End of an Era

by redfrog

COMPLETE: This is a continuation of Unlikely Alliances: It's set the summer before and durring their 7th year. Quidditch, Romance, Fun, Order things and finally the last battle and graduation. Lots of fun and a few different ships.

63. A Long & Lonely Year

Chapter 63: A Long & Lonely Year

The rest of the summer flew by and way too soon for everyone was the start of the new school year. Neville, Luna, Ginny, Colin and Dennis were all heading back to Hogwarts along with Severus and the rest of the professors. Tonks had decided to quit the Auror division and assist Remus with teaching full time. She wanted to be close so they could keep trying for a baby. They had been trying since the final battle and were determined to give Harry the little brother or sister he had always wanted.

Hermione and Gabrielle were both heading off to university. They would be sharing a dorm room although Gabrielle would be flooing back to Malfoy manner every night. Since Gabrielle was on the normal 4 year plan she didn't need as much study time as Hermione did to get all her transfiguration credits completed in one year. She had arrived 2 weeks before classes began to begin taking all the tests to pass out of her classes. They wanted her to pass all the potions exams before the school year so if there were any that she failed she could take the class and still receive her mastery at the end of the year. She also had to test out of the required transfiguration classes and begin testing on the specialized classes as well.

She kept in touch with her parents via owl and was instructed to floo to the castle once a month for tea and to tell them all how her classes were going. She had been devastated when she had to say goodbye to Severus and didn't realize her heart could pine for someone so much once she left. He was not much better and for the first few days they sent letters two times a day just because they missed each other so. He had given Hermione a gift of a beautiful midnight owl when she left so they could communicate easily. She named him Poe since his black feathers reminded her of a raven and thus the poem by Edgar Allen Poe.

She had completed all of her potions tests and although she passed with the highest marks the university had ever recorded they still wanted her to take the senior thesis class where the students each work on their own creations and are lectured in the many different careers available after graduation. She conceded since it was easier than fighting them. She could tell many of the potions faculty was envious of her talent and resentful of her being able to skip the class work.

The transfiguration tests were almost as perfect as her potions ones and she greatly impressed the faculty with her knowledge. She was able to test out of three additional classes once they saw her abilities. She used the class time opened up to her to take a class on Pureblood Culture and History since she would soon be immersed into their world as well as a Magical Theory class that was said to discuss the reasons behind why some wizards were powerful and others not. She still had the rest of her transfiguration classes and was happy she had room for some more interesting but unneeded classes.

My Dearest Severus,

The days are lonely here without your company. At night in the silence of my dorm I remember fondly our conversations in front of the fire. Every time I speak with one of the so called potions experts here I long for your sarcasm to put them in their place. They have asked me so many pointless questions about our research that I wish it was just published already so they could read it and maybe realize how stupid they sound. I think some of the 7th year potions students have a better understanding of the subtle art than these dudderheads, to steal a word of yours. I cannot begin to describe the way I am treated by the other students. This must be what Harry felt like when he started at Hogwarts. When I walk into a room everyone stares and whispers and a few are brave enough to actually ask me about what I did in the war. I have met few who are capable of holding an intelligent conversation without breaking in with either, 'Did you really face He-who-must-not be named?' you would think after the bastard died they could use his name. Or they ask 'Are you really friends with Harry Potter?' or my favorite from the former students of yours, 'How could you stand working with Snape on potions!' I am beginning to seriously doubt the intelligence of the youth of the wizarding world. I did a mental evaluation of my Advanced Transfiguration Theory class and deducted that only half of them really have the skills needed to become a master and the other half have the skills but lack the passion. Things are worse in the potions department. The professors are a joke; the man teaching the theory class I was forced into taking has no real breakthrough potions to his name and thinks he can lecture us on potions research. The man has only ever made 3 potions of his own in his 40 years as a potions master! Sure he plays around with other people's formulas but he only ever created 3 potions and 2 of them were household cleaning products that work similar to their muggle counterparts! Every day here I fear I am just loosing intelligence. I miss you more than you could possibly imagine and am counting the days until Halloween when I can join you for the weekend at Hogwarts. Maybe spending some time with the first years will make me feel better about being here with the 'big kids'. Take care and don't let the dudderheads get to you.

Always Yours,

Hermione

Severus finished reading her letter for the 3rd time that night. He was also looking forward to Halloween so he could see her again. Unfortunately for him there was a large party scheduled in the Slytherin common room for the night after the feast and he knew he needed to chaperone, even if Albus approved of the event. Hermione would arrive in the morning before the feast and he wasn't even sure he would see her until lunch since his morning was a full schedule of classes. He had never known he could miss one person so much. He had been in contact with her mother since the summer as well and their was no new word on his marriage proposal. Harry had taken him aside before he left back to teach and given him the ring for Hermione. He was glad that her best friend was supportive of their union. Ginny had been spending almost all her free time in his labs to keep herself occupied. He found the red head's presence tolerable and could understand her need to brew to keep her mind occupied. She had taken over all the brewing for the hospital wing and they were also helping to restock St. Mungo's supply. Some patient had gotten into their warded supply cabinets and broken half the vials so he had volunteered his time to help them. He used potions as an escape as well. He needed to escape the hole in his chest that Hermione's presence filled.

"Miss Granger, this essay of yours on potential medicinal potions is atrocious," Professor Derisory said loudly enough for the entire class to hear. There were some sniggers from those students who were too stupid to think for themselves and the rest of the class waited for the witty comeback of the smartest student they had ever met.

"Just because you're not able to understand the theories put forth in my essay does not make it atrocious. If you had bothered to check the sources that I cited you would know that the ideas I put forth are already being studied by some of the best minds at St. Mungo's in London and they have appreciated the research I have done for them." Hermione said determined not to loose her temper again with the aggravating man.

"You will rewrite this essay or receive a failing grade in this class," He told her smugly. "As you know, a failing mark in this class will result in your not graduating."

"And as you know I have requested that all my work be triple checked among the rest of the faculty as you seem incapable of grading me adequately." She told him with a smirk. "I have also already tested out of this class and even if I received the lowest possible score I will still receive my mastery at the end of the year."

The man was sick and tired of the girl in front of him. "I will never let a mudblood like you receive any sort of degree from this school," he bit out taking his wand out of his sleeve. "Tell me who supplies your answers and we will allow you to continue at this school without pressing charges. Cheating for your mastery is punishable by up to a year in prison." He told her with a sick grin.

Hermione noticed that he was staring into her eyes and felt him pushing against the edges of her mind. The bastard was trying to read her thoughts! She whipped out her wand, "You will cease your mental probing of my mind immediately or I will be forced to call the Auror's." She told him while pointing her wand at him. "It is a direct violation of the law to enter someone else's mind without their consent. I will have your teaching credentials for this."

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" He growled and yelled, "Crucio," causing her to writhe on the floor in pain. She couldn't believe the man had just used an unforgivable against her and in front of 10 witnesses as well! She waited him out, not allowing herself to scream and give him the satisfaction. She had not noticed the shielding charm he had placed around the classroom so no one could leave and no one could help her. Her classmates were looking on in horror. The curse was draining to maintain and he let if off fairly quickly. "Not so smug are you now mudblood. The great Hermione Granger can be beaten and I am just the one to do it. I don't know how you survived a face to face encounter with the Dark Lord but you will not survive this one!"

As he had been ranting she had used her potions in her necklace, both the cloud clearing and the Winter's tale potion. She was relieved when the Winter's tale went to work and took the residual pain away, she had taken the other as a precaution against whoever this insane man really was. "Is that the best you got?" She taunted rising to her feet, much to the surprise of everyone in the room. "You are a pathetic excuse for a man if you think I will ever grovel to you."

"Crucio!" He yelled again and paled when she only smirked at him.

"What? You didn't think I would go anywhere without my potions did you? Or didn't you believe that I really created the cure? You are nothing but a fraud and I will see you behind bars for this. It is a good thing you showed your true colors in a classroom of witnesses other wise I might not be so merciful to you and give you the same treatment I gave the death eaters I took down in the final battle!" She was pissed off now.

The stupid man sealed his fate by trying to cast imperio on her. "You really don't learn do you?" She said shaking her head and binding him with magical ropes and silencing him in case he was capable of wandless magic. She took down his wards and turned to the scared and awed students in the classroom. "Everyone sit down and stay where you are. I will call the proper authorities and they will need statements from each of you. It is best if you do not talk to each other until the statement is taken."

Auror's arrived within minutes of her floo call to Harry, it is sometimes useful to have a famous friend. After taking everyone's statement they let the rest of the class go and approached the bound man. "This doesn't make any sense," the head of the University said. "He was always such a peaceful man and even dated a few muggleborn witches over the years. He just hasn't been the same since he went on vacation last summer."

Harry and Hermione raised an eyebrow at each other and Harry scanned the man for spells on him. He registered having a complex transfiguration charm on him. As none of the Auror's were proficient in the area they had Hermione remove the spell and they were met with the face of a death eater. "Avery," Harry said with a growl. "How the hell did you get out of Azkaban?" He told the man who was now glaring at him. "I guess we know why you don't like Hermione. What did you do with Derisory?"

Since the man wouldn't talk they administered Veritaserum and learned how he fled after the attack on the students in Hogsmead failed and decided to take the place of his 4th cousin Derisory so he would not face jail time or his master's wrath for his failure. Turns out he is a master of Transfiguration and transfigured one of the stunned new recruits to look like him and put him under Imperius so he would play a convincing part and then fled the country to try and hide.

"Well that was the most interesting potions class I've had since I arrived," Hermione told her friend over dinner that night. He had decided to stay and keep her company after she was checked over by the university hospital staff. The healers had not seen the results of the Winter's Tale Potion before and were very impressed by her skill. They even asked her to brew them a batch to keep on hand just in case they may ever need it.

"The Order is going to have a field day when I tell them," Harry said shaking his head. "And I don't even want to know what the press is going to say. I know one of your schoolmates is going to squeal to them so you might want to prepare a statement."

"And here I thought he hated me because I was smarter than him," Hermione joked to her friend. "Damn, that means I have to write Severus before he hears about this from another source and sends me a howler."

"I thought Slytherins preferred subtle revenge over howlers?" Harry said with a smirk.

"You know what I mean," She sighed. "If I don't tell him he will slowly torture me over the next few weeks with his wicked sarcasm and veiled hints of hurt that I didn't tell him personally. The man should be given an award for the creative ways of portraying his snarky personality through a letter."

"Well it is only a week until Halloween so you will be able to see him soon," Harry reminded her. "Then you can reassure him in person that you are alright. Although I don't think any of us want to know how exactly you will be doing that. I can only imagine it involves some twisted form of Doctor and …"

"Will you knock it off," She laughed. "You know that all we have ever done is kissed and that is all that we will do unless my parents decide to let us marry. I told you that he is following the old traditions and taking the physical relationship anywhere past snuggling and kissing is a breach of tradition and would be grounds for my parents to dismiss his proposal."

"Too bad he can't just get down on one knee and give you the ring like normal men do." Harry told her, "It would be so much easier if you two just showed up married and told you parents to deal with it."

"I have thought about it but since I know of the betrothal I cannot do that without loosing my magic. It's a horrible and archaic tradition! I swear that I will never inflict that upon my children." She told him with a huff.

"You mean your jet black curly haired genius children with your nose, his black eyes and personalities that could cut through steel?" Harry joked.

"Yes and they will be playing with your horde of messy haired red heads with green eyes and a penchant for pranks and danger. Heaven help us all!" She laughed and they finished their supper so Harry could get back and report what had happened.

Hermione,

I am eternally grateful for your safety. It took all my willpower to sit and write you this letter rather than run to your side. I am proud of your courage and determination but hope you will never be put in that position again. My heart constricted in fear for you as I heard what happened. I do not know what I would have done if something had happened to you. You make my life have meaning once again. I strive to be a better man, to be worthy of your attentions. I have never been one who desired a companion before I met you but now I cannot imagine my life without you in it. I look forward to the weekend when we can be together again. I will not be assured of your safety until I can hold you in my arms and see for myself. Please stay safe and know that you are always thought of. I shall end this now as I have thoroughly ruined my reputation with the mushiness contained herein.

Yours,

Severus

Hermione read his letter with tears in her eyes at the emotions he allowed himself to express to her. His normal missives were witty and entertaining but devoid of the care she normally felt in his presence, this letter soothed her soul. From it she knew that he did love her, even if he had never admitted it to her. She wondered if he was waiting for her to say it first or if he just didn't know how to say the words. She was scared to tell him of her love, scared of rejection. She wanted to wait and tell him once her family approved of their union. She dreamed of the day he would take her in his arms and tell her he loved her. She imagined the look of love on his face as he asked her to marry him. She still saw him every night in her dreams and they had started to show her what a future with him could bring. She saw herself swollen with his child, the two of them wrinkled and old reading in front of the fire. She saw them say their vows and saw him receive his crown… she hoped for even one of those happy events.

The week crawled by slowly before she was finally able to leave for Hogwarts. She was to meet with Albus first since Severus had classes. "It is lovely to see you my dear," Albus said surprising her with a grandfatherly hug. "The school seems almost empty without you and your friends' class. Although I must admit it is quite peaceful."

"So there have been no new breakthrough pranksters yet?" She asked with a chuckle. "I had expected someone to pick up the slack!" The two talked for a while and then he left Hermione to wander the school after showing her to her room for the night. It was near his office so not to far from either the tower or the dungeon.

She was able to catch Ginny during her open period in the morning so the two were able to catch up. They had been writing each other but both were too busy with school to devote too much time to idle gossip. "I am going to head down to the dungeons now," she told the redhead. "I want to see Severus for a bit before lunch."

"I'll make sure Albus knows you two are going to be late!" Ginny giggled before running off so Hermione couldn't hex her.

She waited patiently outside of his classroom for his last morning class to let out. She was both nervous and excited to see him. She was excited for the obvious reasons of having missed him more than she thought possible and she was nervous that he would be all cold and aloof since they were at the school. That was why she wanted their hello to be in private rather than in front of the entire school at lunch. The third year Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw class ended and came out gossiping about how Snape was in a good mood as he only took 10 points from the boy who blew up his caldron. This relaxed Hermione as she realized he was excited to see her too.

She stepped into the classroom and after seeing that there were no students left shut the door to give them some privacy. Severus was putting the students' potion samples in his storage room and had not seen her yet. She made her way closer to where he was and hoped he would hurry up and turn around. Severus was being as quick as he could with the potions so he could hurry to the great hall to see Hermione. He hated the idea of greeting her in front of the students but knew of no alternative. He was shocked and relieved when he went back into the classroom to find her waiting for him with a huge smile.

"Hermione," he breathed as he gathered her in his arms. "I missed you." He told her before claiming her mouth in a searing kiss.

"I missed you as well," she told him once they separated. "I wanted to see you in private before we ended up making spectacles of ourselves in the great hall."

"That is another reason why they call you the smartest witch of the age," he told her before kissing her again. "Unfortunately we better head up to the hall before Albus gets any ideas."

"I think it's the rest of the staff and students we have to be careful with. I know Albus already has ideas as his eyes were twinkling more than normal!" She told him with a laugh and he offered his arm to escort her to lunch. She was surprised when he led her to the Head table instead of dropping her off with the Gryffindors.

"You're an adult now; there is no need to sit with the kiddies." He told her with a smirk. "Besides, it keeps me from having to have boring conversations with any of the rest of the staff." Hermione was greeted warmly by the staff and had an enjoyable lunch talking with Severus, Tonks, Remus and Minerva. She was also glad to note that Charlie looked happy to se her but not jealous at all that she was once again with Severus. She had seen him with his girlfriend at the weddings over the summer and they had looked close, she was just glad he had moved on.

The Halloween feast was fantastic as usual and Hermione felt full to bursting. She had decided to sit with her friends at the Gryffindor table. Neville joined her along with Luna so with Ginny, Colin and Dennis they had 6 of their group there. She had been invited to the Slytherin party after the feast and decided to go to keep Severus from hexing his own house. She just wanted to be able to spend some time with her friends before she had to head back to school. She and Severus were going to take most of the next day and continue their research. They decided that if they could cure the other Unforgivable curses they should be able to find something to prevent the death curse.

"Are you really going to the Slytherin party?" Dennis asked her at the feast. "I heard some of the boys talking about it earlier. That would make you the only non-Slytherin in the room!"

"Don't worry about me Dennis," Hermione told him with a wink. "I can out hex any one of them!" They all laughed and she made her way to her room to change into more casual clothes for the party. She had been wearing one of her nice causal robes during the day so that she was not mistaken for a student and now wanted to relax.

Severus showed up to escort her before the party started. "I have a surprise for you before we go to the snake pit," he told her and led her towards the library. "Do you remember the bet on which Slytherin you would kiss that I won?" He asked and continued at her nod. "Well there was a 300 galleon purse to the winner and I didn't want any money for you kissing me so I told the Slytherin boys to go ahead with their idea of using the unwon money to commission a portrait of you."

"Really?" She asked with a huge smile because it was such a sweet thing to do.

"Yes, and the portrait is ready now and waiting for you to unveil in the library." He told her with a soft smile. "I also have another surprise for you that I took care of myself with the rest of the winnings."

The portrait was perfect. She was painted wearing her Gryffindor robes with her rose hair pin holding her hair back from her face. She was sitting and reading at her favorite table in the library with her book bag beside her, overflowing with books, and her wand was lying on the table beside her while there were notes on parchment scattered around her. She looked just like she was studying hard for exams. The painted Hermione would look up every now and then and smile or wave. She even said hello to Severus with a blush on her cheeks. "Who painted this, it's wonderful!" Hermione told him with a smile.

"That would be your good friend young Mr. Creevy." Severus told her and then led her to a table where there were two wrapped parcels that looked the size of books. "Now here is my surprise for you," he told her and had her open the first package. Inside was a burgundy bound leather book with gold writing on the front naming the book The Beginnings of Royal Endeavors Inc : Original Potions by Hermione Granger. She was shocked speechless as she gently leafed through her book, HER BOOK! This was all of her research for her entire product line including 4 chapters dedicated to Potter Inc. There was even a chapter on her schooling history that mentioned her apprenticeship, top grades and mentioned her work on the unforgiveable curses.

"Severus this is the best thing anyone has ever done for me," she told him with tears of happiness in her eyes.

"There's more," he told her and handed her the second book for her to unwrap. This book was bound in black leather with both silver and gold writing. It was tiled Forgiving the Unforgivable by Hermione Granger and Severus Snape. The book was broken into three main sections, one for the Cloud Clearing potion, one for the Winter's Tale potion and the last for the Silver Solution. It had all their work outlined and cross referenced. There was even a photo of the two of them working over a caldron together on the title page, she assumed it was something Colin took.

She had no idea how to thank Severus for such a gift so she just wrapped him in her arms. "They are absolutely perfect," she told him before kissing him breathless.

"I am glad you approve. If you agree we can have the books published so that every bookworm can have their very own." He told her with a smile as they made their way to the Slytherin party.

The rest of Hermione's first term flew by as she started her newest research project. She didn't need any more potions research at the moment and decided to prove her theory that magical power and blood had relatively little to do with each other. Her parents had done a lot of the initial groundwork before they went into hiding and gathered even more of the muggle born data while they were in hiding by researching family trees to find out where there was magic in their line.

She had determined that magic was not spontaneous. Every single muggle born she had found records for (the past 75 years) had at least one magical ancestor in their family. Usually it was that there was a squib back a few generations on each side so the child manifested magic. She also determined that the by adding in new blood, meaning muggle blood, the magic became stronger or at least evened itself out. She determined the reason the pureblood families were not showing as much magical powers anymore is because they were marring too close to their bloodlines. She used the Crabbe and Goyle lines as proof and then went on to show how new blood revitalized the Malfoy and Slytherin line. Additionally she found that the children of 'muggleborn' parents showed a growth in power and that by 5 generations the mixed blood line was equally as strong as most of the pureblood lines that did not inbreed. She went on to calculate that if the pureblood families only married other pureblood families within the next 10 generations they would be producing more squibs than wizards and any magical children would barely have the magical abilities to pass NEWT exams. Another alternative she calculated was that if even 25 of the pureblood families added in muggle blood the magical population could increase by 50 within the next 10 generations with record numbers of powerful wizards.

Her research was fascinating to her and she was already determining what kind of legislation would be needed to guarantee the ease of wizards marring muggles. She also determined that to keep her own line pure, which she could care less about but the general public did, they would have to plan out marriages for the next 5 generations and then introduce mixed blood at that point as there would no longer be any families whose blood had not been introduced. She also determined that if the Merlin line was to inbreed it would only take 3 generations to loose its power where there would be no negative effects to the line's magic if mixed blood was added in, assuming the mix was after the 3rd generation. She had never enjoyed research so much before and was looking forward to being able to research anything she wished after she was done with her apprenticeship.