Author's Note: These first few chapters will go by somewhat fast. They are meant as a type of prologue almost, and as we get into later school years the story will slow down and begin. So bear with me, and I hope you enjoy seeing these glimpses of how the charade developed Natalya/Hermione's character. :)
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A Slytherin in Gryffindor House:
Chapter 2
Year Two
Natalya dove to the floor, catching herself on her feet and hands almost like a cat. She panted heavily, and felt sweat pooling on her body. How long had she and her father been training? She wasn't sure. They had started an hour after breakfast, and in light of how her stomach had given up on growling she guessed that it was well into the afternoon and nearing dinnertime.
"What time do you think it is, father?" she asked, flicking her wand upwards and shouting "Protego!" to block the stinging jinx her father had sent her way and then sending a jelly-legs jinx towards him.
"It doesn't matter, Natalya," he said sternly, blocking the jelly-legs jinx easily. "I am going easy on you. Do you think your enemy will stick to non-deadly spells? Do you think they will let you break for tea?"
She flung herself to the side to avoid a tickling hex. "No, father," she said quickly. "Thank you, father." Several hexes in a row flew towards her and she threw herself back to the floor to evade them, casting a hex in return as she went down.
Adrian Dolohov grimaced in thought of how his daughter had spent the last month. "You are already behind in your studies since you insisted on spending part of your summer among muggles. While I can understand needing to understand their culture, you must invest the majority of your efforts in your ability to stay alive."
Natalya ducked to avoid another stinging jinx rather than casting an unnecessary Protego. Her body was tired, yet her magic was beginning to feel even more drained. She wasn't quite fast enough and she felt a slight tingle as the jinx grazed her shoulder.
This was going to be a long day.
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It had been a long summer and Natalya was trying to get back into character.
"We can actually meet him!" Natalya squealed. "I mean, he's written almost the whole booklist!"
As she made her way into the bookstore with her parents, using polyjuice to look like muggles, Harry, and the Weasleys, Natalya fought her way forward in the crowd to see Gilderoy Lockhart as he stood signing his books. He caught sight of Harry and immediately launched into another publicity stunt.
Natalya felt her mother catch up and stand behind her as they both watched Lockhart. "Not what I would have expected from his books," she said just loud enough for her mother to hear.
"There is certainly something strange about him," said Irina Dolohov, "and yet other people's accounts confirm his claims. Keep an eye on him, Na… Hermione."
Natalya and her mother observed quietly as they concluded their purchases and followed the Weasleys out. Platinum blonde hair caught her eye and she watched, frowning, as Lucius Malfoy and his son, Draco, confronted the group. Lucius' eyes strayed over Natalya's mother and father, his face a picture of scorn as he insulted them all. Natalya felt her face flushing in anger, her weight leaning forward as if she were about to walk forward and give the Malfoys a piece of her mind.
Just in time she felt her mother's hand resting on her shoulder and stopped in her tracks. The hand gripped tightly, and Natalya knew that her parents were as outraged as she. They were purebloods, they were wealthy, and to be looked down the nose at by Lucius Malfoy was beyond insulting. Lucius had practically been the Dark Lord's puppet in his search for power during the last war. At least Uncle Antonin hadn't been a puppet. Not in that demeaning way.
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The year began to pass much like her first, and Natalya once more settled into the role of Hermione Granger. This talk of the Chamber of Secrets worried her though. Not just because it was part of her task to help Harry, but also because it was supposed to target muggleborns and what if she wasn't targeted? Would people guess? Or would those who suspected Harry feel their suspicions confirmed because his "muggleborn" friend wasn't targeted? It made her anxious, to say the least. Perhaps a bit obsessive as well.
Ah well, she had plenty of time to deal with that later. In the meantime she took out her wand and the small mirror she had convinced the boys to bring her. The charms that kept her identity as Hermione Granger intact had begun to wane under Madam Pomfrey's care.
"What have we here?" drawled a very distinct voice which made Natalya jump.
"Professor Snape," she said in surprise. "What are you doing here?"
He walked over to the side of her hospital bed and looked at her sternly. That is to say, his expression looked exactly as it always did. "Imagine my surprise, Miss Granger, when I heard of your little mishap involving Polyjuice Potion, and only a month after my stores were short on shredded Boomslang skin, Lacewing flies, and powdered Bicorn horn. I wished to explain to you the severity with which I handle thieves. But then I come here and find you working on a glamour and I demand to know why."
"It is quite simple, Professor Snape," said Natalya. "I'm just practicing my spells since it is quite boring in this hospital bed."
"Mmm…" Snape took out his wand and cast a series of spells. To Natalya's horror, she felt the glamours drop away and knew that the face before him was not that of Hermione Granger. "Who are you?" he demanded.
"You had best ask Dumbledore if you want the answer to that question," she said angrily, hoping that if she said it with enough fervor that he might accept it and go to Dumbledore as she requested. Or better yet, give up this line of questioning entirely.
He raised an eyebrow at her. "Or you, Miss Granger or whoever you are, might tell me yourself."
"Why should I trust you?" she demanded.
"The fact that Dumbledore trusts me should be enough for you."
She crossed her arms stubbornly.
"Legilimens."
Natalya felt Snape going through her mind, pulling up memory after memory. Terrified and unsure of how to fight him off, Natalya gripped her wand tightly and shouted "Protego!"
He withdrew from her mind, but kept his wand out. "Tell me, or I will keep searching through your memories until I find the truth."
She clenched her jaw angrily, then finally relented. She had heard rumors of Professor Snape's skills from her parents. They had not yet taught her to protect herself against Legilimens, at which he was apparently more than proficient. If he was determined to know the truth, then there wasn't a bloody thing she could really do to stop him. "What do you wish to know? I am doing what I am at the request of Dumbledore, and I would hope that would be enough. He did not wish for me to speak of it with anyone, and I would prefer if you would respect that and leave me be."
"Who are you?" he demanded.
"Natalya Dolohov."
"Dolohov? A relative of Antonin's?"
She looked down, pretending to find her fingernails quite fascinating. "His niece," she said softly. "I am the daughter of Adrian and Irina Dolohov."
Snape sat down in a chair next to the bed, contemplating quietly. "And your purpose here?" he asked finally.
"To become close friends with Harry, so that I can stay close by and watch over him."
"Do you give up your secrets so easily to everyone who demands them?" he sneered.
Natalya glared up at him. "Well since I'm not trained in Occlumency I could hardly keep it from you now that you are suspicious. Though if you must know, Dumbledore and my parents are the only ones who know. At least, so far as I'm aware."
"You have gotten yourself into a great deal of trouble along with those friends of yours, but this… what was Dumbledore thinking asking this of you?"
"It is not so terrible as what he has asked of you," she said softly. "And yes, Dumbledore and my parents have told me a bit about you. Not everything, I am sure, but enough."
"That is different. You are a child," he hissed.
Natalya gave a little half smile. "Yes, but Professor, you were not much more than a child when your role in this began, and if the Dark Lord regains control this child can be killed as easily as any. Perhaps easier. And besides, after the acts of my uncle… it is my duty to do what I can."
"And when others discover you?" asked Snape.
"Well, Professor, I think I have done an admirable job so far if I do say so myself," she said with a smirk. "You caught me, it's true, but you wouldn't have if I wasn't here injured. And I still have everyone else fooled."
"I don't think anyone would expect to find that a Dolohov was sorted into Gryffindor."
"Heh," she said, waving her hand as if in dismissal. "You might be surprised what the sorting hat takes into consideration. It wanted me in Slytherin, but I insisted that I couldn't. So you might say I'm a Slytherin in Gryffindor house. I certainly don't think like them, though maybe one or two things have rubbed off on me."
"And those things are?"
"That is for me to know. And yes, you could force it out of me, but if you don't mind I'd rather get these glamours back in place and get some rest. Perhaps any other questions could be directed at Dumbledore?"
Snape just shook his head. "It is your secret, Miss Dolohov, and I will keep it. For now."
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The next day in Potions class Snape was in a worse mood than usual. Nothing was good enough, and 'Hermione' in particular seemed to anger him. He spent a good five minutes by her desk berating her for not understanding the difference between textbook learning and having a talent for potions.
Her temper was finally getting to her when he abruptly walked away. With a sigh she picked up her textbook and stifled a gasp at what she found lying underneath it. She glanced up at Professor Snape but he wasn't looking in her direction. There on her desk lay a small, well-worn book entitled A Practical Guide to Legilimency and Occlumency. With a smirk she slipped it quickly into her bag. Maybe it wasn't so bad that Snape was in on her secret.