Fifth Year: The Order of the Phoenix

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Hermione Granger spotted a familiar face at Hogsmeade station. Snape peered over the crowd of students like a predator overlooking prey … or like a sheepdog? Certainly they all had felt his sharp teeth nipping at heel and haunch, his just-as-sharp bark. That was the way, after all, of the dog protecting the flock. She chuckled, picturing Snape as an Old English Sheepdog Animagus, black and white with hair hiding his face.

Her laughter died; Harry wouldn't appreciate her likening Snape in any way to Sirius, who'd been a dog Animagus. She felt a pang, even if more for Harry than on her own behalf. She'd thought Sirius couldn't see past James when he'd looked at Harry any more than Snape did.

She had hated how he'd encouraged Harry to be reckless or the sneering way he'd refer to Snape as "Snivellus." It made it hard to comfort Harry. The words would fade on her tongue before she could speak them, shouted down by cries of "hypocrite."

Knowing she'd only get a growl from Snape if she were lucky, she threaded her way to him anyway. She thought his face softened for a moment when he saw her, his lips quirking upwards before settling on a sneer. She'd often seen that fleeting expression on Snape since he'd gone back to spy on Voldemort. It was as if it was becoming harder for Snape to slap the mask on in off-hours, leaving it slightly askew.

She knew the toll the Occlumency lessons had taken on Harry, the whole Umbridge mess. She couldn't guess how much it might have taken out of Snape on top of dancing with the devil as he did. He was so much older than Harry and had learned to hide his emotions so much better. And she didn't have a friend's right to pry him open.

"Why, Miss Granger, not afraid your very approach will suck away points from Gryffindor?"

"I have faith you can be fair when no one's looking."

"Ah, faith: the profession of belief without proof—many would say belief in what doesn't even exist. So, what now: a confession, another apology? I can't imagine what you've done this time—other than forget to duck."

No, he wouldn't reproach her for lack of faith, for her not thinking, or pressing Harry to think, of going to Snape in those frantic hours when they'd tried to reach Sirius. Because faith and trust wasn't something he expected from anyone. Part of her resentfully wondered if that was because he was so unwilling to extend it himself, but she wasn't here to give voice to that. And she thought then of something else Snape never got—but should.

"No, instead, for all you've done and tried to do to protect us, for all you're still doing and will continue to do … thank you."

She waited for him to tear at her for her presumption.

As she began to walk away, she heard a soft, "You're welcome."

Hermione Granger choked down her urge to kick and scream like a child. Her tight control made her voice quietly cold. She stared at Dumbledore, feeling Ron's hand grip her shoulder.

"No 'Marriage Law' the Ministry passes shall ever cause me to marry Snape. I'd slit my own throat first. Even Malfoy—son or father—would be preferable."

McGonagall stood by Dumbledore, placing her own hand on his shoulder, mirroring Hermione and Ron. Dumbledore sighed, pushing up his glasses and rubbing the bridge of his nose. "There is another solution. Though you can legally marry at sixteen, the law requires the consent of your parents until age twenty-one."

"My parents are dead." Her throat tightened so much she could barely breathe, though at least she didn't cry. The well of her tears had dried up long ago. She forced herself to raise her cup of tea to her lips and swallowed, almost scalding her tongue. "You don't think … because of this … "

"I don't know, but I would not put anything past the people we are facing. It may be so. But I spoke of a solution. As long as you are in school, I am your guardian, and I can and will refuse this. If you allow me to formalise our relationship, to adopt you, I can extend my protection for four years more. I can understand if you'd consider that a betrayal of your parents—"

"Done."

"There's another reason I have called you and Mister Weasley here, something we've decided you must know."

Hermione was shocked to hear that according to prophecy, his scar had marked Harry as Voldemort's equal, as 'the Chosen One,' and that one of them "must die at the hand of the other."

Ron frowned. "You're telling us, but not Harry. Because one must kill the other doesn't mean one is good and the other evil—just that they're both tremendously powerful. You don't trust Harry."

"Given the hold Professor Snape has over Harry, I can't afford to."

"What hold does Snape have over you—why not just sack him?" Ron asked.

"For the same reason we couldn't just sack Umbridge. Snape is a powerful wizard in his own right—note how he has been able to teach Harry to close his mind to Voldemort, and he has powerful protectors, such as his business partner Lucius Malfoy. And I actually rather prefer having him where I can see him. Given his hatred of Harry's father, I never foresaw this particular danger."

"Where does that leave us?" Hermione asked.

"With a great deal of work since we fight on two fronts. If we could prove the rumours that Snape is a half-blood, that could weaken his influence with his peers—and remove the threat of this unwanted alliance. As for Voldemort, I wish I had a spy in his camp; it could have made a great deal of difference, but as it stands … have either of you heard of Horcruxes?"

to be continued

A/N For those who don't know, the "Marriage Law" is from a pre-HBP WIKTT challenge that's spawned over a hundred fanfics: The Ministry, to stop dangerous inbreeding, passes a law under which "any Pureblood wizard or male head of a Pureblood family can petition for a betrothal contract giving them legal power over a Muggleborn witch."