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Last Time:

When the elf was gone, Narcissa swept out the door to leave as well. She had no time for tears or regrets. There was a lot of ground that she needed to cover if her plan was going to work perfectly.

Chapter 20

Hermione was agitated. No—strike that, she was gradually on her way to becoming extremely annoyed. It seemed like everyone in the castle had gathered together and collectively decided that they were going to be as obnoxiously loud and energetic as possible this morning.

Prats, she thought grumpily, tearing her toast viciously apart. SHE had barely gotten five hours last night, and was utterly exhausted. Blindsided by her joy and gratitude of being back, she hadn't thought about how returning to Hogwarts meant that she would also be returning to her school schedule.

Her first morning back had proven to be disastrous. She had accidently slept in (she was still peeved that Lavender and Parvati had left without trying to wake her), though eight thirty in the morning could hardly be considered late. But apparently it was late enough that she only had half an hour to get to her first class. She had been in such a rush that she only had time to do some Refreshing Charms and throw on her clothes before she ran out the door, frazzled beyond belief.

The day hadn't gotten much better for her after that. To her dismay, within minutes of the lesson she discovered something horrific. The class was BORING! The material was something she could recite in her sleep if she wanted. Not an entirely new concept for her. She had always read ahead in her courses, but usually when she got into the class the professors could provide extra knowledge that she couldn't glean from her books. It was a worthwhile experience, all in all.

Unfortunately, it wasn't an experience that she had repeated as she tried to concentrate on what Professor Flitwick had been saying. She had learned nothing new from his lecture and found her mind drifting to the advanced arithmancy equations she had been working on the night before.

The hands-on portion of class had been just as frightfully elementary. From the sympathetic smile Flitwick had given her, she knew she hadn't hidden her frustrations very well.

The noise in the Great Hall rose, jolting her from her woolgathering. She looked up from her plate as the late morning crowd of students filed into the hall for breakfast. A new wave of energy seemed to zap through the ones already eating and everyone took the new arrival of students as permission to start shouting over their food.

"Oh, Hell," she muttered under her breath, dropping her head down in defeat. Already, she could feel a headache stirring to life.

A large influx of Gryffindors crowded onto their table, causing everyone to shift down and squeeze together to make room, and Hermione found herself stuffed between Harry and Ron.

Oh, for goodness sake! Hermione tried to wiggle around and create more space, but there was no more to be had. She gave up with an audible huff, sighing when it looked like no one seemed to notice her irritation.

As this was a regular occurrence for them, the boys couldn't have cared less that they were now bumping elbows with their neighbors. Ron certainly didn't seem to mind since he hadn't even paused in eating his bacon while he was scooting.

When a bit of the chewed pork fell from Ron's lips and landed precariously close to her elbow, she had decided that enough was enough. Grabbing her bag, she stood and tried to shuffle her way off the bench.

"Hermione, where are you going?" Harry said, grabbing onto her sleeve.

There was a hint of panic in his eyes that Hermione had seen on more than one occasion, usually when the two friends had to part company. She knew Harry was still worried that she would disappear in a cloud of smoke when he wasn't looking.

She couldn't blame him. That same fear would probably hang over her thoughts as well if their positions were reversed. It was because of that that she tried not to snap at him when he took to hovering over her like a worried hen.

"Well, I'm finished eating," she replied, gently. Harry looked at her plate of crumbled-up toast skeptically.

"Aren't you hungry?" Ron asked, eyeing her plate as well.

"I had some fruit, too. Besides, you know I don't like eating a lot in the morning." Her eyes flickered towards the head table, zeroing in on an empty chair. She looked back to the boys. "And I wanted to talk to Professor Flitwick before classes started."

She only felt slightly guilty for the lie.

"Are you su—"

The sound of metal cutlery against porcelain cut Harry off. Behind them a second year Hufflepuff was messing around with his friend, chasing after him with a plate and fork. All around them, groups of students winced at the grating noise until a fifth year, Francis Hucklbee, finally caught both of the boys by the neck and gave them a quick shake. The younger Hufflepuffs squeaked in indignation, yelling for Francis to let go.

It was free entertainment for most of the Hall, who watched the spectacle with amusement, but for Hermione it was just another reason to get out of there before she started hexing innocent people.

Really, how was screeching porcelain fun?

"I'll see you guys in Transfiguration," she called out. She adjusted her bag and shouldered through the crowds of students lazing about in the aisles before Harry or Ron could reply.

The noise began to dim the further away from the Hall she got, disappearing entirely as she turned the corner towards another hallway, but she didn't stop there. Making a quick decision, she took a couple of flights of stairs down into the Dungeons. A quick peek up and down the corridor confirmed that no one was around, so she ducked into a compact alcove, disillusioning and putting up privacy wards around herself.

Finally, some peace and quiet…

Funny how she had to resort to stowing away, smack dab in the middle of Snake territory, in order to get a moment of solitude nowadays. She would laugh if she didn't also want to scream in frustration. She moved to the back wall and sunk to the floor, her bag slipping from her shoulder to fall beside her.

"I should come here more often," she muttered.

Her knees drew up and her head fell back. She had about forty minutes before she had to go to Transfiguration. Not too bad. She figured she could get about thirty minutes to herself before she had to run to the other side of the castle.

"Would you stop yanking me around!" a voice whispered harshly. Two blonde girls, dressed in Slytherin robes, shoved their way into the alcove.

Damn, can't even be alone for two seconds anymore!

Thanks to the Disillusionment Charm around her, neither girl had noticed her yet. Hermione clutched her legs closer to her chest, holding her breath and willing them to just go away.

"You can't be seriously thinking about agreeing to this shit!" the smaller girl snarled.

"Would you keep it down!" The older girl pulled her arm away. She took out her wand and encased the alcove in a thick Silencing Bubble. Hermione thought she recognized her. Leah Strumbard, a seventh year Slytherin, if she wasn't mistaken. "What's wrong with you? Anyone could have heard you. God, what are you, a Gryffindor?" Leah continued.

"Don't give me that shit right now, Leah. I'm being serious!"

"Yeah, I got that, thanks," Leah said sarcastically. "I understand that you might be a little upset—"

"Upset! You think I'm just upset? Leah, you could die. No, you WILL die if you go through with this!"

Hermione gasped. Her hand flew to her mouth to muffle the sound. Thankfully, the other girls hadn't heard her, too busy wrapped up in their conversation.

Leah put her hands on the younger girl's shoulders. She smiled at her gently. "You don't know that, Mimi."

Mimi roughly shrugged the other girl's hands away, tears formed in her eyes. "I do know that! This is Yaxley we're talking about, Le-Le. He's one of the Azkaban nut-jobs for Merlin's sake! You've heard the rumors about him."

"We don't—"

"He'll eat you up and shit you out! And you know it. Morgana's tits! What were you and dad thinking, agreeing to this?"

Dad? So they were sisters? Hermione looked between the two, only just now noticing the similarities. But what are they talking about Yaxley for? Are they Death Eater sympathizers? A shudder ran up her spine.

The younger girl's words seemed to infuriate her older sister, who practically growled at the sharp question. "Agree?" Leah shrieked, making the other flinch. "What choice do you think we fucking have, Mimi? Yaxley is a part of the inner circle, or have you forgotten that little tidbit of information already?"

"Yeah, but—"

"No! You need to get this through your thick skull before you do something to get the whole family killed." Leah poked her sister in the chest. "Yaxley has the Dark Lord's favor, he's from a prominent Pureblood family, and has galleons coming out of his ears. If he wants something, the Dark Lord isn't going to give two shits if he tries to get it. Especially if its nothing more than a little Half-Blood chit."

"But Dad is—"

"Dad is a lower level Ministry Bureaucrat whom the Dark Lord had to threaten in order to get his cooperation. He's a Half-Blood and he doesn't have enough money to tempt Yaxley's attention away from us."

Leah huffed. "Just how did you expect him to be able to say no without those two maniacs blowing our whole family up in retaliation? Mom, Jamie, Lisa. Do you want them to die?"

"I —I…But he'll kill you Le-Le…"

"Oh, you idiot…"

She gathered the small girl in her arms, resting her cheek against her hair. The two rocked together in a calming motion. "This is the only way, Mimi. We can't just outright say no."

The younger blonde froze in her sister's arms, and pulled slightly back. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "What do you mean, you can't give an outright no?"

A smug smile spread across her sister's face. "I'm a Slytherin Mimi, not a bleeding heart Gryffindor ready to martyr herself for the world. I won't put the family in danger, but I'm not slaving over my NEWTs just so I can be some sadistic bastard's whore."

"So you…"

"I've talked to Dad about our other options. There have been a couple of rumors going around…"

Mimi sucked in a breath. "Rumors?"

"Of a way out for the Slytherins. Safe houses for us to go to until all this shit blows over."

"Wait, are you talking about Dr—"

"Shh!" Leah's hand shot out to cover the other Slytherin's mouth. "Don't say their names out loud…even with Silencing Charms up, it's not safe to be shooting names out all willy-nilly. Great Circe! You're such a first year."

The hand was shoved away. "Alright, alright. I get it, but do you really think it'll work? What if the Dark Lord finds us?"

"Trust me, it'll work. These guys are brilliant, besides, you know they have enough connections to get it done. So no more crying, yeah? You can't have other people seeing you being weak like this. You'll get eaten alive."

The small girl was pulled into another hug and Hermione thought she heard something like "sorry" come from her lips, but the sound was muffled by her sister's robes.

After a moment, they separated. "Alright, enough of this mushy shit. Clean yourself up and get to class," Leah commanded, nudging the other blonde out of the small space.

It wasn't until Hermione was sure that they had left that she let out her breath. Her legs collapsed in front of her as she stared at the dark walls. Guilt for having listened in on a private conversation and shock at what they had said warred inside her mind.

It didn't take a genius to figure out what the two girls had been talking about.

"I'm not slaving over my NEWTs just so I can be some sadistic bastard's whore."

A nauseous feeling clenched at her stomach as she ran those words through her brain. She may not have been on speaking terms with the Slytherins but she wouldn't wish that kind of life on even her worst enemy. Especially if Yaxley was anything like Dolohov. She still trembled whenever she thought about the look on his face when he had loomed over her. The demented flash in his eye and the twisted smile as he had knelt in front of her wounded body, cooing soft, menacing words to her.

"It's such a shame, little mudblood. You would have made me a wonderful pet…"

There had been a promise in his eyes as he had said those words and as she lay bleeding out on the Ministry floor she had actually been relieved that she would die. She shivered, closing her eyes against the memories.

Pity soon followed after, because if she was this shaken up by some words and a flash of fear then what would it be like for Leah? Threats were nothing compared to what the Slytherin girl would have to go through, and that knowledge made Hermione sick to her stomach.

How many other Slytherin girls were in her position? How many boys? For that matter, how many of them actually wanted nothing to do with Voldemort? From what the sisters had said, it looked as if they were only "loyal" because their family could be killed otherwise.

It was a horrible position to be in, to choose between helping a mad man destroy the world or watching your family die. Looking at it from that point of view, she couldn't blame them for not fighting back.

What if it had been her parents that Voldemort used as collateral? Sure she might try to free them some other way first, but if she had absolutely no other option and had to choose…as much of a Gryffindor as she was, she doubted that she could just give her family up for the greater good.

Thankfully, her parents were hidden someplace safe, so she didn't have to worry about that, but the Slytherins weren't given the same help, were they? Everyone just lumped them all into one group of future Death Eaters, but that wasn't fair. She had just been given evidence, straight from two Slytherins' mouths to support the idea that they WEREN'T all the same.

If she needed any further evidence she could always look at the other Slytherins she knew, like Fera, who had put herself in danger to protect Muggles and Muggleborns. There was also Professor Snape, who she would argue was one of the bravest men she knew, risking his life to spy for the Order like he did. Even with his nasty temper, she had no doubts that he was a good man. So really, she shouldn't be all that shocked that there were other Slytherins out there who were good people as well.

When she got right down to it, she was a little appalled that she had allowed House prejudices to color her view of her classmates for so long. Why should the fact that they wore green on their robes automatically make them bad people? That was like saying all Gryffindors were good people, and that wasn't true. Just look at Peter Pettigrew. He was a slimy, pathetic git of a man and he claimed to be a lion.

Even if some Slytherins came from families that did support Voldemort and his agenda, that didn't mean that they supported him too. They were their own people, weren't they? So why should they be held in contempt because of their parents' actions?

The more Hermione thought about these new revelations, the more indignant she became on behalf of all of Slytherin house. It was totally unfair what was happening to Slytherin. It was sickening to think that they were all just left to fend for themselves, just because of the house they were in. They were just children!

No matter how insanely busy she was, now that she was aware of what was going on, she just couldn't idly sit by and do nothing to help.

She would have to do a bit of reconnaissance on the situation first. She wasn't naïve enough to believe that the whole house was innocent or that Voldemort's supporters only began and ended in the Snake pit. She knew that there were probably others in Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff and, yes, even Gryffindor, so she had to find out which needed help and which were her true enemies.

One other bit of information had stuck out as well, and she planned to look into it too. If what the girls were talking about was true, then someone inside of Slytherin was already trying to help their peers. Or maybe it was a group of people. Leah had said "their names", which meant more than one, or maybe she was just trying to stay gender neutral to hide the person's identity.

Either way, no matter who, or whom they were, Hermione needed to track them down. If they didn't want Voldemort's scaly claws to get into the Slytherins then maybe they were potential allies. It was definitely worth looking into at any rate.

She was just getting up from the floor and dusting herself off and feeling rather good about her decision, when a shadow fell over her, freezing her in place.

Someone had gotten through her wards.

As quickly as she could, she pulled out her wand, ready to fire a hex when a smooth voice stopped her.

"I would not try that, Miss Granger. I've had a poor morning and my head is pounding…Do not tempt me into 'defending myself'." Though it was a threat, it was spoken in such a lazy drawl that Hermione found herself unconsciously relaxing.

She turned around to find the surly Potions Master leaning against the wall. Light from the hallway filtered behind him, shadowing his features. She imagined that it wasn't a smile that the darkness was hiding.

"Good morning, Professor."

He took another step into the alcove, crossing the border of her privacy wards effortlessly, and she wondered how he had managed such a feat. She was no slouch in her spell work and was confident in her ward lines.

"And what would a lone Gryffindor be doing wandering by the Slytherin dormitories?"

Her mind went straight to the conversation she had just accidently overheard. There was a brush of magic against her Occlumency shields, and she immediately tightened them down so her inquisitive professor couldn't get inside. When she glared at him in response, he didn't look even a bit repentant, but the feeling of something touching her mind at least went away.

"Well, Miss Granger?" he said aloud.

"Well, what?" Her voice came out with a little more bite than she had been shooting for and she flinched under his hardened stare.

"I mean, is there something I can do for you, professor?" she amended, before he could make good on his threat to hex her.

"I would think that someone with such reputable intelligence would be able to answer a simple question, Granger." He stepped a little closer, straightening his shoulders so he could properly loom over her. "What. Are. You. Doing. Here?"

Her hand shot out behind her to press against the wall. She could make out just a small sliver of space between her professor and the exit, but the chances of being able to dash by him were slim to none. It was just as she expected. She was trapped. Damn.

Snape, knowing exactly why she had looked to the side, smiled down at her like a cat cornering an injured bird. It was nearly as smug as the smile she had sent him her first day back in the castle after her little performance. She wondered if she had looked as annoyingly self-congratulatory as he did now. If she had then it was amazing she hadn't been cursed in retaliation, because really, that kind of smile was just begging to be hexed off.

"Miss Granger!" his voice snapped out in a low hiss, "I'm waiting…"

"I was hiding!" she blurted out the first thing that came to her mind. It just so happened it was also the truth.

"Hiding?" Snape blinked, leaning back a little. Obviously that wasn't the answer he had been expecting.

"Yes, I was hiding," she replied, unapologetic. "The Great Hall was like a farm house! I had to get away, catch my breath."

"So you came to the dungeons." His tone was equal parts sarcasm and disbelief.

"Well, Harry and Ron would never think to find me here," she muttered.

"Indeed? Hiding from your friends, how very Gryffindor of you," Snape commented mockingly, though there was a questioning tilt to the end, as if he was curious as to why she would be hiding, but couldn't bring himself to actively engage her in a conversation non-school-related.

Perhaps that was why she found herself suddenly spouting out, "Harry tried to follow me to the loo," by way of explanation.

"Pardon?"

Her cheeks heated furiously, but she plowed on hoping not to make an even bigger idiot of herself. "The boys have been worried about me since I got back. Well, no, Ron's backed off, it's mostly just Harry that's been hounding my every step lately. Yesterday, he was following me so closely that he nearly went into the bathroom with me before he realized what he was doing…I think that he's afraid I'll disappear on him again."

She peeked up at Snape. It wasn't a secret that Harry wasn't his favorite subject, but it looked like he wasn't leaving yet, as unbelievable as that seemed. She chose not to question this incredibly bizarre moment, fearing that if she did the little bubble of suspended reality would pop and they'd plummet back down to Earth.

In all honesty, she was glad that she finally had someone to talk to about all this, even if it was the surprising figure of her Potions Professor. So she continued, pouring out the frustrations that had been bubbling up in her for days.

"And I'm absolutely bored to tears in my classes! Me—BORED—in class! Who had ever heard a thing like that? I'm Hermione Granger, I don't get bored with academics!"

Snape raised an eyebrow.

"Except for your class, sir. It's just that my other classes seem to be a bit redundant at the moment." She chuckled weakly, then quickly changed the subject.

"On top of that, there are just so many people! It's like everywhere I go there are students or teachers or ghosts shouting, because apparently no one believes in calm, quiet conversations around here."

"Hmm."

"And I have no space! I have to wait an hour just to use the bathroom in the morning, I have to share a room with two tittering girls who don't comprehend what boundaries are and there are so many rules! I have to eat at certain times, sleep, study only what and when I'm supposed to. It's maddening! It's like everyone thinks I'm a child—I'm a grown woman!"

The Potions Master stiffened and…was that a blush? "Would you prefer to be back in the book?" he snapped.

"No!" Her eyes widened. She supposed she was whining a bit and she did sound a tad ungrateful. That wouldn't do. The last thing she wanted was to offend the man who had tirelessly rescued her. "I am grateful! I really am! I didn't mean it to sound that way," she assured him.

Marginally placated, Snape nodded.

Hermione slumped back on the wall. "I'm glad that Harry missed me, that I'm in the castle again. I'm even happy to be around people again…I guess it's just been a little hard adjusting to everything."

With a sigh, Snape stepped back. "Your life has gone through a large upheaval, Granger. You have to be patient during the transition."

Surprisingly comforting words coming from him. Hermione almost didn't know how to answer him.

"I just was expecting…well, I don't really know what I was expecting."

"That much is obvious."

She huffed, but kept her mouth closed.

The professor smirked at her. "In any case, from your professors' reports you are making amazing progress with your exams. It should only be a matter of time before you'll be free from your boring classes."

A deep blush stained her cheeks. "Ah, yes. I meant no disrespect, sir."

He gave her a look that suggested he didn't quite believe her. "Of course not."

The conversation died down and the two of them just stood there in a peculiar state of companionable silence, equally lost in thought. There was no sniping, no threats, no arguments, just comfortable quiet. It was almost…nice.

"Is your head still hurting?" she found herself asking.

Snape looked up slightly startled. "What?"

She bit her lip. "I asked if your head still hurt. You had mentioned it earlier."

His mouth pulled down in a slight frown as he looked at her as if she were a complicated puzzle that he couldn't solve. She glanced away from him in embarrassment, unable to look him in the eye.

"I only ask because I might know how to help. You see, my mom always gave me chamomile tea and broccoli when I had a headache. The CoenzymeQ10 in broccoli is supposed to help blood vessel health, which in turn helps reduce stress-related headaches. She, uh…read it in a book."

Snape let out the smallest of grins. "Like mother, like daughter?"

Hermione ducked her head, observing her shoes intently. "Something like that."

"I'll keep your advice in mind."

Hermione hadn't expected that. She had expected snarling, perhaps a sarcastic comment or two, but not an amiable comment. She couldn't help but smile back at him.

Snape coughed, then straightened away from her. "Yes, well. If you'll excuse me, Granger."

Hermione blinked, then shuffled out the way, picking up her bag that had fallen sometime during their conversation. "Oh, yes, sorry."

The Potions Master nodded, moving towards the hallway. Hermione hurried after him, only just realizing how late it had gotten. She'd never get to her class in two minutes.

Suddenly, Snape stopped at the alcove's entrance, and shot out an arm, blocking her.

Hermione looked at him curiously. "Sir? Is something wrong?"

"As abhorrent as you are finding the fact that you are still a student, you do understand that until you complete all of your exams, the rules that every student must follow still apply to you, correct?" he asked.

"Well, yes. I suppose so," she muttered, grumpily.

"Good, then you will not be surprised when I say—" he paused, pulling out a pocket watch and checking the time—"ten points from Gryffindor for being late to class." He grinned tauntingly, snapping his watch closed.

"You—you!" Hermione sputtered.

"You'd better get to class, Granger. You wouldn't want to lose any more points." With that said, her professor dropped his arm and swept out of the alcove and down the hall.

"That's not fair!" Hermione called after him angrily.

His answering chuckle echoed back to her from down the hall.

"AGH!" She stomped off to her Transfiguration class, muttering curses all the way there.

Later on, after she would have time to calm down, she would come to the stunning realization that that had been the first time she had ever heard the man laugh before.

Another chapter down! and some much needed Severus/Hermione time! Yay!

As always, please review~