XII

Since both she and Poppy had been disinclined to try the Dreamless Sleep Draught again after Tuesday's disastrous try, Hermione spent the remainder of the night tossing restlessly as she drifted in and out of a troubled sleep. Her dreams alternated between her being cowed by someone – sometimes Severus, sometimes Lucius, once it was even Dumbledore – and her using her newfound powers to do evil, mainly by torturing Severus. It was the latter that kept waking her, making her breathless with despair and guilt.

The third time she woke up, shaking from the violence she'd unleashed, she decided sleep was a lost cause for that night. Lethargically, she made her way to the bathroom, thankful there was hot water in this section of the castle. That made her think of the horrible shower of Severus'.

I'm sure there's some charm out there that can fix the problem, she thought as she lathered her hair. I'm sure it's something the entire castle would suffer now and again, what with old pipes and such. I expect there's some maintenance charm that Severus hasn't bothered to keep up with, that's all. I'll just have to keep an eye on it once I'm back...

Her thoughts were diverted by the realization that she might not be going back. Severus had more or less kicked her out. She sighed and rinsed her hair, the joys of hot water forgotten as she pondered the state of her relationship.

She'd been surprised by how much Severus' rejection had hurt, and as she mulled it over, she was overcome with guilt. If she felt this way without even loving him, he must have endured a series of torture over the past week or two. She hadn't had an inkling of how cruel she'd been. In her defense, she hadn't known he cared at all until Friday at the earliest, but that was a week ago. She hadn't been fair. She hadn't given him a chance, and now it was possibly too late.

She hung her head in shame as she toweled off, wondering if their relationship was really over before it even began, and if so, how did she feel about that? In one respect, it would make her life much easier. Severus was a frustrating man to the extreme, and learning how to deal with him was a full-time job in and of itself. But... It had felt good taking care of him those few minutes she'd managed to, and the fact that he'd let her care for him at all had warmed her through and through. And then, in the hospital wing, he'd been so very sweet. If that was the man who was in love with her, how could she not regret the lost chance of knowing him?

Of course, there was also the fact that Severus had a lot to make up for. True, he hadn't known the extent of her fear of Lucius, and true, he had been under the influence of a powerful narcotic, but he had just declared Lucius to be his sworn enemy because of her and to side with him against her had felt like such a big betrayal.

She shook her head, laughing at herself ruefully. A betrayal it might have been, but it was too small to be resentful over.

Unlike his meddling. Her face tightened as she thought of his admission. The fact that he thought he'd had the right to run off his competition like that... She started to suppress her thoughts as she felt her temper flaring, but then remembered Dumbledore's advice and decided to just ride it out.

Casting a quick silencing charm, she let all the anger she felt, all the indignity, all the pain and turmoil surface, giving herself over to her rage. She stood there shaking, gritting her teeth until she couldn't hold back a howl of misery. She felt the air around her condense, but paid no mind to it as she let all her emotions wash over her.

How dare he? she screamed to herself. How could he take advantage of her ignorance like that? How could he demand her trust after abusing it so terribly? How could he ask for her love and forgiveness knowing he had willfully cornered her? How could he?

He was supposed to love her, damn it!

Somewhere in there, she'd started crying, but not for herself. She fell to the floor as the grief overwhelmed her. Her anger at Severus spent, she started castigating herself for her role in their farce.

She could see now how she'd hurt Severus by rejecting him over and over again, not only in her mind, but in every action she had taken, no matter what he said or what he did.

You aren't receptive to new ideas, Theodore had told her.

She had hurt Severus so badly that he didn't want to be in the same room with her.

You tend to think about love more than feeling it...

And the worst of it was, she had meant to hurt him.

She hadn't consciously wanted to harm him, but there was some part of her that was glad he was suffering, glad she could punish him for all his surliness, all his rudeness, all his misdirected anger. There was a part of her that was glad she had the power to tear his heart to pieces.

She suddenly felt sick with shame. Bending over to the toilet, she let her body purge the bile she'd created, hoping she was purging that vile part of herself as well.

Completely spent, she sat back down on the floor and leaned against the wall, wiping the sweat from her brow, her eyes open, but unseeing.

She didn't know what to do.

She wanted Severus to know she was sorry for all the pain she'd caused, but she didn't know if she could deal with another rebuff at that point. She didn't know how he would react, but judging from past interactions, it probably wouldn't be peaceable.

She started to drag her knees up to her chest, but stopped when she felt a pain in her heel. Looking down at her foot, she saw a bead of blood forming where some broken glass had punctured her heel. Confused, she looked up, drawing in a sharp breath at the scene before her.

The bathroom was destroyed.

Not only had the mirror shattered, but the tiles lining the walls also looked as if each had been smashed with a hammer. Even the stone walls were dented as if something had rammed into them.

It occurred to her that she had done all the damage. The force of her anger had demolished everything around her. Granted the damage all seemed to be from her waist level up, but she shuddered to think what would have happened if someone had been in the room with her... if Severus had been in the room with her.

A cold wave of dread engulfed her, and she realized just how much damage she could do. If she lost control of her emotions around him, she could kill him. She needed to figure out her feelings surrounding him, else she might unconsciously attack him. One unintended attack per couple is more than enough, she thought to herself, reminded of his uncontrolled Legilimency in Potions.

She wasn't sure what to do, but she decided that until she had thought everything out, avoiding Severus would be the wisest plan. If she didn't see him, she couldn't hurt him. Right?

Wearily, she took out Lucius' wand and repaired all the damage, wincing as the shard in her foot rejoined its brethren to reform the mirror. She flicked the wand at her foot, healing the cut quickly, and then got back into the shower to rinse herself off once more before making her way to breakfast.

By the time Hermione reached Vector's classroom, she was starting to get annoyed. At first it seemed that every student she met skittered away from her as if she were contagious, but after one first year Slytherin fainted when she smiled at him, she was wondering if they didn't view her more as something more dangerous like a rampaging dragon. Or a Succubus. Either way, it was irritating.

With a scowl in place, she sat down in her usual seat and got out her books, hoping that the day would improve.

A few minutes later, a bunch of giggling Ravenclaw girls came into the room. When Hermione looked up, the girls abruptly stopped laughing and paled, trying to evade Hermione's sight as they took seats three rows behind her.

Her mood darkening even further, Hermione looked back to the front just as Theodore entered the room. When he saw her, he paused a moment, his eyes widening before he approached her cautiously.

"Everything all right, Hermione?" he asked, and she could tell he was trying to suppress his nervousness.

She tried to curb her irritation and nodded reluctantly. Motioning to the girls behind her, she muttered, "Oh, everything is just peachy. It seems that I'm now competing with Snape for scariest person at Hogwarts."

Theodore relaxed somewhat and slid into the seat next to her, chuckling. "There isn't a competition. I'm pretty sure everyone is much more afraid of you."

Hermione turned to question him, but just then a surly Professor Vector entered the room. She strode up to the chalkboard without a word and waved a series of equations into existence.

"Pop quiz. Books away." Hermione deftly removed her quill from her bag as she dealt with her books. When she looked up, she found Professor Vector staring at her unpleasantly, though her eyes shifted as soon as Hermione met her gaze.

Troubled, Hermione bent over the blank parchment and tried to concentrate on the quiz, but it was difficult. Every now and again, she felt Vector's gaze on her, but whenever she looked up, Vector was pointedly looking elsewhere.

Fortunately, the quiz took the entire period. Hermione had finished answering and reviewing her figures a few minutes before the bell rang, but after a particularly venomous glance by Vector as she turned in her parchment, she decided it was best to keep her head down anyway. She used her hair to hide how affected she was by Vector's attitude and was very grateful when the bell rang.

She managed to be the first person out of the room and wanted to run down the corridors to escape the disappointment welling up inside her. Students were spilling out of classrooms blocking her progress, though, so Theodore, who had left class a few seconds behind her, caught up with her quickly.

"That was interesting," he said conversationally as he adjusted his pace to match hers. "Any idea why Professor Vector was looking daggers at you?"

Hermione stopped and looked up at Theodore, her face a mixture of relief and sad resignation. Arithmancy had been one of her favorite classes, and some of that had been due to Professor Vector's enthusiastic encouragement. She'd thought Vector had liked her, and it made the class even more fun feeling like she was participating as much as an equal than as a student. To know she wasn't imagining Vector's new behavior was both gratifying and disheartening. To her horror, she felt tears forming.

Concerned, Theodore pulled her aside out of the traffic flow and cast a discrete Do-Not-Notice Charm.

"What's wrong, Hermione?"

She shook her head and tried to smile. "It's nothing... And everything." At his look of impatience, she sighed and slid down the wall to sit on the floor. After a quick glance around, Nott joined her, though making sure to keep a discrete distance between them.

"On Monday... Everyone was... The rumors were going strong, no thanks to me, but I'd also had a bit of an unpleasant encounter with Poppy the previous night, and then I noticed Professor Vector glaring at me over breakfast. I thought they were jealous of me."

Nott raised his eyebrows in amused disbelief.

"Yes, I'll admit that believing Poppy to be jealous was a bit far fetched, and we've since cleared everything up." She paused and looked down at her hands, trying to find the right words. "I thought, or hoped, that because I'd misinterpreted the situation between Poppy and Severus, that I had just imagined Professor Vector's glares. When I was collecting homework yesterday, she was rather unpleasant, but I thought she was just annoyed that I'm pushing myself too hard, like all the other professors."

She looked up to see if Nott understood where she was going and saw sympathetic eyes.

"You'll never succeed at gaining everyone's friendship, you know."

Hermione laughed bitterly. "That's been obvious for quite some time, thanks."

He blushed and frowned, looking upset with himself; Hermione took pity on him and continued.

"The thing is, Professor Vector... Well, you've been in class for the last year or two. Surely you've noticed that she seemed to like me."

Nott nodded, grinning a little despite himself. "Erm, I think it's safe to say you, er... She certainly thought highly of you."

"You mean I was the teacher's pet," Hermione huffed.

Nott chuckled and shrugged. "It's something the rest of us have simply had to accept. I think that's one of the reasons everyone was so surprised by Professor Snape marrying you because he seemed to be the only teacher who didn't favor you."

Hermione laughed, this time more lightheartedly.

"Well, it was as much a surprise to me as to everyone else, I can assure you."

He shrugged again, deflecting her defensiveness.

"Jealous?" he asked.

"I can't really think of another explanation, seeing as I'm the only one she glares at," Hermione replied, not sure whether he was asking if she or Vector was jealous.

Nott's lips twitched but he nodded. "Do you think they had a history?"

Hermione leaned her head back against the wall. "I've been wondering that, but haven't had the nerve to ask Severus." She shook head. "Strike that, I haven't had the opportunity to ask Severus."

"A lack of opportunity? I'm shocked. You've been married for, what, four days now? And you've had at least twenty hours together in those four days. I expect one or two of them were even conscious."

She tilted her head over to smile at him. "So, do you think my theory has merit?"

Nott smiled mischievously. "Well, Vector is certainly more plausible than Pomfrey. After all, she is quite attractive and intelligent, two things Professor Snape obviously appreciates. And she's far younger than Poppy is."

Hermione didn't know whether to scowl or smile, but she blushed all the same. She ended up throwing him a mock scowl.

"You're quite the comfort to an insecure wife, you know."

He smiled sardonically. "Didn't you know I'm just an overgrown teddy bear?"

She laughed. "Well then, Teddy, I'm glad you weren't the bear I had as a child. I'm certain I'd have bite marks."

"I'd have only nibbled now and then," he teasingly replied but then frowned, looking flustered again. "I didn't mean that... er, I didn't know... erm, why are you insecure?"

Hermione watched him as he worked himself into an embarrassed frenzy, wondering why he was nervous so suddenly. Did he think she was going to bite his head off for a little curiosity? Granted, it wasn't something she was going to explain to him at that time or possibly ever. She didn't think Severus would appreciate that.

She shrugged in answer, noticing Nott took it for the cue it was intended as, though he still looked a bit confused.

"I suppose we should find our way to our next classes," he said reluctantly.

Hermione nodded, feeling a momentary surge of panic before remembering she had this period off.

"Yes, you'd best be on your way. I imagine you've missed the first ten minutes by now."

He chuckled as he stood up. "Maybe, but Trelawney will have foreseen my delay, so I don't think there'll be a problem."

Hermione coughed in an effort to suppress her laugh, but Theodore's twinkling eyes caught her off guard, and she let out an undignified snort. He smirked.

"Now that I've made The Great, The Frightening, The All Powerful Hermione Granger snort, I believe my work here is done." He bowed theatrically to her and extended his hand to help her up.

Laughing, she accepted the hand and bowed back.

"I am all gratitude for The Ever Comforting Teddy's time."

He shot her a luminous smile and then turned, but not before saying, "Next time I'll teach you proper manners. A witch doesn't bow, she curtseys."

Hermione shot a playful burst of air in his direction, mussing up his hair as he retreated down the hall. Feeling better than she had in days, she then headed for the library.

When lunch arrived, Hermione was once again reminded of her new infamy. She was running late, so the Great Hall was already teeming with students when she came in.

She felt like her robes should be billowing elegantly behind her the way the students scuttled out of her way, the ones already sitting actually leaned toward their tables just to avoid the remote possibility of being in her way.

She now had a good idea why Severus' mood was so foul.

Scowling, she reached her seat across from Harry and Ginny and was gratified that at least Neville and Seamus didn't cringe from her presence. But then again, they were so busy discussing Quidditch that she suspected Voldemort himself would have been ignored.

"Good to see you, too," Ginny said, offering a matching scowl.

Hermione took a deep breath and relaxed.

"Actually, I am glad to see you both. It's nice to be around people who aren't afraid of me."

Harry grinned, even as he continued demolishing the food on his plate. It looked like he was going to say something, but Ginny elbowed him and gave his mouth a pointed look. Hermione just smiled at them.

"So what are your plans for the weekend?" she asked.

Both Harry and Ginny got secretive smiles, and their faces flushed just slightly, telling Hermione much more than she wanted to know.

"Ah, so lots of practice, then?"

Harry nearly choked, but Hermione suspected it wasn't the lack of air that which made his face so red.

Ginny tried scowling at Hermione, but her grin kept poking through. She did manage to keep a straight face as she said, "Yes. We've got a big match coming up and I want to make sure I know all the right moves." She offered Harry a halfhearted pat on the back when he started choking again.

"I do need the practice, though. Quidditch, that is," she continued more seriously. "I haven't had the chance to fly for almost a week now, what with one thing and another."

Hermione nodded as she started digging into her potatoes.

"Yes, I imagine you've had nearly as much on your plate as I've had."

Ginny smiled. "No, not quite as much, but I could place some of the blame on you, you know. What with keeping watch over you in the infirmary one day, then exploring uncharted territory the next, how do you expect me to stay on top of my busy schedule?"

Hermione's rebuttal was interrupted by a nondescript owl landing in front of her, bearing a note.

Distractedly offering the owl a bit of ham, which it gratefully accepted before flying off, she opened the note with her heart in her ears, recognizing the spiky scrawl.

Hermione,

Severus

Her heart sank at the terseness of the note even as she was amused at his talent for implying invectives. She looked over to the staff table to gauge his mood, which was when she noticed he wasn't there.

"Ginny, was Severus teaching today?" she asked as she turned back to her friends.

Ginny gave her an odd look while nodding. "Do we have you to thank for his good mood?" she asked, and Hermione couldn't quite decipher whether she was being facetious or not, so she shrugged.

"Before I say yes, what constitutes 'good'?"

Ginny's look became cannier. "He was very mellow. I don't think he yelled at one person, and he only took points off of Gryffindor because Colin was late."

Hermione didn't know what to think. Severus had never been described as mellow before, well, not without having ingesting a Calming Draught. Something had to be wrong. She rolled her eyes at herself. Yes, of course something was wrong!

"I'm to blame," she said as much to herself as to Ginny, sadness descending onto her shoulders.

It was true that she wanted to avoid him, but she reasoned it was for his own protection. She now suspected he was avoiding her as well and wondered if it was for the same reason: so she couldn't hurt him. The guilt descended again, striking at her heart.

She hoped he would forgive her in time, and she vowed to give him as much time as he wanted. She could be patient and would prove that to him.

Ginny continued giving Hermione a shrewd look, pursing her lips to speak until Harry interrupted with a quiet, "Leave it, Gin."

At Harry's words, Hermione snapped back to the present, eyes darting from one friend to the other. They looked a little tense, but nothing serious seemed to wrong.

"So, what's in the note," Harry asked mildly, turning away from Ginny.

Hermione smiled grimly and handed it over. Harry read it twice with brows contracted.

"Lucius?"

She nodded.

He handed the note back, still looking rather tense. "Well, I'm glad he's at least in custody, but it doesn't exactly look good with them giving him that leeway, does it?"

Hermione shook her head. "No, not really, but I expect Severus and I will be able to come up with enough testimony to send him off for a long while."

"What about Nott?" Ginny asked. At Hermione's confused look, she expanded. "He told us he'd heard of Malfoy's plans before even Dumbledore knew. Could prove it was planned and possibly even a conspiracy."

"Well, except that if we went for conspiracy, Nott's mum would be implicated," Hermione pointed out, but considered Ginny's idea nonetheless. "But, I expect that if we run into trouble, his testimony might be worthwhile." She looked over her shoulder and found Nott at the Slytherin table talking to Pansy and Draco. "I think I'll go ask him now."

Harry and Ginny distractedly said good-bye as she made her way over to the Slytherin table as confidently as possible.

She was fairly reassured when Teddy looked up and smiled as she neared. She was quite amused when Draco caught sight of her and blanched. She was pretty sure only Pansy's restraint kept him from bolting. As it was, several of the nearby students started and decided to cut their meals short when Nott greeted her.

"Hello, Hermione," Teddy said politely.

"Hi, Teddy. Draco, Pansy," she added to be courteous. Pansy gave her a shrewd look but acknowledged her greeting with a cool nod of her head. Draco tried to look nonchalant, though he had started to sweat.

"This seat taken?" she asked and then sat down next to Nott when he answered in the negative.

The rest of the Slytherin table had quieted at her approach and was now watching her nervously, as if she were a wolf among sheep. She smirked at that comparison which did nothing to ease the growing tension.

"I was wondering if you'd be willing to help me out, if it becomes necessary."

Teddy looked surprised, but nodded earnestly. "Of course I would! What do you need?"

"Lucius' trial has been pushed back to next Friday." She paused and stole a look at Draco, only now realizing the indelicacy of her timing. Draco was concentrating on his near empty plate, but she got the impression he was listening intently, so she decided to forge ahead.

"I'm guessing that his contacts at the Ministry are still strong enough to potentially let him off, and I was wondering, if Severus and my testimonies aren't enough, would you add yours?"

Nott had become pensive, and Hermione knew he was thinking about the repercussions that could affect his mother. "I'll understand if you don't want to, seeing as your mother might..."

"I'll testify."

The entire table shifted its focus from Hermione to Draco who was now looking at Hermione with a hard face.

"Draco," Hermione spluttered, completely taken by surprise. "I don't... I couldn't ask you to testify against you own fa..."

"He's not my father," Draco said, his jaw tightening. "Not anymore."

"But Draco..." Pansy started, stopping when he looked at her fiercely.

"He killed my mother, Pans. He killed my mother and got away with it. If I have to cooperate with Granger to get justice, I will."

Pansy nodded solemnly, and as one they looked back at Hermione, who sat there completely dumbfounded.

Snapping her mouth shut, she frowned at Draco. "I'm afraid the charges against him aren't very serious, only enough to get him a decade or two at Azkaban, if we're very lucky."

Draco's smile chilled her to the bone. "All I need is for him to spend one month in there. Justice will be met."

She nodded slowly, deciding she didn't want to know what he had in mind. "All right, then. It's probable that we won't need any testimony other than Severus' and mine, but if we do need yours..."

"You'll have it," Draco stated, standing and holding out his hand.

She stood as well and, with only a slight hesitation, shook hands with him.

"Thank you, Draco."

"It's not for you, Granger."

"I know, but I appreciate it all the same."

He nodded tersely and then looked down at Pansy, softening slightly. "Done, love?"

She looked between Draco, Hermione and Nott for a moment before taking her napkin and dabbing her mouth fastidiously. "Of course, dear." She accepted Draco's hand gracefully and walked away, ruining the elegant effect by looking back at Hermione with a suspicious sneer.

Hermione sat down and watched the scene with a mixture of amusement and envy. She couldn't think of anyone more well suited for each other than those two, and she could only wish that she and Severus would develop a similar level of comfort – without developing their obnoxious personalities.

She looked over at Nott who was watching her closely, a weird mixture of sad amusement on his face, making her wonder if he had read her mind.

"I would like to help as well, but..."

She waved aside his excuse. "I understand, Teddy. Really, I do. It would place your mother in a bit of a tight spot."

He nodded but still didn't look happy. She placed her hand on his, startling him. "It's okay."

He nodded again, but remained uncomfortable.

Hermione decided it would be best to leave.

"I'll see you later?" she asked as she stood to go. He smiled and nodded.

"Yeah."

She gave him a quick smile then strode off to the library to do a bit more work before her next class.

It was only after Madam Pince was starting to hustle the students out at closing time that Hermione realized she didn't have a place to sleep.

After quickly going through her options, she decided that asking Poppy for a room, or even just a bed, would be the best choice. Poppy already knew about the problem, so she would have the fewest questions. She hoped.

Unfortunately, Poppy had other ideas.

"I'm sorry, Hermione, but I don't think this is the best place for you," she'd said before turning back to tend to a couple of Hufflepuff boys who had obviously been in a fight, judging by the tentacles sprouting from one and the color of the other.

Disappointed, Hermione slipped away, decidedly nervous as she walked to Gryffindor Tower. She just hoped that Minerva wouldn't feel the same way or ask too many questions; she didn't feel up for an interview.

As she stood before Minerva's door, she thought about other options. She really didn't want to open her relationship up to such scrutiny and gossip, but she didn't want to hurt Severus any more than she had already. She couldn't bear the thought of having another incident like the night before, even if he did let her back in to his rooms.

Sighing, and feeling very small, she knocked on the door, hoping Minerva was alone. She silently begged for Minerva to be alone when the witch opened the door wearing her dressing robe.

"Professor, er, Minerva, I hope I didn't inter... er, wake you?"

Minerva snorted in amusement and waved her in. "Of course not, child. Would you like some tea?"

Hermione accepted with a quiet, "Yes, please," as she sat down on the sofa.

After a moment, Minerva handed her a cup of minty tea and asked, "So what brings you by?"

Hermione bit her lip as her stomach roiled uncomfortably. She concentrated on her cup of tea as she quietly said, "I was wondering if you might be able to find a room for me for tonight."

Minerva was silent for long enough that Hermione was forced to look up. The elder witch was regarding her with concern rather than disapprobation, but it was obvious an explanation would be required.

"Last night I had a nightmare featuring Severus as the villain. When he woke me up, I panicked and..." She paused, trying to keep the tears at bay. "I reacted so strongly that I had to tell him about the dream, which was actually a repeat, and... it hurt him. I hurt him so badly he sent me away."

She looked up at Minerva and tried not to break down. Taking a shuddering breath, she continued. "I spent the rest of the night in the infirmary. I noticed he wasn't at any meals today, and I have the feeling it's because he doesn't want to see me, which is understandable. I actually don't want to see him because I'm terrified of hurting him again."

"He's a grown man, Hermione. You're doing him a disservice."

Hermione then haltingly explained about her anger at Severus' machinations and the destroyed bathroom.

"I'm afraid of losing my temper again if I see him before thinking everything out. I don't doubt he'd offer more resistance than the bathroom did, but I don't want to risk it." She looked up at Minerva. "I couldn't stand to see him looking at me like he did last night. Please, Minerva?"

Minerva pursed her lips but nodded.

"There's a room down the corridor that I expect will do, but I hope you'll at least give Severus the courtesy of letting him know where you are. He's suffered enough on that account already."

Hermione nodded. "Of course."

"Very well, then. Let's set you up."

The room turned out to be a very pleasant sort of suite with a small sitting area leading to a cozy bedroom. It reminded Hermione of her grandmother's seaside cottage, sans clutter.

"I trust this will do for tonight?" Minerva said, interrupting Hermione's perusal.

"Oh, yes. This is wonderful. Thank you, Minerva!" she cried gratefully.

Minerva nodded crisply. "Well then, I'll leave you to it. Sleep well."

Hermione thanked Minerva again and saw her out. Looking about the room, she headed for the tiny desk in the corner, intent on writing Severus a note.

Half an hour and several drafts later, she stood by the fireplace, checking over the note once more before sending it on its way.

Dear Severus,

Hermione

Not really satisfied, but unable to think of another way to put it, Hermione spelled the note into an airplane and tossed it through the Floo. She watched as the flames died back down to glowing embers, hoping her note found Severus all right.

Eventually, she made her way to bed after organizing her Potions' notes in preparation for her first class with Dumbledore.

She still hadn't decided whether to accept his offer or not, but after her outburst in the bathroom, she was thinking that learning how to control herself would be a valuable tool, possibly even essential. Her temper had been unreliable at best lately, and she had no wish to harm anyone else. If learning how to control her powers meant expanding them, she would just have to learn her lessons very well indeed.

And with that thought, she slipped into an uneasy sleep.

Avery's Notes: As always, a huge round of applause to Southern for her fabulous betaing skills. Any mistakes are mine, though.

This chapter is dedicated to everyone who thinks Hermione has been a little unfeeling where a certain Potions master is concerned. *g* And, although I can't promise it, I suspect the angst level will be receding from here on out. Oh, and I don't know if the term "teddy bear" is used in Britain, but, for my sake, pretend it is?

Also, thank you so much to those of you who have been reviewing. It lifts my heart to hear your thoughts!

Oh! And before I forget again, this story was nominated for a multifacet! I recommend you go check out the nominees and vote for your favorite (if there's still time. Voting concludes July 22). If you choose not to, or can't vote, you'll at least get a list of good reading material!

http://multifaceted.creative-musings.com/main.htm

Southern's Notes: I'm so glad that Draco will help her if she needs it. I'm hoping Lucius gets his for what he's done to Narcissa and for the attempt on Hermione. I can't wait for the next chapter and hope some Snape will be in it!