A\N: And now, they begin planning for the future. As always, thanks to my beta, AdelaideArcher. Mistakes are my own.

Chapter 18: The Blood I Remember

As promised, the next day our routine returned to normal, except this time I awoke when Severus slid from beneath the covers. Quietly I watched him dress, wrapping his body in the stern countenance of his robes, his face falling into a blank stare that would protect him for the day to come.

"Be safe, my love," I called softly from the bed, still wrapped in a warm nest of quilts, wishing the world was different, that Voldemort was already gone and Severus would no longer be asked to hide his true self in order to protect those who did not even know what he did for them.

His scowl broke for a moment, his robes billowing outwards as he swept forward for a brief kiss.

"I'll be back for tea," he said, resting his forehead against mine for a moment and closing his eyes, taking a breath, and then rearing upwards into his dark persona once more and sweeping from the room.

I heard the door to his office click softly as it closed, felt his wards wash over the rooms, and I tried to ignore the melancholy that filled me, realising that these rooms and this castle were as much a prison for Severus as they were for me.

I closed my eyes and breathed in his scent from the sheets, feeling a powerful conviction run through me.

"I'm going to get you out of here, Severus," I swore to the air.

Four more months. Four months to come up with a plan. Four months to save your life. Four months until we can escape and live however we choose: no Dark Lords, no fear, no bonds except to our hearts.

I'm going to set you free, Severus Snape.

Severus stormed into the room after dinner, throwing himself on the couch in a heap, his black robes spilling around him. I was reading from my normal spot on the couch, and looked up as he brought his fingers to his temples, rubbing them in small hard circles, his eyes pinched closed.

"Do you need a headache potion?" I asked, setting my book down beside me. I knew he'd been in meetings with the Carrows for most of the day planning for when the students returned from Christmas holidays in just two days time.

Severus only grunted in reply, and so I summoned a potion from the cabinet and then knelt next to him on the couch with a soft smile.

"Here," I said, pushing the bottle under his chin. He dropped his hands from his forehead and blinked at me, and then I was pulled into his arms and pressed against his chest.

"Good to see you too," I mumbled against the wool fabric of his robes, wrapping my arms around him in return. His body was tense, a solid post beneath my embrace, and I gave him a squeeze.

"Only four more months and it will all be over," I said, trying to console him, and Severus muttered something unintelligible into my hair.

"You're very articulate this evening," I teased, and Severus huffed and pulled me closer, squeezing me so tight I thought the air would be squished entirely from my lungs. I chuckled softly, appreciative of his affection and how I could be a comfort for him. I lifted my head and kissed the underside of his chin—the only place I could reach—and his arms loosened, though he did not let me go.

I shifted into a more comfortable position in his lap, uncapping the potion bottle and pushing it to his lips. "Drink. It will make you feel better," I said.

"You're doing a fine job of that on your own," he said gruffly, ignoring the vial.

"I'm glad you feel that way, Severus," I said with a smile, "but you really should take this."

"Insufferable Gryffindors," he muttered, but took the bottle and swallowed it a single toss.

"Vile Slytherins," I said, shifting again so I could kiss him firmly on the mouth. His lips pressed back and he let out a long breath from his nose, the warm air spilling over my face. When I drew away, his visage looked more relaxed, his brows no longer stitched into a scowl and his lips soft and open.

"That's better," I said, tucking a strand of hair behind his ears.

"We have important things to talk about," he said smoothly.

"We do," I said. "But first we need tea."

Severus summoned the tea set onto the table in front of us and I moved with regret from his lap, pouring us both cups. I handed Severus his before settling down beside him once more.

Severus took a sip and his body relaxed further next to mine.

"Tell me how I die," said Severus, resting his cup on his thigh.

"The Dark Lord makes Nagini attack you," I said with a shudder.

"In detail, Hermione," he said. "I need to know everything that happens."

"All right," I said, taking a sip of my tea and then cradling the cup in my lap with both hands. "The first bit I only know from Harry. After we come to Hogwarts, the Carrows find him in Ravenclaw Tower—he said that you sent them there to guard it. They called Voldemort with the Dark Mark. He got away, of course, but you showed up outside, saying you were looking for him. And then Professor McGonagall and you duel, before you fly out the window. When did you learn to fly?"

"It was my reward for killing Dumbledore," said Severus smoothly, though I could tell Dumbledore's death troubled him very much from the look in his eyes. I reached out and squeezed his hand, and he looked a little startled before curling his fingers tightly around mine.

"What happens next?" he asked.

"I'm not sure what happened between then and when we found you in the Shrieking Shack. The Dark Lord called you there. I think you realised right away that something was wrong—or maybe it's because I told you—but I'd never seen you actually look scared before. You kept asking You-Know-Who to let you go look for Harry, but of course he was going to kill you because he thought he had to for the Elder Wand to work."

"I wondered about the wand. He's been researching it savagely. I'm afraid he has Ollivander," said Severus, and I nodded knowingly. "As for being afraid to die… Before I… But now, I—I can't imagine not being with you now," he said, his voice trailing into a whisper.

"Seduced you that quickly, have I?" I asked, raising my eyebrow in a coy question mark.

"Long before yesterday, I admit," Severus said with a sigh, not meeting my eyes. "Go on."

"The Dark Lord had Nagini in some sort of protective bubble. He floated it over to you and it enveloped you so you couldn't get away. And then Nagini bit you," I said, a vision of the great snake striking Severus filling my mind.

"Your neck, Severus. She bites your neck. There was so m-m-much b-blood," I stammered, feeling hot tears behind my eyes.

"Where?" Severus asked, sitting up taller and turning to face me. "Show me."

I turned towards Severus and reached out to brush the spot where Nagini's sharp fangs would pierce his flesh.

"H-here," I said, allowing my trembling hand to linger. His hand came over mine, and he brought it into his lap next to the other, which still held his cup of tea resting atop his thigh.

"I won't leave you on purpose, Hermione. I promised you and I intend to keep my promise," he said, dropping my hand and wiping a stray tear from my cheek. I nodded numbly, still remembering the amount of blood that spilled from the wound, the way his body had thrashed against the floor.

"How?" I whispered, suddenly unsure of how I might save him.

So much blood.

"We'll get to that. Tell me the rest," he said smoothly, dropping his hand to cover mine once more.

I sniffed, forcing myself to concentrate, and told him the rest.

"We—Harry, Ron, and I—were under the Invisibility Cloak in the tunnel. The Dark Lord just left you there to die. You were convulsing, trying to stop the bleeding when Harry approached you, and I was behind him, and Ron behind me. You were lying on the floor, but you stirred when you saw Harry, grabbed his robes and pulled yourself up. Your memories, Severus. You give him your memories. You said, 'Take them… Take them,' but your voice was so weak. Your memories were just sort of flowing out from everywhere. I conjured a bottle so Harry could take them," I paused, allowing myself a few breaths before continuing.

"Before you went unconscious, you told Harry to look at you. Those were your last words: 'Look at me.' You and Harry stared at each other, and then you were just… gone…"

Severus squeezed my hand.

"How?" I asked again, looking at him desperately.

Severus took our teacups and rose from the couch, setting them on the table. Then he sat back down and drew me into his lap so my head was tucked under his chin, his arms wrapped around me protectively.

"We'll need to deal with the blood loss, the venom, and also make it look like I die without killing me," he said, and I heard a slight tremor in his normally smooth tenor.

Is he afraid? Afraid he won't be able to survive?

"None is insurmountable on their own, but together and with the timing, it will be a challenge," he continued.

"But it's not impossible?" I asked, pushing my body closer to his.

"No, it's not impossible," he said. "The most difficult will be the blood, I think, since you won't be able to give me a Blood-Replenisher right away. I'll need a long-acting draught that I can take before."

"I've never heard of a long-acting Blood-Replenisher before," I said.

"That's because one doesn't exist," said Severus.

"Oh," I squeaked.

"Fortunately for us, we have a rather brilliant Master of Potions and his best student available," he said, and if the situation wasn't so dire I might have laughed.

"Is four months long enough to invent something like that?" I asked.

"It will have to be," he said. "I'll need you to do some research during the day, perhaps some experiments."

"Anything," I said, and I meant it. I'd flay myself open and lie there and bleed if it meant I could save him.

"We'll also need to brew Draught of Living Death and the Wiggenweld Potion," he said.

"I can do that," I said. I'd brewed them both in sixth year with Slughorn.

"The harder part will be ingesting them. The Draught of Living Death is fairly fast acting, and I'm not sure there's a way to slow it down. I won't be able to slip myself a potion with the Dark Lord or Potter in front of me," he said, and from his tone I could tell he was thinking.

"I'll do some research," I said. "There must be a way."

"Then I will bring you some books from the library," he said, and I couldn't help but feel a little excited at the prospect of new books.

"What about the venom?" I asked.

"I have an antivenin already," he said simply.

"You brewed it for Mr. Weasley?" I asked, thinking back to my fifth year.

"Yes," he said.

"Why didn't you tell anyone?" My question was met with a shrug. "How can no one know about everything you've done?"

"No one could know; no one can know, even now," he said, shifting himself beneath me. "I am a spy, Hermione. The less people know of what I do, the better."

"You don't deserve to be alone in this, Severus," I whispered, kissing his throat, and then beneath his jaw. "My brilliant spy."

Severus growled a deep rumble from his throat, and for a moment I thought he was angry, but then he rocked me backwards so I was lying across the sofa, his own body perched over mine on his sinewy arms. His hair and robes draped me in a tent of inky blackness, and I knew then it was a rumble of desire, of love, and I reached out to him, combing my fingers through his fine ebony hair.

"I am no longer alone, my goddess," he said softly, and then he lowered himself and stole my lips in a kiss, and his death was forgotten for the remainder of the night.