Hermione had blinked, it was over, the years of turmoil and uncertainty were gone. She had watched him disintegrate in front of her, watching her best friend collapse from the sheer relief. They had disposed of the Elder wand and as they walked back to the crowds, Harry quickly became the centre of conversation, treating him as the hero he was. For everyone else it was time to face the damage that had paved the road to this point.

"Fred's gone,"

"Oh, Ron," Hermione cried, hanging from his neck, trying her best to comfort him.

He looked at her, his red hair dusty, and tried to smiled. He disentangled himself from her, and walked towards his grieving family. She was stood there, alone. She had no one to go back to. She rubbed her arm, the scar was still there, she was tempted to rid her skin of the mark but she just couldn't bring herself to do it. It was almost nice to have a reminder that no one would ever have that power over her again. Harry was busy with everyone congratulating him, Hermione walks over the cracked bridge and looks over into the chasm. She was finally feeling the weight of loneliness, her parents were living their own separate lives without knowing who she was, and she just didn't know what her next step in her life was going to be. Should she stay on and complete her education, or should she fly out to Australia and try and find her family and start again? The decisions facing her were huge and she just couldn't get her head around the fact that there was no more danger. That she could make these decisions without fear. She took a deep breath and turned to walk back to her friends, resolved to push the negative feelings away and make the best of the day. It had been a victory and not one to be undermined. Hermione started to smile. It was all over and this could be the start of a whole new life for her and the others, she could almost see herself in a pantsuit heading to the Ministry for work, it was so impossibly close. However as always in her life, fate had other plans as she rounded the corner and into the eyeline of her friends, a rogue Death Eater decided on his next victim.

"What? Who are you?"

"Don't you dare talk to me, you filthy Mudblood,"

He raised his wand and Hermione never stood a chance. With a blinding pain in her temple, all there was, was darkness.

Snape awoke, the pain in his neck was almost unbearable. He looked around and brought his hand to the wound, it was sticky and still bleeding. He should be dead, how could the Dark Lord have made such an error, he struggled to his feet, the little blood left in his body made his head woosh and the room spin. He grasped onto the wall, trying to steady himself and remember how he could have survived such a brutal attack.

He limped out of the room and moved towards the castle, and from the cheering, Dumbledore's plan had gone the way it was supposed to and Harry had won. He felt a small smile rising on his lips, and then fall when he realised that he wasn't supposed to survive and Harry had probably seen his most intimate moments. He came up across the bridge and was taken back at the amount of damage that had been caused. The pain in his neck was easing and he finally felt more like a human as what little colour he had began to restore. He almost tripped over her.

"Granger,"

Her body was lying on the rubble, her eyes flickering underneath her eyelids. He desperately looked around him for someone to help him. Resigned that this was his problem alone, he rallied the little remaining strength and scooped her up into his arms and started to walk back into the grounds. People stopped and stared, obviously word had travelled fast and he tried his best to ignore the stares.

"You there!"

A young boy turned and looked at him, unable to say a word, in complete shock.

"Stop staring," Snape replied, sharply. Pain was now radiating up his arms. "Where are the injured being taken?"

"The Hospital Wing,"

He had never occurred to him that parts of the castle would be undamaged and usable, looking at the amount of rubble that was lying on the ground it seemed unlikely. He walked through the corridors, his cloak billowing behind him. His arms were aching and his legs felt like jelly. Snape opened the doors, and as if on cue the screams and smashing of glasses happened.

"But Potter said"

"Yes I am alive," He said, resigned. "But I also have Granger in my arms, who seems to be extremely unwell,"

Madam Pomfrey was the first to respond, getting a bed ready and levitating Hermione out of his arms and onto the bed, ready to diagnose. Snape collapsed into the nearest chair fading in and out of consciousness.

"Someone go and find Mr Potter and Mr Weasley, NOW," Madam Pomfrey shouted, adding quietly. "There might not be much time left.