Chapter 17 - The Marauders, Part II
Remus Lupin looked up to find a blurred light above him. Is this what death looks like? No, it couldn't be because the shape of a human head obscured the light above him. As his vision slowly cleared, he could see that the head was female.
"Tonks?" his hoarse voice made Hermione smile as she finished the last bit of the awakening spell. As she finished, he blinked several times before she saw the recognition dawn on his face as he realized who she was.
"Professor Lupin, it's Hermione. Everything is going to be okay."
"Miss Granger, where am I? What happened? Where's my wife? What about Teddy? What day is it? How did I get here?" his words tumbled out of his mouth in rapid succession, causing Hermione to giggle slightly and look over her shoulder.
"Is this what you think I sound like?" As she spoke, his eyes followed the line of her self to see Severus Snape standing in the corner of the room. He immediately sat up and dragged himself away from Severus into the opposite corner. His fear was only slightly tampered by the look of amusement on Hermione's face.
"Okay, I see now why you wanted me to be the one to wake him up," she said to Severus. "Professor Lupin, the battle is over. Voldemort is dead, largely due to Severus' efforts." Severus couldn't completely stifle his smile as he heard the warmth and affection in her voice as she said his name. Lupin relaxed, but only by a fraction, as Hermione continued. "You were killed in the midst of the battle, but we found a way to keep it from happening and bring you here. Professor McGonagall is in her office next door and will explain everything, but we have to go get Tonks now. Are you okay for us to leave you for a few minutes?"
Lupin's face changed from fear to worry and heartbreak at the mention of his wife's name. His shaky voice asked in a whisper, "Did she die too?"
"Not if we can help it. We'll be right back." He watched incredulously as Hermione rose and situated herself under Severus' arm as she looped the thin chain of the hourglass around both of their necks. Severus threw the invisibility cloak around them and they were gone. Lupin stared at the spot from which they disappeared for a few seconds, then shakily rose to his feet. He patted down his coat and realized that his wand had somehow been placed in his pocket. If this was a Death Eater trick, surely they wouldn't leave me with my wand. With this realization, he headed towards Minerva's office to get some answers.
Remus was pacing across the back wall of Minerva's office, having heard her explanation of Hermione and Severus' project, yet still thoroughly worried about the fate of his wife. He only looked up when he heard a familiar voice from the doorway.
"Remus!" A head of pink hair streaked across the room and was in his arms in a second. He buried his nose in her hair as she hugged him, whispering reassurances into the top of her head. In the doorway, Hermione put her arm around Severus' waist as she smilingly watched the reunion.
Severus' eyes met Minerva's as he pulled Hermione tighter to his side and planted a kiss on the top of her head. He saw his colleague smile at his tiny gesture of fondness for the young witch in his arms. Minerva nodded subtly as she smiled, showing Severus her unwavering support both for what he was doing and for the person with whom he had chosen to partner. A sense of warmth had begun spreading through him and with each moment with Hermione only served to magnify it. It grew with every person that was not only accepting of their relationship but supportive and pleased for both of their sakes. He had to hand it to fate, he never thought that he, Severus Snape, would be happy, but it seemed his second life was going to be a vast improvement on the first.
Once Remus and Tonks had finally allowed some space to come between them, Hermione walked to the other side of the room to talk with Tonks and Professor McGonagall. Lupin slowly approached Severus, in the manner with which one approaches a wild animal that may or may not attack at any moment. The two men stared at each other for an extended moment before Lupin broke the silence.
"Minerva told me what you and Hermione are doing." His statement was factual, but hardly a conversation starter. Knowing that was not what Lupin actually wanted to say, Severus nodded his head slightly, inviting Lupin to continue.
"She didn't mention why. With everything that…why, Severus?" It was asked with sincerity, not distrust, which took Severus slightly aback. He took a deep breath and looked Lupin straight in the eye as he answered.
"I have made many unfortunate choices in my life. Though I eventually allied myself with the correct side, I feared the decision had been made too late to be of any help to my tarnished soul. I considered myself to be a casualty of war long before the war actually begun, but I was saved." He glanced over at Hermione, who was laughing at something Tonks was saying to Minerva, and couldn't help but smile. Seeing Severus' smile for the first time since they had been students at Hogwarts and seeing what was causing that smile, Lupin's expression began to change. Severus continued, "I was given a second chance, but she doesn't deserve my tainted past. I cannot undo what I have done and she accepts me for all that I am, but I had to right some of the more egregious sins of my past."
"Why me? Surely with our history—"
"You deserved what happened to you as a child even less than I deserved what happened to me. I should not have held your…status against you. I truly hope that with the events of recent years we can finally put our differences aside." In a final gesture, Severus extended his hand towards Remus. Remus slowly grasped it to shake hands, but halfway through the handshake seemed to have a change of mind and pulled Severus into an awkward man hug. Hearing a collective 'awwwww' from the witches in the corner, the two men broke apart with a spattering of nervous laughter. Severus' eyes lingered on Hermione as the girls returned to their conversation.
"So are you going to do something about that?" Lupin asked quietly.
"In what regard?" Severus asked, not taking his eyes off the golden curls on the other side of the room.
"She obviously feels the same way about you, and you of all people do not work in half measures when it comes to love. What are you waiting for?" As Lupin spoke, Severus managed to tear his eyes away from Hermione to read Lupin's face for verification that he meant what Severus thought he meant.
Having confirmed that they were on the same page, Severus answered honestly, "I still have one more item on my list before I can in good conscience tie her future to my tarnished past. Your canine friend, as fate would have it."
Lupin looked Severus deep in the eye as he responded. "You have waited long enough for happiness, Severus. If what they say is true, after what you did for Harry, after what you did for us…don't wait another second for happiness. I wouldn't trade a minute I've spent with her," his eyes pointed to the Metamorphmagus in the corner. "Consider it," Lupin finished poignantly placing a hand on Severus' shoulder before walking across the room and reaching his arms around Tonks, pressing her back to his chest as she talked. Severus' eyes followed Lupin across the room, but stopped at the sight of Hermione, who was still laughing heartily at whatever was being discussed.
"Where are we going, Severus?" Hermione's voice floated down the pathway as they walked away from the castle. Severus reached back and took her hand, but gave her only a cryptic eyebrow raise for an answer as he continued down the path. In a few minutes, he felt a tug on his hand as her steps stopped suddenly. She looked up at him, not sure why he wanted to revisit this location, but his face silently told her that she should trust his plan and she quietly followed him, drawing herself closer to him as they neared the boathouse.
They stopped in the exact spot where Severus had been laying when Voldemort ordered Nagini to attack him. Hermione clung to Severus side as they both noticed the remaining blood stains that still lined the wall and floor where he had lain. After a few minutes, Severus turned towards Hermione, a look she had never seen and could not identify across his face. He grabbed both of her hands as he slowly began to speak.
"I fully expected for my life to end here. Long before I knew when or why or who would do it, I knew that I would not live past the end of the war. I had accepted it. In a way I was almost glad. I had spent the first fifteen years of my life pining after something I couldn't have and the second fifteen coming to terms with the fact that I didn't deserve someone who was good, and brave, and pure." He paused to take a deep breath, looking up from the blood stained ground to meet Hermione's worried gaze.
"When you saved me, you didn't just save my physical body. You gave me a reason to live. You helped me realize that it was possible for me to feel like a human being again. You helped me right a fairly extensive list of wrongs. You brought me into the company of your friends with pride instead of shame. And the biggest miracle of all, you loved me back." With this last sentence, Hermione's look of worry transformed into the beginnings of a smile.
"Hermione, you are everything. You are the most intelligent, brave, pure, kind hearted, and beautiful person I have ever met. You could have any wizard you wanted and I don't know why you chose me, but if you give me the chance, I will spend the rest of my life ensuring you never regret that choice." A single tear slipped down Hermione's cheek as Severus slowly sank onto one knee before her, eyes never leaving her own.
"I never want to spend another moment in which I am not by your side. You are my reason for living and you would make me the happiest man in the world if you would be my wife." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small velvet box. He opened it to reveal a ring with a large oval diamond surrounded by a swirl of smaller diamonds that worked their way onto the band.
"Hermione Jean Granger, will you marry me?"