A/N: In case you're curious what happened to Draco, the cat, please read the oneshot I posted called "Hear Me Purr". I didn't include the scene in this chapter because I felt it would disrupt the flow of it. Also, in the later part of the chapter I used some of the original dialogue from the original book's chapter "Occlumency".

15 – Exploding Snape

DRACO

"I like your gloves," Luna Lovegood commented, as she plopped down in the seat opposite him. Actually, she didn't plop down – everything about the girl reminded him of a bird, so perhaps her movements would be better described with floating.

"They look almost the same as mine," she continued, gesturing at his new gloves that were lying on the library table.

"What are you talking abou-?" Draco started to ask, but he stopped himself when his gaze fell on the pair of blue gloves that the blonde girl was showing to him. They did look similar to his gloves. His new ones that Haley had given to him. That she had made for him. Before turning him into a cat. But he desperately tried not to think about that embarrassing detail.

"Where did you get those?" He asked suspiciously. Had Haley also made gloves for Lovegood?

"I made them," she answered, staring at him with her big blue eyes like she was stating an obvious fact. "They're the same wool as yours. Yeti wool."

"Yeti wool?" He repeated, lifting a brow sceptically.

"Yes. I found it in this little shop near our town. They also had moon sheep wool but that doesn't keep as warm as the yeti wool does."

"I see." He replied, nodding slowly. He knew not to question her by now. "Did you go shopping together?" He asked, trying to picture the Gryffindor and the Ravenclaw inside a wool shop. It was a rather strange image.

"No," she replied, shaking her head. "The ball of wool was so big, that I sent some to Haley, after she told me that she wanted to make gloves for you."

So, it was the same wool. But Luna had made them for herself. "I didn't know you knew how to knit." He commented, glancing over at her gloves. They were even real gloves. With fingers!

Draco gaped. "Yours have fingers!"

Lovegood nodded. "Of course, they have. How else would I use my fingers?"

The boy pouted. Lovegood took one of his gloves – or more correctly mittens – and inspected it closely.

"Do you want to switch?" She asked in her dreamy voice.

He didn't even have to think about that. "No," he replied too quickly, snatching the mitten from her hand and clutching it to his chest. Mittens or not, they were his. Haley had made them for him. He wasn't going to switch them.

Lovegood seemed to contemplate him. Then she smiled softly. "I understand. They are probably filled with love and affection."

Draco wasn't sure if she was mocking him or being serious. Feeling his face grow hot, he scowled at her. Her grin widened. Grin. She was definitely mocking him.

"I was going to let you try one of my delicious Christmas biscuits, but now I've changed my mind," he muttered with a glare. Ha! She probably already regretted her words.

"That's okay. I brought my own biscuits," Lovegood said good-naturedly, reaching for something in her bag and putting it on the table. It was a green and red chequered box the size of a photo frame. After she removed the lid, Draco could see that it was filled with biscuits. Biscuits that looked suspiciously similar to the ones Haley had given to him. What was going on here?

"Did Potter make those for you, too?" Suddenly his presents didn't feel as special to him as they had before. Lovegood had received exactly the same! Well, technically she had made the gloves herself but still…

"No." She shook her head. "Ginny gave them to me."

"Ginny?" He was confused for a moment. Who was Ginny?

"She's Ron Weasley's sister," Lovegood clarified, taking a biscuit from her box. "Do you want to try one?"

It was pathetic, really, how relieved he felt. She had made the mittens only for him. And the biscuits, too.

"No," he whispered, thinking that they would probably not taste as good as Haley's biscuits anyway.

Luna shrugged and bit into her biscuit that was shaped like a gingerbread man. That reminded him…

"I was wondering," he mentioned. "That little doll you gave me… what am I supposed to do with it? Does it do anything special?" The Ravenclaw had given him a little faceless doll that looked almost exactly like a gingerbread man on the day of their return. As a Christmas present. But… Draco wasn't really a fan of dolls. He had thought about throwing it away but he hadn't had the heart to actually do it.

"You mean the golem?" She asked, an excited gleam lighting up her face.

"I don't know, is that what it's called?"

Lovegood nodded. "Yes, they're called golems. Sadly, I don't know a lot about them. I was hoping to find some information on golems in here."

"So, did you find anything?"

"Not yet. The witch who sold them to me said they possessed a very old kind of magic. Magic that provided protection."

"Do I seem like someone who needs protection?" He asked incredulously, feeling offended. He wasn't a little child who needed protection.

Lovegood tapped a biscuit to her chin. "I think…in these times, we need all the protection we can get. It's why I gave one to Haley as well."

He hadn't known that. "You did?"

The girl nodded. "The witch also said, they work best if there's someone you really want to protect." She picked up a biscuit that was shaped like a heart. How cheesy. "You could also use them as a good luck charm. And don't you think it's cute that the two of you have matching charms?"

Draco snorted. What did she take him for? A lovesick fool? He hadn't sunken this low. Yet. Still. It was kind of nice that she had thought of getting him a present at all. He had never had a friend with whom he had exchanged Christmas presents before. Except for Pansy, who was more like a persistent puppy following him around. She didn't really count. So, naturally, he had been unsure what to get her, or whether to get her anything in the first place. Because it would be extremely embarrassing if he gave something to her and she didn't even consider giving him a present in return. So, just in case he had taken a look around the manor and stumbled upon something that looked like he hadn't put too much thought into it but didn't make it seem like he didn't care at all. Good thing, he had remembered to put it into his bag. He reached into the side pocket, fished out a long, brown quill, with white dots and placed it before the Ravenclaw.

"Here," he said, turning back to the book he had been reading, before the girl had come to disturb him.

Luna didn't say anything. Carefully, he peeked up at her, to see her reaction. She was just looking at the quill, like she didn't even imagine that the quill was for her.

The boy sighed. "You can have it."

"Me?" She asked almost shocked, her eyes wider than ever.

"Yes." Draco pushed the quill further toward her. "I found it lying around at home. It's an Owner's Quill. If you write your name on something that belongs to you with it, no one else can take your things from you. I don't need it. But I thought you might find it useful." He tried to sound as bored as he could. She didn't need to know that he actually cared. If only a little. Also, he wanted to know if the quill really caused people to burn their fingers if they touched her things. He might find that side effect a tad funny.

Luna looked at her new quill like it was a new racing broom. There were practically stars in her eyes. He smiled without noticing it.

"I didn't think you would give me a present." She admitted, in that way of hers that was neither accusing nor disappointed. She seemed honestly surprised.

"That was really thoughtful of you." She said with a smile that lit up her face even more. "Thank you, Draco."

"It's nothi-" Draco started to say with the beginning of a smile, that froze on his face before he could finish. "What did you call me just now?"

"Draco."

"Exactly. Why did you call me that?"

"It's your name, isn't it?" Luna whispered, like she thought he had forgotten his own name. "You can trust me. I'm good with names." She smiled kindly.

Draco shook his head. He wasn't in the mood for this. "Nobody calls me 'Draco'. Except for my family." He frowned. "And Pansy, I guess. But she's Pansy."

"Do you dislike your name?"

"No." He replied petulantly.

"Is it because it's me?"

"Yes! I mean no – I mean–" He sighed, closing his eyes to try and make sense of what he was feeling. The problem wasn't Luna calling him Draco. The problem was how easy it seemed to her to call him by his given name. When she had never–

"Everyone else calls me by my last name. Why don't you?" He said quietly.

"You're my friend." She answered without hesitation. "Wouldn't it be weird if I called you by your last name?"

Draco's throat was tightening up. He didn't know how it was possible but Luna Lovegood somehow managed to be incredibly peculiar and innocently sweet at the same time. He felt the strange urge to hug her. Which he suppressed. He wasn't that far gone. Something about her words bothered him though.

"Are you saying that… when someone calls you by your last name… you're not even considered… a friend?" He felt cold seep into his chest.

The girl watched him thoughtfully for a moment. "No… I don't think that's what I'm saying." She replied.

"Then what-?"

"Sometimes people need time to get used to something new. Especially when they have been thinking of it in a different way for a long time." She tilted her head to the side. "I'm sure she'll come to to think of you as 'Draco' eventually."

Draco nodded absently. It did make sense. He sometimes thought of her as Potter, too. But it was becoming less and less.

"Wait. Who are you talking about?" He had never even mentioned a name!

"Haley of course." She replied as if it was obvious. Had she always been this observant?

He cleared his throat. "So, you don't think it's weird that she doesn't call me 'Draco'?" He asked in a disinterested tone. Just to be sure.

"Not really. No. Do you?"

He could just say no and be done with it. But the truth was, he wasn't done with it. Even though the Ravenclaw's explanation made perfect sense there was still a part of him that doubted. That felt like an insecure little boy. He hated feeling like that. He shook his head.

"Sometimes I wonder…" He bit his lips, unable to finish the sentence.

Luna simply waited, giving him the time he needed. She had this unfathomable aura about her that made him think of an old and wise grandmother. But in a positive way. It was as if she was silently inviting him to share his worries with her so he didn't have to carry them around alone any more. Would she understand? Surely she wouldn't judge him? And then it all burst out of him without him being able to stop it.

"I wonder – no, actually I'm sure, that she doesn't care about me as much as I care about her. It's not just about the name. I – I mean, I don't even know what we are really – or what I am to her. Are we dating? Or is it something else? But then, what is it? I mean, there is the kissing, I guess – but what does it mean? She never kisses me first – so, whenever I kiss her does she just go along with it or–" He broke off, sighing deeply. He hadn't meant to say all of this. "It's just… sometimes I wonder, does she even like me?"

Luna frowned. "Do you think she would spend so much time with you if she didn't like you even a little?"

She had a point there. But there was something else. "You know how much of a Gryffindor she is. She likes to do the right thing. Going on quests; saving people. What if it's just… I don't know… What if she's just trying to… save me? Because I'm an evil Slytherin and all that." He rolled his eyes. "What if all of this is just some… stupid quest to her?" It was something that Draco usually did not let himself think about. Because it seemed much more plausible than the golden girl being willing to date a Slytherin. Even if he was an incredibly good-looking Slytherin.

"I think," she started, resting her chin against her palm.

"Yes?" He urged, staring at the Ravenclaw with wide hopeful eyes. Surely, she knew. She was a girl after all. A Ravenclaw. She was supposed to give him an answer.

"If you want to be really sure, I think you should simply ask her."

"Okay, that sounds…" He blinked. Had he heard her right? "What?"

"If you want to be really sure, I think you should simply ask her." The girl repeated patiently without batting an eyelash.

"I can't just ask her!" He exclaimed. "Are you daft? I'd make a complete fool out of myself!"

Lovegood shrugged. "I guess, we'll never know then."

Draco tore at his hair with a growl of frustration and let his head sink to the table in defeat. "Why does this have to be so hard?" In a whisper he added, "She's just a girl, for Slytherin's sake."

"Slytherin's snake."

"What?" He peeked up at the girl in confusion.

"The expression. It's actually 'For Slytherin's snake'."

Draco wasn't sure whether she was serious or trying to make him laugh. He decided it was the latter, chuckling softly. "If you say so. Tell me something embarrassing," he demanded. It was only fair after everything he had told her just now. "So, we're even."

"Something embarrassing?"

He nodded, his face leaning on his arms that were folded on top of the table.

The girl seemed to think about that for a moment. Then she said. "I don't think I've ever experienced something like that…" She trailed off. He shot her an incredulous look. Was she for real? He was sure that there were plenty of people who would disagree with her.

"Ah, right!" She said excitedly. "There was this one time when I was in first year when we were supposed to introduce ourselves and tell each other something special. I said that my dad was the chief editor of the best wizard news paper in all of England."

"So?" Was this already her point?

"Well, someone asked whether he was the chief editor of the Daily Prophet." She stared at him with wide eyes.

"Um…"

"Can you imagine that? The Daily Prophet! Everyone knows that it's used by the Minister to spread lies."

"Right." If he remembered correctly her father was the chief editor of The Quibbler. Had he got that right? She had been embarrassed because someone had thought her father was the editor of The Daily Prophet instead of The Quibbler? He chuckled.

"That's so embarrassing, right? I had already forgotten about it." She hid her face in her hands, covering her reddening cheeks. Draco had to stop himself from patting her head. What was wrong with him? When had he turned this soft?

"What were they thinking? For Slytherin's snake!" He exclaimed in mock-anger.

"For Slytherin's snake!" Luna agreed with an amused smile.

Draco laughed. She had managed to cheer him up without him noticing. He briefly wondered how his life would have been different if he had become friends with Luna sooner.

…

HALEY

"Hey Potter!" Called a voice from behind Haley, Hermione and Ron, who were on their way to Defence Against the Dark Arts.

"What does he want?" Ron mumbled in annoyance.

They stopped, letting the boy catch up with them.

"So, is there a meeting tonight?" Zacharias Smith asked expectantly.

"Um, no. Not tonight," Haley replied. He was already the eleventh to ask her that today!

Smith frowned. "But there shouldn't be any club activities tonight. I've checked-"

"Tonight doesn't work," she interrupted him impatiently. "I've got… extra lessons. With Snape." She added sheepishly.

"Extra lessons? With Snape?" He said it so loudly, Haley wouldn't have been surprised if everyone in the corridor heard him. There was a flash of blond hair at the end of the hall. No, actually, two flashes.

The Gryffindor nodded.

"You must really suck at potions. I've never heard of Snape giving extra lessons to anyone." Smith sneered.

"Yeah, well." She replied distractedly. His sneer reminded her of somebody else. But he hadn't really sneered at her like this for a long time now. Well, except for yesterday when she had accidentally turned him into a cat. The memory made her grin. But at the time she hadn't felt like laughing at all. He had made a cute cat but she had had no idea how to turn him back into a human again. Luckily, Malfoy had only eaten a little bit of George's candy, so that his transformation hadn't lasted more than a few minutes. Was she imagining this or was that him down the hall, snickering with one eyebrow raised in a mocking way? Had he heard their conversation? Haley groaned in annoyance. She turned around, continuing to walk in the direction of their class room.

"Hello Haley," stopped her another voice. She knew that voice as well.

"Hi Luna!" she greeted, while spinning around.

"I heard we won't have a meeting tonight," the Ravenclaw stated evenly.

"Um, no, actually–"

"Haley's got extra lessons with Snape," Ron chimed in helpfully.

"I didn't know he offered extra lessons." Luna replied.

"It's like this special–"

"Ron!" Hermione interrupted him. "You're not supposed to-" she stopped herself, glaring at Ron instead.

"Oh right, sorry. I thought she was on the team as well."

"What team?"

"The DA team?"

"There is a DA team?" Luna asked curiously.

"Well, anyway," Haley interrupted, feeling the familiar beginnings of an argument in the air. "There won't be a meeting tonight. We'll let you know once we've decided on the time like always."

"Thank you," The blonde replied earnestly.

"It's fine," Haley shook her head. "Right, we should-"

"What's that?" Ron interrupted her, gesturing toward something that was partly sticking out of Luna's bag.

Haley froze. Something light blue and familiar. There was a pair of light blue gloves. Something that looked just like the gloves she had made for Malfoy.

"These? Oh, they are just gloves," the blonde replied.

"Hm. They look familiar somehow," Ron said, furrowing his brows. "Where'd you get them from?"

"Me." Luna said simply. with a smile that seemed almost proud.

The boy just stared at her in confusion.

"I made them myself," she elaborated. Was she lying?

"Are you sure?" He asked sceptically, before turning to Haley. "Didn't you make gloves like these as well? Didn't she, Hermione?"

With her heart racing madly in her chest, the raven-haired girl watched Hermione's eyes wander toward Luna's bag. How was she going to get out of this one?

"Oh, that's probably because we used the same wool. It's yeti wool." Luna explained. And then Haley noticed that the pattern was actually different from the gloves she had made. It was so subtle that she probably only noticed because she had spent so much time knitting them.

"Yeti wool?" Ron echoed.

"There's no such thing as yeti wool." Hermione said arrogantly. Luna narrowed her eyes, opening her mouth to protest. Ron was quicker though.

"But what about Haley's gloves? I haven't seen you wear them." He eyed her questioningly.

Something was going terribly wrong. And Haley had no idea how to stop it. Haley wanted to scream. When had this begun escalating so terribly?

"I – they weren't for me," she stammered helplessly.

Ron stepped right in front of her, in his blue eyes she saw something between confusion and annoyance. "Then who were they for?"

"I… I – It's – I can't…" she began unable to finish. Her hands started to tremble. She was done for. She knew it.

"Someone, we know?" He pressed.

Haley bit her lips, staring at the ground silently.

"What's going on, Haley?" He asked, placing a hand on her arm. "There's something you're hiding… What is it?"

She could feel his gaze on her, but she couldn't meet his eyes.

"Are you – is there someone you like?"

He waited. But she couldn't think of anything to say. She wasn't used to this Ron. He wasn't this inquisitive usually. Why couldn't he just let it go?

"What's your problem? We're best friends, or aren't we? Why can't you answer the question?" This was new as well. This intensity. She noticed that something was glinting in his eyes when she finally looked up. His grip on her arm was tightening as well.

"Ron, you're hurting her! It's enough!" Hermione cut in. Haley wondered why it had taken this long for her to say something. Perhaps, there was a part of her that was curious about Haley's answer as well?

The pressure on her arm lessened. But Haley wasn't sure whether it was because of Hermione's words or whether the pale fingers that were curled around his wrist were responsible.

Luna had stepped between the two friends, her face turned to Ron.

"You've been friends for a long time, haven't you?" She asked him.

The boy nodded.

"That means you trust her, or not?" She was carefully removing his hand from Haley's arm.

Another nod.

Haley thought she saw her squeezing Ron's hand briefly.

"Maybe there is a reason why she won't tell you. Maybe she wants to. But she actually can't."

Ron gaped at her, speechlessly. He seemed almost like he was under some spell.

"I'm sure, she trusts you, too. And she'll tell you when she's ready." The Ravenclaw said with a kind smile and let go of his hand.

Ron stared at the girl. Then at his hand in puzzlement like there was something he didn't understand. Haley felt like she was missing something here. Her eyes sought out Hermione's, which were blown wide and glued to Luna as if she was seeing her for the first time. She frowned, her mouth hanging slightly open.

The tension that had grown around them seemed almost tangible.

"Hermione?" Haley asked softly, afraid something was wrong with her friend.

"What?" Hermione replied too loudly, still frowning. Her eyes had wandered to Ron now, who didn't seem to notice the dangerous atmosphere surrounding him.

"Um…" Haley said hesitantly. "Is everything-?" Hermione finally looked at her, stopping Haley from continuing to ask her question. There was something hard in her friend's gaze. As if she had erected a wall between her and everything else. Including Haley.

"We're late for Defense Against the Dark Arts. I don't think you want to give Umbridge another reason to give you detention," she said distantly. It was as if she weren't even talking to her. As if her mind was miles away. She didn't even wait for a response, simply spinning on her heel and marching down the hall to their class room.

"See you later," Haley said to Luna, who was staring at Ron like he was a strange magical creature.

"See you," she breathed in her dreamy way that said everything and nothing at once, before turning around and disappearing down the hall in the opposite direction.

"Come on, Ron," Haley said quietly and pulled at his sleeve.

"What's her problem?" The boy asked, following her. She wasn't exactly sure, who he meant by her. But from his grumpy tone she figured it might be Hermione. And although, his tone annoyed her, for once she actually agreed with him. What was her problem? She had an idea. But it seemed impossible. There had to be something else. She had to remember to ask her after class. Or perhaps after dinner. But then she remembered that something else was awaiting her after dinner. Her dreaded extra lessons with Snape. How did the saying with the fire and the frying pan go again?

…

Legilimency. No matter how Snape described it, to Haley this sounded like mind-reading. So, did that mean he was going to teach her how to mind-read? Or hadn't he said something about protecting her mind from outside intruders? Like Voldemort? She really didn't like what he was telling her about her special connection to Voldemort's mind. And even worse, the dark magician was aware of their connection? And was likely trying to use it and make her his little marionette? She shuddered.

"Which brings us back to Occlumency," Snape concluded. Right. Occlumency was the art of protecting one's mind, if she remembered correctly. The potion master took his wand out of the inner pocket of his robes and held it to his forehead. He pulled a silver thread from his temple and let it sink into the Pensieve on the table between them. After repeating the action twice, he picked up the Pensieve and placed it on top of a shelf behind him.

"Stand up and take out your wand," Snape instructed, while getting up himself. Haley took out her wand and got up as well. He would teach her how to protect her mind now, right?

"You may use your wand to attempt to disarm me, or defend yourself in any other way you can think of." Her professor told her. Well, that didn't sound encouraging at all.

"And what are you going to do?" She wanted to know, eyeing his wand suspiciously.

"I am about to attempt to break into your mind." What? he was going to break into her mind? Haley's heart began to race. He was going to read her mind? She hadn't agreed to that! "We are going to see how well you resist. I have been told that you have already shown aptitude at resisting the Imperius Curse. You will find that similar powers are needed for this… Brace yourself, now. Legilimens!"

Before Haley could protest or even try to get ready for any kind of defence, Snape had fired the spell on her.

The office was blurring around them and there were all these images flashing in front of her eyes. Memories, Haley realised. My memories. She was six years old and enviously watching Dudley ride around on his new bike. Another image showed her at eight, being laughed at by a group of girls from her class because of her lightning scar and her too big second-hand clothes. The next memory included Hermione, Sirius and a horde of dementors closing in on them. Then she saw herself in her dress robes, sitting next to Michael Corner on a bench, before he got up and abandoned her. She waited for a new memory. But for some reason the scene continued, showing Malfoy sitting down on the bench and being a pain in the… Wait. She knew where this memory was going. Was Snape seeing the same images as her? She couldn't let him see this –

She found herself on the ground of the potion master's office. Hesitantly, she looked up at her professor. "Did… did you see everything I saw?" She asked, getting up.

"Flashes of it," he answered curtly, raising his wand. "Well, it wasn't too bad for your first attempt. You managed to stop me eventually, though you wasted time and energy waving your arms around. You must remain focused. Repel me with your brain and you will not need to resort to your wand."

"I'm trying," she muttered, balling her hands to fists. She couldn't let him get this far into her mind again. He had almost seen… What if he had seen it? She had to calm herself. She had to focus. "Clear your mind." Snape said in a distant voice. "Let go of all emotion."

Okay. She could do that. Think of nothing. Nothing. Nothing…

But what if he saw? What if he saw her memories of Malfoy? A cold panic was seeping into her bones –

"You are not doing it right… You will need more discipline than this. Focus, now..."

She tried to concentrate, to calm her breathing, to clear her mind, to –

"Let's go again… on the count of three." No! She wasn't ready! "One – two – three – Legilimens!"

There was a big black dragon in front of her… her mum and dad were waving at her from the other side of a magical mirror… Cedric Diggory was lying on the ground, all the light gone from his eyes… No. This was too painful. There was a pair of pale hands, wrapping a bandage around her bleeding hand… a boy running after her in the rain and pulling her hood over her hair…

No, no, no. She had to stop this. How did she stop it?

The next memory was only hours away. She stood below a willow tree and looked up at Malfoy... he was pushing her back against the tree… kissing her…

"Nooo!" Haley yelled. But it was too late. She was kneeling on the ground again, not daring to look up at the potion master. It was silent. But for no more than a torturous second.

"What is the meaning of this?" Snape asked, his voice a dangerous whisper.

The girl bit her lips, her hammering heart, echoing the panic that had settled inside her chest. Shit, shit, shit. Had he seen everything? Probably. But what was he going to do with the information? Was he going to tell anyone? She closed her eyes, trying to calm her frantic heartbeat.

"I – It's nothing," she said, eyes to the ground. "Just – just a dream I had the other night. A nightmare," she added, with a nervous chuckle.

"Do you think I am foolish enough to believe that? As if I could not discern a dream from a memory." He hissed disdainfully.

"Get up." He ordered coldly.

She tried but her legs wouldn't listen. Her body felt like it was paralysed.

"I said get up," Snape thundered, grabbing her arm and pulling her to her feet. She absently noticed that his grip was painfully tight. Finally, she got a glimpse of her professor's face that seemed to be a grimace of anger.

"Do you have the slightest idea of what the headmaster is going through in order to protect-"

There was a knock at the door. Both of their faces turned toward the noise in surprise. The door opened, revealing a shock of blond hair.

"Professor, I was wondering if…" The boy trailed off, his eyes slowly wandering from the potion master to Haley. When they rested on Snape's hand, which was still clutching her arm, he took a step into the room, reaching out a hand, before dropping it again. He cleared his throat, looking away.

Haley didn't know whether it was a good thing he was here or whether he actually made everything worse. But she couldn't help but feel relieved at the sight of him. Was it just because she didn't have to deal with Snape alone now?

Turning back to the frozen figures in the middle of the room, Malfoy glanced at Snape's hand once more and raised a questioning eyebrow. The potion master let go of her arm at once, seemingly remembering where they were.

"We will continue with your lesson on Wednesday," Snape said tonelessly. "Go back to your dormitory now. And be assured I will notice if you do not practice."

Haley blinked. He was letting it go? She frowned. Was he going to tell Dumbledore? Hesitantly, she walked toward the door, where Malfoy was still standing. She turned back around, waiting for something to happen. There was a dangerous glint in the man's eyes. Maybe it was better if she just left. She pushed open the door and waited for Malfoy to follow her.

"Not you." Snape said coldly. "I believe you had something to ask me?" Without waiting for a confirmation, he pushed Haley out of the room and closed the door in her face.

…

DRACO

What in Merlin's name did I stumble into?, Draco asked himself, when his eyes landed on the two people in the centre of the room. His first impulse upon seeing his professor's hand curled around Haley's arm was to rip it away and pull the girl to his side. But he stopped himself in the last moment. The potion master would know right away that something was wrong. To think he had only come here because he had heard of Potter's extra lessons and hadn't been able to keep the curiosity at bay. And now he had walked into this – whatever this was. After one pointed glance at Snape's hand, the professor let go of the Gryffindor and told her to return to her dormitory. When the girl made for the door, Draco wanted to follow her but it seemed like Snape had different plans. Potter had seemed shaken up about something. What had Snape done to her?

Filled with an animalistic rage, the Slytherin turned around to face the head of his house and was promptly met with a cold glare and fingers gripping the collar of his robes. For a split second the man averted his gaze and pointed his wand at the door. Was he sound-proofing the room? Or locking it? How dare he treat him like this?

"Let go!" The boy ordered, jerking out of Snape's grasp. He would not allow the man treating him like some… marauder. With a sneer he reached for the door handle and pushed down the–

"What madness has possessed you!" The man thundered, his dark eyes burning like coals.

"Who do you think you're talking to like that? I'm–" He fired back but–

"Fooling around with Haley Potter?" Snape completed his sentence half angry, half mockingly. Draco froze. His eyes widened in shock just for a second. Had the man noticed? He forced out an amused little laugh. Allowed the familiar mask to slip across his features like a second skin.

"Don't make me laugh," he scoffed. "Potter? Seriously? Like I am that desperate." He sounded convincing enough to his own ears. Please believe it, he thought, trying to keep calm, please.

"Obviously you are!" The potion master hissed with a dark glare. He was walking back and forth in front of his desk. Draco had never seen him this agitated before. "Playing around like some… foolish child. Carelessly thinking that your parents are going to fix it–"

"I'm not a child! My father will hear–"

"Your father!" Snape interrupted him again, halting in his steps and turning accusing eyes at him. "Does your father know about this?" His lip was curling upwards slightly, almost as if he knew that Lucius Malfoy was the last person on earth Draco wanted to know about Haley.

"There is no this." The boy spat disdainfully. How had the professor even got the idea that there was something between him and Potter? The girl hadn't told him, had she? Or worse, he hadn't forced her to tell him by torturing her or something like this? He couldn't think straight. All he knew was he had to protect his secret. He had to protect Haley.

"Deny it all you want, Draco." For some reason the man had calmed down somewhat. He walked toward a shelf on the wall to the left. "Do you not think I could make you admit it on your own if I wanted to do so?" The fingers of his right hand were brushing across a flask that was filled with a clear liquid in a way that seemed like a caress. Veritaserum, Draco realized with a start, a cold shudder running down his spine.

"You wouldn't dare," he whispered, thinking aloud. He felt betrayed somehow. He barely stopped himself from saying, 'But you're my favourite teacher!' His eyes seemed to be pinned to the little bottle. "It's forbidden."

"And you are going to report me before or after I told your father about your little secret?"

Draco closed his eyes in defeat. There really was no use denying it now. Was it really going to end like this? He felt dizzy all of a sudden. Feverish. He couldn't breathe. His legs were shaking. They wouldn't hold him much longer. Before his knees hit the ground, there was something underneath him. A chair. Huh? That hadn't been there a second earlier. He opened his eyes, noticing that Snape had taken a seat opposite him on the other side of his desk, his fingers interlaced on top of the table. It was impossible to guess what he was thinking.

He raised a mocking eyebrow. "I'm sure we both agree now that you have had your fun toying around with the girl, we can all move on and forget this ever happened." He massaged his forehead, as if he was fighting a migraine.

"That's not true," he retorted, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"Pardon?" The man lifted an eyebrow in question, not even looking at him. He was treating him like an unruly teenager.

"I wasn't toying around with her." He lifted his chin defiantly. What did it matter now? He couldn't deny it anyway. He might as well get the story straight. Perhaps he could erase his memory later. How did that spell go again? "I am not toying around with her."

It was silent for a few long minutes. Then slowly Snape removed his gaze from his fingers and met Draco's own. He didn't flinch. Outwardly. The time might as well have stopped. In any case, he was not going to be the one to break the silence first.

"What was that?" The potion master's voice sounded icy, dangerous but there was also a hint of something fragile, like a spider web in winter that was in danger of breaking because of the frost covering it.

"You heard me," the boy stated, much more confidently than he felt.

"Merlin forbid, that you actually care about the girl," the man's face blanched. Which was strange seeing as his normal complexion was already rather pale. "You wouldn't be this foolish."

Draco bit his lips and looked away. He couldn't stop the heat rushing into his cheeks. It seemed to be all the confirmation he needed.

"Have you lost your mind?" The man roared, getting to his feet and towering over him. "Perhaps this seems like a thrilling game to you but have you ever considered the consequences? The danger you are putting the two of you in? How could you behave this carelessly?"

"How is any of this my fault?" Draco fired back. "It's not like I – suddenly decided to have feelings for her. It just happened! You can't choose who you fall in love with." He bit his lips. He hadn't meant to say that. But it was the truth, he realised. He was in love with her. Of course it was the truth. How could he not have known it all along? The realisation filled the boy with a feeling of elation that seemed completely out of place considering the situation he was currently in.

The potion master seemed taken aback for some reason. Something flickered in his dark eyes like surprise or… maybe a distant memory?

…

SEVERUS

The sentence reverberated in Severus' mind like an echo. You can't choose who you fall in love with. He remembered a different girl with green eyes. Her face was framed by long red hair and she was smiling. Always smiling. Until she wasn't any more. How ironic. Of all the people, he might be the one person who understood best that it was only too easy to be enthralled by these lovely emerald eyes. He witnessed something bloom on the boy's face like the first flowers opening their petals in spring. Had he realised the truth behind his words only now?

If only they weren't living in such harsh times, he thought with resignation.

…

DRACO

Was Draco imagining this or was something softening in the man's gaze? Professor Snape sat down again with a sigh.

"These are hazardous times, Draco. You must be aware of the fact that both of you are in great danger if you keep seeing her. In times of war it is the people most dear to us who become our biggest weakness."

There was something that his professor was implying. Draco knew he would understand the meaning behind his words if he thought about it. But he didn't want to think about it. Somehow he already knew that the true meaning would be devastating.

The potion master folded his hands on the table, eyeing him with something similar to sympathy. "If you want to protect her," he paused. "You need to let her go."

Draco felt like he was falling. He had to hold on to the armrests in order to stay grounded. That's what had been implied. He closed his eyes and shook his head back and forth. "No. no." He whispered almost to himself. "I can't."

"Do you want her to be used against you? To hurt you? Or the other way around?"

"No! But I-"

"It's better to stop this now than once your feelings grow even-"

"I can't!" He exploded, getting to his feet. The thought alone was almost too hard to bear. "After everything I've done to make her stop hating me!" He breathed heavily, his heart was racing as if he had just run a mile. "She's the only thing I ever truly wanted. I can't give her up."

The head of his house watched him patiently until his breathing was beginning to slow down.

"Sit down," he ordered.

"I don't want to sit-"

"Sit down."

There was something in the man's voice that made him sink into his chair without further protests. He crossed his arms over his chest for good measure, raising an eyebrow expectantly.

"There might be another way." Professor Snape revealed, leaning back in his own chair.

"What?" The boy burst out in surprise.

"It would not be easy," the man continued. "And you would have to be ready to… turn your back on your family and everything you believe in."

Draco deflated. He shouldn't have hoped for an easy solution. "You mean becoming a spy? Like you?" It wasn't the first time that he wondered where Snape's loyalties were truly lying.

The professor chuckled. "Like me?" Draco felt like he was being mocked.

"Not necessarily a spy," he went on. "You could also consider… changing sides altogether."

There it was again. The choice. The Dark Lord or Dumbledore. His family or Haley. Sometimes it seemed as if the question was tearing him in two.

He shook his head again, willing the thoughts to leave him in peace.

"You do not have to make a decision now," the man said with surprising gentleness. "But you should not wait too long either. And no matter which decision you come to, you need to be careful at all times."

"Does that mean… you're not going to tell anyone?" He shouldn't have asked it. Even if Snape agreed not to tell anyone, how could Draco trust him? The Slytherin's eyes wandered toward the inner pocket of his robes where his wand was hidden.

Snape seemed to be reading his mind before the boy could as much as reach into his pocket.

"You think you can fight me?" He asked in that mocking tone again, his own wand, gently rolling back and forth in his opened palm. He remembered the duelling club in second year and how quickly the potion master had disarmed Lockhart with no more than a flick of his wand. Although, he was most definitely a better wizard than that narcissistic fool, he suspected his chances weren't much better. His wand would likely be gone the second he drew it.

"I was going to obliviate you," he admitted defiantly.

Snape actually laughed at that. Draco wasn't sure he had ever heard him laugh before now.

"At least you're willing to fight." He commented dryly, the moment of amusement gone. "There will be no need for that, though. As the head of your house I am obliged to treat student matters with utmost confidentiality." Draco had never heard of such a rule before. Was he making that up?

"As long as the matter does not get out of hand, of course," he added with a raised eyebrow.

Did that mean he was going to keep his secret? But then, how could he trust him?

"You're asking me to trust you?" He asked sceptically.

"Trust?" The man scoffed. "Has Potter turned you into a Gryffindor already? A Slytherin would never trust anyone besides himself."

"I'm more than just a walking Slytherin cliché."

"Certainly." The corners of the man's mouth turned up in a somewhat amused curl. "Well, be assured that I will not let some outrageous scandal taint the image of my house."

Draco didn't know why but for some reason the man's answer did assure him. Perhaps it was more the soft tone of his voice or the expression on his face that seemed almost fond. Or as fond as he was capable of. The man was a friend of the family… He wouldn't trick him, would he? He guessed, there wasn't much else for him to do but trust that Snape wasn't going to tell anyone. For the moment. Or maybe dig some dirt up on the man so he had something he could use against him. He got the feeling this was his cue to leave.

He got up, but before he turned to leave, he asked one last question. "Professor?"

"What is it?"

"Which side are you really on?"

Professor Snape snorted, his lips curling up into a cryptic smirk. "The winning side, of course." An answer in classic Slytherin fashion.

Draco fought the urge to ask which side he considered as the winning side and nodded his head instead. "I see."

"Go to your dormitory now." The man ordered, his tone leaving no question that he was dismissed.

…

HALEY

What are they talking about? What is taking them so long? What is going on in that room? Haley was asking herself these questions while walking up and down the corridor outside Snape's office. There was not the slightest sound from the other side of the room. She was just about to start walking down the hall once more, when the door finally opened and an all too familiar boy stepped into the corridor. She wanted to bombard him with all kinds of questions but the dark shadow behind him stopped her. She tried to hide behind a suit of armour but it was too late. Her potion professor had already spotted her.

"I thought I told you to return to your tower at once." Although the man's voice was quiet, it was as cutting as a cold winter breeze. It was clear that he was not in the mood to argue.

"Ten points from Gryffindor. And should I catch the two of you after curfew again, I will personally reduce fifty points from both of your houses." There was a warning in his voice, that seemed to imply something else. Something dangerous. She wanted to know what Malfoy thought about this. But with Snape present, she didn't dare to ask him.

She glanced at him for only the fraction of a second. His face didn't portray anything. But in the split second she looked at him, his lips formed the silent word 'go'. She hadn't imagined that, had she? Did that mean it was okay? Had the boy taken care of everything already? There was no way to know for sure. Her heart was hammering so violently in her chest that she couldn't form any coherent thoughts. There was nothing else for her to do here. Snape had made it quite clear that he had no intention of continuing their conversation. At least not tonight.

Haley ignored her pulsing heartbeat and gave a short nod in the man's general direction. Then she spun around and fled down the hallway. All the way up to her tower she wondered, when she had started running away instead of fighting. Maybe it was because she knew. She knew that this was a fight she couldn't win. Or at least she didn't know how she was supposed to win it.

…

A/N: Wow, another monster chapter! Did you enjoy the extra Luna bits? I hope I got Snape somewhat right. I recently read this brilliant Snape/Lily fanfic and the way he was characterized was simply amazing. Anyway, thank you for reading as always and let me know what you think :)