Chapter 7

These characters are not in any way mine. I am borrowing them to tell this story. Please leave reviews if you like the story.

I added a story title manip to chapter one. Check it out and let me know what you think. Becky added a wonderful frame to it.

Poppy had Hermione practice the motions for the spell first: twirl left three times and then a quick stab.  She had to have the twirl of the circle just the right width and height.

After six or seven tries, Poppy said, "Now speak the spell very carefully: Reproba Tergum.  Say it on the third circle and finish as the stab is completed. Let's try in this direction first. A ghostlike shroud will appear, but there will be no form underneath."

"Why wouldn't others know about this spell?  Harry might have gotten caught many times when he was a kid if someone had aimed it at him," Hermione said.

Poppy looked quite pleased with herself and then said, "Because I invented it. Dumbledore told me about Harry's invisibility cloak shortly after returning it to him.  He wanted me to be able to locate Harry in case he was injured while wearing it."

Hermione looked at her with interest.  "I would be very interested in the theory behind the spell."

Poppy smiled. "Perhaps we can discuss it once we set Severus free."

Severus' voice came dryly from the area left to them.  "If you two are finished gabbing, I would like to see a bit of myself."

Poppy laughed. "Sorry, Severus, you poor dear."

"Poor dear, my ass.  Just make me visible, old woman," he said grumpily.

"You seem impatient, Severus," Poppy teased.

"Invisibility has its drawbacks."

"Well come on then. Hermione, give the spell a try and see it you can get the shroud to appear."

Within four tries, Hermione had the shroud appearing.  It seemed to hang like an old sheet ghost before them, color running like a rainbow around it, seeking a form that was not there.

Poppy said, "Good, good.  Now, try undoing it. Use the same motions, but say, Reproba Tergum Laxo."

Hermione tried the reverse spell, and the shroud vanished.

"Good!" Poppy exclaimed, clapping her hands. "Now, I think you're ready.  Severus, stand right here."  She reached out and encountered his arm and pushed him into position. "Okay, Hermione, give it a try."

"This won't hurt if it doesn't work, will it?  I don't want to be permanently wrapped in that thing."

"It's not shrink-wrap, Severus. It will dissipate after a bit if it doesn't find a form it can grab on to," Poppy said, stepping away.

Hermione took a deep breath and quickly fired off the spell.  The shroud appeared and then seemed to fold into all the nooks and crannies that were Severus Snape.  They took on the color and form that was his body, clothes, and flesh.  There he stood, translucent but actually visible like the ghosts of the castle.  Hermione ran to him and felt and saw arms go around her. She gazed up into his face. She had never seen such a tender look in Severus Snape's eyes before. It was a look she had only imagined him having for her. 

"Hermione," he said as he bent to kiss her tenderly.

Hermione felt her eyes tear up.  "Severus," she said softly as she moved back just to look at him.  He was a bit thinner.  His hair and his face were just as she'd remembered him that last day in the Shrieking Shack.  He was a bit disheveled, and his clothing a bit worse for wear from the final battle. She stepped back and reached up to caress his cheek and saw him turn to kiss her palm.  It was wonderful.

They heard a sniff behind them and turned to see Poppy brushing tears from her face.  "It's good to see you, Sev," she said.

Severus regarded her with affection and held out his hand to her.  She came and was enveloped in a group hug.

After a few moments she broke away and said, sniffling, "Now get out of here. I need my sleep."

Severus smiled down at her. "Yes, Poppy, thank you."

"Thank you," Hermione echoed, giving the woman a hug.

Then she turned to Severus and said, "Sorry, but I have to make you invisible for the trip back to our rooms."

He nodded as she released the spell, and he faded from view.

Poppy warned her.  "Do not keep the spell active for more than an hour. Eat well and drink plenty of fluids to keep your body in balance if you plan to use the spell a lot.  You need to keep up your energy level.  Eat every two hours.  The spell will burn up your reserves fast."

Hermione nodded, and Severus looked worried.  "We will use it sparingly, Poppy."

Hermione had that determined-to-use-it-a-lot look on her face, and they stared at each other for an unwavering minute before she smiled. "Come on, let's let Poppy get to bed."

Poppy ushered them out the infirmary door and called after them, "Tell Minerva tomorrow."

"Yes, Poppy," they said in unison.

The halls were deserted this time of night, and Hermione and Severus walked slowly arm in arm back to their rooms. 

"This is progress," Hermione said as they locked and warded their door.

She moved away from Severus and pointed her wand at him. "Reproba Tergum."

Severus was smiling at her when he appeared, and he held his hands out to look down at his own ghostly appearance.

"Well, it's a bit scary but better than nothing."

Hermione came to him and hugged him around the waist.  "It's really good to see you." She raised her face for a kiss.  "You look as handsome as I remembered."

He smirked at her. "So, not so handsome."

"Yes, you are Severus; you're a very good looking man.  So your nose is a bit crooked; I like it."

"It's a gift from my drunken father.  It's the only thing he gave me that lasted," he said bitterly.

She laid her cheek against his chest. "I'm sorry."

"Come on, Hermione, you need a quick snack.  You've hardly eaten anything, and Poppy warned you not to use too much energy with this spell."

Hermione got out some cheese and bread from the kitchen, and Severus watched as she ate the small meal.  When she was finished, he said, "It's late, and you need to rest.  You're still pale from the flu. You need to get to bed."

She groaned. "Please, I want to look at you a little longer."

"I'll tell you what, you get ready for bed, and we can lie facing each other for a bit. When the candle burns down, you will cancel the spell. In the dark, it makes no difference if I'm visible or not."

She nodded and pulled away. Going into the bathroom, she quickly got ready for the night.

When she came from the bathroom, Severus had lit one candle by the bed.

She crawled into the bed, wearing the cotton nightgown, not caring if he saw a little leg or her bare arms and chest.

Severus said, "You are beautiful, Hermione."

She smiled, "Thank you, Severus. Now we must figure out a way to liberate you from these clothes." She ran her fingers over the buttons of his frock coat.

"You brazen hussy," he teased her, leaning forward to give her a long, deep kiss.

She laughed. "You have no clue how much you turn me on."

"Turn you on?  Well, I guess I can decipher that, but it's a crude way of saying it."

"The generation gap," she snickered, yawning.  It had been a long day, and she still wasn't strong from her night of illness.

"Please," he said, "let the spell go, and go to sleep.  We have many nights to be together."

Hermione nodded and touched his face, trying to memorize him for her dreams. Then, moving away, she brandished her wand and let him fade, "Reproba Tergum Laxo."  The candle went out, and she slid into the bed and into his arms, feeling the warmth of his body against hers as she went to sleep.

*****

Monday morning during Hermione's third hour, she had a prep period with no students.  She and Severus went up to Minerva's office.

The old witch let Hermione in and asked her, "Would you like a cup of tea?"

Hermione nodded. 

Severus glanced at Dumbledore's portrait and found it empty. He was glad. He did not feel ready to face the old man, yet. 

"Come sit. I will summon a house-elf with some crumpets."  She called, "Tinky." 

There were two chairs there, so Severus took the one closest to the wall as quietly as he could.  Hermione sat next to him.

A little house-elf popped in.  "Yes, Headmistress?" he asked with a deep bow.

"Tinky, can you bring us some tea and crumpets? Some of those little lemon ones, I think."

When the house-elf had gone, come, and gone again, Minerva looked into Hermione's eyes.  "You have something to tell me?"

Hermione nodded, "I went back to the Shrieking Shack when I first arrived in Hogsmead."  She pulled Severus' wand from her sleeve. "I found Professor Snape's wand in a crack in the floor."

Minerva's eyes got wide and then sad. "I always hoped he'd escaped.  Not really died.  There was no body.  He wouldn't have left his wand behind."

"No, he didn't leave it behind. Minerva, brace yourself," Hermione warned. "He was still there, trapped.  I didn't know it then, and I brought the wand to Hogwarts with me."

"What do you mean trapped?"  The old woman sat up a bit straighter. "What... what are you telling me?"

"It might be better if I show you."  Hermione stood and drew her own wand out and brandished it."Reproba Tergum," she said, pointing at the chair.

Severus took his ghostly form. "Hello, Minerva," he said, softly.

The old witch paled even more than her usual pallor.  "Merlin! You've become a ghost.  But why didn't you come here immediately?"

Severus said, "I'm not a ghost, Minerva.  I'm trapped inside a spell.  My wand held me prisoner in the Shrieking Shack.  Somehow this spell I'm under keeps me within sixteen feet of my wand."

"I... I can't believe this," she sputtered, placing a wrinkled hand against her cheek.

Hermione went to her and squatted next her chair, taking the old woman's hand in hers.  "I'm sorry, I didn't know how else to tell you.  Poppy insisted you know."

"Poppy knows?" she said, staring at Severus.  The old witch was shocked more by the smile in his eyes and face than anything else. 

"I took him to see her last night.  She gave me this spell to use to see Severus.  He was invisible till then."

"You're under an invisibility spell?  Why don't you look any different than you did fifteen years ago?"

"It seems to be a stasis spell, as well.  I haven't aged." Severus reached out a hand.

"Lucky for you," she said with her old, dry humor. Minerva glanced at Hermione, and she nodded at her. Minerva reached out her shaky hand, and Severus took hers.  She shifted her fingers over his, feeling his hand and his solidness, and her eyes got wider. "Tell me," she said, not wasting words.

Once the story was told, Hermione and Severus headed back to her classroom. Minerva made them promise to come to dinner on Saturday.

The old woman had been so moved that she had retired to her rooms for a nap after they left.

******

The week was long for Hermione, and she found the work challenging.  Severus was in the classroom a great deal, but he always remained silent.  Sometimes that was difficult, but he managed it.

At lunch, Hermione would lock the door and make him appear.  She would crawl into his lap at her desk, and they would just talk as she ate her lunch.  She never got tired of the crinkle around his eyes and the amused look on his face when she sat in his lap.

She sometimes took a short nap to rally her strength for the evening, resting her head on his invisible shoulder.  He, of course, slipped into sleep, as well, but he never dropped her. He hounded her to eat every two hours, and she reluctantly did, fearing she would gain weight.

Friday, the last period of the day, Severus was sitting at the desk, watching as the students were finishing up their potions.  He'd been distracted this afternoon, thinking of the weekend they would spend together.  Suddenly, a blue spark caught his eye, and he found himself rushing toward Hermione who was standing beside the cauldron of a seventh-year. He grabbed her, pushing her behind him, and shoved the student away as the cauldron exploded.

Repoba tergum:  False skin

Repoba tergum laxo:  False skin undone

Lisa, thank you so much for your many hours of beta work. It is very much appreciated.

Becky thank you for your support.