Chapter 3- Life Debt

I didn't bother to hide my astonishment. I'd been so sure I would have to Oblivate him too.

Malfoy smirked at my surprise, though it seemed half- hearted. I wanted to shake him until he gave me answers, even though I had a monumentally easier way that involved violating his mind. I could know every aspect of his life in about…7 seconds. I was that good, not that I'm bragging of course, it's just good to know your limits.

I opened my mouth to speak then closed it. What could I say that wouldn't give me away?

"Why are you agreeing?" I asked finally, throwing caution to the wind just this once.

He lost his cheerful smirk and his face seemed haunted by…something. I was half tempted to just ask, but what he said next interrupted my though process.

"You could have killed me. I thought you were going to." He said softly. I ran both my hands threw my hair in frustration. How could I be so bloody stupid! We had a stupid life debt now. I really hated those things.

"I don't know how to kill anyone." I said feebly, and I could tell my lame protest wouldn't work.

" Nice try, I've gotten away with a lot of shit, but this isn't going to be part of that. I owe you my life."

I wanted to crawl into a cave and bash my head in. This couldn't be happening to me, not again.

"Where's Severus, I have something I need to tell him." Malfoy moved his hand subconsciously to his left thigh. I felt my eyes narrow as I looked at the growing red spot on his torn robes. He covered the spot quickly, but carefully enough not to touch it. That was enough to convince me he had another injury. Madam Pomfrey was sleeping and I knew I could handle it.

"I could heal that." I said firmly. He didn't really have a choice because I wasn't going to go find Severus when he didn't even remember Draco's attack.

"I don't think that's necessary, Granger." He said stiffly. Awww….Malfoy was …embarrassed? It would have been more funny if I wasn't a little myself.

"I oblivated Severus. He doesn't remember the last…..3 hours. Your stuck with me and Madam Pomfrey is out of the question. Now are you going or be willing or unwilling?" I asked with a predatory smile.

"Fine, just do it quick."

Another shock, of course I'd thought he'd fight me till the end. What was wrong with him? Had I addled his brain somewhat with my stun?

I cut away the fabric around the wound. Ha, it was a piece of my desk lodged into his thigh.

"I could do this painfully, but I wont." I said at last. He'd made it obvious that he hadn't wanted to attack me. I could live with that. If he hadn't surprised me so much earlier I think I might have killed him anyway, so I thought forgiveness was in order.

I pulled out the piece of wood easily and sealed up the skin. Malfoy looked a bit green from the blood, but was fine other than that.

"You should go back to your room, no one will know you were here and you cant tell anyone you were. Understood?" I asked sharply, noticing the time.

"I get it, I'm not incompetent."

I resisted a sarcastic remark at that. I slipped off my shoes and shrunk them to fit into my pockets. My muggle clothes weren't too out of the ordinary here, especially since no one was here, so I didn't need to change.

I could feel Malfoy's gaze on me as we both left the infirmary. He hesitated before heading down to the Slytherin dorms. I waited until he was out of sight to connect to the wards surround him. I had to make sure he actually went and didn't go warn Severus.

He was making a wrong turn. He wasn't going to Serverus or to his dorm. He was going to the Room of Requirement.

Why would he go there? I wanted to go find out why, but I needed to sleep so I could wide awake tomorrow. I've been needing to research all summer and haven't been able to. I can finally find out what's happening to my magic. Is it spiking so much in power because it's leaving? Or does this happen to all muggleborns? I didn't think that was likely, but I would be the first muggleborn to come of age this year. I knew my power level was three times Harry's and maybe just a bit more that Dumbledore's. No one really knew how much power Dumbledore really had.

My bare feet padded across the cold stone flooring, that I always found impracticable. Why would they want stone floor with kids around? Granted most of us were older, but the 11 and 12 year olds weren't the most graceful lot.

I loved doing this. Connecting to the wards was a refreshing experience. It made me feel alive. I knew that Ginny and Harry were making out in the common room, I knew Ron was skulking in his room with Seamus. I knew that McGonagall was grading essays for first years in her office. I could feel everything and everyone, even though I could see them. If was…amazing. The castle wasn't completely animate. The magic put into it, gave it….a personality I guess you could say. It could think, to an extent, and it could perform magic. It do so very often, because the magic it used came from the ward the four founder put of over a thousand years ago.

"Miss Granger!"

Damn it. I hadn't been paying attention to Severus. I completely forgot that he did rounds of his own every night. The fastest escape route was right up the stair in front of me, but I wouldn't make it alive. I was doing a really poor job of covering my track today.

"Miss Granger!" he hissed sharply. I hated him for this, I really did. I turned to face him, aware that I looked like a fool without shoes and with torn, dirtied cloths on.

I made eye contact out of courtesy, but I knew that was a mistake. I hadn't been thorough enough in my Oblivate. I'd been afraid I would hurt him, so I didn't use enough power. He was suspicious so he tried to look into my mind. He looked stunned when he met all my mental barriers. He tried, really tried to break them, and once he made it through, but I was more powerful than him still.

"Severus, enough is enough, you wont make it through my shields." I said icily after ten minutes of his pilfering.

He lowered his wand and stared at me wordlessly. I waited and waited, but he said nothing.

"McGonagall is coming." I said softly to him, about to run off to my room, because I really need some sleep. He had other plans of course.

"Professor." I greeted her when she came to us. He probably thought I'd seen her coming. It was good no one knew about my connection to the castle.

"Severus, Hermione. What's going on?"

"Miss Granger has something she needs to tell…everyone." Severus snarled. His ego was just hurt because he couldn't get through my mental shields. Men.

"I'm afraid I don't, Severus and I just had a argument. You know how we get." I assured her and she immediately relaxed. She would believe me over an angry Severus any day.

"Severus, let Miss Granger have a pass and you can continue this later. I'm sure we're all tired. The headmaster informed me of her attack and I think she needs rest. Come, Severus."

Severus couldn't really argue and I breathed out in relief when they were gone. Now I could rest.

A/N: I hope everyone likes this chapter! Reviews Please!