Time lost. ...EPILOGUE UP!

Severus Snape was annoyed. The first two months were the worst. First he had to gain his strength back in his limbs. Severus got a hold of a rejuvenation potion that restored his metabolism and he actually lost many of the lines in his face and his heart felt stronger then it had in years. Then he had to refine his spell casting. He spent hours refreshing his memory about different potions ingredients. Apparently dying was the best thing that could happen to him. He looked better then he had in years.

Soon the old woman was beginning to drive him mad with all her leering comments.
Eventually Severus took to running longer and longer distances across the Cliffs of Mohair just for a reason to escape the cottage.

Snape was not a typical male. He wanted; no… he needed the tyrannical cruel reign that formulating young minds provided him. To be blunt, He missed Hogwarts.

It reminded him of Hermione. Hermione Granger was dead.

The Ministry had resurrected a monument in her memory after she had been missing for 8 months. She had been given up for dead.

The memorial was a nightmare. Severus Snape made an appearance. His first public appearance since his death and everything exploded in the Wizarding World.

Severus had been mourning Hermione for years so it felt strange to hear others talk about her with such fond recent memory.

After the funeral, Potter released the information that Severus Snape was indeed alive and had been in a coma for the last three years. The romanticism with which he ‘died’ left him with an increasing amount of fan mail from witches all over the world.

Severus stared down at the black dirt that he had created a path in since he began running this particular stretch of Ireland. Beautiful countryside was making him crazy. He needed the thrills of excitement and advancement again.

Snape could have a position anywhere in the world to study with his newfound fame. But all he wanted was his stupid Potions position back. Honestly, Snape missed Hogwarts because it was his home. A home for misplaced boys.

An escape from his father and his memories of early life. Now, it was a haunting ground for his memories of Hermione. Severus walked to the edge of the cliff, removed his shorts and shirt, and dove off the edge. Using a cushioning charm, he sunk deep into the icy water at the bottom of the frightening drop.

Off in the distance the old woman watched Snape strip down and her merry eyes glowed appreciatively.

Severus Snape was finally going home.

Potter made all the arrangements and Snape left a month early to start the new classes.
Headmistress McGonagall accepted Snape back with open arms. They may never see eye to eye on their Houses, they both had a mutual love of Dumbledore that withstood their external bickering.

At the beginning of the year, like clockwork, new students were terrified of the dark, snarky Professor who was so cruel and unforgiving. Professor Snape was back and all was as it should be. Snape’s popularity grew in a strange morbid way, at least to him. Occasionally Snape went to Potter events but mostly he kept to himself all the time. Severus even occasionally dated some witches but eventually they realized that he was never, ever going to be more then a one-night stand. Severus Snape had no heart, not anymore.


Hogwarts 2014


It was raining heavily in Scotland.

Something black and mist like floated from the open mouth of the half naked, unconscious girl and into the wet grass, skulking as it ebbed and flowed, making its way to the Forbidden Forest, just beyond.

“Come on, Puff.” A young redheaded boy pushed past the trees and walked out towards the lake.

“What?” Puff pushed against his friend and slid over the tree trunk in the heavy rain. The boy slipped on a patch of sludge and he gasped as he slid all the way down the hill.

Puff slid right into a cold body wrapped in a black cloak. It was a naked girl wrapped in torn Hogwarts robes.

Puff screamed loudly.

Quigg scrambled down to where his friend was at and he gasped. “Is she dead?”

Puff just stared at the girls face. She looked like a sixth year. “We …. Better go get the Professors.”

Both boys scrambled back up the hill covered in mud. They ran inside to the Hogwart’s main hall and yelled. “ Professor Sprout!!”

The boys fell silent as Snape approached with a sneer on his pale face. “Mr. Pufftin, Mr. Quigg, Out after dark, 20 points from Gryffindor.” Snape continued to pass the pale faced children and they started to both yell at the same time.

“No Professor! There is a dead body! A girl…. Outside.” Both boys said in unison.

Snape frowned. “Stay here.”

Snape swept out of the Great Hall and down towards the lake.

He saw the female body crumpled by the edge of the tree. A pale face lifted barely out of the rain to prevent drowning. Snape fell to his knees.

“Oh my gods, is that Granger?” Professor Sprout ran up besides him and checked for a pulse.

Severus barely heard her words. He could feel rain pouring into his face as he stared at the girl for a long moment.

“Regardless, let’s get her inside.” Snape leaned down and scooped the girl into his arms dragging himself to his feet. Snape hurried inside with Sprout as they went to Madam Pompfrey.

Madam Pompfrey hurried to the bedside and turned the light on the girl’s face. “ Oh, my ..”

Severus snapped. “Get on with it. What’s wrong with her?”

Pompfrey felt her forehead and then checked her pulse. “I’m not sure. I need more time. Now shoo...”

Snape stared icily at her. “If you think in that pea brained excuse for a head of yours, I am leaving this room, with Ms. Granger here, for even a trip to the loo, then you are more feebleminded then I would have given you credit for.”

Sprout blinked in shock. Never had she heard such insulting words pour out of the Potion’s Masters mouth. Correct that. Never towards Madam Pompfrey.

“It’s ok…” Sprout reassured the nurse. “Professor Snape is um…”

“Her family…” Snape snapped impatiently.

Sprout wrinkled her brow and raised an eyebrow. “Um… yes.”

Pompfrey looked at Snape suspiciously but she continued to check Hermione’s vitals in front of him. “There has been some limb atrophy. Maybe some brain damage too. It looks like a poison. Unfamiliar to me.”

“Draw her blood. Maybe I can recognize some of the remnants of the potion.” Severus growled out at them.

“But, Professor Snape, she seems fine aside from that. She is just sleeping. She appears exhausted.” Pompfrey scowled.

Snape gripped the bed frame tightly and squeezed it with his hand. “Just do it. I want to reverse the effects.” Snape relaxed slowly, appearing to be counting backwards under his breath.

Hermione looked so fragile and young. She looked about the age when she died. Severus had to resist the urge to gather her back in his arms. Snape slowly exhaled and glared at the two women keeping him from her.

“Unless of course, we want Ms. Granger to be a sodding, vegetable paraplegic?” Snape uttered softly, sarcastically.

Sprout sighed and looked at Pompfrey. “Please just do what he asked.”

Sprout gently pushed Snape out of the hospital wing. “Come on. We need to call Potter. He’ll know what to do.”

Snape nodded numbly as he tried to think about what poison Hermione could be suffering from.

McGonagall hurried down the corridor towards them. “ Is it true? Hermione Granger has been found at last?”

The two other teachers looked back at her and nodded.

Pompfrey walked out of the hospital room door and shut it behind her. Her cheerful face solemn as she approached them.

“We have a problem.”

Snape felt something squeeze his insides and he strode towards the door and pushed it open.
“Hermione?” Snape stared down at the fragile girl lying in the bed.

Her whiskey colored eyes blinked once and then she looked up at him dazedly. “Hello Professor Snape.” Hermione’s voice was rough from misuse and she played with her hands, not looking back up at him.

Severus felt relief gush through him and he moved to sit across from her on the bed. “You’re okay Ms. Granger.” His hand went to clasp her own pale, cold hand and he gently squeezed it.

Hermione stared at him with something akin to a blush and she looked at his hand intertwined with her own.

“Professor… I...” Hermione opened her mouth to speak by Snape cut her off and he pressed his mouth against her own suddenly. Severus pressed everything into that devouring kiss, passion and love intermingling with a fierce lust. Gods he had longed for this for so long. She was here, alive and in his arms.

Hermione made a soft noise against his mouth and pressed her hands up to his chest. Severus murmured soft love words into her mouth as he kissed her back passionately.

“Professor!” A sharp voice rang out from the corner of the room.

Snape broke off from the kiss and glared darkly at Pompfrey. “Oh, sod off you old bat.”

Severus growled and he captured Hermione’s mouth again, sweetly and tenderly savoring every tiny hitch of breath that escaped from her mouth. Hermione gently pushed him back and Severus looked into her eyes with all the heated lust he held back from every damned year they were apart.

Severus swallowed hard. Hermione was not looking at him with mutual longing but with strange bewildered innocence, her face was as red as a tomato and she looked shocked.

“Ah HEM.” McGonagall cleared her throat loudly. “What Madam Pompfrey was trying to say Severus is that Hermione lost her memory. That is the problem, dear boy!”

Sprout walked forward and grabbed Snape who looked gobsmacked and gently escorted him to the door.

“We will do everything that we can, just give it time.” Sprout looked genuinely remorseful.

Snape spat. “Time… This is a joke right? I have given her nothing but time. This is endless.”

Snape stomped away from the door. “I’ll be in my room, drinking if you need me.”





TBC

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