A/N – I was stuck in Rewrite Chapter mode for a little while, but finally here is the next chapter.

Catsrule_Dogsdrool – I'm sure if there were Snape clones we would all be ordering one (hee hee!)

Clarity – Trust me, while Snape may love Hermione, he still dislikes Harry.

Melody/Monique – Hey, I'm glad you were fans of my W/G stories! Monique, your site rocks; I'm honoured to think that I inspired you to write BtVS fiction smile

Qe Too – I think that the line of Snape's in the previous chapter was bit cheesy too (winces) but it was nearly midnight at the time I wrote it and so my writing was a bit off!



Part 12

There was less dislocation travelling through the mirror this time, and Severus carefully set Hermione down on her feet. The mirror chimed once and resumed the appearance of an ordinary mirror, though a bronze circle now resided on this side of the frame as well. He frowned to himself. Voldemort's body could be left to rot for all he cared…but the skeletal remains of the other wizards deserved to be treated with respect.

"Mirror, countermand my last order and re-open to the realm we just left" he ordered crisply.

Perhaps Hermione picked up his thought for she nodded and while the others looked on in surprise, the Mirror of Erised murmured "As you wish". Its glass vanished, to again show the crumpled body and skeletons on the black floor beyond.

Professor McGonagall put a hand to her mouth. "What happened? Is Voldemort…."

Severus brushed a strand of black hair away from his face. "As you can see, Voldemort is dead thanks to his Avada Kedarva curse backfiring and killing him instead of Hermione and I" he said soberly, sarcasm absent from his voice for once.

Professor McGonagall gasped and Harry went pale, then he went to Hermione and hugged her. "You escaped that curse too!" Harry said in a fierce whisper.

Compared with the death of the greatest enemy of Hogwarts ever, a wonder like the Mirror of Erised speaking seemed commonplace.

Severus felt an unaccustomed wave of jealously sweep through him at the sight of Hermione in Harry's arms, but was darkly pleased when she gently removed herself from Harry's embrace. Harry stared at Severus, cold resentment in his eyes. The Potions teacher narrowed his eyes and stared back at Harry coldly, realising suddenly with his intuition that Potter hated the bond between himself and Hermione. Severus couldn't care less. [But if you make her life a misery because of that] Severus thought icily, [the next time you annoy me, you won't know what hit you!]

Dumbledore looked thoughtfully at Severus and Harry but said nothing.

Severus continued with what he was saying before to the others. "As for the skeletons – the Mirror of Erised was built by a Slytherin who would allow 'visitors' through, but they could not return unless a certain condition was met. Voldemort, who had taken over the body of Lucius Malfoy, paranoid and suspicious of my loyalty, found a way through the mirror – knowing that as a teacher I would eventually look at it."

"I regret that I was idiotic enough to do so, and once Voldemort found out I wasn't once of his pet grovellers after all…he dragged me through the mirror and decided that a slow death was a good plan for me" he said in a voice devoid of any emotion.

"Said plan was foiled by Miss Granger here who decided that it was her turn to be Gryffindor Hero of the Month" he added dryly, though without malice. He would never forget how close he had come to death and that he owed her an enormous debt as a result. But as much as he resented owing debts to people, this once did not weigh as heavy on him as his wretched debt to James Potter. Besides he was thinking of many…appealing ways that he could repay Hermione.

Dumbledore looked at him searchingly. "Are you seriously hurt?"

"Not now...the phoenix tears helped, thank you!" Severus said gruffly.

Dumbledore nodded, forbearing for now on commenting on the flicker of remembered torment in Snape's dark eyes. "No thanks are necessary – both of you have safely returned and Voldemort is dead. This day will be long remembered."

Then to both the surprise of Severus and Hermione, Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall both solemnly bowed to them both. Hermione's face was pink – no one had ever *bowed* to her before!

Professor McGonagall stared through the mirror at Voldemort's corpse as one would at something that was starting to smell bad. "His body must be destroyed of course" she sniffed.

"I'll do it!" Harry said quietly, yet with firm conviction in his voice. He had never enjoyed his encounters with Voldemort, yet he was feeling at the moment as if he should have been the one responsible for his death, not Hermione and Snape.

Those two…

On seeing Hermione in Snape's arms as he swept through the mirror…no portal...as if he owned it, Harry had felt a wave of anxiety then fury rush through him. Was Hermione hurt? And if so, then this would be something he would never forgive Snape for. But then Harry had seen that Hermione was not hurt, did not look upset at being held in his arms and how protectively Snape had held her (with a look of almost amazed triumph on his face) – and then Harry knew.

Hermione and Snape hadn't just defeated Voldemort (or they would never have returned through the mirror, that was for certain), they were on the way to becoming a couple now…and it had left a sour feeling in Harry's stomach. How had they become 'soul bonded' in the first place? Did he really want to know?

In the tense wait by the mirror before, Dumbledore had solemnly informed Professor McGonagall of the bond between Hermione and Snape. She had blanched…and then said faintly she had never heard anything so romantic!

Harry had felt like puking. It wasn't romantic - it was weird. The thought of them snogging, well, he didn't even want to go there. Why would Hermione find Snape sexy?

Wait until he told the others…

Professor Snape was looking at him, a faintly twisted smile on his face, waving a hand towards the mirror/portal. "Then by all means go and destroy Voldemort's body, Potter, I assume at your level you will know what to do. The mirror will stay 'open' until either Hermione or I say so at this end; mind you don't trip over the bones!" The others looked slightly uncomfortable.

"You would like that, wouldn't you?" Harry muttered and grasping his wand tightly, walked up to the Mirror of Erised…and passed easily through it as if he had walked into another room, Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall following.

Professor McGonagall shivered as she looked around at the replica mirrors that radiated out in circles, images of past wizards forever frozen in them, the black floor that seemed almost alive - and what lay on the floor. "I can well believe that a Slytherin created this place!" she muttered fretfully.

"Fascinating, isn't it?" Dumbledore said softly, watching as Harry approached the corpse of Lucius/Voldemort, the young wizard uttering in cold tones a spell that reduced the body to ash. Another spell was uttered and then even the ash was destroyed.

At last a terrible era was over.

Dumbledore knew that young Draco would rejoice at the news his father was dead as well, long lost to the dark magic of Voldemort.

Voldemort's shadow on the school had been like a subtle poison in everyone's soul, especially Harry. Now there was a chance at healing for everyone…but Dumbledore felt that knowledge of the bond between Severus and Hermione (which Dumbledore felt could not be severed now even with the darkest of curses) would be a poison that could fester if left unchecked. It was regrettable that there was bad blood between Severus and Harry, and perhaps that would never change.

Dumbledore looked back through the mirror and saw Severus and Hermione standing close together, talking to each other – neither of them aware or caring that casual conversation between a Slytherin and a Gryffindor was a rare sight indeed.

Professor McGonagall gazed at the skeletons sadly. "We can not leave them here like that Dumbledore – we must give them rest.

Dumbledore nodded and he bowed his head in silence for a moment, the others doing the same. On the other side of the mirror Severus and Hermione approached and bowed their heads also.

"You found what you were seeking, but it brought you ill" Dumbledore said respectfully to the skeletons. "May your restless spirits find peace." He waved his wand and a golden light shimmered over the skeletons, then the skeletons disappeared. There was a noise as if many people had sighed, then there was silence.



A/N: Yes, I'm not quite at the end yet!