"Professor Dumbledore, is he going to be all right?" Hermione gasped, ready
to run to the infirmary immediately to check on her friend. Dumbledore only
nodded. "He'll be fine, Miss Granger. I suggest you wait to visit him
tomorrow, and bring Harry with you. Severus, come with me. We'll need to
discuss the appropriate course of action to take within your house."
Hermione bid the two of them good night and hurried off to her common room.
As she walked away, Dumbledore turned to Severus and winked. "Do you have
any idea how good she is for you, Severus?" he asked quietly. Snape only
shook his head and smiled. "I wish I could do the same for her, Albus." The
old man laughed warmly and sighed, "You do, Severus. You most definitely
do."
Harry and Ron were still awake when Hermione whispered the password to a cranky Fat Lady and stepped through the portrait. "I still think she's a masochist. Snape? A good side? Not bloody likely," she heard Ron whisper, and smiled as they both turned to face her, surprised. Raising an eyebrow at them, she moved to sit down.
"So? Why back so soon?" asked Ron tactlessly. Hermione rolled her eyes. "Actually, Severus had a..situation to deal with. Draco was attacked by the other Slytherins tonight, and we're all going to visit him in the infirmary tomorrow." Harry gasped and looked concerned, while Ron shrugged insensitively. He shaped up immediately when Hermione glared at him.
"Very well," Harry answered for them. "Ron and I will go to the infirmary with you tomorrow before breakfast to visit Draco. Let's all go to bed, for now." All three Gryffindors nodded and went to their respective rooms.
"You think she was snogging him?" Ron whispered as he followed Harry up the stairs. "Are you kidding me?" Harry asked, grinning. "Of course she was." Behind him, Ron shuddered, but grit his teeth and bore it.
~~
Draco hadn't expected any visitors, and was pleasantly surprised to see Harry and Hermione sneaking into the infirmary that morning. Ron brought up the rear, almost literally dragging his feet behind his friends. Hermione rushed to the bed to get a look at him.
"Draco, are you all right? We were worried about you!" Draco just nodded. "I'm fine, now. I was fine last night, actually, but you know how Madam Pomfrey is." Harry laughed and sat on the other side of the bed. "I'm glad you're all right, Draco. But what happens now? You can't really stay with the Slytherins, can you?" The boy shook his head. "I was thinking that maybe I could move to a different part of the castle, but I don't know where, yet. I'd still be a Slytherin, of course, but.."
"Why don't you move into the rooms next to mine?" Hermione asked. "They're in a relatively isolated part of Gryffindor tower, and you don't really have to enter them through the Fat Lady so you wouldn't feel like a traitor. You can hang out in the common room with us, though, if you'd like." Draco sighed softly. "Yeah, I guess I'd like that." Ron finally jumped into the conversation, which delighted his friends. "You could..erm..eat meals with us too..I guess." It was obviously hard for Ron to say, but it was progress.
"I couldn't have come up with a better plan myself," Dumbledore commented behind them. He had entered without any of them noticing. "In fact, Madam Pomfrey has given me permission to let you go, Draco, so why don't you and Hermione go and sort things out? Besides, as Head Boy, it is your duty to be able to contact the Head Girl in case of an emergency." Draco nodded and leapt from the bed. "Thank Merlin I don't have to stay cooped up in here all day!"
"Don't forget, Mister Malfoy, that you will remain a Slytherin no matter what house you live in." Draco whirled around to see Professor Snape standing in the doorway, sneering. Ron shifted uncomfortably and Hermione and Harry kept neutral looks on their faces. "Of course, Professor Snape," Draco said in his former smug manner. Everyone laughed, except for Snape, who smirked. He looked up at Hermione and the corner of his mouth twitched ever so slightly. Draco looked at Hermione for a moment, then at Snape. Dumbledore and Harry both started to snicker, while Ron still looked like he wanted to vomit.
"I knew it all along!" Draco smiled. "You sound like Professor Trelawney," Hermione groaned, and Draco turned to her and grinned. "No, it only took a true Slytherin to figure that one out. But don't worry, I don't think anyone else will be intelligent enough to catch you, and I'm not going to tell anybody. In fact, I'll deny it for you."
"Thanks, Draco," she grinned. "Now come on, I want to get you settled in soon so I don't have to miss Transfiguration." At that, she took Draco's elbow and all but dragged him from the infirmary. Harry and Ron went off to eat breakfast, leaving the two professors alone.
"I'll admit Draco's 'insight' is mostly my fault," Dumbledore laughed when Snape looked at him questioningly. "Although he did manage to get the idea into his head independently. When I didn't discourage him from that train of thought..well.." He smiled, almost seeming embarrassed. "I'll admit it was what I had hoped for when I sent her to you." Snape scowled at him. "So you're meddling in my business again by playing matchmaker, are you?" The old man just nodded wisely. Severus shrugged and smiled reluctantly.
"Thanks."
Harry and Ron were still awake when Hermione whispered the password to a cranky Fat Lady and stepped through the portrait. "I still think she's a masochist. Snape? A good side? Not bloody likely," she heard Ron whisper, and smiled as they both turned to face her, surprised. Raising an eyebrow at them, she moved to sit down.
"So? Why back so soon?" asked Ron tactlessly. Hermione rolled her eyes. "Actually, Severus had a..situation to deal with. Draco was attacked by the other Slytherins tonight, and we're all going to visit him in the infirmary tomorrow." Harry gasped and looked concerned, while Ron shrugged insensitively. He shaped up immediately when Hermione glared at him.
"Very well," Harry answered for them. "Ron and I will go to the infirmary with you tomorrow before breakfast to visit Draco. Let's all go to bed, for now." All three Gryffindors nodded and went to their respective rooms.
"You think she was snogging him?" Ron whispered as he followed Harry up the stairs. "Are you kidding me?" Harry asked, grinning. "Of course she was." Behind him, Ron shuddered, but grit his teeth and bore it.
~~
Draco hadn't expected any visitors, and was pleasantly surprised to see Harry and Hermione sneaking into the infirmary that morning. Ron brought up the rear, almost literally dragging his feet behind his friends. Hermione rushed to the bed to get a look at him.
"Draco, are you all right? We were worried about you!" Draco just nodded. "I'm fine, now. I was fine last night, actually, but you know how Madam Pomfrey is." Harry laughed and sat on the other side of the bed. "I'm glad you're all right, Draco. But what happens now? You can't really stay with the Slytherins, can you?" The boy shook his head. "I was thinking that maybe I could move to a different part of the castle, but I don't know where, yet. I'd still be a Slytherin, of course, but.."
"Why don't you move into the rooms next to mine?" Hermione asked. "They're in a relatively isolated part of Gryffindor tower, and you don't really have to enter them through the Fat Lady so you wouldn't feel like a traitor. You can hang out in the common room with us, though, if you'd like." Draco sighed softly. "Yeah, I guess I'd like that." Ron finally jumped into the conversation, which delighted his friends. "You could..erm..eat meals with us too..I guess." It was obviously hard for Ron to say, but it was progress.
"I couldn't have come up with a better plan myself," Dumbledore commented behind them. He had entered without any of them noticing. "In fact, Madam Pomfrey has given me permission to let you go, Draco, so why don't you and Hermione go and sort things out? Besides, as Head Boy, it is your duty to be able to contact the Head Girl in case of an emergency." Draco nodded and leapt from the bed. "Thank Merlin I don't have to stay cooped up in here all day!"
"Don't forget, Mister Malfoy, that you will remain a Slytherin no matter what house you live in." Draco whirled around to see Professor Snape standing in the doorway, sneering. Ron shifted uncomfortably and Hermione and Harry kept neutral looks on their faces. "Of course, Professor Snape," Draco said in his former smug manner. Everyone laughed, except for Snape, who smirked. He looked up at Hermione and the corner of his mouth twitched ever so slightly. Draco looked at Hermione for a moment, then at Snape. Dumbledore and Harry both started to snicker, while Ron still looked like he wanted to vomit.
"I knew it all along!" Draco smiled. "You sound like Professor Trelawney," Hermione groaned, and Draco turned to her and grinned. "No, it only took a true Slytherin to figure that one out. But don't worry, I don't think anyone else will be intelligent enough to catch you, and I'm not going to tell anybody. In fact, I'll deny it for you."
"Thanks, Draco," she grinned. "Now come on, I want to get you settled in soon so I don't have to miss Transfiguration." At that, she took Draco's elbow and all but dragged him from the infirmary. Harry and Ron went off to eat breakfast, leaving the two professors alone.
"I'll admit Draco's 'insight' is mostly my fault," Dumbledore laughed when Snape looked at him questioningly. "Although he did manage to get the idea into his head independently. When I didn't discourage him from that train of thought..well.." He smiled, almost seeming embarrassed. "I'll admit it was what I had hoped for when I sent her to you." Snape scowled at him. "So you're meddling in my business again by playing matchmaker, are you?" The old man just nodded wisely. Severus shrugged and smiled reluctantly.
"Thanks."