A/N: Thank you so much for continuing to read and review! This chapter is slightly shorter than the others just because my planned update was getting super lengthy, so I've broken it into two chapters - which means you get half of it sooner than you would have!

Life is hectic, so I appreciate your understanding! I will work on Rumored in Love when I can! I have not abandoned it! I love you all!

Bound to Him

Chapter 42

"Cormac, I need to go. I don't want to deal with you right now."

"Aw, come on, Granger. Stop being such a tease."

Snape growled under his breath as he quickly made his way through the crowded street. The girl was calculating her escape route in her head, which gave him everything he needed to pinpoint exactly where she was. It was only a matter of getting through the throngs of slow-moving shoppers before the thick-headed fool went too far. He already had his hand around Hermione's wrist and was keeping her from re-joining the main thoroughfare.

"I'm not teasing! I have to meet Harry."

"Oh, give it a rest, witch. You don't need to parade Potter around anymore. You're not fooling anyone, you know. I know perfectly well what you're doing."

"I'm not kidding, Cormac. Let go of me now."

"Why should I?"

"Fuck," Severus hissed, pushing past the corner of an outdoor display. McLaggen had her pinned against the fence behind the Three Broomsticks, and her panic was rising exponentially as the boy pushed even closer to her.

"I'm warning you –"

"Stop talking, Granger."

Specks of snow flew in all directions as the Slytherin Head appeared abruptly in the small lane behind the busy pub. He immediately withdrew his wand upon witnessing the boy move in for a kiss, but suddenly froze when a jet of green light shot forth from the wand clutched in Hermione's hand.

Severus felt his heart stop beating for a split second, and the world suddenly seemed to have gone silent as the boy stumbled back from her tense form. Slowly, however, his brain began to kick in and he realized that Granger could not have just used the Killing Curse. There had been no murderous intent to her thoughts; only the need to defend herself. Furthermore, McLaggen was still clearly still alive, albeit undeniably bewildered.

"What was that?" the boy spluttered, looking at his chest and then back at the girl in front of him. "Granger, what the fu –"

Snape raised an eyebrow as the question was interrupted by rather odd-looking vomit spewing out of the student's mouth.

Hermione grimaced and stepped slightly farther away from the pile of slime between them. She knew that Cormac was too busy staring down in horrified shock at the grey slug that had erupted from his mouth to notice her slipping out of his reach. Feeling a pair of eyes on her, she glanced down the lane and relaxed significantly.

The professor caught her gaze and smirked haughtily as he stepped fully into sight. "Well, well, well…what have we here?"

She bit down on her lip to keep from snickering as Cormac fearfully spun to face the newcomer. Shakily, he extended his arm towards her and stammered, "She hexed me!"

"Is that so?" Severus lazily shifted his eyes toward the girl and tilted his head. "Detention again, Miss Granger? Twice in one term, I believe that makes. Quite the fall from grace."

The young witch pinched her eyes shut and ducked her head as she fought the urge to laugh out loud.

Snape glanced back to McLaggen and rolled his shoulders. "Fifty points from Gryffindor."

The boy's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. "But, sir! That's not fair! I shouldn't –"

A large green slug tumbled forth from his mouth and landed atop the professor's dragonhide boot with an audible squelching noise. Severus glared at the mess on his foot and slowly raised his gaze to Cormac's panicked face. Raising both eyebrows, he sneered. "You've just earned yourself a month's detention, McLaggen…with Mr. Filch."

The younger wizard gulped loudly and dropped back a number of steps, covering his mouth with both hands.

Snape angrily slashed his wand at his foot, vanishing the mess, before pointing in the direction of the Hogwarts Castle. "The two of you have just forfeited the remainder of your Hogsmeade visit. I suggest you start moving."

Grateful for an escape from the village, Hermione immediately spun on her heel and started down the path. She looked up a moment later when she sensed the Potion Master falling into step beside her. The expression on his face was foreboding, but when he briefly flicked his eyes to her, she noticed they held no real anger. Feeling a slight heat to her cheeks, she peeked over her shoulder to see Cormac stumbling disgruntledly behind them.

She winced a few seconds later when she watched him cough up another slug.

With an exasperated sigh, Severus paused long enough to wait for the boy to finish gagging and put himself back to rights. As intrigued bystanders – students and Hogsmeade denizens alike – began collecting to gawk at the trio, the wizard scowled and grabbed hold of McLaggen's cloak. He proceeded to haul the student past the crowds, barely managing to make it to the outskirts of the village before releasing his hold on the boy so the boy could release his hold on a rather large, purple slug.

Snape crossed his arms in impatience as the Gryffindor seventh-year slowly stood upright once again, and the three began making their way down the snowy path in the direction of the castle grounds. When they were forced to another slug-induced stop a few moments later, he tossed a look toward Hermione, who was pinching her lips together in a mixture of pride and disgust.

As they started walking, he let his voice slide across her conscience. 'Granger, how long does this last?'

A smile quirked onto her face as they paused again to allow Cormac time to expel another gastropod. 'I assume another five minutes or so.'

His eyes shot to her immediately. 'You assume?'

'Well, I've only witnessed it once,' she shrugged almost imperceptibly, 'so I don't know if it affects everyone the same way.'

'When exactly did you have the chance to witness this?'

'Second year. Ron tried using it on Malfoy the first time he called me a Mud –well, you know.'

Severus huffed angrily, scowling as he watched McLaggen double over once more. 'I have no recollection of Draco ever vomiting slugs, and you can be damned certain he would have been sniveling upon my doorstep, demanding Weasley's immediate expulsion had it happened.'

Hermione shook her head slightly, nervously biting down on her lip as Cormac shot her an icy glare. 'I said 'tried,' didn't I? If you remember, that was when Ron's wand was broken. The spell back-fired and Ron ended up the one puking slugs into a bucket for a quarter hour or so.'

The man snorted softly in amusement and glanced at the boy who was picking himself up from the ground. Recognizing that his color had improved and was likely past his bout of vomiting, Snape picked up his stride. "Enough dawdling."

Cormac wiped the back of his hand across his mouth and glared at the back of the Slytherin Head. As Hermione made to follow, the boy quickly snatched hold of her arm and yanked her closer to him, causing her to squeak in surprise.

"You're a foul bitch, Granger," he hissed under his breath.

"Five points for language, McLaggen," Severus stated coolly without so much as looking over his shoulder.

The younger wizard looked up in surprise and snarled. "How the fuck can he hear me?"

Rolling her eyes, Hermione ripped her arm out of the boy's grasp and quickly began moving down the path.

"Greasy bat," Cormac muttered as he slowly followed after her.

The witch had nearly caught up with the Potions Master when the sudden sound of loud retching caused her to stop in her tracks. A concerned expression crept upon her face as she glanced back in time to see two sizeable slugs erupt from the handsome boy's mouth.

"I didn't do that!" she whispered hotly when she made it within earshot of Snape.

"Oh, of course you didn't," he sneered.

Hermione narrowed her eyes bitterly before noticing the trace of amusement on his face. She dropped her jaw slightly as she glanced between Cormac and Snape once more. 'Professor Snape, did you just hex a student?'

Severus looked down at her with eyes widened in feigned ignorance. 'Whatever would give you that impression?'

'The fact that he's started up again, maybe? And even worse now!'

The corners of his mouth turned upwards as they continued walking. 'You said yourself that you've only seen it once. Perhaps it simply affects him differently.'

The girl shook her head in disbelief. A similar smirk spread across her face as she spoke softly. "Perhaps."

XxxxxxxxXxxxxxxxX

Two hours after being sent to her dormitory, Hermione found herself at one of the tables in the Gryffindor Common Room, buried elbow deep in the essays that were due prior to the end of the term. With all of the older students in Hogsmeade and the younger students intimidated by her Prefect status – and with Cormac ensconced in the infirmary, demanding attention – she had remained virtually unmolested in her work.

She was just finishing the concluding paragraph of her Charms essay when the opening of the Fat Lady's Portrait caught her attention. Ginny caught her questioning gaze as she stepped through the hole and gave a weak smile before moving towards the girls' dormitory.

As her roommate disappeared up the stairs, Hermione shifted her gaze to the dark-haired boy who had appeared in front of her.

Harry bore an apologetic expression on his face as he pulled out the chair across from her. "Look, I'm really sorry, Hermione. It's just…Ginny was crying, and I just wanted to make sure she was alright."

The girl raised one eyebrow. "You mean you wanted to score points with her in while she's in a vulnerable state."

"No," he stated defensively. "That's not –"

Setting down her quill, she interrupted him with a loud sigh. "Are she and Dean fighting?"

Taken slightly off-guard, the boy nodded. "I think so. She wouldn't actually tell me why, though."

Hermione leaned back in her chair. "I know that it isn't what you want to hear, Harry, but that doesn't mean she's through with him."

"But she was so upset, she was crying!"

She rolled her eyes and shook her head. "If women were to leave men every time men make them cry, the entire species would have died out already.

"And even if…" Hermione paused as a group of boisterous fourth-years came stumbling through the Portrait Hole. Leaning slightly across the table, she dropped her voice to nearly a whisper. "Even if they are breaking up, that doesn't mean you should immediately sweep in to pick up the pieces."

"Well, I know that Ron will be upset, but –"

"I'm NOT talking about Ron, Harry!"

As several students glanced in their direction, the girl winced. When their interest died away, she surreptitiously cast a Muffliato.

"I'm talking about Ginny. If you want a relationship with her – not a fling, but an actual relationship – then you will have to wait until she's ready. She can't fall out of Dean's arms and into yours."

"Why not?" he asked with a look of indignant confusion written upon his face.

"Because then you'll just be a replacement for him," she took in a deep breath and straightened the edge of her parchment. "If you want her to be with you because you're you, then you have to give her the time and space she needs to move on."

Harry narrowed his eyes and poked his finger into the table. "And what if when I'm giving her all this space, she goes back to Dean?"

"Then that's what she does!" the witch shouted, gesturing with her hands. "If you and she are meant to be, then you will be. But if she's meant to be with you, and you get in the way, it's not going to end well for your friendship."

The boy suddenly appeared crestfallen and he sank into his seat. "You think they are –"

"Harry, I don't know," she snapped, shaking her head. "I just know what I see, and what I see is that she and Dean both genuinely care for each other. How deep that feeling goes is something only they can know."

With a loud sigh, he scratched his head and then leaned both elbows on the table. "What if Dean's the one in the way?"

Hermione snorted and rubbed her temple. "Harry, you're acting like he stole her away from you. Might I remind you that you were the one who wasn't interested. She fawned over you for four years, and you had eyes for Cho instead. You can't blame Dean for stepping in when you were ignoring her."

The wizard wrinkled his nose in distaste, but finally nodded in acknowledgment. A smirk crept on his face a moment later. "In that case, then, you can't blame Lavender, either."

"What?"

Harry cocked his head. "Ron's liked you for years, and you haven't given him the time of day. Now he's with Lavender, and I know you don't like it."

"For your information, Ron didn't bloody notice me until I showed up at the dance with Viktor. Before that, I was just one of the boys to him." Cancelling the Muffliato, she shrugged and leaned back in her chair. "Besides, Lav-Lav's had a thing for him since first year, practically. She could be the one, for all anyone actually knows."

He grimaced and shuddered. "But she's so… Lav-Lav."

Hermione snickered, dropping her voice slightly as Ron appeared in the Portrait Hole. "And he's so…Won-Won."

Harry made to offer a retort, but was cut off by a wide-eyed redhead rushing up to the table.

"'Mione, did you really do it?" Ron asked breathlessly.

"Do what?" she asked casually, rising from the table and gathering her books.

"Do what?" he mimicked, shaking his head. "Hex McLaggen!"

"Oh, that." The girl scratched her eyebrow. "Yes, I did do that."

"What?" Harry paled as he slowly stood. "McLaggen tried something with you?"

She tossed him an irritated look. "Of course he tried something, Harry. The minute I was alone, I knew he was going to try something. That was the entire point of going with you."

The dark-haired boy swallowed nervously before speaking in a darker tone. "What happened?"

"What happened? What happened!" Ron shouted, throwing his hands in the air. "What happened is she bloody hexed him! With the Slug Vomiting Spell even!"

Before she had a chance to react, he tossed his arm around her shoulders. "Not that I would wish that on anyone save for Malfoy, but she was bloody brilliant!"

"It was not brilliant, Ronald," she chastised, closing her eyes as she attempted to shrug out of his grasp.

"Hermione, I'm so sorry!" Harry exclaimed. "I just assumed you had come back when you didn't find me."

"I was escorted back, thank you very much."

"Escorted?" he repeated. "By who?"

"By whom," she corrected as she picked up her stack of books. "And it was by Professor Snape. He also assigned me detention on Monday night."

"Stupid git," Ron hissed.

With a glare, she spun toward him. "Actually, he was being exceptionally fair, I thought. I did attack a student, didn't I? In full view of a teacher, no less."

"Well, yeah," he stammered. "But he bloody well deserved it."

Hermione snorted and let a devious grin onto her face. "Cormac vomited a slug on Professor Snape's foot. He now has a month's worth of detention."

The redhead's eyes widened exponentially and his jaw dropped in absolute shock. Grabbing both of her shoulders, he shook his head in disbelief. "Merlin, 'Mione – I could kiss you right now."

"Not unless you want to drop slugs in a bucket again," she warned with a dangerous stare.

Laughing, he let go of her and looked toward Harry. "I was right about her, wasn't I? She's scary. Brilliant, but scary."

With a roll of her eyes, Hermione ducked around the two giggling boys and started making her way toward the girls' dormitory. Feeling as though she were being watched, she glanced up and noticed that Lavender was standing beside the fireplace, staring directly at her. The brunette looked over her shoulder to her friends before meeting her former roommate's gaze again. Recognizing the other girl's uncertainty, Hermione shrugged her shoulders and attempted a small, reassuring smile.

When she received a dark glare in return, she sighed and quickly scampered up the staircase.

It's not like she has anything to worry about. She shook her head in frustration before pushing open the door to the Prefects' room. Upon seeing Ginny curled up on her bed, sniffling into her pillow, Hermione bit back another sigh and moved to deposit the stack of books on her desk. "You alright, Gin?"

There was a slight pause before the girl gave a muffled "Noo…"

"Is it Dean?"

"Yeeess," she whined without unburying her face.

"What did he do?"

Ginny only grunted sadly in response, causing Hermione to roll her eyes and cross her arms. "Did he cheat on you?"

"No."

"Okay," she answered slowly. "Did he flirt with someone else?"

"No."

"Did he accuse you of doing something?"

"No."

"Did he hurt you?"

"No."

"Did he say something offensive?"

"No."

"Did he – Oh sod it, Gin!" Hermione shouted, losing her patience. "I'm not going to play twenty questions with you. What the hell is wrong?"

Hiccupping slightly, the redhead finally rolled over. She propped herself up with one hand and wiped her eyes with the other as her voice shook. "He w-wants to m-marry me!"

The brunette's eyes widened in absolute shock. "What?"

"He wants to marry me, but I'm not r-ready for th-that!" Ginny shouted in a panicked tone. "I'm fif-fifteen years old, for Merlin's sake! I c-can't get married now!"

Hermione slowly sank down on the edge of her bed. "He proposed to you?"

Her roommate grimaced and shook her head. "Not…not exactly."

"But he said out loud that he wants to marry you?" she pressed.

"Well, no."

The older witch frowned and narrowed her eyes. "Then why do you think that he does?"

"Because!" Ginny shrieked before calming down slightly. "Because he invited me to his house for New Year's!"

Completely taken aback by the statement, her friend struggled to respond. Finally, she settled for a simple, "So?"

"So! So you bloody well know what that means!"

Feeling suddenly on the defensive, Hermione slammed her hands on the mattress beside her and shook her head. "No, I don't bloody well know what that means!"

The other girl sighed and pulled herself fully into a seated position. "A man only invites a witch to his family estate so that his family can p-pass j-judgment on whether or not she's w-worthy to bear the name and b-bear the next g-generation."

"You've gone absolutely nutters," the brunette whispered.

"No, I haven't! That's how it is in the Wizarding World, Hermione!" Ginny protested. "If Dean's family approves of me, then he'll go to my father and ask f-for my h-hand…Why the hell are you laughing, Hermione? This isn't funny!"

The curly-haired witch only paused slightly in her giggling when a maroon pillow was launched at her head. Eventually, she quieted down and wiped her face. "Ginevra Weasley, you are completely over-reacting."

"No, I don't really think I am!"

Hermione sighed as she hugged the pillow. "Gin, Dean's not a pureblood."

"What does that have to do with anything?" the redhead asked, narrowing her eyes in confusion.

"He's Muggle-born like I am."

"He doesn't know that though," Ginny shook her head. "He thinks his dad may have been a wizard, so that would make him a halfblood."

The older girl took in a deep breath and closed her eyes. "The point I'm trying to make is that he was raised as a Muggle. He doesn't know all of the Wizarding customs that you do. If I didn't know about this ridiculous assumption, then I find it highly likely that he doesn't either."

As realization finally dawned on the younger witch, she covered her face with her hands and stared vacantly into the room for several minutes. Finally she lowered her hands to her lap and fixed her roommate with a serious gaze. "I told him I couldn't and then ran away. I felt horrible about it, so I went back to find him, but he wasn't there. I completely lost it, and that's when Harry found me."

Sighing gently, Hermione let go of the pillow, and stood from her bed. She sat down next to her friend and allowed the other girl to wrap herself around her.

Ginny took in a long, shuddering breath and rested her head against the brunette's shoulder. "Do you think he hates me now?"

"I don't think so," she shook her head. "But I think you need to talk to him and explain your meltdown."

"I can't! He's going to think me a complete idiot!"

"Well, if the shoe fits," Hermione whispered, causing the younger girl to erupt in a fit of giggles.

"I bollocksed it all up!" she whimpered a few seconds later.

The older witch simply nodded in response.

Exhaling slowly, Ginny pulled away from her friend and pulled her knees close to her chest. "So what does it actually mean?"

"What does what mean?"

"Dean inviting me to his family's house," she clarified. "What does it really mean?"

Hermione wrinkled her nose as she thought of an explanation. "I don't really know, I guess. I mean, it can be sort of like what you thought – but not nearly to that extreme, and especially not when the two of you are so young. Maybe in some way he wants to know that his parents like you, but I think it's more that he wants them to get to know you. I think he just wanted to spend time with you on holiday."

"That's it?"

She shrugged and nodded. "Really, that's all."

"Oh, Merlin," Ginny whispered, resting her chin atop her knees. "If I had known that, I would have just said yes. That sounds nice, actually."

"So then go find Dean, tell him that you're an idiot, and explain everything to him. If you're lucky, maybe he'll still invite you."

The redhead groaned and flopped back against the mattress. "You make it sound so easy."

"There are more difficult things in life," Hermione commented sharply, moving back to her own bed. "Believe me."

"I know," the younger girl sighed, rolling over and pushing herself off of the bed. "I suppose I should go find him before he realizes that he's better off without me."

"Erm, Gin?"

"Yeah?" she asked, pausing by the door.

"So that's really what it means in the Wizarding World?"

"Yes, it is. Why?"

The brunette shook her head and smoothed her hands along her thighs. "No reason. I was just curious is all."

"Okay." Ginny gave a weak smile and made an effort to smooth down her hair and her clothes. "Wish me luck, I guess."

Hermione bore a supportive smile until the girl disappeared down the stairwell. She then pulled her pillow to her chest and curled into a ball in the center of her mattress. Taking in a number of short breaths, she tried to stave off the tears that were forming as thoughts of a certain Bulgarian Quidditch player danced in her head.

XxxxxxxxXxxxxxxxX

As they walked silently through the corridors on Monday evening, Severus glanced down at the girl beside him. Noticing the strained look on her face, he sighed and cleared his throat. "You seem preoccupied."

Hermione snorted and wrinkled her nose. "That's probably because I am."

The man studied her for a moment as he held open a door for her. When he fell in step beside her once more, he raised an eyebrow in question. "Dare I ask?"

"Ugh, where do I even start?" she lamented, rubbing her eyebrow. She remained silent for nearly a minute before sighing and shaking her head. "Let's see…hexing Cormac definitely worked to deter his interest, though it worked a little too well because now he completely despises me. As do all of the seventh year boys and all of the girls in the upper three years. Well not all of the girls, I guess. Apparently there are still a few girls who tend to stay angry at the boy who broke their hearts. But a majority of them think I'm a cold-hearted bitch."

She took in a deep breath as they rounded a corner. "And then there's Lavender, who thinks I'm trying to steal her boyfriend from her, because hexing Cormac caught Ron's attention again. He was so entertained by it that he joked he was going to kiss me in front of her. Even though I clearly stated that I would hex him if he so much as tried, Lavender is mad that I'm seducing him. Stupid cow.

"And Remus!" she cried, throwing one hand up in the air. "Oh, Remus is disappointed in me because in his mind I've brought all of this upon myself because of my behavior. Because he thinks that not only was I sleeping with Draco, but I've been sleeping with Cormac as well, and I've been stringing him along with casual sex, but denying him an actual relationship, which was why he wasn't getting the message. Not because he's a prat who doesn't listen because he thinks the entire bloody world is in love with him.

"And Remus undoubtedly thinks I'm doing the same thing to Harry." She grimaced briefly and ducked her head. "That's actually my fault, though. I realize now that I may have encouraged that assumption more than I meant to. He probably thinks that's why Harry was mad at me yesterday."

Hermione wiped her face and tossed an irritated look to the wall. "Harry's trying to pretend he's not angry with me because he feels guilty that he left me alone in Hogsmeade, but I know that he's still upset. He's moping around because I told him to leave Ginny alone until she's decided once and for all that she's breaking up with Dean. And since the two of them of have made up, Harry's even more disappointed.

"And that whole thing was entirely stupid. It was all just one misunderstanding that Ginny blew way out of proportion. Dean had apparently invited her to his home for New Year's, and she went mental on him because in the Wizarding World that means something way more than it does in the Muggle one. I had to tell her that he probably didn't know that, seeing as he's essentially a Muggleborn. She finally talked things out with him, and got it sorted at least."

The girl drew in a long breath and wrapped her arms about her waist. "And even though she's completely out of her head, I understand her reaction. It kept me up half the night thinking about her bloody assumption, because if she's right, then I seriously mistook Viktor's intentions during fourth year. He invited me to his home in Bulgaria, but I never would have equated that with a sodding proposal of marriage. I mean, he did say that he'd never felt about another girl the way he felt about me, but I thought it was just an exaggeration. He was eighteen, for Merlin's sake, and I was only fifteen. How could he possibly be that sure of something like that at that age?

"It's impossible, but now I don't know what to think. Maybe Rita Skeeter was actually right about something. Maybe I was stringing him along without even knowing I was." Hermione bit her lip as she stepped off the bottom step of a staircase.

"God, that would be positively horrid if she were flitting about the castle now. Even without her, people think I'm a bitch and a tease and a whore." She sneered in disgust and rolled her shoulders. "I didn't think it was physically possible to be all of those things at once, but apparently I am.

"Even though the only person I'm having sex with is you," she sighed, dropping her hands to her sides. "The only person that I'll ever have sex with."

Upon slowly looking over her shoulder, she noticed him pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance.

"What? You asked!"

Snape flicked his gaze to her face and squared his shoulders. "If I recall correctly, I merely inquired as to whether or not I should ask."

The girl winced and adopted a guilty expression. "Oh, you did, didn't you? Erm, sorry."

"This is precisely why I needed to silence our connection," he sneered, pushing past her as they moved toward the apparition wards.

"I said I'm sorry," she hissed. "It's not my fault that you're easy to talk to."

Severus narrowed his eyes significantly. "You must be the one out of your head if you think that to be true."

"But it is!" she protested as she felt the tingling of the wards pass across her body. "Even if I could talk about some of this stuff with Ron or Harry, they would have interrupted me fifteen minutes ago and told me to stop worrying or they would have told me that it's impossible to think about that many things at once. You actually let me ramble on, and even if you weren't listening, it still made me feel better."

"You've set your level of expectation exceptionally low with Potter and Weasley," he stated, fastening his winter cloak. "I imagine a potted plant would provide more intelligent conversation."

Hermione smirked as she buttoned her coat. "Well, I guess if I'm that desperate for intelligent conversation, I could just come find you."

He cast a dark look over his shoulder. "There is no need for flippancy."

"I'm not being flippant," she argued as she pulled on her gloves. She shook her head and sighed. "Honestly, I don't know how you can do it – how you can let everyone think all these horrible things about you when they're not true."

Snape crossed his arms as he waited for her to put on her hat. "There is nothing that is said about me that is not deserved."

"Well, unless you're actually a vampire and eat children, I beg to differ," she smiled. "But I don't think you deserve any of it."

The wizard looked to the ground in discomfort. He cleared his throat a moment later and raised his eyes to hers. "The Bulgarians traditionally marry quite young. It would not be out of the ordinary there for a wizard to take a fifteen-year-old bride. I am quite certain there are some who marry even younger."

Her eyes widened slightly. "That's disgustingly archaic."

He grunted in agreement. "You'll also find they place less importance on the family of the bride than do the British. Rarely, if ever, do they seek their approval for the match."

"So what you're saying is," she took in a gasping breath and held up a gloved hand with her thumb and pointer finger an inch apart, "I came this close to being a fifteen-year-old bride?"

When he nodded slowly, she covered her cheeks with her hands and shook her head. "Holy shite."

"And yet you were only allowed one further year of freedom," he muttered bitterly as he adjusted his own pair of gloves. "Bulgaria undoubtedly would have been the preferable option."

Hermione bit down on her lip and blinked away the start of a few tears. Cautiously, she took a step forward and slipped her arms around his torso, resting her head against his collarbone. "I would prefer Hogwarts, no matter the price. I belong here, helping Harry."

He took in a deep breath and stiffened slightly. "If you wouldn't mind, Granger, there are other things I need to get done tonight."

Nodding, she stepped back from him and folded her arms against her chest. "Thank you, though."

"For what?" He raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"For actually listening," she smiled.

"I always listen," he stated softly, pulling something out from his pocket and magically resizing it. He then handed the large sack to the girl, who took it cautiously.

"You stole my books again?" she sighed.

"I did not steal your books. I merely borrowed them temporarily," he corrected with the raise of an eyebrow. "And no. These are my books, which you will be responsible for replacing should anything happen to them. Is that understood?"

"Yes," she mumbled sadly, shaking the bag. "I shall see you in a few seconds, I guess."

Focusing deeply, she clutched the books close to her chest and pictured them all appearing in the usual clearing. There was a tug at her navel, the world seemed to spin inside out, and then abruptly stopped with a loud snap.

Hermione took in a steadying breath and dropped the sack of books on the ground.

"Do you always treat others' possessions with such carelessness?"

The girl spun around in a jolt, absently clutching at her chest. "How the hell do you do that?"

Severus bore an amused expression as he stalked past her and picked up the sack. "I had assumed that by now you would be proficient in the mechanics of apparition, Granger."

"But you do it silently," she clarified, watching as he carefully began examining each book.

"A trick learned after several years of practice," he explained as he set down one tome and picked up another. "Once we're certain you have fully constructed your basic skillset, we will work on polishing the aesthetics."

"Mmm, can't wait," she mumbled softly while watching his scrutiny progress. When at last he had gone through the entire bag, she raised her eyes expectantly. "Well?"

Calmly he began refilling the sack. "It appears you do not owe me any new books on this run."

The girl gave a small laugh of success and then watched him stand to his full height. "Am I to do it again?"

"There is no point in continuing on in if you are both confident and competent at that level," he stated, adjusting the cuff of his robes. "Thus we take it to the next stage."

"Do not tell me you have my cat in your pocket!" she hissed, holding up a finger in warning.

"Don't be absurd," he sneered. "You will now apparate me to the tree line."

All color drained from her face and she shook her head emphatically. "I'm not ready for that."

"There is no real difference in what you have just done and what you must do."

"The hell there isn't!" she shrieked. "Books don't bleed if I bollocks it up!"

Snape sighed loudly. "Granger, you will do perfectly fine. I guarantee that you will not do more injury to my person than I have done to myself."

"But what if I splinch you?" she asked desperately.

The wizard slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out a slender dark green bottle of Essence of Dittany. He pressed it into the palm of her hand and fixed her with a pointed look. "Then you will apply that to the wound and you will do better on the next venture."

Hermione dropped the vial into her coat pocket and closed her eyes. She took in several calming breaths, rocking on her heels for nearly two minutes before she resigned herself to the task. "Alright, I can do this."

He watched in silence as she nibbled on her bottom lip, trying to figure out what to do.

"Do I just, erm, hold onto your arm?" she asked hesitantly.

"That is an option," he responded in a thoughtful tone. "However, it is generally easier to Side-Along someone the closer they are to you."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning," he repeated, lifting his arms slightly, "I'm actually giving you permission to throw your arms around me this time."

The witch snickered softly and slowly moved toward him. With her heart beating rapidly, she wrapped her arms around him and rested her head against him for the second time that evening. Closing her eyes again, she attempted to calm her nerves before making the jump.

"We do not have all night," he murmured after waiting half a minute.

"I'm focusing, alright!" she answered, tightening her grip.

"Granger, if you cannot handle a human being, I will send for that beast of yours."

Scowling, she buried her face into his shoulder, squeezed him as tightly as she could, and focused entirely on the tree line. Nearly immediately, she felt herself being pulled through an invisible tube, and with a loud crack the pressure subsided.

Opening her eyes slowly, she relaxed a bit upon seeing that there was still a warm body pressed against hers.

"You may let go now."

As she expelled a shaky breath, Hermione allowed her arms to fall to her sides and she took several steps backwards. "Are you alright?"

The man gave a cursory glance to his limbs, before spinning in place. "If you do not see any gaping wounds…"

"I don't believe so," she whispered as he completed his turning. "Though you could leave half your nose behind and no one would be the wiser."

When his narrowed gaze snapped to hers, she shrugged innocently. "That's what you get if you keep threatening my cat."

Snape snorted quietly and relaxed his arms. "We go again."