A/N I'm going to put an answers to a review here so if you do not mind:

Honestly, shay pirates (and to anyone else who was appalled by my bad grammar, I know I was), I think your right. I have two beta's actually. But if you had read my authors notes from before, or the authors notes chapter that I had up for a while, you would have realized I asked people if they would rather have the chapter up and look past the grammatical/spelling errors, or if they wanted me to wait to post until one of my beta's looked it over. Seeing as real life gets in the way, way too often it might have been a long time(and my beta's seem to have disappeared) While I appreciate your constructive criticism, because this is my first fanfic and I need it, I wish that you had just been around two weeks ago when I had the authors notes chapter up. I write at obscenely late/early times, so I would be surprised if there wasn't any errors. I am working on getting better. It's just when you have a life that demands ninety percent of your time, the other ten percent is better spent sleeping.

Now for everyone else:

I am so sorry it took so long to get this up. Life did really get in the way. Since I am going to a vocational school, we have finals at the end of each module. We start a module every two weeks.

That means learning a bunch of new stuff, then memorizing it, then preparing for finals, I was also tutoring someone for extra credit. Now to top it all off I've been sick for the past two weeks. Now that this is almost half a page I need to stop, and continue with the story.

Chapter 23

Severus felt like his heart was breaking, maybe it was. It's funny how you can make or break someone's heart with three little words. Surely she didn't hate him, right? Maybe she hated the prospect? Or, maybe she did hate him, maybe she hated everything he did and made her go through. That's what his heart had been screaming for a long time, why was it so hard to believe? If she did truly hate him, why would she cry? Wouldn't she be happy?

Severus had only pondered this a fraction of a second before going to find her. He spotted her about ten steps from him, but she wasn't moving. She turned around, and ran to him, he saw the picture she was holding. There were three babies, each in a car-seat, between two people who were unmistakably Mrs. Weasley, and Hermione's father. Hermione's body shaking with the force of her sobs. When she latched onto him he saw words scribbled on the back. You thought I wouldn't find out.

She clawed at him, until he was sure she had left bloody tracks where her nails had bit into his skin. Then her knees buckled, and she fainted. He lifter her limp body onto the couch and immediately went to go find Harry. Harry almost growled at him to get him away from the door. Although Severus was too persistent and soon enough he had persuaded Harry to talk to him privately. Severus handed him the picture, and Harry looked at it enraged. As soon as Severus went to take it back, they both felt the stomach lurching feeling of a portkey, and they landed hard, on a similar cold stone floor, although, it was different. The stone was black with jade poking though the cracks. The walls were the same stone, and black raw iron fixtures were strewn about. A man Severus assumed to be Hermione's father. He went to grab him, but just as he did a black material appeared before them, and just as it had before transformed into the robes, that looked alive. "So nice to see you Harry. Severus. Unfortunately it will not be a long visit."

Voldemort did something with a flick of his wrist again, and Harry doubled over in pain, clutching his head. Soon he scar had become a bright red welt. "I am surprised to see you alive, although with the level of powers she has... not as surprised as returning from the dead might warrant. Severus, you may go, I have no use for you today. I will be calling upon your wife very soon I think." He said to the snaky man, but he didn't move. Not realizing Severus delved into Harry's mind, trying to give him an extra defense. It was working until Voldemort sent fears at Harry, one of them was Hermione and Ginny both laying in their mingled blood, both still pregnant. Both so obviously dead. Severus reared back from Harry's mind, and shot a hex at Voldemort. Skin was torn to bloody tatters and shreds.

Voldemort sent the same type of pictures to Severus, but as opposed to letting himself fear, hr got enraged. He pulled upon his connection with Hermione. The more Severus was forced to view the mental images of his beloved dead, the more power swelled in his chest. The last picture was one that finally sent the power surging forward, engulfing Voldemort. Hermione on the floor, cut open from hip to hip, being raped by Lucius, while he held his first son's blue body. Severus lost all sense, and actually flew at the dark lord, Voldemort, who was unskilled at combat just stood there. Soon enough his 'host' body was causing him to breathe heavily, and was dripping a strange black ooze. Voldemort was engulfed in a blue surge of energy, and was struck motionless. When his formless soul left his body, it was contained in the bright blue bubble. Severus felt a hand on his shoulder, and whirled around, wand raised. When his eyes looked into Hermione's everything that had happened seemed to seep out of his body, then get absorbed into hers. With a flick of her hand the ground opened up and Severus knew what to do. Harry looked into Severus' eyes, and then they both turned, and screamed in tandem; "Avada Kedavra!" The blue energy surged, and mingled with the green of the curse, until Voldemort slumped to the ground. Both his magical presence, for lack of a better word, his soul, and his body slowly fell into the middle of the earth. He knew Voldemort was well and truly dead, because he felt an ache around his heart. Many death eaters had taken an oath this time, so that they would know if and when Voldemort actually left, and they would die with him, so they wouldn't have to face Azkaban.

Severus had taken the oath, but apparently the oath he made to Hermione was stronger. Hermione's hand had left Severus's shoulders. She aparated with a loud popping sound, Harry looked at Severus again, then almost collapsed. When they arrived at the headmasters office, they were greeted with huge smiles, and large quantities of medi-chocolate. They were informed that almost all of the suspected death eaters were now dead, because of the oath. Albus looked at him quizzically, but Severus shook his head as if to say not now, and Albus tilted his head to the door. Severus nodded, and then left down the self powered spiraling staircase. Even with his fast pace he couldn't help but overhear the bloody baron mention something about hormones, smashing vials, then blood. That made him move faster. He definitely heard his lab being mentioned, and he went there as fast as his legs would haul him. The crashing sounds permeated the air, then the sounds of strangled sobs. Then silence. The silence scared him the most. Years of training and being a spy had perfected his cautiousness and even though his emotions had him wanting to run into the room he still entered gently, careful not to break the quiet.

Hermione was bent over a cauldron now, he sniffed and realized what it was. Mutare Meus Itir, it was the potion he had offered to brew for her earlier that day. Or was it last night? It didn't matter, but once again his heart was aching because she had decided to go through with it, but he was confused as to what was bringing on her hysterics.

His better judgment went out the window when he saw her wipe away a tear with the back of her hand.

"Hermione." it left his lips in the barest of whispers, although, she heard it. She whirled around, and her face fell into a mask of rage, and hate, it was a look worthy of the dark lord. Her hair fanned around her as it was blown from her magic.

"It's done." The words were spoken with such mirth he didn't know what to say. "I got started on it this morning, although, I wasn't so sure we were going to need it until about an hour ago." She took a stiff step forward, then another. "I felt you try to kill yourself. Apparently you'd rather die than be married to me, well, here, I'll spare you the trouble. Oh, I also took the liberty of changing the formula just a little, because I mean who would want to defeat Voldemort twice?" Her voice started having an edge she ended with a hysterical laugh, although he could still feel her magic like fire nipping at his skin. Indicating she was still enraged. She threw her arm up , and blood flew from his face. He saw her arm was cut, and blood crisscrossed down it. He did something he knew would break the trance. He walked past her, levitated he cauldron, and slowly dumped it in front of her. "I don't want it. Do you?" He said in a voice just audible to her ears. He wanted her to have the option of using it. He poured it out slowly, so if she said yes, there would still be some left. It was hitting the cold stone floor, and transforming from a bright blue to the color of tar. She seemed to finally snap out of her daze as it came close to her shoe. She shook her head no, took a step back, and collapsed on the floor.

Snape took her to poppy with a short form of what happened, after a small scolding, he was told the shock had worn her, and in her state it was taxing. Finally she scooted him out of the ward, saying he was doing no good being a decoration, and he needed to go to the small celebration that was blossoming downstairs. He begrudgingly admitted that he would probably enjoy the festivities of a party more than sitting and waiting for Hermione to wake. He realized his feet had taken him to the hall, but it didn't look like it. There was a small to the right, filled with children wearing black, he recognized them all as death eaters children, who had been on their way to becoming death eaters the last time he saw them.

The rest of the hall had been done it bright colors and in celebrating the defeat, houses weren't sitting with other houses. Dumbledore pulled him aside, his face looking worried. "Harry told me what happened, then Poppy contacted me. We are holding off the official party until Hermione is well enough to attend. How is she?"

"She was a bit hysterical when I came back, and then when that was dissuaded, she was thoroughly drained, and she is now sleeping."
"What is going on between the two of you?"

"We were fighting because... Because I am a git." Severus hung his head.
"Well, I won't fight you on that because you have the look of a husband gone wrong. Will everything work out?"

"I hope so."

Albus nodded his head and returned to the head table, and talked to Harry, Ginny, and Minerva, obviously telling them of Hermione's condition.