And here's part two! I hope you are all enjoying this!

Minerva had been watching her for the better part of a week, and it was starting to grate on Hermione's nerves. Any opportunity to just stare at her was taken unabashedly, with seemingly no concern over how barking mad she looked. By Friday afternoon, at the conclusion of Transfiguration, Hermione had officially had enough, so she waited for the room to clear of other students before approaching her Professor.

"Would you like to tell me why you've been stalking my person this last week?" she asked without ceremony.

"I've been doing no such thing!" the other woman claimed, though by her blush Hermione could tell that even she didn't believe her statement.

"You have," she said adamantly, "and I want to know why."

"I do not answer to you, Miss Snape," Minerva said crisply. "However, let's just say that you were noticed leaving the castle with your father, and noticed returning in a fair amount of pain. One might suspect it had something to do with the brand on your arm."

Hermione looked away. She had suspected for some time that Minerva knew she'd taken the Dark Mark, though the older witch had never before confronted her about it. It didn't matter much in the grand scheme, because Dumbledore already knew and it wasn't a risk to her position, but it did go a long way to explain why Minerva treated her so poorly. She shuddered to think what the woman she loved would think about some of the other things she'd had to do, in order to maintain her cover.

The only reason she could still sleep at night was because she knew that the people she'd killed would have suffered much longer if she hadn't quickly earned a reputation as a stellar interrogator. Not even her father had managed to get into that position. By being the one to work a victim for information, she was able to decide what secrets spilled she could give to Voldemort, and what she could hold back. It also allowed her to warn Dumbledore if secrets spilled resulted in a threat to an Order member. As soon as she had the information, she could put the poor wizard or witch out of their misery. Unlike many of her Death Eater brethren, she did not relish in causing pain, and since she was still in school, any threats she issued toward a victim's children would always be taken seriously. They knew she'd have the opportunity, and there was no greater persuasion tactic than to threaten a victim's child.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Hermione lied. "My father simply fancied taking me to dinner out of the castle."

To Hermione's surprise, Minerva lunged forward and grabbed her arm, pulling her sleeve up before she could react, showing the Dark Mark on her arm plain as day. "Oh really?" she sneered. "Honestly, Miss Snape, I'm not a stupid woman, so how about you stop acting as if I were. And don't even try and tell me that you had no choice. There's always a choice!"

With a heavy sigh, Hermione pulled her arm away and put her sleeve back in place, before looking the Scottish woman in the eye. "I had a choice," she said, tear falling down her cheek despite her efforts to keep her emotions in check. "But I don't expect you to understand why this is the path I went down."

"Explain it to me!" Minerva shouted. "Why in Merlin's name would an intelligent young woman like you choose to follow the likes of You-Know-Who? The cost of such an allegiance is unimaginable! It's too much!"

"For the greater good," she answered quietly. "And I am painfully aware of the cost, Minerva. The cost is standing in front of me, afraid to look me in the eye. Good day."

With that said, Hermione ran out of the room, terrified of what Minerva might have said in response, and concerned that she'd said too much. For two years, the older witch had been content to just treat her with disregard, but something had shifted and she didn't know what. Minerva was asking questions that Hermione couldn't answer, for as surely as the Dark Mark bound her to Voldemort, the Unbreakable Vow she'd made to Dumbledore bound her to silence.

Hours later, Minerva sat silently in the Staff Room, mulling over her latest conversation with Miss Snape. Everything she knew to be true about Death Eaters was contrary to Hermione's statement about the greater good being served by her choice to join their ranks. The fact that Hermione had addressed her by name was all manner of unsettling on top of that, given her recent dream of the alternate Hermione having been given permission to do that.

Beyond that, Minerva was beginning to ask herself why she even cared so much. Miss Snape was just one among several older students primed and ready to join Voldemort's ranks. In many of those students, she saw the wasted potential. So why did this one student get under her skin, and for Merlin's sake why was the dream version of herself so attached to that alternate Hermione?

"Minerva?" Filius' voice called, pulling her away from her thoughts. "Are you alright?"

She regarded her coworker for a moment, and considered how much he enjoyed a good puzzle. Their long standing friendship promised confidentiality, and true to his Ravenclaw nature, he was often able to see things that others would miss. "I'm trying to sort out a puzzle," she finally replied. "Want to weigh in?"

He smiled, and took a seat beside her. "Go on."

"I recently had a conversation with one of the students that evidence suggests has joined the ranks of You-Know-Who," she began, "during which the student stated that they'd made the choice to join because of the greater good. What greater good could be served by joining the likes of him? It's my understanding that the draw to his ranks is in promises of power in exchange for service. That's pure and simple selfishness, and doesn't serve anyone beyond themselves. I just… can't wrap my head around the concept."

He looked thoughtful. "Is this student intelligent?"

"Highly, not that she applies herself often."

"Ah," he said knowingly. "Miss Snape."

Minerva huffed. "I was trying to give you objectivity."

"Personal convictions are just that, Minerva," Filius replied. "Personal. As such, that kind of objectivity doesn't really help us understand. Miss Snape is indeed very intelligent, and while her actions do show her to be the sort with dark leanings, it is her inactions that have most interested me over the years."

"What do you mean?" the Scottish witch asked.

"Have you ever seen her bully a fellow student of her own accord?" he asked.

"Of course, she does it all the time!"

"She certainly does, but she is never the one to make the first move. She'll join in if a fellow student has already chosen a target, but she never bullies independently. Given that everything else we know of Miss Snape shows her to be a highly independent young woman, this is out of character for her. She's not a sheep, Minerva."

The other professor was silent for a moment, trying to think of any instance that would disprove Filius' supposition. She couldn't come up with anything. "Alright, let's say you're right about that. What does that mean?"

"If what you say is true, that she made the choice to join, then we can rule out any reasons that suggest she was coerced into taking the mark," he replied. "This implies that she did it of her own volition, for a greater purpose. Given her obvious intelligence, I would not be surprised if she was perfectly aware of Grindelwald's campaign, and how it stood on the principle of the greater good. She may have actually been referring to it when she made her statement to you."

"Grindelwald used that statement as a means to justify any and every horrible action," Minerva countered. "That hardly gives the girl any points in her favor."

"It does if her association with that phrase is because she's been influenced by Albus," he countered, "who as you have ranted about numerous times, steadfastly turns a blind eye to her wrongdoings. The question then becomes one of why."

"He treats Severus much the same way," Minerva agreed, grumbling.

Filius sighed. "It really is quite obvious if you'd put your emotions on the back burner for five minutes."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "What's obvious?"

"We know Albus has spies in his service, Minerva," he replied, standing. "Did it ever occur to you that a parent and child duo of spies would be ideal to reach and influence people on the fence of choosing sides?"

The shocked look on her face told him that no, that thought had not occurred to her, though while Filius was nearly unrivaled in regard to his skills of deductive reasoning, she was no slouch at it either. It did make sense.

"If that were true, why wouldn't he have told us?" she tried. "For that matter, since it obviously bothers Miss Snape greatly that I think so poorly of her, why hasn't she told me?"

"Again, Minerva, it's rather obvious."

"Filius…"

"The Unbreakable Vow."

Minerva blinked. "Oh."

In the weeks leading up to Christmas break, Minerva had been unusually distant and almost considerate to Hermione, which of course did not go unnoticed by Hermione's fellow Slytherins. Pansy was taking a good bit of pleasure in making suggestive comments about how, if McGonagall was being nice to Hermione, it must mean that Hermione had betrayed the Dark Lord. From Hermione's point of view, she'd never been loyal to Voldemort in the first place, which technically meant she had not betrayed him, although she wasn't about to tell this to Pansy. As much as a part of her was relishing in the unusual consideration that Minerva was showing her these days, it was actually undermining her role within Voldemort's ranks. That, sadly, would not do.

"I'm just gonna have to piss her off," Hermione decided.

With a heavy sigh, she made her way to the Headmaster's office, and let herself in with the password - Charleston Chew this week - and approached the aged wizard. "Good morning, Headmaster."

"Miss Granger, to what do I owe the pleasure?" he asked.

She smiled a little at that. While Severus had gone fully into character, and only addressed her as Snape, Dumbledore would address her by the name she'd been born with when he knew it was safe to do so.

"I'm having a bit of a problem with Minerva," she explained. "I'm concerned that she's found some reason to suspect my true allegiance, as she's being… nice to me."

He frowned. "Well, that doesn't bode well. I know that it pains you to have her treat you so poorly, my dear, but to keep her safe, she must believe the subterfuge of the Obliviation. Have you an idea on how to reassert your claim to darkness in her eyes?"

"I do, but you're not going to like it," she replied. "I was thinking about attacking her. Even before she started to act like she suspected something, she knew you turned a blind eye to my actions, so I don't think she'd be suspicious of you ignoring that I'd engaged a Professor in a duel."

"True," he agreed. "Though I'd rather not see her hurt."

"You know I can't promise that," Hermione replied, "but I can do my best to minimize the damage. I don't want to cause her lasting harm. I just want to send a clear message."

"Very well," he agreed. "Please stay clear of other students when you attack. I don't want innocents harmed in the process. Young people are so prone to heroics, and I wouldn't put it past young Harry to try to step in on his Head of House's behalf."

"I had considered that. I was planning to do the attack during a period he is in class."

He nodded in approval of her plan. "I would say alert me when it's done, but word travels quickly in this castle so I imagine I'll hear about it before it's even over. Of course, you're counting on that."

"I am," she replied. "It serves doubly so if Parkinson and the others like her can report to Voldemort that I've attempted to do in the Deputy Head of Hogwarts."

"Alert Severus before you engage her," Dumbledore added. "Minerva may be fair in class but she's anything but in a battle situation. I do not believe she'd kill you, even if you gave her the chance, but she would have no issue with injuring you grievously."

"Charming," Hermione scoffed. "Thank you, Headmaster."

"Good day, Miss Granger."

It was nearly a week before an opportunity was presented. It was just like the older woman to offer herself on a silver platter. Typical Gryffindor - more than enough courage, but lacking in an ability to consider potential consequences. "I know you're hiding something," Minerva called to her on a Wednesday afternoon, catching her heading toward the Library.

Hermione looked around, saw that there were no students around, and after a mental look at her diary, confirmed that Harry was currently in Care of Magical Creatures. With a deep breath, she carefully drew her wand, and then spun on her heel and slung a strong stinging hex toward her Professor.

"What the bloody…" Minerva swore, getting her shield up just in time to block the spell. "What do you think you're doing, Miss Snape!"

"Shutting you up," Hermione said lowly, with a dangerous edge to her voice that immediately put Minerva on guard. "I have had enough of this. You're going to learn to mind your own business, McGonagall!"

At that point, conversation pretty much came to an end, and for the next twenty minutes, Minerva and Hermione dueled furiously, each getting in a little damage here and there. Eventually, both woman realized that the distance between them was granting their respective opponents more time to react, so they began to circle closer.

Minerva was nearly on her, and as she flicked her wand to the left, Hermione moved to put up a shield, not realizing that the older woman hadn't cast a spell, but rather poised her fist to swipe back to the right, colliding with Hermione's jaw with considerable force. In response, Hermione grabbed Minerva's wrist and spun her around, flinging her into a stone wall. Her head slammed back and impacted, and for a moment, Hermione thought Minerva was going to pass out.

Instinct took over, and Hermione moved forward to cradle the other woman's head gently, trying to see if the head wound was serious. "Minerva…" she whispered, concerned. Unfortunately for Hermione, Minerva's vision cleared a moment later, and her instinct upon seeing her opponent right in her face was to grab her hair, and twist her around, so that now Hermione was the one with her head being bounced against the wall. "Ow," she complained, feeling dizzy.

"What is wrong with you, Hermione?" Minerva demanded. "One day you're telling me that in another life, I might have loved you, and now you're attacking me! Dammit woman, you make no sense!"

Hermione would later look back on this moment and be at a loss to explain what happened next; Minerva kissed her. Passionately. Of course, her brain more or less fell out at the contact, and she responded with vigor. Both women seemed to be holding on for dear life as the kiss continued, but as much as Hermione wished things were different, as her head began to clear and she realized what was happening, she knew she had to stop it.

So, she shoved Minerva away, slapped her across the face for good measure, and stormed off without a word, heading to her dorm where she planned to have a good long cry.

Minerva downed a Calming Drought the minute she got back to her quarters, and followed that with a pain potion, before conjuring an ice pack for her head and sitting down to look at the sizable gash in her thigh from where Hermione had gotten her with a slicing hex. With a sigh, she realized that the wound was severe enough that she'd not be able to tend it on her own, so she limped over to the fireplace and Flooed her friend and resident Mediwitch. "Poppy, can you come over for a minute?"

The other witch didn't question, coming through a minute later, and gasping at the sight of her friend. "Minerva, what happened?"

The Scottish witch winced as Poppy began poking and prodding about her person. "I got into an altercation with a student," she admitted.

"A… a student!" Poppy exclaimed. "Minerva, you have to report this!"

"I rather don't see much of a point," she said with a sigh.

The Mediwitch, who was well aware of the special treatment one particular Slytherin student got from the Headmaster, let out a groan. "Hermione Snape," she hissed.

"Quite," Minerva said sourly. "I'm sure by now Severus is tending to her wounds. Neither of us were holding back."

"In that case, I'd say you're lucky to be alive. The spells that witch knows?" Poppy remarked, aghast. "She might have used an Unforgivable on you!"

"I don't think she meant to kill me, Poppy," Minerva replied. "Just teach a lesson."

"A lesson," the other woman deadpanned. "Of all the nerve…"

"I'm pretty sure I had it coming," she sighed. "I just… I suppose I was seeing something I wanted to see, some good in her. I had all but convinced myself that she was secretly working for the Order - a spy - but after this… no, I don't know why, but that woman is cloaked in anger, and that is exactly the sort of thing You-Know-Who exploits. She's beyond reason, and beyond hope."

And yet, for some reason, I kissed her, she thought to herself, still trying to figure out what on earth had possessed her to do such a thing. The wounds Hermione had inflicted on her would heal easily enough, but the memory of that young woman's lips was going to torment her until the end of time. Why had she done that? And sweet Merlin, had Hermione kissed her back?

"Here," Hermione offered a pain potion to her father. Voldemort really didn't have much of a pattern, these days, as to who was going to get tortured for some supposed failure, and who'd be spared. Luckily, at this evening's meeting, Hermione had been spared, for which she was grateful considering she was still in a good deal of pain from her duel with Minerva two days prior. Severus hadn't been quite that lucky, not that he'd complain.

"Thank you," he replied, taking the vial and downing it at once.

The two of them left his quarters a moment later, as usual going to the Head Tower to report to Albus. While Christmas break didn't actually start until the end of the week, Draco had been moved last night for his own safety, to Order Headquarters, and so he'd not be there tonight.

"Report," Dumbledore ordered succinctly.

"He's keeping Nagini close for the time being," Severus began. "Though Hermione and I have been discussing the merits of attempting to Imperius him in concert to send her somewhere else. When it was just me, I wouldn't have dreamed of trying it on the Dark Lord, but with both of us we may be able to influence him enough to send the damn snake somewhere he perceives as safe, but we can get to."

"Possible," Dumbledore agreed, "though let's hold onto that thought for the time being. We still have the horcrux in Mister Potter's scar to contend with, given that Miss Granger won't allow us to proceed with my original plan…"

"To lead Harry to his death like a pig to slaughter?" Hermione growled. "I bloody well think not. I gave up everything to save him, and I'm not going to let you give up on him like that. He deserves to live a long, happy life. I'm planning to spend the Christmas break in the Library working on that issue. I have several ideas; I just need to research them. One of them is actually a potion…"

Severus perked up at that. "What potion?"

"I'm considering the idea of developing an offshoot of the edax animae," she replied. "I figure that if the creation of a Dementor - a creature that eats souls - is a combination of Necromancy, some of the darkest Charms I've ever seen, and that potion, then perhaps the potion that gives the dementor its ability to eat souls could be modified to only take a target soul, or rather fragment of a soul. A dementor never harms the physical shell of a person it attacks, so it stands to reason that Harry would be left unharmed. The kink I still need to work out is how to make the potion target only the fragment of Voldemort's soul, and leave Harry's soul alone."

"What about adding Mullein?" Severus asked. "Or some other ingredient with antibiotic properties?"

Hermione looked thoughtful. "That's a direction I hadn't considered. Fae Garlic would be ideal, but that's really hard to find."

"I can start checking around with my contacts," he offered.

Dumbledore cleared his throat. "If you two could hold off this intellectual debate…"

"Apologies, Headmaster," Severus said. "I'm not sure there's anything else to report. You've already destroyed the other five horcruxes, and lived to tell the tale…"

"Only because I was there to stop him from putting on a cursed ring…" Hermione muttered under her breath, remembering the day in question, last year.

"...which means that ending the Dark Lord once and for all boils down to two simple things," Severus continued. "We must destroy the remaining two horcruxes, and then the physical body from Voldemort's reanimation. We know what the final two are, but not how to destroy them, and there's no point in discussing battle strategy until we've gotten that far."

"I have the Order working on the battle plan," Dumbledore said dismissively. "Now that Harry is over seventeen, he's taking part in the meetings, as is young Ronald. I must say, Mister Weasley has a decent head for strategy…"

"And a hot temper," Hermione added. "He may be able to plan a battle, Dumbledore, but don't put him on the front lines. He'll let emotion get the better of him, and he'll get killed."

"Agreed," the old man replied with a nod. "If that's all, the two of you could probably stand for some rest."

Severus and Hermione both agreed wholeheartedly to that point and made to leave with curt goodnights before the Headmaster changed his mind about concluding their meeting so quickly.

"Well that doesn't look good," Minerva muttered to herself, watching as Misters Potter and Weasley were being surrounded by a group of six upper year Slytherins, led by Pansy Parkinson.

"I told you to watch your back, Potter," Miss Parkinson spat.

She was moving to step in when she saw Miss Snape approach, and while one part of her was urging haste in light of the development, another part of her held back. She wanted to see what Hermione would do. As a middle ground to her opposing instincts, Minerva morphed into her Animagus form and slunk forward undetected. She was close enough now that it would be easy to come to her poor cubs' rescue if needed, but remain undetected so at least for the time being, she could stand back and watch the scene unfold.

"Really, Pansy, I'm beginning to think you have nothing better to do," Miss Snape drawled, sounding so very like her father.

"And I'm beginning to think that you have it in your head to get Potter before me!" the other girl accused. "You just watch, Snape, I'm going to be the one in the Dark Lord's favor in the end."

"You are in a public place," Hermione remarked, arms opening to point out the large open space of the grounds before them, with a number of students within eye shot. "And the Dark Lord ordered you to stay in school to watch Potter, not to scare him and his… pet."

Ronald growled at that comment, and Minerva didn't blame the boy.

"It's called taking initiative," Parkinson said smugly.

"It's called disobeying orders," Snape countered.

With a huff, Parkinson jerked her head toward her friends, and the group of Slytherins walked away with glares toward the two Gryffindors. Hermione remained a moment, however.

"We didn't need your help, Snape!" Weasley shot out. "This time or any of the others. Why don't you just leave us alone?"

Hermione sighed. "Weasley, to every thing there is a season. A time to live, and a time to die; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to keep silent, and a time to speak. There's a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace. Sooner or later, you'll figure that out."

Both boys looked stunned at her words, and confused. Potter seemed like he knew he knew that quote from somewhere, though was unable to place it. Minerva, raised by a muggle Minister, knew immediately what Miss Snape had been referencing. What she'd just said was a shortening of a poem by King Solomon, found in the Muggle Bible.

Why in Merlin's name would a Slytherin witch, raised in darkness and branded with the Dark Mark, think to quote the Bible? Minerva was so shocked by this that she didn't even notice that the boys had left until she was brought out of her musings by the sound of Hermione Snape crying under the tree she was hiding in.

Hermione heard Minerva coming before she saw her. There was a distinctive way the older witch moved, much like a cat, and under her father's guidance she'd become more than adept at noticing patterns like that. Minerva seeking her out was not all that surprising, but the tone she used - gentle but unsure - when she finally announced her presence was unexpected. "What are you doing?"

"Research," Hermione answered, not even looking up. "Can I help you, Professor? As you can see, I really am quite busy at the moment."

Minerva sighed. "We need to talk, Hermione. This… whatever it is between us has gotten out of hand."

Hermione paused in her writing, but still refused to look up. "You kissed me."

"You kissed me back," the older witch countered.

"Why did you do that?" Hermione asked. Despite that yes, she really did need to be working on the research on Horcruxes, Minerva wasn't wrong in her thinking that the dynamic between them needed to be addressed. Her plan to push Minerva away by instigating a duel had failed spectacularly, and so at this point she was willing to try talking it out.

"Kiss you?" Minerva asked. "I honestly don't know, though in retrospect I suppose I'm forced to admit that I'm attracted to you. Why did you kiss me back?"

Hermione laughed bitterly. "The most powerful magic on earth compelled me to."

"I don't understand."

Finally, Hermione turned, giving her full attention to the woman who'd taken a seat next to her. "Love, Minerva. Despite all good sense, I love you."

Minerva looked thoughtful. "So what you said, that night in the kitchens…"

"That in another life, you might have loved me?" Hermione finished. "You've already admitted to being attracted to me, but the reality of it is that we're on opposite sides, and each have parts to play in this war, for our own reasons."

"I don't believe you're truly loyal to Voldemort," Minerva interjected.

"I'm not overly concerned about what you believe. So long as the Dark Lord believes I belong to him, then things are as they should be," she replied. "The truth, and the lies, are what stand between us. Neither of us would ever be happy in a relationship in which there are secrets between us, and I cannot tell you so much as whether or not you're close to guessing the truth."

"That's cryptic."

"It's hell," Hermione choked out, feeling a sense of closure that she wished didn't need to happen. This conversation would be the end of something that might have been wonderful, because at the end of the day, even if they both survived the war and Hermione was able to be honest with Minerva about her role in it, it didn't change that Obliviation was permanent, and that no matter what happened, there would always be the lie of the altered memories between them.

The sight of Hermione breaking down caused Minerva to stand, and pull the younger woman into a hug. "I wish I knew what to say," she murmured. "I wish I could say it was going to be alright, but I don't have enough facts to make a judgment call and I won't insult you with baseless platitudes."

"We can't do this," Hermione said weakly, burying her nose into Minerva's neck, trying to memorize her scent. There was every chance she'd never have the opportunity to be this close to the woman she loved again.

"We can have this moment," the older witch said softly, tilting Hermione's chin up. "Just a moment, to be honest with each other about one thing."

Lips met softly, nothing like it had been the last time in the corridor. While the passion before had been fueled by fury and resentment, now the heat built on sorrow and desperation. They both knew that there was something between them - something that might have been everything - but they both equally knew that love wasn't enough.

"I don't want to let you go," Hermione moaned as the other woman slowly stopped the kiss. "How can I go back to what we have to be to each other, now that I know what you taste like? Now that I know you feel it too?"

"Much the same way I will," Minerva admitted with a sigh. "With difficulty."

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