Spoilers: Order of the Phoenix
Thank you to my beta, Nakhash Mekashefah!
Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts and leader of the war against Lord Voldemort, looked down at the wreck that Rubeus Hagrid and Argus Filch had just brought back from the border of the Forbidden Forest. Said wreck was supposedly the body of his Potions master, Severus Snape, local greasy git and valuable spy for the Order of the Phoenix.
Poppy Pomfrey tutted and shooed the Headmaster away, bending over her patient and trying to heal as much as she could on such short notice. For Albus, it was a miracle Severus was still alive and he wondered how he had managed to Apparate while under Voldemort's eye.
Even though she wasn't saying anything, Albus could feel Poppy's despair. She was losing Severus and all her skills weren't enough to keep alive the little flame that was still burning in him. He stepped forward and softly asked her if there was something he could do, anything. She shook her head, pursing her lips, and Albus felt his heart sink. What was the use of being the only wizard Voldemort feared if he wasn't able to save the man he had forced back into this life of horrors?
Then he noticed that Severus's left hand was clenched tightly. Gently, despite Poppy's reproving glare, he opened the fingers on a tiny phial filled with a dark red liquid and a paper wrapped around it. Albus put the phial aside and opened the slightly crumpled paper, smoothing it absent-mindedly.
The words written on it had no meaning for him. He recognised some ingredients, which was enough for him to guess that it was about a potion; the rarity of some of them clued him that the potion was probably not in the standard program taught at Hogwarts.
"Keep trying, Poppy," he instructed curtly before leaving the Hospital Wing with his robes billowing almost as well as Severus's.
Severus's young colleague in research was still in the laboratory, leaning over the tiny scrawl covering the parchments scattered on the table.
"Hermione? I need your help," said Albus urgently, entering without taking the usual precautions he had to observe otherwise.
She straightened up slowly and looked up at him. Hermione Granger was now a Potions mistress in her own right, even though it was through no thanks to Severus. Since he had refused to take her as his apprentice, she had studied with the Potions master who had been brewing the Wolfsbane potion for Remus before he came to Hogwarts. Then, she had come back three years ago, armed with her degree, and Severus had reluctantly agreed to keep her with him, knowing that she would be a real asset to the Order of the Phoenix.
"What is it, Albus?" she asked tiredly.
Then she noticed how worried he was and frowned.
"Did something happen to Severus? Is he hurt?"
"Hermione… He's dying, I'm afraid," said Albus slowly, not really knowing how she would react.
Gryffindors, in general, were renowned for their dislike of the Potions master, but Hermione was able to work with him without complaint. In three years, they had only had five rows spectacular enough to be heard from the Great Hall. She still spoke her mind about him and it was rarely to say something nice. Yet, she could be fiercely protective of him and had more than once threatened Harry Potter himself for his bad-mouthing of the Slytherin teacher.
She didn't react badly. Her lips tightened into a thin line and her eyes hardened, but she didn't say anything, just looked at him expectedly.
"He came back with this… Can you identify it?"
She took the paper and read the familiar handwriting. Albus looked at her in silence as she read it once, twice, thrice. She had paled considerably and her hands were shaking.
"He knew," she said, her voice toneless. "He knew Voldemort would see through his cover eventually."
Albus waited for her to continue.
"This," she added, brandishing the paper, "is his comeback at Voldemort. He knew the Dark Lord would kill him for what he had done… so he worked on this potion. This is sheer folly!"
"Tell me, Hermione, what is it about?"
"It's a potion allowing him to draw energy from Voldemort," she said, taking a deep breath. "You told me he's dying. The only way for him to live is to be like a parasite to the Dark Lord."
"And Tom will be weakened by this, won't he?" guessed Albus.
"Severus will slowly drain him of his life force and magic. If we use this potion, Voldemort will soon be so weak that a child will be able to kill him."
"A child was already able to wreak damage on him long ago, Hermione. This sounds like a good idea."
"No! You don't understand. As soon as Voldemort is dead, Severus won't have any input of life force and will die at the same time!"
"But we can't let the chance pass, Hermione," Albus said softly.
At the stubborn way she raised her chin, he knew that she hadn't said her last word.
She brewed the potion. There was nothing else to be done and she knew it. Someone healthy couldn't drain Voldemort as much as Severus, being so weak and at death's door, could do. Her hand was shaking as she was pressing the phial against Severus's lips, all the while rubbing his throat gently so that the liquid would slip down. He coughed feebly, trying to escape her gentle hold, but he was as weak as a newborn kitten.
After several minutes, he opened his eyes but couldn't do more than blink owlishly. Squinting, he managed to recognise Hermione and opened his mouth. No sound came out of it.
"Stop it," she said roughly. "You're in no condition to speak. Just shut it, all right?"
To Albus's surprise, the hint of a smirk appeared on Severus's pale lips as he closed his eyes again and fell asleep.
Poppy didn't say anything to Hermione's taking up quarters by Severus's bed and she readily communicated his readings to her. During this time, the Order of the Phoenix was discussing how they could best take advantage of the situation. Harry, tired of waiting and of Albus's stalling, was for attacking almost immediately. Ron wisely pointed out that it would make Severus's sacrifice useless. Finally, they all agreed to wait at least one week and then see how things were going from there. The problem was that they wouldn't have any real source of information about Voldemort's welfare since Severus wasn't among the ranks of his followers anymore.
One week later, Severus was already back on his feet and pacing his room like a caged lion. Without looking up from her current experiment, Hermione explained for the hundredth time, "You can't go out there. There are spies for Voldemort in Hogwarts and they would report you to him almost immediately."
"I know this!" he snapped. "But inactivity is driving me crazy!"
"Now you know what Sirius felt when he was trapped at number twelve, Grimmauld Place," she replied evenly, not caring for his growl of frustration.
They finally had a good insight into the Dark Lord's condition one month after Severus's spectacular return. Peter Pettigrew weighed his options and realised that, from Voldemort's state of health, it was obvious that the side he was currently on was losing. So, he came running to Hogwarts, implored Albus's pity and betrayed his old comrades the same way he had betrayed James and Lily Potter so many years before. They thus knew it was time for them to strike.
Strangely, Hermione, for once, came out of the dungeons and silently joined their ranks, wand at the ready. No matter what they said, no one could make her change her mind. She simply wouldn't stay behind. Severus was relocated to the Hospital Wing, denied the opportunity to taunt Voldemort one last time and not happy about it.
Voldemort was a total wreck, hardly able to stand. As for casting a spell, it was totally beyond his abilities.
Harry fearlessly walked through the ranks of Death Eaters the Dark Lord had managed to summon at the last moment and put his wand on the white temple.
"Say your prayers, Voldemort," he said grimly. "I'll send my thanks to Snape for weakening you, later."
"Snape is dead, fool!" replied the snake-like creature, his voice wispy though still hissing.
"Keep telling yourself that and you might believe it in time. Ah, but I'm afraid you won't have that time. Good-bye, Voldemort."
Unseen by the Dark Lord, Harry drew a dagger from his belt and plunged it into Voldemort's heart. He had found the dagger in Sirius's belongings after his death and had sworn that it would be the weapon that would kill the Dark Lord.
He turned around to see the Death Eaters surrounded by the Order of the Phoenix. They were victorious and without any losses. Hermione touched lightly his shoulder.
"I have to go," she said.
He remembered then, that by now, Severus Snape was probably dying due to the lack of a life force. He knew that Hermione cared for him in some ways, even though he couldn't understand why, for the life of him.
"All right, go. I will see you later," he said gently, wondering why he felt no sense of glee now that his archenemy was truly dead.
She nodded and Apparated away.
Severus opened his eyes to a view of the white ceiling in the Hospital Wing.
'I should be dead,' he thought fuzzily.
He didn't feel as weak as he had the first time he had awaken from the dead, and so he managed to rise onto his elbows. Immediately, both Poppy and Albus were by his side.
"What happened?" he growled.
They didn't answer, Poppy waved her wand above him, her face closed and stern.
"Everything is stable," she announced before leaving abruptly.
"Albus?" asked Severus, puzzled. "How is it I'm alive? Did you fail to kill the Dark Lord?"
"No, Severus, Tom is dead and buried," said Albus softly. "As for you being alive, she did everything she could for it to be so."
"She?"
Slowly reality dawned on him and he fought against it.
"No! She couldn't… didn't… Where is the annoying chit?"
Mutely, Albus indicated a bed next to his and Severus turned his head to see Hermione lying there, seemingly sleeping peacefully.
"She will never last! Why would she want to waste her life for me to gain some meaningless minutes or hours?"
"If you think your life is meaningless, then she did it all for nothing."
With difficulty, Severus stood up and went to Hermione's bed. His hand hovered for a moment over her brow before he brushed his fingers against it. She didn't stir. He shook her shoulder a bit more forcefully but still she didn't react.
"Why doesn't she wake up?"
"She will never wake up, Severus. She cast a spell on herself so that she would be frozen in time forever. However, her life force is still fuelling you."
"Why did she do this, Albus?" asked Severus, feeling for once very close to tears.
"You're the only one who can answer that question. She gave me this for you also. It seems that she was busy while Harry was fighting Voldemort."
He held out a heavy book and Severus took it. It opened at a page already marked and there he found a parchment with Hermione's handwriting. The potion and spell described in the book were those he needed to remove the Dark Mark on his arm. It was the very book Voldemort had used for his spells.
Dear Severus,
I am sure that you would never let me call you that if the situation were different. But seeing how it is, I think you will allow for a little informality. I wonder if you hate me now. Sometimes, while we were waiting for Voldemort to weaken, I thought that you had chosen this way because you so wanted to die, a hero in shadows and an unnoticed death. But no such luck for you, my friend!
Indeed, I created the same potion as the one I brewed already, except that I put my blood in it instead of Voldemort's. Somehow, I feel a bit ashamed abusing the trust you have in me, even though I haven't betrayed it yet. In a few moments, I will bring you a cup of wine and you will drink the potion with it. And then… your life will be fully yours.
Don't let anyone grieve for me if any feel the need to do so. My life isn't wasted if it gives you a new chance. Oh, and don't let anyone make you believe you owe them – or me – anything. It would be an outright lie.
I hope you find the book interesting. I certainly did. As for the potion for your Dark Mark, I will let you brew it yourself. I'm not pretentious enough to think that I can outdo you in this domain.
Farewell, Severus, and please do take advantage of this new chance, I beg of you. There is no need for you to live a borrowed life anymore.
Hermione Granger
When Severus looked up, he found himself alone in the Hospital Wing, except for the still body of Hermione. Silently, he left, going straight to his laboratory to brew the potion to remove his Dark Mark. Only when it was finished, two weeks afterwards, did he come back to the Hospital Wing. Hermione was still there, surrounded with flowers that had been spelled – by Pomona Sprout herself – to never wither. She looked like a princess in an old fairy tale.
He stood up next to her bed.
"You win," he said softly. "I'll claim my life back, live it fully, just because I can't bear the idea I'd be owing you a life debt… You know how much I hate that, though. By the way, I did find the book interesting. You probably told me so because there's the counter-spell for your sleeping charm in it. As you guessed, I won't cast it. It wouldn't prevent you from casting the spell on yourself again and again and it would only drain you for no good end. But I won't give up, Hermione, this I can promise you. Someday, soon I hope, I will return and I will give you back your life. And then… then Hermione, if you want, we will live together what will be left of our days…"
He placed a chaste kiss on her brow and left without turning back.