The evening was waning as Severus put the last of the bloodied tissues into the bin. He sniffed a couple times to make sure the passage was clear before turning back towards the kitchen table. His Godson had left him all sorts of potions ingredients and little more than what he'd originally asked for and he couldn't be ungrateful. He glanced through the doorway into the sitting room and found that it would be possible to keep an eye on his charge and work in the relative safety of his kitchen; he'd just have to move a few things. He set down the cauldron he was preparing and moved back to make his adjustments in the sitting room.

He went to the lounge, his eyes flittering over to the stones, still a soft white. She was in pain, white meant pain, his mind recalled. He wondered if perhaps laying on the large scar on her back was the source of her discomfort. He hadn't yet replaced the blanket that had been stained, and when his hands reached down to adjust he jolted back. She was cold-no more than that-she was freezing. He pursed his lips, it didn't feel that cold to him. Even only in his two layers of clothing. Though he mused that perhaps a life in the dungeons had warped his sense of temperature. He huffed to himself and leant down on bended knee. His arm curled under her shoulders and her head tipped back from the new elevation. His eyes shot to the band and the black cloud over head, relieved to see that it simply shifted it's alignment but otherwise was unaffected. He curled his other arm under her knees and slowly made to stand. The cold that wafted from her form, quickly made it's way through his meager layers of clothing and he cursed himself for being so injudicious.

He carried her unceremoniously up the stairs decided instead to give her a proper bath, denying his own headache relief in retribution for his mediocre care. If she was suffering why shouldn't he? He paused at the landing as if pondering which way to go.

Hermione shifted slightly in his arms making a soft noise. The black cloud over her head lit up with a bright yellow flash before going dark again. Yellow, what did yellow mean...? His normally encyclopedic mind would have easily rounded upon the answer, though, as it was he was just trying to make it to the bathroom without falling. He filed it away for later as he came into his bedroom.

He paused for a moment looking at the disturbed bedspread from his earlier adventures into the darkness. His face twitched a bit before glancing to the bathroom door, it was a shared bathroom meaning it could be accessed from either side. Meaning, that it could be accessed from either room. So why had his feet lead him to his own once again. He made another note filing it under, things to analyze later, and laid her out on his bed.

"Once more, forgive the circumstances." He mumbled softly as he pulled his arm free of her long winding braid. He turned towards the bathroom and took a quick look around. All the while ignoring the very real and pressing logistics. Severus was a very prude man by nature, and though he wasn't shy around the female form, he was very particular about when and whom he saw in states of undress. As it was, he hadn't any real connection to Miss Granger and he felt it to be exceedingly improper for him to see what only her husband should see. The very idea of having to see her as she was born made something hard coil in his stomach. He leaned over the large bathtub and started the water thinking of just what he could do to ease his own feelings on the matter and preserve her dignity as well. Never mind that this was a former student of his, these feelings dipped well below that. No this was just who he was and had always been.

Of course he knew that a lot of his logistical problems would have easily been solved had he just used a bit of magic. He still felt it vibrating through him like an old clock ticking away gathering and coiling the springs inside him. He flexed his hands over the filling tub and lightly sent a swirl of color through the water. A deep blue dissolved and diluted into the running water obscuring the bottom. He nodded to himself and pulled a clean towel from a nearby cubby. It was large and soft and it would provide nicely. He went through the adorning door and rifled through her chest of drawers. He pulled out another tank top and shorts and with another wave of his hand set them to rights. Even the short time with his wand had expanded his wandless strength. He gritted his teeth feeling a dull ache in his forearm. He turned away pressing his magic deep inside him stifling the ache for now.

He set the clothes over the rocking chair arm and returned to his bed looking at the black cloud one last time before gently laying the towel over her. He concentrated as he undid the ties of her shirt and easily slipped the top half away never minding about the back half. He paused before his hands slowly ran down the curve of her waist. His fingers lingering on the warming skin until he felt the tie of her shorts. He hesitated glancing towards the blackness again before summoning up his courage. He shook his head at the ridiculousness of his behavior and gave it a firm tug. The knot fell away and he moved lower, his knuckle lightly grazing the side of her upper thigh. He couldn't actually see what he was doing and had to rely on his sense of touch.

Luckily, fate seemed in his favor as he didn't have to linger long as the final knot came undone. He quickly pulled his hands from under the towel, tucking it around the sides so that the back half of her clothes would be left behind. As he pulled her close to his chest, there was another yellow flash. However, it was gone before Severus could even lift his shields.

He pursed his lips as he stepped through the threshold of the bathroom. His eyes examining the light blue water, he gently set her down into the tub, towel and all. His shirt sleeves being wet up to his biceps. He just hoped the coloring of the water wouldn't stain. He cradled her head upon the lip and made sure it would stay there as he curled a towel around her neck. He watched the stones start to shift in color. The white was starting to grow a smokey yellow, barely there in the dim light of his bathroom. He took it as a sign that his ministrations were causing no further harm.

He pulled the heavy towel away standing to wring it out over the warm water. The bath was full enough so he stopped the taps. With a sideways glance to make sure she would stay above the water he turned and laid the towel over the rod to dry. He took this time to grab a few of his soaps and hair products. Despite everyone's popular beliefs about his hygiene he was an extremely hygienic man.

He pulled her hair from the water and slipped the elastic from it's end. Severus frowned as he pulled it free of its plaits trying to remember just how it went together so he could replicate the process after he was finished washing it. He grimaced as he felt how dry and broken her hair was. Many strands had broken free and wrapped about his fingers. He pulled the broken strands away and dropped them into the dustbin.

It was an arduous task as the volume of hair was much more than he had anticipated. It was thick and heavy, the plaits having left thick waves disguising it's true length, that he could now see extended somewhere beyond her waist. This just wouldn't do. He placed the volume of hair back into the water and leaned up, pulling down his hair cutting scissors from the toothbrush holder setting them at his feet.

He reached over taking hold of the shower head restarted the tap, he waited for the temperature to reach a comfortable warmth before starting to rinse out her hair. A bit of dirty purple started to mix into the swirling blue waters, as the blood from earlier started to wash away. The cloud broke open in places where the water fell through but he paid it little attention as the stones started to turn a more solid yellow. He ran his fingers through her hair, massaging the back of her head to rid it of the blood that was hidden there. He shifted onto his knees as he leaned forward a bit more to reach the far side of her head, his arm brushing lightly against her cheek. He took great care in moving about the heavy strands pulling them away from her face and neck.

Once he was sure all the dirt had been rinsed out, he replaced the shower head to it's stand and turned off the water. He moved to the edge of the bathtub pulling over a small stool to help his aging knees. He took the place right behind her head. pulling the volumes of hair over the lip. They dripped heavily onto the towel he'd placed there, pooling around his feet as the curls had straightened under the weight. Too long indeed, he thought to himself.

He reached behind him and pulled his comb from it's place and tried to settle out the strands, unfortunately, her hair was simply too thick for his wooden comb and he chose to abandon his efforts in exchange for his fingers. They wove dexterously through the mass, untangling and pulling free the broken strands. He stilled after sometime, satisfied that he wouldn't lob off an massive amount of tangled mess and took hold of his scissors.

He cut slowly and deliberately, pulling away the dead strands with each new pass. He had seriously thought about leaving her bald. The very idea had elicited a very unmanly snort from his oversized nose. No that simply wouldn't do. He knew women loved their hair for various reasons and he would hazard a guess, given that despite it's unholy amount of frizz during her school years that gave her an untamed lion like mane, and though she had never struck him as vain, it had become somewhat important to her.

With that in mind, he stilled his scissors at the halfway mark. It would leave her hair a bit longer than before but it would be more manageable for him. He ran his fingers through a few more times cutting away any left over strands before he deemed his task complete. He cleaned his scissors and replaced them back in their proper place before moving the stool around to the side once more. He felt the water making sure it hadn't gone cold and set to the task of washing her hair properly. He had imagined that the healers at St. Mungo's hadn't bothered as often as they should have. He started to massage the soap gently into her scalp watching the cloud shift under his hands. It was starting to swirl and change and he couldn't help but pause as a picture started to form in it's space.

The image was too distorted, but the sound that met his ears was loud. He tried to watch as everything moved past, but nothing discernible was crossing over the cloud. The sounds of voices, her own and others mixed into the haze, colors and flashing lights. Severus slowly pulled his hands from her hair rinsing them in the waters. There was a bright flash and her body jerked in the water and her brow furrowed with concentration. She let out a soft breath and the image dissolved. The stones on the band started to swirl again, the yellow color having dissolved away to the soft white once more.

Severus decided he had postponed the inevitable long enough and quickly set to work washing her arms. He was quick but gentle making sure to get the little bits of blood from under her nails. He'd have to cut those too by the looks of it. He continued on running the clothe over her shoulders and under her chin. He ran it quickly over her waist and down her legs never pausing. He deemed her clean enough and pulled the shower head from it's place. Busying himself with her hair once more as he washed away the conditioner. He could already tell his own home remedy for hair had worked it's natural magic, as her hair was smooth and soft under his fingers. The curls had loosened considerably, relaxed. It was almost a shame he had to plait it again, but it would be all over everything and he couldn't have that. He ran his comb over her brow pulling back the strands over the lip of the tub again. His fingers moved deftly through the deep chestnut locks. It wouldn't win any beauty pageants but it would be well out of his way. He tightened the elastic and wiped his hands on the towel.

Leaning back he pulled a towel down from the cubby. He plucked the drain plug and held the towel up obscuring his vision, once the water was low enough he quickly wrapped it around her, relying on his sense of touch alone as he kept his eyes focused on the wall ahead of him. He pulled her by her under arms forward, wrapping the towel around her back he pulled her up. It was awkward as her skin was smoothed by the water and started to slip his grasp. He wrapped her close around him, her head falling to his shoulder like a cradled child. Her wet hair soaked his own running down the collar of his shirt as he leveraged her up wrapping her knees in his other arm he managed to stand. Her head slipping down from his shoulder to rest against his heart.

Her hair left small little puddles on the wooden floor when he passed into her room and laid her out on her own bed. The towel stayed well around her and he sighed in relief wiping a bit of water from his neck and turned back to the bathroom. He gathered up his final towel and her new clothing in a few quick strides.

He pulled the rocking chair closer and leaned forward. Gently, he pressed his fingers into the stones on her head, they were solidly in place and he didn't seem to have to worry about them slipping away. Satisfied he could continue without possible injury to her person he began to dry her hair. He wrapped the towel around the braid and squeezed gently twisting the rope to assure he would pull out as much water as possible. Then moved the towel to wipe away the excess water before combing it back into place. It was a bit of a challenge but he managed fairly well. He lightly rubbed her skin with the towel drying away what he felt comfortable and pulled back the towel to place the top half of her shirt over her.

He worked quickly and stoically, a small frown having formed on his features. The sun had set now and it left him squinting in the dim light of the full moon that filtered in through the sheer curtains. It was then he felt his body starting to fatigue. It had been a very long day indeed. As he set the last of the knots in place he pulled the rest of the towel away. He gently touched her skin satisfied that she was a proper temperature and pulled the discarded blanket over her.

He glanced out the window estimating the time, he had very little time to try and get her nourishment potions into her body. As he could see from the flashes of light, her torturous event was just about to begin.

He hurried down the stairs never minding the chill that ran through him from his wet shirt. He glanced slightly at the potion he had been about to start and its ingredients sitting out. He spared it a lingering glance as he moved to the bag of potions sent to him from St. Mungo's. He pulled out four different kinds of supplements designed to keep the body functioning and healthy. He cradled them carefully in his hand as he inspected each one's color and consistency. He sneered at the final one, there was no way he was going to use such a poorly made potion.

In a bit of aggravation he tossed the vial to the sink satisfied at the sound of smashed glass. If time wasn't so much of a priority he would have re-brewed the poor excuse for a potion. As it was, he'd have to make due with the three viable ones. How had anyone expected the girl to keep her weight with their sub-par brewing? He grunted to himself as he went back to the stairs. It was no wonder the girl had wasted away.

He sat himself down in the old rocking chair once more and pushed up his damp sleeves. He paused a moment taking in her pale skin highlighting the jagged recesses of malnutrition. His lips thinned as he tried to remember her former self. Had it been so long that he couldn't conjure a proper image of her? The image he'd seen in her mind's eye was younger, but there had been an unseen weight to her even in rest. Was that how he saw everyone before him now? Could he only see the deeds of their past?

He massaged her jaw free, cradling her head just a bit as he started one of the potions on it's course. He kept an eye on the black cloud, the stones were swirling like an on coming storm was forming in the depths of her mind. He prayed to whatever God's dared to listen in that moment to just let him finish.

Fate was not in his favor as he poured the very last supplement down her throat. Her body violently surged and she gurgled slightly as her mind flared suddenly to life. Startled by the sudden action the vial slipped from his hand and spilled onto her sheets. She coughed and sputtered as if she was drowning in the dark lake. Her eyes remaining tightly shut as her body convulsed under his hand. Quickly he placed one hand on her chest to keep her from harming herself massaging firmly to get her to swallow, once she did his eyes became transfixed on the cloud over her head. She was staring directly at him from inside the looking glass. Her eyes focused and burning with a passion he hadn't seen since his own youth.

He stared hypnotically transfixed into the cloud as two deep golden brown eyes stared him down. It was then he realized that she wasn't actually seeing him personally but rather, peering upon herself in her memory. The edges of an old mirror his only clue. The day had started. He felt himself grow a bit pale, he would finally see just what she saw that day. The day that was supposed to be his last.

He had purposely forced those memories down to the deepest and darkest recesses of his mind. Filed away with everything else that had shattered his soul. He found himself unable to pull away, his hand stayed passively on the back of her head and his other rest lightly over her heart. He could feel it's tempo increasing beneath his palm.

Hermione slowly turned away from the mirror. Her hands sticky with blood. She had tried to ignore the throbbing pain in her forearm to no avail. She could hear the world around her crashing in on itself but couldn't bring herself to move. Not in this moment. Everything felt so close, so real. Her heart raced through her ears as she gave one more glance at her war haunted face.

She could hear the voices just beyond the bathroom door. She knew there would be questions about her prolonged stay in the lavatory and knew she needed to move quickly. She washed the blood from her hands and quickly conjured a small bandage to her arm. It wrapped itself tightly and helped ebb away the pain but she knew it wouldn't last long. They were out of supplies and there was no way to know when they would next be able to stop. She was tired, the fatigue showed in her shoulders as she stepped towards the door. Though the prying eye couldn't see her stance, they would notice the tremble of her hand upon the door handle. She could hear the voices of her friends talking about their next move. Going over the plan again and again but still her hand remained on the handle. Was she ready for all that awaited her on the other side? Could she face the final countdown?

The edges of the memory started to grow fuzzy along the edges as if something wasn't quite there, or parts of it were missing. Severus leaned in a little closer trying to decipher just where she was. She certainty wasn't in any Hogwarts bathroom he'd ever known. It was much too bright and colorful.

Finally, she managed to push open the door, the memory had shifted as it swung open. No longer was she in the relative safety of the Room of Requirement, she was now standing on a demolished staircase of Hogwarts castle. Her body in motion as she ran and jumped over the debris. Her heart was pounding in her ears as she flung herself forward over a large gap. She clutched the edge and looked back over her shoulder. She could see Ron hot on her heels and turned back to push herself up.

The scene went blurry again like she was spinning around a deep tunnel, the walls were dark and cold washed in bluish green light. When she landed in the refuge she promptly fell forward and vomited her meager breakfast. She coughed and groaned rubbing her raw throat, it wouldn't be the first time she'd lost her lunch.

She wiped at her tear cornered eyes and pushed her hair from her face standing properly among the spoils. Her eyes went to Ron the boy was pale as well reliving his own memories of the place.

"You a'right?" He mumbled as he picked his way to her.

"Yea, just uh a bit dizzy." She lied, her entire body ached unbearably. The dark magic that was inside her was riling to the surface. She had been ill well before her final take down.

Severus couldn't help but purse his lips, the meager contact he had on the back of her neck, skin to skin had surreptitiously weakened his shields and he was able to just lightly feel what she was feeling. It made his heart tighten. She was fighting well before any of her friends knew. How could they not see? How where they so blind to their friends decline? Was she nothing more to them than a walking encyclopedia? He felt an anger welling inside him as he continued to watch them walk through the deserted chamber. When they approached the door he knew exactly where they were and his eyes narrowed.

"Right...we just need one..." Ron said swallowing thickly as he sized up the door. He closed his eyes and whispered the words he'd been told and the door started it's unlocking sequence. Though her eyes turned from her companion looking down at the stones near her feet. Her vision was red and clouded around the edges. It went black as she must of blinked for a long time, the only clue was the sound still coming from the cloud that the memory was continuing forward.

Suddenly, she was pushing herself through the doors of the Room of Requirement. Harry and Ron had joined her. They were in search of something. Her eyes and hair wild as she rushed through the endless stacks of hidden and forgotten items. She looked down at her arm seeing small trickles of blood run into her palm.

"Where could it be Harry?" She called out, urgency in her voice. The battle outside was still galloping through her heart and it was hard to breathe. Her lungs felt like they were on fire, after all the smoke and dust she had no doubt inhaled. She let out a hard cough trying to clear her airways but only managed to spit up a bit of dirt. She wiped her hands on her jeans as she followed Ron and Harry deeper into the room.

"Here!" Harry shouted from a few stacks over. Hermione's head wiped around, setting her off balance again. Though this time, she took hold of the nearest stack to stable herself before her friends could see her. She pushed herself forward making her way through the maze towards Harry. The fang in her hand pulsed through her calling her closer to where Harry was as if trying to rejoin it's partner.

Severus could feel his own heart pounding in his throat, as his own mind was replaying the images that he remembered at that time. The smell of blood, as he moved through the corridors, the frightened eyes of a colleague in danger. The feel of fear's hand that had so tightly wound itself around his soul as he quickly swallowed down his bezour. He pushed them back, all the way back. His eyes flickering with a dead heated flame.

Without warning a loud explosion alerted them to their new company and Hermione quickly spun on her heels, wand raised. She instantly recognized the flash of blond hair as a curse flew past barely missing her arm. She ducked behind a stack and made ready to attack.

She looked down at the hand over her racing heart and took a deep breath to clear her mind. Her eyes narrowed with concentration as she rounded around the stack sending wave after wave of curses. She exploded everything before her, not really targeting their attackers but rather trying to incapacitate them. She just couldn't bring herself to kill her own classmates. Despite their differences, she knew, it wasn't solely their fault. That their decisions tonight were beyond anything they were able to comprehend themselves. They were just as her, caught in a war that wasn't meant for them. Caught in ideals and values, that were beyond their years.

Her calculation was a mistake as Crabbe lurched forward just out of the corner of her vision, the spell having left his lips just as she turned. Her eyes went wide, her vision filling with green. The image in the looking glass spun as Hermione dodged away. She rolled head over arse before kicking off the floor again. She sent her own explosively dangerous spell in her wake. All thoughts of pacification falling from her mind as her spells became more dark with each backward flick.

Severus hadn't even been aware he was holding his breath until his head throbbed from the lack of oxygen. He blinked slowly and took a deep breath. His eyes moved away from the scene over her head down to her pinched face. His own brows twitched as emotions ran through him. His hand remained on the back of her neck but his thumb had curled itself around to her cheek. He didn't stop himself from caressing the hallow gently. He felt such shame, a deep sepulchre filled with so many things he refused to say. His eyes returned as a loud roar recalled his attentions.

There was a roar of heat behind her as she glanced back to look as she ran towards the door. Her eyes widened and her head tilted back at the large dragon made of fire. It came barreling towards them, it's jowls open wide engulfing everything in it's path. The screams of Crabbe as he lost control of his own fire wafted through her ears as Harry shoved a broom into her hand. She didn't hesitate to take to the air, wobbling slightly as she pulled it's magic under her control. They took to the air when she spotted a flash of blond hair running for his life.

"Harry!" She shouted among the roaring inferno, she pointed down to Draco and he swooped down without hesitation. Hermione clutched her broom tightly as Ron swerved down next to rescue an unconscious Goyle.

Snape felt a swell of what he could call pride well into his chest as the Gryffindor trio actually saved their enemies. Hermione had saved Draco's life, by alerting Harry. Who Severus felt would have left them behind had it not been for her. He looked down at the thumb that rested on her cheek and felt a warmth inside him. So much innocence. Shattered and broken away. Yet she chose, what was right despite all that stood before her. She was everything he wasn't. Everything he could never have possibly been.

As soon as they flew through the doors the scene whirled and spun again.

"Ron! Come on! Jump!" She shouted as another explosion rocked the landing she was standing on. The redhead didn't even hesitate as he too, jumped the gap tumbling forward a bit before she managed to pull him up. They both turned blocking an attack just in time. Hermione's wand flew forward, sending their attacker spiraling backwards over the edge to their undeniable death. They ran side by side, Hermione's wand moving at lightening speed, saving not just her own life but that of her friend's as well. They skidded to a stop as two bodies fell before them. There was the sound of a creature running towards the bodies as her vision started to haze around the edges.

"No!" Hermione shout sending a very powerful curse towards the creature that attempted to feast upon the fallen. She pushed forward her eyes glancing down at the familiar face of her former dorm mate. Eyes wide and lifeless, blood pooling from under her head. Hermione slowed only a moment quickly assessing that there was no hope for her, but Ron had stopped completely.

"She's gone." Hermione spat hurriedly grabbing his arm and tearing him away from the sight. Everything started to blur around them. She was running faster and faster. She'd let go of Ron and turned just in time for an explosion to rock her to the core.

Hermione was sent flailing backward by the blast; her body landing awkwardly on a pile of stone and bodies. Her head felt too warm. Her vision was growing fuzzy. A loud ringing in her ears as she tried to identify the person stepping towards her.

She was pulled roughly to her feet, her vision swirled and finally came into focus as she was pulled along. Large legs, too many for her mind to count started coming over the debris towards them and she fired haphazardly to each side as she looked through the tunnel of vision she had. Everything hurt, breathing hurt, moving her eyes hurt, running hurt. She just pushed herself forward remembering what they were running towards.

Over the grounds they ran, all three filled with righteous purpose. They skidded to a stop before the Whomping Willow. After a brief spat on how to incapacitate the tree, they climbed into it's base. The light at the end of the tunnel was dim, still so, they climbed one after the other, and as Hermione pushed herself through the image started to tilt on it's side.

Severus closed his eyes tightly, he didn't want to witness his own death. His head turned away as their words murmured softly through his muffled senses. He kept his head turned away. Finding himself strangely conflicted. Of course he had been there. He knew what was going to happen, but still he found himself wanting to see more than he remembered. For him, it was Lilly's eyes, the blinding pain before the sweet release. He had never put much stock into others perceptions of him, but this-now-the opportunity to literally see into the heart and soul of someone else's thoughts on himself had presented and he found his curiosity to be gnawing away at the fear inside.

He pulled his hand from under her neck and off her heart. His eyes glanced to the memory. He could see himself now. Bleeding out in Potter's hands. He had to see, he had to know. He pressed his fingers gently to the stones and released his shields, he wasn't sure if he'd even be taken to the presently playing memory, he had taken the information Draco had given him to suggest as such, but the boy was very poor at making himself clear. There was a familiar pull as his consciousness was pulled from his body and into hers.

Abruptly, he found himself standing in the shrieking shack. He was sure she hadn't noticed his presence. He kept to the shadows and very still. He watched her face, as he was assaulted with her emotions. He could feel a deep pain throbbing through his entire body. A sorrow through her eyes. She watched Harry and him speak. There was no judgment on her features, no happiness at his justice. If nothing else, she looked defeated. He could see the tears rolling down her cheeks and the way she clutched at her jacket as if holding herself up.

It was then that the woman there in realized, the memory wasn't right. That something about it was off. Hermione's breath was shuddering-Snape inhaled- her eyes turned up. She stared directly into him, her bottom lip quivering with the emotions of the memory. But it was more than that. She wasn't seeing him but what was inside him. The memory kept her from advancing as she couldn't alter it's course but her eyes had seen him, seen through him. Seen right into the murky whiteness of his soul and every red fissure of it's broken reflection. Her mind called out to him through the expanse, calling for him to reveal himself.

Severus felt the pull of her power but found himself helpless to answer her call. He hadn't known what she was seeing, but he could feel her reaching out to him so desperately. His soul shuddered inside him, rattling him to it's core. His own mind reached towards hers but found that it's reach wasn't enough. That his strength wasn't enough, his soul was too weakened, too battle worn. The feeling of her courage inside the memory flowed through him like a drug. Creating a euphoric pressure of need.

One question rang through the air between them, 'Who?' . It was such a simple yet complex question. Could he risk her reality by revealing himself, would she even have a mind enough to accept that it was truly him, as right before them, she was witnessing his death. Would she believe herself finally having crossed to the other side and leave him all alone in the empty void?

The world around them spun again this time there was a murmured quiet. He landed silently on the broken flagstones of the great hall. The pull between them had vanished and he wondered briefly if it had been there at all. He saw her standing over the bodies of the dead and could feel her pain. Her helplessness, her rage. Her friends wept all around her but she found that she couldn't find the strength for tears. Her shoulders hung low and her head was barely able to stay upright.

Many people pushed around her never minding the darkness that was seeping from her sleeve, creating a small puddle upon the floor, it went unnoticed as it mixed with countless others. Her face twitched as she turned away from the scene, pulling her shoulders back and her chin high, wand clutched white knuckled in her hand.

"Hermione!" Ron's voice called out to her, "You can't go out there! It's not safe!" He caught up with her quickly enough.

"The battle's over." She said heavily. "We need to collect the dead." Her voice was harsh and dark. "As I seem to be one of the few capable of anything productive." She motioned absently to her left, "I am doing what is right." She pushed past him making the redhead pause.

She rounded the broken stairs determination in her eyes. They were hazed and as Severus watched from somewhere in front of her, he noticed she wasn't truly there. The memory itself was heavily foggy. The only thing he could see was directly in front of her, as she move that behind her dissolved into forgotten darkness.

She wiped a bit of blood from her brow as she stepped into the grass, she could hear Ron behind her but as she never actually looked at him the memory was filled with his floating voice. Severus kept himself just in front of her, inside the darkness. His soul did not attract the attention from before. He could feel her focus and determination filling her body with energy that shouldn't have existed. The scene started to expand as she payed more attention. There were bodies littered around the field. At least 10 or more, death eaters, mostly. She took a deep breath as she bent down over a crumpled body casting a diagnostic spell silently. Finding that the person was in fact dead, she conjured a self guiding stretcher for the body to be taken into the castle. It was at that moment Ron had caught up with her.

"Hermione." He said out of breath gently taking her arm, "This can wait..." He glanced around obviously uncomfortable. He tried to give her a kind smile as he pulled her unresistant arm closer to his chest.

"He deserves to be buried." She choked out softly, turning her head towards the Shrieking Shack, "Harry...Harry would want that..." Her breath was coming out harder now, she was barely standing.

"I know...I know I just...it's dangerous..." Ron too was starting to feel the absence of adrenaline, "The battles been over now for a while...surely...a few more hours..."

She sneered at him and was about to unleash a tirade of emotions upon him when a flash behind him caught her attention.

"Ron!" She grabbed and spun him most violently, her momentum added by the curse that landed heavily against her back. Her blood spraying down as it threatened to cut her in half. She stood eyes wide, her hands clutched to Ron's chest as the redhead stood in horror. With one last ounce of strength she pushed down, his already collapsing knees aided her quest as a second curse flew just over his head. Her body fell backward with a harsh cry of pain. She laid awkwardly over a fallen student. Her mouth open and filling quickly with blood. The memory started to grow white as the pain stole away her consciousness. Then a creature, slowly came into view but the memory was too faded, too distorted for Severus to identify.

It was then the screams began, the creature was pulling out something inside of her, something so precious. Severus felt himself being pushed out of the memory by the sheer amount of agony it's holder was experiencing.

As he found himself in his own body, again the screams of her memory hadn't stopped, it took him two clicks to realize that she was screaming before him. He quickly pulled her up and to his chest, clinging to her more desperately than before. His face wet with tears, he hadn't known he'd shed as he cradled the back of her head pressing her cheek to his heart.