I've decided that I will gift semi-spoilers (let you know some of the things I'm planning a few chapters ahead) and a short SSHG one-shot to the 100th reviewer. This is to show my thanks for continued support. Also, uh continued support would be nice. This chapter is jampacked with action and drama, so… yeah, thank me later.

For future reference, I'm doing my best to write this to canon. Now, I thought I could do it completely to canon, but I may not be able to stay within the boundaries of stuff that JKR revealed in a throwaway line in an interview or something, especially taking place in the Marauders' time period. So, canon for our purposes will be books minus the epilogue (though I'm still wondering about that Ron/Hermione kiss in Deathly Hallows- might throw that away too).

- SnapeSage

Chapter 18

Corridors and Consorts

Further into the month of October, the chilly fall weather settled on the school, and Hermione and Severus continued to dance around each other. Nothing overtly promised, no talk about what this between them was, more assignments passed back and forth, more mumbled conversations in the library when the other girls had forgotten about their new friend for an afternoon or evening. Thus far, the library worked for avoiding detection.

Hermione learned more about Severus each day and shared her own stories, as much as she could, simply disguising stories of friends "from before" or "back home" as having been in Italy twenty years previous. Thankfully, her alias' backstory had her being born and raised in England before moving to Genoa when magical schooling began, so she could be open with Severus about her early years raised in the Muggle world.

With every smirk and glinting gaze Severus would send her way, Hermione found herself falling further into an unintelligible haze of infatuation. When did Hermione Granger ever do anything without thinking it through completely? Taking up a romance with a 20-years-younger Severus Snape and trying to alter the past was just as bad, if not worse, than an affair with a professor…

But perhaps she had made the first move after all, and it was many years sooner than she had originally thought? As soon as that intriguing train of thought began, Hermione pushed it away, because it opened up too many uncomfortable questions about her own behaviour in multiple timelines.

Hermione thoroughly enjoyed their secretive, stolen hours in the library. They had seemed to reach an understanding between them. They had no issues between them yet, since Hermione had decided to leave the potential Death Eater business alone. If the past was inalterable, it was meant to happen, and it was beneficial to the Order of the Phoenix in the long run to have a spy in Voldemort's camp. If the past could indeed be changed, she would probably not be the one to do it. Severus had loved Lily Evans for 20 years, after all, and it would probably be something to do with Lily Evans that caused any early remorse. This must be a brief flirtation, just as she had had with Viktor and Ron.

She treated him as a friend in an abusive relationship that was sure to fizzle, crackle, explode, and end somewhat badly. She made her disapproval quite clear but prepared herself to help him through the aftermath of the breakup.

Hermione reminded herself more than once with gritted teeth that Severus had lost both parents less than a year ago, was constantly afraid for his life and without a friend, and was being offered power and glory on a silver platter. Then she would think of the honourable man that she had left behind in 1997 who regretted his past mistakes. This would calm her down, and she would feel her heart hurting for that man rather than his younger self.

However, Hermione Granger was still a know-it-all, and she found no end of opportunities to point out Severus' lack of foresight or knowledge about the true nature of Voldemort and his minions. At first, Hermione's casual comments would visibly rankle him, and he would stiffen and coldly stare at her in anticipation of some further reaction.

After repeated glares and eye-rolls accompanied by matter-of-fact statements about "what an idiot" he was and how he would "come to regret it", Severus' attitude became a mixture of bemused, curious, and teasing. This would be when his eyes would shine and he would whisper things about the "seductive beauty of the…" (he would pause and lazily rake his eyes up and down her form) … "dark arts", he would finish in a low tone with a raised brow. Then Severus would smirk ferally as Hermione blushed, and the subject was hastily changed.

The current Severus Snape's political views were tolerated enough to enjoy his company; however, Hermione was getting increasingly tired of doing the extra work for the lazy, wannabe Death Eaters, and she was also no longer seeing the point of it. Severus was largely accounted for, not finding himself alone in the corridors between classes or mealtimes. Was he worried about being assaulted after Quidditch practice? On the way to Slug Club? Perhaps he could call off one or two of the dogs to lighten their load of assignments?

He shook his head sharply when she mentioned it to him a few nights before Halloween. "No, there's also mornings."

"Mornings?" She asked. "What do you mean?"

He hesitated, looking up from whatever work he was doing that was splayed across the table. "How early do you rise?"

"Oh, as… as early as anyone else, I suppose." Hermione woke up rather early to spend at least half an hour meditating and checking her Occlumency shields. Then she would open her leather-bound notebook and write down anything new that came to her unexpectedly in the morning.

"If you are awake early, I will be on the seventh-floor corridor at 6 am." Severus said, turning back to his work and hiding behind his dark hair.

The next morning, Hermione woke at 5:30 and spent her regular time meditating before dressing in a hurry and making her way out into the corridor.

Sure enough, she saw Snape coming up the staircase, accompanied by a bleary-eyed Paul Wilkes.

"I don't get," Wilkes yawned, "why you're always coming up here so early. If you're shagging a Gryffindor, it can be done at night, you know."

"It isn't for you to get, Wilkes," Severus said in a bored tone. "Tell Mulciber-" Severus paused as he caught sight of Hermione and the corner of his mouth ticked upward. "Tell Mulciber to go back to bed, he needn't escort me back."

Wilkes frowned. "You're sure? He'll still want his homework…" The full-faced Slytherin trailed off as he also caught sight of Hermione. "Ah okay. Didn't know you actually had a consort already, Snape." Wilkes clapped him once on the back and headed back down the stairway, nearly tripping in his hurry to get back to bed.

Severus walked over to greet Hermione and she only then noticed his outfit. He was in a black T-shirt and track pants, and he wore black trainers on his feet. He was carrying a small gym bag, also black.

She looked at him questioningly.

"Come," he said. He led her down the corridor and-

What? There's no way he knows about this! He's known about this room the entire time? Wait, wait, hold on, that means he knew exactly where Dumbledore's Army was meeting, and he kept that information to himself? Hell, if Severus Snape isn't popping surprise after surprise out of his hat-

"This is what I've been coming here for," he said quietly, shuffling Hermione into the Room of Requirement.

"Oh, I see." She said before bursting out with a delighted laugh. "You've made yourself a gym."

Sure enough, the room was filled with several workout machines, as well as a few open areas with practice dummies that Hermione recognized as having used herself for D.A. practice. She noted a treadmill, a bike, an elliptical, some weight machines and a few kickboxing and punching bags, the practice dummies (who were holding wands), and even a few brooms in the far corner of the room. Undoubtedly, some hoops and a set of Quidditch balls could also be magicked into existence if desired.

She looked up at Severus, who appeared pleased at her reaction. "I discovered this room over a year ago, but I haven't had much chance to use it until recently. I was keeping watch in front of Gryffindor tower one night and I needed a place to sleep. That time, the room had a bed, an attached bathroom, and a large one-way glass that saw through to the corridor so I could exit quickly."

Hermione looked around the room approvingly. "So, you've been coming up here to work out in the mornings?"

"Yes, and I've needed the escort due to the proximity to the tower. I wouldn't want to be caught unawares and alone," he sneered, clearly a bit embarrassed that he could be beaten in a four-on-one fight by the Marauders.

Ah, of course. "How…" She frowned in thought. "How did you say you found it again?"

He hesitated but ultimately answered. "I was… waiting for a friend."

After a moment's pause, he snarled and ran his fingers over his scalp and through his hair. "Hermione, I should tell you-"

"It's alright, Severus." Hermione said quietly. "Lily already told me you two used to be friends."

His eyes darted quickly to hers.

"What exactly did she say?" He asked, sounding desperate for news.

Hermione's heart squeezed painfully in her chest, but she forced herself to keep a casual manner. "Same as I've told you, really." She shrugged. "That you used to be friends, but you were friends with the wrong crowd now, and she's sure you're a Death Eater- which I also disapprove of." Hermione sent him her usual glare before moving on. "She also said you… that you called her a Mudblood in front of people-"

"That was a mistake," he hissed. "I was wandless, defenseless, and humiliated in front of Potter and Black, and… and yes, I lost my temper with her. It was salt in the wound to have her defend me in front of a crowd when- when she regularly turned a blind eye in a more private setting. Yet still I…" Severus looked away, appearing angry and ashamed. "I spent all night waiting for her and begging her to come out so I could apologise- I only gave up to sleep in this room around five…"

Hermione thought she hadn't gotten the full story from Lily, but it was good to see that there was more. Yes, she also would have been furious at being called a Mudblood by a friend, but… all she really demanded was an apology from Ron. After some time apart, perhaps an apology would have been enough. Heck, Ron was never a Slytherin afraid for his life. Could she have expected Draco Malfoy to sleep outside the portrait hole and beg forgiveness for calling her Mudblood?

"Severus," she said quietly. "I'm not-"

"What?" He sneered, fists clenched, continuing to look away. "Go then! You know the truth now! Back to Gryffindor, where you can all be up on your high-flying thestrals about who to associate with."

"What?" Hermione said, taken aback. "What are you talking about, I'm just saying that I'm not-"

"Yes, I know," Severus continued in a biting tone. "She'll never find out and you'll be in the clear for deigning to look at me. No one will know-"

"Will you shut up for just one minute! Let me talk!" Hermione's curls frizzed out in her anger as she grabbed his hand and forced him to meet her eyes. "I'm not going back to Lily to speak on your behalf- or against you for that matter- because I have no interest in getting involved! Whatever happened between you, happened before I got here, and I'm not weighing in. That's all I was going to say!"

Severus looked back at her from behind his fallen-forward hair. It was a hesitant look, but full of longing. They stood there in the empty, brightly lit gym looking at each other, hands still clasped. Her heart was beating rapidly still from her outburst. She felt on the verge of forgetting to breath as she looked up into his dark eyes.

"Hermione…" He whispered.

She slowly turned to ice at his tone. He was going to ask her to intervene to Lily, wasn't he?

Her body was drawn into him, but simultaneously emitting a gut-wrenching throbbing of dread.

He only did want me to ingratiate him to Lily, didn't he? To win her back.

Of course, he did, she's beautiful. What are you to him? Lily Evans has been his Patronus for 20 years.

You are a pathetic fool, Hermione. Some lovesick girl who can't help but try to change the past.

"I- I've kept you from your workout." She said in a rush before her throat closed. "I'll just be going."

"No! No- wait." Severus clasped her hand tightly, keeping her from removing it and leaving. As she looked up at him hesitantly, he closed his eyes, furrowing his brows as if in pain. "I… may I..." He took a deep breath and opened his eyes wide, meeting hers forcefully. "May I walk you down to breakfast when I'm finished?"

Hermione bit her lip and looked away. "That's right, you told Mulciber not to come."

"Fuck, Perri, that's not what I meant," he groaned, leaning his head back. "You don't have to say yes. I can risk walking by myself if you say no."

Hermione hesitated. It was quite likely someone would see them walking together and then all of Gryffindor would be talking about it. It would be certain to get back to Lily, who would not be pleased. Is that what Severus wants? To get back at Lily? She quickly shook the thought away.

Hermione didn't actually care about what Lily or the others thought of her, but she didn't like the thought that she was abandoning her mission to the past in order to… what? Spend more time with Severus Snape? Flirt with him and imagine kissing him when he was still contemplating Death Eater membership? This would surely compromise the mission, wouldn't it? Was it possible to protect Lily Evans if Lily was angry with her?

She looked back at Severus. He had not yet released her hand and she found she didn't want him to. It was becoming agony to hold hands with him instead of press herself against him.

"We cannot ignore how people view us," he said quietly.

Hermione recognized the look of barely concealed pain and anger on his face. She had last seen it after Slughorn's Christmas party when Professor Snape had brought her to an empty classroom.

"Who put you up to this?" He had hissed angrily at her as she was pressed back into the stone wall.

"Do not play me for a fool!" Severus had snarled at her… "Whose idea was this?"

He doubted her.

He thought this thing between them was a trap, a joke, some deception on her part. That, or he believed she was ashamed to be seen with him. It was this last idea that broke her resolve.

She squeezed his hand back, rubbing it gently with her thumb. He inhaled deeply, but otherwise appeared unmoved. "Si, Vero," Hermione said to him. "I will walk with you." She smiled up at him, heart in her eyes.

Severus' face kept the same look, still unaffected by her answer.

"And if Evans finds out?" He said, between gritted teeth.

Hermione blushed and her smile turned a bit sly. "Oh, I thought we were intending James Potter and his friends to find out. You've never made good on your promise to scare them off for me."

Severus slowly relaxed at hearing this. He didn't smile, but as her grin slowly grew, she saw a slight uptick before he schooled his mouth to a neutral line.

"I should be done in an hour," he said quietly, giving her a sharp nod. He didn't appear to know what to do with her hand. He looked down at it and seemed loathe to release it.

Finally, he squeezed her hand once more and gently brought it back to her side, frustrating her to no end as her body tingled and she wished he had done almost anything else. It was sweet how much shyer he had gotten now that they knew each other better, as if he were too serious with her to flirt as much, but she wished… She wished for unwise things.

Severus turned and made his way over to the treadmill, fiddling with the settings as she stared at his back.

Hermione would have enjoyed staying to watch him work out. She bit her lip as she deliberately forced her mind not to watch his lithe, muscular frame, flexing arms or his firm behind as he started to jog.

Hermione turned around and quietly exited the room, wondering how she could have been so daring as to show Professor Snape an erotic fantasy, but she couldn't even kiss this Severus on the cheek.

She met him in an hour to find that he was freshly showered and dressed in uniform. His gym bag was now transfigured back into his regular school bag which was slung across his broad shoulder. Hermione forced herself not to think of Severus showering after a workout, smiled at him brightly, and began walking down to breakfast alongside him.

They met no Gryffindors as they walked, but a few floors down they were passed by a group of ten or so Ravenclaws, almost all firsties. Elpida and Calliope were walking together behind the young students and they both met Hermione with raised eyebrows. Ellie seemed pleasantly surprised, but Callie looked a little too interested. Probably wants me to get information from him, Hermione thought bitterly.

As she and Severus waited for the group to pass, a straggler down the corridor to their right spotted them.

"You! Snape!"

Quick as lightning, Severus shoved Hermione behind him and placed a heavy shield charm over them. His instincts were on point, because a second later a bang sounded, and a red flash hit the shield.

Hermione felt waves of magic as Severus threw spells back at the attacker. She couldn't hear what was being said over the whizzes and hums of magical power, as well as the screaming and running of the Ravenclaws.

After a few hits back and forth, Severus shifted and Hermione could slip past him slightly, out of the shield charm but still blocked from the attacker by his form. She turned to her left to look for the other Ravenclaws.

"Callie! Ellie!" She cried.

"She took the others to safety!" Elpida yelled back, dashing into view. "What's going on?"

Her answer was questioned by the sound of exploding fireworks. They both turned their heads to see the hall explode in multiple rainbow-colored flashes. Blue and yellow and red smoke and pulses of light obscured the duelers.

"What are you waiting for, Annie?" Ellie yelled. "Do something!"

"I don't want to hit Snape on accident!" Hermione shouted back.

"I'll petrify both of them!" Ellie hollered, the fiery Quidditch beater in her coming out.

Hermione already had her wand out and raised it to vanish the fireworks, determined not to petrify Severus from behind.

"Expelliarmus!"

Hermione's wand flew out of her hand, and she saw Elpida's wand slip through her fingers as well. Angry and shocked, Hermione turned to see the wands soar and fly into the waiting hand of Calliope, who had arrived back from getting the first years out of the way.

"Shit! Sorry!" She yelled. "I missed- I was going for them!"

Elpida scrambled over and shuffled Hermione out of the way just before a dragon-shaped ball of fire engulfed her.

Now without wands, Hermione and Elpida crouched together on a section of the wall, covering their heads with their arms. They heard Callie screaming something and running forward into the fray.

After a minute or two of pops and bangs, the bright dust settled, and Hermione and Ellie ceased shielding their bodies. Hermione's heart was beating rapidly in her chest and there was a slight ringing in her ears.

"You alright? Uninjured?"

Hermione looked up to see Severus standing above her, breathing heavily and looking murderous.

Hermione nodded and accepted his hand to help her to her feet. He released her hand and turned to help Ellie to her feet as Hermione brushed off her robes.

Hermione peered across the hallway to see who had made it out worse.

Her eyes widened.

Popov.

The dark-blonde hair of Alexander Popov appeared a few feet up the wall that he was slumped against. He was holding his hand against the side of his head, which had a slow trickle of blood coming from it, and his right leg was jutting out at an awkward angle. Calliope stood over him, wand pointed at his head, her eyes directed across the hall to the girls and Snape. Hermione thought she looked just as murderous as Severus did.

Having checked the girls were okay, Severus turned and stalked angrily over to Popov. Hermione couldn't help the thrill that ran through her at seeing the powerful stance and walk that was so familiar to her. It was terrible that she thought he was delicious when he was furious, wasn't it?

Callie continued holding her wand to Popov's face as Snape towered over him. Hermione walked a little faster to the end of the hall to see what he was saying.

"…are fortunate it wasn't worse." Severus hissed. "There is always the Gulag-"

"You bastard!" Popov spat at him, glaring up at him icily. He noted Hermione and Elpida's approach and yelled to them. "Anya! You must help me! You would not let the Death Eaters roam free at Hogwarts like they are at Durmstrang?"

Hermione stood on Severus' right as Ellie stood on his left between him and Callie. "You attacked first, Alexander." Hermione said quietly.

"No!" He yelled, trying to reason with her. "No, I merely get retaliation! This Death Eater sent his dogs to Moscow after my father. I have a letter from my mother that says he has been arrested and is under questioning for last three days!"

"What are you saying, Popov?" Ellie half-growled. "Are you saying that You-Know-Who has taken over the Soviet Ministry? How else would the Death Eaters be involved in that?"

"CHYORT!" He cursed. "It is worse, he has been arrested by Muggle authorities as an enemy of state! He is being tortured! We are purebloods who are unknown to Muggles! Someone has lied and given his name!" Popov's face contorted further in rage.

"Why would you suspect Severus specifically?" Hermione said, crossing her arms over her chest, eyes narrowed. "There are surely other Slytherins capable-"

"He is Half-blood!" Popov said angrily. "He knows about Muggle world! I find out everything I can about Snape, and this is confirmed! What other Death Eaters are Half-bloods?"

"You're an imbecile, Popov." Callie said coldly, shifting the wand between the fingers of her left hand. "They offer Muggle Studies here at Hogwarts, unlike at Durmstrang. It doesn't take a Half-blood to learn basic facts about Muggles."

"It was Snape, I know it!" He cried furiously, head turning to the girls around him and refusing to meet the eyes of the one he named. "It must have been him because- be- because…"

Hermione looked over at Severus to see him gloating. He was wearing quite a satisfied smirk, and something felt off to her.

She swiveled her head back to Popov. "You have a reason to suspect him taking his own revenge, don't you? It was you by the Lake! You were the one who attacked him and left him for dead!" Popov's face drooped slightly, and Hermione knew she had him.

"Give me my wand, Callie," she said darkly, turning to the dark-haired girl.

Callie hesitated, but slowly lifted her right hand to reveal Ellie's, Hermione's, and Popov's wands. She lifted her hand so her palm was facing up and unclenched her hand so that Ellie and Hermione could pluck their wands up.

Hermione reached her arm over to grab her wand just as Popov used his good leg to jump to his feet, shoving Callie away with his right hand while grabbing his wand with his left. At Popov's sudden movement, Hermione instinctively pushed backwards, blocking Severus and Ellie.

"Crucio!"

Hermione's entire body convulsed violently, as she received the brunt of the spell clearly meant for Severus. She fell to the floor, dropping her wand as she did so.

Her entire body was screaming, each nerve end pulsing with pain. It felt as though she had a Charley Horse in each limb, and someone was stabbing her in the lower back and abdomen at the same time. The ringing in her ears rose to a roar of white noise as she spasmed, vaguely catching some yelling around her.

She felt the wave of Crucio slowly abate from her body, but her limbs still ached, and she could only catch a few words around her. The ringing in her ears was still pulsing, and she felt something wet on her face. It could be tears, or it could be blood, she thought sleepily.

She felt herself being lifted into the air and rushed away. She turned back to see Severus speaking to Calliope. He had a look on his face, that look. They were far too close together and Hermione would have been exceedingly jealous if she could even find the energy to think about it.

As she felt the spots of colour in her viewpoint turn into splotches of black, she realized that she hadn't had breakfast yet and this might explain why she felt so lightheaded.

"What the bloody hell, Snape?" Elpida breathed heavily, looking around frantically at the aftermath. "I'm not just going to look the other way if you murder him!"

Popov's prone and limp form lay bloodied on the corridor floor. Severus had hit him with a Sectumsempra that turned out more violent than he'd ever seen it before. The fucking Soviet had it coming.

"Don't be alarmed, Dalton," Severus said smoothly. "He's only knocked out. Get going and take Perri to the hospital wing before I hex you too. Calliope and I will perform the countercurse and be along shortly."

Ellie glared daggers at him, but swiftly gathered up her and Hermione's wands before performing a levitation spell. Once Severus was satisfied that her dirty blonde hair was bobbing up and down the corridor as she hurried away with her charge, he turned to Callie.

"Thank you," he said quietly. "But I could have handled it myself."

"I think you're glad I stepped in," Callie responded matter-of-factly. She looked down at Popov, still bleeding onto the floor but a little less rapidly. She raised an eyebrow. "Do you actually mean to kill him? I didn't think you wanted to get expelled."

"No," he said bitterly, looking at Popov as if he were a particularly large cockroach. "I was just hoping to give him a blood-clotting disorder." He knelt down and began to chant, sealing up Popov's wounds with his wand. He purposefully did a clumsy job, hoping it would hurt when Madam Pomfrey corrected his work.

"Done," he said shortly, standing up. "Anything amiss?" He turned to Calliope, stonily appraising the situation.

"Yes," she said. "Fight looks too unfair."

"Even with the Crucio?"

She shrugged. "Better safe than sorry. I'll get Elpida to agree to the story." She lifted her wand, raising it to cast but hesitating halfway through. "I can trust you to keep quiet about… this, Snape?" She raised an eyebrow.

He grinned. "I don't know what you mean, Miss Cohen."

She glared at him. "Don't look so pleased with yourself. Okay, right arm or left arm?"

"Right arm," he said confidently. "It's my wand arm, so it looks convincing. I've been working on my left hook, so I should be fine until it's healed."

"Right." She looked both ways just to be sure they were alone before raising her wand again. "Remember, be quiet."

Severus stiffened, determined not to scream as his arm broke.

The official story was similar enough to what happened.

Calliope, as the Prefect, described the ambush in the corridor and shuffling the first years away from danger. Once she and Elpida returned from that task, they had witnessed Snape send an unknown curse to defend himself at the same time Popov performed Crucio. Popov was a miserable duelist, had hit Anna Perri on accident, who had fallen backwards into Snape and broken his arm with the force of the spell. Calliope then rushed over to Popov to heal him up as he bled out, screaming about Snape getting what he deserved, and that Popov would finish what he had started by the lake in August. Elpida brought Anna to the hospital wing while Calliope brought the two young men.

This story was delivered that evening to Albus Dumbledore and Poppy Pomfrey in the hospital wing in full view of the recovery beds of Severus Snape and Anna Perri. Madam Pomfrey had treated them that morning and allowed them to rest the entire day before the questioning became more than perfunctory. Hermione had drifted in and out of sleep, still exhausted from the brunt of the Cruciatus on an empty stomach. Pomfrey had spent much of the day tending to Mr. Popov, who was still recovering in a locked room at the end of the ward, though none of the others had been informed of his status.

Elpida sat in a chair next to Anna's bed, blue eyes shining, mouth a brittle line. She added nothing to the account, merely perfecting her poker face and nodding in agreement. Callie's was her usual wide-eyed, stern expression. She had perfected the quiet poker face.

Madam Pomfrey had a small crease between her eyebrows as she listened. "That certainly… explains the injuries." She said finally.

Professor Dumbledore showed no reaction in his face. "Miss Perri," he said, turning to Hermione's bed. "Does this seem accurate to you?"

"I believe so, Professor. I passed out after I was hit with the Cruciatus curse, so I can't confirm anything that happened after," she said quietly.

He stared at her for a moment, before giving a sharp nod. "And… Mr. Snape, you will confirm that Mr. Popov performed a Crucio?"

Severus nodded. "Yes, sir."

"In light of the circumstances, I will not inquire as to the curse you used on him," Dumbledore said quietly. It was a voice reminiscent of Professor Snape's quiet voice, equally as frightening as being screamed at. "However, in future, I will not be so… remiss."

Dumbledore turned to Madam Pomfrey. "When Mr. Popov is fully recovered, you may inform him of his expulsion. He is not to be permitted to walk through the corridors; one of the house elves can pack his trunk for him and apparate him to Hogsmeade Station when he is able to leave. I will speak to his sister as to her desired course of action, as she may wish to follow her brother back to Moscow."

"Incidentally," Dumbledore said lightly, turning back to the group of students watching him. "I received an owl this evening with dinner for an urgent message for the Popovs. Apparently, their father Anton has been released by the Muggle authorities after some intervention from the Soviet Ministry. The message was passed to our British Ministry of Magic and forwarded to me. I am sure Mr. Popov will be glad to see his father when he returns."

Dumbledore nodded cheerfully to Madam Pomfrey and swept from the room.

Madam Pomfrey still looked slightly disturbed but shook her head and brushed it off. She looked at the quartet and said, "ten minutes before visiting hours are up", before hurrying to check on Popov's status.

Calliope turned around to face the beds, scowling. "I'm sorry for everything, Anna."

"Was it really necessary to lie?" Hermione frowned, looking over at Severus.

"Yes," Ellie whispered from the side of the bed. "They allow the Dark Arts at Durmstrang, not here." She looked over at Severus as well, raising her voice so he could hear. "We had to account for you mutilating a student. If you're going to be hanging out with Annie, you'll need to control your temper." She said, not hiding her irritation. "I don't want to be worrying about her hanging out with you and your crowd."

Snape glowered at her. "Seeing as it was a Ravenclaw who cursed her, I should be more worried about you and your crowd."

"Stop it, this is childish." Calliope pushed her thick glasses up her nose and gestured to Ellie. "Come on, Elpida, we should let them rest. They'll probably be here a few more days."

"Yes, we will," Hermione sighed, deciding to let the lie go for now. "Madam Pomfrey warned me I'd miss the Halloween feast tomorrow night. She hasn't seen recovery from a Cruciatus before and sometimes there can be long-term effects."

Ellie reached over and gave her hand a quick squeeze before standing. "You should be done by now though, Snape," she said to him. "It's only a broken arm." Ellie was fast becoming as protective as a bulldog when it concerned Hermione.

Severus smirked. "It's my wand arm, Dalton. I told Pomfrey I wanted it healed the slow way to make sure it stays nimble. That involves more potions and a longer recovery time."

"Right." Ellie mumbled, still suspicious. Nevertheless, she said her final goodbye to Hermione as Callie nodded to each of them curtly before exiting the hospital wing.

Hermione looked over at Severus. He returned her gaze from his bed, shifting slowly so as not to disturb his arm.

After a few moments, sure they were completely alone, she hissed, "Mutilating a student?"

Severus winced and looked apologetic, waiting for the lecture.

Hermione huffed, not sure if she was as angry as she should be.

"Did you actually break your arm when I passed out?"

"It is actually broken," he hedged. Yes, that's what I thought, this is a ploy to keep him out of trouble. I'll have to thank Callie and Ellie for covering this up.

"Well… thank you," she said stiffly. "Thank you for defending me, though I'm not sure I approve of your methods."

Severus nodded, looking a bit relieved. They passed a few moments of silence together, each propped on their side and staring at the other. They were lying in side-by-side beds, currently unobscured by curtains. It felt quite intimate.

"May I ask you something?" Severus said softly, clearly affected by the closeness of their positioning. At Hermione's nod, he continued. "You asked Calliope for your wand when we were interrogating Popov."

"I know," Hermione closed her eyes as she blushed in furious embarrassment. "I know, it was a stupid thing to do and then he got his wand back from that. I could kick myself for such a dumb move, but at least it was me who got the Crucio for that and none of you-"

"Don't say that!" Severus hissed, shifting again. "I wasn't blaming you, I just wanted to understand why you asked for your wand."

"He admitted it!" She said in a loud whisper. "He admitted that he knocked you off your broom and left you for dead. I-I was…" Hermione didn't continue, feeling the same roaring emotion encompass her body that she had felt at the time.

She had wanted to hurt Popov until he cried for his mother, bring him to the edge of insanity before leaving him a helpless, sobbing mess. She hadn't thought out what she was going to use her wand for. Maybe just something humiliating to start with, followed up with blackmail or framing him for something to get him expelled.

She was angry with Severus for hurting Popov because she had wanted to do something to him herself. The smug transfer had tried to kill Severus- her Severus. How could she let him get away with that?

Hermione slowly realized with no small amount of disgust with herself that there was another reason she was angry with Severus. The idea of him angrily mutilating Popov in a fury pleased her. She should not get an aroused thrill from the thought of a vicious, Dark Severus causing someone pain. She couldn't help the satisfaction that she felt now, just as she had barreled on full speed ahead with putting Rita Skeeter in a jar, or ensuring SNEAK wouldn't come off Marietta Edgecombe's face, or sending butterfly-birds to peck and scratch at Ronald Weasley's slobber-covered face. This Hermione had always been buried in there somewhere.

Hermione looked over at Severus and found he was devouring her with his eyes.

He knew. He knew she was pleased. He could see that she had some streak of sadism, some hint of ensnaring darkness that she was struggling to keep in check.

That look, she thought, watching his mouth twitch seductively. This man is already sex on a stick. She felt her face growing hot as he appraised her, remembering that even though they were in hospital, there were beds here.

Then, as soon as she felt herself growing warm between her legs which were hidden beneath the blankets, she remembered.

He called her Calliope, Hermione thought. And he gave her that look as well.

Angry, aroused, and exhausted, Hermione broke his gaze and turned away from him, mumbling "goodnight."

The next day before breakfast, Hermione was visited by Marina, Marlene, Arabella, and Lily.

Lily must have spoken to the other girls ahead of time, because she strategically positioned herself away from Severus so she could neither see him nor face him. Severus appeared undisturbed by her presence, and leisurely lay reading a book, one leg crossed over the other. He had set the book to levitate in front of his face, so he needn't use his bad arm, turning the pages with a lazy wave of his free hand.

Marina was eager for the details of the attack, as if it had been an interesting movie or television program, and Lily and Marlene asked questions about Popov's motivations. Hermione had the feeling that Marlene was here to keep Lily from giving Snape a piece of her mind.

Hermione was thankful that she could blame the Cruciatus curse and her healing regimen on her "fuzzy memory". She remembered the false story that Calliope had concocted, she just wasn't sure she could keep up with the incidental details under pointed questioning. She didn't want to reveal yet that Severus and she were walking down from Gryffindor together, nor that he had shielded her. It would come up eventually, of course, but it would be easier to deal with when she was completely healed.

Arabella was charming as usual, and she focused more on asking questions about potions and spells that Madam Pomfrey had favored for treatment. She had no problem in directing a few of these questions to Severus as well, smiling at him and shuffling over to look at his arm. Hermione struggled to keep herself from seething as Severus peered out from behind his book and allowed Arabella to sweetly fuss over him. Lily looked perturbed as well but rolled her eyes and ignored it. Apparently, the flirting was just what Arabella did.

After a short visit with promises of sending someone later with homework, the girls left.

There was a brief commotion in the hallway, not even long enough to be concerned about, before the Slytherins entered. Avery, Mulciber, Rosier, and Wilkes walked in together looking angry. Hermione widened her eyes, but quickly averted them and grabbed a book from her own nightstand to read.

"Can't we make her leave?" One of them hissed.

"Just cast a silencing spell."

"No, you berk. Pomfrey's wards don't allow silencing spells here."

The Slytherins stood there awkwardly, clearly unwilling to speak freely with Hermione so close by.

"Avery," she said calmly, not looking up from her book. "I quite agree with your thoughts on the human soul, but your interpretation of the animal soul leaves much to be desired." She waited for a pause before looking up. The Slytherins visibly relaxed, and Mulciber emptied a few things on to Snape's bed as Rosier grabbed a chair next to the bed.

"Here's your homework," Rosier said. "You still owe Wilkes and Mulciber assignments for guard duty the other day."

"What guard duty?" Snape drawled. "I only saw Wilkes."

"Yes, but you called me off, didn't yeh," Milton leered. "I still had to make up for it."

You still had to do your own work, more like.

Severus sneered but nodded curtly. "Fine. As for the rest, I won't be needing all of your services any longer. Guard duty will be reduced by half."

Hermione perked up to hear this but kept her face hidden in her book. She wasn't going to suggest that he didn't need guard duty any more after yesterday, but she was glad not to have as much extra work.

"What?" Wilkes whined. "Why's that?"

"Because," Avery said, "Popov was much of the problem and that's been handled." Avery was careful not to say that they weren't involved in handling the problem. He was smart enough to figure out that this would be unwise to point out.

"Do you want me to choose the two," Snape said in a bored voice, "or can you work out an alternating schedule?"

Hermione glanced over to look at the Slytherins. She personally would prefer Avery and Rosier. They were the more intelligent ones and writing their assignments wouldn't feel like banging her head against the wall. It was mind numbing to write to an Acceptable level for Mulciber and Wilkes' essays.

The Slytherins had greedy looks on their faces. It was easy to figure out that with only two for guard duty, they could keep to the same one assignment per day, or alternate and have two completed every other day. However, there was always the risk that Snape wouldn't chose them. They huddled together and the decision was reached quickly.

Greed over caution it was.

"Choose your two," Wilkes said.

"Rosier and…" Snape looked around at them, debating. "Mulciber."

Rosier and Mulciber grinned, Wilkes looked furious, and Avery looked shocked to not be chosen. As Rosier and Mulciber walked a distance away to work out a schedule, Avery protested.

"I've made my decision," Snape said, waving him off.

"I'll guard without the assignments," Avery said. "Just give me your consort as payment."

Hermione turned her head fully, forgetting to pretend she wasn't listening.

A hush came over the group of Slytherins, waiting to see what Snape would do. Severus made no reaction to Avery's statement. "I don't know what you're talking about, John."

"You have two consorts, Snape, you don't need both of them. I'll take this one, she's not as stupid as they usually are." Avery looked over at Hermione and she felt her face slowly redden. She knew she should look away, but she couldn't.

"I have no consort," Snape said through gritted teeth.

Avery leaned in closer to Snape and said something Hermione couldn't hear. He gestured to the pile on the bed, which Hermione figured out was a pile of letters, as he looked over at her again. He reminded her a bit of Draco Malfoy. Not terrible looking, but certainly a creep.

Severus snarled something back at Avery and a few of the words drifted over. "…knew I made the right choice. Get out of my sight."

Avery shrugged, and nodded to Wilkes to leave. Mulciber and Rosier looked hesitant, but Mulciber headed for the door after the other two. Rosier came over to speak to Snape.

"Sorry, Severus, that was bad form. Is the deal still on if your consort quits writing-"

"Fuck off, Evan."

Rosier raised his palms out as if to say, 'hey just trying to help' before he also turned and exited the hospital wing.

Once the doors shut, Severus flung himself roughly back on the pillows and closed his eyes. She saw him wince, as he hadn't taken care to cushion his arm.

He just wants to go to sleep so he doesn't have to talk about that, she fumed. Smart man. He knows I'm not happy with him.

They spent the rest of the day avoiding one another, despite being in side-by-side beds for much of it. Severus was using the bathroom for far longer than Hermione thought he needed to be, and it always coincided with times that she put her book down, determined to speak to him.

That evening as they missed the Halloween feast, she caught him, deciding to start slowly.

"I would have picked Rosier and Avery," she said nonchalantly. "Avery's papers are easier to write."

Severus grunted, seemingly determined not to talk about it.

"Why Mulciber, anyway?" she asked. "He's just as off-putting as Avery, maybe more so. Why I've heard a few stories about him-"

"Rosier is the best duelist," Snape said stonily. "He's also the most bearable to be around. Wilkes is a troll, perhaps quite literally if the rumors about his heritage are to be believed. It was a toss-up between Avery and Mulciber. Mulciber is stupider and slimier, but he's good at curses and thinks quickly on his feet. Avery is intelligent, good with people, and a little charming, granted, but he's a fucking coward. If it's only him and I together in an ambush, he'll turn tail and run. If he weren't in Slytherin house he would never…" Severus stopped there, already knowing Hermione knew the answer.

"He never would never join Voldemort," she finished for him. She wasn't sure that was an accurate statement. Only joining Voldemort for convenience? It sounded familiar to her. "There are cowards in Gryffindor as well," she said quietly, thinking of one in particular.

Severus smirked, finally looking over at her. "Pettigrew," he said. Hermione looked at him in horror, instinctively checking her Occlumency shields before finding them unbreeched. She nodded sharply, and he graced her with an almost genuine smile of agreement. "Better watch out for your friend," Severus chuckled, turning back to his floating book. "He likes her."

Hermione half-gasped in consternation but shut her mouth quickly, biting her lip, when she saw Madam Pomfrey hurrying over to prepare their nighttime potions treatments. She would have to ask him about that later.

The earlier question about consorts was quite forgotten.

Hermione jolted awake that night.

It was dark in the hospital wing, but there was a light, just over there. She frowned, watching the small glowing dot bob up and down as it floated from the doorway over to the bed next to hers.

Her eyes widened. She realized what was happening and grabbed her wand from the nightstand just as the invisibility cloak was thrown off the two young men holding lit wands and standing over Severus.

Severus jerked away at the rustling and looked up, startled.

Sirius Black and James Potter towered over him, shaking with fury.

"I'm going to kill you, Snape." Potter said dangerously. "I swear to God, I'm going to kill you."