A Rose By Any Other Name-Part 3
The door swung open, and the shadow of the woman crawled into the corner, covering her eyes with her arm to shield them. The dark shadow loomed over her body for a few moments.
"Miss Granger, rise," it was cold and she didn't want to listen. Every time they made her stand they took her into that room. In that room they invaded her mind and it hurt. She curled in on herself and refused to move. Her eyes lit with a fire of determination. She could not see, that much was apparent because she wasn't looking anywhere in particular.
Lifted physically from the layers of rotting cloth that made up her bed, she was carried from the room by two Aurors. She did not recognize them, but then again, she didn't bother to look at them.
'Leave the cell, turn right. Fifteen seconds, they will turn left. Five seconds and up the stairs… wait… this is not the way to the office… this is not the way to the interrogation room…'
She began to struggle, trying to fight her way out of their grip. She needed to be let go. They were not taking her to get the Kiss. She was a life sentence; she was not supposed to die this way. She tried to shriek, but all that came out was hissing air.
"Stop this foolishness at once, Miss Granger!" the voice from behind her snapped. It wasn't familiar. She did not know this voice. Her eyes hurt; all she could see was spots from the light. Everything was too noisy. Every muscle hurt as she tried to get free. They were bruising her arms, not that she cared. Pain did not really matter, right? If she got free, they would just catch her again. She did not have what it took to fight properly, but she wasn't going down without the fight. She would show her innocence until the end.
"Stupefy!" and the darkness blessedly came again.
--
Severus is better, he is teaching potions again. Seeing him storm into the classroom makes her heart leap. Her healing had helped him. Her holding him while he shook and stayed unconscious helped him.
Then the door opens, and Lucius walks into the classroom. His gate is even and she can smile knowing he too survived his ordeal.
Draco takes the seat beside hers in the class, and she gives him the customary frown she is supposed to. But inside she is pleased too he is alright.
No… wait.. do not dream.. it will bring THEM… Stop this.. Wake up! Wake UP! OH GODS HERMIONE.. WAKE UP BEFORE THEY COME AND TAKE THE HAPPINESS AWAY!
I cannot wake up.
--
"Oh Arthur," she heard Molly wail. "The poor thing! Just look at her!"
No voice answered her, only the sound of footsteps walking away from the room and a door slamming.
"Now, now, don't you let him bother you," the elder Weasley woman's voice crooned. "You just keep sleeping. Nobody blames you, Hermione."
--
"And what in Merlin's name is he doing here!" the voice seemed unfamiliar.
"Oh you know he is the reason she is free, that the truth came out," it was Molly again. "Why should he not visit the poor thing?"
"I will return when she is awake," was the only voice, it seemed so distant.
--
The light seemed so bright again. She squinted against it. Her body felt better, but her mind was still reeling. So many voices had come and gone and she just hadn't the energy to acknowledge it. Her mind raced, but her body did not want to cooperate. She had found out how Harry, Ron, Charlie and Bill had died. But she knew little to nothing else of the aftermath of the war.
Forcing her body up, and out of the bed it was bright and sunny outside. The thin sheer curtain over the window did not cover that sparkling aspiration out of her blurring eyes. Cautiously she made her way to the loo. She kept her head down as she walked past the sink and it's mirror. She didn't want to give it a chance to tell her how awful she appeared, or to say something even more unseating. She finished quietly and quickly and washed her hands while keeping her face from the mirror. Then left the bathroom as if running from a ghost.
Stepping into the long hallway, she peered around trying to make sure that no one was about up here. It seemed empty and she moved slowly toward the stairs. This place was the last one she ever wanted to be in. The Burrow. Sliding down the stairs, one at a time while clasping desperately to the tight railing she was exhausted by the time she reached the bottom. Kneeling there for a few moments to catch her breath she forced herself to move again. She had to get out of here. She had to leave before Arthur arrived. And so flee she did.
Out the door, and strait into the woods her feet, bare pounded against the warm dirt below up the trail that she and Ron had run through many times as children. She noticed as she trudged through the dirt that her skin was pallid white. She had no color at all. Three years and no sunlight will do that. Lack of need of melatonin….
Her mind rambled the entire chemical reasoning behind her lack of color. The next thing to come under scrutiny was how thin her arms appeared. And they were desperately thin. She took a moment to lift the hem of the robes the Weasleys had put her in to notice her legs in very similar condition. Breakdown of musculature from lack of use, and nutrition often seen in Muggle people who suffered from Anorexia or Bulimia.
Her mind continued to race as she reached the clearing where they often turned around and headed back. She continued to berate her appearance. She continued to stop and think about how she appeared, then moved a few more steps and began the thought process all over again.
It was not until she saw the Auror cloak come around a tree that she realized what terrible danger she was in. A scream tore from her throat unbidden and she leapt back, losing her balance and holding out her arms as if to fend off an attack. Another cloak arrived, and Hermione began to hyperventilate. I am not going back there! She found her footing and pushed herself upright only to find herself exhausted from the effort, she turned to get away and found herself swathed in mounds of black fabric. Not an Auror's cloak. Much softer, much warmer. Yes warm. I am so cold.
Looking up she found herself staring into the intent, stormy grey orbs of Lucius Malfoy. Her eyes widened and her breath all but stopped. She tried to back up, move away, but he had her firmly by the arms.
"Miss Granger," his voice was silky and soft. Almost seductive. Almost. "You must calm yourself."
"I… I .. will not go back there… I cannot go.. back…" she shuddered. "Please Mr. Malfoy, I didn't break out! The Aurors dragged me out! I swear I didn't run out!" She shuddered as she tried to get away again. "Please just kill me! Do not make me go back! You hate me, please just kill me!"
The Aurors took steps away from the girl.
"Please do not let Arthur get me! He'll send me back there!" she screamed hysterically.
"Please Miss Granger, you are quite safe," he said softly. He snapped his head at the Aurors and they summarily Apparated away with soft pops to match their disappearances.
Once they were gone, she relaxed slightly but was still very uncomfortable. She needed to get away. Lucius would kill her now. That was sure to happen. Wasn't it? Suddenly a peace came over her, and she sighed. Lucius frowned. Her head dipped downward, she waited.
"I will never be safe…" she whispered almost beyond the reach of his ears.
"Miss Granger," he started again. He felt her muscles giving way and looped a strong arm around her. With a Crack, they were gone too. There was no verbal way to make this woman feel safe.
Oh she did not like the way the Side-Along Apparition felt. All her muscles wanted to give way when her feet felt like they were on Terra Firma once again. She felt like the proverbial stranded person on the boat that needed to kiss the ground once he washed up on a sandy beach of some deserted island.
She felt her body being lifted up. Cradled under her arms and legs, she curled herself against the warmth of Malfoy's chest. She did not know where she was being taken, but almost anywhere was better than that place. She was not insane; she just did not know what the Hell was going on. It was not until she heard the massive double doors of the Entrance Hall, when she realized where she was. She was at Hogwarts. She was home.
--
She awoke again, this time not in the Burrow, not There, not the Hospital Wing. She did not know where she was. She was really getting tired of this, and quickly. Her exhaustion was leading to no answers. No answers meant more frustration, which eventually led to more exhaustion. It was a vicious cycle and it needed to end. Sitting up she pulled her knees to her chest, just as she had done for every Auror that had pulled her from her cell for "interrogation".
Funny word, Interrogation, to be used or said in reference to what they were did to her. They raped her mind, they raped her body, and they hit her with curses and hexes. Anything to get her to talk about where the other Death Eaters were, it really was ironic. She had done all of this to get rid of the Death Eaters, and yet here these custodians of her care in Azkaban were no better.
She had never been given a trial; so technically, she did not have a criminal record. She had never been officially arrested either, which means she was not entitled to a legal counsel. Hermione knew that Albus Dumbledore never meant for her to end like this. Somewhere she didn't know at the mercy of Lucius Malfoy was only supposed to happen if they lost the war, not if they had won.
"He… Hello?" she called out to the cool darkness. Her heart raced, she was in the dark, nobody was here and she felt so alone. She was shivering again. Continuous and extended hypothermic state, Sirius could never get warm either. Dementors did this, too long in Azkaban.
"Lumos," she jumped hearing the deep baritone. Her body shuddered as she leapt to her left to get away from the voice that had come from her right. Her arms crossed over herself and she shuddered trying to peer into the bright spots of white that were plaguing her eyes again. She couldn't see anything beyond light and shadow. She felt her hip hit something hard, and she curled up against it pulling her hands over her eyes to protect them from the bright lantern light in the room.
"Granger? You're awake," the deeper voice said. Male, very male voice.
"Please do not touch me," she said shuddering.
"All right," he said. She could sense that he had sat nearby her. She still couldn't see.
"The light is too bright," she said shuddering. "Please…"
A whispered spell was cast and then silence once more. "I've turned them down. Try to look again."
Slowly she lowered her arm, blinking to strain against the light. She slowly was able to make out the form of Draco Malfoy sitting not four feet away from her. Her eyes went wide again and then slowly her head lowered.
"I thought I was… "
"What?" when he received no answer. "Granger, you thought you were what?"
"At Hogwarts," she shuddered. "Just get it over with."
"Granger, get what over with?" he drawled. "You are making no sense!"
"You hate me, just leave me alone and let me die," she said shivering again.
"You are not going to die Granger," he sighed. "Has no one told you anything?"
"It doesn't matter now," she said softly.
"Granger, you are in Hogwarts. You are in my quarters, my father brought you here this morning," he said quietly. "Minerva and I have been trying to rouse you all day."
"So tired," she said sleepily. Damnit I am tired, again! No! No more sleep!
"Let's get some chocolate in you," he said standing up. She immediately pulled herself into a tighter ball instinctively, but he did not touch her. A few moments later, the smell of something heavenly was under her nose. Hot chocolate. The steam licked at her face and she slowly uncurled to take the cup from its holder. Draco handed it over cautiously not to touch her.
She cradled the cup in her hands, savoring the heat radiating from the stone white mug. Tears prickled in her eyes as she stared at the creamy brown substance inside. They trickled down her eyes unbidden. She sipped the substance and hissed, it was indeed hot, but it felt so good going down. She again seemed entranced by the substance.
Draco watched her carefully and guardedly. She didn't move, just stared at the fluid for a long time before she drank down the entire mug in one shot. Suffused with its heat and the wondrous magic that chocolate had over the Dementor tortures she shuddered. Thankful for Draco's quick reflexes from years of catching snitches, she realized a moment too late she had dropped the mug.
"S… Sorry…" she muttered. "I should… I…" she couldn't formulate a sentence. She pulled at her hair, trying to smooth it down to no avail. It was clean, she could feel that, but it was unruly as always. She pulled a few leaves and twigs out of it and sighed staring at them.
"You should have another cup, I think," he said rising to his feet slowly and moving away from her.
"Why… Why Malfoy?" it was the only thought that came in fully and thusly it trickled out of her mouth unchecked.
"Because I refuse to have a battle of wits with an unarmed person," he scoffed. She cringed back. More insults. She was used to insults by now. She couldn't trust this one. This one was like the other ones. She didn't say anything else when he handed her another mug of chocolate. Again she held it, coddling its warmth in her hands. Her body was still shivering.
Draco walked from the room leaving her to her thoughts.
--
The fire blew green and Draco's face popped into the flames.
"Severus?" he called out.
"What is it, boy?" called the droned answer. He was not within view of the young man.
"I think I need help here, I have a young woman whom father deemed to put in my care here at Hogwarts. I have no clue what to do for her," he said quietly.
"Then call Poppy and have her take a look," he said coming into the boy's view. "Really Draco, you cannot call on me to answer…."
"It's Hermione Granger," he interrupted. "She's shivering and shaking, she recoils from anyone's touch. She begged father to kill her and said she would never be safe," he said exasperated. "I do not know what she needs. I thought sleep, but she seems more reclusive than before. Now she won't let anyone touch her. She was willing to have Father carry her here, now she wants no one to touch her apparently."
A deep sigh answered him as Severus leveled eyes with the stormy eyed one. "I will be there shortly. I have to get a cauldron off the heat."
"Thank you," he said before he left the Floo.
--
Severus' heart was racing. She was released? Escaped? Why had there been no news on this? Everyone in the Order, well those that were still alive in the Order, knew she had been hauled into Azkaban for betraying the Order and treason against the Ministry. Due to her age she was given a life sentence instead of the Dementor's Kiss. What was she doing in Draco's office? Nobody had believed his testimony and pleads with the Ministry regarding her innocence. He could have provided some proof with her wand, but then again, every ounce of proof he offered before had summarily been tossed aside. He wasn't going to risk them destroying her wand.
His fingers reached for the dusty case and opened it. Inside was her wand, and the pendant he had retrieved from Saint Mungo's after she was taken away. His fingers ran over the pendant, it was her charms inside of it that made her into "Rose". It was a Caduceus, two snakes wound around a winged staff. The muggles often used this symbol to represent their medical world. One snake was gold one was silver. The staff was green and the wings were made of almost flawless quartz crystal. He let his fingers trail over the pendant once before closing the box and making his way to the hearth.
Throwing in the Floo powder he stepped in announcing "Draco Malfoy's Office, Hogwarts!"
--
Severus had barely stepped from the Floo when two straggly and thin arms accosted him around his waist and a shivering mass of humanity holding onto him like he was a life raft after a ship had sunk. Looking down he could see the trembling form of a bushy headed girl holding onto him. Her eyes were cast downward but her grip was that of pure fear.
"P.. Professor.." she started. He was shocked. Draco was sitting in his chair behind the desk looking at the girl and her former Potions professor with a high quirked brow. It wasn't nearly so highly quirked as his own. He had never known Hermione Granger outside of the classroom and the few times he had to intervene in her exploits with Harry Potter.
"Well Severus, that's the most I've seen her move yet," Draco replied dryly.
"She is suffering from over exposure to Dementors," he said looking down. "She's freezing."
"I will get a blanket from my quarters," Draco said rising and leaving the room.
Severus slowly pried the girl from her death like grip, she whimpered but let him go. He moved her to the couch and sat her down. Looking down upon her, he watched as she drew up her knees to her chest and just sat there like a petulant child. She made no attempt to talk to him. She just sat there as if lost in her own thought.
"Tell me," he said shortly.
Her eyes slowly looked up to his. Questioning him to his wish.
"I.. don't.. know what you.. are asking.. of me.." she stuttered out as Draco brought out the blanket. Handing it to Severus, the elder wizard unfurled it and curled it around her shoulders and body.
"What have they done to you?" Severus demanded a bit more forcefully.
"They wanted.. to know.. where the rest of them were…" she said shuddering. "They told me I was .. a Death Eater.. and needed to tell them… where the others were hiding…" she said quietly.
"That was not the question Miss Granger," he said quipping at her. She flinched and turned her eyes away. She pulled the blanket closer but made no other move.
"Did you tell them anything?" he sneered at her.
"I had nothing to tell," she said steadying her voice. Draco noticed the subtle changes in her demeanor and sat back slowly in his chair to watch the master spy do his work. "I was not a Death Eater."
"So Voldemort just used you for information on Potter," he said.
"Yes," she said quietly. "And to bring down his morale in the end. But that was not the plan!"
"What was the plan, Miss Granger," he sneered.
"Stab Vol.. Vol.. him in the back!" she shouted into the blanket. "Get his wand to Harry if he didn't have one. Then… try to get away."
"You were ready to die that day?" again the fitful sneer that took so many students apart and sent them running to write to mummy came forward.
"Yes," she said softly.
"You were ready to go to Azkaban that day?" he said again.
"Yes, I was ready for that, but I hoped for better," she shuddered.
"Why?" there was no snarky retort. It seemed sincere.
"They could clear me, they promised! I would not stop, I promised I would be there. I promised I would not let… I promised to … I couldn't stop now!" she was failing miserably at keeping her composure.
"You said you were ready for Azkaban, yet you are here sniveling like a first year?" he scoffed at her.
"Azkaban I could have dealt with," she shuddered. Her voice was a mere shell. Severus' eyes turned to Draco. Draco had a serious frown on his face and looked thoroughly baffled.
"You were released from Azkaban, Miss Granger," he said coolly. "Do you know why?"
"No, I do not," she said quietly. "I can only assume the truth came out."
Draco chapeled his fingers before him and gave a sharp nod to Severus verifying her answer.
"What did they do to you?" he kneeled down on one knee near her and went to reach out to her shoulder. When his hand crossed her line of sight he saw her flinch and tense. "They raped you." It was cold, flat and heartless. She only nodded, not trusting her voice. "They had a Legilimens try to break your resolve." Again she nodded. "Then they threw you in your cell, with Dementors." Again, she nodded. Severus looked at Draco who's face was a mix of anger, dumbfounded horror and flushed with deep embarrassment. "Then you were taken out of Azkaban." Again, she nodded. "And then what Miss Granger?"
"They sent me to the Burrow," she shuddered. "I wasn't able to wake up, I was so tired."
"Did they give you any chocolate or restorative potions?" he asked seriously. She shook her head. Again, Draco's anger rose. "What did you do then?"
"I ran," she said quietly.
"And Lucius found you?" he asked. She nodded.
"And the Aurors too," she added. "I thought I was going back."
"The Weasleys did not find you," he said tightly.
Again she nodded. Again Draco was furious.
"I got you out Granger," Draco's angry voice simmered. "I found Dumbledore's penseive and demanded the Ministry and the Wizengamot hear your case. Rather than start a scandal, they released you. I was affirmed you would be with allies and company you preferred!"
"I am not safe anywhere," she mumbled. "No wand, no life, parents are dead, nowhere to go. I cannot stay at the Burrow; Arthur hates me. Arthur took me to Azkaban."
Draco was fuming livid. Arthur used his influence in the Ministry to do this? "How did you get my father's dagger?"
She stopped. Breathing ceased, she flat froze. Her eyes darted around and she shuddered. "I won't speak of it."
"You got it from me, didn't you Hermione?" Severus' voice was soft. Calming, very soothing. A tone she had never heard in her life from this man. Her eyes instantly locked on his. "From my leg. The first day you healed me. You are the woman who took care of me all of those years. That was the dagger you removed from my body." Her eyes didn't flinch as she continued to look into his eyes, but she did not speak. She would not confirm it or deny it. Which she might as well have confirmed it with her silence.
"Have you got the care for her Severus?" Draco asked sharply. Severus did not remove his eyes from hers and slowly nodded. Draco donned his robes and was gone through the Floo in a matter of moments.
"Hermione, he's gone. Tell me the truth now," he said quietly.
"It was me," she whispered. "You needed help, you wouldn't let anyone help."
"Albus taught you Legilimency and Occlumency," he answered for her. "Then you made the charm and came here when he summoned you."
"Yes," she said quietly. "He said you would not take help from Poppy."
"Come here, Hermione," he said quietly as he pulled her into his arms and held her tightly. He offered her no thanks; she didn't want it. He offered her no reassurances; she wouldn't have believed them. He offered only his body warmth; that she needed right now, and she would accept. "I have your wand."
She shuddered in his arms and wept. He offered her nothing more than to let her, she wouldn't have accepted anything else.
--
"Father!" Draco called reaching his destination.
"Draco, how many times have I told you not to yell…" Lucius came out of his study to see a fuming Draco Malfoy. Lucius stopped his tirade about disruptions to his home and looked at the man before him.
"Father, this whole thing was orchestrated by Arthur Weasley!" Draco said crossing his arms over much the way Lucius did himself when displeased. "And then they said she would be safe there!"
"Weasley? Well, that does make things complicated," Lucius said quietly. "I knew the family had a temper, but I did not think them capable of such intrigue."
"Yes, who would have thought the lover of all things Muggle would put a Muggle Born Witch through that kind of Hell?" Draco sputtered angrily. "She was supposed to be cleared. She hasn't been tried, she hasn't even been given a chance to testify in her defense. They used her and spit her out."
"Who is with the chit now?" Lucius drawled.
"Severus," he replied. "Father, that is the other thing. Severus says she is Phoenix. She won't talk about it, but her silence confirms it."
Lucius stopped his pacing, his eyes drawn immediately to the mirrors of his son's eyes. Phoenix, the woman that Lucius was sent to, and the one that saved him and his son. The woman that apparated into a Death Eater Revel and stole out two of the Death Eaters was Hermione Granger? Phoenix had claimed to be a Mudblood to the Dark Lord. Everyone knew that. But when the war was over, she vanished. Of course she did, she was in Azkaban. Is it so surprising that Phoenix would have cared for Severus Snape? That Phoenix had the dagger made much more sense than Hermione Granger.
"Do you still have pull with Blaise Zabini?" Lucius said carefully.
"Yes, but he's the Minister of Defense," he said shrugging. "To admit any folly in this is to admit his own fault in not investigating it after Shakelbolt retired."
"Better that he admit unknowingly ignoring the situation, than to admit it later when she's strong enough to go to press about it," Lucius said with a sneer. "Do not leave him any option but to give you her file. And if that doesn't work, you can always threaten him with his previous… concessions of his office."
"Father, I do not understand why you are so headstrong in this," Draco said. "I got her out, this isn't going to get us anywhere if we keep pushing."
"No, it is going to go everywhere if Miss Granger is strong enough to make it happen. She is your ticket into the Ministry, my son. But, only if she is strong enough. Do not push her into anything. I have a feeling Severus plays a much bigger role in her life than he has previously let on," Lucius said quietly.
"Phoenix saved my life, Father. Phoenix saved his life. He said he knew she was there at the final battle and the dagger confirmed that. He never said anything about Hermione being Phoenix," he said thoughtfully. "Why would he keep quiet?"
"He gave them a lot of evidence of her innocence, son," Lucius said equally thoughtfully. "If I know Severus, and I do, he gave up trying. Arthur and Kingsley probably made sure it never went before the Wizengamot. That would mean that Zabini holds no implication in this and it would be to his best interest to be on her side of this battle," he said thoughtfully. "If Zabini fails to work with you, threaten to take it to the Prophet. But you must wait to see if she will be strong enough to do it. Any person begging to be killed is not strong enough to be an example."
"How did you meet Phoenix, Father?" Draco said quietly.
"After my escape from Azkaban, I was not the sanest of individuals," he said plainly. "No pride, no care for humanity, no care for what happened to you or anyone else. It was exactly what the Dark Lord wanted of me by leaving me there for so long."
"She came to you?" Draco added questioningly.
"Yes. She found me half dead after a revel and brought me.. well I don't even know where. She worked on me morning, noon and night. She held me while I shook, hummed sweet tunes to drown out my nightmares, and showed me the power she held by a simple wave of her hand," he said with a sigh. "In my state, I hurt her numerous times, but she never left me. She would leave and come back, but she never left me. Phoenix did exactly as her name said, and brought me out of my ashes."
"I have never known you to be so … sentimental," Draco drawled.
"She saved the Malfoy family," he said smoothly. "We Malfoy always pay our debts. If gratitude is the only gift I can give her, then so be it."
"Father," Draco scoffed. "You speak of her like you love her."
"I do, but not in that way. I love the way she showed me another path of power. She made sure I understood the power of blood, the blood of family. I cannot say that she is any less or more powerful than myself, I shall never know. But I do know that she changed the tide of this old man's life." Lucius pressed a hand to his chest dramatically. "To demonstrate it, she saved my only son. That is a power I was willing to give up until I met her. Your mother felt much the same way about her."
"And now they have broken her spirit," Draco said with a dramatic flair that only two Malfoys in conversation could possibly have.
"No, they have wounded it or killed it, but not broken it. Perhaps Severus can help her rise from her ashes," Lucius said thoughtfully. "We will just pave the way for it to happen."
With the decision made, Draco nodded and left for the Ministry.
--
Severus held Hermione for almost two hours before he dared to speak again.
"I will not let them take you again," he said simply. He pressed the dusty wooden box into her hand. "I needed you."
"You owe me nothing," she muttered into his robes.
"I owe you everything," he said in a tone that brooked no argument. "It was you that made sure that Albus did not leave me to the slaughter. I can only think that if they did not have you to crucify, it would have been myself nailed to the proverbial cross of public opinion."
"Then I did my job well," she shuddered not taking any pride in her comment.
Damn you Albus, could you not see how much this girl suffered at your folly for saving me? Damn you. You're foolish eyes would not twinkle seeing this child like this. She deserved better than to be your fool. She trusted you, and you let her down. Even if you died, you should have made arrangements for her to be safe. Damn you Albus! And damn me too…
"No," she whispered.
"No?" he feigned.
"No," she repeated. "Do not condemn yourself. Ever. What happened to me happened because the Order Members were killed and the one I could trust betrayed me. Not Albus, do not damn Albus. But Arthur, that's another matter entirely."
Good, get that fire going girl. Very good. We will get you through this. You will be safe again Hermione. My Rose.
--
It took Hermione two months to be able to walk again, and not shiver all the time. Granted, she had to carry a few chocolates with her no matter where she went, but she had her mind about her again.
Severus noted she was bitter. She was angry and hateful of all things Wizard. Hermione had been betrayed by the polls of public opinion, swayed by the media that endorsed her as a traitor even after her release. She was just a traitor that couldn't be brought to court because there was not enough "standing evidence". It made her radiate hate all the more.
But hate was at least an emotional response. Fear was not, fear was more of a survival tactic. Hatred meant she would eventually learn her other emotions back in time. Severus took her back to his home, tended her much the way she had tended him over the years. Two weeks after she was brought there, he was ecstatic to see her cleaning the dishes by a cleaning charm.
The first week of the second month, she begged him to verbally quiz her. She wanted to ensure she had kept up her knowledge all through her incarceration. She wanted to be sure that she hadn't lost her mind. The one thing she treasured more than anything else. To his surprise her answers were quick and well memorized.
For his part, Severus was tender with his touch, but vicious with his words. He was a walking contradiction. His home was simple, but it served his needs. He had a lab in the basement, a simple living room, den, small dining area and kitchen on the first floor. Second floor held two bedrooms, each with their own bath. Nothing extravagant, and not one stitch of Slytherin colors to be found. He focused his time he wasn't taking care of "Miss Granger" on his studies of his potions. Having developed a few after retiring from Hogwarts and passing the teaching position to Draco, he enjoyed a modicum of success.
The first month, "Miss Granger" did not come out of her room much. She explained later, only after excessive prodding that she feared her strength down the stairs. He never referred to her by first name, despite the terribly personal space they had to share in her care. Even when she had tripped and fallen down the last three stairs, giving Severus quite a start in the process, he did not call out her first name.
On the first of July, he found her sitting outside. It was the first time she had ventured out of doors. Granted, her wand was tightly fisted in her hand but she was outside. Her hand to eye coordination had much improved and she was using charms again with ease. She did not shiver as much, but she never really seemed warm. She always had her arms wrapped around herself and her legs crossed. Severus had to wonder if this was to keep warm, or if she was protecting herself from her demons.
On the fourth of July, he found her eating at the small table he had in his garden. She was taking in fresh fruits, and seemed to be enjoying the sun on her face. Her color was much improved and her body seemed a little less frail. Her weight had increased and she was starting to take on her womanly shapes again. He bought her robes to fit, and made sure she was comfortable.
"Will you join me?" she asked in a quiet murmur.
"If you wish," he said stiffly.
"I do," she said with a small sigh of what appeared to be relief.
He sat. They did not say much, if anything really. She just seemed comfortable with the company and the silence.
"I feel safe here," she said quietly.
"That is important in your recovery," he said as stiff as ever.
"I am sorry," she said quietly. "I know you did not appreciate my invasion to your privacy before. I am trying to get better quickly so I can leave you to your privacy again."
"Nonsense," he scoffed.
"That I am sorry? Or that I am trying to recover quickly?" she blustered out.
"Neither," he said and just left it hanging there. "Is your room comfortable?"
"Very," she said simply as she plucked another grape from it's little vine and popped it into her mouth. "Can I ask you something, Professor?"
Professor? He had not been called that in over four years. But then again, what did she know of what he was doing these days. She had not asked, she had not pried. Then again, this is the first time she asked anything. He saw no harm in answering the girl's questions.
"I believe you just did," he said with a smirk. It took her a second to recognize the humor, and a small close lipped smile came to her face. It was stunning to see because she had not smiled at all as of yet.
"How did Harry die?" she said quietly.
"He never recovered. He died on the way to Saint Mungo's. The magic was gone from him as if it had held on for that final day," he said wistfully. "He slipped away in his sleep." That was comforting to her apparently. She nodded and smiled again softly. He did not understand her smile about the death of her friend and raised a brow at her again questioning her sanity.
"I had a dream about him last night," she said quietly. "It was the first good dream I have had in a while. He was happy, flying Quidditch with Ron while his mother and father looked on. And Albus was there, talking to me. Asking me if I was still taking care of you, and I had to tell him I couldn't anymore," she said wistfully. "I had to tell him the shoe was on the other foot now. He seemed to understand but he did not make me explain. He just asked me, like he always used to, if there was something he needed to know."
Severus blinked. He had many similar dreams, and was not surprised by the way she described the old and sagely wizard. "Then he offered you a lemon drop?" he scoffed at her.
"How did you know?" she said bemused and with humor. "Damn, I always thought the offers of lemon drops were only for me." She was being sarcastic, but it made her brook a full smile. It was good to see her smile again. He could not help the tug at his chest to feel her with humor again. "It's getting chilly, a storm is coming in."
He noticed the slight drop in temperature and had to agree. They would probably be in for one strong thunderstorm that night. He helped her gather the things from the table and get back inside. As if on cue, the skies opened up and the thunder rolled across the sky from somewhere in the distance as the earth became doused in a strong deluge.
"That was close," she said looking at him, still holding onto his arm. She looked up to his strong black eyes boring into hers.
"Indeed, Miss Granger," he said smoothly.
"Professor, you have seen me at my worst, I think you can call me Hermione," she said softly.
"Only if you stop referring to me by that ridiculous title," he smirked at her. She raised her eyebrows. "I no longer teach."
"And what should I call you then? Master Snape?" she was not being sarcastic. She was being very serious.
"You used to call me Severus," he said softly. Severus' tone must have caught her by surprise; her eyes shot to his and were wide with in trepidation. Severus was a little surprised by her reaction. "And if I recall, you left me roses too."
She did not move, but a small smile crested her lips. "I was sure you would hate that. But there was no other way…"
"To let me know it was not a dream," he said smoothly. "The way I felt the next day would have told me that. There were few days that I received my punishment and were that functional the next day."
Taking a chance, something Severus Snape was not known for. But he had made his promise to Rose that he would live the life she had paved for him. They were still standing in the alcove to the back kitchen door. Slowly he advanced, and she did not shy away. Her head craned up to keep her eyes on his, her body trembled slightly but her eyes showed no fear.
"I am not a nice man," Severus said gently.
"Yes you are," she countered. "You are just not congenial."
Raising his hand to cup her face he ran a thumb down her pale cheek and she leaned into his warmth.
"Why me Hermione?" he whispered softly.
"You are one of the strongest men I know," she said softly. "You made sure I was well and not hurt in all of the misadventures of me and my friends. You risked your life so I could have one. I repaid the favor," she said softly. "I was too young for you to take an interest in, so I kept myself hidden from you. If you had seen Hermione Granger taking care of you it could have caused you severe ramifications, and me too. But I knew then what I wanted."
"Me," it wasn't a question as his lips slowly descended and brushed over hers. Just the lightest touch. "I am a greedy man." He whispered against her lips.
"I hope so," she said softly. "I am a loyal woman."
It was his undoing. Of all the things he was, no one had ever been loyal to him. Loyal to the cause? Yes. Loyal to things he was mutually loyal to? Yes. Loyal to him personally? No.
His arms looped around her tiny waist and pulled her against his chest as his lips crashed into hers. Her arms crawled up his shoulders before taking firm grip into his locks as she returned his passionate embrace in earnest.
He took in her scent, a light Jasmine with the hint of Vanilla from the shampoo oils he had given to tame her hair. Her frame was small, but her curves were natural. Given another month, she would be back up to normal weight. She fit into his arms so well, he could fold himself over her. Lay his cheek atop her head and hold her head against his beating heart. But right now, her lips tasted so sweet.
Her fingers gripped into his shoulders and the warning sirens went off in his head. She wasn't physically up for anything more, even if her heart and mind was. Which he still was not so sure. His was, but he had to tread carefully. As greedy as he may be, he wanted to fulfill this greed for a long time. A one night stand was definitely not in order. Slowly he paced down their embrace, kissing her more slowly, tenderly before breaking it all together and looking deeply into her eyes.
'Please Severus, make me whole..' her mind was not shielded and her thoughts came unbidden to his perfected Legilimency. He gave her a sincere smile, close lipped that may have been mistaken for a smirk except that it affected both sides of his mouth not just one.
"Soon my Rose," he said softly. "Soon I shall take you and not ever let another have you. But right now, our passions are too high, and your body is not ready. Neither is your fragile heart," she went to protest but he silenced her with a soft finger upon her lush swollen lips. "I should like to take you out, show you about the world you fought so hard for. It really has changed quite a bit." He could see the trepidation in her eyes. He just pulled her against his chest and rubbed his hands along her back. Still being able to feel her ribs through her gowns was the easiest cure for his raging erection.
"Why do you call me that?" she whispered quietly.
"Because that is what you are," he said quietly.