Chapter 21 – Atoning for Past Transgressions
Mary and Severus entered their quarters through the Floo the next morning at eleven o'clock. Emily looked up from the book she was reading and gleefully jumped into Severus's arms. "Were you good for your brother and sister?" he asked after receiving a kiss on his cheek.
"Yes, we got an early night again and this morning we have just been reading and being quiet. Except Harry, he's been practicing his spells," his youngest daughter replied. Severus put her down and she moved to greet her mother. Hermione came into the room, eating from a tub of yoghurt. She gave a delighted sound as she saw her parents.
"Well, if it isn't Professor and Doctor Snape," she said happily, as she too greeted her parents with a hug and kiss. "Mum, your hair is a mess!"
"I can't get the bloody clip out," Mary replied exasperatedly, pulling on it for what must have been the hundredth time. Hermione's hand flew to her mouth in realisation.
"Oh Merlin! I forgot, it's charmed so only the person who placed it there can remove it," her mouth twisted into an apologetic grimace. "I'll call Narcissa and ask her to come and get it out, I'm so sorry." She turned quickly to the fireplace and made her call, stepping aside to let the laughing blonde step through. Severus left to place their bag back in the bedroom while Narcissa attended to Mary's hair. Hermione and Emily sat on the sofa watching while Mary and Narcissa whispered back and forth for a few moments before both dissolving into teenage-like giggles. With a wave, Narcissa departed back through the floo to her husband and son.
Mary came to sit on the couch between her girls. "I am so happy, my loves," she said, her eyes shining. "Are you both happy?" she asked as she put her arms around them. They both leaned into her embrace.
"Yes," they replied in unison.
"Where is my boy? Why was he not here to greet his parents?" Mary asked curiously.
"He's in his man-cave," Hermione said with a small roll of her eyes. They had nicknamed the room where Harry was practicing his spell casting just that morning.
"What are you going to do the rest of the morning then?" asked Mary.
"Study," the two girls replied in unison again. Hermione resumed eating her yoghurt. Mary gave them each one last squeeze before rising.
"Well I am going to brush the knots out of my hair," she said with an affectionate glare at Hermione. "Could one of you ask Winky to start arranging lunch and the other retrieve your brother?"
Emily scampered off to get Harry while Hermione retreated back to the kitchenette to inform Winky they would be requiring lunch soon. She was not surprised to find the two elves already in the tiny kitchen, arguing over who would prepare what. She shook her head fondly at the pair before going back to the sitting room.
She sat back on the sofa, finishing the last of her yoghurt before placing the empty container on the side table. She looked up with a smile as Harry and Emily re-entered the quarters, the latter slung over the former's shoulder, squealing as he swung her from side to side before flinging her onto the sofa next to Hermione. Hermione laughed as she righted Emily in the seat.
"What did you do to deserve that?" she asked, still giggling.
"He said he's going to teach me how to be a seeker and I need to learn to fly. So he flew me back," Emily explained.
"That's right," Harry said. "After lunch we'll get my broom and I'll teach you a few tricks. You can carry on the Potter glory for Gryffindor."
"Warren glory," she corrected. Harry smiled in response.
"Harry, you shouldn't encourage her to play such a dangerous sport," Hermione admonished. "I already have heart attacks watching my little brother play; I don't need to spend the next six years having heart attacks over my little sister too."
"A couple of things, Hermione, one, I am a brilliant seeker and your heart attacks are wasted on me. Two, I am a brilliant seeker and I will be able to teach my little sister everything she needs to know about staying on a broom and saving any further heart attacks for you. And three, I'm not your little brother, I'm your big brother," Harry counted off on his fingers as he reasoned to Hermione, giving her a patronising smile as he finished.
Hermione sighed and glared at Harry. "You're not my big brother; you were born after me so that makes me the eldest, not you. And the last time I checked a 'couple' meant two, not three," she said firmly.
"I was already born when Mum fell pregnant with you, which makes me the eldest."
"I was born in 1979; you were born in 1980, which makes me the eldest."
"I was conceived in 1979; you were conceived in 1980, which makes me the eldest."
"I am nineteen years old, you are eighteen years old which makes me the eldest," Hermione was favouring Harry with a matching patronising smile as the two stood eye-to-eye, arguing back and forth. Emily turned her head back to Harry, ready for his next comeback. This was fun!
"You just don't want to admit that I'm right because then that will mean I get to be the boss of you for a change," Harry argued. He was having a great time – if he wound Hermione up enough she would explode and he would be crowned king of the final word.
"When have I ever been the boss of you?" Hermione asked incredulously.
Harry looked at her in utter disbelief. "Uh, ever since the day we met! 'Were you two fighting? You'll be in trouble before we even get there!' or how about 'you'd better get changed!'" Harry mimicked Hermione's eleven year-old self from when they met on the train back in first year. He enjoyed watching her face turn red as she remembered.
Hermione huffed for a few seconds, inwardly impressed she had made such an impression on him from the start that he could still remember her words. She suddenly brightened. "Well, that means I have precedence on my side. You have always looked to me for guidance, which is the job of a big sister and whenever we have differed on an opinion and I've gone along with you anyway, you always say you should have listened to me in the first place because I was usually right!" Hermione stuck her tongue out at Harry.
"Oh yes, stick your tongue out. A very big sister thing to do," Harry said sarcastically.
"Ha! You admitted it! I win, I'm the eldest ha, ha, ha, ha," Hermione had been dancing around in her triumph when she caught a glimpse of her father standing there, arms folded, regarding the two of them impassively. She immediately stopped her impromptu celebration dance. They had not even heard him come in the room. Emily was leaning back in the chair, a gleeful smile on her face. That had been an excellent show. Severus turned his head and looked down at Emily.
"Have they been acting like this all day?" he asked some resignation in his tone. Part of Severus was actually joyful, witnessing Hermione and Harry engaging in childlike bickering—something the two of them had not had a chance to indulge in much while growing up.
"No, they were entertaining me pretty well though," Emily said with a grin.
"Dad, which one of us is the oldest?" asked Harry. "It's me isn't it, because if Mum hadn't time travelled, then Hermione would have been born in 1981?"
Severus rubbed his forehead tiredly. "Time travel gives me a headache. Both of you are correct. Harry is older because he was birthed from your mother first and Hermione is older because she has lived longer," Severus explained.
Harry and Hermione both visibly deflated. "What's the point of arguing if there's no winner?" Harry asked.
"Don't look at it as being an argument where there was going to be a winner," suggested Emily.
"That doesn't even make sense," Harry replied.
"You can both argue till you're blue in the face anyway because it doesn't matter who is the eldest, as the youngest, I have the ultimate power," Emily reasoned with an angelic grin. Hermione and Harry both snorted.
"How on earth do you figure that?" asked Harry, folding his arms in front of him.
"Easy, I just have to suggest something and both of you are falling all over each other to grant my request. I want something to eat; it's in my hand in seconds. I want to learn to fly; I have the youngest seeker in a century volunteering to teach me. I want to study History of Magic; I have the brightest mind of the generation tutoring me. I want to be entertained, you two provide me with a show," she finished, the angelic grin still firmly fixed in place.
"So what, we're just here for your amusement?" asked Harry.
"Yes, you're my minions," Emily stated matter-of-factly.
"'Minions' is perhaps not a word that should be used lightly in this household," Severus said gently, absentmindedly rubbing his left forearm. Emily looked at him apologetically. He relented under her sorrowful gaze and drew her to him. "Perhaps I will restrict you to two minions," he conceded. Emily brightened that she had not truly upset her father.
"See, the youngest is the most important," Emily said happily. She perked up all of a sudden. "YES! Eric always got to do stuff I couldn't because he was the youngest, now it's me! Ha, ha, ha, ha," Emily danced around in the same manner Hermione had a few minutes earlier. Harry and Hermione shared a look, united now against a common foe.
With a coordination born of having to work together in concert for so many years, Hermione and Harry each grabbed an end of Emily, Hermione around her shoulders and Harry around her legs, before they picked her up and deposited her on the sofa, proceeding to tickle her until she screamed for mercy. Severus merely shook his head at their behaviour and retrieved the journal he had come into the sitting room for in the first place. He would let them be children for today.
.
"Miss Granger, is there something I can do for you?" Professor Snape asked when he noticed Hermione standing in front of his desk at the conclusion of their Friday afternoon class. Hermione turned slightly to watch the last student leave the classroom and close the door behind them.
"Not particularly, I just thought it had been a while since we had a chat just the two of us and I wondered if you had some time now?" she asked with a smile.
Severus gave a slight upturn of his mouth at the corners. "I am a newlywed, I have been busy," he emphasised, enjoying the blush that crept over his daughter's face. Her quiet mutter of 'too much information,' caused his amusement to heighten further. He decided to put her out of her misery for the moment. "I am not busy now though, Angel. Would you like to come home and have some tea? Your mother is out visiting this afternoon and will not be back until dinner," he offered his arm to her.
Presently they arrived in their sitting room. Kreacher served tea for them, grumbling the entire time about, 'impertinent elf chits who think that just because a body has years on him he is incapable of doing anything. Best times are when she is out with my Master's mother'.
"He cleans the quarters again when she is not here, just to spite her. It is rather amusing to watch their power struggles," Severus commented after Kreacher had departed. "Winky lets no other elf anywhere near our rooms or our classrooms or offices. She is very territorial, as you know. Kreacher in turn has forbidden her from entering Harry's room. She stands at the door though and picks his cleaning apart. It can be rather hilarious."
"Dad, you shouldn't encourage them," Hermione admonished.
"I do not encourage them, I help Kreacher," Severus replied with a smirk. Hermione shook her head in defeat. She knew she would never win this conversation. "So is there anything you wished to discuss particularly or are we going to have one of those unstructured conversations your mother is so fond of?" Severus asked.
"No, nothing specific," Hermione replied with a smirk. "Unstructured sounds good to me."
"Hmm," he narrowed his eyes before sighing and silently conceding. As long as he was talking to his daughter he did not really mind what it was about. "How is your NEWT review coming along?"
"Brilliantly, we have organised several structured study groups for all the subjects. There is a two-hour session every evening after dinner and we are getting through a lot of material. I think you might find some high scores this year," Hermione speculated.
"And you personally? You are not overworking yourself are you?" Severus asked in concern.
Hermione huffed a little bit. "Dad, I'm not going to break every time I am under a little stress. I know you and Mum think I'm gearing toward a panic attack every five minutes. I've had three. I believe only one of them was due to me being me, the other two were helped by outside forces. And one of those you stopped before it was a problem anyway!"
"I am your father, it is my job to worry about your health," Severus replied firmly. "We will continue to ask about it until such time as we feel there are no issues."
"So basically forever then," Hermione sighed as though she could see stretching before her, years and years of worried questioning from her parents.
"You should –" Severus started to say imperiously before abruptly cutting off his banter.
"What?" asked Hermione; after it became obvious he was not going to continue. She was curious as to what he was going to say.
"No, I misspoke," Severus said firmly, shaking his head for emphasis.
"Dad, you know we can say anything to each other," Hermione cajoled.
"I realise what I was going to say is thoughtless and I have no wish to make light of a sensitive subject such as this. It is better left unsaid," he replied, again firm in his denial to reveal what he had been going to say in a moment of light heartedness.
"You were going to say I should be grateful to have parents who care, weren't you?" Hermione asked insightfully. Severus nodded reluctantly, aware that Hermione had already lost two parents and that her brother and sister were both orphans. "It's alright Dad, I am grateful I have you and Mum to worry over me. May I ask you something?" she asked shyly, waiting for her father to give a visible 'go ahead' sign. "Are you really happy with everything the way it's turned out?"
Severus was quiet for a few moments and Hermione worried he may have taken her question the wrong way. She started to bite her lip in her nervousness, a habit left over from her childhood. Severus stood from his armchair and came to sit beside her, reaching out and pulling the lip from between her teeth before swiping a finger playfully over her cheek. Severus took one of Hermione's hands in his.
"Do you know why I call you 'Angel'?" he asked.
"Not really, I just thought it was a nickname like Button's," Hermione replied.
"No, it is because you are my Angel. My Angel sent from heaven to give me a second chance at a life. I had a miserable childhood. My mother was neglectful and my father could be abusive at times; what was accepted then would now see me being removed from their care, not that you could call it that.
"I had a miserable adolescence. I had thought attending Hogwarts would be a welcome reprieve to what I endured at home but due to the Marauders, it turned out to be a hellish place to exist. I was never free from their persecution unless I was in the Slytherin common room or my own room.
"I then had a miserable adulthood. I had been driven to join the Death Eaters following Lily's rejection of me. That coupled with the reaction that would protect the rights of a werewolf and an attempted murderer over my right to live caused me to go running to the Da– Riddle's ranks when Lucius proposed it to me. Once the, Riddle fell I was condemned to existing solely in order to fulfil my vow to Dumbledore. He eventually became a friend to me but it was not born from mutual respect and desire to get to know one another. It was born from servitude and the knowledge that Albus held power over me. Everyone else I kept at a distance.
"From the time I was ten until I was sixteen there was one bright spark in my existence – Lily. My Lily-flower. Six years out of thirty eight in which to have something good to wake up to. When you and Harry left me in the shack, no—no recriminations," Severus put his hand to Hermione's lips to stop her from saying anything. She had made a distressed sound at being reminded she and Harry had left him while he was still alive; they both had truly thought he died. "When you left I was on my last breath. To this day I do not know what made me do it, but I gathered enough strength to call for Fawkes and I was healed.
"For another five months, there was still no purpose to my life. I had thought to throw my efforts into my teaching; some people believe educating young minds is a noble profession. I was struggling to find the nobility in it," Severus was gratified this elicited a laugh from his daughter. "Each year I change up my curriculum. Only once before have I included the Familial Invenio potion. I was nearly going to leave it off this year; there are several potions I have modified that I can use for that exercise. I thank every deity known to man every day that I decided to keep it.
"I woke up that morning and I was Severus Snape, Potions Master, Deputy Headmaster but still a man no one loved or wanted to spend much time with. When I went to bed that evening, I had a purpose. I had a reason to wake up the next morning, and the next morning and every morning after that. I had a daughter! The most beautiful child I had ever seen, my Angel," Severus swiped his finger down Hermione's cheek again.
"For the first time since I was sixteen, there was a bright spark in my life and I was determined to keep you. I hoped you would fit me in somewhere, even if you only came and had tea with me once a month or invited me to your birthday parties. Whatever you were willing to offer me is what I was willing to take, anything to be part of your life.
"Then that terrible tragedy the next day. I want you to know that if I could, I would gladly take the place of Michael in that accident. His loss has affected you and your mother so much and I would give anything, including my own life that the two of you did not have to suffer so," Severus said seriously. Hermione ducked her head. She could appreciate why her father was telling her these things and it thrilled her that he was opening up to her in such a manner, but she hated to hear him talk like this, almost as though she would have to make a choice between her fathers. A choice she could never make.
"And my Angel was not content with bringing me just one bright spark, that she brought me another. Inviting your mother to stay here was probably the best spur of the moment decision I have ever made in my life. At first I was happy to have a friend. One who did not share any part of my chequered past and the first person I have been able to get to know as me." Severus paused for a moment. Hermione took the opportunity to put her arms around him and cuddle close. He in return put one arm around her shoulder and kissed the top of her head.
"You are the first person in many years to hug me, did you know? At first I was not sure if I liked the amount of physical affection you bestow but now, I would not be without it," He informed her softly.
"You haven't had enough hugs in your life, we need to make up for it," Hermione replied, tightening her embrace. Severus basked in the love he could feel coming from his daughter.
"So then, still not content with providing me two bright sparks, my Angel decided to double it. And do not think I do not appreciate the irony that one of those bright sparks was the bane of my existence for seven years," he pinched Hermione's arm, while she giggled. She did appreciate the irony that a boy he would have happily killed any number of times, he now called his son.
"I went from being entirely alone to being a father, a lover, now a husband and above all I hope a friend to you all. And it is all because of you, my Angel. How could I not be happy?" he asked.
"Well, when you put it like that..." Hermione said. She was slightly overawed her father held such depth of feeling toward her, like she was the sole reason he could now enjoy life when she felt she was just a small part of a bigger tapestry.
"Does it bother you that I haven't taken your name?" Hermione asked quietly. She had been thinking about it for the last few days, ever since she had referred to her mother as 'Doctor Snape'. Severus looked at her in surprise.
"No not in the least. I will not lie to you, I have thought about it. I have come to several conclusions over the last few months. Firstly, if Lily had managed to find a way to pass you off as Potter's child then of course you would have carried his surname. Believe me when I tell you I would set the surname Granger in stone to avoid having my daughter think of him as her father," Severus gave an inward shudder as he contemplated that terrible fate.
"Secondly," he continued, "you have often said you were adopted by the most wonderful couple in the world. I really think you were. It is a tribute to Mary and Michael that you carry on with the name they gave you. Thirdly, given your reputation, the name Hermione Granger is going to open a lot more doors for you than the name Hermione Snape. You have cemented that name in our history and you should be proud of your accomplishments."
"Thank you, I worried that you might be hurt by it," Hermione said. 'Or worse that you might think I am ashamed,' she thought.
"No, 'that which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet'," Severus quoted from Shakespeare. "Plus, I find a level of amusement in the fact that all three of my children have different surnames, it sets me apart from the rest. Also, when you marry, I believe you will take the name of your husband, so if you were to take my name it would only be for a few years. Your public acknowledgement of me as your father and the fact you call me 'Dad' are all I need," he finished.
Hermione gave him another hug. "This has been a pretty serious 'chat' hasn't it?" she commented with a small smile.
"Yes, it has. Maybe a lighter topic then for a while," he said with a smile. "Are you looking forward to the final quidditch match tomorrow?" he asked.
Hermione wrinkled her nose. "No," she replied emphatically. "Draco and Harry are each trying to one-up themselves in my eyes and force me to admit to a favourite between the two of them. Given that I'm not particularly fond of quidditch in the first place, I don't know how quoting archaic moves and trying to replicate former strategies makes them think I will enjoy the game any more than usual. I am this close to going and sitting in the Hufflepuff section tomorrow," she said, holding her thumb and forefinger about an inch apart to signify her meaning. "The worst part is my normal strategy for watching Harry play, and now Draco, is completely out the window tomorrow."
"Oh, what way is that?" Severus asked.
"When Harry is racing for the snitch, I always kept my eyes firmly on his opposing seeker so I couldn't see what hair-raising stunt Harry was trying to pull to gain an advantage. That has been working well for me this year as well while watching Draco. They are playing each other tomorrow, where am I going to look?" she demanded.
"Well you could always set fire to something to distract you," Severus replied sardonically.
"Oh, you know about that, huh?" Hermione asked sheepishly. She thought since he had never said anything about it he had remained ignorant of her misguided attempt to save Harry back in first year by setting the Potions Professor's robes alight.
"Yes, I have known about that for several years," he replied. He had been waiting to see if his daughter would ever confess to that small crime. "You have detention coming to you for that stunt, too by the way."
"Detention? The statute of limitations has surely passed hasn't it?" Hermione questioned shrilly.
"I am thinking very seriously of hauling you, Harry, and Longbottom into my classroom for detention on June eighth simply in order for the three of you to serve punishment for every infraction you have gotten off scot-free for in the last eight years. If Weasley was still here he would suffer the same fate. It will allow me to have closure," Severus replied.
"Then you have to haul Draco, Pansy, and Greg in there too," Hermione bargained. "They've gotten away with just about as much." It would be just like her father to do that on their last official day of school before the exams started on the ninth.
"You will have to speak to your Head of House about that. I am unaware of any transgressions on their part," declared Severus imperiously, ignoring the look of incredulous disbelief on Hermione's face.
"That's not fair! Professor Miller has only been here this year and they've been on their best behaviour!" Hermione argued. Severus simply smirked in response. Hermione huffed before brightening. "I will talk to all the Heads of House. I think a mass detention for every seventh year they deem that deserves one is in order. Between all three of them, I am sure they will be able to ensure fair participation," Hermione reasoned smugly.
Severus narrowed his eyes, "I still own the three of you, though," he said.
"Fine," Hermione huffed. She thought she had better warn Harry and Neville of their impending punishment.
"Are you looking forward to the weekend with your mother in a few weeks?" Severus asked.
"Yes, actually I am. I thought I would be freaking out being away from the library that close to the exams but Mum was right, if I don't know it by then I'm not going to." Hermione looked at the clock on the mantle as it chimed. She reluctantly stood up. "I should go and drop off my bag before dinner," she said as Severus stood from his seat also.
"I do like our chats, Angel. You know you can come here any time," he told her.
"I know. Love you, Dad," she said as she gave her father a hug.
"I love you, too, Angel," he replied as he returned her embrace.
.
Harry opened his eyes and, recognising the familiar surroundings of the infirmary, groaned pitifully in resignation. For the first time ever though, upon his awakening in this room, the face of a concerned mother immediately swam into his vision. Mary wiped a damp cloth over Harry's forehead and smiled in relief when he gave her a small smile hello.
"If I could, I would immediately and forever ground you from flying. You nearly scared me to death with that stunt!" Mary admonished gently as she continued to pat the cloth over Harry's face, cleaning the dried blood from it.
"Did I catch the snitch?" Harry asked weakly. The last thing he remembered was him and Draco, racing neck and neck after the little golden ball. Harry nearly had it in his grasp, just a bit further. He thought if he slid forward a little on his broom and rolled slightly to the side it would increase his speed, he reached out that little bit further, then nothing.
"Did I..." Mary started to repeat in astonishment.
Ginny moved into Harry's view, smiling at her fiancé as she held the snitch up in her hand. "Of course you did, Harry. Was there ever any doubt?" she asked serenely. Harry's face relaxed into a relieved smile.
"Oh, good," he simply said as his eyes closed shut once more. Mary shook her head in exasperation. Ginny turned from Harry and directed a blinding smile to where Hermione was standing at the end of the bed with Severus, Emily, and Draco, the latter still in his Quidditch robes as were Ginny and Harry. "There, he got through school beating you at everything," Ginny lightly teased a scowling Draco.
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Trust him to only care about whether he caught the snitch or not. No questions about what might have happened to him or anything. I bet he doesn't even care about the heart attack I had over him," she commented dryly.
"He was born under some sort of lucky star," Severus said. "A fall from that height would have caused serious injury, if not death, to anyone else. I know Poppy is able to heal injuries immediately but to only come away with a broken leg and a mild concussion... It amazes me."
"He has a guardian angel protecting him," Emily said. She had been petrified when she saw Harry plummet fifty feet from his broom when he overreached for the snitch. Maybe her big sister was right; this game was too dangerous and heart attack-inducing.
Draco's most desperate attempts to reach Harry before he hit the ground only bore fruit about five feet from the earth where Draco was able to barrel into him enough to break his fall, taking a small tumble himself. The promise of a reward from Hermione later in gratitude for saving her brother certainly perked up his spirits about losing the snitch to Potter for the final time.
Hermione was musing on Emily's words. Harry did indeed have a guardian angel watching over him. Probably their mother she thought with a small smile, her blood protection certainly protected him from harm over the years. Hermione abruptly gasped at a sudden, horrifying thought. "He is protected wherever his mother's blood resides," she spoke her thought softly, out loud.
"Pardon?" asked Emily.
"Dumbledore always said the blood wards at Privet Drive protected Harry because he could call it home and his aunt and cousin resided there. I always wondered about the strength of such wards when he spent so little time there each year and also how they protected him when he was away from the house. Plus he always said that Hogwarts was his true home," Hermione explained. Severus paled when he realised the implications of what Hermione was saying.
"It was always assumed that Harry was protected here because of the strong wards surrounding the castle," Hermione continued. "But if that were true then no student would come to much harm while within the grounds and we know that is not the case – there have been several extremely serious injuries and even deaths of students. Harry, who got into more scrapes that anyone, always came out with relatively minor injuries when really, he should have been killed!"
Draco gasped as he too realised Hermione's meaning. Mary and Ginny had also joined them now and they had Poppy Pomfrey's rapt attention even though she was currently administering to Harry. "Hermione, not all of us are as quick on the uptake as Severus and Draco," Ginny said to her. "What are you talking about?"
"He is protected wherever his mother's blood resides," Hermione repeated urgently. "Don't you see? He's been protected here at Hogwarts because of me! Because his mother's blood runs in me! While we were at Grimmauld place, at the Burrow, on the run! Oh my God," Hermione swayed as the blood rushed to her head, thinking of all the incidents over the years where Harry should rightfully have died and came out with barely a scratch. Draco quickly guided her to a chair to sit down. "Oh, he so owes me when he wakes up!"
Severus's head was spinning quite rapidly. He had always believed Dumbledore's assertion that the lingering protection provided by Petunia and her son augmented the wards at Hogwarts which protected Harry while he was there. Severus thought back over the times in Harry's first year alone when he was in danger. The troll, the first quidditch game, and the confrontation with Riddle's spirit all would have had devastating consequences if Hermione's hypothesis were true. Not to mention he himself would have succumbed due to the Unbreakable Vow he took; if Harry had died before Riddle, so would have Severus.
"Hermione, there will always be a room in our house that is yours!" Ginny declared passionately. She too had wondered about the protections surrounding Harry. She knew he held no love for the Dursleys and had worried that the wards surrounding him would weaken because of that. His strong love for his sister, even though they were unaware of the familial relationship must have kept them charged. Since they still resided under the same roof, the protections were obviously as strong today as ever, probably more so since they now recognised a single, strong entity from which to draw their strength rather than a weak one and a facsimile one.
Emily was downcast though. "That means I have no blood protection then doesn't it? I have no living blood relatives." Mary hugged Emily to her.
"We will protect you, Button, there were seven wands raised in your defence and two elves ready to join the fray two weeks ago at the memorial, remember?" she asked as she brushed the hair on Emily's forehead back, exposing her scar.
"And the ultimate protection was provided to you by your mother when she threw herself in front of that curse for you. She was descended from magic so even though it had not manifested in her, the primal instinct and ancient magical blood running through her veins stopped the killing curse just as Lily did for Harry," Severus explained as he too rubbed soothing circles across Emily's back. "Do not think for a second that either Mary or I would not take a curse for you. We will protect you with our dying breaths, as we would any of you," he encompassed the entire brood with these words, Draco and Ginny included.
Emily returned the hugs of Mary and Severus, reassured of their love for her. She sometimes worried they may get sick of her and want to stop being her parents. Hearing words like they had just given her made her feel more secure. After surreptitiously examining Hermione for shock, Poppy shooed the students from the room, leaving Mary and Severus to sit with Harry. Ginny had looked worriedly at her fiancé but was reassured by Mary that she would stay with him while Ginny went and cleaned up. The two women agreed to swap duties after dinner, Ginny could stay with Harry until curfew.
Severus and Mary took a seat either side of Harry's bed. Mary gripped Harry's hand tightly and ran the back of her other hand soothingly over his cheek. Harry unconsciously leaned into her touch, visibly relaxing in his sleep.
"Hermione's assertion makes perfect sense you know," Severus said conversationally. "I cannot believe none of us have thought of it before today."
"Because Harry hasn't been in this much danger until today," Mary said pointedly. "It sickens me to think of the danger he has been in previously under this roof. Trolls and giant snakes and dragons and evil wizards, and that's just what I know about! I am sure there is much, much more I haven't been informed of," Mary looked at Severus significantly.
"Werewolves, Dementors, crazed murderers and incompetent teachers come to mind," Severus responded casually. "I personally could have cheerfully strangled him on any number of occasions."
"Don't joke about something like that," Mary admonished.
"Oh, I am not. I threw a jar of dead cockroaches at his head once; luckily, it missed," Severus mused as he too began to stroke the head resting on the pillow.
Despite herself, Mary let a small smile creep onto her face. Only the love she knew Severus now held for Harry stopped her from verbally flaying the man. What was past was past and she knew Severus and Harry had moved on from the pure animosity they once held for each other. "We need to do something more official for these two, you know," Mary said.
"Yes, I think that Emily and Harry still feel somewhat removed from us despite our assurances to them," Severus said.
"Button does feel that way. She said as much when she got into trouble the night before our wedding. When I went to check on her, she asked me if we still wanted her even though she was naughty. It nearly broke my heart to hear," Mary said softly.
"I believe we will be able to resolve the situation easily with Emily; we can simply adopt her officially," Severus responded. He too could feel a pull in his heart at hearing about Emily's insecurities. "Harry is an adult though, the Wizengamot will not allow us to adopt him," Severus reasoned.
"We could perform a ceremony of some kind though. Michael and I did it for Hermione when we had her christened. We had signed the official documents but we also vowed in the church that we would love her and care for her as though she were our own. It helped us a lot to make it seem like she was ours," Mary explained.
"That could work," Severus responded. "We could perform a bonding ceremony similar to what we did for our wedding. Officially adopting Emily will also put my mind at rest for if something were to happen to both of us before she reached her majority. We could then specify whom we wish to take care of her."
"It would be Hermione and Harry, surely," Mary stated.
"Naturally, I would also like to name some back-ups, though," Severus said his Slytherin nature showing. Never have one plan, have back-ups and back-ups for the back-ups. "Lucius and Narcissa immediately come to mind as do Minerva and Molly and Arthur."
"What about this? We ask Lucius and Narcissa to serve as her Godparents and we update our wills to name Hermione and Harry her joint guardians with the others to serve in an advisory capacity. If Hermione and Harry were to perish with us, Emily would then go to Lucius and Narcissa. Assuming they are amenable, of course," Mary proposed.
"That sounds agreeable. We are due to have tea tomorrow with the Malfoys, we can ask them then. I will have Gerard Westin begin to draw up the paperwork. It is Emily's birthday in August, perhaps we can make it part of her celebrations to officially become our daughter on that day. Harry, too," Severus said.
"You, sir, are getting very lucky when we return home," Mary said with a smile.
.
Hermione and Ginny returned to the hospital wing after dinner to sit with a reawakened Harry until curfew. "Okay, in return for actually being the person who provided the blood ward protection all these years, I will officially concede here and forever that you are the oldest," Harry proposed magnanimously to Hermione. They had just finished explaining Hermione's theory to a shell-shocked Harry. He in turn theorised the magic had probably been drawing from her exclusively to power the wards since first year as he really did not consider the Dursley residence 'home' and he held no love for the family of three, whereas he freely admitted his love for Hermione was strong and had never wavered.
"It's not too bad; I can complain to people that I have an older sister and a younger sister, I can elicit some sympathy," he mused.
He shifted to avoid the swat from his intended. "You really need to stop doing that, someone might see you and think I am a victim of spousal abuse," Harry teased her.
"We don't think that," a hidden voice from the other side of the curtain affirmed. "We all think you're whipped." Draco appeared in view, carrying a covered plate while surreptitiously looking around for Madam Pomfrey. "Here," he whispered. "I brought you some contraband." He removed the cover from the plate revealing a piece of treacle tart, Harry's favourite.
Harry's green eyes lit up and he eagerly reached for the plate despite the protests of the two girls. "Oh, there's nothing wrong with me that treacle tart would affect," he dismissed their concerns. "You two could have at least put some aside for me for tomorrow," he said reproachfully.
"Yeah, fine sister and fiancée you two are. Where would Potter be without his mates to take care of him?" Draco quipped. The two of them seemed to suddenly realise simultaneously what Draco said. Harry was frozen with a piece of tart halfway to his mouth and Draco seemed shocked he had referred to Harry Potter as a 'mate'. They both recovered at the same time and shrugged philosophically. Harry started to eat his dessert while Draco stood beside Hermione, giving her a kiss on the cheek in greeting.
"That's it?" Ginny asked incredulously. "You just suddenly accept it - no questions asked, no analysis or anything? You're friends now?"
"Yeah," they both said at the same time.
"We've really been 'friends' since Christmas, we don't have to formally acknowledge it or anything. Why, should we have taken out an ad in The Daily Prophet or something?" Harry asked.
"And eventually we're probably going to be brothers, so friends is certainly a good start," Draco agreed. Hermione looked at him in happy anticipation.
"Brothers?" she repeated hopefully.
"Aahh," Draco rubbed his hand over the back of his neck, a sure sign of his nervousness. He pulled Hermione away from Harry and Ginny, toward the back of the room for some privacy. "I wasn't going to do this for a while, but then again, I've been carrying this around with me for a few days," he said as he reached into his pocket. Hermione's eyes widened and she involuntarily took a step backward.
"No, no, this isn't a proposal," Draco hastened to reassure her. Hermione sighed in relief. It was not that she did not want Draco to propose marriage to her she just hoped it would not be in a hospital room in front of her brother and his fiancée, who were watching the pair avidly. "When I propose, it will be very romantic," he whispered. Hermione's heart filled with love, he had said 'when', not 'if'. "This is my promise to you, that one day I will," he said as he opened the box he was holding. Inside was a diamond ring, one that matched the bracelet and necklace Draco had already given her. He reached for her right hand and placed the ring on her third finger.
Hermione admired it for a few seconds before reaching up and placing a sweet kiss on his lips. "And until that one day comes, I will wear your ring with pride and remain true to your intention," she replied. They kissed once more before returning to Harry's bedside as though they had just been discussing the weather instead of a monumental future event in their lives. Ginny looked ready to burst. Harry raised a privacy charm around them just in time.
"WELL?" Ginny demanded.
"Like my ring?" Hermione asked as she held her hand up. Ginny's shoulders slumped in disappointment. Harry cancelled the charm since Ginny's initial outburst was now out of the way.
"It's on the wrong finger," she whined. She picked up Hermione's hand anyway and examined the piece of jewellery now residing there. "Hey, this is really nice," she admired. "How many pieces of this set are there still to go Draco?" she asked, ignoring the smack on the arm she received from her friend.
Draco laughed at their display. "A few," he replied evasively. "And when she has that entire set, I'll just start on the next one," He declared as he put his arm around his love and squeezed her to his side.
"Gee, it must be tough to be in love with a rich man," Ginny teased.
"Hey! You are in love with a rich man," Harry reminded her. The three laughed at Ginny as her face turned red, she had forgotten that fact. Harry rested back comfortably against the pillows as he gazed about the room. "I'm going to get a little sign for this bed," he declared. "It will say 'This is Harry Potter's Official Hospital Bed'."
"Well, you are the person who has spent the most amount of time in it, Mr Potter," Madam Pomfrey confirmed as she came to give Harry a dose of pain potion. She looked suspiciously at the empty plate on the bed but said nothing. She nodded to a bed across the way. "That one can have a matching sign. 'This is Severus Snape's Official Hospital Bed'," she quipped as she left the quartet alone again.
"Speaking of Dad, we have detention in two weeks time," Hermione informed her brother.
"WHAT? What for? I haven't done anything!" Harry denied.
"He has decided we deserve detention for everything we have ever gotten away with. Neville has to join us too," Hermione explained.
Draco snorted. "He should have you in detention every night until the end of term then," he told them.
"Oh and you are Mr Goody Gumdrops?" Harry asked.
'Goody Gumdrops?' Draco mouthed.
"I told him that he should get you, Pansy, and Greg in there as well," Hermione said. "But true to form he denied your culpability in anything." Draco smirked superiorly. "But I am going to speak to the other professors and get them in on the act," Hermione stated, wiping the smirk from Draco's face. 'This could be a problem,' he thought.
Harry threw back his head and laughed. "With Dad on the case, I bet I still get more detentions than you," Harry challenged.
"Oh please, Potter. There are professors that have been dying to get me in detention. I will have so many more than you," Draco rose to the challenge.
"That's nothing," Hermione interjected. "I have more reasons than the two of you, but I bet I don't get anywhere near as many!"
Harry held out his hand. "Shake. The one with the most detentions gets the dinner of his choice at the location of his choice unless Hermione gets less than the two of us, then she wins."
The three shook hands, while Ginny just shook her head in fond exasperation. "I'll take filet mignon at The Green Garden," Draco said confidently. Madam Pomfrey came by then to move the visitors along. There were fifteen minutes until curfew. Hermione and Draco waited by the door for Ginny to say goodnight to Harry. "He wants fish and chips at Brighton Pier," Ginny said as she rejoined them.
"Forget it, we will be having High Tea at The Ritz in London," Hermione stated.
"I really think we will be dining al fresco in Brighton," Ginny replied.
"You're only saying that to be on Harry's side," Hermione argued.
"No, I really just think Professor Snape has that many ideas for detention for him," Ginny replied.
.
Draco poked his slightly dishevelled head from behind a tapestry on the third floor that concealed a nicely sized alcove. Nicely sized for the activities he had just partaken of anyway. "It's clear," he whispered and he and Hermione emerged from the alcove, the latter's hair slightly dishevelled as well. She smoothed it as they walked hand-in-hand to their favourite window seat. Taking their customary 'school time' positions facing each other from either end they began to discuss their last week of school which was starting the next day.
Hermione had been successful in rallying the other heads of house to serve a detention on those seventh-year students they felt deserved one. After a brief discussion with the Headmistress, who severely dressed down her Deputy based on the fact he was willing to single out three students only, the Head Girl and Head Boy included, she agreed that each professor could indeed assign a detention for past infractions. She was very clear though; a student could not be assigned a detention for something they had already been punished for.
Severus's initial plan to have them be served the night before their exams started was negotiated instead to the Tuesday night of their final week of classes, May 31st. It was decided to hold the detention in the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom; it was the only one large enough to hold them all without displacing the other years. The four Heads of House and the Headmistress would be overseeing the punishments.
The only problem they were facing was the reaction of the seventh-years; especially once Hermione, Harry and Draco's bet became widely known. It was becoming a badge of honour for a seventh-year to have detention assigned for that night which was rapidly gaining the status of an exclusive party. Whispers of past transgressions had been making their way around in the last week in hopes that a professor would overhear and assign a punishment. The Headmistress announced at dinner that this would be a one-off event for this graduating year only. She did not want to encourage clandestine misbehaviour in the younger years simply in order to be 'rewarded' for it later with the admiration of their peers.
Hermione and Draco were discussing the tally of detentions. Currently, he and Harry were leading the charge with ten each assigned to them. Hermione was winning the bet with only one official reason assigned for hers, which was setting Professor Snape's robes on fire. She was smugly basking in having gotten away with everything else. Severus had assigned by far the most detentions to the students and Hagrid was surprisingly coming second. The funniest so far though went to Professor Sinistra who had assigned detention to Seamus Finnigan for his essay in fourth year entitled 'Examining Uranus'.
The Astronomy professor had at the time appealed to Dumbledore to punish the boy for the sly innuendos and inappropriate subject matter but the benevolent Headmaster had thwarted her attempt, pointing out that every fact in his essay was correct and he had covered the topic comprehensively as was required by the assignment. When the Headmistress explained the idea to her professors, Sinistra was the first one to jump at the chance. Seamus was not missing an opportunity to extol his triumph to anyone who would listen either.
As their laughter died down from this, Draco asked, "May I ask you a huge favour Hermione?"
Hermione schooled her expression. It seemed serious. "Of course you may, my Love. What is it?"
"I know you are having the weekend away with your Mum and Button this weekend in Brighton. My mother never had a daughter and she never really had friends to do things like this with and I just wondered if maybe, you could invite her along?"
"Well, I'll have to ask Mum, it was her idea to go. I think she was looking forward to just the girls but your mother is a girl, too, so it might be okay. Do you think she would want to go?" Hermione asked.
"Yeah, I really do. When I was telling her about it, she got this really wistful look on her face for a second. It's not a condition or anything, but I bet you could use the townhouse. That way Winky can still go with your Mum," he offered.
Hermione nodded. "Thank you. I will ask Mum if Narcissa can come. I think she'd really enjoy it and I'd love to spend more time with her," Hermione said.
Draco nudged her foot with his and smiled. "Thank you," he replied.
.
Hermione was leaving the Great Hall on Tuesday morning with Draco heading toward their Ancient Runes class. Hermione was happily telling Draco that Mary had already asked Narcissa to accompany them and she was a bit miffed her surprise was ruined. Draco made a mental note to arrange for some flowers for Mary to thank her for her thoughtfulness.
The pair was stopped outside the hall by Professor Sprout. "Miss Granger, you have a detention this evening in the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom at seven. Please do not be late," she said as she handed Hermione a slip of parchment before walking away. Hermione looked down at it, ignoring the chuckles emanating from the man standing beside her.
Detention: for trying to set the House Elves free against their will.
"Ugh! I was in the right! I still am for that matter. Fine!" Hermione huffed. Draco read the note over her shoulder and increased his laughter. As they continued to the staircase Hermione was stopped once more, this time by Professor Vector.
"Miss Granger, you have a detention this evening in the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom at seven. Please do not be late," she said with a smile, handing over the slip of parchment before nodding at her Apprentice and beginning her ascent of the stairs.
"Is this a conspiracy?" Hermione asked before Draco and she both looked at the detention slip.
Detention: for leaving school grounds during term time without permission or supervision.
"When was that?" asked Draco curiously.
Hermione thought for a few moments. "Oh, it was fifth year. Battle of the Department of Mysteries," she explained. Draco nodded in silence; his father had been captured in the aftermath of that particular battle. They managed to make it nearly to the classroom before being stopped just before the door by Professor Babbling.
"Miss Granger, you have a detention this evening in the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom at seven. Please do not be late," he instructed, handing her yet another piece of parchment and entering the classroom. Hermione stared after him incredulously. She looked down once more:
Detention: for luring a Professor into the Forbidden Forest with the intention of meeting the Centaurs.
Hermione let out a loud sound of protest before storming into the classroom. Draco followed closely behind; he did not want to miss this!
"Excuse me, Sir, but I have an issue with this detention reason," she argued to Professor Babbling holding up the parchment slip and waving it.
"I do not see why Miss Granger, was Professor Umbridge not a professor at this school?"
"Yes, but –"
"And did you not lure her into the Forbidden Forest deliberately?"
"Yes, but –"
"And once there did you not purposely lead her to where you believed Centaurs inhabited?"
"Yes, but –"
"Then I fail to see what the problem is."
"SHE WAS INCOMPETENT AND SHE WAS ABOUT TO TORTURE HARRY POTTER! I HAD TO DO SOMETHING!" Hermione yelled in frustration.
"Any of the competent Professors would have been able to help," Professor Babbling replied maddeningly.
"Forgive me, sir, but that particular year we were given to believe that would not be the case," Hermione argued. Professor Babbling sighed.
"You are correct. The detention still stands though but I will take your arguments into consideration," he conceded, waving his wand over the parchment. Hermione looked down to see the reason change:
Detention: for luring a Professor, albeit an incompetent Professor who was about to torture a student, into the Forbidden Forest with the intention of meeting the Centaurs.
"Seven p.m. Miss Granger, do not be late," he reminded her.
After Ancient Runes, Hermione made a beeline to their double potions class. She shuddered to think what awaited her there. The entire class was assembled when Professor Snape made his customary grand entrance, pausing briefly to drop some slips on the tables of various people as he passed. Hermione was happy for Lisa Turpin, she had been lamenting that morning that she had not received a detention. The girl had not realised she was such a goody-goody. Hermione's momentary happiness for her friend dissolved however when a piece of parchment was dropped on her own table.
Detention: for stealing potions ingredients in Second year.
Damn, she thought he had forgotten about that. Surprisingly there was nothing there about brewing the potion she stole the ingredients for, but considering her luck today it was unwise for her to count her ashwinder eggs before they hatched. Sure enough, midway through their class, he dropped another parchment slip on her desk:
Detention: for illicitly brewing Polyjuice potion in order to infiltrate a house common room.
Hermione tucked the slip into her homework planner with the others. That brought her tally up to six. She was gaining on Harry and Draco fast. This was her last class for the day; she had free periods after lunch. She wondered if perhaps she should lay low in order to avoid getting anymore detentions but soon figured the professors would find her if they really wanted to, even catching her outside the door to the detention class itself if needs be.
Lunch in the Great Hall brought three more infraction notices to Hermione. One from Professor McGonagall:
Detention: for entering the forbidden third floor corridor after being explicitly told to stay away.
Harry thought that one particularly hilarious. One of the first slips he had been given was for this transgression. He had been highly vocal in his protests that Hermione had not also received one for the same rule breaking. The other slips were once more from Professor Snape:
Detention: for sneaking out of your common room against orders when there was an escaped murderer on the loose.
And:
Detention: for hexing Professor Snape when he came to save you from said murderer.
'Yeah, probably not my best day,' she thought. 'At least he didn't say anything about using the time turner to go back and save Sirius.' Harry was vindicated once more as he too had received detentions for these incidents.
"You're only one behind Draco and me now, Hermione," Harry teased.
Hermione huffed. "It's still one less than the two of you. I am going to the library. Please kindly point any professors you see away from my direction," she flounced off, Harry and Ginny's laughter following her.
Hermione dropped her bag heavily on the work table, startling the girls already there. "Sorry," she apologised. "Congratulations on the detention Lisa, what did you get it for?" she asked the Ravenclaw.
Lisa shook her head in resignation. "I really am sad. 'Detention for suggesting Professor Snape is a much better Potions professor than Defence Against the Dark Arts '," she quoted. "He must have really scraped the bottom of the barrel to find that excuse. Ugh, I need a life." Lisa had been facing the prospect of being the only seventh year that would not be in detention that evening. Rather than seeing it as a good thing she had gone through her entire schooling career without breaking any rules, she had been mortified to think she was so straight-laced.
"When did you say that?" Hermione asked. She thought it was strange considering her father had wanted to return to the Potions classroom.
"Back in sixth year; after our first DADA lesson. I mean he was good, I just thought he was better at Potions. Certainly better than Slughorn," Lisa answered as Hagrid slipped in the door of the library outpost.
"'Ermione, you 'ave a detention tonight in the Defence Agin' the Dark Arts classroom at seven. Don' be late now," he instructed kindly. "Sorry 'Ermione, but I gotta do me job," he whispered conspiratorially before leaving the room again. Hannah Abbot reached across the table and read out the slip to everyone:
Detention: for physical violence against a fellow student.
"Hermione, that's unlike you," Hannah said reproachfully. "What was this for? When was this for?"
Hermione sighed. "Third year, I slapped Draco in the face really hard, hard enough to make him lose his balance. It was in Hagrid's defence though, I don't know why he is giving me a detention for it," she explained the first part in resignation, the second in a little chagrin. There was silence for a minute before the three girls at the table laughed loudly.
"Oh, Hermione," Millicent Bulstrode said, wiping a tear from her eye caused by the laughter. "I bet you were the first person to ever raise a hand to him."
"According to him I was," Hermione said smugly.
"Well, you know all you have to do to keep him in line is to threaten him then," Lisa said with a wicked smirk.
Hermione slipped the latest detention slip in with the others. She was even with the boys now. "I don't have to threaten him with violence anymore," she said, a wicked smirk of her own on her face. "I just have to threaten to withhold my favours." There was silence once more as the implication of what Hermione said sunk in. The three girls erupted in laughter once more before they settled down to study.
The rest of the day passed mercifully with no more detention slips for Hermione. She conceded defeat at dinner seeing as she had tied with the boys. She hoped that one of them would at least receive one more detention; she could not be the one with the most, even tied with the most. It was shaping up to be interesting though, if they finished tied then the boys both wanted to collect on their bet.
On their way out of dinner Hermione was stopped yet again, this time by Professor Miller. Hermione's thoughts rushed through her head as she tried to think of anything she had done this year to warrant a detention from this new member of staff. "Miss Granger, you have a detention this evening in the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom at seven. Please do not be late," he said as he handed her a slip. Hermione read it:
Detention: for capturing and blackmailing an unregistered animagus on school grounds.
"Sir?" she asked in confusion. He was not even residing in the country when this occurred.
"Please, give me a break Miss Granger. I had no reason to assign a detention to anyone. Professor Flitwick kindly let me present this one," Professor Miller said, a small pout of disappointment on his face. Despite herself, Hermione let out a small giggle. The Professor winked before heading up the stairs to the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom to carry out his duties.
Hermione was morose as they made their way up the stairs. She now officially had received the most detentions. This final one had brought her tally to eleven.
The seventh years had nearly made it to the classroom when Hermione, Harry and Draco were detained for one last time. They waited while the rest of the students filed past and into the classroom. Hermione rolled her eyes. "Mother, you cannot possibly have anything to give us detention for," she said exasperatedly.
Mary narrowed her eyes shrewdly. "I have nothing for my darling boy, I personally feel he has been victimised this week," Mary commiserated as she put her arm around Harry and placed a gentle, motherly kiss on his temple. Harry smugly basked in the sympathy he was receiving. "But I thought he might benefit from seeing this. Miss Granger, Mr Malfoy you have a detention this evening in the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom at seven. Please do not be late," she said sweetly as she handed Hermione and Draco a slip each.
"Mum, you just made him win!" Harry's emphatic yell drowned out Hermione's muttering, "Did you all learn from a script?" as she opened her slip to read:
Detention: for engaging in sexual activities with a prefect during term time.
"Mum," Hermione shrilled. She lowered her voice to a hiss. "That was a drug-induced confession brought on by taking a calming draught at your insistence. Plus its hearsay, I didn't confess to you, I confessed to Dad."
Harry yanked the slip out of a triumphant Draco's hand. He wanted to see what crime Draco had committed that pushed him over the edge into victory. Harry paled upon reading it. "Oh I so did not need to know that!" he exclaimed before levelling a Death Glare at Draco. The three of them were rather taken aback at his sudden resemblance to Severus when he did that. Hermione collected herself quickly though and grabbed him by the arm to steer him into the classroom.
"Give it up already, if Dad's Death Glare doesn't deter him do you really think yours will?" she asked angrily. Draco sniggered as he entered the room behind them turning to give Mary a little wave. He stepped aside as Hermione came barrelling back out of the room.
"It was you!" she accused, pointing a finger at her very smug mother. "You were the only person who knew all of this! You told them?" she asked incredulously.
"The only person who is aware of everything is your father. And actually Harry now as well. The rest only know about the infraction I slipped them. I am appalled you got away with so much rule-breaking while you were here," Mary said, the twinkle in her eye belying the stern words she was using. "I thought it only fair that if you had to serve detention for everything you've done since you've been here then you should knowingly serve it for everything. You were entirely too pleased with yourself about still getting away with things."
Hermione smirked, "I was pretty good wasn't I? If it wasn't for you I would have gotten away with it all. Oh, and Draco beat Harry now, too, with eleven!" She quickly hugged her laughing mother before dashing back inside the room and plopping onto a chair between Draco and Harry. Mary looked at her fondly, doubling over in laughter at the look of sheer horror on Hermione's face as Professor McGonagall was heard before the door closed, asking the students to stand up one by one and explain exactly what they were in detention for.
.