A/N: To those of you who are worried about the RL/HG relationship: It will be short lived. The whole situation was to play on how much Severus hates Remus later as well as to increase the drama. So please bear with me.

Chapter 11: Traitor

One Week Later

WHY? Why did I have to watch? he asked himself. You knew they were going together. You knew it was a date. Yet you torture yourself by following them around Hogsmeade. Watching what you can't have and never will. Why do you do this to yourself? You have to crush on a muggleborn. A Gryffindor muggleborn at that. If Lucius ever finds out he will kill you as a traitor to Slytherin.

You didn't do anything. She doesn't even know. How can it be traitorous if you didn't actually follow through. Now if you actually act on you feelings then you would be a traitor, a second voice said.

But wouldn't it be worth it, if she said, "Yes," a third interjected

She would never say yes. You are a Slytherin. The unpopular one at that. She only likes you because you are good at potions. Her precious Gryffindor Lupin gives her what she needs elsewhere. He's the one who's kissing her not you, said the first voice.

Severus wanted to puke. The image of that git holding Elizabeth in the ally, their eyes closed as there lips met in a long kiss. He had watched from a corner across the street horrified. He wanted nothing more than to run over their and rip her from that Gryffindor bastard's arms and punch his offending mouth. The only thing that kept him from it, was knowing that he would be making a fool of himself and Elizabeth hated violence.

He felt sick. He had to do something. If he didn't get over her or tell her everything soon, he would go insane.

That decided, he sat down at his desk and began to write.

Flashback

Sirius' eyes glittered happily as he watched Remus and Elizabeth together. If it couldn't be him at least if was his friend. While he hadn't followed them around, the entire group had all given her a quick tour of the town. As they were leaving Honeyduke's Candy Shop, he noticed that they were being followed. As they turned a corner he saw Snape peeking around a corner.

So he's following us is he? I wonder if he is planning something, Sirius mused. He kept in mind for later as the group split up.

He noticed the Slytherin later when they regrouped at The Three Broomsticks. Sirius had been trying to figure out why he would want to follow them, when he noticed the look on Snape's face. He looked like he wanted to commit murder. He was also looking at their table. He followed the Head Boys gazed more closely: It was focused on Remus and Elizabeth, or rather their clasped hands resting on the table.

Sirius fought to keep the incredulous shock off his face as it came to him. Snape liked Elizabeth. This was unbelievable. A Slytherin like a muggleborn Gryffindor. He wouldn't allow Snape to get away with it. You are not getting anywhere NEAR Remus' girl. You can't touch Elizabeth. You'll pay for this I swear, Sirius thought. You will regret the day you ever had a crush on her.

End Flashback

"Severus, glad I caught you," Lucius Malfoy drawled.

Severus stopped in his tracks on his way out of his rooms. This was the last person he wanted to see right now. Hiding his emotions behind the typical Slytherin mask he said, "Hello Lucius. I was just on my way to get some lunch. Did you need something?"

Malfoy looked around and said, "Yes, but it is confidential. I suggest we go into your room." He gestured at the still open portrait hole and Severus obediently turned and reentered his room with Malfoy close behind.

The blond took his time sitting and getting comfortable, before pinning the dark haired Head Boy with a cold gaze as he sat in the opposite chair. Finally he spoke, "I have come to you with a proposition. I know that you have had a slight falling out with your parents and currently don't have much. I have a solution until your family situation is remedied. There is a wizard who sponsors Slytherins and others of pure family origin. He is collecting witches and wizards of all talents. I'm one such. He is looking for someone with a talent for potions making and who would like to do further studies into the occult and power spells. I thought of you immediately. I told him about you and he would like to meet you if you are interested. You are to owl him to this address." He took out a folded slip of paper out of a pocket and handed it to Snape. He continued, "His name is Lord Voldemort, but we are never to address him as such. We address him as My Lord or My Master. Never use his name in his hearing unless given permission. If you wish to join our ranks write by the next full moon."

Snape had sat silently through this proposal. On some level the offer intrigued him. To be useful after school would be great. He was good at potions and he had always wished they taught some of the older spells that required large amounts of power and were sometimes considered dark arts. On the other hand, with his new found resolution to do something about his feelings for Elizabeth, he loved the idea of settling down and creating a family. Hopefully a happier one than his own at the moment, as Malfoy had mentioned. He was torn and need some time to think. "I need to think about it. I will be sure to tell you one way or the other. Thanks for the offer. Now if you don't mind I am starving and would like to get to lunch before its over," he responded.

Lucius stood and said, "Of course. I think I will go with you." As he moved to exit he passed by the desk and noticed a single piece of paper sitting on it. Absently he stopped and picked it up and started to read before Severus could stop him.

Snape stood frozen to the spot in horrified fear. That letter was written to Elizabeth telling her everything. He had been debating whether to actually give it to her or not. That was the last thing he wanted in the hands of Lucius Malfoy. He watched as he housemate read and his face went from indifferent interest to confusion to shock then anger.

Finishing it he slowly returned it to the desk top. When he spoke his voice was so cold it almost burned with the barely suppressed anger, "What mockery is this? Tell me this isn't written by you. Tell me you are not in love with that Gryffindor mudblood Gordon? She is a Gryffindor! She is the enemy. You fell in love with the enemy. You are a traitor to the pureblood that flows through your veins. You have betrayed all Slytherins! I am disgusted to say you are in my house and Head Boy of this school. You hold no honor to your race and blood. You are a wretched dog and shall be beaten as one!"

Before Snape could react Malfoy had curse him with a full body bind and preceded to curse him with every hex he knew with a few kicks and punches thrown in for good measure. Somewhere between a kick to the head and fresh bout of Furunculous, he fell into blissful unconsciousness.

After twenty minutes of waiting for Snape to show up for their regular study time, Hermione started to get worried. Snape was never late. Never. After 25 minutes, she packed up her notes and books and headed for his rooms.

When she got to the portrait of a wizard taming the dragon she gave the password, 'dragon's blood', she entered and gasped at the sight. The room was in ruin. Furniture was tipped over or ripped apart. She set her bag by the door and carefully weaving her way through the wreckage.

She inhaled sharply when she saw the prone form of Severus half hidden under bloody robes and broken pieces of furniture. Carefully she knelt beside him trying to hold back tears. She shifted the would and glass splinters off him and cast a muffled, "Scourgify," to remove the rest. She pushed back the bloody robes and hair from his face and carefully felt for a pulse. Relieved she felt a strong one under fingers. She took a quick inventory of other obvious injuries, the tears now falling freely. He had two black eyes, a split lip, and bruises all over his face. It looked like he had a broken arm and possibly a leg. Less obvious was the left over tension from the hexes used against him. The body bind had been revoked upon Malfoy's exit, but by then Snape was unconscious.

Hermione openly wept at her fallen comrade. She looked up to him as a Potion's Master and professor and hated to see such a proud man brought down like this. But she had gotten to know the younger version and felt strongly towards him as a friend, maybe something more. It hurt to see him this way.

As her tears slowed, she got up and went to the fireplace there was some emergency floo powder sitting on the mantle. She threw in a handful and called Hospital Wing and stuck her head in the green flames. She felt dizzy before coming to a relieved stop and looked out on the view of the ward. She called for Poppy and heard quick footsteps approach.

The mediwitch came into view and raised an eyebrow at the head in her fire. "What is you need dear that you can't just come up?" she asked.

"Madame Pomfrey, Snape is hurt it looks like someone beat him up and hexed him to boot. He's unconscious and has several broken bones. I don't want to move him. Please com e quickly. It's the portrait of the wizard and dragon on the ground floor the password's 'dragon's blood'," Hermione explained in a rush.

Poppy retained her concerned look and said, "Of course. I'll be there in few moments. Just don't move him until I get there. If he wakes up hold him still."

With that both witches popped out of view.

His head hurt. Pain throbbed in his forehead and neck with each heartbeat, but he was alive. This wasn't saying much, when he thought of his head. He groaned out loud and suddenly the pain was gone. He sighed with relief and slowly opened his eyes. The light was thankfully dim and the ceiling the familiar view of the Hospital Wing.

So someone found me. Or Lucius did a double time and turned me in. He rejected that thought instantaneously. It wasn't in Lucius' character to be a Good Samaritan after hexing someone into oblivion.

His vision was suddenly obscured by the hovering face of an angel. Or so he thought. When she spoke his brain began to function and he realized it was Elizabeth. "He's awake, Madame Pomfrey," she called softly so as not to startle him. She smiled gloriously, and Snape had the sudden urge to reach up and kiss her till she was as out of breath as himself. The moment was ruined when the mediwitch tapped him on his shoulder to get his attention. He turned his head to look at her.

She kept a firm look on her face as she said, "I would like to tell you about your condition. If you would like Miss Gordon to leave tell me and she will. But seeing as how she is the one who found you I doubt you would be able to keep it from her anyway. So do you want her to know?"

Snape felt his heart leap then plunge back down again at the news that Elizabeth had been the one to find him. On one hand it meant that she care enough to come look for him when he didn't show up to study, but at the same time he felt humiliated that she had seen him in such a weak position. It's to late now though, he thought then said, "It's fine. She can stay."

The mediwitch continued, "Very well. You had several bruises and cuts to your face and chest. You had two concussions and both black eyes. You had several broken ribs and a broken arm and wrist. You have a severe bruise to your left thigh and it may hurt for several days. There were several indications that you had been hit by nasty spells but all seemed to have faded already. You will bear a few scars from the cuts but they will mostly be covered. I got rid of the bruises on your face and healed the broken bones. The rest will come in its own time. I suggest you sleep here tonight until the house elves repair your rooms."

"Now as my duty as a staff member I must ask you, who did this to you?" she asked firmly.

Snape almost said it but at the last second changed his mind, "I can't tell you. I didn't see who it was. They jumped me when I tried to leave for lunch." I can't tell them. It would just make Malfoy more angry and I will be dead next time. Slytherins don't rat on each other. Unless it helps them first, he thought to himself.

The mediwitch frowned and said, "Are you sure. It could mean expulsion for who ever did this. Hexing in the corridors is one thing, but this is personal injury to you in an isolated place. We can't have people going around half killing other students. Don't you want them brought to justice?"

He closed his eyes and feigned weariness, "I just want to sleep for now. I didn't see who it was. I just want to sleep." He didn't see the frown Hermione was giving him on the other side of the bed. She could tell he was hiding something. He knew who it was but didn't want to tell. She would ask him about it later. When he wasn't in the hospital bed.

The mediwitch's face was grim but resigned when she said, "Very well, Mr. Snape. We'll leave you to get some rest. I will check on you in the morning." She left to do some sorting in the storage room.

Hermione turned to go but stopped when Severus said, "Wait Elizabeth."

She turned back and gently touched his arm. "What is it? Can I get you something?" she asked hesitantly.

He gulped helplessly at her soft touch. Pulling himself together he said, "I...I just want to thank you. If you hadn't come found me I would probably still be lying there in a heap waiting to die. No one has ever cared enough about me to go looking when I didn't show up. Most look at it as a favor that they don't have to put up with me. Why do you care?" This last was asked in an almost desperate tone of voice. He really wanted to know.

She hesitated contemplating her answer. Finally she settled for the whole truth, "Partially, it's because I hate being stood up by anyone for anything. It's also some would say as part of my Gryffindor personality and female traits to help someone and be worried about everything. Mostly it is because I respect you for the intelligent king human being that you are and am happy to consider you a friend worth worrying over. I care because that is what friends are for and if you can't understand that then you need friends more than ever. So whether you care about your friends or not I care about mine and as long as I consider you one then I will care no matter what." Slightly embarrassed she flushed, and then gave his hand a quick squeeze of reassurance and quickly head for the door.

She stopped momentarily at the soft, "Thank you. You are my friend," that came from the only occupied bed. She turned smiled at her 'friend' and left.

Another week passed uneventfully. Severus' rooms were returned to normal. Malfoy made no mention of that Sunday night's events. Hermione and Severus returned to their regular study schedule although, they didn't always study. They often found themselves just talk about their lives in general. The one topic that was never breeched was relationships. Snape left it to her to decide to break up with Lupin first and not become the reason they did. In this fashion the week passed, and the last Sunday before Christmas break rolled around.

Snape had always wondered where the Gryffindor boys went every month. Then Saturday evening he overheard Sirius talking to Pettigrew about small little party. It was going to be held in a secret meeting place near the Whomping Willow that had been placed on the grounds their first year.

Finally after all these years, at 11 o'clock tonight he would find out what they did every month on the full moon.

Hermione was sitting in one of the window seats of the Gryffindor common room doing some late night reading. James and Lily were entertaining some scandalized first year girls with a snogging session on the floor next to the fire. She glanced out the window, staring at the night sky. It was eerily clear for a winter night. She noticed the moon was full. Remus will be out tonight. It is a little strange dating a werewolf. But there is a kind of thrill to it I guess, she mused. He eye was caught by movement on the ground. A figure was moving confidently towards the Whomping Willow, and it wasn't Lupin. There was a second figure moving more stealthily, following the first. Suddenly it clicked. This was the night. The night Sirius tricked Severus into finding Lupin as a werewolf.

She jumped up panicked. She ran over to James and ignoring the protests from Lily said, in a hurried whisper, "James...Lupin ...full moon. Sirius tricked Snape into following. You have to stop him. He will be killed. Don't ask how I know, just run. Go!" James needed no further urging. He jumped up and ran out the portrait hole.

She ran over to the window once more hoping to see Severus still on the grounds. Her heart sunk rapidly seeing no movement below. Suddenly her heart filled with fear and some other glittering feeling that lent her strength. She turned abruptly and followed James flight out of the common room.

A/N: dundundun. (Cue dramatic music) don't fret. All will be revealed in due time. Ch 12 up soon if not already.