If You Go Down To The Woods Today

Lilbitbord: Well, we’ll see... a part of me agrees with you. But – wait for a couple of chapters...



Catysmom: I hope you like this chappie.



Extraho: You and I both. He does like her but...



La Bibliographe: That made me laugh... “Is she crazy!” repeated throughout... you’d think she was but I agree. Who, indeed, could teach D A S S? Harry possibly. I LOVE Peeves personally and am only disappointed they didn’t make full use of his character in the movies. He’s a scream. As for the “It didn’t work?” line sorry to give you nightmares but you’ll find out if you read this chapter. I just had an image of Hermione standing behind a counter with men taking a ticket with a number. Draco would certainly be way down the line won’t he? Good point on the ‘married man’ thing... I’ll have to think about that one and incorporate it somewhere. As for the biased that is perfectly understandable. I suffer the same bias.



Wicraven: Thanks, I am pleased you like it. Is this soon enough for you?



Mary: Severus has his reasons... some of them are outlined in this chapter.



Michiko: Well, yeah. But you might change your mind after this chapter... then again you might not. It depends. I hope this chapter does throw a spanner in the works.



Sickforslytherin: As for what happened to Experience, I am so sorry that I haven’t updated that in a while. It will be but I am dry on ideas for that one.



DB1: Hmm. I believe in serial monogamy... She will make up her mind I grant you that. She has some more help in this chapter.



Kira: I hope you love this just as much, as I have mentioned previously this will throw a spanner or two in the works. I also hope this gets you guessing again. That’s a huge compliment to me.



Dee Dee: Agreed. I sorted that out. I hope you like my choice. More than that, though, this will make the story kick start into something more I hope. I hope this chapter will make you stop wondering. Hermione won’t lie to Lucius – besides Lucius would be clever enough to see beyond that I think. Those are very interesting idea’s... watch this space. But you’re right, both men would play extremely dirty.



The Malfoy Front



Draco was sitting on the sofa with a book spread across his lap. One of the stray cats had snuck in and curled up on the blonds lap. Draco was absent-mindedly tickling it behind the ears causing it to purr. He didn’t know why he was stroking this moth eaten ginger cat, as it was the sort of beast Draco would not normally go near. But he was glad for the company. He was getting sucked into the book so much he jumped when the door slammed shut.



He knew that slam. His father was in a foul temper. He gently removed the cat from his lap and stood up. He marked the spot where he was up to and closed the book. He walked to his room that the house elves had prepared for him during the day. He steeled himself for whatever mood his father was in.



“Oh, you’re up still,” Lucius said as nonchalantly as possible. Draco could tell his father was hiding his rage, which was never good.



“I was just about to go to bed, father,” Draco said.



Lucius rolled his eyes. “You must have observed her throughout the six years that you have been her school peer. What turns her on?”



Draco was confused. He felt like he had missed about half a conversation.



“Pardon, father?”



“I am talking about Miss Granger,” Lucius said. “I want to marry her but she doesn’t want to marry me. She seems to think that we have nothing in common.”



Draco did his best to not agree with her. He couldn’t help but poke a little into his father’s mind. Lucius was so angry he forgot to put up the walls. Draco saw images of Hermione naked and squirming beneath his father. She had thrown her head back clutching onto his fathers head as he was kissing and sucking the flesh of her thighs. Draco pulled away before his father realised what he had seen.



“I could help you, father,” Draco suggested.



Lucius turned to his son and raised an eyebrow. “How?”



“She has recently befriended me,” Draco said. “I could become her sole companion and get her to confess her likes and dislikes and tell you about them.”



Lucius lips curled into a smirk. “It seemed I have rubbed off on you after all.”



“I will find out as much as I can,” Draco promised.



Lucius nodded. He looked at Draco again and noticed how tall and noble looking his son was. He smiled.



“Have I been a bad father, Draco?” he asked.



Draco shook his head. “You hit me a bit but I think that at times I might have deserved that. I am proud to call you my father, you know.”



Lucius nodded. “I would love to have a second chance at it though. Your mother didn’t want to have children after you were born. She shut the door on me for three years after you were born. And when I did manage to get back into her bed again I found that I was not sexually attracted to her anymore.” Draco winced a little. He didn’t really want to know the gory details. “Please, forgive me, Draco.”



“I wanted a brother or sister you know,” Draco sighed. “A companion to grow up with would have been nice.”



Lucius sighed. “I think Hermione would make a perfect mother don’t you? She would not be afraid to have more children, and she’d love them.”



“Yes, I believe she would,” Draco sighed. He heard the ache in his fathers voice and saw a shaft of pain cross the older mans eyes. She better not hurt my father, Draco thought. He didn’t know much about being in love but he could see that his father had fallen for his muggleborn peer. “May I ask what brought this on?”



“She has told me that she doesn’t want to marry me. I spent a considerable part of the weekend convincing her to marry me. Snape shows up and she’s all confused again.”



Draco sighed. He supposed that he should not confide to his father that he, too, held passion for the muggleborn. He shrugged his shoulders:



“I’m going to bed, father,” he walked his room and took his robes off and lay on the black silk sheets completely naked. He curled up in a foetal position and began to cry. He wiped the tears from his face as the tears soothed some of the pain he was in. So this was love, he thought. It’s bloody painful!



He did love Hermione but he loved his father more. He wanted them both to be happy, even if he had to push his happiness aside. Perhaps he should talk to Blaise. They seemed to be going through the same thing.



~*~*~



Hermione watched Severus undress himself. He was taking each button slowly. She was lying on the bed. He was making a proper show for her. Her bow shaped mouth was parted slightly as her tongue flickered over her lips. He delighted in that little display. She looked at her lover and sighed.



“I want you to touch your breast for me, Hermione,” he purred. She obeyed without complaint. She imagined her hand was his mouth. Severus watched joyfully. He was about to order her to touch another part of her body but someone coughed.



Hermione squealed and covered herself up and Snape turned around. Staring at them with a leer spread wide across his face was Phileus Nigellus. He was not a Portrait but a ghost. Hermione looked him up and down and narrowed her eyes.



“I thought you were a portrait,” she said icily.



“Well, well, Miss Granger it seems you are a very naughty young Mudblood indeed.”



“I don’t know what you mean,” she replied.



“Don’t you dare call her that!” Severus hissed indignantly on her behalf.



“And what could you possibly do to me?” Nigellus replied. He drifted into the room and tipped his head to one side. “Although, I can understand why two such powerful men would want you. You are the sort that any right minded Slytherin would want to control.”



“This isn’t about control,” Snape said quietly. “What do you want anyway?”



“I want to talk to the unsurprisingly popular Miss Granger here,” he said. “There is something that she needs to know.”



“You’ll have to tell her with me in the room.”



Nigellus looked Snape up and down and shook his head. “Very well, but you won’t like it.”



Severus arched his eyebrow up. “That is a large part of my life.”



Nigellus shook his head. “All right,” he sighed. “I have been talking to a certain rogue descendant of mine and he’s absolutely furious with you. He has even called upon the help of his dead school chums: Mr and Mrs Potter though are actually more level headed. Especially Mrs Potter. Wasn’t she a favourite of yours once?” he turned to Severus. “You appear to be drawn to Muggleborn Head Girls don’t you?”



Hermione turned to Snape and her jaw dropped open. So that’s it, that was the true reason why he hated James Potter. It had nothing to do with the fact that the man mercilessly bullied him. James married the girl he loved. Harry’s mother was the true reason that he turned.



“I thought I’d be rid of that incumbent bit of flesh,” Snape growled.



“I thought that Sirius was dead?” Hermione gasped her eyes showed astonishment.



“Oh, yes he is. But the dead have our ways; Lily Potter is most desirous of meeting you.”



Hermione gulped. “Why?”



“She is pleased with your efforts at trying to tame her son into some semblance of seriousness. She also has agreed with you on many an occasion about a certain gentleman,” he tilted his head towards Snape. Hermione’s eyes flickered over to the semi naked man next to her. “She wants to meet you. She has offered to help and guide you through this problem.”



“Why send a messenger?” Snape asked.



“She wanted to be sure she’d be well received by that certain gentleman.”



Snape’s eyes lit up in a way that Hermione had never seen him look so – handsome.



“She would be pleased to hear that,” Phileus said before grinning lasciviously at her. “Well, best be on my way then.”



Hermione looked up at Severus. “You loved her didn’t you?” she whispered.



Severus turned to look at Hermione. “Yes, yes I did.”



“That’s why you saved Harry’s life? It had nothing to do with the life debt?”



Severus sighed. He sat down on the edge of the bed. “You need to know the truth,” he said tucking her hair behind her ear. “One Saturday I saw Lily walking down an Alleyway and I followed her. She was forced against a wall and her mouth was covered. Lucius Malfoy was the one that forced his attentions on her. I was on my way to the Hogshead to talk to Dumbledore about what I discovered about his brother. I shot a stunner his way and yanked her out of the Alleyway. She was then but three months pregnant with Harry.”



Hermione raised a hand to her mouth. “How despicable.”



“His reason was that he hadn’t had any from Narcissa for weeks,” he said. “Not a very good reason I grant you. When I found out about you I felt that something similar had happened and you confused it with love. The last thing in the world I’d want to happen for you is to lose your dignity in the worst possible way.”



Hermione lowered her eyes and started plucking at the sheets. “What about how you feel about me, Severus?”



Severus looked at the young woman and was about to answer her question when a willowy figure of a woman drifted through the walls.



“Severus,” she said. He turned around and looked at the ghost of the woman he once truly loved.



“Lily.”



Hermione cowered behind Severus quivering with fright behind Severus back. She turned her face away from the ghost. Severus laughed and looked down at her.



“What’s the matter?” he asked.



Hermione’s eyes widened and she leant up and whispered in his ear: “She’s beautiful.”



Severus stroked her hair. “So are you.”



Hermione blushed. Severus sighed. He was a man that never did things half-heartedly – he was the sort of man that always threw himself body and soul into whatever he cared about strongly; and he cared about Hermione. He glanced at Hermione and turned to Lily.



“Lily, this is Hermione Granger. The cleverest and most beautiful Witch of hers or any age.” Hermione scowled at him. He laughed mischievously. “Especially when she’s angry.”



Lily smiled. “Severus, we’ll talk later. Right now I need to talk to her.”



Severus nodded. He tilted Hermione’s head and kissed her lips. Hermione sighed as his mouth left hers. She looked up at him her eyes shining. He stroked her lips and he nodded towards Lily. She smiled at Severus before turning to Hermione.



“Well, Miss Hermione Granger, you’re in a bit of a pickle aren’t you?”



“You can say that again,” she snorted she was still slightly uncomfortable at being face-to-face with her heroine.



Lily sighed. “Good kisser isn’t he?”



Hermione looked up blushing. “He’s kissed you?”



“Of course,” Lily sighed. “If I have to be brutally honest... if I married a man for his kissing ability it would have been Severus Snape.”



“Why didn’t you marry him?”



“He never asked,” Lily replied. “I don’t know what I would have done had he asked me though. Probably said yes. You never know really.”



Hermione sighed. “Is it true? Did Lucius rape you whilst you were pregnant for Harry?



“He was going to, Severus saw the skirt being pulled up and heard my scream. He saved me. And he saved Harry. He even took me home and told James what had happened. They shook hands, they never became friends but they reached an understanding.”



Hermione smiled a little. She was pleased about that at least. She looked up at Lily.



“What I don’t understand is why those two men have decided to – well -!”



“I don’t know Lucius intentions,” Lily said. “But I do know that whatever the reasons for Snape’s interference he has your best interests at heart.”



Hermione’s expression softened. “I know. But I can’t seem to get Lucius out of my head,” she murmured. “Could he possibly have changed?”



Lily tilted her head and sighed. “Time would decide that one.”



“Lily,” Hermione said. “If Severus was a father would he make a good one?”



Lily smiled. “He used to bounce Harry up and down on his knee. He was the first one that made Harry laugh. James was most put out!”



Hermione smiled at the image of Severus Snape as a young man with a baby on his knee. It somehow made her warm to the mysterious raven-haired Wizard more so.



“What about Lucius?” Hermione asked. “Did you ever witness him being anything other than a muggle hater?”



Lily pursed her lips and sighed. “I wish I did, but Lucius Malfoy and I are sworn enemies. Even as a ghost I cannot let go of the anger I feel towards him.”



Hermione drooped her head. “Do you believe that anyone can change?”



Lily sighed. “Yes,” she said. “Yes I do.”



Hermione looked at her covers. “I do to, and I want to believe that he has changed.”



“Well, I am here now. I will keep an eye on you. I will be your guardian angel.”



“What about Harry?”



“Harry is sorted out. He has a girlfriend and a purpose. You, however, are floundering a bit. What do you want to do if you leave Hogwarts without a child?”



“I want to be a Healer.”



“Well, at least you have a game plan. It seems it’s just your love life that’s a bit of a mess.”



Hermione laughed. “That sounds about right. Although an understatement.”



Lily laughed. She regarded the brunette for a while and placed her hands on her hips. “I shall, of course, be requiring help.”



Hermione looked at her heroine and blushed. “Lily, may I say something to you?”



“Yes, Hermione?”



“I have always wanted to ask why you married James Potter?”



“He did ask me,” Lily replied. “And he made me happy.”



“But fulfilled?”



Lily sighed and looked at the door. “There was only one man who could have truly fulfilled me the way I needed to be.”



Hermione felt awful. Lily drifted out of the room to gather the ghosts for a meeting. She needed as many eyes as possible to help keep Hermione under control.



~*~*~



Lucius stood by his son’s door. He heard the whimpers and moans and sniffs. Lucius didn’t approve of men crying but his son was in great pain. He wished he could go in there and hug him but he didn’t really approve of that either. Lucius only hugged women.



“I’m sorry, son,” he whispered.



~*~*~



Lily was sitting on her old chair in the Potions classroom. She wished she could brew a Potion.



“Itchy Potions fingers?” Severus asked.



“You know me so well,” Lily sighed.



“I could have known you better,” he said. She looked up into his dark eyes.



“I loved you, you know,” she said. “You never asked me to marry you.”



“I didn’t think you’d say yes to a greasy Slytherin.”



“I would have married you at seventeen, Severus, no one could make love to me the way you could.” She looked into his eyes. “I should have shocked society and asked you instead!”



“James Potter did make you happy though?” Severus asked in a hard tone. If that four-eyed bastard did anything to hurt Lily he’d make sure Potter Jr knew about it fast.



“Oh yes,” Lily said. “He treated me like a gentleman, he even made love to me in a courtly way.”



“Good!” Severus said. He looked at her hair and remembered how soft it felt in his hands that time.



“I did prefer it with you,” she said quietly then she shook her head and talked about the real issue at hand. “But you have no right to confuse a really sweet girl like Hermione.”



“I’m only trying to make her realise that there are other men out there, and she and I – well, all I can say that I only felt that satiated once before.”



“You love her, don’t you?” Lily asked. “I’m not going to address the moral issue of you being her teacher for so long at this moment in time as it’ll take too long. But are you sure you know what you’re doing? You’re likely to get your heartbroken again.”



“Not this time, Lily, I learnt from my mistake. I am not going to ignore my feelings or give into my self-pity anymore. I – I actually have a long held respect for Hermione. She has always shown me respect and she defended me one too many times. It’s not a question of the fact that I could do worse. I know she could do a whole lot better than me, but I – I love her.”



Lily looked down on the floor and folded her arms across her chest. “She’s young, Severus. Be patient with her.”



“I will,” he said. “I will.”



A/N – Whoh, okay. So, let’s review; Draco is showing himself to be more noble than his father, and will help his father to gain Hermione even if it does cost him his own happiness. Lily is back and seems to be on Snape’s side. She’s going to get the ghosts to help her to. And Severus does indeed love Hermione, which I think some of you knew. So, now who is everyone rooting for?