All the way II: And Even Further

The old man stood up, pointing at Severus, and shouted, "It's started! He's already got them coming for us!"



Trying to keep an eye on her husband at the same time, Hermione took the man gently by the arms, turning him firmly to face her.



"That is my husband." She told him firmly, "He is a friend of Albus Dumbledore. Calm down, he won't hurt you." because at the moment, he wants to hurt Ron, hermioen thought.



Severus growled at her, "You better have a good explanation for this."



Ron started forwards angrily, "She doen't have to explain anything to you!"



"I don't seem to recall you marrying her!" Severus shouted back.



Ron's ears turned red, "I -"



Hermione cut through him, "Ron! Will you just -?"



Ron interupted her, "Shut up, Hermione!"



Severus pulled his wand out and aimed it at Ron, "Don't you ever tell my wife to shut up!"



Guiding the old man along beside her, Hemione went to Severus and tried to pull his wand away from Ron. When she was unsuccessful, she spoke, "Please! Severus -"



"Shut up, Hemione..." He growled.



Ron started forwards angrily, again, "And what gives you the right to speak to her like that?"



Severus' eyes flashed. He looked even more angry, if that was at all possible.



"Ron -" Hermione started, worried, but Severus spoke in a deadly low voice.



"And what, exactly, gave you any right to take her away from me?" He hissed, moving forwarsd, seemingly unaware that Hermione was pulling on his arm to keep him back, "What gave you any right to team up with Draco Malfoy, when you knew he hated her? When you knew he would hurt her? And tell me this, what type of friend does that make you? What type of person? What. Type. Of. Man?"



Ron, now bright red with anger or embaressment, was pressing himself into the wall, as if hoping it would swallow him. Finally, Hermioe left the old man in the middle of the room and tried to insert herself between the two furious men.



"Stop it!" She said firmly, "Both of you! This is ridiculous! Ron, why don't you just go?"



"Will you be ok?" He asked.



Severus growled, "What are you implying?!"



"Nothing!" Ron squeaked.



"Severus! Please, let him go home!" Hermione pleaded with her husband.



Severus stared at Ron for a moment, then stepped back so that the red head could slide passed him slowly. He put his arm around his wife and pulled her into his side, into his protection. "You owe this woman you life, Weasley." He snarled before Ron ran from the room.



There was a long silence, then the old man spoke, "Are you alright, young lady?"



Severus was about to speak, but Hermine didn't want him snapping at the obviously confused man, so she spoke quickly, "I'm fine. We're fine." She took a deep breath, "Maybe you should go to sleep for a while. I've just remembered that Dumbledore's at a meeting, so you won't be able to see him now, any way. There's no pont in being tired when he comes back." The man nodded. "What's your name?"



"Bill," He answered brightly, "You can call me Bill, my fair lady."



Hermione couldn't help the smiled that krept onto her face, as she took his arm and guided him towards her bedroom, "Well, Bill, when you wake up we can see about talking to Dumbledore, ok?"



He nodded and Hermione waited until he had stumbled over to the bed and was curled up, before she shut the door. She turned to find Severus right behind her, looking livid.



He put his hands on her shoulders, ran them down her arms, around her waist, over her stomach, back around, up her spine, until her wraped his arms around her and pulled her close. Hermione sighed and laid her head on his chest, tired out with all the fighting and arguing.



Severus took a deep breath and let it out slowly, "He didn't hurt you, did he?"



"No." Hermione breathed.



"What on earth was he doing here?"



"I decided... that i wanted to hear what he had to say." herminoe pulled away and walked across the room, "I met him in Hogsmeade and he helped me bring that man, Bill, back up here, because he was shouting that he had seen Voldemort return." She turned around, her arms crossed over her chest, "But he's blind Severus, and he thinks Dumbledore's still alive. I think... I think he might be from St. Mungo's or something..."



"Why couldn't you have got some one else to help you bring him here?" Severus asked, exasperated.



"Because Lucius and Annie were the only other people in The Hogs Head and i didn't want to make them come all the way back to the castle," hermione explained.



"You shouldn't have gone out alone in the first place, let alone to meet him!" Severus nearly shouted.



"You can't be serious!" Hermione retorted icredulously, "Severus, do you even know what you're saying?"



"Of course i do!" He snapped, slumping down on the sofa, "I just..." He sighed and rubbed his hands over his face.



Hermione sat down beside him, "Severus, you can keep me away from Ron, you can protect me from almost anything, but you can't do anything about the past. Do you understand me?"



"I don't understand how you can be so... so alright about everything." he sighed.



""""""""""""""""""""



Severus looked up, when hermione spoke, "I'm not alright with anything that happened back then. I... i was a mess. I stayed in a muggle hotel for two weeks after my parents died and then i went to the Weasleys. I told them that i was out when the Death Eaters attacked; i only told Ginny the truth and even then i said that i managed to get out as soon as i knew they were their. I was... in a terrible state. And then, i went to a friend. She worked in the potions developement lab at the Ministry. She gave me one of the potions she was making -" Severus opened his mouth, but Hermione carried on, "Yes, I did know how dangerous it was to test a potion that wasn't yet safe, but i was in such a way that i didn't care any more. It is safe now, though, becuase i tested it; that's how i got my job at the Ministry. Anyway, this potion took away the... feelings from that night." She was staring into space, her eyes moving from side to side as she tried remembered, and Severus just wanted to tell her to stop, but she kept talking, "I can see it, remember it, but i... can't... feel... anything. I can remember the pain and i can remember being so, so scared, but... it's just a memory... not fresh..." She blinked hard and smiled brittley, "So, i'm not alright about anything; i just can't remember. I was such a coward, it wasn't a very Gryffindor thing to do, the easy way out." She laughed that laugh that he hated so much, "I keep promising myself that i'll go and get the reverse potion, now that i'm older, but they only make it specially at St. Mungo's and they have to know why i would have taken it in the first place and i don't want people poking about where they're not wanted." She wrapped her arms around herself, "Not so brave now, am i?"



Severus put his arms around her, holding her impossibly close, wanting to take what was left of her memories away, "You are so brave, Hermione, don't ever say that you're not. Trying to get on with your life is not cowardly, are you listening to me? If you were so upset that you would have risked your life to forget, then what you did was nothing less than what any one would have done, Gryffindor or not, do you understand? And i will not allow you to get the reverse potion. I don't want you having to remember something like that."



He could feel her taking deep, calming breaths. After a while, she pulled away and wiped her eyes, "Sorry." She gave a small smile and sighed, "Right, what are we going to do about Bill?"



"Take him to St. Mungo's for a start."



"Oh, Severus, he's in no fit state to go any where. Let me give him a bath and get his clothes changed and then we'll see."



Severus scowled, "He can have a bath and change his clothes himself. You will not be going any where near him if he has any less clothes on than he does now."



Hermione laughed, a proper laugh this time, "Honestly, Severus, he's blind and he's old enough to be my dad!"



"So am i," He reminded her, still scowling.



She laughed, the sound was pure music, "You know what i mean! He's old enough to be older than my dad."



"I don't care." Severus remained stuborn, "He's a man. That's enough."



"Severus, half the people in this world are men!" Hermione grinned, "What are you going to do? Change them all into women?" Severus raised his eye brows and smiled, "Don't tell me you'd actually contemplate that?"



"If it meant keeping them away from you, i would do more than contemplate it, my love." Severus smirked.