Disclaimer: I obviously don't own it. It's all for fun.

Mak is of course my beta; who is amazing.

Sorry it took so long for this chapter but it went through quite a bit of revision and my hard drive decided to not format so I had to get into a huge fight with HP and FINALLY get a new hard drive. So now that things are back to normal I will update regularly.

Leave a review and let me know what you think. Thanks!

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Chapter Eight

The Final Battle

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A few months into the New Year the Room of Requirement finally opened the correct room that held the portrait of Godric Gryffindor. All the horcruxes were destroyed and the only thing left to do was kill Lord Voldemort. However, it wasn't as easy as it sounded. The Order had spent months trying to figure out the location of the Dark Lord with no avail.

Many things had changed in Hermione's life since the summer. Hogwarts had re-opened but only half of the students returned. Some people from year returned, mostly Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs. No Slytheirns returned and a few Gryffindors remained. Harry and Ron had decided not to return to school but instead to train and develop their magical abilities on their own. They were currently living in Grimmauld Place with many members of Dumbledore's Army. Kingsley, Tonks, Mad-Eye, and other adults taught them as much as they could. It was like a crash course in Auror training.

After Dumbledore's death, Harry had found his focus and determination to get rid of Voldemort. Hermione was pleased to see he was taking this so seriously. Due to his hard work, Harry had gotten stronger and more powerful. He was now able to Apparate, transfigure into his animagus form (a Thestral) and he could cast non-verbal spells. Remus was working constantly with Harry on Occlumency, it was still a skill he needed to improve on. Sometimes he couldn't completely close his mind off, but he was improving. While Harry, Ron, and the majority of the DA were off training Hermione and the remaining DA members were back at Hogwarts learning as much as they could there.

She was at Hogwarts, taking a few classes such as Defence Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Transfiguration, and Potions. It had been her stipulation with the Headmistress about her return. She would take four classes of her choosing as well as taking an apprenticeship with Professor Flitwick. He had been more than happy to oblige and Hermione was learning more than she ever imagined. It had taken her a while to be able to create her own spells. She was surprised at how much work it had been and thought about Snape being able to create his own in his fifth year.

In fact, she had many thoughts about her ex-Potions Professor. Through all of his journals and research she had figured out that the replenishing potion was actually used to weaken Voldemort. It had taken her a while to discover it but she had gotten it nonetheless. It was just another thing that was starting to make Hermione think he wasn't completely guilty. Hermione had not brought up any of this to the Order, she didn't know how to. It was like she needed one more concrete thing to solidify her argument. No one was at a point in their life where they wanted to believe Snape had actually done it because Dumbledore said to.

Minerva had given Hermione her own room, but was surprised when the young Gryffindor asked for a room down near the dungeons. The Headmistress still had no clue about Hermione's almost obsession with Snape's rooms. There was a draw to it that she could not explain. All the knowledge and mystery of the room was fascinating for her sponge-like mind.

The one piece of information she was most desperate to find finally came into her possession. Hermione had been looking through the cabinets in Snape's office when she came across a locked section. She worked tirelessly for an hour before the lock finally popped open. Sitting on the shelf was a small black pensieve. Taking it out she looked down into the liquid and was sucked into a memory. Hermione had been pulled into the Forbidden Forest, right in front of Dumbledore and Snape. She knew it was just a memory, but something inside her felt like she wanted to hide. The two men were facing each other, when Dumbledore started.

"Severus, I know you know Mr. Malfoy's assignment is to find a way to kill me, but he cannot succeed."

"Yes, Albus, remind me again of what I already know," Severus snarled in an angry whisper, his features twisted with a mixture of irritation and distress. "I have told you repeatedly, he refuses even to listen, must less talk to me."

"Draco cannot be allowed to kill me. He is not a murderer. For him to kill me would mean sentencing him to a life of servitude to Tom." Albus was looking down at his black hand with a look of contemplation on his face.

"I am not ignorant of those facts, but what can you suggest that will save him from this fate? Do you not think I have spent hour upon hour sitting up at night, replaying in my mind the night I made that Unbreakable Vow? Do you not think that if there were any loophole, any possible way of avoiding this, I would have thought of it? What can be done?"

Albus took a pained breath before starting; if he was affected by Severus's hostility, he did not show it. His expression was one of a grieving man. "I'm dying Severus. The ring was too much for me and your potion has helped me this far. I fear I won't be able to make it much longer."

Seemingly too shocked to retain his dark glare, Severus' eyes widened. He opened his mouth to speak, but Albus held up his good hand to stop Severus from speaking. "If it comes down to it, I want you to kill me and spare Draco a life under the Dark Lord."

"Albus! No! I will not!" Severus was astounded that the Headmaster was asking this of him.

"Severus listen to me. If you kill me, you will be a confidant to Riddle. You will easily be able to give him the potion and be possibly able to discover the location of the remaining horcruxes."

"That leaves the problem of killing you. I can't do it," Severus said slightly shaking. Crossing his arms over his chest he amended harshly, "I won't do it."

Hermione could not even imagine what was going through his mind, but from his pale face and shaking hands she knew it wasn't anything good.

"Severus…" Albus trailed off before he was interrupted.

"No! What you are asking of me is unreasonable! Haven't I done enough for you?" Severus had a pained expression on his face and he was slightly pleading.

"You must, please…"

"No! I can't! If I do this my life will be forfeit. They will give me the Dementor's Kiss for killing you!"

"I would never leave you in that position Severus. Trust that I will not leave you sentenced to death. I will set things in motion that will save you," Albus was genuine in his promise; at least that is what Hermione thought.

"How can you promise me that? I refuse Albus!" Severus didn't believe him one bit.

Albus laid his hand on Severus's shaking shoulder before saying, "Please see reason…"

"This is madness!" Severus yelled jerking away from the Headmaster. "I will not be a part of this!"

Dumbledore looked sternly at Severus, the twinkle in his eyes gone. "You will Severus. If you will not do this voluntarily then I will call on your wizards debt you owe me."

Eyes widened, Severus asked in disbelief, "You wouldn't?"

"I will." Albus stated simply.

"No Albus. Please do not put me in this position," Severus pleaded.

"Severus Snape, I call on your wizards debt to save Draco Malfoy from killing me. You will kill me if there is no other way."

Severus hung his head in defeat and whispered, "Very well," as if his life was about to end.

Hermione came back into Snape's office abruptly. Tears were streaming down her face at what she had just witnessed. She never felt so bad in her life. What Dumbledore had done to Severus was incredibly sad. Hermione could not fathom what it must have felt like to be ordered to commit murder.

Wiping the tears out of her eyes she stood up with the pensieve and went back to his rooms. It was then, standing in his rooms that she realized he suffered throughout his life. She wanted to know more about him, but there was no way to get the information she so desperately craved.

Hermione's eyes widened when she realized something. The two-way mirror! She set the pensieve down and quickly exited the room. The mirror was laying on her night stand and she picked it up before saying, "Severus Snape."

It took a couple of seconds before the image of Severus Snape appeared in the mirror. He looked pale and his face looked thinner than she remembered. "Yes," he said irritably.

Hermione swallowed because she really wasn't expecting him to answer. It had been a rash decision for her to call on him so quickly without thinking through what she really wanted to discuss.

"Umm…" Hermione said stupidly.

"Stop gaping like a fish, girl!" he demanded quietly.

Hermione shook her head and straightened up. "I'm sorry, sir."

Severus rolled his eyes and looked back at her waiting for her to continue. "I found your pensieve."

"You did, did you?" Severus questioned, the malice gone out of his voice.

"I understand now. I'm going to show the Order the pensieve and tell them about the replenishing potion. I'll make them understand," she said with conviction.

Severus simply looked at her before replying. "Do what you must Ms. Granger."

"Professor, where is Voldemort?"

He cringed and said harshly, "Do not say his name! Besides, I don't know where exactly we are. I'm sure you can figure out why."

Hermione nodded her head in recognition. "What are we going to do?"

"Nothing right now. We have to wait for the correct opportunity."

"When will that be?" Hermione questioned.

"Yes, like I will be able to give you a date and time!" Severus said annoyed.

"There is no need to get snippy, sir," Hermione admonished.

"This is ridiculous. I will let you know if I find anything." With that, Severus Snape disappeared from the mirror, leaving Hermione in her room to think once again.

The Order of the Phoenix was meeting that evening and Hermione needed to get her arguments ready so she could convince them of Severus's innocence. The topic was indeed difficult to breech, and once she did she was met with outrage. They all thought he was completely guilty, the most outspoken on the issue being Harry. Hermione finally shushed him and she let them view the pensieve.

Most people were shocked when they pulled out of the memory. They were slowly coming around to Hermione's view on things, but some people took more convincing; such as Mad-Eye Moody, Ron, and Harry. It was difficult for them to give up years of hatred for one man. Once Hermione told them about the replenishing potion they started to be less vile towards the man. They still weren't one hundred percent on Severus's side, but at least she was able to get the Order to realize there was more going on than they originally expected.

During the meeting the two-way mirror started to grow warm in her pocket. She excused herself and pulled the item out of her pocket. There was Snape looking very dishevelled and worried. "What is wrong, Professor?"

"Narcissa and Draco were tracked by a few items I took from the manor for them. I only found out and in doing so was tracked myself. I have been discovered and we are on the run. We still have the item with us and we will move to Hogwarts. Get as many people together as you can and meet us there. The Dark Lord will be there," he said quickly.

"Alright. Be safe," Hermione replied anxiously.

Severus looked at her for a moment with an odd look on his face before he nodded and swept out of view. Hermione rushed into the kitchen and looked at everyone. "Get everyone to Hogwarts now. Severus was found out and he's making his way there. He said Voldemort will be there. We must act now! This is what we've been waiting for!" In her rush she didn't realize she had said his first name. No one else really seemed to notice it, except Ginny, who sat there and gave Hermione an odd look before she jumped up and ran from the room to get ready for the final battle.

People were rushing from the room, gathering a few items they would need, floo calling other members, sending Patronuses to some, and Apparating to Hogwarts to prepare. Hermione had rushed to Apparate to the school. She was going to help gather the younger students into the Great Hall so they would be out of harms way as much as possible. Once she was done with that she ran to find Harry and Ron. They all hugged each other and tried to support each other as much as possible. There was no guarantee that they would make it through this but they were still hopeful. Ron and Hermione looked at each other awkwardly for a moment before hugging. They had decided to take a break from each other because things weren't really working out. It had been a promise between the two that they would see other people with the possibility of one day reconnecting.

Harry and Ron decided to stay in the castle before showing themselves. They wanted to make sure Voldemort was really there before taking action. Hermione had run to the gate to keep a lookout for Snape, Narcissa, and Draco. It didn't take long before Hermione heard the crack of Apparition. The three ran as fast as they could towards the gate and Hermione opened it just in time for them to run by. As soon as they made it on the grounds, Hermione heard many cracks of Apparition. She had purposely left the gate un-warded so they Death Eaters would come on the grounds.

The four of them quickly ran to the castle to let the Order know that the Death Eaters had arrived. Everyone was too concerned about what was to happen next to really care that Snape, Narcissa, and Draco were there. Snape walked up to Minerva and addressed her, "Minerva, the Dark Lord is coming. He wants to see us dead. The potion has weakened him considerably. If Potter can get close enough to him to deliver the blow he will be defeated."

Minerva considered the man standing before her, "Severus, I am truly sorry for not looking into this matter myself. I shouldn't have believed that you would do something like that to Albus. Please, forgive me."

Severus stood there and looked into the old witch's eyes before replying, "Ask me that after this is over, Minerva."

She nodded and then pulled him into a hug. "Contrary to popular belief, I have missed you, Severus."

"Thank you, Minerva." He replied unsteadily. Severus was unprepared for her show of affection and he awkwardly brought one arm up to pat her back.

"He's here!" Harry yelled to everyone. Order members were flooding out the entrance of the castle to take the Death Eaters head on. The fighting was long and took well into the night before anyone could gauge how the fight was going. There were casualties on both sides and no one was giving up.

Hermione had just taken down a Death Eater when she was punched in the face by someone. She was on the ground holding the right side of her face. Opening her good eye she found herself staring at Lucius Malfoy. He had a horrible grin on his face and his wand pointed right at her. "I have been waiting a long time for this, Mudblood," he sneered.

But, before he could say anything else he was hit with a spell in the back. He fell straight down and Hermione rolled out of the way to avoid being crushed. She got quickly to her feet to see Severus striding quickly towards her. "Are you alright?" he questioned.

"Yes, I think so," Hermione replied.

He looked down at Lucius's prone form and was about to cast the Killing Curse when he heard a scream, "Severus stop!" Turning his head he saw Narcissa running toward him.

"Let me handle my dear husband," she said with conviction.

"Very well." Severus grabbed Hermione by the arm and led her away from the angry witch.

"What are you doing?" Hermione questioned.

"Getting away from here. Potter and Voldemort have started to duel near the Quidditch Pitch," with that he let go of Hermione and strode towards the pitch. She followed running to catch up with him.

"What are we going to do?"

"Intercept as many Death Eaters as we can." He looked around and before she could speak a word he had cast a curse at an approaching Death Eater who was unaware of his position. From underneath the Quidditch bleachers they had a good view of the battle between Harry and Voldemort, as well as a secure place to watch for approaching Death Eaters.

Hermione was about to cast a spell at Draco, but she was stopped by Severus who stood in front of her. "No, Miss Granger. Let Draco do what he must. He will not harm Potter. It's the prophecy."

She pointed her wand down and watched as Draco approached behind the Dark Lord. "Voldemort!" Draco yelled courageously.

Harry and Voldemort both stopped fighting and looked at Draco. Voldemort had an evil sneer on his face as he realized who was in front of him. "Ah, Draco! Just who I wanted to see. I suppose I could take time away from Potter to kill you first."

Draco reacted as quickly as Voldemort did and they both cast a hex. Voldemort wanted to have a little fun with the youngest Malfoy before he killed them. Their spells hit and a clash ensued as to who would be more powerful. Harry watched for a moment before he realized that Draco was weakening Voldemort with his spell. He moved quickly and before anything else could happen, he yelled the Killing Curse and it shot towards Voldemort who looked back in surprise at the last minute. The last thing Voldemort saw a green light hit him square in the chest. He erupted into flames and burned to ashes. Draco was flung back about fifty feet and landed on his back. Harry fell to the ground in relief and Hermione rushed towards him. Before she could make it to him she heard a shrill voice yell, "Potter!"

She stopped in shock as Bellatrix Lestrange stood in fury looking at Harry. She had her wand raised and she looked menacing. "Bellatrix!" Severus yelled from behind Hermione. He walked by her, robes billowing as he put himself between Potter and Bellatrix.

"Ah, Snape, the traitor. It would be my pleasure to kill you. Look what you've done! You've helped that brat kill the Dark Lord!" She was going even crazier now, not knowing what to do.

"Yes, it's about time he died, just like you," Severus snarled.

Hermione had made her way to Harry and helped him up. They were trying to get as far away from the duelling pair as much as possible. "You are letting them get away Severus!"

"Indeed I am."

She was so infuriated she shot a curse at him. He easily deflected it and returned a spell that knocked her off her feet. Before Severus could do anything else, Neville Longbottom ran up to the witch and kicked her in the face. "You killed my parents!" He had his wand aimed at Bellatrix's heart and looked at Snape who simply nodded at him and walked away.

Minister Scrimgeour and his Aurors had arrived just after Harry defeated the Dark Lord. They quickly set to capture as many Death Eaters as possible. Severus was making his way up to the castle when he was taken to the ground by four Aurors. His wand flew from his hand and he struggled to push them off. Hermione watched as they bound him and started taking him away. "Stop! You can't arrest him! He helped us!"

Hermione tried to reason with the Aurors but they were having none of it. They were following orders and Severus Snape was to be arrested. "There will be a trial for him as soon as possible. He will not get away with the murder of Albus Dumbledore," one of them said.

They practically pushed her out of the way and walked to the Apparition point. She watched as Severus was taken away. Before they Apparated, Severus looked at Hermione and sent her the image of her saying she was going to prove his innocence to the Order. A feeling of gratitude washed through her and she recognized it for what it was; a thank you.