A/N- I'm so sorry for the wait, y'all, I've had a lot of shit going on in real life. Pulling overtime, moving Grandpa out of the nursing home, getting Grandma settled after getting out of the hospital, getting my daughter to and from her surgery appointments, finding time to write has been difficult. Anyways, thanks for continuing to support me and reviewing, it means so much!

Disclaimer: I don't own any part of this story except for maybe my own personal twist on the plot. The characters belong to J.K.R.

Chapter 16

November 3, 1995

Harry was doing his best to get all his food ate before the bell for classes rang. He had overslept this morning, waking to Hermione hitting him over the head with his second pillow. As much as he had wanted to skip his shower, he wasn't able. He and Draco had went flying together the night before and he had fallen asleep before showering.

There had been so much going on in the last week or so that Harry had been exhausted. Between homework, quidditch practice, devising strategies for their upcoming match, spending time with Hermione and Draco, and occlumency lessons, Harry wasn't getting much sleep. Hermione told him time and time again that he needed to go to sleep when he spent time with her, but he didn't want her to feel like she wasn't one of his priorities. It wasn't an ideal situation, but it was what it was.

Three days prior, Harry and Draco had taken Hermione into the Forbidden Forest. It had taken them almost an hour to find a random breed of snake, but Hermione had instantly began conversing back and forth with it. While Harry could understand exactly what they were saying, he hadn't joined in the conversation so Draco wouldn't get irritated. While the blond had come a long ways, he could still be petulant if he didn't get his way. Sometimes, it just wasn't worth the argument.

Hermione was now confident in her parselmouth skills. She hadn't seemed to have any problems speaking the language, and there were no issues with her understanding it. She had actually caught on far quicker than he had and Harry attributed that to the fact that she was smarter than him on just about everything. He and Draco had finally congratulated her two hours later after she had learned the snake's life history and they had fallen asleep against a rock. Regardless of how bored he had been, he had been proud of her.

The bell ringing throughout the Great Hall pulled Harry out of his thoughts. He laid down the last couple bites of toast and gathered his things. Draco and Hermione were doing the same next to him. Draco had continued to sit with them at the Gryffindor table since the original blow up from Ron. While he didn't think that Draco loved it there or the company, he did seem happier that he could be near Hermione.

The other Gryffindors were not what Harry would call accepting, but they didn't scowl and call Draco names any longer when he sat down. He mostly laid this improvement at the feet of the twins and Ginny. While everyone else seemed to genuinely hate the Slytherin, the three Weasleys weren't what he would call friendly, but they were definitely civil.

Harry was in his own world and thoughts so he didn't blame Hermione and Draco for talking softly between them. When he tuned into their conversation, he discovered that it was actually about their occlumency lesson that evening. The blond was so keen to imitate Hermione's method of keeping Snape out, but he just couldn't manage it. Draco's shields always fell while Hermione's held stronger than ever.

Their girlfriend was currently trying to convince him to just go back to his method from before, telling him that it seemed to serve him better. Personally, Harry felt the library idea was a great one, but who was he to tell Draco how best to guard his mind?

His shields had improved. They still weren't as good as Hermione's, but that wasn't really a surprise. His method wasn't quite as sophisticated as his other two counterparts. He had taken Snape's advice and locked his memories in a box and stashed it inside the hedge of a large and complex maze. The professor told him that he had already made marked improvement and was only slightly behind Draco in the development of his shield.

Harry personally didn't think that Voldemort would use legilimency on any of the three of them. He obviously wanted Hermione on his side desperately and Harry didn't think that he was going to do anything to jeopardize that. He still had every intention of learning occlumency to the fullest extent, but he couldn't help but think that it would mostly be for nothing. Draco had told him he was an idiot, but he supposed they would just have to wait and see.

They entered Defense Against the Dark Arts with the rest of their classmates. All three of them had become increasingly irritated with the fact that they weren't learning any real defense. Their methods of learning continued to be copying their text and then summarizing it in what could be called an essay. It was a complete waste of time and Harry couldn't help but think that the Ministry didn't want anyone able to defend themselves.

Professor Umbridge glared at him as she passed through the aisles while they were copying their text. He couldn't use the copying spell when she was looking, but as soon as she had passed, Harry was quick to copy another couple pages. He knew for a fact that Hermione and Draco did the same thing. While it was probably considered cheating, Harry comforted himself with the thought that he wouldn't have to copy anything if they had a proper teacher.

The three of them handed in their assignment before the end of class. They always mamaged to finish first and it was met with suspicion. The witch was simply too scared to engage Hermione in a conversation or to even ask her if she had been copying the text versus writing it out. It suited the three of them just fine. Harry supposed he owed Pansy Parkinson for keeping the hag up to date on their situation.

They worked on homework until the bell rang. Thanks to always studying and doing homework with Hermione and Draco, Harry's grades were at an all-time high. He still struggled with some of the subjects, but he didn' really feel like he was too far behind the other two. He knew that they were very intellectual and he wasn't so he counted where he was academically at the current time a win.

The three of them made their way to Potions next. Snape still insisted that the room split in two, Gryffindor to the left and Slytherin to the right. Harry and Hermione were usually joined by Neville while Draco took a seat with Theo and Blaise. Potions was still one of the subjects that he struggled in, but since Snape had discovered that Hermione was his daughter, Harry didn't think that the comments on his essays were quite as scathing. He held no illusions that the older Slytherin liked him. Harry sure couldn't say that he liked Snape either. It seemed, however, that they had reached the same conclusion that if they openly hated each other as before, it would put Hermione in the middle and she would only end up hurt.

Hermione led both Harry and Neville through the brewing of a simple potion that Hermione said incited forgetfulness. He followed directions much the same as Neville. While he knew he could be of more help, it was easier to just let Hermione take charge because Neville truly was terrible at potions.

Hermione assured them that their potion looked perfect before she turned it in. The bell rang shortly after that so Harry gathered up his text and put it back in his bag. He waited patiently for both Hermione and Draco, it always seemed to take them longer to gather their supplies. Harry figured it was probably because they were much neater about stowing away their supplies than he was.

After leaving the potions classroom, Harry slipped an arm around Hermione's waist and pulled her close so he could kiss her neck. Her sharp intake of breath was enough of a reward for him. Draco grinned from her other side and moved to copy his actions.

The three of them strolled the corridors lazily since they were finished with classes for the day. He knew that Hermione had made plans to study in the library with Theo once he was out of his afternoon class. Harry and Draco had both made plans to go flying while she spent time with her brother. She hadn't said much about the subject of her brother, but Harry could tell that she enjoyed having someone else to call family.

They finally reached the Great Hall and the Gryffindor table was already full. Ginny and the twins saw them coming and scooted down so there would be plenty of room for the three off them. Hermione instantly started chattering with Ginny about Harry wasn't sure what. The twins made small talk with Harry and Draco while they piled food onto their plates.

Harry should have seen it coming from a mile away. He should have figured that something like this was going to happen. Hindsight was 20/20 they said, and for once, Harry agreed. An owl swooped down at the Gryffindor table and Harry recognized it at the same moment that everyone else did. Ginny spoke excitedly.

"That's Errol! Wonder why he didn't bring us our mail this morning." Fred snorted.

"He probably got lost on the way to the castle. He isn't a spring chicken anymore." The bird squawked in annoyance and tried to nip at Fred's hand. He obviously had practice at dodging the bird's attentions, leaning out of the way just in time. George detached the red letter from Errol's foot and gave them all a look of trepidation.

"It's for Hermione. It's from Mum and I think it's a howler." Harry wanted to tell Hermione to not even bother opening it, to just have one of the elves come dispose of it, but she steeled herself and reached out. As soon as her hand touched the parchment, the letter opened and Molly Weasley's voice started screaming. The whole of the Great Hall went silent and everyone listened.

"You are despicable, Hermione! I took you into my home and allowed you to sit at my table and eat my food, all for you to turn on my son and lead Harry down a dark path! I've heard you're opening your legs for Harry and that Death Eater scum Malfoy and it's a disgrace! You're going to get Harry killed in his sleep by the Malfoy boy and then where will you be? Alone in the world, no money, no family, no friends, and living in a world that doesn't want you. All I can say is you deserve everything you get! Fred, George, Ginny, I've heard you're still friends with this loose witch, and I can assure you that if this continues, you'll have no place at home."

Harry stiffened. Draco instantly wrapped an arm around her waist and Harry smiled inwardly. Whoever said the blond wasn't good with emotions was full of shit. The three Weasleys next to them were awestruck, still and silent in the wake of their mother's words. Harry seemed numb, as if everything around him was happening far off in the distance.

The High Table was silent, but when Harry met the eyes of Professor Snape, he could see the fury burning in their black depths. After a span of only several seconds, he rose from his seat and swept out of the Great Hall, robes billowing dramatically behind him. The Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs, and Gryffindors were now whispering amongst themselves and Harry knew that rumors would spread like wildfire.

It was the Slytherins that surprised Harry the most. Most looked extremely unhappy. While he was sure that it was simply because they knew Hermione was Voldemort's granddaughter, he had to admit that it was somewhat nice having the sneakiest students in the school on their side.

Harry stood and held his hand out to Hermione. He would be damned if he made her hang around the Great Hall for people to stare and point at. She gave him a tremulous smile amd took his hand, allowing him to pull her up. Draco gathered their bags and returned his arm around her waist while Harry wound his around her shoulders.

They had made it all of five steps before the Slytherins closest to Draco stood and made their way to their side. Theo gave Hermione a smile as he brushed hair from her forehead and hugged her, stopping their progression out of the Hall. Even Harry understood that not only had Theo just publicly declared his support of Hermione and in turn, her relationship, most of Draco's friends had as well.

Shrugging his shoulders, he followed the snakes out of the Great Hall.

-O-

Hermione was numb. There was no other way to describe how she felt.

The Gryffindor shouldn't have been surprised as to Molly's words, Ron had always been her favorite after all, but that howler had completely blindsided her. She had figured the Weasley matriarch would snub her at Grimmauld Place, that she would make snide comments or fill her children's heads full of lies, but she had done none of those things. She had mortified Hermione in front of the entirety of the school and threatened her children with the streets.

While she wanted to stay and make sure that Fred, George, and Ginny were alright, Hermiome wasn't even able to articulate the words needed to ask them. She had allowed Harry to guide her to her feet and pull her towards the entrance. She had been beyond surprised when her brother and the rest of Draco's friends had closed ranks around the three of them, openly declaring their loyalty.

Of course, Hermione knew that it was only because she was their precious Dark Lord's granddaughter and they feared punishment, but the gesture still wasn't lost on her. In a room that was filled with whispers about her, a handful of snakes showing her their loyalty was more than welcome. She hadn't managed to catch her father's attention since he had left the table by the time she thought to find him at the High Table, but she knew she would probably hear plenty that evening at their occlumency lesson.

Once outside, Draco pulled them to a stop so he could address his friends.

"Thank you, all of you. Your support was appreciated." Theo drifted forward and hugged her this time instead of brushing hair from her face. She buried her face in his shoulder as Zabini answered.

"Think nothing of it. Snakes stick together and despite the fact that the both of them are technically lions, they've been embraced into our circle. Nobody treats Slytherins like that and gets away with it." Goyle actually spoke, surprising Hermione.

"Do we need to put a hit out on the Weasleys?" Hermione felt a lurch of fear at his words.

"Absolutely not! So far, Ronald and Molly are the only ones who have any misgivings when it comes to me. Fred, George, and Ginny have supported me and taken my side over their brother's. If anything befalls them, I will be most unhappy." None of the snakes looked happy, but they nodded their agreement to her words. Theo pulled away and gave her a small smile as he spoke.

"Are we still on for studying after I finish Divination?" Hermione gave him a small smile and nodded.

"Yes, I'll see you in the library. Thank you all, I appreciate you so much."

Pansy, Daphne, and Millicent whimpered, but there wasn't anything Hermione could do to stop that. She had known that embracing the girls would likely make her want to puke, especially since Draco had shagged both of them, but she have them a grateful smile nonetheless.

The Slytherins melted away and Hermione let the boys lead her outside. It was extremely chilly, but Draco conjured her a heavy woolen cloak that kept her plenty warm. She tried to distract herself with thoughts of her boys going flying later that evening and it warmed her heart. She knew they would compete against each other for the House Cup, it always came down to Slytherin and Gryffindor, but the fact that they would put it all aside and embrace that they were actually friends now made her warm and gooey inside.

The pair led her down to the Black Lake. While she would have loved to get personal and intimate with both her boyfriends any day at the lake, they seemed to sense that today was different. Not only had she been accused of being a whore, she had been accused of being a traitor, handing Harry over to someone that everyone assumed would hurt him. At first, Hermione could admit that she had worried. However, both boys had went out of their way to try their hands at friendship so they could make a triad between them work. Hermione was forever grateful; she would have never been able to choose and if she had been forced, she would have been forever regretful.

She let the pair of them settle her under her favorite willow tree before turning her towards the conversation of what she wanted to do. Draco pointed out a wonderful point that the rest of Slytherin would hardly be quiet, but they could afford to keep a few things between themselves. Hermione told herself that if things came up about the Weasleys in the next meeting with Voldemort, she would save everyone except those who had specifically gone against her.

Hermione unloaded the absolute pain she felt at being rejected by the Weasley family onto her two suitors. While she tried to portray that she felt no embarrassment at their predicament she wasn't quite sure that that was how she felt. She was embarrassed; not so much by the people and the timing in and of their relationship, but by the publicity and hounding of her relationships to others.

The trio spent an enjoyable hour and a half out by the lake. There was no groping, no kissing, but there was cuddling and snuggling galore. She kind of laughed to herself when she imagined what others would say if she told them that Harry and Draco both cuddled with her at the same time. She knew their relationship was unconventional, but it was what it was and she wouldn't change it for the world.

When the bell rang, both boys demanded that they take her inside so she could meet with Theo rather than leave her to make her own way through the castle to the library. She chuckled at their insistence, telling them that she was more than capable of taking care of herself. Both boys had simply chuckled to themselves, kissed the side of her head, and went about their way of leading her through the corridors to the library.

Most of the students they passed either whispered or pointed. It broke Hermione's heart to think that the rest of the family hated her as much as Molly did. While he nowhere near her own father, Hermione had always held Arthur in high esteem. She loved conversing with him about muggles and their ways of doing things. Bill and Charlie both had been kind to her and she hoped that their mother's way of thinking hadn't poisoned them against her as well.

This led her to wonder if Sirius and Remus knew of their triad relationship. She hadn't specifically told them so she asked Harry if he had spoken to either man in regards to his relationship status. He had given her a slight grin before telling her that he had written both men the day after she had agreed and was happy to report that both men had nothing negative to say about their choices. Hermione looked at both Marauders as uncles she never had so the fact that they had nothing negative to report was a wonderful developement.

Both boys dropped her at the library with dire warnings of calling for them as soon as possible if they were needed. She promised that she would, although she doubted they would be needed. Theo would be joining her in just a few minutes and she could admit that she was excited.

Things between the pair of them had been going swimmingly. There had been a brief awkward period, but it had been overcome during their first study period together. She had learned that his father, Thoros Nott, had hated her since she had been borne to his wife and hadn't belonged to him. Theo assured her that he understood now why it had happened, but that didn't stop the feeling of resentment that his wife had been forced to take another man into her bed.

Looking back, Hermione probably shouldn't have snorted at her brother's words. When he had gotten angry over her lack of understanding at his father's anger at sharing his wife, she had pointed out how their mother had had to deal with their father raping innocent muggles and muggleborn. He had known other women in their marriage and he had no right to be angry that she had known another man upon request of their Lord.

Theo had looked contemplative about this facet of his parent's relationship. It was obvious that he had never considered that outlook and that made Hermione sad. He had seemed surprised when she told him that she would demand fidelity from anyone that she dated and if they didn't want to abide by her request, she would walk.

Theo had shared his worries about Draco abiding by her request. He had watched his parents be unfaithful to each other through the years and had taken it as normal. After his words, Hermione had broached the subject with both Draco and Harry. It had been horribly awkward, but had turned out well in the end. Both boys had assured her that they didn't want another woman in their lives and that they would break it off with her if they decided that they did. She could admit that she was grateful.

Theo took the seat next to her, his bag landing on the table in front of him so he could remove all his books and notes. He flashed her a smile as he gathered his things together into a semblance of order.

"Do you feel better? You seemed a little out of sorts after the message." She gave him an embarrassed smile.

"I was very shocked that Molly would take it to that level. I'm a little better now, but I suspect that dinner is going to be a new level of hell." He gave her an indulgent smile before he opened his text.

"I'm quite sure it will be terrible, but Potter and Draco will be at your side. It won't be near as bad as if you were alone." She nodded her agreement.

The pair settled into a silence while they gathered books they needed for their homework assignments. Hermione had Ancient Runes and Arithmancy to work on, while Theo had Transfiguaration and Care of Magical Creatures.

Hermione was able to finish all her homework assignments and also started into the next week of assignments in Transfiguration and Charms. Theo just shook his head in good-natured humor as he watched her move forward in her studies.

When they finally quit for dinner, Theo flashed her a smile as they gathered their belongings and packed them away. Theo offered her his arm as they left the library and Hermione flashed him a smile as she took it. They strolled through the corridors on their way to the Great Hall, both chatting quietly about nothing in particular.

The pair entered the Great Hall and the whole room fell silent. Hermione tried not to let it bother her, but she truly couldn't help it. She felt like all eyes were on her and she couldn't do anything to avert their gaze elsewhere. Theo threw an arm around her shoulders and started to pull her forward. What she really wanted to do was bolt for her common room, but she supposed that she should display the famed traits of her house and move forward even though she didn't want to.

Harry and Draco were already there and both held their hands out for her to join them. The rest of Gryffindor House was sneering in her direction. It was as if the opinion of Molly Weasley had swayed them all into hating her once more. She took her seat between the two boys before Theo pressed a kiss to the top of her head and made his way to his own table. Ginny, Fred, and George all watched her quietly as if they were waiting for an explosion. George was the one who finally spoke.

"Hermione, we want you to know that we aren't planning on not being your friend. We're lions and that means were loyal. You're our friend and you'll remain that way as long as you want to continue." Her heart melted at his words, but she couldn't allow them to make this decision.

"I can't let you three do that. Your mother threatened you with not being able to come home. I know how important family is to you and I don't want to be the reason behind breaking your family apart." Ginny grinned at her.

"I would usually agree, but we owled Dad after lunch. He didn't know a thing about the howler she sent you and he's so embarrassed. Only the patriarch of the family can cast people out and he said he has no plans of doing so if we continue our friendship with you. He doesn't hate you and he thinks that Ron could do with a strong dose of reality." Hermione felt her heart swell at her words.

"Really? He doesn't hate me?" Ginny shook her head.

"Nope, as far as Dad's concerned, you're still his second daughter." Hermione allowed a single tear to spill over her lashes before she got herself under control. Weakness wasn't something she could afford to show at the moment. The three Weasleys noticed and all of them went to their feet so they could rush her in a huge hug. It almost pulled her off the bench seat and onto the floor causing Hermione to laugh quietly.

The rest of dinner passed pleasantly despite the fact that whispers were flying around the Great Hall like mad. Both she and Draco had served their patrol time the night before so they had a solid few hours before they had to be in their common rooms. While she would much rather spend the time snogging her boyfriends, she understood that they needed to make an effort when it came to occlumency.

The trio left dinner together and meandered their way through the corridors down to the dungeons. While this may have seemed suspicious any other time, Slytherins were the only people who frequented the dark and dank corridors and they would understand perfectly well that she was visiting her father.

Her father admitted them into his quarters with little fanfare. Once they were safely ensconced in the comfort of his rooms, he turned to Hermione, concern painting his features.

"Are you alright after lunch? I wanted to come find you, but I had a letter to send." Hermione narrowed her eyes at him before she floated into the circle of his arms. She buried her face in his robes and inhaled the comforting scent of potions. His arms came around her and held her close.

"What exactly did you do? It's obvious you did something." He snorted as he fingered the ends of her curls.

"I sent the fucking bitch an owl." She couldn't recall ever hearing such foul language from her father so it caused her to lift her head and meet his eyes.

"What did you tell her?" His eyes danced with fury as she questioned him.

"I told her that she was a judgemental hag and that her son was just short of a rapist, no better than the Death Eater scum she accused my godson of being. I told her that I found out she sent one more letter harrassing you, I'd show her exactly why the Death Eaters fear me." Hermione felt tears prick her eyes as she realized that her father had threatened one of the key members of the Order of the Phoenix. She hugged him tightly again to show her gratitude.

"You can threaten all you want, but don't actually follow through. I don't want anything on your conscience that isn't there because you had to survive." He kissed her hairline before releasing her.

"You let me worry about my conscience. You're my daughter and I'll protect you as I see fit." She realized that while he wasn't saying that he loved her, he was showing her that he did. She gave him a smile and squeezed his hand.

"Thank you, Daddy." She could tell that her words surprised him, knocked him off balance, but judging by the silly grin on his face, he seemed to rather like it.

Their lesson started shortly thereafter and Hermione knew it was because he was trying to mask his embarrassment and joy at her words. Draco went first and she was thrilled that he had gone back to his original method of keeping her father out of his mind. While she was flattered that he wanted to emulate her process, he didn't read near as much as she did and she suspected that he didn't have near as many useless facts to throw up in the face of invasion.

Her father praised Draco when he kept him out for over half an hour. Hermione thought it was impressive since he hadn't been practicing his original method recently. Maybe trying her way of blocking him had strengthened his own. Hermione shrugged it off as something she would probably likely never discover.

Severus started with Harry next. Hermione would admit that she was most worried about her Gryffindor boyfriend. He struggled containing his emotions, he was the epitome of acting on his emotions. While Hermione was also a lion, she had always acknowledged that she had qualities of every house.

She was impressed when Harry kept her father out for a half hour. There waa a light sheen of sweat on his forehead, but even Severus gave him an approving nod. He gave him a few pointers that would continue to help him improve before he finally moved on to her.

Hermione took her seat in front of her father, fortifying her shields before he began. She didn't feel as though she needed to fortify them, per se, but she did like to be as prepared as possible. She instantly felt the intrusion into her mind. While it didn't feel good, she could say that she had experienced worse. The bubotuber pus from last year had been horrid, her time spent as a half cat had been far worse, and the spell that had been cast over her in order for her to spend time on the bottom of the Black Lake had given her an overwhelming sense of creepiness.

The older Slytherin had began trying to muddle through her endless supply of facts in order to find their predetermined memory of her last moments with her mother. While she trusted her father with the information, it was extremely private. She suspected that he understood she would always want to keep that private and used it to motivate her.

Her father tried to find a way through her defenses for over an hour to no avail. When he finally lowered his wand, Hermione was breathing hard and sweating lightly. He gave her a genuine smile.

"Excellent, sweet. I've never made it longer than an hour and a half and by then I was exhausted. You will surpass my abilities and I couldn't be prouder." Hermione knew that he meant the words, but it had likely cost him in the department of pride. She gave him another hug as he chuckled.

"You really are a know-it-all swot to swamp me with that many useless facts for so long. I will say that it's quite obvious your favorite subject is transfiguration. I think I read the exact wording of your first year text twice." She outright laughed at his words.

"I do love the subject. Next time I'll change it up and give you years two through four instead." He carded his fingers through her hair before stepping back from her. He cast a look at the other two occupants of the room.

"Continue clearing your mind every evening before you retire for bed. Not only will it help you sleep, it will aide you in continuing with your progress." They gave him enthusiastic nods. Severus waved them away and Harry and Draco began to gather their things. Hermione hugged her father one more time.

"I''ll see you tomorrow Daddy. Love you!" He smirked her direction.

"I love you as well, sweet. Straight to your common rooms, curfew is in twenty minutes." Hermione was surprised at how long they had been at it, but nodded her agreement.

Hermione took Draco and Harry's hands and led them out of her father's quarters after they had exchanged goodbyes with their professor. Hermione could admit that she was thrilled that their lessons were coming along so well.

With a yawn, she sent Draco on his way and let Harry escort her back to their common room. They exchanged quick good nights at the foot of the stairs leading up to her dormitory and Hermione hurriedly changed out of her clothes and into her pajamas. She settled into her bed and went to work on clearing her mind as her father had tasked her with.

Not long had passed before her body relaxed, she let go of her stress, and fell into a deep sleep.

-O-

Severus made his way to meet with the Headmaster on the progress of the three students who had just left his quarters. The griffin leapt out of the way and allowed him access to the Headmaster's office. He didn't bother knocking, just let himself in and availed himself of one of the armchairs by the fire. Albus moved out from behind his enormous desk and took the seat opposite of him.

"How goes the occlumency lessons?" Severus snorted.

"I'd say they're doing extremely well. It has to do with their magic-sharing abilities, I wasn't able to keep someone out for a half hour for six months." Albus seemed surprised.

"Even Harry has done so well?" Severus really hated admitting that his nemesis' son had done so well, but he nodded anyways.

"He kept me out for a half hour, Draco just under forty minutes." The Headmaster narrowed his eyes.

"And your daughter?" Severus couldn't keep back the proud smile.

"I finally gave up after an hour. Her method is unusual, but very effective." Albus remained silent and Severus knew he was waiting for an explanation.

"She lets you in her mind, but obscures all the memories she wants to keep hidden with a constant deluge of useless facts and quoting of texts. I can move about her mind, but have yet to see a single memory." Severus could tell that Albus was impressed. He was waiting for more questions about their lessons, but the Headmaster changed gears.

"How is she taking the censure from Molly? She made further enemies by allowing the Slytherins to align themselves with her." Severus felt his hackles rise.

"Who else was she supposed to lean on? Your loyal lions threw her to the side and shunned her. The Weasleys are the only ones still maintaining a relationship with her. My snakes may only be loyal because of her heritage, but they'll protect her until the end." Albus chuckled softly.

"I meant nothing bad, Severus. It was merely an observation." Severus shoved a hand through his hair, knowing there was obviously something else the Headmaster wanted to say. Several minutes passed before he finally broke the silence.

"What did you send Molly?" Severus snorted before he let a smirk cross his features.

"I told her that her son was one step away from a raping Death Eater and that if she sent even one more letter to Hermione I would demonstrate exactly why the Death Eaters respect me." Censure crossed the Headmaster's face.

"Was that necessary, Severus? She is looking out for her children." Severus stood abruptly.

"It's perfectly fine for her to look out for her delinquent son, but not acceptable for me to look out for my daughter. I won't have her harassed by that overgrown hag. She can harangue her own spawn, but she will leave mine alone or she will suffer the consequences." Albus seemed to realize that he had hit a nerve so he merely nodded. Unable to continue a conversation with his old friend at this moment, he stalked from the room and down the stairs.

He made his way back to his quarters and poured himself a whiskey. Severus considered his daughter's words while he sat before his fire, staring into the dancing flames. She had called him Daddy. He had dreamt of that moment since she had been born and when Albus had told him that she needed to be taken, he had resigned himself to letting that dream die.

His heart had lifted as soon as she uttered them and he had been hard pressed to keep a stupid grin from his face. It was clear that his daughter had him wrapped around her little finger and he loved every second of it. He wondered if this was how all parents felt. Deciding that he was ready to go to bed, he threw back the rest of his firewhiskey, vanished his glass, and made his way to his bed.

A/N- Finally finished. I'm sorry again for leaving y'all hanging. Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter. I know it wasn't a thriller, but ya gotta have story building! Leave me your thoughts, reviews are love.

Next chapter, Hermione gets sick of not learning anything in Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Love,

Alicia