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Chapter Twelve

"Ron!"

It was all that Severus could do not to weep.

It had all been for nothing. One word had told him who really mattered to her.

And why should she want him? Who in their right mind would choose an old, ugly and bad tempered man over a young, handsome friend of many years?

Severus lifted Hermione off his lap and stood, placing her gently back in the chair.

"I'm sorry you misjudged me, Miss Granger. I will go and inform Albus that the potion was successful."

He turned and began to move towards the door.

Hermione immediately stood and caught his hand.

Severus looked into brown eyes that were pleading with his.

"Miss Granger, I know what –who- is on your mind. Please do not trouble yourself with letting me down slowly. I always knew this would happen... I just hoped..."

"Severus," whispered Hermione, her voice making something inside him ache, "you know who is on my mind, but you cannot presume to have any idea what."

Severus looked away. She lifted her free hand to his face and forced him to look at her again.

"Severus, I was just wondering how I would tell my boyfriend of so many years that I was in love with someone else."

At this, the man finally appeared to come to his senses.

"You're serious?"

"As serious as I have ever been, Severus."

As this, he leant down to capture her lips in his and nothing more was said for a long time.

Severus and a very nervous Hermione were standing in the doorway of Grimmauld Place.

"Severus, what if they reject me? The things I have done..."

"Hermione, love, nobody in their right mind would ever reject you. It will be fine. Look, I will ring the bell."

As soon as the first note of the bell sounded, there was a noise like thunder and the door was immediately flung open.

The sound was explained at the sight of the full entrance hall, and ten odd people bunched together precariously on the stairs.

Somebody shouted, "Hermione!"

At this, every person in the hall attempted to leap on her. They were only stopped by Severus, who growled about 'even returning friends needing to breathe' and 'eveyone calm down now before I hex you'.

She was then led into a sitting room- one that she remembered cleaning during the summer so many years ago.

Most of the people that had turned out to greet her were shooed away after a few minutes, leaving only Harry, Ron and Dumbledore in the room with her.

Harry stepped towards Hermione and embraced her a second time. This time, Hermione returned the embrace, comfortable with the friend that she finally remembered.

And then Ron tried to kiss her.

Hermione, once again, froze. When he carried on, she began to struggle, eventually hitting him over the head.

Ron stepped back, and looked at her, then at Severus. The corners of his mouth turned down, and he sat next to Harry, staring determinedly at the floor.

There was a moments silence as everyone thought about how much had changed.

Finally, Albus sighed.

"Hermione, I think we need to hear your story."

Once the story had been told, it was late.

Hermione and Severus had been assigned rooms at opposite sides of the house, even though they were used to sleeping together. However, it was decided that their relationship would already cause a lot of trouble- kicking up a fuss was not the best of ideas.

Hermione woke early the next morning, and went downstairs to make herself breakfast.

She could not see anybody there, so took her time in the kitchen, making things just as she had always liked them.

As she sat down at the table, a cold, mocking voice asked, "So, where is Severus?"

Hermione turned to look at Harry, whose face was red with rage.

"In his room asleep, I expect."

"How lovely," he said bitterly.

"Harry, what's wrong?"

"Wrong! You're what's wrong! You live with Voldemort for over two years, then come back and betray Ron for one of the people he hates most in the world! And you ask what's wrong!"

"I'm sorry, Harry. Things changed."

"I'm sure. Well listen well, Hermione. I don't trust you, and I doubt anyone else does either. You're not the friend we knew in the past. I will be watching."

Hermione stared at Harry in shock for a moment. He stared back, his eyes narrowed.

"I can't believe you're doing this, Harry."

"What a shame."

Hermione paused for a moment, then threw her spoon at him and ran from the room.

Severus woke with a start as his door flew open and Hermione threw herself into his arms.

"Well," he murmured, "to what do I owe this pleasant surprise?"

When he received no response, he moved a hand to her face to made her face him. Hermione's pale cheeks were streaked with tears.

Severus frowned. "What happened?"

"Harry said th-that everyone hates m-me," she choked out.

Severus rocked Hermione in his arms as she explained what had happened, then continued to hold her until she fell asleep.

Then he put her in his bed, and, after settling the covers over her, stormed out of the room.

Harry was still sitting at the table, and had been joined by Ron.

"I always knew," he started, "that you two did not deserve Hermione. But I never said anything, because I did not think you would actually hurt her. I was wrong."

Harry opened his mouth to protest, but Severus continued.

"This wasn't her fault. She never asked for any of it. The last few weeks have been the hardest in her life. She could have just kept working for Voldemort, and not made any effort to come back. And it would have been so easy! But she didn't, and this is how you repay her!"

"She betrayed me!" Ron burst out.

"Hermione did not know it at the time. She did not know what to do when she remembered, and she was so sorry... None of this was her fault."

Harry and Ron had the decency to look ashamed at this.

"Hermione just wants to make you happy again. And much as I loathe you, you make her happy, so I want peace between you."

"We'll go and talk to her," said Harry eventually in a small voice.

"Later," said Severus. "Leave her to rest."

Hermione woke up alone.

She had ruined everything.

Her return had not had a good effect on anyone. They would have been happier if she had just stayed with Voldemort, had never tried to come back. All she had caused was arguments and suffering.

Realistically, her presence would only cause her friends added dangers, as now Voldemort would want to kill her as well as Harry.

She should just leave. Go back to the muggle world, find a job in a place that nobody would look... It would be better for everyone in the end.

Hermione cast a spell to make her clothes more acceptable in the muggle world, then apparated out of the room. She stood outside Grimmauld Place, looking up at it, and felt a pang.

But that was no longer important. She might hurt everyone –well, only Severus really- now, but in the long run.

She turned to walk away, but froze when she saw the man standing quietly by her side.

Draco.

Before she even had time to think, he threw a net over her and drew it tight so that she was unable to move.

Hermione desperately tried to do the spells that Voldemort had taught her for escaping situations such as this, but there must have been something in the net that stopped her using magic.

Draco used a silencing spell on her, and threw an invisibility cloak over her head.

A few moments later found them in the headquarters that Voldemort was currently inhabiting.

But this time she was not going to her rooms or Voldemort's chamber.

This time she was going to the dungeons.

Hermione was thrown into one of the dungeons, and the lock on the door was clicked shut.

She heard various incantations being cast to stop her escaping even if she managed to get out of the next.

And then they left her there, crying alone in the dark.

I'm sorry. I'm hooked on cliffies! More reviews means a faster update. FINAL chapter coming up! Oooh, I have an idea... when I get ten reviews, I will update the next evening! smirks at evil idea

I love my reviewers! Hugs to Christieanne-Anna, . (pat pat), stargazer starluver, Artemis MoonClaw, Squashes, kalina, Starsluver (there are times when some sounds are just needed, I agree), Kathryn Black, Aine (chocolate Sevvie... or Draco... mmm.... happy daze thanks!), June, Lover not a Fighter, Greeknelo (I converse with myself. Actually, there are some people I know so well that I can converse with them too, even if they aren't present. So call me weird), JasperPress77, Kail Ceanni and Natsuyori. I am amazed that I get this many reviews- it makes my day!