A/N: Hello my lovelies. I realised as I was weaving the scenes of this chapter together that I've actually reached Chapter 10. Not incredulous on its own, I'm sure you'll agree but… as I had originally planned to finish this fic at ten chapters, I have ended up once more going crazy and letting the characters run the asylum that is my brain. Hopefully, I can regain control at some point and get this baby sedated and strapped down by the time I hit maybe chapter 13. Unable to end a fic at 13 due to my weird OCD tendencies, 'deleted scenes' and then an Epilogue, will take us nicely up to 15 to complete. I can live with that.

Now, just for a little heads up to my beautiful, wonderful, talented Coven who support me in all of my writing and then the rest of my life too… there is a wonderful little cameo coming up in this chapter for one of you with your Hogwarts crush so please enjoy that. And now, on with the show…

Chapter 10

Severus left Minerva standing in his quarters, confident that despite their current disagreement, she would ward his rooms carefully. He headed straight toward Gryffindor Tower where Hermione's private Head Girl dorm was situated on the first floor, just off the common room, sure that he could reach her before she left for the gates.

Unfortunately, he was not surprised when luck was not as on his side as it had been earlier in the evening. On this particularly important-for-his-love-life journey he was forced to not only break up two incidents of heavy petting in quiet alcoves, making him feel like a hypocrite but also a Ravenclaw-Slytherin six witch duel and combat a stubborn staircase which refused the change which would allow him to traverse from the sixth floor to the third. Due to his urgency and how all of these interruptions had slowed down his progress, everyone involved in these interruptions lost a staggering amount of points which made sure he had unknowingly placed Gryffindor in first place for the house cup.

He was finally on the home stretch toward Gryffindor Tower, hastening – a Snape never runs – down the last corridor. The tall, narrow windows to his right however, looked out onto the long stretch of lawns that encompassed the exit path toward the school gates and as his eyes scanned upward, he saw the quite obvious spiralling mane of Hermione as she slipped through the gates and disapparate away. Unfortunately, she was not alone… another quite obvious flash of hair – blonde – twisted away with her.

"Bollocks!" he cursed loudly as the tellingly loud crack of her departure betrayed her high level of emotion.

Hermione Granger was many things but a coward was not one of them. She was a Gryffindor for Merlin's sake and after announcing her love for Severus Snape; standing up to the Headmistress who it seemed was even more sly and meddlesome than Dumbledore had ever been; and now resigning herself to independently take her NEWTs via the Ministry of Magic rather than Hogwarts, she felt somewhat on an adrenaline high as she reached the base of Gryffindor Tower. It was comforting to know that the castle was in agreement with her decisions as every staircase had moved exactly how she wanted it to and she had met not one locked door, ghost or student as she'd made her way back to her dorm. She practically flew through the portrait as the Fat Lady opened for her without the password – Head Girl/War Heroine combo-type people did not need passwords in her opinion.

"Hey Mione…" Harry called from one of the plump, red sofas where he was sprawled long ways with some girl resting on top of him; her left hand on his chest, the fingers of her right playing with his hair and her lips buried in his neck.

"I can't stop now Harry; on a mission. Who's the new girlfriend?" She responded, barely sparing him a glance. He'd had a new girlfriend every other week since he returned to school and she was the one who had to comfort Ginny every time he changed his lap decoration.

"This is Chara Clawson; she's erm…"

"What Potter is failing to enunciate," the girl said, exasperated as she turned to face the Gryffindor Princess, "is that I'm in Slytherin. Draco introduced us."

Hermione's eyebrows hit her hairline as her jaw dropped.

"You're letting Malfoy set you up on dates now? I know you two buried the hatchet but really?"

"Why not?" The girl asked. "It's not like you want him. Do you?"

Hermione shook her head, incredulous that the young girl was so forthright. Harry just snorted.

"Well then… just leave Potter here in my more than capable hands and go back to your mission."

"Right…" Hermione agreed, still baffled as she made her way more slowly to her room.

It took almost no time at all for her to pack the few sparse things from around the Head Girl dorm into her trunk. After months on the run the previous year, Hermione had struggled to reacclimatise to being able to spread her things out again and not have to be ready to flee at a moment's notice. She was all of a sudden very thankful for having become rather institutionalised by that time as she realised she was once again, fleeing.

With a flick of her wand, the trunk and its contents were shrunk down to the size of a matchbox and placed in the inside pocket of her robes before she looked around with a wistful, reminiscent sigh and headed back to the common room.

In her absence, Harry's little Slytherin girlfriend had lost her school shirt and managed to rid Harry of his, apparently without losing lip contact at all. Hermione rolled her eyes, feeling that her best friend really was taking the role of bringing the houses together just a touch too far. As his hand started to slide down to the girls bum, Hermione made a run for the portrait hole before she was spotted again. She really didn't need to see that.

Her path to the main entrance only got blocked once; that blockage was in the form of Draco Malfoy as he stood in front of her, clearly amused about something and not letting her pass.

"Really, Malfoy? Aren't we passed all these childish antics? Grow the hell up and let me pass." She said, more exasperated with being slowed down than actually angry by who he was and what the situation truly warranted but it was Malfoy and she was in rather a hurry to get off the school grounds before Minerva tried to find her, or Severus. She needed time to think and neither they nor the blonde irritation in front of her would help with that.

"Granger," he said smugly with a nod of his head. "I hear you've been getting rather busy lately.

"What?" She asked, both in fear and shock, before she could stop herself and play it cool.

"Well, there's a rumour going around the Slytherin common room, you see," he began his usual smirking spiel, "that our rather formidable Potions Master was caught snogging some Gryffindor seventh year outside McG's office yesterday."

"I… I… erm… don't…" she spluttered, her face rising in colour to that of her house colours.

"There's no point denying it. You were recognised. It really is hard to miss that hair. I should know. Although my problem is colour, not width."

"What do you want?" She said, wondering exactly what he might want from her if she was correct in assuming he planned to blackmail her in order for him to deny the rumours. What he didn't know however, was that she had no qualms in allowing her love for Severus to become public. She believed and hoped that he would feel the same way.

The smirk dropped from Malfoys face and his eyes narrowed a touch as he stepped closer to her. She caught the scent of his breath – apples – as he exhaled. If she hadn't faced what she had the previous year, she might have been intimidated but as things were she stared right back and repeated herself, stressing each word with a poke to his shoulder.

"What. Do. You. Want?"

"Don't hurt him." Malfoy muttered quietly after one too many moments of silence.

"Pardon?" She asked, not sure she'd heard him correctly. The level of concern in his voice was so un-Malfoy-like.

He took a deep breath.

"I said 'Don't hurt him.' He's already had to lose more than anyone should have to and I don't think he'd survive anymore heartbreak."

Hermione averted her eyes and warred with herself whether to be honest with the young man in front of her who was once her childhood tormentor. He did seem to genuinely care if Severus was hurt so it stood to reason that if she was what would make Severus happy, which she knew she was, Malfoy would approve. Hopefully.

Taking a very deep breath of her own, she looked back into his eyes as they shifted uncomfortably at showing emotion to her and placed a hand gently on his shoulder.

"Malfoy, I promise; you have nothing to worry about. I love him. In fact, I love him so much that I'm leaving the school and taking my NEWTs independently so he doesn't lose his job over us being together. There are other reasons too but they aren't important."

Malfoy's eyes widened.

"Does… does he know you're doing that?"

"Of course he does. He was there when I told McGonagall. Now, will you please let me pass, I really need to get to the Leaky and order a room before they're all taken for the night."

"Yeah ok." He said, much less smug than before. "Hey, why the Leaky? Why don't you just go home?"

She turned back to him just as she was three feet away.

"Long story but due to uncontrollable circumstance… erm... do you wanna come with me and I'll explain over one of Tom's fry-ups? I'm starving. "

Draco looked around as if making sure he wouldn't be seen talking to and leaving with Hermione Granger before turning back to her and nodding.

"I swear to all the Gods Malfoy, Tom's fry-ups are the best I've ever tasted, short of Mrs Weasley's of course." Hermione exclaimed with a large grin on her face having just swallowed a fork-full of bacon, sausage, egg and hash brown.

"You need to be more careful, Granger; you're picking up table manners from the Weaselbee." Draco said, wrinkling his nose as if disgusted.

"I swallowed first. Don't…"

"No wonder Uncle Sev likes you." He smirked.

"Don't be so crass. I thought you were meant to be the one who was brought up well mannered. That is hardly a topic for over food."

"Alright, Granger. Don't get your knickers in a twist."

They ate silently for a few minutes before Draco couldn't keep his wondering mind to himself anymore.

"So, why are you staying here?"

"Well, the thing is, just as the war was about to get into full swing, I… erm… I obliviated my parents, made them forget they had a daughter, forget about magic and witches and wizards, sell their house and their dental practice and move to Australia. Once the war was over, I went to find them and managed to reverse everything and restore almost all of their memories; all except for their knowledge of me and magic. They have their identities back; I had the Australian Ministry make them believe there was a car accident and a case of amnesia but they chose to stay down under. Meaning that I'm, for the want of a better word, homeless."

"Wow. Erm… that's really harsh luck Granger. I don't even know what to say, I mean couldn't Potter have you at his place or the redheads?"

"Weasley isn't a dirty word Malfoy. The Gods, or Merlin or Salazar Slytherin himself aren't going to strike you down for saying it without malice." She said, irritated. She had her moments of not enjoying the Weasley's company too but he acted like they were sewer rats or something.

"Stop changing the subject. You haven't told them, have you?"

She let out a heavy sigh and moved her plate to one side.

"No. I haven't. Harry feels guilty enough already for what I went through and…" she began but stopped as Draco looked down, ashamed. "Hey… it wasn't your fault."

"It feels like it was." He mumbled.

"And that's what makes the difference… it's why I forgive you for the things that were your fault. Remorse is something I never imagined you capable of Malfoy; it shows how much you've grown up and I respect you for that.

"Thanks." He said, still mumbling, still looking away.

"You should get back. Don't you have Potions this morning?" She said with a smirk, trying to diffuse the tension.

"Yeah." He replied, looking up and upon seeing her smirk, delivered one of his own. "Shall I give Uncle Sev your love?"

She laughed.

"Yes, please do. A big, sloppy wet kiss, right on his…"

"Okay, okay, I give. Just stop talking like that… eugh!"

She giggled.

"Fine. Let him know where I am though okay? Not the details of why. That should come from me but the where."

"Will do, Granger. Be good to him, yeah?"

"Will do." She mimicked with a smile.

She watched Malfoy leave the pub before heading to the room which would be her home until something more permanent could be arranged – hopefully with Severus. Room 4.

Ever since Severus watched Hermione and Draco apparate away an hour ago, he had been brooding, seething and feeling sorry for himself in equal measure, alternating between the feelings likes a lion with his pride wounded. He knew the boy had reached some sort of truce with Potter after being kept from Azkaban by the trio and talked into returning to school to 'play peace-maker' by his parents but he wasn't keen on the Slytherin playboy whisking Hermione away somewhere privately.

He was aware or at least he felt, deep down in a place he rarely let see light, that he didn't deserve love; not after how he screwed things up with Lily and led her to her death.

'That's what happened.' He told himself for the umpteenth time. 'No matter what Potter says. It was my fault.'

He glanced at the charmed window in his office again, currently giving him a clear view of the Hogwarts gates as if he were sat right in front of them.

Thirty minutes before his NEWT class was due to begin, just as he was about to get up and prepare the desks with cauldrons, a silent flash of blonde, black and green materialised beyond the gates and sauntered through with a cocky gait and relaxed shoulders. He was alone.

Severus narrowed his eyes on the boy as his mind raced with what he could've done to Hermione. He needed to know quick or every house would lose 500 points by the end of his imminent class. Making an impulse decision, he cast his patronus…

Stunned for a moment at the corporeal blue-white creature that burst from his wand, he stood silently and watched it paw through the air toward him.

"Message for Draco Malfoy," he said after a moment before using his 'intimidating Professor' voice, "My office, now. Speak to no-one."

He watched the full misty mane of a large patronal lion bound off through the wall as if chasing a phantom gazelle.

"What the fuck…?" he shouted loudly to himself as the bluish tale swished out of sight.

Ten minutes later, an almost tentative knock came from the office door.

Severus didn't reply. He let the boy sweat, knowing he had to scare him to get the truth; at least if history was anything to go by.

Draco pushed the door open slowly, eyes darting around for his Godfather. He could tell from the sight of a lion patronus showing up, with Sev's voice, in that tone, that things would be a little tense but he got more than he bargained for as he stepped fully into the office and was slammed bodily up against the spelled-to-auto-close-door.

"Where is she?" Severus ground out.

Draco's eyes went wide for what felt like the hundredth time since he woke up three hours ago and he coughed and spluttered, almost whimpered as his windpipe felt half crushed by the large calloused hand around his throat.

"Leaky." Draco managed to squeak out and was unceremoniously dropped to the floor.

"I'll be out for the remainder of the day," Severus said, as normally as he could muster, "Tell the rest of the NEWT class to revise for the length of their usual lesson. Take my second year class for me this afternoon – get them to brew the Wiggenweld potion. No points are to be given or taken in my absence. Have all samples, bottled and labelled and put in my store room."

"Of course, Sev. Thanks for trusting me with this." Draco whispered contritely.

Severus nodded infinitesimally and headed for the door in his usual billow of robes and intimidatingly long strides.

"She loves you… you know." The blonde called after him.

Slightly peeved his dramatic exit had been ruined but curious as to what she had told his Godson, Severus turned back.

"She loves you," Draco repeated. "She's given up school for you. Hermione Granger has given up school, for you. Think about what that means. She also said she's forgiven me, which I think she's done for you, as well."

"Thank you. I apologise for how I greeted you Draco. I seem to have gotten myself worked up."

"We all do crazy things for love. Trust me."

Severus raised an eyebrow in question.

"I'll tell you later." Came the reply with a wink.

"You'd better." Severus finished before heading for the school gates.

A/N: And there we have it, a Moon-cliff for you to hang off of until I can return with more pleasure for our favourite wizard; well, my favourite wizard and probably yours too. Except for Claw cus Claw's got a lady-bone for Gryffindor's Boy Wonder and I thought it only fair to honour that. Hope you enjoyed your little reappearance, Clawzer. :D

Now, to the important question… who wants Draco? Apply in the reviews please.

Love and Blessings

Moon Out! x