His Final Act
Out of the corner of her eye, Hermione saw a flash of light. Green light. Her head whipped up from where she was picking ingredients from beside the Forbidden Forest. A sick feeling of dread washed over her, and her stomach lodged somewhere in her throat.
As if in slow motion, she watched him fall from the tower, his robes flying out around him and his gray hair trailing out behind him.
Hermione dropped her basket and bundle of flowers, gathered up the bottom of her cloak in her hands, and ran.
/
She caught him running down the stairs of the Astronomy Tower. It was too dark to see his face but even so, his long dark hair whipped across his skin, hiding his face from sight.
He didn't see her until he took the last stair and nearly ran into her. She could see him opening his mouth, probably to tell her to get out of the way, but he was stopped mid-breath when she grabbed his arm and spun on the spot.
When they both recovered from the squeezing sensation, he turned his head towards her, the foulest scowl on his face.
"What the bloody hell did you just do, Granger!?"
Hermione tried to compose herself. "I could ask you the same thing, Professor." She looked around them. Yes, they would be safe.
"Fuck." Was all he could say. He ran a shaking hand through his hair and tried to calm his breathing and slow his rapid heartbeat. He couldn't get his head around what just happened, even though for minutes beforehand he'd known what was coming, and even though for the entire year he'd known it was inevitable.
He rubbed his mouth with his hand and began pacing. "Fuck. Shit." He turned back when he reached the wall and continued his agitated pacing. "Bugger. Shitting arse head and hole."
He stopped short. Granger was in his way again but this time she held out a glass to him full of amber liquid.
"Firewhiskey. It'll take the edge off." She gave a sad smile and handed the drink over. Then she downed one herself.
When Severus had calmed down, as much as he could, he took in their surroundings. "Granger, where are we?" For a moment, panic gripped him. What if they could be found?
"We're safe. The safest place we can be."
"Which is?" He lifted an eyebrow at her.
She hesitated briefly before answering. "Dumbledore's house."
"Damnit Granger." If he had any say in the matter this would have been the last place on earth he would want to be immediately after killing his employer and long-time friend.
"I know but it's truly the best place. Dumbledore hinted you might get into some trouble this year."
"And how the bloody fuck would you know?"
"I've been training with him this year, in secret. He taught me advanced magic and then, well, made me promise I'd keep an eye on you."
"Because I can't look after myself," he sneered. "I assure you, Granger, I wasn't about to walk into the Ministry of Magic begging them to arrest me."
"Of course not. And I'm sure you had a safe house already picked out, but think what this place holds." She waved an arm around the lounge room, where the bookshelves on the walls were almost enough to outshine Snape's own library. "We don't just have to hide, Professor. We can use this time wisely."
"'We', Granger?"
Hermione shrugged. "We're two of the smartest people around. They're going to need all the help they can get." Hermione thought of the Order, of her friends, and everything that they would be facing tonight and in the near future. "Dumbledore wanted us to work together, but most importantly, he wanted me to keep you safe."
"Meddlesome fool," Severus whispered and then abruptly got up and walked out of the room. It was suffocating. What he had just done was suffocating him and it was even worse now being in the man's house. Severus hated himself. He expected Albus to hate him as well, to suddenly return and haunt him for the rest of his days and then some. Instead, he was taking shelter in his friend's home. It was all wrong. And it was all the meddlesome fool's idea. And the Granger chit too? Merlin's beard, he barely had time to digest what he'd done. How had she digested it already? Had she known?
Severus' head was spinning. He stumbled down the hallway and opened a few doors before alighting upon a bathroom. Slamming the door shut behind him, he sunk to his knees in front of the toilet and emptied his stomach of all the meals he'd taken in the last year. At least, that's what it felt like. After several stomach-wracking dry heaves, Severus magicked his mouth clean and leaned back on his haunches.
In a fit of anger, remorse, and self-disgust, he threw his traitorous wand aside and leaned his head on the side of the bathtub. With no one to witness but the spider in the corner, he finally gave in and let out great choking sobs.
/
Hermione gave him time to breathe and grieve. After an hour, she brewed a strong cup of tea and quietly walked around the house until she came across her professor.
She peeked around a door. He had found Dumbledore's study and was slowly walking around the room, quietly taking in everything that was his friend's. She saw the glint of tears on his cheek, trying unsuccessfully to dry.
She coughed before walking in. "I'm sorry, sir. I know you cared for him." She held out the cup of tea.
"You know nothing," He snarled, glaring maliciously at the offered beverage. "Tea and sympathy, Granger? How inane."
Hermione said nothing but continued to hold out the tea cup. He eventually took it, sighing as he did so.
Taking a sip, he turned back to look at the large oak desk. He could imagine the wise old man sitting there, magicking letters to 11 year olds across the country.
"He asked me to do it. Ordered, in fact. I protested for a month but we both knew I would do my duty in the end. He tried to put a positive spin on it; said I would be sparing him from a long and painful death." He nodded as he chuckled sardonically. "I did save him but who's going to save me? I'm the one suffering a long and painful death now. I still have to live out this…this fucking travesty."
He chugged down the rest of his tea, not even noticing when it burned his throat on the way down.
/
They sat in near darkness, only one candle feebly fluttering in the corner. They had said a few words about the Headmaster, drank some more Firewhiskey, and then sat in silence, both mulling over their memories of him.
Hermione smiled to herself when she noticed a glass bowl of chocolates beside the couch. Trust the old man to have refilling bowls of Muggle sweets lying around his house. She picked one up and looked it over, and felt her eyes well with tears. She slowly placed the chocolate in her mouth and closed her eyes as she savored its taste. Silent tears ran down her cheeks. Wanting to feel some of his twinkly-eyed warmth, Hermione picked up a handful of chocolates and ate a few more, vaguely wondering if chocolate really could comfort someone in need. She doubted these chocolates were strong enough to counteract what she was feeling.
Absent mindedly, she handed one to her professor. He glanced down at the chocolate. "I should have known." Ruefully, he accepted and bit down on the dark chocolate. He had never been one for the candied sweets but Albus could always convince him to accept a bowl of something chocolaty.
With a sigh, Hermione moved closer to her professor. She rested her head on his shoulder and thought it was odd how she wanted to take comfort from the man who was physically responsible for the death of her beloved Headmaster.
She was too numb to even think of her friends back at Hogwarts who would be grieving together. If she had, she would have realized she was needed more here.
Severus lifted his arm and placed it around the witch beside him. Trust her to be the only one that would believe him, that would stick by him after he had committed the worst crime in a long line of heinous deeds.
Hermione closed her eyes and tears quietly ran down her cheeks. Something compelled her to turn her head. She could feel his hot breath on her face and then his lips gently upon hers. She moaned and leaned into him, unsure of why this felt okay, why she wasn't pulling back.
Severus twined his fingers through her bushy hair, feeling as if he was playing out a fantasy he had dreamed of a thousand times. But he hadn't, had he? She tasted like chocolate and felt like home. What drivel was he coming up with? But there wasn't much room in the foggy haze to contemplate exactly what was happening.
It wasn't long before the hesitant, gentle kisses turned into something more and they were desperately clinging to each other, the softness turning into hot, lustful passion.Was it a celebration of life or a consolation of death? Whatever it was, heat flared between them and they both tore at each other's clothes.
They stood up, the better to tackle each other's trousers. It was difficult when their lips refused to break apart, and their hands wanted to grab various parts of each other in the process.
After some muffled obscenities and bumps into the walls and nearby furniture, they eventually stumbled into a bedroom, collapsed onto the bed, and completed the act almost as quickly as it had begun.
In moments, despite everything, they were fast asleep in a tangled mass of arms, hair, and sheets.
/
Hermione blinked a few times as she woke up. The first thing she was aware of was being chilly. The second thing she became aware of was that she was most definitely naked. And the third thing was the presence of another person. She turned her head towards the sound of the whispered 'fuck' that had reached her ears.
Severus was sitting on the edge of the bed, also completely naked. Hermione ran her eyes down his taut back. Merlin. Surely she had always found him this attractive. Why hadn't she done something about it earlier?
And then the entire night came back to her in a flash. "Fuck." She uttered, and closed her eyes to the pain that came flooding back.
"My sentiments exactly, Granger."
She groaned and tried to pull the sheets over her more successfully.
"Granger?" Severus turned his head to look at her, a frown etched upon his face.
"You know, Severus," Oh but she did like the sound of his name on her lips and the feel of him… well. Yes. Exactly. Fuck. She cleared her throat and tried again. "Considering what happened last night, I think you could probably call me Hermione."
"Yes, well, Hermione, I presume you found those chocolates in the lounge room?"
"Yes."
"Had they been there all night?"
"I don't remember. Why?"
Severus rolled his eyes. And she was supposed to be the smartest witch of her age? "Don't you think that maybe-"
"Oh." Hermione sat up, careful to keep the sheet over her breasts. "You don't think Dumbledore…"
"I do think Dumbledore." Severus ran a hand through his mussed hair. "He knew you'd bring me here."
"That… that…"
"Meddlesome fool?" Severus supplied.
Hermione looked at him with wide eyes, embarrassed, shocked, confused, and utterly turned on.
"My sentiments exactly." And then she threw her head back and laughed. It was all sheer madness.
He must be mad too, Severus thought, because he joined in her laughter. He probably sounded insane; he certainly felt insane. This was no time to be doing what they were doing. However, the old fool had started it.
Severus' chuckles stopped as he watched Hermione get onto her knees and shuffle towards him on the giant bed. The sheet fell away from her and then her lips were on his and he tumbled her back onto the mattress, exactly where she, where they both, belonged.