Disclaimer: Except for some OCs, the characters here and the world they inhabit are the creation and property of JK Rowling. This chapter takes place within the time line of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

It was easiest to Apparate back to the Shrieking Shack and go back through the tunnel to the school grounds. Any other spot would be highly exposed. Hope knew a moment of nervous fear, but thought of Neville and turned. The place was as deserted as she had left it and she made her way through the passage to the willow tree. Moving quietly toward the school, she saw the two lines of armies facing each other near the front door.

The side closer to the school was crying. “Not Harry...how can Harry be dead?” The other side was laughing with glee and making crude remarks. “So much for the Boy Who Lived!” There was some disruption and one boy came from the school to stand between the crowds.

“Dumbledore's Army!”

She went weak with gratitude and fear at the sound of that voice. Neville was still alive, but as she got closer it appeared that he was being held. Hope couldn't hear everything that was being said, but saw the Sorting Hat as it approached, heard the laughter and jeers, and saw the flames encircling Neville's head. Her own screams sounded as loud to her as those of the crowd as she hurried forward. She had to get to him, had to do something, when suddenly many things happened at once.

An instant later, Neville was standing, free of the Binding Spells that held him, holding the Sword of Gryffindor and watching the writhing body of the snake fall to the ground. A wild thrill went through Hope as she saw the boy she'd known and loved become a triumphant hero before her eyes. This was the Lucky that had always existed in her mind, come grandly to life.

There was no time to enjoy the sight. Voldemort turned to curse Neville, but someone had put up a Shield Charm. Hope breathed a sigh of relief and tried to get to Neville as the crowd of fighting witches and wizards swept her toward the doors and into the entrance hall. She lost sight of him, but knew he would also come this way.

She was pushed to a wall, against a niche where a suit of armor once stood. She climbed onto the pedestal and watched, sending spells where she thought they would help. Finally, he was in the building. A flash of green was coming entirely too close to his head, and she called to him.

“Lucky! Watch out!”

He ducked and turned to see who had warned him. “Margo?”

“I think you have me confused with someone else,” she said, holding her hand out.

“Hope, then,” he said, taking her hand and stepping up next to her when she smiled.

They stood, shoulder to shoulder, hexing and cursing Death Eaters as they passed while casting Shield Charms to help the others. The crowd thinned a bit as the bulk of the combatants made their way into the Great Hall. Suddenly Hope felt herself grabbed around the middle and swept down from the pedestal. Over Neville's shoulder, she saw a flash of light hit the wall that had just been behind her, splintering the stone. Turning, Hope saw Rabastan Lestrange snarling in anger that he had missed. His brother Rodolphus was standing near him.

Hope and Neville moved into the Great Hall, continuing to cast spells as they went. They found themselves near a wall, battling several people all at once, when again Neville pulled Hope to the side, and a green light hit right next to where her head had been. Hope turned and saw Bellatrix Lestrange, who had just been joined by her husband and brother in law. She turned to thank Neville and saw a grave look in his eye. He was looking at the trio who had put his parents in the hospital, and Hope saw that they were likewise looking at the two of them.

Once again, Hope and Neville stood shoulder to shoulder, now casting hexes and curses at the three Lestranges. Death Eaters fell all around them as other battles continued. Bellatrix had an evil smile on her face as she attempted to cast the Cruciatus Curse, only to have it repelled again and again.

“Expelliarmus!” Hope and Neville cast the spell at the same time. At once, all three Lestranges were disarmed. Neville's eyes narrowed slightly as he pondered the three who had so horribly hurt his parents. He was determined that they would never hurt anyone again. A special Summoning Charm came to mind and his lips moved. It was a spell Hope didn't know. A brilliant green light shot from his wand and hit the floor at the feet of Bellatrix Lestrange. Instantly, a vine started growing between and around the three Lestranges.

Bellatrix laughed. “A plant! He intends to grow us to death! His skills are exactly what we had heard, Rodolphus. Quite the credit to his family.” She laughed again, shrieking with amusement, until she realized that the vine was growing and pulling snugly around her. Then her shrieks turned to rage and finally fear.

Hope realized the plant was Devil's Snare. She watched, partly in amusement and partly in horror as the fronds constricted, pulling its prisoners tighter and tighter and finally strangling them altogether. The room got quieter as one by one the Death Eaters fell or were captured. In looking around, Hope finally saw that the only battle continuing was that between Voldemort, Professors McGonagall and Slughorn, and Kingsley Shacklebolt.

A howl of anger came from another side of the room as Voldemort realized one of his greatest servants was dead. His rage was drowned out by the cry of elation within the room that swelled through the crowd. Harry Potter appeared and everyone learned he had not been killed in the forest, as believed. Harry quietly indicated that all other combatants should back away, and he and Voldemort started circling each other.

Hope stood silently along with all the others as the two in the middle of the room argued and exchanged jibes. As everyone did, she held her wand out, ready to help in any way that presented itself as Potter explained some of the things that had happened. Everyone in the room listened eagerly to him explain that his mother's death and even Dumbledore's had great meaning in Voldemort's coming destruction.

Voldemort scoffed and brought up the subject of Hope's father, and those around her turned and looked at her. Even there Harry seemed to have all the answers. She, along with everyone, heard that Snape had always been Dumbledore's man, and of how her father loved Harry's mother, how Lily Evans Potter was the great love of Severus Snape's life. She heard of how her father had looked after and protected Harry to the point of putting himself in danger for the sake of that love. The moment was too important to dwell on those things, though. Hope watched, along with everyone else, as no one breathed, and the two wizards in the middle of the room cast their last spells.

Suddenly everyone was screaming for joy and hugging and kissing. Hope was pulled into Neville's arms, again, and looked into his face. This time he kissed her and time stood still. This was what she had dreamed of for so long. Neville's arms were around her, and his lips were pressed to hers. She moved closer to him, pressing herself to him and he hugged her tighter. She thought that if only they could stay this way forever, her life would be complete bliss.

Someone jostled them and the moment ended. Neville stepped away to go be part of the group mobbing Potter. Hope didn't feel as though she quite belonged. Professor Slughorn was there, but few other Slytherins were among the victors. The people whose eyes she saw seemed to pity her. Perhaps it was because she was Slytherin or perhaps it had to do with what everyone had just learned about her father. She stepped past many images that would come back to her later: Molly Weasley standing triumphantly over the body of Fenrir Greyback, Greg Goyle's father looking strangely broken, Ted Nott leaning over his dad, Sirius Black kneeling between the bodies of Professor Lupin and his wife...

She slid out of the room and into the entrance hall where she saw the spot where she and Neville had fought together, publicly friends for the first time ever. She should contact her parents and let them know what happened, assuming her father was healing properly. She should find out if Mum was really as well as she pretended to be and if Daddy would really get better.

Suddenly the truth that she had learned moments before hit her, and her eyes welled up. She sat down on the pedestal and thought about it. Both her parents had been fairly candid about the fact that Daddy had admired another woman before he married Mum. Now she knew who the other lady was, and that wasn't a problem. Both her parents had made it sound like that was all in the past, but Potter made it sound like it was still in the present.

“Hey.”

“Lucky! Shouldn't you be in there?” Hope nodded to the doorway of the Great Hall while blinking her eyes quickly to dispel the tears.

“I wanted to thank you, for saving my life.”

“You saved mine a couple of times. And to kill the snake like that was brilliant.” The sword glinted from where he had slid it under his belt. “It almost killed my father last night. I'm sure he'll be pleased to know it's dead.”

“Harry and Voldemort spoke as if your father was killed.” Neville tried to say it gently.

“I found him in the Shrieking Shack and used some potions my mother gave me. Then I took him to her. He was still alive when I came back here, but very ill.” In the growing daylight, she could see the burns around the crown of Neville's head and motioned him down beside her. “What was that with the Devil's Snare?”

“It's a special Summoning Charm. You add the Latin name for the plant at the end, and it has to be a plant that actually exists nearby. I didn't mean for it to kill them, just to tie them up. I didn't realize it was still so dark in the room. I was determined that they wouldn't hurt anyone ever again... perhaps my intent was too strong.”

“You can't be sorry that it ended up the way it did. They might have escaped if you had not used that spell.”

“That's true. I feel odd about it, though.”

“You have been a great hero today, Lucky, as great as my wildest imaginings. No one will ever think of you as Sir Luckless again.” He smiled at the praise as she worked on his burns. It was a bittersweet privilege, to say the charms that would heal the injuries and to apply the creams and ointments that would make the scars fade. She understood why her mother always did it for Daddy. Thinking of her parents reminded her of Daddy's true feelings as she now knew them, and she couldn't stop a tear from stealing down her cheek.

“Hope?” She looked into Neville's eyes. “What's the matter? We won. You're happy, aren't you?”

She nodded. “Oh, of course. I just can't stop thinking...all the things Harry said about my father, and what that means about Mum. All my life, they always seemed to be all over each other, so I thought—I guess it doesn't matter what I thought. I guess my Mum was just some other woman of 'purer blood'.”

“Who was more worthy of him, Hope. If not more worthy, then perhaps just better suited.” She shook her head, sadly, and he patted her hand. “Hope, you told me in your last letter that things aren't what they seem. You should talk to your parents and learn the full truth.”

“You read that letter? I figured you must have burned it.” Hope put the lid back on the jar and returned it to her pocket.

Neville looked uncomfortable. “I read it, and I've read it and re-read it whenever I couldn't figure out why your father seemed to be helping us at times.” He was quiet for a moment. “Hope, I told myself I could never forgive you when I thought you were in the wrong, and now I've learned for sure that I had it wrong. The problem is I'm still not sure if I can forgive you, and I know that instead I should be asking you for forgiveness. I know that, Hope, but I can't seem to sort it out.”

“It's a very long time since any of us have had any sleep. I'm sure you'll be able to find me when you do figure it out. I should get back to the hospital. My mother gave birth last night, and my father very nearly died. If it had been any other sort of night I'd be worried sick about them. They will want to know what has happened here, too.” She patted his knee and stood. “Farewell, Lucky.”

“Neville! I've been looking all over for you.” It was Hannah Abbott, and her face shone with happiness. Neville stood and turned. He didn't leave, yet, and reached for Hope's hand.

“Hope, will you be all right?”

Putting on her ice princess demeanor, or as close as she could get with her eyes full of tears, she replied, “I told you years ago never to call me that in front of anyone. Since it's a special day, I'll let you off... this once.” Margo Snape turned determinedly toward the main doors of the school and started walking, out of the castle and down to the main gate where she could Apparate.

Her parents were both sleeping when she returned to St. Mungo's. The baby was in Mum's lap; she must have fallen asleep while feeding him. Hope lifted him gently and placed him in his bassinet and then found a blanket to put over Mum. Hope noticed that her parents' hands were still clasped together. They played their parts well.

She found another chair and sat at her father's other side. She was so tired and it was so peaceful in this room. Hope put her head down on Daddy's bed, just to rest it, but was soon dozing off. As she slept, she dreamed that Daddy's hand was ruffling through her hair.

---

When Hope awoke, her father's hand was on her head and Mum was not in the room. From the sound of it, she was just beyond the one curtain, changing the baby's diaper. A moment later she came back around and sat again in the chair.

“You're awake,” said Mum softly. She whispered sweet nothings to the baby and settled him to nurse again.

“Mum, I have to know—“

“We've heard great things about the battle, that Harry Potter was able to kill Voldemort. We've also heard great things about Margo Snape...taking on Bellatrix Lestrange of all people.”

“It was Neville that beat her, you should have seen him.”

“I've heard about that, too.” The mother smiled with pride at her daughter.

“Mum, Harry said some things to Voldemort, right before he killed him. He said things about Daddy... and Harry's mother.”

Mum smiled indulgently. “And so we come to the reason why you ran back here instead of enjoying the celebrations at Hogwarts.”

“I always thought you loved each other. You told me—”

“And now that Potter describes a few things from highly edited memories your father gave him, you believe otherwise?” Mum was still smiling. “The memories did as they were supposed to do. Harry Potter needed to be absolutely convinced of your father's loyalty in order to do something incredibly difficult. The memories Daddy gave to that boy had to make him willing to walk right up to Voldemort and then to willingly die. Daddy wanted to include the parts about me that were in those memories, but I told him to keep me out of it. After everything that had come between those two, it needed to be as simple as possible.”

“So you were willing to let everyone think Daddy doesn't love you?”

“Does it matter what other people think if I have Daddy right here with me? He's alive, and the trouble we have been living under our entire lives is gone. When I count you, your brothers, and your Grandma, I have everything I could possibly want.”

Hope looked at her father, still sleeping. “Is he getting better?”

“I think we can safely say he will recover, but it's going quite slowly. He's woken enough to take healing potions, but hasn't become fully conscious. Maybe in a day or two he'll wake up for real. You did everything perfectly when you brought him here. I'm very proud of you.”

“Thanks, Mum.”

“Why don't you go down to my office? There are a couple of beds made up down there and you can get some real sleep. When you come back, bring the bundle of letters you will find in my top left desk drawer.”

---

Hope couldn't resist the opportunity to take a side trip to the Janus Thickey Ward on the way to her mother's office. Someone should tell Mr. and Mrs. Longbottom what a hero their son was. When she got close, she realized that someone had gotten there first.

“It was incredible! We stood there, facing all those Death Eaters together and it must have been a little bit like when the two of you fought together all those years ago. I feel like I know how it must have been when you were fighting against them.

“When it was all over, Hope took care of the burns and other injuries I had. She's brilliant with that sort of thing, and it turns out her family have been fighting along with us all along, just undercover because her dad was spying on Voldemort.

“Hope had to leave, but then Hannah came and there was a feast and it was wonderful. We finally got some sleep, and then I decided to come here and tell you all about it. Gran is resting, but she'll be here later today. I'll be bringing Hannah by tomorrow, and we can talk it all over again.”

Hope backed away and slipped out of the ward, toward her mother's office. She shouldn't have listened. Eavesdroppers never heard what they wanted to hear. There was no reason to have hoped, no reason to even form the thought of what she should never have hoped. He would eventually forgive her, and she would forgive him, but they would be fortunate if they even reclaimed the friendship they once shared.