OWL Save You! Chapter 1, a harry potter fanfic

The characters and canon situations in the following story belong solely to JK Rowling, Scholastic and WB. I am not making any money from the publishing or writing of this story.

A/N: This is a gift for the lovely Sentimentalist and all the other ladies over at sshgowlproject over at yahoo, who selflessly put many hours of work to preserve the fics that would have otherwise been lost when the Online Wizarding Library went offline. Thank you for all your work!

Also, my sincerest thanks to Madam Ader and Sixpence Jones, who despite the sshgexchange, were generous enough to help me out by betaing and Britpicking, respectively.

Meladara

Hermione Granger stormed into the Department of Research and Development laboratory at Aspen Potions. As the door slammed behind her, her lab partner looked up from the cauldron before him and watched her fume in silence, a clearly amused look upon his face.

He loved when she got worked into such a fit. The air around her would become charged with magic, causing her robes to billow and her hair to frizz. She was always at her most beautiful when she was incensed. Of course, that may have had something to do with the flushed cheeks and heaving bosom that also accompanied such fits, but if that was true, Severus Snape wasn't telling.

As he turned his attention back to his potion and began a slow, steady stir, he heard her begin to sputter out words angrily.

"I can't believe this happening, Severus! It is an outrage! How can you stand by and let all that work go to waste?" Hermione moved to his side, throwing a Ministry of Magic memo down onto the table next to him.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Ministry of Magic
General Memo

To: All Departments
From: Department of MIT
Date: April 9, 2012
Re: OWL/On-line Wizarding Library

It has come to the attention of the Ministry that due to a magical computer virus (magivirus), the digital archive known as the On-line Wizarding Library (OWL) will be no longer be available after April 30, 2012. If you have any questions or concerns in regards to the closing of OWL, please direct all questions to Bristol Harper in the Department of Magical Information Technologies. We are sorry for the inconvenience.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

He'd known this was coming. Honestly, they all had. It had been months, maybe even years since OWL had been working properly, and of course, as things always went with technology, magical and otherwise, it had to fail at some point.

"Now, Hermione, I don't see what you are so worked up about," he drawled calmly. "I am not letting anything go to waste. Also, you know as well as I, OWL has been on a downward spiral for some time now. This latest magivirus was just the final nail in the coffin," he said as he motioned to the memo. Before turning his attention back to his cauldron, he sighed quietly, and then, in a voice that was tinted with slight irritation, he said, "Now, please stifle your Gryffindor indignation and quiet yourself."

"Damn it, Severus!" her rant continued. "They are going to let it all go. All of it!" She huffed out the words with exasperation. Making no effort to keep her raging emotions from showing in her movements, she sloppily flopped onto the stool next to him. Resting her chin on her hand, she watched in a daze as her lab partner tended to his bubbling potion. His hands worked in smooth, swift stirs that served both to mesmerise and sooth her. Before she registered it happening, she felt her anger slip away. In its place grew a helpless sadness.

He almost always had that effect on her. She could sputter and rant to him at times, from across the room usually, but as soon as she got close to him, all anger would simply evaporate. His fluid movements, purring voice, and exotic scent had worked an unknown magic on her for years. It was down right irritating at times that simply his presence could calm her so. Sometimes she needed to have a good rail at him, and this odd reaction to him really made it very difficult to accomplish.

When she could see he had completed his task at the cauldron and that his attention was safe to draw to her, she placed her hand on his arm.

Severus looked up from his cauldron and took in her face. After years of working with Hermione, he knew instinctively that she would be calmer now, but he was surprised to find that the anger had been replaced with sadness.

"Hermione, what is it?" he questioned quietly.

Taking in a shaky breath, she spoke in a calm, but sad, voice. "They are going to just let it die with no attempt to back up the data. It will be gone. Forever, all that knowledge, just gone! My graduate work is all stored there, yours as well, if I remember correctly. They finished digitizing all the graduate work from the last twenty years several years ago."

"True, but Hermione do consider, there isn't much we can do," he told her seriously. "Be comforted that we have our own copies of our research to fall back on, and as for the others, it isn't as if we can go in and save all those documents ourselves. The magivirus will destroy the OWL database in a matter of days for certain. Even if we were to try to do something Gryffindor, such as go in and save what we could, there are only two of us. Not to mention, the Ministry is unlikely to give us permission to host any of that data. Honestly, it is none of our business."

Hermione looked up at him surprised, her eye alight. "That's it!" she crowed. Severus grimaced as he watched her jump enthusiastically from her stool and run to turn on the laboratory computer. The former sadness, which had marred her beautiful face, was suspiciously missing.

"What is it, Hermione? Don't you dare involve me in one of your schemes," he warned menacingly, his voice falling very close to the one she remembered from her youth. After their years of working together, he was no stranger to the rapid mood swings or the sudden pet projects of one Hermione Granger. "I will have none of it, Hermione!" he warned, again.

Hermione laughed teasingly. "Now, now Severus, you know you've never succeeded in telling me no. You always make a valiant effort of course; however, in the end you always do whatever it is that I want. You might as well give in now. Besides, it will be fun to work with my girls again. We haven't had a get-together for ages!"

Remembering the last time she'd invited those biddies into his lab, Severus shuddered. "If I recall," he muttered in irritation, "there is a very good reason for that." His eyes bored into her, his displeasure clear at the memories he was currently recalling.

Hermione smirked at him, full of mischief.

Recognizing the look in her eyes, he froze. This was not good. "Oh, no. I don't know what you are planning to do, but please, Hermione, I beg you! I will do anything you ask, just do not make me work with them."

She sparkled at the agitated man; it had been so long since she had been able to indulge in one of her favorite pastimes: throwing Severus off balance. It was nice to finally feel comfortable enough around him to behave so freely. Smirking knowingly, she smiled and sang out, "I told you," earning herself a scathing glare and quiet growl from the man. Then, with a much kinder smile on her face, she continued. "Now, would you please go and visit this Bristol Harper?" Her hand absently tapped on the name on the memo. "She is the one currently in charge of OWL. Put that scowl of yours to good use. Go and get us permission to archive the data on OWL, and in return, I will promise to not let a single one of my friends into our lab, this time."

With a sigh, he nodded. It was rather appalling how easily he bent to the petite woman's demands, but it was worth it to restore the balance of their relationship. At least he would be spared the company of the tittering Potions biddies that Hermione called friends.

"I don't know why you think those friends of yours even qualify as colleagues. Potions masters never deal in cosmetics," he sputtered.

Hermione rolled her eyes and sighed with aggravation at the return of the long since exhausted argument. He just couldn't let it go. With a deep breath she began the response she'd repeated many times in the past, "You know very well that Pansy is the only Potions mistress among them and really, what did you expect her to do with it? It's Pansy! And as I've told you numerous times, Hannah is a Transfiguration mistress, with a focus on the consumer marketing, and Luna, with her joint Herbology and Magical Creatures masteries, is in charge of managing the raw ingredients side of the business. They all share quality control and Draco takes care of finance and employee management. How difficult is it to understand?"

"Know-it-all," he bristled.

"Yes, yes. I know. Now, scoot," she told him, as if she were shooing a young child. "I can't get anything else done until we've got that permission. I'll tell you the plan when you return."

And with that, her lab partner was gone, with a billow of robes and a slam of the door.

From: Ms. Granger: PotionsKIA%aspenpotions. com
To: group: 'My Girls': magicalmaiden%affodell. com; pippa%affodell. com; queeny21%affodell. com
Sent: 10 April, 2012 10:52 AM
Subject: Rescue Mission

Hi Ladies.

So, anyone up for a last ditch effort to save the files at OWL? The MoM is going to let it all die and I just can't let that happen. Please tell me you are in. I've sent Sev to get permission to archive it all ourselves. I need you, girls!

In other words – I'm calling in all favors. You ALL owe me, or do I need to remind you what happened in Lisbon? And don't you dare try to weasel your way out of this one, Pippa. I have a scar on my wrist to show for your shenanigans.

Be obscure clearly. EB White

From: Hannah: pippa%affodell. com
To: Group: 'Potions Biddies': magicalmaiden%affodell. com; PotionsKIA%aspenpotions. com; queeny21%affodell. com
Sent: 10 April, 2012, 11:12 AM
Subject: RE: Rescue Mission

Calling in favors, huh? This must be serious. Kia-Mia never used her favors unless...

Mia? Does a certain brooding Potions master happen to have something you want stored at OWL?

Really, you need to just fess up to the fact that you fancy the pants off the man.

(Of course we'll help. Just let us know what you need us to do.)

From: Ms. Granger: PotionsKIA%aspenpotions. com
To: group: 'My Girls': magicalmaiden%affodell. com; pippa%affodell. com; queeny21%affodell. com
Sent: 10 April, 2012 11:22 AM
Subject: RE: RE: Rescue Mission

Pippa, Pippa, Pippa. Are you sure you want to go there? You, my dear friend, are skating on thin ice! I still haven't forgiven you for abandoning me with that... that... WHAT was he? I still have nightmares, Ms. Abbott! And you will be held responsible. Shagging random strangers...

It is possible for trolls to breed with humans, I wonder?

Well, yes he does have stuff there. We ALL do. That is where the brilliant MoM has been storing all the graduate level research, despite the fact that it is obvious, to anyone who has used actually used it, that it hasn't functioned properly for years. Do you know how much ground-breaking research is done at that level? I can't let that resource disappear! The archives go back more than 20 years now and they are just going to let it all disappear.

I hurt.

Physically.

The thought of all that knowledge lost. I mean, sure there are hard copies... somewhere. But please, you know as well as I that they were probably thrown into boxes, shrunk, and then promptly lost.

I'll let you know the plan as soon as I know it. Oh! And no, I don't! (I don't know how many times I've told you we are just FRIENDS!)

Be obscure clearly. EB White

From: Pansy: queeny21%affodell. com
To: Mia: PotionsKIA%aspenpotions. com; Luna: magicalmaiden%affodell. com; Hannah: pippa%affodell. com
Sent: 10 April, 2012, 12:02 PM
Subject: RE: RE: RE: Rescue Mission

Oh please, Granger! Did you not even realize that you said you sent 'Sev' off. No one, and I mean no one, calls Severus Snape 'Sev'! Except you! Not to mention, all you have to do is snap your little fingers and off he trots to do your bidding. You need to just Gryffindor the fuck up and get it over with. You fancy him. He fancies you. How long have you been working together now? What is it, SEVEN years?!

You are hopeless. Do you realize that you turned down a twenty percent ownership, in what is now a multi-million galleon cosmetic company, to work with our old teacher! If that isn't love, then I don't know what is.

I'll contact Draco and see if he's okay with us picking this up as a project. Since we've just completed a big project, all three of us are entitled to a day or two of playtime.

Potions Biddies – Hannah? Whaaa?

Queeny

From: magicalmaiden%affodell. com
To: pippa%affodell. com; queeny21%affodell. com; PotionsKIA%aspenpotions. com
Sent: 10 April, 2012 12:12 PM
Subject: RE: RE: RE: RE: Rescue Mission

Now. Now. Ladies. Play nice.

Hannah: It was rather dreadful, you know. By the time I found Mia, she'd been cornered by that beast. He'd actually drooled in her hair and her wrist was bleeding, from what could only be called claws. I'm sure she was seconds away from vomiting, either that or AK'ing him on the spot. I haven't seen her look that green since we set her up on that date with Draco. (HAHA!) I would not be surprised if she never wants to go on holiday with us again. Although, part of me can't blame you. That hunk of meat you caught was rather delish, but not as nice as mine.

Pansy: Language, dear. We wouldn't want to appear uncivilized to our dear companions. And you know, Mia may have turned down 20% in our little venture, but she did manage to keep a tidy 5% ownership, while neatly conning her way out of any work. I've always thought that move was rather Slytherin worthy of her. Though, Hermione's Hair Tamer is still one of our best-selling products. Plus, Queeny, you forget that she also owns what I suspect is a large percentage of Aspen Potions. I'd say she got the better deal, but then again, she has to work with Mr. Snape, so it could be questionable.

Hermione: And there it is. You got a good deal, true. But you had to work with Mr. Snape to get it. You may deny it to yourself, you may deny it to us, but we know the truth. Me thinks the lady doth protest too much! ;)

Draco says, 'Have at it.' So, we are at your disposal for the next three work days. He also said he'd talk to the Affodell IT department and have them set up a dedicated server for us to use. It should be up by morning at the latest.

Oh Come ON! It's funny, Pans.

Sure, Snape was completely livid when he gave us that name, but then again we had just blown up his lab. **snicker**

I was just messing with my email groups and it came to me. LOL! If he only knew...

Ohhh, I've got it. I'm making us T-shirts! It'll drive him nuts, especially since we all know how well I brew potions! I can't wait to talk to Cissy!

From: Ms. Granger: PotionsKIA%aspenpotions. com
To: group: 'My Girls': magicalmaiden%affodell. com; pippa%affodell. com; queeny21%affodell. com
Sent: 10 April, 2012 12:32 PM
Subject: Oh Please!

Why do our emails always dissolve into this? You need to just give it up for a lost cause, please ladies! It's not going to happen. Not now. Not ever.

And yes! You are correct. I will NEVER go on holiday with you three again. Why would I want to travel somewhere, only to end up watching my three friends go off and shag delicious men, while I play interference with the troll man? He smelled like rotting cabbage. Nightmares, I tell you. Still, a full 9 months later!

Not to mention that I never got to see Palacia de Quinta de Regaleria! That was the whole reason I agreed to go on the trip in the first place! It is rumored to have at one time been a magical palace, even by Muggles!

Poor Draco. That was the worst date ever. Remind me again why I'm friends with you lot!?

I've never regretted taking the 5%. You got a golden startup product and I got a tidy profit that keeps on growing. Although, it still irks Sev(erus) that you all (we all) went in with Draco and started a cosmetics company instead of opening a 'respectable' Potions firm. Really, I'm not sure why though, you'd only be more competition for us. It is one of his favorite arguments though.

I really loved the newest launch, btw. Very tasteful. Is Cissy still designing those?

As far as my interest in Aspen, you know Severus, I'm spell bound to secrecy. But I can say I am doing just fine for myself.

He's back and he hates when I email in his royal Slytherin presence. I'll get back to you with the plan in a while.

PS: Pippa! Put me down for a Medium! You're right, it will drive him nuts!

Be obscure clearly. EB White

"You're back, I see," Hermione said as she spun in her chair to look at Severus. She clicked her tongue and then bit her lip, speculatively. He simply raised an eyebrow at her clearly unnecessary statement.

Ignoring his irritation she continued, "How'd it go?"

"As expected. They groused at first; however, in the end, we've been given permission to archive whatever we can, with the caveat that we will contact the either the uploading institution or the author within six months. At which time they will be given the option to take their research, ask for us to delete it, or provide us permission to keep it archived."

"Excellent! It's all arranged then!" Hermione said as she rushed toward Severus, who was now standing at the rough pine table that was used, mostly, for ingredient preparation. He watched as her quick steps brought her to stand next to him. She was still bubbling with excitement, as she always did at the prospect of a new project. "The girls just finished a launch at Affodell. They always take a few play days after a launch. So, we are all going to save all the files. Draco is setting up a server for us to use, and the best part is that it can all done without a single—umm—Affodell girl setting foot into your precious lab. Now, my only concern is how to save the files. You know how OWL is; it doesn't have a great platform for downloading or sharing documents."

Severus glared in irritation at the chattering woman, causing her to fall silent. "Now, first, I must say that you are wrong. There is an Affodell girl in our lab every day," he grumbled with mild disgust.

"Oh! You git, you know what I meant," she chided. Knowing that his disgust was an act, she took no offense and instead, she strove to make her voice as syrupy sweet as possible. If he wanted to play the role of grump, she could not but help. "Besides, I'm not a real Affodell girl. I'm just honorary."

"As you say." He rolled his eyes and in a slightly more awkward tone, he continued. "Secondly, I have obtained a rather delectable lunch for us, and it is currently getting cold. So, if you would be so kind as to shut that pretty little mouth of yours, and then strive to contain your excitement long enough for you to propel yourself into a seated position, I will see to lunch."

Hermione clamped her mouth shut, stifling a laugh. Even after seven years working with Severus, it still embarrassed him when she got carried away. He was always so calm, calculating, cool, and he just didn't know how to react to her enthusiasm. Of course, she found his awkwardness endearingly amusing, but she would never tell him that.

Severus opened the Styrofoam container he'd placed before Hermione. Letting out a gasp of delight, she cried, "You got us Vrisaki!" Hermione jumped up and quickly wrapped her arms around him. She didn't care that he just stood there, as if frozen in place. He had bought her Greek food for lunch! The sly man knew it was her favorite. "Thank you!" she told him with a shy grin as she released him. Somewhat more self-conscious now, she turned back to the table of food, a blush clearly visible on her face.

The girls were right, she had it bad for him, but what was the point? He'd made it clear four months ago that he was not interested. Since then, they'd been struggling to return to their former state of friendship, and today she was finally feeling as if things were returning what they'd enjoyed before: a comfortable friendship. He was, of course, still uncomfortable when she hugged him, or touched him in any way for that matter, but he'd always been that way. Regardless, it was clear to her that he too was trying to heal their friendship; the lunch before her was a clear example of his efforts.

Hermione sighed and sat down to eat, motioning for Severus to join her. Over their lunch of the best Greek food ever, Hermione explained to him how they would save OWL.

"As you know, OWL is organized into sections of study: Potions, Transfiguration, Charms, Herbology, Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, Divination and Astronomy." She ticked off each one on her fingers. "Each section contains hundreds of files of graduate and master level research. So, my thought is that each person working on the project will take one section, and after creating a complete list of all the files in each category, they will begin saving the documents. However, since OWL was not created to share the actual files, only to archive, we really have a problem as to how to get to the files saved. I was thinking there would be a way to download whole file directories without getting access to the OWL server itself, but now that I think about it, that is something the MoM would have to approve."

"Indeed. It is unlikely they will approve that kind of access. I was lucky to get them to agree to the limited archiving, period," he told her honestly.

"Well, it can't hurt to try. Do you think a Patronus sufficient?"

Severus nodded and Hermione sent a sparkling otter on its way. Moments later, they received a haughty reply of, "Unfortunately, due to new security measures established in light of the ongoing situation, all direct access, whether physically or virtual, to the OWL server, has been limited to personnel with the Level 2 security clearance..."

Hermione sputtered as she'd listened to the line she was being fed and then stalked away from still talking Patronus. Well, now she had an answer; there would be no downloading directly from the server. As the Patronus faded, she paced the room, stamping her irritation into the floor with each step.

"As if physically limiting contact with the server was going to save it from the magivirus. Honestly!" she muttered. "Too little, too late, I swear... I'm thankful everyday that you saved me from working with the pea-sized intellects that inhabit our beloved Ministry."

Severus snorted at her indignation, loving how riled she got at stupidity.

Hermione stood up and placed her crumpled napkin on her plate. "Thank you for lunch, Severus," she said, sliding her wand from her sleeve and quickly banishing the dishes to the kitchen. "I think, if you don't mind, I am going to work on organizing what needs to be done for the project. Do you mind attending dinner with everyone tonight? I promise the girls will be on their best behavior."

"Hermione, you promised!" he complained, quite uncharacteristically.

She smiled, then with a laugh, told him, "If you'll recall, I promised that I would keep them out of our lab, nothing more. I never said that you wouldn't have to see them. Besides, I am going to need your help. You don't often admit to it, but you are great at using the computer, and we will need those skills if we are going to save everything. I'll make reservations at Padma's," she offered.

Severus' eyes narrowed as he studied the woman before him. He wasn't sure if going there was a good idea. Finally, he sighed and grumbled out, "If you must. But, I warn you, I won't be pleasant."

"Honestly, Severus. Are you ever pleasant with them?" she retorted as she walked to the computer to get started on her work.

From: Ms. Granger: PotionsKIA%aspenpotions. com
To: group: 'My Girls': magicalmaiden%affodell. com; pippa%affodell. com; queeny21%affodell. com
Sent: 10 April, 2012 3:06 PM
Subject: All Set

So, the MoM, in its infinite wisdom, has decided that we are a security risk and cannot have direct access to the server, whether physically or virtually, blah, blah, blah... So, we are left with the wonderful option of copying and pasting each document, and then saving it to our own server. We should all be able to work remotely, so you can set yourselves up to work from home if you want. This is will be long and tedious... so be forewarned!

Are you all available for dinner tonight? I want to walk everyone through what exactly we are going to do and assign sections to everyone.

Also, can one of you confirm with Draco that we will have online access to the server?

Let me know and I'll make reservations. Does Padma's sound fine?

PS: Sev has said he "won't be pleasant" to you tonight. You have been warned! Please behave! Please...

Be obscure clearly. EB White