This story is mostly canon up to Professor Snape's death. Some exceptions will be made to fit the story. The first one being a house in Cambridge the trio used as a base (which obviously didn't exist in the books).

English isn't my native language, apologies in advance for any mistakes

All characters belong to JK Rowling.

„It cannot be any other way," said Voldemort. „I must master the wand, Severus. Master the wand, and I master Potter at last."

And Voldemort swiped the air with the Elder Wand. It did nothing to Snape, who for a split second seemed to think he had been reprieved: but then Voldemort's intention became clear. The snake's cage was rolling through the air, and before Snape could do anything more than yell, it had encased him, head and shoulders, and Voldemort spoke in Parseltongue.

„Kill."

There was a terrible scream. Hermione saw Snape's face losing the little colour it had left, it whitened as his black eyes widened, as the snake's fangs pierced his neck, as he failed to push the enchanted cage off himself, as his knees gave way, and he fell to the floor, blood gushing from the wounds in his neck. Voldemort swept from the room without a backwards glance, and the great serpent floated after him in its huge protective sphere.

Back in the tunnel and her own mind, Hermione opened her eyes: she had drawn blood, biting down on her knuckles in the effort not to shout out. Now she was looking through the tiny crack between crate and wall, watching a foot in a black boot trembling on the floor.

„Hermione!" breathed Harry behind her, but she had already pointed her wand at the crate blocking her view. It lifted an inch into the air and drifted sideways, silently. As quietly as she could, she pulled herself up into the room.

She did not know why she was doing it, why she was approaching the dying man: she did not know what she felt as she saw Snape's white face, and the fingers trying to staunch the bloody wound at his neck. His widening black eyes found Hermione as he tried to speak. Hermione bent over him; and Snape seized the front of her robes and pulled her close.

A terrible rasping, gurgling noise issued from Snape's throat.

„Give … it … to … him …"

Something more than blood was leaking from Snape. Silvery blue, neither gas nor liquid, it gushed from his mouth and his ears and his eyes, and Hermione knew what it was and knew exactly what to do – she took a flask from her bag and lifted the silvery substance into it with her wand. When the flask was full to the brim, and Snape looked as though there was no blood left in him, his grip on Hermione's robes slackened.

„Look … at … me …" he whispered.

The brown eyes found the black, but after a second something in the depths of the dark pair seemed to vanish, leaving them fixed, blank and empty.

Hermione stopped breathing for a second and then something in her snapped.

„Take this!" she screamed, shoving the flask into Harry's hand. She took her wand out and cast a spell to extract the venom from Snape's body, holding his neck wound at the same time. Little whitish green droplets seemed to leave his skin where it wasn't covered by his robes, and then vanished into thin air. The professor's body started convulsing.

"Dittany" muttered Hermione, thinking about what she should do next.

"What the hell are you doing…" started Ron.

"DITTANY! NOW!" she shouted, at the same time slashing her arm open and muttering another spell that started transferring her blood into the vein on Snape's right arm. She was a universal donor and he needed blood fast, before all of his organs started shutting down.

Harry's arm thrust a flask in front of her face, but she didn't want to either stop the transfusion or let go of the professor's neck. She looked up into her friend's eyes and pleaded: "Help me. He can be useful to us; he has a lot of information about Voldemort and his Death Eaters."

Hermione saw Harry contemplate for a second if he wanted to help Dumbledore's killer, but logic won over and he poured 5 drops of Dittany just above Hermione's hand. The moment she moved it, the potion closed off the wound, leaving an enormous scar behind.

Suddenly Voldemort's voice reverberated from the walls and floor, and Hermione realised that he was talking to Hogwarts and to all the surrounding area, that the residents of Hogsmeade and all those still fighting in the castle would hear him as clearly as if he stood beside them, his breath on the back of their necks, a death blow away.

„You have fought," said the high, cold voice, „valiantly. Lord Voldemort knows how to value bravery.

„Yet you have sustained heavy losses. If you continue to resist me, you will all die, one by one. I do not wish this to happen. Every drop of magical blood spilled is a loss and a waste.

„Lord Voldemort is merciful. I command my forces to retreat, immediately.

„You have one hour. Dispose of your dead with dignity. Treat your injured.

„I speak now, Harry Potter, directly to you. You have permitted your friends to die for you rather than face me yourself. I shall wait for one hour in the Forbidden Forest. If, at the end of that hour, you have not come to me, have not given yourself up, then battle recommences. This time, I shall enter the fray myself, Harry Potter, and I shall find you, and I shall punish every last man, woman and child who has tried to conceal you from me. One hour."

Hermione was feeling faint from the transfusion, but she saw Ron shaking his head frantically, looking at Harry.

„Don't listen to him," said Ron.

„It'll be all right," said Hermione wildly. „You need to get back to the castle, if he's gone to the Forest you'll need to think of a new plan –„

„What about you?" asked Ron. "We're not leaving you here with him"

"Look at him Ron, he can't even wake up, let alone harm me" said Hermione, her forehead covered with cold sweat. "I need to keep him alive, because the next hour will be critical. I'll then tie him up and move him to our base in Cambridge. It's the only one that was never discovered."

"Are you sure he's worth it, Hermione?" asked Harry. "We might need you."

"Yeah, and how do you expect to move him there?" added Ron. "It's not like there are any portkeys or fireplaces you can floo out of".

"Ron, don't you get it? Any protective spells Hogwarts had were destroyed tonight. I can apparate with him once he's stable. You'll be fine on your own, just don't do anything stupid" she whispered, her heart filled with dread. She had a very bad feeling deep in her stomach, but tried to push it down.

"It might be worth going to Dumbledore's office and checking what Snape's memories contain. He was just attacked by Voldemort and he might have given you something that will help you defeat him."

"Yeah, it's worth trying. We'll meet you in Cambridge after all this is over?" asked Harry, his voice slightly trembling.

"Of course! I'll try to get some information out of him until you get there" said Hermione. "If this doesn't end tonight, we'll need all the help we can get."

"It ends tonight," whispered Harry. "One way or another"

He gathered up the Invisibility Cloak, then turned to Hermione.

"You know I love you, right?" he asked. "No matter what happens, I want you to remember that I love you."

Hermione's eyes filled with tears. "I love you too" her voice trembled. "You'll get through this. You're the boy who lives."

Harry smiled faintly, threw the Invisibility cloak over him and Ron and they crawled back through the tunnel.

Hermione could still hear Voldemort's voice ringing in her head. She tried to push it away by concentrating on the task at hand. Professor Snape's breathing was shallow and his face was as pale as she'd ever seen it. Her blood was still flowing to his vein and she was starting to get really dizzy.

"You'd better be worth it, you greasy bastard" she muttered to herself.