The Error of My Ways

"I still can't believe it," Sirius exclaimed in disbelief.

They had returned to Dumbledore's office after being practically expelled magically from the infirmary by an infuriated Madam Pomfrey. The only one she had permitted to stay was Severus and that was only because she needed his skills in potion making. Harry and Ron were sitting on either side of Draco, who still looked rather ill. Percy was standing, looking at the Pensieve rather angrily. Sirius was pacing somewhat erratically while Remus and Dumbledore looked on in amusement.

"What is it exactly that you do not believe, Sirius?" Remus wondered aloud with a smile on his face.

Sirius stopped to look at his friend in amazement.

"I don't believe any of this," he sighed, shrugging his shoulders.

"I can't believe that Snape is Hermione's real dad. I mean, how the hell did that happen?" Ron muttered.

"Now, Weasley, do I need to explain the birds and the bees to you?" Draco smirked. Ron simply rolled his eyes but he blushed rather deeply.

"If you weren't injured..." the redhead said deliberately.

Harry smiled. The heckling between Draco and Ron was rather welcome. It was one of the few things that had not changed recently.

"Knut for your thoughts, Harry," Remus walked over to the three young men.

"I'm just glad that we were able to get Hermione out of there and that we got Wormtail. Sirius' name will be cleared now," Harry looked over at his godfather who was still in a bit of a state of shock.

"Yes, officials from the Ministry of Magic will be coming shortly in order to question him. I have already spoken to Fudge and, thankfully, he will not bring Dementors with the delegation," Dumbledore explained.

"Will he get the Kiss?" Harry asked nervously.

"Yes, Harry. Crimes such as the ones he has committed cannot go unpunished. He caused the deaths of your parents, of a number of muggles in the confrontation with Sirius shortly afterwards and in the wave of killings and torturing that has plagued the wizarding community recently. He must be made to answer for his crimes and receive an appropriate punishment," Dumbledore sounded as if this was a speech he had given before. And, although he knew the appropriateness of the punishment, a low sigh of regret still passed his lips.

"Serves him right," Ron muttered angrily. He had never been able to get over the Scabbers incident. Indeed, he believed that Wormtail had murdered Scabbers as well.

"How are you feeling, Draco?" Remus asked, concern in his eyes.

"I have been better," Draco joked, "But the mark is fading now and the pain is lessening."

Harry turned to Draco with surprise in his eyes, "What do you mean, the mark is fading? Show us your arm."

Draco pulled up the sleeve of his robe. Sure enough, the Dark Mark was still there but it was fading rather quickly.

"How is that possible?" Ron whispered in awe.

"Snape had been developing a potion that would render the Dark Mark...well, not exactly permanent. He gave it to me before we left and I drank it before we went into the house," Draco pulled his sleeve back down, not wishing to look at the ugly stain any longer than he had to.

"I bet he wishes it would work on him," Ron said in one of those rare moments of true perception.

"What happened in there?" Percy had not turned around, his attention still focused on the Pensieve, but his question hung in the air.

"Yes, Remus and I are anxious to hear what transpired in the house. You reached the point where Hermione was hurt..." Dumbledore motioned to Remus, Sirius and Percy to sit down. Percy was the only one who remained standing...next to the Pensieve.

"We...we just reacted. I don't think we really had a plan...we just panicked. Sirius went after Wormtail...literally pounced on him and bound him with his own belt. I was scared that Wormtail would attack in some way but he seemed...I don't know...shocked by what Hermione did. I don't think he expected that...he just looked devastated and didn't offer any resistance to Sirius," Harry began...shuddering when he remembered the look on Wormtail's face.

"Snape quickly unbound Percy and was trying to get to Hermione but the Dark Lord started attacking Harry and me and he had to help us. I think that even the most evil of wizards finds it difficult to battle against four determined opponents. Especially when he was only expecting two," Ron nudged Draco and grinned.

"Something funny happened to Harry's wand," Draco frowned as he tried to remember all the details, "It wasn't like that other time you told me about...it was...really different."

"What do you mean," Remus questioned.

"It was as if the wand was acting without Harry...I don't really know how to explain it," Draco closed his eyes in pain, as if the effort of trying to put the events into words was hurting him.

"Why don't you simply describe what you saw," Dumbledore commented gently.

Draco took a deep breath and opened his eyes.

"It was as if the two wands were battling one another but there was this presence in Harry's wand that gave him an advantage. Voldemort tried to cast spells on Ron, Snape and myself but nothing he tried seemed to work. I think that Harry's wand was blocking his wand's ability to do magic...but I don't understand how that can be."

Dumbledore nodded and turned to Remus who summoned a book off of one of the many shelves in Dumbledore's office. Thumbing through it, he found what he was looking for.

"Is it what I think it is?" Dumbledore asked.

Remus nodded.

"What?" Harry stood up and walked over to where Remus was scanning a page carefully. "What is it?"

"Voldemort knew many spells of very ancient origin but he missed one...and a very important one at that," Remus began.

"As some of you are aware, Harry's wand and Voldemort's wand both have a magical core of the same origin which is most unusual. Their wands both contain the tail feather of a Phoenix...my Phoenix, Fawkes. Back in Harry's fourth year, the two wands were forced to battle and Harry's wand forced the other to show the spells it had performed. Shades of several people Voldemort murdered appeared and helped Harry find his way back to Hogwarts safely and to bring Cedric's body back as well so that he could be properly buried with the dignity and respect he deserved. This time, it seems that Harry's wand was not content with this and, indeed, was angered by the fact that a magical substance from such a pure and good source like my Fawkes was being used for evil."

Sirius moved closer to Dumbledore.

"But a wand isn't a living being," he argued, trying to make some sense of what Dumbledore was saying and not succeeding.

"That is true, my friend," Remus countered, "But any truly magical substance that comes from a magical beast such as a phoenix or a unicorn does retain a vestige of its living self...this is what gives compounds such as powdered unicorn horn or phoenix tail feathers such powerful properties. The same, but opposite effect, can be found in evil creatures such as basilisks where the scales, if buried, will cause all plants within a certain perimeter to wither and die."

"So, the two wands battled it out. Harry's wand won...what happened next? Voldemort just screamed...there was this red-gold light that came out of his own wand that just...enveloped him and he...he just disappeared," Draco looked rather shaken.

"Well, it says in the book that the defeated wand will take vengeance on its owner for having betrayed it. The book doesn’t specify how or if the wand actually destroys him...some of this is rather ambiguous...it's the trouble with translating some of these lost languages," Remus pointed to a section of the book. Harry looked at it but could not understand the writing.

"So, he was defeated by his own wand?" Ron asked incredulously.

"That is putting it rather simplistically, but yes, that is exactly what happened. I never considered that possibility," Dumbledore looked at the book for a few moments and then returned it to its spot on the bookshelf.

 "Is he gone for good now?" Harry asked.

Dumbledore sighed.

"I hope so. I do not sense his presence and your scar doesn't hurt you, does it?"

Ron suddenly turned to his friend.

"I didn't think of that. Your scar...it never hurt while we were in there. How was that possible?"

Harry, though pale and still slightly bloodied from the battle, smiled at his friend.

"Snape," was the only word he said.

Ron whistled, "I am definitely going to have to pay more attention in Potions."

Draco laughed, "Maybe you can replace Snape when he retires."

"I think the first thing I am going to do is have a talk with your aunt and uncle, Harry." Sirius remarked softly, almost as if he could scarcely believe he had said the words.

Harry was practically beaming.

"You have all done exceptionally well. You should be very proud of yourselves. We will discuss this further tomorrow. I think you should all get some rest...you have certainly earned that and I am sure not one of you has slept since your return."

Dumbledore held up his hand to stop the protests coming from all of them.

"She is in good hands...I will let you know when you can see her. Go back to your rooms, get some sleep and we will talk further. Remus, please accompany them so that they don't...get lost along the way."

Knowing that it was useless to argue with him, they began to follow Remus out of the office.

"Percy," Dumbledore put a hand on the young professor's shoulder, "I would like you to remain for a moment."

Percy nodded and watched as Dumbledore closed the door after the others. He turned back towards him.

"I thought perhaps, you might like to speak to Madam Pomfrey before you retire for the evening," he said to the younger man.

Percy's eyes widened.

"But...but Madam Pomfrey.." he protested half-heartedly.

Dumbledore chuckled somewhat.

"Is waiting for you as we speak," Dumbledore's eyes simply gleamed.

Percy walked over to the door but then turned.

"Severus..." he started, somewhat uncertainly.

"Will tell you his own story himself," Dumbledore replied.

Percy nodded.

"Thank you," he said gratefully.

Dumbledore shook his head.

"No, Percy, it is for me to thank you. You have done an exceptional job...better than even I could have hoped. Your parents will be very proud of you...as I am."

Percy smiled. Although appreciated, Dumbledore's praise did not mean as much to him as it would have months earlier.

"I do hope that you will stay for the remainder of the school year. You do have a knack for teaching and it is so difficult to find a teacher for only half the year," Dumbledore sat down at his desk and pulled out a parchment and a quill.

"Yes, of course I will stay," Percy replied.

"Excellent," Dumbledore began to write, "I will see you in the morning. Good night, Percy."

"Good night, sir."

Percy soon found himself in the hallway and hurried towards the infirmary. He stood outside Madam Pomfrey's office and knocked. She quickly opened the door and let him in with a small smile.

"How is she?" he asked immediately.

She shook her head slightly.

"There is still no change. I am getting somewhat nervous about the whole situation. She should have regained consciousness by now," Madam Pomfrey was clearly worried about her charge.

"Have you tried the Mandrake potion?" Percy asked.

Madam Pomfrey sighed sadly.

"It is ineffective against something like this. The Mandrake potion is effective against magically induced comas...this is not magical."

"Can I go in to sit with her?"

 Madam Pomfrey smiled sadly at the young man. She could tell that he had not slept at all and, although she had tried to get him to take some sleeping potion, he seemed violently opposed to the idea for some reason.

"Of course. Professor Snape has been sitting with her all day. Poor man. I have never seen him look so broken...none of us knew..."

Tears were welling up in her eyes and she wiped them away furiously with the corner of her apron. Percy placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I know she is getting the very best care. It's just a matter of time."

The older mediwitch looked up at him gratefully and nodded.

"You can go in, dear," she said affectionately.

Percy smiled at her in thanks and swiftly walked into the infirmary. There was only one cot that was occupied and the curtains were all drawn. He pushed them aside and stopped for a moment.

Severus had finally given in to the exhaustion preying upon his body. He had fallen asleep, sitting in the chair beside Hermione, his hand still holding hers.

Walking over to the sleeping figure quietly, he gently touched the older man's shoulder in an effort to waken him without startling him. Severus immediately opened his eyes, sitting up quickly.

"It's only me. I thought you might get an awful crick in your neck if you continued sleeping like that," Percy said awkwardly as he walked around the bed to sit on the other chair.

Placing Hermione's hand gently on the bed, Severus got up and stretched. Percy was reminded of a cat, a very lean black cat. Running a hand through his hair tiredly, the older man sat down again with a sigh and looked at Hermione wistfully, needlessly rearranging her blankets.

"What time is it, Percy?" he asked.

"It's after eight in the evening. Have you eaten anything?"

Severus shook his head.

Percy frowned. "You have to eat something...I can call the house elves if you like."

"No...I will have something a little later. I can't eat here...Pomfrey would skin me alive...and I am scared to leave. I want to be here when she wakes up."

Percy could see that Severus was extremely worried. He had not spoken to anyone since their return to Hogwarts...not even Dumbledore and that was most unusual for the Potions Master.

"Did you want to talk about it?" Percy asked gently.

Severus looked at the younger man with a tired expression. Percy felt as if ten years had suddenly been placed on his colleague's fatigued shoulders.

"It's a long story," Severus commented, rather uncertainly.

"We have plenty of time and I think it would do you a lot of good. You have held in a great deal over many years...that is hardly healthy."

A wry grin appeared on Severus' face. "When you were my student, I thought you were very intelligent but also the most annoying and pompous boy I had ever met...and now..."

Percy grinned slightly. "And now?"

"And now I wonder how you turned into this perceptive and sympathetic person."

Percy looked at Hermione...at her pale face and her closed eyes.

"It's because of her," he answered quietly.

"I understand," Severus acknowledged.

"And it's because of her that I think you need to talk about this...talk to someone else about this before you talk to her," Percy looked at Severus as he talked to him. There was a firmness in his voice that Severus could not ignore.

Severus sighed deeply...as if preparing himself for an awful experience...like swallowing undiluted Bubotuber pus.

"Where do I start?" he asked.

"Why don't you tell me about Hermione's mother?"

A strange sad smile passed over Severus' face and Percy got the distinct impression that the older man was remembering something that was, at the same time, blissfully sweet and bitterly sad.

"She was in the same year as myself but she had had the misfortune of being sorted into Gryffindor," Severus smirked good-naturedly at Percy. "We did not associate with each other all that much. I was always with Lucius Malfoy and she seemed to associate with a number of Hufflepuffs. For some reason, I don't think she ever really fit in with her house, except for Remus. I can't say that I really noticed her at first...mainly thought of her as just another Gryffindor. It was in fifth year that I noticed that there was this real beauty in several of my classes and maybe I should try to pursue her. She was not beautiful, in the traditional sense, but she was beautiful to me because she was warm, caring and had a wonderful sense of humour. I would watch her with her friends...her laugh was like tinkling wind chimes..."

Severus stopped for a moment and looked at Hermione. "She laughs like her mother."

"Did she love you?" Percy quizzed.

The older man laughed for a moment. "No, at first she thought of me as a greasy-haired git."

Percy smiled, somewhat chastened, he had often thought the same thing during many Potions classes.

"Strangely enough, she accepted when I asked her to the Yule Ball and, well, we started seeing one another after that. We never told anyone that our relationship went deeper than that. I don't think anyone would have believed us in any case. I was not very popular and there were several, especially in Gryffindor, who would have thought the only way I would have a female companion would be by using the Imperius Curse."

"Remus Lupin knew. He...found us in a rather compromising position once. For her sake, he never said anything."

 Percy grinned slightly.

"Unfortunately, Voldemort was rising and, although we were safe at Hogwarts, the outside world was in real danger. I...I made a very bad decision...I only thought to protect myself and her...I did not think of the consequences of that decision or the price I would have to pay...continue to pay to this very day."

 "Did she know?"

"No. I did not tell her. I was ashamed that I was not being completely truthful but I wanted to protect her. I think you can understand that."

Percy nodded. Yes, he could understand that very well.

"After graduation, we married. Yes, we were young, but you have to understand that many of us married young at that time. Again, we kept everything a secret from almost everyone. Dumbledore knew...the Dark Lord knew and Remus Lupin knew."

"How did he find out?"

"She sent him a wedding photo. I had not wanted any photographs taken but she had insisted on just a couple. Her mother and Remus' mother had been good friends and Remus was like a brother to her. I did not realize he knew until a just over a year ago when I discovered the photo in his possession."

"That must have caught you by surprise."

"I felt horribly guilty about it. I...I have never treated Remus very well."

"And then what happened?"

"We discovered that she was pregnant. It was a particularly fertile year. Lily Potter was pregnant. Molly Weasley was expecting a sixth child. The Longbottoms were expecting their first. Even Lucius's wife was pregnant. By then, I had turned spy for Dumbledore and I was afraid that the Dark Lord would target her so we decided that she would stay in Hogwarts. We made up some story...I don't remember what it was but I guess it sounded plausible. Then again, who would question Dumbledore?"

"Did you hear from Remus?"

"No, he had gone into hiding, working with Sirius Black. The time passed slowly and I was always afraid that The Dark Lord would discover my true loyalties and try to harm my wife and unborn child. It was agonizing. Then, one night, she went into labour. It was horrible. Madam Pomfrey wasn't here at that time...I wish she had been...she would have known what to do. The labour, as most first labours go, was long and arduous. But, after 14 hours, Hermione was finally born. As she was placed in my arms, my wife sighed softly and then...she died. Her heart had stopped. The midwife and the mediwitch could not save her."

Severus wiped the tears away from his eyes.

"I was devastated. I had been left alone with this beautiful baby and I was terrified. She was so beautiful. Pink-cheeked. Chubby. Black hair. Eyes shut tight with crying. I remember holding her close to me as I cried. Part of me wanted her to stay with me. Part of me felt she had to go in order to protect her."

"So you spoke to Dumbledore?"

"Correct. I brought Hermione with me and spoke to Dumbledore at some length. He tried to persuade me to reconsider but, the more I thought about it, the more the decision to give her up seemed to be the right thing to do."

"How did you go about that?"

Severus sighed deeply.

"Dumbledore and I went to a local muggle hospital. A young couple had just given birth to a stillborn child. We...we switched the babies and placed a memory charm on everyone in the delivery room. To the young couple, it seemed that everything had gone well and they had a healthy baby girl."

"But what about the other baby?"

"The other baby was buried, under the Granger name, in a local muggle cemetery. I enchanted the plot so that there were always flowers blooming there. It was the least I could do."

"And you..."

"And I continued to spy for Dumbledore but I was not particularly effective because my thoughts always went back to her. Finally, I asked Dumbledore to place a memory charm on me. He refused initially but I managed to beat down his resistance."

"But...you remember now..."

"That is true. Even though the memory charm removed the memory of having been married and the memory of a daughter, it did not remove the anger, the bitterness and the despair I felt. I just felt it without knowing the reason why."

"Which explains why you were the least popular professor in Hogwarts," Percy thought to himself.

"Dumbledore finally removed the memory charm at the end of the last school year. I suppose he could not take my suffering any longer, especially since we discovered Voldemort's new plan. It has been difficult teaching Hermione this year. I'm sure she noticed my changed behaviour towards her."

"She might have mentioned it."

Professor Snape smiled somewhat.

"I am going to have to have the memory charm removed from her parents...from Mr & Mrs Granger. I only hope that they...that she can forgive me...I am so afraid that she will not and that I will lose her a second time."

Tears were running down Professor Snape's pale cheeks.

"You did all this because you love her and you have suffered terribly because of it. I know she will understand and I know she will not reject you. Just talk to her and be honest. It is what she would expect."

"I suppose you are right...I am just a little nervous."

"It will be all right. I know it will. In the meantime, why don't you go get something to eat? You look famished. I will wait here with her."

Professor Snape did not look wholly convinced.

"I wanted to be here," he muttered.

"Go get something to eat...you will be no good to anyone if you fall in a dead faint."

Professor Snape nodded reluctantly and got up.

"Let me know if..." the older man said quietly.

"When," Percy corrected firmly.

Professor Snape leaned down to kiss Hermione's forehead and, with a nod to Percy, left the infirmary.

Percy looked at Hermione. It was unnerving to see her in this state. For a moment, he was brought back to his sixth year when she had been petrified.

He moved a little closer to her and took her hand. It was still cool to the touch.

"Please wake up, Hermione," he whispered to her still form, "I don't know what I will do if I have to go through the rest of my life without you in it. You have to come back to me. You have to."

Percy's eyes welled up with tears and, sobbing to release the ache in his heart, he leaned his head down to rest on his hand, which was still firmly holding hers.

"Please come back to me. I love you. I can't lose you now."

All the emotions of the past few days came rushing through Percy and he cried.

"Don't leave me," he whispered brokenly.

And then, he felt a hand run through his hair softly. He looked up, disbelieving. Her eyes were half-open and they looked at him with warmth and love. She was smiling but she still looked quite tired.

And Percy found he could not say a word so he did the next best thing.

He kissed her. A kiss as soft and gentle and full of promise as hers had been several months before.

She looked at him with eyes that were full of tears.

"I couldn't leave you," she said softly, "I still have NEWTs to write."

 She started giggling at the shocked expression on Percy's face and he soon joined her, happy to laugh at anything.

"Is Voldemort gone now?" she asked quietly.

"Yes."

Percy did not want to tell Hermione his fears, perhaps unfounded, that the Dark Lord was simply wounded and would return again. Dumbledore seemed to think that Voldemort was gone. That was good enough for him.

"I love you, Percy," she said with shining eyes.

"And I love you, Hermione. I think you should have this back now."

Percy slipped the promise ring from the chain around his neck and placed it delicately on the ring finger of her right hand. She looked at it in sheer contentment...as if she asked nothing more from life.

"I see you are up," Professor Snape's voice startled them.

"Hello, Professor Snape," Hermione said politely.

Percy stood up.

"No, Percy, you may stay," the older man protested. Percy sat down again and Professor Snape sat down on another chair.

"How are you feeling?" Professor Snape asked.

"A little tired but I can feel my strength returning." She answered.

Sighing, the older man took her hand...somewhat hesitantly.

"Hermione...when you are stronger...there are many things I will need to discuss with you..." he said uncertainly.

Hermione nodded and smiled at him with genuine affection as she remembered the events from the night before. Although unable to speak or react, she had still been able to listen. Who he was. Who she was.