A/N: Thank you everyone who has reviewed. I think I finally caught up on all of the reviews, though there were a few that it wouldn't let me reply to. If i didn't reply to you're review, I"m sorry but it wouldn't let me for some strange reason. But I do thank you for your reviews even if I didn't get back to you on them.

I know I am behind on my updates so I'm posting this today and I'll try to post again late tonight or in the morning. Thank you again to everyone adding me to their alerts or favorites story/authors. The responses to this are utterly astounding. In answer to everyone Chirstmas morning is coming very soon I promise.

Take Care everyone and as always Read and Review.

Chapter 12

Her Christmas break went by smoothly enough. She spent just about all of it with Severus. They read while sitting together, had a lot of sex, she even got him to go outside with her a few times to enjoy the snow falling. They even made it back to the Three Broomsticks where she ended up drinking a bit too much again, and to his delight she was even more wild in bed after being drunk.

He would have felt a bit guilty, feeling like he took advantage of her in her inebriated state, if she hadn't been the one to attack him repeatedly that night. Not giving him a chance to try to sober her up first. He had been expecting her to be a bit mad the next morning when she woke up naked in his bed like she had every morning since the first, but she had smiled at him and sheepishly said she was sorry for her actions. Embarrassed that she had been so demanding the night before.

He had shown her quite thoroughly that he hadn't minded in the least. Due to his repetitive ways of showing her just how happy he had been with her the night before, they ended up missing breakfast and lunch. Not that either one cared. They just called to an elf, asking for some food, and stayed in his bed the rest of the day.

Not leaving it until it was time for dinner, and she commented on needing refueling before they did anything else. She wouldn't even shower with him, knowing they wouldn't make it thru without one of them attacking the other. Her refusal disappointed him greatly, but he decided he had to give her a break. Especially with how much he had abused her small, lusciousness body that day, not that she had complained once. She had done a bit of abusing of her own to him too.

Of course after dinner, she had all but dragged him into his classroom, where he got to play the strict professor once again, one of his favorite games with her. Her being his student and in serious need of discipline or guidance. He happily gave both though for the sake of the game he gave it his all to seem strict and serious, and it always ended up with them both naked and quite satisfied afterward.

They gathered their clothes up and made their way to his bed to start all over again. Both exhausted and passing out wrapped together in his bed.

They had tried her being the professor and him being the student, but it hadn't worked out that well, so now she was always the student. She didn't play the harsh professor very well, and he couldn't pull off being a submissive student. Both happy in their game with him in charge, so they didn't try it again any other way.

One thing she didn't do was study a single bit. She didn't even feel the least bit guilty over it either. Normally she would have, or would have had her face buried in some kind of text book due to boredom, but not this year. This year she was quite occupied with other things. All pertaining to a certain potions professor.

She rarely made it back to her dorms during the holiday break either. There wasn't a reason to. No one was there to see if she didn't make it back to her bed. All of Gryffindor was gone for the break accept Hermione.

The school was so empty this year they didn't even separate the houses for meals. All the students filled one table with plenty of room left over. She did her best to ignore Snape during the meals but she was finding it harder and harder not to sneak glances his way.

He found he liked waking to her back pressed into his chest every morning, some mornings with her hair tickling his face. It was a change from his normal routine, and gave him a chance to seduce her while she was still soft and warm from sleep. Though he tended to be a bit more gentle with her first thing in the morning.

Letting her body slowly heat to him instead of causing the instant blaze he normally did. Granted it always ended with the raging fire between them, usually after he or she started another round after fully waking up with the first one.

She now had a toothbrush in his bathroom, and a few spare sets of clothes in case hers were too badly damaged the night before. Or just unwearable with all the wrinkles or creases. It was easier this way than for her to try and explain the state her clothes were in if she ran into anyone on her way back to her dorm. Or why she was in the clothes from the day before.

Once safely in her rooms she always repaired the damage to anything that was ripped or torn with her wand. She could have done it in his room, but this was easier for some reason. Then she would shower since if she took one with Snape,they never really got clean, and change for the day.

She went to her parents home a few days before Christmas, apparating into the backyard and walking inside after knocking. She never understood her need to knock at her own home, considering at the Burrow or at Grimmuald Place she just walked right inside without knocking.

Maybe it just showed the other places felt more like home to her. Oh, she loved her parents but they just didn't understand her or her magical ways. The visit was a bit awkward, but she gave them their gifts and they gave her hers. They had dinner and a pleasant enough visit, but as before, things were strained. There were a few incidences where Hermione used her magic to help her mother and her mother raged at her for using it.

She had never been more glad for it ending as she had that day. She had apparated back to the gates and made her way to see McGonnigal to let her know she was back as requested. Minerva saw the strain around the young woman's eyes and asked if everything was alright.

Hermione tried to tell Minerva that everything was fine, but she knew that the headmistress knew she was lying. Minerva just let her know that she was there when she was ready to talk about it. Suggesting she go rest to make her feel better.

Hermione had seen something in the Headmistress's eyes at her comment, but didn't stick around to figure it out. She just went to the dungeons as the pain of her parents lack of welcome and attitude had started to close around her. Fighting to keep it away as she almost couldn't breathe with it pounding in her chest more and more with each step. She just walked in for the first time without knocking, surprising Snape with her actions as he sat reading on the couch once again.

Seeing the strain and pain in his lover's eyes and all over her face, he just opened his arms and let her collapse in them while sitting in his lap. Something that, had she not been fighting her tears she might have questioned. Tears escaping her as the strain of the visit came crashing down on her harder and harder until she couldn't take it anymore. She gave up fighting and let her grief pour out of her.

Snape didn't know why she was crying but held her while she did. Rocking her gently and stroking her back and hair. He tried to see into her thoughts, but found his way blocked by her grief. A solid wall she had erected to protect herself, not even realizing she was blocking him out too. Not that she knew he ever looked inside.

So he was forced to wait until her tears subsided and she felt up to telling him what happened. She hadn't looked physically hurt, so he figured it had to be mental anguish she was going thru. Though he intended to check her over later to be sure.

Once she felt the pain easing, she realized he was holding her while she cried on him. Amazed at his gentleness with her, and embarrassed by her actions, she slowly pulled away and sat on the sofa instead of his lap. Her wall still fully erect, keeping him out still as her hands fidgeted in her lap. He wasn't happy about it, but he couldn't ask her about it without letting her know that he scanned her thoughts from time to time.

She blushed and mumbled and apology for crying on him, something he just waved away impatiently as he asked what was wrong. She told him about her visit. Explained how it was almost like spending the day with strangers instead of her parents who were suppose to love her.

She told him about the anger she still saw in their eyes, the suspicion if she used any magic while at their house. She couldn't even use it to help in kitchen with something without her mother telling her in a harsh voice that she didn't want any magic in their home.

She had tried to hug them when she left, and again it felt like hugging a stranger. They had just patted her awkwardly, and Hermione just hadn't felt any love from them at all. Severus hated seeing her so sad and was angry that her parents could act that way with someone as loving as she was.

He tried gently pulling her back into his arms, but she hadn't let him. Her wall still fully surrounding her. He had tried to keep his anger from spilling out, not liking that she was shutting him out. Not just from her thoughts but physically as well. He could live with her not letting him into her mind while upset, but not with her keeping her distance from him physically too.

He had tried to be patient, which was something he wasn't by nature, but he had tried. After an hour of her still keeping her distance he had snapped at her. Telling her that he understood that she was upset but she was shutting him away and rejecting him just like her parents had done to her.

Her eyes had filled with intense anger and denial when she paused as she opened her mouth to argue. Just stopped and just stood there staring at him, until horror filled her eyes. Then she quickly crawled into his lap, all walls gone, vanishing at realizing he was right. She had never meant to shut him out, knowing he had been shut out and tossed aside his whole life. His own anger instantly draining as soon as she was in his arms again.

She apologized over and over again. Trying to explain that it wasn't him she was blocking. Her voice almost desperate as she tried to make him understand that she just had needed the walls and distance to keep the hurt at bay.

He had held her, stroking her back and hair again saying simply that he understood. Which he did, he had been rejected enough in his life to understand that need to protect yourself from anymore pain. He didn't tell her that, he simply kissed her softly and told her it was alright. That she could keep her walls if she needed to, just not to block him out as well as everyone else.

She had stayed in his lap, curled into him until she finally gave into the exhaustion from her long day and fell asleep in his arms. He had carried her to bed, where he again removed all of her uncomfortable clothes except for a soft t-shirt she had left in his rooms and her knickers.

He was about to strip and join her when he heard a voice in his fireplace. Since he always had his floo set to only let people call to him, never enter or see what was going on in his rooms, he walked over to it. He had set it so he was the only one allowed to floo in and out of it.

"Yes Headmistress?" He asked, annoyed at the interruption.

"Severus I would like to see you in my office please." She said, still only a voice.

"Now?" He asked thinking about how late it was.

"Yes, right now please." She said.

He sighed and flooed to her office, getting rid of the ash with a flick of his wand. Sitting down when she pointed at a chair, grumbling as he did so. He waited for her to speak having no clue why she would want to see him.

Minerva sat looking at him closely for a few moments, making his annoyance grow. "Severus I was wondering if you had seen Ms. Granger since her return from her parents."

He arched an eyebrow at the Headmistress. "Why would I have seen the little know-it-all?" He asked, though there wasn't any venom in his voice as he said it.

Minerva smiled softly at him. "I know she was upset and was merely wondering if you knew if she was alright now. I know you two are...friendly towards each other."

His other eyebrow raised. "Friendly?" He asked.

She sighed. "Severus I know you two have some sort of relationship which is none of my business now that she isn't your student and she is an adult. I just want to be sure she is alright. She looked very upset when she left my office and I was worried about her."

Severus sighed. "Is my relationship with her a problem?"

Minerva smiled softly at him again. "Not at all. I'm assuming it didn't start until after she wasn't a student?"

He nodded, not intending on telling her that he had invaded her dreams and thoughts prior to her not being his student. "We did not start our relationship, such as it is, until afterwards, yes." Carefully selecting his words as to not lie directly to the Headmistress.

Minerva frowned for a moment. Such as it is? "All I ask is for you to be careful with her and not hurt her if you can help it. She has been thru a lot this past year. I don't know how much you know, but her parents were not happy about her coming back this year. They never really liked her magical ability and now they hate it even more since she wiped their memories to protect them during the war. I don't know if they will ever forgive her fully."

"I did know some of it." He said, thinking about what he had overheard and what she had told him tonight. "She was upset earlier, but I think she will be okay now. She is asleep in my room now, where she fell asleep after her meltdown. Is that a problem?" He asked shifting again in his seat, hating that he was having conversation at all.

Minerva bit her cheek to keep from laughing at his obvious discomfort at telling her this. "No it isn't. It's probably best if she wasn't alone tonight after her ordeal. I'm assuming things didn't go well with her parents."

Severus snarled. "Bastards rejected their own daughter. How could they reject someone as kind and caring as she is?" He stood up, pacing with his rant. "Don't they understand how much they're hurting her with this stupidity of theirs?"

He stopped, realizing what all he just said. With a sigh he sat back down, angry at himself for letting his feelings on it out in front of the Headmistress. He used to be so good at keeping a tight control on the mask he showed the world. Hermione was changing that in him and he wasn't sure he liked it one bit.

Minerva watched him for a moment, knowing she had never seen him act like that over anyone. He really cares for her. With this in mind she chose her words painstakingly. "I doubt they do. I'm glad someone does though. She is alone this year. Her friends are gone from here. The Weasley girl not much help either right now, since she is wrapped up in her own life. I'm glad she has someone who cares for her. I'm glad you have her to care for you too."

Severus curled his lip, not liking how personal Minerva was being. "She cares about everyone. I'm not anyone special to her." The admission slipping out, annoying him even more.

Minerva frowned. "I highly doubt that is the case. She wouldn't have opened up to you or let you make her feel better if she didn't feel something. In any case, I happy for you both. Do you know what you're going to do once she graduates?"

Severus shrugged. "She'll probably go her way as I go mine."

The headmistress hoped that wasn't the case. She had seen a change in both of them these past few months. She would hate for them to lose what they had found together. Though she did wonder if they even realized what they had found yet.

She sighed. "I'm sure you'll both figure it all out and come to some kind of compromise. Its not impossible you know. I do appreciate both of your discretion with your relationship. None of the other staff or students are aware of it. Though if it does come out, I won't be upset over it. She is over age and she isn't your student so the parents can't be too upset either. Its hard to keep secrets in this place sometimes."

She smiled as he shifted nervously at the thought of others knowing about them. "I'll let you get some sleep Severus. Let me know if she needs anything."

He nodded and quickly left her office, flooing into his rooms again. He waved his wand to get rid of the ash on him and stood there thinking about Minerva's words.

"She wouldn't have opened up to you or let you make her feel better if she didn't feel something." Echoing around in his head. Did she feel something more towards him? Well, at least they didn't have to worry about the Headmistress finding out and being upset with them.

He went into his room, climbing in bed beside Hermione's sleeping body after removing all of his own clothes save for his black silk boxers and held her until he too fell asleep.

He normally slept naked, but didn't want to make her uncomfortable by climbing in naked without her knowledge. Just like the first night she had fallen asleep in his arms. Though he was sure she wouldn't mind too much since they had slept naked together just about every night since the Christmas break started. Though his not sleeping like he normally did was something else that was odd for him, but at this point he just accepted these new things without too many question. He knew why he did what he did. It was out of love for the woman in his arms.

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Hermione woke to a tapping on his window the next morning. Slipping silently out of her lover's arms and bed, she crept to the window and let the owl in. She saw it was Hedwig and after giving him a treat Severus kept next to his window for owls, she asked softly if Harry was waiting for a reply. At her hoot and nod, Hermione pointed to a perch for her to rest on.

Hedwig flew to it, waiting patiently. Hermione looked at the letter and saw it was a howler. She couldn't for the life of her figure out what she had done to anger her dear friend. She saw Severus standing in the doorway wearing his robe, watching her.

He raised an eyebrow at what she held in her hand that was starting to steam and smoke. "You might want to open that before it gets worse. I can leave if you want some privacy." He said. Seeing her shake her head no, he walked over to the sofa, taking a seat and waiting for her to open it.

She took a deep breath and opened it. "Hermione Jane Granger." It yelled in Harry's voice at her while floating in the air, the lips of the envelope moving as it continued. "I thought we were friends. I thought I could trust you to be honest with me." Snape frowned as he looked at her and seeing her perplexed look, he realized she had no idea what this was even about.

"I can't believe you knew about this the whole time and didn't say a word about it. Not even in your last letter. How could you not tell me? How you keep the fact that my fiancée kissed another guy a secret from me." Realizing what this was about she sighed.

"She told me you gave her advice about it weeks ago. How could you not tell me Mione? I thought I could trust you. You had better have a good explanation for this. Hedwig is instructed to wait for one for me too." The howler proceeded to shred itself and burst into flames before landing as cold ash on the floor.

Hermione sighed as she flicked her wand and cleaned up the ash on the carpet. "Damn Ginny. Why did she have do drag me into this?" She finally said softly.

She glanced at Hedwig. "This might take a while to reply, do you want to go to the owlery to wait and get some food? I'll bring it to you when I'm done." The owl hooted but didn't move. Obviously Harry had told her not to move an inch until he got a reply.

She sighed again. "Damn people and their damn drama." She muttered as her anger at her friends started building in her.

Snape stayed silent, seeing the rage in her eyes. Not that he blamed her, no one liked getting a howler, especially first thing in the morning. He called for an elf, asking for coffee for Hermione and tea for himself. Adding in a request for some food for the owl.

The elf smiled and popped out of the room to return moments later with what he asked for. Both parties thanked the elf who beamed before disappearing again with a pop. He handed her the coffee since it was made how he knew she liked it, and brought the bowl of food to the owl who hooted in thanks.

He drank his own tea as he watched her silently seethe as she sat on one of the cushion filled chairs. He finally spoke, hoping she didn't snap at him in her anger. "I can give you a few minutes alone to send your reply if you need." His silky voice soft in the silent room.

She turned her anger filled eyes at him. "That's alright. By the time I'm done I wouldn't doubt that half the wizarding world knows how angry at him I am. Bloody git. Its not my fault Ginny kissed another boy. It wasn't my place to tell him right away either. I figured it would be better to let her tell him first. I was giving her time to do it. If she hadn't told him, I would have told him."

"Maybe you should tell him that." He said.

She glared at him, though both knew she wasn't angry at him, before she jumped up to dig in her bag of books and quills she hadn't touched all during her break. Digging out what she needed, grabbing her wand too, she proceeded to make her own howler.

"Harry James Potter, you ignorant and arrogant prat. Don't you dare ever send me a stupid howler like that again, one I got before even getting any coffee or fully waking up before I received it. It's not my fault Ginny did what she did. I wasn't the one who kissed her, I didn't even say it was okay that she kissed some other boy. Don't yell at me because you're mad at her. I didn't tell you so she could have a chance to do so herself first. She is my friend too, you git. I was stuck in the middle of this mess. I would have told you if she didn't. But I'm not her ward or your spy so bugger off. You had better send one hell of an apology before I see you tomorrow at the Burrow or I might just save you the need for contraceptive spells or potions and hex that sensitive piece of anatomy right off your body. Say your goodbyes to it because I'm polishing my wand as we speak."

She sighed feeling a bit better, hearing Severus's chuckle she turned and glared at him. "What is so funny?" She growled at him.

He smirked at her. "I was just thinking that with your anger and sense of justice you would have made an excellent Slytherin."

She glared for a moment more at him before it turned into a smile and she started to laugh softly. "Maybe I would have."

They dressed and went down to breakfast, her hand tucked into his. He let her go ahead of him, as to not arouse suspicion. Even with Minerva's okay, he wasn't ready for everyone to know yet. He wasn't ready for her to question why she was with him after the students did. Which they were bound to do.