Disclaimer: Harry Potter and his universe all belong to the delightful JK Rowling.

A/N: Let's face it, without Fredrika, I'd be a bit lost and multiplying plot bunnies... EVERYWHERE! Thank you for the reviews I've been receiving, they're encouraging so far :)

Chapter 4: The Innocent Culprit

"Interesting indeed. It was ingenious to divide all the variables into spheres of influence and string them together with recent events, then extrapolating with upcoming star charts. The added input was very useful indeed. And here," Selwin Fredrik babbled on excitedly pointing at the cluster of numbers representing the last skirmish with the Death-Eaters. "Remus's sphere loses its balance, but collapses only at the full moon..." The wrinkled witch suddenly furrowed her brow as she came to an unwelcome conclusion. "I am afraid I see no mistakes here, my child."

Hermione bit her lip, trying to hold in her tears, horrified that she was truly responsible for Remus' pain.

"Being the catalyst does not mean you are guilty, Hermione." the old woman admonished, patting her arm affectionately. "From what Albus told me, your Patronus form is an entirely new spell: no one could have guessed it would affect a werewolf. After all, a regular patronus does not and werewolves can even cast their own. So do not lay blame on yourself my child."

The younger witch didn't even bother nodding, she knew she would reproach her stupid mistake all her life, despite whatever anyone told her. She kept replaying that fateful night through her mind: soaring through the air, chasing and destroying the dark vile creatures that had attacked the Order and, at the last minute, colliding accidentally into Remus. She remembered feeling a resistance at that moment, that she hadn't felt with dementors, but had dismissed it on the count of her exhaustion. How foolish!

So Hermione had decided to leave Remus in Harry's care, as it was the week-end, in order to present her ultimate arithmancy chart to Professor Fredrik, hoping the experienced witch would find an error, a variable she had overlooked or an equation she had miscalculated. Anything that didn't point an accusing finger at her. But now... Now, she would have to live with the knowledge that she had tortured and disfigured beyond recognition one of the kindest wizards she had ever met, not to mention she was lucky he was even alive.

"Come, Hermione, we need to show this to Albus. Maybe he will know what to do from here, he usually does." The elderly witch told her, still trying to console the distraught witch as they left the headquarters' library, heading to the front door. Thankfully, Hermione was accustomed to apparate when in an emotional turmoil, one of the only advantages of being a warrior in these troubled times, so she had no problem arriving at her precise destination without getting splinched. The two women hurriedly walked up the path to Hogwarts castle, pulling up the hoods of their travelling cloaks to discourage nosy students from approaching.

"Jelly baby." Professor's Fredrik's wispy voice told the Gargoyle, demanding entry to the headmaster's office.

"Is Remus all right?" asked the headmaster as soon as he spotted Hermione's splotched face and Selwin's usually cheery face marred by concern. The old witch ushered the curly-haired witch into an armchair when she started sobbing anew.

"No change that I know of, Albus."

Reassured that there was no impending catastrophe to deal with, the headmaster resumed his role of host, calling a House-Elf for tea and biscuits, as well as offering his unexpected guests a lemon drop.

"It is always a pleasure to see you Selwin, and you Miss Granger. But I imagine you have come here for a reason?" the old man prompted, all business now.

"Well, yes... for two reasons actually. First, I think I have nothing more to teach Hermione. She has just brought me an arithmancy chart that she completed this past week, using combinations and techniques I never even thought of applying myself. She substituted spheres of influence in place of linear time-lines... Can you imagine the possibilities, Albus? I never would have thought it possible for a student of mine to accomplish an apprenticeship in just over a year, but then, Hermione is not your average witch, is she?"

Albus Dumbedore chuckled at that understatement. Hermione Granger had been noticed, praised and singled out as the brightest witch of her age since her first year in the wizarding world.

"I did warn you, Selwin."

"Yes, you did. As a matter of fact, I think she can replace me as an arithmancer in the Order as of right now, and I'll take my leave, as we agreed. I am getting too old for all this, Albus."

The wizard fidgeted in his high-backed chair, adjusting his already tidy desk, before he answered uneasily.

"Alas, Miss Granger has another unique talent that requires her presence on the front line of our future battles. Only she can save countless lives, as she has done already in the past." the old wizard glanced at the witch in question but she was still out of sorts, completely oblivious of the fact that her future was being discussed and decided right in front of her. "We will still need you, Selwin, when Miss Granger is putting her own life on the line."

Selwin Fredrik's eyes narrowed at her old friend. She had surmised he was still as sly as he used to be when they had attended Hogwarts as student together, but she now thought he had gotten worse with age. She knew it would only be a question of time before he came back on his promise to free her of her involvement in the Order when she had finished apprenticing Hermione Granger. That the old fox tried guilting her into it and that he used children as weapons in this conflict proved he would stop at nothing for his 'greater good'.

"Very well. I will assist Hermione then." she conceded, placing herself under the young witch's authority rather that his. "Which brings us to the arithmancy chart that earned young Hermione her mastery." The old witch unrolled the parchment, placing it on Albus' desk between them. She enjoyed watching his frown of puzzlement as he peered at the paper through his half-moon spectacles, nimbly stroking his beard: despite being a most powerful wizard, he had never really understood the complexity and subtlety of arithmancy.

"So...uhm... Yes, this is... different."

Selwin snorted. Merlin forbid the old wizard confessed he couldn't make head nor tail of the magical diagrams before him.

"Quite. I'll explain the issues if you don't mind." She said, knowing it would be a cold day in hell when Albus volunteered to read an arithmancy chart. "To sum up, Hermione discovered her new Patronus form is somehow the cause of Remus Lupin's sickness. It has apparently affected the man here," she pointed to a cluster of equations darkening the creamy parchment, "but it didn't show until the full moon, so I'm inclined to say it actually affected the wolf inside, which would explain the delay between the two events. But as much as those probabilities near 100%, the other end of the projections for the future near zero. It's a complete blur, and I'm not sure what to make of it."

Dumbledore stood to pace his office, humming softly as he thought about this unexpected turn of events. So, Miss Granger's patronus harmed not only dementors but also werewolves. It could serve the Light well against Voldemort's lupine allies. In fact, they could severely diminish the dark wizard's troop. He wondered if she could go against the vampires he knew Voldemort had been recruiting in Eastern Europe. It wasn't such a stretch to imagine that maybe her power extended to the destruction of all dark creatures. Not that Remus was a dark creature, he conceded, but his inner blood-thirsty wolf certainly was.

The elderly wizard stopped in mid-step, a useful idea occurring to him.

"Miss Granger." he called, commanding her attention to him with his seldom used no-nonsense voice. "Did anything strike you as odd when you 'bumped' into Remus? Compared to the dementors for example."

He knew he was on the right path when he noticed the young witch blanch, the red splotches on her face and eyes standing out all the more.

"There was a... a resistance. As if something was trying to fight back. But the dementors, I just went right through them."

"Have you mastered the spell yet?" he asked. At the negative shake of her head, he went on urgently. "I think you should continue your training tomorrow. I will send Severus if you wish."

"How will that help Remus?" she spat, thinking the headmaster was more interested in his own needs than in his subordinates' lives.

"More than you think, I gather." he answered with his eyes twinkling, amused at the young woman's defensiveness of the werewolf. "It is just possible that you unknowingly hurt the dark creature that inhabits Remus, but did not destroy it entirely like you have done with the dementors. It could explain why Remus is stuck halfway between the werewolf and the wizard. There was enough of the wolf left to ignite the transformation at the full moon, but not enough to change completely or to revert back to his human form."

He paused in case the dejected witch had a question, it was vital she understood why she needed to master her patronus. That it would serve him too in the long run was only an added bonus.

"I believe that if you touch him again in that form, you will destroy what is left of the werewolf, leaving only the wizard behind."

"Are you sure?" Hermione asked hopefully, a little colour returning to her.

"It is the best we can do at this point." he hedged her question, it wouldn't do to dash her optimism at this point, although he knew she was smart enough to read between the lines. But she finally accepted, and, to his astonishment, even accepted Severus' help. He had thought that she, like her friends and fellow Order members, wouldn't want to be in the spy's company if she could help it. Distrust ran deep where the Slytherin was concerned. He made a mental note to keep a close eye on two of his most prized tools, just in case.


"You're not focusing, Miss Granger." Professor Snape repeated once more with an exaggerated sigh.

Hermione scowled at the dark-haired man lounging on the library's sofa, as relaxed as she had ever seen him before. She bit down on her tart reply of "I am too!", knowing very well that she wasn't when she was worrying too much about Remus lying unconscious upstairs, with Sturgis looking over him from the far end of the room. When she didn't answer, the wizard's voice adopted his more scathing tones.

"Don't tell me you're still thinking about the werewolf. I'm sure even a dunderhead like Podmore can look after an unconscious man. Focus, Miss Granger, focus!"

He was right, again, so Hermione stiffened her resolve: he was doing his for Remus! They had already tried a couple more incantation that produced nothing remotely close to her patronus form, and they still had a dozen more to try. She checked the next one on the list and smiled: she particularly liked this one as it seemed quite appropriate to her and had a nice ring to it, although Remus had almost jotted it down as a joke. The young woman cleared her mind before summoning the strong feelings of love until she could almost taste the cheer happiness that came with it. It always made her bit giddy at this point but she managed to correctly guide her wand through the necessary pattern and intoned distinctly:

"Patronus Totalus!"

She saw her wand tip illuminate almost immediately, as did Professor Snape, who abruptly stood to attention. The pure white light travelled much faster than it had the first time and in a matter of seconds, one minute at the most, she was once more hovering slightly above the carpeted floor, translucent locks of hair reaching out all around her like vigilant sentinels. Hermione revelled in the bliss that came with her transformation and may have basked in it a while longer, leaving her worries behind her, if it hadn't been for Snape's interruption.

"Remarkable." the wizard breathed out. "Your memory did not do you justice. You're breathtaking."

The young woman faltered in disbelief at the snarky man's words, her ethereal form suddenly reverting back to its human one as she fell in a pile on the floor. The Slytherin laughed a deep belly laugh, startling her twice in the space of a few minutes. Finally having enough of being laughed at, she snapped at him.

"Help me up instead off giggling like a first-year."

That effectively put a damper to his much too jovial mood, but he still had a smirk plastered to his face when he extended a hand to her.

"Why Miss Granger, it seems I have just found a flaw to your patronus. Let's hope for our salvation that the Dark Lord never asks me to compliment you."

She snorted, it wasn't very lady-like she knew, but the image of Voldemort goading his death-eaters into flattering her in the midst of battle was just too unbelievably funny.

"I see wounding Remus isn't weighing too much on your conscience." came an icy voice from the entrance.

They both turned: he, glaring at whoever was cruel enough to castigate the girl and she, blanching because she thought it was true, that she didn't deserve to be happy as long as Remus was suffering.

"Miss Tonks, if you can't keep your asinine opinion to yourself, may I suggest you march your clumsy arse out of here and go make a fool of yourself elsewhere?" he said acidly, keeping a hand on Miss Granger to steady her, because she was so pale and shaking, he feared she would faint on the spot.

"I would love to talk with Remus but seeing that someone as good as killed him..." the auror trailed off, staring pointedly at the trembling girl.

"Miss Tonks!" the Potions Master barked out, in an attempt to shut her up. It worked so well on his students, that at this point, they would have probably wet themselves in fear. The young auror, however, had her mind set on hurting the witch half-hiding behind him and didn't even wince.

"How dare you act so carefree? Joking around? Laughing? When Remus is in so much pain he had to be put to sleep!" the pink-haired witch continued, taking a few steps closer to pin the younger witch with a death stare. Her hair and eyes darkened as the metamorphmagus bristled with barely-contained rage.

"What would you know about it, Tonks?" Hermione said, gaining confidence as her own anger started taking over her remorse. "I haven't seen you offering to take care of Remus, or even visit him for that matter!"

Hermione stepped in front of her Professor, shaking of his steadying hand and planting her feet firmly just a few feet from the auror's.

"If you care so much about him, why didn't you?"

"Because...he..." she mumbled incoherently, and, taking a step back, the clumsy witch tripped on the uneven carpet and stumbled a few steps back. "I would, but he... It's your fault! You disfigured him! I can't..."

"You can't look at him?" Hermione asked in disbelief. "He's still Remus! Whatever he looks like, he'll always be Remus!" she finished, outraged on his behalf. She would never have guessed the woman was so shallow as to put somebody's looks before the person himself.

The Gryffindor swirled around: "We have work to do. Leave." she said coldly to the other witch.

When Tonks left, -and it was hard to miss her exit even with her back turned to her since she slammed the door in a very childish manner- Professor Snape stopped her wand-arm that had started to trace the pattern for the Patronus Totalus.

"No." he told her kindly. "You're not in the right set of mind right now. Take a break, we have plenty of time now that we found the formula."

Hermione wanted to disagree, she wanted to get on with it and heal Remus as soon as possible, but she was so wound up from the confrontation with Tonks that her hands were twitching violently.

"Just a few minutes, then." she conceded, letting her Professor guide her to the sofa. She didn't even protest when a minute later, he shoved a warm cup of tea in her hands. Tea always soothed her.

"Did you mean it?" he asked her in a surprisingly soft tone.

"About what?"

"That she should care for Remus whatever he looks like? He's really badly maimed, distorted even, to the point that he hardly looks human any more. Could you still love him if you were her."

"Of course." the witch answered, as if it was obvious. "I never understood people who staked so much on physical appearance. Lavender and Parvati were like that too, and I had to put up with their crap for seven years, so I won't stand hearing such idiocies again."

Severus Snape nodded, quietly sipping his tea as he seemed to be lost in thought, and she wondered what that had been about. The man sure was surprising, he was very different when he wasn't in a classroom full of dunderheads and potentially explosive cauldrons. She smiled when she realised that when he wasn't doing his best to be intimidating and unapproachable, he was actually funny and caring. He was, in the end, just a normal man.

The tea having accomplished its purpose, Hermione jumped to her feet, feeling much calmer and more determined than ever to master her spell.

"Ready when you are, Miss Granger." the wizard told her, as if he had been waiting for her all along.

"Patronus Totalus!" she articulated after her mental preparations. It worked instantly and she was once more the glowing translucent being with wild probing tentacles instead of hair.

"Good. Now, you've ended the spell once from exhaustion, and another from surprise. Let's see if you can break it by your only will."

Hermione was glad she had asked for the man's assistance, she hadn't even thought of that. What use would she to the Order be if every time she used this spell, she could only stop it by exhausting her magic and ending up unconscious for several days? She tried breaking her concentration but she was basking in a sea of pure delight, bliss and contentment that it was hard to turn her mind away from such positive feelings. Why had surprise worked then? A shock? Yes that could explain the break in her mental state. But she could hardly use that technique, how could she shock herself? Ridiculous. That led her to think of Tonks and anger started bubbling in her heart. Anger! Yes, that was such a strong emotion it could totally throw her out of her blissful state. Concentrating on the pink-haired witch, Hermione recalled her hurtful words and felt her patronus form dissolving.

"Much smoother, Miss Granger. It seems you have mastered your spell."

The young witch grinned.

"I would like to verify it was effectively surprise last time your patronus failed, if you have the energy to cast it again."

Hermione shrugged. She hadn't held the Patronus long enough to feel drained yet.

"But, sir... How are you going to surprise me if I know you're going to try? I'll be on my guard, can't help it."

"Trust me." he answered simply, and strangely, she did.

Hermione cast her Patronus again, finding it easier each time she tried and waited for her Professor to surprise her, doubting he would manage, as she hovered like a dazzling ghost before him.

"Hermione?" he called, the simple use of her given name by none other than Severus Snape enough for her patronus form to waver, but she had been expecting something, so she managed to maintain it nonetheless. She raised a ghostly eyebrow at the wizard.

"Is that the best you can do, sir?" she teased.

"Please call me Severus." he replied politely, effectively shocking her into her human shape as she completely lost focus of her blissful state.

The tall dark man smirked at her in triumph while he helped her off her bum for the second time that day.

"You need Occlumency lessons." he chuckled at her discomfited expression.

"I think that would be safer, sir." she admitted, shuddering at the image of her losing her control of her Patronus Totalus at a great height. The results would be much nastier than a little bruise on her backside, of that she was sure.

"You may still call me Severus, if you wish."

Hermione looked in bewilderment at the wizard, trying to gauge if he was mocking her or not and saw him roll his eyes exaggeratedly.

"You are no longer my student, I see no reason for you to continue calling me Professor. You're also an adult, a fully-fledged Order member and a Master in your own field from what I've heard."

Hermione considered his word: presented like that, it did seem silly to continue calling him Professor. It didn't mean they were friends, but they did get along, so maybe that could be possible. Just a moment ago, she never would have thought in a million years that she would be on a first-name basis with Professor Snape one day. Actually, she would have bet she had better chances of braiding Voldemort's nonexistent hair at his slumber-party while he varnished her nails.

"Severus." she said, tasting his name and deciding she liked it. "I might as well since you're already calling me by my given name, it's only fair."

"I still won't take cheek from you." he told her in mock severity.

"You'll just have to get used t it then." she chided, enjoying the more personal banter that had just developed between them. "So, what do we do now? Can I try the patronus on Remus?"

"I'd rather you were fully rested before you tried, so we don't hurt Lupin more than we heal him. And Dumbledore and I think we should rouse him before we do anything, to ask his opinion. We are not entirely certain it will succeed, so it is his choice to make."

Hermione bit her lip, drawing a little blood in her anxiety. She was scared their idea wouldn't work. She was afraid Remus would realize the extent of what she had inflicted him and hate her forever for it. But she still wanted to be there when he woke up.

"Tomorrow?" she inquired, her voice shaking a little.

"Tomorrow." Severus acquiesced.