Hermione's Secret

Hey all! I know I shouldn't be writing a new fic when I'm in the middle of Snape's Life After the War but I was inspired and I couldn't not write this. This fic is complete in one chapter. No plans for a sequel. I will try to get the next chapter of Snape's Life after the War up soon but it depends on how my revision goes.

SUMMARY – Severus encounters a face from his past.

Denotes a flashback or a memory

Rated R for some implied but not explicit sex scenes.

Severus Snape wandered around Diagon Alley. It was near Christmas; there was a gentle snow falling around him.

He looked up and saw her. At least her thought it was her.

Remus Lupin was talking to him but the words washed over him like a river washing over a stone.

He ran to catch up with the woman, he hadn't seen her for years but he was certain it was her. He could never forget her face.

She rounded a corner and he lost her in the crowds.

Remus quickly caught up to where Severus was standing staring into the crowds with the hope of seeing her again.

"What was all that about?"

"Nothing, I just thought I'd seen a woman I used to know."

Perhaps his eyes had being deceiving him, he reflected later as he prepared his meal in hit in London.

Deciding he wasn't hungry, he magiced away the contents of his pan with a simple 'Evanesco'

He walked around and placed his hands on the frame around his window. Placing his head on the cool glass, he tried to control his thoughts.

He turned around and propped himself up on the window ledge; his mind filled with images of her.

He saw her in the crowd and he followed her. She was stood on one side of a revolving door, him on the other. He couldn't hear her. He could lip read what she was saying.

'Why?'

He looked at her in an apologetic way and she asked him again,

'Why?'

She wiped a lone tear from her cheek and turned to descend down the steps. He watched her retreating back unable to say anything and his legs unwilling to move.

He ran his hands over his face in a vain attempt to remove the images of her from his mind.

He entered his bedroom removing his outer cloak and lay on his bed, unable and unwilling to sleep. She would haunt his dreams as she had done and would continue to do so.

The next day he awoke after getting to sleep at four in the morning, as he had predicted his mind was filled with images of her. He remembered the fateful night.

She had being part of a new form of death eaters. What had caused her to do this he never knew?

Perhaps it was because her friends had rejected her or that her parents had died in a plane accident after the war.

By the time he had found out what she'd done, it was too late to save her.

She had committed crimes that not even Dumbledore could save her.

Severus was the one who was sent to find her.

When he finally located her, she was in Canada. The plane she had being on had crashed and the pilot had left her for dead.

Severus had lost his wand and had nothing but the clothes on his back.

When he found her in Canada, she was huddled in a cave. Severus took her into his arms and talked to her to keep her from losing consciousness and slipping into the eternal sleep as a blizzard drove in around them.

When he could talk no more, he just listened. She began to recite a poem but he couldn't make out the words.

Once the blizzard had eased, he took her to the Canadian ministry of magic.

He had the option of letting her go but he didn't, he couldn't. It was for her own good. If she paid for her crimes, she would become a reformed character. She had begged him to let her go as he held her in his arms.

"You did your duty, that was all you could have done."

"Yes, but she was the only woman you ever loved and duty is a poor excuse."

The two sides of his psyche argued.

He sat in a small restaurant in the centre of muggle London, his regular table by the window.

The waiter came over.

"Anything else Sir?"

"No thanks"

"Would you like that to go?"

"Yes, thank you, I'll just..."

Severus broke off mid – sentence as he noticed her getting out of a taxi.

He ran out of the restaurant, not bothered about the other patrons that he had barged into.

He ran to catch up with the taxi she had being in and asked where she was.

The taxi driver drove off, ignoring Severus' question.

Severus ran in the middle of the road, not caring about the traffic, only caring about finding her.

When he couldn't see her, he returned to the restaurant, dishearten and retrieved is food.

As he was about to leave, she entered the restaurant.

"Hi Severus"

"Oh, erm hello."

"Where, where were you...?"

"Prison."

"No where were you going?"

"Oh it doesn't matter."

"I never thought I'd see you again Severus."

Neither did I Hermione."

"Do you want this sir?"

No, its fine."

"I should be going"

"Severus, would you like to have lunch?"

"Ok."

They ate and talked for hours, just little things that didn't really mean anything.

As she stood to leave Severus asked her,

"When can I see you again?"

"Now. Are you hungry?"

"Starving."

They left the restaurant after Severus had settled the bill, and began to cook.

He set the table while she was cooking the meal.

He had insisted on paying for everything. While he was busy, she placed four crisp ten-pound notes in his wallet.

They sat on the floor watching a movie on his television.

"I never imagined you having a television, Severus."

"I let out the apartment during university term time and it needs one."

An hour later Hermione said she would return to her hotel.

Severus walked her to the door of her hotel and they said goodnight.

As he was walking back to his flat, a street seller stopped him and offered to sell him a bezoar stone sculpture.

He was quick to point out that genuine bezoar wasn't made in China.

"Please sir, its only ten pounds."

"Well, I'm afraid I only have.."

He opened his wallet and saw the money Hermione had given him and handed one of the crisp notes to the seller.

"God bless you sir. Goodnight."

As Severus sat in his flat, he was disturbed by a knock on the door. He opened it, his hand on his wand just in case. It was Hermione. She pushed him into the hall of the hallway.

"How could you do that? Well, how could you do it?? Did you think I would forget?"

He pulled her into his arms and she tried to pull away.

"No."

She hit her fists against his chest, but he was stronger.

"I'm sorry."

He said while stroking her hair.

They began to kiss gently and then with more hunger and passion. He removed her outer coat and never leaving each other's lips they fell onto the bed. That night they resolved the feelings for each other in the age-old dance of love.

She lay there watching him sleep. Hermione got out of bed, put his shirt on and went into the kitchen. She put on the rubber gloves over the taps and wiped down the work surfaces.

They spent the next three days in his flat, not moving further than the bedroom.

When he knew that he would be missed at Hogwarts – even thought it was the Christmas holidays - he returned there, but came back to the warmth of Hermione's arms every night.

One night has he was walking down the street where his flat was situated he saw someone running towards him. It was Michael his neighbour.

"Severus, Severus you need to come quickly, someone's broken into your flat, there's a symbol being burned onto the door I don't know what it was."

As soon as Severus had heard these words, he ran to his flat and surveyed the scene. The place was a mess. The sign on the door was one that he recognised immediately. It belonged to the group that Hermione had being part of. He began to call her name and when he got no response, he apparated away to the ministry of magic to inform them of what had happened. Once he had done this, he apparated to the alley behind Hermione's hotel. As he was about to enter the hotel, Hermione was leaving it, luggage and all.

"Tell me what happened."

"I can't."

He grabbed her by the shoulders and held her, forcing her to meet his eyes.

"I wanna know what happened."

"It was Marcus Flint he came to get me. I apparated away and came here."

"What did he want? He must have wanted something. Tell me what he wanted."

"I don't know, he asked me where the Sapphire bomb was. I, I didn't even know it was finished. I don't know where he hid it."

"Could he have told anyone?"

"He might be stupid but he doesn't have a big mouth. I have to leave."

"No, you're coming to Hogwarts with me."

"I can't go there, they, they wouldn't accept me."

"Look you've paid for what you did, yes there will be rumours but it will end sooner than it began. Please, Hermione?"

She agreed to go with him and they apparated there.

"Well Miss Granger, I never thought you would return here. I understand your situation from what Severus has told me. You may stay here but I'm afraid I don't trust you enough to allow you to wander around the school by yourself, especially as there are so few of the staff here. You will be escorted everywhere by an armed Auror. Anywhere you need to go, you tell them and they will take you. If an Auror is unavailable you will Floo either myself or Severus. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes sir." Hermione answered.

She could hardly believe the way Dumbledore was treating her as though she was a common criminal. She would admit that she is, but Severus did more damage to people than she did. She was never involved in any of the murders but she planned them.

Hermione and Severus silently left the headmasters office and Severus took her to her room in the dungeon.

There was everything she could possibly need in there and Dumbledore had set up a link to the library so Madam Pince could floo her any books she wanted.

The next week passed in the blink of an eye and Hermione found herself alone n her room most of the time now the students were back. She needed to go to Diagon Alley to pick up some things. The Auror was unable to take her so Severus volunteered. As they were walking round, they got separated.

Hermione became afraid as a shadow began to spread up her legs and then obscured her view completely. It was Flint.

"So you thought you could get away did you? You thought you could keep the bomb and use it for your own gains. Well you're wrong. Tell me where it is and I'll let you go."

Hermione didn't trust him. Looking around her cautiously, she leaned closely to him and with a whispered 'Avada Kedrava' his limp body fell to the floor. She quickly disposed of the body with a spell and then performed five spells so the ministry would never know it was her. Well, they wouldn't have known it was her if Severus hadn't seen her.

"Hermione, what did you do? Oh god. We have to go to the ministry. Explain to them that it was self-defence. They'll understand."

"No Severus, I can't. They won't believe me anyway. I'm sorry. I love you."

"I love you too."

She kissed him briefly and then cast a spell to knock him out for about an hour and fled.

When Severus awoke he was confused. He was in a strange place lying on a couch. As his senses became more aware and his vision cleared up, he realised he was in the back room of the Leaky Cauldron.

"Where, where's Hermione?"

"I don't know. She wasn't anywhere near you."

Tom the bar man answered.

He got up and returned to Hogwarts immediately. There was one person who he trusted enough for their help, without them alerting the ministry. He ran flat out to Remus' rooms and knocked on the door.

"Severus, what on earth is wrong? Where's Hermione."

"I fear she has fled. Marcus Flint tried to attack her and she, she killed him."

"Oh god. We need to find her."

"I need your help."

"I'll help you Severus. I owe you so much."

Severus had developed the potion that cured him from changing into a werewolf. Remus was eternally grateful to him, as he was now able to lead a normal life.

He quickly changed into trousers and a shirt, grabbed a muggle coat and followed Severus past the gates of Hogwarts where they were able to apparate to London. They immediately went to Severus' flat and checked to see if she was there. She wasn't now but she had being. There was a letter.

Dear Severus,

If you're reading this then the worst has happened and I have being unable to think of another solution. I have armed and hidden the Sapphire bomb. I will tell you where the bomb is so it can be disarmed but only with the condition that you assure me my freedom and 500,00 galleons. Leave the money in locker 253 at kings cross station. I will then pick up the money and send an owl to you with the key for the locker containing the directions to where the bomb is and how disarm it. You have until 1am to make a choice. If you tell the Ministry, I will remote detonate the bomb.

Hermione.

"Oh Christ what are we going to do? We only have an hour to get the money there and I don't have the sort of money and I doubt you do."

"No, I don't but I do have a plan."

Severus filled Remus in on his plan. Agreed it would work so long as Hermione sent the key to them straight away, the set the plan in motion. At 12.50 Severus opened the locker and put the briefcase containing the money in it. However, it was leprechaun's gold and Hermione would never know until it was too late and the bomb had being disarmed and dismantled.

Casting an invisibility spell on himself, Severus sat and watched the lockers waiting for her to come. Remus had taken the polyjuice potion and was sat in the flat waiting for the owl.

Hermione arrived at 1am precisely and opened the locker. She checked the contents and satisfied she went outside and sent the owl unaware that she was being followed. Remus/Severus received the owl and then called Severus on the walkie talkie that had being transfigured from two candle holders to confirm he had received the directions.

Severus still following Hermione followed her to the tube. She got off the tube, Severus still in tow and walked into Paddington station.

He told Remus her location as she was waiting for her train and Remus in turn informed the ministry.

He followed her onto the platform and waited. What was taking the ministry so long? The aurors should be here by now. As the train pulled in, she rose and got on. Taking the spell off he began to walk towards the train, hidden by the shadows. As the train doors began to close, the aurors began to appear. Hermione opened the window and looked out. She saw him.

"Severus, come with me we can be together we can start a new life together away from everyone and everything. Come with me"

She opened the door and held her hand out to him as the train began to pull away.

"Severus.."

He didn't need anything more than that he began to run, trying to catch up with the train.

"She's got a gun." One of the aurors shouted, but Severus couldn't see it just her outstretched hand.

It all happened so fast that Severus didn't know what happened until it was too late. A shot rang out and hit him in the leg just as he was being hit by a curse to stop him.

Then all he could here was voices.

"Get him to St Mungo's quickly. He needs immediate medical attention.

As he lay there he began to recite a poem,

"No coward soul is mine. No trembler in the world's storm-troubled sphere. I see heaven's glories shine And Faith shines equal arming me from fear"

The next thing he was aware of he was in a bed in St Mungo's recovering from his wounds. His physical wounds would take no time to heal, but the emotional wounds would take a lifetime.

THE END

A/N Wow, my first ever one shot! The poem is by Emily Bronte and I thought it fitted the story well.

This is 9 pages in word.

And of course I don't own Harry Potter or any other characters from the book but I do own Michael! He's all mine!!!!

Lord Snapes Lady

PS please review!

Sorry another authors note grr I hate these and I'm gonna rant so sorry to you all!

I received a review from hang on have cig in mouth now not as pissed off! SciFi fan who said I'd ripped off this story from due south, well I can't say which episode it was as I've never seen it before. So IF this was a due south story credit goes to the people who wrote the episode. I would also like to add that I would have appreciated if you'd emailed me my email address is on my profile but I presume they were too lazy to get it! Sorry rant over now!