A/N: I worked really hard to get this update done this weekend. I had planned on leaving this chapter on another cliffhanger, but since I don't know how soon I'll be able to post again, I figured it wouldn't be fair to leave you all hanging. Anywho, it's Finals Week this week, and I'll be moving into an apartment and starting my new summer job, so I won't have much time to work on an update until everything gets settled. I thank you in advance for your patience.

On an awesome note, I am so excited to look at the Stats for this story. 700+ reviews, 500+ alerts, and 300+ favorites! Wow. That is seriously more than all of my other stories combined!

Thank you so much for your encouraging reviews - Zoek80, HPFanGirl01, TealSwan, livebyinsanity, gravity01, xSiriusxstalkerx, Sev01, woodshark, earley1991, Startled Boris, LK-HoGwArTs-hEaDgIrL, Petite Mule, melonka, maggerita, Jabberwocky92, AllyZ, Sezao1, Jen Lennon, Aubrey'Snape, alicehs, Lil Tine, silverose29, Jinx452, Mel, Li-Li-ThePinkbookgirl, Eebaral Knight, cypris88, ineverdothis, BlooDsucKkerR69, Lyra Lupin, Phoenixica24, Lover of Fantasy, hnwhitlock2000, callalily32, Angelwells, Stacy Vorosco, La muta larmo, Slinkee, lloralalluvia, cinnamin, Je, severus49, Vana1818, snapefan520, clio, IHeartBranson, Tilly, sirli, KittyPimms, anon, mairamout, and DedicatedReader!

I'm glad you're not all upset about the lack of pregnancy.

Bound to Him

Chapter 31

At precisely seven o'clock that evening, Hermione pushed open the door to the Potions classroom. Snape was not in sight, but she could hear the tinkling of glass from the storeroom. Six cauldrons were set up on the tables, each simmering cheerfully under their stasis charms. Peering into one, she realized that these were the NEWT-level students' potions.

"If you're looking to further your skills as a saboteur, Mr. McLaggen's cauldron is the one over there."

The girl glanced up to see the Potions Master exit the storeroom and lazily gesture to a lab bench on the other side of the room. She frowned and stepped closer to the front of the room. "As tempting as that sounds, I'm here to serve my detention – not earn another one."

"Very well then," Snape responded with a quirk of his eyebrows. He set a wire basket down on his desk and stepped back towards the storeroom. "If you would follow me."

She quickly caught up to him, wondering whether he was going to have her straighten out the shelves. He said nothing, however, as they passed by the rows of carefully labeled jars. When they reached the far wall, Hermione stared curiously at the door that was there. She had noticed it whenever she had ventured into the room for ingredients and had always wondered where it led. As Snape drew his wand and unlocked the door, she stood on her tiptoes to see over his shoulder.

The door opened with its hinges creaking loudly from years of neglect. The wizard stepped across the threshold and held the door open long enough for her to pass into the room. Glancing around, she was surprised to see that the space was an exact replica of the Potions classroom they had just left, though the lab benches had all been shoved against the walls.

"There are two classrooms?" she asked, glancing back at him.

The man gave a small nod as he shut the door. "Some time ago, there used to be two instructors. Until one of them stroked out during a lesson, and no replacement could be found within a reasonable time. Professor Slughorn took over the remainder of his classes for the rest of the year, and then taught that way for several decades before I replaced him."

"And in all that time, they didn't just hire a second professor? That seems rather ridiculous."

Severus shrugged. "The Ministry, by way of the Board of Governors, wouldn't permit the funding. Why do with two what you've proven you can do with one?"

She rolled her eyes at the thought and stepped farther into the room. "Typical."

"It certainly is a pattern with them," he said with a tilt of his head. "Why do think there are so many unused classrooms? Potions was the last holdout with two instructors – simply because it takes more time than any of the other courses."

After a brief pause, she turned to face him. "How many classes do you teach exactly?"

"What is the purpose of this line of inquiry?" He stared at her with a raised eyebrow.

Hermione shook her head. "I'm just curious. I've never really considered it before, I guess. I know how many Potions classes I've had to take over the years, but I've never put it into perspective."

He sighed and scratched his head. "Four classes a piece for the first through fourth years, six total for the fifth years, and three each for the sixth and seventh years."

"Twenty-eight classes?" Her mouth dropped in shock. "A week? Merlin, no wonder you hate us all."

Snape snorted and strode into the center of the room. "We aren't here to discuss my workload."

"Then what are we here for?" she asked with a smirk. "You haven't offered an alternative yet."

The wizard glanced at her in amusement as he proceeded to unfasten his teaching robes. He then tossed them onto one of the lab tables and withdrew his wand. "I believe it's time we start improving your personal defense."

"Is that not the point of taking Defense Against the Dark Arts?" the girl questioned, removing her own robes and neatly folding them in half. She tried not to laugh at the horrible glare he sent in her direction, and placed her robes on the table next to his. She stepped back with her wand in her hand and tilted her head at him. "What are we doing first?"

"We're going to work on your reflexes," he answered, pulling himself to his full height. "Expelliarmus!"

The witch gave a slight cry of surprise as her wand flew out of her hand and into his. At his smirk, she frowned and crossed her arms. "I wasn't ready!"

"That's exactly the point," he muttered, stiffly handing back her wand.

Hermione sighed as she snatched it back from him. "Fine."

He lifted an eyebrow and then turned and walked away. A few seconds later, he suddenly spun and spat out the same spell.

"Protego!" she shouted a split second later. It was too late, however, and her wand clattered to the ground halfway between them. A groan escaped her lips as she moved to retrieve it. No sooner than she had picked it up, did he disarm her again.

"You have to learn to anticipate it, Miss Granger," Severus explained when she glared at him.

The girl let out a frustrated grunt and turned away from him to fetch her wand. A smirk crept onto her face, and she quickly spun around. "Expelliarmus!"

Snape easily deflected the shot with a silent protection charm, and volleyed another disarming spell at her.

"You're reading my mind, aren't you?" she glared accusingly. "That isn't fair!"

He shook his head. "I don't need to read your mind when I can read your body language. You relaxed slightly as you grabbed your wand, which indicated to me exactly what you were planning. The moment you extended your wand arm, I cast the shielding charm. You cannot wait until you hear the curse being sent your way before responding to it. Furthermore, you cannot depend on being able to hear it at all. A nonverbal spell can cause just as much damage, as you well know."

She shivered slightly as he gestured toward her shoulder.

"You need to react proactively," he continued. "If you can concentrate on your opponent and your surroundings with as much care as you did your mental barriers, you will be able to anticipate any threat and respond with much greater speed."

The young Gryffindor let out a deep breath and nodded slowly. "You aren't going to make this easy, are you?"

"How would that benefit your abilities?"

Hermione shrugged as she collected her wand. "It wouldn't I guess, but it would make me feel better."

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

Two hours later, Hermione rubbed at the tension forming in her neck as she walked down the corridor towards the Fat Lady's portrait. She quietly spoke the password and stepped out of the way as the picture swung open. As she scrambled through the hole, she winced slightly at the tightening in her thigh. Her entire body was sore from her defense session with Snape, and the new flesh that was covering her splinching wound was beginning to pull. A warm bath was sounding more and more desirable with every second that passed.

"Hey, Hermione!" Ron called out, causing Cormac to raise his head where he sat in a chair next to the fire.

The girl let out a small sigh at the sight of the two of them, but quickly schooled her expression as she walked towards her friend. "You're back early, Ron."

The redhead nodded, gesturing towards the window. "Freezing rain. Harry called off practice early."

"Oh," she whispered. When she caught sight of the hungry look Cormac was sending her way, she grimaced and turned her back towards him. "Where is Harry?"

"Some meeting with Dumbledore," he shrugged, flipping through a Quidditch magazine. "He intercepted us on the way in, and Harry hasn't been back since."

"How long ago was that?" Hermione asked with a confused look.

"Dunno exactly," he mumbled. "Maybe about an hour?"

"It's been an hour and fifteen minutes since we returned," McLaggen interrupted, standing from his chair and moving towards them. "I made a note of the time."

"How lucky for us," Ron grumbled, tossing his magazine to the side.

"Thank you, Cormac," she said sharply. When the older boy continued to stand next to her, she groaned internally. He had been singling her out and attempting to strike up conversation with her ever since the week following the Quidditch tryouts. She had been politely trying to dispel his attention, knowing it was only a matter of time before he tried to take it too far.

"Something else you need?" Ron asked bitterly.

"Actually," the attractive boy smiled and leaned coyly against the side of Ron's chair, "it's a Hogsmeade weekend this weekend. I was wondering, Granger, if you wouldn't mind accompanying me."

"Oh, erm…" Hermione cursed silently and glanced nervously at Ron's horrified expression. "…well, that's really nice of you, Cormac, but –"

"Brilliant," he interrupted, flashing her with a pearly white smile. "I'll meet you here at ten on Saturday."

"No, Cormac –"

"Oi! She was going to say no, you idiot!" Ron shouted over her at the boy's retreating form. "She already has plans to go with us to Hogsmeade."

McLaggen turned around and shrugged. "Surely the two of you can spare her for one day. Let her have a spot of fun now and then."

"She has plenty of fun with us!" the younger boy countered. "We always go together."

"And you can't make an exception?" came the arrogant reply.

"No," Ron said confidently, crossing his arms.

"Alright then," Cormac smiled, "you and Harry can tag along if it's that much of a problem."

"What?"

Hermione closed her eyes and groaned. She knew that Ron was about two seconds away from jumping out of his chair and starting something that they were all going to regret. He had just been reinstated as a Prefect to top it all off.

"Listen!" she shouted, causing both boys to remember she was still standing there. "I'm not going with either of you!"

"What?" Ron repeated.

"Then who are you going with?" Cormac asked with a haughty gaze.

"I'm not going with anyone, because I'm not going!" the girl huffed, crossing her arms. "I can't go."

"What do you mean you can't go?"

Hermione sighed and looked down at the floor. "I have detention."

"You? Have detention?"

"Yes, Ronald," she hissed. "I have detention. With Professor Snape."

"How did you get a detention?" McLaggen asked, staring at her with a calculating look.

"I…I was out after curfew," she stammered quickly. "Last night, and he found me."

She ignored the indignant remarks against Snape that both of them were spewing, and looked over towards the corner of the room where Ginny was eyeing her with a confused look. Deciding that she was finished dealing with the boys, she bid them good night and moved towards the staircase that led to her room.

"You were in bed before I was," Ginny whispered as she fell into line behind the other girl. "How were you out after curfew?"

"I couldn't sleep," she answered without looking back. "I snuck out after you and Mattie were asleep and went for a walk."

"Oh." The younger girl followed her halfway up the stairs before opting to return to Dean's side. "Sorry about the detention, Hermione. Hopefully he won't be too horrible."

"Thanks," the brunette muttered. When she was alone again, she let out a deep sigh and rubbed her temples. This would have been hard enough without the stupid binding.

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

Severus paused in his grading and looked up from his desk in time to see McLaggen's head drop back down. He narrowed his gaze at the tall boy and then continued slicing through essays. When the handful of seventh-years began to bottle their potions, he moved his stack of papers and pushed the wire basket to the front edge of his desk. He ignored the clinking of glass bottles as they turned in their work.

When a throat cleared, he looked up in disinterest to see that McLaggen had hung back from the rest of the class, who were all slipping out into the hallway.

"What do you want?" he spat, highly displeased by the smug look on the boy's face.

"Professor, I was wondering if I could talk to you about Hermione Granger."

Snape glared at the student as he tried to figure out to what the boy could possibly be referring. The only thing he could think of was that perhaps the boy had learned of the Confundus charm. He quickly dismissed that, however, knowing that the boy's head was denser than a rock. If he had not seen it for himself, he would never have believed the boy capable of producing a decent potion, let alone earning an 'O' in his Potions OWL.

"I was told that you had given her detention over tomorrow's Hogsmeade visit, and I thought maybe you wouldn't mind renegotiating the time," Cormac continued with a hopeful smile. "Surely you have things you'd rather do on a Saturday than supervise detention."

The Potion Master's brow furled at the request. He had never given the girl detention, so why was she telling people that he had? On a Saturday, no less. There were only a few students with whom he had ever found the need to torture with a ruined weekend. Potter and Weasley would be among them, but certainly not Hermione.

Not to mention that Minerva had assigned him to be one of the unfortunate chaperones for the Hogsmeade visit in retaliation for his late night visit.

Even if he had not given the girl detention, he found himself growing increasingly irritated with the student standing in front of him.

"What would possibly give you the idea that I would ever consider it?" Severus sneered, dropping his quill and sitting tall.

McLaggen shirked back slightly and his smile faltered for a second. "Well, you see…I was planning on taking her around Hogsmeade tomorrow. She's seemed so out-of-sorts lately, and I've heard the rumors about her family. I thought I could perhaps take her mind off of things."

"And you thought I would bend over backwards to accommodate your romantic outing?" The man narrowed his eyes into angry slits. "Do you have a brain left in your head, or have you let Potter knock it out with a Quaffle?"

"I meant no disrespect, sir." The student shifted nervously and crossed his arms behind his back. "I just thought you might be willing to consider it."

"Oh, I've considered it," Snape muttered heatedly. "You can tell Miss Granger that, thanks to you, her detention has just been doubled. And if you aren't out of my sight in the next five seconds, you will be spending a week toiling under the eye of Mr. Filch!"

McLaggen's face visibly paled, and he immediately made for the exit. As the door snapped shut, Severus leaned back in his chair and shook his head in utter disbelief. He briefly considered tearing off to find Hermione and question her on the matter. He knew she had a free period before lunch, and would spend it in the library as usual. He, however, did not have any time to spare, as he could already hear the next grouping of little monsters lining up behind the door.

With a sigh, he set the chalkboard to writing out the third years' assignment and resigned himself to wait until the lunch hour to confront her.

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

"Granger!"

Hermione jumped as McLaggen nearly barreled into her at the door to the library.

"Look, I'm really, really sorry," he stammered, grabbing hold of her arms and pulling her close. "I don't know what I was thinking!"

Immediately she wrenched out of his grasp and took a step back from him. With her brow wrinkled in confusion, she glanced about the library. Seeing Madam Pince's reproachful look, she sighed and pushed the taller boy out into the hallway. "What are you talking about, Cormac?"

"I thought maybe if I talked to him, maybe he'd act like a human being for once," he mumbled, shaking his head.

"Who?"

"Snape," he whispered, giving her another apologetic glance.

Her eyes went wide, and she ran both hands through her hair. "What did you do?"

"I asked if he wouldn't mind switching the day of your detention."

"You did WHAT?" The witch shook her head in disbelief. "Are you completely daft?"

"He asked me the same thing, actually," Cormac shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, shouted it at me, more or less. And then he doubled your detention."

Hermione closed her eyes and covered her face with her hands. She had never planned on Snape knowing that she had used a detention with him as an excuse. She never honestly suspected anyone of being foolish enough to mention it to him, let alone try to convince him of anything. No one in their right mind would even dare.

Feeling his hand wrap around her arm again, she threw her eyes open and jerked away from him. "Please don't."

"I said I was sorry, alright?" he responded hotly. "I only did it to do something nice for you."

"You didn't need to do that," she shook her head. "I didn't ask you to do that."

"But I wanted to," Cormac explained, taking another step towards her. He ignored her pained expression as he tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and smiled. "So we could spend the day together."

The girl took another step backwards and silently cursed when her back hit the wall. "Cormac, I can't –"

"I know. We'll just have to wait until the next Hogsmeade weekend to go out."

"Cormac, you're not understanding me," she said, trying to move along the wall and get out of his reach. She gulped when he placed his hand against the stone next to her head.

"Or maybe we don't have to wait," he whispered, leaning in closer.

Hermione was planning to drop to the ground in an escape when a familiar, angry voice filled the corridor.

"McLaggen, Granger! Twenty points from Gryffindor!"

She nearly sagged with relief at the appearance of the Potions Master, and let out a deep breath when Cormac jumped away from her.

"I do not wish to hear of your romantic exploits in class, and I certainly will not tolerate being forced to witness them in the hallway!" Snape shouted, his eyes flaring dangerously. "McLaggen, you will report to Mr. Filch at seven-thirty tomorrow morning and will only be released at his discretion. Now get out of my sight!"

The boy's eyes widened in fear, and he quickly disappeared without so much as a glance in her direction.

"Miss Granger, a word," he spat, sweeping his dark glare to her. He then spun away from her and began stalking down the hallway.

The young witch swallowed nervously and followed his billowing robes.

When he reached the empty Charms classroom, he threw the door open and gestured to the room. "In."

Hermione let out a deep breath and passed by him to enter the classroom. She winced a second later when the door was slammed shut with a loud bang.

Severus took a second to silently cast a Muffliato, and then rounded on her. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"I'm sorry!" she shouted back. "I didn't know he would do that! I only planned on hiding out in the library all of tomorrow. I didn't think he'd actually confront you about my detention!"

The wizard pulled his eyebrows together and shook his head. "I'm not talking about your lying to him!"

"Then what are you yelling about?"

"That!" he hissed, pointing angrily in the direction of the library. "Your cozy little interlude with that buffoon!"

"It wasn't cozy," she muttered, crossing her arms.

"No?" he sneered, leaning over her. "He was two seconds from shoving his tongue down your throat, and you were doing nothing to resist it!"

Her mouth dropped open and she straightened to her full height. "I was so! I was trying to slip away when you showed up! I wasn't going to let him kiss me!"

"Well, it certainly didn't look that way to me!"

"Well, that's how it was!" She glared at him as he turned away from her. She took four angry huffs of air and then shook her head. "Why do you care anyway?"

"Why do I care?" Snape snarled as he spun back to face her.

Hermione instantly regretted her question as he advanced on her.

"Perhaps you've forgotten our new, little arrangement, Miss Granger, but I sure as hell have not!"

"I haven't forgotten it!" she hissed back. "How could I possibly?"

"Then perhaps you need a refresher course in what it actually entails! Or are you still hanging onto that death wish of yours?"

The girl narrowed her eyes in anger. "Just because the bond prevents me from having sex with anyone but you doesn't mean I can't just kiss someone else!"

A large growl escaped him as he kicked a desk in frustration. "Think, Granger! The dark magic binding us together was created during a time when 'just kissing' was viewed with the exact same regard as 'having sex'! Do you really want to risk your life on semantics?"

She felt all of the blood rush from her face and she reached tentatively behind her for a chair. Upon falling into one, she bent over at the waist and held her head in her hands. "So if he had kissed me, I could have…"

"Died! Right there in the bloody corridor!"

Hermione let out a shaky breath, feeling slightly ill at the knowledge that she had been so innocuously close to death. "And you….I didn't know! I'm so sorry!"

Upon seeing her tearful face, Severus felt his rage beginning to melt into guilt. He knew that he should have explained it to her more carefully, instead of assuming that her teenage mind would come to the same conclusions as he had. He also knew that he should not have yelled at her so harshly. It was not her fault that the hormone-ridden boy had set his sights on her. It also was not her fault that he could not control his temper. Sighing, he crossed to one of the windows and tried to reign in the remnants of his anger.

"Miss Granger, I…," he paused, grabbing hold of the window sill and bowing his head. "Why does McLaggen think you have detention tomorrow?"

The girl sniffled loudly and pulled her feet up onto the edge of the chair. She let out a deep breath before answering. "When I got back to the common room last night, he asked me to go to Hogsmeade with him. I tried to tell him no, but he wouldn't listen. And then Ron got upset and started arguing with him over it. When I told them that I wasn't going with either of them, they wanted to know why. I was tired and didn't want to deal with them anymore, so I just said the first thing that came to mind. I didn't mean to make you angry."

"You could have told me," he said quietly.

"I didn't think you needed to know. I was just going to wait until they had all left, spend the day in the library, and then make up some story about scrubbing cauldrons." She sighed gently before narrowing her eyes and shaking her head in disbelief. "Honestly! Who would ever question you on someone else's detention? He's the one with the death wish, not me!"

Snape snorted softly and continued staring out at the grounds.

"Who knows – maybe this is my fault," she continued. "Maybe if I hadn't hexed him, he would have kept his mouth shut, and none of this would have happened."

The Slytherin Head frowned and shook his head. "Mr. McLaggen may have certain talents on the Quidditch pitch, but he has never shown possession of common sense. His voluntary ingestion of doxy eggs should be proof enough of that."

Hermione allowed herself a small smile. "Yes, but there's a difference between eating something to win a bet and confronting you without provocation."

"Based on what I just witnessed in the hallway, I would say that he had plenty of provocation."

She slammed her feet down onto the floor and stood tall. "I wasn't going to let him kiss me! I'd rather eat doxy eggs!"

Severus turned back to face the room and knew from her expression that she was being sincere. He let out a deep breath and slowly nodded. "You will need to avoid situations like this in the future, which means that it is necessary that you discourage any of Mr. McLaggen's attentions. Weasley's as well."

"Easier said than done," she muttered gloomily. "Cormac, I could care less about. I'd push him into the lake if I thought it would solve anything. But Ron? I don't know what to do. I can't hurt him."

"Granger –"

"I know you don't want to hear this, Professor," she sighed. "But you're really the only person I can talk to. You already know more about me than I ever thought I would be comfortable with, and I absolutely cannot talk to Professor McGonagall about this."

The man let out a dramatic sigh, but said nothing else.

"He's my best friend, and … and I love him. I don't know on what level, exactly, but I know that I do," she explained, staring at her hands. "You probably don't understand this at all, but if I hurt him – if I make him hate me – I will never forgive myself."

When no cutting comment was made in response to her admission, Hermione raised her head to look at him. For a few seconds, there was an odd look on his face, but when he noticed that her gaze had settle on him, it disappeared. He rolled his shoulders and cleared his throat.

"Perhaps we should make our way to the Great Hall before they stop serving lunch."

The witch raised her eyebrows in mild surprise and shrugged.

He stiffly moved past her, cancelled the Muffliato, and pushed open the door. He held it open for her and waited until she was out of sight before he let the door shut and let out a large breath. After wiping his face with his hand, he set off towards the staircase and headed in the direction of the staff entrance to the Great Hall.

"And where exactly have you been?" Minerva questioned as he took his seat at the staff table.

Snape glanced blithely at her and reached for a sandwich. "Dealing with two of your wayward cubs. That being said, I am more than disappointed to tell you that I am unable to chaperone tomorrow's outing."

"Oh, I'm sure you are." She rolled her eyes and set her napkin down with a sigh. "Are you going to tell me why I need to replace you?"

"I have a detention to supervise," he answered before taking a bite of his food.

The deputy headmistress exhaled loudly and exchanged a glance with Remus. "You planned that rather conveniently, haven't you? And just which one of my students are you so generously sacrificing your duties in order to punish?"

"That would be Miss Granger."

It took a great deal of strength for him not to laugh at the pair of looks he received. Lupin glanced in sudden concern towards the girl and then gave him a glare that reeked of betrayal, while Minerva appeared ready to strangle him.

"Whatever for?" she bit out, issuing him a warning glance.

Severus dabbed at his mouth with his napkin. "For engaging in unsuitable behavior in the hallways."

"What?" they both hissed in unison.

"On a related note," he added, "you'll also find that Mr. McLaggen will be dedicating his Saturday to assisting Argus with whatever demeaning tasks deemed necessary."

McGonagall's eyes widened at the insinuation, and Remus's surprised gaze quickly swept between the two mentioned students. There was something else behind the werewolf's worried expression, but Severus was at a loss to figure out what it was.

"Isn't it about time for your sequestration?" Snape asked with a sneer.

Lupin immediately pulled his gaze back to the dark-haired wizard. He coughed slightly and then nodded. "I will stop by your office tomorrow evening for the Wolfsbane."

The Potions Master gave one nod and then pinched his lips together. He had the unsettling feeling that Lupin was trying to piece something together.

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

When Hermione awoke the next morning, she was not the least bit surprised to find the folded scrap of parchment on her pillow.

Your detention will begin at noon. Report to our Monday meeting place.

As she walked towards McGonagall's quarters, she could not help but think of the interchange that had taken place the day before. The look that had been on his face had invaded her thoughts ever since she had first seen it. It had not been until she was crawling into bed for the night that she had finally figured it out.

He knew. She was not sure how he did, but he understood exactly what she felt.

Upon catching sight of his dark-robed form leaning against the wall as he waited for her, she suddenly wondered who it was that he had loved. Or still loved?

Severus looked up at the sound of her shoes on the stone. Her brow was wrinkled in concentration, and he found himself curious about what she was thinking. When she noticed that he was staring, she raised her eyebrows in challenge.

"So is this a real detention, or another learning experience?"

The wizard narrowed his eyes. "All of my detentions are learning experiences."

"I suppose that's true," she shrugged, and then gestured down the corridor. "I thought you said it was too early for me to apparate yet."

"It is. We're not working on apparition today." He turned on his heel and began descending the staircase from which he had always appeared. "If you would follow me, Miss Granger."

Hermione bit her lip nervously and slowly stepped down the narrow staircase. The stairs rounded a corner and descended an entire story before stopping at a dead end. Two of the walls were covered by green and blue tapestries, while a painting of the Black Lake rested upon the third.

Snape touched the edge of the gilded frame, and the painting extended to the floor and swung open.

The girl glanced up at him before stepping into the room. A dark leather armchair sat facing the grey marble fireplace, with a small end table separating it from the matching sofa. One entire wall was covered in shelves stained dark cherry that were filled with books of every size and color, while a large wooden clock spanned the middle of the marble mantle. There was a door next to the fireplace, as well as one nearer the shelves.

She spun around to face him. "Are these your quarters?"

"They are," he answered, pulling the door shut. He then fixed her with a pointed look. "I trust none of your classmates will learn of their location."

She gave a small smile and shook her head. "No, sir."

The man nodded and strode further into the room. He stopped when he reached the couch and placed his hand on the back rest. "I have decided that our current surroundings would be the most suitable for this activity. We are least likely to be disturbed here."

"And what are we doing?" she asked, trying not to jump to conclusions.

Severus turned to her and extracted a small vial from his robes. He held it up to the light, and she could see that it was completely clear. "Do you know what this is?"

Her eyes widened at the question. "Please tell me that isn't what I think it is."

"As I am no longer forced to endure your thoughts, I am unable to say whether or not you are correct." He wrapped his fingers around the slender glass vial and sighed. "This, however, is Veritaserum."

Hermione let out a depressed sigh. "Isn't that illegal?"

"I can assure you, Miss Granger, that a vast majority of what we have been doing thus far would be viewed that way by the Ministry."

She frowned and stared at his hand in concern. "Why do you have it now?"

"While the Dark Lord relies on his powers as a Legilimens to see through dishonesty, many of his followers rely on other means," he explained. "We cannot assume that the Dark Lord will be the only one to ever question you."

Her eyes flicked back and forth between the vial and his face. "You told Harry that even Volde –"

"Do not say the name!" he hissed.

"Fine," she glared. "You told Harry that even You-Know-Who would spill his secrets under Veritaserum, so how am I to keep mine?"

"It is true that Veritaserum is the most powerful truth serum known in the magical world, but it is not infallible," he clarified. "It works best upon those who are not expecting it or those who are not sufficiently skilled to protect themselves against it."

"So you lied to Harry, then?"

Snape rolled his eyes and ignored the question. "There is an antidote available, which is the easiest method of resistance. It is, however, an unlikely option in our situation. Occlumency, though, is a viable alternative. With your natural ability, I believe you will be among those who are immune to its effects…with practice, of course."

"Are you immune to it?" she asked.

"I would not have lived nearly this long if I were not."

Hermione shivered and folded her arms against her chest. "I think I'd rather scrub cauldrons."

The wizard let out a long breath. "It is not painful."

At her continued hesitancy, Severus gave a frustrated sigh and unscrewed the cap. "Fine, I'll demonstrate."

She narrowed her eyes as she watched him squeeze three drops onto his tongue and then swallow it. He then stared at her in expectation. "Ask away."

Ask what? The girl frowned. She was tempted to ask who he had loved on the off chance he was not able to resist the serum, but she knew that she would pay for it later. Sighing, she opted for a much easier question. "What is your name?"

"Remus Lupin," he answered with a sneer.

"How long does it take to actually be effective?" she asked, her brow raised in suspicion.

"Almost instantaneous," he responded. "It only takes a few seconds."

On the off chance he was lying to her on that regard, she waited nearly a full minute before asking another question. She knew she was taking a risk, but if he was as immune to the potion as he claimed to be, there was no threat of him divulging the information. "Why do you hate Harry?"

Snape's eyes tightened into a glare and he straightened his posture. "I am under no obligation to explain that to you. And if you've determined that I am not in pain and am perfectly able to lie under the serum's influence, then I suggest you take a seat on the sofa."

Hermione let out an aggravated breath, but crossed over to the couch and plopped onto it.

The man stood in front of her and filled the dropper with serum. "If you would open your mouth, Miss Granger."

She squeezed her eyes shut and apprehensively opened her mouth. Almost immediately she felt a cold drop hit her tongue. There was no taste to it, just wetness. A second later she felt him push her jaw closed.

"Swallow."

The witch did as instructed and then opened her eyes in surprise. "Just one drop?"

"One drop will be more than enough to challenge your abilities at the moment. Conquer one drop, and we'll proceed with two."

"How long does this last?" she wondered aloud. So far she felt completely normal. Maybe he was lying after all.

"A few hours."

"And how do I know it's working?"

Severus smirked as he sat in his armchair. "What is your full name?"

"Hermione Jean Granger." Her eyes widened as the information practically supplied itself. There was next to no thought involved before she heard her own voice speaking.

"Does that answer your question?"

"Yes." Hermione swallowed nervously, recognizing just how difficult this was going to be. "How am I supposed to do this exactly?"

"Resisting Veritaserum is different than resisting Legilimency. Instead of fighting outside intrusion, you are in effect fighting yourself. The reason why Veritaserum is so much more dangerous than other truth serums is that it directly targets the subconscious area of thought. It does not require the conscious mind to relay the information." He leaned back in his chair. "With most truth serums, the conscious mind acts as a buffer, allowing enough time for the drinker to defend himself if able. Within the conscious mind, you are better able to manipulate information and cheat the effects of the serum. With Veritaserum, however, you need to shield your subconscious and divert the information."

"Divert it where? The conscious mind?" When he nodded, she rubbed her face. "Again, how am I to do this?"

"Retreat into your mind," he answered. "Seek out the effect of the potion. Where you find it is where you should shield."

The girl closed her eyes and took several deep breaths. After a few minutes, she wrinkled her brow. "Okay, I think I found it."

"What does it feel like?"

"Numb," she answered immediately.

"You need to shield around it. That is from where your subconscious thoughts are being pulled," he responded. "It will be more difficult to hold your shields in place, as you are the one ultimately trying to reveal the information. You will always have more influence in your own mind than an outsider can have."

"Merlin, you should teach a class in this." When the wizard snorted, she cautiously opened one eyelid. "Did I just say that out loud?"

He nodded. "You did. Another danger of truth serum – your thoughts tend to be more free-flowing and are more likely to be vocalized."

"Fantastic."

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

Three hours later, Hermione stifled a yawn of boredom and leaned back against the leather sofa. For the past two hours, she had been able to lie with varying degrees of difficulty. When she had been able to do it several times without evidence of struggle, Snape decided that they needed to wait until the first dose had worn off before applying a stronger dosage.

"Do you still feel the pull?" he asked, looking up from the marking he had started while they were waiting. When she shook her head, he set down the stack of essays and pulled out the vial again.

"You'll find that with double the quantity of the serum, the numbing sensation in your mind will be twice as strong," he explained as he made his way towards her. "It will be that much easier to isolate, but also that much harder to control. Thankfully, though, stronger dosages do not have as long a period of efficacy as do lower doses."

"How much shorter is it?"

Snape let out a loud breath. "It's not exact, but it roughly follows the amount given. Two drops should only last about half as long as one drop."

"Well that's something," she muttered.

He grunted in agreement and then held up the dropper. Hermione took in a deep breath before opening her mouth. After swallowing the two drops of Veritaserum, she could almost feel the part of her mind numbing itself without even trying to. Focusing on the area, she immediately began attempting to build shields around it. As she worked at it, she comprehended just how much more effort it took.

"What is your full name?" he repeated for the thirtieth time that afternoon.

"Hermione Jean Granger." She groaned in disappointment. The pull was so much stronger this time.

After the twentieth truthful answer tumbled out of her mouth, she buried her head in her hands. "There's no hope."

Severus rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair. "Give the histrionics a rest, Granger. There is only no hope if you stop trying."

"It's so much harder this time," she sighed. "It's like my thoughts are everywhere and I can't focus on my shielding."

"Of course it's more difficult," he sneered. "Full immunity to Veritaserum is something that takes several attempts. If it wasn't, there would be a much greater number of witches and wizards able to resist it. We've only been at this for four and a half hours. You've already accomplished more in one afternoon than most will ever manage in their lifetime."

Hermione smiled and dropped her eyes to the rug beneath her feet. The man had actually paid her a compliment. It was such a far cry from the Potions Master she had known for five years, and she was glad to have discovered that the cold, forbidding man was capable of kindness.

Suddenly, something clicked in her mind. Thoughts of Snape's love for someone and hatred of Harry seemed to swirl together and become intermingled until, oddly enough, they made sense.

"You loved her, didn't you?"

Severus's head snapped up. "What?"

"Harry thinks you protect him because of the life debt you owed his father. That's what Professor Dumbledore implied, but that isn't true, is it? With the number of times you've saved him already, the debt would have to be more than repaid. If there even was one, being that you were children. And really, with everything else he did to you, you shouldn't have owed him anything.

"The reason you hate Harry so much isn't just because of his father's treatment of you, but also because of her. His mum – she's the one you loved. She chose James instead, and that's why you can't stand Harry. It just makes so much more sense that way. Maybe it's because I'm a girl, and I tend to think about love more, but it just makes sense."

When she looked up, she saw that Snape had gone so pale that he was nearly translucent. His chest was heaving, and his eyes were glittering darker than she had ever seen them before.

Her stomach dropped as she realized that she had just said everything out loud. Slapping her hand over her mouth, she looked at him in fear. "Professor, I am so –"

"Get out."

"But, Professor…" Hermione trailed off at the sudden flare of pain over her spine.

"I said, 'GET OUT'!" he shouted, launching out of his chair.

The girl recoiled in fear and then bolted for the door. Throwing it shut behind her, she sprinted up the first set of steps and then collapsed against the second set. She punched the side of the wall in frustration and then wiped at her eyes. She had never meant to say anything to him like that – it had only been for her own curiosity's sake that she wanted to know. She had not actually meant to hurt him or invade his privacy, but it seemed now that she had managed to do both.

Letting out a shaky breath, the young witch crawled to the top of the steps and pulled herself into a seated position. She leaned against the wall and closed her eyes, trying to get control of her thoughts again. Even if she could go back and apologize again, he would not be in any mood to accept it. She had never seen him so angry – not even with Harry or Sirius.

"Hermione?"

She jumped at the sound of Remus's voice behind her. Standing up, she straightened the hem of her jumper and tried to keep her hands from shaking. In a moment of panic, she realized the Veritaserum was still affecting her, and she hurriedly tried throwing together her mental shields.

"I didn't mean to startle you," he stated calmly. "Are you alright?"

"N-Yes!" she spit out, louder than was necessary.

Remus's gaze was one of concern as he glanced at her face and then down the stairs. "Hermione, what exactly are you doing here?"

It took a great deal of concentration to keep the truth from slipping out of her mouth. "I…erm…I wanted to talk to Professor McGonagall, but she wasn't there. I sat down to wait."

Lupin followed her outstretched hand to the lion cub's portrait. He let out a deep breath and seemed to relax. "She's in Hogsmeade for a few more hours I'm afraid. She had to chaperone the outing so Professor Snape could oversee your detention."

"Oh," she muttered. "I didn't know Professor Snape was supposed to chaperone today."

"Well, he was," he rolled his eyes. "I have a strong suspicion that he only scheduled your detention for today so he didn't have to."

Hermione bit her lip to keep from saying anything out loud, but she had her own suspicion that he had begged off of his chaperoning duty so that she could keep her cover story. She had never considered that Snape would be in Hogsmeade, which would have left a gaping hole in her detention excuse.

The Defense instructor tilted his head. "Was there something in particular that you needed to talk about?"

She shook her head and crossed her arms against her abdomen. "No, I think I'd rather wait to talk to her."

He sighed softly and nodded. Glancing back towards the stairs that led to Snape's quarters, he placed a hand on her shoulder and tried to guide her away. "This probably isn't the best place for you to wait. If you would like, I can let her know that you need to talk to her."

"Erm, no. That's nice of you to offer, but I just want to go back to the Tower and forget about today. I'll find her on my own sometime," she covered quickly. "Thank you, though."

She turned to leave, but stopped when he called out to her again.

"Would you like me to walk you back to the common room?"

"No, I'm alright," she smiled, relieved to finally give an honest answer. She said good-bye to him and immediately set out down the hallway. When she was sure that he could no longer see her, she let out a large sigh and then broke into a run.

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

By the time Monday morning had come to be, Severus was thoroughly disgusted with himself. He had known by the look on her face that she had not meant to say anything regarding Lily, but he had been so distracted by his anger that he was not thinking clearly. No one was supposed to know why he worked so hard to keep the boy safe. He had made Dumbledore promise never to tell, and no one had figured it out – until now. This tiny slip of a girl had spent little less than two months in close contact with him and already knew his greatest secret, when the rest of the Order had known him for fifteen years and were utterly clueless. Even Remus, who had been there to witness his friendship with Lily, had not managed to piece it all together.

It had taken a few minutes for his brain to overcome his rage, and when it had, he had immediately regretted his actions. He had sent her away in fear – and pain, likely – and had abandoned her to deal with the effects of the most powerful truth serum on her own.

He had moved to go after her, but had only managed to open his door before pausing. He had heard Lupin speaking to her, and had frozen with the fear of their discovery. He had listened closely to their conversation, and had nearly collapsed against the door in relief when she had somehow managed to find the strength to fight the serum.

He had wanted to find a time to apologize to the girl, but had been busy most of that evening with Lupin's dosing and sequestration. She had then skipped all of the meals on Sunday, which led him to believe that she was afraid of seeing him. As such, he was half expecting her to be absent from his class that morning.

When she had stepped through that doorway, though, he let his eyelids flutter shut in relief. He had opted to hand back their essays at the beginning of the lecture, solely for the purpose that Hermione would have time to notice the 'See me after class' penned beneath her 'E'.

During lecture, he had noticed her uncertain glances in his direction, and he knew that he deserved every ounce of her reluctance. He had let his temper get the best of him at her expense for two days in a row, which would be more than enough to make anyone think twice before speaking to him.

And for the first time since Lily, he realized that he did care what she thought about him.

"You wanted to see me?" she asked, holding her essay out as the rest of the class slipped out into the corridor. She waited until the door closed behind the last student before speaking. "I really am sorry, Professor –"

Severus held up his hand and shook his head. "I'm the one who should apologize, Miss Granger. I should not have reacted in such a manner, no matter what was said. You were not in control of your words, and I should not have lost my temper."

"I understand why you did, sir."

He shook his head again. "That doesn't make it excusable – nor was my anger over Mr. McLaggen. It was my fault that you were not fully informed.

"As for your handling of Lupin," he added, "you did….you did well."

She glanced at him in slight surprise, but nodded. "Thank you. I didn't know you had heard that."

"I did. If you are willing," he continued, "we can meet again tonight."

"Yes," she answered.

"Alright," he replied. "I will leave the content to you. I can plan another defense session, or you can have another attempt at the Veritaserum. Obviously, you need quite a bit more practice with that."

Hermione smiled and ducked her head. "It would appear that way, yes. But I think that for tonight, I'd rather have you launch hexes at me."

Snape snorted as he looked at his desk. "That can be arranged. Good day, Miss Granger."

When she reached the door, she stopped and turned back to him. "I just want you to know, Professor, that I would never tell Harry anything."

The man raised his eyes to meet her serious gaze and slowly nodded.

"And if you do have any doubts," she shrugged, "you could just order me not to."

His face melted into a dark scowl and he dropped his gaze to the desk.

Hermione winced at her poor attempt at humor. "'I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

"Granger."

"Yes?" she asked, bracing herself for a possible reprimanding.

"Get to class."

A small smirk appeared on her face. "Yes, sir."

She was halfway out the door when he called her back.

"Yes?" she repeated, leaning against the edge of the door.

"About Mr. Weasley," he began, an uncomfortable grimace on his face. "Perhaps he would be less likely to bother you if he had some sort of….distraction."

Hermione raised an eyebrow as she considered the suggestion. "I'll keep that in mind, sir. Any advice on Cormac?"

"Push him in the lake if you have to."