A/n: All good things must come to an end… yes this will be the final chapter… I'm not sure I am going to write a sequel to this story…. Thanks to all my reviewers especially the ones who have been there since day 1… thanks to both of my betas kmedh and dracos-sexy-bitch… you guys rock…As for the people confused in the last chapter, I really hope this clears everything up… and if it doesn't I will be happy to answer any and all questions
Epilogue
"She killed Harry Potter?" The balding wizard asked.
"She is pregnant?" Asked the witch.
Silence filled the room. Hermione sat on the edge of her seat, the effects of the veritaserum was wearing off. She felt that her face was wet with tears.
"May I remind you, that Voldemort has been vanquished?" Dumbledore piped up.
"Be that as it may, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is only gone because in a few months time a greater evil than he will be released upon the world." Another wizard put in.
"We are doing everything we can to get control of the situation. There is a Muggle way to proceed with these kinds of situations." Dumbledore said lightly. "I highly doubt that regular magic will work."
"And if the Muggle way does not work?" Another wizard questioned.
"At least we have a head start." Dumbledore said again.
"May I say something," Snape started. Hermione turned to fix her gaze on the Potions Master. "Before you pass judgment, I will like to take the time to hand in my letter of resignation."
The room was suddenly filled with silence. The kind of thick, unbearable silence that made Hermione squirm in her seat. The rain pattered the windows at a constant rate.
"Did you not just use the killing curse on Robert Granger?"
The room filled with an even thicker silence. Hermione then became vaguely aware of the flash of green light she saw after she left Voldemort's study.
"We will consider it." The smiling witch said.
Hermione knew that she wouldn't be able to finish school here. She didn't want to be blamed for killing Harry Potter, even though it was true. She didn't know how many people knew. She didn't even know if Ron and Ginny knew.
"I would also like to say something," Hermione heard herself say. The wizard nodded in her to direction. "I would like to take my N.E.W.T.s now and be finished with school, as soon as possible. I am ready to leave the school as well."
"Miss Granger, you haven't finished your training yet…"
"I assure you, she is ready for this exam, she has been ready since her sixth year." Dumbledore chipped in. He threw a wink at her.
"We will deliberate now and let the Headmaster know of our decision. You may leave." The wizard said.
Hermione rose from her seat and walked through the door, not waiting for Snape. She walked through the empty corridor and soon, she could hear footsteps behind her. She turned around expecting Snape but there was Malfoy walking fast to catch up with her.
"Granger, I just wanted to apologize…" He said with out preamble. "…for everything."
Hermione fixed her brown eyes on his gray ones.
"I grew kind of fond of you when we were in each other's company, and when I saw you with Snape," He paused. "I was just jealous."
Hermione stayed silent. She knew that this apology was a little too late. But she also knew how hard it was for him to push away his own pride to apologize.
"It's not like we can go back in time to change the past." She said smiling. "What's done is done."
She turned to leave, but he grabbed her wrist.
"Wait," He said.
"If things were different, if things didn't turn out this way, do you think I would have a chance?" He asked.
She slowly revolved on the spot. She could feel how close he was to her. The heat radiating off him was calming her speeding heart. He moved in closer, his eyes wandering to her lips, then back up to her eyes. That's when he leaned in and kissed her. The pressure of his lips on hers sent chills down her spine. His lips were unexpectedly nice, soft, and warm. She gently pulled out of the kiss.
"You always had a chance," She said softly. "But things aren't different, things aren't changing. This is the way it is."
He dropped her hand and she turned away from him and walked off. Another tear snaked its way down her face. She was now going to have to face Ginny and Ron.
Severus didn't bother to follow Hermione; he knew that she was going to need sometime to herself. He paced the floor of his study. He was happy that she decided to take her N.E.W.T.s early; maybe she would want to come live with him when she finished.
That particular thought had been embedded in his mind ever since he decided that he was going to resign. He knew when he saw Harry Potter's body fall to the floor; he knew when he saw the glint in Hermione's eye. He knew at that moment that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. She was having his baby, and he did love her.
Hermione went upstairs to the common room, Ginny and Ron waiting for her, sitting in silence. Ginny's bloodshot eyes were fixed on hers. She stood up and walked over to her. Hermione didn't know what to say, she was on the brink of tears. A loud smack echoed throughout the room.
Ginny's hand collided with her face.
"You killed him," She said in a hoarse voice. She smacked her again.
Hermione stood there not surprised at Ginny's reaction.
"Ginny stop it," Ron called out. "Just, stop it."
"I'm pregnant," Hermione said.
Ginny just looked at her, dumbfounded.
"I will soon take my N.E.W.T.s and leave the school. I can no longer stay here. I will write when I can, and I hope we can still be friends." She continued.
Hermione went to her room and then slammed the door. She slid down to the floor, crying one more time for her lost friend.
The next day, Hermione was called down to the Headmaster's office. She hadn't seen Snape in a while and didn't think about seeing him again. She didn't know if she could face him. She was afraid of what he might say to her and what he might do to her.
She knocked on the large door.
"Enter," She heard a voice say.
Hermione pushed open the door tentatively.
"Come on in Miss Granger," He said politely. She took a seat in front of the desk.
The room was filled with silence. The Headmaster was writing on a piece of parchment. She allowed him time to finish. Soon, he put down his quill and looked up at her, a smile forming on his face.
"Miss Granger," He started. "I am amazed at how well you're taking this situation."
"I am used to it Headmaster," She replied.
"Well, I have just gotten word from the school governors, and I am sorry to say that they will not allow you to take your N.E.W.T.s earlier than the other students."
Hermione felt her stomach drop.
"They came to the conclusion that you do not need to take these tests to prove that you can graduate." He handed over the piece of parchment he was writing on. It was her certificate of completion. "And Miss Granger, you have several offers to join many wizarding universities for research, as well as the different programs such as Auror training and healing."
"Wow," She replied. She looked down at the parchment that had her name in gold writing.
"Don't let this opportunity pass you by Miss Granger. All of these schools are willing to accommodate you in your current situation."
Hermione stared at the piece of parchment in amazement. She then looked up at him.
"But, don't you think it's unsafe, I mean after what I did to Harry?" She asked. "I still don't understand why I did it."
"I don't understand either Miss Granger, I can only speculate." He sighed. "When Voldemort was killed, he activated the conception of your unborn child. Since it is only partially evil you didn't do as much damage as you could have. Your unborn decided that it was time to make its mark. So it forced you to kill Harry Potter, without conscious thought. It saw Harry as a threat."
"You believed this happened only seconds after the activation?" She asked.
"Yes," He said frowning.
"I'm sorry Headmaster, I know how much Harry meant to you." She said delicately.
"Things do happen for a reason Miss Granger."
Silence filled the room once again.
"The schools eagerly await your decision," He said smiling. He handed over all the letters he had received on her behalf.
"Make sure you make the right decision, because it is these important decisions that form our experiences which indeed shape our lives." He said smiling.
Hermione got up to leave. She walked slowly to the door and turned to look at him one last time. She saw that a tear had found its way into his long silver beard.
Severus Snape flipped through the book before throwing it into the box. The study wasn't magnificent any longer. Paper littered the floor, and boxes upon boxes of books took up almost every square inch of the floor. The plush chairs were now covered in plastic and the shelves were empty.
"So the school governors accepted your letter of resignation?" A voice called out.
He turned and there was Hermione smiling at him.
"Yes," He replied. He was happy to see her. She looked amazing as always. She made her way over to him, a stack of parchment in her hand.
When she was within reach of him, he grabbed her and pulled her into him, placing his lips over her. Hermione kissed him back as if hungry for him.
But then, she pulled out of the kiss.
"Hermione I've wanted to ask you something, for a while now." He flicked his wand and all the boxes stacked themselves on the far wall.
"Yes?"
He looked her straight in the eye and slowly got down on one knee. At once, her eyes began to fill with tears.
"Hermione Granger, will you be the love of my life for the rest of my life?"
The tears were now soaking her face. She didn't know what to say, she didn't know what to do.
"Severus," She said softly. She looked into his glittering black eyes. "I don't know if I can. I'm afraid of what's going to happen. I want to go to school. I have barely begun to live life."
His face fell.
"I am uncertain of what life will bring, but I do know that I want to face that uncertainty with you." He said softly. "I love you Hermione Granger."
She looked at the ring. It was a gold band with a lone diamond in the middle surrounded by rubies.
"Yes," She said smiling. "Yes, Severus Snape, I will marry you."
Hermione and Snape wedded a few months later. As much as they tried to get rid of their unborn child it had survived and was born on September 26th. Hermione went to the school where Severus got a position as a professor of the Advanced Defense Against the Dark Arts. Little Adrienne Marie Snape hadn't shown any signs of evil, but both Hermione and Snape are still keeping watch. Just waiting for the day when the heir of Voldemort will continue her reign.
A/n: And so marks the end of another fanfic everyone… I hope you enjoyed reading cause I surely enjoyed writing… as for a sequel… there is a small and by small I mean miniscule chance that I might write one… I want to thank all my faithful reviewers without you most of the chapters would of never gotten finish…the death threats helped tremendously… lol… thanks to my wonderful betas…. And be on the look out for a dra/hrm story that I am currently planning.