19

AN: My apologies for the delay. I've been holding onto this for more than a week now, but I never seemed to have time (or inclination - computer time means homework now) to make the revisions suggested by the lovely Ayerf. I consoled myself with the knowledge that you all are probably too busy reading the SSHG exchange over on LJ right now to think about this story. And honestly, I don't know whether to hope that's true or not. ;-) Next update will be soonish.

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Hermione heard the door open behind her, and turned to see Harry standing there. She tried to smile, she really did, but there was no way to hide her misery.

It took only a moment before Harry was beside her, wrapping his arms around her in an awkward hug. She felt herself fall apart as she leaned on him, and started keening with grief. He started rocking her gently.

"Is he..." he asked tentatively, though his voice cracked, unable to finish the question.

She shook her head against his chest. "No," she hiccupped. "You're just in time."

Harry slowly pulled himself away from her, and walked to the place Madam Pomfrey had just been. Hermione looked at the mediwitch, but she just shook her head sadly.

Hermione's head sank down. She felt a hand rest itself on her shoulder, and she turned into the body behind her, burying her head in Snape's chest. She was vaguely aware of how stiff he was, but she was too wrapped up in grief to notice how long it took him to wrap his arms around her. All she noticed was that the chest and arms were there; comfort was being offered.

"I'm afraid I need to see to Weasley." She heard his voice say the words, and heard the rumble in his chest as he said them, but the meaning didn't connect until he was pushing her away from him. "I'm sorry."

She nodded blindly then found herself wrapped in Harry's arms again. She could tell he was crying, too. She hugged him back fiercely. A moment later, she heard Snape say, "I'm done." She released Harry and looked up to see Snape's ashen face directed at them, before he turned and left the room.

She stared after him for a second before joining Harry at Ron's side. She reached out and touched Ron's face with one hand, and felt Harry's hand slide into the other one. And there they stood for what seemed like years, until Ron's labored breathing stopped.

Hermione bent down and kissed Ron's forehead one last time, then took hold of the sheet. Looking up at Harry to see if he was ready, she gently covered Ron's face.

She turned to hug Harry again, but he shook his head and backed away a step. "This needs to end, Hermione. It needs to end now."

Hermione gulped, trying not to let the grief swallow her whole. "You're right. And as soon as we find the diadem--"

"I found it." He looked at her, and she saw triumph peeking through the grief. "It's in the other room waiting to be destroyed."

"Oh. Well. That's good then."

"Do you want to kill it?"

Hermione shook her head, and reflexively tried to back up, but the bed stopped her. Realizing what she was doing, she shook her head again with a small smile. "No, thanks, Harry. You should do it. Or Snape. I... I can't. Or I don't want to, anyway."

Harry nodded understandingly. "Well, I should go do that. Then we need to tell Draco what's going on and... Oh, Hermione, we're close. We're really close."

Hermione smiled half-heartedly. She was glad to hear they were so much closer. She really was. But it was hard to celebrate when feeling so numb.

"Let's go, then."

Harry smiled back and headed out of the room. Hermione took a last look at the form on the bed and followed. Pompfrey met her at the door, gave her a quick hug, then proceeded past to tend to Ron... To tend to the body. Hermione took a deep breath and continued forward.

It was only as she entered the office and actually saw Draco that Harry's words sank in.

"Malfoy?"

"Granger." He didn't sneer, he didn't make a crack at her expense. He just stood there, somberly, and nodded at her. Respectfully.

"And..." She shook her head a little, frowning. "Sorry, but why are you here?"

He smiled wryly. "Snape caught me trying to save Potter. I'm on your side now."

"Oh. Okay."

Draco's eyebrows went up. "Just like that, you accept me?"

She blinked. "Well, besides the fact that neither Snape nor Harry would accept you into their confidence without very good cause, you did try to help us... at your house."

He winced. "I'm sorry you had to go through that, Granger."

She nodded. "I know."

"You were the one to notify me, weren't you?" Snape said suddenly. Draco gave a single nod. "Why?"

Draco laughed bitterly. "I was hoping to curry favor with the Dark Lord through his lieutenant. Aunt Bella kind of hexed that plan to hell."

"Well, you have curried favor with his lieutenant, and if all goes according to plan, you won't need his favor ever again." He looked at Harry. "Your memory?"

Harry put his wand to his temple and concentrated. Pulling his wand away, there was a silver spiderweb, which he placed into the Pensieve on the desk.

Snape swirled the Pensieve with his wand and the image of a house came up. Snape looked at Harry, who nodded. "That's the one."

Snape then looked at Draco. "Ready?"

Draco swallowed. "Yeah."

"Perhaps you should join us, Potter. You might have insights to the Dark Lord's spell work that we need."

Harry nodded reluctantly and joined them around the desk. Hermione watched as they approached the bowl, touching it in unison with their hands. The next moment, all three of them were immobile. A wave of grief threatened to overwhelm her; she fought it back by concentrating on observing the men before her.

Draco... she wasn't sure she would say he was a man yet, but he wasn't the same boy she'd gone to school with. He'd obviously started thinking things through rather than just repeating the party line. He looked like his ego had been brought down several notches, and with Voldemort living in his house – with a vendetta against his family – it was no wonder. But his presence in the room with them marked a decided change in views. He might still believe in blood purity, but his behavior toward her said he might even be rethinking that. No, he was definitely growing up, even if he wasn't a man just yet.

Harry was a man now, though. It wasn't just that his face was getting scraggly, either. His insecurities had melted away, leaving him holding himself with pride now, with a sense of purpose. He also looked like he had aged twenty years in the week they'd been apart. There were lines on his face that she wasn't sure would be erased by sleep and relaxation. And his eyes...

He radiated power, and that power was now, finally, backed up by prudence. She was very proud of him.

Snape... looked exhausted. His skin had gone pasty and grey, and the circles under his eyes made him look like he'd been in a fight. She didn't remember him looking quite so drained in the bedroom. Tired and pale, yes, but not on the edge of collapse as he was now.

He was a puzzle to her. She gathered that he was intensely lonely, especially this last year, and yet he tried his best to keep everyone away. Except her.

That was what really puzzled her – he had more or less invited her into his life. Granted, he had little choice about her being in his rooms now, but he could have encouraged her to stay as far away from him as possible. He was a master at pushing people's buttons. He could easily have made sure she knew she was unwelcome, but he hadn't. Instead he had, well, basically welcomed her. He had taken care of her. He had talked to her, sought her opinions, treated her like an equal. He had acted as though he respected her.

It was all very confusing. Nice, but confusing.

She found that she liked him. She'd always respected him when he was their teacher, but she hadn't liked him very much. He'd persecuted Harry so mercilessly and vindictively that it had been impossible to like him then, even as she did continue to respect him. (Trying to get through to Harry the difference between someone being "nice" and "good", however, had been beyond her capabilities.) But now...

It wasn't even that he was behaving better toward Harry. She thought she would probably still like him even if he were as horrid as ever, because she'd seen behind the mask. He had a loving, loyal heart. Actually, he was very similar to Harry in many of the essentials, no matter how much either of them would protest that statement.

The bedroom door opened, and Hermione tore her eyes away from Snape's face to see Madam Pomfrey coming out looking tired and worn.

She stood up and said, "Thank you."

The mediwitch looked up suddenly, as if Hermione had surprised her.

"Oh, my dear, I am so sorry for your loss," Pomfrey said as she walked up to Hermione and pulled her into an embrace.

Hermione swallowed as they parted. "Is he... is his body still in there?"

Pomfrey shook her head. "I asked the house-elves to prepare him for burial. Do you think his parents would prefer he be buried here or at home?"

Hermione's breath left her in a rush. She hadn't even spared a thought for the rest of the family. They would be devastated.

"I have no idea. How long... um, that is... I'm not familiar with wizarding burial rituals."

"Usually, the bodies are buried within a day or two of death. The Headmaster was a... a special case."

"Ah," Hermione said, feeling as intelligent as her word.

"I would like to send an owl to Molly and Arthur, but considering the circumstances, I don't know if that would be wise."

Hermione rubbed her eyes and sat back down, suddenly exhausted. "You should ask Severus. From what I gather, the war might be over very soon."

Pomfrey looked at the three gathered around the Pensieve. "I know it's not my place, but... is Harry the Chosen One?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes. And if all goes well, he might be able to confront You-Know-Who this week."

"So soon?" Pomfrey said in a whisper.

"If all goes well."

Pomfrey stood as if in a daze, and before either of them collected themselves, the men regained animation.

Hermione was concerned at how pale both Snape and Draco were.

"Return here after dinner and I will escort you out of the castle. In the meantime, practice the necessary spells," Snape murmured.

Draco swallowed and nodded.

"Do you think it's a good idea to escort him out publicly? I could sneak him out the same way I got in," Harry said, watching Draco with concern.

Snape considered that option, but didn't make a decision. Instead, he looked to Hermione. Surprised, and very concerned at the deference, Hermione nodded. "I think it would be best to keep his absence a secret for as long as possible."

Snape nodded rather dumbly.

Hermione saw she wasn't the only one who was concerned by Snape's behavior. Everyone was looking at him with varying degrees of worry.

"Severus!" Pomfrey barked after whipping out her wand to do a diagnostic spell, "When was the last time you slept? You are on the verge of collapse!"

He waved her off, even as he sat down gracelessly. "There's time enough when the war is over."

"But–‒"

"Poppy, I can take care of myself."

"Judging by your state, you obviously can't! Severus, you are nearing dangerous magical depletion levels! I have no idea what you've been doing to exhaust yourself so, but you need to stop!"

"Magical depletion? That makes no sense. Your spell must be wrong."

"I don't think it is," Hermione said quietly, coming up on his side, "You look worse than I felt after the Cruciatus. You're not acting yourself, either. You need to sleep." He frowned. "Please."

His frown stayed, but after several moments, he nodded. "Well, if people would leave my de facto bedroom, I would go to sleep much sooner."

Hermione shook her head. "Severus, take your bed back. I can make do out here tonight."

His frown deepened, but he allowed Hermione to help him up. He staggered a little on the way to the bedroom, but with Draco's help, Hermione guided him to her side of the bed. He collapsed onto it, gathering her pillow in a bundle between his cheek and arm, and then shooed them out with a muttered, "Begone, demons."

Smiling fondly, Hermione left him in peace, though she was aware that Draco was looking at her oddly.

"Yes?" she asked him, as soon as she'd quietly closed the door behind them.

"What did you do to him?" Draco asked, completely thrown.

"What did I..." Hermione spluttered, incensed. "How dare you accuse me of hexing him into this--"

"No!" Draco interrupted, "Not the energy thing, but the mood thing! What did you do to get him so wrapped around your finger?" Then Draco blushed, and quickly amended, "Don't answer that."

Hermione gaped at Draco, torn between revulsion and anger. "Get your mind out of the gutter, Malfoy! We're friends. Friends are nice to each other."

The familiar Malfoy sneer came back, but before he could say anything, Harry grabbed his shoulder and gently pulled him away from Hermione. "I think we all need sleep, don't you think, Draco?"

Draco scowled, but quickly wiped his face of everything but a particularly supercilious sneer. "Of course. I do need my beauty sleep, after all."

Harry chuckled and patted Draco on the back, earning an almost wistful frown from Draco.

"Thank you, Draco," he said as they approached the door. "You're doing the right thing."

Draco sniffed. "Yeah, well... Doing good isn't reserved for Gryffindors alone, you know."

"Wait a minute," Hermione interjected, earning her a sneer.

"Granger, I can make a list of non-Gryffindors if–‒"

"No, I know of plenty of examples, Snape being in the lead. No. I'm just thinking, wouldn't it be better if you went on the mission tonight? The portraits will have seen you coming here with Snape for punishment, and so your being missing, even if it goes through the morning, could be explained away through injuries. Madam Pomfrey could cover for you."

Hermione looked over to the mediwitch and saw her nod reluctantly in agreement.

Hermione looked back at the boys. Harry had his general's face on, while Draco looked pale.

"I'm not ready."

"Why? Is it just that you're scared–‒"

"Of course I'm bloody well scared! There are spells I haven't used in ages that I need to brush up on, some that I've never even heard of! I'm not going out there without arming myself!"

Hermione placed her hands on her hips and rolled her eyes. "And you didn't let me finish, did you? I was going to ask if there were things that needed to be done first. Needing to practice is definitely a good reason for delaying, and if you let me help you, you'll go off more prepared than if you study by yourself."

Harry nodded. "No one is better at cram sessions than Hermione, Draco. I wouldn't have survived the first task of the Tri-Wizard Tournament without her helping me learn summoning spells."

Draco backed down with a pouty frown. "What about sleep?"

Hermione examined him critically. "You don't look deprived."

Draco sniffed at her opinion, so Madam Pomfrey came over and waved her wand a few times. "You could do with a bit of rest, but a nap should suffice."

Draco swallowed hard. "Okay."

Something about his demeanor touched Hermione, making her soften her tone as she said, "You don't have to go on the mission tonight, but don't go back to your dormitory. We can use this time to get you up to speed with everything you need."

Draco nodded, still looking grim. "Fine."

"So, tell me about the spells you need to practice. Or, better yet, tell me about the spells you don't know so that we can get the books for those while you are practicing the spells you already know."

Draco looked over at Harry. "Is she always like this?"

Harry grinned widely. "Yep."

Draco sighed, and recited a list of spells, most of which Hermione did happen to know, and if she didn't, she remembered where she'd seen mention of them. A house-elf was called and dispatched to the library, returning a few minutes later with a substantial pile of books.

Harry and Draco moaned a bit, but Draco reached out and grabbed the top book anyway. Hermione noticed Harry backing away from the pile in an almost comical fashion, until he turned to find Madam Pomfrey examining the diadem on the desk with a frown.

"Do you think Snape's going to be okay?" he asked her, as she prodded the air around the crown with her wand.

"I believe so," she answered distractedly, then asked, "What is this?"

Harry hesitated.

"It's something we need in the fight against You-Know-Who," Hermione answered.

"Hmm," she said, in the universal tone of adult disapproval. She continued examining it critically by eye. "It feels very Dark. Are you sure you should be using something like this?"

"Oh, don't worry, we'll be using it in a perfectly safe way," Harry said with all sincerity. Pomfrey gave him an acidic look over her glasses and hummed disapprovingly again. Draco snorted in the background.

"Really!" Harry insisted, though he seemed to understand his lack of credibility on the subject of safety where the school's mediwitch was concerned. "I'll be very careful."

"It's not you I'm worried about, Mr. Potter. It's been your friends I've been treating for serious injuries these past few years."

Harry's face fell, and Hermione could see the weight of the world descend once again.

"Harry's right, though, Madam Pomfrey. We will be very careful with this. In fact, we are plotting out how to do without it altogether, as we don't trust its magic, either."

Pomfrey looked at her strangely. "If that's so, why are you letting it grow?"

Both Harry and Hermione stood very still before unconsciously stepping toward the matron in unison.

"Growing?"

"What do you mean?"

Pomfrey looked between the two of them nervously. "Whatever curse is in there, it's getting stronger."

Hermione saw Harry look at her anxiously. "Can it do that?"

She shook her head. "I don't know. There's so little information available..."

"But, he's still alive. He can't... I mean... It's not possible to have two..."

Hermione blanched at the thought of two Voldemorts in one world at the same time.

"Oh, God, I hope not," she whispered, bringing her hand to her mouth.

"You two picked a fine time to be in such a mess, as the person who would know what to do is out like a light right now. And you'd best not disturb him!"

Hermione looked at the bedroom door, then back at the diadem. Everything clicked. She raised her eyes to meet Harry, and whispered, "Snape!" He understood immediately.

"Where's the sword?" he shouted, suddenly springing into action. Hermione pulled Pomfrey away from the table as Harry scrambled around it, grabbing the sword from its resting place on the shelf behind Snape's chair. With a grunt, he swung the sword over his head, and brought it down with a crash, splitting the diadem in half.

A high-pitched, inhuman scream split the air between them, and Hermione watched, horrified, as the diadem halves writhed in agony. The ramifications sinking in, Hermione grabbed Madam Pomfrey again and pulled her toward the bedroom. When the matron protested, Hermione exclaimed, "We need to check on Snape!"

Pomfrey's eyes grew wide as she deduced what was going on, and suddenly Hermione was no longer pulling the matron, but was pushed aside as Pomfrey hurried to the bedroom. The matron threw the bedroom door open with a flick of her wand, and was at Snape's side in three steps. Hermione watched anxiously as Pomfrey waved her wand again and again until the matron relaxed with a sigh.

She turned to face Hermione with a smile and led her out of the room as Snape muttered something unintelligible and rolled over, quietly saying, "He'll be fine. His magical energy is now almost back to normal. A good night's sleep should restore what's missing."

Hermione exhaled and felt the need to cry increase suddenly. She sniffed and nodded. "I'll be sure to not let him be disturbed."

Pomfrey patted her on the shoulder. "Not until breakfast time, anyway. Now I think I've had all the excitement I can handle for an evening." She looked at Draco, who was slowly returning to his seat while still staring in horror at the remains of the diadem. "If you need a place to rest, I will set up a warded cot in my office." Draco glanced up at her and then back at the diadem, giving her a distracted nod. She shook her head. "Good night." She headed to the fireplace and, with a friendly wave, left them in a swirl of green.

Hermione turned and gave Harry a relieved smile, which he returned in full. Hermione looked down to Harry's hands, which were wrapped around the hilt of the sword which was still between the two halves of the diadem, and gave him a questioning glance. His smile turned bashful, and he released his hands. The sword did not move. Looking closer, Hermione saw that the sword was lodged very securely in the desk.

She looked up at Harry again. "Well, at least you were thorough."

Harry grinned and rubbed his hand through his hair. "Yeah. I hope Snape doesn't have too much of a fit."

Hermione giggled, imagining Snape's face if the sword were still there in the morning. "Yes, well, I think it would probably be a good idea if you weren't here when he wakes up."

Harry laughed. "Wiser words were never said."

Hermione gently smacked the back of his head, which he playfully overreacted to. Hermione smiled as affection for her friend swelled within her.

"I suppose we need to remove the sword, in case anyone comes up here?"

"Yes, I think it would be a good idea."

Harry nodded, and started working at removing the sword, rocking it back and forth. "Funny, it was just about this difficult to get out of the pond, too."

Hermione hummed. "At least you aren't likely to die of hypothermia this time."

"Mm, but now I feel like sodding King Arthur."

Hermione giggled again. "Though with the trouble you're having, perhaps you aren't the Chosen One after all, Harry!"

Harry grunted and tried pulling the sword out with one more great effort, but gave up a few seconds later, wiping his sweating brow.

"I now think Arthur's historians fudged the truth. I think the sword was whacked into a table, and everyone was too embarrassed to admit they couldn't get the blasted thing out, so they only said it was stone."

Hermione laughed. "Nice theory, Harry, but the records are all pretty unanimous on Excalibur being set in stone. Besides which, we all know that Merlin manipulated the whole thing, since he wanted to rule without consequence, and so trained Arthur to be his puppet."

Harry gave her a look, and she smiled innocently. They maintained their expressions for two seconds before cracking up.

"God, I missed you, Hermione!"

"I was gone less than a week," Hermione said, echoing Snape's response to Minerva hours before.

"Six days. Six bloody long days. Luna is nice, but she's no substitute for you."

"Luna?" Hermione asked, excitedly. "You've seen Luna?"

Harry looked shocked and mildly abashed. "I never said, did I? Yeah, Luna was in the Malfoy's basement along with Ollivander. Dobby got them and Dean out to Shell Cottage before he came back to rescue us."

Hermione's eyebrows crept up her forehead. She involuntarily looked over at Draco and saw his shoulders were hunched defensively. "Oh. Are they okay?"

Harry nodded. "A bit worried about you and Ron..." he swallowed suddenly, then nodded and visibly pulled himself together. "But, yeah. They're alright."

Hermione slumped against the desk. "I am so glad. Snape will be terribly relieved as well. Luna's capture was weighing on him heavily."

Harry made a face, and Hermione scowled at him. He shook his head. "I... I'm sorry, Hermione, but... It's difficult to switch so suddenly from believing Snape was worse than You-Know-Who, to being happy that he's happy. I get that he's a good guy – and I'm happy he is, really I am – but, it's not like we're friends now, or ever will be."

Hermione tried to hide the flash of disappointment she felt, as she knew it was unreasonable to expect otherwise, but she wasn't quick enough. He looked at her with a shrewd look on his face.

"You don't fancy Snape, do you?"

Hermione spluttered. "No! He's... ew! He's my teacher! He's my captor! Ew, Harry! Ew!"

Harry's shoulders relaxed a little at that. "Good." Hermione gave him another warning look, and he amended, "I mean, you can fancy anyone you like, but, well... It's... erm... Oh, look at the time! Neville will be wondering where I am!"

Hermione gave a huff of amusement and let him off the hook. "I should probably give Draco my attention. We have some pretty serious practicing to do." She waved her wand and enlarged the crevice where the sword was trapped. It fell onto the desk with a dull clank, and she waved her wand again, trying to heal the rift, though it refused to close all the way. She shrugged and left it, and only then caught Harry's amused and annoyed eye.

"You could have told me."

She shrugged. "I thought you wanted to do it the hard way."

He opened his mouth to argue, but snapped it shut with a shake of his head. "Right. I really do need to get back to the Room of Requirement. I don't want them sending out scouts on my account."

"No. Keep them safe, Harry. And, try to discourage them from outright war just yet?"

He smiled grimly. "They won't be held long."

"I know, but we need to wait for... well, maybe they can provide a distraction if someone does start asking after Draco?"

Harry hummed thoughtfully. "Not a bad idea. I hate to ask them to sacrifice themselves, though."

"Well, let's just make sure the battles are as minimal and important as possible."

Harry nodded. "I'll see you tomorrow sometime."

"I'll send you a Patronus when Draco is ready to leave."

He smiled. "Brilliant idea! What would I do without you, Hermione?"

Hermione forced a laugh, though she knew that was what Harry would have done. "'Night."

Harry threw the Invisibility Cloak over himself and disappeared. Once the office door opened and closed, she found herself being observed by Draco. He shook his head and clucked patronizingly before returning to his book.

"Yes?"

"You Gryffindors lack any trace of subtlety, don't you?"

Hermione took a deep breath in and forced herself not to roll her eyes. As she exhaled, she smiled at Draco. "Alright, then, where do we lack subtlety?"

"Your plan. Sending Longbottom and the rebels out to make a big to do when my absence has already been noticed will only draw attention to the fact that I'm gone and your side doesn't want their side to know it. You'll have to create the diversion before that, if you want to keep my involvement a secret."

Hermione frowned. "You may have a point."

Draco sneered. "Oh, thank you for your condescension, my lady."

Hermione glared back before a thought made a slow, wicked smile spread across her face. "How about we practice those spells now?"

Draco's sneer disappeared.

*

The sky was starting to lighten by the time Draco could disarm and incapacitate Hermione on a semi-regular basis. Hermione finally called a halt to their practice session with a weary smile.

"By Jove, I think you've got it." At the blank look her change of accent brought, she waved the previous comment away and said, "Good job, Draco. I think you're ready."

A spell flew at Draco from the bedroom doorway, surprising both of them. Draco barely managed to dodge the jinx, then fired a hex back. Hermione turned just in time to see Draco's spell deflected by a silent Protego. Half a second later, Snape rippled into sight as he canceled his disillusionment spell.

"Acceptable. Definite improvement, Draco."

Draco glared at Snape, while Hermione beamed at him. "Sir! How are you feeling?"

Snape gave her a slightly quizzical look. "I feel as if the end is nigh."

Hermione's smile dropped as fears for his health reared back to life. "Oh no! Shall I call for Madam Pomfrey? Do you want to sit down? Tell me what you need, and I'll do it!"

Snape looked at her as if she had gone mad. "What are you on about, woman?"

Hermione was bringing out her wand to cast the diagnostic charms Pomfrey had taught her when she felt a hand on her elbow. Looking over, she saw Draco was shaking his head at her, wearing a mocking smile as he did so.

"She's misinterpreting your meaning, is all," Draco explained to Snape. To Hermione he said, "He means the war, Granger, not his life."

Snape glared at Hermione. "Of course I mean the war! What idiocy would make you think otherwise?"

Hermione wanted to snap back at him, but found herself choked up, and turned to look out the window, instead.

"To be fair," she heard Draco say after an awkward pause, "you were in pretty bad shape last night, sir. Turns out that crown thingy was sucking up your energy."

Hermione heard a bit of rustling, as if things on the desk were being moved about, but otherwise the office was oppressively silent for a full minute. She was surprised, then, when Snape's voice came from right behind her.

"I didn't realize. Thank you for your concern."

She tried to swallow her tears, but it was too much. Conscious that he could see her face, she turned away from him as she tried not to sniffle. A hand on her shoulder, however, overthrew her defenses, and she turned into his chest with a sob.

"There, there," he said awkwardly, though his arms went around her far less reluctantly than before. "You've had a hard time of it," he added, and as if there were some magic in the words, the remaining stiffness left his posture, and he embraced her fully.

Something about his release, his welcome, stirred Hermione's grief even more, and so she clung to him as if he were her life line. And he held onto her.

It was a few moments before Hermione calmed down enough to be aware of anything outside her pain, but when she did, she became aware of Snape's heart beating strongly beneath her ear. Then she became aware of Snape's arms around her, and that he was rocking her – just a little. She became aware of his wordless, innate magic seeping out of his hands into her back, calming her. She realized anew just how powerful Snape was. But for the first time, she saw how beautiful that power was.

She also became aware of the third person in the room, who was pointedly ignoring them as he studied a portrait's detailed brushstrokes.

She took a big breath and reluctantly withdrew from Snape's embrace. He let her go and conjured a handkerchief before she thought of the need. Bobbing her head gratefully, she wiped her face and nose, then looked up at him.

"Thank you."

"You should go get some sleep. I assume you haven't had any this evening?"

"A few minutes back before... before I called Madam Pomfrey, but no, I haven't had much."

He quirked a solemn smile at her. "Then now is a good time. There are still a couple of hours before breakfast."

She nodded, suddenly aware of just how exhausted she was. "Good night, sir."

"Sleep well."

She made her way to the bedroom, taking care to give Draco a smile of gratitude and encouragement before she closed the door behind her and fell into the bed. The space was still a little bit warm from Snape, and, as she snuggled into the sheets, she found the remnants of his smell reminded her of the comfort he had given her.

She drifted off hoping she could one day provide him the same feeling of shelter he'd offered her. He deserved it.