In the afternoon, Snape went off to Tiganakia to re-cast his diagnostic spells. He had declined to have Hermione's aid, saying she had done quite enough the day before. He looked at her closely, noting her pallor and the dragging of her limbs. On his way out the door, he paused.

"On the islands, the afternoons are for taking an hour or two of rest. I recommend you transfigure your bed and take advantage of the custom."

Hermione nodded, with no intention of heeding his advice. Instead, she planned to use her free time to resume her work. Before she could make any forward progress, she would need to refresh herself on her most recent notes. She accio'd her grimoire, set it up on the coffee table…

…and awoke several hours later, slumped in an awkward position on the sofa. There was a terrible crick in her neck, her arm was numb from lack of circulation, and every muscle in her legs appeared to be competing to see who could declare their suffering more loudly. If there was a muscle in her body that didn't hurt, she couldn't, at present, identify it.

She was plotting how she was going to manage to stand up when she noticed a small blue vial. It was set next to her carefully closed grimoire, with a note written in narrow, elegant print. "Pain Reliever. Consume entire dose. Looks like you will need it. S"

She practically wept with gratitude.

SSSS

By the time the two of them sat down on the terrace to watch the sunset, she felt almost human again. She didn't think Snape could say the same. He'd been in a dark mood ever since returning from his work.

"You seem out of sorts; How did your diagnostics go?"

He grunted. "I misinterpreted the data. Not a breeding ground, but a nursery…a nearby saltwater marsh filled in over two years ago. Human thoughtlessness. More than likely to build some atrocious tourist facility. So, the nursery is gone, and there is nothing to be done about it."

Hermione tilted her head. "Are you sure about that? What about a modified Protego?"

His head whipped around to stare at her. "Explain."

"Well, that's the issue, right? Smaller fish being eaten by larger fish. If we cold protect them, given them a safe place to replace the lost marsh, then more would grow up to reach maturity. It's not a quick fix, but it should make a difference in a year or two."

He narrowed his eyes. "The principal is sound enough. It may be possible. We would have to find a way to determine what size fish would be excluded."

"Like a filter!"

"Yes, a magical filter that would separate juveniles from adults." He walked inside the cottage, emerged with a paper and pencil, and began to sketch his notes.

"And you'll need some kind of barrier spell to keep the fish within the protected zone."

He shook his head. "Not a barrier spell, the current would fry it in short order…but a lure. For the fish as well as for their main food source. Draw them in, entice them to stay."

Hermione pulled her chair over, closer to his so that she could look over his notes as he wrote them. She pointed to one portion of the diagram he was drawing.

"We'd also need a surface spell to deter fishermen from dropping nets there."

" A simple Keep Away charm would work; fishermen are superstitious, a "bad feeling" would never be ignored."

"Easy enough, but what about the birds?"

"Birds. We would have to extend the Keep Away to include avian species."

"Can we do that?"

"I assume so. It would require some adjustments, but the principals should hold."

"How do we bind it to one area of water?"

"We don't. We bind it below. A submerged rock or a wreck might be adequate."

"Shallower water might be better."

"Indeed."

Heads almost touching, the two of them worked out the details until long after the sun had set.

Ssss

Later that night, as he prepared for his bed, Snape considered the evening's exercise. Oh, it had been satisfying, almost thrilling, to tease out the problem with a brain as agile as his own. He'd been prepared to consider the entire exercise futile; for the most part, damage done by man to the natural world was not easily remedied by magical means. But her enthusiasm had encouraged him to consider the problem from a different perspective. The back-and-forth of their discourse had been, for lack of a better word, enjoyable.

He moved about the house, silently, extinguishing lights and ensuring that his nighttime wards were all functioning properly. Not once in the 20 years on this island had he ever found one of his wards threatened. But the habit was ingrained, and he saw no reason to change it.

As he passed through the living room, he could not help but glance at Granger. She was already asleep, had been for a good hour at least. As his eyes adjusted, he could see her outline grow clearer in the moonlight. From the rhythm of her breath, he suspected that she slept the exhausted slumber of one who has pushed their body beyond its current limits and into uncharted territory. But that was not a bad thing. He stood there, watching her chest rise and fall for a few minutes, thinking nothing, just listening to the soothing sound of her breath. Satisfied that she was well, he turned to go to his own rest.

He was feeling so charitable towards Ms. Granger that he was almost sorry that he would wake her in 6 short hours, and force her to do it all over again.

Almost.

SSSSSS

AN: Once again, thank you so much for your generous reviews. I particularly love it when you take the time to tell me what is working for you and what isn't. Already this story has been significantly changed/shaped by your input; keep it coming!

Theolyn