—————H—————

"Why don't they just cast a Patronus?" Adrian Brown asked Professor Moody as they discussed Azkaban in their lecture period. The class turned to him, and he went red as he sank into his seat.

"Did you just ask me a stupid question, Brown?" Moody asked, and Hermione felt the second-hand embarrassment as strongly as if it were her own. Hermione heard Severus snicker beside her and resisted the urge to shoot him a scowl.

"Well," the young man said with a shrug.

"Because if ya think anyone in Azkaban has a wand aside from a guard, you got some brains missing. A Patronus charm is highly advanced magic. Not even taught here, it's something you learn on your own or as part of a mastery. More so, if you're in Azkaban, ya aren't pure enough to cast it," he explained, pounding against his chest in a way that probably hurt. "Anyone know what happens to a wizard or witch who tries to cast a Patronus who isn't pure enough?"

The room was quiet, and no one moved. Just before Hermione raised her hand to answer, a tiny timid voice said, "Maggots."

"Speak up, Pettigrew," Moody spat gruffly.

Peter cleared his throat. "They get eaten by maggots. My mum used to tell me the story of a little mouse Patronus that scared off a Dark Wizard's hoard of dementors. And when the wizard was angry, he tried to chase it away with his own Patronus. Only, well, that's not how they work."

Moody nodded once, satisfied with the answer.

"Gotta use your happiest, purest memories for a Patronus. Yer a Dark wizard, your happiest memory probably isn't pure."

—————H—————

"How hard do you think it really is?" Remus asked before popping a crisp in his mouth. He was sitting sideways in a chair with his back propped up against a desk.

Severus had three potions resting in his makeshift lab and didn't want to risk anything at all messing with them. And since Lily was glued to them, and Remus was a frequent fixture, Hermione and Severus gladly found another abandoned classroom to spend some time in when the other two insisted they all spend it together.

"Advanced magic? Mastery level?" Hermione snorted from where she sat against the wall on a desk next to Severus. "I say it's pretty difficult."

"And what constitutes a pure happy memory?" Lily asked. "What's considered pure?" At this, she shot a sidelong glance at Hermione.

Cold unfiltered annoyance with just a touch of anger shot through Hermione, and she ground her teeth to stop herself from commenting.

Lily had tried to spread a rumor about what she found Hermione and Severus doing on his birthday. It hadn't really bothered her that Lily walked in on them. If anything, Hermione was a little miffed that Severus hadn't stopped in time, considering he was the one who set up the warning system. She let it slide though, wondering if he'd let it happen on purpose to send Lily a message. Unnecessary, she'd thought, until the next morning when Marlene cornered her.

"So, Lily said you finally caught some action," she said, blocking Hermione's exit from their dorm.

"I don't believe snogging is what most call action, and it's no one's business but ours." She made to move past her, but Marlene shifted.

Eyes narrowed, she studied Hermione critically.

"Lil said she caught you two doing much more than snogging."

Hermione blushed. "It went a bit horizontal, but that was it. Nothing even remotely interesting." She forced memories of the pressure of Severus against her in just the right spot, and how very, very close she'd gotten to something she certainly wasn't ready to explore.

Marlene scoffed, shaking her head. "The little bitch," she muttered and stormed away.

As the day progressed, Hermione understood what Marlene meant. She doubted it made it beyond Gryffindor Tower, but the looks of disgust and intrigue burned through her at the start of the day. At one point, Remus tried to ask something, but blushed and stuttered so terribly he couldn't speak.

It was just before lunch that Marlene yelled, "Oh would you stop! You're a bigger slag than she is, and even if she did do what you're telling everyone she did, at least she did it with her boyfriend." Lily went very, very red, looking around the room until her eyes landed on Hermione. Hermione only raised her eyebrows, but it was enough to send Lily running up to the dorm.

Her heart pounded in her chest, blood roaring in her ears, and she was a mix of rage and embarrassment, but Hermione managed a cool, "Well, if nothing else, I suppose I should be happy most of you didn't think me a prude for a few hours." She earned a few chuckles, and she stuck around long enough to not make it seem like she was running away before she found Severus in his lab and sobbed against his back.

If Lily knew the things Severus called her as he held Hermione once he was able to, she doubted Lily would want to be around him, let alone vie for his attention.

They let her spend time with them to keep the peace and give her a safe haven, as Marlene, Alice, and the rest of their clique were giving Lily the cold shoulder. Marlene had confided to Hermione that Lily was terrified of what would happen to her reputation if word got out about what had happened with the Ravenclaw. And if she had so little consideration for another girl's reputation when she feared for her own, what kind of person did that make her?

"Pure, as in it's not brought on by bloodlust. If your happiest memory is causing someone pain, it's hardly pure, is it?" Severus said levelly, but Hermione felt him tense beside her.

"What's your happiest memory, Severus?" Remus asked.

"Tell you mine, if you tell me yours."

Remus hesitated, then lowered his head.

"Hogwarts, I think. Coming to Hogwarts for the first time. I wasn't sure I'd be able to." He said the last part softly.

Severus remained silent, looking at his feet.

"Mine is Severus telling me I'm a witch," Lily spoke up. "We were, what, eight? Nine? He'd seen me doing magic. My sister always called me a freak, but he showed me it was just another kind of normal." She flashed him a warm, tender smile that he didn't see. "What about you, Hermione?"

"Yes, Kitten," Sirius' voice came from the doorway, and Severus hopped off the desk and stood between her and the Marauders before she could blink. "What's your happiest memory? Meeting me, is it?"

Hermione gave a loud "Ha!" as she recalled vividly when she'd met Sirius Black.

James came into the classroom and leaned sullenly against the wall, and it was only then that Hermione realized that neither he, Sirius, nor Peter had his wand in hand. It seemed Severus noticed this too, as his stance relaxed.

"Mine is when the four of us went to the Quidditch World Cup a couple years back. You remember what it was like, the four of us?" This, Sirius directed at Remus, who turned away and said nothing.

"Mine, too, I think," James said glumly. "I know what mine would be, but it hasn't happened yet." He then turned his attention to Severus, who tensed again. "I'd have said I knew what yours was, but I was told it was a lie. Which makes sense, since I doubt even Granger would let you touch her long enough for you to even make it up her shirt, let alone her skirt."

"Watch your tongue, Potter," Severus said through clenched teeth.

"Don't let the blowhard get to you, Severus," Remus said roughly. "See, he's just annoyed that you've found a form of happiness he hasn't. And he's being watched so closely that he can't entertain himself like before."

James' nostrils flared as he turned his head away from everyone, hands curling into fists.

"Not like he'd be able to conjure a Patronus, anyway," he spat out. "After all, you heard what Wormtail said. He'd be maggot meal, Moody even said so." He looked at Severus then, cold, calculating, and daring.

Severus stood tall, shoulders squared. She watched his wand arm extend, the three Marauders moving to grab their own as Severus' hand moved.

"Expecto Patronum!" he said in a booming voice so very similar to the deep baritone she'd known before her accident that the two versions of him were interposed for a moment. With his back turned to her, she could picture the older version, though slightly less careworn.

Silver wisps came out of his wand, and she knew she wasn't the only person in the room watching in wide-eyed wonder. Legs formed, and while not completely there, it was easy to determine that if his Patronus was fully corporeal, it would be a large feline. A panther or ....

"There's no way your Patronus is going to be a lioness ," Sirius said in shock, and Hermione thought she heard a bit of panic in his voice.

"Of course, it is," Lily said as she flipped her hair. "They're supposed to be guardians, aren't they? And who looks after him better than lions?"

"It's true," Severus said in a bored tone as the not-quite corporeal lioness circled him, rubbing against his legs like a cat. "In the last year, I've had three strong Gryffindor women take me in."

"And you've had one from first year, too, right?" Lily said.

He spared her a glance. "Perhaps."

"So, what's your happiest memory?" Peter asked.

"I believe that's personal, and hardly something I would share with those who have given me nothing but the worst," he said as he sheathed his wand in his sleeve. He hopped up on the table beside Hermione, and she flinched when his arm went around her only because it took her by surprise. He had been far more conscious of when he touched her since his birthday, and she hadn't expected the open affection or possessiveness. She leaned into him, letting him know it was welcome without being too obvious.

"So, Kitten," Sirius said. "Are you going to share?"

"I have too many happy memories to choose just one," she said smoothly.

"Are you three here for a reason, or did you just want to annoy us?" Remus asked.

"Not you, Moony," James said.

Sirius looked at his feet, then took a deep breath and headed towards Remus. "Well, we can change the topic of conversation, can't we? How about—"

" You can. I have something that needs attention," Severus said as he slid off the table.

"Is it Hermione?" Peter asked with a snorty chuckle.

Severus glared. "No," he said simply, heading for the door after only a moment's hesitation.

"Did you two argue, Kitten?" Sirius asked, frowning as he looked at where Severus had disappeared. Lily perked up, turning to Hermione.

"No. He's still irritated that someone he trusted lied about him and our relationship." Lily lowered her head, much to Hermione's pleasure. "If you'll excuse me, gentlemen, I have an assignment for Professor Moody that I need to finish."

"What is it you two do with the guy?" James asked, fidgeting. "Gives me the willies; hate to spend more time with him than I need to."

"It's to do with how I lost my parents," Hermione said as she headed to the door. "Severus is helping." She said no more, leaving the room and heading to the seventh floor.

Professor Moody had grumbled "You two, seven, usual" on their way out of class that morning. She understood Severus' hesitation, as they were going to the same place, but with the Marauders around, she could understand he didn't want to be followed. There were so few places that weren't on the map, and she wanted to keep it that way.

She didn't get very far before a hand yanked her into an alcove, then covered her mouth as she was about to yelp. When she saw who had grabbed her, she frowned.

"I didn't think we were 'hiding in the alcoves' kind of people?" she asked when Severus removed his hand.

"We aren't. I wanted to see if ..." He paused, and Hermione watched as five shadows passed by, two splitting off in one direction. A beat later, they caught a glimpse of the three Marauders heading toward Gryffindor Tower. "As I thought, you left, Lily Lupin would follow. I wanted to make sure they assumed Lupin and Lily would go do rounds and not try to find us." He led her out of the alcove, heading to the seventh floor.

They were alone in the corridor, not a soul to be seen, and it gave Hermione the courage to ask in a quiet voice, "What is your happiest memory?"

Severus' grip tightened for a moment, and he looked down at her briefly. "Christmas day, when you said you were willing to court me. Before that, I'd have said the Yule Ball, and before that, when you hugged me on your birthday."

Hermione smiled.

"That's mine, too. I was so terribly worried I was just someone safe to ... pass the time with."

"You are, but that is hardly why I ... why I chose you. Pursued you," Severus replied before frowning. "Your happiest memories aren't with your family?"

Hermione shook her head.

"I can never get my old life back, and that certainly dampens the joy. Here, I'm happy with the McGonagalls. But the most surprising bit of perfection has come from getting to know you," she confessed, her heart fluttering in contentment and warning, making her adrenaline spike. Still, she pressed on, "I hadn't expected to like you, let alone care so deeply for you." She left it at that, her heart fluttering hard because she was on the cusp of saying too much.

"I'm glad," Severus said sincerely. "For a while, as I've confessed before, I had little intention of liking you. I would never give this up."

Hermione smiled brightly at him, but it lost some of its brilliance as she got lost in her thoughts.

It was utterly foolish to think about what could be when she was still young and there was still so much to come. So many things could happen, but she still considered the possibility of never breaking it off with Severus. Many youths had such delusions; it was natural to feel your first love was your only love.

Only, it wasn't really their first love, was it? Infatuation was so similar to love that she figured a first love was exactly that. Hers was Ron, she knew. It would always be Ron, despite how much he disgusted her and what an utter git he was. And it wasn't like Severus was an angel, now or then. It comforted her to know he had fancied Lily beforehand and had been as infatuated with her as she had been with Ron.

So, wondering in idle moments if she was the future Mrs. Snape, mother of the bright, beautiful girl she barely got to know, wasn't utterly ridiculous. Draco had referred to his aunt as H., hadn't he? She hadn't considered that it could be her. But knowing that Severus was so serious about them, though he'd made it clear he didn't expect this to end in marriage, a wave of giddiness swept through her at the possibility.

But that still left the question why Severus had always been so callous and cruel as a professor, though admittedly not as cruel as he was with others. And there had always been a touch of regret in his eyes after saying awful things to her.

"Are you still with me or have you drifted off?" Severus asked, and she realized that they'd made it to the seventh floor. "You're becoming more Hufflepuff as of late. Best be careful."

"It's your fault, you know," she said as the door came into view.

"Oh no, you won't put this on me," he countered as he stepped ahead to open the door. She snickered as he waved her through, seeing he was amused despite his stoic appearance.

Moody studied them, and Hermione felt the tickle in her mind as he tried to get in. She knew what he was looking for, and she projected some recent memories to the forefront, making sure to hide all the moments alone she'd shared with Severus. Moody gave the tiniest smirk of approval before turning to Severus. Within seconds, he gave a snort.

"Noticed that, did you?" Moody asked.

"He's been trying to poke around in my mind since the holidays," Severus said, sounding bored. "I've never seen the headmaster so often in all my years at Hogwarts."

"He's using Legilimency on you?" Hermione asked incredulously.

"Trying to," Severus replied, deadpan. "I imagine he wants to know what's been happening with Potter, Black, and Pettigrew. Lupin turned them in, and they were accused with a list of evidence that may have gotten them suspended or expelled if they were Slytherins."

"Yer keeping him out, though. Both of you could, I think, at this point. But you gotta keep it up. Never know when someone will try to slink in there. Constant vigilance is key."

"Yes, sir," Hermione said as Severus nodded.

"Now, you, boy. You're a natural at Occluding, wanna try your hand at Legilimency?" Moody asked, getting up from his chair.

"I doubt there would be any point. I hardly think I could get in your mind or even want to see what's there," he said, and Hermione gawked at his rudeness.

Moody barked a laugh. "I wouldn't let you in. I was thinking Granger." He smiled nastily. "All wizards wish they could read a witch's mind, especially their witch. Granger don't want you seeing something, she'll just have to keep it to herself, won't she."

There was eagerness and trepidation in Severus' eyes, and Hermione wasn't sure which one was winning. She trusted him, of course, but there were things she hadn't told him yet. There were plans she hadn't discussed with him and desperately wanted to when the time was right. But if she were truly skilled at Occluding, he wouldn't see any of it, right?

Taking a breath, she turned fully to Severus, meeting his eyes with a tilt of her chin and her shoulders straight.

He was taken aback, eyebrows shooting for his hairline. He unsheathed his wand with a flick, fingering his wand and rolling it back and forth between his fingers. He would still have that wand eighteen years from now, but she tried not to think about that.

" Legilimens ," he said, and she felt him enter her mind.

It was different from Moody, very different. Stronger, more pleasant. She could feel his reactions, though only distantly, and tried to ignore how heady it felt to have him in her mind. She didn't need his ego getting big.

She felt him pull on strands of memories, things she had let Moody see. Boring class moments, spending time with Remus and Lily, them in the abandoned classroom. He moved swiftly to her happiest memory and watched it for a moment from her perspective. Suddenly he was back in the room they had just left, watching as he cast his Patronus.

That's when it began to go terribly, horribly wrong.

He saw himself. Only, he didn't see himself as he was in the room, with his Slytherin tie and cardigan. He saw how she'd seen him, the older him. He saw the proud, intimidating, powerful wizard he would become. Her heart lurched, both from fear of what he would think and the Vow. Before she could stop him or herself, a memory slipped out from behind her wall, linked as it was to her impression of older him, and he latched onto it. His back to them, arms spread out, blocking them from a fully transformed werewolf. She was thankful his face was faced away from her in the memory, but it did show her latched on to his robes, glancing at Harry and Ron. She sensed his curiosity at the green-eyed boy who looked like James Potter, but she felt her breath stop suddenly, her brain screaming for oxygen.