Chapter 36: The Practical Applications of Legilimency

Hi guys. *hides behind computer to avoid any projectiles being thrown in her general direction* My utmost apologies for the delay. I've been having a hard time finding my way with the plot here. I originally planned to have this story stick pretty closely to canon, with Hermione's training as the only change. HOWEVER, as I go along it turns out that, had Hermione gotten the extra training, it would have completely changed canon in ways I just can't ignore. So, after taking some time to wrestle with the muses and reengineer the plot, I am officially back and should (hopefully) return to a regular posting schedule. My apologies again for the gap, but you'll have a better story for it, I promise!

Now, with that said, on with the show...

Much to Severus' annoyment and Hermione's amusement, their morning training sessions had become a group affair. The entirety of Hermione's fifth year she had relished her mornings alone with Severus, training being the only time they got when they were not both focused on a million different things. However, since the dust had begun gathering on the bed in her official apprentice rooms she didn't have such a glaring dearth of alone time with Severus, so it was actually quite nice to have the two former enemies be a regular part of their morning ritual.

Since the first day when Severus sprung Draco's new allegiance on Harry, the two boys had actually become intriguingly close. Hermione often noticed Severus inscrutably blank look (the one that usually meant he was occluding his emotions while figuring out something he didn't want to be seen processing) when he was staring at the two when they sparred, debated the topic of the day, or just helped each other stretch.

One night after their respective homework and grading was drawing to a close, she asked him why their budding friendship perplexed him so. His only response was that it was interesting to see an intra-house friendship play out well between Slytherin and Gryffindor. After a few seconds Hermione had bought a clue that he was referring to his failed friendship with Lily and put a comforting hand on Severus' arm. After a few seconds he saw her face and covered her hand with his own, pulling her to face him.

"Hermione, you know I-" she cut him off.

"I know. You're remarkably un-Slytherin about declaring your feelings towards me. I know you're just wishing things hadn't ended badly." She looked into his dark eyes, trying to glean something about his emotions. She didn't have to look long, as a warm smile, the kind she only saw when they were alone, graced his lips and transformed his entire face.

"I'm…" he struggled to find the words, "...happy. With you. Now. For the first time probably ever." He punctuated his speech with a soft kiss to her captured knuckles. "The way I feel about you cannot be compared to anything I have experienced before. It's just interesting seeing the way our friendship could have gone."

Hermione nodded, "I know, love. But I think that for Harry and Draco it has only become possible because they are both living quite secret lives, ones which are directly contradicting towards everything they've ever believed or done."

Severus' head tilted slightly, "obviously that is the case for Draco, but Potter has always been on the side of the light. What do you mean?"

"Since the ministry Harry has had to grow up. Even you have admitted it. He turned his back on his best friend, quit procrastinating, embraced his studies, and began spending every spare second of his time preparing for the upcoming war rather than ignoring it. I think making friends with the only other person he could find going through that level of emotional turmoil makes perfect sense, in a weird way."

Hermione finished her long explanation and glanced at Severus' face to see how it had been received, only to burst out laughing, "You have got to stop looking like that when I make a good point. You look like you should have smoke coming out of your ears."

The ensuing mock glare only made her giggles intensify.

"Alright, you maddening witch, but don't make it a habit," he said, shaking his head.

She put up three fingers in a mock girl guides salute, a look of poorly-feigned seriousness on her face. Severus' glare returned as he picked her up, threw her over his shoulder, and carried her off to bed, her giggles trailing after them.

It happened midway through one of their morning training sessions. Hermione had stayed up quite late reading a book on the military application of jointly performed spells she had just received via owl order from the colonies, so her occlumency shields were not at their best. Harry and Draco were discussing different methods of responding to a surprise attack. It was Draco's turn to try and attack Harry. He had been using a frontal approach, Malfoys never having been much for subtlety in making an entrance, when he took Harry by surprise, sending the same stinging jinx he had been using, only coming from the back of the room. Harry winced as he got hit and, after having successfully disarmed Draco, dramatically rubbed his lower back where Draco's spell had hit him.

Draco's drawl filled the room, "I know I got you good that time, but there's no need for dramatics, Harry."

"No, it just hurts when you come from behind like that," Harry muttered, now rubbing his hip.

Well that would certainly be a new development in their relationship, Hermione thought nastily to herself. However, as she giggled inwardly at her sarcastic comments, she glanced up at Severus, who was now looking at her with a look of shock on his face. She tipped her head at him, inquiring what was wrong without attracting the attention of the boys. He nodded to the door indicating that she should follow.

"We're going to go look up the wandwork for a new spell, boys. Can you behave yourselves until we get back?" Her inquiry was met by absentminded grumbles and off-hand waves as the two were staring fixedly at a conjured cluster of exes, circles, and arrows floating in the air, seemingly a diagram of the attack patterns they were trying to map out. She shook her head and headed out the door through which Severus had already disappeared. When she got to the other side he immediately grabbed her by the arm and led her to the sofa by the fire.

"What did you do in there?" He asked, facing her directly, his hands on each of her upper arms.

"Do what, Severus?" Hermione still felt in the dark, but could see the look of urgency in his eyes.

"I could hear your uncharitable comments about Draco and Mister Potter," he explained, looking her directly in the eyes.

He's gotten used to having Harry in his private gym of all places, but he still can't seem to manage a first name, Hermione thought as she tried to figure out just what Severus was talking about.

"I have years of experience snarling at Mister Potter, thank you very much, it's a very hard habit to break," Hermione's eyes bugged out as he responded to her inner comments, "now tell me, woman, what are you doing differently today?"

Hermione took a second to try to shake the fog from her brain to see what was happening before it hit her.

"I stayed up too late last night reading. I didn't think I was this bad off or I would have turned back for some extra sleep before training. My occlumency shields must be slipping. But why does that mean you can hear my thoughts? Were you trying to read me?"

"No, not specifically. I mean, I always keep a small pathway open so I can sense if you need help or if you are in danger, but I wasn't consciously trying to see anything. I wouldn't invade your personal space like that." Hermione shook her head absentmindedly, obviously already on to the next thought.

"No, I know you wouldn't, but you would go to pretty much any lengths to secure my safety, including, apparently, breaking some pretty fundamental rules in physics. Can you teach me how to keep this pathway open?" She was now caught up in the intensity of Severus' mood, though while his was still one of caution and worry, she had now switched into her 'excited researcher' persona.

An hour later they had established that if each of them each kept a tiny fraction of their mind focused on it, the same part of the brain one uses to remember they've left the water running or they need eggs at the market, they could effectively communicate mentally via their occlumency and legilimency skills.

We should get back to Potter and Draco before they destroy my gym or, worse, start creating unsavory explanations for what we could possibly be doing. Severus communicated, not moving a muscle, other than his well-strengthened smirking muscles, which were working in overdrive as of their new discovery.

Yes, I'm sure Draco and Harry are expecting us, Hermione responded, sending Severus the mental equivalent of an elbow to the ribs as she corrected Harry's name. He sent her what she could only surmise was a mental eye roll as they walked back towards the door to the gym.

When they got to the other side, the diagram Draco had previously conjured in the air in the far corner of the gym had tripled in size and was now covered in red, sparking handwriting to compliment Draco's original blue exes and arrows. There were moving parts and the two young wizards who had created it were obviously mid-debate, gesticulating wildly, and didn't even notice that Hermione and Severus had reentered the room.

"Eh ehm." Severus cleared his throat loudly, eyebrows both in high salute as he surveyed the two boys.

"Oh, hi guys," Harry said in a mixture of embarrassment and confusion, "I didn't hear you come back in. That was quick."

Hermione's eyebrows performed a shocking imitation of Severus', "um, Harry, we've been gone for more than an hour. Have you two really been doing…" she gestured vaguely to their still-moving diagram, "...whatever this is for that long?"

Harry looked over at Draco, who shrugged as they both nodded. Then, with a start, Draco cast a tempus charm, jumped up, grabbed his towel, and started shoving his feet back into his shoes.

"I still have to shower before I get to ancient runes! Crabbe and Goyle think I'm in the bloody library, so I need to get back in time to look like I was studying instead of wrestling an angry hippogriff."

And with that, he charged out of the door, eliciting twin smirks of amusement from Hermione and Severus.

I don't think I've ever seen him run before, Hermione remarked to Severus, trying not to grin as she utilized their new skill.

It's not a common pastime in the Malfoy family. They're more prone to a solid saunter, Severus replied without batting an eye.

"So...breakfast?" an oblivious Harry recommended, offering Hermione his arm in a gesture of fake chivalry. Hermione shot Severus the closest she could muster to a sigh and a mental kiss on the cheek as she took Harry's arm and left the gym.

She was almost out the door before her mind was overwhelmed with what she was certain was a full force hug. She was still smiling as they entered the great hall.