Notes: Like the HP series, I have no claim to the plot which was created by Erica. From Darkness begins after the final war in a time of rebuilding and regret. Hermione, blind and lost, struggles to find her place while many seem already secure in the new world. A story of hopelessness and hope, depression and happiness, solitude and companionship…DHr.

For Erica, in hopes that this lives up to what you imagined. And For Samuel, in love and gratitude

Special Thanks To: Nicoli Bellamont—For pestering me until I got back on

From Darkness

By Rei (Of Reminiscence)

This is the rough draft of chapter Eight…I had wanted to upload it before the new book came out so please bare with the typos and errors…sorry for the long wait too! I've had such a horrible writer's block—

Chapter Eight: Glimpses and Calculations

Hermione sat at a small table in Snape's workroom grounding the roots down into a soft but damp powder. Her old professor had instructed that he needed a half pound of the root and Hermione was desperate to be needed. Life, considering everything that had happened so far, was at a standstill even though new information was popping up everyday. With three weeks of living at Snape's home behind her, Hermione was gathering her resources and pulling herself to something that resembled her old self.

Her wand now stayed in it's sheath under her robes on her left arm, and the cane rarely left her room. Rufus stayed obediently at her feet and would bark if Hermione was about to crash into something—which wasn't often. With the roots done Hermione stood up and walked towards another part of the room and tapped a book with her wand. If Hermione couldn't read that was fine—she would have the book read to her.

The book recited for hours and it was harder than Hermione thought it would be. She couldn't write her notes down or follow along with her eyes, but Hermione managed. So far, none of the books even mentioned any possibility of dark magic connected to healing properties but she had only gone through 3 books so far and there were endless possibilities. The chapter ended and Hermione tapped the book again before it would start the next chapter. She waited in the living room and wasn't surprised a few moments later when suddenly Snape appeared.

"Roots done?"

Hermione nodded and then frowned, "Who else is here?"

Draco chuckled, "Just me. Something came up so Ron's night was switched."

Hermione's lips twitched but she was amused at the fact that 'the boys' often took turns visiting her here at Snape's house. Snape refused more than one visitor at a time and would even use a repelling charm. On Harry's days to come and visit, the potions master would shut himself away in the workroom, and on the days that Ron would visit, Snape would often put a charm on his ears that blocked out Ron's voice. Malfoy was the only one who was treated to Snape's attention and even presence during dinner time.

The familiarity was back and even though there were some moments when Hermione felt left out, those moments were becoming few and far between. Slowly Hermione was starting to feel like her old self and Snape's critical analysis of her and her work greatly contributed to her reformation.

"Alright, well I can tell that there is a lot for you two to talk about. Rufus needs a walk, so I'll see you before dinner."

Draco watched Hermione walking Rufus from the living room window and leaned against the wall. Severus twitched an eyebrow and Draco grinned before sitting down and obligingly took the tea cup filled with Earl Grey. "She's doing a lot better, more like her old self."

"This should have been done in the beginning. I understand that she is muggle born, but muggle solutions do not work in the wizarding world. Once she was properly trained, the dog has its uses, but before hand its an easy route to becoming dependent."

"I see you've allowed the mutt to stay in your home."

"The mutt isn't completely worthless now that she knows to rely on herself first." Snape nodded to the house elf as he placed a tray of finger foods in front of them and added more tea to his cup. "She could have a job after all of this. Despite her loss, she remains to be a more than adequate worker."

Draco snorted, "Adequate. I never thought that adequate would be a word to describe Hermione Granger."

Snape toasted Draco with a salute of his tea cup, "Too true." Snape took a decisive sip of the tea before resting the cup and saucer on the stand beside him. "Now what do you know about Hermione's plans for her eyes?"

"I don't follow"

Snape sighed and pinched the edge of his nose. "As a precautionary measure the elves watch Hermione just to make sure nothing terribly wrong happens to her. This morning they reported that she was attempting a curse last night."

Draco laughed, "I'm sure…Right after she transfigures fire whiskey from air." The laugh hung heavily in the air. "You couldn't be serious."

"I've never been more serious Draco. You remember that she claimed to have seen your face after the last incident?" Snape nodded at Draco's surprised face. "The girl doesn't think I know she plays those blasted books of hers or that I can hear her voice in the workroom and during those time she tries to find a healing property in the dark arts." Snape gazed at the long jagged scar, the end just peeking out of the edge of his robe. "When I asked her this morning how she was feeling she asked if I had any pepper-up potion."

Snape's eyes flitted to the girl outside before leaning forward in his seat, uncharacteristically melodramatic. "She's no longer the whimpering lost little girl who tip-toed across my threshold—she's angry and she wants something done to fix this whole mess."

"Hermione goes by the books—she lives by them."

Snape leaned back in his chair and "Do you honestly believe that?"

Draco opened his mouth to affirm his statement only to find that he could not. In his first and only year at Hogwarts Hermione Granger had consistently broken curfew, browsed the forbidden section in Hogwarts library, and aided Harry Potter in his rambunctious irresponsible actions in the Chamber of Secrets. Yes, Hermione might die of starvation if she was denied access to books, quill, and parchment, but she was well known to take risks. With one last gulp of Earl Grey tea, Draco sat his cup and saucer on the tea caddy as he attempted to ignore Snape's growing smirk. "And so what are you saying?"

"She wants answers Draco so I hope during dinner you might be able to produce some before the lioness unleashes her fury."

Draco chuckled, "So I've heard." Draco picked up one of the cucumber sandwiches and ate the sample glancing furtively out the window for the object of their confessions. "What was she like after first year and the start of the war?"

Snape frowned and eyed the young man before him. "As you know blood rivalries soon develop after children begin to realize the differences between themselves and others. As toddlers and younglings, children look at the internal qualities while skipping over traits of pureblood ancestry. Knowledge about the self and others increase though as soon those children, now young adults, can only see the differences between them as in distinctive mops of red hair in comparison to your own or even the shape of the nose. During second year and those afterward, Miss Granger encountered the opinions of other and receive a week's worth of detention for hexing a fellow student when he called her 'mudblood'. She has always been at the top of her class and Dumbledore always had great plans for her—even looked into job opportunities for the girl that might not have been available to her otherwise. She's a Gryffindor, though has more enough wit for a Ravenclaw. She's always tried her best and risked her life plenty of times. Did you see the girl after the end?"

Draco shook his head, "No. I was still connected to my father and my name alone was a ticket to a life-long term in an 8 x 8 cell."

"The girl took hexes meant for Potter even before they reached the Dark Lord. Right before The Last Battle, a spy hidden within Dumbledore's ranks made a strike against Potter only to be thwarted by the Headmaster. Moody neatly disposed of the fiend, but the damage was done and Dumbledore had no choice but to stay back within the ranks. Harry was deadly serious that Hermione should not fight in the vanguard, but with the loss of Dumbledore beside Harry, there was little choice—the battle was an imminent disaster if they had continued fighting without Hermione.

"Nott was the first senior death eater to intercept Potter shortly after a small force of the Aurors broke past Voldemort's defenses and into the labyrinth. The battle resembled one between two rabid dogs until finally Hermione drove between Harry and a particularly nasty hex. Surprised, Nott let his guard down and Harry knocked him unconscious. If you watch Hermione she can no longer stand to be in small spaces or in other places where she feels like she's being choked to death.

"By then all Aurors or Order members had further expanded their search in the Labyrinth. Your father intercepted Harry from behind, but Hermione pushed him out of the way and took the hit. The cut just barely went through Hermione's defenses and thinly sliced her between her breasts from below her collarbone to just barely above her navel. Your father and Harry fought hard, but in the end Lucius, who was partially crippled by Voldemort's earlier punishments, was too slow, and was soon bound and gagged. I stayed there then waiting for the next Auror team two find him and place him in holding while guarding their backs.

"I didn't see Potter, Miss Granger, or Voldemort during the final battle, but you of course know that the …pleasure of cursing Hermione distracted the Dark Lord enough that Potter was able to destroy him. Hermione has risked her life over and over again without much fear of the consequences. It is my belief that when the situation is resolved Hermione will find anything that we do as inadequate. Hermione is more likely to use outside practice and law to pursue her sense of justice for an emotional response. No," Snape chuckled, "Hermione won't engage in vengeance and revenge like foolhardy Potter—for her its justice and punishment for wrong deeds. Her hexing the boy for calling her mudblood was the closest she got to revenge, even then I would call it protecting herself."

Draco nodded and watched through the window as Hermione slowly started walking back towards the house. "Sometime I wonder how things would be different if I had stayed in Hogwarts." Draco shook his head as if clearing the tendrils of a reverie from his mind. "Anyway, I brought with me some new information. There was a leak in the hospital ward…two disoriented healers stumbled into the Ministry claiming charges of abduction…Aurors headed by Potter and Weasley only managed to capture one of the healer-imposters."

"How could they have taken Polyjuice every hour without detection?"

"They used a revised potion." Draco removed a small folder from his robe pocket and tapped it twice with his wand. "We found these papers in the flats belonging to the Healers. The original writer's handwriting is obviously different from the imposters so once we find the…"

Snape turned each page over and examined it carefully. "You said you found these in the flats?" At Draco's nod Snape stood and motioned Draco to follow him. "Hermione is waiting in the dining room and there we'll find more answers."

"Sir?"

Snape's eyes flitted to Draco more a moment, yes, it would have been interesting if the boy's father had allowed him to stay at Hogwarts. "Patience. We'll have our answers shortly." Snape nodded to the House Elf that had faithfully served the House of Snape since before his birth and sat at the head of the table with Draco as his godson sitting at his right hand directly across from Hermione who was currently sitting at his left. The meal started when the elf finally filled Hermione's goblet, but the food was hardly touched. "Miss Granger did you ever experiment with potions or create your own?"

Hermione's face darkened and she practically threw her eating utensils down on her plate making the manner-drilled pureblood wizards wince. "And what permission did you have to go through my things?"

"Miss Granger, the Aurors have spent days in your flat, but that is beside the fact…"

Hermione's linen napkin joined the fork and knife on the plate, staining it to the house elf's distress. "Do not treat me as a child Severus."

Draco's eyes widened as he watched the scene before him. "Hermione, please, we found some more information."

The room was silent for a moment until the tension dropped several degrees without warning. Sightless eyes sought ones that were constantly guarded. Whatever she saw seemed to pacify her as she murmured her apologies and sipped from her goblet.

"This morning two healers came to the ministry and told that had just escaped from their captors. One of two imposters were apprehended at St. Mungos. When Aurors searched the flats of the two Healers they found pages of writing including one they assumed is the modified Polyjuice Potion. I believe that the writing on these pages is yours…"

Hermione nodded.

"Then they were in your flat before or during the reconstruction."

"No."

"They had to have these papers while you were sick."

Hermione gulped the pumpkin juice and shook her head. "No they were at my parents."

"Impossible. Your parents were under surveillance, we would have known of any suspicious activity."

"I worked on the notebook containing that potion during the summer before my sixth year. I never moved those from my parent's house because I knew Harry would realize what they were. I haven't even thought of my notebooks since. The notebooks were in my room. My room at my parent's. Someone was in my father's house."

Dinner grew cold as finally a realization came upon them. The attacks were personal before the night of the inferius attack and they had always been so. Hermione's hands reached out and gently took the rumpled parchment. "I had wanted to do so many things after Hogwarts…did you know that Draco?"

Draco shook his head and looked for Severus, but his god father had already moved toward the fireplace with Floo powder in hand. "No…I didn't."

"A Healer….A Potions Mistress….Spell Research…." Hermione felt the script of the words before she tossed the page to the table. "But first there was the War and of course no one wants to hire a blind girl….I suppose I could sell my potion adaptations but what good would that do? No one wants an invalid especially a mud blood."

"The headmaster has asked Minerva to go to your father's house Hermione."

"That's fine." Hermione stood up and left the room leaving Rufus, Draco, and Snape in her wake.

Although Hermione surmised that this wasn't the brightest plan in the history of wizardry, Hermione knew that this was the only solution readily available. Taking a deep breath she stood in front of her bedroom door and began the intricate spellwork. Of course it would be completely impossible to completely spell the door in Snape's house, anything she could do would slow them down. Hermione tapped a parchment and steeled herself for the letter she was now reciting. It was completely melodramatic but Hermione promised herself that it was for the 'just in case' part of her plan. Heavy foot steps on the stairs and Hermione took a breathe not bothering to answer Draco's query. An elf popped into the room but with a wave of her wand it dissappered in a fright. Now Hermione could hear a crash from one of the down stairsrooms and an urgent running up the stairs. Hermione grimly smiled as their first attempt to open her door failed and held the wand to her temple…the modified Conjunctivitis Curse would do quite nicely…

At the sharp sound of Hermione's wail Severus simply undid the wards on the walls and forcefully punctured a hole that lead to Hermione's room. When Severus stood still at the sight before him, Draco rushed in and pulled Hermione up from her crouched position. Severus gathered himself together and tentatively stepped in, gingerly plucked the wand from the floor, and crouched down beside his former students. "What in god's name…"

"Before…" Draco steadied his voice and moved away the hair from Hermione's face, "Before this she called herself an invalid and a mudblood."

Snape summoned basins of water and washrags before asking the elves to summon Dumbledore, Harry Potter, and Pomfrey. "She's as reckless as her insufferable friends."

Severus jerked the sleeves of his robes up past his elbows and dip the cloths into the cool water, ignored the two pops of apparation. With long deft fingers he grabbed the girls chin and wiped the thin streams of blood of her face. Hermione's body twitched and Draco held her down to the floor as Pomfrey took a vial from her bag.

"Mind you don't let her arms fling about or we'll have broken limbs to attend to…" Pomfrey kneeled down using Severus's shoulder for support. Another pop from apparation and Draco had just heard Harry's voice before Pomfrey poured out the vial on Hermione's eyes and with a scream Hermione woke from unconsciousness.

"Get off!" Hermione screamed through her attempts to throw Draco's weight off of her. Her nails clawed at his arms until Harry stepped forward to lend some help. Panic starting to fade away she concentrated on the soothing sounds of her friends as lights were faded and Pomfrey pulled apart her eyelids.

The Healer flushed out the young girl's girl, but watched as the thick membrane over the eyes start to thin and lighten. "I don't believe it…" The pupils and iris of the eyes still maintained a slight milky membrane but gradually the eyes likened to recognition.

"Professors…" Hermione murmured after they help her stand and she frowned slightly as she tried to focus for a sharper image… Her words turned incoherent as she slumped to one side drifting asleep and Draco caught her easily.

They spoke in hurried whispered as Draco tucked the brightest witch of the age into bed and only Harry's thoughtful eyes followed the movements.

"…Alecto Carrow?"

"You can't be serious Albus…"

"A distant relation…."

Draco stared down at the bushy hair, swollen eyes, flushed skin, and frowning lips "Stupid, brave, insufferable Gryffindor."