otterscarred
Always Searching
Soft beams of morning sunlight streamed in through the dusty windows of the house Harry Potter and Hermione Granger had been sharing since they left Hogwarts. In fact, to call it a home was quite generous. 'Hideout' would, perhaps, be better fitting. 6 months had passed since their bittersweet victory, down to the day, and though the rest of the wizarding world celebrated, the two gryffindors sat quietly at their dining table, both staring into their individual cups of tea. The overall atmosphere of the place was depressing, to say the least. Though it was clean, it wasn't warm and inviting at all. There were no pictures on the walls, no decorations or knick-knacks. There was barely any furniture.
Hermione had found it abandoned, and on a drunken night of confiding in each other that they were done with society for a while, Harry and her moved in and never left. Together, they wallowed in their sadness, the extent of which was unknown to each other. While Harry mourned what he felt was a missed childhood, friends lost to the war that he ultimately blamed himself for, and his younger days at Hogwarts, Hermione held a torturing secret. She, too, mourned their friends and family, her own parents whom she could never return to, but there was something else. A small moment that had happened during the battle that she couldn't explain, not that Harry could possibly understand even if she could.
A moment shared with Severus Snape.
She'd been pinned down by a group of Death Eaters in the dungeons, certain that those would be her last moments. They flushed her out, one of them grabbing her and throwing her to the ground. Their wands raised, but just before the killing curse left their lips, and flash of fire lit up the room, engulfing the group and sending the survivors fleeing in panic. Hermione had flinched when she felt a hand grasp under her arm and lift her to her feet, her eyes darting up to meet Severus' gaze.
"Are you alright, Granger?"
His words, even now, echoed through her mind. She'd nodded wordlessly in response. There was a look in his eyes she'd never seen before, but before she'd had time to question it, she was being led out into the hall and up the stairs to the main hall of the castle. As quickly as he had appeared, once she was returned to her friends, Severus had vanished. The next time she would see him would be as she watched him draw his last breath.
It wasn't until after the dust had settled that she realized that a piece of her had died with Snape, but what, and why, she had no idea. Of course she was thankful to him for saving her life, but it was more than that. The look she'd seen on his face haunted her day and night. It was full of worry, regret, and fear, and it had been directed at her. It was almost as if, in that one moment, all the snide comments and hatred they'd had for each other had ceased to exist. Hermione regretted not thanking him before he passed. Breaking the silence with a soft sigh, she looked up at Harry.
"We'd better run to the shops today," she informed him as she took their cups, long cold now, and walked them over to the sink, "We can't live off toast and tea forever." Harry grumbled under his breath and slumped back in his seat.
"Speak for yourself," he replied, running a hand through his overgrown, messy locks before turning to face Hermione, "I wasn't finished with that."
Hermione ignored this, dumping the contents of the cups down the drain before setting them down and walking back over to him. "Go get cleaned up. We'll leave in an hour." Harry opened his mouth to contest, but he knew better than to argue with her. He stood from his seat and made his way upstairs, and while he was showering and getting dressed, Hermione busied herself with tidying up. Once Harry came back down, she gathered her bag and they made their way over to the fireplace, next to which sat a mostly undisturbed bowl of floo powder. They both reached in and took a handful before stepping into the bare interior of the fireplace one at a time. There was a small wizard's market they had found a few months into their seclusion that they could usually visit with little bother, and they went about once every other week to stock up on essentials. Today, however, as they walked out onto the street, it seemed livelier than usual, much to their dismay. Harry instantly pulled up the hood of his jacket and ducked his head, while Hermione tucked her hair into her own jacket and pulled on a soft grey beanie she'd quickly retrieved from her bag.
"Quick this time then?" Harry asked with pleading eyes. Hermione nodded and handed him his list, watching as he turned and maneuvered through the crowd before starting forward with her own list in hand.
Hermione had found it abandoned, and on a drunken night of confiding in each other that they were done with society for a while, Harry and her moved in and never left. Together, they wallowed in their sadness, the extent of which was unknown to each other. While Harry mourned what he felt was a missed childhood, friends lost to the war that he ultimately blamed himself for, and his younger days at Hogwarts, Hermione held a torturing secret. She, too, mourned their friends and family, her own parents whom she could never return to, but there was something else. A small moment that had happened during the battle that she couldn't explain, not that Harry could possibly understand even if she could.
A moment shared with Severus Snape.
She'd been pinned down by a group of Death Eaters in the dungeons, certain that those would be her last moments. They flushed her out, one of them grabbing her and throwing her to the ground. Their wands raised, but just before the killing curse left their lips, and flash of fire lit up the room, engulfing the group and sending the survivors fleeing in panic. Hermione had flinched when she felt a hand grasp under her arm and lift her to her feet, her eyes darting up to meet Severus' gaze.
"Are you alright, Granger?"
His words, even now, echoed through her mind. She'd nodded wordlessly in response. There was a look in his eyes she'd never seen before, but before she'd had time to question it, she was being led out into the hall and up the stairs to the main hall of the castle. As quickly as he had appeared, once she was returned to her friends, Severus had vanished. The next time she would see him would be as she watched him draw his last breath.
It wasn't until after the dust had settled that she realized that a piece of her had died with Snape, but what, and why, she had no idea. Of course she was thankful to him for saving her life, but it was more than that. The look she'd seen on his face haunted her day and night. It was full of worry, regret, and fear, and it had been directed at her. It was almost as if, in that one moment, all the snide comments and hatred they'd had for each other had ceased to exist. Hermione regretted not thanking him before he passed. Breaking the silence with a soft sigh, she looked up at Harry.
"We'd better run to the shops today," she informed him as she took their cups, long cold now, and walked them over to the sink, "We can't live off toast and tea forever." Harry grumbled under his breath and slumped back in his seat.
"Speak for yourself," he replied, running a hand through his overgrown, messy locks before turning to face Hermione, "I wasn't finished with that."
Hermione ignored this, dumping the contents of the cups down the drain before setting them down and walking back over to him. "Go get cleaned up. We'll leave in an hour." Harry opened his mouth to contest, but he knew better than to argue with her. He stood from his seat and made his way upstairs, and while he was showering and getting dressed, Hermione busied herself with tidying up. Once Harry came back down, she gathered her bag and they made their way over to the fireplace, next to which sat a mostly undisturbed bowl of floo powder. They both reached in and took a handful before stepping into the bare interior of the fireplace one at a time. There was a small wizard's market they had found a few months into their seclusion that they could usually visit with little bother, and they went about once every other week to stock up on essentials. Today, however, as they walked out onto the street, it seemed livelier than usual, much to their dismay. Harry instantly pulled up the hood of his jacket and ducked his head, while Hermione tucked her hair into her own jacket and pulled on a soft grey beanie she'd quickly retrieved from her bag.
"Quick this time then?" Harry asked with pleading eyes. Hermione nodded and handed him his list, watching as he turned and maneuvered through the crowd before starting forward with her own list in hand.
