Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

I lay there in the dark
And I close my eyes
You saved me the day
You came alive

- Foo Fighters

Chapter 2

Severus was glad to hear the following afternoon that he would be allowed to sit up finally, and dress in full clothing again, even if they were hospital regulation pajamas. The potion had been taken away for now, and a paste applied to his neck and covered with bandages. He slept on and off, and tried to eat the food that was brought for him. But it was still painful to try and make his throat move, even the infinitesimal amount it took to swallow thin broths. The pressure the motion applied to his trachea was unbearable, and he could barely manage a few sips before he had to stop.

Miss Granger had not come back since she had left at the end of her watch the previous evening. He must have fallen asleep because when he woke again she was gone. But on the table next to his bed was a neat pile of perfectly folded bandages, waiting to be used.

He had not seen anyone else he recognized, and perhaps that was a good thing. How would people react to seeing him right now? What kind of welcome back into the wizarding world could he expect? Perhaps once he was recovered enough he could simply go off on his own. He was no longer bound to anything or anyone. He could live and do as he pleased wherever he pleased.

Yes, that sounded tempting.

Maybe he could even get hold of a broom and explore the world in a way he had never been able to before. There were many far off lands and countries he longed to visit and explore. And then it occurred to him. He would not even have the ability to indulge in these fantasies if it had not been for a certain witch and her compassion.

Severus opened his eyes from the light nap he had been trying to have to find the witch in question walking in to his room carrying a small tray. On it was a silver cup, obviously filled with some potion since it was smoking gently. Beside it lay the morning edition of The Daily Prophet. She deposited the tray on the bedside table and handed him the silver cup. He assumed he was supposed to drink it. Glancing at the brew inside he immediately recognized the blood replenishing potion. It seemed to have been prepared fairly well. It was a little off color than what it should it have been, but it would still work well enough.

He looked up at Miss Granger and felt an eyebrow quirk in question. She was giving him a look that told him to drink the potion now or he would be in trouble. "I didn't brew it, but I was told to make sure you drank it immediately."

Severus took a quick breath, preparing himself for the pain, and tipped the cup back, taking the potion in a single swallow. He felt his eyes screw shut, and when he opened them again Miss Granger was reaching out as if to touch him, make sure he was all right. But she pulled her hand away as soon as his eyes met hers. He handed her the cup back. She placed it on the tray and picked up the paper.

"I thought you might want to get caught up on current events." She handed it to him and he took it, glancing at the headline.

DEATH EATERS ACQUITTED OF ACTIONS PERFORMED – NAMES CLEARED

Below the head line was a lengthy article that took up almost the entire front page and was continued onto pages 4 and 5. Miss Granger sat down in the same chair next to his bed and waited while he read the bulk of the article. Lucius and Draco Malfoy had been cleared, which he had expected, as well as a few others he recognized. The majority of the article discussed the battle at Hogwarts, followed by the debates and hearings that had already taken place in the last week. As he scanned the list of names he was shocked to find his own at the bottom. But did the wizarding world at large know he was still alive? He read on for a few more paragraphs and found the answer to his question.

Severus Snape, former Headmaster of Hogwarts, has been cleared of charges brought against him as a Death Eater. Information has recently been relayed to the Ministry of Magic that this man, thought to be the right hand of the Dark Lord, was acting as a spy against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named from within the Death Eater ranks for the past 18 years. This correlates with testimony given by Albus Dumbledore in 1980 concerning the status of Severus Snape after an accusation laid by Durmstrang Former High Master, Igor Karkaroff. At this time, Severus Snape is recovering from wounds sustained on the night of May 2nd during the final battle against the Dark Lord. He is under the care of Healers at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. His current condition is unknown.

It went on to credit him for his bravery and that the wizarding world owed him a debt of gratitude. He tossed the paper down, disgusted.

"I know what you're thinking." Miss Granger stated, sounding convinced.

He looked up at the young witch. She sat with her back straight and her hands folded demurely in her lap.

"And what do you…assume that to be?" He asked slowly in as quiet a voice as he could, trying to restrict the movement of his vocal cords.

"That everything in there is complete nonsense. It doesn't matter what they think, it's not going to change what happened. What any of us had to do to survive. Their opinion is irrelevant. And you feel that this 'debt of gratitude' is not deserved."

He felt his eyebrow quirk in surprise. She was sharp. He was impressed.

"You may feel that way," She continued, talking to her hands more than to him, "but in the end you really did save us all." She looked up at him, a small smile pulling at the corners of her mouth. She rose to leave, but paused at his bedside. "And there are at least a few of us that feel we do owe you a debt of gratitude. So I hope you'll understand how much I mean it when I say…thank you."

She picked up the tray and walked out, leaving Severus alone with his thoughts.

He was going to have to reassess his opinion of this girl.

When he had first met her she had been eager, driven, and determined to prove herself to the point of showing off with all of the knowledge she had acquired in such a short amount of time. As he had watched her mature over the years she left the hand-waving little girl behind and grew into a serious young witch dedicated to her magical education. She learned that it was a far better show of her intelligence to perform the skills she had learned, rather than trying to impress everyone by sounding like she had swallowed a textbook.

Now here she was, of age and a war veteran. She had grown hard since he had last seen her before he became headmaster. Any trace of that little girl was gone. She had learned to control her emotions, for the most part. She barely let slip whatever it was she was truly feeling underneath. Except for when he had first come back to full consciousness. There had been that look of utter relief on her face when she first saw him, but he recalled that it was gone in an instant, replaced with the strong, resolute expression she always had around him now. As if she were determined to never let him see her vulnerable like that again.

He could respect that. Vulnerability had never helped him in his life. It had only led to pain and suffering.

He finally looked away from the empty space that had been occupied by Miss Granger only moments before and picked up the paper he had thrown on to his lap. He opened it back up to the article and went about finishing it.

~S~

Two days went past and she did not return to sit with him, or administer any more potions. She had told him she was doing an apprenticeship and he assumed the Healers were keeping her busy. Or perhaps she was avoiding him now? No, certainly not. Hermione Granger was not a young woman that would cower away simply because she had stepped outside of her comfort zone to express her gratefulness.

However, when she did return, she was not alone. And she had in tow a young man that he was certainly nowhere near ready to face. But perhaps that had been her intention. Miss Granger, clad in her striped green robes stood at one side of his bed while Harry Potter stood on the other. His expression told him the young wizard had intentions of attempting a serious conversation. Severus mentally conceded. It was not like he could simply get up and walk out of the room. He was sure if Miss Granger could not get to him quickly enough, that a Healer outside the door would be ready to perform a binding jinx on him and return him to his bed without any kind of ceremony.

At first, Potter just stood there, glancing at Miss Granger, and then around the ward. He was clearly as uncomfortable about this as Severus felt.

"Am I to break the ice, or are one of you going to eventually speak?" He asked, his voice a little louder now that the pain in his throat had subsided significantly.

"How are you?" Potter asked, clearly going with the first question that popped into his head.

"Never better, as is obvious."

Miss Granger snorted loudly and Severus turned sharply to gaze at her. She tried to hide a smile behind her hand as she chuckled. The effect that smile had on her face was astounding, he had never seen her so lit up before, even if she was laughing at his expense. Somewhat.

"Sorry, bad question." Potter apologized and glanced to the chair next to the bed. "May I sit?" When Severus didn't reply he sat down anyway and rested his hands in his lap. "I wanted to talk to you about what's going to happen when you're released."

"Why do you care?"

"Well, I didn't know if you had any place to go, or to stay."

"The Healer-in-Charge feels confident that you can leave in the next few days, but you will be confined to a bed for at least two more weeks. There is still a significant amount of venom to be removed, and your strength has not fully returned. They do not feel that you would be capable of brewing the necessary potions yourself while you are still in recovery." Hermione explained this in a calm, direct voice.

And then Severus knew what they were getting at. "I do not require a babysitter." He stated firmly, staring at her.

"And I wouldn't consider it babysitting." Miss Granger shot back. "Hear us out, please."

He looked up at the young witch. Her expression was fierce and determined, but her eyes spoke volumes more. He sighed, and nodded his consent for Potter to continue.

"I still have the deed to Grimmauld Place. Hermione has already been staying there for the past week. Its habitable."

"Well, now it is." Miss Granger stated, her voice lightening. "It took me a few days to clean what had built up in Kreacher's absence. And we managed to curse the portrait of Walburga Black off the wall finally. Phineaus's portrait is there now, but he hardly ever comes into the frame anymore."

Potter nodded, glancing at Miss Granger with a small smile. "Took us a day and a half to get her down." He turned back to Severus, his expression thoughtful once more. "I wanted to offer the house as an option for you. I assume you do not want to stay here longer than necessary."

"That would be an accurate assumption, however, I do not require your charity."

"It's not charity." Miss Granger pressed, "We want to help."

Severus glanced between the two of them for several moments. He realized her use of the word 'we' indicated only her and Potter. "And where is the third member of your little trio?"

"Ron is having difficulty understanding." she said slowly. "He's grieving for his brother."

This was the first time Severus had heard of a death that was so close to home for both of them. He had not known of many. "I am sorry for his family. I know I caused the deaths of many over the years, even executed some myself."

"And we don't blame you." Potter spoke up, "What happened that night was not of your making. I know the reasons behind everything you did, and why you chose to do them. You lov…"

"Please, don't." Severus cut him off, holding up a hand. He felt his chest constrict as his heart clenched at the thought of Lily Evans. "I can not discuss this. Not right now."

Potter nodded and sat back in his chair. He glanced at Miss Granger. Severus followed his gaze back to the young witch. "Is there more you needed to ask me?"

"Well, going back to our original conversation, we wanted to offer you the option of staying with me at Grimmauld Place until you are fully recovered."

Severus broke her gaze, he leaned back against the iron bars of his bed and shut his eyes. "I need to consider it."

"Of course." Her voice was small, almost a whisper. He heard the chair next to his bed shift and the sounds of two pairs of footsteps leave the ward.

~S~

It took him a few days to decide. He told himself the only reason he was accepting this offer was because he had nowhere else to go. And Potter had been right, he did not wish to remain in the hospital any longer than was absolutely necessary.

Arrangements were made for his release, but the Healer-in-Charge wanted him to go through another round of the potion overnight, to try and draw as much toxin from his body before he left. They had been administering different pastes to the wounds on his neck, but they were still not closing. While this was good for removing the venom, the longer they remained opened, the more blood he lost, and the longer it was going to take for them to fully heal.

Miss Granger came by more often in those few days before he was released. She stayed with him the entire night while he had to remain still and allow the potion to do its work. He was offered a dram of dreamless sleep, but had refused. He knew there would be no rest. His mind was too conscious now of his surroundings.

She took her usual seat beside his bed, reading a tome on the proper care and recovery time of varying serpent wounds and how the venoms inflicted affected the healing process. Every time she would shift to get comfortable he caught the scent of lemon, mint and lavender. He had grown accustomed to it, and was now finding it to be a source of comfort.

When the morning came he glanced over to her chair and noticed she had curled up, her head resting on her arms, fast asleep. Her book was on the table beside her. She was utterly at peace in rest. He felt a twinge of guilt. Sleep should not be the only place she could find such solace. He watched her, the rise and fall of her shoulder as she breathed evenly. She must have sensed him because her eyes opened at that moment. She gave him a small smile, straightened out of the chair and fixed the fall of her robes. They were a little creased from where she had curled up on them overnight, but with a flick of her wand the wrinkles disappeared.

She then went about cutting off the flow of potion and waited for the last drops of venom to fall into the bowl before she slipped a tray underneath both vessels and levitated them down to rest on its surface. "I have to check the wounds." She said, by way of both asking for permission and apologizing at the same time.

He stared at her for a moment, but then tipped his head back and allowed her fingers to probe gently. His neck still felt tender and very sore. But only around the wounds. His throat seemed to be functioning normally now. He could swallow and speak regularly without pain. Miss Granger continued to clean his wounds and applied some paste to them, covering them over with fresh bandages. Her touch was methodic and gentle. She glanced up at him at one point in her ministrations. He held her gaze, hoping his expression didn't betray any kind of discomfort. He could tell she was doing her best not to hurt him. But that didn't mean he enjoyed having her invade his space like this. It made him uneasy.

He glanced down at her hands where they were still adjusting bandages, making sure they were secure but not overly tight. "Done," She said a moment later and offered him a small smile. She gathered everything on to the tray and picked it up, ready to leave. "Would you like me to bring you anything?"

Severus shook his head. "Not right now." She nodded and turned to go. "Miss Granger." He called her name quietly. She stopped and turned over her shoulder to look at him. "I have never been very adept at expressing my gratitude, or giving credit where it has been earned. I believe you are familiar with the latter." She nodded, an acknowledgement and her way of telling him to continue. "I hope you will respect how hard it is for me to accept the aid you have given, and the assistance you and Mr. Potter wish to offer." He paused, watching her.

She walked back over to his bed and set the tray down, sitting beside it. His hand lay close to hers and for a moment he thought she would reach out and take it, but she kept her hands in her lap.

"I do understand. And I do respect it. Coming from a muggle family I had a disadvantage going into Hogwarts. I knew the only way I would ever prove that I could be as good a witch as any pureblood girl there would be to work hard and learn everything on my own. But secluding myself in that way only made me miserable. Even more miserable than I had been living in the muggle world. I was an outcast among my peers there as well. It wasn't until I allowed myself to open up to others and make some friends…"

At this moment, she trailed off and her gaze fell to his hand. He wanted to hold it out to her, but that would mean revealing the sympathy he felt for her. And that was not an option. He couldn't expose himself in that way. It would leave him vulnerable.

"Thank you," He offered instead, "for everything that you've done."

~S~

Later that evening the Healer-in-Charge determined he was well enough to leave under Miss Granger's care. They would consider a full recovery as part of her apprenticeship, and when she should return she could finish. He was not strong enough to apparate, so they would have to travel from St. Mungo's to Grimmauld Place in muggle disguise on foot.

Miss Granger, he knew, would have no problem with that. She had worn muggle clothes throughout her years at Hogwarts whenever her uniform was not required. Severus on the other hand, had spent the last twenty years of his life draped in formal black wizard clothing when out of his professor's robes. He had known nothing else, and so having to pull on muggle trousers and a shirt felt odd to him. Hermione helped him button the collar, making sure not to disturb the bandages.

"Once we're at Grimmauld Place you'll be able to dress in whatever you feel most comfortable in. But you'll still be on bed rest." He grunted a response, not particularly keen on being back in pajamas for an extended period of time. "It will only be for two weeks at most. And then you can be off, live your life the way you want."

"And what about you?"

"What about me?" She had suddenly taken a defensive tone. He had not meant to sound insulting. He was genuinely curious about her plans when all of this was over.

"I apologize. I meant to ask if you intend on becoming a Healer, or do you plan to pursue other avenues?"

"I'm not sure yet. I suppose I'll make that decision when the time comes."

They left St. Mungo's through the hidden entrance of the condemned muggle department store Purge and Dowse, Ltd., and headed back up the street. "Normally I just apparate right to the doorstep, but I've been walking the distance the past few days to learn the shortest route. You shouldn't be moving around too much right now."

He had no idea how they appeared together on the street. Not that he cared what people thought, but it didn't seem to matter. No one bothered to give them a second glance as they walked by. They made it to Grimmauld Place and Severus watched from the street as the magical house appeared between numbers eleven and thirteen. Miss Granger led the way inside and once the door was shut she bolted the several locks and cast a ward on the door.

"Harry had me enchant the door to recognize only those we know we can trust. They can come and go as they please. Anyone else will be denied entrance."

"If the war is over why the protection?"

"Just because the war is over doesn't mean there still isn't danger out there. Come on, let's get you upstairs. I have a room ready for you."

He followed her, only because the journey from St. Mungo's had drained him more than he had anticipated, and he was eager to lie down and rest. Miss Granger gave him something comfortable to change into, and once he was settled she checked the bandages on his neck. Everything must have been fine because she left him then to go down into the kitchen.

"I'm going to start some potions for you. Do you want anything to drink or eat?"

"I want to rest right now." He was being honest. His head felt light, and the room was spinning slightly. His body was not used to the exertion it had just endured walking the distance from the hospital. He heard the door close, and was left in the peace of the silent room.

He awoke a little while later to the sound of voices downstairs. One was Miss Granger's, and she sounded irritated. The other was a deeper male voice, and at first he thought it was Potter. But upon raising his head he realized it was the last of the trio.

Ronald Weasley had come around at last.

Although he still felt weak, Severus rose from the bed. He knew right now that sleep would elude him with the shouting match going on downstairs. He stood up gingerly, testing how his body responded to being upright again so soon, and was pleased that he didn't feel as dizzy now. He walked over to the door and cracked it open.

"So you're just going to walk away." Weasley shouted as Severus made his way over to the banister and looked down into the hallway below.

Miss Granger rounded on him. "I'm certainly not going to stand there and allow you to judge me. You made your choice the night we brought him to St. Mungo's. You just left."

"Harry asked us to get him there, nothing more."

"Where's your compassion, Ron?"

"He doesn't deserve compassion. My brother is dead because of Death Eaters like him." Weasley's eyes flicked upward and then back to Miss Granger's. For a moment Severus thought he had been seen, but he realized then that the upper landing on which he stood overlooking the argument below was cast in shadow. Weasley couldn't see him if he tried. Miss Granger held the young man's gaze.

"He deserves more than your blind hatred, Ronald. What happened that night was not of his making. It was always going to happen whether he was on our side or not."

"So that makes it all right? That makes it ok for you to play nursemaid? Do you have feelings for him? Is that it? Is that why you're doing this?"

"Don't be absurd." Miss Granger spat, and pushed past Weasley. He heard her take the stairs down into the kitchen, and Weasley followed her a moment later, continuing to argue, but their voices were muffled now. Severus could only make out every other word.

He felt tension throughout his body as he listened. He was reminded of the fights that had erupted between his own mother and his muggle father when he was a child. They had begun as shouting matches and usually ended in violence. Until he was 11 he had no other way to defend himself except his fists. He had his magic, but it was not yet honed enough to fight back. Once he had a wand in his hand the odds had changed. He still lost his mother to his father's drunken brutality in the end, but he didn't feel as weak against him.

His right hand twitched and Severus realized for the first time in two weeks that he no longer had a wand. It made him very uneasy, but he knew Miss Granger would not allow Mr. Weasley to come storming upstairs intent on injury to his person. Why he knew this, he didn't know. But he had come to trust the witch a little in the weeks that she had already been caring for him.

Severus heard the door leading down to the kitchen make contact with the wall in the hallway below and he jumped a little, the tension returning to his muscles.

"You always did have the biggest bleeding heart." Weasley spat, and he made his way down the hall to the front door and left, slamming it on his way out.

Severus felt the urge to go downstairs and check on Miss Granger, but he had not heard any spell casting, or sounds of defense from her. She was most likely working at the kitchen table on the potions she had mentioned before. If this were the case, he thought to himself, then she was very much like him in the respect that she buried herself in work in order to hide.

Satisfied with the quiet throughout the house, Severus returned to his bed. The strength he had initially felt upon rising earlier was leaving him quickly and he needed to lie back down. He was grateful in that moment for the care that Miss Granger and Mr. Potter offered him. He knew it would have been impossible to have left St. Mungo's on his own and been able to recover properly. He would have had to spend too much time on his feet, and that would have drained him, extending his recovery time longer than the two weeks Miss Granger had told him it would take.

He settled into his bed, intent on sleep. And he was gratified that it took him quickly.