Chapter 13- Ne Me Quitte Pas- Graduation Part 2

Hermione walked to her seat with ease, sitting in the middle of a sea of red and gold, blending in with them perfectly. But to Severus, she stood out among the crowd. He never thought that he would feel as proud as he did to see her seating there, waiting to be called to give her valedictorian speech. In the past week, he hadn't seen Hermione at all except for class. He missed her terribly, but he understood that her exams and her graduation were important to her. He couldn't wait for the ball, she would be graduated then and it would be okay to dance with her. He had, of course, made sure that Dumbledore was okay with a public display of affection towards the girl. The man agreed with a twinkle in his eyes, chattering on to Minerva about young love. Snape felt like the ceremony was going way to slow, until Minerva took that stage to announce the valedictorian. "You all would assume," she began, her voice booming through the Great Hall with such an elegance and authority, "that the valedictorian for the graduates of this year would be the boy most talked about, with the most courage and strength then anyone else." She smiled at Harry. "But when asked if he thought he deserved the honor, he told me that he didn't believe so. His work in school has been minimal, although his efforts in the world have been extraordinary. But he felt, as did the rest of the staff and his fellow classmates, that the honor belonged to someone who had worked extraordinarily in both school and in life. We all came to the unanimous agreement that there was only one person for this honor, one person whose work at school has been amazing and extraordinary." Minerva smiled brightly, showing her favoritism of the student she was about to announce. "Please welcome Hermione Granger, this year's valedictorian." A sea of red and gold stood and clapped, along with several people from every house, including Slytherin.

Hermione blushed slightly as she stood and walked up to the place where Professor McGonagall stood. She gave the professor a small hug, before looking out over the student she had been around for seven years. She cleared her throat and started. "I was a little surprised that I was picked, you see I go against you all and I believe that Harry truly does deserve this honor. But, I suppose that's just me being an insufferable know-it-all again." She heard a few people laugh in the audience and her confidence boosted. "I think that in all my years at Hogwarts, this one has been the most memorable so far. Not a lot has happened, nothing major like the Chamber of Secrets opening or the Tri-Wizard Tournament, and that's what makes it memorable. It's been a quiet year, and although it's been filled with dread of what is to come, it's been a year where we finally realized who we were. Some of us changed so much in those last six years that we needed a year of quiet and calm to realize what all we had become. I've watched even the worst wizard become a good one, the worst person become the nicest, and the smartest person become the most vulnerable. I've seen change in everyone around me, some for the better and some for the worse. But, through out this year, I think the most important thing I've seen was love. You see, I had this whole speech planned out about how wonderful it's been to be a student here, how great the teachers are, how much we've learned and seen, but this morning as I talked to a friend of mine, I didn't see that speech as so important. My friend and I woke up crying this morning because we knew that the friendships we have here will not be the same as they were before. We had more of a reason to be sad knowing that the people we love will be facing a battle soon, a battle that we ourselves will have to face. She helped me realize that love could and will conquer everything in life. As we talked about our boyfriends," Hermione let out a small laugh, "it's funny how immature that word seems now. As we talked about our boyfriends, my friend told me one thing that will always stay in my mind. When I asked her what she was going to do about her boyfriend, she told me that she was going to be with him one more time and make sure she was there with him in the battle." Hermione stopped as her own tears gathered and she saw Ginny's gather too. "She told me that all the stuff in between; she was going to leave to fate. Then she told me that we have to trust that they will be there for us in the end. I guess she's got a point. All the people that it seems like we are leaving behind as we step away from this school, all the people that we think we are leaving behind as we let them go separate ways, we just have to trust that they will be there for us in the end. The only problem for all of us is we don't know exactly how soon the end will be here. It could be tomorrow, it could be a week from now, or it could be a year. We have to leave that up to fate and just live our lives the way we want to. Today, I guess I just want you to know that somehow, it's all going to be okay in the end. This isn't the end of our lives, it's the beginning of the rest of it and I wish the best of luck to everyone. We just have to trust that fate knows what's she is doing with us." Hermione finished her speech and stepped away from the podium. She went to walk to her seat when everyone, from every house, stood to their feet and clapped. She walked quietly back to her seat as the crowds calmed down. She dried her tears and looked up at Severus. He was holding back tears, she could tell. Somehow, seeing him on the verge of tears, made her realize how much she loved him and just how much he meant to her.

-x-

"Hermione Granger." Dumbledore called her name and she walked across to get her diploma. She shook the hand of every teacher that stood there, winking at Snape as she shook his hand. She watched as Harry and Ron got their diplomas and stood next to her. When everyone had gotten their diploma, they all threw their caps in the air and hugged each other.

Her parents couldn't make the graduation, although they did get to see it through a special glass that Dumbledore had constructed. She walked over to the members of the Order, receiving hugs and kisses from them all. She was happy, but she missed Snape. She looked up at the row of teachers that was slowly disappearing and walked out of the doors quietly. She knew that they would be preparing the Great Hall for the dance in a few minutes, so she had time to sneak down to the dungeons and see Snape if he was there. She smiled as she entered his classroom and saw him sitting at his desk. She took her normal seat in the class and raised her hand. He raised one eyebrow at her strange behavior, but humored the girl. "What, Miss Granger, is so important that you have to disturb me?"

"I was wondering Professor, what does the future hold?" She said, making her voice as naïve as possible.

He looked at her with wide eyes, wondering if she knew. Knowing that it wasn't possible, he smirked at her. "What makes you think I know, Miss Granger?" He said in his normal, snarky tone.

"You know everything." She said with a smile. She stood up and walked over to his desk. She sat lightly on the edge and leaned over staring deep into his eyes. "I can tell you." She said softly.

"Is that so Miss Granger? Well then enlighten me, what does the future hold?" He said in a low drawl.

"It holds mystery, excitement, fear, passion." She said vaguely. "But, it holds a new life with you. One with marriage. One without secrets and lies." She said softly.

"Yes, I suppose so." He said.

"Severus?" She said, climbing into his lap.

"Yes love?" He whispered into her ear.

"Ne me quitte pas." She said, drawing out the French accent as she said the phrase.

"And what does that mean?" He asked her.

"Roughly translated, it means please don't leave me." Hermione said.

"I would never dream of it." Snape said, before wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing her deeply.

She broke away and smiled. "I have to get ready for the ball, will you be there?" She asked him.

He saw the look of hope in her eyes. "We will see." He said, although he knew that he wouldn't miss it for the world.

-x-