((A/N – Alright so I wasn't going to post a chapter tonight but I flubbed and accidentally posted a chapter from my other fanfic into this one *it was bound to happen at some point – I have so many of the things going on at the same time I don't know up from down anymore – So here's a short chapter in the mean time because you guys got alerted to a new chapter and as much as I wasn't planning on it – I goofed so …. Chapter 9!))
((Three months later))
Harry rubbed his hands over his face as he entered the room, the quiet beeping of Severus' heart monitor the only sound coming from the room. He looked at Lily and Hermione who sat on either side of the bed, Hermione reading a book quietly, Lily looking up at Harry as he came in.
Hermione looked up at him. "How did the court case go?" She asked, closing the book quietly.
"Not very well. Until they have definitive proof that the killing curse doesn't actually kill people, they are considering Severus guilty, it's their final ruling." Harry said with a sigh as he sat down in a chair next to his mom. "Kingsley told me even if they took into consideration that Dumbledore would come back, they'd still convict him for attempted murder. Which is still quite a few years in Azkaban." He said shaking his head. "They're firm in wanting to convict him ..."
"If me and James-" Lily said quietly before Harry cut her off.
"It wouldn't make a bit of difference if you two appeared in court. They know you're alive, and they know the theories ... they're doing little to get involved with you two, and you weren't there the night Dumbledore was killed." He looked over at Lily. "Besides, I doubt dad would want to 'waste his time' as he'd already said on multiple occasions." He said. Over the past three months he'd tried to get James to stand in front of the wizengamot so that they could see for themselves that James Potter and Lily Potter where indeed alive.
"We'll figure something out Harry." Hermione said placing the book on the side table. "I'll talk to Minerva and Filius about standing ... they where at the school the final year Snape was there. There has to be some way to clear his name. He may not be completely inncocent, but he was more of a victim than anything."
Harry nodded. "I know ... It's rediculous that they're allowing this to go on for so long. Kingsley is on my side, he believes Snape is innocent, it's a matter of convincing the rest of the wisengamot. And everyone is firm in their belief of Snape's guilt. They're allowing their own pain of losing Dumbledore to cloud the facts and are trying to sentence a ... well ... mostly, innocent man."
"It's not fair." Hermione said crossing her arms over her chest. Harry laughed slightly. "What?"
"Nothing it's just ... when you said that it made me think about when Snape tried teaching me occlumency. What a disaster that was ... I was complaining that he wasn't giving me time to prepare, that it wasn't fair ... He rather rudely told me that 'life isn't fair.' ... It's probably one of the things that stuck with me from that lesson."
"Sounds like him." Lily said with a slight smirk. "He was never very polite, but that's just his personality. It's not that he's purposely rude, he's just blunt and straight to the point." Lily saw a slight movement out of the corner of her eye and looked towards Severus. He hadn't moved at all but … it seemed …
She looked down to where his hand was and blanked. "I think he just moved." Lily said before his hand moved again. It moved closer to the edge of the bed, closer to where her voice was coming from. His hand reached the edge of the bed and stopped moving again.
"Professor?" Hermione asked from his other side. "Harry go get a healer … Tell them we all saw him move!" Harry nodded and ran from the room to get a healer. Lily took Severus' hand and despite the progress Severus was making Hermione could help the clutching pain in her chest building up, the raw jealousy that that it was her he'd reached for … her voice that had gotten a response from him. He'd moved twice, and both times it was when she was talking and his hand had moved in her direction.
Still …. Progress was progress … and if it brought him out of the coma so be it. But …. At the same time Hermione couldn't help the way she felt. She backed away as the healer came in. He calm in calmly as he started doing his scans of the patient.
"There's a slight spike in his stats here." The healer said. "Once here, and once a few seconds later …" He said chewing on the tip of his quill. "It doesn't seem like anything definitive but we'll run some further tests." He said rather mechanically. Harry could tell this was one of the healers that didn't like Severus. Lily sighed and let go of his hand before sitting down again.
Hermione let go of the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding and looked away from her. She couldn't understand why this was bothering her so much …. They were old friends but … She felt tears prick at her eyes as she picked up her bag.
"I think I'm going to head home." She said not looking at either of them. Harry looked at her and saw the tears in her eyes.
"Are you okay?" Harry asked as she walked past him to the door.
"I'm fine." She said as she reached the door. She felt Harry's hand on her arm a moment before she pulled her arm away. She looked up at him. "Really, I'm fine I'm just … frustrated is all. And tired. It's been a rollercoaster this past little while."
Harry nodded. "Yeah, I understand that." He said quietly. "Have a good night Hermione." He said before she left without another word.
((A/N – And emotional Hermione is emotional. Please leave a review – It's greatly appreciated))
