A/N: Sorry for the delay! So much going on here...ughhh. Savannah asked yesterday if I could keep people updated on my writing through my LJ page - if there are a number of you interested in this, I can go ahead and do that. That might be a bit more regular than the blurbs I post whenever I can manage an update.

Thanks for all of the reviews and reminders. Just a heads up - I bawled a bit while writing this chapter, so if you're easily swayed - you may want to find some tissues.

Bound to Him

Chapter 49

"I'm glad to see you're looking better, Hermione," Minerva smiled, leaning towards her student as she took a seat beside her at the table. "Did you have an enjoyable Christmas?"

The young witch smiled and nodded until she had finished chewing. "Yes. And you?"

"Well," the Gryffindor Head tilted her head as she began loading her plate, "I certainly enjoyed parts. Unfortunately, though, I don't think I'll fully be able to enjoy a holiday until the dark times are far behind us."

Hermione gave a muffled sound of agreement.

"And might I ask where your gloomier half is?" she asked in a low voice after glancing about the relatively sparse table. Professors Vector, Flitwick, and Sprout were chatting at one end, while a Ravenclaw fifth-year stared at his notes nearer the center.

"Wolfsbane," the girl replied quietly. "I think he has three hours or so to go before the next phase."

"I see," Minerva nodded, grabbing her water goblet. "When did you return, then?"

A slight blush crept onto her cheeks as she stared at her plate. "Yesterday evening."

"And this is the first you've ventured out?" the professor queried before taking a sip. When she set the glass down, she donned a knowing look. "He sent you up here, didn't he?"

With a soft giggle, the girl smirked and picked up her fork again. "He said I was giving him a headache and that if I insisted on distracting him further, he would personally hold me accountable for his poisoning Remus."

McGonagall snorted loudly in amusement. "Of course he did. Well, perhaps you should spend some time in the Tower anyway. Since you've been away, your post has been piling up."

"Oh, I completely forgot about that."

The elder woman raised an eyebrow. "So I've noticed."

The two witches fell into a comfortable silence while they ate, until they were joined by a weary Remus Lupin.

"Hermione?" he stated quietly as he dropped into the chair across from her. "When did you get back?"

"This afternoon," Minerva responded before the girl had a chance to open her mouth.

"Ah," he nodded slowly, "I had wondered where Albus had gone."

At seeing Hermione's surprised expression, the Gryffindor Head cleared her throat. "Actually, Remus, the Headmaster is away on personal business. I went to fetch Miss Granger after the noon meal."

Lupin reached for a platter of food and gave a small smile to the girl. "And how are your parents? Are they well?"

The witch hesitated momentarily, but nodded upon realizing that the truth was now incredibly similar to the cover story they had asked her to perpetuate in front of the staff. Well, Severus had certainly thought that through. "They're both doing well, thank you. I was rather glad to see them."

"I imagine so," he replied. "In fact, I am quite surprised to see you back here so soon. There's still a week yet until the start of term."

As she momentarily floundered to find an adequate response, McGonagall cleared her throat and dropped her voice. "It was suggested that it would be safer for her to travel when not expected."

Understanding the implications of her answer, the Defense instructor turned his attention toward the large helping of rare steak on his plate. Hermione tossed her mentor a look of gratitude, and the woman squeezed her hand beneath the table in return. The younger witch was just beginning to relax when she noticed that Remus was staring at the pink cube of meat on his fork with a strange expression on his face. An odd feeling settled in the pit of her stomach when he leaned forward and sniffed it.

"Is something wrong, Remus?" McGonagall asked, eyeing him carefully as he moved his nose away from the steak and smelled the air instead.

The man frowned and glanced around strangely before responding. "Severus must be brewing the Wolfsbane, I guess."

As Hermione felt her stomach drop, the Deputy Headmistress gave a startled nod. "Why, yes he is. Miss Granger and I were just down there checking on him to see if he could break for supper. He's been at it all day judging by his temper, and he has a few more hours to go. Needless to say, he didn't appreciate the distraction."

"I bet not." With a small snort, Lupin began eating again, seemingly satisfied by the explanation.

The young witch managed a few more minutes at the table, but deciding not to press her luck any farther, excused herself and made as inconspicuous an exit as she could. Expelling a nervous breath as she reached the Entrance Hall, she only allowed herself a few moments' pause before ascending the staircase on her way toward Gryffindor Tower.

After a cheery welcoming from the Fat Lady's Portrait, Hermione quickly crossed through the vacant common room and climbed the stairs to her bedroom. Upon pushing open the door, her eyebrows raised in surprise at the sight of her bed covered in packages.

"Merlin," she murmured, crossing the room and slipping onto the head of the bed where it was cleared of post. Deciding to leave the packages for last, she reached for the stack of letters and proceeded to read through them. The two envelopes that contained the heaviest letters were both from Ginny. Amongst other things, the first one detailed her frustration at having to hear Mrs. Weasley gush all over Ron for finding a girlfriend and her later amusement at the twins' development of a jinx that slapped Ron's bottom any time he mentioned Lavender's name, while the second highlighted her anxiety about the upcoming visit to Dean's house.

Well, hopefully it went alright. She sighed realizing that she should reply soon, if only to find out if Dean had made any further blunders. Harry's letter was somewhat shorter and mirrored Ginny's first message for the most part with an additional paragraph complaining about Molly's constant hinting that he, too, should find himself a pretty witch. Mrs. Weasley, herself, had written a verbose, mothering note – asking after her health and wishing her holiday greetings. Once she had finished reading those, Hermione found herself sniffling and blinking back tears.

Blowing out a slow breath, the girl set down her letters on her bedside table and then began sorting through the gifts. There was a small foil bag from Mattie that she recognized as being from the gourmet counter at Sugarplum's Sweet Shop in Diagon Alley. Upon untwisting the bag and peering in, she could not help but grin at the assortment of sparkling chocolate gems and ever-fizzing champagne truffles. Quickly stowing the bag away in her drawer, she made a mental note to do better for her roommate's birthday than a meager package of sugar quills, and then reached for the next present.

Of course, Ron had forgone the thoughtfulness he had shown for her birthday – though considering Lavender's influence, I should count myself lucky to get anything from him - and had resorted to his standard bag of chocolate frogs. She was somewhat surprised to receive one from Dean, but upon reading the attached note, she found herself smiling.

Hermione,
Thanks for single-handedly saving my arse. Guess we 'Muggles' ought to stick together.
I definitely owe you one,
Dean
P.S. I didn't know what you would prefer – and Gin would have been of no help in this situation – so I grabbed a bit of everything.

He's not kidding. The witch shook her head as she opened the box and found it practically filled to brim with nearly every brand of Muggle sweets she could name. As the daughter of two dentists, she had never had this much sugar in her possession at one time, and she had a feeling she would be pawning most of it off on the boys when they returned from the Burrow.

Thankfully, Ginny had stepped outside of the confectioner's for her shopping and had found her a lovely set of ornamental quills instead. Remus had given her a handsome dragon-hide-bound journal that could be charmed to be visible only to her own eyes – she doubted she would ever use it, but it was the thought that counted.

The next three packages predictably held books, but unlike the journal, she had no doubt that these would be useful at some point. Harry had sent her one on advanced dueling techniques, and there was one on the healing properties of plants from Neville. Luna, oddly enough, had opted for a much more sensible gift than the year prior and had selected a large tome entitled The Medi-witch's Helping Handbook.

After quickly skimming through a few pages, she set it aside and grabbed a small box wrapped in shiny red paper. The attached tag indicated that it was from Professor McGonagall, and Hermione mentally groaned at having only given the Head of Gryffindor a nice card. Sighing, she carefully removed the wrapping paper and then popped open the lid to reveal a delicate silver bracelet consisting of several Celtic shield knots strung together. As she lifted it out and draped it over her wrist, she caught sight of the note that was placed in beneath it.

The courage, determination, and strength I have seen in you would have made even Godric Gryffindor appear a quivering coward. You are a true warrior. Never doubt in that.

As a solitary tear trickled down her cheek, the girl quickly fastened the jewelry to her wrist and tucked the note into the journal from Remus. After wiping her eye, she reached for a sizeable package that had Mrs. Weasley's handwriting atop it. Untying the string and tearing off the simple brown paper, Hermione propped open the box and a burst of laughter escaped her. Five years of friendship, and she now had her first Weasley-jumper to show for it. It was a nice-looking one to boot – a soft shade of purple with a row of silver fasteners down the middle.

The witch absent-mindedly began fiddling with the amethyst stone around her neck as she realized it matched the sweater perfectly. Grabbing hold of the last gift in her pile, she froze upon seeing that it was from the twins and immediately set it back on the bedspread. Eyeing the box cautiously as though it may explode at any moment, she stood from the bed and slowly began pacing.

It could be perfectly harmless, you know. They are capable of more than just pranking people, she told herself. But it's still Fred and George! But, then again… they never have done anything to you beyond light teasing.

Hermione blew out a contemplative breath and crossed over to the bed. She reached hesitantly for the seemingly-innocuous package in polka-dotted paper, but then paused again. If they had jinxed it, it was likely harmless, but she still had no desire to walk around with blue hair or hiccoughing multi-colored bubbles. She had heard Ginny complaining about having suffered both fates over the past summer while the twins worked to put their shop together.

Perhaps I could ask Severus to check it before I open it. And with that thought, her eyes widened as she realized that she had never given the professor his Christmas present. Grimacing, she rushed over to her desk and pulled open the drawer. She shook her head as she picked up the small, green gift bag and could not believe that she had forgotten to give it to him before he took her to the cottage.

A glance at the clock assured her that the man would still be in his office watching the Wolfsbane for another half hour. She doubted that he would go anywhere but his quarters while the individual dose simmered in the silver-plated cauldron, and she knew that it was too much of a risk to allow Remus near the brew until it had been strained and placed under stasis. Making up her mind, she grabbed the twins' gift as well and made for the exit.

XxxxxxxxXxxxxxxxX

Ascertaining once more that Lupin's first dose was heating evenly and that the stasis charm was firmly in place on the remaining stock, Severus allowed himself a yawn. He rubbed the back of his neck briefly before moving toward the Floo. He tossed in a handful of powder and instructed that a connection be made to the Defense instructor's office.

"Lupin!" he shouted a second later. When the tired wizard's face appeared in the green flames, Snape folded his arms. "At ten-thirty, you may pop in for your nightcap."

"That's a bit later than usual," Remus mumbled quietly. "Is everything alright?"

The dark-haired man scowled and glared at the floor. "My attention was temporarily diverted elsewhere."

Assuming the worst, the bobbing head winced. "I'm sorry… but thank you, Severus. I will come down then."

With a stiff nod, the tall wizard moved away from the fireplace and crossed toward the staircase. He had almost three hours before the wolf would be scratching at his door, and he was fully prepared to spend them with his eyes closed. What he was not prepared for, however, was the sight of Hermione Granger and her cat lounging atop the bookcase beneath his bedroom window. He had been quite sure that he had sent her away for the rest of the evening so as not to risk Lupin picking up on her scent in his office.

"Granger," he stated gruffly. "What are you doing here?"

The witch glanced up from the rumbling beast on her lap and gave him a small smile as she gestured to a box with polka dots at her feet. "The twins sent me a gift, and I'm concerned that they may have hexed it or something."

"And you brought it all the way down here so that I may throw myself on the grenade?" he drawled lazily as he stepped toward her.

"No," she shook her head. "I thought you might know a way to check it for traps or something."

The man let out an irritated sigh as he produced his wand and began waving it about the box. "Even as drop-outs, they still manage to make my life more difficult."

Hermione bit down on her lip to keep from giggling as she watched him.

A second later, he sheathed his wand and held the gift out to her. "The box is safe. You may go now."

"Well, that wasn't the only reason I'm here," she mumbled, displacing Crookshanks from her lap and slipping down from the bookshelf. She produced a green bag from her pocket and took a step closer to him. "I also wanted to give you this. I forgot to earlier, so happy belated Christmas, I guess."

Severus raised his eyebrows in surprise as he gingerly accepted the gift. He certainly had not been expecting that, and he frowned at it briefly before stealing from the room.

"Wha—where are you…going?" the girl stammered in confusion. Her eyes narrowed even further when he reappeared just as quickly and with one hand held behind his back. When he then produced a thin silver box, she shook her head.

"I, too, neglected to give this to you," he explained.

"But you already… spending the holiday with my parents was enough –"

He sighed and shook his head. "Allowing someone to visit their family at Christmas should not be considered a gift. It is to be expected."

"Not under these circumstances, it isn't," she countered stubbornly. When he fixed her with a pointed gaze, she sucked in a deep breath and took it from him. "I still don't think you should have done this."

"The feeling is mutual," he muttered, holding up her gift to him.

"Well, it isn't exactly special," Hermione sighed, climbing onto the bed and sitting cross-legged. "It's really just a replacement."

The wizard smirked as he perched on the edge of the mattress. "As is mine."

She waited to unwrap hers as she watched his long fingers untie the strings and then twist open the bag. As he extracted the slender jar, he rolled it over in his hand and then stared at her incredulously. "Powdered bicorn horn?"

"I still owe you boomslang skin," she responded with a slight blush.

Severus glanced back at the jar in his hand as he considered the admission, and then a roar of laughter escaped him. He continued for several seconds before wiping at the few tears of mirth that had appeared in his eyes. "Granger, are you actually trying to replace the ingredients you stole four years ago?"

Her cheeks becoming dangerously hot, she ducked her head and nodded. "I've always meant to do so, but up until now, I had figured that you were likely to kill me if you caught me doing it."

"I think the shock alone would have provided you ample time to escape unscathed," he replied, wiping his face in disbelief.

"For how long, though?" she queried, tilting her head. "Until the next class period?"

"Fair enough," he shrugged, setting the container on his bedside table. "But you do not owe me any boomslang skin. Seeing you with furry ears and a tail was compensation enough for your thievery. And make no mistake, Albus was properly shamed into personally replacing my stores."

Hermione smiled as she began to pick at the wrapping on her gift. "Well, I'm not about to pay him back."

"I would not hesitate to dispel such notions from your head if you were."

Laughing quietly, the witch finished removing the paper and then the lid from the box. Surprise etched her features as she ran her fingertips over the small, drawstring handbag that was inside. It was made of several strips of silk and velvet in various shades of purple, and there were tassels at the bottom of the bag as well as the ends of the drawstrings. A few of the velvet panels were decorated by silver embroidery, while some of the silk ones were adorned with delicate bead-work. It would not have been something that she would have chosen for herself, but as she held it now, she really did like it.

"It's lovely," she murmured, glancing up at him. "But I don't understand how it's a replacement."

"It isn't," he agreed, leaning against the headboard. "What's inside it is."

"Inside it?" she repeated with a raised brow as she undid the drawstring and pulled it open. She gave a small squawk of surprise upon peering into it, and she immediately withdrew the contained gift. It was larger – and heavier – than the bag it had been in or the box that had held it all. Confused, she looked toward the wizard for explanation.

"I've applied undetectable extension and weightless cargo charms to the bag," he answered. "You can store nearly anything in there, and it should never appear as or weigh more than the bag itself."

"Like Mary Poppins?" she asked in awe.

Snape frowned at her and shook his head. "I don't know who that is."

The girl chuckled and gave him an apologetic look. "Sorry, it's a Muggle film I used to watch over and over when I was little. This woman – though I suspect now that the character must have been based on a witch – shows up to nanny children, and she has this carpet bag that can hold practically anything – a lamp, a coat rack, a plant, and so on."

"I see," he muttered, stifling a yawn.

Feeling guilty for keeping him awake, she quickly set into tearing off the paper. Her face visibly brightened as she revealed the newest edition of Hogwarts: A History. After squeezing it to her chest lovingly, she put it down and launched herself toward the head of the bed. Throwing her arms about him, she rested her head on Snape's shoulder and whispered against his shirt. "Thank you! I thought I was going to have to replace it myself. Thank you so much!"

"Ruin this copy, however, and you will," he sneered quietly, resting his head against the headboard and letting his eyes drift closed.

"Mmmkay," she nodded. She was about to pull away when she realized that he had issued no protest to her assault on his person. Deciding to take advantage of the situation while she could, she relaxed and held her tongue, not wanting to draw his attention to it. When his breathing slowed and his chest began to rise more fully, a mischievous grin spread across Hermione's face, and she closed her own eyes to join him in sleep.

XxxxxxxxXxxxxxxxX

As the timing charm sounded from his lab, Severus awoke with a start. There was an awful crick in his neck, he had lost feeling in his left arm, and there was a heavy warmth pressing against his chest and left hip. Upon glancing down at the mess of curls covering his torso and the rumpled pieces of wrapping paper strewn about the bed, the evening's events began coming back to him. The smirk that managed to creep onto his countenance was short-lived, though, for he soon remembered just why the timing charm had gone off in the first place.

Wolfsbane. Lupin. Shite.

"Granger!" he huffed, shaking her awake and pushing her to the side.

"Wha-what?" she replied sleepily, propping herself up as he launched out of the bed and started rubbing his arm.

"You shouldn't still be here is what!" he snapped, attempting to straighten his shirt. Belatedly he stopped, realizing that it would be soaked in the girl's scent anyway. With a snarl, he undid all of the buttons and tossed it to the floor.

"What is wrong?" she cried in concern.

Snape fixed her with a sharp look. "Lupin will be downstairs shortly."

The girl paled and widened her eyes. "I'm sorry! Sh-should I leave?"

"Yes!"

She was just beginning to scramble up from the mattress, when he held up a hand and shook his head.

"No! No, I don't know whether he'll be Flooing into my office or walking, and if he's walking, he could intercept you from either exit." He touched the button on his trousers and then shook his head. "Christ, I'm going to have to shower."

As he stormed into the bathroom and slammed the door behind him, Hermione covered her mouth and then buried her face in the bedcovers. She knew that she should not find it funny, but she could not help but giggle at the image of the normally austere, controlled professor standing half-naked and absolutely flustered in front of her. It was additionally entertaining to note that when he was panicked, he resorted to Muggle expressions and mannerisms. Now that she knew he was half-Muggle, it made so much more sense why it seemed he had simply forgotten he could magically clean up an ink spill when she had mentioned her pregnancy scare.

A minute later, the door burst open, and she looked up to see a dripping wet Severus grumpily yanking open his wardrobe with one hand, while he kept a towel wrapped about his waist with the other. When he managed to pull out a change of clothes, he scowled at Crookshanks and then retreated back into the bathroom with a bang.

Hermione let out a short bark of laughter and pulled one of the pillows over her head to keep quiet. And when the door opened once more, she peeked out from underneath it to see the wizard confidently striding through the room, completely put together as usual. Except for the wet hair.

"Erm, shouldn't you dry your hair first?" she called out as he reached the back door.

"In a moment," he grumbled. "It will pick up the smell of the Wolfsbane faster when wet."

"Oh."

"Stay here," he instructed before disappearing down the staircase.

The girl snorted and rolled her eyes. "Well, it's not like I was planning to go anywhere else."

After a handful of minutes passed and no irate werewolf had come charging up the stairs, she decided to relieve some of her boredom by opening up her present from the twins. Accio-ing it to her, she took a deep breath and glanced at her familiar.

"I swear, if I end up with blue hair…" She then shook her head, knowing that her threat was empty – at least in respect to the Potions Master. He would probably be amused by the situation, but hopefully would aid in setting her back to rights.

As she ripped open the box, she held her breath for a moment until she was sure she was unaffected by any hexes. Feeling confident, she pulled out the card and read it quickly.

Hello Love!

Bet we had you worried for a tick, eh? No tricks up our sleeves! (This time.)

Since it sounds like everyone's been tripping over themselves to get your attention, we thought we'd throw our hats in the ring as well. Of course, whenever a high-and-mighty witch such as yourself lowers herself enough to use one of our creations in combat, we'd be interested. (We're only disappointed it wasn't lil Ronniekins who rubbed you the wrong way and wound up huddled over a bucket again. But then again, had he vomited slugs on Ol' Snapey-poo, we'd be short one annoying little brother, and Mum would be a blubberin' nightmare. Plus McLaggen always was a tosser.) So, if you have a favorite twin (everybody does!), just let us know. George won't be offended. (Fred might.)

Considered sending you one of the potions from our exclusive WonderWitch line, but we think you need more of a deterrent and less of a Love Potion (not to mention we've heard you've been confiscating our products left and right…cheeky witch) so we're including a bottle of U-No-Poo instead. Just crush it up, sprinkle it over his morning doxy eggs, and it's guaranteed to temper even the infamous McLaggen-amorousness. (Mum's not too chuffed about the name, though…thinks we'll be murdered in our sleep.) If it doesn't do the trick, pop us an owl and will put our heads together to find a better solution!

Anywho, on to the goodies. We've always thought of you as the D.A. mastermind (don't tell Harry), so here's hoping you'll find these useful and won't chuck them out straightaway, Miss Perfect Prefect.

Toodle-oo!
Your Brothers in Arms,
Gred and Forge

P.S. If you'd like to give our newest charm a little test run, just say the word!

Giggling under her breath, Hermione set the letter aside and began digging through the rest of the minimized contents. In addition to the jar of U-No-Poo pills, there were three boxes labeled Decoy Detonators, a black velvet sack with a tag attached that read Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder, and a few Camouflaging Trick wands that promised to adopt the appearance of any wand and would beat the user about the head when wielded.

Though she hated to admit it, there probably was a practical use for some of these products. With a shake of her head, she piled everything back into the box and then curled up around one of the pillows. Yawning softly, she decided to rest her eyes while waiting for Snape's return.

XxxxxxxxXxxxxxxxX

When she awoke, it was to find sunlight streaming in the window. Frowning in confusion, Hermione wiped her face and forced herself into a seated position. As she was the sole occupant of the room – Crookshanks was nowhere to be seen – she wondered briefly if the wizard had spent the entire night in his office. The notion was dismissed, however, when she realized that his teaching robes no longer hung over the back of the chair and that someone had taken the time to tuck her into the bedcovers. The jar of powdered bicorn horn was absent as well, and her gifts had been moved from the bed to the bookshelf.

Though she wondered where he had gone, her bladder reminded her that there were more pressing matters to attend to. Sighing, she tossed back the covers and quickly crossed the room. As she stepped over the threshold into the bathroom, a tingling immediately erupted across her spine.

Giving a startled cry, she reached out to grip the edge of the sink and took in a stabilizing breath. Attempting one more step toward the commode, she physically flinched at the flare-up of pain that resulted from the action.

"Why?" she gasped. I don't remember him ever banning me from using his bathroom.

As the intensity of the burning sensation continued to increase, she grimaced and stumbled back into the bedroom. Collapsing to her hands and knees, she took in several rasping breaths and narrowed her gaze when she felt some of the pain subsiding. Confused, she glanced wildly about the room – at the bed, the door to the stairwell, and then back to the lavatory. And then, she remembered.

"Stay here," Severus instructed before disappearing down the stairwell.

Sniffling, Hermione used the back of her hand to wipe at the tears that had inherently formed in response to the pain. She sucked in a gulp of air and attempted to ignore the remaining throbbing in her lower back and the pressure in her bladder. She pushed into a kneeling position, and then leaned backwards against the side of the bed.

Gathering up enough focus to send a mental patronus, she pulled her knees to her chest and buried her face against her arms.

'Is it an emergency, Granger, or can it wait until I've finished my brunch?'

Frowning, the witch attempted to assess the pain she was experiencing to determine how long she could continue to manage it.

'For god sake, Hermione. I'm on my way.'

She gave a pitiful snort and squeezed her eyes shut as she waited. Three minutes later, she heard the portrait door fly open, and a panicked Potions Master immediately appeared in the bedroom doorway.

"What happened?" he questioned, eyeing her huddled form with caution.

"I need to use the bathroom," she mumbled, raising her head, "but the binding won't let me leave the room."

Severus stared at her with eyebrows raised in confusion. "What?"

"Last night!" she stated loudly, gesturing toward the door. "You told me to stay here when you went downstairs, and apparently the loo isn't considered 'here'."

Dismay rippled across his features as he sagged against the doorway. "Hermione, you may leave the room."

As the girl sprang to her feet and rushed into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her, the wizard covered his face with his hands. He stood motionless until the door opened again and Hermione stepped back into the room.

"Are you alright?" he inquired after lowering his hands.

She folded her arms to her chest and sank onto the end of the bed. "Do you have that ointment nearby?"

Snape winced as he pushed away from the doorframe and crossed over to his bedside table. Opening the drawer, he pulled out the canister of orange salve he had stored there. When he gestured to her, the girl turned onto her stomach and lifted the edge of her shirt. He grimaced at the evidence of inflammation and gently began rubbing the cool substance over it.

"I'm sorry," he murmured once her top had been straightened and the ointment returned to the drawer.

Hermione turned her head to look in his direction and sighed at the pained expression on his face. Moving a few inches across the bed, she touched her forehead to the side of his thigh and placed one hand on his knee. "You didn't mean for it to happen."

"That does not excuse it," he snapped, attempting to pull away from her.

With a frown, she tightened her grip and pulled herself forward enough to rest her head on his leg as though it were a pillow. "Stop it."

"Stop what?" he growled, pressing his fingers against his temples.

"Blaming yourself," she whispered. "I'm fine."

The wizard shook his head, and lightly placed his hand on her hair. "I promised that I would not be careless with our connection again."

"Severus, you didn't mean –"

"I do not make promises lightly," he interrupted.

She expelled a loud breath against him. "I know you don't. But things happen. Everyone makes mistakes."

Closing his eyes and ducking his head, he pinched the bridge of his nose with his other hand. "I cannot afford to make mistakes… especially not with you."

Swallowing nervously, Hermione was certain that he had not meant for her to hear what he had whispered beneath his breath. When she had gathered the courage, she rose onto her knees and touched his face. As he raised his head, she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his.

"Hermione," he murmured, "what are –"

Mimicking his earlier actions, she silenced him with two fingertips. "I'm proving that I am fine and that I do not hold you responsible for an accident."

"I remember quite vividly that you did not react in such a manner last time," he muttered, pulling his mouth away from her hand.

"Different circumstances," she shrugged, placing her palm against his chest, "different reactions."

Severus glanced down at her hand and then back to her face. Sighing at her expression, he gave a shake of his head. "You shouldn't still be here."

The witch took a hesitant breath and shifted even closer to his chest. "And if I don't want to leave just yet? What if I fancy a late morning snog with my significant other?"

With a roll of his eyes, he averted his gaze to the window. "It can't quite end with a snog, though, can it?"

Hermione blushed and momentarily paused until she dared to speak softly into his ear. "Then I'll just have to settle for a late morning shag instead."

"Merlin," he sighed, covering his face with one hand as he tried to fight the stirring in his trousers. With a grumble, he snatched at her hand and stared into her eyes. "Why?"

"Why not?" she intoned with a quirk of her head. When she was met with a stony stare, she smirked and took in a deep breath. "Because… because you came to save me; because your brunch was ruined; because your Christmas gift was much better than mine; because it was my fault that I was here last night; because you checked my present for booby-traps even though I broke into your quarters again… but mainly because I want to."

Though he could feel his resolve crumbling, he closed his eyes and frowned. "We cannot keep doing this. It's too much of a risk. Especially with Lupin beginning his monthly."

"But we're already here," she argued, leaning her weight against his chest. "What if I promise to spend the rest of the week in the library doing homework?"

"Dear gods," he grumbled painfully. "If you promise never again to bargain homework for sex –"

"Agreed," she winced. "Sorry."

He snorted in disbelief and then kicked off his boots. "Should I be concerned that the Weasley terrors have, in fact, managed to afflict you with something?"

"I don't think so," she giggled, slipping her arms around his neck. "Why? Am I making your life more difficult?"

"Exceedingly," he sneered as her lips found his once more.

XxxxxxxxXxxxxxxxX

Minerva snorted in frustration as her office door suddenly sprang open. Once she finished watering the plants in her window, she cleared her throat. "Oh, do come in, Severus."

The tall wizard stopped abruptly when he heard a familiar chuckle emanate from the armchair facing her desk. He sighed loudly and then glared at the ceiling when Remus peered around the edge of the chair.

"Good afternoon, Severus."

"Lupin," he mumbled before crossing over to the fireplace and leaning against the mantel.

The Deputy Headmistress rolled her eyes at his behavior and reclaimed her seat. "Remus and I were just having tea. Would you care to be civilized enough to join us?"

"Not particularly."

"Well," Remus stated, quickly tossing back the remnants of his tea and setting the cup on her desk, "I can see that he is in need of your counsel more than I –"

"Hardly," Snape sneered.

"—so I shall take my leave," he finished, ignoring the other man's comment. "I might as well make use of my energy while I have it. Would it be possible to stop by your office after supper, Severus? I get more anxious the longer I have to wait after moonrise, and it shall be worse the closer we get to the full moon."

When the Potions Master nodded, Lupin bid them both good-bye and disappeared into the hallway, pulling the door shut behind him.

"Will you take a seat?" she murmured, lifting her teacup to her mouth. "Or shall you continue to perch against my fireplace like an overgrown gargoyle?"

"Charming," he grumbled. Heaving a loud sigh, he pushed forward and dropped into the seat vacated by Remus.

She eyed him appraisingly while she sipped her tea and then cocked her head. "Let me guess, you're here about Miss Granger as well."

Severus glared at the door and shifted in his seat. "What did he –"

"More of the same," she interrupted dismissively. "Nothing noteworthy. Mostly he was just asking after her parents since he believes that I was the one who collected her."

"And who the hell told him that?"

With a smirk, she set down her cup. "I did, because Hermione startled when he assumed Albus had escorted her."

"I see. I appreciate that you followed –"

"Oh, come now, Severus," Minerva shook her head amusedly. "You really think I haven't been able to piece together exactly what's in that envelope you've charmed not to be opened?"

He narrowed his eyes at her. "You've tried, haven't you?"

"Of course I bloody tried!" she hissed. "You don't give someone an envelope, tell them not to open it, and then expect them not to try."

"I recall something about curiosity and a cat," the wizard murmured smugly.

"Hush." She squared her shoulders and cleared her throat. "Now, why are we in need of a therapy session today, hmm? And does this have anything to do with your sudden departure from our conversation at breakfast? You're lucky that I do not offend as easily as you do."

When he did not immediately rise to her bait, the witch frowned and leaned forward. "Severus, what happened?"

"Hermione…" he paused as he picked at his robes, "…snuck into my rooms last night…"

At McGonagall's loud snort, he trailed off into an irritated glare.

"Sorry," she whispered, gesturing with her hand. "Continue."

Slowly, he did as instructed, explaining what had occurred previously. When he concluded his summary, he took in a short breath and stared at the edge of her desk. "It was my fault, and she all but made it comparable to my interrupted meal."

The woman inhaled uncomfortably and rubbed her forehead. "I have a feeling that you're going to resent my saying this, but consider what you would have done in her position."

"What?" he snapped. "That doesn't… I don't… I would have –"

"Done the same thing," she sighed. "You have done the same thing."

"I don't know what you're –"

"Two weeks ago."

Snape scowled and shook his head. "It's not the same thing. That wasn't her fault."

"She made a request, which unbeknownst to her, caused you great bodily harm. When she discovered the price, you tried to send her away and then hid the true extent of your injuries. Though she did not mean for you to be hurt, and you absolve her of all blame, she felt – still feels, undoubtedly – responsible." Minerva shrugged and leaned back in her chair. "Tell me how that is any different than the current situation."

Failing to find an adequate response, he jerked out of the chair and moved to stand in front of the window.

Though a smug expression played at her lips, the witch sighed and shook her head. "There's something else about this that's bothering you, isn't there?"

As he grimaced and pressed his forehead against the window edge, she silently startled at the display of vulnerability. She had seen him miserable, injured, angry, and depressed on several occasions, but this was different. It was as if she was suddenly staring at the sullen teenager who tried to hide in the back corner of her classroom so many years before.

"Severus?" she asked uncertainly, rising out of her chair. "What is it?"

He turned his head slightly so that his eyes were shifted toward the floor. A long moment passed in tense silence before he finally spoke. "My mother used to say it… whenever she knew I had seen him hurt her, or when he was… angry with me. She would say he didn't mean it. He never meant it – he would leave her a bloody mess, but he never meant it. It was always because he was drunk, or because he was tired, or because he was having a bad day, or because she did something to provoke him… And then one day, it just … stopped."

Minerva steadied herself against the corner of the desk. "The abuse?"

He pinched his eyes shut and shook his head. "The excuses. She stopped saying it… stopped saying anything at all really… stopped fighting him. She just stopped."

"How old were you?" she managed after a heavy silence descended upon the room.

"When he finally managed to break her?" he clarified, risking a glance in her direction. He then swallowed heavily and narrowed his eyes in contemplation. "Six? Seven, maybe."

Covering her mouth with one hand, she closed her eyes as she felt tears beginning to form. "Severus, I'm sorry I didn't know."

"What could you have done?" the wizard snapped before turning back to the window. "She would never have left him. She maintained her ridiculous pureblood sensibilities until the end."

"I could have done something about you, though."

He shook his head emphatically. "I was the only one she had. I would not have abandoned her."

"But you were a child!" she protested, stepping forward.

"So was she!" Snape hissed as he spun around. "She was barely eighteen, had next to no experience in the Wizarding world – let alone the Muggle one – and was raised to believe that a witch, even when at her own peril, is to respect and abide by her husband, who was nearly as old as I am now!"

Her eyes widened in realization. "That's what's bothering you about Hermione, isn't it? It's never just been because she's your student, has it?"

Snape sighed and sank back against the wall. "It was worse in the beginning, but there are still… times when I look at her –when she says or does something – and I see my mother. I wanted her to hate me because… because she never hated him."

"Oh, Severus…" she reassured, reaching for his face.

He twitched slightly at her touch before whispering, "I don't want to be him."

"I know." McGonagall nodded as she stroked her thumb over his cheek. She could see the fear written in his eyes and her stomach twisted in response. Brushing a strand of hair out of his face with her other hand, she fixed him with a steady gaze. "You don't want to hurt her, and I think that sets you apart from the start."

"And if that's not enough?"

"You're torturing yourself over a what-if," she chided as she took a step back from him. "I know you, Severus – you'll make it enough."

The wizard inhaled deeply and straightened to his full height. "If Lupin wants his brew for dessert, I need to tend to it now. We wouldn't want him anxious, lest we find him gnawing on Mrs. Norris."

She snorted softly and folded her arms to her chest, recognizing that the wizard had once again donned his mask. "Remus can wait if there's anything else you need to discuss."

"No," he shook his head, "I've already said more than I ever intended."

"I realize that, yes," she smirked, patting his arm, "but I appreciate that you have."

Severus grunted uncomfortably and made his way toward the door. Pausing with his hand on the door knob, he glanced over his shoulder. "Thank you, Minerva."

The witch offered him a small smile and a nod. When the door closed behind him, however, she locked it with a flick of her fingers and then sank into her chair. Resting her elbows on the desk, she buried her face in her hands and finally allowed her tears to fall.

XxxxxxxxXxxxxxxxX

Hermione sighed as she peered out the darkened window of the library. The full moon was finally upon them, and she was certain that Remus was safely tucked away in his quarters as he transitioned. Though there had been a close call or two, they had managed to survive another month without drawing his suspicion. Of course, she had made sure to keep her distance from Snape's office and quarters since their last interlude, but they had accomplished a few meetings in the Room of Requirement to practice a number of the shielding and defensive charms about which she had been reading.

She was not sure if it was just an artifact of dealing with the hypersensitivity of a werewolf again, but she had noticed that Severus had been tenser around her than she had become used to. It unnerved her somewhat, but she had tried not to dwell on it.

It was hard, though, especially when the rest of the castle seemed to be suffering a strange energy. Remus was fatigued as he usually was in the week of a full moon, but Professor McGonagall seemed nearly as weary. She had not been nearly as combative as she normally was with Snape at meals, and even with the rest of the staff she had seemed more subdued. And Dumbledore had been nowhere to be seen since she had returned almost a week ago.

The clearing of a throat brought the young witch back to her present surroundings, and she gave Madam Pince a weak smile as she began packing up her belongings. After tossing the strap of her bag over her shoulder, she mumbled a quiet 'good night' to the grumpy librarian and exited into the corridor.

She yawned as she climbed the staircase, which turned into an awkward squawk when a fast-moving shape collided with her, knocking her onto her bottom.

"Hermione, are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she responded, glancing up in surprise at her best friend. "Harry? What are you –"

"I'm sorry, but I can't stop! I need to find Snape!"