A Sacrifice for Love

A/N- Thank you, Thank you, thank you.





She passed Harry and Draco in the halls, though she didn’t see them. Her mind was consumed with what she had found. Finally, she reached Professor Snape’s private quarters and began to pound on the door. She thought it would irritate him but she couldn’t stop herself. There was no answer.



She checked the map again and saw the dot labeled Snape had not moved at all. She immediately began to worry. What if something was wrong? What if he was hurt and no one could get to him? She tried the door to find it was sealed with magic. It was a very strong warding spell.



She searched her mind. She knew she didn’t have the power to break it. One thing said for Severus Snape, he was a powerful wizard, though you rarely saw him use it. An idea came into her mind. It was a spell she had seen in the book, but she hadn’t tried it. She began to flip through the book to find it. It seemed like it took forever but she finally found the page.



“Reperio infirmitas.” She said firmly waving her wand. If the wards had any weakness, it would find it. She waited impatiently. Nothing happened. Finally, in a fit of anger she blasted the wards again. This time they opened. She smiled and opened the door slowly, closing the wards behind her.



The room was dark and cold and Hermione was confused. The map showed he was in this room.



“Incendio.” She said waving her wand in the direction of the fireplace. A fire roared up and she was able to see in the dark room. She gasped when she saw Professor Snape lying sprawled out on the couch unconscious. She rushed to his side and shook him but he would not wake.



She began to panic but quickly pushed it away. He was breathing and his heart beat steadily. She kept shaking him and called his name but he didn’t open his eyes. She looked around for a clue of what had happened. She spotted the blue crystal bottle on the floor.



She picked it up carefully. He was a Potions Master after all so who knew what he had brewed and she knew she had broken his heart. She shook her head at the thought. Who would have known she would have cared about Snape’s broken heart, much less considered that he had a heart.



She sniffed it carefully. She could differentiate between some of the ingredients. She smelled wormwood, valerian root, asphodel, sopophorous bean and something else. She narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. Draught of Living Death, she thought, but he had added something else to it. She didn’t know what the modified version did but she was familiar with the original. Slughorn had made them brew it last year.



She didn’t have time to brew the antidote, so she went to Snape’s personal cabinet and searched it. She found what she was looking for almost immediately, a bezoar stone. She forced it down his throat and sat back. Now the wait had begun.



She sat next to him and held his hand.



“This is just awful, Severus. This whole situation is just awful.” She murmured to herself. After an hour of silence, she became bored. He hadn’t died, so perhaps he would wake soon. She didn’t dare take him to Madame Pomfrey yet. She had promised herself that if he did not wake before dawn she would take him anyway. She knew he hated the infirmary with a passion.



She stood and began to look at his things. He had many potions, some that she was familiar with and some she had never heard of. She also found several bottles of Polyjuice Potion already brewed. She smiled. If she would have known he had some, it would have saved her time in the second year. She may still have because very feline, but it would have saved some time.



After exploring his potion cabinet, she turned to his bookshelf. There she found very rare books that the Library did not have. She glanced at Snape in admiration and caught her breath when she met his dark eyes.



“Do you have a habit of breaking into your Professor’s private chamber, Miss Granger?” he said coldly, but she could see he was confused. She figured it was likely the potion causing it, the effect of waking from a very deep sleep.



“No, Professor. I needed to talk to you about last night and you were-“ It had been the wrong thing to say, she decided when his face closed off.



“I don’t know what you mean, Miss Granger. If you could please leave?” He said dangerously, sending a chill down her back. THIS was the man that had terrorized the students mercilessly. She moved towards the door slowly, giving her a way out if she needed it.



“We need to talk about what happened. I am aware of the details, Professor, despite your... cleanup.” She said calmly.



He stood in one fluid motion that made her catch her breath. He was so sexy, she thought wildly and then fought down the urge to laugh. He was likely going to kill her.



“Get out, now, Miss Granger, if you value your life.” He warned in a low voice. She shook her head stubbornly and picked up the book, Amy’s book, that she had sat on his desk.



“The potion, Professor, the one you gave me to wake me-“



“I know about the potion, you stupid girl. I know it all.” He cut her off. She could hear the pain in his voice.



She moved towards him shaking her head. “No, that’s not it.” She tried to explain. He reached forward, grabbed her by her arm and pushed her towards the door.



“I don’t want to know, Miss Granger. Get out now.” He growled. He was very close to losing control. He wanted to lash out at the girl that had caused him so much pain and yet at the same time, he wanted to take her into his arms and hold her.



She stared at him for a moment, her mind racing. She did the only thing she could think of. She threw herself into his arms and kissed him. His lips were resistant at first but soon melted under hers. Finally, when she thought she had stunned him enough, she pulled away.



“I love you, Severus Snape, and not because of a potion. I have loved you since my third year when you stood before us and a transformed Lupin. I couldn’t admit it to myself but someone else understood.” She said looking into his dark eyes, drowning in the blackness.



He pushed her away, unsteadily. “The potion is making you say these things, Hermione. You could not possibly love me. I am a Death Eater and... It is the potion” he said firmly, reasonably, considering on how to find a cure.



He had been pulled out of his own misery for a moment and suddenly thought of the poor girl in front of him that had not had a choice in the matter. He knew she would normally be horrified at the thought of being in love with him. He also wondered if he could Obliviate the memories of him from her mind of their encounter. He could not do that to himself, he thought and he wondered if he actually wanted to.



She narrowed her eyes at the sudden sadness she saw in his eyes. What was he thinking, she wondered. He pushed her towards the door. “I will find a way to help you.” he promised, pushing her out into the hall. She suddenly realized he was going to try and find a cure and the urge to laugh was overwhelming. She held it back though. She didn’t think he would appreciate it.



He started to shut the door and she said the only words that could possibly stop him in his tracks.



“The Snow White Potion was a fake. She used it so you would feel you had saved me.”