It was one week before the N.E.W.T.s and Hermione's sun tan from the holiday had already started to fade again. The tension in the castle was unbearable, with the upcoming test and she was glad it wasn't her who had to take the test. It was half an hour before curfew and she was about to go to the library to quickly burrow a book, when her eyes fell on a photo on her wall. It was the one the fishermen took and it made her smile. They looked like a happy little family.
Before she made her way to the library, she brushed her fingertips over the photo and whispered, "I love you."
Hermione quickly found the book she wanted and was about to leave the library, when John Bell caught up to her and said, "Good evening Professor Granger!"
"Good evening Mister Bell. How are you doing? I gather from the books in your hand your ambitiously studying for the test?"
"I am. I hope I don't fail it," he mumbled.
"You won't I'm sure about that. I heard you very talented and ambitious. You'll be fine," she said encouragingly.
"Thank you, that's very kind of you to say. May I escort you to your quarters? It's quite late and …" his voice trailed off, thinking about what happened to her at the New Year's ball.
"That would be nice. Thank you!"
They were walking side by side talking about the N.E.W.T.s turning around a corner, when Hermione paled and tightened the grip around her wand and whispered through clenched teeth, "Got your wand?"
But John, who was carrying a pile of books, couldn't react as fast. By the time he had dumped them on the floor Mulciber had already cast a quick Expelliarmus and caught his wand in mid-air. The brutish boy and his friends were closing in on them.
"Look who we found the mudblood slut and her love-sick puppy. Cheating on our dear head of house are we? Serves him right for being the traitor he his," Mulciber sneered.
"Obviously the detention wasn't hard enough on you. I thought you would come to your senses doing something useful, like cleaning the hospital wing or collecting potions ingredients with Professor Snape for healing potions in the forbidden forest."
"Do you really think we give a shit about what the traitor is ordering us to do…"
"Severus Snape is not a traitor, he is a hero, he helped to save the wizarding world from psychopaths like you are," John said through gritted teeth.
"O shut up Bell, will you," and he cast a tongue-tying charm, leaving the head boy quiet.
"Mister Mulciber. Remove the curse at once," Hermione raised her wand, but she hesitated for a split second, reminding herself that they were still students and that was all he needed to disarm Hermione as well.
"I won't remove the curse Professor Mudblood, but I will hurt your puppy some more," Mulciber laughed sardonically.
Exchanging a look with Rowle they both raised their wands pointing at John, who's eyes widened in fear.
Both of them yelled, "SECTUMSEMPRA!"
While Hermione without really thinking and hesitating threw herself in the line of fire, immediately breaking down, with blood splashing everywhere.
"PROTEGO," suddenly somebody roared.
The force of the spell was so strong it lifted the attackers off their feet and knocked them into the opposite wall, where they crumpled to the floor unconsciously. Severus with Elena sitting on his hip in her pyjamas, came rushing towards the horrifying scene unfolding in front of him. He quickly cast a body binding spell on the attackers and handed a crying Elena to the head boy, who was sitting on the floor leaning to the wall pale and slightly shivering.
Severus fell to his knees at Hermione's side.
"No. Hermione, please stay with me," he whispered, tears beginning to spill from his eyes.
He wiped them away and started singing a healing spell, when Minerva turned around a corner.
"What's the meaning of… Oh no! Mister Bell what happened?"
But the head boy wasn't able to answer, although the tongue-tying curse had lifted, with the attacker falling unconscious. She sent her Patronus to several of her colleagues to inform them what happened and lifted the still crying baby out of John's shaking arms. She held Elena close and rocked her, while singing and cooing into her ear to sooth her.
Neville came running around the corner seeing his friend lying on the floor in her own blood he yelled, "Hermione! What happened?"
"We don't know, Neville. Will you please accompany Mister Bell back to the Gryffindor common room? Give him a calming draught and please try to find out what happened and make sure his friends are taking care of him."
"I'll take her to the hospital wing," Severus said with a shaky voice, carefully lifting Hermione's lifeless body from the floor.
"Will she…" Minerva's voice trailed off not daring to say what she thought.
"I don't know," Severus said and tears started running down his face once again. He made his way to the hospital wing, the few students, who were still around so close to curfew, where shocked to see their, normally so collected and strong Defence teacher silently crying while carrying his apprentice's lifeless, bloodstained body through the corridors.
"What happened?" Madame Pomfrey asked when he arrived at the infirmary.
"She was attacked by some students! I need some dittany, blood replenishing potion and some warm water and a wash cloth," he said leaving no room for further discussion and gently lowered Hermione, who slightly whimpered, to one of the beds.
"Shh, my girl I'll be taking care of you!"
"You'll be taking care of her? Don't be ridiculous Snape? Who is the nurse here? And you are the one who brought her in this mess in the first place, with that bloody curse of yours. I can't believe you invented that. It leaves the most horrible gashes as you can see. I'm so mad at you…"
"That's enough, Poppy," Minerva, who had just entered the room, cut across her harshly.
"If Severus wants to take care of Hermione he is certainly allowed to do so, you may run some diagnostic spells, but otherwise he has my permission to tend to her."
Poppy slammed the potions down on Hermione's nightstand and ran a few diagnostic spells huffing, "She should be alright, she is just very weak and needs rest."
"I still need some water and a wash cloth, please." Severus said pouring the blood replenishing potion down Hermione's throat.
"What for?" Poppy asked angrily.
"Poppy it really is enough now. Bring him what he needs."
Madame Pomfrey stomped away and came back with a bowl of warm water and a wash cloth.
"I don't approve! I don't approve of their relationship and I don't approve of Snape taking care of her," the matron huffed.
"I've had it with you now," Minerva scolded, "I've been watching your behaviour towards Severus since he came back in September. It's inexcusable. I know you had a soft spot for Albus, I don't know if there was more and I don't care. But it was your Albus who asked Severus to kill him, very well aware what it would do to Severus. With his act Severus helped to bring down Tom Riddle and he saved Albus from a slow and painful death. But nobody ever asks how Severus feels about it. Albus made him a murderer against his will. I don't even can begin to comprehend what that must mean for him."
Severus who was carefully undressing Hermione swallowed hard a couple of times at the words of the headmistress.
"So you will make sure he gets everything he needs. Have I made myself clear? And if I were you I wouldn't mess with him, he hasn't got his magic under control, when it comes to protecting Hermione.I guess you heard somebody casting a shield charm a couple of minutes ago. That was Severus and it happened at the other end of the castle, so you shouldn't have been able to hear it. So don't mess with him."
Poppy nodded and went to her office.
"Severus my dear, do you want me to take care of Elena?"
"Yes please. If you have any questions ask Trinky or Flipsy, they'll know."
"Good night Severus, take good care of her."
"I will," he promised. Severus placed some screens around the bed to give them some privacy and undressed her further until she was completely naked in front of him. There were ghastly slashes and cuts over her whole body. Severus applied dittany all over them, which made most of them disappear, just two deeper one's were still visible, one on her right thigh and on her hip.
"My girl," he sighed and carefully started to wash the blood of her body.
After he had finished he covered her and went to Madame Pomfrey, "Can you please watch her for a couple of minutes I just want to get her pyjamas and some of her personal belongings."
Madame Pomfrey nodded.
When he came back, Poppy was standing next to Hermione, "I've to admit you did a good job."
"Thank you! Look I didn't want to kill him. He was one of my closest friends."
"I know, it's just I miss him so much."
"I miss him too."
"Do you want some tea Severus?"
"That would be nice."