I dont own Harry Potter.

Chapter 7

"Thisss is not enough information Severus, and for that, you shall be punished."

"Crusio!"

The bolt of red filled with pain rushed through Severus's body.

Ah another day at the office, as Severus thrashed about on the cold marbled floor of Malfoy Mannor.

After the crusio had subsided, Severus couldn't feel a muscle in his body, everything went cold and numb, and he knew for certain that he couldn't just get up and apperate away.

Thankfully he was rather inept with wandless magic and summoned his emergency portkey to his unfeeling dead hand. Thankfully, Severus Snape was a clever and well prepared man, and was ready for scenarios such as this.

So with a creaky voice he muttered the words to trigger the portkey back to his private rooms.

Xxxx

Hermione was waiting for the right time. She knew what she needed to do, Yet, she was terrified. She knew all she needed to do was show him and then pray to Merlin that he wouldn't hex her to oblivion.

Weeks had passed and Hermione felt like she was getting somewhere, she was thankful that Dumbledore had added her own lab and library to work on an antidote for Naginis venom. However there was one thing that Hermione knew that she hadn't done one thing, one major thing, one imperitively important thing, that she just kept delaying... Which was facing Snape.

Hermione thought about her options a great deal. She could just complete the antidote, fast forward to the end of the war, heal him and be done with it. However it wasn't that simple? She wouldn't of achieved anything, yes, Snape would live, but she knew, after the convosation with his portrait, that he would still be the lonely bitter man who lived day by day wallowing in his own regret and loneliness.

It was an option.

But one Hermione knew wasn't the right path to take.

She saw what his reaction was after Dumbledore laid his plans on Severus, no one should go through that alone.

Come on Hermione where is that Gryffindor courage?

Xxxx

His body landed with a thump on the dungeon floor. He could smell the familiar scent of the castle, which bought him am odd sence comfort while in this this painful state.

He clambered over to his potions cabinet and just as he reached his goal, and had the vials in sight, all of a sudden unconsciousness hit him like a brick wall, and Severus Snape was out like a light.

Hermione's eyes shot up from her book, and stared at her door. Something wasn't right. She looked at her watch, this was later than the usual time Severus would return from a death eater meeting, and usually she would hear the clatter of glass and the sound of liquid hitting the tumbler, but right now? She heard nothing.

Xxx

The morning light burned his eyelids before he even opened them. Last night was close. He never usually needed to use his emergency portkey, hence why it was an emergency portkey. But last night had Severus seriously question his own mortality, and he really could not afford any more meetings like that.

His eyes felt like they were being weighed down by lead, but once his groggy eyes had opened he was instantly hit with a state of confusion.

Before he lost his consiousness he clearly remembered making his way to his potions cabinet and cloapsing on the floor. So why was he not on the floor? Why was he in his rooms, in his bed, completely healed?!

Before Severus even had a chance to play back his memories from last night in his head, he was completely snapped back into reality when he heard a shuffle of feet in his rooms. He was clearly not alone.

As quick as a flash Severus held his wand out pointing in the direction of the foreign noise.

"It would be wise if you stepped out of that corner and reveal yourself, before I change my mind and kill you right now without knowing... WHY YOU ARE HERE!" Snape spat out with a snarl with a dark fire biting in his eyes.

Hermione gently let out a breath, to compose herself, before dropping the charm.

She quickly knew that she had her work cut out for her when she saw black blurr of Severus Snape pin her against the wall. Feeling his fingers, and hot jagged breath around her neck.

"Miss Granger you better have a good reason why you have intruded into my personal rooms?"

Her eyes sparked with fear.

"I do. Sir. I'm, I'm here to help you."

"Help me? What is a 6th year Gryffindor going to do to help me?"

Snape stepped back, with an evil smile gracing his mouth.

"I can't wait to see the look on McGonagall's and Potter's face when Dumbledore expels the princess of Gryffindor for this unacceptable breach of the school rules."

Hermione could of said and done many things in this situation, yet she completely shocked herself, and Severus when she laughed at him.

"I'm sorry sir, but you must be mistaken because, I am not the 6th year you speak off. Technically, Sir, I am no longer a student here at Hogwarts."

He could not believe his ears, what was Granger playing at?

"Cease this stupidity this instance!" He hissed.

So she did.

"Sir, 6th year Hermione Granger, is probably got her head in a book. But I am not her, well not her anymore."

Severus stared at her, there were very few moments in his life where he felt completely confused, but he was ashamed to say that in that moment he felt confused. However as he was processing the information, he couldn't help but notice that she did look different. More mature, prehaps more tonned, but the one thing he had noticed upbove everything else, was how beautiful she looked compared to her 6th year counterpart.

Suddenly he cleared his throat and spoke.

"Then who are You? And why are you HERE??" He spoke in a low curious tone.

Hermione swallowed her pride and took a deep breath, before stepping towards him and placing her hand on his chest.

A part of her mind thought that maybe she stepped too far with that, seeing that she was already in a precarious position. But she didn't care, she knew this was the time. She wanted to help him, so she would do what she must to prove that her intentions were true.

"Let me show you... Severus."

He stood there for a second looking at this woman.

"Very well." He spoke, before delving into her selected memories.

A.N Thank you for your paitents, hope you enjoy this New chapter, and dont forget to leave a review!