Professor Dumbledore walked around his desk and knelt down beside Hermione.
She was sleeping heavily, and he knew that it would last for a while.
He sighed, took out his wand and pointed it to her.
"Locomotor Hermione", he said, and she started to soar four feet above the floor. He guided her body out through the door with the wand and followed her closely. He threw a look at Snape as he walked by, but there was no hope. The Potions master was dead.
The old wizard shut the door behind him and guided Hermione's soaring body through the dark school. Eventually they stopped at the Hospital wing, where the headmaster muttered another spell:
"Levanta Pomfrey".
Professor Dumbledore waited a few minutes, then he knocked on the door three times. A newly awakened madam Pomfrey opened, wearing a white old- fashioned night gown, and looked at the floating girl in the torn dress.
"Another one, Albus?", she asked and invited him to step in through the door.
"The last one, Poppy", he replied and allowed Hermione to make a smooth landing on an empty bed.
"You mean..."
"Yes. It is over."
Madam Pomfrey gasped and put her hand over her mouth. Then she exhaled in a deep sigh and shook her head.
"What happened to him?"
"I am not completely sure. Miss Granger came to my office using Floo powder, dragging his body behind her. He's got a pole sticking out of his chest."
She lowered her head a little and nodded. It had to end, there was no other way.
"Will you look after miss Granger?", the headmaster asked.
"Yes, of course", madam Pomfrey replied, as if she had forgotten all about Hermione. "Good night, Albus."
"Good night, Poppy", he said and left the Hospital wing.
_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_
Even though hearts are broken, the days and nights continue to weave the never-ending carpet of Time. No matter how black with sorrow the threads are, it never stops. But Hermione felt nothing of it in her dreamless sleep, and when she woke up in the Hospital wing she thought she had only slept one night.
It was a gloomy evening, and thick clouds ruled the sky and made the Hogwarts grounds a very grey place. When Hermione opened her eyes, all she could see were bouquets of flowers surrounding her bed, and a big box of chocolate frogs. It took a while before she noticed the two boys sitting next to her, their faces radiant with joy and relief.
"Hermione?", Harry said. "It's us."
"Thank Merlin, you're okay. Is there anything we can do?", Ron asked.
She moaned. The world started to come into focus.
"How did I came here?", she asked.
The boys looked at each other, and then back at her.
"We don't know. All we know is that professor Dumbledore told us that you were safe, and that we could come and visit you today. You have been here for two and a half weeks.", Harry said.
Somewhere inside Hermione's scholar mind a voice asked how much she had missed of school, but it was drowned at once by the tidal wave of memories that ran through her. The tears came back into her eyes, but only one of them fell down her cheek and into her hair. Harry and Ron didn't notice it, and kept telling her how worried they had been for her sake.
"We have missed you so much, Hermione. Not even the fact that Potions are temporarily cancelled could make us happy."
Ron looked around, as if he wanted to make sure that no one was listening. Then he bent down over Hermione and whispered:
"What happened? You saw the monster, didn't you? You know what it is."
"He's not a monster", Hermione said.
Ron's and Harry's eyebrows flew almost all the way up to their hairs.
"'He'? It's a human?", Ron asked.
Harry looked a bit stressed.
"Was it Voldemort?", he asked.
"No", Hermione sighed with very tired voice and leaned her head to the side. Her brain felt like lead.
Madam Pomfrey came into the room with a tray, on which were bottles of healing potions in every colour of the rainbow. She looked at Hermione and smiled.
"Good, you are awake again, miss Granger.", she said and put the tray down on a small table next to Hermione's bed. "How do you feel?"
Hermione didn't know if she would laugh or cry at the question. So she only said what was expected of her.
"I'm fine."
"Lovely, dear. I've got something for you. Just drink this, and then you can go back to the Gryffindor tower at once."
Harry and Ron helped Hermione sit up in the bed as madam Pomfrey opened a bottle with a sky blue potion and gave it to her. She took it gently, thinking that Snape's fingers had once touched it. For a moment, that bottle was the most precious thing in the world.
Hermione put it to her lips and drank the potion. It was sour beyond belief, but she didn't even blink as it slid down her throat. She tilted her head backwards, and once again one single tear fell from her eye and disappeared into her thick hair.
When the bottle was empty she gave it back to madam Pomfrey and gingerly stepped out of bed. Her body was strong again, but inside her chest was only emptiness.
"Escort her back, boys", madam Pomfrey ordered and went into her office.
"Come here, Hermione", Harry said and took her gently by the left arm as Ron took the right one.
They left the Hospital wing in silence. Hermione knew that the others were burning with questions, but she didn't want to answer them.
At one point she thought she heard a noise. She raised her head to the ceiling, and saw a lonely bat fly around lazily.
"It won't have anything to fear anymore", she thought to herself.
Then she opened her mouth and said:
"It's over."
Harry and Ron turned their faces to her, looking confused.
"The monster is gone", she continued.
Ron stared at her.
"How? What happened?"
"I... killed him."
"Now you say 'him' again, what do you mean?"
"I don't want to talk about it", she replied, and her voice was so filled with sorrow that the boys decided not to ask her about it anymore. When she was ready she would tell them. It didn't matter anyway, it was over.
_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_
The November night came with its dark veil and settled over Hogwarts. Somewhere a clock struck ten, but the doors didn't start to shine. Professor Dumbledore had told the students at dinner about how the situation had been solved, and that bed time was at eleven o'clock again, but he didn't tell them what had really happened, or anything about the monster. He just sat down again, with a thousand pair of eyes staring at him. But soon, the students gave up their waiting for answers, and decided that everything was back to normal.
Hermione's eyes hadn't left the plate in front of her for a second, not even to look at the empty seat at the High table. She didn't want to see it.
Now she was in her dormitory, looking out through the window. She didn't cry, she didn't even move.
Her room mates were happy to have her back, and they all wanted to know what had happened, but when they had seen the sad look in her eyes, they decided to leave her alone. They were already sleeping.
When she closed her eyes, she could still feel his lips on hers, kissing her so gently. yet passionately. Once again, she heard his last words in her mind.
"I... love you..."
"Severus", she whispered to herself. But he didn't answer. He never would.
He sighed, took out his wand and pointed it to her.
"Locomotor Hermione", he said, and she started to soar four feet above the floor. He guided her body out through the door with the wand and followed her closely. He threw a look at Snape as he walked by, but there was no hope. The Potions master was dead.
The old wizard shut the door behind him and guided Hermione's soaring body through the dark school. Eventually they stopped at the Hospital wing, where the headmaster muttered another spell:
"Levanta Pomfrey".
Professor Dumbledore waited a few minutes, then he knocked on the door three times. A newly awakened madam Pomfrey opened, wearing a white old- fashioned night gown, and looked at the floating girl in the torn dress.
"Another one, Albus?", she asked and invited him to step in through the door.
"The last one, Poppy", he replied and allowed Hermione to make a smooth landing on an empty bed.
"You mean..."
"Yes. It is over."
Madam Pomfrey gasped and put her hand over her mouth. Then she exhaled in a deep sigh and shook her head.
"What happened to him?"
"I am not completely sure. Miss Granger came to my office using Floo powder, dragging his body behind her. He's got a pole sticking out of his chest."
She lowered her head a little and nodded. It had to end, there was no other way.
"Will you look after miss Granger?", the headmaster asked.
"Yes, of course", madam Pomfrey replied, as if she had forgotten all about Hermione. "Good night, Albus."
"Good night, Poppy", he said and left the Hospital wing.
_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_
Even though hearts are broken, the days and nights continue to weave the never-ending carpet of Time. No matter how black with sorrow the threads are, it never stops. But Hermione felt nothing of it in her dreamless sleep, and when she woke up in the Hospital wing she thought she had only slept one night.
It was a gloomy evening, and thick clouds ruled the sky and made the Hogwarts grounds a very grey place. When Hermione opened her eyes, all she could see were bouquets of flowers surrounding her bed, and a big box of chocolate frogs. It took a while before she noticed the two boys sitting next to her, their faces radiant with joy and relief.
"Hermione?", Harry said. "It's us."
"Thank Merlin, you're okay. Is there anything we can do?", Ron asked.
She moaned. The world started to come into focus.
"How did I came here?", she asked.
The boys looked at each other, and then back at her.
"We don't know. All we know is that professor Dumbledore told us that you were safe, and that we could come and visit you today. You have been here for two and a half weeks.", Harry said.
Somewhere inside Hermione's scholar mind a voice asked how much she had missed of school, but it was drowned at once by the tidal wave of memories that ran through her. The tears came back into her eyes, but only one of them fell down her cheek and into her hair. Harry and Ron didn't notice it, and kept telling her how worried they had been for her sake.
"We have missed you so much, Hermione. Not even the fact that Potions are temporarily cancelled could make us happy."
Ron looked around, as if he wanted to make sure that no one was listening. Then he bent down over Hermione and whispered:
"What happened? You saw the monster, didn't you? You know what it is."
"He's not a monster", Hermione said.
Ron's and Harry's eyebrows flew almost all the way up to their hairs.
"'He'? It's a human?", Ron asked.
Harry looked a bit stressed.
"Was it Voldemort?", he asked.
"No", Hermione sighed with very tired voice and leaned her head to the side. Her brain felt like lead.
Madam Pomfrey came into the room with a tray, on which were bottles of healing potions in every colour of the rainbow. She looked at Hermione and smiled.
"Good, you are awake again, miss Granger.", she said and put the tray down on a small table next to Hermione's bed. "How do you feel?"
Hermione didn't know if she would laugh or cry at the question. So she only said what was expected of her.
"I'm fine."
"Lovely, dear. I've got something for you. Just drink this, and then you can go back to the Gryffindor tower at once."
Harry and Ron helped Hermione sit up in the bed as madam Pomfrey opened a bottle with a sky blue potion and gave it to her. She took it gently, thinking that Snape's fingers had once touched it. For a moment, that bottle was the most precious thing in the world.
Hermione put it to her lips and drank the potion. It was sour beyond belief, but she didn't even blink as it slid down her throat. She tilted her head backwards, and once again one single tear fell from her eye and disappeared into her thick hair.
When the bottle was empty she gave it back to madam Pomfrey and gingerly stepped out of bed. Her body was strong again, but inside her chest was only emptiness.
"Escort her back, boys", madam Pomfrey ordered and went into her office.
"Come here, Hermione", Harry said and took her gently by the left arm as Ron took the right one.
They left the Hospital wing in silence. Hermione knew that the others were burning with questions, but she didn't want to answer them.
At one point she thought she heard a noise. She raised her head to the ceiling, and saw a lonely bat fly around lazily.
"It won't have anything to fear anymore", she thought to herself.
Then she opened her mouth and said:
"It's over."
Harry and Ron turned their faces to her, looking confused.
"The monster is gone", she continued.
Ron stared at her.
"How? What happened?"
"I... killed him."
"Now you say 'him' again, what do you mean?"
"I don't want to talk about it", she replied, and her voice was so filled with sorrow that the boys decided not to ask her about it anymore. When she was ready she would tell them. It didn't matter anyway, it was over.
_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_
The November night came with its dark veil and settled over Hogwarts. Somewhere a clock struck ten, but the doors didn't start to shine. Professor Dumbledore had told the students at dinner about how the situation had been solved, and that bed time was at eleven o'clock again, but he didn't tell them what had really happened, or anything about the monster. He just sat down again, with a thousand pair of eyes staring at him. But soon, the students gave up their waiting for answers, and decided that everything was back to normal.
Hermione's eyes hadn't left the plate in front of her for a second, not even to look at the empty seat at the High table. She didn't want to see it.
Now she was in her dormitory, looking out through the window. She didn't cry, she didn't even move.
Her room mates were happy to have her back, and they all wanted to know what had happened, but when they had seen the sad look in her eyes, they decided to leave her alone. They were already sleeping.
When she closed her eyes, she could still feel his lips on hers, kissing her so gently. yet passionately. Once again, she heard his last words in her mind.
"I... love you..."
"Severus", she whispered to herself. But he didn't answer. He never would.
