Hermione smiled to herself as she sat on a cot in the Great Hall. It was done, the war was over. Voldemort had been defeated. She had missed the final battle. All her attention had been on getting Professor Snape to the hospital wing for Madam Pomfrey to treat him. The man that had sacrificed his life, his time during two wars to help the Light win. Now he was in a coma but would recover.

Two months later Hermione stepped out of the airport in Australia. It was time for her to find her parents. All she had to go on was that they lived in a small country town. That was the only bit of information she had found on them. Looking down at the map in her hand she began making her way to the hotel she was staying at. That was where she would set up her base of operations so to speak, while she searched for her parents. Still she did not know what would happen when she found them. Would they be angry at her? Happy to see her?

It took two weeks until she found Sandra and Peter Barsmith. That was who her parents believed themselves to be. They had set up a small dental practice in a town two hours away from Sydney. Why the town was named after a piece of fruit she did not know. Finally though she got them alone long enough to restore their memories.

"Please mum, dad you have to understand I only did it to keep you two safe!"

"Keep us safe? We know nothing of this life of yours Hermione. How could you be keeping us safe? How do we know that you haven't put us under any other spells?"

The ranting of her mother was broken off when her father stood and spoke. "I think it best that you leave Hermione. We cannot trust you anymore."

Tears filled her eyes as she stared at her parents. Surely they were not suggesting what she thought. One look at both of them made her realize that they were though. Nodding her head she turned and walked out the door. With a deep breath she turned and disapparated. When she opened her eyes she was standing in the middle of a forest. Crumbling to the ground she cried, her parents did not want to see her anymore. She had done what was right at the time to protect them.

Severus Snape paused in picking ingredients for potions when the sound of a person disapparating reverberated through the trees. Following the noise he paused behind a tree. A figure huddled on the ground, the pose telling him that they were crying. He immediately knew who it was. There was only one person in the world with that hair. Hermione Granger. He had not seen her since the final battle. Not since she was covered in blood and dirt, and walking out of the hospital wing. He had been partially conscious on the journey from the Shrieking Shack to Hogwarts.

Now he stood watching as she cried. It was unclear to him on what he should do in this situation. While teaching he could have easily told her to take her concerns somewhere or to someone else, but neither of them were there anymore. Oh he had had to deal with women crying before, it was one thing that came with being head of Slytherin. However those times he knew what had made them upset and what to say to rectify the situation. Taking a deep breath he slowly approached her.

"Miss Granger?"

After getting no response from her he placed his hand on her shoulder and tried something a little different.

"Hermione?"

Startled brown eyes rose to meet his as he crouched down next to her. Without saying a word she buried her face against him and continued to cry. Her hands clutching the front of his shirt. Blinking in shock he stared down at her. Slowly he brought one hand up and rested it against her back, the other now stroking her head.

"Hush, it's alright. Stop your tears."

By the time he had managed to get her to calm down the sun had set considerably. He would not be collecting the rest of the ingredients now. Letting out a sigh he rose to his feet. His hand stretched downwards and he pulled Hermione to her feet. She did not say a word but gave him a questioning look. It amazed him that she hadn't started asking questions.

"We shall go back to my cabin. There you can rest for the night. It is not a good idea for you to be travelling in your state."

The only response he received was a nod of her head. Grabbing his bag from the ground he led the way through the trees. It only took ten minutes to reach his home. After opening the door he let her enter first. It was made of wood that he had cut down in the area for the cabin to be placed as well as the gardens at the back.

Inside the main room was a long lounge, fireplace, desk, and the walls covered with bookshelves. A small coffee table sat in front of the lounge. To the right was the kitchen. The left had two doors, both of which were open to reveal the bedroom and bathroom.

Flicking his hand to the fireplace it ignited. Hermione immediately moved over to its warmth as Severus went to the kitchen and began making a pot of tea. Once it was ready he placed a variety of biscuits on the tray and took it over to the coffee table. Sitting on the lounge he poured himself a cup of tea and added sugar.

"How did you come to find these woods Miss Granger?"

"I do not know sir. I disapparated from a place in Australia where my parents are now living after I restored their memories."

"You did not wish to remain with them?"

"They do not want me."

"I see. Would you like some dinner?"

"No thank you, I simply wish to sleep."

Nodding his head Severus led her to the bedroom and transfigured a set of clothes for her to sleep in for the night. After he had finished his tea he went to the desk and sat down. Minerva had written to him again because he had not replied quickly enough to her last letter. Taking out his parchment, ink and a quill he began penning a letter to the current Headmistress of Hogwarts. The two had remained in contact since he had left the school. Once a month she would ask him to reconsider his decision to leave, his reply was always the same. He would let her know if he wished to return.

By the time Hermione awoke in the morning Severus was gone. Carefully folding the clothes up and making the bed she stepped out of the cabin and concentrated on an alley not far from the Leaky Cauldron to go to. She would have liked to thank him for his hospitality for the night but a letter would have to suffice.