Winky had her Master Severus tucked neatly into a bed before Miss Annoying-Nurse noticed him with a startled shriek.
"Winky has brought Master Severus here to heal," the elf said simply, "Nasty Snake-Man thinks he is dead; Winky can take Master Severus away if the Snake wins."
Madam Pomphrey ran a diagnostic over the unconscious man and was worried by the extent of the damage. Clearly, Fawkes had been present to assist the healing she was detecting.
"What happened to him?"
Winky stood up straight to answer, "The Bloody Snake was set on him," she said calmly, "Once Mr Potter-Brat got the memories Master Severus needed to pass on, he passed out. Mr Weasley-Brat and Miss Know-It-All left with Mr Potter-Brat. Winky gave Master Severus the antidote to the Bloody Snake venom, made him drink Blood Replenishing Potions and Dumbledore's-Bloody-Chicken used his tears to heal the wound."
Poppy Pomphrey smiled at the interesting labels for each person; clearly, they had come straight from Severus.
"His magical core is seriously depleted," Poppy mused, "Has he regained consciousness at all?"
"No," Winky answered, "I have put Master Severus to sleep."
"He is a grumpy patient," Poppy said with a sad smile, "I am glad he has you to look after him."
Winky swelled with pride. Miss Annoying-Nurse was rather wonderful.
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Hours later, when the Battle was over, Winky sat patiently on the chair next to her Master with her legs swinging freely.
The deceased were in the Great Hall, though there were plenty of injured scattered throughout the infirmary and spilling into the corridor.
Winky remained next to Master Severus. He had given her explicit instructions on what to do if he was every on the verge of death yet neglected to plan for an extended recovery.
The Annoying-Trio of Mr Potter-Brat, Mr Weasley-Brat and Miss Know-it-all burst into the infirmary at a run. Winky could hear their voices clear across the room.
"Is Professor Snape here?" Potter-Brat demanded breathlessly.
While Miss Annoying-Nurse admonished the boy for his lack of manners Winky hopped up onto the bed of her Master and stood at his feet.
Within seconds the three students were gathered in front of the elf, staring at the prone form of her Master.
"Master Severus is asleep," Winky said in her most contemptuous tone, "Winky will not let you hurt him."
"We wouldn't," Mr Potter-Brat said without hesitation, "I thought he was dead."
"He was, for a few moments," Winky replied, "Winky knew what to do to bring him back."
"He's a hero," Mr Potter-Brat said while staring at her Master.
Winky rolled her eyes, "Winky knows that. You is not very bright, Mr Potter-Brat."
Mr Weasley-Brat laughed at her pronouncement, until Miss Know-it-all asked what their nicknames were.
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Winky refused to leave the infirmary while her Master Severus was there.
For the first week, Miss Annoying-Nurse was grateful for her assistance.
During the second week, she began hinting that Winky would find more work in the kitchens, especially since so many witches and wizards had chosen to stay and help repair the castle.
By the end of the second week, Miss Annoying-Nurse flat out ordered Winky to leave.
"No," Winky replied flatly, "Master Severus can give me orders to obey. You is just making noise."
Miss Know-it-all giggled into her hand. She was sorting through the cupboard of potions and making a list of what she needed to brew.
Miss Annoying-Nurse shook her head at the elf, "You are perfectly suited to Severus."
Winky beamed, "Thank-you!"
Miss Know-it-all returned later that night to place some freshly-brewed potions in the cupboard. Rather than leaving, she sought out Winky behind the privacy screen.
"Winky?"
"Yes, Miss Know-it-all?"
Hermione sighed, "Can you call me Hermione? Please?"
Winky blinked in surprised, "Um, alright Miss Hermione; but when Master Severus wakes Winky must make sure he approves."
Hermione nodded, "That's fine. I wanted to talk to you about something Professor Dumbledore's portrait said earlier today."
Winky watched the witch cross the room to sit in the chair; the elf preferred to perch on the edge of the bed anyway.
"Mr Manipulative-Old-Goat talks a lot," Winky offered.
Hermione smiled, "He does, and often finding the real meaning is quite hard. Today he hinted that even though Severus was firmly on our side, he will be blamed for his activities as a Death Eaters. If the Aurors come to arrest him, he needs to have a place to retreat to."
Winky nodded, her ears flapping, "And Miss Hermione wants to help?"
Hermione nodded, "Professor Snape would not survive Azkaban in his condition. I would like to take you to a house which is under the Fidelius charm. If anyone tries to harm him, or take him to Azkaban, you can grab him and escape."
Hermione watched as the elf blinked back tears, "Miss Hermione would do this for Master Severus?"
"Of course."
Winky burst into noisy tears and threw herself forward to hug the knees of the startled brunette, who patted her head awkwardly.
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Severus rose to consciousness slowly, and immediately wished he could retreat into unconsciousness. He could hear the soft, yet still high-pitched voice of Winky.
"I know Master needs more rest," Winky was saying, "But I know Master would want to know what Winky has agreed to."
House Elves were remarkable creatures, and Severus had not known a fraction of their capabilities until he allowed Winky to bond with him.
Winky projected the scene from the previous evening into his mind without the aid of a Pensieve or a clear view of his eyes.
"Has Winky done what Master Severus wants?" Winky asked worriedly.
"Yes," Severus whispered.
"Oh good! And does Winky have permission to call Miss Know-it-all, 'Miss Hermione' instead?"
"Sure."
"Thank-you Master! Miss Hermione wanted me to show you this too."
Severus read the short note specifying the address of the Granger residence.
"I will let you rest now; if we have to leave Hogwarts, I will wake you once we are safe," Winky watched Master Severus relax again as he slipped back into the oblivion of a deep, healing coma.
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Hermione had always felt estranged from her peers; even after Harry and Ron had become her friends. She was never interested in clothes, make-up or gossiping about boys so she was not surprised that Ginny was her only female friend. As she was not remotely interested in Quidditch the conversations around her were often completely boring.
In primary school, she had hoped to one day meet someone on her intellectual level, who had similar interests. After the first semester at Hogwarts, she gave up hope.
Ginny was quite bright, and the twins were brilliant in their own way but no-one she knew liked books more than people.
As she headed down from the Infirmary to join the Weasley family for dinner, Hermione found herself wondering if Professor Snape would be less of an arse when he woke up. He had always been scathing, but his barbs were at least witty.
Dinner was a noisy affair. Though most of the children had left for the holidays, enough people had remained to assist in the repairs that the Great Hall was quite full.
The impulsive kiss in the Chamber of Secrets had hung in the air whenever she spent time near Ron. She wasn't sure how to bring up the topic and he was acting like it had never happened.
The entire Weasley family had opted to remain in the castle, and plan Fred's funeral. Most evenings were spent in the Gryffindor common room sharing stories about their missing family member. Hermione knew the family saw her as an adopted daughter, yet the way Molly looked at her at times was unnerving. Clearly the older woman was expecting something.
George hadn't spoken a word since Fred had died. As each member of the family mourned in their own way, none seemed to know how to comfort George. Hermione would spend hours sitting next to him reading and holding his hand when he reached for hers. Sometimes he would nod to acknowledge her presence and many nights he had cried himself to sleep on her lap while she stroked his hair.
Harry was never far from Arthur, who in turn was never far from Molly. He was coping with the trauma of the past year by hovering near the parental figures remaining in his life. Ginny was always on hand to soothe him through nightmares and panic-attacks and he returned the favour when she was in need.
Ron was not coping nearly as well. Outbursts of anger were common and only Molly could calm him down effectively. He had made a couple of rude comments about Hermione spending too much time with other male students. She had tried to ignore his jealousy and refrained from hexing him.
Three weeks after the battle something changed. Ron smiled at her for the first time since he had learned of Fred's death and she allowed herself to hope that he was on the road to recovery.
At dinner that night, Ron made a point of sitting next to her. Ginny and Harry were on his other side and watched their interactions closely. They were planning something.
Dessert arrived as usual and the arrival of a chocolate mousse was a welcome distraction.
Ron was being overly courteous, and even kept his mouth closed while he was eating. Ginny was clearly happy about whatever was about to happen, and even Harry appear interested.
Finally, Ron turned to her with an awkward smile. The tips of his ears were bright red.
Hermione had a very bad feeling about what was going to happen.
"Hermione," Ron began hesitantly, "I've been thinking about this for a while and it's time to be brave. I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?"
As he spoke he pulled out a small box. It opened to reveal a small gold ring with a lovely diamond.
Hermione realized that everyone around them was staring at her. She could not halt the rush of anger which ripped through her body. How dare he ask her this in such a public setting when he hadn't even bothered to ask her out yet!
Ginny was beaming; clearly, she was expecting a happy affirmative answer and a reason to celebrate. Anxiety began to appear on Harry's face.
"Ron, I appreciate the sentiment but we're too young for such a big step," Hermione said gently.
Ron wasn't perturbed, "We can have a long engagement; years if you like."
"Ron; you haven't even asked me to be your girlfriend."
Ginny sucked in a shocked gasp. Harry was frowning.
"Are you really turning me down?" Ron asked incredulously.
"Sorry Ron," Hermione managed, "I need time to think about this."
Multiple sets of eyes followed her hasty retreat from the Great Hall. Ron left through the front door, closely followed by Harry and Ginny.
"Well, that was interesting," George said, his voice echoing loudly. Molly was shocked that he had decided to speak after weeks of silence.
"George -" Arthur began.
"I'm serious, Dad," George interrupted, "Who proposes without even asking her out first? And here, in front of everyone? He doesn't understand her at all."
Without another word, George got up to leave the table. After all she had done for him, he wasn't going to leave her alone while she was upset.
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All House Elves knew that witches and wizards were just not very bright. They required constant supervision, and most were incapable of existing without an elf or two around to look after them.
Winky was continually surprised that magical families without elves weren't found starved to death every weekend.
The idiocy of wizards was played out in the Great Hall while she was with Master Severus. One of the other elves dropped by to show her the scene before Miss Hermione stomped into the infirmary looking cranky.
Winky had spent months trying to find a witch smart enough to keep her Master engaged; she had hoped Mrs Tonks would drop by, but one of the elves who served her was sure the woman was not ready for another husband yet.
Miss Hermione was smart enough; time would tell if she was mature enough for Master Severus.