VII

Hermione felt as if she was floating and falling at the same time. It was as if her body would fluctuate its gravity field. One moment she was heavy and falling down, the next moment she was weightless and the slightest breeze would lift her up. All the while, there was an intense underlying rhythm. She was aware of other sounds, but they were dull in comparison to the drumbeat.

After struggling to open her eyes, all she could see was black. In the back of her mind, she was dimly bothered by that, but the objection was so faint it was easily drowned out by the quickening beat. The rest of her was languidly enjoying the ride, not concerned at all about where she was going or what was happening.

Soon the motions evened out into a gentle rocking; she found it very soothing and rather hypnotizing with the beat. It reminded her of the dance club Ron had dragged her to before everything went to hell, except this was making her feel sleepy rather than sexy. Combining a sigh with a yawn, Hermione settled herself into her dark surroundings and was gently rocked to sleep.

She woke up slowly, gradually letting her senses give their reports. Wherever she was, it was bright. She scrunched up her eyes a little bit, not quite ready to give up the cool darkness. Meanwhile, she let her other senses work, trying to figure out the puzzle of where she was.

Even though it was quiet, she could sense that at least one person was in the room with her. The slight tingles on the back of her neck made her think that someone was watching her. She tried to relax, keeping her breathing as steady as possible; there was no sense revealing she was awake until she knew whether she was in hostile territory or not.

Quickly reviewing all that had happened, she prepared for the worst because knowing her luck, Lucius Malfoy had found a way out of the locked room just in time to kidnap her after the incident in the Great Hall.

Steeling herself to find a blond man leering at her, she cautiously opened an eye. Although her vision was blurry, she could tell the person watching her was not Malfoy. The dark, messy hair made her smile in relief, and she let her eyes drift shut momentarily.

"You're awake, then?" a voice that was definitely not Harry's said.

Her eyes shot open, and she focused more clearly on the person by her bed. After a blink or two, the sleep had dissipated, leaving her vision clear enough to make out a somewhat familiar face.

"I... Nott?"

He smirked in amusement. "Denying it won't sell your case, I'm afraid."

Hermione huffed and sent him a mock glare, but the relief of finding herself in the hospital wing made her grin. Her grin faded as the confusion mounted.

"Why are you here?" she asked rather tactlessly. Realizing how blunt her question was, she continued, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be rude, it's just that... Well, er..."

He grinned as she stumbled over her apology, shaking his head at her embarrassment.

"Don't worry. I know what you mean." She could hear laughter in his voice, although she couldn't decide if the laughter was at the situation or at her. "We decided that you needed to be watched to make sure you didn't do anything else to potentially get yourself killed."

"We?" she asked, frowning.

"Yeah, we. Professor Snape, Madam Pomfrey, Potter, Weasley and myself, though Madam Pomfrey was the instigator. We were all pretty worried about you last night."

Hermione continued frowning, not sure whether she should voice her confusion as it would be fairly tactless to question his reasons for being concerned. Fortunately, he continued without her needing to comment.

"Professor Snape had to prepare for classes, so I filled in for him. I wanted to see how you were anyway, so..." He trailed off, slightly bashful, and then cleared his throat. "And since I didn't want to brave the lion den to fetch Potter or Weasley, here I am."

She nodded, still not feeling any sort of illumination. The questions she had in her mind must have shown on her face, for he chuckled again. She found that it was a rather pleasant sound, although nowhere near as deep as Severus'.

"Next time you decide to show off your stupendous powers, try stopping short of using all your energy," he said with another grin.

She looked at Nott closely. "Why... I still don't understand why you care. I don't mean to be rude, but you've never given me any notice before."

His grin shifted into a bemused expression. "That isn't... Didn't the Professor tell you about...?"

"Tell me what?"

Nott suddenly looked a little sheepish, which only piqued Hermione's curiosity. She felt a grin forming, but tried to suppress it for the sake of politeness.

"Er, well," Nott said, rubbing his neck self consciously, "he got the wrong impression a couple of months ago. See, you were... I was... Merlin, I'm not sure what to tell you. If I state it plainly, it'll give you the wrong impression, and..." He stopped to sigh before running his fingers through his hair nervously. She decided to take pity on him.

"I promise to let you explain if you need to."

Nott nodded and relaxed back in his chair, though he was rubbing his neck nervously again.

"Professor Snape thought I was stalking you. Well, to be honest, I was kind of stalking you," he said, rushing on when her eyes grew large, "but it was just to get a word alone with you. I never intended any harm."

She was tempted, despite her promise, to call for Poppy, but when she looked at him, she could tell he was sincere. She also figured that Severus probably wouldn't have left her alone with Nott if he had believed Nott to be a threat. Probably.

She offered a tiny smile and nodded for him to continue.

He smiled in relief and sank into his chair a little more. "See, back in late January, I found out about the idea for the marriage law."

"Wait a moment," Hermione interrupted while he was drawing breath. "You knew about the plan since January? Why didn't you tell anyone?"

"I, well, I didn't think it was serious, or at least I didn't think it was a serious threat. Mr. Malfoy came up with the idea, and well, I thought it was just one of his sick jokes. And I assumed that even if he planned to go through with it, he wouldn't be able to afford the support necessary." He shrugged apologetically. "By the time I found out it was serious, it had already gone to committee, so I figured Dumbledore would know about it."

Hermione nodded, taking in this new perspective. So Lucius hadn't just been winding her up. She shivered involuntarily, now unsure which part of Lucius' speech had been truth and which had been manipulation.

Nott noticed her shiver and misinterpreted it. "I'm sorry. I should have known better than to bring this up. I would leave, but I think Madam Pomfrey would skin me alive if I left you alone without her permission, and she's gone off to--"

Hermione raised her hand and waved him quiet. "Don't be silly," she said, smiling gently. "I would be more upset not to know the story behind your 'stalking' me."

He blushed a bit, but bravely swallowed and carried on; his words were a bit rushed, as if he was still very nervous.

"See, my mum invites Mr. Malfoy over for tea every bloody--oh, sorry, excuse my language--every Sunday. They've been doing so since before I was born, and a little thing like Mr. Malfoy being a convicted psychopath wasn't going to stop her from continuing with tradition.

"Anyway, back in January, just after Mrs. Malfoy died, they had their usual meeting, and Mum wrote me afterwards with a bit of information. She told me Mr. Malfoy was planning a bit of fun with Mudbloods." He stopped here with a grimace, realizing what he'd just said and to whom. Hermione waved the comment aside, motioning him to continue.

"Er, anyway, she told me all about the rudimentary plans for the marriage law, probably expecting me to be amused. My father would have been." His tone was that of distaste, and Hermione remembered that this shy boy was the son of a Death Eater. It was difficult to reconcile the two ideas. "Needless to say, I was not amused."

"Anyway, by the time it was in motion, I had guessed that Mr. Malfoy was trying to revenge himself on Potter, yourself and a few others." Nott stopped, rubbed his neck and started blushing again. Hermione pretended not to notice his embarrassment, though she did wonder at it.

"Well, I figured that Potter, if he was able to defeat the Dark Lord, he'd manage to take care of himself and Weasley. Draco didn't have anything to worry about, and Professor Snape is far, far scarier than Mr. Malfoy could ever hope to be," Nott said, the last part holding a hint of pride.

"And that left you."

Hermione didn't know whether to be amused, offended, or confused. Did he have a secret crush on her that she'd failed to notice? Did he really think she wasn't capable of taking care of herself? And why did he care in the first place?

He smiled sheepishly. "I've been watching you for a while. First because you were Potter's friend, then because you were top of the class, and then because you were..." He sighed with the same look on his face that Harry had worn around her for the last few months. "You went from being a force to be reckoned with to a shell. It was... disconcerting.

"I didn't care so much as... as I was intrigued. To be honest, I was a little disappointed to find you were so weak. When my father died, my mum remained her usual self. To think that the person I'd been competing with was broken so easily made me question my standards. And, really, it made me think about you even more.

"Then Mr. Malfoy came up with that plan, and I realized you were... Well, maybe not helpless, but you were the one who would be the easiest prey." Nott stopped again, frowning. He suddenly looked up at her, his face earnest and grave. "I might have been disappointed in you, but at some point it occurred to me that you weren't really broken, that you'd just withdrawn a bit. And I knew that if Mr. Malfoy decided to go after you, he... you..."

Hermione shivered again, though Nott didn't seem to notice.

"I knew all I had to do was warn you, and you would figure something out."

Hermione almost snorted, remembering how useless she had been, but refrained as Nott continued. "I started looking for an opportunity to talk with you alone. But, well, you were never alone. Potter and Weasley were always close by. So, I started following you."

Some dim memory flared in the back of Hermione's mind. "That night in the corridor when Snape, er, Severus accused us of an indecent rendezvous... You weren't there by happenstance?"

Nott smiled faintly and shook his head. "No. That was my first attempt to talk with you. I'd been watching for an opportunity all week--then Professor Snape showed up.

"It's funny," he said after a slight pause. "I thought it was strange how Professor Snape was acting that night. At the time I would have sworn he was trying to get a rise out of you, but now I wonder." Nott smiled thoughtfully to himself before looking back at Hermione. "I tried a few other times, but Professor Snape always seemed to arrive just in time to interrupt. It was getting so frustrating that I tried the open approach."

Hermione blushed slightly. "Oh, I remember that. I'm sorry I was so rude."

Nott dipped his head in acceptance. "It was a lot less than I was expecting, really. I was actually rather surprised you refrained from hexing me. Of course Draco does exaggerate, especially where certain Gryffindors are concerned."

Hermione blushed a little more. Nott seemed to notice her discomfiture and hurried on, a little uncomfortable himself.

"Anyway, after one or two more attempts, Professor Snape became fed up and asked what I was doing. I told him." For some reason, Nott started blushing profusely.

Hermione guessed Snape had been rather harsh on him, and he was reliving the experience. She nodded encouragingly.

Nott swallowed a couple of times. "I told him about Mr. Malfoy's plans and the impending law, and... and told him my observations about you."

Hermione was starting to worry about Nott, as he seemed to be getting redder by the moment and was refusing to meet her eye. "I told him I was prepared to offer my hand, if necessary."

Ah.

"You were prepared to save me from Malfoy yourself?" Hermione immediately asked, disbelief coloring her voice.

Nott nodded silently.

"Why?" The question was out of Hermione's mouth before her sense of etiquette caught up.

Nott squirmed a bit in his seat, as if wishing he were anywhere but there.

"I, er, I..." he began, but stopped and sighed heavily.

"I'm sorry, Theodore. That was a tactless question. Forget I asked that."

Nott shook his head slowly, though he still looked very uncomfortable. "You do tend to ask the pertinent questions," he admitted, giving her an admiring look.

Hermione was floored for a moment. He was attracted to her intelligence? Ironically, she didn't think before blurting, "I doubt Professor Snape would agree."

Nott looked at her strangely, and it was her turn to blush. He shrugged. "I don't dare conjecture about Professor Snape's thoughts," he said, but continued observing her closely.

"I, er, that is..." Hermione stuttered, but stopped when Nott waved the subject aside.

"Don't worry. I won't infer anything. After all, you are one witch I do not want to annoy!" he joked.

Hermione bit her lip to keep from saying anything further; she'd said more than enough already. When he winked playfully at her, however, she couldn't help smiling a little bit. They both chuckled a little, remembering the previous evening's display, and their laughter petered out, leaving a companionable silence neither chose to interrupt.

After awhile, Nott said, "I'm not really sure why."

Hermione was a bit surprised he was returning to the previous topic.

"I suppose I, well..." He sighed again, but he continued before Hermione could cut him off with a change of subject. "You set the bar. I've been competing against you for nearly seven years now, and well, somewhere in there I started wondering who you were, who you are, behind the grades. I was curious."

"Marriage seems an awfully drastic way of finding out what a person's like, don't you think?" Hermione teased, wanting to lift the tension again.

He laughed but was rubbing his neck again. "I suppose so, but better than finding out at the funeral," he said with a wry grin.

She smiled grimly, conceding his point. "So, why didn't you, er, offer?" she asked after a moment.

"Oh. Professor Snape objected. He, er, he explained the flaws in my plan to me. He seemed to think Mr. Malfoy might not take it kindly if I interfered with his plan."

Hermione stared at Nott, mind whirling. Theodore would have been an option had Severus not interfered. That didn't mean she would have chosen him, necessarily, but another option would have been nice.

Oblivious to her roiling emotions, Nott suddenly grinned and added, "He promised that he'd find someone suitable to save you."

Hermione could have growled.

Nott finally sensed her mood change and asked, "Is everything okay?"

"No," she replied angrily, calming herself when she saw Nott retreat skittishly. "I'm sorry. I'm not upset with you. I'm just angry because... I'm not angry at you," she finished lamely.

Understandably, Nott looked confused. "Am I missing something?"

"Yes, but please don't ask. It's... I'm not comfortable discussing it."

Nott nodded acceptance but looked uncomfortable as Hermione tried to rein in her anger.

How dare he manipulate my life like that! Hermione thought. Snape playing with her the previous week had been bad enough, but warning others away from her was too much. An awful thought crossed her mind.

"Did you get invited to the meeting last Tuesday?" Hermione asked, startling Nott. He nodded, offering her a half smile.

"Yeah. I was happy to hear Professor Snape took my request seriously, but was sorry I had given Dumbledore my excuses when Blaise came back from the meeting telling us what a spitfire you were, confronting Professor Snape as you had. He was impressed. He'd never thought you were worth a second look before."

Hermione snorted. "Well, I imagine his orientation had something to do with that."

Nott looked at her quizzically. "What do you mean?"

"Blaise is gay... isn't he?"

Nott shook his head slowly, bemused. "Not to my knowledge."

Hermione furrowed her brows, concentrating on remembering her interview with Blaise. She'd received the distinct impression that he had been there only on Dumbledore's request. She distinctly remembered him implying he wasn't interested in girls.

Hermione exhaled forcefully, as if someone had punched her. "That bastard!" she muttered under her breath, a smidgen louder than she intended. Nott's eyebrows shot up, and he regarded her curiously.

"Why did you think he was gay?" he asked with amusement.

"Because he gave a damn good impression of it at the interview! He made sure I knew he was there only because he needed to be in Dumbledore's good graces!"

Nott's bemused expression intensified. "I wonder why he did that."

"Oh, I have no doubts as to why!"

Nott was starting to look alarmed. Hermione tried to calm herself down but thoughts of Severus going from candidate to candidate trying to scare them off kept hacking away at her efforts.

"Blaise can be a bit of a prankster. He loves giving people the wrong impression of himself. He thinks it's great fun to keep everyone guessing. Maybe he got called away before he could come clean?" Nott queried nervously.

"Oh, I expect Blaise wasn't about to recant the impression he gave. What did he tell you about the interview?"

"Er, that you weren't interested."

Hermione harrumphed angrily, but was startled when Nott started pleading.

"I know Blaise can be a bit of an... a pain, but I wouldn't take it personally. If he had a good reason, then..." A look crossed Nott's face as he put the pieces together. "Oh."

"Indeed," Hermione spat, anger lacing the word.

Nott looked like he was about to say something, but at that moment the curtain was pushed back to reveal Harry and Ginny. Nott shut his mouth with a snap and got up, looking warily at Harry before turning back to Hermione.

"I expect there's a misunderstanding in there somewhere, Hermione," he said, adding, "I may call you Hermione, mightn't I?"

The request was just absurd enough that Hermione's mood cracked a little, softening her features. "Of course you may. It is my name after all."

Nott smiled, gave her a short little bow, before turning to Harry and Ginny, giving them each a respectful nod. "Po--Harry, Ginny," he said, much to Hermione's surprise. She was just as surprised to see Harry giving Nott a smile back. Ginny was smiling as well, though it seemed to be somewhat melancholy.

The three of them watched in silence as Nott left. Harry sat down in the chair while Ginny motioned for Hermione to scoot her legs to one side of the cot.

"So," Ginny said casually, "you seemed a little upset at dinner last night. Was something bothering you?" Hermione snorted. "So?" Ginny pressed when Hermione hesitated. "What was all that about anyway?"

"Er, well, I had just found out that the marriage law was repealed, and I guess I didn't take the news very well," Hermione hedged. Ginny gave her a look, and she relented, telling them what lead to her storming the Great Hall. By the time she finished, Ginny was laughing, and even Harry, who had been looking oddly pale and tense, was smiling.

"Madam Pomfrey said something about a paradoxical reaction to the sleeping draught, but maybe she had something up her sleeve the whole time," Ginny joked. "She could have given you the wrong potion, I suppose. Maybe an anti-inhibitor or something?"

Hermione laughed and shrugged. "I doubt it. She examined the bottle before giving it to me, and I doubt she'd pretend to make up and be friends just to lower my defenses."

Ginny and Harry chuckled. "No, I doubt that's the case," Ginny said. "She was furious when you were brought in last night. Shocked and furious."

"She refused to leave you alone in case you woke up and decided to leave again," Harry said, smiling. "Ginny and I took the first two watches until Snape was free. And I guess Nott took over for him at some point."

Hermione nodded as she paused. "What's the deal with you and Nott anyway? You seem to be on good terms very suddenly."

Harry and Ginny looked at one another first before looking back at Hermione. "Well, he did put a bit of effort into catching you last night," Ginny explained. "It's difficult to be rude to someone who's just saved your best friend from a nasty head trauma."

"He caught me?"

"Yeah," Ginny said, nodding. "He even started to carry you up here before Snape came and claimed you."

"Claimed me?" Hermione asked, not sure whether she should be amused or offended. It seemed that was her reaction to most things where Severus was concerned.

Ginny rolled her eyes and scowled. "You know what I mean. He probably decided that as your husband it would be more appropriate if he carried you here, rather than some random teenager, especially the way all the boys were acting on Monday."

Hermione raised her hands in submission and nodded. "I know what you mean; it's just the way you said it made it sound like I was a lost article of clothing or something equally insignificant."

Ginny snorted. "You might have been lost, but judging by the way Snape reacted, you are anything but insignificant to him," Ginny said.

"Oh?" Hermione had a difficult time imagining Severus reacting in any way other than calmly in public--when she wasn't around. "How did he react?"

"Well," Ginny explained, "when he first figured out you were missing, he was pretty much the same as usual, though he did seem a little more... tense, I guess you'd say, but it seems redundant to describe him as more tense." Hermione's lips quirked up. "But when Nott came up and told us that Lucius Malfoy had been seen wandering around the dungeons the night before, I swear Snape started panicking."

Harry snorted. "If you can call raising both eyebrows and taking a breath 'panicking.'"

Ginny crossed her arms and turned to him. "How about the way he practically raced to the Headmaster's office?"

"I was keeping up with him just fine and was only barely out of breath at the top of the stairs."

"Hmph!" Ginny said, scowling quite fiercely at Harry. "Well, he certainly seemed concerned to me, and judging by Dumbledore's reaction, he thought Snape was concerned as well."

"And I think that had as much to do with Hermione being missing at the same time as Malfoy!" Harry said mulishly. "After all, we were concerned, and that had nothing to do with Snape 'panicking.'"

As Hermione watched the little spat, a knot formed in her stomach. It was strangely similar to watching her parents argue; she irrationally felt as though she was the cause, but she pushed those feeling to the side, knowing she was being silly. Instead, she wondered what had caused so much tension in such a short amount of time.

Ginny looked as if she was about to make a biting comment, so Hermione decided it was time to interrupt.

"So, you guys were looking for me?"

Both Ginny and Harry's heads snapped toward Hermione, the argument temporarily forgotten.

"Of course we were looking for you!" Harry exclaimed. He leaned forward earnestly. "When you didn't show up at breakfast, we were both worried, especially after the fight between you and Snape the night before. We were worried--"

"You were worried," Ginny interrupted bitterly.

Harry shot her a look, then continued, "Fine, I was worried Snape had done something to you."

"Whereas I was certain that Snape wouldn't dare do anything to you, and seeing as he looked perfectly healthy, I figured he hadn't even tried," Ginny retorted.

Hermione couldn't help the slightly amused expression from emerging, though it faded quickly as her friends started glaring at each other.

"What is going on with you two?" Hermione finally asked. "Why are you arguing about Snape of all people? It's not like either of you is married to him."

Her attempt to lighten the atmosphere backfired as Harry's glare hardened, and he stood up.

"I need to get my books. I'll be back a little later." Then he left. Hermione watched as Ginny followed her husband's progress through the room, a shadowy mask slipping in place. When Harry had exited the infirmary, she gave a sorrowful sigh and turned back to Hermione with a wry smile.

"Sorry about that. I..." Ginny tailed off as she searched for words, but none seemed to come; she shrugged and moved over to the chair. After a minute she let out a sigh and said, "We were really worried about you, and, well, we've been under a lot of stress. I think you going missing was the last straw for Harry."

"What do you mean 'the last straw'?"

"I mean that..." Suddenly Ginny's face crumpled, and she looked away from Hermione, her hand covering her quivering mouth.

Hermione sat up and reached out to her friend, patting Ginny's knee. She stayed that way until Ginny had sniffled a few times and looked over at her with a watery smile.

"I'm sorry, Hermione! Here you are in the hospital after dealing with who knows what, and I'm bawling my eyes out all over you." She sniffled. "Great friend I'm being."

Hermione chuckled and leaned back against the pillows. "Don't worry about that. I've recently become an expert on crying all over friends. Do you want to talk about it?"

Ginny shook her head as she rummaged in her pockets for a handkerchief. "It's silly. I don't know what's happening to me."

"Well, has there been any undue stress in your life recently?" Hermione asked lightly. "Or have there been any traumatic events or turmoil affecting you?"

Ginny giggled slightly, though she still looked on the verge of tears.

"Does it have anything to do with Harry?" Hermione probed gently.

Ginny nodded mutely, wiping her eyes.

"He lost it when we found out you were missing. I've seen him upset before, but this was..." Ginny sighed and shook her head. "I know it's silly to think that I alone am Harry's world, but I thought I might be able to help him at least a little."

"Did you pat him on the back, tell him to buck up and then leave to do something else?"

Ginny looked more offended than amused. "Of course not! I was by his side the entire time offering my support." Ginny stopped, realizing Hermione had been teasing her. She smiled briefly, but a bitter, melancholy look took over. "But it wasn't me he wanted."

"What do you mean? I think Harry would die without you."

"I'm not so sure. He seemed... He looked like his world had imploded. I..." She paused for a second, as if changing her mind.

"He's mad at Snape because he was convinced Snape did something to you. I tried to reason with him, but at my first word of defense for Snape, he rounded on me saying I was betraying you! Can you imagine? I swear he's more stubborn than a sphinx where your husband is concerned."

Hermione smiled. "Welcome to my world. I've been trying to convince Harry that Snape isn't evil personified for six years now. But I thought Harry had mellowed where Severus was concerned. After all, if it wasn't for Harry, I wouldn't have even considered him."

"Friday happened. When Snape attacked you in Potions, I guess it made him wary, and then the way Snape treated you at dinner on Monday... I guess it restarted all his old grudges."

"Well, we'll just have to reprogram him, now won't we?" Hermione said after a moment, offering Ginny a thoughtful smile. She knew this wasn't Ginny's real problem, but she wasn't going to push her friend.

"Who, Harry or Snape?" Ginny asked, a glint of humor back in her eye. Hermione laughed, soon joined by Ginny.

"What's so funny?" Harry asked, peeking around the curtain. He still had an air of tenseness about him, but he didn't seem as angry anymore.

"Oh, we were just agreeing that that our husbands can be insufferable arses," Hermione said boldly, though trying to remain good-natured. She didn't realize she was holding her breath until Harry smiled his rueful grin at the both of them.

"Well, at least Snape's in the doghouse, too," he muttered. As soon as he said it, he closed his eyes and tensed up, waiting for the explosion.

Hermione and Ginny watched Harry's reaction for a moment before they caught each other's eye and started laughing. They laughed even harder when Harry looked at them as if they were crazy. Soon he had relaxed enough to grin sheepishly. Hermione was relieved to see him stand behind Ginny, resting his hands on her shoulders in silent apology. She was even more relieved to see Ginny reaching up and patting his hand forgivingly. They looked the part of devoted couple once again. All was right in the world.

Smiling to herself, Hermione was shaken out of her musings when she thought she heard the infirmary door close. Looking over, she couldn't see anyone. She turned to ask Harry and Ginny if anyone else was in the ward, but she was distracted when Harry asked, "So where were you anyway? You didn't show up anywhere on the map."

Taking a deep breath, Hermione told her friends about the locked room and how Lucius joined her. She went through the events methodically, telling them how Lucius had explained his motivation for creating the law, why he wanted revenge on Severus and finally why he had chosen her. She also told them how Lucius had placed her in a Full Body Bind, though she carefully omitted the nature of Lucius' attack. As she talked, she realized that Lucius' actions only made sense if Severus actually cared for her. The attack was probably aimed as much at Severus' supposed affair with Narcissa as it was for her cursing Draco.

"And then he must have released me because I suddenly was able to roll away and escape. I still don't know how I got out of that room, though."

Both Harry and Ginny stared at her for a long moment as if expecting her to go on, but Hermione's throat was getting sore from all the talking.

"So it was all Snape's fault?" Harry said with a grin that was balanced between friendly and spiteful.

"Harry!" Ginny cried, twisting around to glare at her husband.

Hermione laughed and rolled her eyes. "You could say that, but it's a really simplistic way of looking at it"

"I was just teasing, you know," Harry said, as much to Ginny as to Hermione. Hermione smiled and nodded while Ginny continued to watch her husband suspiciously.

Hermione was about to reassure Ginny when, suddenly, the bell rang. Ginny looked at her watch, startled.

"Oh, no! I'm late for Transfiguration! I have to go." She stood up, and Harry handed her 'his' book bag with a grin. She gave Harry a quick peck and leaned over to give Hermione a hug. "I'm so glad you're okay!" Hermione didn't even get the chance to smile back at Ginny before she was gone, running toward the door without looking back.

Hermione and Harry looked at each other and smiled. "There's a quiz today," Harry said apologetically.

"You forget who you're talking to, Harry," Hermione teased. "If I had realized the time, I would have been pushing you out the door myself. Speaking of which, don't you have a class to go to?"

"And leave you unguarded? Madam Pomfrey left strict instructions that you were not to be left alone. I may have faced Voldemort a few times, but I'm not stupid, Hermione." Seeing Hermione bite her lip in concern, Harry added more seriously, "Besides which, Snape excused me from this morning's class. I think even he's afraid of Pomfrey."

Hermione relaxed knowing Harry wasn't skipping class. "Well, she can be rather, er, forceful," Hermione said, grinning.

Harry didn't grin back, though. He was looking strained and pale again and was staring at her intensely.

"What happened, Hermione? You told us about Lucius, but that was two nights ago. Where were you yesterday?"

Hermione's grin faded into more of a grimace.

"I don't know how I got out of that room, but I found myself in a crude corridor of sorts. It was really dimly lit, but I could see enough to know it continued. I followed it a ways, but I was, er, so intent on keeping my head clear of the rocks, I, er, sort of didn't see the gaping hole at my feet."

Harry looked at her dumbfounded. "And you just fell? Why didn't you cast a Net Spell or something?"

"Lucius had taken my wand, remember?" Hermione shrugged. "I tried slowing my fall manually, but only got badly scratched in the process. I must have hit the bottom pretty hard because I have no idea how long I was lying there. When I woke up, I was in this big cavern, and I was a little on the sore side."

"Madam Pomfrey said you were in really bad shape when you first showed up last night, but she didn't tell us you'd fallen."

"I hadn't told her. I'm not sure she asked," Hermione said before she remembered her answer to the question Poppy had indeed asked. But that reminded her of someone else. "How is Dobby, doing?"

Harry's face darkened. "We don't know yet. Pomfrey expects him to wake up anytime now, but until he does, she won't know how badly drained he was. Did he really Apparate you here?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes. I owe him my life, Harry."

She was startled to see Harry tearing up, though he was trying to keep his upper lip stiff.

"What's wrong, Harry?" she asked with concern.

"I thought I'd lost you yesterday. When Nott told us Malfoy was around--" Harry stopped talking on a choke. Hermione hadn't seen him so emotional since Sirius had died, and even then, he'd been more withdrawn than weepy. It was startling.

"I thought you'd been taken from me as well. I..." He had to stop again, and Hermione reached forward to grab his hand.

"Harry, when I woke up in that cavern, I really wanted to die, but when I thought of you... I forced myself to keep going because I didn't want to cause you any more pain!" Hermione sniffed, trying to hold back tears of her own. "You've lost so much, so many friends and family, I didn't want to add one more to the list."

Harry tried to smile as he hastily wiped his eyes. He sniffled a few times as he offered her a feeble yet very warm smile.

Clearing his throat, he grabbed her other hand and said, "You know I love Ginny and the Weasleys, but you're my family, too."

Hermione nearly lost control of her tears at that point, but somehow she managed to smile up at Harry and gave his hands a squeeze. "Well," she croaked, "now you know that I'll do anything for you, little brother."

His smile lit up the room. "And I hope you know I'd do anything for you, sis." They each laughed wetly as they sniffled.

Their little emotional encounter was cut short, though, when a tall, black shadow made his way into the curtained area.

Snape looked at the two of them coldly. "Dear me. Am I interrupting?"

Hermione was rather impressed at how quickly Harry's demeanor went from soppy to threatening. She sometimes forgot how powerful Harry could be, and she guessed Severus did as well, for he raised his eyebrow rather quickly, though otherwise remained unmoved. Harry's hands twitched in hers, but she gave him a warning squeeze, letting him know he better behave.

"Of course not, Severus," Hermione said, mustering a smile. She had forgotten how angry she was at him until she saw him standing there. It didn't help that a few extra charges had been added against him since they'd last met. Even if he had scared away the competition because he cared for her, she felt he could have gone about everything in a much more mature way. He was supposed to be the adult after all. "I'm glad you're here."

Still glaring at Snape, Harry said, "Shouldn't you be teaching?"

"Harry!" Hermione warned. Snape just sneered.

"Shouldn't you have manners, Potter? I should dock your House points for such impertinence, but for my wife's sake, I'll refrain. This time."

Harry's glare only intensified, which seemed to amuse Snape.

"Er, Severus, don't you have a class to tend?" Hermione asked in as mild a tone as possible.

"No. Dumbledore was kind enough to fill in so that I could come tend to you, my dear, as any good husband should."

Harry's hands tightened fractionally each time Severus made reference to their relationship, and Hermione was sure Severus was doing it to annoy him. That annoyed her.

"How kind of the Headmaster," Hermione said, forcing her voice to remain even. Severus tore his eyes away from Harry to glance at her. She wasn't sure, but it looked like an amused smirk was hiding underneath the sneer.

"I imagine he thought you would appreciate the gesture. I daresay he wants to be on your good side once more."

Yes, that was definitely a smirk. Much to Hermione's surprise, Harry joined in, thawing slightly. The two men shared a moment before Harry nodded suddenly.

"Well, now that you're here to keep watch, I guess I better go. I have some homework that needs finishing." Harry turned back to Hermione and smiled. "Rest up, sis."

Hermione smiled back. "Will do."

With that, Harry left, casting only a slightly mistrustful look at Snape as he passed. Snape, for his part, refrained from making his sneer any worse. Hermione was rather proud of the two.

Severus remained standing at the foot of the bed, his face sinking into a scowl. He was staring at her feet as if they were a portal to some mysterious, unattractive world. She decided to let him continue his thought process wherever it would lead and closed her eyes. She was feeling a bit drained.

She figured she must have drifted off because when he spoke she started. Opening her eyes, she found him still standing at the end of the bed, but he was now observing her.

"How are you feeling?"

Hermione was surprised by his question, even if it was asked emotionlessly. She forced herself to remember that he did care about her. "I'm feeling much better, thanks."

He nodded, but for some reason his face darkened at her answer. "Where did you go the night before last?"

Hermione sighed. She knew it was too much to expect an apology from him for his part of their fight, but she hadn't expected him to still be angry about it.

"I managed to lock myself in a room near the dungeon stairs."

"I see," he said, smirking. "And you were not able to extract yourself?"

She scowled at him. "I tried. The door was impervious to all spells. Even Reducto."

Snape smiled rather nastily. She wasn't sure whether he was smiling at her inability to get herself out of a seemingly simple situation or the situation itself. Either way, he was not exactly endearing himself to her.

"I see," he said smoothly. "If it was so impervious, how did you managed to get out?"

Hermione was not pleased at his mocking, and her anger was starting to build again. "I'm not sure."

"How can you not be sure? I would think it would have been obvious to you."

"It was dark, and I was a little distracted at the time."

"You weren't able to cast a simple Lumos in the midst of your distraction?"

"I didn't have my wand on me."

"You cast a Reducto without a wand? My, your wandless magic skills are increasing, aren't they? I'm impressed."

Hermione had forgotten that she hadn't explained Lucius' presence to him yet, so she tried to remain calm. It was difficult, though. "I had a wand to begin with. Malfoy had taken it by then," she explained. Snape raised an eyebrow, but didn't seem surprised.

"Lucius?"

She nodded, biting her lip. She didn't want to go through that encounter again.

"I see. And how did Lucius get into the room?"

"The same way I had. And before you ask, he closed the door before I was able to get there."

"Was it a very large room?"

"No, I had a broken foot." He raised his eyebrow again, but didn't ask, for which she was mildly grateful.

"Why didn't you--"

"Hex him? I've been asking myself that as well. I suppose I was just a dunderhead."

Snape's lips twitched, but he still seemed to be in a bad mood. "And the distraction?"

"Distra--? Oh. I was, er, avoiding Malfoy."

His face darkened again, though Hermione was fairly certain his anger was at Malfoy this time, not her. She suddenly became very tired. She knew he was going to ask her about the encounter, and she didn't want to tell him. At least not at that moment. She just wanted to go to sleep.

She was surprised, therefore, when Severus drew back with a determined look on his face. "It seems you are tired. I will leave you to rest."

He then turned on his heel and stalked out of the curtained area, leaving Hermione alone on the ward. For a moment she was confused at his odd choice of questions. Or rather, she was confused by the questions he didn't ask. She wondered what to make of it, but before she could think it through, she found herself getting very drowsy.

The last thought she had before drifting off into sleep was that Poppy was going to give Snape hell for disobeying orders.

---

Avery's Notes: And so begins the rest of Hermione and Snape's life. I'll warn you that things aren't going to go smoothly for our couple, but at least they're now on the road (though it's more of a badly cleared dirt path at this point).

Thanks go to Southern for her awesome betaing skills. And for making me giggle. I always appreciate a giggle. :-)

Southern's Notes: I'm happy to see that she's on the mend again and that Snape has finally shown up! She frustrates me, however, with the way she misconstrues every single thing someone says. Maybe another visit to the house-elves is in order? Teehee.