I am terrible sorry that it took me so long but I was in the middle of nowhere in the last few weeks.
So here it is! The final part. I really hope you like the ending.
I am still writing on the sequel and I wont be able to post it for another 3 month ( I have to go home first, than type it in , find a beta reader...)
I hope you will return to read my ew story once it is posted.

I never thought that I would ever get so many feedback! You are just great!

And now ; have fun!

The next day, Dumbledore came to Severus. "There was an interesting article in the Daily Prophet today, my dear boy."

"Really?" Severus answered, bored.

"Yes. It seems that Lucius Malfoy was overwhelmed in his own house and killed."

The Headmaster eyed him closely but Severus just shrugged his shoulders. "Lucius had many enemies," was all he said to that topic, ignoring Dumbledore's intense stare.

After the quiet and small ceremony was over, Severus remained at the grave. The tombstone was made of rose marble and contained the words:

Regan Snape
May She Find Peace

Severus stood for hours at the grave, not once losing eye contact with it. Even the upcoming storm didn't bother him. He stayed there until deep into the night.

The next day, he returned to Hogwarts and Poppy told him that Hermione had completely recovered physically.

"Then tell me why she is still unconscious!"

"Maybe her mind isn't ready for it yet, Severus. She will wake up. Have faith. And when she does, the girl will need a shoulder to lean on."

His eyes met hers briefly before they returned to Hermione. "She has one!"

It was in the middle of the night when Severus was summoned. He awake out of his unruly slumber and hurried to dress. Mere minutes later he stood once again before the dark Lord.
Voldemort didn't look pleased at all. His face was very stern and he looked grim at his servant.
"Severus! I demand to know what has happened to Lucius immediately!"
Snape knelt down before him.
"Milord! I can't say how sorry I am! This is such a great loss for all of us! Lucius was my oldest and most faithful friend." He stopped as if to regain his strength before he continued.
"As much as it hurts me to admit it Milord but the Snape family is responsible for this tragedy."
"What! Are you committing betrayal, Severus?"
"No, I would never betray the trust you are giving me, Milord. It was my brother. I am afraid his mind didn't cope with all those years in Askaban. He saw foes everywhere. Even in me." He finished sad.
"He came to me after he had killed Lucius, Milord. He told me how much he enjoyed it to kill him. He talked very strange. But before I could react he apparated. I tried to find him ever since."
Voldemort considered this for a second.
"I am sorry to here that I lost not only one but two of my followers. These are bad news indeed! I want you to find your brother and bring him before me, so I will be able to punish him correctly!"
"Of course, Milord!" Snape answered , knowing that this would never happen.

Weeks later, Hermione was still in coma. Severus's days were filled with teaching and his evening hours with Hermione. Every evening he would come to see her. Usually he would bring a book along and read to her.

Harry and the others were visiting her in the afternoons but in the evenings she belonged only to him.

The Potions master's nights, however, were filled with nightmares and painful memories. Almost every night, he relived the moment he had learned about Hermione's attack. It was nearly killing him to see her so helpless. Severus Snape wasn't sure how it had happened or when it had happened but his heart belonged to her. He hadn't realized how much she meant to him until now. Yet he knew that if she woke up, he could never tell her. Never again would he place her in such danger. She deserved better! She deserved to have a knight in shining armor, someone her own age and not some old, used up, ex-Death Eater who lived in constant danger. He would help her to recover and than he would let her go.

One morning, Poppy stormed into his class. "She's awake!"

Severus immediately left his students alone, only to return seconds later. "Class dismissed but read pages 200 to 250!"

He hurried to the hospital wing. Before he entered the room, he spoke to Poppy again. "How is she?"

"She's very upset, Severus. She called for you."

He nodded and inhaled deeply before he entered the room. Her bed was empty but he soon spotted her sitting by the window. "Hermione?" She whirled around as she heard his voice and he could see that she was still crying. He opened his arms and a second later he closed them around her. She sobbed on his shoulder as he walked over to the bed where he sat down with her on his lap. He stroked her hair while he murmured calming words. "It will be better. I promise."

She looked up and he was able to see the pain in her eyes. "I wanted her so much, Severus."

"I know. I know. I did, as well." He kissed her forehead. "It was a girl. You were right all along. I named her Regan. After my grandmother."

She just nodded. "How was she?"

He still stroked her hair. "She was perfect. I buried her at the Snape family graveyard."

She looked up, surprised. "Really?"

"Of course! She was a Snape!"

Hermione gave him a small smile. "That she was."

The next few hours were filled with soft whispers. Severus told her everything he knew but not once did he mention his brother or Lucius Malfoy.

During the next few weeks, Hermione spent a lot of her time with her friends. It wasn't easy for her but with the help of her friends and Severus she managed. The others had already finished their NEWT's and Dumbledore had told her that she could take them whenever she was ready.

Everything seemed to be fine, except one thing. Her relationship with Severus was not like before. They still spend a lot of time together but they hadn't slept together or even kissed. They didn't even share the same bed together. She still lived in his rooms but he avoided being alone with her. He had started to work a lot and would sleep on a transfigured couch so as not to bother her. Hermione knew exactly what was happening

The handfasting would soon be over. Without the baby, there was no need for him to stay married to her. Voldemort wouldn't allow him to marry her. Everything was over. He would use the attack as a reason why he had lost her trust and Voldemort would accept it. Everything was over. She tried to see the reasonable side of this. She really did. But fact was she just loved him too much. She didn't want to let him go.

Later that day, when she walked into the Gryffindor common room, she saw Ron and Harry playing a game of chess. They both had decided to spend some quality time at Hogwarts until Hermione finished her NEWT's.

"Hey, 'Mione."

"Who's winning?" she asked as she sat down.

"Who do you think?" Ron asked with shining eyes.

"Maybe you should play with Snape sometime. He should be brilliant!" Harry said.

"Are you crazy, man? I wouldn't dare!"

Harry noticed that a sudden sadness had clouded Hermione's eyes.

"Hermione?"

"He doesn't want me, Harry. I can feel it!"

"Who? Snape? Come on, Hermione. The man is crazy about you!" Ron said in disbelieve.

She shook her head. "No, he's not, Ron. He doesn't even touch me!"

Ron and Harry shared an unsure gaze. "Have you considered that he doesn't want to rush things or to force you?" Harry asked, red-faced.

"Of course I have but he doesn't even kiss me. Nor is he sleeping in the same bed, any longer." She started to cry and Ron handed her a handkerchief.

"He loves you. We know it!"

"How?"

Ron reached out and touched her hand. "We didn't know if we should tell you, but…Hermione, when you were found and after Ginny had told him what had happened, he vanished for almost an entire day!" His gaze wandered to Harry who nodded. "The day he returned, the Daily Prophet had an article about the death of Lucius Malfoy. He was beaten badly before someone used the Killing Curse on him!"

Harry continued. "Nobody talks about it openly but all Order members are sure that it was Snape. And we think they're right."

"We also heard Mum and Dad talking about Snape's brother. Ernestus hasn't been seen since that same day," Ron added.

"He killed them?" she whispered.

The boys shrugged their shoulders. "We're not sure about the brother but we're sure he killed Malfoy!"

Nobody had told her that before. He had killed an almost lifelong fellow and maybe his brother because of her? Wasn't he aware what kind of danger he was in now? What would happen when Voldemort learned about it?

"You see, Hermione. He must be in Love with you. There's no other explanation," Harry told her, smiling.

"Ah, Severus. I have Hermione's results here. She did very well. Do you want me to tell her or will you?" Dumbledore asked.

Snape shook his head. "I will do it."

Dumbledore stared at him. "You know, my boy. Sometimes we need to risk something and we shouldn't be afraid of being happy."

Severus looked up. "Who said I am not happy?"

Dumbledore laughed. "My dear boy, you haven't been happy for a long time, not before you met her and not now. You want to end it with her, correct?"

"What would you suggest? That I keep her as a mistress? Are you telling me that, Albus? Do you really think she doesn't deserve better? What can I offer her? A life of constant danger. A life of shame. You know I can't marry her until Voldemort is dead. So what do you expect me to do, Albus?"

Dumbledore went over to him and smiled. "She has lived in constant danger since she met Harry and nothing will change that. As for the life of shame, do you really know her that little? I believe our former Miss Granger would risk everything for love. And after all, that's what you would offer her."

Dumbledore left his office leaving a thoughtful Severus behind.

Hermione was still musing over what the boys had told her when Severus entered the living room. "I just got your NEWT's results."

She sprang up, her face worried.

"Well you weren't as good as expected," He said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"What?" She had failed? She knew she hadn't been in her best form, but…

"You did far better! Congratulations."

Relief flooded through her and she went over to him to embrace him warmly. He hugged her tightly while he closed his eyes, just enjoying the contact with her sweet skin and her scent
.
Hermione snuggled closer to his body. It had been weeks since they had been that close and she had missed it.

Severus knew that he had to distance himself from her. Her nearness made him dizzy and he could feel his erection growing. He cleared his throat and stepped back. Gazing down at her, he wanted to say something but her confused expression stopped him.

She closed her eyes and raised her head, offering him her sweet lips. Offering herself to him. Severus swallowed hard and, before he would lose control, he kissed her forehead and turned around. The sudden loss of his presence hurt her; she opened her eyes and fixed them to his back.

"We should celebrate!" He turned around almost smiling.

"Celebrate?"

"It doesn't happen every year that someone creates a new record for the NEWT's!"

She nodded, forcing herself to smile. "I'm going to change."

"I will wait."

They went to dinner in the wizarding part of London before he presented her with two tickets for the opera. Carmen was her favorite and she was deeply touched that he remembered it. After the opera, they apparated back to Hogwarts.

"Would you like to walk a little?" he asked and she nodded.

"I would love to."

They walked along the lake; it was a beautiful August night and the sky was bright with stars. They walked together in silence, for a time.

"I wanted to talk to you about something," he said.

Hermione's heat was racing. So that was the reason for this day. He wanted her to have some pleasant memories before he broke up with her! After all, the year was nearly over and he wanted to tell her that their relationship would then be over, as well.

'Really?" Her voice nearly broke.

"Yes. I did a lot of thinking and I made some decisions."

"What kind of decisions?"

"About my future."

'My future, not ours,' she thought.

"How nice for you," she replied bitterly.

Although Severus had noticed the tone of her voice, he ignored it. "Yes." He stopped and turned to face her. "These last weeks I wanted to give you as much space as possible so that your mind wouldn't be clouded. I want you to be able to make your decision without being blinded by passion."

"What are you talking about?" she asked, confused.

"The handfasting will be over soon. Voldemort has informed me that he wishes me to break our bond and that he doesn't want me to marry you."

Although she had expected it, it still hurt like hell. "I understand." Her voice was thick with tears and he raised her chin up so she looked into his eyes.

"I haven't changed. Nor will I. I am not a nice, pleasant man, Hermione. I live a life that is so dangerous I don't dare to plan for the month ahead. Everyone near me will always be a target as long as he is alive. Do you understand that, Hermione?"

She nodded and a tear slipped down her cheek. He gently caught it with his thumb.

"A life with me will be anything but easy!"

'What was he talking about?' Hermione wondered.

Suddenly Severus Snape, Hogwarts' Potions master, Death Eater, and double agent went on his knees. Kneeling before her he searched his pocket and removed a wonderful white-gold ring with a yellow sapphire. "This ring is just a promise. I can' marry you, now. Not yet. Not as long as he is alive. It would be too dangerous. This is a promise that once he is dead - and if you will still have me - everything I have and everything I am will belong to you. If you want it!" he said while his gaze was locked with hers.

Hermione could have sworn that her heart stopped beating for a moment or two. He was asking her to stay with him? He asked her to wait for him. She couldn't believe it. She was at a loss for words. Suddenly, the conversation she once had with Ginny entered her mind. It was like she had always wanted it to be. A lovely day and a man who loved her, on his knees in front of her, a ring glittering in the moonlight.

Her voice was barely a whisper as she answered him. "I will be honored to wait for you. And I don't care what the others will say. I love you, Severus. I can't imagine living my life without you in it," She stopped for a moment and let her fingers wander through his silky hair. "I once told Ginny that I didn't want a hero. I just want a man who loves me and who I love. It seems I have both, now. A man I love and who loves me - my personal hero."

She bent down and kissed him. Before she knew what has happening, Hermione was lying in the soft grass with a ring on her finger and his warm body on top of hers.

Somewhere in the depth of a prison cell, a lonely figure was pacing the floor. Mumbling to itself.
" I will get it. My revenge! Oh yes i will. My time will come. I know it... Patience. I need patience..."

20 years later

Hermione woke up and found the place besides her deserted. Where was he? She stood up and went in search of her husband. She passed by a window and saw that there was a light outside in the park near the family graveyard. She sighed and put a woolen black cloak around her shoulders, slipped into her shoes, and left the Manor.

Severus heard her long before she made herself known. She stood behind him and put her arms around his waist, resting her head on his back. "What are you doing here, my Love?" she asked him.

"I couldn't sleep. I lay awake and remembered how it had been."

"How what had been?"

"How we found each other."

She smiled. "I did the same. Have I ever told you how grateful I am that your brother almost raped me that night?"

He chuckled. "No, love." He continued to stare at the grave with the rose marble tombstone.

Regan Snape
May She Find Peace

"Our first one," he said.

"Sometimes I still find myself wondering what she would have been like? Silly, isn't it?" she asked.

Severus shook his head. "No, it isn't. I do the same. I thought a lot about her during these last weeks. I couldn't have lost another one."

"Me, neither."

He turned around and encircled her with his arms, his eyes shining down on her. "I still can't believe that you waited for me all those years. Not once did you complain at being reduced to being my mistress and to bearing our children out of marriage."

She smiled and reached up to kiss him. "In my heart, we were married in this garden. For me, it began with the handfasting. I never doubted you. Not really. In my heart I knew that we belong together, for always. And don't forget that you made a respectable woman out of me once he was dead."

He shook his head. "You, my dear, have always been a respectable woman. But more than that, you are the only woman in the world who holds my heart!"

So, one last time; What do you think? was it worth hanging on?