Disclaimer: All these fabulous characters belong to J.K Rowling. I do not own them in any way nor am I making any money from them.
Summary: Six weeks after the trial that brought his freedom, Severus is overwhelmed with horrific nightmares and subsequent insomnia. Will Hermione be his cure?
A/N: Hi!
This story is a response to a homework assignment over on the Hogwarts Online forum.
I had to use the following:
Prompt: "Always Together"
Pairing: Severus Snape/Hermione Granger
Theme: Insomnia
I have made it into a sequel for my story Trials and Tribulation, so it may make more sense to read that first before reading this.
This fic obviously A/U and may be a little OoC. Just a little warning =)
I have no beta, so there may be some mistakes.
Please enjoy, and please review!
Angel
He had been exonerated for six weeks, yet ever since the end of his trial, he had been plagued with dreams of his attack and of the War. She had supplied him with many Dreamless Sleep potions and, true to his word, he had taken every last one. However, they had not been helping him.
Nevertheless, he was eternally grateful to her for trying.
Severus Snape owed Hermione Granger his life.
She had saved him from perpetual damnation; she had ensured his freedom from Azkaban prison. She had taken him into her home; given him a place to sleep and food to eat... nobody else had given him a second glance.
To everyone else, he was still the Death Eater who had murdered Albus Dumbledore.
Harry Potter had aided her in her quest for his freedom, but their new found respect for one another did not cross the line between acquaintances and friends. Hermione however... Severus was happy to call Hermione his friend.
As he was technically living with her in the small, two-bedroom apartment she owned, they had spent a fair bit of time getting to know one another. And, to his great surprise, he found himself enjoying her company. Over the past six weeks, he had grown increasingly enamoured with her.
She was nineteen years his junior. But, she was not a girl any longer. She was a beautiful young woman, with controlled, but not tamed, bushy brown hair and expressive amber eyes. Her skin was pale, but it was at least two shades darker than his own. He was a ghostly white, whereas her skin glowed with a very light tan.
In his insomnia, he had developed the habit of watching her. He watched her read, eat and sleep; cataloguing every expression that crossed her face, be it a look of wonder and amusement as she continued to read her latest novel, a look of content as she savoured a particularly delicious meal and of course, his favourite... her youthful look of utter tranquillity as she dreamt.
He envied her. He was absolutely exhausted. His body screamed for rest, but, it could not fall into the land of slumber. On the rare occasion where he did slip into a doze, he was jolted awake by the same vision every time.
Nagini.
That dirty, great snake winding her long body around his and clamping her sharp fangs around his neck, piercing, stabbing... the sensation of her venom coursing through his veins, poisoning him slowly. He remembered the feeling of fading away from the land of the living, slipping into the cosmic void... falling into the valley of death.
It was that point that caused his mind to violently wake. Each and every night he woke up gasping for air and covered in a cold sweat.
Each and every night, upon hearing his quiet, but audible scream, she came to him.
Each and every night, she sat on his bed and clutched his hand. She caressed the back of his palm with her thumb and cooed for him to relax.
Her words drifted through his mind as he walked through the living room, intent on lying on the comfortable white leather sofa.
"Shh, Severus. You're all right, you're safe. It was a dream, just a dream."
He manoeuvred himself into a relaxing position and closed his eyes. He knew sleep would not come to him, but any chance to rest was worth taking.
It wasn't long until he heard the familiar sound of gentle footsteps. He braced himself and soon felt the couch dip ever so slightly with the weight of the half Kneazle familiar.
Crookshanks soon curled into his side and succumbed to sleep.
Severus looked down at the infernal animal and sighed.
Now even he is teasing me!
The raven haired man soon relaxed again, allowing the animal to remain in his selected spot.
It wasn't long before he felt himself drifting, and as much as he tried to fight it, he was soon unconscious.
xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx
Hermione had spent most of the day at the Ministry, pleading with the higher authorities to reinstate Severus as a Professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. However, she was having no such luck. They would not let a former Death Eater teach at their beloved magic school, especially one who had committed the murder of the most powerful good wizard of all time.
She desperately tried to explain and argued that the memories they had witnessed at Severus' trial should work in his favour, but, no, they had put their foot down.
Severus Snape was never going to teach again.
She groaned her frustration before storming out of the building.
xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx
The pain was excruciating, unbearable... a blood-curdling scream left his lips, giving a voice to his agony. The burning sensation was torturing him; it flooded his body as the venom penetrated his system. It felt as though he was on fire from the inside.
His hands were clasping the body of the huge python, but he could not break free. The cage trapped him and as he fell to his knees, dying from both the exsanguination and the poison, he glanced over to where she stood.
He could see her, vividly. Her white gown was flowing around her legs as if a strong breeze had caught the thin fabric, her hair was wafting around her face, her eyes sparkling, calling him to her...
Her perfect amber eyes.
She certainly was not the girl he had once expected...wished... to be calling him into the void.
She was not Lily Evans.
She was Hermione Granger.
His angel... his saviour.
The snake dissolved from around him, the scene changing from the dank room in the Shrieking Shack to what seemed to be a blue sky and brilliant white clouds.
He stood still, unable to move as he took in his surroundings. His hand drifted up to touch his throat; the wounds were no longer there. There was no blood, no scar and no pain... just peace.
Utter peace.
He spotted her standing several feet away from him. He looked down, noticing that his black dress robes were clean and formal and then realized his hair was pinned at the base of his skull with a black ribbon. He lifted his gaze back to her, her grin was infectious.
She held out both hands palm side up, urging him to grasp them. He slowly walked forward, heading towards her, extending his own hands palm side down...
It was then he heard an unforgettable, hair-raising, terrifying cry.
And suddenly, his peaceful paradise was shifting into nauseating nightmare.
His beautiful angel threw her head back, a look of horror passing over her face, and her body twisted around one hundred and eighty degrees. She screamed his name as he watched the jet of luminous green light hit her squarely in the chest.
A voice came from nowhere. It was haunting, ghost-like, as its words echoed around him.
"I regret it."
He sprinted towards her but before he could reach her, she had fallen to the floor in a heap, eyes wide, fear filled. He collapsed onto his knees beside her and lifted her head onto his lap.
He watched as a lone tear fell from the corner of her eye.
He let out a piercing scream.
xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx
He started awake viciously, his breathing rapid and shallow. The animal at his side jumped down from the sofa in fright, looking up at the man in anger at the disturbance.
He groaned as he glanced at the clock on the wall. He had only been asleep for thirty minutes.
He sighed and swung his legs over the side of the couch and sat up straight. He stretched his aching muscles and stood, deciding to head to the kitchen to make a pot of tea.
It wasn't long before he heard the sound of a key turning and realized that Hermione must have left work early. So, he poured her a cup of the freshly prepared tea and walked back into the living area, handing her the steaming mug before taking a seat beside her.
"You look... furious," he stated matter-of-factly after a few moments of silence.
She nodded. "I am." Her eyes met his. "You look... disturbed." She shifted, tucking one leg under the other. "Another nightmare?"
He dipped his head in response. "Yes, I only managed to get a half hour of sleep this time."
She moaned her disapproval. "Oh no. Severus...this can't go on. You need sleep. You are exhausted."
"I am, but I cannot sleep if my subconscious will not allow me."
She hummed, bringing a hand upwards to caress his cheek with the backs of her fingers. He stilled, trying frantically to analyse the situation. However, he accepted her gesture of comfort, and found himself leaning into her touch.
"You have been there for me when nobody else was," he whispered. "Why do you continue to help me?"
She placed her mug onto the coffee table in front of her. "Because you deserve a second chance at life, Sev. And I know I will be able to give that to you... one way or the other." She removed her hand and sat back, wrapping her arms around herself in nervousness. She was unsure of how he would react to that statement. She feared she was being too forward, and she feared she was pushing him too far too fast.
"Really?" he muttered. "And how do you plan to do that?" He moved closer to her while taking a final gulp of his tea. He then placed the cup onto the table beside hers.
"I have no idea," she huffed. There was complete silence for several minutes before Hermione burst forth into a ramble. "I tried, Severus, I did. But they wouldn't allow it. They wouldn't let you teach anymore, I tried, Merlin knows I tried. They said you couldn't teach ever again... because you killed Dumbledore, because you were a Death Eater... because, because..." Her sobs were cut short when he pressed his lips to hers in a chaste kiss. She was shocked by his actions, but, she did not ask him to stop.
In fact, she noticed herself respond.
He broke the kiss and pressed his forehead to hers. "You made an attempt, that was all I could ask of you," he told her breathlessly. "You have not failed me." He gently held her face with both hands. "Besides, maybe this will be a new beginning... I no longer have to educate dunderhead students. I could finally live the life I wanted to lead... not the one handed to me by two Masters."
She smiled. "Where do I fit in?"
"That is up to you," he whispered. He was blunt with his next words, "I wish to court you; however, you may have different plans. You may not have any romantic interest in me whatsoever, and, if this is the case, I will apologize for my actions and I hope that we could remain friends."
She giggled and answered him with a kiss. "I have grown to care for you a lot more than I thought I ever would, Severus. I would very much like for you to court me."
His lips curled upwards as he pulled her body to his.
His brought his lips to her ear and whispered, "We will do everything together, always together... always, Hermione, tell me. If you agree to have me, you are mine. Say it."
She was sure she had never heard him sound so... needy, so frightened — not even when he was standing trial. "I'm yours, Severus, if you are mine."
"Of course."
That night was the first since his exoneration where he finally had a long, undisturbed sleep.
Insomnia be damned, for he was blessed with his angel from heaven.
A/N 2: I hope you enjoyed this short story. I realize it was a bit OoC, but it is the sequel to Trials and Tribulation...
Please review, they are much appreciated.
I may have a final addition to this little series of one-shots. I would love to know what you think.
Thank you for reading!