They heard the caretaker stop at their door and snort his disdain.

"If that's the best you can do, you may as well stop. See how useless they are without their magic my sweet?" he told his pet affectionately petting her head. "Leave!" he barked and they scampered off.

"That wasn't so bad;" said the witch.

"That's because you're a Slytherin, he's nicer with you lot."

"That was nice?" she asked, gob-smacked.

"Of course, we still have time for sleep, don't we?" he grinned.

Sure. But she thought her mind would be rather busy trying not to think of a certain werewolf to be able find sleep.