A/N: I have spent a lot of time growing up in my months of hiatus from this story. I hope my writing reflects that change, but if it doesn't, I can only hope that it will some day. Also, this chapter contains DH spoilers, if you haven't read the seventh book and don't wish to know at least some of what happens, this is my warning to you.

The Aftermath

Upon their arrival to the hospital wing, Madame Pomfrey, once she'd recovered from her initial horrified reaction, saw fit to flit around, much like an angry bee. She had insisted that Hermione be removed to her care immediately, and had all but demanded that Draco place her in one of the wing's private infirmiry rooms. At first, Hermione protested vigorously, knowing that such rooms were reserved for long-term patients. However, after copious amounts of convincing from Draco, a threat from Madame Pomfrey that involved being transferred from Hogwarts to St. Mungo's, she'd sighed defeatedly, and given in. If there was one thing she feared more than being a semi-long-term occupant of the hospital wing, it was being a semi-long-term patient at the hospital.

She agreed to take a dose of dreamless sleep potion only after Draco agreed to keep her company until she fell asleep. Unbeknownst to her, he planned to stay much longer than that, but didn't feel it necessary to divulge such information. So it was with as much cheer as she could muster that Hermione accepted the vial, raised it slightly and muttered, "cheers", before downing it in a single shot. Draco managed a half-hearted chuckle at the resulting expression on the former-Gryffindor's face. "That's one particularly nasty brew if I remember it correctly", he teased. She shot him a look, "I think I've figured that out already", she managed. However, to its credit, the potion did its work, and Hermione drifted into unconsciousness mere minutes later. Draco, for his part, remained in the chair by her bed, her hand clasped firmly in his own.

In the dungeons, Snape was having little to no luck in the battle to get some much needed rest of his own. The book in which he'd found the curse lay open on his dresser, Severus lay in and amongst his dark green silken sheets, staring beligernatly at it from his spot in bed. Though he logically knew he needed sleep to be at his best, his mind refused to give up turning idea after idea over in his well-honed mind. What if there was another cure that had yet to be discovered? a taunting voice asked. What if there was a way to curb the effects? another insisted. What if...what if...what if...the phrase overwhelmed his thoughts, repeating itself over and over in a mocking bird-like screech. When he awoke some time later, he was uncertain of when exactly he'd fallen asleep. His first thought was to check the time, but that was overshadowed by a second, more pressing matter. Hermione, a sense of dread overwhelmed him, what if her condition had changed, would someone have alerted him? Surely...but he could not, in fact, be certain, so it was with trepedition that he made his way to the hospital wing to see for himself.

The sight that greeted him upon his arrival left much to be desired in Severus' mind. His godson who had apparently remained at Hermione's bedside after delivering her, was sitting in a chair he'd obviously pulled to her bedside, his head resting on the bed, his hand clasping hers where it rested on her stomach. They made a picturesque image, he admitted to himself, the blonde, ,blue-eyed former-Slytherin and the dark-haired, chocolate-eyed former-Gryffindor. He wondered briefly if he shouldn't bow out gracefully and allow his godson to be the hero miss Granger obviously needed. However, Severus Snape had never been one to bow gracefully out of anything, and he was not about to start now. He stepped into the room, and cleared his throat rather loudly. Draco jolted, shooting straight up as though he was a student again, and had been caught sleeping in class.

He turned, and his azure eyes lit in recognition. "No change", he murmured softly. "She sleeps peacefully for a while, then starts screaming and thrashing about as though someone were trying to kill her." He shook his head ruefully, "I wasn't certain whether to wake her or not." Severus merely nodded, not trusting his voice to conceal his emotions. Several moments passed in a rather tense silence before the older man spoke. "Where's Pomfrey?" he said finally. Draco smirked wryly. "One of the Hufflepuffs broke his arm trying to show off for his girlfriend", the younger man relayed softly. "If the girl-ish screams are any indication, I'd say he's not taking to the skele-grow very well." Severus knew a moment's irritation, what did a broken arm matter in the face of a potentially fatal curse? But it passed as quickly as it had come, Pomfrey had to see to the students, Hermione was largely his responsibility. After all, if anyone possessed the knowledge to help her, he did.

She stirred, rendering both men highly alert. Severus was at her bedside in an instant. She began murmuring something, too softly to be heard at first, and then with growing panic. "No! No! No!" She was thrashing now, violently, as though trying to wrestle free of something. "It's a fake!" she insisted to someone, "it isn't real!" Draco looked stricken, "the manor", he informed Snape, "she's dreaming about being tortured by Bellatrix at Malfoy manner." After he and Hermione had become friends, Draco had spent much time trying to do penance for that particular day. He'd known remorse for it, even as it happened, but had been unwilling to do anything more than profess uncertainty about the identity of Potter.

Severus, after a moment's horrified realization, forced himself to react. He took both of her arms, holding her to the bed. "Miss Granger!" then "Hermione!" Still she seemed unaware. "Hermione please you must wake up, you are only dreaming, none of what you're seeing is real!" Her eyes shot open as though she'd been shocked. "S-Severus!" she said his name like a declaration, and then broke down a moment later."It..It was all so r-real. Bellatrix...sh-she had the knife..she said she was going to k-kill me." She rolled up her sleeve, staring blithely at the somewhat-faded scar. The word 'mudblood' stared back, a concrete reminder of the day she'd just been forced to re-live. Pomfrey came rushing in, looking wide-eyed and somwhat bewildered. "What happened?" she demanded, then lowered her voice. "It sounded like someone was using the Cruciatus curse in here!" Hermione glanced up, having regained a fraction of her normal calm. "In a manner of speaking", she answered sardonically.

Severus Snape was amazed, for her to be responding was impressive enough, for her to have gathered herself enough to form a somewhat witty response was mind-boggling. He was pulled from his thoughts by Pomfrey's voice. "Miss Granger you need to re-" She was cut-off by Hermione's scathing response. "I'm bloody tired of trying to rest", she retorted. "I go to sleep, I dream, I wake up screaming, its all so bloody well predictable!" "Miss Granger!" came Pomfrey's affronted voice again. "No! I'm tired of being coddled. Either a cure is found and we all move on or a cure isn't found and I die! That's the thick of it isn't it?" Severus chose that moment to intercede. "Poppy, perhaps it would be best if you left Miss Granger to me for the time being." Madame Pomfrey looked as though she wanted very much to argue that statement, but a quick glance around the room told her she was dreadfully out-numbered. So, she settled with. "All right, but I must insist on only one guest at a time, school policy you know."

Snape thought he heard Malfoy mutter something like "bugger school policy", but couldn't be sure. Severus gave his godson a telling look, and the younger man sighed. "I'll go, I need to prepare my lessons for tomorrow anyway." However, before he made his departure, he returned to his place by Hermione's bed. "You're going to pull through this, I know you can, and you will." He raised her hand to his lips, and kissed her palm. She appeared touched, and Severus tried not to noticably blanch. Draco had obviously gotten Lucius' charm as well as his looks. Pomfrey took her leave, and Draco exited swiftly behind her, leaving Snape and Hermione alone in blissful silence. "There's no other way is there?" she asked in a small voice. "We have to find whoever did this." Severus met her eyes when she spoke, and responded in kind. "I have not given up", he insisted, "but yes, it appears that way."

The girl nodded as though she'd been expecting as much. "I don't have any idea who might have done it", she informed him. "Save for one of the remaining deatheaters." Severus shook his head, "all are either in Azkaban, kissed, or dead", he answered. Her eyes dimmed considerably, "then we're at a dead end." Severus frowned, "I need you to think very hard Hermione, is there anyone you can think of who might harbor enough ill will to do something like this to you?" Her expression became there anyone? Someone she'd slighted so completely in the past that they'd want to ruin her life? Her eyes lit as though a realization had come suddenly. "Rita Skeeter!" she almost shouted. At Severus' questioning look, she managed a weak grin. "During fourth year, she wrote all of these horrendous lies about Harry, Krum, and me." She explained. Severus vaguely recalled something to that effect, but didn't think it worth mentioning.

"I started wondering how she was getting her information", she continued, "and when I started looking around, I kept noticing this beetle cropping up at the strangest times. It didn't take long to figure out who it was. The beetle was Skeeter's animagus, but she's unregistered." Hermione sounded proud, "I trapped her in a jar, and threatened to expose her to the Ministry if she didn't stop writing about the three of us." Snape was torn between appearing shocked, and being somewhat impressed. He'd never thought her capable of such devious behavior and the thought of her catching Rita Skeeter in a jar rather amused him. "Anyway, no one much heard from her after that, I think I ruined her career." Severus appeared to be considering the idea. While it was true, such an occurance might well ruin Skeeter's pitiful excuse for a journalistic integrity, he had never considered the woman intelligent enough to pull off something of this magnitude. None the less, given that Skeeter seemed to be the only name on Hermione's mind, it was as good a place to start as any.

He took the opprotunity to examine her briefly. Her eyes were alert, but they lacked the luster of the young girl he had once enjoyed patronizing. Her dark hair still hung in becoming waves, but it appeared frazzled, as though she simply hadn't thought it worth the time to style properly. Her skin was only just beginning to take on the pale hue of the slightly ill. Miss Granger had always been fair skinned, he thought, even in her youth. He was so absorbed in his thoughts, that at first he did not realize she was returning his gaze in silence. Severus Snape had not blushed in many many years, but he found himself thinking that if he retained the ability, now would be the time. Annoyed, he spoke more harshly than he meant to. "You aren't looking well." Stung by his coldly calculated evaluation of her appearance, she snapped back. "You try re-living your worst memories and barely sleeping for two days, see how you look."

In fact, Severus had done that very thing for many years, but refrained from stating as much. He had opened up to this girl far more than he ought in his own estimation. He stood, and made to leave, when he reached the door, he turned back briefly. "Some of us are forced to relive our mistakes in our waking ours Miss Granger, without the benefit of a possible cure." The parting shot was enough to render Hermione silent long enough for Severus to remove himself. She pulled her legs up, and rested her chin on her knees. There, in the pristine white of this unassuming room, Hermione Granger had never felt more alone. That was until a new voice edged its way into her consciousness. "Well, aren't you a sight for sore eyes!" She turned, and her eyes lit up. "I can't believe you're here!"

A/N: And so marks my return to this story! Please R/R and let me know what you think, all comments welcome as always!