*******Severus********
He woke up with a blinding headache.
The bright lights shone directly into his sensitive eyes, causing them to water. There seemed to be an alarm that was sounding and instantly he reached for his wand. That's when the panic started. His wand. He couldn't reach his wand.
Footsteps.
Several voices rained down over him like a storm. He could only catch brief, garbled, fragments of information. He knew one thing though, he was in St. Mungos. The smell and the telltale color of the robes the witches and wizards wore gave it away. The real question was, why?
And then Miss Granger came in. And the concern and relief on her face made his heart flutter. Although he was too worried and shocked by her recklessness. Why would she use his given name? And then she kissed him. The action was foreign; yet familiar. Perhaps he had dreamed of this one too many times. So he scolded her. Partly out of confusion, but also out of fear and guilt. That's when he noticed Remus, along with Vonn Tage- whom he remembered meeting in America and a little boy that was obviously Lupin's son and he feared their operation had been compromised. But Severus quickly learned that all was not what it seemed.
"Brain trauma?" Severus echoed, looking at the healer, Remus and a teary eyed Miss Granger.
The healer nodded. "Yes, we believe the damage to your head caused by the fallen pillar fragments led to some temporary memory loss. Hopefully, in due time, you will retain your lost memories."
"And in the meantime?" Severus wondered out loud.
The healer gave him a grim smile. "I suggest you get reacquainted. Your friends here can fill you in on the lost time. Maybe even help you recover your memories. I know it doesn't sound like much, but it is something."
Severus sneered, his mind racing with all of the new information he was receiving. It was obvious that he was missing a lot. What exactly that was he didn't know, but seeing Miss Granger looking so stricken… He knew it was something big. When the healer left, the hospital room filled with an awkward silence. "I uh, I think we should just start from the beginning," Miss Granger spoke softly. "It's evident that you remember a lot of things, just not your most recent events. Ten months ago, I was dumped on your doorstep. But, about five months ago you and I…. We became so much more."
"More? As in….?"
She cut him off, the wistful smile on her face made his heart clench. "As in lovers, Severus. Through all the baggage, and the darkness and the danger…. We found each other. We found love."
Love. With her? Severus knew the disbelief was clear on his face. There was no way this young woman could find such a thing in him. His dark eyes shot from hers to Lupin. The wolf's face was noticeably red; whether that was due to anger or embarrassment remained to be seen. "What else happened?" He asked gruffly, not willing to face her words just yet. Nevermind that he didn't know how to feel right now. This was all too much. He couldn't believe he remembered any of this.
Remus answered first. "Well uh, the Lion's Den was compromised; forcing us to not only relocate but move the timeline up. I….showed up at the manor and we revealed the truth to Hermione. And then from there we planned our final attack. Three months ago, Tom Riddle planned a ball to celebrate and to announce his future plans. You and Hermione provided the distraction we needed to surround the Death Eaters and for Harry to take down Lord Voldemort."
"Distraction? What did we do?" Severus asked, looking between the two.
He noticed Miss Granger tense at his question and instinctively he reached for her hand. That seemed to give her the courage she needed, because she relaxed almost immediately. "Well Severus, you really did all the distracting. I was just the reason. You…..you told Voldemort you wanted to marry me."
"I what?!" He gasped, dropping her hand immediately. Severus watched as more tears flowed down her face. He knew how difficult this must be for her. If they were really in love….his rejection had to sting. But he just couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe that she would want him or that he would ever have the courage to pursue her. And yet...part of him wanted desperately to believe all of this was true. "Surely that was just a distraction. I mean, I would never…."
"I'm sorry Severus, I know….uh,...I know this must be difficult for you. But I promise I'll help you deal with all of this and we can worry about us later," Hermione reassured, cupping her hand over her mouth once she was done, clearly suppressing some emotion. "I'm sorry, I just…. I need a moment-" she breathed, rushing out the room.
"Dammit Severus, do you know what you've done?!" Lupin hissed, looking back at the door Miss Granger just exited. "She's been here nearly every day since you've been in a coma. So much so that she's neglected her own health. I just got her back taking care of herself. But this, I can't imagine how all of this will impact her. I know you don't remember, but would it have killed you to be kinder to the girl? She loves you. And believe it or not, you loved her too."
Severus growled, "Don't you think I want to remember?! This is hard for me too. I wake up and I am inundated by months of information. It's a lot to take in. Especially where Miss Granger is concerned. She was just my ward, but now I find out that we were lovers. Forgive me if that story is just a little bit too incredible."
"Is it?" Remus countered. "I saw how you reached for her hand. That wasn't normal Severus Snape behavior. You don't offer comfort to just anyone. That was instinct. Something inside you remembers the way you feel about Hermione. Even if you don't."
