Summary: Severus awakens finally.

A/N: Finally we get an awake and mobile Severus. Now to find out what will happen between our couple. Thanks for reading!

Chapter 5

The days dragged on. He lost track of time. All he knew was that Hermione was there every day, reading, chatting… just there. Day after day she visited him. It seemed like a long time had passed. His consciousness told him another new day had come, and he awaited Hermione's entrance. It seemingly didn't take long for the opening door to announce her arrival. He heard her move through the room quickly and settle into what he'd come to think of as 'her' chair.

"Guess what?" she asked excitedly.

He wished he could arch an eyebrow right about now.

"I found a storefront for my bookstore."

He was surprised at the bolt of excitement that shot through him at her announcement.

"Do you know that if citizens of Godric's Hollow want to buy a book, they have to go to Diagon Alley to do so?"

No, I can't say that I realized that.

"I know it's a small town, but the idea of opening a bookstore there has been pulling at me for a long time now. I found there's a small storefront next to the post office that had been used for mail sorting, but they have decided to rent it out so another shop can open there. I put a downpayment on the building and signed a two-year lease."

She waited a beat.

"I hope you are happy for me, Professor. I wish you were awake to talk to me."

I am happy for you, Hermione. I hope this becomes what you want it to be.

"So, they said I can take possession of it at the beginning of the month."

He felt her hand on his. His mind exploded with colors as they were once again in Hermione's bookstore. He was placing potions on a shelf. Hermione came up to him and wrapped her arms around him.

"I told you selling potions here would be a good idea," she said as she leaned up and kissed his cheek.

He smirked at her. "You were right. I should have done this months ago."

In a moment her hand was gone.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. I just… I was excited and hoped to share that with you. I promise it won't happen again."

It's okay. You can touch me anytime. These visions are… comforting.

"Anyway, I have to do some research on what I'll need to set up. I'm starting a list of items I'll need to buy. There are some shelves already in the shop that I can use too."

He heard her chair scrape. She must have risen.

"I need to go early today. I have a tour of the shop and then an appointment with a supplier. I'll be back tomorrow, Professor."

And with that, he heard her heels clacking and the door shutting. He was alone again. She hadn't stayed more than ten minutes. He wished she could have stayed longer, but she had good reason to leave when she did. Hopefully, she would make up for it by coming early tomorrow.

oooOOOooo

The dream was vivid. Very vivid. His frozen body felt as if it was about to explode. Yet, he was in a coma and despite feeling that way, nothing was really happening.

They'd married and he'd swept her to a glorious honeymoon suite where they'd undressed one another and made love… enthusiastically.

He slowly unbuttoned the back of her dress, kissing down along her back as he did so. She leaned her head back into him and sighed.

"I can't wait to see your lovely body all ready for me."

"I'm ready for you now," she said as the dress slipped off her and she turned and put her arms around his neck. She leaned up and kissed him wantonly.

His hands caressed her, moving around to her back and unsnapping her bra. Snaking around to her front again, he fondled her breast, making her moan into him. He scooped her up and moved to the bed, placing her carefully on it. Standing straight, he removed his suit coat and shirt.

"Let me," Hermione urged as she reached for his trousers and unbuttoned them, slipping them down with his pants. He stood naked before her.

"Perfect," she muttered as she reached out and stroked his cock, which was rigid and standing at attention. She leaned forward and took him in her mouth, causing him to throw his head back and moan. Her head bobbed as she sucked on him.

"Hermione, I can't hold out."

She released him. "Then come here and fill me up."

He smirked at her as he moved down to her, gently lying her on her back and kissing her passionately. Centering himself, he entered her, and it was like heaven.

"So tight…"

He began moving within her, feeling her move along with him. They found a rhythm and quickened their pace.

"Gods, Hermione…"

"So good," she murmured.

As they moved together, Hermione cried out with abandon. "Oh God, Oh God, Oh God, Severus!"

They came together, each crying out as Severus thrust into Hermione and held himself there as she clamped down on him with her orgasm.

The intensity brought him out of the dream and into his normal conscious state as a comatose man. God, if she was anything like that in real life, he'd never get enough of her. His chest burned within him. The more time that passed, the more he wanted to be with her.

oooOOOooo

Several weeks had gone by. Hermione had visited every day, read to him, and left him to his solitude. She didn't touch him again. He wished she would but understood her not wanting to.

She had visited earlier in the day, and Severus felt it must be late now–possibly night. He felt tingling low on his body. Possibly in his feet, but he couldn't tell. His mind felt clearer too. More like himself instead of the weaker him that had been his existence for who knew how long. The tingling spread slowly.

Merlin, I hope this is a positive thing.

He lay there for what seemed like an eternity as the tingling slowly crept up until finally, his entire body felt like it was on pins and needles. The feeling was mild, but it still made him feel like he wanted to peel his skin off to relieve the feeling.

Wait, what was that? Did I move a finger? Can I open my eyes?

He tried valiantly, but his eyelids wouldn't budge… yet. He knew if he tried long enough his eyes would open and he would be free. He turned his concentration back to the finger that had moved. He tried to move it again.

There!

It had jerked a little. Maybe his other fingers would do the same. He struggled and made very slow progress. He heard the Mediwitch come in and furiously tried to move his digits. He was able to do so, but she didn't notice. Perhaps his progress wasn't as great as he felt it was. He struggled with himself, once again concentrating on his eyes. He wanted to be awake when Hermione returned.

Time passed slowly, but he felt he was doing better. The tingling had stopped, but his limbs and body seemed stronger. He felt more anchored to his extremities. More present. His mind was clearing and sharpening. Finally, he opened his eyes.

Darkness

Had he gone blind? No, it was nighttime. But the Mediwitch had come in just a little while before. It must have been a lot longer than he'd thought. He looked around, afraid to turn his head. Finally, he moved it to the left slowly, then to the right. He lifted his arm up and slowly put his hand close to his face so he could see it. He wiggled his fingers. They seemed to wiggle freely and work correctly. That was a good sign.

He lifted the other arm and put them both back down. He supported himself and tried to sit up.

Not quite yet

His toes were wiggled, then his ankles rotated. Finally, he bent his knees and put them back straight. He was almost there. He turned his head to look at the side table. There was his wand. If only he could reach it he could alert someone that he was awake. He moved his arm and slowly neared the wand. Reaching out, he grasped it and pulled it toward him.

He inspected it, wondering if he'd have a voice to cast with.

"Ex… Expec… Expecto Patronum," he finally cast.

His Patronus emerged from his wand. He glared at it. This wasn't his Patronus. His Patronus was a doe. This… this was an eagle. He studied the transparent animal that had come to rest on his chest, looking down at him with a tilt of his head… as if arching an eyebrow at him.

He smirked. Evidently, this was his indeed. He struggled to speak again, and it was a little easier this time.

"Go… to the Mediwitch with this message: I have awakened."

The bird burst into the air and was gone in an instant. It didn't take long for the Mediwitch to rush into his room and move up to his bed.

"Mr. Snape?" she asked as she stared down at him.

"Obviously…"

"Oh!" she cried as she pulled her wand out and began casting spell after spell on him.

"You've made a full recovery! We weren't sure you'd ever awaken. We've seen your body heal itself while you were unconscious, but we had no idea what to do about the coma you were in."

"I can't sit up," he ground out.

"Here, let me help you."

Her arm was around him in no time, and she was lifting him up into a sitting position.

"Can you move your limbs?" she asked.

"Yes."

He moved everything as she observed.

"Good. Everything seems to be in working order. I expect you should have the strength in them to be able to lift yourself and walk without aid in a couple of hours. Do you want me to lie you back down? It's pretty late. You probably want to sleep."

"Merlin, no. I've been sleeping for… how long has it been?"

The Mediwitch gave him a hesitant look. "It's been seven months, Mr. Snape."

"Seven? But… how can that be?"

"We tried everything for you. Different Healers came in: experts on comas and comatose patients. No one could figure out whether you were in a coma because of the snake bite or if it had been an additional spell from You Know Who. No one expected you to awaken, to be honest."

She waved her wand over him again and harrumphed. "No telltale signs of why you woke today."

"Would it have anything to do with the number seven?" he asked.

Her eyes grew wide. "Oy, I bet that's it exactly. The seventh day of the seventh month of your unconsciousness was powerful enough to magically awaken you! Excuse me, Mr. Snape. I need to let everyone else know. They'll visit you in the morning. Do you need anything before I go?"

"A visit to the loo would be marvelous," he muttered.

"Oh, of course. Let me help you."

It was incredibly slow going. It seemed to take forever for him to get on his feet and every step seemed like he was climbing Mount Everest. The Mediwitch supported him as he moved across the room. Finally, he made it to the loo, and the witch let him take care of his business alone. Thankfully, he didn't collapse on the floor, although it was close several times.

After a long trek back to his bed, he was laid back down and the witch excused herself. He watched her leave and immediately felt exhausted. He adjusted himself onto his side and was asleep within minutes.

oooOOOooo

When he awoke, he squinted at the light in the room. The curtains of the window in his room were wide open. He supposed they hadn't closed the curtains before as he was in a coma, but now, the light hurt. He quickly closed his eyes and turned his head, waiting for them to adjust. After a while, he was able to squint, then open his eyes fully and look around the room. He took in the chair next to his bed. That would be the chair where Hermione sat and read to him. He felt at ease just looking at it.

He decided to test his strength. Putting his arms back to support himself, he tried to push himself up into a sitting position. It took some extra effort, but he was able to do so. He smiled slightly to himself at the thought of being able to be mobile again soon.

He noted a Potions Journal left on the table beside his bed. He reached out and picked it up, leafing through it, finding an article that Hermione hadn't read to him yet. He soon was absorbed in that. So intensely was he reading that he didn't hear the Mediwitch come in again. He startled slightly, berating himself for letting his guard down.

"Oh good," she said. "You've sat up on your own."

She waved her wand over him quickly and tsked.

"Honestly, it's a miracle you're awake. I still can't figure out how it happened, aside from the magical aspect."

"There's no chance I'll fall back into a coma, is there?"

The Mediwitch waved her wand over him some more. "No, there's not. You know, sometimes we will put patients into a magical coma to help them heal. It's like your body did that without us having to do so."

"You don't think this was caused by Nagini's venom?"

She cleared her throat. "Well, yes I do, but instead of it being a negative aspect, it helped you to heal. I doubt that You-Know-Who expected such a reaction."

"I had been dosing myself with antivenin for months before the battle. I suspected that the Dark Lord may try to end my life in such a way."

"That probably was the impetus that helped your body heal itself in conjunction with the actual venom from the snake."

At that moment, the door opened and Hermione came in. She saw Severus, and her eyes grew wide. He saw her, and his heart leapt into his throat. She took one look at him and turned white.

"Professor, I'm so glad you're awake," she muttered before turning and fleeing from the room.

His eyebrows knit together in puzzlement. That wasn't the reaction he expected from her. He mulled her reaction over for a bit until he realized the Mediwitch was speaking to him. His head snapped to her, and he paid attention.

"... and that should be all we need to do."

"When can I leave?" he asked.

"We'll need to observe you today like I was just saying. If everything looks okay and once your mobility is back to normal, you can leave."

He gave a crisp nod.

"I'd imagine you're hungry. I'll have something brought in for you in a few minutes."

With that, the Mediwitch turned and left Severus. He watched her go before his thoughts returned to Hermione. She'd looked like she'd seen a ghost. He supposed he somewhat understood her reaction after all that had happened while he was unconscious.

Seven months. He'd been in a coma for seven months, and Hermione Granger had been visiting him daily. Everything seemed to mesh into itself. He wasn't really sure when he started being cognizant of her being there.

He frowned. He somewhat understood why Hermione ran, but he could use her company right now. Stuck in a hospital bed for an entire day while not being unconscious sounded horrid. And besides… he wanted to actually see the woman who was supposedly his soulmate. The one who had sat by his bedside day after day reading to him and not losing hope that he would awaken.

His throat felt like there was a boulder in it. He swallowed, trying to gather his composure. Shaking his head, he slunk down in the bed, lifted the journal, and spent some time pretending to read.