You Promised It Would Be Forever - Edit

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to JKR. All situations are mine. No $$$ is being made from this fanfic.
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Chapter 16 ~ Taking Responsibility

The Headmaster and Severus apparated to his former home in Little Hangelton. Severus noticed immediately that it wasn't being kept very well at all. The yard was overgrown, and weeds had taken over the little flowerbeds. The brightness of the paint had dulled too. It was as if the house itself was in mourning. He also noticed all the shades were drawn. Odd.

He and Albus walked up to the door and knocked. There was no answer. Albus knocked again. There was still no response.

"Maybe she isn't home," Albus said.

Severus looked at the two newspapers lying on the porch. He picked them up. Yesterday's and today's Daily Prophet. He looked at the house again, then pulled out his wand.

"Alohamora," he said. Just as he suspected, the door wasn't warded and opened.

He strode in, followed by Albus.

The entire house was dark. Not a single shade was lifted. Squinting, Severus looked around the living room. It was a mess. Books and papers everywhere. He walked over to a window and pulled up the shade.

"Put that back down," a tired sounding voice said from someplace in the middle of the room.

Severus and Albus both turned to see Hermione sitting on the couch, Indian-style, in her nightgown. She looked terrible as she held up her hand to shade her eyes against the light.

Severus walked around to every window and raised the shades, flooding the living room with natural light. He turned to look at his ex-wife. Hermione was pale and had dark circles under her eyes. Her skin was dry and her lips badly chapped. She looked like she hadn't showered in a couple of days. Her amber eyes looked at him oddly.

"Severus. Have you come back to haunt me too?" she asked him softly.

"I'm not a ghost, Hermione," he replied, frowning at her.

"Oh," she said, then fell silent.

Albus walked over and sat down on the couch next to the witch. He placed his hand on hers.

"Hermione, why are you sitting in the dark?" he asked her.

"Because there's no light. No light at all. It's all gone out," she said rather hollowly.

Albus looked at Severus worriedly. The Potions Master simply looked at this caricature of the woman he used to know. His face was expressionless.

"What do you mean?" Albus asked her softly.

Hermione turned and looked toward the Headmaster. It seemed as if she were looking right through him as she answered.

"I've lost my child. I've lost my husband. I've lost my job. I've lost everything," she said quietly, "the dark is all I have left. The dark is all I want. Why did you come here? I want to be left alone."

"We have to take her to Poppy, Headmaster," Severus said suddenly. "She's not herself."

"No. I don't want Poppy. What I want is gone…all gone," she said softly. "Please, close the shades, Severus. Close the shades and go. Both of you. Leave me alone. I deserve to be alone."

Albus looked at her. His eyes were glistening.

"No, Hermione. We can't leave you like this. You have to come with us. Severus, go get her robes," Albus said to the Potions Master.

Severus nodded and walked down to Hermione's bedroom. He opened the door and turned up the torches. The room was empty. Empty?

There were no sheets on the bed, nothing on the dresser, her closet was open and empty. His black eyes washed over the room, then paused as he thought of something. Severus turned down the torches, closed the door and walked to his old bedroom. He opened it and turned up the lights.

Yes, Hermione had moved back in. Her clothing hung in the closet, her personal items were on the dresser and the bed was made up.

Her wand lay on the floor beside it. He picked it up and his eyes rested on the bed. They had made so much love between those sheets…when they were happy and in love. He walked over to the closet and took out a robe, then exited the bedroom. He brought the robes to Hermione.

"Stand up," he said commandingly. Hermione looked up at him as if it were her first time seeing him.

"Severus. Have you come back?" she asked him, her eyes shining. "Have you forgiven me for what I've done to you? Do you love me again?"

The Potions Master felt his heart clutch as he looked at her.

"Stand up, Hermione. Let me help you put on your robes. You have to come with us," he said, swallowing, his voice hoarse.

Hermione looked up at him, then rose. Her hair smelled slightly of spoilt milk. Severus slipped the robes over her arms and fastened them. He couldn't help but think of how often he did the reverse.

"Jacob is unhappy," she said, looking at the floor.

Severus started.

"How do you know that?" he asked her, his voice low.

Albus looked at both of them with interest.

"He and Argus told me," she said simply. Then Hermione said something that chilled the Potions Master to the bone.

"I want to be with Jacob," she said.

"Hermione," Albus said softly, "Jacob is dead, my dear."

She looked at the wizard. Tears began to flow from her eyes.

"I know," she said, her voice trembling, "I'm no longer a wife. But I'm still a mother. Jacob needs a mother still."

Severus still held on to her robes. He understood what she meant. He no longer needed a wife. He didn't like where this was going. It sounded as if Hermione were suicidal. She needed help. Now.

"Come on, Hermione. We're going to Hogwarts," he said softly, taking her by her arm and leading her to the door. Albus followed.

"Yes, Hogwarts," Hermione said dreamily, "That's where my baby is…waiting for me…in the garden. Such a beautiful, peaceful garden, Severus."

They exited the house. Albus locked and warded it.

Then they all disapparated.

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"Hermione's had what the muggles popularly call a "nervous breakdown". She's disconnected herself from reality. It often happens when life becomes too much for a person, or they experience something traumatic that they can't handle." Poppy said, emerging from behind the black curtain and addressing Severus and the Headmaster. "She's resting now."

"How do you think this happened, Poppy?" the Potions Master asked her.

"Well, Severus, the symptoms leading up such an occurrence are numerous, and it could be triggered by a combination of the following: a sense of utter fatigue, low energy, little motivation, anxiety, agitation, sleeping too little or too much, a loss of appetite, guilty ruminations and hopelessness," Poppy said, counting the symptoms off on her fingers.

"Will she get better?" he asked, his voice betraying his concern. "What kind of treatment can we give her?"

"I would advise putting her into St. Mungos Psychiatric Ward," Poppy said, looking toward the curtain sadly. "They have more experience than I do with treating this kind of illness."

Severus had never seen anyone come out of that place whole. He didn't want Hermione there. But he was no longer her husband. He didn't have a legal right to say what would happen with her. He knew if he contacted her parents, they would take her out of the magical world completely and she would probably end up taking all kinds of barbaric muggle mood-altering medications, becoming dependent on them. What would such medicines do to her mind? That brilliant mind?

Hermione was no longer his wife, but she was a brilliant witch. It would be a great loss to the wizarding world if she were to lose access to that wonderful, sharp mind of hers. She still had so much to accomplish.

Severus pulled Albus to the side.

"I don't want her to go to St. Mungos, Albus," he said to the old wizard.

Albus looked solemn.

"I don't see how you can stop it, Severus…unless…" the Headmaster paused thoughtfully.

"Unless what, Albus," Severus asked him impatiently.

"Unless you convince her to sign a paper declaring you her guardian," the Headmaster said.

"Guardian?" Severus repeated, his eyes narrowing.

"It's a great responsibility. You will be responsible for every decision concerning her until such time as she can care for herself. But I would have to check with Poppy to see if Hermione is able to make such a decision," Albus said.

Severus hesitated. A guardian for his ex-wife? Gods. Maybe he should just let her go to St. Mungos.

Then he thought about all the wizards and witches wandering around the psychiatric ward with vacant eyes, looking like lost souls in their drab gray gowns. He couldn't imagine Hermione there.

"Check with her, Albus," Severus said.

The Headmaster nodded and walked over to Poppy, who listened, then looked over at Severus, then nodded at Albus. She walked to her office.

"Poppy said that Hermione appears to understand what is being said to her at the moment. If you can explain what you want to do and get her to sign the papers granting you guardianship, then you can make decisions in her best interest," Albus said.

Poppy returned with a parchment, and handed it to Severus, along with a quill.

"Best be about it then, Severus," she said, looking at the wizard rather strangely.

She thought it odd that the wizard would be willing to take on the responsibility of a witch that shamefully divorced him. Maybe there was still something there.

Severus parted the curtain and walked in. Hermione was lying in the bed, her amber eyes turning toward him immediately.

"Severus," she said softly as the wizard drew up a chair and sat near the head of the bed.

He looked down at the witch. Her color was better.

"Hermione, you are very sick," he said to her gently, "You need help."

"I need you," she replied.

Severus did his best to ignore this statement. She didn't know what she was saying.

"Listen Hermione. I want you to sign this paper so I can help you," he said. "It will let me make decisions for you."

Hermione let out a little sad laugh.

"Where were you when I decided to divorce you, Severus? I sure could have used some guidance then," she asked him.

"I was here at Hogwarts," he said, trying not to sound bitter. He tried to get her back on the subject of the guardianship papers.

"If you sign these, Hermione, I can make decisions for you until you are better. Decisions about your health, and your treatment," he said, shaking the parchment at her a bit.

Suddenly it seemed as if her eyes cleared for a moment.

"Why Severus? Why do this?" she asked him.

He looked at her and smirked.

"Temporary insanity?" he asked, not knowing what else to say.

Hermione studied him for a moment, then smiled, and reached for the pen.

With a few flourishes, she was now under the care and guardianship of one Severus Snape, Potions Master and rather torn ex-husband.

This was the first act of trust.

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A/N: All I can say about this chapter is woah! Please review.