"I'll kill him! That son of a bitching bastard! I'll kill him!" Severus jumped out of her touch, fire in his eyes and a kind of hate emanating from him that scared her. She shrunk away from him, and he stared furiously down at her before he slunk down in his chair. He knew his out burst was inappropriate but it wasn't something he could've contained just then. Yes, Lucius Malfoy was going to suffer.

…

Chapter 21-The Bitch

Hermione knew Severus had gone to get supplies and she made her way slowly down to the labs, she downed a little too much healing potion to finish off her wounds quicker than they should have been then brewed herself a strengthening potion that was done quickly and she swallowed it back as soon as it was cool enough. She fetched her wand from the bedroom and then disapparated.

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Lucius sat lazily in an over stuffed love seat, a cigar in his hand and a hard drink on the table near him. He wondered at the fact that he was alive, amazed that Snape had removed the Sectumsempra before he left. Which he knew meant Snape would be back to torture him some more. Lucius sighed, he wasn't really up for it, the sectumsempra had left him weak and he couldn't find his wand which meant Snape had taken it. He cursed the man for the hundredth time.

Suddenly something clattered on the floor next to his chair and he peered at it, shocked to see his wand. He picked it up and brushed it off and grinned. Then his face fell. Snape was back.

"Hello Lucius."

Lucius spun around, thoroughly confused. "Granger. Back for more? Can Snapey not satisfy you?"

"Actually not." Lucius didn't like her smirk. "You see Severus and I don't duel much and I dreadfully need someone to duke it out with."

"I see."

Hermione's smirk was growing. "Do you? Do you see what's going to happen here Lucius?" She hexed him and his flawless skin began to turn red and blister.

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Severus walked happily down the hall to the bedroom, the day was nice and he thought maybe he could get Hermione outside to sit in the courtyard that had been moved with the house. He frowned, he could've sworn he left the bedroom door shut. He walked inside and panic snatched his heart. She wasn't there. "Hermione!" There was no reply. He walked the top floor calling her name to no avail then dashed down the stairs into the lab. Three empty bottles of healing potions lay empty on a worktable and next to them a small half empty cauldron of what appeared to be a strengthening potion in stasis.

Severus cursed loudly and cursed again when he realized that she must've been at Lucius'. With a furious snarl he apparated away to find his Hermione.

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It had been quite the battle Hermione had to admit, they had hit each other with nasty hexes and even exchanged some blows. An hour or so had passed and she could feel the strengthening potion being worn thin. She had to hurry. She raised her wand to finish Lucius off but he was way ahead of her "Crucio!" Hermione crumpled to the ground screaming and Lucius cackled, he had gotten her to scream once more.

Suddenly the crucio lifted and Hermione looked up slowly, Severus was standing there, wand held out and Lucius' in the other hand. "Did you really think I was going to let you lay another hand on her Lucius?"

"Ah but you see Snape, she came to me. Are you going to be the controlling lover who won't ever let his woman go? Even when she's moved on?"

Hermione didn't like the direction this conversation was going, she summoned all her strength and stood up, glaring daggers and the blonde man who was no longer as handsome as he had been. One of his hands was missing, something she assumed Severus had done to him, his face was permanently pock-marked from a hex she had thrown and his hair was wild and mangy, nothing like his usually long, smooth 'doo.

"I didn't choose you over Severus, Malfoy. I chose to torture you as I saw fit."

"Didn't bloody well succeed did you mudblood?"

"Don't call her that." Severus voice was calm, collected and cool. It sent shivers down Hermione's spine.

"No one asked you!" Lucius bit and launched himself the short distance to smack Snape so hard he fell to the floor.

"Don't you dare touch him!"

Severus didn't like her tone of voice, the way she was raising her wand. "Hermione don't-"

"Crucio!" Hermione had ever cast an unforgivable, even during the war, and as she did now she felt the energy it took to hold it, gnawing on her insides. But hearing Lucius scream made her smile. And that disturbed her.

As it disturbed Severus. He jumped up and jerked her wand from her hand. "Stop it!" He hissed.

Hermione glared at him darkly for a fraction of a second before she realized that Lucius had gotten his wand back and he was aiming at the pair of him, his face unlike either of them had seen it, absolutely distorted with rage. She snatched her wand back and watched the blonde carefully and she recognized as his mouth opened to cast something undoubtedly terrible, that he was aiming for Severus. She jumped in front of the spell and blocked it, her shield charm faltering and dying soon after it was hit by the spell. Her strength was going, she was running on her own now, the potion had worn out.

"Normally…I give three…warnings before I attack." She said slowly trying to talk around her fatigued slur. "But Lucius, you've come…near Severus today…two too many times."

"Hermione?" The question was quiet in her ear, barely there and she wanted to cry as she felt Severus' hand on her arm. She knew that if she asked, Severus would take this burden from her so that she wouldn't be responsible for a death she would ponder over the rest of her life. But she wasn't going to ask and Severus wasn't up too speed enough to stop her.

"Avada kedavra!" Her aim was true, her timing right and the lovers watched as the blonde fell with a smirk.

Lucius Malfoy was dead. And she had killed him. She wasn't entirely sure how she felt about that. Glad he was gone? Abso-friggin-lutely. But that she had killed a man? She wasn't so sure.

"Are you mad!" Hermione winced at Severus' harsh tone. "You leave the house barely able to stand to duel Lucius Malfoy, Hermione you barely remembered who you were yesterday!"

"I know but I had to get rid of him, I had to know he wasn't going to come after me again. Or you."

Severus stared at her, scrutinizing. His black eyes boring into hers. He swooped her up in his arms and kissed her hard. With a hurried pop he disapparated them both to the house. When they landed she looked around confused. He whispered to her that he had moved the house for safety reasons then refused to say anymore as he kissed her again, relieved that she was alright and that she was in his arms.

They lay on the bed, Hermione curling into his chest her eyes drifting shut immediately. "Hermione?"

"Hmm?"

He took a deep breath, he wasn't going to make the same mistakes he made with Lily, this time he was going to say what he meant. "I never want to loose you." Wow. That sounded sappy. He refrained from rolling his eyes and making a snarky comment to de-tenderize the situation.

Hermione slowly raised up on one elbow and looked at him with her eyes narrowed. He swallowed. Maybe he should've just left his mouth shut. Hermione was trying to figure him out then smiled. She understood. "I love you too Severus Snape." Then she cuddled back into his chest and promptly fell asleep. Severus stared at her wide eyed. Was that what he had meant?