Title: Hermione's Choice

Rating: T+ (if such thing existed)

Characters: Severus Snape, Hermione Granger, Lucius Malfoy

Disclaimer: Nope, still own nothing. Not even that adorable jacket at Coldwater Creek that was calling to me tonight.

It was raining, which Hermione Granger found completely suitable for her mood. Also, of course, suitable for the cemetery where she stood staring blankly at an empty coffin; the body had never been recovered.

It seemed silly, she thought, to bury someone who wasn't there, but since Severus Snape had been declared a hero, he'd been granted a state funeral, complete with all of the pomp and circumstance she knew he'd hate. Merlin knew she hated it.

With Voldemort gone, the entire Wizarding World was in a strangely mixed state of elation and grief; Hermione couldn't bring herself to feel either. Instead, she was numb inside…numb and angry at him. He'd left her behind, curse him. He'd been her friend, her confidant, and eventually her lover and fiancé, and he'd gone and left her all alone.

When it was all over, she found herself unable to move from where she stood beside his coffin. She focused on the grain of the wood, unable to stand the pitying looks that she knew were being directed at her. How was she supposed to go on with her life when there was a raw, gaping hole in her chest where her heart used to be?

She didn't even react when a finely manicured hand rested on her shoulder. It could only be one person.

"Hermione?"

No, it wasn't Harry or Ron, nor any other member of the Order. She turned her head until she looked up into the face of a man behind her. Long blond hair framed a face that had once been beautiful; a slicing hex had taken care of that, but even without the reddened scar that ran from his hairline to his jaw, it was as if he had aged a decade in the past week.

Lucius Malfoy, a man who had once loathed her. A man who had been perhaps the only person Severus had ever thought of as a friend. A man who had eventually become her friend as well.

"I don't know what to do, Lucius," she admitted softly. "I can't go home, not with…"

She trailed off, swallowing the lump in her throat. Lucius took a step closer until he could place an arm around her, shielding her from the rain.

"Come back to the Manor," he invited. "You can stay as long as you'd like."

Hermione was silent for awhile, thinking over the offer. It would certainly give her a place to stay where the media couldn't reach her. It would also give her the comfort of someone who was hurting as much as she was.

"Alright," she said. "Thank you."

The two of them stood in the rain a while longer, before saying a final goodbye and turning to leave.

~HGSS~ ~HGLM~ ~HGSS~ ~HGLM~ ~HGSS~ ~HGLM~

Neither one of them really knew what to expect. Lucius had only lived with Narcissa, who had also died in the battle, and Hermione had only lived with Severus.

They eventually found a routine that worked for them both, however, and eventually spent more and more time together. Despite the speculation in the Prophet, they weren't romantically involved. She still wore her engagement ring on a chain around her neck, and he hadn't taken off his wedding band. They were good friends, however, each finding comfort and companionship in the other. Slowly, so slowly that they hardly noticed, they began to heal.

~HGSS~ ~HGLM~ ~HGSS~ ~HGLM~ ~HGSS~ ~HGLM~

They'd been living together for just over a year when Hermione had an epiphany. She thought about it for a full week, smiling evasively when Lucius asked what had her so distracted.

It was nearly three in the morning when she finally reached a conclusion. Not bothering with a dressing gown, she got out of bed and padded down the hall until she reached a set of ornate doors.

Quietly slipping inside, she walked across the large room until she stood beside the bed.

"Lucius," she whispered.

His eyes opened to see Hermione clad in her nightgown, biting her lower lip nervously.

"Hermione?" he said groggily. "What's wrong? Are you alright?"

She took a very deep breath and forced herself to say the words that would change their relationship forever.

"I don't want to be alone anymore."

Lucius went completely still as the meaning of those simple words washed over him. Then, after what seemed like a small eternity, he slowly pulled back the bedcovers.

~HGSS~ ~HGLM~ ~HGSS~ ~HGLM~ ~HGSS~ ~HGLM~

One Year Later…

When the bell rang Hermione made her way to the door, absently playing with the strange new decoration on her left hand and thinking about the previous night.

Lucius had taken her out to an upscale new restaurant in London, where they shared a candlelit dinner. When they returned to the Manor, he passed by the door and instead took her for a midnight walk through the gardens. He'd led her over to one of the benches along the path, asked her to sit…then got down on one knee, for never let it be said that he didn't do things right.

He'd said that he didn't deserve her, but that if she agreed to marry him, he'd spend the rest of their lives showing her how much she meant to him.

She realized in that moment that she had finally put all of her feelings for Severus aside; she still loved him, of course, and always would. Lucius, though…he made her smile, he made her laugh, he provided interesting and witty conversation; most of all, though, he made her happy. If someone had asked her two years ago, she would have sworn that she would never be happy again. But there he was, down on his knees before her, and she loved him.

She said yes, and he'd slipped a beautiful ring on her finger, then swept her up into a passionate embrace.

Pulling back the bolt, Hermione opened the door. Standing on the doorstep, looking almost exactly like he had when she'd last seen him, was a man who the entire world had thought to be dead for nearly two years.

"Severus," she whispered, just before she lost consciousness.

~HGSS~ ~HGLM~ ~HGSS~ ~HGLM~ ~HGSS~ ~HGLM~

Severus sat in the library with Lucius and a revived but extremely pale Hermione, explaining what had happened. The emergency Portkey he kept on him had been activated but damaged by a curse from Bellatrix Lestrange. Instead of depositing him at St. Mungo's, as it should have, he was dumped outside of a Muggle hospital.

Because the Muggle doctors were unable to reverse the effects of a magical ailment, he had slipped into a coma, and had remained in one for nearly three months. When he woke up, he had no memory of his previous life.

He had lived as a Muggle, then, puzzled by the strange things that occasionally happened. It wasn't until one evening, almost a year after he'd woken up from the coma, that he started to remember his prior life. He had been cooking dinner, and had been letting his mind drift. When he finally came back to present, he looked down at the pot in front of him and recognized the contents he'd absently put together as the base for Wolfsbane.

After that, bit by bit, his memory had started to return.

Snape turned to her. "Hermione, don't you understand? As soon as I remembered who I was, I came back for you, so that we could have the life we dreamed of!"

"I hate to remind you, old friend, but she's marrying me," Lucius said firmly.

"Only because she didn't know I was alive!" Snape sneered.

"I love her, damn you!" Lucius shouted as he jumped to his feet.

"I loved her first!" the dark man shouted back as he also stood.

"Stop it, both of you!" Hermione interrupted, tears streaming down her face. "I can't believe it's come to this! I can't believe you're asking me to choose!"

The men were silent, but didn't deny her accusation. She looked at them, seeming as though she was trying to memorize their features.

"You'll have an answer soon," she finally said quietly, sniffing.

And then she left.

~HGSS~ ~HGLM~ ~HGSS~ ~HGLM~ ~HGSS~ ~HGLM~

It was sundown before they started to look for her. The Manor was searched from top to bottom. Her friends were called, and her favorite shops were visited. Each hour they failed to locate her made them worry more.

They finally found her in the garden just before dawn, under her favorite tree…a Weeping Willow.

Hemlock, the Mediwizard had said.

There was a scroll in her pocket, addressed to both of them. Holding the parchment in its coil were two very different diamond rings. There were three sentences; thirteen simple words.

You asked me to choose. This was my choice. I loved you both.

~HGSS~ ~HGLM~ ~HGSS~ ~HGLM~ ~HGSS~ ~HGLM~

It was raining on the day of her funeral, which perfectly suited the mood of the two men who stood beside her coffin.

A/N: This fic came about when Rickmanlover24601 asked me to write something featuring Hermione, Severus, and Lucius. I think she was expecting something a bit more cheerful, but this is what Brigit (our muse) spit out. I hope everyone enjoyed reading it, even though it was lacking in the fluff department. Reviews keep the Dementors away.