A/N: Well, the plan was to spend the holiday getting a good chunk of writing done. Of course, that was a total disaster. I have about half an update for Bound to Him and Shepherd's Passage, so I really, really hope I can get something finished this week.

Happy New Year! And thank you for continuing with me.

Hope Reawakened

-9-

"—mione…"

"Mmmph," she murmured, squeezing her eyes tighter and burying her nose into the soft linen which smelled deliciously of Severus.

"Hermione."

The linen smelled of Severus. Severus was alive. He had come back to her, but he was not fully the same. He was more subdued, averse to being alone, and in pain. Pain. Her eyes snapped open at the thought, and she immediately pushed up into a seated position. Her heart pounded quickly as she noticed that his dark eyes were trained on her.

"Severus!" she gasped. "You're awake!"

"I didn't want to wake you," he replied, "but I believe I'll need to use the lavatory soon."

Hermione ran a hand through her hair and wiped her face. "Oh. Erm… how long was I asleep?"

"Oh, I'd say about three hours," Forthwright smiled as he strode forward and began assisting the wizard out of bed.

"Three hours?" she repeated in shock. Clambering down from the bed, she stood to the side and watched while the Healer guided the Slytherin toward the bathroom door. "Severus, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep!"

Snape flashed her a strained smile before coughing. "If I tell you to stop apologizing for all things inconsequential, are you going to ignore that as well?"

The woman opened her mouth to protest, but fell silent upon realizing that he had to have heard at least some of what she had whispered to him. With a graceful blush gracing her cheeks, she sank back into her original chair and waited silently for the two men to re-emerge. She grimaced a at the muffled sounds of retching coming from behind the door, but consoled herself with the knowledge that he was upright, fully aware, and on the mend.

"Now, I realize that you feel sicker than a thestral at the moment," the Healer commented moments later while opening the lavatory door, "but you really are faring just as well as I could have hoped, sir. There isn't anything more I can do for you today, so if there is somewhere else you would rather recuperate…"

"There is," the Slytherin rasped.

"I thought as much," Forthwright chuckled. "Ms. Granger, I suppose I shall leave him in your capable hands, then. He'll need to rest today. Plenty of fluids. I wouldn't push anything much for food until tomorrow. Broth or soup, perhaps."

"Okay," Hermione nodded, bending down to retrieve the cane before moving to Snape's side.

"If either of you have any questions, don't hesitate to Floo. Otherwise, I'll see you again in a few months." The Healer nodded to Hermione and then touched the former spy's shoulder. "It's been an honor, sir. I wish you all the best."

After profusely offering her gratitude, the woman turned toward her lover, who was leaning miserably against the wall. "Home?"

He gave a slow nod, but held up his hand when she made a motion to wrap her arms about his waist. "I might vomit on you."

"I have a six year old, Severus. I'm quite used to being vomited on." When the man only eyed her skeptically, she sighed loudly. "The Floo station is two floors away, and you know that Floo-ing, too, is relatively nauseating. Furthermore, you hardly appear to be in any condition to walk that far right now. Though, I could levitate you—"

Snape groaned in disgust and pushed himself away from the wall. "Alright! Just… just don't stand in front of me."

Agreeing to his demand, Hermione took hold of his hand and neatly apparated them both back to Roseling Cottage. As soon as she had solid footing in her sitting room, the wizard lurched out of her grasp and became ill on the hardwood floor. Her nose wrinkled in disgust not at the action, but at the dark, nearly black, hue of what had been expelled. Knowing it was a result of the treatment, she was extremely relieved that the venom was coming out of him, yet just as angry that it had been left to fester inside of him for so long. Though she would love for nothing more than to march down to Kingsley's office at the Ministry of Magic and turn him inside out, she knew that her priority was to take care of Severus. Disembowelment could wait.

She ran her hand soothingly over his spine as he continued coughing, and when he finally straightened, she placed her hands on both of his arms to guide him over to the sofa. After summoning two glasses from the kitchen, she used an Augamenti to fill one and then held both out to him. "Rinse out your mouth, love."

Begrudgingly, the man did as she instructed – rinsing several times with the water from one glass and spitting into the other. When he was done, she banished the glasses back to the kitchen and then touched the back of her hand to his forehead. His skin was quite hot to the touch, and she could tell that he was shivering lightly. Without bothering to ask him, she snatched up the afghan from the back of the sofa and began tucking it around him.

"Is that enough, or should I fetch you another blanket? Hmm?" Hermione frowned when he did not respond and then sighed when she noticed him staring guiltily at the floor. Touching his face, she gently cleared her throat. "Severus, look at me. It's alright. I'd rather it be on my floor than stay inside of you."

With a grimace, she cast a silent spell over her shoulder, causing the pile of blackened bile to disappear. After setting a brief scrubbing charm to work, the witch smirked down at Snape. "After nearly four years of living full-time at the Burrow under Molly's wing, I've become quite adept at housekeeping spells."

He nodded once and then closed his eyes.

His girlfriend squeezed his shoulder gently and then summoned a bucket from beneath the kitchen sink. "There's a small powder room beneath the stairs if you need the loo. If you can't make it there in time, though, it's okay. And this is a vanishing bucket. It's come in quite handy whenever Brendan comes down with something."

Severus frowned as he watched her set the bucket on the end table. "Does he become ill quite frequently?"

"No more frequently than any other small child does, I imagine," she shrugged. "Were you ready for some tea? Or broth?"

He shook his head.

"Do you want to lie down and sleep for a bit? I can make the sofa a bit larger for you, and grab another blanket if you need. And a pillow or –"

"Hermione, just sit down."

The woman smirked and drew in a slow breath. "I will in a moment. Just as soon as I fetch you some more linens. I can't remember which ones have or haven't been laundered recently, otherwise I would just summon them. I'll be back in a moment."

"Hermione, I don't need –"

Ignoring him, she moved to the stairs, pausing at the bottom to quickly transfigure the couch into something roomier.

"Witch!" he snapped as the cushions expanded beneath him.

Hermione giggled quietly as she hurried up the stairs to raid her linen closet. When she returned a moment later with a stack of blankets and pillows in her hands, it was all she could do not to laugh at the dark expression on his face. "Don't look at me like that. I gave you fair warning that I would make a fuss."

"It doesn't count if you told me when I was unconscious," he grumbled.

"Seeing as you heard me, you weren't exactly unconscious," she countered snarkily. "Therefore, it counts."

Snape huffed loudly as she stuffed one pillow behind him and another beside him. "Woman, would you just sit down!"

"Alright, alright," she murmured while shifting to sit beside him. Gently pressing the back of her hand against his warm forehead, she asked, "How are you feeling?"

"Like a bloody fucking invalid!"

Biting down on her lip, the witch snickered and let her hand fall to his lap. "Well, I'm pleased to see that some of your snarl has returned."

His eyes quickly met hers. "What?"

"I've missed it," she explained with a shy smile. "I mean… I will love you in any way, shape, or form, but it's been odd to see you so subdued. I happen to like you with a little bit of… bite."

"Is that so?" the man questioned before suffering a minor coughing fit. A moment later, he sucked in a deep breath and leaned his head back against the sofa. "I'm not certain exactly how much 'bite' I have left in me anymore."

Hermione scooted closer to him, resting a hand on his chest and her head on his shoulder. "Just enough."

With a soft snort, Severus covered her hand with his. After a few minutes of silence, he cleared his throat. "Did you need to check on Brendan?"

"He's fine with Harry. If something happens, I assure you that Ginny will send her Patronus on the double," she replied with a yawn. When she heard him grunt strangely in response, however, her eyes opened widely, and she sat upright. Suddenly, his behavior before they went to St. Mungo's was beginning to make some sense. "Severus, are you upset that he's spending time with Harry?"

The Slytherin grimaced, but shook his head.

"Then what is it? Something is the matter, and I would like to know what it is."

"It's not –"

"Don't lie to me," she stated forcefully. "I can tell when something is bothering you. Every time I caught you watching the two of them interacting this morning, you looked like you did when you were Occluding. If you're worried about leaving Brendan in Harry's care, I can assure you that Harry is really good with him and –"

"I could see that," he muttered crossly.

The woman frowned and rested her elbow against the backrest. "Okay, then the reason you're upset is what, exactly?"

A moment passed before he closed his eyes and whispered, "I don't know that I can do that."

"Do what? Interact with Brendan like Harry does?" When he nodded, she gave a short laugh and shook her head. "Severus, you'll be fine. Harry's had six years of practice – well, seven, considering Teddy - and he's had his own son to deal with for the past two years. Merlin, you should have seen him at the beginning! I swear he acted as though they were landmines or something equally dangerous and unpredictable. He was more afraid of holding a baby than he was of facing that Horntail in fourth year! If Harry can make that much progress, I have every faith that you will manage perfectly fine."

Looking as though he did not quite believe her, the wizard pulled the afghan tighter around his shoulders. "Who is Teddy?"

"Oh," Hermione blushed, "I guess I forgot that you probably wouldn't know. Teddy Lupin – Brendan's best friend and Harry's godson."

"Lupin?" he repeated. "I suppose it must thrill him to no end that my child is best friends with his."

She inhaled slowly and looked down at her hands. "Erm, Severus... Remus passed away."

"What?" Snape gasped, turning to look at her.

"He was killed," she answered, "during the Battle at Hogwarts."

He pushed himself into a straighter position and frowned. "Oh. I didn't know. I'm sorry."

"It's alright."

"I suppose, then, that you and Nymphadora have had something in–"

"No," Hermione interrupted, wiping a tear from her eye. "Remus and Tonks – they were both killed; Remus by Dolohov and Tonks by Bellatrix. Teddy was only a few weeks old then. Andromeda's been raising him."

Severus closed his eyes and clenched one hand into a fist around the afghan.

"Stop it," she exclaimed while tugging on his arm. "Severus, it wasn't your fault."

"I should have killed them," he muttered. "I wanted to...knowing everything they had done to you."

"I know," the witch sighed, "but I'm glad you didn't. If you had... you probably wouldn't be here. We wouldn't have this chance together."

He nodded slowly and then fixed her with a concerned look. "Where are they now?"

"Dead, thankfully. Filius incapacitated Dolohov after he killed Remus, and he was sent to Azkaban. He tried to escape during his trial, and an Auror used a lethal spell. And Bellatrix... she tried to kill Ginny also during the Battle, and Molly engaged her in a duel to the death."

"Molly Weasley," he repeated, almost incredulously.

Hermione gave a small smile. "Yeah. If you thought her Howlers were nasty, you should see her hexes. Bellatrix should have known better than to threaten a mother's child... especially after already losing one child."

"Which child?"

She flinched upon realizing that he could not have known that either, and then cleared her throat. "Fred. During the Final Battle."

A sad expression appeared on the Slytherin's face as he averted his gaze to the floor. "Who else?"

Pinching her lips into a thin line, the witch slipped her hand into his. "Lavender Brown. Colin Creevey. Professor Sinistra. Professor Vector. Dedalus Diggle. There were so many."

"Minerva?" he asked fearfully.

The woman smiled and squeezed his hand. "She's alive. Been Headmistress ever since, and is still a force to be reckoned with."

"And Poppy?"

"Still at the school," she nodded, "though, she's been making noises about retiring."

Severus blew out a deep breath and rubbed his face with both hands. "What about Draco? What happened to him? And Narcissa?"

Hermione grimaced. "Azkaban. Harry testified on their behalf, but it wasn't enough to spare them. Lucius received fifty years, but since Draco at least tried to keep his friends from killing Harry, and Narcissa lied to Voldemort about Harry still being alive, they were given lighter sentences. Narcissa is eligible for her first release hearing next month, and I think Draco will have one in May. Harry's demanded to be allowed to testify again."

"I'd like the chance to speak for them, as well," the former spy stated quietly.

"So would I," she replied, returning her head to his shoulder and wrapping her arms about his torso. "Because of them, I still have my best friend, the man I love was able to come back to me, and my son has his father. I owe them every gratitude."