A/N; Thank you my fab-tastic reviewers, you are wonderful!! Special thanks to- MINA MICHELLE, anonymous, ange lumiere, Kristi-Lei, coliemcnoly, oxoxBlackOwl, Barb8, harmswife, amaria star, rumidha, xxdrkanglsxx, Phoenix's Feather, aimdiscord, notwritten, necro omen13, killing u with umbrellas, MissMonkey91, melissa, ... !!! Thank you all :D
Draco watched with amusement in what seemed to be slow motion, several things happened at once.
Harry, his emerald eyes blazing swung round and aimed his fist at Snape's face. Ron dived forward at Draco who stepped backwards off the bed, causing Ron to collide with the floor. Severus in turn avoiding Harry's advances causing Potter to punch through the doorframe, lunged forward towards Ron who was just about pounce after Draco again. Severus fell onto the bed as Hermione sprang from it leaving her towel and dignity behind.
"Very nice Granger" Draco smirked "very nice indeed".
Hermione's eyes turned dangerously dark, she didn't move to cover up herself from Draco, and she didn't need to. As soon as he had finished talking Severus and Ron had both clenched their fists and smacked him in the side of the face.
Neither of them had planned on knocking him out. But with the force of each punch as it collided with his cheeks, Draco had no option but to fall ungracefully to the floor in a heap.
Hermione was left speechless for so many reasons. She wasn't the only one. Ron's ears had gone a tremendously dark shade of red, and he couldn't seem to draw his eyes off Hermione. Severus on the other hand was looking anywhere but at her.
Harry didn't even seem to notice that his best friend was unclothed at all, as all he could focus on was the dark imprint that was newly burnt into her skin.
"What have you done?" Harry whispered, his voice filled with disappointment and disbelief.
Hermione's eyes snapped towards him, she opened her mouth to speak and then decided not to. She snatched Severus' black robe off the nightstand and covered herself up.
Just as Ron began to realise he was staring, Draco stirred at his feet.
"Give me a hand?" he wearily asked.
Severus, growling down at the young Malfoy, grabbed him by his collar and threw him onto the bed.
"I didn't do anything" Draco said at the look on Severus' face, "in case you were wondering I merely came to chat"
"Yeah sure Malfoy" Ron said stepping forward again.
"Leave him Ron" Hermione said, and then, looking at Severus in the eye, "he's telling the truth".
Severus' eyes narrowed at her, but she noticed them soften. Whether it was concern or jealousy, Hermione was actually touched by his actions. He did care; she didn't need to hear him say it, not now at least. At that moment she knew it for certain.
She was almost about to let the smile inside her force its way out when Harry spoke again. Suddenly alerted back to the present situation she drew the robe tighter and steeled her features.
"Why Hermione? Did he force you? Did he make you do this?" with each question his anger was growing and his temper rising, "did he slip you a potion? Tell me this was against your will Hermione, tell me!"
Hermione again began to answer, but found no words. She bit her lip.
"Is this his bed?" Ron burst out.
Harry's eyes flashed angrily again in Severus direction. Draco once again smirked and Hermione couldn't leave Severus' gaze.
Severus for his part was remaining relatively calm. He couldn't bring himself to be angry with Hermione. He was fuming with Draco, even if the little chit was telling the truth. The fact of the matter was that Draco had been willingly welcomed into the room with her, and before she had had to use his robe she had been in nothing but a towel. Draco had been allowed to see her like that. Severus knew he didn't have a claim on her, but he thought that she at least wouldn't allow Draco such leniencies. If tempted then any Malfoy could be dangerous.
Perhaps Severus had just gotten there in time. He dreaded to think what would have happened to her if he had not arrived home when he did.
And there she was, looking to him for what to do next. Was she worried possibly of what he might think of her? Maybe, he knew she cared, was that what one did when they cared?
"For God's sake answer me Hermione" Harry roared.
"Potter" Severus snapped, "Whilst in my home you will not raise your voice".
"You can't tell me what to do" Harry raged, "I come here to find my best friend in your bed, and with his mark on her arm. I demand to know what is going on"
"Really?" Severus drawled, lazily raising an eyebrow, "you forget Potter that I brought you two idiots here. Do you think if I had anything to hide that I would have done so?"
Harry snarled at Snape, but didn't say another word. Ron was glaring at Draco and Draco himself was finding the whole thing quite amusing.
Pleased now he was in control of the situation, Severus turned his concerned eyes to Hermione, "are you alright?" he asked.
Hermione nodded and gave him a small smile. She didn't want to have this conversation, but she knew it had to happen sooner or later. "Harry" she said almost in a whisper, "I'm not a Death Eater".
Harry's emerald eyes softened and he breathed a sigh of relief at the news. Without thinking he walked over to Hermione and took her in his arms. As he hugged her close she began to sob in his arms.
"I had to do it" she confessed into the folds of his robes. "I had to save everyone".
Harry pulled back and held her by her shoulders, "what do you mean?" he asked frowning confused.
"There was going to be an attack" she told him, "on Hogwarts, they were going to kill Sev-erm… Professor Snape."
"And?" Harry said nastily raising his dark brows.
"And" Hermione continued frowning, "if they did that we would have no warning about an attack on the school, so many would die Harry. I couldn't let that happen".
As she began to cry Harry took her in his arms again, "I still don't get what you have to do with this" he whispered into her hair.
"Severus had to deliver a student, I offered. I knew he would protect me, save me from death-"
"Protect you?" Harry laughed, "You have the Dark Mark on your arm" he pointed out bluntly.
"Neither of us anticipated that Potter" Severus spat, "it was unforeseen".
"When I found out that was what Voldemort had planned for me, I had to do it. If I ran away everything would have been for nothing Professor Snape would have been killed-"
"Snape" Harry corrected, "He's not out Professor anymore".
Hermione frowned at her friends disrespect, "he would have been killed and Hogwarts attacked. I couldn't let that happen Harry I-"
"Sshhh" he said hugging her again, "I can understand Hermione. Its ok" he comforted.
"It bloody well is not ok" Ron suddenly spoke up from across the room, "what I want to know is why the hell she was in his bed". He shouted pointing accusingly at Snape.
"Trust me you don't want to know" Draco smirked.
"Mister Malfoy" Severus said warningly, "perhaps we should leave Miss Granger and her friends to themselves, I am sure they have things to discuss"
Hermione opened her mouth to disagree with him, but thought better of it. She wanted him to stay, but she supposed it would make Ron angrier if she requested it.
Severus noticed the look in her eye. She didn't want to be left alone. He wanted to stay, he wanted to whisk her away and take her far from these fools she called friends, but he couldn't. She had to face this; once it was over with she would feel better for it.
Avoiding the pleading look in her eye he and Draco made they way from the room.
A/N; Oooh What will Harry and Ron do now??!!
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