Disclaimer: Why must you torture me with these things. I do not own Harry Potter and Co. Except Lucius, I just bought him at a hefty price.....only joking, I'm just borrowing him for my story.

A/N:Straight to the thank yous. GeekGoddess1 - A few people have asked for a Hermione and Snape one. Well, I'm not saying a word. You'll just have to see what happens;-). CharmedLeoLvr - A shiny new chapter for you. I started writing this story because I couldn't find any decent LM/HG ones. Now I have mine to play with and my good friend SnapeSeraphin is writing a really good one too. Also Grey by Pallas Athena1 is good as well. As for setting their differences aside.....you'll have to keep reading:-) Ruler-of-Da-World - I know his feelings happened a little quick at the beginning but I didn't want to drag out the story too much. Glad you still like it though. maile - I know what you mean. I have so manystories that I like too but they never seem to update. Don't you worry. I intend to see this story through to the very end. Grenadine - Thank you. I always sit here beaming when I get a rare compliment, the hubby then thinks I've lost the plot my grin is that wide. Lexi - I updated. I'm hoping to get it to a chapter a day soon. Will they end up together.......I can't say.....you have to read on.

As to the Lupin and Snape actions and reactions....everyone will have to wait and see what happens with that.:-) Hope you enjoy this chapter. And review away...it makes my day.

Chapter Fourteen

Hermione had to almost jog to keep up with Snape. Suddenly he took a detour onto the fourth floor. Puzzled at his actions, she came to halt.

"Where are you going?"

"I was wondering if I might speak with you before you go back." He told her, trying to keep the cold out of his voice. She hesitated, not wanting to be alone with him. "Miss Granger, I am not going to hurt and I won't keep you long." She realised she was being stupid and followed him. He stopped outside an empty classroom and pointed for her to go in.

She took a seat at a desk in the front while he leant on the desk next to her. He could see her hands shaking as she twisted them together on the desk. He placed one hand over them, to stop her from twisting them so violently, causing her to jump and snatch them away.

"Miss Granger, calm yourself." He instructed losing patience with her. She blushed in embarrassment. She was being silly; this was Snape, a spy for the order. He wasn't going to hurt her.

"I'm sorry. It's just-"

"There is no need to apologise and there is no need to explain yourself." He stared at her coldly. Where was the annoying girl he was use to? How was he meant to take points off Gryffindor when she was such a mess? "I just want to know why you're protecting him." He tried to make his voice a little kinder to keep her calm, but he failed miserably. She frowned as she looked into his eyes.

"Voldemort? How am I protecting him?" She questioned, holding his gaze. His eyes were just as cold and hard as Lucius'.

"No, you know very well who I mean." His impatience was creeping into his voice a little. She looked down, realising that he knew she was purposely keeping his name to herself. Why was she keeping his name? "I can push further if you wish to say nothing." Fear instantly sprang into her heart. She stood up to face him.

"You wouldn't dare." Tears instantly appeared in her eyes. His eyes remained emotionless as he stood to his full height, towering over the quivering girl. "You really are cold and hateful, aren't you?" She snapped. He was actually taken aback by her words. "You're just like him, always playing mind games." Anger was being replaced by hurt and pain. Sobs were taking over her breathing. He stared at her in shock.

She turned to leave but he grabbed her arm to stop her. She felt fear at being grabbed take over her body.

"Let me go, please." She pleaded, trying to stop her tears and fear. He grabbed her by both arms and bent down to her.

"Who was he, Hermione?" He asked spitefully, shocking her by using her first name. She stopped trying to pull away from him as a range of emotions flickered through her brown eyes. He unexpectedly let her go as though he had been burnt. "I'm sorry. I should learn to control my anger." She fell to the floor, at hearing his sincerity, as she broke down into a fresh wave of sobs. He caught her before she could completely hit the floor and placing her onto the chair she had been sat on.

"He did that." She finally spoke after a few minutes of trying to control her sobs.

"Did what?" He asked, completely puzzled as to what she was referring to.

"Started being nice to me." He raised an eyebrow at her statement. "The first day I was there, he broke my arm but he healed it straight away. There was guilt in his eyes when he saw me in pain."

"Who is 'he'?" He pushed, trying to catch her unaware.

"Why do you assume that I am protecting him?" She wiped her away her tears. He stopped leaning over her and leant back onto the desk behind him.

"You would have told us last night who was keeping you if you weren't."

"I don't know why I am. It's just……." She couldn't continue. What would everyone think at knowing that she had kissed Lucius Malfoy? What would they say if they knew that she might actually have feelings for the man who had beaten her endlessly just for being her?

"Go on, Hermione." She snapped out of her daze.

"Why are you suddenly using my first name?" She asked coldly. She wiped away the few stray tears that were now left.

"At this moment in time, it is beyond my comprehension. Maybe it is because unlike popular belief, I do actually care," Her eyes went wide, "But only a little and if you let anyone know, then I'll be sure to let Filch hang you from your thumbnails for a whole day and night." Hermione smiled shyly at how serious he was being about this, but something wasn't right.

"Why are you being like this?"

"Like what?"

"Can I be completely honest with you, and you have to promise not to get angry with me?" She was getting some of her confidence back. It wasn't often that she got Snape in a mood like this. In fact, she never got Snape in a mood like this. Maybe something good has come out of her being kidnapped.

"Get on with it." He snapped, slipping into his usual manner. He folded his arms, wondering what she was getting at.

"You can be so spiteful and cruel. You were constantly harsh towards me when all I wanted to do was show you that someone like me could be capable of doing the potions you set." He went to say something. "Don't interrupt me." He raised an eyebrow. Obviously Minerva had been teaching her students more than Transfigurations. "You made me feel like I was worthless and not worthy to be looked at, let alone taught anything. Yet here you are, taking away points from your own house to protect me, calling me by my first name, and trying your very best to talk to me in a civilized manner." He took a breath to say something but he was stumped. How did he respond to that? Then he remembered why he was going to interrupt.

"What do you mean by 'someone like you'?" Sadness flooded her at the memories of her primary school days. She had worked so hard to forget about them; move on. But now they haunted her at her every waking moment, making her fear that Harry and Ron would suddenly realise that she was nothing special and stop being friends with her.

"Nothing." She lied.

"You're not a very good liar." He told her icily. She was acting like the know-it-all he knew but it wasn't the same one. Of course changes were to be expected in her but he couldn't help being curious. After all, he could have stopped this all from happening had he know about it.

"Why do you want to know?" She asked sadly, fiddling with a loose thread on her sleeve. Was she ready to pour her heart out about the whole experience? And was Snape actually going to be the one to hear it all first?

"My main concern is keeping you safe. For me to dothat, I need to know who kept you there. The headmaster might think it best for you to come to us when you are ready,but how am I-"

"He doesn't know about you. He didn't get to those memories." She reassured him without looking up from her thread.

"I'm not worried about that. It's a risk I take everyday." He stated truthfully with no emotions about it. "What troubled me was that I hadn't been trusted enough to be told of his plans. I cannot prevent these things if I'm not trusted."

"How do you expect to be trusted by Voldemort if you put one of his Death Eaters in Azkaban?" He suddenly reached forward and took her fiddling hands into his. She instantly went to snatch them back except he had a firm grip on them. She frowned at him.

"Your constant fiddling was beginning to irritate me." She tried to pull her hands back without any luck. "I am not going to hurt you. I have no hidden agenda. I am not playing mind games with you. Although I seem to behaving in an odd manner to you, this is who I am. Believe it or not, I want to protect you." She searched his eyes for some emotion and found nothing. "You won't find anything there. I've seen too much to let my emotions be on parade all the time." She looked down at their hands in shame. "Do you trust me?"

"Yes." She mumbled, glancing back up at him.

"Then tell me who he is?"

"I can't." She whispered. No one was going to understand what had happened. Even she didn't understand it.

"Can't or won't?" He tightened his grip on her hands, causing her to wince. His voice was hard. Maybe toughening up was the way to go.

"Please don't make me. Can't you just let my thoughts be mine?" The tears were coming back. She hated being this tearful. It made her feel weak, like she did before she came to Hogwarts. She refused to make eye contact with him. She just knew he was annoyed and would try to push her further.

"I know you have been through a lot and the magic the Dark Lord did on you must have taken its toll. But that was nothing compared to what he has done in the past." He was talking to her in such a cruel voice now. He knew nothing about her or what she had been through. She yanked her hands back, causing her elbows to collide with the edge of the desk and chair. She whimpered at the pain. Ignoring it, she stood up and side stepped past him.

"YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT WHAT I HAD TO GO THROUGH!" She yelled when he tried to stop her from leaving. He recoiled back in disbelief. "YOU WEREN'T MADE TO LIVE YOUR WORSE MEMORIES OVER AND OVER AGAIN!" Rage was pumping through her veins. How dare he treat her like that. The pain from her elbows was beginning to make itself known again. She roughly rubbed at them as she carried on. "I MAY NOT HAVE SEEN THE WORST OF WHAT VOLDEMORT CAN DO BUT IT WAS MORE THAN ENOUGH WHAT HE DID TO ME!"

"You're bleeding." He told her calmly, pointing to her elbows. She looked down at her hands to find smears of blood on them.

"More cuts to add to my collection caused again by a Death Eater." She glared at him as she said it. He stood up immediately, anger flashing through his eyes. What had she just said? That was uncalled for. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean it."

"Who was he?" He asked through gritted teeth. She didn't answer as she backed up against the teacher's desk behind her. He continued to move forward. Terror started to flood through her body. "Why won't you tell me?" She quickly raced past him and out of the door before he could do anything.

Snape growled in frustration. How could he have scared her like that? That was all she needed. He turned to follow her so that he could apologise. He froze when he saw her backing into the classroom. He couldn't see her face but he could see that she was shaking. The reason why soon followed her into the room. 'So that's him.' Snape thought to himself.