A/N: I can't even begin to apologize for how long it took me to post this... I hope you'll forgive me enough to read it and tell me what you think. Thanks so much to all of you who reviewed my last chapter, you're the reason I finally wrote chapter number 5!

Disclaimer: I own nothing, just the plot.

"It's much too risky Albus, it's never been tried on a wizard before."

"But I'm afraid we're out of options Minerva, we've tried everything, if we want to have any chances of saving him we have to try something different."

The two teachers kept disagreeing all the way to the Hospital Wing where their most worrisome patient was still in the same vegetative state since the end of the battle.

After only three weeks, all the other patients had been well enough to leave, which was surprising enough in itself, but the fight had been so short that it was to be expected. However, the infamous professor Severus Snape had yet to show any signs of life. Just as Dumbledore had said, they had tried everything. He'd been checked for every imaginable curse, even the most unlikely ones, as well as every imaginable form of poison, hex and illness that could have befallen him. But nothing would respond. He was stuck in what Muggles would call a "coma". But the people at Hogwarts had yet to give up on him. Sure, very few students had liked him as a teacher, but he had proven his worth time and time again by spying on Voldemort. Secret at it was, everyone knew about it, and most felt bad for it. Harry especially. He had hated the man for so many years only to find out that he had been risking life and limb on countless occasions to give the Order the best odds possible.

As our two professors finally made it to the Hospital Wing, they noticed at once that something was wrong. Poppy was waiting for them anxiously at the door, wringing her hands in obvious distressed. Albus and Minerva hurried forward, fearing the worse.

"Albus! Minerva! Something's happened!"

Lying quietly on her bed, Hermione brooded, staring off into space as she though deeply about an unpleasant subject. There was no logical reason why Severus hadn't woken up yet. There wasn't either any logical reason for her to be calling him Severus, as technically she was still his student, but that was beside the point. She still stayed up late at night, reading any medical book she could get her hands on. She'd become Madam Pomfrey's unofficial assistant in the case of her Potions professor. They'd talk over the most likely reasons for his coma and what were the best ways to treat him. But he wasn't responding to anything. He wasn't even getting worse. And although that wouldn't have been a good thing, it would have given them some clue as to what was going on.

And so as Hermione kept brooding, she slowly and lazily raised her arm and looked at her watch.

8:35

She sighed, for no obvious reason, but because it seemed the right thing to do at the moment. It frustrated Hermione to no end that she wasn't able to come up with the solution to his problem. She'd thought of everything, she was sure of it, thinking over everything he had ever told her, especially about the curse of the Mark. But nothing made sense, nothing led to anything and it seemed they were out of options. All that was left was waiting, and that wasn't something that appealed to her at all.

8:40

Hermione figured that visiting wouldn't hurt, and so, with a heavy heart, she slowly made her way to the Hospital Wing.

"What is it Poppy?" Dumbledore asked worriedly, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"It's Severus, he woke up!"

"That's fantastic!" replied Minerva cheerfully. However, the other witch didn't seem to share her enthusiasm.

"Tell us what happened, my dear." Albus stared at her gently but at the same time his look reminded her of the importance of the situation.

"I was in my office you see, just going over some paper work, when I heard someone call for me. Naturally I recognized his voice but I hardly dared hope it was him. He sounded very upset so I hurried over and... Oh dear!"

"What is it?" Minerva asked, obviously impatient. But Dumbledore stared pointedly at her and tapped Pomfrey's shoulder gently to get her to calm down.

"It's alright Poppy, everything's going to be okay. There's nothing to worry about, just tell us what happened." It was uncommon for the medi-witch to be so upset, usually she was the one reassuring people that it would be okay. Obviously whatever had happened was very serious, or she wouldn't be that upset.

"He was sitting up in his bed and... oh Albus, I've never seen anyone so scared. He looked absolutely terrified, and I couldn't do anything for him! He just looked at me and asked what happened to him. I didn't know what to say and he fell back in his bed before I could open my mouth!"

Without another word they all hurried into the room to see the patient in question. He looked just the same as he had before, just as still and just as lifeless. But Dumbledore was noticing something different. He narrowed his eyes and placed his hand above the man's face, waiting. Finally he drew back his arm and turned to the two women behind him.

"What is it Albus?" Minerva didn't like the look on his face at all.

"I'm afraid I know what's wrong with him. And no one's going to like it."

As Hermione walked through the corridors on her way to the Hospital Wing, she paused to watch the sunset over the lake. It was one of the most beautiful ones she had ever seen. The sun was now nothing but a small dot on the horizon, its last rays reflected on the still waters of the lake. The small but numerous clouds were full of orange, pink, yellow and dark red shades. The sky was constantly changing colour as well, going quickly from bright orange to dark red and finally, as the sun set, to a dark grey.

Hermione stayed at the window a while longer, wondering what the future had in store for her. Come September, she would be studying at England's renowned University of Magic. There she would learn more about Charms, in hope of one day teaching the subject at Hogwarts. She was most disappointed to be leaving what had been her home for the last seven years, but she knew that she would come back. Hogwarts would be her home once again.

But would it be the same without Severus? She had to admit, to herself at least, that he was one of the reasons she wanted to come back to Hogwarts. It simply wouldn't be the same without him...

Deciding not to dwell on it, Hermione turned away from the window, and the still darkness outside.

When she finally arrived at the Hospital Wing, she knew instantly that something was wrong. Madam Pomfrey was holding on tightly to Professor McGonnagall who looked discouraged. Dumbledore as well looked miserable, and that's what worried her the most.

"What happened?" she asked, almost afraid to know the answer.

"He's not dead Hermione, but I'm afraid he's not much better off."

Severus knew what had happened to him as soon as he had woken up. He just knew. But he didn't want to believe it. It hardly seemed possible. Besides, following all logic, he was supposed to be dead. Obviously something had interfered in the Dark Mark's curse. Under different circumstances, he might have dwelled on it, but it didn't seem to matter at the moment, there were more important things to worry about. Like the fact that the life he had lived until that moment had come to an end, that he would never be the same again. As far as he was concerned, it had never happened to a wizard before, and with good reason. No one should have to suffer something like that.

And so as Severus drifted once more into unconsciousness, only one thing was on his mind.

I'm a Muggle...