A/N:

Many of you have questions about the technical logistics of how this will work- with regards to bezoars, time paradoxes, etc, and I would like to reassure all the readers that this will all be explained before the end of the story.

Despite my previous assurances this story will be longer than 21 chapters.

Chapter 20

Hermione began to run faster. Even though she had shorter legs in her fox form, she could run much faster that way due to the two extra limbs.

The rain continued to hit the walls in a steady drum-beat, and Hermione could hear Lord Voldemort's voice ringing across the fields and castle, taunting Harry. It was so tempting to go and find her friends, to tell them it would be ok, to stop people dying- but she knew she could not. She was here for a purpose- find Snape. Harry would soon be here too, where he would've collected memories from Snape. But not anymore.

Hermione ran into the room where she could see Severus lying on the floor, and her heart flip-flopped. It was just him and the snake, Voldemort having left minutes previously. She'd had to time this perfectly. She could see the snake approaching him, and crossed the room in several short, quick steps.

The snake's skin reflected the moonlight in a hypnotising way- it's fangs flashed, it lunged, and just as it's piercing fangs punctured Severus's skin it was thrown back in a whirling dervish of red fur and claws. Hermione attacked with the strength of a lioness defending her cubs- she would truly fight to the death for Severus.

The amazing man deserved it so much.

She bit, scratched and wrestled with the snake, using all the tools at her disposal. It was long, and it was exhausting. It seemed that she barely managed to injure the creature before it was coming back at her, eyes gleaming, the smell of blood in its nostrils. And all the while she was terrified that Voldemort, or Harry would walk in on them and all her effort would be fruitless. And most of all- she was so so afraid that Severus would give up. She wanted him to live. She prayed, willed, hoped with every fibre of her being that he would live.

It seemed to her that the fight lasted hours – in fact it lasted mere minutes. She limped away from the body of the snake, trying not to let her injuries overcome here. The mission was not over yet.

It hurt. It was searing agony. Her very skin ached. She was only a little fox, and it was a very big snake. It was worth it- Severus was worth it. She wanted nothing more than to get back to her own time and tell him how much she respected him. How much she knew he had given up to save the wizarding world. She just wanted to tell him that everything would be ok. She just wanted to hold him.

Transforming smoothly back to her Human form, Hermione raced over to the barley warm body of Severus. He was pale- thankfully the bite was not deep. Pushing one of her Bezoars into his mouth, she hoped it would sustain him. She had no hopes that it would cure him- but all she needed was for him to be stable until Harry, or someone, anyone, could find him. Pulling out her crushed bezoar, she mixed it into a paste with the dittany. Gently, but none the less quickly, she spread it over his snake bite. She didn't know if it would work, but she hoped so. She prayed so. Or her future would be very, very different.

As she leant over him, applying the salve to his wounds, her curly hair tickled his face. He mumbled something- she could not tell what. The effort seemed almost to drain his strength. She looked at him, a warm spark echoing behind her eyes. Gently she placed a finger over his dry lips and shushed him. She leant down so that her head was next to his and gently whispered into his ear:

"You will be ok. I fought for you. If you don't survive this please, please know that I fought for you. Because you are so special Severus Snape. So, so special. Please don't die." Pulling away, she repeated that to herself over, and over.

"Please, don't die."

The body of the snake lay, limp in the corner. It was the only thing there that could have, had it been alive, seen the special bond between the two people. The almost golden glow that seemed to surround them as Hermione whispered into his ear, and her soft lips touched his dry chapped ones, her warm tears refreshing her face amid the torrents of cruel cold rain.

***

When Harry arrived at the Shrieking Shack 15 minutes later, he found Severus Snape in an almost comatose state. Comatose, but alive.

For the next four weeks he lay in St. Mungo's making miraculous recoveries. Recoveries which could not entirely be attributed to the almost instant application of Bezoars. Some said that there was almost a glow about him.

When he eventually awoke he looked around wildly, a searching, haunted look in his eyes. He had been having dreams. Dreams about being loved, about being held, about being saved. But when he looked around the hospital ward he was alone once again. He would've almost preferred to stay asleep.

***

Hermione lay in wait in her fox form, to make sure he was found. Truth be told there was not much else she could do; her injuries were overcoming her. She only hoped she was taken back to her time before it was too late- she knew she could be healed easily enough but she had not the strength. She needed to be at home – she needed Poppy, she needed Severus. Gods, she needed Severus.

She drifted gradually in and out of consciousness- the girl who drifted gradually in and out of time. And waited. To be saved or to be slaughtered. To return to her own time or to lie on the cold, wet floor of the shack and die. As she finally succumbed to the lure of sleep, she gradually began to fade.

A/N: I know it's short, and I apologise. Next few chapters will be good, i promise!