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Chapter Text

When Hermione had learnt of animagi she'd be fascinated.

When she'd seen McGonnagol transform from a cat to a woman on the fly she'd been awestruck.

When she saw how Sirius black managed to escape from Azkaban as a dog, and Peter Pettigrew attempted to hide in plain sight as as rat... she'd been obsessed.

It had taken her 6 months, but she'd done it.

The boys had of course worked through it with her , it felt right somehow, that the three of them do it together , just like the marauders had back in the day. Pettigrew aside.

Though Hermione managed it half way through her 4th year, 6 months after starting, it was half way through 5th year before Harry managed his form and now they were well into 6th year and Ron still hadn't shown any signs of a form.

Not even a partial transformation.

Her form however?

She'd been so pleased to have a form at all, but had been half expecting to come through as an Otter like her patronus, which she supposed she'd have been content with...but the other half of her was expecting her to be something small and unremarkable like a mouse or a hamster.

Something mundane, Ordinary, Plain.

But she loved her form.

Proud , Strong, Protective...fierce.

A lioness.

A very large , barbary lioness.

She loved it and she was immensely proud of it.

The forbidden forest did not frighten her anymore, not when she stalked through it on a night as a lioness.

oOo

When Harry found his form a year later, it had of course been a Stag , could he have ever been anything else?

Unlike his father however , who's animagus form was a red deer , Harry rose more than just a head and shoulders above... as a great Elk.

Gentle looking it may be, Bambi he was not.

The 16 point rack of antlers as dangerous as any blade would give anyone a run for their money.

It was hard for the two friends to watch Ron struggle to find a form.

He was convinced he would manage it someday , but they all knew that some witches and wizards were just incapable of changing.

Animagi were very rare and it was something that was inherent in your blood , you either were or weren't an animagus and there was nothing you could do to become one if it just wasn't in your blood.

And though they continued to support their friend, both Hermione and Harry feared he would never have a form , and what repercussions it may cause between the 3 friends.

oOo

The first time Hermione hunted as lioness, she'd been mortified.

She knew as an animagus , her instincts would bleed through in her day to day life.

Both her and Harry had noted changes since they found their form.

Harry was much more perceptive, his quidditch skills were even better as both his ability to track movement grew exponentially as did his speed and reflexes.

Hermione's sense of smell was through the roof, and her hearing greatly improved, her potions were now infallible as she could scent the best ingredients and hear the change in the bubbling potion.

Their personal traits were more emphasised too, whereas Hermione had always 'mothered' her friends, she was even more protective and nurturing of them now and Harry was even more proud and quick tempered, though fiercely protective of his friends. Especially his female friends , whom he liked to 'herd' around him , so he knew where they were at all times.

None of them were bad things really.

Even if Harry did butt heads a bit more with some of the boys.

But when she'd gone for a run in the forest one night , after skipping dinner , she'd found herself stalking an acromantula.

Instinct had dropped her into a crouch and had her shuffling on her belly through the grass , and when it ran she gave chase.

Eventually she'd brought it down and a sharp crack of her jaws had ended its's life.

She was about to bite into it when she'd scented something else on the air.

Horse. But not.

Man. But not.

Centaurs.

Her first thought as the herd surrounded her was to apologise for hunting on their land , as they'd mistakenly trespassed before and had to apologise to the herd.

Then her second thought was...hunting?

I just...hunted.

and Killed.

And was going to eat a damn acromantula!

The centaurs had chuckled when the lioness had jumped away from the spider with a yowl , frantically attempting to spit and rubbing her tongue with her paws as if to rid herself of the taste.

"Peace lionheart , you hunt well"

She'd groaned then , and tried not to inhale a rather appetising scent coming from one of the centaurs.

Embarrassment aside, she was still hungry dammit.

"Perhaps we could come to some arrangement ? The young acromantula are a blight on this forest, their meat is a delicacy to us but they are so low to the ground that we struggle to hunt them. We have to crush them beneath our hooves but that leaves us open to being bitten in less than desirable places" The Stallion grinned and a few others chuckled around her.

"You however brought down that acromantula with more ease than our whole hunting party could have done , and it seems the meat is not to your taste?"

She shook her head and the centaurs once more chuckled at the visual of the lioness shaking her head.

"Perhaps if you bring down any more on or around our lands, we can offer an exchange ?" He threw something towards her from his pouch and instinct had her snapping it out of the air.

It was some kind of roasted meat, and it made her mouth water as she bolted it down.

She also decided then and there not to ask them what it was, because she had a feeling she didn't want to know.

Thus her bond with the centaurs was born.

And with it opened the doors to the other inhabitants of the forest.

Hippogriffs, unicorns, Thestrals.

She was 'herd' now to the centaurs and other hoofed inhabitants of the forest.

Pride, the inner lioness saw them as.

Family.

They would hunt together, play together and read together.

She learned the call of the herd, and they learned her growls and lows so they could hunt together.

Harry was supportive, but he didn't understand.

He didn't have that instinct.

The urge to hunt, to provide for her pride, her family.

oOo

Voldemort soon got tired of waiting and after his humiliating defeat at the battle of mysteries at the end of their fifth year, he became obsessed.

Death eater attacks were becoming more frequent, more reckless.

There were more casualties from both sides, as Voldemort's followers became desperate to appease their insane master.

Every failure was punished , so they got more and more desperate and more and more careless.

But it wasn't enough.

It was how when Voldemort got tired of waiting...a Chimaera came to be in the forbidden forest.

Now Chimaera are as dangerous beasts as they come.

With the body and head of a large lion with the back end of a goat, including the sharply cloven hooves and the tail of a dragon, just as sharp and deadly as the hungarian horntail itself.

But what made Chimaera's even more dangerous, and unique amongst among magical beasts was they resisted magic.

Even an Avada would not so much as tickle one.

The top duellers wore vests made from Chimaera hide, which would take the brunt of most spells even though the animal was dead, and which was exorbitantly expensive as it usually took a team of specialised unspeakables to trap and kill one.

It was Chimaera hair that was the core of the magic suppressant cuffs used in Azkaban prison , preventing prisoners from using magic.

Predatory , vicious and deadly.

Chimaera killed without conscience, hunted mercilessly and left most any who would stand in their way dead.

oOo

The three of them were sat on the grounds, by the edge of the forest. They had brought a 'picnic' out with them as they studied on the grass.

They heard it first.

The roaring.

She'd paused and cocked her head.

Harry had frozen at her look as Ron continued on unaware.

"Hermione?" He questioned but she raised her hand to get him to stop speaking.

After a moment she shook her head , as though clearing her thoughts.

"Nothing...I thought I heard-"

It came again, the deep bellowing roar , closer this time. Close enough for Harry to hear it too.

"What is that ?

His head was whipping side to side as he attempted to scan the forest for movement.

"I'm not sure I..."

Suddenly a scent on the wind hit her , one that was so foreign and yet strangely and vaguely familiar.

"It smells like... the defence room?"

It was Harry's words that connected the dots in her mind.

Foreign Smell , yet familiar.

Familiar because she was partly lion herself.

Familiar because they used duelling vests in the defence against the dark arts room.

"Harry..." Hermione whimpered as a morsmorde lit up the sky above the dark forest causing students to cry out in panic.

"Harry...it's a Chimaera"

oOo

Students were fleeing into the castle and screaming in panic as Hermione turned to Ron and Harry , both of which were fellow prefects , just as Neville, Dean and Seamus ran up to them.

"What's going on ?" They gasped.

"Chimaera, there's a Chimaera in the forest! Voldemort must have brought it here" Harry snapped out and the three boys paled.

"Wait, aren't the 5th year Gryffindors and Ravenvclaws in the forest with Sprout ?" Neville asked quickly

and Harry paled "Ginny's in the forest!? "

"The first year slytherins are too! " Hermione gasped , remembering Hagrid telling them that the students were going to see the newborn thestrals.

"Luna will be there too!" Neville gasped out, then the boys seemed more focused on Harry though as he ripped of his robe and began shifting heedless of the audience, eyes darkening and antlers sprouting from his head.

A voice pulsed at the back of her head.

The little ones are in danger.

"Ron! Get Mcgonnagol, Snape and Dumbledore...tell them there's a chimaera in the forest and there are students in there!" She snapped out a growl, her teeth elongating into fangs and eyes turning golden.

The boy turned tail and fled towards the castle, tripping over his feet and firing off his patronus as he went... the lively jack russell shooting off in the opposite direction as he did.

Seamus and Dean began running to herd up stray students while Neville stayed alongside Harry.

"We have to get to them" Harry snapped out as he began to run

"What about the Slytherins?" Hermione shot back.

"Fuck the slytherins" Harry lowed "Ginny is out there!"

"And Luna!" Neville added

Then Harry shifted fully and the great elk let out a deep bellow as it began to scratch the ground, Neville didn't need to be told twice and was grabbing an antler as a handle and jumping onto the great elks back.

Hermione was running beside.

Her heart torn. Luna and Ginny were her friends.

But she saw Harry bolt through the treeline with Neville in tow, and Seamus and Dean were running back with brooms along with a number of other students.

All headed to the north side of the forest.

To the Gryffindors and Ravenclaws.

She made her decision.

Shifting as she broke through the treeline she veed south.

Alone.

Towards the Slytherins.

Chapter Text

MAJOR CHARACTER DEATHS IN THIS CHAPTER (And this story as a whole)
VIOLENCE
BLOOD & GORE

Her heart was pounding in her chest, as she propelled herself through the woods at breakneck speed.

She'd sent her patronus off to Hagrid in warning, but knew the half giant would not be able to respond to her.

It had returned to her, chattering nervously and she didn't know what that meant, or if it had even reached Hagrid in time.

She pushed harder, increasing her speed and following the unfamiliar smell.

As she ran, she bellowed, deep low sounds of warning to the herd.

To all that heard her, the message was clear.

Danger.

Danger in the forest.

Protect your young.

Protect your elders.

There is danger in the forest.

The message was received.

She heard the commotion from the tree tops as Hippogriffs and Thestrals broke through the canopy as they took wing, calling their grateful responses to her warning.

The centaurs blew hunting horns, their answer We will come

She heard them in the distance but their land was a long way from her and even at a gallop it would take time to traverse that much forest.

Time she may not have.

oOo

She knew the second she was within range.

The roaring.

The screaming.

The worrying smell of blood.

She broke through the treeline, transforming quickly back to her human self as she saw the terrified group of children.

One of them had managed to cast a weak protego around them and they were huddled in a group of 13 of them, some had blood on their robes.

The protego would do nothing but they obviously didn't know that.

And the scared bunch of pure-blooded children in front of her, had no clue how to protect themselves without magic.

"It's alright it's me, where-"

"Hermione!" One of the young girls shouted pointing behind her.

A low snarl came from behind her and her stomach dropped at the sight that met her eyes.

The Chimaera.

It was huge.

And it's face was bloody when it lifted it's head from it's victim.

Hagrid.

She was too late.

Seconds too late.

It was obvious he'd put himself between the chimaera and the children but it looks like the beast had sank it's teeth into his throat.

A sob caught in her mouth but as another terrible snarl rent the air, she knew she had no time to mourn her friend right now.

I must protect the little ones

Mind rushing she contemplated her next actions.

There was no way the children could outrun the Chimaera if it gave chase. Even if by some miracle they did manage to outrun it, it was doubtful they'd be able to find their way back to the castle... and a group of scared 10 and 11 year olds getting lost in the forest would be certain death, especially when it came to nightfall.

There was only one thing for it.

"CLIMB THE TREES, HELP EACH OTHER GET OFF THE GROUND!" She shouted to the frightened children and then leapt into action, shifting once more into her form as the Chimaera lunged toward her.

oOo

She managed to dodge it's first attack.

Even in her Lioness form it was larger than her, heavier and stronger.

But that meant she at least had the advantage of speed and manoeuvrability.

Though she knew if it pinned her, as it had Hagrid, she'd be dead.

She'd hoped to lead it away from the clearing, make it give chase and draw it away from the children.

Though when it decided the young slytherins would be easier prey than the evasive lioness she had no choice but to press an attack.

As the Chimaera lunged for the children, she lunged for it. Sinking her teeth into it's serpentine tail.

The beast bellowed out a pained roar and then it's angry attentions were once more on her.

She was not however, prepared for how flexible its tail was.

Adorned with spikes as it was, she was expecting the tail to be no more controllable than her own, or that of other mammals.

Instead, the reptilian tail slashed back at her with all the prehensile abilities of a large snake and she felt the dull thud of the jarring impact with her shoulder.

Her adrenaline was pumping, masking most of the pain though she knew the wound was bad when she felt the heat of her blood as it spilled down her arm and smelled the coppery scent permeating the air as it decorated the leaves beneath her in a deep crimson gryffindor red.

The pained yowl that escaped her could not be held back, but this was no time to lick her wounds.

Fight or flight.

Her body screamed at her

Fight or flight.

There was no question. She would not leave the children to this beast.

Fight it is

She swiped back quickly, using it's tail as a club had left its flank exposed and she felt her claws rend the flesh on goatlike back end.

It kicked out in responce, the cloven hooves making a powerful enough impact on her rib for her to hear it crack.

The pain and the strength of the kick knocked her back a few paces, and the Chimaera pressed the advantage, once more lunging at her.

She used her strong calf muscles to propel her into a leap out of the way, and the Chimaera ended up with a face full of dirt as it face-planted into the ground where she'd been not a fraction of a second before.

Whipping around she pounced onto it's back , attempting to sink her teeth into its neck.

But it was no good, it's mane was too dense and she could't get a hold of it's neck.

The spiked club tail, wielded like a mace smacked into her side and sent her sprawling onto the ground.

Her forceful impact with the ground knocked the wind out of her, but she'd had the frame of mind to sink all of her claws into the beasts hide when she saw the dragon like tail coming, so when she was propelled off it's back the forceful movement of her body dragged her claws through it's hide, shredding it like so much paper.

It Howled in anger , and turned to asses the damage as blood flowed freely from it's back, that second of hesitation was all it took for Hermione to be on her feet once more.

They circled each other , snarls and growls rending the air.

It held its tail in the air threateningly, slashing it through the air.

That tail needs to go. She thought.

When suddenly it lunged at her.

She feinted to the side, but it still managed to get in a good swipe with it's claws, dragging shallowly but painfully down her rib cage, tearing the skin.

However she managed to get a good bite to it's shoulder, sinking her teeth in roughly leaving a deep puncture wound that bled profusely.

The sound of thundering hooves suddenly penetrated the clearing.

The centaurs were here.

The three centaur stallions burst into the clearing, then reared back in shock at the sight of the Chimaera.

Roaring threateningly the Chimaera turned it's attentions to them, but Hermione quickly swiped at it's side.

NO! She roared to the centaurs.

Strong though the centaurs may be, their hide was not as strong as hers but delicate like a horses.

Their legs fast, but fragile.

A good lunge from this beast would cripple them.

And a crippled centaur was a dead centaur.

Save the young!

Margorian & Bane immediately followed her command and went for the students that were in the trees.

Each dragging down and taking 2 upon their back, with promises to return for the others.

But Ronan.

Young, Impulsive Ronan.

He raised his spear with a war cry and lunged for the Chimaera

RONAN DON'T!

But it was too late.

As the colt galloped towards it, the Chimaera's tail with bone-breaking force, swept his legs out from under him, bringing him violently down to the ground where he lay unmoving.

She tried to get to him, he was family but in her distraction she'd dropped her guard and gotten too close.

She caught movement at the corner of her eye and then sharp blinding pain as the claws rent down the side of her face.

An anguished howl tore from her as she felt rivulets of hot blood running down her face.

The Chimaera turned and pounced on the felled centaur who was unsuccessfully trying to get up , legs quite obviously broken.

He met her eyes, and she saw the resignation there, the apology.

Her stomach lurched as she watch the chimaera sink it's teeth into the stallions throat and his body go lax in responce, but not before he wrapped his arms around it's neck pulling it closer into his embrace.

A part of her screamed inside as she felt his life leave him.

Herd. Pride. Family. Brother.

It had it's head down jaws clamped around the centaurs throat, as it tried to pull its way out of his arms, now so much dead weight.

It's back legs and tail raised in the air.

With a snarl she launched herself at it's rear and clamped her jaw fully around the base of its tail.

It roared in anger and she felt the cloven hooves kicking at her once more as it struggled to break out of the dead centaurs arms.

Face, legs, ribs.

Each impact bringing the dull and aching pressure of broken bones, along with the burning heat of sliced skin.

But she held fast , until panicking it lifted both back legs and kicked her full force in the side.

She skidded to a stop a good 6 feet away from the beast but it was screaming and yowling as it turned to inspect its flank.

Look all you want you fucker, it's not going to change anything. Ran through her head as she spat the severed tail on the ground.

She heard the centaurs returning, as she circled the Chimaera, she felt through the bond she shared with them that they'd traded the children with the younger colts halfway through the forest.

They were taking them to Hogwarts , so the stronger and faster stallions could return for the rest.

2 more students pulled down by each stallion , another 4 on their way to safety , that was 8 so far with 5 still huddling frightened in the trees.

She just had to keep going.

Just a bit more

She was willing to let it kill her, as long as the children were out of harms way.

Just a bit more.

Just a bit longer.

oOo

Without it's tail the Chimaera grew more angry and restless

It pressed the attack more, giving her little time to recover.

The lack of tail helped, but it by no way gave her an advantage.

He was still bigger, stronger and heavier

All things that would not diminish as they fought on.

Even dead he would be bigger and heavier than her.

But her speed was waning, along with her strength.

She didn't know how long she'd been fighting though it felt like days.

They each swiped at , clawed and bit each other.

She had numerous broken bones she knew, and it was only adrenaline that was keeping her on her feet.

oOo

He was circling her, wounded, bleeding, angry.

Lowing at her.

Angry little bellows.

She snarled back.

This was the most damage he'd probably ever taken she thought to herself.

It made him reckless, made him angry.

He lunged at her, and she dropped into a crouch causing him to overshoot... effectively leaping over her.

She swiped her claws at his underbelly as he passed over her, at a very sensitive part of him.

No more baby Chimaeras

But she wasn't prepared for the kick that got her.

A sharp snap had his cloven hoof planted right under her chin, right into her throat.

She shook with pain, her breath came with mouthful's of bloody foam.

The Chimaera turned from her when the centaurs returned, Margorian grabbed 2 more students but try as she might she could not get any sound to escape her mouth to warn them , and before Bane could grab 2 of the remaining 3 the Chimaera pounced on his flank bringing him to the ground as his mouth latched around the centaurs neck with a sickening crack.

Hermione felt the bile in her stomach rise as she heaved bloody breaths and watched the centaurs body continue to twitch, legs jerking as though trying to run from his side, though she knew he was dead, neck broken.

The Chimaera turned to her once more, where she stood on shaking legs.

There was blood and gore around its face, how much belonging to the others and how much to her she did not know.

But the tufts of mane were definitely not hers, and her heart hurt remembering how vain Bane had been about his palomino locks.

She was passed tired.

Passed weary.

But the sobs of the children in the trees kept her going.

3 more.

Just 3 more then she can rest.

Margorian returned, grabbed two leaving just one in the tree.

Her moment of distraction cost her.

It lunged and she fought.

They tangled, bit and clawed but she was beyond exhausted.

Suddenly a kick landed, hard yet glancing on her side and she fell.

The kick sliced deep into her flank and she turned with a groan, from her position on the floor.

There was blood and gore leaking from the wound, and she could clearly see some organ or other on the verge of escaping it too.

She fought to stand , but could not.

Her legs gave way and she laid on her side.

The chimaera turned to her fallen body scenting the gore in the air.

Tongue running over its front teeth.

She listened hard and could hear staff in the distance.

Good.

They would be here soon, The last student would be rescued, and the Chimaera would be distracted enough with eating her corpse for them to get away safely.

It approached her , drooling and teeth flashing impossibly white.

Finally.

Finally I can rest.

It was a hairsbreadth from her throat when instead of its teeth sinking into her neck and giving her the sweet release of oblivion, there was a dull thunk and a muffled yowl from the beast.

What?

"Over Here!"

Thunk

"Leave her alone!"

Thunk

With a snarl the beast began to turn away from her.

No that's not right

She managed to raise her head enough to see the beast turning from her towards the last child in the tree.

No come back

Thunk

She was throwing acorns, or pine-cones.

Something that was growing in the tree.

Throwing them at the Chimaera, trying to stop it from making the killing blow.

And it turn making it turn towards the girl.

The girl had managed to get high into the tree

High enough to be safe? Maybe

Though as a lion she could climb fairly well, the Chimaera's back end had cloven hooves and it would struggle.

It lunged up at the tree as she forced herself into an upright position, even as the motion caused the organs to pulse and press against the wound in her side.

Sure enough it fell pretty quickly.

But it had realised something. 

The tree shook and tilted when he'd lunged at it.

With a growl it threw itself heavily at the trunk and the girl screamed as she nearly fell from the branches.

No no no

She was forcing herself to her feet, forcing herself to push through the pain that rocked her body

She managed to drag herself, practically crawling on her belly towards the beast.

it was so distracted it didn't see her coming.

Her eyes scanned the beast planning her attack.

Closer she got , leaving a trail of blood behind her.

She waited, it reared upwards exposing it's underbelly and knowing it was the last thing she might do she lunged.

Reaching from underneath it, her fangs sank into the underside of its throat.

It groaned and pushed at her with its claws, but she would not release despite the pain.

She could hear the staff clearly now, mere minutes away.

Minerva and Albus in the distance, but Snape was closer and remembering the man throwing himself between her and a werewolf, she knew he would protect the last girl with his life.

Her jaws locked tighter and she shook her head side to side agitating the wound.

With a final pained bellow the chimaera did just as she'd hoped,  though her stomach sank, literally , as it further opened the wound on her side as frantic to escape it pulled backwards, away from her grasp , planting its feet in its chest to push her away.

In doing so, she did just what she had done before when she rent its side with her claws.

She used it's own force against it, and as she fell backwards with the force of the kick, she made sure she took the chunk of its throat with her.

It gave a few twitches as blood sprayed out of the neck wound , then it fell upon her like so much dead weight and she closed her eyes and embraced her own darkness.

Chapter Text

WARNING: - If you don't like gore and violence...Why are you here? Like seriously...do not read.

The bodies of the centaurs, Bane and Ronan, along with the huge form of Hagrid, littered the clearing.

And his snake...the first year girl was on the floor over the huge form of the Chimaera, crying and...tugging on it's mane?

Instincts sprang into him and he was running forward, physically grabbing the small girl from the floor, yanking her into his arms and carrying her back away from the downed beast.

But something was wrong, something was terribly wrong. The girl was screaming, crying and fighting him to be released.

"NO! No it's dead, Hermione killed it and it's crushing her ! I have to get it off of her!"

Dead? Hermione? Granger? What the fuck...

"She's an animagus! A lioness ! She fought it and saved us, but she's hurt and when she killed it, it fell on her!"

He dropped the girl in his shock as he now realised that the unmoving Chimaera was well and truly dead, and the girl ran back and began pulling at the Chimaera once more.

Lurching into action he was running forward and he grabbed hold of the things mane and tried to drag it back, but it was damned heavy. He felt the muscles in his neck tensing, as a vein throbbed at his temple and sweat ran down his back, but he gritted his teeth and put the full force of his strength behind it.

Minerva and Albus appeared and tried to levitate the thing but it would not budge, until with a great heaving breath, and thanks to years of hefting cauldrons, he finally got the beast to move to the side enough for him to see Hermione.

Then promptly dragged the young girl away and towards the staff, as he vomited all over the floor and possibly his boots.

"MINERVA! Get her out of here!" He gasped out, pushing the young snake towards her.

"NO! No she has to be alright! She saved me! Hermione!"

The girl was fighting him, trying to get a look at Hermione but he threw her over his shoulder and physically carried her away to Minerva.

"Severus ? What on earth?" Minerva asked but he blocked her view as she too tried to approach, looking beseechingly at Albus, paler than he'd ever been.

"Miss Granger saved them all, she fought it in her Animagus form as a lioness, the chimaera is dead... take my snake to the hospital wing Minerva"

"But Hermione.."

He moved to block her way, going as far as to physically push her back with a hand.

"You do not want to see this Minerva. Take my snake back to the hospital wing. Please."

She reluctantly went with the girl, at Albus's insistence but when Margorian burst into the clearing he took the situation in and ran straight to Hermione, the strong stallion dragging the Corpse of the Chimaera the rest of the way off the girl.

"She's not dead!"

oOo

Margorian bellowed and Severus was turning heel and sprinting back to the side of the fallen girl as Albus quickly sent his patronus to Poppy.

Severus fell to his knees beside her, wand in hand, but for the first time in his life he was at a loss of what to do...where to start.

He'd never seen this much trauma on one person, who was still living.

She was practically naked, clothes shredded beyond recognition, coated in blood and gore from the Chimaera...but the girl...She looked like she'd been hit with the entrails-expelling curse, then put through a shredder.

Among other things there was A huge gaping wound in her side that went from her right hipbone, to just below her bellybutton, was pulsing as gore and what he though might have been her intestine was hanging out of it.

She was covered in deep puncturing bite marks that steadily oozed blood.

Claws had rent her body, Over her chest, a particularly deep gash that went bone-deep down her ribs, and another down the side of her face.

Numerous broken bones by the looks of things, the worst being her leg where he could actually see the bone breaking through the skin.

But the most worrying of all to Severus was the deep gash in her throat , that was causing her to rasp soundlessly as bloody foam was expelled with each laboured breath.

If it was not for those bloody breaths, and the bloodshot eyes that met his, he would have thought her long dead.

"S-severus?" Albus questioned , and the headmaster's voice was shaky.

It snapped him out of his reverie and he tried to heal the girl.

And failed.

Charm after charm did nothing.

He tried to set her bones with episkey. Nothing.

Tried to cleanse her blood, and return it to her with Vulnera Sedenteur. Nothing.

"It's the blood" Margorian said worriedly "The Chimaera's blood , she's coated in it"

"FUCK" He growled and cast an aguamenti at her, to cleanse the blood from her body, only for the water to pool around her as if repelled.

Albus summoned Fawkes, who shed tears over the girl to the same affect.

"Goddamnit, we need to get her to Poppy-"

His words were cut off when he could hear the voice of Ronald Weasley in the distance, that meant Potter was with him.

"Albus" He said, and the headmaster nodded. Severus didn't need to voice his concerns, the boys would only get in the way, and Albus left to run interference.

The girls eyes were unfocused, but attempted to follow him.

"Miss Granger? Can you hear me ? Do you know who I am?" She blinked at him, and he breathed out in relief.

"I am very sorry for taking such liberties with you Miss Granger, but I need to try and stop the bleeding and get the Chimaera blood off you"

She simply blinked at him again as he ripped the tatters of clothing from her body, leaving her naked, and using them as makeshift tourniquets on some of the worse bleeding wounds.

Before taking off his coat , which was much larger than the small girl.

More centaurs had arrived, to deal with their own losses, but Severus was focused entirely on the girl.

He wiped off as much off the blood as he could, but she still refused to heal.

"Margorian, we need to keep her as still as possible , we need to make a sling and carry her to the hospital wing, help me get this under her."

They carefully moved her a bit at a time until his coat was underneath her, and a centaur mare brought two large branches to use as poles, which they tied to the sides of the coat.

Thank Merlin for voluminous robes.

He would have been lost without them, as he wouldn't have even be able to transfigure anything, the chimaera blood would just revert it back to it's former shape.

"Alright , slow and steady on three...one, two..THREE"

They lifted as gently as they could, but the girl still tensed in mute agony her arm coming to rest on his wrist where he held the makeshift stretcher, nails digging into his skin.

"It's alright Miss Granger, we're going to get you to Poppy"

She'd screamed, or cried out from the pain, but the lack of sound disturbed him to no end, as he looked with concern at the oozing throat wound that had silenced her.

He'd tried to wrap it, only to realise she couldn't breathe when he did, so he'd had to leave it exposed.

A centaur mare approached.

"Allow me potions master, we can get her there quicker"

He was reluctant to leave the girl but Margorian answered the unasked question for him.

"Allow me to take you upon my back potions master, we shall all travel together"

With a grateful nod he took Margorian's proffered arm and was pulled onto the stallions back, as the mare took the other side of the stretcher.

Hermione's eyes searched for him and with one hand finding purchase on the belt Margorian wore, the other held onto the girl's hand.

"I'm right here Miss Granger, stay with me, stay awake"

She could only blink in responce, as he felt a small flutter in his palm when her hand tightened almost imperceptibly against his.

oOo

The centaurs went as quick as they could across the forest, without jostling the girl too much.

Her breath was staccato, and her body pale as she fought for each breath and blood continued to steadily seep from all her wounds.

When they came upon the edge of the forest it was eerilly quiet.

The headmaster had cleared the grounds, preventing students from awaiting them but that did not stop them looking through the windows and gasping in horror at the sight of the bloody girl on the stretcher, escorted by two Centaurs and the head of Slytherin.

Emphasised even more by the two centaurs behind carrying the dead Chimaera.

And the three behind that with the unmistakable form of Hagrid, even covered as the centaurs had done.

Poppy was waiting with the hospital wing doors wide open, though it seems no end of ordering from the staff could shift the congregation of Slytherin students of all years from waiting outside the doors.

Many of the first year slytherins were younger siblings to some of the older years, and they were many young ones holing onto elder students sobbing as they brought Hermione in.

Yelled questions to him were ignored, as he concentrated solely on the girl in his care.

When they finally got her to the bed Poppy had prepared, and eased her from the stretcher, releasing the centaurs to tend to their dead,  they all just stood in stunned shock for a moment.

Poppy, Severus, Albus and Minerva.

Until it was Poppy that finally broke the silence, with a shaky exclamation.

"Merlin help us"

Chapter Text

WARNINGS

GORE / VIOLENCE / GRAPHIC DESCRIPTIONS OF INJURIES AND HEALING

Poppy was the first to snap out of it, attempting to scan her injuries and coming across the same problems that Severus had.

"I need water, we need to get this blood off of her Now. From the taps and not conjured, don't let magic touch it, use buckets and bring it to me!"

Poppy stripped the remaining shreds of clothing from the girl, leaving just the tourniquets and snapping into action Severus, Minerva and even Dumbledore himself formed a human chain and were passing bucket upon bucket of water to the mediwtich as she sluiced it over the prone girl, washing off as much gore and blood as she could.

She was still bleeding freely, albeit sluggishly and the staff trembled as the water revealed more and more of her grotesque injuries.

Once she was clear of the Chimaera's blood, Poppy once more attempted healing and diagnostic spells.

Nothing.

Severus summoned a healing draught, which could be applied to her skin , but even that repelled from her body.

"FUCK" She growled and the other staff jumped at the very muggle expletive from the usually stoic mediwitch.

"The blood, it's seeped into her wounds, her bloodstream...I was afraid of this...there's nothing else for it"

Argus filch arrived when summoned and brought with him a gas stove and pans as they began boiling pans of water, and Poppy quickly retrieved a very muggle looking box, which opened to reveal muggle medical and surgical equipment.

"We'll have to do this the muggle way...Severus, hold her down"

oOo

This first thing Poppy had done was jab her with Adrenalin, stating it was the only thing keeping the girl alive right now, and she was too worried about her heart stopping if she attempted to sedate her, especially with no way of using muggle electrical devices like a defibrillator if her heart stopped.

She gave her some morphine, but doubted it would work with the way her body was burning through the adrenaline, the heat a side affect of the Animagus shift.

Though it would not ease her suffering now, Poppy assured them that if she wasn't such a strong witch and an animagus especially, the girl would already be dead.

She firstly attended to the gaping hole in her throat that was the most concerning. The beast had slashed through her skin and muscle and straight down to her trachea. It had given her a crude tracheotomy. It's why she was still able to breathe slightly, until Severus attempted to wrap her throat, and why she was unable to make any noise as no air was reaching it.

Poppy was having to suture and cauterise the muggle way, using surgical thread and a tiny cauterising iron that was being heated with the fire.

"Hold her Severus!" She said as the panicked girl met his eyes

"I am so sorry Miss Granger" He uttered as he using his superior strength to hold her down, while Poppy cauterised the wound.

Her back arched in mute agony, taught like a bowstring under his hands and he felt a sudden rippling in the muscle under his hands, as the amber eyes began to go golden.

"Keep her human Severus, she'll die if she changes now!"

Primal instinct, in reaction to the fear and pain had her animagus side pushing forward, an act of fear and self preservation.

"Miss Granger LOOK AT ME!" He bellowed in his best classroom voice, which caused golden feline eyes to snap to him. He saw her teeth had begun to point as well.

"You must resist the animagus shift. Poppy is many things, a vet is not one of them, we cannot use magic on you to turn you back... if you change, you will die!"

Her face crumpled, scrunched up in fear and pain but she fought it and soon it was amber eyes that met him once more, filled with confusion, pain and fear.

"Good girl. Good girl Hermione, stay with me"

He didn't know if it was his praise or his use of her name, but her tearful eyes remained fixed on his, and a hand clenched in his robes.

The hand in her robes tugged him slightly and he saw her mouth forming words.

He bent down so he was closer to her, so he could here her speak.

At her words, He choked out a noise, it was half a sob and half a laugh.

Torn to pieces by a chimaera, her insides on the outside, her throat rent open and tied back together with barbaric looking muggle stitches, and that's what she wants to know.

He just nodded, unable to find the words. And she smiled and drifted into unconsciousness.

oOo

Poppy had summoned a squib who was a trained muggle surgeon and liaised with St Mungo's... but they could not wait for him to arrive.

Once Hermione's throat had been healed, it had the unforeseen repercussion that now she was once more able to get air to her throat and speak...they could also hear her delirious pain filled sobs and whimpers, that were tearing at his soul.

He could hear Minerva sobbing quietly behind him, and Albus attempting to comfort the witch.

With her throat sealed they attempted to get potions down her, only for the chimaera blood in her system to reject them and force her to gag and retch when they touched her tongue, meaning they could do nothing to alleviate her pain, she had already been given too much morphine but her body was burning it off at an alarming rate.

Severus had assumed that they would tackle the gaping wound on her stomach next, but Poppy had tearfully told him it was beyond her skills, other than occasionally wetting it with the sterilised water to prevent the organ from dying.

She Insisted on seeing to the severe break in her leg though, the compound fracture was dangerously close to her femoral artery and the wound was bleeding more than any of her others, the wrong movement and the artery could be severed.

"This has to be realigned before I can seal the wound"

Poppy raised the sides of the bed, and used padded handcuffs to tie her wrists and ankles to the bed, a look to Severus had him once more holding her shoulders to the bed.

The girl was drifting in and out of consciousness now, but when Poppy began to straighten the girls broken leg, her bloodcurdling scream made Severus's eyes fill with tears, as he felt an utter bastard for holding her down.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw a shaking Minerva raise her wand, with the intention of casting a silencing ward, for the benefit of the Slytherins still huddled outside.

With tearful eyes and gritted teeth he shook his head.

Albus pushed her hand back down and closed his eyes as another scream tore through the hospital wing, the man looked every one of his years.

Hoarsley Severus spoke, as tears ran down his face unchecked.

"Let them hear"

oOo

They carried on healing the girl as much as they could, but Poppy was not qualified to do the major healing the girl required, she did allthe superficial work she could to slow the girls blood loss, but had to leave the grotesque stomach wound until the surgeon got there.

Though when he got there finally there was a problem, Hermione was getting white, her lips blue and Poppy worriedly checked her eyes and gums.

"She's anaemic, she needs blood but we can't get her a blood replenisher as her body's rejecting it"

"There's no blood at St. Mungo's that hasn't been somehow tainted by magic, stasis spells and the like" The surgeon told them, so Poppy checked the girls file at the surgeon's request and returned to the room.

"I took her blood type when she was here after the department of mysteries debacle. A+ , that means anyone who is A or O can donate blood, but she's going to need more than one person can give to get her through this surgery and recovery alive"

Hermione, now mildly sedated by the surgeon lay still and pale.

Severus marched with Poppy outside the hospital wing with determination, and flung open the doors.

Waiting until all attention was on him, he stepped backwards so that all of the assembled Slytherins could see the large body of the Chimaera laid out where the centaurs had left it.

Though they could not see Hermoine in her private room.

A number of shocked faces took in the Chimaera, as though they hadn't truly believed it until they saw the dead thing lying there.

Not long ago Albus had left to attend the gates, where the wards had told him that a number of parents had arrived, no doubt informed of the day's events by their children.

As he stood outside the hospital wing with Poppy, he took in sight of the entirety of Slytherin House, along with a number of parents who were Slytherin alumni in their own right.

He knew he held their attention. His white shirt covered in hers and the Chimaera's blood, making him look like a deranged serial killer. And the dead Chimaera behind him.

"When Miss Granger killed the Chimaera, the blood that she was coated in has stopped us from being able to use magic to heal her, instead she's having to be healed the muggle way, with no sedatives or pain relief"

A number of worried faces looked on at that, especially half bloods who understood the implication more than the pure bloods.

"In the fight, Miss Granger's throat was cut open so deeply that her windpipe was severed and she was unable to speak...We had to stitch her throat back together and cauterise the wounds with an iron to stop her bleeding to death...I believe you heard when she got her voice back and we had to then realign her leg bone that was poking through her skin?"

There were whimpers from some of the younger students at his words, and a number of sickly expressions but he was in no mood to censure himself.

"Would you care to know the first thing she said to me, to any of us IN fact when she could get enough air to speak?" He looked around for a moment before continuing "Please be aware at this point that Miss Granger's entrails are hanging out of a wound in her stomach awaiting to be surgically replaced"

He heard a student retch at his words, and he saw many death eaters in the crowd pale visibly, including Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy, The Senior Crabbe and Goyle and Lord Greengrass.

"She said to me, 'Are the slytherins safe?' "

Chapter Text

"She needs blood or she will die, St. Mungo's blood is stored with a stasis spell so would be rejected by her body, she won't survive the surgery and recovery without it."

Poppy held up a small blood bag to show the vast majority of purebloods, who would have no knowledge of the muggle process.

"Humans have about 5 litres of blood, we use a small needle in the arm, to draw out a small amount of blood...this small bag is how much blood we would ask one person to donate. Miss Granger will need at least 10 of these just to get her through this surgery...more if there are complications. There are no side affects to giving blood, other than you may feel a little dizzy or tired and by tomorrow you will be completely back to normal. However just like hair colour, and eye colour, everyone is born with a blood type. There's A, B, AB and O. You can only donate blood to someone who is the same blood type as you, or if you are O you can donate to anyone. Miss Granger is A, that means anyone who is A or O can donate blood to her , we can do a fingerprick test to see what your blood type is if you don't know, also anyone that has taken potions in the last 24 hours would not be able to donate"

There was silence for a moment before a first year girl moved forward, it was the girl that had been desperately trying to pull the Chimaera off of Hermione.
Helena Black. She'd been stood with the Malfoys. She was halfblood and technically Narcissa's second cousin, though called the woman Aunt. When her parents had died at the hands of the dark lord, Narcissa had begged to keep the baby as a boon from the dark lord, which was granted. The small girl had been raised by Lucius and Narcissa. She'd been a slight and sickly girl, and kept hidden away by the Malfoy's due to her frailness. Narcissa had loved her like the daughter she never had, as like a lot of pureblood women she'd suffered complications after Draco and been unable to have anymore children. Draco saw her as a younger sister, and was fiercely protective of her, and though Lucius in public sneered at the halfblood girl for appearance's sake, in private she was as much his daughter as Draco was his son.

"Test me"

Poppy's stern and determined gaze had softened at the small girl's approach.

"I'm afraid it would have to be 16 and above only my dear"

"But why not?" The girl actually stamped her foot.

"In a muggle I would understand, but you said-" Here she pointed an accusing finger at the mediwitch "You . said that anyone without potions in their system from the last 24 hours can donate? Then there's nothing to stop me donating blood, then taking a blood replenishing potion and I would still be able to do it again if I wait 36 hours in-between to allow the potion out of my system."

Then she levelled a glare at them both.

"AND I would still have a hell of a lot more blood left in me than if Hermione hadn't put herself between me and that thing!" She gestured to the Chimaera and stared down the mediwitch and her head of house with fierce determination.

Severus arched his eyebrow at the precocious girl that was so reminding him so much of a young Hermione, and he looked at Poppy with consideration.

Poppy after a moments retrospection nodded. "If she's a match and her guardians allow it"

The girl had spun around to eye Lucius and Narcissa with determination.

It took a moment, but then Lucius inclined his head, tucked his cane under his arm and stepped forward, with Narcissa at his side.

"Let us not dawdle madam, and get these tests underway shall we? The Malfoy's have always honoured the old ways, and we always pay our debts. I for one shall not deny the life debt that my blood owes the girl, and if my blood can go some way towards it...then so be it"

Severus had gone first, Poppy pricked his finger with a small needle and dropped the blood on a piece of parchment, running the test on the droplet instead of on Severus himself, just in case.

"A+ Severus" She announced. In a smaller voice for his hearing only, as she was aware that many Slytherin's did not know of his half-blood status "were you vaccinated as a child ?" He gently shook his head no, and she nodded and he told her to take two bags from him. He was a large strong man, so she agreed...after all there wasn't really any telling Severus No.

The doctor had warned her there were many processes blood usually went through before it was approved for transfusion, however the need was too great to wait right now. She might die from complications with the transfusion. But she would die if she didn't get it. The pressing worry though was that there could be complications for people to give blood who'd had certain live vaccinations, they may conflict with Hermione's immune system, so it was actually vastly safer for her to take blood from someone who hadn't been vaccinated like Severus...or like pure-bloods.

Helena had not been a match, she tested B and cried when she realised she couldn't donate blood to help Hermione, Narcissa had also tested B and had to console the weeping girl.

Both Lucius and Draco tested A, and we cleared to donate.

Lord Green-grass insisted on being tested next. He had three children, The eldest being Daphne who was in Hermione and Draco's year, Astoria 2 years younger and his only son Anthony, was a first year. One of the students who Hermione had saved.

One by one, the entirety of Slytherin house was tested.

Everyone that came back positive, donated.

Owls were sent out, and more Slytherin Alumni were apparating to the gates of Hogwarts and insisting on being tested.

Staff came through, and donated when they could.

A few students went through the school to the other dorms and a few volunteers turned up from other houses, though most were muggleborns and halfbloods that had to be turned away due to vaccinations or potions conflictions.

All that came were Hufflepuff and a few were Ravenclaws.

No Gryffindors.

Partway through testing the Slytherins, when they had 10 units of blood, Severus who was a trained Healer from his potions mastery, had took over the testing and collection to allow Poppy to assist in the surgery.

As Poppy and the muggle surgeon worked, muggle coolers were being used to create a stockpile of blood and Ice was being brought from homes in Hogsmede that had electricity, to use to keep it viable.

Hours passed, and many students returned to their beds.

But not the slytherins.

The hall was filled with snakes throughout the night as the poppy and the muggle surgeon worked on, House elves brought food and drink for the families stationed there.

And they waited.

oOo

It was gone 2am when Poppy beckoned Severus. The assembled Snakes stood at her arrival, but Severus gestured for them to wait as he entered Poppy's office with the other heads of house and Dumbledore.

The surgeon and Poppy looked grim.

"She's alive. I don't know how, other than Merlin's will and sheer strength of character...but she's not even halfway through the woods yet, let alone out of them"

"Doctor?" Severus asked calmly, and the man breathed out a deep sigh, rubbing his hand over tired eyes.

"She's suffered the equivalent trauma to what I'd say was a severe RTC. On top of that there were more complex internal injuries than we anticipated, due to her being crushed by the body of the beast"

"Tell me" He growled and after a quick look at Poppy and the headmaster, who nodded, the Doctor began to explain to the heads of house.

"During the surgery she went into cardiac failure, we managed to bring her back but she's currently in a coma. We're having to continue her treatment in the muggle way as she's still rejecting magic. Operating in a non sterile environment was risky, and infection is still a huge worry, but she was dying and we had no choice."

They all nodded their ascent to his statement.

"In all honesty, muggle or wizard, I've not seen anyone pull through that much trauma and her chances are still below 50%. Broken bones and fractures notwithstanding, that beast crushing her did a number on her insides, we had to contend with fragments of bone from her rib cage which pretty much shredded her internal organs, on top of that there was a lot of foreign material introduced into the body cavity via the gaping side wound. She was haemorrhaging so much blood, from so many places that we made the decision to remove anything badly damaged that was not essential, rather than attempt to repair it. That way we and the body can focus on healing other more essential organs"

"What do you mean removed...?" Minerva and Pomona looked very green.

"Both her Gallbladder & Appendix were damaged beyond repair, though she will doubtfully miss those, as they have little affect on her day to day life. The damage was mostly centralised on the side where she had the open wound, she lost a section of the bowel that was damaged, the kidney on that side and part of the lung as-well"

"How will that affect her ?" Minerva asked softly and the Doctor winced.

"For the lung she will never be an athlete, and she will be more at risk if she gets a bad chest infection like pneumonia, though given time she should be able to live a mostly normal and active life. The loss of the kidney is more difficult, and she will definitely have to moderate herself especially in terms of alcohol, Humans have about 20ft of bowel and we had to removed about 2ft, with any luck she might not notice that, though there may be some adverse affects with her ability to cope with certain foods, such as heavy spices or acidity."

He cleared his throat before he continued.

"What is concerning me the most at the moment is the loss of part of the spleen, and over half of her liver"

"Over half?!" Minerva gasped, as Severus paled.

The Doctor raised a placating hand.

"The liver is remarkable at regenerating itself, you can lose up to 85% of it and it will eventually regrow and return to its normal state, so a loss of 60% is not damning, however the issue is the spleen will not regrow and both the spleen and liver play key parts in the body's immune system. If she continues to be unresponsive to magical healing, Infection is going to be our main concern in her recovery."

The Doctor looked to Poppy sadly and she nodded to allow him his leave.

"There's something else isn't there Poppy?" Pomona asked the mediwitch who looked on the verge of tears.

She nodded and gently wiped her eyes.

"Because the organs had to be removed, even if at some point her body accepts magical healing again...those organs are gone. Bones can be regrown, but not organs, not flesh and tissue, not after so long..."

"Like with Alastor's leg and eye" Flitwick squeaked and Poppy nodded dejectedly

"She's going to have a number of disfiguring scars, including the claw marks on her face, a visual scar like that is going to be hard for anyone to cope with, let alone a young girl... but...we...there was too much damage, we had to perform a total hysterectomy. The womb, the cervix. She has the ovary on the opposite side, but all it is good for is hormones to prevent menopause. Even if she pulls through, there is no way of regrowing those organs. She will never be able to have children"

Severus sank into the chair behind him at her declaration, and Minerva sobbed into Albus's shoulder.

"What can we do?" He asked quietly.

"Severus?" Poppy questioned.

"I said, what can we do?" He practically growled.

"There's not much we can do, The problem is I am working blind as I cannot run diagnostics. There's muggle equipment that would be useful to help her breathing and monitor her heartrate and so on, but the machines are very costly, thousands of muggle pounds, and can't function in the castle due to the magic"

Suddenly Severus had a thought.

"What if there was a way that they could ? If we were to ask the castle to divert as much magic from her room as it could, we could then reinforce it with shamstones, to pull the magic from the air. Anyone that stepped into the room would be unable to cast, but magic isn't working on her anyway, then we could get a muggle generator in the room, one that runs on fuel to power the muggle devices?"

"Ignoring for a moment Severus, that fact that Shamstones are considered dark in nature, they are illegal, rare and impossibly expensive, how perchance do you imagine you would be able to find not one but four to be able to create a barrier around the room? And still fund the cost of the muggle machinery? We will of course help where we can, but even I would struggle to fund this avenue in its entirety"

Severus simply offered him a smirk, and turned heel to the hallway full of waiting snakes.

A few owls later, Severus had his hands on four Shamstones and access to enough funds to create a second, third and fourth hospital wing if he so desired.

Chapter Text

"Ignoring for a moment Severus, that fact that Shamstones are considered dark in nature, they are illegal, rare and impossibly expensive, how perchance do you imagine you would be able to find not one but four to be able to create a barrier around the room? And still fund the cost of the muggle machinery? We will of course help where we can, but even I would struggle to fund this avenue in its entirety"

Severus simply offered him a smirk, and turned heel to the hall of waiting snakes.

24 hours and a number of owls later, Hogwarts's hospital wing was the proud owner of the only magical dampening isolation and intensive care room in wizarding Britain.

When the Headmaster asked Hogwarts to divert magic from a room, the castle did them one better, creating a new room specifically for their purposes that held very little residual magic. Once the shamstones were in place, a top of the line, and very expensive near-silent muggle generator was bought in, which Filch made it his duty to monitor and maintain.

Poppy was finally able to monitor the stats of her patient, with machines that read her hearbeat, and another that provided her with oxygen. A fridge-freezer was bought for the room as well, a rather large and impressive two door american thing with all the extra bells and whistles, including built in ice machine. For storing both blood and medications.

A sizeable 'donation' from one half-blood Slytherin into the right hand, had a large shipment of I.V pain medication, antibiotics and other essentials delivered to Hogwarts gates.

No expense was spared by the Snakes, and the irony was lost on none of them as Pure-blood families across Britain converted their galleons into pounds to purchase the muggle scientific equipment, to save one muggleborn's life.

And now all they could do was wait.

oOo

When Hermione's condition was as stable as they could get it , with the introduction of the muggle equipment, Severus called a meeting.

A very specific meeting, with Albus's reluctant approval.

They met in the dungeons. All the marked, the sympathisers and their oldest children.

"You know why I have called you all here" He intoned, and there was no doubt of his intentions.

None answered, but a few nodded grimly.

"I am done" He said simply , the candlelight dancing on his face making his features appear even more stern.

"I am done risking my life and my sanity for a egotistical maniac, this is it for me."

"But the mark-" Narcissa started.

"-The mark can be removed, I have a way...I am done, I don't know about you but this is not what I wanted, it isn't what I signed up for and it hasn't been for a damn long time either"

There were murmurs of agreement before a voice broke through.

"Dangerous words Severus, to the wrong ears" Lord Greengrass spoke calmly.

"To who's ears? Who of you here would return to the Dark Lord now? He would have gladly had all of your children as acceptable casualties in his fucking war, just to win a pissing contest with Dumbledore, one he could never win"

He snarled as he observed the surrounding adults

"What has your Dark Lord ever done for you?" He growled at them.

"The Dark Lord plans to..."

"No!" Severus snapped, and the voice fell silent.

"Some of us have followed that man for nearly 30 years, and in those 30 years I want to know...what has the Dark Lord ever done for any of you? Not what he plans to do, not what he promises to do...what has he actually done for you?"

There was silence for a while until of all people Draco Malfoy snorted and muttered. "Took over my fucking house"

"Anybody?" He growled. "I shall tell you what he's done for me, he led me on a path that nearly had me dead or kissed in Azkaban. He marked me as someone not to be trusted for the rest of my goddamn life. He uses my talent to achieve his ends, and takes all the credit and what do I get in return?"

"Torture, ridicule, debasement, servitude. The one thing I asked him for was to spare the life of my best friend and he killed her without a moment's hesitation"

"Tom Riddle does not care about any of us, and will promise us anything our hearts desire with no intent to deliver so that he can use us to meet his goals!"

"Now let me ask you this. When was the last time a Muggleborn ever threatened you? or did anything to you personally"

Silence once more.

"In fact, tell me the last time any of you even had any personal dealings with any Muggleborns? In fact, lets hear from the students shall we? they are surrounded by muggleborns"

After a while a hand slowly started to rise, Lord Greengrass's eldest Daphne.

"I was failing charms... Justin Finch-Fetchley, he's a muggleborn Hufflepuff, tutored me and now I'm getting E's"

"Terrifying" Severus drawled. "Anyone else?"

Gregory Goyle cleared his throat. "Hermione's been tutoring me in potions so I can pass my NEWTS, and she's going to put in a word for me with Charlie Weasley to see if I can go work on the dragon reserve in Romania"

A bit of a pause, then Pansy Parkinson spoke quietly. "Cormac McClaggen tried to spiked my drink at the Yule Ball, Evan Wood from Ravenclaw saw him dragging me out the hall and punched him. He took me to the Hospital Wign, and went to the Headmaster with me to back me up when I reported him. We walk to Hogsmede together sometimes, he wants to be a Mediwizard"

Severus sneered to the surrounding crowd.

"So far of three students we have two that have had help academically and one that was prevented from being assaulted, all at the actions of the dangerous mudbloods we have been told so much about"

"The Dark Lord is a powerful wizard..." Lord Greengrass spoke.

"Says who, other than him?" Severus growled, and the others were taken aback by his answer.

"When was the last time you saw Voldemort fight a duel?" He asked. "Nearly two years ago Against Dumbledore, a great wizard yes, but a feeble old man well past his prime and twice Tom Riddle's age and we all saw how that ended"

Indistinct murmuring and shuffled feet.

"And Before that?" He asked with an arched eyebrow.

"Potter, in the cemetery" Lucius added slowly.

"And once more, we all know who won that altercation, the then 14 year old boy! Before that then?" He asked with a sneer.

No-one could speak.

"All these great victories the dark has won over the light ? Who defeated the aurors Longbottom and his wife? The Lestranges. Who took out Alastor Moody's eye ? Rosier. Who Killed 13 people to frame Sirius Black ? Peter Pettigrew. "

Severus paced from one end of the classroom to the other.

"All these dangerous muggleborns that tutor our children and defend them against attackers. All these 'great victories', fought by us in his name. The only power that man has is the gift of a silver tongue!"

There was silence before a low chuckle entered the room.

Lucius Malfoy.

"We've all been a bunch of greedy fools haven't we?" He chuckled and rubbed a palm across his face.

"He's had us fighting his battles and using our resources to achieve his goals, whilst promising protection from an enemy he created" Severus growled.

"There was no issue with purebloods and muggleborns before he came along! There was a divide yes, but a social one, the same as in any society the divide between the rich and the average person, or muggleborns unused to pureblood tradition didn't traverse the same social circles. But there was no animosity until he dragged us all under his rhetoric that getting rid off all the muggleborns would answer all our problems, that were never problems to begin with!"

Sitting down he pressed his hands into his eyes.

"Ignore Potter. Ignore the Dark Lord...That girl, that muggleborn girl in the hospital wing, risked her life to save the snakes because she knew that nobody else would. She did it because it was the right thing to do. She didn't care about bloodlines, or purity or the sacred 28, all she cared about was protecting a bunch of scared children and she was willing to die to do it" 

"I for one am not going to live the rest of my life catering the whims of a racist madman. I am going to do what I should've done a long time ago, and judge people on their actions, and deeds and not some preconceived notions based on the purity of their blood... so what say you?" 

"Aye" Lucius said with an incline of his head.

"Aye" Narcissa.

"Aye" Goyle, and Crabbe and Parkinson.

And finally with a nod of his head, Lord Greengrass. "Aye"

"Let's see Tom fight his war without an army" 

Chapter Text

"Let's see Tom fight his war without an army"

The defection was quick, massive and devastating.

Almost all of the inner circle, who'd been with him since the beginning and were raising their children to be followers, had left Voldermort's service.

Old noble families, called in their relatives to return to the homesteads, as eons old blood wards were raised on manors across England to protect their families, while the children were safely at Hogwarts.

Even the Malfoys, as soon as Voldemort left on an errand, raised the manor's wards and prevented his re-entry much to his dismay.

Voldemort was left with no home, but a handful of loyal followers. The Lestranges, Mucliber, Yaxley... and a few younger death eaters and new recruits.

Though many of those scattered when seeing the elite had defected.

Word was that he was taking accommodation with the Lestranges, though Bellatrix's husband was apparently not too happy with that.

Some defected families agreed to fight for the light, others agreed to remain neutral. They wouldn't fight for the light, but they wouldn't oppose it either, instead choosing to close ranks and safeguard their families at home.

The high ranking Slytherins used every inch of sway they had in their respective positions, and called in all their political and legal favours, there would be no more influencing on Voldemort's behalf. Tom Riddle broke the first rule of Slytherin house. We protect our own. He was officially blacklisted among Slytherin.

And at a school, aurors were called and as the unsuspecting students carried on none the wiser, Severus identified every student that was a known follower, and a shoe-in for taking the mark.

There were students from every house.

Each student was innocuously pulled away, interviewed and given choices. Many defected, they'd only been followers because their parents were, or they'd been intimidated into it and instead chose to be cuffed with Azkaban monitoring band, the equivalent of a muggle prison tag.

Two remained devout, and were taken to Azkaban.

One attempted to fight and flee the aurors, the resulting fight left one auror permanently scarred, and the student comatose in St Mungos, awaiting a life sentence when they awoke.

Severus sat by Miss Granger's bedside.

When news of the attack had finally been fully released to the students, she'd had a few visitors.

Most all of them were Slytherins, they came and did whatever was asked of them. They volunteered in the hospital wing, they brought flowers for her room, or those that knew her better brought books and read to her.

The Lovegood girl visiting frequently, and held one sided conversations with her.

But no Gryffindors.

Not one.

Minerva had shakily confessed that she'd been called to Gryffindor tower, where all of Hermione's belongings had been thrown into the hall, after being charmed permanatly green.

Slytherin green.

Even her poor familiar had his fur dyed green.

All attempts she had made at soothing the irked Gryffindors had been fruitless. They had closed ranks. Hermione Granger had the choice between Gryffindors and Ravenclaws or Slytherin, and she'd chosen the snakes. Hermione Granger was a traitor.

The divide between the school didn't seem to be much worse than it ever had been, on the surface. Though they worried how things would change, if and when she was returned to classes.

oOo

It was the middle of the night, and Severus sat by her bedside listening to her steady breathing, aided by the machine and the rythmic beeping that signified her heart. She was breathing on her own, but the machines provided her with oxygen and the monitors closely watched her heart.

Why her? He thought to himself as he sat there like a sentinel in the dark. She was such a good person, she'd never do anything to harm anyone, and she was loyal to a fault. A champion for the lesser and downtrodden, she didn't deserve any of this, It simply wasn't fair.

It was then that his own words came back to haunt him. It may have escaped your notice but life isn't fair.

"I am sorry Miss Granger, for the way that my snakes and I have treated you over the years, you never deserved it. Know that it was never my desire to treat you so abysmally, nor to deny you the praise that you so rightfully deserve. But that is all going to change now, thanks to you. Would that you could, see what your actions have done...the lives that you have saved. Not just the children in the forest, but their families and friends. The eyes that have been opened to your actions. The inner circle is decimated, Death Eaters and sympathisers alike have deserted the dark lord and left him practically destitute. When we win this war, for I am now certain that we shall, it will be because of your actions that we succeed. Your selflessness. Thank You, Hermione"

Suddenly the machine began to beep more rapidly, and as he looked to it he thought he was mistaken when he saw a movement from the corner of his eye. He looked back to the bed, and after a short while, sure enough, there it was again. Her hands twitched just slightly.

Was she waking up?

"Miss Granger?"

Her eyes were fluttering behind closed lids, and her lips moved as though trying to form words. He leant forward as though to listen, when suddenly her hands clenched tightly in the bedding as her back arched off the bed. The monitor at the side of her let out a shrill scream, as her teeth bared in a grimace and her head threw back, as her back arched even further, almost unnaturally. 

Blood began seeping through her white gown at an alarming rate as the motion tore at her stitches, and still the monitor continued to scream. 

In panic he grabbed his wand, only to feel the thing dead and useless in his hands. Not a moment later Poppy barrelled into the room, knocking him out of the way.

He stepped back, unsure and wrong-footed, not knowing what was going on or what to do without magic until Poppy called out to him.

"Severus! Get the mediwizard here now, she's having a seizure!"

Chapter Text

Sorry guys, I assure you I will never abandon a story, no matter how far I get behind on updating! x

Blood began seeping through her white gown at an alarming rate as the motion tore at her stitches, and still the monitor continued to scream.

In panic he grabbed his wand, only to feel the thing dead and useless in his hands. Not a moment later Poppy barrelled into the room, knocking him out of the way.

He stepped back, unsure and wrong-footed, not knowing what was going on or what to do without magic until Poppy called out to him.

"Severus! Get the mediwizard here now, she's having a seizure!"

Once more he found himself sat outside the hospital wing, with a contingent of snakes, most of them in varying stages of wakefulness and in their nightwear.

A tearful Helena was being held by the pale form of Draco Malfoy, all pretences of indifference forgotten as he held his crying pseudo-sister.

He'd been outside the wing for an hour, when the Slytherin prefect on duty had found him there, once word of why he was there had reached the dorms, the snakes had started to appear and join his vigil.

"It is passed curfew" were the first things he'd said as the group around him began to grow. "We know" had been the answer, and that had been that.

Lucius and Narcissa arrived not long after, and Severus suppressed a snort at how only they could arrive impeccably attired at 1:30 in the morning, without a hair out of place. They were escorted by a worried looking Dumbledore in extremely colourful sleep robes who offered lemon drops to the assembled Slytherins. Many of the younger ones looked at the man in confusion, having never been approached by the elderly man in such a way before, unlike his favoured Gryffindors. But sweet tooth or not, the older Slytherins accepted. They knew an olive branch when they saw one.

It was 3am when the mediwizard finally left, and Poppy beckoned Severus and Dumbledore inside, along with Minerva who had come when she got a patronus from Dumbledore.

"Tetanus" She said sadly, "It's something we always knew was a risk"

"Tetanus?" Albus questioned, to which Severus replied.

"You may know it by the old muggle term Headmaster, Lockjaw"

The confusion was replaced with worry, as they all waited for the Witch to continue.

"Infection was always our biggest worry from the start. We've done all we can..."

"Can we see her?" Severus interrupted, Poppy looked at him with compassion.

"You can, but be warned, it's not pretty"

He nodded and the witch escorted the three of them to her room.

"Oh Merlin" Minerva gasped, and held a shaky hand to her mouth as Albus moved to comfort her.

"I'm going to put a stop to the children visiting, until we get through this" She said sadly, and Severus could only nod in agreement as he took in her form with some dismay.

"I know it looks extreme, but it is necessary. We managed to get a bite plate in her mouth. It may not look very pleasant, but it will stop her biting or swallowing her tongue, breaking or damaging her teeth in the spasms when her jaw clenches. The tube down her nose is feeding her and giving medication direct to the stomach, and the restraints are to stop her damaging herself any further in the seizures. Usually it's safer to patients to move with the spasms, but she's post surgical and a damaged wrist or ankle from the restraints is better than her tearing out her stitches and having her insides hanging out again. We've had to put a catheter in, because she can lose control of her bladder with the seizures and we don't know how frequent they will be"

He vaguely nodded and felt his stomach churn as he stared at her prone form, having to go through so many of these debasing procedures.

"She does not deserve this, this suffering and these indignities. In all my years I have not known anyone that would deserve this less than she, she has never had an ounce of malice in her, it is not right"

The witch held a soothing a hand to his arm.

"I know Severus, but life is seldom fair"

Once more his own words taunted him, and he couldn't put into words the way that he was feeling, though for the first time he attempted it.

"Every year since her first, she sends me a card and a gift at Christmas. I am aware students often gift members of staff, but she is the first time one has ever deigned to extend one to me. That first year, she bought me a new set of robes to replace the ones she burned."

"I didn't know that, she never said anything" Minerva said softly with a small chuckle.

"Why would you?" He said simply. As though he hadn't just shared more of his personal life in the last sentence, than he'd done in the last year.

"She warded my chambers." Came a croaky voice from behind them, and they turned to see the quiet and frail form of Argus Filch in the doorway.

"Apologies, I didn't know you were here Argus" Severus spoke, and Argus just inclined his head.

"Some of those little trouble makers like to set pranks in my office or my chambers, she put wards up for me and comes through every month to make sure they're still working" He gestured to the cat in his arms. "She made this for Mrs Norris too" Severus gently took hold of the collar that the grumpy cat was wearing. it had been quite obviously hand made, knitted or crocheted maybe, but there were protective runes sewn in to the pattern.

"Little swines are always hexing her. Not anymore" He said with a small smirk.

"Indeed" Severus said with an answering smirk. It was just a simple thing, a collar for the cat, but it hummed with her power and she'd obviously imbued it with magic as she'd made it, with her full attention.

"Someone needs to tell the students" Poppy said softly, when they heard a noise from the hall. It brought them all back to the present, and reminded them of the large contingent of students that were amassed in the hallway.

Severus made to move but Albus put a hand on his shoulder.

"Return to your post Severus, Minerva and I shall inform the others that visiting hours are to be limited to staff for now"

He felt somewhat like he was betraying his house when he accepted with a nod, but he felt like he had a duty to stay by her side.

"Thank You, Headmaster"

He returned to his seat at the side of her bed, and Poppy placed a soft hand on his shoulder, before turning and leaving him in peace.

Waiting until the sound of the witches footsteps had disappeared, he carefully picked the small book out of his pocket and began to read.

Shakespeare, The Winter's tale.

oOo

Every night he returned to her bedside, where he sat quietly and read. It was almost two weeks before they managed to clear the tetanus from her system, only for her to fall to a chest cold and have to be intubated, the machine taking over for her breathing.

His young snakes were frantic, wanting to see her. The class she'd saved had bonded very closely, and he often found them banded together like lost ducklings awaiting his return for news of her condition.

Helena however, had proven to be a thorn in his side, and had more that once sneaked into her room. It wasn't until he sat her down and explained to her, that it was very important to try and keep her environment as sterile as they could, to prevent her catching infections whilst her immune system was compromised, that the girl finally and tearfully agreed to stay away until Poppy once more gave them the clear to visit.

Many of the students were buying her gifts, and a number came back from hogsmede with sweets, flowers and other things. Until he had to intervene.

"Miss Granger had never been interested in material things, and she would not want you to be wasting your money on her" He said as gently as he could to the 10 year olds that had been planning on spending their, rather substantial in some cases, hogsmede allowances on her. "If you wish to do something for her, let your actions speak rather that your galleons" 

That was how Severus Snape came to be Hermione Granger's official mail reader. The staff watched in awe, as pure-blooded slytherin students approached muggleborn hufflepuffs and ravenclaws, for help in creating gifts for Miss Granger. 

The muggleborns were more than happy to extend the hand of friendship to the purebloods, and were showing the fascinated snakes numerous 'muggle skills' , like drawing, painting, poetry and even sewing and knitting by hand, something he knew Miss Granger was a fond of herself.

Soon Hermione's hospital room began to amass a collection of drawings, paintings, poetry and other muggle crafts like pressed flowers. Most eye catching of all, was in pride of place on the foot of her bed was a large and rather wonky, handmade plush lioness. It was a bit of a monstrosity if he was honest with himself, part knitted and part sewn. The eyes were uneven and one leg was shorter than the other three, but it had been made entirely by hand, the muggle way, by a contingent of young slytherins and he knew that she would love it when she awoke. They'd even approached professor sprout and obtained some dried valerian and lavendar to place inside the lionness so it would smell soothing. 

He sat down and began to read to her, he still read his books every night, but he'd made a promise to his snakes and he upheld it. So every night before he started on the books, he would read out the various letters that students had wrote to her. 

Only this time as he was reading a letter from the youngest greengrass, he felt a tingling on the back of his neck and looked up to see soft amber eyes looking at his.

She was awake. 

Chapter Text

He sat down and began to read to her, he still read his books every night, but he'd made a promise to his snakes and he upheld it. So every night before he started on the books, he would read out the various letters that students had wrote to her.

Only this time as he was reading a letter from the youngest Greengrass, he felt a tingling on the back of his neck and looked up to see soft amber eyes looking at his.

She was awake.

For a moment their eyes locked, then hers suddenly darted away and the machines began to beep as her heart-rate increased. She was trying to look around but was hindered by the tubes and wires attached to her. Before her panic could worsen he quickly placed a gentling hand on her shoulder, encouraging her to be still.

"Calm yourself, Hermione"

She had long since stopped being "Miss Granger" in his head, especially after the selfless actions she had taken, however he realised with an internal curse that he'd just referred to her as "Hermione" out loud. It did the trick though, as she quickly met his gaze once more, her panicked eyes searching his for reassurance that he was quick to give.

"I apologise Miss Granger, you are in the hospital wing at Hogwarts in a special room that was built to care for you."

She moved to nod in responce, but was once more panicked by the tubes and wires so making a quick decision, he sat beside her and grasped her hand in his. Once more his actions had her quickly snapping her attention to him.

"Squeeze once for yes, and twice for no...do you understand?"

A look of relief covered her features and he felt a weak squeeze of his hand.

"Very good Miss Granger. Do you know who I am?"

Her eyes narrowed at him then, and he couldn't help but chuckle at her offended look when she squeezed his hand sharply in indignation.

"Peace Granger, you've been through the ringer and I just wanted to be sure the know-it-all was still in residence, you've been out of it for over a month. The Chimaera blood seeped into your system and we could not use magic to heal you. We've had to treat you the muggle way, so this room was built with magic dampeners so we could run the muggle electrical equipment"

Her eyes widened then, and he could see the questions running through her mind.

"Let me get Poppy, and then we can discuss this further"

Her hand tightened on his, and at first he thought it was her acquiescence, until he realised with a start when he got up, that she hadn't let go. He turned and saw her panicked gaze focused on him and he quickly sat back down beside her, much to her relief.

"Alright, alright. She'll be through soon enough anyway to check on you and give you your meds, try to keep calm Granger you're still healing"

It was then she seemed to realise fully her own state, as she once more looked herself over and took in the number of muggle machines attached to her body, along with the cast that was still on her leg. It was during that assessment that she noticed the wonky lioness stationed at the foot of her bed.

For a moment her gaze was fixed upon it, then she looked at him questioningly and he chuckled wryly.

He wasn't sure whether it was the lioness or his laugh that confused her more.

"Aah yes. I see you've noticed Artemis" He could see that the name wasn't lost on her, not that that should've surprised him, she was the brightest witch of her age after all.

He brought the lioness from the foot of the bed, and held it in his hands as he regarded the soft toy, He began to speak and she watched him carefully.

"Artemis of course is the Greek's name for Diana, the Goddess of the hunt. Also revered as the chaste, goddess of the woods, the moon, and leader of wild animals...and the protector of children"

She met his eyes then and he saw the shine in them that signified that she was holding back tears, barely.

"The children made it for you, the ones you saved." Her eyes met his for clarification and he once more began to speak.

"With the amount of things that the Slytherins were bringing back from Hogsmede It was beginning to look like Madam Puddifoots in here, with the amount of sweets and flowers around the place, so I told the children that you were not one for material things and perhaps would appreciate the thought behind their actions, more than the galleons...was I wrong?"

She went to shake her head and was hindered once more, so gave his hand two quick squeezes. Then her hand reached shakily towards him, and he quickly passed her Artemis, whom she held as close to her side with her one hand as she could.

"She is not the only addition I am afraid. There are letters, poems, paintings... quite frankly the Slytherin common room has began to look so much like an episode of Blue Peter* that I don't know whether I should be docking house points for the mess or handing out badges for the creativity"

Her lips quirked at that and she offered him a smile, the best she could around the intubation tube anyway, and he couldn't help but return it with a small smirk.

He turned serious though, as he decided to be candid with her.

"What you did Granger...I have no words for. The whole of Slytherin house is in your debt"

There was a frustrated noise from her, and she squeezed his hand "no" but he knew what she meant, despite her lack of voice.

"I know that you did not do it for the thanks Granger, and that is precisely why we as a house are so indebted to you. No-one does anything for Slytherin, at least not without expecting something in return, your selfless actions...your heroism...Gods girl do you even know what you've done?"

Her eyes were wide as he regarded her closely.

"When I told you this room was built for you.. I mean this whole room and everything in it was paid for by Slytherin Alumni, and when it became clear that you would not respond to magical treatment, people were lining up to donate blood. Slytherins were port keying to the castle to donate the muggle way. Along with a hefty dose of Chimaera, you also have the blood of half the sacred 28 running through your veins."

She clutched the lioness closer to her, side as she stared transfixed at the potions master as he continued to speak emphatically.

"Because of what you did, the children you saved with no thought to prejudice or to your own life...Slytherin House has shunned the Dark Lord. Granger... More than half of his followers have withdrawn their support. Families are turning over to the light , or going grey and refusing to stand for either side. For Merlin's sake the Malfoys kicked him out of their house and warded the door behind him! Hermione...You may have singlehandedly won this war for the light."

For all you non UK people that might not get the reference, Blue Peter is a very famous British children's TV show that's been running since the late 50's, and is still going. It's famous for it's arts and crafts tutorials for children, showing them how to make things out of cardboard boxes etc. And all children that feature on the show are given a blue peter badge. It's the top running children's show in the UK and since snape was half blood, born in 1960 and raised in a muggle house, it stands to reason that both snape and hermione would have watched the show as children.

Chapter Text

"Because of what you did, the children you saved with no thought to prejudice or to your own life...Slytherin House has shunned the Dark Lord. Granger... More than half of his followers have withdrawn their support. Families are turning over to the light , or going grey and refusing to stand for either side. For Merlin's sake the Malfoys kicked him out of their house and warded the door behind him! Hermione...You may have singlehandedly won this war for the light."

She was overwhelmed with emotion at his declaration, and even as tears slid from her eyes she dropped her gaze from his, unable to meet it. She was surprised when she felt the touch of a soft fabric at her face, and found the source to be a white cotton handkerchief, gently drying her tears. "I apologise, I did not mean to cause you upset" He spoke softly, as he gently wiped at her tears with motions that seemed far more tender than the usually harsh man should have been capable of.

"I owe you an apology, Miss Granger" He started softly, as he carefully returned to his seat beside her. It was then he noticed with a small smile that she was still clutching the plush lioness to her side. "Over the years I have oft been, at the best unfair and at the worst outright cruel towards you." Her wide eyes met his then, and the shock at this declaration was clear in her amber gaze. "It was only my position in the war, that kept me from giving you the respect you deserve, along with the praise you have so rightfully earned. You are the brightest witch of your age, make no doubts about that. In fact a number of your essay's that I have been forced in the past to ridicule, spoke of many of your thoughts and theories of which I would be pleased to discuss with you at your leisure. But scholarly talent aside, you have more heart than any witch or wizard I've ever known, your actions now and in the past can attest to that...You truly are extraordinary Miss Granger." At finally hearing the acknowledgement she'd long sought from him, her eyes leaked tears then once more and he was again forced to gently wipe her face with his hanky.

"Are you in any pain right now?" She squeezed his hand gently in responce, and at her confirmation he quickly assessed his next actions. "With your hand Miss Granger, can you indicate for me a number that your pain level is right now, between 1 and 5? 1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest?" She raised her hand carefully, brandishing all 5 digits. Upon seeing that, he quickly stepped to the door, without leaving the room, and shouted out for Poppy.

The pain level she was in was concerning to him. He knew from personal experience that she was a very tough and strong willed girl, with a high tolerance of pain born of sheer stubbornness, and an intense apathetic desire not to cause others concern, so for her to admit to her pain being 5 out of 5, he was certain of her suffering. His mind flashed back to her past injuries.

The hospital wing was closed, and strongly warded, against both sound and intrusion. Severus and Poppy were seeing to the business of un-petrifying the students. It was harrowing. There was little that could be done for the petrified students whilst they were this way. Being petrified by a basilisk was entirely different to being petrified by a stunner. The screams began as soon as the potion un-petrified them, as their small bodies arched in a richtus of agony as the shooting pains traversed their limbs as sensation returned. Weeks held still as statues had caused their muscles to atrophy, and the pain of their reawakening was agonising. They had potions to cure the damage and relieve the pain, but getting them into students that were screaming and thrashing was not easy.  It took both Severus and Poppy's hard to work to physically pin the children and force feed them the potions, without them choking on them, at which point they would promptly sedate them.

When it came to Miss Granger, Poppy paused him with a hand on his arm. "A moment" Her voice was small and he could detect the worry in it. "She will be the worst" The words finally escaped her. He arched his eyebrow. "Miss Granger has been petrified for the least amount of time..." But he trailed off when Poppy shook her head sadly. "Her arm Severus..." He turned to gaze at the girl, then muttered a sharp oath. He hadn't looked closely at any of the students, though it became clear what poppy's meaning had been as soon as he looked at her. Hermione Granger's arm was extended, where she'd been holding the mirror that had saved her life. The arm was fully extended, and held higher than her heart. The atrophy in the limb would be much worse than any of the others, none had limbs extended so.

"On my count?" Severus nodded and on Poppy's quickly spoken 3, they administered the potion. The girl gasped and cried out in pain as feeling returned to her body, but much to their astonishment, her amber eyes quickly found the pair of them, scanning from the empty potions vial in their hands, and up to their eyes. She was biting her lip as tremors shook her body, and she looked upon him with total trust for reassurance. He cringed as her arm was still outstretched, locked into position by the atrophy, but her fingers were being wracked with spasms in a horrific way, he noted in a morbid fashion that it was in a sickening parody of Nosferatu. Soft whimpers escaped her as she looked to him for guidance, and sweat was beading on her skin, but she did not scream.

"Drink this Miss Granger" He said, pressing the vial to her lips, which to his astonishment the still shaking girl drank without question. He repeated the process with the next vials and was more than a little surprised when just as they began to sedate her, she offered him a slightly drugged smile and said "Thank you" . Poppy shook her head in wonder as the girl drifted into unconsciousness. "There's something about that one Severus" She said softly. "You mark my words"

oOo

As he walked through the doors to the Hospital wing, it confounded him why Albus had brought them all back to the Hogwarts rather than taking them to St. Mungos. As the most capable student there, he discovered that at the mediwitch's request she was assisting Poppy with the various injuries that students who fought at the ministry had been dealt with. She was pale, and her eyes looked bloodshot, though as he watched for a few moments he noted that she continued on without complaint despite the way she would occasionally flinch at certain movements, her black clothes gave nothing away. Seething he found himself lurching forward and grabbing her by the wrist to halt her movement, as she assisted in seeing to a now sedated Ginerva Weasley's ankle. She was the last to be treated it seemed, as all others had either left or were sleeping.

Her eyes snapped to his, and Poppy exclaimed in shock at his actions. "With me, both of you, NOW." His tone brokered no argument, though he noticed she seemed to pale a bit at his words. He lead them into the private room, pushed her in first and warded it behind them.  "Remove your shirt Miss Granger" She looked at him in shock, as Poppy barked at him. "Severus! What is the meaning of this?"  He sneered, ignoring the mediwitch as his eyes fixed on Hermione in front of them, with her back to the bed. "I have just come from a rather interesting meeting, and who should be bragging about his achievements, other than Antonin Dolohov" Hermione dropped back a bit then, until she was leaning against the bed, half sat upon it. "Hermione?" Poppy questioned, but the quiet girl simply shook her head and didn't answer. "Severus?" She questioned, but was met only with a scathing look. "Pray tell me Poppy, why you have allowed a student with a potentially life threatening injury, to forgo treatment in favour of assisting you with bruises, scraped and turned ankles?" It was clear Poppy had no clue what he was talking about, as he turned back to the girl half sat on the end of the bed.

"Remove..your..shirt.. or I shall do it for you." She reacted then, came to stand and slowly and painfully began to unbutton the black blouse she was wearing. Poppy gasped and he was struck dumb when she removed the aforementioned garment. A large wound stretched from her bellybutton to her heart, between her breasts. The wound was not deep and bleeding as he feared, but instead it looked as though she had 3rd degree burns in a perfectly ruler straight injury that bisected her torso.

"Merlin's beard girl!" Poppy had jumped to action and pushed her back onto the bed into a reclining position, but Hermione's eyes had never left his own. a silent challenge in them. He sneered and walked over to her, unashamed to look upon her as Poppy fretted over her. "You were lucky, Dolohov must have been distracted" He said with a sneer, his fear for their wellbeings turned into anger at his feelings of helplessness. "He wasn't distracted. I silenced him" His eyes snapped to hers then, but there was no hint of deception in them. As the dittany hissed as it hit her wound, her hands fisted in the covers and she grit her teeth against the pain. Internally he winced in sympathy, he was all too familiar with the harsh bite of dittany in a sore wound, and he sympathised with her, more than once he'd yowled and screamed insults at Poppy when she was treating wounds of his, less severe than this one. She offered him a small smirk, and amused but pain filled eyes, as she spoke through gritted teeth. "Bet he forgot to mention that" She said breathlessly, then with another smile "That and the fact that he fought against a muggle-born 16 year old girl and didn't win" He snorted in amusement as he turned and left the hospital wing. 

Once out of earshot he chuckled.  Brave little Gryffindor. 

For the girl in front of him to suggest her pain was at a level of 5 out of 5 , he could only assume that meant she was running on something much closer to 10 out of 5, if her previous fortitude was to go by. 

This time he sat by her side, only to jump out of his skin when a loud smash filled the air. Poppy had walked into the room, and promptly dropped the glass of water she was carrying upon seeing the somewhat alert girl in the bed. 

"Hermione, you're awake?!"

Chapter Text

For the girl in front of him to suggest her pain was at a level of 5 out of 5 , he could only assume that meant she was running on something much closer to 10 out of 5, if her previous fortitude was to go by.

This time he sat by her side, only to jump out of his skin when a loud smash filled the air. Poppy had walked into the room, and promptly dropped the glass of water she was carrying upon seeing the somewhat alert girl in the bed.

"Hermione, you're awake?!"

The chimaera blood in her system it seemed was, along with preventing them from using healing spells on her, burning off the morphine at an accelerated rate. Her body temperature was raised a few degrees higher than it should be, though she currently showed no signs of fever. Animagi were usually a couple of degrees warmer than the standard witch or wizard, but Hermione was warmer still. She was warm to the touch, Severus recalled, as he'd placed his hand upon her arm earlier when they were speaking, another side effect it seemed of the influx of Chimaera blood that seeped into her system. Severus and Poppy shared a worried glance, as they considered what as yet unknown other possible side effects they may have to deal with in the future. It was not a reassuring thought.

Poppy, once she'd recovered from her initial shock, had promptly summoned the squib surgeon who had quickly made his way to Hogwarts, to attend the now awakened Hermione. After effectively being shooed out of the room by Poppy, a fact that galled him no end, Severus was surprised when Hermione's eyes met his with something akin to panic in them at his departure, that had him itching to reassure her.

"I shall return tonight, at the usual time" he told her softly, out of earshot of Poppy and under the guise of adjusting her blanket, Severus was even more surprised to see that she relaxed somewhat at his words. Wonders never cease. Though mere moments later he did realise his mistake, and fight the subsequent blush that wanted to arise upon his cheeks when he realised that she likely had no way of knowing what their usual time was, being in a coma and all, and that he'd just admitted to her that he was a frequent visitor to her bedside throughout her confinement in the hospital wing.

He straightened his cloak, and left the room with a haughty sniff, without looking back at the girl on the bed. The girl who, unbeknown to her, he had spoken to more in the last month than any other person in the last year.

Coward. He thought to himself, as he made no attempts to argue with Poppy's decision of throwing him out of the room. He should be there, he ought to be there...in fact as Head of Slytherin House, he was duty bound to be there. But none of that changed the fact that... he simply could not stomach the thought of being in the room, when Poppy told the girl the true extent of her injuries and the repercussions on her body and her life.

And that was before they even brought Minerva in and began to talk of how Gryffindor were effectively ostracising her.

He should stay, shocking as it was to him she'd looked into his eyes and wanted him to stay

He didn't.

Coward.

oOo

When Hermione's condition had become more stable, Poppy had stopped sharing as much of her health information with the other staff members, much to their consternation. When they were afraid she was dying, she needed all the help she could get and that took precedence. As soon as she was stable, thought albeit in a coma, Poppy had deigned not to give them any more information, stating her oath as a mediwitch not to discuss patient's conditions without prior consent, they were aware of her current condition in terms of severity, though were given little more information.

So Severus was surprised, when Poppy greeted him on his return to the hospital wing that evening. He often popped in at some point during the day , and on weekends, though he spent numerous hours sat with her every night without fail and had until this point thought Poppy was unaware of the true extent of his nocturnal activities. He tried to shift the reading material into his coat pocket subtly, but the mediwitch gave him a look along with an arched eyebrow that clearly said 'Who do you think you're trying to fool'.

After a short greeting, Poppy informed him that Hermione had approved him on her medical files, along with Minerva (though interestingly enough, not Albus) to discuss her medical state, and after warning him not to tax her too much, Poppy waved him into Hermione's room and turned off the lights on the ward as she retired to her own bed.

The girl was awake, though seemed much more disquieted than she had been earlier. Her head was laid on the pillow as she stared at the parchment on the bed sheets below her hand. She turned as she met his eyes upon his entrance, and he didn't even have time to become uncomfortable with the total newness of her being aware of his presence, before she quickly returned to dropping her eyes to her hand on the bed beside her. There was an aura of sadness hanging around her, and he heaved out a breath as he quietly seated himself beside her.

Once more, whiskey brown eyes met his, before dropping back to the coverlet. They'd told her then, though how much? He wondered. He wiped his hand across his face and breathed out deeply. "I assume Poppy spent some time discussing things with you today?" She nodded, but didn't meet his gaze. A few machines and wires were lacking, but she still had the tube down her throat preventing her from talking. She was yet to be cleared from the lung infection, and as she was missing half a lung they were not taking any chances it seemed. It was then she pushed the parchment beneath her hand towards him, and he took it in his hand. To his surprise it was a detailing of her medical condition, along with some transcribed conversations from the day. The notes said, once given a quill and parchment, she'd requested a copy for herself, to read at her leisure. Though it was now clear, she'd done it for his benefit, unaware that Poppy already knew he was planning on covertly returning.

He took the medical file, and glanced at the front page before flicking his eyes to hers. "You do not need to show me this, you're entitled to your privacy" He went to offer it back, but he hand on his stopped him, so he began to read. Certain words and phrases popped out at him, that made his heart wrench in sympathy.

High Risk Patient, immune system highly compromised, unknown if permanent...Blood Works / Hormone levels all irregular...Permanent Scarring...Future complications with movement highly possible, use of cane most probable...Shadow on lung, possible lesion from pneumonia, further removable may be required...Total hysterectomy confirmed, 0% Chance of conception...Short test outside suppressed room showed patient is still unresponsive to magic, possible magical exhaustion due to illness, though total magic loss/suppression is distinct possibility.

Certain phrases were smudged, as though her fingers had ran over them time and time again. Permanent Scarring...0% Chance...total magic loss...

To Severus, it was horrifying to imagine this girl, this warrior, doomed to spend the rest of her life a crippled and barren squib. So to her it must have been devastating. Though when the girl's hand alighted on his pocket, he almost jumped, though quickly calmed when he realised she was reaching the the pen he'd placed there for this sole purpose, knowing she might have difficulty communicating with him.

Pulling out the notebook in his pocket, he offered both to the girl and when he read her short and shaky words, he couldn't help but bark out a sob, as they snuck past his defences with deadly efficiency.

'What can I do Professor, how will I be able to help people now?'

In spite of everything, Hermione still referred to him with respect even on paper and she still thought of everyone else above herself. Though certain things obviously bothered her, attested by the worn and smudged words, Permanent Scarring...0% Chance...total magic loss... Her primary concern had been to find out how she could continue to help others.

Severus found himself, quite without reservation, lifting her small hand to his face and placing a soft kiss on the back of it, as one might to royalty, before placing his other hand atop it, as she looked at him with wide-eyed innocence.

"I assure you Miss Granger, I have never come across anyone who is more able to help people than you are. Do not ever believe yourself useless, for I think you alone have saved and will save, more people than anyone in this world, myself included."

She smiled softly then, and he found himself returning it, before clearing his throat and surreptitiously wiping the sheen of tears from his eyes."Let us get on with the business of your fan mail shall we Miss Granger?" He found himself asking, as he got to reading her the large stack of letters from his young slytherins, starting once again from the bottom of the pile. 

He did not question why she had not let go of his hand, nor did he deign to let go of hers either. 

Chapter Text

"I assure you Miss Granger, I have never come across anyone who is more able to help people than you are. Do not ever believe yourself useless, for I think you alone have saved and will save, more people than anyone in this world, myself included."

She smiled softly then, and he found himself returning it, before clearing his throat and surreptitiously wiping the sheen of tears from his eyes."Let us get on with the business of your fan mail shall we Miss Granger?" He found himself asking, as he got to reading her the large stack of letters from his young slytherins, starting once again from the bottom of the pile.

He did not question why she had not let go of his hand, nor did he deign to let go of hers either.

He dutifully read through her 'fan mail' as he called it, the letters and poems and other items from the students. Each one after he had read it aloud, she would take from him gently and run her fingers over the letters with a soft smile. Artemis was still tucked into her side, the fingers of her other hand gently petting the mismatched fur of stuffed animal, which made his lips quirk in amusement. He had been right in his assumption, and though she smiled at the small pile of chocolates and other trinkets, it was the letters and poems and other pieces of art that made her really smile. As much as she could whilst intubated anyway.

By way of written instruction, she'd asked for the pieces of art to be put on the walls of her room so she could look at them. Spellotape was not an option in the magically dampened room, and neither were sticking charms, so after a quick apparition and trip to a muggle stationary shop, Severus found himself snorting in amusement after hanging up numerous pictures on the wall of her room, when he exited the hospital wing to a number of fascinated pure-bloods playing with muggle sticky tack.

oOo

Two weeks after she regained consciousness, she was still on limited visitation, meaning the only visitors she was currently allowed were Severus and Minerva in an effort to control secondary infection. They had settled into something of a routine, which he was reluctant to admit, he was rather fond of. Despite the circumstances of course.

Every morning he would check on her after his breakfast, quickly dropping her his copy of the daily prophet for her to read. He would go about his morning classes, then at dinner he would drop off his morning's assignments, if they were from the lower years. He'd return to teaching the afternoon classes, fulfil all his head of house duties, which now included being carrier pigeon for all of Hermione's fan mail. He'd then return to the Hospital wing, and finally mark all of his higher years work, and Hermione would have all the lower year's work from earlier graded for him, whilst she looked on enviously at the higher level papers he was grading, and then the evening was theirs. He would read everything to her, from classic muggle literature like Shakespeare, to modern potions journals, and she eagerly soaked everything up. Most nights she would fall asleep to the sound of his voice. Some nights, so would he.

It had been a week into her awakening that Severus could see she was practically bored to tears. He'd been tired and crabby, grading papers he'd gotten behind on, due in part to his frequent presence in the hospital wing, when she had very slowly picked up one of his papers and a spare quill. Her movements were very slow and deliberate, giving him every chance to stop her, and he was bemusedly reminded of a documentary on chameleons, and the way they had walked to avoid being seen by predators. She kept looking to see if he was watching her, and carefully brought the first year paper to herself before cautiously beginning grading it. When she'd completed it, she carefully placed it by his hand. When he picked it up to scan her work, he could tell from the look on her face that had the machine not been controlling her breathing, she would have been holding her breath. He grunted his approval at her efforts, and placed the paper on the top of his finished pile, handing her the next one immediately. He couldn't help but smirk slightly at the wide smile she offered him then, as she attacked the rest of the papers with gusto while he went and got some coffee. It turns out that she was a dab hand at grading, obviously, she was fair (with all the houses), and even though she was not as...sharp as him in her admonishments, she didn't suffer fools either, and wasn't afraid of using the red ink.

When Minerva had found out she had at first admonished him, though when she saw the completed works that Hermione had done, he was bemused to find a pile of first year transfiguration essays on her bedside the next day.

Followed by charms, and then Herbology.

The teachers were thrilled, and so was Hermione.

And she still looked on hungrily at the OWLS level papers he was grading.

"Not a chance, Know it all" He said without looking at her, and he heard the soft chuff of her chuckle in answer.

oOo

Soon Poppy was going to attempt to remove the intubation tube. If she could breath and eat without assistance, she would be cleared for general visitation. His Slytherins were chomping at the bit to see her, both young and old alike, and there was also an emerald coloured kneazle that had taken up residence underfoot in his quarters, and could commonly be found in the Slytherin common room, that was also eager to see it's mistress. Yet Severus continued to be bothered by the elephant in the room, the thing they had not yet spoken about. The fact that soon she would be allowed to have visitors...and yet the two people she would like to see most of all, would be highly unlikely to be among them.

Chapter Text

Soon Poppy was going to attempt to remove the intubation tube. If she could breath and eat without assistance, she would be cleared for general visitation. His Slytherins were chomping at the bit to see her, both young and old alike, and there was also an emerald coloured kneazle that had taken up residence underfoot in his quarters, and could commonly be found in the Slytherin common room, that was also eager to see it's mistress. Yet Severus continued to be bothered by the elephant in the room, the thing they had not yet spoken about. The fact that soon she would be allowed to have visitors...and yet the two people she would like to see most of all, would be highly unlikely to be among them.

Minerva was sat beside him in the staff room as they drank their morning coffee. She was still having no luck getting through to her Gryffindors, in regards to Hermione. The fact that Slytherin families were spending so much money and time on her, were also a sticking point that was getting the backs of the lions up.

"Longbottom wants to see her" She said to him. "But he's too afraid, I think. Weasley, Mclaggen and Finnegan are being very vocal against her, and they're simply so loud and emphatic that many of the younger children who I think might care to see her, daren't go against their wishes "

"Longbottom is not younger, he's a man grown" Severus pointed out.

"But with the heart of a Hufflepuff" Pomona Sprout chimed in. "I've always said that boy should've been one of mine, no offence Minerva"

"None taken Pomona, I agree with you, sometimes I wonder what the hat was thinking."

"I'm not so sure" Flitwick chimed in. "I had always said that Hermione should've been mine, she'd've been well suited as a 'claw, and yet as much as I love my house, there is not one I could say would've fought as she did. That's the lion heart in her, the hat saw it in her"

There were mumbled agreements to that, as Severus grimaced while he drank his black coffee.

"That's your second one this morning" Hooch pointed out, and Severus merely grunted.

She raised an eyebrow. "Today's the day then?" and he just inclined his head in answer, too caught up in his own mind to say anything further.

oOo

He was stood beside her bed, in just his frock coat. He'd taken to removing his outer robes, they were uncomfortable to sit in for any length of time. Though for the first time he was a little self conscious, not due to the fact that once or twice he'd caught her looking at him and blushing, but in part to the fact that when offered Minerva or him for today, she'd chosen him.

Poppy had asked her who she'd like by her for support while they removed the feeding tube and intubation tube and he'd been shocked when she had chosen him.

It was going to be uncomfortable and unpleasant. Even more so if it do not go to plan, and they had to replace the tubes.

She'd already had the catheter removed, and was doing well without it, and this was the next step in her recovery.

When Poppy had told him that Hermione had chosen him, he asked her why on his visit that night, as he could not contain his curiosity over why she would choose him, over the gryffindor matriarch .

Hermione, by means of her notebook had simply told him. "I trust you". When that had him lost for words, she'd expanded on her reasoning.

"I feel safe with you, and I trust you. I trust you to be yourself. Don't mistake me, I love Minerva but I don't want platitudes, or to be coddled or merlin help me, pitied, like I would get from Minerva. Please, I need you to ground me, to just.. be you Severus."

He'd been struck dumb. Then had simply nodded, pushing back the emotion that was vying to release. At some point from her awakening, he'd allowed her the use of his name. And she ha become Hermione to him. It was a mark of respect, and friendship and Hermione seemed to look at him as though all her christmases had come at once, each time she referred to him by his given name, even if so far it was only on paper.

oOo

She was trembling a little, as Poppy was putting her gloves on. And her hand reached for his. "Do pull yourself together Granger, you're shaking like a shitting dog" He snapped at her, though did not release her hand from his. Her eyes flicked to his, but it was not hurt that read there, only gratitude and he watched as she visibly steeled herself.

The intubation tube was the first to go, and it made her cough and splutter, as her eyes watered. "Alright Granger?" He asked and she just shook her head as she fought the coughing, panic taking hold and making her wheeze terribly "Take deep breaths. You do remember how to breathe, Granger?" She shot him a sideways glare, the ferocity of which he wasn't sure whether it was increased or softened by the pained tears in her eyes.

"Deep rhythmic breaths" He encouraged, rubbing circles on her back. "inhale for three, then exhale for three" She steeled herself, nodded and followed his instructions. Within a few minutes, she was breathing regularly on her own.

"Alright" Poppy said gently. "Give it half an hour, and if you're still ok we'll try something to simple to eat alright?" Hermione just nodded. "Thank You Poppy" Severus said, as the mediwtich left.

Once she was gone, Severus turned to the girl on the bed. Her breathing was still irregular, as she got into the habit of controlling her own breathing once more, though it was not strained as it had been before.

"I apologise if I was harsh with you, I merely wished to distract you from the procedure" She took a small sip of the water he handed her. "I-it's ok. T-thank you for h-helping" Her words were shaky, and there was a slight rasp that hinted at her as yet still healing injuries to her throat.

Smiling softly he raised a handkerchief to her face, where her trembling hands had spilled a little water. "It is good to hear your voice, Hermione".

"T-thank y-you, s-s-severus" It was still not easy for her to form words and she frowned in frustration as her hand fisted angrily in the bedding.

"None of that" He said, picking up her hand and taking it in his own as he sat. "It will come with time, do not push yourself, we have your notepad still"

She nodded and a gentle hand on her shoulder, urged her back into the bed to lay down.

"Rest. Your chest muscles and diaphragm are unused to doing the work themselves after a many weeks long vacation, do not over exert yourself"

Hermione went willingly with his wishes and relaxed back into the bed. Picking up a book he began to read to her, encouraging her to focus on her breathing.

All too soon, Poppy was returning to remove the tube down her nose. A wide eyed Hermione quickly grasped for his hand, which he gave willingly, before she slammed her eyes shut as the mediwitch talked her through the removal of the nasogastric tube that had her retching and sobbing.

"I know dear, it's horrible isn't it, my poor girl" The matron cooed good naturedly.

Well if looks could kill, Poppy would already be buried as Severus stifled a chuckle at the vicious side-eye that Hermione was giving through her tears, to the matron over her baby talk.

Luckily Poppy got the gist, and quickly made herself scarce, after leaving a bowl of gruel like substance on the side table.

Hermione, having already spent all her energy was leaning back against the bed, now set in a reclining position. She was still shivering from the horrible sensation of the tube being removed, as she wiped her streaming face and nose with a shaky hand. Severus grabbed the bowl of gruel, quickly hiding his sneer of distaste.

"Well, unless you're already missing your last accessory, it's time to eat up Granger, looks tasty"

"Y-you can dial it back a n-notch" She glared at him and he chuckled.

"My apologies. But in all sincerity, unless you wish to get quickly reacquainted with that feeding tube, you need to successfully ingest some of this...substance... as appetising as it appears to be"

She was still wiping her face of tears, or so he thought when he noticed her hands were lingering on the marked side of her face. The stitches had recently come out, but the vicious claw wounds had left a disfiguring scar along cheek and jaw.

A moment later she noticed his look, and her shaking hand fell away. "Y-you must think me so vain" She said softly, unable to meet his gaze. His hand pressed under her chin and tipped up her gaze to his own. "Not at all little lioness, I understand" He said softly, then gestured to his left arm. "For I assure you, I would not be wearing longsleeved robes in summer, otherwise"

She squeezed his hand, and went to reach for the gruel, but his hand stopped her before her trembling one could reach the spoon. "Allow me" he said gently.

And she blushed. "You don't h-have to-" but he quickly cut her off. "It is no bother, though I would appreciate if you would hurry up and acquiesce to this meal, for each second you delay I fear it is about to vacate this spoon and attempt to devour my soul." He said with a grimace at the gelatinous goop, which made Hermione chuckle. Wryly he added "Do not make me resort to making aeroplane noises like I had to do with Draco"

She chuckled and accepted a mouthful of the gruel with only a small wince. "You fed Draco when he was a baby?" She asked curiously. "He was a first year actually, just terribly entitled" She laughed then again at his deadpan delivery and he smiled, as they continued to talk freely for the first time.

Chapter Text

Warning - Graphic descriptions of injuries in this chapter

"It is no bother, though I would appreciate if you would hurry up and acquiesce to this meal, for each second you delay I fear it is about to vacate this spoon and attempt to devour my soul." He said with a grimace at the gelatinous goop, which made Hermione chuckle. Wryly he added "Do not make me resort to making aeroplane noises like I had to do with Draco"

She chuckled and accepted a mouthful of the gruel with only a small wince. "You fed Draco when he was a baby?" She asked curiously. "He was a first year actually, just terribly entitled" She laughed then again at his deadpan delivery and he smiled, as they continued to talk freely for the first time.

Hermione had been off the ventilator for two weeks now, and had remained stable and able to breath independently without it. She'd had to have an oxygen mask on for the first couple of nights, as her O2 levels had dropped, but after 48 hours she was in the clear. She'd also managed to keep down the nutrition boosting gruel the hospital wing had provided her with, that she had in private (meaning her and Severus) nicknamed Soylent Green, much to his continued amusement.

A week of soylent green three times a day, had seen her cleared to go onto bland normal foods, and she'd nearly wept at the mashed potatoes and soup the house elves provided. She'd even kissed Severus on the cheek, leaving his face flaming, when he smuggled in a bar of honeydukes for her, after all 'contraband' had been removed from her room once she was awake, lest it appear too tempting whilst she was still supposed to be on the soylent green. The deep humm of pleasure and moan of appreciation she'd made eating the chocolate, with her eyes closed and a dreamy look on her face, had left his face still flaming and feeling appreciative of voluminous teaching robes for their concealment abilities.

Now two weeks had passed, with Hermione being as stable as she could be in her condition, tomorrow her visitation was going to be opened to students once more. And Severus...was having mixed feelings about it. In short and simple terms,  and much to his own great surprise, he realised that he was jealous. And he wanted things to continue as they were, for he didn't want to share her.

In the past two weeks, the only ones able to visit had been staff, which had gone some ways to appeasing the student body that actually wanted to see her. Both Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw students having enquired after her, and Pomona and Filius had been happy to pass on well wishes to the girl from their house.

Minerva still visited frequently, and had passed on the message that Neville wanted to know if it was alright to come and see her when he was allowed, which Hermione had, after a moment's hesitation, agreed to.

Though in these past two weeks, it was Severus that had found himself sequestered in the Hospital wing, every spare moment he had. And quite often in moments that weren't exactly spare, which would've put him behind had it not been for her continued assistance with grading work. Now that he was free of his position as spy, he was finally allowed to converse with her without the shadow of his death eater persona behind him.

She took his breath away. He'd always known that like himself, she was incredibly intelligent and gifted. But until he was free to openly discuss topics and debate with her he hadn't fathomed just how brilliant she was. She was a prodigy, she even had an eidetic memory he discovered, much to his jealousy. He loved speaking with her. Though Minerva and Filius were both intelligent in their own right, and masters of their subjects, she had a gifted mind like himself. She functioned on a such a higher level than anyone he knew (other than himself, not to blow his own horn) that he wondered just how she'd stayed sane, doing the simple schoolwork that was so below her academic abilities, whilst surrounded by her dunderhead-ed peers. It was refreshing, and challenging having an honest to gods intellectual debate with her, over all manner of subjects.

He started allowing her to grade the higher level works.

She, as a 6th year, was grading 7th year work. And doing it phenomenally. With the help of her eidetic memory, she was also able to instantly spot plagiarism, no matter how small.

As they sat together, the last day before she would be overrun with enthusiastic students, he conversationally remarked on how useful it would be to have her perfect recall, and she'd winced and looked away. Mumbling some quiet agreement to his statement. Curious of her actions he questioned her about the sudden shift in her mood, and she turned and while giving him a sorrowful look, acquiesced to his request with a quiet explanation. "It's not just books and academia Severus, I remember everything in detail. What people say, what they wear and do, food I ate or films I saw...I remember everything to the minute detail... Everything"

Her sad eyes had met his then, and as a natural legilimens, he'd unwittingly fallen into her gaze.

It's tearing at her side with it's cloven feet. There's a sharp pain as the skin splits, from top to bottom like someone running scissors through paper. Some of her skin catches on the sharp point of the clam and it remains there, dragging for a moment, then it's down to muscle and sinew and that burns. Then a sudden release. As though she'd exhaled deeply...but not. She feels like a balloon that's deflating, or she imagines this is what a toothpaste tube feels like. There's a pressure and pull. She doesn't feel the organs themselves as such, as it presses at the wound, but she can feel the throb of it, the pulse on her skin in tune with her heartbeat.

There's a curious feeling as her stomach literally drops, and she knows the organ has moved from where it should be, and her body instinctively screams at her that this feels wrong. Totally wrong wrong wrong.

Her feet go out from under her, and she sinks to the floor. Chin first. She snaps a twig when she lands and a few leaves are pushed into the air with a muted whoosh from the impact of her body on the floor.

She's warmer on the inside than on the outside she realises and the skin briefly heats where the exposed organ touches it. they're warm enough and damp enough to steam slightly in the cold air where they're exposed, and she can't help but feel the almost smoke like visual is fitting considering how much it feels like a fire lit upon her side.

The organ, she's not sure which one though she thinks its her intestine, though slippery and shiny it's somewhat tacky and it sticks to her fur, rather than slipping out further. There's not as much blood as she supposed there should be, though logic tells her there's no major arteries there, though plenty of veins. The organ it seems is tamponading the wound in the side, but she still feels the steady trickle of blood from the wound, it starts off warm as it escapes her side. She's laid on a slight incline where she fell, head higher on the hill than her back end, so the blood follows the path of her body, down her side, towards her hip where it turns slightly following the contours of her body and winds in a corkscrew as it follows the sinews down her leg. It's cold by the time it hits the ground, and pools, mostly between her toes. There's a cloying coppery scent of her blood in the air, and she feels it bubbling in her throat, it almost tickles. But the second the wound on her side was opened it also smells different, and she recalls it smells like walking into the butchers shop. She's just so much a bag of meat and flesh anyway.

The wind rocks the trees and brings the smells of the forest, flowers, greenery and other animals and as the branches part for a moment, the sunlight shines through and alights on the pool of blood steadily increasing below her, one beneath her legs ,the other below her head.  The reflections of  the sun light dancing on the surface making the blood look lighter in colour than it actually is. With this light it looks like fake blood they use in the movies, Corn syrup.

When she breathes, leaves are blown away from her face and f allen leaves crunch beneath her toes that curl and grasp at the ground as though attempting to hold on to something. Crisp and sharp they're in dichotomy to the soft earthy soil that she sinks slightly into as it squelches between her toes and up the side of her face. Dirt collects on her eyelashes and makes her blink, which was a bad idea as now the tacky blood is making it hard to open her eye. There's a sharp stone digging into her foot on one side that's aggravating her, as she mocks herself for being bothered by such a banal thing at a time such as this.

The intestine, for that's what she's sure it may be, pushes out a little further when she changes the pressure onto her back legs so she's leaning more to one side as she tries to rise. It's darker than she imagined. All the pictures show it as pink or red, but instead it looks almost purpley blue. How very curious.

He breaks away with a gasp and dry heaves and retches. She simply turns away, "You should go" and he can hear her steady breathing as she attempts to control her emotions. 

When he's sure he's in control of himself he turns to the girl on the bed. She's not looking at him. He pushes his chair back as he stands, and getting up closes the door. Her shoulders slump, but when his footsteps return her eyes snap to his, and he sits on the edge of the bed.  Without a word, he cautiously lifts him arm in invitation and with a sorrowful whimper, she falls into his arms. Pressing her face against his chest, she holds tightly on to him and weeps. 

Chapter Text

When he's sure he's in control of himself he turns to the girl on the bed. She's not looking at him. He pushes his chair back as he stands, and getting up closes the door. Her shoulders slump, but when his footsteps return her eyes snap to his, and he sits on the edge of the bed. Without a word, he cautiously lifts him arm in invitation and with a sorrowful whimper, she falls into his arms. Pressing her face against his chest, she holds tightly on to him and weeps.

The 'ducklings' had been the first to see her of course, the 13 young students that she had saved. They'd gained the nickname 'Hermione's ducklings' from the other staff, and some of the older years, as they'd formed a habit of moving around everywhere in a group like lost little ducklings, almost aimlessly waiting for Hermione's return. They had bonded through their experience, and formed very close friendships. Each one had a part in creating Artemis for Hermione, and Helena especially had often been discovered attempting to sneak into Hermione's room throughout her convalescence.

Hermione had asked Severus to stay, when the ducklings were allowed to visit her for the first time. It had gone some ways to soothing his ruffled feathers and his jealousy. He knew it was irrational to be jealous of the children, after the ordeal they had all shared with her, but in the time they'd spent together after her awakening, just the two of them, him finally free from the yoke of both Dumbledore and Voldemort, they had become...dare he say it? Friends. And Severus Snape did not have many friends. So he had to admit to himself, the thought of her spending time with others instead of him, had made him jealous. Because he hadn't wanted to share her. Though when she had asked him to stay with her, for support when the ducklings visited, it had him fighting the urge to preen. Knowing that she valued his companionship, as much as he valued hers, gave him a warm feeling in his chest that he did not want to contemplate any further.

She was sat up in bed when they arrived at the hospital wing, and he beside her bed like a sentinel when they heard Poppy ushered them in to the ward. She'd been insisting on individuals taking turns so as not to overwhelm her, though one look at the collective faces of 13 ducklings had put an end to that train of thought. It was Hermione that had spoke up and told Poppy it was alright.

"Besides, I'll have Severus here to watch out for me" She'd said. Just so casual, her trust in him and it had him fighting a smirk or grin. Instead he had nodded sagely in acquiescence, with a put upon sigh. Poppy had fallen for it and gone to fetch the ducklings, Hermione hadn't. She snorted and elbowed him in the ribs when Poppy turned around, and he simply smirked which made her laugh. And the feeling it gave him, when he made her laugh...was pleasant.

The ducklings had arrived en-masse in the doorway, all 13 of them led by Helena who was clutching Crookshanks. The small girl was holding the grumpy half kneazle in the way only small children could get away with, arms wrapped tightly around him while his back legs dangled uselessly. The notoriously foul tempered cat, who was known for clawing unsuspecting gryffindor students, and shredding the curtains in gryffindor tower, was allowing the small slytherin girl to hold him in such a way, with only an annoyed flick of his tail to show his indignation at being carried thus.

Hermione had simply offered them a watery smile, especially at the sight of her now emerald green familiar, who seemed more content (though still understandably grumpy) in the arms of the young slytherins, that he ever had been in gryffindor tower.

They were amassed in the doorway, seemingly frozen in indecision, until Hermione broke the status quo with a shaky greeting, and a smile. That was all it took for 13 ducklings to swarm into the room. They had moved her into a larger room, without the magic dampeners, though the other room was still functioning and waiting for her when she needed it. Severus however was grateful for the extra space, as it allowed him to magically extend her bed enough for a load of students to bounce on it without aggravating her injuries. They were still unable to cast magic directly on her person, though thankfully now they were able to cast magic around her, such as changing her clothes with magic, or extending the bed. Though any attempts at casting diagnostics or healing spells, directly at her person, still fizzled out. Severus was grateful as the sensation of being in the magic dampened room was horrible, a strange gut deep feeling or loss and wrongness, and he empathised with the young woman beside him, for that must be how she felt all the time now since her injury.

Helena had carefully deposited the half kneazle in his lap, before after a moment's hesitation flinging her arms around Hermione, and sobbing her thanks to the young woman. It had broken the ice then, as the other slytherins, unused to such public displays of affection had followed suit, until Severus had been forced to extend the size of the bed again, to allow for all 13 ducklings to sit upon it.

Hermione was excellent with the young children, and informed them of a muggle tradition, which they had all eagerly pounced upon. Signing the cast on her leg, with the sharpie that she'd had him acquire when he was getting the sticky tack from the muggle stationers. He had to fight another smirk though. For she'd insisted he had been the first one to sign it. He'd sneered of course, and done it with a put upon sigh, as though it was some great hardship that he was indulging her in. Though she knew it was all an act, and he'd been pleased to be the first one. She knew it was an act. He knew that she knew. And he found that, he actually didn't mind. Especially if she continued to smile at him. So very few people in his life had ever smiled at him, yet with her it seemed to be a daily occurrence. Multiple times in fact. He just couldn't fathom it.

Most of the slytherin students had never used a muggle pen before, so the first thing they'd asked of course was 'where's the ink?' and had then proceeded to wax profusely over how 'amazing' the muggle device was, they had used pencils of course for the drawings they'd done her, though any writing for poems and letters had been done with quills.

She'd then been covered in various signatures, and the occasional drawing. Helena, who had adopted the nickname quite happily, had drawn a duckling in the middle of all their signatures, which made both Hermione and Severus smile indulgently.

They spent a good couple of hours sat beside her in bed talking about everything and nothing, and Severus had never seen his Slytherins so relaxed. She had one student resting on each shoulder, the others in various reclined positions around her. The smallest of the ducklings, and youngest, was a orphaned boy called Jacob Grey. He had blond hair as pale as the Malfoy's but as curly as Hermione's own. Grey was an orphan, who's parent's had been low level death eaters, killed by the Dark Lord when he was barely a toddler. He'd been raised by his great uncle, a drunk and a vile man who was practically a squib, though what he lacked in magical ability he made up for in brute strength. He was a devout death eater, and often enjoyed battering people to death with his bare fists, blaming muggles for 'stealing' his magic.

The boy like Helena was very small for his age, they both could have easily passed for 9 year olds rather than the 11 they actually were. Though for Helena it was because of her naturally small stature like Hermione herself, and bouts of sickness as a child. 
Severus suspected for Grey it was much like it had been for Harry Potter, sheer neglect and lack of care. He was the baby of the group for certain, he barely talked to anyone and was a student Severus closely kept his eye on. He was one of the few who had the password to Severus's chambers and office, should he need him at any time. 
Helena had taken him under her wing, and the 'baby duckling' followed his friend around everywhere. The other ducklings all called him baby, but it was a fond nickname and not an insulting one. He was laid beside Hermione with his arms gently around her waist and his head pillowed in her lap. And she was gently running her hands through his hair, while she talked to the others. She never pressured him to speak to her, but she seemed to instinctively know what he needed. Like Helena, he seemed to have a sort of Hero worship for Hermione, maybe even more so, to a degree. Despite being an ill child, Helena had grown up loved by the Malfoys, in a strong family unit, but when Hermione put herself between the children and the Chimaera, it was likely one of the few times that anyone showed any genuine caring for Grey's well-being in his entire life.

Grey had been one of the students able to donate blood to her. Though Poppy only took half a bag because of his small stature, he'd insisted on donating. 
His great uncle, once he found out, had disowned him and disinherited him for doing so. 
The boy was now a ward of the school, and Severus as his head of house was his legal guardian.  
The boy hated to be called Jacob, for he was named after his loathsome uncle from his mother's side and instead went by his surname of Grey, which he got from his father, or as Baby. He was a frightened and nervous boy, and by the way he shied away from people he'd often wondered what other ways he might've been hurt to make him so skittish, or if the man had simply turned his fists on the small boy, as Severus's own father had done. Though looking at him now, curled up unflinchingly in Hermione's lap with a smile, as she ran her hands through his hair, and surrounded by friends, he hoped this would be the start of something better for the boy.

Whilst Severus sat in the chair beside them all, her Kneazle was happily purring away in his lap. He had told her of course that she needed to hurry up and get better because her 'damned cat' was 'underfoot in his damned chambers' and 'getting his damned hair on everything' , though as the grumpy cat sat purring happily in his lap, kneading his legs as Severus rubbed his ears, an arched eyebrow from the woman beside him showed that the jig was up and he'd been discovered. Damn.

Chapter Text

Whilst Severus sat in the chair beside them all, her Kneazle was happily purring away in his lap. He had told her of course that she needed to hurry up and get better because her 'damned cat' was 'underfoot in his damned chambers' and 'getting his damned hair on everything' , though as the grumpy cat sat purring happily in his lap, kneading his legs as Severus rubbed his ears, an arched eyebrow from the woman beside him showed that the jig was up and he'd been discovered. Damn.

She was tired out after the visits from the ducklings, who had all left albeit reluctantly at Severus's insistence. She was still on high doses of painkillers, very high for one of her stature and build, but her body was still burning it off at an accelerated rate. Severus watched her as she carried on for as long as she could for the sake of the children, though as sweat began to bead on her brow and her replies became a little slower and shorter he knew she was reaching the end of her tether, as the drugs wore off and the mounting pain began to overwhelm her.

He'd ordered them out, gently but sternly, and though they were protestations they all heeded to his warning and stern glare. Helena and Grey were the last two left, Helena parting with another hug and whispered thanks once more, along with teary eyed happiness at the well used copy of Hogwarts a History, Hermione had leant to her.

Grey was the last, and though he watched Helena as she left the room with cautious eyes, he remained on the bed head pillowed upon Hermione's lap.

Hermione met Severus eyes and gave him a sad smile, as his own eyes softened at the small boy in her lap.

Trying to think of the best way forward, she sighed softly and stopped stroking his hair, though didn't remove her hand from the crown of blond curls. The boy of course knew what she meant, but closed his eyes and tightened his hand in the bed sheet in denial.

"It's time to go Grey" Severus said gently, and the boy just lay still as though he could close his eyes tightly and deny the current situation.

"Hermione needs to take her painkillers and to sleep, it's been a long day for her and you wouldn't want her to be in any more pain now would you?" The boy's opened then and he looked to Severus's face as though to gauge his seriousness, and then to Hermione. He must've noticed the sweat on her brow, or the slightly pinched look of the smile she gave him for he instantly got up with a guilty look marring his face, that spoke of huge crocodile tears being forcibly kept at bay.

"Severus" Hermione scolded with a hiss, at seeing the distraught look on the small boys face, and he offered a apologetic look. He'd no intention to upset the boy and had tried to be as diplomatic as he could be, though his concerns for Hermione were marring his judgement. Besides, he was not known for a well practised gentle nature.

"Baby, come here" Hermione spoke softly and the boy burrowed into her side as she held him in a half hug.

"I'm not trying to get rid of you. But these painkillers I have to take, they're pretty strong and they can make me really sleepy or sometimes say things I don't mean. It's like taking a sleeping draft and a babbling brew at the same time" She pressed a finger under his chin encouraging him to look up at her. "I'm really not trying to get rid of you, you're welcome to come back any time you like, but It would really upset me If I took my medicine and then said something awful to you, that I didn't mean, do you understand?" Swallowing back the tears that were fighting to escape he nodded and Hermione smiled at him.

"Then you'll come back tomorrow when I'm more fit for company and see me right?" Another nod then, more eagerly than before. "And you know, no matter what, that you can trust Professor Snape as well if you need anything?" Another nod, without hesitation. "Good" She said and placed a gentle kiss in his hair as he wrapped his arms around her a final time.

After stroking the head of the emerald kneazle the boy departed and a girl's animated words drifted from the hall and they knew that Helena had been waiting for him.

oOo

"S-severus?" She managed to get out, and he was quickly summoning Poppy without any more words needing the be spoken.

He returned quickly and she heard poppy going to fetch the morphine from the fridge. "Will you stay?" She asked him.

Cautiously he met her gaze. "Poppy intends to clean and redress the wound on your side, does she not?, whilst you are under the strongest effects of the morphine?" He asked and she nodded just as Poppy came through.

"Which is why I wanted to ask you now, before I take it and my words can be thrown into question" Poppy said nothing as she set up the table at the side of them, though they both knew she was listening.

"The morphine takes the edge off but... I hate to be a burden and impose you but, would you read to me? Try and keep my mind off it?" She asked with a grimace as Poppy helped her move onto her good side.

His gaze locked onto hers, and he realised he could deny her nothing, let alone this. She asked so little of anyone.

"It is no imposition and you are no burden witch" was his answer, and she gave him a wide smile aided by the morphine Poppy had pressed into the IV.

Sitting he picked up the only piece of reading material he had to hand, which was a short pamphlet he'd been sent from potions quarterly. It did not take long for him to get through the small pamphlet, and each time her body would tense and eyes drift away from him towards the source of her discomfort, he would quickly question her on what he'd just read. More often than not he'd get utter nonsense in reply, eerily reminiscent of the Lovegood girl (who Severus made a humorous mental note to have randomly tested for mind altering substances after the association he'd just made)

He managed to read through the pamphlet twice, quizzing her all the while and getting increasingly ludicrous answers, before Poppy began to redress the gruesome wound on her side. "I am afraid Miss Granger, that I am out of interesting reading material for you" he said softly as she was finally laid on her back.

"Like I care what you read. Someone get that man a phonebook" Came the slurred reply, followed by a somewhat girlish giggle and Poppy's snort of amusement, all the while Severus cleared his throat and tried to deny the two points of colour that appeared on his cheeks.

Chapter Text

"I am afraid Miss Granger, that I am out of interesting reading material for you" he said softly as she was finally laid on her back.

"Like I care what you read. Someone get that man a phonebook" Came the slurred reply, followed by a somewhat girlish giggle and Poppy's snort of amusement, all the while Severus cleared his throat and tried to deny the two points of colour that appeared on his cheeks.

He was unsure if she remembered what she'd said to him when she was riding the morphine train, though she made no mention of it when he next saw her. So Severus decided to ignore it also... in her presence anyway. Privately his emotions warred with him. He was embarrassed of course, especially at the amused looks that Poppy kept levelling him when he came to see the girl, but he also couldn't help be a little thrilled that she liked his voice. Liked liked his voice if her ramblings were to be believed. Then however he felt horribly guilty for feeling pleased that she might just see him as more than just an asexual friend and staff member.
Because Merlin knows he was starting to see her as more than just a student, and the guilt rolled in him because of it.
He'd never touched a student, of age or otherwise...not even when he started teaching and was only a mere 3 years older than the seventh year girls. Yet it was impossible for him to deny, that Severus Snape had stopped looking at Hermione Granger as a student, and had started seeing her as a fierce young woman.

oOo

The progress of her healing was slow, having the equivalent damage of a muggle walking in front of a train will do that to you, though it was soon that Poppy was removing the stitches from the scars across her face, declaring them as healed as they were going to get. He wasn't there when she did it, but he came to see her that night as usual and she was unusually quiet, with the ducklings and with Severus himself. So much so that he called her up on it.

"You're quiet tonight" He said to her softly. She met his gaze with a sad smile. "Sorry, guess my thoughts have been elsewhere" she answered just as softly. He'd always sat on her left hand side, since the beginning. It was because her right side had been bandaged and she could see him from the left. Once the bandages came off and her black eye went down, there had simply been no reason to move his chair from its position so there it had stayed.

Though for some reason tonight, she wasn't looking at him. Unless she had to, and even then it was for the briefest of moments before looking away again. It didn't take him long to fathom the reason why. She was self conscious. Of all the things decorating her room, a mirror was not one of them. Though now he noted the small hand mirror on her side table. When Poppy removed the stitches, she must've seen the scars on her face for the first time.

She was trying not to look at him, because she was self conscious of the scars. He almost scoffed to himself. As if they would detract from her beauty. In Severus's opinion, if anything they added to it. They were marks of honour, she was a hero. Each mark she bore attested to the strength of her heart, each mark another life she had saved. Though it was clear from her dejected manner, that she did not see it that way.

Making a decision he sniffed haughtily and stood. Her eyes met his in confusion for a moment, as he'd stopped midway through reading something. She was fully capable of reading herself of course, but for some reason he had just continued to read to her every day, as was his habit, and he knew with great certainty now that she didn't mind.

He picked up his chair and dragged it noisily to the other side of the bed. She met his eyes before looking away quickly. "What are you doing?" She asked as he came to sit at the other side.

"There was a draft" He said simply, before carrying on with his reading as though nothing had happened. She kept looking away from him, he made a point of looking directly at her and asking her numerous questions about the subject material, forcing her to meet his gaze time and time again. It didn't take long for her to realise what he was doing, she was the smartest witch of the age after all.

"I know what you're doing" She said softly, meeting his gaze with a sad look that hurt him to see it on her face.

"I should hope so, it's called reading and If you were not familiar with it I would've had to ask you what you'd done with the real Hermione Granger"

She slapped his arm and he merely smirked at her, then grabbed her hand in his own. Both preventing her from slapping him again, and from covering up her face.

For a moment she almost pulled her hand away, before she sighed out deeply and relaxed into the bed, squeezing his hand in repsonce.

"Thank you" She whispered, meeting his gaze steadily, "For what?" He asked casually and with a smug smirked as he continued to read to her. She chuckled and propped her chin up with her other hand, as she was watching his ebony eyes carefully as he continued his reading.

Severus for his part, tried not to be delighted about the lingering presence of her small hand in his.

oOo

A few days later he was alerted to an incident that had him storming his way up the castle and in to the hospital wing, to the sound of distressed sobs. He flung open the doors to Hermione's room to find a worried mediwitch hovering as Hermione comforted the sobbing boy in her lap. Helena was beside her, fretting over her friend.

"What happened?" He snarled to poppy and she met his gaze stonily but it was Helena that answered. "He got a letter this morning from his uncle, but when he opened it, it hurt his hands" She said in a voice that was thick with tears and worry. The boy was in 'his' position, which was laid with his head in Hermione' lap as she stroked his hair. He was sobbing and cradling his hands to his chest, and Hermione was stroking his back and soothing him.

"From what I can tell, he laced the parchment with Buboter pus" She said worriedly, taking in the crying boy.

"From what you can tell? Why the devil has he not been treated yet?" He growled at her, but it was Hermione who spoke. "He asked for you Severus, he wouldn't let Poppy near him" She said softly, as she tried to calm the distraught boy in her arms.

His anger deflated then, and he quickly turned to the mediwitch. "If you would Leave us, Poppy?" she nodded and left the room, taking a protesting Helena with her, leaving just the three of them in the small private room.

Severus made his way over to the bed, and sat at the side of Hermoine's legs, close to the crying boy in her lap.

"Will you show me your hands Gray" He said softly and the boy just shook his head 'no' in distress and buried his face into Hermoine's lap once more, still cradling his hands to his chest.

"Let Severus look sweetie, he's here to help you ok, you asked for him and he came" She spoke softly as she stroked his hair and the boy looked at him through tearful eyes.

"I will always try to be there for you Gray, you asked for me so here I am, will you let me look at you?" He spoke in the softest voice he could muster. Trembling the boy held out his hands, and Severus hissed through his teeth at the damage. It was clear the vicious man had coated the parchment in raw Buboter pus, and the boys hands currently looked like he'd stuck them in an acid bath.

The boy only cried harder, and from his now seated position on the bed, Hermione wrapped him in a hug from behind. "Oh baby, it's going to be alright, Severus will help you" she whispered to him, as Severus summoned the potions he would need.

As gently as he could he cradled the boys hands in his, as he began to pour the salve on them. The boy whimpered when it made contact with his raw hands.

"I'm sorry lad, I know it stings but it will get better quickly I promise you, just grit your teeth for a minute"

As gently as he could he massaged the salve into the boys hand, that would neutralise the acidic pus and help his damaged skin regrow. Taking care he covered all of the boys hands, making sure he got the delicate webbing between the fingers too.

The boys sobs had quieted to hiccups, as the pain gradually faded with the salve. Hermione was no longer holding him, but rubbing his back gently and talking to him "You're being so brave baby, I'm so proud of you, it's ok it'll all be over soon" She whispered and the boy held himself steady while Severus worked.

A fierce feeling of protective anger was rolling around his chest as he fixed the boys ruined hands. He didn't deserve this, no child did, but Jacob was such a gentle boy, he wouldn't hurt a fly. Ever since Severus took on his guardianship, he'd felt a fierce protectiveness to the little snake but nothing like he did in this moment, as Hermione continued to talk to the softly crying boy.

"All done Gray" He said softly when he was finished "We're all done, you did admirably" the praise had the boy meeting his eyes with his tearful ones, and Severus was once again struck by just how small and defenceless the boy was.

With a wonder filled look at his pink and sore, though thankfully no longer red raw hands, Gray met his eyes and sniffed back tears.

He didn't know what it was that went through him, but the pang in his chest at seeing the boy in such pain, physical and emotional, had him reaching his hand out to tuck a fair curl behind his ear. "Well done lad, are you alright?" He asked the boy softly.

It was to Severus's complete shock and surprise that the boy let out a choked sob, and promptly threw his arms around Severus in a tight hug. He let out a little oof as the boy knocked the wind out of him, and looked to Hermione with a look that clearly said 'Help, what did I do?'. 

"Right now, he just wants...needs you" she whispered to him. "You were there for him Severus, he asked for you and you actually came".

So tentatively, he wrapped his arms around the boy and returned the hug, only to look at Hermione in panic once more when the boys sobs got louder. But she just nodded and gave him a sad smile. "He needs this" she whispered, an Severus swallowed an nodded back. 

After a few moments, the feeling rolling through him would not be ignored any longer, and looking at Hermione he knew that he would receive no harsh judgements from her, so after letting out a harsh sigh, the tension fell from his frame and he stopped holding himself back for the sake of his image, and instead allowed himself to pull the small boy into his lap and into a much firmer hug. 

"You're going to be alright baby, I'm here for you" he whispered. 

It was the first time he'd ever relented and called the boy baby, and he didn't even try to hide his own tears as the small boy held onto him even tighter at his words as though he was a lifeline.

When Poppy checked on them an hour later, it was to Hermione and Severus sleeping on Hermione's hospital bed with the small form of Gray tucked between them. Hermione and Gray under the quilt, and Severus in his full teaching robes laid on top of it.

With an indulgent smile, she turned off the lights and left them to it. 

Chapter Text

AUTHORS NOTE: For those of you who read my other fics, you may have seen this note already. But I want to apologise for the long delay in updating Chimaera and many of my other stories. I've been in a very dark place over the past few weeks, and it's made it difficult for me to find the energy or the will to write. I hold all of my reviewers and readers in such high esteem that I felt it would be better to wait until I felt more human and perhaps give you a shorter chapter, than give you a longer chapter that was sub par when you've waited so long for it.

At times I've been that low over the past few weeks that I was considering things that I haven't in a long time, and it was only the fact that I had promised you all I would leave nothing unfinished, that got me out of bed and stopped me from doing something drastic.

So here's the next instalment of Chimaera for you all, and I'm sorry again for the delay.

But I also want to thank you all for the constant support you give me, especially those who responded to this authors note already on Father Mine Sins of the Father, NTSG and a Cure for Magic. It really does mean more than you know to have you all there for me when I need it.

When Poppy checked on them an hour later, it was to Hermione and Severus sleeping on Hermione's hospital bed with the small form of Gray tucked between them. Hermione and Gray under the quilt, and Severus in his full teaching robes laid on top of it.

With an indulgent smile, she turned off the lights and left them to it.

The Longbottom boy had begun to visit her, quietly. Usually under the guise of delivering some plants to Poppy, or more often than not for Severus, who could usually be found by Miss Granger's side, either alone or with a contingent of other Slytherins.

So occasionally Neville found his way to her side, though he had been the only Gryffindor to do so. He was even formal and polite to the Slytherin students, if any were there. It would be a long shot to say he was friendly towards them, but he never said a word against them and always remembered his manners, so the Slytherins treated him in kind. There was something to be said for pureblood etiquette after all.

Minerva continued to lament at the bull-headedness of her lions, but the fact of the matter was there was no convincing Ronald, Ginny, Seamus or Dean of Hermione's innocence. As Lavendar was dating Ronald, Harry Dating Ginny and Patil twins dating Seamus and Dean, that meant the majorty of Gryffindor's upperclassmen were against Hermione. That meant none of the younger cubs would dare openly support her for fear of being shunned by their own housemates.

Though Minerva assured her, loudly and frequently, that a great number of the younger years were not against her, they were too afraid of the loud mouthed bullies in their own house to be openly support her.

Dumbledore, continued to be absent. Though that suited both Hermione and Severus just fine.

oOo

Hermione was eventually visited by the parents of the children she had saved, along with a number of other Slytherin alumni. She was formally apologised to, and offered so many gifts and opportunities that it was mind boggling. She could say with all certainty that whatever field she chose to pursue after Hogwarts, there was Slytherin that could get her foot in the door of the right office. And for every one of those there was another two willing to bankroll whatever career or study she decided to pursue to follow.

You want to be a healer? I know the chief mediwitch, and can get you an internship tomorrow.

Nowhere to stay while you study? Allow me to gift you one of my summer homes.

Want to study independently? Allow me to purchase you a premises to work from.

Plan to Travel the magical world? Allow me to finance your trip.

It was utterly bewildering, and along with the realisation that the entire wizarding world had been opened to her, with all obstacles removed from her path, came the shocking realisation that she was now fair game. Not only that, but she and her name was actually highly eligible.

Family after family who visited were subtly (and some not so subtly) introducing her to, or casually mentioning their sons and nephews.

Their single sons and nephews.

Hermione found it equal parts bewildering, humorous and painful.

Bewildering because it was such a confusing thought, that she the notorious Gryffindor mudblood was suddenly being stared at by these pureblood families with young sons, as though she was a prize catch.

Humorous that though these boys were often mortified at their parents actions, some offered pleasant greetings and shy smiles.

Painful because she was constantly reminded that none of this would even be an issue if the parents understood the truth of the matter. The full truth. That no matter how 'Eligible' she was as potential wife material for their sons...that she was never going to give them what they really wanted. Heirs.

Though there was something else that made her thoughts swirl madly in her mind. Whenever those parents would bring up their sons, Severus would stiffen almost imperceptibly, and frown at his book or paper. Often excusing himself to attend to some unspecified business elsewhere. But what was most curious was when some of those 6th and 7th year boys would visit, and offer her shy smiles and quiet conversation, Severus would glare angrily and usually leave with a biting remark or scathing comment, leaving Hermione frowning in confusion at his abrupt departure, and the boys quaking in fear.

However, whenever the boys got a little too fresh, as some tried their hands at straight up flirting, she would promptly (yet politely) cut them down and would always notice Severus failing to hide a smirk.

It took her longer than it should've for her to realise why he was acting that way towards the Slytherin boys when usually he was well know for favouring his own house, and when she did it woke her up in the middle of the night as she covered her face through a giggle.

"Oh Merlin!"

Severus Snape was jealous.

oOo

It had been almost 5 months now since Hermione's attack and they were only a few weeks away from Christmas. Though it was no problem to stay at the school over the shorter holidays, Christmas was one that the staff and students alike, usually wished to be at home for.

Hermione had made no mention of it, and had become quieter as the days went on. It was Minerva that eventually brought up the impending holiday, when she was sitting with Hermione and Severus in the hospital wing. Hermione's health had continued to improve, though the the severe damage to her leg and stomach, was what was still keeping her bed bound.

Minerva had been talking of plans to visit a cousin over the holidays, when Hermione had gone quiet and withdrawn from the conversation somewhat.

"And your parents Hermione? Poppy had said you requested she not contact them, and as you're of age she has to respect your wishes... and I understand your reasoning, not wanting to worry them, though now it is closer to the holidays, they surely will be wondering why you aren't making any plans for returning home this year?"

Hermione's look was guarded when she spoke, Minerva might've missed it but Severus did not. "It's already arranged Minerva, they won't be missing me. I already had plans to stay at Hogwarts over Christmas, even before this happened, so no-one is expecting me at home anyway." She answered with a false smile, that made Severus furrow his brow.

Minerva did not notice though, and smiled back to her. "Well that's one less thing to worry about eh? I am sure Pomona will be happy to keep you company-"

"Actually, I have traded duties with Pomona. She was keen to be returning to visit her sister, so I agreed to cover her shift and I shall be remaining over the holidays." Severus answered smoothly, without looking up from the paper he had with him.

"But you drew the short straw last year Severus, and played hell because of it? Nobody ever wants the Christmas shift, why would you offer to-..." Suddenly her mouth snapped shut and she snapped her eyes from Severus, who was pointedly silent and not lifting his gaze from the paper in his lap, to Hermione who was looking a little flushed, and had suddenly found a spot on the bed-sheets very interesting, so much so that she couldn't meet Minerva's gaze.

"Ah. So that's the way the winds blowing is it?" She asked with an arched eyebrow.

Hermione just flushed further, and Severus's face was decidedly not as pale as it usually was, though he still pointedly refused to look up from his paper. "I am simply doing a favour for a colleague Minerva, no more, no less. It would not be the first time I've traded duties with someone and I'm sure it shan't be the last"

"Aye, whatever you say Severus" Minerva said with a snort. "If that's the way you want to play it, fine"

She gathered her things together as she made to leave, and looked back in time to see Hermione and Severus sharing a small glance and shy smile.

She snorted again in mirth and their eyes quickly snapped away from each other, and back to their individual tasks.

"Merlin's Balls." She huffed as she left."I owe Poppy 20 Galleons"

Chapter Text

She gathered her things together as she made to leave, and looked back in time to see Hermione and Severus sharing a small glance and shy smile.

She snorted again in mirth and their eyes quickly snapped away from each other, and back to their individual tasks.

"Merlin's Balls." She huffed as she left."I owe Poppy 20 Galleons"

In the days coming up to Christmas they found that Hermione's body was able to withstand more and more magic around her and in her environment, without any adverse reaction. Severus was able to transfigure clothes she was wearing, such as a shirt into a thicker jumper when it got cold, but any attempts at Poppy casting healing spells or diagnostics directly at her still gained no results. Snape could also fill a glass with water from an aguamenti spell and she was able to drink it without being sick, which lead to the testing of some mild potions and the great relief that she was able to stomach the pain reliever Severus handed her, rather than having to stay on the muggle morphine alone, which at times just didn't cut it.

Severus spent nearly all of his free time with her and didn't attempt to hide it, but then again why should he? The only ones who might have sought his presence were the other staff and his snakes, all of which would happily come to the hospital wing if they needed him.

It was a few days after the discussion with Minerva, that Severus brought up the issue of her parents. He was smart enough to know Minerva's words had upset her, but she was also smart enough and knew him well enough now, to know that he had noticed. He left it a few days as she would no doubt need time to consider what her answer to him was going to be and he allowed it. For once in his life he trusted someone, he knew she would not lie to him but would simply require some time to come to terms with it and gather her thoughts on the matter.

It was when he brought it up, her head dropped away, hiding her face in a curtain of hair that was so reminiscent of his own behaviour he almost smiled. Almost.

And that was when he got the entire sordid tale from her.

Her parents loved her, but like many muggles they just couldn't fathom magic and her place in the magical world and honestly Severus could not blame them. Since being in school she'd been turned into a cat, petrified, almost gutted by a werewolf, tied to the bottom of the great lake, and very nearly gutted again at the battle of the ministry of magic, all the while being the target of a radical hate group that may or may not at any time try to kill her and her whole family, simply because a mad man told them to. And now she actually had been gutted, by a magical beast.

She had planned a memory charm, she confessed to him. To confund their memories and send them away for their own safety, out of the country and out of the grasp of the Dark Lord until it was safe for her to retrieve them. To say that It hadn't gone to plan was putting it lightly.

When she had gone home with that very plan in mind, she had been woken by her wards being triggered by none other than her parents. With a syringe. Attempting to drug her in her sleep. Though her wards were keyed to allow them access, as it was no good barring her parents from a room in their own house, they were also keyed to danger. So despite the fact the Grangers were allowed through her wards, the wards had still triggered due to the attempt to do harm.

She'd spoken more quietly then of exactly what had happened and Severus was grateful that he had taken a deep breath and allowed her to continue, before he'd be tempted to apparate away and promptly hex the muggles.

They thought they were helping her, in their own way they had just wanted their daughter back. She'd quickly and painlessly stunned them both and while they were on the floor she'd read their memories and found the evidence in their pockets. The printouts in her mothers and her wand tucked into her fathers.

They didn't understand, they were afraid. In their desperation, they were going to have her committed to an institution. Being muggles, they thought if they took away her wand then they also took away her magic, seemingly forgetting all the instances of childhood magic that earned her a place at Hogwarts before she even obtained a wand. In their minds she found it all, they were going to take her wand from her, drug her and when she woke up in hospital talking of 'magic' and a magical school the doctors would accept their decision to have her committed under the mental health act. They thought if they took her wand, her books, her things away that maybe they could convince her that none of this was real. That the muggle psychiatrists would be able to "cure" her of her delusions and eventually they would have their daughter back. Without magic. Just her.

That was when Hermione had made the decision to obliviate them. Unlike memory charms, obliviation was irreversible. She continued on with her plan and sent them away for their own safety, to continue life in Australia without her. Permanently.

They would never remember, but Hermione would never forget.

"I don't blame them" She whispered softly to him, in the silence of the room.

"What they planned was a violation, it was wrong" he answered just as quietly. "Whatever there justifications in there own mind, it was a cruel thing to attempt and they had no right"

"Yes. It was" She admitted, before heaving a deep breath

"But I don't blame them" She replied with a sad smile, and at that point he knew there was little else that he could do, other than pull himself onto the bed beside her and wrap her in his arms, as he felt her tears damping his shirt.

Chapter Text

Sorry for the delay in updating, I've not been very well lately and been in and out of the hospital. But I wanted to give you something, so here's a little teaser for you all

"What they planned was a violation, it was wrong" he answered just as quietly. "Whatever there justifications in there own mind, it was a cruel thing to attempt and they had no right"

"Yes. It was" She admitted, before heaving a deep breath

"But I don't blame them" She replied with a sad smile, and at that point he knew there was little else that he could do, other than pull himself onto the bed beside her and wrap her in his arms, as he felt her tears damping his shirt.

Christmas was closing in fast upon them, and soon they were more or less alone in the castle as the Hogwarts express departed, full of excited children fit to bursting with holiday cheer. Only a handful of students remained and though Helena had tearfully thrown her arms around Hermione and emphatically stated how she would like to stay and keep her company throughout the holidays, Hermione had just chuckled and sent her on her way with a hug, stating that someone had better appreciate the Malfoy's lavish spread at Christmas, if Hermione was going to be bed bound and eating hospital food, she had to live vicariously through someone.

Helena was still uhmming and aahing when Draco arrived to escort her to the train, and Hermione had to give her a physical nudge off the bed to get her moving. However it was the request that she take Crookshanks with her, so that he too could enjoy the Holidays being pampered that Helena had tearfully acquiesced, once more holding on to the emerald green feline.

"She kissed Gray earlier" Severus told her and she met his eye with a smile.

"Really? As in...?"

"On the cheek" He chuckled and She grinned.

"You had me going for a minute then, how did that go?" laughed Hermione with mirth in her eyes as she turned on her side to better face him.

"The boy's face was so red that Gryffindor could use him to cheer at their next quidditch match"

Hermione snorted a laugh and slapped him on the arm in reprimand as he chuckled to himself and sat down in the chair beside her. Suddenly she went quiet and he looked to her, only to see her studying him with an intense look on her face.

"What?" He asked, still smiling and she just smiled warmly back at him. It made his chest flutter.

"I like it when you laugh... and smile, it's like...it's like I get to see a whole other you, that's just mine."

Her eyes widened then, as if suddenly realising the weight of her words and how they could be construed "I'm sorr-"

"I do believe you're correct" He spoke softly, before she could commence with the frantic mortified back-peddling that he could sense was waiting to burst forth after the previous words had spilled forth from her lips without a thought.

"That part of me...is reserved for you alone it would seem. There is...no other...that has given me cause to laugh, or smile as you have, for many years"

She was quiet for a moment, as he hid his expression behind his hair, under the guise of reading the book in his hands.

"And you're sure that I'm not being...selfish...keeping you here over Christmas?" She asked softly and cautiously, and he glanced to notice her picking at the bedspread and not meeting his gaze.

"I volunteered such, you hardly twisted my arm Hermione, it was my decision to remain...your company is...pleasant...to me".

He might have been mortified at the blush he could feel rising on his skin, if it weren't for the fact that her skin was getting a delightfully pink tint to it too that at least made him feel a little bit better about his seeming inability to control his emotions around the chit.

"And I'm not keeping you away from...anyone that you would usually spend time with at Christmas?" She paused for a moment, weighing her words and her own metal before continuing. "No friends, family...girlfriend?"

There was a slight emphasis on the last word and he looked up sharply only to find her seemingly fascinated with an invisible loose thread that was decidedly on the other side of her bed, and so all that was available to his view was a load of curly hair and a bit of her pink flushed cheek.

At length he answered. "No, no family or friends that I would usually spend the holidays with and certainly no girlfriend" He answered, putting the same short emphasis on the end. She seemed to breathe out subtly before he continued. "However Laurence shall be disappointed, we usually go out for a few...drinks...on canal street and take in a musical, but we shall have to pass this year"

She sucked in a breath and turned wide eyes on him, he was reading his book quietly but looked at her slowly when he heard her stammering responce.

"You're...? I mean...I thought that..."

He raised an eyebrow and cocked his head as he looked at her. "You thought what?" He asked levelly with a look of confusion on his face at her stammering.

Whatever she was about to say, she broke off and with a poorly hidden look of disappointment just shook her head with a sad smile.

"Nothing, sorry"

He went back to his book, and managed to hold it for a few more minutes until he heard a dejected sigh from the side of him and a small snort of laughter broke free. She whipped her head around to look at him and he quickly raised his book hiding his face from her view, though it did nothing as after a few moments his shaking shoulders became apparent and she groaned.

"You utter bastard"

He barked out a laugh and put the book down before he dropped it, it was valuable after all, and she shrieked and grabbed her pillow smacking him with it to emphasise each word.

"I...can't...believe...you...did...that...to...me...you...absolute...berk!"

"Ow..ow.. quit it you damn harpy" He laughed and wrestled the pillow out of her hands until she was laughing as well.

"I can't believe I fell for that" She said finally through their shared laughter.

"Indeed. I don't know whether to be pleased that I got one over on you, or offended that you believed the lie so easily. Canal street, really? Do I seem like the casual sort to you?"

"Well you do have that certain flair with how you dress, and you're hands are always so well manicured" She chuckled and he barked out another laugh. "I am a potions master, I spend the majority of my time handling various ingredients which may be foul or toxic, the last thing one needs is essence of flobberworm under ones nails when eating your toast on a morning."

"Ok fair point...and ew" She laughed and he settled back into his chair more comfortably.

"And Laurence? Your made up boyfriend" She asked with a smile.

"Sadly not made up, though thankfully not my boyfriend, not for lack of trying on his part though, he's a neighbour and has been trying to get me to switch sides for years and propositions me on a weekly basis when I am at home"

Hermione laughed with him then and until they both had tears in their eyes.

"So...not gay then" She asked with a smile.

"Decidedly not" was the chuckled answer. "Though not for lack of offers it would seem"

"And no girlfriend?" Was asked quietly once more.

"No. No ex-wife, no wife...no girlfriend"

She smiled shyly then and he returned it.

Lifting his book back to his face he quietly added.

"Not yet anyway"

And she smiled broadly, even as she blushed and turned away.

Chapter Text

I'm so sorry for the delay in updates my lovely readers, I'm not doing very well and struggling with a lot of pain, but I am still here and I will update when I can, I promise you. Sorry it's only a short one this time.

"So...not gay then" She asked with a smile. "Decidedly not" was the chuckled answer. "Though not for lack of offers it would seem"

"And no girlfriend?" Was asked quietly once more. "No. No ex-wife, no wife...no girlfriend"

She smiled shyly then and he returned it. Lifting his book back to his face he quietly added.

"Not yet anyway" And she smiled broadly, even as she blushed and turned away.

The holidays were some of the most pleasant that Severus could ever remember having, Spent for the most part in the hospital wing. Severus rarely left apart from when he absolutely had to, such as to brew potions for Poppy, or to sleep. Though more often than not, he fell asleep in the chair behind Hermione, waking up with a crick in his neck from doing such.

He wasn't the only one. Baby spent almost all of his time beside Hermione, until curfew at least and then that became Severus & Hermione's time alone. Though occasionally Poppy would sit in with them, and surprisingly enough to Hermione occasionally Madam Hooch would as well. It was little known amongst the student body that the pair were lovers, but they spent many a night conversing over tea in the hospital wing. Flying had never been (and never would be) Hermione's thing. She would quite happily climb into the branches of a tall tree in her lioness form, but she liked to remain attached to something that was firmly attached to the ground. She was also not particularly a fan of quidditch, though would of course in the past cheer on her house for the sake of team spirit. Neither of those things meant that she disliked Madam Hooch though.

In fact, now Severus had got to know Hermione a little better on a personal level, he found that she shared a very quick and biting wit and sarcastic sense of humour, with both himself and the flying instructor, added in with Poppy's dry humour in the mix, and the Scottish brogue of Minerva they often had each other in stitches.

But Poppy and Hooch were two of his closest friends. Minerva also very close to him, but much more of a motherly figure. Much more so than his own had ever been. And it pleased him greatly that Hermione seemed to fit in so well within their little social circle, holding her own against Hooch's innuendo was a praiseworthy feat all of its own, but she gave it back in spades so even Poppy was hiding her sniggers.

And in the midst of it all was baby. Severus couldn't find it in him to be jealous of the boy, or begrudge him the time spent with Hermione. He was growing more and more attached to his young ward, though outwardly none would tell. Only those few women who knew him the best, could see how much he cared for the young snake.

oOo

The issue with gifts soon arose. After 48 hours of agonisingly trying to attempt to discern if it was proper or even expected of him to buy her a gift and if it was, what could he possibly get her for Christmas? What if he got something too small and looked cheap, too large and looked false? What if he got her a gift that made him look too forward, as though he had overstepped? He was practically pulling his hair out.

So it came to be that he was at once grateful for her 'gryffindor straight to the point attitude' along with the inbuilt trait she had to 'rescue' anyone she could. His Slytherin guile had deserted him in this venture due to his utter lack of social skills when it came to communicating with women and after 2 days of attempting to drop hints with the subtlety of a brick, leaving him cringing in self-disgust at his outright lack of tact, Severus was hugely thankful when she apparently took pity on him and decided to rescue him from his self-imposed downward spiral and came right out with it.

"Severus, do you want to exchange gifts at Christmas? Only I've seen a book I'd like in the sale section of the Flourish & Blotts catalogue, and if we weren't planning on exchanging gifts, I was going to mention it to Minerva."

Halle-fucking-lujah

There is a God

Merlin praise swots with saviour complexes

She'd not only answered the question that had been plaguing him, but she'd seen him drowning in self-doubt and thrown him a life-raft , along with setting the bar on what was an acceptable gift. He grasped onto it with open arms.

"It would not be a hardship to exchange gifts with you, which is the book that you desire?" She'd smiled warmly at him and he'd been thankful she said no more on the subject, beyond prompting him to point out a book that he'd like for his collection in return. Allowing him to quietly cloak himself with his dignity once more.

This was good. Books were safe, familiar and he felt the stress abating instantly.

In the subject of women he had very little experience to go on, so it was a huge relief to have her set the bar so clearly for him. The banter came naturally to him, for working in a castle full of witches he had far more female friends than he did male, but the more time he spent with her, the more he realised that in his eyes she was becoming less and less of a friend who also happened to be a girl, and more of a...well, something he couldn't quite put a name on yet, something...more.

It was to his immense relief she had also eyed him with a look of poorly hidden longing and asked if he had 'planned out' what he was buying other people this year. When he said no, an unholy look of glee shone in her eye and she also pointed out other items that she thought would make good gifts for other members of staff.

A part of him wanted to kiss her just for that.

For years he had the same routine. Pace around various shops, second guessing himself over what to buy and without fail ending up simply handing over galleons, or gift certificates at Christmas having no clue where to begin with gift-giving. Yet here he found himself with the young woman beside him, within seconds of his admission she had a quill to parchment making a colour coded"gift plan", mail-order catalogues open, and simply asked him straight to the point what he had budgeted for Christmas, who he wanted to buy for and how about buying this thing right here.

He'd handed over his Gringotts details without hesitation and with an ill-hidden look of glee the girl had taken a task that he usually agonised over for three weeks, and ultimately failed at, and completed it efficiently in one afternoon. Over the course of 4 cups of tea and two trays of sandwiches she had selected, ordered and paid for, gifts for every member of staff and a number of students, ex-students and slytherin alumni.

She'd even offered to wrap it for him, and write the cards when it arrived.

And when she suggested something for Baby, and insisted on splitting the cost with him. A part of him that he didn't quite want to accept yet, became warm at the thought of the gift card, that would read From Severus & Hermione.

Chapter Text

And when she suggested something for Baby, and insisted on splitting the cost with him. A part of him that he didn't quite want to accept yet, became warm at the thought of the gift card, that would read From Severus & Hermione.

Christmas it seemed was a tiring affair, even for a bed-bound witch. As the festive season grew closer and closer to it's pinacle, Hermione was becoming paler and more tired and he was worried that she was pushing herself too far. She had continued to grade papers for most of the professors until she had managed to clear all the backlog of work for the holiday season in all of the core subjects. Severus insisted that she was doing too much, but Hermione had argued that she had nothing else to do with her time whilst she was bed-bound. After a look from him that was almost a pout, she had chuckled and said that time with him notwithstanding she needed to have something to do whilst he was brewing or otherwise occupied lest she go insane, so she may as well get through the grading work so that the other faculty members could finally relax and enjoy their Christmas holidays without having to dedicate any of their well deserved time off to grading work. When it looked like he was going to continue arguing, she'd given him a tired smile and told him that she was also classing it as part of the staff's Christmas presents, and he couldn't argue with that. He certainly considered it a prize gift to no longer have to mark tedious papers on top of his already full plate. Instead Hermione gave him progress reports on how each student was coming along, and pointed out anyone she thought may benefit from extra help in lessons, or even praise for noticeable improvements, which after the mass defection by the death eaters, Severus was free to give out such praise without bias, albeit sparingly as was his nature.

Gray, who continued to be called as such by Severus, though was always Baby to Hermione and most others who came in frequent contact with him, was also a constant. He spent a lot of time with the both of them in the Hospital wing and often spent time with Hermione when Severus was not there. Though what surprised no-one other than Severus, was that he seemed to enjoy spending time alone with Severus alone too. Though this had been limited to the welfare checks that Severus as his guardian frequently undertook, short bi-weekly meetings to ensure he was coping well and not in need of any assistance in any aspects of his life. After a discussion in the hospital wing where he lamented his lack of time for brewing a huge unexpected private order he'd received after a breakout of kneazle-flu at the magical menagerie, Hermione had suggested that Gray assist him, the boy was after all a very adept brewer for his age and was now that he was slightly more confident, one of the top in his class. Severus had been about to dismiss her comment outright, believing that despite being his ward, the boy would not wish to spend such lengths of time just the two of them when Hermione had added that if he didn't want the boy brewing, even setting him to decanting, stoppering and labelling vials would be a huge time saver for him, but the ill-hidden look of hope in the boys eyes had quashed his negative retort before he had chance to utter it. Instead with an arched eyebrow he'd imperiously ordered the boy to come and assist him. The boy had leapt to his feet eagerly, and shot beside him with a smile and Severus had to sneer to hide the smile that wanted to break forth at the boy's eagerness to spend such time with him. A quick glance to Hermione's tired smile though, showed that she was not fooled in the slightest by his posturing, and knew that he was just as thrilled as young Gray for them to have this "Male bonding" time as Hermione would later describe it.

Despite Hermione's insistence to the majority of Slytherin house that she did not need them to buy her gifts at Christmas and further insistence that if they truly did wish to do something for her, to make a donation to a charitable cause in her name instead, a steady pile of gifts had accumulated in her private room, most baring notes that insisted a donation of equal value to had also been made to a charity in her name. The amount of galleons received by charitable funds in Hermione's name had reached such a heretofore unseen level that two different charities, one that offered housing to destitute witches and wizards, and one orphanage that raised unwanted squib children, opened new wings in her name.

Severus had surprised himself that he had actually managed to get a gift for her. Well...make a gift for her in addition to the books they were exchanging. In their times together he had quickly discerned two of Hermione's greatest weaknesses. A sweet tooth for honeydukes creamy white chocolate, and a strong fondness for matcha green tea. So he'd set about to do what any decent potioneer would do, using the top shelf range of white chocolate from honeydukes, and the best matcha he could find, he ensconced himself in his laboratory until he'd managed to make the best white chocolate matcha truffles that he possibly could, each one imbued with a very mild elixir of peace to add to their all-round calming and enjoyable experience.

Gray had been let in on the secret and had insisted on helping Severus gift wrap the chocolates for Hermione, a job which he had been loathe to undertake and so he gave willingly to his young ward. It saved him the trip to Scrivenshafts for wrapping paper and he knew Hermione would prefer Gray's creation much more than anything that was store bought anyway.

It was by unspoken agreement that the three of them were spending Christmas day together. Each had planned for such and Hermione jumped out of her skin when a house elf wearing a dyed black tea towel popped into Hermione's room and began taking measurements, quickly asked if anyone had any allergies and then popped out again. Hermione just turned to Severus with a raised eyebrow and pointed at the space where the house elf had been but moments before.

"Is my morphine too high, or was that a house elf?"

Severus simply smirked in responce to her incredulous look.

"His name is Coral. He was born at Hogwarts and has never been bonded to any master than she, though the elf has somewhat imprinted on me for Merlin know's what reason, and has been trying to get me to accept his bond ever since I started on staff, anything I require he insists on being the house elf that provides it".

Hermione chuckled then, after her escapades in the third year, she had spent more time learning about and speaking with the house-elves and knew what a truly determined bunch they were.

"Pardon me for asking, but if he's so set on becoming your elf, then why have you not accepted him?"

He waved a hand in the air nonchalantly as though waving off her question as inconsequential.

"It would've been cruel to do such a thing" He answered, as though that gave her all the explanation that she required, though the continued puzzling look in his direction had him sighing as he embellished on his answer for her.

"House elves do not bond to a person, they bond to the person's house, their family, Yes they may recognise one master above others, but it's usually the head of the house. Elves live longer than people, and many serve whole generations of wizarding families. It would've been cruel to bond him to me, for him to be left alone and without a family when I died."

The look she gave him wasn't pitying, but it was emphatic. "Do you really see yourself dying alone like that? With no... partner? No family?"

"With the war and my position in it, I truly saw my life as forefit. I would've gone to my death willingly if it would have helped our efforts in some way, though now..."

He trailed off with a curious look over to her, and Gray who had fallen asleep beside Hermione as he was often want to do.

"Now?" She questioned, and colour suffused her cheeks even as her wide eyes met his.

He smirked at her, which softened into a smile when he took in her hands softly running through the boy's hair.

"Now though... perhaps I may accept him after all".

Chapter Text

"Now?" She questioned, and colour suffused her cheeks even as her wide eyes met his.

He smirked at her, which softened into a smile when he took in her hands softly running through the boy's hair.

"Now though... perhaps I may accept him after all".

Christmas came and went and was spent in relative bliss from Severus's point of view at least. It was as pleasant as it could possibly be, with one person still convalescing in a hospital bed at least. Yet it far outweighed any Christmas that Severus had endured until this point in his life. He found that in addition to having an improved reputation and relationship with the student body as a whole, now that he was no longer a spy, but that his interpersonal relationships with the other staff were improving as well. It seemed that they'd taken a step back and re-assessed him after the fallout of the Chimaera attack, and now that he was both more present and more approachable, people liked what they found. If they took him with a pinch of salt at least, he was after all, still himself.

His new Christmas gifts, which had been bought under Hermione's orders, also helped build bridges. He actually found himself in receipt of many letters thanking him for his thoughtful gifts, and wishing him well for the holiday season. He was also dumbfounded to discover that he'd made it onto a number of people's Christmas card lists too, as a few of them began to stockpile in his office, though it was nothing compared to the number that littered the walls of Hermione's hospital room, even with the notable lack of Gryffindors.

He received them all with his usual scowl, and a gruff note of thanks. But the number of hand-made cards he received from young snakes, made with the skills they had learnt earlier in the year when preparing gifts for Hermione...those? Those he carefully saved.

oOo

"I've decided to sit my NEWTS early" She'd told him on Christmas Eve, and he turned to her with surprised interest. "Is that so?" He asked with feigned indifference, though she saw right through it, as she smiled tiredly at him.

"I love the work, I do, but I'm just so tired of dumb-ing myself down for my classes. Trying to compress my ideas and thoughts into two feet of parchment, when I just want to know more, study more... I didn't realise until I was sat here, how much I was ahead as it were. I don't want you to think that I'm being entitled or full of myself, but the work it's just...it's so..."

"Beneath you" He finished for her, and she offered him a tired smile in responce, glad that he understood.

"Yes...does that make me self absorbed for thinking that?" She asked and he shook his head in responce.

"No, it means you're finally starting to recognise your own self worth. Stop trying to fit inside the lines someone else has set, and make your own path. It's good" He answered her in all honesty and her grateful and relieved smile was worth the uncharacteristic optimism from the stern man.

"Thank You. " she said in all seriousness, and he merely inclined his head.

"Do you know what you would like to do, if you were to test out early?" He asked with interest and she nodded her head in responce as she answered.

"Being here in this bed was almost a blessing in one way, Ron and Harry had always been so dead set on becoming aurors but I had always felt so directionless. But I've really enjoyed doing all the grading-" He snorted in ill humour and she whacked his arm before she continued. "- And having the ducklings here, baby and the others... I think I'd like to teach. But teach what I don't know, it's all so interesting."

"Why not float, teach it all?" He asked in all seriousness and she laughed. "Ok, I'm proud of my ability to multitask, but I'm not that good" she laughingly answered and he merely smirked in responce to her humour.

"I'm serious. You should apply to be a Floating Professor, it's about time Hogwarts had one"

"A what?" She asked in confusion and he embellished on his answer

"Durmstrang, Ilvamory and Beauxbatons each have what they call a 'Floating Professor'. They're a multi-skilled member of staff that have no set subject or teaching schedule and instead cover extra work and grading from a number of classes, along with covering any classes should a usual teacher fall ill or be absent. They run study clubs and groups for various subjects and In addition they're usually partaking of their own private research into a multitude of subjects and/or apprenticing in multiple subjects."

She was wrapt with attention as he carried on his description

"It's a highly respected role, and a huge boon for a school to have one... though is extremely tough position to fill as the staff member is always a graduate from said school and has to be more than proficient in a number of areas, not just one or two...But it's a great asset for the school to have one, as any research and breakthroughs that professor does in their private study also reflects positively on the school as they are always both graduates and employees of that very same school."

He paused to take a sip of his tea before continuing.

"Myself, Minerva and the other heads have been pestering Albus for years to hire someone, though until now nobody has ever proved proficient enough to fill the position. Don't get me wrong, there are many talented graduates that have passed through these halls over the years that would make excellent professors in certain subjects, but finding someone who could adequately teach NEWTs level classes in four or more subjects? Near impossible. Though I have to admit, you're a shoe-in for the position, as you have already been brought up in regards to being a potential candidate for the role."

"Really?" She asked shyly and he smirked at her preening as he answered.

"Indeed. Myself and Minerva both had you pinned for the role by your second year, though it was with some degree of disappointment as though we'd agreed you'd make an ideal candidate, we'd both believed you'd want something...different."

The way he finished his statement, it was clear to read between the lines.

"You both thought that wherever Harry and Ron went, I'd follow" She said and there was no accusation in her tone, though a little resignation.

He hesitated for a moment before answering in the positive.

"Yes, we had both considered that you would perhaps fall into a ministry position. None of us considered that you would become an auror , though there was a whisper among some of that staff that had you ended up in the ministry, that the unspeakables may have poached you. Myself and Filius had wanted to take you aside and show you some better options than becoming a ministry lackey, something more fitting to your talents, though Albus and Minerva wanted you to "follow your heart" make your own decisions"

"Well, I'm glad it didn't come to that, and I'm grateful because truth be told, before all this I probably would have followed them, and probably ended up in some dead end desk job in the ministry. Thank You, anyway, for believing in me"

They were quite for a time, before she spoke again.

"Severus, what are Hogwart's restrictions about personal relationships between staff members?"

He looked at her carefully and she didn't meet his eyes, so he waited until she did.

"Providing the Staff members are both of age, and one is not directly answerable to the other, then there are none"

"Oh." She answered, then after a moment. "Good."

Then it was his turn to preen.

Christmas was unlike any other he could recall. They'd had a Christmas dinner in her room, just the 3 of them. Apart from the occasional pop in from Coral to ensure that all their needs were being met. Though house elves themselves had no religion as such, and did not follow in the holidays of their masters, other than catering to their needs, Severus had, with the help of Hermione, arranged a gift of sorts for Coral.

The elf arrived with his roughly dyed black teatowel, and he was presented with the wrapped gift from Severus. Upon opening the gift he'd began to sob outright at the sight of the fabric until Severus had interrupted him.

"They are clothes, but I am not giving you clothes Coral" He'd spoken and his tone was firm but not harsh.

"If theys not being clothes for Coral, then what is they being given coral for?" He asked and Severus gestured for him to open them further which he did, revealing the small black outfit within. It was a simple black toga style outfit with detailed stitching and had serpents embroidered upon it.

"It's your new uniform Coral" Hermione spoke warmly and the elfs eyes widened at the implication.

"Uniform?" Coral asked with barely concealed glee. "I's to wear uniform?"

"Indeed. You shall no longer wear the teatowel baring the crest of Hogwarts, and will instead wear this black uniform. As of right now, your are no longer just a Hogwarts elf, but you are the official house elf for the Head of Slytherin House, so you must dress the part. You will cater to all my needs as both Potions Professor and Head of House, including watching out for my snakes and all those dear to me. You may also consider it a trial. If in a years time we are both happy with the situation, you will then be offered the chance to formally bond to the Snape Line and become my personal elf, if it is your desire"

"Oh yes masters of potion sir, it is Corals very wish that this be happening" The elf had sobbed out and Severus had hidden his smile with a smirk. "Be off with you then elf, await my calling on you and tell the master elf that your are now the head elf of Slytherin house, and all elf made duties and decisions that pertain to my house are to go through you."

"Oh yes master Snape, yes I be doing this right away" and with a final sob he was gone.

oOo

Hermione had adored her surprise gift from Severus and Baby, and Severus in turn had been suitably moved by hers and Baby's for him. A new dragonhide bound journal, which had numerous potion bottles and ingredients upon the cover that have lovingly and painstakingly been etched by hand.

"We thought that now you're no longer spying, that you might have more time to work on personal projects and other Potion Master-y things you haven't been able to do over the years, and that a new journal to record your notes and findings in would be just the ticket"

He was suitably moved by the gesture, though tried not to show how much the gift meant to him, especially when Hermione continued with.

"...And it comes with assistants when you need them, free of charge" She said as she ruffled the boys hair and he gave Severus a small smile, which in the spirit of Christmas he returned.

"Thank You... both of you... more perfect gifts, I could not have asked for" The emotion was thick in his voice, and the quick drink of tea did little to hide the shine of tears in his eyes.

Hermione had offered both of them one of her truffles, which in the interest of good manners they had accepted one each, then declined any further, they were her treats after all.

The day was spent in idle chatter and warm companionship, each had received books as gift from the others and a times a comfortable silence would fill the air as all 3 relaxed in pleasant company and journeyed into the books they had been given.

A few straggling members of staff or students would pop in for a moment or so to offer well wishes, but for the longest part of the day it was just the three of them and the occasional appearance from Coral, sporting his new uniform with pride.

When the darkness of the night began to creep closer and the yawns became more frequent, than infrequent, Severus was about to call it a day when he looked up to the sight of both Hermione and Jacob, asleep upon the bed. Each had one hand around the other, and one holding tightly onto a book, even in sleep.

Slowly, so as not to disturb Hermione, who had looked so tired of late, he gently placed Jacob's book upon the side table as he lifted the boy by hand. He was altogether not prepared when the sleepy boy turned in his arms, wrapping his arms around his neck and resting his head upon his chest in sleep. The implicit trust in the action, rocking him to his very core.

"Severus... alright?" the soft whisper came from the bed as Hermione looked at him blearily, where he had frozen, rooted to the spot.

"Fine" He whispered "Go back to sleep"

A murmured ascent was his reply, as she once again laid into the pillows and made a soft noise of contentment, though he couldn't be sure if he wasn't dreaming when a soft voice mumbled "G'night, luv" into the darkness, though he knew at least he wasn't dreaming, when he responded to it in kind.

Chapter Text

"Severus... alright?" the soft whisper came from the bed as Hermione looked at him blearily, where he had frozen, rooted to the spot.

"Fine" He whispered "Go back to sleep"

A murmured ascent was his reply, as she once again laid into the pillows and made a soft noise of contentment, though he couldn't be sure if he wasn't dreaming when a soft voice mumbled "G'night, luv" into the darkness, though he knew at least he wasn't dreaming, when he responded to it in kind.

She was an absolutely terrible liar he found out. After the new year she started acting suitably shady, and he could only arch his eyebrow at her entirely unsubtle fishing questions for gifts and plans over the next weeks which made him internally roll his eyes. He had no idea how she'd discovered his birthday, but he was certain that she had and was now engaged in some sort of nefarious scheme, he was sure of it, and briefly considered possible other things he could engage himself with on the day to leave him unable to attend her scheme.

When he was 'summoned' to the hospital wing on his birthday, he fought a desolate groan, though internally prepared himself for the inevitable. He hated birthdays, and he hated his in particular for various reasons unknown to most. But she didn't know that, and if his assumptions proved true, then she was the first person in two decades to even make the attempt at doing something for him, so he would damn well go through with it...though as much as he cared for her, he'd hex the witch if people jumped out at him yelling 'surprise'.

When he reached her room though, he was placated and somewhat pleased to find simply Hermione, Grey and Coral along with a small pile of gifts, and what looked to be a meal under a stasis charm, and judging by the non-hogwarts cutlery being used with it, it was not from the Hogwarts kitchen either.

"Surprise! Happy Birthday" Grey said with a warm smile, handing him a gift and Hermione laughed as she looked on indulgently at the shy boy's unusual exuberance. Severus decided then and there not to continue with his hexing plans though, for he found his own smile tugging at his lips with fondness at his ward's infectious happiness. Jacob Grey had been so withdrawn and quiet for so long, it was impossible not to be warmed by his happiness.

"We wanted to do something for you, but we knew you wouldn't like something over the top like a surprise party, so myself, Coral and Baby have been planning this for a while, we made dinner and we've got all your duties covered for the night, Baby spoke to the Slytherin prefects and for once they're all going on duty together and staying put in the common room to make sure that nothing gets out of hand, and plus I spoke to Dumbledore when I was discussing my early newt exams and he's got Sinistra covering for you at breakfast tomorrow too so if you want you can actually have both an early night and have a lie-in for once." All this was said with a tired smile and he felt warmth blooming in his chest at their thoughtfulness.

"I am suitably impressed at your thoroughness and appreciative of it, it will make for a pleasant evening indeed, thank you." They both smiled at him and for the first time in two decades he thought he might actually enjoy his birthday.

oOo

As the evening drew on, he felt the warmth almost settle into him like a permanent fixture, the pleasure of the sheer fact they had both gone to so much effort to make his birthday pleasant for him, seeped into his bones and settled under his skin.

The first thing they'd done, as they'd drawn him away from the dinner hall before he could eat, was to settle down to the meal they had prepared for him. "I remembered how much you said you liked Italian food, and neither Coral or Baby has never tried it, so I sent Coral with a note to my Great Aunt's in Tuscany, I told her what my plans were and she sent the recipe for her signature Spaghetti Bolognese, as well as some fresh pasta and homemade Bruschetta. Coral brought me the supplies, and we made it together here with Argus's hot plate. She also insisted on sending the plates too, sorry if they're not quite to your taste but to quote her she said "If you're going to make 'proper' pasta you need proper plates, and not that mass produced English crap".

"She said that?" He chuckled and Hermione smiled, while Baby laughed. "Well yes, but... in Italian" she smiled when Coral spoke. "So that's what she be saying to Coral! I's is wondering whys Missy Hermione was laughing" Hermione laughed again and even Severus chuckled, before a couple of thoughts occurred to him.

"You speak Italian?" Was the first thought that came to his mind when he questioned Coral, to which the elf responded. "No Master Snape sir, but I's be remembering the words and tells them to Missy Hermione I did, she be going red and then laughing but Coral didn't know why"

Hermione chuckled again, "Sorry Coral, I didn't want you to be offended by what Nona said" Coral shook his head, and smiled a toothy smile. "Thank You for trying to spare Coral's feelings, but Coral is not offended. Coral understands taking pride in your work. He understands what this Nona means" Hermione just smiled and patted him fondly on the head, and Coral beamed whilst ringing his hands. After her unfortunate stint with SPEW, Hermione had taken time to really understand the house elves and it had improved her relationships with the Hogwarts elves immensely. Once she had apologised and spoken to the Gryffindor elves, they had taken her to see the head elf. After her emphatic explanation, they had understood her reasoning behind her actions, and they had been flattered and had taken her under their wing in a sense. Especially as she had shown such interest in them and their culture, which it was extremely rare or wont for a witch or wizard to do.

So now she understood how much pride they took in what they do, and the fact that they lived for the praise. Nothing made house elves happier than being told, or shown that you were pleased with them, as attested to by Coral's beaming grin at the simple pat on the head and smile that Hermione had offered him.

oOo

The three of them had a pleasant night, and Hermione and Severus couldn't help but laugh when watching both Baby and Coral attempt to eat the spaghetti they'd made. Coral managed to get the spaghetti caught between his teeth in such a way, that Hermione laughed herself red saying he looked like an illustration in a Roald Dahl book, whereas Baby managed to get more of him on himself than in his mouth, to the point where after the third cleansing charm Severus simply left his wand n his lap, instead of putting it away. The meal was arguably the best thing he'd ever eaten, though whether that was because of his fondness for Italian food, Hermione's Nona's special recipe...or for the fact that it had been especially made for him with care and affection, remained to be seen.

After dinner, they each offered him small gifts, personal enough to his tastes for him to be grateful for their thoughtfulness but not lavish enough for him to be uncomfortable at the expense, and so he was thankful for that aswell. He was not the destitute boy of his youth, in fact he had quite a considerable nest egg now, however it still made him uncomfortable when people spent money on him, and Hermione praise her, had noticed and made sure not to go overboard with their gifts.

When Coral returned to the house elves, and it was just the three of them, they had a pleasant discussion on their 'Book club'. An idea that had been Baby's actually, and they had both agreed. They would all 3 read the same tome and have discussions about it, and this week it was a tome on arithmancy, which is one of the areas where Hermione shone. It was Baby though, that when introduced to arithmancy had made the link between using arithmancy equations to improve experimental potions, by working on the probability of how certain ingredients would interact with each other. It had been a shockingly astute observation from the boy, however was sadly past his experiences. His mind had seen the link, but he lacked both the talent and the interest to put the theory into practice, Hermione however, due in no small part to her eidetic memory, could pull off the most ridiculously long probability chains that made both thier eyes crossed. As it was, after discussing the second year arithmancy book they were reading, which was just about comprehensible to Baby, Just below Severus's level, and leagues below Hermione's, they had agreed on a plan of action. Severus would share a potion he was working on, Hermione would use arithmancy to test certain variables and Severus would test her predictions with the help of Baby... and he found himself truly looking forward to their joint venture.

oOo

When a tired Baby had been taken to bed, it was just Hermione and Severus once more. He settled into his seat with a contented sigh, and she offered him a soft smile before speaking.

"Are you glad that you decided to come in the end then?" She asked and he quirked an eyebrow at her.

"Decided? How does one decide to come to a surprise party?" He questioned with that arched eyebrow and she smiled tiredly at him.

"Please. I know full well you knew Severus, I tried to drop subtle hints where I could that I was planning something, I knew you'd pick up on them straightaway, I thought the last thing that you would want would be to walk into a big surprise, as I can't imagine after living so long as a spy that you ever like being off balance or out of the loop like that. The other staff members said you didn't usually celebrate your birthday, and I didn't know if that was because you didn't like it, or just didn't have anyone you'd want to spend it with...so I wanted to give you the option to Slytherin your way out of it and 'make other plans' so that you wouldn't have to come if it made you too uncomfortable. I value this fr-..."

She paused, and he could see her trying to find a word that conveyed her feelings, after coming up with the word friendship and seemingly finding it wanting. To which he found he was inordinately pleased.

"..companionship that we have, and the last thing I wanted to do is ruin it by pushing you too much. I couldn't outright say I was planning something because I didn't want you to feel any social obligations to attend if I told you about it, so I knew if I just dropped a few hints you'd pick up on, you could choose to make yourself unavailable on the day, and avoid the party if you wanted to, whilst not having to worry about hurt feelings or awkward social faux pas because you didn't attend the party. Because as far as anyone else would know, you hadn't "known" about the "surprise" party and therefore couldn't be blamed for missing it, it would just been an unfortunate turn of circumstance, the only reason I'm bringing it up now, is because I need to know whether or not to plan something similar for next year."

He stared at her for a moment, perhaps even a moment too long as she blushed and looked uncomfortable before his brain kicked back into gear and he reached for her hand, actually kissing the back of it, unlike the traditional pure blood way of kissing the air above her hand, as she felt her skin warm from the contact.

"Thank You." The words were deep and resonant, in a rich tone she'd not heard from him before, that heated her blood.

"In the past I have not celebrated my birth, for the longest time it was not a pleasant day but a reminder of a terrible one. My 17th birthday, when I reached my majority in the wizarding world...my mother took her own life" She gasped and covered her mouth with one hand, her other landing on his arm. He rested his hand over hers on his arm giving her a small nod, to let her know it was alright as he continued.

"She had been depressed for a long time, my father was a cruel and vicious man and frequently turned his temper and his fists towards us. She had waited until I reached my majority to do it, so I would not be trapped by any legalities and for that I am thankful to her. There was nothing much to speak of in inheritance, but as in the wizarding world I was now an adult, I wouldn't have to return to the care of Tobias, and as it had been her converted galleons that paid for the house in the first place and she had placed numerous blood wards on it when I was born, it was automatically bequeathed to me. Though it's a muggle house, in a muggle neighbourhood the presence of magical wards, especially blood wards tied to our family line, makes it a "magical" property. And Magical properties cannot be left to muggles as per the statuette of secrecy. So when my mother died, the house was left to me and not to my muggle father. He was not impressed. He even went as far as contesting the will in the muggle courts, but as the house was unplottable and under the fidelius, they all thought he was mad, ranting and raving about magic and a house that didn't exist. The aurors would have got involved, but the muggles thought he was mad so he wasn't a threat to the statuette, Security went to remove him and he got violent. Threw a bad punch and ended up killing a man. He spent the rest of his life in prison, and died a few years later. His liver which I'm surprised wasn't pickled already from the amount of alcohol he imbibed in my childhood, couldn't stand up to the prison hooch it seems and he choked on his own vomit. I can't say that I miss him."

He was quiet for a moment before speaking again in a much softer tone than she had ever heard from him. "She was not the best mother, in fact she was barely a mother at all, but an empty shell of a woman. Merlin knows that Minerva has been more of a mother to me over the years, but she cared for me in her own way and meant me no ill will, as a young child before Hogwarts, she was my only source of...not comfort, but perhaps...peace? Her death was...painful. I had never celebrated it before it and have not associated my birthday with happiness since...until today"

Her eyes were watery when he met her gaze finally, he could practically see the effort it took her to restrain herself into pulling him into a comforting hug and he was thankful for it. Though a part of him wanted to accept the embrace, so emotionally exposed was he right now that he feared he might shatter, so he was glad for her restraint.

He needed distance to compose himself, so standing he surprised her by kissing her cheek, then offered her a formal bow.

"I can honestly say today has been the most pleasant birthday I have had throughout my life, and I would not be opposed should you wish to repeat the scenario in the future." His expression softened somewhat then. "Thank You, Hermione, but please take care of yourself, you look tired and I would not have you exhaust yourself for my expense"

Turning he exited the room, but almost...almost, froze when he heard her softly spoken words behind him. Instead he broke stride just for a moment before carrying on into the night.

"You're worth it."

Chapter Text

"I can honestly say today has been the most pleasant birthday I have had throughout my life, and I would not be opposed should you wish to repeat the scenario in the future." His expression softened somewhat then. "Thank You, Hermione, but please take care of yourself, you look tired and I would not have you exhaust yourself for my expense"

Turning he exited the room, but almost...almost, froze when he heard her softly spoken words behind him. Instead he broke stride just for a moment before carrying on into the night.

"You're worth it."

They were trying to get her to walk, or to at least to be able stand. The fact of the matter was she had been bedridden for months and they had waited as long as they could to allow her to heal before they began on the much needed physical therapy to get her anywhere near back to mobile.

It pained him to see her hurting so much, the gruelling physical therapy often leaving her sobbing and vomiting just with the pain of the effort it took to get her upright and out of the bed. But it needed to be done, and they all knew it , including her. So she soldiered on and never complained.
She cried though. And for Severus that was so much worse.

Her muscles would atrophy and only further weaken if she did not begin to use them and exercise them and the longer they waited the very small chance she had of regaining any type if independence,dwindled and became smaller and smaller.

They had taken to setting wards around the hospital wing around the time of her physical therapy after one incident where Helena had caught sight of a sobbing and vomiting Hermione, whilst she was sneaking into the wing and had ended up needing a calming draught herself.

Severus had made sure that Baby was shielded from it entirely. Helena was upset , but she was a strong girl and she would get over it in time, she too understood it needed to be done but was full of empathy for Hermione and rightfully so.

Gray however ? Severus didn't know if he'd be able to cope with seeing Hermione in so much pain, and the other staff agreed with him so it was by unsaid agreement that everyone ran interference to make sure that nothing like the incident with Helena would happen with Gray.

Severus continued to worry though, over Christmas and his birthday she had looked overtired and the more time he spent with her, the more he noticed her looking drawn and haggard as though she wasn't sleeping at all. She insisted she was, and she didn't seem to be lying but she looked...weak. She should be getting better, even with mostly muggle methods, supplemented by the potions that she could stomach. She should be getting better...not worse.

They had spoke to many specialist healers but the truth of the matter was that Chimaera attacks were so rare, and for the most part fatal, that very little was known about injuries caused by the beasts. And being doused in the beast's blood ? Most were lucky to flee by leaving a limb behind for the beast to devour, no one had managed to wound one, let alone kill one , to get the beast's blood in their wounds.

It was frustrating and confusing for Severus , with roadblocks springing up seemingly at random as they were never able to predict how her body was going to react. At times she was able to ingest potions and others her body rejected them outright, Severus had been able to cast numerous spells around her but sometimes Poppy's simplest diagnostics failed, leaving them to continually rely on the muggle methods.

He was grateful she'd chosen to go for independent study , it made this ...thing... between them somewhat more tolerable and less worrying to his sensibilities. He worried of course and felt a large degree of self loathing for his feelings, until he had bit the bullet and talked to Minerva. Minerva was good friend but had been more of a mother to him than his own had, so even though she was Hermione's head of house, he found himself trusting her with his jumbled thoughts.

Hermione had been much more open , the typical Gryffindor, and her hints had been less than subtle really that she was indeed interested in pursuing something with him. But Severus had been afraid, both of his own feelings and the potential repercussions, he was sure now that she understood he felt likewise, but where she would be openly affectionate and at times even flirt with him in company, he had always remained coolly polite and not shown any of the affections he did with her in private. There was no fooling Poppy of course, who had always seen right through him,.

Which was how he now came to be sat with Minerva, fully expecting her to box him around the ears. She hadn't though , she'd listened to what he had to say and at the end she'd stood beside his chair, while he remained seated, the only way she could ever expect to rise above his towering height, and in the privacy of her rooms, she'd wrapped her arms around him and cradled his head to her chest as though he was indeed her own son.

She'd given him her blessing, once she had withdrawn for independent study of course and was no longer technically his student, and he had cried. Cried at the warmth and acceptance and the sheer emotional release of planning for a future that wasn't all death and heartache.

There was Grey as well to think of and there in the privacy of Minerva's rooms he opened up about the boy aswell, about his increasing feeling of protectiveness and affection towards the boy and his hidden desires that he hadn't even spoken out loud to Hermione of. The desire to not just be his guardian at school, but to adopt the boy as his own. The boy that reminded him so much of a younger version of himself and to give him the love and upbringing that he never had.

Once more even though he was convinced he would be found undeserving, he was found worthy in her arms as she praised and supported his decision.

There was the question of Hermione though, of how she would react to him adopting a child that was barely a handful of years younger than herself, something that was no small source of pain and self loathing for Severus.

Minerva had set him straight though. "Severus , this war has aged you beyond you're years. You're not some jaded old goat , you're what...37? for Merlin's sake boy. What's 20 years when the two of you could have another 150 together? When you're 80 and she's 60, not even a muggle will bat an eye at the age difference. Besides that girl has what my Mother would've called an old soul. She's too intelligent by far to ever be happy with a boy her age, and anyone that knows her knows that to be true. And as for Gray? A better maternal figure he couldn't ask for. It's clear she cares for the boy and she may be young but she's been mothering her friends for the past 6 years, without her those boys can't find their bollocks with both hands! Do you know they've both dropped two grades since they fell out with her? Hell so has half the Gryffindors, without her browbeating them to do their work they're about as useful as a chocolate fireguard"

He had laughed then, truly laughed and standing it had been him who pulled Minerva into a hug. Holding her tight as the tension left his body and he felt lighter than he had in years. Despite everything, despite Voldemort, despite the war...he had a future to plan for.

Squeezing her tight for a moment, he placed a kiss on her cheek. "Thank you mum" and she squeezed his hand "Och away with you" but he could see from her smile she was pleased. "I'll go tell Albus..." Minerva had pretty much been running the school since the great defection as it had come to be known. Albus was headmaster in name only, it was Minerva calling all the shots and they all knew it. "Now you go see your girl"

With a smirk that was much more of himself, he brought himself up to his full height and she busied her hands with straightening the front of his robes. "Go boy, much longer of this and we'll need to change our robes to yellow and black, be off with you" a bow and he left. A spring in his step he hadn't had for years.

He walked to the hospital wing with new purpose, excitement bubbling in him that was hard to contain and it took all of his control not to run those last few steps into the hospital wing. Making his way through the doors the smile fell off his face at the sight of the pandemonium inside and Poppy shrieked his name as soon as she saw him.

"Severus, I need you over here now! She's having a seizure!"

Chapter Text

He walked to the hospital wing with new purpose, excitement bubbling in him that was hard to contain and it took all of his control not to run those last few steps into the hospital wing. Making his way through the doors the smile fell off his face at the sight of the pandemonium inside and Poppy shrieked his name as soon as she saw him.

"Severus, I need you over here now! She's having a seizure!"

She continued to seize off and on throughout the night. The room itself was cooled and Severus was expanding nearly all of his magical energy on cooling charms to keep the heat in her blood down as her temperature was skyrocketing into dangerous levels.

The centaurs had brought snowcap flowers from the forest made into a salve that coated her skin in a panicked and last ditch attempt to cool her fever. Her body was drawn and it almost looked like she was dropping weight by the hour. In the sparse minutes and hours between one seizure and the next she was barely lucid, and they had needed to intubate her once more to ensure she was getting enough oxygen, much to Severus's dismay.

The squib surgeon had started to explained to him, while they were once more watching her thrashing body. Severus's nerves were on edge as he stood helpless watching her seize, while Poppy minimally held her simply to ensure she didn't dislodge the oxygen tube.

"Now that she's over the worst of her injuries, we cannot hold her down as she seizes as we did before, as we could do more damage than good. The only reason we did so before was because she was at risk of reopening her wounds, however the fever and the seizures starve her brain of oxygen. Severus, we need to keep her cool and we need to keep her oxygen levels up because with back to back tonic clonic seizures like this, if her brain is starved of too much Oxygen she will be facing major deficits if she wakes up"

"Deficits?" Poppy questioned, her face forcibly neutral as the surgeon sighed and spoke. "Mental deficits. The brain can only take so much before it becomes damaged, usually beyond repair or recovery. If the seizures... the fever continues much longer if she wakes up, we could be looking at a lack of motor function, lack of speech or hearing, incontinence and that continues all the way down to a vegetative state."

Poppy was quiet as she tucked a now eerily still Hermione back into bed, but it was Severus that spoke.

"When" He said and his tone brokered no argument.

"I'm sorry? When what? " The squib questioned and Severus growled out once more.

"WHEN she wakes up. You kept saying IF she wakes up. You mean WHEN"

Before he could answer Poppy put her arm on the Surgeon's hand to silence him. "Of course Severus, when she wakes up"

oOo

"What is causing this?" He asked, his voice breaking so much that Poppy was reminded of the scared little boy who'd sat in her wing so many years past.

Visitors had come and gone, Centaurs, Staff and a handful of older students who could be trusted not to break down in front of the younger students. It went unsaid, but there was a steady stream of visitors and though Severus refused to acknowledge it, he knew those people were coming to pay their last respects.

Over the past 36 hours her seizures had slowed to an eventual stop, though her muscles still occasionally spasmed and twitched. But instead of improving, instead she looked leaner and more drawn each hour.

They had once more reached out to every mediwitch or mediwizard, every medical professional in every field they could think of but nothing was forthcoming.

"Her hormones are all over the place and her cells are dying, like her body is attacking itself" Poppy said gently "Between that and the fever she's running it's likely the Chimaera's blood rearing it's ugly head. It's totally throwing off the inner balance of her body"

"But cells die naturally and are replaced Poppy, even I know that"

"But this isn't normal cell death, her cells are dying at an accelerated rate Severus, she's had more cells die in the past two days than most people have in a year and they're not regenerating, we're giving her nutrition potions but it's like her body is running on empty, I hate to be the one to tell you this Severus, truly I do...but I think she's dying, perhaps you should say what you wish to say to her?"

He refused to acknowledge her verbally, merely shaking his head and grasping the girls hand and Poppy laid a gentling hand on his shoulder, her expression full of sorrow. Moving to Hermione she tenderly tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "I forget her age sometimes. She's always been such an old soul. So far apart from her peers, yet you're too young for this Miss Granger."

A sudden stiffness shot through Severus's frame followed by a sharp inhale and he jerked to his feet causing the matron to startle as his chair clattered to the floor.

"We're all fools" He spat out and then he was practically running from the room, the first time he'd left the hospital wing in days as Poppy looked on aghast before hurrying to call Minerva.

oOo

When Severus finally returned to the hospital wing, and the school, it was with the last person in the world that Poppy and Minerva would've expected him to be with...Charlie Weasley.

"Severus, what on earth?" Minerva asked worriedly, she'd been in a constant state of anxiety since Poppy had floo called her in a panic and said Severus had suddenly got up and ran from the Hospital wing in the middle of the night, as though the tails of his coat were on fire, and that worry hadn't abated in the slightest when she found out from Dumbledore in the morning that Severus had forced him at wand-point to drop the castle wards enough to allow him to long distance apparate to Romania, and to return with the estranged Weasley boy as his side along. The still guilt-ridden headmaster who'd done his best to avoid them all and withdraw from anything that wasn't strictly a headmaster's duty, had not had any plans on denying Severus his request, but even he had been startled by the wizard's abrupt and manic manner when he barged into the office in the middle of the night, teeth and wand bared, causing them such a shock Fawkes had almost fallen from his perch.

"We have been looking in the wrong place all this time" he barked out without breaking stride. "We were looking for mediwtiches and wizards, specialists in wounds and healing when all along we should've been looking at specialists in magical beasts!"

The men bore down on the girl's bedside ignoring the startled exclamations from both older Witches, as both men pointed the business ends of their wands at the prone girl.

"Lift her eyelid, do it now" Charlie intoned, all serious business unlike his younger twins and Severus did as commanded by the younger man without hesitation. Poppy cried out when he raised his wand and shot a spel directly at the girl, but paused upon seeing it was just a beam of light. But it was the shocked and abrupt laughter from both men that had truly stopped her in her tracks.

"Look , there you see?! I'd never have believed it if I didn't see it myself!" The red head wiped a hand down his face in shocked excitement.

"What are we looking at? " Poppy asked desperately and Minerva added "What's going on?"

"Look here Poppy, look at her eyes when Charlie shines the light in them"

Both Minerva and Poppy leant over and were shocked to see that her eyes reflected the light from Charlie's wand. Just like a cat's eyes at night. Or since the pupil was crossed in the centre...just like a Chimaeras.

"A trait gained from the Chimaera? But what help is that Severus? Improved vision at best, a party trick at worst, the girl is dying!"

They couldn't miss the exacerbation and disappointment in her tone.

"You said her hormones balances were off, cells dying, drastic weight loss, burning a fever?"

"Yes, yes and yes, all of the above and more? But what does it all mean? Will someone give us answers instead of more questions!" The mediwtich answered and it was clear from her tone that wherever they were in their reasoning, she was still a quidditch pitch behind them.

"Well Severus said She'd become close to a first year, a boy named ...baby?"

There were nods all round and Minerva confirmed.

"Aye. Jacob Grey, he's one of Severus's snakes and now his ward. A tiny thing he is, and had the worst upbringing."

"And she's become somewhat of a substitute mother to him? She saved him and the others, but he formed an attachment for her? He relies on her, is overly clingy with her and in turn she comforts him, is protective of him?"

"They're practically inseparable. I swear the boy would move into the wing if he could, Hermione's been more of a mother to that boy than he's ever know. The boy has been desolate since she took ill and in her few lucid moment's she's asked for him... and for Severus of course"

He was nodding now, pacing and examining the muggle IV bags attached to Hermione. "We're going to need more of these. A lot more. and a feeding tube also."

A contemplative pause, and he began again. "And though I wouldn't believe it if the man hadn't appeared from nowhere and dragged me out of the Dragon reserve, but Severus said they had become companions of a sort, nothing has happened yet of course, but there's a mutual interest?...connection? there between them?"

Both women gave Severus a sly look, that was more amused than anything and he fought the blush that attempted to add colour to his sallow skin.

"Aye...There is at that. It has been innocent of course, Severus would never do anything untoward, but they have become close and it is unsurprising. They're both so well matched, it would be hard for either to find someone with intelligence on their level. Plus Hermione needs someone who won't break down at her bossing and Severus needs someone who can take his snark and give it back in kind."

Charlie laughed then. "Yeah, I remember she's a firey one isn't she. My brother and Harry couldn't find their bollocks with both hands if it wasn't for her, that's for certain, god knows how they would've even made it to their majority if she wasn't their kicking their arses and steering them in the right direction." He looked mournful for a moment before speaking again. "I'm sorry about Ronald...and Ginerva even. truly I am, they're as stubborn and opinionated against anything that goes against 'family views' as mum is. Just know not all the Weasley's side with them."

It was Severus who placed a hand on his shoulder. "I am aware Charles. I received owls from you father, the twins and Bill to a similar effect"

Visbly shaking as though shaking off the maudlin chain of thought, he began speaking enthused once more.

"And Hermione, she's a lioness, her animagus? She was in her animagus form when she fought the beast, got the blood on her and in her wounds?"

"Yes" Poppy said sadly. "We believe her body is rejecting the Chimaera blood in her veins, it's why she's dying"

There Charlie grinned, showing all white teeth bar a couple that were missing.

"But that's where you're wrong Poppy. It's the Chimaera's doing alright but she's not dying, not at all"

Minerva held a hand to her heart as Poppy gasped out in delight

"Then what's going on? If she's not dying , what's happening to our girl?"

And Charlie just smiled once more.

"She's not dying Poppy...she's aging."

Chapter Text

"Then what's going on? If she's not dying , what's happening to our girl?"

And Charlie just smiled once more.

"She's not dying Poppy...she's aging."

"Aging? You're going to have to give me more than that Charles, my patients only have two legs...well...most of the time anyway, so I'm afraid I still don't follow you"

Charlie grinned once more, not at all perturbed and set about cancelling the cooling charms on Hermione, despite Minerva's indignant squawk at the action.

"Chimaera's run hot, hotter than animagi even. She's not running a fever, her body's just trying to regulate to it's new normal. It seems that the fact Hermione is a lioness animagus, has somehow allowed the chimaera's blood that seeped into her system to become a part of it. Her body couldn't destroy it, so it was a case of be destroyed by it or learn to live with it. Instead of rejecting it and risk being further damaged by it, the leonine aspect in her blood has somehow embraced it and she's gaining traits from the chimaera, though the Chimaera won't settle with being dormant in her blood like the animagus is, which is why some of these aspects are bleeding over into her waking life. I've heard of a few people who supposedly have Animagus forms that are of mythical beasts, though the only one I've known was a Finnish banker who was a Niffler! They are momentously rare, but in this case it's almost like she's gained...a hint of chimaera , for lack of a better term?"

Severus brushed her hair out of her face gently, she certainly felt warm to the touch, though she wasn't sweating or feverish. It was like she'd simply walked in out of the sun. Or was made of sunlight herself.

"Say you're right, it looks like you may well be...but why has this taken so long to happen? Why now ?" Minerva asked. "And why is she aging of all things? "

There was an indecipherable look between Charlie and Severus before Charlie began to speak once more , as Severus added a second nutrient IV for Hermione.

"So... not a lot of research is done into Chimaeras. Same as dragons. Same as any XXXXX dangerous beast really, people usually want to know how to kill them, or what their parts are useful for and that's it...No Offence". The last was directed at the potions master , who waved off his statement as inconsequential.

"But not a lot of research is done into the LIVES of these animals, mainly just their deaths. However , I was fortunate enough to study with a Magizoologist by the name of Scamander, who you might recognise"

There were nods all round. Everyone had heard of the Scamanders. Newt of course being the most famous, and his grandson Rolf who was currently making waves in the american magical community.

"So we all know the 'basics' on Chimaeras right? Resistant to magic, aggressive to a fault , wouldn't want to be caught in the path of one etc etc."

Nods from the witches all round and raised eyebrow from Severus had Charlie continuing with his description.

"But how many of you knew that Chimaeras mate for life? They form something of a soul bond with their partner, and will never take another if their original partner dies. A mated Chimaera , or one with young won't attack unprovoked. However most Chimaera attacks are from unattached individuals or one that's lost it's mate. When one part of a pair dies, the other is inconsolable. They'll fight and attack anything until something eventually kills them. Many believe that's what they're looking for and it's why they're so ferocious. They WANT a fight to the death in that scenario. They're also massively maternal. Like these things will take on a Dragon when it comes to protecting their young. Females will always take on abandoned chimaera cubs when their parents are dead or lost, and it's not just the females. Hell even bonded males have been known to frequently bring stray cubs home back to their nest and to their females, but the females...damn... they are scary good mommas. They've even been seen to take on youngsters of almost all other similar felinesque species like Nundus, Metagots, there was even a rumour of one caring for a Zouwu, can you imagine?! But I digress, anyway. Chimaera's are very different from any other species, they seem to have a form of ancient magic that is all their own, and this is where we come to Hermione. Chimaera's don't age or mature, fully mature into adulthood that is for decades...or until they are triggered to do so"

"Triggered? Triggered how?" Poppy asked in curiosity as she assisted Severus in hanging more nutrition for Hermione's feeding tube, having seen already that her vital signs were improving slightly.

"Well , they go through an infancy like any other animal and eventually become well... teenagers I suppose for a lack of a better term, I would say young adults but this stage of a chimaera's life can last quite literally decades until they become fully mature around 60 years or so , so they're not really young by that point..."

"Charlie" Minerva said sharply, well aware of the Weasley boy's ability to ramble endlessly when it came to a topic that interested him.

"Sorry Professor. So where was I? Right triggers, yes. So for a 'Teenage' or Young Adult chimaera to become a mature adult takes decades, they have a lifespan similar to witches and wizards in that regard and regularly reach up to and over 150 years old... But this is where it gets interesting."

He smiled and paused for what could only be dramatic effect and it made Severus roll his eyes and scoff.

"Let's talk hypothetically for a moment? Say you've got a big mature female chimaera, she's 70 years old and she's in the prime of her life. Along comes a young male , he's 20 years old and the instant they cross paths, they know they're meant to be together. The younger male Chimaera is triggered by the presence of his mate, to go into something called the quickening. The Chimaera's body will rapidly age, until it's at the 'right' age, then there you have it...happily bonded chimaeras. But the quickening doesn't come without a price. During this stage the body needs a huge amount of energy to go through the process as it's extremely taxing to age so rapidly and In the wild, the Chimaera's new mate would go into a sort of blood lust and hunt and provide an endless supply of food for the one going through the quickening. Again , this is a point when Chimaera's are most dangerous as they will be hunting non stop on whatever they think they can take down to provide food for their mate"

Severus had silently summoned a number of nutrient potions with a nonverbal accio, unknown to the others in the room and when they sailed into his palm it made both the witches jump, which caused him to smirk slightly in amusement and Minerva indignantly slapped him upside the head which made Charlie chuckle and Severus scowl, though it ended with a smirk as he found only amusement and no offence in Minerva's treatment.

"But get this, remember how I said Chimaera's are wickedly maternal? Female's have also been known to go through this quickening not only when their mate appears, but when confronted with abandoned or orphaned young. The drive to protect young has been enough to trigger the quickening before. This is when lone female Chimaeras are most dangerous as if they are alone and unbonded, they will hunt voraciously for the energy to change as they don't have assistance like they would from a mate."

Taking a deep breath, Charlie continued.

"I think this is what's happening to Hermione. I've not spent as much time with her as my brothers, but from the time I did get to spend with her, I know she's crazy smart, hella protective and won't take any bullshit from anyone." He looked Severus up and down. "No offence mate, but I can't think of another witch who would put up with your shit and give it back in spades, let alone one who could be as scary smart as you either. The two of you getting...friendly... as innocent as it has been, could've been enough for the Chimaera to consider you a potential mate. It's not the act but the intention to act if you get my drift ? If the thoughts were there on her part, it could be enough. Perhaps that alone would not have been enough to trigger her, I don't know how you see each other in that regard or how she really feels about you, that's your business not mine, but then there's these... Chicks?"

He looked to Severus for assistance but it was Poppy who corrected him with a dry chuckle. "Ducklings"

"Right these ducklings. Children who she saved and now they see her as this big heroine, and among them this boy she rescued, who's come from a bad background, who's been rejected by his parents, who for all wants and purposes is abandoned, who seeks Hermione out as a maternal figure and then to top it off, you Severus, the potential mate, you go and become his legal guardian. I think that was the final nail on the coffin. Because when you put it all together, as far as Mama Chimaera's concerned... Her mate just brought an abandoned cub back to the nest."

Chapter Text

"Right these ducklings. Children who she saved and now they see her as this big heroine, and among them this boy she rescued, who's come from a bad background, who's been rejected by his parents, who for all wants and purposes is abandoned, who seeks Hermione out as a maternal figure and then to top it off, you Severus, the potential mate, you go and become his legal guardian. I think that was the final nail on the coffin. Because when you put it all together, as far as Mama Chimaera's concerned... Her mate just brought an abandoned cub back to the nest."

There was pensieve silence for a moment before a deep voice spoke. 

“This one speaks truth.” 

The assembled witches and wizards turned to see the large form of Margorian in the doorway. The centaurs had been frequent visitors since Hermione’s injury, even though in her waking hours she’d at first been almost unable to speak to them because she was so wracked with guilt over the deaths of Bane and Ronan. Firenze who was once more residing mostly in the castle, was quick to assure her that they held her no ill will. But it wasn’t until Margorian himself, the lead stallion of the herd, left the forest to visit the convalescing girl and assured her that she held no blame in their deaths, or in the eyes of the herd. “Bane and Ronan were warriors and they died warriors deaths, protecting young is a noble cause and they will be honoured for the heroes they were.” Hermione had cried then , and in an uncharacteristically gentle move for the usually severe and stoic stallion, he’d wrapped an arm around the girl in comfort. “Peace Ola mitera, peace my sister”. 

The new nickname had upset Hermione, though she’d not dare to correct Margorian. She’d had to explain to Severus, who didn’t understand the Greek derived language the centaurs oft used, and instead his knowledge spanned more ‘angry’ languages as Hermione had dubbed them, such as German and Russian. “It means all-mother”  She’d told him, when he gently pushed her, not knowing why the name had upset her so. She’d told Margorian once that she would never have any children, but the centaur had simply answered in the vague way that centaurs often do.  “We shall see, Mitera, we shall see” The nickname was painful for her, though she didn’t protest. Being called Mother was often a sign of respect in the centaur community, one she felt she hadn’t earned but the private Moniker of ‘All Mother’ seemed to upset her the most.  But now with this revelation from Charlie , Severus finally understood. The Centaur must have seen the look of understanding on his face, because he smiled, if one could call it that, and inclined his head towards Severus. “Just so” 

Charlie on the other hand was looking as though all his Birthdays , Christmases and Wishes had come true at once , at the sight of Margorian walking into the hospital wing. When Charlie had been in school , Firenze had not been teaching due to the rising threat of the Dark Lord, so it was likely the first time he’d truly met a centaur up close. 

“We saw the way your stars intertwined, but stars are fickle things and often show only half truths and vague notions.” He tenderly brushed a lock of hair from Hermoine’s face in a gesture that was so gentle it seemed out of place on the giant stallion. Raising to his full height he came to stand directly in front of Severus. Now Severus was not a small man by any means, and at 6ft 3 he was used to looking down on most people, but Margorian was tall even for a centaur and stood easily a foot above him.  “But now we see you, Severus Snape of Hogwarts. And you are destined to be of our Herd and I would greet you as family.” 

And then in a movement that made Charlie make an almost obscene noise of excitement, Margorian held out his arm to Severus. Fortunate that he had seen Hermione greet the Centaurs in such a way , he took the arm he was offered without hesitation. “Well met, Margorian of the Forest Herd” He spoke, knowing as the lower ranking individual he was the one who was expected to speak first. “Well met Severus Snape of Hogwarts, Blood of my Blood” 

They inclined their heads to one another and then Margorian turned his attention back to Hermione, casting an assessing eye over the items she was hooked up to, asking Poppy of the new additions. Poppy who had quickly become used to the visiting centaurus, understood their questions about Hermione’s treatment, always came not as a criticism of them but of pure unbridled curiosity and a sincere thirst for knowledge, so she always answered them with as much information as she could and treated them with respect in kind. The centaurs thanked her, showing her respect for her craft. Ever the matron, she’d even attempted to minister care to them, when the odd one had turned up to visit Hermione, sporting an injury from fighting dark creatures in the forest, she would tut over them the same way she did the students, cleaning their wounds and even scolding them for not coming to see her sooner. He’d watch Hermione dying inside at the way the Matron fussed over the giant centaurs like first years who’d fallen off their brooms, and she’d gone to explain to the Matron that Centaurs had their own ways of healing, along with the fact that most Stallions allowed their wounds to heal and scar, to avoid vanity which was largely frowned upon in their culture and the way she was fussing over them could easily be taken as a great insult.. An amused look and a slight head tilt from Margorian once, had stopped her though from interrupting the matron’s haranguing, and the Centaurs tolerated her attentions fondly, allowing her to fuss over them and had even given her the nickname Thera, which meant ‘Healer’ in their language. A few had even taken to long visits with the mediwitch, and the Potion’s master where they would drink tea and compare their knowledge on healing, plants and potions. More than one of the Potions Hermione had been taking , were created from such discussions between the three of them.

Severus turned to Charlie with amusement. “Charles?” 

“Mmm-hmm” The man answered with wide eyes. 

“Breathe” Severus intoned dryly and the man did just that, inhaling a great lung full of air, as in his excitement to see Margorain he’d forgotten entirely about the necessary reflex.

“But he’s… And she … and they....and you ?!”

“Hermione is considered Herd by the Centaurs, she is family to them and they are to her. Now by extension it seems, so am I”

The way the boy was looking at him made Severus uncomfortable, there was too much awe and something akin to Hero Worship for Severus’s liking. 

“I don’t know a thing… the books are so vague, there’s sure to be traditions and rituals …I don’t want to insult…  and can you introduce me properly?!” 

Rubbing his eyes wearily and already seeing the vague tendrils of amusement radiating from Margorians body language, and feeling the mirth through the vestiges of legilimency by which the herd communicated  he decided to amuse himself. 

“I require dragon scales, egg shells, blood , and teeth. And any other interesting ingredients that you may come upon on your travels.” a mental nudge and he added “And the centaurs like boar, but a suckling pig from the butchers in Hogsmede would do the trick”

“Done!” Charlie said excitedly, shaking his hand. “Can you show me the proper way to..?” 

Standing up he steered Charlie by the shoulder and approached Margorian who was standing by Hermione’s bed side and slapped him on the back in a familiar manner one might do so with an old friend.

“Charlie this is Margorian, Margorian may I introduce you to Charlie , he’s a friend of mine and Hermione’s. I’ll expect those ingredients the next time you visit, Mr Weasley”

The Stallion smirked in amusement at the boy who managed to look utterly awestruck and totally miffed that he’d been had and there was no great ceremony involved in greeting the centaur before him. 

“Do not believe everything you read in books, Charlie of the Weasley clan. Good manners are all you require to greet a centaur, though the gift of meat will be received well enough“ 

Sharing in the amusement of the Witches and Wizards in attendance , Margorian even reached out his hand for a very normal handshake which the herd had adopted as a way of greeting the magical folk at Hogwarts. They would usually slap each other’s back in greeting, as Severus had done to Margorain but the Centaurs were much stronger and after one or two unfortunate incidents where a well meaning centaur had sent someone arse over teakettle, they adopted the handshake when greeting the ‘tiny fragile humans’ as they had been dubbed. 

Charlie, not knowing this, shook the centaurs hand still looking equally awed at his presence and appalled at the normality of the greeting. 

Suddenly everyone froze as a warm and familiar voice was felt, rather than heard. 

“Next time, just start at Hello”

Whipping his eye to the bed before him , warm amber met his gaze. 

“Hermione, you’re awake?”

Chapter Text

“Next time, just start at Hello”

Whipping his eye to the bed before him , warm amber met his gaze. 

“Hermione, you’re awake?”

oOo

Severus was at her side before even Poppy could reach her, casting diagnostics and laying a hand across her brow tenderly, though disguised as checking her temperature. 

Hermione’s eyes softened at his worried look, but upon realizing his hand was lingering perhaps a bit too long he snatched it back and cast a glance over the audience they had acquired. Minerva who had received the heartfelt confession from Severus and knew of his true feelings, had snorted in amusement though hidden it behind her hand and Poppy who wasn’t being fooled by anyone just chuckled in amusement under her breath as she prepared to remove Hermione’s breathing tube for her.

It was the voice from the door that made him tense, as all eyes whipped around to see the long absent headmaster standing there. 

“I think that ship has long sailed, don’t you my boy? Give me a moment please Poppy” 

Dumbledore made his way into the room and past his mostly dumbstruck audience  before standing by Hermione’s bedside. Hermione, who was still intubated thanks to him, gave him a slight scowl. And Severus couldn’t blame her. The headmaster had mostly been acting in absentia since her attack, hiding in the shadows other than being seen at mealtimes in the Great Hall; He’d met visitors outside the wing, and escorted students, staff and visitors there and back but he had avoided visiting the hospital wing himself altogether. 

“I owe you an apology. And Hogwarts owes you so much more. Forgive an old man for his cowardice Miss Granger, but I wanted to choose this moment to say my piece before you give me the tongue lashing that I so rightly deserve. I fear if I allowed you to interrupt I might lose my nerve entirely” 

Hermione’s brows furrowed in question and no small amount of suspicion, before she gave him a small nod of acceptance. The headmaster seemed to release a breath and a tension he’d been holding. 

“I am sorry, Hermione. Though I am grateful, as are we all, for what you have done, you never should have been put in that position to begin with. I never should have allowed things to get this far. It is my fault that this war has raged on so long, and I can see now that my actions over the years...my favouritism, has caused a greater divide among Hogwarts since the original falling out of the founders. But if I am honest with you, the reason why Tom has been such a focus in my life, why I have been so obsessed with preventing his rise, why I have unfairly treated all Slytherins is because when I see him and his drive, his ambition for greatness and his goals of a purer world... when I see the slytherin students and I see that same cunning and ambition… I see myself. And I see Gellert. I see the man I once was, and the man that I once loved and I remember parts of my life that I would prefer to remain long buried.”

Hermione looked at him in some slight confusion, though the assembled staff knew why. Though a woman as well read as Hermione no doubt knew of Grindelwald, she probably didn’t understand the headmaster’s ties to the former Dark Lord. Which is why with a soft sigh, he began to explain them.

“In my youth, I was captivated by a handsome young man by the name of Gellert Grindelwald. He too had a dream, an ambition and a cunning plan  for a stronger and purer wizarding world. He had beauty, power and recognition and I fell for it. For years I was as devoted to that man as Madam Lestrange is to Voldemort now. I followed him everywhere and was his most loyal follower and I did what he said without question, because I was blinded by my affection for him. For all accounts and purposes… you could consider me the first death eater.”

He paused for a moment, the ghost of some memory taking his breath for a moment before he continued.

“But I was wrong. Gellert was not a good man, and though cunning and ambition are not bad traits to have , his goal was power absolute. He was careless, thoughtless and though I would like to think he held some affection for me in all the time we were together, he did not love nor care for me as I did him. It took a number of incidents and the eventual death of my sister Ariana at his hand, before I saw him for what he was. Power Mad, Biggoted, Corrupt. It was me that put him Nurmengard myself, and I never saw him again until the day he died.”

A familiar dark coloured handkerchief was held out by a pale hand  to the headmaster, and it wasn’t until he took it that Hermione realised he was crying. 

“Thank you my boy” He wiped his eyes gently , before holding onto the handkerchief and letting out a deep sigh. 

“But even after his imprisonment, I held onto that feeling of hurt, of betrayal. Over the past few months I have done a lot of thinking and  I realise that I saw myself in all Gryffindors and I saw him in all Slytherins. And I wanted to keep them apart. I didn’t want another Gellert and so I showed no support for the Slytherins, hoping to dampen their ambition while I praised my own house for their loyalty and bravery, and encouraged the rift with Slytherin by turning a blind eye to the treatment they received at the hands of others. I realise now that It was a failure on my part to act this way, I have ruined so many lives in my attempt to save them. And when I brought Tom here, I saw myself in him, I had thought to apprentice him, thought to groom him to be a great wizard and a great headmaster yet  the second the hat put him in Slytherin, I abandoned him. Because he could no longer be me, because he was Gellert. And my abandonment pushed an already fragile boy into what he is now. Perhaps he would always have turned out the way he had, but perhaps if I had supported him more, encouraged him...maybe not. For that, the deaths, the war...so much of it is on my shoulders my dear”

“And I am responsible for you.” He wiped his eyes once more before continuing. “You are quite frankly one of the most brilliant students Hogwarts has ever had the pleasure of knowing. You are courageous and caring beyond measure, but you are also so academically gifted and I have not done right by you. More than once the issue has been raised by staff, by exam assessors, by the board of governors... that you should’ve been moved forward in your schooling, you should have received private instruction or been apprenticed here. I had offers from both Durmstrang and Beauxbatons to instill you at a higher level of learning. Word even reached Ilvermorny in the states, and they all attempted to poach you. But I hid this from you. At all stages I prevented this. What’s more is I lied and I told them it was because you were not interested. Because I saw how Harry relied on you, and I saw how you helped and protected him and gave him the friendship and guidance he so  sorely needed. I saw both James and Lily in him and not just the good of them but the bad, and I wanted you by his side to be his moral compass because you were always so stalwart and true. I wrongly assumed it was Harry that would win this war for us, and I would do anything to secure his happiness and safety but I no longer believe that is the case Miss Granger. Despite everything, despite the insurmountable road blocks you faced, both because of my scheming and the bias of the world. Here you are. A wonderful, Brilliant and true warrior of light. You are something special my dear, and I am sorry that I ever allowed any of this to happen. To you, to Slytherin house and to you… Severus, I owe you just such an apology of your own. You too were held back in the same way, because just as I saw the brilliance in Hermione , I saw it in you too but like Tom, I was too afraid of you becoming the next Gellert” 

“The time has passed for apologies headmaster”  

It wasn’t said in malice, but it was the sheer truth. Too much time and too many words and actions had passed for an apology from the Headmaster to mean anything to the man before him. And Though Albus was clearly saddened by the statement, he accepted it. 

“I have said my piece, and I will await my judgement as you see fit” 

The man stated softly.

“But I wish also for you to know this, I am stepping down as Headmaster and Minerva will be instated as Headmistress from this evening onwards” 

The indignant squawk from behind them clearly showed this was the first the scotswoman had heard of it. 

“I will be going quietly, without great fanfare. Officially I shall be focussing on my work and retirement though unofficially I shall be devoting most of my time to the Order and putting a stop to this war and to Tom, once and for all. That is my plan at least should I not be in Azkaban” 

There were a few hissed breaths surrounding him at that statement and it took only a moment for the headmaster to continue. 

“What I have done to you , to others,  is not only wrong and immoral, but illegal. I held you back when you could’ve gone on to bigger and greater things and for that I should be punished.” 

Here he produced a parchment and placed it into the hand of the bed bound girl. 

“This is a true record of your academics here. It is signed in my blood with a phoenix feather quill, so it cannot be challenged . Any exams that were not scored by staff here at Hogwarts, I charmed to make your marks lower than they should have been to stave off the institutes that were sniffing around you. You were still outstanding, but outside adjudicators no longer saw you were brilliant . I have also detailed in length how I have obstructed your grades and learning, in the selfish attempt to keep you here at Hogwarts. Should you wish to apply to Ilvemory, Beauxbatons or Durmnstrang for further instruction, I have noted how I rejected their past proposals on your behalf without your knowledge.I hope it will go some ways to mending any academic bridges I may have destroyed for you.”

An elder wood wand was then placed gently on the bed beside her hand. 

“And this is my submission to you Miss Granger. My actions took away your choices, your freedom and perhaps they could’ve taken your life and your future. Your actions have disarmed me, your love has defeated me. And this is my official surrender, which you have won fairly and I consider myself defeated. I want you to take this, and I will await your judgement. If you wish to press charges against me, as is your right, I shall not struggle nor object. I await your decision”  

There was a strange flicker and spark of magic from the wand on the bed and a few muttered oaths in the room at the sight of it. Albus had officially surrendered his wand, it would no longer be faithful to him, wands could be fickle like that.

Having said his piece, Dumbledore nodded to Poppy and the woman quickly removed the intubation tube. Thankful now that Hermione was tolerating some magic and she could ease the process now as she hadn’t before.

Giving her a moment to prepare herself and true to his word, Dumbledore remained in place awaiting her judgement.

“I don’t want you to give up your wand Headmaster” 

Hermione spoke carefully but there was a twinkle to his eye when he answered her. 

“It was never truly mine to begin with Miss Granger, the wand before you has belonged to many great witches and wizards before me, and now it belongs to you”

Silence reigned as all waited to see what punishment the girl would choose to mete out to the Headmaster who’d played Puppet Master with her life since she arrived at Hogwarts. 

Taking a deep breath, she spoke.

“I’ve made up my mind Headmaster”

Chapter Text

Silence reigned as all waited to see what punishment the girl would choose to mete out to the Headmaster who’d played Puppet Master with her life since she arrived at Hogwarts. 

Taking a deep breath, she spoke.

“I’ve made up my mind Headmaster”

oOo

She was quiet for a moment, turning the wand in her grasp from side to side, before she spoke softly, quietly and shyly to the Headmaster, though she couldn’t meet his eyes and directed her question to the blanket in her lap.

Her voice was timid and quiet as though she barely believed herself that she had the audacity to make demands of the great Albus Dumbledore.

“Before I do this, I would like to have your word Headmaster, your Wizard’s oath right now that you will accept and adhere to my chosen punishment...please? ”

There was a moment where the mask seemed to slip and the man arched his eyebrow, but after the gentle “please” she added on with a sheepish smile, within a moment more the gentile smile was once again upon his face, and he patted her hand softly and with  the soft spoken tone he was known for, he answered her.

“Of course dear girl, I swear that I will accept and adhere to any punishment of your choosing, Miss Granger, you have my oath. I am not afraid, I am sure you will be just in your decision” 

When The magic rippled in the room as the oath took hold, she glanced at Severus. She’d learned a fair few things from the Slytherin man and she wanted to be sure that she’d worded her request as well as she’d hoped and the barely perceptible nod and smirk she received in return had confirmed it. 

Smiling, she turned, rolled her neck until it cracked and set her shoulders back, sitting straight and meeting the older man’s gaze, unsmiling and unflinchingly. The change of her demeanor wasn’t lost on him, as the shy and demure girl of moments ago stared at him fearlessly, her posture straight and confident.

The Headmaster’s mask slipped once more, as the timid girl before him disappeared and morphed into something else entirely.

Severus couldn’t have been prouder.

“Then this is your sworn punishment, Albus Dumbledore, for the wrongs that you have done to me and countless others before me. I will not report you to the aurors, and you may continue your fight with the Order of the Phoenix if you so wish to” He smiled and relaxed at that, for he’d initially been certain she would not turn him in to the Ministry, however a frisson of fear had sparked down his spine when the nervous young girl had disappeared, and the Lioness they all knew she was had appeared before him instead. Meeting his gaze coldy and refusing to be cowed by him, going so far as to lose his title and honorific and refer to him by his given name instead.

 “You will however step down as the leader of the Order of the Phoenix, and likewise as soon as the war is over, and there is not strategic reason for you to retain them, you will retire from any other positions where you hold sway or power, such as supreme Mugwump and the Hogwarts board of directors.” His smiled vanished then as he began to speak, “Miss Granger, you cannot -” 

But she ruthlessly cut him off, refusing to be swayed as she stared at him with a look that was as cold and ruthless as one from the Potion’s Master himself. 

“I can and I shall, as you have already sworn me your oath.You have proven to me and to the others in this room that you cannot be trusted, reliable nor unbiased in a position of power and therefore your punishment is that you shall henceforth forfeit any such positions of power and from this day forth you will refrain from taking any more in the future, I don’t even want you chairing the monthly flourish and blotts book club, and though I shall not report your transgressions against me I will not prevent Severus or any others from doing so if they wished to. You will visit each and every student, staff member and witch or wizard that you have purposely wronged, personally treated unjustly, denied or sabotaged as you have done to me and you will tell each of them that you have done so, tell them exactly how you have held them back, though I will leave it to your own choosing if you decided to tell them why you did what you have done. Your reasons are your own and I will not force you to share your personal history, so you do not have to tell them WHY you did what you did, but you will tell each person what it is you’ve done. You will give each one of them the opportunity to report you for your transgressions, and you will do what you can to make amends. I do not expect you to swear oaths to any other, nor put yourself in a position where you may be injured. You do not have to duel or risk your life, unless you believe that you in your heart of hearts believe that you have wronged someone badly enough that they are fair in the right to request a duel, but you will attempt to fix your many misdeeds Albus Dumbledore, mark my words and you will do so for every witch or wizard, centaur, goblin, house elf or fucking niffler you’ve ever knowingly sabotaged for your own personal reasons, regardless of their house” 

The old Headmaster’s jaw was on the floor but she wasn’t finished. 

“ I also will not allow you to think your death will excuse you from this promise. Because the first thing you will do when you leave this rooms, is create a comprehensive list of every person that you need to make amends with. And then you are going to take that list to Gringotts and have every single one of them added as beneficiaries of your estate. Your death will not excuse your guilt headmaster, and even if you perish in this war the people you have wronged will receive reparations from your estate.” 

He looked apopletic but once more Hermione ruthlessly cut them off. 

“I will hear no more on this subject, Albus. Though I will say this, others may have not made the connection but do not think me so foolish as to have not noted the ties that bind your friendship with Nicholas Flamel, Your moving the Philosopher’s stone somewhere “safe”, the great age and vigour to which you find yourself despite the injuries and fighting you have seen and your seemingly endless wealth.… do not think me naive, it is beneath us both. As such, your final punishment is that now Nicholas Flame has passed on, you will use the stone to create enough gold to financially support all those of which you have wronged and denied a future, or even meaningful employment, to set up a school fund that will pay for school supplies and uniform for families that can not afford them indefinitely, and then you will destroy the stone along with any and all materials pertaining to its creation that would teach people how to make another.”

“You of all people would deny knowledge” 

“Knowledge is power headmaster, and though I share in the thirst of it, I would not have knowledge with the kind of power that the stone offers, available to any who might abuse it. We were not meant to have that power and the world will be better off without it” 

Minerva looked proud as she stood straight and tall, a tight smile on her face that betrayed the slight glimmer of tears, Poppy smiled warmly and Severus grinned in what could easily be described as morbid amusement. He hadn’t missed the fact that her wording meant that he was due a decent cut of reparations also. Though his heart also warmed at the school fund she demanded, knowing full well she was thinking of him, Harry, the Weasleys and other students like them who suffered silently in second hand robes and with used books and equipment, while more well to do families mocked them for their lack of privilege.

“And as for this” She gestured to the wand in her hand. Turning it this way and that, running her fingers over the texture of the well worn wood. “Did you think for a moment that I would not know what it was, or the significance of you surrendering it to me?” 

His gaze darkened, but he said nothing. She had him well and truly over a barrel and they all knew it. After a moment, Charlie did though. He peeked over Poppy’s shoulder and his eyes widened in shock. 

“Cor blimey… that’s the Elder wand isn’t it ?” 

For a moment, a pang of hurt ran through her chest. He’d sounded just like Ron, and her heart ached a little for the friend that she had lost. 

Turning it side to side , she assessed the wand in her grasp, weighed it, flicked it as though to summon sparks, though nothing happened,  and after a moment she answered, with one word and one word only. 

“Yes” 

And promptly snapped the wand in two. 

The only sound in the room was the muffled thump as the former headmaster hit the floor, head first.

Chapter Text

Hermione promptly snapped the Elder wand in two. 

The only sound in the room was the muffled thump as the former headmaster hit the floor, head first.

~ O ~

“Are you angry? That I didn’t give you the Elder Wand?”  It had been weighing on her ever since she’d snapped the legendary item right in front of the now former headmaster.

“ No… I had no designs on keeping it” 

She didn’t miss the emphasis on the word keeping , and she smiled as she took his hastily hidden, yet unmistakable embarrassed look. 

“ You wanted to play with it didn’t you?”  She couldn’t hide the mirth in her voice. 

He sniffed indignantly, but then smirked. “Perhaps a little” 

“ Boys ” She laughed and he gave her a small smile in return. 

“In all seriousness though, do you think I did the right thing?”  She wasn’t looking at him when she asked the question, and her hands plucked at the blanket in front of her. It had been quite literally a snap decision, she believed she was right but she worried about others’ opinions, especially his. 

He came to sit beside her and took her hands in his. “I am most certain of it” 

“If the Elder Wand exists, then any small chance that the legend pertaining to it and the other Deathly Hallows together exists too… No. Risking Tom Riddle becoming Master of Death? No Wizard, Witch or Muggle should ever hold that power. Grindelwald wreaked havoc and destruction with the Elder Wand alone, and we know of at least one more hallow here in the UK? It would  be only a matter of time before he would have sought them all out. Now even if he managed to find the other two, he could never become Master of Death. And a supposedly unbeatable wand in the hands of that lunatic? You did the right thing Hermione”

Dumbledore had spilled the truth about the resurrection stone he believed to be hidden in the Gaunt ring, but Hermione looked sheepish as she addressed Severus. 

“Actually.. .I believe the other, might be right here at Hogwarts”

“Another Hallow, where…?”  The confusion in his tone was clear, but there was no missing the rapt and intense attention in his coal black eyes.

“Harry’s cloak, the one his father left him.  I never gave it much thought at first, but as the years went on and I learned more about charms and the wizarding world in general, I had wondered how his coat in paticular was just so infallible. The charms on it never failed or faltered, and unlike other invisibility charms which are more of a joke or gimmick his is just so precise. It doesn’t even ripple like a dissolusion spell would, it renders you completely invisible even when moving…And it somehow always finds its way back to him now. All the troubling situations we’ve been in, and it’s never once been damaged and always seems to reappear, even when I know he’s left it behind someplace…”

Severus was quiet for a while, though his face had gone pale and she could see the thoughts racing behind his eyes and she almost jumped with shock when she realised that she could feel the distress radiating from him. 

“Severus?” She asked gently and it seemed to shake him out of his stupor. 

“James Potter…therefore the marauders had an invisibility cloak… and not just any invisibility cloak…a FUCKING DEATHLY HALLOW”

The last words were a roar and she jumped in shock at the rage radiating off him and the way he was angrily swearing in a way she’d never known the usually stoic man do. 

“But of course. Of fucking course Saint Potter would have an invisibility cloak , and of fucking course it would be the best damn invisibilty cloak in the world because it’s a FUCKING Deathly Hallow ! The amount of intelligence I could have gathered with an invisibility cloak like that but instead Saint Potter and his band of merry bastards gets to use it to set ambush traps and creep on people in the fucking shower-”

“What!?”

He’d been pacing, gesticulating madly and swearing like a sailor but the anger in her exclamation had stopped him dead and if looks could kill, he was pretty sure both Potter and Black would have been resurrected and killed again with the venom in Hermione’s gaze in that moment. 

Breathing heavily out of his nostrils, he was too angry and frustrated to keep it in, so instead he snarled out angrily. “Those Bastard Marauders! They made my life pure Hell . They seemed to be everywhere , always appearing seemingly out of nowhere, there wasn’t anywhere that I could hide. Even in the bathroom things would disappear. My clothes would get stolen while I showered and my things always moved, I could’ve sworn I heard people watching me… laughing at me in the damn shower but there was never anyone there, I swore that someone groped me even and I just couldn’t prove it…”

He ended with a frustrated growl but it was echoed by a much lower and primal one. 

His eyes snapped to hers and instead of amber he saw gold, as Hermione growled in a way that made the hair rise on the back of his neck. 

“Those Bastards, where is Remus Lupin, I will fucking kill him, Son of a WHORE” 

She threw the covers from herself and made as though to get out of the bed. 

He was so enamoured and in awe of her vehement defence of his person that he made no attempt to stop her, even though he leg was still pinned and in traction instead he was so dumbstruck by her behaviour that he almost missed the sound of a glass breaking, but Hermione snapped her eyes to the sound and luckily it stopped her in her tracks. 

Turning swiftly he saw both Minerva and Poppy stood behind him and his face instantly heated though he didn’t miss the look of shock on Poppy’s and cold fury on Minerva’s. 

“They did what! ”

His mouth moved up and down and he was unable to find the words to answer her as his face flamed in humiliation, however it seemed he didn’t need to. 

“That lying, scheming, twinkling TOSSER. Boys will be boys my bony behind ! Poppy, go get the blasted resurrection stone off Albus, death isn’t any excuse to get away with something like this” 

Snorting like a bull she turned and stomped over to the fireplace, all righteous fury and threw in floo powder so angrily that they all heard it impact the opposing wall. 

“Remus John Lupin you get your scrawny arse to Hogwarts right now !” 

It was in a daze that Severus watched the scene play out in front of him, because it was utterly surreal to watch Minerva literally drag a reluctant Remus Lupin by the ear as well as palm at resurrection stone which had been begrudgingly handed over to Poppy by the former Headmaster. 

It had to be a dream because here in front of him was James, Remus and Sirius, two of which were already dead, yet still apologising to him and all seemingly sincere about it. 

He felt a weight lifted when James both admitted his actions, and apologised. But for all his hate of Potter, it wasn’t the most freeing moment that day.

Sirius in particular still looked fairly ragged, as much as ghostly apparitions can, and it was clear that he was still working through things , wherever he now resided.  He didn’t look tormented, but he didn’t look at peace either. 

He also admitted to being the one who had groped him once in the shower.

“I was angry and confused … if you know what I mean? And I took it out on you because you were an easy target… after so long of butting horns with each other, I’d almost dehumanised you in my mind. It was Snivellus and not another person that we did those things to . I can see things clearer now. My father, my family should never have treated me the way they did. But my trauma doesn’t give me an excuse for causing you trauma. We… I…assaulted you, taking your clothes, stripping you in public, spying on you and touching you against your will…and there’s no excuse for any of that. It doesn’t fix anything I did, but for what it’s worth,  I am sorry…Severus” 

He didn’t shake his hand, but he nodded to him after a while.  “Black.” 

The whole thing left him utterly drained emotionally and when Poppy left him with an affectionate squeeze on his shoulder, and Minerva a maternal pat on his cheek and kiss on his brow, the second he found himself alone with Hermione once more, he found himself crawling into the bed beside her, heedless of their location and he sobbed freely into her shoulder as she warped her arms around him and placed soothing kisses and gentling words into his hair. 

When he awoke in her arms, he felt lighter and freer than he’d done in decades.  But not only that , it was to the sudden realization of the true meaning that when Hermione had jumped to his defense the night before...Her eyes had glowed yellow. 

Chapter Text

The second he found himself alone with Hermione once more, he found himself crawling into the bed beside her, heedless of their location and he sobbed freely into her shoulder as she warped her arms around him and placed soothing kisses and gentling words into his hair. 

When he awoke in her arms, he felt lighter and freer than he’d done in decades.

~ O ~

He felt strange. Youthful, younger almost. There was a spring to his step that he hadn’t had for many years and though he was usually one to keep his emotions in check, it had become harder and harder to do so, especially around Hermione. Even in his mind he could no longer refer to her as Miss Granger… a thought that should have troubled him, instead he found himself strangely elated. It had gotten to the point where he’d tested himself for the influence of charms, curses, hexes and love potions…in case some prankster had finally managed to get one over on him. But the only thing he was under the influence of was…Hermione. And possibly Hormones. 

His heartfelt confession to Hermoine, about the treatment he’d received at the hands of the Marauders, had slipped out of him almost without his consent. It wasn’t like him to show his vulnerability like that, but being around her seemed to reduce all his defences to naught but wisps as insubstantial as smoke. Though a huge part of him wanted to shy away, to growl and lick his wounds in private, he found that a larger part of himself in that moment had wanted to share his burden with her, and more than that…he’d trusted her with it. 

Poppy and Minerva had been collateral damage. It was just another thing that irked him that he hadn’t realised they’d entered the room until he heard the crashing glass of the potion’s vial that Poppy had brought for Hermione. Being no longer active as a Spy must have been making his reflexes rusty, because he certainly never would have spoken so freely if he’d known they were within earshot, but though he was still somewhat mortified, he was gratified to also have cemented them both in his corner even more so than it seems they already were. A part of him had hoped that they held him in such familial regard, but hoping and seeing were two different things and to have both Matriachs coming to his staunch defence was something that moved him more deeply than he cared to say.

With their actions though, came the quick decision that the resurrection stone must too be destroyed. 

“It is too easy, Severus” Minerva had said to them afterwards. “When emotions were high and I was just so damned angry , it was so easy to reach for that stone. Too easy to call them here. It is power in its rawest form and I can see why it is addictive..corrupting. It could do good yes, but there is far more potential for harm” Silently, Severus agreed. Though it was gratifying and cathartic for him to confront his childhood tormentors, it was easy to see how the resurrection stone could cause problems for so many. As it did with the Peverell brothers who first took it from death itself, death was supposed to be final…absolute. Hogwarts Headmaster Paintings were charmed for the purpose of supporting other staff to come, but even they often chose to have their charms ended so they could move on. But people needed to be able to grieve their lost loved ones in order to move on. If any of the dead could be called upon with simply a turn of the wrist , the temptation would be there to call and call and call upon them, stealing a living person’s ability to move on and grieve, and stealing the peace of death from those departed.

And with that, another deathly hallow was promptly destroyed. 

But after the destruction of the resurrection stone, Severus was focussed on the thing weighing heavily on his mind. Hermione. She had yet to show any signs of magic since her attack and the general consensus had been that it was unlikely she would ever regain her magic after the pollution from the Chimaera’s blood. But those eyes. In her anger for him, her eyes had glowed and they were not the eyes of a girl, they were the eyes of a lioness. Perhaps her animagus form would not be out of reach to her at least. The Chimaera blood affected her so because of the lioness within, perhaps her animagus form would be within grasp if nothing else. 

He warred with himself over it, until other’s had commented on how much time he’d spent frowning and staring at nothing in particular, until eventually he’d decided to wait her out. 

He had tried to keep the magic he cast around her to a minimum, as he hadn’t missed the mournful and longing looks she sometimes gave his wand when she saw him cast certain spells around her. So eventually he decided to keep it to himself, lest he fill her with false hope. There was nothing to be gained from giving her false hope, if it turned out the episode with her eyes had been a fluke or a trick of the light, but there was everything to be gained by holding out and watching her carefully for any signs that there might be some magic left accessible to the witch, no matter how small it may be. He prayed to the gods and goddesses to give her something, anything, no matter how small. He’d give up his own magic twice over, to see her levitate a feather once more. 

She had enough to contend with at the moment anyway, without him adding false hope to that list. Her leg was finally healed enough for them to begin with the real physical therapy. They’d done some stretches and exercises already but  if she had any hope whatsoever of gaining any kind of mobility back then she would need to be in intensive therapy for a long time. It was gruelling but he fully expected her to soldier through it as she had done everything else so far. 

He wasn’t prepared for the tears . 

He knew she’d be taxed, tired even, after the gruelling sessions but he wasn’t prepared for the sheer physical exhaustion she’d endure and he’d known it would be uncomfortable for her, unpleasant even… but he hadn’t been prepared for the screaming . 

And those blasted tears that tore at his soul.

He hadn’t realised It was going to be so agonising for her. Stretching and using muscles, tendons and joints that had been crushed almost to powder, trashed and torn apart then atrophied while she was immobilised to heal.  Her tender body shook with exertion and she screamed each time she had to bear weight on the leg, despite the rails to help her, and the morphine that burned quickly through her body. Her face was red with exertion as tears and sweat dripped from her face as she begged… sobbed him for reprieve.

Collapsing into his arms once more, the few paces across the mat on the floor she’d made seeming like a marathon for the small woman. 

“I can’t , I can’t do it Severus please don’t make me, I can’t do this anymore please” 

He’d had to stay silent. He held her to him, shaking himself and comforted her as she sobbed into his chest, wrapped his arms around her and kissed the crown of her head, but he couldn’t speak. Couldn’t tell her what he wanted to tell her, that yes, cease this torture, he would carry her everyday for the rest of her life so she wouldn’t have to endure any more. He couldn’t say that as he knew it wasn’t the right thing, no matter how much he was willing to do it. But nor could he look her into her tearfilled eyes and tell her that she had to endure more pain, that they had only just begun, that there was so much more to do this day alone before she could rest. And everyday after that until she regained a modicum of the movement she once had. 

So he held her, and stayed silent, offering his strength to hold her up, if not his words and was ever thankful of the firm but fair matron who was made of sterner stuff it seemed than he and pushed her to start all over again despite the tears and pleas. 

“You can and you must Hermoine” The matron had said. “Unless you wish to spend the rest of your life in a wheelchair then you must get up and move ”

This went on for weeks, term time came and went and during the holidays as the children went home there was often no sound to be heard except the agonising screams that echoed from the Hospital wing and through the empty halls.

Throughout he barely left her side. Every spare moment when he wasn’t engaged with teaching or other duties, he was by her side. He helped her with her meals, gave her medication and did everything he could for her, short of helping her dress and bathe which was the job of Poppy or Coral, who fretted about the woman almost as much as he did. 

Until one day, only a week after the students had returned, she’d had enough. She didn’t fight or argue or plead as had become the norm, but she just lay there, silently and resolutely refusing to move.

“No more,”  She whispered to him. “I’m done. Order the chair”

Pain lanced through his chest and he held her hand.

“We’ve talked about this Hermione, an electric wheelchair won’t work in Hogwarts halls and classrooms, and we can’t risk a chair that runs on charms, someone could cancel the charms or it  might not work around you at all, you would have to have a manual wheelchair and you don’t have the arm strength to propel yourself, so someone or some elf would have to be with you at all times, you would not be able to get up or down or go to the bathroom alone, or have any of the independence we were hoping for, there is no short list of volunteers for sure but…you’d need a carer at all times.” 

She looked at him sadly, a few tears escaped her lashes and ran down the length of her face, landing on the coverlet as she pressed a gentle hand against his cheek. 

“Severus, Order the chair…please?”

He nodded then, pulled her into his arms and let her weep into his chest. 

oOo

Baby had been an infrequent visitor since Hermione started her intense therapy, he’d caught her trembling, vomiting and crying once after one session and it had shaken him so much that Hermione had made the ghosts and portraits promise to run interference and make sure he could never sneak into the hospital wing again and see her like that. Jacob Gray was a sensitive boy and seeing Hermione suffering, because of the injuries she got protecting him, had led to no small amount of guilt for the small boy. 

It wasn’t just Baby, along with Hermione and Severus that were emotional and overwrought with the current events, Emotions were high all over the school as the house divide was becoming more and more pronounced, The staff had been working hard to crackdown on bullying in the school, as interhouse rivalries were at an all time high, with fights the likes of which Severus hadn’t seen since his own school time, but they were fighting a losing battle as the more the staff cracked down on bullying, the sneakier the bullies got, their pranks and attacks becoming more vicious but only when they were out of sight of the professors, but at the sametime more students were dropping old prejudices and fighting back when they saw injustice, leading to many potential bullies being thwarted by other students. Despite the fact that most of the bullying was done by Gryffindor bullies upon Slytherin students, other houses were stepping in, where before most would have ignored anything outside of their own house politics. So as the bullying got more vicious on one hand, on the other houses were uniting against the culprits.

There was an air of change in the wind, with Hogwarts seemingly teetering on a precipice ready to fall one way or another, into a just and fair place where students looked out for each other regardless of their houses or on the other side a descent into absolute anarchy, with would-be marauders gangs ruling the roost,  the likes of which could tear the school apart with an almost mob like power play.

Among all this, Baby was a prime target. His small stature, nervous disposition and the fact that he was both a Slytherin and the ward of the Head of Slytherin, along with being one of Hermoine’s ducklings, meant that as far as desirable targets went, you couldn’t get much better game than him. Severus of course supported him as much as he could, the few that had dared attempt anything in his presence wouldn’t ever dare attempt it again, though he was still working as a full time professor and head of house trying to quell an in school rebellion along with spending as much time with  a recovering Hermione as he could, so though he made sure to watch out for him at all meals and in all his own classes, and dedicate one on one time each and every day with his young ward, he could not be there all the time, and though the ducklings stuck together, they did not all have the same classes and therefore different schedules meant occasionally Baby became a target for vicious pranks and intense bullying to the point where Severus had considered withdrawing him from study altogether and effectively “homeschooling” him, between him and Hermione they knew enough to cover the boy’s education up until his Newts… Hermione herself having already smashed all of her newts without great fanfare. Simply informing him one evening that after owling the Ministry  she’d independently sat her Newts and gotten all outstandings as everyone else would have expected. 

Severus had been rather taken aback, then regretful that he had nothing to gift her, nor a way in which to celebrate the occasion. She was now officially “on staff” Minerva had informed him, as a “Teaching Aid” as she was already marking most everyone’s work anyway, until she decided what she wanted to do going forward. 

“Do you not feel the need to mark the occasion?” He’d asked her, he hated feeling out of sorts in a social situation and couldn’t help the feeling of inadequacy, that he’d failed her somehow. 

She sensed his unease though and had been quick to reassure him. “Honestly? No. I had always thought that it would be so important to me, such a huge thing, but the past few  years has made me realise how many bigger things there are in the world. I’m glad I did well, but honestly… I feel more relieved that it’s out of the way and without them hanging over my head for another few months I can concentrate on the more important things in life” 

When she picked up his hand and squeezed it, smiling, he couldn’t help the bashful grin he sported before he quickly cleared his throat and schooled his face into a much more neutral expression, which judging by her grin…wasn’t fooling anyone. 

“At least let me make Dinner for us, to celebrate…I could bring some Wine”  he’d added with a little hesitation.

She’d almost jumped at the last bit. As it was, she was almost vibrating with excitement. They’d had dinner together of course, alone and with Baby and others. But his offer of Wine was more than just a drink. It was a turning point in their relationship. It was an acknowledgement that all former ties as student and teacher were behind them, and this meal would be of two peers, two colleagues, two consenting adults. She knew that behind that Slytherin exterior, the offer of Wine was what changed a meal between friends into a date between two adults. It was his Slytherin way of saying, “I’d like to court you, would you accept me?”

She’d smiled at him and answered, “Wine would be lovely” and when he’d left that evening he’d done so with a kiss on the back of her hand, and she’d responded by pulling him down and kissing his cheek, which had left them a couple of shades pinker than when they’d started.

But despite Hermione now officially being graduated and a teaching aid, and Severus’s willingness to withdraw Baby from classes, they’d discussed it between them As a family Severus had thought to himself of his innermost hidden desires, and decided against the choice for now. Baby was shy, reserved and withdrawn. He had few friends and struggled socially, withdrawing him from classes would isolate him further and even if he no longer attended the classes, he’d still have to live in the castle with Severus and Hermione both residing there and it would leave him more of an outcast and misfit than he already was, and he could still be targeted unless he wanted to live 24/7 in Severus’s rooms, which wasn’t healthy for a young boy to be so isolated. Instead they’d made sure all the ghosts, portraits and prefects were to try and keep an eye on him whenever he was in their vicinity, along with making sure all the other staff knew that he’d essentially had a target painted on his back.

The bond Hermione felt towards them both had grown enormously since she’d completed her newts. It was as though having those results in her hands had firmly closed the door on her previous life and opened the way into her new one. She loved them both so much, she could admit that  to herself, that she could swear at times she could feel exactly where they both were in the great castle, though the rational side of herself had her convinced it was simply because she had a good sense of time and knew both of their schedules. 

With Severus especially it was like a magnetic pull towards him, it also helped that Severus couldn’t seem to stop feeding and fretting over them and he was an excellent cook. Gray needed to gain weight anyway, he was as scrawny and sickly thin as Severus himself had been in his youth and Hermione needed her strength to recover he reasoned so he was constantly plying them with food and treats, to the point she was jealous of his metabolism because Merlin knows how a man with a sweet tooth like his could be so skinny. Who knew the man could bake ! But now she was no longer a student he seemed to be much freer with their companionship, now the stigma part of their relationship had been removed. He wasn’t nervous to be seen in her company, even smiling and joking.  They were just two colleagues, who were courting and thanks to a newer understanding of her “Dash of Chimaera” as Charlie had insisted on calling it, a call to a Mediwizard from the Unspeakables department had Severus reading her current magical age as 22, as the Unspeakable’s spell failed much to their fascination, so the casting had been left to Severus .She’d grown 5 years in the space of half a year and was still metabolising at an exceedingly fast rate. The Unspeakable at least confirmed Charlie’s theories, that Hermione herself may have gained some protection from her Chimaera Aspect, which was why only those she trusted wholeheartedly like Severus, were able to cast spells upon her , whereas others simply filtered out.

It was a relief  to them all to know that even though she was practically an invalid squib, unable to cast herself, she wasn’t without magical defences. Though Severus secretly worried what other things the Chimaera might bring to, or take away from  her life. 

And so it happened that a few days after Hermione had given up the hopes of ever walking again, she sat  alone in her new wheelchair feeling maudlin, in the middle of summer as the school went about its business and she heard the noises of children playing near the black lake from the hospital wing’s windows, when a sudden pain shot through her chest a burning so intense it felt like her blood was boiling in her veins, muscles screamed and spasmed and in her thrashing she fell from the chair landing in a heap upon the floor as pain rocked through her from every inch of her body and the humming in head droned until it formed an all encompassing message that deafened her of anything else.

Run

Chapter Text

as pain rocked through her from every inch of her body and the humming in head droned until it formed an all encompassing message that deafened her of anything else.

Run

oOo

First there was pain. Seething, writhing, blinding pain. Then it was fire. Burning through her veins like battery acid as flames licked at the synapses in her brain as her mind liquified until she thought she’d go mad with it, when suddenly it cleared and she felt…cleansed. Cleansed by the fire until there was nothing left but the air in her lungs that was sharper and cleaner than she’d ever remembered and her mind emptied of all thoughts, all worries, bar one all encompassing one. 

Run. 

That voice, her own voice, but somehow…not. 

Regardless.

She ran . 

She ran from the hospital wing, through the corridors, ignoring the screams of students that lunged to get out of her way, she launched herself down from one landing to another when the stairs simply were not quick enough and she roared out the anger that was thrumming in her veins, until she thought she could hear an answering roar echoed through the halls, as though Hogwarts itself was responding to her fury. 

She turned hallways, this way and that, driven by the inner compass within which directed her by only the beat of her heart, until…

There!

Finally she reached her destination, a barely used corridor on the third floor, a dead end where two corridors met and formed a little pocketed recess, and another roar was torn from her. 

A bloodied Helena Black stood and  was holding onto an even bloodier form.

Jacob Grey…Baby

Her baby .

He was frozen, he wasn’t moving, he was as still as death.

There was a cloud of dark magic surrounding him and there were a handful of Gryffindor students in various states of disary, they stood against the walls, noses bloodied and clothing torn. They all had their wands in their hands and were snarling at the two slytherins.  there stood at least 6 that she could count in the haze of her anger. All fifth years and above, surrounding the two slytherins who were but a few scant weeks into their second year.

She could hear the clambering of staff and students that followed her in her wake, some were calling her name down the corridor as they gained upon her.

A roar tore from her and it echoed along the walls. Then a shiver went up her spine. 

For It wasn’t just an echo that thundered down the halls,  but an answering roar. 

From the second corridor emerged another feline shape, larger than her, she was sure of it , its skin was dark and ebony black but for the leopard-like spots that marred its coat. It’s mane was covered in vicious looking spikes and spines  and she wrinkled her nose at the noxious smelling fumes that escaped its mouth when it lowed loudly, a poisonous green gas escaping between its teeth with a hiss as it’s lip arched in a vicious sneer. 

Nundu 

Her mind supplied her. Its scent hit her when she inhaled, Male Nundu , the voice added .

Her hair stood on end and her tail whipped back and forth threateningly as he stepped closer to her. She heard the clicking of her claws on the stones as she readied herself. Her low growl echoed in the hall and she heard as many footsteps behind her skidded to a halt and maintained their distance. She tensed her muscles ready to pounce should he attack. 

But he didn’t.

He moved closer to her and scented the air, and then he was chuffing at her as he happily bounded closer. She caught his scent then, fully for the first time. 

It was Her Male !

He was Her Nundu !

She relaxed and met him head on, a loud purr emanating from both their throats as they headbutted and he rubbed his face against hers scenting her and affirming their connection with the lick of a raspy tongue up the side of her face.

Satisfied, they turned as one to the scene before them each guarding one corridor, preventing the Gryffindor students from escaping in either direction should they make the attempt.

Though it took a mere moment for them both to realise that the students  weren’t even attempting to escape, as a matter of fact it became abundantly clear that they weren’t going anywhere.

The Gryffindors that she thought were surrounding Baby, weren’t surrounding him at all, at least not anymore. What started out as an ambush no doubt, 6 against 2 at the very least, had changed to the point where they were now forcibly pinned to the walls. 

The ugly snarls she’d seen on their faces, which she’d thought were aimed at the young snakes, weren’t in fact snarls at all, they were grimaces of pain. 

And the thick black magic that tainted the air wasn't coming from them at all the weren’t attacking the Slytherins… at least not anymore. 

The dark magic, it was coming from Baby.  Leaching out of his chest and twisting grotesquely like eels in the air.

The magic that swirled from him in ropes of black smoke was evil and vile and oppressing, it was as black as the night, but his eyes…his eyes were as white as snow. 

And the Nundu beside her hissed through his teeth in understanding. 

His mane of quills blew up, giving him the impression of being twice his size and there were a few gasps behind her, along with a voice that could only have been McGonnegol’s shouting “Summon Charlie Weasley at Once!”
Meanwhile, a vapour of purple smoke escaped the Nundu’s maw, it curled through the air and it smelled like lavender and made her purr. Helena and the Gryffindor students fell to it, sleeping she sensed, though from the shocked gasp behind her she was the only one who realised as much.She wasn’t sure who it was behind her, but someone must have summoned their bodies because they were moving through the air behind her and that just left the two of them in front of Baby.

He moved for the first time, white eyes searching but not seeing as the black writhing darkness continued to swirl around him like serpents. His skin going ashen and pale. 

The dark tendrils of magic seemed sentient, angry even that they’d been robbed of their victims and were now searching for someone to blame for their loss 

Obscurial came the hissed male voice beside her. 

It wasn’t something she was familiar with, her mind searched the term and came up wanting. 

He must have sensed her confusion because she felt his mind press against hers for a moment as he shared his knowledge, his very memories with her, pages of books and pensieve memories flooded her consciousness and before her eyes and she shuddered at the images they made within her mind. 

No. She would not allow it. 

Not her Baby.

There was an answering growl beside her

They would not allow it. 

She took a step towards him, the magic whipped around her, but recoiled  when it touched her as though unsure, pulling tighter and wrapping around Grey like a vice raising his teet from the ground until he was suspended in the air by the force of the magic alone.  

Baby. My Baby. 

She called to him, lowing and chuffing as she stepped closer. Those white eyes turned her way and she shuddered at how soulless he looked. But some part of him must have seen her, must have sensed her and recognised her. Because a shaking hand reached out to her. Instantly, the writhing dark magic, tendrils of black smoke, wrapped around his face, around his eyes, blinding him further and blocking his vision. 

Let him see us!

Came the angered growl beside her. 

His spiked mane trembled and Poisonous green vapours released from his teeth that made the black smoke retract quickly upon contact as though they’d been burned, and perhaps they had. Can an obscurus feel pain ? 

The black smoke turned angry, turned inwards, whirling around the boy like a tempest, surrounding his limbs and making him move in the air like a macabre puppeteer. 

Save…your…poison…save your… breath

Came a hollow and disembodied voice, it made her hackles stand on end and felt like oil coating her nerves.

Obscurus…can speak?! 

She turned to Severus, did he know? Severus must have felt the same, as all the spines on his body suddenly trembled and stood upright like those of a hedgehog or porcupine. 

So it seems…only witches and wizards alone can’t hear them.

Just us then. 

The voice of the obscurus was horrible and grating, it echoed in their minds. And she bared her teeth, wanting nothing more than to tear the parasite from her boy. The voice skimmed across her senses like oil slick on water,  when it’s next words almost extinguished the fire that had burned through her veins.

Jacob…doesn’t…live here…any more

Chapter Text

The voice of the obscurus was horrible and grating, it echoed in their minds. And she bared her teeth, wanting nothing more than to tear the parasite from her boy. The voice skimmed across her senses like oil slick on water,  when it’s next words almost extinguished the fire that had burned through her veins.

Jacob…doesn’t…live here…any more

oOo

No. She would not accept it. She refused to accept it. It was lying, Jacob, Gray, Baby... her baby had reached out to her, he’d seen her,  known her somehow. Even in the grips of that… … thing .  

She would not give up. 

Severus, she could tell, came to the same conclusion. 

The scowl that crossed the face of the Nundu beside her was achingly familiar. She heard his claws clicking on the cobbled floor as he flexed them, spreading his legs to brace himself, an echo of her own claws that she could feel, as she too prepared herself . That impressive spiked mane was puffing up once more as it filled with debilitating poisons, The lip pulled back in a familiar sneer as poisons seeped from between his bared teeth in a noxious cloud. He looked positively demonic.

Looking over her shoulder, she growled at the amassed staff and students. Praying that the message was clear enough “get back”. It was, it seemed, or at least it was to the majority of the amassed students, who quickly complied with the edict, distancing themselves with widened eyes and fearful gazes, they didn’t need telling twice.  Pomona and Minerva yanked back a few students who hadn’t quite got the message and they hurriedly vacated the hall, throwing up wards as they went that shimmered like a pane of glass between the walls. They seemed as insubstantial as a thin sheet of ice, gathered on a puddle one frosty morning, that would disintegrate at the simplest and faintest touch, though Hermione, knowing the strength of the witches before her, knew that looks could be deceiving and if she pressed against it that it would be as strong as steel.   

She braced herself beside Severus.

They shared a look. 

Shared a breath

Shared a moment. 

Together. 

A second passed, then two. The only sound was the deep inhales that both of them took in tandem. 

And Severus the Nundu, without warning, belched out a cloud of wretched green poison with a hiss worthy of any Slytherin,  that made the obscurus shriek out an unholy noise when it made contact, the dark smoke seemed to spasm and tremble as though in pain and the tendrils turned into a black cloud once more. 

And Hermione pounced . 

She passed through the poison, and it did not touch her. It rolled off her back and parted around her, like droplets of water sliding off the back of a swan.  Surrounding her, but not overtaking her. For a moment she was covered, surrounded, coated in the obscene thing but she did not succumb, instead she moved through the cloud of dark magic that was the obscurial, and the sickening slick of dark magic slid off her coat like viscous oil on purest water.  

She pounced straight through the centre of the obscurial…and took baby right through it with her. 

Without the tendrils wrapped around him like ropes, Hermione wrenched him out of the cloud of dark magic, landing behind the obscurial. Her teeth had clamped around the robes at his neck and she’d yanked the small boy with her, where he now hung, held limply by the neck as though he really was some errant lion cub. 

The Obscuiral’s shriek of anger and pain echoed around them, quickly Hermione pinned the boy to the ground, bodily shielding him as she lay above him, a leonine shield. 

Writhing in agony the obscurial quickly tried to retake the small form of Jacob Gray, but it couldn’t reach him. Not with Hermione pinning him to the ground.

Seeing the boy lost to it,  It tried to take Hermione then, but just like before it was refracted from her body like oil on water, unable to find any way through to her. Unable to pass through the lioness’s hide, unable to take her over. 

Desperate now, dying as it was without a host, it shot back towards Severus, but seeing the obscurial writhe he’d continued to breath out steady streams of the noxious green poison that burned the obscurial on contact, until it rolled back like vapour or smoke, settling on his fur and surrounding him like a second skin. The obscurial shrieked in agony each time it came into contact with the poisonous vapour. The noise was high pitched and grating and made their fur stand on end, but try as it might, it couldn’t break through. Even in it’s desperation, self preservation kicked in, and it simply couldn’t stand the poisons that burned it so. Whipping around them in a panic, churning the air so much it caused the tapestries to fly off the walls,  it came across the wards that the teachers had put on the halls and realised it was trapped. Only then did Hermione realise the wards the witches had erected covered all of the walls, and the ceiling and floor too, essentially boxing them in place. 

Desperate now,  It tried again and again to get to Severus, the only one now it could possibly have any chance of taking over, with Hermione’s impervious hide protecting her and baby, it could no sooner penetrate her hide than a feather through a brick wall, but each time it tried to reach Severus it flinched and recoiled instinctively in remembered pain from the poisonous gas, it knew that it needed to reach Severus to survive but just like the way a person could not reach into a burning flame without flinching back instinctively, the Obscurius couldn’t breach Severus’s cloak of poison for long enough to attempt to take him over. 

The cloud of writhing dark magic shrank and faded until with a final dying screech, there was nothing but wisps of oily ash, fluttering to the ground. 

After a moment of concentration, the Nundu spewed a purple smog over the ashes, and once they were thoroughly coated struck his claws across the stone. The resulting spark ignited the smog and they all watched as the remains of the obscurius was reduced to nothing. 

Silence rang for a moment, then another, and a mornfull bellow echoed from the lioness around the walls that tugged at the soul of all who heard it. 

Severus turned to where Hermione, stood protectively over the small form of Jacob Grey. 

Who was still as death.

Severus listened carefully, utilising his keen and honed senses, but in this bubble that shielded them from the world, he only heard two heartbeats. 

His and Hermiones.

Jacob Grey 

Baby

Their baby. 

Was dead.

Chapter Text

Jacob Grey 

Baby

Their baby. 

Was dead.

oOo

No. 

The tightness in his chest felt as though his own heart had stopped beating. He barely had the strength to hold himself upright. The Nundu form fell away as he fell harshly to his knees, the pain of the blood and bruises from his abrupt meeting with the floor were sure to follow,  but he paid them no heed, bracing himself with a hand on the floor lest he topple over entirely, a choked sob escaping his tightly held control, eyes burning and breaths suffocating.

The gasps he heard in the distance barely registered, nor could he bring himself to care about the fact that he’d just exposed his very carefully prized and hidden animagus form to half the school, including his boss and the Transfiguration Mistress who’d no doubt have something to say about him never sharing those details with him. It all paled in comparison to the utter soul wrecking devastation of the scene before him.

Likewise Hermione herself, the human Hermione that is,  was once again before him, she was saying the boy’s name over and over, calling out to him. She placed a hand on Baby’s chest, rubbing his sternum as though attempting to rouse him, almost shaking him with the effort, but he remained as still as death. 

She must be in shock . He thought to himself through the cloud of his misery, as she continued to rub the boy’s chest and call out his name. She can’t wake him, he’s not sleeping, he’ll never sleep again…or he’ll be sleeping forever.

“Hermione -” He began , needing to call out to her, the urge inside him strong to pull them both away from this scene, drag them away somewhere they couldn’t see baby’s still form stretched out on the cold stone floor before them, sequester themselves somewhere they couldn’t see his frozen face, so they could pretend that this was all some horrific nightmare they could eventually awake from, that their boy wasn’t lying cold and dead on the floor and instead he would be returning to them soon, to read and laugh, to make potions and eat spaghetti in such a way that he ended up wearing more than he ate.  

He may have been frozen to the spot by his grief , but Hermione wasn’t. She leaned forward and kissed the boy on the lips, then tipped Baby’s head back and began pressing on his chest, fingers of both hands laced together as she pushed rythmically. 

She wasn’t kissing him, she was… CPR! Of course!

The long dormant muggle half of him kicked into gear, why hadn’t he thought of that? He was supposed to be a genius, but while he sat on the ground falling to pieces it was Hermmione who was jumping into action. Nerves re-alighting he practically flew over to Hermione, perhaps he had, judging by the shocked noises in the background, but none of that mattered because he was urging her aside to allow him to take over, which she did, hastily wiping her tears to clear her clouded vision.

“Imperium fulgur!” he cried, wand poised above the boy’s chest and watched as his small body jumped with the power..

There were cries of shock and horror from behind the shields that Minerva and Pomona were quickly deconstructing. Though the muggleborns and most of the half bloods would understand what CPR was no doubt, there was also a good portion of the other half bloods and likely all of the pure bloods would not understand what they were trying to do, and he made a mental note to have CPR explained, if not taught to the students as a whole, for the uneducated students looking on, this would appear like desecration of his corpse at best…or dark magic at the worst, and it must be a horrifying and frightening scene for the children that didn’t understand what they were trying to do. He heard some shocked crying in the back of his mind, and though he wanted to comfort the frightened students, he would have to entrust the other staff had it under control, he didn’t have time to lecture now, not when Baby’s life was quite literally in their hands.

Hermione pressed two fingers against the side of the boy’s neck, hoping for a pulse and finding nothing she shook her head, wiping tears away with her sleeve.

“Imperium fulgur!”

He cried out again, and once more the boy’s chest jumped with the shock. Though he still remained still and unmoving. 

Hermione looked at him beseechingly, shaking her head again and once more  and desperate now , he cast his wand to Hermione who quickly pocketed it, ripping open the boy’s shirt and pulling the sleeve up on his right arm, he pressed his hand directly above the boy’s sternum as he prepared for the powerful shock against the small boys heart, putting every ounce of his will and strength behind it

The air around them electrified , the ozone becoming dense around them and a metallic smell hung in the air , Hermione’s hair frizzed out uncontrollably and even his own ebony locks raised like wraits with the static in the air 

IMPERIUM FULGUR

Red lichtenberg scars exploded from his heart, down his arm and followed a path across the boy’s chest, like a starburst from his heart, the air around them seemed to ignite and the whiteness blinded them for a moment, a metallic ringing deafening the hall and for few moments there was nothing but white noise as Severus was thrown bodily backwards and for a few moments everything went black. 

His nerves were on fire, they prickled and danced as static electricity still crackled on his skin, but his muscles ached as though he’d ran a marathon. There was a metallic taste in his mouth and the feeling of blood dripping from his ear on one side, confirmed his suspicions that he’d ruptured at least one of his eardrums. When he could finally open his eyes , the most shocking thing was two little blue eyes looking up at him and the words that followed. 

“Why’s your hair white dad?”

Chapter Text

There was a metallic taste in his mouth and the feeling of blood dripping from his ear on one side, confirmed his suspicions that he’d ruptured at least one of his eardrums. When he could finally open his eyes , the most shocking thing was two little blue eyes looking up at him and the words that followed. 

“Why’s your hair white dad?”

-

6 months later

“Stop fussing, you look fine” 

“I look like Sweeney bloody Todd!” He tutted in disgust as Hermione stifled a giggle. “As if people weren’t afraid of me enough, at least yours looks sexy and intentional like Lily Munster, I look like I’m about to start singing and slashing around with a cutthroat razor ”

Hermione chuckled at his, by now familiar, grumbling as she turned him round to fix his cravat that he’d been fussing at in the mirror.  The streaks of white in their hair caused by the wild magic Severus had harnessed to revive Baby that day, had proven to be here to stay. Much to Severus’s disgust, the white would not be covered up by spell, potion or even muggle store bought dye, though he did manage to ruin one of his good shirts that way. Hermione hadn’t escaped the spell’s fallout either, and she too sported crystal white streaks in her hair, though hers looked decidedly better in his opinion, she looked like some gothic pinup or roguelike superhero , whereas he simply looked even creepier than usual. Hermione hadn’t bothered to correct him, because in all honesty he did look like Sweeney Todd with the broad and bright white streak from his temple in his otherwise ebony locks, but she also hadn’t told him just quite how much she fancied the look on him. She wondered if she asked if he would sing to her in that wonderful baritone... 

Suddenly he caught her hands in his, bringing them to his lips to kiss. “Your thoughts are so loud I do not need legilimency to hear them witch”

She smirked at him unashamedly and wrapped her arms around his waist in a hug, he sighed deeply in contentment and rested his chin on her head, marvelling at the feeling of her in his arms. 

“We’re going to be late to the Ministry” He grumbled into her hair, and she squeezed him tighter. “Just one more minute” He sighed deeply and pulled her even closer , holding her so tight she almost couldn’t breathe but she squeezed him back just as hard. 

“So tonight?...” She asked him and delighted in the blush that lit his face up as it always did when she broached the subject. 

“We’re going to be late” He stammered out and began striding out the door and she laughed that she was able to ruffle him so.

~

“And this is everything ? It’s all official once I add my signature?”

“That’s correct Miss Granger” The Ministry official smiled warmly , he was a pleasant and grandfatherly type, and Hermione was glad that the Slytherin alumni had pulled some strings to ensure he was the one that was assigned to their cases, and that their cases were dealt with expediently instead of the usual waiting times which could end up into the years at this point. 

“That’s cheating” She’d said to Severus, when after their initial appointment in 36 months, had been changed to 6 months after a few floo-calls from the Slytherins. 

“That’s politics ” Severus had corrected, and she’d grumbled but accepted the help, it was important after all. 

With a flourish they signed the parchment and watched as the ink glowed before melting into the parchment, and the seal locked the parchment , which promptly disappeared into the archives. 

They sat together drinking coffee as she regarded her new ministry issued ID. 

“So how do you feel, any regrets about…anything”

In one fell swoop, thanks to help from the unspeakables in the department of mysteries and the mages in the time room, her new biological age was recognised by the Ministry of Magic, Hermione Granger was no longer 19, but was now 29, thanks to the Quickening that the Chimaera’s influence had put her through, and now her Ministry I.D recognised that fact. 

She saw the nervousness in his tone, no matter how much he tried to hide it, she also heard that unsaid ‘anything’ in his statement. 

“Nothing at all” 

He scoffed at that, and she could see the self-loathing that was a deep seated issue she tried to help him with as often as she could.

“You’ve lost 10 years of your life Hermione, you tied yourself to…”

“I haven’t lost anything.”  She was very quick to cut him off before he could travel that well traversed path. “I was surprised at the age they recognised, but not disappointed. I thought I’d skipped my 20s altogether, but I still get to experience being 29 for a whole year, so that’s a whole year to cram in all the experimenting that most people do in their 20s, and I’ve got you to do it with” 

He raised his coffee cup to his face to hide the flush on his cheeks from her words and she marvelled at how this man, this wonderful quiet, shy and caring man could have hidden so well behind his mask that no one saw , or cared to see, the real him behind it. She delighted in making him blush, in making his eyes heat, or warm,  in the way his gentle touches to her hand, or arm, or face when he thought no one was looking, spoke more volumes than anything that anyone else had said to her.

“And I gained You, and I gained Baby. Jacob is OUR baby Severus, don’t ask my how or why because I can’t tell you but I just know that he is and I hope you feel the same way,  I think you do” 

“You know I do” he was earnest, as he held her hand on the table, she could tell the public display made him slightly uncomfortable, but they were in a muggle coffee shop and the chances that anyone would recognise them were slim, so he was more comfortable being himself with her here than if they had been at Diagon Alley with a million faces gawking at them. 

“I always felt out of place. My Grandmother , she always said I had an old soul. I always felt like I never fit in because I just couldn’t mesh with people my age. I always wanted to, but I always felt like I was…out of place, out of sync. Like nothing ever quite lined up in the right way, that I just wasn’t on the same wavelength as everyone else and that’s why I had such a hard time making friends. Even with Ron and Harry, we were never equals. It’s like they wer e a pair and I was some older sister trying to stop them from breaking rules or getting killed. Likewise I always wanted to have a family, saw myself as a mother, but i also wanted a career and I never played with dolls or held any grand desires over babies and being pregnant and having baby showers , and changing dirty nappies and to be honest I’m actually rather glad I got to skip all that part, especially as it means I get to focus on my career and things I want to do with my life, and still come home to a family at the end of it” 

“Yes I can say I’m rather relieved to skip the whole nappies, vomit and 3am feedings part myself” 

“So yes, I might have lost a few years on paper, but I gained so much more. And I have never been one to do things by halves, I trust my gut and when something feels right to me I jump in feet first and figure out the fine details later, because when something feels right, I just know it is. I just know it.”

She cupped his cheek with her hand, and he covered it with his own. “This, you, baby, it feels right to me , doesn’t it to you Severus?”

He leaned close to her, pressed his forehead to hers and spoke only for her.  “Nothing has ever felt more right to me in my entire life, and I will follow you to the ends of the earth and back again witch” 

She kissed him, soft and gentle, and spoke to his lips. “But that’s just it Severus, I don’t want you to follow me, I want you right by my side”

“Do you know what today is ?” 

He arched his brow at her “Tuesday?”

She swatted his arm. “It’s a leap year, today is February 29th, I think it was fate that today was the day we got our date at the Ministry”

Biting her lip, she met his eyes which had suddenly snapped to hers. 

“Severus Snape, will you marry me?”

To be continued in epilogue. 

Chapter Text

“Do you know what today is ?” 

He arched his brow at her “Tuesday?”

She swatted his arm. “It’s a leap year, today is February 29th, I think it was fate that today was the day we got our date at the Ministry”

Biting her lip, she met his eyes which had suddenly snapped to hers. 

“Severus Snape, will you marry me?”

oOo

EPILOGUE

The war had ended with a whimper, not a bang. Voldemort , lacking in support , followers and power, had been taken down in a well planned-out operation, he was a strong and talented wizard no doubt, but without a horde of death eaters behind him, he was just one wizard. With a joint task force with witches and wizards of all blood purities and all houses, the cooperation between the order and the Aurors, and the space of a 48 hour sting operation, and his hold on the wizarding world was over, for good.  His body was on the front page of the papers for a week afterwards, and slowly faded into a distant memory of just another radical and not the all powerful being he’d always wanted to be remembered as. It was Trainee Auror Neville Longbottom that had dealt the killing blow. The wizarding world didn’t give Tom Riddle the recognition he wanted, even in death, letting him become a footnote in history of magic lessons, instead of a boogeyman in the dark… he didn’t deserve to be remembered as anything more than what he was, a corrupted man who preyed on and used others to achieve his goals.

Luna Longbottom (nee Lovegood)’s book on the war, with exclusive interviews with Hermione Granger, Severus Snape, Neville Longbottom, Minister for Magic Kinglsey Shacklebolt, Headmistress of Hogwarts Minerva McGonagall and many others became a bestseller, in years to come it was added to the Hogwarts, Beuaxbatons and Durmstrang History of Magic Curriculum for those learning about the second wizarding war.
Rita Skeeter’s book however, with exclusive interviews and viewpoints from Ronald Weasley did not do quite as well. The book itself was quickly relegated to clearance bins, and the Author was on a suspended sentence from Azkaban for slander, pending further investigation. Ronald Weasley was removed from the Auror training program and was working in his brother’s shop. Harry Potter had refused to be a part of either book, stating it wasn’t his story to tell.

But with Luna’s book release came another unexpected situation.

Harry Potter, genuinely apologised to Hermione. Distance, time (and reading Luna’s book) had done more than anything else could, as well as dealing with the fact that he wasn’t the “chosen one” after all, if such a thing had ever even existed beyond Dumbledore’s scheming. Another huge factor was that he’d parted ways with Ginny Weasley after Neville’s victory caused the end of the war, when suddenly she said they had “differences” and things weren’t the same and had left him without much fanfare. He’d sat down with Hermione, and much to her shock with Severus also, apologising to both and began to explain how things had started to become so much clearer (yet also more confusing) after Ginny had left, even though he’d looked shocking and stated he had some sickness bug that he couldn’t shift. 

Severus, ever observant had looked into the issue further, and after contacting the auror’s office and St Mungos, it had become clear that Harry Potter wasn’t sick, but was in withdrawal from the love potions that Ginny Weasley had been giving him for an indeterminate amount of time. 

Harry was less angry than she expected, less angry than Severus even, and more accepting than anyone could have anticipated, since the answers they’d found apparently gave him the clarity he’d not known he’d needed and not long after, began dating Draco Malfoy of all people. Both of whom were more than happy to quickly disappear from the limelight neither of them had ever wanted, Draco training to be a Mediwizard and Harry taking over Eeylops Owl Emporium when he retired , as well as trading quidditch for Abraxan Racing of all things, which Lucius Malfoy was all too happy to support, the hobby helped bridge the gap between the two of them when it became apparent to all that the Potter and Malfoy relationship was not going to be just a phase.

The wounds were deep, but in time they would heal, she would never be as close to the boy she once knew, but the man he’d become was a good friend. 

Ginerva Weasley due to her age had been given a suspended sentence, as well as probation that prevented her from being near any types of controlled potions. From what they heard from Fred & George, who had immediately ditched all love potion sales, and had finally got an answer for the continual thefts  and low stock they couldn’t explain, Ginny planned on studying charms and moving to the states.

When the stress of the budding battles was snuffed out by Voldemort’s swift defeat, inter house rivalries had quickly faded away into naught more than typical team rivalries over quidditch and gobstones. By the time the students that had been first years when Neville felled the dark lord, were taking their Newts, it would have been impossible to distinguish the unified houses from the steaming rivalries of before. No doubt helped by the fact that Minerva had quickly added a new rule in Hogwarts, where all students were re-sorted every year. It was very rare for any student to be in the same house every year. 

Hermione became the floating professor she’d wanted to be, obtaining dual masteries in transfiguration and arithmancy and working on more, as Severus took ‘tenure’ for want of a better term. He teached higher year potions, sixth, seventh and an added 8th year that was for those who wanted more in depth study under a true Master prior to starting careers in potions, healing or other related subjects.

Hermione and Severus also held a study club, which was also where they had become somewhat unofficial guidance counsellors. Students came to them for homework help, advice, potions, or just somewhere to vent their frustrations to adults that listened and understood and took them and their troubles seriously , whilst getting the opportunity to snuggle a cantankerous old emerald green feline. It was held in a spare classroom that had two separate offices in case anyone wanted to speak to Hermione or Severus alone, for issues that for whatever reason they’d rather not discuss in front of the opposite sex. 

It took a few years, a decade really, but Hermione finally understood why the centaurs had dubbed her Ola Mitera, and in time after their wedding, dubbed Severus Olos Pateras.
All-Mother and All-Father.

Her and Severus had married, a small affair at Hogwarts, neither of them needing nor wanting more than a small gathering of their closest and dearest.  And as soon as they were legally wed, they approached their Baby about adopting him officially. Severus was already his legal guardian, and it was clear to all that Hermione was his mother in all but genetics, the boy lived with them and called them mum and dad but still they had given him the choice and it had of course been a resounding yes. It had also been a resounding yes from Coral when he had been bonded as the family house elf for the most noble house of Granger-Snape. Weeping openly at his new uniform, that bore the family crest, a rearing chimaera and nundu.

Baby, always loathing the name Jacob which he’d been named from his abusive uncle, had changed his name legally when they went through the adoption. Taking his surname Grey as his forename, and adopting the Granger-Snape Surname. So Jacob Grey, became Grey Granger-Snape, to all but Hermione and Severus, who he’d forever be their ‘Baby’, even when he got his arithmancy mastery and became Beauxbatons youngest ever professor, much as Severus himself had been for Hogwarts, marrying Helena Black in Paris the year after. 

But Baby wasn't the only Granger-Snape. A few years after they adopted Grey, there was another student who came through the doors of Hogwarts, quiet and reserved and screaming of neglect. The girl had instantly become a fixture in Hermione and Severus’ study club , and it was not long before the wheels were in motion and she was removed from the situation she was in and became firstly a ward of Hogwarts, before going on to become another part of the Granger Snape household. 

Over time more and more children from broken homes became part of the Granger-Snape household, each child glady dropping ties with their abusive and neglectful families and eventually adopting the Granger-Snape name with pride. 

Each child was raised with love, compassion and fierce protection, that led to well rounded children who became brave, loyal, cunning and ambitious adults, taking the wizarding world by storm with masters of potions, charms, arithmancy, sports stars and beast keepers, the name Granger-Snape becoming synonymous with loyalty, honesty and success. 

It was a year after Grey’s wedding, after a handful of Granger-Snapes were already in the world, that the first baby arrived. The child, no older than 18 months, was left at the gates of Hogwarts with both Hermione and Severus’s names on a parchment. 

The child was deaf , and a squib…Hermione and Severus loved him fiercely.

His inner ear had been irreparably damaged by being too close to what was most likely a blasting hex of some kind. Neville, who was studying part time to take over from Pomona when she retired, at this point had pointed out the way his uncle used to try and force the magic out of him when he was a child by dropping him from heights or throwing items (and spells) at him,  and the tests confirmed the boy had no magic.

Ludwig Granger Snape was welcomed with open arms by the extended Granger-Snape family, Baby upon meeting him, had told him he better not get used to being the littlest one in the family, because he and Helena had their own baby on the way and with that Hermione and Severus became grandparents for the first, though decidedly not, last time.

Ludwig, who was always promised his deafness (nor lack of magic) would ever stop him from amounting to greatness just like his namesake, was never treated as lesser by anyone, and grew to become Hogwart’s first outreach professor. He taught sign language to anyone who wanted to learn and held special classes for squibs and students that needed extra help, bringing muggle technologies and advances to the wizarding world. Sign Language, Prosthetics, Knowledge of Dyslexia, ADHD, Autism and more. 

Hogwarts had become the home to all it had always been supposed to be. In time when Minerva stepped down as Headmistress and Severus Stepped up, then as yet more years went along, Severus Stepped down and Hermione stepped up. 

Until Eventually Ludwig Granger-Snape became the first Squib Headmaster that Hogwarts had ever had. 

Many decades of peace later, new students would walk through the gates of Hogwarts for the first time and ask why, when the houses were represented by a Lion, an Eagle, a Snake and a Badger… were the stone guardians statues at the gates, a Nundu and a Chimaera?

And Rubeus Granger-Snape, groundskeeper and care of magical creatures professor, the Grandson of Ludwig Granger Snape and Lily Potter - Malfoy, would get a funny little smile and say, “now let me tell you a story…”