A/N - Some might find some comments in the beginning of this chapter disturbing. Just thought I'd warn you.
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Chapter 48
"Are you certain you will be alright dealing with it alone?" Dumbledore asked worriedly, eyeing the demon. It was now curled up in the fetal position on the soft moss, staring pointedly at nothing.
"It would probably be best if few people were around before I'm done setting down the ground rules for it. It can't harm me in any way, but others are still at risk until I've gotten at least the preliminaries down." Draco said, eyeing the demon.
Dumbledore sighed and nodded. "Very well. I will advise the others to give you time alone with it then."
Draco nodded and Dumbledore motioned the others out. Hagrid gave Harry's possessed body one last worried look, but then followed them out as requested. When Draco was alone with the demon, he settled down tailor fashion beside it. "I suppose it's time to get started then..."
The demon's eyes shifted to him, glaring at him hatefully. "He'll fight you." it hissed angrily.
Draco blinked, "What?"
"He'll fight you." He repeated, the anger in his voice growing, "And I have no intention of stopping him."
Draco furrowed his brow, "What the bloody Hell are you babbling on about?"
"I can't leave this body, so there aren't exactly a lot of choices, and this one will fight it. He's strong. He's already broken my control before."
"Ok, I'm lost... what will he fight?" Draco asked in confusion.
The demon rolled his eyes. "Oh please! You expect me to believe that Lucius knew more about the time honored Malfoy methods of breaking in your demons than Darien does?" He asked with bitter sarcasm.
Draco just stared at him for a long moment, Darien just as baffled as he was. "Um... ok... lets pretend I have no bloody idea what you're talking about. Spell it out for me, and stop playing word games because it's starting to piss me off."
It growled at him angrily, then sat up, glowering at him. "Breaking in a demon... testing your control over it... it has been a Malfoy tradition for the past three or four centuries to accomplish it by sending me out to possess muggles, bringing them back to my master and letting master, and often his friends as well, have a bit of fun with them before killing them in as painful a way as possible, and only then allowing me to leave the corpse. If you think Harry will let you have your way with him..."
Draco quickly held up his hand, looking utterly disgusted. "I wouldn't touch Potter if he was the last person on the planet! Ugh!"
The demon continued to glare at him, "Well I have nowhere else to go at the moment, so it's not as if there are a lot of options. And if you kill him, you'll have to either decapitate him and remove the section of his neck containing the device from the rest of his body or wait until his body rots away to see me released."
"As appealing as the idea of finishing off Potter might be, I have no intention of killing him. Nor do I have any intention of shagging you no matter what body you possess!" Draco said irritably.
It eyed him warily, obviously not believing him.
Draco rolled his eyes in exasperation, "I'm engaged to be married!" He said, holding up his hand so it could see his ring, "And even if I was still inclined to shag women at random, which, admittedly I have done in the past, I wouldn't shag a possessed one. Besides, why are you looking all upset by the idea? I thought you loved shagging!"
It growled hatefully. "Let me put this so your tiny and obviously hopelessly naive mind can grasp it... Blaise's a slut, right? So do you think he would enjoy it if I used the Imperious curse on him to get him to come to me, then tied him down and shagged that cute little arse of his as hard and painfully as humanly possible, and then let all my vile friends come over and have a turn at him as well? He likes shagging right? So by your way of thinking, that would be fun for him, wouldn't it? Of course the days of hanging in your father's little dungeon being tortured to death once the body had lost it's ability to scream and fight enough to appease his twisted sexual desires probably wouldn't have gone over well with him..."
Draco looked him over for a minute. It appeared to be completely serious. "My father did that to you?" He asked, his voice losing it's anger.
It rolled it's eyes at him. "Your father, Darien's grandfather, his father, and so on... I assume you get the idea. I was the main source of Lucius' entertainment for the better part of two months before his bloody snake master was able to lure Harry to the Ministry. He had that loathsome bastard drag me through his demented mind to deposit me in Harry's head when he possessed him. Still, it was more than worth going through that mental cesspool to get away from Lucius. He gets rather nasty when he's bored and frustrated."
"I know..." Draco said softly, dropping his eyes. The physical and mental abuse had been bad enough... at least his father hadn't crossed the line into... other ways of abusing him. "How many muggles did he make you bring back?"
It shifted uneasily. "About a dozen women... five boys."
"Boys?" Draco asked, shocked.
It shrugged. "Males between fourteen and seventeen. Boys. I really didn't like those... he tended to be rougher with them... and had a thing for castrating them before killing them..." He shifted his legs up, hugging his knees to his chest in an oddly human gesture of unease. "One he picked because he looked like Harry... he even carved a scar on his forehead..." He said, reaching up and rubbing the scar. "Gave that one to Voldemort... took him over a week to die..." He said, shuddering and hugging his legs closer.
Draco felt sick inside. That his father had done such atrocities was horrible enough... that the Malfoy men had been doing it for centuries... He'd never wished so fervently that he had been born into a different family. ANY other family. He'd rather be a bloody POTTER than a Malfoy at that moment. He shrugged off the mental images, straightening, "Well, as I said before, I have no intention of shagging you. Ginny is the only one I have any plans of shagging, and if you try to possess her, I'll rip you apart with my bare hands."
With that, Draco rose, putting the disturbing thoughts out of his mind. "Up. Let's get you back to your room."
The demon rose and followed him, still eyeing him warily.
"So, ground rules... You will not in any way harm any Hogwarts students or staff, nor their friends and family unless given explicit permission to do so. You will be in your room or in my presence at all times until I decide you will behave yourself on your own."
"So I'm to be locked away then?" The demon grumbled moodily.
"No. I doubt Harry's friends would appreciate that. That's another thing, once I'm done going over the ground rules, Harry is back in charge. You will not, at ANY time take over his body unless he gives you explicit permission or it is necessary to safeguard his life or well being, or that of another that I specify... namely myself, Ginny, Blaise, Ron, Pansy, Snape, Kulia, the twins... you get the idea. I can give you a complete list later if you require it. Oh, and your little fixation with trying to kill Ginny and Ron ends now. They are right near the top of the do not touch list! You are also to follow Harry's instructions as if they come directly from me. His commands are second only to my own. And another thing..." Draco said, stopping and turning, making the demon come to a halt. "YOU are not to shag, or in any other way molest ANYONE! Do I make myself clear?"
The demon growled angrily. "Oh why don't you just castrate us then? It would be a very Malfoy thing to do." It hissed bitterly.
Draco narrowed his eyes angrily. "Do not talk to me like that! I am nothing like Lucius, and if you ever dare insinuate I am again I just may have to prove you correct!"
The demon looked angry, but dropped his eyes obediently, nodding slightly.
"Besides, I suspect Delse would do her nut if I castrated Harry." Draco said, a smirk slipping onto his lips.
The demon blinked. "But you just said..."
"I said you couldn't shag anyone. I said nothing about Harry. He can shag whomever he pleases, so long as you don't influence him or the other party in question to make it happen. Is that clear?"
A little grin worked it's way onto the demon's face. "Very well... but I can still help him out can't I? Because I tell you, that boy is woefully lacking in knowledge of the fairer sex..."
Draco laughed. "You can if he wants you to, but remember that you have to listen to him! I don't want to hear him whining about you nagging him."
"So basically I just have to shut up, play nice and not kill anyone. Is that it?" The demon asked, smirking.
Draco grinned. "I never said that. With the exception of Snape, you have my explicit permission to kill any Death Eater or Dark Lord you happen to come across with extreme prejudice. Have a ball."
The grin on the demon's face bloomed into a brilliant smile, then he eyed him. "What about your father? He's a Death Eater, but also your family..."
"I don't consider him family." Draco said vehemently, "Just consider Death Eaters exempt from the family clause. However, I would like to take care of my father myself. If I fail, of course, you are free to kill him, but I want to make one thing very, very clear... I want his soul destroyed. I want no chance of that bastard returning. Got it?"
The demon smiled again, taking a deep breath and letting out a happy sigh. "I think I could get to like having you as a master..." He chuckled.
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Pansy's head spun around as she heard the door open behind her. She let out a sigh of relief, dropping her quill and getting up, hurrying over to Ron and Blaise as they walked in, wrapping her arms around both of them and hugging them. "I was so worried..." she said achingly.
They hugged her back as gently as they could. "Sorry..." Blaise said softly, "But it's over now... the demon is bonded to Darien. It's ok, honestly."
Pansy sighed, leaning against them. "Just don't wander off on me like that again... ok?"
"Ok." Blaise said softly.
"We won't." Ron agreed, then he looked over at the desk, "What were you doing anyway?"
She released them, sighing deeply. "Writing to my parents to tell them about the babies. I was worried and stressed already with you two being gone and the tunnel being warded so I had no idea what was happening... so I decided I might as well get this over with. That way I don't have to feel like that twice..." She said with a wane smile.
Blaise sighed and kissed her forehead. "It'll be ok... you don't have to go back there this summer. I want you both with me... I don't think I could go a whole summer without either of you anyway."
"Mum will probably want us around her this summer anyway... you'll be getting along by then, and I'm sure she'll insist on looking after you. I'll warn you now, you'll probably be getting advice nonstop. She's bad enough when it's just a friend who's sprogged up... I can only imagine how she'll be when it's her own grandbabies."
Pansy smiled, blushing.
"Well, enough talk about parents... for now, I have the definite need to shag a certain redhead..." Blaise said, smirking over at Ron.
Pansy chuckled. "Didn't you get enough before?" She said, eyeing his strange outfit and running her hands over the soft material, then starting to play with the many shiny silver fastenings.
Blaise sighed. "About that... I'm afraid I'm not supposed to shag you until Snape can look into some... issues... well, neither of us are actually... it appears I've started passing on a bit of the Re'em blood essence, and therefore my considerable excess of strength as well... and we aren't sure how it might effect the babies if I get any more in you than I already might have..."
"And Ron...?" She asked, looking between them wide-eyed.
"I... um... apparently already passed quite a bit on to him... he just knocked the shite out of a demon without even hurting himself." Blaise said with a smirk over at Ron, who blushed bright red.
Pansy looked between them again, then smiled, though a bit sadly. "Ok... at least I can still watch you two, right?" She asked with a smirk.
Blaise chuckled and slipped his arms around her, "I would love for you to watch us... and when I'm done shagging him... well, just because I can't shag you doesn't mean that I have any intention of leaving you unsatisfied..." He said, shifting down and kissing her neck, letting his tongue trace little circles against her skin suggestively, making Pansy giggle with delight.
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Delse sighed happily when she woke, feeling Harry's warm body spooned up against her back. Her eyes fluttered open as she realized some of the cloth she felt between them wasn't the blanket. She shifted up, turning to look down at him. He blinked his eyes open, woken by her movements.
"You went already?" She asked, startled as she realized it was morning already, and he was clothed.
He smiled at her and nodded. "It's done."
"Why didn't you wake me?"
His smile slipped away. "I didn't want you there in case it went wrong."
She sighed. "I'm not a child, Harry. You don't have to protect me against every possible emotional disturbance."
"Sorry..." He sighed.
She gave him a little smile, leaning closer and kissing him. She sighed happily as she felt his hand gently brush down her side, coming to rest on her hip. "You know... I don't think anyone would say anything if I hung around until the holiday break... school should be letting out any day now..."
Harry sighed and dropped his eyes. "I'm not sure that's such a good idea..." He said sadly.
She blinked in surprise. "Why not?"
"This thing..." He said, gesturing vaguely towards the device on his neck. "It doesn't come off. Unless they find a way, which from the sounds of it is very unlikely, this demon will be with me the rest of my life."
"Oh Harry... that's terrible..." She said, caressing his cheek comfortingly.
He sighed and nodded. "Ya, well... that's why I... I don't think anything should continue between us... I may be stuck with it, but it's mine to deal with and I don't feel right subjecting you to it." He looked away from the obvious pain in her eyes.
She gave a belabored sigh, reaching out and running her hand down his chest. "It should really be my choice whether to subject myself to this demon or not, but if you don't want to continue I'm certainly not going to force anything on you... I know this is probably a very difficult thing for you to deal with... but... not now."
He looked at her, surprised. "Not now?"
She gave him a little smile. "Like I said, it's nearly the holidays... Blaise and Pansy usually come to the Manor for Christmas, and they will probably bring Ron, and therefore the whole Weasley family, which includes Ginny of course... which means Draco will come as well... and that means you will be there as well, since Draco will have to be around to keep an eye on your demon... so, since you'll be in my home anyway, why not just be with me and enjoy yourself for the break? When it's over you will return to school and I will... go away..."
He glanced up, seeing the hopeful look in her eyes. He was still uneasy with the idea. He could feel himself getting attached to her already... the deep longing to say yes nearly overwhelming... but being with her for the whole holiday... it would probably make it ten times worse when they finally had to part...
Only a heartless bastard would give a poor lonely girl the boot just before the holidays... a voice hissed softly in his head.
Harry scowled. "Oh bottle it. You just want someone to shag!"
She chuckled.
Harry blushed. "Um... I was talking to..."
"I know." She said mirthfully, cutting off his embarrassed explanation. She shifted over, wrapping her arms around him and resting her head on his shoulder. "Still... it has a point. If you are planning to turn yourself into a monk and swear off sex for fear of letting your little demon taint innocent souls... don't you think it would be nice to let yourself have some pleasure first? Admittedly, I could definitely use a little intimacy in my life... even if it's short lived... before you, it had been..." She trailed off thoughtfully for a moment, "Merlin... it had been nearly seven years for me..."
Harry's eyes widened, "But... you were married! You said he died less than six months ago..."
She chuckled. "Married doesn't necessarily mean you're getting laid all the time Harry. He and his other Death Eater mates didn't make for the best of husbands..."
"Then why did you marry him?" He asked, confused.
She smiled at him. "No choice. The marriage was arranged by my parents before I was even born. As soon as the healer confirmed I was going to be a female, the papers were signed and that was that. It happens a lot in the older, pure blooded families. Why do you think the Slytherins areso sexually active in school? It's the last chance for many of them to have any kind of choice in who they bed." She said sadly. "Once I produced an heir, my usefulness was over. Over the years, he lost interest in me entirely. Like many of his friends, he preferred toming around for gullible young witches to shag. Probably some muggle women as well knowing him... Hell, maybe even men! Blaise certainly didn't get his tendency towards the same sex from me... but then again women are crazy!" She said with a smirk, "But as far as my husband's reasons for neglecting me... well, I was already caught and branded. What would be the challenge in shagging me?"
"Branded?" He said, darting a glance down at her warily.
She laughed and swatted his arm lightly, "Oh please Harry! Like there's an inch of my body you haven't seen by now! Ever hear of a metaphor? I just meant we were married and I was technically his property already. Of course I did nothing to encourage him to touch me... He was never exactly gentle... but luckily it usually only lasted a minute or two anyway..." She said with a chuckle.
Now this is a woman in desperate need of some good shagging...
Harry decided he was definitely going to have to have a discussion with the demon about when opinions were and were not appreciated. Still, as much as he hated to admit it, he had just thought the same exact thing. Harry sighed. "Ok... for the Holidays then... but only if it's ok with Blaise."
Delse laughed, hugging him tight. "Don't worry about Blaise... I'm sure he won't care... and if he does say anything I'll just threaten to forbid him to shag his little friends over the Holidays and put them in separate rooms!"
"Well... I don't think there will be any problem then..." Harry said, smirking.
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Snape looked up and sighed as Dumbledore and McGonagall entered the room, but made no move to shift Hermione away. He was fully clothed where he lay on top of the covers on the side of her bed, but the way she was laying half on top of him, her arm wrapped around him possessively, was damning enough. He looked down at her as she slept. She looked so blissful and contented. He brushed the hair back from her face, then looked up at Dumbledore sadly.
"Can I have these last few days to set my House in order?" He asked softly, trying not to wake her, "I'd rather finish sorting out Blaise's issues before I leave at the very least..."
"I was planning on letting the students go a few days early this year, but I'm sure Blaise would appreciate being 'sorted out' before the holiday." Dumbledore said, nodding in agreement. "But I believe there were some issues we need to clear up before then..."
Snape sighed again, looking away, but remained silent, waiting for what he knew would be coming next.
"Am I correct in understanding that Miss Granger and yourself are in a relationship?" Dumbledore asked gently.
Snape stared studiously at a spot on the wall. "I didn't plan it, Albus." He sighed.
"Does that mean yes?" Dumbledore gently prodded.
Snape barely stifled an exasperated sigh, "Yes. Well, we were briefly, then stopped seeing eachother... but... I think we were both fooling ourselves... I can't give her up." He sighed and looked over, staring steadily into Dumbledore's eyes, "I love her."
Dumbledore gazed at him with an unreadable look on his face for a moment. "Why didn't you tell me?" He asked softly.
Snape dropped his eyes again. "I guess I hoped it would just go away... that I would stop feeling the way I did about her and just forget about it." He gave a deep sigh. "I've worked here for fifteen years now... and in all that time I swear I've never even thought about so much as laying a finger on one of my students... And then this silly, stubborn little know-it-all comes along..." He said, stroking her hair gently, a rueful smirk crossing his lips as he gazed down at her.
She shifted slightly, snuggling up to him more. She cracked her eyes open, a contented smile on her lips. Then she spotted Dumbledore and McGonagall. She let out a surprised squeak, scrambling away from him and pressing back against the wall on the other side of the bed as her cheeks blazed scarlet. "I just... I mean I fell asleep... and obviously... um...."
Snape reached over and patted the hand of the nearly frantic girl. "It's ok Hermione. They already know."
She looked at him, her eyes going even rounder than they had been, then darting over to the others. Her eyes darted between them, getting watery. "What are you going to do?" She asked Dumbledore, her voice no more than a horrified whisper.
"We were just coming to that part actually... as I was saying, you really should have told me. I've always considered you a loyal and trusted friend, Severus, and we have been through quite a lot together..." Snape lowered his eyes, looking duly guilty. "And yet through it all I have seen the pain and loneliness that you harbor deep inside... Something like that can consume you if it is allowed to. I, admittedly, had begun to fear you would never allow anyone close enough to you to help ease it. I can't tell you how relieved I am that you have finally found someone. I would have preferred it not be a student, but I suppose that is greatly preferable to one of the dark, deeply disturbed women who follow Lord Voldemort. Hermione, at least, should be good for you. That said, I fear it does present a bit of a problem... Many will not understand, as I'm sure you realize. To head off any possible complications later, Minerva will have to review all of Hermione's Potions assignment and test scores for the entire term so no one can claim favoritism... She will also, of course have to be the one grading any further work she turns in as well... and I don't usually like to dictate people's private lives, and I realize that I am asking a great deal, but I will also have to request that you keep the relationship a secret, at least until she graduates. Otherwise the other student's parents will undoubtedly..."
Snape had straightened, sitting up, "You make it sound as if I will be staying..." He said, breaking in.
Dumbledore blinked in surprise. "Were you planning on resigning? If so, a bit more notice would be appreciated. It's not easy finding teachers midyear."
"But the school rules clearly state that..." Snape began.
McGonagall was the one who cut in this time, "That no teacher shall have any kind of relationship other than teacher-student or family relation with any child entrusted into their care for the purposes of education and guidance." She said crisply.
Snape nodded mutely.
"Well," She said with a slight smirk. "I see no children here, do you?"
Snape blinked at her blankly.
"As of September 19th, Miss Granger is seventeen years of age, and has therefore reached her legal majority as decreed by the Ministry of Magic. Not to mention that I'm sure she added at least a month or two to that by the frequent use of a time-turner to attend her classes in her third year. I assume you were well aware of this fact and took it into due consideration when entering into a relationship with her." She said, a smile definitely tugging on the sides of her normally stern mouth.
"So... you aren't going to do anything about us?" Snape asked, incredulous.
Dumbledore smiled, "Well, as I said, her assignments will have to be graded by Minerva, but since you generally grade outside class anyway, that should raise no questions. I'm afraid Hermione probably should return to Gryffindor after the Holidays. Several of your students apparently know already, but I trust you will be able to convince them to remain silent as well."
"They won't say anything." Snape replied without hesitation.
"And you're ok with this?" Hermione asked McGonagall incredulously. The woman had been nothing short of prudish when dealing with any other relationships amongst the students.
McGonagall gave her a little smile, "I can't say I'm happy about you entering into a relationship this early in life, but if you must, I can find no fault in your choice. Boys your own age are much too young to be making life decisions reliably... I've seen broken hearted young women being emotionally scarred far too often to approve of getting too close at this age... but I dare say Severus is capable of making a mature decision, and not likely to change his mind in a week and run off in search of greener pastures. And more than that... despite initial impressions, he is a good man. I'm glad someone else was able to see that as well." She said, giving Snape a little smile.
"Well then. That's settled." Dumbledore said genially, "If either of you should have any other concerns on the subject, my door is always open. Oh, and Hermione, I have some post for you..." He said, fishing out an envelope and handing it to her. "It arrived the day before yesterday, but you were... unavailable." He said with a little smile.
She bit her lip as she saw her mother's neat script. She was so worried about what it might say that the unblemished stamp on the corner didn't even bring a smirk to her face as it usually did. She had shown her parents where to go to send her mail by owl, but they were forever putting stamps on the letters, though they weren't needed. Habit she supposed.
She opened the envelope, trying to keep her hands from shaking, and quickly read through the letter. Her jaw dropped.
"What is it?" Snape asked in concern.
"Mum says I'm to stay at Hogwarts over the holiday, and they will mail my presents... they're going to a Dentistry symposium in London and then they have been invited to stay with some friends there for Christmas..." She looked over at Snape, dropping her hands. "My school is being terrorized by a demon, it rips out my soul and I'm laying here like a rug for days and they're telling me not to visit for Christmas?!?" She said indignantly.
"They don't know about any of that, Hermione." Dumbledore said gently. "They don't receive any wizard newspapers, and Cornelius blocked any outgoing mail that could possibly have anything to do with the demon. I'm afraid I was never able to inform them, or I'm sure they would have been here by your side."
"Oh..." Hermione said softly. It was still hard to fully realize that her parents could possibly be so far removed from what was happening in her world. "Probably best..." She said sadly, gazing down at the letter.
"I will inform the house elves that you will be staying. Of course, I'm afraid this year is a notable exception in that there will be no other students staying to my knowledge. Not surprising given recent events I suppose. Even many of the teachers that usually stay will be going... though I'm sure I'll be able to find at least one to stay to look after you..." He said, his eyes twinkling as his gaze drifted to Snape. "See you at breakfast." He said with a little nod, turning and departing. McGonagall gave them a smile before following him out, leaving Snape and Hermione staring at eachother in shock as little smiles began creeping onto their faces.
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Spirits were high as they gathered in the Slytherin Common room in preparation for the trip to the Great Hall for breakfast. Hermione felt a bit nervous being surrounded by Slytherins, many of whom she had been exchanging insults with just a few weeks earlier. She leaned against the far wall and tried to make herself invisible as Snape went about rounding up his students.
"Hey..."
Hermione started slightly, then smiled in relief as she saw Ginny come to a stop beside her. "Hi."
"Listen..." Ginny said, looking uncomfortable, "I'm really sorry about not talking to you or anything after coming to Slytherin... after the... well, what happened to you, I felt simply wretched..."
Hermione gave her a little smile. "It's ok. I'm sure you had a lot to deal with."
Ginny grinned, unconsciously twisting the ring around her finger. Hermione spotted it and grabbed her hand, bringing it up to where she could see it. She looked up at Ginny with huge eyes. Ginny grinned and blushed. "Draco just gave it to me last night..." She said bashfully.
"Draco Malfoy asked you to marry him?!?" Hermione asked in shock.
Ginny beamed and nodded.
"Yep, all the girls will be crying when they find out..." Pansy chuckled as she came up, draping her arm on Ginny's shoulder in a gesture that looked so causal Hermione had to stare. "Let me see the rock..."
Ginny grinned and held her hand up so Pansy could see. Pansy let out a low whistle, examining it appreciatively. "Now you don't see craftsmanship like that anymore..."
Ginny was absolutely beaming. "It was Darien's Grandmother's..."
Pansy sighed longingly, gazing at the breathtaking ring. "Doubt I'm ever going to see one of those..."
"What is the fixation with rings?" Blaise said, overhearing her as he strolled over, slipping his arms around her from behind, nuzzling up to her and kissing her neck lovingly, "You want rings, I'll give you rings. Say the word and you'll have one for every finger and every toe! Of course I'll have to get some with expanding spells on them since you're going to be blowing up like a balloon soon..." He said, smirking evilly.
Pansy elbowed him in the gut, not bothering to pull the blow. He just let out a little grunt, then chuckled, kissing her neck again. "But you're going to be the prettiest balloon around, love..." he said, tenderly caressing her stomach.
Hermione was looking back and forth between them. "Do you mean she's... pregnant?" She asked, shocked.
Blaise laughed, "And then some! Two precious, perfect little babies..." He sighed happily, nuzzling her neck. "Molly is going to lose her marbles when she finds out!"
Hermione furrowed her brow, "Molly? You mean Molly Weasley?" They nodded, "But why would she lose her marbles over your babies?"
They looked at eachother, then laughed. "I see you haven't been fully briefed yet..." Blaise said, smiling at her kindly, "You see, I got her pregnant in the first place, but that second one Ron put there."
Hermione looked slightly faint. "You're having Ron's baby?"
Pansy grinned and nodded. "He should be along in a minute... he's writing his parents to invite them to Zabini Manor for the holidays. We're going to tell them then. Oh, and the twins are going to be fathers too! Of twin halfblooded Snow Elves no less! That reminds me, I have to ask Delse if she has some calming drafts around the manor for Mrs. Weasley. Otherwise we really should stop and get some from Pomfrey before leaving..." She said with a smirk, patting Blaise's arm. "We haven't had time to plan anything extravagant for the holidays of course, but it's certainly going to be interesting..." Pansy looked over, "Oh, there's Crabbe... he said he'd send off the post for us..."
Ginny looked over at him, then scanned the room, not spotting Ron. She sighed and rolled her eyes. "I best go prod Ron or he'll never get that letter finished." She grumbled. "See you later Hermione." She said quickly, giving her a smile and hurrying off in search of her brother.
Pansy pulled an envelope out of one of the inside pockets of her green trimmed robes and looked at it pensively for a moment before sighing and heading towards where Crabbe stood near the entrance.
Blaise leaned up against the wall beside Hermione, "Ron was really torn up when the demon got you... even offered himself as bait to catch it. You really mean a lot to him." He said conversationally.
Hermione looked him over, "You're the one the demon cursed, aren't you? The one they said Ron was... umm..." She blushed, trailing off.
Blaise grinned, "Shagging? Most definitely. He's bloody brilliant in bed!" He said guilelessly.
Her cheeks made a valiant attempt at crimson. "So... um... he..."
"Swings both ways. Mmhmm." Blaise said, nodding agreeably, "Thank Merlin! Don't know what we would do without him..." He said, sighing happily.
Hermione shifted, definitely uncomfortable with the conversation. She had nothing against people with... differences... but it was a bit unsettling to suddenly find out someone she had been so close to for years was one and she hadn't even realized it. "Well... um, it looks like your eyes are fixed at least."
Blaise nodded, "When I want them to be." He smirked, making his eyes go opalescent as she watched in shock. "Wicked, eh?" He said, letting them return to normal.
"Sure..." She said, now even more uneasy with this odd boy.
He looked over, "Hey, there's Ron..." He said, smiling brilliantly and heading over towards where Ron now stood by the hallway to their room without another word.
Hermione gave a sigh of relief. She wasn't sure how she was supposed to react to all of this sudden attention. Movement caught her eye and she looked over, seeing Harry approach. The Slytherins parted like the Red Sea before him, giving him a very wide berth, but he didn't even seem to notice, his attention focused on Hermione.
"Hermione!" He said with a little smile as he came to a stop before her, "How are you feeling?"
"Better." She said with a smirk.
His eyes dropped some, the smile fading from his lips. "Well, now that I know you aren't possessed... I just wanted to tell you again how sorry I am..." He said softly.
She sighed, stepping closer to him and giving him a hug. "Don't Harry. It wasn't your doing, and I probably did a fair bit of bad things while I was possessed as well. Snape mentioned something about my having been a bit wretched to you... said you were really upset over it..."
"I'd say!" Blaise said, walking back over with his arm around Ron's waist.
Hermione couldn't help but notice that this public display of affection didn't even seem to embarrass Ron. He had always been so very uneasy with so much as accidentally brushing her in the past, and yet there he was, his arm draped over Blaise's shoulder in a thoughtlessly affectionate manner. He then slipped away from Blaise for a moment, giving her a oddly careful hug before returning to Blaise's side, their arms finding their place again as he beamed at her. Blaise's next words shocked her instantly out of her musings.
"Harry went and tried to snuff himself the next night in the Prefect's bathroom. Sliced both arms wrist to elbow and very nearly did it up right. Would have if Draco hadn't pulled him out of the tub and fixed him up."
Her eyes darted over to Harry. He was glaring at Blaise, his cheeks blazing brightly. "She didn't need to know that!" He grumbled irritably.
"Harry," Ron said softly, "She's one of your best friends. I think she has the right to know. She'd find out if she ever looked at your arms anyway, and then I'd wager she'd be twice as upset since you kept it from her. Or were you planning on wearing long sleeved shirts year round now?"
Hermione took Harry's hand and pulled it closer, lifting the edge of his sleeve and looking under. He just sighed and let her. He looked relieved as Snape opened the door, "I'm fine. Let's go to breakfast." He said quickly, using it as an excuse to pull his arm away and pull his sleeve back into place.
They queued up, following the line of Slytherins out the door. Ron and Blaise went off looking for Draco and Ginny. As Harry and Hermione started down the corridor the others left a good several meters before and after them.
Hermione looked over, "Did I really hurt you that bad?" She asked achingly, keeping her voice low as she reached over, taking his hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze.
He glanced over at her, then dropped his eyes. "It was... a lot of things, Hermione. It wasn't just you. Listen, it's over, I failed... I have no immediate plans to try again... so can we just forget it ever happened?"
Hermione sighed. That was somewhat less than completely reassuring. "Were... were you wanting to get back together now?" She asked, trying to keep the worry out of her voice.
He gave a little laugh, then his eyes widened as he saw the surprised look on her face. He immediately sobered. "I'm sorry... were you serious?"
Hermione let go of his hand and folded her arms across her chest, staring at him as they walked, not absolutely sure she shouldn't be highly offended.
"Hermione..." He sighed, "Listen... I know if you were to go out with me it would only be out of guilt, pity or some kind of misguided loyalty. I really don't want that between us. Besides..." He said, looking decidedly uncomfortable, "I'm kind of... seeing someone else... it's temporary, but only because I don't really want a relationship right now... things are too... complicated for me as it is."
She blinked, "Oh... ok." She said softly. She couldn't believe he had replaced her so quickly. She'd only been 'away' for a couple days from what Snape had told her. "Who is it?"
He looked even more uncomfortable now. He glanced over at her, "We don't exactly want to make this public knowledge..."
"Of course..." Hermione said, puzzled. He'd never shown concern about the possibility of her telling people anything, and he'd confided some very personal information in her before.
He altered his path, bringing him up right beside her, and dropped his voice so there was no chance of being overheard. "Delse Zabini."
Hermione blinked. She didn't remember any students by that name. "Zabini like the boy Ron's seeing? I think Pansy mentioned her... I didn't know he had a sister."
Harry cleared his throat uneasily, "He doesn't. It's his... um... mum." He said, the last word so whisper soft she was scarcely sure she had heard him correctly.
"His...?" He immediately cut her off with a stern glance. She couldn't help but giggle, clapping her hand over her mouth to stifle it.
He leaned closer as they came to a stop as the line was held up by the Ravenclaws, who were still filing into the Great Hall ahead of them. "I might mention," He said softly, "That she is two years younger than Snape."
Her eyes went round and darted over to him. He couldn't possibly know... but then why did he have that little smile on his face?
"So, where do you want to sit?" He asked, changing the subject deftly.
She blinked, suddenly realizing that was a valid question. "I suppose we should sit at the Gryffindor table... the others will be talking enough without us being seen at the Slytherin table. That's assuming the Slytherin's would even let us."
Harry nodded, "Let me check..."
She watched, baffled, as he got out of line and made his way back to where Draco was, talking to him briefly before returning to her side. "Ok." He said simply.
She would have questioned him about this odd behavior, but just then the line moved forward and before they knew it, they were in the Great Hall. It felt like every eye was on them as they made their way to the Gryffindor table. Even the teachers were all watching them, and this didn't pass the student's notice. Murmuring buzzed through the room. As they reached their usual spot at the Gryffindor table, the students sitting nearby quickly shifted away. He would almost think they were being helpful, but then he and Hermione alone didn't require nearly a three meter stretch of table to themselves. Harry just rolled his eyes and sat near the middle of the expansive gap, Hermione settling down beside him.
Neville got up from where he was sitting and moved down into the perhaps two meter gap that had formed opposite them. "Harry! Hermione! You're ok!" He said excitedly, grinning widely.
They smiled back at him, nodding. Harry couldn't help but notice a slight hint of bruising left under one of his eyes. From what he'd heard, the demon had struck him hard enough to break his nose, blackening both of his eyes quite completely. Luckily, the residual bruising was all the evidence that was left thanks to Madam Pomfrey.
"I'm sorry about that punch..." Harry said with a sheepish grin.
Neville smiled, "It's ok... wasn't you. Besides, I owe you."
Harry blinked at him, "Owe me?"
"They would have killed me. By taking the demon instead, you saved my life. I owe you a Wizard's debt." Neville said seriously.
Harry laughed. "Neville, it probably wouldn't have been in you in the first place if it wasn't trying to work it's way over to me..." He saw that Neville wasn't going to be talked out of this and sighed, "Fine, I saved your life, but you paid me back right away, so we're even."
"Paid you back?" Neville asked, puzzled.
Harry smiled at him warmly, "You stood down a demon single handedly while all of our oh-so-brave Housemates ran for it, probably pissing themselves as they went!" He said, finishing with a little chuckle and a glance over at some of the surrounding Gryffindors that had been surreptitiously listening in, making them shift uneasily with embarrassment.
"But... I didn't do anything! I didn't stop it! All I did was melt one of it's swords, and that wasn't even what I was trying to do..." he said, his cheeks coloring.
"Whether you meant to or not, you at least stalled it, not to mention you got one of the swords away from it. If it had still had both when it faced Draco in that clearing... I think the outcome might well have been very different. You might not think it was a big deal, but I truly believe that's all that kept it from managing to kill Draco and running off with me... not to mention undoubtedly causing a whole lot more damage and deaths after that." He said sincerely.
Neville stared at him, clearly shocked that anything he did might have actually helped, his cheeks blushing brightly.
"So, as I said, we're even. Thanks Neville."
A little smile tugged at the side of Neville's mouth. He looked back up at Harry, his eyes settling on the high collar on his shirt. Harry wasn't normally one to wear high necked shirts. "Did... did it scar you? That thing that trapped it?" he asked, his tone lowered so the surrounding students couldn't hear well.
Harry shifted uneasily. It was quite obvious that the Slytherins were the only ones with any clue where the demon currently was, and he wasn't sure it was a good idea to spread the knowledge around. "Um... no..." He began uneasily, then stifled a sigh of relief as Dumbledore stood, calling their attention back to the front. Though he usually paid avid attention whenever Dumbledore spoke, Harry found himself only half listening, his mind preoccupied with questions of what was to become of him now. Would they even let him finish his studies here while carrying a demon inside him?
The students let out a sudden roar of applause and cheers as Dumbledore announced the Demon had been contained. Harry couldn't help but wonder how they would react to knowing just where they had stuck the demon... the Slytherins were even leery of him, and they knew it was being controlled by a competent demon handler.
Dumbledore went on to announce that they would be letting out for the Holiday break the next day, two days ahead of schedule, and be returning to regular classes upon their return. That definitely seemed to be a great relief to many of the students. While few were probably truly glad to be starting lessons again, it would at least be a return to normalcy.
"Furthermore," Dumbledore said once the applause had gone back down, "Though this is not a Saturday, since this last Hogsmeade visit had to be canceled, any who have permission to visit Hogsmeade will be allowed to do so today."
This met with more cheers, though the lower years were just looking glum, not having permission to go yet.
Dumbledore continued, making the students immediately quiet. "If you wish to go, meet in the Entrance Hall at ten o'clock. I must, however, request that you go only to shops on the main street. The constant threat of the demon may not be hanging over our heads anymore, but we are still, unfortunately, at war. There will be teachers around as you do your shopping. If you absolutely must go to a shop off of the main street, please find one of the teachers and ask them to accompany you. Any students found wandering off on their own will have their Hogsmeade privileges revoked for their own protection."
He let them discuss this amongst themselves for a moment, then lifted his hand again. Instant silence followed. "Since this is only a treat for the upperclassmen, we have also decided to hold an informal Yule Ball tonight, open to all students. Since there was little notice, dress robes will not be required. It will begin after dinner and go until ten."
That was enough to keep the conversation very lively for the remainder of the meal, and there was a great deal of moving about as the students tried to get dates for the Ball.
Hermione and Harry just ate in silence for a time, watching the other students. When Hermione had finished her food, she shifted back from the table, sighing happily, "It'll be good to get out of the castle, won't it? Where would you like to go first?"
Harry looked over at her hesitantly, lowering his glass of juice. "Um... I'm not entirely sure I'm going to Hogsmeade." He said, his cheeks coloring slightly.
She looked at him, surprise. "Why not? Your permission slip from last year is still good. I mean Professor McGonagall let you go last time."
He shifted uneasily. "I'm just not sure I can. I'll have to ask..."
She furrowed her brow, glancing over towards the Slytherin table. Draco and several other were covertly keeping an eye on Harry. "Ask who? Malfoy?"
Harry busied himself buttering another roll, not answering her.
She looked at him in confusion. "I thought you hated him."
"I do." He muttered darkly, stabbing the knife back into the butter with a bit more enthusiasm than necessary.
"So why does it matter what he thinks? Why do you need his permission to do anything?"
Harry looked at her for a minute, then glanced around. None of the others appeared to be paying attention to them anymore, caught up in plans for the day, even Neville having wandered off, but there was still always the chance of the wrong person hearing. "Not here, Hermione." He said softly. "Not here!" He repeated firmly when she opened her mouth to question him further.
She looked at him, shocked and obviously concerned, but let it drop.
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As it approached ten, the Slytherin upperclassmen made their way towards the Entrance Hall. Harry didn't much care to have to stay with Draco for the trip, but it had been a pleasant surprise when Draco had allowed it (After setting down another dozen rules or so of course). He still hadn't been able to bring himself to tell Hermione about the demon, and luckily they had been kept too preoccupied for her to pursue her previous line of questioning.
His spirits, which had just begun to raise a bit, were quickly shot down as he spotted Cornelius Fudge and a squad of his Aurors making their way down the corridor, Fudge's eyes undeniably trained on him. He sighed and rolled his eyes. Snape came to a stop, letting Harry catch up to him before Fudge reached them.
"What is the meaning of this?!?" Fudge demanded angrily.
"What are you referring to Minister?" Snape asked, his voice making no secret of how very weary he was of dealing with this man.
"This!" He said, gesturing to Harry vehemently. "Letting this walk about free! I was shocked enough hearing that it was allowed to go out amongst the students during Breakfast. You can't possibly even consider letting it go into Hogsmeade! It's downright irresponsible!"
"Mr. Potter is a Hogwarts student. We will not keep him locked away just because you acted rashly and with a complete lack of foresight."
Fudge turned beet red, "It was not I who let him out on the grounds to foil a perfectly good plan!"
Snape rolled his eyes. "No one let Potter out onto the grounds. He got there all on his own. So, what would you have us do with him then?"
"I've had a nice room made up for him. He should be comfortable enough." Fudge said haughtily.
"Where?" Snape asked, his eyes narrowing.
"Azkaban of course." Fudge replied, looking as if he thought that should have been obvious.
Snape's nostrils flared. "You want us to send a student to Azkaban for your stupidity?!?"
Fudge glared at him, "I'll not be talked to like that from the likes of you!" He growled. "And I'll have you know, Azkaban isn't nearly so bad anymore. There are no Dementors after all."
"No, just a desolate, frozen island in the middle of the sea with nothing but gray walls and bars to stare at. I'm sure it's quite homey now. So what then? I suppose you'll keep him there until the battle with the Dark Lord gets heated, then shuffle him off to do the honors as the little prophesy foretold, then back into the cell to live out the remainder of his days in isolation."
"You're blowing it out of proportion, Snape." Fudge said, trying to disguise the anger in his voice, but failing. "Anything would sound bad if you put it like that."
"Are you a guest?" Harry asked softly.
Fudge looked over at him, startled, having nearly forgotten he was even present and able to hear them he'd been so quiet. He furrowed his brow, glaring at him. "Guest? What is this tripe?"
"Are you Dumbledore's guest here?" Harry asked again, his voice soft and completely calm, as if he hadn't heard a word Fudge had just said about him.
Fudge's face clouded with anger as he straightened importantly, "I happen to be the Minister of Magic. I don't need that old fool's permission or blessing to enter this school!" he said pompously.
"So is that a no?" Harry asked, his voice still disconcertingly neutral.
Fudge puffed up his chest a bit more. "No, I am not his guest, nor do I need to..."
He never got to finish his sentence, suddenly finding himself lifted off his feet and slammed against the stone wall of the corridor with a bone jarring impact.
Blaise, who had been walking not too far behind Harry, laughed, leaning up against the wall opposite and folding his arms across his chest, watching with undisguised amusement. The Aurors, far from coming to Fudge's aid, were backing off. They knew all too well that their spells would have no effect, and most of them had been among those severely injured by the Demon's last rampage with the swords. "Hey Draco! Your little friend's about to kill Fudge!" He called back down the corridor with a chuckle.
When Fudge's eyes cleared, he saw Harry's face inches from his own, his eyes suddenly glowing bright red as he crushed him against the wall with one hand wrapped around his throat in a steely grip. "Excellent..." He breathed. "Because I know you are no relation to anyone here, and you're sure as hell no one here's friend... which makes you fair game..." He smirked at him, his glowing eyes dancing with mirth, "I thought I killed you once already you slimey, obsequious publicity whore! I see now that it was a mistake not to make very sure... Don't worry, I never make the same mistake twice..." He hissed, holding up his free hand where Fudge could see it. He watched with relish as Fudge's eyes bugged when he saw the long, shadowy talons slide out of his fingertips.
Fudge let out a shriek of agony as Harry plunged the talon's into his chest.
"He is a guest."
Harry's glowing eyes darted over, growling in frustration as he saw Dumbledore walking up the corridor towards him, looking as composed and unhurried as ever. He looked back at Fudge, glaring at him hatefully before letting his talons retract from Fudge's chest far more slowly than necessary.
"It was only going to rip his soul out." Draco said, making his way through the crowd. "I would have made it put it back." Somehow, that sounded unconvincing... especially given the nasty smirk he was giving Fudge, who was now shaking and clutching his chest.
"You see! That thing is dangerous! It needs to be confined!" Fudge gasped, staring fearfully at Harry, who had only backed off by about a pace, and continued to glare at him with those hateful red eyes.
"It's only dangerous if you are daft enough to talk openly of throwing it into Azkaban for the rest of Potter's natural life, and then top it off by telling it you are here uninvited!" Blaise said with a laugh.
Dumbledore's eyes alighted on Blaise for a moment, then darted over to Fudge. "I know you weren't even suggesting such a thing... Harry has done nothing to justify such treatment." He said, his eyes getting a dangerous quality that spoke of the awful power the old man could wield if angered.
Fudge glowered at him. "It is a danger to everyone! That bloody Malfoy boy should be shut up in the cell right next to him for even thinking of unleashing this thing on innocent students and townspeople!"
"Are you threatening my master?" Harry asked softly, a wicked grin sliding onto his lips.
"No!" Fudge said quickly. He straightened, tugging his rumpled clothing back into proper place and trying to regain a bit of composure. "No, of course not..." He muttered irritably.
Harry looked very disappointed.
When Fudge had recovered sufficiently, he glared over at Dumbledore. "Fine. Do as you please with the beast. When it has slaughtered half the students it will be on your head, not mine!"
Dumbledore gave a little nod. "So be it." He started to turn to go back the way he had come, but then paused, glancing back at Fudge. "Oh... and just so you know, I don't believe I will be inviting you back to visit Hogwarts again. Your presence is too disruptive to the students. And... I wouldn't suggest you return uninvited..." He said, glancing over at Harry pointedly before continuing on his way.
Fudge sputtered indignantly, but fell silent as he saw the eager look on Harry's face.
"Oh, and just so you know..." Draco said, coming up next to Harry and patting him on the shoulder, "It has a very long memory, and can literally hold a grudge for centuries... not to mention that I obviously can't think of every way you might find to slip yourself through loopholes inthe instructions I have given it to protect those around me... your stupidity is truly too profound for me to fathom, so how am I supposed to account for it? Not to mention that I have given it explicit permission to defend Harry and his well being... and I would say imprisonment would encroach upon that well being... So, I guess I'm just saying that I believe Dumbledore is absolutely correct in saying you should leave and not return... I also wouldn't suggest that you go wandering down any dark alleys any time soon... or into any closets... or basements... really anywhere out of easy screaming distance..." He said with an evil smirk, turning Harry and guiding him in the direction they had been heading.
Harry looked back over his shoulder, giving Fudge one last wicked grin full of the dark promise of things to come. Fudge gave an involuntary shudder and remained where he was, letting them go on without any further objections.
Draco looked over at Harry as they mounted the stairs, an amused smirk still on his lips, "I thought I told you not to take over the body unless necessary."
Harry looked over at him, "Unless necessary or given explicit permission..." He said, grinning evilly.
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A/N - If you're wondering, yes, that is Hermione's correct birthday (according to mugglenet. Ron's is March 1st, and the twins of course were born on April 1st! Just in case you were wondering.), though I am admittedly unsure about if that would mean she was turning sixteen or seventeen on that date. In the States, that is past the deadline, and she would have to start school the next year, just before her twelfth birthday, but I don't know what the deadline is there... but since students that are to attend Hogwarts receive their acceptance letter ON their eleventh birthday, I assume the cutoff would be the day before school starts or even sooner, and therefore nearly three weeks before her birthday. So I believe I have correctly guessed her age. And if you're wondering about why Dumbledore and McGonagall were ok with him & Hermione... well if you had to work around Snape, wouldn't you prefer he be getting some? I'm sure it would do wonders for his disposition, even outside Slytherin House (giggles).
amy-felton - I like to make people use their own imaginations sometimes. I'm justevil that way ;P
Alotua - She has never called him Severus. She prefers Snape. Severus sounds too much like decapitating. I would keep calling him Snape even if I was shagging him... (takes a few minutes to ponder that.... (happy sigh)) Oh, and as for wrapping this story up, I will when it's over! It will definitely surpass the 50 chapter mark, but that's all I can tell you.
Well, this was a bloody long chapter and it's 3am, so I'm just gonna post this without another proofread, so sorry if there are any mistakes.