Hermione roused, feeling the warm comfort of Severus' arm draped around her clashing with the cold breeze wafting in the early morning. Her wand was on the other side of the room, so she got up to brave the six steps to close the window herself.
As she secured the latch, her eyes darted to find the motion that was caught in her peripheral vision. It was a beetle, one that she knew wasn't simply an errant bug. With reflexes that would have impressed Ron, she grabbed the heavy comforter and threw it over the bug, rudely awakening Severus as she ran for her wand.
A loud crash, followed by Hermione training her wand on the now human-sized Rita Skeeter had peaked Snape's instincts as a spy and armed himself as well, disarming the loathsome reporter before she could rise and get out from under the blanket.
"Miss Granger! I was wondering why you would have sought a de-bonding with your husband, but an affair with a Death Eater believed to be dead... this is too juicy for me to hide, no matter how you try to blackmail me." Rita sniped, pulling herself free as her quick-quotes quill vibrated in anticipation for misquoting whatever was said next.
The look in Hermione's eyes were a cold fury, and Severus nodded his acquiescence to her. Nothing needed to be said, he'd support any plan she had provided that it didn't involve them winding up on the next issue of the Prophet.
"Obliviate." Hermione cooly stated, and Rita's eyes unfocused momentarily.
"Why am I here?" Hermione... SNAPE!" She panicked, eyes wide in fear.
"Obliviate." Hermine said icily, reaching deeper into her as she willed more to be wiped away cleanly.
"Who are you people? Where am I? Who am I?" Rita's fear reached a crescendo; and she tried to stumble backwards in a frightened attempt to scurry away from the unknown monsters that children eventually learn don't exist.
Hermione's face contorted, lips pressed tighter than her jaw was clenched shut, her eyes flared with the knowledge of what was coming next. She was way past gray, and was willing to go Dark. It's considered such an innocuous charm, too.
"OBLIVIATE." Hermione whispered, and she felt her aura darken for having done this, but it was necessary to protect Severus. And herself.
And because, deep down, she wanted to see if she really could do it. Wipe someone's memory entirely, as if they were a newborn. Unable to write, or talk, or even have the concept of language.
Severus cast Incendio on all of Rita's belongings, and fashioned a portkey from her hat. Levitating the illegal portkey in front of the amnesiac reporter, she smiled at the pretty floating thing and touched it, whisking her away.
"Saint Mungdo's can deal with her now, my love." He said quietly, awestruck at what the Heroine of the Golden Trio had just done.