Breakthrough
Chapter 13 of 17
OlethrosHarry acts strangely; Hermione and Snape discuss religion and have an epiphany. Hermione runs into a familiar face at the Magical Menagerie.
A/N: The characters' opinions on religion are not necessarily those of the author.
Chapter 13
Breakthrough
--11:0011:30am, August 26, 1998--
Snape added a few drops of the potion base to the soil of one of the potted geraniums by his kitchen window.
"Herbology was my worst course at Hogwarts," he explained. "If this plant manages to survive, it will be a sure sign that we've done something right."
--8:309:00pm, August 29, 1998--
"How have you been, Cami?"
"Fine. Really fine, actually. I'm not just saying that."
"I'm glad to hear it." Harry gave her a broad smile. She cheered up to see him happy once more. Apparently his time as an Auror was doing him good. Not to mention that extended training routines in South America were giving him an enviable tan.
"So," Harry continued, "what have you been up to?"
The question was casual, but Hermione could hear the edge in his voice. What he was really asking was, "Why on earth have we seen barely anything of you for almost a month?"
Since being thrown together as a couple, Harry and Hermione had agreed to have dinner together at least once a week. Ron showed up sporadically.
"Working," she replied. "I can't tell you exactly how. Minerva recommended that I keep my resources a secret. But I can tell you that I'm working on the same project that I had intended to even before... before all this." It surprised her how easily lying came to her now.
Harry still looked a little suspicious. "You're sure that you're safe?"
"Yes," Hermione said. And in that moment, she knew that she truly believed it.
"Alright then, you don't have to worry that I'll give you a hard time about it. I know how much your work means to you. And if it works, gods, that'll be an unbelievable asset to our side."
"Yes."
"Cami?" Harry was looking at her oddly now across their table.
"Yes?"
"Does... this relationship still feel strange to you?"
She frowned. "Not terribly. I mean, it's the arrangement that made the most sense."
"The most sense, yes. That's what I thought at first, but I mean, I've honestly enjoyed all this time with you and..." He trailed off.
"Does this have something to do with Ron getting engaged?" she asked, feeling a sudden need to change the subject.
"Well, no, but... are you sure you're still okay with that?"
"Yes. I honestly could not be happier for him. I just hope Mrs. Weasley didn't give him too much hell about that, considering how soon it is after my, er, death."
"She was pretty awful about it for a day or two, but even she realized that we should take advantage of love when we could find it. Especially when we really don't know what's going to happen in the near future." Harry fixed her with a very odd look.
Love when we could find it...
No, that couldn't be why he was looking at her now like... like he used to look at Ginny.
Hermione set her silverware down very deliberately. "Harry, do you mind if I go home now? I don't feel much like pudding."
"Of course. You sure you're alright? Can I get you anything? I can also call you a mediwitch if you think..."
"I'm fine," she said, interrupting him.
Harry jumped up to pull back her chair as she stood to go. "So... next week then?" The eager puppy-dog expression in his eyes unnerved her.
Hermione made her quick way to the exit.
--10:0010:30pm, August 31, 1998--
They had finished dinner hours ago.
"Do wizards have religion, Professor?"
He looked up from his notes, appearing only mildly irritated at the non sequitor. This was a good sign. "With magic as such a visible and basic part of our lives, we never found the need for such frivolities," he replied.
"Oh. Well, I was just thinking..." She trailed off.
Snape let out a long-suffering sigh and set down his quill. "Pray tell me your thoughts, Miss Granger."
She shifted slightly under his scrutiny. But he appeared somewhat interested. "My parents were Catholic. They didn't practice, but they taught me everything that they believed. I was thinking about Jesus and how he would bring people back from the dead. If resurrection wasn't such a big deal back then, why is it believed to be impossible now, even with magic?"
"Surely you have heard of Ancient Magic. Most of it remains mysterious to this day."
"Could that Magic have allowed Christ himself to return from the dead?"
"That resurrection is debatable," he stated.
She bristled. "But..." Her defensiveness was instinctive. Hermione wasn't sure what she believed anymore, but lessons learned in childhood were hard to shake.
He held up his hand. "Please, Miss Granger, don't think of me as an ignorant heathen. My father was a Muggle, and he taught me quite a bit about your religion. Personally, I am mystified by the big fuss made over Christ's resurrection when, as you said, he and his disciples and the prophets before them resurrected people whenever the fancy struck them."
"Because Christ was God," she said. "And they managed to kill him."
"He believed himself to be a god and chose to act that way. Whether he actually was or not is of little consequence. He performed great deeds, proclaimed himself to be the Messiah, and commanded his followers to perform deeds in his name. And it was done. As I have spent the better part of my existence in the service of two wizards, both of whom believed themselves godlike and beyond reproach, you'll forgive me if I find the idea of Christ a little unappetizing. All I have to say is that the Muggles are fortunate that Christ seems to have been one of the good ones."
Hermione was stunned. A part of her was shocked by his callousness and another part was intrigued by his raw honesty. "What do you believe then, sir?"
Snape showed every sign of wanting to return to his work. He considered for so long that she feared that he would retreat to safety, declaring the entire conversation silly.
"I believe that what we see is all we have," Snape said. "All we have to depend on is us: humans, who are capable of both the greatest good and the deepest depravity. Having experienced them both, I am hard-pressed to decide which experience was the more painful. If there are gods, their ways are beyond our plane of existence, and they have no business toying with the ways and laws of this world."
"So practicing Dark Arts means screwing around with the natural order of things. Then what are we doing, Professor?" Hermione asked quietly. "What does that make us?"
Realization filled his eyes as he understood where her worry lay. His expression hardened. "Make no mistake, Miss Granger. We are hardly in the business of resurrection. We are taking away the godlike power that the Dark Lord thinks himself worthy to wield. We are restoring people to their natural state after something very wrong has been done to them. Rather like an anti-'Portrait of Dorian Gray.'"
Hermione could have commented on Snape's sudden empathy or on his unexpected knowledge of Muggle literature. Instead her entire mind was focused upon a single word. "Portrait... picture... oh God, you're a genius!"
"What are you on about?" he asked, nervous in the face of such unexpected praise.
Moral quandaries were forgotten in an instant as Hermione's thoughts switched automatically to single-minded problem solving. She snatched the parchment that Snape had been writing upon from his startled hands and began writing furiously.
"A picture, sir. I can't believe that I didn't see it before! I used almost the exact same words to describe this project to Minerva." She shoved a handful of her flyaway hair behind her ear as her hand flew. "We have been searching fruitlessly for some ingredient that will serve the purpose of 'recording' a person's previous state of being. Yet there is nothing with such time sensitive properties. And healing ingredients are no good; they focus solely on the wounds, not the body. Nothing else that we searched for has been promising either... our needs are too specific."
"As we've known for over two months now," said Snape. "I don't understand your need to steal my notes to tell me that."
Hermione ignored his complaining with practiced ease. "We've been searching in the wrong place. What we are looking for is Muggle in origin. The Muggles have a type of camera called a Polaroid that develops a picture mere minutes after it is taken. It's fascinating really. A blank white card bleeds through with lines and colors until the perfectly rendered image appears. There's a special chemical in the Polaroid photo paper that makes it work. If we could get this chemical and charm it... make some minor adjustments, it could be just what we need!"
Snape raised an eyebrow. "You consider what needs to be done 'minor adjustments'?"
"Is it an idea worth pursuing or not?" she snapped.
He considered for a moment, and Hermione realized that she was holding her breath.
"I believe that your solution has merit," he said at last. "If you make the necessary arrangements, I will escort you to a Muggle library where we can do more suitable research into the matter."
Hermione gaped at him, stunned. He hadn't told her to look into it on her own. He was making time for her and would accompany her. He must really believe that she had stumbled upon a breakthrough. She couldn't stop the grin from spreading on her face.
"I'll do that, sir!" she exclaimed.
Snape winced. The quill began to fly across the parchment. After she had returned the parchment to him, she pulled the phoenix feather from behind her ear and turned to her own notes.
"I suppose there is no way that you would consider not recording that silly discussion we had earlier?" he asked.
Hermione gave him a glare withering enough to be one of his own.
"I thought not," he said.
--11:0011:30am, September 24, 1998--
"Severus, I have some news for you."
"Good news or bad news?"
"Well, the bad news is that almost all of your geraniums in the window box are dead."
"And the good news?"
"One of them is still alive."
"The one we...?"
"Yes."
"And the untreated specimens in the lab?"
"Withering as we speak. While the treated specimens appear as healthy as they did on day one."
Hermione yelped in surprise as Severus picked her up and swung her in circles.
--2:002:30pm, September 24, 1998--
"It's only a trip to Diagon Alley, Hermione. And you know that I can't be seen there."
"It's not that. Can't... can't we just keep testing the potion on plants?"
"I will not be caught dead casting Avada Kedavra on a daisy."
Of course, there was no way she could refuse him after that.
--4:004:30pm, September 24, 1998--
When Hermione pushed open the door of the Magical Menagerie, she was immediately assaulted by a cacophony of screeches, hisses, and growls. The heads of all the non-animal beings in the shop turned to observe her entrance. Their gazes lingered a little longer than Hermione was accustomed to when in her old form.
Self-conscious, she lifted her head up a little higher and pretended to scrutinize a cage at her side. It held a bushy, gray squirrel that was cracking open smooth black stones between its jaws. As each stone broke in half, a glowing red jewel was revealed that the squirrel gobbled up happily. As if noticing Hermione's attention, the squirrel whirled around to face her and grinned cheekily, revealing a mouth full of fine-edged diamonds.
"Beautiful, isn't he?"
Hermione jumped a little. She turned her head to see a tall, blond man at her side, watching both her and the cage with amusement. He had a pleasant face. Hermione chuckled, a little nervously. "It looks as if it would be a rather expensive animal to care for. As well as a shameless show-off." She frowned as the squirrel tapped a black stone against its shining teeth and winked at her.
"A fine specimen," said the blond man, looking at the creature admirably.
Hermione nodded and moved over a few rows of cages. Several fruitless minutes later found her waiting in an interminably long line to speak to the proprietor. When she finally made it to the front of the line half an hour later, she was sweaty, irritable and covered with feathers from several varieties of birds in nearby cages.
However, the moment the proprietor a large red-haired man with a bushy mustache saw her, his eyes went wide, and he brushed aside a grumpy dwarf that had been in front of her.
"Out of the way, you! Can't you see this lovely lady was waiting? How can I help you?"
"Er..." Hermione paused, momentarily dumbstruck. She would have preferred the former owner, a bespectacled woman that reminded her of Minerva. "I'm looking for rabbits."
"We keep 'em in the back room, pretty doll. They're not displayed in the main shop because rabbits tend to defecate at an alarming rate, making the shop smell worse than it already does. Take your pick, we've got every fur color you could imagine: white, black, red, blue, rabbits breed like...well, you know." He looked extremely smug, as if he expected her to be impressed with his knowledge. Hermione could not wait to leave.
"I'll take a dozen of the most intelligent breed you have."
"Wait here just a moment." The red-haired man flashed a leering grin full of crooked teeth and disappeared into the backroom. Hermione shifted uncomfortably.
"The man is obviously too dim-witted to realize that he doesn't stand a chance with one as lovely as you."
Hermione turned and saw the blond man standing behind her in line. He was holding a bridle studded with gems the color of pale smoke. They were the same shade as his eyes. He noticed where she was looking and gestured to the bridle with a smile. "It's for my son's Aethonon. The old bridle was beginning to fray."
Hermione couldn't prevent her eyes from going wide with admiration. The blond man noticed and chuckled. "I know. The animal cost me a fortune, but my son loved it dearly. His mother and I purchased the winged horse when he got his Hogwarts letter."
"He is a very fortunate boy."
"Was. He died last year."
"Oh... oh, I'm so sorry."
The blond man shook his head with a sad smile. "He died bravely. They tell me he took down nearly three others in Hogsmeade before he was killed."
Hermione's breath froze in her throat as her mind filled with a sudden, screaming realization. She jumped nearly a foot in the air as something slammed onto the table at her side.
Turning, she was confronted by the twitching noses of twelve rabbits in a wire-frame cage. "Here you are, girl. A dozen sleek-coated black Havanas. 150 Galleons."
Hermione was so concerned with preventing her fingers from shaking as she reached for her money that she barely batted an eye at the extortionate price. Worse still, she saw the blond man's eyes regard her gold coins with an appreciative gleam.
She tossed the money on the counter and grasped the cage with both hands, dragging it off the countertop. Suddenly finding themselves dangling over empty space, a dozen semi-intelligent rabbits began squeaking and snorting in panic.
The blond man stepped forward. "Do you require some assistance, my dear?"
Hermione stared, mind-boggled and more than a little afraid at the sight of Lucius Malfoy for of course it was he, unrecognizable without his sneer and menacing aura extending a courteous hand towards a heavy cage full of squeaking, scrambling rabbits. She wondered if it was possible for her day to get any stranger.
"No," she said quickly. "I can redu..." No, you foolish girl! You can't reduce living creatures; any true pure-blood would know that. "I can manage," she finished.
Malfoy looked extremely reluctant, and for a heart-stopping moment, Hermione feared he would insist. Then he put down the bridle and undid the clasp on his cloak. "Here," he said, handing her the thick material. "Cover the cage with this. Animals become calmer when they can't see where they're going." Her eyes went even wider. "Think nothing of it. I have more cloaks at home than I know what to do with."
Hermione took Lucius Malfoy's wool and cashmere cloak, threw it over the cage of frantic rabbits, and fairly ran for the door.
Malfoy was right. The rabbits were calmer in the darkness of their covered cage.
--4:305:00pm, September 24, 1998--
Severus had asked her three times what was wrong when she'd returned, and she had brushed him off each time. Finally, he kicked her out of the lab, telling her that her strained nerves were a hazard that he was not willing to work with.
Within five minutes, Hermione was going stir-crazy. She browsed his bookshelves, chose several Muggle novels and then put them back, knowing that she couldn't possibly concentrate.
That left her standing by the window in the kitchen, staring at the healthy red geranium amongst the other half dozen wilted blossoms.
She had not been prepared to see that side of Lucius Malfoy. Truthfully, she had not been prepared to see him ever again, even under the safety of her Glamour.
But the experience of discovering Lucius Malfoy, the father and husband, and even being... flirted with by Lucius Malfoy, the gentleman, had been a bit too much to handle.
It had been much simpler to think of Malfoy as the one-dimensional villain. Then, if she should meet him on the battlefield, she would be frightened, but at least she would know what to do.
Then again, was she still naïve enough to believe that any person could be that simple? After all, look how his son turned out. She winced at the familiar pain in her chest that she always felt whenever she thought of Draco.
The skin on her wrist tingled underneath the bracelet, and she withdrew her quill. She knew that as the perfectly thorough scholar, she would write down every word of her ponderings.
She had just finished when a mighty shout from upstairs startled her. Heart pounding, she raced to the foot of the stairs, frightened at what could have happened.
"Hermione! Bring me some old newspapers for these infernal rabbits right now!"
Laughing in relief, she left to find what he needed.
--7:308:00pm, September 24, 1998--
"Are you going to tell me what had you so upset this afternoon?"
Hermione looked at him over her steak and kidney pie. "Will you ever let up until I do?"
"No. In addition, I intend to withhold your pudding until you confess."
"You wouldn't!"
Snape cocked an eyebrow in a way that made Hermione want to kiss and punch him at the same time.
"I... ran into Lucius Malfoy at the Magical Menagerie this afternoon."
Crack!
Snape hissed in pain as he gripped his fork so hard that it snapped in half in his fist. He waved off her concern as he muttered a quick healing charm and conjured a new utensil.
"I gather that he suspected nothing?" he asked calmly.
"No," she replied. She opened her mouth to inquire about his violent reaction, but one look into his eyes told her that it would be a pointless inquiry. "But it wasn't just meeting him. It was the experience of meeting him... while I was someone else. It reminded me again how this is the only place I can still be Hermione Granger."
"Obviously," he replied. "The rest of the world remains blissfully unaware of her continued existence."
Hermione winced. "Severus, please... don't."
"I'm so...." He sighed. "Hermione, please explain."
Had he been about to apologize? No, certainly not.
"The world likes Camilla Elliot. Cami has shopkeepers tripping over themselves to be of assistance. Cami has Harry Potter mooning over her like she's the Nimbus 3000, which feels really weird by the way...almost as weird as Lucius Malfoy flirting with me this afternoon. And that's because Cami is a pure-blood and irritatingly beautiful..."
Severus snorted, surprising her in the middle of her tirade. "Lucius will lose his head over every doll face that passes by. And I am honestly not overly surprised by Potter's reaction, nauseating as it is. Over the course of our Occlumency fiasco, I was... made aware of his unsuccessful wooing of Miss Chang. In times of great peril, it is not abnormal for one to latch on to anything that reminds them of their simpler childhood. And as your Glamour resembles Miss Chang somewhat..."
"In other words, Cami is loved," Hermione grumbled.
Silence fell. When it became apparent that he was disinclined to respond, she huffed. "And what the hell kind of name is Camilla anyway? It sounds like something you would call a fluffy lapdog."
"Camilla..." said Severus. Hermione couldn't prevent the little shudder that went up her spine from the whispered reverence in how Snape spoke the name. "Camilla is the name of the greatest female warrior to have ever lived. She was an Amazon that single-handedly slaughtered an entire legion of Roman soldiers in the battle for Latium. Do you honestly think that Minerva would have chosen your new identity with anything but the utmost care?"
Hermione blinked. No matter how she considered that statement, it couldn't be taken as anything other than a staggering compliment. But then she remembered something else he had inadvertently revealed.
"How did you know that Minerva was responsible for my Glamour?" she asked.
"As the Headmistress has inherited her predecessor's tendre for foolhardy Gryffindors, I can hardly think of anyone else who would take up the task."
"You didn't answer my question."
"My logical process of elimination wasn't enough for that insatiably brilliant mind?"
"Severus, I do believe you are overcompensating for six years of nary a single compliment. You said you can 'hardly' think of anyone else."
He huffed through his nose like a whale surfacing for air.
Hermione touched the silver encircling her wrist. "Did you have something to do with this?"
"As if I would have any hand in designing something decorated with a deformed dragon."
"Actually, on second glance, it looks rather like a snake. And it is eating its own tail, an ancient symbol of re-generation. I can't imagine that Minerva would have ever chosen to use the snake as her symbol."
"Hmmm," Severus said.
"And the bracelet is imbued with an impossibly complex charm. It must have taken several days of spell-casting and more than a little foolish wand-waving."
"Mmm-hmm."
"Severus?"
He sighed. "Yes, Hermione?"
"Thank you."
His head swiveled to face her, his eyes looked intently into hers. "You're welcome," he said.
A/N: So what on earth is up with Lucius? Well, we definitely haven't seen the last of him; he's much too fun to neglect involving him in something dastardly.
Next chapter: A trip to the library of her dreams leads Hermione to a startling realization. Hermione and Severus learn about closeness.
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Latest 25 Reviews for Memento Amori
114 Reviews | 3.13/10 Average
I think this ending is most apt and very powerful! I know it's a happy ending and I feel the continuation of their story is a cure.
I can't thank you enough for putting the time and effort into creating such a complicated masterpiece. I enjoyed every minute of every read through I've attempted to piece it all together. This tale was very satisfying.
You've managed to infuse lovely humor and saracasm and believabilty into their relationship and their characterizations. All with a convoluted mystery that needed solving and truly does make sense in the end. Chris Nolan eat your heart out.
Only thing I didn't "get" was the Harry becoming enamored of Cami/Hermione. That was awkward and she avoided that well.
Haha although Cicero "died" this is another great and funny chapter. And thank you for the notes, it's really coming together now.
Love love this chapter! Lots of great one liners and little scenes that I adore.
"... she shivered at the butterfly-wing feeling..."
Oh my that was very sensual.
Omg they really did it. She should be ecstatic! The best in his life, indeed.
A very intense and engaging battle scene you've written here. Loved it!
Wow you really know how to twist things up! I'm ready to settle down for a long drawn out read.
Swoon swoon swoon. Romantic!Snape to the rescue.
My gosh I wish she could remember all these little humorous things that happen between them! I love how she's getting to know him but upset that she won't recall.
Someone really needs to draw a fan art of Snape AK-ing some daisies!!
Wow! I finally finished reading it for the second time. I had to print it out and read it straight forward chronologically the second time. That was a great story. I do wish there could have been an epilogue but I know in my imagination they live happily ever after. My hat is off to you for being able to pull something like that off. Truly amazing. Thank you for a wonderful read.
Response from Olethros (Author of Memento Amori)
I hope that not too many trees had to give their lives for this noble cause 
Thank you so much for your kind words!
Response from Olethros (Author of Memento Amori)
I hope that not too many trees had to give their lives for this noble cause Thank you so much for your kind words!
“Excellent, we have demonstrated that we know each other’s names,” Hermione said. One of the funniest lines I've ever read. Maybe I shouldn't have done, but I found this chapter was very funny. I was also chuckling at performing the Killing Curse on bunnies.Good meeting between the three of them, nicely written, things are becoming clearer. There has been a few warnings about the dodgy stairs now, could there be a simple explanation for Hermione's injuries? I am intrigued, so I'd better get on with the story.
Response from Olethros (Author of Memento Amori)
Glad you enjoy my dark humor... most of this chapter was definitely intended to be funny.Also, not going to answer about Hermione and the injuries but the stairs... ah yes, the stairs will indeed make a repeat appearance. Good eye!
I haven't reviewed every chapter because this is the first time I have paused. You weave your story beautifully, the non chronological time makes me really sympathetic with Hermione's position. I am pleased that you haven't spent the majority of these early chapters wading through too much of Hermione's emotional state. It would have been very easy to get bogged down in the sadness and loss of most of her memory. Still, you have clearly shown her reation, and I particularly admired the way you had Ron and Harry react. You have done a good job of keeping everyone in character, Hermione's practicality, Harry's moving forward to do what he must, and Ron's affection. It's nice to see a Ron in an HG/SS fic that isn't belittled and killed off at the first opportunity.You certainly have a flair for dramatic writing. Your scenes are well constructed to give the reader a lot of information in relatively few words. This really adds to the fast pacing, giving us a lot of action as well as explanations, meaning that readers like me are thoroughly swept along with Hermione.I look forward to reading the rest.
Response from Olethros (Author of Memento Amori)
Possibly one of the most flattering reviews I've ever gotten, thank you so so much!! I am glad that you are enjoying my work; it's the best reward that a writer can get. I'm especially glad that you thought my writing to be in character - that is always what I strive for first and foremost.Hope that the rest of the story lives up to your expectations!
*is stunned*
After reading chapter sixteen, my intention was to go back and read the whole thing backwards, but that last chapter was so exhausting, I think I need to step away for a while. Maybe some day I'll leave you a real review, but all I can say for now is that you have written an amazing story; I'm just not sure how I feel about it.
Oh this chapter is dark. Exquist imiagry of torture and pain. Very conflicting too, given the crying Snape before he chucks her down the stairs. Never ever read anything like this. It must have been challenging for you, I could never see me writing something like this.
Did they meet at McDonald's?
I am enjoying this fic, but I'm having trouble keeping the time lines straight.
I've just discovered it is possible (for me, at least) to squee in delight, cry, laugh, sniff and moan at the same time. You are absolutely right, no epilogue is needed. Let us imagine, each one, what life will be like to Severus and Hermione. What an amazing way to complete the story! Bravo!
I don't know if you'd intended it to be tricky, but I was thinking it was a sunset until I read this chapter; maybe I just wasn't paying close enough attention to the dates and confused myself. Goodness, the dates are getting closer together now...
I had really hoped it was something like that. Wow!
The next chapter sounds exciting. And I don't have to wait. Very compelling story so far.
*applauds with a yawn* If I could keep my eyes open, I would. I haven't mentioned before, but I like the way you write everyone. Ron and Harry are often shortchanged in SSHG fics, but you've done a good job with them.
I like how there is something that ties the halves of the chapter together, like the wand in the previous chapter. I am so intrigued by the bracelet thing; I already want to go back and reread the first four chapters, but then I know I'd never get any sleep.
Oh, I told myself that I wasn't going to leave a review for every single chapter, but so far, I've had something to say.
I'm really interested in Hermione's research; I've already got a few ideas. Your recaps-as-forshadowing are brilliant!
Hmm, she remembered to call him "Severus." That has possibilities. Writing this story backwards and forwards must have been hard; it's amazing.
Okay, I know I said at one point that I wasn't going to read this because I was working on something similar, but I've pretty much given up on '50 First Kisses' and I can't ignore the siren call of a completed fic. I only hope I don't stay up too late reading this tonight, because right now I want to read the whole thing. You really gave us somehting to mull over.