Chapter 3 – Duplicity Half Revealed

Hermione fell silent when Ron entered the room, but Ginny was still giggling. Hermione prodded her and glared. Two days had passed since her encounter with Fred in the upstairs bathroom, and Ron had been trying to get her alone to ask her about it ever since. Ginny had been invaluable.

"Mom says it's time for lunch," he stated sullenly. He was sure they'd been laughing about him for a moment before he brightened up, deciding that they were probably laughing about Fred instead. Poor Fred, he'd been mortified when he related the story to George, Ron and Bill later that day. Ron had really felt bad for him as he stood there blushing just over the retelling. George had laughed hysterically. It was Bill, though, who'd put the whole thing in perspective.

"Maybe she just really thinks of us as family," he'd said thoughtfully, "if she doesn't see you as boyfriend material, then chances are she really WASN'T looking, and there's no reason for you to be embarrassed." Ron had been pondering that comment for the last two days. Was it possible that Hermione thought of herself as his adopted sister? It would explain why she hadn't realized he was trying to kiss her last week. He shook his head as he led the way to lunch. Surely not. He felt so strangely nervous around her, and he was always hoping she'd kiss him on the cheek again like she had before his first Quidditch match last year. She just HAD to feel the same.

He seated himself heavily at the table, weighed down by his thoughts, and Hermione sat next to him. Not as close as she might have a year ago, he noticed. Ginny plopped down on his other side. Hermione shot her a sly grin as Ron began to help himself to everything in arm's reach. They waited until he did it, knowing the time would come. Eventually he took a large bite of something, chewed for a minute, and then joined in Bill and George's conversation about Quidditch. The girls had decided beforehand what they were going to say.

"OH, Ron, ick! Swallow first, would you?" they said in tandem. Half the table looked up, and Ron turned red. The girls laughed and exchanged a look.

"Looks like you've got two little sisters on your case now, mate," Fred said knowingly, having first been careful to swallow his food. Hermione beamed. It was all working out perfectly.

"Really, Ron!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed, making him glow an even brighter red.

When everyone had turned back to their own conversations, Hermione and Ginny both leaned toward him and whispered, "Sorry," in his ear. He looked between them in shock, but they'd gone back to eating as if they didn't know that they were behaving exactly the same. Ron finished his lunch carefully, not bothering to talk at all.

For three days, all was quiet, and Hermione was overjoyed - it seemed that Ron had gotten the message. She sat down to re-read Harry's letter and decide how to respond.

Hermione,

Your plan sounds brilliant. Let me know how it goes. I don't want to be picking up the pieces next term.

Speaking of Hogwarts, I am already here, taking Remedial Potions again with Professor Snape. He showed up early last week and brought me back. I've now had one solid week of extra lessons, and things are going better than I expected. He seems more inclined to explain things to me now that I've told him I read those books earlier this summer. I haven't mentioned yet about the problems I was having, I'm not sure how to go about it without setting him off. He still flies off the handle often enough, but only when I do, I guess. I've got my afternoons free, and while I fly, I try to think about that instead of other things. It makes the lessons go better. He says I've got to face it though - that it's what makes me fail. I was really angry at first, but I think he's probably right. When he's not going out of his way to cause pain, Professor Snape is actually pretty tolerable. Or maybe I'm just getting used to it, spending four hours a day with him mucking about in there.

I did write to Ron to let him know I'm not at the Dursley's anymore, but I didn't say anything about you. If he finds out that you told me about all this he'll be furious, and I'd rather have him speaking to me next term than not!

If you have any ideas how I can tell Professor Snape, write me back right away. I think he should know, but I don't want him to get so angry that he stops teaching me.

Harry

Hermione sat with her quill in her mouth for a long moment, staring at the parchment before she abruptly burned it with her wand and set about writing a response. It was lucky she had, because Ron knocked on the door to her room only a few sentences into her letter.

"Who are you writing to?"

"Harry. He's back at Hogwarts, did he tell you?"

"Yeah," Ron responded, looking uncomfortable. "I guess the letter to Snape worked, then."

"Professor Snape, Ron, and yes, it looks that way. Harry doesn't seem angry, either, so I'm guessing he hasn't told him about the letter, which means -"

"Which means he knows Harry didn't write it," Ron finished, his eyes widening in sudden understanding. "We are so dead." He fell gracelessly onto Ginny's bed, which was beside the writing desk.

"Not necessarily. He obviously saw the truth in what we wrote, or he wouldn't have agreed to teach Harry Occlumency again. He might not be angry at all."

"Since when is Snape ever not angry? Harry says he's used Sirius' death twice to break into his mind when he couldn't get in any other way. It sure sounds to me like he's still angry."

"Harry said that?"

"Well, not in so many words, but, that was the idea." Ron put his hands behind his head and stared at the ceiling.

Hermione was silent. Harry hadn't told her that part. Maybe he just didn't want to upset her by being disrespectful of a Professor. She went back to her letter, and Ron sat silently until she'd completed it, a first for him. As she put it in an envelope, his head turned toward her. "Hermione?"

She didn't look up, afraid suddenly that her ploy hadn't worked. What if he asked her out or something! "Do you think Occlumency will be enough this time? I mean, if he's got a direct link to - to Voldemort," he said, forcing the name out fast and continuing, "is it even possible that Occlumency will stop him being possessed again, like in the Ministry of Magic?"

"I don't know, Ron, but it's the best we've got," Hermione said firmly, letting out a slow breath. She turned to face him, letter in hand. "Can I borrow Pig? I haven't seen Hedwig lately." As they trotted down the hall to get the tiny owl, Hermione's relief was almost palpable. But still, Ron was not acting with her quite the way he would with Ginny or Harry. Perhaps a little more work was in order.


Another day passed, and Harry had already had two Occlumency lessons in his second week with Snape when Hermione's letter arrived, carried by the overzealous Pig. The owl arrived at the most inopportune time. Harry had managed to put up shields around his mind before Severus could get in for the first time, but the twittering distracted him. Severus saw Harry's overwhelming desire to throttle the little bird before he could end the spell, and as a result, he plucked Pig out of the air before Harry could get to him.

"I'm not going to hurt him," Harry said defensively, knowing what his Professor must be thinking. He got a raised eyebrow for his trouble, but Pig was released.

"You will have to learn to work around distractions, Mr. Potter," Severus said quietly. Nevertheless, he sent Pig away with a harsh word as soon as the letter was delivered. Harry put the letter in his pocket and looked up at him expectantly. He'd learned his lesson. The last time he'd read a letter in front of Professor Snape, he'd then had to defend the information against mental attack!

Disappointment flickered across Severus' face, but it was gone again in a heartbeat. Even if Harry wasn't aware of it, however, Severus was, and he paused for a moment to wonder at it. Since when did he care what Miss. Granger and Mr. Potter discussed in their letters? 'Since she maneuvered you so adeptly, perhaps? Since you noticed her Slytherin tendencies,' a traitorous voice began in the back of his head, and he squashed it violently. Miss. Granger was the consummate Gryffindor. That's why he despised her. 'So is Albus, but you know full well that he's cunning, and excellent at getting what he wants. Obviously Miss. Granger is as well.'

"Mr. Potter, I seem to recall from last year's foray into this branch of magic that the Sorting Hat considered putting you into Slytherin, is that so?" he asked, trying to get his mind back on the topic at hand.

Harry was startled by this sudden shift in topic. "Yes, Sir," he said, suddenly uncomfortable. The last thing he wanted to do was talk about last year's fiasco.

"You are not nearly crafty enough to be of any use to the Slytherins, Potter, you need not worry," Severus said wryly. Harry grinned in spite of himself. It seemed strange, but the last few days, he'd almost begun to appreciate his Professor's humor. A year ago he might have taken offense at that statement, since Professor Snape obviously thought Slytherins were superior to the rest of the school. Or did he? Harry looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Is that how they make friends in your house, Professor? By who is useful to them?" The words were out of his mouth before he realized how insulting they would sound. He suppressed a wince as Professor Snape scowled suddenly.

But to the surprise of them both, he answered anyway. "Often that is the case, Potter. Slytherin politics are - complex. It is difficult to make real friends in Slytherin House." The words came grudgingly, and at first Severus didn't want to elaborate. Then Draco flashed through his mind, and he continued with a new purpose. "Small wonder that Mr. Malfoy was so anxious to be your friend first year. You were probably the only pureblood boy his father would have approved of him befriending regardless of your house. And he'd already met most of the Slytherins at various parties in his youth."

Harry looked down. "If he hadn't made hating Ron a condition of shaking his hand, I wouldn't have turned him down," he replied quietly. At this admission, Severus started a bit. He hadn't been expecting to get anything resembling understanding from the boy. Harry looked back up at him. "Ron and Hagrid were the first friends I'd ever had, Professor. I wanted to make friends with everyone I could, but Malfoy made it obvious that he despised both of them. I couldn't very well drop them for him."

Severus nodded in spite of himself, and a few moments of silence passed as they both digested the idea that they'd just had a decent conversation for the first time in their acquaintance. "Lunch, Potter," Snape said suddenly, reverting to form with a vengeance. "Then back here for the afternoon."

Harry knew better than to argue with that voice, and so he simply replied, "Yes, Sir," and set off behind his Professor for the castle. Severus, becoming used to Harry's newfound respect, didn't bat an eyelash at the honorary this time as he led the way.