Chapter Three

Startling news awaited Hermione when she finally made her way down for breakfast the next morning. Mrs. Weasley told them that Dumbledore, after receiving intelligence information the previous night, felt it was safe for the students to return to Hogwarts, as Voldemort was not planning to attack anytime soon. Hermione had listened to Mrs. Weasley with one ear while contemplating where the information had come from. In her gut, she knew either Lucius or Severus had passed along this information and had probably even known about the students being sent back to school.

She was annoyed that after what they shared, neither one of them had told her the students were going back to Hogwarts. Severus especially had fooled her, letting her think she would see him later that evening. Part of her wondered whether they did it out of concern, trying to be chivalrous and not have her upset, but as much as she considered that, the more it pissed her off. She wasn't some young girl who needed to be protected. She was a woman – they had made her a woman!

She went back to school with everyone else the following day, never letting on to any of her friends what had transpired during their extended holiday at Grimmauld Place, though she was confident Ginny had suspected something.

With the return to school, Hermione had briefly wondered about how she was going to handle her feelings for Severus during Potions class, but Hermione needn't have worried. Severus hadn't returned as Potions master. Instead, they were greeted with a fresh face that Professor Dumbledore had managed to secure. Hermione thought it was ironic that she had been worried about keeping her desire for the Potions Master under wraps, but with the new walrus-looking professor, Professor Slughorn, she knew desire definitely wouldn't be a concern.

What truly bothered her about being back in school was not knowing if Lucius and Severus were safe. She had briefly considered sending each of them a letter, but had backed out of that before she made it to the school Owlery. She hadn't been privy to much news, being at school, as it was very different from being in the Order headquarters. The only time she heard their names mentioned was after Harry had a meeting with the Headmaster. Her heart had leaped at knowing they were at least still alive, but she could never let on that she cared even the slightest or it would seem odd to Harry.

The war had come to Hogwarts just a few days before their graduation. Luckily, they had at least been given a few hours' notice, either from Lucius or Severus, so the underage students and those unwilling to fight were able to be removed from the castle quietly before Voldemort had appeared at the front gates, breaking the wards surrounding the castle. When the fighting started, Hermione hadn't had time to think about the two men in her life, as she hurried to help protect and defend Harry as he set about his goal of defeating Voldemort once and for all.

At one point, Hermione had managed to catch a few glimpses of the two men she sought. Having finally revealed their true allegiance to Dumbledore and the greater good, they were both engaged in fierce battles with Death Eaters, who were angered by their betrayal. Having vowed to stick close to Harry, there was no way for her to make her way to them and at least give them a reassuring smile.

After battling for nearly eight hours, Harry had finally managed to defeat Voldemort. It was disheartening to glance around at all the bodies lying on the floor, some just injured and some dead. She had blood running down her face from a cut on her forehead, and she ached from being caught unaware with the Cruciatus Curse at one point. She only had a few minutes to look around the battlefield for the two men before she was spirited off with Harry and Ron to the hospital wing, where Madam Pomfrey mended their wounds. She knew the three of them were lucky, not being injured seriously enough to warrant a trip to St. Mungo's like some of their classmates and Order members.

After a restful night in the hospital wing, the students remaining at Hogwarts had been sent home to see their families. With N.E.W.T.s already out of the way, Professor Dumbledore hadn't seen a reason why they should stay at school.

She took a few days to visit with her parents, finally telling them the entire story of why she had been in danger for the last few years. She had always held back on telling them much of anything because she hadn't wanted them to worry, or even attempt to pull her out of Hogwarts. After all the reassurances had been made, Hermione returned to Grimmauld Place, where she knew Harry was staying, having gained ownership of the house when Sirius fell through the Veil.

Part of her was glad to find Harry and Ron there, but the real reason she had returned there was because she thought, now that the war was over, Lucius and Severus might have returned there. She was disappointed to find that no one had seen them, and Harry hadn't bothered to ask Dumbledore about them after all was said and done. She knew in her heart that Lucius' and Severus' fates would never be uppermost in Harry's mind, but she couldn't help hoping that Harry would start to care about them, at least enough to find out what had happened to them after the battle had ended.

Hermione decided to stay at Grimmauld Place with her two best friends, moving into the bedroom she and Ginny had always shared when staying there. Between cleaning the house and going through all the possessions Sirius had bequeathed to Harry, Hermione found herself wandering up to the third floor on occasion. She would check each man's room just to see if there was any indication they had sneaked by her and entered the house, but everything there remained the same as it had looked the night they had shared a bed.

Almost a month after the battle, the trio received an owl from the Ministry telling them of a celebratory dinner that was being held at the newly rebuilt Hogwarts to recognize all the important people that had helped win the war.

That's why she was stuck sitting at a table in the front of the room right now, pretending to pay attention as Cornelius Fudge sang Harry's praises, praises that sounded somewhat hollow, as Fudge was the one who had tried to deny Voldemort's return in the first place. While trying not to listen to the hypocritical bastard drone on, she looked about the room to see if either Lucius or Severus were in attendance, as their spy work was one of the major reasons Voldemort had been defeated.

She had been quite disappointed and seriously miffed when she realized neither of them was there after all they had done. She only assumed that Fudge was either uneager or unwilling to recognize two former Death Eaters as heroes, even though they had both done more than Fudge to rid the world of Voldemort. It agitated her greatly that they had both risked their lives numerous times and they weren't being recognized. Harry and Ron suspected she was angry about something, but when she wouldn't tell them what it was, they assumed it was because of Fudge trying to buddy up to the trio.

When Fudge finally got around to awarding Orders of Merlin to all those deserving, Hermione had begrudgingly walked to the dais to accept her Second Class medal along with Ron, Ginny, Neville, and Luna. They, along with the rest of Dumbledore's Army, had been touted as being instrumental in helping Harry achieve victory for the wizarding world.

They had to remain on the dais while Fudge announced the remaining recipients. When he began listing the recipients of the Order of Merlin, First Class, Hermione was not surprised to hear Harry or Professor Dumbledore's name called, but she was shocked when she heard Fudge call for Lucius Malfoy and Severus Snape.

She looked quickly through the seated crowd and was surprised to see them walk towards the dais from a dark corner in the room. Hermione was angry at herself for not noticing them earlier, even though she was sure they had gone out of their way not to be noticed. She stared at them, the happiness shining on her face, the first true happiness she had felt all night long. It was distressing to her when they didn't even look at her as they approached, not even for a quick glance. She wondered whether the feelings she had for them were just something she had concocted in her own head. She had worried about them since they had parted at Grimmauld Place, and she had foolishly thought it would be the same for them. She watched as they both accepted their medals and turned to stand next to Professor Dumbledore and Harry.

When the applause died down and the presentations were over, Hermione made her way back to her seat, her eyes cast down to the floor, as she didn't want anyone to see the unshed tears in her eyes. She remained silent and emotional as the Weird Sisters began blasting their music and the revelry began. Harry and Ron had both tried to drag her out to the dance floor, but she had declined, instead choosing to stay at the table and down a glass of champagne, hoping it would wash her worries away.

She had her head resting on her arms, trying to block out the headache that was approaching from a combination of the screeching music and the champagne when the wizards approached her.

"Miss Granger, might we have a word?" she heard Severus' silky voice say quietly into her ear.

She quickly brought her head up, surprised to find Severus on one side of her and Lucius on the other. The tears that had been in her eyes from being rejected quickly changed to tears of joy.

She stood up and took Severus' proffered hand, trying not to appear too cheerful or eager. They led her to the corner of the room that they had been so well hidden in and turned to face her.

Lucius grasped her hand and raised it to his lips, kissing it gently. "Congratulations, Miss Granger. We could not have won this war without you."

When Lucius released her hand, it was then that she realized he had placed something in it. A quick glance told her she was holding a small dragon pin, and she looked up at him quizzically, the question forming in her eyes.

"Perhaps you could find it in yourself to meet with us for a few hours to share a glass of port wine and discuss how much of a key player you were for the cause," Severus said, enunciating the words 'to, hours, port and key,' trying to get the message across to her. She grinned immediately, understanding that he was trying to tell her that the pin she held was a Portkey that would activate in two hours. She had to chuckle at the fact that they had to play these word games with her, scared someone would overhear.

Hermione smiled at them, and noticing Harry coming their way, quickly slipped the pin into a pocket in her cloak and smiled at the men. "That would be excellent."

"Professor Snape, Mr. Malfoy," Harry acknowledged grudgingly as he walked up beside Hermione and grasped her elbow. "You're needed back at the table, Hermione. Mrs. Weasley is looking for you."

"We were just thanking Miss Granger for her efforts during the war," Severus smoothly lied.

"I couldn't have done it without her," Harry agreed as he gazed at Hermione with a true smile on his lips. "And I couldn't have done it without either of you," he said after a moment's pause, turning towards the two men. "I know we haven't always seen eye to eye, Professor, but I want to extend my thanks to you for all you have done, risking your life so many times. And you as well, Mr. Malfoy." Harry stuck out his hand in an offering of peace, shocking Hermione into silence.

Lucius grasped Harry's hand first, and Hermione knew it was because he wasn't the one trying to overcome seeing James Potter in Harry's face. Harry then turned to Severus and offered his hand to him as well. Hermione honestly wasn't sure how Severus would react, and it looked as if even Severus was taken aback by the gesture.

Finally, after a few moments of silence and a raised eyebrow, Severus offered his hand to Harry. "I think we shall finally let bygones be bygones, Mr. Potter."

Harry shook his hand eagerly and nodded. "I appreciate everything you've tried to teach me, Professor, even if I wasn't so keen on learning it at the time."

There was an awkward silence following Harry's admission, so Hermione quickly said, "Well, I believe we need to get back to our table, gentlemen. It was a pleasure seeing you both."

Lucius grasped her hand again and repeated the action he had done earlier. "The pleasure was all ours, Miss Granger."

The unabashed look in his eyes, filled with lust and desire, shot through Hermione's body like a wheat field on fire. She wished they had set the Portkey to leave now, instead of making her wait two hours. If she had been told where the Portkey was going to take her, she would have made every attempt to go there without it.

Hermione turned with Harry, sparing the men one last look before heading back to her friends.