Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine. Anything you recognize from JK Rowling's books is not mine. Anything you don't recognize is either mine or a typical fanfiction plot device. The Call of the Blood and the concepts associated with it are my creations – please email me if you wish to use them or a derivative of them in a story.

Partly inspired by the Marriage Law Challenge on WIKTT. See Chapter 1 for full disclaimer. Author's Notes at the end.
Warning: This fic is SS/HG and includes character death, descriptions of abuse, and adult situations.

Cloak of Courage

WendyNat

Chapter 18

~~~~~~~

Severus lay in the bed, staring at the bed curtains above him. In a fit of pique after the last Slytherin/Gryffindor match, Hermione had changed the colors from black and green to a deep purple. He had sneered, of course, but was in truth highly amused. At least she had had the presence of mind to avoid changing them to red and gold. He sighed, realizing that this line of thought was just his mind's way of avoiding what had occurred the night before.

He had tried to resist the Call's demands, but his control had been too weak. Brittle and weak. Had it been slowly wearing away, these past weeks? Ever since the young woman had entered his chambers, had seeped into his private life? He shook his head. It little mattered, now. Whatever the cause, his control had shattered the night before, and the shards had cut him.

Glancing over at Hermione, he sighed again. He had wanted to shield her from the Call as much as possible… what affect would the marking have on her? What affect would her participation in a blood ritual have on the lure she already felt for the Dark Arts? How close was she to succumbing, and would this blood ritual assist the Call in gaining a hold over her? He shook his head. It had been a foolish risk… if only she had listened to him, had stayed in the room…

Ollivander's words from the week before echoed in his mind.

You may not have a choice, Snape. It could benefit the girl.

Some things cannot be controlled.

Gods.

What had he done? Given in to the Call… allowed it to dictate his actions… and to what end? To what benefit? His eyes narrowed as a familiar question entered his mind. A question that had lingered in his mind since first hearing the Call's demands.

Why did the Call want them bound together?

Well, he amended silently, not together, precisely. While it had demanded that he bind her to him, it had not demanded the secondary binding that he had initiated when he ordered her to draw his blood. Unconsciously he ran his fingers over his shoulder, feeling the smooth scars from Hermione's teeth. He still didn't quite know what had possessed him to have her put a binding on him… and he was certain she didn't realize the implications.

He wasn't entirely sure he understood them himself.

It had been years since he had studied a Book of the Blood… years since he had learned of the blood mating ritual. He had not, even during his initial study of it, paid a great deal of attention to the ritual, assuming that he would have no use for it. As a result he had only vague memories of the ritual and, overcome by lust as he had been the evening before, it would have been impossible to perform without the Call's assistance - even had he remembered the exact incantations and sequence to the ritual.

It wasn't until near the end, when he felt her nails against his back, that he had recalled the possibility of a secondary binding. Without thinking, he had enacted it…

… but he still didn't know for certain why.

There was one thing he did know for certain, however – the Dark Lord must never find out about the secondary binding. While he was within his rights to mark her, he doubted the Dark Lord would look kindly on his 'loyal' servant bearing the blood mark of a Muggleborn witch.

The young woman beside him sighed and shifted in her sleep, causing a mass of tangled hair to fall across her face and catch on her eyelashes. Gingerly, he pushed the hair back and smiled slightly. It really was an unruly mess much of the time… wild, untamed, fierce… so different from his own lank locks.

It fit her.

Staring down at his wife, he felt a sort of peace steal over him. He was still astonished at how effortlessly she had invaded his life… it felt at times as if she had always been there – while at other times he felt a sort of surprised alarm, wondering how she came to inhabit his rooms… and his life. Certain things were difficult to become accustomed to, of course… he was used to his solitude. It had, however, been a much smoother transition than he had anticipated. Even aside from the obvious side benefits. After the first week he discovered that she also craved private time and space. Quietly reading in the study while she sprawled on the carpet or curled in one of the armchairs had become a standard evening practice for them, and one that suited them both well. He grudgingly admitted that he was, indeed, becoming fond of her.

He studiously avoided thinking of the words she had said before the blood mating ritual.  

He lay back down, staring up at the bed curtains once again. The Call was silent, satisfied for the moment, and that in itself worried him. Generally after a blood ritual was performed, the Call was awake, needy… worse than after casting an Unforgivable. So why, now, was it dormant?

Because it achieved what it wanted to achieve… using me as the tool. But to what purpose?

            *                      *                      *                      *                      *                      *

Hermione eyed Severus as he sat next to her on the couch. They had finished breakfast – eaten in their chambers - and were now relaxing with a cup of tea. Her eyes were drawn to his chest, where the dressing robe had opened slightly… with a mental shake, she forced her attention back to the questions that had been on the tip of her tongue since she awoke that morning. "What can you tell me about the marking?"

Severus shifted uncomfortably. "It is… a protective measure. Ancient."

"You've told me that much already – what are the effects? Is it permanent?" Hermione's eyes narrowed. Why was he so hesitant to tell her?

Severus hesitated. "I am… unclear on all of the effects. It has been long since I studied the ritual."

Hermione stared at him incredulously. "But… how did you… how could you have performed-"

"The Call." She stared at him blankly and he scowled in response. "It guided me. It has been demanding…" His voice trailed off and he stared at the fire.

She was quick to pick up on his meaning. "Why? Why would it want…"

"I do not know."

A tangible silence fell between them.

"Is it… is there a book, that I could re-"

Before she could finish her thought, she was cut off.

"No." Standing from the chair, Severus began to pace. "It is… it only appears in a Book of the Blood. It is a blood ritual, Hermione, and closely tied to the Call." He didn't meet her eyes as he said, "And it is permanent. That much I know."

Permanent. No wonder he didn't meet her eyes. "I see," she said slowly. He cut a glance at her and she was taken aback by the hardness in his gaze.

"I warned you."

Hermione let out a breath. "We've been over that already, Severus. All right. So it's meant for protection. How?"

Severus ran a hand through his hair, disheveling it further. "I am not clear on… I must study the effects. But… from what I remember, extreme emotion will enact the link. Fear, pain… I will know, should any of these emotions become overwhelming to you. Or-"

"Or what?"

Severus shook his head sharply. "I will be able to Apparate to your location, if I feel any of these things through the link."

Hermione stared at him suspiciously. He was obviously off-balance – Severus Snape, consummate Slytherin, rarely made blatant verbal errors. What was he so concerned about? "What were you about to say before? Or what?"

Severus closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Or if a man – other than myself - should touch the mark. I will be… alerted."

Hermione sucked in a breath, shocked at the implications. "So you've branded me like a… like a farm animal, you're telling me? With your seal, no less… like a possession?"

"I knew you would react-" He stopped abruptly before continuing, "Why does this bother you so much? Are you planning on other men touching you on the bare skin of your inner thigh, Hermione?" She shook her head violently.

"Of course not… it's just the idea of it… women being treated like property…"

"I do not see you as property, Hermione." He had turned his face away from her, staring towards the fireplace, but she could practically hear him rolling his eyes. She pursed her lips in annoyance.

"I heard you, you know. Before I… before I passed out."

His shoulders tensed and he turned towards her. His expression was guarded. "What did you hear?"

"I heard you say 'Mine.'"

Was that a glint of relief in his eyes? "It didn't bother you last night, why is it an issue now?" His tone was one of reasonable patience, and it infuriated her.

Her voice shaking with suppressed emotion, she said, "Maybe because I've had time to think about it some more… no – that's not it. It's just… just that it's not fair. You've marked me, but I have no hold over you…" She looked down at her hands, scowling.

A silky whisper answered her. "Is that what you think?"

She looked up in surprise as he glided to where she sat. "With only your blood, it would be a simple binding, Hermione. The mark of a man's property." She felt her face darken with indignation and opened her mouth to speak but stopped when he held up a hand. "With only your blood."

She frowned slightly and then the realization hit her. "But you had me draw your blood, too…"

His eyes flashed as he pulled the dressing gown from his shoulder. While there was no symbol in the middle, the silvery circle of scars was present. Immediately, she bit her lip. She felt like a fool. "Oh," she said numbly.

He sneered and looked away from her. "And now it is evident just how far you trust me." His voice sounded strange – it held an almost disappointed note - and the thought of that cut her more deeply than she could have imagined.

"Severus, you know I trust you. If I didn't, I never would have agreed to this… and I certainly would never have come out of that room last night. I more than trust you… like I told you last night." She paused and took a deep breath, relieved when he turned back to face her, his face expressionless. "But when you only give me half of an explanation, with something like this… how did you expect-"

She stopped when he put a long finger against her lips. "I know. I explained it rather crudely." She nodded slightly, knowing that that was all the apology she was likely to get. His hand shifted to cup her cheek and, with a questioning glance at him, she raised one hand to trace the scar on his shoulder – her mark. She didn't miss the slight shudder that went through him at the contact, nor the sudden intensity of his stare. 

"What does this do? Will I be able to feel your emotions, also… when they're strong?" He nodded, and her breath caught as she noted the openness of his gaze, the naked hunger that formed as he watched her. She shifted closer to him, pressing her body against him as she continued to outline the scar with her fingertips. "I think I feel something now," she said mischievously.

A corner of his lip quirked up in sly smile. "That's not my emotions, my dear."

"I know."

            *                      *                      *                      *                      *                      *

That evening, Severus, taking advantage of Albus' belief that he was still under the influence of the Call, informed the Headmaster that while he could handle his classes on Monday it would be best to have someone else take his hall duties for the weekend. After Severus stepped back from the fireplace, Hermione turned to him with a curious look.

"I thought you liked hall duty. Catching misbehaving students, draining the House Points from less deserving Houses, that sort of thing."

"I did before, but now…" he paused almost imperceptibly "… I have other things on my mind. It is just a distraction from what I must concentrate on."

She was certain that that wasn't what he had meant to say at first, but she didn't press him on it. He had told her what had occurred at the meeting the evening before and she didn't wish to thrust him back into a dark mood when he was just pulling out of one. With a playful smile, she said, "I thought you liked distractions."

He pulled her against him for a quick kiss. "Mmm. You are correct. But not of that sort." She would have attempted to deepen the contact but he appeared preoccupied.

"What is it, Severus?"

He sighed and looked down at her. "I do not know how much longer we will be able to stall the Dark Lord. Before you are called I want to have some solid evidence of your… value… to him."

Hermione tilted her head. "I'm supposed to be feeding you information on Harry, right?" He nodded sharply. "Well, then, I should feed you some information. Or… better yet… why don't we stage a conversation with Harry? You could overhear us talking, and then later I'll tell you all about it – showing that I'm not only valuable, but I trust you."

"And we can mislead the Dark Lord at the same time…" Leaning down he kissed her more thoroughly. "At times I see some Slytherin tendencies in you, my dear."

"I'll take that as a compliment," she said wryly. 

Monday evening, she heartily regretted her suggestion. After the relatively relaxing weekend she and Severus had shared, it was difficult to plunge into a day of rowdy students and grading papers. But, by far the most difficult part of the day was the evening meeting with Harry and Severus. While it had proven simple to persuade Harry to come down to the Potions classroom to stage a conversation, it had not proven so simple to have her friend and husband in the same room. After a tense beginning and a few sarcastic remarks – on both sides – she was ready to tear her hair out.

"It is time to emphasize Hermione's usefulness to the Dark Lord, Potter. I thought you would be willing to assist us in this endeavor but I obviously put too much stock in the vaunted Gryffindor loyalty."

Harry's green eyes glinted angrily as he glared at Severus. Hermione shook her head and let out an irritated breath. They were both being ridiculous… if Severus would just hold back his sarcastic comments – like that one - then Harry wouldn't have gotten his back all ruffled. If Harry didn't tried to take over, then Severus wouldn't have spat out those sneering comments… And since they were both ridiculously stubborn, unwilling to back down an inch…

Seeing Harry's mouth form an angry retort, she realized that she could take no more.

Furious, she turned on Harry. "This is ridiculous. First of all - Harry, just stop it. Severus is trying to help both of us here. All you have to do is stage a discussion with me where Severus can conveniently overhear. He's not asking much." Hermione knew she should have stopped after that statement, but then she turned to look at Severus and saw his gloating expression. Fueled by a renewed irritation, she spat out, "And Severus – maybe if you stopped talking to him like a first year he'd be more open to your suggestions."

Both men stared at her with narrowed eyes, and they looked so similar in expression that she burst out laughing. Harry's face relaxed at the sound and he let out a chuckle of his own, but Severus' face just grew more thunderous. Scowling, she met her husband's eyes evenly, her arms crossed over her chest, and was relieved when he finally pursed his lips and nodded curtly. She sighed inwardly. He would likely be in a snit the rest of the evening, but they would never get anything done if the two of them continued sniping at each other.

"Can we start, now?"

"Sure."

"Certainly."

"Good. Severus, go in your office. Harry, stay here," she snapped. To her surprise, both men followed her instructions without further argument.

I really have to remember that tone of voice…

            *                      *                      *                      *                      *                      *

Friday evening, exactly one week from the day Adrian Pucey was murdered, Severus was Summoned to an Inner Circle meeting. Immediately upon appearing in the muddy field, the Dark Lord called Severus forward to give a report on his progress with Hermione.

As he knelt on the damp ground, he gave his report.

"Rise, Severus." With a slight grimace, he pulled his knees from the muddy earth and stood. Many of the Death Eaters were traditionalists and only wore robes with no underlying trousers, but Severus had quickly learned the value of an extra layer between his skin and the ground.

"Her trust has grown, then?"

"Yes, my Lord. It does appear so. She has approached me regarding her friend Potter – she is… concerned… for him."

The Dark Lord laughed, and the cold sound made the skin on his back crawl. "Your young wife is intelligent, Severus, as you said. She should be concerned for her young friend." The red eyes narrowed. "But… does her concern for him overcome her trust in you? I want her brought to our way of thinking, Severus."

"My Lord – that will be most difficult…" Severus' throat went dry as he tried to think of way to explain without raising the Dark Lord's ire. "She may come to understand my loyalties because of her trust in me, but to embrace our mission completely… that, I fear, would be beyond anyone's capabilities this early. Particularly after her parents' deaths."

The Dark Lord remained silent, staring at Severus. Severus held his breath until the powerful wizard slowly nodded. "You will bring her before me."

His blood froze at the statement. It was the moment he had been dreading. There would be no more stalling, no more delaying. His young wife, his young Muggleborn wife who had – beyond all logic or reason – earned his trust, would have to face the Dark Lord. His stomach twisted at the thought.

"My Lord." Severus' mind raced. "A meeting location such as this-" with a dismissive gesture, he indicated the muddy surroundings "-will do little to convince her of your power and strike awe in her heart. And – though I am sure you have considered this, I feel I must mention - the Zabini boy…"

The Dark Lord nodded. "Of course. The girl is too conspicuous – her presence with you would reveal your identity to the new recruits. I had in mind a more palatable location… MacNair's Inner Circle gathering should suffice."

"You are wise, my Lord," Severus intoned, bowing his head low and biting back a relieved sigh. MacNair held a yearly dinner party of sorts for the higher-ranking members of the Inner Circle. There would be fewer Death Eaters present and that, in and of itself, should make the situation easier to handle for Hermione.

"And what have you learned of Potter?"

Severus looked up and met the Dark Lord's eyes. "The fear continues to gnaw at him, my Lord… and I believe your attack will be a surprise. He does not expect any movement from you before the end of the school year. The old fool believes the same."

As he felt the Dark Lord's mind probing his, Severus allowed selected images to spin out… overseeing a Quidditch match… the 'overheard' conversation between Hermione and Potter… looming over a younger Longbottom while taking points from Gryffindor for yet another melted cauldron… Hermione, telling him that she trusted him… Potter shaking his hand, telling him he wasn't such a 'bad sort'… the discussion with Hermione, listening as she detailed the exchange that he has already 'overheard'… Along with the images, he suffused his mind with feelings of loyalty, pride in his Master, disdain for the foolish boy who thought to rise against them…

The Dark Lord stepped back and smiled coldly. "You have pleased me, my servant. Your plan is going well – the chit trusts you, Potter is even beginning to warm to you… to you, my faithful servant… I believe your service has earned you a move. I am more in need of cunning minds as the time grows near for our attack."

Severus held his breath, hope blossoming in his chest. As before, the Dark Lord reached over and grabbed Severus' left arm, pushing up the sleeve of his robe to expose the Dark Mark. A single white finger traced the Mark on his forearm, and it burned with a fierce fire… he almost gagged at the pain of it. The last raising hadn't burned this much… he knew it was a promise, of sorts, of how much more would be required of him as a member of higher standing.

A short incantation later, the Dark Lord released his arm and stood back. "Severus. My spy. My loyal servant. Take your new place in my Inner Circle beside your brother Lucius."

Severus bowed deeply. "Thank you, my Lord. I live to serve."

With a triumphant smile – hidden behind his mask – he moved to his new position in the Circle. He didn't miss the furious glint in Lucius' eyes as he passed in front of the blond man. No, Lucius was not pleased at this turn of events. Particularly after his son undoubtedly reported that Hermione and Severus' relationship had suffered no ill effects after his return from the last meeting, when the Call had been so obviously active in his blood. The malevolent look in the blond man's eyes warned him that another attempt at sabotaging his plans would likely come soon.

One step closer. He was now equal to Lucius in the Circle standings, and his new position was both more secure and more dangerous than ever.

            *                      *                      *                      *                      *                      *

It's finally happened.

I'm going to have to see the Dark Lord. In person. Face to face.

I feel kind of numb about it, really. I knew it would happen; Severus warned me that it would happen. I didn't really even notice the passage of time lately – I've gotten into a routine with what I'm calling my "new life" – and the time has just slipped through my fingers. Maybe because I expected this all to be so much harder than it has been. Severus has been… I use amazing too much, but that's all there is to it. So different from what I expected – oh, he's still a bastard. Sneering, smirking… but he's my bastard. And now I know I can trust him, it's fun to spend time with him. He's never gone to the depths that I expected he would – he was such a bastard all those years in class, and I just expected that when he got to know me better he would just have more ammunition. But it seems like the more we learn about each other the more we understand each other… so many of his comments that everyone else sees as just nasty are really quite funny. Harry still doesn't get it, but I can't really expect him to.

Harry… he's scared. He knows the end of this year will likely be the final confrontation, for good or bad. At least he's finally starting to soften up towards Severus. I made it clear to them both that they're both important to me – Severus is not the evil bastard Harry thought he was, and Harry isn't the incompetent idiot that Severus thought he was… oh, all right. Severus still thinks that, but at least he's learning to hide it better. A little better. All right, not much better, but he's kind of making an effort. I'm laughing a little as I write this.

Well, anyway, in a couple of weeks I'll be attending some sort of Death Eater Dinner Party at one of the head Death Eater's houses. Lucius Malfoy will be there, but Draco won't. Maybe only facing one of them at a time will be easier… but probably not. Severus has threatened to take my wand if I make any moves towards the bastard. He may have to. I don't want to jeopardize his position – his life, really – but it will be hard not to react if Malfoy says something to me. Or if he dares to act all falsely sympathetic, sneering down his nose at the little 'Mudblood' who 'lost' her parents and her boyfriend. Severus tries to tell me that the Death Eaters aren't all bad, they're really just regular people who are trying to preserve the traditional wizarding culture, but how can I believe that when Malfoy is one of them? Or maybe the ones like Malfoy are just aberrations?

It's hard to tell.

Hermione sighed with relief and closed the journal. She and Severus had discussed what to write in it extensively after he returned from his meeting the evening before, and she had been on pins and needles the entire time she had the quill on the paper. She thought she had covered the main points… the trick was making it sound natural, like something a young woman would actually write about in a personal journal.

Glancing at the clock, she saw that she still had a little bit of time before she was to meet Ginny for another Hogsmeade shopping day. She was looking forward to it - they hadn't had much chance to talk lately. Harry had insisted on going, but Ginny had threatened him with a few of her more imaginative hexes if he didn't leave them alone for a while so they could really talk.

She winced a bit as a cramp hit her. This ought to be the last day of her cycle, at least. Which would be both good and bad… she had, at Severus' urging, consented to a few bouts of exploratory sex during her period this time and she had to admit it was rather enjoyable. Particularly the wildness he displayed as a result of the blood… another thing she had no idea she'd find appealing. Of course she had insisted on the shower as the only acceptable location – she just didn't think she could deal with the mess, otherwise, cleaning spells or no – and needless to say they had both been rather clean that week. She smirked at the thought.

Severus had left early to attend some Head of House meetings and then, later in the day, he would oversee the Slytherin Quidditch team's practice. Evidently there had been some issues during the last practice between a couple of the members and he wanted to keep an eye on them. She hoped they behaved – the last thing she needed on a Saturday evening was a Severus in a bad mood. Shaking her head, she picked up her cloak and left the rooms to meet Ginny and Harry in the entry hall.

"Didn't see you at breakfast much this week," Ginny commented as they made their way down the well-worn path to Hogsmeade. Harry looked at Ginny askance and Hermione had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. The mischievous glance from the redhead confirmed Hermione's suspicions – she was trying to get rid of Harry.

Might as well play along, Hermione decided.

"Well, we've been… busy… in the mornings this week, Ginny. If you know what I mean," Hermione said in an overtly suggestive voice, noting Harry's grimace with an inward smile.

"Well, I don't blame you, if what you've been telling us is true. Does he really-"

"All right – I know what you two are doing," Harry interrupted. Hermione and Ginny turned to look at him with identical raised eyebrows. "And it's working. I'll leave you alone once we get to Hogsmeade – I want to check out the Quidditch shop anyway"

"Don't forget to stop by and see Fred and George. They missed you last time," Ginny said. Harry nodded, and the rest of the walk was filled with discussions of the latest Weasley twin inventions… to Harry's obvious relief.

Once they reached Hogsmeade, Harry remained true to his word and left them to their own devices. They spent a pleasant morning browsing and engaging in idle chatter. Eventually they found their way to the Three Broomsticks for a couple of butterbeers.

"So. Still going all right with the big bat?" Ginny said casually as they sat down. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Yes. More than all right, really." Ginny took a sip of her butterbeer and raised her eyebrows in silent inquiry. Hermione smiled a little. "Well, that thing I was concerned about… it's fine now."

"Really?" Ginny grinned at her. "So… were we right? Wild and untamed?"

"That doesn't even come close, Ginny."

"Hmm. Well, I'm happy for you. If you're happy."

"I am."

They sat in a comfortable silence for a time until Ginny said, "So how is the apprenticeship coming along? I heard some first years complaining that you're almost as mean as your husband."

Hermione laughed out loud at that. "Oh they did, did they? I'll have to tell Severus that. He'd be proud."

"Most likely," Ginny said. "They're also really impressed. What was the thing you did last week? They were all raving about it after class that day in the Common Room. You're evidently mean, but brilliant."

Hermione's heart lurched at the comment and Ginny looked at her with concern. She shook her head mutely, unable to speak until Ginny reached out and grabbed one of her hands. "It's all right… what you said just reminded me of what Ron used to call me."

They will pay. I will make them pay.

"Brilliant, but scary," Ginny whispered. Hermione nodded, and the redhead's mouth drew up in a half-smile. "He was right, you know."

A laugh burst from her before she could stop herself, and she was surprised to hear Ginny joining in. After a few moments Hermione shook her head and took a sip of her butterbeer. "Sorry about that. It just hits at the weirdest times…"

"Yeah. I know what you mean." Ginny paused to watch as a few fourth years passed their table on their way to the bar. "Well. So what did you do, anyway, Miss Brilliant-But-Mean?"

Hermione shrugged. "Minerva wanted me to do a demonstration of my study topic. I've been able to do liquid Transfigurations, but the gas Transfigurations are still giving me trouble. I can get the molecules to squeeze themselves together-"

"Is this Muggle science or something?"

"Oh. Right – sorry. I forgot you never studied anything like this. I picked up some Muggle science texts when I was in London with Severus. Well, to make a long story short, I transfigured a ball out of air."

Ginny's eyebrows drew together in confusion. "A ball? A solid ball?" Hermione nodded. "That's amazing! And you did it with Muggle science?"

"Well, it's helping me with the theory. I've just got to figure out a way to keep the molecules compacted – the solid only lasts a short time before it turns back into a gas. Air, in this case."

"Wow. That's pretty neat – no wonder they were all excited."

Hermione nodded and then winced as another cramp hit her. Ginny looked at her in concern. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine – just cramps."

Ginny raised an eyebrow. "But I thought you missed breakfast this week because you two were…" Hermione felt her cheeks go warm as Ginny's voice trailed off.

"He… um, well, he doesn't mind, see. He… he likes it, really…"

The redhead's next words caused Hermione to drop her butterbeer: "Oh, that's right. The Call of the Blood."

_____________________________________________________________________

A/N: All right, it is a minor cliffhanger. But I've been good through most of the story, so I think I deserve a cliffie or two ;). The next scenes really need to go together in their own chapter, and I didn't want another thirty pager for this chappie, so I had to cut it here. Please read and review!!!

McWitch – Thank you for each and every review! I'm glad you appreciate my call of the blood theory/idea.

Drusilla – Thanks for reviewing. You're right – Hermione is independent. However, in the last chapter she hadn't had time to really digest what had happened and the implications (too emotionally/physically charged at the time) – that was for this chapter and the next couple.

PhoenixFeather – Thanks so much for your reviews, I'm glad you're enjoying it. I saw your post on WIKTT and am flattered that you chose to read my story.

Le Masque – Thank you for your review and your comment on my Snape – I'm trying to keep him in character within the scope of what's happening in the story.

Iamtired – Thank you so much for your review! I did have to do a cliffie on this chapter, and I apologize – I try not to (well, in my previous story which was a mystery it was almost a must, so that's not entirely true ;) ).

Wallflower – Thanks for the review! All I can say about your comments and questions is: keep reading ;). I don't want to give things away. The clues for Ollivander: his strange comments to Hermione in Chapter 12 when they visit Diagon Alley and Severus' reaction to them and her future musings concerning the wand switch, and why someone would need a wand switch.

Arafel, Daintress, Jinxd n Cursed, Liraniel, IronmaYden, Dakota, Leyna Rountree, CarEtoDreaM, Jean jelly bean, PerfidaAnima, Jo Halcyon, Makalani Astral – Thanks so much for reviewing!!!