Chapter Three: Assigned

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Chapter Three: Assigned

The old man greeted them both with a smile and a pot of tea. "Well, well. Settling in, are we?"

Hermione nodded.

"Marvellous. Has Severus here explained the use of the Glamour?"

"Yes. But not how to apply it."

"No need. I will create your new image, and henceforth you simply need to use a nonverbal trigger to activate it. Now, stand here in the middle of the room while I decide what to do with you."

Snape settled himself into a well-worn leather sofa as Mellowes paced in a circle around Hermione, muttering to himself.

"The hair, the eyes, and the cheekbones should do it." Closing his eyes, he passed his hands over and around Hermione while singing an incantation in a language unfamiliar to her.

After five minutes, she felt a gentle tingle as the skin of her face tightened. Her eyes watered briefly, and her hair tugged and pulled.

"The hair is a definite improvement," was Snape's only comment.

Drawing her over to the side of the room, Mellowes presented a full-length mirror.

Reaching up to the short layers of straight dark hair, Hermione stared at her reflection. Her face looked thinner with more pronounced angles. Eyes hazel instead of rich brown, she looked like any number of young women she had passed on the Muggle High Street only two days earlier.

"My mother wouldn't recognise me."

"That is the point, Granger." Snape leaned back in the couch and addressed Mellowes. "I assume her voice will remain much the same."

"Indeed. Miss Granger's speech patterns have been analysed during our surveillance period, and she demonstrates reasonably standard usage of language and pronunciation for a well-educated lass of her age. Her voice character is not significantly different from most women of her generation, and she has no distinctive accent. I plan to simply alter her pitch a little." He beckoned Hermione to him. Placing his hands either side of her throat, he instructed her to recite the alphabet.

"A, B, C, D, E... now I sound like I have a cold."

"Too much?" Mellowes directed the question at Snape.

"A little. We don't want her enquiries to sound like an attempt at seduction."

"That's rich, coming from you," she said, her voice returning to only a little lower than her normal register.

Snape opened his mouth to reply, then closed it again as her comment registered. Shaking off the notion lingering in the air, he turned at the sudden knock on the door.

Mellowes waved Hermione to the sofa to sit beside Snape as he opened the door. "Ah, Matthews, do come in and meet our latest recruit, Angela Farmer. Angela, this is my assistant, Willoughby Matthews."

Matthews clasped Hermione's hand with his own slightly sweaty palm and glanced at her companion. "I see you've been assigned to work with Soren. Good luck. You'll need it."

"I'm sure Soren will be a pleasure to work with, Mr Matthews." Hermione turned and smiled at a bemused Snape, resting her hand on his knee. "He seems so charming."

"Er... well..." Matthews' pudgy cheeks were even more unattractive when bright red. He turned to his superior. "Anyway, sir, the boss wants to know who's available to look into an urgent matter." He handed a roll of parchment to Mellowes.

Hermione removed her hand as Snape's mocking gaze met hers. She shrugged and turned a polite face to the other two men in the room.

Mellowes looked up and spread his hands to encompass the pair on the couch. "I do believe I have just the team. Soren and Angela need an assignment to get them started. This will do nicely. Take them along to the planning room and give them their instructions, there's a good lad."

Snape shook his head. "Isn't it a little too soon to send Angela out into the field? We haven't had any opportunity to go over security and safety practices yet, and she's barely recovered from yesterday's incident."

Mellowes sent his assistant to wait outside before he spoke. "I have every faith in this young lady. She was a qualified Auror, so safety and security should not be an issue. She scored at or near the top of every practical exercise she did during her training. The Department of Magical Law Enforcement may have underutilised her skills, but we will not be that foolish. Angela, are you ready to tackle your first task as an Unspeakable?"

"I suppose so. I'd assumed there would be a period of training first."

"For the sort of problems you will face, your innate intelligence, creativity, and ability to think on your feet will serve you better than any amount of time in a classroom. Here, you'll be needing this." Mellowes reached into his top drawer and extracted a wand. "I believe it should function adequately."

Hermione took the wand. Eleven inches, a darker wood than her previous vine and more ornate with a spiralling motif of flames on the handle, the wand appeared to have the same dragon heartstring core. She flicked it experimentally at a book lying on the desk and felt her magic respond to the new wand. Sheer physical pleasure danced with her nerve endings as something she had never realised was missing clicked into place. She gasped her surprise.

"Feels good, doesn't it?" Snape's voice was as seductive as the wand's response.

"Did you...?"

He nodded.

"How?"

"Unlike your old wand, which was a close approximation to your needs from the selection on Ollivander's shelves, the wand you will use as an Unspeakable has been handcrafted to suit you personally, using all the information gathered over years of observation. You'll find your spells more powerful and less draining than before, so use it wisely."

"So, it's like a bespoke suit. Made to measure." She grinned. "And it even has flames."

Snape scowled then. "Yes. Flames. You're rather renowned for them."

She had the grace to blush as she followed him out of the room.

Matthews led them to an office on the next floor where he handed over to an eager wizard wielding a clipboard and quill. The young man's wide smile faltered as he saw who had followed Matthews through the door.

"Ah... Soren... just the chap we need. And this is...?"

"Angela. First assignment."

"Oh, excellent. Pleased to meet you, Angela. My name is Rupert McWhinney. I'm in charge of assigning operations to each team and collating their reports."

"He's the boss's dogsbody." Hermione almost giggled at Snape's whispered commentary as she thrust out her hand to shake McWhinney's.

"We have a situation," McWhinney continued. "A situation of gravest implications. We need you two to investigate the problem and endeavour to correct it before serious consequences occur. This is a situation of utmost urgency."

Snape rolled his eyes. "Perhaps if you explain exactly what the situation is before next year, we might have some chance to deal with it?"

McWhinney spluttered and turned to the comfort of his clipboard. "Yes, well, I was about to get to that."

"Now's a good time." Even through his Glamour, Hermione could identify the expression feared by many a Potions student over the years.

"There seems to be a problem with the Muggle-Repelling spells in some magical areas. The barman at the Leaky Cauldron has had three Muggles wander through the door in the last two weeks, and only yesterday a pair of Swedish hitchhikers was found just outside Hogsmeade, well within the perimeter. Your assignment is to investigate these areas and examine the spellwork. Pay particular attention to Hogwarts. The discovery by Muggles of an intact castle there, even from a distance, would be a disaster. We have sent another team to the smaller wizarding communities to ascertain their security, but we need you to work on discovering the underlying cause."

Twenty minutes later, McWhinney escorted them to the door. Catching Hermione's sleeve as she passed, he pointed to Snape. "Good luck with that one, Angela. If you have any problems, feel free to contact me."

Hermione ensured her reply was loud enough for her partner to overhear. "I'm sure Soren will be quite amenable to work with. He is an intelligent, powerful wizard. I feel privileged to be partnered with him." Smiling sweetly at the gaping McWhinney, Hermione swung past an equally stunned Snape and proceeded up the corridor in what she hoped was the correct direction.

"Remind me not to get on your bad side." Snape caught up and steered her back the way they had come.

"Too late. You're always on my bad side."

"Then what was all that about? And before with the Matthews prat?"

Hermione looked around, ensuring they were alone. "Snape, for whatever reason I've been assigned as your partner. I didn't like you as a teacher, and I don't particularly like you now. You're abrupt, impatient, and sarcastic, but I'm stuck with you. And I'll be damned if I let pillocks like that denigrate you. If anyone is going to cast disparaging comments about Soren Whateveryourlastnameis, it'll be me. Understood?"

Snape's lip twitched. "I never saw you as a Hufflepuff, Granger."

"You never saw me as a person, Severus. I was just another annoying student, a Gryffindor, and a friend of Harry Potter. I doubt you saw me at all." She could not stop the bitterness coating the words.

His expression was unreadable as he studied her face. "I saw you, Hermione. I saw the eleven year old with no friends hiding in her books. I saw the thirteen year old desperately trying to learn everything there was to know and prove herself to her peers. I watched you transform at the Yule Ball and brewed potions for your injuries the following year. I saw you become a hardened fighter and use your intellect to assist Potter to victory. Don't tell me I did not see you, girl." He walked off, not waiting for a reply.

Hermione ran to catch up. "But..."

"I had a part to play. And you were still bloody irritating. Hand-waving, know-it-all, constantly whispering to Longbottom... irritating ."

Her smile was soft, embarrassed. "I was, wasn't I?"

His smile took her by surprise.

***

Once they had changed into suitable Muggle attire, Snape lead them back to the central hall they had traversed the previous day. "This is the only Apparation point within this complex. It has wards attuned to all of our magical signatures, including yours, and in the unlikely event of any intruder appearing here, the hall would instantly seal off until the duty team investigates and declares the area secure."

Hermione looked up at the staircase. "Same charm as the Hogwarts' girls' dormitories?"

"Similar. An unauthorised person will trigger the stairs to disappear when they are about halfway up."

She winced. "Ouch. But what if they bring a broom? Or can fly?" She looked pointedly in his direction.

"All possibilities have been considered and countermeasures put in place. Stop trying to outwit the security team and concentrate on the task in hand, woman."

"You're no fun, Snape."

"Fun is not in the job description. Now, the pub or Hogsmeade?"

"Might as well start with the Leaky Cauldron. It's nearly lunchtime. Hey, do we get a meal allowance?" Her question met empty air. Snape had Disapparated without a sound.

"Smart arse. I'll have to get him to teach me that." With a modest crack, she followed.

***

"It looks normal to me," Hermione said, studying the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron from across the street. "A somewhat dingy pub, sitting between a bookshop and a record shop, just like it's supposed to be." She watched the people passing by on the busy street, none apparently interested in the wizarding establishment. "But how do we know how it appears to Muggles when we are magical?"

"No idea, Granger. You're the Muggleborn in this partnership. Think Muggle."

"You're admitting you don't know something? I think I should record this for posterity."

"And tell whom?"

Hermione sighed. "No-one, dammit. Still, it was a nice thought." Suddenly, her face brightened, and she opened her ever-present beaded bag. "I'm sure I had one somewhere in here. There it is!" She brandished a small device.

"And what exactly is that?"

"It's a camera. If I take a photo, it should show us exactly what a Muggle would see."

Snape shook his head. "Too slow. We'll waste too much time finding somewhere to get the photos developed."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "You're a bit out of touch, aren't you? This is a digital camera. See the little screen? It will show me exactly what I've taken straight away. No need for developing. It's all electronic. Now, you stand there and look interesting while I pretend to take a photo of you."

Snape folded his arms and scowled. "Why can't you just take a photograph of the pub?"

"Because I'd look a right idiot taking photos of shops, wouldn't I? People are already starting to look at us."

He glanced around. Several curious Muggles had paused in their bustle to watch the odd couple arguing at the side of the street. "Very well. If I must." He moved to the edge of the footpath where Hermione could frame the Leaky Cauldron behind him and stared at her.

"Oh, smile, for Merlin's sake. Look like you want to have your photo taken!"

Snape huffed and flashed a cheesy grin. "Happy?" he asked between gritted teeth.

Hermione took several shots from different angles. "Ecstatic."

"Come along, dearies, I'm sure you'd like a picture together. On honeymoon, are we? Pass over the camera, and I'll take a few snaps for your album." The plump, middle-aged woman clucked her offer as she shifted her overstuffed handbag to her left arm.

"No, it's okay, we're..."

"Don't be shy, love. I've used one of these before. My Eric bought me one for Christmas last year. I even went to a night class to learn how to use it. Now, just stand over there with your nice gentleman, and it'll just take a jiffy."

Hermione shrugged and handed over the camera, ignoring Snape's glare. "It'll be quicker to agree. She means well," she whispered as she joined him.

"No, no. Put your arm around her, dear. There, that's a nice one. Now give her a wee kiss, just for Thelma. Go on. Lovely." The reddened cheeks of both man and woman went unnoticed as Thelma passed back the camera and made her way on down the street.

"Granger, remind me why we had to do that again."

Hermione's attention was fixed on the tiny camera screen as she flicked back through the images she and Thelma had taken. Her eyes widened as she reached the first few photos, and a laugh exploded from her lips despite her best efforts. "Oh, fuck, I could have made a fortune with this at Hogwarts if you weren't supposed to be dead."

Eyes narrowed, Snape stalked over to his partner. "What have you done?"

Stifling her errant amusement, Hermione showed him the image on the screen. "Did you realise these Glamours don't work for Muggles? I never thought I'd see Severus Snape with that sort of goofy smile on his face. Would you mind if I printed it out and framed it? It'll make me feel better when you're in one of your more charming moods."

In each photograph, Severus and Hermione appeared exactly as they were normally. Hermione thought the last picture with Severus placing a reluctant kiss on her cheek was particularly entertaining.

"We'll need to let Mellowes know of this. We rarely become involved with Muggles during our investigations, so it's not likely to be a major issue, but our colleagues need to be aware of it. More importantly, look at the pub." Snape pointed out the background in the first photograph.

"What about it? It looks normal."

"Exactly. It's not supposed to be noticed by Muggles. What's the matter with you, Granger? This was your idea in the first place."

Unwilling to admit just how distracted she had been by the lean body under his jacket and jeans and the warm lips upon her cheek, Hermione sought the safety of words. "But we don't know whether the Muggle-Repelling Charm on the Leaky Cauldron works for cameras, do we? I mean, maybe the Charm repels Muggles but doesn't actually change the appearance of the pub. How does the magical theory of those sorts of charms work anyway? I don't believe we ever studied them with Professor..."

"Granger."

"...Flitwick in any depth, just enough to learn how to cast..."

"Granger!"

"...them. Do you think we should find some books..."

"Hermione!"

Hermione blinked and stared at Snape. "Er... sorry."

"The enchantment over the Leaky Cauldron and Diagon Alley is more complex than a mere Muggle-Repelling Charm. You were correct in your first assumption. The camera should have recorded the image of a grubby little building between the two shops, just as Muggles are supposed to see it. Now, I suggest we go inside and talk to Tom, and then move to Hogsmeade." He gestured with his hand for her to lead the way.

Once inside the pub, Hermione glanced towards the bar and immediately walked back out onto the street.

"What the hell are you doing? We need to be inside the building to ask questions." His temper barely controlled, Snape followed her outside.

Raising tear-filled eyes, Hermione shook her head. "I can't. It's Hannah Abbott behind the bar. I just spoke to her two days ago. How can I face her, knowing I'm deceiving her?"

"You can, and you will." He lifted a hand almost to her cheek, then dropped it to his side. "You'll get used to it, Hermione. You'll hear them talk about you, about what a decent person you were, and what a pity they hadn't made more of an effort to get to know you, and then they'll move on to the latest Quidditch scores or gossip about the latest scandal. Trust me. You'll manage."

"How long did it take you?" she asked.

"Forever... and no time at all." He turned and pushed the door open again. "Coming?"

***

A/N: This was written as a gift for silverdoe in the 2011 SSHG Exchange. Thanks to karelia for her beta advice.