Ch 10 Cooperation


Severus POV

There wasn't much room in Severus Snape's office for him, Granger and Black to all fit into his office and comfortably do their research. The last time the three of them met up to work together didn't count, there wasn't much research done, more so reiteration and the inevitable arguing. And unfortunately, the three of them couldn't be seen trapezing through the school to meet up in the Room of Requirement. Like how he and Granger normally did. It was too much of a risk for Black to be seen.

His office was too small. And he wasn't the Potions professor anymore so it would seem odd for him to be hauled up in his old classroom. Perhaps not for the students but it would be for the staff.

He wasn't comfortable with the idea of having them all converge in his private quarters but it was their only solution.

Severus never cared much for propriety as a teacher. He yelled at the students, rarely if ever complimenting them on a job well done. He took too many points away and assigned many detentions. The other teachers preferred a more encouraging approach and were quite willing to allow multiple chances in order to succeed. That may work in other subjects but in a classroom surrounded by volatile ingredients, nicety wasn't going to stop the dunderheads and their recklessness from killing someone. He showed favouritism to those from his own house. However, most of the teachers did and since he was the only professor from Slytherin House he tried to equal the playing field. And of course, it was expected of him from the purebloods in his house.

But at the end of the day, he never broke any of the rules. He never physically laid a hand on a child or hurt them. He never graded a student unfairly. And he certainly has never had a student in his private quarters before.

Until today.

He is surely going to hell for this one. Unless Minerva finds out first. In which case, hell would be much more preferable. It wasn't as if she was in his bedroom or alone in his room. Nonetheless, she was here.

The only people who have ever been in here were Dumbledore, McGonagall and Pomphrey. And now he can add two more to the list. Hermione Granger was standing in his home. Even during the summer, he preferred to live here instead of his childhood home he has never bothered to sell. Never knowing when a safe house would be needed.

Hermione Granger was at least predictable and more aware of the implication of her standing here than Black was. When he informed her of the new meeting location she was surprised and hesitant. He could see it in her eyes. But she quickly composed herself and stopped her stuttering and simply agreed that it was the most logical choice. And that was what he could always rely on Miss Granger for. She always tried to choose logic instead of her emotions. She wouldn't make this unnecessary weird. She would at least attempt to keep this professional.

She was standing in his living room and trying to make it seem as though she wasn't taking stock of his possessions and his life. Black was much more obvious. Not even hiding his actions in the slightest as he gawked and stared at his room.

He had to tell the man twice not to touch anything.

There wasn't anything of actual value in here. The walls were sparse and as well as most of the shelves. A few knickknacks adored the bookshelves but nothing that couldn't easily be replaced. He hid anything that he viewed as too personal in his bedroom. He wasn't interested in them gazing and scrutinizing his personal effects. Or to gain more insight into his life than they would already have to. The only thing he didn't have time to hide, which was on plain display, was his personal library.

He could tell a lot from a person by looking at the books they read. And Granger clearly held the same opinion as she gazed at the rows of books. Most of them were on Potions, Herbology and the Dark Arts: the less dangerous ones. He had no need for books on Transfiguration and unless he found a rare or interesting book on Charms he would just settle for the ones in the library. He did have some books written by muggle authors though. He quite enjoyed the works of Stephen King and H.G Wells. He did keep a few of his potion journals in there. In case he was feeling inspired early in the morning. And it seemed that besides the Muggle works Granger wasn't too surprised in his selection. In fact she looked rather intrigued and curious as she read some of the titles.

All of his rare and expensive potion ingredients were hidden and safely secured in his private lab. Which to him was more intimate than allowing them here. Only he had access to his lab. Not even Dumbledore dared to enter. It was his only request. His only sanctuary.

But still, there wasn't much Severus could keep to himself. He reported almost every aspect of his life to the Headmaster and his mind was routinely invaded by the Dark Lord. There was only so little privacy he had despite being a private person. And these two were invading it. Though on his suggestion, that didn't mean he had to like it.

He had to physically restrain himself by holding his hands behind his back to prevent himself from throwing the pair out every time they so much as moved or looked in a direction. It didn't help that his reserve was already running thin since he had to keep holding his tongue whenever he was in the presence of Black.

They were making use of his living room as their base of operations. The table was covered with layers of notes and the floor had stacks of books. The table in the dining room was decorated with various maps of England.

He was currently researching magical artifacts and trying to limit which ones may have been used as Horcruxes. Granger was researching ways to destroy them. Since Black had more time on his hands than the two of them he was looking into kills the Dark Lord personally made and trying to figure out any possible clues as to where the Horcruxes would be hidden. He would also read any books he and Granger didn't have time to go through.

He was sitting on one of the armchairs, facing the couch and the other armchair. Granger was curled up on herself while she read, tucked into the chair. Black was sprawled out on the couch taking up all of the space. A teacher who was also a spy, a student who was called the brightest witch of her year and a rich jobless ex-convict were all sitting in his living room. They were an odd group. That was for sure. No one would ever expect the three of them to be working together. Which made it all the more convenient.

Most of the time he and Granger would meet up once a week to discuss some new theories or any research they have discovered. And Granger would always relay messages to and from Black. The three of them had decided to meet up once a month unless something pressing came up.

In most aspects of his life, their working relationship didn't change anything for him. He still disliked Black though he attempted to be more neutral with him. He still taught, he still had essays to mark, potions to brew and spying to be done. And he didn't allow what they were doing to interfere with any other aspect of his life. He still treated Granger the same in class as has for the past 5 years. Even though they were on social speaking terms now in private.

As Granger sat in front of him he couldn't help but stare. She was 17 and a legal adult in the wizarding world despite only being a sixth-year student. She had a mop of long brown curls that cascaded past her shoulders and down her back. She was quite short compared to him. She was no different than any other woman in this school. There was nothing really special about her. Nothing that would draw his gaze to her. She was plain and had one of those faces you would often forget when in a crowd. It was interesting, she used to never mean a damn to him. He never was once interested in what she did or said. Though he wished she would shut up and put her hand down in class. At least the other students didn't bother to pretend to pay attention anymore. But she was the only one who vividly paid attention. And despite the number of students in the classroom, sometimes it felt she was the only one he was teaching. But he was so used to the routine he was living in he was never concerned with her presence until now.

In the classroom and throughout the hall of Hogwarts, he acted as if she didn't mean anything to him. But personally, Granger did have an effect on his frame of mind.

He was grateful for the information she provided him. He could possibly even owe her a life debt.

However, after starting to work with her in such an intimate capacity he started to resent her.

When he had access to her mind. He saw moments of happiness. How much she loved her parents and how she was loved in return. He saw how easy it was for her to smile and find joy in life. He saw how easy it was for her to connect and make friends. Flashes of her friendship with Black were often near the forefront of her mind. He saw how easily she gained his loyalty. And the way Potter and Weasley easily trusted her and never seemed to question her judgement. And he wanted the simplicity that her life seemed to hold. He was aware of the weight the war had on her but underneath that, she was satisfied with who she was and her life.

He wanted to feel that way. He wanted to be hopeful and excited for his future. To be able to be happy and laugh. To be able to simply connect and feel warmth when surrounded by people. He couldn't recall a time when he ever felt like that. There was never a time when he wasn't plagued by fear, pain and guilt. For the most part, she was free from all of that. She had reason to fear the Death Eaters, but not while she was in the halls of Hogwarts. And the stress that she experiences was mostly due to her own incessant need to be perfect.

While he was constantly bound to this nightmare of a life he was living.

He hated how she made him wish he had more. He was content for the most part that his life would never amount to anything more than being a teacher, a spy and a Death Eater. He had expected that reality a long time ago. He had long ago given up dreaming and hoping to have a career he actually wanted. To brew potions he could actually be proud of. Or to simply do whatever he wanted without having to worry about the possible consequences. But she made him want a future past all of that. And he knew that realistically it would never happen. In the end, he would probably die for the cause. And if it meant seeing the Dark Lord die with him then he was okay with it.

It was one of the reasons he never allowed himself to get emotionally close to others. Besides who would want to be with him romantically and have to deal with him carrying the weight of all of his emotional baggage and trauma. He knew what it meant to lose someone you cared about. It was one of the worst pains he ever experienced. And so in the end no one would mourn the death of Severus Snape. He made sure of it.

And for some reason, she understood that. She understood pieces of him that he hid so carefully behind emotionless expressions.

He made Dumbledore swear never to reveal how much danger he was constantly in and the pain he experienced as a Death Eater and yet she figured it out. A school girl figured it out when all of the members of the Order of the Phoenix never could. She could see the pain and guilt in the shadows of his eyes. Where everyone else turned away she faced him and didn't flinch at the harshness.

She even apologized. He never anticipated that she would feel remorse for revealing something private about him to Black. No one ever had before.

"I was out of line the other night. I invaded your private life and it is none of my business nor anyone else's and I am sorry." Her tone of voice seemed sincere and not the fake sincerity he heard from students apologizing for their misdeeds. She sighed as she said in a small voice, "I just wanted the fighting between you and Sirius to stop. We need this fighting to stop if we are going to be able to work together." He understood why she did it. And when Black came into his room holding out a hand and calling a truce, it was clear her methods were successful. It doesn't mean he had to like it. He had already gotten over his anger over what she said but he was left wondering. How could she have possibly known? He spent years learning to manage and hide his pain. To growl and snap through the pain. To move slowly and always in control for the days he could barely get out of bed and need to conserve his energy. He traced back his steps and words to see what he might have accidentally revealed in front of her. And yet he couldn't figure out where he slipped up. Their contact before these last couple months was limited to the classroom. He couldn't recall ever having a full conversation with her outside of class.

"How long have you known?" He kept his volume low and steady, not letting her know the effect she had on him. How uncomfortable he felt discussing something so private to him that he rarely talked about with others.

"Since the night Voldemort returned." For the first time since she started speaking, he looked up to meet her eyes. He was actively avoiding hers, not wanting to engage in this conversation. He tried to mask the shock he felt. She has known for over a year. How was that even possible? How careless could he have possibly been?

"I was in the hospital wing watching over Harry when I saw you come back. I was under the invisibility cloak." That explains a lot. Madam Pomphrey would have kicked her out long before he made his appearance. "Nobody noticed I was there. I saw how you collapsed and Madam Pomphrey had to help you get into a bed. There was a lot of blood. But you never made a sound. You didn't speak until you had to fight the Matron to let you leave so you could go and report to Dumbledore." He remembers the night well. The night everything in his life once again spiraled out of control. After the several rounds of torture he experienced until the Dark Lord was finally satisfied with once again having his loyal spy back in his grip, he was too exhausted and in agonizing pain to heal himself. Normally he would have just healed his wounds in the privacy of his own room. It wouldn't be wise for any students to see him injured in the hospital wing. He made it a point not to allow the students to see his weakness. But it didn't matter. Despite all of his precautions, he was still seen by her.

"I never said anything about it to anyone" He narrowed his eyes as he examined the truthfulness of her statement.

"I see." So she only told Black instead of her little friends. He could handle that. He didn't have much choice. But at least in this case he didn't have to worry about the students spready gossip about him.

"Again I am sorry sir." He knew she was referring to her making those comments.

"Miss Granger. I never, ever want to hear you say anything about this again." it was not her place to be concerned over his well-being. He knew how to take care of himself.

Before she left she couldn't help but ask. "Have you considered that all of this pain you go through won't be worth it in the end? That all your suffering was for nothing?" She bit her lip as she waited for his response.

"Have you considered that this plan won't work? Everything you are trying to accomplish won't amount to anything." He looked at her intently, watching the emotions that crossed her face. "I believe we both have the same answer."

And now as she sat here in front of him laughing and smiling at something Black said. Or when he was alone and his thoughts turned to her even when he didn't want to, he couldn't understand how after all she has experienced in her short life, all that she has seen and what she currently knows, she still had hope in her eyes. It floundered Severus.

He learned a lot more about his student than he ever wanted to. Not only by using legilimency on her. But by observing her while she worked.

The way she tapped her fingers against the table when she was stressed. How she would bite her lip in concern and anxiety. How she was completely obsessed with her work and achieving perfection. She even made sure to write her notes with precision and care to achieve the perfect end results. She could be quite obsessive when it came to her work. However, he couldn't exactly judge. He related to her obsessive behaviour. She did it to distract herself and she didn't like to sit in silence when the world was falling apart around her. It was why even when it was 3 am he would keep working instead of sleeping.

He understood that her fear of failing motivated her to keep going. And yet he couldn't understand how she still had a positive outlook on life. He simply didn't understand it and therefore he didn't understand her. And he found himself wanting to. She was an enigma and in early September she broke almost the entire image and perception he had of her from the past five years. He had never been so wrong about a person's character before. Not since the Dark Lord tricked him. He assumed that most of these changes in her were a recent development due to the war. And of course, he never had an opportunity to be alone with her and assess her personality.

He was learning piece by piece more about her and was always left curious to know more. It was odd for him to have her involved in his life. And right now he was trying to understand her role in all of this and with him. He was her teacher but right now she is his partner.

Oftentimes she acted as a buffer between him and Black. The two have learned to work together for short periods of time but if it was too long Black would start getting angsty.

And then he would be annoyed. Well more annoyed than usual.

Currently he was strumming his fingers on the table. Constantly fidgeting in his chair before standing up and pacing only to collapse back in the chair and do it all over again. But the worst would be his constant sighing. Severus counted that the average in the past 7 minutes was 3 sighs per minute. And as he melted further into his chair and exhaled loudly once more. Severus found he couldn't take it anymore. Black to his credit did stop for a minute. Then proceeded to turn into his animagus form and start pacing back and forth. Severus could hear his whining and practically see the dog's hair shedding onto his floor.

"Will you knock it off Black. You're setting my teeth on edge," Severus snapped.

Black turned back into himself. "I can't help it. I usually turn into Padfoot when I am anxious."

"Well if you keep it up. I might just have a new rug to decorate my office with." It wasn't the first time the thought occurred to him. He even knew exactly where he would hang it.

He threw himself back into his chair and crossed his arms over his chest with a huff. "What time is it?"

Severus had to resist the urge to roll his eyes. He knew exactly what the cause of his stress was. His codependency was quite prominent today. He had been checking the time for the past hour. "Miss Granger still has five minutes until she is expected to arrive." She was scheduled to meet them at 3. It was Black's own fault for showing up so early. He knew he would have had to wait.

"How can you be patient right now?" Black whined.

Severus raised a brow. What was there to be concern over? She was with Potter and Weasley. And the Dark Lord would still be immortal regardless of their efforts in the upcoming hours. What's an extra five minutes to spare? He has been waiting over sixteen years. He can wait as long as needed. He was patient. "You try teaching a bunch of children who have no clue their recklessness and stupidity is one step away from blowing up the entire classroom and killing their classmates." You would think that after five years Longbottom would have learned to be more careful. After around 20 potion mishaps, he was lucky he hadn't killed anyone. It was exhausting constantly having to remain vigilant and alert during class while the other teachers could slack off just to keep the students alive until their next class. "If I wasn't patient, I would have murdered the lot of them by now. And saved the house elfs the energy of having to clean up all of the broken cauldrons and mess."

Black looked at him slightly taken back by what he had to say. And yet the worry was still there. "Stop your needless worrying. When has she ever been late?" Never. The answer was never. And they both knew it. She was the poster child for punctuality.

Now if Black was done pestering him. He could get back to marking these essays before Granger arrived. He did have other responsibilities after all. And babysitting Black wasn't one of them.

Somehow Black remaining silent was even worse than when he spoke. If it was even possible he was even more annoying.

He was just staring at him wide eyed. Severus could feel his eyes on him. He could see Black's expression out of the corner of the eye. He didn't like being stared at. He didn't like being scrutinized and watched under a microscope. He already was by so many people. He didn't want to add Black to the list. "What?"

"What?" Black repeated immediately after. Severus had to suppress the urge to hit him. But it was hard now that he found his hand in a fist.

"You're staring."

"Am I. Huh? I didn't even notice."

Merlin. Why did he agree to sign up for this again? Oh right, somehow defeating the Dark Lord meant playing nice with Black. Though right now he was struggling to make the connection. "Is there something you want to say?"

"Has anyone ever told you that you are sarcastic?"

"Am I. I never noticed," Severus drawled with a roll of his eyes.

"It's just something I am starting to notice now. You actually have a sense of humor."

"Well look at that my life's mission is complete. I can finally move on with my life." That means Black can leave. And he can finally have some peace. Though he wasn't making any attempts. It was a nice thought though.

"How come I never realized how funny you are?" Was that actually a legitimate question? Cause Severus had several answers to choose from.

"You were always too busy laughing at me then to laugh with me." Somehow he and his little gang were even able to get the other Slytherins to laugh with them. And that meant that not even his own house was safe for him from the humiliation. There was only one person who didn't laugh. Because he understood what it was like to live in a world that hosted Sirius Black.

"But you weren't like this at school," Black said quickly. Almost defensively. Of course, he wouldn't recognize his own wrongdoings.

"Wasn't I? Or did you just never get off your high horse to notice?"

"Hmm. I noticed things," He said indignantly.

Severus almost couldn't believe how thick this man was. Did he seriously not realize? "Really so you noticed how miserable your brother was when you ignored him at school and how you practically replaced him." Severus almost winced after realizing what he said.

Black's eyes narrowed. "What would you know about Regulas."

"He was a friend." One of his only if he was being truthful. Though the boy was a year younger than him. They were quite close. After Black ran away from home Regulus would let him stay at Grimmauld Place when he couldn't stand to be at home. His parents weren't thrilled by the idea of a half-blood staying there but they allowed him to stay due to his knowledge of the dark arts. But Regulus also didn't want to be alone in that house. And he was alone long before Black left him.

Black sighed wearily and ran a hand through his hair. "He always acted as though he wanted to stay."

"He was scared. He always was." And that's why he became a Death Eater. He was scared of what would happen if he didn't. And then he was scared of what he would have to do. Severus was too blind by anger to realize at the time what a mess they found themselves in. But Regulus knew and tried to escape. But there was no leaving once you become a Death Eater. And Regulus learned that the hard way. "I couldn't help him in the end."

"Neither could I." Severus saw the sadness and regret in Black's eyes. Good, he feels guilty. Now he wasn't the only one. "Do you know if it was quick? His death?"

"I liked to think so. He wasn't dragged in front of the other Death Eaters and tortured as a warning. No one knows the specifics." He never even saw a body. But he knew he was dead. He wouldn't have been able to just up and leave. He was too honorable. And Severus wished he was. But realistically that won't be what happens to him. "I wouldn't be surprised if we all ended up just like him."

Black threw his head back and groaned. "Could you please not use that tone of voice?" What? His natural tone of voice? "I'm so sick of all this gloom and doom. Why can't people just be happy?"

Maybe because their lives are shit? And people are dying left and right. And the war doesn't appear to be ending anytime soon. Yes. There was much to be happy about. "As if you are the epitome of happiness."

"I'm not and certainly not you." Yes the two of them are a pair of miserable old suds. Just what he always wanted to have in common with Black.

"But she does." Thank Merlin you are here," Black said while looking behind him. Severus turned to find Miss Granger standing there looking slightly confused. He didn't even hear her come in Black had distracted him. That was a sign that he was tired if he couldn't focus and rely on his other senses.

He couldn't deny that Miss. Granger did provide an element of warmth and cheer when she entered the room. It was as if she radiated sunshine. You couldn't help but be drawn to look her way and to be close to her positivity. It was a stark contrast to his own energy. And the saying that opposites are drawn to one another did in some cases hold true. In this case, when they were limited to a small room, it was only natural for his eyes to turn to her. Better her than Black.

"Why?"

"We need your sunshine to brighten the room." He had to roll his eyes at that and could practically feel Miss. Granger do the same.

"Um Okay then. I will get right on that."

Yes, he had a feeling that she will get right on that after they find a way to identify, hunt down and destroy the Horcruxes. He had a few ideas on how to do that. But it wouldn't exactly be easy. If Miss Granger was correct on the diary being one. Then basilisk venom could destroy a Horcrux. And luckily there was an entire supply down in the Chamber of Secrets. Unfortunately, there was only one person in the entire school who could access it. And he was reluctant to bring Potter in, especially so early on, while his mind is still connected to the Dark Lord.

It was also possible that the Sword of Gryffindor, now that it was embedded with Basilisk venom, could destroy it. Though it would be more difficult to get that out of the Headmaster's office without him knowing. He also thought that maybe fiendfyr could work since he didn't think simple non-dark magic would work.

But right now that was all guesswork until they actually had a Horcrux in their possession. And even then it wouldn't be wise to hold onto one for so long. If the diary was able to possess and drain Miss Weasley's life force then what could the others do?

And Severus had no clue how he would react while in such close proximity to one. The dark mark tied him to the Dark Lord. How would the Horcrux affect him?

He was pulled out of his deep thoughts when Black said, "I had a thought."

"Oh no," He could see Miss Granger laugh out of the corner of his eye and he couldn't help but smirk.

"I swear it's a good one this time." He wouldn't hold his breath.

"What if we only need one Horcrux?" Yes, that was definitely a good idea. He didn't have time to hear this.

Though Miss Granger seemed much more willing to entertain him. "And what about the others?"

"Okay, we are basing our work on guesses. We have no clue how many Horcruxes Voldemort actually made." Yes, that pretty much summed up the past two months.

"Seven is a magical number." Miss Granger pointed out. And he was inclined to agree with her.

"Yes, but we don't even know if it is possible. Then on top of that trying to identify all of them and trying to locate them is an impossible task. We will be looking for a decade trying to find them all." Where was he going with this? If his whole spew was about how pointless this all was. Well, Severus already knew that. But he had a feeling that wasn't going to dissuade any of them. "So what if we just find one and link them altogether since they are all parts of Voldemort's soul and by destroying one we destroy them all simultaneously?"

Severus found himself frozen. His mouth was partially open as he tried to come up with a response to how stupid his idea was. But after contemplating it for a moment he found that he couldn't. He was speechless.

The solution to a large portion of their stress was rather simple. Perhaps that was why they never considered the possibility of doing the bare minimum work and still succeeding. Him and Miss Grange were too used to complex solutions. But Black was able to simplify the problem.

It made sense. This might actually work, though he loathed to say it. But it seemed Miss Granger agreed with him if her look of shock and astoundedness was anything to go by. Wow. Black actually had a good thought. Who would have known?

"That might be the most intelligent thing to have ever come out of your mouth."

Now it was Black's turn to be surprised. "Did you just agree with me?"

The amount of joy in his eyes was nauseating and he regretted ever opening his mouth. "Oh, I wish I could take-"

"Nope! You said it. No take-backs," Black said with glee and a pointed finger.

Severus wasn't fond of how despite his extreme dislike of Black how as soon as they enforced their truce Black started to tease him playfully and he found himself engaging in it.

It was the same with how he and Miss. Granger was able to transition from student-teacher to partners. She was aware that their dynamic was changing for all of them but she never seemed to categorize it or question how easy it seemed for them to switch back and forth. It was his job to switch from teacher to spy. He never struggled to make transitions in his life and yet he did find there was a certain ease when he shifted gears from her teacher to a colleague.

And he was finding it more difficult when having to revert back to treating her as his student. He wasn't able to complement or support his students during class. It wouldn't aid in his image as the big bad Death Eater. And that was all that mattered while he was teaching. After all, the Dark Lord believed that teaching was just a cover in order to get close to Dumbledore. Therefore he couldn't be too interested in actually teaching. Not that he enjoyed it, to begin with. But if it was his choice his teaching style would be a bit more modified. He would treat all students equally regardless of house. But that wasn't the case.

Miss Granger was in Gryffindor therefore he had to hate her in principle.

It also didn't help that she was so intelligent. And he found himself appreciating her intellect especially compared to her fellow students who are more or less a lost cause at this point. It wasn't just that she was smart for a student but as a person, to begin with. Her advancement in magical application, as well as general knowledge, was extensive. And that resonated with his own mind.

Like how she suggested using an altered version of the Proteam Charm to connect the Horcruxes and then proceeded to alter her and Black's communication journals as a test run.

He couldn't help but ask, "Where did you learn how to do that?"

She didn't seem to know what he was referring to at first until he gestured to her hand with her wand and the opened books in front of her. "I taught myself."

She taught herself? But that was advanced magic and shouldn't have been covered in class until after Christmas. So he knew she wasn't lying. But he still had to clarify. "The Proteam Charm?"

"Ya, I learned it last year so that the D.A would have a means of communicating without anyone knowing." She said it so passively as if she did this thing every day. But he had a feeling that it was really the circumstances that pushed her. That wasn't the only spell she seemed to accomplish in her fifth year despite Umbridge sabotaging the student's every attempt to learn.

"And that jinx?" He was rather curious about it. Pranks and such a cruel application weren't really her style. But he was just starting to learn that there was more to her than meets the eyes.

"How did you know that I did it?" He gave her a pointed look and she sighed in defeat. "It was only intended to reveal. Not permanently scar or cause mental damage." She seemed slightly abashed and apologetic. "That is her own fault. The jinx disappears when the person states the truth. She just needs to admit that she was a snitch and it would disappear."

That explained a lot. He didn't think she would stoop so low and artificial as to get revenge on an individual by alternating a person's appearance through cosmetics. But the idea itself was intriguing. She somehow found a way to bind a contract with an altered truth spell. It was quite brilliant on her part.

Though he would never admit it. And with enough time he too would be able to figure out she had managed it. But he was too busy and tired to look into it. If he needed such a jinx he would ask her for it.

And it seemed by the way Miss Granger's eyes kept drooping and had her head propped up with her arm that she was too tired to continue. It was getting late anyway. Well, technically it wasn't that late. It was only 8;15. But she had been here with them for over five hours. And people might begin to wonder where she is. Though he figured she gave her little friends an excuse to keep them from wondering. "You should stop for the night."

She didn't even look up. "I can keep going."

How come he knew she was going to be stubborn and fight him on this. "You're exhausted. And won't be of much use now." Nonetheless. She had pushed herself hard today. And she would need to be well-rested for her other curricula. And he would not accept less than perfection in her essays. He would know why she was slacking.

He could see the hesitance in her eyes. Though they did wander to the door. "We can finish this for the night. Besides you have Defence tomorrow and you will need to be well-rested for the lesson I have prepared."

Her eyes seemed to light up at the thought. "Any hint on what you will be teaching tomorrow."

"Why? So you can have a head start and act superior to your classmates. No, I don't think so. Let's at least give the other students a chance to actually learn something. Whether or not it sticks is another question," he drawled.

She gave a half-smile. "It was worth a shot."

She immediately closed her books and began collecting her effects. It wasn't long before she said, "Goodnight Sirius." She turned to look at him and gave a slight nod. "Sir."

He found his eyes trailing after her and stared at the door long after she left. It wasn't until Black snapped him out of his thoughts that he realized he was staring at nothing. "How did you do that?"

"What?" He found himself becoming annoyed once more.

"I can never get her to quit when she is too deep in a book. You just told her to leave and she listened." And his point being?

"That is because you lack authority" Amongst other things.

Black rolled his eyes. "But seriously she actually listened to you. And not just say okay and then take the book with her up to bed and continue to read it there."

He found his eyes narrowing. He didn't want to know how he knew she continued to read in bed. "You forget that she is still my student regardless of us working together."


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Though with the way Black looked at him. He made him think for a moment it had something more to do with respect than anything else. Though he quickly shook the thought out of his head and replaced it with a scowl on his face.