From Friends to Colleagues

July 9, 1998

Their 7th year was over, and the potion was almost complete. Hermione had received permission to stay at Hogwarts until the new potion was finished, and she enjoyed the peace and quiet that pervaded the castle now that it was nearly empty. She also enjoyed taking her meals in the vast Great Hall with the staff that remained, especially considering that the long House tables had been replaced with a much cosier pentagonal table, large enough to seat the dozen or so people who were still at Hogwarts over the summer.

Snape and Hermione regularly sat beside each other at one corner, preferring the way the angle helped them have conversations without having to turn to one side completely. They lingered over dinner the night of the penultimate full moon, and Hermione dared to broach a sensitive subject when the rest of the table was empty.

"So, Professor..."

He cut her off, saying, "Severus. You've finished school, Hermione. We're colleagues now."

Breath hitching at his voice saying her name for the first time in nearly a year, she ducked her head and stammered, "A-all right, Severus. I wanted to ask you what you expect will happen once the potion is ready for You-Know-Who."

Snape toyed with his fork, clinking it against his plate in an agitated staccato. "He has already said that he will gather his forces around him so that everyone can take a sip of the potion to augment his power. He expects me to be there too."

Hermione laid her hand over his, stopping the discordant noise and sliding the fork from his grasp. His hand twisted to clasp hers, gripping tight in an attempt to anchor himself away from his rising dread.

"Surely you can come up with something to convince him not to use you as well?" Hermione's worried eyes sought his and she squeezed his hand in comfort.

Snape cut a black glance at her and murmured, "There are some things that may be beyond even my skills at spinning tales."

Hermione had no answer, so she simply sat in the lengthening silence with him, her fingers laced with his, until the dishes disappeared from the table and they left to begin the night's harvest.

***** *****

August 8, 1998

It was the last full moon to complete the second potion, and Snape and Hermione set out into the hot summer night on reluctant feet. There had been an Order meeting earlier that day, in which Snape had informed them that the Dark Lord was planning on attacking Hogwarts as soon as he had the potion. It had been decided that Harry should be moved to the school so he could be somewhat accessible but still have the protections the grounds afforded, drawing the attack. Now that the moment was almost upon them, everyone wanted to finally fight and end the waiting.

Snape was quiet during their trip, and Hermione refrained from disturbing him in his sombre reflections. When they were back at his workstation, starting the final steps, she sat to one side, thinking furiously, desperate to figure out how to keep Snape from being forced to drink the potion and lose his magic to the megalomaniac, even if it meant the Dark Lord would finally be defeated.

The last ingredients were added, and Snape was watching the liquid roiling in the cauldron, grimly satisfied that it was once again perfect. Hermione stepped up beside him and watched the potion too, whispering, "When you leave later this morning to take this to him, he won't let you go again, will he?"

Snape twitched his shoulders and murmured, "Not likely. He wants as much power as he can get. If I try to leave, he'd just kill me outright for betraying him."

Hermione shuddered and pressed her forehead against his shoulder, shutting her eyes against the vision he conjured with his stark words. "Then how can we get you out of there without him thinking you've betrayed him?"

Snape shot off his stool and paced away, his hands raking through his hair and gripping at the back of his neck. "I don't know, Hermione!" She watched the tension straining his body, miserable. "Once he drains us of our magic, we won't even be able to get here to see what happens! You'll all be here, fighting, and I'll be stuck waiting for his death to leave me to spend the rest of my existence as a bloody Squib!"

Hermione's gasp was loud in the charged silence following his outburst. At her hissed, "Severus!" Snape spun to face her. Her eyes were aglow with excitement, and she rasped, "I have an idea!"

Snape crossed to her instantly, gripping her arms and peering down into her radiant face. His voice was ragged with desperation as he said, "You darling, brilliant girl, please tell me what you've come up with this time. You've already saved the world, Hermione; I need you to save me too."

"Oh, Severus, it's so simple! Once he gets here, he'll still have to get past the enchantments to enter the grounds. Why struggle with that and leave himself exposed to attack from within if you can return first and bypass the protective spells for him? Guide him straight into the heart of the beast, if you will. By that time, Ron and I will have joined Harry via the potion, and he'll be ready to take him down. Don't you see? You're the only one who can give him that advantage!"

Snape's eyes widened with incredulous hope and he exhaled a shaky sigh of dazed relief before crushing her to him and descending upon her with a fervent kiss of gratitude.

Hermione's reaction was immediate. Her joy at giving him a way out sang through her, and she slid her hands into his hair, holding him fast as she enthusiastically deepened the kiss. After a long, breathless moment, they broke apart and she buried her face against his neck, vowing, "You still owe me tea and chocolate biscuits, Severus Snape, and I expect you to pay up."

Snape stroked her hair, his heart thundering at the miracle of her idea and the glory of her lips against his. "I can only hope that he will find your idea as beneficial as we do, so that I may be here to see that bastard fall. But, if I'm not here... if he doesn't buy into your plan... then you may have to find me once it's all over, as I won't be in any shape to Apparate anywhere looking for you."

Hermione backed out of his embrace and pinned him with a steely gaze. "If that happens, I will find you. And we will take comfort in sharing tea with a friend."

Snape nodded. After a pregnant pause, he cleared his throat and said, "It's almost done. Let's get the first potion so you may take it to Harry and Ron. The sooner you take it once I'm gone, the better, as I have no idea how quickly the Dark Lord may dose everyone and come here."

Hermione returned to their businesslike demeanour, following him to the storage cabinet where the first potion was secured. "We will. Is there anything else we need to do besides drink the potion and have Harry recite the incantation?"

"No. As long as you all love each other, that's all you need to do to transfer your powers to him." He handed her the bottle and returned to the cauldron.

"How long after the Death Eaters take the potion will You-Know-Who figure out that it didn't work?" Hermione watched him decanting the entire cauldronful.

Snape exhaled slowly. "I'm not sure. The potion will drain their powers, but when he tries to harness them for use, it's supposed to shatter all their magic...whatever that means. Depending on how quickly he does that, he may realize it right away."

"Then you must do everything you can to convince him to save the surge for when he's facing Harry. If he tries to use their powers to do anything else first, he'll know, and he may manage to get away."

"But he'd be defenceless..."

"Until he found someone else who would sacrifice something or someone to revive him again...no, we can't let that happen. Severus, please, try."

Snape swallowed hard and nodded. "I'll do my best. Go on now. I'm about to Floo to Hogsmeade and Apparate to his headquarters."

Hermione gripped the bottle until her knuckles were white. They crossed to the hearth and Snape tossed a pinch of powder in, turning the flames green.

Before he stepped into the fire, he turned to her and said, "Hermione, thank you for your genius, and please, be careful."

She nodded and whispered, "Always."

Once again, a pained grimace flashed across his expression, but this time it was followed by a determined, resolute look as he shook his head. Locking eyes with her, he murmured, "Indeed. Always," before whooshing out of sight.

***** *****

"My Lord, the boy is in the castle. I saw him there before I brought you the potion. Your victory is at hand, and I must express my humble gratitude that you have allowed me to be your servant in this. The gates are open for your triumphant entrance, my Lord." Snape dropped to his knees and bowed his head as Voldemort stepped up to the gates of Hogwarts.

"You will be rewarded for your dedicated service, Severus. Be ready to take your place at my side."

Snape crawled forward and dropped his lips to the hem of Voldemort's robes. "Thank you, my Lord. You are most beneficent. It is ever my pleasure to serve you."

At that, Voldemort crossed the threshold into the Hogwarts grounds, leaving Snape on his hands and knees to stare after him. Snape counted to 100, making sure Voldemort wasn't going to turn back and request more from him, then he scuttled back behind the pillar with the winged boar and leant against the stone. Swallowing hard and taking a deep breath, he Disapparated.

He reappeared near the public Floo in Hogsmeade and raced into it, shouting, "Grimmauld Place!"

He emerged in the empty kitchen and pelted up the stairs to burst into the library. Ron stood braced before the fireplace, brandishing the poker in one hand, freckles standing out against his chalk-white face.

"You! What are you doing here?"

Snape glanced around the room and said, "I just let the Dark Lord onto the grounds. Everything should be over soon. Where is Hermione?"

Ron relaxed a trifle and said, "She's with her folks. We connected the Floo to the Grangers' place and she decided she was just as safe there. Said something about how if everything turned a cock-up, she'd at least be somewhere she knew how to be without magic."

"Of course, she would say something like that." Snape spun to leave again, but paused and said, "Thank you, Mr. Weasley. I'm certain that only one person will die today, and the only people left without magic will be Death Eaters."

Ron nodded, still looking a bit green with nerves, and said, "Thanks, Professor."

Snape raced back to the kitchen and Flooed to the Grangers' house, whirling onto their hearthrug to the accompaniment of startled cries.

"Severus!" Hermione's voice trembled with emotion and she jumped to her feet, throwing herself into his welcoming embrace. "Are you all right?"

Snape held her and stroked her hair. "I'm fine. Your plan was perfect and he bought into everything. As soon as I saw him into the grounds, I went to Grimmauld Place to find you. Mr. Weasley was there, but you weren't."

Hermione laughed in relief. "I was so nervous and worried, so I decided to come here for support." She pulled away and gestured to her parents sitting on the couch, then turned to gaze anxiously up at him. "Do you have any idea how much longer it will take?"

Snape smoothed his robes and said, "No. But I can't imagine it should take much longer. I could have stayed to watch the confrontation..."

She interrupted. "Yes, you did say you wanted to see the bastard fall."

Snape snorted and murmured, "Well, it turns out there are more important things I wanted to see." He paused for a moment, gazing soberly at her. "I had to make sure you were safe."

Hermione gripped his hand and smiled. "I am. Why don't you sit while we wait?"

They all sat, but no one bothered to talk, as everyone was too busy waiting with all their might to devote any energy to small talk.

It seemed like both barely a moment and ages later when more people spun out onto the hearthrug in a cloud of soot. Snape shot to his feet, wand out, shoving Hermione behind him, but let his hand drop at the sight of Ron and Harry, immediately followed by Dumbledore and Kingsley.

Harry croaked, "Hermione!" and fell into her arms. Ron stood with them, patting their backs.

Snape snapped his gaze to the other men and said, "Is it over?"

They both nodded. Dumbledore said, "Voldemort is no more."

Kingsley rumbled, "If your potion worked as it was supposed to, there should be scores of powerless Death Eaters to round up. Can you take us to their headquarters?"

Snape nodded sharply, then turned to see the three young people wrapped around each other. Even though he knew they had to be as physically close as possible for Harry to release their magic back to them, his stomach squirmed at the sight of Hermione so intimately tied to her best friends.

He apparently stared too long, because Kingsley coughed and drawled, "Today, Severus?"

Snape blinked and straightened, sucking in a deep breath. "Of course. I assume the rest of the Order and Aurors are at Hogwarts, awaiting a destination?"

Kingsley nodded and said, "Indeed. If we Floo back now, we can tell them where we're going and arrive en masse. Was it Secret-Kept?"

Snape curled his lip in a sardonic smile. "Not anymore. Let's go."

He flicked one last glance at the entwined trio before leading Dumbledore and Kingsley through the Floo.

***** *****

Late that night, Snape was in his quarters, coming down from the tension that had ruled his life for so long. Sitting in his armchair in front of the fire, he sipped a tumbler of Firewhisky and tried to let his mind just drift.

He nearly spilt his drink, jerking to attention and startled by Hermione's face appearing in the suddenly-green flames.

"Hermione?" He sat forward, setting his glass on the side table. "What's wrong?"

Her radiant smile was only slightly distorted by the Floo. "Nothing! I just wanted to let you know that the potion worked perfectly, as did the process to give us back our magic. Ron and I are perfectly fine...all thanks to you."

Snape wilted in relief but grimaced. "It wasn't just my doing. You had quite a few brilliant ideas yourself. Without you, things could have been so much worse." He paused, then murmured, "I'm glad you're all right."

She laughed. "We're going to have a party at Hogwarts tomorrow...high noon...to celebrate the end of the war. Dumbledore is inviting the press and the public. Your domain is about to be invaded, Severus."

Snape scowled. "He never said anything to me."

"Well, we only just decided it here within the last hour. Everyone came back to Grimmauld Place after dealing with all the new Squibs." She inclined her head in a gesture of acknowledgement. "I wouldn't be surprised if the entirety of the wizarding world managed to show up on the grounds at some point tomorrow."

"Spare me." He shuddered and said, "I suppose I'll have to dodge the likes of that Skeeter woman."

Hermione's smirk was malicious. "Don't worry, Severus, I'll protect you for once. I've got her under my thumb."

Cocking an eyebrow at her, he drawled, "Really? Do tell."

She chuckled and said, "I'll tell you all about it some day, but I'm fair knackered and I need to get some rest before the party tomorrow. I'm kipping here for the night, then I'll come get my stuff from Hogwarts and move it into my new flat. I daresay you could use some sleep too. You look rather strung out."

Shrugging, he said, "It'll all take a while to settle in...become real. It feels like this is all a dream."

Smiling fondly, she coaxed, "Go on, now, Severus. Get some sleep. I promise you it's not a dream, and when you wake up tomorrow, you'll see for yourself."

Snape's lips spread in a wry half-smile. "Fine. I'll hold you to that promise and to you keeping Skeeter away from me."

"No worries. I won't let you out of my sight. Good night, Severus."

"Good night." Her face disappeared, and the flames returned to their normal colours. Snape tossed back the rest of his drink, slammed the tumbler on the table, and heaved to his feet. He passed a hand over his face and through his hair as he dragged to his bedroom door, flicking a muttered, "Nox" over his shoulder and leaving the room shrouded in darkness.