The first thing Dr. Hermione Granger heard was the sound of birds chirping in the far distance. They sounded quite cheerful, and from what she gathered, had an awful lot to say for the time being. She smiled silently to herself as she listened to the small creatures chitchat away. She was warm and cozy under a soft blanket, or what she perceived to be a blanket, and the scent of lavender filled her nostrils as she took small, silent breaths, inhaling the luscious and most welcomed scent, letting it permeate throughout her nasal cavity.

I must be in heaven, the young woman happily thought with her eyes still tightly closed. Hermione inhaled and exhaled deeply, opening her eyes ever so slowly, letting the slightest bit of bright light touch her delicate brown orbs. She was curled on her left hand side, and took a moment to slowly and quietly rub the sleep out of her eyes with her right hand. She continued opening her eyes ever so slowly, squinting them almost instantly due to the rays of sunshine that poured in from the window she was currently facing.

How beautiful…, the young doctor thought, straining to gaze at an ocean blue sky filled with tufts of cotton-like puffs of clouds strewn amongst the heavens. Hermione yawned, and itched the bridge of her nose with her right hand. Still positioned on her left hand side, Hermione smiled as she gazed as the heavens. She gave a slight smile and closed her eyes once again, a peaceful and content warmth enveloping her internal being.

…Unfortunately, the welcomed feeling would be rather short lived…

'Is she awake yet?' came an inquisitive male voice from behind her; a sound that made Hermione's eyes fly open within an instant. The voice…the voice was unmistakable; a voice she would recognize anywhere. Hermione gritted her teeth behind closed lips, and continued staring blindly at the open sky, the sunlight piercing her retinas.

'I think she's just stirring…she's probably still sleeping,' muttered an older woman, the disappointment unmistakable in her voice. Hermione gritted her teeth even harder, her breath caught in her chest.

'Well Minerva, would you not gather that the girl would be out for several hours…I mean, she performed the Avada curse on herself for God's sake…it's just by luck that she didn't remember that it's impossible to kill one's self with the curse…' a male's voice trailed on, rambling quietly to himself.

At hearing this latest statement, Hermione gritted her teeth so hard, they were sure to crumble into tiny white remnants in her mouth. Her nostrils flared, as she reminded herself to breath once again. Her eyes remained wide open, and she continued to stare out the window, her eyes now darting back and forth as she began to process what was occurring behind her.

…And suddenly it hit her…

She was not dead.

She was very much alive.

She had failed once again…

Hermione threw the covers off in one swift motion. She eased her torso up from the mattress, and swung her legs off of the bed. Facing the window while quickly exiting the bed, the young woman flew around to receive her audience in wait.

Four pairs of eyes stared at the woman in front of them. Four pairs of eyes that held concern, relief, and happiness all wrapped in one. Four pairs of eyes that looked at the young woman in front of them, and saw only one thing:

Rage.

Hermione looked furious. And that was putting it mildly.

Her hands were balled like fists by her side, nails digging into her fleshy palm. Her hair was haphazardly placed on top of her head, curls falling about her face giving her an even more wild appearance. The whites of her eyes showed forth, her gritted teeth now peeking ever so slightly through her pink lips. Even the deep red satin pajamas Hermione was wearing suited her mood perfectly:

Her temper was about to explode into a fiery eruption…

Hermione looked at the group in silence, her nostrils flared at the sight in front of her. She looked around the room, eyes quickly scanning her environment, as she looked up to confirm her greatest fear as of late. The arches in the ceiling were unmistakable, undeniable, and the realization of it all hit her like a slap across the face:

She was in the hospital wing…

…At Hogwarts Castle…

Molly Wesley, Minerva McGonagle, Arthur Weasley, and Harry Potter all stood facing her, only feet away, blocking her only exit. And this made Hermione a very, very defensive woman.

'What…the…FUCK… is…this…?!' Hermione demanded, pointing a finger at the group, her eyes wild with fury, her words coming out one by one.

Harry took a step forward, both of his palms raised to her to offer a sigh of truce.

'Hermione, relax. Just calm down and we'll-' the young man began in a calm, quite voice.

'Relax?! You want me to relax?!' Hermione yelled in disbelief, one hand placed forcefully on her chest, the other pointed at Harry.

'You bastard…you knew…you all knew what would happen…and then…and then you brought me here…and you know, you ALL know that I did not, absolutely REFUSE to be here!!' Hermione's breathing grew more and more rapid, her hands once again balled into tight sweaty fists, shaking at her side.

Molly Weasley looked absolutely terrified, her face as pail as a sheet.

'Hermione, dear. Please just calm yourself. We are not going to hurt you, in any way. You're safe-' but poor Molly never had a chance to finish her statement.

'Safe?! SAFE?! What the FUCK do you mean by safe?! I am NOT safe here!' Hermione yelled, her hands reaching to hold her head, the anger rising inside of her, controlling her emotions.

'Hermione, you are safe. We're here – you're family is here,' Arthur Weasly calmly stated, silently pleading for Hermione to come to her senses.

…And suddenly, something in Hermione snapped.

She felt her anger peak, the fury boil over within her chest: she felt so irate, it was now completely out of her control…

'NO! STOP IT!' she screamed, shutting her eyes as tight as can be, her fingers digging ruthlessly into her scalp as she bent her head over, her body curving forward. Salty tears stung her eyes, and willed to spill down her flushed cheeks

And just as soon as Hermione uttered her last sentence, four pairs of eyes focused in shock upon one of the bedside tables; for there stood a once completely intact gallon-sized jar, full of puffy cream-colored cotton-balls, which were now strewn about the floor. The large glass jar shattered into pieces so forcefully by Hermione's words, that Arthur Weasley instinctively reached for his wand, and Molly Weasley yelped, taking two steps back, Harry offering a protective arm about her back.

Hermione, with her hands still gripping her head, her nails digging deeper into her scalp, and still apparently unaffected by the consequence of her actions, continued yelling at the top of her lungs:

'GO AWAY! JUST GO AWAY!' she screamed, her voice booming throughout the room.

And suddenly, the doors to the hospital wing violently flew open, crashing loudly against the marble walls of the castle, the sound echoing loudly throughout the room, and most likely the entire castle.

And behind those doors - behind those once closed, heavy wooden doors, standing only feet away from the infirmary, was a tall gentleman dressed in black. A man who clearly had the look of fear in his deep, dark eyes; a man who desperately wanted to help the poor woman seen before him, but was reluctant to do so, for fear of his own safety.

Severus took a moment to scan the ground in front of him.

Pieces of wood from the door had fallen to the ground below, as a result of its violent opening. Some pieces were the size of splinters; others, small planks.

Slowly placing his gaze upward, he looked at the young woman, still with her hands on her head, her eyes shut tight.

'Dear God…it's true,' he whispered to himself, inaudible to those in the room.

As if hearing his voice, Hermione's head snapped up like a bolt of lightning, and opening her eyes, her face still streaked with tears, she looked up at the voice from out in the hall. She removed her hands from her head.

Her mood changed from one of fury, to pure despair.

'Why…' she whispered, looking directly into Severus' darkened eyes, '-why did you do this to me?' she pleaded, her voice hoarse, her mouth dry.

Severus continued to look at her, his face now void of emotion.

The four people already in the room turned to look at the figure in the outside hallway.

Hermione haphazardly plopped herself down on her bed in the infirmary. She placed her head in her hands, and began to sob, gut wrenching cries pouring out of her.

'I trusted you,' she said into her hands, covering her face and her mouth. 'I TRUSTED you!' she yelled, looking directly at Severus, her face full of pain as she heaved with each sob emitted from her tiny frame.

'Leave,' Severus stated solemnly, still focusing his gaze on the young woman, his command for the four individuals in front of him. Harry opened his mouth to speak, but was silenced by a hand on his shoulder from Minerva McGonagle.

'We…we will wait for you in my office, Severus…' the older witch stated quietly, hurrying the other three individuals out of the room, pausing to take a final glance at the young woman sitting helplessly on the edge of the bed before exiting the hospital wing.

The Potions Professor slowly entered the room without saying another word, letting the four individuals pass by him.

He stepped carefully, purposefully over the scattered pieces of wood within the doorway, his feet crunching over some of the glass left on the floor from the shattered jar of cotton balls.

He stood directly in front of Hermione, watching her tears of anguish fall about her beautiful face, her body forcing sobs of agony to surface.

Severus sat down gently on the bed, sitting directly in front of her. He studied her for a few moments, before slowly taking his hands, carefully placing them on each side of her face, and gently propping her head up to look at him.

Her sobs subsided somewhat, as she looked with bloodshot eyes into his dark orbs.

Without words, Severus took a moment to regard her pain-filled eyes, and then carefully wrapped his long arms around her form, holding her close. She did not return his embrace.

Severus closed his eyes, inhaling and exhaling deeply, a look of sincere worry on his face.

He didn't want it to be true. Did not think it was true…until he saw it for himself. Saw the aftermath of it all. For what the Dark Lord had said, had heard prophesized, evidently was true after all. She was being watched all this time, all these years, for not only her protection, but for their protection as well. For Hermione Granger was still a powerful, powerful witch; and if she did not obtain a way to render her emotions under control, even at this time when she was most vulnerable, she would be a danger to herself, to those at Hogwarts, and as to the contrary, seen as a powerful ally for the Dark Lord and his purpose.

It was for this reason that Severus brought her to Hogwarts. He was afraid of something like this: what he had just witnessed. It was as if performing the Avada curse on herself had somehow awakened something inside of her; something more powerful than anyone, even the Dark Lord, could have expected.

Severus continued to hold the quietly sobbing young woman, her arms lying haphazardly against the soft blanket below.

The instant Severus felt Hermione begin to quiet, he released his hold from her. She kept her head down, one hand reaching up to support the heavy weight of her head.

'What's wrong with me,' she asked quietly, voice cracking slightly, not bothering to look up at the man still seated next to her on the bed.

Severus did not offer an answer. Instead, he took one final look at the young woman, and stood up slowly, standing next to her.

'When you have…collected yourself, you are to meet me in my office. The location has not changed. I surmise that you remember where it is still located, after all these years,' he stated softly, eyebrows slightly raised, studying her form.

With her head still in her hand, Hermione closed her eyes and gave a silent nod.

Acknowledging her reply, Severus began his exit towards the hospital wing, when all of sudden he heard a tiny voice from in back of him:

'Thank you,' Hermione muttered, her head raised slightly, arms now at her side, as she gazed once gain at the bright blue sky through the large window in the infirmary.

The Potions Professor paused in his tracks for only a moment, his back still towards Hermione, and silently regarded her reply. He inhaled, and exhaled deeply. He strode towards the exit, his footsteps echoing in the castle as he made his way down the marble steps. The others would have to wait for him…and for her. They would wait patiently, quietly, talking amongst themselves regarding what they had just seen…what they had just experienced.

But for now, Severus would wait for the young woman. The woman he wanted so desperately to protect; a woman who was unpredictable, and evidently stronger and more powerful than he, or anyone else could have predicted.

At least there was one thing he was certain of; one thing that he kept only to himself:

He was in his heart, fully content knowing that Doctor Hermione Granger was, at this very moment, after all these years, finally home…