This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

WARNING: Reviewers on Ashwinder have stated that they needed a box of tissues from this chapter on…

Chapter 5 – Returning Home

'I want to know where she is damn it!' Severus thumped his fist onto Potter's desk. Harry looked from the fist to the eyes of the devil in front of him. He had never liked Snape, and had certainly disliked him more when the Head had explained what had happened that fateful evening. He wanted to rip his head off and piss down his neck for 'raping' his friend. It didn't matter that they were already involved; Snape should have known that she was under the Imperious Curse. He was, after all, the Death Eater amongst them.

'I don't know where she is.' He said truthfully. 'None of us have ever known.'

'Don't lie to me boy!' growled the dark man again. 'I never asked before for her safety, but now they've found her and we need to get to her.'

'Don't you mean you never asked for your own safety? And for the hundredth time I. Don't. Know.' He slammed his own hands down on the desk as he lurched up from his seat. His green eyes flashed and Severus was able to see he spoke the truth. Harry tore his gaze away and took a deep breath. Snape was the only one that could rally him up, forget to control his mind and hide his emotions. He ran a hand through his already messy hair and sat back down again in resignation. 'I wish I knew. Ron's going mental; he's on his way now. He's blaming himself of course for not finding her, and if you,' Harry pointed at him as he looked up at his old professor, 'if you say anything to him to make him feel worse, I'll end your pathetic existence here and now.' Snape turned and walked away back towards the fireplace, he had been here for nearly an hour already and time was running out. He was in agony as to what the bastards had done to her. Had they raped her before killing her? Had she been able to put up a fight? If she had to have died he would have preferred to think of her as the glorious Amazonian warrior that he dreamed of, fighting for her life and freedom, going down in a blaze of glory and taking one of the bastards with her. He smiled a sad smile at that thought and if Harry hadn't been locked in his own, he might have seen the unfeeling fiend who had plagued him for his adult life show an unguarded emotion.

'They've found her! They've found her!' a voice shouted down the hallway, Snape and Harry both bolted for the door and where nearly knocked off their feet as the door opened with a crash. Ron Weasley came barrelling into the room, his face haunted, a myriad of emotions dancing over his face which was wet with recent tears that still hung to his lashes. 'Harry,' he cracked, 'They found her.'

'Where is she?' Severus growled. Ron turned in shock at the sound; he replied without really looking at whom he was speaking to, the blow was just too great for him to deal with. 'In Liverpool, a place called Walton, or was it Woolton?' Severus nodded and walked out the door.

'Snape!' Harry called after him; Ron took that moment to collapse into tears again. Harry caught him, unable to move without dropping his remaining best friend; 'Snape!' he screamed again, 'Stop! You can't go on your own!' But it was useless; the front door had already slammed shut before he had finished his sentence. Harry offered a pray to whoever was listening that they would protect Snape, so that Dumbledore wouldn't kill him for letting his potions master die.

The noise was coming from downstairs; there was someone moving about, suddenly a muffled voice cursed as something crashed to the floor. She made her way quietly back to the stairs and was surprised to see a silhouette bent over rubbing their shins, and then kicking the small telephone table that had toppled over. She gasped and the figure came to attention, aiming their wand at her. She brought her own up and began to call Expelliarmus but the silhouette was quicker, her wand sailed out of her hand and into that of her opponent as she fell back against the wall at the force of the spell. The figure was already half way up the stairs, when she climbed back to her feet and made a dash for into Sam's room, she was aiming to reach the window to climb down the tree next to it. She barely got in the doorway when a familiar voice called 'Hermione?'

It couldn't be. Hermione thought as she heard her true name spoken. He's in Hogwarts; no one knows where I am. It's a trick. Don't turn around. A soft light sparked and it trailed over her form. She was frozen in fear, its them; they're trying to trick me. Slowly she turned to face the voice, she couldn't see him, and a wave of emotions hit her. Did she want to see him? Was it really him? Why was he here, he was supposed to be keeping himself safe! Nevertheless, he was here, he was here for her. She suddenly didn't feel too good; this was all far too much for her.

He had apparated the moment the door to Order Headquarters had closed behind him. The moment he had apparated into the shopping street of Walton he had a clear view of the Dark Mark down the hill above a row of houses, he ran faster than he knew he was capable. He didn't want anyone else to see her before he did, he needed to make her presentable before the Aurors got there; he didn't want them to see her tortured or raped body. He nearly vomited at the idea, knowing that he had left her that position once before.

When he had reached the house that was anchoring the Dark Mark he approached with caution, the door was ajar and there was a faint light shimmering in a window behind a tree upstairs. He slowly pushed open the door and entered the dwelling. Moving carefully to the bottom of the stairs he tripped on the upturned carpet's edge and cracked his shins on the low table against the wall. Before he could stop himself he let out a curse and began to furiously rub his injured leg. He was mad at himself; if he had acted like this when he was spying he'd have been dead before Harry was even a twinkle in his father's eye. He kicked the table in his frustration.

He heard a gasp from the stairs, spun around and cast Expelliarmus sending the figure flying back against the wall and their wand to land neatly in his hand. He was going to kill whomever it was when he got hold of them, he made a pledge to be brutal as he stormed the stairs. Without warning the figure he was set to destroy got up and ran for the end room, the one with the light. He remembered the tree and doubled his effort. As the figure reached the doorway of its intent the light illuminated its face. Severus stopped still and uttered the name before he thought.

'Hermione?'

She stopped but didn't turn for a moment, his heart pounded in his chest, it can't be, he thought dumbstruck, she's dead, they reported back that she was dead. It was then he noticed the body at his feet. 'Lumos' he said and his wand tip sparked to life. He cast the light over the two, first the girl in the doorway; it certainly was Hermione, she was stood their breathing and as alive as he was. Her hair was a lot shorter than it used to be and she carried a little more weight than she had before. She had aged well but had a look in her eyes far beyond her twenty-two years, if his heart had still be there it would have broken at the loss of her innocence.

He quickly turned the light to the body at his feet; another girl with wild waist length brown hair, her brown eyes open and complete vacant of life. He realised that if it were dark, he would have mistaken her for Hermione too. He let out a breath he didn't realise he was holding and faced his beloved again. She had slowly turned to face him, fear, wonder, joy, horror, sadness, and a range of other emotions fluttered over her face. 'Severus,' she managed to whisper before her eyes fluttered and her body swooned. In three steps he had her securely in his arms, her eyes fluttered open as her body leaned against his. 'Severus,' she whispered again. His heart beat like a wild jungle drum. She was saying his name, her throaty whispery breath was curling around his name, and it was stirring things in his stomach and blood, emotions he thought he would never feel again.

'Hermione,' he whispered, to lift his voice would have disturbed the moment between them, 'Oh Hermione,' he kissed her forehead, 'Hermione,' he kissed her cheeks, he felt her tears begin to fall, he kissed them away too, all the while chanting her name in hushed tones, his voice gravely with unbidden emotions. He wanted to weep, he wanted to bind her to him and never let her go again. He kissed her other cheek, her eyes, her chin, her little upturned nose. He was about to kiss her lips when a crackling noise started in the room. He raised his head, his arms still tightly around her and she turned in them to see where it had come from.

The light that had appeared in the room came from a message that was starting to hiss at them 'We got the Mudblood the Dark Lord will prevail,' was written, but now there was something else appearing underneath, 'Severus, will be ours,' flashed to life with a loud bang.

Hermione gasped and slumped against him in shock. Severus didn't even blink. Stupid parlour trick, he thought sarcastically. 'Hermione,' he started, 'we have to go, we need to get you to Hogwarts where you will be safe.'

At the mention of leaving, Hermione ripped herself from his arms and hurried into the room. 'No,' she said shakily, 'I can't go. Sam and Monika…' she trailed off turning to look at the other figures on the floor. 'Sam,' she broke into sobs as she knelt by the babe's body. Severus cursed; he hadn't seen the other bodies. He walked over to inspect them closely. The one she was clutching was a child, about three years old, he thought sadly to the girl in the hallway and realised that another family had been killed. He looked at the man and realised that this was the fallen Death Eater. He kicked its face once for good measure, taking out some of his frustrations on it. Hermione didn't see his actions, she was sobbing openly over the loss of the child. Severus bent down and removed the mask from the fallen and stood in shock and confusion. Lucius Malfoy was dead, a look of astonishment and surprise frozen on his face.

A popping noise sounded downstairs, he made towards the door and checked the hallway. A figure was making its way up the stairs; it rounded the corner, wand lit. 'Severus Snape?' it questioned. He knew that voice.

'Shaklebolt.' He nodded in reply and turned back into the room. He was amazed that he had gotten here before the Auror's but had been glad for their absence when he had arrived. Now, he was grateful, he felt it would be easier to get Hermione away; he knew how stubborn she could be. 'Hermione,' he approached the weeping witch. 'We must go now, the Auror's are here, they will take care of everything.' He heard the Auror shift and he threw him a look that told him to bugger off. He turned back to Hermione and he heard the Auror behind him move away.

'No,' she shook her head, still clutching the child to her chest, her head bent to it. He tried to detangle her from the still boy. 'No, no, no, I can't leave him, no I won't. I can't.' Severus looked at the scene before him; his heart broken beloved had lost her own family, then her love and now her surrogate family as well. Her body shook with her loud tears, her arms wrapped tightly around the still form, the child's head in her arms crooks, her own bowing to meet it. She kept trying to whisper something to the child, it sounded like 'he's here, wake up,' but he couldn't be sure. He suddenly clicked, the child's father must be in the house too, but the Auror's hadn't called for him to see if another mans dead body would be a Death Eater or not. He cringed inwardly of what he would feel if he came home and found his love's body and child dead. I'd kill myself. He pulled himself together, counting the blessing that he didn't have to face that, that Hermione was here, alive and safe. He had no choice.

'Hermione, cease that wailing now. You are in danger and placing me in danger too. I have orders to get you back safely and that I will do.' He leaned down and pulled her arms open, then with infinite gentleness gathered the child in his arms and turned to the bed. He placed him on the tiny frame and pulled the covers over him, pausing for a moment to look at the child, he was practically perfect. His soft straight brown hair, his tiny straight nose, his thin lips and Severus nearly laughed as he saw the frown that had become his own trademark. For the first time in his life he longed for a child, a testimony to himself, an heir for the Snape name and someone to impart his knowledge on to. He brushed the soft hair of the child back from his forehead and smiled sadly, he would have grown into a handsome man. He placed the covers over the boy's head and turned back to Hermione. She was now stood, tears silently dripping down her face and running off her chin, a curious glint in her eyes as she watched him.

'They're dead.' She whimpered. He nodded and she moved to him. He wrapped his arms around her and allowed her to cry freely on him.

'Hermione, we must leave, the Death Eaters think you're dead, they've mistaken your friend for you.' She sobbed harder at the news. 'We must return to Hogwarts,' she didn't say anything, taking his wand out he disapparted them both back to the gates of Hogwarts.

'Severus,' Hermione managed before her legs lost their strength, suddenly she was encompassed in his arms, his body supporting her own. She breathed his name again; it felt so good to be in his arms, she didn't have to think about the scene behind her. He was saying her name, his lips pressed against her forehead, 'Hermione,' he was kissing her cheek, she felt her throat close at the sheer pleasure his lips were creating, she hadn't felt like this since the night Sam had been conceived. Suddenly guilt clutched at her and tears began to fall. He kissed those away, reverently chanting her name with each kiss, as if he could love away all the pain she felt.

She closed her eyes as he continued his rain of kisses on her, she turned her face to his, wanting his kiss to warm her body with passion, heal her dying heart, but just as his lips were to claim hers a sizzling sound came from behind. She spun in his arms; they were tight around her, still lending her his support. The message that had been shining in the room had changed, it had now become a personal notice to the man she still loved. She gasped and wanted to step back, but the lean hard body stopped her.

'Hermione,' he started, 'we have to go, we need to get you to Hogwarts where you will be safe.'

Leave! She thought horrified ripping herself from his arms; this is my home, it is where Sam and I belong. 'No,' she said shakily, 'I can't go. Sam and Monika…' she trailed off turning to look at the other figures on the floor. 'Sam,' she was crying again as she knelt beside him and gathered him to her. His body was cool and limp, she remembered how she had tucked him up in bed, how he had breathed as she had kissed his forehead. She kissed it now, hoping for the magic to bring him awake.

'He's just sleeping' she murmured against his soft hair, 'Daddy's here darling, you must wake, he's here, wake up, he's here.' She kept chanting, hope that the thought of finally seeing his father could revive her lost.

'Hermione,' came Severus' voice from behind her. 'We must go now, the Auror's are here, they will take care of everything.'

'No,' she shook her head, still clutching Sam to her chest, her head bent to his. She felt Severus' hands trying to gently remove her from her son. 'No, no, no, I can't leave him, no I won't. I can't.' He didn't understand, she couldn't just leave her son. He'll wake up soon, and I need to be here, I'm always here when he wakes up, 'and daddy's here too,' her voice barely a whisper against her son's ear as her throat constricted again.

'Hermione, cease that wailing now.' Came the harsh voice of the potions master she once knew. 'You are in danger and placing me in danger too. I have orders to get you back safely and that I will do.' He tore her arms apart and lifted her son from her. A cry of anguish escaped her lips as she felt her loss once more. She turned around, her knees splaying from her; she needed to see what he was doing. He was surrounded in darkness, however, she could see everything he did and it seemed almost as if time had slowed down.

He placed Sam on the bed carefully and brought the sheet over him, she wanted to cry out, but stopped as she watched him pause to look at his son's face. She watched, waiting for him to say something, to notice. She scrambled to her feet as she saw him stroke back the hair of the son he didn't know he'd had. She swallowed, would she ever tell him now. It seemed so cruel to have something so precious taken from you before you even knew it. If he knew, he would forget his promise to her; he had already done so tonight when he thought she was dead. She was glad that he was he, he gave her the strength she needed, but she was furious too. She had already lost her son and best friend this evening; she didn't want to lose her love too.

He turned to face her, 'They're dead.' She whimpered a sob escaped her lips again and she moved towards him. She needed his comfort, she needed his arms around her, and she needed to feel someone that she loved was still alive. She needed to know that life wasn't over for her, that there was something worth living and fighting for.

'Hermione, we must leave. The Death Eaters think you're dead, they've mistaken your friend for you.' They thought Monika was me? They killed her thinking she was I? She hiccupped another sob. 'We must return to Hogwarts,' she couldn't say anything she just held him tighter.

Hogwarts Gates loomed in front of him. He went to step away from Hermione as he saw the images of Albus Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall, Rebeus Hagrid and Poppy Pomfrey, however, he felt Hermione's legs give again as her eyes fluttered closed, and he scooped her into his arms. He strode through the gates where the Head and his entourage greeted him.

'She is alive?' Albus questioned as he hurried over to Severus, he nodded.

'Is she injured?' Poppy questioned trying to get at the beauty folded in his arms.

'No, she is alive and well, except for the shock she has received tonight she isn't injured.' He advised her.

'My my,' breathed a worried Minerva, by the looks of her she looked as though she had been wringing her hat all night. Said hat was perched on her head looking very worse for wear. 'Alive and unharmed, but I thought that they said she was dead?'

'I think she would be best taken to the infirmary, I need to check her over and whilst I'm doing that you can all interrogate our 'hero' here.' Poppy clucked as she tried desperately to get at her soon to be charge. Severus clutched the unconscious girl tighter the nearer she came.

Hagrid locked the gates again as the rest of the group silently made their way back to the castle, Poppy and Severus leading the way, the Medi-witch's gaze continually grazing Hermione's form, Albus and Minerva behind and Hagrid eventually bringing up the rear.

As they neared the infirmary Hermione began to stir, her eyes fluttered open and she dazedly looked at Severus. He swallowed hard and continued to stir straight ahead, he had already shown far too much to people tonight, his privacy gone, he couldn't afford to break right now.

She still couldn't believe that he had gotten her; she looked at his face appraisingly in the flickering light of the hallway torches. Four years had done little to him, however, that could be due to the termination of his spying. His raven hair was still long, his nose still crooked and his teeth still offset. His eyes where hard and resolute, he always showed such determination when he had made his mind up. She knew that as long as she had protested to leaving that night, he would have won regardless.

He entered the infirmary had strode past the bed that Poppy tried to lead him to. She would be placed furthest from any prying eyes. There was still a few months left before school finished and he would not have his Hermione gawped at and whispered about as if she was Harry-Bloody-Potter. He placed her gently onto the bed and was reminded of the child he had completed the same actions for earlier, he had been lucky that he had taken his professorship's oath;

'I, Severus Snape, do hereby pledge that upon pain of death, I will cause no harm to Children, be they under my care or of the world. I will strive to teach them and tend to their well-being. I will neither inflict bodily harm or death to the children with malicious intent…'

He couldn't remember it all, there were about three rolls of parchment that covered the oath, but that was the general gist. The Dark Lord knew about his oath and certainly didn't want to lose his Potions Master and so had forbade Severus to even attend raids where children where known to be.

She was still starring at him as he pulled her covers over her. Panic filled her as she thought of the same gesture made earlier that evening; she wasn't dead but alive and breathing! She kicked out against them, crying; 'but I'm alive, I'm alive.'

Severus pulled back as she started to kick at the sheets he was pulling over her. She was screaming and suddenly he realised that she too had been reminded of his actions. He bent to her, and stroked her hair back and brought his lips to her ear.

'I know, beloved, I know. Shush, its okay now, you are home at Hogwarts, shush, Hermione, shush, rest and sleep, tomorrow will be a new day.' He kept stroking her hair as he repeated his words until she whimpered and stilled beneath his hand. He continued to caress her hair a few times more after she was completely silent and the he rose to his full formidable height and nodded to Poppy who was wearily eyeing him from across the bed. She bent down and tipped a small cup of Dreamless Sleep Potion into the girl's mouth. Within a minute Hermione was peacefully sleeping. A few waves of Poppy's wand showed that the girl was physically fine.

'Severus,' came Albus' gentle voice from behind, 'we must talk about what happened.'

'When I got there, Hermione was alive, she tried to hex me, and I disarmed her. Here is her wand,' he produced her beautiful wand from his pocket. 'I then found the body of a girl, who resembled Miss Granger, dead on the landing. A child, presumably the dead girl's son, was also found dead in its room, the body of Lucius Malfoy lying next it. I didn't have time to determine the probably cause for his death, I doubt that Miss Granger killed him, although well within her rights to do so.' He took a breath; his eyes had never left Hermione. 'Shaklebolt and the other Auror's then arrived and I had a hard time getting Miss Granger to agree to return with me. It wasn't until I removed the boy from her arms and covered the body from her view was I able to get her to come here.'

Behind him Albus nodded. 'We should let her rest now, we can return in the morning.' He placed his hand on Severus' shoulder. Severus shook the contact from him, 'I will remain here.'

Poppy made sounds of distressed protest, but was silenced by the Headmaster. 'We will return in the morning then, please get some rest Severus, you will soon be needed.' He didn't say by whom, but just turned and hustled the ladies and Hagrid from the ward.

Severus collapsed in a chair finally exhausted. He hadn't had a night like this since he had been discovered by the Dark Lord. The adrenaline that had coursed through his body earlier was now leaving his system; he rubbed his hands over his face and then looked at Hermione's sleeping figure. He longed to do the same, but felt that it would never come. He nestled back in the chair he occupied and began to wonder…

A loud noise woke him with a start. He shook his head; he couldn't believe he had actually fallen asleep. He looked to see where the noise was coming from and what was making it. He realised that it was from outside the infirmary doors and that it was actually raised voices. Making his way quietly to the door, he eased it silently ajar and peered at the scene before him.

Arthur was stood in front of Albus, a look of sorrow and anger filled his face, Harry-why-is-he-always-sticking-his-friggin'-nose-in-Potter and his ever-loyal sidekick were stood at Arthur's side looking equally furious.

'…I can't believe you didn't offer her Order protection. I want to see her now!'

'I didn't know until she was gone.' The older wizard shook his head sadly. 'Mr Malfoy didn't see fit to inform me until we discovered Miss Grangers leave ourselves. He said that it was important that the Dark Lord assume she had fled, that she was never allowed to be tracked, less they find her. Harry,' he turned to the boy-who-was-a-pain-in-the-arse, Severus sneered, 'you know this already. Why are we causing such a fuss? If we're not quite we'll-'

'She had a child!' Arthur bellowed. Snape snapped to attention. Hermione had a child? No, it was her friend's child, not Hermione's. 'She sent me a letter to confirm that she had had it, Samuel-' Severus closed the door and cast a silencing charm over the room. He didn't want to know, he couldn't bear it.

He moved back to her bed and looked fondly upon her, sadness in his eyes. She had run away and found another, she had been happy; she had had a child with a man she loved. Now he understood her reaction to the child's body in its entirety. He sat down again and stared through the window above her bed. Sunlight was just creeping into the murky night. Somewhere in Liverpool a man was coming home to find his child dead in his bed, a friend murdered and his wife missing. His heart – which he thought had been dead – ached in his chest. Does the guy know Hermione to be a witch? He will need to be brought here regardless, for his own safety, and for Hermione's, he gulped, happiness.

Poppy chose that moment to return to the infirmary.

'I have to come back,' she snapped at him as he stood up and turned to her. 'It's my job.' She looked at him, with her chin upturned expecting and ready for a fight. He just nodded and left without a word.

Poppy starred after him. That man was a complete puzzle to her.