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Congrats to the many of you who guessed right...

Bound to Him

Chapter 38

Hermione struggled as she felt herself being dragged into an alcove behind a stone statue of Merlin. When she managed to wriggle one arm free, she forcefully threw her elbow behind her. A grunt sounded in her ear as her captor released his hold on her.

"Damn it, Granger!"

Her eyes widened as she whirled around to face the voice. "Malfoy!"

Instinctively, she reached for her wand, only to discover it was already in his hand. He had disarmed her at the same time he had pulled her from the corridor. With a shudder, she recognized the buzzing of a Muffliato having been cast. She was effectively pinned between the statue and her captor, wandless, with no one to hear her even if she screamed.

"Give me back my wand," she demanded shakily, fighting hard not to think of the last time she had been taken captive. She could feel the panic beginning to creep steadily in with each second that passed.

Draco, who had doubled over at the blow to his groin, straightened nearly to his full height and shook his head. "No –"

A light bulb went off in her head as she realized that she did have someone who could hear her. While the boy began his response, she fought to pull her focus together in preparation to send her mental patronus.

"—not yet."

Her eyebrows narrowed and she paused in her current task. Not yet?

"We need to talk," he muttered, grabbing hold of her left wrist.

"Talk?" Hermione winced as he yanked her arm towards him. She tried to pull away from him, but his grip was firm as he pushed up her sleeve. "What the hell are you doing?"

He frowned while staring at her bare forearm. A split second later, he roughly tossed the arm away before seizing hold of her right wrist and repeating the process. His scowl deepened even further and he stared up at her face. "Where is it?"

Her face twisted in confusion at the desperate tone in his voice. "What? Where is what?"

Malfoy growled and threw her arm back at her with such force that she had to take a step backwards. He ran his hands through his hair anxiously as his voice dropped nearly to a whisper. "He said you were one of his."

One of his? The girl took in a nervous breath as she watched him. "Draco, what are you –"

"This!" he shouted, pulling up the sleeve of his own left arm.

Hermione gasped slightly at the sight of the Dark Mark. The edges were red and raw as though the skin around it was inflamed.

Harry was right. Draco Malfoy was a full-fledged Death Eater.

"This is what I'm looking for, you stupid chit!" he spat, shoving the offensive branding beneath her nose. "He said you were spying for the Dark Lord!"

Her stomach dropped suddenly and she swallowed a large gulp of air. "Who…who said?"

"Snape," he hissed, pushing down the sleeve of his robes.

"He t-told you?" The witch felt as though the floor had just been pulled from beneath her.

Draco wrinkled his nose in disgust. "So it is true. Potter's little mudblood is a traitor."

She bristled at the use of the derogatory word, but said nothing as her mind began to reel. Draco Malfoy knew her secret, and Snape had been the one to tell him. She had always considered it a possibility that the blonde had known about the arrangement between herself and his Head of House as his father and aunt were both present at the ceremony. Finding out that he only knew because of Snape, however, felt like a kick to the stomach.

The Slytherin let out a snarl and pushed her up against the statue. "What have you told him?"

Hermione attempted to pry his fingers from her robes as she floundered to find an answer. "N-n-nothing!"

"Bullshit!" he accused, tightening his grip on her clothes, lifting her off of the ground slightly. "You're lying! You've been watching me! He's ordered you to spy on me, hasn't he?"

"What?" she gasped. "Wh-why would I n-need to do that?"

Malfoy snarled and suddenly tore away from her, causing her to stumble and lose her balance. "I have no plans of doing anything but what he demanded of me! Be sure to tell him that!"

As she picked herself up from the floor, she could only watch in shock as the boy tossed her wand at her and stormed down the hallway.

X

Remus scratched the back of his head as he descended the staircase on his way to supper. He had been impressed with Hermione's and Neville's display of shielding techniques during the first session of the day, but the rest of his classes had been less than enjoyable. While teaching the Slytherin-Gryffindor section of second-years disarming spells, a scuffle had broken out amongst the students, which had required him to hit the entire class with temporary freezing and sticking charms before calling in Minerva for back-up. Needless to say, both the Gryffindor and Slytherin hourglasses were looking a little less full. Undoubtedly Severus would have something nasty to say about it shortly.

He let out a sigh as he stepped onto the ground floor, but paused suddenly when he noticed Draco Malfoy slipping out from behind the statue of Merlin. He frowned as he watched the boy walk quickly towards the Great Hall and wondered briefly what the Slytherin had been doing. He was just about to take another step forward when Hermione appeared from the same alcove. His eyes widened in shock as he witnessed her straightening her robes and smoothing back her hair before following the blonde's path down the hallway.

Cormac McLaggen was one thing, but the Malfoy heir? What the hell was Hermione thinking messing around with the son of a prominent Death Eater? Had she completely forgotten that Draco's aunt was the one who had sent Sirius to his early death?

Remus was positively flabbergasted. Several minutes passed before he realized he was staring open-mouthed at an empty corridor. A shaky breath escaped him, and he ran both hands through his hair. He let another minute pass while he gathered his wits about him and then resumed his earlier pace towards the Great Hall. He ignored the chattering of the students seated at the tables on either side of the aisle down which he strode.

As he reached the dais, he took his seat and gazed oddly out towards the Gryffindor table. His eyes immediately locked on to the girl's form. She appeared pale and was oblivious to the animated discussion her friends were having as she stared blankly at her plate.

"Lupin," Snape drawled as he pulled out his seat. "I hear I have you to thank for knocking Slytherin House into last place."

When the werewolf did not give any response, he raised his eyebrow as he began to fill his plate. "I do believe even the most inane Hufflepuff first-year could have determined that pairing Slytherin students with Gryffindors would end in catastrophe. You yourself should be painfully aware of that –"

"It was Malfoy."

Snape narrowed his eyes as he raised his goblet of water. "Are you suggesting that Draco is to blame for the calamity of your classroom or are you attempting to blame your puerile exploits on Lucius? I assure you, Lupin, neither of those scenarios can be attributed to the Malfoy name."

"No," Remus whispered as the other man took a long sip from his glass. "Draco is the one sleeping with Herm—Miss Granger."

Severus swallowed suddenly in surprise and inadvertently choked on the water. Coughing loudly, he set the goblet down with enough force to slosh water over the side.

"Merlin's sake, Severus. Have you forgotten how to drink?" McGonagall chided, though her face was etched in concern.

With tears stinging at his eyes and his face reddened, he ignored her and spun to face the man beside him. "What?"

The Defense instructor glanced nervously about the hall and then leaned towards Snape and dropped his voice. "I just saw the two of them…together."

The taller man drew to his full seated height and crossed his arms. "You actually witnessed the two of them physically coupling?"

"No…not exactly." Remus shifted uncomfortably and explained what he had seen.

Snape remained silent, but let his eyes stray towards the two students in question.

"I don't believe they were involved in the actual act this time."

"No?" The Slytherin Head queried softly, continuing to flick his gaze between Malfoy and Hermione. "And what would lead you to that presumption?"

Lupin flushed bright red and cleared his throat. "She's on… it's… it's her… erm… my sense of smell led me to presume."

The Potions Master's face wrinkled in disgust as he glanced at his colleague, who suddenly paled.

"I didn't… it wasn't intentional, Severus."

"Of course not," he muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose as he mentally worked to un-silence his connection with the girl. "Next you'll be enlightening me as to her ovulation schedule."

Remus frowned and focused his gaze on the blonde Slytherin. "I thought you might want to know, seeing as Draco is in your House and you are to keep tabs on suspicious behavior therein."

"And any liaison between Miss Granger and a Slytherin must be a nefarious plot hatched by the Dark Lord."

"That isn't what I said." The werewolf sighed and wiped his face. "You can't tell me it isn't strange, though."

"No stranger than your continued interest in the matter," Severus muttered, removing his hand from his face and looking towards the girl. 'Granger!'

Her head snapped up at the sound of his mental voice, and her gaze met his.

'What were you doing with Malfoy?'

He was surprised to see her eyes narrow dangerously and her lips pinch together.

'What were you?'

Severus fought the urge to raise his brow. 'What do you mean by that?'

He watched in slight bewilderment as she tossed down her napkin, claimed not to be hungry, and stormed out of the hall. 'Granger!'

He blew out a frustrated puff of air and pushed his chair back from the table.

"Where are you going?" Remus asked in a harsh whisper.

"I've recently been alerted to a possible nefarious plot," he sneered as he stood. "Or are you the only one allowed to investigate such claims?"

Lupin sighed and shook his head. As the dark-robed wizard slipped out the staff entrance, the werewolf cleared his throat and answered Minerva's quizzical gaze with a half-hearted smile. Hermione's possible relationship with Draco Malfoy was unsettling, but he felt a small surge of relief at Severus's involvement. While Harry was convinced otherwise, Remus knew that Snape had done everything he possibly could to ascertain Sirius's safety despite their tortuous history, and when he had found that Harry had fled the sanctuary of Hogwarts, he had immediately raised the alarm. It was the actions that Severus had taken that day that had secured Remus's trust in the spy.

Regardless of the man's posturing now, he was certain that Snape would do whatever was necessary to get to the bottom of Malfoy's sudden interest in Hermione. With that in mind, Remus cast a dubious glance towards the Slytherin table before reaching for the nearest platter.

X

"Are you going to explain what the hell this is all about?" Snape hissed as he slammed the door shut behind him. "Why, for instance, Lupin is suddenly so certain that Draco-sodding-Malfoy is the one bunching up your knickers?"

Hermione glanced up at him from his sofa and crossed her arms. "Maybe you'd care to explain why Draco-sodding-Malfoy is suddenly so certain that I'm spying for You-Know-Who!"

The wizard's anger suddenly deflated and he rested his hand on the back of his armchair.

"Or maybe you'd care to explain why you haven't told anyone that Draco-sodding-Malfoy is a fucking Death Eater now!" she shouted as she stood.

Severus let out a measured breath and squeezed his hand into a fist. "I have informed the Headmaster as to Mr. Malfoy's new status."

"Oh, so you just didn't see fit to tell me?" she huffed bitterly.

"No, I didn't," he scowled. "I didn't see fit to tell you. Draco Malfoy's personal life is not of your concern."

"Not my concern?" The girl shrieked and gestured wildly. "I shouldn't have been concerned that there was a Death Eater following my every move? In case it escaped your notice, Professor, I didn't particularly enjoy my dip in the lake!"

"That is exactly why the little snot needed to be told! So I didn't have to risk my neck saving you again!"

Hermione noticeably flinched as he bellowed at her. She swallowed nervously and folded her arms again. "Then don't bother. You certainly didn't have to do it the first time."

"God damn it, Granger!" Snape shouted, slamming his fist against the armchair. "Get it through that bushy-head of yours – I'm not going to let you die! Ever!"

A corpulent silence descended upon the room, punctuated only by the heaving breaths of the two who had seemingly entered into a staring match. Eventually Severus blinked his eyes shut and turned his head towards the wall.

"I informed Malfoy of your position with the Dark Lord immediately following your near-drowning. I felt it prudent for you to have someone from Slytherin House looking out for you."

The young witch sighed and shifted on her feet. "By looking out for me, did you mean assailing me in the hallway on my way to supper, shoving me up against a statue, and then searching me for a Dark Mark? Because obviously that's what he took it as!"

Snape glanced at her in concern. "Are you injured?"

"No," she snapped, unconsciously rubbing her wrist where she knew bruises would later appear. Likely she would have marks on her shoulders and back as well, but she did not wish him to know that. She wanted to stay mad at him without him becoming uncharacteristically compassionate again.

"You may not agree with my decision, Miss Granger, but Draco has every reason not to allow you to come to serious harm."

Hermione narrowed her eyes. "You think that just because he's afraid of you he won't hurt me?"

"Fear is an excellent motivator," he stated softly, "but I am not exactly the one he fears."

"The hell you aren't!" she spat. "I've seen the way he looks at you in class now – kowtowing to your every demand, waiting even until you've let out the lesson before calling me a mud –"

"Do not use that word in my presence," he interrupted coolly. "And Draco is not so much afraid of me as he is of what could occur were I to express my displeasure with him to the Dark Lord."

The girl snorted disdainfully. "Perhaps he should have thought about that before he chose to pledge his life to the Death Eaters."

Severus swallowed in discomfort and stared at the corner of the sofa. Noticing the expression on his face, Hermione let out a deep breath and covered her eyes with her hand.

"Professor, I didn't mean it about you."

He closed his eyes and cleared his throat. "Despite what you may think, the young Mr. Malfoy did not have as clear-cut a choice as you make it sound."

"What does that mean?" she asked, an incredulous look on her face. "Either you choose to take the Mark, or you don't. It seems rather clear-cut to me."

"And when refusing the Mark means life imprisonment for your father and a death sentence for your mother?" He met her eyes with a sad gaze. "What then, Miss Granger?"

Her eyes widened in shock and her mouth opened slightly. After a few seconds, she shook her head. "Is that – that's why Draco…"

"You mentioned before that Lucius Malfoy managed to avoid Azkaban," he explained carefully. "Do you think the Dark Lord would have arranged that out of the kindness of his heart? No. Lucius may have escaped physical imprisonment, but do not make the mistake of assuming he escaped punishment. And I can assure you that the Dark Lord's idea of punishment is far crueler than that of the Ministry."

Hermione blew out a morose sigh. "But the way Draco always talked; it seemed he would happily accept it."

Snape glanced at the ceiling briefly before nodding. "And he probably would have had his father and aunt not disappointed the Dark Lord so. He would have waited until his majority and taken his place of honor beside his father in the inner circle. But even if that had been the case, do not presume that he would have been happy. The shine would have worn off rather quickly seeing as the boy's disposition better resembles his mother's than his father's. Lucius himself has become rather disillusioned with the Dark Lord, even before the debacle at the Ministry, and the threat to his wife and child has only further hollowed him."

The girl wrapped her arms around herself and sank back onto the couch. Suddenly the frenzied look that had been in Malfoy's eyes earlier that night made sense. He was scared out of his mind. "So if Draco fails the Dark Lord…"

"It is likely that Narcissa's death will be lengthy and excruciating, and he would undoubtedly find himself forcibly invited to witness it firsthand."

She gasped painfully and covered her face with her hands. "When did he…"

"He was happily indoctrinated on the eighteenth of July – the one month anniversary of his father's failure."

"But that was four months ago!"

Severus raised an eyebrow. "Your point being?"

Hermione swallowed back another shout and calmed her voice. "His… mark hasn't healed yet."

He nodded slowly. "Likely it won't until he reaches majority in June. Certain magicks are not meant to be performed on underage wizards."

Her face crinkled in anguish, and she pulled her feet onto the couch. Resting her head on her knees, she realized that Snape was absolutely right. Had she been in Draco's position, with her parents' lives under threat, she, too, would have taken the mark. She would have done whatever she could to keep them alive even if it meant betraying her friends and living with constant pain. She blew out a long breath with the knowledge that Draco Malfoy was just as helpless as she was.

More so, even. At least I have someone on my side. She sniffled and wiped away the tears that were beginning to form. "He thought that I was spying on him, not Harry."

Snape looked to her in surprise. "Whatever for?"

"That's what I asked," she said, leaning against the back of the sofa. "He just told me to tell You-Know-Who that he was going to do what he had been commanded to do."

"He has an assignment?"

The witch shrugged. "I would assume so. You didn't know?"

He shook his head and ran one hand through his hair. "I will need to alert the Headmaster to this. Did he say anything else?"

"No, he just gave me back my wand and left." She sighed loudly. "I imagine that was when Remus showed up."

Severus nodded and glanced at the time. Dumbledore would likely remain at supper for another half hour, and it would be better to wait until he was in his office to present him with the new information. Exhaling loudly, he looked back to the girl curling into the corner of his sofa. It had surprised him to hear that Hermione had fled to the sanctuary of his quarters after leaving the Great Hall. She was undeniably angry with him, and yet she had purposely sought out his personal space. He did not understand it.

"Miss Granger," he started slowly, watching her close her eyes. "Why are you here?"

The girl gave no verbal response, but her thoughts formed clearly in his head. His rooms were safe. She wanted to be safe.

The wizard had a pained expression as he crossed in front of her and gracefully took a seat beside her. "Why is it you feel safer here than in your own dormitory?"

Hermione gave a slight gasp, knowing that he was listening to her thoughts. Feeling remarkably guilty, Snape immediately Silencio-ed the connection and rested his hands in his lap.

"Tell me only what you wish."

She looked up at him for the first time in several minutes. "You're not…"

"No," he answered.

Taking in a steadying breath, she moved her gaze to the empty fireplace and rested her chin on her knees. "I don't know why exactly. I think because you brought me here after…facing him. And because…well, no one would think to look for me here, would they? They could find me at home, or in Gryffindor Tower, or in the library; but they wouldn't find me here."

It was a logical conclusion. Severus glanced down at his hands. Leave it to Hermione Granger to be logical even under emotional duress.

The quiet sound of crying pulled his eyes back towards the girl. "What is it?"

"I just…" she closed her eyelids and blew out a shuddering breath. "I couldn't stop it. He only wanted to talk, and I… I thought he was going to… I don't know what I thought exactly, but when he grabbed me, I couldn't think of anything else but the need to get away, and I couldn't. I couldn't apparate; I didn't have my wand; no one would hear me; and my head was so screwed up I couldn't focus enough to call you. I felt…"

"Helpless?" he suggested when she trailed off into silence.

Hermione nodded slowly against her knee. "And then when Draco said you told him… You promised to be honest with me, but you didn't tell me."

Snape leaned his head back against the couch. "I am sorry, Hermione. I did not mean to upset you."

"Does anyone else know? Did you tell anyone else?"

"No," he shook his head and looked at her. "I would not have informed Mr. Malfoy if I did not believe it would aid in your protection."

The girl met his eyes and let out a small sigh. To his astonishment, she scooted towards him and rested her head on his shoulder. "I feel safe here because I know you can protect me here."

The wizard arched his brow and, upon noticing her awkward positioning, shifted so that her head was at a better angle. He inhaled sharply when she responded by drawing even closer and wrapping her arms around his neck.

"I'm sorry, sir," she breathed into his robes. "Please don't be angry with me."

His eyes widened, and he pulled away to look at her. "What on Earth are you mumbling about?"

"Even with everything you've done, I can't fully get over that night. You tried to teach me how to overcome it, but I'm not strong enough. I still dream about it some nights and at other times someone will do or say something, and all of these memories come sailing back and I have to fight so hard to stay in control. I fight to forget what I thought about you, and it isn't fair because you're just as much a victim in this as I am."

"Hermione, don't be ridiculous." He tilted up her chin and fiercely held her gaze. "There is nothing for which you need to apologize. What you're experiencing is not weakness – it's expected. Occlumency is meant to shield your mind from outside intrusion, not from what is already there. You can shut down emotions temporarily, but you will have to face them eventually. The nightmares will not disappear simply because you wish them to. They will occur with less frequency, yes, but will probably never leave you. You will have to take my word on that."

She swallowed back tears and nodded slowly. "I'm just so sick of feeling like this."

"Like what?"

"Like I'll never be normal again. Everyone else has normal issues, and I'm stuck with this horrible secret. I can't be normal, because it's not an option anymore. I'm so tired trying to keep up with everything, and sometimes I'd rather not deal with their stupid problems."

Severus sighed rubbed the side of his face, realizing that maybe Lupin had been right. "Do you want to discontinue our lessons?"

"No!" she blurted out loudly, grabbing hold of his arm. "Please don't take those away from me."

He cleared his throat. "I will not, if that is what you wish. I only want you to know that you have the choice."

"Thank you," she whispered, wrapping her arms around him again. He held her for a few minutes until his need to know overwhelmed him.

"Miss Granger, the other night – was there a reason behind your increased ardor?"

She felt her bottom lip quiver slightly as she squeezed him tighter. A few moments passed in strange silence, before she hesitantly explained. "You've done so much for me, and I just wanted to do something for you. I just…wanted you to know how grateful I am."

His mouth parted in shock. He had never considered that possibility, and frankly, a piece of him wished it had been something else.

"Hermione," he said softly once he had regained his senses. He grabbed hold of her arms and pushed her back far enough to look deeply into her eyes. "You owe me nothing."

"But –"

"No, listen to me," he said, shaking her gently. "You do not owe me anything. Do not push yourself beyond your own comfort to try to appease me. I require no payment of any kind for my services. I have already taken more from you than I can ever give. Do you understand me?"

She nodded emphatically as tears formed in her eyes again. Without warning, she latched herself onto him and buried her face alongside his neck. Severus let out a long sigh and slipped his arms about her in a supportive embrace. He rested his chin against her forehead, and listened to her breathing for several minutes before closing his eyes.

When he opened them again, he noticed that the clock had advanced nearly two hours. Groaning softly, he slipped out from beneath the sleeping girl and laid her gently onto the sofa cushion. Silently crossing over the fireplace, he lit a small fire, and grabbed a pinch of floo powder. He would discuss the matter of Malfoy's assignment with the Headmaster, and then return to wake Hermione up before her scheduled rounds.

X

As the entire student body made their way out to the Quidditch pitch that Saturday, Hermione glanced behind her and noticed that Draco was walking by himself. She wondered briefly where Crabbe and Goyle were, before focusing her attention on the expression on the blonde's face. His features were pinched in a harsher arrangement than usual, and his haughty air was startlingly absent. As she noticed the sad look in his eyes, she sighed and turned her head back towards the pitch.

She startled slightly when Ginny slipped her arm through hers.

"Can I sit with you?"

Hermione pushed thoughts about Draco out of her mind and looked at her friend in surprise. "What about Dean?"

"I promised him all of tomorrow," the redhead grinned. "I have a job to do today. I can't afford to be distracted."

"Oh?"

"Hufflepuff has three new players, and I've heard they're the ones to beat," Ginny explained.

"Hufflepuff?" Hermione smirked. "Seriously?"

"Hard to believe, I know. But Katie doesn't want to take any chances, so she wants us all to pay complete attention to their formations. Harry's probably only going to be watching the Seeker – but really, there isn't that much strategy involved in Seeking as in Chasing – but then again, it is Cho, so…"

"Harry doesn't really fancy her anymore actually," she mentioned off-handedly as they began climbing the old, wooden stairs to the Gryffindor stands.

"Really? I just assumed he did," Ginny frowned briefly before sighing. "Anyway, I doubt Ron will even show up, so I'm paying attention for three."

The older girl laughed slightly. "Ron's not coming?"

"Doubt it," Ginny grumbled. "I saw him pulling Lav-lav – I like the nickname, by the way – up the staircase to the boy's dorm before I left."

Hermione winced and looked away.

"I swear – if he sprogs her up, I'm coming to live with you. I don't want to be anywhere near Mum after she finds out."

"Merlin," the brunette sighed as they found seats halfway up the stands. That was definitely something she did not want to think about…ever.

"You-Know-Who will have nothing on the absolute carnage there'll be at the Burrow, that's for sure."

Grimacing, Hermione gave no verbal response, and was thankful for Madam Hooch's whistle. With the match officially starting, she had no real need to converse with her roommate.

"Hey!" Harry greeted, panting after having sprinted up the steps. He plopped down next to Hermione and blushed slightly at Ginny. He leaned close and whispered, "No Dean?"

Hermione gave him a weak smile and waited until the redhead was too focused on the game to eavesdrop. "Only for the match. Sorry."

He shrugged and then glanced around the stands. "Where's Ron?"

She groaned loudly and slumped in her seat.

"I take it that means he's with Lavvy-poo."

A round of giggles erupted from Ginny as she glanced over Hermione's head. "That's absolutely brilliant, Harry! I'm going to use that when I write Fred and George!"

Harry gave her an awkward grin and turned back to the match before he made a complete fool of himself.

Hermione rolled her eyes and crossed her arms sullenly. There was a Transfiguration essay she could be writing instead of sitting between the two of them, watching a game of which she did not really care who won. If only Snape were not already sitting with the rest of the staff, they could have had an impromptu lesson. She really wanted to take out her frustration on something, and dueling practice would have been a blessing.

A throat clearing pulled her out of her self-pity.

"I was wondering about something, Hermione."

She looked to Harry and raised her brow expectantly.

"In Defense, you're really good at non-verbals," he stated. "I was curious how you did it."

She bit her lip and shrugged. "Practice, I guess."

"Do you think you could help me a bit?"

"Erm, well…"

"You helped out Neville," he pointed out. "You saw us in class yesterday – he literally trounced me!"

The girl frowned slightly. "If you're going to insult Neville, I'm out."

He shook his head. "I'm not. I just think I should brush up a bit considering….well…you know."

Hermione blew out a deep breath and nodded. "Can I think about it? I only helped Neville in class, and all I did really was work on boosting his confidence. If you want to work outside of lessons, then I have to figure out when I have time in my schedule."

"Oh, yeah," he nodded happily. "Definitely. I'm sure you're just as busy as I am, since I hardly see you outside of meals and class during the week."

She twisted the ring on her finger. "It's certainly not as easy as it used to be."

"It used to be easy?" he mocked. "What school did you go to?"

The girl laughed and playfully elbowed him in the side. "Fair point."

"If it helps, you can rule out Mondays and Thursdays for Quidditch, and sometimes I meet with Professor Dumbledore on the weekends."

"Oh?" she asked, downplaying her interest by following one of the Ravenclaw chasers with her eyes. "What do you then?"

He looked around the stands and then shrugged. "Talk mainly. But I'm not supposed to tell anyone about it. Not even you or Ron."

"I understand." Hermione internally groaned at the non-information. She was not really good at wheedling answers out of people, and she desperately wished she could leave the spying entirely up to Snape. But who knew how long she had before Voldemort summoned her again, looking for an answer?

She shivered at the thought and glanced across the pitch at the Slytherin Head. He had agreed that she did not need to figure out what Dumbledore was doing with him, as long as she knew something that they were not doing. So what could possibly be believable?

"Oh, for fuck's sake!"

Hermione looked up at Ginny in surprise and quirked a small smile. "You know it's not actually our team out there, right?"

"What?" the girl asked, glancing down from where she had suddenly stood. "Oh, yeah. I know. But that should have been an easy block!"

The brunette shook her head amusedly and leaned her elbows on her knees.

"Use your head, Parsons!" Ginny shouted. "Geez!"

Hermione's eyes widened suddenly. Occlumency. The Dark Lord would buy that, wouldn't he?

Surreptitiously, she cast a Muffliato over herself and Harry, who looked up in surprise.

"Harry, have you been practicing your Occlumency?"

The boy sagged slightly. "Hermione, just let it go. Snape said I was fine."

"It's Professor Snape, and since when have you ever followed his advice?"

He rolled his eyes and looked curiously at the Gryffindors sitting around them. "They can't hear us, can they?"

"No," she answered. "And you're avoiding my question."

"And I'm going to keep avoiding it, because it doesn't matter anymore."

Her eyes narrowed. "What does that mean?"

Harry shook his head. "Let it go, Hermione."

"But—"

"Hermione, I stopped prying into your life because you asked me to. I'm asking you to let this go."

She closed her eyes and sighed. "Fine."

As she cancelled the silencing charm, Harry flitted his eyes around them as though he could see the spell melting away. "You seriously need to teach me that one."

The girl nodded in quiet assent and let her eyes glaze over as she watched the blue and yellow robes zip past them. Her mind was working overtime, and there were only two things of which she was immediately sure. Firstly, she knew without a doubt that Harry and Dumbledore were not working on Occlumency, and secondly, she knew she needed to tell Snape everything she had just learned.

X

Hermione frowned as she walked into the Great Hall for supper the following evening. The seat in between Professors McGonagall and Lupin was empty yet again. Snape had been absent the entire day.

She had meant to speak with him the night before, but had changed her mind after spotting Remus following him down the dungeon stairs. Instead, she had decided to catch his attention before breakfast and, as a result, had been the first student seated at her table, and the last to leave. But Snape had never shown. The same had held true for lunch, and when she had ventured down to the dungeons under the pretense of asking him a question regarding something she had read for her essay, she had found his office vacant.

And he was still gone.

She glanced at Dumbledore, looking for any hint of trouble, but the old man's expression was no different than usual. Then again, even after Snape had brought her back bloodied and beaten, the Headmaster had betrayed little emotion.

Now that she thought about it, Dumbledore actually hid his thoughts better than Snape did. Instead of cold impassivity, though, he masked himself in twinkling congeniality. He always played the doddering grandfather card, but that could not be the real Albus Dumbledore. Voldemort would never be afraid of someone you could find wandering about the dayroom of a nursing home.

And that would make him all the more the threat, she realized. Snape acted like an unsavory individual, because that was what people were supposed to believe. No one would trust him with sensitive information, which meant that no one would bat an eye if he could not deliver it. It was a method of self-preservation, as well as a subtle layer of protection for those around him.

But Dumbledore was different – the opposite even. He acted like someone you could trust with your most valued secrets. She herself had claimed to trust him with her life. It was all a ruse, though, wasn't it? People were supposed to believe him trustworthy, so he could garner their information and utilizing it for whatever was needed. People trusted him, so they would never suspect that he was using them – never suspect that he was spying on them.

She knew differently, though. She even suspected that if Professor Snape were in the midst of a torture session, the Headmaster would still likely chuckle at some student shenanigan or other. How could she not when after she and Snape had been through undoubtedly the worst scenario of their lives, he had still possessed the audacity to offer them a lemon drop like they were there for advice on their class schedules.

Three months ago she had trusted him unquestionably. Today, however, she knew where her loyalties lay – and it was not with the Head of the Order. It was with an empty seat.

A lump settled in the bottom of her stomach and she glanced desperately towards her Head of House. The elder witch was chatting amiably with Remus and Professor Sprout. She did not seem to have any concerns over her missing colleague, and Hermione knew at least her expression was genuine. She had seen the look on McGonagall's face when she knew that Snape had been summoned – there was no questioning the fear and anxiety the witch had felt.

But who was to say that McGonagall always knew when Snape was summoned? She could be just as blissfully unaware as the rest of the school as to his extracurricular obligations.

Hermione suddenly was not hungry anymore. She did not want to sit through another round of 'Ron loves Lavender' or 'Harry stares glumly at Ginny while she makes eyes at Dean.' She wanted to know that Snape was safe. She wanted to know where he was.

Biting down on her lip, she slipped out of the Great Hall and paused briefly in the main corridor. If he had been summoned, he would have to use the apparition point beyond the front gates. If he were out on other business, he would probably use the secret tunnel. Either way he would eventually return to his quarters.

Blowing out a long breath, she quickly made her way up the steps.

X

It was well after dark when Severus appeared at the castle gates. As he pushed open the heavy metal bars, he barely managed to suppress a yawn. His eyelids were heavy after a full day of travelling, and he had much preferred the flat walk down the gravel drive to the several flights of stairs that separated the tunnel entrance and his quarters.

By the time he managed to make it to his painted door, he was absolutely exhausted. As he shut the door behind him, he wiped a hand over his weary face and hoped that the annoying house elf would leave without groveling too loudly.

"Dob –"

Snape paused when he noticed a fire was lit in his fireplace. He never left a fire going when he was not there. There was a charm on the castle preventing any possibilities of accidental fires, but it was a precaution hardwired into him from his Muggle upbringing.

Someone had been in his quarters. Albus and Minerva were the only ones officially allowed access to his rooms due to their rank, but for some reason the castle had deemed Miss Granger worthy of entrance. That was still something he had to figure out, he realized as he slowly crept through his empty sitting room.

Pushing open his bedroom door, he narrowed his eyes slightly as he took in the form sleeping on his bed. Her arms were wrapped around his pillow, holding it tight to her chest, and her hair was splayed haphazardly over her face.

He sighed quietly and rubbed his forehead before stepping over to the bed. With a cautious hand, he pushed the curls out of her face.

Hermione's eyes snapped open at his touch and, at registering his face, she launched off of the bed and attached herself to him.

"Granger," he gasped in surprise, "what is wrong with you?"

"I was so worried about you," she answered into his chest. "I didn't know where you were."

Severus frowned and tapped her deliberately on the head. "You could have asked."

The girl shook her head and pulled away from him. "I didn't want to distract you if you were…in trouble."

He gave an exasperated sigh and shook his head. "I was perfectly fine."

"You were gone all day!"

"Am I not allowed a personal day?" he sneered, crossing his arms. "You could have asked Professor McGonagall. She was fully aware I would be out of the castle."

"She was?" Hermione asked slowly, before a contemplative look appeared on her face. "You trust her, don't you?"

The wizard narrowed his gaze and tilted his head. "Exactly from where does that question stem?"

She sighed and sank back against the mattress. "Let's just say I've recently had a reevaluation of convictions."

"And that means…"

"In the beginning – when you first figured out I was occluding you – you weren't entirely being hypothetical when you suggested that Dumbledore was using me to spy on you, were you?" When he did not answer right away, she folded her arms across her chest. "I would appreciate your sincerity."

Snape let out a long breath and looked out the window. "Not entirely hypothetical, no."

"If you were to ask me if I trust him now," she responded carefully, "I would give you a resounding no."

He snapped his gaze back to her face. "What happened?"

Hermione shrugged. "It was just a lot of little things coming together, but I had a chat with Harry yesterday. I think he's using him."

"Oh, you do, do you?" He snorted and perched against the small bookshelf beneath the window. "And what led you to this startling revelation?"

"I asked Harry about his meetings with Dumbledore, and he said he couldn't tell anyone about them."

"I thought we knew that already," Severus stated blandly.

"Yes, but I'm not finished yet. I thought maybe we could – or I could, rather – tell the Dark…erm, You-Know-Who that they were working on his Occlumency during their sessions. But I remembered that you told me to make sure that whatever I used was definitely not what they were doing. So when I asked him, he completely brushed me off and said that he didn't need to because you had told him he was doing perfectly fine on his own –"

"He said what?" The dark-haired wizard widened his eyes angrily. "If by 'perfectly fine' means leaving a bloody welcome mat out for visitors, then yes – he's doing exceptionally well. I'm sure his flea-ridden godfather can attest to that."

The girl rolled her eyes. "I didn't say I believed him, but that's what he tried to sell us last year after you stopped your lessons with him. I didn't believe him then, and I sure as hell don't believe him now – especially with what happened at the Ministry."

A pained look washed over the man's face as he remembered the fiasco that was Occlumency lessons with Potter. "And this relates to the Headmaster how?"

Hermione took in a deep breath. "I kept pressing Harry on it, and he got a bit upset and told me to let it go because it didn't matter anymore."

Snape pulled his eyebrows together in confusion. "It doesn't matter anymore?"

"That's exactly what he said," she nodded. "And I can't help but think that it has something to do with what he's doing with Dumbledore. That maybe Dumbledore is encouraging him not to practice it."

The Potions Master sighed and rubbed his temples. "You realize none of this actually makes sense."

"I know. That's why I needed to talk to you about it." She fiddled with the sleeves of her jumper for a few minutes before speaking again. "I think maybe there's a reason why Dumbledore doesn't want you to know about their meetings. A reason besides it being too much of a risk in your head, which I think is far-fetched anyway. You're probably the greatest Occlumens in the Wizarding World. If you can't keep a secret, we're all screwed."

"Flattery will get you nowhere, Granger."

"Nowhere with you perhaps," she smirked. "It seems to get you pretty far with the Dark Lord, though."

Severus shifted in discomfort and stared at the door. "You should be in bed."

The girl sighed. "I thought I was."

"Your own bed," he clarified with a pointed look in her direction. "Your roommates are bound to notice your repeated absences."

She nodded and slowly stood up from the bed. "In the future, when you take a personal day, would you tell me? So I don't spend the day developing an ulcer?"

He gave a nod and then cleared his throat as he slipped an envelope from his robes. "This is for you."

Hermione glanced at it in surprise and gingerly took it from him. She looked down at her name and felt her hand begin to shake as she recognized her mother's handwriting.

X

An hour later, Hermione lay curled up in her bed in Gryffindor Tower, fingering the amethyst pendant around her neck. The already wrinkled letter from her parents was placed beneath her pillow for safekeeping, and a small smile crept on her face, knowing that Snape's so-called personal day had been partly spent delivering her message.

There was enough on her mind, worrying about Harry and Dumbledore and Voldemort, that it was a relief to know that her parents were safe and well. They had written her their love and support, and stated that they were praying every day for an end to the turmoil so the three of them could be together again. They had claimed that there was nothing for them to forgive, as nothing that had happened had been her fault.

Hermione blew out a long breath and rolled onto her back to stare up at the canopy of her bed. Her parents were taken care of, and Snape was doing the best he could to protect her. Harry, on the other hand, had his faith in someone who was working with an ulterior motive. Harry needed someone to protect him, even if he did not know it yet.

As she closed her eyes, she knew that she had to do whatever she could to help him, despite any complications it may mean for herself.