Chapter 9: I've Got You under My Skin (Eartha Kitt)

Hermione woke up well-rested. The mixed smells on her clothes and the sofa proved it had not been a bizarre dream. It had happened. Severus Snape had held her, comforted her in his own way, and gone to sleep with her. He might have done it for himself. But it was still a positive unanticipated turn of event. That had been one of the strangest moments she had been involved in. It was reality altering because it reconciled her experience of how he acted with whom his memories told her he really was, or could be if he let himself. She had never felt so close to anyone. Even if it were all caused by the ritual, it did not make its effect seem any less genuine. By the way, where is he? The Revelio Charm informed her she was alone.

She stifled a laugh as she imagined him all ruffled up and appalled, waking up with her. Her eyes hurt and so did her skull. That was when she saw his little present. She was about to drink it when it occurred to her that it might not be safe to do so in her condition. She decided against it despite her discomfort and pocketed the glass bottle. She used the Summoning Charm on her contract and writing supplies and filled it in and signed it. She also used it on the contract Minerva had given her and left it all on his desk. It was time for her to go back to her own quarters. Over there, she did some exercises demonstrated in Dumbledore's book, quick ablutions, and worked on a communication device for Severus and her, just in case, something similar to Dumbledore's Army Galleons. She just hoped it would not bring back unpleasant memories, considering what had inspired her.

What item should I use? Stainless bracelets would be inconspicuous enough. She was not hungry, and could wait until lunch. She knew her task was important because, if her assumptions were correct, they would be trying to avoid each other as much as possible after what they had done. She so wanted them to work perfectly so he would not be able to criticise her. After she was done, she ate the food she had kept from the day before and took a two-hour nap to calm her headache. Upon waking up she found she had one hour before dinner. She decided to get some air, and note her thoughts on the soul exchange. She enchanted the parchment to appear empty if she were not holding it.

"-Does the ritual interfere with Potions and physical alteration spells?

-How much magic is shared between us?

-How does the exchange affect the mind and the body?

-Will we become more unstable overtime because of it, like V.?

-What kind of losses are we talking about?

-Note to self: go to the Ministry to find information on that family and especially the daughter.

-Are we stronger or weaker because of the exchange? Are we somehow protected from harm?

-Is there an expiration date on the exchange?

-When can I go look for my parents?

-To which extent can we access each other's memories and sensory experiences?"

Those were questions they more or less needed the answers for. But first, she was going to focus on her exam preparations, right after dinner that was. In the Great Hall, after thanking her for getting the paperwork back to her so soon, Minerva advised her to stop being antisocial and come eat with everyone more regularly. She also asked her to help supervise the parents' retrieval of their offspring the following day. She had a list of students who had asked to stay at Hogwarts until the summer session. Hermione's, Luna's, Ginny's and Draco's names were on it. Minerva's voice lost a little of its severity when she spoke of the funerals which would take place in the next few days. The Ministry had already begun sending brochures with the names, dates and times to help people get organised. Such a waste of good people… No, that was not exact. Bravery and sacrificing oneself for a worthy cause should never be called at waste. But it sure felt like it. Although, Death Eaters might think they fit that description. On top of all that, let's not forget the survivors and the wounded people who would have to cope with the consequences of the war.

The people bitten by transformed werewolves had the grimmest future of all. Among the students, one of them had not been able to physically endure the transformation and had agonized for hours before finally dying. Another one had heard her family speak of caging her and hiding their shameful secret, and had sent a letter to the Prophet apologizing for having allowed herself to become a freak and had vowed to kill Fenrir Greyback and kill herself before her next transformation. Minerva had not heard of her since, and it had been months since an old student of hers had sent her the letter instead of destroying it. The last one was extremely depressed, but showed an impressive resilience.

That led her to her next request. "Severus, do you think you could help Horace to brew several cauldrons of Wolfsbane Potion before the next full moon?"

Of course, Hermione would accept. But that would mean asking Severus for guidance. Avoidance would not be so easy. Well, maybe they could just put what had happened behind them. Sure, it was embarrassing and unusual but it had been nice to share a really human moment with him. After rigidly taking her leave from the staff, she quickly exited the Great Hall, and focused on the numerous tasks she had to keep track of.

Back in his quarters, Severus was no closer to deciphering the notebook. The only thing he could understand appeared for a few seconds: "No Polyjuice". Maybe it was attuned to his interests. To put that theory to the test, he would have to teach Hermione the complicated spell he had used; therefore enduring being in her presence much too soon. At least, she was a quick learner. But instead of following her around, he would just have to wait until she showed up, as she surely would. It was too bad, though, because she had been pleasantly absent from his life that day. The only problem he had encountered had been catching a glimpse of Ron's slightly swollen hands. But he decided it would be best not to get too involved. So, he pretended to buy the excuse that it came from Quidditch-playing. Potter enthusiastically told him Weasley and he were going to stay at the Burrow with most of the Weasley family from the next evening on. He casually teased his friend, saying it would give her more time to study and pass her exams with flying colours. Not that he had any doubt she would.

Severus was relieved Weasley was not all of over him but did wonder if he was disturbing the dynamic of the couple. According to her memories, it was not so. In that regard, they were awfully similar to Molly and Arthur, with all the bickering and occasional mushiness. They often fought, mostly because of Weasley's insecurities. There had been an improvement around the time of Fleur and Bill's wedding. Hermione had even caught him talking excitedly to his twin brothers while shaking a book around. As soon as they had noticed her, the book had disappeared. Ron had dismissed the subject clumsily, his ears turning an "endearing" shade of curmudgeon. She had let it go because she did not want to discourage his efforts. Wait a moment. Severus knew that cover. Oh, he had the title on the tip of his tongue…

Never mind that, he had other matters to consider. For example, what was he going to tell to Hermione to keep her quiet? Sure, she had ignored him all day which suited him fine. Really… It was so much better that way. She had even been useful with the paperwork. He had returned the favour and had gotten an elf to take all of it to Minerva's office. The servile creature had been reluctant to answer his call. He snickered at the memories of Hermione's misguided activism. She really got passionate about the most desperate of causes. That made him the latest one. Well, he would just have to remind her that shared memories or not, he was still more experienced and powerful than her. She could not win against him. He felt good about that decision. He finally got around to really exploring the advantages of his quarters. And he waited for her to come bother him.

But, after an hour of waiting around, she was nowhere to be seen even though he had things to discuss with her…What is she waiting for? Whatever, he was going to brush his teeth then off to bed. He woke up several hours later feeling restless. Maybe he should go see what was keeping her. He checked the corridor before leaving his room. He just knocked on her door. It would look bad if someone heard Hermione calling his name and trying to get inside of his private quarters, in the middle of the night. That was just what his reputation needed. Keeping quiet was better. When she did not answer, he disabled the protection spell. Tsk-tsk, she made it too easy.

Her quarters were quite pleasant. He was partial to the antique oil lamps and the commitment to the maritime theme. In the flickering light, he saw his long body lying on the floor among books, pieces of parchment and an inkwell that was spilling its content on the hand which was still holding a quill… Her position was all wrong and she was going to wake up with a massive back ache if she stayed like that all night. He went to shake the defenceless form, muttering under his breath at her carelessness. But immediately after opening her eyes, she grabbed his wrist and he ended up under her again, only her wand and tone were more menacing. "Who? What are you doing here?" He really should do something for this body's lack of strength, comparatively.

"Get off of me! You are getting ink everywhere."

"Sorry." She stood up and offered him her hand. But he stood up irritably on his own. "So, what are you doing here?" She was not proud to have overreacted but at least she had shown him she was not weak.

He pretended to be mad at her for attacking him, when in fact he was annoyed at not having a real excuse to be there. He could not very well tell her he had a nightmare. There was no real need for him to ask for a permission slip to have access to the Restricted Section. Was it possible that his decision to come visit her stemmed from a desire for companionship? That was preposterous. Why would he choose her of all people? Anyway, he would just have to show her the notebook and teach her that spell of his invention, even if he was averse to share so much of his skills with her. To give himself more time, he cleaned up the ink.

Then, he addressed her as though it should be obvious for her why he was there at such a late hour. "In case you forgot, we have matters to discuss."

She primly sat down in one of the hanging chairs which she rotated his way. "All right, make yourself at home. What is it you wanted to talk about?"

He went to the kitchen to make some tea, and tried to focus on how he had wanted to handle their little indiscretion. When he could not, he decided avoiding the topic was the best solution. Those types of situations were so troublesome. As he settled down, he realised he only had to share what was going on with her friends and check with her which funerals he had to attend. He had received many invitations for her that day. She got solemn while going through them. On his part, he chose to see it as an opportunity to get out of the castle freely. She requested he would provide comfort to people and act appropriately. The way she made it sound, he was incapable of behaving empathically. Of course, he would play his role. Although, he felt it was not exactly what she was asking.

To change the subject, he told her about the notebook. She tried his spell, and the word "desire" appeared. They avoided each other's gaze. That notebook was a total let-down. But it turned out that contrary to what Narcissa had affirmed, Severus had a contact who could give him that kind of information. Nonetheless, he needed money to find him, and afterwards he would have to pay a much bigger price. He also needed to buy books on regenerative magic. By Medusa's eyes, they had a problem! He startled her by involuntarily making the water surge out the kettle.

"Was that necessary?" She huffed as she took off her drenched robe and pants. The skin under it was a little red. Severus had tried to cast "Protego" but Hermione had stood up in front of him to protect him or her body. Shrugging, he healed the superficial burns in two flicks of the wand. "So, are you going to tell me what is wrong?" she asked while putting her dry clothes back on. They both sat back down.

"We need to solve the goblin situation."

"What goblin…" she began, only to end up imitating a fish, silently opening and closing her mouth. He is right. How are we going to deal with that? He had her tell him everything that had led to Gringotts break-in, and the damages caused.

He elaborated a solid plan that she, of course, tried to ruin. Him and the two other miscreants would go to Kiaruk, the Head Goblin, and convince him it would be in everyone's best interest to issue a joint statement in the Daily Prophet in which they would reveal to the world that the goblins had granted the trio a chance to steal a pivotal weapon to overthrow Voldemort. The Dragon and other material losses were covered by insurance (the insurance agents could not complain, for it would be bad publicity). And they had used that experiment to update their security system. That way, they all would have access to their accounts again; and establish a more cordial relationship with the goblins.

Hermione protested. "But that would be lying to the public! Haven't we had enough of that during the past years? Don't people deserve the truth? What about the fight against unscrupulous journalists who will print anything that sells?"

Severus tried to reason with her with what he thought was the patience of a saint. "That's not my fight. And anyway, that is not the point. We need money, thus we need to get back into their good graces. You will not do well in any society if the bankers are against you, even if you "saved" the wizarding world. We do not have a better plan, and if we don't do anything, they will sue you or me at the moment, for more than we could ever make." She did not seem convinced, so he added "Let me put it that way: you are not doing it for yourself, or your friends. The wizarding world has been shaken to its core. People need security and normalcy. They need to believe they can count on something, that their precious family heirlooms and savings are safe from thieves. This is the foundation of an institution that you eroded."

She argued "But isn't the deceiving sordid? Do we want to win that way? Is that the world we fought for?"

Severus felt like clawing at the wicker chair. Yet, he composedly spelled it out for her. "Look, we cannot change the world in mere days, and we need a solution now. Let me also point out that we are dealing with the consequences of two wars. We have been dealt a sordid hand. This is about winning the game. And let's not forget you have already lied, deceived, and stolen before. What if your attack on the bank were a symptom of your hidden scorn for "lowly goblin creatures"? You did not even consider the consequences of your actions on their lives. Lastly, I don't need your permission or your approval. I will do it regardless. But if it will put your mind to rest, I will have you know I'm going to check parts of the plan with Bill Weasley in the morning."

"You don't need to bully me into submission! I am not comfortable with your plan, but I am not dense. Can't you just give me some time to wrap my mind around it?" His patronizing attitude made her so angry that her teacup escaped from her hand and spilled its content by her feet.

There was no talking to her when she was acting like that. He watched silently as she cleaned up all of her mess on the floor. When she grabbed a piece of parchment, writing appeared. "What is that?" She held it out for him to see. She made some good points. "What is that about your parents?"

"Can we talk about this at another time? And, please, don't look in my memories!" She sounded even more agitated.

"Fine. So, what say you?" he said in a bored tone.

She gave him a calculating look. "I think we will have to give them back the sword of Gryffindor as a peace offering. I told you what I learned about their conception of ownership. Maybe we could use the article to enlighten the people about respecting other cultures. But, I guess it would be too much to ask for them to stop their cruelty against dragons, wouldn't it?"

She revealed such a mixture of cunning and ingenuousness, it was almost humorous. "I am afraid so. On the bright side, that leaves you another cause to look forward to. That first proposition is actually not a bad idea. It is quite like you to transform pretence into a learning experience."

"Thank you?"

"Indeed…" He smirked. "Well, that should be settled soon. I will talk to Harry, Ron, and Minerva tomorrow. Do you have something to report about today?"

"So, it is Harry and Ron, now, is it?"

"To quote some Know-it-all, it just is "not worth the time to constantly alternate ways to refer to people". Anyway, do you have anything to tell me?"

She furrowed her brows. "I will need pointers on how to brew Wolfsbane "your way". And do you know how we can imitate each other's writing and signature? The charm I have found is temporary, although I still have few books to check. But it would save me time to work my N.E.W.T.s. Oh and…"

He held out placating hands. "Breathe! I will lend you the necessary books which you will have to return unscathed. Do not hesitate to ask questions. I don't want you to sully my reputation." That's rich coming from him… Seeing her expression, he chided her, "No need to be cheeky." He grabbed the books he had silently Summoned, and put them on the coffee table. She made a face at his showing-off. So, he smirked arrogantly. That's right. I have mad skills, and you'd do better not to forget it.

I could do that, she thought. Feeling on a roll, he taught her the right spell to copy his handwriting and signature, and used it himself. They signed an arrangement in order to guaranty they could not abuse that licence. For a big finish, he talked about brewing Wolfsbane, and boasted about the number of different potions he was able to brew at the same time.

His smugness disappeared when she showed him the bracelets and described how she made them. That was satisfactory magic. Satisfied with his reaction, she let him examine them, and took the books to her bedside bench she used as a table. Severus checked if she was observing him. When she did not immediately come back, he lay down in the hammock to play with his new toys, adding a special feature. It was not long before the two of them were lulled to sleep by the sounds of waves and whales' voices.

This time, Hermione woke up before Severus, did some exercises, cleaned up and dressed in the dark. But she decided to limit his usual armour to its outer part, under it, she was wearing loose shorts and a simple shirt.

She stealthily took her bracelet from beside him and put it on. He looked, or she did, too adorable all cosy in the hammock. She left before he could wake up, open his mouth and ruin that image. The parents would arrive at four, so she would enjoy spending the rest of her free time studying before going to see Professor Slughorn.

Of course, he was awake. In fact, he had been awake the whole time. After all, he had been watching his own back for so long, and she had been making a lot of noises while preparing for the day. Her triumphant glee was palpable as she approached him so close without waking him up. But, he just did not want to talk to her. He had let himself be vulnerable to her by sleeping in her quarters. It was strange for him to have slept in her presence for three days. That probably was linked to the body swap. Anyway, he was going to put a stop to that bizarre behaviour. Back in his quarters, he was lucky to catch Bill before he went to work. That unexpected visit from his brother's girlfriend slightly surprised him. Still, he proved very useful, even though Severus remained as vague as possible. He also took it upon himself to set an appointment with the Head Goblin for after the funerals.

Later that day, Severus told the Headmistress of his plan. He could see she was impressed by her prized student's strategy. She mentioned the possibility of agreeing to "rent" the Sword from the goblins for several hundred years. She could not part from it as such because it was an important Hogwarts symbol. They should find an acceptable fee, considering it might be a stepping stone for shifting goblins' marketing and it would be renewable. She would also add to the article her own statement about the modernisation of Hogwarts. From then on, the Slytherins would be selected by filial piety, scheming mind, and sense of honour, not "pure" bloodlines. Hermione would appreciate that, he was sure. Minerva was adamant she was not making those decisions for the three Gryffindors. It was high time wizards began respecting all sentient creatures.

Before parting ways, Minerva asked the young woman how she was doing with her N.E.W.T.s preparations. Would she be ready by the end of the month? Severus replied by the affirmative, although Hermione would probably not say the same. After all, she had spent quite some time on those communication devices. There was the inventive spirit that was lacking from her Potions and Defence Against the Dark Arts work, and from the rest of her homework as well he would wager. That was a pity, really.

Leaving that aside, he left Minerva to inform the duo of his brilliant plan. He took them into an empty classroom and added charms against eavesdropping. Despite the fact that it took some of the shine out of their exploit, they did not care at all. As usual, Hermione was bailing them out of a sticky situation. They were thankful that had not changed. Ron suggested only Harry and Hermione would go to be more effective. He was not needed to argue with the goblins, and Harry's high status might show the goblins they were serious. He would be a hindrance. Besides, he had other things to do. His eyes were a little bloodshot from the lack of sleep. Severus tried to cheer him up by praising his strategic mind. Oh, please… Still, he agreed. The young man was too hot-blooded and might be ruin the negotiations. Clearly, Severus was not good at that encouraging people thing, because the young man's smile was weak.

Harry was happy to leave the decisions to Hermione, and he would come along. He took the opportunity to tell her that Mrs Figg would be making a visit to Filch during the summer. It turned out he was well-known in the felinophilia circles. He proudly explained the meaning of that term to his friends, although that sounded fairly obvious to Severus. Anyway, Filch was called Sir Norris in those circles. In a profile Mrs Figg had sent, he was rumoured to be able to communicate with cats better than most Squibs and helped to finance and manage a feline sanctuary and a wildcat conservation program. In the end, people really could surprise you, and not only in a terrible way. They went to the Three Broomsticks, where Ron became livelier. Apparently, Rosmerta was being more responsive to his poor flirting, and like many others he appreciated the attentions of the experienced and seductive woman.

On one hand, he seemed more positive, on the other hand there was no point in fuelling his post-battle sex drive when he could not provide. Absolutely no way. And the Weasleys valued faithfulness. So did Hermione, and it would be absurd to ask Severus if he believed in fidelity. Therefore, he felt particularly entitled to thump the impudent on the back of the head when his ogling got too obvious, to less effect than he had intended. The guilty party looked sheepish but happy. Harry laughed at their little domestic skit. Was that the type of relationship people were pinning for: all that fighting and predictability? Well, not for me, thank you very much…

So, there he was, Severus Snape, hanging out with "friends" at the Three Broomsticks after an overtaxing year. That was a first. The friendship was fake, but it had been something he had wanted to be a part of before he decided people were too stupid for him to waste his time with them. It was not as enjoyable as it looked. For instance, the conversation was a bore. The experience probably had been magnified by its unavailability. Maybe there had been other things he had put on a pedestal as well. He tried to shake those nonsensical thoughts out of his mind. He was even ready to address Ron's wounded hands, but those were not visible anymore. He could have used Finite Incantatem on his meagre glamour, but then it would break their little moment. And when was he going to experience that again?

They went on discussing insignificant matters like the possibility of Argus and Arabella Figg hitting it off, or who was the best Quidditch player and how to become one. To their surprise, Severus had some interesting insights. He pretended they came from Viktor Krum, although it made Weasley cough up his Butterbeer and half-heartedly grumble. They also asked their friend why she had chosen the Defence Against the Dark Arts position. It turned out getting a lower grade than Potter had been a sore spot for Hermione, so he used that to explain how she had supposedly worked hard so she would beat him academically. And she thought that would be more interesting and challenging that way. Yes, he would end up his career as a teacher with style, one way or another.

That reminded him that Hermione and he would have to discuss lesson plans after she was done with her exams, if not sooner. Severus spent the rest of the afternoon and evening in the Library, where he encountered Hermione but made a point not to act differently to other eyes. They used the bracelets to set up a quick meeting after dinner. There would be no sleepover. Severus would make sure of it. Three-quarters of the remaining fighters were gone by that evening. Nothing out of the ordinary happened that night.

During the following days, Severus grew busy with funeral attending and Hermione with her revisions. They both wished they could trade places. Even though funerals were dreadful affairs by nature, Hermione believed she needed to be there for her friends, and to get some closure herself. But wasn't that the first step to make the dead a distant memory? She was being ridiculous. They would be forgotten no matter what she did. And if she held on to them with all her heart, she would end up like Severus was, consumed by memories. Or was it: like he used to be?

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There you go. I hope you enjoyed it.

Zarathustra46, you rock! ;)

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Au revoir!