All the way

Hermione froze.

No one had ever said anything like that to her before. He chest tightened in a warm way; sort of like when she saw her parents, but different.

She could feel herself falling, but couldn\'t let it happen. She emptied her wine glass and put it down. Hermione reached down and grasped Severus\' hands. She removed them from her waist and swept passed him into the living room.

She heard him following as she tried to find something to do. There was nothing to distract her though. Hermione sat down on the sofa but regretted it when Severus placed himself next to her. She wanted to move to the chair, but thought it would seem rude.

\"Thank you.\" She said quietly.

\"When some one tells the truth, they need no thanks.\" He said wistfully as he stared at her intently.

\"Well, thank you all the same.\" Hermione shifted under his gaze, looking any where but at him. Deciding to try and change the subject and get him out of the house, Hermione made a suggestion, \"Why don\'t we go to Hogsmeade?\"

\"\'we\', as in you AND me?\" He asked.

\"Yes, \'we\' means more than ones person,\" She nodded, \"We can\'t stay hidden all the time. You have to get out.\"

Severus sighed, \"If you want, but maybe I should go alone. There will be lots of people around...\"

\"No, we go together if we go at all,\" Hermione said firmly as she checked that her wand was in her pocket, \"I\'m ready, are you?\"

\"Yes,\" Severus stood up as she did.

\"Good,\" She said before he could suggest side along apperation, \"See you there.\" With a \'pop\' she left.
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Severus took a deep breath and followed the only living person that he cared for. He appeared at Hermiones side in an Ally way. She smiled and slipped her arm through his.

They walked out of the Ally and into the main street. They got a mixed reaction from the public. A few people ignored them like they were ordinary and not in every wizarding paper. Most people crossed the street and glared, pulling their children away. Some teenagers watched their every move with interested eyes.

What was surprising though, was that once or twice a witch or wizard would smile at Hermione and nod to him. One wizard even stopped them and kissed Hermiones hand, then shook Severus\' whilst beaming.

\"Brilliant! Both of you!\" He said gleefully before trotting away. Severus stared dumb struck at the place where he had been until Hermione nudged him in the ribs and they walked on.

\"Is there any where you really want to go?\" Hermione asked him.

\"No, any where will do me.\" Severus said.

\"Well, like I told you last night, I need some new shoes. So you can go where ever you want, while I go and get some.\" She smiled as they stopped outside a shoe shop.

Severus didn\'t want to be with out Hermione; it would be the first time he was out in public alone and he didn\'t fancy it.

\"I don\'t mind coming -\" He started.

\"Don\'t be silly,\" She laughed, \"I\'ll bore you to death, you go and get something to eat or something. Meet me back in that Ally in...\" She looked at her watch, \"One hour.\" With that she walked into the shop.

Nervously, Severus started up the street.
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Nearly an hour later, Hermione walked back out of the shoe shop. They had nothing she wanted, but it didn\'t matter. She would be glad to find Severus and get home; a man in the shop had turned nasty and started shouting.

Hermione hurried down the cobbles to the Ally where they apperated earlier and leaned against the wall to wait for Severus.

Suddenly, a big hand covered Hermiones mouth. She tried to scream but it was hopeless.

\"This,\" Hissed a voice in her ear, \"is what you get for helping scum like Snape.\"

Hermione gasped and slumped.
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Severus strode down the Ally way and looked around, then at his watch. It was gone an hour and Hermione wasn\'t there. He looked around again, but this time he noticed and heard something.

A trail of red was leading into the shadows where a gasping was coming from. Carefully he took out his wand.

\"Lumos.\" Severus held his wand forward and lit up the shadows.

His heart almost stopped.

Hermione was slumped against the wall, blood soaking her clothes and pooling around her. She clutched her stomach as she took shallow breaths. Nearby on the floor, was a dagger, red liquid dripping from the point.

Severus shoved his wand into his pocket, ran over and fell on his knees next to the weak woman.

\"Oh Gods...\" He gathered her into his arms and stood up, muttering, \"Come on Hermione... don\'t you dare leave me now... what on earth would I do without you?\"

Quickly, he apperated to the gates of Hogwarts. With Hermione clutched close to him, Severus moved like lightning up to the castle. The front doors banged open as he sprinted in.

\"Severus!\"

He looked up to see Minerva running towards him.

\"What on earth\'s going on? What’s wrong with her? What...?\" She gasped.

\"She\'s dieing, that\'s what!\" He shouted over his shoulder as he headed down to the dungeons.

He flew into the potions classroom and laid Hermione on one of the desks. Like a man possessed, Severus ran to his own private potions cupboard and grabbed five vials.

He ran back and skidded to a stop in front of the dieing woman. Severus pulled off her coat and ripped open her blouse, reviling a deep wound.

Severus whispered his encouragements for her to stay alive as he poured vial after vial into the gash. Finally, hoping that he was not too late, Severus pulled out his wand and ran it over the wound, muttering incantations under his breath. When he was sure the skin was properly fixed, he moved up to look at Hermiones face.

Some color was coming back to her white face. He felt he throat for a pulse. It was weak, but getting stronger. He lifted her head and sat down, resting it in his lap and stroking her forehead.

\"Merlin... I thought you were gone, I thought you were going to leave me there. Don\'t ever, ever frighten me like that; I swear my heart won\'t take any more.\" He whispered to her, not noticing her breathing returning to normal \"I really thought you were leaving me...\" He let out a long breath, but sucked it in when her warm eyes fluttered open.

\"Never...\" She said breathlessly. Severus could have danced for joy, but he didn\'t. Instead, he pulled her up into arms and held her so tight her ribs could have crack.

He couldn\'t remember the last time he had felt so scared; in fact, he thought it might have been the first time. What if she had died? What would he have done without her?

Then it really hit him. Some one had stabbed her and tried to murder her, and nearly succeeded. She had nearly died! He would have never seen her again, never talked to her, and never touched her.

If there had been a Bogart with him it would have shown what he had seen in the Ally way with the exception that Hermione wasn\'t breathing and had no pulse. How had his biggest fear become loosing her? How had she slithered under his skin?

Well, it didn\'t matter now. All that mattered was that he wasn\'t going to let her out of his sight ever again. His heart was already 90% glue, if Hermione went away there would never be enough glue in the world to fix it.

\"Severus,\" said a small voice, \"I need to breath.\" He only let go a little, so when she sat beck he could see her face.

It didn\'t look like he expected it to look. There were no tear stains on her cheek, no running make up. She was smiling and most of the color was back in her cheeks.

\"Oh sweet Merlin...\" He held her to him again, though not so tight, \"What on earth happened?\"

She sat back again, \"I got to the Ally, and some one grabbed me from behind. They said \'This is what you get for helping scum like Snape\' and shoved a bloody great knife in me! Then they dragged me back into the shadows and said \'When you got him out of Azkaban you signed your own death certificate\' and left.\"

Severus felt three very strong emotions. He felt anger at the bastard who would try and take her away from him. He felt guilt that she could have died because she helped him. And he felt something new.

It was a mixture of pride, happiness, relief and something that he thought he would never feel. Love.