Hermione reluctantly let go of Severus' arm after they apparated to the entrance to Saint Mungo's. He smirked at this, but was constantly watchful of everyone and everything around them, never letting down his guard. They stepped straight through the glass window of the supposed store and off the muggle street, finding themselves in the wizarding hospital. Though the entrance area was never very organized and always a bit chaotic, now things were so hectic and frenzied that Hermione stopped in her tracks and Severus, who had entered behind her, walked into her.
He took one look around and tensed; something was very wrong here. He was so busy watching everything around them that he bumped into Hermione, but he didn't step back and instead found himself instinctively putting his hands on the thing he wanted to protect.
Hermione tensed momentarily when Severus placed his hands on her shoulders, but then relaxed and leaned back against him as she tried to find some sort of order in the chaos before them. Severus released her shoulders eventually and she leaned away from him, standing on her own once more. Now he put a firm hand on her elbow and steered her gently in the direction of the closest corner, which was empty. They moved along the wall slowly and very cautiously. Then both leaned against the wall, staring in shock and amazement at the things going on before them.
Everyone was running around, seemingly in circles. Many witches and wizards—both old and young—were casting spells and charms in every direction, and as a result the air hummed with the muddle of incantations being said. People will all kinds of problems, injuries, and strange body parts that had been given by hexes or curses were stumbling, jumping, running, flying. There seemed to be no order anywhere.
Hermione noticed that there were healers amongst the rest of them, and these alone were trying in vain to calm the others. A healer spotted them and ran to them, but just as he reached them someone sent a curse their way. Hermione had been watching the healer and didn't see it until it was too late, but Severus had been cautious and watchful, keeping an eye on everything at once. He reached out and put his arms around her in his hurry, pulling her towards him just in time for the curse to hit the wall rather than Hermione. The healer reached them and Hermione realized they must have been an odd sight, especially because she was now leaning back against Severus, who had his arms wrapped protectively around her shoulders.
The healer took no notice of this, though, and looked them up and down, obviously suspicious. He opened his mouth to speak but Severus did first.
"What's going on here?"
The healer was still breathing hard from all the running. He suddenly pointed his wand into the fray and said, "Stupify!" causing one of the frenzied people within to fall to the ground, unconscious. He looked at Hermione and said, "There's been a mass spreading of diseases and problems. All of the patients on the first floor were infected, and there are far too many different viruses and hexes between the lot of them to sort them out one by one."
Hermione and Severus both frowned. "But how?" she asked. "There are protective wards to keep things from spreading from patient to patient or patient to visitor!"
The healer dodged a flying spell and stupefied another of the people within the chaos before answering. "There were wards. Someone managed to destroy all of them on the first floor and he was on his way to the second when the ministry guards realized what was going on. They stopped him getting further, but I think he got away. The rest of the hospital is quite the opposite of this, though everything is on lockdown and to enter any other floor you'll have to get a ministry guard convinced that neither of you is infected or carrying anything, and they can take you where you need to go."
Hermione's brow creased again. "And you don't think we have anything?"
The healer laughed manically and shook his head. He nodded towards Severus and said, "No, I don't think so, especially after that comment, but mostly because we've had an entire conversation without you trying to hex my nose off. And I know you two; Snape and Granger, isn't it?"
Severus nodded once. The healer nodded to them, wished them luck, and reentered the mess of people all through the room. Hermione knew she should be thinking of other things, but it occurred to her that Severus had not taken his arms from her, and they were still wrapped around her shoulders, crossing just below her collar bone and holding her close. She blinked, trying to clear her mind, but the fact that he was willingly holding her so close, and in public, was hard not to ponder. She was taken from her thoughts when he did release her shoulders, stepping back away from her.
Harry felt his mouth open in amazement at the confusion stretching through the room before him. He had only opened the door to see if things were improving, but they only looked worse. There was a steadily growing line of stupefied people in one corner, where the healers had moved them after removing them from the chaos. Then he noticed two familiar figures, one wearing all black and the other clad in a flowing, graceful black and red cape. His mouth fell open even wider when he saw that the taller figure had a hand placed protectively on the small of the shorter person's back. Snape and Hermione were making their way along the wall in his direction, though he didn't think they'd seen him yet. He watched as a crazed visitor pointed their wand in Hermione's direction and shouted something. A jet of red light flashed, and Harry blinked, but when he looked, Hermione didn't appear to have been hit.
Snape was constantly taking hold of her shoulders or her arm and gently but quickly pulling her back towards him, pushing her away, or forcing her to duck as oncoming spells and hexes flew their way. He stupefied whoever sent any kind of enchantment towards Hermione, seemingly furious with them for this offense, no matter how confused and ill in the mind the caster was. Harry found himself transfixed by the way Snape moved around her, touched her, seemed to be talking to her as they went. To anyone else, it might not be so obvious, especially with everything else going on, but to Harry it was quite apparent that Snape cared about Hermione and was more than just protective.
Hermione looked up and saw a familiar face peering at her from behind the door. Harry moved out of the way and left the door open only just enough for her and Severus to get in. Severus gave her a gentle push and she was through the door, and then he stepped through behind her and they closed it behind them. Hermione explained their real reason for being there and Harry led them towards the lift, so they could get to the floor where the Malfoys were. After the chaos downstairs, it felt strange and wrong somehow to be standing calmly in the lift, silent and waiting to reach the proper floor.
Harry noticed that now there wasn't a confused mess of infected witches and wizards dueling and casting spells, Snape didn't touch Hermione. He stood beside her, but kept his distance with his one hand on his wand and the other hanging at his side. Deciding that it was a bit too quiet as they waited while the lift rose and did so at a painstakingly slow pace, Harry spoke. "Are you alright?" he looked at Hermione.
She looked bemused. "I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"
He grinned and said, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "Well I was just concerned; you only had a couple of hexes and curses flying at you back there. It seems a miracle you made it out unscathed."
Hermione laughed, though it was rather humorless. "I wouldn't be fine if it weren't for Severus," and she turned and smiled at him.
He raised his eyebrows at her and growled, "You're obviously blind. Most of those spells were coming right at you, where you could easily see them, and you never moved."
She bit her lip and Harry noticed that Snape rolled his eyes at her. He watched the two, trying to accept the fact that Hermione could possibly be in love with the dark, seemingly emotionless and cruel man beside her. And the idea that he loved her back was something he found just as hard to grasp. Snape was at least a head taller than she was, and Harry found it amusing that the man was listening to her without making a cruel comment. Then again, if he loved her, then those remarks that had caused her tears before were probably a thing of the past.
"Apparently I am blind," Hermione said as if it were nothing. Then she looked at Severus, biting her lip and grinning at him before releasing her lip to say, "Thank you."
He rolled his eyes again, and stiffened when she stepped closer to him and took his arm, leaning her head against his shoulder. Of all places and times, he thought this was hardly the right setting for displays of affectionate, and with Potter watching? He narrowed his eyes, studying the boy's expression. So he knew. Had Hermione told him? No. She wouldn't have done that. He must have come to the realization on his own and when he confronted her she had been honest. But to Severus' surprise, Potter didn't seem disgusted by Hermione's affection for him. In fact, he seemed more intrigued than anything.
Hermione glanced up at Severus. Well at least now he knew that Harry wasn't as blind and unknowing as the rest of the people around them. He seemed to have accepted this with more ease than she had expected, though it was obviously taking a bit of control by both men not to make eye contact or cause things to become more awkward than they were. Laughing on the inside, but feeling drained already even though they hadn't even done what they'd come for, Hermione let go of Severus and stepped away from him as the lift stopped and the door opened.
Harry led them to a door in one of the corridors and nodded towards it before reaching out and opening it. The three of them stepped inside and closed the door behind them. There were two beds in the room, but only one was occupied. The other had been made and didn't look like it had been slept in for a while. Severus and Harry looked up to the wall opposite the door, where a tall blonde woman stood with her back to them, staring through the magical window before her. Hermione's eyes were drawn instantly to the bed farthest from the door, however, to where a prone figure lay, completely obscured by bandages and wrappings.
Harry motioned for them to be quiet. Narcissa said, without turning from the enchanted window, "He's not any better and you came to change his bandages only moments ago. Please, leave us."
Hermione glanced at Severus and then at Harry. Severus' eyes were dark and cold. Harry looked like he pitied the woman at the window. "We aren't healers," Harry said quietly at last.
At this, Narcissa stiffened. Her voice changed from polite and pleading to brusque and cold. "What do you want, this time, Potter?"
Hermione scowled at Narcissa's back. "That's no way to talk to the person who saved your life," she said calmly.
Narcissa turned around when Hermione spoke and her gaze drifted over the three of them. She glared at Hermione and said, "Potter arrived in time to scare Rookwood off. He wasn't there fast enough to save Lucius, or . . ." her voice broke, but she forced herself to say it, "or Draco."
Hermione looked to the occupied bed again. She stepped to the bedside and saw Narcissa lean her way, as if longing to stop her and force her away from her son. Narcissa opened her mouth, but rather than words, all that left her was a soft hiss. Hermione looked down at Draco's face, where the only visible part of him—his eyes—could be seen between the bandages. Hermione's eyes left his face and she looked up at Narcissa, who was now on the opposite side of the bed. "I can save him," Hermione said quietly.
Narcissa's eyes widened. She shook her head. "The healers can't; there's no way that you could-"
"I can," Hermione interrupted gently. Then her voice became indifferent and she said, "But that is up to you."
Narcissa narrowed her eyes at the younger witch. "What is it you desire of me?"
Hermione stared back into the woman's pain-filled blue eyes and said, "You'll start by answering our questions about what happened when Rookwood came to your home."
Harry walked over and sat down in one of the two chairs at Draco's bedside and motioned to the other, which was near Narcissa. She gazed at Hermione a moment longer before stepping nearer the chair and sinking slowly into it. Then her eyes turned to Harry. There was obvious distrust in her eyes, but they darted to Draco and she seemed decided.
Hermione waited with bated breath until Narcissa nodded to Harry. Severus walked over to stand beside her and he looked down at Draco. Hermione wondered what was going through his mind; Draco had quite obviously been his favorite student when in school. But now, after the war, after everything, what did Severus feel about the dying boy in the bed?
Hermione looked up, but Severus kept his eyes on Draco when Harry asked Narcissa, "What happened?"
She took a deep breath and began. "I don't know everything. Only . . . Lucius . . ." she seemed pained when saying his name, and Hermione could imagine why. ". . . Could tell you what happened first. I am convinced that he—Rookwood—tried to get Lucius to join him. I know that Lucius would have refused; after the war we were done with the darkness and simply wanted to live quietly and without more trouble. Draco and I were in the great room when the sounds of a duel came from above us; crashes, things breaking, more than one set of feet moving quickly across the floor.
"I wanted to get Draco out and then deal with the intruder alongside my husband, but the foolish boy ran in the opposite direction and went upstairs to help his father. He was halfway up the staircase when something exploded in one of the rooms above us. Then whoever had won the duel there came rushing down the stairway and they dodged Draco's hex and hit him with multiple curses and spells." She took a deep breath and went on, "he fell down the stairs unconscious and hit the floor hard.
"Rookwood hadn't seen me yet and I hid near the stairs, waiting until the man had passed and then dragging Draco away from the stairs. But he saw us, and then . . ." she trailed off, staring hard at the wall before finding her voice again. "I don't remember much. Just that I was dueling Rookwood and dragging Draco to safety and panicking because somehow, I knew Lucius was dead."
She stopped, and everyone in the room was silent for a moment. She was trembling, and there were tears in her eyes, though none of them had spilled over on her cheeks yet. She took a shaky breath and turned to Harry. "You arrived just after I'd gotten Draco behind the table in the dining room, where I'd moved him after Rookwood passed, but he heard us and came in to finish us both. He was so shocked when you came in that he rushed out the back door and as soon as he was outside of the protective wards around the house, he disapparated."
Harry nodded silently.
Narcissa wiped a stray tear from her face and turned her eyes on Hermione. She said nothing, but her eyes were asking, what more must she do to save her son?
Harry blinked and found himself flashing back. Through Snape's memories and personal experience, he had seen the truth; Narcissa had gone to great lengths to protect her son. She had never wanted him to be a death eater, and he had been forced to become one because of the dark lord's threats to him and his parents. Narcissa had called upon Snape to make the unbreakable vow in a last attempt to save her son's life should he fail to kill Dumbledore. And she had lied to Voldemort, told an untruth to her own master, because she knew that by doing so, she could go back to the castle and possibly find Draco. Even though she had done so many terrible things, Harry felt respect for the woman sitting beside him. No matter what she had done or where her allegiance had been all of her life, she had risked her own life and done whatever it took in order to protect her son. Surely even she, like Harry's own mum, was proof that a mother's love knew no bounds.
He turned and looked at Hermione. She raised her eyebrows at him, silently asking if he wanted more information than Narcissa had given. He let his gaze fall on Draco as an answer and she nodded. Narcissa had watched this exchange carefully and looked on the verge of hysteria. She was convinced that they had lied to her about saving Draco in order to get what information they needed. Her eyes darted to Severus, who was still beside Draco's bed. He gazed back for a moment before looking to Hermione.
Hermione reached into her robes and pulled her beaded bag out, taking the phial of phoenix tears from it. Harry and Severus' eyes widened slightly at the sight, but Narcissa only looked confused for a moment before she seemed to comprehend, and then she watched Hermione with a look of awed interest in her usually cold eyes. Hermione took a deep breath and looked to Narcissa. "There is one more condition."
The woman was trembling, barely daring to breathe, it seemed. "Anything," she whispered, obviously desperate.
Hermione met the woman's gaze and they stared at each other. "You will tell no one of this," she said, lifting the glass phial.
Narcissa nodded.
"Will you help me with his bandages?" Hermione asked, and Narcissa rose from her seat, standing on the opposite side of the bed and looking at Hermione.
Hermione handed the tears to Severus and he nodded, stepping back as the two women carefully unwrapped Draco. Hermione held out her hand and Severus handed back the phial of tears, which she used sparingly. But the few drops of liquid she lent the dying boy were enough. His wounds closed and left only thin scars on his skin, which was unbelievably pale, just like Severus'. Narcissa watched in silence and gasped as at last her son was whole once more, sobbing as she threw herself onto the bed beside him and buried her face in the blankets, her hands resting on her son where dire wounds had stopped her before.
Hermione stepped back, nearer Severus, and Harry rose from his seat and joined them. Hermione cleared her throat and Narcissa looked up. "You will tell the healers, when they come and ask—and they will—that you were asleep in the chair near his bed when we came and you know nothing of how he was healed."
Narcissa nodded. She blinked and looked at Harry. There was a look of grateful contempt in her eyes. The same look was given Severus, and then she looked at Hermione and the contempt was actually gone. Hermione was shocked; Narcissa Malfoy was allowing herself to feel grateful, thankful towards a Mudblood for a kind action. She spoke no words of thanks, but her eyes conveyed what her lips would not and it was enough.
Harry left Hermione and Severus in search of Ron, who was also at the wizarding hospital, and once he'd gone Hermione turned to Severus. She asked timidly, "Can we go and see . . .?"
He smirked at her. "I daresay you've the right to visit your own parents without my consent, Miss Granger."
She rolled her eyes and swatted his arm gently. "I wasn't asking your permission, I was wondering whether you'd accompany me or leave me here and go back to Hogwarts. And it's Hermione, not Miss Granger!"
He shook his head, smirking down at her once again. He looked almost amused enough to laugh or give an actual smile. Almost.
Hermione bit her lip, smiling at him as she did and causing him to scowl. "I wish you would stop," he said, obviously irritated.
She did, wrapping both her arms around his one and leaning against his shoulder again. He sighed; they were alone in the lift, but he still felt fairly awkward and extremely nervous when it came to these kinds of things.
The lift stopped and Hermione let out her breath in a huff as she released his arm. Most of the healers and some of the Ministry guards were downstairs so there were few who could have seen or even cared if Hermione had continued to lean on him, but it wasn't worth the risk so they walked side by side but without touching as they entered the large, open room where her parents were. They stopped at Neville's parents and Hermione said hello to them while Severus stood at the foot of their beds and watched her, bemused.
Then they walked to her parents. They stopped at the foot of their beds, and Severus hung back to watch as he had before. He glanced quickly around the room when Hermione grabbed his hand and pulled him towards her parents, who were propped up with pillows and watching them. "I hardly think this is . . ." he muttered, but trailed off when he saw the look on Hermione's face.
She sat down on the edge of her mother's bed and he on the edge of her dad's. He was extremely uncomfortable until he looked into the face of the man whose bed he was sitting on and saw how boyish and awed his expression was.
Hermione smiled and started talking to her mother in low tones about Severus, and her mum actually giggled with her occasionally. But Severus wasn't listening. He had, without quite knowing why or when he started, begun to compare himself to the man beside him.
Hermione's father had dark brown hair which had turned mostly gray, and kind eyes. His face held a few wrinkles, but not many. Ignoring the sudden impulse to ask Hermione how old her parents were, Severus guessed that they must be just a bit older than he was. Knowing that he himself hadn't a single gray hair and that his face was still smooth and wrinkle-free, Severus felt suddenly much younger than Hermione's father. But looking into the kind eyes staring back, which held so much childish delight, he also felt extremely old.
Turning away from her mum, Hermione stood up and looked down at her father. "Dad," she said quietly, taking his hand, "This is Severus."
Severus glanced from Hermione's fervent face to the much older face of her father. The man was now grinning at his daughter, and then he looked at Severus and his smile widened.
"He likes you," said Hermione, sounding pleased.
Severus raised an eyebrow at her, wondering how she was seeing these deeper meanings in her parents' simple, childish behavior. He glanced at her father's face, wondering if he was grasping the fact that his daughter was introducing him to the man she loved, a man who was nearly his age. He looked back to Hermione and was startled to see her eyes filling with tears. She took a deep breath and bit her lip, looking from her father to her mother. Both Severus and Hermione turned quickly when someone walked into the room behind them.
Harry and Ron approached and stood at the foot of Hermione's mother's bed. Severus had the feeling that she had been about to turn to him for comfort, but with Harry and Ron there she chose not to. Instead, she jumped from the bed and threw herself into Harry's arms. Severus noted that Harry was looking at him quizzically, obviously wondering why Hermione was in her current tearful state. Ron was eyeing Severus suspiciously. Severus saw this and rolled his eyes, glaring coldly at the redhead, who glared back.
Hermione had her arms around Harry's neck and her face buried in his shoulder. He took a few steps back, bringing her with him, and left the Snape and the Weasley to their glaring contest, which, Harry thought with a boyish grin, Snape was most definitely winning at. He pulled Hermione far enough away from the other two and stroked her back, whispering in her ear, "What's the matter?"
She sniffed and relinquished her hold on him just enough to lean back and look into his face. "All the years I dreamed about it," she sniffed, "I never thought it would be like this."
Harry was terribly confused by what she said and had no idea what she was talking about, but waited for her to say something that would make it a sensible statement. "You never thought it would be like this," he repeated, asking with his eyes what she meant.
"I always thought I'd introduce my parents to a boyfriend before I decided I loved him," she said, and Harry began to understand.
Hermione had indeed, as she'd said, expected to introduce her parents to her boyfriend. Snape wasn't her boyfriend, and as she'd said, she had planned on introducing them before she thought she loved him, when she loved Snape already. And she had probably imagined what it would be like, how her parents would react to the young man she brought home. Now, though, her parents didn't even know how to count to ten. They would never grasp the fact that their daughter was introducing them to the man that she loved.
Hermione hugged him again, though her tears were subsiding. Harry wiped them from her cheeks and gave her a weak smile. She smiled back, but it was halfhearted. Harry put an arm around her shoulder and guided her back to her parents' beds. "Sorry," she said, looking at all three of them. Then she walked up and hugged Ron, distracting him from Severus, who he had still been glaring at.
"'Mione," he said, and Hermione's eyes widened because she recognized the emotional tone of voice he was using. She eyed him warily hoping he was just pitying her and it wasn't what she thought. But as always, she was right. Though this time she wanted so badly to be wrong . . .
''Mione," he repeated, and she took a deep breath, blinking and looking up into Ron's face.
"Yeah?" she asked, trying not to flinch away from the sad-but-affectionate look he was giving her.
She saw him glance over his shoulder at Severus, who he seemed less than happy to have present at the time, but then he turned back to her. "I'm sorry," he said. She knew he wasn't talking about something recent and that he was remembering their row about Severus when he was dying in bed and she was his caretaker.
"Ronald," she began, but he stopped her by lifting a hand and putting a finger on her lips. She cringed at the personal touch, but he didn't seem to notice and at some point had put his arm around her, so she couldn't escape. Her eyes darted to Severus to see what he thought of all this. He was watching, his expression bored, but his eyes were boring into the back of Ron's head with fervor. Her eyes returned to Ron's face when he spoke again, and he still had one finger on her lips to keep her quiet.
"Please," he said, looking truly apologetic. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean any of what I said, then or in the letter! I swear! I was just upset! And now . . . now I can't sleep at night, I can't think during the day, I can't focus, I can't do anything! Without you, my happy memories don't seem happy anymore; I can't even conjure a patronus! Please, 'Mione!"
She swallowed, shaking her head. He took his finger from her lips but she flinched yet again when he put his now-free arm around her waist and pulled her closer. "Ron, I can't," she said quietly. "Please, I don't feel that way about you anymore."
He clenched his jaw and they were both silent for a moment. Then Hermione saw it in his eyes. He was desperate and she knew what he was about to do. She started to pull away, but it was too late and he was too strong. He kissed her.
Time seemed to slow down. In the five seconds that passed next, Harry found himself wondering what Snape's expression showed but was unable to tear his eyes away from Ron and Hermione's kiss. Severus felt his usually complete control of his features slacken and knew he looked slightly confused on the outside. But it was nothing compared to what he was feeling on the inside. He had thought it hurt to let Hermione go, to push her away before he had accepted that he should love her, but now, this? No words could describe the pain that cut into him like a knife through his heart to see Hermione with someone else. He had been upset when Weasley held her against her will, yes, but hadn't dared interfere. But now? He was kissing her! Severus was paralyzed by emotion, frozen and held in place by the mixture of shock and fury that rose up like a tidal wave in his chest.
Time seemed to return to its normal pace then, and Hermione put her hands on Ron's chest and shoved him hard, fighting and tearing away from his embrace. She took several steps backward, away from him, breathing hard. Harry stepped up beside her and put a hand on her arm to steady her because she was shaking. She stared at Ron, and he stared back. Lifting the arm that Harry wasn't holding, she wiped her mouth on the back of her hand, disgusted. She leaned against Harry slightly, still trembling. Harry held her up, not looking at her but staring in disbelief at Ron.
Severus felt more than just relief at the look Hermione was giving Weasley. There was utter disbelief, shock, and contempt on her face. Potter seemed just as disturbed and unhappy with what the redhead had done. He realized that at some point he had risen from the edge of the bed and was on his feet.
Hermione looked past Ron to Severus, whose face was calm. But his eyes were the darkest, coldest, most frightening black she'd ever seen, and he was glaring at the back of Ron's head with such contempt and passionate hatred that even Hermione cringed. Harry felt her stiffen slightly against him and looked past Ron to Snape, finding himself shaken by the amount of revulsion and loathing in the potion master's eyes, which were locked on Ron.
And while Hermione was looking at Severus, Ron noticed her eyes weren't on him. He noticed that when she was focused on the man behind him, her eyes softened and the disgust on her face was gone. He whirled around to face Snape.
Severus didn't flinch when Weasley spun around to look at him, but Hermione and Harry had obviously not expected it. Hermione let go of Harry and took a step forward, suddenly very afraid of what was about to happen.
"You," snarled Ron, "you took her from me!"
Severus' face gave nothing away, though there was still loathing in his eyes. "Did I?" he asked, sounding almost amused by the idea.
Ron looked shocked. He had obviously detected the sarcasm in Severus' voice, but he seemed to have also caught the fleeting glance that the older man sent Hermione's way. Harry stood the farthest away from the three, watching, holding breath. Hermione took several more steps in the direction of Ron and Severus, who were glaring at each other once more, but now with such animosity that had never been between them before.
"She loves you," Ron said simply. His voice was cold, but there was obvious shock and confusion at his own words.
Snape raised an eyebrow at him. "Perhaps," he mused, his expression bored though his eyes were still sending unfathomable hatred towards Ron.
"You love her," Ron accused, though he looked as if he was still trying to believe himself as he said it.
Severus said nothing. His eyes glittered maliciously, and Hermione finally could stand it no longer. She came from her paralyzed trance as soon as Ron pulled his wand and pointed it at Severus. She ran past him to stand next to the older man, and she pointed her wand at Ron. He looked incredulous, and it gave Hermione an opportunity. "Expelliarmus!"
Ron's wand flew through the air and Hermione caught it and put her own wand back in her robes, tucking away Ron's as well. "There's no need for a duel in the middle of a hospital ward, Ronald," she said, and her voice was much steadier than she felt.
Seeing how she was swaying on her feet, Severus moved closer and put a hand on her arm. He had expected to steady her, and not anything else. However, she leaned against him, looking faint.
"You love him," Ron accused.
Severus waited for Hermione's reply. "I do," she said simply.
Ron's face was a twisted mess of emotions; hurt, surprise, disbelief, wonder, amusement. "He doesn't love you," he snarled, "he can't. The old bat doesn't have the capacity to love."
Hermione shocked everyone then; she laughed loudly, almost manically. Then she stopped and glared at Ron, having gotten her point across with her laugh alone.
"Say it then," Ron challenged, looking to Severus.
Something mysterious was dancing along with the hatred in the potion master's eyes as he looked at Ron. "I love her," Severus said, sounding quite amused by all of this.
Ron switched tactics. "You didn't try to stop me kissing her," he sneered, though the slightest light of uncertainty crept into his eyes even as he spoke.
Hermione knew that Harry and Ron couldn't see it, but she felt Severus stiffen beside her and his hand tighten on her shoulder, though he was still gentle. Severus spoke again, and his voice was still cold and hard, though there was also an obvious note of raw emotion behind it as well. "If I truly love her, I will allow her to love another, should she choose him over me. She was choosing."
Ron took a deep breath and looked at Hermione. "Well?"
Hermione let her breath out in a short laugh. "Isn't it obvious?" she asked, stepping closer to Severus, though they had already been standing shoulder-to-shoulder.
"Alright," Ron said, and before they could say another word he had left.
Harry approached them and said, "You realize he'll tell anyone and everyone he can about you once he's recovered from the hurt?"
Severus smirked. Hermione looked up at him, worried. She bit her lip and he scowled down at her, though his eyes were dark, melted chocolate and there was an amused light in them. "Do not worry," he said. Before he could explain further, a healer walked into the room, looking quite ordinary, and it was obvious he was just there to take care of the patients.
Hermione made to step away from Severus, but to her and Harry's mutual shock and astonishment, Severus stepped closer to her and held out his arm. Hermione didn't take it, but looked up into his face, biting her lip again as she asked with her eyes what he was doing.
"Do not worry," he repeated, and he smirked at her and Harry's alarmed faces as he added, "I've decided—with your consent of course—that I will no longer let other young men think you are single. You happen to be spoken for. I don't believe I would enjoy another instance of some ignorant bastard kissing you in my presence again."
Hermione's hands flew to her mouth in surprise, but then she smiled at Severus and took his arm, leaning her head on his shoulder. Harry watched the two and shook his head, still trying to figure out what it was that drew Hermione to the potions master and what on earth in her it was that kept the man so protective and caring of her alone. With a pang, Harry wondered whether Hermione was actually quite like his mother had been and that was why Severus loved her so. "May I escort you to two the door?" he asked.
Severus nodded once and Hermione smiled, letting go of Severus and walking to Harry, who she hugged. "Do you think Ron will forgive you?" she asked as she took out the redhead's wand and handed it to Harry.
He frowned, tucking into his own robes. "I didn't really participate in the whole argument, so I don't think he considers me as having been involved."
"Good," Hermione said, looking worried about Ron in spite of her anger with him, "he needs you, you know."
Harry nodded. "And I need him, much as I hate to be around the bloke sometimes when he gets mad."
Hermione smiled and imitated Ron's voice, saying, "He just goes completely mental sometimes!"
She returned to Severus' side and took his arm again, and the three of them walked to the lift and went to the main floor. The healers had gotten things under control, and with Harry there to vouch for them, Severus and Hermione made it to the door without trouble and without being questioned to be sure they didn't have some extremely contagious mental disease.
Harry left them at the entrance and they stepped out onto the muggle street. Severus glanced down at her and smirked before they disapparated back to Hogwarts. Out of habit, Hermione started to let go of Severus' arm and step away when they arrived outside the school grounds, but he raised an eyebrow at her and she took his arm again, leaning her head on his shoulder as they entered the grounds. "We're in time for dinner," she said as they passed the whomping willow.
"We have a bit of time before then," he said, and what he meant was in his eyes.
"McGonagall?" Hermione asked, forgetting to refer to the headmistress by her first name.
With a single nod, Severus looked down at her and smirked. "McGonagall."
I am very excited to know what you think of this! Please review if you have a moment! Thank you for sticking with me throughout the story so far! I love you all so very much! ~Taelr