Hermione was shaking with rage. It was one thing to hear Dumbledore abuse Severus with a thick wall between them, but to actually see it happen, to see how Dumbledore approached him, how his face shifted from warm and welcoming to firm and threatening had tipped Hermione over the edge. She would not stand for this.

She snarled fiercely, her lips curling up over her sharp canines, and her claws dug into the hardwood floor, and she launched forward.

She was pulled back roughly, and she grunted as her chest was constricted and air was forced out of her lungs. She slammed back into Severus's legs, crumpling into a heap, only to be pulled up forcefully.

"We'll be leaving." Severus said shortly, and Hermione caught a glimpse of Dumbledore's surprised face as Severus dragged her out of the room and down the flight of stairs before releasing her harness and kneeling in front of her.

"What are you thinking? You almost just attacked the most powerful wizard in the world, and your Headmaster! Control yourself!" before rising and striding off swiftly, his long legs eating up the ground silently and without effort, his cloak floating out behind him over the cobbled stone floor.

Hermione pinned her ears flat to her head and sprinted off after him, still shaking with anger. She could not believe the nerve of that man! And Severus telling her to get control of herself? Not going to happen. She'd rip the old jerk to shreds. She'd do enough damage that the old coot wouldn't think of expelling her, for fear of what she'd do next.

They made their way quickly to the dungeon, Severus rage walking at a brisk pace and Hermione following suit.

He burst into his quarters, the door slamming into the wall behind it, then closing just as firmly and loudly behind Hermione as she entered behind him, missing her tail by a minuscule and precise margin.

Hermione paced in front of the fire, growling to herself, while Severus went into the kitchen. He returned in a matter of moments, and lay a platter on the floor for her.

"Drink."

She glared at him, irritated beyond reason with Dumbledore, and Severus, too, for scolding her about it. She lowered her head to the dish and sniffed the liquid, recognizing it immediately as calming draught. She backed away from it, shaking her head in refusal. She did not need to calm down.

She focused her attention on Severus, who had made himself tea, which he was slipping slowly. He lowered himself onto the couch and set his head in his left hand, bending over himself, his brow furrowing deeply between the strands of dark hair that fell over his face. He held the cup of tea in his right hand, breathing in the steam that wafted from the top, lifting his head slightly to take a small sip every so often.

Hermione turned away from him and paced, and Severus sat silently. A while later, the sound of the cup being set down on the glass table made Hermione turn towards him. His eyes were on her, staring intensely, and Hermione narrowed her eyes at him in return, but sat facing him, waiting to see if he'd address her.

"Hermione..." He started, running a hand wearily through his hair. He sighed. "I know that conversation upset you, it upset me too, but..." He paused, and he seemed so exhausted suddenly, and the anger that had fueled him before, that Hermione had felt coming off him in waves, was gone. He had spent half an hour gaining control of himself, calming himself down, and Hermione realized it had been for her benefit. It must have been extremely difficult for him, but Severus was wary of scaring her. That made her angry, too.

"Albus has a very important job, and it's stressful. I don't agree with the decisions he's making, but he is in charge."

Hermione snarled.

"It's not an excuse for his behavior, or his actions, but we have no control over that. We can only refuse to be manipulated by him."

Hermione's lip remained curled over her teeth, her hackles still raised.

"It's... It's not ideal, but it's our only option. Albus has done a lot of good, and he knows how to win a war. We just have to take the bad with the good. And, I suppose, we have to trust him... Marginally. Whatever he's doing, he thinks it's best, and he's doing it for the Light. But, we cannot believe everything he tells us..."

Severus needed to change forms. He needed to do it now. Hermione would glare at him until he did.

"He's protecting Harry for some reason, that much is obvious. What, does he think I'll hurt him? I'm not that childish, Merlin. No, it must be something else, something more..."

Yes. Hermione knew where this was leading. He would shift forms to talk to her now.

"We need to talk about this." He said, and suddenly his thoughtful voice was stern, his drifting eyes returning to her stiff form. "You will not bombard me with a rant about how angry you are, do you understand me?"

Hermione nodded. She wouldn't bombard him, but she did have a few things to say.

"Very well."

Severus walked past Hermione, his tail trailing lazily behind him. Hermione wouldn't have recognized the scent, but he had given himself quite a strong sedative that he saved for special occasions. This was one of them. He was absolutely furious with Albus, but he didn't want to frighten Hermione. He'd done plenty of that the night he'd almost killed her.

"Severus, I'm not just upset about Dumbledore hiding information from us."

Hermione's voice was strong in his mind, but it was shaky. Alarmed, Severus turned towards her, searching her face, thinking that she might start crying.

But no, she was trembling with anger, he realized, and that puzzled him. She must have been quite shocked, though. She'd just realized that the man she'd idolized wasn't quite as innocent as she'd thought. Then he processed what she'd said, and was even more confused.

"What are you upset about, then?" He asked.

She rose suddenly, her tail swinging wildly behind her.

"I'm furious about how he talks to you, of course!" She exclaimed.

"What?"

"The way he treats you, Severus! It's, it's ghastly! Don't tell me you thought I wouldn't notice."

"I don't understand, Hermione. Why should that concern you?"

"Why -" She paused, her eyes wide. "Of course it concerns me!"

"Hermione," Severus said, thankful that he was sedated, "I've dealt with much worst than the arrogance of Albus Dumbledore."

"Well, you shouldn't have to, Severus. It's wrong. You don't deserve it."

"I deserve much worse."

Hermione growled.

"Don't say that to me ever again." She told him, taking another step closer.

"Hermione, you're being affected by your Animagus form. You are much more sensitive in this form, and your reactions are stronger than they would be if you were human. I assure you that everything is fine."

"No, it's not! He treats you horribly, and you risk your life every day for him! He keeps crucial information from you, he makes your job harder for you, he -" She stopped, at a loss for words, her mouth gaping open.

"Hermione..." Severus said, sighing. But she continued on, oblivious, finally getting control of herself enough to make sense of her thoughts.

"And it's not my Animagus form affecting me, Severus. I really do care about you, and the way... the way he treats you is just despicable, and there's no excuse for him to act like that towards you!"

"There are more important things to worry about right now than how Albus treats me."

Hermione was so close to him now that Severus could feel their whiskers brushing, and the air from her nostrils sweeping over his nose.

"Not to me."

They stayed that way for a moment, completely still, Hermione's eyes narrowed and full of concern, Severus's eyes wide and surprised. He didn't need to probe her mind to know that she was telling the truth, and he didn't know what to make of that. He didn't know what to think. Someone... Hermione... actually cared? About him?

"You can't let him keep treating you like that, Severus." She whispered after a moment, and Severus blinked and pulled himself out of the revere he'd sunk into, drew himself out of her deep brown eyes, and he replied,

"He's my boss, Hermione. He's the master and I'm merely a pawn, I'm at his disposal." Seeing Hermione begin to frown again, he continued, "You must understand, Hermione. I've pledged myself to him... I made a horrible mistake in my past, and people suffered, innocent people died, yet Albus took me in. He allowed me to change sides, to serve the Light. He has given me the ability to try to atone for my errors. The man will treat me how he likes."

"Oh, Severus." She sighed, and suddenly she moved forward. Their cheeks brushed and then she burrowed her face into his shoulder, and Severus felt himself stiffen, his hackles raise slightly in alarm and discomfort, and then he relaxed, and he found himself with his head over her neck, embracing her.

And then it was over, and he was moving away, raising his head up and hardening his mental defenses, trying to gain control over his racing heart, and he turned to her and said sternly,

"Enough about him. The bastard doesn't deserve a place in our thoughts."

"Yes, you're right." Hermione said, accepting the shift in conversation. "We really do need to discuss what information Vol- the Dark Lord might have gotten from Harry -"

"And we need to get you back into your human form." Severus added. "We'll do that first, if you aren't opposed."

"Oh, right." Hermione said, and Severus realized that she was crestfallen, hesitant, maybe even resistant.

"I assure you that I won't let any harm come to you when I'm working the curse out." he told her, and she raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"What, no! Of course I trust you, Severus! It's just..."

"What?" he pressed, becoming slightly frustrated despite himself. He did not like to be insulted, nor confused, and he was feeling both in this very moment.

"It's ridiculous, really, you don't want to -"

"Tell me."

"Look, I just... I don't want our relationship to change, ok? Because the only reason I'm still here with you is because I have to be, because you have no choice, but once I'm human, you won't want me- "

Hermione's mouth parted in shock at the words that had slipped from her mouth. She took a few steps backwards, her eyes dropping to the floor, her body shrinking in on itself, and she fought the rising urge to vomit, and tried to still her shaky, weak legs that threatened to buckle now that there was a lead weight in her stomach. She couldn't believe she'd opened her bloody big mouth -

And then she woke, and she was human.

The man in front of her remained completely still, as if time were frozen, and then his eyes, and only his eyes, seemed to move, to change, and Hermione rose her own to meet them, and she was stunned at what she saw.

They were heated, fiery, determined, and they were soft, and reassuring, and warm, and there was a fire in them; a hot, dancing flame, and they were swirling, and light seemed to be flashing from them, yet they were dark, as dark as she had ever seen them, and she couldn't imagine how two tiny spheres could be so expressive, how he was allowing them to be so expressive, and then he spoke, and his voice was somehow the same as his eyes, full of the same beautifully complex, paradoxical energy,

"Yes, I will."

And if she had ever doubted, she wasn't sure why, because this was a man who was giving her a glimpse of his soul, and this was a man who hid his soul from everyone, including himself, and this was a man who had obsidian in his eyes, and burning coals in his throat, and this was a man who could breathe fire if he wanted, if he had a reason, but... he'd never had a reason... not until now.