Chapter 26: The More Things Change...

Harry woke to a clear head and a drift of silky hair across his hand that he reached towards even before he was fully awake. He was sure he would have known Ginny's hair even in pitch darkness, by the smooth weight of it and the faint, flowery scent. "Gin?"

"Hey, look who's awake." Ginny smiled at him, putting down the book she'd had propped against his legs. She handed him his glasses and then leaned over to kiss him, and Harry hugged her tightly. "Don't scare me like that. I can't believe you were stupid enough to almost get killed by someone in the middle of a Defence class with your wand in your hand."

"Yeah, I know. It was dumb." Harry grinned sheepishly at her. "I'm sorry. She was just so... little."

"So is Hermione, and you know she could turn you inside out without breaking a sweat." Ginny gave him a reproving look and a kiss on the nose. "How are you feeling? Madam Pomfrey said you might be a little out of it."

"Heh. That's a polite way of putting it. I was sort of stoned for a while. Snape said -"

Harry's voice, and brain, skidded to a complete halt. Snape. He had talked to Snape late last night - well, sometime when it was dark, he wasn't sure when. They'd talked about Harry's mother, and Hermione, and...

"Harry? Are you okay? You've gone a little green." Ginny patted his cheek gently. "Want me to get Madam Pomfrey?"

"No. No, I'm fine." Harry swallowed hard. "I think I must have been hallucinating a bit last night. I thought Snape was here, and... yeah. That was really weird."

"Snape was here. He left a note for Madam Pomfrey saying that he'd given you more of that sleeping draught and you should be fine by morning." Ginny frowned. "Why'd you think you were hallucinating? Was he polite?"

"Well... yeah. Almost friendly." Harry sat up, rubbing his head as he tried to remember. "I was... well, you know how I am when I've been drinking?"

Ginny snickered. "The way you say absolutely everything that pops into your head and think it's all really funny?"

"Yeah." That was why Harry now tried to avoid drinking where anyone but his nearest and dearest would see him. "I was kind of like that, only with less slurring. I think with less slurring. He actually smiled a couple of times, so I think I must have been at least a bit funny."

"Wow. He smiled? At you?"

"Yeah. Well, not exactly at me." Harry twined his fingers absently with hers. "He talked about my mum a bit."

"Really? What'd he say?" Ginny snuggled up, which always made him feel better and she knew it.

"That she was a lot like Hermione." Harry smiled at that thought. "And that she really liked Quidditch. She used to scream herself hoarse at every match. And she'd hit people with her pencil-case if they mucked around in class."

Ginny laughed. "Like Hermione, but louder. I like the sound of her."

"Yeah. Me too." Lily had always seemed like a soft, shadowy figure beside the trouble-making, outgoing James. Now the whole thing made more sense - including her outspoken defence of Snape himself. It was the sort of thing Hermione did, too. "It was weird. He was being so... not himself."

"Well, maybe it's because you weren't being yourself either. You're always really nasty to him, Harry. Maybe he was so surprised that you were being happy and giggly that he couldn't work up a good snipe."

Harry scowled. "You know, he was right about something else, too. Hermione's always right, and it's bloody annoying."

Ginny laughed. "Why, because she's always telling you to be politer to him?"

"Yeah. I think it actually worked." Harry almost wished it hadn't. He'd been so comfortable with Snape being a complete bastard, and suddenly it looked like he was only a bit of a bastard. That just wasn't fair. "He explained things and everything."

"He always explains things."

"Not to me, he doesn't."

"Well, you probably don't ask." Ginny sat up, crossing her legs and flicking her hair back over her shoulder. "He gets impatient if you don't get things right away, but he will explain if you ask. He and Hermione and I worked together a lot during the war, you know."

Harry stared at her in shock. "You sound like you like him," he said. It came out more accusing than he'd meant it to.

"I don't exactly like him. He's a stroppy prick most of the time. But I respect him. I've seen him barking out orders for a retreat while he's pouring Blood-Replenishing Potion into someone, and throwing curses with his wand hand while he's holding someone's stomach together with the other. I may not like him as a person, but I'd follow him anywhere as a soldier." Ginny looked much more serious than she usually did. "And so would Hermione. She's better at healing charms than I am, and they did a lot of the casualty work together."

Harry frowned. "Why didn't you ever mention this before?"

"You wouldn't have listened." Ginny shrugged. "Didn't seem like there was much point."

Harry opened his mouth to retort, and then closed it again. Ginny didn't think Snape was so bad. Hermione actually seemed to almost like him. He had to admit that Hermione was usually right, especially when it came to people; whereas Harry had made several near-disastrous blunders in judgement. Tom Riddle, for example. Barty Crouch pretending to be Moody. He didn't like Snape. He would never like Snape. But maybe he should at least try being civil. "There probably wouldn't have been," he said sheepishly. "He and I just don't like each other. But I'll be civil from now on, all right? He's... maybe not quite as bad as I thought."

Ginny blinked at him. "That's something I never thought I'd hear you say, Harry, honestly."

Harry grinned ruefully. "I think I've caught maturity off Hermione. She's been trying to infect me and Ron for years."

Ginny snickered at that. "Ron's immune, I think. But I've been seeing signs of you coming down with it for a while now."

"Ron just doesn't waste it on you. You're only a sister, he doesn't need to impress you."

Ron was getting worried. He was a bit hazy on anatomy in general, but he was fairly sure that Harry's behaviour shouldn't be affected by being knifed in the stomach. Maybe the poison hadn't worn off properly.

They'd been in Potions for over an hour now. Harry hadn't made a single muttered comment about Snape - in fact, he'd actually nodded politely when they came in and said 'Professor' without prompting. Ron had tried to surreptitiously check for signs of fever at that point, but Harry had beaten him off with a book.

Aside from that little scuffle, Harry had been working quietly and steadily, and was actually much further along than Ron, who had to keep stopping to stare at him in bewilderment. Harry being attentive and polite in Potions. Had the world gone mad?

Apparently it had, because Snape was being almost as weird. He'd returned Harry's nod with a brief one of his own, and proceeded to mostly ignore Harry for an unprecedented thirty-eight minutes by the clock on the wall. Then he'd made an only slightly caustic comment about Harry's inadequate addition of wormwood to his potion - and Harry had just nodded and put more in! And then Snape had gone away!

Either something was wrong, or one of them was possessed. Or both. It could definitely be both.

Ron had surreptitiously shoved a note into her hand as they went into the Defence classroom. Hermione had been puzzled when he did it, and entirely bewildered when she'd actually read it.

Hermione

I think someone's put a spell on Snape and Harry, they were polite to each other right through potions. It was really weird. Please talk to Harry and find out what it is or I can try if you don't want to but, you're better at talking about things than me. If she's got time please could you ask Dilly to fix my lucky orange socks. I need them for the N.E.W.T.s.

Ron

It was certainly a typically Ron note, including the indifferent punctuation and the bit about the socks. But the suggestion that Severus and Harry had actually been polite to each other indicated that either Ron was hallucinating or the other two had been replaced by Polyjuiced imposters.

Questioning Harry did seem like the best place to start, and she caught his eye as they were packing up their books. "Harry? Would you mind walking back to my room with me?"

There was something different. Instead of looking awkward and remembering something he should be doing, which he'd been doing whenever she suggested he hold or visit Martin, he beamed. "Yeah, I'd like that. I wanted to talk to you about something."

As soon as they reached the privacy of her room, Hermione dropped her bag on the bed and turned to Harry. "All right... why have you been frightening Ron?"

Harry blinked at her. "Frightening Ron?"

"He said you were polite to Professor Snape in Potions today." Hermione had been a little relieved when Severus had announced that it would be too disruptive for her to rejoin the class now, and that in any case she was too far behind to follow the class schedule now. Facing each other across a classroom would have been more than a little uncomfortable. "He thinks there's something terribly wrong."

Harry snickered. "Yeah, he kept trying to feel my forehead. I'll explain it to him later." He wandered over to the cradle, where Martin was fast asleep with Dilly hovering over him. "Hermione? Can I hold him?"

Hermione usually went right to the baby and cuddled him for a while after being away at a class, but since this was the first time Harry had actually wanted to hold him... "Of course. Don't forget to support his head."

"I won't." Harry scooped Martin up a bit awkwardly, holding him against his chest. "Listen, I wanted to talk to you. I know I've been a bit... well... not exactly thrilled about Martin."

"I did sort of get that impression." Hermione frowned. "Harry, I'd understand if you don't want to be his godfather. It's a big responsibility -"

"No, I do want to. Well, I do now." Harry smiled down at the baby. "I was just... um... a bit jealous. And I didn't realise that was what it was until last night."

Hermione gave him a puzzled look. "Jealous?"

"Well, yeah." Harry sighed, sitting down in one of the small armchairs. "Hermione, you've been protecting me since our first year. You're always trying to get me out of trouble or keep me from getting into it. Every time we've had a big fight it's been because you were trying to protect me and I didn't want you to. Except for Sirius, you're the only person who's ever... I don't know. Put me first. Everyone else has their own family who's more important than me." He shrugged, going red with obvious embarrassment. "I never really thought about it. You were just... always there for me. And then you had Martin and I was jealous because he was more important to you than me."

"Oh, Harry..." Hermione sniffed, going over to sit on the arm of his chair and hug him tightly. "I had no idea. You know having Martin doesn't make me care about you any less, don't you?"

Harry rested his head on her shoulder, making a little contented noise. "Yeah, I know that really. I just... I never had to share you before. Ron was different."

Hermione nodded. "I understand. I really do."

"Good. Because it's not that I don't like Martin. And I do want to be his godfather. I just... you know. Had to think it through."

Hermione frowned. "How did you think it through, anyway? Self-examination isn't usually your favourite occupation."

Harry blushed again. "Well... last night Madam Pomfrey had to go to St Mungo's with Orla Quirke, the girl who tried to kill me, and she left Snape in the hospital wing to keep an eye on me if I woke up. And I did wake up, but I was a bit... out of it. You know what I'm like when I drink?"

"Oh dear." Hermione tried really hard not to grin, but she couldn't help it. "Did you giggle at him?"

"I explained to him that I couldn't get out of bed because while I could see that my knees were there, they didn't feel like they were there, and I really didn't think I should try walking until they were completely with me." Harry grinned sheepishly. "And I told him that you'd been telling me for years that he wasn't really trying to poison me, but that I hadn't paid any attention to you because I don't like him."

"Oh, no..." Hermione covered her mouth with one hand, staring at Harry in horror. "What did he say?"

"He said something about intoxication, and that he knew quite well that I didn't like him and that our mutual dislike was one of the few things we had in common. He seemed to think it was kind of funny, though."

"Thank goodness." Hermione suppressed a shudder. If Martin's father and Martin's godfather had actually come to open conflict, the cat would have been out of the bag almost immediately. They were both inclined to blurt things out when they got angry.

"It was weird. I was being really earnest and dumb, the way I am when I'm out of it, and he was... well, he didn't call me stupid even once, and it would actually have been justified for once." Harry wrinkled his nose, absently jiggling Martin, who'd woken up and was making burbling noises. "I hate to admit it, but you were right about being civil to him. He does seem willing to do the same, even if we still don't like each other much."

"And that's why you were frightening Ron?"

"That's why we were frightening Ron." Harry grinned. "We seem to have a sort of unspoken truce for now. I don't like him, he doesn't like me, but we can behave like adults about it."

"Wonders never cease." Martin started to grizzle, and Hermione took him. "He's hungry. You can run away if you like."

"No, I won't run away." Harry looked away hastily. "I just won't look. It's... well, you're like a big sister to me. There are bits of you I'm not comfortable with seeing."

Hermione considered that, as she unbuttoned her robes and settled Martin into position, and winced. "Yeah, I can see your point. I wouldn't really want to see any of your bits and bobbles either."

Harry was resolutely facing the other way, but the tips of his ears were bright red. "Good, because you're never going to."

Hermione nobly refrained from telling him that Ginny had - against Hermione's will - already given her a fairly precise description. Very little embarrassed Ginny, and she'd felt the need to retaliate after the comment about Ron's nether regions during the carriage ride at the start of the year. "Would you and Ron like to have breakfast with me tomorrow? And Ginny too, of course. Dilly brings me mine, now, and I'm sure she could bring enough for all of us - although Ron's share might require a second trip."

Severus stormed down the corridor towards his office, fuming. Two hours. He had two hours to play chess with Hermione, in all the week, now that most of the time he could spend with her was taken up by brewing. Only two hours in which he could look at her, talk to her, have her attention on him instead of mandrake roots or knarl quills.

Having a full twenty minutes out of that two hours taken up by a stupid, pointless scene in the Slytherin common room had had him on the point of simply resolving the situation by turning both combatants - as well as the girl they were arguing over - into toads. Especially since the disturbance had started before their scheduled meeting time. Hermione might not be there at all. She might have tired of waiting and left. He might have to wait another week. And there were so few weeks left before the N.E.W.T.s - if those lust-riddled adolescent idiots had cost him two hours of the time he had left with her, he really would turn them into toads.

He let out a long breath when he saw the light gleaming under his office door. She was still there. He hadn't missed it entirely. He had at least an hour and a half left. He took a precious minute to compose himself, then opened the door.

And stared for a long moment before turning hastily, backing up just enough to close the door and stare at it. "I do apologize, Miss Granger."

"I'm the one who should apologize." She sounded embarrassed, and he closed his eyes. Her hair was hanging down over one shoulder in a thick braid, and a fold of her robe had been drawn across to preserve modesty as she gazed down at their son with an intently tender expression. He could see it as clearly as if he was still looking at her. "I had Dilly bring him down when I saw your note, since it said you might be some time. And he started to cry, and... well. It only takes a minute."

"Of course." Severus swallowed hard. "I quite understand." He turned, careful not to look at her, and went to the tray on his desk. His hands trembled slightly as he poured a cup of tea for himself. "Would you care for some tea?"

"Yes, please." Hermione was moving around behind him and by the time he turned cautiously, tea in hand, her robes were buttoned once again. Martin had been tucked into a nest of blankets in what looked to Severus like a very small laundry basket with outsized handles, which was floating at about the same level as the table. "I can call Dilly to take him back to my room, if you'd prefer."

"That will not be necessary." He had never asked her to bring the child, carefully avoiding any expression of undue interest. Now that he had the chance to see his son, however, there was no point in wasting it. "He seems quiet enough."

"For now, anyway." Hermione smiled at her son, touching the edge of the basket and setting it to rocking gently. "You should hear him when he's unhappy. He sounds like a baby banshee."

"They all do, or so I'm told. He looks -" Severus broke off sharply, hearing the door behind him creak open. He turned to see the door stop only a few inches ajar, and looked down to see Akilah's striped face and light brown eyes. A little worried, he looked back at Hermione. "Are Kneazles to be trusted with babies?"

"Crooks likes him," Hermione said dubiously. "She probably just wants to see what the funny-smelling thing I brought with me is." Even so, she moved a little closer to her son, extending a hand to hover protectively over him.

Akilah ignored both of them, jumping up onto the chessboard so lightly that not a single chess piece shifted on its square. Standing on the edge, she extended a paw towards the floating basket, trying to pull it towards her. Patting it started it rocking again, but it remained otherwise steady. Akilah crouched, and before either of them could stop her, had jumped lightly onto the edge of the basket itself. She stared in apparent fascination at the baby, then turned to look over her shoulder at Severus. "Yes," Severus said quietly, feeling a little foolish but answering the unspoken question. "He is my son."

Akilah turned back to Martin, craning her neck to very gently nose the baby's cheek. Martin stirred, waving a tiny hand that hit Akilah across the ear. She didn't seem to object, although Hermione reached out hastily towards her. Instead she started to purr, carefully tucking herself in beside Martin and nuzzling him affectionately. "I think she likes him," Hermione said quietly, as Martin cooed and drifted back off to sleep.

"I believe she does." Severus reached out to smooth Akilah's fur lightly, his fingertips quite coincidentally brushing his son's small, furled fist. Then, belatedly, he realised that he was still holding Hermione's teacup and saucer, and he offered them to her. "Shall we begin?"

"We shall." She smiled at him, a smile as warm as any she might lavish on Potter or Weasley. "I'm feeling confident tonight. I might even take more than two or three of your pieces without you letting me."

"Perhaps." Maybe he could stretch the meeting out just a little, enough to make up those twenty lost minutes. If they managed to get a good game going...

They played in silence for a few minutes. Hermione had improved by leaps and bounds, and she was no longer the only one who had to weigh up her move before making it. He was wavering between a knight and an intrepid pawn when she spoke again. "You and Harry frightened Ron badly in Potions today. He said you were actually being polite to each other. He kept trying to feel Harry's forehead when you weren't looking."

Severus smirked. The bewildered, increasingly nervous expression on the Weasley boy's face had been greatly amusing, and quite worth the effort of being civil to Potter. Who had, to Severus's great surprise, behaved himself perfectly. Perhaps Hermione was right and the boy wasn't a complete baboon. "I noticed. I am quite certain that Miss Patil now suspects him of harbouring a secret lust for Mr Potter, given how often he grabbed at him today."

Hermione laughed, covering her mouth with one hand. "Oh, dear. Harry explained to me that the two of you had reached a sort of... unspoken truce. After having a quite civil conversation."

"Yes." Severus would have been tempted to deny it and insist that Potter was delusional if anyone else had asked. But Hermione was fond of the boy, and she looked so pleased that Severus had been polite to him. "He is... entertaining when intoxicated."

"Oh, that he is." Hermione grinned impishly. "I've only ever seen him drink twice, and both times he talked very earnestly, at great length, about everything that came into his head. As far as I know, he's been too embarrassed ever to touch alcohol again since he announced in front of a number of people that Angelina had nice knockers but that Ginny's were better. Angelina and Ginny were both right there at the time."

Severus nearly choked on his tea. "And he survived?"

"Oh, yes. He was being so sincere about it that they didn't have the heart to kill him. It was very funny, and he was absolutely mortified the next day." Hermione shook her head, smiling as she moved her pawn. "Even you didn't have the heart to be rude to him, and Ginny likes him a great deal more than you do."

"I admit, he was far less irritating than usual while intoxicated." He glanced at Hermione, who was leaning over to tuck the blanket closer around their son. "But you should be more worried about your bishop than your friend." He took it, smirking. "I do hope you've seen the danger you're now in."

"Honestly, you're as bad as Ron." But she smiled at him, and bent over the chess board again.

"And don't forget to put the lotion on that little rash," Hermione said, leaning over to kiss Martin's downy head. "Mummy will be back in a couple of hours, darling. Be good." He always was, and in any case couldn't understand a word she was saying yet, but it was good to talk to babies as much as possible, according to most of the books.

Martin burbled and Dilly beamed. "Dilly will not forget, Miss," she said brightly. "Enjoy your class, Miss."

"It's weird," Ginny said thoughtfully. "That doesn't look weird."

"It's weird that something doesn't look weird?" Ron had, as Hermione had predicted, eaten more breakfast than anyone else. He was still the first out of her door, seven sausages not having slowed him down even slightly. "How does that work?"

"Well, imagine, say, Lavender or Parkinson doing that. It'd look weird." Ginny followed Ron out of the room. Harry followed her, and Hermione gave Martin one more kiss and followed. "Hermione really looks like someone's mum, you know?"

"I'm going to take that as a compliment." Hermione grinned at Ginny, who returned it. "Even though I'm sure not everyone would."

"It was supposed to be one. Most girls your age can't pull off a proper mum attitude, but you're good at it. And-" Ginny cocked her head. "What was that?"

"Sounded like someone shouting 'Aha'. Come on." Ron led the way down the hall. Several members of staff had rooms on this floor, and the noise seemed to be coming from that corridor.

Rounding the last corner, they walked into what sounded like the end of a tirade. "... sneaking my cousin into the castle!" Draco Malfoy was shouting, with his wand out and his face pale pink with fury. "Treating her like some common tart!"

Draco Malfoy was confronting Professor Lupin, who was currently backed up against the door of his own rooms. Tonks, looking ready to die of embarrassment, was trying to sink into the stone of the wall beside him. She was wearing black robes that looked at a glance much like the student robes, and Hermione winced. Sneaking your girlfriend in and out of your room was a bad idea in and of itself. Sneaking her in and out disguised as a student... well, it was tasteless at the very least. That might be why Professors Vector and Hooch were doing nothing to intervene. Vector looked shocked, and Hooch very amused.

Lupin, obviously both furious and horribly embarrassed, drew himself up to his full height. "Mr Malfoy, this is none of your concern."

"None of my concern?" Draco's voice rose. "Her branch of the family might not have always gotten along with mine, but that doesn't mean I'm going to stand for anyone treating her so shabbily!"

"Why not?" Tonks asked, her hair as red as her face now. Draco gave her a startled look, and she scuffed at the floor with one foot. "I mean, we've only actually met a couple of times, it's not as if we've had a chance to get attached or anything."

"You're still family," Draco said, as if this should be obvious. "And nobody is going to behave as if a decent girl from my family is some kind of Knockturn Alley whore to be smuggled in and smuggled out for one bloody obvious purpose!"

Lupin made an outraged noise. "I most certainly did not-"

"I smuggled myself in, actually." Tonks looked even more embarrassed. "We don't get to see each other much during term, and... uh..."

"Then you should know better!" Draco brandished his wand at her. "You deserve better than someone who lets you sneak around and behave like a trollop for his benefit! And what are his intentions? Has he said? I know he bloody well hasn't said anything to your parents, he hasn't even met them, I wrote to Mother and asked as soon as I found out about this!"

Tonks looked rather gobsmacked. Hermione thought she detected outrage at being called a trollop warring with gratification at Draco's obvious interest in her welfare. "I..."

"That is uncalled for!" Lupin stepped forward, clearly furious now. "Mr Malfoy, whatever my relationship with Nymphadora-"

"Relationship? This isn't a relationship, it's a surreptitious shag!" Draco sneered. "If it was a relationship, her mother would have met you. I wouldn't have found out from Order gossip. If this was a relationship you wouldn't be sneaking her out dressed like a student!" He gave Lupin a contemptuous look. "Unless you just like that sort of thing. She is a lot younger than you are."

Lupin snarled, his usually mild, inoffensive expression slipping rather badly. "One more filthy implication, Mr Malfoy, and you will have detention for a month."

"No." Draco pointed his wand directly at Lupin. "This is not a classroom. I suffer through your boring and elementary Defense against the Dark Arts classes with some degree of civility, because I know that they are a requirement and that you are owed some respect as their teacher. But here and now you are not a teacher, you are the man who is attempting to cover up the fact that he's been fucking my cousin in secret, without so much as publically acknowledging your relationship with her, and I owe you neither respect nor courtesy. As the only member of her family present, either you are going to state your intentions to me here and now or you and I will go outside and I will hex your damned balls off, do you understand me?"

"Hey!" Harry dropped his bag and stepped forward before Hermione could stop him. Drawing his wand, he moved forward until he was almost, not quite, between Lupin and Draco. "That's enough, Malfoy. Back off."

"Stay out of this, Potter."

"No. You can't just -"

Draco swung around to look at him. "Tell me, Potter," he said, and for the first time in the history of his confrontations with Harry, he actually sounded reasonable instead of vicious. "If you caught him sneaking Hermione out of that bedroom, not having told her parents or anyone else how they were carrying on, exactly what would you be doing right now?"

Harry paused, glancing back at Hermione. "That's... different."

"I'll concede that Tonks and I aren't close, but she's still family. And while Hermione wouldn't be caught in this situation, because she'd hex anyone who tried to treat her like this, what would you do if she was?"

Harry glanced at Remus again - and while Hermione stared in surprise, he nodded slowly, lowering his wand and stepping back. "Yeah. Good point."

Draco nodded. "Weasley?"

Ron looked down at Ginny, then shrugged. "Do you see me with my wand out?"

"Do I get any say in this, or is the stupid posturing for boys only?" Tonks asked, and her wand was in her hand now. "Draco, it's... bizarrely sweet that you're concerned with my virtue, but I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

"But you're not, obviously. For some mysterious reason you actually seem to like him, and he obviously thinks that because your father was Muggle-born, he doesn't think he has to treat you with the respect you merit," Draco said, giving Lupin a venomous look. "I'm not such a dedicated traditionalist that I'd insist on at least a betrothal or anything before you start carrying on -"

"I should bloody well hope not!" Tonks snorted.

"But I won't stand by and let you throw yourself away on someone who doesn't respect you enough to admit to being involved with you!" Draco actually poked Tonks in the sternum with the tip of his wand. "And unless he states his intentions, honourable or otherwise, I am going to take him outside, by force if I have to, and render the question academic."

Tonks glanced at Lupin, who looked miserable. "Draco, it's not that simple. He's a werewolf, remember?"

Draco looked from Tonks to Lupin and back again. "So? That means he can't have manners? My father was a mass-murdering psychopath and he had manners."

"That's debatable," Ginny muttered.

"Sh. He just didn't waste them on common people like us," Hermione murmured.

"It's not an issue of manners, Draco. If people knew... they wouldn't understand."

Draco raised an eyebrow. "Really." He turned to Lupin. "Is that your excuse, then? You're a werewolf, so you're excused from acknowledging the relationship because people won't understand?"

Lupin winced. "You don't know what it's like," he said, looking away.

"Of course I don't. I have no idea what it could possibly be like to be vilified for having a bloodline I didn't choose. Or to be suspected of being in league with the forces of bloody darkness no matter what I do to try to prove otherwise." Draco grabbed the front of Lupin's robes, dragging him forward and lifting the stump of his maimed arm between them so Lupin had to look at it. "Oh, I have no fucking idea what that could be like!"

Hooch finally moved to intervene, by the simple expident of grabbing each man by the shoulder and moving her hands apart. "That's enough, Malfoy. You want to get physical, you take it outside."

"Gladly." Draco glared at Lupin, shrugging his robes back into place. "Unless he's afraid."

"You think he's afraid of you?" Tonks asked, scowling.

"He should be. I could feed him his own ears with my remaining hand tied behind my back, and he knows it." Draco gave Lupin a dismissive look. "He's not actually bad at it, but he's not a real fighter. Either of the Creeveys could take him, including the one who only has half his face, let alone Potter or me."

"You think so?" Lupin was showing a great many teeth, and Hermione would have been willing to bet that his hackles were up.

"I've seen you fight." Draco shrugged. "You're good. You're just not as good as I am."

"He's right," Ginny said, and everyone turned to look at her. "Well, he is. I've fought with both of them. Draco's better."

"Which is a moot point, because they're not going to be fighting," Tonks said, folding her arms and glaring at both of them. "Draco, Remus and I will talk about this. A public announcement would have ramifications for my career, that's one of the reasons we've held off."

Draco nodded. "That's no reason for him not to at least meet your parents, but all right. You should discuss it between yourselves first."

"I'm so glad you agree." Tonks turned to Lupin, who quailed. "And Remus, Draco's right. I'm not going to sneak around anymore. And you're going to meet my parents, at the very least."

"We'll talk about this in private. Later," Lupin said, trying to sound firm. "The bell is going to go at any moment, and everyone needs to get to class."

"And I need to sneak out. I know. But we will talk later." Tonks kissed him on the cheek, which made Lupin go crimson with embarrassment, and then commenced sneaking. The others scattered, Professor Vector dashing for the Arithmancy classroom with Hermione and Draco following her at a more sedate pace.

"Teachers aren't allowed overnight guests unless they're married," Draco muttered. "That rule's been in place since 1271. Just wait until McGonagall finds out about this."

"You're going to tell on him to the Headmistress as well as threatening and embarrassing him?" Hermione gave him a reproachful look. "Draco, that's going a bit far."

"It is not." Draco hitched his bag higher on his shoulder, frowning. "Lupin's inclined to let things slide until he's forced to deal with them, from what I've seen. So I'll force him to deal with them. And if he doesn't treat her well I really will duel him."

"Tonks is right." Hermione smiled at him. "That's bizarrely sweet."

Draco went faintly pink. "She's family. If you don't have family, you don't have anything. That was something Voldemort never understood about pure-bloods - family is important. You protect the bloodline as a whole, not just your own part of it."

"Family is important, and it's not just a pure-blood thing." Hermione nodded. Draco might still have his blind spots, but a desire to see one of his few living relatives happy and well-treated was a good thing. "And not just genetic family, either. I mean, if you don't have much in the way of family, you can always adopt them. Like me and Harry."

Draco tensed, and to Hermione's puzzlement the purpose seemed suddenly to drain out of him. He stopped walking, his head lowered and his face suddenly weary and sad. "Protecting the people who care about you, not just the ones you're related to."

"Well... yes. What's wrong?"

He shook his head. "Nothing. Family's just a bit of a... fraught... subject for me."

He changed the subject, then, and remembering his stricken expression, Hermione didn't have the heart to try to change it back.