A Sacrifice for Love

The last thing she remembered was seeing one of the Death Eaters throw the Killing curse at Professor Snape. She didn’t know why she did it, but she had stepped in front of him and taken the curse herself. She remembered seeing the shocked expression on his face as he caught her and then everything went dark.

When she awoke she was staring at her own body, lying in a bed. She blinked at it for a moment before realizing she must be dead. She looked down at her hand and she could see through it. She was a ghost.

“Not quite my dear.”

She tuned to find their beloved deceased Headmaster standing behind her.

“Headmaster, am I dead?” she asked in confusion. He smiled with compassion and the familiar twinkle in his eye.

“Not quite, my dear.” He repeated. He reached out and put his hand on her shoulder. “You saved someone’s life by taking the curse meant for him. But you did not die, you were put into a coma. You are only the second person in know history to live from the Avada Kedavra.”

She nodded slowly, feeling as if her mind was asleep. “Harry was the other one. His mother’s love saved him. What saved me?”

Dumbledore looked away for a moment. “You are not saved yet. You can still die. The others are trying to find something to help you.”

Hermione Granger nodded again. Her mother’s love would not have saved her. Her parents had been killed by Voldemort.

“Oh Headmaster! Did Harry win? Is he dead? What happened?” she asked urgently, remembering parts of the battle.

Dumbledore smiled. “All is well, Hermione. Harry prevailed and the Dark Lord will bother us no more. Your friends are all alive as well, with you being the only real casualty.”

Hermione started to ask him something but was interrupted by someone entering the room. It was Harry, Ron and, surprisingly, Draco Malfoy. They gathered around her bed and Harry took her hand.

“Hermione, if you can hear us, come back. You would be so proud. We are doing wonderful in classes and haven’t had detention yet.” Harry said. Hermione could hear the sadness in his voice.

Draco laughed. “You shouldn’t lie, Potter. You had detention from Professor Snape just last week.” Harry glared at him for a moment.

“Shut up, Malfoy. I don’t even know why you are here.” Ron snarled. Hermione frowned and wondered if they were going to fight in the infirmary.

“Stop it, you two. Can’t you see how ridiculous this is?” she said. None of the boys seem to hear her. She watched them for a moment before turning back to Dumbledore. “Why can’t they hear me? If I am a ghost, I should be heard and seen.”

He shook his head. “You are not a ghost, my dear. You are not dead. Your spirit roams while your body is yet sleeping. I do not know how to help you Hermione. You were always the brightest witch, so perhaps you will figure it out. Good luck, my dear.” He began to fade away. She reached out to him but he was gone.

“Not a ghost. Humph, that is wonderful. Not everyone can see spirits. How am I supposed to fix this?”

She turned her attention back to her body and the boys. Men now, she thought. No boy could do what they had done and still be considered a boy. They were not arguing now. Draco had taken her hand and had done some spell. He seemed to be listening to something. She walked over to him.

“What are you doing?” she mused. She watched him for a moment before realizing he was doing a soul searching spell, to see if her body still contained a soul. “I am still alive and while I am alive, you will not touch me.” She snarled unreasonably. He dropped her hand abruptly.

“I felt anger, lots of anger. I believe she may be there still. We just have to find a way to release her.” He said, rubbing his hand absentmindedly. She felt immediate remorse for taking her anger out on him. It was not his fault she was in this mess.

“You are best in class after Hermione. I would rather she was here to help us, but I want to thank you for agreeing to help us. She is our best friend and we love her.” Harry said, heartfelt.

She was amused to see Draco blush. “I owe her. She saved my life twice in the battle. I can’t just let her go.”

They sat there in silence for a few moments before Harry turned to her body and kissed her gently on the lips. Ron did the same and Draco kissed her hand. They left the room. She walked over to the bed and looked down on herself. She considered what had happened. The first step to solving a problem was finding out why it had happened. She was so intent on her plan that she did not hear someone enter the room.

Severus Snape walked in the door and then put a warding on it, so no one could enter while he was there. He walked to her bedside, silently and slowly.

“Miss Granger... Hermione...” he murmured. For a moment she thought he was talking to her, but then she realized, he, like the others, could not see her. He was talking to the body in the bed.

“Why did you save me? After all I have done... And why did you not die?” he mused aloud. She watched him carefully, asking herself the same questions.

He had made them miserable during school. Giving detentions and taking points for the slightest error. He had killed Dumbledore, even if it was on Dumbledore’s orders. No one trusted him at all. He was not close to anyone and did not let anyone get close to him. Hermione had argued with Harry and Ron about him, just days before the final battle. She had said he deserved a second chance. Everything he had done had been for the ultimate downfall of the Dark Lord. She had said he deserved a chance at a normal life.

Harry had sneered at her, saying Snape didn’t deserve to live, much less a second chance to prove himself. He hated Snape almost as much as he hated Voldemort. Hermione also knew Snape hated Harry because he was his father’s son. Hermione had heard things about James Potter and wasn’t sure Snape’s hate was unjustified. She thought James Potter was similar in nature to Mr. Draco Malfoy, though she didn’t dare tell Harry she thought so.

She didn’t know the answers to the questions though she mulled them over in her mind. Snape stared at her for quite a while, as if trying to find the answers himself. She could see the grief on his face.

“I will find a spell to restore you, Miss Granger. It is the least I can do for you. I must do it. I must know why you did this.” He said firmly. He reached out and touched her cheek, then swept out of the room, his cloak billowing around him.

She stared after him in surprise. Not at his words. She knew he would feel obligated to help her considering the situation. But at his touch. It had been so gentle. She had never seen him touch anyone like that. But then she had never really seen him touch anyone, except maybe to drag them off to Professor Dumbledore.

Finally she shrugged it off. It was a mystery for another day. Her first objective would be to find someone who could see her. Oh how she wished she could use the library. She knew she would find the answer there but she was incorporeal and could not touch the books. She shrugged again. She would find a way out of this mess. She was not considered the brightest student at Hogwarts for nothing.




Her first decision was to leave the room. It was easily made when she realized she could walk through walls. In the back of her mind she wondered how she could walk through walls but her feet were firmly on the ground. She also wondered what would happen if there was nothing on the other side of the walls. She mentally added it to her list of studies that would continue when she woke up.

She made her way down the hallway of the infirmary and past the desk of Madame Pomfrey, who was reading a book. Not surprisingly, she did not see Hermione pass. She paused when she was in the hallway, not sure where to start. A sudden thought came to her and she giggled. She could always stand up when they were at dinner and shout “Who can see me?” while waving her arms. That would get someone’s attention.

A moment later she smiled. It wasn’t a bad idea. Everyone would be together. She could just walk up and down the aisles, looking for anyone that seemed to see her. Happy with her new plan, she walked down the hallway to the Great Hall. Everything was quiet and she realized it was night time. She would have to wait for breakfast then.

She sat down on one of the benches in the Great Hall, determined to wait until she could find someone who would see her. Again the thought of solidity crossed her mind. She could walk through walls and her hands passed through anything she tried to touch, yet she could sit on the bench. She reached a hand down to touch the bench and growled when her hand went through the bench. She did not understand this.

“It is odd, you know. The ghosts have the same problem. No one has figured out why, but I have a theory.”

Hermione jumped at the sudden soft voice. She turned to find a young teenage girl, a ghost standing next to her. She had long dark hair and wore green Slytherin robes “You can see me?” she said happily.

The girl frowned. “I could see spirits in life and now as well in death.” She said coolly. She went on to explain her theory. “I think it is within your mind. You sat down before you remembered you couldn’t. Your spirit remembers the feeling so it complied and made you seem corporeal, if only partially. I believe it is the same way with walking on the floors. Our minds cannot accept the possibility that we would fall through the floor, so our spirit will not let us.”

Hermione nodded. The theory did make sense. The mind was a powerful thing. “Will other ghosts be able to see me? Can you tell my friends?”

The girl scowled at Hermione. “I will do no such thing. I do not talk to the people in the castle. They did not have anything to say to me when I lived and I do not wish to speak to them when I have died.”

Hermione nodded slowly. She had never seen this ghost among the others. She did know quite a few of them. They knew a lot of things that happened in the castle so she had made friends with them. Harry and Ron had not known about her “spies”

“Why did you speak with me?” she asked.

The girl looked thoughtful. “You were wondering about the bench. I thought I would share my theory... Was I wrong to speak with you?”

Hermione thought she heard a tremor of uncertainty in the girl’s voice.

“No, no, no. Your theory is very sound. I would have never thought of that.” She lied. She knew she would have. It had already occurred to her. “Do you spend a lot of time alone?”

The girl sneered at her and Hermione was reminded of Snape. “Of course. The other ghosts do not like me. They believe I should have moved on. That I have no reason to be here.”

Hermione frowned. “That isn’t fair. You have your rights as they have theirs... May I ask why you haven’t moved on?”

The girl frowned at her suspiciously. “I loved someone. I will not go until he is happy. Would you like to see your friends? You are friends with Ron Weasley and Harry Potter, are you not?” Hermione did not like the way she said Harry’s name with such venom, but she nodded. She would like to see them and maybe she could get this ghost to help her.

The girl held out her hand and Hermione took it. Moments later they were flying through the walls and up to the Gryffindor Tower. They were in the common room and Hermione blushed at the scene.

Ron was snogging one of the sixth years. Angela McKinna was sitting on his lap, kissing him. He had her hand up her skirt and Hermione could hear her moans. As they watched, Angela knelt before him and pulled down his underwear. She took him in her mouth. As Hermione and the girl watched, Ron wrapped his fingers in the girl’s hair and pushed her head down. Soon he was moaning. Finally, when he had come, he pulled her back onto his lap and they cuddled.

Hermione could only watch in horrified fascination. She was sure if she had been in her body, it would have been very aroused. She looked up at the girl ghost, who was smirking in a very Slytherin fashion. She looked at Hermione. “Well now, let’s see Mr. Potter.” Hermione again worried over the way she said Harry’s name with such hatred.

She took her hand and they went up to Harry’s room. He was laying on his bed alone. The room was empty. Hermione wondered if the others were at trysts similar to that of Ron. Harry lay on his bed, on his back. As they got closer, she could see he was naked. Her eyes widened when she saw what he was doing. He had his hand wrapped around his staff, pulling gently. He began to moan as he moved faster. Hermione thought she heard him moan Ginny’s name.

“Let me show you a trick, Miss Granger.” The ghost said slyly. She pulled Hermione closer to the bed and pushed her into it. Hermione fell through Harry and through the bed to the floor but not before she saw what he was imaging.

Ginny Weasley was kneeling in front of Harry and was sucking him deep in her mouth. Hermione blushed and stood, glaring at the ghost. She was careful not to touch Harry again. She blushed, an even deeper red when Harry let out a loud gasp and come flooded his hand. He quickly spelled it away and covered himself.

Hermione growled at the ghost angrily, who stood looking at her benignly. “Why do you show me this? I do not want to see this.”

The ghost smiled slightly. “They could be trying to help you, Miss Granger, yet they are not...” She did not mention tonight was the first night either had decided to spend some time to himself. They had been searching the Library for days for a clue. Headmistress McGonagall had demanded they get some rest.

Hermione looked away. “They should not be out after curfew. I would not like them to get in trouble because of me” she said unconvincingly. The ghost’s words had affected her more than she would have liked.

“Come, I will show you something else.” The ghost said after a moment, holding out her hand. Hermione hesitated and then took it. This time they were going down into the dungeons, she saw. They finally stopped in someone’s study. Hermione glanced around in surprise.

She would never have thought to find this place in the dungeons. It was not very big but it was cozy and looked comfortable. There was a desk in the corner that was covered in books and two green plush chairs that sat next to a blazing fireplace. Hermione smiled, thinking it would have been something she may have put together, for her own private study. More books, perhaps.

The door opened and Professor Snape walked in. Hermione raised her eyebrows and stared at him is surprise. She was sure no one had ever seen him like this. He was not wearing robes, only a pair of black silk sleeping pants, leaving his chest bare. In his robes, he looked tall and thin, but without them she could see he was very muscular.

He looked up at the ghost in mild surprise. “Hello Amy. How are you?”

Hermione started at the sound of his voice, which was missing the customary coldness. The ghost moved towards him. “As well as the dead can be. How goes your research? Have you found a cure for death?” she said warmly.

Snape shook his head. “You know she isn’t dead. You know there is not a cure.” He said gently, as if breaking bad news. Hermione was stunned. She had never seen him speak this way with anyone, much less the ghosts.

Amy laughed humorlessly. “I, of all people, know this, Severus. She is not dead, that is true. Not dead yet.”

He gave her a suspicious look. “What do you know?” he demanded quietly. Amy shrugged.

“Not more than you, I’m afraid.” She responded.

Hermione turned on her. “Tell him!! Tell him about me!!” she insisted. The ghost ignored her.

“Why did she save you? From what I understood, she disliked you greatly. After all, look what you did to them for the last seven years.”

Snape scowled. “I don’t know but I intend to find out. Miss Granger was excellent in all her classes, Potions included. It was a pity she wasn’t in Slytherin.” He said

Amy shrugged. “Perhaps you will never know. Let me know if you need any help.”

He nodded and sat at his desk. Amy stared at him for a moment before holding her hand out to Hermione. Hermione was not sure what had just happened. Snape just had a conversation with a ghost and accepted her help if it was required. She felt like she had been hit with the proverbial bulldozer.

Hermione took her hand and moments later they were back in the Great Hall. She turned on Amy with a fury that Ron and Harry may have recognized. It had been turned on to them many times when they did something Hermione did not agree with.

“How could you do that? You could have told him about me!” she shrieked.

Amy looked at her passively. “And what would that have helped, Miss Granger?” she said in a cold voice that almost rivaled Snape’s. “He will not find what he is looking for in his potions or any book. You cannot bring someone back from the dead.”

Hermione stared at her in horror. “I am not dead yet. There may yet be something. Harry and Ron, or Snape will find a way to help, I am sure.” She said fiercely.

Amy looked at her in mild surprise. “I did not know you trusted him that much. Would you become a ghost, Miss Granger, if you died, if you could?”

Hermione was not sure where this was going. “Perhaps if I thought I could help people.”

Amy nodded and was silent. Hermione watched her and then wondered aloud “How did you die?”

The ghost smiled wryly. “Is this something you want to know or a rhetorical question?”

Hermione studied the ghost for a moment. If she was to convince the ghost to help her she first had to understand her, and perhaps befriend her. She nodded.

Amy sighed. “It’s a long story.”

Hermione sat and waited.