Disclaimer: See Prologue

I would like to thank those of you who have waited so patiently for this update. I know it has been a long time, but I'm finally settled into college and I think I'll be able to find a way from now on to juggle updates and all that. I also have a new story out called Kicking Buckets, for those of you who were requesting my Hermione/Sirius story. It'll be a bit slow updating the both of them, but I promise to do my best. Also, I'm not going to post a list of reviewers in this chapter, but starting next chapter, I will. So...if you want your name mentioned, review review review!

Yours,

Allison

Chapter 8

"We urge you all not to panic." Hermione said, her voice firm, as she looked out across the crowd. "Steps have already been taken to insure the safety of the muggleborns within the walls of Hogwarts." Draco stood beside her, their shoulders barely touching, and he nodded.

"Hogwarts has been so long divided that Minister Fudge thought to divide us further. This must not happen." He glanced to Hermione, who had taken the sonorus off of herself and was holding a whispered conversation with the strange new girl, Titian. "Rather, let us unite and use this attack against us as the excuse needed to do so."

"Also, the Hogsmeade weekend this week is cancelled. There will be a new schedule of Hogsmeade Trips to be posted here in the Great Hall tomorrow evening." Hermione added, causing Draco to look at her in surprise and a course of 'What?'s and 'No!'s to come from the gathered student body. "What has happened to Professor Snape on our own grounds cannot be excused." She stated, her voice firm. "It is clear to us that it is no longer in our best interests to remain idle in the face of this new law, hoping that the Ministry will eventually open its eyes to the devastation that it will cause and appeal it. By the time it is appealed, the majority of the population currently over the age of sixteen and under the age of seventy will have been effected."

Draco had no idea where she was going with this, but he took his cue from his fiery betrothed, taking a deep breath. "While we are taking the necessary steps towards protecting the students in our school, we must all make a sacrafice or two until those measures can be completed. And we must warn that any attempt to leave Hogwarts for Hogsmeade when it is not your turn will be met with rather extreme consequences."

"The new list of Hogsmeade weekends will be posted, as I have said, tomorrow evening." Hermione repeated. "Until then, we thank you for your cooperation. I would also like to introduce Titian Angelline and Theodore Krie. They will be assisting with the Hogsmeade visits and all that that entails. They will also be coming up with activities to allow us to unify. And now, in the words of our dear Headmaster, Tuck in!" The food appeared on the table and Hermione and Draco both took off their sonorus spells.

"You didn't tell me we were cancelling the Hogsmeade weekend this weekend!" Draco said, softly.

"I didn't know until Titian told me." She replied just as softly as they sat at the table with the Professors, serving to keep order in the school while the Headmaster and his Deputy Headmistress were holding a meeting with their Defense Professor to find out exactly what had happened with Fudge and to discuss what was being done.

"We can't discuss this with them?"

"Don't whine about it, Malfoy!" She snapped, ignoring the slight hurt look on his face...she'd been calling him Draco since the incident with Fudge. "We're going to be in Hogsmeade every single weekend supervising."

He looked at her in surprise. "Oh really. And whose bright idea was this, Granger?"

"Well, someone has to do it!" Hermione snapped. "We may as well put our prefect staff to good use! Besides, it was Professor Stryke's idea anyways. You have to admit, it has merit!"

"I have to do no such thing." He lifted his chin imperiously.

"Draco Malfoy, you are the most inFURIATING man I have ever met!" Hermione hissed.

"Well the feeling's mutual!" He snarled back in her face. Both had their fists clenched and were glaring at each other fit to kill. Ron and Harry looked up from the Gryffindor Table and gulped, looking over to meet Pansy and Blaise's eyes. Pansy held up a hand to stop them from moving, and then she settled back in her seat and watched with a smirk. Blaise looked at her in surprise for a moment before she said something. The Italian's face cleared and he snickered audibly, sitting back and picking up a piece of garlic toast, taking a bite.

Harry and Ron looked at each other before taking their cue from the Slytherins and sitting back to watch the show.

"I honestly don't believe you!" Hermione shrilled. "One minute you're clinging to me for dear life begging me not to let your favorite professor be taken away and the next you're...you're..."

"Oh! You're one to talk! Clinging to me like I'm the only person in the world you're safe around one moment and cursing me the next!" He snapped right back.

"Shove off, Malfoy!" Hermione snapped. "Who needs you?"

"Well Who needs you!" He snapped in return, spinning away from her to his left. "Excuse me, Madam Hooch? Might I switch seats with you?"

"Of course, dear boy." They switched and Hermione turned away to the professor to her right.

"Professor Snape...I'm sorry..." She said, softly. He lifted those bleary black eyes to hers.

"What am I to do now?" He asked, his voice holding a sort of hopelessness to it...and it broke Hermione's heart. Ever since he'd been returned to the castle, the professor had latched himself onto the head girl as if she were a lifeline. Indeed, even just a few minutes before, he'd tensed up when she and Draco had stood, ready to abandon his meal to accompany the young witch.

"You will live." She said, reaching into her sleeve and pulling something free, handing it to him. He stared at it, and then up at her.

"Your transfiguration skills...are beyond excellent...but..."

"Try it." Hermione said firmly. He looked at her sadly and stood up, clearly not expecting it to work as he pointed at Ron.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" The entirity of the Great Hall stared, jaws hanging open in amazement, as the Gryffindor shot skywards, screaming.

"BLOODY HELL!" Ron screamed.

None of the spectators were half as amazed, perhaps, as Severus Snape himself. He took great care to lower the redhead back into his seat carefully, but the second Ron was safe, he spun and stared at Hermione. "How...what...?"

"I transfigured a fake during your actual class. When I moved up to 'ask you a question' I switched your wand with the fake, and that was the one that Tonks broke." Hermione said, smiling. "Fudge was too busy sputtering at me to notice, and I daresay Tonks wasn't going to say a word."

The potions professor stood there for a good three minutes with his jaw moving soundlessly before he scooped up the Head Girl and hugged her with all of his might, spinning around. Setting her down once more, he looked at her. "I could kiss you for this, Hermione Granger. You are truly a remarkable young woman." He whispered, his eyes locked on hers.

Hermione laughed. "Don't get used to it, professor. None of us truly want to see the great 'bat' of the dungeons removed." She looked down at Harry pointedly. "No matter how much we may pretend."

The potions professor was quickly regaining his composure- and his control- by this time, and he nodded sternly. "I hope you don't think this gives you any excuse from homework." He said, sneer in place.

"I wouldn't dream of it, Professor Snape." Hermione smiled and sat, beginning to eat. The professor sat as well and leaned back over his food, his Snape-like demeanor truly back in place...which he proved when he levelled a hate-ridden smirk towards the boy that he'd shot to the ceiling earlier. Hermione herself finished eating silently and stood, grabbing her bookbag and walking silently out of the Great Hall.

SCENEBREAKSCENEBREAKSCENEBREAK

"Thirty points from Gryffindor for breathing too loudly!" The soft, sinister call was heard down the corridor.

"Oi, Hermione...you couldn't have let him wallow in despair for at least a day before you gave him back his wand?" Ron winced, watching the sobbing first year run past. "I think I rather liked the peace that it brought." The trio was walking to lunch the next day- Ron and Harry had forced Hermione and Draco to stop arguing over the list of Hogsmeade Weekends and get something to eat- and the evidence of the dark Professor's return was everywhere that they looked...especially the tallies of the House Points.

"I'm afraid he just wasn't Professor Snape without his wand, Ron." Hermione said, pausing to pat the first year on the back and whisper. "Thirty points to Gryffindor for a perfectly tidy uniform." The eleven year old had looked up at the Head Girl as if she were the savior and proceeded onwards to lunch with her head held high. Hermione had been quietly countering ninety percent of their newly restored Potions Professor's point reductions all the way down to the Great Hall, her own reasons just as ludicrous but just as hard to discount as his were.

"She's right, Ron...besides, it's not all that bad." Harry said, quietly. "He could be in jail right now, after all." He looked up and caught sight of the professor in question, glaring hatefully at the trio, and he winced. "Though...he does seem to be going out of his way not to favor you right now, Hermione..."

"Nonsense. Come along." She rolled her eyes at them and led the way to the black-robed being waiting at the end of the hall in ambush for the students. Stopping before him, she smiled. "Good day, Professor." With that, and a deep nod which he returned, she continued onwards with Harry and Ron staring hopelessly at her back.

As she walked over to the Gryffindor table, Hermione felt sinister eyes on her. Stopping, she turned and glanced around quickly. Her eyes landing on the Slytherin table, she caught Draco's neutral stare, and then her eyes swept the length of the table to land on a young boy who was staring at her with hatred in his eyes...looking for all intents and purposes like he'd love nothing more than to plunge a dagger into her. Shuddering, she turned back to Draco, who was staring at her questioningly now. Nodding to him, she smiled at Pansy- who had by this time turned to see who Draco was staring at- and proceeded to the Gryffindor table to sit with Ron and Harry.

Draco watched the woman that he was becoming increasingly confused about as she walked into the Great Hall. As if sensing his gaze, she turned and chocolate eyes met gray for a few minutes before the chocolate eyes slid off down the table, freezing for a moment. Draco paused and followed her gaze to see Ryne Leil...a sixth year Slytherin whom he was certain had petitioned for Hermione's hand. His eyes narrowed for a moment before he returned his gaze to his fiancee, who nodded to him and smiled at Pansy before walking off.

Draco narrowed his eyes again and stood, walking down the Slytherin table with Blaise on his heels. "Hello, Leil." He said, conversationally.

"Malfoy." The boy in question said, nodding imperiously.

"Was there any reason in particular that you were watching my fiancee, Leil?" Draco asked, keeping his voice light as he watched the boy narrow his eyes and turn to look at him.

"I was just anticipating the Christmas Ball, Malfoy. I figured you'd be a sport and pass her around." Draco couldn't have described the feeling that rushed through him if he'd stopped and tried. All he knew was that one second Leil was smirking up at him in that superior way, and the next the younger boy was being held by his throat against the wall.

"Let's get one thing clear, boy." Draco hissed, his eyes narrowing and his voice lowering ominously. "I. Do. Not. Share. Is that understood?"

Leil gulped. "Y-yes, of course."

"Good boy." Draco shoved him aside and stormed for the door, ignoring the stares of the Slytherin table. He stopped just at the doors and paused, turning to look to the Gryffindor table for reasons that he couldn't explain to himself, spying the worried chocolate eyes trained on him. He stared at her for several long moments before he walked hurriedly to the Gryffindor table.

Hermione watched the Slytherin start towards her, glancing towards her friends. "I'll talk to you later, I'm going to go on up and keep working on that list." She said, snatching up a sandwich and hurrying to meet Draco. He stopped and stared down at her, his face unreadable. "What is it?" She asked, softly.

"Not here." He looked away from her for a moment before grabbing her hand and leading her out of the Great Hall...never stopping until they were in their dorms. When they were there, he let go of her abruptly and began pacing, muttering to himself.

"Malfoy?" He ignored her. "Malfoy...?" Growling, he still didn't seem to hear. "Draco!" That brought him up short, spinning him around to glare at her for a moment before his glare fell away. "What is it?"

He crossed the room in three strides and kissed her. Hard.