A/N: Hello my dear readers. You can't imagine how I feel every time I read your reviews. *goofy grin* Things will start to change a little from now on, the next chapter will show the conversation they will have with Draco, as well as a plan with the Weasley matriarch, concerning Hermione. As I've said many times, or you guessed…the Weasley's don't quite have a soft point in my heart…well maybe except Fred and George that is. Sorry if any one of you don't agree with me, but it's my opinion.

I have a question for you all: Who should I pair Harry with? Ginny is out of the question of course.

Well, happy reading, and I await your answers.

ONWARD!

Chapter 12: Doesn't matter anymore...

Never before had Severus Snape found himself reluctant to enter a room, as he was now. The door was mocking him. The tall black door stood there proud against the wall, with beautiful sculpted patterns in gold, the doorknob was in the shape of a wing, as if warning him what exactly he would find behind it.

Damn it…he'd always thought Gryffindors were idiots when acting on their courage….but Merlin did he need a boot of said idiotic courage at the moment. It wasn't that he was afraid…of her…maybe just a little. But who wouldn't?

Drawing a shaky sharp breath, he placed his hand on the door and pushed it open. It was just training…how bad could it be?

'Fucking hell…' Severus mentally swore. He just had to ask didn't he? Bad didn't even cover said situation. They were only about thirty minutes in the training session, and he found himself for the fifth time sprawled on the floor, with Hermione Granger straddling his hips, and the very sharp end of her sword at his throat. Honestly, the girl was a monster, even worse than he was when teaching. It was humiliating…pathetic even, to see a fully grown man, get thrown across the room with only a flick of the wrist, or slide backwards with only the force of steel against steel.

Once again, the petite Hermione Granger managed to amaze him. Yes, she was teaching him, even some things he 'thought' he knew, but in all honesty…she was bloody well trashing him. The fact that Potter was sitting on a chair in the corner of the room and laughing his arse off wasn't helping either.

''My, my professor, on your back again I see…'' Hermione smiled sweetly at him, not even trying to get off, or moving an inch.

''Get off.'' Severus growled, as he glared at her. ''And don't forget, I'm still your professor.''

Hermione's sweet smile turned feral. ''Well, that is where you are wrong, Professor. Didn't you tell us in here we were equals? Are you taking it back?'' Hermione finished her sentence with an innocent, curious mask on her face and her head slightly tilted to the side.

'Merlin she's adorable.' ''Granger…Get. Off.'' He wasn't at all bothered by her position, but a certain part of him was starting to react and it would be one damn embarrassing moment if she would…feel it.

''Make me!.'' Hermione said, narrowing her eyes at him.

Damn witch. Let's see…it was a battle of swords, no wands…she didn't say anything about wandless magic though…Severus grinned mentally.

Faking his defeat, he let his head fall back and he closed his eyes, while Hermione retracted her sword and was about to stand when his magic hit her, throwing her to the ceiling and holding her there, allowing Severus to pick himself up…with the bit of decency he had left.

Looking up, he saw her…laughing madly. ''Good thinking…but it won't hold me back.'' She pointed out and kicked the stone behind her, throwing herself back at him, sword ready to strike.

Severus had only a split second to gather his thoughts back and raise his own sword. At the last moment though, Hermione turned her body and landed with her foot on his chest, pushing herself back up a little, with a back flip, and landed in a crouching position, her sword above her head.

''You have a lot to learn professor…''

Severus groaned as the 'fight' started again. Damn witch wasn't holding anything back. It didn't matter to her that he was fairly new at it, it didn't matter that he was taller and slower in his movements, it didn't matter that she was so damn small he was afraid he might hurt her.

Another fifteen minutes later, Hermione was truly pissed off. ''Severus Snape…'' she roared, ''…get your damn mind to work properly…imagine I'm a Death Eater…imagine I'm Voldemort for all I care…you won't find pretty little girls running around on the battle field, you'll fight monsters that don't care if they torture a woman…men that don't care if they kill a child…bastards that have even hurt you for the past twenty years. Don't. Be. A. Coward.''

Severus Snape was a man that prided himself with his work, a man that took the pain and punishment he received from the Dark Lord with his chin held high. He never received praise for what he did, compassion for when he suffered, he didn't want people to pity him, he hated it, and the only 'thank you' he ever got was Dumbledore telling him he was 'At least' a little better than the current DADA teacher. He didn't care that people who didn't know him called him a traitor, he didn't care that the members of the Order didn't trust him completely, he didn't care that the students didn't respect him…but he didn't tolerate being called a coward. He was everything but.

He was just about to step away, after she emphasized every word in her rant with a sword swing…until she called him that. He'd been careful not to hurt her all this time, he'd tried to protect her from acquiring any new injury by his sword nonetheless, but not anymore. That word stung more than anything she might have called him.

'Who the hell did she think she is? She doesn't know anything about me. She didn't know one bloody thing of what he had been dragged trough for the past twenty years. SHE KNOWS NOTHING!' his mind roared, in his anger forgetting who he was facing.

He saw a spark of triumph in her eyes when his sword collided with hers. He didn't care though. At the moment, in front of his eyes were floating every face that had ever called him a coward…Dolohov, Malfoy, Bellatrix, Voldemort himself, and even Pettigrew. With every swing of his sword he was decapitating them, cutting off their limbs, gutting them mercilessly.

Within minutes he was panting. Gasping for breath. Sweat dripping down his forehead and back, but his feet and hands wouldn't stop. He was striking again and again, his anger never wavering.

''ENOUGH!'' he suddenly heard Hermione yell at him, and only then did he register where he really was. She had stopped him when he was in the exact position she had been so many times before. Straddling her, the sharp tip of his sword at her throat.

He blinked…once…twice…and his eyes widened in horror. What if she wasn't who she was? What if he had been training with Potter? What would have stopped him from pressing the sword to her neck and ending her life?

Dropping the sword on the stone floor, he crawled off of her, pressing the heel pf his palm to his forehead.

He could have killed her. He could have ended her life without a second thought. He shouldn't have slipped like that. He…

She was laughing.

Was she insane? Couldn't she understand what had almost happened? Were those years in the depths of Hell so damaging to her logic?

''Why the hell are you laughing? I almost…''

Hermione abruptly stopped and looked at him. ''Don't you dare! Don't you dare say it. That was the exact reaction I was hoping to see here tonight, and I did. I purposefully did it. I wanted to see how you would react in front of your enemies, how you would fight if you had them in front of you and not me.''

''You're mad…worse than Dumbledore…bloody hell you're mental…I swear to Merlin, you've completely lost it.''

''Maybe…'' Hermione nodded, ''…but do you understand what you accomplished here? I had years of training…and you beat me only because you were angry. If you put your mind to it, both of you, you would become fighters just like me…maybe even better. If you hadn't reacted the way you did, I would have been disappointed. Honestly, you did better than you think.'' She nodded again and stood. ''Next time I expect the same, but don't cloud your mind. Keep it clear. Wrap your logic around your anger, and you'll be able to concentrate better. Now, I think we should get some sleep, it's quite late. Harry, tomorrow night you get the same treatment.''

Both men were staring at her as if she had just grown a dragon head.

''Mione…'' Harry said slowly, ''…you do realize you're bleeding, right?''

Hermione looked at them in confusion, and asked the room to give her a mirror. Moments later, a large mirror was floating in front of her. Her eyes widened a little as she watched the other girl do the same. Her hair was a mess, her shirt was thorn, revealing the Basilisk bodice she was wearing underneath, she had two small bleeding cuts on her arm and one cheek and a big one on her left thigh. 'Why the hell didn't I take the Basilisk pants too?'

Sighing, she started waving her hand. Her injuries were healed and under a glamour charm within seconds, and then she started repairing her clothes and fixing her hair. Once done, she turned back to them with a bright smile on her lips. ''So…are we going or what?''

It was lunch break the other day that Severus finally came to terms with the idea that Hermione Granger was mental. When they had finally cleaned themselves and exited the Room of Requirement, both Harry and himself walked down the corridors looking at their female companion in disbelief, and little concern. It was as if she had just left an amusement park…she was skipping and humming a strange song all the way to the Fat Lady's portrait. As if she didn't just left the room where she had baited Severus in releasing his anger on her, as if she hadn't been injured, as if she couldn't even feel pain.

For weeks now he had asked her questions about herself, some answered better than others, trying to understand her better, trying to understand exactly how her experience had changed her from the way she was before it happened…he thought he understood pretty well by now. But no. Hermione Granger was still an enigma. She had started as a '100 pieces' puzzle, and had gradually grown to '1000 pieces'.

He shook his head and speared a carrot with his fork. Would he EVER be able to decipher her? Well, one thing was for sure. Crazy or not, he had fallen in love with the brightest witch Hogwarts had seen in over a hundred years.(Overdid it a bit here? :P)

Sighing, he let his eyes sweep over the House Tables, stopping on the Slytherins, more accurately on his godson. Tonight they would learn why exactly Draco wanted to change sides. Until now, Draco had been quite fond of his father's beliefs, and couldn't wait for his seventeenth birthday when he would receive the Dark Mark. What changed? Huffing in annoyance Severus picked up his coffee and took a small sip. Damn curiosity was making him fidget in anticipation.

His eyes snapped towards the Gryffindor table as a loud bang echoed trough the room, to see Harry Potter with both hands on the table, palms down, glaring at Weasley, his eyes showing nothing but a deep desire to just murder the idiot.

''Harry, listen to me, he's not worth it. You'll get in trouble.'' Hermione pleaded, trying to pull him away from the table.

''Mione, anyone that calls you names is worth any detention, if it means I get to break something first.'' Harry spat trough gritted teeth, eyes still on Ron.

''Harry, please. Don't do this. You might regret it later. Please, listen to me…''

''That's right Harry. Listen to her. You always do anyway. I was your first friend, ever since you set foot on the Hogwarts Express, and yet you can't seem to stay away from her. Why is that Harry? Aren't I a good friend? Haven't I helped you with everything these years? What does she have that I don't? Or is it all about what she can give you that I can't? What about Ginny? She's been in love with you ever since she saw you, you told me yourself you fancied her. What happened Harry?'' Ron yelled, not caring who was listening to what he was saying.

Students were already starting to gather around them, the DA being the closest formed circle, wands drawn and hidden behind their backs. Even some of the professors had abandoned the Head Table and were making their way towards the gathered group, in hopes that they would be able to stop any fight that might start between the two boys.

Harry narrowed his eyes and leaned forward. ''You want me to blur it out to you? Ok I will. You say you were always helping me, you were there, I won't deny that, but don't you dare tell me you helped more than Hermione did. First year, the only help you were was that damn chess board. You didn't even ask us, you just started giving orders. News flash Ron, you're not the only one that knows how to play chess. Second year, I won't even mention the detentions we got on our first day here because of the car, you were scared of everything, honestly, I don't even know why you tagged along…''

''I saved you from the Dursleys…'' Ron roared.

''I appreciate the fact that you thought I needed saving, but think about it a little. I spent eleven years with them, not knowing about magic, in a damn cupboard…what were two and a half months in the summer…in a normal bedroom? Chamber of Secrets, as I said, you were always scared and jumpy, indeed we were lucky with your wand…otherwise Lockhart wouldn't have obliviated himself. Third year, need I mention that damn Firebolt? I admit I was an idiot as well at the time, but I would give every galleon in my vault, or any broom in existence, if it means Hermione would continue being my friend. Forth year, I was expecting you to believe me, as a friend should do, but your jealousy overcame everything you knew about me…''

''Mr. Potter, I think that is enough…'' Dumbledore said sternly.

''Why headmaster? Does it bother you so much that I see fit to let every student know what we've been trough every year? What you decided to hide from them for the past six years? Well excuse me for thinking they should make their own decisions on the matter, and not just listen and believe what they are told without knowing the facts.'' Harry spat.

Turning to Hermione and locking eyes with her, he mentally asked a question. Receiving a nod from her, he gave her a kiss on the cheek and climbed on the table.

''Listen up everyone. I know many of you believe I'm an attention seeker, but I don't fault you for not knowing the truth. Last year Voldemort wanted me in the Department of Mysteries because of a prophecy…''

''Mr. Potter…get down from there this instant.'' Dumbledore yelled, but Harry ignored him.

Hermione carefully placed her hands on the table, silently casting a protection shield around Harry and smiled at Severus. It had been Harry's wish to tell everything he knew about Voldemort ever since the year begun, but Dumbledore would have none of it. This was his chance to either gather allies, or make more enemies. This was his chance to prove himself innocent of every accusation they had brought on him.

''…the reason for which my parents were killed. The reason for which I lived 11 years of my life in a house I was called a freak every time I performed accidental magic. The reason I lost my godfather. Said prophecy states that…''Harry was interrupted by a blinding red light heading straight for him. But before he could draw his wand it hit his target. Everyone was holding their breaths, waiting for Harry to fall unconscious, but he never did. Harry touched his chest, where the spell should have hit, but he felt nothing. Looking down at Hermione, he saw her winking and he immediately understood. Giving her a smile, he started speaking again.

''As you can see, someone here doesn't want you to know. Anyway, the prophecy states that I have to kill Voldemort, or be killed by him. 'And either must die at the hand of the other,

For neither can live while the other survive.' were the exact words. I intend to kill the bastard, but he won't be alone. You know as well as I do that this war is affecting us all. Think about it. Make a decision. Stay and fight, or get out of the country. Staying also means you might die, but no one will call you a coward if you decide to leave. That's all I have to say.''

There was a silent pause as Harry climbed off the table. He took Hermione's hand, grabbed their bags, and started walking towards the exit. They were nearly out of the Great Hall when the applause and cheering started. Even some of the Slytherins were cheering, with Draco in the lead.

Neither Harry, nor Hermione paid them any attention and continued their walk towards the oak doors, heading for Care of Magical Creatures. Had they looked back, they might have seen Dumbledore's scowl, and the way he nearly ran towards the teacher's exit.

Severus saw though.

To say Dumbledore was angry would have been an understatement. No one was supposed to know anything of what Harry had told them. Damn idiot just couldn't keep his mouth shut. Damn Ronald Weasley for starting the argument in the first place. His plans were crumbling and the powerful Albus Dumbledore was unable to fix them. Not to mention he would have to deal with the hundreds of letters he was sure to receive from enraged parents.

He was seriously considering obliviating them, but the other teachers wouldn't allow him. Damn it all. Well, he would just have to make up an excuse for everything and hope everyone would believe him. He was going to be the one to finish the job in the end anyway. Harry Potter's statement would complicate the matters a bit, but the only winner in the end would be none other than Albus Dumbledore.

His mind a little at ease with those thoughts, he entered his office and started forming another plan. Maybe he could get rid of the boy sooner? Or get rid of the Granger girl, and blame it on the Dark Lord. Different thoughts and options ran trough his head, each better, or worse if he were honest, than the other.

Popping a lemon drop in his mouth, he grabbed a piece of parchment and a quill, and started composing the letter that he would sent as an answer to any howler, or angry letter he would receive.

A/N: Liked it? Hated it? Leave me your thoughts, or any idea you might have. Thank you all.