The last thing Hermione Granger remembered that evening, was the thick and rancid smell of smoke beginning to seep into her lungs, making her gasp for air as she lie bleeding helplessly on her living room floor.
And now, as she lay semi-awake upon something soft and squishy, a sheet draped over her from the neck down, the scent of roses and other floral types permeated throughout the area, filling her nose with a most pleasant scent.
At once, Hermione thought the absolute obvious: she was in a funeral parlor. She had died in the fire. There must be various flowers and random cards strewn about the room, hopefully in a nice neat arrangement that wouldn't be too much trouble to clean up.
'Lovely,' she thought to herself, as she lay ever still with her eyes closed. '-I do hope they put me in that gray pants suit that I purchased a few months ago. Mind you, it was bloody expensive, but the material felt so pleasing, and the tailoring was just-'
But Hermione was interrupted by a man whispering from somewhere in the room; she couldn't pinpoint his exact location, but she was sure it came somewhere from the left.
'No Gladys – it's the poor boy in 323 bed A. Got blown up by a cauldron, dear. Parents are absolutely bonkers, whisking him out of Hogwarts straight away for-'
Hermione's eyes shot open.
'Hogwarts?!' she thought to herself. Hermione's eyes darted back and forth, looking upon the slightly cracked off-white ceiling directly above her, severely doubting what she had just heard from the man.
'What the…' she said to herself, obviously confused and disoriented. After all, she had banked on being quite dead at the moment.
Hermione decided that she would try to move. That would most surely debunk her current theory. Without difficulty, she carefully picked up one arm off of the bed.
She looked at her appendage, studying the foreign material upon it. Her one arm was bandaged from elbow to wrist. Meticulous wrapping; clean dry and intact. She took a moment to regard the good work before deciding to look at her other extremity.
Hermione raised her other arm.
There was a large bandage on her forearm. Closer to her elbow than her wrist. She stared at the piece of gauze taped to her arm, and then gazed more towards her shoulder.
Hermione grabbed the white sheet with both hands and peeked under the covers.
She was in a yellow hospital gown.
'Oh dear God…' she thought to herself. There was one place, and one place alone where she had seen yellow hospital gowns. And if there was talk of Hogwarts amongst the staff, that would surely mean that she could be in one hospital, and one hospital only:
…Hermione was a patient in Saint Mungos…
The young woman felt her heart rate increase. Hermione tried her best to shimmy herself up in bed, but upon moving, suddenly cried out in pain and at once, grabbed the back of her petite head. It too had a medium sized bandage covering it.
'Oh this is so not good…' Hermione thought aloud to herself. All of a sudden, she sniffed, and began to look around the room.
There had to be at least four or five huge flower arrangements in her room. They were all beautiful. Some more than others. There was one across the room that looked like it had daisies swaying slightly in the vase. On a chair by the window, sat a beautiful full pot of dark orange mums. And as Hermione turned her head to the right ever so slowly, on the table alongside the bed was a beautiful dark blue vase with yellow tulips.
Hermione smiled ever so slightly.
She loved tulips. Loved the way they were so crisp and fresh looking, and of course they smelled quite nice as well.
Upon closer inspection, Hermione saw that there was a small white envelope attached to the side of the vase. On the outside of the envelope stood the initials H.G in a very formal-looking script. Assuming that the note was meant for her, Hermione reached for the note with her right hand, her left still holding her head as she winced from the pain ever so slightly.
Hermione carefully opened the envelope to reveal a single piece of parchment. It read the following:
Though I admit it is fairly amusing to see the Doctor as Patient, I must warn you against leaving the hospital. Doing so would warrant the most dire consequences.
P.S. It would behoove you not to speak to the daisies in the corner of the room.
S.S.
Hermione held the note in her hand and frowned. She silently pondered its words before slipping the note ever so carefully into the sleeve of the envelope.
'Don't leave…' Hermione thought to herself. She snorted at the ambiguity of the note.
'What do they think…that I'm helpless? That…that I can't survive on my own…oh please…' she thought to herself.
'Well, I'll show them…' she said quietly out loud.
Hermione looked at the chair positioned next to her bed. On it, to her relief, was her fuzzy blue housecoat that she had from home. Not bothering to think how it got there, she was relieved to see that the clothing item had made its way to the hospital room completely intact.
Hermione swung both legs over the side of the bed, and propped herself up, dangling her legs off the side of the bed in the process. She was a bit dizzy, but she deemed that it was nothing she could not handle.
While letting her feet dangle, Hermione took a moment to look at her hospital gown. She gave a small chuckle as she looked down.
'I look like a fucking banana,' she said in amusement to no one in particular, as she smoothed out a wrinkle on the left side of her gown.
Hermione stood up, holding on to one of the bed railings for support. She bent down ever so slightly to retrieve her fuzzy blue housecoat. After straightening up, she placed one extremity in each sleeve, carefully making sure not to disturb her bandages, and she tied the robe with a lose knot about her waist.
Hermione took one step forward, and suddenly cried out in pain. She grabbed the side of her stomach, feeling a small bandage under her gown. She took a deep breath in, and exhaled. Willing herself to move forward, she took another step away from her bed, and let go of the side railing.
The young woman shuffled ever so slowly for a few feet, eventually making her way towards the end of the bed. Hermione walked towards the wall opposite her bed, and as she was passing, heard a faint whisper coming from where she was.
She stopped for a moment to locate the sound, and finally pinpointed the origin.
…The daisies were whispering.
Hermione frowned and crept closer to the flowers, bending ever so slightly in front of them to try and gather what they were saying.
'He…Hello?' Hermione greeted the flowers in a quiet whisper, inching ever closer, straining to hear their words.
All of a sudden, all of the daisies in the pot turned towards her. Their black eyes blinked, and smiles flooded their faces. The daisies began to dance around in their pot, bouncing up and down at random.
…And all at once they finally decided to speak. Collectively.
'HELLO HERMIONE! FEEL BETTER SOON!!'
'YOU'LL BE FEELING BETTER IN NO TIME!!'
'SMILES AND SUNSHINE COMING YOUR WAY!!'
'PUT SOME PEP IN THAT STEP! HURRY UP AND GET WELL!!'
Hermione's eyes grew wide, shifting around the room silently looking for any type of help. She held up both hands, trying desperately to quiet the flowers who were in fact yelling tidings of well wishes.
'Shush! Just…please be quiet! Thank you, yes I'm better…now shush now!!' she whispered, in a futile effort to quiet the plant.
All of a sudden, the flowers closed their mouths and became very still. They continued to smile up at her, a few pausing to blink their eyes once or twice.
Hermione straightened herself, pausing to run a hand through her honey-colored hair. She frowned, and continued looking at the daisies.
'Well that was interesting...' she muttered to herself, staring at the smiling flowers.
'Quite…' said a deep voice from in back of her.
Hermione whipped around, coming face to face with her old Potions Professor, his wand still pointed at the tan flowerpot.
Severus Snape took a moment to regard his wand, before quietly placing it back in his cloak.
'Amusing, would be more like it…I gather you neglected my note, Miss Granger?' he added, a smirk upon his face as he gestured towards the opened envelope on her nightstand.
'Git…' Hermione thought to herself.
'Oh, well…they…I thought they were speaking to me, and…well I just wanted to make sure that…' she stammered, trying desperate to justify her noncompliance.
Severus raised his eyebrows.
'No need to explain, Miss Granger. Truth be told, I daresay I am surprised to see that you have not fled the hospital setting,' he stated, pausing to look at the fingernails on his left hand.
'It does appear that I will be winning my end of the bargain. After all – here you stand,' he said, pausing to look up at her, a smirk on his sallow face.
Hermione frowned, and her eyebrows creased.
'What?...What bargain? I don't…' she questioned, a confused look upon her face.
Suddenly, her cheeks flushed, and her eyes grew wide.
'You mean…you mean you…betted on me? As to whether I would try to run?...you did, didn't you?!' she said in an exasperated tone, her index finger pointed at the man in black.
An amused expression crept upon Severus' face.
'As I stated before: here you stand,' he stated matter-of-factly, offering no other comment on the subject at hand.
Hermione felt her face grow warm. As much as she would have like to hear more about this…proposed deal, she had more important questions that needed tending to.
'Well…are you…I mean aren't you going to explain why…how the fuck did Draco Malfoy end up in my kitchen last night?!' she yelled aloud, feeling quite aggravated at the apparent lack of information regarding current circumstances.
Severus inhaled and exhaled deeply. His face instantly grew somber, and he turned round, beginning to exit through the door.
Hermione watched in disbelief as he turned his back on her.
'Hey!' Hermione exclaimed, as she began to walk swiftly after her old Professor, paying no mind to the pain she still felt in her abdomen as she clutched it subconsciously.
'HEY!' she exclaimed once again, her voice echoing in the empty hallway as she tried catching up to Severus.
'Aren't I owed an explanation?! I mean, after…after all of this…?!' she exclaimed, pulling up her sleeves to display her battle wounds.
Severus scowled.
'Miss Granger, there is no need to show me what I have already seen. It is, however, refreshing to see that you have not disturbed my hard work,' he commented, nodding towards her arms.
Hermione looked at her arms, and quickly put her extremities back in the sleeves of her bathrobe.
'Oh…I…I didn't know that you…you did this?' she asked curiously, looking up at Severus as they continued walking down the hallway, side by side.
Severus' lips formed a tight line.
'Did you not think me competent enough to wrap a simple bandage? How very little you think of me…' he stated wistfully.
Hermione frowned.
'No, it's…it's not that…I just…well…thank you,' she added quietly, looking at the ground below.
The two walked in silence towards the end of the hall, where upon Severus opened a door leading to another room. It was a quaint little room. Two or three tiny tables were stationed throughout the area. Two chairs were positioned adjacent to a tiny unlit fireplace. A game of wizard chess was placed on one of the tables, begging to be played.
The room was empty. Peaceful. Quiet.
Severus walked towards one of the white chairs next to the fireplace, and Hermione sat in the other. Once seated, she subconsciously tucked her sock-covered feet under her, and rested her chin in her hand.
Severus crossed one leg over the other at the knee, and folded his arms over his chest.
'Your wand, by the way, is safe. And completely intact,' he added, looking at the fireplace.
Hermione cleared her throat.
'Thank you,' she added quietly. 'So…so how did Malfoy end up in my kitchen last night?' she asked, her brow creasing ever so slightly.
Severus sighed.
'Miss Granger, the members of the Order of the Phoenix are quite skilled in covering 'all their bases,' shall we say, however there was a slight glitch in our plan that put you in harms way. For this-' he paused, meeting her soft brown eyes, '-I am sorry' he added sincerely, not a drip of sarcasm in his voice.
Hermione felt a bit taken back.
'A glitch? What do you mean?' she inquired, obviously confused by his last statement.
Severus Snape shifted in his seat ever so slightly.
'Miss Granger, you were and still are being protected. At all times. Even throughout the years, you were always protected. When you were given your wand, the Order, including myself, were naïve in believing that you would actually intend to use it so soon, and without one of us present. As luck would have it, you proved us wrong. Very wrong. We had protected you, Miss Granger, because without your wand, you were unprotected. When you touched your wand, intending to use it…you lifted that protection, making you vulnerable to those that opposed you,' he stated, continuing to look at the young woman.
Hermione removed her hand from her chin and began to bite the inside of her cheek. She stared at her fingers for awhile before speaking.
'So, you never thought I would pick up my wand again…did you?' she stated in a soft voice, not bothering to look at Snape.
A few moments of silence transpired. Neither one spoke, while Hermione's last statement hung in the air like a thick fog.
'So,' Hermione interjected, breaking the silence, '-how long do I have to stay here? I suppose I can leave soon. I would like to go back to my home. To work. To…normal life,' she added, yawning a bit towards the end of her sentence, using the back of one hand to cover her mouth as she shifted in her seat ever so slightly.
Severus frowned and stared at his crossed arms.
'Miss Granger…I am afraid that is not possible,' he said in a calm and collected manner.
Hermione felt her breath halt in her chest.
'Why not?' she asked, unsure if she did in fact want an answer to that very question.
'You cannot return home, Miss Granger…it burned to the ground in the fire. There is nothing left. Aside from the few objects we had managed to salvage before it was…too late,' he added, a touch of guilt heard in his voice.
Hermione's heart fell. Tears prickled her eyes, and she swallowed a lump in her throat as she felt warmth upon her face.
'I…I see,' she said, her voice thick.
Suddenly, she smiled a toothless grin, her lips taught. She gave a sarcastic laugh as she wiped a stray tear from the corner of her eye.
'Well, I suppose I have nothing left, do I? No home. No husband. No friends. Tell me– do I even have a fucking job left?!' she asked in a severely irritated tone, her cheeks becoming flushed as she raised her voice.
Severus looked up at her.
'That all depends,' he stated calmly.
'On what?!' Hermione asked, her teeth clenched as her eyes bore into his.
Severus' lips formed a tight line.
'It appears that we are in need of…help. At Hogwarts. It seems that Madame Pomfrey has been requesting assistance in the Hospital Wing for quite some time. And quite truthfully, I do believe the position would suit you well. After all, you do manage to have some medical training and expertise…' he said to her, looking at the young woman sitting opposite him.
Hermione frowned.
'I don't…I don't think that would be such a good idea,' she said softly.
Severus blinked slowly.
'Miss Granger, enlighten me…are you truly happy working where you do? Does it… satisfy you?' he inquired, one eyebrow raised.
Hermione grimaced slightly in response to his inquiry.
'I…well, I suppose…I mean I did work very hard to get where I am today,' she remarked a bit defensively.
'That is not what I am asking,' he retorted, still continuing to look at her.
Hermione sighed and rubbed her eyes. Her head began to hurt once again, and she absentmindedly placed a hand on the back of her head, beginning to massage the top of her neck where the pain was radiating.
'I just…I just don't think I can do it….go back to Hogwarts, I mean…' she added, pausing a bit before mentioning her old Alma Mater.
Severus gave an inaudible sigh.
'Miss Granger…you can always go back home. If you truly want to…' he added quietly, pausing to look at his hands.
Hermione bit the inside of her cheek, wincing as she still continued rubbing her neck.
Suddenly, Severus withdrew a small red-colored vial from the inside of his cloak, and placed it on a small table between them.
'Drink,' he commanded, nodding to the vial. 'It will soothe the pain,' he added.
Hermione frowned at the bottle.
'I assure you, Miss Granger – if I had intended to poison you, I would have done so long ago,' he stated, a scowl upon his face.
The young woman continued looking at the small glass bottle sitting in front of her. Slowly extracting one of her arms, she eased closer towards the bottle, grasped it in her hand, and pulled the cork out from the top of the vial. She sniffed the contents, immediately recognizing the scent. With one gulp, Hermione downed the liquid, feeling the warmth run down her throat and into her stomach. Almost instantly, she felt relaxed, calm…and awfully sleepy.
Within moments of drinking the potion, Hermione gave a yawn, and curled up even tighter upon the chair in which she was sitting.
Severus continued watching the girl as she desperately tried to find a more comfortable position upon the chair.
When she had appeared to settle, Severus rose from his seat, and began to take a few steps forward towards the door. Suddenly, he turned around to look at Hermione, for she began to speak:
'The bargain…'she asked as she began to doze off, voice full of sleep as her eyes were completely closed, blocking all that surrounded her. '…what did you win?'
Severus' lips formed a tight line.
With his back turned from her once again, he took a few steps forward before stopping and speaking ever so softly, barely above a whisper:
'…Knowing that you are safe…it is priceless, Hermione…
…More than you could ever know...'