"Avada Kedevra!"
A sickening thud sounded through the thin wooden door, causing bile to rise in Hermione's throat. She swallowed and fought back tears that threatened to spill as she sank against the door frame. Gone. Her best friend, dead, just like that. The overwhelming grief the was building inside her was quickly replaced with hatred; hatred for the Dark Lord; hatred for the Death Eaters; most of all, hatred for herself. How could she let this happen? How could she stand by and watch her friends get picked off by the Death Eaters? They had already killed Ron, and now…
"Hermione, are you alright?" a strong pair of arms wrapped around her, pulling her close to someone. She looked up into his dark, gentle eyes, trying to find comfort in them but only seeing pain, loss and grief to match her own.
"Severus…" she whispered. "He's gone, everyone is gone." Her voice cracked, broken with the sorrow she was feeling as she remembered all the times she had spent with Harry. He had always been there for her when she needed him. Now, she would never hear his joyful laugh, never gaze into his green eyes; now she had no one to go to when times got rough.
"You still have me." Hermione almost smiled. Almost. She had forgotten Severus knew Legilimency; he had most likely been reading her thoughts and she suddenly felt guilty. Of course she had Severus. He was her only friend left from the War. All her other friends, family, and even her enemies at Hogwarts had been ruthlessly murdered by Death Eaters, leaving only her and Severus as survivors. As she stared through unfocused eyes into his, she suddenly broke down, flinging herself at him and clinging desperately to his robes, sobbing gently. Severus was caught off guard, but quickly recovered and held her close, resting his head on hers. "You'll be fine… we'll be fine… it's going to be alright…"
"No, its not," Hermione protested, leaning most of her weight against him. "How can it be? It's just us. We—we can't do this. There's too much…" Hermione's legs trembled, threatening to collapse beneath her; Severus, realising this, gently lowered them both to the ground, still holding the Gryffindor.
"Oh, Hermione, we'll get through this. I'll find something we can do."
Her head suddenly shot up, her eyes gazing at him desperately, pleading with him. "Severus, can you promise me something? Please?"
Severus was slightly surprised but he returned her gaze evenly. "That depends on what it is…"
"Promise! Say you do, please."
"…I promise."
Hermione's eyes glittered ever so faintly with hope. "Promise me you'll stay with me… forever. Say you will, please! I need you, I need you more than ever…" Hermione broke off again, and Severus was reminded of how she had been three years ago, vulnerable, timid, unsure of herself. She had slowly gained courage as their relationship blossomed and now, her breaking down like, tore Severus to pieces.
"Hermione, I promise you, to the best of my abilities, I will stay with you forever," he whispered.
The moment the words left his mouth, Hermione clung tighter to his tattered robes and pressed closer to him. "Thank you, Severus, thank you…" she repeated. The former Potions Master leaned down, kissed her hair softly, and Apparated to destination known only to them.
A/N I found this a couple nights ago. Apparently I had started it, but never finished it, so I figured I would and post it. As you could probably tell, it took place during/after the War, and Hermione and Severus are the only ones who had survived. Strange, huh? Oh, well, and Hermione is a bit out of character, but that makes it seem more tragic to myself so… Anywho, hope you liked it, and please review!
