In honor of Deathly Hallows Part 2! I'm off to the theater!

PROTECTION AND SAFETY.

I didn't tell anyone about what Dumbledore had told me. No one seemed to notice anything odd, so I thought I was doing a pretty good job hiding it. I didn't even tell Snape that I knew. I went on watching Slughorn teaching potions lessons and Malfoy even kept his snide comments to himself, or at the end of class, he'd whisper them to his friends as he passed me. They didn't bother me as much anymore.

Slughorn's attitude towards me was a lot kinder than it had been. He talked to me about my parents and Lupin and Sirius, about what he did when he was a student, and he even asked me once or twice to make some special potion for the next class. I didn't mind talking to him, but it seemed as if he had taken great interest in me because I was a Potter.

"Miss Potter," said Slughorn one day. "What are you doing next Saturday?"

"Well, I was going to go watch the Quidditch tryouts, sir," I replied quickly. "Why?"

"I'm having a dinner party," Slughorn smiled. "Miss Weasley will be there – oh, and Miss Granger! Your brother said he couldn't come, though… Shame…"

"Er –" Harry had detention with Snape that night.

"It's after the tryouts, so you'll be welcome to come! In fact, I hope you do!"

I sighed and nodded, but only for Hermione's sake.

Harry, on the other hand, was rather suspicious. He was suddenly the top student in his potions class, even better than Hermione. When I asked him about it, he simply said, "Been studying a lot."

I didn't drop it.

The Gryffindor Quidditch tryouts were next week. Hermione came with Lupin and I and we all sat in the stands, our scarves bundled around us tightly. A blanket was thrown over all three of us. Some other students were sitting in the stands, talking to Lupin about when he was coming back to teach or talking to me about the class that I had taught.

"I think there's something weird going on with Harry," I told Hermione as Lupin watched some first years fly around on their brooms.

"You mean with Potions?" Hermione asked, a bit annoyed. "I know. It's that stupid book he has."

"What book?"

"His potions book. The original owner wrote notes in it." Hermione scoffed and crossed her arms. "He should learn to do his own work. You'll tell Slughorn, won't you?"

"I, uh – am I supposed to?"

"You should! You're a teacher!" Hermione hissed. "Harry wouldn't like it much, but it's for the better."

"Oh, yeah," I lied. "I'll er – let him know. Oh, that reminds me, Hermione, I'm going to Slughorn's dinner party tonight."

"You are?" Hermione smiled and sounded relieved. I was a little surprised at the change of tone in her voice. "Thank goodness – I'm glad you're going. I really don't want to be there by myself."

"Isn't Ginny going?"

"Yes, but with you there – thank goodness…"

Ron, who was trying out for Keeper, flew in front of the furthest hoops and Cormac McLaggen, a strong, broad shouldered, blonde boy, flew up to the nearest hoops, across from Ron. Ginny grabbed the Quaffle and began shooting at Cormac. He caught one – two – three – he was awfully good.

"Come on, Ron," I muttered. I grabbed Lupin's hand and squeezed it tightly. To be honest, I felt a little awkward touching him in public, especially in front of Hermione, Ron, and Harry, but I was slowly getting used to it.

When Ginny shot the fifth one at Cormac, he suddenly swerved to the left and I narrowed my eyebrows. "Is he stupid or something?" Lupin asked and I chuckled. "The Quaffle wasn't even coming that way!" Lupin raised his eyebrows suspiciously at me and I shook my head.

"We didn't do anything!" I protested, but when Lupin looked away, Hermione looked at me with a knowing smile. I leaned over closer to Hermione and whispered, "I think it's against the rules to use magic during Quidditch games."

"Shh," Hermione smiled. "It's only tryouts."

I raised an eyebrow at Hermione and smiled back. Ginny shot down the Quidditch pitch, avoiding all the Chasers going after her and down to Ron's side of the field. She shot the Quaffle once, twice, three times, four times and then – Ron stuck out his leg and blocked the shot with his foot.

Hermione, Lupin and I clapped and cheered, but not as loud as the girl a few seats below us.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hermione and I arrived at Slughorn's party together and Slughorn stood when we walked in the door, smiling and insisting that I sit beside him. I glanced at Hermione and she shrugged, sitting on my other side.

"Miss Potter," he said happily. "Miss Granger. So glad you two could make it – honestly! Please, eat, eat!"

I awkwardly picked up my fork and began to pick at the salad in front of me. A Slytherin boy named Blaise Zabini sat across from me, Cormac McLaggen – who still looked frustrated from his Quidditch playing – sat next to Slughorn on his other side, Ginny was seated beside Hermione, Neville was next to Ginny, and another boy I knew called Belby was beside Neville. I leaned over Hermione and waved to Ginny and Neville.

"So, tell me, Miss Potter, how did you get your start as a potions intern?" Slughorn asked and I breathed in, thinking up a quick lie.

"Gotta love Professor Snape," I said quietly to Hermione and she smiled. "Since I couldn't become an Auror, I decided that I should do something else that I like and am good at, so I chose to pursue a career dealing with potions."

"Well, you're quite good at it," Slughorn assured me and I smiled weakly up at him. "Professor Snape told me you were quite good with antidotes as well."

I blushed. "Oh, well, I guess…"

"Well, hopefully you'll be an official professor here soon, yes?" Slughorn boomed, but no one seemed to be really listening to him. He had brought out dessert. "I wonder why Dumbledore hasn't already hired you – you'd be great!"

I glanced at Hermione and she looked up at me, frowning.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I walked into my quarters at ten o'clock at night. Lupin was sitting on the couch. I kissed him on the top of the head and headed towards our room. He stopped me.

"Is there something you want to tell me?" he asked icily.

I narrowed my eyes and looked at him, raising one eyebrow. "What?"

"Anything you want to tell me?"

"Er – I love you?"

"Anything else? Anything you'd like to get off your chest?" he said again.

"I'm sorry," I said, shaking my head. "I don't understand what you're –"

Lupin stood up and marched up to me. I backed up to the door and my eyes widened. "You told Snape? You told him everything and you couldn't even tell me?"

"I – I –"

"I'm your goddamn boyfriend, Darcy! You know you can confide in me!" Lupin stared at me and sighed heavily, running his fingers through his hair.

"I'm sorry," I breathed. "I didn't know I wasn't allowed to talk to Snape."

"You've got me!"

I became angry instantly and pointed my finger at him, prodding his chest. "You listen to me, Remus Lupin," I snapped and he stumbled backwards a bit. "I've grown up all my life being the parent figure to Harry – I was the one making sure he was safe and I was the one protecting him. I've grown up with no one to protect me. Well, you know what? Snape is protecting me. Snape is the one who makes sure I'm safe. And just because you're – you're jealous that I wasn't ranting to you doesn't mean I'm going to stop talking to him!"

Lupin was looking at me with his mouth slightly open and he seemed to be having a hard time searching for words to say. "But I protect you, Darcy… I always – you being safe is the most important thing!"

"I don't confide in you all the time! Okay?" I shot back. "But it's because if I tell you how I feel or what I'm feeling, you try to give me advice or tell me that I'm being stupid or something like that! Do you know how much it hurts my feelings to have something think I'm immature and stupid? Snape won't do any of that! He sits and listens – maybe he doesn't eve listen – but the point is he doesn't have to put his two fucking cents in all the damn time!"

"I don't think you're stupid or immature!" Lupin shouted. "I just think you're a bit irrational sometimes!"

"Like that's any better!" I protested. I went to go into the bedroom, but Lupin grabbed my arms and I struggled to break free, but he was holding onto me too tightly. I finally stopped and looked up at him.

"Let me tell you why," he said quietly. "You think you've got to all this by yourself. You think you can, but you can't, Darcy. It's not you. Harry's been through just as much as you have and yes, you can protect him, but that's all you can do. Stop thinking you're the one – your brother is the one – he's got friends and people looking over him. You are not the only one."

Tears were filling my eyes. "You don't know what it's like," I cried. "To have someone you love so much have to do this." I looked up into Lupin's eyes and bit my bottom lip. "What if he doesn't make it? He's the only family I've got left and I can't lose him, Remus. I've got to protect him – you don't understand…"

"I do understand," Lupin argued, but his tone was gentler. "I understand completely." He wrapped his arms around me and held me close to his body. "I love you. And I'll always protect you and I'll always make sure you're safe, Darcy."

My breathing started returning to normal and I looked up at him, pressing my lips to his and then to his jaw and then his neck. "I love you," I murmured against his skin and I wrapped my arms around his neck, dragging him into the bedroom with me.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Is there any reason that your chair is closer to mine today than it was yesterday?"

I glanced up at Snape, who had put his silverware down and was staring at how close I was sitting to him. I sat up and whispered, "I don't want to make conversation with Slughorn."

"Move over," he said firmly and I did so a little bit, turning my chair to face Snape slightly.

"Can you believe that he's having the sixth years make Everlasting Elixir?" I hissed to Snape, glancing at Slughorn, who was engaging in a happy conversation with Trelawney. "I didn't do that until seventh year and half the kids in the sixth year classes are idiots."

"Professor Dumbledore has asked me to make antidotes just in case – rather when – the elixirs go wrong."

I sighed and leaned over the table, looking down at Lupin. He waved, looking back to McGonagall, to whom he was talking. I leaned back in my chair, still turning slightly towards Snape, and I found Harry in the crowd of Gryffindor students. I waved lazily at him and he waved back. "I could have done that," I muttered to myself, poking at my eggs. "Why didn't he just ask me?"

"Yes, Dumbledore must have forgotten how long you've taught at this school."

"Oh, aren't you just a riot." I rolled my eyes. "I would move away from you, but you know, I'd actually rather sit with you than Slughorn."

"How sweet."

I hummed a response, eating the rest of my food on my plate and drinking the rest of my pumpkin juice in one sip. "You know, after what happened last year when you downed your pumpkin juice, you ought to be more careful. I especially wouldn't want another episode like last year."

"You're not the only one," I protested. "Besides, no one here would want to get me fired, so no one would put a love potion in my pumpkin juice. Besides –" I sniffed my goblet. "Smells like pumpkin juice to me."

Snape raised his eyebrows and looked away from me.

"I'd say two more years," I said hopefully. "Two more years and then maybe Dumbledore will let me teach Potions here. Or maybe he'd let me teach Defense Against the Dark Arts and you'd be demoted to Potions again." I snickered. "You do know that if it came to the student body, I'd be the one teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, come on," I grinned. I could tell he was beginning to get angry and frustrated. "I'm a much nicer teacher than you are."

"Just because you're nicer than me doesn't mean anything. I taught you for seven years and you turned out fine."

"I might be the only one." I glanced at the Gryffindor table. "Neville Longbottom –"

"He's dreadful at Potions. I wouldn't trust him with a cauldron by himself."

"You know, he's doing a lot better with Slughorn as his professor," I snapped. "Slughorn isn't making fun of him all the time." I smirked. "It's not his fault he doesn't have the spectacular potions ability I do."

"Quit being so arrogant, Miss Potter. You're just like –"

"My father," I finished for him. He fell silent. "I'm not, mind you. I'm nothing like my father."

I knew Snape wouldn't want me pitying him. I didn't know a single person that actually felt bad for him. I quickly looked away and began shoveling food into my mouth. I must have looked ridiculous. "It seems you've inherited your father's eating habits, as well."

I glared at him and rolled my eyes again, sitting up straight and taking smaller bites.