Chapter 48. Mortality

Standing over the destroyed Horcrux, Hermione wiped the water from her eyes and let out a laugh. She could barely feel the cold water now drenching her clothes as the fire inside her burned just a bit hotter. Another Horcrux down. Another step closer to defeating Voldemort. It was almost as if she could taste the end of this horror as she flicked her tongue over her damp lips.

Immediately the image of holding her daughter again came to the forefront of her mind and she smiled. For the first time in a while, she allowed herself a smile. Ron reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her to attention and she turned to him.

"Hey 'mione?" He started, her wrist still in his palm as he stared down at her. A droplet fell from his mess of ginger hair and onto his cheek, running down his face. Ron bit his lip and swallowed hard, standing a bit straighter. "I want you to know that I forgive you for being with Draco." Hermione moved to interrupt him but he stopped her. "This, all this, well it's put things in perspective a bit. He took your for a fool and all, but it doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things. You have Annabelle now, and you'll always have me and Harry. No matter what."

Hermione wanted to cry, fold herself in his arms and hold her best friend. But she knew she was being forgiven for the wrong things. She lied to them, about more than the paternity of her child, or who it was that she loved. "Ron, I need to tell you something," she started but he pulled her in for a hug instead, squeezing her tight. She fought back the tears that were pricking her eyes and nuzzled into his chest.

"Not now," he whispered. "You can tell me anything after this is all over. When we live, we'll have the rest of our lives to fight over nothing and talk about anything but for right now- I just- If we die, we need to die friends," his voice cracked at the last words and he held on just a bit tighter.

"I love you, Ronald," Hermione said as he pushed his cheek against her head.

"I love you too, 'mione," he agreed. Stepping away from her, he nodded. "Now let's get back to Harry."

Hermione walked behind Ronald as they surveyed the damage. There were at least five bodies under white blankets. Witches and wizards tended to each other's wounds, while Madame Pomfrey handled the more severe injuries. Hermione watched as Padma and Pavarti covered Lavender's face with a sheet, holding onto each other for comfort. Hermione could feel her heart weighing heavier in her chest. She seemed to consume the devastation of everyone around her. Her stomach flipped when Ron ran away from her, darting towards his family who were huddled over a form on the ground. Fred and George reached out to embrace him before he fell to his knees.

As Hermione got closer, she saw the distinct curl of Percy Weasley's hair in the gaps between the family's legs. Ginny spun and buried herself in Hermione's arms. Hermione held onto her friend, pulling her close as she stared at the lifeless form on the ground. Ronald had said that Percy finally apologized, that he was finally welcomed back into the family. The Weasley's had finally gotten their son back only to lose him in a war. A war he fought to protect his family. The brunette wanted to cry, biting her lip to hold back the tears as she continued to console her friend.

After a long while, what felt like forever, Ginny managed to gather her breath and look around Hermione's shoulders. "Where's Harry?" She asked, a whimper biting at her tone. Ginny's face was swollen, her cheeks bright red from crying and there were streaks running through the dust that had collected on her skin. Hermione wanted to wipe the hurt away, but instead, she gathered herself and glanced about the room.

Everyone she had ever known was there, even a couple Slytherin students she recognized but didn't remember their names. She wondered how their parents would feel about their part in the war, but she imagined that they didn't care. If they had stayed to fight, their convictions were strong than their family ties. Her gaze jumped from face to face, seeing blood running from eyebrows, black eyes and swollen lips, but couldn't find her friend.

"I don't know," Hermione sighed. A quick thought ran through her mind: what if he left? What if he's dead? Suddenly, Ginny leapt away from Hermione's arms and ran towards the entrance to the Great Hall. Hermione spun around in time to see Harry lumbering in. Harry looked out on the scene as he wrapped his arms around his girlfriend. Unlike her, he seemed to have been untouched by the battle, though he was certainly seeing its effects now.

Hermione watched their embrace for a while, a tear running down her cheek as she thought of the one person she wanted to be holding her. Could he be dead? Was he even fighting?

"We have to go to the Room of Requirements," Harry's voice pulled her from her thoughts.

"Of course," Ron said from behind her.

"No, Ron, stay with your family. Hermione and I can do this," Harry spoke firmly. Ginny had come around him and was holding onto her brother's arm. Hermione looked between the two boys, wondering when it was that they had descended upon her before nodding.

"We're in this together mate," Ron replied. "What's in the Room of Requirements?"

-x-

Standing face to face with Draco, Hermione didn't know how to feel. Instinctively, she touched the ring he had given her that she now wore around her neck. When she had finally been able to remove it, she thought about throwing it away. Tossing it into the forest along with all the mess that he brought with him, but she could never bring herself to. Instead, she conjured a chain and wore it around her neck. Though it didn't bring quite the confidence she had felt when she first wore it, the closeness of the ring calmed her.

She thought now about giving it back to him, as she stood frozen in front of him. Ronald and Harry were somewhere in the chaos of the Room of Requirements looking for the Diadem, but she had found Draco instead. He was dishevelled. His normally perfectly tamed blonde locks were a mess on his head. His crisp white shirt was torn in two places and covered in debris. His icy blue eyes were brimming with sadness and she could tell he was holding himself back from something.

"Draco," she whispered greeting seemed to release him of whatever was stopping him and he lurched forward, wrapping her in a strong embrace. Her stomach flipped and she wasn't sure if she wanted to hug him back or to push him away. She relished, for a moment, in the familiar smell of her friend. A faded crisp cologne he had never gone a day without, light but never overpowering.

With his cheek firmly pressed against her head, he inhaled sharply. "I am so sorry. For everything. Keep wearing the ring, it will keep you safe, even when I can't," he murmured into her ear.

"What do you mean?" She questioned, instinctively reaching for the cold metal around her neck.

"My mother gave it to me. It prevents death in the event of deadly curses. It absorbers it. Keep it with you, it will keep you safe. I'm so sorry," he gave her one last squeeze before disappearing down one of the many paths leading through the piles of objects. His apology rang in her head. What was he sorry for? Did he know Severus was going to kill Dumbledore and not tell me? The betrayal that seeped into her heart over that thought made her want to vomit.

"I know where the Snake is," Harry's voice jarred Hermione from her thoughts. Ronald and Harry stumbled to her side, Harry clutching the diadem and both out of breath. Hermione could feel the basilisk fang burning in her pocket.

She spun around and pulled it out. "Then let's go."

The path to the shrieking shack was illuminated by the moon, though it was nearly morning. Normally, the warm summer air would be comforting, but everything felt wrong as she and Harry approached the abandoned building. Ronald had stayed behind with his family, upon Harry's insistence, but Hermione was determined to help Harry kill the final Horcrux. Wherever Voldemort was, so was his precious snake.

Hermione cast silencing spells on their feet so that as they looked through the structure, the creaks in the floorboards wouldn't give them away. The first floor was empty. A dining table and its chairs were overturned and everything was covered in a thick layer of dust except for a small trail heading up the stairs. There was a pile of books fading by a window that she had the urge to grab and take with her, but she fought it as Harry motioned for her to follow.

A low cry hummed from the upper floor, catching her attention and sending a pang of dread shooting through her stomach. Quickly, but quietly, they took the stairs. A crack reverberated off the walls, indicating that someone had just apparated from the building. This prompted Harry to run faster and forced Hermione to take double steps to keep up with him. Through an open door, Hermione could see a form on the ground. It was large and she thought for a second it was moving, but she dismissed it as a trick of the light. From her vantage point, all she could really see was a lump of black fabric. Though, upon further examination, she could see a dark substance pooling around it.

Her heart leapt into her chest as she finally made out what it was. Hermione's legs nearly collapsed as she ran towards the body. Harry tried to pull her back, his fingers scraping the skin of her arm as she fell to her knees by his side. Severus was bleeding. Wounds on his neck and chest were filled with thick red blood that made it hard to see where exactly he was injured. Hermione quickly pressed her hands on the wounds, screaming for Harry to help her, to do the same. With bloody fingers, she brushed some hair from Severus's eyes. They were open, but barely, and she knew he could not really see her.

Through his groans, Severus managed a few words; a sentence she could barely make out. The tears that were welling in his eyes seemed to sparkle in a way she had never seen. Clueing in, she reached into her bag and grabbed an empty vial and held it to his cheek. She watched it fill the glass, dancing like smoke and glittering of its own light.

"Harry go!" She demanded as she handed the vial off to Harry. She barely heard her friends footsteps recede into the building as she ran her trembling hands over Severus' shirt. The witch held out of her wand over his wounds and shakily shouted a few healing spells. Spells that Severus had taught her. Memories flashed through her mind of the nights they spend together, the hours they spent falling in love over education and conversation. She felt the dread welling up in her throat as the thought ran through her mind, what if he dies?

She made it through a few more charms, and the majority of the bleeding seemed to stop, though he was pale and frigid to the touch. Summoning all her strength, she wrapped her arms around him and apparated to Muriel's.

-x-

By the time Muriel had convinced her to return to the battle, it seemed to be at a standstill. She made it back into the castle and found everyone gathered by the front gates. Ginny and Ronald were with their family closest to the crumbled entrance. Ginny bit her lip, holding back the tears that still pricked her eyes. Hermione wanted to hold her, but it seemed that everyone was strengthened against whatever was coming, and that it was not the time for affection.

Hermione noticed then, a parade of people marching across the bridge. Hagrid was the first one she could decipher, being heads and tails taller and larger than the rest. He lumbered towards them, though held down by ropes tied around his neck, and he held something in his arms that sent another jolt of dread running through her body. In his arms was a limp corpse that Hermione could identify immediately. Harry James Potter.

Her thoughts were running wild as Voldemort rejoiced in his win. Her best friend was dead, the dark had won, and this was the end of her. A muggleborn would not be allowed to live under his rule, even if she did survive the next few moments. Her daughter would be taken from her, likely given to the Malfoy's to raise as a pureblood, as a reward for their loyalty. When the dark wizard asked for people to step forward and announce their conversion to his side, Hermione was waiting for the Slytherins to flock to their parents. But no one moved. She could see Draco's parents beckoning to him, but he stood firm.

Her attention was immediately drawn to Neville when he limped forward, something in hand. She craned her neck to see over the people in front of her, but couldn't make out what it was. He began speaking empowering words. Though most of it was lost in the noise of blood rushing through her ears, she caught bits of it. That the war was not over simply because they had lost Harry Potter. That Hogwarts would fight, the light can still win. Hermione wanted to agree but with every minute she watched her best friend lay dead, that hope seemed to slip away from her.

When Harry rolled out of Hagrid's arms, Hermione almost stumbled back with her gasp. He leapt into action and she saw Draco run from across the yard to toss Harry his wand. Harry launched into battle, the rest of the courtyard stunned as they watched in amazement. Hermione could not peel her eyes away, though she desperately wanted to know where Draco had gone off to without his wand.

A bellowing cry ripped her attention to Neville who had somehow produced the sword of Gryffindor and sliced off the head of Nagini. Silence swept over them for a breath before Harry shot off a green curse. "Avada Kedavra." Voldemort was knocked back, his corpse lay on the stone motionless. Crack followed crack as the Death Eaters retreated, leaving the ground as fast as they could.

In the rush, Hermione could barely believe the sight before her. Her doubts vanished as she ran into the arms of her friends. Family. Molly and Arthur pulled their children into an embrace that Hermione envied. Hagrid was in tears as he pulled Harry up to his chest. The weight lifted collectively as the day broke over the mountains, shining the morning light over the devastation.

-x-

Stepping through the breezeway of Muriel's home, Hermione's breath caught in her throat. Her arms stiffened as she held her fist to the wood, keeping her from knocking. Images of Severus' bloodied form flashed behind her eyes. The news that lay on the other side of the door could devastate her.

She had left her friends behind at the war as they started picking up the pieces. The loved ones of those who were lost were allowed to mourn. The light had taken back the ministry and the traitors were starting to be hunted down. She wondered if Severus was on their list. He had killed Dumbledore and had repeatedly displayed his unwavering loyalty to Voldemort. And yet, there was something telling her that there was more to the story, that her assumptions were wrong.

Draco had given her the ring to protect her. Severus had loved her to deeply he couldn't possibly have been dark. Her assumptions had been wrong before and she quietly begged to be wrong again. She wouldn't find out, though, if the one person who would tell her was dead.

So there she was, waiting to see if he had even survived. Would he ever be given the chance to share his side? Would he ever be given the chance to explain himself and prove that he had been good all along? Would he ever be the father to their child? As long as the wood stayed between them, there was always hope.

Her breath was taken from her as the door opened inward, revealing a shocked face looking at her. The wrinkles and grey curls that greeted her sent a pang of warmth and sadness running down her spine. Hermione collapsed into Muriel's arms, tears streaming down her face as she tried not to sob into the poor woman's ears. Her action was met with a tight squeeze and a rub on the back that eased her pain.

"He is upstairs," Muriel finally spoke in a moment of silence. "He is asleep, and I don't expect he'll wake for many days, but he is alive, my dear."

Hermione swallowed her tears and looked up into the woman's eyes. "He's alive."

-x-

After a long visit, sitting by his side, Hermione took her now six-and-a-half-month-old daughter back to Hogwarts. She was barely recognizable from the infant she had left with Bill and Fleur. She had grown a wild mess of dark curls on her head and the deepest brown eyes that furrowed just like her father. She cooed and squealed with delight, reunited with her mother again. Hermione had worried it would feel awkward, holding her daughter after such a prolonged time apart, but the magic that drew them together was something undeniable.

Hermione ran a finger through one of her daughter's curls, as she gazed down at her child. Annabelle had the squishiest cheeks Hermione had ever seen on a baby and a little pink nose that definitely didn't come from her father. She was dressed in a light pink sundress with ruffled sleeves and a small bow on the collar. Hermione wished she had been the one to pick out the dress, but Bill informed her that Molly had happily supplied Annabelle with all of Ginny's clothes from when she was a baby. Soon, though, Hermione would be the one to dress her when she woke, brush her hair and give her baths, and rock her to sleep every night. The yearning of a mother ran deep in her heart as she watched her daughter with elation.

"Hermione?" Ron's voice pulled her from her trance, and Hermione looked up to see a mob had formed around her. Fred and George looked down at her, battered, but glad to be alive. Molly was itching to hold the baby, but Arthur seemed to be holding her back. Ginner was nuzzled in Harry's arms, who wasn't even looking at the child, and Ron was closest. With a tinge of defeat in his face, he looked down at Annabelle and gingerly touched her hair. "She's not Draco's is she," he almost whispered.

Hermione's heart leapt in her chest as she was faced with the questioning looks of her loved ones. Fleur and Bill walked up behind the crew and gave her a sympathetic glance. "No, she's not."

"She's Snape's, isn't she," Harry pipped up and Hermione bit her tongue as a gasp escaped Molly's mouth.

"She is," Hermione sighed, turning back to her baby as though she couldn't face the judgement.

"She's beautiful, Hermione," Ginny said, kneeling down beside her friend and rubbing one of Annabelle's cheeks with the side of her finger.

"Why did you let us think you were with Draco?" Ron asked, hurt flooding his tone.

"Would you have liked it any better if you knew it was Severus?" Hermione questioned back, trying desperately to not feel shame or embarrassment over who she loved.

"Snape," Harry nearly spat the name from his mouth.

"I suppose not," Ron shrugged but not before shooting a levelling glare at their friend. Harry seemed to retreat. "We love you, Hermione, and we'll love your daughter, just like we promised. Nothing's changed."

"Is Snape even alive?" Harry interrupted.

"Last I checked," Hermione's voice caught in her throat, knowing that at any moment her efforts could fail and Severus could die. He had been stable when she left, but his wounds, the blood... Hermione banished the thought from her mind. "What did he give you? As he was dying before, he gave you something, Harry. What was it?" Harry's expression morphed as he instinctually reached for his pocket and pulled out the vial.

"Memories," he whispered. "I haven't had a chance to watch them."

Hermione stood, watching the contents of the vial dance within the glass. "Can I come?"

-x-

Severus grew up in a terrible home, his father detested him and his mother neglected him. He was forced to wear ill-fitted hand-me-downs from his parents, leaving him in shabby women's clothes too frequently. It had been an awful, lonely childhood, until one day he'd gone for a walk and met a lovely girl named Lily. She was smart with fiery red hair and green eyes that could read one's soul. She had a laugh that made Severus smile when nothing else seemed to penetrate his cold exterior. She was a witch, like him, though she was a muggle-born. He taught her things, little bits he'd picked up on his own or from his mother, and they grew close. He loved her, he knew that, but she didn't seem to mind it.

When they got to Hogwarts, it was quickly apparent that Gryffindors and Slytherins just would not get along, though she made an effort to stick by her friend. He cherished her for it, at first, but then every moment they spent together felt more to Severus like pity rather than friendship. Torn apart by his love for her, jealously of how easily she made friends, and the constant bullying he received from her House, he began to resent her.

He made the error of showing his resentment, calling her an awful name at school one time when he had been particularly embarrassed, and she never spoke to him again.

Severus watched her grow further and further away from him. She fell in love with his bully and was happy. Genuinely happy. As a teenager, that was particularly hard to watch and he took easily fell into the clutches of his fellow Slytherin. You see there was this man who hated mudbloods as much as he was beginning to, and Severus was persuaded to his side.

When he discovered the prophecy, he proudly announced to Lord Voldemort that there would be a boy who would defeat him born as the seventh month ended. Unaware his childhood friend had recently given birth to a son, Severus watched as Voldemort planned out his first love's death. As the name left the mouth of his master, Severus nearly crumbled. He had sentenced his best friend to die.

In a panic, he rushed to the one wizard Severus knew could protect them. The only person in the world who could save them. Dumbledore. The old Headmaster made promises of safety in exchange for a vow of loyalty. Severus easily surrendered his loyalty, knowingly putting his life in danger by becoming a double agent. If he would die, and she would live, that was fair enough for him.

As he walked past the body of his childhood bully, his stomach began to stir. The house was a disaster, nothing like Lily would have ever kept it. The sound of the floorboards creaking under his feet as he climbed the stairs rang through his ear. It was a deafening silence in the room as the world seemed to collapse around him. One the floor of the nurse laid the body of his Lily. He fell to his knees, gathering her in his arms and sobbed as he cradled her. He had killed her. He had caused so much death. He deserved to die.

It wasn't until Dumbledore returned to Hogwarts to find Severus destroyed on the floor of his office, that Severus begged for death. Dumbledore, however, kept him to his vow and let him live with his sins. He had to protect her son. Or else she had died for nothing.

There were bits of memories scattered over the years of Harry's life. From his first year to his sixth, and every moment where Severus had intervened to ensure the boy's safety. And then the last memory of Severus and Dumbledore in the Headmaster's office as the potion master looked down at the old wizard's withering hand and said, "I have contained it for now, but it slowly it will spread."

"How long, Severus?"

"A year maybe," Severus said, sitting down in the seat across from Dumbledore at his desk.

"You said that Draco has been given a task, a task to kill me," Dumbledore started. Severus seemed to fold into himself at the mention of the plot, but Dumbledore continued. "You must complete his task, Severus. Draco must not be the one to kill me. It must be you."

Sorry for the long wait with this one, I think we're in for one chapter to go before the epilogue. Happy Holidays and a wonderful New Year!