Severus took his time washing his hands the tips tingled most uncomfortably with the memory of skin. He scrubbed a bit harder than necessary before pulling back nearly scolding himself. He hissed from the water and shut off the tap. He sneered at the reflection of his face in the window. His fist curled as he threatened to break it.
He was hardly a teenager anymore. There was no reason for his reaction. He knew it had to have been her. He'd opened the connection to assure himself that he wasn't causing harm. He hadn't been prepared for her reaction to him in the slightest.
He rolled his shoulders to release the tension building towards a migraine. He wiped his partially scolded hands on a nearby towel before picking up the book he'd set aside. With a look at the hard kitchen chairs with a look of discontent, he growled to himself. He wasn't going to allow himself to be cowed by a wisp of a woman. He straightened himself returning to the sitting room.
A soft rumble betrayed her state. Hermione had shifted one arm up under her head nuzzling her face into the crook while her other arm pressed closer to her side under her shirt. She'd taken hold of the parted fabric holding it loosely in her fingers. He couldn't help the smirk at her soft snore. Her lips were slightly parted releasing the noise. He wondered if the Gryffindor princess knew she snored? He filed it away for later coming around to sit in his chair. He paused for a moment setting his book aside.
The sun grazed over all the dips and curves of her back, casting light shadows. The room wasn't cold but he knew once the salve wore off she would be. Snape huffed softly and stood at her side.
His chest was thumping loudly again but he silently cursed it quiet. Leaning down, he gently pulled the fabric she had seized dropping it back over her. She made a soft noise nuzzling her arm, her fingers closing briefly before going lax again. He stalled allowing her to settle before pulling up the other half. He ran the tip of his wand down both halves, knitting them back together.
His chest relaxed once the task was completed and grabbed a throw from the rack by the fire place. His leg brushed her dangling foot causing her to grunt and pull it up onto the lounge. She turned her head switching her upper body to curl into the arm hiding her face in the crevice.
Once more he waited for her to settle before pulling the throw over her resting form. It wasn't large enough to cover her completely he decided her socked feet would be fine uncovered and pulled it over her shoulders. The tip of the blanket fell onto her face and she scrunched her nose shifting her chin before tucking it into her fingers with a soft sighing smile. Severus moved back towards his chair his valiant task completed. He settled back relaxing as her soft cat like purr filled the room once more.
oOo
Hermione was floating blissfully in her dream-space. A warm sun shone overhead and she smiled into it. She found herself on a lake floating peacefully on her back in the cool waters. She felt so happy, not a care in the world as she pulled herself along. Her stroke lethargic as she watched the clouds above her shift in and out with senseless shapes.
She closed her eyes for only a moment when everything took a sharp turn. The water that held her turned warm and thick and she snapped her eyes open. Gone were the crystal blues of an unidentifiable lake.
Screams and explosions rattled her ears as she struggled to push herself up. The liquid below her caused her to slip and she brought her arm up. Her eyes widened when she saw the dark red roll down her arm. Her breath came out in haggard puffs as she spun on her hip. Her back was cold and hot at the same time as she looked down into the unseeing eyes of her own face. She screamed and reared back onto her knees trying to wipe off the blood on her jeans.
Trembling she stared wide eyed over her doppelganger. Her body looked broken, her arms lying splayed next to her head, a large deep line had cut her nearly in two. The blood had seeped into almost every thread of the white dress she was wearing. A silver chain glowed in the fire light around her neck catching her attention.
Hermione shakily bent over herself pulling on it slowly as if drawn to it by an outside force. A ring slipped from under the neck of the dress and she picked it up carefully between her fingers.
The ring was small, definitely a woman's, its silver reflected the fire that burned nearby. Hermione swallowed as she turned it, slowly red letters started to form along the band.
"Always...?" Her throat ran dry reading the inscription when a hoarse cry caught her attention. She pushed away from her own form snapping the necklace away to carry with her. The cry came again, deep and filled with unfathomable anguish. She knew that timber.
She turned finally taking in her surroundings. She stood inside an inferno of burning broken shelves and shattered doors. It was like a combination of her and Severus' minds. Forced together with raging force. The result was the destruction around her. She turned on the spot trying to find a path through all the disarray. Suddenly, the ring in her grasp burned for her attention. Hermione hissed jerking her hand up; she looked at the seemingly innocent ring when her mind clicked.
"Show me." The ring glowed brighter, "Show me the way to him." Her courage steadied her breath and strengthened her legs as a light shot out from the ring piercing straight through the flames showing her the way.
She ran.
Without so much as a second glance behind, she leaped over a shelf and straight into the fires. She shielded her face as she kept moving. The fire didn't burn so much as pull the warmth from her. She didn't pause long enough to examine the thought as she shouldered through a partially broken door. She let out a small shriek skidding to a stop right before a great precipice.
The line she had been following pointed straight down into its unseeing depths. Her heart lurched as another agonizing scream echoed up from the void. She swallowed and rocked back for a moment before jumping feet first, without a second thought, into the unknown.
The fall was shorter than she would have thought, her legs collapsing under her as she fell to hard stone. Her head rang from the impact but she forced herself up, gasping, trying to recapture the air that had been forced out of her lungs.
Her eyes were wide as she tried to see through the heavy black smoke that swirled around her. With a hiss, she pushed herself up above the carpeting darkness. Her eyes instantly landing on the form in front of her.
"Severus!" She lurched forward.
His body was tied tight to a stake, his arms pulled tightly around behind him. His head hung down to his chest. His black attire melded with the darkness that surrounded him. He looked like he was primed to be burned alive as she scrambled her way up the stacks of logs that built his pyre.
"Severus! An-swer me please!" She slipped, stuttering her words. "Please!" She had just crawled enough to grab hold of his jacket when a sweeping terror washed over her. Her eyes turned up slowly to the top of the stake.
Large curved teeth smiled down at her from on high, a long slithering tongue dropped down just under her chin, its wet slimy texture wrapping slowly around her neck as she stared transfixed into its jowls.
He's mine now.
The heavy genderless hiss came from all around but she knew its source. She watched stone still as its long arm reached down, its claws lifting the trapped man's head up curling in most painfully into his black hair threatening to crush his skull with its force.
Hermione felt an anger well inside like something like she had never felt before, even as the tongue tightened around her neck she couldn't stop the rising force inside her.
"Like hell!" The words passed her lips with unrelenting vehemence. Her hand shot up taking hold of the tongue, her grip unyielding as she pulled.
Hermione's eyes jerked open her entire body jumping from the force of waking. She couldn't see. She blinked rapidly as she realized she was looking into the dark crevice of the lounge. She pushed away abruptly, jostling someone who was leaning over her. She spun, her eyes wild and fierce her arm nearly missing the head that reared back.
"Easy Granger! Merlin!" Draco nearly lost his footing as he stumbled out of her range.
Her heart was pounding in her ears and she barely registered the blonds presence. She pulled the blanket from her most dramatically as she pushed her still sleep heavy body up.
"Wh'ereiz'e?" Her words were a slurred nearly incomprehensible mess as her tongue disobeyed her commands.
"What? Hey! Whoa, sit down!" Draco had regained some sense after her surprise attack. He grabbed her shoulders, perhaps a bit too firmly, pushing her back onto the lounge.
Hermione grunted and tried to push off his hold, "Le'me go!" She thumped her fist right on the veins of his wrist causing him to hiss and pull back shaking out his hand.
"Ouch! Bloody hell! Stop that!" Draco grabbed her wrists next, more out of self-preservation than actual restraint. She growled and kicked out at his shins making him jump back a bit.
"He's in the shower! Ow!" He gave her a bit of a shake trying to get her to hear him. "Shower Granger! And unless you want to join him you're going to have to wait!"
That worked. Draco let out a heavy sigh as her wild eyes slowly relaxed, her fight or flight response draining out like a popped balloon. He wasn't ready for the tears though and grimaced when her eyes started to well up.
"Don't cry! Agh, come on...Snape will kill me if I make you cry " His faced pinched, voice high with a nasal whine. He glanced towards the stairs as if speaking his name would magically make him appear.
Hermione sniffled letting out a low keening noise in the back of her throat. Draco panicked leaning down to try and get her to see his face.
"Hey shhh, no no, come it's Draco yea?" He caught the corner of her eye for just a moment, "From lunch?" His own eyes were puffy and red from his own tears, his face pale against the fire.
Hermione shook her head, she knew him, but she didn't want him. She wanted Severus. Her body shivered as the residual adrenaline from her dream washed away. She turned her face away from him, pulling against his hold more calmly. A horrible choking noise shuddered in her throat when she pushed down her tears. She felt him gently massage where he held her wrists before pulling away completely.
Draco winced as her cheeks turned an awful shade of purple as if she wasn't getting in enough air. "Do you want me to get him?"
Draco could tell she was working her way towards an aneurysm and didn't want to be anywhere near by when it happened. She sniffled and wiped at her nose and eyes rather harshly before nodding her head. "Right just..." He let out an exasperated breath, "Just stay there."
He held his hands out before turning towards the stairs. He knew he was going to regret it, but it was better than having the girl collapse at his feet. He jogged towards the stairs taking two at a time trying to think of just what to say.
Hermione hiccuped and took in a slow breath watching him retreat. She wrapped her arms tightly around herself letting out a loud sob, she hated feeling this weak. It made her feel so incapable of anything. She couldn't keep the image of his body tied to the stake from her mind. How helpless he was and when the creature took his head; she shook her head trying to clear the image.
Slowly, she opened her eyes noticing his chair was within reach. He must have moved it closer to the lounge before he left. Her legs shook a bit as she pushed off but it wasn't far to go. She grasped tight to the arms before pulling the rest of her body into the chair. She curled herself up into the corner of it, pressing her face into the back. She tried to take in his smell, but Draco's horrid cologne was making it difficult. She made a face and let out another soft sob rubbing her face.
Draco reached the landing panting softly from his effort. He didn't hear the shower running anymore. He just hoped his Godfather was quick with his routine as he rapped his fist upon the door. A low growling voice reached his ears as he heard the closet door slide heavily closed.
"What?" His tone was short and clipped.
"Sorry I uh, I know you're getting dressed or something but, Granger she uh." He blinked when the door to his room suddenly came open. He looked up, "She uh..." He took in the other's appearance vaguely, he wasn't yet wearing his frock coat, and it looked like he was just finishing the top few buttons of his dress shirt when Draco had interrupted.
"Had a dream or nightmare or something." He thumbed over his shoulder, "She's pretty upset." He swallowed a bit as Snape's sneer grew. "She's crying and turning purple." He looked so completely clueless as he waited for some sort of reaction.
Severus let out a deep breath lowering his glower, the boy seemed pretty upset by whatever she had done to make him come panting up the stairs. He rolled his eyes at his theatrics and turned away from the door going to the bed grabbing his coat harshly before motioning towards Draco.
"Go, I'll be there." How could he be surrounded by such incompetence? Despite the urge to strangle the boy and remind him that crying wasn't a life threatening event, he put his arms in his coat and followed after him.
Draco thumped down rather quickly but stopped short when he saw that she was no longer in the lounge. He cursed under his breath and glanced back up the stairs.
"I left her there I swear." He tried to excuse before the man himself even noticed what was wrong.
Snape grunted as he pushed past him, having made it halfway up his coat before his foot reached the landing. He glanced towards the sitting room noticing the lounge empty, he rolled his eyes towards Draco, honestly.
"She's hardly a marathon runner." He growled out under his breath turning his eyes towards his chair. A small tuft of hair had escaped around the side and he knew exactly where she'd 'run' to.
He had finished all but the top three buttons of his collar when he came around the edge of the chair. He raised a brow as the girl seemed to be trying to saw her face off into the fabric.
"I do believe..." He drawled slowly, "You were told to stay put." He made sure to enunciate his words very clearly catching her eyes when she turned her head to his voice. What the normally incredibly careful and observant man hadn't been ready for was for her to jump up like a jackrabbit and wrap herself around his stomach for the second time that day.
Hermione hugged him tightly for a brief moment before pulling back. Using his coat as a climbing ladder, she simultaneously pulled him down while pulling herself up. She had to be sure.
"Miss Grang-" His voice was cut off as her face came directly in front of his, his eyes wide as she looked wildly into them. She took hold of his face with both hands leaning her chest against his to keep herself up, for a split second he thought the girl had completely lost her mind was about to kiss him. Then she turned his head pulling back the slightly damp hair at his temples.
She was muttering something under her breath that he was having trouble hearing through the blood pounding in his ears. He blinked when she tugged his hair back, her nails digging through the roots searching for something. His brain finally caught up and he pulled his hands up picking her up by her biceps squeezing her arms into her chest. It was a firm and most likely very uncomfortable hold but he needed her rapt attention.
"Would you cease your pawing?" His voice was low but it held very little of an edge to it. He pulled his head back flicking a bit of hair from his eyes.
Watching her hands fall away, he held her still, "Just what on earth are you looking for you daft girl?"
"Idoes'tj'stwantme." Her words were heavy and slurred. She pulled her head back to look at his face. Her breath was coming out in quick puffs from her tear tracked face. Her hands slowly fell down as he moved her away back into the chair.
She opened her mouth again before his fingers covered her lips. She gave him a petulant look, finally taking in his partially dressed appearance. She'd pulled the coat down during her climb exposing the unbuttoned part of his shirt, his Adam's apple was suddenly very fascinating.
Draco came around the edge of the near by side table, his brows raised well into his platinum blond hairline. That wasn't what he had been expecting, though intelligently, he kept his mouth shut. His eyes ping-ponged back and forth between Severus and the back of the chair. It was a most fascinating display. He was sure that had it been anyone else, he'd be helping the man in black clean guts off all his precious books.
The man himself took a slow calming breath pulling his hands back. He raised his finger to her when she went to open her mouth again. He glanced sideways to Draco before moving to sit on the lounge.
"Slowly, Miss Granger." He rested his elbows on his knees watching her fold back into the chair.
"It...doesn't just want me..." She took a few more slow breaths, tears welling back into her eyes. She blinked the tears away her eyes searching his body for any sign of injury. He looked just as terse as she ever saw him though his jacket was disheveled, his scowl was perfectly in place. This was real, it had to be.
"How do you know this?" He phrased his question very carefully knowing the girl was on the edge. "Can you show me?"
Hermione paused still trying to calm her breathing, he was too far away. She didn't like it. She made a bit of a face turning her eyes away from his. She fought inside herself for a few moments trying to decide if she could show him or not. With a gut wrenching breath, she turned her eyes back to his and nodded her head slowly.
He noticed her discomfort at the question but didn't move, rather he opened the connection between them listening to her trying to steal herself up. Trying, rather valiantly, to make herself stronger than what she was currently. It made his heart ache to see her fight against herself just for the sake of appearing strong. He didn't stop her though. This was a battle all her own. He waited until she went still and gave her permission. As he settled his black eyes onto hers, he felt the images starting to appear in his mind.
They were quick and some what out of order and he ground his teeth a bit as he tried to sort through them. Finally, the last image from her dream came to the front and he paused. He could feel her fear and sorrow so heavily pressing in. The creature had never spoken before and he wondered if the dream was simply what it was, or if it held any prophetic nature.
He was torn between; on the one hand, it could simply be her fears from that morning, bleeding back through. On the other, how had she created that ring from her subconscious? He had never shown anyone his ring and despite that, it wasn't his ring in the dream. It had been Lily's half. A sob broke the silence between them pulling him back into focus.
He stood coming to the edge of the chair. He was so tired of tears. "Alright...enough..."
Hermione's face had broken down during the process, her brow furrowed tightly as she tried, unsuccessfully, to keep the tears from falling. She was so tired of fighting for every ounce of strength. She just wanted to feel normal again. Safe and warm again. She wrapped her arms around her knees pulling them to her forehead hiding her face in the small space between. She felt so angry. So lonely. So empty. She squeezed her legs tighter as she heard him stand.
"What's coming after you?" Draco asked curiously leaning to one side of the chair using it's high back to support his weight. He curiously peeked over the edge uncomfortable with the sight of someone he knew to be very headstrong look so small and helpless. His face twitched as he recalled back just how strong he knew her to be. It made his stomach queasy just thinking about that night.
"Something more powerful than you can hope to understand," Snape answered dismissively not really wanting to bring another person into their little party. He sighed heavily and he adjusted his shirt. He hadn't even managed to tuck it in and would have to simply concede and remove his jacket to start his laborious dressing process all over again.
Draco just nodded knowing when to call it quits. Though when he looked down at the girl still crying in the chair he couldn't stop himself, "Must be pretty powerful if it can make a Gryffindor cry their eyes out like that." A look crossed his face as he pushed back from the chair to give the girl some space. He never did handle crying women very well and he wasn't really in the mood to deal with anyone else's emotional upheavals.
"Careful Draco, even a caged lion has claws." Severus drawled lazily as he tucked in his shirt.