The war raged so fiercely and with such a terrible shift toward the Dark that the end was so surprisingly abrupt. But that is a tale for another to tell.
My brother Bill and I were occupied with seeking out escaping Death Eaters when the end came. But the discovery I made was something I could never prepare for. There in the final cell in the dungeon of the Malfoy Manor were both our missing Order members, laying wrapped in a filthy black shroud and deathly pale and still. They seemed to be lit, glowing or something. Bill approached them so carefully you'd think they were Lucius Malfoy in full temper. And somehow he was right, as he was nearly touching Hermione's shoulder he was knocked across the room and nearly killed by the landing. A blinding red flash accompanied his flight.
Snape stirred at this and I felt the quiet muttering more than heard it. It was in my head, not out loud. Complicated, ancient incantations of protection and binding. The result, if anyone tried to touch her they would fail quite painfully. And worse, if someone tried to separate them they'd both perish, quickly and painlessly but quite dead. Impressed, and awed a bit at his obvious heroics considering the state he was in physically, I yelled for an Auror, and kept yelling.
Then he spoke; monotone, deadly and absolutely deafening his warning came, "ENCIRCLING SAFETY YOU CANNOT BREACH, HER GENTLE SOUL YOU WILL NOT REACH. IF YOU SHOULD TRY TO END MY SPELL, I SHALL GIVE MY LIFE TO KEEP HERS WELL. MY ARMS WILL NOT TIRE AND YOU WILL BREAK MY GRIP NEVER, AND SHOULD YOU TRY I WILL END US FOREVER."
"Severus, its ok now. She's safe, the Death Eaters are gone, and Riddle is no more," Dumbledore whispered from behind me. The result was immediate and stunning. Snape's glowing features smoothed suddenly, pain and worry creased his brow as he asked quietly, "Does she yet breathe? I cannot feel her heartbeat anymore." The pain overcame him and he lowered the wand into Dumbledore's waiting hand.
"George, hurry, take this and get help. They'll need some blankets," he bade me run, and I did. When I returned several minutes later, the couple had been separated, each wrapped in an Auror's cloak and suspended by Dumbledore and my now conscious brother. Hermione was asking for her face to be covered against the cold and the blinding light, so Bill complied with a slow hand. She quickly lapsed back into slow, even breathing in her sleep.
Snape didn't look as good. His face was paler than usual, very ugly lines of red running from his temples. He was barely breathing. Just before Bill left the room, he awoke and saw her. Snape began to scream and curse. "NOO, just a few minutes more, I could've given her a little more strength. She can't be gone, she was so strong. No, no no no," he sobbed raggedly and fell silent just as I realized what he thought with dawning horror and tried to reassure him.
"She is ALIVE Professor, you protected her, she's safe now," but my words fell on deaf ears, he was unconscious. I followed Dumbledore as he moved his suspended patient into the hall where they could be safely transported to more skilled healers. I went with the two of them, carrying the wand he had used, as I had heard the spells he used and his words of warning. Madame Pomfrey listened to all I said as she gave Hermione a drink from a small vial and then separated them to smaller rooms in the makeshift hospital we were in.
"Ah, the brave lad. He may not live to hear her gratitude I fear, he has given nearly all he had to protect her. George dear, please go and calm Hermione and assure her I will do all I can for him. Hurry now, I'll come soon," she pushed me away from his still and oddly serene body.
"Severus, Professor, oh, George, please is he well? Did They come back for him, tell me something quick," Hermione implored me. Her face haunts me to this day, she was flushed and glowing and very beaten. I'd never seen anyone so thin and frail looking, and her eyes were hot and fierce, almost primal in her frantic pleading. The clean white robe she now wore only set off the cuts and bruises that covered every visible inch of her, and her small hands were burned. Her normally wild hair stood completely on end, radiating an odd light that was so familiar. The red flash! It was all over her face and hair, charging her with an eerie glow that was breathtaking.
"Lay still now, he's in good hands. You can see him soon, he needs rest and care you can't give him right now," I explained, laying her back down gently, aware that every touch of her was burning my skin. The spell had ended nearly an hour ago, and yet every part of her body burned fiercely with the protection charm like a raging fire. Dumbledore entered quietly and proclaimed she looked as well as anyone could have hoped, and that she'd be just fine.
"Sleep now dear, I'll be back soon," he said as he turned to me and motioned for the door. We returned to Snape's bedside to see Bill, Ron and Madame Pomfrey standing over the ever-paler form of the potion master in bitter concentration. Dumbledore explained the spell to us, as best he understood it. "Protection charms are rarely as strong as that one. He created a harbour for them, I've never heard of such a thing but he appears to have joined their magic to accomplish it. The results are still manifesting. I think he will recover though," he said, turning to the man on the bed and waving his wand over him. A few moments later, Snape began to stir.
"Hermione, I'm so sorry," he groaned weakly. He turned his head to the door just as she came through it and shushed him. Her aura still glowed pink, and her movements were slow and smooth. As she reached his side I saw that her skin was now Snape's own shade of pale white, her hair was perfectly smooth, raven and shining, her eyes a glittering black, and not a mark could be seen on her anywhere.
"Shh, sleep now Severus, I'll stand guard," she whispered to him. We all backed up to allow her presence, a bit awed to look at her. She began to speak softly of a garden, but soon only Snape could hear her words.
"No more pain, They will never hurt you again," he droned, his voice resigned and very quiet. "Goodbye, Hermione. I'm sorry I couldn't save you, but at least you are now at peace." His words began to sink in to the small crowd gathered at his bedside. He believed she had died, and no amount of convincing on our part was enough.