A/N: Ho hum de dum…

Harry had been watching Draco for the past half hour after the other two had gone in.

Draco finally looked up at him and blinked.

"Oh, I didn't realize…where'd everybody go?" he asked.

Harry continued to watch him. He seemed to know something, "Ron and Hermione both went in," he answered, then asked, "What do you know?"

Draco looked startled by the question, "Well, what do you think you know?"

"I'm pretty sure Snape's related to her some how," Harry said, in truth not really sure what to think, "The similarity of features that her parents and Snape has are not features that are common in everybody."

Draco nodded in agreement.

Harry sat up a little straighter, uncomfortable from sitting in one position for the better part of an hour, "You concur with me, then?"

"Beyond a doubt I do," he said, staring at the ground, "What do you think Hermione thinks?" Draco asked.

Harry shook his head, "I don't know. She's a clever girl, but once she sets her min to believing something, she's quite stubborn about it," he said, smiling as he thought about her attitude toward S.P.E.W.

"Dyou think she doesn't think Snape is related to her at all?"

"I don't know," said Harry, noticing the vibrant colors of the sunset, "I'm not sure what she thinks. I'm not sure she knows what she thinks either."

Draco was silent.

"You ok?"

"I think she knows more than she's letting on. Like you said, she's a clever girl. Very witty."

That made sense to Harry. In their third year Hermione knew basically the whole time that their DADA professor was a werewolf and in their first year it was Hermione who had discovered Harry's father was Gryffindor's seeker.

"Geez," said Ron, coming back out onto the porch and slumping into a chair, "Hermione wants to talk to you now," said Ron, crossing his arms, slouching more in his chair and glaring at the table.

Harry chuckled, "What'd she say to you?" he asked, getting out of his chair and stretching.

"Nothing," Ron mumbled.

Harry shook his head and laughed to himself as he headed back inside. He saw Mrs. and Mr. Granger talking in low whispers on the couch.

"Er," he began, wondering whether or not he should've gone looking for Hermione instead.

They both stopped talking and looked at him, "Sorry, but where's Hermione?"

"She's up in her room, Harry," Mrs. Granger pleasantly told him.

"Thanks," he replied, heading up the carpeted stairs to Hermione's room.

He softly tapped on her door, "Hermione?" he quietly asked.

"Come in!" came a cheery voice.

"Wow," he said, confused, "Ron comes out in a huff and you're happier than a mocking bird. What'd you say to him?" Harry teased, sitting in her office chair while she sat cross-legged on her bed.

"Oh, I just talked to him about Draco," she said, then her smile faded, "But I wanted to talk to you about Ron."

Harry nodded. He had figured that much since the time she'd looked at him in the hospital room earlier that day, "Yeah, I know. Same here."

"Harry, I'm really worried about him," she said, looking as if she were going to cry.

"I know, Hermione," he said, sitting on her bed and hugging her, "Me too."

"It's so confusing about him…I'm not sure what to think. His whole family is under the Imperious Curse, so how did he escape it?" she asked.

This question had also been baffling Harry, "I don't know. Maybe he's stronger than we think he is."

"But don't you think he would've said something about fighting it off?" she asked, looking up at him.

Hermione was right. Ron was sure to take credit for something like that, brag about it and twist the story about until it was unbelievable. Like in their third year when Sirius had come into the dormitory looking for Ron's rat, but appeared to be trying to kill Ron instead.

"I don't know, Hermione. Maybe he was scared to tell anyone. Or maybe he doesn't think anybody would believe him," suggested Harry.

"Or maybe," said Hermione, pulling away from Harry and sitting up straight, "Maybe he is under the Imperious Curse like the rest of his family but Voldemort's telling him to act normal!" she said, getting an excited expression on her face, "Yes! That's it!"

"Yeah, Hermione. I bet that's it," he said, encouraging her.

"We can't say anything to help Voldemort in front of him. Nothing about the Order, nothing about…about anything," she said, flipping her lights on. It had begun to get dark in her room.

She sighed, "What're we going to do?" she asked.

"Well," began Harry, "Ron is still our friend no matter what. So we have to be patient with him and do everything we can to get him to defeat this thing."

Hermione looked down-cast, "But…Harry…he's the only one that can do that."

Harry knew she'd be right if that were the case, "I know. Maybe Professor Dumbledore can do something about it."

"Maybe," Hermione distractedly said.

Neither one of them said anything for a moment, then Harry stood up to leave.

"Will you tell Draco to come up here please?" she asked, not turning toward him.

"Are you sure you'll be okay alone with him?" Harry apprehensively asked.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," she said in an off-handed voice.

Harry walked down the hall and trudged down the stairs into the living room where he found Mr. and Mrs. Granger, Ron and Draco.

"Uh, Hermione wants to see you, Draco," he said, and followed him to the stairs.

"Draco!" he loudly whispered, catching his arm, "Don't tell Hermione anything we said about Snape, it'll only upset her," he whispered so the others wouldn't hear.

"Right," said Draco, nodding.

Harry went back into the living room and took Draco's spot, "So, uh…" began Harry, breaking the uncomfortable silence, "You guys weren't expecting Hermione to get a letter of acceptance to Hogwarts?" asked Harry.

"Oh no! Not at all!" Mrs. Granger exclaimed a little too loudly, looking grateful for conversation.

"We knew about the wizarding world, of course, because of…" at that moment Mr. Granger stopped mid-sentence and looked to his wife for help.

"Because of certain circumstances," she finished for him.

"Oh, right," said Harry as a knock sounded at the front door.

Harry was surprised to see Ron go stiff in his seat as if he knew who to expect and he didn't like it at all.

Ron slowly looked at Harry and he saw him turn several shades of green as if he'd been cursed with slugs again. He slowly opened his mouth to say something, but only a squeak came out.

Harry quickly shook his head as Mr. and Mrs. Granger entered back into the room with another man.

When did they leave? Harry asked himself, not remembering them leaving the living room.

Harry and Ron both bolted out of their chairs as a greasy-haired, hook-nosed professor took a place across from them.

"Snape," Harry said a bit louder than he had intended to.

Professor Snape's eyes snapped to his, "That is 'Professor Snape' to you, Potter," he said with a hint of threat in his voice.

"Uh, Hermione's up in her room with…" Mrs. Granger nervously started.

Harry interrupted her, "a friend. She's with a friend."

"Mr. Potter I suggest you respect your elders by not interrupting them. But then again you are so much like your father it's a surprise you have any respect at all during those very rare moments you actually are," said Snape, ending is sentence quietly with a sharp 'T' in 'Actally'.

"I'm not at school, you can't tell me what to do here," he said, then marched upstairs, anger burning his insides.