A/N: Thank you for the continued love! I have been SO BUSY lately, so my responding to comments has slowed quite a bit - just know that it means so much to me that y'all are out there reading and enjoying!

Shoutout to my alpha readers Ruby, Juby, and Bryra, as well as my mom and my husband for all the encouragement along the way!

Massive amounts of thanks to SnakegirlSprocket for beta-ing and getting this ready for fan eyes!

And of course, if you're here, you probably know - I do not own Harry Potter, I just like to play here.

Hermione had never been so happy to see Draco Malfoy in all her life. As she stood, panting slightly from whatever unexpected magic had just buzzed between her and Snape, she amended her excitement about the development in her professional relationship with him. This would only work if she could keep herself together and stop her little, inconsequential crush from becoming known.

Severus lowered their arms, slowly disentangling his grip from hers. It felt like a loss. That's exactly what I'm talking about, give it up. As she regained control of her breathing, Hermione tried her best to focus on what was happening around her.

"What's that supposed to mean, Draco?" Snape challenged as the younger wizard pushed into the flat and closed the door.

"Well, I've been working on both of you for days now, and how much time have you both wasted?" Draco said, hanging up his cloak with a flick of his hand. "This seems like a moment for celebration, does it not?"

Hermione was happy to jump in. Anything to stop standing there stewing on whatever had just happened.

"I actually came prepared," she said, pulling a small cake from her expanded pocket.

"Confident, were you?" Snape said, eyeing her suspiciously. "And the supposed wine you tried to ply me with before?"

She smiled cheekily at him. "Pomegranate juice." She walked over to his cabinets. "Do you have some plates, or must I summon some from upstairs?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Draco said. "What's this about wine?"

"That was a risk," Snape said, solidly ignoring his godson as he levitated three plates towards her. Merlin, this whole damn thing had been a risk. From how she'd entered, to what she'd demanded from him, Hermione had pushed right up against her own line of impertinence. "How did you know I wouldn't drink it and find you out? Why bring it in the first place?"

"Someone please explain what's going on," Draco whined. "It's no fun if I understand nothing of what you are talking about."

"She showed up here drunk," Snape said curtly. "Only to then reveal she wasn't, and proceeded to hold precious information on the case ransom until I agreed to form a professional partnership with her."

Draco burst out laughing and Hermione used the opportunity to turn and collect herself as she cut them each a slice of the chocolate and raspberry cake. It sounds quite mad all laid out like that. "That's brilliant, Granger!"

"Thank you," she said, somewhat unaccustomed to being congratulated for trickery. Harry and Ron had obviously been terrified of her whenever the subject of her blackmail against a certain Daily Prophet writer had come up. She turned and handed each of the Slytherin men a piece. Severus eyed it skeptically while Draco happily dug in. "To answer your question, Severus: first of all, if my experience is anything to go off of, you seem to have some sympathy for drunk women. In our short reacquaintance, you've never dismissed me when I get a bit tipsy and expressive. Truly, a wonderful, chivalrous quality, but a notable one in someone so usually surly."

Draco choked on his mouthful of cake. "She's got you there."

As if to demonstrate her point, Severus grumbled unhappily. "Perhaps I shall reevaluate such things. Bear in mind, I have no such qualms about snubbing you when you're sober, witch."

Hermione took a sip from her glass of juice to hide her smirk before continuing on. "Well, I wouldn't feel the need to do something of the sort if you weren't such a…challenging man to get a hold of in the first place. And I brought the juice because, frankly, it's ridiculous. In the realms of probability, it's much more likely that someone who shows up drunk and apparently drinking wine is doing just that, and not trying to create some elaborate ruse. Props, when applied only so believably, are indispensable. And I felt confident that you wouldn't take a sip in the time that I needed the illusion to hold because of the first factor. A moment of concern for an inebriated person would hardly be the time to indulge for someone who avoids drinking too often."

"Merlin's pants, it's actually a bit terrifying when you're like that, Granger," Draco said, placing his plate down to clap Severus on the back. "She's perfect for this!"

Hermione searched Snape's black eyes for some indication of his thoughts but found little other than calm scrutiny as he sized her up. He lifted an eyebrow, apparently satisfied with his appraisal, something like warmth sparking in his normally cold eyes. He speared a bite of cake with his fork.

"Excellent observations, Hermione," he said, and she beamed at the use of her first name. "But it would be prudent to avoid investigating me in the future."

"Wouldn't dream of it, Severus."

"Alright, you two," Draco said in a jokingly gruff tone. "Enough playing around, there's work to do. You've wasted enough time getting to this point anyhow."

They settled in around the dining room table to compile all the information they had on the case so far. Hermione was happy to hear that Severus had already found the Goblin origins of several of the artifacts interesting. After she'd been fully briefed on everything, from Snape's initial conversation and letter with Madame Grospinks, to his independent research so far, she revealed a piece of parchment from her pocket and pushed it across to her new partner. He unfolded it to examine, Draco looking over his shoulder, as Hermione began to explain.

"You already know a bit about how my matrices function and the type of work I'm doing for the businesses around here. I won't go too deep into that, but I will say that none of these artifacts returned an exact, immediate match through my initial search. That means that none of these pieces have been physically seen by Borgin or Burke, or at least not knowingly."

"What do you mean knowingly," Draco asked. "Both of those old screws know quite a bit about magical objects. Surely they would notice if something was spelled to look slightly different."

"They do, but there are ways around that. I'll get to that bit in just a moment." Hermione looked back at Severus. "As you noted, the most obvious unifying property between the stolen antiques is their Goblin-make. Now, I'm no expert, but I think it's important to note that these pieces are all claimed to be pre-rebellion pieces. If that claim is to be believed, they are exactly the type of artifacts that pull the most money on the black market…and the most problematic in terms of true rights."

"They're essentially more contestable, correct?" Draco asked. "If there's anything lacking in the bill of sale or the gift designation, the Goblins are within their rights to reclaim it under the accords."

"Exactly," Hermione said, nodding excitedly. "Everything post-Rebellion is still plenty valuable, but the items do not fetch the same premium prices as the more legally dubious ones. Did you know that Borgin and Burke refuse to purchase anything Goblin-made without express permission from Gringotts?"

Severus frowned in consideration. "Actually, I did not."

"Yeah, it's a little surprising since they definitely carry quite a number of Goblin-made things. But, they won't even appraise items claiming to be Goblin-made, other than to tell someone if what they bring in is an outright fake. They never give prices and they never make an offer unless there is a representative present."

"So you weren't able to find anything?" Draco asked, glumly taking the remaining piece of cake.

"No…she found everything," Severus said quietly, staring once again at the piece of paper Hermione had handed him. Hermione allowed herself a small smile at his understanding. "The shop has seen all of these items."

"They don't only bring in a Goblin appraiser to keep up good relations with Gringotts. Goblin magic has a different signature than that of any other magical being. While Borgin and Burke know enough to sense when an item claiming Goblin-make is lacking it—"

"They wouldn't notice if an actual Goblin-made artifact is trying to be passed off as something else entirely," Severus finished for her, stroking his chin as he considered."

"Yes," Hermione confirmed. "But it took me quite a bit of matrix search to realize that. Of the list you gave me, all of the blades came into the shop with claims of goblin-origin. A representative was called, a deal was made, and the blade went back to Gringotts with the goblin."

"And the others?" Draco asked.

"Came into the shop at the exact same time, looking typically cursed, but wizard-crafted," Hermione said. "What I've brought you there is a copy of the visit inventory. All of the non-blade items are there, but you sort of have to squint. They've all been heavily enchanted to look and feel like cursed or corrupted items. The real question is why."

"I assume that neither Borgin, nor Burke, wanted anything to do with those," Severus said, taking a sip from his glass.

"Yes, they get a small commission anytime they involve the Goblins, so their focus was entirely on the blades. It's actually what inspired my little stunt with the supposed wine tonight. Sell someone enough of the truth, and they'll buy it."

"But why not keep all of it?" Draco asked. "Clearly whoever did this was aware all of the items were Goblin-made. If you're just trying to make money, the blades are where it's at." Both Snape and Hermione looked at him curiously. "What? Are you forgetting what family I'm from? Of course I know the going rates for black market heirlooms!"

The three of them sat in pensive silence as the fire crackled, considering what the shop info had revealed, and all of the new questions it demanded.

"Evidently, the cause is more complex than money," Severus said. "Was there a name associated with the transaction?"

Hermione grimaced. "Oh, you'll love this one," she said bitterly, pulling out another, much smaller piece of paper.

"Mundungus Fletcher," Snape read. "Figures. The idiot will work for just about anyone and is so untrustworthy that even if he told us who had put him up to it, we'd be fools to take him at his word."

"That's why I think we should try to meet with someone from Gringotts first," Hermione said. "Cassius has arranged a meeting for us at the beginning of next week, and I'm hoping Bill Weasley can join us as well. I'm told he gets on quite well with his coworkers."

Severus looked at her in genuine surprise. She did love when she could achieve that expression, no matter how quickly he returned to his usual scowl.

"Cheeky. I'll ignore it at the present, given how it's exactly the next move I was going to suggest," her old potions master said. "But please refrain from such flashy displays of your forethought. No need to overdo it, Miss Granger."

Draco guffawed and stage whispered. "I'll translate: he's impressed. He's just miffed he didn't get to it first."

Severus shot his godson a withering look. Before Hermione could burst into giggles, she decided it was the best time to excuse herself.

"Well, gents," she said wistfully as she stood. "This was lovely, but I actually have a busy day tomorrow at the shops, and I'm currently functioning on no sleep. Severus." Oh, how I like saying his name. "When would you like to meet to discuss the particulars."

Snape stood to walk her to the door. "I'll be here in the evening, just come by whenever you return from work and we'll go over some of the more general projects and expectations."

"I'll come around eventually," Draco said, rising, but remaining at the table. "I'm as good of a contract witness as any and I might be able to fill in some other details as well."

"Well, needless to say, I'm looking forward to it," Hermione said. Turning directly to Severus, she met his gaze. Suddenly reminded of the strange current that had passed between them earlier, she felt a blush creep into her cheeks again as she kept her hands firmly folded in front of her. "Thank you, Severus. I think you know something of what this means to me."

His dark eyes softened slightly and he nodded. "Goodnight, Hermione."

She practically levitated all of the way to the top floor. I'm really going to have to get used to that. She entered her apartment, firmly closing the door before she whooped and did a little victory dance. It had all gone entirely better than expected. Plunking down on the couch with a triumphant sigh, she summoned a cup of tea to her. By the time it had steeped, she was already fast asleep.

After closing the door behind the witch, Severus was in a daze. He'd known she'd be good, but he hadn't quite expected her to be that prepared. In all honesty, even if he had the same access to Borgin and Burke's ledgers, it would have taken him forever to sort through all of that. He was decent enough at Arithmancy and organization, but she was…something else entirely.

As he sat back down at the table, Severus released a long steady exhale.

"Wow," Draco said, echoing his own unspoken sentiment. "For the record, I told you so."

Severus rolled his eyes, chuckling quietly. "It sounds like you also told her, which was entirely unnecessary, Draco."

"Yeah, right," Draco sneered. "I'm sure the two most pig-headed people I know would have just figured it out on their own."

Severus fiddled with his still half-eaten cake.

"Out of curiosity, what did you say to her?" He really had no idea how anything that came out of Draco Malfoy's mouth could have influenced the likes of Hermione Granger.

"Well, I saved her from those Auror idiots at the Gala after you so abruptly left her stranded on the dance floor."

Severus straightened. "She was with the Weasl— Ginevra Potter, I thought those were good enough hands."

"Well, the dogs came round again, and I thought her evening would be better spent with you, so I helped her make a speedy exit and prevented her from hexing her ex-colleagues. You're very welcome."

Severus wasn't exactly sure how he felt about learning that his godson had been the one to send Hermione after him that night. Poor Snivellus, thinking the pretty girl had run after him of her own accord. He decided this was probably better in the long run to go ahead and dismiss any myths he held about their connection. Unaware of his brooding, Draco continued.

"And then a few days after, I took her out to lunch because you were acting so gods-damned cagey about the whole thing." Draco rolled his eyes, standing and slinking towards the icebox. "Really, Snape, the girl just asked you up to her apartment, no need to act like it was a proposal of marriage. I'm glad you two have worked past that bit of awkwardness…at least by the vibes I was getting in here tonight."

Severus barely perceived the suggestive chuckle and wink the blonde wizard sent his way. His brain had swiftly stopped synthesizing any information much earlier in his statement.

"What girl asked me up to her apartment?" he asked, certain he'd misunderstood or dazed off for a moment.

Draco blinked at him over a glass of pumpkin juice. "What do you mean 'what girl?'"

"Nobody asked me up to their apartment," Snape said blankly, his mind still refusing to compute.

Draco reached out and slapped his arm lightly. "Granger asked you up to her place after the Gala. I thought that's why you came in here looking like fresh death."

Snape cocked his head to one side, still feeling like all he could do was repeat the words that were not making any sense to him. Looking into Draco's gray eyes, he searched for any signs of joking. "You're saying Hermione Granger invited me up to her flat the night of the Gala?"

"What the hell is wrong with you, Snape? Yes, for the millionth time, that's what she told me…she seemed quite frustrated that I got it out of her, little spitfire—wait, what are you on about now?"

Severus's brain had finally caught up, certain things snapping into place. He had to be absolutely certain. Since that fateful night, he had yet to actually review the memories - it'd seemed so dreadfully masochistic, even for his tastes. But Malfoy's words had itched something in the back of his mind. He stood and dashed to his closet to drag out the small, battered Pensieve towards his couch.

Draco grabbed him by the shoulders, giving him a little shake. "Hold up! You don't remember?"

"I need to check," he said, tapping the stone basin nervously with his wand to activate the still fluid within.

"Well, I'm fucking looking too," Draco insisted. "Seems like the two of you can't keep shit straight without me."

"Pipe down, or I won't be able to focus, you brat," Severus growled, lightly pushing Draco off of him and placing his wand to his temple. He thought back to the night of the Gala, of their walk around Diagon up to the building they both lived in. Slowly, he extracted the silvery threads of that night and placed them into the Pensieve.

Without a moment's hesitation, he pitched forward into the memory, feeling Draco falling beside him. They watched as he and Hermione approached the apartment building, so wrapped up in conversation as to not notice where they were going.

"Looks pretty cozy," Draco said.

"Shut up," Snape said. "It doesn't last long."

He watched the moment he had realized they'd arrived at his place of living play out through his unusually unguarded expressions. In the present, he and Draco moved to stand on the steps to watch the series of misunderstandings between him and Hermione that would eventually give way to the realization that they both resided in the same place.

"I've had a wonderful time this evening, despite everything. Thanks for the walk."

This was torture. Living it once had been enough, but seeing it again in third person was horrible. Looking at his own face, he could remember all of the confusion he'd felt at Hermione's sweet smiles and coy pauses.

"Um…Snape, do you want to come in?"

"There it is, you dunce," Draco hissed at him, giving him a solid whack on the back, pointing at his old classmate. "Look at her, even in this washed out view, you can see she's blushing! Oh, Granger, you bold girl."

Severus stared open-mouthed. Of course…he remembered her saying that, they were standing and watching the proof that he remembered. But…it hadn't been like that—had it? Looking at memory-Hermione now, he had to admit that Draco had a point. From the outside, her intent was hard to mistake.

"I think that's a given."

"No offense, mate," Draco said, his disgust palpable. "But you're a fucking idiot. That would have been a good line if you actually meant it that way. Look, she's blushing even more…she thinks you know what she meant, like any normal person would."

"Silence!" However, Severus was inclined to agree wholeheartedly with his godson. It had all been right. Then he'd…oh no, he didn't want to watch this next part. But he was transfixed.

"Wait…how did you open the wards—Oh, no you don't, Crookshanks!"

"Ah, poor Granger. She's gonna think she was accosting you outside your house." Draco's lament was evident on the girl's face as everything came crashing down on the both of them. Snape felt sick to his stomach as he now viewed the interaction with Hermione's feelings in mind. It was brutal. Unfortunately, Draco's mirth seemed to grow with each passing second.

"I live here. I could open the wards because I live here. That's your cat…"

"Real way with words, you've got Sev."

"You're the note-posting busybody!"

"Oh gods! Classic!"

"You're the basement witch!"

"Basement witch?"

"Busybody?"

"Good evening, Miss Granger. And keep control of that bloody animal."

By the time Severus pulled them out of the memory, Draco was bent double, howling with laughter. Severus couldn't find it in him to care as he dragged himself to collapse numbly on the couch, feeling absolutely out of step. A tiny spark threatened deep in his stomach: he had interpreted her correctly. She had asked him up. She had wanted…something. How had things gone so wrong?

Draco was finally pulling himself together, wiping tears from his eyes as he sat next to Snape on the couch.

"That was…masterful," he said shakily, as if laughter threatened to overtake him again. "Really, it's no wonder Granger was so bothered when I went poking around. She must have been crushed by that. What the hell were you thinking?"

Nothing good. He'd been too caught up in his own obsessive inferiority to see what was happening right in front of him. "I just…didn't think it was possible. A beautiful witch like her. I thought I was reading into something that wasn't there, getting caught up in the night." His voice sounded stark and vulnerable even to his own ears and he wasn't surprised when Draco looked at him with concern. Severus knocked back his tumbler again, this time refilling it himself.

"Um…" Draco started, rubbing the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. "Hold on. Severus, are you telling me you didn't mean to reject her?"

Severus simply looked at him, wide-eyed, realizing he'd yet again revealed entirely more than he'd intended. All of a sudden, he was a student again, talking to Lucius, his prefect, and trying to hide his obsessive crush on another muggle-born witch. That thought sent him down another spiraling slide of emotions. How had he not realized it before, the uncanny similarities between this situation and that? Was he a masochist? Was he just living out the dreams of his younger self, a different life to correct the one he'd destroyed with his subservience to the Dark Lord? Was his interest in Hermione some sick attempt of his subconscious to do right by Lily Evans?

"Severus...do you fancy Granger?" Draco's question somehow pierced through his dark reverie, and he was back in the present with his godson. "Would you have…gone up to her flat had you realized?"

Severus folded forward with an exasperated sigh, burying his head in his palms, which he supposed was confirmation enough.

"Then why are you so stricken?" Draco asked. "I thought you had gotten freaked out by the whole ex-student thing and gotten grumpy…but that's clearly not the case."

"Oh, believe me, I'm plenty freaked out by the whole ex-student thing," he said gruffly, straightening up only to sag back into the couch. "But no. In that moment, I was about to ask her to work for me, when I realized where we were. I was upset I'd led her here, both because it felt like it could be perceived as presumptuous and also because I really don't want many people to know I live here. But then she…well, you saw. And it was just so confusing to be invited into my own house. I was just about believing it when I realized she lives here too, and then I just…lost it. Honestly, I was so upset by that revelation, everything else went out the window. I mean…her and me? That's preposterous."

Draco waited patiently for Snape's confession to end before he heaved a sigh.

"You have got to do something about your self-esteem, man," he said, shaking his head. "Luckily, you've got me. And since I was here tonight, I can tell you for certain that Granger still…wants you to come up and visit her flat."

Snape laughed harshly. "Hardly."

"No, listen to me." Draco stood up and started pacing. "If we have to use the damn Pensieve again, we will. When I got here you guys were shaking on your deal and staring into each other's eyes. Then the whole time, you two were just flirting. I was planning to say something about it anyway, but now that I understand the context…oh mate, it makes a whole lot more sense."

Severus began to deny Draco's words, but the protests died on his tongue as he recalled just how powerful their simple oath had been. He hadn't felt a magical agreement that powerful since he'd taken the Unbreakable Vow to protect Draco, but that, by nature, had been coercive, taxing, and somewhat painful. This had been just as much a magical presence, but the opposite…consensual and yet non-binding. And therein lay his next problem.

"It matters not," he said grimly. "I've entered into a professional contract with her, and I intend to make good on that. What we can potentially achieve together is surely more important than some passing fancy."

"You're incorrigible, you know that?" Draco said, throwing his hands up in the air. "Why can't both happen?"

Severus leveled his godson with an incredulous glare. "Be reasonable, boy," he said. "We've just landed on a good thing. I am clearly incapable of upkeeping relations as a normal person should, as you have been more than happy to point out. I don't need to be complicating it at the moment."

Draco rolled his eyes, collapsing into an armchair. "That's not how this works. You both like each other…there's hardly a chance that spending more time together will change that. You might as well come about it honestly."

"I beg to differ, I might as well not come about it at all." Severus sighed. "More time with me is more likely to disabuse Miss Granger of any romantic notions she may hold about my character than not."

Draco propped his head up to stare at his godfather. "And what of you?"

"I'll manage," he grunted. He needed a work partner more than he needed the complications that came with other dalliances. He may have stayed out of the limelight, but Severus hadn't gone completely without the intimate company of others, often muggles who had no reason to recognize who he was or care when they never saw him again. Although he'd tried not to entertain the question of what he wanted with Hermione Granger, he knew it would hardly be simple. They knew too much of each other already. The shame and concern he was feeling over the knowledge that he'd inadvertently spurned her was all the evidence he required to know he was too invested. He cared too much for her wellbeing to engage in the type of transient tryst to which he'd been long accustomed.

But really, what had she been thinking? The flat filled with nothing but the sound of his fireplace, and Severus could no longer appeal to his higher sense of reason. There were simply too many questions. Again, that sickly flame burned with sudden fortitude at the idea that she had, at least for that one moment, considered him. She'd somehow seen past their former relationship as teacher and student and all that she knew of his personal history. He'd certainly been struggling to do the same. Regrettably, he opened his mouth to speak yet again. "...Do you think she took it personally?"

Draco sat up, raising an eyebrow. "Because you have such an agreeable and sunny disposition otherwise?"

It was a fair point. And yet, as he rose to begin this evening's brew, he decided he would strive to make it up to Hermione somehow.