The word 'unlikely' lived rent free in Snape's head though that year. With his luck, 'unlikely' surely meant 'most probably' or 'definitely'. And he'd complained.

"Have you ever considered that you ask too much, that you take too much for granted? ...that I don't want to do this anymore?"

But it was an empty threat and both wizards knew it. When the time came Snape didn't disappoint, his sense of duty was above all else. The Potter boy infuriated him once again, he was eavesdropping, the arrogant fool; always thinking he knew everything when he knew next to nothing. He'd prove him wrong 'if it is the last thing I do' he thought. And he did, almost one year after that exact evening Snape shattered everything the boy who lived thought to be true. Sending Dumbledores' last message woven into a tangle of memories the boy wasn't, would never have been ready to see. He'd go having the upper hand, but it wasn't enough. Now struggling between life and death, clinging desperately to the light within, his full duty was unfulfilled because, moments before striking, Voldemort had revealed his most secret, hidden and twisted plan of domination. He was spewing nonsense about the wrong allegiance of the elder wand when his speech took a turn.

"You're a clever man Severus, surely you must know…"

Muffliato. Wandless, nonverbal. The wonder boy and his minions were close by, this he knew because in all his magnanimous glory, Albus had seen fit to share with him some glimpses of what was to come; and some things were to be kept from their knowledge.

"…that I would not put all my eggs in one basket, so to speak. The outcome of this night is set in stone, for tonight I'm going to seize control of our world one way or another. May it be by the darkest of curses…"

His heart skipped a beat. A curse. That wasn't in Dumbledore's plan, wasn't even in Voldemort's. He was his right hand and didn't know a thing about it, has he not been so close to the tyrant? Didn't he have his complete trust after all? He had to focus, for a moment he didn't register this master's words.

"…and I need the assistance of those with the darkest of souls. Sadly you, my most loyal servant, are not one of those selected few…"

At this point, even under his strongest occlumency shields, the staccato inside his chest was unbearable. His face showed nothing but inside he hid a raging storm.

"My lord?"

"Oh, don't be so surprised Severus. I've always known where your strength lies, my potions master, my spy. For this final task I only need the likes of Bellatrix. But the elder wand…"

Snape cancelled the muffliato, all said about the deathstick was bound to be heard by the boy. He was its true master after all. And he couldn't die now, in his hands, there was more to do before dying, the 'unlikely' had happened and Voldemort held all the cards to win now. If the wand failed him, and it would, he'd enact the curse upon everyone. He was struggling to breathe and keep his eyes open when the Granger girl pushed Harry aside, she knelt before him manically searching in her small bag and screaming at the baffled boys to go, just go to the pensive, she'll catch up later. First, she pulled a bezoar into his mouth, which was an absolutely idiotic move as she had to remove it immediately to force a blood replenisher down his throat, followed by dittany and applied on his external wounds too, then put the bezoar back in place.

"Don't you dare die now!" She spat "I've got to go now, but I'll be back!"

The girl was looking into his eyes deeply, not even blinking. Her expression left him puzzled, jumping from one emotion to the next, anger to compassion in milliseconds. What happened next, he didn't really know; he could hear the dark lord's message to cease the hostilities, calling Potter to face him alone, but he didn't know how much time passed in between. A second message reverberated in his mind, one that came from his dark mark up to his ears and nervous system, such was the strength of his lord's delight.

Hermione couldn't believe it. There, lying motionless in Hagrid's hands was Harry. Dead. killed by Voldemort, who was calling for them to join them or die. When Neville defiled him in his face and pulled the sword of Gryffindor from the hat, she couldn't quite process what happened. Everything occurred in slow motion yet too fast for her to react on time. Harry was alive and shooting spells at their enemies, the first one directly to Nagini. Death eaters were fleeing the place, she saw how strong foes like Bellatrix, Yaxley and other known faces vanished from the ruined courtyard. Voldemort got Nagini into a protective bubble and vanished as well. Something wasn't right, she got a terrible feeling, they still had to kill Nagini and Voldemort, the prophecy will hunt him and Harry until one of them dies. They couldn't just give up and flee now, could they? It seemed too good to be true, too easy and calm, too coordinated. A nameless feeling sat heavily in her belly, she knew they wouldn't leave without a fight, they wouldn't retreat. Maybe some cowards or low-ranking members would, Harry had survived death a second time now and that was a straight scary thing to face in an enemy. Everyone started cheering and clapping around her, celebrating a victory that wasn't so clear in her heart and she remembered Snape. If someone knew what was going on it was him, he could explain this, that is if he was still alive in the shack. It wouldn't be too hard to extract the information she needed from him; she'd already dabbled in mind magic, using legillimency on a dying subject couldn't be too difficult even if it was her first time, she'd cast the spell. 'Merlin please, be alive' she thought.

"I'm sorry Ron" – she said as he was pulling her into a hug- "there's something I need to do; I'll be back soon"

"Wha- but Mione, wait"

As she ran into the crowd of cheering people Ron was pulled into the arms of the half giant, by the time he released him, he couldn't see where she'd gone. Her lungs fought her the whole way to the whomping willow, battling for some respite to catch the breath she zealously denied. The track up the secret passage alleviated her painful chest a bit, once she saw the light coming through the exit she sprinted again and almost jumped on Snape's motionless body.

"Professor, please, Professor Snape, are you alive?

No answer. She was dying inside; she was too late.

"Sir!"- She pleaded, shaking his shoulders

Suddenly his eyes opened, wild and unfocused, but he seemed to recognise her if only for her voice.

"Stop at once, you silly girl!"

He spoke in a rash voice, nothing close to his usual silky baritone. Hermione swiftly got up and pointed her want at his face, she cried 'legillimens'.

It was wandless and nonverbal. A protego. Her spell rebounded and Snape entered her mind. Even in his current state the man could pull that off. A mixture of awe, envy and fear took hold of her and she felt her memories moving behind her eyeballs, everything that happened from the moment she left him on the shack to the present time ran in colliding clips. Snape pushed through her recollection of the battle until the death eaters and Voldemort fled.

"Fuck!" He screamed "Shit, damn you Albus, I knew it!"

A northern accent took hold of him, one Hermione would have never imagined possible on those lips. That alone was startling, but combined with his rough voice? Was this Snape before her or someone polyjuiced? Quivering scared now, she pointed her wand at the man once more.

"The words you said to me on my fourth year, after Drako hexed my teeth" Hermione requested heatedly

"th-what? Are you out of your mind? Foolish girl, there's no time for this" He said as trying to get up, but failed.

"As you seem to be unable to move, there is. I am your only hope to survive, so answer me"

So, the chit was determined. 'Whatever' he thought, no point in arguing now, only stopping the dark lord from casting the damn curse on them all. She was here now so she'd do.

" . " He said coldly, with unwavering eye contact, carefully stopping on every word.

"It is you then. Good. Good that you're you, because I need you, not because I'm glad a traitor scum like you still lives".

And she was babbling now, as she always did. And contradicting herself in an effort to look coarse, why had she thoroughly helped him if it wasn't to keep him alive? 'God, not rest for the wicked' he thought.

"Miss Granger! You're wasting time that as a matter of fact, we do not have".

"What do you mean? You know, don't you? That's what I'm here for, to know why in Merlin's name Voldemort and his gang have fled the castle. It's not good, I know it! And you're going to tell me!"

At the dark lord's name, he hissed and clutched his left arm while the chit kept ranting on.

"A curse" He simply said

"…a w-what?" She faltered, not expecting a straight answer.

"A dark curse Miss Granger, one the dark lord believes will grant him victory at last. As of how, I am not yet aware as he didn't think me suitable for the task, obviously"

"Why are you telling me this? And why should I believe you, because he tried to kill you? Now you want revenge?" She was babbling again. This wouldn't do, he had to get her moving and helping already.

"Dumbledore isn't dead"

"…he's not? You killed him, we saw"

"HE ISN'T" Snape furiously interrupted "Not yet anyway. What you saw was a man faking his own death. We concocted the plan. Dumbledore is only under the effects of a powerful draught of the living dead, one I brewed myself on his behalf"

"But I don't understand"

"You don't have to understand, no one does. Now, kindly take me to Albu's tomb"

"Take you…as in side-along apparate us there? But sir, you're so weak"

"All the more reason. Do it. Now" He ordered while gracelessly getting up, helping himself with the wall beneath him.

"Ok, Sir, I'll do it, but you have a lot of explaining to do, this…this doesn't even seem real"

"Well, get in line Miss Granger, get in line"

He awkwardly let the girl help him into a standing position, leaning on her small body with one arm draped over her shoulders. Hermione pulled him closer and apparated them away.