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A Dark Lord's Future	By : use2b2t2 Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Snape/Hermione Views: 18572 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter . JK Rowlings does and I keep my day job and make no money from this.

Chapter List
- 36
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- 38
Severus sat on the cot in his cell at Azkaban reflecting on the sentencing and remembered the shattered look of Hermione when they announced their sentence. He was not surprised at all.

He rubbed his beard finding the irritating lice and picked them out, tossing the bugs to the floor. At least he wouldn't be bothered them soon.

But Hermione took the sentencing to heart and looked to the Wizengamot in disbelief at the words of being sentenced to death by the Dementor's Kiss. He remembered her slumped down in her chains in defeat when she realized that there was no hope at all.

He wished that he could be with her one last time. Other then Albus she understood him, though she had no choice in that. She was the closest that he could call a loved one.

He felt a chill in the room. The Dementors sensed the first flicker of emotion from him in eight months and was coming for him to suck that feeling away.

Severus heard a shout and watched a bright light of a Patronus shining through the bars as a group of shadows walked toward him.

The light faded and a guard unlocked the cell without a word and roughly chained him up in hand and ankle shackles before motioning him out of the cell and pushed him forward through the dark halls hearing the screams and moans of his fellow prisinors.

He was pushed into a room that was rather nice with a large bed in the corner and two chairs in front of a fire burning brightly, heating the room.

Severus turned and watched three hooded figures move into the room and stood silently.

"You have 24 hours in this room murderer and I can't wait to witness your death!" The guard snarled slamming the door behind him.

"Here to mock me?" Severus snarled out.

Harry pushed his hood down and looked to him in remorse. "Never Master Snape. We are here to offer something more but we have to wait." Unlocking the shackles with the key that the warden provided.

Severus looked to the young man in silence ignoring the two hooded wizards wondering what it could be.

Soon a ragged form was thrown in "Deatheater bitch! You'll be kissed soon enough!" A guard shouted out and slammed the door shut.

The form stood up shaking violently and pushed the matted hair from her eyes and looked around and found Harry looking at her as a tears slid silently from his eyes.

"Ha-Ha- Harry!" Hermione rasped out.

Severus observed the scene unfold. She foolishly held onto hope throughout the eight month trial and that drew the Dementors to her like a moth to light. She must have suffered terribly. He warned her after all.

Harry rushed over and pulled her to him, sobs sounding out as he held the shaking form. "Hermione I tried to convince them. We all did and looked to where it led. They did not listen at all!"

He moved her to the sink in the room and poured out a glass of water with one hand and placed it to her lips and slowly tilted the glass as he spoke softly. "We love you Hermione. The others wanted to be here but it was hard enough to arrange this."

Hermione tried to force more water from the glass but Harry's grip was strong as he let the water slowly dribble from the glass.

Soon the glass was empty. "Better Hermione?"

Hermione felt better with the water and took a moment to wash her face and turned to him. "What did they do with William Harry? No one would tell me anything and he is only six. Would they harm him?"

Harry moved guided her to the chair next to Severus. "We don't have much time. William is safe and I am his guardian now. Ginny and I will love and protect him always Hermione. I promise he will grow into a fine wizard and he will know his parents. It's the least I can do considering that both of you are about to sacrifice your life for the Wizarding world."

Hermione shook in relief. "Thank you Harry. I can die now knowing that he will be cared for."

"Enough of this!" Severus snapped out. "Why are we here when we should be in our cells waiting for the morrow when we take the Kiss?"

Hermione turned to her husband and shrilled out. "I know you do not care for your son Severus, but even you should be thankful that he will live!"

Harry watched a pained look from his ex-professor before his face changed back to the cold harsh look his ex-professor normally wore. So the man loved his son. He felt better of what would be presented next.

"Still your stinging words Hermione." Severus snapped out. "Potter promised to protect and raise him well. It is enough for me but there are two others in this room. A room I might add is the most comfortable in all of Azkaban free of Dementors and you heard the terms of endearment spoken from our dear guards. Why are we here?" He demanded.

"Direct and to the point as always Master Snape." Harry smiled to the man sadly for a moment and then continued. "We are here because of Hogwarts. It feels that it owes a debt to a former Headmaster that protected future students and to one that sacrificed herself for the Greater Good."

The two hooded figures pulled down their hoods revealing Minerva and Fillius.

"We are in the Warden's personal chambers. He was my classmate when I attended Hogwart's and agreed to this so I could offer the both of you an alternative to losing your soul and the Veil denied for the Dementors will consume your soul leaving you to nothingness." Minerva spoke.

Hermione and Severus watched as Fillius went to a wall and revealed a blank portrait leaning on the wall.

Filius squeaked out. "The castle gave me an ancient charm that will place your soul within this portrait. You will carry on but it will be for eternity and you both will reside at Hogwart's forever as the portrait will capture your souls within the portrait. You will remember everything and not be a signature of what you were as the other portraits in the castle."

Minerva spoke up. "You could talk to your son as he grows up. Harry agreed to become a professor so he can reside there so that you can watch your son grow up. There is a catch though. The charm can only work with Severus and whomever he decides that he wants to be painted with as he is the Headmaster."

Hermione looked to Harry. "You wanted to be an Aurour Harry. Would you really sacrifice your dream for me?"

"Do you really need to ask the question Hermione? I would die for you." Harry spoke out vehemently.

Filius moved and placed a parchment on the table. "The instructions you both need to complete the charm. Regardless of what you decide the Warden will forward the blank portrait back to Minerva. I pray that I see you both appear when…well…you know."

Harry spoke uncomfortably. "We'll leave you now to discuss this. The guards will not disturb you until it is time for..."

Hermione stopped his words. "Stop Harry. My death is worth it for everyone is free. I hoped that I would be allowed to live and punished in some other way but I did terrible things Harry and killed in horrific ways. Severus did warn me before and I still took the Mark as it was the only chance that we would be successful in defeating Voldemort. I thought that we would be vindicated but he was right in the end."

Severus looked to his wife and spoke. "Could you clean us up Mr. Potter? I want to spend the last hours of my life as I was since I have the chance to do so."

Harry looked to the man for a moment and pulled his wand out. "Scourgify!" Cleaning the dirt and grime from the couple and then transfigured their prisoner attire into something that they wore in the past.

Minerva looked to the prisoners and pointed her wand and Severus found himself free of lice and no beard and looked to Hermione finding her once matted hair free and what it was before her imprisonment.

"We'll leave you then." Minerva softly spoke and banged on the door. It opened up and Hermione watched the witch and wizards leave, door slamming shut behind them.

Severus and Hermione were left to themselves.

After an hour of silence Severus spoke. "What do you think Hermione?"

"It's up to you Severus but you would be stuck with me forever. We were thrown together without choice and while it could have been worse it wasn't nice. There is no endearing connection between us as you acted out of duty despite what I feel for you. You showed no emotion to me and only for William in the beginning. There was a moment or two in the years we have been together."

He barked out a laugh. "It could have been worse? Considering what you had to become to give Potter a chance to fulfill the Prophecy couldn't be any worse?" He looked to her in sadness. "I'm sorry that you are here beside me waiting for a horrible death to befall us. You could have been so much more Gryffindor that was the brightest witch of her age."

He sighed looking around the room and found cabinet in the corner and moved to it and filled two large glasses full of Firewhiskey and handed her one and sat down in the chair next to her. "Slowly Hermione as I think the guards would be upset if they have to give us hangover potion to ensure our proper reaction as the Dementors float towards us ever so slowly with their mouths open to suck out our souls leaving us to nothingness."

Hermione took a sip of her Firewhiskey and placed it down and chuckled. "Ever the fountain of hope Severus and I find it perfect in the end. I was dead bowing before Voldemort and married to him, and I was dead when I married you, and dead when I took the Mark and did what I had to do. I've been dead for quite a few years Severus."

He changed the conversation as the current one made him uncomfortable. "You know everything about me Hermione through the memories I gave you and other than a few glimpses in your mind I know nothing of you other than what I observed at school. Tell me of your life Hermione. Life before Voldemort's victory."

"Not that it matters now Severus." She muttered looking to him. So he wanted to know her at the very end. That comforted her and she began to speak and continued for three hours. She finished her story and looked to him.

"Thank you for sharing with me Hermione. You are the closest that I can call a loved one and it calms me to be allowed one more time together. I will be grateful for this until the time that the Dementors pull us into oblivion."

Hermione observed her husband. She had his memories but that did not help her to understand him. He was complicated, his whole live spent in double and triple lies. She felt that she was seeing the man as he truly is for the first time.

"But you have a choice Severus." Pointing to the blank portrait.

He followed her finger. "We have a choice Hermione." Correcting her words. "Yes I protected you out of duty first. I made a promise to another wizard to protect Harry and then you were thrust into my life. I thought that there was no hope and the boy dead. Then you were there with your hope and it reminded me of the vow I made. Despite what you think of me I do care for William. I love him."

Hermione eyes widened in surprise realizing the man was for the first time being completely honest and listened as he continued.

"I do not love you Hermione. Voldemort told me early on that you would be killed and I would be free. I was not sure why at the time but it was duty Hermione just as you said earlier. It was my duty as a husband to do the best to protect you and I did the best I could." He sipped his drink and continued. " And when William was born you loved him and did not hate him considering that I am his father. There were many nights I left our bed and watched William in his crib thanking the Gods I had a son for I never thought I would be blessed as I willingly damned myself years ago by choice. I found that I began to care for you."

"You said you did not love me Severus. Did something change?"

Severus smiled and Hermione saw that it was the first genuine smile coming from the man.

"It was tonight Hermione. I saw how much you suffered through the trial despite my warnings and reflected on that and our son. It was then that I realized that I loved you. Eight months the Dementors never visited my cell for I had no hope or happy thoughts. I have always known what the future would hold for me if caught. Just as I realized that I loved you they came for me and Potter interrupted them."

He pointed to the portrait. "I do not care to be ensconced forever at Hogwarts though I am flattered that the castle would offer it. Could you stand to watch our son grow up and not hold him or kiss him or read him stories at night? All you could do is watch Potter raise him and you would spend forever with me, souls intact and unable to die."

Silence fell as Hermione sat in silence eyes closed thinking and he watched her. She was onto something.

She opened her eyes. "Severus, I want to be in the portrait and after we are there I promise that we will not have to spend an eternity at Hogwart's. Do you trust me Severus?"

Severus reflected. He did the moment he gave her his memories and was forced to entwine his life into hers. "I do Hermione." Standing up and grabbed the parchment on the table and read it before pulling her from her chair and handed it to her to read.

Hermione read it. "Are you ready Severus?"

He looked to her. "I am and after this I want to hold you and sleep with you one last time Hermione."

Hermione smiled. "I think that I can do that."

They placed their hands on the blank portrait and performed the requirement of the charm and Severus led her to the bed and lay down fully clothed. "Let us feel the physical presence of one another as we await our death."

Hermione laid down beside him and felt peace for the first time in almost four years. She felt they both were ready to take the next step.
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A Dark Lord's Future