A/N: Forgive me for not updating sooner. I spent a lot of time with family over the long weekend, and this past week has been rather emotional. Four of our students were killed in a tragic car accident last Monday, and the entire campus has pulled together to support the families and friends. It's been rather awe-inspiring to be a part of it. I'm more proud to be a student here now than I was when we were crowned National Champs a few months ago.

And now it's BLIZZARD TIME! Just fully stocked up my groceries, and am looking forward to a lovely snow day filled with studying Clinical Parasitology and Bacterial Physiology. Hmm...I miss the good ol' days when snow days meant doing fun things.

Anywho, thanks for your patience! Also - Congrats to MadamigellaSnape for leaving the 400th review! It's also exciting to see this story on the Alerts list of 400 users.

Thanks for continuing to leave reviews - hnwhitlock2000, jforston, woodshark, KittyPimms, Lover of Fantasy, memorieslost05, Sev01, DedicatedReader, Startled Boris, Mel, LK-HoGwArTs-hEaDgIrL, fjums, Lil Tine, Odile1001, Coolnetta, Stacy Vorosco, BlooDsuckKkerR69, Lyra Lupin, silverose29, callalily32, Angelwells, vividlies, bailey vicious, Tilly, THESE VOICES WONT SHUT UP, vampirela69, MadamigellaSnape, OctoberLove91, and Jinx452!

Bound to Him

Chapter 24

Hermione groaned as she slapped the bathroom door with one hand. In her other arm was a pile of clothing.

"You alright?" Mattie asked from across the room, stripping out of her pajamas.

"I'm fine," Hermione answered, glaring at the floor. The sound of the shower could be heard from beyond the closed bathroom door. "Gin just needs to hurry up is all."

"If you have to pee, I don't think she'll mind. She doesn't seem like the type to mind. I mean, how could you with that many people in one house. The door probably isn't even latched."

Hermione sighed and shook her head. "I don't really have to pee. I went earlier. I just forgot to grab my clothes before Ginny stole the shower."

"Oh. You know you can change out here, right?" the tall blonde asked as she tossed her pajama bottoms onto her bed. "It's not like I haven't seen any of it before. I'm not going to perve on you, either."

Oh, I'm quite sure there's something you haven't seen before. Hermione sighed, walking back to her bed and flopping down. She blew out an exasperated puff of air, and stared morosely at the bed curtains. A few seconds later, as an idea bloomed in her mind, she quickly sat up and yanked all of the curtains closed. She quickly wriggled out of her sleep shirt, donned her bra, and began working on buttoning her blouse. Lying back down, she squirmed her way out of her bottoms and rolled her eyes. This is utterly ridiculous. I'm simply going to have to get up earlier from now on.

When Hermione had finished changing, she pulled open the curtains and stepped into the room. Upon seeing the strange look that Mathina was sending her way, she simply shrugged and began packing her schoolbag for the day.

"You're definitely stranger than last year, Granger," Mattie muttered, shouldering her own bag and making her way towards the door. "Just don't get too strange, alright?"

The bushy-haired girl snorted. "Try not to."

As the blonde disappeared into the stairwell, the bathroom door creaked open, and Ginny stepped out while toweling dry her hair.

"Morning," she yawned.

Hermione shrugged her shoulders in response, but paused when she noticed how the younger girl was watching her. "What?"

"N-nothing," Ginny stammered, her eyebrow raising at the hostility in Hermione's voice. She folded the towel over her arm and cleared her throat. "It's just that you look terrible, Hermione. Didn't you get any sleep last night?"

"Not much," Hermione responded, fastening her school robes. "I couldn't seem to get my brain to switch off."

The redhead nodded and tilted her head. "Anything you wanna talk about?"

"No," Hermione answered as she slipped her bag onto her shoulder.

"You sure?" she pressed.

Hermione took in a deep breath and nodded. "It's just something I have to deal with on my own."

"Okay," Ginny said softly. "But if you need to vent or anything, I'm here for you. I'm a much better listener than the boys."

"Thanks." The older girl forced a smile as she set out for the Great Hall for breakfast.

X x x x x x x x X x x x x x x x X

Remus Lupin casually sat atop his desk as he watched the sixth-year students file in for their first Defense lesson.

"Find a seat everyone," he instructed. He winked at Harry and Ron as they took desks near the front of the room. The twinkle in his eye dimmed noticeably, though, as Hermione shuffled into the seat beside Harry. Dark circles hung beneath her eyes, and her usual excitement for learning had been replaced by a quiet and apathetic melancholy.

Clearing his throat, he turned his attention back to the other students in the classroom.

"Welcome back, everyone. I'm quite sure you all remember who I am. I hope you all had pleasant summers," he smiled, deliberately avoiding the eyes of the three Gryffindors in front, "And that you are all ready for another school year. It appears that you have all survived your OWLS - well done you.

"However, for those of you who are expecting another year like the last, I'm sorry to say you will be sadly disappointed."

A smattering of giggles and wide-eyed expressions filled the room. Ron and Harry exchanged smirking glances, though Hermione continued to stare at Lupin as though nothing amusing - let alone anything at all - had been said.

Upon noticing Remus's concerned gaze had once again settled on her, Hermione exhaled deeply and dropped her eyes to the top of her desk. She knew the man had continued speaking, but she had paid little attention to his words. She was not really thinking about anything in particular - not about the binding or Snape, or about classes, or much else. Instead, she seemed to just be staring off into the ether while her mind sought the rest it did not achieve the night before.

Remus's voice drifted in and out of her consciousness as the class period progressed.

"...start with revision...evaluate skill levels and...focus this year will be primarily on non-verbal magic...achieved this?...will be difficult for some...take majority of time... tell me the theory..."

A strange silence descended upon the room, and Hermione snapped out of her mental fog. Somehow, she had managed to perceive that the attention of the entire room had shifted from Lupin to her. Narrowing her eyes, she glanced quickly at Harry and Ron, who were both staring at her in obvious expectation. She nervously bit her lip and shifted her eyes to the front of the room.

Lupin was looking at her out of the corner of his eye as he repeated, "Can anyone tell me the theory behind non-verbal magic?"

Again, his words were met only by a shocked silence.

Hermione could feel fifteen pairs of eyes settle on the back of her neck. Taking in a nervous breath, she folded her arms across her chest and sank down lower in her seat.

"Has no one done their reading yet?" Remus asked in mild disbelief.

"Hermione," Harry whispered, nudging her lightly with his elbow. He widened his eyes and gestured with his head towards the professor.

She closed her eyes briefly, swallowed in apprehension, and then stared deliberately at the top of her desk.

Lupin made a disappointed sigh and stood up from his desk for the first time that class period. "I guess it looks like you'll all be doing a bit of reading by the end of next week. I'll expect a summary of the chapter introducing the concept to be written in your own words and turned in to me by the start of next Friday's practical session."

Several groans were emitted, and Neville Longbottom raised his hand hesitantly after glancing at Hermione with a strange look. When Lupin addressed him, he asked how long the essay was required to be.

"There are no real length requirements," the professor answered thoughtfully, "so long as you adequately explain your understanding of the theory of non-verbal magic."

Ron snickered and caught Harry's attention. "He does remember Hermione's in this class, right? He'll be reading her essay for hours! Think we should warn him?"

The other boy snorted and shook his head.

"Oh, right," the redhead nodded. "Maybe it'll keep him from assigning any more essays this year."

Harry grinned and turned to look at the girl beside him, expecting to receive a withering look of reproach. His eyebrows quickly rose in surprise when she had not even bothered to look up from her desk.

"Alright," Lupin spoke, glancing up at the clock on the wall. "Since it is the first day of class, I don't see the need to keep you the full hour - unless there are any objections?"

He paused for a minute, and then smiled. "Seeing none, be gone with you. Remember to get good sleep tonight, though! We'll spend our practical session tomorrow morning discovering whether or not you all are up to snuff."

Chatter broke out amongst the students as they all began gathering their books and making their way out of the door. Hermione sighed as she stood from her chair.

"Miss Granger," Remus addressed her, "may I have a moment of your time?"

She nodded slowly and waited silently for the classroom to empty. Harry and Ron shrugged at each other, smiled at Lupin, and followed the rest of the students into the hallway.

The disheveled professor had returned their friendly expression and watched them leave before turning back to face Hermione. His countenance melted into one of sympathy, and he leaned back against his desk.

"Is everything alright, Hermione?"

She took in a deep breath. "I suppose so. I'm just tired. I haven't been sleeping well."

Remus nodded. "I understand. Are you feeling better? I heard you were quite ill at the Welcoming Feast."

"Er, yeah," she shifted nervously. "I was feeling rather unwell, but it's been taken care of now. I'm better now."

"Good," he smiled. "I do apologize, though. I should have noticed you were not feeling well the last time we spoke."

Hermione shook her head. "No, don't. It...it came on rather suddenly, actually."

"I see. Well, I am glad Madam Pomfrey could set you to rights."

She closed her eyes and nodded, while Remus gave her a scrutinizing look.

"I meant what I said to you that day, Hermione," he said after clearing his throat. "If ever you have the need to talk, my door will always be open to you. Do not hesitate to approach me."

"Thank you, Professor."

"You are more than welcome," he smiled. "Is there anything you wish to discuss now?"

Hermione swallowed heavily and shook her head. "No, sir - but I do have to get to History."

"Alright," he nodded, gesturing towards the door. "I will see you in class tomorrow morning."

She gave a small nod, and quickly strode towards the door. She was only a few feet from the classroom when she found herself walking in between Ron and Harry.

"What'd Remus want?" Harry asked.

Hermione shrugged. "Nothing really. He just wanted to see if I was feeling better."

"Oh." The two boys nodded in understanding, and the three of them walked to the History of Magic classroom in relative silence. Upon walking into the room, they found three empty desks near the back. Ron and Harry let out identical sighs as they prepared for the lecture, and Hermione pulled out a notebook, ink pot, and quill from her backpack. She was determined to pay attention during this lecture.

Professor Binns floated through the blackboard and immediately launched into the material. Hermione managed to copy down a few sentences, but soon she felt her mind go blank again and her quill stopped scribbling.

Twenty minutes later, Ron yawned and sleepily glanced over at her. His eyes widened as he noticed she was half-asleep and her notebook page stood virtually empty. His jaw dropped open and he quickly punched Harry in the shoulder, jarring the dark-haired boy awake.

"What?" Harry hissed, rubbing his arm.

Ron gestured over to Hermione. "I don't think we're getting any notes from her today."

X x x x x x x x X x x x x x x x X

Hermione took a deep breath as she made her way towards Snape's office door later that evening. She closed her eyes as she raised her hand to deliver three soft knocks.

"Enter!" he bellowed from within.

She bit down on her lip as she turned the knob and pushed open the door.

Snape sat behind his desk, furiously scratching with his quill on a sheet of parchment as his eyes quickly scanned back and forth across the pages of an old text. He glanced up briefly when she stepped into the room, looked over at the clock in surprise, and set down his quill.

"Forgive me, Miss Granger," he said after clearing his throat. "I apparently lost track of time."

Hermione shrugged, clasping her hands in front of her.

Severus leaned back and gestured to the chair in front of his desk. "You may sit if you would like."

"I'd prefer to stand," she responded quickly, nervously glancing about the room. "Will I be brewing the same potion you assigned to them during class? Harry mentioned that it was the -"

"You will not be brewing anything this evening," he interrupted. He gestured to a flat, leather-bound book that was resting on the corner of his desk. "I've already given you your marks."

Hermione immediately redirected her wandering gaze to his face. "You gave me credit for a potion I didn't even attempt?"

He shrugged and crossed his arms. "You brewed a potion of equivalent difficulty two weeks ago. I based your grade on that."

"Did you really give me full marks?"

Snape took in a deep breath and nodded.

"But you've never given me full marks!" she exclaimed, her eyes narrowed in confusion.

"Well, then," he sneered, "if it upsets you that much, I'll be sure to re-evaluate your score should your product prove to be ineffective at any point in the near future."

Hermione blushed and hastily dropped her gaze to the floor. "If I'm not here to make up a missed potion, why is it that you asked me to come?"

He hesitated momentarily and then sighed. "I had thought there might be some things you wish to discuss."

"Oh," she answered. "So why the confrontation during rounds last night? Couldn't you have just used telepathy or whatever it is we have now?"

Severus cleared his throat and glanced away from her face. "You had requested that I not use that as a means of communicating with you."

"But you used it at the feast!" she declared loudly, gesturing towards the ceiling.

"That," he responded sharply, "was an emergency situation. This is not."

Her momentary spurt of anger deflated and she wrapped her arms around herself. She sucked back a few tears and let out a large breath.

Snape dropped his eyes to his desk as she struggled not to cry. He flicked his wand and transfigured the rickety wooden chair back into her usual oversized armchair. "Please sit, Miss Granger."

Hermione nodded slowly and sank into the chair, defeated. She leaned forward with her elbows on her knees and stared quietly at the large crystal inkwell on his desk. After a few minutes of tense silence, her voice came out in little more than a whisper.

"Is it going to be like that every time?"

He winced visibly and unfolded his arms, dropping his hands into his lap. He shook his head and apologized. "I did not think it would have happened so suddenly. It was not my intention to cause you any further harm."

She nodded and slowly settled back into the chair, pulling her knees up to her chest. As she fiddled with a loose thread on her robe, she raised her eyes to meet his. "Was it true what you said - that I would have started seizing if we had waited?"

Severus nodded very slowly and shifted uncomfortably. "Your nervous system was already severely over-taxed, it was only a matter of time before the neurons in your brain began firing excessively as well. After that, your body would effectively short-circuit, and your internal organs would begin shutting down. I did not know how much time we had left."

Hermione took a large gulp of air and buried her face against her knees. She drew her arms to her body, shivering, and sniffled with tears. "I should have come to you. I should have, but I was so stupid - trying to convince myself it wasn't happening. So stupid. I'm so sorry, Professor - I shouldn't have fought you. It was just...just when you touched me, it hurt so much. It felt so much like the Cruciatus that I could practically hear Bellatrix taunting me in my head, and it was like I was back there again. I didn't want to go back. If I hurt you at all, Professor, I am really, really sorry."

"I was not injured," he lied, suddenly aware of the stiffening of the muscles on his left side.

She fixed him with a teary gaze and relaxed in noticeable relief. "Good. I know you were only doing what you had to, but I wasn't really thinking clearly at the time."

He gave a short nod, conjured up a clean handkerchief and handed it across the desk. "There is no need for apology."

She gave a small, appreciative smile as she took it from him.

"It is understandable, Miss Granger," he continued, watching as she dried her eyes. "The Cruciatus is similar in its attack on the body, so I would imagine the effects would be comparable."

"Oh, they are," she responded quietly. "Believe me."

Snape let out a sigh and ran his hand across his face. "I regret deeply that you should have that knowledge in your possession."

She shrugged and leaned against the back of the chair. "It isn't your fault."

"It is my fault, however, that I did not demand the re-committal take place sooner."

Hermione pinched her lips together and considered his admission. He was not entirely to blame in that respect - she could have allowed it to occur sooner. She could see the guilt written upon his face as he avoided her eyes, and she knew she had to assuage some of that pain. It was not fair to let him carry so much culpability.

Severus shifted his gaze back to her in surprise, and she remembered he could hear what she was thinking. Nevertheless, she felt as though it needed to be spoken out loud, as if releasing it to the universe made it more valid. She needed to hear it just as much as he did.

"I think, sir, that if you had pushed me to do it sooner, I would have resented you more for it. I would not have fully understood the pain you were saving me from. I think you've known me long enough, Professor, to know that I don't appreciate people telling me what to do. I generally need to experience things for myself - and, as agonizing as this experience was, I think it had to happen.

"So please don't take the blame, Professor. My anger is not directed at you, but at the situation we're in. I may have panicked at first, but I've come to realize certain things since then." She let out a deep breath and studied his face. "I hope you understand this."

Snape closed his eyelids for a long moment, and then cleared his throat. "And while coming to these realizations, have you paid any attention to your coursework?"

Hermione blew out a gust of air and straightened, dropping her feet back to the floor. "I'm working on it, sir."

"See that you do," he emphasized with a raised eyebrow. "And have you been practicing your Occlumency skills?"

"I'm quite sure that if I hadn't been, I wouldn't be sitting in front of you right now," she responded thoughtfully.

Severus pursed his lips and rubbed his chin. "We will need to continue lessons on top of your class schedule and Prefect duties. Do you think you can manage this?"

"I kind of have to, don't I?" she asked with a sigh.

The corner of his lips quirked upwards into a small smirk. "Indeed."

"Are we starting tonight?"

Snape shook his head. "We will resume them next week, when I can find the time. For the time being, practice your focusing, and get caught up on your work."

Hermione nodded in response and when he returned his eyes to his book, she wondered if that was to be taken as a dismissal.

The wizard sighed and waved his hand in an attempt to shoo her away.

She rolled her eyes and pushed out of the chair. She was halfway to the door before she stopped and turned back towards him. "Erm, professor?"

He halted his reading and raised his head to acknowledge her question.

"About the potion you tried to give me," she ventured, shifting on her feet. "What was -"

"Do your essay," he interrupted gruffly.

Hermione narrowed her eyes and closed her mouth in confusion. He stared at her pointedly and then returned to his work. She watched him for a few moments before changing her focus. "Thank you for letting Harry into your class. I know you didn't have to do that."

Snape rolled his eyes and continued writing.

"Though it wasn't his fault he didn't have a book," she chastised. "You didn't have to take it out on him."

Silence pervaded upon the room, and Hermione waited several minutes before sighing and walking towards the door.

"If Potter were intelligent as everyone claims him to be, he would surely send for one," he called out. "Until then, he can use the bloody library."

X x x x x x x x X x x x x x x x X

Hermione scowled as she climbed through the portrait hole into Gryffindor tower. Snape had seemed halfway approachable that night, yet completely reverted the minute she had asked about the potion. Obviously, it had not been Olvideregrete, as she had originally thought, for Professor McGonagall had not seen to harm him.

But then why won't he tell me? She let out a frustrated sigh.

"Hey, Hermione!" Ron called out cheerfully from where he was playing wizard's chess with Seamus. "Glad you're still alive!"

"How'd the potion go?" Harry chimed in.

She shrugged. "Fine, I guess. I'm going to go work on homework, though. Good night."

As they returned the friendly sentiment, she quickly dashed up the stairs to her bedroom. Mattie looked up from her desk as the door opened and then returned to her essay. Hermione crossed to her own desk, flopped down in the chair, and rested her head on the desk. After a few minutes, she sighed and sat back up, pulling out her assignment planner. She frowned when she found herself staring at a blank schedule.

Of course it's bloody blank. You haven't written in it. Hermione sighed and picked up one of the new quills, dipped it in the ink, and began to scratch out her deadlines. She had an Herbology reading and an Arithmancy worksheet to complete before the next day. Everything else could wait until the weekend.

Twenty minutes later, she pushed her Arithmancy paper aside in frustration and tossed her quill against the desk, splattering ink droplets across the parchment. Hermione leaned back in her chair and rubbed her forehead. As she took a deep breath, her eyes paused for a minute on the rolled up scroll peeking out from beneath her Herbology textbook. She scrunched up her face, realizing she had yet to even open the Potions assignment. Curiosity overtook her desire to follow the prioritized list, and she quickly snatched at it. Cracking the seal, she unrolled it and let her eyes scan over the prompt.

Given the following list of ingredients, thoroughly describe the magical properties of each and theorize on possible resulting potions and their uses.

It sounded like an assignment she would normally relish - it was a logic problem after all. Research seemed to be her middle name, and she could spend hours buried in library books. Today, though, she would rather just crawl in bed and ignore it all.

Whoa, hold on. Her eyes quickly skimmed through the list - Alchemilla vulgaris, Dong Qui root, Rubus idaeus leaves, Valerian root, Kava Kava, Avena sativa, Motherwort, Cinnamon Bark, Bat Nut, and Bittersweet.

Her eyebrows raised in surprise as she realized half of those herbs had been included in the description for Olvideregrete. Since the two potions had similar components, it was a likely conclusion that they would have similar physical properties.

And it would probably smell like cinnamon while brewing. The parchment quivered slightly in her hand as she remembered the verbal exchange with Snape earlier that night. She had asked him about the potion, and he had told her to do the essay. Her eyes widened in realization as she gripped the paper with both hands. This was the potion. It had to be. He would not tell her what it was, but instead was requiring her to figure it out for herself.

Holy Merlin! She stood up quickly, accidently knocking over her chair in the process.

Mattie jumped suddenly and cursed as her quill jerked across the page. She looked up, startled. "What's wrong?"

"Hmmm?" Hermione glanced at the girl and snapped back to reality. "Oh, sorry. Nothing's wrong - I just realized I need to check the library for my Potions essay."

The blonde raised her eyebrow and then shook her head as she tried to remove the unwanted ink before it completely soaked into the parchment.

Hermione quickly grabbed her book bag and started shoving in it her Potions book and writing material. She threw the bag over her shoulder and immediately set out down the staircase. She strode swiftly through the common room, barely noticing the several heads that turned in her direction.

"Where she off to?" Seamus asked with a gesture towards the closing portrait as his queen beheaded a pawn.

Ron and Harry glanced at each other and then said in unison, "The library!"

X x x x x x x x x X x x x x x x x X

Severus gave a small snort as he felt her mind kick into high gear. It was almost astonishing to experience the ferocity in which she attacked an intellectual problem. In his own mind, he briefly pictured her storming through the library aisles, ripping books from the shelves, and tossing aside the ones she did not need.

Except that would not be an accurate depiction at all, he mused. The girl held an absolute reverence for books. Her bookshelf at home had been nearly immaculate - every book properly shelved with only the minimal damage from heavy use. The only abuse of literature he had seen from her had been when she had taken her frustrations out on the stack of textbooks he had bought for her. Even then, however, she had quickly collected them from the floor, lovingly caressed them, and all but tucked them into bed.

Sighing, he balanced his quill on the ledge of the crystal inkwell and leaned back in his chair. It seemed that while she was aggressively researching, her brain seemed to scream the information across her conscience - and now it was doing the same to his. It was definitely not conducive for allowing him to do his own research. Instead, he crossed his arms, rested his head against the back of the chair, closed his eyes and listened to the mental processing of the young Gryffindor witch.

When he next opened his eyes, it was to find that her inner chatter had gone silent, the fire had died, and there was a rather painful crick in his neck. After turning his head several times to remove the tension, he glanced down at his lap where a fluffy mass of fur had curled itself into ball. Rolling his eyes, he shoved the cat from his lap and stood. He winced as he stretched, causing several vertebrae to crackle.

Crookshanks had managed to land on all four paws and now turned to stare at him indignantly. The feline arched his back and then audibly made his complaints known.

Snape sneered at the creature. "I don't recall inviting you here, so if you're expecting me to care, you are sadly mistaken. I suggest leaving on your own before I boot you out."

The ginger cat narrowed its eyes in consideration before flicking its tail and sauntering towards the door. He stared at the man expectantly until the door was waved open, and then quickly disappeared down the corridor.

The Potions master shook his head and strode back to his desk. Organizing his notes, he placed them inside the pages of the Neurology textbook he had been reading and then tucked the book beneath his arm. With a yawn and a glance at the clock, Severus decided it was more than past the time to retire to his bedroom.

As he slowly ascended the stairs, he offhandedly wondered how far Miss Granger had come on her assignment. He could not believe that he had managed to fall asleep during the ranting of her academic pursuits. He was by habit a light sleeper - it was a matter of self-preservation - and yet somehow he had managed a sleep deep enough to not notice when that mangy animal had leaped onto his lap.

For that matter, how did that bloody creature even get in? His quarters, including his office, were always warded against unwanted visitors. Somehow, the cat had slunk his way past the multi-layered wards without setting off even one of them. Another reason not to like cats.

And that cat in particular was exceptionally wily. In fact, now that he thought about it - the half-Kneazle was rather similar to his owner. Besides the obvious hair parallel, they both were unusually intelligent and were quite cunning. It seemed as well that they both shared a compulsion for thievery. He had been quite certain that he had destroyed that stupid piece of parchment with his scribbling on it. He clearly remembered crumpling it up and volleying it towards the fire several days earlier. Apparently, though, the bandy-legged feline had been invading his personal space much earlier than he had realized.

Obviously, the girl was never meant to see it - and he felt quite idiotic for allowing himself to be compared to some uncertain teen. Though, he was somewhat surprised that, while she had been coming to conclusions about everything else, she had not figured out that bit of information. There was really no secret magical meaning behind it. Changing how he wrote his name could not erase the bond - it had been forged in his magical signature, not his legal one. It would probably take years - too many to even think about - to research a method of severing their connection without invoking death for one or both of them.

If it would even be possible. Old magic was tricky to work with and could become dangerous if handled incorrectly. Ink on parchment could not affect the connection - but it could elicit unwanted emotions. Cutting his mark into her flesh would forever be emblazoned in his mind. It did not matter what his signature looked like, for just the action of signing his name sparked the memory. He had decided to modify it, however, the moment Hermione had gone into the dressing room to view it for herself. He did not want her to think of the wounds every time she saw his signature - which, if they were to survive the war, would happen a great many times throughout her life. Furthermore, it bothered him that she would ever have to consider herself as his property. As it stood now, she would not share the mark with any contracts, deeds, or arrangements he may enter into in the future.

Reaching his bedroom door, he entered the room and set the textbook atop the small bookshelf beneath his window. He looked out at the moonlit lake for a few minutes before stripping out of his robes and heading towards his bathroom. He emerged several minutes later in his grey nightshirt and crossed over to his bed.

Scowling, he looked down at the furry ginger creature stretched out in the middle of the mattress. He considered grabbing it by the scruff of its neck and physically tossing it out, but quickly remembered how well that had worked in the Granger home. He still had the scar from that nightmarish encounter on the back of his hand.

Shaking his head, he grabbed hold of the corner of the comforter and glared at the feline. "Shove over."

X x x x x x x x X x x x x x x x X

Friday had come and gone without any major incident. Severus had noticed that Miss Granger had been avoiding using Dreamless Sleep during the week for fear of sleeping through her classes. It was a wise decision on her part, he thought, and he was pleased that she had seen fit to take a dose of it after she had completed her rounds on Friday night. She needed the sleep, and it left him free to enjoy a peaceful morning.

Or it would have, had he not had to attend the weekly Saturday morning staff meeting. As this was the case, however, he was sitting rather grumpily at the large table, impatiently tapping his fingers as he stared out the window.

"Knock it off, Severus," came the testy demand from the woman seated across the table from him.

"And just where is that good-natured Gryffindor charm this morning, Minerva?" he asked with a smirk.

McGonagall glared at him in return. "You're wearing on my nerves."

"Imbibe more than you should have?" he sneered.

She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Not nearly enough - but it seems eight o'clock on Saturday comes exponentially earlier every year."

Snape dipped his head in agreement and leaned back in his seat. He glanced at the head of the table and sighed in annoyance. "He sets the god-awful time and then doesn't even have the decency to show up on time."

Minerva snorted in amusement and shifted her eyes to the Headmaster who had just strode into the room wearing his bright green and turquoise robes.

"Could he at least try not to look like such a ponce?" Snape whispered with a grimace, earning him another snort from the Gryffindor Head, and matching looks of contempt from Professors Vector and Sinistra. He returned their glances with an equally nasty expression of his own until they finally turned their attention away from him. He then smirked and folded his arms across his chest in quiet victory.

"Good morning, Severus," Remus said quietly as he pulled up the chair beside him.

Severus dropped his humored look and gave him a withering glare. "I was not aware that lycanthropy interferes with your ability to read a clock. They'll have to update the literature most assuredly."

Lupin took a deep breath, but managed a small smile. "Speaking of that, I just thought I'd remind you that the full moon is less than two weeks away."

"Of that I am quite aware," the potions master said coolly, focusing his eyes on the Headmaster. "I do not require reminders from you. Seeing as the actual wolfsbane takes two weeks to dry to the point where its toxicity is not concentrated enough to poison the drinker, it is in your good fortune that I do not."

The other man blushed mildly and similarly moved his gaze to the head of the table.

The meeting progressed rather smoothly for the next hour, which tended to happen when Dumbledore was allowed to ramble on uninterrupted. Stealthily glancing about the room, he saw the reason for this was that next to no one was actually paying attention. Minerva's head bobbed every so often, Sinistra's eyelids were drooping, and Pomona was flat out snoring.

But of course the wolf is at rapt attention, Severus sneered, glancing at Lupin from the corner of his eye. Scrotty lap dog.

"Does anyone hold any other concerns?" The Headmaster finally asked.

Five seconds to freedom, he thought. Five...Four...Three...Two...

"I had a concern, Professor," Remus broke the silence, just as the Potions Master had begun to raise from his seat.

Snape sighed dramatically and flopped back into his seat. He sent a cold glare towards Minerva who was silently laughing.

Albus nodded towards the werewolf.

"It's about Miss Granger," Remus explained.

Severus stiffened slightly, and let his face become unreadable.

"It seems she's having a difficult time adjusting since the attempt on her family," the Defense instructor continued.

Several heads began nodding, and Minerva's concerned eyes quickly sought out Snape.

"I noticed that as well," Professor Babbling agreed. "She seemed rather withdrawn in class - didn't even answer a single question."

Septima Vector cleared her throat. "I've taken to grading Miss Granger's arithmancy calculations first, over the years- as a sort of check of my own answer key, you see - but what she turned into me yesterday was rather subpar. She is likely to have still received the highest mark in the class, mind you, but the work was not up to her usual standards."

Remus was nodding enthusiastically. "Exactly. I gave a skills test of sorts yesterday, just to see where the class stood on practical defense. Miss Granger was highly active in that Defense Association of theirs last year, and I know for a fact she is more than capable of producing the Patronus charm. Yesterday, however, she barely even managed a silvery mist."

Snape rolled his eyes and gave a small snort.

"Something you care to add, Severus?" Dumbledore queried, with a tilt of his head.

The Slytherin Head fixed him with a nasty look. "Only that I see no need to waste my time discussing this. It's pathetic to watch you all whinging about how your shining pupil has become just as dull as the rest of them. Though if you would take two seconds to pull the bloody cotton from your ears and listen to what you've actually said, perhaps you'd realize that your star has only dimmed her brightness only enough to not cause permanent blindness to those around her.

"I'm willing to predict that half of the students in your class failed the assignment, Septima, and yet you're griping that the highest score isn't as high as it could have been. Did she get one wrong? Two? Merlin, let me alert the Prophet for you. Perhaps you should focus on the rest of the dunderheads who are struggling to keep their heads above water instead of the one who is swimming circles around them.

"And you, Remus. For Merlin's sake, you'd be hard-pressed to find seven people in this very room who could produce an adequate Patronus every day. How many years did it take you before you could produce yours? I happen to remember quite clearly how futile your attempts were at her age. Are you really that unbalanced about the fact that a 16-year-old girl can't master magic of that magnitude two days after leaving the infirmary?

"Unless, of course, I was misinformed about the girl suffering a turn of ill health. If that is the case, Headmaster, I will gladly zero out her marks for her absence in class, even if she did come to my office on her own time, looking to brew the potion she had missed." He let out a small sigh and crossed his arms. "I, for one, will be glad to teach an entire class period without her hand frantically waving about in my face. It's about time the girl learned some restraint, and it's bloody well time for the rest of her classmates to pull their heads out of their arses and answer the questions their own damn selves."

Tense silence settled upon the room, as several of the staff members looked away, feeling properly admonished. Albus sat back in his chair, looking upon the younger wizard with a twinkle in his eye, and McGonagall's lip was quivering as she fought desperately not to smile. Professors Babbling, Vector, and Sprout - who had been rather rudely woken up by Severus's loud criticism - began chatting quietly amongst themselves, agreeing that a recent illness could more than account for her lack of enthusiasm in class.

"A person's health does have a heavy impact on their ability to produce magic," Flitwick nodded at Severus, and then looked towards the Defense instructor. "The Patronus charm is very advanced for wizards of any age. It does require a great deal of energy, and would very much so be affected by her illness. I saw Miss Granger myself when she came to get her assignment from me, and she did appear rather out-of-sorts. I'm sure she'll be back to her usual standards in no time at all."

"I agree," Minerva nodded.

Remus, however, seemed undeterred. "I think there may be something else at play here. I've offered my services to her should she ever feel the need to talk, but I can't help thinking there must be something more we can do for her. She's been cut off from her family, and her friends may not be the most sympathetic listeners."

"Noticed that, have you?" Snape sneered.

"Oh, shut it," McGonagall hissed. "You do have a point, Remus. I am her Head of House, so perhaps I'll see if she's available for a chat some evening during this coming week. If there's anything amiss, I'm sure I'll find out."

Lupin smiled with relief, and Dumbledore clapped his hands together. "Excellent! If there are no further comments, I believe this meeting is adjourned."

Minerva was sporting a look that made Severus hang back while the rest of the staff filed out of the room. When it was just the two of them standing near the table, she sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "We need to fix this."

Snape ran a hand across his face and slowly nodded. "I know."