Chapter 2: Under My Skin
By ataraxis

Harry had no idea what to do with the information his brain had processed all those nights ago at dinner in the Great Hall. Snape being smitten by Emma was an unexpected surprise. Harry wasn't sure who to talk to, if anyone, about this. For on the one hand, Harry was happy that Severus was liking him...her, and not treating him...'Damn it'...her, like a pariah.

Harry felt like he was almost getting a split personality because of this potentially awkward situation.

On the other, he couldn't pursue a friendship with Snape while being duplicitous about who he was and why he was there at Hogwarts. It was false and he didn't want to start a false relationship with a man who had already lived most of his life that way.

Harry knew that he was becoming obsessed. One smile from a man who had long hated him had him drowning in a sea of guilt. For Harry desired to get to know Severus Snape in a way being Harry would never allow him, hoping that once Severus came to like him based on his personality, which he hadn't altered all that much in his role as Emma Malsby, that gender issues would not stand in the way of a potential friendship once Harry's assignment was over. But Harry knew that he was just deluding himself with such thoughts and decided that the one person who did know who he was in this entire school would be the one he had to talk this over with.

Harry braced himself for his nightly chat with Albus Dumbledore by pouring a healthy measure of Butterbeer and downing it in one swift go. Harry looked at himself in the mirror and saw the reflection of Emma staring back at him. Harry smiled bitterly at what he saw. He had once been proud of his creation of Emma, now he almost despised her.


"No, you may not tell Severus who you really are. I don't care if the man has become smitten with you, with Emma. You will not jeopardise this investigation; your role here is too important. Severus and the rest of the staff are all known as agents for the Order from when Voldemort was defeated. You are new and an unknown. Plus, if he were to find out who you really were, his hatred of you could very well make him slip and tip someone off. We can't have that happening."

Harry watched as Dumbledore paced furiously behind his desk. Fawkes sat quietly over by the fire on his perch. Harry almost wished Fawkes would sing a soothing melody to quiet his inner demons. He was not liking how this conversation was going.

"If Severus continues in his pursuit of Emma, you must either stay in character, or give him a cold shoulder to push him away. This is your decision. However I can't stress nearly enough that you cannot tell him who you really are. I forbid it," Albus spoke firmly and with a blue fire shooting from his eyes. Harry had almost forgotten how powerful and purposeful Albus could be when he was in the mindset to protect the wizarding world and all of humanity from anything that could be perceived as a threat.

Harry sighed and sunk deeper into the chair he occupied. The chair he had occupied many a time over the last ten years, but never more so than the last few weeks since taking on this assignment. Each night he came to Albus to give him a rundown of how his day went and who the latest suspects were. Since a full week of classes had passed, Harry had now gone through the entire body of students and he had accumulated a fairly extensive list of potential recruits. It was looking very ugly, for there were almost thirty students on the list, some of whom were even from Hufflepuff and Gryffindor. He knew his list would be compared against the other professors' and those that were considered the highest danger would be investigated more thoroughly.

"Very well, I won't tell him who I am, but you had better be prepared for a very angry Potions Master once this is all over. Unless you are prepared to keep him in the dark forever about who Emma Malsby really is. Of course knowing you, once this is all over, Emma Malsby will just disappear into the woodwork mysteriously and no one will ever be the wiser."

"Too right, she'll disappear. You know that's how it works. No one can know what your abilities are. No one can associate you with any of your previous assignments; it's what makes you a skilled and successful secret agent." Harry watched as Dumbledore finally stilled his restless movement and summoned a tea tray, which appeared immediately. Albus prepared their tea, knowing quite well how Harry took his and on the side piled several tea biscuits around the cup. The remainder of the evening progressed as it always did.


Harry tossed and turned all night as he tried to think of how best to handle the situation with Severus. Should he turn a cold shoulder and never get to know the man who hated Harry passionately or become friends and lead him on knowing in the end that Emma would disappear and make Severus once more distrusting of people and potentially heartbroken. By the next morning, Harry had reasoned that he knew what was best for Severus, but for once Harry wanted to be totally selfish and with that in mind, he knew that he would allow Severus to pursue Emma Malsby.

Note: This chapter was beta read by the lovely Sansa. Thank you, dear. Any errors remaining are mine. See chapter one for disclaimer.