The Life Debt by SSHG Exchange Mod, Annie Talbot
Summary: Snape survives due to help from Hermione. She goes back and helps him? Harry had told her about Snape's love for Lily and she confronts him about that he can love. Anything can happen from there. By AnnieTalbot for Schmoo999.
Categories: The Little Green Book, The SSHG Exchange > Winter 2007 Characters: None
WIKtT Challenge: None
Content Notes: None
Contest Entry: None
Genres: None
Challenges:
Series: None
Chapters: 6 Completed: Yes Word count: 10264 Read: 12978 Published: 09/28/2017 Updated: 09/28/2017
Story Notes:
Recipient: schmoo999

Title: The Life Debt

Author: annietalbot
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: EWE
Summary/Prompt: Snape survives due to help from Hermione. She goes back and helps him? Harry had told her about Snape's love for Lily and she confronts him about that he can love. Anything can happen from there.
Author's Note: Many thanks to my committee of beta-readers (names withheld) for their help and encouragement. 

1. Chapter 1 by SSHG Exchange Mod

2. Chapter 2 by SSHG Exchange Mod

3. Chapter 3 by SSHG Exchange Mod

4. Chapter 4 by SSHG Exchange Mod

5. Chapter 5 by SSHG Exchange Mod

6. Chapter 6 by SSHG Exchange Mod

Chapter 1 by SSHG Exchange Mod
The Life Debt
Chapter 1

To this day, Hermione Granger cannot tell you why she did it. 

She'd not been consciously aware of anything left undone; she'd been on her way to bed, to finally fling herself into the arms of Morpheus.

She was out of the castle, across the grounds, and halfway down the tunnel before she awoke to her purpose.

You idiot! she castigated herself. To come down here alone, while there are still Death Eaters about. What Harry and Ron will say about my risking myself to retrieve Snape's body, I don't know. Well, actually I do know. I'll probably learn new words.

Yet she continued to struggle through, bending to avoid bumping her head on the ceiling, until she finally reached the Shrieking Shack.

The room was empty. There was no Snape. Only the pool of blood, now dulling to ochre, gave testimony to the fact that he had been there, suffered there, died there.

Later, she'd blame fatigue for her poor judgment in exploring the ramshackle building for clues to the location of her former teacher's body. Holding her lit wand before her, she prowled from room to room, finally arriving in the bedroom where she, Harry, and Ron had confronted Sirius Black, where Peter Pettigrew had been exposed, and where Snape had lain stunned.

Where he now lay, a crumpled heap. Gasping.

Uttering a startled cry, she leapt forward, falling to her knees beside him. As she had with so many others that day, she reached for his pulse. Even though he was breathing, even though his body was wracked with shudders, she was still shocked when her fingers found a faint, thready beat.

He had died. She had seen him die. Yet, he lived.

A silvery otter burst from her wand tip and swam through the air. It would bring help, she knew.

"Professor Snape, lie still," she implored him as he moved as if to straighten. "I've sent for help, but you've got to conserve your strength."

She pushed his hair away from his throat. The awful wound appeared to have closed. The bits of his skin not covered with blood were shockingly pale, even for him.

"Why are you here?" he rasped. "Does this mean...?"

"Harry won, Professor Snape. He learned what he needed from your memories, and he used it to defeat Voldemort." Hermione noted that her fingers were automatically smoothing his hair away from the side of his face not pressed against the floor.

"Is he dead? Is Lily's son dead?" The once rich, once sneering voice was growing weaker.

"No. He isn't, actually. He survived the Killing Curse once again." Hermione Conjured a bowl of water and a rag and began to gently wash the blood from his face and throat. When she came to the place where Nagini's fangs had pierced him, she found the flesh raw and blistered.

The dark eyes remained tightly closed as she cleaned his skin. His ragged breathing told her when she hurt him, yet he did not protest. 

She opened the small pouch at her waist. From it, she had dispensed healing and relief for a number of her classmates, friends, and teachers that day.

"Professor Snape, I have a small amount of Pepper Up potion remaining. Would you like to try it?"

For a moment he did not respond. Then, "I believe I'd rather NOT be aware when the Aurors arrest me. I'm certain they will have many losses to avenge, and a surviving Death Eater will make a convenient punching bag."

Hermione was appalled.

"There will be no arrest, Professor Snape. Everyone knows you were Dumbledore's spy and that you protected as many as you could. Those Death Eaters who helped us won't be arrested." Her voice was certain.

"Silly girl... scapegoats..." His voice faded.

"No, Professor. Even the Malfoys are walking free."

"The Malfoys? They helped you?" The weak voice was incredulous.

"Draco tried to avoid identifying Harry when we were captured at Malfoy Manor. He was an idiot today, but... Narcissa concealed Harry's survival from Voldemort. Even Lucius - when it came down to it, he cared more about his son than he did about furthering Voldemort's cause. Harry won't let anything happen to them."

She drew a deep breath, unsure of how he would handle what she had to tell him next.

"Harry told the entire world that you were on our side all along. He flung the fact at Voldemort - it was one more weapon to erode his confidence."

"Wonderful." A bit of the old sarcasm crept into his voice.

"Anyway, you're a hero. Nobody's going to arrest you, I promise."

"The Ministry...."

"Kingsley Shacklebolt is Minister, now. The Ministry is being reorganised as we speak." 

She paused, listening.

"I can hear Professor McGonagall coming now. She probably has Madam Pomfrey with her. We will take you back to Hogwarts. Don't worry, Professor. We'll protect you."

*****

"You did well, Miss Granger." 

She sounds exhausted, Hermione thought. "Thank you, Professor McGonagall. I had no idea.... I just wanted to bring him back to lie with the others. I didn't want him to be alone any more."

The two women fell silent, watching as Madam Pomfrey worked over the fallen man, asking quiet questions and receiving whispered responses. Finally, she tipped a phial of violet liquid between his lips. Snape's body went limp, the tremors ceasing.

Hermione gasped.

"No, Miss Granger. I've merely placed him into an artificial sleep. Moving him would otherwise cause him immense pain. The potion will not interact with the substances he ingested to help him survive that dreadful snake's attack."

She smiled.

"He was pleased to hear that the snake was dead. I did not inform him of the identity of the boy who killed her - I feared the shock would kill him."

Hermione heard a snort from the woman beside her. She smiled back at the mediwitch.

Just a few hours ago, I thought I'd never smile again. Nothing feels real, now. I suppose I'll get used to it, but - it's all so surreal. It must be much, much worse for Harry.

Madam Pomfrey got to her feet and produced a stretcher with a wave of her wand.

"Best to take him back through the tunnel, I think. I don't want to have to stop to make explanations on the way back. The sooner he's in the Hospital Wing, the better."

"Will he be safe there?" Hermione inquired. "I promised him we'd keep him safe."

"I'll guard him with my own life, Miss Granger," the Mediwitch assured her.

"I'll call on every surviving member of the Order to protect him, if need be," Minerva declared. "And," she added, smiling, "of Dumbledore's Army."

"Let's get him back, now." Madam Pomfrey hovered Professor Snape onto the stretcher, then moved toward the door, guiding it before her. "I'd like to get him warm and clean as quickly as possible. He'll sleep until midday, at least. We'll work out the next steps then."

Hermione dodged in front of the litter to open the door, holding it for the others.

Together, the three women left the Shrieking Shack behind, moving awkwardly through the tunnel and protecting their charge as they crossed the battle-scarred grounds and entered the castle. They resolutely ignored the doors beyond which lay their friends who had lost their lives in the battle. They had snatched this ally from death and would not allow its taint to compromise that victory.

Unchallenged by anything but curious looks, they proceeded to the Hospital Wing with as much speed as possible. Madam Pomfrey lost no time in stripping Snape, cleaning the blood from his body, and examining him for further injuries. Finally, the sleeping man was settled in a screened bed, visible to no-one from the ward. The mediwitch set wards prohibiting all but herself, McGonagall, and Hermione from approaching his bedside.

"I'll expand the wards once we know for certain where people stand. Until then, we'll keep watch over him. He'll need regular dosing once he awakens, but his care should be uncomplicated."

"That will be the first time anything about Severus Snape is uncomplicated," Minerva McGonagall said with a chuckle. Hermione gave a tired laugh, suddenly aware that her feet, indeed her entire body, felt ten times heavier than normal.

"Here, child, rest here." Madam Pomfrey indicated the bed in the corner, beside Snape's. 

Too exhausted to argue, Hermione toed off her shoes and collapsed onto the bed. She was asleep before her head touched the pillow and did not see the tired smiles exchanged by the two older women as they pulled the screens tightly closed around the two beds and cast Silencing Charms to ensure that the war-weary man and his rescuer slept undisturbed.    
Chapter 2 by SSHG Exchange Mod
The Life Debt
Chapter 2

He awakened slowly, clawing away the cobwebs in his mind. Myriad sensations assailed him - an aching pain that radiated from his neck throughout his body, the warmth of the bedding, the silence, broken only by an occasional, faint snuffling sound, and an inexplicable lightness in his soul. 

What...? Oh, yes.... So, it wasn't a dream, then. Potter won and I survived.

That Lily's son had defeated Voldemort was, in Snape's mind, a miracle. He, as much as anyone, knew how powerful the Dark Lord had been. It had always been inexplicable to him that the boy had survived any of their encounters, armed only with a phoenix feather wand and a schoolboy's bag of tricks. And Lily's love.

He kept his eyes closed, considering the force that was Lily's love. Somehow, with only the echoes of his memories remaining, the agony of remembrance was gone, leaving only - sentiment? - in its wake. Ridiculous. He was not a sentimental man. And yet... somehow he felt as he had not felt since that day so long ago, preparing to board the Hogwarts Express for the first time. When he'd had hope, and Lily had still loved him.

He considered his choice to die while gazing into the extraordinary eyes she had passed to her son. What had happened? How had he come to be alive in the room where the Granger girl had found him? He had only flashes of memory - a stairway, shifting under his weight as he dragged his body along, following the eyes that beckoned him like emerald beacons.

It occurred to him that he hadn't yet opened his own eyes. He lay defenseless, yet he hadn't so much as sought the source of that inexplicably comfortable sound.

As long as I hold them closed, I'll see her before me.

With that thought, he drifted once again into slumber.

*****

He awoke again, this time to hushed voices. Without thinking, he opened his eyes and met the same steady, compassionate gaze. The boy.

He couldn't call him "Potter" anymore, couldn't think of him as "Potter"; the boy was hers, he could see that now. And the piece of Lily that lay within her son had drawn Severus back to the world of the living.

"Professor Snape!" The girl's voice came from his left, a harsh interruption of his thoughts. He wrenched his gaze away to look at her and was surprised to see that she lay in the neighbouring bed.

"Granger." He couldn't believe the effort it took to croak her name. Even after Poppy's treatments (and he could feel the residual magic around his wound) his throat was afire and his body weak. "Why did you...?"

"Madam Pomfrey says you shouldn't try to speak, sir." The boy's voice drew his gaze once more. "She left potions for each of you to take when you awoke. Hermione's already had hers."

Snape struggled to rise to a sitting position, but he had difficulty balancing. The boy moved swiftly to stack pillows behind him, gently pressing him into them with a hand to his shoulder. He then turned to retrieve a goblet of what was obviously Blood-Replenishing Potion from the nightstand.

"Nobody's tampered with it, sir," was his only response to Snape's sceptical look. "Madam Pomfrey, Professor McGonagall, and I have been taking turns sitting with the two of you since you were brought in.

"Actually," the boy - Harry - continued, "I think they're hiding me back here with you. The place is overrun with reporters and Ministry officials. I made my statement to the Aurors this morning and Professor McGonagall has been keeping me out of sight ever since."

"Aurors?" Snape rasped.

"Yes. Professor McGonagall and I told them that we've been working together all along. I'm afraid I left them with the impression that we've been in constant contact with one another. At some point they'll want to speak with you - I'll provide my memories of my interview to you beforehand so you can fit your version of events to what we've already said."

He pulled a phial from his pocket. "These are yours, Professor Snape. Nobody has looked at them other than me." He drew a deep breath. "I wouldn't have known what to do if you hadn't shown them to me, sir."

"Keep them." Snape felt as surprised as the boy looked as the words left his lips. "Keep them or destroy them. I don't need them anymore." As he said it, he knew it was true. He still remembered Lily, still felt guilt and remorse, yet when he had yielded the memories, he had felt a wall of bitterness within him fall. If he were indeed to have a new life, he'd as soon begin it without the self-loathing consuming him whole.

Yet what sort of life could possibly lie before him?

He heard Granger leave her bed and pad softly over to stand beside his. "Do you remember what happened, sir?" she asked, taking his hand gently in hers. "How did you survive the attack?"

"I don't know," he rasped. "Lily...." 

Granger's fingers tightened on his as his eyes sought the boy's. 

"She led me upstairs, where I wouldn't be found by my enemies. She kept me alive until Miss Granger found me. She stayed with me...."

His voice faded away. The boy's eyes - Lily's eyes - held his steadily as he nodded.

"They were all with us last night. My mum and dad, Sirius, and Remus accompanied me to meet Voldemort. She must have come to you as well. I... I saw Dumbledore, too." The boy's voice broke. Victorious though he was, he was also clearly exhausted. Snape felt a tremendous compulsion to comfort him.

"She loved you very much, to give her life for you. I'm sure she's very proud of you." For the first time, Snape didn't hate the boy for his mother's sacrifice.

Harry laughed sadly. "I know she is. She told me."

Snape was struck by what Harry had said moments before.

"Remus? Lupin was killed?" Again he was surprised at his own reaction. Almost... loss.

He felt Granger's fingers holding his own steadily as she replied, "Yes. During the first battle, before you were attacked. He and Tonks both died, as did many others. Fred Weasley, Colin Creevey...."

She broke off, her fingers tightening momentarily as she fought for control.

When the boy shifted his gaze to his friend, Snape turned his head to look at the distressed girl.

"I'm sorry. I know you both were fond of them all."

"Yes, well..." she drew a deep breath, "... they were our friends. A lot of people died, Professor, on both sides."

"Am I to understand that there was a second battle, then?"

"Yes," the boy responded. "Voldemort tried to kill me, but didn't succeed. I pretended to be dead, though, until he brought me back to the castle. After the last Horcrux was destroyed - Neville killed Nagini, sir - I stepped up and challenged him. The same thing happened when he tried to kill me then as when I was a child. His Killing Curse rebounded on him. This time, though, he was completely destroyed."

"And the others? Bellatrix? Greyback?" 

"Dead. Mrs Weasley killed Bellatrix Lestrange, sir," Hermione assured him. 

"Molly? Was she injured?" Why did he feel this stab of concern? While it was true that the older woman had always been kind to him, he'd never troubled himself about her before.

"No," the boy responded, drawing Snape's gaze back to his own. "She's fine. They all are, really."

"Good. I'm sorry about her son." Snape fell silent, closing his eyes. He heard the two whispering across his bed, then slitted his lids to see the boy helping Granger into her own bed. Realising that she had been the cause of the snuffling noise he'd heard earlier, he wondered why she was sleeping here. She must have been exhausted, when she came to find me. Why did she? I still don't understand.

With those unanswered questions at the forefront of his mind, he drifted back to sleep.

*****

When he awoke once more, it was night. Granger was seated beside his bed, reading. The boy was nowhere in sight, and there were no other sounds.

"Miss Granger?" If anything, his voice was worse.

"Here, sir, let me give you some water." She helped him to sit against his pillows, as Pot- the boy had done earlier that day, and held a glass to his lips. He drank thirstily.

"You saved my life."

She looked away from him, as if she were still his student and had been caught out-of-bounds.

"You risked your own life to recover my body. At the end of a brutally long day, when you were clearly exhausted, you decided to find my body and lay it to rest with the others. I heard you tell Professor McGonagall that in the Shack. In heaven's name, girl, why would you have done such a thing?"

"I... I don't know, sir. It just seemed necessary for me to do it. So I did. I didn't know you could possibly be alive, sir. If I'd realised, I'd have been there sooner, or sent someone else. I'm so sorry you had to suffer there, alone...." Her voice trailed away.

"Miss Granger, I'm grateful. I'm not angry that you didn't know I was alive. I'm still not sure how I survived, or why."

"You said that Lily - that she saved you," Hermione faltered.

"I believe she did. And, in so doing, she freed me from a lifetime of guilt and pain."

The girl nodded, still not looking at him.

"But you saved me as well. And this places me under some obligation to you. A Life Debt is not to be taken lightly." He kept his voice even.

She whipped around, staring.

"No! You owe me nothing! You need to be able to move forward freely, not bound by obligation to anyone but yourself." 

The Gryffindor fire he had loved in Lily burned strongly in Granger, he saw. For the first time, he found himself pitying Potter, Weasley, and house-elves everywhere.

"A Life Debt does not exist at the whim of the person owed. You cannot just cancel the debt. If you didn't wish to incur a Life Debt, you should not have saved my life."

"I couldn't just leave you there...!"

"And now you must bear the consequences," he rasped, enjoying the look of consternation on her pale face. "I am yours to command."

She looked back at him, clearly appalled.

"No," she said firmly. "I do not accept this at all. You owe me nothing."

"If you value my life so little..." he drawled nastily.

"That is not what I meant!" retorted Hermione.

"Well then, tell me what you wish me to do. Fight a duel? Slay a dragon? Follow you around picking up behind you?"

A calculating look entered her eyes, and she sat back in the chair once more.

"I can truly tell you what to do? And you'll do it?"

Suddenly, he felt as if the tables were turning beneath him. Goading Granger was possibly not going to end with her flouncing back to bed, refusing to speak to him ever again.

"If it's not illegal or physically impossible, or I'm not in Azkaban." How had he ended up in verbal quicksand?

"All right, then, here's what I want you to do." She paused, a look of terrifying glee crossing her face.

"I want you to sit here, quietly, for the next several days while you heal and think about what it is you want to do with the rest of your life. I want you to think about who you want to be and where you want to go. And I want you to tell Harry and me what you come up with, so that we can help you make it happen."

"Fine," he snapped. With the exception of telling the two Gryffindors, it was what he'd planned to do anyway.

"I'm not finished," she said, and he saw an implacable something settle across her countenance. He suddenly remembered that she had tricked Dolores Umbridge into the Forbidden Forest and abandoned her to the centaurs. This was not Harry Potter's saintly friend, as the press was no doubt calling her.

This was a formidable witch with an agenda all her own.

"I want you to figure out how you're going to be happy in your life. Not content. Not un-miserable. Happy! And I want you to think about whom you will love and wish to spend the rest of your days with. Male, female, I don't care, as long as the person is available. And you need to tell me who that is, so I can help you make that happen."

"My love is dead," he spat. "I killed her, remember?" And for an instant, it was like he had his memories back, the pain crushing his heart was so great.

She smiled at him triumphantly. "You have loved, which proves you can love," she crowed. And then she dropped her voice to a fierce whisper. "And you will love again. I know it."

She turned away and made her way over to her bed, climbing in and settling herself for the night. As darkness fell on their private end of the ward, he heard her speak once more.

"Think about it. Then tell us. We'll help you. When you're settled and happy in a new life, your Debt will be paid."

He didn't sleep a wink that night. Or the next. Or the one after that. He had a feeling that Hermione Granger was going to be a problem for a long, long time.    
Chapter 3 by SSHG Exchange Mod
The Life Debt
Chapter 3

"So, what are you going to do?" Ron asked, his concerned eyes on his now-former fiancée. He fingered the ring she had just handed him, looking oddly bereft.

Their parting was a mutual decision. The attraction between them had continued to flare in the weeks following Voldemort's defeat, and their romance had been the focus of Daily Prophet and Witch Weekly articles. Even when they had returned to Hogwarts for classes to prepare them to take their NEWTs at the end of the summer, Ron and Hermione were often found together. 

One summer night, they became lovers and, while the experience was not all that either of them had expected it to be, it had improved over time and they had announced their engagement at Christmastime.

Here they were, the following August, sadly trying to salvage their friendship while letting go of their plans for their shared future.

"I'll continue my training, Ron. I'll just get my own flat rather than staying here with you and Harry."

"No, I'll leave, Hermione. It's wrong for you to live alone." Ron had heard stories about what happened to young witches on their own, and he'd never forgive himself if Hermione were injured or victimised in any way.

"Actually, Ron, I'm looking forward to it." She looked straight into his eyes and smiled. "No more going to the loo at night and falling in because someone left the seat up...."

They both laughed.

"Seriously, I am looking forward to it. I've taken a flat in a safe area in Muggle London. I'll set up my own wards and will let you, Harry, and Professor Snape augment them. I'll check in with you regularly; you'll hardly know I'm gone."

"I'll know, Hermione. I'll know."

Her face softened. "I'll see you at the Ministry every day, won't I? We're still best friends, you and Harry and me. That will never change. And, Ron, I'll always love you."

"Yeah. Me, too." His voice was muffled.

"You'll always love yourself?" she asked, a laugh in her voice. 

He gave a choked laugh in return.

"Let's go tell Harry and Ginny, okay? Then we can all figure out how to pitch this to the world."

Arms linked, they walked together down the stairs to tell their news to those they loved the most.

*****

Snape pushed open the door of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes and nodded a greeting to George Weasley, who appeared to be assisting four customers at once. Lee Jordan was at the other side of the shop, surrounded by a half dozen eleven-year-old boys. The weeks before Hogwarts term began were always busy ones at WWW, so demand for stock and ingredients was high. So, too, was the demand for counter assistance; Snape never knew which members of the Weasley extended family he would encounter when delivering the variety of potions he supplied to the shop.

More often than not, he was dragooned into working, either packaging new stock in the back room, filling Owl orders, or restocking after hours.

Here, fifteen months after the fall of Voldemort, his life was entirely different from anything he'd ever dreamed. He had his own business, Master Potions, and several lucrative contracts. He had a wide circle of - well, not friends, precisely - with whom he reluctantly spent holidays and exchanged birthday cards, and whose matchmaking efforts were alternatively embarrassing and ridiculous.

He knew he owed this all to Granger and Potter. Hermione and Harry. She had sat quietly in the background while Harry Potter had persuaded Minister Shacklebolt to publicly acknowledge Snape's long-term role in the battle against Voldemort. He had provided start-up money for Master Potions and had arranged for WWW to become Snape's first contracted customer. Yes, Harry was the one who delivered on her promise, but Severus knew that Hermione was the driving force.

He was content with the life they had helped him to establish. His home, although shabby, was comfortable, with splashes of colour provided by knitted throws and pillows. Every time he attempted to hide, transform, or Banish these intrusions into his monochromatic life, they returned. He suspected that Hermione had Charmed them in some inexplicable way. And, after Minerva had sent Winky to live at Spinner's End and help him with reorganising his life, he believed that the young woman and the elf had formed an unholy alliance.

He was being Managed, and he discovered that he did not dislike it at all.

He knew, though, that Hermione was becoming frustrated with him. Although he had cooperated, albeit reluctantly, with her efforts to improve his appearance; although he had modified his diet, his personal grooming habits, and his mode of addressing others at her command; although he had met every woman she had paraded before him, magical and Muggle, Weasley relative or co-worker; he had not yet identified a woman with whom he wished to spend the rest of his life.

Correction: he had not identified that woman to her.

He'd had the stirrings of awareness that first night in the Hospital Wing. The reluctant acknowledgement that he could love again, that there was indeed a woman in the world who could match him in wit, who could go toe-to-toe with him if she thought he was wrong, and who, he believed, he could love.

A woman who could sit beside Lily in his heart.

The problem was, she was not available. She had been all but engaged to the youngest Weasley boy, Ronald. He watched their youthful ardour with a kind of fascinated envy, and when they became engaged, attended the resulting celebration and wished them happy with convincing sincerity. He didwish her well. He didn't believe that she would find true happiness with Weasley, but - well, to be honest, he wasn't sure she'd be happy with him, either.

He was surprised to find her in the back room when he entered.

"Good afternoon, Miss Granger." Although his tone was always serious, it lacked its former bite. She had spent days with him, patiently correcting him whenever he spoke.

Apparently, the water-dripping-on-stone method of Snape-adjustment worked as well as Crucio. It was marginally less painful, as well.

"Hello, Severus." She didn't look up from the powder she was distributing among a dozen small boxes. Peering at the label on the half-emptied jar, he saw why her attention was so focussed. Weasleys' Wee Creatures were a runaway hit, but accidental activation could cause chaos. Each grain of powder, when combined with water, would become a living, breathing, miniature magical creature for an hour. Shortly after the development of this particular item, a clumsy shop assistant had dropped a box of the stuff. Instead of cleaning it magically, the boy had attempted to mop it up.

It had taken days to clean the shop and repair the damage caused by hundreds of tiny marauding dragons, centaurs, bowtruckles, hippogriffs, and others. The resulting publicity, however, had led to enormous demand for the product. George and his partner, Lee Jordan, had given the clerk an enormous bonus as part of his severance package.

Snape set his package down at the other end of the worktable and began unpacking the bottles and jars of potions he had spent the weekend brewing.

"Do you have any idea what needs to be decanted for restocking?" he asked her.

She jerked her head towards a clipboard lying crookedly on one of the desks. "They were checking things earlier, during a lull. I've been working from that list, packaging the solid goods. There are a number of potions on the list as well, though."

He nodded, then realised she wasn't looking at him.

"All right, then. I'll handle the potions."

They worked in companionable silence. Finally, she re-capped the jar and returned it to its shelf. Lifting the tray of small boxes, she carried it to the front of the store. Snape continued to decant his potions from large containers into the phials to be sold. When she returned, looking somewhat flustered, he had several trays full of items to be added to the shelves.

"It's insane out there. I wish I'd had the forethought to refuse to stock during working hours." She eyed the trays. "I suppose you want me to put them out as well."

"Not at all," he replied absently. "It does not appear that there are any critical shortages. I can do it after closing."

He glanced up just as she was tucking a stray wisp of hair behind her ear, and he froze.

"Where is your ring? What has happened?" His harsh voice was urgent.

"Oh - erm - Ron and I have called it quits." She twisted her fingers together and viewed them intently. "We've decided that we suit each other quite well as friends, but that we wouldn't do well as married people. So, we've broken up."

"Have you now?" breathed Snape, hope and pity warring in his breast. "Yet you are here, helping at his brother's shop. Perhaps you wish things were otherwise?"

"No, I don't. But I was a member of the family before we ever became romantically involved, so we decided I'd remain a member of the family even though we're not getting married." She looked up at him, sad-eyed. "It was a difficult thing to do, but nobody seems particularly surprised or upset. Even Molly said it was for the best and then invited me for Sunday dinner. Apparently Ron and I were the last to know."

"I'm sorry, Hermione, I truly am."

"I know, Severus. So am I."

"If there's anything I can do...." Ridiculous. How could I possibly help? Why would she want my assistance?

"Well, actually... what are you doing for Sunday dinner? I could use a partner, and Molly would be thrilled to see you."

Snape found, as always, that he was unable to resist large brown eyes fixed pleadingly on his own. He supposed he should Floo-call Winky to tell her he would not be home to dinner.    
Chapter 4 by SSHG Exchange Mod
The Life Debt
Chapter 4

Christmas at the Burrow was always an exciting affair. Hermione knew that this year would be the most exciting one yet.

Today, the fourth Christmas after the defeat of Voldemort, Harry Potter would propose to Ginevra Weasley. Ginny would accept, of course. Hermione knew that, as did Harry, although her friend suffered deep pangs of anxiety about the entire process. He planned to do it at dinner, when the entire family and all their friends were seated around the table. It was, he had confessed to Hermione and Ron, the scariest thing he had ever contemplated doing.

Which, when one considered Harry's track record, made it a terrifying plan indeed.

The other event that was filling Hermione with anticipation was the prospect of meeting Snape's new girlfriend. She had high hopes for this one; he had picked her out on his own and kept her carefully hidden from her and their friends. He'd met her at midsummer, he'd told her, and they'd been dating seriously since.

Truth be told, Hermione was relieved. She'd done her best to find the perfect woman for him, but she had to admit that it was a challenge. Sometimes she believed that she was pickier than he was. He'd express mild interest in someone, but she'd always find some reason why the woman wouldn't suit. Once, Snape had infuriated her by opining that whoever he ended up marrying would have a terrible mother-in-law problem.

Once she'd gotten over being furious with him, she'd been floored by the realisation that he'd become so comfortable as to tease her.

She had high hopes for this Galinda Southern. A coworker had spotted Snape and Galinda in a ritzy restaurant and reported that the woman was young ("but not too young, Hermione"), beautiful, and seemed genuinely fond of Snape. The extremely protective Hermione was disposed to like her, but she wanted to see for herself. She'd commenced a campaign of nagging that had finally resulted in Snape's agreeing to invite Galinda to the Burrow for Christmas.

Nothing important had changed for Hermione since she and Ron had called things off. He'd had an impressive parade of girlfriends and had parted from each of them after several months with few regrets on either side. She'd sworn off romance until she completed her Department of Mysteries training programme; when that would occur was, well, a Mystery. She was fairly certain, though, that she'd be a qualified Unspeakable at some point in the coming year.

If she had her training completed and Snape settled, she'd be free to look for a mate of her own.

She put the finishing touches on her appearance, gazing at the overall result in the mirror for so long that Ginny exclaimed, "It's just dinner, Hermione. Come on!"

Poor, oblivious Ginny. She was going to be proposed to in a lopsided Weasley jumper over faded blue jeans that fit her like a second skin. 

Smiling, Hermione left the bedroom in her friend's wake.

*****

Everything was going according to plan. Galinda appeared to have captivated the Weasley males with her beauty without alienating the females. Severus was acutely aware that Hermione was watching the woman with a critical eye, but she had clearly not found anything to disapprove of - yet.

And Snape was willing to concede that Galinda was a truly lovely person. She was kind, intelligent, outgoing, and beautiful. In short, she was everything that he'd once dreamed of having for his own, before - well, before Hermione.

Bringing her here had been a calculated risk. He was hoping to incite a jealous response, to unleash a monster with eyes as green as the dress she wore. Indeed, Hermione had seemed anxious throughout their meal, nervously biting her lip and glancing at everyone's faces.

Actually, she and Harry looked absolutely sick with anticipation. And Ronald Weasley had spent the entire meal smirking at his plate. What was going on? 

As pudding was served, Hermione sat up straight and cleared her throat, raising her voice to be heard over the babble.

"May I have your attention, everyone?"

It took several attempts before everyone turned their faces towards her expectantly.

"The Weasley family has been so important to Harry and me since we met you all in our first year at Hogwarts. Over time, we've had people join our group and we've lost others. But this family, which enfolds its friends and makes them kindred, remains a strong and wonderful part of our lives."

She drew a deep breath.

"Harry wants this family to be part of another important step in his life."

She nodded towards her tousle-haired friend, who rose and pushed his chair away before falling to one knee before his red-haired girlfriend.

"Ginny, you know I love you. You know I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you please marry me?"

Ginny sat still, shocked speechless. The people around the table held their breath. While there was no doubt that she would eventually say "Yes," there was the chance that she would not appreciate being surprised and proposed to so publically.

Suddenly she launched herself forward into his arms, a glowing, joyful smile overspreading her features. "Yes!" she screamed, deafening those seated closest. "Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!"

Severus watched Hermione throughout it all. There was no wistfulness here, no jealousy. He found only happiness on her face, a happiness touched with relief that her beloved friend's life was advancing according to his deepest desires.

She glanced up and caught his gaze upon her. She smiled widely at him and, for a moment, it seemed to him that the world fell away and there were only the two of them in the room - her joyous and him smiling in the pleasure of the moment.

Then, their gaze was broken as the others rose and rushed towards the couple who still knelt, kissing, beside the table. He felt Galinda's hand cover his own where it lay on the cloth.

"So, she's the one, eh?" His cousin's widow's voice murmured quietly in his ear. "She's the woman you love?"

He turned his hand in hers to entwine his fingers with hers, holding them lightly. "She is. But... I don't believe she'll ever want me." His voice was equally quiet.

"No? Look again."

His eyes moved back to Hermione to find her gaze fixed on the two slender hands that lay entwined against the tablecloth. There were two spots of colour on her otherwise pale cheeks. She looked stricken.

Galinda gave his fingers a squeeze, then released them. "I believe I need some fresh air. Would you like to take a walk outdoors?"

"Of course," Snape replied, rising.

As they left the room, he saw Hermione rise from her seat and join the throng surrounding Harry and Ginny. She'd donned another smile, somewhat less natural-looking than before, and her voice sounded high and clear as she offered her own congratulations and good wishes.

*****

Hermione returned home to her flat that evening. It had been an exhausting twenty-four hours. She had spent Christmas Eve with her parents, who had left for Switzerland this morning for a week's skiing. She'd then Apparated to the Burrow and spent the day assisting with preparations for the family celebration.

It's no wonder I feel a bit let down. I'm tired. She knew, however, that the melancholy she felt had little to do with fatigue. It had everything to do with Galinda Southern.

The woman was perfect. She was beautiful, and knowledgeable about a wide range of subjects. She'd discussed Muggles with Arthur and child-rearing with Molly. She had apparently played Quidditch while at Hogwarts and loved the Cannons. She had won Fleur's heart when she'd kicked off her shoes and plunked her perfect self down on the floor to play with Fleur's children, and clearly had a wonderful time while doing so. She'd kept an eye on Snape, making sure he was relaxed and comfortable, touching him frequently in a sort of "I'm here" gesture.

Everyone had loved her. Except Hermione.

Hermione loathed her. And, appallingly, she'd figured out why she hated Galinda, and why she'd found fault with every woman she'd set Snape up with.

She wanted him for herself. She was in love with Severus Snape.

And she didn't know what to do.    
Chapter 5 by SSHG Exchange Mod
The Life Debt
Chapter 5

Hermione truly didn't know what to do. She hadn't been at such a loss since her sixth year at Hogwarts, when she'd been sure she was in love with Ron and he had been with Lavender.

Today was March 25. It was exactly three months since Harry and Ginny had gotten engaged. Three months of parties to briefly appear at before escaping to her quiet flat; three months of renewed media attention for all Harry's friends. Three months of increasingly challenging tests as she prepared for her Unspeakable Certification.

Three months since she'd realised she was in love with Severus Snape and, just as in sixth year, the object of her affections was apparently in love with someone else.

She sighed, and returned to the back room of Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes. George and Lee had a good business here. And, unbeknownst to most, they supplied the Ministry with several esoteric items and substances. The Department of Mysteries was very pleased that Hermione had such a close affiliation with the shop, as they felt that it was a hotbed of innovation.

Given the parade of witches Hermione had seen visiting the apartment the two young men shared over the shop, it was a hotbed of many things.

Hermione busied herself refilling the tray with more items for restocking. It was always better to do things by hand at the shop. Sometimes magics interacted with disastrous results, as they'd found on many different occasions. While Lee and George tended to roll with the punches, cleaning up messes and even sometimes finding creative breakthroughs within the chaos resulting from such disasters, Hermione preferred the safe approach.

Tonight, though, she was grateful for the time-consuming, mindless work. Severus was expected later, and she needed to figure out how to approach him with an offer from the Ministry. What should be a simple matter was made more challenging by the fact that she'd been avoiding him and the others as much as possible since Christmas.

"You're friendly with Severus Snape, aren't you?" her supervisor had asked her after a meeting on innovative uses of potions and charms. When she had nodded, he'd continued. "According to Potter, the man's something of a whiz in both fields. He was devising charms at a young age, he's done some amazing work in potions development, and he's not afraid to dirty his hands. We'd like him to consult on a few things, if he'd agree. See to it, won't you?"

Hermione had protested that Harry was perhaps the better person to contact Snape, as he'd been involved in the formation of Master Potions, but Ruddigore Murgatroyd was not to be gainsaid. He wanted Hermione to deliver Snape, and deliver Snape she would. "I don't care if you have to seduce him, just get him on board."

I don't care if you have to seduce him....

How could she face him with that command in her mind? Not to mention the images it had produced. She, who had always assumed her sex drive was rather tepid, was amazed at their torrid nature.

George had told her when she arrived for her turn at restocking that Snape was expected to make a delivery later that evening. "I've got a date, love, so see that he's taken care of, eh?"

It was all too much, she mused as she lifted her loaded tray and turned to the door.

There he stood, watching her, with the oddest expression on his face.

She carefully placed the tipping tray back on the table and drew a deep breath.

"Good evening, Miss Granger." His voice still carried a faint rasp, the permanent legacy of his injuries in the Shrieking Shack.

"Severus! I wasn't expecting you so early!" she responded breathlessly, not quite meeting his gaze.

"You've been avoiding me," he stated.

She looked into his black eyes, praying he couldn't see... wouldn't see....

He advanced into the room and she redirected her gaze to a spot somewhere beyond his right shoulder.

"Why?"

"What?" She was completely tongue-tied. How could she possibly have a conversation with this man?

"Why have you been avoiding me?" He kept his tone even, but she knew he wouldn't leave without an answer.

"I... I haven't. I've been busy, so I haven't seen much of anyone." Her voice sounded breathless. Even she'd have known she was lying. Severus Snape, with his years as a spy, a teacher, and a Head of House was not fooled.

"Have I offended you?"

"No, of course you haven't! What could you have done to offend me?" 

"It's been known to happen. Everything seemed fine at Christmas... but after that, you've been remarkably elusive."

"Well, I'm sure you've been busy as well," she said, still addressing that same piece of thin air.

"I have, but I've not been too busy for my friends." She felt herself flinch at his words.

"Oh, how is Miss Southern?" She infused the question with as much friendly interest as she could.

"Galinda is fine. Full of joy, as women in love tend to be, and therefore somewhat tiresome, but she's doing well."

"That's not very kind," Hermione chided, her gaze yanked back to his at the words "women in love".

"I'm not known for my kindness," he retorted.

"No. No, you're not. But - if you're going to marry her, doesn't she deserve for you to make the effort?" She was proud that her voice only quavered a little.

"That's my Hermione. Rebuking me, as always. Will you stop avoiding me if I swear that I will be kind to the woman I marry?" His voice was warm, teasing. There was a light in his eyes she didn't recognise - she'd never seen it before.

She turned back to the table, straightening the boxes on her tray.

"I would stop, if I were indeed avoiding you. Since I'm not, however...." Her voice caught. "In fact, I was quite pleased to hear that you were expected this evening." So there was the unspoken ending to that statement.

"Really," he drawled doubtfully.

"Truly," she confirmed. "Mr Murgatroyd specifically asked me to speak with you."

"Your supervisor? Why would he do such a thing?" She could tell his curiosity was piqued, although she doubted he'd be deflected for long.

"He'd like you to consult with the Department. Harry told him about the Charms work you did as a student, and he's intrigued. Also, he knows you've been working with George on Potions development."

"If this came about as the result of a conversation with Harry, why did he ask you to speak with me?"

"I don't know. He just said it was important that I persuade you to meet with him."

She should have known that he'd read the subtext.

"Oh, really? I don't suppose he suggested that you provide an inducement to sweeten the pot, as it were?"

Her head snapped around and she looked directly at him. "How did you know?"

"It's what I would have done." He reached out a long finger and tilted her chin, forcing her eyes to meet his. "And are you willing to offer me this... inducement?"

"No," she said quietly, stepping back and away from him, but feeling the warmth of his touch even after it was gone. "No, I'm not. It's not right."

"Why isn't it right?" he inquired, moving closer to her again, but not touching.

"You're with Galinda. It's wrong on that count alone. And I'll not prostitute myself for my job."

"Would it be prostitution if it were something you wished to do anyway?" He sounded curious.

"It would indeed! How could you ask that? How could you even think I'd be willing to do such a thing?" She was aghast that they were even having this conversation.

"Then go back to Ruddigore Murgatroyd and tell him that you refuse. It's what you should have done when he suggested it in the first place. He can't fire you for not providing sexual favours. He'll probably respect you for it."

"How - how do you know his first name?" Suspicion began to replace the humiliation she felt at the position her superior had placed her in.

"I had tea with him yesterday. I agreed to consult for the Department of Mysteries providing he set up an opportunity for me to speak with you privately," Snape informed her, without a trace of shame.

"So this was a set-up?" she asked. Fury was creeping up from her toes. 

"Well, yes. I wanted to speak with you, and you were ignoring my owls and avoiding me at parties." He seemed oblivious to the disaster he was courting.

"And that was good reason to embarrass me with my boss? And make me feel small and stupid?"

"No, Hermione. That wasn't my intent." 

Ah, good, she noted. He's beginning to understand that he is in deep manure.

"Well, that was the outcome. After that little display, do you really believe I'll remain here alone with you? What would Galinda think if she knew what you've got up to? How can I respect you when you have so little respect for me?" The pitch of her voice was rising. He actually stepped away from her.

She turned away from him and made for the door, pausing only to collect her satchel and jacket.

"No, Hermione, don't go." He sounded panicked now. 

Good. 

"You're perfectly safe. And I do respect you."

She pushed open the door to the front of the shop and stopped dead in her tracks. There, in the otherwise empty shop, stood Harry and Ginny, accompanied by Ron, who was hand in hand with... Galinda?

An inarticulate screech escaped her and the four dove for cover. She spun in the doorway, wand out, and shot a stream of angry canaries at the man standing alone in the middle of the workroom.

An instant later, she had Apparated to her flat, Severus's "Hermione" echoing in her ears.    
Chapter 6 by SSHG Exchange Mod
The Life Debt
Chapter 6

They left her alone that night. Hermione figured it would take them at least a day to find the courage to face her, and they'd probably send an advance scout. Ginny, most likely.

To her great surprise, the four interlopers sat down at her table at lunch the next afternoon. She'd spent the morning in hot pursuit of Murgatroyd, finally cornering him in his office right before lunchtime. She'd delivered a blistering lecture, the kindest words of which were "sexual harassment", then announced her intention to take a long lunch while she considered whether to continue in the programme, promising that if she left, she would make certain that the Minister of Magic himself, a close personal friend, would know the reason why.

Feeling immensely better, she'd settled at a vacant table in the lunchroom to eat a steaming plate of shepherd's pie, only to lose her appetite when her friends (and Galinda) joined her without a by-your-leave.

"I'm trying to eat, here," she informed them coldly, shovelling the suddenly-tasteless meal into her mouth in an unconscious imitation of Ron as a schoolboy.

"That's disgusting, Hermione," her former fiancé told her. He was rewarded with what he had once called the "Granger Glare of Death".

"Hermione, you need to listen to us. It's important." Harry leaned forward, looking earnest.

"Is someone dying?" she asked, wiping her mouth with a serviette before taking a hearty swig from her water bottle.

"No," Ginny answered before Harry could come up with a story. "But it's still important."

"Let me guess. You all plotted against me because I haven't been to enough stupid parties."

"No, but you made it easy to plot against you by not attending the stupid parties," Ron accused. Galinda made a shushing noise and put her hand over his.

"And what's this? The Good Witch of the South is supposed to be holding Severus's hand, not yours."

"That's one of the things you missed out on by skipping out of all the parties, Hermione." Harry knew that the only way to get through to Hermione when she was in one of these moods was to plough ahead regardless of her response. And to dodge any stray canaries that might come his way. "Ron and Galinda are together."

"What about Severus?" Hermione asked with what she thought was exquisite politeness.

The four of them winced. She sat back, arms folded against her chest. 

Confession time, she smirked inwardly.

"The truth?" Harry asked, looking nervous.

"The entire truth," she confirmed. "I have all day."

The others exchanged glances.

"No," she said, pointing at Harry. "You first."

"All right," he said, slouching deep into his chair. "But you have to promise not to hex me."

"I'll do nothing of the sort. Believe me when I tell you, though, that you'll get off easier if you tell me everything. If I find you've hidden something, or twisted it...." Her hand made an odd twisting motion. The boys flinched.

"It started when you saved Snape. Remember, you made him promise to talk to me about what he wanted in life? And you made him choose a mate."

"Right. He told us he wanted to start Master Potions and you and he started planning that. I remember. But he didn't choose a mate. He said he wasn't ready, and wouldn't be until the business was established." She shot an accusing glare at Galinda, who looked steadily back, her hand in Ron's.

"Well," Harry continued, "after you left, he confessed to me that he had a good idea who the only witch was that he'd ever love, apart from my mum."

"You're joking." She sat up straight, indignant. "I kept finding people for him to date, and he already knew who he wanted? That rat!"

"He told me she was already taken. That she loved someone else, and she'd never look at him. But you had made him promise to try, and he would indeed try to get over her."

"Oh," she sat back again. "I suppose he did try, at that."

"And then, one day, he learned that she was available. She'd broken up with the man Severus had believed she loved. He hoped for a chance with her, but she didn't notice him. She just thought of him as a friend."

"Now, wait a minute," Hermione said as the first inkling of what Harry was saying began to sink in. 

"It wasn't until he made himself unavailable that she showed any interest at all, and after that, she refused to speak with him." How had she forgotten how stubborn Harry could be? He was going to tell this story at his own pace and, in so doing, make her look as bad as he possibly could.

She began to suspect that she deserved it.

"He tried to see her, but she'd switch her schedule to avoid him." Harry's gaze was accusing. "He owled her, but she ignored them. He came to party after party, despite the fact that he's allergic to crowds, all in the hope of seeing her, but she avoided him completely."

"That's enough," she groaned, her face in her hands. "I get the picture."

"Finally, he turned to her closest friends, whom she was also avoiding, and appealed to them for assistance. With their aid, he set up a situation in which she'd have to speak with him. They helped because they love her, despite her stubbornness, and because they like him and want him to be happy."

Her head whipped up.

"You do? You like him?" She looked at each of them. She believed Harry and Ginny. She was doubtful about Ron; he looked slightly nauseous. Galinda, though, was smiling warmly.

"Well, what about you?" Hermione asked accusingly. 

"What about me?"the lovely woman responded, looking amused.

"How do you come to be holding hands with Ronald if you're so fond of Severus?"

"I was married to his cousin, Albert Snape. I've always liked Severus. He was very kind to me after Albert died," Galinda said gently. 

"Oh. I'm sorry for your loss."

"Thank you. It's been a long time. And then, thanks to you and Severus, I met Ron at Christmas, and decided it was time to move on with my life." She gazed fondly at her red-haired companion.

Making a note to speak to Ron about the age difference, then mentally erasing it as she realised Galinda was younger than Severus, she turned back to Harry.

"So, what now?" she inquired belligerently.

"Well, you have to talk to Severus," he said.

"And why do I have to do that? It seems to me that this problem could have been completely avoided if he'd just come up to me at any point in the last few years and said, ‘Oi, Hermione, I fancy you.' After all, it worked so well for Ron," she finished sweetly.

"No, you have to talk to him. And, more importantly, you have to listen to him. He loves you, Hermione."

She looked mutinous, so Harry continued, "You've had your fun with us, it's time for you to get serious. And, Hermione, be kind to him."

With those words, he pushed his seat back and rose. The others followed suit. "We'll be over there," he said, pointing towards a table in the far corner. "Don't mess up."

As the four trouped away, a lone man approached. He gestured at the chair closest to her. "May I?" he asked in his scratchy voice.

At the sound, the ice that had encased Hermione's heart since her rage had ebbed suddenly melted. He had suffered so much.... She nodded, moving so that her chair faced his.

"I went about this the wrong way, I know. I should have told you from the beginning that I cared about you, but... well, I thought it was hopeless."

"At the time," she answered, "I'd have agreed with you."

"When you broke up with Weasley, I thought... I hoped... well, you decided not to date anyone until you finished with your programme. So I decided to wait.

"But then, last fall, someone joked about Ruddigore Murgatroyd getting divorced and being in the right position to snap you up when nobody was looking. I had never met Ruddigore Murgatroyd and his moustaches, so I had no idea how ludicrous a possibility that was."

Hermione giggled. "You have no idea how frightened that man is of me right now."

Snape grimaced. "Maybe I do." He raised his gaze to hers, and she saw the places where the canaries had marked him. She reached for his face, stroking each cut and bruise tenderly.

"I'll heal them for you," she promised. "I'm sorry for hurting you."

"I deserved it. I shouldn't have brought Galinda into it, but I was desperate. For a moment, it appeared that I'd succeeded in awakening your interest, but then... you shunned me. I don't mind when the others do, but when you do it, it's a knife to the heart." She had to strain to hear, his voice was so low.

"So, we set up last night. And I overplayed my hand - I didn't just speak with you, I frightened you. Hermione, I am so very sorry...." He broke off as she leaned closer, touching her lips gently to his.

"You weren't wrong to bring Galinda into it. You're right that it woke me up. I realised that night that I was in love with you. But - I thought you loved her. And I knew I could never compete with her. And we still have that stupid Life Debt thing. I was worried that, if you knew I wanted you, you'd sacrifice your own happiness to repay the debt."

He pulled away, chuckling quietly.

"Hermione, the Life Debt has nothing to do with this. It would compel me to save your life, but nothing else. I was sending you up that night, trying to get you to go back to bed."

"Oh," she said blankly.

"I can't believe you never looked it up." He was frankly incredulous that the girl who had researched the growth rate of bowtruckle toenails had not immediately become a Life Debt expert.

"Well, I will now, you can be sure of that!"

"Can you forgive me?" he asked, sobering quickly. "Could you come to care for me again?"

"I forgive you, if you'll forgive me for my blindness," she returned. "And... I still do care for you, Severus."

He closed his eyes for a moment, sagging with relief.

"I love you, Hermione. Will you marry me?"

Hectic colour flooder her cheeks, but she didn't answer. Instead, she leaped to her feet, making beckoning gestures to the crowded table at the other side of the lunchroom.

Then, as her beaming friends approached, she pointed at the ground before her, commanding, "Again."

Obediently falling to one knee before her, he looked at their gathered friends, meeting and holding Harry's eyes for a long second. Harry's eyes... Lily's eyes.

He gave the startled young man a tender, nostalgic smile, then turned to look into eyes that were a joyous brown and reached for Hermione's hand. 

The Life Debt was repaid.    
This story archived at http://themasque.net/wiktt/efiction/viewstory.php?sid=2974