I changed some of the text in Chapter 2. The changes are referred to in here, so it would be a good idea to go and re-read it before starting this chapter.

Ghost

Chapter 9

The day dragged on, and it seemed like a few eternities before the dinner hour arrived. With a sigh, Hermione slipped into her seat in the Great Hall basically unnoticed. As she was ladling some soup into a bowl for herself, Dumbledore leaned over to talk to her. He was so quiet that Hermione didn't even realize he was leaning over until he spoke.

"So Hermione, how did your conversation with Severus go?" he asked. Hermione jumped slightly; thankfully, she had nothing in her hands, so nothing spilled.

"Jeez, why don't you wear a bell?" asked Hermione irritably, not thinking. As soon as she realized who she was talking to, she began apologizing profusely. Dumbledore held up a hand to stem the flow of words, and Hermione was silent.

"No need to apologize, dear girl," he said with a half smile. "I know the trials and stresses of being a teacher, and I understand your irritability."

"Thank you, Albus," Hermione said, as she took a sip of her soup. "In reply to your question, I think it went rather well. He left a little too soon for my liking, but that wasn't something I had control over. Anyway, I told him that I wouldn't be able to do the spells because we didn't have a body and-"

"He mentioned the Snape family vault," Dumbledore finished. Hermione nodded.

"Yes, he did," she confirmed. "He said that there were so many preservation charms on the bodies in there to keep up appearances."

"He would be right, dear girl," said Dumbledore. "He is kept in the Snape family vault with the rest of his family. I should know; I was the one that laid him on his final resting place. I can take you there, if you wish."

"Really?" asked Hermione, her eyes shining happily. Dumbledore, taken aback at Hermione's slightly odd excitement over visiting an old crypt, smiled at her.

"Of course," he replied. "I'll set everything in order, and we can go this weekend."

"Oh, thank you Albus!" Hermione exclaimed happily. "I have to go and prepare! Oh...you have no idea what this means to me!"

Hermione jumped up from the table, her soup forgotten, and rushed from the Great Hall through the faculty entrance. Once the youngest teacher was out of earshot, McGonagall leaned over to Dumbledore.

"What has gotten into that girl?" she asked, curious. Dumbledore just shrugged.

"Beats me," he replied with an enigmatic smile.

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"Remind me again why we're tramping through a cemetery on a cold Saturday night when we could be curled up in front of the hearth with our families?" asked Ron as they crunched through the dew-damp grass.

"We're tramping through a cemetery on a cold Saturday night so we can find the Snape family vault," Hermione replied as she followed Dumbledore. Ron and Harry both shrugged and followed their friend.

"And why exactly are we trying to find the Snape family vault?" Ron asked.

"So I can see the condition of Severus' body so I can perform the re-animation and re-souling rituals," Hermione replied, an edge to her voice.

"And why would you want to do that?" Ron asked, glaring at Harry, who was trying very hard to fight off his snickers.

"Because I love him and I want him corporeal again," Hermione responded immediately. She clapped a hand over her mouth, but it was too late. She whirled around and glared at her redheaded best friend. He was standing there in shock, with Harry doubled over in silent giggles next to him.

"Did you just say what I thought you said?" asked Ron, his face pale.

"Uhm...you didn't hear anything," Hermione replied. "I didn't say anything past the bit about the re-animation spells."

"'Fess up, Hermione, it's not good to lie to us," said Harry, finally gaining composure. "Besides, I've been through your Penseive, and I saw that memory."

"You knew?" asked Ron. "You knew, and you never told me?"

"Well, I was pretty sure that Hermione didn't even realize her feelings, so I didn't see it as my place to go spreading it around that she was in love with the old Potions Master," Harry replied with a grin.

"I am still here, you know," Hermione reminded them with a glare. Both men looked sheepish under the menacing gaze of their friend.

"Oh look how far behind we are," remarked Ron innocently. Both he and Harry ran to catch up with Dumbledore, leaving Hermione to sigh exasperatedly before joining them.

"I was wondering where you three got to," Dumbledore said when the trio joined him in front of a large, ornately carved marble building. Everyone present could feel the magic coming off of the building in waves. "Welcome to the Snape family crypt."

Hermione suppressed a shudder as Dumbledore pushed open the door to the crypt and led her, Harry and Ron into the building.

The walls were lined with stone shelves, each containing a body covered in a shroud. On each shelf was a brass plate, engraved with the deceased's name, and the dates of birth and death. There were at least fifty corpses, if not more.

"Well, everyone start looking for the old bat," Ron said, breaking the hushed silence that had descended on the group.

"Ron!" exclaimed Hermione, glaring at the redhead. "Don't you have any respect for the dead?!"

"Well, he won't be dead for long," Ron replied with a shrug. "After all, it's you, right? You always get everything right!"

"That's no excuse," Hermione huffed as she read one of the nameplates. "And I have no idea if it'll work or not; it's a very rare occurrence for these spells to work."

"You can do it, Hermione, we know you can," agreed Harry as he crouched to read a brass plate. "Hey, everyone, I think I found him!" Hermione, Ron and Dumbledore crowded around Harry as he read the inscription.

Severus Orion Snape

February 28, 1959-June 1, 1998

Lost, but not forgotten

"It would appear as if you have found him, Harry," remarked Dumbledore. "But let's be sure of it. Hermione, be a dear and remove the shroud."

With shaking hands, Hermione removed the sheet covering the corpse. Lying underneath it was the peaceful countenance of Severus Snape, former Potions Professor and Death Eater. Hermione bit back the laugh that was threatening to come out when the clichéd thought that Snape looked so peaceful, like he was sleeping.

For once, the hardened man's face was relaxed instead of twisted into its customary sneer or scowl. Hermione's face softened as she looked upon his still form, lost in her own world. Dumbledore cleared his throat, jolting her back to the land of the living.

"Okay, we've found the greasy bat, now let's get out of here," said Ron, shifting nervously from one foot to the other. "This place creeps me out."

"You might want to get used to it, Ron, because we'll have to come back pretty soon," Hermione said. Ron paled and his eyes grew wide.

"'We'?" he asked. "What do you mean, 'we'?"

"Well, I need you to help me with the spells," Hermione replied, growing nervous. "As my best friends, you're the only people I trust to help me with this."

"What day do you need us?" asked Harry, shooting a glare at Ron when he opened his mouth to protest.

"Well, I'm not entirely sure, but I've been checking my sources, and it looks like the best day to do it would be Halloween," Hermione replied, chewing her lip.

"Halloween it is then," said Dumbledore, a note of finality in his voice. Ron sulked slightly, but he didn't complain; he knew better.

"Well, I think this is it," Hermione broke the uncomfortable silence that had descended on the somewhat odd group. "I'll let you all know what's what within a few days, I promise." She paused and took a deep breath. "I can't believe we're actually going to do this."

Harry smiled slightly and Dumbledore regarded her with his costmary twinkling gaze. For the life of her, Hermione couldn't quite figure out why Ron was sulking so much. She shrugged it off as his hatred towards Snape, though she wasn't sure if that was the whole thing.

"I think it is time for all of us to return home," Dumbledore said. "Harry, Hermione, you two run along ahead. I need to have a few words with Ron here. It won't take more than a few moments, and I will join you back at Hogwarts shortly, Hermione."

Without another word, Hermione and Harry left the crypt and began walking across the graveyard. A comfortable silence descended over the two friends. They passed several tombstones and crypts, some bearing the names of their comrades. They passed the Weasley crypt, and the silence became one of respect.

"D'you...d'you think Ginny would have had a chance?" asked Harry, speaking in hushed tones. Hermione could tell that he was trying not to cry. She rubbed his back, trying to comfort him.

"I'm not sure," Hermione replied. She remembered the gathering of the DA mere hours before the final battle.

-Flashback-

-June 1998-

The older members of the DA—fourth years and above—huddled in the Room of Requirement, waiting for the signal to attack. Many of the members were trying to keep their minds off of the impending battle, opting to keep themselves busy with other activities.

In the center of the room, ensconced in squishy armchairs, sat Hermione, Ron, Luna, and Harry. Ginny was perched in Harry's lap, shaking like a leaf in fear. Harry was rubbing comforting patterns on her back, but it didn't seem to do much to calm her nerves. The small redheaded girl looked Harry in the eye, and Hermione could see a determined glint in them.

"Harry, if anything happens to me, I want you to promise me one thing," she said.

"Anything, love," Harry breathed.

"If anything happens to me, Harry, I don't want you to stay alone and unhappy," Ginny said, looking straight into Harry's eyes. "I want you to find happiness, and be happy with someone else if I diem or incapacitated, or anything like that. I don't want you to forget me, but I don't want you to be unhappy and wither away at my memory. Can you do that for me?"

"Of course I can, Ginny," Harry said softly, wrapping his arms around her waist. He didn't think any harm would come to her, but he decided to humor her anyway. "I love you."

"I love you too, Harry."

Just then, the alarm sounded and, as one, the DA got up and filed out the door, not knowing what to expect.

-End Flashback-

"Luna and I broke up last week," Harry said suddenly, drawing Hermione from her memories. Hermione turned her head sharply, looking at her friend curiously.

"Why?" she asked. "I thought you two were insanely happy!"

"I thought so too," replied Harry with a sigh. "But I guess she didn't think so. She said she was feeling guilty for stealing her best friend's boyfriend while she's still alive, and she couldn't live with it anymore."

"I'm so sorry," Hermione said softly, drawing Harry into a hug. Harry held onto her as if she were his lifeline, and that he wasn't going to let go any time soon. "Come on, let's get out of here. This place brings back too many memories."

With that, Hermione and Harry said their good-byes and Apparated to their places of residence. Once Hermione was in her rooms, she made a beeline to her bedroom, flopped facedown on her bed, and cried.

aaa

Well here's chapter 9. As always, I would love it if you reviewed and told me what you thought. Chapter 10 shouldn't take as long, as I'm getting used to my hours at work and I can gauge how many hours on the computer I have per week.