New Years Eve
Hermione and Severus decided that they would spend New Years Eve with just the two of them. For that reason they went to Prince Manor a few days before the New Years.
Hermione really liked the manor she was surprised how at home she felt, and really loved the time she could spend in the library.
The first afternoon at the manor they spent time looking over the wards and apparition boundaries, after Lucius had surprised them at Hogwarts they wanted to make sure they didn't have to deal with him again. They ended up moving the apparition boundaries further out and added more wards to the gate. They also decided to set up a second magical gate between a two of the big trees that shadowed the lane.
Hermione talked to Severus about warding all of the fire places except for the main floo in the entrance way. They made it the only fire place that could be flooed through; on top of that the only way anyone other then Hermione or Severus could floo through is if they were invited.
After spending the day strengthening the security on the Manor Hermione felt much safer. She hated to admit to anyone that she was afraid; but, Lucius scared her almost as much as Lord Voldermort had.
After dinner the couple retired to their potion lab and played with their potions. Hermione wanted to play with the headache potion, she wanted something that was just a little stronger but not so strong it needed a healer to give it. Hermione had been playing with it for a while when she asked "Severus what about adding Burdock to the potion, it cleans toxins out of the blood and it has some pain relief properties?"
Severus looked at Hermione for a few minutes and then surprised her when he nodded; "I wouldn't have thought of that but I think it would be a good choice."
Hermione couldn't believe that he had actually complimented her! "Do you think I should use the standard base and then add the Burdock?"
Severus quickly went into Potion Master role and by the time he finished it was after 11 and they decided to wait till tomorrow to start the new batch of blood replenisher and for Hermione to work on the headache potion.
The few days before New Years flew buy the couple spent hours and hours in the potion lab, Severus was trying to work on a change to the Wolfbane potion he wanted something that would totally stop the transformation. The Wolfbane in its present form helped the werewolf keep their human mind instead of totally turning to into the wild wolf. What Severus wanted to create was a potion that would stop the turning from ever happening; what he really wanted to do was find a cure for the werewolfs.
By New Years Day Hermione had invented a headache potion that would even stop Severus's migraine headaches that he had fought for years. New Year's Eve Severus had a migraine that made him almost unable to stay on his feet. Instead of taking the potion that put him to bed for two days he decided he would try a vial of Hermione's new headache potion. He was amazed in less then 2 hours his migraine was gone, he had never had it go away without taking a very strong potion and sleeping for a couple of days.
Severus quickly grabbed the paper work to patent the potion; he named Hermione as the inventor; and himself as the Master that supervised. When he took the paper work to Hermione that afternoon all filed out just needing her signature she was amazed.
"Severus I thought that you would get all of the patents and the money for everything I event while I'm apprenticed to you. You can't do this you are the potion Master!"
"Hermione you invented this it's yours to patent. I'm on as your Master that's the way it should be. You are an amazing potion maker and will be one of the best potion mistresses; once you finish your apprenticeship. I have no doubt that you will sit your master's license on the first try."
Hermione just stared at her husband she couldn't believe that he had given her such an amazing compliment. "Severus do you really mean that? Do you really think I'm that good!"
"Hermione don't ever doubt when I say something positive. I very rarely give compliments, when I give them to you don't doubt that you deserve them!"
Hermione was excited when she returned to Hogwarts the next day. She had never heard Severus give anyone a compliment and he had given her several. He had not only gave her a compliment they were going on Wednesday, when they had half a day of classes, they were going to the ministry to file the patent and then they were scheduled to do the arguments for it on Saturday.
Later that afternoon when the students returned to Hogwarts, Hermione took the time to catch up with Ginny. Harry was even seemed relaxed when Hermione was visiting with Ginny; of course Ron was still not talking to Hermione. So she had gotten used to it and just avoided Ron.
The start of the second term was busy, Hermione didn't have as much school work since all of her classes were single hours, no doubles. But, it also meant that Severus had turned over all of the 1st year classes to her with no supervision and she had started teaching the 2nd year students. She was also still working in upper level class that she didn't have a class during. The one potion class she hated the most was the one that Ron, Harry and Draco were in.
Draco was still a git, and tried everything to keep getting Harry, Ron and Hermione into trouble. He tried tripping Hermione as she was walking down the aisles checking to make sure things were going correctly. A few minutes later he tried to sneak the wrong ingredients into Harry caldron. Severus caught him trying to put the stuff in Harry's caldron and took 50 points from Slytherin and detention for Draco. Needless to say that just made Draco even nastier; as Hermione was walking from her last class of the day Draco tried to hex her. Luckily her Potion's Apprentice badge had saved her since it deflected most of the hex; but Severus felt the hex through the badge and he felt the emotion through their binding link.
He was in the corridor before Draco had a chance to store his wand; Draco found himself slammed into a wall and gasping for breath. Severus had thrown wand less magic at him as soon as he saw that Draco was out of it; he spun Hermione to make sure she was ok. "Are you ok", he demanded. When Hermione shook her head ok he pulled her close to him and then sent her to their quarters.
Severus grabbed Draco up and pulled him up the steps into Dumbledore's office. As Severus stomped into Dumbledore's office, he slammed Draco onto the floor and sneered when he started to get up.
"Severus why are you slamming Mr. Malfoy around?"
"Mr. Malfoy decided that today would be a good time to hex Professor Granger-Snape!"
"Mr. Malfoy I want to hear exactly what you did!"
"Draco sneered, "I don't have to answer anything you don't own me."
Albus called Hermione up to the office, "Professor Granger-Snape do you wish to press formal charges against Mr. Malfoy?"
Hermione looked at Severus and he had nodded his head, "Yes Headmaster, I would like to press formal charges."
Albus levitated Malfoy into a chair and bound him with magical ropes, then he went to the floo and called the ministry. A few minutes later Kingsley Shaklebolt, Tonks and another Auror stepped out of floo. Albus explained that Draco had been accused of attacking Hermione.
Since Kingsley was the Sr. Auror he stepped over to Malfoy and asked if he would like someone of his choice there during the questioning. When he asked this Draco told them he wanted his Solicitor, Kingsley stuck his head into the floo calling for Draco's Solicitor and invited him to step through. When the Solicitor stepped through Kingsley explained what Draco was being charged with and then applied 3 drops of Veritaserum onto Draco's tongue.
They watched Draco's eyes gloss over and then Shaklebolt began to question him. First they asked his name, where he lived, who his parents were, then he was asked about the attack. Hermione was shocked at the venom that spewed from Malfoy's mouth it was scary nasty. He told about wanting to kill her and how he had planned on hexing her and then taking her to the tower to dump her off. He then went on to tell all of the times he had tried to hurt her, the poison just kept spilling he told about attacking Harry and Ron time and time again.
The auror's couldn't believe everything that spilled out of his mouth, his solicitor actually had to leave the room to be sick during part of the questioning. When the Veritaserum finally wore off he was put in magical handcuffs and floo through to the Ministry of Magic where he was put in a cell until his hearing.
When Hermione and Severus went back to their quarters Hermione broke down and started crying. "How can someone be so evil; I knew that he had come after us a couple of the times but I never dreamed he had tried to poison us or do the other stuff."
Severus pulled Hermione on his lap, "he has been raised with nothing but hatred his entire life. He was taught from birth that pureblood is the best and that anyone that wasn't pure was dirt. Then when he joined the Dark Lord it just got worse!"
"Did you know about any of this?"
"No I knew that he was nasty but I would have never have expected him of all of this. If I had known even one thing that he admitted I would have had him out of this school. I would have never put you in that type of danger."
Hermione expected that but she just had to ask. Since they had missed dinner Severus called for the house elf's to bring them so dinner to their quarters. After they finished dinner Severus made Hermione take a dreamless sleep potion and put her to bed.