A Sacrifice for Love

Severus Snape sat in his office, staring at the wall. They had not been at breakfast. By they, he meant Minerva, Granger, Potter and Weasley. He wondered if Minerva was going to burst in on him any moment and demand his resignation. Rumors had spread like fire that Hermione was awake. Severus winced when he thought of that they were saying about him.

He remembered that dreadful moment when the Death Eater had uttered the terrible words to the even more terrible curse. He had felt peace knowing he was going to die. There was no way to avoid it. But then, Miss Know-it-all Granger had stepped in front of him. He had stared at her in shock as the curse hit her and he watched the life fade from her body. He had caught her in his arms.

Her face had become peaceful, with a small smile in death. He had held her close asking “Why, why, why?” The battle had kept going around him but he had not noticed. Not until he heard a familiar voice.

“Why Sevvie, I didn’t know you cared so much for the mudblood. Pity she took your curse. I had planned to play with her a bit more.”

He had laid Hermione on the ground gently and turned to Bellatrix LeStrange.

“At least her death will give me the pleasure of sending you to your own. Crucio!” he said silkily, using the Unforgivable curse wandlessly. Bellatrix, who had not known of his wandless abilities, screamed in agony and pleasure as the curse hit her. Snape could see the smile on her face and was disgusted. Some of the Death Eaters enjoyed pain, even to this degree. “Avada Kedavra” he cursed with all of the hatred in his body.

He did not see Potter defeat the Dark Lord but he did feel the great pain in his arm at his end. He gently scooped Hermione up in his arms and was carrying her to the Great Hall when Potter and Weasley stopped him. He had tried to explain but they were too grief stricken to listen.

Snape shook his head, trying to rid himself of the memory. He knew it did not matter that he had awoken her. It had not been his potion. He had just been the one to administer it. He would never be able to repay her for the second chance she had given him. He sighed and decided to make his way to class, wondering if she would be there.

Hermione walked down the hall alone, deep in thought. Harry and Ron had gone ahead of her for some reason or another. She was thinking about how to approach Professor Snape about his happiness. Some of the situations she had imagined were quite humorous, but she was sure he would never agree. Finally realizing she was going to be late, she started to run. She did not want to give him a reason to take points on her first day back.

As she turned a corner, she ran into a wall. Two hands reached out and caught her before she could fall. “Miss Granger, what a surprise. Do you always plan to throw yourself in front of me?” said a familiar silky voice. She looked up into his black eyes.

“Err... No Professor, only when you are in danger.” She said cheekily, and then cursed herself in her mind. Why would she even attempt to joke with him? He had verbally blasted other students for less. She was astonished to see a small smile pass his lips before they twisted to form the more familiar sneer.

“Amusing, Miss Granger. Perhaps you should have stayed in Madame Pomfrey’s care.” He said. He seemed to be struggling with something inside himself and finally he asked “How are you? No side effects?”

She shook her head. “I am perfectly fine, Professor, thank you for asking.”

“About what happened... when you woke...” he paused and she could see he was still struggling.

“No worries, Professor. Snow White potion, I know” she said before she could stop herself. She mentally kicked herself when his eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Err... Need to get to class, can’t be late” she said before running off.

He stared after her. He had never heard of a Snow White potion before Amy had told him about it hours before. He wondered if Amy had talked to Miss Granger and if she had, what she had told him. His face darkened and when he went into class, his mood was worse than usual.

He took points from Gryffindor for every little thing and even took points from Slytherin when they annoyed him. At the end of class, the students sat, almost afraid to breathe. Except for Hermione Granger. She had finished her potion in record time and he had avoided her. When class was over, they all packed up their books. As Hermione was walking out of the Potions classroom, Professor Snape stopped her.

“Miss Granger, could I have a word with you?” he asked. She nodded to let Harry and Ron know it was fine and turned back to the Potions professor. He waited until everyone had left the room before he motioned for her to sit.

“How did you know it was a Snow White potion, Miss Granger? You were unconscious during the ordeal, if I remember correctly.” He said in his dangerously cold voice. Hermione shivered her mind racing.

“I am not sure, Professor. I just remember hearing a woman say that is what it was... Was there a woman in the room, Professor? I did not see anyone.” she said innocently. It would not do to let him know about Amy’s request before it was time.

Snape flushed. “No there was not. Perhaps it was your imagination. You are excused.”

She nodded and shivered again as his voice washed over her. To her dismay it wasn’t fear or distaste but pleasure that had made her shiver. It was deliciously dark and she wondered what it would feel like to have him use that silky voice in her ear, whispering sweet nothings.

“Miss Granger? Are you all right?” She snapped out of her reverie and stared at him in horror. He gave her a concerned look and his hand was held out as if he was about to touch her. She jerked away and nodded.

“Err... yes, Professor. Thank you for your...” she didn’t finish the sentence but turned and ran from the class. He stared at her in consternation. “What the hell...” he murmured. He thought that had gone well... as well as expected considering the circumstances. He pretended to shrug it off, but deep down it bothered him. There had been surprise and fear in her eyes when she had looked up at him.

That did not concern him, much. He was used to that reaction from his students. It was the other emotion he thought he saw. It had come and gone and he was not even sure it had been there. Desire.



Hermione rushed from the classroom and past Harry and Ron who had been waiting. She ran down the halls until she came to a place she could be alone. Well mostly alone, but Moaning Myrtle usually did not speak to her unless Harry was with her. She splashed her face with water and sank down on the ground.

Had she really just thought about Professor Snape this way? It must have been the potion, she decided. There was no way she could feel that way about him otherwise. Amy had not mentioned that the potion would have this side effect.

“Hermione? Are you in there?” Harry called, peeking in the doorway. He opened the door and came in, followed by Ron, when he saw her sitting on the floor. “What happened? Did Snape say something to upset you?”

She looked at him thoughtfully. She could not tell them about the side effects of the potion. They had a hard time already reconciling the fact she had saved Snape’s life and must find him happiness. They would not be able to handle it if she told them how she was feeling now.

“No, it was just a... memory from the battle that upset me. I... it’s been so hard...” she lied. She didn’t actually remember much from the battle, other than her sacrificing gesture for Professor Snape. Harry clucked his tongue sympathetically. He still had nightmares.

“It’s over and we are here together. We have a future now.”

She smiled at him. “A wonderful future... if I pass my classes. I never imagined I could be so far behind.” She said a little worried.

Ron rolled his eyes. “Bloody hell, Hermione, you couldn’t be behind if you missed a year of classes. And if you were, it would only take a week to catch up.”

They laughed. Hermione looked at both of them and thought they were the best friends anyone could have. “I need to do some research for Potions. I will be in the Library if you need me.” She said.

They nodded, not surprised. It seemed Hermione would live in the Library if she could. They went out to the Quidditch field to practice and Hermione made her way to the Library. Hours later, she sat frustrated. There was no Snow White potion mentioned in any of the books. But maybe there wouldn’t be, she thought, if Amy was the first to discover it.

With that in mind, she decided to find out what the Wizarding World’s version of Snow White. She knew muggles had several versions, some being light and sweet, some dark and twisted. She went to find a book on fairy tales. What she found greatly disturbed her.

It was a dark, sinister story of a witch, jealous of her stepdaughter's growing power, decides to kill her. In the story, the stepmother hires a dark wizard to curse her with death, but at the last moment her power saves her. Instead of death, the curse causes an eternal sleep that she will not awaken from. Dwarves find the sleeping witch and encase her in a glass coffin.

Years pass and a young, brilliant wizard finds the coffin and the young witch inside. Discovering what happened to her, he vows to wake her. With the help of the Dwarves, he discovers a potion that works but a kiss must activate it. They find out the potion works but one of the consequences is it acts as a love potion. The young witch, upon seeing the wizard when she wakes, falls in love with him.

The story was long and detailed but Hermione skipped over what she could without losing the plot. There were only so many descriptions you could give an evil witch, dark forest, handsome wizard without going too far. With a wave of her wand she checked the book’s history to find out who had used it. She was not surprised to find Amy Dearly’s name listed.

Suddenly she slapped her forehead. If Amy had brewed a new potion, it would possibly be in her notebook, the one hidden in the Slytherin common room. As good as Amy was with Potions, she would have all of her notes, written there too, including experiments and possible side effects. She had to get that journal.

Finally realizing what time it was, she swore to herself. She may have the problem of the potion, but she also had an even bigger problem of finding someone to love Snape. She sighed. It was as Ron had said “Bloody impossible.”


Snape was worried when Miss Granger did not show up for dinner. Her friends sat, talking as if nothing was wrong. Sooner or later, Minerva must have noticed where his attention lay because she leaned over. “She is in the library doing research. I asked Mr. Potter about it. He said she is quite upset at missing so many classes.” She said, reprovingly.

He gave her a cool glance, pretending to not understand. “Who is in the library?” He was sure he had not fooled her when she rolled her eyes and muttered “Slytherins”

He ate his dinner in record time and rushed back to his dungeon rooms. He was still trying to research the Snow White potion but he had not found anything on it at all. He remembered the journal Amy had kept when she was alive and was sure there would be something in it about the potion. She had refused to tell him where it was hidden many times.

He was surprised that she had not come to gloat over the success of her potion. She usually did when she helped him, though he did not need her often. They had a difficult relationship. As children, they had been partners, discovering new potions and substitutions for old potions to make them more effective.

He had been surprised when she had declared her love for him and horrified when it became public knowledge. He was a very private wizard and disliked being the subject of gossip. He had withdrawn from her and ultimately it had caused her death. He may not have loved her then, but he was never given the chance to find out if he could have loved her later.

It was just another reason to hate James Potter, Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. They had destroyed what should have been a happy time at Hogwarts. He had not been too sorry when James Potter had died. It was justice, plain and true. He was sorry that it had been because of him that he and Lily had died. While others may think so, Severus Snape was not a killer at heart. If he had been, the Marauders would have had ‘accidents’ at school.

As a ghost, their relationship had been very complicated. She had hidden herself away, only to come out when she was extremely lonely or believed he needed her help. From that, he thought she spied on him. Being an extremely private person, it had disturbed him for a while but when his private business was not made public, he relaxed.

Sometimes she would come to talk about some potion she had been researching. She had not lost her thirst for knowledge as a ghost. Always, she came to gloat when her assistance was a success, like today, but she had not appeared. He would never had admitted it but he was slightly worried about her.

A knock on his door startled him from his reverie. Expecting to find Amy at the door as usually she knocked, he didn’t bother to put on his robes. He strode across the room and flung open the door. “About time! I have questions for... you...” his voice trailed off when he spotted the wide eyed Hermione Granger staring up at him, her mouth wide open.