Disclaimer: Harry Potter . . . not mine . . . JKR's . . . I just borrow 'em from time to time . . .

She glanced back at Snape and regained whatever was left of her composure before taking in the small house. It was simple but homey. A roaring fire provided warmth and the only light while also casting dark shadows in the corners. Snape closed the door firmly behind him. Purposely bumping Hermione as he walked past her, he made himself comfortable in the chair by the fire. Someone else was present in the room and that someone nodded to Snape. That someone also handed him a glass of whiskey. Snape said his thanks and motioned for Hermione to sit. She began to but stopped as the person spoke.

"No, Severus. We must first see."

"Of course," he replied easily.

The figure moved slowly out of the shadows revealing his identity to Hermione. Several moments passed as she stared. He was definitely a he, but he was severely scarred and disfigured. At the same time, he was so very familiar right down (or up as it may be) to the lightening bolt scar on his gray hued forehead.

Had she anything in her hands at the moment, she surely would have dropped that anything. "Ha-Harry?" Hermione managed to squeak.

He smiled at looked back at Snape who motioned him forward. Hermione pulled Harry into a hug and was amazed by the bony mass that returned the embrace. Had she been able to hear his thoughts, Harry was thinking the same thing.

"What . . .how . . . who?" she asked in shock as they pulled apart.

"Hermione, please, sit down, and Severus and I will explain," Harry instructed gently.

She sat, still in obvious shock. Snape handed her a glass of whiskey and said, "This'll help." She took it absentmindedly but did not drink.

Harry looked at her trying to gauge her reaction. She was either in shock because he was not dead, because of his appearance, or a bit of both. He was not sure. All truth be told, he knew he was reminiscent of something akin to Voldemort and Frankenstein's monster. Trust Hermione to look past that and see what she remembered. Except he was not who she remembered at all. He was bitter and angry with the world for abandoning him. He had been attended to by some of the best healers in the wizarding world and they had been little to no help. Snape had even called in a few favors but nothing stuck for long. No, he was not the Harry of old at all.

"I thought you were dead," she said quietly.

He smiled his crooked imperfect smile. "I was."

'Are you . . that is, um, you're not . ."

"He's still human and very much alive, Hermione," Snape answered.

"Not the undead?"

Harry and Snape chuckled. "Far from."

"I'm just rather scarred from the merge."

"The merge?"

Harry looked a little nervously about him with a glance toward Snape who gave him the go ahead. There was so little Hermione knew and so much she would have to be told. Snape knew the risks in bringing her to Harry, but he also knew that it was better he deal with it sooner rather than later. It wasn't like she was a security risk; she was just a lot less predictable than she used to be.

"Potter, if you don't explain it, I'll be forced to, and you do tell it so much better than I," he said with an edge in his voice. Harry nodded.

Hermione was staring intently, taking in the appearance of her friend. It was disturbing, but his eyes had not changed. That was the one feature she knew she could trust, so she listened to everything that happened at the end of the war without immediate question or judgment. Right now all she needed to know was what no one was talking about, what really happened that night.

Harry's eyes glazed over a little as he recalled the events. "When I left you with Ron and chased down Voldemort, I ran into Snape. He insisted on being backup. I didn't argue since my only goal was destroying Voldemort once and for all no matter the cost. He was waiting for me with Wormtail and Lucius. Snape distracted them, nearly sacrificing himself in the process. Voldemort and I locked wands and I knew in that moment what I had to do.

"He took over my body. Our souls merged. I was Voldemort and he was me. We waged war. Severus described it to me as a continuous shape shift where one second I was myself, and the next I looked like Voldemort. It made me numb, but I couldn't let him gain complete control. I knew I was tiring faster than he was, but in my desperation I thought of everyone I was doing it for. In a final effort, I took my own life, killing him in the process."

Harry paused for a moment to regain his composure. Snape observed the two quietly. Hermione's face encompassed any number or emotions, the latest being grief. He did not want to feel sorry for her, but he found himself doing so nonetheless. His life changed so much after the war, and his involvement from the inside became public knowledge. That did not make people fear him less, but it did make his life less stressful. And he always had his teaching job to fall back on. He reflected on it all while Hermione and Harry reflected on their own lives briefly.

Harry began speaking again. "Apparently I was dead for several minutes."

"Felt like a bloody hour," Snape interjected quietly from his spot in the corner.

"Once Voldemort was dead and gone, the part that was. . is me surfaced. No one can explain it, and we've had experts and all try to make some sense of it. Anyway, my appearance is a direct result of the merge. The magic involved was so intense that there's no way to change back to my old self, to how I was. Snape and I made the decision that it would be best for me to go into hiding. If I even go near a muggle they start to go crazy. Some witches and wizards can't even be in my presence. If I so much as think some things, they happen. It's like I ooze magic."

"You must feel it, Granger?" Snape inquired.

She nodded weakly, really noticing Harry's magical aura for the first time. "Why didn't you try to contact Ron or me?" she asked.

"Mr. Weasley wouldn't believe this was Harry, not at first. You went incommunicado."

"Ron, uh, Ron's better off, Hermione . . ." Harry added.

"How can you say that, Harry! He's your best friend!"

Softly he replied, "He was your best friend too."

That gave her cause to pause for a moment. "I can't, I . . ."

Snape acted quickly and caught her as she fainted.

"Is there anything I can do? I didn't mean . . ." Harry looked at Snape worriedly.

"It's all right, Potter," came the response. "I'll take care of her. Can I trust you not to do anything rash?" Harry nodded. "She'll be back in time. I'll send Remus around later to see you. He'll want to know, of course. And I believe he may have some news for you from one of Minerva's contacts."

"Thank you, Professor."

"Don't thank me yet," Snape said. With that, he was gone, leaving Harry alone once again. He was alone with his thoughts and nightmares. As if he did not already have enough to worry about before, he could add Hermione to the list. With all that had happened since her disappearance, those worries were nothing to take lightly either.

End Chapter 4

A/N: Reviews, comments, questions, etc. are always appreciated but no flames please.