Disclaimer: I don't own the Potterverse. Nor do I own the lyrics to the song 'The Bed'

Author's Note: This work is compliant with the Deathly Hallows until the Epilogue. I have taken liberty with a few words of the song 'The Bed' by Gretchen Wilson to make it conform to the Potterverse more easily. Those words which have been changed will be bolded and the actual words will be shown at the bottom.

On his side of the bed, he's sleepin' like a baby

Dreams of quidditch in his head

Lying with his lady

It's a peaceful night, and everything's just fine

On his side of the bed

Hermione couldn't help but be a little jealous of the way that Ron could just fall asleep completely untroubled by any recollections of the horrors of the final battle. It had been over ten years and she still had nightmares of the torture she endured at the wand of Bellatrix Lestrange. Hermione watched the clock tick ever closer to midnight, which would officially make it May 2nd, 2008. Ron had long since ceased to make the pilgrimage to the site of the war and Hermione was the only one, it seemed, that still went every year to pay her respects to the fallen. Even Harry could be found in bed at 12:01 when Hermione apparated just outside the Hogwarts grounds and made the trek to the monuments placed upon the ground commemorating the dead.

Everyone had their own way of grieving, and Hermione was a creature of habit. The way of showing remorse that she, Ron, Harry and Ginny had established on the first anniversary would be the way she would mourn for the rest of her days. Her friends couldn't understand why she felt the need to go back there every year. As Ron had tactlessly said one year, she hadn't lost a family member in the war; she'd kept them safe by sending them away. And it was true, she hadn't lost a member of her family, but, and as clichéd as it sounded, she had lost her innocence there that night. And it hadn't been at the sight of the deaths of Remus or Tonks or even Fred. It had been at the realization that Severus Snape was a good man. Deep inside she'd known it to be true, but she hadn't listened to her instincts and she'd left the man to die on the floor of the Shrieking Shack, the very same place where she'd attacked him a few years prior.

That was where she was going tonight. It seemed fitting to allow her tears to fall at the place where she'd let her childishness kill a man. She'd been carrying blood replenishing potions with her, and a bezoar. She could have saved him, but in a rush of a bloodthirsty satisfaction she'd left him to die thinking to herself that it was a good thing because it meant she didn't need to worry about his trying to kill her during the battle.

The chiming of the wall clock interrupted her from her macabre thoughts and she threw a glance back toward the bed where her husband lay snoring and looking incredibly peaceful before grabbing her traveling cloak and disappearing with a pop that did nothing to disturb him from his slumber.

_HGSS_

It was almost ten years, Severus Snape mused as he watched the clock tick closer to midnight. In a few minutes Hermione Granger-Weasley would be making her way to the site of the final battle as she had done every year since it had happened, although the last few years she'd done so alone. Mr. Potter and his wife would bring their children later in the day and tell them about the battle and why it was important and the youngest, Albus Severus, would ask his dad again and again to tell him about his two namesakes. Severus never stayed to hear what Harry said, because it didn't matter to him.

But for some reason, he felt compelled to follow Hermione Granger-Weasley no matter where she went. She seemed to shy away from the Shrieking Shack, as though she was afraid of what was in the sad, dilapidated little house. More likely she didn't consider it important. Nothing very important happened there, except for, and he snorted at the thought, his "death".

He had not lived for so many years as a spy by being a bad actor. The dramatic death was what he had needed to portray in order to get Potter and his comrades to leave so he could fish out the antidote to the poison and a few blood replenishing potions he was carrying with him in case something of that nature had happened. He was a Potion's Master and knew what he was bloody doing. He made his escape during the period of grace Voldemort had granted. As far as he was concerned, he debt had been more than repaid, and since he gave most of his memories of Lily away, he couldn't really understand why he felt so compelled to dedicate his life to repenting for a girl who never loved him and took the first real opportunity she had to toss their friendship of six year away. Severus looked back toward the clock and saw that he didn't have much time if he was to beat Mrs. Granger-Weasley to Hogwarts and disillusion himself so he was not suspected.

_HGSS_

Hermione made it to the top of the steep hill and looked out. The Whomping Willow was not far. It would be her first time going to the Shrieking Shack since that night. Hermione breathed in the chilly air and felt a soft mist of rain falling around her. It was fitting, she decided, that the weather was cold today. She pulled her cloak closer to her and ignored the chill and the feeling of someone watching her.

It was easy enough to press the knot on the trunk of the willow tree and she crawled down the tunnel and emerged in the room where it happened. There were blood stains, even after all these years. She walked toward the dark discolorations and felt her legs give out beneath her and she fell, not far from where he'd lain and broke into heartbreaking sobs. She let herself cry and felt something within her shatter as she allowed herself to feel all the pain and shame she tried to bottle up for years. She cried for Severus, and for herself. She cried for the mistakes she'd made over the years: leaving Severus to die, marrying Ron when she knew she didn't love him and denying him the children she knew he wanted, and most of all, never coming here before to grieve for the man who had done all he could to keep her, Harry and Ron alive throughout their years at Hogwarts. She resented Ron for being able to shrug off everything Severus had done for them. She hated herself for never thanking him for all he'd done'

"Severus, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Hermione choked out through her tears and wrenching sobs. She jumped and nearly screamed when a familiar voice filled the shack.

"Don't be. Being dead is one of the best things that has ever happened to me."

Author's Note: As you can probably tell, the chapters are going to start with lyrics from the song that suit the content of the chapter. This story isn't going to be many chapters, but I'm hoping to make each chapter a little longer in order to get the whole story out.

of quidditch: are dancin' I felt that it was more appropriate to have Ron dreaming of the one thing that he seemed to truly love.