A/N: Hello lovely readers. First off thanks for the support on the first chapter of this story. I wasn't expecting reviews or follows or anything and I am very glad to have gotten so much. Thank you!

I was worried posting this chapter as the story is unfolding in the same way it had done in my earlier drafts which means we get…well this. I am again going to warn off those who cannot handle the characters in permanent pain.

I haven't planned more updates for now I am returning to work and I also want to work on And now the last as I contemplate what to do with chapter 3. I'll try to be back soon though, so far the posting and writing of this has been a joy. Thanks for sticking with me.

I let it throw me off my feet

I let it put me on my knees

What do I know

I ought to grow

But do I ever?

- Kensington

Chapter 2

Days passed without anything happening. Instead of calming down however Snape found himself becoming increasingly more restless. She should have come for him, she should have been here already. With a disgusted look on her face and questions on her lips. She should have been here, he was counting on her being here.

He took a sip from the bottle of water in his hand and switched on the radio. A male voice was singing of Suzanne but this time in Dutch. He switched the radio off. The air in the apartment was stiff and clammy and he felt as if he was slowly choking on a mix of anticipation, terror and something close to shame.

He cursed aloud, startled by the sound of his own voice in the empty room. Sighing he pocketed his wand, put on an old jacket against the chill and set out to find her himself.

It took a while to locate the café in which he had seen her. The streets were more empty this time in the evening and he belatedly realized that the café would be closed and that he had no idea where else to look for her. He didn't examine why he was looking for her, that would have meant going over memories best left forgotten. She had seen him he had no doubt of that and seeing as how there had bene no Aurors at his door and mercifully, no Potter he assumed that something was wring with her. That idea was somehow painful, he had spent half his life making sure that there was nothing wrong with Potter and by default with her as well and now not knowing what has happening with her made him feel like he failed.

The café was indeed closed when he reached it, emptiness stared at him through the dark window and he shivered involuntarily. When the body-bind hit him his mind registered the spell first and only then allowed for a slight panic. He stood perfectly still and unable to move anything, even his eyes. Panic ebbed away to be replaced by anger at himself first for not seeing this coming, at the stupid chit for having aimed right.

'There you are again' Granger's voice said from behind him 'Took you longer this time.'

He had no idea what she was talking about but that didn't matter, what mattered was getting free, getting to safety, stopping his brain from running in every direction.

'I am going to release you' she said pointing her wand at him 'and when I do you will not run away. I will hurt you if you do.' She walked around him and into his line of sight, she was dressed in a pair of denims and a wide shirt with long sleeves and she glared at him from under her messy curls. Snape stood there unable to move still, cursing her and himself and trying not to see how thin she was. It was none of his business and he was a damn fool letting his guard down, not even noticing her. He had been ambushed like a first year and by who? Hermione fucking Granger who had no business even being here.

When she released the spell he reacted on instinct and anger alone. One minute he was bound, the muscles in his legs cramping painfully and the next his wand was in his hand and Granger's wand too and the girl was sitting on the ground bleeding from a cut in her cheek that had split open her lip as well.

Snape blinked, startled at the sight of blood. He didn't even register using magic but here he was with a wand in his hand that did not belong to him and a victim in his sights. Just like old times. He set his teeth and walked towards her with the vague idea of helping her back to her feet. He didn't like the idea of hurting someone innocent, in so far as Granger could be considered an innocent that was. She glared at him wiping the blood from her lip.

Why was it always that spell? He knew other damn spells why did he always, always go for that one? Granger got to her feet all on her own while he was still debating whether or not to help her. She balled her fists and for a second he thought she was going to attack him still even without a wand. He put up his hands trying to stop her. A man on a bike past the two of them and looked over his shoulder his eyebrows raised.

'Granger' he said slowly 'Granger? Are you all right? I-I didn't me-' he bit his tongue. I didn't mean to. No better not go there. 'Let me heal that.'

She wiped the blood off her cheek 'My wand.' He placed it in her outstretched hand carefully. She pointed it at him again.

'Granger-'

'Start moving' she said 'There are too many Muggles here wouldn't you agree?'

'Where are we going?'

'There's a park nearby, it ought to be empty or as good as. We can…talk there. You owe me at least a talk now that you've attacked me.'

He glanced at her then decided that it would be better to at least get her away from Muggles first and then deal with whatever was coming. She poked her wand against his bad shoulder and he almost winced.

'I didn't mean to attack you and might I remind you the body- bind was your idea.'

'Move' she said.

They walked in silence for a while both ignoring the curious looks they got. When they reached the park he stopped, glancing at her.

'What did you mean 'again'?' he asked. He tried to take the measure of her, his opponent, figuring that she would attack him the minute they were under the protection of the trees surrounding the small park and found he could not. This woman and the Hermione Granger he remembered only seemed to have a name in common. Her cheek was still bleeding and he felt a sharp pang of guilt at that. First time seeing someone from back then and there was immediately blood again.

'You stalked me to that café twice before' she said 'usually during opening hours though. Keep moving.'

Snape frowned, he had no idea what she meant. He couldn't remember, which was not a good sign. He blinked, trying to remember anything from the time he had seen her through the café window. There was a conversation with Narcissa that he vaguely could recall and after that not much. Flashes of sitting in the dark on the floor of his apartment, the frantic search for his wand that he had placed inside a book of all places and then forgot and the constant feeling that she was coming for him, that Potter was coming for him and later Dumbledore and Voldemort and of course as usual Black and Lupin and again Potter…He set his teeth, he couldn't even recall what day today was now that he thought about it. Great… The last time he had lost time like this Voldemort had still bene alive.

The park was indeed empty and dark as they entered it, the surrounding trees sheltering it from what was left of the sunlight. She walked on and he followed her until they reached the monument this park was famous for. A large square of broken mirror with a plaque next to it. She glanced at him then looked into the mirror.

He could take wand stun her, wipe her memories. Instead he walked over to the nearest bench and sat on it.

'I don't remember-' he started saying then fell silent again. Granger glanced his way.

'The sky remains forever violated' she said softly.

'What?'

She gestured at the monument 'It's what the monument means. I made Gabrielle explain it to me. It's meant as a reminder of war, no more Auschwitz. No more unbroken sky in this place. It's rather poetic but untrue' she smirked in an uncharacteristic way 'It's not the sky that is forever broken is it?'

'You don't seem particularly surprised to find me still breathing' Snape said. He had no intention of discussing the mirror or what it had done to him the first time he had set foot into this park by mistake. It was unsettling enough to look at Granger and be reminded of himself.

She shrugged still looking at herself through the broken mirror. 'I put two and two together some time ago' she glanced at him 'How should I address you? Professor seems not to fit anymore.'

'Potioneers are addressed as master' he said to see how she would react.

She rolled her eyes 'Severus it is then. As I said I put two and two together. McGonagall having trouble to enter the Headmaster's Office at Hogwarts after the final battle, no portrait, the way the Aurors had to fight their way into your house with all the defensive spells still working' she shrugged 'When Narcissa Malfoy held that idiotic funeral I became certain you were still alive.'

Snape frowned 'So what? You told all your little friends and no one would listen?' he wanted to say that, wanted to sound bored and uncaring but somehow the words got stuck in his throat and what he heard himself saying was something completely different and not at all voluntary.

'Did you tell Potter?'

She turned to him with raised eyebrows 'Harry? I have no intention of telling anything to Harry. I have no intention of letting you anywhere near Harry.'

'Then what is it you want?' Snape asked feeling angry at how relieved he felt.

'Do you plan to return to Britain? Is that why you showed yourself to me?' she asked facing him once more and all but poking him with her wand.

Snape huffed 'Showed myself? I had no intention of showing myself to anyone Granger, seeing you in that café was pure coincidence' he stood 'Look we're clearly both thrilled to see each other so let's just call it what it is, shit luck and get back to-'

'Sit back down' the anger in her voice made him obey. He couldn't remember ever seeing her like this. 'You had your chance to walk away from this. But then you started coming back to that café, following me.'

He swallowed 'I have no memory of that.'

Granger glared at him 'That's your excuse? Honestly?'

'It's the truth' he shrugged 'I have…moments where I forget.'

'Lucky you' she spat.

He looked at her. There was still blood coming from the cut on her cheek, she had stopped wiping it away.

'Let me heal that' he said again 'Before it leaves a scar.'

'Before it leaves a scar' she mimicked then lowered her wand, yanked up the sleeve and shoved her arm at him. Snape stared at the scarring on her right forearm until they started to form a word, until the meaning of the word reached his brain. Mudblood.

He looked from the scarring to her again. The rage in her face was fading but her face still was distorted with it, she was shivering holding her wand in such a tight grip her knuckles were white.

'What happened to you?' he whispered. He didn't mean the scarring, he had seen Bellatrix torture one too many times. He didn't even mean after the war. He had a pretty good idea of that, the Prophet had provided him with plenty information. She had gone to Australia as soon as the hospital cleared her for long distance travel. Returned a half year later without an explanation and married the Weasley boy, that marriage failed, predictably, lasting only a year. Then came a number of odd jobs at the Ministry and finally the flight back to Hogwarts. But by the time that happened the Prophet had lost interest in her and all Snape had was a small photograph of her back in her student's robes.

It was a tough couple of years and he had expected them and the war to have left a mark on her but he was unprepared for this much anger. She was broken in a way he recognized and that unsettled him. He watched as she pulled back her sleeve hiding the word on her arm and wiped away at the blood on her cheek.

'Bellatrix happened' she said ' What's the incantation to cure this?'

'Vulnera Senentur' he said 'You have to sing it. Out loud.'

She nodded 'Yes I remember Harry telling us you sang something' she said. She cleaned the cut before closing it and Snape was struck by irritation at other people carelessly using the spells he had spent months developing.

'Glaring at me won't get you out of this' Granger said.

'I'm not trying to get out of this' he said 'I still owe you.'

'Owe me?' for a moment her face became confused, curious and he recognized a glimpse of the girl he had taught a lifetime ago 'You mean for not telling anyone about you? That was in their own interest.'

'I mean for the flask.'

'What flask?'

'The one you conjured up while Potter being the idiot that he is did nothing. You' he paused to try and get the words out 'Because of you I was able to get the memories to Potter. I owe you, I'd like not to. So what is it you want? You have questions?'

She stared at him, then looked back to the broken mirror. Some of the fight seemed to have gone out of her, she still had her wand on him but he was fairly certain he could take it off her now should he want to. The cut on her cheek had healed well.

'I thought I had questions' she said looking at the mirror 'Then I thought I just wanted to yell at someone responsible for what all of you did to Harry-'

'Might I suggest yelling at Albus then?' he said 'I had little to do-'

'You can stop there' she said and the sharp edge was back in her voice 'You are all responsible. We were children.'

He didn't know how to argue with that.

She shrugged 'That's the thing, I thought I wanted to but now, I don't feel like yelling anymore. I don't know what I want from you. Nothing perhaps' she smirked again in that new way of hers. He didn't like that look 'A bit anticlimactic no?'

Snape sighed 'How about you stop pocking me with that stick and we get out of here? Get to some place more…civilized? Then if you decide there is no way in which I can repay the debt I owe you well' he let the sentence hang in the air between them. He wasn't used to being this truthful but he couldn't figure out a logical reason to lie to her and she was right in one regard. His life had turned out to be a bit of an anticlimax. He should have died but he didn't and now he had to live with that.

Granger turned back to him 'Are serious? You truly think you owe me some debt?'

He shrugged 'Did you forget how magic works?'

'I didn't safe your life, you owe me nothing?'

'You helped complete my life's work, it's close enough. I have no intention of owing another person I cannot stand another debt so be a good Gryffindor and do the noble thing.'

She huffed at that then frowned 'Letting you go would be too easy, you are right in that regard.' She sighed 'Fine. I do want to talk to you, yell at you maybe. Perhaps this could set Harry's mind at ease.'

' Yes, we are still doing everything for Potter' he mumbled 'Knock yourself out. Just not here, I hate this place.'

'I don't. But fine, there must be an open bar somewhere around here. You're paying.'

'As the lady wishes' he said standing up. He watched her pocket her wand in a holster on her arm before leading the way out of the park.