Chapter 25

Hermione had known that it would be difficult to see him in class and in the Great Hall without even being allowed to smile at him – but it was still hard. Luckily, the NEWT exams came closer with every day and so she obsessed herself with studying (nothing out of the ordinary for her) to distract herself from thinking of him… Her only solace were the letters that they wrote each other (calling each other only "dear" and "love" in case someone else might read them…). In these, they spoke of their love for each other and remembered their shared week together. Every time Hermione missed him or doubted that he would wait for her she would read his letters, smile and cry at the same time, and then nod with a new resolve to wait and not risk her expulsion or his dismissal, for Dumbledore had still a sharp eye on them.

At the end of May, however, something grand happened that would change the wizarding world for the better.

Harry had received a notice from Dumbledore and they went off for one of their missions – apparently, they wanted to explore an offside cave where Voldemort might have hidden a secret laboratory or something this sinister.

Like always Hermione and her friends stayed in the common room waiting for her best friend to return safely. Ron eventually went to bed reassuring her that nothing terrible would happen because Dumbledore was with him, but Ginny stayed with her in front of the fireplace. At first, they talked to distract themselves but after a while they grew silent, both trapped in their own dark thoughts, and finally, they fell asleep on their respective sofas.

It was a few hours later that someone shook Hermione's shoulder so that she awoke with a start. She looked around and found the grinning face of Professor Lupin.

"Remus!" she shouted surprised and woke Ginny thereby. "What are you doing here?"

"It's over", he smiled. "It's finally over!"

"What's over?" Ginny asked irritated.

"The war. Voldemort. Everything."

Hermione and Ginny exchanged a shocked glance.

"Well, it seems no one informed you", Remus chuckled. "I was wondering why you weren't there."

"There was a battle?" Hermione shrieked having combined the information logically.

"Never mind that", Ginny interrupted them with a dismissive wave of her hand and stood up. "Where is Harry?"

"Oh, he was amazing. He killed Voldemort as if he wasn't afraid," Remus chatted lightly. "But of course, he had to be afraid. I mean, I was terrified and-" He stopped when he saw Ginny's glare.

"Where – is – Harry?" she repeated with more force, slowly getting closer to the werewolf.

Remus apparently had seen the threat in her eyes. "He's in the Hospital Wing", he replied stunned. "But he's fine!" he added quickly when he saw the girls' scared faces.

Ginny was already at the door when Hermione timidly asked: "And the rest? Who else was involved? And are they okay?" Her most concern was about Severus but she couldn't just ask that...

"Most of the Order was there although I tried to leave Tonks at home but as always she wouldn't listen to me. It is a wonder that no one died and most of us have only minor injuries. It was good that we had the moment of surprise on our side – most Death Eaters didn't know what hit them before it was too late. I think everyone is fine. Well, except for Severus..."

Hermione's heart cramped. "What happened to him?!"

Remus looked at her confused given her desperate tone but answered calmly: "He got stung by a few hexes and curses. Apparently, some of the Death Eaters wanted him even more dead than Harry or Dumbledore when they found out that he had been our spy all along... He's also in the Hospital Wing."

He hadn't even finished his sentence when Hermione ran to the door and all the way to the Hospital Wing. Her thoughts tumbled and she feared the worst. What if he was badly injured? What if he couldn't use magic anymore or lost a limb – or had forgotten her? And what if he would…

No! she thought resolutely. He was not going to die!

She burst through the grand doors of the Hospital Wing panting heavily. It was rather full and seemed more like a victory party than a hospital at the moment.

"Hermione!" Tonks shouted joyfully and hugged her. "Isn't it wonderful?"

"Yes, yes", Hermione replied absent-mindedly while searching for long, black hair. She found short one instead and ran to him. "Harry!" She embraced him as if he had been gone for years, and long hold back tears started to run over her cheek. "I'm glad you're fine but why didn't you tell us? We could have helped you!" She looked him firmly in the eye.

"Yes, Harry, why?" Ginny added and the girls both stared at him angrily.

"Well," Harry gulped nervously. "I know you don't want to hear it but I didn't want to endanger you. Nor Ron. So I made everyone promise that you three wouldn't know anything about this mission until it was over."

It seemed as if Ginny would explode any second but when Harry looked at her with doe eyes and whispered: "I love you", all her anger melted away and she kissed him fiercely.

Hermione smiled at this sight when she remembered Severus. She looked around and found Dumbledore talking to Kingsley. Eagerly she went to the headmaster and interrupted his speech with a firm: "Where is he?"

Dumbledore understood her at once. He excused himself from Kingsley and led her to an extra room at the end of the Wing. In there Madame Pomfrey hushed over an unconscious body laying on a bed.

"Severus," Hermione whispered shocked when she saw his pale face. She staggered to his side and kneeled in front of him taking his hand into hers.

Madame Pomfrey stared at the young girl holding the Potions Master's hand but Dumbledore cleared his throat and announced: "That's alright."

Obviously confused but not arguing with the Headmaster, the Medi Witch continued to wave a carpet of magic over her patient.

Hermione wanted to ask a thousand questions but she couldn't muster up her courage to ask any of them in fear of a negative answer. Instead, she stroked over his cheek and held his hand.

Dumbledore then did her the favour by asking calmly: "Poppy, how is he?"

Still irritated by Hermione's behaviour, the matron replied: "Well, he got hit by an unfortunate concoction of spells. But now I've disentangled and dissolved them all at last, so he should wake up in a few minutes." She nodded satisfied, then eyed the Headmaster sternly. "Albus, can I speak with you for a moment?"

Dumbledore sighed. "Of course, Poppy." He didn't want to explain the exceptions he had made for Hermione and Severus but knew that the Medi Witch would not stop bothering him until she was satisfied that one of her little protégées was well cared for…

Hermione meanwhile hadn't even noticed that the two had left. After Madame Pomphrey's confirmation that Severus would be alright, she had looked into his face, stroking through his hair and over his cheek, and waiting expectantly for him to wake up.

It took him only some more minutes before he did so, but when he opened his eyes and the first thing he saw was Hermione's angelic smile he suddenly felt so happy he didn't know how to respond. Fortunately, it was she who reacted at first by shouting his name in relief and hugging him firmly.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" she sobbed into his neck.

Slowly he patted her on the back. He then knew he wouldn't die, at least not anymore, but his limbs ached from the straining night and his injuries. "I'm glad you're here," he whispered. "I thought I would die…"

She looked at him, grinning and crying at the same time, stroking his cheek once more. "Of course, I'm here. As soon as Remus told us, I ran here and waited for you to wake up. I can't believe the war is over!"

"It's… it's over?" he stammered incredulously. It seemed he had passed out before the end of the battle.

"Yes, Harry apparently killed Voldemort, and most Death Eaters were either killed, captured or fled." Suddenly her mood changed, when remembering that she wasn't involved in all of this. "Well, what do I know? I haven't been at the battle!" she told him sourly.

He looked at her sincerely. "I know you would have wanted to be there and help us but to be honest, when Potter wanted to exclude you and the Weasleys, I didn't try to change his mind."

"And why is that? Don't you think me capable enough to fight in a real battle?"

"Of course, I think you're capable enough. It's just…" He took her hand into his and stroked over it. "It's just… I love you. And I could not have lived with myself if something had happened to you. Besides," he quickly added when Hermione wanted to object, "I couldn't have concentrated knowing you might be in danger. And Potter as well… For once we understood each other perfectly."

Hermione looked at him for a moment, then sighed in defeat. "Well, what can I say to that?"

"That you love me, too?" he prompted.

She chuckled about his cheekiness. "Yes, I love you." Smiling she climbed next to him into the bed and put her head carefully on his chest.

To her surprise, he didn't discourage her although people could just waltz into the room at any time. Apparently, he seemed to be too glad to be by her side again (and not dead) that he didn't care.

Falling asleep had never been easier.

It was at the next morning that their happy bliss ended when Madame Pomphrey entered the room, cleared her throat loudly and announced strictly: "I am supposed to tell you from the Headmaster – and I must add that I totally approve – that this night was an absolute exception!"

Hermione and Severus looked at each other and composed a similar sad sigh that meant: "We know…"