Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

HGSS

"You don't smile as much anymore."

She blinked in surprise, she hadn't thought anyone would be awake at this time of the night.

"Don't give up hope Hermione," his face was serious, his voice soft, his eyes unending.

It was odd to hear him without anger or sarcasm or pride in his voice. He sounded so earnest that his deep voice touched her heart.

"You must always hope because without hope we will already have lost."

He smiled at her then and her breathe caught in her throat. Really, it could barely be called a smile, she wasn't certain that the corners of his mouth were actually higher than usual, but they weren't strict or frowning or smirking. His brow wasn't furrowed, but neither was his face stone. In fact, his eyes were rather sad looking. Despite all of the pain and sadness that those eyes held, it was undeniable that he was smiling. When she realized that not only was he smiling, but he was smiling for her, she nearly burst into tears. He, Professor Severus Snape, was smiling to give her hope. It broke her heart and then filled it up, stronger, more determined, hopeful.

Before she could regain the use of her throat, a creak from the stairs announced the presence of another and Professor Snape's face melted back into his usual stony visage and his eyes became impenetrable. He nodded to her once and swept out of the room, her sincere thank you still caught somewhere in the back of her mouth.

HGSS

Hermione gazed down solemnly at the Hogwarts grounds from her position on the Astronomy Tower. She wouldn't believe it if Harry hadn't seen everything with his own two eyes. Even so, she could not, would not, believe that Severus Snape had betrayed them. There had to be some other answer, something she wasn't seeing, a vital piece missing from the grand puzzle.

She felt her heart breaking at the thought that it might be true, that he had been false all this time. But she swallowed hard and held onto the flickering light of hope that still lived within her. If it had not been for him, that light would have been extinguished and she would have let the darkness swallow her. His words had helped her carry the weight more easily, a weight none so young as her were meant to carry.

She refused to believe that he had turned back to Voldemort, turned away from the light. She refused to believe that he was anything but completely earnest that night the summer before. She would continue to hope and she hoped that the next time she saw him, they would be fighting back-to-back.

She nodded as if to affirm her decision and there was a light in her eyes, a fire and it would not be quenched by the coming times.

HGSS

A/N: This was just a random scene that popped into my head one day. I didn't mean for it to be this long actually. I wanted to add a line about how her smile brought hope and that is why he spoke to her that day, but it just didn't fit even though that was the initial inspiration. Funny how that happens, isn't it? So, as an alternate ending here is an additional line: It was fitting that he should inspire such hope in her, as it was her smiles that inspired him to continue hoping.

Let me know what you think.