On Thursday December 24th a year after the wizarding war victory, Hermione looked out of the window from her rented cottage. The cottage sat in the valley of vast meadows in Australia. All the leads she had accumulated over the past three months had led to this location, yet she still hadn't any luck. Their dental practiced had been closed up a month prior to her arrival and so far Hermione couldn't get a straight answer as to why. All of their regular patients hadn't heard from her parents since the doors of the practice had closed either.

So Hermione stood with her cup of coffee as the late thunder storm raged. What am I missing? I've spoken to everyone, the last anyone heard they were setting up a new practice that was set to open last week. So far there isn't any sign of a new practice. Their house is still pain for, their furniture and belongings still there.

As much as she hated it, the sinking feeling within her stomach kept building. But she refused to go down that train of thought, it was too soon.

Taking the last of the coffee in one full gulp, Hermione opened the windows to her bedroom and crawled into bed. Every day was a new day with new possibilities, at least that's what she kept telling herself.

-HG-

Hermione woke up to the sound of the rain continuing outside, but the smell of Australia and all its nature waking her pleasantly. The longer she stayed here looking for her parents, the more she realized what they loved this place so much. Like the saying goes, being within nature is the worlds greatest natural healer.

Taking a nice long shower and getting ready, Hermione made up her mind on the next course of action. Her parents being muggles meant that she needed to think like a muggle. With her phone and cup of coffee she began making calls to the local hospitals and police stations in hopes of finding a better lead.

"Hello?" A nurse picked up on the second ring for the local hospital, Hermione could hear the hustle and bustle of the hospital in the background.

"Hi, I know your busy but I'm looking for my parents? Is there any way you could look them up in the database to see if they have been admitted in the last couple months?"

Hermione heard the nurse tapping on a keyboard before she answered politely. "Yes ma'am, what are the names?"

"Wendell and Monica Granger?" Tapping a sip of the coffee and turning her gaze to the rain, she felt anxious as the wait began.

Hearing the nurses fingers tap in succession on the keyboard only made the wait drag even longer. Suddenly they stopped and everything went quiet. Hermione checked the signal on her to phone to make sure the connection hadn't been dropped.

"Ma'am?"

Hermione instantly heard the sadness in her voice and the sinking feeling in her stomach exploded to her heart and body. Feeling crippled but finding the strength to continue, Hermione took a deep breath.

"Yes, what did you find?"

"Ma'am typically we have the family member come in to deliver this news, can you stop by the hospital."

She knew the news was bad, knew that they were dead. There wasn't any reason to drag it out.

"They are dead aren't they?"

"Ma'am…." The nurse's emotions were obvious within the tone of her voice before Hermione heard her sigh in resignation. "Ma'am they were in a fatal car accident about four months ago."

"Thank you." Hermione hung up the phone as her grip on the phone gave out. The phone dropped to the floor shattering its screen as Hermione fell to her knees.

If there had been anyone in the near vicinity of the cottage they would have heard the most painful and heart wrenching wail as Hermione succumbed to the pain of her loss.

4 years later, 5 years post war

Hermione left the hospital feeling bone deep exhausted, checking her pager once more before heading home. It had been a long and horrifying shift with one of the many car accidents that brought back the trauma of losing her parents. Except after the 3 years of education and fast tracking to her MD, Hermione Granger was now Dr. Granger and able to help those in car accidents live. She was a trauma surgeon and damn good at it.

Climbing out of the truck and into her house, she shed her shoes and summoned a fresh pot of coffee. Having perfected both wandless and wordless magic, she waved her hand and caught the fresh cup of hot coffee.

It was raining, thundering just like that fateful morning she found out. Nope, not going down that train of thought. I saved a family today, two little girls and their parents are stable because of my work today. So stop, none of that.

She grabbed her book on the latest potions theories and started her midnight routine of sipping coffee and reading while winding down from a long day of work.

-SS-

It had been a long day, the students were exceptionally stupid and caused more than one potentially fatal incident during his classes today. Curled up on his armchair, Severus sipped his brandy while gazing into the fire. As he went to grab his book of choice lately, his eyes landed on the newspaper. In the bottom right hand corner they were still doing pieces on Harry Potter's best friend and long lost witch to the wizarding world. In the photo she was helping restore Hogwarts to its former glory, Hermione had been part of the volunteers. While he was in recovery, Hermione would stop by his bed to converse with him after getting done with the days work. He has never and will never tell anyone how much he began to look forward to those conversations.

That woman had grown the most since the first day he had her in his class, she had sprouted from the know-it-all bushy haired little girl to a gloriously strong woman. He had tried not to notice, but during the conversations he couldn't help but notice. Severus had found himself considering someone as a friend for the first time in years, since Lily. The day he was released from the infirmary by Madam Pomfrey, he went in search of her to have a conversation in diagon alley over some butterbeers only to discover that she was gone. Hermione had written a note to Minerva to address all of her friends and any of those who it may concern.

With a wave of his hand the note floated into his open palm.

Minerva,

Thank you so much for allowing me to stay within the castle while helping rebuild it to its former glory. Now the Snape has been discharged and the castle rebuild is done I am leaving. I have an important trip I have been planning since the beginning of our time on the run. I had to obliviate my parents and send them away to Australia to protect them. I am headed there now.

You know Harry, Ron, Ginny, Luna and Neville will all want to follow me and track me down to help. I am writing you a note in the hopes of being able to leave my trust in you to persuade them not to. This is something I must do on my own, I only hope those that I love can understand this.

I will return soon. Thank you again, for being there always and being someone I can trust to help me with this.

Your Gryffindor,

Hermione Granger

The harrowing pain in the pit of his stomach still remains every time he rereads this note. She didn't so much as mention him specifically. So he left it alone, he moved on and took up the position of potions master and professor in Hogwarts. Minerva had approached him not long after he was discharged, he didn't give it much thought as he realized that teaching was always something he could depend on. After some redecorating and spending the summers in different locations attempting to deal with the realization that he was in fact not a spy anymore. Severus returned to the castle in time for the start of year.

A year passed before that completely disgusting woman of a reporter Rita Skeeter realized that the resident know-it-all was missing. For the last four years there have been consistent paragraphs within the newspaper with different rumors as to what happened to her and where she could be.

For the longest time Severus didn't contact anyone assuming she would turn up eventually. About two years after he had resumed his time in Hogwarts, Harry Potter had payed him a visit.

The knock on the door was sound and assured, Severus stood from his armchair and answered the door. With a bit of surprise evident on his face, he stepped back to allow Harry into his chambers.

"Potter?"

Harry took a seat on the sofa facing the fire, his head immediately falling in to his hands with a heavy sigh.

"We finally received word from Hermione Professor. She isn't coming back. She won't tell us where she is and only gives us the promise that she is okay and alive. She's asked for us not to contact her anymore."

Severus sat and waited knowing the younger wizard wasn't done speaking yet.

"I just don't know what to do anymore. I don't know what happened and I cant bring her back or force her to tell me…."

Taking a moment to push the pain that laced his heart at the young boys words and the realization he would never see her again, Severus cleared his throat.

"Sometimes, something happens that just changes us. Something that no one could foresee. Something that no one else can help us with. Hermione obviously is dealing with something Harry."

"But we can't just let her go…..can we?"

A single tear made its way down his cheek as Severus laid a hand on the younger mans shoulder.

"We have to."

Severus couldn't believe how his relationship with the boy who had been the bane of his existence had changed. Now he knew that Hermione had not only saved his life, but his soul as well. As he had friends he never would have considered before.

Smiling softly at the joy his friends had brought him since that day, and laying the note within his book Severus went to bed. His dreams were the same as usual, a replay of the conversations he had with her before she went missing.

-HG-

Today was the first day off she had in nearly two weeks. She finally had 24 hours of not being on call or having patients and Hermione was bored. He had gone swimming, had his nails done, and even splurged for a spa massage. She had officially been pampered and was bored.

Sitting at the local café sipping her latte while attempting to think of something to do. Suddenly she remembered that she could use another potions book to read for her after work routine. Meaning a trip to diagon alley, meaning being back in the wizarding world. Something she only allowed once every two months.

Luckily Hermione had changed physically, so much so that she was almost unrecognizable to everyone that isn't close to her. So with the decision made, she let her hair down to better conceal her face and made her way to the alleyway to apparate to diagon alley.

Hermione took a moment to survey the walkway of diagon alley, after not finding anyone she recognized she released the disillusionment charm and entered Flourish and Blotts.

Taking a sigh in relief at the lack of people within the store she began locating the rows of books that would contain potions text. As she rounded a corner a singular man stood in between the row of books she wanted to peruse. Not recognizing who it was she pushed forward and began scanning the books with their index finger.

-SS-

His usual Friday consisted of a trip to Flourish and Blotts, which is why he happened be standing between the first row of potion texts. As he stood reading the preface of one of the books he happened to be looking for, he felt a presence enter the same row. Using his magic to see if he recognized the signature, Severus felt a familiar and yet unknown magical signature.

Turning to the face the other row of books, he closed the current book and slid it between his arm while using his index finger to look at the other text. Peeking from the corner of his eye, he attempted to take in the stranger next to him.

A gorgeous head of long brown and blonde hair flowed in soft curls down to her mid back. She stood at his shoulder height and had a build of muscles and strength unlike any he had ever seen. She wore a simple pair of dark jeans and a hoody. Her shoes spoke of someone who appreciated running and her hands looked delicate but sure in their movements. Her hair concealed her face from his view.

While Severus hadn't really been in the dating pool since his recovery, he found his gut clenching and unclenching. His interest had never been piqued in such a depth that Severus felt he had to try and make contact.

-HG-

Hermione found a book that she considered a definite possibility and was beginning to read the preface when she was suddenly knocked off balance by someone. Strong hands grabbed her as she lost balance and steadied her.

When she looked up to look at who had been the offender, she recognized him almost immediately. Her magic and heart throbbed with happiness and sorrow. Hermione found herself rooted to the spot in silence, as time had apparently not frozen as her body had Severus removed his hands from her arms and stepped back.

She watched as his eyes held a look of curiosity as he gazed upon her face. Hermione realized Severus had no idea who she was. Clearing her throat, Hermione finally broke herself from its frozen state.

Severus bowed slightly in acknowledgement as he spoke first. "I'm truly sorry, I had my nose buried in a book as usual. Forgive me ma'am?"

Hiding a chuckle at the irony, and pushing the pain down Hermione smirked at Severus. "No forgiveness necessary, I used to be just a clumsy when it came to books during my childhood."

Severus's expression changed, as his eyes became darker. Fearing he had finally put two and two together, Hermione turned and began walking away. Hurrying to the checkout, she payed for her book and left Flourish and Blotts without another glance.

The further she made it from the entrance to that store, the deeper her pain built as she realized Severus had been one of the people she wanted to avoid. Someone she missed so much. Hermione apparated home and fell to her knees as the uncontrollable sobbing began.

Curling up on the floor as her dog snuggled up whining in worry, Hermione cried herself to sleep on her living room carpet.

-SS-

He stood rooted to the spot as the woman fled from him. Watching as she paid for her book and left without another glance. His gut clenching and unclenching.

That voice. Why am I frozen to the spot because of her voice?

Severus finally moved and paid for his books while still pondering the questionable stranger that he found flooding his every thought.

Why don't I recognize her if I know her voice? And how do I know her voice in such a way that it would cause me to freeze to the spot?

Retreating back to Hogwarts in time for his only class of the day, Severus focused on teaching dunderheads and pushed all thoughts of the beautiful stranger from the bookshop out of his mind.

-HG-

Hermione awoke to her pager going off, wiping the tears from her cheek she picked up her pager from the kitchen counter and found a 911 from the Er. Quickly washing her face and feeding the dog, Hermione left her house and apparated to the backside alleyway of the hospital.

-SS-

Severus woke up with a terrible pain in his gut, as his arm naturally came to hug his stomach he remembered where he had heard that voice.

Hermione.

The voice that haunted his dreams belonged to the stranger from the shop. That's why his gut had been acting up and why he felt a blood curling pain right now. To know that he had her in his hands and stood less than a foot from her but failed to recognize and say something was enough to cripple him.

Severus wanted to jump from his bed and grab his clothes in pursuit of her but knew that she was no where to be found now. That even if he apparated back he wouldn't be able to track a 12 hour old apparition point. Hermione was back to her part of the world and safe, where he wouldn't be able to find her once again.

He lay back in bed with the heaviest sigh as sleep took him over once again.

-HG-

Hermione pushed through nurses and shut the door to the air vent within the hospital. This was her home away from home. The one place within the hospital she could isolate herself and breathe. No one ever went in here and Hermione had found it after her second month of internship within the hospital. This is where she ended up after a bad outcome, every time she couldn't save someone this is where she escaped and mourned.

Every loss weighed heavier and heavier on her already bleeding heart. The heart that she knew had never allowed to mourn. She had just lost a pregnant woman and her baby due to a cancer she couldn't have known the patient had upon arrival. All circumstances out of her control and yet she felt it all.

As she slid down the door sobbing she closed her eyes and rest her head against her knees. She had a rule, only allowing a total of about 5 minutes to relieve the pain. After those 5 minutes, she wiped the tears from her eyes and swallowed the lump in her throat.

Standing and leaving from the room, Hermione went to the lounge and began to change out of her scrubs. As she was paged on her day off for the ER, she pushed her return back to work and all her surgeries until the following day. Leaving the hospital while rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she knew the exhaustion was too much for a walk. So she went behind the hospital and apparated back to the house.

Crawling into bed, Hermione felt the tears begin again as she remembered Severus and her lost patients

—

All rights go to J.K. Rowling and her amazing art that fueled most of our childhoods. Hope all of you enjoyed, i look forward to any feedback you can give me!