Chapter Nine: Return to Hogwarts

Disclaimer: The characters and settings within belong to J.K.Rowling. I am just giving them a little outing.

Chapter Nine: Return to Hogwarts

The girl's face drops, as it always does at this part of the tale.

A tear leaks from the girl's eye as she contemplates the hearts torn by Fleur's simple act of burning an old chocolate wrapper.

Hermione resolutely put aside her anxiety about the dark wizard she had come to depend upon and threw herself into the planning of the break-in to Gringotts to retrieve the Hufflepuff cup from Bellatrix Lestrange's vault. The sooner they accomplished that task, the sooner she could find a way to reach Severus. Only late at night did she allow thoughts of him to torment her mind, imagining his despair matching her own in their inability to communicate and reassure one another of their safety.

"Oh, Severus, don't give up. I'm still here," she sobbed into the dark night as she remembered the times he had needed her comfort.

Over the next few weeks, Ron tried to further the fledgling relationship he had abandoned before Christmas. His attempts to catch her alone became more comical as he became more frustrated. Hermione developed an uncanny ability to hear others calling for her or remember chores that needed to be done, leaving the redhead to stare after her with the long face of thwarted masculine hopes. She did not know how to explain her change of heart; how could she tell Ron she constantly compared his behaviour with the man he viewed as a traitorous murderer, and he came up lacking? None of those at the cottage would understand her feelings for Severus. How could they when her own mind was a confused tangle of warm recollections, cold anxiety, and a deep longing she had never experienced previously?

As the spring days lengthened and new life burst forth all around, Hermione yearned only for the smell of wool and potions, the sound of a deep, velvety voice, and the feeling of strong arms protecting her from the world. The train of her consciousness circled around in ever-decreasing spirals as she tried to sort out why she needed the dour man so intensely. She had been separated from Harry and Ron many times over the years, for months at a time in summer, and had missed them dreadfully, but had never felt as bereft. She knew the risk of exposure and death at the merest slip left him on a knife-edge most of the time and often wondered if it was simply the knowledge she might never speak to him again that had upset her usually logical thought processes.

***

The weeks passed, and eventually the day of the break-in dawned. It was exciting and stressful and scary and, hours later, thankfully over.

Helga Hufflepuff's cup had been found, which left two more. One they knew was Nagini, Voldemort's giant snake, and the other was somewhere at Hogwarts. Once they had rested a little and treated the burns from the cursed coins, they prepared to Apparate into Hogsmeade, knowing from Harry's visions the war was about to come to a crashing climax.

Hermione stared across the unknown lake, not seeing the densely forested hills beyond, but imagining a distant castle with a lonely wizard somewhere within. Her imagination briefly transported her to a time and place beyond the oncoming battle where all her loved ones were safe, and she and Severus could...

"Oi! What's so funny?" Ron demanded.

"What?"

"You had a goofy grin on your face for a minute there. I was just wondering what was so funny about blowing up banks and riding on dragons? Not to mention racing evil, power-crazed wizards to find sick pieces of soul?" He shook his head, nonplussed as to her dreamy expression.

"Oh. I was just thinking of all the good times we had at Hogwarts." She shook her head to clear the illusion as she swiftly improvised.

"I bet she was remembering all those lovely books in the library and the smell of ink and parchment, mate. Probably mentally knitting more hats for the house-elves," Harry suggested as they watched the dragon fly off to parts unknown.

"Yeah. Nutters, that one." Ron grinned, all too happy to have an excuse not to think about the looming confrontation.

"Thanks, boys. I'll just pretend I'm not here then, shall I? Talk about me all you like."

"Beats thinking about the next twenty-four hours," Harry muttered.

"Oh, Harry. I'm sorry." Guilt washed over her as she realised just what her best friend would be facing soon. "Come here." She opened her arms for a hug.

The two boys enveloped her in their embrace and squeezed her tight. All thoughts of romance put aside, they were simply three best friends about to embark on a potentially world changing battle. They needed all the positive thoughts they could muster. As one, they threw on the Invisibility cloak and Disapparated.

***

Some hours later, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were facing the ragged remnants of Dumbledore's Army. Neville had obviously taken charge, much to Hermione's astonishment. Gone was the diffident, slightly chubby boy of their early years, replaced by a confident, charismatic young man who demanded an explanation of their quest. After telling him as much as they were able, Harry left with Luna Lovegood, bound for Ravenclaw Tower to look at the statue of Rowena Ravenclaw and her diadem.

Amidst the low murmur of voices in the Room of Requirement, Ron pulled Hermione aside.

"Come with me," he breathed in her ear.

"Ron, it's not the time..." Hermione hissed, mentally rolling her eyes at his timing.

"No. No, not that. I have an idea." Quietly, the pair slipped out of the room while the others were listening to a rousing speech from Neville.

"What is it?" asked Hermione, curiosity piqued.

"We need something to destroy this." He indicated the cup he held. "And if Harry can find the diadem, we will need to deal with that as well."

"But we no longer have the Sword of Gryffindor." It seemed hopeless.

"Hermione, why was the Sword able to kill the Horcrux?"

She thought a moment. "Because... it had absorbed Basilisk blood?"

"And what else comes from a Basilisk and has already been used to kill a Horcrux?" Ron smirked, proud of his own logic.

"A fang... a fang! Ron! We have to get into the Chamber of Secrets!" she cried, hope lightening her features in the dim hallway.

"Exactly."

Ron grabbed her arm and started running for the bathroom hiding the entrance to the Chamber.

"But how? Harry isn't here to open the entrance." Hermione frowned as she realised they could not open the secret passage.

"Just wait and see," he replied with confidence.

After a few tries and a lot of hissing and spitting, Ron finally hit the right combination of sounds, and with groan the sink shifted, leaving the dark entrance to the Chamber exposed.

"Ronald Weasley. Did I ever tell you, you are AMAZING!" Hermione turned to him, bathing him briefly in the warmth of her approval.

"Nowhere near often enough," he muttered as he dropped down into the tunnel, carrying the broom the Room of Requirement had provided.

After summarily despatching the Horcrux in the Hufflepuff cup, the pair gathered the Basilisk fangs into a bundle and headed off on the broom. As she rode behind Ron, Hermione re-evaluated her companion. Over the last twenty-four hours, he had demonstrated courage, intelligence, and insight, but he was still just Ron. Shrugging away the irrelevancies of her thoughts, she followed him down the corridor once they had exited the Chamber's tunnel, to find Harry waiting anxiously.

Ron's final moment of greatness in her eyes came when he remembered to warn the house-elves, and the surprisingly intense kiss they shared lingered at the back of her mind for hours.

Vincent Crabbe's contribution to their quest by summoning the Fiendfyre, thus destroying the Horcrux in the diadem, was his final action. Draco Malfoy and Gregory Goyle were wandless and dispirited after their brush with death and were left where they fell as Hermione and the two boys joined the fray. Fred's death distracted them momentarily, but battle spared no time for grieving and they fought on.

The revelation that Voldemort had sent for Severus wrapped ribbons of icy fear around Hermione's chest. Harry had already described the duel between Snape and McGonagall and Snape's literal flight out of the castle. Amid the screams and crashes of the ongoing battle and the flashes of red and green light, part of her mind was pleading with any gods that would listen to keep Severus Snape safe.

Racing with Harry and Ron under the Invisibility Cloak, Hermione ducked and dodged rubble and the occasional body she did not have time to identify. The Dementors outside the castle set her thinking again of Severus and lost opportunities until Luna, Ernie, and Seamus added their support and their Patronuses to chase them off. Avoiding the giants, the trio ran across the grounds to the Whomping Willow, finally reaching the narrow tunnel beneath.

Time slowed to a crawl; the darkness and musty smell of the passage intensifying Hermione's fears for Severus, shortening her breath and tightening her throat as they neared their goal. As they silently crept to the opening into the Shrieking Shack, she felt a deathly certainty descend upon her with the sound of Voldemort's cold, ruthless voice. Physical pain tore through her chest when she heard the tyrant explain to his right-hand man why he must die, and a soft sob escaped her as the snake's cage enclosed her dear friend's head.

He screamed.

***

"Take... it... Take... it..."*

Tears were pouring down Hermione's cheeks as Severus desperately tried to convey something to Harry. Memories! They were memories! Conjuring a flask, she helped gather the silvery strands of the dying man's past into it.

"Look... at... me..."*

As she watched, the light in Severus's eyes failed, taking her heart and squeezing it into a tiny ball of silent, bitter grief, to be held tight inside her until she was free to rage against the unfairness of it all.

Voldemort's ultimatum shattered the silence. They had one hour to plan their next move. One hour of hope remained. As they were rushing out of the shack back into the tunnel, urgency in their stride, Hermione suddenly felt an almost tangible tug, which stopped her in her tracks. She could not leave without saying goodbye to the man she had befriended all those months ago.

The two boys stopped a few yards ahead, realising she was not with them. "Come on, Hermione!"

"I've dropped my bag. I have to go back and get it. You two go ahead!"

"Leave it!" ordered Harry, impatient to fulfil his destiny.

"No. It has all the healing potions. We may need them before this day is over. I'll catch up with you shortly. Just go!"

"Okay. But be careful. Don't let any Death Eaters see you!" Ron wavered, unsure whether to continue on with Harry or turn back with Hermione.

"Ron, you know I can Disillusion myself better than you boys. You be careful," Hermione growled, desperate to be alone with Severus, even for a short time.

She turned without a backward glance and ran back the way they had come, re-entering the room quietly, wand in hand. It was as they had left it; Severus's body lay in a dark pool of the blood dripping relentlessly from his neck, motes of dust still floated in the air, stirred up from the recent activity in the disused room, and the smell of death hung heavily in the air. Kneeling beside his body, she wept as she brushed the hair off his face with a trembling finger.

"Oh, Severus. What did you think you were doing, allowing him to kill you? You know I said you weren't allowed to die, dammit!"

She sat for long moments watching his dear, still face. Suddenly, she frowned as she noticed a flutter of his eyelids and heard a tiny gasp of breath. Severus Snape was not yet dead.

Frantically searching through her beaded purse, Hermione retrieved her essence of dittany with shaking hands, poured a small amount onto his neck, and watched the gaping wound slowly close as the blood flow trickled to a stop. Finding Blood Replenisher and forcing his mouth open, she dripped it in, little by little, until she had administered an entire vial.

Now, all she could do was watch. And hope. He was too unstable to move, and she had no-one she could trust to summon for help. Then she remembered her promise... or was it a threat?"

If you try and die on me, Severus Snape, I shall hunt you down and mother you back to life.

Hands on hips, Hermione Granger stood in front of the dying man and lectured, in her best Molly Weasley voice, "Severus Tobias Snape, you are not allowed to die on me. You are a brave and good man. Giving up is not what you do. You have fought for the light, you have fought for your fellow witches and wizards, and you have fought for the right to freedom. Don't you dare run out on me now after all we have been through! Fight, Severus! Fight for your life!"

Tears fell anew as he showed no sign of improving. Life was flickering in and out as if undecided whether to stay.

"Damn you, Severus. Wake up, you cantankerous old bastard!"

"Ten points from Gryffindor for insulting a teacher." The whisper was barely audible, but the accompanying smirk was pure Snape.

"Severus!" Losing points had never made her so happy. As she knelt beside him and caressed his cheek, Hermione managed a weak smile and murmured, "And twenty points from Slytherin for scaring me silly."

"You will never be silly, my dear." He closed his eyes again as he leaned into her touch, turning his head slightly to kiss her palm.

Five minutes later, Hermione had him tucked up into bed at the cottage, further doses of Blood Replenisher and a mild sleeping draught on hand, and Motty charged with cleaning him up and feeding him as required until she was able to return.

A final hug and a kiss on his weary forehead, then she Disapparated to join the boys at Hogwarts. He had tried to keep her with him, having spent the previous few weeks not knowing whether she was alive or dead, but knew in his heart she needed to be present for the final showdown. His faith in her skill and courage was his only succour as he drifted off into a sleep haunted by giant snakes and pools of his own blood.

***

A/N: This was written for the Hermione Big Bang on LiveJournal, which celebrated Hermione's thirtieth birthday. Many thanks go to my friend and colleague, quaffswinegaily, who helped along the way, my beloved beta, ladyinthecloak, and my cheerleader, Michelle.

Asterisks signify words quoted from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.