Anyone But Me

Chapter Forty-Seven

Over the next few days Hermione kept to herself, using every available second that wasn't already dedicated to keeping up with her assignments to obsessively go over Snape's "advice". She debated on going to McGonagall and filing a formal complaint for his use of Legilimency against her, but knew it would stay an unvoiced threat. The fact that there was no way for her to reveal his abuse of power without outing her and Draco's relationship enraged her.

There were specific rules that should never be broken as a teacher and the man had wavered on the line before. Sometimes jumping right over when it came to bullying his students... But this... This was grounds for immediate termination according to Decree 3824: Section B, a ruling passed down by the Board of Governors in 1915. Considering she knew of twice in the last six months that the Professor had decided to use the practice against minors, herself and when Harry had overheard his attempt on Draco, it would have been an easy decision for the overseers of the school. Ending with the obvious culmination that every student seemed to secretly wish for... No more Snape at Hogwarts.

The only time she allowed herself to dwell on her impending rendezvous was when she laid down each night. It was then, in the dark that was normally feared, that she felt safe enough to break down the walls she worked so hard to create each morning. Filling her head with random facts from her textbooks and whatever idle gossip she could scrounge up in the common room or halls before breakfast. Anything other than gray eyes and his lips on her skin... Afraid that if she didn't, she would slip at the wrong moment and give Snape even more ammunition.

A plan that was becoming harder and harder to follow through with. While Draco didn't reach out to her again, not even in a hastily scribbled note, he had found a tactic that was much more disconcerting... Every time she seemed to turn around he was there. It did not matter where... The Library. Leaving class. Meals. The Courtyard. Even the random corridor she had been reduced to trying to study in after the common room proved crowded with Lavender and Ron cuddled in front of the fire. All had ended up invaded by Draco, and his cronies, shortly after her arrival.

By Thursday morning she knew she had to respond before her inaction made him think she was avoiding him again. Which she admittedly... kind of was. Or more like avoiding the creation of any more memories she would need to guard with a lock and key... She knew it was an illogical response to the stress of everything since making such a mess of her life. So she bucked it up and braved the chilled dawn to once again find her favorite school owl to deliver the simple date and time written on a spare bit of parchment on the bottom of her bag. She counted on the familiarity of the owl and her handwriting being enough of a clue to the sender and headed down for another early breakfast.

-\/-\/-\/-\/-\/-\/-\/-\/-\/-\/-

The following week went by in a blur of classes, meals, homework and Prefect duties. Draco had needed to decline her offer to meet the prior Sunday during Quidditch practice for the Gryffindors. She had wanted to feel disappointment at the postponement but was only grateful... It gave her more time to reason out her excuses and avoid telling him about what had happened.

The last thing she needed was for him to impulsively think up some grand plan that involved attempting to Obliviate one of their most formidable professors...

And then there was always the worry of another intrusion into her mind by said professor. A worry that had admittedly waned enough for her to be able to walk into her Defense Against the Dark Arts class without her hands shaking. Both from the amount of time that had passed since the attack, and a building of confidence in the combination of her morning ritual and her added efforts to start recalling random mundane memories at will. While she could not be positive without testing the theory, she was hopeful she would have the chance to make it to her wand should there ever be a next time.