Disclaimer: Oh you know, not mine.

Author's Note: Two chapters in one night. Ha, ain't I good? Okay not. I hope you enjoy. I'm getting a little more organized so I should be able to post more often. For those of you who remember the way I used to post chapters, you'll greatly appreciate this.

Second Secret Discovered

"That had to have been the best Defense Against the Dark Arts Lesson that I have ever seen." Ron said excitedly as they left Tonks' classroom. "Tonks is turning out to be an excellent teacher."

"Professor Tonks, Ron" Hermione corrected him. "Don't let Professor Dumbledore hear you. You know how he stresses, proper respect."

"But this is Tonks we're talking about, Mione. We've known her outside of Hogwarts for years." Ron said rolling his eyes.

"Don't say I didn't warn you." She answered. "But you are right. I can't decide between her and Lupin as to which is the best."

"There is another name you need to add to that list, Hermione." They heard a dreamy voice right behind them. They turned to see Luna Lovegood walking behind them with a copy of the Quibbler turned upside down in her hands. At the blank looks they gave her she continued. "You forget who taught us two years ago. Harry should be included in that list also."

Hermione turned to Harry. "Well, of course. That goes without saying. Harry tops the list, but I was speaking of our official teachers." Harry blushed at the praise he was receiving, and kept walking on ahead.

"Oh, I see. Yes I do rather enjoy Professor Tonks. She sees things from a different angle than most of our teacher." Luna continued.

Harry thought of something at that moment. "Luna, where's Val? Wasn't she just in Potions with you?" He asked.

"Yes, she was. I'm afraid Professor Snape kept her over. I think he's going to give her detention." Luna answered.

"Why, what did she do?" Harry asked.

"We were supposed to be making a potion to drive away Grindylows. But Val accidentally spilled hers on Professor Snape as she went to turn it in. I guess if placed on human skin it burns terribly." Luna explained in her detached way.

"I bet he's furious." Ron said shaking his head.

"And since it was Val, he'll be even more angry." Harry said as a dark look passed over his face. He remembered all the times he had been given an especially hard time by Snape.

"What does he have against her? You'd think seeing as she is a Malfoy, he'd give her a break. He's always been buddy, buddy with them. Look at the Vow he made to Narcissa." Ron said as they moved further down the hallway.

"Oh but that's the point there, you see." Luna said from behind her paper. "He was close to Narcissa, but seeing as she was Lucius Malfoy's mistress and only second best in his eyes, I'm afraid she long ago convinced Professor Snape that her husbands deceased wife and her child, were not worthy of them."

They all three stopped in their tracks, turning surprised looks towards Luna. She had not seen them stop and had run strait into Ron dropping her paper.

"But, I thought Val's mother was Lucius' mistress. Val is younger than Draco." Hermione said trying to understand what they had been told.

"Oh no. Lucius never married Narcissa until Draco was six years old. My father did a piece on it for the Quibbler. That's back when the paper concentrated more on human- interest stories. I guess Val's mother knew all about the affair. Draco went to live with them when he was just a baby. And then after she died Lucius married Narcissa. My father received quite a few death threats over that story, and was forced to print a retraction, but he swears his source was valid." Luna finished the tale and picked her copy of the Quibbler back up and continued down the hall.

They all three looked at each other not sure what to say. But then Hermione broke the silence. "We can't tell anybody about this."

"Why the hell not?" Ron burst out.

"Ron, if this information got out Draco would be completely humiliated." Hermione said with a worried look on her face.

"But that's the point." Ron said relishing the opportunity to humiliate his biggest tormentor.

"Ron, if you hurt Draco, it will hurt Val too. She would be furious." Harry tried to explain.

Ron hadn't thought of it that way. He couldn't believe his rotten luck. The one and only chance he had to bring Draco Malfoy down a notch or two, and he couldn't use it. "This isn't fair." Ron scowled.

"Promise, Ron." Hermione insisted.

His lips curled into a snarl. "Oh, all right. I promise."

Hermione sighed in relief. "I'll go talk to Luna and convince her to keep this information to herself." With that she took off at a fast pace after Luna.

"I can't believe this." Ron muttered.

"Don't say anything to Val about this either. It would just upset her." Harry suggested.

"Upset her. What about upsetting me?" Ron said petulantly.

"Come on. We have Potions next." Harry said pulling Ron down the hall towards the dungeons entrance.

As they lined up outside Professor Snape's classroom, Harry could hear shouting coming from the room. "I have never in all my days as a teacher, seen such irresponsible behavior." Snape's voice bellowed.

"Oh man, he's really giving it to her." Ron said not noticing that Draco had walked up behind him.

"Whose old Snape torturing today?" Draco said with a malicious grin on his face.

Harry and Ron turned to look at him. "Don't grin too much, Malfoy. It's Val he's yelling at." Harry said angrily.

"What?" His grin immediately vanished as Draco stared at the closed classroom door.

"I'm sorry, Professor Snape." They heard a tearful voice from within the classroom. "It was an accident."

"An accident, Ms. Malfoy. No you are the accident. One your parents I'm sure wished they had never committed. I will not tolerate this type of ineptitude in my classroom, do you understand?" The cold voice rang clearly through the door.

"That's too much." Ron said angrily.

Draco was seething with anger. "This is not happening." He said in quiet rage, and then strode forward yanking the classroom door open.

"Mr. Malfoy, it is not time for your class to begin yet. Please wait in the hall." Snape demanded.

"No, I won't." Draco said defiantly. Ron and Harry entered the room right behind him.

"Get out, all three of you." Snape spat. He was holding a towel wrapped around his burnt hand, and had an almost manic look on his face.

"You are not going to talk to her like that. You've gone too far this time." Draco said viciously.

"No, Draco. It was my fault. I spilled a potion on him. His hand is burnt." Val said stepping between her brother and the professor. "Don't do this."

"I heard what he said, Val. Teachers have no right to verbally abuse students, no matter how bad they mess up." Draco said still scowling at Snape.

Snape seemed to snap back to his senses at Draco's words. A look passed between them for a moment that no one could miss. It was pure loathing, but it was gone within seconds. "I'm afraid Mr. Malfoy is correct. I apologize, Ms. Malfoy. The pain got the best of my senses. Class is cancelled for today. I need to go to the Hospital Wing." With those words he strode from the room receiving awed looks from the other seventh years in the hall.

Val sunk into one of the chairs, and covered her face with her hands. Draco kneeled in front of her. "It's okay, Val. I won't let him treat you like that." He said softly pulling her hands away from her face.

"But it was my fault, Draco. You should have seen his hand. It looks horrible." She cried.

"Listen, Val. He's had something bad coming for some time now. He's always treating the students like dirt below his feet." Ron piped up hoping to help the situation.

Draco turned towards Harry and Ron with a sour look on his face. "Do you mind giving us some privacy, Weaslebee?"

"Now that's not necessary. We're on your side for once." Ron said sarcastically.

Draco gritted his teeth. At the moment he knew that Val didn't need to hear that Snape deserved it. She felt guilty, and she would never lay the blame somewhere else. "Listen, Weasley, she doesn't need this right now. Please, leave us alone." He choked out the words rather bitterly.

"Come on, Ron. He's right." Harry said pushing Ron towards the door. He knew that Val needed her brother after what had just happened.

"Thank you." Draco said seeing the look of understanding on Harry's face.

After they had left, Draco turned back to Val, whose eyes were averted to the ground. Silent tears still ran down her cheeks. "Val, you have been treated inferior for the past eleven years. It's about time that you realized that you are not inferior to anyone. Not to me, not to my parents, and certainly not to Severus Snape. No matter what you did wrong, he had no right to speak to you like that." She began to interrupt him but he placed a finger on her lips. "Ah, I know. You say it is your fault. But it is his fault that he had not enough control to curb his tongue. Accidents happen. We all make mistakes. You apologized profusely. There is nothing more you could have done."

"Why does he hate me so, Draco." Val's voice sounded small and pitiful. It had been eating at her for weeks now. Why did Professor Snape hate her so much?

"I will answer that question, if you promise not to start crying again." He said wiping the tears from her face with the corner of his robe.

"You know?" She hadn't thought he'd actually have an answer, and until the day before he had not. But something he had read in Helena's diary had surprised him greatly.

"Yes. Let's just say, Father gave me that information. But I think you will be surprised." Draco said smiling at her.

She waited patiently sniffling, trying to hold back any more tears. After she had made a good show of it, he finally started talking. "Professor Snape knew our parents when they were our age. He was friends with father here at Hogwarts. And he also knew your mother. She had been a Gryffindor like you. But what not many people knew was that he had fallen for your mother. Father knew, but he didn't care at the time. She was dating a Gryffindor. It wasn't until after school that she and Father got together."

"Snape was in love with my mother?" She had never thought it possible that such a cold being as Snape could love someone.

"Yes, but she turned him down flat. He has been furious ever since. You remind him so much of her, that he can't stand you." Draco explained his theory.

"Well that explains a few things. But what can I do, Draco? I can't survive Potions for the rest of the year the way things are. He makes me so nervous, and I make mistakes. When I spilled that potion today, it was because my hands were shaking so bad." She said in a defeated voice. "If I can't get high enough marks in Potions this year, he will never let me into his class next year. Then I can't take the N.E.W.T for it. I have to have a NEWT in Potions, if I'm going to be a..." But her words broke off. She hadn't meant to tell him that part. Would he disapprove of the profession she wanted most of all?

"Be a what?" He asked curiously.

"I don't want to tell you." She said embarrassed.

"Come on. Tell me." He pleaded. "I won't laugh."

"I want to be an Auror, like Tonks." She said quietly. She hadn't told anyone yet, but she had idolized the young woman since the moment she had entered her class, and she wanted nothing more but to be out there bringing in Dark Wizards.

If it had been anyone else he knew saying that, Draco would have told them that they were crazy. But not Val. She was brave, and smart, and he knew she would always be against the horrors of the world. He knew then that she would be an Auror. She would make an excellent one at that. "Well then. It looks like I need to help you some. You are very smart, but Snape intimidates you. That is your only problem. But I think it is time he stops doing that. I'll take care of it." He said giving her a wide smile.

"Draco. I don't want you to get in trouble with him." Val said worriedly.

"Don't worry. I know how to handle Snape." Draco said formulating an idea.