A/N: Hello! I'm an exclusively HP writer. I own none of the material but this is an AU story. So keep that in mind. It is also a romance story, Hermione and Severus. I ship a lot of different people, so make sure to check out my other stories! And onward we go! Much Love- Bookworm

Her heart was pounding against her chest. Her feet seemingly moved on their own accord, Madame Pomfrey following behind her. She could hear the old woman huffing behind her, but she refused to let up. She was on a mission. As soon as they all had known that Harry was okay, that Voldemort was really gone, everyone decided to find bodies, and survivors alike. They needed to start somewhere. She had insisted, though some had protested, on taking the mediwitch to find one person in particular, although it wasn't really finding, as she knew already where he was.

"It's just through here." She said, leading the way into the shrieking shack. She rushed in and quickly found where he lay. He was pale, paler than normal. His eyes were closed, and for a moment she was sure that he had perished, but then she saw his chest rise and fall rapidly, taking a shallow breath of air.

"Oh gods, he's still alive." She heard Madame Pomfrey gasp. The witch then proceeded to kneel down and pry the mans hand off of his neck, which began to bleed profusely. She pulled her wand out, and began to mutter an incantation, but the younger woman stopped her.

"Wait. Arthur Weasley was bitten by the same snake two years ago, the venom. It needs to be taken out." She said, placing a hand on the mediwitch's arm.

"How do you suggest we do that? I don't know a spell that would accomplish that." She said, and thoughts began to run through the other woman's mind. She swore that she had read something in one of her father's medical journals. Something about how to extract snake venom. It hit her, and she took a deep breath before leaning down over the man's neck.

"Suck it out. Do a charm to test his blood. Make sure it's all out before we heal him." She said quickly, and the mediwitch nodded, her mouth falling open when the other woman attached her lips to the mans wound, getting a mouthful of blood, then spitting it onto the ground. They only had precious moment before she knew it would be too late. She continued like this for what seemed like forever, suck, spit, suck, spit. She gagged a couple times when the blood hit her throat, and it was one of these times when the mediwitch cast the charm to test his blood.

"Its clean." She said, and proceeded to lean forward and casting multiple complex charms to heal the man. The other woman gagged a few times, and spit what was in her mouth on the ground once more before turning back to the injured man. She helped the other woman, casting a few healing spells of her own, and pouring dittany onto the wound. Slowly, too slowly in her opinion, the wound began to close. After what seemed like hours, the wound turned into a nasty purple scar spanning the mans throat. She feared that possibly they had been too late, perhaps he was already dead. She studied him, and stuck her hand on his chest, trying to find a pulse. She couldn't feel anything through his layers of robes though, and instead placed her head on his chest. She held her breath, trying to hear a heartbeat. She felt tears enter her eyes. They had been too late. So many people had died, she had hoped that she could save one. Even if it was Severus Snape. She pulled her head away and let the tears fall.

"You git… you bastard!" She said, and she pounded her fist on his chest. "I came here to help you- and instead- you – decide – to – DIE!" She screamed, punctuating the last part of the sentence with a pound on his chest.

"Please Miss G-" Madame Pomfrey was cut off as the man gasped. He opened his eyes for a moment, just enough to see the woman kneeling over him. He closed his eyes again and let out a raking sigh.

"Miss Granger… Thank you." His voice was raspy, and his hand went to hers, resting on his chest. He grasped her hand for a moment before he went limp. She then looked up at Madame Pomfrey, who met her gaze.

"We should get him out of here, he needs to go to Mungo's." Hermione said, and Pomfrey nodded in agreement. They worked together to get him out of the shack, and levitated him up to the castle. People stared in awe, as most of the people remaining in the castle were under the unwavering opinion that he was a death eater. He was hated, that much was plain. But Hermione knew of the memories that Harry had watched, she knew that this man was anything but evil. Once they had him in the Great Hall, where the other wounded were laying, Madame Pomfrey rushed over to what Hermione assumed was an Auror, and began to speak in hushed tones. She came back, minutes later, to where Hermione was healing and consoling a young girl.

"Miss Granger, a word?" She asked, and Hermione nodded before giving the girl a smile and standing.

"Yes?" She asked, glancing around the room.

"They will be taking the most severe cases first, immediately." She said, and at that moment, Aurors began to apparate away with the injured. "Severus will be one of the last, since we have healed him already. Just focus on everyone else." The witch said, and Hermione nodded in understanding before going back to the girl she had been healing. Her mind ran wild as she walked from person to person. Snape wasn't evil, he had helped them more than anyone knew. Voldemort was gone. They were safe- mostly. She didn't have to run anymore. Snape almost died. Harry had won. He had almost died in the process, but he had most certainly won in the end. It was all over. Seven years they had been fighting this together, and now it was over. She felt exhaustion settling in, but she cast an energizing charm and continued to work. Hours passed before all of the injured were gone, Aurors were walking around, taking statements, they wanted this to be settled quickly. Hermione was sat at a table speaking with one by the name of Rogers when her charm began to wane. Her eyelids drooped, she began to yawn frequently. And when he was done taking her extremely detailed statement, though he had insisted on being done, she made sure he knew all the details including that Snape was innocent, she set her head on the table and fell asleep.

She awoke in St. Mungo's. She was startled awake from a nightmare, multiple really, and she sat bolt upright in the bed, covered in sweat. She then realized that she was screaming, and in a panic, she frantically looked for her wand.

A witch rushed into her room, and stopped short when she saw who inhabited the room.

"My wand! Where is my wand?!" Hermione cried out, tears pouring down her cheeks in frustration.

"Miss please. Your family has it in their possession." The mediwitch said.

"Family?" Hermione asked, her mind racing she finally calmed when she realized. "The Weasleys?" She asked, and the woman nodded. Hermione stood and the mediwitch hurried to her side.

"Miss are you alright?" She asked, as Hermione made her way to the noticeably clean clothes sitting on the chair next to her bed. She nodded, giving the witch a small smile.

"Thank you." She said. "But I was just exhausted." She said, and the witch nodded.

"You weren't the only one." She said, and Hermione looked at her quizzically. The mediwitch gestured for her to follow, and she led her through a hallway and to a set of double doors. She glanced back, making sure Hermione was still there, before opening them. She was greeted with quite a sight, and large room, filled with sleeping people, all of whom she recognized from the battle that had just transpired.

"Why was I not in here with them?" She asked, she didn't want any special treatment.

"We were worried that you might have gotten some of the snake venom in your system. Bright thinking there, sucking it out. If you hadn't, that mad would have died." She told Hermione, before turning and leaving the room. Hermione looked around the room, taking note of the faces she saw. Then it hit her, so many had died. So many people that she had grown up with, learned with, people that she loved. Tonks, Lupin, Fred, Sirius, and countless others. Some, she only recognized, she didn't know their names, but all of their faces were running through her mind and she could physically feel her heart aching for those that gave their lives. She clutched her chest as a dry sob escaped her mouth, and the fled the room, in search of somewhere she could be alone.

That was how she came to be found in the toilet. It was the first place she had stumbled upon, the first place that made sense to go. She had ran into a stall and dry heaved into the toilet for what seemed like forever, nothing exiting her stomach. She had then collapsed against the wall, and curled her knees to her chest and tried to catch her breath. She heard the door open and close, but didn't think anything of it until someone touched her shoulder. Molly Weasley. She caught sight of the woman and began to sob in earnest.

"I'm so sorry Molly…." She cried. She cried for Fred, she cried that her family had been caught in this, and she cried in relief that it was over.

"Shhh…. It's over dear. It's okay." Molly murmured, stroking the young girl's hair until she was finally calm.

"I'm so sorry Molly…." She said again, before she realized, why was she here? "Molly.. why are you here? Did someone get hurt?" She asked, and Molly nodded slightly.

"Bill got a charming cut on his arm. Greyback again, seems though he will have more scars to match the ones he got before." She said, her voice low in anger for what had happened to her son. "But don't you worry about that dear. Let's get you up." She said, gently peeling Hermione off of the floor and giving her a proper hug. "Now, let's go see where everyone has gone, okay?" She asked, and Hermione nodded her head numbly, following the witch out of the toilet and into the hall.

A/N: ADDED WHEN POSTING CHAPTER 7! To be clear, YES, Severus and Hermione will be in a relationship. NO its not illegal, she is of age, and technically no longer a real student. She is kind of his colleague, his apprentice. She works for him/ with him to learn a trade. So, not illegal. and yes, there is an age difference. Of about 21 years. I don't find this odd at all, my mom is married to a man 21 years older than her, I don't have a problem with it. So, no, I don't have a problem with this. If you are disgusted or horrified by this fact, please move on to another story.