Thanks to everyone reading and to everyone reviewing. Hope you like this chapter. Sorry it's taken so long to update, I've moved house and haven't had proper internet access so haven't been able to update any of my stories until now.

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Chapter 9

Hermione couldn't stop writhing on the large bed she had woken to find herself lying on. She was in agony. The effects of the Cruciatus curse continued to ripple through her body sending burning pain to all her nerve endings. She cried out as the pain became stronger, before slowly dying down slightly.

She was wishing for the world to end, right now, just to end her suffering. She truly had never felt pain like this, not even in all her battles in the Muggle wars suffering from the worst of the injuries she had incurred over her time there. She could barely lift her head up to look at the person sitting beside her bed, watching her every move. She knew it was Snape and she knew he was just waiting for the chance to question her about her having helped Ron escape.

She couldn't ignore the shrill yell of a familiar voice as she burst into the room. It was professor McGonagall. It was common knowledge among those who didn't work for the Dark Lord that the only reason she, and a few other professors, had stayed on at Hogwarts was to keep an eye on the students attending and protect them however they could.

Snape turned to watch McGonagall storm over to him. She stopped dead in her tracks and stared down at Hermione who continued to writhe in pain. "What in Merlin's name have you done to her, Severus?" she spat.

"Pipe down, Witch! I have played no part in this." Snape replied, instantly bored by the older witch's accusations.

"Oh you are playing a very big part in this! It is common knowledge after all why Miss Granger was given to you. The fact that you accepted…well it's despicable." she barked at him.

"I have not touched her!" Snape protested angrily as he stood.

"Coward!" she bellowed at him, "Don't you try to lie to me. I knew you were among the lowest of life forms the day you murdered Albus, I never thought it possible for you to sink any lower until you brought her back here, like some huntsman with his kill." McGonagall growled at him, her voice strained with emotion.

"You may be right in the fact that I murdered Albus but you are very wrong about my reasons for bringing her back here."

"Whatever your reasons I beg you to let me help her now."

"I have already given her as much pain relief as she can possibly have for now. If she were to have more she would without a doubt die as a consquence."

"Students who I have seen put under the Cruciatus curse do not usually show this level of pain still after treatment?" McGonagall questioned as she moved to sit down beside Hermione, barely actually touching her she brushed a stray lock of Hermione's hair out of her face.

"True, but most students are only hit once or twice with the curse…"

McGonagall looked up at Snape with a look of knowing horror. "How many times?" she asked, not sure she actually wanted to hear the answer.

Snape hesitated before he replied, "The Carrow's informed me that they lost count sometime after the tenth time."

McGonagall groaned in pure disgust, she truly despised the Carrow twins. "She's lucky to be alive."

"I can assure you she will be thinking anything but."

"Oh and just what makes you so sure?"

"I know what it feels like to suffer the curse more times than you yourself can count." Snape said.

McGonagall glanced up at Snape and couldn't help but offer him a slight look of sympathy but the look soon faded and she turned back to Hermione who reached out and weakly took hold of her hand. McGonagall sighed before she turned to face Snape again. "There must be something more you can do for her." McGonagall cried.

"All I can do is try to keep her comfortable until the pain ends" he said feeling more than guilty about such a thing.

"Then I shall leave you too it." McGonagall said, gently brushing her hand over Hermione's face again.

McGonagall got up and slowly headed out of Snape's bedroom and towards the doorway of his quarters. As they got to the door McGonagall stopped dead and turned to face Snape, "If there is still an ounce of decency left in you Severus I beg you to stop all this. Be the person I thought you were once, protect the students who need you and stop the likes of the Carrow's from hurting them."

Snape just looked at her in silence, there was nothing he could say to her to make it right. McGonagall looked back at him and he couldn't help but notice how much thinner she looked, how much paler she had gone, how many more wrinkles had now formed on her face. She was literally giving her life into helping protect the students she could, the signs were telling on her, she looked old, frail.

"Goodnight, Minerva." he said after a moment longer of hesitation.

McGonagall could only nod her head at him before she rushed out of his door, he watched her transform into a tabby who easily ran along the corridors in the shadows, making a quick and safe way back to her quarters, the only place in the castle where she was truly safe.

~0~0~

Snape wandered back into his room. He saw that Hermione had stopped writhing so much, but he could see the pain etched on her face still. She glanced up at him and weakly asked, "Pro…professor Mc….McGonagall?"

"She's gone back to her quarters." he told her.

Before Hermione had chance to answer she whimpered as pain shot through all her muscles. She couldn't help but cry out in agony. It was a desperate sound that made Snape sit down on the bed beside her.

He was shocked when she reached out and grabbed hold of his hand and held it tight. "I feel like every muscle in my body is ripping apart!" she cried out in agony.

Snape wasted no time as he peeled her hand from off of his and then stood up from the bed. He reached down and gently scooped Hermione up into his arms. He could feel her body shivering against his, "I'm cold!" she told him.

"A common after effect for some, after the spasms have stopped." he informed her.

"Help me, please, I can't take this." she cried out, not caring how pathetic her cries sounded.

Snape quickly but carefully carried her across his bedroom and through a door that led into his own private bathroom. Once inside he easily balanced Hermione in one arm then whipped out his wand and pointed it at the bathtub which immediately began to fill, another flick of his wand and a small mirror fronted cabinet opened and bottles of different kinds of bubble bath floated over to the bath tub, dispersing some coloured liquids before neatly returning to the cupboard.

Knowing what it felt like to suffer the Cruciatus curse and having learned the best ways to ease the pains that followed it, Snape knew that at this stage the best way to ease Hermione's pain was a hot bath filled with bath lotions that would ease muscle pain, relax the body and sooth the mind.

He knew there was no way he could leave Hermione to bathe alone, it was too risky. She was falling in and out of consciousness because of the pain. The best way to help her would be to hold her in the water and let it and the lotions do their work. He pointed his wand at himself and the bulkiest of his clothing disappeared, leaving him in just a white button up shirt and his black trousers.

He pointed his wand at Hermione and her shoes, trousers and thick jumper disappeared leaving her in just a spaghetti strap shirt and her underwear. He pointed his wand at the bath tub once more and the taps turned off. His bath was just like the one in Hermione's so he carefully stepped down into it, holding Hermione securely in his arms. The hot water that enveloped his and Hermione's body felt instantly healing to both of them.

He moved to the corner and sat down on a sunken ledge. He easily rested Hermione across his lap. The water came just above her shoulders and below Snape's, so Hermione lay with her head resting against his chest.

After just a minute he felt her stop shaking, felt her body relax. It had been so tense just moments ago he feared it would snap with one touch. Her breathing became less laboured and heard her gently sigh with what he was sure was relief.

"This helps." she muttered.

"I know." he replied.

"Thank you, Professor Snape." she said as she nuzzled her face into his chest once more and let her eyes drift shut.

"I am not your Professor anymore, Miss Gra… Hermione, you may call me Severus."

Hermione wanted to look up at him, to be sure he had actually just said this, and that she hadn't just dreamt it, but she was far too relaxed, far too comfortable embraced in his arms, leaning against his chest. It was an odd feeling and had she been in more her own state of mind she was sure she would have pulled away from him, but right now that was the last thing she wanted to do, so she snuggled in more to him and said, "Thank you, Severus."

With her pain finally easing she began to drift asleep in his arms as the hot water and healing lotions continued to soothe her body.

"You're entirely welcome, Hermione." Snape whispered back to her.

TBC

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