A/N

Hello everyone!
Once again thank you to all my readers, commenters, kudos-ers, and bookmarkers. You feed my cold dead heart.
Anyway sorry for taking a bit longer with this chapter. I was having a lot of difficulty plus my period has been killing me. (If you've ever considered going of BC after having it for over a decade, I do not recommend.)
I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter but I would like to know how you all will feel about it.
This is one of those character heavy ones. It's also now the longest chapter.
So even if I'm not as consistent with updating once a week at least the chapters are longer.

Anyway, Happy Reading!

Draco stood across the hall from the gargoyle that marked the entryway to Dumbledore's office. The 'second' Order meeting had finished shortly after his godfather had stormed out. Hermione had taken a moment to compose herself and then reiterated the importance of getting rid of Nagini before disappearing out of the room with Luna in tow. This had been the signal everyone needed to disperse and come up with their reactions to what they had all learned and witnessed. Draco, not wanting to be caught by anyone, sought out Harry instead. He knew that the other boy would want an update on what happened. Draco was curious to see what the Gryffindor thought of Luna's involvement.

Luna Lovegood had always been a wild card, but no one could have predicted this level of interference on her part. That she was an alchemist was unexpected and oddly unsurprising. It only made sense that the one witch in the school with the ability to perform nearly extinct magic would be Luna. Maybe it was his Slytherin side, but he couldn't fathom Luna helping with such a bond when it wouldn't benefit her. Although he recalled her mentioning a crush on their resident celebrity a few years ago. As if he could hear Draco's thoughts, the spiral staircase appeared with the messy-haired hero stepping down.

"Took you long enough, Hairbrain," Draco said as soon as the other wizard appeared at the bottom of the staircase. Harry startled and then glowered at him. Draco, raising his hands in apology, continued, "Come on you. There are a few things you should know about the 'second' meeting. We finished only a little while ago and it was far from boring."

"Why? What's happened? Where's Hermione?" Harry let the questions spill from his lips. Draco shushed him as they walked to the main staircases on their way to the Head Girl dorm. The Slytherin worried for a moment how he would explain the argument between Hermione and Snape to the young man next to him. That familiar wave of pity rose within him at the inevitability of his friend's heartbreak.

Steeling himself for the heavy topic, Draco sighed and took Harry by the shoulders. "No, nothing like that. But first, do you know what the bond between you and Hermione is?"

"Yes," He looked away, "Snape told me after they rescued Hermione. It's a slave bond."

"Then you know someone else placed it, not Hermione?"

"I thought it was Dumbledore but now I'm not so sure."

The young Malfoy sighed, "It was Looney, Luna Lovegood. She admitted it to everyone at the meeting and Hermione, complete cow she can be, made Luna take an oath not to remove the bond under any circumstance," Draco grimaced as he described the events. "We all know what Vittas Vitae does. Luna knew exactly what she was doing when she cast the spell."

"Luna?" Harry was as skeptical as everyone else had been. "But that means she's the only one who can remove it."

"Yea. But, like I said, Hermione made her take an oath not to remove it. I don't think I've ever seen Uncle so angry," Draco recalled the argument they had all witnessed where his godfather had been more emotional than he had ever known him to be. While it was happening Draco felt like he was an intruder in a lover's quarrel. If he were honest, that's exactly what it was. Whether they were physically 'lovers' meant nothing when their love for each other was becoming more and more apparent. The futility of everything was already getting to him, he couldn't imagine what it was like for the trio at the center. "Without Luna, there is no way to remove the bond. Her soul is already forfeit."

Harry was silent and unmoving. Draco allowed him the time he needed to process the news of Luna's involvement. Finally, he looked up, worry in his eyes, "Is Hermione alright?"

"She wrapped up the meeting with the information on the snake and then ran off with Luna."

"Why would Luna do all this? Agree to Hermione's plans?" They continued talking as they made their way up the stairs, flight after flight. It relieved Draco that Harry was moving and concentrating on the conversation. With all the turmoil recently he had been weary of how Harry would react to information that wasn't exactly helpful for their end goal of saving everyone, especially Hermione.

"She said you had to survive until the end so I'm assuming it was partly because you're the 'Chosen One' and the fact that she's always had a soft spot for you," Draco said, recalling the odd friendship he had with Luna. One he had never admitted to or wanted to admit to until this year. They were practically cousins as all purebloods were, but she had shunned no one for any reason, even when they did it to her.

When Draco was at his loneliest, after taking the Mark and paranoia was his constant companion, Luna would always find him. He never spoke to her, but she spoke to him, about anything and everything. Her soft voice had been soothing even when he wasn't registering her stories about nargles or horcacks. Draco however distinctly remembered how the only person she ever talked about at length was Harry. "You were the only current event she bothered keeping track of, even during the summer."

"You talk with Luna that often?" Harry asked, the surprise clear in his voice.

"Luna may be looney, but she was never prejudiced and took no one else's opinion into account when choosing her friends. Even if I spoke rudely to her, which I did in the beginning, she would seek me out, unbothered. Before Hermione and you lot took me in, I would count Lovegood as a true friend." Draco rolled his eyes at the incredulous look on Harry's face, "Anyway, besides the Quibbler and her magical creatures, I always knew she would bring you up. I didn't think of it until now, but Luna's practically in love with you. You've got Hermione willing to die for you and Luna willing to assist in that suicide mission to keep you alive. I don't know if that's impressive or horrible."

For his part. Harry frowned, "Neither of them should be doing any of this."

"Yes, well, it's already done. Uncle says he won't let Hermione die for him. I don't know what he has planned, but he's going to do anything and everything in his power to save her and by extension you." Draco hoped Harry understood the gravity of everything happening around him and for him. Hopefully, the Gryffindor would start being a little more grateful.

"He loves her." Harry's voice was just above a whisper.

"So do you."

Harry stopped as they reached the fifth floor and looked over at the Slytherin. "I do. But she loves him back. She is in love with him."

"Yes, she is," Draco felt pity well up inside him as he saw the tears fall on the other young man's cheek. "I think she loves you as well or she wouldn't have gone to such lengths. But between them, regardless of the bond, they understand each other. It's weird to think about but it's genuine."

Harry's shoulders sagged as he seemed to accept the words Draco had spoken. With a deep breath, he turned to the blond, "I think Hermione, Snape, and I need to have a long talk. We want to save her and she won't let us. But we outnumber her."

"First Black working with Uncle and Father and now you want to get buddy-buddy with Uncle too? This war is bringing us all together isn't it?" Draco smirked, trying to bring some levity to the heavy situation. They turned a corner towards Hermione's rooms when Harry stopped Draco in his tracks and pushed him back.

"Harry, what the hell?" Draco hissed.

Harry shushed him, "It's the Professor."

Draco peeked around the corner and watched as the dark man entered the hallway with an unconscious Hermione in his arms. His head was down as he looked at the girl. Snape pressed a kiss to her temple before he began walking in the opposite direction. Draco turned to Harry who was about to call out to the professor. With a wandless silencing charm, the words died on the Gryffindor's lips.

"Wait!" He heatedly whispered to the now irate Harry, "You know he would never hurt her. So let's follow them. I'd like to know what he's up to."

With a nod from Harry, they followed at a distance. It became clear very quickly that the professor was heading to the Room of Requirement with his precious cargo. They settled into a dark alcove and observed as the ex-spy paced the required amount of passes in front of the wall until ornate double doors appeared. Snape seemed to steady himself, bow his head, and then passed through the doors which shut behind him. But unlike previous uses of the magical room, the doors did not disappear. Before Draco could stop him, Harry was already making his way down the hall towards the doors.

The young Slytherin followed quickly after his reckless friend. Draco had a clue about what this was all about based on his godfather's earlier declaration. Part of him wanted to convince Harry not to interfere, but the other part felt like someone should interfere. Who would have thought he would be stuck picking between loyalty to Harry or loyalty to Snape? Harry was already at the doors and Draco found his decision made for him. He followed the messy-haired young man through the doors and down a dim hallway. Harry stopped as the hall turned and then ended, opening up to an expansive and regal room that was more marble than any other stone. It felt like every square inch of the place was imbued with magic.

In the middle of the room, Snape had laid Hermione out on a soft blanket. He sat next to her and gently brushed her hair off her forehead. His long fingers barely touched the skin of his face.

Draco had never seen his godfather be so tender to another human before. He glanced at his companion only to see Harry take a step into the room. Draco grabbed Harry's arm to stop him. He made a gesture to 'wait and listen' knowing that whatever his godfather was doing was probably important. They stayed in the shadows as Snape spoke into the empty room, looking up at the ceiling, through the colored glass to the bright moon above. His skin almost glowed under the light of the ethereal body. It felt wrong to interrupt.

"You'll forgive me for taking this away from you, won't you, sweet girl?" His voice rumbled with exhaustion. Both young men were surprised at the emotion that was so easy to hear as he said the girl's name. "Hermione, I refuse to go into this battle knowing that my death or even just a grave injury would take you from this world. I know you'll balk at me for not giving you a choice in the matter. But to be fair you didn't give me much of a choice when you placed this bond on me." He chuckled mirthlessly. The small smile on his face receded into a serious mask.

"I've considered all the possibilities; what would happen if our bond remains or if it were broken? What would become of your soul when Harry dies? What would happen to you if the Dark Lord got to have his way with me?" Snape paused, taking a deep breath. "That's when I decided the best course of action. To save your soul, Harry has to live. If I'm going to make sure Harry lives, then I can't worry about myself or you. You've already given me more to live for than I've had since Lily…I won't allow you to be harmed even if it kills me."

Draco felt Harry tense next to him. He turned to his dark-haired friend with a questioning look but Harry ignored him, his focus on their potions professor.

"I think she would have liked you, Hermione. She might have been jealous of your brilliant aptitude for all things magical. Lily was the competitive sort. I told you she was intelligent but your brilliance exceeds her by leagues," Snape spoke fondly of whoever this 'Lily,' was, but at each mention of her, Harry twitched. Snape shifted to combing his fingers gently through the crown of Hermione's hair. "You would have forgiven me if that day had happened between us. If I had called you what I called her. You've forgiven Ronald for worse. Not to mention how easily you've welcomed Draco. You are far more forgiving than any of us deserve and I hope you will continue to be so once you wake."

The candid confessions were almost too much for Draco to bear. The affection Snape showed her was done with ease and familiarity. He wondered for a moment what it would be like to feel that way about someone. Or, if he were lucky if someone looked at him and touched him like that.

The professor seemed to gaze at Hermione as if he were trying to memorize her features. "You've captured my heart and soul, as reluctant as I have been. Even before this bond, you had slowly been whittling your way beneath my skin. Silly girl with your free smiles, unerring respect, and indiscriminate Gryffindor nature. This foolish old man had allowed himself innocent fantasies of being cared for by someone like you. To have lived it, to have this bond sing its praises every time we touch is a blessing I am far from worthy of. You have loved me. Me? Severus Snape. And I have loved you. None of that will leave you when this bond is broken. I will still love you, I'm certain. But I will be the one to carry the burden of saving Harry Potter, as I have vowed over and over again since the night I lost Lily."

Who the hell is Lily? Draco thought to himself. It seemed Harry knew the answer to that question based on his twitching and the furrow of his brow. Before he could hiss his question, Snape leaned over Hermione and kissed her forehead, then her cheeks, and finally her lips. Draco felt like he was intruding on something very private but couldn't stop himself from continuing his observance, and neither could Harry.

Snape stood and began conjuring candles and placing them a safe distance away from the unconscious young woman. He continued to speak to her as he moved, "Harry is lucky to have you. I may never understand why you possess any feelings for me, but no one would ever be baffled if you and the Chosen One were to find love in one another. A much better choice than Weasley at the very least. I very much doubt that Potter would make you his broodmare. You have such a bright future ahead of you, love. When this war is over you could do anything, be anything, and nothing would stop you. I never intended to make it to the end, but I promised I wouldn't let you die and this," He paused and gestured to the candles and supplies, "is me keeping that promise. I want you to shine as brightly as your moniker; 'the brightest witch of her age.'" You truly are the brightest witch I have ever had the pleasure of teaching. I wish I could have told you so many things, and praised you for every impressive act you accomplished. I hope I can be there when you undoubtedly fight for the rights of the downtrodden."

He paused again and poured out a circle of salt. Once it seemed all the pieces were in place, he rolled up his sleeves. Then he stood over Hermione, behind her head, and looked down at her prone form. Draco could see the unabashed love in his eyes, fiery and passionate. The softness of his next words made them hard to hear even in the quiet ritual room, "Then you did this. You took my mark away. Healed me. Freed me. The forbidden attraction I had to you paled in comparison to my gratitude, awe, and admiration. Even if I did not love you as ardently as I do now, I would still have made my promises to you. You deserve the world, love. I will grant it to you in my own way."

The air left Draco as he watched the Potions Professor conjure an athame. The moon glinted off the blade as he raised it over his head, then brought it down with a powerful swing. Draco couldn't stop the yell of surprise that erupted from his lips as the sharp dagger cleaved the skin of his forearm spilling blood in rivulets down his elbow onto the face of the girl below him. The blond's attention jerked to the side as Harry moved forward and slashed his wand through the air sending the blade flying.

Severus had hoped the boys would stay at the door, either out of fear or curiosity. He'd noticed them watching when he had set the staging of the ritual but his focus on Hermione stayed his hand. Now he regretted not petrifying them. He ignored the sting of his forearm as he summoned a powerful shield that kept the young men out of the ritual area. Thankfully, the magic from the shield charm would not interfere with the blood magic. But as his blood gushed from his wound, he realized he may have cut too deep. He needed to complete this quickly. Lifting his head, his dark eyes met the familiar green ones across the room. Lily's eyes.

"What the hell are you doing, Snape?" Harry asked, looking angry and concerned.

Ignoring the emotions that rose at the sharp gaze so reminiscent of Harry's mother, Severus glanced at the candle closest to him. As long as he finished the ritual before the last candle died it would still be successful. He glowered at the boy and summoned as much spite as he could, imagining the boy's father in his stead. "This is none of your concern, Potter. Draco petrify him and go back to your dorms! Do as I say!"

The way Draco flinched and raised his wand at the other boy was a triumph and a punch in the gut. He had hoped that he could still instill fear that would push the boy to follow orders, but seeing the regret and guilt on the young man's face made him grimace. Draco started off a spell, but he wasn't fast enough.

"Expelliarmus!" Harry yelled, easily disarming Draco.

Shit. Always with the blasted disarming spell. Does he know nothing else? Did I have that great of an impact on him when I dueled Lockhart in his second year that it's the only spell he remembers? Why does Draco have to be such utter shit at dueling? Snape glanced at the candle nearest to Harry. As long as the boy doesn't break the circle or knock over a candle, the ritual could still work.

Quickly, his mind raced to find some illusion or distraction to buy him time. Remembering the oddest prank he had ever caught the Weasley twins trying to master, he bit his thumb, drawing blood, and recalled the effective illusion with specific movements of his hand. In a movement as if he were breathing fire and the flame were the tip of his thumb, a nine-tailed beast burst forth in a bright blaze. I will need to ban that Eastern text if I don't want a legion of these beasts roaming the grounds for fun. Severus mused to himself as he eyed the fiery but harmless beast.

The fire-born nine-tailed fox could easily be dispelled but the two young men didn't know that. He set the fox to stand between the ritual and the two students. It snarled and snapped its jaws menacingly, causing the interlopers to jump back in fright. With his concentration now split, Snape knew he had to get the ritual finished. Already he was feeling the weakness of blood loss.

"Answer me you great bat! What are you doing to Hermione?" Harry yelled from somewhere across the room. I'm doing you a favor.

"What do you think I'm doing, Potter?" Severus lashed out, already stressed from what he was doing. "I'm removing the blasted bond between me and Hermione so I can do what I've been planning to do for 20 years, keep you safe long enough to kill the Dark Lord."

"You can't do that!" Draco countered, "Hermione would never agree to it! How do you even know it will work?"

"It will work because it has to. Hermione will understand eventually," Severus kept his eyes on her face as his blood dripped on her cheeks. He could feel her magic pulsing in the depth of his being and tried not to think about its coming absence, "I will not let her die to protect me. I will save her soul by keeping Potter alive even if it kills me!"

The younger men protested while dodging the nine-tailed fox. Severus ran through the list of steps in his head. Blasted Eastern magic has to be so bloody complicated. Severus thought to himself as he knelt and began writing runes on Hermione's forehead with his blood. He shook his head when his vision blurred. A flick of his wrist brought out a yellow sheaf of paper with red inscriptions that he laid on her chest, a protection charm from the darker nature of the magic. The ex-spy ignored the shouting of Harry and Draco as he conjured a white string that he reddened with his blood. First tying it to his index finger on the arm he cut, then tying the other end to Hermione's left index finger. His hands were shaking with the effort and adrenaline.

Severus spared the younger men and the surrounding candles a glance before closing his eyes and beginning the chant. He needed to be accurate, one misstep in his words and he could ruin the ritual. His low voice resonated as the Korean Shamanic chant filled the room. As he sank into the rhythmic pattern of the chant, he felt like he'd split in two. A consciousness performing the ritual while the other looked down at the young woman he had come to love. Not for the first time, he marveled at how she was able to find some of these practices. If her notes hadn't included the research on east Asian shamanism, he may have never considered them as the answer to the problem of their bond.

With a final yell, he conjured another blade and cut the red string that connected them. There was a moment of complete stillness then a sonic wave of magic seemed to ripple around the room. A sourceless wind buffeted those present, dispelling the fiery fox, snuffing the candles, and ruining the salt circle. His magic reached out for the familiar fiery pulse of hers. Their magical connection which had brought him so much comfort and solace but would ultimately take everything from him if it remained was gone.

For the first time in months, Severus felt the tear in his soul gaping open. The bond was broken and so was he.

As Harry watched the cord between Snape and Hermione being sliced apart, he knew in his soul that the old potions master loved her in a way that Harry could never fathom. The likelihood of Snape surviving the war was slim to none, especially after his duplicity was made public. Now he had cut his only sure lifeline.

The wind died down, and the room was eerily quiet. The blood that was spilled onto Hermione was gone and the slash through the Professor's forearm had slowed its bleeding. Draco rushed to his godfather's side as Harry followed slowly after him.

"Uncle!" Draco called out as he reached Snape, grabbing his shoulder. He adjusted his grip to welcome the older man into his arms. To Harry's surprise, Snape slumped against Draco's shoulder. He whispered, his voice dripping with concern, "Godfather? What do you need?"

Unable to look away, Harry took in the weakened form of the great potions master. Exhaustion softened Snape's usually sharp features; his skin pale and slick with sweat. His whole body was trembling. The whisper he emitted paled compared to the commanding and deep voice Harry was used to. Draco was shifting his eyes between him and Snape as if he didn't know who he should be comforting. The blond finally turned his full attention to his godfather. "Draco…potions, I need my potions."

"I've got you, Uncle," Draco assured Snape despite the tremble in his voice and hand as he summoned the potions with a silent accio.

His mind was a whirlwind of conflicting emotions. Harry didn't know how to accept this version of Snape. Separating years of his verbal barbs and unending loathing from the man he had revealed himself to be felt like an impossible feat. Snape had always been a bitter and confrontational man, but now the layers were peeling back with each sacrifice. Snape's love for Hermione was undeniable, and it shook Harry to his core. His fists clenched and unclenched at his sides, his eyes darting between Snape's pale face and Hermione's still form. He wanted to hate Snape, but all he could feel was a deep, unsettling respect.

Looking away from the complicated man, Harry knelt next to Hermione, taking her hand in his. Her skin was comfortably warm and her breathing was even. Harry blocked out Snape's broken voice as he checked Hermione was physically alright and merely unconscious. But hearing the weakness in the man's voice woke something in him.

As his thoughts spiraled, Harry could feel the darkness within him closing in around the edges of his psyche. That's not what he's supposed to sound like. The bad is supposed to sneer and throw insults and sound superior. He's supposed to be selfish and hateful and the epitome of a Slytherin. He's supposed to be someone worthy of hate. Unable to stop the sudden burst of vindictive energy, Harry shoved Draco away and grabbed Snape by the collar.

"What the hell are you playing at? Why would you sacrifice the only sure thing that would keep you alive?!" He snapped at Snape who winced. Rather than glowering at him or responding, the ex-spy raised an eyebrow. "Don't look at me like that, Snape. What the hell are you and Dumbledore planning?"

That got a reaction from the dark man who glared hard at him. Snape growled but did not move from Draco's supportive grip., "Do not compare me to that manipulative old fool. I would not sacrifice Hermione the way he would. You and I both want Hermione to survive this, but she won't if she is still bonded to me."

"How long have you known how to break the bond? Why are you suddenly breaking it now?" Harry countered. It had occurred to him earlier that this wasn't a spontaneous attempt, that it had taken preemptive measures and proactive planning.

Snape rubbed his face in exasperation. He ground out, "I was not sure if it would work. But I had to try something. I… I couldn't let her die for me."

"But your magic could have saved her too! It was a two-way bond! What if she gets injured when the battle finally comes?!" Harry shook the man, panic taking hold. He could feel the darkness inside him closing in the way it had on Christmas. Startled, he released the professor. Harry sat back and covered his face while catching his breath.

"I have no intention of allowing Hermione to fight. If I have my way both of you will be safely ensconced somewhere while I kill the bastard. But at the very least I could be at your side and she would be safely locked in her rooms or the dungeons. I have spared her a death from her connection to me. I will make sure you aren't responsible for her spiritual death even if it means having to force Miss Lovegood's hand." There was a finality and determination in his voice that Harry couldn't argue with.

"Both of you are such idiots. She's going to kill you when she wakes up, Uncle." Draco mumbled as he cast cleansing charms on Snape. "We don't know what kind of oath Hermione asked of Luna. For all we know it was an Unbreakable Vow and if we interfere, it might kill them both. Frankly, I doubt you could convince Luna to reverse it, anyway. She's not completely clueless as to why Hermione did it all in the first place. She agreed to it, remember?"

That finally took the wind out of Harry's sails. He did his best to calm himself until the darkness inside him receded. If I can't make Luna remove it then my only hope to save Hermione is not to die. The only people who could stop that from happening are Dumbledore and Snape. Maybe it doesn't matter if I'm the 'Chosen One' if we can end this another way.

"He slipped me a potion," Hermione said to herself as she sat in her mind library. She didn't know how long she had been unconscious but it had taken a while for her consciousness to awaken enough to find the library. "Severus, what in the world are you doing?"

She had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach, her insides rolling and tumbling. Searching for the bond she could feel the heat of it but couldn't feel him. He was blocking her again, obviously wanting to keep whatever plans he had a secret. Hermione tried to will herself into wakefulness but her body wouldn't cooperate. Whatever he had dosed her with was strong and would not yield to her no matter what she tried.

"Severus, what in Merlin's name are you planning?" She spoke to herself as she circled her library and located the most recent memories. Reliving the moments before she had slipped into consciousness painted her cheeks with a blush. He had never been so open with his feelings before. So vulnerable and so unabashed in his expression of his ardor for her.

Hermione sat at her desk and closed her eyes. She recalled the feel of his body against hers, the intoxicating scent of spices and wood smoke, and of course, the way he had kissed her. Then she remembered that the very first moments they had kissed, there was an unfamiliar sweetness to his lips. He dosed me with a kiss.

"You bastard. Did Harry tell you how I got him locked in that room?" Hermione smirked to herself. It was oddly gratifying to know that he had pulled a trick that she had inspired. Then she faltered again, remembering how they had yelled at each other at the meeting. She hadn't wanted him to know that she had taken a wand oath with Luna that same day. His anger was justified to an extent. But who was he to tell her what to do with her life?

"He's your person, your twin flame, your match, Hermione."

Luna's voice seemed to float around her pulling her back into the memory of their most recent conversation.

"He's important to me. More than I ever thought he would be," Hermione responded as they sat in her sitting room. Luna was wandering around the perimeter of the room, running her fingertips along the spines of the many books on her shelves.

"He's your soulmate. Well, soulmates aren't real but if they were, he would be yours." The Ravenclaw's ethereal voice was so assured even in its calmness.

"And Harry is yours?" She asked, hesitantly. It wasn't until the beginning of term that Hermione learned about Luna's feelings for Harry. Though if she thought about it, it made sense. She was the calm boat in the storm of his life.

Luna sighed heavily and sat down next to her on the couch. She fixed herself a far-too-sweet cup of tea before continuing, "Someone can be the love of my life while I am not theirs."

Hearing her say that was heartbreaking in its own right. "Don't say that Luna. Harry is just stressed and confused. After everything fell out between him and Ginny, he misdirected his affections to me. I'm sorry I let him think we were closer than we were when I lost my memory."

"No need to apologize," Luna smiled softly at her, "That was unfortunate but I knew you didn't truly return his feelings like that. You aren't obligated to ignore your feelings even if I have my own either, Hermione."

"So you knew I considered it?" Hermione prodded.

"I think it would be more odd if you hadn't tried to see him in that light considering how close you are. But now that you have Severus, I think we both know that what you feel for Harry isn't romantic," Luna once more was unphased by their candid conversation, "It's different when you kiss the Professor than it is when you kiss Harry."

Hermione blushed, "Yes. It's very different."

"What will you do now? I'm sorry I told him we had made the oath today. When he's angry, I am reminded that he is a professor and demands the truth." Luna dropped her head, ashamed.

"I think it's time that Severus and I, and Harry too, have a long conversation about the three of us not dying." Hermione chuckled at the morbid idea.

Luna also couldn't stop a giggle from escaping, "Three of the most sacrificing people to walk into Hogwarts and you're all supposed to come to a compromise. I wish you luck, Hermione."

"Thank you, Luna." Hermione let her giggles die down before she posed another question to her friend, "Luna, will you ever tell Harry that you love him? He'll wonder why you agreed to my plan and I don't think he will accept that you did it merely because I asked."

The blonde seemed to think long and hard on this question, "I don't think I will have to explain myself to Harry. He will know."

"Hermione"

At the sound of her name being called and the feeling of being shaken by the shoulders, Hermione's eyes opened. It was dark, but the moon shone through the familiar stained glass on the ceiling. She squinted her eyes as she adjusted to wakefulness. This place? How did I get here? Why does my head hurt?

"Hey there curly-q," Draco teased, looking relieved as he looked down at her. His hands were on her shoulders, presumably from shaking her earlier. His voice sounded too loud in the empty room. "How are you feeling?"

Hermione's head throbbed, she felt groggy and disoriented. She shut her eyes tight and tried to recall what she was doing back in the Room of Requirement. Shifting into her mind and flicking through her short-term memory an unfamiliar emptiness made itself known. There was a gaping hole where Severus's magic used to dwell. Her hand found her chest, clutching at her heart like it may give out.

Panicked, she opened her eyes and looked around the room. Struggling to sit until Harry's warm presence came to her side and helped her up. Draco was next to her, the blanket beneath her was from her room, and there were remnants of salt, candles, and blood. Then finally she found him. Propped up against a far wall was Severus, looking worse for wear and closed off. He however would not meet her eyes.

"Hermione, what's wrong?" Harry asked from her side. With his hand on her arm, she looked down and could see their bond, shrouding him and tethered to her. A wave of relief crashed over her when she found Vittas Vitae intact. Once more she reached for the bond with Severus and felt nothing. Her heart raced, sweat beading at her temples. She raised her brown eyes and found the deep dark gaze of Severus finally directed at her.

It's gone. The epiphany hit her like a ton of bricks. He broke the bond. Tears welled up in her eyes blurring her vision and her breath came out in panicked huffs. "No, no, no, no, you didn't. Why did you? Severus, what have you done?"

"Hermione, you need to calm down. We can explain but if you continue like this, you'll give yourself a panic attack," Draco put a soothing arm around her and brushed her hair from her face, trying his best to comfort her. But her eyes were boring into Severus's.

"Answer me! You broke the bond! How could you?" Her voice broke as the loss of his magic inside her left an acute feeling of emptiness. Still, he did not speak. Hermione didn't know whether to be angry. She should have expected this, he had said as much during the meeting. There was no sign that he had meant to implement the change so soon, let alone that he knew how. "You've known how to break the bond all along?"

Finally, he spoke, the familiar sneer of disdain on his face. "No. But I did not figure it out… recently. Neither did you. We both didn't break it. One of us had to be proactive."

Hermione wanted to lunge at the man and wipe the smirk off his face. "The bond was good for us! The bond was to protect you!"

"I do not need your protection, insolent girl!" Severus pushed off the wall propelled by his anger. "Who are you to protect me? I promised you, I swore to you that you would not die. I keep my promises, Miss Granger."

The sudden use of her last name was sobering. He was already drawing a line between them. Hermione tried to stand, to fight him but her body wouldn't listen. Her limbs felt heavy as logs, reminding her that she had only recently been discharged from the hospital wing.

"You'll be weak for at least another day. Mister Potter and Mister Malfoy will take you back to your dorms." With those parting words, Severus left without turning back. Only then, as he walked away from her, did she notice the blood on his arm. A deep inhale flooded her nose with the scent of blood. She looked down at herself and saw her clothing speckled with the red liquid.

At that moment, everything seemed to catch up to Hermione for the first time since her parents had been killed. The bond that had protected her with a comfort that had filled the gaping hole in her chest was gone and now everything was flooding in, rising to the surface, begging for attention.

The tears came quickly and tracked her face in rivulets. She became aware of her body shaking and her breath hitching in her throat. Her mind was hurtling through the last 8 months and seemed to halt during her time at Malfoy Manor. Severus's love and magic had helped her bypass the trauma of the ordeal but now that he was lost to her, it consumed her. Like a demented slideshow of suffering, she remembered all that her body had suffered at the hands of Voldemort and Fenrir. The mental block that Severus had built for her had left with him.

Hermione did not realize she was nearly screaming with grief. She did not hear her wails of heartrending pain nor did she know she gripped the hands of the two boys next to her so hard she drew blood.

Across the room, down the short hallway, and before the doors that would lead out into the castle, Severus listened and tucked his heartbreak behind wall after wall of occlusion.

A/N

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