HermioneGranger

Hermione Granger walked into the Great Hall, her feet heavy and her eyes swimming with unshed tears. The bodies of students and Order members alike lay on the floor, some covered in blankets while others had family and friends shielding them from view. She saw Colin Creevey's face disappear under another blanket, laid out to shield others from the horrors of war. She heard a choked sob coming from her left and saw the Weasleys huddled around the body of one of the twins, Fred she realised with a start. Her hand flew to her mouth as she realised the last words she had said to him.


"Look after George won't you? He's at a disadvantage after the accident..." She had wrapped her arms around Fred and kissed his cheek before they had entered the Great Hall last time, before the battle had begun.


She needed to get out, needed to escape the lingering smell of death and destruction. Her heart felt heavy and she knew she needed to do something, anything she could to help save someone, anyone. Just one person. Just one. Her hand brushed against the tassels of her extended bag and it suddenly hit her. If she was quick...if she had enough...maybe, maybe she could save someone that mattered.


She slipped away unseen, running from the Great Hall to the Whomping Willow, casting Immobulus as she approached and diving down the secret passage at the base of the tree. She ran along the passageway and into the Shrieking Shack, immediately inhaling the pungent smell of the stale air. She reached into her bag and started pulling out several vials she had stashed just in case the boys ever needed it.


She made her way into the room where his body lay prone, his blood seeping into the wooden floorboards and leaving a vile coppery smell in the air. She uncorked her Essence of Dittany and approached his body with care and no small amount of trepidation. First, she needed to close his wounds.


Hermione pulled the outer lapels of his coat apart and winced at the sight of the bites on his chest, abdomen and neck. She was thankful in that moment that he was unconscious and would not feel what was going to happen next. The first drops of Dittany hitting his skin made a soft hissing noise as the lacerations began to close, leaving too tight bright pink scars in its wake. She added extra drops of Dittany to his neck, hoping it would heal his throat enough that his voice would not be damaged. The man had little enough going for him without losing his most charismatic feature.


She took a breath steadying herself as she pulled her wand out of her pocket. The spell on her lips was a modification of one of his own. She hoped beyond all reason that it would not render his spell useless.


"Vulnera sanentur pudicitiam, vulnera sanentur pudicitiam, vulnera sanentur pudicitiam..." The rich red liquid that had soaked the floorboards receded back into his body, leaving behind a grey-silver stain that covered part of the area around him. She smiled to herself and uncorked another vial. This one, containing the anti-venom she had brewed as soon as Mr Weasley had been attacked, she poured straight down his throat, massaging him softly to make sure he swallowed every drop.


Three soft pops echoed in the silence as she opened a blood replenishing potion, a healing draught and a calming draught. His body shook and shuddered as the liquids poured down his throat. She moved behind him to cradle his head so that it wouldn't hit the floor as the seizure wracked his frail body. She closed her eyes for a split second and reached into her bag again. The vial she pulled out was a potion of her own making with a base of Yarrow oil, a stunning black potion that glinted purple in the right light. She held her breath as she poured it down his throat. He began to moan in pain and she murmured softly to him, trying to calm him down. At the sound of her voice his eyes snapped open and he opened his mouth, screaming in pain.


"Sir, sir you have to calm down! Professor! Professor Snape!" Hermione tried shouting his name to calm him down but his eyes remained unfocussed and his screams did not abate. She shook her head, ready with an apology for what she had to do. "Severus Tobias Snape you shut up right now! We don't have time for this!" She knew she was channeling Molly Weasley but was thrilled when his mouth snapped shut and he fixed her with a glare.


"Miss...Granger...?" His voice was husky, strained from his screaming but his eyes were finally clear.


"Professor Snape, we can't draw any attention to ourselves. I...I need to get back to the Battle. And it's not safe for you. No one knows you are alive. I mean...that is...no one can know..." Her eyes were damp with unshed tears as she looked down at him.


"I...understand..." he licked his lips and, without meaning to, she watched the motion as if it was the last thing she would ever see. She moved to reach for her wand and his brow creased. He was wrong. He didn't understand. She smiled sadly.


"No...I mean, no one can know..." she handed him her wand. "I'm sure you know the spell..."


Severus took the wand from her and blinked rapidly. He moistened his lips again as he shuffled to sit up, the potions making his body ache but not hurt any longer. He didn't want to be alone again. He couldn't do it. He had spent too long alone. He needed someone. Anyone. Her...


"Professor Snape? Please...you need to do this...it isn't safe...please..." she looked at him with desperation in her eyes and he knew she was right. It would not be safe for her, for him, for anyone if they found out he was alive. The Order wanted to kill him. The Dark Lord had killed him. No one wanted him alive. And yet...


"Miss Granger...why did you bring me back?" He watched her as she licked her lips and lowered her eyes.


"Too many people were dying...too many...I needed to save someone and...there was only one person I wanted to save and knew I could..." her voice was soft and hitched slightly.


"Wanted? You...wanted...to save me?"


"I...yes...yes I wanted to save you. You...Sir, by the end of tonight you will have no Master. And you can have your own life." She looked at him and moved towards him, kneeling in front of him and placed her hand on his shoulder, looking into his eyes. He blinked again and his eyes flickered to her lips. As if in a trance, he leaned towards her and brushed her lips with his own. He pulled back as her lips parted on a gasp, closed his eyes and took a breath.


"Obliviate..."