A/N: I'm still finding my way with this story, so please excuse anything that may be a little off.
Anything you recognize (characters, setting, etc.) belongs to J.K. Rowling.
Please read and review.
CHAPTER THREE—MISS NOTHING
Professor Severus Snape had been enjoying his life since the war. No students to bother him, no paperwork to do, no potions to brew for the hospital wing, and no Potter. For the first time since Lily's death he had some semblance of peace and order. Until now.
The girl standing in front of him had seemed like an ordinary Muggle until less than an hour ago. She'd been an accommodating waitress, friendly in an unobtrusive way, and her mild curiosity hadn't been too annoying. Until she'd called him 'professor' he'd been planning to leave her a modest tip that should help to pay some of her bills. The moment that title had passed through her lips he'd known she was a spy. It was a small slip, barely noticeable if he hadn't been mildly on guard, but it had brought her into his absolute focus.
He'd assumed that Potter had discovered the truth of his survival and was trying to force him out of his sanctuary, or that Malfoy was trying to curry favor in some way. The girl's arguments that she knew nothing meant very little—Muggles had been used as spies during the First Wizarding War—until he'd tried the Memory Charm.
It was a spell he'd cast numerous times before. There were a lot of things people had seen that he hadn't wanted them to, and it was simple to fix. This apparently would not be in any way simple.
She was staring at him with those big blue eyes, apparently expecting some kind of conformation. A breeze swept through the alley and, before he could think of the consequences, he grabbed her by the arm and Apparated to Spinner's End.
The second they landed in the garden the girl spun away from him, eyes darting in various directions, and grabbed a small knife from her pocket. "What did you do? Take me back!"
"If you insist on making a racket, please come inside where you can do so where others will not hear," he said.
"I'm not going in there."
"I could force you to."
Warily, with knife clutched in hand, the girl walked up the steps and into his home. He could tell she was blinded by the darkness, but he stepped aside and lit the lanterns with a simple charm. The door locked behind them. The girl had frozen in the hallway, apparently waiting for his direction. "Follow me."
He took her into the small, cramped sitting room. Most of it was taken up with books and papers, but there was room enough for a small couch and his armchair. She took a seat on the former, still holding the knife, and glared. "What are you going to do to me?"
"What do you think that I'm going to do?"
"You're going to get the Ministry involved I expect, and they will attempt to erase my memory. When that doesn't work they're going to lock me up until I die, or turn me into a guinea pig for research on Muggles."
He baulked a little at her point blank explanation. For a Muggle, she seemed to know a lot about how the Ministry functioned. Severus leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, and tried to rationalize the best course of action. "I will not do so at this time."
She blanched. "You won't get a ransom from my family. We don't own enough."
"I'm not kidnapping you, Miss…. What is your name?"
"Seeing as how I already know yours, I suppose that it is only fair. My name's Jennifer Roberts."
"And you're a Muggle. Not a Squib?"
"I'm not familiar with the term. As far as I know I'm what you would call an ordinary Muggle—well, mostly."
"Care to share how you're immune to my Memory Charms?"
She began playing with the knife. He watched as it flashed in the light. Their breath fogged in the air, and he finally realized how cold it had become. Pulling out his wand, he lit a fire in the grate, ignoring the flinch the girl made when he did so.
"To be honest, I don't really know."
"You must understand; it is highly unusual."
"Why should I trust you?"
"You shouldn't."
The girl tucked a stand of blonde hair behind her ear and bit her lip. She looked tired. It would be courtesy to offer her something to drink or eat, but these were odd circumstances. He wasn't even sure if he had anything to eat or drink available. The Muggle establishments were where he got most of his nourishment these days.
"The simplest way I can explain it," Jennifer said, "is that when I touch people I see their memories. The longer the contact the more I get. And I remember everything. Obviously, the memory spell thing not working on me is another side effect."
"Side effect? Have you taken something to achieve these things?"
"No."
There was a buzzing from the bag at her side and she opened it up to grab a small silver object. "Hello? Yes Mum, I'll be there. Don't worry. Love you too." She closed and put it away.
"Are you expected somewhere?"
"Yes, yes I am. Now please return me to my home."
"It is not that simple. You know the truth, and that's a very dangerous thing. I have to know that you're not going to speak to anyone about this."
"Trust me, I won't. Last time I did I got locked up for two years."
There was fear in her eyes. He felt there was more to her story than she was saying, but it wasn't his place to push. The matter of her abilities was a mystery in and of itself. The girl herself was full of questions as well. The part of Severus' mind that loved puzzles had awoken with a fury, and he clenched down on his tongue to prevent asking more. There wasn't an easy solution.
"I am at a loss for the best way to handle this situation. I cannot simply let you go, as you say, because I have never seen a condition such as yours. If you did not mind…I would like to study you."
"So instead of being a Ministry guinea pig, I'd be yours?" She raised an eyebrow and pointed toward him with the knife. "What do I get out of this?"
"Does this ability cause you trouble?"
"You have no idea."
"I could possibly engineer a potion to remove its effects. Once I understand it in full of course."
"You could make it go away?"
"It's only a chance. As I do not know anything about its cause or how it works, I cannot say for sure."
"That's not good enough. I have two jobs to juggle. I can't add this."
"I can pay you."
She laughed lightly and put the knife in her pocket. "Just saying, but I don't know how that's possible. You're living here."
"My wealth is not reflected in my surroundings, but it is real. You would be paid most handsomely."
She bit her lip again, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. Despite his reservations, Severus felt a slight fascination for the girl. He'd been buried in books and papers for almost a year now, and it had become a little…boring. This girl, Jennifer Roberts, was presenting him with an opportunity to study and learn again.
"What do you get out of this?"
"My curiosity sated."
Her eyes flickered for a brief moment with an emotion he couldn't place, but then chilled to ice. "I am a person, you know. Just because you can use magic doesn't mean you're better than me."
"I never said that I was."
"And you would have to work around my schedule."
"That's fine," he said.
"And I want to be paid on a bi-weekly basis, not monthly."
"Agreed."
"And I get a say in whatever experiments you plan to do, and I need some way to be in contact with you."
"Your Muggle devices won't work well with me. I will send a letter by owl."
She laughed, a sound that wasn't displeasing to his ears, and he waited for her to calm down. "You must be joking."
"Cora is more than capable of delivering messages to you," he said. Upon hearing her name, the dark-feathered owl swooped into the study and landed on the armchair. Jennifer gazed curiously at the bird, but kept her distance. "Do you have any complaints?"
"I suppose not."
"Then we're agreed. You will come here when available, I will study your abilities, and after enough research I will work to develop a possible cure or deterrent."
"And you'll pay me?"
"I'm a man of my word."
"If you're not, I'll find whoever this Potter person is and tell him about you. I swear it."
His eyes narrowed, but, in the end, he agreed that her having a slight upper hand wasn't a bad thing. She was most likely scared, and perhaps acting out of desperation. If his instincts were right, she was going to hide as soon as possible, and not actually work with him.
Jennifer Roberts was going to be surprised if she tried to run. Severus Snape was a curious man, and once his appetite to learn was awakened it would not rest until sated. There would be nowhere in the world she could hide.
