Chapter 3

A/N: This story is set in an alternate universe after the Shrieking Shack scene in DH. Nothing you recognize is mine. It all belongs to Rowling, who blessed us with the wonderful world of Harry Potter.

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As his eyes fluttered open, Severus began to take in his surroundings. Slivers of sunlight streamed into the window on his right. Although his entire body still ached, most of his pain was gone, and he was lying on a squishy mattress with slightly rough sheets pulled up to his chest. He blinked a couple times, and barely moving his head, he saw Lily sitting in a metal chair at the head of his bed. She was beaming at him.

"You did it, Sev," she said, moving out of the chair to kneel by his bed. "You stayed here, with the living. I'm so proud of you." She grasped his hand, and although he could not feel it physically, he felt it nonetheless. He smiled at her. When he attempted to speak, he found that he couldn't.

"Don't. You're still healing," she instructed gently. "Soon enough, Sev. Soon enough."

Severus tried to move his left arm, but discovered that it was immovable. He glanced down to find a mass of brown curls surrounding it. He was rather confused until the mass shifted, revealing that it was attached to none other than Hermione Granger. She had fallen asleep at his bedside.

Her petite figure sprang to an upright position, and it was apparent that she quickly regretted such a hasty movement. She had dark circles underneath her honey-brown eyes, and he suspected that she hadn't slept properly in a few days. But as she stretched to relieve some of the pain from being slumped over the bed, a small smile of relief washed over her features.

"You're awake! Don't try to talk just yet, Professor," she said quickly. "That stupid snake got your vocal chords and they're still healing. If you strain them now, you might risk losing your voice permanently." She reached over to the bedside table and handed him a piece of what seemed to be parchment, but it was rigid, like a piece of wood.

"I've added a Petrifying Charm to it so you don't need a hard surface to write on," she explained when she saw the questioning look on his face.

How clever. I have never thought of that, he thought, grateful for the witch's talent and sharp mind for possibly the first time in the seven years he had known her. She handed him a quill.

"It's self-inking, so you don't need an inkwell. And all you need to do is tap your wand on it to clear the surface." She really had thought of everything. He took the quill and quickly scribbled out the question that was plaguing his mind.

What happened?

"Oh! Well, after you gave Harry your memories, the three of us went to the Headmaster's Office to view them. Once we did, we knew exactly what you did and what we needed to do. Harry and Ron decided to try and find Nagini, while I returned to the Shrieking Shack to, well, see if you were still alive or not." She paused. He raised his eyebrow as if to say, "Well, get on with it!" and she quickly recounted the story of how she had saved his life in the Shrieking Shack.

When she ended her tale, he simply stared at her. She had loathed him just as much as he had loathed her. And yet, she had rushed back to save his life. She could have easily left him there to become a martyr of the war. But she didn't. She had found the flask of anti-venom he had created specifically for an attack by Nagini and healed his wounds. She must have acted quickly. Nagini's venom would have surely killed him within an hour. If they had viewed the memories first, that would have left her very little time to think and decide how to keep him out of death's grip.

It was at this point that he fully realized and appreciated Hermione's intelligence. Lily stirred at his other side.

"She reminds me of myself at that age. She's so bright. She had you healed up in no time. And she hasn't left your side in nearly two days." Severus looked at Lily and then closed his eyes for a moment. He picked up his writing parchment again and scribbled out his request.

Water, please.

"Of course, Professor! Are you hungry? I can have some broth sent up from the kitchens." Hermione looked pleased that he had shown interest in anything, and Severus felt his stomach growl.

Two days, Lily said. I haven't eaten in two days. Severus' stomach agreed noisily. He finally nodded to Hermione. As she turned away, he reached out and caught her wrist. She glanced down at him as he scrawled something else on his board.

Thank you. For everything.

She simply smiled and nodded. "I'll be right back, Professor," she said, placing her hand momentarily on his forearm. When she had turned away, Severus slumped back down on his pillow, exhausted from just a few minutes of interaction. He found his wand underneath the pillow, tapped it once on the hard parchment and watched as the words dissolved from the page. With one more glance at Lily's glowing face, he closed his eyes and, again, fell back into a peaceful slumber.

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Hermione reentered the hospital wing thirty minutes later with a tray holding a bowl of chicken broth and a water pitcher. She hadn't expected to be gone so long, but with the castle still in such disarray from the battle, getting down to the kitchens was something of a challenge. As she walked over to Professor Snape's bed, she noticed he had fallen back asleep. She set the tray down on the table next to the bed and placed a Warming Charm around his broth.

She straightened the blankets on his bed and thought about her friends' reactions to her somewhat odd behavior over the past two days. She had barely left his side. With the exception off mending his vocal chords, which Madam Pomfrey had made quick work of, Hermione had overseen all efforts for his recovery herself, tending to his needs like a mother to her sick child. Harry and Ron didn't understand her sudden need to take care of a man who had made it his mission to make their lives a living hell during school and questioned it often. But those memories had changed the way Hermione looked at Snape. He was a war hero. If no one else in the wizarding world thought so, she did. And he deserved to be attended to closely.

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When Severus awoke three hours later, he immediately looked to the metal chair next his bed where Lily had been when he had first opened his eyes that day. The chair was vacant. Emptiness crept into his chest. Lily had always been there when he was alone.

But, he wasn't alone for long. Miss Granger popped her head around the curtain surrounding his bed.

"You're awake! Are you hungry? I have your broth under a Warming Charm." Severus attempted to sneer at her cheeriness, but found that any movement of the general head area caused sharp pain, making him grimace instead. He reached for his writing parchment.

Pain-Relieving Potion please, he scrawled out with the Self-Inking Quill. The girl quickly nodded and chose a vial off of the bedside table, uncorking it before handing the medicine to him. He ingested it in one gulp. He picked up the quill once more.

I believe I will eat now.

Her smile grew larger, if that was at all possible. He resisted the urge to roll his eye at the young woman and permitted her to assist him into a sitting position. She set the tray over his lap, and to his great relief, she sat in a chair next to his bed, allowing him to feed himself. The Pain-Relieving Potion had been successful, and he was able to open his mouth and swallow with very little soreness. He found it faintly unnerving to have his former know-it-all student sitting next to him, watching him while he ate. But there wasn't much he could do, so he ignored her as much as he could. Finally, when he could take no more of the awkward silence, he thrust his hand toward the bedside table where his writing parchment had been set. She quickly handed it to him, along with his quill.

I cannot stand you simply watching me.

She blushed slightly. "Oh, sorry. Do you want me to leave while you eat?" There was slight hint of disappointment her voice. Severus rolled his eyes.

No. I do not wish you to leave. However, I do have some questions you might possibly be able to answer.

Hermione looked at the parchment and then at him with a look of mild surprise in her eyes. This was obviously not the answer she had expected from her greasy Potions teacher.

"Of course, Professor. Where would you like me to start?" She looked at him expectantly. He thought for a minute. There were so many questions running through his overtaxed brain, it was almost overwhelming. He finally scribbled out a question.

How did you heal my wounds?

She read the writing quickly and took in a deep breath.

"Well, once I began to suspect that Nagini was a Horcrux, I surmised that there was always the chance of one us being attacked by her before we killed her. So, I tracked down the Healer at St. Mungo's who had been able to finally treat Mr. Weasley's wounds from the snake. He explained that they modified simple Healing Charms by mixing them with Finite Incantatem to counteract the curse left by Nagini's fangs. I memorized the hybrid spell, hoping that I would never have to use it. But, after almost a year of researching, I was never able to find the anti-venom. I wanted to consult you about it, but I honestly didn't know if you were loyal to the Dark or to the Light. Well, until I heard you only sent Ginny, Neville and Luna into the Forbidden Forest with Hagrid for detention."

At this point, Severus looked at the girl with a frown of confusion. How could she have possibly known about that? he thought to himself. But she continued without notice.

"But by then, it was too dangerous to approach Hogwarts and I just couldn't risk it. I was so relieved that you found it and kept it on you." She took a breath and let it out in a small sigh. He had already written his next question.

How did you know about the detentions?

She smiled shyly and looked somewhat uncomfortable.

"Oh, well, when we left Bill and Fleur's wedding, we went to Grimmauld Place. I remembered that the portrait of Phineas Nigellus was in one of the bedrooms, so I took it with us to, um, make sure he couldn't tell you where we were." She finished with a guilty look on her face, as if she were hiding something. He picked up the quill once more.

And to keep tabs on me?

She nodded with a note of apology on her face.

He had finished his broth and was beginning to feel the deep exhaustion in his bones again. The girl seemed to have noticed. His other questions would have to wait. Hermione Vanished the food tray from his lap and assisted him back into a lying position.

"You need to rest, Professor," she stated as she drew the covers up over his chest.

He would have swatted her hands away if he had the energy, but he didn't. He glanced at the metal chair Lily had occupied earlier. It was still empty.

The girl started speaking again. "I'll answer any other questions when you wake up. You still have about three hours for your Pain-Relieving Potion. If you need something before that," she pulled out a Galleon from her pocket, "just tap this with your wand, and I'll be alerted that you need something and will be here shortly." She set the golden coin on his bedside table, along with his writing parchment and quill.

He quickly fell asleep, but this time it was not as peaceful. His mind was racing with the question for which he had no answer.

Where was Lily?

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Thank you so much to my wonderful beta, Ks51689, for her great insight and eye for grammar mistakes. Also to my Morgan, for all of her encouragement and cheerleading. You two are awesome!!