A/N: I can't even tell you how much sick enjoyment I got out of your reviews... hehe... So I'm taking pity on you and posting the next chapter. Thanks again to RenitaLeandra who caught some huge inconsistencies.

Chapter 17- At St. Mungo's

Hermione stood, breathless, outside the hospital ward. The doors were closed although if she pressed her ear to it hard enough she could hear faint murmuring and what she thought sounded like groans of pain. She tried to breathe a sigh a relief. If he was groaning then he was alive. She looked at Minerva who was standing next to her.

"What happened?"

"I don't know," Minerva said honestly. "He was working on a new potion and it appears that the cauldron exploded. It was some of his students that found him. They had heard the explosion from their common room and went to go see what it was. The room was on fire. They used their wands to put it out and managed to pull him out and one of them came to get me."

Hermione nodded trying to remain calm. The door to the hospital ward creaked open and Madam Pomfrey slipped through. Her face was pale and drawn.

"Poppy?" Hermione looked at her anxiously. "Is…is he going to be alright?"

"I gave him a potion for the pain, but he passed out before it took effect." Poppy looked shaken and it reminded Hermione of the night the Death Eaters had attacked Hogwarts. "I won't lie to you, he has been very seriously injured. He has burns…" her voice cracked and she was forced to take several deep breaths before she continued. "He has burns over much of his body. Once he is more stable, we will be transferring him to St. Mungo's."

"But he will be alright won't he?" Hermione's voice crept higher with panic.

"I don't know," Poppy whispered. "The potion has caused burns that are resisting Healing. Perhaps at St. Mungo's they will be able to do more for him."

Hermione felt tears fall onto her cheeks and she brushed them away quickly.

"Can I see him?"

"Hermione, he's…he's very badly burned. And he's not awake. He won't know you are there."

"I don't care!" Hermione felt her temper rising. "I want to see him."

Poppy gave Minerva a desperate look who merely shrugged her shoulders. Then she nodded and opened the door allowing Hermione in. There was a curtain drawn across the bed that Severus was sleeping in and Hermione cautiously walked around it. On the other side of the curtain she saw a figure, recognizable as Severus only by the black hair. His body, including his face, was heavily wrapped in bandages. He lay still on the sheets, his breathing shallow and rasping. Hermione stood, staring for a moment before she sat down on the chair next to him. She was too afraid to touch him, unwilling to cause him any more pain than he was already in. After several minutes, Poppy and Minerva also came around the curtain.

"Hermione," Minerva whispered, coming to stand close to her chair. "The Healers from St. Mungo's are here."

Hermione nodded and stood up and Minerva gently led her out of the room as the Healers came in.

"Minerva, I would like to go to St. Mungo's when they transfer him."

"I thought you probably would," Minerva said as they walked into the hallway. "Hermione, I hope you won't be upset with me, but I owled Harry a short while ago. I think it's important that someone is with you while you're in London."

Hermione said nothing but nodded.

"I did not, however, fill him in on certain recent developments between you and Severus. I felt that was not my place."

"Thank you, Minerva. I will go pack a small bag. If it is alright with you, I will return tomorrow. Will you be able to find replacements if I miss classes tomorrow?"

Minerva smiled but there was a sad look in her eyes. "Hermione, I also had to owl the Minister about this. Honestly, I will be surprised if there are classes tomorrow."

This news was too much for Hermione and she collapsed against Minerva sobbing. The fear of losing both Severus and Hogwarts was too much for her to bear. For a long time she stood there crying as Minerva tried her best to calm her. Finally, she could cry no more and she stood, feeling dazed.

"You had better go pack that bag. Severus needs you more than we do right now."

Hermione nodded and thanked her and walked down the hall to her room.

"Hermione!" The voice called her from down the hall of St. Mungo's. Hermione looked up from the chair she was sitting in to see Harry running down the hall. "I just got McGonagall's owl," he said breathlessly.

"Harry, thank you for coming," she said, trying to choke back tears.

"What happened? All McGonagall said was that Snape was hurt and you would most likely be coming here and she wondered if you could stay with me."

"Apparently he was badly burned while working on an experimental potion. Madam Pomfrey wasn't able to heal him. So they…he…" Her voice broke and she was unable to continue talking.

Harry stared at her for a long moment and then put his arms around her in a hug. "Merlin, Hermione. You're in love with him aren't you?"

This was all it took for Hermione to begin crying once again. The one thought she had been trying to force out of her mind all morning had just come out of someone else's mouth. 'Was it that obvious?' she thought to herself.

"I don't know how it happened, Harry. One day we were friends and the next we were something else."

"It will be okay," he said trying to think of a comforting thing to say, even as the thought of Hermione and Snape in love made him feel sick to his stomach. He heard a noise behind him and turned around to see a Healer standing there.

"I'm Healer Dawson," the slight young man said. "You are here for Severus Snape, correct?"

Hermione nodded her head, sniffing loudly.

"Well, Mister Snape has regained consciousness and although we have not been able to completely heal his burns, he is at least out of danger."

"What do you mean 'not completely heal'?" Hermione asked, continuing to wipe her eyes.

"Well, there will be some…um…scaring." Healer Dawson was now shifting uncomfortably back and forth on his feet.

"What kind of scaring?"

"Well," Dawson cleared his throat nervously and Hermione was becoming increasingly annoyed. "Parts of Mister Snape's face, neck and chest will have some scars, but the brunt of the damage was sustained on his hands. They have been heavily…um…damaged."

"His hands? What do you mean?"

"Well, we had a particularly difficult time Healing them given how saturated they were with the potion. He will, in time, regain the use of them, but he will have lost most of his dexterity and will be able to use them only for basic functions."

"But he is a Potion's Master!" Hermione's voice was edged with panic. "How will he do his work?"

"I am sorry, Ma'am." The Healer sounded more nervous than sorry.

"Can I see him?"

At this the man became even more nervous, frequently looking at the door he had come out of.

"Well, Mister Snape is a little, um, agitated at the moment. I'm not sure having any visitors would be a good idea at this time."

"First of all Healer Dawson," Hermione began, her voice dripping with anger, "your patient is a professor, and should be addressed as such. Second, if you think I am going to sit out here for fear that he might be a little upset, you are clearly mistaken. I demand you let me into that room!"

Hermione then did not wait for permission but forced her way beyond the man and through the doors. Before the door swung shut, she thought she heard him mutter, "Well they're quite a pair."

She stood looking down the long row of beds. She determined that the one with the curtains drawn again must be Severus'. She walked over to it and he was again lying flat on his back, this time with his eyes open. She glanced down and saw that his hands were heavily bandaged. She moved closer; part of his face and neck appeared to be covered in a spider web of scars that disappeared beneath the sheet that was drawn all the way up his chest. His eyes flickered toward her as she moved.

"Leave." His voice was raspy as if it too was scarred.

"No. You cannot get rid of me that easily." Hermione sat firmly in the chair.

"Leave now. I do not want to see you."

The words stung but Hermione reminded herself that this was how Severus dealt with hardship. To lash out at anyone who tried to help.

"Severus, you're not going to scare me."

"I do not intend to scare you, you silly girl. I am simply speaking the truth." Severus glared at her. "What are you doing here?"

"I…I thought you could use the company."

"Just because we had one evening together does not mean that I am in need of your company. You are wasting your time here." Severus turned his head and closed his eyes as if to dismiss her.

"Do not turn away from me Severus Snape!" Hermione growled. Still he did not open his eyes or acknowledge her in any way. She sat for several minutes but still he did not respond. She stood up and walked over to him. She was now close enough to see every mark, every flaw on his scarred face.

"If you think I will give up so easily, then you are sorely mistaken. I will leave for now, but I will be back tomorrow. And if you will not see me then I will be back the day after that and the day after that. You will not be rid of me, I swear it." She spoke in a whisper so close to him that he could feel her breath. The she pressed her lips softly to his skin, just below the ear and walked away. She did not see his eyes following her as she walked out the door.