A/N: Merlin! Has it been a long time, or what? Woof. Alright. I finally managed to put together another chapter for those of you who have been begging so nicely! Thank you for your continued interest in this story even though I have been horribly negligent toward it. I hope you enjoy!

I look forward to your thoughts.

Chapter 14: Surrounded by Slytherins

After seeing his godson out of his office, Severus took in a steadying breath and entered his living quarters. He found his sullen, young wife seated on the sofa, staring at the fireplace. "If your plan is to wait up for me, Granger, you will be pouting there for quite some time. I have rounds yet."

Hermione's eyes hardened into a glare as they swung toward him, but she said nothing.

"I was oddly under the impression that you were retiring early."

She folded her arms to her chest. "Did you have a nice chat?"

"Watch your tone."

"Or what?" She raised one eyebrow in challenge. "You'll what, Professor? Take points?"

"I may not be able to take points off for your behavior, Miss Granger, but do not suffer the impression that I will allow it to go unchecked."

The witch pinched her mouth shut, but continued to glare at him.

Scowling, Snape stepped closer to the fireplace. "I invited Draco to my office, as you demanded. I discussed with him the matter of your… chaperoning. He feels that he was justified in assuming the role."

She snarled under her breath and rolled her eyes. "Of course he would say that."

"I happen to agree with him."

"What?!" Hermione launched out of her seat. "You can't be serious!"

"You will find, madam, that I am entirely serious," he returned. "I was just as serious when I gave him permission to act as your chaperone as I was when I set the ground rules, which I fully expected you to follow."

"You gave him permission?" she screeched.

"I explicitly recall telling you to ensure that you are properly escorted whenever you're in the company of your male peers," Severus explained. "You deliberately disregarded that."

"I haven't done anything! Any time I spent with my friends, I was also with Ginny."

"According to Draco –"

"He's lying! He's punishing me for talking back to him. I know he is!" She balled her hands into fists and shook her head. "I knew he would do something, because heaven forbid the stupid, little mudblood fights back!"

"Do NOT use that word!"

Hermione froze in response to his angry bellow. Swallowing slowly, she looked at him in confusion and then narrowed her eyes. "What? It's perfectly fine for him to call me it, but not for me to use it?"

"No," the man ground out slowly. "It is unacceptable for anyone to use."

"Your godson seems to think otherwise," she muttered. "He's the one going around implying that Ron and I were something more than friends – which we weren't – and he's doing this because he can't stand that I got the last word after he insulted me."

Snape frowned and crossed his arms. "So you deny flirting with and embracing Longbottom while you were alone in –"

"Yes!"

"—the corridor outside the Defense classroom?"

"Oh." Her angry tone vanished into something more subdued, and she shifted slightly. "I gave him a hug, yes… but I wasn't… I wasn't flirting! For crying out loud, Neville was merely telling me that I should seek you out. I hugged him because he wished us well. That's all it was!"

He let out a frustrated sigh. "It does not matter what it was. It matters what people perceive it to be. The media is on our side for the moment, but you of all people should know that the only thing they enjoy more than building up celebrities is tearing them down. The slightest bit of gossip… if it reaches the wrong ears – and you know it will – this whole charade comes crashing down about our ankles."

Pinching her lips into a thin line, Hermione closed her eyes.

"The Dark Lord may consider you insignificant for the moment," he continued, taking a few steps toward her, "but that will change in an instant if he feels that my position is in any way threatened. You will adhere to the traditional views of propriety despite how uncomfortable they make you, because if you choose to challenge them, you could very well be signing your own death warrant. Do you understand?"

When she only grunted in response, he grabbed hold of her chin and forced her to look up at him.

"Do you understand?"

The witch took in a shuddering breath, but nodded her head. "Yes."

He loosened his grip on her, and she immediately yanked backwards. "That is why I have permitted Draco to continue escorting you as necessary."

"Fine."

"I have discussed with…" Severus trailed off when her stomach growled loudly. "I thought you said you weren't hungry."

"I guess I lied, then."

He narrowed his brow in confusion. "Why the hell would you lie about that?"

Hermione shrugged and then turned on her heel.

"Granger," he growled. "Why did you skip the meal if you were hungry?"

"I didn't skip it," she argued. "I just… didn't finish it."

"What? Why?"

Attempting to ignore him, the girl continued moving toward her room.

"Granger! You will answer me when I ask you a question!"

"Fine!" Hermione tossed a glare over her shoulder. "You weren't there, and I thought that when you said you would be busy… that maybe you had been called away, and I was… worried. Okay?"

As Severus had not been expecting that particular answer, he stood in silence as she disappeared through the tapestry. Blowing out a deep breath, he wiped a hand over his face and, after several minutes, moved back to the fireplace. He put in an order to the kitchens, and when it arrived, he carried the tray to her door and knocked.

"What do you want?" came the muffled response.

He cleared his throat. "I've brought you supper."

The door opened a moment later, and her head poked through the enchanted fabric. "You what? You brought me… food?"

"I did not imagine it to be such a difficult concept," he sneered, holding out the silver, covered tray. "Is it terribly strange that a husband would bring his wife food when she's too foolish to feed herself?"

"No," Hermione mumbled before taking the tray. "Just that you would."

Severus grimaced. "Yes, well… I apologize for offending you. I… appreciate your concern, but I assure you, it is not necessary. I have been serving in this role for quite some time and have survived just fine without anyone fretting over me. You need not do so now."

The witch shifted uncomfortably and adjusted the tray. "Just because I don't need to, doesn't mean I won't."

"There are better uses of your time," he protested.

"Well, I don't exactly have NEWTs to study for anymore."

Her husband snorted sadly as he began to retreat, and Hermione hesitantly stepped back into the sitting room. Setting down her supper on the end table, she cleared her throat. "Can I ask how often… you're, erm, called?"

Snape sighed and gave a slight shrug. "There really is no set frequency. I may be summoned several times in one week, or go months without. It all depends on circumstances and the Dark Lord's… whims."

"Oh." She toyed with the edge of the sofa for a few seconds. "Is there any way you could, I don't know, let me know when you are?"

He frowned at the question. "If you are in the same room when I am summoned, I suppose so. Otherwise… it may be too great a risk to take. I cannot delay any more than necessary, and you may not be alone when it occurs."

Hermione slowly nodded in understanding. After an odd moment of tension, Severus flicked his gaze to his bedroom door. After concluding a silent argument with himself, he cleared his throat and gestured for her to follow him in that direction. Though she did not verbalize anything, a number of questions flitted through her head, and she noticeably hesitated at the threshold after he opened the door.

"His summons typically occur after darkness has fallen so as to avoid interrupting my teaching responsibilities and drawing undue suspicion," the professor explained as he entered his room. "Of course, he may call at any time during weekends or holidays."

His wife made a small noise to assure him she was listening as she curiously noted that his bedroom was remarkably similar to her own. The double bed was covered in a navy blue quilt, and a similarly-hued area rug covered a good portion of the floor. Offhandedly, she thought that a large rug would be an excellent addition to her bedroom as well, for it would help reduce the unbelievable chill of the stone floor.

A slight squeak drew her attention back to her husband, who had just opened the door to his wardrobe. Turning to face her, he inclined his head to the open cabinet door. The witch furled her brow in uncertainty, but crept closer to peer in at the clothing which she could see. There appeared to be two extra sets of teaching robes, nicer-looking dress robes, linen shirts of a few different colors, and several pairs of black trousers.

"Should you be unable to find me and are thus concerned as to where I may have gone, you may check here." Snape pushed back the rest of his hanging clothes to reveal the rather expensive-looking set of outer robes that the Dark Lord had provided his Inner Circle. "These will be missing if he has called for my service."

Exhaling sharply, Hermione fought the urge to shiver at the sight of his Death Eater robes. They were no darker in color than a number of the items in his wardrobe, but there was something about them that made them appear even darker than black. She knew how intimidating Snape could be in his teaching robes; in those, he would be positively frightening.

"Is that sufficient?"

Forcing a small smile on her face, she nodded. "Yes, thank you. So, I'm allowed to come in here?"

"When necessary, yes." He closed the wardrobe door with a snap. "If you are uncertain as to my whereabouts, I would expect you to knock first and wait a reasonable amount of time before barging in."

"Right. Of course."

Severus shifted his stance slightly. "Regarding your chaperoning, Draco has agreed only to step in when necessary. If you are with myself, or if there is another female present, he will leave you be. I can speak with him again to ask him to behave better when he does escort you."

After thanking him again, the witch moved back to the sitting room and groaned. "Of all people, why does it have to be Malfoy?"

"Hey, Hermione!" Ginny shouted, moving over to allow enough space for the newcomer to sit beside her at the table. "Are you alright? I haven't seen you since last night, and Harry said you were oddly quiet all day."

The brunette sighed as she reached for her water glass. "Yes, I'm fine."

Harry cleared his throat and leaned over the table. "And last night? Was everything –"

"Fine, Harry. Everything was fine."

"So he wasn't…"

"Nope," Hermione replied shortly. "He merely took dinner in his office… with Draco Malfoy."

"Malfoy?" Harry hissed.

"Yeah." She rolled her eyes and picked up her fork. "Turns out you were right, Gin. He's his godson."

"Oh, that makes sense," the redhead murmured. "I forgot about special designations."

Harry looked between the two witches in confusion. "Whose godson? What makes sense?"

When Hermione made no effort to answer him, his girlfriend decided to do so in her stead. "Malfoy is Snape's godson, and, as such, has appointed himself to be Hermione's chaperone."

"What?" His green eyes swung back to Hermione. "Is that why he's started sitting with us in class?"

"Unfortunately."

"Tell him to leave you alone! Tell Snape to tell him to leave you alone!"

The witch took in a frustrated breath and stabbed her fork into her piece of roast. "Don't you think I've tried that? I can't, Harry. It isn't proper for me to be without escort, and I don't have enough female friends. If Ginny isn't around, it has to be Malfoy."

"Bloody hell."

"No kidding," she muttered. "So you had best make your girlfriend available, Harry Potter, or I will haunt you forever."

"Shhh!" Ginny hissed while the boy laughed. "Cool it with the girlfriend stuff, Hermione. Ron doesn't know yet."

Hermione widened her eyes as she looked between the two. "I thought you were going to tell him. You said you would before Halloween, and Halloween is just a few days from now."

"Well, yeah… we said that, but…"

"Why haven't you told him?"

Harry frowned and leaned his elbows on the table. "We were going to, but then somebody went and married her soul mate without telling any of us beforehand. We thought it best to let him get over that before we piss him off any further."

"Oh." Hermione swallowed back a feeling of guilt and set down her fork. "Sorry. I didn't think of that. I'm sorry that I wrecked things for you."

"Oh, no worries!" Ginny smiled, giving a mischievous wink. "It's much more exciting having to sneak around. Wouldn't you agree, Hermione?"

"Shut up, Gin," Harry pleaded.

"Yes," Hermione agreed, "please do."

"Party poopers."

Severus tapped his fingertips impatiently against the mantelpiece in the Slytherin Common Room. Throughout the past few days, he had been reflecting upon the conversation he had had with Hermione regarding Draco's behavior toward her. After attempting to keep a watchful eye over her in the corridors whenever possible – and hauling in any observed offenders for private conversations – he realized it was more of a systemic problem that would be best dealt with in one fell swoop.

"Everyone's here, sir."

Clearing his throat, he straightened his posture and turned to face the fifty-seven gathered students. While a significant number of them were smiling, he noticed there were several looking decidedly uncomfortable. "Thank you, Miss Parkinson."

"Yes, sir," the girl replied, ducking her head as she disappeared into the corner of the room.

Snape stared at her for several seconds and then briefly at Marianne Runcorn. He was pleased to note that both girls still appeared quite contrite after the verbal lashing he had given them a few days prior. "Considering I have spoken to a number of you personally this week, I am certain that the majority of you are competent enough to deduce why I have called this meeting."

A quiet tittering broke out from the younger students, while the older ones simply exchanged glances.

"Silence," he warned in a soft tone. When his students had settled down again, he continued. "First, and foremost, I wish to thank those of you who have expressed their well-wishes for my recent marriage. I appreciate the sentiment, and though the circumstances, admittedly, were far from ideal, I am… quite happy.

"That being said, however, I would be happier if you would extend the same courtesy you show me to my wife. I recognize there may have been certain animosities in the past, but I would ask you to set those aside. If you think you will find yourself unable to do this, bear in mind that whatever upsets my wife… upsets me." His eyes slowly spanned the room before coming to rest on his godson. "Do I make myself clear?"

Draco nodded respectfully while a quiet chorus of 'Yes, sir's filled the room.

"I do not expect you to pepper her with false sincerity or compliments – just because I love her, does not mean any of you need to like her – but I do expect you to cease any insults, assaults, or other confrontations you may be tempted to make. Is that understood?"

After Slytherin House gave another round of agreement, Severus wished them a good night and headed back toward the door.

"Sir?"

He momentarily turned back to face the students, who had quietly begun to disperse. "Yes, Mr. Malfoy?"

"What about Potter and Weasley?"

Severus cracked a smirk and gave a small shrug. "I don't recall marrying either of them."

"Thanks for taking the long way to your class, Ginny. I really appreciate it."

Ginny giggled, slipping her arm through Hermione's while glancing over her shoulder to see Draco hanging back several yards. She then flashed a heated look in Harry's direction. "I don't mind taking the scenic route."

"Right," the older girl rolled her eyes.

"Since it saves you from your creeper, of course."

Hermione sighed. "It's bad enough I have to sit next to him in class."

"You know, I've been thinking about Malfoy," Ginny stated in a low tone. "He's Snape's godson, yes?"

"Yes."

The youngest Weasley's eyes lit up as she gave another quick look over her shoulder. "Well, that ought to make you his godmother, then."

Hermione snorted loudly and shook her head. "I don't think it works that way, Gin."

"Why not?" she exclaimed loudly before remembering what they were discussing. Lowering her voice, she explained, "Godparents are the ones who are supposed to take you in and see to your magical education should something happen to your parents. Snape was named his godfather, which meant that he promised to raise Draco if fortune had smiled on the rest of us by ridding the world of his horrible parents. If Snape had a wife, she would have had to share in that role, wouldn't she? As evidenced by that killer rock on your finger, Snape married you, so now I would say that Draco is also technically your godson."

"Gross," Hermione groaned. "Draco would certainly love that, wouldn't he?"

Harry grinned as he leaned closer. "Does godmother come with any special privileges?"

"I don't know, really," his girlfriend shrugged. "I guess it's more of a ceremonial role now that he's of age. You're supposed to look out for his well-being is all. I suppose you could technically make an argument for doling out punishments for errant behavior."

"What, like giving him a spanking when he's being naughty?" Harry laughed.

"Ugh," Hermione grimaced. "I really don't think that would fall under proper wifely behavior."

"No kidding," Ginny agreed. "The nasty little ferret would probably enjoy it too much."

"Why are you so bloody disgusting, Ginny?" Ron snapped, turning back to glare at them as he finally acknowledged their conversation.

"Because I'm related to you, birdbrain." His sister rolled her eyes and pulled away from Hermione as they had reached the Transfiguration classroom. "I'll see you at supper! Want me to say hi to your love muffin for you?"

Hermione responded with a glare and then flounced into the classroom to take her usual seat. She glumly watched as Neville bypassed the entire row and went to sit next to Hannah Abbot instead. Harry and Ron still took the seats to her left, but the chair to her right was unfortunately claimed by her chaperone.

Malfoy snarled over her head at her friends before sinking into his seat. Without acknowledging her, he pulled out a leather bound notebook, quill, and inkwell from his bag and settled in for class. They had all arrived quite early, since Ginny had needed enough time to make it to the dungeons before the class period started, and Hermione had hoped to slip away while Draco was still eating.

That failed miserably. The witch let out a deep sigh and closed her eyes for a moment. With her eyes closed, she did not have to see the variety of looks cast her way as her classmates trickled in to find their seats. It did not do anything to prevent her hearing their whisperings, however.

"Oi, Cornfoot," Draco hissed after the Ravenclaw mumbled something to his partner and then leered at Hermione from across the aisle. "Face the front and shut your trap, you little shit-sucker."

Harry rolled his eyes and leaned forward to glare at the blonde. "Kiss your mother with that mouth, Malfoy?"

The Slytherin sneered as he turned his head toward the Boy-Who-Lived. "I'd kiss your mother with it."

Hermione's eyes snapped open in time to see her best friend's hands curl into fists. Hoping to prevent anything from escalating, she placed a warning hand on Harry's forearm while giving Draco her darkest glare.

It was then that the pureblood wizard realized how deeply his offhanded retort had cut. A smug smirk was on his face as he leaned back in his chair. "You know… if she weren't dead and all."

"Damn it, no!" the witch growled, attempting to keep her friend in his seat. "Stop it."

Her protests were to no avail, however, for Harry all but leaped out of his seat, drawing his wand. Ron immediately followed suit, and Malfoy's amused expression disappeared as he, too, shot to his feet and produced his wand.

With an agonized groan, Hermione rolled her eyes and simply placed her head on her desk. It was no use trying to get them both to behave, especially when the rest of the class was suddenly alive with excitement. There really was nothing she could think to do but hope Professor McGonagall would show up before she ended up with teeth down to her chest again.

"Malfoy! Potter! Weasley! Just what do you think you're doing?" Minerva bore a scowl as dark as any of Snape's as she strode up the aisle toward them.

"He started it!" Ron pointed his wand at the Slytherin.

Draco stowed his wand and crossed his arms. "I don't believe I did, actually. You two imbeciles were the ones threatening me."

"Because you said –"

"Enough!" McGonagall shook her head. "I doubt any of you were blameless. That'll be ten points from each of you."

"But –"

"I would suggest closing your mouth, Mr. Weasley before I assign you detention with Professor Snape. Did I, or did I not, just discuss this with you last week?"

Ron's jaw snapped shut as he sheepishly looked to his feet.

"Potter, Weasley – put your wands away and sit down. Malfoy, collect your things and find a new seat. In the front, if you will." With a nod of her head, the Transfiguration professor turned toward the front of the classroom.

Straightening in her seat, Hermione struggled to hide her smile at the fact that she would have an hour and fifteen minute's reprieve. Her glee diminished significantly, however, when the blonde cleared his throat.

"Pardon me, Professor."

Minerva slowly turned around and quirked her head in silent question. When Draco gestured to Hermione, the Deputy Headmistress sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. After taking in the girl's pleading gaze, she swept her eyes over the students gathered in her classroom. "Miss Bones, if you wouldn't mind."

"Yes, ma'am." The Hufflepuff nodded and immediately gathered her things.

"Is that acceptable, Mr. Malfoy?"

Draco gave a brief nod as he slung his bag over his shoulder. He stepped out of Susan's way and then followed McGonagall down the aisle until reaching the empty seat she had indicated.

Hermione sighed in relief and smiled at her friends. Her smile faltered somewhat, however, when she noticed how uncomfortable Susan Bones appeared to be. The girl had never been unfriendly towards her before, but she figured Susan was unsure of how to act given the present circumstances.

It was likely to be an awkward class period, but at least she was temporarily free of Malfoy.

"Malfoy, Potter, Weasley," McGonagall called out as the class began dispersing. "I'd like a word."

As her friends grumbled quietly and made their way to the front of the room, Hermione paused momentarily. The polite thing to do was to wait for her friends, but that would also mean waiting for Draco. Since neither Harry nor Ron was in Arithmancy, it would again leave her to walk alone with the stupid prat.

With that in mind, she hurried out of the classroom with the rest of the students. Uncertain as to how long Draco would be delayed, she accelerated her pace as she made her way to the staircases. She was happy to have a few more minutes of freedom, and thus tuned out all of the murmurs and giggles that surrounded her. It was only when she had reached her desired floor that she realized someone had been directly behind her.

Hermione whirled around suddenly, causing Daphne Greengrass to visibly startle. "Are you following me?"

The Slytherin witch stared at her pointedly.

"You are, aren't you? Malfoy told you to?" The girl spun back around and took off in a huff. "Unbelievable!"

Daphne sighed in frustration and quickened her steps in order to keep up with her target. When she caught up to the other witch just outside of the classroom, she pulled open the door. "It's not like it's that big of a deal."

"I beg to differ," Hermione sniffed before heading into the room to find her seat. When the Slytherin girl set her bag down on the desk beside her, she rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

"Are you going to throw a tantrum if I sit here?"

The Gryffindor shifted uncomfortably. "Well, I suppose I'd rather it be you than Malfoy."

A small smirk appeared on Daphne's face as she settled into her chair. "I really don't get why you have such a problem with being escorted."

"Because it's insulting!"

"Insulting because people care about your reputation?"

Hermione shook her head. "Insulting because it implies people think that I would actually do something… to betray Severus. I would never betray him. If I ever had to… well, I would probably die."

"Have you always been so dramatic?" Daphne asked. "Or does the whole soul mate thing mess with you that much?"

Sensing that the girl was at least partially curious, she donned a brief smirk. "Oh, it totally messes with you. It's as though… I'm feeling, and saying, and doing things that I never would have dreamed of before I… before I found out that Severus was my soul mate. Everything's just happened so fast, and it's a bit overwhelming to be honest."

Daphne grunted softly in understanding as she pulled out her notebook. "I suppose it would. I honestly can't believe you brewed that potion – not that you couldn't, of course, but that you actually chose to do it. You're incredibly lucky that it turned out to be Professor Snape."

"Is that so?"

The Slytherin witch sighed and shook her head. "There's no need to get jealous. I greatly respect Professor Snape, but no way am I looking to be involved with him. I just meant that there's a reason why nobody else goes out and tries to brew it. All of those horror stories – never being able to put a name to the face, or identifying your mate to find out they already died, or are in Azkaban, or are already married. If you can't find and, erm, join with your mate within a reasonable time, you go absolutely mad and either kill yourself or eventually die of a broken heart."

"Oh, right. Yeah, I know that… now."

"So, like I said – you were incredibly lucky it was him because that was an incredibly stupid thing to do."

Hermione frowned at the comment. "I'm sure you can imagine that you aren't the first to say so."

"Oh, I doubt not," the girl chuckled. When a number of their classmates looked in their direction, she sobered noticeably and cleared her throat. "Well, just because Professor Snape trusts you not to betray him, doesn't mean he trusts everyone else with you."

Realizing that they were venturing back to the topic of chaperoning, Hermione groaned. "But it's just so… I mean, what if I don't trust others around him? Why doesn't he require an escort if I do?"

In spite of their public audience, the pureblood witch burst into surprised laughter. "Oh, Merlin! Oh, my gods! Seriously? You have to be joking!"

Flushing in embarrassment, Hermione failed to ignore the fact that everyone was staring at them. She shifted in discomfort before muttering, "I wasn't, no."

"Wow," Daphne gasped, wiping tears of mirth from her eyes. "You can't seriously be that clueless. I mean, honestly. You're escorted because you're the one responsible for preserving the line."

"But don't you think it's unfair?"

"It's just how it is," Daphne stated sharply before rolling her eyes and whispering, "Muggles."

Hermione opened her mouth to argue, but was distracted by the appearance of a familiar blonde head to her left. "You've got to be kidding me. Am I not adequately escorted already?"

Draco sneered as he settled into the chair beside her. "Whether or not that may be true, I don't see any other open seats."

The girl sighed in frustration when she realized that he was correct. No one else in their class had dared to sit there, so she was stuck for the remainder of class, sandwiched between the only two Slytherins in the course.

"Did you enjoy your walk?"

Glaring at him, Hermione returned, "Did you enjoy your chat?"

"Actually, it wasn't half bad." Malfoy leaned back in his seat and put his hands behind his head. "Potty and Weasel have now officially been warned to respect my position."

"I can't believe that Professor McGonagall would let you off without –"

"Ahem," Professor Vector stated loudly. "Might I start class now, Madam Snape?"

As Draco snickered along with the rest of the class, Hermione turned her attention to the front of the room and ducked her head. Her cheeks ceased burning after several minutes, and she refocused her attention on the lecture. When it came time to work on the assigned practice problems, she noticed that both Daphne and Draco had silently set into the task on their own without waiting for her to figure it out first, as had typically occurred with her former groups.

When Vector stepped out for a moment to speak with someone in the hallway, the whispers amongst the tables grew noticeably louder and drifted away from Arithmancy. Hermione continued working, but looked up when a boisterous laugh rang out. She just managed to catch sight of a sketch being passed between a few of the Ravenclaw students before the paper suddenly caught fire in Kevin Entwhistle's hand.

As the boy squawked and hurriedly put out the small flame, she swung her gaze to Malfoy in time to see him subtly stow his wand back in his sleeve. "Did you just –"

"Just leave it alone, Granger. You don't want to know."

Realizing that her classmates were likely drawing images of her performing sex acts with Snape, Hermione immediately snapped her eyes back to her paper. Unable to focus, however, she found herself again wondering why Draco was continuing to stand up for her when it was not strictly necessary. After several minutes, she could not contain her curiosity any longer.

"Malfoy," she hissed. When he flicked his grey eyes to hers, she hesitated briefly, but forced herself to voice the question. "Why do you keep defending me?"

The blonde shrugged his shoulders as he dipped his quill into his inkwell.

"Is it required of chaperones?"

Draco sighed. "Only concerning accusations of infidelity."

"But they haven't been, and you've still… Why?"

As Vector dismissed the class for the evening, the boy pushed out of his seat and began to pack away his things. After a moment, he mumbled, "Why do you care?"

"Because it doesn't make sense." She shook her head. "Aren't you upset that I'm tarnishing the Snape line or something?"

A sharp bark of laughter escaped Draco. "Don't flatter yourself, Granger. Not even you could manage that."

Her eyebrows furled in confusion. "What's that supposed to mean?"

When it became apparent that he was not going to answer her question, Hermione grumbled quietly and turned to leave. She had just stepped through the open classroom door when a hand caught her elbow and tugged her back.

"Look," Draco stated quietly. "I meant it before – I really don't give two shits about you, so don't kid yourself thinking otherwise. I do, however, care what happens to my godfather. When those idiots insinuate shit about you, they're also insinuating shit, either directly or indirectly, about him. I'm not going to let your reputation harm his any more than it has already. You may not enjoy being chaperoned, but I don't much care, and I will promise you this: if you get my godfather killed, I will personally hand you over to Aunt Bella. I'm sure she'd rather enjoy turning you inside out. Understand?"

Hermione swallowed nervously, but nodded her head. "Y-yes."

"Good." He released her arm and gestured toward the relatively vacant hallway. "After you, then."