Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. They belong to JKR. I make no money.

A/N: Thanks to my wonderful beta a bees buzz!

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Alternate ending 1

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‘Sorry, I really must go – I’ll be back as soon as I can,’ she apologized, grabbing her bag.

In her hurry, she lost her balance on the stairs.

Snape reacted without thinking, hurling his ghostly form down the stairs, hoping to – he didn’t know what he was hoping to do. To catch her, without having a body?

It didn’t matter.

Her falling body sunk through his translucent form, hitting the bottom of the stairs with a sickening thud.

‘No,’ he whispered. ‘No! Hermione, talk to me! Please!’

She remained silent. The dark puddle forming under her head spoke for itself.

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For the first time since his return, he showed himself at the castle, going straight to the Headmaster’s office and informing him of the body in the Shack. He left before the shocked man had collected himself enough to start asking questions.

When Hermione’s body was taken away, he stayed invisible.

He stayed invisible at the graveyard, too, listening to everything that was being said. Family, friends, colleagues – it seemed to him that none of them had really known her. Not the way he had.

He didn’t want to return to the Shack. But he had nowhere else to go.

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A week had passed. He did not know how he had spent it, except that he felt more alone than ever. He wondered if ghosts could go mad.

When the window flew wide open, he suspected the wind.

‘Severus?’

So apparently it was possible, he thought. Hearing voices would surely be the first step towards madness.

‘Severus, it’s me. Show yourself, please!’

Slowly, he forced his form to become visible again and looked up. And gasped.

‘Hermione!’

The pearly white shape of her, so familiar and dear, drifted closer, until it was embracing him.

‘I had unfinished business,’ she whispered.

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Twelve years later two fourth year students were on their way back to Hogwarts, when one of them suddenly had the idea to go and visit the Shrieking Shack.

‘Come on, sis, it’ll be fun,’ he persuaded his companion.

The two sneaked up the stairs, wands at the ready.

Fred reached the top first. As soon as he had peeked into the room, he backed out again, a shocked look on his face.

‘You’d better not go there, Lucia. There are two ghosts in there, having an, um, private moment.’

Being a brave Gryffindor, she took a look anyway.

‘GRANDMA?!’

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Alternate ending 2

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Hermione stormed into the room, throwing the newspaper at Severus. It sailed right through him and landed on the floor.

‘I wish you wouldn’t do that,’ he remarked. ‘It’s not pleasant.’

‘Shacklebolt!’ she yelled. ‘He has completely lost his mind! I told him the Marriage Law is a bad, bad, BAD idea – and what does he do? He goes and passes it anyway!’

Taking a look at Severus, she calmed down a little.

‘I found a loophole. It says nothing about having to marry living people.’

Her hot lips landed on his, making the ectoplasm sizzle.

‘Will you marry me?’

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A/N: And this is really all for this.