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Last chapter, up as I promised!

Chapter Thirteen

Severus decided that it was time to see how Hermione was coping.

Since Potter and Weasley deemed themselves too noble to visit a girl in her rooms, she would need to be out of bed before they could beg for forgiveness.

Hermione was not there.

Smiling slightly, Severus entered the bathroom, thinking about the advantages that would come with catching Hermione in the shower.

The bathroom was empty.

Severus frowned. Taking out his wand, he muttered to it, "salus quero," a spell that he had created. Although it was not a tracking spell, it showed whether the person in question was safe or not.

"Shit."

The answer was, of course, not.

And there could only be one reason why his Hermione would not be safe.

Moments later, without any thoughts of planning or safety, Severus Snape apparated into the Dark Lord's headquarters.

And it was due to this complete loss of judgement that seconds later he found himself bound, gagged, and thrown to the ground at the feet of Lord Voldemort.

I am such a fool. How could I have even thought that I stood a chance alone? What was I thinking? Why did I not ask for help, or at least tell someone where I was going?

Oh yes, I remember.

I was thinking only of Hermione, nothing and no-one else.

In his youth and middle age, Severus had always avoided women that wanted attachment.

As he had told everyone that had asked him why he refused to allow himself happiness, "Women cloud the mind."

And it was true.

And Severus fully understood that he was going to die because of it.

The difference, Severus noted, between himself then and himself now, was that the Severus lying at the feet of his old master no longer cared. All that mattered was Hermione, and if he died with her then, for some reason, to him it would be worth it.

Severus was jerked out of his reverie by a loud 'thud' at his right shoulder.

Rolling over to see what had caused it, he saw Hermione lying in a similar condition to himself.

He bit down on his gags in anger at the sight of the tear tracks on her cheeks, and did his best to roll towards her.

"How touching," said a cold voice. "Two traitorous lovers, about to meet their ends together. Any last words?"

Severus raised his head and gave the Dark Lord a condescending look.

"Oh yes, the gags. Should I take off their gags?" said the man thoughtfully, the cruel smile on his face not changing

Footsteps sounded close to Severus's head, and he looked up to see the youngest of the Malfoy generation sneering down at him.

"I think you should. After all, if they are gagged then we cannot hear them scream and plead for mercy."

Severus looked back at Hermione. She was staring steadily at Voldemort, her face a mask of fury despite the tear tracks.

A moment later, the gags were gone.

"Severus, I'm sorry," said Hermione after a moment. "This is my fault, I should never-"

"I have said it before, and I will say it again, Hermione. This isn't your fault."

Hermione shook her head, averting her eyes, and a couple of tears rolled down her cheeks.

"It is. I'm so sorry..."

"Hermione, please look at me. I don't care. I don't regret a moment. I would do this all again."

At this, Hermione turned to face him. She searched Severus's face, but could only find truth in it.

A cruel laugh sounded above them, reminding them that they were by no means alone.

Hermione turned to glare at Voldemort, and opened her mouth. She was stopped before she could even begin.

"How sweet this all is. Such a... steadfast love. Truly a beautiful thing to see. I am afraid, however, that I wil need to interrupt you. Crucio!"

Severus watched as Hermione began to scream and writhe on the floor. He yelled at Voldemort to stop, to hurt him instead, or even as well. Anything to stop him having to watch this feeling so helpless.

The Dark Lord only laughed.

The screaming carried on for what felt like years.

And then it was over.

Hermione lay still on the ground.

"Hermione! Hermione! No... please..." moaned Severus.

Her mouth opened. She appeared to be trying to say something, but she was too weak, and he could not hear her.

"Well, that was all very nice. But I am tiring of this. Which of you should I kill first?"

Severus refused to say anything to the man that had hurt the woman he loved.

Draco, however, had no problem with supplying his opinions.

"I would say that Granger has at least a few minutes more to live. You could kill Severus as she watches, then one good Crucio would kill her once he is dead."

"I must say, Draco, that you have very interesting ideas. It has been a long time since I have found someone that loves to hurt others as you do."

Draco looked flattered.

Voldemort, however, frowned.

"But your passion for pain could blind you to what is really important, Draco. By removing gags you could allow for cries for help. How would you know that a Crucio curse will really kill a wounded enemy?

"You are making mistakes, Draco. And you talk too much, which I must add is very annoying," concluded the Dark Lord. "Avada Kedavra!"

Severus watched in shock as the lifeless body of Draco Malfoy slumped to the ground beside him. He stared for a moment into the glassy eyes of the man that he had at one point mentored.

It struck him that even though Draco had made the wrong choices, it was still a waste. The whole business was a waste.

But it was too late to change anything now.

"You were different, Severus," said Voldemort slowly. "You always knew that nothing is as effective as one good killing curse. You were a good Death Eater. That was why I will miss your services so greatly. Ah well, it cannot be helped."

Severus was not listening, not even bothering to look at the thing that had once been a man levelling a wand at him and Hermione. His gaze was fixed on the one person that mattered to him more than life itself.

A voice shouted, "Avada Kedavra!"

There was a thud as a second body hit the floor.

Severus tore his gaze away from Hermione to look into the open, lifeless eyes of Lord Voldemort that were only inches away from his face.

Then he looked up to see Harry Potter standing over him, his wand outstretched.

"I think," he said, "I am changing my mind about these Gryffindor heroic tendencies. They sometimes come in handy."

Then Severus closed his eyes and allowed everything to go black.

Severus opened his eyes, then closed them again.

It was very interesting, he mused to himself, that he was lying in a soft bed. When he had last been conscious, he had been on a hard floor.

Thing had been a lot colder in the last place that he had been, too.

For some reason, the hard floor and cold climate had not mattered to him then, though, despite his rather hedonist tendencies.

Strange, that. Severus wracked his exhaasuted mind for the reason as to why.

He opened his eyes again, and sat up in the bed to see a woman with long, straight brown hair walk into the room.

I like the colour, he mused, but straight hair does not appeal to me. I prefer curls, really, although-

Hermione.

Severus at once leapt out of bed and ran out of the room, completely disregarding the shouts that were coming from the medic that had been about to attend to him. His Hermione was dying, maybe dead, and he had sleeping in a comfortable hospital bed.

The man looked to the left, then to the right. All that he could see was corridoor, with room after identical room to the left and right.

There was no escape, no convenient sign that would lead him to the woman that he loved.

Severus realised that he was probably too late anyway.

Leaning his head against the wall, he was unable to stop two slow tears from rolling down his cheeks.

He looked up in shock when he felt a hand on his shoulder. It was the woman that had hair that was not as lovely as Hermione's.

"Mister Snape? Are you alright?"

Severus glared at her.

"You need to come back to bed now, you will only do yourself harm."

Severus shrugged -it was not like he had anything worth living for anyway any more- but allowed himself to be led back to bed.

"It says here," read the woman off a piece of parchment once she had helped him settle, "that you have been given a number of potions that will have made you confused and weak. Well, that seems about right. But there is nothing about depression here. Would you like to tell me what is wrong?"

Severus sat in silence for a moment.

The woman just watched him.

He took some time to look at her name tag, which announced that her name was Heather.

"Hermione is dead," he stated, once he felt able to talk.

"No she isn't," said Heather, looking a little confused. "Why would you think that?"

"Last time I saw her, she was dying, so I assume that she is now dead."

Heather smiled, and even Severus's most furious glare could not stop her. "You will, I am sure, be happy to know that Hermione has had the best care that we can offer at Saint Mungo's over the last few days. She is well on the way to an almost complete recovery."

"You are sure?"

"Well she certainly seemed so when I was talking to her a minute before coming to see you."

At this, Severus leapt out of bed for the second time, once again ignoring Heather's protests.

"Why didn't you tell me this before?" he asked, looking down at her.

"You didn't ask. I never knew that you cared"

"Where is she?"

"Just down the-"

"Take me to her!"

"Are you sure-"

"Now!"

Heather sighed, then led Severus down corridoor after corridoor. Finally, they arrived at a white door that was identical to all those around it. She knocked on it.

"Are you well enough for a visitor?" she called.

A quiet voice from the room answered with a yes.

Without waiting a moment more, Severus burst through the door. And she was there, lying on the bed. She looked so small, so frail, as if she would break if he touched her.

But she was alive. And that was all that mattered.

"Hermione!"

THE END

Its ooooooover, now to be forever lost to the back pages of fanfiction (and the odd person's favourites thanks to those of you I'm talking about what a lot of brackets! ). Sob. I can't believe it!

My last hugs to my reviewers- Kail Ceanni (Ruler of Cliffies? Oh I LIKE it! Sorry about this chap- I'm just not great at conclusions. I did my best!), Lover not a Fighter (oops, sorry about that. Thanks for the compliment, even though I don't deserve it!), Miss3y, Natsuyori, MackenzieW, StarsLover, Anna Mae, Aine (my Sevvie as a creepy old man. He could NEVER be... ahem), JasperPress77, kalinda, June (but I neeeeed cliffies. I can't really do anything else!), and GuardGirl.

I am currently trying to get myself some inspiration for a new Hermione/Sevvie fic, but am having trouble coming up with an origional plot. If any of you have ideas you would like to share, I would love to hear them!

For the last time for this fic, then... please review!

Toodles!