CHAPTER THIRTY - THE DEATH OF US
In a dramatic mix of emotions, Hermione found out about the birth of Edward Remus Lupin the same day in early April she found out that the snatchers captured Harry, Ron and Ginny who then escaped at the expense of Dobby's life. Hermione replied to Remus and Tonks' letter with a shaky hand, using all her occlumency skills to find the proper amount of joy to send to them. She mourned Dobby silently but shared the victory of the group saving Luna with Neville who was charmingly ecstatic.
She replied to Severus' information with a sombre note, grateful that he still found a way to tell her even though they had not shared a private moment together since he gave her the veritaserum. It was not for lack of trying, but sometimes when Hermione tried to go to him, he was asleep or he wasn't on castle grounds.
Blaise had proven himself useful. Hermione wasn't sure if he was actively recruiting Slytherins to their side or if he was just the kind of person who people were willing to talk to. Over the course of the month, their Slytherin numbers increased dramatically, and Blaise seemed willing to share information he overheard about attacks on students or other such things. Neville found a way out of the castle and into Hogsmeade straight from the Room of Requirement. It was a victorious find but Hermione felt an unease with Aberforth she couldn't explain. All in all they were well supplied and well prepared. As much as they could be really.
One morning an owl swooped low over her breakfast, depositing a small package, and flying away without so much as a nibble at her toast. Hermione pulled the note from underneath the twine and read it carefully, making sure no one was peering over her shoulder:
H,
Inside this box is a series of very important memories. I ask that you not experience them, but you must give them to Potter before he takes on the Dark Lord. He needs to watch these.
S
Hermione stared at the small package before turning her head to look at the staff table. Severus was watching her with dark, inscrutable eyes. When their gazes locked, he nodded at her nearly imperceptibly, and Hermione returned the gesture. The box was small enough to fit into the pocket of her jeans and she warded it with a few spells to prevent theft or the box falling out.
That same evening, everyone received a shock when Neville came back through the tunnel from the Hog's Head Inn one day with Harry, Ron, and Ginny in tow. Hermione felt tears threatening as she rushed forward to grab Harry and Ron at the same time, then burst into a fit of laughter as she hugged Ginny.
"You three look awful! What happened to you?"
"Mostly this is breaking into Gringotts and breaking out riding a dragon."
"You're joking." Hermione gaped at Ginny.
"Not even a little. It's barbaric what they did to that dragon."
"What about the...you knows."
"We've got most of them but we think the last one is here in Hogwarts, not including the snake."
"Nagini?"
"Yeah."
Hermione glanced around and the mass of students, more than excited to see Harry Potter in their midst again. Ron was talking quietly with Neville at the edge of the room.
"What's been going on here?" Ginny asked, redoing her braid. "I can't believe Snape is headmaster."
"The worst part has been the Carrows and Filch. They think because the school is under Death Eater control they can get away with whatever they want."
"I'm sure Snape lets them."
Hermione felt a flare of anger and squashed it. "Headmaster Snape was furious when he found out they were torturing us. Besides, we weren't going to let them get away with it."
"That's the Hermione I know. What's with the room?"
"Most of us moved here instead of staying in the dorms. It's safer and we've been training, like we used to do with the DA."
Ginny was quiet for a moment, surveying the scene around them. "I'm really proud of you, you know. It can't have been easy making the choice to stay. And I'm sorry I was such a pain about… the dreams."
"It's okay. You were protecting Harry and I think anyone in this room can respect that."
"Did you ever figure out why you were calling out his name?" Ginny was not one to be distracted.
"No and I'm guessing it stopped since all of us have been sleeping in the same room for months and no one had said anything. Tell me more about what happened with you guys?"
It was enough, and so Ginny told her all the details about their search for the horcruxes. How it was mostly scavenging for food and arguing. She described the horrible effect the locket had on them and how Ron disappeared for months because the locket fuelled his rage about Harry and herself. Ginny told her about finding the sword and the book and Hermione imagined Severus out there in the frozen forest in his robes and the scarf tied around his neck. Ginny spoke in detail about what happened with Mr Lovegood, the snatchers, Malfoy Manor, and Gringotts. At some point Neville interrupted her to tell them he contacted Luna and other past DA members who were all going to return to Hogwarts through the tunnel.
Luna returned, several other previous DA members in tow including the Weasley twins, Neville was the first to greet her, then Hermione. Luna was matured, some of her dreamy qualities taking on an edge that reminded Hermione strongly of Sterling and his mystical qualities.
Almost as soon as Luna arrived she was off again, taking Harry to show him something to do with Rowena Ravenclaw and a horcrux. It was not long after when McGonagall's voice rang out throughout the school, summoning students to the Great Hall. The group in the Room left together, and stuck close by each other as they made their way to the hall. They stood slightly separate from the other houses, a kaleidoscope of house colours, school robes, muggle clothes, and pyjamas.
"The Carrows have been temporarily dealt with and Headmaster Snape has fled the grounds." McGonagall informed the crowd.
Hermione breathed deeply to control her concern. He would be fine. He had to be.
"While we have time, any of the older students who wish to fight, may stay and do so. Anyone underage must accompany Madam Pomfrey and Auror Proudfoot out of the castle."
There was a shuffle as the younger students said goodbye and created a group near the doors of the Great Hall. Two of the older DA members volunteered to go with the younger Slytherins that had been hiding out in the Room of Requirement. Ginny hid herself behind taller students, refusing to leave after all she had already done. When the group finished gathering, there were only a handful of older students who chose to leave, most seemed to be Slytherins. The rest of the older students, including Blaise, were standing determinedly with their houses, wands clenched in their fists. Madam Pomfrey urged the students to follow her while Auror Proudfoot took up the rear. In the quiet of their leaving, the other professors could be heard muttering charms and spells and Hermione realized they were doubling down on protection. Statues and suits of armour clattered to life and Filch gleefully ordered Peeves to wreak havoc on anyone who wasn't Hogwarts staff or student, with the exception of the Carrows.
Order members were flooding the hall, faces Hermione recognized and didn't, but every single one she was all too happy to see. Their numbers didn't feel like enough, even with the animated pieces of the castle and the ghosts. On the other side of Hogwart's wards were an unknown number of Death Eaters, giants, dementors, werewolves, and Merlin only knew what else. The Order members and professors were devising a plan and starting to break students up into groups with an Order member and auror each. Hermione felt a tug on her arm and she looked behind her to see Ron.
"What is it?"
"We still need a way to destroy the Horcruxes when we get the last ones."
"What about the sword?"
"We don't have it anymore."
"Right, Griphook." Hermione's eyes travelled the ever-growing crowd and landed on Ginny. "Ron, didn't Harry say he destroyed Riddle's journal with a basilisk fang."
"Yes! We could go down to the chamber and get one."
"How, we'd need Harry to -"
"No, I've got it, I think I can remember the Parseltongue."
"Ron this isn't a good time for -"
"Just trust me, yeah?"
Hermione looked at Ron, thinned down from the horcrux search, his clothes still a mess from the break in at Gringotts. "Yeah. Let's go."
The pair slipped away from the Great Hall, making quick work of avoiding any distractions with the map. When they reached the bathroom, Ron pointed out the small snake etched into the sink handle. It took a couple tries and then suddenly, the sinks were shuddering and moving and the one they stood in front of sunk out of the way, revealing a massive tunnel. Hermione made a noise in the back of her throat.
"I know you guys told me I was right about the pipes, but it's something else seeing it."
Ron grinned. "Just wait til you see what else is down there. I mean I didn't see it all, but you know."
Hermione smiled and nodded, taking the plunge into the chamber first. The crunch of bones under her feet made her nauseous and she quickly asked Ron to get them out of that area. Ron led them until they reached a pile of rubble, a deformed snake's head sticking out from underneath.
"This is its shed skin?"
"Yeah, it was more impressive then but it's held up creepily well."
"And Lockheart tried to obliviate you here?"
Ron snorted. "Only time I was ever thankful for that broken wand."
"Our lives have been insane."
"So messed up."
Ron led them to the hole he had cleared nearly five years ago, which was too small for them now. The pair worked together to open the clearing more, their advanced magic making it quicker work than it had been with a twelve-year old Ron and an incapacitated Lockhart. They climbed through, where more of the shed snakeskin poked out from underneath the rubble. Hermione's eyes stayed locked on it as they moved down the tunnel until they reached a circular door covered in carved snakes. Ron rubbed the back of his head.
"Harry forgot to mention this."
"Try the same Parseltongue you used before."
The stone snakes responded, slithering around the circular door. Each complete movement shifting a locking mechanism. When they settled, Ron pulled the door open.
"Good idea!"
"Nice Parseltongue." Hermione grinned.
The sight before them soured their good moods, both of them stumbling as they entered the final chamber. The rows of giant snake statues loomed threateningly on either side and Hermione could just see the statue at the end that she knew to be Salazar Slytherin. Below it the mass of the basilisk breached the shallow pool. The stones were wet as they approached, and Hermione lifted her sleeve to her nose to block the faint smell of decay. The sealed chamber had preserved the basilisk well, but the moisture inside had caused slow decay.
Hermione shivered. "It's still scary even dead. And huge."
"Does it remind you of, you know, being petrified?"
Hermione nodded. "But mostly I can't believe Harry fought this thing and won, at twelve."
Ron shook his head. "Messed up lives."
"Seriously."
Approaching the corpse, Hermione could see the gaping spot where the fang was missing. She reached for the same fang on the other side and Ron started working on one of the smaller ones from the bottom.
"I hope there's still venom in this." Ron wrinkled his nose in disgust.
"There should be enough, it hasn't decayed too much. Let's go."
Hermione stood, proudly brandishing her fang and Ron did the same. With a whoop, Ron caught her off guard, pulling her in close to him and planted a kiss on her mouth. Hermione pushed away, wiping her hand across her lips.
"I'm sorry, Ron, I can't."
"Yeah, no it's okay."
"It's just there's -"
To her surprise, Ron smiled. "You don't need to explain. I thought that was a good idea, but honestly it didn't feel the way I expected it to."
Hermione heaved a sigh. "I'll have to explain later, but let's go."
As they made their way back out of the tunnels, Hermione decided that when the war was over, she would have to come clean, at least to Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Remus. They needed to know. Not because anything ever really happened with Severus, and not that it ever would, but it seemed reasonable to tell them the truth about the bond. It would put a lot in place for Remus, but she wasn't so sure what the others might think.
On the surface, it was clear that the offensive against her home had begun. Hogwarts was shuddering with the force of Death Eaters trying to break through. Portraits were running around in their frames, while small clusters of students were frantic. Hermione stopped one of the portraits and asked for an update.
"He Who Must Not Be Named said we have until midnight to hand Harry Potter over and no one else gets hurt, of course no one is giving up Harry. The bridge is the weakest point of defence now!" The portrait rushed away.
Hermione and Ron looked at each other.
"Let's go back to the Room, see if Harry is there." Hermione suggested.
"Good idea. We stashed the Hufflepuff cup there too so we can destroy that!"
It was so insanely simple, not that the cup went down easy when they got it. But Hermione couldn't believe just stabbing the thing with a basilisk fang was all that it took. She should have read the splitting part of Souls better before sending it to her friends. The images the cup evoked in order to protect itself were horrible and dark and Hermione thought that maybe if she hadn't been practicing occlumency she might have succumbed. The same maybe could have been said for Ron, if he hadn't spent most of the year stuck with the locket. It wasn't long after when Harry showed up and they rapidly exchanged information about the lost diadem and the cup. The three urged Ginny, Tonks, and Augusta Longbottom to leave the Room, and the women finished sealing the tunnel to Hog's Head Inn before going out to join the defence.
The Room of Requirement became the Room of Lost Things, and inside they split up. The only thing Hermione would remember later was the way the Fiendfyre consumed everything with violent hunger, including its caster, Crabbe, and Harry's genuine goodness as he saved Malfoy and Goyle. Even against the overwhelming dark, he stood strong. Later, Ron would remind her about everything else, including the way the screeching diadem crumbled. Malfoy and Goyle disappeared, and the trio ran to join the fray, several portraits shouting that defences had been breached and Death Eaters were coming from the Forbidden Forest. They came across several battles, helping as they ran past until they were joined by Fred and Percy. The five of them battled a group of Death Eaters. Their victory was short lived, followed immediately by an explosion. In the dust, they found Percy's crushed body. They did their best to protect him, to come back for him later, and when they tried to run, acromantulas invaded through the new whole in the wall. Ron staggered, but his resolve heldー he would mourn later.
Hermione, desperate to bring it all to an end, grabbed Harry by the shoulder. "Harry! We need to get to Voldemort, you have to use your connection!"
Hermione and Ron guarded Harry as they moved him through the rubble and Fred ran off to find George. The handful of seconds it took Harry to link with Voldemort and come back felt like eternity to Hermione. Her nerves were on edge and she kept feeling a tug in her chest that she knew was the pull, but she couldn't listen to it. Not now. Harry opened his eyes, panting, rubbing his hand on his forehead.
"The Forbidden Forest!" He looked between his two best friends; eyes unfocused for a moment.
"We can kill Nagini," Ron growled, revenge clearly etched on his face.
The three ran, donning the invisibility cloak as they went, sending sporadic curses and hexes to help with the battles they scurried past. It was a blur of violence and Hermione relied on instinct as they ran, struggling to stay under the cloak. Barely a thought crossed her mind as they rescued Malfoy once again, or as she blasted Fenrir Greyback away from Lavender's body.
She watched Hagrid disappear into the forest with a tidal wave of giant spiders. She had no idea what Harry meant by 'I guess we have to follow the spiders again'. All she knew was that they were heading in the same direction the pull was telling her to go and it was a relief. And it would have been fine except for the dementors that descended upon them. Their unexpected attack ripped the joy from her body.
She was going to die. Percy was dead, and so was Lavender, and there were so many bodies around them. And something was wrong with Severus, and she wasn't going to make it to him in time…
Three patronuses flew past, casting bright, white light onto the dementors. They cowered against the onslaught, drawing back. Hermione felt warm breath return to her body and simultaneously she and Harry cast their patronuses, banishing the dementors for good. With her head clearing, Hermione pushed at Ron, encouraging him to follow Harry but a shout caused them all to draw up short. A handful of Death Eaters were running at them from a different part of the forest. They flicked spells at the two groups, wounding Seamus. Hermione looked at Harry, then at Luna, Seamus and Ernie behind them.
"Harry! Harry take this, watch it as soon as you can, you must! I'll help fend off the Death Eaters and get to Nagini." She pulled the small box from her pocket and thrust it in his hands. She wouldn't let Severus down.
Harry opened his mouth to protest, the words drowned out by an exchange of spells from the Death Eaters and the small group of students. Ron grabbed Harry's arm and started pulling him away, dragging him towards the Whomping Willow. Hermione joined Luna, Seamus, and Ernie and raised her wand against the much larger group of Death Eaters who were determined to get past them to Harry.
But she wasn't going to let that happen.
…
Severus could hear the battle; shouts and cries, the sounds of falling rubble and stomping giants. He could imagine the carnage, the damage, and he hated that he could do nothing about it. The periodic tug of the pull at his chest was the only thing that let him know Hermione was alive, though in danger. Of course, she was, everything evil had descended upon Hogwarts with a vengeful wrath. He had done what he could, but discrete curses in the middle of something like this wasn't enough. What was left of the Dark Lord's inner circle stood with him in the Forest; seven Death Eaters, plus Lucius and Narcissa. The Dark Lord paced in front of them, Nagini watching his movements, her large head swinging like a terrifying pendulum.
"Severus, please, come forward."
Fuck.
Severus stepped forward from the small group. "Yes, master?"
"You have been a most loyal servant. This is why I regret what I must do."
"My lord?" Fear struck him, the kind of fear he had not experienced in decades.
"I have been asking myself why the Elder Wand does not perform as expected and I have found only one answer. As you are the killer of the great Albus Dumbledore, the wand's allegiance belongs to you."
"That is not -"
"And so for the wand to be loyal to me, you must die."
Panic rose in his chest. He had hoped. What a dangerous thing, to think that he might survive. He could only wish now that Hermione had given Potter the memories. And that she had not watched them. He could not stand if that was how she remembered him. Yet… it was better than the legacy he left for everyone else. A traitor. A murderer. At least he could die knowing he succeeded; the Dark Lord never once doubted him.
"When the boy comes to me next, I will have all of the power of the Elder Wand in my hands, and I will be victorious."
Someone made a noise in the group behind him, protest perhaps. It sounded like Narcissa. She had long been disenchanted with the Dark Lord. It was a sad thought that she might be one of only two people who would mourn him.
"Nagini, kill."
The first strike was pure pain. It was worse than the cruciatus, worse than the flaming whip. The second strike felt like a nudge, an injection. The ring! Severus tapped the ouroboros as Hermione had instructed him and he barely felt the sting of the metal teeth. It wouldn't be enough. Not against Nagini. They hadn't made the potion strong enough. The third strike was hardly noticeable, a barely-there kick against his numbing body. He knew he was on the ground, but he couldn't remember falling. He hoped Hermione couldn't feel this, that the bond wouldn't alert her. It would only be a distraction.
Hermione.
He had fallen for her. Of course, he had. Of course, he loved her. He loved her with all he had. The bond pulsed and faded. It was the last thing Severus Snape felt.
Hermione gasped, clutching her chest. Something was wrong, very, very wrong. It felt like a piece of her had just been removed. Her head whipped around, searching for the attacker, but the Death Eaters were retreating from the castle. She ran to catch up with Neville, who was hurrying towards someone lying on the floor. Colin Creevey. Neville checked with several spells, but Hermione knew Colin was dead, it echoed off of the pain that was filling the void that opened up inside her.
I am calling a cease-fire. You have one hour. Dispose of your dead with dignity. Treat your injured. The voice rang out horribly loud all around them, inside their heads, it was like Voldemort was everywhere. At the end of that hour, Harry Potter must surrender himself to me, or I will kill everyone left alive.
The eerie stillness that began with the voice ended, and people quickly set into motion, gathering the injured, searching for bodies. Hermione moved numbly, helping carry or helping heal. She avoided the cluster of Weasleys crying over Percy's body, unable to face that much grief. She patted Trelawney on the back as the woman cried over a fallen professor. There was little to do but mourn. Those who were injured were tended to, and those who were dead were surrounded by those who cared for them. Hermione noticed Remus across the hall and made her way to him, stopping in her tracks when she noticed Tonks. She inhaled sharply; the pain filled void inside her aching even more so.
"Hermione." Remus' voice cracked, ragged with grief.
She couldn't say anything, but she collapsed onto the bench next to Remus, encircling him with her arms. Hermione thought he might resist, but he folded into her like a child, letting her run her fingers through his hair. She remembered the last time she felt like this, hollow, broken, and the gentle, unassuming way Severus had comforted her. She stroked his hair and passed her thumb over the edges of his ear, an endlessly repetitive motion that only stopped when he sat up, Voldemort's magnetised voice coming to them all once more.
Harry Potter is dead. He was killed as he ran away, trying to save himself while you lay down your lives for him. We bring you his body as proof that your hero is gone. The battle is won. Anyone who dares defy us will die and their whole family along with them. Those who join us will be rewarded in the new world.
It did not occur to her that she had not seen Harry in that hour. Oh Merlin, what had he done?
There was a murmur throughout the Great Hall and McGonagall took the lead, guiding everyone out through the double doors. Hermione heard her scream of despair before she even left the castle. Wails of protest, despair, grief, only grew louder at the sight of Harry in Hagrid's arms. Silence was forced upon them, and Hermione watched as Hagrid set Harry down at Voldemort's feet.
Voldemort's disparaging words echoed around them. Ron was the first to shout, defying the claims that Harry ran like a coward. Other voices joined Ron, even Hermione's as their despair turned fury. They were silenced again, and once more, Voldemort started his speech with the same vitriol. Someone streaked towards him out of the crowd and landed with a bang on the ground.
"Who is this who dares to keep fighting after they have lost?"
"That's Neville Longbottom that is!" Bellatrix cackled.
"Your bravery could be rewarded, young Neville. You would be a valuable Death Eater."
"Never!"
Voldemort jabbed his wand at Neville, binding him and with another wave of his wand, the sorting hat flew through the castle windows and Voldemort jammed it on Neville's head.
"There will be no more sorting, no more Ravenclaw, no more Hufflepuff, no more Gryffindor. The house of Salazar Slytherin will be good enough for everyone."
Voldemort lit the hat aflame. Hermione shoved her way closer to the front of the crowd, sure she could help, that she could do something, anything. But the call to action came from somewhere unexpected. The forest burst to life with thunder and war cries, and everyone watched, stunned, as the centaurs launched an attack on the remaining Death Eaters. Following closely behind them was Grawp, who started a brawl with what was left of the giants, screaming Hagrid's name. It was chaos and the defenders of Hogwarts unfroze, taking up their wands again, firing spells upon the Death Eaters from one side while the centaurs fought them on the other. The void that had filled Hermione flickered with light, a flame of dark hope that at least they could slaughter every last Death Eater.
And then another silence, unforced. The sword of Gryffindor gleamed above their heads and Hermione shoved her way towards it, just in time to see Neville slash the sword downwards, cutting off Nagini's head. Hermione could hear Voldemort's agonized scream, but it was quickly drowned out by another noise as the house elves raced from the castle with kitchen cutlery, shouting and stabbing at Death Eaters' legs. Hermione spotted Kreacher and Mory in the fray and blasted away a Death Eater who had aimed his wand at them.
"Hermione!"
Hermione whipped around to find Blaise calling at her from the crowd. With him was Draco Malfoy, the both of them fending off four Death Eaters. Hermione raced for them casting aggressive spells as she went, her emotions fuelling the magic that always came so easily to her. With their power together, they easily dispatched the bastards.
"Granger."
"Malfoy."
"Not the time guys, Hermione over there! Draco with me."
Hermione watched the pair join Slughorn and Trelawney, taking on one of the last of the Death Eaters before she ran to the direction Blaise pointed. She found herself nearly at the centre of the fray, between Luna and Ginny who were taking on Bellatrix. The woman was powerful and unhinged. A frightening combination.
There was a flash of light away from her battle and a body fell- it was not one that she recognized. There was a subsequent rush of motion as Slughorn ran to join Kinglsey and McGonagall against Voldemort himself.
In her distraction, Hermione noticed a green light and jumped at Ginny, barely shoving her out of the path of Bellatrix's killing curse. There was a shout from the crowd that had gathered, and Mrs Weasley barrelled forward, drawing all of Bellatrix's attention on her with a nasty hex. There were only the two battles left, only Voldemort and Bellatrix to handle. Hermione could see the three blonde heads of the Malfoy's gathered off to the side, but no one was paying them any mind.
"You - will - never - touch - our - children - again!" Mrs Weasley snarled between spells. With the final word, Mrs Weasley hit Bellatrix square in the chest with a spell filled with a mother's fury.
Bellatrix cackled and fell silent, dropping to the floor. Voldemort roared, blasting back his duellists and turning his wand on Molly Weasley. Hermione raised her arm, trying to protect the matriarch but a shield appeared before a thought formed in her mind. Every set of eyes in the hall searched for the source and there was a collective intake of breath as Harry appeared into the circle that had formed around the two duels.
"It's down to you and me." Harry said loudly.
Voldemort laughed. "It never has been, who will be your shield this time?"
"No one. I do this alone and there are no more horcruxes. One of us will die forever this time."
"Then it will be you. You are weak just like Dumbledore was."
"He was never weak."
"But where is he now? Rotting in a tomb while I am the most powerful wizard of all? He didn't know the magic I know! And where was his precious magic of love when he was falling from the astronomy tower? He's dead, I orchestrated his death! And I will kill you too."
"He knew your magic, but he was smart enough to never use it. And he is dead, but not because of you."
"Lies."
"Dumbledore chose how he was going to die, and he arranged everything with the man you thought was your most faithful servant."
A hiss of whispers passed over the crowd.
"Severus Snape was never yours."
The sound of his name burned inside Hermione's chest, the void ripping deeper into her, spreading. Where was he?
"The moment you started hunting down my mother, Snape belonged to Dumbledore. He was willing to betray you for the love he felt for her."
Voldemort laughed. "None of this matters. I crushed your parents, I crushed Dumbledore and I killed Severus Snape."
"No!" The gasp left Hermione's lips before she could stop it, a quiet protest that nobody heard over Harry as he continued to tell Voldemort where the Elder Wand's loyalties truly lay, from Dumbledore to Draco Malfoy, to himself.
There was a flash of red and green and a horrendous bang as the spells met in the middle of the circle. For a horrifying second, nothing happened, and then the Elder Wand ripped itself from Voldemort's grasp and flew across the room to Harry, the green light of the killing curse rebounding to hit Voldemort squarely in the chest. Disbelieving silence hung thick in the hair and then there was a rush of shouts and cheers as the crowd ran forward to hug Harry, congratulate him, or pat him on the back. Hermione couldn't move. When Severus fled the castle, she hoped that he did the smart and selfish thing- go to Wilmet Gardens, to wait out Voldemort's defeat. But knowing him, really knowing him, made that thought more and more ridiculous, especially as she felt that pull deep in her chest that had turned to something much darker. As she saw atrocity after atrocity in her castle, her home, she came to realize that he would not abandon this place or the people within.
But now there was nothing. Hope vanished into the void that was taking over most of her body. Her eyes moved numbly over the crowd, finding the faces of those she loved, her peers, her professors, members of the DA and the Order, and finally landing on the Malfoys, still hovering together undisturbed. They were kneeling now, and in their midst was a black mass…
"Severus." Hermione choked out. She stumbled towards them, her feet moving of their own accord.
The shouts of victory lulled into a low hum of chatter, but she hardly noticed. She was halfway there, she couldn't stop.
"Severus."
She was aware several heads turned toward her; it didn't matter. Lucius Malfoy stood defiantly, and Hermione gripped her wand to hex him out of her way but Narcissa Malfoy moved swiftly, gripping her husband's wrist and pulling him back down to the ground. Hermione fell on her knees between Draco and his father. There was no mistaking the figure that lay there, despite the blood that stained the whites peeking out from under his frock coat and covered half of his face. Hermione made a choking sound and reached forward, her hands grabbing at Severus' shoulders and chest. She checked the ring, feeling the descended fangs, but it didn't matter, not when his neck was torn and flayed. Her shaking hands moved to cup his face; his skin not quite warm enough against her own. She should have told him. She should have said she loved him at any chance she had, at least once. His rejection would have been better than this. Hermione let out a sob, aware of how loud the sound was in the sudden silence. She leaned her body over and pressed her lips against Severus', the good-bye she should have given him in person.
Magic pulsed, expanding then shrinking, and then expanding again. A giant pale dome emerged from the pair, passing through the crowd as it expanded. Some people screamed in pain, some gasped in surprise. The pulse of magic spread and radiated, growing to cover all of Hogwarts grounds. Those who had been staring at Hermione in confusion were now staring at the waves of magic in confusion or gathering around those who had screamed and collapsed. A few of the captured and bound Death Eaters shouted in pain and shriveled away. The magic pulsed again, drawing back into the couple, and Hermione collapsed next to Severus, her cheek on his chest.