Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize form the Harry Potter novels. It belongs to J.K. Rowling and affiliated companies. I do, however, own any original characters and the plot. "Woke Up This Morning" belongs to Nickelback.

BTW: I wrote this on spur of the moment to piss off my friends' mother. It was written in an hours so be kind.

In The End

~I paid my last respects this morning on an early grave

~Already said goodbye…nothin' left to say

            Forty-eight year old Severus Snape stood lamentably, melancholily and rigid over the freshly covered grave, the wind tangling through his shoulder length raven black hair. To anyone who knew him he was taking this death harder than his outward appearance showed. He continued to stand there, long after the funeral service, lost in his own grief of the loss of his late wife, unable to say a final goodbye.

~A tiny church, a tiny town and not a tear was spent

            "Severus?" questioned a voice, walking toward the mourning man. "Severus?" the voice, now known to be a woman, questioned again, coming to stand beside him. "Severus, are you alright? You've been standing here not moving at all for five hours."

            Snape turned slightly, and the woman saw the tears threatening to spill form the endless depths of his obsidian eyes. "I'm fine Renée. I just never expected it to end like this, and so soon."

~Not how I wanted it…I'm hating all of this

            "She wouldn't have wanted you to cut yourself off from everyone because she died Severus. She loved you and there is substantial, solid proof of that at my home." Consoled Renée.

            Nodding, Severus looked down again to read the inscription on the tombstone in front of him:

Hermione Angela Granger – Snape

September 19, 1987 – May 23, 2015

Beloved wife, daughter, family member,

Colleague, student, and teacher.

Her presence will be missed,

But spirit will live on with all of us forever.

~Now I know why I hide my love from you somedays

~No I don't mind keeping this bottled up inside me

~You came along and tore this wall down around me

*Flashback*

            A timid knock came ion the door leading to the office of Professor Snape. Speaking, the voice of Hogwarts' Head Girl Hermione Granger said, "Professor Snape?"

            "Enter!" barked the voice of Professor Snape.

            Opening the door and walking in, she closed the door behind her and sat in the chair that he gestured to. "You wanted to see me sir? Is this about my final potions project?"

            "Hermione please. We have been working together since when? October I believe. You remember you can call me Severus outside of class."

            "Of course Severus. I just wasn't sure if this was a professional visit or not. You never specified in that discreet note you sent to me earlier."

            Smiling slightly, something Hermione had taught him to do over their last seven months of working together. "Come with me into my study. This conversation really isn't appropriate for the office. As you can tell I use the officer to intimidate my students." As her said this he stood from his chair behind his desk and walked around it. Extending his hand, he pulled Hermione out of his chair and walked over to a bookshelf on the right wall and pulled out a book. Heading through the opening that appeared he continued on without looking back, knowing that she would follow. After leading them trough many different twists and turns in the corridor, bypassing the side turns that would get you lost, they immerged into Snape's study. It was done in typical Slytherin dark green and silver, along with deep mahogany wood. They sat together, in front of the crackling fire, enduring an uncomfortable silence for ten minutes until Hermione broke the silence.

            "What did you want to talk to me about Severus?" questioned Hermione, starting the inevitable conversation.

            "I wanted to talk to you about your um…relationship." He replied hesitantly.

            "Our working relationship?" Hermione questioned, not quite believing where this conversation was heading.

            "No. I want you to hear me out before you say anything."

            "Ok." Replied Hermione, pulling her feet up under herself and leaning back in the armchair.

            "I realize that over the past seven months that we have been working together under Dumbledore's orders. However after some time it came to the point where I WANTED to work with you, after which we because friends so to speak. But somewhere during this time my…feelings changed for you. No longer were you the friendly working companion. It came to the point where my feelings for you rose to levels above friendship. I guess you can say that I fancy you." When he say the shock on her face he immediately continued, I understand completely if you're disgusted and never want to see or hear from me again. I would loath myself as well. I will even arrange it so you no longer have to take potions with me for the remainder of the year." As Severus finally finished his confession, he hung his head, and stared at the floor, wishing it would open and swallow him, and not daring to look at her.

~Looks like you found me…now I know why

~I felt like shit when I woke up this morning

            After a few tense moments of silence Hermione stood and crossed the short distance to stand in front of him. She placed a hand on his cheek and turned his head up to look at her. "How long Severus?"

            "About three months now, right after the incident with that idiot Crabbe. Maybe you should just leave, I'm sorry I told you. This whole conversation was a mistake, so just forget it, you could never feel the same."

            "Smiling, Hermione said, "You can't tell me how I can feel. Besides, I never said that Severus."

            "Startled, he looked up at her, trying to pry the truth from her eyes. "You mean…"

            "Yes Severus, I fancy you too. Ever since you saved me from being assaulted by Crabbe." As she said this with sparkling eyes, she took his head in both her hands, sat down straddling his lap and deeply kissed him, months of passion being released.

*End Flashback*

*Flashback (2nd)*

            "Crucio!" shouted Voldemort for the fifth time in the last twenty minutes, relinquishing in the screams of pain and agony that came from Hermione, and the sight of one Severus Snape who was struggling attains the vice grip grasps on his arms, courtesy of Lucius Malfoy and Nott, trying to get to the crumpled form of his wife.

            "Leave her alone Voldemort! She never did anything to you!" he shouted at the creature, unsuccessfully getting away from the grasps of the other death eaters.

            "You are a traitor Severus and she's a mudblood. So much lower than yourself. You went against your beliefs, those of a death eater, and got involved with that piece of filth. If she was just your whore I may have let it pass, but you MARRIED her! And then I find you you've been a spy and loyal to Dumbledore the entire time! No Severus, I wont leave her alone. You know what we do to traitors, but killing you wont matter to you. You've never been afraid of death. So I will hit you where it hurts you most. THE MUDBLOOD YOU CALL A WIFE! Crucio!" yelled Voldemort once again pointing his wand at Hermione for the sixth time.

            "STOP!"

            "Avada Kedavera!" yelled a voice from behind Voldemort, initiating and completing the surprise attack, his want pointed at Voldemort. Emerging into the clearing in the Forbidden Forest from the raging battle on the school grounds was Draco Malfoy, his wand still pointed at the prone form of the Dark Lord. "Stupefy!" shouted Draco, hitting Lucius and Nott, who released Snape.

            Snape immediately picked himself up off the ground and ran over to the sill form of Hermione and dropped down beside her. "Hermione? Are you all right? Please be alright."

            "Severus?" Hermione weakly responded.

            "Yes. I'm here. It's over now, everything is going to be alright."

            "Take care of them Severus. They need you and you need them. Please Severus."

            "What are you talking about Hermione? We're going to her the medi-withces out here and you'll be just fine."

            "Severus I'm not going to make it. You have to promise me you'll take care of them."

            "No Hermione, you can't leave me. I need you. I'm sorry I hide my feelings sometimes. I always thought we would have all the time in the world. Please Hermione, I need you too much."

            Smiling up at him she said, "I'll always be there Severus. Make sure they know I love them."

            Seeming to accept fate, he said with tear rolling down his face, "I will. I…I love you Hermione." And kissed her one last time.

            Breaking apart she drew her last breath and said, a smile on her face, "Good-bye. I love you too Severus."

            Snape sat there, tightly clutching her dead body, as it slowly grew cold, to him long after the aurors arrived until they made him give the body to the medi-witch and was ordered to get some sleep. The only result was to awaken a few hours later in his in-laws house to an empty spot next to him on the bed. Registering the earlier events, he let the tears fall again, feeling like shit because he had been unable to prevent Hermione's untimely death.

*End Flashback*

            "Severus please don't do this now. Not when they need you so much."

~I've been a loser all my life, I'm not about to change

~If you don't like it…there's the door…nobody made you stay

~Their ain't a woman on the planet who could deal with it

~Just how I wanted it…I'm hating all of this

            "Renée you have to understand. I've never been a good person. I joined the death eaters when I was eighteen and them I married you daughter four and a half years ago. She's the very type of person I was supposed to torture, rape, and kill. That's exactly what I did to muggleborns and muggles for a while until I came to realize it was wrong and went to Dumbledore in hope of redemption. The Marauders terrorized me in school and I did the same to them. I'm an utter bastard to my students. When I yelled at them now they always ran up to the Muggle Studies classroom to see Hermione after I married her. Hell, I was a bastard to her when she was a student. She deserved so much better than me."

            "Severus listen to me. She choose you because she loved you. It was you that madder her happy. Nobody made her stay. She stayed on her own accord."

            "Renée I was twice her age! I'm old enough to be her father. I'm only three years younger than you. She should have been with somebody her won age like Potter or Weasley. Longbottom even, not her 'greasy git' of a potions professor." He spoke downcast.

            "But your not her father, Edward is. Besides from what Hermione has told us wizards have a longer lifespan then us muggles. Edward and I couldn't care less about your age, especially since you made her happy. You're also the one she married and the one she had been sleeping with for the last six years. She had to have seen something in you."

            "I know. I guess that I just still couldn't believe it when she kissed me that first time after saying she loved me."

            Smiling, Renée said, "Lets go back to the house. We'll never forget her Severus." After she saw him nod his head, they headed for Renée's car.

~Now I know why I hid my love form you somedays

~No I don't mind keeping it all bottled up inside me

~You came along and tore this wall down around me

            Renée noticed that her son-in-law was deep in thought and decided against striking up a friendly conversation on the way back to the house. Although she want sure exactly what he was thinking about, but she had an inkling and knew it was better not to disturb him.

            Driving into the garage, Snape got out of the car as soon as it stopped and waked into the house, into the entrance hall, up the stairs, turned left and right, and opened the third door on the right. After he entered the room he crossed to the crib in the middle of the room and just looked down at the two-month-old child lying there. The small child had wavy midnight black hair and round chocolate eyes that had specs of gold. Isabel Amelia Snape, the child of Severus and Hermione Snape. Snape leaned over the side of the crib and picked up his only daughter who was ironically born after a very short labor on March 11, 2015 during Hermione's 2nd period Muggle Studies class and Severus' own 7th year Gryffindor/Slytherin potions class while he was being visited by Potter. A 3rd year by the name of Samantha Lanstring, one of Hermione's favorite students whom he could tolerate and whom had often spent time in their rooms chatting with his wife, had come bursting into his classroom halfway through class, and just as he had been about to reprimand her she held up her hand to stop him, saying through pants for air, "Hermione…baby…Muggle Studies classroom…needs hospital wing." And then plopped down in a spare seat as Snape ran out the door with Harry close behind, the students following moments later. Looking down at her with tears once again brimming in his eyes, he noticed the severe resemblance between her and her mother.

            "She's lovely isn't she?" came the voice of Edward Granger, who stood in the doorframe and slowly waked up to him.

            "Yes, just like her mother." Replied Snape, looking up at Edward.

            "I know you love Hermione deeply even though she is no longer physically with us Severus and I'm gland that you do. I also realize that these next few months will be hard on you and others, but you the most. Always remember that if you ever need anything, anything at all including the weekend to yourself just let Renée and myself know. We'll be glad to help seeing as how we know how hard it is to raise a child, especially a girl, with tow parents let alone one. Don't worry, you'll be a great father."

            "That may be the case and thought now, but when I'm teaching the class that thought may be different." Replied Snape, being slightly hugged by his father in-law.

            "That may be the case dad, but I think that is for us to decide really." Came a voice dripping with confidence from the front of the room. Four-year-old Aden Demitrius Snape, oldest child of Severus and Hermione, stood with his arms crossed very much imitating his father. Flanking him was his younger twin brother Logan Zachary Snape, who nodded his head in agreement with his brother.

            "That's what you think. Go ask your Uncle Harry, Uncle Ron, or Aunt Ginny. They'll take my side."

            "What about Uncle Draco? Wouldn't he agree with his wife? Aunt Ginny I mean." Questioned Logan.

            "No, he'll agree with you because I always showed favoritism to the Slytherins. Go say good-bye to your grandparents and we'll go home."

            "Can you apparate us?" quirked Aden, his chestnut colored brown hair falling in his face and raven eyes twinkling.

            "Not with your sister, its too dangerous. We are going to Floo today. Maybe next time."

            "Fine." Said Aden, downcast. Then he and Logan said in unison "Bye Grandpa!" and ran out of the room and downstairs to find their grandmother.

            "Severus you're going to spoil those kids rotten."

            "Wont happen. Not with two dentists for grandparents." Answered Snape with a smirk.

~Looks like you found me…now I know why

~I felt like shit when I woke up this morning

___________________________

Well? What did you think? I tried not to make it to dark, which I think I did by adding a certain amount of fluff. BTW: any names you didn't recognize were thought up by my best friend Miranda (or Luisa), except for the kids middle names. I'm not sure if I should write an epilogue or not, although I have a good idea. If I write it, it all depends on what you reviewers have to say on if you want one. Oh, and Snape/Hermione is my new obsession just to warn you. (I'll still write my Draco/Ginny stories I have going among many others.) Its seems that Luisa's mom couldn't believe I wrote this after I made her read it. She despises Snape/Hermione for some reason.

Anyway, R&R por favor.

*dama_de_tinieblas*