Senses

Chapter 42

oO Mid November Oo

The hands had come again, twisting her body, forcing her legs apart. In her mind, she begged them to stop but her body pleaded for more. It was a world filled with darkness and silence. A world filled with pain, and suffering. Her head was pulled back, held tight by the collar around her neck while salt filled her tongue. The smell of sweat churned her stomach as her body arched to the wetness between her legs.

The motion that followed brought a burning bile to the back of her throat, but she could not swallow it down. Her only thoughts were centered around breathing through the tightness that held her throat and the salty flesh that filled her pallet. Her hands curled tight, pulling against the ropes that held them down. She was helpless, truly and completely helpless.

Then, a light, a face through the darkness began to form, and her eyes strained to make them out. Her heart thumped heavily in time with the hands' movements but she could do nothing but stare into the inky blackness shifting above. A mask without eyes began to form, turning her blood into ice. The intricate engravings were not lost on her deeper thoughts as something familiar.

She pulled once more against the binds, pulling one of her hands free. Despite the position that the hands held her in, she reached forward, towards the mask. She needed it, it would keep her safe.

Just as her fingers reached the cool metal, Hermione's body jolted into reality. Her eyes wide and her chest heaving as she furiously pushed away the covers in a vain attempt to remove the phantom hands that lingered. Her flailing woke her bedmate, bringing strong sleep warmed arms around her frame. A deep grunt-like whine left her throat as she kicked out, still struggling against the unseen.

Severus let out a sharp grunt of his own when her elbow hit a deep scar on his side causing his breathing to hitch. Her nightmares had become more violent in the past few weeks and he was beginning to become concerned for her mental health. She'd been more withdrawn, more argumentative. Dare he say; much more like himself. It was exceptionally grating on his nerves.

"Miss Granger! Miss-" His words were cut off when her shoulder snapped his jaw shut with a sharp clashing of his teeth. This stoked the anger that had been building in his chest and his hands took a vice-like grip before slamming down into the bed. His chest heaved as he held her there, hovering just over her wide eyes and heaving chest, determined to keep her from drawing any more blood from his person.

Hermione let out a deep growl of desperation, her eyes had been taking longer and longer to come into focus, as though the potion he'd given her was losing its effects. Something warm dripped onto her cheek and as his livid face came into view her own turned into that of submission. Her mind was spinning with memories both of the present and past forcing her body to go still with conflicted fear.

Severus licked his bottom lip trying to keep another drop of blood from falling onto her cheek before he pushed himself off of her bruised wrists and onto his hip. A sharp hiss brought the back of his hand up to his lip as the woman beside him began to push herself up.

"I'm sorry..." Hermione tried to reach out but the man beside her smacked her wrist away before pushing himself out of bed. Her eyes tracked the shadows on his muscles as he moved towards the bathroom. When the door shut with a reverberating slam her head hung down. This wasn't the first time she'd injured him in her sleep. The first time, she was certain he was going to kill her. The look on his face had been something she could hardly forget, having triggered his natural fight or flight response. He was a fighter.

Hermione took a slow breath and wiped away the blood that had fallen on her cheek before rolling out of her side of the bed. Today was supposed to be the day where she was going to help Harry and Ron. The day where she could make sure they were on the right path. She wasn't allowed to stay with them of course, but just to see them again, to know that they were alright, filled her with hope.