Several hours passed before night fell and Hermione found the nerve to climb the stairs and find Severus. She found her stomach to be in a complete knot, her mind racing with every thought possible.

Just breathe, she kept telling herself. Everything will be just fine. You love him. A small smile found its way to her face at that thought; it was something she was so sure of, even at this point where earlier she had wanted to tear into him verbally with all her might.

She came to the doorway of the bedroom and stopped, glancing in almost cautiously. It was dark in there with the exception of the beam of moonlight that was pouring in, spilling onto the carpet, ending at the edge of the bed. Severus was standing at the window, seeming to be gazing out. He didn't move an inch when she came to the doorway.

Hermione stood silent for a few more moments, trying to come up with something to say to him. She had actually hoped he'd been sleeping; he was, after all, less intimidating lying down in bed.

"You should be lying down," she finally said in a very quiet voice, swallowing and shaking her head to herself afterwards, thinking how that was probably not the right path to choose in terms of conversation starters.

She was right.

"Are you trying to tell me what to do," Severus asked in a quiet, far off voice, only with a hint of annoyance. But he continued: "Of course, I certainly don't seem to have much influence on your decision making, so—"

"I'm sorry," she said suddenly with a sigh, cutting him off and taking a few more cautionary steps into the room. Still, he did not turn around, but continued to stare out the moonstruck window. It felt good though to get that off of her chest, she noted briefly. It's all she had really wanted to say—she felt like she had acted too strongly perhaps...not that he hadn't, but at least part of that was said and done.

"And do you not think that I have some apologizing to do," he said, startling her slightly. She had not been expecting that to come out of his mouth at all, in fact she had climbed the stairs knowing that she was in for criticism of some kind.

"What is it you want me to say," she finally answered weakly, shaking her head at the dark form of his back, unsure of what exactly it was he wanted from her. "Of course I think you should apologize." She waved her hand next to her as if to illustrate that was beside the point. "But who am I to force you?"

Hermione watched Severus take a deep breath. "You want me to apologize for my concern, Hermione?" He asked a bit contemptuously, but it was so undertone Hermione barely caught it at all.

There was a long silence. Hermione had almost subconsciously walked over closer to him, unsure of what there was to say next. She had it in good mind to just leave it be, just go and they could both sleep on it, but she knew Severus would never sleep if they didn't talk about it now...and neither would she.

"No," she finally breathed. "No, I don't want you to apologize for your concern." Another long silence followed. Hermione watched the slow, controlled movements of his back as he breathed. "He would have taken me anyways," she finally said, once again being the one to break the deafening silence between them. "You know that...he would have killed Draco..." she paused, needing to take a somewhat steadying breath. "And I would have no longer been needed as bait." And then she waited; still watching his back, thinking how calculated his breathing seemed to be; in and out, in and out, as if it was what was keeping him from letting loose all emotion at once.

After what seemed like forever, she noticed his head slightly rise. "I know," he said, his voice barely audible. Hermione had moved closer now, so that she was right at his side, but only able to see a part of his face, a part that looked quite troubled indeed.

She placed an almost-timid hand gently on his forearm. She watched his eyes shift slightly to look and then go back to the windowsill. When she moved her hand, sliding it up past his elbow, he finally turned and in nearly one fluid moment pulled her into an embrace, leaning himself up against the windowsill.

Caught slightly off-guard, Hermione stared up at him, eyes now locked, searching and questioning without much hope of answers, this she knew for certain, but she watched as his eyes bore into hers; even in the darkness of the night it was apparent he too was searching for something. He held on to her with a confidence just to know she was there, to feel at least the slightest bit secure even in such an insecure moment when neither one of them knew whether to be angry with the other or not; both of them knowing this moment could very well not be happening right now had things gone a bit differently over the last two days.

As if by gravity, the two of them moved closer to each other, slowly but almost determined. Hermione only touched his lips at first, but the moment she did, Severus closed the gap himself, casting aside the sudden pain that shot through him from his injuries. He didn't care though; he would feel the pain one hundred times over just to be able to hold her like that for a few moments, however short they may be.

Hermione broke away when he suddenly drew in a sharp breath, unable to ignore shooting pain that had erupted near his ribcage that she had managed to apply pressure to unknowingly. She gasped quietly and immediately wore a look of concern, which Severus resented instantly. He rolled his eyes as she drew back from him slightly and dug in her pocket, extracting a small vial that was undoubtedly filled with pain potion; a pain potion he most certainly was not going to take.

"Here," she said quietly, looking up at him with nearly pleading eyes, hoping for him to just take it for once. "Please take it."

Severus merely stared at her, angry with himself for showing his pain. She'll never give it up now...good job.

Finally, he grabbed it and downed the potion in a matter of seconds. Raising his eyebrows questioningly, he held up the empty vial as if to ask if it was satisfactory; a 'are you happy now' sort of look that Hermione returned as presumptuously as possible...but it was a failure, as always.

"You don't always have to be so brave," she whispered, studying him evenly, her expression becoming all the more serious in a matter of a few seconds. It always seemed that Severus had a habit of refusing help being given to him at all costs; even in his darkest, most painful moments she somehow knew he never did nor ever would seek out help from anyone unless forced. This, it seemed, was Hermione's new job.

"And would you rather find me a coward?" He grimaced at his own words. She did not hesitate in shaking her head, slowly, sadly.

"You are no coward, Severus," she stated. "The complete opposite, in fact...possibly the bravest man I've known." It was all true, and she knew he would undoubtedly sense that. It was in times like these where she would willingly, knowingly pour out her heart, soul and mind in their entirety so that he could know everything.

Without a word, Severus quietly and gently pulled her back towards him. His hands trailed down her arms, resting on her hips momentarily before taking them in his grasp and moving her, closing the gap so that they were touching. Hermione gazed up into what she could see of his eyes, barely breathing, at a loss for words as she found herself locked there with no hope of looking away.

One of his hands came up to brush her cheek with such tenderness it stole a beat of her heart away in an instant. Hermione closed her eyes and sighed silently, leaning her head into his hand. They seemed to stay that way for an infinite amount of minutes, actions to make silent apologies on both ends. When she finally opened her eyes again, she noticed Severus was studying her face the same way she had just studied his only moments ago. She gave a somewhat of a questioning look, waiting.

Severus offered no explanations, only placed the hand that had been on her face to the back of her head as tenderly as humanly possible and leaning closer, placing a single kiss on the top of her forehead, just at the hairline. At this, Hermione slid both of her hands carefully around his middle and leaned into him, finding comfort there as they simply held each other.

"I'm truly sorry," she whispered, barely audible at all, only wanting him to know her remorse of the situation she had placed them all in, even if part of her knew it had been right in her actions. She waited, listening to him breathing, as if that would give away his response.

Severus didn't need much time to contemplate, but he found himself swallowing once before answering, an attempt to remedy his throat which had nearly gone dry at the sound of her voice. "You can understand why I was upset, Hermione," he murmured, his chin resting on the top of her head. She rested her head sideways on his shoulder and nodded, casually noticing how she was playing with a lose piece of fabric on the back of his shirt.

"You must know then," he continued quietly, "that the moment I learned what had happened to you, it was as if the floor had simply disappeared momentarily." He shifted so he was no longer resting his chin. Hermione still clung to him, listening. "I felt true terror, Hermione; true terror of losing you when I had only just found you such a short time ago. I don't believe I would know what to do if you were not in my life in some way. I love you, and nothing will ever change that...know that."

Hermione was nearly speechless. In some way she couldn't believe the words she'd just heard were coming out of this man's mouth. Then again, all she had to do was look back on the last month and it was all so very clear to her. She knew in that moment that no matter what happened, she felt the same exact way; she could never imagine a time without Severus now, not being with him. It was with this thought that she held on to him in the semi-darkness of the room, no words to suffice, only feelings between two people who simply wanted to hold on to each other in that very moment.

- - - - - - - - - -

Hermione wandered downstairs the next morning to find Severus and make sure he wasn't doing anything...well, stupid. The muggle jukebox was running again, quietly and almost distant-seeming in the living quarters. The door to the office was standing open, the sounds of rustling papers floating out into the living room. Hermione came and stood at the doorway, taking in the carnage of the office—the damage that had been caused by the duel and the spell that killed the rest of the Death Eaters. Inwardly she drew shocked breath as she glanced around.

Glass and shredded paper littered the floor everywhere she looked, and pieces of wood-small and large-were strewn across the entire room. She looked over to her left at the desk, which was destroyed completely. Only the chair seemed to be intact. Severus was sitting in it, ruffling through papers that were actually still in one piece contrary to the confetti, which was the rest of the paper in the room. With a frustrated grunt, Severus tossed the papers to the floor and leaned back in the chair, rubbing his temples.

"How long have you been down here," Hermione asked abruptly, but quietly, not wishing to startle him. She didn't recall him leaving her last night.

Severus barely moved his shoulders in a shrug, now rubbing his eyes to ease the hindrance of what had happened to the office.

"Have you eaten?"

"Do you wish to mother me?" Had he not been so worn, it would have been said with more malice.

Hermione ignored the stab, which she knew was out of frustration and tiredness than anything else. "I'll go fetch us some breakfast—" she started but was cut off.

"The House Elves brought some up already," he said, motioning slightly to small wooden table that looked to have been brought in from elsewhere in the castle as it was actually intact and looking quite out of place in the ruined office.

Hermione nodded, a silent 'ah' sitting on her mouth as she turned back to face him. Somewhat unsure of what to say to him, she settled on trying to make small talk. "Where's Draco," she asked, looking around, not really for Draco but just for something to do. "I noticed his door open when I came down but I didn't see him."

"Library," Severus muttered through his hands while they rubbed at his face. Hermione furrowed her brow. Was that safe? Of course, she countered, now that the good wards are back on the school and it's no longer under evil's watchful eye, it would be safer for Draco, or even her for that matter, to leave the Headmasters study. Although, she knew she would most likely have a hard time of trying to convince Severus to let her go; judging on previous experience, he was not likely to let her just go out there without a fuss.

"And don't even think about it, Hermione," he said suddenly, lifting his head from his hands, as if he'd known what she was thinking about. She gave him look, half questioningly, half bitter glare. The glare didn't seem to faze him. "Just because the wards are back up doesn't mean the danger is gone. Do you have any clue how many students here are still Death Eater spawn," he nearly spat the words out.

"Oh and I suppose Draco is so much safer to wander the school," she argued a bit sarcastically. Severus raised and eyebrow suggestively. He knew it was the wrong move, however he couldn't help but feel that way.

"I do believe I've explained how I felt about losing you?"

A slight twitch of the corners of his mouth at her somewhat seething reaction.

Hermione rolled her eyes, although she had to admit the pleasurable feeling arising in her stomach and chest at the knowledge that he had really, truly meant what he had said the night before.

Truthfully, she hadn't the slightest idea what she'd do without him now either. It seemed impossible that the two had ever known a time without one another; it was strange to think that at a time, she had nearly despised him. It wasn't all that long ago really...

The rustling and swishing of a long cloak interrupted her thoughts and their argument.

"What a disgrace," McGonagall muttered upon entering the office, mostly to herself. "Just look at it! Years of history, ruined!"

"Well my sincere apologies, Minerva," Severus replied silkily. "Next time an attempt is made on my life in such a historic place, I'll be sure to surrender so that nothing is broken."

McGonagall pursed her lips at him; any sympathy she might have for the injured man was not present right now. He only attempted a half sneer before returning to the task of what Hermione assumed had started out as clean up.

"Miss Granger," McGonagall said, turning to Hermione after shaking her head at Severus who was now ignoring the older witch. "Could I speak with you please? In there," she added, gesturing to the living quarters with a slight glance in Severus' direction. Hermione nodded and followed McGonagall into the living room.

Professor McGonagall wasted no time in getting right to the point. "There has been information passed through the Order that Mr. Potter is on the move once again," she said matter-of-factly, slowly striding to the other side of the room. Hermione looked at her professor questioningly. Harry? Traveling again? The thought alone made her sick with worry.

"But surely Harry would be safer staying with members of the Order," Hermione said, the apprehension very present in her voice.

McGonagall turned to look at her, nodding in agreement. "Yes, but Remus said he was very adamant on proceeding alone. However, that is not what concerns me." Hermione patiently waited for her to go on. "There has been talk that he is making his way here to destroy the last Horcrux, and..." she trailed off, gazing in the direction of the office. Hermione glanced too and understood. Harry was coming to give justice to Dumbledore's death.

"You think he's going to try and—"

"Yes, Miss Granger," McGonagall said, cutting her off slightly as if she did not want her to say it. "I only wanted to let you know...before Mr. Potter storms in here and does something he'll regret." She gave Hermione a knowing look and Hermione returned it with a slight nod, glancing again in the direction of the office.

"Does Severus have any idea," she asked quietly, still looking towards the wall.

McGonagall didn't answer right away. "I'm sure he knows that Potter wishes for revenge," she answered slowly. "However, should Harry make it here with an idea to attack, the results could be catastrophic. He has not any idea of how powerful Severus is...and I'm afraid Mr. Potter has a tendency to rush into things slightly unprepared." Hermione nodded in agreement. Harry was her friend, but he could be extremely stupid sometimes...no matter how good intentioned. "I only want you to be prepared should he arrive here. I know this won't be easy for you," McGonagall continued, coming over to place a reassuring hand on Hermione's shoulder. She seemed to have inherited Dumbledore's twinkle, Hermione noted offhandedly. "You know where to find me should anything go wrong," she added, giving her shoulder a squeeze before smiling grimly and turning to leave.

Hermione hesitated until she heard her bid good day to Severus before re-entering the office herself. "How kind of her to warn you that your best friend may be on his way to kill the man you love," Severus said mockingly, not even bothering to look up from what he was doing, raising that trademark eyebrow slightly. When Hermione said nothing, he looked up to find the look on her face one of confusion. His lip curled in amusement. "Perhaps I am wrong," he nearly sneered, "but I usually find it helpful to close the door when speaking about the person in the next room."

Hermione rolled her eyes. How could he possibly be so cavalier about this? Of course, McGonagall had mentioned (and Hermione knew it just as well) that Severus would best Harry in a duel any day, no matter the circumstances.

"If and when Potter decides to show up and gain his revenge, I have no doubt that he will fail miserably."

Hermione gave him a half-warning look, crossing her arms, cursing on the inside because she knew he was right. "Then what will you do," she said calmly, even though she had an urge to hex him right then and there for even eluding to the fact that he wanted to put her friend in any pain.

Severus snorted lightly, going back to what he was doing. Hermione concluded that was the best response she would get and so she dropped it...for the time being. She knew that if Harry showed up, there would be no telling how it would go. Perhaps she could convince Severus to allow Harry access to those memories, but most likely that attempt would be in vain. He had had a hard enough time letting McGonagall, a trusted colleague and friend, view those memories, let alone Harry Potter whom she knew he despised.

Hermione knew, though, that she would have to intervene when the time came. It was inevitable because she had a nagging feeling neither side would back down when put face-to-face.

McGonagall was right, and nothing good would come of this.

--

The days went by and soon, two weeks after McGonagall's warning, Harry still had not made his way to Hogwarts. Hermione thought this both a blessing and more reason for worry. She wanted him here, where he would be safe, the only problem was that he would try and kill Severus if he got the chance...and that, she could not have.

Hermione had miraculously talked Severus into allowing her a few precious hours at the library by promising to stay under the invisibility cloak and only going during class times when there would be less people around. There were a few close calls, which wouldn't have been so bad in all reality because they were merely second year Hufflepuffs that had nearly knocked her over. Severus, however, had kindly reminded her that as unlikely as it was, they could have friends that were not so harmless. Hermione had shaken her head and walked away, muttering something about "paranoid know-it-all."

Hermione made her way back to the Headmaster's office having soaked up the contents of many books within the span of two to three good hours. She was so preoccupied with trying to walk under that damn cloak, she didn't notice hurrying footsteps coming down the corridor until it was too late and they smashed into her, head on.

With a thud, she fell to the floor, taking down whoever ran into her as well. Rubbing her forehead, she glanced up into bewildered eyes. Her heart skipped a beat at the sight of him. For a moment, she just basked in the thought that he was alive and ok and...pointing his wand in her general direction. Just as he looked to be readying himself to unknowably curse her, she tore the cloak off and looked up at him from the floor, watching how quickly relief spread over his face...then confusion.

--

A/N: Hey all, SO sorry for the wait. I just got home from school for the summer, so hopefully that means more time to update. Sorry if the end of this chapter kinda sucks...I've been having some major writer's block lately. If anyone has suggestions or anything, feel free to drop them on by...and don't forget to review :). I adore them so.