Chapter Three

The walls of Hogwarts crumbled around her as she ran, lights reflecting off the rubble as spells shot off from every direction. Her feet stumbled over stones as she dodged left and right, trying to make it to the end of the hall, that was her goal, if she could make it to the end of the hall everything would be alright-

The windows ahead of her shattered in all directions as a giant smashed his fist through and reached for her. She launched herself to the far wall and scampered away on all fours, jumping to her feet as soon as she had made it past. She could see where the hall turned, knew if she could make it there everything would be fine. She was nearly there when a door to her right splintered violently, showering her with shards of oak. A masked man loomed over her, terrible in black robes and sunken eyes. She raised her wand and screamed out a stunning spell.

Her feet couldn't go fast enough. It felt like she would never reach the end of the hall when at last, throwing herself around the corner, she was safe-

No. Not safe. Never safe.

Not with her there.

Bellatrix Lestrange, all black robes and crazy eyes and mess of hair, stood before her. Her head was thrown back into a laugh, her wand raised, and Hermione felt a quick jolt of panic and fear surge through her body before-

"CRUCIO!"

Hermione woke with a start, sticky with cold sweat. Her breath came in gasps and her body shook. Throwing herself off of the cot she slept on she crawled over to the trash can in the corner of the room and heaved.

A pair of hands grabbed her hair and held it gently behind her head as she sobbed and shook, clutching the plastic can. Her stomach had nothing to lose, but the tremors still came, over and over and over. After a while, spitting bile into the trash can, she fell back against the person behind her, who held her as she cried.

When she was able to catch her breath she looked up into Ron's eyes and whispered, "It hurt so much... the curse... that evil woman-"

Ron held her tighter and rubbed her back. "She can't hurt you anymore, Hermione. We're here, we're not going to let it happen again."

She looked around and saw Harry and Ginny kneeling next to her, looking worried. There wasn't much light but she was able to recognize Ron's room around them. The ghoul had done an incredible job of keeping the Death Eaters from destroying it- it looked just as it had before they left. The familiarity of the room with its obnoxious orange and busy posters gave Hermione a kind of peace and she exhaled shakily, her body beginning to relax.

Harry was staring at her closely when she met his eyes. "This is why you can't sleep." It wasn't a question. She nodded anyway. "Is it always the same dream?"

Hermione swallowed and sat up from Ron's embrace. His arms fell limply away from her and for a moment she felt a sudden loss. She looked up into her friend's eyes and shook her head. "It's not... always the same. But it always ends the same. With... With her..."

Hermione had to shake herself from the thought before the memory of the pain swallowed her up again.

"It's a good thing Mum took care of that bitch, then, isn't it?" Ginny said, smiling gently. Hermione exhaled in a puff, and managed- just barely- to return the smile.

"Speaking of Mum," Ron added, "Let's get downstairs. I want to try to get into the kitchen before her."

"Why, so she can yell at you, too?" grumbled Ginny as she rose to her feet. "I swear she's going to work herself sick."

"I'll take the punishment," he countered. "She shouldn't be doing everything. If I see her fall asleep in the middle of something again I'm going to personally force-feed her a potion of dreamless sleep and lock her in her room."

Hermione looked out the small window. The horizon had just begun to lighten- she guessed she had been asleep for a couple hours, if that. Feeling a headache coming on and still quite shaken, she allowed Ron to take her hand and lead her out of the room.

As soon as they reached the downstairs landing they could already hear Mrs Weasley bustling around, muttering to herself. A soft, rhythmic shnk-shnk-shnk sound accompanied her mutterings. Ginny and Ron shared a concerned look and entered the kitchen together, leaving Harry and Hermione in the hall.

"Mum," said Ginny, surprised, "Exactly how many potatoes do you need to peel at four-thirty in the morning?"

Mrs Weasley almost dropped her potato peeler as she jumped and spun around. "What on earth are you doing out of bed?" she chastised, pointing with a half-peeled potato. To the left of her was a massive pile of lumpy brown potatoes and the sink, from what little they could see, held fresh-peeled white ones. Ron approached the sink and looked inside.

"What are we making this morning, Mum? I mean, besides the crisps, hash browns, and tots."

"Get out of my kitchen, each one of you, and go back to bed!" she huffed in response, shooing him away.

"You go on ahead of us," bargained Ginny, reaching for the peeler. "We can finish up."

"Don't you dare, Ginevra Weasley!" she snapped as she pulled her hands back.

Harry and Hermione stood in the doorway, and she could feel her friend getting tense as the Weasleys argued. "This isn't healthy," he muttered under his breath.

"No," she agreed, "but everyone handles grief a bit differently." She glanced over; he was shaking his head.

"Haven't you noticed, Hermione? She's not letting herself feel anything! She can't keep going on like that." And without another word he strode forward.

Walking past Ginny and Ron, Harry went right up to Mrs Weasley. She was so surprised that when he reached for the potato and peeler from her hands, she let him take them. He put the things aside, took her hands, and said softly, "I'm sorry. I miss him, too."

When Mrs Weasley started to pull back and say something, Harry clutched her hands tighter and shook his head. "I get it. You want to keep busy. Keeping busy is easier than having a moment to think about things. I get it. And if I could fix things so that you wouldn't have to feel this way I would do it in a heartbeat. This is the last thing I wanted anyone to go through!"

Ron stepped in as his mother started to interrupt again. "Mum, please, we just want to help. We want to stay busy, too."

Ginny nodded. "Let's work together, Mum- we're stronger together."

From her angle Hermione couldn't see much, but she could hear Mrs Weasley's choked voice say something unintelligible. Moments afterwards, Harry was being hugged tightly as Mrs Weasley cried against him. She could see Harry's shoulders start to shake. Mrs Weasley pulled back from Harry to hug her children in turn, each of them holding on tightly, and as Hermione finally stepped into the room to join her friends, she found it hard to breathe behind the lump in her throat.


Finally, finally, it was time to go back to Hogwarts. The sun had risen sometime between the emotional downpour and the rest of the Weasley family coming downstairs. Together, in one chaotic mess, everyone pitched in to make the largest breakfast they had seen in months- and yes, it heavily featured potatoes. Mrs Weasley went between suggesting cooking techniques and crying over each person in the kitchen in turn, proclaiming her love for them all and thanking them for their help. The table was set, the food dished out, and everyone enjoyed the cathartic comfort breakfast they all had pitched in to make- even Hermione was able to stomach some of the potato cakes.

And now it was time to go back to Hogwarts.

Her toes tingled as she stood outside, waiting for her friends. She swore she'd wait until they could go back together, but something inside of her was anxious to check up in the infirmary tent and she was ready to leave them all behind if they didn't hurry themselves up. It didn't take much longer for her friends to make their way down the steps towards her and soon they were apparating, Ginny along with them.

The apparition point was no longer at the castle gates. With the wards down, people could apparate in and out as they wished. When they arrived, they found themselves standing in front of the castle steps. Hermione was surprised with the progress made over the day they had been gone.

The piles of rubble were no longer speckled across the grounds- they had been smashed and removed and left the landscape looking more expansive than ever. The field of tents that had once spanned across the grass had been reduced to a speckling here and there. A large canopy stood a quarter mile from the steps and under it gathered a large crowd. Hermione noticed the infirmary tent in its usual place and had to stop herself from running towards it.

"Wow," exclaimed Ron. "They sure were busy."

"Magic, am I right?" grinned Harry. "This place looks great! It's hard to tell there was a battle here less than a week ago."

"Aside from the giant holes in the giant castle," Ginny remarked sarcastically. Ron laughed.

"Who do you think is down there?" Hermione asked, pointing to the canopy.

"One way to find out," said Harry, walking in that direction.

"I think-" Hermione paused. "I would really like to check in on the infirmary tent-"

"Already?" Ron started, staring at her in slight disbelief. "Can't it wait?"

Hermione shook her head. "It's just that I really feel like I should go check in. See if they need any help." At Ron's sigh, she kissed his cheek. "You can come with, if you'd like."

Harry looked over at the crowd under the canvas and said, "I guess we can wait to see what that's about. And I'd like to go check in on Snape."

Ron rolled his eyes and started walking towards the tent. "Fine, but let's make this quick, alright?" he grumbled. "I don't particularly want to play 'bedside manner' with the Dungeon Bat."

Hermione bit down a small ball of irritation as she followed Ron's back into the tent.

So many beds lay empty! Hermione was amazed at how many patients had been able to move on. Now only three remained. And as she walked towards one, she smiled. He was looking quite a bit better, her professor. And Miss Clarence had kept her word- his face was shaved smooth. Color had come back to his cheeks, and the bandages around his neck were replaced by a large gauze pad. Hermione felt a sort of calmness spread through her as she sat in her usual chair, and turned to her friends.

"Doesn't he seem so much better? I'm so relieved. He still looked pretty awful when I left him. I'm glad Miss Clarence was able to shave his face. You should have seen how different he looked!"

Ron laughed as he put his hands on her shoulders. "You talk about him like he's your puppy, 'Mione." She frowned up at him.

"I'm just happy he's doing better, Ron." She watched as Harry slowly walked over to his professor's side. "Isn't it great, Harry? You'll get to talk to him."

"Yeah," said Harry uncertainly, "if he even wants to talk."

"Which is unlikely, seeing as he's probably still a git." Ron caught Hermione's reprimanding glare and looked down at her, surprised. "What, you really think he's going to be different when he wakes up?"

Hermione chewed her lip, eyeing the man laying in front of her. She didn't have anything to say to that.

Ginny spoke up for the first time. "People don't usually come out of a near-death experience unchanged, Ron. He'll probably still hate us, but he'll be different."

Harry turned to her. "You think he will? Hate us?"

"Why wouldn't he?" Ron scoffed. "It's not like he saw our super emotional memories that made him change his opinion on us."

"Ron," sighed Hermione, exasperated, "could you be a little less negative?"

"I prefer to think of myself as a realist."

"Well I prefer to think-"

"Hello there, super wizard saviors!" greeted Miss Clarence loudly as she came into the tent, throwing the tent flaps aside.

Everyone jumped, which made Miss Clarence smile. "I'm glad you made it back safely!" she exclaimed. "Professor Snape is about to move to St Mungo's. Isn't it great? They deemed him fit a few hours ago!"

Hermione's eyes grew large as she turned to look at her professor in the bed. "He's stable enough to be moved? When?"

"Very shortly. I'm here to prep him for his journey," she replied with a wink. "I'll send you an update once he's settled, though, don't you worry."

"Why do you need an update?" Ron asked. "We'll know if he gets out of St Mungo's."

Before she could reply, Miss Clarence answered for her. "Hermione here has put a lot of effort into making sure this old bat lives and I'm sure she'd love to hear when all that hard work has paid off, am I right?" She moved around the crowd. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get this show on the road!"

Silence fell as they exited the tent, Hermione fighting down her frustration with Ron's negativity as best she could. He had completely ruined her visit! She had been so happy to see how improved Professor Snape had looked, and hoped her friends could see how wonderful it was, but that had been short lived once 'Mr Realist' shared his two cents.

As they walked the stretch to the canopy where the crowd still stood, Ron turned to her. "Are you okay? You got really worked up in there."

"Gee, Ron, you think?" she spat. His eyes widened. "Professor Snape has sacrificed so much for the Order, and you're acting like he's nothing but a terror in a classroom!"

"Hermione, he is a terror in a classroom," he argued. "His spying doesn't change the fact that he made us miserable for years! Or have you forgotten how little he respected your hard work? Or that comment about your teeth, like he has any room to talk!"

"Did it ever occur to you that he had to act that way with Lucius Malfoy's son in the room?" Hermione countered. The rest of the group stopped short.

"She's got you there," said Ginny. "It does make sense."

"Oh, now you're Team Snape, too?"

"Ron, would you listen to yourself?" Ginny continued. "Why are you so worked up about Snape?"

Ron looked at Harry. "Please tell me you haven't forgotten all the shit we went through because of him."

Harry shook his head. "Oh I remember. I still don't really like him. He hated me before I came to Hogwarts and he let me know whenever he could. He was incredibly brave, sure, and he was selfless at times and very loyal- to my Mum, at least. None of that means I have to forgive him. But I think Hermione has a point. He probably had to act more terrible than he felt in order to make sure his cover wasn't blown."

Ron thought about it for a minute before replying, "There's a big hole in your theory, Hermione. You Know Who didn't come back until the end of our fourth year. Snape hated us from the get go."

Hermione shook her head. "Dumbledore never believed Voldemort was gone for good. I'm sure he told Professor Snape to act as if he had never left."

Rolling his eyes, Ron started moving forward again. "This is exhausting. Can't a guy just hate on another guy without all these shades of grey?"

They had reached the canopy. In the shade underneath was an incredibly long wooden table with lengthy rolls of parchment spread out upon it. Surrounding the table was Professors McGonagall, Flitwick, Sprout, and Slughorn as well as a handful of people Hermione did not know, but she recognized the Ministry of Magic pins upon their robes.

Professor McGonagall stopped talking as they approached. "Ah, I was wondering when you four would return," she said in a sort of greeting. "Come, come, I have need of your troublesome ways."

As they approached she gestured to the parchments on the table. "These are the Hogwarts blueprints. As I'm sure you're aware, they fail to include many secret areas such as the Chamber of Secrets-" she twitched noticeably at that, as did Ginny- "or other places of interest that I'm sure you four have unearthed in your time here. We're here trying to make a complete plan for rebuilding, and we would like to keep as much of the rebuild as historically accurate as we can- which includes any secrets that may have been destroyed. We would like you to share anything you might know."

Harry's face parted in an incredibly large grin. Hermione saw a twinkle in his eye as he glanced her way and had a feeling she knew exactly what he was about to offer up. "Professor," he said, "you don't need us, you need the Marauders." He turned to her with a grin. "Hermione?"

Hermione opened her endless bag and Harry pointed his wand into it. "Accio Marauder's Map!" he summoned. With a rush, the folded up parchment rushed into his open hand.

Professor McGonagall arched her eyebrow as Harry cleared space on the table. "Mr Potter, what are you on about?"

"Just watch, Professor," he smiled at her. He placed the tip of his wand onto the blank map. "I solemly swear that I am up to no good!"

Everyone gathered around the table leaned closer for a better look. The lines started to form on the map, twisting out from the center where Harry's wand point still rested. Someone gasped as the lines started to make a perfect blueprint of the castle circa 1970s. Professor Flitwick fell off the vegetable crate he had been using as a stepstool with a squeak. Righting himself, he grabbed the crate and carried it over so as to stand next to Harry and the map. Sliding it closer to himself, he started muttering phrases such as "What a wonder!" and "Genius, pure genius!" Professor McGonagall leaned over and read out loud, "Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs... Potter, who are these 'Marauders?'"

"My dad and his friends," he explained. "My dad was Prongs, Remus Lupin was Moony, Sirius Black was Padfoot-"

"Sirius Black helped make this?" asked a Ministry official, leaning in for a closer look.

"And that would leave Peter Pettigrew as Wormtail?" asked McGonagall. Harry nodded.

"This map shows more about Hogwarts than we could have ever found," he continued.

"This is exactly what I need, Minerva," said another official, jotting down notes with ink-smudged fingers as he referenced the map.

"Mr Potter, please meet the architect for this project, Mr Septon Styles."

Harry shook hands with Mr Styles, a tall, thin man about twenty years Harry's senior. "Mr Potter, please allow me to use your map on this project. It would help immensely."

"Absolutely," said Harry, smiling.

"Harry," Hermione interrupted, looking closer over the map. "The dots... They're acting weird."

Where just a moment ago the map was accurately portraying the dots for every person on the grounds, now they had begun flickering and darting about to random rooms and corners. As Harry pulled the map towards him with a frown, a barn owl flew towards Professor McGonagall and dropped a letter at her feet.

She bent to pick it up, and stood with a frustrated growl. "I'm not a bloody postwoman!" she shouted at the owl's retreating form as she shoved the letter towards Hermione. "Those owls need to sort their mess out or I'm switching the whole of Hogwarts to carrier pigeon!"

Hermione took the letter quickly, and glanced at the unfamiliar scrawl on the front that simply read, Hermione Granger, Hogwarts. She broke the seal and read.

Miss Granger,

Our Professor Snape is safe and secure in Floor 1, Room 309. I have alerted the healers that you may wish to stop by, so in case you feel like a visit, they know to expect you. It was a joy to work with you and I hope that we see each other soon!

With love,

Miss Casiana Clarence.

Pocketing the letter, she looked up to see Professor Flitwick chuckling at Professor McGonagall's outburst. "You'll have to give it time, Minerva. You know as well as I that the magic hasn't dispersed yet."

"The magic hasn't what?" she asked, then blushed as many eyes focused on her. "Er, sorry," she apologized, "I just...". Professor Flitwick smiled.

"No worries, Miss Granger," he assured her as he turned around and leaned against the table to address the four young wizards. "Warding magic isn't something we cover in depth until seventh year so the mechanics of that particular charmwork on such a large scale would be unfamiliar to you."

Hermione felt the familiar tug in her stomach, that excitement only new knowledge could bring forth. She glanced at her friends, and noticed that while not as enthralled with the impromptu lesson as she was, they were all focusing on their small Professor with curiosity. Ron had even begun rubbing his fingers with his thumb, a habit he had when he was concentrating on classwork. She wondered if he even knew he did that. Smiling inwardly, she turned back to Professor Flitwick.

The others around the table turned back to their work around the maps, excluding Professor McGonagall, as he continued his explanation. Gesturing to the grounds around them, he continued, "Hogwarts, until very recently, has been protected with many different wards that have been added and layered in a magical tapestry over centuries. Wardings of this caliber are difficult to maintain and harder to work with. When one starts a ward, the magic is growing, flowing with the need of the caster- or, in many cases for such a large and important area, many casters- and is thus easier to mold into its intended form. However once a ward is set, it becomes more rigid, less malleable and set in its ways. A highly talented charms master could add to a set ward, blending their own protections into the landscape of spells, seamlessly building upon the-"

Professor McGonagall coughed indiscreetly. Sheepishly, Professor Flitwick cleared his throat. "Ah, but, I digress..." Hermione, enraptured in his lecture, let out her breath in a disappointed huff; Ginny snorted. "Nevertheless," he continued, "when wards of this level are broken, the tapestry of spells doesn't just unravel, it shatters. The massive amounts of excessive magic explode outward, and in time will settle over the grounds. Magic of this magnitude takes time to disperse. Your map," he turned to gesture at the Marauder's Map "and the owl delivering Miss Granger's letter are just two such examples of what can happen when magic dispersal comes in contact with other sources of magic."

And suddenly, Hermione understood why Neville and Luna had lost control of that large boulder during clean-up, and why Miss Clarence's spell hadn't worked to calm Professor Snape's seizure. Other instances played forth in her mind as well, ones she hadn't even thought to notice as odd. And one particularly strong idea started to form inside her head.

"Fred!" she shouted, interrupting Ron's question to their Professor. Spinning towards her friends, her eyes wide with excitement, she said, "This is it! Do you see? This is the answer!"

Harry's face lit up with understanding. Ron and Ginny looked at each other in trepidation as Hermione spun back towards Professor Flitwick, her excitement barely contained. She had solved it, she was sure of it! "Professor," she started, "If a twin loses his life in a collapsed ward, could it affect the soul's ability to reveal itself to the living twin?"

Professors McGonagall and Flitwick shared a grieved look between the two of them. "Minerva," Professor Flitwick said, "I do believe we have overlooked something important."

Straightening her hat, Professor McGonagall nodded. "I will go speak with Mr and Mrs Weasley at once." She turned to Hermione. "Always a clever witch, you are. I thank you for bringing this to our attention."

"Hang on," said Ron, stopping Professor McGonagall as she headed towards the grounds. "Alert my parents to what? What about Fred?"

She smiled kindly. "Mr Weasley, Miss Weasley," she addressed them both, "Fred has not revealed himself to your brother yet because his soul is lost in all of the latent magic. In time, the magic will disperse, and Fred will be able to find his second half."

The effect their Professor's words had on Ron and Ginny was instantaneous. Ginny took in a sharp breath, Ron's hands started to shake, and as Professor McGonagall exited the canopy they turned towards each other and embraced tightly. Hermione, overwhelmed with the shock of solving a mystery so suddenly, stared after her. Harry nudged her side and when she looked into his smiling eyes he put his arm around her shoulders. "Fred!" she breathed, grinning, and he nodded. "Fred," he agreed.

"Let's go see Mum and Dad and George," Ginny said through the tears of relief spilling from her eyes. Ron nodded and turned towards Harry and Hermione, but before they could go anywhere Professor Flitwick cleared his throat.

"Miss Granger, I would like a word, if you may. Please stay behind a moment."

Looking back at her friends, she nodded. "Go on ahead," she assured them. "I'll meet up with you in a bit."

A few minutes later Hermione found herself sitting in Professor Flitwick's personal tent. Similar in size to Professor McGonagall's but much less organized (and much more blue), Professor Flitwick had piles of books and papers scattered around every corner. His tent was lit by beautiful hovering orbs that pulsed in a way that made Hermione feel she was underwater. As he searched a nearby pile he hovered a teapot over to her and said, "sit, please, and help yourself to tea."

The low wooden chair she sunk herself into had to have been spelled for comfort because no chair this rigid should wrap around her so softly. Tea in hand she closed her eyes and rested her head back. She was so very, very tired and this tent was very, very soothing.

"Aha!" Professor Flitwick jumped up and walked over to Hermione as she opened her eyes and sat up straighter. Sitting across from her at his desk, he shuffled scrolls around so that there was a clear path between them and set the book down in front of him. "I have a proposition to ask of you, Miss Granger," he said, weaving his fingers together and looking over at her expectantly. "I'm rather glad we had our impromptu lesson earlier, for my proposition is related. Once the extant magic is dispersed and enough of Hogwarts is repaired we will need to build the new wards before the school can open its doors again. As I had stated earlier, in a large and important area such as this, numerous witches and wizards will work together to achieve this goal. Thus, I am starting a Task Force, if you will, comprised of individuals whose charm work exceeds expectations. I'm sure you've already figured out, Miss Granger," he smiled at her, "that this is my official request for you to join my team." He handed her the book.

Hermione took a moment to enjoy the excitement she felt at a new, exciting project in her future. Looking over the book cover- Protecting What Matters: Everything You Need To Know About Wards- her fatigue melted away and she smiled at Professor Flitwick. "I would love to join your team!" she exclaimed, hugging the book to her chest. "When do we start? Is this the only book you have on wards? Is there anything I need to do beforehand?"

Professor Flitwick held up a hand and fought a losing battle with a grin. "The wards will be the last bit of renovation. You have the whole of the Hogwarts Library at your hands, but I do believe that this book with give you all you need to know for this task. And no, you don't need to prepare in any way. I will owl you for the first meeting, so until then read the book." He stood and charmed the tent flap open. "That is all I wanted to ask. You are free to go. And thank you again for joining up with me."

Hermione stood outside Professor Flitwick's tent, clutching the warding book and grinning like a fool. She had been terrified to think that after the infirmary tent was no longer a necessity, she would have nothing to occupy her time with. But now, with this new project looming in front of her, she felt confident that her spare time would be spent in productive distraction. Sighing happily, she safely stored the book in her bag.

Her hand touched the letter from Miss Clarence and her thoughts returned to Professor Snape. When they had been in the infirmary tent earlier she had noticed how improved he had looked, and that should be good enough for her, but still she felt drawn to his bedside. Would it be the same at St Mungo's, her visits? Would she feel just as peaceful there as she did in the tent? Was it his presence that calmed her, or was it all circumstantial? After all, in the infirmary tent she was busy monitoring and assisting in his care. At St Mungo's those services would no longer be needed. She would truly be just a guest, sitting at his bedside.

And yet the more she considered what to do, the more she realized how little she wanted to do anything else. She knew she was expected at the Burrow, but the thought of walking into that emotional home made her chest tight. Anyway, she thought to herself, sitting by Professor Snape will give me a chance to start reading up on wards. That thought gave her the courage to decide on a trip to the hospital.

A quick spin and a few choice words to a mannequin and Hermione found herself in a polished foyer facing a reception desk. The witch at the desk waved her closer and smiled. "Welcome to St Mungo's!" she greeted. "What brings you here today?"

Glancing down at the letter in her hand, Hermione replied, "I'm here to visit a patient on floor 1, room 309. Is he ready for visitors?"

"Name, dear?" the witch asked as she started flipping through a large book.

"Snape. Pro-erm, Severus Snape." The woman looked over her glasses amusedly at Hermione, who felt herself blush.

"Former student, eh? Yes, Professor Snape is settled in his room now. Just through those double doors on my left, dear, up the stairs and down the hall. Enjoy your visit and have a nice day!" The witch turned to address a man to Hermione's left who seemed to be holding his ear in a box. Hermione thought it best not to dawdle.

When she ascended the stairs her heart began to beat faster. A certain trepidation came over her as she walked down the hall, glancing at the small silver squares on the doors: 297, 299, 301... She began to feel very out of place and frankly quite silly, visiting this man. What right did she have to just stop by barely an hour after he had been settled? Who was she to push herself upon him? I don't even have any flowers to leave, she thought with a nervous laugh.

And then she was standing there, at the corner of two halls, staring at door 309. Professor Snape was mere feet away. Self consciously she brushed her clothes clean and straight, shook her hair over her shoulders and raised a hand. She couldn't bring herself to push the door open.

"Come on, Hermione," she muttered to herself. "You're a Gryffindor for crying out loud." The door felt cool to the touch as she placed her hand solidly against it, and yet it took a few more deep breaths before she managed to push it aside and step over the threshold.

The room was comfortably lit, with the bed against the right wall and a large end table next to it. A window let in warm natural light behind thin curtains and to the left of the door was a small table and comfortable chairs. In the far corner another door led to what Hermione could only imagine to be a bathroom. It was the most peaceful hospital room she had ever seen. Standing straighter, Hermione finally turned to look at her professor.

Though he looked much the same as he did in the infirmary tent, Professor Snape seemed more peaceful in a room by himself. In the natural light from the window, his striking features seemed less dramatic. The bedclothes he was wearing seemed softer and his breathing seemed stronger, steadier. And most comforting, to Hermione at least, she didn't feel at all out of place anymore.

Whenever she had shown up for work at the infirmary tent she began by checking his status. Here, the hospital had ways of monitoring that, so Hermione had very little she needed to do. She walked over to the window and opened the curtains farther to let in more light. She adjusted the water pitcher on the end table so that it was more centered. She charmed one of the chairs over to his bedside much like she was used to and sat down. She decided that the room was now too bright for a Potions Master and stood to close the curtains once more. She sat again, patting her knees awkwardly as she looked around. Yes, the room was probably fine. She should get to reading.

Hermione reached down by her feet and pulled the warding book out of her bag. The chair was large enough for her to pull her legs up and she rested the book on her knees, skimming the chapter titles. Every few pages she would glance up at Professor Snape, and before long she had given up on the book and tucked it by her side. For many minutes she sat with her arms wrapped around her legs, breathing in and out, sinking farther into the chair as her eyelids grew heavier. Something about being at his side... She stifled a yawn. He made her feel like she could sleep.


For the longest time there was nothing.

It was odd how once he had started to sense things, only then did he realize how little there was in those first long moments. Were they even truly moments, or were they days, months- years, even? Time had no meaning in this place.

The first thing he began to notice was the pain, because of course it would be the pain. Hot, fiery venom flowing through his veins, burning him from the inside with each pulse of his heart. His blasted heart, that refused to stop beating.

It took time, but soon the pain lessened. With its absence he picked up on other sensations. A touch. A whisper. Softness. He could never pick up too much- it would be a stretch to say he comprehended any of this in a reasonable sense. Mostly he just existed in a haze of darkness and blurs. But some moments brought him closer to the surface, more aware of his fragile life as it floated along in stasis.

Something was different now, though. The darkness was thinning. And as he approached the surface, he knew that this was it, that he was no longer tied to this haze. He didn't give much thought to what came next. In truth he thought very little.

And as his head breached the surface of the darkness, his eyes opened.

A/N: Guys. I did it. This blasted chapter was the death of me but I did it! I finally finished it! It fought me so hard, you guys, and in the midst of all of the fighting I had two different family members come stay with me, and work on top of that kept me even busier. But I won, I finished it, and now you guys have the longest chapter I've written to date (I'm sure I'll surpass this shortly). I hope you guys like it as much as I do, because even though it was a terror to write, I'm so happy with the results. And let me wish you all an early Happy Halloween. Stay safe, and may no trolls crash your party!

A/N 2: Fixing Scene Break lines.