Play The Game

Disclaimer: It's all JKR's and whoever she shares with. Not me, in any case.

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Chapter IX

Play The Game

Hermione was surprised to realise that the lack of routine in the Snape household did not bother her in the least. The only regular activity was dinner time...since her first day, everyone present nearly always shared the evening meal. Usually, whoever was the first one to be hungry would be the one to prepare the food, sometimes with another joining in the preparations.

But aside from sharing the one daily meal, every time an activity became regular, it happened to change. Hermione thought with a start that after only two days of walking to the tower with Severus, she would miss this particular part. She admitted to herself that she enjoyed his company. He was still acerbic to the extreme, and she did not think that he would ever be anything else, but she had also come to appreciate how much wisdom he had to share. His outlook on some issues was downright novel and refreshing to her. It felt good to be in the company of someone who was always able to look at situations, striving to grow from them.

Hermione forced herself to return her focus on the instructions of Orgone brewing that she was compiling. After ensuring she had included every single step and ingredient, she took the parchment to the workroom with the computer.

Severus was sitting at the computer, typing away busily. He looked up when Hermione entered. "Done already?" he asked.

"Yes. I double-checked everything," replied Hermione, handing him her parchment.

Severus skimmed over it. "It looks okay." He paused for a moment and frowned. "I wonder if we should give this Orgone a different name. After all, it is different from the one Wilhelm Reich created. And if we don't refer to him often, the article might even lead Muggle readers to experiment with it. Who knows."

Hermione thought for a moment. He had a valid point there. If Muggles were to start gifting those towers, the magic would be restored faster and sooner everywhere. Furthermore, she remembered reading something about a similar name.

"Yes, I think we should give it a different name," said Hermione. "You know, Karl Welz called it Orgonite, and from what I've read, his Orgonite is closer to our version of Orgone than to what Reich did. Besides, I like the sound of it." They agreed on calling the resin-metal mixture Orgonite.

Hermione was turning to leave when Severus spoke again. "I need you to visit William. He can't find Spinner's End now. In fact, I'm not even sure he will find it if you tell him the location, being a Muggle. Can you bring him back here with you so we'll know for sure?"

She looked at him and thought smugly, He clearly isn't at his sharpest...I wonder what's up with him. Aloud, she said, unable to hide a grin, "Um, Severus, how do you usually communicate with him?"

Severus looked startled for a moment before his face took on a positively sheepish expression. "Damn," he muttered. "I think the sudden increase of magic has addled my brain."

As Severus picked up the phone, he motioned for Hermione to wait. Then he briefly spoke to William.

"William will be here in about fifteen minutes," Severus said. "Would you mind meeting him outside and informing him of my location?"

Meeting William Dafoe was a revelation for Hermione. He looked like a typical Somerset farmer...loose trousers, light coloured shirt with rolled-up sleeves, chewing on the inevitable straw. His hair was bleached and ruffled from sun and wind. His boyish features made it hard for Hermione to guess his age, but she thought he might be around the same age as Severus.

Before Hermione had a chance to approach him, he called to her, "Oi! You must be the new addition Sev told me about. You the one working to get the magic back? Any success yet? Now, where's his house gone?" William had now reached Hermione, who was standing on the pavement in front of the house. He looked around curiously.

Mr Dafoe's words surprised Hermione. Regardless of his Muggle nature, Severus obviously trusted this man a great deal.

"You must be Mr Dafoe," she said. "Severus asked me to meet you here as we've put him under the Fidelius Charm. Severus Snape's home can be found at number thirteen, Spinner's End."

"Thanks, dear. Now I can see the house again." He finally took the piece of straw out of his mouth and looked at her with interest. "I suppose you're the gal whose parents had a thing for Shakespeare, eh? Hermione is an unusual name!"

"Yes, that's me," Hermione said, smiling. She could not help but like this person. "Why don't we go inside, Mr Dafoe. Severus will be pleased that you can indeed access his home."

"Yeah, all right; and let's do away with the formalities. Any friend of his snarkiness is a friend of mine. My name is William."

They went inside together, and Hermione could only stare at the men as they greeted each other.

"Oi, youngster, I'm noticing the magic is stronger. Have you been playing the piano more or have you had success with the Reich recipes?"

"Call me that again, and I'll hex you." There was a distinct lack of bite in Severus' voice, and the glare was entirely absent.

"Aw, I know you want to, mate, but we both know I dodge them, no matter how hard you try." William grinned at him and made himself comfortable on the sofa in Severus' sanctuary.

Severus sat down and motioned for Hermione to take a seat. "You might as well join in, Hermione. There isn't much you don't know about what's going on."

William regarded Severus curiously. "You look considerably more relaxed, Severus."

Hermione noted almost gleefully that William addressed Severus by his full name.

"I bet the presence of beautiful young ladies does wonders for you," William continued.

Severus glared at him now, but smirked when he turned to a beet-faced Hermione. "Don't worry, you'll get used to William saying whatever is on his mind. Even the notorious Gryffindor bluntness pales in comparison."

"He's right, you know," William said conversationally. "But let's get to the reason why I'm here." Turning to Severus, he asked, "I'm assuming you want me to run an errand? Use me like a house-elf?"

Parvati appeared in the kitchen. She spotted William and hugged him affectionately. "Haven't seen you in a while! You staying for dinner? I'm just about to start cooking."

"You're getting more beautiful every time I see you, love," William said, ruffling Parvati's hair with one hand. "Are you making one of them fantastic, devilishly hot curries? Then I won't be able to resist." He grinned at her.

"Sure, don't bother asking the host," muttered Severus. His expression elicited a giggle from Hermione.

Parvati laughed. Turning to Hermione, she said, "Don't mind those two! They always act like an old couple." With a nod at Severus and William, she returned to the kitchen.

Severus cleared his throat and said, "Yes, old man, I need you to play house-elf for me. I have an article that needs to go into the latest issue of The Quibbler. I'll have it ready for you by lunchtime tomorrow. It's absolutely vital that it is published as soon as possible, as it's likely to help us regain the magic on a much greater scale than what we can do here."

Upon William's prompt, Severus and Hermione took turns relating the latest events in their effort to regain the magic.

At some point, Draco joined the group, and William voiced his relief that the young wizard had much improved since they had last met.

Kingsley turned up in time for dinner and was introduced to William. "You're going to have to expand the house if you keep collecting people at this rate, Severus," quipped William.

Severus looked thoughtful. "You know, I haven't even thought about that," he admitted. "Not that I expect anyone else, mind you, but even though, this place is a bit small for all of us."

William looked at Severus. "Don't bet on nobody else turning up," he advised. Hermione thought he sounded rather mysterious, but looking at the others, only Kingsley appeared confused.

Severus sighed. "Out with it, old man. What do you know that I haven't been told about?" He looked at his friend expectantly.

"No, no, it's nothing specific," William hurried to assure Severus. "You know how it is. The thought just popped into my head, and I felt the urge to voice it."

Severus rolled his eyes at his friend. "As if," he muttered.

"Oh, all right," William huffed. "I have a hunch that there'll be another. Also, you may want to make contact with that healing sanctuary up north. Restore the magic and then put it under that charm, like you did your home. If those scroundrels find it, they'll attack, no doubt, and it won't be pretty if they're unprepared. They use natural forms of healing for Muggles and wizards alike, which, as far as the idiots are concerned, takes their profit away. They don't take kindly to natural forms of healing."

"Do you mean the healing sanctuary that is run by Professor Sprout's sister? Both Neville and Madam Pomfrey are there. At least that's where they were planning to go when we all left Hogwarts," Hermione chimed in. Then she shook her head. William could not possibly know about this...she did not recall telling Severus any details.

"Don't be surprised how William knows things. I'll tell you all about him...but not now. Use magic to clear the table and to clean up. I'll Summon some wine for a change," said Severus.

William looked satisfied. "Thanks for a lovely meal; it was excellent as always." He observed Severus Summoning two bottles of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, and the moment the bottles landed on the table, he said, "Looks like you're finally recognising the signs of your guide having something to say. About time, too."

Hermione and Parvati took barely minutes to return the kitchen to its pristine condition and rejoined the group, who were scattered around the coffee table.

Parvati sighed contentedly. "It's so nice to have enough magic to do the chores. I really don't like the Muggle way of cleaning."

Hermione nodded. "Hopefully the magic is here to stay from now on," she said.

The young witch noticed a marked shift in energy and relaxed deeper into her chair, idly thinking that she had become more sensitive lately and wondering how so.

"Greetings, my friends. It is good to see you all taking enjoyment in life again." Red Cloud had arrived and did not waste time to come straight to the point.

"You have achieved much lately. The Orgonite you created will suffice to diffuse the rays that have kept your magic disabled. It is a vast project, and you'll need many people if your wish is the return of magic everywhere, but you are on the right track.

"I am here tonight with a word of caution. As one amongst you has himself experienced, the few who support the dark side are powerful and ruthless where their wants are concerned. They will stop at nothing...and you have to prepare for the likelihood that they will discover who is behind the gifting of the towers, no matter how you go about it." Red Cloud stopped to allow for his words to sink in.

Hermione's mind whirled. Did that mean they could not leave the house, for fear of being attacked? No, she thought. There must be a way to fight them.

"You are right, Gryffindor," Red Cloud continued. "There are ways to fight them and to ultimately defeat them, and you are indeed progressing.

"Alone, the fact that your gifting the tower resulted in the magic prevailing even close to the tower...and you will find that the magic will gradually increase until it abounds once again...will be considered a major defeat by this fraction.

"I stress once again that it is absolutely vital that you follow your heart. Do not allow fear to overwhelm you. Instead, recognise your fear, acknowledge it, and then let it go. Letting go of fear, combined with acting intuitively, following your heart, and being creative will be your greatest weapon in defeating these forces of darkness.

"Know without a doubt that these Orgone devices do not give life. You may be surprised, but let me say this much: They do not give life...they retrieve life stolen from you.

"Most of you have no idea how a small fraction of Muggles has gathered enough power behind the scenes to control an entire populace. But do not worry yourselves. Follow your heart, for your heart will have answers.

"In the meantime, our Muggle friend can teach you an exercise, which will help you to protect yourselves from undesirable forces whose interest is to keep the magic disabled. I also recommend you continue experimenting with the Orgonite...you may come up with some protective devices.

"I will leave you now so you can learn the protection exercise. May you all continue to find true joy."

A long silence followed Red Cloud's departure, which was eventually interrupted by the man inhabiting the painting above the piano. "You really have made amazing progress," noted Albus.

Severus inclined his head. "We haven't done badly," he admitted. "Much better than I anticipated when we started."

"If you don't mind, I'll tell you now the exercise that Red Cloud referred to," William said. "It's getting late, and I should leave soon."

When everyone paid him attention, he started, "As we all know, it is only a handful of people who exercise the power over many. However, they have helpers, and these are likely to come after all of us, using their technology for mind-control, for causing pain, for injecting micro-chips that will cause havoc to your intuition, and other fun stuff."

"Yes. I had the dubious pleasure of getting acquainted with some of that," Kingsley said quietly, and Parvati squeezed his hand and leaned into him.

William nodded. "Then you'll be pleased to learn that you can protect yourselves against such attacks. First of all, you need to understand that these people feed off fear. A well-balanced human vibrates on the frequency of love, and those who vibrate on the frequency of fear have trouble coping with love. Love affects their shape-shifting abilities, you see, and they don't like to be found out that they are not quite human. Many psychics can see their true form in the shape of an imprint over their human form.

"Now, to ward off any attacks from such forces, you simply gather what I call the love power and direct it to the attacker, who will then be far too busy concentrating on maintaining their human form than to attack you.

"Gathering the love power is very simple. You stand, both feet firmly on the ground, take three deep breaths, and while you're doing so, think of those you love most and how much you love them.

"Then imagine all this love to form a ball of colour; gold usually works best with me, but you might find a different colour more suitable. When you can see this ball of love in your mind, simply direct it to your attacker... and watch the fun," William finished.

"It's that easy?" Hermione asked incredulously. She could not imagine that such a simple exercise would thwart any attacks that were carried out by high-tech means, but then she had trouble comprehending the extent of the technology dark forces were utilising.

"It's very easy," confirmed William. "Exercise it a few times, so it becomes natural to you, and you'll be perfectly well prepared for such unconventional attacks."

"The beauty of this exercise is, of course, that anyone who does not vibrate on this frequency of fear won't be affected by it at all," Severus pointed out. "Why don't we all try it? Just gather the love power and direct it at someone in this room, so we can see if there is any effect from it."

Hermione stood up, as did all the others. While breathing deeply and deliberately, she brought images of her parents to her mind. Then she slowly willed those images to transform into a ball of colour. She clearly saw a vibrant turquoise ball in her mind, slightly larger than a football, and slowly growing in size. She briefly thought that Draco might benefit from such loving energy, but did not want to risk encouraging him to pursue her any further. When the ball had reached the dimension of an inflatable beach ball, she directed it towards Parvati.

A few minutes later, when everyone had completed the exercise, there was a marked increase of what Hermione could only describe as good vibes.

"Wow," breathed Parvati. "Can you feel it? This is amazing!"

"Yes," Kingsley agreed. "It feels pretty much the opposite of when those scumbags are near you."

"Exactly. That's because they cannot cope with this pure energy. And it exposes them, of course. They don't like that," William said, looking utterly content. "Well, guys and ladies, I'm ready to go home. Thanks for a lovely evening."

"Did you walk or bring the car?" asked Severus.

"I walked. Gotta make the most of this beautiful weather," replied William as he put on his jacket.

"Let me Apparate you. Might as well utilise the magic," said Severus.

"Splendid idea! I had completely forgotten about that little perk!"

Severus put his hand on William's shoulder, and with a pop, both were gone.

* * *

The presence of magic was palpable when Hermione woke up the next morning. She decided to go about her morning routine solely with magic. It felt almost like being back at Hogwarts. With a wave of her wand, the bed made itself, and she set out to the kitchen.

As Hermione descended the stairs, her step increased as if fuelled by the aroma of coffee that was wafting through the house.

Severus was preparing his breakfast...without a wand, but nevertheless magically.

"Your Animagus form is not a trout, I hope, although your current expression belies my hope," Severus quipped.

Hermione felt herself blush. "Sorry... I just... You're doing magic without a wand." She had trouble believing her own eyes.

"Why don't you try it," he suggested softly. "The magic in here abounds. All you need is your intent. Go on, Summon the pot of coffee without a wand."

Damn him, she thought. He certainly knew how to bait her.

Hermione concentrated on the task at hand, and although she itched for the wand, she directed the coffee pot to float to the table and gently place itself in front of her.

"That wasn't so hard, was it," Severus said wryly.

"N-no," she replied, awestruck. Then her mind woke up. If I can do this without a wand, I can do other things, she thought and proceeded to direct the pot to pour coffee into the mugs that Severus had Summoned moments before. Next, scrambled eggs floated through the air and settled themselves on two plates.

"Hm, I'd love some baked beans with that. I wonder if I can cook them magically without a wand."

"Of course you can. Let's have a proper breakfast...you'll do the beans, I'll do the hashbrowns. Without wands, with magic," said Severus. Hermione could not help but notice the glint in his eyes.

Parvati and Kingsley stopped abruptly at the door as they met the most unusual sight. Hermione and Severus were sitting at the table, their faces slightly contorted with concentration, their eyes on the cooker on which beans were simmering in a pot and hashbrowns were sizzling in a cast-iron pan.

"Hm," Kingsley said. "How'd you do that?" He sounded bemused.

"Are you doing magic without a wand?" Parvati asked incredulously.

"We are," Hermione confirmed smugly. "It's not even hard. Watch." She silently Summoned the pot with the baked beans to the table, then directed a ladle from one of the kitchen drawers to dish out the beans, without spilling anything.

"Wow." Parvati was impressed.

"I want to try this," Kingsley stated as he and Parvati sat down at the table.

"Be my guest," Severus said, clearly amused.

Kingsley concentrated and tried to direct the saucepan to pour baked beans in the dishes Severus had obligingly Summoned from the kitchen. The saucepan wiggled once and remained on the table.

"Damn! How do you do that?" Kingsley looked questioningly at them.

"Use intent, Kingsley," instructed Severus. He demonstrated his skill by filling two new mugs with coffee and directing them to rest in front of Kingsley and Parvati.

Kingsley tried again, to no avail. "You try!" he said to Parvati, who happily complied by trying to Summon some milk from the fridge. But the fridge door remained closed, and her coffee black. She gave Hermione a pleading look. "How? Why can you do it, and I can't? You do it. I don't like black coffee."

Hermione Summoned the milk and poured it into the two mugs effortlessly.

"Right. Can we eat now before we need warming charms on the food? It does taste best while it's fresh, you know, regardless of whether it's prepared magically," said Severus and proceeded to magically distribute the hashbrowns.

They were animatedly discussing the use of magic without a wand when Draco joined.

"You've done magic without a wand?" he asked incredulously.

"Severus and Hermione have," Kingsley replied. "We haven't managed it." He did not sound happy.

"Oh! I have to try this!" Draco exclaimed. He successfully made a new pot of coffee and directed it to the table.

"Strange," muttered Severus. "Kingsley is a much more powerful wizard than Draco."

Hermione's mind was whirling with possibilities. She could not be certain of the reason, unless Kingsley and Parvati co-operated.

"I have a theory," she stated.

Severus gazed at her evenly. "The Orgonite," he said.

"Exactly. You, Draco, and I were much more exposed to it than either Kingsley or Parvati," Hermione said.

Severus turned to the couple. "Do you think you could brew a new batch of Orgonite today? If you succeed with wandless magic afterward, we'll know the reason."

After breakfast, Parvati and Kingsley went to the lab to brew Orgonite, Draco returned to his room to proofread the articles that William was due to pick up for The Quibbler, and Hermione and Severus got ready for the stroll to the tower to check the levels of magic.

* * *

When Hermione and Severus reached the point where she had thrown the Orgonite cone into the brook, she climbed down the bank to inspect the immediate environment for any changes. New green was sprouting in the shallow part of the water.

"This looks like watercress," exclaimed Hermione. "But it can't be. Not in early October!"

Severus joined her at the bottom of the bank. "You know, it does look like it. We'll have to come back once it's a bit bigger, but I'd say it is watercress," he said, turning a stem with a few leaves around.

"This Orgonite is shaping up to be really big," Hermione said thoughtfully. "First, the magic comes back, then it heals the water so cress grows in autumn. I wonder what's next." She let her thoughts trail off to explore the possibilities.

"William's theory is that once all the towers are gifted with Orgonite and the magic is stable again, it will affect those scum-bags to an extent that will render them completely powerless.

"I hope he is right. It would be nice to see humankind regain the power over themselves," he added.

Even around the tower, the magic was stronger. Not yet sufficient to work magic without a wand, but abundant even for more complex spells.

"Let's check again tomorrow...I'm sure it'll reach magical saturation point soon," said Severus and proceeded to scan the centre of the tower to see if the Orgonite placed in open sight was still there.

A car slowly approached and came to a halt right next to the tower.

Two men, Hermione guessed just the other side of middle-aged, exited the car. Both were wearing dark pin-striped suits, dark coloured shirts and dark ties. Hermione felt an ice-cold shiver rush down her spine. The two men reminded her eerily of a Muggle movie she had once seen with her parents, Men In Black.

The two newcomers approached Hermione and Severus. "What is so interesting here?" the taller one asked.

Severus glanced at Hermione and turned to the strangers. "What business is it of yours?" he asked conversationally.

"None, really. But since we're responsible for the maintenance of the local communication towers, we tend to get edgy if we suspect sabotage, sir," the stranger replied, and his shorter companion nodded sharply.

"And you suspect sabotage whenever you see anyone walking past a tower?" drawled Severus.

Hermione remained silent. She could not be certain, but it occurred to her that Severus had thought through potential scenarios rather thoroughly.

"No. But we do get suspicious when people come here every day. Especially if it happens at a time the transmission of the tower suddenly becomes unstable. This has never happened before," the taller pin-stripe said smugly.

Hermione noticed Severus' eyes flash dangerously and could hardly contain a grin. She knew he had found a reason to corner the strangers.

"Pray, tell, sir, how do you know if people come here every day?" Severus asked in a low voice.

Both men looked at him with a smug expression as if they were dealing with the local village idiot. "Ever heard of cameras?" the shorter pin-stripe asked.

"Indeed," sneered Severus. "Which telecommunication company are you working for, sirs?"

"None of your business, ugly," the taller one replied nastily.

"Really," said Hermione with an air of boredom. She was starting to enjoy this encounter. If what Red Cloud and William had referred to as potential attacks was as easy to deal with as these two pin-striped ogres, she would never fear them as long as Severus was on her side.

Severus had his wand drawn and towered over the taller pin-stripe now. He spoke in a low voice, enunciating every syllable. "It is very well my business if a telecommunication company installs cameras in a public place without having a notice up to inform the public of such an invasion of privacy! Putting clandestine cameras up is illegal, and you will not get away with it unless your employer is the MI5 or one of their stooges. Now, if your employer is the MI5, and you have an unnatural interest in these telecommunications towers, then I can safely bet that these towers were most certainly not constructed to aid communication between mobile phones.

"Legilimens."

While Severus was busy intimidating the tall pin-stripe, Hermione discreetly took her wand out and pointed it at the shorter one.

When Severus had seen enough and let the man go, both jumped up and started running towards the car.

"Severus, we need to Obliviate them," Hermione said urgently. She did not like the possibility of the two going for reinforcement; after all, their technology might prove seriously dangerous.

Severus nodded at her and cast Petrificus Totalus on one, and Hermione followed suit and immobilised the other. Together, they strolled rather leisurely to the unmoving pin-stripes.

Severus gave her an amused sideway glance. "You're enjoying this." It was not a question.

Hermione blushed, and he grinned. "This kind of situation seemed inevitable, so I might as well enjoy it," she replied. "And besides, I really don't like bullies, so I naturally enjoy seeing them taken down a peg."

"So, Miss Granger," drawled Severus, "Care to cast an Obliviate?"

Hermione swallowed hard. She had not expected this question from him. "I don't think so. I've never cast one, and to be honest, I'd hate to wipe out their entire memories, you know? They didn't do us any harm, after all. And I'd hate the idea of being responsible if the spell goes wrong."

Hermione fully expected Severus to taunt her, but was pleasantly surprised.

"Just to clarify, Hermione, I was merely baiting you. If you did cast an Obliviate, I think I'd be rather disappointed. I don't think such a vindictive act is part of your nature."

Hermione felt uncommonly pleased with his reply...whether it was because she had expected something different or because it made her realise that he knew her rather well, she did not know.

She smiled at him and said softly, "I think you are much better qualified to cast the spell."

He nodded and proceeded to wipe the recent events off the pin-stripes' memories. "Let's go back home. It's been a rather eventful morning, and I could do with some peace and quiet," Severus said, and both moved to head back to Spinner's End.

Just before they turned the first corner, Severus turned around and cast Rennervate on the two unmoving figures near the car.

When they reached Spinner's End, William was already there, engaged in an animated conversation about magic with Draco and Albus' portrait.

Hermione realised she had completely forgotten to remind Severus of his promise to tell her about William. But the morning had been rather eventful, and William's history would have to wait, probably until their next walk to the tower.

"Did you proof-read the articles?" Severus asked Draco.

"Yes, both yours and Kingsley's about his findings in analysing Muggle cosmetics. No mistakes in the Orgonite one, and Kingsley took his references to Muggles out," Draco replied, smirking.

"I've already got them, Severus," William said and looked at his watch. "Should make a move, really. Wouldn't want to miss the deadline." He said his good-byes and left with the promise to report about any news Mr Creevey might have.

Severus let himself fall on the sofa and sighed. "And now, all we can do is wait. And hope the wizarding world will start brewing Orgonite and disable the towers."

He looked gloomy, Hermione thought and felt the urge to make him feel better. "We don't have to just sit back and wait. We could experiment some more. If we're able to reclaim the magic with Orgonite, surely there must be other uses for it, such as protecting ourselves from this Muggle technology. All it might need is a little tweaking; maybe add a quartz point, or maybe find a specific shape that will aid its power."

Severus' face lit up. "You know, you might be on to something!" He stood up and then said, "I have some interesting books, both Muggle and magic, about symbols and their power; let me get those and we'll see what we find."

Hours later, Parvati and Kingsley, having spent most of the day brewing Orgonite to see if it would affect their magical power positively, appeared in the kitchen to start cooking. They found Hermione and Severus poring over books, both in deep concentration, both scribbling notes down as they read on.

Parvati shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Leave them be. They look busy."

Kingsley grinned. "That's fine. I don't want their help with cooking, anyway."

Hermione looked up, surprised to see her friends busy in the kitchen. "How long have you been in here?" she asked.

"Long enough to have dinner ready in a few minutes," Parvati said and giggled. "You two were so completely engrossed in whatever it was you were reading...I doubt you'd have noticed if the world had ended in the meantime."

"Well, it is interesting stuff I'm reading," Hermione defended herself, looking sheepish. She had not realised it was so late in the day already, but was pleased to notice that neither had Severus.

He let a sigh escape. "I suppose we should call it a day. Tomorrow, after we come back from the tower, we can start experimenting," he said, sounding reluctant to stop. Nevertheless, he piled the books together to clear the table for the evening meal.

* * *

A/N

I continue to be most grateful to Notsosaintly, beta extra-ordinaire, without whom this story would be nowhere near as readable.

I always love hearing what readers think *points to the button that says "review"*