Beth Ann - You'll see, don't worry!

Marston Chicklet - I never intended to make Sirius such a bad boy, but now it's the dog house for him, heh.

Lollylips3, Luna, Tracy, Zoe - Thanks!

Lucinda Malfoy - I admit I was a bit taken aback by the first S/H story I ever read, but after reading a few good ones I became a convert.

Ryoki - Well, after what Hermione and Severus have been through, they decided they both needed some TLC!

Part 25

"There. All done," Severus said smoothly, having run a critical eye over her hair that now fell in neat, gleaming waves down her back.

Hermione turned her head and after looking down at her brown hair allowed Severus an approving nod.

"Thank you," she said, smiling at him in the way that always seemed to make his heart flutter in an odd way (though he didn't reveal this on his face).

"As much as I would like to spend the whole day here with you, I have Malfoy to deal with," he said grimly, the 'cold, empty tunnel' look in his black eyes.

"I want to come as well," Hermione began, sitting up straight, but he stopped her by putting a finger lightly over her mouth.

"No," he said softly. "I will see to this personally."

Hermione felt like protesting then reconsidered. It was up to the heads of the respective houses in the end to punish students when they were out of line, with the headmaster overseeing when necessary. She would just have to keep her revenge fantasies to herself..

"All right," she conceded and he nodded.

"I will see you no doubt in the Great Hall at breakfast time," he said and then cinnamon and obsidian eyes looked at each other soberly, their thoughts unsaid. In the Great Hall there was a good chance everyone would be speculating about them both - wondering, gossiping, looking. How many would react with such vehemence as Sirius had?

He lifted a hand to brush her cheek lightly for a second.

"I know you can fight your own battles," he said abruptly, "but if anyone gives you a hard time like that misbegotten Marauder just say the word and they will regret it."

"Thanks," Hermione answered quietly, touched. Professor Snape vs the rest of Hogwarts? [Poor Hogwarts], she thought. However, there was support to be found already from Harry and of a kind from Dumbledore. Professor Lupin, too, had seemed to show tolerance.

After kissing Severus farewell, Hermione left his quarters. She paused though when she got to the stairs, filled with an unwillingness to ascend them. Her bracelet gleamed gently, catching her eyes and she glanced down at it.

She smiled suddenly. Why not? This would be a good place as any to test the Apparating properties of this bracelet, for the sudden thought (or was it knowledge?) rose through her mind that there would be no spoken spells required. A Slytherin relied on stealth to achieve goals and silent Apparating would be useful to Slytherins..

[I'm not a Slytherin!] Hermione said silently, imagining her statement to echo within the corridors of her mind.

There was only silence.

Hermione carefully laid her fingers over the links and visualised her room with its contents, Crookshanks curled up on the end of her bed. Nothing happened, but then light and reality itself seemed to bend around her, and though she had not moved it seemed she was drawn forward smoothly and easily...to her bedroom.

It had worked, she thought in elation. She didn't even feel nauseous, something she would have to tell Severus later for research reasons. Crookshanks was sitting on the carpet, grooming, and when the cat saw Hermione's sudden appearance she 'mwrowed' sullenly and then ignored her. It was obvious that Crookshanks was offended by the absence of her mistress.

"Sorry, Crookshanks," Hermione said ruefully, going over to her wardrobe to change into a clean uniform. "Last night was eventful in more ways than one even by my standards!"

Crookshanks continued to ignore her but the posture of the cat now indicated that it might change its viewpoint...if it felt like it, of course.

After Hermione was ready to face the day, she went down to the common room, steeling herself.

Harry and other Gryffindors that were with him looked up in surprise at her entrance.

"Hermione!" Harry exclaimed, his eyes darting involuntarily to her arm as if he half-expected the Snake of Slytherin to be there. There was a faintly puzzled look when he saw the bracelet on her wrist.

"Are you all right, and uh, is he all right?" Harry asked, stumbling slightly over the last words. Hermione knew that she meant Professor Snape - it was a new thing for him to show concern over that 'slimy, greasy git' as Harry had spitefully called him in the past (though not to his face if he didn't want multiple detentions).

"Everything's fine," Hermione said discreetly, nodding. "My head doesn't hurt at all." After checking herself in a mirror before it was as if she had never had fallen down the stairs at all.

Harry tilted his head curiously at her. "When did you come back - did you sneak in?"

"Something like that," Hermione answered carefully, wondering how she was going to explain the bracelet, especially to the others who were looking at her with a mixture of concern, wariness and apprehension - as if she had changed in a way that it might be wise to fear. How much did they know?

Lavender stepped forward as if in answer to Hermione's silent thought. "I think Draco should be strung up by his thumbs over a fire for what he did to you, girl!" she said roundly, and there were nods and mutters of agreement. Since his father Lucius had been sent to Azkaban with many of the other Deatheaters, Draco had been determined to imitate his father in malice and cruelty.

Harry looked slightly sheepish. "Professor Lupin and I were all for going after Draco last night, but in the end it was decided that it would be up to Professor Snape to punish him."

There was a glint in Hermione's eyes. "You don't have to tell Professor Snape that..."

At the mention of Professor Snape there was an air of uneasiness in the room and Lavender frowned slightly at Hermione. "Look, when Harry told us everything about last night (there was an emphasis on the 'everything' and Hermione winced slightly) I put two and two together and wished it didn't add up to four. Look, when I told you to take a 'walk on the wild side' I didn't expect you to go for the Mean in Black himself!"

"I think it's disgusting!" Ron said loudly from his corner of the room. He had pointedly not got up when Hermione had arrived. "Going out with Snape - how gross can you get?"

There were some mutters of agreement from others.

"It's not 'gross'," Hermione countered quietly.

"But Hermione," Lavender said urgently, her brown eyes agitated. "This is 'Slimy Snape' we're talking about."

Hermione held her ground. "I know what I'm doing, and he isn't 'slimy'. He's...not as bad as he used to be."

Lavender looked doubtful but then she said slowly, "When I think about it he hasn't been so mean lately, and his hair almost looks normal."

There were still some sidelong looks of disgust at Hermione but then Neville spoke up timidly. "I knocked over my cauldron again the other day and he didn't yell at me as nastily as he used to."

"He's stopped taking points off for the least thing," another boy offered, and there were wary nods of agreement.

Seeing that the tide was slowly turning in Hermione's favour, Ron sneered. "I suppose you'll think he will give you good graduation reports! If she's dating Snape and being visited by Slytherin snakes maybe she should be in Slytherin. It's her fault that Sirius will be trapped as a dog for the next five months."

"That's not true!" Harry said to Ron, frowning. "I was there - Sirius was about to use his wand on Snape who was under the influence of Veritaserum at the time! That's a punishable offence and you know it."

Ron got up and stormed out of the common room and a few others followed him.

Hermione bit her lip. The last thing she wanted was tension between Harry and Ron. Harry saw the look on her face and said quietly, "He'll calm down eventually, don't worry. But one thing I want to know - ah, what happened to the Snake of Slytherin? Is it still around?"

A few of the Gryffindors looked around nervously as if they expected snakes to pop out hissing from behind the furniture any moment.

"After the Snake of Slytherin Apparated Professor Snape and I back to his quarters it vanished - but it left me this," Hermione said, holding up her arm to display the bracelet that shimmered gently in the light of the common room.

Harry, Lavender and Neville crowded around in surprise, talking all at once.

"Is it dangerous?"

"What does it do?"

"What are those green links made of?"

"Um, does this mean you're a Slytherin now?"

"I'm not a Slytherin!" Hermione said in exasperation. "I'm a Gryffindor and I always will be a Gryffindor. I uh, just happen to be going out with a Slytherin."

"The Head of Slytherin, don't forget," Lavender said dryly, though there was a wry look on her face.

Hermione continued. "Professor Snape said it will protect me from curses."

There were murmurs of surprise from the others, with further curious Gryffindors coming forward for a look.

"Hey, do you think I could have one of those bracelets?" Neville said hopefully.

Lavender raised her eyebrows. "You better not tell One-Eyed Moody that or he'll be after you to test it!" The paranoid, twitchy One-Eyed Moody had been kept on as an advisor, and even though the war was over he still saw dark wizards and conspiracies around each corner. Hermione winced.

"You're lucky to have that protection Hermione," Harry said quietly, clearly thinking of his long-dead parents, victim of the infamous killing curse at the hands of Voldemort.

Harry peered at the bracelet. "Does it give you any other abilities?"

"Yes," Hermione said, trying not to sound as if she was showing off. "It can make me Apparate anywhere - even in Hogwarts."

Startled, Harry looked up at her and there were exclamations from the others. "Even in Hogwarts?" he echoed in surprise, a gleam in his eye. "Could I borrow that bracelet if I grovelled nicely?"

Hermione looked sheepish. "I'm sorry Harry, but there's no way for me to remove it. It looks like I'll be wearing it permanently."

Lavender's eyes widened. "There's no way to take it off? I don't believe it!"

Without warning Professor McGonagall bustled into the room, her mouth pursing when she saw Hermione. "You should all be going to breakfast," she said in her no-nonsense manner. "Run along now. Hermione, come with me please."

Having no choice but to obey, Hermione quickly said goodbye to the others and followed the professor out of the common room. What was this going to be about, she wondered.

Meanwhile, Draco was defiantly regretting hearing the news from other Slytherins that Hermione had survived her 'fall' down the stairs and had testified that he, Draco was the one who had pushed her. There had been some other garbled nonsense about a snake but he hadn't bothered to pay attention, focussing on coming up with a convincing story as to how he hadn't known the stairs had been nearby for when the faculty came for him. There had been a feeling of disapproval from the other Slytherins - not that he had pushed Hermione, but that it was sloppy of Draco not to do the job properly so that there would be no chance of her ever testifying..

Draco was lounging in the Slytherin common room, Crabbe and Goyle in lumpish, blank attendance as always, when the door opened and Professor Snape swept in, his robes flying about him like dark wings.

The three of them immediately stood up, and at a look from the professor Crabbe and Goyle lumbered quickly out of the room.

"Professor," Draco began carefully, but Professor Snape held up a pale hand impatiently.

"Silence! The school knows about your little escapade last night," he said softly. "What were you thinking?

Draco took a gamble. "I should have been thinking that I shouldn't get caught?"

"Precisely!" Professor Snape snapped.

Draco relaxed slightly. This was Professor Snape's subtle way of showing that he approved of what Draco did. After all, the Head of Slytherin loathed the Gryffindor Trio with a passion, certainly mud-blood Granger, even though the professor had snapped at Draco when he had taunted Granger after her break up with Weasley.

Severus watched Draco with narrowed eyes. It appeared that Malfoy had not heard the full account of what happened last night or else the insolent boy would have already been making veiled references to 'liaisons with mudbloods' (which would only have given him another reason to discipline Draco). This would be to his advantage.

"Pity she didn't fall hard enough - I won't make *that* mistake again," Draco mused unguardedly and yelped in pain when suddenly Professor Snape reached out a hand and pinched his ear.

"Listen to me Malfoy," Professor Snape hissed, his face mere inches away from Draco's. "If she had fallen 'hard enough' and died I would not have rested until I had found who was responsible and personally put them in Azkaban!"

"But she's just a mudblood!" Draco whined, confused.

"Silence!" Professor Snape hissed. "If you even think about laying a finger on Miss Granger again there will be new words for pain when I am finished with you!"

Draco cringed and then a light bulb went off in his head. For the professor to be this furious over the admittedly luscious Granger, it had to mean..

"I didn't know she was your whore, sir!"

The cold fury in Professor Snape's eyes could have frozen fresh lava, and he shook Draco briefly like a rag doll. "She is no whore!" he said in soft menace. "As the head of your house I will be putting a black mark in your record and it will be toilet-cleaning detention for you at night until the end of the year. In your weekends you will be assisting Filch in his duties in the Dark Forest."

With a final glare Severus released Draco's ear and swept out of the common room.

With a sullen, subdued look on his face Draco rubbed his ear carefully. If his father had still been alive instead of being foolish enough to be on the losing side in the war and sent to Azkaban, Professor Snape would have never treated him this way, he was sure of it. Toilet cleaning duty? Great.

TBC