Chapter 5 - Insight and Introspection

A/N – I am thrilled that you are reading this story, and many are following along waiting for the next chapters. Your reviews are food for my muse, and my beta, Dreamy_Dragon, is the reason for your kind words. Thank you, Dreamy! BTW, this is the last chapter reflecting introspective views prior to our OTP meeting in the flesh.

Since the war had ended, Hermione Granger had a good bit of time on her hands. She attended Snape’s trial in July and had been able to sit her N.E.W.T.s in September. She debated whether or not to attend a Muggle university but wanted also to relax after the stress of the war and its aftermath. Her gap year would be spent traveling Asia, the Mediterranean, Canada, or wherever her whims decided.

Hermione returned home after spending her winter in Greece and Egypt. She next decided her time would be best spent exploring the hidden streets of London and finding quiet places to read neglected books. Each time she considered the importance of continuing her education, she took a deep breath and decided life was too short. Knowledge may have been a great help in defeating Voldemort, but it was the combination of human character strengths that were his downfall. There was always the possibility that other opportunities would present themselves, and university could wait another year.

Hermione’s excitement grew when she received her engraved invitation to the Ministry of Magic’s Order of Merlin ceremony. A missive enclosed with the invitation listed the names of all of the Order recipients. Even though she was honored to be named an Order recipient, she was pleasantly surprised to see her former professor’s name listed as well—and he would receive the highest award bestowed.

Hermione had always admired Snape, and even though he was a right git to her and her friends, by her sixth year she had begun to suspect his behavior was a ruse for his role in espionage. Knowing he was a member of the Order of the Phoenix was testament to his motives. Even though the night with Dumbledore on the Astronomy Tower had challenged her faith in him, her logical thoughts began to suggest that Dumbledore’s plea could be interpreted more than one way while she, Ron and Harry were on the hunt.

In the days following the war’s end, Harry refused to share the message he received from Snape with Hermione and Ron. His attitude changed radically, and whenever Ron would utter a disparaging remark about the former Headmaster, Harry would often jump to Snape’s defense quicker than Hermione. Harry’s new outlook was the confirmation that Snape had remained loyal to the Light until his supposed death.

Four days after the Battle of Hogwarts, Harry brought his friends the unbelievable news of Snape’s survival. It seemed the Hogwarts house-elves instinctively recognized the peril of their Headmaster and were able to Apparate his unconscious body to St. Mungo’s. Aurors at the scene demanded the mediwitches triage Snape first and guarantee his survival. Only two other Death Eaters walked away alive from the final battle (Lucius and Draco Malfoy, who fled to France) and justice demanded someone be brought to trial for the horrors of Voldemort’s reign.

That night, Harry and Hermione got pissed celebrating the news. Ron still couldn’t come to terms with their acceptance of the "bat of the dungeons," so he agreed to Side-Along Apparate them home once the Firewhisky stopped flowing. But between the three of them, majority ruled and consensus decided the man needed a fair start at a new life.

It irked Hermione when Snape’s fair start at that new life didn’t seem to materialize. The Daily Prophet easily infiltrated his guarded, private room at St. Mungo’s, and two days following his admittance to the hospital, his picture was plastered on the rag’s front page. The wizarding photograph displayed him in his worst convalescent glory—lying across a hospital cot in a stark room, possibly naked with only a sheet to cover him, upper chest and shoulders exposed with bloody bandages surrounding his neck. When his image shook with a sharp gag, the sheets slipped slightly down his torso to expose his nipples, and his lank, greasy hair fell over his face. For such a guarded and private person, this was a photograph designed to humiliate. The picture had brought satisfaction to a judgmental public and a migraine to Hermione.

~~SSHG~~

Severus Snape begrudgingly tolerated all the bad press he received from the Daily Prophet and the resulting treatment from his fellow citizens. He had plenty of practice throughout his life with humiliation, and he would bear this burden as well. Even though he had entered the Shrieking Shack prepared to die, he admitted to himself it felt good to draw breath today. At least while recuperating, the Healers at St. Mungo’s treated him with a modicum of dignity, even if the Aurors posted outside his door didn’t.

Because of the shadow of guilt he carried, he was not annoyed by bad press focused towards him. The only erroneous reports Severus didn’t like were those during his trial, regarding his former student Hermione Granger. While he had been her teacher, he couldn’t risk exposure by treating her with anything but contempt. His hateful exterior did hide the fact that he grew to respect the girl. She was intelligent, resourceful, brave, and—most importantly—fiercely loyal to her friends. While the Golden Trio was hunting Horcruxes, Snape felt confident that it would be Hermione who kept the boys one step ahead of the Snatchers and that she would solve the riddle regarding the Sword of Gryffindor’s role.

Snape had spent no time dwelling on his former student until his trial. When Miss Granger entered the courtroom, Severus was mildly surprised by her change in demeanor. Gone was the insecure young Muggle-born who virtually demanded acceptance as an equal from her pure-blood contemporaries. Replacing her was a confident young woman who could not be intimidated by the Wizengamot. Severus indulged in a slight sense of pride when he thought that his demanding nature as her teacher may have slightly molded her into the young woman she was now.