Minerva stared at them incredulously for a moment. Certainly she had heard wrong. The looks on their faces, though, said otherwise. How was that even possible? She realized the past six weeks or so had been busy for everyone, but really. What were they thinking?

"What do you mean you don't know where she is?" Minerva said to Harry Potter and Ron Weasley.

She was making rounds and spotted the two wizards as they were leaving the room of one of their recovering classmates. As acting headmistress of Hogwarts she did not get to spend as much time here as she would have liked, but the castle reparations had to be overseen. Administrative tasks had to be taken care of.

She'd been surprised it was just the two of them, though. No Hermione Granger in sight. For the first three or four weeks she'd been a fixture here. She'd been the only one Severus had even tolerated during his coherent moments. She hadn't understood that, but anyone else agitated him. Noticing her absence not just from Severus' room, but all those recovering from the final battle the past little while. So, she'd asked her two closest friends where she was. She had seen her sitting with Severus, but she knew Miss Patil was in there today, and realized now that she saw just the two of them she hadn't seen Miss Granger in a while. And that wasn't normal. She hadn't had a chance to inquire. Today, though, she'd finally been able to ask the question that had been on her mind. Likely no one but these two would have that knowledge anyway.

"We," Mr. Weasley said and she could see his Adam's apple work as he swallowed. She recognized that sign. It meant he was nervous. That couldn't be good. What could he possibly have to be nervous about with regard to Hermione? Was she taking time away from the wizard? Minerva, in truth, couldn't blame her after she'd heard he'd left them last fall. "Haven't heard from her."

"I thought she was staying with you, Mr. Potter," the interim headmistress said.

Interim because she was hoping as soon as he was acquitted of the charges against him, Severus Snape would return as headmaster. She wasn't sure he would. He was evasive in answering her as far as what he wished to do post-war. She hoped to at least talk him into returning as the potions professor. She owed him that much and, truly, Hogwarts would not be the same without him.

"She was. She didn't come home one night."

"And that was?"

Mister Potter mumbled something. Obviously intentionally. That couldn't be good. And what did she didn't come home one night even mean? Did they not even know where she was? Her best friends! Certainly she would have heard before now, running into them at St. Mungo's by chance, that the witch had moved out. So what did they hadn't heard from her mean? Was she in Australia trying to find her parents? Had they had a falling out over something? Had something happened to her?

More mumbling. Mr. Weasley was even redder than he had been a moment ago.

"I'm sorry?" The question was more of a shriek.

"Around Draco Malfoy's birthday. I think," Mister Potter said.

"A month! A month! She's been gone for a month and you haven't said a word? She's essentially the face of the magical world with you right now, Mr. Potter. Did you not think someone might want to know? She single handedly saved Severus' life when everyone else left him for dead."

All three of them lowered their gazes at that. They'd all failed Severus Snape.

"I don't know," Mr. Potter said.

"It's Hermione," Mr. Weasley said. "She'll be fine."

"And what if she's not fine, Mr. Weasley? There are Death Eaters and Snatchers still on the loose. What if one of them got a hold of her?"

His Adam's apple bobbed again. She'd hit home with that. Did this wizard love her or not? She'd thought he did, but it seemed she was wrong about his true feelings.

"I," Mr. Weasley said, blanching to the point his face was the palest she'd ever seen. Was going from tomato red to as white as a sheet good for anyone? Even someone as young as Mr. Weasley? She wasn't sure. At least they were in St. Mungo's, if something was going to happen to him this was the place to be!

"You two are supposed to be her friends. Her best friends."

"We just assumed," Mr. Potter said.

"I mean, she's Hermione," Mr. Weasley said. "She's always fine."

Had this wizard actually said that? She was always fine? Did he consider her fine after their escape from Malfoy Manor? Did he consider her fine after being cursed by Dolohov? Did he consider her fine after she'd been petrified?

Minerva sighed softly with a shake of her head. She would not yell at them. She wanted to, but she would not. She was Hermione indeed was the reason Minerva was concerned. She'd gone through so much and been so loyal to not just Harry Potter but this world she'd come to accept as hers. Contrary to what Mr. Weasley had just said, she was not always fine. It wasn't like her to just disappear. She was too responsible for that.

"Well, let's hope she is in fact fine. If she's not, well, you both can spend the rest of your days atoning for that. If you hear from her, please do let me know so I don't worry." As if she didn't have enough to worry about at this time. Now she had to worry about, if she were being honest, probably her favorite student in a very long time if not ever.

Severus Snape wondered what in the hell he'd done to deserve this sort of punishment. Where had the other witch gone? For a month. Well, he thought it was a month. He wasn't sure since he hadn't interacted with anyone but her. She'd always shown him a London Times when she came to visit, seeming to realize (accurately) that while he wanted to be kept abreast of happenings in the world he didn't want it courtesy of the Prophet or Quibbler. Based on the first paper he'd seen and the last that he could recall her giving him, she hadn't left his side in a month. She'd spent her time reading to him and talking to him as if he cared to hear a bloody word she said. She'd always left the paper behind and he'd appreciated that. Still, she'd been more tolerable than anyone else. She hadn't treated him like an invalid, merely someone healing. He'd appreciate that. The nurses. They treated him like an infant or someone helpless when wanting to bathe him and other things. He didn't appreciate that at all, and they'd figured that out rather quickly.

Now, though, she'd evidently given up on him and he was stuck with Weasleys, a Potter, and assorted other Gryffindors seeming to think he wanted to be entertained constantly. At least Granger was … tolerable to listen to. If he'd known this was what he'd end up with he maybe would have been a little nicer to her.

He listened as Parvati Patil talked his ear off.

All right, more than maybe he would have been a little nicer to her.

MISS PATIL? appeared on the whiteboard beside his bed.

It was magically connected to his thoughts, essentially translating those thoughts to the white board in the place of spoken words. He could not speak at this time. The healers were not sure he'd ever be able to speak again as there was that much damage courtesy of Nagini.

Damn snake.

"Yes, Sir."

ARE YOU UNDER ORDERS OF THE MINISTER TO BE HERE? OR THE AURORS?

"No, Sir."

THEN GET OUT. He weakly raised his arm to point at the door in emphasis. He did not survive Nagini's bite and venom resulting from that bite to be tortured with her like this.

"Sir?"

DID I STUTTER, MISS PATIL? GET OUT. I DID NOT SURVIVE TWENTY YEARS AS A SPY AND NAGINI'S ATTACK TO HAVE TO LISTEN TO YOUR MINDLESS BLATHERING. He underlined this for effect.

He felt a touch of remorse as she stood, sobbing at his words.

Except.

He hadn't asked her to come sit with him and ramble on about things he didn't care to hear about. At least Granger seemed to know what subject matters he'd want to listen to. He'd had a month to think on why that was, and he had come to the realization that perhaps they were more alike than he'd stopped to think about with everything else going on.

He had no visitors for the rest of the day, which relieved him to no end. He still wondered, though, where Granger was. Had he written something on his board that made her not want to come back? He didn't think so. He couldn't recall anything overly cruel. Well, maybe her first visit or two, but he doubted it took her a month to process those insults and then decide not to return weeks later. He thought he was entitled to be utterly brassed off that she'd wasted her energy and resources to save his sodding life.

Minerva showed up the next morning and he had his answer. She was well and truly in a state about it, too. She'd evidently learned about it the prior day, but had to return to Hogwarts so hadn't been able to visit him and relay the information.

Missing?

He had to admit that was a bit … distressing.

He had no death eater contacts left, his cover had well and truly been blown. No one would offer him information even if he was in a position to attempt to gather it. Clearly, he wasn't. So, how could he aid Minerva in attempting to find her pet student?

LUCIUS MALFOY, Severus offered to Minerva on the whiteboard. It was the only thing he could think of.

"What?" She was clearly confused and not understanding what Lucius Malfoy had to do with what she'd been telling him. He was in Azkaban Severus thought he'd heard so he wouldn't have taken the witch.

OFFER HIM A DEAL IF HE CAN PROVIDE RELIABLE, CONFIRMABLE INFORMATION ON HER. I KNOW HE WAS HAVING BUYER'S REMORSE TOWARD THE END THERE. MAYBE KNOWING HE COULD KEEP DRACO OR NARCISSA FROM SERVING TIME, OR EVEN LESSENING HIS OWN SENTENCE WOULD BE INCENTIVE TO HIM. ENSURE YOU STIPULATE RELIABLE AND CONFIRMABLE OR HE'S LIKELY TO CONCOCT ANY STORY WHOEVER INTERVIEWS HIM WOULD BUY.

"I will see what Kingsley can do."

She regarded him for a moment. She'd known him since he was eleven years old and while he had some complaints about her, overall she was a capable instructor and a decent person. He certainly had no qualms about her becoming headmistress. Right now, though, he wasn't sure what she was looking for. He was grateful he couldn't speak, though.

"Why do you care about Miss Granger, Severus?"

SHE WAS TOLERABLE, he wrote.

Minerva snorted. "I'll be sure to tell her you said so."

He shook his head with a roll of his eyes. He thought of Granger, captured again by someone sympathetic to the Dark Lord. Would she survive a second capture? Could she endure that? Was she strong enough? He realized if anyone could it would be her. Not many could take Bellatrix's worst and survive.

And if she hadn't been captured? If she'd finally, after seven years, decided she'd had enough of the wizarding world?

He'd be incredibly surprised. He couldn't say as if he would blame her, though. If he hadn't had a debt to pay to the Potters he might have been tempted to turn his back on it himself seventeen years ago. Like him, though, Hermione Granger didn't strike him as someone to give up.

YOU WILL KEEP ME INFORMED?

"I will, of course, Severus."

Minerva stayed for about an hour, filling him in on the doings in the wizarding world. The trials that had ended. The trials that were coming this week. The reparations at Hogwarts, which made his soul hurt to think about. He had both good and bad memories of his close to twenty-seven years spent there, but when it got down to it he loved Hogwarts and the idea of it being even somewhat destroyed didn't sit well with him. Just the idea of death eaters getting in bothered him. He knew, though, the castle and its surrounding property were in capable hands. If anyone would ensure it was returned to its glory it was Minerva McGonagall.

Story ©Susan Matthews/APCKRFAN/PhantomRoses.com