COUNTERFEIT

VI

Severus Snape paced the pews. The heat of the burning late summer sun was magnified through the stained church windows. Beads of sweat were wiped hastily away by an impatient sweep of his long robes' sleeve.

The furball was late.

Snape raised his left hand, palm kissing the heavens and muttered a short spell. A cyan bottomed and violet tipped wisp of flame erupted hovering above his centre palm. A faint shape flickered within it.

"Is he not there yet, Severus?" The flickering silhouette spoke.

"No," Snape snapped, feeling cheated and agitated.

"Patience, Severus, he will be with you soon." The silhouette flickered one last time and went out.

Snape heaved a long sigh and dismissed the fire, "Very well...Albus."

It was ten very long minutes later that the church's heavy doors creaked behind Snape. A pair of heavy boots sounded on the wooden floor. The doors creaked shut again. "Severus," greeted the newcomer. Severus looked up at the muggle clock on the wall and scowled, half an hour late – the nerve of him.

He turned around and his narrowed eyes washed over the sore sight. "Remus," he muttered from between his clenched teeth.

Remus Lupin hastened to the Potions Master's side and handed him a brown paper wrapped parcel. Severus received it at arm length, his eyes hardened. Remus noticed with a sigh of irritation.

"We're associating on terms of acquainted partners in…business, Severus. No need of hostilities." Remus said tiredly. Severus merely grunted. Remus turned and rolled his eyes, "Let bygones be bygones…forgive and forget – I'm sure you've heard these sayings?"

"I can't forgive a man if he doesn't apologize, Remus," Severus snarled, turning to face the werewolf. Remus stood silent for a moment, emotions washing over his open face.

"Fine," he said finally, painfully. "I can't speak for Sirius or James…I can only speak for myself, and yes, I do apologize, for everything."

Snape straightened, satisfied. "Apology accepted…" He sniffed. Remus nodded and turned again to leave. He stopped at the door. Opening it he stopped, "On the next full moon Greyback has arranged a meeting with the Malfoy boy, Albus wanted me to intercept the exchange if possible…so I was wondering if…"

"I'll meet you by the Whooping Willow half past midnight," Severus said quietly, his voice carried to Remus's ear only as hollow echoes vibrating from the high wooden beams upholding the church's arching roof, "…and make sure you drink the potion before you come."

At the door, with his back to Snape, Remus smiled faintly. A pleasantly odd sense of irony washed over him. "Thanks." He whispered, almost sure that Severus hadn't heard him, and exited.

In between the two front pews, Snape stood with the parcel heavy in his arms, the werewolf's short appreciative whisper clear in his mind.

---

Hermione's heart gave a thud. She craned her neck and looked down. She couldn't see him anywhere. Now her hands had let go of the trunk altogether. Instead, they clutched the branch she was sitting on.

An owl hooted somewhere above her, and she jumped. Anxiety and panic flooded through her.

Suddenly, her branch lurched. With a shriek, Hermione slipped off the branch.

She began to fall, head first, her arms and legs spread, hurtling down towards the forest's mossy ground. In her panicked mind the only thought that came through was: so this is what it's like to plummet to your death.

Fortunately (for her), she didn't have the opportunity to experience the agony of a shattered hip and the crushing reality of gravity, because quite suddenly (and very painfully) something grasped her failing right leg at the ankle. Her leg tightened and stretched, she felt as if she was being pulled into two. Gravity left its death grip on her. She hung upside down, seeing stars. It took her a while to get the feeling back in her leg. She looked up at her tortured leg to see that a pale slim hand had clutched her right ankle.

She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.

Draco sighed in relief, his heart beginning to return to its normal pace. It felt as if he had just ran a marathon. He tested the tree branches that entwined securely around him, and began to pull.

Hermione yelped as the hand began to pull her upward. She realized with a start that her skirt now hung in a very inappropriate way. It was a given, seeing that she is upside down.

Draco tried to only make skin to skin contact with Hermione's ankle, he really did, but then a thought occurred to him: he is a member of the male species, therefore it is impossible for him to be even the least bit decent no matter how hard he tried. So he stopped pretending. He dropped his gentlemanly air and reached down with his other hand to grab her other leg. He was planning to pull Hermione up by the ankles and politely set her down on the closest branch until she caught her breath, then he would escort her down the tree and back to her dorm. But now that he's got his true nature figured out, he hugged one arm around her knees the other hand clutched the fabric of the front of her robes and heaved her up next to him like a sack of dragon spine powder.

Of course it was a lot harder than it sounded. For one thing, she moved and fidgeted a lot, especially to fix her skirt. Draco mustered every drop of his civility to not look, so there really isn't any point of her trying to cover up. Her life was in danger, and worst of all, dependant on the actions of Draco Malfoy, and all she could think about was whether her pretty little turquoise knickers were showing…women, honestly…

Her pretty little turquoise knickers were kind of exciting for Draco to look at…even though he 'mustered every drop of his civility to not look', but mind you, this is the (second) Draco Malfoy we're talking about. He only has about two and a half drops of civility…so that's not saying much.

Anyways, when he has finally managed to haul he up onto his branch, she was blushing scarlet of embarrassment and shame.

Draco's hand reached out and lay open in front of her. "Coming?" He smiled. Hermione placed her hand on top of his, her eyes locked on to his. I have reasons to believe the Draco Malfoy we see before us today is an impostor – a counterfeit. It was that very moment that Hermione believed Theodore Nott. But who is this imposter, and what is he doing here, in Draco Malfoy's body?

---

Two golden eyes gleamed in the shadows, watching the unlikely duo descend the tree. The werewolf's snout twitched. His sensitive nose recognized them, and the wolf gave a start. His nose must have smelt something else. The wolf extended its neck heavenward and sniffed. Nope, he wasn't mistaken, it is them…it is her.

Foolish girl.

The werewolf stepped one furry paw into the moonlight, but pulled back hurriedly as another scent flared up in the surrounding air. A figure masked by sweeping robes emerged. "Draco!" It was Snape. The werewolf didn't need to hear his voice to know it was him – the smell was…distinctive enough.

"What are you doing out so late in these dreary woods, sir? The devil's full moon does no good for your health." The boy replied smartly.

There was a short pause. "I can ask you the same question, Draco." The professor spoke in a hiss. He turned to the girl, "And you too, Miss Granger. I had assumed you were above this kind of perfidy."

The wolf wrinkled his snout. Dear old ugly-tempered, funny-spoken Snape.

"I was lost sir…" The girl stammered. The wolf tsked, what a bad liar she was. Snape certainly thought so too, for he asked, "How exactly did you get lost from the Great Hall to the Gryffindor Tower and end up here?"

The wolf nodded to himself and settled his grey head onto his two front paws. He perked up his ears and listened, he had wondered the same thing. This should surely turn out quite interesting.

"I…well, I…" The girl was clearly contemplating exactly which weak little lie she was going to employ, but luckily for her, the Malfoy child decided to butt in.

"That is a woman's private matter, sir. I presume you have the civility to not pursue this affair further," The boy was smiling, the wolf could tell. (Remember our discussion about Draco's two and a half drops of civility earlier? Yeah, I find this a little rich, coming from him.)

"It is my duty, as a professor at Hogwarts, to pursue every suspicious affair the students attending this fine establishment may have, Mister Malfoy." Snape's voice cracked a little. The wolf had to muffle his chuckle.

The boy didn't even flinch, "Why that is very noble of you sir."

"No one is leaving until my questions are answered!" Snape shouted. The wolf raised its head and looked around warily. Dumb ol' Snape, such an attention seeker…if Greyback heard him…tsk.

"Fine," the boy's voice hardened, "if that is your wish, sir, we will have to abide. But, Miss Granger here is completely innocent of anything that…that…has to do with anything else. So, if you could kindly let her leave…"

"Goodnight, Miss Granger." Snape's response was curt. The wolf narrowed his eyes. Snape wants to talk to the Malfoy child alone, but why, and what about? Snape continued, "Mister Malfoy, you and I shall discuss the happenings of this night. I wont tolerate the escape of a single strand of detail."

It was obvious that Granger was relieved of her dismissal, but the wolf could sense the stiffness of the Malfoy boy's body. He knew he made a dire mistake. "Hold on," The boy said quickly, grabbing the girl's sleeve and pulled her back. "I just remembered, I'm…responsible for Miss Granger's safe return to…her friends to whom I have taken a vow to escort her to the safety of her dorm without harm at the end of the night. So…" The boy broke off. The forest was silent.

Of course it was Snape who broke the tranquility with his redundant hissing.

"And why exactly are you responsible for Miss Granger's safety?" Snape asked.

The boy thought for a minute, "I'm afraid that is not appropriate to share with a professor of your esteem." The boy replied. In other words, he hasn't come up with a good enough lie yet.

The wolf could just imagine Snape's livid face, glaring daggers at the boy, because after a few moments' pause the boy sighed.

"…But of you must know…Granger and I have been passionate lovers for a while, and we have taken refuge from the judgment of our peers by keeping our…involvement secret." The wolf had to stand up at the boy's words. Such nerve! He never knew the Malfoy child had it in him.

"Ridiculous!" Snape snapped. The wolf nodded in agreement.

The boy was unimpressed, "And why is that, sir?"

Because she hates you, the wolf thought, narrowing his eyes at the figure of the boy, wondering what goes on in that messed up little mind of his.

"Because she…you…" Snape stopped, huffing. Then finally, "Goodnight, Miss Granger!" He practically screamed. The girl flinched and quickly departed, but not before she gave Malfoy the most scorching and venomous of any woman's glare.

"And you!" Snape cuffed the boy around the side of his head. "You come with me!"

The wolf promptly decided that Snape had finally snapped, as he watched the man drag the protesting boy out of the forest by the ear. The wolf hadn't seen a teacher use that method at Hogwarts since his third year. The wolf stretched and yawned, thoroughly believing that he had just seen the performance of the season, and strolled lazily back into the forest's shadowy depth.

The full moon was almost gone. He needs to find his clothes before he turns back to Remus Lupin.

---

Hermione had stood through Draco and Snape's violent exchange not knowing whether to laugh or to cry. Now that she had returned to the safety of her Head Girl's room she did both. At first she laughed so hard that her stomach felt it was going to split and she couldn't stand up no matter how hard she tried. Then she remembered her fall, the werewolves and him – his arms around her legs, his hand, which she held as he helped her descend the tree – and she hugged her bruised knees to her sore heart and she cried. She cried so hard that her tears dried up and she passed out (either that or she just fell asleep).

She woke with a start barely half an hour later. She checked her wand for the time and tried to go back to sleep. She couldn't. She felt more restless than she had ever known herself adept of.

She paced her room for another ten minutes.

Then her eyes caught her open book bag on her floor. She saw the bronzed cover of Anomalous Magical Maladies and Cures. She slowly trotted over, wondering. She stood over the book for another good ten minutes before she bent down and picked it up. She had made up her mind. Time to figure out exactly what had gotten into Draco Malfoy.

---

A/N:

It's a short chapter (shortest so far – not counting the prelude) but with a lot of info. I got quite a writer's block this past week. But I did find a new inspiration, so now this story is going in a whole different direction. I want to finish my absolutely amazing (in my very biased and probably unreliable opinion) two part short about Voldy. Then I want to start on the story Gyss gave me. I still don't know what to call it yet.

I hope you enjoyed the story.

That's all.

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