A/N: Hullo, it is I the disappearing author, back again :P Hope everyone is doing well :D As ever thank you so so much to everyone who has stuck with this story or started reading recently! This chapter is basically an intermission and about 80% fluff. Which I honestly just really needed to write after the last couple of chapters. Hopefully you guys will enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it in any case :) Let me know what you think! xxx Note
They were met by an anxious Madam Pomfrey when they entered the Hospital Wing.
"Oh, thank goodness, Severus, is Miss Granger alright? Did you see the Headmistress on your way here? I need to notify her immediately she's been beside herself, oh I'm so sorry I never should have let that evil woman take her anywhere!"
"Breathe, Poppy. Miss Granger is injured but not in any immediate danger. Do not blame yourself for things out of your control.", Severus said, attempting to calm the frazzled matron.
Hermione had fallen asleep in his arms about half way to the Hospital Wing, which was unsurprising all things considered. He placed her gently on one of the beds and sank down on the adjacent one with a groan. Exhaustion washed over him and he wished he could just stretch out and fall asleep.
"I'll alert Minerva while you take care of Hermione.", he said, scrubbing a hand over his face as Madam Pomfrey began bustling around the unconscious witch.
Reluctant to leave her side, but also not in the right frame of mind for casting a Patronus, he chose the next best thing. He made his way to the fire place in Madame Pomfrey's office, grabbed some floo powder and stuck his head in the fire after calling out for the Headmistress's office.
Minerva came into view almost immediately. She certainly looked like she had been beside herself, her hair had come loose from its tight bun and her face was lined with worry.
"Severus! Did you find her? Is she okay? Are you okay?"
"Merlin save me from panicked women.", he grumbled under his breath. "We're fine, Minerva, you can relax. I'm in the Hospital Wing, Poppy is just tending to Hermione, if you would like to come down."
The Headmistress let out a sigh of relief. "Yes of course, I'll be right there."
Severus nodded and pulled his head out of the fire, pinching the bridge of his nose briefly to fight off an oncoming headache. When he walked back into the main room of the Hospital Wing, Poppy was bustling around for a series of potions. Hermione was asleep still, the cuts on her face and neck beginning to heal. He sank back down onto the bed adjacent to her in an undignified heap of robes. Before the war he would not allow anyone to see him like this, would pretend that really he was all right and be his normal, caustic self, but right now he could not have cared less. All that matter was that Hermione was safe.
Poppy appeared before him and started casting some diagnostic charms. He was tried to protest but she just glared at him. With a deep sigh he leaned back on the bed and closed his eyes. Free of the pain in his scar for the first time in weeks and filled with the relief of an averted crisis he was asleep in minutes.
oxoxoxoxoxo
Hermione awoke with a start, her wand snapping into her hand automatically as she tried to orientate herself. After a moment, the shapes around her resolved themselves into the familiar outline of the Hospital Wing illuminated by the faint light of the rising sun and she breathed a sigh of relief. Looking around she spotted Severus asleep in the bed next to her. She watched him for a moment, distantly realising that this was the first time she had seen him sleep and tried to take in the enormity of what she had just been through. None of it felt real and it certainly didn't feel like it was over. She expected Cruz to burst through the doors at any moment.
Shivering, she pulled the blanket tightly around her and turned to face Severus. There was a tingle in her scar and after the weeks of agony she was shocked by the gentle sensation. Focusing on committing the image of the sleeping Potions Master to memory, she was able to put any thoughts of Cruz and the future out of her mind. As the sun rose and began to illuminate the room more fully she drifted back to sleep once more.
oxoxoxoxoxo
The next time she woke, Hermione found herself drenched in sweat, her heart beating fast in her chest, but with no clear memory of any dreams. Her head felt fuzzy and she instinctively tried to scramble away from the person hovering over her bed. Her wand snapped into her hand once more and she nearly toppled out of bed before she recognised Madam Pomfrey. The mediwitch had extended her wand as though she was about to cast a spell to stop her from falling, but relaxed when her patient stopped moving. "It's alright, Hermione, you're safe. I'm sorry if I startled you awake."
Hermione closed her eyes and let herself fall back on the bed, exhaling slowly to calm her breathing. She still felt exhausted even though she was sure she had slept more this night than any other night since Cruz had become her guardian. After a moment she opened her eyes and brushed some damp curls away from her face. "Sorry about that, I guess I'm still on edge."
Madam Pomfrey smiled and began casting a diagnostic charm. "Don't you worry about that dear, it's to be expected. I wouldn't be surprised if the symptoms of your PTSD are going to be a little worse over the next few weeks, but hopefully now that that woman has been removed from the school you will be able to take care of yourself and start healing." Pensively gazing at the hovering shimmers and runes from the diagnostic spell, she added, "In fact, your body seems to be exhibiting all of the usual symptoms I would expect from someone recovering from curse damage and magical exhaustion, but otherwise you're doing just fine. Thankfully, whatever you were being given that was destabilising your magic seems to have had no lasting effects. Severus should be along any moment now, he left early this morning to brew up a fresh batch of a potion to help cleanse your body of any leftovers of the curse. It is a rather unpleasant affair, but that way you should not experience any of the usual after-effects of being exposed to the Cruciatus."
Hermione nodded and a shiver went through her as if on cue. She remembered only too well how she had felt after her encounter with Bellatrix at Malfoy Manor. While Fleur had done the best she could when they were recuperating at Shell Cottage, she had not had anything on hand that would remove the traces of the curse from her system and Hermione had been plagued with the after effects for several weeks, at which point the taint had left her system on its own.
Madam Pomfrey had bustled off before Hermione had the chance to say anything else.
A minute later, she felt a vague tingle in her arm and looked up just in time to see Severus return to the Hospital Wing. If she focused, she could feel his presence and the gentle swell of magic passing between them that was slowly but surely knitting their souls together.
Even though she was nowhere near fully recovered, the absence of pain made it feel like a mountain had been lifted off her shoulders. A smile stretched unbidden across her face as she watched her Potions Master walking towards her. Only the way her muscles responded slowly and awkwardly reminded her that she had not smiled like that in a long time.
Severus placed a vial on the bedside table, then gracefully sank into the chair by her bed and reached out a hand to caress her face. His lips were curving gently into a smile of his own. She was surprised to see him so unguarded. "Good morning.", he said, dropping his hand. Before he could move out of range, Hermione stretched out her own hand and intertwined her fingers with his, relishing the simple contact.
Snape cleared his throat after a moment and shifted slightly uncomfortably. "I apologise, I keep expecting someone to walk in." Hermione squeezed his fingers. "Let them. They've got plenty of things to talk about already anyway, one more thing won't hurt. And anyway, anyone coming in to see me will probably know already."
He looked even more uncomfortable at that, then sighed and slumped forward, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"I know. It's just… I have not seen you in weeks, and this" -he gestured vaguely between them- "is so new and now we have the bond as well, it's just all a bit much." He noticed the smile drop from her face and hurried to continue before there was a misunderstanding. "I simply wish that I could whisk you away so that we have the time to explore our… relationship. I do not relish the thought of others speculating what is going on with us when it is all so fresh that we barely know ourselves."
Hermione felt a blush creep into her cheeks at the thought of being alone with him, and a very pleasant tingle shivered its way down her spine.
"I'm sure we can find some time once Madam Pomfrey releases me."
He raised an eyebrow, the teasing glint in his eye belying the disbelief in his voice. "Don't you have NEWT's to study for? I would not have thought that our resident know-it-all would have a minute to spare before they were over, especially now that the yearly crisis has been averted."
She laughed. "I really want to say I'm not that bad, but that would be a lie. But in all honesty, while these exams are extremely important to me, so are you, so I'm just going to have to make time."
He smiled a full smile at that, the likes of which she had never before seen on his face. He leant over her and kissed her gently. "Hermione Granger, giving up her study time. If this isn't one for the history books, I don't know what is."
She rolled her eyes at him, but the effect was somewhat ruined by the bright grin on her face.
"I'm so glad you're back."
Just then Madam Pomfrey returned with the potions Hermione would have to take along with the cleansing potion. She looked thoughtfully between the two of them, then turned to address Snape.
"If you're not busy, Severus, you might do me a favour and stay with Hermione after she takes the cleansing potion. I would prefer she not be alone through the process, as I'm sure you understand, and I have some other patients that I need to see to, so the help would be most appreciated. That is, unless you preferred I stayed with you instead, Hermione?"
The witch in question blushed. "No, that's alright, Madam Pomfrey, I know you have a lot of things to do."
Madam Pomfrey gave her a conspiratorial wink, causing the pink tinge on Hermione's cheek to darken further.
"Great, in that case here are the additional potions you'll need. I have also arranged for you to be able to take a bath afterwards, make sure to use the bath salts provided, they'll help ease any of the strain from the detox." She laid the potions out in the order they needed to be taken and then bustled off to deal with several second years who had slunk in half an hour previously, desperately trying to hide the blue coloured skin that had resulted from several beauty charms gone wrong.
Severus rose from his chair and made sure the privacy curtain was tugged properly closed behind Madam Pomfrey, before adding a layer of wards and silencing charms to ensure they would not be disturbed.
Hermione was inspecting the potions bottles. "I don't think I've come across this particular potion before.", she commented, pointing to the vial Snape had brought.
"Had Cruz not rudely interrupted your potions studies you would have come across it sooner rather than later in one of my notebooks. I developed this in my first couple of years as a professor. I did not think I would need to brew it again now that the war is over."
Hermione's face clouded briefly. "Sometimes I'm not convinced it's over yet. It feels like there is still a lot to do before we get the world that we fought for." For a moment they each lost themselves in their own brooding thoughts. With a sigh, Hermione reached out and squeezed Severus's arm, relishing the echoing tingle that ran through their bond.
"Anyway, I better take this before this shaking gets any worse."
Noticing the tremor in her arm, Severus felt the guilt well up inside him. It was not right that she should have to go through this pain. But saying that would only serve to make her feel worse, so he tried to keep his expression light and uncorked the first vial for her.
"You'd better lie down again.", he said. "Everyone reacts to this a little differently, but it should last no longer than half an hour, given the level of exposure that you experienced."
Hermione took the potions one after the other, too tired to spend a long time identifying them. She was sure one of them was a calming draught and another had the distinctive bitter taste of a nerve tonic. The cleansing potion tasted pleasantly of oranges and she was glad she drank that one last. As they waited for the process to begin, Severus told her that he had spent a lot of time experimenting to imbue it with a pleasant flavour, seeing as he himself needed to take it quite frequently. She smiled at that and was about to say something else, when she felt her magic flare violently around her.
The pain came first, ripping through her with unexpected violence. With it, she was transported back to the field outside Godric's Hollow, Cruz cackling over her. She felt herself convulse and worried that she might throw up. She was drenched in sweat, trying to keep the memories at bay, and felt the cold shivers as the residue from the curses she had endured began to ooze from her skin. As the potion did its work, she was caught in a waking nightmare of memories, and so was unsurprised to find herself sobbing in Severus' arms, as the images finally began to fade.
They were arranged clumsily, with Snape only half on the bed and Hermione clinging to his robes, her leg somehow tangled with his. After another few moments, Hermione felt her heartbeat slow down and she slumped tiredly against Severus' solid form. She felt as though she had just run a marathon while fighting off a bad case of the flu.
"Feeling better?", Severus enquired and Hermione barked out a short laugh.
"Maybe next year. That was horrible." She pulled back from him and shakily pushed her damp curls out of her face. "I know now why Madam Pomfrey recommended a bath."
He chuckled. "Muscle sores?"
She nodded. "It's exactly like when I had curse residue in my system last time, everything just happened faster."
"Of course. It is unfortunately most effective to just expel any curse residue from your system using the potion as it allows your body to then heal fully sooner, which can help to prevent more permanent damage from curse injuries. Believe me, if there was a more pleasant way to do this, I would have found it by now."
She held her hands up in surrender. "I wasn't trying to complain at all. This is definitely better than wandering around for weeks, trying to figure out why you can't stop shaking." She continued before they could get hung up on darker topics. After everything that had happened she was more than ready to move on from her demons. "Anyway, I'll do my best not to ruin your robes with my tears again any time soon."
He raised a disdainful eyebrow at her. "They are hardly ruined, Hermione. Are you a witch or not?" With that he passed his hand down his front, vanishing any evidence that she had ever cried.
She rolled her eyes at him. "Show off." Secretly however, she was glad to hear him snark at her. Not that she minded him being gentle and caring, but this just felt much more normal.
A breeze went through the room, making her shiver in her sweat drenched hospital gown.
"I think I had better have that bath.", she said and scrambled out of bed. A door shimmered into existence right next to her bed and she sent a mental thank you to the castle, glad that she would not have to venture outside of the curtains. Her legs still felt rather unsteady and she realised that she had not been on her feet since they had apparated back to Hogwarts the night before. Thinking that her knees were about to give out beneath her, she reached to grab onto the bedside table, and instead found a dark clad arm wrapped around her.
She smiled up at Severus as he helped her to the bathroom, feeling both grateful and embarrassed.
"You know you don't have to do this right? I'm such a mess right now, and I don't want you to feel like you need to take care of me."
"Give me some credit.", he responded gruffly. "I'd hardly be here if I didn't want to be, you should know that." His arm tightened around her as he closed the door behind them. There was a sunken tub already filled with steaming hot water and a large jar of bath salts next to it, in classic Hogwarts bathroom fashion, although this was nowhere near as over the top as the Prefects bathroom.
Hermione looked uncertainly between the bath and Severus, who pulled out his wand. With a flick of his wrist he conjured a wooden bench and transfigured one of the towels into a bathrobe.
"Let me know if you need anything else.", he said and pressed a kiss to her forehead before turning to leave. She grabbed his wrist to stop him and he turned back to her, his eyebrow raised.
"Aren't you going to stay to make sure I don't drown?", she asked, almost as surprised at her flirtatiousness as Severus seemed to be. A blush rose to her cheeks as he considered her for a moment. He smirked and lifted the hand that was holding his wrist up to his lips.
"I have every faith in your survival skills." There was a calculated glint in his eyes as he turned her hand gently and brushed his lips gently along the inside of her wrist. "But ask me again when we are truly alone and you might find that my answer has changed." Hermione shivered, although she was feeling rather the opposite of cold. She had never understood why anyone would want to share a bath with someone else, but she found the idea of sharing the steaming hot water in the tub with Severus and feeling his skin against hers utterly enticing.
She sat down on the bench and undressed as quickly as her shaky limbs would allow. As she poured the recommended amount of bath salts into the water a soothing vanilla scent filled the air. Sinking into the tub, she could feel the salts working their magic almost immediately and groaned as the last of the pain seeped from her body and her muscles relaxed.
As the steam gently curled around her, she leaned back and took a moment to take stock of herself. The last few weeks felt like one large blur in her mind, as though she had been desperately trying to keep her head above water and only now was able to come up for air. She felt a bone deep exhaustion, but for the first time she felt properly like herself again, not some hollow creature at the mercy of her nightmares. While there was much still to do to get her life back on track, and she also needed to learn to navigate a soul bond with a man she was only barely in a relationship with, she felt once more in control and able to move forward. The last of the rogue Death Eaters had been arrested with Cruz and for the first time in as long as she could remember she was as certain as could be that there wasn't anyone out to kill her or her loved ones. That and the knowledge that there was at least one person whom she could rely on completely settle like a comfortable warmth around her, more healing than any of Madam Pomfrey's treatments.
As she continued to relax in the warm water, she closed her eyes and tried to sense her magic. It felt no different now than before, but the real test would be the next time her temper flared. Now that it was not hurting her anymore, she could also feel the magical connection to Severus, the gentle ebb and flow of it, like a second heart beat. She could tell that he remained nearby, and wondered what else she would be able to sense as their connection deepened. Focusing on the feeling of safety that his presence projected, she eventually dozed off.
oxoxoxoxoxo
Forty minutes had passed and Hermione had not yet emerged from the bath. Severus anxiously fidgeted with the pages of his book, not actually reading any longer. Maybe he ought to have stayed to make sure she didn't drown after all, even though he was under the impression that that was not quite what she had been suggesting. At the same time, he was sure he would have felt something through their bond if she was actually in danger. Resolving to give her all the time she needed (another twenty minutes at most, surely after a whole hour spent in the bath he was allowed to be a little concerned) he closed his eyes and tried to feel out the gently pulsing niggle in his arm.
He had been slightly disturbed, when he felt a strange sensation seemingly originating form his Dark Mark after the pain had finally gone, as the area was mostly numb ever since the Dark Lord was dead. His relief had been intense, when he realised that it must be the bond. Knowing what it was, he was able to find an odd sense of peace in focusing on the connection between them. Silently marvelling at the gift their magic had bestowed upon them, he nearly missed the door to the bathroom opening.
"Sorry I took so long, I think I dozed off for a bit."
He looked up and his heart skipped a beat. Hermione's face was flushed from the heat of the bath, her curls piled haphazardly on top of her head, looking to be still somewhat damp. She was wrapped in the thick, white robe he had transfigured for her and Severus was sure he had never seen anyone more beautiful in his life.
She frowned when he kept staring at her. "What?"
He shook himself, and was sure that he had intended to say something appropriately snarky. What he said instead was: "You are so beautiful, Hermione."
She rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly, and tried to look away from him. "Uhm, thanks. I guess a good nights rest really does do wonders."
He was standing in front of her, his hands cupping her face, with no recollection of having left his chair. Gazing into her golden eyes, he tried to convey as much of his conviction as he could.
"Sleep, or no sleep, you are beautiful, carissimi.", he whispered and kissed her deeply. Hermione melted in his arms and he could feel her lips curving into a smile against his lips.
"Thank you.", she replied and wrapped her arms around him, savouring his embrace.
They pulled apart and Hermione let herself sink onto the bed. She found some clothes in the bedside locker and excused herself briefly to put them on. When she returned she felt much more put together and steady on her feet. "Do you think Madam Pomfrey might let me recover in my own rooms?", she asked Severus who had returned to reading his book.
He placed a finger between the pages to mark his place. "I suppose you'll have to ask her yourself. Are you feeling much better then?"
She nodded so emphatically that some curls escaped from her bun and into her eyes. Huffing, she tucked them behind her ear, then held out her hand to demonstrate it was no longer shaking. "The potion and the bath really did their work. I'm still exhausted and I assume my magic hasn't completely regenerated, but I would much rather rest somewhere other than here."
"Hermione? May we come in?", a female voice called before Severus had the chance to do more than nod. Hermione looked surprised, then smiled, recognising Ginny.
"Sure!", she called and the curtain parted to reveal a grinning Ginny and serenely smiling Luna.
Her two friends bounded through, but stopped short at the sight of their potions professor. The youngest Weasley tried her best not to gape. Before she could embarrass herself, Luna transfigured two more chairs, gently nudged Ginny to sit in one and gracefully sank into the other one.
"Good to see you, Professor. Are you recovered from the battle?", Luna enquired. If Severus was surprised that she was so cordial he didn't show it.
"For the most part, yes, thank you for asking, Miss Lovegood." The Ravenclaw witch smiled brightly at him, then turned to Hermione. "And how about you?"
Hermione shrugged. "I won't be able to do much magic for a couple of days, but other than that I'm mostly fine. I was just going to go find Madam Pomfrey and see if she would let me recover in my own rooms."
"What actually happened? McGonagall only told us that there had been some kind of battle with Cruz and that the aurors and Sn- Professor Snape were involved and that you were in the Hospital Wing.", Ginny queried.
Severus caught Hermione's eye and subtly tilted his head towards the exit, to see if she wanted him to go. She frowned at him and he raised an eyebrow, the hint of a smirk in his eyes. He settled more comfortably into his chair and reopened his book, pretending to ignore everything around him as Hermione gave her friends a brief version of the events of the last twenty-four hours.
"I can't believe it!", Ginny exclaimed. "I didn't even know there was a way to take someones magic."
"If you put your mind to it, most things are possible with magic, they might just have unintended consequences.", Luna chimed in.
Hermione shuddered. "Well I'm glad we didn't find out if it actually worked. It's still not over though, I'm really worried about the trial. After how my hearing went, I'm convinced she has supporters in the Ministry that we don't know about."
"Yeah, but there were so many eyewitnesses, they'll have to send her to Azkaban!"
Hermione pulled her knees up to her chest and leaned back against the pillow. "I guess we'll have to wait and see, I can't imagine they'll have it before the New Year. Too much-"
She was interrupted by raised voices outside the privacy curtains.
"I said no!", Madam Pomfrey exclaimed loudly. "My patient, my rules. You can go see her as a friend, but none of you will speak to Miss Granger officially until I say she is well enough." There was a brief pause and a muttered response. "No, I'm sorry, just you, Mr Potter. And if you upset her in any way, I will make sure you are all returned to the castle gates before you can say Wingardium Leviosa."
There was more muttering, and the sound of stomping footsteps leaving the Hospital Wing. Then more gentle steps neared her curtained off bed, and the head of Harry Potter appeared in the curtain gap.
"Hi, Hermione. Can I come in?"
"Someone is popular today.", Snape muttered, nose still buried in a book.
Harry stared at him, then at Hermione. She smiled and waved him in.
"You'll have to conjure your own chair, if you can even find somewhere to put it."
He laughed. "I'm sure I'll manage." With a wave of his wand, a chair appeared between Ginny and Luna and he plopped into it, bending over briefly to kiss his girlfriend's cheek.
"What did you do to upset Madam Pomfrey?", Luna enquired. Harry dragged a hand through his hair with a rueful expression.
"I originally came to take Hermione's statement and Kingsley insisted I be accompanied by some fully trained aurors, as it's against policy to send a trainee on their own. But Madam Pomfrey thinks you're not well enough yet, so she wouldn't let us in and well… Auror Finn didn't go to Hogwarts so he wouldn't accept it at first. Probably grumpy that he came all this way for nothing. Oh and Ron is here, too."
Hermione visibly paled. Severus snapped his book shut and stared straight at Harry. He remembered all too well the things the imbecilic redhead had said at Hermione's hearing, as well as the bruises he had left on her shoulders.
"Well, Madam Pomfrey had the right idea when she only let you in.", Ginny said. Harry frowned at her.
"He's just worried about Hermione." He turned to Hermione. "I think he wants to make up and apologise for what happened between you guys."
Hermione clutched her knees more tightly to her chest, placing her chin atop them. She didn't know how to feel about Ron anymore. Given everything that had happened recently, she hadn't really had time to evaluate their situation. He had hurt her time and time again, and despite how much they had been through together and how close they had been at one point, she wasn't sure if there was any friendship left to save. What she did know for sure was that she did not want to see him right now.
"Ginny is right, Harry.", she said after a moment.
Harry sighed. "I guess it's too much to ask that my two best friends at least tolerate each other. I really miss the times when we were a proper trio. Even though I understand that he has done things that you aren't okay with."
Hermione could practically feel the tension radiating off of Severus. "I'm sorry, Harry, but I don't know when or if that will happen again."
"Oh, that is quite enough!", Snape snapped.
They all turned to stare at him.
"Don't look at me like that, Potter, you clearly have no idea what you are talking about."
Harry frowned at his former professor. "With all due respect, sir, Ron and Hermione have always fought. I know you care about Hermione, but so does Ron. I know he's messed up a lot and I understand it will take time, but I don't know what your problem is here."
Snape's expression had turned icy. "Oh he cares about her, does he? And are you going to tell me that the bruises he left on her, that I ended up treating, are a sign of that care?", he spat.
Silence reigned for a full minute. "What do you mean bruises?", Harry asked at the same time as Ginny exclaimed, "He hurt you?"
Hermione sighed. "I don't think I ever told you properly about the time Ron and I met in Hogsmeade and finalised our break up?"
Ginny made a face. "Was that when I still thought that you guys could fix things?"
Hermione nodded. "I'm so glad you stopped that by the way. It was just before that article in the prophet about me and Draco and the hearing, actually, and by the time we started talking again the hearing was a lot more important than anything that happened with Ron." She turned and looked at Harry. "I never told you or Ginny any of the things he did while we were in a relationship, because I didn't think it was fair to drag you into it. And I guess I thought I could handle it myself."
"You could have told me at least!", Ginny complained. "I know my brother is a prat."
Hermione laughed. "Well, I think you might have hexed him for what he did in Hogsmeade. The long and the short of it is that he wanted to try to rescue our relationship and when I told him no he said some nasty things… and then later when I was heading back to the castle he waited for me and started going on about it again. That's when he grabbed me and well… it was a close thing that I didn't hex him to be honest. I didn't realise it had bruised until later."
"Merlin, Hermione, you should have said something.", Harry exclaimed, an expression of horror on his face.
"And what good would it have done? He's your best friend and I already ruined enough by ever letting myself be pressured into a relationship with him, it's not a decision we should have made during the final battle, let's be real. And in any case, it's not like I was talking to anyone about anything at the time. The PTSD test might have been a disaster, but it wasn't exactly wrong. I've a lot of work to do if I want to get better. And Ron has hurt me. A lot. So it's better if I don't see him for now." She was still hugging her legs and fixed a spot on the blanket in front of her. She really didn't want to make things awkward between Harry and Ron because of something to do with her, but at the same time she was glad that Severus had brought this up so Harry would stop trying to make things right between his friends.
There was an awkward kind of silence, as her friends digested what she said. Hermione was broken out of her own thoughts when a small hand reached out and gently rested on her shoulder. "I'm sorry you had to go through that, Hermione.", Luna said and received a shaky smile from her curly haired friend in return.
"He shouldn't have hurt you.", Harry said in a flat voice and Hermione turned to look at him. He was pale and looked almost as though he was in shock.
"I don't think he realised what he was doing to be honest, Harry, and you know full well what I would have done to him if he actually tried to raise a hand to me. You're right though, he shouldn't have, but you should bear in mind that Ron has done and said things that were a lot more hurtful than those bruises."
Severus made an odd noise next to her, but didn't say anything else. Harry nodded slowly, then sighed. "I'm sorry, Hermione, you know how much I hate it when you guys fight, but I'll just have to get over myself. I really just want all of us to be happy, you know?" He rubbed the back of his neck ruefully. Hermione managed a small smile and then leaned back against her pillows, suddenly exhausted. "I know, Harry, let's not talk about it anymore, okay?" He looked as though he did want to talk about it more, but didn't say anything else for a moment.
Ginny looked at the time and frowned. "It's nearly time for dinner, we should get going. Are you staying to eat, Harry?" She looked at her boyfriend hopefully, but he shook his head.
"Unfortunately not, we have to get back to the Ministry. I'll do my best to make time to see you, when I'm coming to Hogwarts next, with all these newly arrested Death Eaters, they're making us do over time."
Ginny tried to hide her disappointment, but did not manage very well. "Alright then. I guess I'll settle for walking you out then."
"I'll save you some pudding at dinner.", Luna grinned and was already out of her chair. "Beware of snargaluffs, Hermione, and hopefully you'll feel better soon!", she added before skipping away.
"I better get going as well.", Harry mumbled, still looking uncomfortable. "Tell you what Hermione, how about you send me an owl when you're feeling better? The Ministry really did do a horrible job with this, so as far as I'm concerned they can wait a couple of days for your statement, there's enough other things to do anyway."
Hermione smiled at him. "Thanks, Harry, I'll do that. Sorry you came all this way for nothing."
He brightened up at that. "Nah, it wasn't for nothing, I got to check in and see how you were doing after all." He leaned in and gave her a tight hug. "Ron's my best friend, but so are you, Hermione. What he did to you wasn't okay, any of it."
She sighed again. "I appreciate that, Harry, but I don't want you taking sides. Ron isn't always like that and I'm sure he has some issues of his own to work through. It doesn't mean I forgive him and it doesn't mean I want to hear his apologies, but I would also never make you chose between us, okay? Just because we're not precisely a trio anymore doesn't mean you can't be friends with both of us."
He looked almost relieved at that. "Thanks, Hermione. Just… You won't think I'm dismissing what happened just because I'm still friends with him?"
"No. Now shoo, before Madam Pomfrey comes to kick you out."
"Alright, alright, I'm going. Take care of yourself, Hermione, and I'll see you soon, okay?"
She smiled. "Yes."
As soon as her friends had gone, Hermione flopped onto her back and stretched with a groan. "I love my friends, but they are exhausting."
Severus chuckled from next to her, his nose stuck in his book once more. "They are certainly something.", he said diplomatically, then ruined it by adding darkly "Potter is lucky that he didn't actually know what happened when he said those things."
Hermione reached out an arm to grasp his hand. "I can take care of myself, you know."
He fixed her with his gaze, staring intently for a very long moment. "I know. So you may throw the first hex. Or punch, whichever you prefer really. And I will be there to have your back and pick up the pieces… And to throw my own hex if necessary."
She smiled wickedly in response. "I have been known to punch first and hex later. And I hope you know that this goes both ways?"
His eyes glittered. "I certainly hoped you would feel the same. Between you and me we will have all of the dunderheads cowering in fear of our tempers." He squeezed her hand and delighted when she returned the pressure.
"You know I never realise that I can be scary until I get mad about something and Harry and Ron try to run for the hills."
They sat in comfortable silence for a while, hands clasped and lost in their own thoughts. Eventually, Madam Pomfrey appeared with dinner for the two of them.
"Madam Pomfrey, I meant to ask!", Hermione called after the mediwitch before she could leave again. "Would I be able to finish recovering in my own rooms?"
The mediwitch frowned for a moment then nodded to herself. "I'll do some checks on you after dinner and decide then."
As promised, the mediwitch returned when they had finished their food and spent twenty minutes casting and thoroughly studying diagnostic charms. Eventually she sighed. "No magic for another two days. And no studying. Your body and mind need time to recover, but there is no immediate danger to you, so if you promise to rest you may go. If I find out that you did not follow these rules you will be back here for a week with no access to your wand or your study material. Is that clear?"
Hermione nodded, surprised by the stern demeanour. Madam Pomfrey had been a lot gentler with her in the past months. "I promise, Madam Pomfrey. I just want to sleep in my own bed."
The mediwitch cast a furtive glance at Severus. "See that you do get plenty of sleep, insomnia allowing, Miss Granger. And make sure to come for another check up on Sunday evening."
Hermione nodded, and thanked the matron for her care. Madam Pomfrey pretended she had not heard this and disappeared somewhere else with a muttered "You had better rest as well, Severus, but I won't waste my breath telling you what to do."
He let out what sounded like a snort and then turned to Hermione, who was just finishing putting on her shoes.
"Shall we?", he asked, offering her his arm.
"Yes. I've spent far too much time here this year.", she sighed and felt relieved as they left the Hospital Wing behind. Severus directed them through several secret passages so as to avoid being seen by any students on their way back from dinner. Hermione firmly pushed any thoughts of what would happen once their story made the prophet out of her mind.
When they finally arrived at her entrance portrait it felt like it had been weeks and not days since she had been here last. She whispered the password and the portrait swung aside.
Stepping inside, she breathed a sigh of relief at being home. She went to plop herself on the sofa but found Severus hovering by the portrait, looking uncharacteristically unsure of himself.
"Would you like me to stay, or should I leave you to rest?", he enquired, his tone carefully neutral. She moved to stand in front of him.
"I intend to spend as much time as physically possible with you, so unless you need some space then I would prefer if you stayed."
There was a glitter in his eyes and his shoulders relaxed. "That sounds acceptable.", he drawled, tugging an escaped curl behind her ear. "Perhaps we might have that talk?"
She nodded. "Probably a good idea. Merlin knows, we probably won't have much time after this weekend, I'm trying very hard not to think about what's going to be in the Prophet."
Severus groaned and moved past her to sit down. He waved his hand and a tea set appeared. "I would definitely prefer to put that thought on hold." He offered her a cup of tea and Hermione felt a flutter in her chest at the warmth in his eyes. Things felt so awkward and raw and new right now, but at least they were both here, together and surely everything else would follow.