All the way

Hermione awoke with a jerk. She blinked and pulled her head up from the dinning room table, removing a piece of parchment that was stuck to her cheek.

Hermione groaned. She should have listened to Dumbledore and read the papers in the morning, but she was so excited that she couldn\'t have slept even if she had tried.

After sneaking to see the painting, she had come home, sat at her table and read through the papers that would help her. Obviously she had fallen asleep.

It was Saturday. Good, she could get to work straight away. Hermione thought it best if she saw Snape first; he should at leased know about his own appeal. Well, she didn\'t have work today and the Ministry always put the thick guards on at the weekends at Azkaban; any one could walk in if they had money or a good body.

Right, she would have to dress appropriately; she didn\'t want Snape thinking she was still a child. But first, she had to write a letter.

*

\"NOW!\"

A high pitched voice broke through Severus\' nightmare. He couldn\'t say he minded in the leased. He listened carefully and heard a bumbling guard muttering something.

There was the sound of foot steps, and then a burly man came into view. He wrestled with some keys and stopped at Severus\' door.

What on earth was going on?

Severus never had visitors, apart from the guards at meal times. The man gave him a filthy look as the door opened and then he left. Severus swung his legs over the edge of the bed and was about to get up when some one came around the door.

A petite woman wearing a light blue suit with a pencil skirt walked in, her heels making tapping noises. He caught a glimpse of her shiny amber eyes before she turned to close the barred door, her sleek, wavy brown hair swaying as she did.

Wait. She was shutting the door. This woman -who looked like an angel to the deprived Severus-, was purposely shutting herself in with him, when he was believed to be a cold hearted killer.

She turned back and looked at him intently, then smiled. No one had smiled at him for years, not since -

No! He told himself sharply, don\'t go there.

The young woman walked over to him and held out a small, dainty, manicured hand.

\"Good morning Professor.\" She said in a heavenly voice. No one had called him Professor since -

NO!

Slowly, he took her warm miniature hand in his large rough one.

\"Who are you?\" He asked in a hoarse, unused voice.

\"Oh,\" She frowned, \"I suppose I have changed a little, but don\'t you recognize me?\" She cocked her head so that her brown curls swept into her face prettily.

\"Am I supposed to?\" Severus was stumped, surely if he knew a woman like this he would have remembered; he wasn\'t quite that mad yet. Deprived, depressed, but not mad.

The woman sighed and looked quite sad, \"Please don\'t go off the handle. I\'ve come to help. I\'m not being nosey. I-\"

\"Oh for Merlins sake woman!\" He stopped her rambling, \"Just tell me who you are and why you are here.\"

\"It\'s me Professor,\" She took a deep breath, \"Hermione Granger. I\'m here to tell you that I’m chief council on your appeal.\"

Severus looked at her wide eyed. Hermione Granger. Know-it-all, bushy haired Hermione Granger. When had she grown up? Then he reminded himself that it had been five years since he had last seen her.

Even as a man starved of the sight of a womans body, Severus had to admit that she was quite a stunner.

\"Professor?\" She frowned, \"Are you ok?\"

\"What...? Why...?\" Was all Severus could stutter. Hermione sighed and lowered herself carefully onto the grimy bed next to him.

\"I know it\'s a lot to take in Professor, but please try.\" She said patiently.

Severus took some deep breath. Then he remembered her other words.

\"What appeal?\"

\"I talked to Professor Dumbledores portrait last night,” Severus looked up from the floor instantly, \"And he confirmed my suspicions that you have been wrongfully imprisoned. I have the necessary papers to help you and get you out of this shit hole, I only need your signature to get the ball rolling.\"

\"He confirmed your suspicions?\" Severus asked as he tried to soak in this startling information.

\"Yes. I\'m sorry I didn\'t go to him years ago, but I wanted to get a good place at the Ministry so I would have a more information about how they worked and beat them if need be.\" She gushed and then took a deep breath.

\"Appeal?\" He croaked out.

\"I really want to have a go if you\'ll let me.\" She said softly. Severus searched her face and eyes, but saw nothing other than how sincere she was.

Some one really wanted to help him. He had given up even before his trial. And Hermione was smart, very smart. She might just stand a chance.

But what if she decided it was too much trouble and gave up, or thought it would give her too much bad publicity? She would surely be shunned by many people for doing what she proposed.

\"Please,\" She whispered, \"give me a chance.\"

\"Ok, Miss Granger, if I let you have your little game,\" He sneered, \"What exactly is in it for you?\"

\"A clear conscience and a paid debt.\" She answered simply.

\"A paid debt? How are you in my debt?\" He asked confused.

\"Well, me and Luna Lovegood think that we owe you. The night that the death eaters attacked,\" Severus was glad she didn\'t refer to it as \'the night you killed Dumbledore.\', \"We came down to you, remember?\" He nodded, listening intently, \"And you told us that Professor Flitwick had fainted. You could have killed us, or stunned us, or sent us back out into the battle where we would have been injured. Instead you saved us. Luna has agreed to help me; she\'s taken over the Quibbler and has agreed to support us.\"

Severus thought for a moment.

\"Alright Miss Granger, where do I sign?\"