Chapter 3 - Change

A/N – This chapter will have brief mention of violence and bodily damage, but as acts committed, not in detail. I’m attempting to create a psychological image of our hero and heroine.

Did I mention? Not mine, no money.

Chapter 3 - Change

War is always a catalyst. It is a vehicle of change. Landscapes are laid barren, scorched by the man-made version of a forest fire. Homes and buildings are damaged, sometimes leveled. Political boundaries change, sometimes redefining geographical spaces, sometimes redefining governmental policies. The human component is mostly affected. Families are usually smaller due to loss of life. People are usually smaller due to loss of innocence.

Fortunately both nature and people are resilient. As the summer following the Battle of Hogwarts progressed, the blackened trees in the Forbidden Forest grew back lush, full, and thick. Repairs to the school structure were coming along at a record pace, thanks to the help of magical engineers from throughout the wizarding world. The Ministry for Magic appropriated emergency funding to Hogsmeade for use in repairs or rebuilding needed for family homes and businesses.

-SSHG-

Knowing someone who has died is a tragedy. Having firsthand experience with impending death is monumental. When Hermione Granger boarded the Hogwarts Express for the first time, she expected to leave several years later with nothing more than a broader knowledge of her world and possibly a decision on her career course. Little did she realize that such goals were frivolous compared to a person’s worth.

Hermione stood in front of her mirror, quickly turning when her eyes fell on the scars that marred her body.

Psycho Bellatrix had permanently branded Hermione’s arm with her favorite racist epitaph. This scar continued to itch and occasionally sting even over a year after its application. It also dictated Hermione’s choice of fashion forevermore. She would always be forced to wear matronly styles that would cover her arms whilst in public. Cute sleeveless tops would expose her scar to unforgiving stares.

Dolohov’s curse cut a path from her left shoulder, crossing through her left breast, and then swiping diagonally across her torso ending at her upper right hip. Hermione had come close to bleeding to death in the Department of Mysteries. The patch-up job performed by the emergency mediwitch on the scene had kept her alive, but left her with an uneven, fleshy mark. The tissue was cloudy in places and almost translucent in others. It bisected her left breast, causing two distinct sections which swelled around the curse indentation.

All of her intellectual confidence told her that her physical body was not important; it was the works she would complete that would make her world a better place. All of her feminine confidence told her that hers would be a life of solitude. Her beautiful and youthful body had been sacrificed to the cause of freedom, and her war-scarred body would never make a potential lover desire her. In the grand scheme of things, Hermione knew she could live a fulfilling life if she continued her mission to make her world a better place.

-SSHG-

Severus Snape knew many people who were dead. Many by his hand and many who suffered greatly before death overcame them.

When he had first entered Hogwarts, he had been excited to leave the hate and anger of Spinner’s End behind. His naivete was soon shattered by the bullying of the Marauders. Hogwarts would not be the sanctuary he had dreamed of. Perhaps people from his station of life didn’t deserve better.

Trelawney’s prophecy was the weapon which Severus could use against his tormentors. Snape thought the prophecy referred to Frank and Alice Longbottom, people he barely knew and had no vested interest in. The prophecy, however, could be the token he needed to gain the Dark Lord’s attention and a commission as a Death Eater. Joining those ranks would gain Snape his own group of comrades. He would have protection from Potter & Company and the ability to exact revenge at his leisure.

Voldemort never suspected young Neville Longbottom would one day destroy the last fraction of his soul kept outside of his temporal body. He was determined that Harry Potter was the focus of the prophecy, and he quickly moved to execute the infant. The Dark Lord kept Severus occupied with the brewing of potions while he murdered the only woman his servant had ever loved. Not understanding love, Voldemort viewed Lily Potter as a hindrance to his goal. He had never viewed her as the impetus that would drive his Potions master to seek revenge.

The outcome of the war did not impress Severus. The death of Riddle was what brought him the only satisfaction in his miserable life. A fascist government could have emerged from the ashes and he couldn’t have cared. But now that the dust had settled, he realized Riddle’s death did not bring him lasting peace.

As Severus dressed in front of his mirror, he focused on his buttons, cuffs, and cravat. He always hated making eye contact with his visage. He didn’t want to acknowledge the man staring back at him. Whereas Tom Riddle lacked any empathetic qualities, the brief attention Eileen Snape had given her son had helped him bond with her and imbued him with a sense of how his actions marked others. His actions during both wizarding wars had been a necessary evil to secure his position of spy in Voldemort’s inner circle. Now the war was over, Severus felt an overwhelming guilt every day over each heinous act committed at his hand.

All of his efforts had been for naught. Lily Evans still hadn’t loved him. All satisfaction from the exacting of his revenge was outweighed by his guilt over ruining others' lives. In essence, he had acted no differently than his dark master. The best thing he could offer this new bright world was the removal of his dark stain from it.

A/N - I’ve been reading Snamione fanfiction for so long – I am always concerned that I might unconsciously “borrow” from other authors. Plagiarism is NOT my intention. This chapter might echo some ideas I remember from the great epic story Lay Me Low by TeddyRadiator. Inspiration from that story may have been noticed in this chapter. If you haven’t read it, chapters 14 - 16 of Lay Me Low may be the sexiest thing I’ve ever read. My dear beta, Dreamy_Dragon, pointed out the description also resembles Hermione’s appearance in Bambu’s Guard... Check... Mate which I haven’t read yet, but she claims it to be one of her favourite pre-DH stories. Time for me to start reading a new story! Thank you, Dreamy_Dragon, for your beta and Brit-picking. You’re the best.