AFTERWARDS

Hermione spent what felt like hours searching for the right potion and now she had the formula, she set about gathering the ingredients. She frowned, and then started to panic as she looked at the list. Some of the ingredients were so rare she didn’t think she had a chance of gathering everything in time.
She stood in the storeroom, examining the shelves, lifting bottles and adding them to the beaded bag she was still carrying around. It occurred to her she could probably dispense with some of the items in it, they wouldn’t be needed again.

Hermione let out a frustrated sigh and closed her eyes. She still needed Wolfsbane and Rattlesnake Weed and the store had neither. She needed to access Professor Snape’s personal stores and there was only one person she knew who could help her with that.

Hermione walked slowly up the broken spiral staircase and pushed open the door. The office was quiet, soft snoring noises coming from the portraits on the walls. Dumbledore’s Pensieve was glistening with Snape’s memories. Hermione was tempted to look at them for herself but knew she had to act quickly. She walked tentatively up to the portrait hanging behind the Headmaster’s desk. Dumbledore was sleeping, his glasses almost falling off his nose.

‘Professor Dumbledore?’ Hermione spoke softly, not wishing to startle him. Dumbledore shifted slightly, aware of a voice speaking his name. Pushing his glasses up his nose, her peered down from his portrait and smiled.

‘Miss Granger? A pleasant surprise…’

‘Professor, I’m sorry but I haven’t got much time. It’s Professor Snape, Sir…’ Hermione looked at him, unblinking.

Dumbledore stood up quickly. ‘Severus? I thought…well, I feared….’ He ran his hands over his face and stared at Hermione, his face pale.

‘He’s alive Sir. Well… I hope he’s still alive…’ Hermione closed her eyes and bit her bottom lip to calm the tremor in her voice.

Dumbledore noticed every nuance in everyone he spoke to and raised his eyebrows in slight surprise. ‘My, my…’ He thought to himself, ‘So that is the way of it…’ He smiled a little. He looked at Hermione in a new light and recognised the young girl had transformed into a beautiful young woman without anyone really noticing.

Hermione spoke again. ‘ He was poisoned by Voldermort’s snake. I can make the Sanguis Castus but I need the ingredients in the Professor’s personal store. I know it was sealed after he left Hogwarts but I need to get in there… can you help me, please Sir?’

There was desperation in her voice and she heard it herself. The knowing look in Dumbledore’s eyes told he she had given herself away and she looked away, blushing slightly.

‘Miss Granger, you should never be embarrassed by your capacity to care for another human being, regardless of what you perceive other people may think. You only need to remove the wards on Severus’s laboratory to gain access, I’m sure you know the spell.’ He smiled at her kindly.

‘Thank you, Professor.’ Hermione smiled at him, her eyes glassy with tears. He was so very kind, she felt she could tell him anything and he would never judge her. She turned to leave the room.

‘Miss Granger…. Hermione…’ Dumbledore called her back.

‘Professor?’ She looked at him, his eyes were serious, his hands on his hips.

‘Severus, as I am sure you have seen for yourself, is a good man. Please do all you can for him…’

Hermione nodded and left the office quickly. ‘For him…and for me.’ She resolved.

*******

Removing the wards hadn’t been as complicated as she had thought. Hermione was halfway through completing the potion and was waiting for it to turn a pale shade of blue. She let her eyes look around the Professor’s private laboratory and allowed them to rest on the wooden door that lead through to his private chambers, untouched since he had fled Hogwarts more than a year ago. She was tempted to go and look but fought against it. She had often tried to imagine his personal space, wondering if it was as stark and stern as the man. His laboratory was exquisitely laid out, clean and tidy. Hermione guessed that the house elves continued to clean it each day at Dumbledore’s request, there was not a speck of dust.

She examined the potion in the cauldron. It was the exact colour it should be and she quickly added the final ingredient, stirred three times clockwise. It turned a pale golden colour, which sparkled with flashes of pale blue. Taking three flasks she decanted the potion and hurried out of the castle, back to him.