Authors note: This story is going to be updated sporadically. I have other stories still in the works however this was a plot bunny that just wouldn't leave me alone. I'll write it as it comes to me. Some people are going to think Severus is out of character. Here's the thing he was dead for three years watching Hermione drive herself ragged trying to find a way to bring him back. Watching love like that would have a humbling affect on anyone, least of which being a man who thought himself entirely undeserving of any love at all. So yes this Severus isn't going to be snarky with Hermione, that doesn't go to say that his snark and attitude are going to leave him entirely. As we come across other characters Severus will very much be his lovable charming testy scornful self. If you don't like sweet Severus don't read. If you don't like sweet Severus who is still a jerk at times don't read. I happen to love the both sides of his personality and so will be writing both of them. Hope you like it. Also I honestly have no idea where this story will go the muses are in complete control.

Hermione looked up into the sky as she lay in the forest clearing. Everything had changed after the war. She couldn't deny the obvious depression that had swamped her since. Her best friends had all moved on, Harry and Ginny with each other, and Ron with Lavender. It didn't help that she couldn't let him go. Not Ron or Harry of course, she couldn't let Severus Snape go. She truly had known all along he wasn't evil. Not in any way of factual knowledge, she supposed some would call it intuition. She just called it knowing. It came so easily to her, as easy as knowing that Ron hated peanut butter and Harry preferred grape jelly over strawberry. She wasn't a seer, she just knew things.

No one could understand why she was so inconsolable when it came to him. Honestly, she wasn't sure herself. She only knew that the moment he died, she knew the time from Harry, it felt like her soul had been torn to shreds and burned. She had lain where he died until they buried him, then she had laid at his grave for days. She'd eaten only enough to survive, and only eaten at all because Harry and Poppy had threatened her with a magically induced coma.

Her magic had gone haywire for weeks every time she broke down and cried over him storm clouds formed. It had rained so much those first few weeks that muggles had talked about the biblical flood. She couldn't control it anymore than she had been able to control the tears. Harry had tried bringing Snape's headmaster portrait out, but it wasn't the same. It had only made the pain worse and the rain had turned into snow. Full-fledged blizzards in the middle of July. When she became a danger to the rest of the world she had fled to the uninhabited parts of Russia. She always made it back daily.

She had searched for a three years now for a way to bring Severus back to her. She had prayed to Gods she didn't believe in, tried to make deals with devils, she'd even tried necromancy, but nothing had turned out the right way. Even with all the traveling she'd done trying to come up with some way to bring him back, she always managed to make it to his grave daily.

She hadn't given up, that wasn't what laying here in this forest meant, but she could still feel his magic here, feel the purity of his Patronus. She cast her own, the otter she once had forever changed into a doe. The doe frolicked in the clearing, the ghost of Snape's Patronus keeping it company. She broke down again the tears coming to her eyes and falling uninhibited. The clouds didn't come any more, the only outward sign that her magic was still linked to emotions was the frost that now covered the ground. She looked at the two does one silver and opaque the other so transparent it was barely there. It looked like a beautiful form of yin-and-yang.

She was startled when another being appeared in the clearing. There had been no crack of apparition, no warning. "Hermione Granger, A long time ago you prayed to both my husband and I, we understand your pain as no others can. I am Isis and I have seen your pain. The mate to your soul is dead my husband has been seeing to him. I have watched you for a long while. I needed to make sure that your loyalty to the mate of your soul was real. In these three years since he died you have not once taken another lover, not even looked upon another man in that sense. As such my husband and I will give you the gift we are unable to give ourselves. My husband is cursed to be in the land of the dead and I the land of the living. We would not wish our fate on anyone. You must promise us something in return however."

Hermione looked at the Goddess standing before her, "I would bargain my soul away for him to return. There is nothing you could ask of me that I would not gift to you if you bring him back. I have tried many things and failed in all attempts. Please name your price and it is yours."

Isis smiled at the young girl of only 21 years standing in front of her. "It will be nothing so irreplaceable as your soul my dear. The only thing we ask of you in return is to pool your magics and minds together. Try to find a way to bring back my Osiris. Even to see my husband again would be worth anything you could ask for. I have not seen him in millennia."

Hermione immediately agreed, "Severus and I will do everything in our power to bring your husband back to you. We will continue searching until our deaths if we must. I may have a way for you to at least see and hear him, rather than only able to read his letters." She opened her bag and called for the two-way mirrors. "I do not know if they will work in the land of the dead, but you may try it. These are mirrors when two people hold them separately no matter the distance they will be able to see each other. It's the wizarding worlds equivalent to skype I suppose."

Hermione then cast an indestructible spell over one and sent it to the land of the dead with a spell she had come across while looking for a way to bring Severus back. "Severus will be able to explain it to Osiris, please hold on to this one." She then handed the mirror over to Isis. "Okay so here's hoping. I'm not exactly sure of all the limits of magic." She crossed her fingers, "Okay now just call out his name."

Isis looked down at the mirror, "Osiris," the mirror shimmered and sure enough their stood her husband. Tears of joy instantly started streaming down her face. This one little witch who shouldn't possibly be able to understand her pain, not only did understand had promised to do everything in her power to help her. It wasn't a false promise either as the young witch had immediately tried to come up with a temporary solution. "Oh, little witch, thank you." The next minute she knew she had lost the witch's attention because standing there across the clearing was the man the witch pined for.

Hermione had been so happy when it worked, she had fully intended on replying to Isis but then Severus had appeared in the clearing. She supposed it should have been an awkward moment. After all the last time she had seen him she was his student, but there was no awkward moment, no hesitation at all. Within seconds of his appearance she was in his arms kissing him. He was her soul-mate for goodness sake she'd gone without half her soul for years now, it kind of put things into perspective. "Oh Severus!" She cried into his shoulder the minute they stopped kissing.

Severus hadn't been expecting the witch to come flying at him, but he couldn't say he was disappointed or upset about it. When her lips met his it felt like his soul was singing. They were finally together again. Then she started crying and it wrenched at his heart. "Oh Hermione, calm down love, I'm here now. It's ok. I'm here love." He held her while she cried out her grief of the past few years. "Oh my dear don't fret, I'm here."

The two soul-mates were completely oblivious to the Goddess behind them until she cleared her throat. Hermione looked at Isis sheepishly, "Er...sorry about that."

Isis smiled kindly at her, "Do not apologize for your reaction my dear, it shows the purity of your soul." Hermione smiled at the words. "Besides I just had the first actual conversation with my husband in millennia, and its all thanks to you little witch. I wouldn't be so selfish as to begrudge you the moment of reacquaintance. Your journey ahead will not be easy, and I fear that if Set finds out you will be in grave danger. Take pleasure in the easy moments little witch but always keep an eye out for danger."

Hermione smiled up at her, "We are used to danger. I'm not foolish enough to think that I can beat a God, not by myself anyway, but someone great once taught me that love can conquer all. I didn't necessarily believe it, but it was your love for your husband and my love for my soul-mate that allowed me to see Severus again at all, let alone have him here with me. Our love will be strong enough to save yours as well. Nothing can conquer real love. The darkest of evil can't taint it."

Isis looked at the girl again, "You are quite right. Love is the most powerful thing in the world. I think little witch I can actually count on you. Now go, spend time with your soul-mate before you set out on what I'm sure is to be a very long journey." With that Isis disappeared. She looked at the mirror in her hand and smiled. Yes, she really did believe the little witch would find a way.

Hermione went to say goodbye, but the Goddess was already gone. She turned back to Severus, "Oh Severus," She clung to him unable to let him go for fear of him disappearing. "I've missed you so much Severus. I looked all over the world trying to find something to bring you back." She was so close to breaking down in tears again.

Severus pressed a finger to her lips, "I know you have love. I've watched you all this time. I've never felt such loyalty and love before in my life. I could feel everything you felt." He held her while she clung to him. He then picked her up and sat down on the ground with her on his lap. "Its ok now love, I'm here. I won't be leaving you again. Not if I can help it." He looked down at the witch in his arms in awe. He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers unable to resist the quivering of her plump lips. This kiss was slower and sweeter than the previous. While their first kiss had been born out of desperation this kiss was born out of comfort and it showed.

When they pulled back Hermione was breathless, but thankfully no longer on the verge of an emotional break down. She smiled up at him shyly and snuggled against his chest. "Severus I won't let you die on me again. I'll drag you back from the world of the dead all over again. You aren't allowed to leave me like that ever again." She knew she was being ridiculous she couldn't demand him not to die but she couldn't help it either.

As the sky grew darker and she finally relaxed enough to turn away from him for at least a few minutes she summoned the tent from her bag and set it up. As soon as that was done though she was back next to him, "Come on, lets go inside, it will be getting cooler here soon." She grasped his hand and pulled him up, then essentially dragged him into the tent. She lit a fire in the fireplace of the tent before turning a rock into a queen bed. She pulled him over to the bed and with-in minutes of curling up next to him under the blankets she fell asleep.

He smiled down at the now sleeping witch curled against him. He would be surprised if she let him out of her sight for more than a few minutes at a time for the next great while. When he shifted to get out of the bed his theory was proven when her arms tightened around him not letting him move. His grin broadened. He had admittedly been a miserable person in the past but dying and finding out that someone loves you as much as this witch loved him was a rather humbling experience and changed him quite a bit. As he realized he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon he settled down next to her, after casting wandless wards to keep out intruders, and was quickly asleep himself.