SEVEN

Hermione had thrown herself into her studies after the night on the Astronomy tower. She had avoided her friends, isolating herself with the pain she was feeling. And she studied. When she wasn't getting ready for NEWTs, she was researching another way to end the curse and to break a Soul Mate bond. In her search, Hermione had discovered that soul mates could never be with anyone else. This proximity bond occurred when the two soul mates touched each other. If one died, the bond could be broken, but as long as both lived there would never be another love. The thought that she would never be in love or be loved began to wear on Hermione and so she researched and planned.

Several times she had tried to talk to Severus, but he would simply throw Lily Evans in her face so she completely gave up on him and it was driving her mad. The dreams were as vivid as ever, but now she knew him, and Severus would lose himself in the fog calling for a person who would never answer. Every time she heard the name, Hermione's heart broke a little.

*****

Severus stayed away from the Astronomy tower after his run-in with Hermione. It still infuriated him that the little upstart Know-It-All tried to take his Lily's place. Lily was the only one he loved, would ever love, and it galled him whenever Hermione would cross his mind. He quit reading her essays and testing her potions; he knew they were perfect, just so he didn't have to think about her. And when he could stand it, he would avoid sleep when he thought she would be sleeping so that he could avoid her in the dreamscape too. The times their paths crossed, he made it clear that she was nothing to him by staying in the fog and calling for Lily.

He didn't notice the dark circles and the gaunt frame of the girl he avoided the few times she had tried to speak to him. He lashed out at her, and finally, she completely gave up on him, much to his relief.

*****

School was almost over and graduation was looming. Hermione was tired to the bone, and she had finally decided how she was going to proceed. The little house-elf disappeared leaving Hermione alone in her parents' summer cottage. She had begged the Headmistress to allow her to go to the cottage, lying when she said her parents were there and she wanted to see them before they left on an extended trip. Headmistress McGonagall agreed readily and allowed her favourite cub to Floo as soon as she was packed.

Hermione sat at the desk in the small library, frantically writing. It had taken her most of the afternoon and evening, but she had finally finished the last of the stack of letters piled in front of her. The last thing she had written was her resignation from her Charms apprenticeship. Hermione knew that Professor Flitwick would be devastated, but she was content in her decision. Now that task was complete and she moved to the next. It would take several hours, but Hermione tuned into her favourite radio station and set herself back to work. At last, everything was done and the room was tidied. Hermione looked around the library one last time and headed off to bed.

*****

The fog swirled thick around her as Hermione wandered the landscape. It was as dark as it had ever been, the night broken only by vivid flashes of lightening. She wandered slowly, aimlessly, no real purpose in mind, but she was filled with a sense of finality and of resolution.

To say she was surprised when she was grabbed from behind was an understatement. Even though she had sent a vial of Dreamwalker potion to Severus, she never dared dream that he would use it and talk to her one last time.

Severus let go of Hermione and turned her to face him. "What foolishness have you wrought now, Miss Granger?"

"I just wanted to let you know that I am done. I'll not bother you any longer."

"You could have owled me and saved me the bother of seeing you." Severus sneered. "But I am glad to know that you have finally seen sense. I assume that this means you will forget your ridiculous notion that we are soul mates?"

Hermione sighed. "You can't change the truth no matter how badly you may wish to, but I can't fight you and Lily any longer."

Severus just glared at the witch when she mentioned his lost love, so she continued uninterrupted.

"I have done research on soul mates, and I wanted to let you know what I found. Soul mates, if they are acknowledged and are then separated, will eventually go mad. Since you have chosen to disbelieve that we are bound, I have decided to leave. I have resigned from my apprenticeship. I won't be back at Hogwarts after tonight, so you needn't worry about us crossing paths."

Severus felt an odd pang on hearing this statement. He had been in love with Lily for so long that when this witch had come to him claiming to be his soul mate, it had infuriated him beyond belief. How else could he justify everything he had done for the last twenty years if it had not been for love? All of this, combined with the fact that Hermione was the only person in the world that knew him, made him both hate her and want to kiss her at the same time.

With no small amount of relieved smugness, Severus responded, "Allow me to wish you well, Miss Granger. Hopefully this will be our last meeting, though I do wish you success with your new apprenticeship. I am sure whoever you have contracted with will be as capable as Filius."

Hermione smiled at the dark man sadly. "I'm afraid there will be no future in Charms for me." She sniffled and then wiped her eyes.

Snape arched a brow and motioned a hand between the two of them. "Surely you won't let this ridiculousness stop you from finishing your apprenticeship, even if it is somewhere other than Hogwarts?"

"I have no other choice, sir. You won't let go of a dead woman, and I refuse to waste what's left of my life pining over you until I am locked in an asylum."

"What rubbish...," Severus began.

"I told you before, soul mates that don't bond go mad, and I refuse to do that to myself and to my friends and family. I will take control of my life now; I will not waste away in hospital somewhere." Hermione began to shout at the Potions master. "The only way to sever a connection between soul mates is to sunder one of the souls."

Severus blanched when he heard this. "You stupid girl, what have you done?"

Hermione threw her hands in the air and began to pace back and forth. "I've simply done what you want. I am leaving you alone. I have released your soul back to you and your ghost... You will have realised by now that if you and she were actually soul mates, you would have both gone mad years ago."

Severus tried to answer, but Hermione wouldn't let him.

"You shouldn't feel any pain, but the Sundering potion takes several hours to work. According to my research, you will know when it is complete."

Hermione looked at Severus as he paced back and forth. "You do realise that a Sundering potion is not fatal?" he asked.

"I also took a Heart Stop potion when I took the Dreamwalker potion. It should stop my heart when the other potion removes my soul. I couldn't bear the thought of having no soul, but still being alive, so I took precautions."

"You stupid little girl! What have you done?" Severus roared in disbelief. "Why would you kill yourself? Am I to have this on my soul too? When does it end? Go! Get away from me!"

Hermione scuttled back from the enraged man. She couldn't believe the fury that radiated off of him as he screamed at her. She turned and ran, tripping several times, until she lost herself in the fog.

*****

Severus came awake screaming. He had known deep in his heart that Hermione was right all along. He had been clinging to the spectre of Lily for so long he didn't know how to do anything else. Dragging himself from bed and into the loo, Severus shook the cobwebs from his head and began to plan. He called a house-elf and sent a message to McGonagall asking for Hermione's whereabouts. When he didn't get an answer that helped, he visited the Headmistress' office and used Legilimency to get the answers he needed.

The Potions master gathered everything he thought he may need and set off for the Grangers' coastal retreat.

*****

"Severus Snape! Where are you?"

Severus rolled his eyes and refused to answer the voice that called his name over and over. Everyone who knew him was aware that he despised being disturbed while he worked. Why his wife was any different, he would never know.

Wife. How easily she could have been dust beneath his feet. She had almost died even after he had done everything he knew how to do. If he had been even a few moments later, her soul would have been destroyed and her body dead. Luckily, the Sundering potion was easily countered. The antidote was one of the most simple to create, and as it was good for indigestion, Severus had plenty on hand. It was the Heart Stop potion that was the danger. It had to be allowed to wear off, and it could take days for that to happen.

Severus looked at the small vial that graced a shelf on the bookcase behind his desk. It was tiny, barely large enough to hold a dram of potion. It only took half a dram to stop the heart.

The door to his lab opened and Hermione stepped into the room. Severus set the vial back down and turned to the witch waiting by the door. It had been years, but the thought of Hermione not being in his life scared him to death.

"Dinner's ready." Her voice broke through his musings. He answered with an embrace and a whispered, "I love you."

THE END

A/N Another story finished. Thanks very much to peskipiksi for her beta work! And thanks to everyone else for reading! I appreciate it!