Indecent Transactions

Back in the Gryffindor Common Room:

Ron groaned, \"Hermione, could I borrow your herbology notes?\"

Hermione rolled her eyes at him, \"You should take herbology lessons more seriously, Ron, this is information you are going to have to know for your NEWTS.\"

\"Yeah,\" said Ron, reaching across the table for his DADA book, \"maybe I\'ll feel more like it tomorrow.\"

Frustrated, Hermione looked to Harry for support, but Harry, too, had given up on herbology and was daydreaming out the window. Harry lazily looked across the lake and was surprised to see two dark figures making their way quickly towards the castle. \"Hey you guys,\" he turned to Hermione and Ron, \"have a look down by the lake.\"

Hermione squinted down at the figures for a moment before saying, \"Well, this explains why he wasn\'t at dinner.\"

Harry frowned, \"Who?\"

\"Professor Snape,\" she looked at him quizzically, \"I\'m surprised you didn\'t notice...\"

Ron jumped up, \"Snape? What on earth would he be doing out so late?\"

\"Well maybe I did notice and just I didn\'t find him worth mentioning,\" said Harry crossly. \"As a matter of fact, there were two empty seats at the head table.\"

\"That woman, the one in green from potions this morning!\" whispered Hermione excitedly as she stood up.

All three stood at the window and watched the scene unfold.

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Brin and Severus exited the Forbidden Forest. Severus was walking hastily back up the castle grounds, going faster and faster as if he was trying to outrun her. Eventually, it reached a point where Brin was having trouble keeping up, and Severus had not yet said another word to her. She stopped and, fury flooding her voice, she shouted, \"What exactly were you doing following me?\"

Severus spun backwards to face her, his cloak whipping out around him. Looking down at her over his nose he replied coolly, \"Did you not say yourself that Lucius was too, what word did you used exactly, ah, too cunning for you?\"

Without even pausing to let the words sink in, Brin reached out and slapped him with all her strength. Although she left a stunningly red welt on his light skin he made no move whatsoever and did not break eye contact with her. She stared at him, anger boiling inside of her, but found she could make no reply.

Severus had faced much worse than this in the past without letting it get to him, thanks to the Dark Lord, but he nevertheless found his control failing. He attempted to clear his mind of thought and emotion, making use of his Occlumency skills, but found he had no energy to do so. This had never failed him before.

Brin seized his left wrist. \"Do you think you have done me right by this? I know who you are!\" she screamed. She raised Severus\' arm up, his black sleeve falling to his elbow to reveal the light etching of the Dark Mark burned into his skin. \"You might have ruined everything by interfering! My task is not just creating this ridiculous potion, but to convince him that he can make use of it. In due course it will become necessary for me to go to the Death Eaters, to provide whatever disruption I can. Things will be as they will be, you cannot interfere!\" She had meant to sound angry and irritated, but the last words came out quiet, almost like a plea.

His black eyes stared into the endless depth of her blue eyes.

She loosened her grip on his wrist, and he slid his fingers into hers as he reached out to brush a loose curl from her face, \"I understand what must be done.\"
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Ron, Hermione, and Harry stood motionless at the window. They had just seen the woman in green slap Snape and, although the light was fading, they could just make out her holding up his arm.

Hermione finally turned away. Frustrated, she shook her head and looked to Harry and Ron, \"What could they possibly be talking about?\"

Harry could not make himself turn away, so he responded to the window, \"Well it must have something to do with Voldemort,\" Ron flinched slightly at the name, \"They could be looking at his Dark Mark, couldn\'t they, right there on his arm?\"

\"D..d..do you s...suppose,\" mumbled Ron, still not looking away, \"th...that Malfoy was right, about her being...one of them?\"

Harry quickly looked away from the window, his eyes worried, \"And her and Snape are...planning some offensive...against the Order, here at Hogwarts, like...against Dumbledore?!\"

Ron worriedly glanced at Harry. Frowning, Hermione said, \"Harry, you\'re jumping to conclusions--Try to remember that Snape is working for the Order. But I guess we still don\'t know what side that woman is on. I wonder if Dumbledore knows...\" she trailed off.

For a moment none of them spoke, lost in thought, then, \"Where did they go?\" asked Ron.

It was too dark to make out the two figures by the lake, but three sets of eyes nonetheless strained through the shadows for several minutes, unable to find anything at all.