Chapter 10

Did That Really Just Happen?

Sitting at her kitchen table, her tea still warm in its cup in front of her, Hermione touched her fingers to her lips. Was she dreaming or did everything that she just experienced really happen? Did Severus Tobias Snape, the man who always loved the same woman really just kiss her? Was it possible that she had meddled too much and for too long? Could she have hurt her chances at everything still being as she knew it?

Hermione sat back in her chair her tea clutched in her hands. She bit her bottom lip not knowing what repercussions could show themselves as a result of that kiss. However if he had kissed her then than there could not have been any negative repercussions. Right? Everything had to stay the same. She was still in her flat. Everything was where she had left it. Nothing in the décor had changed. The same pictures hung on the walls, the curtains were the same shade of lilac that they had always been, the flat still smelled of lavender and sage mixed with the aroma of the pot pie she had had that evening for dinner. Nothing had changed.

Nothing.

Still nervous she stood up from her table and walked into her room. With a wave of her hand A History of Magic Third Edition came flying off of a shelf and landed gently upon the desk. With another wave of her hand the book opened to the chapters on the Battle of Hogwarts and she began to read. Determined to discern if there had been any change in the outcome without having to alarm anyone other than herself Hermione scoured the pages thrice before rereading the list of those lost to both sides. When she got to Severus Snape there was a star and a note at the bottom of the page that she did not remember seeing before.

Hermione read out loud, "'Those with this annotation have not been able to be confirmed dead as no remains of any sort were found after the battle.' No. I saw him. I saw him dead. No one lives through that. Severus Snape is not alive."

She had seen him die. She had seen Voldemort order Nagini to attack Severus. To kill Severus. She saw him die there before her in Harry's arms. The memories that he had given Harry had been of Lily, memories that comforted him in his final moments. There was no way at all that Severus Snape was alive and well or at least alive there were too many people who could confirm seeing him die at the Shrieking Shack that night.

Was it a false memory? Could it have been a false memory? Harry remembered those events exactly as she did. They had talked about them after the battle as they tried to get their minds off of Ron. This book that had made so much sense, that she had helped to create now made very little sense to her at all, but she had to admit that she never recalled hearing about anything being done with Severus' body after Voldemort died. In fact she could not recall anyone saying a single word about Severus after he had died other than praise for his self sacrifice. Was it possible that she had chosen to let these memories stay this way because there was too much pain and loss to add a possibly missing war hero to her list of matters to take care of? Or did someone know something she didn't know? Was that even a possibility?

As the questions began to build up within her so did her frustration and Hermione threw her book upon her bed sending parchment flying all about the room. Confusion and frustration were two very real feelings that Hermione was not keen on feeling and both seemed to be rearing their rather ugly heads in her direction in that very moment. She went to her bed and began reorganizing all of her papers in foolish hopes that moving them about may cause something to reveal itself to her.

Having done ample research on all main events that were public knowledge in regards to Severus, Hermione had a large pile of notes at the foot of her bed. An even larger pile of arithmancy notes sat opposite that pile at the head of the bed. Hermione, annoyed and aggravated sat in the middle of the notes with her head cradled in her hands.

Nothing she knew had changed but that kiss made her feel as if everything should have.