As Long As You Need Me

Chapter I

It appeared to be the room of a couple whose picture hung on the wall but it's inhabitants had apparently long since abandoned the household, with all their clothes and other belongings gone. Only the furniture was left behind and a photograph on the bedside table but which was now magically blank. The light coming through the open window announced that it was daytime but the dust on the drapes told him that this room was only recently opened, for his use obviously.

He pushed himself up on the bed, ignoring the burning pain that shot up his left arm and shoulder. He couldn't fathom how it was that he was alive. He had been ready to die, welcomed it even when it came, praying that he could finally meet with her again in the afterlife, if such a thing even existed. His whole life, the purpose of his living was leading upto this. Either that or he was willing to succumb to oblivion, satisfied with the fact that he had fulfilled his promise to the only woman he had ever loved. Waking up in a stranger's bed wasn't what he had in mind.

He wanted to know who had interfered in his plan, who had taken the liberty to take matters into their hands and stopped him from reaching his goal just yet, leaving him at the mercy of some unknown person, who also ogled at him curiosly with a pair of eyes that seemed oddly familiar...

"Oops, sorry. Did I wake you?"

Snape turned his head towards the sound of someone stubbing their toe on the doorframe and letting out a whimper, while trying to enter.

"G-Granger?"

"Yes,"Hermione smiled, glad that he was fully awake,"It's me, sir."

He was staring at her dumbfounded, the wheels in his head spinning into motion. She approached his bed cautiously, watching him carefully; he had somewhat of a stubble for lack of grooming, his lank hair was messy from staying in bed and there were permanent dark circles under his eyes and lines on his forehead. The most awful feature staring her in the face was the look of complete exhaustion and world-wearyness on this broken and battered man in front of her.
"How are you feeling now, professor? Are you in pain? Do you want me to call the hospital? What do you need?"

"I- uh...how, wha-...you did, how?"

"I gave you an antidote for the venom, after I found you still had a pulse back in the Shrieking Shack. It was no miracle really, it was the result of all those years of studying at the greatest school there is. There really was not much of a chance but I had my fingers crossed for you, ah ahem, I hoped that you would survive. Luna helped out a lot. You remember her don't you? She's a healer now, at St.Mungo's. Can you believe it? Oh, and we won by the way, but y-you get that, I take it. There were some casualties though..Remus, Tonks and...and Fred. And Harry almost died. But the rest are good...well almost. Now I'm so happy to be able to take your name off the list of the dead. I was waiting for you to wake up. Luna said it's gonna take some time for you to fully recover. And don't worry, I had two helpers to change your clothes and clean your wounds, ha ha I didn't do that myself- I wasn't sure if you would be okay with that." She gradually let her voice fade out when she saw that he was still staring at her with the same expression of mixed surprise, shock and amusement and, was that, anger? She didn't understand what he was thinking but then decided that he must be taking time to take it all in, obviously not getting over the initial shock of being alive even in the worst of circumstances.

"Oh, look at me, blabbering on. You must me so hungry. And thirsty." She jumped into action. "I don't have a house-elf so I'm afraid you're gonna be subjected to my horrible cooking." She gave a hollow laugh which was received by the same vacant expression. She shifted her weight between her legs some more and then left the room.