Disclaimer:I promise that I don't own the green eyed boy or his comrades.

A/N:Thanks to everyone who has reviewed my other one-shots. This loooooong bit of nonsense was something that I couldn't stop writing today. It's long-winded, dreary and I believe there is some OOCness. But give it a shot if you have the time. If it helps, it's a SS/HG. Let me know what you think.

Love Springs from Tragedy

She looked around at her surroundings. There was devastation everywhere. Hogsmeade was in disarray. There were buildings burning, some had huge gaping holes, others had been completely blasted away. There were people lay all over the place, an expression of horror on their face; dead.

Hermione caught her reflection in the window of a burning building that had once been Zonko's. Her hair was tied back with thick bits of hair coming loose. It was completely covered in grey dust. Every limb was bleeding from numerous cuts. She felt a sharp pain on her back and when she turned round to inspect her reflection over her shoulder, she found a deep, jagged gash that went from her right shoulder to her left hip. She turned back round to look at herself once more. Her clothes were tattered and scorched. She noticed a bruise forming round her left cheek bone. She couldn't take her hand away quick enough when she gingerly touched the bruise only for it to erupt in pain.

A single tear fell down her face, washing away a line of dirt and blood as it trickled down. She steadily began to walk down the street checking the bodies as she went along. There were a few others doing the same as her, all in the same state too.

Her heart began to grow heavy with sorrow as she found more and more bodies that were her friends. Lavender was the first one she had found. The Creevey brothers, Susan Bones, Dean and Cho were on the list of bodies she had found too. She had found a few students from the year below her as well but she couldn't put names to them. She refused to look at the bodies after a while; she couldn't take it any more. Instead, she concentrated on the people that were moving about and who she recognised. They were all strangers.

"Hermione?" An Irish voice broke the silence in the street. She spun round to find Seamus. tears were streaming down his face and appeared as though he was ready to collapse. "It's over?......Is it really over?" She pulled him into a tight embrace, both flinching as unseen wounds had pressure applied to them from the contact.

"It's over, he's gone." She whispered gently into his ear. She pulled away and guided him to a safe spot on the pavement he could sit. "You stay here. I'm going to see if I can find anyone else." He nodded feeling nothing but numbness.

She looked around, a plan instantly forming in her mind of what was to be done with the chaos. There was time for these atrocities to sink in and cry about them later. She took her wand out from her front jeans pocket. Treading carefully, she made her way over to the nearest person who didn't look too battered.

"Hi," She timidly touched the man's arm. He was young looking, mid-twenties she guessed. He was tall and lean, and she could only guess what colour hair he had as it was covered in thick grey dust. He looked at her with pained blue eyes. "Are you okay?" He shook his head wildly, causing dust to fall off his hair.

"I can't find my wife." He cried. Hermione smiled sympathetically as she gently rubbed his arm.

"I'm sure she's fine and searching for you." She unconvincingly reassured him. He nodded. "My name's Hermione."

"Alpheus, but I prefer to be called Alphie." He shook her hand feebly.

"Well, Alphie, we need to do something with this chaos and it doesn't look like anyone from the ministry will be here anytime soon. Would you mind helping me?"

"Anything to stop myself going mad. I'm so worried about her." He rubbed his face roughly and glanced around the devastation.

"It'll help to keep busy while you wait to hear from her." He nodded again. Words were useless to him; he just needed to find his wife. She paused before carrying on with her instructions. "People need to be found and we can't do it while these bodies have no names." She spoke quickly, cutting off her emotions in the process.

"What should we do with them?" He took her lead and let a numbness fall over him. Hermione looked around and found a building a few metres away that wasn't on fire and looked safe. She pointed it to him.

"The bodies will be put in there, if they can be named then do so in any way you can." He had a blank expression on his face. "Can you do that, Alphie?" He snapped out of it. His first thought had been that he couldn't do it, what if he found friends or family or his wife. But then he realised, they needed to be found if they were dead, they would need a proper burial with every knowing why they had died. He gave her a last look before walking over to the building she had pointed at.

Hermione walked to the centre of the street, carefully avoiding standing on anyone. She pointed her wand at her throat and muttered 'Sonarus'.

"Could I have everyone's attention please?" She began timidly with her voice booming through the streets. People stopped moving and stood still to look at her. "Could anyone who is fit enough and willing to help please gather round here." She took the spell off her throat as everyone who was standing moved towards her. Once they were all stood around her, she began to give instructions to them all. When she had finished, everyone began doing the things she had asked them to. It overwhelmed her that they were doing this, it could only be the shock of what had happened stopping them from refusing to help.

Hermione watched for a moment as people scattered. Some started helping Alphie with the bodies. Three of them went to the end of the street, ready to look after the casualties who couldn't help. The rest began searching the streets for anyone alive. Out of all the people, she recognised no one. Where were her friends? Surely they had survived this battle.

She started to search for people who needed help. She went through the buildings and side streets. She found many people who were alive, and to her horror, she had even found two young girls who had gotten caught in the cross-fire. They were huddled in Madam Puddifoot's café, waiting for their dad to come back.

Slowly the street became clear of bodies, buildings were no longer on fire and there were many people being reunited with family. But there were also many who broke down when they saw their loved one's body. She went to check the casualties and found the volunteers were struggling with the numbers. She pulled a golden feather out of her pocket. Dumbledore had given one to her and the other Order members should they be seriously injured.

"Fawkes, I need your help." She whispered to it. She heard a clear cry in the distance as she put the feather back in her pocket. She watched as Fawkes came into view and finally landed on her outstretched arm. "Think you can help some of them?" He nudged her gently before jumping to the ground.

She did one more search of the buildings before she made the trip she had been putting off. It was the unenviable task of putting names to bodies. She didn't want to be one of the many people who broke down. She wasn't ready for the heartache. Gradually, she made her way over to the building where all the bodies were. She found Neville Longbottom, Charlie Weasley and Tonks. There were a few others that she could put names to but didn't really know them. She felt tears sting her eyes but she pushed them back; now was not the time to cry over the loss of her friends.

Hermione stepped back outside, pulling the other volunteers out with her. She felt the cool summer air begin to cool. She walked to the centre of the street once more while placing 'Sonarus' on her voice.

"It's getting dark and cold, so could everyone start making their way to Hogwarts. You have all been truly amazing and now need some food and sleep." There were relieved faces everywhere at the thought of not having to be in this wreck any more. She waited until the last person was now making their way to the school. She turned around on the spot, taking one last look. The town was devastated but this was the beginning of a new life. A safe life.

Hermione made everyone go into the Great Hall. Anyone who were still seriously injured were taking straight up to the hospital wing, she would contact St. Mungo's soon to get them help. Once everyone had settled at the tables, she went down to the kitchens.

The house elves were all stood at the windows, looking outside for people. As soon as she had stepped in the room, they all raced around her and eagerly waited fro instructions. They had offered their services to the war but Dumbledore refused and made them stay put. She slowly bent down to their level.

"Is miss okay? Miss is bleeding." A sweet female began pointing at her cuts. She smiled as she took her hand to stop her.

"It's fine. Voldemort is dead. It's over and you're safe." She cried in pain when all the small bodies rushed forward to hug her. They instantly backed away, feeling ashamed. "It's okay, I'm fine." She reassured them, hiding the agony that was rushing through her body. "But there are some people upstairs who need food and drink. Could you send some up to them?" Before she had finished her sentence they were already racing around to send food upstairs. She quietly left the kitchen and made her way up to the hospital wing.

She found a middle aged woman carefully dabbing healing potion onto a young girl's arm. The young girl was unconscious and had a serious wound on her head. She whispered to the older woman to go downstairs and get some food. The woman was grateful for the break. Where was Madam Pomfrey when you needed her?

Hermione made her way over to the fireplace at the end of the wing and flooed to the hospital. She raced over to the receptionist and before she could say anything, a Healer had come out of no where and was pulling her to a ward to be healed.

"NO! STOP! I'm fine." The healer stopped pulling her. "I needed more Healers and I need them to come to Hogwarts now. There are people there who need treatment now." The Healer nodded and without a word, dashed off to get help. She went back to the fireplace in the reception and flooed back to Hogwarts, ready for the Healers.

They arrived a few minutes after her with stretchers and supplies. The only female of the Healers went straight to Hermione. She was tall and reminded her of McGonagall except her face was a lot younger looking and she had blonde hair that was tied loosely into a clip.

"What happened to all these people?" She demanded in a cold voice. Hermione frowned. The war had ended this morning after almost twenty four hours of constant fighting with Death Eaters and Voldemort and she didn't know. How had word not gotten out?

"There was a battle in Hogsmeade. The whole town is devastated and Voldemort is dead." She explained in a flat tone. All the Healers came to a standstill at what she had just said. She glanced around at the amazed faces. "How could you have not heard? All that devastation and you didn't know? It only stopped this morning when Harry killed Voldemort. We had been fighting for a whole day and night and you hadn't heard anything about it?" Her voice was getting louder and louder.

"Harry? Not as in Harry Potter?" The McGonagall Healer asked her. She nodded trying to calm herself.

"Look, just help these people. There are enough dead people in Hogsmeade without adding to them." She told them coldly. Was this Fudge's doing? Keeping it secret and hope it will disappear.

She went back down to the Great Hall after the injured people had been taken away. She found every one chatting quietly as they ate. She decided to go to Dumbledore's office and send word to the ministry. She was still astounded at the fact the Healers knew nothing of the war.

Her letter was brief and to the point. She took her time flooing over to the ministry. She was beginning to feel every cut on her body, she was even wondering if some of her bones were broken it was that painful to now move. She stepped out of the fireplace into the extravagant foyer of the ministry. She paused for a moment while she caught her breath, the transfer here hadn't exactly agreed with her beaten body.

Her footsteps echoed as she walked over to the reception desk. The foyer was deserted which was to be expected as everyone would be at home now. She left the letter on the receptionist side of the desk with clear instructions to give it straight to the Minister.

Hermione was sat at the head table, watching the dozens of sleeping people on the floor in sleeping bags. It looked just like that time Sirius had broken into the school and all the students had to sleep there.

Loneliness was engulfing her quickly. She looked out through the window to see the first rays of morning sun peeking through. She hadn't slept in three days now. She slowly poured herself some pumpkin juice, her arm protesting at being used. Her whole body was stiff and just the smallest of movements crippled her. She bit down hard on her bottom lip as she placed the jug back down. She was still in the same clothes and still covered in dirt and blood. The others had gotten a shower and repaired their clothes, but not her, she couldn't think about herself until her friends showed up.

Her heart skipped a beat when she heard a creak from the doors at the end of the Great Hall. She saw Dumbledore slowly walk into the room and spot her. He motioned for her to come out. She almost cried when she stood up and tears were threatening to spill over as she walked to him.

"You are in such a mess, my child. Why have you not gone to St. Mungo's?" She scowled at him.

"Where is everyone?" She snapped, feeling her temper rise. He looked tired and his age was showing, but she couldn't care less. He had left her and everyone else to fend for themselves without so much as a word that he was safe.

"They're waiting outside. We couldn't find you, Hermione. We thought you were dead when you never answered our calls." He explained to her. Her anger deepened even more.

"That is not the point. You disappeared, left me to presume you dead. And what's more, you left all those people without sending help. You at least owe me the explanation of where you have all been and why the public don't seem to know what has happened." She kept her voice low but it got fiercer with each word. She felt so let down by him.

"I understand you are angry and I will explain to you, but we need you to come to the ministry with us." She felt herself reeling in shock. How could he expect her to go anywhere in this state? She could barely take a step without feeling like she was about to throw up.

"NO! I AM NOT GOING ANYWHERE!" She had finally snapped. What was wrong with this man?

"Hermione, we have to inform the ministry of everything while it is still fresh in our minds. We have a portkey outside waiting for us." She understood perfectly now; he was more interested about this victory over Voldemort rather than the people who had survived. She gritted her teeth and nodded as she forced her body to take the necessary steps to get her outside.

"HERMIONE!" Harry, Ron and Ginny shouted as they raced up the stairs to her. She took a step back from them. She wasn't ready for an emotional reunion until they had all explained to why they had just left.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked as they came to a halt in front of her.

"Just don't." She warned them, her voice icy. They watched her as she struggled to walk to the log-portkey that the rest of the group were stood around. She looked around to see the concerned faces of Snape, McGonagall, Lupin, Mr and Mrs Weasley, Bill, the twins and a few members of the Order she hadn't got to know yet. She had yet to tell Mrs Weasley that Charlie had been found and was dead.

"You don't look well, Miss Granger." Snape stated without a hint of concern in his voice.

"Don't I?" She asked sarcastically. "When does it go?" She ignored the raised eyebrow Snape gave her.

"Albus, she's a mess and needs care. You can't make her go like that." Lupin stated to Dumbledore as he moved to Hermione. She moved away from him.

"I'm fine. Can we just go?" She enunciated each word carefully and through gritted teeth. Dumbledore nodded as he stepped into the circle with Harry, Ron and Ginny. Hermione found herself placed between Snape and McGonagall with both of them watching her carefully. They all pushed forward trying to touch the log and there was a familiar pull behind her naval as she was lifted off the ground. She felt a murmur escape her lips, she thought she would pass out from the pain, and then she landed with a hard thud in the foyer of the ministry.

She felt Snape catch her and hold her for a second while she waited for the spinning to stop.

"Are you sure you're feeling well?" He whispered into her ear. She glared at him before pushing his arms away. She followed Dumbledore over to the reception, noticing that the foyer was filled with ministry members chatting excitedly. It was a completely different scene to the one she had seen just a few hours ago.

"Mr Fudge is expecting you in his office." The receptionist droned as they approached her desk. She handed them all some badges. "Put these on and go straight up." Hermione didn't fight the help she got off Ginny to put her badge on. She felt her blood boiling at the ignorance of the group. No one had even gone to speak the crowd of people asleep in the Great Hall.

She spent the next hour rigidly still to stop the pain while everyone gave their accounts of what had happened. She listened as she found out that they had chased Death Eaters that had escaped. She listened to how they had taken them to Azkaban, and then gone to St. Mungo's not long after Hermione had the Healers take the injured from the school. They had overheard a Healer mention Hermione's name and survivors at Hogwarts. That was when they went to the school.

She then gave her version of events, each word with venom that Fudge had managed to cover this up and keep it from the public. He had known it was happening all along and stopped people from helping because they would talk and then Muggles would need their memories wiping. She was furious at her friends for not staying and helping.

As soon as she had finished, she got up and left, using all of her energy to hide the pain from showing on her face and crying out. She went straight back to the reception and flooed back to the school. She stepped out of the fireplace in Dumbledore's office and went to the Great Hall as quickly as she could.

There were a few people who were awake and chatting quietly. She gave them a weak smile as she walked stiffly towards the head table. She took a few deep breaths before calling for everyone to wake up. Finally they were all awake and listening.

"Morning everyone," She started softly, "Now that you are all rested, I believe it is time to go home and be with your friends and family. I can't thank you enough for your help and I will never forget it." They all started to get up, knowing that she was right. They had so much to fix in their lives and it was no use delaying the inevitable. A few went to her thank her for being strong and keeping things organised. A few offered to take her to St. Mungo's for treatment but she kindly refused. She observed them as they started to leave the hall. The younger people there were taken home by the adults and people who still had family missing went home with friends they had made the previous night.

The last person to leave was Seamus who offered her a place at his home for a few days. She thanked him for his kindness but she needed her parents right now. Not long after he had left, Dumbledore appeared at the entrance. He sighed as he sat down next to her at the head table.

"I apologise, Hermione. You're right, my dispute with Lord Voldemort got in the way of logical thinking. I made this mistake with Harry and I've now done it with you." He took her hand into both of his. She should have been surprised that he knew what she had been thinking but she wasn't, she had grown accustomed to it over the years. "Can you forgive an old fool for abandoning you?" She finally let her tears from the past three days fall. She couldn't even sob properly because it hurt too much. "Are you ready to see your friends yet?"

He got up and helped her to the Entrance Hall where Harry, Ron, Ginny, Snape and Mrs Weasley were waiting. She screamed bloody murder when Mrs Weasley buried her into a hug. Shocked, the plump woman jumped back.

"I'm sorry," She sobbed, "I'm a little sore. I'll be fine once I get a shower."

"No wonder, look at the state of you. And look at that cut on your back." She walked round Hermione a few times. "You need to be seen to."

Then she remembered. "I'll be fine but there is something I have to tell you."

"It's okay, dear, I know about Charlie. He died a hero along with many others." Hermione frowned as she looked at the tear stained face of Mrs Weasley. "They posted a list up in the foyer of the ministry."

"Hermione please let us take you to the hospital." Harry pleaded with her. She looked at him and found he suddenly looked older than his seventeen years, so did Ron.

"Please stop fussing. I just need to……" She found she couldn't say anymore as the room had started to spin. She tried to concentrate on the black of Snape's robes but it didn't help. She felt herself falling when everything went black.

"Come, Severus, a trip to the hospital is in order. The rest of you go to Grimmauld Place, I'll be along later." Dumbledore instructed everyone.

Hermione woke up to find everything in her sight a brilliant white. She quickly sat up and found herself on a ward with Snape reading in a chair next to her bed.

"What happened?" She demanded as she shifted to face him.

"Welcome back to the land of the living, Miss Granger." He said while still looking at his book. "You've been unconscious for two days now and it's no wonder with the damage that had been done to you." He closed his book with a firm snap and met her gaze. She looked blank.

"I had a few cuts and bruise, that's to be expected when you get hit with a dozen curses and have part of a building land on you." She explained to him as though he were a two year old. He gave her a smirk.

"Ever the martyr, a few cuts and bruises indeed. It was any wonder you had been able to stand, let alone help people and stay standing for a further twenty four hours." She gave him a raised eyebrow to raise his own. A silence past between them while she began to take in how badly injured she was, and finally asked him what her injuries were.

"How bad was it?" She bit her lip while waiting for the answer. His smirk grew wider as he watched her do a trait that had become familiar with her when she was worried.

"You had numerous fractures; your wrists, ankles, ribs. You even had a clean break at the top of your humerus. You had internal damage but were lucky enough not to have any bleeding." He stood up and traced a small line from her left eyebrow to the start of her hairline. "You had a fracture there." Her eyebrows instantly disappeared into her hair. He sat back down, all traces of his smirk gone. "You're very lucky to be alive, Hermione." Just as her eyebrows had come back down, they were up again.

"I'm surprised you haven't taunted me for attention seeking yet." She said sardonically. "And since when have I been Hermione to you?"

"Since I've come to admire you and your strength to keep going in the toughest of times." She blinked hard in astonishment. Had she just stepped into an alternate universe or was Snape under the Imperius? "There's something I have to tell you." He leant forward and took one of her hands. She was in so much shock that she didn't know what to do. She had momentarily lost all her mechanics and ability to think. "I have come to love you this past year, Hermione and when we thought you were dead, it broke my heart to think of not seeing you again." Her mouth opened and closed a few times before she found her communication skills.

"But….but…..but you hated me. You were cruel to me." Then they failed her again. Her mind refused point blank to register what was happening.

"That's my way of dealing with someone I respect. I respect Harry and Ron too. I even envied you. You had the friendship I had never had in school." He squeezed her hand to encourage her to speak.

"I don't know what to say. You never gave any hint of this before."

"You were my student up until two weeks ago, I couldn't." He sighed deeply as he began to accept she didn't feel the same. "I understand that you don't love me in return. It was imperative to my sanity that I let you know."

"I don't know how I feel." She told him honestly. She had always respected him, came close to hating him a few times too, but she wasn't sure about how she truly felt. He watched her hopefully as a whole range of emotions flickered across her face. Then a light bulb came on in her brain. "I read somewhere that if you ask a list of questions really quickly then you will get the truthful answer out of the person being quizzed."

"What does this have to do with the situation?" She sat back in the chair, letting go of her hands as he did.

"You need to ask me a list of random questions and somewhere in the middle you ask me what my feelings are. It's a little harsh but it will give us the desired effect." She was a little unsure of the idea herself, she didn't want to hurt him if she didn't feel the same.

"Surely you would like to think about this first."

"No, life's too short and this battle proved it. We need to know now so that we can move on, whatever the outcome." She bluntly told him. He nodded, she was right, she always was. He prepared himself for the pain before asking the first question.

"What do you prefer, owl or cat?"

"Cat."

"Boy or girl?"

"Girl."

"Lake or mountain?"

"Lake."

"What is your favourite colour?"

"Blue."

"What's your favourite time of day?"

"Mornings."

"What's your middle name?"

"Jane."

"Do you have any siblings?"

"No."

"Have you ever stolen from my storage cupboard?"

"Yes."

"How many letters are in the alphabet?"

"Twenty six."

"How many children do you want?"

"Two."

"Do you have names for them?"

"Alison and Richard."

"Do you love me?"

"Yes."

"Since when?"

"When I did that potion with you for Remus." She gasped at what she had said.

"Will you marry me?"

"Yes." She gasped again with a small smile playing on her lips. Why had she never realised these feelings? 'Because you were too busy being a bookworm!' A voice shouted in her mind. She looked at Snape to find him grinning like a maniac. "I've never seen you smile before."

"Don't become too accustomed to it; I have a reputation to uphold." He stood up and gently held her face as he placed a soft kiss on her lips. "We're not having Richard for a boy." He informed her as he pulled away.

"We'll negotiate." She laughed as his left eyebrow went up. "What will Harry and Ron say?"

"They're actually having what seems to be a fit over by the entrance." Her head snapped towards the entrance to find them giving Snape a round of applause. "We've become quite acquainted while you slept." He whispered into her ear. "They also gave me a firm warning that if I didn't inform you of my feelings then I would be expecting a visit from the Weasley twins accompanied with some of their stock." She giggled at the thought of Fred and George doing unspeakable things to Snape.

"I'm never letting you go." He told her sincerely. "You broke my heart when I couldn't find you and I won't let you do it again."

"I promise never to break your heart as long as you don't break mine. It can be fragile at the best of times, especially since we have lost so many friends." He nodded.

"It's agreed. Now how about we get married today?"

"I think I can make it." She teased him.